#borrower-shifter au

[downsizedclab]

Hito tends to shrink at random when he's stressed. He is very bad at telling when he's stressed.

[puddingforg]

FINALLY Finished this darn comic, I do kinda like how it turned out, the comic is inspired by @krackenwl post abt turning giant panic!

(CHECK THE REPOST BCS THERE ARE MORE SCENES THAT DIDN’T FIT HERE‼️‼️)

I apologize for the artstyle change, I started this on march and then picked up again in August, hence the change, anyways I hope y’all like it and let me know if y’all would like a part 2 ^^!

Btw the characters here are my ocs Hunter and Owen :)

[angstylittleguy]

Dalton's Drawings

An important bonding opportunity for Bennett and Dalton, though neither leave feeling any better.

tw: mentions of suicide

character context: Dalton is a size-shifter whose height is affected by his emotions. Bennett frequently gets stuck in time loops and the only way to get the loop to end is for him to survive the day.

word count: 2.5k

-> In Which Everything Goes Wonderfully Wrong masterpost link: Here

-> character introductions and moodboards: Here

Bennett stalked down the hallway, humming lightly to himself as he pulled his Air Pods from his ears and shoved them in his hoodie pocket, the music ceasing suddenly. He knocked on Dalton's closed door. "Yo, Dalton. You ready to go, man?"

When no response came, Bennett creaked open the door, peeking his head in. "Hey man, are you in here?"

The silence lingered as Bennett scanned the room. Dalton's bed was unmade, something that he never allowed to happen. The guy was a neat freak, never wanting anything in his space to be out of place. It made Bennett quirk a brow for sure. The second red flag was that Dalton's phone was laying on the floor, screen faced up and still playing music from the earbuds that were attached by a thin white cord. Next to it, a fancy crayon that had been snapped in half from the impact of it hitting the hardwood floor.

Bennett stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. "Dalton?" He called, his voice much lower now. He picked up the phone and paused the music, placing it on Dalton's desk. 

"Are you...?" Bennett got on his knees and peered under the bed. "Ah."

In the far corner of the room, pressed against the wall and almost totally concealed by the shadows of the bed, was Dalton, about the size of Bennett's hand. 

Dalton glanced up miserably at Bennett, his heart pounding in his chest because of the massive eyes watching his pitiful form. He buried his head in his knees. 

"Hey," Bennett murmured, trying to keep his voice low because he knew how much loud sounds affected him at this size. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, you know." The brunette dryly laughed, his voice betraying the humor he was attempting. "The usual."

Dalton tried to make a joke to lighten the mood, to make the fact that his friend found him sulking under his bed the size of a bug less pathetic, but it didn't help any. 

"You're pretty small, did something happen?"

Bennett was aware of Dalton's abilities, they all were. But they didn't see it often— not the extremes, anyway— Dalton would always hide away in his room until the size-changing spell ended. They all knew he hated his abilities, just as much as Bennett hated his. Dalton found it humiliating, and they all agreed to give him privacy when things like this happened. It always felt wrong to Bennett to leave him be when he was going through one of his spells, however. They occurred because of how he was feeling, and to leave him alone felt like Bennett was abandoning him. Maybe when he needed them most.

When Dalton was this small, it meant he had a lot on his mind. 

"Just thinking," Dalton said, his voice so small that Bennett had to strain to hear him. 

Bennett laid down on his stomach, resting his chin on his folded arms as to not tower over Dalton as much as he could. It had to be frightening to just see a giant head watching him from a crack under the bed. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" 

He already knew the answer, but he figured he might as well ask anyway. 

Dalton shook his head. "Not really."

Bennett extended a careful hand, outstretching his arm across the length of the bed so that it almost brushed against Dalton's tiny form that seemed to shift deeper into the shadows. "Do you wanna come out? We can watch a movie or something until you're feeling better?" 

He looked at Bennett's hand, it larger than life itself and he so impossibly small. Dalton was on high alert, worried that with one twitch of Bennett’s fingers he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from scurrying down the length of the wall and disappearing into the darkness. 

"Listen, dude." Bennett interrupted his inner monologue with a frown. "It's totally okay to be scared right now. Hell, I would be freaking the fuck out if I were you. But you don't have to do anything you don't want to. We can stay in here and hang out, or I can go, you just say the word."

Dalton wiped frustratingly at his eyes, tearing his gaze away from Bennett's hand to look at him. "You don't have to go," he said numbly. "Can we just... stay like this?"

"Of course, man. I don't wanna do anything to make you uncomfortable."

He pulled his hand back to rest under his chin, causing Dalton to flinch with the unexpected movement. Bennett tilted his head to the side with a sad smile, watching his tiny friend wipe at his eyes as his ears flushed red.

"Ugh, this is so embarrassing." Dalton pulled down the beanie he wore so it covered his ears and nearly his eyes. "I hate this so much."

Bennett chose not to speak, and so Dalton continued. "I'm not scared of you, for the record. Just... uneasy, is all."

"That's totally fair, bro. It would we weird if you weren't." 

Bennett tried to shift again, adjusting his position on the floor as Dalton watched him with a careful gaze. Finally, he pressed himself up into a sitting position with his hands, Dalton's vision no longer filled with Bennett's face, but rather his legs. He felt his heartbeat increase as the wooden floor creaked beneath the shift in weight. 

"Sorry," Bennett chuckled, his voice now coming from high up and out of sight. "Uncomfortable on your hard ass floor." 

He sat with his back against the bed now, his legs outstretched on the floor and facing the closed door. Dalton swallowed the lump in his throat as he forced himself to a stand, his entire body trembling as he walked out of the shadows on shaky legs. 

(It’s fine. This is Bennett. You trust Bennett. He wouldn’t do anything to hurt you.)

Dalton bit the inside of his cheek. 

(Not on purpose, at least.)

He paused just at the edge of Bennett's line of vision, staring up at his friend's mop of messy blond hair from his position on the floor. He was fidgeting with his hands, opening his mouth to say something but being unable to find the words. 

From Dalton's perspective, Bennett was colossal. He was a massive force that could do with him as he pleased and there would be nothing Dalton could do until he managed to shift back to his normal size. And even with this major power imbalance, Bennett was patient and trying his best to look out for Dalton, never doing something that he wouldn't want him to. 

Dalton walked out from under the bed, doing his best to mask his uneasiness. "Tell me about it," he said, voice slightly wavering. "I've been stuck down here for the past two hours." 

Bennett's eyes widened and he quickly snapped his gaze down to Dalton, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin from the movement. "You've been like this for two hours?" 

Dalton nodded sheepishly, craning his neck to meet his eyes.

"Dude, I'm so sorry. If I had known I would have come to check on you sooner."

"Ah, no it's okay." Dalton waved his hands in front of him awkwardly as if he were swatting away the idea. "It's better this way, anyway." 

Bennett's frown never shifted from his expression, but his eyes softened just enough for Dalton to notice. 

Dalton looked down at his feet.

"So," Bennett said, but his voice trailed off and he never finished his thought aloud. His gaze shifted to Dalton's desk, and he was able to see whatever he was working on from his spot on the floor. 

"May I?" He asked Dalton, finger pointed at the desk. 

Dalton shrugged, and Bennett shifted a little to grab the unfinished drawing. 

It was of Meiling, her smiling complexion colored with oil pastels that showed off her warm skin tone. Half of her shoulder-length black hair was colored as well, but the color abruptly ends and a single black line trails to the edge of the paper, even staining the desk as it was dragged towards the floor. 

"This is really good, dude," Bennett told Dalton, looking down at his small form that watched him examine the drawing with cautious eyes.

"But," Bennett said, "I don't think she's into guys."

Dalton flushed red. "Ah! No! That's not why I was drawing her!"

"Dude, it's okay. I'm not judging. I just wanted to tell you you probably don't have a chance with her before you get your hopes up."

Dalton buried his face in his hands and threw his head back. "Noooooo, it's not like that! I just— inspiration struck, okay?"

"Yeah, man. I get it, she's pretty—"

"Oh my god, Bennett. No. Okay, look in my sketchbook at one of the last few pages."

Bennett stood, his height making Dalton dizzy. He stepped closer to the desk, running a finger along the rows of sketchbooks that lined the shelf. "Which one is it?" 

"The black one."

"Like, ninety percent of them are black."

Dalton groaned. "Just— put me on the desk."

Bennett's head whipped downwards to stare at Dalton who stood uncomfortably close to his socked feet. "What?"

"Put me on the desk."

"You want me to put you...?"

"On the desk, yes."

"You want me to pick you up and—?"

"And put me on the desk."

"You want me to—?"

"OhmygodBennettjustdoitalready."

Bennett awkwardly squatted, laying his hand flat on the floor next to where Dalton stood. The brunette stared at it for a moment, before glancing up at Bennett's lingering gaze, and climbing on. 

The moment Bennett's hand was in motion, Dalton fell to his knees, the uncomfortable feeling of skin surrounding him. He held on to Bennett's thumb for balance, knowing that a fall from this height would surely kill him. 

Dalton was deposited on the desk in a matter of seconds, but his legs were weak as he struggled to force himself to a stand. 

He trekked across the wooden surface, stopping when he reached the markings from the oil pastel that he was using when he shrunk. He rubbed at it, staining his hands black as he tried to wipe away the marking. Dalton pointed up at the shelf with a newly black finger. "It's that one." 

Bennett grabbed the sketchbook, laying it down next to Dalton as he wiped his hands on his pants. 

He flipped through the pages, finally landing on a self-portrait in the same oil pastels. 

"What do you notice about mine compared to hers?"

Bennett hummed as he stared at the two drawings. "Well, one is obviously of you…" 

"Yes, that's true. But what about our faces?"

"You have pale, pasty skin?"

Dalton pressed a hand to his cheek. "No, dumbass. She's smiling."

Bennett looked back to the drawings, seeing the one of Dalton expressing a deep frown, with the most defeated eyes Bennett had ever seen on a person. His face was somewhat red, especially around the eyes and the tip of his nose as if he had been crying just moments before. Compared to the drawing of Meiling, whose eyes were bright and full of life, her smile brighter than lightning, Dalton's self-portrait was depressing. 

"Why... why did you draw them like this?"

The brunette blew air out of his nose, glancing down at his feet before looking back up at Bennett's massive form. "I'm sure you've noticed it too," he said, peeking over his shoulder to the drawing of Meiling that laid idly on the desk. Her smile seemed just as big as he was right now. "She's always so... happy."

Bennett cocked his head sideways. "And you're not?"

"How can I be?" 

Dalton threw his hands up miserably, gesturing to himself. "I mean, just look at me. I am four inches tall right now. And for what? Because I'm a little sad? I'm a little sad all the time, so this is just my life now! And Meiling? She didn't get stuck with some shitty superpower that affects her everyday life. She's never been happier, and I'm—"

"Jealous?" Bennett finished for him. 

"Yeah. I'm jealous."

Dalton sat down on the desk, propping his chin up in his hand. "I used to draw as a way to express how I'm feeling. It normally helps— or it used to— didn't matter if I was sad or angry or happy or whatever. But I can't do that anymore, because, well..." 

He gestured half-heartedly to himself again, frown coating his lips. "I guess you wouldn't get it, though. You got pretty lucky—”

"Lucky?" Bennett almost laughed, shifting his position so he stood on his knees and rested his folded arms on top of the desk next to Dalton. "I would not describe my situation as lucky."

Dalton's expression seemed to say, 'then what?' so Bennett continued. "I would describe it as 'The Fucking Worst.' Do you understand how many times I've died? Like, actually, physically died? More than I would have wanted, which means more than once."

Bennett talked with his hands, and with each wild gesture thrown in Dalton's direction, he flinched, debating standing up and moving back further on the desk. If Bennett noticed, he didn't do anything to show it. 

"And yeah, it could be useful if I needed a do-over or something, but like, to get that do-over I'd literally have to die. And that's so scary, dude. Like, I can't—"

His words fell short as he wasn't sure what to say next. He glanced down at Dalton who stared at him with big eyes. 

"I'm sorry," Dalton said. "That does suck." 

"I feel like it happens to me more often than others. Like, normal people only die once." Bennett paused for a moment. "Well, yes, duh, of course people only die once. That's not what I meant. I'm saying, if a guy somehow survives a terrible accident, what are the odds he's going to get into another one a week later? And then in another one two weeks later? Probably not likely, you know?”

Dalton nodded silently. 

"But for me, it is likely. I'm like… cursed to die. I think it's the universe's way of forcing me to use my ability. I mean, Rory uses hers all the time. Josiah ends up invisible almost once a week. You use yours pretty often. When do I have a chance to use mine? Dying doesn't happen to someone that often, but the universe needs me to use my ability. So, things happen that force me to use it." 

Dalton wasn't quite sure what to say, and Bennett dryly chuckled. "Didn't mean to ramble," he said. "Can we just agree that both of our abilities suck?" 

"Yeah," Dalton nodded. "Our abilities suck."

[dark-orca-dynasty]

It's done, I am FREEEEEEE

Colouring was the longest part of this I think, because that was when I was laying down the spots for her tail. The first version was a pain to do, so I looked up what actual snow leopard tails look like and realised I was going about it all wrong. Still not happy with the way I drew Alpheus' face either, but I'll just practice more I guess.

Things also got pretty chaotic around here, my sister now knows the most murderers out of anyone in the family (3 compared to the family baseline of 1), if that gives you any indication to the kind of life I'm dealing with.

I should have more time to work on this soon, my little brothers went back to school the other week so I'm no longer acting as a short order cook to a 5yo all day, leaving more time to contemplate feral catgirls and everything to do with The Deep.

I have a mermay thing planned too, so hopefully I remember to do that before I start on chronically ill Finn angst or using genderbends to analyse characters. But first, math and geometry because I promised someone I'd get them the measurements from the manor I drew for the AU, because I'm the kind of person who makes full on floorplans for my OCs.

[clown-friend-gt]

Came up with a new AU idea so I'm just going to add it to this post. Since this one is much newer, I don't have a pretty little synopsis like I did for the other two (those have been rotating in my head long enough that I can summarize them more easily). So I'll just do a bit of a lore dump:

Shifters AU: In this world, a small subsection of the human population are shifters, who can transform partially or fully into animals. Sometimes their animal forms are larger or smaller than their human form, so there's an element of size shifting there. Trevor is a were-jaguar, Wren is a were-fox, and Addie is a non-shifter, but has spent most of her life around them and is comfortable with them. They all meet in one of their gen-ed courses at San Solaris University and form a study group. Trevor's jaguar form is bigger than any other shifter on record. Because shifting to that size all at once would take an unsustainable amount of energy, he undergoes a gradual transformation over a period of a few months. This means he's a normal human for half the time, and a giant human-jaguar hybrid for the other half. Something like this isn't entirely unheard of, but the closer he is to a full transformation, the more time he spends hiding away from people. It's up to Addie and Wren to break him out of his shell. Also, huge monsters called chimeras will occasionally attack the city they live in and Trevor is part of a team of shifters that helps to defeat them.

There it is! If you have questions, or just want to hear more, feel free to send an ask. I do occasionally write stuff for these AUs, but nothing that's ready to be shown off yet (except maybe one chapter of the fantasy AU that's pretty close but shhhh), so asking questions about them is probably the only way to hear more, at least for a while.

I haven't made a lot of progress on the main story recently, but I have been thinking a lot about some of the AUs I have for it. I wanted to keep them secret until I finished "Up, Up, and Away." But also I want to be able to talk about them so here's a brief description of the main two:

Fantasy AU: Princess Adelaide is cursed. Whenever her emotions get the better of her, she starts to float away. So until she can learn to handle herself, she is sent away to live in a tall tower deep in the forest that borders the kingdom. But somehow, no one thought to mention the fact that the forest was protected by a giant. And suddenly, he seems to be taking an interest in her... Trevor isn't sure what to think about humans. All of his kin, his fellow guardians of the forests of the world, have differing opinions about them. And due to his upbringing by the magus, Wren, he may be the only one of his kind who speaks their language. But he's hardly ever gotten the chance to even see a human, much less speak to one. So when one moves into the middle of his forest, in a tower nearly as tall as he is, no less, the careful balance that he works to uphold may be changed forever.

Borrowers AU: Trevor's landlord warned him when he moved in that the place was haunted. He didn't pay it much mind until his things started disappearing and reappearing again in the wrong places. His food always seems to run out quicker than it should. Sometimes, he can even hear the faint sound of voices coming from another room. So he's either living with ghosts, or he's losing his mind. Borrowers Wren and Addie (called Birdie in this AU) have lived in secret amongst humans for decades now. They make their living by taking what they need to survive, and make their lives more interesting by playing pranks on the hapless humans who unwittingly choose to live with them. But as they get embroiled in the life of the newest tenant, they find themselves at odds for the first time on how to deal with him. And if they aren't careful, their disagreement may lead to their eventual discovery.

Feel free to shoot me an ask if you have any questions about these stories. I have some stuff written, but nothing I want to put out just yet. So the only way I plan to reveal the plot, at least for the time being, is by answering asks.

[cyncerity]

GUYS ITS TIME

this is a big day for the Store Shifter AU

i have had this story in the works since 2021. 2021. THIS HAS HAUNTED ME FOR 4 YEARS, i just didn’t know how to tell it, but i finally, finally finished it. those of you who have been around for a while will know I’ve been teasing the inclusion of someone in this au for years, and i’m really excited to add them.

buckle up, this is the longest thing i’ve written in a while. it’s over 5k words long and has some hidden lore stuff that i am so glad im finally able to get into. hope you enjoy and please send asks if you wanna know where this goes next, cause i have so much to talk about >:)

tw: soft, safe vore. don’t like it, don’t read it

Sapnap was at work today, as he was most days of the week. Karl and Q were borrowing, which also wasn’t unheard of, though they tended to prefer going out at night. However, since Sapnap had started working during the day and sleeping through the night, Karl and Quackity had been trying to align their sleep patterns to his. Hence, borrowing during the day.

Karl and Quackity had split up. This was also not unheard of; on days when the store wasn’t as busy, it was less of a danger to go alone, and going alone garnered more supplies in a shorter time. It also put them in different parts of the store in case Sapnap needed them. And today, it sounded like he did. He was putting small handmade containers he’d just filled with disinfectant into the bag slung around his shoulder when he heard a girl (Hannah, he thinks Sapnap called her once), call someone about “him” being on the floor in an aisle a little farther from where Quackity is. Apparently “he” was pale, shaking, and very out of it in general.

Q was used to hearing these sorts of things from Sapnap’s concerned employers. Sometimes Sapnap would manage to drag himself to the break room and Dream would shoot a text to their home phone that their third needed help, or find them in the store and take them to Sapnap if he could. If Karl was nearby, he’d help Sapnap out and spend the rest of his day in the shifter’s storage. On days when Quackity was out borrowing, he’d help Sapnap. Today was one of those days.

He found Sapnap keeled over in the aisle, arms clutching his stomach and long dark hair in front of his eyes. He…he wasn’t wearing the store uniform. Quackity swore he saw him put it on that morning. “Sapnap…?” he called quietly from his place on a shelf, readjusting the face mask he wore to hide his scar. No answer. He moved closer. He hadnt noticed the lack of chesnut brown roots in his hair, the fact that he knew Sapnap never went out without his beanie but this man wasn’t wearing one, the fact that this stranger was too lean and tall to be his fiancé. No, none of these things clicked until the giant made eye contact with him.

That wasn’t Sapnap.

Quackity had seen that expression on Sapnap’s face before. The dilated pupils, the pale, empty look of hunger. Even if he only saw the man’s face for a split second before trying to hide, he knew that look. There was no doubt in Q’s mind that this man was a shifter, but he wasn’t his shifter. No matter, he had caught the strangers attention, and even if he was fast for a borrower, he wasn’t faster than a human.

He was grabbed and quickly shoved into the stranger’s mouth, kicking and clawing as much as he could, but it didn’t seem to work. He screamed, begging that Dream or Sapnap, hell, even Foolish, someone, anyone would come help him. But no help came. Quackity felt the throat ensnare his leg, dragging him deeper into this giant and further trapping him. His screams increased tenfold, but the purring he felt from the throat only got louder. His screams were cut off as he was dragged fully into the throat with another swallow. In some fucked up way, Quackity felt…comforted. It reminded him so much of Sapnap, he could almost pretend like it actually had been his lover who he’d gone to help. But it wasn’t, and he needed to convince his mind that the purrs around him only spelled danger, that this wasn’t just another night with his fiancé in the comfort of the break room. He’d been eaten by a stranger, and if he was gonna get out of this he needed to make an escape plan.

He got to the stomach and realized it was not just smaller, but colder than Sapnap’s, though just by a bit. If he hadn’t been in his partner’s stomach merely the day before, he probably wouldn’t have noticed. But he knew how long it took for a shifter to shake off the predatory instincts and regain themselves, and sure enough he soon heard the giant around him groan and felt the wall in front of him push in. He kicked it but stayed silent otherwise as the stranger flinched at the contact. “Fuck…shit, did I eat a rat or something??” he finally heard the giant speak, though he wasn’t expecting the strange foreign accent that he’d only heard from Tommy and Tubbo. Quackity almost scoffed at the comment but held it back. Rat, he could work with rat. The shifter had to know he couldn’t digest living things, Quackity would just be kept there until the stranger’s instincts were satisfied and they spat him out, then he’d make a run for it! Perfect, foolproof!

Or it would have been.

“Siri, can swallowing a rat give you rabies- what the fuck is that…?” Quackity froze as heard the giant whisper. Shit, what was he looking at? Was Karl out there? Or did he- oh no. Quackity had a bag with him. One that he was not currently wearing; he’d dropped it so it didn’t weigh down his escape. Which means it’s still on the shelf of the aisle where the giant is standing. But maybe that’s not what the giant found! Maybe there was something else weird in the aisle? Before he could even think of what else would cause the shifter to react like that, the muscles in the stomach tensed and Quackity could hear the breathing sounds above him get faster and harder. He felt the organ shake as the giant presumably ran, before hearing a door slam. The giant continued to hyperventilate as the stomach was squeezed tighter, pressing against Quackity from all angles. Great, he knew what this was, Sapnap did it to piss him off sometimes. The giant was sitting with his knees pulled fully to his chest, except unlike when Sapnap did it, this giant was hyperventilating, and from the sounds of it, now crying. Awesome, full on breakdown position. Quackity was so, so fucking done with this giant. The sooner he got out of here, the better.

One of the already tight walls pressed in on him, like the giant was poking him from the outside. Again. And again. And again. Quackity paid it no mind. So the poking stopped and something different took over. Clicking. A strangely echoey noise that sounded like a knock against wood, clicked at different frequencies and patterns. It took Quackity a while to realize what it was through his annoyance. It was a signal. A signal he knew in his core from his raising as an outside borrower. In situations where verbal communication was unsafe or slow, borrowers had a system of noises that could save time and reduce noise to communicate. Dream had explained that humans had something similar called morse code, but that it was an alphabet without any form of punctuation or tone indication, while borrowers had a whole language that could be tapped or clicked with their tongues.

This…this giant was a borrower.

Quackity had almost forgotten that borrowers could be shifters. And he was literally marrying one. Wow, he felt dumb.

‘So sorry. You’re safe. Accident. So, so sorry. No hurt. Never. You’re safe. So, so sorry.’ The giant clicked, the remorseful low tones barely able to be translated through his sniffling. Holy shit now he just felt kinda bad.

“It’s- well, it’s not exactly alright, you did eat me, but.. you’re like me, aren’t you?” Quackity responded verbally, the idea that he was speaking to a fellow borrower instead of a predator easing his panic. ‘Yes.’ The giant clicked. “You aren’t the only borrower I’ve met that does...this. I know what you are, and I know that I’m not going to get hurt. Just, can you be sure to leave me at the store when your instincts are settled? I have family here.” “Oh, oh, of course, absolutely.” The giant finally verbally responded. “You…you really trust that I’m not going to hurt you?” “Borrowers gotta stick together, man. I trust that even as a giant you’ll honor that. Plus I get eaten fairly often so I know it’s safe; I was more worried about getting kidnapped than digested.” “…I didn’t know there were others like me.” “Once you let me out I’ll introduce you. Theres two more right in this store, one more down the road.” Quackity responded, patting the wall in front of him. “Now can you please stand up i’m cramped as shit.” “Right! Sorry. Kinda panicked there for a second. I found your bag and freaked out cause i’d never swallowed another borrower before. It feels worse when it’s someone of your species who you know was raised to be afraid of you.” The giant apologized as the space around Quackity finally expanded again. “Bitch what have you been doing if you’ve never swallowed a borrower??” “There’s a river near my house where wasted teens hang out after dark. I mean, like, blackout drunk. I just grow giant, swallow them, and then the next morning when I spit them out I pretend I found them passed out in the river and call them a cab. If I had a nickel for every time they explained their nightmare of a giant eating them alive I’d be the richest man in England.” “In where?” “England, where I used to live, across the ocean. I just moved here to live with my boyfriend.” “Oh, congrats, man.” “Thanks. I should probably go back out to talk to him, though. I kinda just ran off.” “Fair enough. I’m good to just chill and nap, if I really need you I know how to get your ‘attention.’” Quackity finished with a click, louder and higher pitched than the others; the catch all emergency “pay attention to me” noise. The stranger laughed and clicked back an affirmation before Quackity felt them pat the wall outside of him and leave whatever room he’d locked himself in.

This felt…oddly natural. Less than an hour ago Quackity was scared for his life, now he was just having a chat with the stranger who just swallowed him alive. He only had one thought as he dozed off: how did he keep ending up in situations like this.

~~~~

“You’re sure he’s not-” “Sapnap, I’ve checked everywhere, I have no idea where else he could be.” Karl pleaded from his place hidden on top of the shelves. Sapnap cursed. “My shift is almost over, when this store closes we can scour every inch of it to find him. In the meantime I’ll see if Dream knows anything, you check at home, ok?” “Ok. I love you, Sap.” “I love you, too. We’ll find him, ok?” Karl nodded, willing tears out of his eyes as he darted away towards the vents.

Quackity had been missing for a couple hours now. He’d gone out borrowing and hadn’t been found at any of the aisles he’d said he was going to hit and hadn’t shown up at any rendezvous points. Sapnap and Karl had no idea where he was.

Dream was basically nonexistent today, showing his boyfriend all around the store instead of managing. Sapnap was trying to stay as far from those two as physically possible. Sure he may be a hypocrite for complaining about pda when him and his fiancés were so obnoxiously cuddly, but that’s different. Theyre engaged, he’s marrying them. Dream and whoever-the-fuck are just holding hands and being all touchy and gross in front of the customers. No thank you.

Sapnap is sure that Quackity would agree and make fun of them with him if he could only find him.

Soon enough, the store was closing for the night and everyone was gathering their stuff to leave after the customers had left. Sapnap shot Karl a questioning text, knowing they had a phone in their living room, to which the answer was negative. Still no sign of Quackity, so Dream was their last lead. But Dream, for some fucking reason, was nowhere to be seen, no matter where Sapnap looked for him. He was about ready to pull his hair out when his search was cut off by the loudspeaker. “Hey guys! I realize a lot of you haven’t met my boyfriend yet so if it’s not too much trouble, I want you all to congregate at the center of the store before you go if you’ve got the time!” Sapnap groaned. He did not give two shits about Dream’s boy toy right now, one of the loves of his life could be in actual trouble. That, and the sickly sweet excitement in Dream’s voice was actually making him nauseous. Still, now he knew where Dream was.

So Sapnap made his way to the center of the store, not surprised to see almost everyone else crowded around the newcomer. Sapnap could only see him from behind, but he was much shorter than Dream (which still makes him taller than Sapnap, unfortunately) with dark thick wavy hair. He also had a ridiculous accent that he’d only heard from Tommy, Tubbo, and that one baking show Dream put on before the store opened. Dream spotted Sapnap first, and quickly took the liberty of introducing him. “Oh, Nick! Good to see you, man, you haven’t met my boyfriend yet!” Dream gestured to the stranger next to him, who spun to meet Sapnap’s eye. He froze, and the man across from him seemingly did, too. Theres no god damn way. Not after all this time, there’s no chance. “George, this is Nick, and Nick-“ “Sapnap?” The (not?) stranger next to him asked in an accent that didn’t fit the face he was looking at. The face he had sworn he’d seen for the last time almost a decade ago. The face he’d sworn to memory since it was his fault, all his fault that his lover’s brother was dead,

“C’mon, George, hurry up!”

“Slow down!”

that the oldest of Sam’s kids was gone,

“I told dad I wouldn’t be late! Your family is probably already there, Sam hates being late! And Karl is over, too, we gotta move!”

“We’ve been running..for 30 minutes, Sap. Gimme a break…”

that his best friend in the fucking world was-

“Come on we’re so close!! Just, like, another few feet, you’ll be fine.”

“Just go ahead without me,”

“Fine, but when Sam is mad at you it won’t be my fault!”

right there.

“George?”

His best friend didn’t move, at first. None of the employees or Dream dared to say a word as they stared at each other, both of them with tears beginning to stream down their faces. Sapnap took a step forward, then another, scared that if he moved any faster that the ghost in front of him would dissipate. George broke the tension when he full on sprinted and tackled Sapnap in a hug, clinging to him like he was his only lifeline, sending both of them to the floor. Sapnap clung back, burying his face in the shoulder of his best friend who he’d mourned for so, so many years and he sobbed. He sobbed like he was 12 again, like he was the age he’d been when he’d lost the person who meant more to him than anything in the world. George cried more silently, but the steadily growing tear stain on Sapnap’s shirt and ragged breathing betrayed him.

Sapnap pulled away and grabbed George’s face, just looking it over. It hadn’t changed much, over the years. He looked older, of course, and tired. But he was still…George. He still had the same glint in his eye, the same quirk to his lip. Holy shit. It hadn’t truly hit Sapnap until he was face to face with him, holding him in his arms, sobbing into him and feeling his heartbeat against his body, and feeling the warmth of his flushed cheeks in his palms. Holy shit, George, his best friend, his George, was alive. Sapnap laughed lightly, the tears not stopping. George looked at him, grabbing his hands and intertwining their fingers as he began to laugh with him. The two of them dissolved into a fit of laughter as they kept crying, sitting up together and unwilling to untangle their fingers, pressing their foreheads together, something Sapnap had learned was strictly a borrower show of affection so he was sure that to all the humans watching they looked stupid. He didn’t care. He had his best friend back.

Wait. The humans.

Sapnap was big, he had just gotten off his shift. George was…his size. Holy fuck George was a shifter. “Uh, not to interrupt the moment, but…how do you two know each other?” “And what the fuck is a ‘Sapnap’?” Dream asked, followed by Punz. “Nickname!” Sapnap was quick to answer, standing and yanking George to his feet as well. “Yeah, haha, my close friends have been calling me Sapnap since childhood. You fall asleep in a tree one time and you’re pegged for life, y’know?” He laughed awkwardly, the lie coming out forced and unconvincing. “How are you two childhood friends, I thought you were from here?” Dream asked him, and George cut off whatever explanation Sapnap was going to give. “He is, so am I. I…i didn’t end up in England willingly. I was kidnapped, i’ve been trying to get home for years.” Dream’s eyes widened, the rest of the humans responded in various levels of shock, some gasping and some staring at him sadly. “I know, I know, poor George has spent the last 9 years on the wrong side of the ocean, boohoo. Thats over now, I’m back and I don’t want to think about it anymore.” George didn’t miss the pained look on Sapnap’s face as he explained. “I didn’t blame you. Not for a second.” He said quietly, and saw tears form in Sapnap’s eyes again. “If I hadn’t-“ “There was no way you could have known. It wasn’t your fault. I’m glad you weren’t taken with me, even if I missed you.” “I’m still sorry.” “Well sucks, cause you’re not allowed to be. I’m not letting you.” Sapnap scoffed wetly. “I’m 21 years old you can’t tell me what to do anymore.” “When could I ever.”

God, Sapnap had missed him. Even after all this time, their banter came easy, like the years of separation and mourning had never even happened. “I’m glad you two found each other again. You seem really close.” Dream said after he thought the two had finished their moment. “He’s only my best friend in the entire world that i’ve thought was dead for 9 years.” Sapnap shrugged, and George elbowed him. Sapnap laughed. Yeah, he’d missed him.

The next half an hour was spent with the humans getting to know George better, and with him and Sapnap telling (incredibly altered) stories of their childhoods. “Oh, oh! Sap, we have a bet!” George yelled excitedly, something akin to mischief in his eye. “We do?” “Yes! I bet that you’d either end up with my brother or the new kid in town, and you bet that I’d end up with that guy my age from the town over who gave me gifts sometimes. I got kidnapped before i got to see how that all went down, and if I remember correctly, it was 10 bucks to whoever was right. You already lose,” George said as he gestured to Dream, who was basically hanging off his arm. “so I need to know if I’m getting paid.”

What they’d really bet on as kids were honey candies that Bad had made, which were a rare treat cause honey was hard to get safely, but Sapnap supposed that $10 was a good enough human equivalent. It had been a stupid bet, and one Sapnap was sure he’d win. The random guy from the other colony stopped to give George gifts almost daily, and not easy to come by ones, either. To this day no one was quite sure how he managed to bring flowers that were not only out of season, but not even native to the forest. Sapnap, however, had found George’s bet ridiculous. At the time he found Quackity severely irritating; he always tried to interrupt his time with George and he never shut up. And he barely knew Karl, all he knew about him was that George said he was chill, they’d rarely ever even spoken. So he took the bet. A decade later, it was biting him in the ass. Sapnap stared him down before sighing, reaching into his pocket and pulling out two $10 bills, throwing them in George’s direction. “…Sap you gave me two.” “So I did.” George stared blankly. “I only need the one if I was right.” Sapnap sighed. “Nope, you need both. You were right twice.” George’s eyes widened in understanding as Sapnap finished. “Fuck you and your ability to know what I want before even I want it.”

“What?! What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck, you- what?! You got with them, both of them?!” George practically jumped on Sapnap as he held up his braid: red, purple, and navy, worn on his left ring finger. George screamed. “Tell me everything! How long have you been together, how long have you been engaged?! You’d better not be married yet, that better not be what that means, cause i’m planning your wedding, god dammit. Oh my god, I’ve missed so much. You’d better be taking care of my brother.” George ranted, and Sapnap laughed at his excitement before freezing. Oh fuck, George’s brother. He’d been so caught up in the impossible return of his best friend that he’d forgotten, and here he was wasting time.

“Ok, this has been fun, but I think it’s time to lock everything up for the night, Dream.” Sapnap said, suddenly incredibly serious. Dream was confused, but the pleading look in Sapnap’s eyes led him to agree. It didn’t take the rest of the employees long to leave, they’d been packed up since they met George, but they couldn’t say goodbye and get out the door fast enough. George stood next to him, worry taking over his features, but Sapnap couldn’t focus on that. He’d never live with himself if his distraction caused him to lose Quackity so soon after regaining George. The only thing that broke him out of his panic was hearing the door to the store lock. “Ok, it’s just us three, what’s up-“ “Quackity is missing.” Sapnap interrupted, panic clear in his voice. Dream and George both stared at him in horror. “He went out borrowing this morning, Karl and I haven’t seen him since. Did you see him at all when you were making your rounds?” “Wait, wait,” George interrupted. “You three live here? And he knows about them?!” George said, pointing to Dream. “What happened to hiding from humans?” “I’m not human, I figured that out about half a year ago. I can change sizes like he can, like both of you can, apparently. I didn’t know you were one of us until you started talking about knowing Sapnap as a kid and I know for a fact that he grew up in a forest colony.” “You’re- you can- what?!” George yelled. “You’re not human either?!”

“Can we please stay focused!?” Sapnap yelled. “Quackity could be hurt or taken or something, I don’t know where he went and Karl and I can’t get into the security room.” “I saw him in the afternoon.” Dream added, finally. “Little before 1 o’clock, i think? He was near the back in the cleaning supply aisle. I waved and he waved back and that was that, I don’t know where he went after.” “Ok, that’s good to know. That gives us a timeframe, now we-“ “Dream.” George asked, cutting Sapnap off with an eerie calm that both other shifters could tell was going to break at the slightest nudge. “How soon after seeing him did I run off?” “Uh, not super long after, maybe 5 minutes…why?”

George’s face didn’t move, but his hands and legs started to shake, and before Sapnap or Dream could even hope to react, he was off in the opposite direction. Sapnap had no idea what could have caused a reaction like that, but chased him regardless, Dream following shortly behind. Unfortunately, George had shaken them off his trail and they had no idea where he ended up.

~~~~

Quackity prided himself on being a sound sleeper. After dealing with Sapnap on the job while he was in his stomach, he liked to think there wasn’t any amount of noise or jostling that would wake him up if he didn’t want to be awake. Hell, Sapnap once commended him for being able to sleep through a screaming match he’d had with a particularly nasty customer.

However, apparently even though he hadn’t lived in the forest for years, he still registered the attention noise as “emergency,” and woke up in a panic. Initially he forgot when he was and was about to chew his fiancé out for waking him, but the clicks were coming faster and repetitively and through tears, and Q quickly remembered where he actually was. “I’m awake, I’m awake!! Just quit it with the noise, it’s loud as hell from in here!” The noises stopped immediately, but the giant didn’t speak up. “What did you need?” Quackity asked after a few moments of silence. Another pause, then the giant answered. “Your name. I never caught your name.” “You woke me with the loud as shit alarm noise to ask for my name??” “Please, it’s important.” The giant said, voice carefully empty, though desperation seeped through. Q sighed.

“Quackity. My name is Quackity.”

Quackity’s stomach lurched as the stranger fell to the ground, heart racing and breathing coming in short bursts. He felt the giant press a hand to where he was. “…Alexis?” Quackity froze, his blood running cold. Before he could even ask how this giant knew his name, his real name, he felt the walls around him constrict as he was pulled back into the esophagus. The second he was back in the man’s mouth, he was pulled out and held up to his face. The light blinded him and he had to take a moment to wipe the spit from his eyes, but he heard the giant gasp. He mentally debated removing his mask since the wet fabric made it hard to breathe, but the idea was quickly drowned out by the instinctual fear he had of anyone other than his fiancés seeing his face uncovered. “Ok, man, how do you know-“ Quackity asked, finally getting a good look at the man. His eyes were wet with tears, and he looked at Quackity with a sense of grief, of mourning. Giant hands cupped around him like he was the most precious thing in the world. And the giant, he was…oddly familiar. Something in the stranger’s face struck a chord in him, and he found himself stunned into silence. His face was recognizable, but felt wrong, in some way. Like every detail of it was familiar, was etched carefully into his mind, but one major thing felt off. Why did he know this man’s face? Why did it feel so familiar??

The giant swiped a thumb against him, wiping some more spit off. “I…I can’t believe it’s you! I’m so sorry, Q, I had no idea at the time, I swear it.” He chuckled wetly, and Quackity searched further into his own mind. The voice was vaguely familiar if he ignored the accent, now that he thought about it. Something in his instincts screamed that he should absolutely know who this was. “I missed you. Fuck, Alex, I missed you so, so much. I’m so sorry I didn’t get to see you grow up. I wish I would have. I hope Tina and Sam took good care of you for me. From what I’ve heard, Sapnap and Karl have been taking care of you for a while now, too, haven’t they?” He laughed, still crying, still grieving. Quackity looked at him, something clicking as he talked about his- no, their family. He knew why he knew this man. He couldn’t place it earlier because he thought he was dead. He’d accepted he was dead years ago, mourned for years and years, banished the thought of him from his mind to ease the pain.

“…George…?” He barely whispered, too afraid that if he said it louder it wouldn’t be true. That he’d wake up and the visage of his giant long dead brother would be gone. He didn’t wake up. The giant just grinned and nodded, holding Quackity up and pressing him against his nose, lightly trailing his thumb down his back. “I’m here, Q. I’m here for good.” Quackity let himself be held in this awkward imitation of a hug; he didn’t sob, he didn’t scream, he just let himself cry silently as he tried to wrap his mind around everything. The last time he’d seen George…

He took a deep breath. It was a memory he’d long repressed, the mere thought of it sending him into a spiral of grief and longing that took him days to get out of. But his brother was in front of him. His brother was here. His brother was back.

No matter how much he said it, he still couldn’t truly believe it. Not yet.

He’d been in his house, in a carefully carved out hole at the base of a tree. Sapnap had just walked in, complaining about how slow George was. He and his dads were over for dinner. Karl was too; he didn’t have parents, so the families of the colony rotated taking care of him. It was Sam’s turn that night. No one knew him well, but George had been making an effort to make him feel included. Without him there, Karl awkwardly sat alone at the table, waiting. The kitchen smelled wonderful, a mix of whatever herbs and vegetables Sam could harvest wafting through the air. It was almost sunset, the sky turning a pale pink. Quackity wasn’t sure why he remembered everything from that night in so much agonizing detail. Maybe it was because it was the last night of normalcy, the last few moments of peace and comfort he’d feel for years. Maybe he wanted to hold onto how he’d felt in those moments, before his heart had been shattered and his community broken.

Sapnap had sobbed so hard that he couldn’t speak for a week after and got so dehydrated that he could barely see or walk. Tina needed to be alone and didn’t leave her room until the memorial. Karl had made himself useful where he could, comforting the others, distracting himself. Quackity didn’t see him break down over it until about a year later, after they’d grown close. Quackity had heard Sam smash things in a blind fit of rage and hurt in the moments after, though he spent the next months building and crafting for the colony to try and forgive himself by being useful to others. Bad comforted him when none of it made him feel any better. Skeppy took over Bad and Sam’s duties to the colony for while.

Quackity didn’t quite know how to mourn. The others knew that, of course, but…he was 11. Logically he knew his brother wasn’t coming back, but it slipped his mind. He’d wake up in the middle of the night from a nightmare of humans and running and grieving and find himself in his brother’s now empty bedroom. He made portions of food for George at the table, and no one would move it from the empty seat. He talked with friends about how much George would love to hear what he’d done that day when he got home. No one corrected him. Permanency doesn’t make much sense to an 11 year old. At 12 or 13, you start to get it. Sapnap, after all, was only a year older than him and understood just fine. By 14, 15, 16-

Quackity is 20. Slowly but surely, he had learned that his brother wasn’t coming back.

He tried so hard to commit his brother’s face to memory. He was so young when he’d lost him. He tried desperately to etch every single minute detail into his mind so he’d never lose at least that part of George. Every detail of his face from 9 years ago stayed perfectly intact in Quackity’s mind, which may be why he hadn’t recognized him now. This George wasn’t 16 anymore, he would be 25, and he looked like it. He had bags under his eyes, creases around his mouth and forehead that hadn’t been there, and, oh yeah, every detail that he did recognize was about 100x larger than it should have been. George wasn’t a teenager, he was a grown man, and it was strange to see. He could only imagine how strange George felt seeing him as an adult when he’d barely been old enough to go borrowing last he’d seen him. He wondered if George questioned his face mask, but he wasn’t going to push that if he didn’t have to. George hadn’t been around when he’d gotten the scar that marred his face, and he’d hate for his brother’s image of him to be tainted by it.

This…was him. It was really him.

“Holy shit…” Quackity said breathlessly, not bothering to say more. What more could he say? His brother was back. Against all odds and logic, he was alive and safe and home. Quackity still wasn’t fully in his right mind when he felt himself be pulled away from the warmth and set on the ground. He had half a mind to argue it, dreading being apart from his brother after just finding him again, before he saw the giant clothes fall to the ground and a much more recognizable version of George crawl out. Apparently, he followed the Sapnap rule of “keep tiny clothes in your pocket when human in case you have to shrink.” He was so much easier to recognize like this; the version of George he used to imagine he would find one day, before reality forced him to give up hope and move on.

Quackity finally broke and ran to him, throwing himself at his brother who caught him with ease. He felt like a little kid again, when he would tackle his brother after he got home from scavenging or farming to show how much he’d missed him. He clung to him like a lifeline, and George ran one hand through his hair and hugged him with another as Q wrapped his arms around his shoulders. He let Quackity cry quietly into his shirt and just held him. “How…? How’ve you…you were…I saw…” Quackity couldn’t quite put everything into words, not when what he was feeling was so fresh. “It’s ok. Everything is ok right now.” George’s voice quivered slightly, the only thing betraying his emotions right now. He so easily slotted himself back into the older brother role that he’d been robbed of for years. “I’m here now. I can explain everything later. For now, let’s just…let’s just be here.” “You’d better,” Quackity laughed sarcastically, “explain, i mean, considering I just spent the better part of today in your stomach.” Quackity laughed more genuinely as he recieved an annoyed but light slap to the back of the head for that comment, but relented.

Quackity wasn’t sure how long they just stood like that, but eventually, he heard footsteps coming from the vents. He let go and looked up to find Sapnap tying a rope down, and Dream standing waiting for it. They made their way down as much of the rope as they could since it wasn’t long enough to hit the ground; Dream started using shelves to scale down while Sapnap basically jumped down far too quickly to be safe. “Quackity!” Sapnap yelled, throwing himself at his fiancé and pressing their faces into a rough kiss that had Quackity laughing before Sapnap even pulled away. “What the hell, man, where have you been all day?! Karl and I have been worried sick!” “Why don’t you ask him?” Quackity answered, pointing at George who had a look of absolute disbelief painting his face. Quackity was confused by his reaction for a moment before remembering that he’d missed the past few years that led to his engagement. He went to explain himself until George suddenly snapped head to look at Sapnap. “I so deserved that $20.” Sapnap punched him and Quackity couldn’t help but feel very lost. He was saved from his confusion when Dream finally hit the ground and all of George’s attention was drawn to him.

“Holy fuck, you are like me…” George whispered, eyes wide. Dream laughed, closing the distance between them. “I may or may not have been shot at. Took me a while to get used to, but i’ve been able to shift for a while now.” He explained awkwardly. George, eyes still wide with shock, nodded slowly. George started to ask Dream more questions, and Dream explained how he’d learned about borrowers and their culture, and told George that Tommy was a shifter, too. Sapnap slipped himself right next to Quackity, interlocking their fingers and squeezing his hand tight, not seeming to mind how thoroughly soaked in spit Quackity still was. “So…your brother.” Sapnap whispered, and Quackity chuckled quietly. “My brother. This is…so damn weird. I really thought-“ “yeah.” Sapnap interrupted him, voice choked up. Quackity had a feeling he didn’t want to hear it any more than he himself wanted to admit it out loud. “But here he is…” Quackity trailed off. Sapnap didn’t try to continue the thought. They had nothing more to say. The two stood, hands interlocked, content to watch as Dream and Georges’ serious conversation turned to playful bickering.

“Hey,” Quackity started, squeezing Sapnap’s hand just a little tighter to get his attention. “does Karl know yet?”

~~~~

“I’m going to kill those fuckers when they get back here.” Karl muttered to himself, pacing the floors of his living room. ‘if they get back here,’ his mind supplied unhelpfully. He had parted ways with Sapnap almost 2 hours ago, and had been texting him nonstop. Nothing. He’d gone back out to look for him; after all, he was human size, how hard could he be to find? Hard, apparently, cause the man was fucking nowhere. Now both of his fiancés were missing. Awesome, perfect, how could this day get any better?

As if on que, he heard footsteps echoing through the carved tunnels of the home. About 4 distinct sets, if he was hearing right. Good. He didn’t know that many borrowers, and even fewer knew their way through the walls of the store, so two of them had to be Quackity and Sapnap. He felt a weight lift off his shoulders at the realization that they were alright. The others he assumed were Dream and Tommy, since it wasn’t too out of the ordinary for them to show up unannounced and stay the night. Karl just hoped they wouldn’t mind listening to him chew his fiancés out for making him worry so much.

Karl took a few deep breaths, preparing himself to not yell at the two for stressing him out for hours. Just kindly scold a bit, that’s all. It just so happened that in his pacing, his back was facing the door when he heard the first step into the room, followed by the rest of the group. He took a deep breath in.

“Sapnap, Quackity. You had better have a good fucking reason for not telling me where you were or I swear to god-“ Karl started, swiveling to face whichever of his fiancés had been unfortunate enough to walk in first only for all of his air to leave him at once.

Sapnap, Quackity, and Dream stood near the entrance, a good few inches behind the man face to face with Karl. Karl couldn’t breathe. He actually couldn’t fucking breathe. The man was a good bit shorter than him, with dark curly hair and a light spattering of freckles. He looked up at Karl with tears in his mismatched eyes, eyes Karl never thought he’d see again.

“Hi, Karl.”

He wasn’t exactly sure what happened. One second, he was looking at a living ghost. The next? There were four people surrounding him, he was facing the ceiling, and his head fucking hurt.

“…ow would I have known?!” “Is this normal, has he fainted before?” “No!” “Shit, fuck, did he hit his head?” “I think so, do you guys have an ice pack?” “We live in the walls, Dream, how the fuck would we have ice.” “Shut up, shut up, he’s waking up!”

Karl sat up half on his own and half with the help of who he could only assume were Quackity and Sapnap. “God dammit, my head hurts.” Karl whined, the black still leaving the corners of his eyes and his vision clearing painfully slowly. “Nice goin’ George, you concussed him.” “Fuck off, Sapnap, no I didn’t…did I?” Karl vaguely saw a green shape move closer. Dream then. He felt his eyes be pried opened, then shut again. “His pupils are normal, he’ll be fine.” “Oh thank god.” The british voice responded. It was the only voice Karl couldn’t immediately recognize, though it sounded familiar in its own right.

He finally opened his eyes the rest of the way to see the same dark haired man sitting in front of him, face plastered with worry. “…Karl? You ok?”

Karl sat in silence for a minute, face carefully blank, the calm before a storm. “…am I ok?” Karl asked quietly, volume growing quickly, “am I ok? am I ok?! Holy fuck, George!!” Karl practically screamed, throwing himself at the man in front of him and squeezing him in as tight of a hug as he could manage. “I’m not the one who’s been missing in action for 9 goddamn years, what do you mean ‘am I ok,’ fuck off, holy shit.” he laughed, tears pouring down his face. “What the fuck, what the fuck…” he muttered, unable to hide his smile as he cried. “I missed you, too.” George whispered, clinging onto Karl.

Karl let go of the hug, still keeping a grip on both of George’s shoulders as he turned to his fiancés. “How did you…?” “He just showed up.” Sapnap shrugged at the same time Quackity said “He kidnapped me.” Both of the fiancés turned to him. “He’s a shifter and I’m sopping wet. Put the pieces together.” Karl and Sapnap turned back to George, who was red in the face and refusing to make eye contact with anyone in the room. “Wait you’re a- nevermind.” Karl shook his head, “I don’t care, not right now. I couldn’t give less of a fuck about the who, when, where, how, or the why. I just care that you’re here. We can iron out the rest of that later.” “Sounds good.” George muttered, eyes locked firmly with the ground. “Dude, we do it too. You have no reason to be embarrassed.” Sapnap tried to comfort, gesturing to Dream and himself, but George just sputtered something that could have been an attempt at words before giving up and burying his face in his hands. “Give him a break,” Quackity intervened, “it was his first time storing someone he’d see again after, now he’s gotta live with the fact I know what his stomach looks like. Plus it was his first time eating a borrower and it happened to be his brother, he’s gonna be weird about it.” Quackity half explained half teased. George flipped him off with both hands without uncovering his face. “Fuck you, I’m keeping your bag.” he muttered, his voice muffled behind his hands. Quackity shot back some obscenity before Sapnap quickly pulled him into a different room to put on clothes that weren’t soggy.

“Why are you here then? No offense.” Karl asked Dream. “I fuckin’ brought him here! He moved here to move in with me, we’ve been dating online for like 5 years. I had no idea he knew any of you or was even a borrower until I ‘introduced’ him to Sapnap.” “Wait, you’ve been what?!” Karl dramatically turned back to George. “You’re dating Dream?!” “Mhm.” George confirmed, finally lowering his hands from his face. “Had no idea he was a…what’d Q call me, a shifter? Absolutely never would have guessed he’d be the one to reunite me with all of you.” “I’m planning your wedding.” Karl said, a tone of finality to his voice. “You can plan my wedding if I can plan yours.” George smirked, eyes darting to the braid around Karl’s ankle. Karl’s face went red hot in a matter of seconds. “So you-“ “Know that you’ve been dating my brother and best friend for god knows how long? Yes. I was betting on it, even. Sapnap gave me $20.” “Ok cool,” Karl sighed, “cause I wasn’t positive what kind of reaction you’d have to the idea that your brother and I have ha-“ “And that’s where that sentence can end!!” George shouted, shoving both of his hands over Karl’s mouth. “No more!! You keep that to yourself!” Dream snorted and Karl cackled from behind George’s hands.

“What did he say?” Quackity asked, re-entering the room with Sapnap, both in their pjs and Quackity with a new less wet and suffocating face mask on. “Nothing I wanted to hear.” George said in lieu of an answer, removing his hands from Karl’s mouth and wiping the spit off them. “Wanna spend the night? You guys can borrow some clothes to sleep in.” Sapnap asked, looking to George more than Dream. George glanced back to Dream. “…I need to move the stuff I brought from England into Dream’s house. Plus, the U-Haul arrives tomorrow morning and I really should meet Tommy in person.” George’s voice was sad, and only got sadder as the looks on the faces of his family dropped. They all sat silently, none of the borrowers making a move to argue and neither Dream nor George moving to leave. “…we can do it tomorrow.” Dream said finally. “If we leave here by like 7:30 we can make it to the house before the U-Haul gets there. Plus Tommy, Ranboo, Foolish, and Puffy will be helping us bring your stuff in, so it won’t take that much longer if we don’t start it now. And Tommy loves any chance he can get to drag Ranboo over for a solo sleepover night. You’ll be living with him, you’ll get plenty of chances to get to know him.” “Really?” “Of course really, you shouldn’t have to be pulled away from your long lost family to deal with a U-Haul.”

The borrowers collectively cheered, Karl going to drag more pillows and blankets into the bedroom area, Sapnap grabbing clothes he thought would fit them, and Dream shooting a quick text to Tommy that said he wouldn’t be home that night before joining Quackity in showing George around the rest of the “house.” Dream just watched George’s face. What? He’d only met him in person about a day ago, he was allowed to admire how lucky he’d gotten in the boyfriend department, the man was gorgeous. All of George’s attention was on Quackity. He’d never seen so much unbridled joy on someone’s face. He kind of looked like he was on the verge of tears, but to be fair, he’d looked like that all day. Like he was grieving. Dream couldn’t blame him. If he’d been separated from Foolish for as long as George had been separated from Quackity, he’s sure he’d feel the exact same way.

It didn’t take long for all of them to settle together. Dream had been taught a long time ago that that was just an outdoor borrower thing; they only had whatever insulation existed in the forest for their homes, so they conserved whatever heat they could by sleeping in a pile. Despite the store being heated, Dream supposed old habits died hard. Or maybe they just didn’t want to be apart again so soon, even to sleep.

George was in the middle, arm tightly around Quackity with his hand holding Karl’s, who himself was curled around his fiancé. On his other side, Sapnap leaned into him, George’s arm firmly locked in his. All of them were either half asleep or fully dead to the world, eyes closed and peaceful. They made a pretty picture; they looked like a family. Dream moved to separate himself from them, not wanting to interrupt their moment, before being yanked back down by both his wrist and his leg and falling into the pile. “And where do you think you’re going?” George mumbled sleepily, and Dream registered that it was his tail that has yanked his leg (he was going to have to get used to the idea that his partner had a tail, why was no one in his life human anymore) while it was Sapnap’s hand that was firmly grasped around his wrist. “I- I just didn’t think I shou-“ “Shut the fuck up,” Sapnap mumbled, freeing his wrist and groggily smacking Dream in the face. “Just.. shut the fuck up and sleep. It’s been such. a fucking day. Just sleep.” George hummed in agreement, obviously barely clinging to consciously, pulling Dream closer to him with his tail. Dream took the hint and wrapped his arms around George, who didn’t have any hands to spare. He sighed, resting his head against his boyfriend’s collarbone and hearing a faint purr. Right, borrower. He’d need to remember that.

He couldn’t quite be sure what the future held, especially now. First he wasn’t human, then his ward wasn’t human, and now his boyfriend isn’t human and also happens to be a missing family member/friend to a bunch of his friends, who also aren’t human. Tomorrow, he’d drag George out to their home and unload a U-haul with help from his mom and brother and Tommy’s best friend. Tomorrow, George would meet Tommy (and Tubbo, once Puffy and Foolish left). Tomorrow, George would get a tour of his new home and town, the parts he hadn’t seen growing up as a borrower. Somewhere down the line Dream would have to tell his family that he wasn’t a human, that no one in his house was a human, and he knew that somewhere down the line he’d help reunite George with the rest of the people he was taken from. But for now, everything was alright. Right now, for the first time ever, he held his boyfriend in his arms after 5 years of falling asleep on the phone together. Right now, for the first time in almost a decade, a man reunited with his brother and two best friends. And for right now, that would be enough.

[kitty-fighter]

I'm bored, if anyone wants to ask Lore Questions about TVD!AU, please do.

Just so People are Aware, TVD!AU stands for The_Victorian_Dormouse!AU. And a lot of the Lore stuff is being built during a RP I'm currently doing with a friend with their own DSMP!AU, [Fae!Tommy AU].

{One important thing, these are Characters, not the Content Creators}

|Names & Profiles Under The Cut|

|TVD!Crew Role, Species & Location|

[Note: If someone has both Inside & Outside, the location that is listed first is where they'll mostly spent their time]

Dream: Borrower;Mouse, Inside

Drista: Size-Shifter;[Unknown], Outside+Inside

George: Borrower;Water_Snake, Outside

Sapnap: Borrower;Blaze_Bat, Inside+Outside

BBH: Human_Being;Arch-Winged_Deal_Devil, Inside

Skeppy: Borrower;Gemling_Mouse, Outside+Inside

Quackity: Borrower!Canary_Mimic, Outside+Inside

Philza: Borrower;Crow, Outside

Kristin/Mumza: Size-Shifter;H.S.H, Inside+Outside

Tommy: Human_Being; Winged_Raccoon, Inside

Tubbo: Borrower;Moth_Mouse{Since Every Other AU is a Bee}, Outside

JackManifold: Size-Shifter;[Unknown], Outside+Inside

[chuuyas-height]

A small introduction to my gt and v0re stories so far:

(If I don't give specific warnings about a story it means it is sfw and doesn't contain vore or any other triggering themes)

➳A Fallen Seraph; 2.9k words, M/m, mentions of vore, no vore descriptions

An archeologist goes to work only to find his coworkers gone and come face to face with gigantic and confused Angel.

➳Growing pains; 3.4k words, M/f

A size shifter trying to desperately conceal the fact that he can become 50 feet tall from his fiance with a background as a giant slayer.

➳Trapped Within (AOT AU); 2.9k words, female pred, hard v0re

Captain Levi and his crew face off a gigantic voracious siren.

➳Sneaky Bandits; 1.5k words, M/m

A pair of thieves come up with an interesting way of getting the job done.

➳Leap Of Faith; 2.3k words, M/m, willing v0re, safe v0re

A Heart Pangs fanfic where our pred is struggling and willing v0re ensues (nsfw version here)

➳ A Gentleman's Word; 1.8k words

Fanfic of "The cat returns" movie where the main character aids a shrinking woman.

➳A Fulfilling Meal; 1.9k words, M/f, willing v0re, safe v0re

A giant tries to hide his primal needs from his girlfriend but isn't as subtle as he thinks he is.

➳The Cursed Batch; 2k words

A silly little "Wonka" fanfic where willy goes through an unfortunate growth spurt.

➳Fever Dream; 2.1k words, M/m, unwilling v0re, safe v0re, protective v0re

An injured knight gets rescued by his giant counterpart. Needless to say he's not very happy with the way the giant handles things.

➳Small Hands, Big Love; 1.7k words, F/M, F/m, mvrder, bl00d

A lovesick borrower rescues the woman he loves in the most gruesome way possible.

➳Unaware; 250 words, F/m

The borrower from the previous story finds himself in a slightly embarrassing situation.

*******

This is what I've written so far and hopefully the list will only keep growing. Feel free to leave some feedback 🫶

[dark-lord-of-awesomeness]

Hey I love your shape-shifter laur in your cat stan au and I was wondering if you would mind if I borrow it for my own Au(especially since I am this close to just making Tate the shapeshifter) and I was wondering if you would mind if I do that

In case you want to learn more about the AU it's a crossover AU of Swords with Gravity Falls in Octonauts( a human version) i have a side blog that is basically just the laur and little story bits of the AU @octofalls-au

Right now the only thing stopping me from just putting this in my AU is the fact that you might not like it

Go for it! I put out my work to inspire others! Feel free to ask any questions about shapeshifter stuff!

[racheyace]

What would Like do if he met another sizeshifter? If others even exist

Very good question and it sparked a theoretical story in me! Also triggered the trope idea in my head that I’ve seen posted about on Tumblr before but I’m not sure if anyone has written a story for it or not. Where a size shifter meets a borrower. But my idea is Luke meets a size shifter but thinks they are a borrower.

This will be an AU where Luke lives alone in an apartment and finds evidence of borrower activity in his home, is it borrower activity though? Approx 1.8k words

It’s a Small World

Luke was home alone with nothing to do; he’d just finished work for the day and was now lounging on his couch watching some trash TV. This was often how he spent his afternoons, sometimes his close friend Matt would stop by and play video games or have a few drinks with him but usually his evenings consisted of dinners for one and trashy reality TV.

Everything was as it should be, that was until he heard a small thud coming from his hallway.

His eyes widened in alert, he’d been hearing funny things from the walls for a few weeks now and noticed small things were missing around his house. And he surmised that could only mean one thing.

Throughout the course of Luke’s life being a size shifter, he had seen evidence of borrowers a few times but had never met one in real life. He’d always wanted to, but he also didn’t want the small folk to think that he was on their tail or trying to track them down.

He often wondered if he shrunk down to meet a borrower at an equal size to them that perhaps it would put them at ease, and he’d get to learn more about their way of life. On the other hand, he did also worry though that they may recognise him as a human and therefore be untrusting, regardless of whether he suspected that he had borrowers in his walls or not, he had yet to work up the courage to go exploring on his own.

As quietly as he could Luke stood up and wondered over to the spot in the wall that he had heard the thump, debating whether or not to shrink and investigate or to leave it be.

What if the little one was hurt or stuck or something, maybe he could help, Matt was always telling him that he should be using his powers for good.

There were some more faint tapping sounds coming from the wall, he crouched down in his hallway and pressed his ear to the wall, right beside the electrical socket, more tapping and some grunting came from within, and he made up his mind. It sounded like the poor thing was in trouble, that’s what he’d tell himself anyway regardless of what he found there.

He was doing this to help, using his powers for good.

Without any more time to hesitate, Luke closed his eyes and concentrated, he focused on the itchy feeling pulsing through his blood and encouraged it to intensify and spread throughout his whole body. He felt himself growing smaller in an increasingly more rapid pace and finally when he had shrunk as far as his body would allow him, he opened his eyes.

He was level with the electrical socket now and it stretched wide and intimidatingly, he thought in hindsight that he should have loosened it before he shrunk but then again that may have given him away and spooked the borrower.

He rolled up his sleeves and got to work pulling on the edges of the socket cover and prying it free from the wall so he could slip behind it.

“Ah fuck!”

Now that he was closer to the wall, he could hear more clearly that there was in fact someone behind the wall and they sounded hurt or panicked by the way they cursed and panted.

Luke took a deep breath before stepping over the lip of the electrical socket and into the wall behind, he held a gasp at what he found.

Directly behind the socket face there was a man, roughly around the same age as his own 25 years, upside down and dangling from a sort of rope. Luke had stepped through and come literally face to upside down face with the borrower, he wasn’t sure what he had been expecting but it hadn’t been this.

“You just gonna stand there, dumbass, or are you gonna help me?” The borrower had thin mousy brown hair that hung a few inches from his head and swayed as he moved. His dark brown eyes looked at him in annoyance and his arms were crossed over his chest while he dangled from one leg, he was quite a sight to take in.

“Oh uh, sorry, yeah, hang on a sec.” Luke closed his gaping mouth and patted his jeans down until he found the tool he would require, an army knife. He looked around and saw the inside of the wall was full of small grooves and inconsistencies, perfect for a kind of rock climbing.

Luke pulled himself up the wall until he was level with the borrower’s legs, he reached out his hand and flicked the knife open before he started sawing away at the thick red rope. The borrower hung there, arms crossed with an unimpressed look on his face, almost as if he were bored because this rescue was taking so long.

With no warning for either of them the rope’s threads became too thin and snapped sending the borrower tumbling to the floor headfirst with a loud crash.

“Ah damnit man, you coulda warned me or something!” The small man complained from the floor rubbing his sore head, there would surely be a bump there very soon.

“Whoops.” Luke muttered as he jumped down and landed beside the borrower.

“How did you even get tangled like that anyway?” Luke asked holding out a hand to help the borrower up.

“I enjoy dangling upside down in my spare time, what’s it to you?” He stood up and flicked his straight hair to the left and out of his eyes with a distrustful frown crossing his features.

“Sorry.” Luke muttered. “So, do you live here?” Luke tried to change the subject while also pulling some kind of information from the borrower.

“You ask a lot of questions.” He remarked lazily before he busied himself with tugging on the red rope and trying to pull what was left of it down to roll up and reuse for later.

“I’ve asked two and besides I’ve never met a borrower before.” Luke shrugged, the smaller man visibly froze then, and he wondered if he’d just scared the already distrustful man off.

“A borrower?” He turned to look at Luke curiously eyeing him up and down.

“Yeah, um isn’t that what you are?” Luke asked slowly, he was growing more nervous by the second as the stranger looked at him like he’d lost his head.

The strange man laughed out loud then and shook his head. “Nah man, not me. And to answer your question from before, yes, I do live here, but not in here.” He stepped out from the socket and into the hallway, he didn’t even look to see if any other humans were in the large room and then he did something that Luke couldn’t believe he was seeing.

He shot up about a foot, double the height he had been only a second before.

“You’re a shifter?” Luke asked failing to hide his amazement, he didn’t think there was anyone else like him out there, let alone sneaking around in his apartment building. He reasoned though that if it wasn’t hard to believe borrowers existed then surely other size shifters would be real too.

“Sure am.” He replied smugly.

Luke wasn’t sure what the man thought of him, he knew Luke wasn’t a borrower just from his questions, but did he know that Luke was also a shifter. Luke stepped out from the socket opening as well and closed his eyes, encouraging the tight feeling in his skin to spread throughout his body until he grew to his human height.

“Jeez dude!” The smaller man exclaimed currently standing about shin height with Luke, though that didn’t last long and very soon he too was just as tall as Luke standing eye to eye with each other, Luke couldn’t help the smile spreading across his face.

“Give a guy some room before you go ballooning out of proportion.” He dusted himself off and stepped back eyeing Luke with curiously.

“Have you always been a shifter? What triggers your shifting? Did you just control your shifting to grow to whatever height you want?” Luke was positively bursting, he had never had anyone he could really talk to about this stuff, his friends and family were great, but they didn’t know what it was like, what it felt like to shift. He suddenly felt like a fan girl at a one direction concert.

The other shifter looked at Luke with concern and the kind of impatient annoyance you might give a younger sibling.

“You don’t get out much, do you?” He said with a quirked eyebrow, Luke just shrugged.

“I’m Jarrod by the way.” He said and held out a hand for Luke to shake.

“Luke.” They shook hands firmly before Jarrod let his grip go, tilting his head in thought, he looked him up and down again, as though trying to figure out what to do with him, or if he should do anything with him.

“So, I’m guessing you’ve never met another shifter before?” Luke shook his head, that was obvious.

“And you can’t control your shifting?” Jarrod asked.

“I can’t control it when I’m emotionally triggered, but I can shift at will also.” Luke defended, he had spent his whole life trying to get his powers under control and this guy walks in and makes it look like he’s been doing nothing this whole time.

“Yeah, I get that, but you can’t control the height you shift to.” Jarrod suddenly shot up a foot as if to emphasise his point and Luke took a few quick steps backwards, eyes bugging in amazement.

“How did you-?” Luke tried to ask but Jarrod shook his head and placed a large hand on his shoulder.

“You have much to learn young grasshopper.”

Luke wasn’t sure what to make of this man just yet but if Jarrod could teach him more about how to control his shifting, he would be willing to get to know him a little better and he wondered if he and Matt would get along. Maybe one day they would find out.

[downsizedclab]

vague thoughts about getting into situations with your shifter dad who's stuck tiny and who also like. didn't think to tell you he's magic

[smokescreenstuff]

Sharing this because I got the urge to write. It's not really an AU, but I guess I could make it one it you guys wanted.

Smokescreen woke up with a pain in his chest which quickly faded. Pushing himself off the ground he looked around. A pyramid, more accurately, the inside of one. He had been hit by Megatron's new weapon, the Dark Saber.

He looks down at himself, the Phase Shifter on his wrist, that must have been how he survived. Dirt and grime all over him, he'll have to wash up later. A big slash mark across his chest and shoulders, tinted slightly purple. He didn't know why, but he felt like he needed to hide it.

Smokescreen picks up dirt from the ground and smears it on the wound, wincing in pain. Maybe that wasn't the best idea.

He slips out of the pyramid and sees Optimus fighting Megatron.

…

Smokescreen walks into base, surprising everyone that he was still alive. Even Arcee seemed somewhat glad that he hadn't been reduced to dust. Bulkhead attempts to strike up a conversation but he's interrupted when Arcee asks a question.

“How did you survive?”

Smokescreen chuckles, “I may have borrowed the Phase Shifter…”

Smokescreen knew he was going to be scolded for taking it, but he didn't care. It kept him alive. Ratchet opens his mouth to scold Smokescreen, but the look on his face makes Ratchet stop.

“Smokescreen, I'd like to give you a checkup,” Ratchet states as he starts walking to the med-bay.

Smokescreen follows close behind.

…

Once in the med-bay he sits down on a medical bed. Before Ratchet can tell him to do anything he takes a nearby rag and cleans up the dirt he rubbed on his wound.

Ratchet immediately moves closer to inspect it, growing worried as he notices the purple tint. He takes a sample and puts it under a microscope. After a while he starts trying to mix up some kind of concoction.

“Uhh… Ratchet, what are you doing?” Smokescreen is very confused.

“I'm making a medication to help fight the dark energon,” Ratchet doesn't look up from what he's doing.

Smokescreen looks down at his wound. He knew deep down why Ratchet was doing that. The wound was created by a weapon of dark energon, an infection of some kind would be expected, but that didn't stop Smokescreen from freaking out internally.

…

Ratchet handed Smokescreen a cup a few hours later. He takes a drink and starts coughing, it tastes horrible.

“It's bad,” Smokescreen groans.

“It's medicine, it's not supposed to taste good,” Ratchet sighs, “Just tell me if you start feeling weird or something. I made extra in case you need it.”

Ratchet starts welding up Smokescreen's wounds.

…

Smokescreen wakes up in the middle of the night, a strange voice in his head. It's too quiet to make anything out, small whispers of chaos. He practically slides out of bed, forcing himself to get up. One look in the mirror sets him into panic mode, he needed to get Ratchet, now.

He runs through the halls and bursts into Ratchet's berthroom, “Ratchet!”

Ratchet barely wakes up, just enough to see what had Smokescreen all worked up. He quickly gets out of bed and drags Smokescreen into the med-bay. He forces more medicine down Smokescreen's intake, clearing up what had them both worked up. Purple optics, finally returning to a sky blue.

Ratchet spends the rest of the night making more of the medicine. They both knew fully well that the medicine only worked for a few hours at most, but they both prayed that was enough. Enough to keep the dark energon at bay… enough to keep Unicron at bay…

[angstylittleguy]

The Rift

Part 2 of "Broken." After Rory rescues Dalton from a too-curious Bennett, Dalton reveals his newly-formed opinion of him, which leaves a divide in the group. // Part 1

tw: anger, guilt, bruises

character context: Dalton is a size-shifter whose height is affected by his emotions. Bennett frequently gets stuck in time loops and the only way to get the loop to end is for him to survive the day. Rory is a mind reader that is unable to control her ability. The voices in her head are constant and the emotions of the people around her are often inflicted onto her.

word count: 2k

-> In Which Everything Goes Wonderfully Wrong masterpost link: Here

-> character introductions and moodboards: Here

Dalton stood on the bathroom counter, his shirt pulled up and back facing the mirror. He peered over his shoulder, staring at the marks on his skin.

Rory stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame with her arms crossed uncomfortably over her chest. Her skin was crawling with anger, sadness, confusion—all emotions coming from Dalton—and she couldn’t help the frown that decorated her lips. 

When Bennett had called her, she was still in the library. She hadn’t even known that he and Dalton had left. And then Bennett said that there had been an accident. That Dalton had shrunken and they had to leave. That they were in Bennett’s dorm and Dalton was crying. 

As she walked down the dorm hallway, her neck immediately pricked with regret and fear. It was emanating from Bennett’s room in harsh waves, and it didn’t take a genius to know that something was horribly wrong. She opened the door—it wasn’t locked—and she saw Bennett sitting on his bed in the far corner of the room. His knees were tucked close to his chest, back pressed against the wall like he was trying to make himself look small. His eyes cut to Rory as she entered. With a shaky finger, he pointed to the other side of the room.

Rory’s eyes fell upon Dalton, impossibly small, curled up on the surface of Bennett’s desk, laying on his side. His back was to the room, his arms gathered around his midsection. Strong feelings of mistrust made the hair on Rory’s arms stand on end.

She kneeled next to the desk. “Dalton?”

He rolled over on his back, turning his head to face her. His eyes were red and angry. “Can you take me home, please?” Dalton asked her, closing his eyes like he was fighting back more tears. 

Rory glanced back at Bennett one more time before very carefully scooping Dalton into her hands. He groaned at the movement. 

As Rory was leaving, she regarded Bennett. He watched her numbly. “I’ll come back later, okay?” Rory said, holding the door open with her hip. 

Bennett just nodded. 

Now at Dalton’s house, Rory wasn’t sure what to do for him. He was angry and upset, small and helpless. He wanted nothing more than to be left alone but Rory couldn’t bring herself to leave him in good conscience. 

“I knew he was too reckless,” Dalton said, his voice hard and laced with venom as he stared at his reflection. “I knew it the moment I met him that something like this was going to happen.”

Rory was quiet, still watching his small figure examine himself in the mirror.

“And the worst part,” Dalton continued, “was that I let it happen.”

“This isn’t your fault,” Rory responded, sympathy twanging deep in her chest.

“It’s not,” was Dalton’s short answer. “It’s Bennett’s. He’s too unpredictable. Doesn’t know what he’s doing. He never thinks. This could have all been avoided if he would just use his stupid brain!” 

Rory didn’t say anything. The air in Dalton’s house felt thick, suffocating almost. Rory could feel the weight of Dalton’s words, the sharpness of his anger—a heaviness she could practically touch as it settled between them. She had been in this position before, trying to soothe someone who didn’t want comfort. It never felt easy.

Dalton continued to stare at his reflection, his tiny form so vulnerable in contrast to the fury in his voice. He had a way of making everything seem like a disaster, as if the world was always crumbling around him. Rory didn’t know if it was his usual self-destructive streak or the aftermath of what had happened with Bennett. Probably both.

“Dalton, it’s not all on Bennett,” she said softly, her voice tentative but firm, hoping he could hear her through the layers of his anger.

Dalton scoffed, the sound small but biting. “You don't get it. He's dangerous. One minute he’s fine, and the next—” He stopped himself abruptly, his voice cracking. The vulnerability underneath the anger was hard to miss. “I thought I could trust him,” he muttered, his eyes drifting back to the mirror, his expression changing from rage to something quieter, sadder. “But I should’ve known better.”

Rory didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she just moved closer, kneeling next to him on the counter, keeping her distance but offering a presence, the kind that didn’t ask questions or try to fix things. Just someone to listen. 

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Dalton,” Rory said. “Bennett’s just... He’s still learning, just like us. You both are. This isn’t the end of the world. It’s just a moment.”

Dalton’s eyes flicked toward her, but his face remained tight, the corners of his lips pressed into a line of frustration. His small form seemed so fragile against the vastness of the bathroom counter, yet the intensity in his gaze was anything but small.

“Moment?” he repeated, his voice low and bitter, “This is more than a moment, Rory. He nearly killed me.” He sucked in a shaky breath, his fists clenched at his sides, the anger still simmering beneath the surface. “I don’t care if he’s learning, okay? I’m the one who pays for his mistakes.”

Rory felt a stab of helplessness as she watched him, wishing there was more she could do—more than just listen, more than just offer hollow assurances. She understood his anger, his frustration. It was so much easier to lash out, to blame someone else for the pain, especially when that someone was someone you thought you could trust.

She opened her mouth, ready to offer more words, but Dalton cut her off before she could speak.

“I shouldn’t have trusted him. I should’ve known better. It’s always the same with me—people get close, and then they—” He trailed off, swallowing hard. His voice cracked with the rawness of the emotion, but it wasn’t just about Bennett anymore, Rory realized. It was about the constant cycle that Dalton had somehow resigned himself to. Trusting people, letting them in, only to get hurt.

The air between them thickened with the weight of unspoken words. Rory’s fingers twitched, unsure of whether to reach for him or give him the space he so obviously wanted. Instead, she settled for her words.

“You deserve better than this,” Rory finally whispered. “Better than feeling like this... all the time.”

Dalton shifted slightly, the first hint of vulnerability flickering in his eyes, though he quickly masked it with a sharp inhale.

“Yeah,” he muttered, more to himself than to her. “I know.”

They sat in silene for a moment. Eventually, Dalton spoke again, his tone quieter now, almost apologetic. “I’m sorry, Rory. I don’t mean to be... this way. It’s just... a lot.”

“I know,” Rory replied gently.

Finally, she stood up from the counter. “I should let you rest. You’ve been through enough for today. But I’ll check in on you later, okay?”

Dalton gave a small nod, not quite meeting her eyes. “Yeah. Thanks, Rory.”

“Take care of yourself,” Rory said softly, her hand on the doorknob, looking back at him one last time before stepping into the hallway.

Dalton didn’t respond, but she knew he’d heard her.

…

Rory knocked softly on Bennett’s dorm room door, the sound a gentle tap against the heavy silence that seemed to hang over the hallway. She waited for a response, but there was nothing but stillness on the other side. She pushed the door open slowly, the hinges creaking as she stepped inside.

The room was dimly lit, the curtains drawn tightly shut, leaving only a faint sliver of light filtering through the edges. Bennett was sitting on the bed, his face buried in his hands, his body shaking with silent sobs. The sight of him, so raw and vulnerable, took Rory by surprise. She had always seen him as confident, maybe even reckless, but never like this.

“Bennett?”

Bennett lifted his head slowly at the sound of her voice, his eyes red and swollen, the weight of his guilt palpable in the room. His face crumpled again, and he buried his face in his hands once more, letting out a muffled sob.

“I didn’t mean to hurt him,” Bennett said, his voice barely a whisper, thick with regret. “I didn’t mean to… I didn’t know, Rory. I didn’t know how fragile he was when he was that small. I thought I was just… But I didn’t realize how much I could hurt him.” His words were tangled in his grief, and Rory could hear the guilt twisting his insides.

“You didn’t know,” Rory said gently, her voice calm but firm.

Bennett shook his head, his hands still gripping his face as if trying to block out the shame. “I should’ve known better. I should’ve… I thought it was all fun, Rory. I thought—hell, I thought it was cool, you know? I’ve never seen anything like that before.” His voice cracked, and he lowered his hands to his lap, his eyes vacant as he stared at the floor. “I don’t know how to fix it. How can I fix it after everything that’s happened?”

“Maybe you don’t need to fix it right away,” Rory said after a pause, her voice thoughtful. “Maybe you just need to be there for him. Show him that you care. You don’t have to have all the answers, Bennett. Just listen to him. Let him know that you’re sorry. And don’t push him. Let him come to you when he’s ready. That’s how you can start.”

Bennett looked up at her then, his eyes still full of confusion and pain. It was as if the weight of her words was just starting to settle on him, too heavy to lift on his own. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Instead, he closed his eyes tightly, shaking his head again.

“I don’t know if he’ll ever forgive me,” he muttered, his voice strained and brittle. “I don’t know how to show him that I didn’t mean for any of this. I just wanted to—” He stopped himself, running a shaky hand through his hair. Bennett wiped his face with the sleeve of his hoodie, his chest rising and falling with the weight of his emotions. He let out a shuddering breath before speaking again, quieter this time, almost to himself.

“I don’t even know what to say to him. What if it’s too late? What if he hates me?”

Rory’s expression softened. “You don’t know unless you try. And if you don’t try, you’ll regret it.”

Bennett sat there for a moment, quiet, as if weighing her words. Then, slowly, he nodded. “I’ll talk to him,” Bennett said finally, his voice steadier now, though still threaded with doubt. “I don’t know what I’ll say, but I’ll talk to him.”

Rory smiled softly, her hand resting on his shoulder, grounding him. “That’s all you can do, Bennett. Just be honest. The rest will come with time.”

For a long moment, the two of them sat in the stillness of the room. Bennett, his thoughts still swirling with guilt. Finally, Bennett stood up, wiping his eyes once more as if trying to regain some of his composure. “Thanks, Rory,” he said, his voice hoarse. “I… I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

[that-one-anime-writer]

Giants speaking when a tiny is close to them- KILLS ME MAN-

Like imagine you’re right up against the chest of a giant, you can hear they’re heartbeat which already is loud by itself. Not too loud, it’s comforting. But then- you feel them shift- and you literally feel the breath enter they’re lungs before they speak.

“Don’t worry little one- I’ve got you.”

There whole voice makes you vibrate, you’ve never felt a sensation like this before in your life. You can hear the voice from all around you- kind of like a warm echo. I JUST- I WANT IT-

[rocko-newjeans]

I love Cal he’s so friend shaped. Do you have a story/background in mind for your ocs?

I don't really have any detailed stories or backgrounds for my characters unfortunately. I mostly have very rough ideas and a lot of underdeveloped AUs that revolve around my sona and Ein lol.

The main "story" I have for all my characters though is basically what if borrowers were size shifters who could temporarily grow to a human size and would live amongst humans to get what they needed to survive. I'm always kind of torn between having my characters either be giant, tiny, or human sized so this suits my needs. For this blog tho I'll just be drawing whatever I'm in the mood to draw :) Anyways thank you for loving my funny man!

[cyncerity]

Finally! The Store Shifter AU dad story!!

Holy shit this took so long, i’m still not fully satisfied with the ending but this story has been like genuinely over 5 months in the making so i’m leaving it as is. also this will need a part 2 so expect that hopefully in a shorter period of time than this one took!

guys this thing is like almost 5k words lol

tw vore: don’t like it don’t read it

“Bad, are you sure this is the best idea?” “Yes I’m sure, now be quiet, we’re almost there.”

Skeppy huffed, blowing a few loose strands of hair out of his face. Bad always got like this when they went on retrieval missions. The kind and funny (if not somewhat naïve) man he married buried beneath a stoic, focused outer shell. He couldn’t blame him, though. Humans were horrifying to be around, and if Bad felt like he needed to turn off everything to get them all out of there safely, so be it. Usually it was just the two of them, Skeppy and Bad against the world as it always seemed to be, but Sam was with them today. He’d been pretty silent through their walk, but Skeppy could sense the unease practically radiating off him. Sam was a builder, after all; he almost never went near humans. But, according to him, some homes in their colony had been damaged by storms and needed repair work that would be significantly easier with human tools.

So, here they were. Bad, Skeppy, and Sam, headed towards a human market. Skeppy had been fully opposed, but the hunt and crops had been poor at the colony, and their supplies likely wouldn’t be regrown until a few months from now if they were lucky. Bad suggested the human’s market, where he’d heard other borrowers say they’d seen humans come in with nothing and leave with bags full of god knows what. He was confident they’d be able to find the necessary rations there, and even if he was scared, he wouldn’t let Bad go to some human infested place without him. Then Sam had joined them and off they’d gone, promising the rest of the colony to be back in a day or two.

As they neared the market, Skeppy could see Bad tense. Anyone else wouldn’t have noticed the slight crease of his brows, the minute shaking of his hands. That’s part of what made him a great leader for their colony; he was able to stay calm and collected no matter what. But having known him for so long, Skeppy could read him like an open book. He was scared. Sam, meanwhile, wasn’t even trying to hide it. He was quaking, clearly terrified of going into a space filled with creatures he knows could and likely would kill him if given the chance. Skeppy, honestly, was equally terrified. They almost never ventured this far into human society, and certainly never into human inhabited spaces. But, all for the good of the colony.

They approached the building and saw humans leaving the store, making Skeppy’s stomach turn in fear. He was sure that his fear was just as noticeable as Sam’s was, and he wasn’t sure how Bad was managing to keep his cool while him and Sam were panicking right next to him. But somehow, Bad pressed them forward, and they had little choice but to follow. They’d already made it this far, and like hell Skeppy was gonna back down and leave Bad to do this alone now.

They managed to get in the door right behind a human before scurrying back to the shadows for safety the second they entered the building, and holy shit was it bigger than he’d thought it was. There were dozens and dozens of rows one hundred times bigger than any one of them, even if they were small compared to the trees of the forest. “We’ll have to search from above,” Bad whispered quietly, breaking the unspoken vow of silence that the three had been following since nearing the shop. “Skeppy, lend me a rope. We can hoist each other up on each level.”

So, that they did. One of them would climb, then throw a rope for the other two to climb to meet them, only occasionally having to hide behind whatever human product was nearest to avoid being spotted. Thank god there weren’t as many humans in the place as he’d initially thought there would be. After a while, the three had made it to the top, overlooking pretty much the entire shop. Skeppy took note that most of the food they’d need was farther back in the store, unfortunately, but at least the platforms they stood on were close enough together that they could jump them. He also took note that a good number of humans were leaving, which was great for them, but also meant that night was likely coming soon, so they had to be fast. It wasn’t safe to travel the woods at night. Bad seemed to recognize this, as he gestured for Skeppy and Sam to follow him, leading them towards what they’d need. After a few more minutes of the three heading to the back, almost all the humans were gone except for a few in bright green vests. Skeppy reasoned that they were the ones who operated the place, if they all dressed the same and stayed when no one else did. But he wasn’t worried; what were the odds that the humans would look up to see them?

“Hey, Nick, you wanna head home early? You don’t look so good, I’m sure Dream wouldn’t mind.” Skeppy heard a human say. He knew it’d be best to stay back, but Skeppy was nothing if not stupidly impulsive. He leaned over the edge of the platform they’d been walking on, catching the attention of Bad and Sam too late to stop him. The human who had spoken was wearing a white sweater and gold chain with blonde hair and pale skin. He was talking to another human, “Nick” apparently, who was slumped over some boxes he was putting on a shelf, back turned to where the borrowers were. This one had a dark red hoodie and black beanie pulled over his head that almost matched the shade of his hair. The first human was right, though; if human body language read anything like a borrowers, this guy really wasn’t looking good. Nevertheless, he responded. “Hm? No, no, I’m fine, Punz, really.” He mumbled, barely looking up. The blonde one, “Punz,” didn’t look like he believed it for a second. “Bullshit. C’mere, let me take your temperature.” He said, pulling the other human to face him, and-

No.

No fucking way.

Skeppy could feel that Bad at this point had noticed his absence and had come over to drag him away from the conversation by force, but he shook himself free from his grip, eyes never leaving the scene in front of him. That was him. There’s no way it wasn’t. His hair was different, far different from the hazel brown he remembered, the same shade as his father’s, but it was him. He even had the discoloration around his eyes to prove it, the scar that had nicknamed him “Pandas” all those years ago. He looked older, much older, no longer the teen Skeppy remembered, and more tired. Worn down, even. He really did look sick.

Bad wasn’t letting go, and now Sam was trying to help him. Punz and Nick- no, Sapnap, he was sure of it- were still idly chatting below, Punz trying to convince Sapnap he needed to go and Sapnap insisting he was fine. At another insistent yank from Bad, Skeppy finally snapped, pulling away and grabbing Bad by the front of his hood, dragging his face close. “Bad,” he whispered as quietly as he could with tears threatening to spill from his eyes, “it’s our son.”

He saw Bad’s eyes light up for a moment before fear masked his expression. He looked down at Sapnap, who was now sat alone, staring at the ground. Punz must’ve left at some point without him noticing. Bad sat in stunned silence, and for once Skeppy couldn’t read his expression. An expression he could read, however, was Sam’s. He looked an odd mix of confused and mortified. Skeppy was confused at the odd reaction before it hit him; Sam didn’t know Sapnap was a shifter. “That’s Sapna-mph?!“ “Shh!!” Sam whisper yelled before Skeppy slapped a hand over his mouth. “Ok, i don’t know what he’s doing here but yes, it has to be. He can…do this. I mean, he can look human. But he’s not! It’s…it’s a long story, dude.” “I- He..what?? Bad, you knew about this?” Sam whisper yelled again, quieter. “…Yes.” Bad took a moment to answer, like it pained him to admit out loud that the ‘human’ down there was his own son. “How can…how long has he-“ Sam cut himself off as Sapnap’s head snapped up, revealing that his eyes were almost black with how large his pupils were. He looked out of it entirely. He looked…predatory.

Bad gasped, stumbling back from the edge of the platform he’d been watching from and fell to the ground, clutching his chest, unable to control his ragged breathing. Skeppy and Sam were immediately right there beside him, Sam trying to lead him through breathing exercises as quietly as possible as Skeppy asked him what was wrong. After a few moments, Bad managed to choke out words. “We- we need…to go. We..we need t- to go now.” “Why? What’s going on?” Skeppy asked. Before Bad could give any semblance of an answer, they heard boxes be knocked over. To curious for his own good, Skeppy went to see what it was, and Sam and Bad reluctantly followed.

Sapnap was stood again, back turned to the three as he looked up at one of the shelves near him. And there stood- “Alex?” Skeppy heard Sam whisper, hope full in his voice. Skeppy had almost forgotten that the day Sapnap ran away was the last time Sam had seen his own son. Quackity looked older, too. His hair was longer and he looked more well nourished and muscular than the scrawny, scrappy little boy Skeppy had watched grow up. He also still wore his stupid little bandana and the face covering Karl had made him after he’d got that gash through his mouth. But even with that mask on, Skeppy noticed the confusion and pity in his eyes as he looked at his boyfriend.

“Sapnap?” Quackity asked, but there was no response. He kept looking for a little bit before sighing and looking around. What for, Skeppy didn’t know, but what he did find was them. Skeppy saw Quackity’s eyes go wide as he noticed the three, and he looked horrified. Sam stood and waved, moving to say something before Quackity violently charaded to keep quiet. He then started to shoo them, and Bad immediately took the hint and tried to pull the both of them away, but Skeppy and Sam held their ground. “Why?” Sam said just barely loud enough for Quackity to hear across the aisle, but also loud enough for Sapnap to notice apparently, as he started to turn around towards them. “Just go!!” Quackity screamed, drawing Sapnap’s attention back to himself as his head snapped back. Quackity took a step forward about to yell something else before time froze.

Faster than he could blink, Sapnap had reached up and roughly grabbed Quackity off the shelf, holding him to his face for a short moment before stuffing him in his mouth. He could hear muffled yelling, too distant to make out any words, and could see indents of Quackity pushing against Sapnap’s cheeks trying to fight his way out. Bad was silent, ghastly white and completely unmoving, not even breathing, which left Skeppy to turn his attention away from the scene in front of him to keep Sam quiet. He quickly and forcefully wrapped his arm around his mouth and pulled him back, using his other hand to push Sam’s head into the crook of his elbow to muffle him. Sam was yelling and screaming; clawing, kicking, doing anything just to make Skeppy to let him go, but he endured it. It was all he could do to not think too heavily into what he’d just seen. There was no way Sapnap would…eat him. He’d watched Quackity and Sapnap grow up together. Before Karl came along, it’d really just been the two of them. They were best friends from the start, and early in their teenage years, it turned to something more. Sapnap cared more about Quackity than himself, he knew that for a fact. There had to be something he was missing here, right?

All at once, Sam fell silent. The screaming, kicking, everything stopped. Everything but his crying; Skeppy could feel his sleeve growing wet with tears. Maybe this was a good sign. Maybe Sapnap had spit him out, maybe it was all a prank, a joke, anything. Sapnap was raised by him and Bad, after all. He’d seen his fair share of trolling from his fathers. Sapnap couldn’t do this, he and Bad hadn’t raised a monster. This wasn’t happening. Everything was ok.

As he looked up, the sight ahead of him said otherwise.

Sapnap had his head tilted up, one hand lightly pressed on something- no, someone in his throat, while the other was holding something just outside his mouth; a tail. Quackity’s tail. Quackity was moving under the pressure; squirming, thrashing even, under Sapnap’s skin, yet the expression on his son’s face read nothing but bliss. Skeppy could even swear he saw drool seeping out of the corners of his smile. He couldn’t watch this. He couldn’t stay here and stand to see the boy he had raised, had loved his entire life, kill someone that Skeppy had thought he’d watched him grow to love. But he couldn’t move. He stood frozen, tears welling in his eyes and his body cold from fear with Sam limp and silently sobbing in his arms. Sam, poor Sam, who sat here watching his son be eaten alive not only by his previous future son-in-law, by his own best friends’ son. Bad, who’d been so silent that Skeppy had nearly forgotten he was here, barely seemed to be breathing. His only signs of life were the tears pouring down his face and the violent shaking that wracked his entire frame. He looked so scared Skeppy was surprised he was still standing.

The three of them watched in silent horror as finally, after what felt like hours, Sapnap let go of Quackity’s tail. They watched his form fall farther and farther down Sapnap’s throat little by little until finally his struggles had disappeared beneath his lover’s collar bones, sealing his fate. Sapnap dropped his head and sighed, the blissful, at peace expression he wore making Skeppy sick. He watched Sapnap seemingly subconsciously trace a line down his torso, no doubt following where Quackity was within his body, until he finally placed a palm on his stomach. And if there was any doubt (which at this point could only be chalked up to wishful thinking) as to what fate Quackity had truly met, it had all been dispelled as the three heard horrible, violent gurgling sounds coming from Sapnap’s stomach. Sapnap covered his whole midsection with his arm, face tinged pink in apparent embarrassment as he whipped his head side to side to make sure no one was around. Luckily for the three of them, he still didn’t think to look up. He blinked a few times before looking down at where his arm laid for a few seconds and subsequently sighing, rolling his eyes (which Skeppy belatedly realized were back to normal instead of the horrifying all consuming black). He began rubbing his stomach as a few more gurgles were heard and he pulled a little thin black box from his apron, tapping it a few times before holding it to his ear.

A few seconds of silence later, Sapnap was speaking. “Hey, Dream! Did Punz tell you I was sick? He said he was going off to find you like 10 minutes ago.” More silence. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine now. I think I just needed something to eat, if you know what I mean.” Skeppy’s heart skipped a beat hearing Sapnap so nonchalantly refer to his own species, to someone he loved, as food. “I’m just gonna go on break now if that’s ok. Could you meet me by the security office? I need you to help me, uh…get rid of something.” Another break. “Ok, sounds good, I’ll meet you then. Bye.” He said, tapping the black box again before slipping it back into a pocket and moving to leave the aisle. At that, Skeppy decided it was far past time to go. He went to grab Bad before realizing that he was fully unconscious, likely having passed out from fear. Sam, on the other hand, lay sobbing. Skeppy could do nothing but try to drag him to away, but ultimately failed. “Sam,” Skeppy whispered, voice cracking through tears and shivering, “We…we have to go.” “I failed.” he responded, not bothering to whisper since Sapnap was gone. “I failed as a father. I couldn’t save him. I- I couldn’t save them. Either of them.” He chocked out, tears pouring harder. Skeppy stood shocked; Sam rarely mentioned his other son anymore. It’d been so, so long since he’s been around that Skeppy (as much as it pained him to admit it to himself) had almost forgotten he existed completely. And didn’t that just make this all the more sad; Sam didn’t deserve to lose another kid. He didn’t deserve to have these old scars ripped back open again. “You couldn’t have known.” Skeppy said, sitting down beside him. “There’s nothing you could’ve done. I…I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry, Sam.”

Skeppy wasn’t sure why he felt the need to apologize, but in some way, this felt like his fault. Sapnap was his son. What had he done wrong? How long had Sapnap been planning to do this? What would Karl say if he saw this? Is Karl even still alive, or did Sapnap get to him first? How were they gonna tell Tina that her younger brother got killed by his fiancé, of all people?

Skeppy was only snapped out of it when a hand rested on his own, and he turned to see Sam looking at him. His tear-stained expression held no anger, no contempt for the man who had raised the person to have just killed his son, just…pity and sadness. Sam didn’t hate him. Sam felt…sorry for him. Sorry that his son had turned out like this after so many years being away from home. Sorry that the boy who they’d both loved growing up was gone, twisted into a psychopath and cannibal. In a way, they’d both lost their kids today. Skeppy couldn’t do anything but break down, clinging to Sam and sobbing as he finally processed everything that he’d seen today. Sam just hugged back tightly, like Skeppy was his only lifeline, and sobbed with him.

“We should get going.” Sam sighed after what felt like hours. “We need to help Bad, and I’m sure the others are wondering why we’re not back yet.” Skeppy, still numb, just nodded and helped sling one of Bad’s unconscious arms over his shoulder while Sam took another. The walk back to where they had come from was silent, neither of them willing to bring up the fact that they hadn’t actually retrieved any supplies and the whole trip was kinda pointless, but were met with a sight that neither had been expecting.

The doors were tied shut with chains. They couldn’t get out.

They were stuck there till morning.

~~~~~

Sapnap sat in the break room fiddling with his phone when he saw Dream come in, twirling a set of keys on his finger. “You said you needed access to the security room?” “‘Bout time.” Sapnap responded sarcastically, standing up off the beanbag chair with a hand over his stomach to keep the extra weight in his gut from swaying as he moved. Seriously, no matter how many times or how often he’d done this, he was never going to get used to it, was he? “Sorry I needed to lock up the store, asshole.” Dream replied, leading him out of the room to the security office down the hall. “Ranboo is staying at my place tonight so Tom and Tubbo aren’t alone, so I had to lock up from inside today cause someone invited me to stay the night to work on parkour stuff.” “Don’t pin this on me, I’m being nice to you for once.” Sapnap replied, lightly elbowing Dream as he tried to unlock the door and messing him up. Dream flipped him off without even moving his vision away from the lock before getting back to work. “Are you at the security office yet?” Quackity asked, startling Sapnap which in turn startled Dream, who gave him an odd look. Sapnap just pointed to his stomach and Dream rolled his eyes and went back to work on the lock.

“Yeah, we are. Holy shit, dude, you scared the fuck outta me, I thought you were asleep. You haven’t said anything like this entire time.” “I couldn’t fall asleep. Something…something happened, man.” “…Well that doesn’t sound ominous at all. What kinda something? Something bad?? Are you ok, did I do something?” “I’m fine!” Quackity quickly responded, picking up on his fiancé’s nervous tone. “It’s just…well I don’t know yet. You’ll be able to see for yourself on the video camera. I don’t want to freak you out if it’s nothing.” Sapnap went to ask what that meant before Dream finally managed to open the door with a little cheer of celebration. He ushered Sapnap in as he started to log into the camera’s system.

“Ok, so can you tell me what happened?” Dream questioned. “It’s been a while since I did the instinct thing, so I guess I looked kinda sickly, so Punz ran to get you. After that I started to feel nauseous and sat down and passed out. When I woke up again, Quackity was in here and I felt a lot better. I think my instincts just fully took over so I wasn’t conscious, like, at all. I figured I would see what exactly happened and then delete the footage so no one else could see me lose it.” Dream nodded. “Yeah, I figured that’s what you meant by ‘needed something to eat.’ Kinda also figured that instincts had something to do with why Punz said you looked sick, so I asked Quackity to go and look for you.” Sapnap vaguely heard Quackity confirm what Dream had said. “Oh, thanks dude.” “No problem. Now, where and when was this again?”

Sapnap gave a few more specifications on what had happened, and at this point he could feel Quackity nervously pacing in his gut, which felt…weird, to say the least. “Quackity, dude, are you ok? You never move this much in there, it’s kinda freaking me out. And it feels weird.” “Sorry.” He heard as he felt Quackity drop back down to sit, almost immediately starting to tap his foot. “You’re nervous about something.” “No I’m-“ “You’re sitting with your eye sockets pressed into your knees while tapping your foot. I’ve known you my entire life, I don’t need to be able to see you to know what you’re doing. You only do that when you’re really anxious, what’s up?” “Like I said, you’ll see on the video.” Sapnap was about to respond again, but was agin cut off by Dream. “Found it! Oh shit, yeah, you look really out of it, I’m surprised you made it as long as y- what the fuck is that??” That bit caught Sapnap’s attention. He moved closer to the tv and noticed what Dream was questioning: on the grainy monitor, there were 3 small silhouettes on top of an aisle in front of Sapnap. “Are those…borrowers?” Dream asked, looking over to Sapnap. “They have to be. What the hell are more borrowers doing in the store? Q, is this what you were worried about?” “…Mostly.” Quackity responded, and Sapnap nodded to Dream so he could follow along. “…fast forward, see if you can tell when they leave.” Sapnap relayed the request to Dream, who did as he asked.

“Oh no…” Sapnap whispered. “What?” Dream asked, but Quackity was apparently more than aware of the issue. “They didn’t listen, did they? They didn’t go when I told them too?” “No, no they didn’t…” Sapnap whispered again, in shock. He felt Quackity stand and start to pace again, but this time couldn’t care to correct it. “What? Who didn’t what?” Dream asked. “The borrowers on the aisle. Quackity was signaling for them to leave so they wouldn’t see me do..that, but they didn’t. They’re seeing everything.” Sapnap gestured back up to the screen, where at this point he could see Quackity entering his throat and the borrowers backing up, one even kicking and fighting another to do something. “Well…thats not good, but it can’t be that bad, right? I mean, what are the odds you’ll ever see them again? I mean, sure they can tell a colony about a human that ate a borrower, but you guys have always kinda been under the impression we did that anyway, right? At the absolute worst, they’ll have another horror story to get kids to bed on time.” “Dream, I just traumatized 3 random borrowers for life.” “I was under the impression you were all just kinda traumatized from shit in general, is this really that much worse?” “Sapnap, tell him to shut up.” Quackity interrupted. Sapnap obliged by smacking a hand over Dream’s mouth and putting a finger over his own lips. “…I need you to let me out.” Sapnap looked confused for a moment. Quackity had only been in there for a few hours; normally when this happened he would just stay the night since it was more of a hassle to get dry and clean just to put on pjs. Something was wrong, still, Sapnap would never hold the man he loved against his will.

Sapnap quickly brought him up, placing a hand under his mouth as Quackity climbed out. Quackity’s head snapped immediately to the security footage. At this point, Sapnap could see himself finally swallow Quackity down, and the 3 borrowers react accordingly with varying levels or fear and distress. One of them even went unconscious. Quackity watched with a look of worry that made Sapnap anxious; in all the years he’d known Quackity, he’d never seen him like this. Why was he this worried? He barely registered that in the video he had regained control, only focused on what could have caused the fear in his fiancé’s eyes.

Until one of the borrowers turned enough for their face to be seen in the camera.

That…that was his dad. That was Skeppy, holding onto someone who had to be Sam. His other dad was taller than that. That means that the last one, the borrower who’d passed out when Sapnap had swallowed Quackity was…

Sapnap felt his breath speed up. He quickly set Quackity down on the desk as he clutched a hand to his chest and his vision started to blur. “Sap?” Dream questioned, hands hovering around him in concern, “Sapnap are you ok??” “That’s…Those are…” He couldn’t get the words out. Fuck. No, fuck, god no, this wasn’t how this was supposed to go, they weren’t supposed to know, they weren’t supposed to ever see him again but now they knew everything.

They knew he was a monster.

“…those are our dads.” Quackity whispered, barely audible as dreams eyes widened. “The one crying is my dad, the other two are Sapnap’s.”