If You Build A Man A Fire...

After Quackity grew back, he completely avoided everything to do with magic. He tried to ignore the fact that he had been tiny. He tried to ignore the fact that he had wings. In general, he tried to ignore the fact that fairies existed and that he might be one of them. 

It had been a month since Tommy had thrown the dust on him and he had shrunken to fairy size. He hadn’t been back to the grove since that night and he tried to avoid the forest as much as possible. 

“Me veo muy gacho.” Quackity muttered as he glanced up at his reflection as he finished washing his hands in the restroom. (I look really crappy.) 

There was nothing immediately wrong with his appearance. It was the same tired eyes and crooked beanie as before. But after his visit to the fairies and the discovery that he might be half-fairy, it felt like something changed. Every time he looked in the mirror, it felt like something was missing. He looked too dull, like all the magic and energy had been sucked out of him, too human. 

Nothing had noticeably changed, but Quackity couldn’t help thinking he looked different. 

“Ya me cargó el payaso.” He murmured as he walked out of the restroom and back onto the sales floor for BigBuy. (I am so screwed.)

Quackity went through the motions of the day. Stocking shelves, talking with customers, cleaning up spills. He counted down the hours until his shift was over. There wasn’t anything particularly exciting that he had after planned after work, but at least he wouldn’t be working. 

An hour before his shift ended, Quackity noticed something weird.

There was a white guy in the store. 

The man wasn’t Caucasian, Quackity saw those kind of white people all the time, or nor did he have albinism. But instead the man was an entirely unnatural shade of white. It was almost a complete void of all color, rather than any particular color itself. The stranger’s attire was also weird. Who wears a white 6 piece suit to the grocery store in the suburbs? He didn’t appear to be doing anything out of the ordinary, just buying some berries and-

“Hey! Hey!” 

Quackity train of thought was rudely interrupted. 

“Are we paid to just stand around and stare at the customers?” Juan asked in an irate tone in English. He thought using Spanish on the sales floor was “unprofessional”. 

“No…” Quackity said. 

Juan and Quackity had never gotten along. When Quackity had first started working at BigBuy as a quick way to help pay for his mom’s medical expenses, he never expected to stay there. It was a part time gig at a grocery chain. Nothing serious. Nevermind that the part time gig turned into a full time job that he’s been working for the past few years. Wow his life is depressing. 

Juan, on the other hand, was fully invested. He wanted to work for BigBuy his whole life and become a general manager, or maybe even own a chain. As a result, he took everything way too seriously and got on everyone’s nerves. 

“Time is money Quackity. Do you know how many BigBuy dollars you are wasting right now by just standing around?” Juan stared down at Quackity. 

“I wasn’t aware that we had our own currency.” Quackity retorted, entirely disinterested in dealing with Juan. 

He shifted his weight to peak around Juan slightly to see if he could spot the unusual customer again. 

“We’re not stock boys anymore, Quackity. We need to take this seriously. And you wonder why Schlatt wants me to be assistant manager…” Juan sighed and shook his head. 

“There’s an open position? Schlatt didn’t tell me about that.” Quackity redirected his attention to Juan. 

He thought that he and Schlatt had always had a decent enough relationship, but if the general manager didn’t tell him about the position then maybe he was wrong. The assistant manager position came with a nice pay raise, and Quackity could certainly use the money. 

“Why would he? He knows you don’t have what it takes.” Juan spat. “Go help the customers.” He ordered as he walked away. 

Quackity rolled his eyes. He looked back to where the strange white man had been shopping. 

An empty isle. Damn. There goes his entertainment. 

As Quackity turned to walk down a different isle, he was accosted by the sight of the white man mere inches in front of him. 

“Good afternoon.” The customer said, unperturbed by their proximity. 

“Hello, is there anything I can help you with?” Quackity asked in his best customer service voice. 

“Which of these is pure iron?” The man asked as he pulled two packages of nails that he probably grabbed from the hardware section from his basket. 

“Uh…” Quackity stared at the nails, then looked up at the man creep. 

Whatever the thing before him was, it certainly wasn’t a man or human by any stretch of the imagination. In addition to it being as pale as a porcelain toilet, the creep had unnaturally large irises that were pitch black and long black nails that looked too much like claws to be a simple manicure. 

“Let check me on our app.” Quackity said, defaulting to his customer service script. 

He pulled out his phone to take a picture of the products, but Quackity stopped just shy of pressing the button. Instead of pale, long, claw-like hands, there were regular human hands. Quackity stared in bewilderment. Slowly, he raised the camera up to the creep’s confused face. Instead of showing the phantomesque figure before him, the app showed an average, albeit confused man. 

“Are you alright?” The man(?) asked. 

“I’m fine…” Quackity replied. Thinking quickly, he said, “There seems to be an error with the app. Will you please follow me to the customer service desk?”

“Yes.”

Quackity walked stiffly to the customer service desk. The creep followed directly behind him, sending shivers up his spine the entire time. It felt like turning your back to a bear while it was licking its lips. 

On his way to the customer service desk, Quackity walked by the A/V section. A wall of tvs was to his left and a video camera to his right. The camera was connected to the tvs as a part of a demonstration of the recording and display capabilities. As the creep passed the camera, Quackity looked towards the screens. Each screen perfectly displayed a regular man walking in an identical fashion to the thing behind him, wearing the same clothes and carrying the same basket. 

Maybe Quackity was just going insane. That would explain a lot actually. 

Eventually they reached the customer service desk where Missa comfortably sat. Quackity explained the issue with the nails to Missa. As the creep placed his hand basket on the counter to get the nails, Quackity couldn’t help but look in the basket. Lighter fluid, oil, matches, salt, jars. What was this thing doing?

He glanced over at Missa who was chatting with the creature then pointedly looked at the basket. Missa gave him a look back, he thought it was weird too. 

Missa handed the nails back. 

“It looks like these nails are steel,” Missa handed one box over, “and these are aluminum,” he handed the other box over. 

“Where can I find iron nails?” The creature asked. 

“I would look in the garden section or maybe a hardware store. I do not think we sell them here.” Missa replied. 

Without another word or regard to Quackity, the creature walked off. 

Quackity watched him go, then turned to Missa as soon as he was out of their sightline.

“¿Qué es eso?” He exclaimed. (What is that?)

“…¿un hombre?” Missa replied, confused. (…a man?)

“¿El es un hombre normal?” (Is he a normal man?) Quackity asked, praying Missa would see the same thing Quackity saw.

“No. ¿Qué tipo de hombre compraría clavos mientras llevaría un traje?” Missa wondered. (No. What type of man buys nails while wearing a suit?)

“Pero, el hombre se ve normal?” (But, the man looked normal?)

“Más o menos.” Missa shrugged.  (More or less.)

Quackity groaned.

“¿Sabes sobre el puesto de asistente manager?” Missa changed the subject. (Do you know about the position of assistant manager?)

“Sí, Juan me dijo lo sobre. Quiere el puesto.” (Yeah, Juan told me about it. He wants the position.)

“¿En serio?” Missa groaned. “Si el gana, sería horrible.” (Really? If he won, it would be horrible.)

Quackity nodded grimly. 

“¡Tengo una idea! Debe solicitar. Schlatt le gusta te. ¡Si te ganas, sería genial!” Missa grinned. “No puedo ganar porque Schlatt no me quiere después de tuvo un fight club con los Roombas.” (I have an idea! You should apply. Schlatt likes you. If you win, it would be great. I wouldn’t win because Schlatt doesn’t like me after I had a fight club with the Roombas.”

“No se…” Quackity readjusted his beanie, a nervous habit. (I don’t know.)

“Tu debe solicitar.” Missa pressed. “Por me.” He bat his eyes dramatically at Quackity. (You should apply. For me.)

“Voy a pensar sobre lo.” (I will think about it.) Quackity laughed. 

“¿Vamos a casa de Roier después del trabajo?” Missa leaned back in his chair. (Are we going to Roier’s house after work?)

“No voy.” Quackity shook his head. (I’m not going.)

Whatever happened with the strange man from earlier had to be magical. And if he wanted to more about it, he would have to talk to magical creatures directly. 

“¿Por qué?” Missa looked at Quackity with concern and curiosity. (Why?)

“Necesito hablar con un amigo.” Quackity shrugged, trying to make it not seem like a big deal. (I need to talk with a friend.)

Missa looked more concerned, but thankfully he dropped it.

They chatted about a few other things, soccer, the weather, and the latest neighborhood gossip. Then, Quackity left Missa and began to walk around the store, looking for customers who needed help. He checked his phone. 30 minutes left on his shift. A half hour until he could talk to the fairies. 

————- 

“Hey! Tommy! Tubbo!” 

Quackity had been shouting in the woods for the past ten minutes. He was near the area where he had first found the fairies and where he had met them before, but there was nothing. 

“Fairies! Come out!” He shouted, ignoring the piece of him that questioned if they were deciding to ignore him. 

A woman jogged past him with her dog. She gave him a weird look. 

Quackity smiled awkwardly and waved. He stammered to come up with an excuse, but she was gone too quickly for him to piece together anything semi-plausible. 

Then Quackity heard a light ringing. 

He turned back to the forest excitedly, looking for Tommy or Tubbo. Instead, he found a fairy with a long, pink braid flying a few feet away from him. It was the same one who had attacked Quackity a few months ago and given him the scar below his eye. The fairy seemed to be laughing at his encounter with the jogger. 

Quackity took a cautious step back, curious if the fairy would attack him again but it seemed to show no malice. 

“Who are you?” He scowled, wishing Tommy and Tubbo were there. 

A jingle of bells. 

Right.

“I can’t understand you.” Quackity said. 

The fairy shook his head and seemed to dig around in a satchel tied to his hip. It took Quackity a minute to realize what the fairy was about to do.

“Wait! No-“

It was too late. The fairy threw the pixie dust directly at his face. Quackity felt a sudden wave of vertigo. Then he passed out. 

————- 

Quackity woke up to a pair of ruby red eyes staring directly at him. 

He shouted and backed away on all fours in attempt to put some distance between himself and the stranger. The fairy took a few steps back, equally shocked. 

“Heh?” The fairy let out a confused noise while Quackity tried to get a sense of his surroundings. 

He was tiny again. The woods loomed above him. This was fine. He needed to speak with fairies and to do that he needed to be tiny again. This was exactly what he’d been wanting. No need to freak out. 

“Who are you?” The strange fairy asked. 

His hand was on the hilt of an impressive sword that looked like it could do some heavy damage. Correction: He knew it could do heavy damage. Quackity remembered getting slashed by it at human scale. He didn’t want to know what it could do to him at fairy size. 

“I’m Quackity, I need to speak with Philza.” He said, looking up at the fairy. 

Apart from the very dangerous sword, the fairy seemed to have several other weapons on his person. He looked like a modern day viking. He wore a bright red cape that looked to be made from a Dorito’s bag. Quackity couldn’t help snickering a little at the revelation.

“And you just… shrunk?” The fairy asked. 

“The pixie dust makes me shrink.” Quackity pointed to the pixie dust bag. “I’m half fairy?” He meant for it to be a statement but it came out more like a question. 

The fairy stepped forward and offered Quackity a hand. Quackity happily took it and was unceremoniously yanked to his feet. The strange fairy was strong. That felt wrong somehow, considering Quackity had swatted him away the first time they unofficially met. 

“…and you are?” Quackity asked when the fairy made no move to introduce himself. 

“Oh, Technoblade, Captain of the Sparrow Guard.” 

————- 

“Phil! There’s someone here to see you!” Techno called as soon as he landed on one of the branches of Heart Tree. He placed his hand on a vine wrapping around the tree and channeled his magic through it to ensure it reached the roots where Phil’s lab was. 

Quackity landed with a thump behind Techno. Although, landed may have been a generous term. Quackity clung to the branch and awkwardly scrambled his way to a standing position, holding his hands out for stability once he was standing. Clearly, he needed to work on his landings. 

“Oh? And who’s that?” Phil asked through the vine. 

“He says he’s some sort of half-fairy.” Techno replied, hoping Phil could hear the confusion in his voice through the transmission. 

“Quackity?” Phil said with surprise. “I’ll be right up.”

While they were waiting, Techno guided Quackity into the Heart tree through a carved hole. They were on the main level for the Sparrow Guard, so the interior was covered with weapons, armor, and maps. Phil joined them shortly. 

Quackity seemed to relax when he saw Phil. They greeted each other kindly. 

Techno knew they couldn’t have known each other long, but he still felt slightly awkward. Maybe he should just leave…

“Quackity, I didn’t think you would be back. Tommy and Tubbo miss you.” Phil said with a teasing laugh. 

“Yeah, I thought I was gone for good too.” Quackity replied, readjusting his beanie. “But I’ve got a question.”

“Is that so?”

Techno started to edge towards the door, intending on returning back to patrol. Phil seemed to have the situation under control. 

“Are there other magical creatures other than fairies?” Quackity asked. 

Techno paused. 

“What do you mean?” Phil asked, suddenly serious. 

“I don’t know. There was this really weird guy at work who was white, like as white as snow, except none of the cameras showed it. And now that I’m thinking about it, I’m probably overthinking and I shouldn’t assume you know all about any of that and-“ Quackity began to walk away. 

Techno stared at Quackity. If what Quackity was describing was correct, then the fairies were in serious danger. 

“Did he have black eyes?” Phil asked in a whisper. “And black claws?”

“Yeah, how did you k-“ Quackity was interrupted as Phil swore loudly. 

“That’s not good,” Techno frowned. “What did he do? Did he try and hurt you?”

“What? No.” Quackity sounded alarmed. “Who was that guy?”

“A Federation member.” Techno answered. “Are you sure he didn’t follow you?”

“Yes, I’m sure. What’s the Federation? Why are you so worried?”

“It’s a very powerful guild of wizards.” Phil explained. “Their dark magic warps their bodies and destroys their humanity. Humans can’t generate magic on their own, so they hunt fairies to extract their magic from them. Usually they use glamour spells to hide their true form from humans.”

Quackity shivered at the thought of the Federation member. 

“But then how can I see them? And why didn’t they notice me?” He asked. 

“It probably has something to do with the fact you’re half-fairy. Maybe the contact with pixie dust activated some of the latent magic in you?” Phil mused. The he shook his head to clear his mind. “Techno, if Quackity’s reports have any standing, we need to prepare.”

“On it.” Techno flew away to contact and organize the Sparrow Guard. He already had a strategy in mind. 

————- 

The dust, unfortunately, had not worn off by the time dinner rolled around. However, Phil kindly invited Quackity to join them for dinner. 

It turned out to be far more of a community event than Quackity had initially expected. The whole village gathered in the village center while the chefs brought large platters onto a communal table. 

Tubbo and Tommy were overjoyed to see Quackity again and Quackity would be lying if he said he wasn’t excited to see them. They quickly regaled Quackity with stories about everything they had done since he left. Then, they made it their mission to introduce Quackity to as many fairies as possible, making sure to tell all about how the half-fairy could transform into human size. 

It was nice, but overstimulating. 

Soon enough, Quackity broke away from the party. Instead, he sat on a large (relatively) mushroom outside the town square. He munched on a single berry taken from a much larger raspberry which had served as a centerpiece for part of the communal table. 

“How are you holding up?” Phil asked as he fluttered down beside him. 

“It’s a lot.” Quackity replied. 

He didn’t fully know what “it” referred to. The party? The threat of the Federation? His life in general? But it certainly was a lot. 

“Is that why you took nearly a month to visit again?” Phil asked. 

Quackity looked away. 

“Like I said, it’s a lot.”

“We can help.” Phil offered, not for the first time. He had been so kind to Quackity ever since they had met. 

“I don’t know if you can.” Quackity answered honestly. “Last month, I knew exactly who I was, some guy working at a grocery store making eleven bucks an hour. And now? I don’t know. And I can’t figure out why me. Out of everyone, why me?”

Phil thought for a second. “I don’t know, but like it or not, this is what you are now. It’s a lot easier if you accept that. You can’t pretend nothing ever happened, no matter how much you want to…”

“Yeah? Watch me.” Quackity chuckled dryly. 

“I’m serious, Quackity.” Phil looked at him. 

“I am too. I-I’m not meant for this. I’m nobody, I mean, maybe one day I’ll be assistant manager of the BigBuy, and I don’t even know if I really want that.”

“Do you think it will work? Ignoring this?” Phil asked. 

“No.” Quackity admitted. He couldn’t help thinking about how wrong he looked in the mirror. “There’s nowhere I can run, is there?”

“Not from yourself.”

“So what do I do?”

“Well,” Phil said. “I can’t tell you what to do, that’s for you to decide. Life rarely gives you a choice on who you are, but you get to choose how you react.”

Quackity stared up at the stars. What did he want? 

He didn’t want to ignore the fairies completely. He had missed Tubbo and Tommy over the past month. 

When he first immigrated to Essempi, it had been a big change to a whole new way of living. In some ways, this felt the same and he wasn’t sure if he wanted that. But, he couldn’t ignore it either. Especially if Phil was right and this was a part of his heritage. 

“Techno and I talked it over.” Phil continued. “We have an idea, if you want it. The threat of the Federation isn’t going to blow over anytime soon. They’re like roaches, if you see one there’s probably twenty more hiding nearby. But if they don’t recognize you, then you can warn us in advance, like you just did. And, maybe once a week or so, you can come by, give us a report and we can show you a bit more of what life is like as fairies.”

Quackity thought it over. It didn’t necessarily sound bad per se. 

“What would I tell my friends?” He asked, thinking about the concerned looks Missa had given him. 

“Tell them nothing.” Phil replied. “The Federation is dangerous, not just to fairies.”

“Alright,” Quackity breathed in. “I’ll do it.”

————- 

The next morning Quackity stood in front of his locker in BigBuy. He stared at a little bag filled with fairy dust that Phil had given him the night before. It sat innocently in his much larger hand. Of course, the bag looked much bigger last night. But now it was the size of a small jewelry bag. He could scarcely believe the difference. 

“¿Quacks?” Roier called from behind him. 

Quackity quickly put the bag in his locker and shut the door. He was afraid to keep it on his person. Just one touch of the dust inside the bag would make him smaller than a candy bar. 

“¿Qué onda?” He asked as he turned towards Missa and Roier who were also starting their shifts. (What’s up?)

“Aquí nada más, ¿listos?” Missa replied. (Not much here. You ready?)

“Un momento.” Quackity said. (Just a moment.)

From his bag, he pulled out a filled out application for Assistant Manager. He had printed it out last night after the dust wore off. 

Quackity figured if he was brave enough to stand up to the Federation, he could try to be assistant manager. 

Roier and Missa cheered him on as he walked towards Schlatt’s office, maybe a little louder than necessary. Juan leaned against the wall outside Schlatt’s office. He gave Quackity a nasty glare as he walked in. 

The office was small and smelled of coffee, cigarettes, and alcohol. Schlatt sat behind a desk with a nameplate that read ‘General Manager’.

“Put it in the pile.” Schlatt said, not looking up from the poker game on his computer. 

Quackity did as he was told, placing the application in a pile of similar applications. Then, he turned walk out of the office. 

“I didn’t think you’d apply,” Schlatt said as Quackity reached for the doorknob. 

He turned back to Schlatt. 

“Well, I’ve just been doing a lot of thinking and I believe I’m ready for this and-“

“Did I ask for an explanation? Save it for the interview.” Schlatt frowned. “Now get back to the sales floor. I need you to train the new guy.”

Quackity nodded and left. As he walked onto the sales floor, he scanned for anyone unfamiliar in a BigBuy uniform who might be the new guy Schlatt was referring to. 

Finally, Quackity saw him. 

A man stood a few aisles in front of him with the slightly embarrassed look that came from wearing a minimum wage uniform for the first time. 

Quackity stopped. 

The new employee had skin so pale it looked like a ghost’s and hair whiter than snow. Black claws drummed nervously against khaki pants. His name tag read, ‘Cellbit, Member in Training’. 

Quackity took a sharp breath. 

･ ｡ﾟ☆: . . ･ ｡ﾟ☆ : ☽ .* ･ ｡ﾟ☆: . .

“Now this is a prized blade.” Tommy preened as he held up his pen knife to show Henry, his cow plush, leaned up on his bed. “Just a bit more work and she’ll be perfect.”

Tommy ran the pen knife along the sharpening stone, the blade becoming increasingly more sharp with every meticulous stroke of metal to stone. The Borrower had practice when it came to sharpening blades. One of the tasks he could perform at the colony for food was offering to sharpen the other Borrowers' razor blades when they became dull. It was a slow task, but Tommy made sure every single blade he restored was perfectly sharpened, and sliced through the air like butter. 

Razor blades were few in the colony, most Borrowers preferring pins as their weapon of choice, but the odd razor blade knife certainly had its uses. But those paled in comparison to Tommy’s new knife. 

He has absolutely no idea how it happened, but after his afternoon sparing with Technoblade, he’d gone home so tired and content that it wasn’t until the following morning that he noticed the pen knife sitting innocently at the foot of his bed, the same size if not slightly smaller than his pin sword. He’d had to pinch himself a couple of times to make sure it was real, but somehow the blade had shrunk with him! 

He guessed there was probably some logic to it, considering whenever he changed size his clothes changed with him, but other objects? Well, if he wasn’t confused enough by the shifting ability already, this took the icing on the cake. Instead of trying to make sense of it, Tommy chose to enjoy the fact it fit in his house than hurt his brain trying to make sense of it. 

Now he had the ultimate weapon against all pests!

That is if he ever finished sharpening it…

“If only the others could see me now Henry, they wouldn’t dare try messing with me and my blade!” 

Tommy chattered on as he continued to sharpen the blade against the stone. He’d just about finished the first side but would have to start on the other side another time, as soon he’d be joining Wilbur for an afternoon hang out. 

It had been a few days since he last visited and since Wilbur hadn’t seen him since the incident with Technoblade, the older teen had been getting insistent on catching up. He’d been monologuing to himself in his room, believing something must have happened at home and the ‘parent abuse’ had picked up again since Tommy hadn’t been messaging much. It had been so long that it had been mentioned, Tommy had almost forgotten his whole cover story and the Crafts’ theories on him.

Now that he was actually eating and having the occasional shower, he looked like any normal teenager, so it was easy to forget there had been any speculation at all. But then again, the Crafts hadn’t had a reason to worry as much about his well being when he’d been visiting so often, so the questions had subsided. With his choice to give Technoblade space, of course Wilbur and Phil would start to question his absence again. 

Just the other night Tommy had heard Phil reassuring Wilbur that he’d received a text from him, that he was fine and there was nothing to worry about, but Wilbur wasn’t convinced that was the whole story and argued that, ‘you could lie about anything through a text,’ and had started begging Phil they go look for him again. 

He’d sent Wilbur a text the next morning asking when he was free next and booked the following day’s afternoon. 

It was sweet how much Wilbur cared about his safety, but if he had to take one more night of Wilbur moping to himself about how much he missed him in the middle of night when he was trying to sleep, Tommy was ready to stab his ankle just to shut him up. 

The negatives of living in Wilbur’s walls, he supposed.

Satisfied with the blade's sharpness for now, Tommy set it down on his workbench, threw on his hoodie and packed himself up to leave. Something told him if he waited any longer, Wilbur was going to start whining again… 

･ ｡ﾟ☆: *. .*  ･ ｡ﾟ☆ : ☽ .* ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *. .*

“Uggggggh! Why does waiting take so loooooong!?” Wilbur moaned, half flopped over the side of the couch in the living room. “What’s taking him so long?” 

Wilbur blew a loose curl back from his face and glanced at the clock on the wall for the hundredth time that day. It was quarter to four,but he’d been waiting for Tommy since he woke up, and the teen’s patience was running thin. Sure, Tommy said he’d visit in the afternoon, and he’d had to go to school, but the afternoon hit as soon as the clock hit twelve! That meant Tommy was, in fact four, hours late and school had held him back from getting home sooner.

His thoughts had been plaguing him since Technoblade and his massive spat, and he couldn’t get the image of when he first met Tommy out of his head. The frail, beat up kid, malnourished and deprived of attention, the result of lack of care and negligence plagued Wilbur’s mind, terrified that Tommy would revert to his previous state having not visited in so long. 

He knew they were basically his care takers now, even if Phil hadn’t made it official yet and was itching to adopt the kid, but Technoblade’s recent actions had made Phil slow his efforts of adoption, claiming this had to be a mutual family agreement to bring Tommy in permanently, before even approaching the kid with the question- no matter how much he protested this when they talked privately in Phil’s study on the subject.

He understood the sentiment, he did deep down, but Wilbur didn’t care if his brother hated the kid, the brunet refused to let Tommy go back to living how he used to. If he had to adopt the kid himself, he would. He was going to have a little brother, his own twin be damned. 

A knock at the door signalled the blond's arrival and Wilbur bolted to the door, throwing it open with urgency. He didn’t even have a chance to say hello before Tommy barreled through the open door and into his arms.

“WILBAH!” He shouted excitedly as he hugged the older tightly. 

Wilbur slightly caught off guard, took a second to check the boy over, noting that no he wasn’t a frail stick and was still in the nice clothes they had gotten him. With his fears finally quelled, Wilbur returned the younger's embrace, revelling in the fact this was the first time he had openly jumped him for a hug with no hesitation. 

“What up big dub? Heard you missed me?” Tommy asked cheerily.

“Hey Tommy!” Wilbur laughed as he ran a hand through Tommy’s blond curls, messing the kid’s hair up. “How’s my favourite gremlin?”

“Better than you apparently!” Tommy laughed, releasing his grip to step back, but not before Wilbur pulled him back into a tighter hug. “Oi let go you clingy bastard.” 

“Nope. You put yourself here and I demand a longer hug.” 

“Unless you want me to let go.” He tacked on the end, just in case Tommy was uncomfortable.

“No, no, it’s okay.” Tommy replied giggling as he leaned into the hug. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too.”

After a solid minute, the two finally let go and Wilbur led them into the living room, taking a seat on the green couch facing the TV, whilst Tommy sat at the opposite end. Phil unfortunately had to work late this evening, but that just meant more Tommy time for him. Technoblade was in his room studying up for a test and would be leaving them alone, which Wilbur was quietly thrilled about. He was still quite annoyed at his twin as it stood.

“So Tommy, I have a few options for us this afternoon. I was thinking we could play a board game or I could play you some songs on my guitar, and then a bit later we could put a movie on and order some pizza. Dad said we could because he won’t be home until late, so we can get your favourite to share!” Wilbur excitedly blabbered as Tommy got situated.

He hadn’t heard Wilbur play much as of late- not with how anxious the brunet had been, fretting over his absence and it would be nice to hear some of his music again.

“I’d love to listen to you play some guitar if that’s okay.” Tommy asked. 

“Sure! I’ve been working on this new song actually.” Wilbur beamed, as he leaned over the side of the couch where he’d left his guitar propped up against it. “Had a lot of stuff to channel into lyrics lately.” 

“As long as it’s not about missing me again. Seriously man, you stay up way too late whining over me and my home life.” 

Wilbur blinked, his head tilting like he’d misheard, the guitar in his hands stilled. 

“How do you know about that?” 

Sure, he knew he’d been missing Tommy, but he’d been careful to keep to himself when he was spiralling over it. No need to get Technoblade riled up more about his own twin crashing out over Tommy’s whereabouts again. He wanted them to get along after all. 

“Oh uh.. Phil told me in- in his text.” Tommy covered quickly, wringing his hands together. “Thin walls in this house you know. Phil hears all.” 

Wilbur arched a brow, carefully watching the blond, but seemed to buy into the lie. 

“Besides,” Tommy continued. “-it’s a fair assumption. Everyone misses me. You, Phil, Women. I’m quite popular, you know.”

“Fair enough.” Wilbur chuckled, the suspicion seemingly dissipating as he repositioned his guitar in his lap to play, as Tommy mentally sighed. “I’ll keep that in mind next time you take too long to visit.”

“How’s life going by the way? We haven’t talked about it in a while?”

“It’s alright.” Tommy responded nonchalantly as he tried to get comfortable on the couch again. 

“It’s been quiet recently, but I figured you guys needed the space after that whole- thing with Technoblade. I did actually come by a few days ago, but you weren’t home so I hung out with him before heading home to catch up on some house work.”

Wilbur's brain short circuited. 

“Wait, you hung out with Technoblade? ALONE?!” 

Tommy mentioned his hangout with Technoblade like it was nothing.

“Oh, Technoblade and I just read some sword magazines and sparred in the garden, it’s no big deal.” But Wilbur couldn’t hide the concern in his face, remembering how harsh Techno had been to Tommy the last time they were together.

Wilbur took a breath to steady himself. 

“So, you just dropped by and Technoblade let you in with no questions asked?”

Tommy leaned into the couch, as he hummed thinking to himself. “Well, we were both surprised to see each other, but he was making lunch and offered to make me some while I waited for you and Phil to get back, but you guys took too long and we ended up chilling together.” 

“And you were fine with that?” Wilbur asked carefully, leaning forward. “It’s just after the last time you were alone together, it didn’t end very well.”

His fingers fidgetted with the hem of his sweater, and Wilbur wouldn’t quite meet his eyes- like he was bracing for Tommy to brush him off.

Tommy just laughed, waving a hand like he was swatting away Wilbur’s worry.

“Wil, I’m fine. Seriously. It was a bit awkward at first but I think Technoblade was trying to make me feel comfortable and after a while we just chilled out, which for Technoblade is pretty good considering his track record with awkwardness and new people.”

Wilbur sighed in relief. Tommy wasn’t wrong. His brother had always been pretty bad with new people, but he’s just surprised by how quickly he’d seemed to turn the tides with his attitude towards Tommy- especially without him or Phil there to witness. After their stern talk in the office, Wilbur assumed it would be weeks before Techno would even try to make an effort with the boy, but that’s usually when they were around.

Maybe by giving the two space alone was what they needed to bond in the first place? No one telling Technoblade what to think of Tommy from their perspective. Just Tommy being himself and Technoblade giving him the chance to meet the blond like they’d asked.

Guess he had listened then. 

“Well, I’m glad you had a good time together then.” Wilbur smiled softly. “I was worried something may have happened.”

Tommy shrugged. “All good big dubs! It was fun! He gave me a sword and everything!”

“Really?” Wilbur asked, arching a brow suspiciously. “Tech gave you an actual sword from his collection?”

Tommy shrunk a little tapping his finger tips together. “Okay it was a pen knife, but close enough! I took it home and started sharpening it up.”

“Wait Tommy, no. You can’t just go around sharpening blades! There are laws about this kind of stuff!”

“I’m above the law!” Tommy cackled mischievously. “Besides, it’s mine now and you’ll never find it!” 

“Then I’ll just have to follow you home one day and break into your house to get it back.” Wilbur grinned somewhat triumphantly waiting for Tommy to bite back, but it seemed to earn him the opposite reaction. 

“You- you wouldn’t actually do that would you?” Tommy asked tentatively, his voice small and quiet as if scared of the answer. 

Wilbur realised his mistake, and his mind was flooded with all his worries from the last few days about Tommy’s home life all over again. He moved the guitar off his lap, and shuffled closer to the boy's end of the couch.

Tommy let out a shaky sigh. He wasn’t nearly as freaked out as he had been when the subject came up in the past, but the fear was still there. What was it about his home that made him so scared of others finding it?

“Of course not, Tommy.” Wilbur assured him softly, resting a hand on the boy's shoulder. “I’d only ever come to your house if you let me.” 

He could stop now. He could swallow the pieces of the story Tommy had given him and leave at that, preserving the fragile trust they had built, but uncertainty was a slow poison. Just one time, Wilbur wanted to see where Tommy went when they weren’t together. Put his thoughts to rest knowing the blond was safe and not sleeping on a cold wooden floor, or hiding from those out to get him. 

“Do you think one day we could hang out at your place?” Wilbur asked hopefully. “I know you said you live nearby but it would be nice to—”

“-- No.” Tommy cut Wilbur off abruptly, and the brunet’s shoulders sagged, dejected. 

Tommy bit the inside of his cheek, feeling bad for having unintentionally hurt the teen’s feelings as he tried to think of an excuse, but even he knew Wilbur probably wouldn’t buy it as he coughed to clear his throat of the lump that had suddenly formed. 

“Uh- I mean, no I don’t think that would be a good idea to be honest.” Tommy said as he fidgetted with his hands. “It’s um, well, my place- it’s quite cramped and I don’t think you’d like to see it if you knew where it was…” 

“I’m sure it’s not that bad.” Wilbur tried pressing. “It’s not like we have to stay, I just want to be able to look out for you better, so we know where to find you if something ever happened.”

Tommy didn’t respond, the kid seeming to have a mental conflict with himself as Wilbur quietly hoped he’d open up. 

‘Please Tommy. Let me help you.’

“I-I can’t Wilbur. I’m sorry it’s just- I live nearby, that’s all I can say, but every time I let someone close, I lose it all.” Tommy lifted his knees to his chest wrapping his arms around them. “I can’t lose it again.”

Wilbur quietly watched as Tommy dipped his head down, hiding his face in his knees. He’d over stepped again, but this answer at least explained a bit more to the hidden meaning as to why Tommy wouldn’t let them see his home. 

“Tommy, I promise if you brought me to your home, I would never do anything to take it from you, or touch a single item without your permission. I will never push to see it without your permission and I’ll drop even asking if you can answer this one question honestly.”

Tommy lifted his head, his blue eyes slightly glossed over as he stared at Wilbur intensely, the older trying to be as gentle and open as possible.

“Are you truly safe at home?” 

The ‘I need to know you’re not secretly being abused’ part went left unsaid, but Wilbur was sure Tommy knew the true intent of his question. 

‘As long as you’re safe at home Tommy, I can live without ever seeing your home.’

The silence dragged on, but Wilbur waited patiently for an answer, the blond seemingly replaying the question over and over in his head before he dragged his arm across his face, to wipe the tears away as the younger met the brunet's gaze. 

“Yes.” Tommy spoke quietly. 

Wilbur physically sighed, all tension and worry draining from his shoulders from that simple answer. He was okay, Tommy was safe at home and he didn’t have to worry. That didn’t explain everything obviously. Maybe he’d never know why Tommy showed up bruised and in tattered clothing, or his strange habits, but at least at present he could be assured that he was okay. 

“Thanks Tommy.” Wilbur breathed relieved, as he leaned back on the couch, letting the tension finally drain from his shoulders. “That’s great to hear, not gonna lie.” 

“Can you play some music now?” Tommy asked tentatively, unsure if this really was the last time Wilbur was going to try and investigate his life for the day.

“Yeah, yeah. Sure.” Wilbur offered quickly as he sat back up and grabbed his guitar to tune it. 

“Haven’t got a name for this song yet, but maybe once you hear it you can help with the title?” 

A small, dry smile grazed Tommy’s lips as he made eye contact, his chest still heaving with the remnants of tension. 

“Sure. Sounds good to me.”

･ ｡ﾟ☆: *. .*  ･ ｡ﾟ☆ : ☽ .* ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *. .*

Wilbur played the guitar for Tommy for the next hour or so, Tommy intently listening and offering his thoughts, and after a while, praise as Wilbur played, the two settling back into a happy environment, their tense conversation mostly forgotten. 

Tommy forgot how much he enjoyed the teen’s playing. It felt like it had been far too long since the Bean had openly played guitar, and hearing all his songs was refreshing for the boy as they mucked around and even created a new song together. It made zero sense, mostly being rhymes from one weird object to the next, but that’s what made it so fun to do. 

Wilbur was pleased to see Tommy looking so relaxed again. He felt bad about making him feel so uncomfortable before, but he was glad Tommy could relax and hang out calmly without something else getting him riled up again- excluding what literally just happened. He wished Tommy could just stay this way.

“Okay what’s a good rhyme for eating pancakes in the rain? I’m not sure I can think of a rhyme that flows super well into that one.” Wilbur laughed, as he continued to strum the three same notes continuously. 

“Uh how about, walking upside down again.” Tommy responded thoughtfully, with a smile when it somehow rhymed.

“Nice! Walking upside down again, uhhhh something something train?” 

“Running after a freight train.” A monotone voice chimed in from behind them, startling the two slightly as the music stopped and their attention snapped to the hallway.

“Technoblade,” Wilbur called to his twin happily. “Sorry, are we being too loud? I know you’re studying, we can try and be quieter.”

Technoblade waved him off, unphased by the ruckus. “Nah you’re all good. I was finishing up anyway before I realised you were playing Rhyme and Rhythm and thought I’d come join.” 

“You know, I came up with this game Tommy.” Technoblade expressed to the blond on the couch, as he walked into the living room and took a seat in the green recliner opposite him. “Good challenge for lyric writing.”

“Yeah but he’s not as good at it as I am.” Wilbur explained as he started to strum his guitar again. “You know he tries to rhyme potato with potato every time we play this? So unoriginal.”

“Hey we can’t all be poets, Wilbur.” Technoblade rolled his eyes before he turned to Tommy. “Besides, Tommy trumps us both. Rhyming bitch to bitch to is a legendary lyric. You’re quite good at this, you know.”

“You think so Blade?” Tommy asked genuinely, perking up that his genius was being acknowledged. “Wilbur says I need to read a ‘Dic-show-naree’ because apparently I suck, but you know I think he’s just jealous he didn’t think of it first.”

“You know I think you’re right Tommy.” Technoblade mocked, as he shot his twin a knowing look. “Wilbur, do better.”

Wilbur squawked in defense, the music stopping abruptly whilst Tommy giggled and a smirk crawled its way up Technoblade's face as he continued to egg his brother on.

“What’s the matter, Wilbur? Cat got your tongue?” Technoblade teased as Wilbur set his guitar off to his side of the couch. 

“Yeah Wil, do better!” Tommy teased cheekily.

“Oh come here you Gremlin.” Wilbur lunged forward, tackling Tommy into the couch cushion as he started to tickle him. 

“We do all this hanging out, writing weird songs and you don’t back me up against my own twin? I thought I was your favourite.”

“No! Stop!” Tommy shrieked in a fitful of giggles as he tried to fight back but not really. “ Wilbur, AH! Stop! HAHA!”

“Admit Techno’s a cheater and I’ll stop.” Wilbur coaxed deviously. 

“Ne-Never! Techno! Hahah! HELP ME!!!!” 

“Oh no! I can’t reach you!” Technoblade feigned trying to reach the blur of arms on the couch. “You’ll have to suffer from tickling!!”

“Oh you think you’re safe?” Wilbur shouted before switching targets, sending his brother into a laughing whirlwind as he tickled his brother on the recliner.

“Wilbur, stop!!! Tommy! Help me!”

“Nope!” Tommy scoffed cheekily, as he tried to catch his breath now he was free of tickle tyranny. “You left me to suffer, now it’s your turn!”

Soon the three were all on the floor tickling each other like three octopi in a boxing match, laughing up a storm as the living room got trashed for the second time in two weeks. 

They’d have to clean it all up before Phil got back, but for the first time the three kids of the family were finally getting along. 

･ ｡ﾟ☆: *. .*  ･ ｡ﾟ☆ : ☽ .* ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *. .*

3/3 FOR NEOPOLITAN TRIO FINALLY!!! My gosh this took so long to get to a nice fluffy moment between these 3, but like I think it was worth it. But you know what this means? 4/4 SBI coming soon!! But is that a good thing? Or is it finally time for angst? STAY TUNED TO FIND OUT!!!

Thank you to @dingbatnix for beta reading. Bat is a crazy legend who has been working so hard irl atm and still finding time to beta read for me!! Plus plus plus, Bat has even made art for an upcoming chapter which I am so HYPED to include in the story when it comes up, and they have been on the art grind recently too so everyone should check out their recent posts <3

Life update: I STARTED COLLEGE! Well I'm only 1 day in but like so far so good lol. The past few weeks I've had off to basically take a break and my gosh I needed it! Went and caught up with friends, sorted out my house which has been driving me nuts for months with jobs I needed to do and just had a big reset which has been terrific for my mental health. So excited to see what comes in the future next!

Till then, thanks for reading and I'll catch you all next chapter <3✨✨

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