`

“Looks like we’ll have to find somewhere to wait out the storm. Can’t see shit through all the snow,” Wilbur huffed a breath.

Techno removed his cloak and situated it on Tubbo’s shoulders, being mindful of his wings, “Might be a good idea.”

Tubbo wilted his antennae and shivered in his thin sweater and denim overalls, “I’m sorry…”

“Nothing we can do about it now so quit worrying about it,” Techno pulled him into a side hug, both to give him some warmth and to guide him as they trudged on through the snow.

Wilbur led as they wound their way through tall trees. It felt like ages before they stopped again. Wilbur turned a few times before facing the others.

“Let’s turn back. I think we wandered into a field because I haven’t seen a tree for a while,” Wilbur glanced around.

Techno nodded and as they began to turn back, the storm calmed for a moment. Just long enough to make out a shape a few meters away.

“Wait, look-” Tubbo shakily pointed to the shape just as it faded back into the white, “I think I saw a wall.

Wilbur squinted in the direction of the wall and began walking, Tubbo and Techno just behind him. Once they were closer, it was very easy to make out. It was a very tall wall, enough to where it began blocking the wind and snow. Wilbur ran a hand across it, peering up.

“Wait,” Techno sniffed the air and pressed an ear against the wooden surface. He grimaced, “Giants. We can’t stay here.”

Wilbur drew in a breath, immediately on guard. Nothing good came from dealing with giants. They tended to be immortal beings, toying with mortals in crude and cruel ways. Wilbur opened his mouth to agree.

But then the wind blew harder, nearly knocking Tubbo off his feet. He whimpered from the cold and tucked himself further into the cloak. Wilbur felt his heart tear in two. The wood was cold to the touch but being out of the open would most definitely help them.

Wilbur stepped over to Tubbo and scooped the child into his arms. Techno made a questioning noise as Wilbur grabbed his sleeve and turned intangible. The ability spread to his brothers through his touch and the three passed through the wall of the house with ease.

The difference was almost instantaneous. Tubbo sighed in relief and shut his eyes. Wilbur set him down against the inner side of the wall once they were solid and tugged the cloak tightly around him.

“Wilbur!” Techno whispered harshly, “I said we can’t stay here! You know as well as I do how dangerous it is!”

“It’s just for a little while,” Wilbur whispered back, “Just until the storm passes. He can’t be out there for much longer.”

Techno glanced down at Tubbo, near purple fingers gripping his cloak. He sighed.

“Fine. But only until the blizzard stops.”

“Of course,” Wilbur agreed, “It shouldn’t be much longer.”

~~~~~

Two days they spent in the wall without the storm so much as slowing down. They survived off the small amount of food they brought for their hunting trip and a couple of things they caught before finding Tubbo. It was all gone now. Wilbur managed a bit of recon using his intangibility. It used a lot of his energy.

He was able to figure out that there were only two giants, a smaller blond one whose features seemed to change and a larger blond one with just wings. They figured they were parent and child since the smaller one called the bigger one “dad”.

Their wall also seemed to be against the kitchen. Unfortunately not next to any cabinets they could grab some food from.

Wilbur paced back and forth in thought, irritation growing with every pivot of his feet. Techno sat nearby, bouncing his leg. No one had spoken since they woke up to the reality of their situation. Another turn for Wilbur made Techno bounce faster.

The tension seemed to burst as Techno shot to his feet, “We shouldn’t have come in here.”

Wilbur halted and faced Techno, “What else were we supposed to do?!”

“Find some other shelter! Somewhere in the forest where we could forage for things! Instead of being trapped in here just buying our time!”

“There weren’t even any more trees around, you saw! Tubbo probably would have frozen if we spent much longer out there! Is that what you’d prefer?”

Techno stepped closer to Wilbur, glaring, “You know that’s not what I-”

Tubbo shuddered, slowly lifting to his feet. They wouldn’t even be here if he hadn’t tried to follow them. Through his brothers’ focus on each other, he padded away quietly. To get away from their fight and hopefully his guilt.

He located a small crack he was just able to squeeze through, opening up to the vast kitchen floor. Tubbo looked up and up and up in awe of the sheer size of it all. He let the cloak fall from his back and flew slowly up to the counter.

He landed with a soft tap and hastily pulled the cloak back on. It was just as cold up there as on the floor.

But now that he was up higher he could see much more. The cabinets, the table and chairs, the stove- everything they had at home but what seemed like miles long.

Tubbo walked along the stone countertop, taking it all in. A noise behind him made him freeze in his tracks. He slowly turned to face the doorway of the kitchen.

Just as the younger giant entered through it.

Tubbo gasped and looked around frantically. There was nothing nearby to hide behind. He crouched below the cloak, hands on his head and eyes screwed shut.

For a moment he didn’t hear anything. Had the child left? Not noticed the bright red bunch of fabric on the countertop?

Tubbo had begun to think so when he felt something touch his back. He froze. It was firm, yet somehow soft, and absolutely massive. It nudged him a few times before he decided to peek out. Massive blue eyes stared back at him with curiosity.

“Hello?” The child asked, confusion in his tone.

Tubbo swallowed dryly, “He… Hello…” He spoke so quietly he wondered if the giant could hear him.

A grin broke out onto his face, “Hello there! I’m Tommy!” He stated proudly.

Tubbo blinked, “I’m Tubbo…” He spoke louder, letting the hood fall from his head.

“Nice to meet you! Why are you in our kitchen?” Tommy tilted his head.

“We were trying to get out of the cold.”

Tommy glanced at a kitchen window then looked back to Tubbo, “Who’s we?”

Oh. Tubbo probably shouldn’t have said that. It might be bad if he was caught and they were found and hurt. He couldn’t exactly take it back now, though.

“Um, me and my brothers. We got lost in the storm.”

Tommy looked down for a moment in thought, “Yeah that makes sense. Mortals as small as you would be really cold out there.”

“Are you immortal?” Tubbo remembered the stories of giants and immortality that Techno would tell him.

“Yeah!” Tommy nodded, “My mum’s a goddess and Dad’s her angel.”

“That sounds cool!” Tubbo smiled and sat up a bit straighter.

“Mhm! Also means I can do this!” Tommy tilted his head forward and after a moment two fuzzy little ears popped up from his hair.

Tubbo gasped and stood, walking closer to Tommy to run his hand through the soft fur, “Woah…”

Tommy let out a quiet chitter and raised his head. They stared at each other for a moment.

“My brothers said you were dangerous,” Tubbo gripped the cloak, “But you won’t hurt me, right?”

Tommy shook his head, “Hurting people is stupid and wrong. Unless they hurt your family,” He said thoughtfully, “That’s when Dad does it.”

Tubbo relaxed. That made sense. He wouldn’t hurt a random stranger either. Tommy brought his hand up.

“You’re really little.” He said.

“You’re really big.” Tubbo placed his hand against Tommy’s finger to see the difference. Tubbo shivered.

“Are you still cold?”

He nodded and Tommy carefully cupped his hands around him. Tubbo dropped the cloak and melted into the warmth of his palms. The dull pain in his bones that he had felt for days began to dissipate. He buzzed his wings blissfully and yawned.

“Tired?” Tommy asked and he got another nod in response.

“I’m part bee… Bees hibernate when it’s cold…” Tubbo mumbled into Tommy’s skin, “Been sleepy for a while…”

“Do you need to be warm to sleep?”

“Yeah…”

Tommy looked around, “I might drop you if I keep holding you but I don’t think anywhere is really warm,” He frowned to himself and scooped Tubbo off the counter.

“Oh! I could do what Dad does!” Tommy brought him up to his face, “He says it’s safe because I don’t have to eat stuff!”

Tubbo only muttered an ‘mhm’ in response and gave a thumbs up. Tommy grinned and gently slid Tubbo into his mouth.

Tubbo wasn’t entirely sure what was happening. He hadn’t heard what Tommy said through his drowsiness. It was suddenly wet but the moment he felt even warmer, all concern left his mind. He began to drift off, giving another small buzz of his wings.

Tommy gently ran his tongue across his new friend, just as his father had shown him. Tubbo’s taste was very unique and wonderful, which Tommy figured was because he was a mortal, so he took a moment to savor it. He noted an earthy flavor.

Soon Tubbo no longer felt as cold as ice in his mouth and he decided he’d indulged enough. It was time to help his little friend. As carefully as he could, he let Tubbo slide back into his throat and swallowed. It only took a few before he slipped down Tommy’s esophagus and into his chest.

Tommy sighed happily, rubbing at his belly as Tubbo entered it. He picked up the fabric Tubbo had dropped, figuring he’d want it when Tommy let him out.

Tubbo barely registered the new environment around him, only thoughts of fatigue in his mind. He curled up against the front wall, leaning into the motions from outside. Tubbo trusted Tommy and contentedly dozed off in his stomach

~~~~~

Wilbur couldn’t believe his eyes. He’d phased his head through the kitchen wall level with the counter. Just as he did Tommy had picked up the cloak while rubbing his stomach. Wilbur squinted, surely that didn’t mean- Wilbur’s blood ran cold before it shot up to a boil. He and Techno had ended their quarrel once they noticed Tubbo was missing.

Wilbur grabbed Techno’s arm and dragged him along through the wall. He quietly stuttered before he registered what lay in front of them.

Wilbur turned them both solid once he was a good few from the edge. Techno stood in place next to him, calm rage rippling off of him. Wilbur huffed and spoke loudly.

“What the fuck did you do to Tubbo?”

Tommy startled, whipping around to face the counter. Two figures stood there. Both mortals.

Both looked extremely pissed.

“I… What?” Tommy muttered with confusion and wariness.

“I said, what the fuck did you do to Tubbo?!” Wilbur yelled louder.

Tommy tensed, feeling very guilty all of a sudden. He took a small step back, “I swallowed him…” His gaze turned to the floor.

Both mortals flared at this, the answer they’d dreaded, and Wilbur began laying in, “What the fuck? You fucking ate him?! You ate a person? I don’t care if you seem like a fucking kid, if you don’t get him out right now I’m gonna tear you open my-”

“DAAAD!”

Wilbur stiffened and he’s sure he felt Techno as well. Young creatures always call for their parents when scared or in danger. And that meant the larger giant. The one with wings.

A heavy thud sound came from somewhere in the house right before rapid footsteps. Wilbur wondered how something so big was so quick as the bird giant rounded the corner to the kitchen.

“Oh goddess, Tommy! Are you alright? What’s-” Before Phil could kneel and check over his son, Tommy darted behind him. Tommy pressed himself into Phil’s feathers and stared at the counter with wide eyes. Phil was surprised at what he saw when he looked as well.

“Oh! Uh, hello there. Who might you be?” Phil smiled in a welcoming manner though a hint of his confusion bled through.

Techno stepped forward, past Wilbur who was still frozen from his fear, and spoke loudly, “TechnoBlade and Wilbur Soot. We’re the friends of the person your kid just ate.”

Phil snapped his attention to Tommy, who hid his face in a wing, “Tommy! Did you eat a mortal?!”

Tommy flinched under the attention, “I got permission!”

“Did you really?”

“...” Tommy’s voice came quietly from the feathers, “No… But he didn’t fight it…”

Phil sighed and looked at the pair apologetically.

“I’m sorry about this but I can assure you your friend is safe,” When both mortals looked confused Phil continued, “Tommy is a demigod. Among other things, one of his inherited traits is that he doesn’t need to eat. He can’t digest anything.”

Techno and Wilbur squinted before they visibly relaxed. There was no reason for them to lie about that given the situation. The concern for Tubbo was still there in their eyes and Phil placed his hand on Tommy’s head.

“How about you give them back their friend, mate? So that they can be on their way?”

Tommy tore himself from his father’s side with his arms wrapped around his gut and face scrunched up in persistence.

“No!”

“Tommy…”

“He’s still sleeping!”

Phil let out a sigh, “Alright, mate,” He gave an apologetic gaze to the mortals on their counter, “Maybe we can wait until your friend wakes up on his own? In the meantime, I could get you two something warm to eat and we could have a chat.”

Wilbur and Techno shared a look, Techno’s eyes darting to Tommy’s torso a few times. He shrugged. Wilbur nodded as though he were considering it before turning back to Phil and fixing him with a sturdy stare.

“I suppose if he’s actually… Safe, there’s no real harm if he stays for a bit,” Wilbur agreed.

Tommy’s eyes lit up as he let out a quiet victory cry and Phil gave a single nod.

A few minutes later, Phil pulled a chair up to the counter and sat down with his cup. Tommy had, carefully, darted off to his room to nap with Tubbo. That left the boys and Phil to chat on their own.

They began by telling Phil of how they arrived at his cabin, stuck in the storm with no sense of direction. Phil listened intently while preparing the tea. They were lucky he’d procured some mortal-sized dishware in his time. Though getting the tea in the mugs had been a little messy.

With the events recounted the three sipped in silence for a few moments. Techno and Wilbur were glad for some external warmth. Wilbur was even tempted to curl up next to the kettle that sat nearby.

Techno was the first to pierce the quiet air, “Tommy seems like a good kid.”

Phil hummed, “He is. A bit of an ornery little shit, but he has the best interest of others in mind.”

“How old is he?” Wilbur took a long swig from his cup.

“10. Turns 11 in spring.”

“Ah,” Techno nodded, “Tubbo just turned 11.”

Ah. It clicked with Phil why they seemed so protective of their friend.

A couple of beats passed.

“So, you fucked a god?” Wilbur asked.

Techno choked on his tea and Phil burst into laughter.

“Oh-oh god, mate. It’s a bit of a story,” Phil chuckled as he began the tale.

~~~~~

Tommy emerged from his room some hours later carrying a groggy Tubbo who clung to his fingers. He rubbed his eye and pulled his own chair over to the counter. Once he rested his hands on it, both Wilbur and Techno rushed over to hug Tubbo. They were relieved to see him in one piece albeit a bit damp. After their time with Phil, they no longer felt distrustful of the child but having Tubbo physically there put them at ease.

“You feeling better now?” Phil leaned in closer to the mortals, speaking softly.

Tubbo glanced up at Phil, then to his brothers, “Did you guys get caught too?”

Wilbur chuckled awkwardly and Techno rolled his eyes, “More like Wilbur was almost cursing out a child so Tommy called for Phil here to intervene.”

Tommy shrugged, “He seemed like a wrongen.”

Tubbo giggled as Wilbur whacked Tommy’s thumb. Techno went to help Tubbo off of Tommy’s hand but Tubbo just clung tighter.

“You can’t stay there forever. Tommy’ll need his hands at some point. And we also can’t impose more than we have.” Techno sighed.

Tubbo shook his head rapidly, “It’s so cold though! And I don’t wanna go back in the wall!”

“Wait,” Phil said, “You were staying in the wall? How long was that for?”

The three looked at each other awkwardly and Wilbur spoke, “A couple days. We didn’t want you two to know we were here in case you were dangerous.”

Techno handed Tubbo a bit of bread that Phil had given to them while they exchanged stories. He ate it graciously. Phil sighed and shook his head to himself.

“You’re more than welcome to stay here a few days.” Phil smiled softly, “Certainly wouldn’t be any trouble to us.”

“Are you sure?” Wilbur asked, unsure.

“Of course!” Phil gently ruffled Tubbo’s hair and Tommy nodded enthusiastically, Tubbo giggling again, “I could even help you find your way back home after the storm passes.”

~~~~~

Days turned into months and months turned into years, even though the storm only lasted about a week. They had just… Never felt the need to permanently leave. The five of them felt at home with each other. Though they did get on one another's nerves quite often.

As Phil lounged on the couch his wife sat upon his chest in her mortal form. Techno and Wilbur were sitting back to back on the coffee table, one reading and one strumming a calm tune on his guitar. It would have been a rather calm evening.

Had Tubbo not been flying around the room while Tommy ran after him, both laughing like maniacs. It seems at 15 they had just as much energy as when they were children. It made Kristen giggle.

“They’re quite the handful, aren’t they?” She looked up at Phil’s face and smiled fondly.

Phil chuckled, “You don’t know the half of it.”

“Yeah, just last week Tommy made a whole mess of the living after screwing around outside.” Wilbur said and Tommy stopped for only a moment to stick his tongue out at him. Not that Wilbur saw.

“You boys have been a great help though,” Phil reached over and cupped his hand around Techno and Wilbur in a sort of hug.

Techno leaned into it and glanced up, “You’re just lucky he listens to us.”

“Sometimes,” Wilbur snickered.

Tommy stuck his tongue out again, Tubbo poking it as he passed before darting off. Tommy scoffed and resumed pursuit. Wilbur set his guitar down beside him and Phil pulled his hand away.

“How much longer do you think you’ll stay?” Wilbur asked Kristen.

“Another day or two,” She laid back, “I’d love to stay longer but the afterlife doesn’t maintain itself.”

The other three nodded in understanding. For Wilbur and Techno, it was nice to have their pseudo-mother around even if was just for short visits. Phil also cherished the time he spent with his wife. Tubbo landed next to Kristen briefly to give her a quick hug and she giggled again as Tommy’s hand barely missed him when he took off again.

“Careful,” Phil cautioned Tommy, “Don’t get too reckless.”

Tommy paused, “I am. We do this all the time.”

“Maybe too much, gremlin,” Wilbur smirked as he plucked at one of his guitar strings.

Suddenly, Techno pulled away from him and Wilbur gave him a strange look. Instantly he was somewhere warm and wet. He squirmed, “Oh, you absolute child!”

Tommy grinned around Wilbur, pulling him the rest of the way in his mouth as he stood back up. Tubbo landed on Tommy’s shoulder, watching as he slicked up their brother and swallowed. Wilbur huffed in frustration on his way down, giving the stomach wall a solid smack before settling down.

“And you’re a bitch,” Tommy patted his stomach and scooped up Techno from the table. Techno simply got comfortable in his hold and continued his book.

Phil sat up more as Tommy joined him on the couch, the rest of the day spent with calm, content chatting.

-------------------------------