#:d!!!!!!!!!

It was supposed to be a normal mining trip. Granted, Sapnap had asked Tommy to tag along to try and keep the kid out of trouble and to have someone who could help out, and the teen was more than happy to. Despite that, it was normal at first! Yea, they noticed the skulk consuming some of the nearby deepslate, but with no shriekers or sensors they thought they were fine. At least, until Tommy spotted diamond ore and went to collect it. “Sapnap, look!” A hushed yell grabbed the fireborn’s attention, seeing the blonde crouched beside the ore. It was covered in skulk, but that was something that could be fixed easily.

“Nice! Go ahead and grab it.” He walked over, holding a torch out for the younger to see easier but keeping a lookout for any mobs to ambush. Most didn’t bother going near the deep dark, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Oh, how sorry he was about to be.

A panicked yell had Sapnap whipping his head back around only to spot the teenager’s legs slipping through the hole the ore left when he’d mined it. “Tommy!” He lunged forward, barely catching the other’s ankle before he was out of reach. “Sap-“ his voice was quiet, from fear the fireborn couldn’t tell. And it scared him. “Sapnap, it’s an ancient city.” He whispered, breathing shakily as his whole body trembled to burn the adrenaline off. Sapnap used his free hand to get off of his knees, trying to brace himself to pull the other up. Of course, the universe had other plans, and the hiss of a creeper almost made him drop the boy. But it didn’t matter, because the two were free falling quickly, the creeper blowing the hole larger than before. Tommy barely bit back a scream, the blackette pulling the teen above him so he’d take the brunt of the fall.

It hurt, the impact of him on the ground and then Tommy on him knocking the wind from him. It seemed to knock the wind out of the teenager too, but he recovered quickly. “Sap-“ he whispered. “Sh.” The blonde scrambled off of him, trying to help him sit up. He didn’t even ask, grabbing the first pink potion he could find out of his inventory, practically shoving it at the other. Normally he’d argue, but the teen was frazzled enough and he was too hurt to fight if the Warden revealed himself. After his bones had set back into place, the teen gave him a look that screamed ‘what now?’ And wasn’t Sapnap just thinking the same thing? He was worried about the boy, that was for sure. He could get away from a warden if he was alone, he had no doubt about that. But if he had to fight for both him and Tommy’s lives, the two were in significantly more danger. If only there was a way to keep him safe. And wouldn’t he know it, his instincts were screaming now that he’d healed up.

Because there is a way to keep him safe.

“Tommy.” He spoke lowly, creeping closer to the teen so he didn’t wind up being too loud. “I can get us out of here. But you have to work with me.” He nodded immediately, watching the fireborn pull a familiar teal potion from his inventory and setting it into his hands. Immediately, he was reminded of when he’d tried to prank Quackity, and Sapnap had made the offer of letting the other in his own storage stomach. Logically, he wouldn’t have joked about it, plus he was a netherborn. He never hid that from anyone. And he knew Sapnap would be able to get them out better if he didn’t have to worry about someone else. So he quietly uncorked the bottle and downed it, already used to the taste from having done it so often.

When he’d come back to his senses, he was already tucked in the fireborn’s mouth, teeth held tightly shut to ensure nothing happened to him. Though, he couldn’t tell if the other was waiting for him to come to or not. With a sigh, he patted at the other’s tongue. “Go ahead, just be careful big man.”

He was not kept in the other’s maw for long, gently swiped at until he was deemed slick enough to safely make it down then nudged back so he could be swallowed. It took two swallows, due to the blackette trying to be as quiet as possible and due to his still lanky form. There was very little noise around him, the larger trying to keep his breaths quiet, though he couldn’t hide the racing of his heart. Tommy couldn’t hide the racing of his own, to be fair; he was terrified for his friend’s safety, especially after he’d taken the impact of the fall for him.

He slipped into the fireborn’s pouch quickly, and he barely moved except to make himself more comfortable where he lay, thoughts consumed with how the other was handling himself. Please be careful, Sapnap..

~ ~ ~

Trying to build or mine out of the ancient city was not going to work. The Warden would be notified immediately and protecting the younger would be for nothing if he died. He’d have to find a cave that already existed that led out, which would have been easier if they hadn’t fallen out of the roof of the cave. Thank prime for natural night vision, at least. Sneaking around the outskirts of the city, he seriously debated with himself about trying to get the chests on the edge. They’re cutting the mining trip short, and he’d feel bad if they didn’t return to their homes with all the ores they should have. But also? There was no way in hell he was going to put Tommy at unnecessary risk. He’ll mark the coords and return alone.

It took thirty-five agonizingly slow minutes before Sapnap found a cave heading upwards, the skulk changing to patches rather than completely consuming the stone. With a soft sigh of relief, he continued on, feeling drained as the adrenaline began to leave his system.

~ ~ ~

“You’re back!” “Yeah? Did you think I wasn’t coming?” “No, but you have been gone longer than we thought you’d be.” Quackity leaned against the doorway to the living room, arms crossed loosely over his chest. “Yeah, found an ancient city. Wish I would have found it on foot and not by falling several feet into the damn thing.” Karl’s eyes turned an icy blue and he all but leaped off the couch over to him, holding his arms out so he could check for injuries. “I already had a healing pot Karl.” “I’m getting you another one just in case.” Before he could even open his mouth, the brunette was off. He sighed, catching the avian’s gaze as he walked over, giving him a light kiss. “Dinner’s ready if you want to get a plate. Me and Karl already ate, we thought you might be staying at someone’s base for the night.” “I might later, I’m not that hungry right now. Just tired, honestly.” Though, he couldn’t quite puzzle out how he wasn’t hungry, deciding to chalk it up to adrenaline still leaving his system. To be fair, he was exhausted, and he just knew he’d be sore tomorrow. “Well, let’s go to bed then.” Quackity stifled a yawn. “I’m pretty tired too.”

Karl was waiting on the bed when they came into the room, holding a healing potion and two shrinking potions in his arms. “I.. kinda wanted to sleep in tonight, if you don’t mind..?” Embarrassment tinged the man’s face pink, almost as pink as his true form’s skin, and Sapnap chuckled at it. “You know I don’t care, Karl.” With a smile and golden and teal swirls in his eyes, the brunette set the other two potions to the side and drank a shrinking potion, closing his eyes as it began to take effect. Rolling his eyes, the other fiancé looked to the fireborn. “Do you want me, too?” “I don’t care, Q. You do what you wanna do, I’m good to cuddle either way.” He tugged his shirt over his head, grimacing as his arms ached in protest to the movement. He quickly pulled his night shirt over his head, turning back to the bed to find a healing potion and two shrunken fiancés waiting.

“Thanks for the show.” Karl winked as he was scooped into the larger man’s hands, Quackity laughing as he joined the other. For a moment, they simply watched his face grow redder. “Anytime, love.” He tried to smirk, but the blush painting his cheeks ruined the attempt, and it turned to a pout at his fiancés’ combined laughter at it. Still pouting, he popped both of them into his mouth while he sat down on the bed, forcing himself to not lay back. Not until he swallowed them, at least, simply because that would be the shittiest death message possible. He could imagine Dream laughing at him for months following it, too. He didn’t take long, though; Exhaustion was beginning to take a heavy toll on him, and he was more than ready to lay down. He swallowed Karl first, waiting until he felt him slide into his storage to swallow Quackity as well. Only then did he let himself get comfortable under the covers, relaxing his body completely for the first time since he’d woken up that morning.

Karl knew the routine, could feel it making him sleepy as he was swallowed down. He was completely limp by the time he’d slipped into the other’s storage. Though, the one thing the brunette was not expecting out of the routine was a sleeping Tommy. “Uh…” before he could even ask the fireborn about it, Quackity joined them, toppling Karl over and making him fall onto the teen, who jerked awake with a yell. “What the fuck!?” Both Quackity and Karl scrambled to right themselves, the avian unable to hide his shock either. “Tommy!?” Sapnap inhaled sharply at the commotion. Well, at least he knew now why he wasn’t hungry. “I completely forgot you were in there. I’m sorry Tommy, do you want out?” To all of the fiancés' surprise, he actually hesitated before answering. He.. felt really drained from earlier still, and he really didn’t wanna face any mobs heading home. Or, his somewhat overbearing family either. “You can stay here, Tommy. We’re not gonna force you out.” Karl offered the teenager. “I mean, we’re in here to sleep anyway so it’s not like it’s gonna be any different than usual.” “Don’t fucking push him to stay either, guys.” Sapnap pressed at where he felt the weight of the three lightly, snickering when he got a smack in retaliation. He couldn’t even tell if it was Tommy or Quackity. Hell, Karl may have done it too.

“If.. it’s really okay then I’ll stay. But only because I don’t wanna deal with any mobs.” The shrunken fiancés chose not to tell the teenager that they had a spare room that he could have stayed in. And if the purrs rumbling their surroundings were anything to go by, their netherborn fiancé didn’t plan to tell him either. Besides, they were all already in the warmest place in the house. “Well, get comfortable then.” And they did, Quackity laying against the closest wall while Tommy leaned on him from one side, Karl on the other. He had untucked his wings, and wet feathers gently brushed against the other two’s shoulders as they settled. By the time they all had stopped shuffling and shifting to get comfortable, loud snores already rumbled their surroundings courtesy of their holder.

When they woke up in the morning, it was to knocking on the door just loud enough to wake the fireborn. Careful not to jostle the three sleeping soundly within, he went down the stairs to answer the door. “Hello?” He asked groggily as he cracked the door open, only for sleep to completely exit his system upon seeing the teenager’s brother. “Hello, Sapnap. I take it you just woke up?” “Yeah, what do you need?” He rubbed at his eyes as the other considered his words. “Well, Tommy never came home last night, and last we heard he was going on a mining trip with you. We assumed he stayed over last night, so I thought I’d save you all a trip to the arctic and come get him.” A nervous chuckle escaped the fireborn. “Uh, yeah he did stay over last night. But he’s still… sleeping.” He finished lamely. “Sleeping?” He nodded, and the brunette’s eyes narrowed slightly. Not in anger or annoyance, just trying to read the other. “I take it he’s.. sleeping in?” He took a minute to considered his words before saying them, and Sapnap was reminded of how Karl had asked to be stored the previous night. He nodded, and a mix of a smirk and a smile came to the revived man’s face. “Well, he knows the way home. Did Big Q leave for Las Nevadas yet?” “Nah, he wanted to sleep in.” “Guess I’ll beat him there. Wonder how he’ll feel walking in to see me sitting at his desk. He’d probably flip.” “I bet it’d be funny. He’ll give us hell when he comes home but still.” “Well, I’ll let you be then. Have a good morning.” “You too.” He watched awkwardly as the other left, becoming aware of the small peeps of laughter coming from his storage.

“Very funny. Just laugh it up.” He scoffed, pushing off of the doorframe and heading to the kitchen to start on breakfast. “Is it just you awake, Karl?” “Yep.” He popped the p, settling back down. “I’ll wait until all of you are awake to let you out, I’m gonna make breakfast. What do you want?” “Dunno.” “You’re so helpful. Fine, I’m just making whatever then.” It took the other two until breakfast was finished to wake up, and the only reason they woke up then was because Sapnap woke them up by letting the brunette out. A flurry of curses brought the other two up as well, joining Karl in the impromptu bath in the kitchen sink. “Wait, what the hell am I supposed to do about clothes?” Tommy complained, shaking his head to try and dry it to the dismay of his other shrunken companions.