#bitty ask

It started when he ventured into the human’s bathroom, into the cabinet under the sink. He needed to get more floss to make rope with, and it seemed like a safe bet to do it now. It was well past midnight, likely around 4 in the morning. But in the darkness of the space under the sink, Wilbur couldn’t see much.

This usually wasn’t much of an issue; Wilbur knew the path by heart now, so he’d be able to get through and to the cabinet door without an issue. But as he neared the door, he was stopped as something threw him off balance and onto his side, hearing a loud snap echo in his ears and feeling weight on his leg.

There was a moment of pause where Wilbur thought hey, that sounded a lot like a mouse trap, and then the pain started. It felt like his leg was on fire and it hit him all at once. He was screaming before his brain caught up, and even as it did, he found he couldn’t stop. He shoved his hands over his mouth, willing himself to shut up, shut up, shut UP! before the human woke up and came to investigate.

But god, that was so hard to do. His face was soaked with tears and he drew in shaky breaths between sobs.

And then, as if things couldn’t get worse for him, he felt vibrations of footsteps, and they were getting closer. No, no no, no no no no no. The sound of the light being flicked on was the only warning that Techno got before the cabinet door opened and light flooded into the dark space. He cursed and removed his hands from over his mouth, pained whines and gasps leaving him. And then he steeled himself, and moved quickly, reaching for the metal bar that was on his ankle, trying to pry it off of himself and failing to do so.

A cry escaped him as the human reached for him, and he flinched as a rumbling voice said something, but the cloud of terror in Techno’s brain didn’t allow him to actually decipher it. But it sounded panicked, for some reason.

Another whimper escaped him as the human moved his hand back closer again, and Wilbur shielded his head with his hands, curling into himself as much as he could. And then, he felt more pressure on his ankle and he instinctively tried to jerk away, biting back another cry as it sent another wave of pain up his leg. The human grumbled again, sounding displeased, and then, a moment later, the weight was off of him.

His head shot up in shock, but it meant that he saw the hand coming. It didn’t matter; he couldn’t go anywhere, couldn’t move fast enough, and the hand wrapped around him.

It was surprisingly gentle, with obvious care taken to avoid his limp ankle yet keep him firmly in his hand. He was sprawled on his back, a thumb bigger than his torso gently pinning him down and lifting him into the air. Wilbur blinked spots out of his vision as he was lifted, and his vision slowly refocused on the human holding him. His body was wracked with trembling. He tensed as he felt the vibrations of the voice as the human spoke.

This time, he actually made out what the human was saying, even with his mind fuzzed with panic and pain, and it sounded distant despite the proximity.

“I’m so sorry.” The voice was monotone, but no less genuine than one would expect. “I didn’t think – I mean, you’re definitely not a mouse, and you’re a tiny person.” A sharp laugh that made Wilbur flinch escaped the pink-haired human. “I’m not entirely sure I’m not dreamin’. Or hallucinatin’. Maybe I’ve just been awake for too long.”

“I-I’m real,” Wilbur found himself saying with a shaky voice, “please don’t hurt me. My foot, I can’t move it.” He could feel the panic bubbling up inside of him again as the human began walking, jostling him and pulling a whimper from this throat. He heard the human click his tongue in concern before he was placed onto a counter.

“I think it’s broken.” The human was saying, pushing his pink hair out of his face as he leaned a bit closer. “I’m really sorry about that. I’ll fix it, I promise.” He gave the borrower a considering look for a moment before pulling out his phone.

“Wh-what’re you doing?”

Techno glanced up at the boy on his counter, frowning slightly. “Figurin’ out how to reset your bones. I think it was a clean break, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“Don’t!” The little dude sounded panicked again, not that he had ever really calmed down, but still. “I’ll be fine, just let me go.”

“Listen,” Techno leaned a bit closer, and Wilbur cringed away as much as he could, “it’s not safe for you to not have a functional foot. I’ll fix it and keep an eye on you until you recover.”

“But-“

“No.” Techno said sharply, and it almost made him feel guilty with how the little guy flinched. But it was the tone that said ‘that’s it’ and ‘that’s final’ and the little humanoid just ducked his head. “I’m sorry, but I need to fix this.”

He reached forward and hushed the borrower as he tried to protest, and before long, the bone was reset.

“You still need to stay off of it, okay?” Techno was saying, and the little guy died nothing for a second before immediately getting to his feet and trying to run. He stumbled almost instantly, and Techno steadied him with a finger. “Hey, what did I say? Listen, I’m not above sticking you in a jar if I have to.”

Wilbur fell silent at that, slumping defeated back onto the counter.

“So, what?” He challenged weakly. “I’m like, your petor some shit?” He spat the word and continued, trembling. “Or some kind of pity project?”

Techno let out a sigh, loud and long, as he fixed the borrower with a stare.

“It’s just until your foot is healed properly,” Wilbur pressed his lips into a line at that, “I swear.”