Nesting
I finished it! Fluffy lil TFC fic for you guys. ^^ Hope you enjoy! :D
Pls lmk if you see grammar mistakes this is not fully beta read
Idk wtf I’m doing but I’m doing it the best I can-
The cast all stared curiously as they watched you gather everything even remotely soft within the tent that you could get your little hands on.
“Are they…?” Ticket Taker began, not daring to finish.
“They can’t be.” Jester rationalized, but he doubted his words.
“It really looks like…” Harlequin tilted his head as you jumped in order to make the last couple inches to reach a blanket on another bed due to the shackle’s limited range.
“But humans don’t…” The Doctor trailed off.
It was Pierrot who finally said it, fawning over how cute and homely you looked as you flitted about. “They’re nesting~!”
Jester scoffed. “Humans don’t have a nesting instinct except during late pregnancy. And it certainly doesn’t look like this.” He didn’t want to add the last thought, but he didn’t have to. Everyone knew it was there. They were all having it. Despite being a mere human, what you were doing… it resembled monster nesting.
“You must remember that at their base biology, humans are animals. It is possible that some of them may have a nesting instinct like ours that can be unlocked or is perhaps attached to a specific gene?” The Doctor mused, stepping forward to better observe your fascinating behavior.
Pierrot quickly stopped him with his arm, eyes narrowed. “Nesting cannot be interrupted. You know that.”
“They’re not nesting, Pierrot!” Harlequin growled, face riddled with denial. “This is probably just some human ritual we’ve never heard of!”
Ticket Taker hummed in thought as he watched you feel the material of each and every item you’d gathered before organizing them as you saw appropriate. “It certainly looks like they’re nesting.”
“Because they areeeee~!” Pierrot cooed, hands on his cheeks as he swooned.
By now, you had begun to meticulously start piling what you’d collected, carefully layering your chosen materials, which mostly consisted of blankets, sheets, and pillows. To keep everything fitted to the bed, you tucked in the sides that stuck out. When only a single blanket was left, you rimmed the nest with the pillows, using the grooves you’d made to keep them in place. Finally, when it seemed you were finished, you crawled within and settled down, resting your head upon one of the pillows as you covered yourself with the single remaining blanket. Your breathing promptly began to slow, the security of your creation soothing your nerves, body softly vibrating with something that vaguely resembled a faint, contented purr.
The monsters were completely silent. There was no more debate. That was a nest, and a damn cozy looking one at that. Impressive, given your lack of proper materials.
Pierrot stepped forth into the tent while the others continued to quietly observe in astonishment. “My dearest, what is this?” He asked. He knew, they all did, but he still needed confirmation from you.
“Nest…” You mumbled back, sinking further into the pile as your body curled more tightly in on itself. “Need comf… feels safe…”
That settled it.
He couldn’t help his next question. “Where did you learn to do that?” Perhaps you had a monster ancestor and the instinct was passed down to you? Maybe you knew one when you were younger? Or what if…
“Nowhere…” You murmured, voice getting quieter as you began to drift to sleep. “Just makes me feel safe…”
He wanted to ask more but he could tell with the way the rise and fall of your chest had slowed that you had officially slipped into slumber, and he didn’t wish to disturb you.
“Fascinating…” Doctor whispered and Pierrot let out a low hiss, not having realized the other cast members had approached. “They implied this was instinctive for them, but I have never heard of humans nesting in the way monsters might. I’m eager to learn more.” But as he reached for you, his hand was swatted away by Pierrot.
“Come now, Pierrot~ Let us see~” Harlequin coaxed, but his larger cast member stood his ground, eyes wide and wild. He resembled a protective mate, dutifully guarding his partner, even if he currently only qualified as a suitor. The green monster snickered as he taunted the golden eyed beast, whose snarls were growing louder and more ferocious by the second, muscles flexing beneath his costume.
“Let us compromise, Pierrot.” Jester intervened before the inevitable scuffle could take place. Pierrot turned to the purple clown, anger quieting out of respect for the ringmaster, though his teeth remained almost imperceptibly bared. “You know we’re all curious about this nest, though it is clear you value this… human’s safety. If you allow us to investigate while they are away from the nest, I will allow you to show them around the circus tomorrow.”
Pierrot growled low in thought, the sound a deep rumble from within his chest, mulling over the Jester’s offer. On the one hand, he did want to show you around, to acquaint you with his life. He knew so much about yours, but you knew so little about his. On the other hand, he knew that the sanctity of a nest was almost sacred to its builder. You had said you made it to feel safe, and he didn’t want to disturb that for you. But there was also the point of Jester’s great dislike of humans venturing too deep into their circus. For him to offer something like this… it meant his curiosity was intense, and it was not an opportunity to so quickly toss away.
The red clown instantly quieted as he heard you shift within the nest. As he stiffly turned to look at you and gazed upon your sleeping face, he felt his entire body relax. It was cruel of you to be so adorable in your sleep, teasing his desires when he couldn’t act upon them… He looked back at Jester. “Fine.” He said, accepting the leader’s terms. This arrangement would hopefully segway into allowing you permanent residence within the circus.
Jester nodded. “When they wake up then.”
—————————————
Pierrot took you out the next morning to show you around the circus, carefully unlocking your shackle and guiding you away. Once the cast saw you disappear among the tents, they made their way inside the tent Pierrot had stashed you in when he’d taken you and towards your bed. Towards your nest. They paused, examining it, but unsure of where to go next.
Jester made the first move, gently reaching out a hand and pressing it into the nest. He was surprised to find how soft and well put together it was. To see it was one thing. To feel it was another. The others decided to follow his lead.
“Incredible…” Doctor muttered.
“I’ve never felt a nest so comfortable,” Ticket Taker commented absentmindedly.
Harlequin didn’t bother saying anything. He just flopped down and made himself at home in the sanctuary.
“Harlequin!” The Jester hissed, only to be cut off by a sigh of utter bliss from the normally snarky menace.
All the muscles in the green monster’s body had gone completely lax as he stretched out amongst the softness before snuggling into it. “It’s so cozy…” The nest reminded him of a time long gone, when he was young and still had parents. When he didn’t quite know the cruelty of the world just yet. Something nostalgic. Something heavenly. Something… comforting.
The others were taken aback. To see Harlequin so… well… vulnerable? To say it was rare was an understatement. They couldn’t even remember the last time there had been such an occurrence.
Doctor joined him in the nest, Harlequin growling as he was pushed over to make room, seeing as he’d plopped himself down right in the middle. Almost the exact effect came over him. Same with Ticket Taker, the next to join, leaving only Jester remaining on the outside, watching as more than half the cast comfortably curled up in a nest made by a human. The purple clown sighed before relenting, the last thought he had before laying down being ‘It can’t be that amazing, can it?’
—————————————
By the time Pierrot brought you back to the tent you had woken up in, the entirety of the cast was asleep in your nest, nuzzling into the comfort you had so expertly crafted. Jester cracked open an eye when he sensed the presence of the naive monster and his human obsession. He groaned. “Fine… They can stay for now…” His voice came out in the form of a reluctant grumble, conveniently leaving out that he also meant you could stay alive for the time being. “But they need to make something like this for each of our tents for our own personal use…”
As Pierrot found himself overcome with joy, you couldn’t help whining at the sight. “My nest…”
