#human!phil

Phil sighed in frustration and headed towards the back door.

When informed that he needed to relocate due to work, he hoped the new place would at least be livable. But all he got was the old wooden house that hadn't been lived in for several years. Yeah, it was spacious, and the heating, lighting, and water supply were in working condition but still… The advantages pale in comparison to the disadvantages.

There was nothing he could do about it. After all, the company had recently suffered a major loss due to the negligence of its management. However, he had not expected that they would choose to save money on his accommodation.

It took him a whole day to get the house in a more or less decent state. Philza decided to clean the living room because he was going to spend most of his time there, either working or hopefully sleeping. As soon as he entered the room, the terrible, musty smell of old books hit his nose.

Without thinking twice, he dumped all the junk from the shelves into boxes, including books. God, some of them were scattered on the floor.

"Hm? What's this?"

When he picked up one of the books from the floor, he noticed tracks of tiny footprints.

Great, he has a pest problem.

Something was weird. There were footprints near the books, but the pages were intact. Usually, rodents would tear up the pages of books to make their nests warmer.

Phil held his gaze for a moment longer, but then he just shrugged and continued cleaning.

He took all the useless things to the attic, where there was even more mess. If he stays here for a long time (he hopes not), he will have to call a loading truck to take away all this garbage.

The living room looked rather empty now, especially the wall shelf directly above the sofa.…

Oh, right! He had a lot of books that his colleagues had given him. And he didn't open any of them. Because he didn't really like reading unless it was audiobooks. He couldn't imagine himself just sitting with a book in his hands for hours. At least they would fill the void on the shelf.

He was already tired, even though only half of his things had been unpacked.

…

Done! Finally, a well-deserved rest.

The couch creaked under his weight. He closed his eyes for just a minute and then his phone rang. He groaned in frustration and took a deep breath in and out before picking up the phone.

His boss wanted him to speed up the project, even though he had set up a step-by-step work schedule with fucking deadlines! Who cared? Why did they agree to it in the first place if they didn't care about his opinion?

The man threw his phone on the coffee table next to the couch.

It was going to be a long week.

Phil didn't expect this place to be as much of an unbearable as his job. He couldn't get a good sleep in a new place, and this house just came to life at night — creaking of wooden floorboards, metallic rattling of old water pipes, and small gaps in the window frames caused a hum and whistle when the wind blew. He could have sworn he heard a quiet voice.

 “It's just the wind,” Phil told himself.

He just started closing all the windows tightly and only opened them occasionally when he was cleaning. Although he doesn't have time for that right now.

To be honest, Philza was relatively superstitious. It didn't really affect his life, as he didn't allow himself to openly worry about something as silly as a black cat crossing his path. If failure is meant to be, it will be. So Phil usually ignores any feelings of anxiety.

Perhaps his grandmother went too far with her 'colorful' stories about spirits, especially the ones that looked after a house. Scaring him with stories about evil people who were capable of putting curses on families because of jealousy. The good thing that he doesn't remember most of the details.

…

Despite his worries, nothing out of the ordinary happened in the past two weeks. You could even say that he settled in the house. Phil and his team had gone through the most difficult stage of the project and now he had a little more free time. At least now he could cook an actual food.

The oven closed with a dull metallic clang.

He glanced towards the overflowing trash can and noticed the ants.

“I should've dumped it yesterday,” Phil muttered and took out a repellent.

Ok now it’s time for a nap while the potatoes were baking. He wants to believe that the alarm clock will be able to wake him up this time.…

But it didn't seem to be necessary this time. Something fell on his head.

"Fuck!", he rubbed his forehead where it was sore.

The man picked up a book from the floor and turned it in his hands. He looked sharply at the shelf, but didn't notice anything unusual.

"Stupid book," he muttered and threw it on the coffee table.

He checked the time on his wristwatch. It had been only 40 minutes.

“Okay, that wasn’t the best awakening,” Phil said with a yawn. He stretched his arms out and heard a crack. No comment.

Philza turned his head towards the sound of rustling. He stood up on the couch so that his eyes were at the level of the shelf. It’s not that he’s afraid of mice, but he doesn’t want to deal with it.

Although, he needs to check anyway. He slowly pushed the things aside and saw a small crack in the wall. Next to it were some flaked chips of white paint. Maybe he's too sleepy to remember, but it looks familiar.

The smell of baked potatoes caught his attention. Just in time!

Because of the heat of the oven, he decided to open the window. Philza reached for the latch, then yelped as something sharp pricked his finger.

“What the fuck?!”

He pulled out a needle that was inserted into the latch. Is someone trying to jinx him or is this some kind of joke?

Even after all these years, he remembered that damn superstition. So, more for inner peace than for real protection, he broke the needle and threw it in the trash can.

Phil stared at the latch for a long time before noticing the same pieces of paint that he'd previously seen on the shelf. They lay scattered across the windowsill. That’s what made them look so familiar—they matched the paint from the kitchen window frame.

But what brought them to the shelf? Or who?

He really doesn't like the image in his head.

He has this feeling again that something is wrong, but he doesn't know what it is.

His heart started beating faster and breathing became more difficult. It felt like his stomach was twisted into a knot and he was about to throw up.

Philza clenched his teeth and shook his head.

Nonsense. Just ignore it.

…

He kept repeating to himself that the strangeness of this place was due to the fact that it was old as fuck. But because of his anxiety, he started paying more attention to small details.

Maybe this house is haunted.

At night, there were rhythmic knocks inside the walls that didn't seem random. Some things started disappearing, and the same book kept falling off the shelf without reason, but this time, not on his head. And why is it always The Art of War???

It's better to just leave it on the table. The next day, he noticed the book was open, but he doesn't remember opening it...

One sleepless night, he even thought he saw something run across his desk while he was working.

Is he going crazy?

He felt humiliated every time he flinched at a random sound, peered into the shadows as if something might jump out and attack him.

God, he even stopped turning off his work laptop so it could at least provide some light while he tried to sleep.

What a joke.

He's afraid of something that doesn't exist. Just a stupid old house.

It was already morning, as he replayed everything that happened over and over again in his head.

Maybe he wasn't making it up. He no longer understands what really happened and what his mind has imagined without proper sleep.

Barely opening his eyes, he tried to stand up and almost had a heart attack for a second. No one saw this embarrassment, thankfully.

He cursed and went to the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee. They were behind schedule due to some members being seriously ill, so the rest of the team and Phil were facing a tight deadline. He needs to lock fucking in.

Phil rubbed his face wearily and turned on the kitchen light. As his hand approached the coffee machine, something scurried towards the microwave. It definitely wasn't a damn mouse.

To his surprise, Philza quickly pushed the device to the side and caught a glimpse of a humanoid creature with a pink fluffy tail disappearing into a crack in the wall.

Phil recoiled and covered his mouth with his hand to muffle any sound.

Did he accidentally anger a household spirit?

What should he do now?

Philza was willing to bet 100 bucks that his grandmother was a seer and had been preparing him for a mission like this. Otherwise there would have been no reason to tell such scary stories. Now he wishes he had remembered at least one piece of her advice or a protective incantation, or even an old prayer.

Were Jesus and the spirits from the same universe, or had he just created a religious crossover?

He finally exhaled, even though he hadn't realized he was holding his breath.

Philza returned to his laptop and decided to refresh his memory. Of course, compared to his grandma, the information from the Internet — could be called ‘unreliable’ regarding this topic. But he had no choice.

…

He finished writing his notes. It turned out quite plausible, at least he thought so.

Perhaps it's the spirit of the former owner of the house. (Surely someone died in such a shitty house…)

It likes cleanliness. (Another reason to do a full-fledged cleaning)

Organize or take care of personal space. (But it seems to live in the walls?)

There should be no quarrels or swearing in the house… (I’ll try, but if I see it again, I do no promises.)

Maintain peace and quiet in the house. (I'm even willing to walk more quietly, as long as it doesn't decide to strangle me at night!)

As a sign of respect, I can make a gift or/and an offering (food).

The whole house was clean, except for the attic. He even managed to get his old but still working pocket watch. He put it in a jewelry box with a bunch of other shiny trinkets, as well as some nice buttons and a couple of colorful skeins of thread. He left the gift on the shelf next to the books.

It looks good. Hope it works.

…

He sighed when he found the small plate with food that he had left out yesterday. Ants, again.

Philza washed the plate and sprayed the ants with repellent again. He went to check the jewelry box and was pleasantly surprised when one of the buttons and a pink skein of thread were missing. That's definitely a good sign. Maybe it'll forgive him.

With a light step, he returned to the kitchen and froze. He slowly picked up a nearby mug and took a big step closer to the counter.

It was leaning against the metal wall of the microwave.

As soon as his shadow covered the creature, it turned around and looked up.

Phil silently covered it with a mug. There was a soft thud against the glass.

The man looked around, still holding the cup against the surface of the countertop, and reached for the cookbook. He slowly moved the cup to the edge, so that the creature was on the book.

That wasn't exactly part of his plan. He wasn't really going to catch it.

He stood there for a minute, just staring. If the cup had been transparent, it would have been a lot more awkward.

A window was a kind of portal for spirits, so maybe he could just...

With one hand, he was able to open the window. Phil extended the makeshift trap outwards. He only needed to raise the cup sharply and tilt the book. And so he did.

“HEH?!” the tiny creature cried out and clutched at the book’s spine. It turned its head towards the human and asked in an unexpectedly deep voice, “What are you doing?!”

Philza twitched, causing the little thing to shake up, and it yelled, “Stop it! Do I look like a spider?!”

“Are you an evil spirit?”, Phil asked seriously, still holding the book at an angle.

“What? No!”

Philza didn't look convinced, and the pink-haired guy added, "I'm a borrower! I could tell you more, but as you can see..." he tried to pull himself up with his hands, but it didn't work. "Imagine hanging from the top of a 5-story building. That's about how I feel right now!"

Finally, the man returned the book to a horizontal position and carefully placed it on the table.

The borrower jumped off the book, still breathing slightly unevenly. He looked over his shoulder at the human and said, “Omg, dude. What’s wrong with you?”

"Excuse me? I'm not the tiny guy with the tail and pointy ears." The man pulled up a chair to sit at the table.

"Don't worry. I forgive you," borrower said with a touch of generosity, smiling mischievously.

Phil rolled his eyes briefly, but then asked, “So what are you exactly?”, he curiously reached his hand towards Techno.

 “Hey! Watch it!”, he shouted, raising his hands defensively.

“Chill out, I won’t hurt you, mate.”

“Yeah, tell that to the sheet you tried to kill with a slipper.”

Philza blushed and then lightly poked the borrower in the chest, “You know exactly why I slept so badly.” He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, “I wasn’t fully awake and thought it was a ghost.”

Technoblade snorted, “I hope you paid for its treatment.”

Okay, that made Phil chuckle.

They exchanged names, and Techno needed both hands to shake the man's finger. Phil promised not to tell anyone about the borrowers, so Techno told him. In return, the man awkwardly told about how he tried to appease the 'spirit', which made Techno laugh.

“Okay, okay. To be fair, borrowers also have a lot of stupid scary stories about humans, and at least half of them are not true.”

When the borrower said it was half, Phil felt a little bad. Not to mention the fact that Phil tried to get rid of him like a pest. Maybe it's better to change the topic.

“So why are you living in this abandoned place?”

“Oh, it's a bit more complicated to explain... Okay, I'll use my family as an example. I didn't mention it earlier, but there are also borrowers who live outside. An outy rarely enters human homes, perhaps only during cold seasons or in emergencies. My father was an outy. One day he broke his leg and my mom helped him. Well, the rest is obvious, love, etc. Now he's a home-inner borrower. So when I was growing up, I knew both ways of survival. I currently use this house as my spring and summer base, and I live in other houses during the autumn and winter.”

"That doesn't sound very conveniently," Philza decided to say. Thinking about how much walking and climbing it would take to get all the way there.

Techno shrugged, "I don't like sitting in one place for too long, especially alone. I thought I'd start hearing voices in my head."

"Yes, I understand." He slowly brought his hand closer, palm up, and asked, "So what? Are you going to leave?"

The borrower placed his hands on the man's palm, surprised that it was thicker than it looked. He said, “I have to, because you saw me. But I could stay if you don't mind.”

Philza watched as Techno climbed onto his palm and said, “Of course you can stay, mate!  Although I wouldn't mind if you let me know your presence in the future.”

“Well, if you're gonna stop your damn gas attack. Seriously, what kind of fool bean sprays half a can of repellent with their windows shut?!” The fur on his tail stood on end when he was angry.

“Wait, was that your needle in the latch?”

"Yes! I came to borrow some food, but I almost passed out from the pungent smell. (By the way, that's why you found me today.) Then I tried to open the window, but I couldn't. So you deserved to get hit in the head with a book."

“Okay, fair enough, but we both need to adjust our behavior in order to live together in the same house.”

Techno was distracted and curiously ran his hand over one of Phil's life lines. Don't judge him for his relaxed behavior, he's never been this close to a human before.

“Techno?”

"Ah? Yeah, sure. I'm always open to suggestions."

He jumped off Phil's palm and went to pick up his belongings, which were still lying by the microwave.

At this time, Phil was thinking about how lack of sleep and anxiety had taken away all his energy. If he hadn't been so sensitive, he might not have pushed himself to this point…

No.

He doesn't need to think about himself in that way. He is who he is. This whole situation is just a big misunderstanding, and his superstition has simply worked against him. He's not ashamed of the way he was raised, despite the awkward moments he's experienced.

If you think about it, any children's tales prepare kids for the adult world, and scary stories simply try to warn them against dangers. Despite that twisted approach.

He is glad that he found Techno, despite the circumstances. Now he can be at peace at home, and maybe having a roommate will lift his terrible state.

The borrower had finally returned to him, so Phil decided to say, “Anyway, it's nice to know that this place isn't haunted, right?"

Technoblade looked at him as if he was seriously considering his question.

"Right?" Phil repeated, sounding more nervous.

“Nah. Just me.”

Philza quickly sighed with relief.

“You little shit, you got me for a moment!”

“I know. I love being difficult.”

The man rested his head on one of his hands and sighed, “I can tell.” He closed his eyes to think about something.

“Can I still take the watch?” Techno asked quietly.

Oh, Philza could already imagine spoiling this guy.

“Sure, mate.”

…

The end! I hope you enjoyed it!

When I was writing Phil's inner thoughts, I thought it was a bit like toxic masculinity, in that he was suppressing his emotions and thinking negatively about himself. He shamed himself for being afraid, especially afraid of something mystical (unreal). But just because he forbade himself from appearing frightened on the outside doesn't mean he wasn't. I think the combination of less sleep and anxiety played a good role, though ultimately, superstition also led him to completely doubting his own sanity.

At this point, Techno simply had question marks above his head when Phil acted 'strange' or atypical for someone who had noticed something wrong in house. Like setting mouse traps or something like that. Instead, the man simply gave him food, which Techno hesitated to take for fear of being poisoned. But Techno couldn't resist and took something from the jewelry box. He liked living outside, but there was plenty to do inside the walls, too. Sometimes his 'home-inner' side would whisper to him, "I wanna make my home pretty👉👈."

Imagine a borrower who calmly guts insects and fights back rodents, but still enjoys decorating their home within the walls.

It reminded me of Homily (The Secret World of Arrietty). As you watch, you can feel how much she loves her home and how cozy and comfortable it is. I'm sure if she wasn't so afraid of humans, she would have borrowed some of the kitchen utensils from that cool dollhouse. She would have justified it by saying that humans always lose things, especially small ones.

…

Thanks for taking the time to read it!

 But Tubbo never had to deal with this. Dream was there from the beginning to teach Tubbo how to treat borrowers. Ranboo was probably more than willing to stay when he saw how kind Tubbo was. But…Dream knew how he felt, right? After all, he said he had treated Sapnap as a pet the first year they were together before realizing. 

 He turned towards Dream. “How did you go about everything when you realized Sapnap wasn’t a pet?” Tommy asked and Dream jumped in surprise at suddenly being addressed and then tensed when he processed Tommy’s question.

 “Oh, well…” He sighed. “It was a bit different from your situation but…after everything, I gave Sapnap the same choice, to leave or to stay with the promise he wouldn’t be treated like a pet anymore.”

 “And?” Tommy asked, leaning in. He could already guess the outcome though, after all, Sapnap was still here with Dream after all these years.

 “And he chose to leave.”

 Tommy’s eyes widened. “Wait, what? But, he’s here right now! What happened?”

 “Well, he left but he never left the house. He started living in the walls like how borrowers used to. And, we kept running into each other and we started building up trust and eventually, Sapnap came out of the walls permanently.” Dream explained, rubbing the back of his neck as he did so.

 Tommy bit his lip. “So, he left but then ended up staying?” When Dream nodded, Tommy became lost in his thoughts again. If that’s what Wilbur decided to do, it’s possible he could build up trust like Dream did. But there was no guarantee that’s what Wilbur would do. What if he wanted Tommy to drop him off somewhere else? Or what if he left the house on his own?

 Tommy closed his eyes and sighed. He had to be okay with letting Wilbur go permanently, if that’s what he chose.

 Tommy opened his eyes at the sound of shuffling and turned to see Dream no longer leaning against the wall. “I’m gonna head up to where the borrowers are. Make sure you bring up some food for them when you guys are done down here.” Tubbo nodded and then Dream turned and made his way up the stairs.

 “I think things will be okay.” Tubbo suddenly said, making Tommy turn to look at him. He was smiling at Tommy and it was almost infectious. “Like I said before, you’re a good person Tommy. Wilbur might trust and like you more than you think.”

 Tommy bit his lip but nodded and gave Tubbo a small smile. “Thanks Tubs.” The nickname slipped out without him meaning to but when Tubbo’s smile just got wider at it, Tommy felt warm. 

 “Now come on, let’s go follow Dream up. And, hey, maybe telling Wilbur while we’re here will make it easier for you.” Tubbo suggested and Tommy nodded. He was still hesitant to see Wilbur at this point. But he knew it wasn’t fair to the borrower to prolong the conversation any longer.

 The two grabbed their plates and took them to the kitchen. Puffy and Phil looked to be done eating as well but they were still talking. Puffy looked over and smiled at the two of them. “Hey! You all done?” 

 Tubbo smiled back. “Yep! We’re gonna go hang out in my room for a bit. Can we have a plate of food for the borrowers?”

 “Of course.” Puffy stood up and served up another plate, handing it over to Tubbo. “You two have fun.”

 “We will!” Tubbo said before grabbing Tommy’s arm with his free hand and pulling him out of the kitchen.

 The two adults watched them go with grins on their faces. “I’m so happy they seem to be getting along.” Phil said.

 “I knew they would.” Puffy said back. “I think the two of them are going to be great friends.”

***

 Ranboo and Sapnap were showing him Ranboo’s little hidden room when he heard the bedroom door open and a voice. “Sapnap?” Dream called out and Wilbur watched as Sapnap perked up. He turned towards Wilbur. 

 “Come on, they must be done with dinner.” Sapnap and Ranboo exited the room and Wilbur followed close behind. He was still a bit wary of the human, so he stayed further back as Sapnap ran right up to him. Dream kneeled down on the floor and Sapnap practically threw himself into his hands.

 “Where’s Tubbo? And, uh, Tommy?” Ranboo asked, closer to Dream than Wilbur was.

 “They’re downstairs still but they’ll be up in a second with some dinner for you guys.” Dream said before his eyes wandered until they met Wilbur’s gaze. Wilbur flinched and Dream bit his lip.

 “Hey, uh, sorry about earlier. I know you probably didn’t like me staring at you and stuff.” Dream apologized sheepishly. Wilbur blinked, a bit thrown off by the fact that Dream had even noticed his discomfort in the first place.

 “Oh, uh, it’s fine.” Wilbur shrugged, not meeting Dream’s eyes. He wasn’t used to being around humans who weren’t Tommy. 

 Dream nodded and then lifted Sapnap up to better see him. “So, what have you guys been doing?”

 “We’re just showing him around. We were just in Ranboo’s room when you came in.” Sapnap explained. “How did the talk with Tommy go?”

 Wilbur tensed as Sapnap asked the question and waited with baited breath as Dream opened his mouth the answer. Part of Wilbur didn’t want to know, in fear of the wrong reaction but the other part of him, the bigger part, needed to know.

 “Well-” But Dream was cut off when the door opened up again, showing Tubbo and Tommy at the door holding a plate of food. 

 “Dinner!” Tubbo shouted with a grin and went to sit down on the floor and place the plate down. Tommy stayed standing, looking awkward as he closed the door behind him.

 Wilbur couldn’t help but overanalyze everything. Tommy seemed awkward and maybe a bit upset but Tubbo and Dream seemed perfectly fine. Was that an indication that the talk went well? But then why was Tommy upset? So many questions and Wilbur just wanted answers. But try as he might, Tommy seemed to be avoiding Wilbur’s gaze.

 He felt a hand on his shoulder and tensed before realizing it was just Ranboo. Ranboo looked at him with a small smile and motioned over towards the plate of food, which Sapnap had already started to eat. “Come on, if we don’t hurry there won’t be anything left.”

 “Hey, I heard that!” Sapnap yelled and Ranboo chuckled as they made their way over to the plate. Wilbur went ahead and grabbed a piece of chicken to munch on but he didn’t have a very big appetite at the moment. Not when he couldn’t stop worrying about how the talk went.

 “So, Wilbur!” Tubbo suddenly said, causing Wilbur to jump. He looked up to see Tubbo smiling down at him. “How did you like Ranboo’s room? Him and I put it together ourselves.”

 Wilbur hummed, thinking back on the room. His thoughts were jumbled and so it took a second to get them in order. “Oh, uh, it was really cool. I liked it.” And that was true, Wilbur actually really liked the room. 

 “Cool! Maybe if you decide to stay with Tommy I can help you guys build one for you!” Tubbo exclaimed and then was immediately elbowed by Dream, who was giving him a look. Tubbo looked confused for a moment before his face went red and he looked sheepish. “Oh, um, I mean…just-just ignore what I said.”

 But Wilbur was already too far into his thoughts to even hear the last thing Tubbo said. What did that mean, if he decided to stay with Tommy? What was going on?

 A groan filled the room and Wilbur looked up to see Tommy rubbing a hand over his face. He looked over to Tubbo who looked away. “Sorry, Tommy.”

 Tommy sighed. “It’s…fine.” And for the first time since stepping foot back into the room, Tommy met Wilbur’s eyes. Wilbur couldn’t help but be surprised at the amount of emotion within Tommy’s gaze. It was still hard to pinpoint exactly how Tommy was feeling but one emotion that got through was…sadness. But why was Tommy sad?

 “Tommy? Are you okay?” He couldn’t help but ask. Despite being worried about how the talk went, despite how it did go, Wilbur still cared about Tommy and hated seeing him like this. 

 Tommy seemed to tense at his question and he rubbed at his arm like he was nervous. “I…actually that’s sort of what I…need to talk to you about.” Tommy got out and Wilbur froze.

 “What do you mean?” Wilbur asked but inside he couldn’t help but wonder if this was it. He was finally going to know how the talk went. How Tommy reacted to it. But still, that was a weird way to start this kind of conversation.

 Tommy kneeled down in front of Wilbur and met his eyes again. He looked sad, remorseful, and determined all in one and it was confusing Wilbur as to why. “Wilbur, I-”

 “Tommy! It’s time to go, it’s getting late!” Phil yelled from downstairs, effectively cutting Tommy off. Tommy was left floundering for a second before he turned his head towards the door.

 “But dad! Can’t we stay a little bit longer?!” Tommy yelled somewhat desperately. Wilbur winced a little at the volume and noticed how Ranboo and Sapnap did the same. Even though Wilbur was more used to it at this point, Tommy could still be a bit too loud at times.

 “Sorry Toms! But I have to wake up early for work tomorrow! Now come on down!” Phil yelled back and Tommy bit his lip, sharing looks with Tubbo and Dream. 

 “I guess I have to go…” Tommy said. He was still kneeled down in front of Wilbur as Tubbo placed a hand on his shoulder.

 “It’ll be okay. You’ve got this.” Tubbo said, but Tommy looked as though he didn’t quite believe him. Wilbur was still confused about what was happening. Clearly Tommy had been about to say something, probably about the talk he had with the other humans. But it looked like that conversation was now going to have to wait until they got home. Which only prolonged Wilbur’s anxiety.

 Tommy let out a sigh and held his hand out for Wilbur to climb onto. Wilbur did so with little hesitation, having done this hundreds of times since being with Tommy. But something was different about this time. When Tommy lifted him up, his hand stayed flat instead of curling around Wilbur’s frame. 

 It was strange, but not entirely unwelcome.

 Tommy stood, adding his other hand next to Wilbur so Wilbur was now cupped between his two hands. He looked at the other two humans in the room. “I, uh, I guess I’ll see you around? Maybe?”

 He seemed nervous but that went away when Tubbo grinned wide at him. “Yeah! You’ll have to come over again soon. Or I could go over to your place!”

 Wilbur glanced up at Tommy, who was smiling for the first time since coming back into the room. “Y-Yeah, that sounds like a plan.”

 Wilbur couldn’t help but smile a bit as well. He knew how lonely Tommy was. That was the whole reason Wilbur was with Tommy in the first place. The whole reason he decided to stay despite Tommy still seeing him as a pet. He related too much to the kid. But now, it seemed like he finally had a friend.

 “Bye Tommy!” Tubbo yelled as Tommy started to walk out into the hallway. “And remember, you got this!”

 Wilbur heard Tommy chuckle as they made their way back downstairs. Phil was there, waiting by the door as he finished up talking to Puffy. When he saw Tommy, he smiled. “Hey Toms, did you have fun?”

 Tommy hesitated but nodded and Phil’s smile grew wider. “I’m glad! We’ll have to set up another time you and Tubbo can hang out.”

 Tommy nodded and they said bye to Puffy and then headed out to the car. Tommy got in on the passenger side and placed his hands holding Wilbur in his lap. He hadn’t looked at Wilbur this whole time, at least, not in the eyes. He glanced down every now and again, probably to make sure he was secure before quickly moving his gaze back up.

The Galactic Government (GG), observing this tragedy, did not stand idly by and took a certain number of humans to a so-called ‘reserve’. This place was located on one of the GG's satellites in another part of the universe and was named after the Earth satellite, Moon-2. Most of the characteristics of this celestial body were viable for humans, except the temperature. That's why a complex climate control system was installed here. Even then, not all of the territory was at a favorable temperature, and humans had to travel between cities using special transport. But over time, everyone quickly got used to it, and it became the norm.

The management system, leadership, and hierarchy were all simplified and made as transparent as possible for their own good. Every adult had a role in the new society depending on their abilities and inclinations toward certain activities. Some outstanding minds were even allowed to work in the Galactic Government in prestigious positions. Everyone had access to quality education, healthcare, and other essential needs.

It has been 30 cycles, or 300 years by human standards – 12 generations have grown up here. However, during the migration to Moon-2, there were people who decided to undergo cryo-sleep for some reason. This procedure can only be done once in a lifetime, so it’s very important to think about the date of your defrosting. Еvery few cycles you can see such people. They were often interviewed to hear their impressions of the future, of new technologies integrated into human life – in short, about everything that was different at the time they entered the cryo-capsule.

In general, it's an interesting experience and young people in each cycle are largely enthralled by the perspectives inherited from the past, particularly the utopian ones. But, such idealistic concepts have always been detached from reality. And of course, there's the conviction that these people are from the same era as the founders of the colony on Moon-2, who set off for another part of the universe to save humanity.

It's ridiculous, isn't it? To make such a big deal out of people who were just trying to save their own skin.

…

Techno was a young worker at the Scientific Galactic Community, specialized in maintaining macro- and microclimatic systems. He was sent to Moon-2 to perform maintenance and adjust settings for the next 3 years due to a drop in temperature on the satellite. This happens every few cycles, but this year saw record-breaking lows. So, he'll be spending some time getting it right.

He was studying human culture at university and got into some of the ideas. Like anarchism, for example, despite being a rather utopian and contradictory system of beliefs, he still enjoyed thinking about it.

His thoughts were interrupted as everything around him tilted – the spaceship had finally landed. He was supposed to be met by the satellite keeper, but he knew nothing about the guy beyond his name. As soon as he stepped outside, he was met by an Arachnitian. They were also humanoid, but a spider-like race with two pairs of arms. On their torso was a white spot with two black dots and a line shaped like a creepy smile, while the rest of their body was bright green. Honestly, Techno almost laughed when he saw it.

“My eyes are up here,” the voice said impassively in Common Galactic.

“Oh, yeah, sorry. It's the first time I've met someone like you,” Techno said awkwardly, rubbing his pink fur on the back of his neck.

Dream shook his head, "Forget about it. I'm glad SGC responded so quickly and sent us a climate engineer," he put all his hands together and made a little bow.

Techno repeated the gesture and then said, "I'm also glad to arrive here, I'm counting on you."

“We’d better hurry, it’s gonna get even colder.”

He nodded and followed his guide. He wasn't much for chatting up strangers, but he needed to know something, "What's it like? Being the keeper here?"

Arachnitian looked over his shoulder, “Are you interested in humans?”

Technoblade paused for a moment, "Kind of."

It wasn't quite a lie. As a rational species, they had clearly messed up. But if you ask his opinion, it was akin to lost potential. The Galactic Government makes exceptions for outstanding individuals to recruit them, while preventing them from developing in other fields. Sure, it means they don't lose great people on Moon-2, but still... They were capable of so much more.

The green alien returned his gaze forward and after a short pause said, "Pretty good, actually. I thought it would be worse."

Not everyone could breathe the same air as on Moon-2, so Techno was recommended primarily for this work. It seems that Dream could also breathe normally here, and only occasionally took a breath from a special device with a higher concentration of oxygen.

Before he could ask anything else, Dream held out a hand in front of him.

They reached the border of the warm zone, and a human city was visible relatively nearby to their left. Ahead, in the dead zone, stood a complex, branching system that seemed to benefit from the surrounding low temperature.

 “Put this on,” Dream said, handing him a special jacket.

Techno waved his hand, “I’ll be fine,” but took it as a token of appreciation.

The Arachnitian shrugged and, dressing warmer, stepped across the border.

He followed him, and despite being a Piglin, even he felt cold; he sneezed almost immediately due to the sudden change in temperature. Now more than ever, he was grateful for his warm fur, but it seemed even he would have to put on clothing like his companion.

A human couldn’t endure here for 20 minutes.

Most of the races in the galactic community were giants, unlike humans, so it's clear that body size also affects susceptibility to cold.

They got to the right place pretty fast, and Techno made a clicking sound when he was done checking out the climate system. He often mumbled while working, "I'll have to lower the temperature for the humans to temporarily stabilize the external system. It looks like autumn and winter will have to be shifted closer in this cycle."

Dream watched him silently for a while, but eventually spoke, "Do you know why this is all so poorly engineered?"

"You're aware that the project was developed in a rush, right?" Techno threw his tools down and carefully closed the panel cover.

“That doesn’t explain…” Arachnitian waved both his left hands vaguely in the air, “this.”

"Fair enough.” He sighed, trying to think of the best way to explain it, “That was the only dependable choice, though not the most practical one. Even after so many cycles, no one has managed to improve the system to a decent level. The important thing is that it has been running without breaking all this time."

“It could be better for them- I mean, for me. I'm also uncomfortable traveling between cities in this cold.”

“Oh, so you’ve attached to them,” Technoblade snorted in a friendly manner.

"Stop it." Dream hissed, his mandibles opening wide above his lip, but they quickly returned into place, "Just say that no one cares."

“Well, I do.”

Dream gave him an appraising look, as if searching for lies in his words.

Piglin continued, “It’s impossible to do something like this on my own, and I couldn’t think of a better way to do it. It’s not my strong suit, to be honest.” He folded his arms thoughtfully, “We need a good architectural engineer!”

“I doubt they'll make this project a priority, given the opportunity for more esteemed assignments in prime star systems.”

Techno shrugged, "I just shared my thoughts with you. If you do manage to get the GG's attention, then call me," he extended a fist forward, awaiting a reciprocal gesture...

Wait. He forgot that in his culture, this expression of respect would likely be misinterpreted and-

Laughter.

He blinked, still holding his outstretched hand in the air.

Dream smiled at him for the first time and extended his fist in return, “I appreciate it. Although it sounded like you were making fun of me.”

“What? Me? No… maybe just a little,” he got a slight push on the shoulder.

Techno turned around to look at the panel he had recently closed. Local climate change indicators were displayed next to it.

“Hey, сan I ask you for help? I need to monitor the temperature boundary in this sector, but it will be faster if we do it together.”

“Sure,” Dream put a bunch of portable thermometers in his bag, “Communicators don't work in the cold, so message me when you finish your part.”

Techno nodded and put his own equipment in the bag.

“Oh, and one more thing. If you see any freezeheads, bring them back to the warm zone.”

“Freezeheads?”

“Yeah, some humans are acting weird after cryo-sleep. Sometimes I feel like they're just trying to freeze their brains in the dead zone. And I don’t understand why.”

“After defrosting, you can't just immediately start walking, right?”

Dream shook his head, “Humans are different from us in this regard, but they’re unstable. Every time they manage to escape somehow, and every time I get a vague explanation...” he adjusted the bag on his shoulder, “Ok, I’m off.”

…

Techno vigorously rubbed his hands together and breathed on them a few times to warm up. The cold was already seeping into his bones, though it hadn’t even been 40 minutes yet.

He didn't notice anything strange on the way here, so he decided to do one last check of the perimeter.

He saw someone small lying on the ground.

Even though it wasn't a significant distance from the border, especially for someone with such long strides, Piglin still speed up.

Techno carefully but quickly picked up the unconscious golden-haired man. He was dressed in thin clothing, like from the Earth Age – jeans, a green shirt, and an unremarkable black cloak with white diamonds along the edges.

The man moaned when he was touched, so Techno hurried back to the warm zone, but the border lacked the heat to thaw the little thing.

He looked around, but Dream wasn't nearby, and the communicator needed time to thaw.

Ideally, the man should have been placed in room-temperature water. Then, after some time, the temperature should have been gradually increased to provide him with proper first aid…

The city wasn't too far away, but Technoblade was certain that he should start warming the man up right away.

It definitely wasn't the best idea, but it was the fastest way…

Techno carefully placed the human in his mouth and lightly ran his tongue over them. Piglins' body temperature was slightly higher than humans', so this shouldn't have caused any harm.

The poor thing trembled and began to move slightly due to the surrounding warmth, still unconscious. Techno wanted to purr to soothe the human, but that would only disturb them, so he didn't.

For now, he decided to check the readings from the remote thermometers he had installed on the border – everything was working perfectly.

The calm lasted just 15 minutes, as someone decided to wake up.

At that moment, he was taking off his jacket because he was getting hot.

Techno almost swallowed them when he suddenly heard muffled human swearing.

He accidentally pressed them against his palate, and this caused them to start hitting everything around them with their limbs. Any sound of discomfort from the giant was perceived as a victory, and they continued doing what they were doing.

Technoblade wouldn't stand for it and released them, cupping his hands under his mouth.

The frightened man stared at him, quickly looking around to understand where he was. The man said something.

Well, here we go. The language barrier.

Piglins communicated through growls, snorts, or clicks, so most soft sounds were difficult to produce.

If they speak too fast, he won't even be able to understand what they say. Like right now.

Techno's grimace made the man look even more terrified. He wanted to slap himself, as his facial expressions were unlike human ones. He relaxed his snout to look as peaceful as possible, considering he was a huge humanoid boar.

He made an effort to recall all his knowledge of this language.

“You’re safe.”

Yeah, this won't be a long talk.

The man still looked distrustful, “Leave me alone,” he said quietly, “Go away.”

He hissed, clutching his hand, which was clearly hurt by the cold. Even Techno could see the red patches on the white skin.

For some reason, this upset Techno more than it should have. He lifted the human closer to his face, not taking offense at the man's flinching.

Technoblade cupped his hands and began to periodically breathe warm air onto the man, occasionally glancing to see if Dream was approaching.

After a few minutes like that, he felt some light taps on his pinky. He pulled away to look at the man better.

Well, much better than it was at the beginning.

At least he won't die while Techno carries him to the city.

“I will bring you home.”

The man froze, and then suddenly hid his face behind his knees.

Water around the eyes is bad, right?

Whimpers were heard.

Yeah, it's definitely bad!

Techno panicked. What did he do wrong? Or is it still cold?

He carefully touched them with his finger, but the man slapped it away and freaked out, "Don't touch me! You ******!"

The man got to his feet and continued to yell at him. Techno didn't understand most of what they were saying, so he just stared back in silence. Whatever it was, it was obviously bothering them, so he'd let them blow off steam today.

Wait, today?

The yelling stopped, and the man quietly sat down, wiping tears with his hands. It seemed to have taken all the strength out of the poor guy, because he looked exhausted.

Techno decided to check if the communicator was already working, taking it in his free hand.

“I don’t want to go back.”

“I have to bring you home,” said Technoblade, still pronouncing the soft sounds rather roughly.

They looked towards the city, " This is not my home," then back at the alien, “I don't belong there.”

He should have just brought the man back to the city and continued working. It wasn't his business, but still. Maybe he could keep him company for a while. Although Dream wouldn't like that.

“Stay with me. For now.”

At least if they didn't like hanging out with him, he could just bring them back, because there were simply no other options. Certainly not for a human. This further swayed his disapproval of the galactic government.

“Are you taking me with you?”

Technoblade nodded.

He shouldn't be doing this. He doesn't even understand why he's doing this for this stranger. But because of their unfortunate look, he had a feeling…He didn't understand what it was, but for some reason his safe bag started to ache and throb slightly.

“Sorry, but before I agree, can I ask what you're doing here?”

Hmm, this will be difficult to explain.

And he didn't know such words in English, but he had a short but logical answer to the question.

Technoblade pointed to his bag of equipment and said, "Nerd stuff."

The man chuckled but cut it short, clearing his throat instead, “Yeah, sorry. I didn't expect to hear that from you.”

Piglin laughed, though it was kinda just a bunch of short snorts. An alien's appearance doesn't necessarily dictate their profession, though Techno does have a rather menacing appearance. However, anyone familiar with him would readily confirm he's a giant fluffy boy, both literally and figuratively.

It's difficult for humans to pronounce the growling sounds of piglins, so after an awkward exchange of names, they both decided to go with Philza and Techno.

Obviously, the human didn't know what a ‘safe bag’ was, so Techno had to explain that it was safe for them.

“I need to put you in my… storage,” it was the closest word he could remember.

“In your what?” Phil asked, looking the alien up and down with confusion.

He slightly pulled back the hand that held the human, "Here," he said, and ran his palm over the upper part of the belly.

"Is this the stomach?" Philza asked apprehensively.

"No. It's safe and warm," Piglin said quickly, holding Phil up to his face. He added, almost sadly, "It won't be for long."

The man stared at him, but eventually agreed, “I believe you, and…” they placed their hand on his thumb, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”

Techno had no idea what possessed him, but he suddenly pulled Philza to the base of his neck and started purring (more like rumbling). A short "Whoa!" snapped him out of it.

He looked at them again, and the man laughed awkwardly.

"Wow, that was loud, I could feel it in my bones."

“Sorry?”

 “No, it’s ok, mate! I like it, really.”

At that moment, Technoblade felt so happy! It was strange, but in a good way.

"Let me know when you're ready," Techno instructed, then opened his mouth wide, moving his hands closer.

Phil carefully crawled inside, avoiding tusks the same height as him. He ran his palm over the tongue, and it began to twitch slightly, to cover him with a layer of saliva for a smoother descent.

Everything around stood still, waiting. He lay down with his feet first, because he didn't want to break his neck or hurt his back, no matter how much pressure would be around him in a few seconds.

"I'm ready!" Philza shouted.

Piglin raised his head slightly and swallowed, placing his fingers on his neck to trace the human down.

That feeling again. His storage was clearly pleased to receive something 'valuable'. Maybe it's because Phil has light hair? But he felt a desire to protect this person, and he didn't have a logical explanation for it yet.

Speaking of which, he placed his hand on the spot where Phil was. In response, he felt a gentle pressure, and a muffled voice shouted, "I'm fine, mate!"

Technoblade rumbled with happy purrs.

His communicator made a nasty, high-pitched sound.

Oh, he had missed messages from Dream.

D: I'm done. What about you?

D: Where are you at? Is there a problem?

The device just made that sound again.

D: I'm coming.

As soon as Techno looked up, he saw his partner on the horizon and walked towards him.

“What happened? Is the communicator broken?”

“Nah, everything's fine. I was just checking something here. Let's get back to base.”

“Are you sure?”, Arachnitian asked, looking him up and down.

"Yeah, yeah. And hey, do you have a built-in workshop? I'd like to take a look at the climate control system blueprints, maybe I can make some notes for the future.”

“Wow, you’re really excited about this idea.”

“Yeah, that's for sure. Sudden inspiration, you could say," Techno absently rubbed his belly and headed towards the base with a contented sigh.

Dream didn't say anything and just followed him. He received a message on his communicator.

Arachnitian stopped and stared at Piglin's back. Then he quickly entered the message on his device and continued walking.

Techno glanced over his shoulder, "Is something wrong?"

"Ah, no. Don't worry about it."

"All right."

Dream kept drilling him with his eyes, but Techno seemed not to even feel it.

…

“What are you doing?”, he asked, annoyed but calm.

Techno slowly turned around and saw Dream leaning against the wall.

"How long have you been here?", the piglin asked awkwardly, hiding his hands behind his back.

“Long enough to see you steal my human food supplies,” he sighed and rubbed his temples, leaving his other pair of hands on his waist. “I knew it. Where are they?”

“Um, I don’t know what you’re talking about, man, I-”

“I have a message from the cryo-center, Technoblade. You must return them.”

“But can we keep him for a bit, pretty please?”, he tilted his head to the side innocently.

“What? Why? Besides, we’re not talking about a cat, we’re talking about a whole person!”

"Okay-okay. I get it...", Techno grumbled disapprovingly but then he tilted his head again, "What's a cat?"

Dream groaned and, without a word, went to the Piglin's room. He swiped the keycard, not even ashamed that he'd had access to someone else's room all this time.

He and Technoblade froze for a moment as they looked into the room.

Techno exclaimed in Common Galactic, "No, Phil! You can't draw on this!", he managed to scoop up the human, who didn't look remorseful at all.

“You got the original system blueprints and left them alone with the freezehead?!”

“I only showed him how to use the holographic tablet and virtual tables, I guess he got bored and connected to my workstation...”

Philza didn't understand the language, but he knew what was going on anyway, so he finally spoke up, "That blueprint was a mess, I just upgraded it."

Dream asked in English, "What? What do you mean by-". He looked over at the table, then poked Techno in the side with his elbow.

Techno placed Philza back on the table and began reviewing the edits. While Dream was sending the improved blueprint into the simulation - all the indicators were close to 100% stable.

"I copied it before I made my own version, there was no call for all that shouting, you loud fucks," the human complained, rubbing his ears.

Both aliens looked at him as if he were the strangest one in the room.

“What?”

"Who the hell are you?", Dream asked. "This is too perfect for a person from the beginning of this millennium."

Philza snorted, "First of all, fuck you," he gave Arachnitian the middle finger, then nodded towards his work, "Secondly, I just made edits on an already finished blueprint. If I got used to these new tools, it could be even better. But I don't know this language, and honestly I'm not into the nerdy part."

"Wait, you said this could be done even better?!" Dream burst out, not seeing Philza flinch, but Techno did and picked him up.

"I didn't get it all, but don't yell at him," Technoblade warned seriously.

Arachnitian gave them both a crooked smile, "You two really piss me off, but damn." He stared straight at the man, drilling him with his gaze, "Seriously, who are you, Philip Rosales?"

Technoblade felt Philza flinch and wanted to scold Dream, "Hey! Knock it off! You're only making things w-", he felt a tapping on his finger. Phil gestured to be put back down.

Dream finally pulled back, realizing he'd crossed the line. He and Techno sat down at the table. Philza, meanwhile, sat down on a little earring case, put his hands together, and looked over at Dream.

"Before everyone found out Earth was dying, I was one of the most famous architects of the last generation. And of course, you can't be good at it without understanding related fields like building and engineering."

Dream quickly translated his words into Common Galactic for Technoblade.

Phil continued, "But a wealth didn't help me with my... problem." The Arachnitian gave a short nod, as his guy at the cryo-center had leaked him information about this man. He knew about Kristin.

"I changed my name and surname when we were preparing to leave our planet. There was such a commotion that no one even noticed," he felt tears welling up in his eyes, so he lowered his head.

"And then I woke up today to find out that she... I feel- It seems," his voice cracked, and he slowly raised his gaze to the aliens, confessing with tears streaming down his face, "that Philza Minecraft died 300 years ago."

…

That conversation left Philza so shaken that Technoblade had to calm him for a long time. The man even asked to be hidden in the storage because the reality of what had happened had completely thrown him off.

Phil didn't know what he was thinking when he escaped from the cryo-center. Perhaps to see his beautiful wife's face one last time, to touch her, to gently stroke her head, to say that everything was alright... to say sorry. Even he didn't know what he wanted at that moment. He just felt as if he had lost a part of his soul.

However, despite the hardship, he will learn to move forward.

In this world that is completely alien to him. He will have two stubborn but reliable friends to help him through.

Perhaps thanks to them, he'll be able to turn this universe upside down, even if he's just doing what he likes.

And who knows, maybe someday there will be a human who finds a cure for death or will be able to bring people back to life. It sounds very utopian, but if they manage to break free from Moon-2 and continue to develop, then it's not such an absurd idea, is it? Though this clearly won't happen in Philza's lifetime.

However, if he can make his dream a reality even a fraction of a second sooner, he will spare no effort to achieve it.

Although the two aliens won’t let him overwork, that’s for sure.

…

Logbook «Brian». Record from November 4, 2328 [Earth calendar]:

Phil sent instructions for Sector 103-f to the main screen via his tablet. He still had to wear a mask due to the unbreathable air. But the crew was working fast, so they'll be able to breathe easy in just two weeks. He was so glad Technoblade was the one who understood all that nerdy stuff.

Anyway, where are the guys?

Someone poked him from behind, and he yelped.

"Are you half-asleep, freezehead?" Dream chuckled. "You didn't even notice me come in."

“Unlike Techno, you have a light step,” he replied in Common Galactic.

"Heh?", Piglin was on the other side, startling the man once more.

"Do you wanna give me a heart attack?" Phil asked, clutching his chest. He shot a sharp glance at the Arachnitian, "And stop calling me that, it's been three years."

Dream feigned thought, "No." He and Philza exchanged two middle fingers, and with a quick goodbye, he left them with Technoblade.

They went to the empty cafeteria, where they could breathe freely without a mask.

"Don’t you know what rest is, Philza?" Techno asked, and then took a sip of his coffee.

“I just want to finish this project early so we don’t waste time here on this-”

Piglin interrupted him with a loud click, 'Wrong answer.'"

Phil snorted, "Ready to volunteer your services, are you?"

“If you keep calling it that, I'll drop you in my coffee.”

"Maybe that's what I want," the human replied with a smirk.

"I don't think we should be doing something like this in your current state," Techno noted, casting a dubious glance at him.

"Mate, I'm not out of steam yet."

"Oh, I have no doubt about that, dude." Piglin extended a hand for Philza to climb on, "How about a nap for a couple of hours?"

Philza bit his lip. He actually wanted to do something else for the current project, so he wasn't sure if he should-

Oh, what the hell.

He laughed, "Weren't you supposed to be busy as well?"

Technoblade snorted, "That can wait. I really wanted to check out that Earth book you told me about."

Phil smiled, "I think you'll like the strategy book." He glanced around to make sure no one was nearby. He didn't want any extra questions; it was enough that Dream knew.

"Ok, enjoy your reading, mate. And this time, don't forget to wake me up."

"No promises," Techno said, bringing his palm closer to his face, "Considering I'll be doing two of my favorite things at once."

"Just admit you're greedy," Phil chuckled, crawling inside.

Smells like coffee.

Technoblade will never get tired of this feeling. Is it weird to taste happiness? Probably yes, but he doesn't care. He's happy that Philza came into his life.

Gulp. Purring.

"Maybe," he said contentedly, rubbing the spot where the dearest person in his life lay curled like a sleepy ball.

…

That's it! The end!

Due to the fact that humans lived in a colony status, they were not allowed to develop in other fields besides the GG. However, thanks to the explosive incident involving Philza, everything changed. The GG had to publicly admit that humans hold untapped potential and that it was irresponsible to waste the opportunity to nurture valuable individuals for the entire galactic community.

Historically, in Piglin culture, partners would give each other small gifts, which they kept in safe bags. Techno almost never used a ‘storage’, because he is, ahem, a nerd. But that wasn't the only reason Philza caught Techno's attention. Firstly, he was curious, and he experienced that explosive personality firsthand. And he wasn't awkward about it! Which is rare for him, even though Phil sometimes made him nervous.

I absolutely did not want to write s*icidal thoughts for Philza in this oneshot. I decided to stick with the idea that upon hearing the news, he felt as though he had died on the same day as his wife. Yeah, he messed up by running, but it was a mix of several factors. In the end, it was easier for him to adapt thanks to Technoblade than to try and build a life in the colony with humans. And he doesn't regret it.

Dream was their social lightning rod in the team, as he took on all communication with investors, management, and so on. He and Phil often argue, while Techno tries to calm them down. Dream tried to make a joke at Philza's expense, saying that Techno shouldn't have picked up that wild opossum. The man simply ridiculed him for knowing such ancient memes from the Earth Age. But for real, they consider themselves friends who constantly annoy each other.

I can't say that I've written everything I wanted to, but I didn't want to make chapters for this story... I wanted to write some more hurt/comfort for this au, but there's already a lot of words here.

If someone sends me questions about any of my aus, I'll definitely answer them.

So yeah :D

"Don't push yourself, Mr. Rosales, it's too early to walk. We need to run a bunch of tests and quarantine you."

"Yeah, yeah. I remember the explanation. You don’t want to get a pandemic because of my ancient cold.”, he said with neglect, looking around the room.

“You could say that, yes.” The young man looked around, checking to see if any of his colleagues were coming.

He ignored the man’s comment about how even after 300 years, people still made ugly wall calendars.

“It's actually my first day, and I was so worried- I mean, it's a great honor for me to personally meet someone from the past. You are the representative of our great ancestors who decided to save humanity and agreed to-”

“I don't give a fuck about humanity, man.”, he interrupted him, “I agreed to come here so that in the future people would find a cure for my wife's illness. By the way, where is she?”

“Oh, r-right! Here.”, he handed him the certificate of death.

“Wha-”, Phil snatched the paper from his hands and slowly read every line, his eyes wide open.

“My condolences, she passed away before the beginning of procedure and you’ve already been put into cryo-sleep. It was decided to keep her body in a refrigerated chamber in a nearby town, but...I’m really sorry, but you can't go there right now.”

He watched as the man's eyes lost their shine, and he had an empty, cold gaze on the unfortunate piece of paper, which was already slightly wrinkled.

His expressionless face lifted to look at the worker in front of him.

“Before you start your work, may I ask something?”

…

“Hey! Newbie! Where's your patient?”

“Oh, he went to the bathroom.”

The older colleague looked at him as if he had grown a second head, he said, “There's no one there.”

“No- he-”, the guy looked inside the other room, “Where did he go?”

“You’re a moron! Patients don’t eat or drink before cryo-sleep!”

“I know that! I thought he needed some privacy time because of the news about his-”

“You told him?!”

“What was I supposed to do? Lie to him?”, the guy began to look around nervously for help, but there was no one in the room but the two of them.

“At the very least, make sure he doesn’t escape!” the man shouted over his shoulder, dialing the security number on his tablet-like device, “Where the hell did he go anyway?

“Well, he was asking about the refrigeration chambers…” the guy began, already seeing his senior colleague looking at him in disbelief.

"Don't tell me he was planning on getting there on his own feet.  He'll die before he reaches the next city’s border. We need to report this immediately! How did he even get out of here?!”

As the man was cursing, the guy took out his communicator and quickly sent a message to someone.

 He cursed, “Damn it!”

“What is it?”

“Some scientist is due to arrive today to set up climate control, our keeper is unavailable. These things don't work in the dead zone.”

“Did you at least warn him that going there would be a dangerous idea?”

The guy was looking anywhere but at the angry face in front of him.

“Well, I said it's very cold there.”

 “I was just wondering if you could let Tommy know he needs to come home? I tried calling his phone but I think it’s dead.” Phil asked, moving to scoop up a portion of the casserole for himself.

 “What?” Schlatt asked and Phil frowned, a sudden feeling of dread entering his gut at the simple word.

 “Tommy is over at yours, right? I told him he needed to be home by dinner but he’s still not home.” Phil prayed silently that the connection was just bad and that Schlatt simply hadn’t heard him the first time. But he was proven wrong with Schlatt’s next words.

 “Phil...Tommy isn’t over here.”

 Phil swallowed thickly, trying not to get worked up. “No, but Tommy said he was going to see Tubbo. Are you sure he isn’t over there?” He heard Schlatt sigh but even Phil could hear the concern within it.

 “Hold on. Tubbo!” The yell was a bit muffled, like Schlatt had put his hand over the phone. Phil waited with bated breath, hoping Tommy had simply snuck past Schlatt when he arrived to hang out with Tubbo. Because...Tommy wouldn’t lie, right? He had no reason to.

 Right?

 He heard some shuffling from the other end before the phone was released and then put on speaker. “Hey Tubs, Phil is on the phone. He wants to know if Tommy is here.” Schlatt asked.

 “Tommy? Um, no, he isn’t. I asked him earlier if he wanted to hang out but he said he was busy. Why? What’s going on?” Tubbo said, concern bleeding through his tone after answering the question.

 Meanwhile, Phil couldn’t help but question what Tommy could have meant by telling Tubbo he was ‘busy’. What was Tommy doing? He...He wouldn’t be doing drugs right? Phil liked to think he taught him well enough on all of that sort of stuff. But then what was he doing?

 After Phil wasn’t answering for a few moments, Schlatt decided to answer Tubbo. “Apparently Tommy said he was coming over to hang out with you and Phil told him to be back by dinner. But, clearly, neither of those things happened and now Tommy is…” Schlatt trailed off and Phil couldn’t help but be grateful for that. He didn’t want to think like that. Tommy couldn’t be...missing.

 “Tubbo, do you have any idea where Tommy could be?” And why he would lie about it? Phil thought, but that went unsaid.

 “I...no. I really don’t. I mean, he could have gone to Ranboo’s place but I don’t think-” Phil didn’t hear the rest of what Tubbo said because suddenly the front door was opening. Phil ran out of the kitchen and as he saw Tommy, relief flooded over him. He scanned over his son, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. He didn’t look injured and there was no smell of anything. Not that Phil wanted to believe that Tommy had been doing drugs but he couldn’t help but check anyway. All that was really noticeable was the sheepish look on his face.

 “Tommy!” He shouted, that same relief he felt was clear in his tone. The voices on the phone had gone quiet, listening in.

 “Sorry Phil, I got caught up with something Tubbo was showing me.” Tommy said. No, lied. Tommy was lying and Phil had no idea why.

 Phil took in a deep breath. “Tommy. I’m on the phone with Schlatt and Tubbo right now.” Phil watched as Tommy’s face paled, his sheepish grin turning into a panicked frown.

 “I-”

 “I don’t want excuses, Tommy. Where were you? I was worried sick when I realized you weren’t at Tubbo’s.” Phil said, stepping closer to Tommy. There was no real anger in his tone, just concern and disappointment that came off as stern.

 “I wasn't doing anything bad! I promise, I just, I…” Tommy trailed off, looking off to the side and Phil wasn’t sure he could believe him at this point.

 And then he noticed it. As Tommy had turned his head, he noticed a bit of brown sticking out of Tommy’s hair. Phil reached forward and grabbed the small stick stuck to Tommy’s curls. Tommy flinched and his eyes widened when he saw what Phil had taken out.

 “Tommy...were you out in the forest?” Tommy opened his mouth to answer but Phil didn’t let him. “Tommy, you know how dangerous that is! Those rumors aren’t just rumors, you could have been killed out there!”

 “But I wasn’t! I’m fine!” Tommy argued back and that was all the confirmation Phil needed. 

 The forest was filled with awful, terrible magic. Man-eating beasts and strange, ferocious creatures were said to live deep within it. Some people even thought it was a portal to another world. Phil wasn’t one to believe in rumors but even he knew there was some truth to what people said. And the fact that Tommy even stepped foot in the forest, not to mention how far he must have gone, made Phil feel sick with worry.

 “Tommy, you’re grounded.”

 Tommy blinked. “What!? No! That’s not fair!”

 Phil’s eyes hardened. “You completely disregarded one of my rules, I think this is more than fair. You are not allowed to leave this house, unless it’s for school, for the next few weeks at least.” He turned back to the phone, aware that Schlatt and Tubbo had been listening this whole time. “I’m sorry for bothering you Schlatt. And Tubbo, I’m sorry, but Tommy won’t be able to hang out outside of school for a bit.”

 “Oh, uh, right.” He heard Tubbo say, a bit awkwardly. 

 “Glad Tommy’s safe at least. Have a good night, Phil.” Schlatt said.

 “You too.” Phil hung up the phone after that, turning back to Tommy who had his arms around himself, the beginnings of tears in his eyes. Phil sighed.

 “Tommy, I’m only doing this because I love you and I don’t want to see you hurt. That forest is dangerous and you need to learn that your actions have consequences.” Phil softly explained. “Now go ahead and take a plate. After you eat, you’ll be staying in your room for a bit, no electronics unless it’s for school. Okay?”

 Tommy looked like he wanted to argue but he didn’t, something that surprised Phil, and simply sat at the table and started eating his food. Once he was done, Tommy headed upstairs.

 Phil left him alone for a few hours but once he was about to go to bed, he knocked on Tommy’s door. “Toms? Can I come in please?”

 He heard shuffling before a muffled reply came through. “Yeah.”

 Phil smiled a little before opening the door. Tommy was face down on his bed, hands clutching his blankets fiercely. Phil sighed and went over to sit on Tommy’s bed. “Toms.”

 He waited for several long moments before finally Tommy turned his head to face Phil. Tommy didn’t meet his eyes though. “I just want to know why you went into the forest.”

 Tommy didn’t answer for a long moment, before curling up with his pillow and sighing. “I was just...I was just curious.”

 “You could have been seriously hurt.” Phil repeated his earlier point and he watched as Tommy sat up quickly, fully looking at him now.

 “But I wasn’t! It was completely fine!” Tommy shouted and Phil wasn’t sure why, but the hint of desperation on his son’s face and in his tone left him confused.

 “This time. You were fine this time and I thank Prime that’s the case.” Phil said and Tommy reverted his gaze again. “But next time might be a different story. Please, Toms, promise me you won’t go back there again.”

 Tommy swallowed, looking down at his hands sitting in his lap. And then he sighed and met Phil gaze, his eyes wide and sad. “...Okay. I-I won’t.”

 Phil smiled softly and pulled him into a hug. “Thank you.”

 Tommy sounded genuine and Phil believed him, so he should be feeling better about everything.

 So why was there still a pit of dread in his gut?

***

 A few days had passed since Tommy had been grounded and Phil could tell his son was bored out of his mind without being able to go hang out with his friends. He had given Tommy his electronics back the second day, feeling bad about that, but still staying strong on not letting Tommy go out. Although Tommy was being very good, so maybe Phil could lift the punishment sooner rather than later.

 Phil had noticed Tommy being a bit antsy lately but whenever Phil asked, Tommy just said he missed Tubbo and Ranboo. It made sense. Tommy was a young teen boy who just wanted to go and run around with his friends. Of course he was feeling a bit antsy.

 Phil checked in on Tommy one last time for the night before heading to bed himself. He fell asleep, the small pit in his stomach all but gone.

 He suddenly awoke to the earth shaking.

 Phil bolted upright in bed, gripping the side of his bed as everything shook around him. Was this an earthquake? It had to be but...something was off about it. 

 Phil waited and the shaking stopped. He carefully got out of bed and started heading out to go check on Tommy before a loud crash and bam filled his ears, almost like an explosion. 

 And then he heard a scream.

 Tommy.

 Phil swung his door open and ran down the hall, wasting no time in throwing Tommy’s door open. He stood frozen at what he saw. The back wall had been ripped out, the pieces of that wall filling the floor of the room. The open space caused the night air to seep into the room and make Phil shiver but he ignored it.

 He ignored it because Tommy wasn’t in his room. No, Tommy was in the hands of a giant that was currently walking back towards the forest.

 Wait, no, not one giant. Another figure made itself known amongst the trees, faint voices telling Phil that they were talking to each other. Two of them.

 Phil’s heart spiked to his throat as he heard Tommy’s loud voice get farther and farther away as two giants kidnapped him for who knows what.

 Phil didn’t think. He went on complete instinct as he ran down the stairs and out the door, towards where the giants were going. That was his son and he would not be losing him to the fabled man-eating beasts of the forest. Not if he could help it.

 He really hoped he could help it.

 He ran through the forest, slowly watching as the trees seemed to get bigger and bigger as he got deeper into the forest but his attention wasn’t focused on that. His attention was more focused on keeping the giants in sight as he ran to try and catch up with them. He was able to keep up with them at a distance until they disappeared into a large cave. 

 Phil didn’t slow down until he was at the entrance. He huffed from the amount of running he had to do, not used to exercising at all, and hid behind a rock to watch what the giants were doing with his son. It seemed he joined in the middle of a conversation.

 “-you hadn’t come when you said and we were worried, alright.” The giant with pink hair, the one holding his son, said. He seemed almost annoyed at admitting he was worried. But...why would the giant be worried? Phil had no idea what was going on and he was now really confused along with being completely terrified.

 “I get that but that doesn’t mean you break my wall and kidnap me! My dad is probably worried sick! He probably thinks you two are going to eat me or something!” Tommy shouted, seemingly unafraid of the two giants holding him captive. Phil’s eyes widened at this. Did Tommy have a death wish? But then he thought more about Tommy’s words. He was talking to them like...like he knew them already.

 The two giants reacted to Tommy’s statement with disgust and horror. “We wouldn’t do that though!” The one with curly brown hair said. Even his tone was horrified. So much so that Phil couldn’t possibly see it as anything but genuine.

 He couldn’t really see Tommy from where he was, but his tone was enough for Phil to know that his son was rolling his eyes. “Obviously I know that. But Phil doesn’t and neither does anyone else.” He heard Tommy huff. “Besides, you literally were the ones who said to keep you guys secret and you threw that out the window because you decided the best thing to do when I didn’t show up for a few days was kidnap me and ruin my house.”

 The two giants looked sheepish. “We...weren’t really thinking.” The brown haired giant said.

 “I figured.” Tommy replied back and then sighed. The pink haired giant shifted his hold, opening up his hand to allow Tommy to sit in his palm. To Phil’s continued confusion, Tommy only sat there calmly. “But now we have to figure out what we’re going to do. I don’t even know what Phil’s-” Tommy cut himself off as he glanced towards the entrance to the cave, and even from far away Phil could tell that he had been spotted.

 Tommy tensed and quickly stood up on the hand, barely even swaying on the uneven surface. “Dad!?”

 Both giants turned to where Tommy was looking and suddenly he had two pairs of giant eyes looking at him. Phil froze, not knowing what to do. Tommy had given him away but he didn’t seem regretful or afraid. Well, he seemed nervous maybe but definitely not of the giants. It was as if...as if Tommy was nervous of what Phil would think.

 Phil took a deep breath and fully stepped into the open. He was terrified out of his mind of the giants but if Tommy was so calm then maybe he should trust his son. “H-Hey mate.”

 “Techno, put me down!” Tommy demanded, looking up at the pink haired giant. The giant, Techno apparently, hesitated for a moment before kneeling down and actually letting Tommy off on the ground. Huh. As soon as his feet were on solid ground, Tommy wasted no time in running over to Phil. “Dad!”

 “Tommy!” Phil couldn’t help but shout with relief and he enveloped Tommy in a hug as soon as he was close enough. He held on tight and took a shaky breath. “Oh Toms, I thought I had lost you.”

 Tommy hugged him back and laughed sheepishly. “Um, yeah, sorry about that.” Tommy pulled away but only enough so he could look Phil in the eyes. “But I’m fine! I promise. I don’t know how much you heard but Techno and Wil, the giants, they would never hurt me.”

 Phil looked up at the giants, who hadn’t moved and were only watching the two. With what appeared to be a mixture of guilt and curiosity. “I...I heard quite a bit, I’ll admit that. And...well, you don’t seem to be hurt.” Phil ran a hand over Tommy’s hair. 

 “I’m not! In fact, they protect me from all the other crazy stuff in the forest. They, I, um…” Tommy blushed a deep red, not meeting Phil in the eyes. Phil was confused until Tommy muttered something. “They’re my family, Phil. Like…my brothers.”

 Phil’s eyes widened and he looked up at the two giants. They looked confused, not having heard what Tommy had said. But Phil did. Loud and clear. “I…”

 “Um...Phil was it?” One of the giants spoke up, bringing all the attention onto him. It was the one called Wil, the brown haired one, who had spoken. Phil tensed at being addressed but sucked it up. 

 “Y-Yeah.” Phil said, holding onto Tommy tight. Wil shifted a bit, looking nervous.

 “I know you don’t know us and so our word doesn’t really mean a lot but...we care about Tommy so much. We’ve only known him for around two months now but we...we love him. And we would never hurt him!” Wil looked down sadly and it was silent for a few moments. Wil then glared at Techno and elbowed him in the ribs.

 “Oh! Uh, what he said.” Techno said and even Phil could tell he was feeling awkward. He must not be one for emotions. 

 Wil sighed and decided to continue. “We’re sorry about, uh, kidnapping Tommy. We were just worried when he hadn’t come to visit in a few days and we...got a bit carried away.”

 “And sorry about your house.” Techno chimed in and Wil winced.

 “Right, yeah, that too. Sorry about your house.”

 This was...a lot for Phil to process. These giants were...polite if a bit awkward. They seemed like normal young adults if not for their size. They didn’t...they didn’t seem like the man-eating beasts the rumors claimed them as. And if what they were saying was true, which Phil couldn’t help but believe despite himself, then Tommy was safe here with them. Phil was safe here with them.

 “Is this what you snuck off to do? To meet up with them.” Phil asked, looking down at Tommy. Tommy nodded, looking down. “And that’s why you lied. Because…” 

 “Because I didn’t think you would believe me. Or like the fact that I was hanging out with them or think they were tricking me or...or something like that. I was scared and Techno and Wil were scared. They didn’t want anyone else knowing about them.” Tommy explained and he looked back at the two giants with love in his eyes that Phil often saw pointed at him or his best friends.

 “It’s...a lot, for sure. And if I hadn’t heard what I had, I probably would have reacted badly.” Phil admitted. “But now...I believe you. I believe them, even though part of me is still terrified.” Phil said and he watched as Tommy’s face lit up.

 “R-Really!?” Tommy’s face was breaking out into a grin and Phil couldn’t help but smile as well. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the giants perk up, hopeful expressions on their faces.

 “Tommy, you see them as family. And I trust you. So...I think the least I can do is give them a chance.” As soon as Phil finished, Tommy jumped out of his arms with a loud exclamation of excitement and Phil watched as he ran back over to the giants.

 “Did you guys hear that! Phil’s gonna give you guys a chance! He’s okay with us hanging out!” Tommy was jumping up and down, a large grin on his face. That alone was enough for Phil to know he made the right decision.

 “We heard.” Techno said, a small smile of his own. But his eyes reflected more emotion than Phil had previously seen. Techno was ecstatic as much as Tommy was.

 “We also heard that you consider us family? Aww, Tommy, that’s so sweet.” Wil’s voice went high and he cooed at Tommy, scooping him up with no warning. Phil tensed a bit, still terrified of the idea of his son in the giant’s hand but the only thing that happened was that Wil gently pressed Tommy to his cheek.

 “Shut up!” Tommy shouted but he didn’t deny it either and Wil noticed.

 “It’s okay Tommy, you know we consider you our little brother.” Wil admitted and though it was hard to see, Phil was sure his son had gone red.

 Phil took a deep breath and walked a bit closer, Wil was too busy teasing Tommy to notice but Techno did. Phil paused but relaxed a bit when Techno smiled down at him. “Thank you for giving us a chance.” Techno said, his voice monotonous as always but soft now, as if any louder and Phil would take his words back.

 Phil smiled back. “Of course.”

 “Oh!” Tommy popped over the side of Wil’s hand, looking down at Phil. “We should probably do some proper introductions! Dad, this is Technoblade and Wilbur. Guys, this is my dad, Phil.”

 Phil smiled up at the giants. He was still afraid and there was still the tiniest bit of doubt in his mind about all of this but...he trusted Tommy and they seemed to genuinely care and love his son just as much as Phil did. And that...that was all Phil could really ask for.

 Despite his fears, Phil didn’t think he made the wrong decision.

 “It’s nice to finally meet the two of you.” He said. And as the two giants smiled back at him and repeated much the same and as he saw Tommy be the happiest he’s ever been, well...Phil was excited for the future.