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.

 “Awesome!” He exclaimed before running up the stairs and into his room. His eyes immediately fell on Wilbur, who was watching something on the phone Tommy had left for him. 

 Wilbur looked up and met Tommy’s eyes before standing up and pushing the pause button on the phone. With Tommy back up here, he rightly assumed he wouldn’t be finishing his show anyway.

 “Hey Wilbur! Sorry for leaving you home all day.” Tommy apologized, coming over to where he was and scooping him up. After a month and a half, Wilbur barely reacted to the action. He just shrugged once he gained his bearings.

 “It’s fine.” It had been kind of nice, actually, getting a day to himself. “Did you have fun?”

 Tommy beamed. “Yeah! Phil took me all over and it was so pog. But it isn’t over yet.” At the confused look Wilbur gave him, Tommy chuckled. “We’re going over to Puffy’s for dinner. Ya know, my therapist?”

 Ah yes, the one who suggested Tommy get a borrower in the first place. Wilbur wasn’t sure if he should thank her or cuss her out.

 He looked at Tommy.

 ...Perhaps both.

 “Oh, so you guys are going to be leaving again?” Maybe he could finish his show after all.

 “Yeah but this time, you get to come with us! And Phil told me that her son and nephew even have their own borrowers! So maybe you could make some friends.” Wilbur winced at the new information. He was fine with going out with Tommy, the human had already brought him to several places before, he was used to it at this point. And it was nice to get out of the house every now and then.

 What Wilbur didn’t like was the fact they were going somewhere where more borrowers were owned and kept as pets. He didn’t want to see a borrower completely broken and fully into their role as a pet or a borrower who still had some fight in them get punished. He wasn’t sure which one was worse, to be honest. Although the latter had potential for Tommy to copy later on.

 No, he couldn’t think like that. Tommy had promised and had backed up that promise this whole time.

 But would Tommy say anything if he saw the other kid punish his borrower? Wilbur wasn’t sure if he wanted to know the answer to that question.

 “Um, yeah! Maybe.” Wilbur said with some fake excitement. He didn’t really want to ruin the good day Tommy was having. “It sounds like fun.”

 Despite his best efforts, Tommy deflated a little. “Yeah, hopefully.”

 Wilbur frowned. “Hopefully?” That sounded like more of a thought Wilbur would have, not Tommy.

 Tommy bit his lip. “I’ve never had the best luck when it comes to...making friends.”

 Ah, right. Wilbur had almost forgotten the whole reason Tommy needed Wilbur in the first place. The two of them had always been outcasts among their kind.

 “Well...maybe this time it’ll be different.” Wilbur said, not knowing what else to say. “And I’ll be there. So no matter what, you won’t be alone.”

 Tommy gave him a small smile at that. “Yeah, you’re right.” Tommy felt a bit better now. “Welp, better start getting ready. Dad says we need to be there by 6.”

***

 As they pulled up to Puffy’s driveway, Tommy’s grip around Wilbur subconsciously squeezed a bit tighter as his nerves spiked. Wilbur tensed and took a deep breath but it didn’t hurt, thankfully. He patted Tommy’s thumb and the grip loosened again as Tommy met Wilbur’s eyes.

 “It’ll be alright.” Wilbur reassured, despite not really feeling that way. Better to make Tommy less nervous though, for both of their sakes.

 Tommy nodded and followed his dad out the car. He placed Wilbur on his shoulder before going to stand next to his dad at the door. His dad knocked and Tommy focused on the way Wilbur situated himself on his shoulder in order to ground himself better. Everything would be okay. Even if the other two teens didn’t like him then that was fine, he still had Wilbur. 

 It would hurt, of course, but he’d get over it.

 Puffy opened the door, a large smile on her face as she looked at Tommy. “Tommy! It’s so nice to see you again. And Phil, you too. How are you?” Puffy said, friendly as always and already Tommy felt a bit more relaxed. Puffy was familiar and that made it a little easier.

 “We’re good. Hungry for sure.” Phil chuckled and Puffy laughed alongside him. Tommy, however, simply rolled his eyes.

 “And this must be Wilbur?” Puffy said, making Tommy focus back on her. She was pointing at his shoulder.

 “Oh! Um, yeah. This is Wilbur.” He didn’t really know what else to say but thankfully, Puffy didn’t push for more than what he had given.

 “That’s awesome. You seem a lot happier Tommy, I’m proud.” Puffy’s voice had turned soft and Tommy couldn’t help the way his cheeks turned a light red.

 “Anyway, come on in you two! Dinner is just about ready.” Puffy said, moving out of the way so Phil and Tommy could enter. Tommy followed closely behind Phil, looking at the house around him. It was a nice place, definitely had a homely feel to it.

 He followed Phil into the kitchen, only to pause when he saw an older boy leaning against the counter. He looked about 17, maybe 18, so Tommy assumed this was Puffy’s son, Dream. He didn’t like the way Dream was looking at him though, there was a frown on his face and his eyes were narrowed and when that narrowed gaze lingered on his shoulder, he realized he was looking at Wilbur.

 Worried, Tommy brought his hand up and grabbed Wilbur, ignoring his small yelp and holding him close to his chest instead. He noticed as Dream’s frown deepened and so he turned away and moved closer to Phil. He wasn’t sure he liked Dream very much and from what it looked like, Dream already didn’t like him.

 He started messing with Wilbur’s hair to help calm him down, gently running his finger over the soft curls. 

 Wilbur, who was used to Tommy using him to fidget, simply let it happen. It didn’t bother him too much anyway. What did bother him was the other human’s gaze. Dream wasn’t even meeting his eyes, no, it seemed like he was actually looking a bit lower. At his...collar.

 Wilbur didn’t want to know why and he didn’t want to think about the leather strapped around his neck right now. So instead, he tried his best to himself relax in Tommy’s hold, focusing more on the soothing motion of Tommy’s finger running across his head.

 It...sort of worked.

 “Oh Tommy! This is my son, Dream.” Puffy said as she re-entered the kitchen behind Tommy and Phil. She gently pushed Dream a bit closer to them and Tommy had to fight the urge to back up in turn. Wilbur, meanwhile, did not hide his flinch. “Don’t be rude, Dream, say hi.”

 “Hey.” Dream said, short and not very sweet. Tommy bit his lip.

 “Hi.” He managed to get out. He didn’t like meeting Dream’s eyes so he lowered them, which caused him to notice the small lump in his hoodie pocket. Immediately, Tommy remembered that Dream had his own borrower. “Is that your borrower?” Tommy blurted out, pointing at Dream’s pocket, before realizing maybe that was a bad idea.

 Dream scowled but Puffy chimed in for her son. “Oh! Probably.” She chuckled. “Dream hardly goes anywhere without Sapnap.” She then turned to face her son. “There’s still some time before dinner. How about you show Tommy where Tubbo is and I’ll call you all down when it’s ready.”

 Dream nodded despite not looking too happy. “Alright.”

 The last thing Tommy wanted was to be left alone with Dream but it didn’t look like he had a choice as Dream motioned for him to follow. A soft pat on one of his fingers made him pause in petting Wilbur and look down. Wilbur gave him a soft smile and a reminder of his earlier words. Tommy took in a breath. Right, he had Wilbur. He wasn’t really alone.

 He followed Dream.

***

 Dream walked slowly up the stairs and down the hallway. So slowly that Tommy found himself getting a bit impatient. He just wanted to get these first meetings over with and this was not helping. He couldn’t help but think Dream was doing this on purpose. 

 Finally, they stopped at a door at the end of the hall. But Dream made no move to open it. Instead, he turned to face Tommy. Tommy backed up a step and Dream stared at him before lowering his gaze to look at Wilbur. He thinks, for a moment, that Dream’s gaze softened a little but they hardened again by the time Dream’s gaze returned to his own.

 “I don’t know how you treat your borrower but ours are off limits.” Dream said curtly. “No grabbing, no touching, got it?”

 Tommy didn’t like Dream’s tone but he supposed he could understand being protective of his borrower. “Same here, big man.” Tommy decided to say, trying to match his tone with Dream’s. Dream’s eyes narrowed before he huffed. He turned around and opened the door. 

 “Come on in.” Dream said and Tommy followed him into the room. Immediately, Tommy’s focus was on the boy sitting on the floor with his phone, a borrower sitting on top of his knee. The boy’s gaze looked up as they entered but unlike Dream’s cold welcome, the boy, who Tommy assumed was Tubbo, grinned.

 “Hey! You must be Tommy!” Tubbo exclaimed, grabbing his borrower off his knee before jumping to stand. “I’m Tubbo! And this is Ranboo!” He held the borrower up, who waved shyly. He heard Dream let out a little sigh but Tommy chose to ignore him.

 “Um, yeah, I’m Tommy. And this is Wilbur.” He raised Wilbur up a bit to show him off and Wilbur answered by waving a little. 

 Tubbo looked to meet Wilbur’s gaze but paused and just...stared instead. His grin had slipped off his face and he suddenly looked...sad. Tommy was confused, as was Wilbur, and the borrower squirmed under the attention.

 “Tubbo.” Dream interrupted, snapping Tubbo out of...whatever that had been. 

 “Hi Wilbur!” Tubbo greeted with a grin, acting as if nothing had happened. Though his smile appeared just a bit more forced. “Is dinner ready?” The question was directed at Dream, who had taken a seat on Tubbo’s bed. 

 “Not yet. Mom wanted you to meet Tommy first. She’ll call us down when it's ready.” Tubbo nodded and then motioned for Tommy to sit on the floor with him. Tommy did so, not knowing what else to do.

 Tommy watched as Tubbo placed his hand on the floor and allowed Ranboo to walk off. The borrower stayed close by though, leaning against Tubbo’s leg. Tommy thought about setting Wilbur down as well but at the same time, he didn’t want to lose the comfort Wilbur brought him while he held him like he was currently. Also, he didn’t trust Tubbo or Dream yet, so better to be safe than sorry. 

 As Ranboo got settled, Tubbo turned his attention back to Tommy.

 “I’ve been excited to meet you big man! Aunt Puffy’s told me a lot about you!” Tubbo said but that only caused Tommy to falter.

 “Uh, wh-what?” What did that mean? What kinds of things? Did Tubbo know about his old school? His past homes?

 Dream groaned and Tommy snapped his attention over to the older teen, his panic on hold. “Tubbo, you can’t say those kinds of things to one of mom’s patients.” He met eyes with Tommy. “Don’t worry, mom would never break patient confidentiality.” 

 Tommy let himself relax, letting out a relieved sigh. “Thanks.” He wasn’t expecting the reassurance or the almost soft tone that came from Dream, but he was thankful all the same.

 Tubbo winced. “Oops. Sorry, I don’t think before I speak sometimes.”

 Tommy huffed out a laugh. “Same.”

 When Tubbo grinned, Tommy couldn’t help but smile back. Okay, maybe Tubbo wasn’t all too bad.

 “Boys! Dinner is ready!” Puffy called from downstairs. Tubbo jumped up, being mindful of where Ranboo was, with Tommy not far behind him. But both boys paused when Dream placed a hand on Tubbo’s shoulder to stop him.

 “How about we leave our borrowers here to get to know each other and we can bring food up for them later.” Dream suggested. He looked between the two of them but his eyes seemed to linger on Tommy. Tubbo’s own eyes widened before he nodded and also looked over to Tommy.

 “Right! That sounds like a good idea! I’m sure Wilbur isn’t around a lot of borrowers, it could be good for him!” Tubbo threw in, unknowingly repeating Phil’s words from earlier.

 Despite having agreed to the idea with Phil, Tommy couldn’t help but be nervous. “Oh, uh…” He looked down at Wilbur and Wilbur looked up at him. “What...what do you think?” Tommy decided to ask his borrower, missing the surprised looks on Tubbo and Dream’s face.

 “I think I’ll be fine here.” Wilbur said, smiling a little. He wasn’t actually too sure on that but he couldn’t help but be curious about the other borrowers. So far, things didn’t seem too bad but he wanted to hear it from the borrowers’ own mouths, without the humans in the room.

 Tommy nodded. “Alright, I guess that sounds good then.” He directed the last part towards the other humans in the room. He was still hesitant but he kneeled down and placed Wilbur on the ground, not too far from where Ranboo was standing.

 Tubbo grinned and waved to Ranboo on the ground. “See you later bossman!” Wilbur heard Ranboo chuckle and wave back with the hint of a smile on his face. The expression just furthered Wilbur’s questions.

 Tommy stood next to Tubbo, ready to follow him out but paused when he saw Dream kneeling down and finally take his hand out of his pocket, revealing his borrower, Sapnap, if Tommy remembered correctly. “We’ll be back soon.” And then they were gone, the door shut behind them.

***

 Wilbur watched as Tommy left the room with the other humans before turning towards the other two borrowers. They seemed to be the same age as their respective humans, which left him as the oldest. Something else he took notice of, which was more clear now that he was closer to them, was that neither borrower was wearing a collar.

 The reality of that fact set in and it left him confused, yet hopeful. Why didn’t they have collars on? Did they manage to take them off and hide them away? Or did their humans not force them to wear one? And if so, why? He absentmindedly tugged on his own collar, wishing more than ever for it to be off.

 Dream’s borrower, Sapnap, stepped forward and gave him an easy smile. “Hey, I’m Sapnap and that’s Ranboo. Wilbur, right?”

 Wilbur nodded and took Sapnap’s offered hand. It was strange to be interacting with someone his own size after so long. Even when he had been in that pet store for six months, he never really spoke to the others trapped with him. So actually being able to shake someone's hand was kind of nice. 

 And like he previously observed, the two of them seemed normal. They didn’t act like one wrong move would get them punished or act like they were already broken. Ranboo looked a little nervous but he had a feeling he always looked like that. Maybe Tubbo and Dream were like Tommy? Maybe even...better, what with the lack of collars and all.

 “So, how...are you?” Sapnap asked a bit awkwardly. Wilbur could only shrug in response.

 “I mean, I’m good I guess.” Wilbur was suddenly reminded of why he didn’t interact with any of the other borrowers in the pet shop.

 Sapnap nodded but he didn’t look convinced of Wilbur’s answer. Wilbur noticed as his eyes glanced down and Wilbur knew immediately that he was looking at the collar around his neck. Why was everyone here so interested in it? Couldn’t he just ignore it in peace?

 “I guess I’ll just jump right into it.” Sapnap said with a sigh and Wilbur’s eyebrows furrowed. They met eyes and Wilbur almost took a step back at how intense Sapnap’s gaze was. “We can get you away from Tommy.”

 Wilbur blinked. “...What?” That is...not where he expected this to go at all.

 It was Ranboo’s turn to chime in, looking a bit less nervous than before and more determined now. “We have tunnels and rooms hidden in the walls. We can hide you in there and Tommy will never know.”

 “I…” Wilbur still felt speechless. “What?”

 Sapnap gave a small smile. “I know it’s sudden and all but when Dream found out that Tommy was coming over and bringing you, he came up with a plan.” He motioned over towards Ranboo. “We aren’t treated like pets and we wanted to have the chance to save you from being one.”

 Wilbur didn’t know what to say. Tubbo and Dream...didn’t see them as pets? Although it made sense when he put everything he had seen together. “Oh…” He looked down. What did he say? Obviously Tommy treated him well and Wilbur would almost say he was happy. Except, of course, for the fact that Tommy still saw him as a pet. 

 But despite that one flaw, Wilbur really didn’t want to leave.

 “Wilbur?” Ranboo cut through his thoughts. He gave Wilbur a small smile. “Come on, we can go right now and get you settled while we wait for Tommy to leave-”

 Wilbur cut him off. “Oh no, no! Um...Tommy is great. Really great, actually. He treats me well and I already decided a while ago I wasn’t going to run or anything.”

 Sapnap and Ranboo shared a look. “But...the collar?” Sapnap pointed out.

 Wilbur winced. “I mean...he still sees me like a pet. I guess that much is obvious.” He tugged at the collar. “But Tommy isn’t bad. Just...misguided. I could even almost forget he sees me like a pet sometimes! It’s just...there’s always a reminder of how he actually sees me.”

 Sapnap bit his lip. “He’s never hurt you?”

 Wilbur shook his head. “No, never. He promised back when we first met and he’s kept that promise. He also...listens a lot of the time.”

 “Like earlier.” Ranboo said and when Wilbur looked over at him, he seemed to be in thought. “With asking you if you wanted to stay here with us. That was...surprising.”

 “Oh...yeah. He does a lot of things like that.” Wilbur smiled a little at the reminder that Tommy wasn’t all bad.

 Sapnap hummed before nodding. “Well, I think we can rule out Stockholm Syndrome.”

 Wilbur blanked. “Wha-I could have told you that!”

 Ranboo chuckled a little and Sapnap smiled. “Just making sure. Anyway, I guess I’ll let Dream know it’s on to plan B.”

 Wilbur tilted his head in confusion as he watched Sapnap pull out a phone from underneath the bed. “Plan B?”

 Sapnap nodded. “Tubbo and Dream are going to talk with Tommy and convince him that borrowers aren’t pets.”

 Wilbur froze and he felt hope rise in him despite himself. Could they make Tommy see? Would Wilbur finally no longer be a pet? Wilbur always did think that Tommy just needed one final push in realizing borrowers weren’t pets. Was this that final push that Tommy needed? Or...would Tommy remain ignorant.

 The questions were eating him alive. His anxiety almost too much.

 An arm slung over his shoulder suddenly and he flinched and looked to see Sapnap smiling comfortingly at him. “I’m sure everything will be fine. After everything you said about Tommy, I think he’ll actually listen to what Dream and Tubbo have to say. Now come on, worrying about it isn’t going to help anyone. How about we show you around and get your mind off this.”

 Wilbur took a deep breath and nodded. Sapnap was right, staying out of his mind right now was for the best, so he allowed Sapnap to lead him, Ranboo not far behind, and sent up a silent prayer that Tommy would finally see the truth.

***

 “Can Tommy and I eat on the couch?” Tubbo asked as soon as they entered the kitchen. Tommy’s eyes widened and he watched as Puffy looked back and forth between the two of them before smiling softly. 

 “Sure, I don’t see why not. Phil? Is it alright with you?” Puffy asked and Phil nodded. Tommy could see the proud grin on his face and shuffled his feet a little in embarrassment. 

 “Of course!” Phil exclaimed with a bit too much enthusiasm. Tommy sent him a look but Phil just laughed. Tommy pouted.

 “Go ahead then, here are your plates. Dream? Did you want to eat in the living room too?” Puffy asked. Dream was looking down at his phone, eyebrows furrowed. “Dream?”

 “Huh? Oh, uh, no I’m good.” Dream said before typing something out on his phone. Tommy heard a ding next to him and watched as Tubbo took out his phone with the hand not holding onto his plate. He read the text, grinned and then pulled Tommy into the living room after shoving his phone back in his pocket. They then both took a seat on the couch. 

 “I figured it would be nice to eat in here and away from all the adult talk.” Tubbo said and Tommy couldn’t help but laugh.

 “Good idea! Honestly? They can be so boring.”

 “I know, right?!”

 They proceeded to talk about everything and nothing as they ate and Tommy found himself starting to feel...full. But not from the food. He was really enjoying Tubbo’s company and...it seemed like Tubbo enjoyed his too? It appeared that way anyway. Could...Could this be the start of a friendship?

 Tommy didn’t want to get his hopes up but it was already too late for that.

 Their topics ranged from video games, to summer, before they found their way to the topic of their borrowers.

 “So,” Tubbo started off, taking another bite of food. “How long have you had Wilbur for?”

 Tommy hummed as he took another bite. “About a month and a half now. Phil got him for me not too long after summer started.” He looked back on the memory fondly, smiling to himself. It had been a rough start for sure but they were in a good place now. He wouldn’t trade Wilbur for anything.

 Tubbo hummed and Tommy noticed how he pushed around his food, no longer eating it. He frowned. “What’s wrong?” Maybe it was from years being a foster kid but the sight of someone not eating food when they were fully allowed to always meant that something was wrong to Tommy. And usually he was right on that assumption.

 It looked like his streak continued because Tubbo let out a sigh. “Nothing. Well, I guess not nothing but...well, I noticed Wilbur is wearing a collar.”

 And now Tommy was even more confused. “Yeah? It’s required, innit?” He wondered why Tubbo would be so hung up on that but then he thought for a moment. 

 He didn’t get to see them for too long but Ranboo and Sapnap, the other two borrowers, they hadn’t been wearing collars. “I should be asking you why Ranboo isn’t wearing one. Aren’t you afraid he might get lost or taken? How are people supposed to know where to send them to, or how are you supposed to track them?”

 Tubbo finally looked back over to him and simply blinked at his question. “It just...it seems wrong.”

 “Wrong?” Tommy had no idea where Tubbo was going with this.

 “Ranboo is a person.” The statement was said with such conviction that Tommy visibly startled. “Making him wear a collar seems a bit dehumanizing. I mean, I know I wouldn’t want to be forced to wear a collar.” Subconsciously, Tommy placed a hand around his neck.

 “I mean, that’s-it’s...it’s...different?” But as Tommy spoke the words, even he wasn’t so sure anymore.

 “How?” Tubbo asked, noticing Tommy’s hesitation. “They look exactly like us and they can talk and think for themselves. Just because borrowers are smaller, doesn’t make them any less of a person. How would you feel if giants suddenly showed up and decided to make us into pets? Because that’s essentially what humans did to borrowers.”

 “...I’d feel pretty sh****.” Tommy murmured, looking down. His food lay in his lap, forgotten in favor of the curveball Tubbo had thrown his way.

 This whole time, he had seen Wilbur, and borrowers in general, as pets because that’s what society had told him they were. Little companions that could talk back and who lived as long as humans did. For years he believed this and never had a reason not to, not even when he had gotten his own borrower.

 But then, Tommy thinks back to that first day. When Phil first brought Wilbur home to him. He thought Wilbur had been acting strangely. He had had fears that Tommy hadn’t expected him to have and voiced them with a shaky voice. Back then, Tommy thought he had comforted Wilbur well, reassuring him that Tommy would never hurt him. 

 And maybe that’s partly what Wilbur had been looking for. After all, things had gotten better after that. But...maybe Wilbur had also been hoping for something else. A hope that had been dashed when Tommy was quick to reiterate that he was Wilbur’s owner.

 “At least you're finally getting it.” Another voice suddenly spoke up, interrupting Tommy’s thoughts. He looked up to find Dream leaning against the closest wall to the couch, staring at him. “A lot of people would simply ignore the facts and continue to treat their borrowers like pets.”

 Tommy couldn’t help but wince at that.

 “Dream, you don’t have to be so mean about it.” Tubbo spoke up, giving a small glare to his cousin. “Tommy’s a good person, it’s just society that sucks.”

 Dream sighed and uncrossed his arms, shoving them in his hoodie pocket instead. It looked like he had a lot more room in there without Sapnap hidden away. “Yeah, I know. Despite the collar, Wilbur seemed fine. At least physically anyway.”

 Tommy sat up a bit straighter, taking offense to the implication. “Hey! I would never hurt Wilbur!”

 Dream blinked at him. “I’m glad but I’m more worried about his emotional and mental state. Being convinced by the world that you're a pet can do a lot on someone’s psyche.” Tommy faltered at that, knowing he was part of the problem there.

 “Look.” Dream sighed, sensing the guilt and sadness coming off of Tommy in waves. “I don’t blame you. I just...let my anger get the best of me sometimes. I hate when I see people treating borrowers like pets and when I saw the collar...yeah. I guess it’s due to some leftover guilt I still feel from treating Sapnap like that back when I first got him.”

 Tommy looked up at that. “Huh?”

 “Dream got Sapnap the year borrowers were discovered.” Tubbo chimed in as Dream shifted a bit uncomfortably. “He was around 8 and treated him like a pet for the first year or so. But after a...particular incident, Dream realized he had been wrong and now him and Sapnap are practically brothers.”

 “Oh.” Was all Tommy managed to say.

 “Yeah, and from there, I taught Tubbo here that borrowers were people. So by the time his dad brought home Ranboo, Tubbo knew how to treat him.” Dream finished off and Tommy stared down at his hands.

 The same hands that would pick up Wilbur with little to no warning. The same fingers that would poke, prod, and fidget with Wilbur like some...like some toy. When that’s not what Wilbur was at all. Not even close.

 How could he be so stupid?

 “I feel horrible.” Tommy said, really feeling like he was about to vomit.

 “It’s weird to say but that’s actually a good thing.” Dream said and when Tommy met him with a look, he continued. “It means you actually do care and realized your mistakes.”

 Tommy nodded. “What do I do?”

 “You tell him.” Tubbo said, smiling sadly. “You apologize and then you give him a choice.”

 “A choice?”

 “To stay with you, with the knowledge he would no longer be treated like a pet.” Dream said, pausing briefly before continuing. “Or to be allowed to leave and live his own life independently.”

 Tommy stilled and refused to meet Tubbo or Dream in the eyes.

 He knew they were right, of course they were. Now that his eyes had been opened, Tommy could see that clear as day.

 It didn’t make it any less difficult though. Tommy was still lonely, maybe not so much anymore if Tubbo still wanted to be his friend after this, but he enjoyed Wilbur’s company. He liked having Wilbur around and a very selfish part of him wished that Tubbo and Dream never told him about this. That he could live his life ignorantly and still have Wilbur all to himself.

 But just that thought alone made guilt run through him, so strong his head hurt.

 He would do as they said. He would apologize to Wilbur, he’d take off his collar, and then he’d give him a choice.

 And if, for some reason, Wilbur chose to stay with him, then great!

 But if Wilbur chose to leave?

 Well…

 He would just have to be okay with that.

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