#served up server

 What the f***. He knew his boss was terrible but he never thought he would go this far. He was actually trying to sell Tommy to be…to be eaten.

 His breathing picked up but Tommy clenched his fists tightly together, trying to take deep breaths. No, no, everything was fine. Wilbur wasn’t like that, he wouldn’t accept this, he’d be angry and get him out of here. Tommy had nothing to really worry about, but still, the thought of his boss even trying something like this was terrifying.

 “Wait, I’m sorry, it was-” Wilbur tried to explain himself but was cut off.

 “No need to apologize. I understand, in certain circumstances, it’s hard to ignore your instincts. I’m not one to judge, in fact, in this instance, well I encourage it.” His boss said. Tommy grit his teeth. There was that talk about instincts again.

 “Does this have to do with…your proposal?” Wilbur asked and Tommy felt his hopes rise a little. Yes, please Wilbur, realize he was here and get him out!

 “Wil-!” Tommy tried to yell out but was once again cut off by the much louder voice of his boss.

 “Yes. You see, little Thomas is in this container right now.” He cried out as his prison was shaken, sending him into the wall before tumbling back towards the center. He groaned, lying there as his boss continued to speak. “For the right price, I’ll give him to you and you can indulge in that dessert I’m sure you’ve been wanting for so long. I won’t tell anyone and no one will even miss little Thomas here. He has no family and friends, you see. Really, you couldn’t have chosen a better human.”

 Tommy paused at his boss’ words, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. How did his boss even know all that? He never told the man. Was he just making up some excuse and accidentally hit the nose on the head? Or…was his loneliness really that obvious? Because his boss was right. Who would miss him if he suddenly disappeared? He had no one at home, no friends, and he didn’t even go to school for some teachers to even notice his absence. He was alone.

 …But, no. That wasn’t true. Tommy…Tommy had Wilbur, didn’t he? He might have not known Wilbur for long but he was Tommy’s friend. Wilbur would miss him if he disappeared, right? And Wilbur was going to be the reason he didn’t disappear in the first place. Wilbur was going to save him.

 “Wil-!” He tried again but he was cut off again. But not by his boss this time.

 “Really? Honestly, I’ve been trying to figure out if that was the case for a while now.” Wilbur spoke up, his voice all too casual for such a situation.

 What?

 “Oh yeah. Kid tries to hide it but, well…” His boss trailed off but Tommy could care less what he had to say. He was too focused on Wilbur’s next words.

 “Oh, don’t I know it. But if that is the case, then I’d love to take you up on that offer of yours.”

 Tommy felt his heart drop into his stomach and suddenly, he couldn’t breathe again. Wilbur…accepted his boss’ offer? No, no why would Wilbur do that? He wouldn’t.

 But he had. And his voice sounded so casual, so…excited. Like, like he had been waiting for this. And then Tommy really thought about it and realized something that made his heart stop altogether. He…didn’t actually know Wilbur all that well. Yeah, they’ve been talking for a month but only ever at the restaurant. Only for maybe an hour every night. How did he know Wilbur wasn’t lying? How did he know that Wilbur wasn’t just biding his time, waiting for an opportunity to take Tommy?

 He didn’t.

 And now that opportunity had shown itself in the form of his boss wanting more money and being very willing to sell Tommy away to be eaten by a giant. An opportunity Wilbur seemed eager to accept.

 Tears formed at the corners of his eyes. He felt like yelling and screaming for them to stop and let him out, let him go. But his fear made the words catch in his throat and he suddenly felt like he couldn’t breath. His cries were silent as he focused on breathing, not wanting to pass out, all while the two giants continued their conversation above him. Unaware and uncaring.

 “Well, I appreciate that.” He heard Wilbur say as he tuned back in. He wished he hadn’t, he wished he could just hide away and pretend none of this was happening but the giants’ loud voices were hard to ignore. “So, how much?”

 “Let’s say…well 15,000 dollars out to be enough.”

 “Hmm…Alright, I think that’s fair.”

 15,000 dollars. 

 That’s how much Tommy’s life was worth, apparently. It was such a small number in the grand scheme of things.

 It became silent for a brief instance and Tommy could only imagine that Wilbur was handing over the payment. And then, his prison jerked, causing him to fall over again and he realized with an ever rising panic that he had been handed over to Wilbur.

 “Perfect, it was such a pleasure doing business with you.” He heard his boss say, not as loud now that he was no longer in the man’s hands. 

  “And you as well. I think I’ll be heading home for the night in order to enjoy this…tasty treat.” Tommy let out a silent gasp, more tears running down his face. He missed the last words his boss said, too into his own panic to listen or care at this point. All he could focus on was how he was going to be eaten. He was going to die.

 He never should have trusted Wilbur, or any giant for that matter. It was clear he had been tricked, the giant apparently playing the long game with him. But why? Why would Wilbur go through all this trouble to act like he was actually Tommy’s friend?

 Maybe he just liked playing with his food.

 Tommy really did have the worst luck. It was very rare for giants to eat humans nowadays. And of course, he just so happened to fall into the clutches of one of those rare few. Tommy almost wanted to laugh. He had really thought Wilbur was going to get him out of this. Well, he supposed this was what he got for going against his own rules. To not trust anyone but himself. It always did end up backfiring on him.

 He heard a door close and felt his stomach drop as he was placed down. A moment later, the ground started to rumble. It was obvious he had been placed inside Wilbur’s car.

 He wanted to scream and cry out, beg Wilbur not to eat him, for someone to save him, but he just…couldn’t. He couldn’t find the words, couldn’t find the voice. So instead, he curled up in one of the corners of the take-out container and let his tears fall.

***

 Wilbur pulled into his driveway and took a deep breath as he looked down at the take-out container containing his friend. He had been silent the entire ride here and that alone left a bad feeling in Wilbur’s gut. Had he passed out? Was he hurt? Or…was he just too scared to try and say anything?

 Despite himself, Wilbur wished it was the first. At least if Tommy had passed out, there was a chance he hadn’t heard everything Wilbur had said. But he knew that was probably not the case. Tommy was scared and Wilbur was the one who put that fear there, something he had sworn to try and avoid after scaring Tommy that first night. 

 But if he hadn’t done what he had, Tommy could be even worse off. Tommy may be scared out of his mind but he was safe. And Wilbur was going to show him just how safe he was.

 He was careful in picking up the take-out box and exiting out of his car. He held it steady as he walked to his door and unlocked it. He opened it to an empty house, just as always. He didn’t regret moving out of his dad’s house but it was a bit lonely. That was one of the reasons he went out every night to see Tommy.

 Right, Tommy. Stay focused.

 Wilbur brought the take-out container into the kitchen then paused and thought better of that idea. Probably not a good thing for Tommy to see he had been placed in a kitchen, the place where most people ate their food. So instead, Wilbur changed course to go into the living room. He had a fairly big coffee table at the center of it all and decided to place the box on that.

 Wilbur lowered himself to his knees and took a deep breath before opening the box. 

***

 The car ride and journey into the house hadn’t been very long but it was enough time for Tommy to realize that he didn’t want to die.

 Well, no, he knew that already, of course, but he realized that he couldn’t just lie there and let…and let himself be eaten. He needed a plan, a way to get away from Wilbur before it was too late.

 It would be difficult, this was a giant he was dealing with after all, but it was possible.

 It had to be possible.

 He didn’t have much time to come up with an idea, he could already feel the box being lowered again, probably onto some sort of table. So, it would have to be a simple one. The thing Tommy did best.

 He would yell, curse, and distract his way out of this. If he could keep Wilbur occupied long enough, he might just be able to escape.

 So, as the box opened above him, Tommy took a deep breath and let his anger outmatch his fear. 

 “Hey, Tommy, it’s-” Wilbur tried speaking but Tommy wasn’t about to let him get a word in. Especially not when those words would probably be something along the lines of how Wilbur had waited so long for this moment. To eat Tommy.

 He couldn’t handle hearing that right now.

 “F*** you! You f****** giant dickhead!” Tommy shouted and the look of surprise on Wilbur’s face alone was worth it.

 “Wait, Tommy-”

 Oh no, Tommy was not letting himself lose so easily.

 “F*** you, f*** you, f*** you!” Tommy continued to shout. “Eat s*** and die you motherf*****!” He saw Wilbur groan and place his head in his hands and Tommy realized that this was his chance. He stood up and looked at his surroundings before hoisting himself over the box and managing to make it onto the giant table.

 He ran a bit away from the box, seeing if there was anywhere for him to go, anyway he could get down from the table, but Wilbur’s voice cut through his thoughts. He had turned his attention back to Tommy already.

 “Tommy, please just-”

 “Get the f*** away from me! I won’t-I won’t let you eat me!” Tommy backed away, keeping his eyes on Wilbur as he did so. He had to get out of here, he had to get away or else-

 “Tommy, stop!” Wilbur shouted just as Tommy stumbled as his next step backwards was filled with open air.

 He hadn’t realized he had been that close to the edge.

 Tommy screamed as he fell and shut his eyes tight, expecting to hit the hard surface of the floor. But instead, his fall was cut short, and he landed on something a lot softer.

 Tommy’s eyes snapped open with sudden realization and he was met with Wilbur’s giant face as soon as he did so. Tommy whimpered pathetically as he realized he was in Wilbur’s hand. 

 All at once, the illusion that Tommy might be able to get away was shattered. He was never getting away from this. Wilbur was a giant, after all. He was too big, too strong, too fast. And Tommy was helpless, too small and weak to even budge one of Wilbur’s fingers.

 His anger vanished and the freezing cold feeling of utter fear consumed his thoughts. With nothing else to do, Tommy curled up in on himself, making himself even smaller, and started to cry again. “Please, please don’t eat me.” Tommy pleaded, his voice barely above a whisper.

 He heard a sigh above him and then the hand was moving. Tommy panicked, thinking this was it, before realizing that the hand wasn’t moving upwards but down. Tommy opened his eyes in time to see Wilbur’s hand settle down on the coffee table and tilt just enough to slide Tommy off of his hand.

 As soon as he was back on solid ground, Tommy stood. Or, tried to anyway. His legs were so shaky and weak that the second he tried to put his weight on them, they gave out and he crumbled back down onto the table. He couldn’t even run anymore. He truly was helpless.

 “Tommy.” Tommy looked up automatically at the sound of Wilbur’s voice and regretted it immediately. He didn’t want to see the face of someone he thought of as a friend twist into something cruel. But he found that once he was looking, he couldn't turn away. Wilbur seemed to use this to his advantage because he started speaking again. “Please, I know how this looks but I promise you. I’m not going to eat you and I never planned on eating you.”

 Tommy stared for a moment, letting Wilbur’s words finally soak in. Once they did, more tears started to form and fall. “Please, no…no more lies.” He couldn’t stand that Wilbur was prolonging this. If he was going to do it, he just wanted it to be over already. 

 “I’m not lying.” Wilbur’s voice sounded so desperate that for a moment, Tommy visibly startled. “I’ve never lied to you. The only person I’ve lied to is your s*** boss.”

 Tommy grit his teeth. “Then why did you take his deal, huh?! I thought you were going to save me from him not-not buy me!”

 Tommy watched as Wilbur winced and looked away. Tommy almost took that as an admission of guilt until Wilbur met his eyes again, a determined glint in them. The look made Tommy flinch.

 “Tommy, if I wanted to eat you, I would have done it already.” Tommy’s breath hitched. “There’s no reason for me not to, right? You’re already here and I wouldn’t get caught, right?” Tommy didn’t know if Wilbur actually wanted an answer or not but he was scared of not giving him one, so he nodded in agreement, scooting further back from the giant as he did so.

 Wilbur’s face turned sad and his gaze softened. “I didn’t say those things to scare you.” His voice was a lot more gentle now than it had been a moment ago. “I just…I need you to believe me. I didn’t want to buy you. I didn’t want to say those things. I only did all of this so I could get you away from him. If I turned him down, then I was afraid he would keep you and try to sell you to someone else. Or-Or eat you himself, I don’t know. But I couldn’t risk it. So… I went along with it.”

 Tommy thought for a moment. Wilbur…did have a point. Unless, of course, Wilbur was still lying to him and just wanted to torture Tommy longer. Tommy didn’t know what to trust anymore. “Why didn’t you tell me right away?” He decided to ask, voice low.

 Wilbur winced. “I…well, I just figured it would be best to do it here, at my place. Since, either way, I thought you would be too scared to listen to me at first.”

 Tommy, despite himself, knew Wilbur was right on that at least.

 He looked into Wilbur’s eyes for a long moment. Nothing had changed in them, from what he knew. There was no cruelty, no maliciousness. They remained friendly, if sad and guilty.

 Was Wilbur…really telling the truth?

 “What about instincts?” Tommy suddenly remembered.

 Wilbur blinked in unexpected shock. “Wh-What?”

 “Both of you mentioned something about instincts. What…What was that about?”  

 Wilbur was silent for a moment, a look of… something crossing his face but Tommy couldn’t tell what it was. And then he shrugged, which, honestly, was not what Tommy had been expecting. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s code or something? I just went along with it to try and sell my part better.”

 That made sense, Tommy supposed, if it was some underground thing considering Tommy had never heard of it before. And If he really thought about it, he couldn’t remember Wilbur ever saying anything specific about instincts. He really was just going along with what his boss said.

 Tommy bit his lip, looking down. He could feel hope rising in his chest, but at the same time… “It’s just…you sounded so…excited.” Tommy shivered in fear as he spat out the word. Remembering the way Wilbur’s tone lifted when he realized what Tommy’s boss was actually offering. When he realized he finally had his chance to eat Tommy. 

 “I’m so sorry, Toms.” Wilbur said and Tommy looked back up to meet Wilbur’s gaze. “I…well, I’ve always been told I’m a pretty good actor but that’s all it was, an act. I didn’t mean any of it. I swear on my life, I didn’t mean a single thing I said to your boss.” 

 And then Wilbur’s voice dropped down, so soft that even Tommy had to strain a bit to hear it. “I would never eat a human. Especially not you, Toms. I know we haven’t known each other for that long but…you’re my best friend.”

 And just like that, Tommy dared to believe. He blinked back tears. “So…you aren’t going to eat me?” He just needed to hear that last confirmation. No flowery language, just a straight answer.

 And answer he did, with a small shake of his head. “No.”

 “Oh.” If Tommy wasn’t already on the ground, he would have crumbled with the amount of relief he felt. “That’s…that’s really great news, actually.” A part of Tommy, the part that was still terrified, still doubted Wilbur’s words. But at the same time…why would Wilbur go through so much trouble in trying to convince him he wasn’t going to eat him, only to eat him anyway? It didn’t make sense so Wilbur had to be telling the truth, right?

 Tommy wanted to believe Wilbur. So he did.

 “How are you doing?” Wilbur asked after sitting in silence for a minute, letting Tommy catch his breath. Tommy turned the question over in his mind for a while but Wilbur was patient.

 “Not…Not great, honestly.” Tommy decided on, before pausing. “Better, now that I know you aren’t going to eat me. But I just…” Tommy groaned and put his hands on his face. “I…I can’t believe my boss actually tried to sell me.”

 Wilbur winced. “Yeah, I mean, I knew he was bad but not that bad.” Wilbur sighed. “At least you don’t have to deal with him anymore.”

 “Yeah...” Tommy agreed before pausing. “Wait.” Realization dawned on him. “I-I can’t go back there but-but literally all my stuff is still at the restaurant! Not to mention the fact that I no longer even have a job! What am I going to do?” He had been so worried about Wilbur eating him that he hadn’t thought about what any of this meant in the long run.

 His keys, his ID, and the money he had was all still in his locker back at the restaurant. Even if his scummy landlord was willing to give him another key, Tommy no longer had a job to pay for his apartment. And once his landlord found out he was out of work, it wouldn’t be long before he was kicked out and back on the streets.

 “F***, what am I going to do?” He repeated, running a hand through his hair roughly. 

 “Well…” Wilbur started and Tommy looked up at him. Despite his decision to believe Wilbur though, he still felt a spike of fear when he met the giant’s eyes. “I mean…I thought it would be best if you stayed with me?”

 Tommy blinked. “Wh-What?”

 “It’s just…” Wilbur sighed. “What your boss said about your living situation. It’s true, right?”

 Tommy tensed. Great, he had forgotten about that. His secret was out and now Wilbur knew. “I don’t need your pity.”

 “It’s not pity, Toms. I genuinely care about you and I just want you to be safe. And being out on the streets, or being anywhere where your old s***head of a boss can find you, isn’t safe.”

 Tommy looked down. “I can take care of myself.”

 “I know you can.” Wilbur said gently but no less sincere. “But friends help each other out and I can’t in good conscience let you go out on the street. You don’t have to stay forever! Just until you can find a new job and another place to live.”

 Tommy couldn’t help but feel warm at the way Wilbur called him his friend again. And if Tommy was honest, he really didn’t want to go back on the streets. He could, he was a big man after all, but he didn’t want to. 

 “Fine. But as your friend, I’m paying you back when I can.”

 “Deal.” Wilbur said and then he was reaching out his hand towards Tommy. Tommy flinched and scrambled backwards as the larger than life hand seemed to come right for him. Wilbur froze at his reaction and realized what he was doing, quickly taking his hand back and putting it out of sight. “Sorry, I was uh, gonna have us shake on it but…yeah.”

 Tommy calmed himself down and chuckled a bit when he realized Wilbur had never intended on grabbing him. Honestly, Tommy probably would have done the same thing.

 “Thank you, Wilbur. For letting me stay here. And for…ya know, saving me and s***.” Tommy said after a brief moment of silence, face a bit red.

 He wasn’t used to anyone worrying about him. It was weird. But he was fine being by himself. He was a big man and the last thing he wanted was anyone's pity. Which was why he kept most of his life to himself. Thankfully, Wilbur was good at not bringing stuff up that Tommy didn’t want to talk about, despite his worry.

 But yeah, Tommy could, at least to himself, admit that he had really been enjoying Wilbur’s company these last few weeks.

 Wilbur always came at the same time too. Always late at night, always when there was no one else in the restaurant except for a few employees. Tommy had actually found it a little weird and so he asked him once why he never came during the day.

 Wilbur shrugged, sipping on his drink. “I’m just not a big fan of crowds, honestly.” Tommy could understand that. “And well, it’s the only time I’m sure to be able to talk with you like this.” 

 Those words caused heat to light up Tommy’s face and all Wilbur could do was laugh. “Oi, b****! Stop laughing!”

 Tommy smiled a little at the memory. Honestly, everything in him told him he should be more fearful when talking to Wilbur. That he should be watching what he says more closely and be more mindful of how he addresses the giant. But he isn’t. He just doesn’t feel like he has to. If Wilbur wanted to do anything, he would have done it already. Would have done something that first night they met.

 Instead, Wilbur was the closest thing to what Tommy would call a friend.

 He brought the serving machine around the corner, driving Wilbur’s food over to his table as he had done many times by this point. After about a month of Wilbur coming in everyday and always getting the same thing, Tommy made sure the cook had it ready by the time Wilbur got there. It saved Tommy a lot of time in trips.

 “Ah, right on time.” He heard Wilbur say once he parked the machine at the table. Tommy glared at him but Wilbur just laughed as he reached down to grab his food and drink. He took a bite and hummed. “Hmm, no, this isn’t right. You’ll need to send it back.”

 “Oh, f*** off.” Tommy was already off of the machine, starting up the stairs carved into the table leg. It would have been a lot easier for Tommy to have Wilbur pick him up, but Tommy was far from ready for that. He still flinched the few times Wilbur tried ruffling his hair, after all. Besides, he didn’t want Wilbur to go around thinking Tommy couldn’t do things for himself. He was perfectly capable of walking up a few flights up stairs.

 He finally made it to the top of the table, taking a seat once he got up there. He watched as Wilbur placed a fry back down, not eating when Tommy was right in front of him. Tommy appreciated it but still felt a bit bad that Wilbur had to wait a bit to eat. It’s why the majority of their conversations happened after Tommy brought the bill.

 “So, how has today been?” Wilbur asked, and Tommy knew he meant how busy had the restaurant been today. Wilbur always came in right before closing, so he had no sense of just how busy it could be.

 “Don’t even get me started.” Tommy said with a groan. “You know, you're lucky you're so rich because customer service f****** sucks.”

 Wilbur winced. “Yeah, it sure sounds like it, from what you’ve said before. What happened today?”

 This was another reason Tommy loved talking to Wilbur. He was the only one he could complain to when it came to his job and other customers. “Some Karen ordered one of our pizzas-”

 “You have pizzas?” Wilbur cut him off. Tommy nodded.

 “Yeah, but I would not recommend them. Anyway, she ordered it and I brought it to her and then she proceeded to try and tell me that there were f****** like, nuts in her pizza or something.”

 A startled laugh escaped Wilbur. “What?”

 “I know! And then she said she’s allergic to nuts and that she wants it remade and free, plus another 3 pizzas for free.”

 “Oh my Prime.” Wilbur muttered, finding it equal parts tiring and funny. It was in hindsight but in the moment, it had been nothing but frustrating. “So, what ended up happening?”

 Tommy sighed. “She got the pizzas.”

 Wilbur blinked. “Seriously?”

 “Yep.”

 “Wait.” Wilbur pinched his nose. “So your boss will give customers free food but will take all of your tips?” Tommy just nodded and Wilbur answered with a shake of his head. “You really need to find a new job.”

 “Sorry Big Dubs, I totally would, but he’s the only one around here who would hire a sixteen year old, so…I’m kind of stuck.” Tommy shrugged but when he turned back toward Wilbur and saw how sad he looked, he realized he had said a bit too much.

 “Why do you need to have a job, anyway?” Wilbur asked, trying to play his question off as casual but Tommy was smarter than that. After the last few times Wilbur had tried to ask, Tommy had gotten good at playing things off and changing the subject.

 “I told you before big man, the extra cash is nice. Anyway, it’s drafty in here so if you don’t eat soon it’ll just get cold. And if that happens, I’m not warming it up for you.” Tommy said quickly, giving Wilbur no room to interject. Thankfully, Wilbur went along with Tommy and moved on. He laughed at his joke, something that always made Tommy swell with pride.

 “Alright, alright.” Wilbur said, rolling his eyes. 

 Tommy smiled a little before turning to head back down the stairs. “I’ll be back in twenty.” He called out, but he was quickly stopped by Wilbur speaking up again. 

 “Hey, wait.” Tommy turned back around. “How do you know I don’t want dessert?” Tommy gave the giant a look.

 “Maybe because in the last few weeks you’ve been coming here you never once ordered dessert?”

 “Well, you’ve never asked.” There was a s*** eating smirk on Wilbur’s face that said nothing but trouble. Tommy narrowed his eyes at him.

 “Do you want dessert?”

 Wilbur hummed. “Maybe.”

 Tommy crossed his arms. “What would you even want?”

 And then Wilbur leaned in, close enough where Tommy could feel the hot air of his breath ruffle his hair, and spoke. “You.”

 His breath caught in his throat and his muscles seized up, a rush of pure fear entering his system. But then, a moment later, he noticed the playful look in Wilbur’s gaze and the fear left his body. Not completely, but enough for him to relax. 

 His heart still beat rapidly from the sudden scare but he knew Wilbur didn’t mean it. He hesitated for a brief moment before pushing against Wilbur’s nose. Wilbur pulled away in turn and that alone made Tommy feel a lot better. “Ha ha, very funny.”

 Wilbur laughed. “I thought so.”

 Tommy rolled his eyes and moved towards the stairs. “Alright, well, I’m leaving for real now.”

 “Fine, fine. Leave so I can finally eat in peace, you child.”

 “I am not a child!”

 Neither of them noticed the giant figure of Tommy’s boss sneaking away, a smirk on his face.

***

 Tommy parked the serving machine near the register and prepared to go up another flight of stairs to grab Wilbur’s bill when his boss poked his head out of the back door. “Tommy, I need to talk to you for a second. Come back here.”

 Tommy blinked, confused. The last time his boss had to talk with him was when he told Tommy he was taking the tips Wilbur had given him. Tommy groaned. Great, if he knew his boss, then this was probably about something similar. Money was all that guy seemed to care about.

 He went over to the human entrance that led into the back, which put him on a raised platform that put him near chest level with his boss. He wished the platform was raised higher so he could actually meet his boss’ eyes but as it stood, he was forced to crane his neck upward to even see his face. “Yeah, what is it?”

 His boss didn’t say anything and it was then that Tommy realized it was way too silent back here, even for this late at night. He looked around, but the kitchen was already completely shut down. “Hey, where’s the cook and the other giant server?”

 His boss shrugged. “They were done, so I sent them home.”

 Well that was bulls***. Sure, Tommy still had a customer left, but the others shouldn’t have been able to go home already. That just wasn’t fair.

 That also meant he was alone with his boss. And that made Tommy more than a bit uncomfortable. To the point where he figured he should hurry this along and get back out to Wilbur as fast as he could.

 “Okay. Well, what did you want?”

 His boss smiled and the expression sent chills down his spine for reasons he didn’t know. “It’s not what I want, actually. It’s what your ‘friend’ out there wants.”

 “W-What?”

 Suddenly, his boss’ hand filled his vision and Tommy had no time to react as the hand wrapped around his frame, trapping him in a large, inescapable grip.

 Tommy gasped loudly and immediately started to struggle. He had never been held before. Had barely ever been touched by a giant. His only experience was Wilbur ruffling his hair a few times. Those few touches had been overwhelming at best but this? Tommy felt like he couldn’t breathe.

 “What are you doing?! Let me go!” Tommy screamed, only for a large thumb to press itself over his mouth. His struggles picked up but of course he could do nothing against a giant. He was completely helpless.

 “Sorry.” His boss said, not sounding sorry at all. “But it looks like your ‘friend’ out there has just about given into his instincts.” His boss chuckled. “He just needs a little push and I’ll be compensated for all the money you took from me.”

 Tommy was so confused. Instincts? What instincts? And Tommy had never stolen any money. Unless his boss meant the tips that were his to begin with. Which, knowing his boss, he probably did. 

 His boss grabbed something with his free hand and then Tommy was roughly placed into it. He barely sat up when he was covered in darkness. He looked around, realizing slowly where he had been placed.

 He was in a take-out container.

 The realization threw his mind into a panic.

 The box was then lifted and Tommy was thrown onto his side by the careless motions. He continued to be thrown around until suddenly everything stopped and his boss’ voice filled the air. “Hello sir, I have a proposal for you.”

***

 Wilbur took a bite out of his burger after watching Tommy leave. The food here was decent, and also cold, as Tommy had predicted. But it didn’t really matter much to Wilbur anyway, after all, he didn’t come here for the food. If not for Tommy, Wilbur wouldn’t have come back after that first night.

 It was almost worrying how fast he had gotten attached to Tommy. Tommy was the main reason he even left the house at all anymore, if he was being honest. Compared to his previous solitude, with only his family for company, Tommy was a breath of fresh air. He had been so happy when he realized Tommy had gotten more comfortable being around him. No longer did Wilbur have to tread lightly with his banter, Tommy knew he was joking. He had even managed to make some contact, though he did so very sparingly, based on Tommy’s reactions.

 He wished he could get Tommy to open up about his life outside of work though. But everytime he tried, Tommy only lied and changed the subject. Wilbur had some speculations about Tommy’s situation but he wanted confirmation from Tommy himself before doing anything about it. For whatever reason though, despite the trust they had built, Tommy still refused to say.

 But it was fine, Wilbur would wait as long as he needed to. Unless, of course, he thought Tommy was in danger. If that happened well…Wilbur would do what he had to in order to keep Tommy safe.

 He was halfway through with his burger when a giant he had never seen before came out of the kitchen. He was carrying a take-out container and seemed to be heading towards Wilbur’s table. Wilbur put his burger down as the man got closer, eyes narrowed slightly. Was this Tommy’s awful boss he’d been told so much about?

 According to Tommy, the giant had been taking the tips Wilbur had given to him for the first couple of weeks Wilbur had started coming here, something Wilbur was furious at. The only reason he hadn’t marched to the back to give him a piece of his mind was because Tommy stopped him. But after that, Wilbur had made sure to give Tommy human money as a tip. He also no longer wrote it down on the receipt, which was technically illegal but so was taking all your employees' tips, so he was pretty sure it balanced out.

 But the realization that this was Tommy’s boss made it hard to keep the glare off his face when the other giant approached him. “Hello sir, I have a proposal for you.” Tommy’s boss said and Wilbur raised an eyebrow. A proposal? He eyed the take-out container. What, was the guy gonna offer him leftovers from the kitchen?

 “Okay…?” Wilbur said and then watched as the giant before him grinned. 

 “You see, I couldn’t help but overhear you earlier, when talking to one of my employees.”

 It was obvious he was talking about Tommy, but Wilbur has said a lot of things to him. “You’re…gonna have to be more specific.”

 The giant chuckled. “You know, about having him for dessert.”

 Wilbur’s face went red with sudden shame. He hadn’t meant for anyone else to hear that. Tommy knew he was joking, of course, Wilbur wouldn’t have said it if he didn’t but it was clear Tommy’s boss didn’t know it was just banter. S*** was he about to be kicked out or something? “Wait, I’m sorry, it was-”

 The other giant waved him off, stopping his explanation. “No need to apologize. I understand, in certain circumstances, it’s hard to ignore your instincts. I’m not one to judge, in fact, in this instance, well I encourage it.” The predatory grin on the man’s face made Wilbur’s face pale. He suddenly had a really bad feeling about where this was going.

 “Does this have to do with…your proposal?” Wilbur asked, choosing his words carefully. He tried not to let the man know how he really felt about this.

 “Yes. You see, little Thomas is in this container right now.” He shook it a bit and a yelp from inside almost caused Wilbur to rip it from the man’s hands. But he stayed sitting, hands clenched under the table. “For the right price, I’ll give him to you and you can indulge in that dessert I’m sure you’ve been wanting for so long. I won’t tell anyone and no one will even miss little Thomas here. He has no family and friends, you see. Really, you couldn’t have chosen a better human.”

 Now, Wilbur could do a lot of things right now. The thing he really wanted to do was punch Tommy’s boss in the face and get Tommy the heck out of there but he had to stop and think about this for a second. The guy was definitely bulkier than him, there was no way Wilbur could take him. Besides, anything physical could result in Tommy being hurt.

 He could simply refuse, but then he risked the giant selling Tommy to someone else. Or…eating him himself. No, Wilbur couldn’t let that happen. His only real option was to…play along.

 I’m sorry, Tommy. He knew this wasn’t going to go over well.

 “Really?” Wilbur said, lifting his eyebrows up. The theater kid in him was finally shining through. “Honestly, I’ve been trying to figure out if that was the case for a while now.”

 His words made Tommy’s boss grin wider and Wilbur really had to hold back his own anger. This was for Tommy, he had to do this right or Tommy could be in real danger of being eaten. “Oh yeah. Kid tries to hide it but well…” The other giant shrugged.

 “Oh, don’t I know it.” He felt sick. “But if that is the case, then I’d love to take you up on that offer of yours.”

 Tommy’s boss laughed. “I thought so! I said to myself, ``Now that’s a giant trying to stifle his instincts!”

 Wilbur had no such instincts, actually. He wasn’t that kind of giant. “Right, I’m sure you know how that is?”

 The other man shrugged. “Nah, my instincts are no more than an inkling. I don’t have any desire to eat a human.” Ah, so like most of giant-kind then. “But again, I don’t judge others for giving in. For the right price, of course.”

 Wilbur made a mental note to call the police on this man once he got Tommy out of there. And then he quickly scribbled it out when he realized he himself would also be in trouble for technically going along with it. So, that was a no go. At the very least, he hoped this was a one time thing for the man. He definitely wasn’t going to come back to give the other giant an incentive to sell him anymore of his human employees, that was for sure.

 “Well, I appreciate that.” Wilbur forced out a chuckle. “So, how much?”

 The other giant hummed in thought, as if he hadn’t already been thinking of how high he could go. “Let’s say…well 15,000 dollars out to be enough.”

 Wilbur wasn’t about to tell the man that he would have literally paid any amount of money for Tommy. Compared to what Wilbur had, 15,000 was nothing. Wilbur wasn’t sure if he should thank or curse his dad for being so rich and sharing that with his sons because on one hand, he was able to buy Tommy back. On the other hand, however, this entire thing could have been avoided if Wilbur didn’t have the money to catch Tommy’s boss’ attention.

 So curse it is.

 “Hmm…” He pretended to think about it, to further the lie that 15,000 dollars was a lot of money. “Alright, I think that’s fair.” He ignored the victorious grin on the other giant’s face and started to write out a check for the amount. He handed it over to the guy and he grabbed it with his free hand, looking it over.

 “Perfect, it was such a pleasure doing business with you.” He handed over the take-out container, which Wilbur took carefully.

 “And you as well.” He managed to get out instead of just booking it right then and there. “I think I’ll be heading home for the night in order to enjoy this…tasty treat.” Again, Wilbur felt sick.

 “Of course. I’ll be seeing you.” Tommy’s boss said as Wilbur turned to leave.

 No you will not. Wilbur thought to himself. He was never stepping foot in this place ever again. And neither was Tommy if he could help it.

 As Wilbur stepped outside and headed towards his car, he had to pause as what just happened fully hit him. 

 He had just bought Tommy.

 He had just engaged in the very illegal activity of the buying and selling of humans.

 He stared down at the take-out container. No doubt Tommy wasn’t going to take any of this well. Wilbur was a pretty good actor, after all. He had his work cut out for him, in trying to convince Tommy he didn’t mean anything he said in there. After what just happened, Wilbur couldn’t count on the trust they had slowly been building up these last couple of weeks. Tommy was no doubt terrified and fully expecting Wilbur to eat him.

 Wilbur sighed. He wanted to explain himself now but he knew the parking lot of the restaurant was not the place to do it. It was better he took Tommy home first. So he started walking towards his car again.