Techno’s backstory

Bit of vampire lore, during their fledgeling phase; It takes about 1-4 years to mature depending on the vampire and the conditions of the fledgeling. Without a sire, a fledgeling would take a lot longer to reach maturity. With a sire, the process is usually shortened to a minimum of 1-2.

As for Techno, for some strange reason, his process was complicated compared to that of Wilburs. Wilbur was the first out of the twins to become a vampire due to contracting a deadly illness, causing Phil to turn him before Techno.

After Wilbur had turned, Phil’s focus was mainly on his other twin due to the entire sire process. It wasn’t like Phil wasn’t there but since Techno was quite the isolated individual, Phil couldn’t really leave Wilbur due to his sire instincts. 

It took Wilbur two years to mature, and one year to be able to handle himself as a fledgeling. During that time, Wilbur had visited a human village and the incident happened. 

Phil had offered to turn Techno earlier, but he refused. He wanted to live out his human life a bit longer. So, Techno is older than Wilbur by 2 human years and Wilbur is older than Techno is 2 vampire years. (Which is funny considering the twins were born 2 minutes apart).

Eventually, he was turned and the entire process was okay. Just his transformation was strange, instead of having larger upper fangs, his lower fangs are bigger. And his claws are duller compared to Phil’s and Wilbur’s yet he’s strongest out of the SBI.

Despite his process taking longer, he proved to be capable of taking care of himself as a fledgeling after about 2 years. Techno was out and conquering as many things as he could.

One of which was against an entire kingdom, which ended in victory. In the end, he took the king’s cape that had gotten torn during the battle and now wears it everywhere like a trophy. 

He came home after the battle, Phil just questioning why he’s covered in blood and he explains that he took down an entire kingdom. 

Tommy and Techno (since we don’t get enough Techno for this au)

Wilbur and Phil are vampires who have not entirely let go of their human emotions. Techno, on the other hand, has rather let go of his more human emotions and leaned more to his vampire side.

It’s not to say he doesn’t have emotions, it just means he tends to react more with instinct rather than emotion. So, he doesn’t communicate but rather sends his emotions and such through the coven bond. 

But when Tommy comes around, he has to try and be as human-ish as possible but it’s kind of hard to do when you’re centuries old and already long let go of them. So, he just depends on his instincts as a means of bonding sort of thing.

Since Tommy isn’t a vampire, his usual methods aren’t of any use. Plus, his instincts tend to act up when around Tommy since he now has a technical new member of the coven.

It’s a rough start, Tommy takes time to get used to Techno and his efforts of bonding but they both learn that the two of them have a knack for rough-housing. So, the two of them tend to rough-house a bit.

Techno will typically shift to around Tommy’s size and just playfully tackle him and such, being careful not to hurt him etc. When his instincts become overwhelming, he just gently bites Tommy or just puts him in his mouth where he knows he’s safe and such. 

Techno also trains Tommy in combat, hand to hand combat to make sure his human brother can take care of himself.

Drinking Blood

At first, the vampires don’t even dare to take a drop of blood out of Tommy just out of fear of hurting him. If they’re hungry, they stay a long way away from Tommy just to keep him safe until they’re able to feed themselves.

Luckily, the vampires don’t need large quantities of blood to survive despite their gigantic size, just size-shift and drink and they’ll be completely fed for a while. Tommy always questions when they feed or how they get their blood since he’s never seen them drink any. 

They actually have servants who gather blood for them through ethical means, they want to be as good of terms with humans as possible so they pay them in riches for some blood.

Eventually, the vampires join Tommy for meals at the dinner table. They’ll drink their blood and Tommy will eat his human food alongside them. Though Tommy always questioned why the vampires never drank from him, they never answered.

It wasn’t until an incident involving Wilbur and Tommy that had them captured before Techno and Phil could save them. Wilbur had begun to show signs of starvation. So, Tommy volunteered his blood to feed Wilbur.

Wilbur refused at first until he couldn’t push down his instincts any longer and fed. He was careful not to take too much blood, and eventually with a weakened Tommy. The vampires escaped.

Phil was pissed off at first but calmed down after Tommy defended Wilbur. Things calmed down after, easing some of the tension and stopping some of the rules the vampires had set for themselves.

The vampires actually produce a venom when feeding, one that’ll cause the human to become dazed, and affectionate sort of thing. Wilbur purposefully did it the first time so Tommy wouldn’t be hurt. 

After that, feeding Tommy became a kind of bonding thing. They’d only take small amounts and such, being as gentle as possible and eventually, Tommy grew used to the vampires taking blood from him. It would hurt a bit, but not as much as it used to. 

Covens

Covens are the equivalent of vampire families, when a vampire is turned, they become a part of the coven. And all three vampires of the SBI have a bond with each other where they’re able to feel each other’s emotions.

Depending on the strength of the bond between the vampires, more complicated things can be sent through the bond and sometimes even sentences to communicate. They’ll also be able to sense when another is nearby.

Tommy however, is unable to become a part of the bond due to being human. But, the vampires consider him a part of the bond. When a coven member is near Tommy,  the coven is able to know he’s safe and such due to the bond of the coven.

Other than that it’s just usual bonding between them all.

{...]

It had been another 24 hours without water, his throat stung like hell. He felt nauseous as he could barely keep his head straight. He didn’t have long left and he knew that, only about another day.

Only another day for Techno to find him.

He didn’t quite feel like eating as it only hurt his quenched throat. It had become routine at this point to meet up with Wilbur and talk to him, at least his final moments wouldn’t be lonely.

Wilbur had already been expecting him, a gracious smile on his features. It was the same as it had always been, yet Tommy couldn’t help but feel as though it mocked in victory. Even if the fae didn’t get a meal, Tommy still lost.

He weakly leaned against a rock on the ground, leaning his head towards Wilbur. “You know, you are one of the first to have ever lasted this long. You’re quite determined to survive, aren’t you, my little fawn?”, Tommy’s eyes began to tear as he didn’t reply to Wilbur.

He was so scared.

“Wilbur… I’m scared.”, he cried. Emotions began to overwhelm him, he wanted to go home, he wanted Sam’s hugs, He wanted to see Tubbo’s smile, He wanted a lean into the touch of his brother.

Wilbur’s expression seemed to soften ever so slightly, perhaps remorse for the young boy that was accepting his death at his feet. Tommy was just a kid, and Wilbur would be the only one to hear out his cries.

“I want to go home- I don’t want to die… I was supposed to grow up and be a big man, I was going to get a job so Techno wouldn’t have to worry about food all the time… I was- I was…”.

Tommy curled in on himself, the fae only looked down at him in pity. He didn’t want to give up hope just yet. But what other choice did he have? He laid there for a moment in thought, he wanted comfort…

{...}

Wilbur was caught off as Tommy threw himself into him. He quickly caught the boy, not allowing him to fall to the ground. He’d stepped into the fairy ring, he broke a rule. He owed Wilbur, and he was going to become a meal…

Tommy harshly let out his cries as he clung to Wilbur’s sweater, not scaring about his surroundings. The sharp claws held him gently instead of ripping him apart, he probably wanted to savour his meal…

What he was met with though, was a hug. Wilbur brought him towards his chest, his arm wrapped around him as his claw gently soothed his back, though it felt like shivers were being sent down his spine.

Tommy’s head hurt, he was overwhelmed. Everything was just too much for the poor boy. He clung to Wilbur’s chest like a young child. Surprisingly, Wilbur had made no move to hurt him thus far. 

He wondered how long he’d have to wait for death to come.

“Hush now, tiny spark. It’s quite alright. You’re alright and safe.”. Tommy didn’t believe him, he was a fae, a predator. And he was just the prey, Wilbur had spent so many days hunting Tommy down. Why give up now?

Tommy only cried further, his throat sore as he cried out loud. It stung. He wanted to be held by Techno. Not some stranger.

Wilbur continued to comfort him, he could feel Wilbur stand up and move towards something, The sound of running water rose to his ears. Why would there be water?

{...}

With the boy in his arms, he brought him towards the running stream. As he used some magic to conjure a wooden bowl into his palm. The boy continued to cling to him like a koala, crying his heart out.

He sighed, gently placing the bowl under the stream as it filled with water. He hated that he allowed himself to do it, but he also couldn’t allow the boy to die as he let out his raspy cries.

Despite never wanting to allow himself to, he had gotten attached to the youngling. He wasn’t supposed to, he was meant to consume him as his natural predator yet he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Perhaps he’d been alone for far too long that any form of company was a welcome one. There was another but… He wasn’t quite keen on conversation, Tommy however was quite the opposite.

He shook the boy gently, “Tommy…”, no response, only his sobs. “Little fawn, could you open your eyes for me, please?”, it was a rare thing for a fae to say something such as please, yet here he was saying it to a mere human.

The boy shook in his arms, yet he complied and looked up towards Wilbur. He couldn’t help the look of pity he gave Tommy, only hoping he understood that he meant no harm to him. He was safe in his arms.

The boy’s cries were silenced, looking up towards him. He brought the bowl towards Tommy’s face. The boy jumped, scanning the bowl as he looked over it in suspicion. Wilbur brought it closer, and Tommy shook his head.

It was obvious he didn’t trust Wilbur. He was a fae, a trickster that couldn’t be trusted for they only manipulated. He didn’t take offence. Though, he couldn’t lie either.

“Tommy. You can drink the water, no strings attached. You won’t owe me a debt of any sort. All I ask is that you drink”, Tommy gave Wilbur a bewildered look, confused no doubt as he stared between him and the water bowl in his hand.

Tommy opened his mouth to speak but came out with nothing. The boy was smart, having already known how to comply with the fae. He probably knew that the fae could not lie.

Reluctantly, he took the bowl from Wilbur’s hand. Gulping it down instantly. Wilbur gave the boy a friendly smile as the boy finished, he looked exhausted given he had been parched and crying his eyes out. He needed rest.

And so, the boy fell asleep in his arms.

{...}

When Tommy woke back up, it wasn’t on the hard ground. Well, it was still the ground but it was much more comfortable than it normally had been. Cushioning him were leaves and flowers that kept him comfortable.

Why was he there? He didn’t recall sleeping, the last thing he remembered was… He recollected his thoughts, remembering what had happened the day before. Near enough to his death and Wilbur had saved him.

He wasn’t sure as to why though, why would Wilbur spare his life? He hadn’t done for the fae yet he was safe. He’d have to question it later, although he’d been given a drink, Tommy was still rather thirsty.

Determined for a drink, he stood from the leafy bed and made his way towards the stream, he contemplated giving straight for a drink but considering he was within the fairy ring, it’d be better if he waited.

He nearly jumped at the sound of the bushes, but it was only Wilbur stepping through the opposite side of the ring, the two of them made eye contact. Wilbur greeted him with a saddened smile.

It didn’t take long for Wilbur to take a seat beside Tommy, “You know, you don’t have to wait for me to return. Drink as much as you need, Tommy nodded as he went to quickly scoop up some water with his bare hands, drinking as much as he could.

The water helped soothe his throat drastically, breathing out a sigh of relief that he wasn’t going to die of thirst after all. As he finished, the two sat in silence which Tommy found odd for the usually very talkative fae.

“My apologies, you must be hungry.”, he brought a bowl out from beside him. It looked as though it was a makeshift salad, yet he didn’t trust it. Never take food from a fae, it would only starve you.

“No need to worry, I made it with the nearby herbs. Not from the fae, I promise”, he couldn’t lie and yet he promised. A promise meant a lot to the fae, why was he using it so lightly towards Tommy?

Was Wilbur allowing him to break the rules? 

Feeling an ounce of confidence, he took the bowl from Wilbur’s hand. “Bitch”, he spat out as he dug into the salad. The language seemed to have caught Wilbur off guard, had he pushed it? 

But Wilbur only erupted into laughter, “Oh my! So you are quite the little spark! That is very inappropriate language for someone your age, mind you!”, Tommy was surprised that  Wilbur hadn’t taken offence.

He was only met with a friendly smile. Though, there was something he couldn’t get off his mind.

“Wilbur, if you don’t mind me asking- Why aren’t I?”, he wasn’t entirely sure how to phrase the entire thing but Wilbur seemed to have understood. Letting out a sigh as he looked off towards the side.

“Truth be told, I’ve been lonely. And unlike other humans, you lasted a long time as we conversed more and more. Guilt accumulated and I couldn’t simply bring myself to watch you die”.

Tommy thinks he understood.

{...}

Life with Wilbur had certainly been strange, though a welcome one. They had grown closer for the past couple of weeks, and the two of them learnt that each other was rather mischievous as they would pull small tricks on each other.

Such as hiding in the trees or splashing each other with water. He was good company, and the two of them got along well. If Tommy were to summarise things, Wilbur almost behaved like a protective older brother.

Like Techno.

Wilbur had been taking care of Tommy, bringing him food or at least making food with whatever Tommy brought back. Throughout his time with Wilbur, he had tested his limits with the fae rules.

What he learnt, don’t treat Wilbur like complete shit or he’ll become grumpy. He was freely allowed out of the fairy ring as promised, please and thank you were welcomed without debt. And language was pressed back to a bare minimum.

And most importantly no lies, he’d told Wilbur a small lie to see how’d he react, wasn’t exactly pleased.

Wilbur sat beside a tree, humming whatever melody came to mind. Tommy simply lying close by, bored out of his mind. Wilbur had noticed his boredom but continued to sing, enjoying the silence. 

“Wilbur! I’m bored!”, the young boy cried out yet Wilbur paid him no mind. Feeling very much offended, he stumped off away from the fae and out of the ring. He looked back to Wilbur, who only spared him a glance. 

He had explored a majority of the lush caves yet there had been a darker edge to the caves, the nature more overgrown in that specific spot. It had taken his curiosity and since he was bored, he figured that he might as well explore it.

Making his way there, the same feeling from when he had first arrived had returned. The feeling of being watched, but much more intense than before. It set off his nerves, yet he put it off as him being paranoid.

Or maybe it was Wilbur? He was indeed magic and capable of many things so he wouldn’t be surprised if it was him.

He treaded through the cave, the vines growing more frequent as Tommy needed to push them away. It took a small while but eventually, he made it through the vines. And what he saw, shocked him to the core.

It was a giant crystal upon a podium, It was as clear as could be as it reflected like a rainbow. Tommy could tell it was magic, powerful. Perhaps even powerful enough to power the magical barrier?

It was so mesmerising, that he wanted to take a further look at the crystal.

But, the sound of a loud caw interrupted him, sounding as though it had come from above. He looked up to see a gigantic figure floating above him, swooping down. Oh, gods, it was heading straight towards him. 

It attempted to pick him up via its claws yet Tommy managed to dodge, adrenaline began to pump through his veins. What on earth was that thing? He thought it’d only been him and Wilbur down here. 

He turned to run, looking back at the figure it was hastily humanoid. Having a strange-shaped hat as he looked down at Tommy. Tommy didn’t like the frightening look. He ran as fast as he could towards the fairy ring. 

“Wilbur! Wilbur!”, he cried out, frantically looking around for the fae. Wilbur was quick to peek from his position, concern gracing his features as he went towards Tommy. Tommy was quick to cling to the hooved leg.

“W- What’s wrong Toms?”, Wilbur panicked, crouching down as his hand loomed over the boy protectively, scanning for any source of danger.

“Wil! What the fuck- I- I found this crystal! I went to go look at it but this thing attacked me! I-”, Wilbur sighed before tapping Tommy on the back gently, Tommy took that as a sign to calm down.

“It’s alright, little spark.”, he assured Tommy before turning to look up at the skies. “It is you I presume who scared him?”, he called out towards the sky.

It didn’t take long for the figure that had attacked him to return, flying into the fairy ring without issue. That was when Tommy managed to get a better look at whom had attacked him.

From what he could tell, they were a fae. Shorter than Wilbur yet terrifying in appearance, he wore what looked to be a striped hat with a black veil, adorned in silver jewellery as he could barely make out the blue eyes.

The fae had long blonde hair, tied back into a ponytail as he wore a dark green robe. What stood out the most were the crow-like feet and black feathered wings. He did not look happy in the slightest.

“Phil. Care to explain yourself?”, Wilbur scooped up Tommy and brought him close to his chest. It was the first that Wilbur had ever held him that high, he almost yelped as his feet left the ground yet he didn’t mind the hold.

“You heard the boy, he was close to the crystal. I was only protecting it.”, Wilbur nodded as he looked down at Tommy for a moment. Sighing, he gently placed Tommy back to the ground, maintaining eye contact.

“You have my sincerest apologies, Phil, I will speak to him about it later. But I believe that the two of you haven’t met, at least not formally.”, Phil nodded as he looked down at Tommy with suspicion.

Ignoring the look, he looked up to Wilbur. “Wilbur, what do you mean by “not formally?”.”, he let out another sigh.

“Tommy, have you ever felt as though you were being watched?”, Tommy nodded. “This is Phil, he’s- an acquaintance, he’s been watching over you as I presume. He won’t mean any harm unless provoked.”.

It almost sounded like a lie, since the bird bitch had tried to scoop him up with his claws because he only wanted a look. In his frustration, he only glared at Phil, earning a small laugh out of Wilbur.

“Quite the strange one you’ve decided to keep there Wilbur.”, Phil ignored Tommy as he only desired to speak with Wilbur. The two continued their conversation as Tommy grew more bored than he had earlier that day.

{...}

After Phil had calmed down, he was rather chill. Though he was very closed off from what Tommy could tell, refusing to answer any questions about himself but after some time, he found himself enjoying Phil’s company.

Though he couldn’t get his mind off of the crystal, it was definitely powerful enough to power the entire kingdom. He had questioned both Phil and Wilbur about the crystal yet the two of them refused to answer for some reason.

Things weren’t always boring in the lush caves but as more days passed, he found himself losing even more hope for Techno to find him. It had been nearly 3 weeks and yet he hadn’t been found.

He missed Techno as he was the only family he had ever had. He wanted to work on the cars like they used to, he wanted the same old potato stew again, he wanted to try and ride carl and fail miserably. He wanted home.

Wilbur seemed to notice his lack of communication lately, asking if he’d like some affection, food or water. Most of his days were spent in his make-shift bed, waiting for the days to pass. He needed a plan.

He’d notice multiple routes throughout the lush caves, perhaps some of them led to the surface? Nobody was stopping him from leaving at this point, nothing was stopping him from escaping and taking the crystal.

He made up his mind.

Night soon came as he snuck out from the fairy ring, making his way towards the crystal. Careful to not alert the fae, surprisingly he hadn’t. As he drew closer to the crystal, he made wary steps.

He never felt eyes peering through his back, meaning he was safe from the eyes of Phil. Remembering his route, he finally made it to the crystal which illuminated the night.

He approached the podium, keeping an ear out for Phil. Hearing nothing, he snatched the crystal. Making his way to the nearest cave route, he’d be home soon. He’d be with Techno again, he’d be a hero.

The route was dark, yet he managed.

{...}

Wilbur paced around his ring worriedly, Tommy had gone missing from the fairy ring without a word. He was worried sick, there was no sign of him nearby, no response when he called out to the boy.

Phil landed beside him, having scanned over the area for Wilbur. Yet his expression didn’t appear too pleased, something had happened. Phil looked to Wilbur with a serious and tense look.

“Wilbur, he took the crystal-”.

“HE. DID. WHAT?”, Wilbur exclaimed as fury displayed all over his features. Fists clenched tightly, they could blood if possible. Phil had a look of concern, though he didn’t voice them.

Wilbur's pacing became more frantic, a missing boy and now a missing crystal. That crystal was important, not only to him but the consequence. If the crystal fell into the wrong hands, human hands. There would be quite a bit of destruction.

He shouldn’t have been so foolish, he shouldn’t have trusted a human. He should’ve eaten the human whilst he had the chance. He had been betrayed, not only that but he had failed his one duty as a fae.

That crystal had been given to him to protect, and he had failed. His eyebrows furrowed and the silts of his eyes became hollow, he looked to Phil in fury with an order, each word laced in venom.

“Bring him back. Immediately”. 

Phil only nodded before flying off towards one of the many routes of the cave. Wilbur could only wait in fury.

…

 Tommy ran as though his life depended on it, the crystal ducked underneath his elbow. Surely the fae had noticed his disappearance and wouldn’t be long before Phil would be on his tail. He wasn’t sure how much he had run as he panted heavily. 

Guilt clouded his mind, he felt bad for taking away the crystal. He pleaded with himself that it was for the better of Essemore, the better for humanity but he couldn’t help but feel like he did when he first ran away from Techno.

Perhaps this wasn’t the best plan ever, yet the fae only kept him there as though he were only a mere pet of sorts. No matter how many times he pleaded with Wilbur to help him go home, he never did.

He stopped in his tracks, contemplating. Wilbur had kept him alive all this time and for what? Entertainment? The fae he’d been lonely and that wasn’t a lie, but was he trustworthy? Had he been used all this time?

All the times they spoke, had it all meant nothing?

Letting out a saddened sigh, he looked down at the crystal in his arms. Was there a way out from this point forward? He looked farther ahead with the path ahead. He couldn’t give up just yet, Techno was waiting for him.

A step forward, he tripped. Falling, a harsh scream escaped Tommy as he fell from the ledge. He clung to the crystal, looking around frantically for something to hold, but nothing was in sight.

He was falling, with no ground in sight. How hadn’t he noticed the ledge? He closed his eyes with fear.

Suddenly, a pair of arms held on tightly to him. He held on tight to whoever held him, a couple of sniffles escaped him as he opened his eyes. It was Phil who had caught him, using his wings to stay upwards in the air.

Phil was quick to fly them back onto solid ground, holding onto Tommy tightly. Tommy couldn’t quite make out Phil’s expression in the dark, though Phil wasn’t as giant as he remembered. Phil seemed to be shorter than him.

“You’re alright mate, I’ve got you”, he assured Tommy.

{...}

After recovering from the fall, Phil ended up leading him back toward the lush caves. Once they made it back into the light, he could see Phil’s face more clearly, it had a look of concern. It scared him as he drew closer to the fairy ring.

Terrified even. Each step closer he felt his anxiety grow, the amount of tension from Phil’s hold was enough to tell him that Wilbur was definitely not pleased. And well, certainly pissing off a fae was never the best thing.

He’d probably be cursed or eaten. Anything was possible. 

The instant he steps within the fairy ring, Wilbur’s rage was obvious. It didn’t take long for him to encounter the fae, fury obvious. His antlers had grown in shape, his teeth and claws looked sharper, silts of his eyes thin. He looked even more terrifying than Tommy ever imagined him to be.

Tommy flinched at the eye contact, his guilt becoming overwhelming. He wanted to cry, the only thing holding him together was the gentle hold of his hand from Phil.

Wilbur let out a fairly harsh growl as he looked between him and the crystal in his arm, Tommy knew had made a mistake, a very bad one at that.

“Tommy.”, Wilbur began. His name was voiced with such hatred, he had heard the tone many a time, many from people he used to trust. There would be no recovery from what he had done.

Wilbur didn’t stop as he continued, “By the looks of things, you already know what you’ve done but if it isn’t clear enough for your human mind to comprehend… That crystal, is not yours. And you stole it, you thieving scum.”.

Tommy felt hurt at his words, even though he was right. He only wanted to block them out, he didn’t want- he didn’t-

“Not only that, but you betrayed my trust.”, Wilbur barred his teeth. “ You will return what is not yours, this instant. And that is an order. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”, The sound of his voice echoed on not only the walls but his mind.

Quickly complying, he gently placed the crystal on the bumpy floor. Not sparing Wilbur the look in his eyes, he shook in fear as he stepped away from the crystal. He was terrified, he didn’t know what to do, he only wanted to head home.

He wanted to leave, though he’d most likely be unable to. He was trapped with two faes that he had betrayed, and doomed to die yet again. It was all Tommy ever did, mess everything up for himself and the people around him.

Techno was probably worried sick and searching like hell for him, Sam must’ve ordered guards to search for him, Tubbo must’ve used whatever in his noble position to find Tommy, putting up missing posters with a grand reward.

Oh, how he wanted to go home. And now, he had betrayed his only friend in these caves. What kind of summer vacation was this supposed to be? Probably the worst he ever had, he’d never get to eat those golden apples again.

It was the end.

His body felt too heavy, too heavy to stand as he fell to the ground. Wilbur’s discipline became mute as buzzing was all he could hear, he felt numb as his heart ached out of his chest. He couldn’t see as tears flooded his eyes.

He wanted to go home. He wanted to go home. ‘I want to go home. I want to go home. I want to go home. I need to go home.’.

“I want to go home…”, he cried.

And all went blank.

…

Gentle hands were placed upon his shoulders, calling out to him. They were barely audible, he couldn’t make it out, he just wanted to go home. The grip on his shoulders tightened, the muttering becoming louder.

Something attempted to pull away from the grip, yet it remained on his shoulder as it became even louder. Was he dying? Had Wilbur killed him as he had expected to? Or was he being too dramatic?

The muttering stopped, and the grip on his shoulder pulled away. He didn’t want the grip to go. Instead, it was replaced with a hug. He clung to whoever it was, he didn’t care. He only wanted safety.

His breathing began to calm and soon the muttering returned, though it was clearer.

“Tom? Can you hear me? It’s alright, it’s okay. Breathe for me, okay?”, the voice attempted to calm him, it sounded really panicked. He tried to listen, he tried to think of reassuring things, Techno, Wilbur, Tubbo… 

A hand gently began to rub his back. His breathing calmed down further as his mind began to clear, recollecting his thoughts, though a voice interrupted them. “Please. I’m sorry, I’m really sorry- I’m sorry”, his voice cried.

He recognised it as Wilbur, why did he sound so upset? Hadn’t he been mad at Tommy, wasn’t he going to die? Wilbur clung closer to Tommy, and was quick to notice the smaller hands, had Wilbur shrunk? He knew fae could shrink.

That wasn’t the point, he had betrayed Wilbur. But here he was, clinging and apologising to him. Did he feel guilty? Tommy’s guilt returned, though he remained calm, he didn’t feel like having another bad panic attack. 

Tommy returned the hug, “Wilbur, I’m sorry- Really I am, you were right. I’m only a fucking dumbass thief, I’m sorry. I just missed home.”, he cried out. Wilbur’s touch went to his dirty blonde locks, gently rubbing at his scalp.

“It’s not your fault, not at all, little fawn… I knew you wanted to go home, I should’ve done something, not keep you here against your will. I’m sorry for being so selfish, I just didn’t want to be alone.”, Wilbur cried.

Tommy attempted to comfort the fae by gently squeezing his chest, Wilbur’s hug only grew tighter. “I’m going to let you go, and you’ll go home. I promise- Gosh, I’m so sorry-”, Wilbur broke down into sobs.

Though he wasn’t wrong, Wilbur was still his friend, and perhaps even his brother. He didn’t want to leave him also. “Wilby, it’s okay. I-”, Tommy didn’t seem to be able to find the words.

He could hear Wilbur let out a snort, “My name isn’t Wilby, nor is simply Wilbur. It is Wilbur Soot.”, the way he said the name sounded strange, as though there were strings attached to the name.

“Wilbur, Wilbur Soot?”. The name carried weight to it, though it was not heavy on the tongue. It was magic, it was a fae’s name. Tommy knew names meant power, which meant Wilbur had practically trusted him with his life.

“Wil, why would you?-”, Wilbur brought a finger to his lips, with a saddened smile on his features. His eyes were soft as he still held onto Tommy. 

“Use my name wisely, if you are ever in need of my protection or company, you may call. Do you understand?”, Tommy nodded in understanding, Wilbur had trusted him with his power.

…

“My name is Theseus.”.

{...}

He waved Wilbur off as he and Phil flew towards the exit of the cave, finally he’d be free after nearly a month of remaining there. He clung to Phil for dear life as they went upwards, before landing on the solid ground of the surface.

“You alright, mate?”, Phil asked with concern mixed with amusement. He’d probably never grow used to Phil’s flying and probably for the better, he’d never want to do it again. He gave a nod and a smile.

Phil then turned back towards the lush caves, spreading his wings and waving goodbye. Though, it wouldn’t be the last time he’d see Phil. Both of them knew that as a fact.

Letting out a sigh, he looked at his surroundings. The sight of pure daylight above the tree line was more welcomed than the bare light of the caverns. He smiled, as he was finally free.

“Wilbur Soot.”, he called out for the fae. A small gust of wind passed his face as he turned, there he was. Wilbur. Standing there as the size of a human, a warm smile on his face. Tommy returned with his smirk.

Wilbur shrunk down to the size of Tommy’s hands, Tommy was quick to scoop him up and place him upon his shoulder, heading home. He just hoped that Techno didn’t mind his new friend as they began their journey back to Essemore.

…

As they headed home, Wilbur began to hum a song unknown to Tommy but it was soothing as it filled the silence of the forest. Though, it appeared as though somebody wasn’t too keen on agreeing.

Rusling caught Tommy’s attention as he scanned for any sign of movement, almost instantly a hand grabbed his collar and pinned him up against the tree. The man breathed heavily with fatigue as he gazed into Tommy’s eyes.

“Theseus?”, Tommy opened up to see the familiar pinkette that was his brother, he looked tired with the bags under his eyes. A sword was pointed at Tommy’s throat, about to pull away when-

Loud growls are heard as something tackles down Techno, Tommy is dropped to the ground. Tommy is quick to guess who had attacked Techno. He saw the two of them roll across the forest ground, each one wanting the upper hand.

Techno managed to kick Wilbur in the stomach, sending him flying into a tree. Tommy took the chance to intervene, the two stopped from mere inches away from his face. It was quite the sight to see two murderous looks pointed toward you.

“Theseus, move out of the way. That is a fae.”, Techno ordered. Yet Tommy only shook his head, remaining where he was. Wilbur took that as a sign to back down from the fight and Tommy was glad for it. 

“Let me explain.”.

And explained he did, it took a minute for Techno to process the entire thing and after he did, he glared at Wilbur before embracing Tommy in a bear hug, oh how he missed his hugs.

{...}

Techno wasn’t exactly pleased with Tommy’s plan. And thus, he was grounded for two weeks. Which was quite merciful considering he had gone missing for nearly a month. And as extra punishment, he was forced to do much more chores than he was used to.

Though, the punishment was more bearable with Wilbur and Tubbo by his side. And as time passed, Wilbur had become a member of the family, and Phil would visit on occasion. He seemed to get along very well with Techno.

And thanks to the help of Techno, they managed to make a safe way to enter and out of the cave with mountain climbing equipment, meaning when Wilbur couldn’t come to him, he could visit Wilbur himself.

Sam wasn’t entirely pleased to learn of Tommy’s efforts yet appreciated it, he decided to leave the invention, for the time being, saying it wasn’t the right time for such a creation. Tommy had to agree, It wasn’t as bad as you’d like to believe.

{...}

The teenager was sprawled out across his bed as he’d usually be, dawn had just arisen and Tommy being the young boy he was, refused to give daylight the sense of day and wake up. He was determined to win against the sun.

Tommy shifted, the springs of his bed complaining under his weight. A shame though as sunlight only attacked his eyes, causing Tommy to shield them with his forearm. ‘Do I have to get up?’, the boy groggily thought.

Tiredly sighing, Tommy sat up as the springs of his bed again complained. It was a really old bed, he’d love to have a new mattress as the springs of his current one liked to scratch at his legs quite often during the night.

But they couldn’t afford another mattress, at least not at the moment. They needed to focus on making money for the upcoming Winter as his caretaker said, even though it was only early Summer. 

Stretching out his bones for the day, he reached for his pair of goggles on the bedside. Smiling as he looked towards one of the cracked lenses, given to him by his mentor. It was one of his most prized possessions.

Combing his hands through his hair in an attempt to tame his wild bed-locks, he placed the goggles on his head, as they belonged. A knock came at his door, indicating it was time for him to get up. 

Letting out an annoyed sigh, he got up and reached towards his dresser, grabbing some random white blouse that was a bit too big but still fit him and a pair of beige shorts. As soon as he put those on, he grabbed his jacket that hung off the door.

A short-sleeved, red-tinted leather jacket. A gift from his caretaker and another thing he owned and particularly liked. Just as he finished getting ready, a knock came from his bedroom door, signalling that it was time for breakfast.

His stomach grumbled at the thought of breakfast, so quickly he made his way to the dining area. The floorboards groaned with each step, the place itself may be worn down but it was stable and comfortable, so he never complained.

Taking a seat at the table, leaning his elbow against the old wood. He looked towards the handy old stove where his caretaker leaned over, tending to the firewood to keep it ablaze. Whatever was cooking was most likely for lunch, probably stew.

Tommy let out a groan at the thought of another stew, the same thing over again. His caretaker quickly turned his head over with a glare, it had no haste but still daunting nonetheless. Okay, maybe he complained once in a while.

His caretaker let out a sigh as he stood up and turned towards a basket, handing Tommy a baked bun as he took his seat at the table. His long pink hair tied back into its usual braid, it was much more well kept than Tommy’s hair, all things considered.

“Listen, uh…”, he paused for a moment, “I know you’re sick of potato stew all the time, but it’s all we really got and all I can really cook.”, he spoke in his usual monotone voice as he ate his baked bun. Tommy only nodded as he bit into his own.

At least by the late Summer, they would have a harvest of apples, it was a time of year he really looked forward to as Techno would make his special recipe of golden apples. It was odd how he managed to turn the apples a different colour and only Techno himself knew the recipe but by the gods it was good.

Not only that, but it sold like crazy. And usually, if Tommy helped out with the harvest, he’d get his share of coins to spend and a golden apple pie, the best pie in the world. And by far it was the best thing he had ever tasted.

The thought lightened up Tommy’s mood as he ate his bun at a faster pace, Techno seemed to notice but didn’t comment, only a smile graced his features. Most people would call his smile a rare sight after Techno’s retirement, but it was simply behind closed doors.

Tommy and Techno’s relationship was odd at best. Although not related by blood, Tommy would consider Techno to be his brother rather than his caretaker, but Techno would always deny the brotherly relationship, instead of painting himself as a simple caretaker. 

{...}

After he argued with the king, the old general retired. Instead of treading dangerous battles for glory, honour and the safety of the kingdom. He now lived on a barely surviving farm and ran a market stall to sell his harvests.

Despite the drastic change, it was much more relaxing for Technoblade. He lived in peace, with no voices that craved the blood of the enemy. Carl, his loyal horse, came to a halt outside of the local bakery.

Techno let out a huff as he jumped down from Carl, the horse turning to him as he did so. What many could say was a blatant stare was more of a fond look towards the horse. Reaching into his satchel and bringing out an apple for the horse.

As Carl bit into the apple, the local baker was quick to greet him with her usual friendly smile. Her name was Niki, although Techno didn’t know too much besides business exchange. She was indeed a sweetheart, sometimes giving Techno leftover baked goods for his hard work.

“Good Morning Sir Techno!”, Niki addressed by his precious title. Despite how many times he corrected her, she insisted on calling him by the title and Techno ended up giving up. Techno greeted her with his usual nod.

As Carl finished his apple, Techno was quick to pick up the crates of wheat that lay in the cart. Niki opened the door for him as he brought them inside. As they finished the exchange, Niki handed him the bag of coins as promised and some baked goods. 

Techno thanked her with a smile and left to run his stall at the market, after that the day went by as per usual. Some looked upon him solemnly as he was the old general. Or with a look of disappointment for his retirement, he had grown used to the matter.

The customer handed him a couple of coins in exchange for some apples. Letting out a sigh as he looked towards the sky, once bright with sunlight had dimmed as the night drew closer. He deemed the customer as the last for the day.

It didn’t take long for him to close up his stall as most of his stock was already on his cart. Carl appeared to be eager to leave, the horse probably being a bit tired himself or bored from standing in one place too long.

Patting the horse on the nose, he was reminded of the baked goods that Niki had given him. They were probably cold by now but they’d still be good to eat. Not wanting them to go to waste, he grabbed the paper bag from his satchel and brought out a biscuit.

Taking a quick bite, Techno hummed at the sweet taste. Niki’s baking had always been really good, perhaps he’d have to learn the recipe at some point. After all, he really could only make a quick stew.

The bag was quickly snatched from his hand rather suddenly, the retired knight was quick to react and grab the wrist of the perpetrator. The thief lashed out as Techno dragged him back towards him, he was quick to notice that the thief was only a kid.

A street rat no less, his clothes were dirty and ragged and his hair was an utter mess. The kid attempted to squirm in his hold, the kid’s free arm that held the baked goods was used to try and fight him off.

But Techno simply stared, unaffected by the kids' attempt to escape. As Techno drew a closer look, the boy was skinny, perhaps a little too much so. He must’ve been starving, the poor kid.

Techno couldn’t blame the kid for trying to take the food, the kid was probably starving and trying to survive. Eventually, a raspy voice spoke, “LET ME GO, YOU SON OF A BITCH!”. Quite the language from a boy so young.

Techno was going to have to socialize, wasn’t he? Despite being a valiant general, Techno had never done much talking except bark orders at his fellow soldiers into battle. He wasn’t exactly the best at conversation.

“Uh- Kid? I’m not going to hurt you or anything. Calm down”, a bit of concern laced his voice. The last thing he wanted was for the child to become scared or run away from him. The boy slowly stopped his squirms and peered open an eye towards Techno. It was quickly turned into a glare.

Techno let go of the kid, and the boy was quick to shove whatever was left of the biscuits into his hand. And just as quickly turned to leave, most likely to never be seen by him again. Techno could only empathize, he had been in similar circumstances once.

“Hey!”, he called out towards the boy, who just as quickly turned back towards him. Techno held out the paper bag towards the boy, the kid hesitated but ended up taking back the paper bag and ran off. 

That was never the last time he saw the boy though.

As days passed, encounters grew more often between the two of them as Techno would hand out more food to the kid. A bond of sorts formed between them, and before he knew it himself. He had taken in the boy for the upcoming winter as he’d never survive.

And the young boy ended up staying, his name was Theseus.

{...}

But despite everything, they were most definitely brothers. Even if Techno were to deny that fact. Techno had raised him from a little thief to a much more capable young man. At least that’s what he believed.

Because Techno would always have to teach him the same things over again such as not to choose violence as your first option after some random guy insulted your best friend’s new haircut. He still chose violence anyways because it was easier.

And even Techno could agree on that front because the man himself wasn’t always easy with conversation. Plus, if he and Techno were in similar circumstances, Techno would easily take on an opponent.

“Hey, Techno! You’re zoning out again!”, Tommy waved his hand in front of Techno’s face to attempt at getting him back in reality. Techno simply huffed in reply as he finished his baked bun and stood up.

Grabbing a cup from the upper shelf and filling it up with water, handing it to Tommy as he returned to his seat. “So, what’s your current assignment?" asked Techno as Tommy began to gulp down the entirety of the water.

“I haven’t really been able to work on any of my assignments due to Sam wanting us to help him with his latest invention, I can’t say much about it but it’s really cool Techno! Amazing! It’s going to change the kingdom for the better!”. Tommy excitedly explained.

Techno couldn’t be more proud of Tommy, once a street boy, now an apprentice under the royal engineer, Sam. When Techno had taken the young boy in, he taught the kid many things such as mechanics. 

He taught Tommy everything he knew about mechanics, they’d fix up an old car sometimes and eventually, Tommy began tinkering with all sorts of things. Being able to pick them apart piece by piece and put them back together perfectly.

One day, a car had broken down in the main plaza and Tommy was quick to help the bloke and his car. It just so happened that The Royal Engineer was passing by and spotted Tommy’s talents and took him in.

Now, having honed his skills, Tommy is a genius and remarkable engineer. He couldn’t be more proud of him. Techno smiled to himself as he stood up from the table and went towards the coat rack where he hung his straw hat. 

Placing it on his head, he turned to Tommy who had also joined him. The boy was quick to open the door and race outside towards the stables, grabbing a handful of wheat along the way to greet Carl.

“Hey, Carl! Hey buddy”, he cooed towards the horse, gently stroking his mane. Carl was his old companion, once his warrior horse and now just a regular one. To give credit where it was due, Carl was an incredibly intelligent horse.

Techno was quick to place the reins on Carl, and prep him for travel. After Carl finished his wheat, Tommy hopped into the cart as Techno took the reins and in routine, they took off towards the kingdom.

{...}

“Alright Kiddo, we’re here.”Tommy hopped out of the cart, grabbing his satchel before he headed off into the building known as the workshop. Patting Carl on the head as thanks, Techno was quick to ruffle his hair when Tommy’s guard was down.

Tommy glared sharply at Techno, but the man feigned ignorance and pretended the act of affection had never happened. He let out a huff as Techno began to lead Carl away from the building. Bitch.

Tommy passed through the squeaky doors and walked down the stairs towards the basement where both his colleagues were. Placing his satchel on a random desk, he stretched and approached his colleague.

His colleague was quite a bit shorter than Tommy, making him perfect to lean on. Despite this, the colleague remained unaffected and continued working on his given task. “Tommy, get off, will you?”, his colleague attempted to shake him off.

His little companion, best friend and arch-nemesis, Tubbo Underscore. He and Tubbo met at the workshop and have gotten along ever since, becoming best friends in fact. Tubbo, or Sir Tubbo as he really should be addressed.

Tubbo was from a noble family that worked directly underneath the king, his father was the king's, right-hand man. Though Tubbo never cared to fuss about the etiquette or rules he was supposed to follow as the next in line to become the next lord of the family. 

Tubbo was never a fan of formalities, preferring simplicity over anything. His family could be rather demanding at times and he could never express his passions or talents there, so the workshop was his escape. Normalcy. 

Tommy only huffed, moving himself to sit on the desk, one leg on the desk as the other hung loosely. It was then that Tubbo turned his attention from whatever he was working on and toward Tommy.

 Tommy smirked in greeting, as he leaned in closer to inspect Tubbo’s tinkering. It appeared to be a music box, but Tommy knew his best friend well enough to know that the music box wasn’t simply just a music box.

“What’s the twist, this time?”, he questioned and Tubbo was quick to finish up the tinkering and handed it off to Tommy. Curious, Tommy began to pull the handle as a small melody began to play. The pace of the song began to quicken as Tommy further pulled the handle. 

 He let out a yelp as something jumped out of the music box, he almost threw the box towards the wall. Tubbo laughed at his reaction and Tommy could only huff in response. On further inspection, Tubbo had adjusted a mechanism so that at the end of the melody, it would jump out.

Quite scary, yet entertaining nonetheless. Besides being his best friend, Tubbo was secondly his rival. The two of them fought for Sam’s attention, hoping that one day they would someday get the position as the Royal Engineer.

Tommy didn’t stay with Tubbo for too long as he had to let his boss know he was here. And so, he went towards Sam’s latest project and found him welding some metal. The man didn’t take long to notice Tommy’s presence. 

“Tommy. Hello!”, He waved as he placed his torch to the side, taking off the protective mask as he greeted Tommy with a pat on the shoulder. Tommy returned it with his smile, looking towards the invention in front of them.

The three of them had been working on the project for the past couple of months and after much hard work,  it was finally near enough done. It was a special device designed to cooperate with magic.

And the machine would be able to use that magic to create a gigantic, protective barrier over the kingdom. Keeping away unwanted visitors such as the creatures like vampires, werewolves, sirens and fae.

Essemore was a kingdom of humans and humans were natural prey for the outside creatures and were constantly at war with them. To combat it, a barrier was created to stop them. And it was missing one final piece.

What it required was a magical object, powerful enough to create the barrier. An ordinary person wouldn’t be able to fuel the barrier, even if they had powerful capabilities. And ever since they started, Sam handed out a commission for anything magic related.

So far, nobody has come back with an object powerful enough. And so, it wouldn’t be used for a while until they got the object. Even though they had worked so hard on it. 

Sam ended up tasking Tommy with some maintenance and perhaps upgrading things as he saw necessary. A couple of hours of work passed, Tubbo ended up joining him in maintenance and it was finally finished.  

The three of them looked up towards their latest piece of work, admiring it in all its glory. It was an invention that could change the world and they were excited about the discoveries and possibilities they had yet to find.

“Congratulations Boys!”, Sam wrapped each of his arms around the boys, pulling them into a side hug. “Without your guy's help, this wouldn’t have been possible. And I couldn’t be more proud of how far you guys have come.”.

Tommy leaned into the side hug, proud of not only himself but also his team for the hard work. Surely, great things were soon to come. “Y’know, I’ve got a surprise for the two of you since you’ve both been working hard”.

Sam ruffled both of their heads as he said that Tommy's goggles fell off his head onto his eyes clumsily. The other two laughed at the sight as Tommy fixed the position of his goggles, grumping while doing so.

After that, he continued, “I’m rewarding the two of you with a vacation!”. Tubbo and Tommy looked at each other in confusion, Sam only smirked. “Come on! Don’t look so confused, the both of you deserve the break!”.

Tommy was joyful at the thought of the vacation but couldn’t help but feel as though something was incomplete. And well, it was the invention that was bugging him. After so much work, it wasn’t going to be used for a while without an object.

But what if Tommy himself found the object?

{...}

Perhaps his plan wasn’t exactly the best, but the vacation was the perfect opportunity to search for an artefact! Anything! It was just exciting for a chance to get out of the kingdom. Though, perhaps he should’ve told Techno about his little expedition?

“I should probably head back”, he muttered to nobody but the wilderness. Tommy knew himself well, he was known to be reckless. He was going to get an earful from Techno by the time he got back.

It was too late to turn back now though, he had already left the walls of the castle with a couple of days worth of food and water. Plus, it wasn’t as though he was going to be out longer than that duration. He didn’t intend to go too far off.

He just needed to find a magical artefact that was capable of powering a machine for centuries within a couple of days. There was no problem at all, none at all! Though, he couldn’t help but feel afraid.

He was out in the wilderness, every small ruffle of the bushes was enough to send him on edge. It was probably a good thing considering the creatures that were out in the woodlands. For example, a werewolf.

Otherwise known as Lycanthrope, werewolves were known as creatures of the night. Mankind could shift into wolf-like forms, whether it be full-on wolf or humanoid. They were immensely dangerous and territorial but had a weakness in silver.

Techno would often tell him tales of the creatures he encountered before or what he’s heard about them, warning Tommy of their dangers. Out of the many he would talk about, the most he talked about were that of the fae.

Fae, otherwise known as fairies were manipulative and captivating trickers. Though never lying, they would falsely promise to get a nice reaction from their prey. They lurked in fairy rings, circles of flowers, mushrooms or anything.

Thanks to Techno’s rambles, he practically had all their rules memorised to a tea. For example, never give your name, never say please or thank you, never step within the ring, never lie, be polite, and never accept any form of gift or food. 

Though, from what Techno had told him. They were rather interesting creatures, he’d like to meet one if it weren’t for the fact he’d be simple food for them. Shaking his head, he had to focus on the task at hand. Find the artefact.

Tommy took the chance to admire the scenery, although living on a farm, the land was always bland and never as crazy and magical as a forest ever was. The number of different flowers he saw with vibrant colours, he almost wanted to make a flower crown with them.

It was beautiful, and it’d been a while since Tommy had seen some nature that wasn’t simply growing plants. He took some time to look up towards the bright blue sky with the filtering white, fluffy clouds.

For the first time in a while, he felt free. Free of stress and responsibility. He felt like almost a kid again, making him want to succumb to his childish desires and run around like a wolf in the forest.

Well, a little bit of fun couldn’t hurt? And so, he ran throughout the forest. Marvelling at the sights he saw, beautiful streams with lily pads, unexplored caves, trees as tall as him, plants that most likely poison him, and the small adorable critters.

Though, his fun didn’t last as long as he’d liked. As Tommy had again been reckless, perhaps dangerously so as he lost his footing. He scrambled to grab onto anything, anything to hold onto.

But nothing.

A scream escaped him as he plummeted into the caverns deep below. The next thing Tommy knew, everything had gone blank.

{...}

A groan of pain escaped the young boy as he regained his consciousness. A gasp escaped him as he was quick to sit up, although a mistake as pain sored up his back. Although painful, it was bearable.

And Tommy crouched on his knees, looking up at his surroundings. It was quite the fall as he could barely make out the sunlight above, how wasn’t he dead? It was as though it were a sort of miracle.

His hands turned to fists anxiously, and the flowers under his fingers crumbled. The flowers must’ve cushioned his fall somewhat, and that itself was a miracle. He questioned how he was supposed to escape? No idea came to mind.

He was stuck.

Trying to take his mind off of things, he took the time to observe his surroundings. Surprisingly, the cave was lush in nature. Each edge was either covered in moss or vines that grew from the ceiling above.

The cave floor was covered in grass, surrounded by beautiful flowers and mushrooms. There were small bushes and trees, strangely. Though despite all his questions, it was beautiful. Just as beautiful as the forest above.

Tommy couldn’t help but notice the small crystals that emerged from the walls, each one vibrant and making the entire cavern seem magical. He believed he had heard about this cave, it was known as a lush cave.

Techno had told him about it, hidden caves were beautiful scenery. He took the opportunity to stand up and explore. As he threaded through the cave, he grew suspicious as he felt as though he was being watched.

“Hello? Is somebody there?”, a soothing voice called out to Tommy. The voice sounded musical in tone, captivating. He wanted to see who had that voice, yet he only stopped in his steps. Why would someone be down here?

Unless it wasn’t a person.

Tommy’s suspicion turned to fear as whatever was around the corner would most likely have a desire to feast on him and with how the voice was alluring him. It was that of a fae, probably one of the most dangerous of all.

 The fae was definitely nearby with how close the call was, no wonder he had heard Tommy. And now he’d have to be careful of the fae, be aware of its tricks and keep a distance. Tommy gulped nervously as he turned the corner.

What he saw was indeed a fae, a handsome one of that. He sat upon a rock, scanning around cautiously for whatever he had heard. He hadn’t seen Tommy just yet, and well Tommy couldn’t help but look at his features.

The fae had short, curly brown hair that covered one of his eyes,  a streak of blonde hair was also there. He had yellow eyes that were just as bright as the sun, white freckles adorned his cheeks with a rounded pair of glasses.

Fae were known to look mostly human, though the fae he saw had pointy ears, a pair of deer-like antlers on the top of his head, and not only that but the fae’s lower half was entirely deer-like in structure, no human legs to be seen.

He wore an oversized yellow sweater, but the collar of his blouse was still visible. Another thing to comment on would be the size of the fae, from what he had heard fae were about the same size as humans.

This one though towered over him, at least by 10 feet. The fae finally seemed to have noticed Tommy as he looked in his general direction, a smile graced the fae’s features with pointy teeth.

Even beautiful, still a monster. “Oh- Why hello there, my little fawn! Did you fall from above by chance?”, The fae stood up with concern expressed over his features. Do not fall for his tricks.

Not wanting to be rude, he answered with a shake in his voice. “Yes, I did sir.”.The fae hummed and stopped near a couple of brown mushrooms which he presumed were the fairy ring. At least he was safe, technically speaking.

“Are you hurt?”, Tommy shook his head in reply. The fae gave another friendly smile, though he couldn’t help but feel as though there was something sinister behind the smile. 

“Ah- Perhaps some introductions are due? My name is Wilbur, whatever is your name my little fawn?”. Tommy could almost cringe at the nickname, he had only just met the fae and yet he was already trying to taunt and give his name.

“My name is Tommy, it’s a pleasure to meet you Mr Wilbur”, Wilbur’s eyes subtly narrowed as his smile turned into a mischievous smirk. It appeared that the fae was already aware that Tommy knew.

“Quite clever, my little fawn. You know what I am, don’t you?”, the fae looked as though he were entertained as he leaned upon his elbow. Shivers crawled down Tommy’s spine, whatever happened next he’d need to be careful. 

“It’s been quite a while since I met somebody like you. I do hope you will give me a challenge, won’t you, my little fawn?”. He focused on the fae’s eyes, stepping forward, the eyes zoned in on his location.

Their gaze reminded him of that of a predator lurking on its prey, the fae was focused itself. The fae didn’t appear frustrated with a lack of response, his smile only growing as he continued to keep his eyes upon Tommy. 

“Let’s see how long you’ll last..”.

{...}

After the first encounter, Tommy ended up settling beside a tree that was a little distance from the fae. Because he needed to be polite to the fae, that would mean responding to his calls so it was a simple precaution.

Tommy would’ve much preferred to be in any form of isolation than being hunted down by a fae. As for said fae didn’t quite seem too keen to leave Tommy alone. Pretending as though the previous conversation had never happened.

He had told the fae or Wilbur that he was going to settle down nearby, and just over some trees, he could see tall antlers peeking out from between the leaves. He was being watched, and Tommy wasn’t quite sure how to feel about the entire thing.

Once he’d returned, Wilbur sat back down with that usual uneasy smile. Unfortunately, Tommy had no equipment nor experience to get out of the cave on his own and he’d probably die trying to.

So either he tried and failed, or got eaten by the fae. Tommy wasn’t sure what was the better option, he hadn’t given up though. There was a chance that Techno would come looking for him and rescue him.

Or maybe the fae was his other possibility of escape? Though the chances of that were close to none. 

“Tommy? Little fawn? Is everything alright?”, Tommy snapped out his thoughts. Right, he was talking with the fae, probably best to concentrate on that rather than a means of escape. He wants to survive as long as possible.

“Oh- S-”, he almost apologised, “Yeah, I’m fine. I was just thinking about a couple of things. I didn’t mean to disturb your speaking, Mr Wilbur”. It felt as though he was sucking up to someone in authority, instead this time it was the food chain.

“Quite alright. Although if something is on your mind, care to speak about it? It isn’t the healthiest thing to allow the mind to cloud.”, Wilbur concerned, looking strangely worried. Though it was all an act.

Yet, the fae was probably the only thing that would keep him from insanity. “Oh- I’m just thinking about somebody, my family to be exact. They’ll be worried to find out I’m trapped down here.”. The fae nodded with a gentle smile.

“Do tell about your family, won’t you? Perhaps speaking about them will make you feel better, my little fawn?”. Tommy attempted to get himself more comfortable against the rock, bringing his knees to his chest as he looked toward the fae.

“I guess- I only have one family member, his name is Techno. He’s my caretaker but he’s more like a brother to me. He used to be a cool guy! Still is- but now he’s retired, and now I live with him on a farm.”.

“He was the previous general for Essemore, a really powerful warrior and nobody could stop him! But he stopped after an argument with a king, I tried asking about it but never went into much detail, just something about a war? I think.”.

The fae looked intrigued by Tommy’s rambles, the usual smile had turned to a much more relaxed one. At least he wouldn’t be alone, even if the fae appeared to be rather annoying. Better than nothing, he supposed.

{...}

People said sleeping out in the open nature was a luxury. And Tommy believed those fated tales, but they were mere lies. Tommy couldn’t sleep at all during the night, he felt cold and uneasy.

Not only that but he felt as though he had been watched, as though something was in the shadows. Perhaps Wilbur wasn’t the only creature around, he’d have to be careful when he further explores if he bothers to do so.

Feeling peckish, he opened his satchel for food. Bringing out a squished piece of bread, he grimaced at his amount of food. He only had another piece of bread and a bottle of water, which he’d drink shortly.

With these supplies, Tommy would only last up to a couple of days. He could only hope that Techno would find him in that time, it was his only hope. Otherwise, he didn’t even want to think about it.

Stuffing the piece of bread into his mouth, Wilbur appeared to have heard him or something as he heard the rustling of the trees. Though Wilbur couldn’t approach him, he spotted the fae staring down at him as he leaned against a tree branch.

It was a creepy sight but didn’t bother to comment on it. Standing up, he approached the fae like he did the other day. Wilbur sat down beside him, in the distance for the fae ring. “Good morning, my little fawn. Did you rest well?”.

Tommy shook his head, “Not really”. Wilbur let out a calming hum, his eyes narrowed as though in thought. Tommy hung his head curiously which caught Wilbur’s attention, he looked as though he’d been caught off guard. Before his usual smile returned.

“Sleep doesn’t always come easy, I’m afraid. Especially considering the circumstances, if it makes you feel better. I’ve gotten you a gift, maybe that’d make you feel better?”, Wilbur turned to grab something from the bushes.

When shown to Tommy, it was an emerald pair of earrings. They looked well taken care of as the jewels shined under the daylight. They looked high quality as well, they’d be worth quite a bit. 

Tommy was perplexed at the gift, Wilbur had only known him for a short time and here he was, offering an expensive gift. It was no doubt another trick up his sleeves, he wouldn’t allow it. After all, you should never accept a gift from that of the fae.

“Oh- Wilbur…”, What was he supposed to say again? “I’m honoured that you offer me such a wonderful gift but I’m afraid I won’t be able to accept it.”, Wilbur’s smile turned to a frustrated look, he wasn’t happy.

Great. “You see, with such a generous gift such as this one. I would never be able to repay your kindness as I am just a mere human with no possible way of repayment. With all due respect Mr Wilbur, I must regrettably reject your gift”.

The fancy talk was draining, did Techno have to talk like this all the time back at the castle? Must’ve been exhausting. Wilbur’s look went from frustrated to disappoint, taking the gift away to the side before he turned back to Tommy.

“It’s quite alright, my little fawn. Perhaps another time, how about we discuss something else? Would you be inclined to tell me of your life upon the surface?”, Wilbur’s peeked with interest as he sat criss-cross on the floor, looking at Tommy expectantly.

Tommy hesitated for a moment, but he’d already upset Wilbur and he didn’t want to end up being cursed or even Techno by chance. He would have to comply with Wilbur’s request, plus it was something to talk about.

“Okay, well I guess to begin would be that I was an apprentice, under The Royal Engineer. I worked there with my best friend, and my only friend.”. Wilbur looked confused at Tommy’s words.

“Engineer? What is that?”, Tommy looked back to Wilbur with his confusion. He thought fae were all-knowing creatures, did he not know what an engineer was?

“Oh- It’s just a job. Where you work with machines and stuff.”, Wilbur nodded knowingly though Tommy could tell he didn’t understand. It was a bit funny, perhaps he won’t be too bored after all.

{...}

Tommy looked down worriedly at his satchel, with one piece of bread and only some water left. He debated eating that day, he could ration it for another day. But Techno said that he should always keep up his strength.

Plus, he remembered the days of the streets. Of starvation, he didn’t quite want to feel like that again. He’d been at death’s door many times, he was just lucky that Techno had taken him in or who knows what would’ve happened.

Perhaps he could find another source of food? There were plenty of mushrooms and he’d heard they were edible at least brown ones. So, at least he wouldn’t immediately die of starvation. And with that realisation, he ate his last baked bun.

Water though, there was no option for. There were no sources of water, the only one he had found was the one in Wilbur’s fairy ring. Speaking of the fae, he called out to Tommy. And Tommy went to go talk to him once again.

He attempted another trick, promising to show Tommy something if he stepped within the fairy ring. But Tommy managed to ignore the trick, he was beginning to grow tired.

{...}

Two days had passed, luckily the mushroom Tommy had been eating wasn’t poisonous and had a stable amount of food. Yet, the other day he had run out of water. He attempted to get another drop out of his bottle, yet nothing.

He hoped that Techno would find him soon enough, otherwise he’d die of thirst than starvation. And he wasn’t sure what was quite the better option. Allowing Wilbur to take him, or wait it out as he slowly died.

He wanted to cry, he was running out of options. It had been 4 days since he’d gotten stuck in the cave, a miracle he’d survived so far. Sighing as he pushed away his emotions, he yet again went to meet back with Wilbur.

As he stood, he felt subtly dizzy. It had only been about a day without water. He was scared but chose to ignore his symptoms.

When he approached the circle, Wilbur looked to be eating on a fancy plate, on top of it was a slice of cake. It looked almost as delicious as Niki’s baking, he wanted to eat it.

Beside Wilbur was another slice of cake on a separate plate, it was then he noticed Tommy. Greeting him sheepishly, “Oh hello again, my little fawn! Are you doing well?”, he attempted to hand Tommy the piece of cake with a smile.

Tommy only shook his head, “Thank you for the offer Mr Wilbur, but I’m afraid I’m not hungry.”, he was hungry, mushrooms weren’t as filling as you’d like them to be. Not only that but they tasted disgusting.

Wilbur only smirked in victory.

His hair was always as bright as the sun, a little light that would never go out as he burned with determination. At least that’s what he used to believe, the boy’s hair had dulled ever so slightly; The burning passion, although still there, had been plagued with misdeeds.

He had been mistreated, he wasn’t sure if it was him to blame or how the people had treated him throughout the years. Whatever it was, he still played a part in it, and he put full blame on himself for it.

He wouldn’t fail, not again.

He played with the golden blonde curls of his hair, each strand covered in dirt, sweat and possibly even blood. Just as he had promised, he stuck by the boy’s side as he slept. He seemed to be having a pleasant rest judging by the number of snores that left the boy’s mouth.

It wasn’t quite as he had been expecting with the boy clinging tightly to his chest like a baby. It brought a smile to his face ever so slightly, tightening his embrace around the boy, protectively. This time, he would be protected. Nobody could touch him.

…

He knew Phil had told him to keep some distance! Or at least wait a little while but he couldn’t! He’s trying his best, but everything is telling him to check on Tommy, apologise, cradle or anything! He stormed over to his bedroom door before hesitating as his hand lay on the doorknob.

Right, he will not be impulsive. He needed to be in control of his instincts, he couldn’t let such a thing happen again. It was his neglect that had caused such an issue, it was his fault that everything had messed up.

Perhaps the anticipation of having a younger brother had been getting to him a bit too much, he was so excited the first time around and the second… Okay, he got the point. He let out a sigh of frustration as he turned away from the door, allowing himself to fall onto his bed.

Clearly, things weren’t going his way. He was growing impatient; he had waited years for the moment a little boy would come through the door and be welcomed by a loving family. He had always wanted a little brother, even when he was human.

He had gotten some sleep after he had been sent into his room, catching a couple of hours before he had awoken again. He was surprised at the fact that he had been so quick to sleep, after everything that had happened.

Then, there was a knock at his door.

“Wilbur, are you alright in there?”, his dearest brother’s muffled voice asked through the door. Techno wasn’t usually one for social interaction as he had always struggled with such a thing. it was quite the oddity for him to be knocking at his door.

“Yes, I’m fine. You have permission to enter Techno.”, just as awkward as his brother was. The first thing he did was creep his head through the doorway to look at his brother. Although his face seemed to have no expression, if you were to look close enough; There was a look of concern.

Techno entered without another word, opting to sit next to his brother that was sprawled out across the bed. Wilbur knew that he would have to be the one to start a discussion between the two but even his social energy wasn’t there.

His own brother noticed the fact that he wasn’t talking, even without words his brother could read him like a book. The two of them had a very strange yet close bond, Phil had always dubbed them the vampire twins as if it were a title.

…

Wilbur had a saddened look on his face as if he had been crying for hours on end. Just without the redness of his eyes. Something had deeply affected his brother and he could only presume it was everything that had happened with recent events.

He hadn’t been told the full story but based on what he knows, he could only guess that things had gone drastically wrong. Wrong to a point that his own brother was plagued by guilt, which wasn’t an emotion you’d often see on Wilbur.

He had seen Phil holding a sleeping Tommy close to his chest, waiting towards the bed chambers as his father held his own guilty expression on his face. And judging by Wilbur’s own guilt, he probably felt responsible for whatever events had transpired.

And judging by the tiredness of his brother’s eyes, he hadn’t slept one bit since. The man was always one to overly stress over things, he could only hope that Phil had fixed the issue at hand.

His mind went to Tommy. The boy that he had been told stories about from Phil, the promise of a younger brother. Wilbur had been ecstatic since the announcement, anticipating the day he would arrive.

The plan had been set in motion one day. Techno had been tasked with bringing Tommy to the mansion, but things hadn’t quite gone to plan on his end, he had been discovered by Tommy which inevitably ended up in a chase.

It was an exciting chase; Techno hadn’t quite had so much fun in a while. The boy was quick and agile, definitely a thing he had learnt from theft. Techno looked forward to a day that he could teach Tommy more, the boy had talent after all.

“You wanna talk about it?”, he asked after a moment of silence. Wilbur looked over to his twin, eyes narrowed with annoyance. Techno returned it with his own smile, trying to be as reassuring as he could.

Teasingly, Wilbur moved from his position on the bed and let himself fall onto his brother’s lap, a look of mischief on his face. Techno rolled his eyes before placing his hands on his brother’s face, hissing playfully.

“You gonna talk about it or not? Snotty brat.”. His brother’s playful eyes turned back into an annoyance for a moment, before letting out a sigh as his eyebrows arched; His frown returning. It took a moment before he spoke.

“I don’t know Tech, things are just really messy at the moment. I just- I messed up badly, to a point that things went downhill with the plan. It’s all my fault! And because of me, Tommy might not want to stay and-“.

“Hang on! Slow down Wil, what happened exactly?”, he asked with confusion. Wilbur had always been one to go into a ramble, and sometimes Techno couldn’t keep up with his twin. Wilbur took in a deep breath as he continued.

“We both know that we were supposed to introduce ourselves slowly to Tommy and let him get used to us and stuff right?”, Techno had nodded in reply. After he had returned that night, he was beyond tired and although he was a bit excited to see his new brother.

He kept his distance like Phil had asked him to, Phil would always be the one to handle the social side of things. He could only guess what his brother had done.

“And let me guess, you got a little too excited and caused a bunch of chaos like you normally do? Causing everything to mess up and because of it, you feel guilty as hell?”. Wilbur only nodded in reply, looking away in guilt.

He sympathised with his brother, even on his end of the plan hadn’t gone right. And because of it, Tommy had ultimately gotten hurt from the fall of that hill. He had tried his best to grab him, although he had been too late.

He kept an eye after that.

He let out another sigh, his hand going towards his brother’s hand in an attempt at comforting him. His brother only let out a string of whines in response as he curled in further on himself. How to comfort him?

Maybe an arrangement between him and Tommy? An arrangement to apologise of course, under the watch of somebody so that things wouldn’t go wrong. It was probably the best thing he could think of.

“Do you wanna go apologise?”, his brother’s eyes widened at the question. Wilbur sat up in a second with a look of shock and looked at Techno as if he were the crazy person in the situation but before he could do such a thing, Techno put his hand to his brother’s head again.

He then stood up, grabbing his brother's arm and dragging him out of the room. Wilbur desperately struggled under his grip as he let out several hisses. He really needed to stop being such a baby.

…

“Are you awake, Toms?”, he groaned in response, not wanting to wake up. Things felt too comfortable with the plush pillows that gently held his head, the soft blanket that gave warmth and the chest that he clung to.

Wait… He was clinging to somebody's chest….

He let out a yelp as he had finally registered the voice, quickly reacting as he pushed himself away, scrambling off the bed. He didn’t quite get a look of the man that had laid beside him as during his scrambling, he had fallen off the bed.

Well, at least that’s what he expected. The man above him reacted quickly and grabbed his shirt tightly, preventing him from colliding with the floor. He opened his eyes to finally get a good look at the man, only to recognise him as Phil.

Right, Phil. Yesterday happened, didn’t it?

Phil’s bright red eyes looked down at him in surprise, Tommy could guess that he had caught the man off guard by his actions, after all, it was quite sudden. Tommy could only give a weak smile and wave in response; grateful he had been caught.

With a sigh of relief, Phil brought him back onto the bed before letting out a hearty laugh, finding the whole thing humorous before looking back to Tommy with a gentle smile, ruffling his hair teasingly.

Tommy although surprised by the touch, it was welcomed. It had been a while since anybody had shown him such affection and Tommy found himself melting into it like a sleeping puppy, he hoped such things would happen more often.

“You alright, mate?”, his tone was gentle and kind, softness in his eyes. Tommy nodded happily in response, he still felt relatively tired, hungry, and thirsty, but he was also happy to enjoy the moment.

Phil gave him a look of suspicion, no doubt questioning him after everything that had transpired the other day. But Tommy simply rolled his eyes in response, leaning closer into Phil’s claw that gently laid on his cheek.

The claw is then withdrawn as Phil goes to stand up, a gentle smirk on his face as he speaks, “Well, we should probably get you something to eat? Shouldn’t we?”. The mention of food made Tommy perk up with energy, standing up to join Phil.

“Yeah, bitch! I’m hungry!”, Phil laughs in response and goes to open the door. But he stops, staring with a look at confusion for whatever was at the other side of the open door. Tommy’s excitement slowly dwindles, stopping in his steps in fear.

…

“Techno, Wilbur? Why are you both here?”. Phil asked in a confused tone. It was probably a strange sight to see your son dragging his brother across the floor like a ragdoll. Wilbur could be seen on the floor, seemingly having given up on his struggles for freedom.

“Hello, Father.”, Techno greets with a smirk, his lower fangs poking through his lips. Wilbur also greets his father with a hiss of frustration, his own way of greeting the two in his annoyance. Phil could only shake his head at his son’s actions.

His father then moved to another side of the room, where Tommy stood still. His fists were clenched tightly as he glared at Techno and Wilbur, who had just entered the room. Techno then let go of his brother’s leg, moving out of sight to sit in a chair that lay in the corner of the room.

…

Wilbur angrily hissed at his brother as he sat down, the silts of his eyes narrowing as he looked ready to pounce on his brother. His father let out an expectant cough and Wilbur snapped out his anger, opting to look towards his father and Tommy.

Any look of anger immediately faded at the sight of Tommy, and the overwhelming fear of guilt returned. His flared pointy ears went downward as he quickly stood up, his head to the side in guilt and fear, scared of what was to happen.

He looked towards Tommy, although avoiding eye contact. He could see the flare of anger in Tommy’s eyes, unwavering even though he looked ready to run, his fists clenched as he breathed anxiously.

Wilbur knew that he was the blame for that look.

Phil places a gentle hand on Tommy’s shoulder, who almost flinches in response as he snaps to look at Phil. His father held a stern yet reassuring look on his face, Tommy takes in a deep breath, relaxing under the touch.

Wilbur felt vulnerable with emotion, at any moment he felt as if he’d crumple under the weight of guilt and let off a series of whines as he’d profusely apologise to Tommy. But he didn’t deserve forgiveness, after everything he had done.

He was nothing more than a monster, a monster with fangs that didn’t do anything besides biting into the necks of many and consuming blood. Claws that do nothing more than tear through flesh, blood-red eyes that only struck fear into prey.

Monster… Monster… Just like so long ago…

Stop! Not again!

The voices in his head became increasingly louder, he shook his head to try wiping away the thoughts. But it only made them worse as they became louder, he brought his hands to his ears to block them out.

…

If Tommy were to describe to look on Wilbur’s face, it would be guilty and heartbroken. He looked at Tommy as if he were the one that feared Tommy, he looked to be pleading. Tommy could’ve almost sympathised with him if it weren’t for everything…

But then, Wilbur fell to the floor suddenly, letting out several whimpers as he brought his hands towards his ears. To say the least it had caught Tommy off guard, especially since he appeared to be so vulnerable.

It was only then Tommy felt a bit of guilt.

Tommy could only assume that Wilbur was crying, judging by how he had curled in on himself during the whines. Tommy understood that Wilbur had felt guilty after the entire incident, comforting him whenever possible.

Wilbur began to sputter out apologies throughout his whines. Phil’s grip on his shoulder tightened, taking a hesitant step forward. He looked to be pondering whether to comfort Wilbur or to stick by Tommy’s side.

Tommy then made his own decision.

He nudged Phil’s hand off his shoulder, a look of reassurance and confidence as he went the walk towards Wilbur. Admittedly, he felt terrified at that moment. He was scared that Wilbur was going to yell out at him, bite him or something.

But another part of him told him that Wilbur wouldn’t even think about doing such a thing. Phil had reassured him that after all; He knew Wilbur had made mistakes, that he was guilty and was trying to apologise for something he couldn’t quite control.

Tommy was still mad at him, scared of him but Tommy said that he’d give them a second chance. And he was going to just that. He knelt beside Wilbur, hesitant to speak as he was uncertain on what to say.

He took in a deep breath, “Wilbur.”, he began. Wilbur's whines came to a sudden stop as he stopped he apologised, his eyes opened with narrowed silts as he moved his hands away from his ears, but then he remained as still as a statue, not daring to move.

“I’m still mad at you, but I know you didn’t mean to do what you did. I forgive you. Just don’t expect me too comfortable around you, okay? Also, I’m sorry I called you a monster. It’s just that-“. Wilbur’s eyes softened at his words, looking to Tommy with a saddened smile.

Tommy didn’t really know how to continue with his words, but Wilbur seemed to understand as he nodded in return. He let out a sigh of relief, feeling as if he had gotten a weight off his chest.

Tommy smiled, spreading his arms wide in an offer of a hug because Wilbur really looked as if he needed a hug in the current moment.

…

Wilbur had been shocked at the fact that Tommy forgave him, even apologising for calling him a monster.

Tommy had opened his arms for a hug and without an ounce of hesitation, he took it. He embraced the small boy into his arms, offering a comforting, tight hug. He could feel Tommy tense under him before allowing himself to relax.

He felt an ounce of guilt when he had frightened the boy, but ever so relived because Tommy had forgiven him. He had been shocked at fact, but also so happy and relieved. He had a second chance, and this time. He wouldn’t mess it up.

“Tommy, I’m sorry and I know no amount of apologies will do justice for what I did. Take all the time you need, I’ll wait. And I promise that I’ll do anything to make it up to you.”. Wilbur held on tighter to the boy in his arms.

Tommy then began to shake under his touch as he let out his own series of sobs, for a moment Wilbur had thought that he had terrified the boy again. But Tommy also tightened his grip on Wilbur, clinging to his chest.

Wilbur let out a whimper of worry as his hand moved to caress the blonde locks. In a second, they were joined by Phil, who wrapped his arms and wings around the boys to comfort them. The two of them leaned into their father’s touch.

…

Tommy had eventually stopped crying but didn’t pull away from Wilbur’s embrace. He didn’t feel the need to because he felt safe and protected. Or perhaps it was the amount of loneliness or emotions that had accumulated because he felt relieved after all that crying.

Wilbur nor Phil had stopped comforting him during his breakdown, instead, they offered comforting words and gave him the affection that he had so desperately craved for so many years. Is that what it felt like to have a family?

Still, though, he barely knew them. And still, he felt attached to the many people he feared. There was still so much to be done… And Tommy looked forward to it.

Then, there was a loud, awkward cough. It made Tommy because the room had been so silent for a good while. He had forgotten that there was another person in the room. Tommy pulled away from the man's embraces to get a good look at the one they called Techno.

He looked almost the same as when Tommy had first seen him, just even less terrifying as the man looked anxious and awkward. Tommy couldn’t but sympathise with the man, it was a rather awkward situation to be in after all.

Techno had the same bright pink hair and predatory eyes, but they had a softer look to them. The man’s hair had been tied back into a loose bun and didn’t dress up quite as fancy as he did on the first night.

One thing Tommy had noticed was his lower fangs, they were larger compared to the others and couldn’t easily be hidden as they obviously poked through his lips. Though, they were still terrifying in the slightest.

Phil let out a laugh from beside him and Wilbur let out a series of muffled snorts from under his sleeve. Techno’s face turned flush when they started laughing as he looked away in embarrassment, Tommy almost felt bad for the guy.

Phil then put a claw to his shoulder, “Tommy, this is Techno. Although you’ve encountered each other, this is the proper time that you two have properly met.”. Well, it probably wasn’t the best first impression considering that Wilbur and Tommy had cried ever since he entered the room.

“I- Yeah, sorry about your arm. Didn’t mean to let you fall off a cliff”. He apologised in a monotone voice. Okay, he thinks he understands. Techno is just very socially awkward, leading to very awkward yet funny interactions with the guy.

Tommy gave his own laugh in response.

…

He looked at the disgusting food bowl that lay on the table, Phil had told him to take it easy with the food as he had been given a bowl of soup. Now, he didn’t hate soup, he loved the stuff. But the cooking of the food looked really strange.

And Tommy didn’t really trust that, because how could you trust a vampire with cooking? The last time Phil could’ve cooked was centuries ago! How on earth was he supposed to trust that? Old doesn’t always mean great!

Phil said that the soup was an old recipe of his that he would cook for Techno and Wilbur back in the day, saying that they loved the stuff back when they were human. Tommy didn’t quite trust his words as he hesitantly picked up the bowl.

Phil's ears twitched in anticipation as he stared down at Tommy from the gigantic table. Not a very welcoming sight considering red eyes were staring at his every move with a smile on his face. Phil was really excited for him to try the dish, wasn’t he?

Wanting to get it over with, he quickly grabbed the spoon and took a bite of the soup. And surprisingly, it actually tasted really good. At least, better than any bread that Tommy had eaten before.

If anything, it was the best thing that he had ever eaten, quickly eating more of the soup and before he knew it. The bowl was completely empty. Phil smiled at him as he had finished his plate, and Tommy was happy to get some food.

Though, instead of complimenting the man’s cooking…

The vampire smiled down at Tommy with a sinister grin; The long, shiny, and sharp fangs only added more to the dreading feeling of shivers crawling down his back. It was a simple message, a very clear one.

You’re staying here.

It made him feel sick to his stomach, even with the nauseating feelings from the amount of running that he had done today. Yet, he remained in his position and didn’t dare flinch at the sight of the fangs.

He had already let his pride down for whatever those things from earlier were; he had already shown them that he was very vulnerable. He wasn’t going to their leader get under his skin, he couldn’t let them know he was scared. Not again.

The bright red beaming eyes of the vampire seemed to narrow from the lack of response from Tommy, it didn’t seem satisfied. Perhaps its grand and amazing entrance had been ruined, he hoped that was the case.

Judging by the stare of the vampire with the silts of eyes going thinner by the second, he was being observed. Observed for fear, because that’s all these beasts wanted from him; They wanted him to fear them, be treated as pets from what he could tell.

He snarled his teeth in warning, hoping it would show some warning towards the vampire as a threat. He knew he’d be helpless against the thing, but it was worth a shot. After all, he wasn’t simply doing down without a fight, especially after how far he had made it.

“Now, now. No need to get hasty.”, The vampire seemed to purr. His tone was a strange yet soft and delicate one. If he hadn’t known better, he would’ve mistaken it as reassurance due to its bittersweet nature.

Tommy wanted to growl and snarl back like an animal, he wanted to fight. But, if he were honest; It felt like his body could give out from under him at any moment, he wanted so badly to collapse and sleep. He was in so much pain that it was difficult to hold back his tears from the vampire.

It was like that sirenic thing all over again, instead this time it was just him.

Without a response, the vampire seemed to grow even more annoyed at the circumstances. The eyebrows furrowed; Eyes narrowed even further, silts of their eyes had turned thin and pointy ears twitched in an annoyed manner.

“Now I understand that I may indeed be a couple of centuries old. But I do not have a lot of patience, my boy. So, I suggest that you say your name to me or allow me to tend to your wounds. Otherwise, I wouldn’t like to force things upon you.”.

Sweat dripped down from Tommy’s forehead, his fists were gripped so tightly that they were almost fully white. This thing dared to make such threats against him. Well, tend to his wounds? A strange request but he wasn’t going to let himself be touched, not again.

He didn’t want to be treated as food again.

“Don’t you dare touch me!”, his hoarse voice snared like a vaper. It stung his throat badly to even yell at that point, but he could care less about his aching throat that desperately pleaded for water. He could care less.

“Tommy.”.

The tone became more demanding, trying to put Tommy in his place as simply the smaller thing in the room… Wait… How did that thing know his name? He never said his name, even when asked. How did he know it?

His stance faltered slightly in shock; he was almost marvelled at the fact that the creature had muttered his name. The grip on his fists let out ever so slightly, and only then did he feel the burning sensation of his right wrist.

He let out a cry of pain, even though the rest of his body ached in pain. The burning sensation was even worse than anywhere else on his body. He wanted to curl in on himself and cry. He kept his eyes open as tears flooded his eyes once again.

Surprisingly, he didn’t fall.

The vampire noticed his increased amount of pain as he heard a hiss of worry be let out from the vampire. Perhaps he had caught it off guard with his cry? Although his vision was blurry, he could see that the vampire was coming closer and reaching out towards him.

…

He took in one of the biggest inhales of air he could.

And ran.

He felt faint at the very second, he broke into a sprint, but he couldn’t stop now as for the third time within a day; he was running for his fucking life. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get out of the gigantic office, so the next best option was the gigantic furniture that lay around the room.

Tommy was small enough to fit under some of the furniture, surely it would work.

He could hear the vampire let out a sort of shriek in surprise, caught off guard that Tommy could even run at this point. He wasn’t going to let these things treat him like a toy, he wasn’t something to play with.

Although he had gained a bit of distance, the room quickly turned shaky as the vampire ran with their gigantic footsteps. But there was a bit of hope; Hope that he clung onto. Nearby there was a chair, one that Tommy could take cover under.

He ran as fast as he could, he was nearly there!

…

A giant claw slammed against him with quite a bit of force, causing him to fall under the pressure of the grip. The body collided with the floor as the air was forced out of his body, only then had he realized how much he had pushed himself as black blurry dots filled his vision.

He let out a scream of pain, his body ached so much at this point that his mind could barely focus. He knew he wasn’t safe, yet everything was begging him to rest and sleep. He shut his eyes for a moment to refocus.

He looked up.

The claw was holding down as if the vampire had caught a rodent. The eyes looked even angrier than before as they looked down at him with predatory eyes. It was almost the same as that other vampire, did they enjoy the chase? Treating him as little prey?

“Well, now.”. The vampire huffed. “I haven’t moved around like that in quite a while. I’m surprised you even had the energy in you. Mate.”. The vampire gave him a toothy smile, fangs on full display as their eyes had a look of hunger to them.

The black dots become bigger as the vampire became even more unfocused, he couldn’t even make out the voice at this point…

“Goodnight.”.

…

A curious hum left his tongue, his hand brushing over the softness that laid beside him. It was so comforting that he didn’t want to leave, where was he? He’s never left anywhere more comfortable before.

Was he finally off the streets? Did he finally find his-

He sits up in a tight sweat, only for his lungs to give out on him and let out a fit of coughs. As he attempted to slow down his pained coughs, he looked with his watery eyes to look around the room. And clearly from what he could tell of the lavish furniture.

He hadn’t been rescued; he was still in the same mansion.

Strangely though, everything to his room was to his size this time. And he doubted the fact that he would turn gigantic himself, after all, he wasn’t a- His fingers went instinctively and protectively around his neck.

He checked for any strange marks only to find none, that was the rumor, right? If you had been bitten by a vampire, there would be marks from where you were bitten. The only conclusion was that he was in a humanoid room.

And as much as he wished it was a dream with vampires, supernatural and shit. Everything he had felt was so realistic and clear that it hadn’t been a dream, Tommy wasn’t optimistically dumb.

Though, sometimes careless hope was helpful? Because if he could, he would curl in on himself, cry and pretend he was safely tugged in his mother’s embrace like he would’ve been before. He would feel protected.

But it wasn’t the time for that.

He had to escape.

He scanned around the room, looking for any means to escape. And he found his gaze laying on the door to the room. Yes, it would most likely be out in the open, but it was possibly his only escape route. One that he had to take.

With his ragged and tired movements, he limped towards the door. Even with the aching pain of his chest and how desperately he wanted a drink, he wasn’t going to stop. As he approached the door, he went to reach for the handle with his right hand.

Only to wince slightly.

He looked down at it, only to see it had been wrapped ever so carefully in a bandage. Right, the vampire said he would tend to his wounds. But why had he done that? That was one question to be answered in this mysterious mansion.

He instead went to reach the knob of the door with his left hand, and carefully he opened the creaky wooden door with caution. Trying not to make a sound as perhaps even a pin-drop could alert them if he weren’t careful.

He leaned closer into the doorway to look around, only to stop in whatever movements he had been doing…

There it was, staring at him with a sadistic smile. Its eyes seemed to beam in excitement at the sight of Tommy as the brunette stared at Tommy with its gleaming red eyes. Instead, this time it was the same size as him. He jumped back in surprise.

“Good morning, Tommy! I wasn’t expecting you to be awake so soon! Especially with how much energy you spent yesterday! No doubt you’d be tired.”. The vampire took a few steps closer towards the door as Tommy took a few steps back. The two of them were now in the room, trapped together.

The vampire shut the door behind him, seemingly locking it with a strange mechanism on the knob. Great, he was now trapped in the room with a stupid vampire. The vampire moved around the room, placing whatever was on that tray he held onto the bedside table.

Out of fear, Tommy moved away with each step the vampire took. Which eventually caused him to collide into the end of the fancy bed. Feeling cornered, he fell to the floor out of fear. He questioned his determination from yesterday as the fear returned.

He only felt as scared as before.

“Oh, Toms! No need to be so skittish! Come on now~”. The voice cooed at him, it was so soft and gentle that he couldn’t help but relax under the reassuring tone. Though, something wasn’t quite right… That was the vampire, shouldn’t he be terrified?

He was once again under the command of the sirenic vampire, with no control in his body. As his mind screamed at him to run, the vampire came closer and gently scooped him up. They didn’t even falter with Tommy’s weight, as if he were light as a feather.

The vampire moved to tuck him back into the bedsheets, though Tommy wasn’t to be alone as the vampire held him against them. Their hold was all too gentle as a sharp claw carefully played with his blonde curls.

The vampire let out a giggle.

“You passed out last night after Father had caught you! We haven’t had much fun like that in a while, actually! We should do it again!”. The vampire hummed, excitedly. It made him sick as he wanted nothing more to get out of the grip.

“Though, it’s a shame that Techno wasn’t very careful yesterday. You got hurt very badly after you fell off that cliff, which might I say was very stupid! Where did you come up with that idea?”, it was said in a teasing and joking tone, seemingly mocking him for his choice of actions.

“Oh! I also forgot to introduce myself! I was so excited last night in the hunt yesterday that I forgot! My name is Wilbur, Wilbur Soot!”, He cheerfully introduced himself. “Anyways, you should be going to sleep now. Little human…”.

The command caused him to let out a yawn as sleep tugged at his mind. The vampire cooed at his sleepy state and continued to coddle him as he rested his eyes to sleep.

…

When he woke up again, something was being forced down his throat.

Things were fuzzy when he gained consciousness again, but strangely he could feel something being forced down his throat… it was a liquid but what was he drinking? Instinctively he pushed whatever was against his mouth with whatever strength he could muster.

As the liquid was forced away from his throat, he broke out into a coughing fit as he let out a multitude of coughs. Surprisingly, his voice wasn’t as hoarse as before. Had he been given water?

His suspicions were correct as when he opened his eyes, the brunette vampire or Wilbur as he had introduced himself was holding a cup of water. He had a worried expression on his features as Tommy finally gained his breath.

The vampire spoke no words and instead offered him a cup of water. He eyed it suspiciously before snatching it from Wilbur’s claws. It was a strange act of hospitability but not one that didn’t gain suspicion.

He kept his eyes on Wilbur as he gulped down whatever remained of the glass.

“Are you feeling better?”, Wilbur asked in a concerned tone of voice. He seemed much calmer than yesterday he looked relatively tired. Did he not sleep? Had he been watching over Tommy this entire time?

He didn’t answer, only looking away in a snarl. Wilbur seemed to get the message as well as he didn’t reply. He hadn’t noticed when he had started shaking, nor had he moved closer to the corner of the bed. All he could feel was a sense of dread of fear from the vampire looking at him.

…

Wilbur’s glance turned more worriedly as he noticed Tommy backing himself into the corner of the bed. He reached out a claw towards Tommy to comfort him, only for his efforts to scare the boy even more. He moves back to give Tommy some space.

“Are you alright?”, No answer.

“Tommy, you’re safe. I promise”. He tries to offer comforting words as he tries to approach the boy again, but this seems to send Tommy into a state of fear.

…

“STAY AWAY FROM ME!”, he yells out as loudly as he can, tears threatening to flood from his eyes. When had he felt so vulnerable and weak? He moved back against the corner he was in further, only to put pressure on his sprained wrist.

He lets out a yelp of pain.

Wilbur’s eyes turn to slits as he stands up in a second. For a moment, he thinks Wilbur is going to use his spell once again or use his strength. Though, the vampire only slowly backed away and left the room…

He clutched his hand to his chest as he sobbed for a moment. He found that act strange, the vampire had been so terrifying yesterday. Why was he behaving so differently now?

But that wasn’t the problem…

He needed to escape, no matter the cost. He had to.

He staggers to get back on his feet for a moment after getting off the bed, but it didn’t take long to regain his balance. He felt much more energized than before in fact. Though, he wouldn’t thank the vampires for their aid. After all, they were his captors.

He made it to the doorway and thankfully, it was unlocked as Wilbur had left it. He sighed in relief as he had a chance to escape. Though, the last time he had done this; He ended up being caught by Wilbur. He would have to hurry.

He opened the door, only to see the gigantic halls of the mansion. He was simply in a tiny room that laid in the walls, he had to question the size of the mansion at times. He scanned the halls and listened for any sounds. And luckily there were none.

If he were to run, it would only make a decent amount of noise. So instead, he took to sneaking carefully through the maze-like hallways.

…

After seemingly getting lost in the halls for what felt like hours, the gods finally answered his pleas as a gentle light lit up the dark and dim halls of the mansion. It was a window, one that would hopefully grant him his escape.

In a moment of excitement, he found himself approaching the giant window only to wonder. How on earth was he even going to get up into the window in the first place? As he looked, he noticed something.

It was a potted plant and at his size, it was practically like a giant beanstalk. He could probably climb the plant up towards the window and escape! A perfect plan! He walks towards the plant with some strength and patience. He managed to get onto the pot.

Things were finally looking in his favor, he could go back! He could go back to the village! And even though staying on the streets wasn’t the best, it was better than living in absolute fear of vampires. Clearly, it was the better option.

He finally had hope!

…

But it all came crashing down in a second, as he heard a phantom-like shriek come down the halls. It was loud and ear-piercing, causing Tommy to shelter his ears for a moment. He halted in his escape attempt as he stayed still in fear. He listened for movement.

There was a rapid thumping sound that became louder by the second.

“TOMMY!”, Wilbur yells out in anger that he would never suspect came from the vampire. He could hear the threatening hiss in his tone, obviously very pissed off for whatever reason. Tommy looked for a means to hide and only saw the shade of the plant as a spot to hide.

That’s where he hid.

The footsteps became louder and sounded almost like an earthquake, Wilbur must’ve been really pissed if he were stomping like that. And soon, they came to a halt.

Tommy heard no other sounds from the vampire, no footsteps, sounds of breathing, or even the movement of clothing. Tommy remained as still as a statue, using his hands to mask the sound of his own breathing, which had become heavy out of adrenaline.

Then there’s a sound, the sound of sniffing.

…

Tommy looks to his left.

And a giant red pupil was there, once again staring him down like the last time. He remained still as the eyes focused on him, the silts becoming even thinner as it noticed the eye contact from Tommy. He remained still as if he were to make a mere whimper, it would cause his capture.

He lets out a scream as in a second, he’s held in a tight grip, Tommy’s world is spinning in an instant as Wilbur moves around angrily, gripping Tommy tightly as he moves his hand around in a fit of anger.

Tommy lets out a scream.

“Tommy! Do you know how dangerous it is to be out of your room! You’re meant to be recovering! Not some stupid escape attempt! And it’s even more stupid than if you decided to escape through this window, it’s on the second floor. And if that isn’t clear enough-“.

The vampire continued to ramble angrily, though Tommy couldn’t hear one thing of his yells. His eardrums were buzzing fiercely, he couldn’t hear a thing that the vampire was saying. All he could feel in the moment was his increasing heartbeat and his anxious lungs.

The vampire brought Tommy closer to its face, continuing to angrily lecture him on his escape attempt. Though, all he could focus on were the sharp fangs that were dangerously close to him, which could easily tear off his flesh if the vampire wanted to.

Was this his end? Was he finally going to be bitten between the fangs of the vampire? Did he mess up so badly?

…

“Are you even listening to me?!”

His ears finally picked up on what the vampire was saying. His mind went blank for a moment as he registered what the vampire said. Listen? Why should he listen? After all the vampires had done to him, torment him, tease him, threaten his life and blood.

Why should he listen to a monster like that?

“I AM NEVER GOING TO LISTEN TO A FUCKING MONSTER!”.

And as he thought that things were terrifying before, it had become much worse now. The vampire was quiet, the tension of the hall had increased drastically as Tommy stared terrified at Wilbur.

If he was angry before, now he was beyond pissed. The silts had become so thin to a point you could barely see them, and if that were a sign. It only meant that Tommy had messed up badly, really badly.

Why had he done that? Call him a monster? Is that why he was pissed?

Monster…

Monster… Monster…

The vampire hisses and snarls, mouth opening wide as the pointy fangs look ready to bite into its prey. Saliva drips from their cavernous mouth as they hungrily stare at the prey in their hands. They have a hungry and predatory look in their eyes.

There was no humanity in this creature.

The claws became even tighter and threatened to break his ribs, he could barely breathe under the pressure. He screamed out in pain, yet the vampire didn’t even bat an eye. He was only brought higher as he hung above the wide-open maw.

He was hung in between two fingers that he desperately clung to, barely able to keep his grip with only one hand available. He screamed and begged for Wilbur to stop, but the vampire didn’t dwindle. This was his end, wasn’t it? He was going to be eaten.

All that stuff from earlier had been an act, he was going to die. He was never going to see his family ever again.

…

Wilbur dropped him into his mouth.

In an instant, a salivated tongue began to coat in saliva as the teeth closed with a clank. He screamed as he tried to fight back against the excited tongue, yet nothing would stop the strong muscle, he was helpless as he was moved carelessly around Wilbur’s mouth.

As he was moved, he would sometimes be moved towards the vampires’ fangs. It would send a wave of fear to Tommy as he thought that Wilbur would inevitably bite down on him, only for it never to come. He was terrified, this was even worse than he had been expecting.

He thought it would be a simple death but as it was the vampires, he wouldn’t be let go of so easily. He was the prey after all.

He yelled, screamed, and pleaded to be let go, he was sobbing at this point, but he would never get a response from the vampire. He would only get the loud purrs that emanated from Wilbur’s throat, he was only enjoying Tommy’s fear.

“PLEASE! PLEASE STOP! I’M SORRY!”.

The purring increased as Tommy sobbed, even more, he wanted so desperately for Wilbur to stop. At least show him some mercy…

…

“Strawberry…”, the vampire muttered in a low purr. Whatever it was it didn’t sound completely audible, even within Wilbur’s mouth. It was like Wilbur had gone full instinct mode and couldn’t control himself from tasting at Tommy.

“WILBUR! PLEASE!”. He pleaded desperately, he wanted it to stop. He wanted to go home; he wanted his mother.

The tongue began to slow down ever so slightly in its advances, and it eventually turned to the tongue pinning him against the roof of the mouth. In recoil, Tommy tried to punch repeatedly against the pallet, only for his efforts to be in vain.

“Tommy?...”, the vampire barely speaks with his mouth full. He was soundly oddly tired as if he had just awoken, he barely seemed to be aware of the situation that he had caused. He sounded rather confused.

“Let me out- Let me out- Let me out!”, were the only words he could get out of his mouth. He was so scared, he wanted nothing more than to escape the salivated prison.

Wilbur let out an audible gasp as the tongue immediately eased on its pressure. The mouth opened once again. Two fingers gently picked up the squirming Tommy and brought him away from the deadly fangs.

He was carefully placed onto the palm of Wilbur’s hand, the world feeling ever so cold as the saliva had soaked him completely. He shivered not only in fear but the feeling of the coldness threatening him.

He was crying hysterically as he couldn’t hold back his sobs at this point, the only thing he could do was curl in on himself even further. He was beyond terrified after that experience and even more to what was to happen next.

A sleeve is brought towards Tommy’s form, wiping over him gently to hopefully wipe away some of the saliva and tears. He could hear the vampire let out a strange whimper of concern, it sounded heartbroken.

The next thing he knew was that there was a warm material beside him, it felt like soft cotton and all he could see in his vision was a warm yellow. The material would occasionally move against him as Wilbur’s hands clung onto him. He could only assume he was brought towards his chest.

“It’s alright now, I promise. You’re safe. It’s okay.”, Wilbur repeated as he brought Tommy closer to his chest. He was trying to comfort him for whatever reason. His tone was sad and devastated, did he feel bad for what he had done?

Tommy couldn’t care, he only wanted to rest.

He sighed in relief at the sight of Tommy sleeping peacefully in the bed, snort snores came from the boy as his chest raised up and down. He pulled his claws away from the sheets as slowly as possible, every second was him acting like a dear in headlights.

There was a deep pain in his chest where his heart would’ve once beat every minute, instead, it felt like a suffocating hole that would do nothing more than collapse on itself more and more, the pure feeling of guilt.

He felt remorse over what he had done, hell if he even had a normal pair of lungs; He’d be having a panic attack right at that moment. But being a vampire came at the cost of leaving some of your humanity behind, even if he still felt the emotions, it would’ve been reduced.

It was times like this that he wished that stupid night hadn’t happened at all.

He had fucked up badly at this point, very badly. If he had any hopes of befriending the teenage boy in front of him, they’d be long gone now. Nobody would forgive such a person for doing so, he isn’t even a human.

Only a stupid monster, like Tommy, said he was.

It wasn’t even supposed to happen, it was a complete accident. He should’ve been more careful with himself because after all, he was still a danger to the person in front of him. Why had he lost control of his instincts? Why didn’t he stop himself earlier?

He should’ve slept but as the stubborn vampire he was, Wilbur didn’t find it suit in his routine to go to sleep, despite being a nocturnal creature. He made the mistake of staying awake all day due to his stupid pettiness and neglect, which only caused the dire situation to get worse.

Phil wasn’t going to be very happy either.

Speaking of the devil, he could recognize his father’s footsteps down the hall. He dreaded to explain this whole situation to his sire, but his father was trustworthy, he would always manage to correct the situation one way or another.

Thanks to him, Wilbur got out of many situations. But obviously, his father wasn’t some scapegoat; Wilbur was going to have to own up to his actions and take responsibility, and he was fully ready for it.

A knock came from the dark oak door. “Wilbur, Tommy? Are any of you there?”, the gentle voice asked. His father’s voice was always so cheerful, he had never lost his cheerfulness ever since he had been human. It was one of the many things that remained with them.

He’d hate to ruin the mood.

With a guilty and shameful walk, he opened the door and greeted his father. “Hey Dad, uhm- How are you?”, he frowned at the tone of his voice, it only spoke ‘I did a bad thing’. He shifted nervously as he fiddled with his claws, silts of his eyes grew thinner as he grew anxious.

“I’m doing well, but care to explain why you sound so guilty?”, Phil asked with a curious eyebrow. Wilbur caught his gaze as he spoke, and he dreaded the scolding to come as Phil was quite a scare when angered.

With a deep intake of his lungs, he straightened his back to assert himself in confidence. The frown turned into a thin line as his eyes narrowed as he stared at his father. To put it simply, he put a serious look on his face, still displaying signs of anxiousness.

“Well, I-“. He stuttered his sentence as he began, hell he didn’t even know where to go with the entire situation. How would you even go about explaining such a thing?

He huffed, “Tommy attempted to escape again.”. His father’s expression turned to one of confusion, head tilting alongside it. Ears twitching in curiosity.

“Again, you say?”. His father questioned; Wilbur nodded in reply as he looked away in shame. It was times like these where he wished he could cry, jump into his father’s arms, and desire affection. Perhaps if he were still a youngling, it would be appropriate but he’s a fully grown vampire now.

“Father, I messed up. Really badly.”, he painfully admitted. It came with some relief as some of the anxiousness had been released from his chest, but the worst was yet to come. He still had to explain everything.

His father expression turned to one of seriousness as he could see his own father’s anxiousness grow, no doubt his protective instincts were beginning to act up. His father had always been protective over his sons.

His father’s ear twitched as his wings flared slightly, it almost made Wilbur whimper.

He took in another breath.

“Well, he escaped. After I had been caring for him throughout the day, I grew worried as I went back to check on him to find he wasn’t there. I stormed the manor and looked for him until I caught his scent in one of the halls.”.

He swallowed a lump in his throat as he continued, “I grabbed him and began to lecture him on his escape attempt as he’s still recovering. I failed to take into account of his human emotions and well… He grew terrified and lashed out at me”.

His father crossed his arms as his expression seemed too angrier, he couldn’t help the whimper of guilt that escaped his throat at that point. He attempted to hold back his instincts, but he was so tired and scared.

His father’s gaze softened at his whines, easing the tension in his own body as he reached out for his youngling. Although Wilbur was taller, he was safely tucked under Phil’s chin and protected by his bat-like wings.

Wilbur attempted to speak through his whines, “Dad- I- He called me a monster, I don’t blame him after what I did! I- I couldn’t stop myself… I put him in my mouth, tasted him, and scared the living hell out of him!”.

He closed his eyes as he clung to his father’s chest, he could hear the long inhale of air that came from his father’s anger. He could feel the glare, one that if looks could kill; A thousand souls would already be lost. He clung on tighter.

His father exhaled after a moment, a hand was brought to his head and gently brushed through his strands of hair. Gentle claws twirled each strand as his father brought him closer to his chest, the two being huddled together at this point.

“Wilbur, know that I do not condone any of this and you will be punished for your actions. But as you’ve acknowledged it, I won’t punish you harshly. Rather I simply wish for you to apologize when possible and to stay away from Tommy for the meanwhile, just in case.”.

His father gently explained, it luckily wasn’t a harsh punishment. Wilbur nodded as he leaned his chest closer, he missed the gentle heartbeat that once laid in his father’s chest. But his worries grew for the boy, would Tommy hate him forever for what he had done?

He had taken the boy unwillingly, every action taken would only terrify Tommy; Even the simplest of actions like handing him a cup of water sent the boy into shaking. It was to be a process, one that he and the vampires would work through. One of trust.

Yet he ruined every chance of it.

…

When he awoke, he wasn’t in the plush and soft embrace of blankets. It was a hard surface, had a lumpy texture to it, and was cold to the touch. ‘What had the vampires done to him now?’ he thought as he gained consciousness.

He shifted slightly as he attempted to straighten his back, he half expected for a vampire to be greeting him at this point, a simple startle that would most probably put him on edge. In such a short time frame, Tommy had been expecting a variety of different things to happen.

Especially after yesterday or however long ago he had been sleeping.

He still couldn’t comprehend it, how the vampire had no guilt in dangling Tommy over his dangerously, sharp fangs; Dropping him in, and attempting to eat him, tasting him as if he were nothing more than a mere treat. He was the prey.

The mere thought of yesterday was enough to send Tommy into a flight response, his body shook with fear as adrenaline would begin to pump in his veins.

As he opened his eyes, he caught the sight of what he assumed to be Phil’s office. Why was he here of all places? Had Wilbur brought him here instead of back to that weird bedroom from yesterday? Thinking of Wilbur…

Where was he? And why was he so comforting after what had happened? It was too confusing. Firstly, Wilbur traumatized the fuck out of him yesterday yet earlier that day he had been quite calm and later comforting. He hoped there was some sort of explanation if there was one.

He looked around for a moment and caught the sight of Phil, who paid no mind to Tommy sleeping on the gigantic desk. He seemed to be scrolling through a book though Tommy couldn’t see what the cover said as it was covered by Phil’s claws.

He could be squeezed in between the pages of that book.

Phil’s ear twitched as he finally seemed to acknowledge Tommy’s presence. It caught Tommy off guard as he hadn’t been expecting the red eyes to look at him so suddenly, he left out a yelp because of it.

Phil made no sudden movements though; He instead went to look back ignorantly at his book. His posture remained calm; It was relaxed, even. He looked entirely focused on each word of the book as the two of them remained in silence.

Why hadn’t he said anything?

Tommy was too scared to move after everything, he couldn’t move. If he did, the vampire would only pounce and capture him once again. This was really the only sort of freedom he got now.

It was like a moment of peace, the two were simply just in each other’s presence. The two made no advances towards each other, both staying in silence and didn’t dare speak a word. Yet for some reason, Tommy found himself wanting to break the silence.

Phil was the vampire’s name, but it would appear as ‘rude’ if he were to call him so. Phil had introduced himself as Lord Philza, therefore as a privileged asshole. He should be called by his official title.

Tommy held his right bandaged hand, anxiously fiddling with the bandage wrap that was so delicately done. He was worried that if he even spoke a word, it would only come out as a muttered whimper.

But he needed answers.

He took a deep breath, “Lord Philza, why am I here?”. It came out quieter than he had been expected, yet again his throat did feel rather sore. He wouldn’t be surprised, but would the vampire even hear it?

Surprisingly, Phil did in fact hear the question as his ear twitched in response. Phil looked towards Tommy with a gentle expression on his face, a small smile on his face that was an attempt to shelter the fangs.

Tommy could almost consider the look to be a crude one, but the usual silts of the eyes remained quite wide as his posture never changed. If anything, he looked as if he were just comfortable. It was a strange difference.

Phil let out a soft laugh, “Mate, there’s no need to call me “Lord Philza”, you can just call me Phil. Also, you may want to stop fiddling with your bandages. Wouldn’t want it to come undone!”. His tone was the same as they had first met, yet it held no cockiness to it.

He was like a relaxed dad.

Tommy nodded in response, turning his head away as he moved his hands behind his back. His anxiousness grew, as Phil spoke. For some reason, he found himself tensing up at the response, had he been that scared of Wilbur?

“But to answer your question. I owe you an explanation, we all do. But for now, I want you to get used to my presence first. I wouldn’t want to accidentally frighten you, especially after yesterday.”. His tone held a semblance of guilt, was he guilty?

“I-“, Tommy attempted to respond; Only to be caught off as his throat almost gave out on him, causing him to cough like an old man. It hurt whenever he did, he really wanted a drink. Phil seemed to have noticed this though, as he moved slowly to reach something.

Phil moved slowly as he reached towards another end of the desk and grabbed something. Gently held in his claws as a tiny glass of water, brought towards Tommy as he grabbed it from the giant fingers.

An odd transaction.

Tommy desperately gulped down the water and left out of a breath of relief. The soreness subsided somewhat, Phil held a content yet concerned glance on his face. Was he worried about him?

“Thank you… As I was trying to say, why don’t you want to frighten me? Why the change? You guys are out here, scaring the living shit out of me. And now here you are, telling me you don’t want me to be scared. What the actual living fuck?!”.

He spoke with some confidence, although his voice didn’t quite break volumes as it once would. Usually, his voice was loud and booming, he had definitely lost his voice during the past two days.

Phil’s expression to sadden slightly with guilt as he spoke.

“There appears to be a complete misunderstanding of the situation at hand, we were too sudden at our approach to welcoming you and made many mistakes along the way. I wish to fix that. Ask whatever questions you please, I swear that I will answer honestly.”.

Tommy's eyes narrowed in suspicion, scanning Phil’s eyes for any sort of deception but he had found none. None for whatever reason. Perhaps he was indeed telling the truth?

“Then tell me, what the fuck happened yesterday? Why is everyone’s behavior so confusing to me? Why is it different now?”. He was so confused at this point, confused it might give him a headache. He had so many questions, yet he didn’t know which ones to ask.

“Allow me to explain, I’m not certain if you figured it out yet but we are in fact a species of Vampire. A size-shifting kind, we don’t necessarily have the same emotions as you do. The same goes with behavior.”, Phil explained with a sigh, a solemn look on his face.

As if the topic at hand was an uncomfortable one.

“The best way I can explain it is that… Sometimes we can’t control what we do, at times we’re more animalistic or instinctual if you will. We don’t have the intention of harming you, but our actions speak louder than our words. We…”.

Phil didn’t continue.

Tommy's thoughts began to pace in circles like a toy train, uncertain about some things yet others made sense. It made sense that the vampires weren’t entirely human, that they behaved differently, and it confirmed some of Tommy’s lower suspicions.

It answered one thing, what Wilbur had done yesterday. Why he had sounded so tired and confused afterward, why he was so comforting. He really didn’t want to hurt Tommy as he said, it just so happened he couldn’t control himself.

Though, Wilbur never really did hurt Tommy under his ‘watch’. Wilbur had been taking care of him, concerned, and lecturing him on his whereabouts and such. It really did make sense, at least a bit more. Yet there were still more questions to be answered.

After a moment of silence, Tommy asked another question. “You said my name, the first time we met. I never said my name. How did you know?”. Phil’s eyes seemed to widen at the question, he seemed rather nervous at it.

He then answered, “Well, that is also owed an explanation. I understand if you are uncomfortable with what I’m about to mention but, I have an ability. A strange one if you will, strange even for vampires.”.

Why would he bring up an ability of all things to answer the question? Hell, it didn’t even answer the question. Tommy's head titled in curiosity as he asked, “What do you mean ability?”.

“I have the ability to speak and see through the eyes of crows. I’ve been watching you for a while now, I knew your name. The village and even how you were homeless. I saw how terribly the villagers of that village would treat you as nothing more than a street rat.”.

…

He knew? He knew everything? That even his “home” was gone? That his family had abandoned him and promised to return one day? Well perhaps not that, but they knew about his current predicament. That even his escape attempts to the safety of the streets were nothing more than false hope.

“You knew? But… Then why am I here? Was I pitied?! Did you take me here just to torment me?!”, he spoke angrily without a second thought. That wasn’t his intention though, the vampires had told him that he was safe, they didn’t have bad intentions… Right?

“Please! Calm down! It’s alright.” Phil offered comforting words; Tommy hadn’t noticed when his breathing had peaked but he did indeed need to calm down. And for a second, he took a deep breath.

“Please, answer the question.”.

Phil looked at Tommy for a moment, worried. He opened his mouth to speak.

“I- To be honest when I first saw you. You reminded me of when I was human, I sympathized with your predicament. I wanted to help, I wanted you to have a better life, so I thought that if I brought you here…. You could have a family… Yet how stupid I was…”.

Phil looked away; a claw brought towards his face to shelter his eyes. When Tommy had caught them, they had nothing more than a look of guilt on his face. He looked like a stressed-out dad laid across an office desk, and it honestly made Tommy feel guilty himself.

But he sat there with a shocked expression on his face. At the one word he had mentioned, it stood out to him the most out of all of them. Family. Phil had wanted to take him in, wanted to father him. And yet, everything turned out so differently than it meant to.

All because of a different species.

…

Suddenly though, Phil broke the silence as a whine almost escaped the man’s throat.

“I promised you so long ago that I would take you in, I’ve watched over you for all these years yet I only failed…”, he sounded heartbroken now, beyond guilt. But that explanation confused him, “long ago” But he and Tommy had only met officially 3 days ago.

He was beyond confused now, when had Phil made a promise to him? Maybe a promise to himself but years ago? Phil had been watching him for years.

“What do you mean by you promised me all these years? You’ve been watching me for all that time?”. He asked desperately as he wanted answers. Phil seemed to stumble on his breathing as he went to look at Tommy with widened eyes. But he answered, nonetheless.

“We met a long time ago when you were only a child. I don’t know if you remember me or not, but I was always a hooded figure that would stop by your village during the late evenings. We met then…”.

And Tommy certainly remembered that hooded figure…

…

The kid had always been deemed a rat by the townspeople, but Tommy never did pay any mind to it. After all, he was very happy! His parents wouldn’t take too long to come back for him! But it had been a couple of months now…

And Tommy really didn’t like stealing food or being homeless. One time it had even rained, and Tommy was terrified as the watery drops took away his body heat by the second. He would cry for his parents at that moment, wanting nothing more than to be sheltered in an embrace.

Yet it would never come.

Though, the same night. He did meet a man, although he looked like a shady fucker. He was humble unlike many of the rotten villagers, he was strange, but he offered Tommy food. He got along quite well with Mr Hood as he called him.

Mr Hood would visit from time to time, making sure he was okay, and always gave Tommy some food and even a gift at times. One time he had gotten a very soft and thick blanket to fight against the cold, Tommy was happy that he had made a friend!

“Mr Hood!”, the child ran towards the hooded figure. Mr Hoods reached his gloved arms towards Tommy and raised him into the air before bringing him close to his chest as he greeted Tommy.

“Hello, Tommy! Or should I say big man?”, it was asked in a cheerful tone that would always come from the stranger. He was always so cheery and gentle, not only that but he was one of the few who would play with Tommy. It was a shame they couldn’t play all the time…

…

The hooded figure knelt in front of the shivering Tommy, huddled, and wrapped in his blanket. Holding a plush that he had been given, Mr Henry, he had named it. Yelling could be heard throughout the entire village and Mr Hood seemed to be in a rush.

Mr Hood seemed desperate and it scared Tommy as the roaring villagers only came closer and louder. Why were they yelling and chanting? What was going on?

“Tommy, I promise it’s okay. You’ll be okay, I promise I’ll come back for you when I can. We can play all the time then, okay?”. The figure ruffled his hair reassuringly, Tommy sobbed under the touch. He was so scared.

“B-But why do you have to go Mr Hood?”, Tommy asked in between his sobs. Why did Mr Hood have to go? Couldn’t he stay with Tommy?

“I’m sorry, but I can’t stay-“, yelling was growing louder from the townsfolk. Tommy couldn’t make out what they were saying but it only alerted and seemed to scare Mr Hood even further. “I’m so sorry…”.

The figure stood up suddenly, turning around from the alley and running down the street. That was the last time he had ever seen Mr Hood again.

…

“Mr Hood…”.

“I wanted to come back... They ended up discovering that I was a vampire and chased me away. I couldn’t take you as it would’ve put you in danger. I didn’t want to take that risk, I’m sorry”. Now that he thought about it, there was indeed familiarity in the voices.

But all Tommy could think about was the night, the night that he had disappeared. Mr Hood had been almost a parental figure, the only one that ever shown Tommy kindness throughout the years of loneliness…

And Phil was Mr Hood…

Phil had a guilty expression on his face, and any fear that Tommy held had slightly disappeared. He was still fearful of the vampire in front of him, yet with the reality settling. He had the urge to reach out towards Phil, reunite with him and cry.

Because after all these years, Mr Hood had indeed kept his promise. Yet, fate always had different plans. The vampire in front of him didn’t appear as terrifying as before, perhaps a fresh new window of fresh air had been opened.

An opportunity had presented itself.

…

Phil stared down at the boy that he had promised to protect all that time ago, a little boy who had somehow won his undead heart was now all grown up. And he had made so many mistakes, he and the others only managed to make Tommy fear them then feel welcomed.

He had failed on his promise… He had failed Tommy…

“You kept your promise though, even if it did take some time. We’re here now, aren’t we? You actually managed to get me to come here. And I get that you may feel guilty and shit, after everything that’s happened. I- I’m sorry.”.

Phil’s eyes widened, why did Tommy apologize? He hoped the boy didn’t feel guilty or anything because if he did, even after everything they had done. Phil should be the one feeling any remorse, Tommy didn’t deserve any of it.

“Tommy, I-“, though he didn’t even get to finish as Tommy cut him off.

“Shut it- Lemme finish, dumbass”, he interrupted but what Phil had realized was almost relieving. Although Tommy still feared him, Tommy’s spark had returned, which only brightens Phil’s hopes.

The kid was always loud and bothersome, yet that was his charm. Always an annoying boy that held such determination and life, it was what had caught Phil’s eyes in the first place. When he had seen a determined boy running down the street with a stolen loaf of bread.

“As I was saying, I’m sorry for the misunderstanding. And don’t shut me down about it, because if I don’t apologize; I’ll only feel guilty about it later. You promised me all that time ago that you’d take me in, and now you gotta keep that promise. Got that?”.

Phil could almost laugh at his words, but all that came was a sigh of relief. Tommy was surprisingly willing to give them a second chance, it made Phil fill up with joy at the idea. But of course, things won’t be easy for them as they’d have to work through everything.

They’d have to make sure to be in more control of their instincts and scare Tommy less because they couldn’t really go around recklessly. It would be a fairly long process of bonding and trust. And if Tommy was willing, then he was showing trust. They have just yet to have properly received it.

“You’re really willing to give us a second chance?”, he asked with disbelief. He could hear his instincts telling him to pick up the boy and nuzzle him, but Phil had to hold himself back from doing so.

“Yeah, I mean- Where else do I have to go? The village doesn’t even want me.”. Tommy spoke with sarcasm, but it was clear with the intentions, he was going to stay whether Phil disagreed or not. But Phil wasn’t complaining.

Phil gave a smile; he couldn’t help it as sharp fangs were shown parting from his lips. He could see Tommy’s eyes widen for a moment before relaxing and offering his own smile in return. The sight filled Phil with joy.

And one thing caught him off by surprise, Tommy stood up and started reaching out towards him. At this point, he couldn’t even stop himself from gently scooping up Tommy, which yelped return, but he didn’t cry out which was a good sign.

Phil brought Tommy up towards his nose as he nuzzled him, just like he would’ve to his other sons. He felt Tommy tense for a moment before relaxing, hugging the nose in return as he laid lazily against it. Phil couldn’t help but purr.

“I’m tired…”, he heard the boy mutter with sudden tiredness. It appeared that he had entirely drained the boy of his energy, but he couldn’t blame him for that. He only smiled and gently tugged the boy away from his nose, switching to cradling him against his chest.