Chapter Text
Tommy didn’t want to leave.
He didn’t want to say goodbye to the caves, to return to the foster system, forever alone as memories of the one group of people who had ever cared about him slowly faded into nothing.
But it was no use. Trying to stay would be a futile endeavor. How could a human live in a society of otherworldly creatures?
And now Tommy found himself standing in what Phil had called one of the ‘surface caves’.
It was small and cramped, absent of the majority of the moss and vines Tommy had grown used to over the previous few days. The only lightning was a few low-burning torches sitting in intricate wood placeholders attached to the stone walls.
“We’re almost there.” Phil said, continuing to lead Tommy, Wilbur, and Techno through the twisting tunnel-like cave. “Are you excited to go home, Tommy?”
Tommy wasn’t excited, but he also wasn’t going to tell Phil that, so Tommy just nodded, ignoring the disbelieving look Wilbur shot him.
“You have your jacket, right?” Techno asked. “It’s still pretty cold up there, and you’ve got quite a walk.”
Tommy shoved his hands further into the pockets of his dirty, worn winter jacket. “Yeah.” He replied quietly.
Eventually, after what felt like an entirely of walking through the same small cave, it opened up into a room with a rickety wooden ladder in the center, leading to a square, metal trapdoor, a lock dangling from the end of it. Without being told, Tommy instantly knew what was on the other side of that trapdoor.
The situation became all too real when Phil turned around and pulled a silver key out of his pocket, holding it out to Tommy. “This should unlock the lock, once you get to the surface you can throw it back down to us.”
Trying to hide his shaking hands, Tommy took the key, rubbing his thumb along the rusted edge of it. “Th-Thank you. For everything.” He said, failing to stop his voice from breaking. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he was barely able to stop himself from crying.
Tommy didn’t want to do this. But he had to. He didn’t want to leave. But he had to. He didn’t want to unlock the lock, to open the trapdoor and exit the caves. But he had to.
“You’re welcome.” Phil replied warmly, his expression everything Tommy had ever wished for in a father. “We enjoyed having you around, but I bet your family misses you, mate.”
Techno smiled at him, although it was wobbly and clearly forced. “I’ll miss you, Tommy. I’d tell you to come and visit sometime, but I don’t really think that’s possible.”
“No, I guess it isn’t.” Tommy mumbled, staring at the ground as he shrugged, trying to ignore the pain he felt in his chest when Phil mentioned his family. Tommy didn’t know how to tell them that he didn’t have a family. It was hard enough to tell Wilbur.
“Don’t forget us, ok?” Wilbur said, and when Tommy looked up at him, he could see tears steadily rolling down Wilbur’s face. “If you ever fall through the mountain again, we’ll be here.” He laughed, although it was empty and watery from his crying.
Tommy shrugged again. “I’ll try not to forget you guys. I’ll miss you.”
Before Tommy even knew what was happening, just as he finished talking, Wilbur pulled him into a tight hug, arms and wings wrapped around him. Shortly after, Tommy felt two more pairs of arms and wings join.
Tommy couldn’t remember the last time someone had genuinely hugged him. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt so safe, so warm, so at home.
Suddenly, Tommy felt tears begin to flow down his cheeks as he choked on a sob. “I-I don’t wanna leave.” He stated, desperation leaking into every word. “I don’t know if I can stay- but please don’t make me leave.”
Techno was first to process his words, pulling away from the hug with wide eyes. “You really want to stay? What about your family your friends?”
Tommy opened his mouth to respond, to make the words ‘I don’t have a family or friends’ leave his lips, but all that came out was a quiet, desperate noise he couldn’t identify.
After a few seconds of Tommy struggling to speak, Phil and Wilbur pulled away, out of the hug, both seeming just as shocked as Techno was.
“He doesn’t have a family.” Wilbur said softly, replying for Tommy. “I… I don’t want to assume, but I don’t think Tommy has very many friends either, if any at all.” Sympathy sparkled in the depths of Wilbur’s brown eyes.
Phil looked heartbroken at Wilbur’s words. “Is that true? You… don’t have anyone?”
Tommy shook his head, wrapping his arms around himself in an attempt to calm his panicked thoughts and butterfly-filled chest.
“Then you can stay.” Phil stated, his words steady and sure. “We can be your family, if that’s what you want, mate.”
Without an ounce of hesitation, Tommy nodded, feeling more tears fall down his cheeks. He wiped at them, a bit aggressively, trying not to show how relieved he was. There was one other problem he was forgetting though. “How can I live down here if I’m not like you? I-If I’m just human?”
Wilbur smiled. “We have a solution for that.”
“There’s a potion we can make, that will turn you into one of us.” Techno said. “Whenever your ready, we can make it.”
“What- like an actual potion?” Tommy replied, eyes wide with shock. “Is magic fucking real?!” Without saying it, he knew the last question was also asking ‘Is this real?’.
Phil laughed. “It kind of is. Although, I don’t think humans have the ability to harness it like we can. That’s probably why you’ve never seen it.”
“Oh.” Tommy said quietly. “Makes sense, I guess.”
Wilbur motioned towards the tunnels they had just come down. “You ready to go home, Tommy?”
Tommy smiled, feeling like he was in a dream. “Fuck yeah.”
———
The caves were stunning as ever and Tommy couldn’t help but take a deep breath once he arrived at his new home.
Moss cushioned his footsteps as he walked around his new bedroom, the same room that he’d woken up in when he’d fallen down here, nearly frost bitten and shivering. He’d been scared and confused then, certain he was dreaming.
Things were different now though. Tommy knew that this was only the beginning.
———
For awhile, Tommy tried not to let the fact that he was still human bother him. He tried not to feel bad when the rest of his family had to wait for him to walk down the stairs, rather than flying. He tried not to get jealous when Wilbur and Techno talked about the massive underwater city they’d visited- apparently, they could develop gills if they went in water, which was something Tommy had not been aware of before.
He told himself he didn’t mind, even though he yearned to be one of them. He wanted to do everything they did.
Eventually, Tommy broke and practically begged Phil to brew him the potion Techno had mentioned. The potion that would turn Tommy into one of them, permanently.
Now, Tommy sat on his bed, holding the bottle carefully with both hands. The glass was cold against his palms, but the liquid inside seemed warm, fading from yellow to orange to red and back again, like a miniature flame.
Phil sat next to him, waiting patiently for Tommy to raise the potion to his lips, to finally drink it and become one of them.
Slowly, so slowly it felt like time almost stopped, Tommy raised the bottle and drank.
He nearly spit it out the moment it hit his tongue. It tasted foul, like rotten meat and dirt. The only thing keeping Tommy from throwing up was his hand, which he’d slapped over his mouth as soon as the flavor had made itself known.
It didn’t take long for him to swallow every last drop of the potion, just as Phil had told him to do.
Exhaustion creeped up on Tommy as soon as he finished. He handed the bottle off to Phil, fearful that he might accidentally drop it. Tommy felt his body begin to numb, every sensation feeling distant and impossible to interpret.
Phil stood up from the bed, softly smiling at Tommy. “Just sleep for awhile, mate. We’ll help you get used to everything when you wake.” Phil said, before exiting the room.
Tommy layed down, his eyes slowly closing. He felt like he’d been hit by a truck.
It wasn’t hard for him to give into the exhaustion, ignoring how anxious he felt about what would happen once he woke up.
———
Consciousness came back to Tommy slowly.
First, he registered the muffled sound of voices from somewhere off to his left. Next, he felt the feeling of soft bedsheets underneath him and thick blankets covering him.
Although… on second thought, one of the blankets felt slightly off in a way he couldn’t describe. Tommy felt like he should know why something felt off, but he couldn’t find the reason in his sleep-addled mind. All he knew was that he was comfortable.
He shifted slightly in bed after a few moments, trying to hear the nearby voices a bit better. Instead, the conversation halted and footsteps made their way towards him.
“Phil, he shouldn’t be awake yet.” A gruff, monotone voice said.
Distantly, someone else sighed. “Yeah, he should be fine though. I’ll put him back under for a couple more days.”
Cold hands cupped Tommy’s face and he whined involuntarily at the temperature.
“Shhh, sorry mate.” Whoever was touching him said. More words were whispered, too quietly and quickly for Tommy to distinguish. “Sleep well, Tommy.” The person stated, before Tommy felt himself be pulled back into sleep again.
———
This time, Tommy woke up abruptly.
One moment he was asleep, completely dead to the world, and the next he was blinking his eyes open to his bedroom.
His vision took a few moments to adjust, the details of his bedroom slowly coming into clearer focus. The wooden door was shut tight, and Tommy was the only person there, unlike the last time he had awoken. He was laying in bed, blankets piled on top of him.
Tommy immediately noticed after his quick glance around the room, that something felt… different. Something was slightly off.
At first he had forgotten that this wasn’t just a normal morning, that this wasn’t just another day. He had been asleep for a long time, and for good reason. But now he remembered and curiosity bubbled up within him.
Slowly, Tommy sat up, feeling a strange heaviness in his back and shoulder blades as he did so. He took a deep breath, preparing himself for the changes he was bound to catch sight of.
Tommy looked down at his hands first, staring in awe at how they’d changed. Light red scales dotted his palms, trailing up to his fingers, where they eventually thickened into sharp claws. The scales went all the way to his elbows, and he caught sight of small patches of white feathers on his wrists.
Careful of his new claws, he raised his hands up to feel his face. Scaled hands immediately met scaled and feathered cheeks. It felt weird, unfamiliar but good.
The last thing was arguably the most important. The wings.
Yet, Tommy found himself hesitating to look behind himself and see them. He knew they were there. He could feel their weight, could feel them brushing the headboard of his bed behind him. He couldn’t help but feel nervous though.
After a few moments of hesitation, Tommy finally got the courage to see his wings.
His eyes widened the moment he saw them. The wings were bright white, completely void of any other color. They were perfect.
He scooted forward in bed in order to give himself more space before he stretched one out. Tommy gasped at the sensation of the new limbs moving, flapping gently behind him.
Just as he was trying to figure out how to get his wings to lay flat again, the door to his room opened.
Wilbur entered, humming to himself and seemingly unaware that Tommy was awake. Until, Wilbur’s eyes landed on the bed.
“You- You’re awake!” Wilbur exclaimed, rushing over. “Are you alright? Does anything still hurt? Fuck, do you need to sleep more?” He rambled, asking questions faster than Tommy could answer.
“I’m fine.” Tommy laughed, feeling strangely lighter and happier than he’d ever been. “I’m alright, Wilbur.”
Wilbur smiled. “That’s really good!” He turned towards the door. “I’ll go get Phil and Techno. You’ll still be on bed rest for a few days, but that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate.” He opened the door and exited the room.
Tommy sighed, staring up at the mossy ceiling. He couldn’t believe this was real. The door opening again cut off his thought process as the entire family entered into the room.
Techno was, surprisingly, first to react, his usual blank face showing shock for a moment before his lips upturned into a small smile. Phil meanwhile, just looked overjoyed and Tommy tried to not to think about how Phil seemed to be on the edge of crying.
“You guys doing alright?” Tommy asked, smiling brightly, ignoring how tears began to build in his eyes. “You don’t need to stare at me, I’m not some fuckin’ zoo animal.”
Phil laughed. “I’m fine… just happy I guess.”
There was a few more moments of staring before Tommy felt someone hug him. He looked over to see Wilbur, crying with his arms and wings wrapped tightly around Tommy. Soon enough, Phil and Techno were joining the hug.
Tommy quickly felt tears begin sliding down his face. It just felt so warm. It felt so unreal, so unbelievable, but it was real and he was here, with his new family, ready to start his new life.
“I- uh- realized I haven’t ever said this out loud but…” Tommy sighed, his breath shuddering as he prepared himself. “I love you guys, so fucking much.”
“I love you too.” Wilbur, Techno, and Phil all immediately replied, their voices overlapping.
Tommy laughed. “I’m glad I decided to stay. And I’m glad I fell through your shitty ceiling.”
Despite how his tone was joking, Tommy really was happy he’d fallen through the snow. He was thankful, oddly enough, for how much of an idiot he’d been in order to sneak out and explore the mountains alone. Because if he hadn’t been such an idiot, he wouldn’t have a family.
It’s not everyday that you fall through a mountain and get adopted, but Tommy couldn’t be happier that it’d happened to him.