Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Philza hated his job.

Actually, that was a lie, he didn’t hate most of his job. Transporting livestock and cargo across the known universe for some incredibly rich merchant paid well apparently, and Phil wasn’t complaining about that. He also wasn’t complaining about his work partner, Techno couldn’t be a better co pilot. The Piglin handled all the boring parts of the job, like ship repairs, budgeting, occasionally security if the job needed it, while Phil did all the fun stuff. Like handling the livestock and making sure nothing died during the space journeys. 

But what he did hate was having to deal with his boss…

Every time they returned to the alien’s business to get their payment, their boss always insisted they stay around for a while and check out the newest creatures he’d had imported. Mainly he was just boasting, showing off every new animal, each one rarer and more exotic than before, Phil and Techno just having to nod along, pretending they cared just so they could get their money. 

And so it was no surprise when they were pulled into the back room after Techno had deposited the wooden crates onto the floor, Phil just rolling his eyes as their boss disappeared behind a curtain.

The room in the back was gigantic, more like a warehouse turned zoo, the pair of aliens having to weave their way cramped cages and glass containers at the heels of their boss, who was rambling on about something. 

“-you two just have to see this! I know you’ll love this one Philza it’s a-“

Phil watched as Techno’s hand twitched towards his temple, sharp fingernails moving to turn off his universal translator before Phil slapped his hand away.

Eventually they came to a back corner, a large glass tank tucked away as their boss came to a stop, seemingly empty. The glass cube was tall, a couple feet taller than Phil but not very wide. The bright flickering of fluorescent lights illuminated the contents of the tank. A small bed against the back wall, a metal bowl containing water bolted to the floor, and what looked like a few chew toys strewn across the floor. Phil had a few of those back on the ship, usually reserved for any cargo that required mental stimulation, leaving him guessing what exactly was in the tank. 

Their boss knocked against the glass, resting each of his four arms against his hips as he waited for a response. 

They didn’t have to wait long, Techno and Phil watching as a slender, hairless hand reached out from underneath the bed, throwing up some kind of symbol with its fingers before it retreated back under the bed.

…

What the fuck? 

“He got shipped in a couple weeks ago,” their boss said, one of his hands fishing through his suit pocket whilst his others gestured, a smug grin on his face. Techno didn’t react, stone faced as Phil got closer to the glass, trying to see under the small space under the bed that surely nothing could fit under. “First of his kind this far into space…”

“What is it?” He said, speaking in Common for the benefit of his boss, who he knew couldn’t be bothered to install a translator. 

The other alien just grinned, Phil catching sight of a small remote in his palm, clawed fingers pressing down on one of the buttons. 

A sharp cry came from the tank, making Phil’s chest flutter. It sounded incredibly similar to the cries fledgling Elytrians used when in pain, and the sound caused him to reach out, long fingers splayed out against the glass as the creature inside crawled out from underneath the bed. 

The creature was pale, dressed in what looked like a ragged pair of short trousers and a shirt. It pulled at the metal collar around its neck, muttering something in a language neither of them understood, pointed front teeth on show. Immediately, Techno pulled him away from the glass, and Phil knew why…

That was a human. Which was impossible, since humans were a class ten species, meaning no one could even get within five mile radius of their planet’s orbit without express permission from the Galactic council.

From the look of it, this one was young… it’s big wide eyes and gangly limbs reminded Phil again of Elytrian fledglings, though this one lacked wings or talons or feathers, or any other feature that characterised his species. 

It glared at them through the glass, pushing the light hair that hung over its forehead back, so Phil could see the child’s eyes. They were blue, like his own…

“A human?” He heard Techno ask from over his shoulder, Phil only watching as the human’s face scrunched up, a look of anger on its face as it inched further backwards. Eventually it’s back hit the wall, the creature shouting what he could only assume was high pitched protestations from the angry tone of voice. 

Their boss pressed the button again, the human immediately crying out in pain again as it clutched at the collar, shuddering and jerky movements on full display. Phil bit back a concerned coo, Techno just giving him a look. His instincts were itching for him to try and console the child, but he had to remind himself that this wasn’t a fledgling… This was a human, one of the most reclusive and unknown species in the galaxy. 

“He’s a little disobedient, but I’m trying my best to train that out of him,” their boss explained as he waved the control button in front of the glass, the human flinching away as he did. The alien apparently didn’t notice the scathing look Phil levelled at him. “If I can get him under control, then I’ll get a lot of money for him. I mean, a fully trained human? I’d get at least half a million units for that…”

Techno immediately met Phil’s eyes, the man giving him a pleading look as Techno tried to silently talk him out of whatever he was about to do... Phil just ignored him, instead just opting to raise his palm to the glass again in a sign of peace, the human regarding him with hesitant intrigue. The Piglin just sighed, digging through his pockets as he turned back to his boss. 

Phil owed him one after this.

“How much for him?” He asked, their boss raising his eyebrows in surprise. 

“What do you two want an untrained human for?”

“Phil gets very lonely, could do with a pet on the ship,” Techno deadpanned, Phil just slapping him lightly in response. 

“Techno! Lower your voice, you’re scaring him!” 

The human hadn’t moved at all, just looking between the aliens with wide eyes and a panicked expression. Techno just huffed. Oh god Phil was already attached…

“We’ll forgo our payment for our last job if you let us have him!” The Elytrian interjected, earning him matching looks of disbelief from the other aliens. 

“Can’t complain with that,” their boss said, offering a hand to shake on the deal with a smile. Before Techno could interject, Phil had shaken on it, soft chirps escaping from his lips. 

Tommy watched as he was apparently sold to the weird Bird man. Great, as if his day couldn’t get any worse…

For starters, the big blue alien bastard had woken him up by shocking him again, the electricity making his head spin as the four armed fuck shouted at him in a language he couldn’t understand. Secondly, he hadn’t had proper food or water for nearly three weeks, surviving on shitty rations that were pushed through the tank door once a day. It had been three times a day at one point, but after Tommy bit the hand that fed him, it had been reduced. What did he care anyway? The food resembled dog food, and the water could barely be called water, tepid and slimey tasting. 

According to the tally he’d scratched into the concrete floor, he’d been here for nearly twenty days now, and he was starting to get weak from the lack of proper nutrients. There wasn’t enough space for him to exercise properly either, so his joints ached from any movements. Tommy had taken to hiding under the bed, childish he knew, but it conserved his energy and pissed off the blue alien, so best of both worlds really.

Eventually he’d been drawn out from his hiding spot by the electric shocks, not surprised to see two new figures standing next to the blue alien. He’d been ‘shown off’ a few times now, forced on display for what he assumed were prospective customers. Despite what all the aliens thought, he wasn’t stupid… he knew this was the space equivalent of a pet shop, and Tommy had been plucked from his life on Earth to be some rich alien’s pet- the electric shocks were some crude attempt at training him, he gathered… like he was a fucking dog. 

The alien’s behind the glass were new though, some species he hadn’t seen before. 

The shorter alien looked vaguely human-like, bipedal and had similar long blonde hair to Tommy. But apart from that, he looked more like a bird than human. The large pair of black crows' wings were probably the cause of that, the feathers dragging across the floor from where his wings were tucked against his back. Tommy couldn’t understand his coos and caws, referring to him as Birdman in his head.

Through the dirty glass, he could just make out feathers peeking from the collar of his shirt, as well as more dark feathers where his ears should be. The alien wore a wide brimmed hat, and lots of gold jewellery, the shining cuffs wrapping around his forearms, resting at his wrists before circling his knuckles. Tommy thought they would hurt a lot if the alien hit him… 

His partner was also humanoid, at least a foot taller than Birdman, which was funny. The alien had broad shoulders and was littered in scars, the white marks visible on nearly every inch of his pink skin. He’d said something to the blue alien at one point, Tommy catching sight of tusks as his lip quipped. That, along with his flat nose, made him look like a pig, Tommy thought to himself. Birdman and Pig Bitch… very original. 

He was also wearing gold, but his was braided into his pink hair. On anyone else it would have made them look soft, but the alien was anything but that. Tommy really didn’t want to cross the man, who hadn’t looked at him after Birdman shook on his deal. 

The cell door opened to his right, the swoosh of fresh air sounding as the vacuum in the tank broke. The blue alien threatened him with the shock button as he stepped forward, a lead in hand and a smug look. Tommy just snarled, having figured out early on that baring his teeth usually made the alien back off. 

Unfortunately that didn’t work this time, the lead being clipped to the collar around his neck as his wrists were tied in front of him at the same time, the alien’s four hands pulling away quickly before Tommy could try and bite him. Apparently the alien wasn’t stupid enough to leave his hands within biting distance again. 

He was pulled forward, out of the tank for the first time in weeks as his lead was handed to Pig Bitch, who looked like he really didn’t want to be here. Tommy tried to pull away, but the shock that wracked through his body left him gasping for breath. He was too malnourished for this, vision blurring as he felt hands moving to steady him. The soft cawing of the Birdman was almost comforting, Tommy swaying on his feet as his vision refocused. The blue alien smirked at him, handing Pig Bitch the remote control, though not before pressing it one last time.

This time, Tommy couldn’t stop his knees from buckling, unable to stay standing as he collapsed unconscious on the concrete flooring, unknown hands moving to catch him before his head hit the floor.

Techno could've punched his boss at that moment. 

Phil knelt on the floor, an unconscious piglet on his lap. A human child, he corrected… not a piglet. Although the Elytrian might be distracted by the human’s age, Techno was still wary of him. At least the child was unconscious right now, would make it easier to get him back to the ship. Their boss just laughed at the sight, Techno just watching as Phil tried his best not to react. 

“He’ll be fine, he always wakes up… the first time we shocked him he was knocked out for about twelve hours. Had to turn the voltage down after that…”

Phil’s feathers ruffled, the primaries sticking up in agitation. He struggled to get to his feet whilst balancing the human, hollow bones unable to support both of their weights, before Techno decided to step in, swooping the human up and carrying him easily, though he held him at arm's length. 

“Techno and I are taking our annual leave, we’ll be back in twelve weeks,” Phil said flatly, as their boss smiled falsely . 

“Of course! You’ll need the time to train your new pet, I understand, take as much time as you need,” he said, Techno adjusting his grip on the human as Phil seethed. “Bring him with you when you come to collect your next job, I wanna see what you do with him! Besides, if I trust anyone with disciplining a misbehaving human, it’d be my two best men!”

Techno just nodded, following Phil as they walked out of the warehouse in silence, the Elytrian not willing himself to speak in case he said something to their boss that he’d regret. 

Phil didn’t speak until they got back to the ship, unlocking the cargo hold to the S.S Antarctic Enterprise as Techno carried the human up the ramp. 

“Phil-“

“Techno, I couldn’t just leave him,” Phil said, the ramp closing shut behind them with a heavy clunk. “You saw how he was treating him, I couldn’t just leave him there! If we didn’t take him, he would have been sold off as some rich fucker’s plaything… he’s just a kid!”

Phil made his way out of the cargo hold, Techno following him through the hallway.

“He’s a human child. If anyone finds out we’re in custody of a human, we could be arrested. Besides, neither of us know how to even look after a human, let alone a kid! Humans are territorial, pack animals Phil, I don’t want the kid’s parents coming to find us…”

“He’s light years away from Terra, I don’t think we need to worry about that… he’s obviously all alone out here. He’s probably scared, poor thing.”

They stopped at the door to the observation deck, Techno regarding Phil with curiosity as the man keyed the code into the keypad. He stepped foot onto the deck, Techno at his heels.

They rarely used the room, not really any use for it when it was just the two of them on the ship. The room was on the right wing of the ship, a circular glass dome set into the metal on the hull, letting anyone who stood there see miles in any direction into space. Their steps echoed across the metal floor, Phil stopping in the centre of the room. Techno set the boy down gently, Phil cooing softly as he did so.

“I’ll call Wilbur, see if he can meet us at the nearest refuelling planet. He might know what to do with him…”

That actually wasn’t a bad idea. Phil’s son was some kind of scientific researcher, having been stationed on Terra’s moon a few years ago to research the humans from afar. If anyone could help them with the child, it’d probably be him. 

Techno pulled his holopad from his pocket, tapping at the screen. 

“We’re about a month's journey away from Banalos, which is the closest habitable planet. Tell Will to meet us there… what are we gonna do with him till we get there?”

Phil just sighed, shedding his jacket to wrap it around the child, who was shivering on the cold metal floor. Techno knew it was just Phil’s instincts, but it was amusing to watch his best friend go all broody the second he found an abandoned child. Phil could apparently sense his line of thinking, tittering as he got back to his feet. 

“Don’t look at me like that, Techno! He’s cold… I’ll stay outside in case he wakes up. Don’t want him waking up alone on some foreign ship, he’s scared enough as it is.”

“Do not go in there alone Phil. Wait for me to come with you once he wakes up, it’s not safe to-“

“Oh relax Techno,” Phil said, settling down on the other side of the glass door with a soft creak, the sound of his hollow bones releasing gas making Techno wince. He’d never got used to it, even after all these years living on the ship together. “It’s a baby, how much harm can it do?”

“I’m serious Phil, please just wait for me… I don’t wanna have to be the one to explain to Wilbur how you got killed cause you wanted to adopt an apex predator.”

Phil just rolled his eyes, non committed as Techno made his way back down the corridor, calling back over his shoulder as he went. 

“We’re taking off in about twenty minutes, please don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone…”

Tommy woke up in another glass cage, though this one was considerably bigger. 

The first thing he noticed was the cold metal flooring against his face, blinking away his sluggishness as he sat up. 

Woah… yeah this enclosure was way fancier than the last one. He’d woken up in the middle of an empty room, a glass dome stretching up around him on nearly all sides, apart from the flat metal behind him. The only way he could describe the room was that it looked like someone had cut a bubble in half, cut it in half again and then shoved it against the side of the ship.

It was beautiful…

Slowly getting to his feet, he wrapped the robe he’d been given whilst asleep tighter round his shoulders, taking small steps until he could touch the glass. The heat of his palm left fog against the glass, the cold expanse of space just inches away from him, stretching out forever in every direction. The only light in the room was from the distant stars, the pale light illuminated his face against the glass. 

Before he could even comprehend what was in front of him, he heard the soft swoosh of a door opening, whipping around to press his back against the glass. 

On the other side of the room, a good twelve feet away, stood Birdman, hands raised in front of him with a sheepish look on his face. 

Oh right, he’d almost forgotten…he’d been sold. The weight of the collar against his throat made him remember that. He was Birdman’s pet, no wonder the alien had come to find him as soon as he’d woken up. 

The man took a small step forwards, Tommy pressing himself further against the glass as he bared his teeth, shouting words he knew wouldn’t be understood.

“Stay back! Please, get back… don’t fucking touch me!”

Birdman got the message apparently, taking a step back as he frowned. He watched in horror as he pulled the fucking remote control out of his pocket, Tommy desperately clawing at his throat to try and rid himself of the collar before the alien could shock him. 

“No! Please, I’m sorry! I’ll be good, quiet, whatever! Just don’t shock me please?” He pleaded, the alien just tilting his head as it looked at him. Deliberately not breaking eye contact, Birdman placed the remote control on the floor, and promptly crushed it under the heel of his boot. Tommy winced, turning away at the sound of the machinery crunching.

The alien’s gentle cooing brought his attention, wide blue eyes staring at him as Tommy exhaled the breath he didn’t even know he was holding. Slowly, he slid down the glass behind him, tucking his knees up as he sat on the floor. If Birdman wasn’t gonna shock him, then he might as well try and show the alien that he wasn't a threat, right? That would at least stop him from changing his mind. 

The alien copied his actions, taking a seat on the floor across from him, feet tucked underneath him in an oddly human way. He said something to Tommy, low clicks and coos going in one ear and out the other. 

He just shook his head. “I don’t understand you,” he said clearly. Birdman frowned, fiddling with something at his temple for a second, before he tried again, repeating the sounds he’d just made. 

“Still don’t understand you, bird brain,” he said, throwing out the insult to gage whether the alien could understand what he was saying. Apparently not, since he didn’t react. That was good to know, he could call the alien every name under the sun and it wouldn’t know what he was saying. 

They both just sat there for a while, Birdman saying something to him every once in a while, Tommy just shaking his head in a response. He got fed up with the stupid clicking and cawing eventually, snapping his head up to glower at the man. 

“Will you shut up?” He shouted, the alien wincing at the loud noise. Birdman tried to say something in response, but Tommy beat him to it, mimicking the stupid clicking noises, trying to mock the alien. “That’s what you sound like, bitch! It’s giving me a headache so shut the fuck up!”

The alien looked surprised, the feathers in his hair perking up. He said something else, apparently excited, before getting to his feet. He gestured wildly as he closed the door, chirping as he left Tommy alone, incredibly confused…

“Techno! He knows Elytrian,” Phil shouted as he burst into the bridge. Techno turned round from the control panel, saying something before Phil had interrupted him. They’d entered orbit now, Techno’s feet resting on the ship’s navigation centre as the autopilot steered the ship. He was lounged talking to someone, the head and shoulders of that someone visible from the hologram. 

Phil could make out his son’s features from here, the hologram glitching as Wilbur turned to where his voice was coming from. The half Elytrian, half Phantom looked in good health, blank eyes blinking at his father as Wilbur ruffled the feathers in his hair, clearly excited to see him.

“Phil! Long time no see, old man!”

“And how would you know that Philza?” Techno drawled, scowling as he kicked his feet up and off the panel. “Considering I told you not to go and see the human alone?”

“You went in there by yourself?” Wilbur asked incredulously, the blue form of the hologram unable to show the full extent of his upset. “That was an incredibly stupid thing to do… the human could have hurt you!”

“He’s just a baby Will,” Phil said, brushing off the concerns.

“From Techno’s description it didn’t sound like a baby, maybe a young adult, which made what you’ve just done even more dangerous Phil! Humans are a predator species, and considering it’s probably very scared and confused right now, it’s no wonder it didn’t attack you!”

“But he didn’t,” he countered, both Techno and Wilbur rolling their eyes. “Besides, he knows Elytrian! I was talking to him, and I asked if he was hungry. He repeated the question back to me, and then he said something in his language but still! He understood what I said! Isn’t that amazing-“

“Phil, it doesn’t understand you.” Wilbur said firmly, sounding tired.

“But he said he was hungry!”

“No it didn’t. Humans are very good at mimicking noises, it probably just heard what you’d said and repeated it. If it's anything like the humans I met, probably making fun of you…”

Phil wilted a little at that, feeling a little put out at the revelation that the human hadn’t in fact understood him and was just mocking him. 

“Well, anyway. He’s up and awake. Do you want to speak to him?  You know Human, right?” He asked, hope leaking into his voice.

His son just sighed, static crackling through the bridge as his hologram glitched again. 

“No I don't know ‘human’ Phil, cause that’s not a thing. There’s roughly seven thousand languages on Terra, and I only know three of them. I went to Luna to study human anatomy, not their language… ”

“Fine, same difference… Can you talk to him or not?”

“My ship to Banalos leaves in less than an hour, so no not right now…”

“Well what are we gonna do with him then,” Techno drawled, sighing as he got to his feet. “The kid probably thinks we’re gonna lock him up… you saw how he was treated, most likely thinks we’re gonna shock him again…”

Wilbur’s hologram crackled, static filling the bridge as the alien moved away from his screen.

“Yeah, it’s probably scared shitless… just try and gain its’s trust until I can talk to it in person. Eat meals with it, give it space… you know, just try and treat it like a person. God knows it needs it right now.”

“Of course… I’ll leave you to it Wilbur,” Phil said, moving away from the control panel, Techno at his feet. “May the stars guide your ship to safety,” he said automatically, the goodbye slipping from his lips before he could even think. Wilbur just nodded, adjusting his glasses as he turned the hologram off. Phil wasn’t expecting any response from his son, thinking the alien had forgotten the traditional Elytrian farewell…

“And may the planets align for you both…”

Chapter Text

Ok, maybe Tommy could get on board with the whole ‘being some rich alien fucker’s pet’ thing…

He’d been aboard the ship for what he thought was a week now, no way to tell the time since the world outside his window consisted of only black void and a fire stars. But Birdman had come and visited him seven times now, so he was assuming a week had passed.

The alien was odd, to say the least. He’d always arrive just after Tommy woke up, with two bowls of food in hand and an excited look on his face.

The food would be slid across the metal floor, the alien keeping his distance, and Tommy would eat the porridge like stuff whilst Birdman sat opposite him. 

Look, he didn’t exactly trust the fucker yet, but considering he’d spent the last couple months in space alone, he was admittedly a little desperate for company. 

He was also pretty certain he was the alien’s pet... Birdman would coo and chirp at him anytime he did something, sounding almost like praise, not dissimilar to how you’d reward a puppy. Case in point, the alien had devolved into a fit of squawks and chirps the moment Tommy had solved the puzzle box he’d given him. 

Those stupid fucking puzzle boxes.

Apparently the alien wasn’t completely clueless on human species, having arrived on day three with a pile of toys and plastic objects, looking suspiciously similar to the rubber chew toys you’d give to a dog to entertain them. Birdman chirped as he slid one of the boxes towards them, not that Tommy could understand him. But he got the general idea… the box was to keep him entertained, a puzzle for him to solve so he wasn’t bored out of his mind.

Out of spite, Tommy almost refused to indulge in the alien, but he was also incredibly bored. Turns out being stuck on the observation deck of a space ship lost its novelty pretty quickly, and Tommy’s previous hobby, tugging at the collar still around his neck, wasn’t much fun either. 

And so he poked at the puzzle boxes, digging his fingers into the soft plastic whilst the alien watched with eager eyes. It didn’t take him that long to figure out the mechanism, maybe an hour or two? But eventually he was rewarded for his efforts, the box clicking open to reveal what looked liked berries, as the Birdman cheered him on.

He rolled his eyes at the alien, discarding the box on the floor, but taloned fingers gestured at him, drawing his attention. Birdman tapped his nails together, pointed at the berry looking things then moving his hands to his mouth… the universal sign for food. 

“Are you sure I can eat these?” Tommy said, not expecting an answer but still asking anyway. Even though the alien definitely didn’t understand him, it felt rude to just ignore the man, so Tommy had taken to talking to him, even if it was more for his own mental well being.

Birdman gestured again, Tommy chuckling as he brought the berries to his mouth, biting down on the soft flesh. For space food, they weren’t half bad… kinda sweet, kinda tangy, almost like blackberries. This was apparently incredibly entertaining for the alien, who just chirped again. 

“Yeah, yeah, I get it bird brain… solve the puzzle, get rewarded. Very clever.”

The alien would visit him every day, bringing him a new puzzle to solve, before disappearing off again. The creature seemed to be pleased when he’d return the next day and Tommy would have solved the puzzle, bringing him more blankets and extra food as a reward.

Tommy definitely wasn’t complaining… if all it took for him to be treated half way decently by his new caretakers was for him to solve some simple puzzles, who was he to deny the alien that?

They were a day away from docking on Banalos, with Phil and Techno faceted on the control room as they listen to Wilbur talk on the comms line.

“If everything goes to plan, I’ll meet you at the docks tomorrow morning. I’ve managed to get my hands on a translator that works for some human languages,” Wilbur explained, leaning back in his seat as he talked.

Phil was pacing up and down the control room, wings twitching behind him as he walked. 

He wasn’t sure why he was so nervous. According to Wilbur, he’d been doing everything right with the human child. He’d spent time with it, gave it proper enrichment, bonded over meal times… Phil had followed his son’s instructions to a T, spending the last eight rotations with the human to try and get it used to their presence. 

But still he was worried the human was still scared of him. The child had stopped flinching away anytime he walked in, but his reaction to seeing Techno hadn’t changed, eyes never leaving the Piglin when Techno watched from the doorway. For that exact reason, Techno didn’t join Phil in visiting the human that often, preferring to watch from the safety of the security cameras. 

The sound of Will’s voice addressing him drew his attention back, turning around to face the hologram.

”Have you worked out what language it speak, Phil?” Wilbur asked. Phil just shook his head.

”Nope, all sounds like gibberish to me… do you think if we set up the hologdeck in the observation room you’d be able to tell?”

”Most probably yes,” Wilbur said, but Phil could notice the hesitancy in his voice. “But I would want to spook the human. We don’t know if it’s encountered a holodeck before, it might react poorly to the new technology…”

”Wouldn’t it make setting up the translator easier though?” Techno interjected from where he sat in the captain’s chair, feet balancing on the control panel. Phil hated when he did that, the Piglin’s boots left dust marks on the circuitry. “It’d also mean you’d spend less time physically with the human tomorrow, which is much more safe.”

Phil bristled at the notion of the child being dangerous, Techno just rolling his eyes as the Elytrian’s feathers twitched in annoyance. 

“Fine, I’m literally just sitting around waiting for you to get here… not like I have anything better to do,” Wilbur said, blank eyes widening in a sign of amusement. He’d definitely picked that up from Phil, that wasn’t a phantom habit. “Call me once you’ve got the holo set up, I’ll try and talk to him…”

Tommy sighed as the alien returned, no doubt to try and talk to him again.

He was surprised to see Pig Bitch following Birdman, he’d assumed he was the pilot of the ship, whilst Birdman did… other stuff, he didn’t know how spaceships worked! Clearly he was Birdman’s pet, not the other alien’s, since the low grunting sound coming from Pig Bitch wasn’t exactly welcoming. 

He hissed at Birdman as he got closer, the alien stopping a few feet away. The soft cooing started again, Tommy watching as Pig Bitch handed the blonde a large tablet. A few seconds of tapping at the screen, and the tablet was thrown at Tommy’s feet. The blue light emanating from the screen solidified, Tommy just able to make a figure in the blue light… it was a hologram? Maybe, it looked a little like the ones from the sci-fi films he used to watch.

He inched a little closer, the excited sounds coming from Birdman making him roll his eyes. The figure in the hologram moved, Tommy realising this was a live feed. The picture quality wasn’t great, but he was pretty sure he could see two white eyes, a nose, sharp teeth and floppy hair. Birdman looked down at him expectantly, miming something with his hands, open and closing his fingers… Did he want him to say something? 

“I already told you, I don’t understand anything you fuckers say! This is useless, absolute waste of-“

“Hello?”

The hologram spoke, interrupting Tommy, leaving him speechless… there was no way.

“Hello?” He said tentatively, not daring to hope that the alien on the hologram actually understood English.

“Greetings,” it said. The alien’s accent was formal but that was definitely English. 

“Oh thank god! Can you understand what I’m saying? Like actually understand me?” He rambled, words spilling out in a tumble, speaking way too fast but he didn’t care.

“Uh yes, I believe so. You are speaking English, correct?”

“Yep! Oh my god, I can’t believe I’ve found an alien that actually understands English,” he said shakily, unable to hold back the laugh on his voice. 

“You sound different from the previous humans I had met, I’m assuming that is due to either your age or your location?” The hologram said, his clinical way of speaking at odds with the smile in the alien’s voice. 

“Sure whatever,” he said flippantly, not caring about any of that. “You probably met stupid fucking Americans, fucking wankers… I don’t really care about that though, can you tell the alien‘S here that I’m not their fucking pet? I don’t care how much they paid for me, but I’m not just gonna sit down and do tricks for them, alright? I swear to god if that bird bastard gives me another chew toy I’m going to scream…”

The hologram alien didn’t say anything for a moment, Tommy worried that the alien couldn’t pick up on sarcasms, but eventually he turned to address the other aliens in the room. Birdman and Pig Bitch had just been watching the exchange with mixed expressions, the former looking incredibly excited while Pig Bitch just scowled… seemed like that was all he could do.

The hologram alien was speaking to them now, his voice sounding angry as he clicked and growled. Birdman looked upset, eyebrows nearly leaving his forehead as he shook his head violently at the hologram. Eventually the blue figure turned back to Tommy after talking to them for a bit, his expression one of pity. 

“Father says you’re not a pet, he just wanted to make sure you were safe. Apparently the man who sold you to them was their boss, and they knew he wouldn’t treat you very well. So they took you to keep you safe.”

Tommy blinked. Oh. Right… so he wasn’t Birdman’s pet project then? The alien was just trying to help. That was good to know… In hindsight, that made the alien’s actions more endearing, Tommy feeling a little guilty for being so suspicious of him.

Wait, had the hologram said he was his father?

“Birdman’s your dad?” He asked quietly, a high screeching sound coming from the hologram. Tommy covered his ears, before he realised the sound was the alien’s laugh. 

“Birdman! Oh he’ll love that… yes, Phil is my father,” Hologram said, before translating what he’d said to Birdman, Phil he corrected, and Pig Bitch. Phil frowned, whilst Pig Bitch laughed, a deep chuffing sound, the first show of emotion from the alien Tommy had seen all day. 

“What is your name?” Hologram asked him after the alien had stopped laughing. 

“Tommy.”

“Toh-mee?” Hologram repeated, trying to mimic the foreign sounds. 

“Yep, Tommy…”

“Salutations Tommy,” Hologram said with a smile, before the figure pointed to himself. “I am Wilbur… Birdman, as you called him, is Phil. And the Piglin is named Technoblade.”

“Why have you all got such human names? Well, except for Technoblade… but still.”

“We don’t, but I doubt you’d be able to even comprehend our actual names, too hard for a human child to understand”

“Hey I’m not stupid, dickhead! I’m also not a child either, I’m seventeen!” He said, the anger in his voice earning him a low growl from the pig alien, Technoblade. “Also can you tell Pig Bitch to stop snarling at me? It’s fucking creepy…”

Wilbur sighed, before turning to translate for the other two. Phil looked upset as he spoke, turning around to squawk at Technoblade, which made Tommy laugh. The Piglin just snorted in response.

“Techno says he didn’t mean to scare you, but you keep baring your teeth at them. It makes him think you’re going to attack.”

“What, my smile?” He said, holding back a laugh as Technoblade just growled again. “Aw, is the big scary pig alien scared of my smile?

“Yes. You’re the first human they’ve met, so forgive them for being a bit jumpy. Usually, bared teeth means someone is going to attack… I’ll try and explain that you mean no harm.”

Wilbur sighed, looking off screen for a second before he turned his attention back to Tommy.

“I’m not sure how much you know, but I’m meeting you on Banalos, the nearest hospitable planet tomorrow. I should have a translator for you as well, so you can understand what Phil and Techno are squawking at you.”

Tommy just laughed, earning him a rather crude but appreciated smile from Wilbur… the alien had way too many of his pointed teeth on display, but it was the thought that counted.

“I’ll convince Phil to give you a holocom with my details on it, so you can message me if you need anything, as well as being to translate simple stuff, you know, so you can actually talk to them? Before I go, just let me run through some basic stuff, make sure I’m prepared for our meeting,” Wilbur said, tapping at the screen on his end. “First off, any immediate injuries or medical issues.”

“Uh, I’m pretty sure I’m dehydrated and at least a little malnourished? The alien keeping me captive only fed me like once a day, and it definitely wasn’t enough… other than that no? Oh wait! Used to shock me as well… like a lot?”

Wilbur scowled through the screen, blank eyes narrowing.

“Shocked? Do you mean electrocution?”

“Yep.”

Wilbur mumbled something under his breath Tommy couldn’t understand, though from his tone of voice it didn’t sound pleasant.

“Right… until I can see you in person, you’re on bed rest. The combination of dehydration, malnourishment and electric shocks might have damaged your brain. You might experience memory loss, headaches or drowsiness,” Wilbur said clinically. “But I should be able to help with that when we meet… just don’t stand up too quickly, and ensure you eat everything Phil gives you. I’ll make sure he gives you extra food for a while…”

Wilbur paused for a second to talk to Phil and Techno, the pair of aliens nodding in agreement with whatever he was saying.

“Any dietary requirements? I’m assuming you eat both meat and vegetable matter…”

“Actually, the first ship I was on took some of my back teeth,” he said, running his tongue against the gum, the copper taste filling his mouth. “Since then it’s kinda hard to chew big bits of food.”

“Of course, if your molars are missing then it would be! I’ll take some mouldings of your teeth, get you some replacements… till then only soft food.”

…

“Anything else I should know?”

“Don’t think so Big man…”

Wilbur furrowed his brow, the hologram glitching slightly. 

“I am of average size and height for my species, and I am not a human male?”

Tommy bit back a snicker. “That’s not… it’s like slang, like a nickname?”

“Oh… is it a good thing?”

“Yep!”

Wilbur tried to smile again, which only made Tommy laugh harder.

“I can’t wait to speak to you in person Tommy,” the alien said, still saying the boys' names with an odd tilt, emphasis on the last syllable. “If you need anything translated or even just want to talk, do not hesitate to message me! I don’t have to rely on circadian rhythms so I’ll be available until you dock. You’re only a couple of hours from Banalos, so you don’t have to put up with Techno and Phil alone for that long.”

“I-uh… thank you. For talking to me… and can you tell Phil and Techno thank you as well? For helping me…”

Tommy watched as Wilbur said something else to the aliens before the hologram switched off, leaving them alone.

The two aliens, Phil and Techno just stared at him as he grabbed the holodeck, watching with vague intrigue as Tommy sat, brow furrowed and poked at the screen. After a short while, the boy apparently had managed to figure out the translator, a robotic voice spitting out a short “hello” from the device. 

Tommy grinned up at them, looking incredibly pleased with himself as the Phil cooed back at him, a similar look of pride on his face. Techno didn’t look as impressed. 

He poked at the screen again, pressing multiple buttons to try and string a sentence together.

”Thank you for saving me. My name is Tommy.”

The aliens just looked at each other, Techno rolling his eyes at the absolutely pathetic look of joy on Phil’s face. Seems like his friend had gotten attached to the human fledgling already… disgusting.

Techno just hoped that Wilbur would be able to take the kid off their hands tomorrow. It was for the best, Phil and him weren’t equipped to deal with a human child! They had work to do, cargo too carry, all kinds of fun stuff that didn’t include looking after an illegal species…

He just watched as Tommy continued to poke at the screen, the translator spewing out more more artificially generated sentence as Phil cawed.

Something told him that getting rid of the kid wouldn’t be that easy….

Chapter Text

“Phil! Phil, are you awake? It’s urgent!”

The banging on the metal of his door woke him up suddenly, Phil leaning up elbows to stare down at the door to his cabin. 

“Techno? What’s up, mate?” He called out sleepily, swinging his legs to dangle off the side of his bunk.

One of the luxuries of him and Techno having built the ship almost completely themselves was that it was built specifically for them. You’d be hard pressed to find another ship in the galaxy designed to house both an Elytrian and a Piglin, with Phil’s cabin built especially to suit his instincts to sleep higher up. He knew Techno’s cabin was similarly modified, a wide open space near the generator to cater to the fact that the Piglin preferred to sleep in a bundle of blankets in the warmth.

Pulling his own blanket from around his shoulders, he hopped down to the floor, joints creaking slightly as he landed in a flurry of feathers. He pressed the button to open his door, blinking away the remnants of sleep to see Techno in his doorway, still in his off-duty clothes and hair in a loose ponytail, which made Phil’s sleep deprived brain giggle. As much as Techno put up the facade of some regal space bounty hunter with his cloak and crown, it was always funny to Phil to see him looking just as affected by the lack of sleep as the rest of them. 

“D’we land alright?” He slurred, leaning against the doorframe as he ruffled his feathers, trying to wake himself up. 

“Yep, we’re parked in one of the loading docks right now,” the Piglin said, not sounding as tired as Phil did. “Slight problem though, since we’re listed as carrying live cargo, customs want to search the ship…”

That woke Phil up. He tensed, pulling his wings tighter against his back as he stood up straighter. 

“But what about Tommy? If they find out we have a human on board then we’ll be arrested.

“Yeah I’m aware,” Techno drawled, clenching his jaw slightly as he sighed. “I bought us some time, said it’ll take us a couple hours to ensure all the livestocks safe, but they’re insisting they check the ship manually.”

“Oh gods,” Phil cursed, hands twitching to smooth down the feathers framing his face out of nervous habit. “We need to call-“

“Call Wilbur? Yep, he’s already on the line,” Techno said, turning on his heels to pace back down the corridor, Phil at his heels. “He said he had a plan, but he wanted you to be awake to explain it…”

Phil just sighed, grabbing his captain's jacket from its hook before he followed Techno down the hallway.

So much for an easy mission.

The soft whooshing sound of the door opening woke him up, Tommy pushing himself up on his hands to see Phil and Techno rushing hurriedly into the room. 

Absentmindedly, he noted the pair looked much more out together than they usually did. 

Phil was dressed in a rather smart looking captain’s jacket, the green fabric looking almost like velvet, with two holes cut for his wings and golden medals across the lapel. The alien had tied his hair up as well, the blonde strands in a very neat looking bun at the nape of his neck. It was weird, considering he’d just gotten used to the alien in his long robes and stupid looking bucket hat, but seeing him dressed all formally, it was like it was a completely different creature.

Techno was also dressed fancy, with a crisp white poet’s shirt and a red cape, hair precisely braided back from his face and held back with golden pins, almost like a crown across his forehead. The Piglin was dripping in gold, nearly every inch of him covered in some kind of gold jewellery that clinked as he moved. 

Their leather boots echoed across the observatory deck as they made their way towards Tommy, who just looked up at them sleepily. The matching look of poorly restrained panic on their faces wasn’t exactly reassuring. 

“You guys alright? Look like you’re going to a wedding or something,” he said, not expecting a response but just acknowledging their presence. Phil just chirped, a low sound whistling out as he shoved the tablet looking thing into Tommy’s hands.

A message from Wilbur written in crude English popped up, Tommy blinking away sleep as he read the text blinking quickly in front of him. 

“Tommy,” he did, reading out the message as he went. “Change of plan. You've just landed on Banalos, and government officials want to check the ship, but having custody of a human is a breach of the Galactic Accords. Don’t worry, we have a plan to get around this, but you need to follow Phil and Techno. You’ll have to stay in a containment cell for a short while, but one of us will be with you for the majority of the time…I hope to see you soon if everything goes right.”

He looked up, biting back the slight panic rising in his chest as the two alien’s stared back at him. From the way Phil was wringing his hands, and how Techno looked ready to snap, he could tell the pair were similarly anxious. Phil seemed to notice his hesitancy, crooned something that sounded like rushed reassurances as he extended a hand to help Tommy to his feet. A heavy wing wrapped itself around his shoulders, Techno leading the way out of the observation deck as Phil and Tommy followed. 

This was the first time Tommy had been outside of his room, and despite the lingering dread in the pit of his stomach, he had to admit it was a nice ship. Much better than the decrepit and rusting cargo hold he’d been shoved in for his first journey into space, no this one was all shining metal and glossy hallways. They passed a few open doorways, Tommy catching sight of two bedrooms, a kitchen and what he guessed was a common room, before they stopped in front of a ladder disappearing downwards. 

Techno went first, his pink hair dipping out of sight as Phil gestured for him to follow. Rather shakily, he descended downwards, nearly slipping as he reached the bottom rung, but luckily Techno managed to catch him before he fell face first onto the floor. 

The room he stood in was massive, spanning what he guessed was the entire bottom half of the ship. Crates and cages lined the walls neatly, only a few of them occupied as he listened to the soft chittering and hissing of a myriad of space animals. 

He watched as Phil appeared from behind him, gently grabbing him by the wrist to lead him to one of the cages, eerily reminiscent of the one he’d been trapped with back at the pet shop. The alien gestured at the glass cell, lifting up the front wall as he looked back at Tommy with pleading blue eyes.

He bit his lip, trying to even out his breathing and stop panicking. He trusted Phil right? Well, not really… the bird brained fuck could be chirping anything at him and he’d have no clue what was being said. But Wilbur had promised it wouldn’t be for long, and the desperate light in Phil’s eyes made him swallow his misgivings, hunching down to fit into the glass crate. The front wall slid shut with a swoosh, Phil crouching down on the other side with a sad smile. 

“Tommy,” the alien said, absolutely butchering the pronunciation but he didn’t really care, heart swelling as Phil pressed his hand against the glass. 

“Safe.”

Tommy just nodded, bringing his legs up to rest his chin on knees.

“Safe,” he said softly, watching as Phil disappeared from view, leaving him alone as he tried not to devolve into hysterics…

Phil paced in front of the entrance to the cargo hold, wings twitching as Techno typed in the code to lower the ramp. He fidgeted with his jacket, the collar to his shirt almost suffocating as it dug into his throat. It was stupid, the fact that they had to dress up in their finery to even be taken seriously, but the customs officers were notorious for their impossible standards and low view of bounty hunters, so here he was, feeling like a songbird dressed up in his best clothes, just for their entertainment.

He could hear Tommy shuffling from behind him, a twang of guilt echoing through Phil’s chest. The look on the human’s face when he’d seen the container made him feel sick, no doubt reminding Tommy of the last cell he’d been trapped in. It was a miracle he’d even agreed to get inside, now that he thought about it… oh god he hoped Wilbur’s plan worked so he could get the kid out of there as soon as possible.

“The person coming to inspect the ships an Avian, so you should take the lead,” Techno said suddenly, having to shout over the mechanism lowering the ramp. Phil just nodded. Avian’s were a close relation to Elytrians, the two species sharing neighbouring planets, so it made sense for him to lead this encounter. Elytrians were relatively private species, and so it was odd for one to be seen this far out into space. He was hoping his presence would smooth over any inconsistencies in their plan.

Cold light trickled into the cargo hold as the ramp lowered with a clang, Phil and Techno stepping out onto the loading docks of Banalos. 

The ground under their feet was earthy, pale dirt that would most definitely deep into every crevice of the ship, Phil noted, blinking to adjust to the blinding atmosphere. There were a few other ships waiting on the wide strip of land, their crews huddled around the spaceships to try and escape the dry heat of the planet as they waited. Luckily for them, Techno had called ahead, and so their inspector was standing waiting for them. 

True to Techno’s word, they were an Avian, Phil catching sight of a small pair of bright wings tucked behind the person’s shoulders. One of the main differences between Avians and Elytrians were their wings, with the former’s being mostly for aesthetics, all gaudy colours and bright markings, whereas Elytrian wings were built for flying. 

Phil dipped his head in traditional greeting as they came to a stop, the inspector mirroring his action. He could hear Techno pause just behind him, stood slightly off to the side as he lowered his head as well.

“Salutations,” Techno said, speaking in common. “We spoke earlier, but this is my partner, Captain Philza Minecraft.”

“Salutations,” the inspector replied, a polite smile on their face as their eyes lingered on Phil’s dark wings resting just behind him. “I wasn’t expecting to see an Elytrian walk off a transport ship! And a captain as well,” they said incredulously, as if the idea was sheer madness. 

Phil bit back a scoff, plastering on a fake smile as he pretended to laugh. 

“It’s a special occasion, considering the cargo we’re carrying,” he said, not focused at all on the Avian in front of him, instead his eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of Wilbur. 

“Your paperwork says you carry livestock,” the alien continued, looking down at their holopad to check their notes. “Your license for that seems to be in order… I’ll need to do a manual inspection of your cargo hold to ensure you’re not carrying any illegal species.” 

The inspector laughed, but stopped as Phil and Techno shared a look.

“Are… are you carrying any illegal species?”

“Technically yes,” Phil said, praying Wilbur would turn up soon. “We have a human on board, we’ve only stopped here to pick up a scientist from the Galactic Council who knows what to do with them.”

The inspector went pale, looking between Phil and Techno as if to see if they were joking.

“Humans are a class ten species, there’s no way you’ve got one on board…”

“You’re welcome to come and take a look,” Techno barked out, arms crossed as he glared at the Avian. Phil knew the Piglin well enough to see the signs of stress on Techno’s face, his ears twitching as risked a glance upwards, no doubt also looking for Wilbur. “Speaking of which, I should probably get back to watching him… wouldn’t want to leave him unoccupied for too long.”

And with that, Techno disappeared back up the ramp, leaving Phil to deal with a stuttering Avian.

Techno’s shoulders dropped as soon as he was out of sight, weaving with a practiced ease between the cages until he came to a stop in front of Tommy’s containment cell.

The boy was curled up right in the back corner, shoulders round his ears and chin resting against his chest. Techno could hear his ragged breathing even through the glass, the human obviously not doing too great. 

With a sight, Techno settled on the other side of the glass, brushing the dust from his trousers as he tapped a knuckle against the front wall. Tommy’s head shot up, eyes widening as he stared up at the Piglin. The human’s face looked wet, Techno frowning as he tried to figure out what had happened. Unlike Wilbur, he didn’t have the best grasp on the Terran language, but he’d have to try his best. 

“Tommy,” he said, trying to replicate the sounds he’d heard spoken to Wilbur. “Good?” 

The boy nodded, the universal sign of understanding as he ‘smiled’. Wilbur had explained that Tommy wasn’t telling them to back off by bearing his teeth, and there was no need for him to go on the defensive… The kid was just trying to put him at ease. 

Tommy said something else, Techno only able to understand the words ‘good’ and ‘scared’. 

He frowned.

“No scared,” he insisted, pointing at Tommy as he shook his head, hoping to get the point across. Tommy just nodded again, eyes wide enough for Techno to see the blue of his irises clearly. Satisfied that Tommy wasn’t currently on the verge of breaking down, he leant against the crate behind him, sitting exactly parallel to the human as he tried to get comfy.

Hopefully Wilbur and Phil wouldn’t take too long…

All in all, Phil was handling the situation pretty well.

The incessant squawking from the Avian was getting a tad annoying though…

He’d managed to convince the inspector to hold off calling the police on them, explaining that their consol from the Galactic Council would be here any second. Phil just hoped Wilbur would be able to play his role well enough to convince the panicking man.

If everything went to plan, Wilbur would turn up, pretend to be a scientist from the Galactic Council who Techno had called in to assist with a human and he’d flash his credentials at the inspector, letting them leave the planet without too much trouble. Phil wasn’t the biggest fan of the plan, considering he’d have to pretend that he didn’t know Wilbur at all, but if it meant that they’d keep Tommy safe then he’d have to just suck it up. 

Sure enough, he spotted his son arrive only a little bit late, strolling towards the ship with an easy smile. He hadn’t seen Wilbur in person for a few years now, and he’d certainly changed. 

Gone was the slightly timid looking teenager who had been crying as Phil washed him goodbye on his journey to Terra’s moon. Instead Phil was met with someone he would assume was a stranger if he passed them in the street.

His son was almost unrecognisable, a good foot and a half taller than Phil had last seen him as well. Wilbur’s form shimmered in the sunlight, pale grey and slightly translucent as he wrapped the long coat he was wearing tighter around himself. He had a small bag strung across his shoulder, no doubt carrying the translator and medical supplies he’d promised for Tommy. Phil was a little disappointed to see that his son was hiding the feathers that framed his face, the black plumage tucked back neatly by a wool hat, keeping them out of sight. Sharp white teeth were bared in a crude smile as he finally reached the ship, Wilbur pushing his hair out of his pale eyes as he looked up at the pair of them.

“Salutations gentlemen!” Wilbur said amicably as he nodded in greeting. “I take it this is the S.S Antarctic Empire? I heard you have a Terran in need of monitoring…”

“And who would you be?” Phil said, the feathers around his ears twitching as he cocked his head to the side. 

“Officer Wilbur Soot of the Galactic Council, Head Researcher of the Gaia Project, and overall scientific genius at your service!”

Phil bit back a laugh, trying to school his face into one of neutral disinterest. It stung a little to hear Wilbur using a pseudonym rather than their traditional familial surname, but considering the circumstances he’d let it slide. He reached out to shake Wilbur's hand, more than ready to welcome him aboard, but before he could the Avian stepped forward, a slight frown on his face. 

“Can I see your credentials please? You don’t exactly look like a Galactic scientist.”

Wilbur nodded, fishing through his coat pockets to flash his ID card at the Avian. The man’s wings twitched in annoyance, bright feathers fluttering as he looked between the identification and Wilbur, looking for any flaws. 

“A Phantom hybrid?” the man said with a slight sneer, looking back at Phil with an arrogant smirk. Phil just raised his eyebrows as he looked his son up and down with mock disgust. He cringed internally, hoping Wilbur wouldn’t take it to heart.

It was common knowledge that both Avians and Elytrians did not get on with Phantoms at all, the species having a mutual hatred for each other for some long forgotten reason. That was part of the reason Phil didn’t feel that welcome around other members of his species, considering he’d gone and married a Phantom didn’t exactly put him in their good books. 

Wilbur just sighed under winged men’s scrutiny, tapping his foot against the ramp in irritance. 

“Is there a problem, Inspector?”

“No no, of course not,” the Avian scowled. “Just wouldn’t expect any of your kind to be hanging around on Banalos of all places. Surprised you’ve not melted in the sun yet!” The man laughed cruelly, sparing Phil a quick glance as he pretended to laugh along with him. 

“Actually, that’s a common misconception!” Wilbur said, a false humour in his voice. “Phantom’s don’t actually melt in the sun, our skin is just sensitive to ultraviolet rays, and since Banalos doesn’t have any UV rays in it’s atmosphere then-“

“Yeah yeah whatever,” the Avain said dismissively, cutting Wilbur off with a wave of a hand. “No need to get snippy with me.”

“I’m just here to do my job sir,” Wilbur said curtly, taking another step onto the ramp. “Now, if you… I’m sorry I didn’t quite catch your name?” Wilbur said as he gestured towards Phil, a blank expression on his face. “I think I must have spoken to your colleague, Technoblade, rather than you. But who would you be?”

“Captain Philza,” he said, doing his best to try and sound as clinical and unemotional as possible.

“Captain Philza, if you’d kindly lead me to the Terran so I can actually do my job, I would greatly appreciate it.”

Phil just scoffed, turning foot as he made his way back into the cargo hold, both the Avian and Wilbur at his heels.

They weaved through the sea of containment crates, Phil just pretending to listen as the Avian continued to ramble on about absolutely nothing of importance, just nodding at the man’s words. Eventually they came to a stop, Phil making the other two pause as they spotted Techno sat cross legged in front of the container Tommy was sitting in. From this angle, Phil could barely make out the human’s form, but he could guess that Tommy was hunched in the corner, only being able to see a crown of golden hair through the glass. 

With a huff, Techno got to his feet and joined them, nodding at Wilbur who had moved in front of Phil, obviously trying to get a look at Tommy.

“You must be Officer Soot?” Techno drawled. “We spoke earlier over comms, but thank you for coming so quickly.”

“Of course, of course!” Wilbur said, practically bouncing in his feet out of excitement at this point. Phil coughed into his sleeve, trying to hide his laughter as Techno gave him a pointed look. It was just nice to see his son so excited, it was almost infectious and Phil couldn’t help but smile. 

“Now can I finally get a look at the Terran you have in your custody?” Wilbur said, much to the Avian’s chagrin. “I must admit, I am rather excited to see such a young one in person…”

Techno just shrugged, stepping to the side to let Wilbur past him. 

“By all means, you’re the expert.”

They all followed as Wilbur took a seat directly in front of the class container, Phil hovering over his shoulder. Now he could finally see Tommy, he could tell that the boy was nervous. His big blue eyes stared at the group of aliens, flitting between all four of them before withdrawing back into the corner. Tommy looked to Phil in what he assumed was reassurance, saying something in Human that he couldn’t discern. 

“What’s it saying?” The Avian asked, his previous hesitancy apparently being overcome by curiosity. Though notably he stood several feet further back than the rest of them. 

“I think the poor thing’s scared,” Wilbur murmured as he placed his hand on the glass, palm facing Tommy. The boy copied his movement, though his hand was a lot smaller than Wilbur’s. Phil felt Techno nudge his side as he brought his hands to his mouth, Phil trying to muffle the cooing and chirping spilling out from his mouth. He only watched as his son’s fingers dipped past the glass for a brief second, fingers phasing through the material to brush against Tommy’s for a moment, before he pulled back.

“Oh he’s perfect!”  Wilbur gushed as he turned to face the rest of them. “Everything seems to be in order, I assume you’ve informed the Council of our imminent arrival?”

“Yep,” Phil said, lying through his teeth. He dreaded to think what would happen if they just handed Tommy over to the council… no, it was much safer for the three of them to help him get to wherever he needed to be. “It’s about a six week journey from here, we have your room and lab set already for you.”

Phil turned to the inspector, letting his wings drape across the floor as he finally stretched them out. Considering Banalos was ninety percent sand, he didn’t want the grains getting stuck between his feathers… and if the Avian eyes grew a little bit wider at the sight of his wings spread out to their full length, then that wasn’t exactly a bad thing either…

“You said it yourself, our paperwork is in order, and now you’ve seen our cargo hold is up to scratch, so are we free to go?”

The Inspector frowned, looking between Phil and Techno, who were waiting expectantly for a response, and Wilbur, who was still sitting on the floor. The Phantom was saying something to Tommy in Human, Phil only being able to discern a few words of the foreign language, but Tommy definitely looked at least a little bit more at ease.

“Fine, I suppose everything seems to be in order,” the Avian finally said from between gritted teeth. “You’re welcome to leave now… I’ll inform the Galactic Council of your departure, I’m sure they’ll be welcome to know you’re on their way.”

Phil saw Wilbur physically tense at that, but he just ignored it, tucking his wings against his back as he shook the Avian’s hand in goodbye.

“May the stars guide your ship to safety,” he said automatically, expecting the Avian to reply as was customary, but Phil only scowled as the man stormed off the ship without a word.

What an asshole.

At his side, Techno moved to close the cargo hold’s doors, grumbling insults at the ill mannered Avian as he went. Now that they were finally alone, he pulled Wilbur to his feet, pulling his son in a tight embrace as his wings wrapping around the pair like a blanket. Phil actually had to lean on his tiptoes to throw his arms around the man’s shoulders, which was new, but Wilbur just laughed in response. 

“Long time no see old man,” he muttered, slipping easily from Common to Elytrian. “Take it you missed me?”

“Oh come off it Will! Of course I did,” he said, pulling away to cup Wilbur’s face between his hands. He shivered a little at the feeling of clammy skin, but he ignored it, instead opting to pull the stupid hat off his son’s head.

“Stop hiding your feathers! They’re nothing to be ashamed of, you know…”

“I’m not embarrassed of them,” Wilbur sighed, ruffling the black plumage as they sprang free.

“It’s just you don’t exactly get many Phantom-Elytrian hybrids, and people can be a little judgmental…”

“I know, I know, I just worry about you-“

A deep chuffing sound rang out across the cargo hold as Techno reappeared, his formal jacket slung over his shoulders. 

“Understatement of the century! Phil’s been all broody since you left the nest, so much so he’s adopted a human to replace you.”

Phil huffed as Techno and Wilbur hugged, though unlike him Techno didn’t have to lean up on his toes to match the man’s height…

“Speaking of, d’you think it’d be a good idea to get Tommy out of that containment cell?” Techno said as he pulled away. “Kid’s probably scared shitless…”

“I’ll let you do the honours Will since you’re the resident human expert,” Phil said, typing in the code to the cell as the glass slid upwards with a swoosh.

He just watched as Wilbur took a seat on the floor again, saying something in Human as he rummaged through his bag. Tommy looked up at Phil expectantly, raising his eyebrows in what he assumed was confusion. Almost instinctively, Phil let out a low chirp, trying to reassure the boy. Tommy just laughed at the noise as he said something to Wilbur. 

“He said you sound like a mother hen,” Wilbur translated, apparently finally finding the translator from his bag. Slowly, he pushed the metal disc towards the human, who immediately grasped at it, turning it around in hands like it was one of the puzzle boxes Phil had given him. It was fascinating to watch, Tommy almost mechanical in the way he examined the unknown object, pressing at every inch of the tiny machine as he tried to work out what it was…

“What now, Wilbur?” Tommy said, not even looking up as he continued to fiddle with the tiny metal disc in his hands. 

He was trying his best to keep the annoyance out of his voice, but in his defence it’d been a rough morning. Tommy had been woken up abruptly, shoved into another cell only to be gawked at by the parrot looking fucker, and his back was really starting to hurt from being hunched up for too long, so excuse him for being a little antsy, alright?

The alien in front of him shuffled closer, pressing a button on the side of the disc with his long thin fingers. In real life, Wilbur looked much more like an alien than he had on the screen, all translucent grey skin and eerily blank eyes. The black feather’s similar to Phil’s had been new though, as well as the dark specks almost like freckles across the alien’s face. 

Tommy only watched as Wilbur typed something into the tablet he had at his side, humming quietly to himself as he readied the translator.

“This should fit within the auricle of your ear,” Wilbur said, handing the disc back to him as he pointed to Tommy's earlobe. “Just in front of the ear canal? That’s perfect!”

The metal was cool against his skin, sitting snugly in the fold of his ear. Wilbur poked at the screen a few more times, before turning to Tommy expectantly. The translator let out a low beeping noise, Tommy shuddering as the metal pushed itself deeper into his ear. Wilbur patted his shoulder as he flinched from the uncomfortable feeling.

“It should be working now,” he said, voice sounding deeper and somehow more musical. It was weird, he could hear the clicking of the language Wilbur was actually speaking, as well as the fact that his lips didn’t move correctly, but all he could hear was English. The alien spoke with an English accent as well, which was hilarious to Tommy. A southern English one as well, which was even funnier… poor bastard.

“I’ve updated Phil and Techno’s translator’s too,” Wilbur continued as he got to his feet, pulling Tommy up with him as the other alien’s looked on with excitement. “So they can understand you, and you can understand them…”

“Uh ok,” he said hesitantly, all three of the alien’s reacting with what he assumed was excitement from the cooing and chirping coming from Phil. “Hello? Nice to actually meet you all…”

Phil descended on him in an instant, wings flaring out as he rushed to grab Tommy’s shoulders. 

“Hiya mate, nice to finally understand you too!” Phil said, his translated accent similar to Tommy’s own, thank god. “I’m sorry about the cage, there wasn’t much more we could do! But now you can actually communicate with us properly we can move you into the main ship! Oh and I was meaning to ask you if-“

“Phil, stop smothering him,” Techno interrupted, voice a lot deeper than Tommy was expecting. He also had an American accent, which was… weird. Gross. Unexpected. All three maybe.

“Give ‘em a second to breathe, you can fuss over him later. Besides, we should get going, we wanna be as far away from this planet as possible when we get the space cops called on us.”

The Piglin gave Tommy almost a pitying glance as he pulled Phil away from him, Tommy inching a little closer to Wilbur in response. Forgive him for being a little wary of the other two aliens, he was still building up trust from when they literally bought him from a space pet shop…

Wilbur didn’t seem to mind him getting closer to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder to pull him closer. 

“I see what you mean about him being broody, Tech…”

“Oh shut it Will!”

Tommy only flinched a little bit when all three alien’s devolved into laughter, the loud noise making him jump. Thankfully none of them noticed his apprehension.

It would take some time, and Tommy was certain it wouldn’t be easy at all, but some small part of him hoped that he could get used to this…

Maybe… he could only hope.