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Chapter Text

Tommy curled up under his covers, pulling his camera close to him. Flipping through all of the photos he got the night before, Tommy grinned as he starred the best ones to send to Dream. His favorite so far was one of a monster silhouetted on a hill against the moon, wings outstretched, about to launch into the air. That had been a breathtaking moment for Tommy who had never seen a winged monster before. He was elated that he caught it on camera. 

It was also one of the most heart-stopping moments of Tommy’s career of being a monster photographer. Usually the only monsters that he was able to catch were as dumb as rocks, but this one had a humanish body with a human face with human eyes that snapped to his face when Tommy clicked the photo. 

They made eye contact, and Tommy’s heart dropped like a stone into his stomach as he froze, not daring to move a single muscle in his body. “Look away. Look away. Look away,” Tommy chanted under his breath, hoping and praying that the monster would just move along and not eat him. Tommy bet that he didn’t even taste good, so the monster wouldn’t want to eat him, right? Tommy pleaded in his head for all of this just to go away. 

The monster seemed to consider Tommy, head tilted slightly to the side, but eyes searing into Tommy’s head. Everything was still for a moment, but then the creature flared its wings and lunged, and Tommy was off like a shot. 

He fled into the trees, darting around stumps and leaping over fallen trees. He couldn’t hear anything over the sound of his heartbeat. He couldn’t hear his ragged breaths. He couldn’t hear his feet beating the ground. He couldn’t hear if the monster was right on his tail, so he just kept pushing and pushing, praying that he wasn’t about to be swept into the air and eaten. All he could do was keep running.

He doesn’t think that he has run that fast ever in his life. It was probably a miracle that he didn’t trip over a root in the dark and twist his ankle. Or worse.

Tommy gave a shuddering breath of relief once he spotted his home. Darting inside, he slammed the door behind him, for a moment not even caring if it woke Dream up. 

He was alive . He had made it. 

Tommy staggered upstairs, legs turning to jelly now that the adrenaline was draining out of his body. Once he made it to his room, he closed the door and sagged against it. For once thankful that his room didn’t have a window. 

After a minute he realized that he should probably get in bed, but Tommy doubted he could move right then. He should rest. Just for a moment. Then he would move. 

Eventually he drifted off to an exhausted sleep right there where he sat. 

Looking back over the photos, Tommy realized how lucky he was to get the monster on camera and live to tell about it. It looks like the risk paid off too. Monsters with human resemblance were so rare, and everyone paid a premium for pictures like this. 

Dream might even give him an extra dessert or some spare change to go out and buy some of Niki’s world changing muffins after he saw that photo! Most nights Tommy only came back with maybe one or two photos of a zombie or maybe a creeper if he was lucky, but those were just regular monsters. Pictures of them still sold well because regular people could never get enough of them, but the real money makers were the rare monsters, the ones like fae, sirens, or maybe even vampires, basically all of the ones that would rip you to shreds or enslave you for all of eternity if they caught you. But Tommy would never let himself be caught. Even the bird man couldn’t catch him. The great Tommy Innit was way too big of a man to be killed by some low life monsters. Obviously, that was why he was the only one Dream sent out anymore to take pictures of them. 

The pictures that Tommy took and gave to Dream kept them all fed. Tommy took the pictures, and Dream sold them to some rich idiots who would pay boatloads of money just to ogle at some simple monsters. Shaking his head, Tommy scoffed. He didn’t get it. Sure the monsters were kinda cool, but why not just go look at them yourself instead of just buying a picture of them?

But hey, if it kept him fed, he wasn’t complaining. 

It took a few more minutes to finish sorting through all the pictures and picking out the very best ones to present to Dream, but once he was done, Tommy headed downstairs. 

“Hey Dream,” he called out once he saw the man sitting at the kitchen table, looking over some paperwork with a frown. Dream glanced up from his work and took the camera as Tommy handed it to him. “I went through the photos you sent me to get last night. I even got some good ones of the strange monster that you warned me about.”

Dream’s eyes lit up as he flipped through the photos, especially when he reached the ones of the monster with the wings. “These are great, kid,” he said, absently patting Tommy’s head while he kept his eyes glued to the camera. “These will sell like wildfire for sure.”

Tommy beamed as Dream continued to look at his work. “I bet these are better than anything that George or Sapnap ever shot, right Dream?”

Dream finally looked up at him. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Tommy,” he warned with a smirk. “These are pretty impressive, but I don’t know if they could beat George or Sapnap’s old pictures.”

“Of course they do,” Tommy scoffed, rolling his eyes playfully. “Why else would you send me out to take the photos now instead of them. Clearly, I am superior in every way. No one can compare to the great Tommy Innit!”

“Whatever you say, kid,” Dream replied, chuckling slightly as he turned back to the photos. “There’ve also been several different monster sightings, so be on the lookout and don’t you dare get caught. We’re finally getting the pictures we need, so we can’t afford to lose you now.”

Tommy rolled his eyes but nodded. He knew this was just how Dream was showing affection, but it was so rude to not believe that the great Tommy Innit would beat any monsters that dared try to catch him. He could best all of them with his eyes closed, and how dare Dream suggest otherwise. Tommy wisely kept his mouth closed though. He knew that Dream had been stressed recently, and Tommy didn’t want to be yelled at for mouthing off again. 

“I need you to check out these six locations this week, and I expect several photos from each.”

“Six!” Tommy let out a very manly screech. “Dream that means I’ll be up every single fucking night this week!” Normally Tommy would have one or two outings a week, but never six. 

“Bitch you can’t be seriou-” 

 Dream stood up so fast that he knocked his chair over. “Damn it, Tommy,” he yelled, Tommy instantly shrinking back. “After all I have done for you, you're questioning me now?” He took a step closer, his voice becoming much darker as Tommy fought not to tremble. “Tommy, it’s time to grow up. I know you might feel like a champion after one successful photo, but one photo isn’t enough to keep everyone fed. George, Sapnap, and I need these photos. We need you to keep going out and getting them, and I don’t want you slacking off anymore, you understand? We need to capitalize on the increase in monsters, and I won’t have your laziness ruining it.” Dream stared Tommy down as Tommy refused to meet his eyes. 

He wilted at the harsh words, and nodded meekly, his lips quivering slightly. It had been selfish. Dream has done so much for him already, and it’s the least he could do. Besides, he could sleep during the day. It wasn’t as if he wouldn’t sleep for the entire week. He would be fine. Do it for the family. 

Dream sighed. “Look kid,” he said a little more calmly, as he righted his seat. Tommy glanced back at him through wet eyelashes. “I know you want to help, and I am sorry for pushing you, but we really need these photos.” He placed a hand on Tommy’s shoulder, ignoring Tommy’s slight flinch. “I promise you that once we have enough photos, you won’t have to go out as much. We just need a few more, okay?”

Tommy nodded, squaring his shoulders and letting out a shaky sigh. Just  a few more , he repeated in his mind. He could do that. Just a few more. 

“I trust you, kid,” Dream smiled softly. “It’s why I send you instead of George or Sapnap. It’s dangerous, and you’re talented enough to escape. You don’t want to risk George and Sapnap, right?” 

“No of course not,” Tommy rushed to say. Of course he didn’t want to risk George or Sapnap. They were his family. He loved them. Of course he didn’t want to put them in danger. 

Dream sighed and squeezed his shoulder. “We’re relying on you, Tommy. Don’t let us down.” 

Tommy looked up and offered a small smile. “Thanks Dream,” he said quietly. “I won’t let you down.” 

Dream patted him once on the shoulder and handed the camera back. “You better not, kid. I am trusting you.”

Tommy gave another small smile and turned to head back up to his room, ignoring how his shoulder was aching from Dream’s tight grip.

Tommy hated when it rained on stakeouts.

 He got wet. The rain would soak his socks. He wouldn’t be able to see the puddles in the dark. He would have to protect his camera with his life since Dream couldn’t afford to get another. He would get yelled at for tracking mud into the house. The rain would also make his fingers and toes stiff with cold. It fucking sucked.

Rainy stakeouts didn’t use to be as bad when he had the Dream Team to hang out with. Sapnap used to let him jump in the puddles, and George would wrap him up in a blanket when they got home while Dream made them all some hot chocolate. 

Those used to be the best nights; all of them hanging out together, enjoying life, but now Tommy was all alone in the rain, and when he got home, there was no hot chocolate or warm blankets waiting for him. Everyone would already be asleep, leaving Tommy to clean up and dry off all by himself. He would be wet and cold and miserable and all alone, so now rain was the worst. Of course it had been raining all week long during every single one of his stakeouts. Not only that, but there had been zero sightings of monsters on any of them, causing Dream to be more fussy than normal.  

Tommy was sick and tired of forcing himself to stay awake all night long, staring at all that was absolutely not happening around him, just waiting and praying for something to come along that way he wouldn’t go crazy with boredom. 

Every single day after each miserable night that he came back soaked and grumpy, Dream met him with increasingly bitter words about how he was slacking off or how it was Tommy’s fault that all of the monsters seemed to be avoiding him. Well maybe, if Dream gave him better locations, this wouldn’t be happening, Tommy thought bitterly. Of course he never voiced these thoughts out loud to Dream. Tommy was sure that he would pay for it dearly, and he would rather not go a day without food on top of having to stay up all night. 

That morning, when he got back from another long and rainy stakeout, Dream had mentioned that maybe they needed to do a few more stakeouts if Tommy didn’t get any photos tonight. Tommy lost it then. He couldn’t fucking do it anymore. If he had to go on another fucking week of stakeouts, he might honestly lose his mind. He was so fucking tired, and his body couldn’t do it anymore. He screamed at Dream for making him continue to go out. For making him get soaked. For sending him to the wrong places. He yelled that he just wanted to sleep when the sky was dark and not when the sun was beaming through his windows and those fucking birds kept chirping like it was the best day in their fucking life. Tommy just screamed until he couldn’t. 

He went to his room without food. 

Once Tommy had a minute to calm down, he recognized that it wasn’t Dream’s fault. It wasn’t Dream’s fault that the monsters weren’t coming to the right spots. It wasn’t Dream’s fault that it was raining. It wasn’t Dream’s fault that Tommy was too incompetent to get good photos. Dream was just trying his best to support the four of them. It was Tommy who was ruining it all. 

As he fell asleep, he swore that he would get the photos tonight. He had to. 

When Tommy got to the spot Dream had suggested for that night, he scrunched his nose as he glanced around for a good place to sit where there wasn’t a puddle or some weird looking moss or bug nest. 

 When he scouted the area earlier that day, he had found a crevice in a hill that gave him a good lookout position while giving him great cover, so those monsters would never find him. It had been much harder to find in the dark, but the great Tommy Innit was too big of a man to let something like geography stump him. Eventually he had found it again before it was too dark to see.

Now, the sky had already become dark enough where Tommy needed a torch to make sure he wasn’t about to sit in another puddle. Once he made sure that he wasn’t about to ruin a pair of perfectly good shorts, Tommy sat down, ready to wait for a monster to come sauntering around. 

By the time the stars were shining high overhead, Tommy was feeling the effects of his many late night stakeouts. His eyes started to droop and his body started to sag forward as he continued to sit still for what felt like hours. Nothing seemed to move outside of his hideout, not even the nocturnal animals were stirring. This was by far the absolute worst part of his job, the stillness. 

Every second seemed to be a test of will power to see if Tommy could last the night without giving into sleep.  Every part of his body ached and screamed at him to lay down and finally go to sleep, but Tommy kept jerking back, trying desperately to stay awake and at least get one good photo tonight. All he needed was one, and then maybe, just maybe Dream would let him come back home and sleep in his bed that night. Was that too much to ask for? Just one small photo? 

Some rustling outside his hiding spot jerked Tommy to alertness, hope shooting through his body. He froze, waiting and praying to see some monster creeping somewhere nearby, but the world stayed still. Not a single fucking thing moved outside. Absolutely nothing. Fuck. He must be hallucinating monsters now. How depressing was that. Tommy leaned his head back against the cave, and refused to cry. He was a big man, and big men didn’t cry over a few sleepless nights without finding any monsters. He was fine. 

Nothing was happening out there, which was okay. It was totally fine. Sometimes monsters just didn’t come by, and that was fine. But Tommy was clearly more exhausted than he originally thought, and if he sat still for much longer, his body would mutiny and collapse by itself, and then Dream wouldn’t be able to get the pictures he needed. Tommy lurched into a standing position, hoping that if he scouted around the area, that he wouldn’t collapse into a heap on the ground.  

Quietly, as to not startle anything or alert any monsters or predators to his presence, Tommy carefully made his way toward a nearby tree. Monsters liked trees, right? 

Of course they did, everyone liked trees. 

Tommy crept towards the tree. It was a very nice tree. There were several other trees nearby hindering Tommy’s sight of his surroundings, but there was still definitely no way that a monster could sneak up on him. Not that any monsters would ever be able to sneak up on him. He was Tommy Innit, the great monster hunter that no monster could ever hope to beat. 

Tommy was snapped out of his thoughts by a twig snapping somewhere nearby. He froze, mind flashing back to the winged monster. But no, he hadn’t seen the winged monster all week, and there was no reason for him to be out now. It was probably just another monster wandering around. Not wanting to alert whatever it was to his presence, Tommy forced his body to stay still and not let his breath speed up. Maybe this was it! He had finally found a good monster to take pictures of! A flash of hope tore through him as his face split into a wide grin. Maybe he could sleep in his nice, warm, dry bed tonight!

Cautiously, after a few seconds to reign in his instincts, Tommy squared his shoulders and approached where he thought the sound came from, determined to be as stealthy as possible. He would not spook this monster and ruin his one chance to take a decent photo for Dream. He hadn’t lasted years as a monster photographer without the ability to move silently, and he wasn’t about to break his perfect streak now, not with so much on the line. 

Once Tommy moved a bit closer, he was able to pick up the sounds of voices. A wave of disappointment shot through him at the sound of the very human voices. He screwed his eyes shut and tried not to let out a small sob as his one chance to get some good photos was stripped away from him. Exhaustion laced every movement of his body as he let himself sag down against the tree. He couldn’t do it anymore. He couldn’t fucking do it. 

The voices traveled from somewhere down the path. “Wilbur, what are you doing?”

“Come on Techno. Don’t you remember? We are going to get muffins from Niki’s bakery,” a very annoyed human voice responded, and Tommy wanted to sob.

“No we weren’t we were trying to find-”

“Muffins, Techno,” the voice interrupted. “We were trying to find muffins.”

“Wilbur,” the voice said, exasperated. “We’re monsters, and it is the middle of the night. There is no way we are going to be able to get muffins.” Tommy's ears perked up at the word monster, and a wild hope tore through him. Maybe, possibly, miraculously they could be monsters. 

Tommy pushed on the tree and dragged himself up. It wouldn’t hurt to just check it out right? Just a quick peak, Tommy promised his body. 

“Techno, stop being dense. We are going to hunt down a muffin .”

“Oh, oh, ” Techno must have finally realized that Niki’s muffins were the greatest thing in the world, and were totally worth a midnight adventure. Tommy wished that he could go get some of her miracle muffins, right now, but he was stuck out here listening to some very human-like monsters. Maybe they were too human, and Tommy was just hallucinating this entire conversation. Muffins did seem like an odd topic for monsters to be discussing. 

Nevertheless he crept over, trying to spot what he hoped to be monsters. Maybe they were just sentient monsters. That was possible right? Tommy bet that those pictures would sell even better than the ones of the winged monster. 

Tommy couldn’t stop the thrill of hope that shot through him as he heard the two banter. Tommy would be the first ever to document such human monsters! There were rumors of such monsters existing, but there had never been evidence before. This was just what Tommy needed!

This was amazing! These monsters even had names for each other! Granted, those names were stupid, and just the thing a monster would call themselves, but still, it was as close to human as Tommy had ever encountered in these woods. Suppressing a squeal, Tommy’s face split into a wide grin. These photos were going to be epic , and Tommy could finally get Dream off his back and finally, finally sleep in his own bed.

Stifling a yawn, he tried to edge a little closer to the path the two were taking. Once he reached a relative clearing closer to the path, Tommy could finally make out the shape of the monsters a few meters in front of him. A shiver ran down his spine as he got a good look at the first one. The first thing he noticed was the giant skull covering his face. It looked to be a boar skull, with bright red eyes peering out from behind it. When they glanced around the forest, Tommy’s heart froze, terrified that he had been caught. For a long moment, the eyes looked around, but after what seemed like an eternity to Tommy, the prick looked back at his companion, allowing Tommy a moment to sag in relief. Dream would stab him if Tommy got himself killed by a monster before he got his photos. 

Once Tommy got a better look at everything that wasn’t a giant boar head on the guy’s face, he noticed that Techno had a red cape and more gold jewelry than Tommy had ever seen in his life. The bitch also had pink hair. Tommy had rarely seen a monster with any hair, and he most certainly never had seen one with pink hair. Who in their right mind chose to have pink hair? Tommy giggled silently, the red eyes seeming much less intimidating when bright pink hair started blowing into them. 

 When Tommy glanced at the other one, he was much less impressed. This one was stupidly tall and lanky with pointed ears and maybe blue-ish skin; it was hard to tell in the moonlight. He did have long talons for nails on his hands, which was a little intimidating, Tommy had to admit. This one must be either a fae or a siren, both of which were incredibly rare and there were almost no photos of either. Dream was going to be so elated when he saw the photos.

Tommy raised his camera to click a few while the two were still engrossed in their conversation. Neither appeared to notice. 

“Wilbur, you know that all of the humans are going to be asleep. Why are we even trying?”
“Shut up and keep walking. I will get my muffin tonight, Techno.”

“Why are you so obsessed with these muffins? They’re just muffins.”

“ Just muffins ,” Wilbur mocked as he and Techno passed by Tommy’s hiding spot. “I’m sure your sword is just a sword , too.” Tommy shoved down a small snort. Since when were monsters funny? They were still pricks, but their bantering gave him plenty of good shots. Both of them were too focused on each other that they had no clue that he was there. 

Idiots. 

“You’re just jealous that I came up with this plan in the first place. Niki’s muffins are the greatest thing on this planet, and they provide a wonderful distraction, too.”

Techno rolled his eyes, but Tommy agreed with Wilbur. He had eaten Niki’s muffins before, and they were totally worth a night’s adventure to get. Who knew that monsters had such good taste? 

Tommy stifled another yawn as he glanced down to change a setting on his camera. Once the two were out of sight, he would be able to finally go home and finally sleep . Another yawn escaped him as he imagined his glorious bed that was waiting for him. Just a little bit longer, he promised himself. Just a hold on a little bit longer.

Tommy glanced back up to take the last few photos, but as soon as he did, his heart dropped. Standing all alone in the middle of the path was Techno. The tall bitch was gone. He was absolutely nowhere in sight. 

Tommy’s heart stuttered. He snapped his eyes around the clearing, trying to find where he could have gone. Maybe he had just gone back home? He finally got tired of waiting for Techno and decided to leave him and go get those muffins by himself. Yes, clearly that is what happened, and speaking of leaving, Tommy had better get these photos to Dream as fast as possible. 

As stealthily as possible, Tommy whirled around to dart back to his hideout. 

“Hello Little Muffin,” Wilbur said, two feet from Tommy’s face. Tommy let out a very manly screech and stumbled back until his back hit what was too soft to be a tree. A hand landed on his shoulder, and Tommy fucking froze. Like a deer. 

Maybe it wasn’t the giant fucking monster holding him. Maybe it was just Dream who had gotten worried about him and had come out to look for him. Tommy peaked up, and nope. Definitely not Dream. 

Fucking shit. 

This was the worst day of his life. Dream was going to murder him. He was going to stab him, then revive him, then drown him in a lake. Tommy was so fucking dead. 

Techno just glared down at him. Unsympathetically. Like a bitch. 

Wilbur wasn’t much better, but Tommy will not flinch. He won’t. 

“It looks like we picked up a stalker,” Techno smirked over Tommy’s head. 

Wilbur just stared straight into Tommy’s eyes and grinned. “It does seem like that. Isn’t that such a marvelous coincidence? It seems like this is the little human that has been stalking the woods, just asking for trouble on the very night that we too were walking in the woods.” 

Tommy could feel the blood leaving his face. Fuck, they knew about him?! How the hell did they know about him? Was this a trap? Had they been waiting for him? Wilbur took a step closer to Tommy as Techno wrapped another arm around him, pinning him. Shit.

“Tell me child,” Wilbur said. “What were you doing in the woods all by yourself?”

“Fuck you, you lanky bitch. I’m not telling you anything, you prick,” Tommy stuttered out, trying to gather his courage. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to kick the monster behind him, but Techno quickly pinned his leg with his own, not even letting out a grunt of effort. 

Wilbur smirk grew even wider with every word out of Tommy’s mouth. “Aren’t you an interesting one,” he said as he reached a hand with razor sharp claws towards Tommy. Tommy lashed out uselessly in Techno’s hold, eyes going impossibly wide. 

However, instead of stabbing Tommy, Wilbur just reached out to grab the camera, causing Tommy to relax slightly in relief at not being stabbed before he remembered just how condemning it would be if they saw exactly what he was doing all night. “Don’t you dare fucking touch that you twig!” He cried out, desperately struggling to get out of Techno’s hold. “I will bite you. I will smack you so hard you’re going to see stars, bitch,” Tommy thrashed, trying to get free, but the stupid bitch was stupidly strong and wouldn’t let him go. And all of his yelling and flailing did nothing as Wilbur grabbed the camera and carefully lifted it over Tommy’s head while Tommy could only watch his impending doom. He held his breath as he waited perfectly still to see what Wilbur was going to do.

The forest was unnaturally quiet as it seemed like everything was waiting for Wilbur to look through the photos. Tommy could hear the slight click of the button as Wilbur flipped through them, eyebrow inching higher with each one.

Eventually Techno must have had enough because he interrupted Wilber and asked, “So has the kid been spying on us?” Tommy silently resented the implication that he was a mere spy. He was the great Tommy Innit, and he was not just a spy . If anything he would be the greatest fucking spy to ever walk the planet. 

“Yeah. He seems to have collected quite a few photos of us tonight. There are still a few of Phil on here too, so clearly it’s the same kid.” So they were the spies. Why were they accusing Tommy when they were the ones spying on him! Wrong’uns. 

Wilbur turned his attention back to Tommy. “So what’s your excuse? Why are you stalking us?”

Tommy refused to take this lying down. If he was going to die, he might as well defend his name. “I’m not stalking you, bitch. You are clearly stalking me , you wrong’un. Why were you stalking a minor? Fucker! You are a bitch. Go and die!”

Wilbur raised an eyebrow, “Well aren’t you a little ray of sunshine?” Tommy could feel Techno give a huff of laughter behind him, and was about to start another tirade because how dare they laugh at the great Tommy Innit, but Techno gave him a warning squeeze that knocked all the air out of his lungs. Damn these monsters.

“What is your name, Muffin?” Wilbur asked while Tommy was still gathering his breath. 

Tommy was not a fool. There was no way that he was going to give this possibly-a-fae monster his name, so instead of answering, he decided to just try to kick Techno again. Of course Techno had to be completely rude and not even flinch when Tommy’s heel connected with his shin. Instead he just tightened his grip on Tommy, squeezing all the air out of his lungs.

“Fuck off!” Tommy wheezed, gasping for breath. “I haven’t done anything to you, so let me go!”

“You stalked us,” Techno deadpanned.

“Shut up you stupid bitch. I didn’t stalk you. I was just following you to take photos.”

“Yes, stalking.” 

Tommy thought it was rude how they continued to say he was a stalker. He wasn’t a stalker. Stalking is rude. Tommy was just documenting unique beings and getting paid for it. He was like monster paparazzi! 

As if Techno heard his thoughts, he gave a warning growl that made the hairs on the back of Tommy’s head stand up. “Stop messing around,” Techno warned, causing Wilbur to sigh loudly, rolling his eyes.

“You’re no fun, Techno,” he complained loudly, before turning to Tommy with a serious glint in his eyes. Tommy froze, warning bells going off in the back of his mind.

“Wait, what the fuck does that mean?” He asked, panic beginning to seep through.

Ignoring his question, Wilbur stared at Tommy, his eyes flashing a goldish color. “Now I’ll ask you again, what is your name, child?”

Instantly, all of Tommy’s willpower drained out of him as he sagged against Techno. A wave of drowsiness flooded over Tommy, leaving his mind feeling like molasses. He scrunched up his nose as he tried to figure out what was happening. Someone was talking to him? A pretty voice echoed inside his head, but his mind was too tired to figure out what was wrong with that. 

What is your name, Little Muffin? The voice sounded so nice and warm. 

“Tommy,” he said, a small smile sliding over his face. Part of his mind screamed that something wasn’t right, but that couldn’t be true could it? The voice was so nice. There was no way it could be evil.

Wilbur smirked. “Now Tommy, why were you taking photos of us?”

Tommy smiled again, eyes slipping closed. Wilbur’s voice was so pretty . “It’s my job to take photos of monsters in the area. It’s how we can eat. We sell them to loaded locals. Never seen a monster like you before though. Didn’t know they could talk.”

Tommy blinked his eyes open lazily, humming in content. When did he close them? Wilbur was still looking at him, but Techno’s arms seemed to have relaxed somewhat, creating a comforting hug that Tommy wanted to snuggle into. He missed Dream’s hugs, but these were better.

“What monsters do you usually see?” Another wave of warmth flooded over Tommy, causing him to giggle dazedly.

“I catch zombies or creepers a lot. I don’t know the names of the others. Oh, I once caught a bat thing once!” He giggled loudly, happy with how Wilbur’s eyes crinkled. Everything was so nice and so warm. Tommy had been so cold before, but now it was like being wrapped in a thousand blankets. “It had really big leathery wings and fur all over. It was fucking wild. I also found a cute little cerberus dog once. I wanted to take it home and keep it, but Dream said no.”

“What kind of idiot tries to bring home a monster, a fucking cerberus at that,” Techno snorted from behind Tommy. He thought that was very rude, but his brain decided that it was too much work to tell Wilbur that. Instead he just hung in Techno’s arms, waiting for the warm voice to come back. 

“The type of idiot that thinks going out into monster infested woods at night is a good idea,” Wilbur said with a laugh and a roll of the eyes. “Tell me Tommy, why do you go into the woods at night?”

Tommy smiled at the voice. It was quickly becoming his favorite new thing, even better than Niki’s muffins. “Because Dream tells me too. Dream has done so much for me, so  I can’t let him down now.”

“Will you keep hunting us down?” The voice was so nice and warm . 

“Of course. I will do anything that Dream asks of me,” Tommy stated matter of factly. 

Wilbur frowned at that answer. Tommy didn’t know why. It was perfectly reasonable for him to want to help the person that saved him. Tommy owed everything to Dream, and he was just paying it back, but now Wilbur was staring at him again, and wasn’t talking. Tommy missed the voice. Did he mess up? Did he say the wrong thing? Is that why the voice was gone?

“The child clearly isn’t a threat.” Techno was talking again, but it wasn’t the voice, so Tommy didn’t pay much attention to it. “However he might get in some serious trouble if he keeps exploring our woods like he has been. He might find something and tell that Dream person, and then who knows what Dream will do.”

Tommy thought the stars looked pretty tonight, but not as pretty as the voice had been. Where did the voice go?

“I agree. We need to keep a careful watch on him.” Wilbur wasn’t looking at him anymore, and for some reason Tommy was sad about that. The voice wasn’t as pretty anymore.

“Why not just take him home?”

“Techno, he isn’t just some pet that we can take home,” Wilbut rolled his eyes. “I am more worried about what Dream would do if his precious Tommy went missing. Plus,” Wilbut turned to look at Tommy. “We have a perfect little spy right here don’t we, Tommy ?”

Tommy smiled dopily and nodded. He loved the voice. He wanted to hear more of it.

Techno snorted from behind him again. “Whatever you say, Wilbur, but you know that he isn’t going to be as willing once you break that enchantment, right?”

Wilbur just smirked at Tommy. “But you love my voice right, Muffin?” Tommy did love the voice. It was the best. Tommy could listen to it all night. “Why don’t you show me where you live?”

Tommy nodded happily trying to take a step forward, but was blocked by Techno’s arms still around his chest. He frowned down at them and tried to take another step, but again was blocked. He couldn’t show the pretty voice where he lived now! Tommy whined, weakly pawing at the warm arms wrapped comfortingly around him. They were nice, but showing the pretty voice where he lived was nicer . 

Finally, Techno let him go, and Tommy promptly collapsed, his legs feeling like noodles. He frowned, pushing at the ground slightly. Why was he on the ground? He was meant to be showing the pretty voice where he lived. Did he live on the ground? Tommy giggled slightly at the thought, his eyes crinkling at the warm hand that was leaning down to pick him up. The hand pulled him up by the collar, Tommy sighing happily as his feet settled back on the ground and he was able to lean against a strong chest. Wobbling slightly, he put one foot in front of the other, humming happily as the warm embrace kept him up. Everything was so nice! Grinning, he headed towards his home, excited to show the nice voice where he lived.

It was a long walk, but ever so often Wilbur would let out a quiet hum, and all of Tommy’s tiredness would leak away.

Tommy shuffled along until he reached the edge of the clearing where Dream’s house was. He looked back at Wilbur and grinned. “Good job, Muffin! You did so well.” Tommy beamed at the praise. The voice was so nice. “Now Tommy, is anyone awake?”

“No,” Tommy replied, blissfully. “Everyone is always asleep when I get back.” 

Wilbur nodded at him. “Okay, then go inside and go to bed okay ?”

Tommy nodded, and this time when he took a step forward, he didn’t even need Techno to hold him up. Wilbur must have still been worried though because he followed Tommy inside. Wasn’t Wilbur the greatest? He was so nice. Tommy smiled at him as he crawled into his bed. 

This time, Wilbur smiled back. He ran his hand through Tommy’s hair and Tommy thought for a moment that the feeling of a hand in his hair might rival the voice for the nicest thing in the world, but no, the voice was still the best. 

“ Sleep, Tommy.” And Tommy did. The last thing that he heard was the sweet voice promising, “We’ll see you very soon, Little Muffin.”

Chapter Text

Tommy woke up the next morning to the sound of someone moving around downstairs. It took him a few minutes to clear the fog in his brain. After a little bit, Tommy pushed himself up. For some reason he was still wearing the clothes from last night. He didn’t even take off his dagger or boots. Tommy scrunched up his nose at his now dirty sheets. Ugh, he hated doing laundry. 

Slipping out of bed, Tommy frowned when he saw Dream’s camera placed neatly on his dresser. He didn’t remember doing that. Granted, he didn’t remember coming back at all. 

Tommy let out a long groan. He must have been way more tired than he originally thought if he didn’t even remember getting back last night. Maybe that meant he at least got a few good photos?

He picked up the camera and started flipping through the photos from last night. As he did so, vague memories of terrifying talking monsters flickered to life in the back of his head. 

Frowning, he tried to remember exactly what happened. The monsters were talking , and they were talking about muffins? Tommy furrowed his brow, trying to concentrate on the fleeting glimpses of the dream, but nothing else was coming. Did they catch him? Was the encounter just a dream? It wouldn’t be the first time he had a dream about some of the monsters he has caught, but this dream definitely topped them all. He had never dreamed of monsters talking before, especially talking about muffins of all things.

The pictures didn’t provide him any answers either, but Tommy couldn’t hold back a shudder at the wicked claws and razor sharp teeth. No wonder he had nightmares about them last night. That was all it was. Just a really bizarre nightmare. Nothing else. 

Tommy shrugged and pushed himself off his bed. Well, dream or not, at least Tommy made it home safe and sound without being clawed to death. 

When Tommy showed the pictures to Dream, he was so excited about the new photos that he didn’t make Tommy go out at all over the next week. He enjoyed a full week of warm blankets, a soft bed, and absolutely no rain soaked socks. Pure bliss. 

Of course it had to come to an end sometime, so when Dream heard about several sightings of monsters in the area, he sent Tommy out again. 

Despite all of Tommy’s grumbling to himself, a tiny part of him was curious to see if he could find those monsters from before. He hesitated at the thought of the sword and the knife-hands, but obviously he just wouldn’t get caught this time. Tommy could definitely sneak up on them and get some more awesome photos when they were least expecting it. He would be fine. 

Tommy’s eyes landed on the dagger that George had given him for his birthday.

Tommy shredded the wrapping paper in his excitement to open his gift. His eyes bugged out of his head as his jaw dropped in awe as a dagger in a leather sheath fell out and plopped into his lap. 

“It’s for your monster hunts, Tommy,” George grinned at him. “We wouldn’t want our favorite monster hunter to be eaten now, would we?”

Normally Tommy would have yelled at him for daring to imply that Tommy was weak enough to get eaten, but now Tommy could only gape at George. This was the most beautiful thing he owned, and it was all his. It wasn’t a camera owned by Dream. It wasn’t a bed loaned from Sapnap. It wasn’t a cloak owned by George. It was just his. It was just Tommy’s. He would not cry. He wouldn’t! He was a big man and big men don’t cry!

He turned to George with tears shining in his eyes. “Thank you,” Tommy choked out before running to place the dagger in a prized position in his room. 

The dagger had never seen a single night of use because he could protect himself, and he didn’t need to ruin such a beautiful gift, but maybe it was time to try it out. It couldn’t hurt, right? Obviously he wouldn’t need it because he was Tommy Danger Kraken Innit, but a little extra protection wouldn’t hurt, right? 

Decision made, Tommy scooped up the dagger and headed out the door.

The night was quiet. No rain, no lesser monsters, no hunters sneaking around, and no bright blob of blonde hair stalking the forest. Wilbur sighed as he glanced around for what felt like the hundredth time that night looking for his little muffin. It had been over a week since their encounter, and still the child hadn’t come back. It wasn’t raining anymore. There were still plenty of other monsters in the forest to take pictures of. There shouldn’t be any reason why Tommy was avoiding the forest. 

Techno had given up waiting for the kid every night. He would watch Wilbur prepare for his nights out in the forest with a slightly judgmental look, but Wilbur would just ignore him. Wilbur knew that Techno thought that they had scared the kid off, but Wilbur refused to believe that, even though both Techno and Phil probably hoped that the kid wasn’t coming back. 

That was the whole reason why they even scouted the kid in the first place. It was dangerous for a human to be stalking their woods and taking pictures of any monster that he came across. Pictures like that attracted stupid humans who thought that they could bardge into their forest and destroy all of the monsters living there. Even though individually Phil, Wilbur, or Techno could destroy any human who dared come near them, it was always better to just avoid it. Phil wanted to find a way to make sure that the kid wouldn’t be a threat, but after meeting the child, Wilbur doubted that he could ever be a threat. He was just so… bright. 

As foolish as it might be, Wilbur had been hoping to see the child again over the past week, and part of him was disappointed to not see him. 

Wilbur was this close to marching down to the house where Tommy lived and demanded why his little muffin was staying away for so long. He refused to believe Techno when he said that Wilbur had scared the little muffin away. The child was so bright and full of life that something as simple as a monster would not be able to dampen that. Especially not since the forest was his home. 

The child was… interesting. Ever since Phil, Techno, and Wilbur moved in and claimed these woods a year or two ago, they made sure that humans were unwelcome. But this child somehow evaded all of their wards. Phil had a theory that Tommy had been exploring these woods since he was a child, and somehow the forest had claimed him.

When Phil had first met Tommy, he tried searching for the child through the forest, but Tommy’s spirit could be seen everywhere in the forest. There didn’t seem to be a spot that Tommy hadn’t found over the years. There were imprints of a much younger Tommy jumping in puddles or splashing in the creek, echoes of his laughter still echoing through the trees. There were other imprints of him laughing and rolling in the dirt and ones of him chasing down some poor rabbit. All of his joy and brightness still permeated the air, always leaving Wilbur with a smile on his face

There were other imprints of times that were not so bright. There was one of Tommy falling out of a tree and landing wrong on his arm. Faint screams could still be heard echoing through the screams, even though the imprint was years old. Wilbur tried to avoid that area of the forest. 

Another place he avoided was the impression of his little muffin sobbing his guts out, clutching what could have been a small photograph. The cries made Wilbur want to reach back through time and wrap the smaller Tommy up in his arms and never let those sounds come out of his mouth again. 

So much of the child’s life was painted over the forest like a tapestry. 

Wilbur had never met a human that was so accepted by the forest, but it wasn’t hard to see why. Tommy had poured so much life into the forest, that he was now a part of its DNA. It was his home. 

That house that he lived in was nothing compared to the forest. All Wilbur could sense inside was vague impressions of a younger Tommy laughing with some others or sitting on the couch, swaddled in blankets, drinking hot chocolate or him chasing someone around with a pillow, but now all of the impressions were faint, washed away with time. It was almost as if Tommy was a ghost in the house. The forest held more of Tommy’s spirit than that house ever did. Tommy belonged to them.

There were rumors of others like that, ones who the forest claimed. Wilbur had thought they were myths until now, but it was thrilling to see that he was wrong.

He hoped that one mere encounter with a sentient monster wasn’t enough to scare Tommy away, but with every night that passed without seeing him, that option grew more and more likely. Techno had already given up, but Wilbur wanted to give him at least a little more time.  

Suddenly the forest thrummed around him, singing a little at a new presence in the area. Wilbur grinned as he felt the forest come alive a little bit more. The child came back. 

Knowing that the sudden stirring in the forest would catch Techno’s attention and send him outside too, Wilbur went ahead and started chasing the feeling of the forest’s song, smirking at the possibility of seeing his little muffin again. And Techno said that he scared the kid off. 

Tonight Tommy had no destination, but instead he planned on just wandering around to see if he could hear or catch any of the monsters nearby. 

It was dark outside, but it was close to a full moon, so there was plenty of light to guide him. Tommy could hear some owls somewhere in the forest calling out to one another. A shiver ran down his spine. He could do monsters all night long, but there was something so foreboding about those lonely calls. A dark memory of large wings and bright human eyes made him clutch his camera a little tighter. The thought of the dagger in his pocket allowed his shoulders to relax the tiniest bit. 

He was fine. He grew up in this forest. A little owl was not going to send him running for his house. There was nothing in this forest that would scare him away. 

A bird cawing from somewhere nearby caused Tommy to snap out his dagger and whip around, but there was nothing. Of course there wasn’t. Why would a stupid bird attack him. He was fine. 

Tommy could handle this. He would be fine .

Forcing himself to relax once again, Tommy continued to walk.

He let out a small sigh as he tried to figure out where to head next. Tommy had already checked most of the regular spots. He checked the twisted trees. He checked the tree stump grove. He checked the creek. He checked the fallen tree. There were no monsters anywhere. 

However Tommy could feel it in his bones that this next spot was going to give him some prime photos. It had better because he didn’t want to go back to Dream empty handed. 

A small yawn escaped his mouth as he continued to sneak through the woods. This would need to be his last stop. He wasn’t sure if he could stay awake long enough for another. 

He crept through the trees, and let out a slight yip of glee because sure enough two wild goblins were sitting on a pair of rocks chittering to each other. Tommy grinned and raised his camera, but just as he was about to click the photo, he noticed another shape at the edge of the clearing. 

Tommy let out the manliest screech at the sight of another almost human monster staring him down with a smirk that showed off a mouth filled with way too sharp teeth. The two goblins leapt into the air at the sudden sound and scattered. 

“Hello again, Little Muffin,” the monster said. 

“What the fuck? What the fuck! You can talk!” Tommy yelled, whipping out his dagger and pointing it at the monster in front of him. 

His brain refused to process what was happening. Why was the monster talking? How was the monster talking? Was this a dream? Did he hit his head somewhere and not remember it? “Since when can monsters talk?” Tommy asked, mostly to himself, but the monster answered anyway. 

“Oh come on ,” the monster rolled his eyes, sighing, “We already went over this. Don’t you remember, Little Muffin?” the monster pouted. 

Tommy’s brain glitched again. Last time?

Wait.

 “That was real !” Tommy shrieked again, unconsciously lowering the dagger.

Wilbur laughed at him, eyes lighting up in delight. Rude. That was just rude. Tommy had his whole world flipped and this monster was just laughing at him. 

“Of course it was real, Little Muffin,” Wilbur took a step forward, smiling widely, and suddenly Tommy remembered that these were very terrifying monsters who could rip him apart with their bare hands.  

“Get the fuck away from me!” He growled again, darting further away, raising the dagger back up, ready to stab him if he came too close. 

“Oh please,” Wilbur said, rolling his eyes. “I’m here to hurt you. If I had wanted to, I would have done it already. I’ve had plenty of opportunities.” That did not make Tommy feel better.

“Have you been stalking me?” Tommy yelled, his breathing picking up a little. This creepy bastard. He had been stalking him and Tommy hadn’t noticed . A shiver ran down his spine as he tried to edge away more. How many of those leaves crunching had been monsters rather than nocturnal wildlife? How many times was there a monster watching him through the trees? How long had he been following him and he hadn’t fucking noticed ? And where was the other one? Was he still somewhere in the forest, waiting for Tommy to let down his guard?

Tommy glanced around at the surrounding trees, searching for a glimpse of a red cloak or even redder eyes. 

“Little Muffin,” Wilbur said, snapping Tommy’s attention back to him. “I promise we have not been stalking you. I just wanted to see you again.” 

Oh fuck! 

This monster was going to kidnap him. He was going to take him to some dark lair where he was going to do some horrible monster things, and Tommy would die. Wilbur was going to fucking kill him.  He is going to fucking die. He won’t be able to say bye to Dream or Sapnap or George. He isn’t going to get to sleep in his bed again. He isn’t going to be able to eat Niki’s muffins anymore. Techno is going to fucking stab his with his fucking sword and leave him here to die.

“Relax, Little Muffin. We aren’t going to kill you,” Wilbur said, spreading his hands out, somehow reading Tommy’s mind. Was that something monsters could do?!

Maybe Tommy is just mistrustful of monsters with really sharp claws , but he is not reassured by Wilbur’s words. At all. 

Wilbur must have been smarter than he looked because he seemed to understand that Tommy wasn’t some dumb, naïve child. There was no way Tommy would fall for this dumb bitch’s ploy. Wilbur seemed to change tactics. “Why don’t you tell me more about that cerberus dog you found.”

Tommy’s heart skipped a few beats as he clutched the dagger even tighter. “You know about that!?”  How long have these monsters stalked him? How much did they know about him?

Wilbur raised his hands again to try to show that he wasn’t a threat, but Tommy would not relax when the monster had knives on the end of his hands. “Relax. You told us about it last time we talked. Don’t you remember?” 

Tommy most certainly did not remember that. 

In fact, now that he thought about it, he didn’t remember much of their encounter. He remembered talking to Wilbur and then-

“I think I should be offended that you found me so easily forgettable,” Wilbur interrupted his train of thought. “Techno would hold that over my head forever.”

“Where is Techno,” Tommy demanded. “Is he lurking somewhere to eat me?”

Wilbur burst out laughing, almost doubling over. “Techno doesn’t eat humans, silly,” he said, which did not answer the question of if he was lurking around somewhere. Tommy subtly started eyeing the forest a little bit more, refusing to let down his guard. 

“Well, where is he?”

Wilbur glanced around as if looking for Techno too. “He probably should be here soon. I was already out in the woods, but he had to travel from home, so who knows when he is going to get here.” A caw sounded from somewhere behind Wilbur. “Oh, that’s probably him right now.”

Sure enough, Techno didn’t even try to quiet his steps or hide his presents. Instead he just barged up behind Wilbur glaring at him. “Wilbur,” he growled. “What are you doing?”

Wilbur just grinned at him. “I am talking to the little muffin. Can’t you see that?”

“Yes I can see that,” Techno said exasperatedly. “But why are you still talking to the little human?”

“Obviously because he is my precious little muffin, who has finally decided to visit me again. You can’t deny that he is welcome here, just look all around,” Wilbur said, gesturing to the forest around him. Tommy furrowed his brows in confusion. They were just trees? Why would the trees prove that Tommy was welcomed in the forest?

Techno must have gotten Wilbur’s hidden message because he only let out a humph and rolled his eyes. Maybe the monsters could speak telepathically to one another? 

After a momentary stare down, Techno let out a low growl and swung his glare towards Tommy. “Hello again, Thomas. I didn’t expect to see you again in our forest.”

“Well I didn’t expect to see you either,” Tommy snipped at the grumpy monster, crossing his arms and tried to look just as intimidating. 

“Why are you not in bed, Thomas,” the monster let out a menacing growl, and suddenly Tommy realized why he had feared the monster in the first place. The monster was definitely going to murder him, but if they were going to murder him, they could at least call him by the right name. 

“My name isn’t Thomas,” Tommy said, glaring back at Techno. 

“Would you rather I call you Theseus?” Techno said, quirking his head to the side. “He was a famous hero that often got into trouble, just like you, Little Theseus.” 

“No, I want you to call me Tommy!” Was it that hard to understand? Were they going to kill him without even trying to use his real name? Tommy glared at Techno, crossing his arms. Techno merely smiled back.

“Okay, Theseus.” The audacity of this bitch. Tommy couldn’t fucking believe it. Techno had come and ruined his fucking hunt, scared him to death, planned on killing him, and then refused to call him by his fucking name. Tommy was done. This was the end of his rope. He will fucking stab this bitch if it is the last fucking thing he does.

Wilbur, clearly sensing Tommy’s sudden murderous rage, stepping in between the two, raising his hands.  “Okay, Little Muffin. Techno is just teasing you,” he said, ignoring Techno’s quiet, “I am not. ” Wilbur took a small step forward. “But, because Techno is being mean, how about I offer you a gift in exchange.”

At least one of them was reasonable. Still, Tommy hesitated. What if these monsters thought that claws through the gut was an appropriate “gift”? 

“Are you going to let me take pictures of you since you were the ones to scare my subjects away?” Tommy demanded, trying not to let any fear slip into his voice.

“We are not letting you take photos of us,” Techno growled, hand slipping to the sword at his hip. Tommy flinched back at the harsh words, heart skipping several beats as he clutched the dagger with white knuckles. Noted. Don’t take photos of these monsters or else his body will be used for sword practice for a two and a half meter tall monster who looked like he could rip trees apart with his bare hands. Tommy got the message. 

“Techno,” Wilbur said sharply. “Stop frightening him. You’re going to scare him off.”

Techno seemed to snarl something back, and the two had a hushed conversation that made Tommy tense up each time they would gesture towards him. Carefully, Tommy started to inch back, hoping to escape before either decided to kill him.

“Enough,” Wilbur said finally, glaring at Techno. “We don’t have anything to fear from him. It's fine.” He turned his gaze back on Tommy, who instantly froze. Wilbur seemed to soften a bit, but Tommy didn’t trust it. “Tommy,” Wilbur said softly, holding out his hands, obviously noticing that Tommy was much further away than he was a few minutes ago. “It’s alright. I promise you it's a good gift.”

Trying to cover his reaction, Tommy straightened his shoulders and tried to relax his death grip on the dagger. “Then what kind of gift are you offering?” Tommy hedged, making sure to keep the dagger raised high. 

“I am willing to offer you a tip on finding some more monsters.” Tommy paused. That- that was actually a pretty good gift. At least Dream would be happy with it. 

“Okay deal,” Tommy said slowly, lowering the dagger a fraction, but ready at any moment to bring it back up.

“There is a local mob of creepers that hang out by a clearing near the pond,” Wilbur smiled. Techno still looked five seconds away from killing him, but Wilbur seemed that he wasn’t plotting to dismember Tommy at least. Tommy allowed himself to release just a little bit of tension out of his shoulders.

“I already know that, bitch,” Tommy rolled his eyes. “I have been taking photos in these woods for years, of course I knew that.”

Wilbur raised an eyebrow.  “Well I guess I should give you something else then. Hmm,” Wilbur paused thinking for a minute before Techno cut in.

“There is a small cave by the twisting tree where a bear lives. If you catch it in the right light, it can be just as terrifying as any monster.”

Tommy actually did not know that. Huh. Maybe he would go there next time Dream sends him out. He could probably pitch it to Dream as a way to diversify his subjects.

“Thanks, big man,” Tommy said, thinking absently about the best way to take pictures of a bear without dying. He missed the smug look that flashed across Techno’s face. 

A sudden yawn interrupted them, reminding Tommy that he needed to get home to get at least a decent night's sleep. 

“Aww is the little child tired,” Wilbur cooed.

“I am not a fucking child,” Tommy snapped, shaking off the sleepiness. He takes back every positive thing he has ever thought about these bitches. They are rude and mean and ugly bitches who did not deserve it.  

Wilbur just laughed as Tommy glared. “Come on Little Muffin, let’s get you home. Children like you need their rest .”

Tommy would have protested loud enough for the whole forest to hear, but a sudden wave of exhaustion passed over him. Another yawn escaped, and his eyelids became heavier and heavier. Two arms scooped him up. It kinda felt like a hug, so Tommy hummed happily. 

“Aww Little Muffin,” a voice said from a few feet away. “Aren’t you just precious? We’ll send you home, but don’t worry. We will see you really soon.” Tommy hummed again, just caring that the arms were warm and soft.

Chapter Text

It was another few days before he was allowed to go out to the cave. Dream had been frustrated at Tommy’s lack of photos, and pretty much grounded him. 

“Tommy, have you just become lazy?” Dream demanded, crossing his arms.

Tommy shrunk back a little, looking down at his feet and pursing his lips, not daring to look back at Dream and see the disappointment and anger in his eyes. “No Dream, of course not. The monsters are just staying hidden, I guess.” He shrugged, curling his shoulders, instinctively making himself smaller in front of Dream’s wrath. “I checked in all of their normal spots, but I didn’t see anything. When I finally caught one, it was scared off by something else,” Tommy shifted slightly, refusing to make eye contact with Dream. He hated keeping stuff from Dream, but there was no way that Dream would believe him in the first place. 

“Do you mean to tell me that you scared off the first monster you saw in over a week?” Dream growled. “I didn’t give you a whole week off so that you could just laze around now.”

“No!” Tommy exclaimed, panicked. “I didn’t mean to scare them off, I swear.”

“Tommy, we need those photos. We can’t afford to have you going weeks without getting us new ones.”

“I promise I’ll do better, Dream,” Tommy begged. “Just give me a few days. I have a new lead! I can get you some new photos, I promise.”

Dream let out a sigh. 

“Fine,” he said, rolling his eyes. “But you’ll need to wait a few days. I’m willing to say that last night was just a fluke, and that you were just tired, but this better not happen again. You’ve never had a problem finding the monsters before, so you better not start now.” Dream placed a hand on Tommy’s shoulder. “Tommy, look at me.” Tommy managed to do so, but immediately he wanted to glance away again. Dream looked so disappointed, and that look would kill Tommy far quicker than any monster could. 

“Tommy,” Dream’s voice was so soft. “We are depending on you, you know that right?” Tommy nodded, glancing back down to the floor. “Please Tommy, I know that it is hard, but we need you to keep getting us those photos. You’ve been doing such a good job, so don’t let us down now, okay?” Tommy nodded, trying to choke down the tears that were threatening to spill from his eyes. He hated disappointing Dream. He would do better from now on, he promised himself as he turned to head back upstairs, Dream’s disappointed look haunting his mind.

Tommy glanced anxiously around. Tonight, Dream had finally let him go out again. Tommy had spent the last few days pretty much begging to go out. He wanted to do something in order to help the family. He couldn’t just keep lazing around being useless, but every time he asked, Dream would just look at him coolly and say that Tommy must be still tired, and that he needed to rest more in order to get good photos. 

Every time Tommy would eat something, a stab of guilt would run through him at all of the time he was wasting. He couldn’t even enjoy waking up in his bed in the morning because that just meant he was being useless again. 

Tommy almost jumped up and down with joy when Dream finally let him go back out again. 

He packed his knife again tonight. He didn’t trust those bastards not to set a trap for him somehow, and he wanted to stab them if they even thought about eating him. 

He wouldn’t fail this time, he swore as he reached the cave. 

A flash of disappointment washed through him. Tommy was expecting the cave to be rather large, but it was a bit small. He was also expecting a bear to be in it, but there was none. He glanced around, praying that he could find some trace of the bear, there were no looming shadows, no growling, not even a flash of sharp teeth. 

His heart clenched at the thought of disappointing Dream again. There was no bear and that meant there were no pictures. Those bastards tricked him! Tommy wanted to kick himself. Only an idiot would trust a monster.

“Funny seeing you here, Theseus,” a voice came from over his shoulder. 

Tommy spun around, and there were the two lying liars who lied, standing there like they hadn’t just ruined his chance to make everything up to Dream. The bastards. Tommy could feel his anger coursing through every inch of his body. 

Tommy gripped his dagger up, ready to stab the dirty liar. The anger didn’t even let him consider if they were here to eat him or not. It probably had all been a massive trap, but Tommy just didn’t care anymore. “You fucker!” He yelled, lunging forward. “Don’t you dare call me Theseus, you fucking liar! You tricked me! There is no bear here!”

“Come now, Little Muffin,” Wilbur tried to sooth, easily sidestepping each and every one of Tommy’s swings, which only made Tommy more enraged. “You’re just looking in the wrong place. I promise you the bear will appear shortly,” Wilbur said with a twinkle in his eye. Tommy didn’t fucking believe a word out of that fucking bastard’s mouth. He kept lunging at Wilbur, ignoring Wilbur’s constant laughter that he was sure was directed at him. Why wouldn’t this bitch stay still? Tommy tried lunging, but he missed again. Techno wasn’t even moving to defend his brother. He was just standing there, rolling his eyes as if Tommy wasn’t even a threat, a small smile playing on his lips. Tommy would fucking show him. He would fucking stab Wilbur then he would stab Techno and be the reigning campion over everyone. 

But maybe he can take a break first. A small break and then murder. 

“Why are you even here, you stalker?” Tommy huffed out, pausing to catch his breath and figure out the best way to murder this bitch. He absolutely would stab this bitch, but he just needed a moment. “You’re probably the one that scared the bear away!” He exclaimed, narrowing his eyes and waving his dagger around threateningly.

Techno grumbled, eyes focused on the knife. “Don’t wave knives around, that’s dangerous. You could hurt yourself,” he warned, only softening his expression when Tommy sheathed his dagger.

Fucking prick.

Wilbur grinned, clearly thinking that Tommy was just going to give up on his completely justified killing. “That is definitely not our fault. And we came because we missed you! Don’t you remember us telling you that we will see you soon?”

“Of course I don’t, bitch. I told you to leave me alone!” Tommy yelled, but neither one of them looked very impressed. 

“Oh come on Little Muffin,” Wilbur pouted. “Didn’t you miss us?”

“No.”

Techno snorted, crossing his arms. “Good. We didn’t miss you either, Theseus.”

Now Tommy was offended. How dare these bitches come and ruin his photos and then say that they didn’t miss him . That was just plain rude.

“Now Techno, don’t be mean to Tommy or else I’ll tell him about how you pouted every night when he didn’t come out to play with us.” Wilbur teased, smirking as Techno glared at him.

“Liar. That never happened.” Techno rolled his eyes, a blush rising to his cheeks, and whacked Wilbur over the head, but Tommy was having none of his excuses. 

“Ha, bitch you did miss me! I fucking knew it! Everyone misses the great Tommy Innit because he is the most pog man to walk the earth!” Tommy stuck his tongue out at Techno. Wilbur burst out into laughter at the disgusted look on Techno’s face. “Now bitches, leave me alone and go away!”

They did not go away. 

Fucking pricks.

Tommy was narrowing his eyes, measuring the distance between Wilbur and Tommy, ready to try and most definitely succeed in his next assassination attempt when he heard a faint rustling behind them. 

The bear! Tommy’s heart started racing as a wide smile took over his face. Maybe these bitches wouldn’t have to die after all. 

Not wanting to get mauled, Tommy turned as slowly as possible, not to startle whatever was behind him. There, lumbering out of the nearest clump of trees was the biggest bear he had ever seen. His eyes bulged as he raised the camera to his eye and snapped a few photos.

“I told you there was a bear here,” Wilbur whispered from right next to Tommy. 

Tommy muffled a shriek, and almost lost his grip on the camera. He turned to glare at Wilbur for sneaking up on him. He wanted to wipe that stupid grin off that bastard’s face, but he couldn’t miss his chance to get the photos for Dream. Reluctantly he turned back around and lifted the camera again to take a few more pictures.

After a few seconds, Tommy glanced down at the pictures he managed to take so far, and frowned when he saw that instead of a terrifying monster, the bear looked more like a tired grandpa in the photos. Those pictures won’t sell well. People wanted action, adventure, suspense in their photos, not a nature documentary. 

Dream was expecting him to get some epic shots tonight, and Tommy couldn’t afford to let him down now. 

“Do whatever it takes, Tommy,” Dream glared. “Whatever it takes.”

Tommy glanced down at his foot and was able to make out a rock sitting nearby. He smirked. Perfect. 

Quickly he bent down to pick it up. “Hey ugly,” he called out, stealing his nerves. The bear swung its head toward the noise, baring its teeth. Tommy threw the stone with all of his might at its head, and miraculously it managed to hit it right between the eyes. Shit. 

“What the fuck, Tommy!” Wilbur screeched as the bear roared in anger. Tommy just gritted his teeth as he managed to snap several pictures of the bear rearing up on its hind legs, claws flashing in the moonlight, before it crashed down on all fours. Letting out another roar that seemed to shake the trees, the bear locked eyes with Tommy before it started to charge after him. Fuck. 

Fuckfuckfuckfuck!

Tommy froze. He completely fucking froze as the bear was bearing down of him, teeth gleaming, ready to snap through Tommy’s twig body. He clenched his eyes shut, knowing that any second now he was going to be ripped apart. This was it. 

Tommy prayed Dream would be able to find the camera. Maybe then it would be worth it.

Something yanked him back, and every inch of Tommy flinched before it turned stiff as a board, but no teeth tore through him. Instead he was thrown over Techno’s shoulder who was already sprinting away from the charging bear.

“Move, move, move,” Wilbur chanted, as they ran through the trees, branches snapping around them. Tommy could hear the bear pounding after them, crashing through the trees and bushes as it roared. A sob caught in his throat as another roar rattled his bones. His lungs refused to work, air coming through in short gasps. 

Slowly the sounds of the angry bear faded at Techno continued to dash away. Once they reached a distance that Techno deemed safe, Tommy found himself tossed down where he promptly collapsed to the dirt below him. His legs were shaking too much to even think about being able to hold him up. Tommy gripped the ground, the world spinning around him as he tried to process what just happened. 

Fuck. 

Fuck!

He almost just fucking died . His breath picks up. He almost just fucking died. He could be dead right now. Dead as a fucking doornail. A hysterical laugh escaped him as he stared at a spot in front of him, eyes unblinking. 

“What the fuck were you thinking, Theseus?” Techno growled, crouching down and gripping Tommy’s chin, forcing Tommy to focus on him. “You almost got yourself mauled by a bear. You would have died. ” 

Tommy would have died. Tommy should have died. Torn to shreds by the bear’s claws. Dead . All for some stupid pictures. Another hysterical laugh tore through him. Was it worth it? Would Dream be proud of him for doing whatever it takes? He could be dead. 

Wilbur came to a stop beside him too, huffing, trying to catch his breath. “That was the stupidest , idiodic, brainless stunt I have ever seen in my life, Tommy. Were you trying to get yourself killed?” Wilbur demanded, eyes glowing slightly. 

“The pi-pictures,” Tommy managed to stutter out, gripping the camera with bone white knuckles. “Can’t fail again. Dr-dream needs me.”

Wilbur’s eye flashed as he let out a snarl. “For the fucking pictures! Are you serious? You could have died, and it was for fucking pictures?”

They were furious. Tommy felt his breath stutter again as his heart dropped at the sight of the fuming monsters looming over him. He wanted to move. He wanted to scramble back and put several meters between him and the furious monsters, but he couldn’t make his body move. It wouldn’t move. He couldn’t scramble back. He couldn’t pull out his dagger. He couldn’t even close his eyes to avoid watching Wilbur’s claws come nearer and nearer. All Tommy could do was stare at Wilbur’s glowing eyes as Wilbur took another step closer, teeth bared. 

Do something! Tommy shouted at his body. Just fucking do anything, but nothing happened. 

Suddenly Wilbur was kneeling in front of Tommy, staring him down. Something softened in his eyes as he stared down at Tommy. 

“Calm down,” Wilbur soothed. “We aren’t going to hurt you. We aren’t mad.”
“Speak for yourself,” Techno muttered, eyes still flashing red. Tommy’s breath stuttered as he glanced at Techno’s scowl.

Wilbur shot Techno a look before reaching over and guiding Tommy’s face back towards him. “We aren’t going to hurt you,” he promised, but his claws were touching Tommy’s face . There was no way Tommy was going to trust him. 

“ Calm down ,” Wilbur demanded, voice like honey, and instantly Tommy felt the tension drain out of his body as it sagged against the arm Wilbur held out to steady him. “Little Muffin, I promise you we will not hurt you. I don’t want you to be hurt either, which is why I’m angry. You were putting yourself in harm's way for just a few photos.” Wilbur lifted Tommy’s chin so that he could look into his eyes. “Little Muffin,” he said solemnly. “These photos are not worth your life.”

Tommy shivered as he slumped back down. He was too tired for this. He just wanted to turn his brain off and go home. Wilbur seemed to read his mind because he gave Tommy a sad little smile. “It’s okay Tommy. You are safe now. We will keep you safe. You can relax now. ”

Techno stared at where Wilbur was cradling Theseus, running his hands through the child’s hair, breathing deeply to reel back in all of his emotions. 

Theseus seemed at peace while he slept now, but the impressions of Tommy’s terror from a few minutes before were soaking into the ground around them. Theseus shaking like a leaf as the bear started charging him. Theseus gripping the ground once he was in guarded territory, trying to steady his trembling hands. Theseus freezing at the sight of Wilbur. 

“He shouldn’t have done that,” Wilbur whispered, keeping his eyes locked on Theseus’s face and refusing to look at the impressions around them. “He shouldn’t have even thought about doing that.”

Techno thought back to the look of desperate determination of Theseus’s face before he hurled the stone at the bear’s head, and couldn’t help but agree with his twin. “But he did,” he said as he bent down and carefully peeled Wilbur’s hands away from where they clung to Tommy. Techno then picked Tommy up in a much softer way than he had done earlier. “He was willing to do whatever it took.”

“Why the fuck was he desperate enough to risk he life in order to get some shitty photos?” Techno’s heart clenched at the wild look in his brother’s eyes.  It wasn’t hard to figure out the answer to that question. Techno knew that Wilbur knew the answer too, but he was trying to find any other answer. There really wasn’t one.  

Techno took a deep breath before he started walking towards the child’s home. Wilbur reached out a hand to grab his shoulder. “We can’t let him go back to that place,” he growled.

“It’s really not our place to do anything about it,” Techno sighed. “Just taking him will cause more problems for everyone involved. He is a human. He belongs to their world, not ours, Wilbur.”

Wilbur’s eyes flashed. “They don’t deserve to keep him. He should be ours .”

“He is not a pet, Wilbur,” Techno said as he turned to carry Tommy back. “We can’t just keep him.”

“Don’t think I didn’t notice you naming him,” Wilbur snarled. “Your ‘Little Theseus.’ People don’t name things they don’t intend to keep, Technoblade. I’m not the only one that has gotten attached.”

Silence fell over the forest. Techno stared at the painfully human child in his arms. He knew that Wilbur was clearly attached to him. It was evident whenever he would light up when talking about “that adorable blonde gremlin.” But Techno knew that humans did not belong in their forest. It would only invite trouble. There could only be death when humans and monsters mixed, and he didn’t want Theseus to end up involved with that. 

It was better if he just went home. He could grow up and find people who actually cared for him. Simple. Keeping him here would bring more humans, and humans would bring hunters, and hunters would bring harm to his family, and Techno would never allow that. His family was his to protect, and he could not risk it for the sake of one child. 

“Let’s just get him back to his house,” Techno declared, ignoring Wilbur’s glares. “It will be better for everyone if he just stays there. He is a human, Wilbur. He doesn’t belong with us.”

“Who are you trying to convince, Techno?” Wilbur scoffed. “Me or you? Little Muffin should be ours . He belongs with us more than he ever belonged to those humans who threw him aside without a second thought. You didn’t see the impressions near his house. He has been alone for so long.” 

Wilbur looked at Tommy, and Techno could see the heart wrenching desperation in his eyes. “Techno, I saw him every night, heading out into the forest, determined.” Wilbur’s voice was quiet as he turned his gaze from Theseus’s face to Techno’s. “He would come back with the biggest smiles on his face, but the next day he would come back out more determined and more desperate. Every. Single. Time. He has his happiest memories in the forest. The forest has claimed him, and that house is just killing him slowly.”

The silence settled over the forest at the end of Wilbur’s words. Wilbur glanced up at Techno, eyes pleading. “I know that you want to protect us, but Tommy is just as much a part of this forest as we are, can’t you see it?” Wilbur asked, gesturing to the trees around them. Techno’s eyes flicked through all of the faint impressions of Tommy growing up all around him. His eyes finally fell on the still sleeping Tommy in his arms. 

“He’s worth it,” Wilbur whispered. “He is claimed; he belongs with us.”

Techno couldn’t help but think of Tommy waking up and causing chaos when he found out he was taken or Dream storming through the forest with an army of hunters in tow, ready to burn down the forest. He wouldn’t let that happen. He would not allow any harm to come to his family.

Tommy was going to be theirs, but they would do it right so that there would be no risk of harm to his family. 

“Then we make sure that it is safe before we bring him home,” Techno said, voice as hard as iron. “We will bring him home, his real home. He will be ours, but rushing into things will hurt everyone. We need to make sure he is ready. Then we can take him home.” It was a promise. A vow. They would protect Tommy. They would give him a home and a family and all of the love he could ever want. He would be theirs and no humans would dare hurt him again. 

Wilbur broke into a Cheshire grin, and ran his claws through the golden blonde locks. “Soon,” he promised. “We will take you home soon.” 

Techno nodded. They could be patient. There was no point in rushing into things. Tommy was worth the wait. 

Tommy clutched the set of torn photos in his hand, trying to get his hands to stop trembling.

“A fucking bear, Tommy,” Dream screamed, mouth contorted into a snarl, ripping the photo in half and throwing them in Tommy’s face. Tommy flinched back, stumbling a few steps as he raised his hands in front of his face, desperately trying to protect himself. “You haven’t gone out in two weeks, and all you come back with is pictures of a fucking bear. Was this your lead? A fucking bear!” Dream’s mouth twisted up in disgust as he glared at Tommy, his green eyes narrowed. “I trusted you. I gave you chance after chance, and this is all I get in return?” He laughed harshly,  “Some shitty photos of a fucking bear?” Dream gritted his teeth and glared at Tommy. “You could have been killed all for some pictures of a lame bear that aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on. If you were planning to die, at least do it for some monsters that are actually worth something.”

Tommy glared down at his shoes, refusing to cry in front of Dream even as his lip quivered. He screwed his eyes shut, but could still hear Dream standing over him, breathing angrily. “Worthless,” Dream finally spat as he turned to storm away, leaving Tommy standing in the kitchen, hands trembling slightly. 

Tommy didn’t know who that final comment was aimed at: the photos or him, but he wasn’t brave enough to ask.

Were the pictures worth it? Were these torn, pathetic pictures worth it? 

Letting out a strangled cry, Tommy crumpled the torn pictures up in a fit of rage and hurled them at the wall. Choking out a sob, he collapsed onto the ground. He almost died for those damn pictures, and Dream called it all worthless. He couldn’t fucking take this anymore. Tommy curled up onto a ball and tried to stop hearing the bear’s roar echoing in his ears.

Chapter Text

Tommy woke up feeling worse. Dried tear tracks made his face feel sticky and his stomach clenched painfully. His entire body ached from falling asleep propped up against his bed. Every muscle felt like it would snap if he moved too fast, and all Tommy wanted to do was close his eyes and let the world continue to pass him by. 

But he couldn’t. 

He didn’t need to stand up to know that the day was already wearing to an end. The shadows in his room were long, and Tommy could see the golden glow covering his room from the sinking sun. If Tommy was going to bring Dream more photos, he would need to head out soon. Tommy continued to sit propped up against the bed, head lolled  backward. 

What was left in the forest to photograph? Maybe he could take a picture of a scary looking stump. Maybe the ants crawling around their home would be scary enough for Dream. Goodness knows that almost dying wasn't scary enough for him.

Tommy clenched his fist, and glared at the wall in front of him. 

Would Dream even be sad if he died? Would he feel guilty? Maybe George would wish that he gave Tommy something more than a knife. Maybe Sapnap would think of all of the times he “was just too tired” to make hot chocolate or build a pillow fort with Tommy. Maybe they would realize that they loved him if he suddenly wasn’t there anymore. You never know how much you love something until it's gone. 

Tommy smiled bitterly at the tattered remains of the photographs. He could still see the bear’s gleaming fangs and mean eyes amongst the scraps. If Dream wanted him to die for these pictures, maybe Tommy would grant his wish. Dream needed to be taught a lesson. Tommy wasn’t some plaything. He was supposed to be family. 

Tommy glanced out the window and grinned. Tonight seemed like the perfect night to “die”.

Wilbur walked around the forest. He knew that Tommy probably wouldn’t be back for at least a few nights after the events of last night, but Wilbur wanted to be here just in case. Techno had rolled his eyes when he saw Wilbur headed out the door, but Wilbur refused to let anything happen to his little muffin. If it took wandering around the forest for a few nights even if his little muffin probably wouldn’t be there, Wilbur would be more than happy to do so. 

Wilbur glanced around the forest, looking for any threat to what was his. 

The bear was no longer here. He had seen to that. Phil had kindly insisted that the bear find a new place to live that was not in the bounds of their forest. It could no longer harm Tommy. It was far away by now, but still, a lump of anxiety was gnawing away at Wilbur. The forest sang of the suffering that his little precious child had been through already, and Wilbur wouldn’t let any more come to him, whether it be from his so called family or from the beasts that roamed the forest. 

Techno was the better hunter out of the pair, but he was fond of Theseus too. He wouldn’t mind slaying a few beasts anyway. Wilbur smiled at the thought of maybe allowing Tommy to join Techno on one of his hunts. Eventually. After several years. When Tommy is less of a twig. 

A rush of energy suddenly washed through Wilbur as the forest started to swell with energy.

Tommy.

Wilbur’s eyes grew as his gaze snapped towards the direction the energy was coming from. Immediately he started striding towards Tommy. Around him he could feel the forest righting itself. As if Tommy was the missing piece that completed their little world. The forest itself cried out for Tommy to come home, and Wilbur would make sure that he would. 

Tommy would be theirs, and he would be safe. 

Luckily Tommy wasn’t far away, and Wilbur was able to find him easily, even though Tommy had entered the forest through a spot a distance away from where he had been staying with that disgrace of a human. 

Wilbur raised his eyebrow when he saw Tommy because instead of beginning his monster hunt, Tommy was just sitting on an abandoned stump, fiddling with his camera, a backpack laying at his feet. 

Wilbur must have made some sort of noise because as soon as he entered the small clearing, Tommy’s head whipped up. 

He had dark bags underneath his bloodshot, slightly puffy eyes, but despite all of that, he was still smirking. 

It was a marvel that Tommy was in the woods again so soon after that night, but it was a miracle that Tommy retained any degree of spunk, even though he had clearly been crying instead of sleeping.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” Tommy snarked. “I assume you are going to stalk me again tonight?”

“That was the plan,” Wilbur admitted, thrown off by Tommy’s sudden switch of attitude. 

“Good,” Tommy said, jumping to his feet. He winced a second later, clearly regretting his choice, but before Wilbur could as if he was alright, Tommy was moving again. “Come on, bitch. We have things to do.”

Wilbur shook his head, trying to decide how he should feel towards this new Tommy as he followed behind him. Something had changed, and he couldn’t decide if it was good or not.

On the one hand, maybe Tommy had finally come to the conclusion that Dream was a bastard, and he should just forget about him. Maybe he would be willing to just allow Wilbur to bring him home to Phil and Techno. 

Wilbur’s eyes glowed with the possibility of Tommy coming home with him. But nothing could ever be that easy. All of his instincts yelled at him that it was something else. Something darker.

Wilbur narrowed his eyes at Tommy’s back, but Tommy just started chattering about anything that seemed to come to his mind, completely ignoring the monster beside him. Wilbur couldn’t even find a trace of the weariness from the past few meetings. Tommy’s hands were flying around as he spoke, not even wandering close to the dagger at his hip. There were no threats. No cussing Wilbur out. Nothing. 

Instead Tommy just talked about why moths were the best creatures ever, how ants would end up ruling the world and how everyone should go ahead and start building them palaces, and why humans were savages for cutting down forests. 

Wilbur allowed him to keep talking, waiting for Tommy to let something slip. Together they walked along. Wilbur assumed they were looking for more signs of other monsters, but they had yet to see one, and Wilbur doubted they would find one anytime soon. However, surprisingly, Tommy was still striding along. There wasn’t any frantic energy surrounding him. No eyes bouncing around. No hands white-knuckle gripping his camera. Just a preternatural confidence that echoed through the forest all around him. 

When Wilbur focused on the impressions trailing behind them, they sang of dark determination rather than desperation. 

However Wilbur was patient. He would wait for his little muffin to come to him. Though, he did try to subtly watch Tommy from the corner of his eye as they wandered further into his home territory.

Tommy looked like hell. Wilbur doubted that he slept a wink last night. He scowled at the bastards responsible for this. Tommy deserved to be loved and cherished, and his current guardians were failing to do their duty. Tommy deserved so much better. Wilbur wanted to snake his arm around Tommy and clutch him close, trying to reconstruct Tommy’s self-worth. Wilbur would take him home and make him a nest. He would hunt for him and bring him all of the treasures of the forest. 

Wilbur felt the forest resound at his thoughts. Clearly she wanted Tommy to come home just as much as Wilbur did. Tommy was her child and she was tired of watching him deteriorate outside of her sanctuary. Keep him, keep him, keep him. Bring him home.

Wilbur smiled as he thought of Tommy coming home. Soon , he promised. Soon you will be safe.

Tommy shot him a skeptical look as they continued to walk along. “Why are you staring at me, bitch? Are you planning what vegetables will go better with my liver?”

Wilbur scrunched up his nose as he hid a smile. “No such thing, Tommy. I hate liver.”

His little muffin let out an offended squawk as he turned his attention fully towards Wilbur. “Excuse you,” he sneered at Wilbur. “I have a delicious liver, and you should be honored to eat it.” Tommy sniffed, turning back towards the path, and marching a few steps forward, but his shoulders released a little bit of tension that had been lingering. 

Tommy still maintained several feet between them, obviously not wanting Wilbur too close to him, but he no longer leapt into a defensive position every time Wilbur inched a little bit closer. Progress! Whatever had caused the change, Wilbur was enjoying the effects.

Wilbur hummed to himself as he tried to hide a small smirk. Soon his little muffin would wander willingly into his home to stay. Any day now he will bring his little muffin home. Wilbur was willing to play the long game, but the game would not be as long as Techno suspected. 

“Will, Tommy is a human child with human guardians with a human life. He is not going to want to come live with some monsters just because you want him too,” Techno rolled his eyes. 

Wilbur sighed as he plopped down into a nearby chair. Tommy was his little muffin. It would only take a little bit of time for him to realize it and come home. “We will be so much better for him than that Dream fellow,” Wilbur scowled. “We won’t send a small child to do a job we are too scared to do. Tommy should be thanking us for intervening. We are clearly superior to the guardians he has now. He deserves to be ours.” 

Techno sighed, leaning against the kitchen table. “And he will be ours, Wil, but that doesn’t change the fact that as of right now, that child is attached to his current guardians, and won’t be open to any changes in guardianship after just a few days. The kid consistently tries to stab us, Will.”

Wilbur glared at Techno. “That is only because you are bitch.”

Techno sighed. “Wilbur, you have to give it more than a few days. We need to play the long game. Any sudden moves could scare him off, and the last thing he needs right now is to be more scared. 

Wilbur scowled, but nodded. He could be patient. The forest had been waiting for years. Wilbur could wait for a day or two. 

  “So…” Wilbur broke the silence between the two. Tommy eyed him, but didn’t make any other move of acknowledgement. “What is your favorite type of monster?”

“Any monster that isn’t you, bitch,” Tommy sneered. Rude! Wilbur pouted a little bit. “You keep scaring off all my monsters.”

Wilbur gasped. “I am literally just walking beside you. How am I scaring off the monsters?”

“I am sure they can smell your stupid and flee.”  

“You smell more than me, child,” Wilbur rolled his eyes. 

“I smell of greatness and poggness, you peasant. Monsters flock to get a whiff of my superiority. Unlike your stench.” 

Wilbur fought the smile that wanted to spring to his lips. His Little Muffin was so strong; Tommy wouldn’t let anyone beat him down. He was a fighter, but soon he would learn that he had people fighting for him too, and he didn’t have to be alone anymore.

“Maybe the monsters are just threatened by your greatness. Maybe you should join us mere mortals, and then they will start coming back.”

“Not a chance. My greatness is the only thing going for me right now. That and my trusty dagger,” Tommy said, slipping his dagger out from his pocket. “Maybe if I stab you, the other monsters will come to gloat. Then I can take pictures of them dancing over your dead body.”
“That is a bit rude, don’t you think,” Wilbur pouted. “Here I am, spending time I could be doing anything else, walking along with you. I think you should thank me for granting you my presents.” 

Tommy scoffed. “Not a chance. I don’t want you here, and there is no way I am going to thank you for joining me. I should stick you with Petunia just for that.” 

“Petunia?”

“Yeah, Petunia,” Tommy sniffed, waving the dagger haphazardly in Wilbur’s direction. “Don’t insult Petunia, or she will stab you. She deserves more than your insults.” 

Wilbur held up his hands in mock defense as he took a step back. “I didn’t mean to disrespect her majesty. She is a very good dagger, and I think she would be even better if she didn’t poke holes in me.”

Tommy huffed, but a small smile played on his lips before he could twist it into a sneer. “You wouldn’t be in danger of holes if you just left me alone.”

“Aww Little Muffin,” Wilbur said, giving Tommy a soft smile. I will never leave you alone. I would never want you to be lonely, and there is nothing more lonely than viewing the forest as home, but having no one to share it with.” 

Tommy looked at him confused for a moment, trying to come up with some sort of retort to Wilbur’s proclamation, but before he got a chance, Wilbur interrupted, darting forward to bop Tommy’s little adorable nose. “Isn’t it past your bedtime? Shouldn’t you come home? Children like you need their sleep.”

Tommy stumbled back, eyes opened, clearly startled by Wilbur’s sudden movement into his personal space. He looked like a little lost rabbit. Wilbur inwardly cooed. “I am not a child, bitch. I don’t need to listen to you. I can stay out here as long as I want.” Maybe a bit more like a hissing raccoon. Still precious though. 

Tommy stalked on ahead, stubbornly refusing to head back. One day he will. One day soon he will come home.