Work Text:
If you ask Drew what it’s like being a hero, you’ll get a cop-out answer. For being an artist in physical mediums, they’re quite good at twisting their words. If they were to be honest, they’d probably scare everyone away and maybe get themself landed in a mandatory pseudo-therapy session with Dr. Cure. They never understood how people could dream of being a hero one day. They were born into the role and every day it kills them just a little more. Oh, at first it was fine. They were fresh out of the inkwell and young, taking in the world with innocent eyes. They got attached to the bright colors of the world, and the kindness of its inhabitants, and that’s why the Creator scrubbed them clean of those attachments the second time around. Now they remember everything, and they wonder why they feel like retiring to a small beach house in the middle of nowhere and ignoring the world as it falls apart around them.
Actually, they do try that. Jowee drags them back to the village a few days after they’ve settled in. Perhaps they would have been better off just going back to being a formless blob in the Creator’s pot of ink.
Things get ever so slightly more unbearable when Mike starts insisting that Drew come spend time in Bellview. Not that Drew doesn’t love the city. It’s a place where they’re not the tallest being (although they’re still taller than Mike. It seems some things never change) and they don’t stand out like a sore thumb. Not to mention the fact that they can pretend to be a real human in Bellview, not just a human-looking mannequin of cloth and paint. Mike started small, coming to Rapoville to “visit”, and Drew would always be busy. Then he started telling Mari to send Drew over sometime, and Mari started pressuring Drew to go spend some time on the human side of things.
“You seem restless here.” She says over and over like the mother they never had, “Why don’t you go spend some time with your other friends? You’ve got the freedom to do it.”
Drew has to restrain themself from showing off a very rude gesture their friends had taught them. Mari might not understand anyway. Eventually she bothers them enough that they snap and jump through the portal without thinking. It’s like Mike has a sixth sense for when they appear, although given the coma Drew suspects it might be a possibility. Either way, Mike is practically tackling Drew the moment the portal spits them out. Considering the Book of Imagination’s penchant for dropping Drew however and wherever it pleases, they’re surprised they manage to stay standing. Mike pulls away, bright eyes narrowing in accusation.
“You’ve been avoiding me.”
No. I’ve been busy.
Mike scoffs, “Yeah, busy every single time I try to visit you? That’s statistically impossible, I had Heather do the math.”
You don’t know my schedule. I have a lot of work to do.
“Is it something I did?” Mike asks, expression softening to one of guilt, “Because I never really apologized for snapping at you. Like, really apologized.”
Drew shakes their head, Trust me, it’s fine. You weren’t any worse than M-A-R-I when I accidentally let her dad die.
Mike’s eyes widen, “O-oh. Alright then. So come on, what’s the real reason you’ve been avoiding me?”
I already told you, I’ve been busy . Drew crosses their arms with a soft huff. Busy is an understatement when Farmer Brown had cooked up an imaginary army of Baki after his Banya crop and Drew pulled three all-nighters in a row, finding nothing for their trouble. They yawn, wondering if Mike is okay with them stopping for some sort of energy drink.
“We’re playing basketball against Tony and Teo today.” Mike says, unaware of Drew wanting nothing more than to take a nap, “Aly’s doing her summer homework because she’s responsible, so she won’t be out until later. I needed someone else on my team.”
You only love me because I’m tall and can jump high .
Mike gives them a playful shove, and Drew is reminded that this is what friends do. Of course, they’ve died for Mike and have been inside his head, so Drew has to wonder if they’re actually friends or if their relationship is more of a bodyguard type of situation.
“You’re kind of spacing out today.” Mike observes as they head to the basketball courts, “You don’t have to play if you’re tired.”
I’ll stop by the gas station and pick up an energy drink , Drew waves off Mike’s concern. If anything, that makes Mike more concerned.
“That’s unhealthy.”
Drew bites back the urge to remind Mike that they’re not actually human and can’t die, but that might be a little rude. Especially considering how frequently Drew seems to die in the line of duty, always revived by the Creator to finish the job. They stop thinking about death before they spiral, and start wondering why they’re tired if they’re just an inanimate object given some form of life, and how they can consume things if their body doesn’t do any of the necessary processes to break stuff down.
“Okay, maybe you do need the energy drink.” Mike grabs Drew’s sleeve before they walk into the middle of the road without looking. Perhaps they should save the existential crisis for later. Preferably when Mike isn’t around to give them that weird look.
“You know how you’re like… not human?”
Yes.
“Well, don’t take this the wrong way, but I really think you’re more human than you let on.” Mike takes Drew’s hand with a mumble of, “don’t want you wandering into traffic again”, and they cross the street. This prevents Drew from responding, which they know is intentional. Sometimes they wonder how Mike got so smart. He’s not the scared little kid in the cage of darkness anymore, but Drew isn’t exactly the same hero so they suppose change is just part of life. They’re so caught up in their own thoughts that they don’t realize that Mike has stopped in front of the gas station.
“I’ve got some money if you need it.” He says, waving his wallet at Drew, “Gonna get an extra large slushie and put all the flavors in it.”
You have the worst taste of any living being I have ever encountered. How were you powerful enough to drag an entire realm into your brain?
Mike laughs, “I’m going to throw in an entire bag of Skittles and mix it up real good so each sip is chunky.”
That’s it, I’m going home. Drew turns to leave but Mike grabs their arm with a bright grin.
“Come on, we’re going to need all the sugar we can get if we want to beat Tony and Teo.”
Please do not make your drink chunky.
Mike does in fact do exactly as he said he would, making eye contact with Drew as he tops off his slushie with a healthy heaping of sour Skittles.
“Gamer fuel.” He says. Drew pays for their energy drink and chugs the entire thing in one go.
“Is the god pleased?” Mike asks, holding the door open for Drew and sipping his own abomination of a drink.
Drew flicks him in the forehead, The god would be more pleased if you hadn’t mixed Coke and watermelon lime.
Mike laughs, and they move on to the basketball courts.
They hear Tony before they see him. He’s screaming about something, which turns out to be Teo. Mike starts screaming too, obviously in on the joke. Maybe it’s just a human thing.
“Drew!” Tony calls, waving his hands over his head, “Come smite this e-boy, he’s committing crimes!”
What? Drew doesn’t quite understand that one. Teo seems to just be dancing and singing. Unless that’s a crime in the human world that Drew didn’t know about. Mike rolls his eyes, “He’s just upset that Teo’s doing a Fortnite thing, don’t worry about it.”
Usually hearing “don’t worry about it” makes Drew worry even more, but they decide to take Mike’s word for it. Tony dribbles the basketball over and passes it to Drew.
“Take a few practice shots or something.”
Drew stares at the ball for a second before throwing it at the basket. It bounces off the rim and Teo catches it.
“Can’t believe the tallest one here can’t play basketball.” Teo jokes, with a grin. He tosses the ball back, and Tony shakes his head sadly.
“Alright, guess we’re going to have to teach you how to become the ultimate basketball player.” He says, shrugging as he motions for Drew to hand the ball over.
It’s not necessary. Drew takes a step back, I can pick it up as we play.
Tony looks a little confused at first, but then nods, “Right. You’re an all-powerful godling or something. Basketball isn’t like fighting monsters though. You do know that, right?”
Just because I’ve never played before doesn’t mean I won’t destroy you.
“Oh that’s it! You’re going down, big shot!” Teo cracks his knuckles and attempts to look threatening. Mike has Drew guarding Tony and the game starts. They quickly learn that Tony and Teo are a formidable force, and guarding is not as easy as it seems. Mike scores most of the points, and even then they lose by a lot. Drew thought that losing would hurt more, but the way Mike laughs it off while chugging his horrible slushie makes Drew think that losing like this isn’t that bad.
Of course losing generally is pretty bad. Drew would know, they’ve had plenty of experience.
But basketball is fun, and even when Drew gets knocked down, they can’t wait to get back up again. After a while, they can almost forget that Aldark and the Shadows are still at large, or that they have a ton of responsibilities to attend to back in Rapoville. They can forget that they’re a hero and pretend to just be a kid, and it’s like a weight is off their shoulders. They catch Mike looking at them, smiling brighter in response to Drew’s own expression. They play for hours, and Aly eventually joins them.
“My dad’s willing to drive us out of the city tonight to look at the stars.” She says, “You’ll come too, right Drew?”
I should go soon. Drew has already wasted too much time in the human world, and they know that Farmer Brown will probably have some crop stealing Baki mission for them when they get back.
“Aw, come on.” Mike grabs Drew’s sleeve and gives them puppy dog eyes, “Please? It’ll be more fun with you.”
Drew shrugs, Alright, fine. But you get to answer to M-A-R-I when the village falls apart without me.
“You might be giving yourself too much credit there.” Tony spins the basketball around on his finger, dropping it and nearly tripping over himself in his haste to recover from his mistake. Teo snickers at that, and Drew raises an eyebrow.
“Oh, Drew’s the only thing keeping that place together.” Mike waves his hand absently, “When they’re around, it’s like everything falls to them.”
“Dude, that’s so messed up. You’re just a kid!”
I’m not a kid . Drew makes a face at Tony. He doesn’t know anything about Drew or what they’ve done for Mike and this world. Aly steps in before someone can snap, “Stargazing! Come on, we’ll get dinner at a Waffle House or something!”
“Are we sure Drew can handle the raw power of a Waffle House?” Mike asks in a hushed whisper.
I can handle whatever you throw at me.
Drew cannot handle the Waffle House. Ten minutes in and a fight breaks out between two patrons, and Tony and Teo start recording videos of themselves doing strange dances before their food arrives. Aly and Mike at least try to be normal for Drew’s sake, but even they give in to the energies of the Waffle House eventually, turning on the jukebox in the restaurant and joining Tony and Teo in their videos. Bruce Lannialli tunes out the world with a podcast, sipping his coffee and existing in his own universe. Drew wishes they could do the same, but they don’t think creating a phone from thin air would be too appreciated.
Then again, it would hardly be the strangest thing going on in the restaurant.
Luckily, they get their food rather quickly considering the commotion around them, and the kids get to go outside and wait by the car while Bruce pays. Tony aims his phone camera at Drew.
“Drew, anything to say to the internet?”
I regret coming here.
“That’s the spirit!” Tony cackles as he fiddles around with his phone. Perhaps the Book of Imagination did them all some good, as Drew can’t remember them ever being this carefree with the Shadows looming over them. They’re clearly trying to get Drew to join them in their shenanigans, but the uncomfortable feeling of crossing the line between what is meant to be and what never could happen is back, and Drew wants nothing more than to distance themself from it all.
Unfortunately they have to go along with the others because if they try to get back to Rapoville from the parking lot of a Waffle House, Creator only knows where they’d end up.
Mike seems to pick up on Drew’s unease and steps in with another distraction.
“Have you ever been stargazing, Drew?”
I piloted a rocket on two separate occasions. I’ve done more than just look at the stars.
“A rocket?” Teo’s eyes light up, “Tell me everything right now!”
Drew is forced into a lengthy explanation of both the rockets they created, which spirals into a description of the Twilite Wood and Galactic Jungle. The others stare at them with wide eyes, awed by their halting story of Jowee and Sock chucking explosives out of the rocket as Drew tries to avoid enemy fire. Bruce comes out of the restaurant and they all pile back in the car, but it’s like a dam has broken and all the water is rushing out in the form of questions.
“Who’s Sock?”
“Did you say bless you when she sneezed or did you just let the cops drag her away?”
“You fought a tree? Is there anything you haven’t fought?”
Mike refrains from asking anything, knowing Drew is probably overwhelmed with the amount of questions coming their way. Besides, he already knows all of this stuff on a subconscious level.
Drew does their best to keep up with Aly, Tony, and Teo. It’s easy to not think about anything when you’re describing a whale you made in an underground ice cave, and they’re grateful for the distraction, but they’re dreading the inevitable questions about the more serious things. Mike seems to understand from the way each question makes them tense a little more, and by the time Tony asks “So what about those shadow things?” Mike is ready to step in.
“I think that’s enough for now.” He says, cutting through the growing tensions with a look that says he’ll explain himself later, “Drew’s never seen our constellations.”
Drew has seen constellations, but they were the ones Mike created, all twisted and flickering. They look forward to being able to see the real things, and they eagerly watch as the sun sinks lower and lower as Bruce drives on.
They fall asleep in the car and are nudged awake when they get to their destination. Bruce sets up the telescope he brought and starts showing the kids how to use it. Drew knows how, having spent time at the observatory recently, but Mike, Tony, and Teo seem rather new to it. They’ve stopped in a clearing on the side of a dirt road, surrounded by trees.
“This is a perfect place for a horror movie to start.” Tony remarks.
Aly hits him and he laughs.
Teo angles the telescope at a bright star in the distance and looks into it, “I just found Mars!”
Everyone scrambles for the telescope except Drew. They squint up at the star, taking in the red surrounded by bright white. It’s so similar to the world they come from, and yet it’s so different.
“I wonder if aliens are watching us right now.” Mike says, taking a step back from the telescope, “Hey Drew, come take a look at Mars.”
Drew does, and it’s foreign and familiar at the same time in the weird way that everything in the human world is. They blame Mike for that, although when one unconsciously creates an entire pocket universe, only so many creative liberties can be taken before the person starts drawing on what they know.
“Hey, I think I have some pens in the car.” Aly’s eyes light up as Drew turns to look at her, “We should draw this!”
“What, the stars?” Tony tilts his head and Aly nods vigorously.
“Yeah! Drew, you’re really good at art, right?”
I left my sketchbook behind.
They normally carry it everywhere, but in their rush to escape Mari’s maternal nagging, they forgot it back in Rapoville. The Book of Imagination doesn’t have room to draw like the Book of Life did, and they’re not sure they want to try drawing in it in fear that it might strand them between realms out of spite.
“That’s okay. You can draw on my arm if you need to.” Aly runs to the car and comes back with a box of pens, pulling one out and handing it to Drew. They only need a moment of reassurance that it’s okay before they set to work. There’s only so much they can do with the stars as is, so they move to the telescope and alternate between looking up at the sky and sketching what they see on Aly’s arm, unaware of the smug grin she sends the others.
“Okay, that’s cool.” Tony says as inky stardust spreads across Aly’s skin. He looks down at his arm in thought, “Can you do mine next?”
Drew nods absently, focusing on their work, and before they know it, they’ve agreed to draw the stars on everyone. Bruce goes back to the car to relax until the kids are ready to go, and Drew loses themself in art. By the time they’re finished, everyone has constellations across their arms.
“It’s like a little piece of the sky right in front of me.” Aly smiles as she looks down at her arm.
Drew sets the pen back in the box and tries not to feel satisfied with the praise. It’s what they were made to do, after all.
“Alright, your turn.” Mike grabs a pen and holds out his hand for Drew’s arm.
What?
“If I didn’t inherit some of your art skills from you running around in my comatose brain, I’m going to riot.” Mike offers instead of an actual explanation. Drew tentatively holds out their arm, and the next thing they know their sleeve has been rolled up and Aly, Tony, and Teo have grabbed pens as well and have started drawing. They go from drawing the stars to drawing whatever comes to mind. Tony starts something but Aly quickly scribbles it out. Teo writes his name on Drew’s arm in big capital letters and surrounds it with squiggly lines and polka dots. Drew is forced to stay silent, unable to sign anything to ask what they’re doing. They have to wait for the finished product, and it’s a long wait.
“Stop drawing in my space!” Mike complains, pushing Tony away and causing him to draw a line across Drew’s arm, right through one of Aly’s drawings of a stick figure with a sword raised to the sky. Aly punches him in the arm, but not hard enough to hurt.
Eventually everyone backs away, and Drew doesn’t know whether to be awed or horrified at the abominations that grace their arm. Aly pulls out her phone and tries to take a picture of her arm next to Drew’s, and then everyone is lining up, scribbles surrounded on both sides by constellations from a pen.
“What do you think?” Mike asks, looking up at Drew expectantly. Drew can’t respond, too busy staring down at their arm.
They’re a canvas. Just a blank canvas for people to draw on, but this doesn’t feel like it did when the Creator painstakingly drew them into existence, it’s making them feel something so overwhelmingly warm they might need a moment to sit down.
“Drew, did we do something wrong?”
Oh, this is love. They’ve felt it before when Mari smiled at them after a mission gone right, or when Jowee would come onto new islands with them and they’d get to work solving problems. They’ve never been this overwhelmed by it though. It’s like being in the human world has turned up their emotions by a hundred.
“Are they crying? Mike, what do we do?”
It’s a stupid thing to feel emotional over. They drew on everyone else’s arms, so why wouldn’t the others draw on their arm as well? But the longer they look down at the drawings, the more the warm feeling swells in their chest, making everything feel compressed. It’s almost reminiscent of an anxiety attack, but this time they don’t feel anxious, they just feel love .
A hand startles them out of their thoughts, and they look up to see four concerned faces staring up at them. Mike’s eyes are wide in a silent question.
I love you. Drew signs, because words are difficult and they want to make sure there’s no room for miscommunication.
Mike’s expression softens, and he offers a smile.
“We love you too!” Aly throws her arms around Drew, and the next thing they know, they’re falling backwards under the weight of everyone. They don’t mind, even when they hit the ground a little harder than they expected. At least this time they’re surrounded by friends.
Bruce calls for them, telling Aly to bring the telescope back so they can head home. She picks it up and carries it back, with the others trailing behind her. Drew can’t stop staring at their arm. Teo jogs ahead of them.
“Who’s the better artist?”
Aly.
“Okay, but who’s the better artist that isn’t Aly?”
Mike.
Teo pouts, “Fine. Out of Tony and I, who’s better?”
Drew makes direct eye contact with Tony, signing slowly to make sure he gets it.
You’re better, Teo.
“You take that back!” Tony jumps at Drew, who sidesteps easily. Tony is uncoordinated compared to the creatures Drew has faced. It’s not a fight Tony can win, and he seems to know it from the way he backs off, jamming his hands in his pockets and stalking off. Drew knows they’ll be forgiven soon. Tony isn’t the one to hold grudges, especially now that he’s not under the influence of the shadows. They pile back into the car, and Bruce begins the drive back into town.
“So, Drew, you’re staying for the sleepover, right?” Aly asks with an innocent smile.
Drew looks at Mike with a frown, and Mike shrugs sheepishly.
“I was going to mention it when we got back to the house.”
You set me up . Drew observes, Are you ever going to let me go back home?
“Yeah… eventually.” Mike concedes, “I wanted to spend more time with you, and you needed a break from everything.”
“It’s probably too late for you to go back to your realm anyways.” Tony says with a sharp grin.
Actually, the day and night cycles are swapped. Drew shoots back. The others share an uneasy look, as if they hadn’t expected this turn of events.
“You didn’t mention that.” Teo whispers to Mike.
“Don’t worry, we’ve got them.” Mike reassures him. He doesn’t look away from Drew the entire time. They’re locked in a battle of wills. The boy who dragged an entire world into his brain and the hero sworn to protect him.
I suppose if you want me to stay for a bit, I could.
Mike leans back in his seat, “We do. So, do you need blankets and pillows? Maybe a change of clothes? I think Heather’s stuff might be big enough to fit you.”
Drew nods, and Mike goes on about the sleepover. They’ve never had a sleepover before, so they don’t know much about the rituals that Mike, Aly, Tony, and Teo are talking about. They tune out the conversation and wonder why the world looks so much different when darkness falls.
Bruce drops them off at Mike’s house, and Aly pulls a suitcase out of the trunk. She says goodbye to her dad and everyone goes inside. Heather is waiting in the living room with a mug of hot chocolate.
“Hey guys. Hi Drew.” She gives a little wave, “Welcome to the party zone.”
The party zone consists of the living room, strewn with blankets, and the dining area, the table piled with snacks.
“Can Drew borrow some of your clothes?” Mike asks, throwing himself on the couch and taking a sip of Heather’s drink.
Heather pulls the mug away, “Of course. Aly, if you want to go up and throw your stuff in my room you can.”
“Thanks, Heather!” Aly grins and takes Drew’s hand, “I’ll show them where your clothes are so they can find something.”
Drew is led upstairs, given a set of pajamas hand selected by Aly, and directed to the bathroom to change. She’s waiting outside the door when they’re done.
“Do a twirl!” She demands.
Seeing no other option, Drew listlessly twirls around and Aly claps.
“It’s weird to see you in something other than that t-shirt.” She says as they walk downstairs, “I mean in a good way of course.”
When in the human world, one must act human. Drew signs with a shrug. They still remember the first time they landed in the realm of humans, cut off from Creation and finally free.
Immediately after getting spat out by the Book of Imagination, they tripped and fell into a bush. It wasn’t their finest moment.
“Looking good, Drew!” Heather calls from the couch, “I might have to get you a set of those PJs to take home.”
“Aly, can you please sit between Tony and I?” Mike gives her the best puppy dog eyes he can muster, and Aly laughs. She shoves herself between Mike and Tony, and Drew sits down next to Heather. She starts a movie on the TV, and Drew is introduced to the first of many sleepover rituals. Heather puts her head on their shoulder, complains that they’re too bony, but doesn’t move, and once again Drew is overwhelmed with that warm feeling. It doesn’t go away for the whole night.
Even when Tony and Teo gang up on everyone else in a board game and almost start a war that’s loud enough to bother Mike and Heather’s uncle. They’re forced to retreat upstairs shortly after that. Aly and Heather invite Drew to stay in Heather’s room for some peace and quiet, but Mike insists that he, Tony, and Teo can be quiet and they drag Drew in with them.
“So…” Tony begins as he throws his sleeping bag down on the ground, “You know how they’ve got that summer school program?”
“Yeah.” Mike mumbles from his bed as he burrows under the covers.
“Well, I signed up for a coding class. You know, to get some extra credits, and I’ve been thinking about making a game.”
“What kind of game?” Mike leans over the side of his bed, interest piqued.
Teo grins, “One about fighting shadows.”
Tony looks over at Drew, who’s been sitting rather uncomfortably on their borrowed sleeping bag.
“I could use some help with storytelling.” He admits.
Drew doesn’t want to relive all those memories yet. They don’t want to think about the darkness or Aldark, or even Wilfre. They stare at Tony’s earnest expression and try not to lose themself to the bad times. Perhaps they can’t give Tony anything of substance for his game, but they can give other things.
The first time I was summoned, we had a snowball fight in the village. They say, knowing that all eyes are on them, It was before Mike. I had never been in a snowball fight before and I lost.
They talk about the little things. The drawings they brought to life, the Raposa who helped them on their quests, and of course they talk about Mike. How he went off the turtle one time and almost immediately got attacked by Robosa. How he was found cowering in a cage of darkness and almost started a fight over whose ears were the right size. Mike’s face is flushed as he protests the stories, but he’s laughing as much as Tony and Teo.
“I think I know what I want my game to be.” Tony says, eyes both bright and tired. It’s sometime after midnight, and they’ve entered that hazy period where they’re not fully aware of what they’re saying. Chances are none of them will remember what they’re talking about by morning, but Drew feels significantly less awkward, and everyone else seems content, so it’s a victory. There’s just one issue that weighs on Drew’s mind, and Drew’s too tired to censor their thoughts.
Why did you do this? They ask. At Mike’s confused look, they change the wording.
Why did you invite me here, drag me out of town, and then get me to sleep over at your house?
“Because we’re friends?” Mike frowns, “You’re cool, and we like spending time with you.”
Teo nods, “Yeah, you’re like the only person who could take Tony and I in a fight.”
But I have friends and they don’t do this.
“Your friends are adults though.” Tony says with a dismissive wave of his hand, “And it seems like every time you’re with them the world is ending. Of course they won’t do the same things we do.”
“Also none of us can use the therapy book thing on you.” Mike yawns and pulls his blankets up further, “So we’ve just got to show you that it’s okay to not carry the weight of the world on your shoulders or something.”
Normally Drew would be offended. They’d slip off somewhere to hide out in hopes of everyone forgetting the conversation. They’re too tired to do so, however, so instead they burrow into the sleeping bag.
Goodnight, I guess.
“‘Night, guys.” Mike yawns again as he turns off the light on the bedside table. The sentiment is echoed around the room. It’s silent for a few minutes, and then Teo starts giggling.
“Shut up.” Tony hisses.
This sets Mike off, and soon everyone is shushing each other. Drew closes their eyes, focusing on the warm feeling in their chest. They know things will go back to normal in the morning. They’ll be back to just being a Creation, and the others will probably want a break from them, but for the moment they can pretend that they’re just like the others.
They can pretend that they’re loved as deeply as they love their friends.