Chapter Text
Red paint all set out in a fancily decorated circle all around Tommy, geometric shapes making up some sort of spell. There were symbols, some he recognized, others that were new and he couldn’t place any sort of meaning to. He was stuck, he couldn’t move from where he was standing in the very center. It all felt too familiar, he half expected to feel the searing pain etch itself into his back again, a mark that proclaimed him ready to take on the worlds and all their challenges. He wasn’t. He was smart enough to know he was too young, too small to handle himself. Apparently he was also too small to bother taking care of too.
There was a man sitting just a few feet away, knelt down on his knees with his hands planted on the outer ring of the circle. He looked just as shocked to see Tommy as Tommy was to see him. Tommy had never seen anyone who looked so much like himself. The only thing the man was missing was a tail. Tommy would have counted his horns as well, but he had always been told the small bumps that barely broke the skin of his forehead didn’t really count.
Well, all that, and dark shadowy wings that stretched over the man's back. They looked almost translucent. If Tommy squinted, he could probably see the room behind them. There were only a few people with wings in his old home, they were the ones who had performed the ceremony that left him on his own. If someone like him could get strong enough to have wings, maybe Tommy would be able to as well. If he survived this encounter, that is.
The man opened his blue eyes and stared at Tommy.
The first words out of his mouth were, “what the fuck?”
Tommy blinked a few times, then scowled. “The fuck’re you looking at?”
Should he be challenging someone who was so obviously more powerful than him? No, he had learned that many times over. But he also wouldn’t just take being looked at like some sort of spectacle either.
“You’re a child,” the summoner pointed out.
“And? What’s it to you, huh?” No one had ever cared how old he was before. Not when the older kids would chase him down and pull his tail and hair. Not when he was forced to stand in a circle eerily similar to this one and go through a painful ritual. Not when he was sent out on his own and left for dead.
“I thought only adult demons could be summoned.”
“Well maybe I’m special, ever think of that?”
“Are you even allowed to be here? Demons are pretty protective over their spawn, did you manage to sneak through or something? Should I send you back?”
"I was too strong for them to deal with me, so they let me have my ceremony early." It wasn't a complete lie, it was technically true that they couldn't handle him at his old village. Besides, demons were supposed to lie, weren't they?
“Kid, you barely look seven years old. I don’t think anyone’s expecting you to be strong right now. Besides, if you were, they’d just train you, not send you out early. Is something wrong?” The wings on the summoner’s back faded, and he paced across the symbols on the floor to crouch down next to Tommy, his face… odd. He’d never really seen that look much, other than on some of the nicer demons’ faces.
"I'm big enough to take care of myself. I wouldn't be here if I weren't, right?"
“You’re still a child. Do you have a safe place back there? Should I send you back? Do you want to go back?”
Tommy stopped to think about it for a moment, he wouldn't call where he was living as particularly safe , but it wasn't really dangerous either. That didn't mean he liked it though, maybe this place was better. "Depends, where are we now?"
“The common realm. Earth. I’m Philza. Can you tell me your name? Preferably quietly?”
There had been a few times Tommy had overheard adults telling other kids something about sharing names with people in the common realm. But this was another demon right? He looked like Tommy, so it seemed like a logical assumption. "I'm Tommy!" He chirped, his name was always something he was proud of, it was something no one could ruin for him, no matter what.
“It’s good to meet you. Do you want to stay here, or do you want me to send you back?”
Tommy tilted his head questioningly. "Why would I wanna go back? You're like me, right?"
“Oh, I’m human. You just look particularly like a human. We’re not the same species, but… I guess we do look rather alike.” Philza smiled.
Tommy looked from his hands to Philza's. His own had short, but sharp claws, while Philza's ended bluntly. The more he looked, the more differences he spotted. "Oh… They called me human a lot back home."
It was always said like some sort of insult, like he was something far more evil and vile than whatever crawled in the darkest pits of the underworld. Now he felt a bit more skeptical, there had to be some other motive, why else would he have been brought here? Tommy's eyes narrowed into a sharp scowl. "Why'd you summon me?"
“Well, to be honest, I wanted someone to be able to talk to my son. He’s a bit, ah… reckless, sometimes. He doesn’t know how to talk to most humans, so I’m trying to get him to talk to non-humans first. Would you like to meet him?”
Tommy pulled his tail into his hands, holding the extra appendage close to his chest. "He won't be mean, will he?"
“Not intentionally. I’ve been teaching him what’s good to say and what’s not good to say, so he should be pretty well-behaved. I’m sorry if he gives you trouble. He’s a little… mischievous.”
"Okay," Tommy started hesitantly. "But if he does anything I'm gonna bite him."
“And one more thing: don’t tell him your name until I say it’s okay.”
It sounded a bit fishy, but if meant Tommy could leave this fucking circle, then he would follow whatever strange rules he was given. "Alright, take me to him then."
“Alright.” Philza turned and took his hand, leading him out into a surprisingly neat hall, something that looked like a plant but much more colorful than he had ever seen decorating its sides. “Wil! You can come out now!”
A slightly blue-skinned humanoid emerged from one of the doors, beaming. “You got it?! Awesome! Ooh, you’re small.” The humanoid, Wil, crouched next to Tommy, addressing him directly now. “Like a baby. I like babies. What’s your name?”
"I'm-" Tommy cut himself off just in time, shooting a glare at Wil. "Why do you wanna know, huh? And I'm not a fuckin' baby!"
“‘Cause you’re small! Come on, just tell me-”
“ Wilbur. No name stealing,” Philza chided.
“Me? No, I wouldn’t do anything to anyone’s name, ever. What do you take me for?” Wilbur’s eyes went wide.
“I can feel you trying to use magic. Plus, you’re literally wearing Techno’s horn ring.”
“It’s not that! No, I would never steal. It’s… a necklace. A new one.”
“What did we say about theft ?”
At that, Wilbur let out a dramatic sigh and rolled his eyes. “Not to do it.”
“I gave you a book of common names. You can let him keep his. Make it protected.”
Wilbur rolled his eyes again. “Fine. Okay, demon, now you can say your name.”
“ Wil.”
After a pause, Philza nodded. “There we go. See, that wasn’t so hard. Go ahead, it’s safe now.”
Tommy stared warily for a moment, then nodded to himself. Philza said it was safe and hadn't seemed to have lied so far, Tommy knew well what that would've looked like, he'd seen plenty of people lie before. He held out a hand to Wil. "My name is Tommy."
“Aww, that’s a good name. Wish I could have taken it, but, oh well. Can’t do that anymore.” The weird person shook his hand.
"You're weird." Tommy muttered, pulling his hand back.
“No, I’m Wilbur! I’m a fae.” And before Tommy knew it, Wilbur was standing behind him, gripping his shoulder. “I do all sorts of cool stuff! Like theft . Do you like theft?”
"I mean, I guess." Tommy had needed to steal sometimes, just so he could keep himself going. Sometimes the pity scraps of food people would give him just weren't enough.
“Then you’re gonna love this!” Wilbur grabbed underneath Tommy’s arms and picked him up, ignoring the startled sound he made.
“ Wilbur! Don’t steal the child!”
“But he’s small,” the fae complained, still holding Tommy by the arms.
"I am not!" Tommy shrieked. "I'm big and strong and I'll bite your fucking arm off!"
“You’re adorable,” Wilbur fawned and changed his grip so that he was more so hugging Tommy from the back than holding him. “Can we keep him, Philza? Please?”
" What?!" Tommy began wriggling around. "I'm not a fucking pet! This is- this is kidnapping ! You can't make me do anything, we haven't even made a deal!"
“He’s right, let him down. Unless he wants to stay, we can’t force him to. Put him down,” Philza chided.
Wilbur reluctantly let Tommy down, a sour look on his face, complaining under his breath.
"Thanks, asshole." Tommy bit out, then turned to Philza. "So, what kind of deal did you wanna make?"
He didn't want to admit that he had no clue how deals were actually supposed to work. He'd heard it in passing, but no one actually took the time to explain it to him .
“I need a little bit of background before I make an offer. Do you like where you came from?” Philza sat down on the floor opposite Tommy, and Wilbur backed away.
Tommy looked down at himself, at how his old clothes were covered in dirt, rips, and what was pretty sure were specks of blood. He saw each scar, new and old, easily able to recognize where they came from. Most of all though he remembered why , why he couldn't just change from his ruined clothes, or bandage up every wound and he felt a sort of vindictive bitterness wash over him. "Can't say that I do. Then again, I don't think they ever really liked me much either."
“Alright. Is there anyone there who you would miss or who would miss you if you were to stay here long-term?”
“Do I fuckin’ look like someone anybody would miss?” Tommy snapped, lips curled into a snarl and showing the jagged row of sharp baby teeth he still had.
“You do. I haven’t known you long, but I would definitely miss you if you were to leave. So, here’s the deal. You stay here, in the overworld, and put up with Wilbur and Techno in exchange for food, shelter, care, and companionship. We can ask simple, reasonable things from you and you don’t have to do it, and you’re free to ask us for anything you need. If it’s reasonable, we’ll do our best to supply it.”
“So what, I just have to put up with you guys and you’ll just let me stay here? I won’t have to leave, even if I steal food or something?” Tommy wasn’t sure how deals worked, but he was pretty sure he was supposed to have to trick his way into getting the most benefit out of one, not just have it handed to him on a silver platter.
“Of course. You won’t need to steal anything, though. If you ask, we’ll gladly give it to you.”
Tommy stared skeptically. “What’s the catch?” Because there was always a catch, a grand deal like that was always just the bidding coin, the bait that would reel in a fish, Tommy knew better than to just trust it outright.
“Well, I’d prefer you be safe, but there’s no real catch. I’ll make a Divine Promise if that would make you feel more safe.”
A Divine Promise, Tommy felt himself grin, if there was one thing he was taught, it was how to get exactly what you wanted out of one of those. He just had to put his highest demands on the table first, and let Philza decide if it was reasonable or not, he probably wouldn’t, but Tommy could handle a small barter.
“Okay, then you have promise to let me eat as much as I want, whenever I want. I get to have my own room with a bed and I want extra clothes too. You can’t hurt me either, even if I’m bad. And uhh…” Tommy trailed off, trying to think of something else to add to the list, but there was nothing else that really came to mind. “That’s all.”
“Of course,” Philza agreed easily. “That was already what I was planning on doing, anyways.”
No argument, no bartering, just easy acceptance. It was weird .
Tommy stuck his hand out expectantly. “Then swear it.”
“I swear, by the name of the gods, that I, Philza Craft, will do the most I can to uphold the deal of the demon Tommy. He will stay in the overworld with more than enough food, shelter, care, and companionship, with a room, a bed, and proper clothes. I, as well as Wilbur and Techno, will not hurt him under any circumstance. He will be free to make his own choices under my custody.” Philza clasped his hands again, and his shadow-wings extended, blue eyes glowing briefly. He shook Tommy’s hand.
Tommy could feel the small rush of magic as the promise was sealed. That only really left his end of the deal then, didn't it?
He took a deep breath, then he paused. That was only a promise, he still didn't know how to make a proper deal. He glanced up at Philza. It couldn't hurt to ask, right? Phil had already made it so Tommy would get nearly everything he could want in the first place. "Uh, what am I supposed to do now?"
“You don’t have to do anything. I don’t need a formal deal. I just want to make sure you’re safe.” Philza smiled fondly. The wings on his back faded once more.
"So… That's it? I just get to stay here now?" To say Tommy was confused would be an understatement. This guy went against every single principal he had ever been taught. He never even really asked for anything, living in someone else's house meant dealing with the people that lived there. That was just a given.
“Yep. If you want to do chores or help out around the house, that would be appreciated, but you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”
It was strange, everything about this was strange and new and Tommy had never been anywhere where someone actually wanted his help. He was always either too weak, or small, or dirty. It always left him feeling somewhat useless, made it hurt more when others said so too.
"You… want my help?" Tommy couldn't quite understand why someone would want him around at all. He had nothing to give, nothing he could contribute that they didn't already have, he was almost certain of it.
“If you want to give it. I could teach you how to sweep or do the dishes. I could always get help with things like that.”
Tommy's eyes widened, and his pupils dilated into large discs. "You'll teach me?!"
Philza laughed and ruffled his hair. “Of course. I’d be happy to.”
Tommy gripped at Philza's cloak, bouncing with excitement. "Teach me, right now!"
“We need you to get settled in first-” The sorcerer seemed fond and amused, keeping his hand on Tommy’s head.
"But I wanna help now!" Tommy knew he was probably being annoying, that he sounded whiny, but he didn't want to do nothing , he didn't want to be useless anymore. "I can be good, I promise I won't get in the way."
“I’m not worried about that. I’m sure you’ll be very helpful, Tommy. I just usually do housework a bit later. But if you want to, you can meet Techno, I’ll show you around a bit, and then you can help me hang clothes on the washline. How does that sound? The first two shouldn’t take too long.”
Tommy nodded frantically while bouncing on his heels. He was practically shoving Philza towards the doorway and he could hear Wil snicker somewhere nearby. "Come on, let's go!"
“I am, I am,” Philza chuckled. He opened the door and, as if on cue, a rather large boar trotted towards it, its tusks curved and sharp. But the sorcerer didn’t look surprised. He just grinned. “Right on time, Techno!”
Tommy couldn't contain the high pitched squeal when he saw the animal walk in. It reminded him of the hoglins that wandered the underworld, but softer looking, more friendly, almost cute, despite the fact that it was bigger than him. He carefully reached a hand out to it's snout, unsure of if he'd be allowed to pet it or not. "Hello there, what're you?"
It put its snout forward into his hand and then, under his fingertips, transformed. It seemed as if the shadows themselves morphed it and, despite clearly remembering it as a hoglin, he stood in front of a dragon, wondering if that was what it had been all along.
“I’m Phil’s companion. My name is Technoblade,” the dragon said simply.
Tommy ran his hand over coarse fur turned scales, a smile pulling at his lips as he stared on in wonder. "How did you do that?!"
“I’m a shapeshifter. I can switch into any form, including-” The shadows seemed to morph around him again, until there was a human with braided pink hair holding Tommy’s hand in his. “A human. Or, roughly. It’s good enough to pass off in towns.”
"You need to pretend to be a human?" Tommy furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. So far, the people he'd met have been nice, nothing worth hiding from.
“People get touchy about non-humans. Hence why Phil here was planning on summoning a demon instead of just asking another human for Wilbur’s development. Traditional ‘monsters’ like fae, vampires, demons, and lycanthropes tend to get the worst end of the deal. But, you look pretty human, so I don’t think you’ll have any trouble passing off as one, since I can already tell Phil wants to take you under his wing.”
"But…" Tommy turned to look at Phil, then back to Techno. "He doesn't have wings right now."
“It’s an expression. He wants to have you under his care,” Techno clarified.
Tommy's mouth formed an 'o' and he nodded, that made a bit more sense. "So, we're supposed to hide then? Like a secret or something?"
“Exactly. Keep the fact that you’re a demon to this group unless we tell you too. There are bad things out there.”
"Okay!" Tommy chirped, then he lowered his voice to a whisper, bringing himself closer to Techno's ear. "I'm really good at keeping secrets."
“That’s good.” Techno smiled. “What kind of secrets have you kept?”
Tommy narrowed his eyes, he wouldn't fall for a trick like that . "Well if I told you, it wouldn't be a secret anymore!"
“Good. I was hoping you’d say that.” Techno nodded. “You’ll do fine, kid.” The shapeshifter looked up at Phil. “Do you want me to prepare the guest bedroom?”
“Yes, please. Thanks, Techno.”
“Alright, well, you and Phil do whatever you want to do. I’m sure you’ll fit right in, Tommy.”
(Huh. That was weird. Tommy never told Techno his name.)
Maybe Phil or Wilbur told him when Tommy was distracted. Tommy nodded to himself, that made sense, then he turned back to Phil. "Can I help now?"
Phil smiled and took his hand. “Sure. I can show you around later, since you want to go now. It’ll give Techno time to prep your room, anyway.”
"Yes!" Tommy grabbed Phil's sleeve and began tugging him along yet again. "Hurry up, I wanna go!"
“Alright, alright.” Phil laughed. “Here’s how you do it-”
---
Tommy shook out a damp shirt, trying to manually get rid of any wrinkles. Once he was satisfied, he draped it over the clothesline and reached into a small basket for some pins to keep it in place. He went through the motions almost mechanically, like it was second nature to him. It practically was at this point, he had been washing, hanging, folding and sorting laundry for nearly six years now. He had gotten bigger, big enough he could properly reach the clotheslines without needing a stool to stand on. Unfortunately, he was still much smaller than anyone else in the house. Though he did eventually figure out that Techno kept making his pig form bigger as Tommy grew.
He always said he had made himself smaller from the start so he wouldn’t scare Tommy, but Tommy didn’t entirely believe it. Techno probably just didn’t want him to be the taller one. That was fine though, it meant Tommy wouldn’t hurt him when climbing onto his back.
The grass felt soft on the bottom of his feet. He’d always been scolded for tracking dirt into the house when he was younger, but he couldn’t be bothered to wear shoes either. Eventually it got to the point that Phil stopped buying them for him, knowing it was just a waste of time and money if Tommy would just take them off and find some place to hide them the first chance he got. No one but Wilbur knew that the place he always hid them was in the tall tree near the garden. Besides, the pads on the bottoms of his feet were plenty enough protection from things like thorns and splinters. Tommy refused to count the time he stepped on broken glass at anything more than a fluke. It wasn’t his fault, it looked shiny and he didn’t know what it was! Everything in the underworld was too sturdy to just break.
Just as the laundry basket was nearing empty, Tommy heard a window click open. He turned to see Phil gesture for him to come over. He nodded and quickly hung the last few remaining items and took the baskets, running to the back door and making his way inside. The rest of his family were all sat around the kitchen table, all wearing different expressions of worry and concern.
Tommy carefully made his way over, stopping just behind his own empty chair. “What’s going on?”
Phil and Wilbur glanced towards Techno, who simply said, “Chat’s been acting up.”
Chat, the plethora of voices in Techno’s head, was due to a mistake made years ago, before Tommy was even spawned. Phil, still new to the art of necromancy and desperate after the loss of his familiar and best friend, hadn’t limited the field of his spell, and the spirits of the dead buried next to Techno took partial residence in the shapeshifter’s mind.
Honestly, it had been a shock to learn that Techno died, but the unnatural knowledge of Chat explained a lot about how Techno knew things he wasn’t supposed to know. Them acting up randomly was a bad sign in and of itself.
Tommy glanced around nervously, pulling his chair out from the table and taking a seat. “Well, what have they been saying?”
“Something bad is about to happen. I don’t know what yet, but it doesn’t sound good. Something about danger.”
Warnings from the voices didn’t come often, at least, no warnings that warranted the whole family to gather around and discuss the topic. Sometimes one or two of them would give little hints of some incoming mishap, but the rest usually drowned them out. If they were being loud enough Techno could make things out that clearly, that meant that there were enough of them shouting in Techno’s ear to make it concerning.
“I suggest we prepare. For what, I don’t know, but I’d stock up on preserves just in case it’s something we need to wait out. They’re not giving me many clues, but, from what I’m hearing, it’s about humans, so we might have to lay low for a bit.”
Tommy sat up straighter, planting his hands on the table. “I can help get things from town!”
“You’re probably the best one to do it. Wilbur would probably steal-”
“I would not!”
“You would. Anyways, Wilbur would probably steal something, Chat’s screaming at me, and Phil has his reputation. I know you can handle it. You’ve handled it before. But just like always, be careful. Hide your tail, horns, and tongue. I’ve heard rumors about things lurkin’ in the shadows,” Techno warned.
“I will! Thank you Techno!” Tommy leapt out of his chair, only pausing in his run for the front door to grab an extra bag to carry food in. “I’ll be back soon, love you!”
“Love you, too!” Wilbur waved back, just as enthused.
“Be home before dark!” Phil reminded him.
Tommy didn’t give a response as the door slammed shut behind him. The sun was still high and warm, it reminded Tommy of the underworld, but in a far more pleasant way. Like how easily he could sit near a bright pool of lava and be kept warm for endless hours at a time. He could feel the dirt that slowly turned to gravel as he neared the edge of town. He paused just before the first houses came into view and moved his hair so it blocked the barely there horns and wrapped his tail around his waist, keeping it hidden underneath his shirt.
Tommy broke back into a sprint, he had to get to the shopping district fast if he wanted to get what they needed and be home before dark. Only, he was suddenly tugged to a halt, it took him a moment to register that someone was holding his arm. He glared up at the man. “Hey, what gives? I’ve got places to be, food to get.”
The man had black hair and a scar over one of his eyes. He put his free hand up. “Sorry, sorry. Mind if I check for turn marks real quick? I know the sun’s still out, but there’s a crackdown for these types of things. Protocol. Can’t be having vamps around, after all.” He sounded friendly enough, but it was just a cruel reminder of the realities of the world.
“Yeah, yeah sure.” Tommy held out his wrists after tugging the sleeves of his shirt up. “See? I’ve got nothin’ to hide.”
“Yep, you’re clear!” The man smiled. “Sorry for the inconvenience. Have a good day.”
“Yeah, you too!” Tommy waved as he turned back around. He gave his hands a hard shake, nervously rubbing them up and down his arms. It always left him nervous when he’d run into checkers. None of them had found out about him yet, but he was terrified to know what they’d do if they ever did.
Ah, well. Hopefully, it wouldn’t get to that point. He skulked away to the place he knew he would get little in terms of preserves, but the prices, quality, and company would be much better.
Niki’s bakery. The scent tempted him in, and he greeted the siren at the counter, who beamed at him.
“Tommy! It’s good to see you! Have you gotten taller, or am I just short?” She laughed in good humor, her voice chiming with the sound. Niki did well to hide her inhumanities, even though it wasn’t much of a secret. Apparently, it was good for business to be as humanlike as possible, but she didn’t want to hide the fact that she was a siren. Thankfully, those weren’t seen as that dangerous, so she still got some foot traffic, even though the bakery was near-empty most of the time.
Tommy couldn't decide whether he wanted to take the compliment, or tease her with her own joke. After a moment of thought, he decided on the former. Maybe if he was nice she would give him a discount or something.
"Oh, Niki, you flatter me."
She rolled her eyes and grinned. “Sure, sure. I’m gonna be closing shop soon and it’s empty, do you want to go to the back to talk? You can have some of the leftovers from the day.”
"Yes please!" Tommy chirped with a grin. "I'm supposed to be stocking up, so I'll take whatever you're willing to give me right now."
Niki started towards the back. “Stocking up? Has Phil picked up another?”
Tommy shook his head, and leaned in close to Niki, lowering his voice into a conspiratorial whisper. "Techno's been hearing about some bad shit again. So we're getting ready to lay low for a while."
“Ah.” Niki closed the back room door behind her. “Alright. Well, I’ll come and visit if you need it. And you can let your tail out now, nobody’s here to see.”
"Oh thank fuck." Tommy muttered as he let his tail uncoil. "It always gets stuck all twisty if I keep it like that for too long and Wilbur makes fun of me for it."
“Hiding monster traits is exhausting,” she agreed with a sigh as she lowered herself into a pool of water she always kept in the back. “My webs make it easier to bake, but nobody seems to notice as long as I have a voice that has the possibility of enchanting someone.”
"It fucking sucks, man. I mean, I'm not sure if it's as bad as how I was treated in the underworld, but at least they weren't actively trying to kill me!"
“Exactly. This place is friendly for monsters compared to the other towns, and they still do turn checks. And there’s not a day where I don’t get a nasty note or comment telling me to close this place down. It’s bad, Tommy. I’m glad there are still people like Phil around.”
Tommy pulled his arms around himself in a mockery of a hug. “We aren’t all bad, everyone- Humans can be wicked too sometimes, why do we all have to be punished for that shit?”
“I don’t know,” she murmured quietly.
Before Tommy could speak again, the back door opened, and he came face-to-face with a stranger with red and blue eyes.
“What the fuck?” The man asked, taking a step back at the sight of Tommy.
Tommy couldn’t help the sharp hiss that slipped out, forked tongue flicking at the man. “The fuck’re you supposed to be?”
“Oh, hell no. Where the fuck did you come from, what are you doing here?”
“Jack-”
“Niki, that’s a full demon! How the hell’d he get here?!”
“I’m a paying customer, you ass!” Tommy growled out.
“Not if they find you! Look, just- I’ll get you back where you have to be, I know how to make a summoning circle to get you back to the underworld.” Jack spoke quickly, seemingly agitated.
“The fuck are you talking about?” Tommy backed away, doing his best to step behind Niki. “Why the hell would I ever want to go back there?!”
“Because that’s where you should be! You’re a demon! You’ll only get in trouble up here.”
“Jack, really, he’s not-”
“I can take care of myself just fine! No ones caught me yet, you just got lucky because you don’t know how to fucking knock!”
And, to his horror, Jack grabbed his wrist and rushed out the back door. Sticking out under his sweater, Tommy could barely see a short pointed tail flick back and forth. “I’m not going to let you ruin this for me. If they find you, they’re going to look for me, too.”
Tommy struggled, pulling at his arm and hissing indignantly. “Let me go ! I didn’t fucking do anything wrong!”
He could feel his pulse quickening, he wanted Niki. He wanted Wilbur and Techno and Phil. He wanted to curl up in his bed under the covers. He wanted to go home .
“Because you’re a-”
A shadowy figure interrupted Jack, voice smoother than ice. “Now what’s all this about?”
Both demons tensed, then Tommy yanked his arm out of Jack’s grasp. They shared one glance, it only lasted a beat, but there was a small, unwavering bit of understanding that passed between them. If they said the wrong thing, then they were both fucked, and a lot more people in town probably would be too. Tommy swallowed, trying to come up with a good lie, one that would be easy for Jack to go along with.
“Nothing, we were just uh… Having a little disagreement is all. Nothing too serious, sorry to disturb you, Sir.”
“I’m well versed in disagreements. I can help solve it, if you’d like.” The man’s voice was like a purr, strange and fascinating and oddly terrifying.
Tommy shifted away. “Oh, no. It’s fine, we really should be getting home now anyways, right, Jack?”
“Oh- right, right. Yep. Everything’s fine.” Jack nodded quickly.
“Oh, but I don’t think it is,” the stranger laughed, and when Tommy blinked, the man was behind him, twirling the demon’s tail in his hand. “Because I don’t think many humans are supposed to have tails.”
Tommy jumped back with a hiss, flicking his tongue at the man as he yanked his tail back into his own hand. “I- I wasn’t-” He felt a high whine escape his throat as he slowly backed away. “I didn’t do anything wrong, I just wanted to get some food, I swear!”
“Ah, I knew there would be an infestation soon. Well, it’s not my town, but I suppose I could offer my services.” The stranger smiled. Tommy still couldn’t see his eyes under his black cloak.
“There- there’s not!” Tommy looked to Jack, just for a moment before making a decision. “I’m the only one here, probably for miles even!”
Jack stared at him, and he looked grateful. Yeah, he should. Asshole.
“Hmm. Well, I suppose…” The stranger leaned forward and pressed something into Tommy’s hand. “That makes it all the more fun.”
Tommy’s tail twitched nervously as he stared up at the man. “Makes… What more fun?” He wasn’t sure if he actually wanted to know.
“I’m giving you a head start. You have until tomorrow morning. If I find you again-” A bird swooped down in the glowing light of the sunset, landing on his shoulder. It was absolutely massive, and yet somehow, it balanced along his shoulder. He looked up, and Tommy was facing unnaturally green eyes. “I get to do whatever I want.”
Tommy stared, only taking a moment to process the words, then he was off, shooting away from the quiet alleyway like a bullet. He heard people’s shouts of surprise, some of concern and others of annoyance when he nearly knocked them over. He paid them no mind, not even bothering to apologize like he usually would. He just had to get home, he had to hide .
Cobble, gravel, dirt, grass. It felt like there was no transition at all between the textures under his feet. He only paused when he felt polished wood, hearing the small clack underneath his claws. He didn’t even realize how empty his lungs felt until he was crouched on the floor, gasping for air. He heard shouts of alarm, and something loudly scraping on the floor, but it all sounded so far away. He could hardly bring himself to focus when a hand was placed on his shoulder.
“-ommy, are you alright?” That was Phil’s voice, deep and concerned.
“There- there was-” Tommy took a huge gulp of air. “In town- A hunter.”
“A hunter?” Wilbur asked, crouching next to him. “No, this- this town doesn’t have hunters.”
“There was!” Tommy insisted. “I don’t why, but he was there and he- Wil he was fuckin up to… something.”
He couldn’t tell them. They’d never let him leave the house again- no, if that hunter followed him, what would happen to them? If they knew, if they lied for him? He didn’t want to be alone again, he didn’t want to lose them.
“Did he find you? Did he find out you were a demon?” That was Techno, and he sounded more worried than Tommy had ever heard him before.
“I- I don’t think so, no.” Tommy shook his head. It was a bold faced lie and he knew it, but he wouldn’t let them know that. “I ran away before he could.”
“That’s good.” Techno turned human and pulled him into a hug with a weak laugh. “I don’t think Phil could take it if he lost you to a stupid monster hunter.”
“Yeah,” Tommy muttered, trying to keep the overwhelming guilt at bay. He hated lying to them. “Yeah, me too, Tech. Me too.”
“Well, now we know what Chat was talking about, so we can never run into him ever. They wouldn’t let him stay here. This is our place,” Wilbur insisted, a telltale waver in his voice.
“Don’t worry, I don’t think he was planning on sticking around.” Technically it was true, at least, he hoped. The hunter said he was from out of town, which meant Tommy was just unlucky. Hell, the guy was probably bluffing. He probably wouldn’t even be able to find this place, their house was safe, secluded in the woods, just far enough from town to keep them safe.
Tommy felt exhaustion soaking over his bones, it wasn’t even that late. Probably an adrenaline crash, then. The desire to curl up in his bed came back full force and he carefully moved to stand. “Is it alright if I go to my room for a bit?”
“Of course. We’ll figure out what to do,” Phil assured him.
Before Tommy could skulk off, Wilbur trapped him in a quick hug and mumbled, “I’m so glad you’re safe. I’ll- I’ll see you later.”
Tommy returned the hug full force, claws digging into Wilbur’s sweater from how tightly he gripped the fabric. “See you later, Wil.”
It felt like forever and no time at all before they pulled away, Tommy giving one last small smile before dashing off to his room. His blankets were just as soft and inviting as ever as he tugged them up and around his shoulders, willing them to swallow him whole. He could already tell he was starting to drift off, hopefully his sleep would be peaceful, he’d hate to have to deal with nightmares on top of everything else.
There was a sound, a loud clack on his window. He did his best to ignore it, hiking the covers higher over his ears. Another click, followed by a loud caw.
Tommy groaned, rolling over in his bed, if the crows wanted something, they wouldn’t shut up until they had it. His feet hit the floor and he padded over to the window, pulling it open to glare at the jet black bird. “You know, if you wanted something, you could go bother Phil or some shit. You are his birds.”
The crow tilted it’s head, then hopped around in a small circle before spreading its wings and taking off towards one of the trees on the edge of the property. Tommy only had to search for a minute before his blood ran cold.
Perched on the branches was a large, gray bird, even from this distance Tommy could recognize it. Not that it was difficult, he knew no birds like that lived in the area. It’s feathers ruffled as it stared down at him. It was big enough that it could easily fight him and win, maybe even lift him off the ground. He clenched his hands, then hissed when he felt something dig into his palm. He moved his sleeve out of the way so he could see the damage his claws had done, but paused when he saw a small rectangle of laminated paper instead of pinpricks of blood. He had to squint to make out the words, but each word left him feeling more and more shaky.
DREAM
Monster Hunter Extraordinaire
Provider of Rarity
:)
Tommy looked back out the window with shaking hands. The large bird simply sat and stared, cocking its head as if it found something interesting. Then, it let out a piercing cry that shook Tommy to the core and took flight.
He glanced back down to the card in his hand again, reading over it several times as his mind replayed each moment leading up to this one. That was the hunter's bird. It found him, that meant the hunter probably had too. What would the hunter do, if he found out about the rest of the house's inhabitants? Kill them, probably. Tommy had to keep them safe. He owed it to them, after years of being protected, fed, clothed and loved . He owed them his life, and would give them as much as he could.
A plan started forming in his head, it wasn’t much, but it was something. The hunter wouldn’t have to find out about Tommy’s family if he never found the house. He stepped over to his closet and pulled the door open, digging around through fallen clothes and spare bedding for the largest backpack he had.
Any useful looking piece of clothing was haphazardly shoved into the bag, blankets following soon after. He had to sneak around to grab a few pieces of food to bring along, as well as a spare canteen for water, but by the time the sun had barely dipped down beneath the edge of the sky, Tommy was ready.
He sat in the middle of his room, staring at the full backpack and a piece of paper covered in messy scrawl.
He found me. I’m sorry I lied, I thought it would be okay, that he couldn’t find me. He had a bird, though. It followed me home and I didn’t even realize. Hopefully he’ll decide to follow me instead of coming here, though. I’m sorry for leaving without saying goodbye, but I promise I’ll come back home when I’m able to, I love you all, please stay alive for me.
- Tommy
With that, he stood, lifting the backpack with him and tugging a large raincoat over his shoulders. It was far too big for him, but it would be perfect to keep his less human features hidden. He set the note on his bed and pulled open the window to his room yet again.
A crow landed in front of him when his feet hit the grass and he smiled. “Hey buddy,” Tommy leaned down, holding a hand out to the bird so it could hop on. “You wanna keep me some company?”
It let out a soft caw and Tommy smiled. “I hope Phil won’t mind me stealing you away with me.”
The crow fluttered over to land on his shoulder, ruffling its feathers as it settled. Tommy stood yet again, and broke into a run towards the forest.