Chapter Text
Purpled doesn’t know when the sirens stop, nor does he notice his surroundings. All that’s keeping him from passing out right now is the fear of who will stumble upon him while he’s asleep, and his mind only repeating the word ‘move’ over and over again. Dogchamp follows him closely, so closely that the dog almost trips him once or twice.
The crisp winter breeze whirls around him, wind hitting him in the face and with it carrying the scent of fear and adrenaline. He shivers, but keeps moving. Dogchamp whines next to him.
Purpled doesn’t stop. He can’t stop. He doesn’t stop when he’s met with a yellow and black wall blocking the Prime Path. He builds over it, and Dogchamp teleports with him. He doesn’t stop when he realizes he’s in an enclosed space. He only stops when he registers Tommy’s dirt hut right in front of him.
He stops when he finally passes out from exhaustion.
“Thanks again for walking me back, Phil. Seriously. It means a lot.” Tommy offers a shaky smile to Phil. Phil returns it.
“It’s really no problem, mate.” Phil builds steps for Tommy to get over the wall. He destroys them once he’s over the wall too. “If there’s anything you n-” Phil stops talking as his eyes narrow. He’s glaring at something behind Tommy, and he begins to draw his sword. Panic seizes Tommy. Before he can begin to overthink, however, he turns around too.
Purpled is passed out in front of his house.
Purpled is passed out in front of his house.
“What the fuck!” shouts Tommy, jumping behind Phil. Phil begins to walk towards Purpled. He reaches to poke Purpled, but doesn’t even get that far. Purpled’s dog guards his unconscious form with its life. “Why is he here!”
“Should I kill him?” Phil questions casually, turning back to Tommy. Tommy’s eyes widen as they flicker light yellow. Surprise.
“What? No, no- uh- thanks for your help, Phil, but I think I can, um, deal with him, I guess? Yeah. Yeah, I can do that.” Tommy releases a shaky breath. Phil gives him a sideways glance, but doesn’t say anything further about the subject.
“Okay, well, I think I’ll head back to the house now?” Tommy nods as if to give Phil permission to leave. “Have fun with your alien infestation. See you!” Phil walks away swiftly, exiting the the area before Tommy thinks to move again.
He isn’t quite sure what to do with Purpled, nor his dog. Purpled looks injured, and his armor looks much too tight. It has to be bruising his ribs at this point. Tommy would help if not for the dog barring its teeth at him. He stands there awkwardly, watching the dog with lavender eyes. Curiosity.
The dog has a collar on. It reads ‘Dogchamp’. Dogchamp may not be very friendly, but it’s incredibly loyal. It sits right next to Purpled, doing its best to scare off any potential threat. Tommy doesn’t think he looks much like a threat. He’s removed his armor now and his weapons rest in his toolbelt to hopefully appear less threatening to the dog. It doesn’t seem to be working.
So, heaving a sigh, Tommy heads inside his hut. He sets his armor down on the ground and turns to his furnaces. He briefly entertains the idea of baking something for the dog, but instead decides to pull some leftover steak out of one of his chests. Dogs like steaks, yeah? Yeah. What do aliens eat then? Clearly not people, Tommy thinks, since he isn’t the cannibal on the server. That title goes to Quackity. He’s seen Purpled eat potatoes before. Maybe those?
Tommy walks back outside, steaks in hand. Dogchamp seems a bit more relaxed when it sees the food. It must be starving and exhausted, as must Purpled. Tommy bends down in front of the dog. Dochamp bares its teeth and growls. Tommy hesitantly puts his hand towards the dog. The dog sniffs his hand and seems to calm down.
“See? Friendly.” Tommy places the steaks on the ground for Dogchamp to eat. Dogchamp goes for them immediately, tearing them up. Tommy wonders if that’s what it would’ve done to him and Phil if they did something wrong.
Tommy reaches for Purpled. Dogchamp immediately stops what it’s doing to bark at Tommy. Tommy hesitates and withdraws his hand. “I just want to help. Will you let me help if I let you inside?” Somehow, the dog seems contemplative. It doesn’t bark. Tommy reaches for Purpled again. Dogchamp does nothing to stop his this time, though it feels as if the dog is glaring daggers into him.
With some struggle, Tommy manages to pick Purpled up and carry him into the back room of his base. Once both Purpled and Dogchamp are inside, he makes sure to block up the entrance of his home so he can take care of both the dog and Purpled without interruption.
“I’m going to take his armor off now,” Tommy says to Dogchamp. Dogchamp sits next to Purpled protectively, watching every move Tommy makes. Tommy hesitantly reaches to remove Purpled helmet first, then boots. His hair that isn’t tucked into the small ponytail at the back of Purpled’s head is sticking up at odd angles and is a complete mess. Tommy almost laughs at it.
He takes off Purpled’s leggings next. The dress pants he has on underneath are wrinkled from the constant squishing. Tommy reminds himself to offer to iron them later. Finally, Tommy tries to remove the chestplate, but finds that it’s somewhat hot to the touch. He swears and pulls his hands back, hissing as his eyes flicker lime green. Pain.
He tries to take the chestplate off again. He succeeds this time, but hurts his hands in the process. He shakes it off. Purpled’s suit jacket is burnt to hell, though Tommy knows that he’ll be able to repair it with or without Purpled’s help. The dress shirt underneath is also burnt, holes in some areas, but significantly less so than the jacket. He subconsciously cringes when he realizes that his chest and arms must both be burnt underneath the clothes as well. He’ll have to remind Purpled to treat the wounds.
With all the armor removed, Tommy sets the pieces in a pile near where Purpled lays on the cold floor of Tommy’s hut. Dogchamp watches him curiously, even moving from his spot by Purpled to sniff the armor. Tommy pats the dog’s head, which it seems to appreciate. “Had a long day, huh?” he says to the dog in a soft voice. The dog obviously doesn’t respond. “Yeah. I’ll make some dinner, yeah? You rest up for now.” Tommy feels like he should say something else to Dogchamp, but he’s not quite sure what. He’ll think about it later.
He turns to leave, but pauses when he notices Purpled stir. He kneels next to the unconscious alien and runs his hand through his hair. His hair is so tangled up and filthy. Tommy feels a slight ache in his chest. He’s not entirely sure why, but he does. Purpled’s eyes flicker open for a second before they close again, and he’s out cold.
Tommy decides to go clean himself up before he returns to Purpled. He slips past the table towards the back of his little hut to the destroyed lab area. He cringes at the smell of it before climbing down the ladder hidden in the corner of the room. He gets underneath the lab area to where he’s hidden the shower for privacy reasons.
Tommy runs the water on cold, and allows it to run over his hands as he lets out a breath. He feels the pain in his hands recede. He pulls his hands back out and changes into a swimsuit before fulling stepping in the shower. He feels a bit more comfortable now, even if still insanely wary about Purpled being unconscious in his house.
He turns off the water after finishing and steps out of the shower, letting the water drain. He dries himself off quickly with a towel before quickly changing into clean clothes. Finally, he climbs back up the ladder and makes his way over to Purpled's sleeping form once more.
Dogchamp is now curled on top of Purpled’s chest. Tommy smiles softly and pats the dog lightly before going towards the kitchen again. He assumes he’ll get no sleep tonight since it’s already one in the morning, so he’ll get a headstart on breakfast. Might as well make a lot since he has no clue what Purpled likes.
It’s going to be a long morning.