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There's a special day in every kid's first grade life, it's a day where kids' lives are forever changed. The maifest day. Its both nerve wracking and exciting, The only issue is that they're never told which animal they would manifest as.
Tommy, from a very young age had hoped- dreamed of being a big fluffy animal. A dog, a lion or maybe a bear. He can imagine all the fellow dog shifter families seeing his golden fur and saying he already fits with the family so well. So to say he was disappointed when his ability to shift finally occurred is an understatement.
Tommy definitely wasn't expecting to be a small prickly fella, an animal that's gotta be the lamest shift anyone has ever seen.
What's even worse is that not only did he have to see his disappointing shift, he had school the next day and with all his fellow classmates getting their shifts it's going to be the only thing anyones talking about.
It's a hectic loud day, fellow classmates running around and showing off their shifts. Tommys ears are drowning in sounds of screams, giggles, and the loud poof of friends transitioning in and out of their animal forms.
The thought of having to show what he was terrified him, so as to avoid confrontation Tommy hid off into the corner.
The instinct to hide, curl into a ball and sneak away from prying eyes isn't just due to his animal nature, as a foster kid there's only so much bullying, so many different stares you can handle before you start hiding. Not only are you hiding yourself but your interests, oh his aspirations? He wants to be a doctor or an archeologist . His favorite food? Pizza possibly dino nuggets . So to know that his shifted form is something he’ll get made fun of for, well it just made the day even more insufferable .
So he stays hidden, unnoticed, by the book shelfs.
If there was a god out there it definitely decided to spite Tommy. Some girl who he has never talked to toddels into Tommy's shame corner with a big grin, showing off her recently lost tooth, “hey tom! What did you get? Did you see that Ava got a lioness? And that Matt got a snake?”she babbles while Tommy gathers his response, '' I guess I'm younger than I thought, I didn't get mine last night.” He lies putting on the most oscar worthy pout any has ever seen.
If Tommy wasn't so busy with his sadboy act he'd pat himself on the back. The first grammy awarded eight year old, he can see the headlines rolling in now.
Her grin immediately falls and she places a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, “I'm sorry for bringing it up.” Tommy only looks up at her and pulls a weak smile, she gets a satisfied look on her face, nods her head and walks off.
An excellent lie.
But he couldn't lie to the teacher quite like his classmates. So when he had to fill out his meet your kid before adoption forms he had to push away his pride and shamefully write his shift.
Hedgehog.
The word taunted him, 8 letters that showed how he could never be loved- not in the way he wants to be loved at least. Having your back covered in little pricks would make family cuddles near impossible, he couldn't be snuggled into or hugged endlessly like he craved.
While growing up the older kids in the group home would always share stories, stories like how some families cuddle all throughout winter and how their fur keep eachother warm, how they nuzzle into each other and have the best nap ever that lasts all the way till spring. With the quills tainting his back and his far too small frame Tommy now knows that there would be nobody to love him like that.
It hurt to say the least. He wanted- no- needed that love. A father, maybe a brother or two to hold him like he mattered. The hope Tommy once had stands fragile, weak, and a gust of wind has knocked it down and shattered it into trillions of small pieces.
Have hope , one of his teachers said. When he's sad he always hears Mrs.Niki's voice in his ears, hope is all you can have when you're sad, and you she said squishing his cheeks are too sad for my liking. Mrs niki has always been gentle towards him, she was the first he had confessed what he was to, she took his hand gently and explained how wonderful his shifted form was.
And as the day turns to night, Tommy is still alone wishing for that family to look at him and say he's my son, my little boy.
And with a poof Tommy sleeps in his fleece bag, one of which niki had hand sewed for him the night he told her about his shift. He remembers the tears that streamed down his face, the way they wouldn't stop falling until he tired himself out and poofed into the palm of her hand. The closest thing, Tommy thinks bitterly, that I'll ever get to familial love.
Tommy wakes up to gentle fingers running down his back, his bed was a bit more warm than usual,he shrugs it off as he must still be dreaming. “hes precious” a honey toned voice croons from overhead- and with his snout he tries to scent who's there. Maybe it's still Niki, the voice is a little deep but it is early. Morning voice he muses. His nose picks up scenes unfamiliar to niki, where hers is fresh bread and sugar the new scents are Pine, vanilla, and rose.
“Wilbur mate, you're gonna wake him up if you keep jostling his bag like that.” The statement is acknowledged with a gentle hum and then…The petting stops, Tommy tries to urge the finger to keep moving but he's still waking. The only motivation to even move is the feeling of want that rises in Tommy's chest, its searing, keeping Tommy from breathing and god it hurts. Tommy climbs out of the bag with a new found determination. He will get his pets no matter what his exhaustion says.
There are two fingers still laying on the bag despite his squirming, the only time they move is when tommy breaks free of his beds clutches and b-lines towards the perpetrators hand.
Shocked gasps ring through the room and suddenly, against everything Tommy was hoping for, hes set on the ground.
Poof
And in the hedgehog's place sits a blond haired oceanic eyed boy, no older than eight.
Immediately the boy shoots an accusatory finger at all three unsuspecting men in the room, “who ever was petting me, please keep doing it”
Its not the first time Tommy has woken up on a weekend to see a family talking in his room except their normally with Niki. Its always new found parents who want to try their hand with a troubled kid. They always stop by tommys room for a brief second and then walk off to adopt another.
But this is the first time a family has seen him in his shifted form and stayed for more than a few hours.
Before Tommy even had the chance to think about shifting back Niki walks into the room, ”okay so I got everything in order and i won't have to tell you how to care for him because you're all around the same species and- oh! Tommy you're up!”
Niki hands off the papers to the shortest man there, a blond with eyes just like tommys own, and makes her way over to where he sits. As the three men turn away from the two Niki leans down low and whispers into tommys ear, “these are your potential family toms, i'll let you all talk for a bit to get to know each other. But if they ever and i mean ever make you uncomfortable you call for me and i'll be right there.'' She holds out her pinkie for Tommy to swear too.
“I promise Niki, thank you.” everything about her softens, “anytime tommy.”
The family hands back the papers as Niki makes her way out and Tommy moves from the floor back to his bed, waiting for the awkward silence to end.
No one says a word, not until three consecutive poofs sound out. Tommy stares in awe of the porcupines in the place of the three men. Tommy lets out an amazed laugh,”you're all- You're all like me! We're alike! I thought there was no one else.” The middle man shifts again, his long pink hair being revealed “that's why we wanted to talk to you kiddo.” and with a poof there are yet again three prickily members standing in the room.
Tommy immediately shifts and runs towards his family , and oh my god he has a family now. He rams into one and immediately shifts back, “oh my god i am so sorry I didn't mean to hurt you let me- i can try to…” warm hands cover his face and lift his eyes away from the ground, “bud, we all have our quills, you didn't hurt me. You can't hurt me. See?” the brown haired boy lifts his arm to show where Tommy ran into. Not a single cut.
Tommy sighs in relief and shocks the older boy with shifting into his palm. He lifts a tentative paw toward the man's face and immediately the boy lowers his head to where tommys paw can pat his nose gently.
Poof,Poof,Poof. Tommy is surrounded by three large men who stare at him like he's made of sunlight. This time Tommy doest feel the urge to hide away from their gentle gaze.
In a few weeks, after hours of play and talking, Tommy will be led out hand in hand with two new brothers and a father. Just like his dream.