Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Tommy knew his place. He knew he was dirt under King Dream’s boots. He knew that he was a disgusting creature. Nothing more than a filthy being not meant to exist.

He stood at his place next to Dream’s throne. White suit on with matching gloves to keep his dirty hands from touching anything worth more value than him.

Which was everything in the castle, really. 

Dream sat on his throne, one leg crossed over the other as he leaned into his hand. 

Citizens of the Essempi were coming to speak with the king. Dream explained it as a way to make his citizens feel cared for and listened to.

Not that he ever listened to any of their suggestions, obviously. Dream knew best, after all.

Still, it was Tommy’s job to wait on them hand and foot. Dream was at the top of the food chain. Then his guards. Then his servants. Then his citizens.

And lastly…

Tommy. 

A hybrid. A being between human and animal. A rare species that Dream never let Tommy forget were beneath him. 

Hybrids were less than human.

Tommy knew that. So, he stayed in place. He got Dream snacks as requested. He kept his head down and bowed to show his respect. 

Shifting into his other forms was never allowed. Dream said they were even more disgusting than his human form. The human form at least gave others the impression that he was normal. 

If they saw him for what he truly was, he’d be killed on the spot. 

Everyone hated hybrids, Dream told him so. 

No one would ever give him the time of day. 

Dream was protecting him, really. Dream was giving him a chance to live under a roof instead of running forever from hunters in the forest.

He was grateful. Really.

It’s just… 

His bones hurt. His muscles hurt. 

Whenever they started to ache this badly, it meant he was probably about to shift against his will. 

Dream had tried to beat that out of him, but he couldn't stop it. 

Tommy swallowed nervously. 

He didn’t like what happened when he shifted. He wished Dream would understand that he didn’t have a choice, but—

But no. That’d be asking too much of him.

Dream was already kind enough to take care of Tommy and help him be his most human self. 

Tommy rubbed a spot on his arm. Under his sleeve, there was a mark. It was rather pretty, in Tommy’s opinion. A sun with music notes as the rays that shot off the center.

Tommy didn’t know what it could be or where it came from, but it wasn’t there in his animal form. 

Dream told him it was essentially a brand that marked him as different. Which is why he had to hide it, no matter what. Dream said it had something to do with him being a hybrid. 

Tommy’s back ached. 

Only a couple more hours.

———

Tommy lay in his bed. Well… it was more like a mat. He curled into himself, tears pricking at his eyes. 

It hurt so bad. It had never hurt this bad before. Everything inside him was screaming to just shift. To become his animal form and lose his humanity. 

But he couldn’t. He couldn’t because Dream would—

Tommy shook his head, ears flattening as he tried to banish the thought before it happened. 

Wait.

Tommy reached up, feeling the fluffy ears. 

He gasped and pulled at them.

No no no no!!!

This wasn’t fair!

He pulled more. No!

Footsteps echoed outside his door. His eyes went wide and his body stilled as it opened.

“Good work today, Tommy. I’ll give you a little more food—“ Dream stopped.

Tommy’s lip quivered.

“Oh, you disgusting beast,” Dream hissed.

Tommy whimpered.

Dream rolled his eyes as he marched towards him. “Don’t whine like an animal.” 

Tommy flinched back as Dream’s hand raised.

Dream rose a brow. “Are you running away from your punishment?” 

“I’m sorry!” Tommy cried.

Dream gripped his arm tightly, slapping him across the face with a harsh smack.

Tommy whimpered, his tail moving to cover his face.

No—

“Oh, so you’re not learning your lesson today?” Dream questioned, sounding annoyed. 

“I can’t make it stop!” Tommy sobbed, paws rubbing at his eyes.

No no no—

“Wow. You’re really doing this today. And you were so good. Sometimes I forget you’re just an animal,” Dream tsked. 

Dream reached out, Tommy yelping as the man grabbed him by the back of his shirt. 

“Please! Please! Dream! Don’t put me in there! Please, I’ll be good! I promise!” 

Dream helped him up to eye level, watching as he shifted more. “Uh-huh. You know you’re an animal, and where do animals go?”

The cage.

Tears spilled down his cheeks. 

He didn’t want to go into the cage. It was cold and small and there was nothing for him to play with. No blankets to cuddle with. 

His instincts got ten times worse, and he just wanted to climb, but he was stuck in a box too small for him to even turn around properly. He wasn’t given food either. 

Before he knew it, he was shifted fully and Dream had him by the scruff. He threw him into the cage, Tommy whimpering as his back hit the cold metal.

“I’ll have a servant come check on you in a few days. Hope you learn your lesson.” He grinned, shutting the door behind him and leaving Tommy in the dark room. 

———

The door creaked open, allowing some light into the space.

Normally, Tommy would have shifted back by now and be crying out to the servant to release because his human form was incredibly cramped in the box.

But this time…

He was still his animal self. 

The servant stepped in and towards the table his cage sat on, sighing when he saw him still in his animal form. 

Tommy whined. He was so hungry, and no matter how hard he tried to shift back, he couldn’t.

“Alright, kid. Let’s get you outta there and feed you. Then it’s back in the cage,” the servant, Sapnap, said as he fiddled with the lock.

The door clicked open and all Tommy could sense was freedom.

Before he knew what he was doing, he jumped.

The man yelped and stumbled back as Tommy landed on his shoulder, pushing off and flying through the door. 

He landed on the tile, claws skittering across it as he ran. 

What was he doing?!? 

Dream was going to kill him! 

But he couldn’t stop. Everything inside him screamed to run. His instincts had completely taken over.

He needed to get out. He needed to breathe. 

Sapnap shouted from behind him, telling him to stop, but Tommy didn’t care.

He just kept running and running. His legs pumped beneath him as he rushed past servants. They yelped as he climbed up them, jumping off their shoulders and between each of them like they were stepping stones. Only to fall and catch himself with his claws on the fabric of their suits.

He knew all the ins and outs of the castle. 

He certainly knew his way to the front door. 

He leaped off another servant, grabbing the handle of the door and putting all his weight on it. It opened, and he allowed himself to drop before skittering through it. 

He frantically bounded across the castle grounds, ignoring the shouts behind him as he leaped onto the gate. He climbed up as fast as he could, springing off the edge and sprinting towards the forest ahead. 

———

Tommy panted as his feet cramped beneath him. He could feel warm liquid drip from the paw pads. 

His entire being was burning. He had never run so fast or for so long ever. 

His vision swam with black spots, but he quickly shook them away. 

Tommy just… he needed to keep going.

He wasn’t entirely sure where he was going. 

But something in him said he just had to keep walking. 

Limping would be more accurate.

His nose twitched as he picked up a scent.

Human food. 

He was so hungry.

Before he knew it, he was dashing towards the smell. He halted as the trees cleared, revealing a city. 

The ground was covered in a thin layer of snow as Tommy trotted towards the towering buildings. 

People passed him by, giving him odd looks, but they were too busy to stop. 

He let his instincts guide him towards the smell of food. There. 

A couple was eating at a cafe. 

He made his way over, looking up at the table.

Oh… that was quite the jump. 

He attempted it anyway. Hopefully they wouldn’t notice him. 

He got on his hind legs and pushed off.

And promptly fell right to the ground with a whine.

The couple stopped talking, looking down at him.

“Get away!” the man shouted. “What are you? A raccoon?” He squinted.

Tommy curled in on himself. He didn’t like yelling. He didn’t like the raised hand the man had, as if ready to strike him.

Shivering, Tommy scurried away.

Why was he cold? His coat should have been thick enough, but there was a bone-deep chill his fur didn’t seem to have any effect on.

Black began to swirl in his vision again as he stumbled down the sidewalk, nearly getting stepped on.

He had to get out of here before he was ran over. 

He turned into an alley, running into the wall and falling down.

Why was he so tired? Why couldn’t he move?

Tommy shrunk in on himself and whined, loud and needy. It was just so cold. 

He was going to die here, wasn’t he?

He should have never left Dream’s castle.

Sapnap was going to give him food. 

Now he’s going to starve. In his animal form no less.

He closed his eyes, beginning to accept his fate.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

“Tech—thought I heard a whimper—“ a voice filtered through the alley.

Tommy’s instincts screamed at the sound. He was already so vulnerable. He didn’t need a human coming to poke at him. 

He forced himself to stand, looking in the direction of the voice. 

A light flashed on him, and a gasp rang out. 

Tommy couldn’t see whoever it was due to the light in his eyes, but he could barely make out two figures. One was tall with a big jacket and the other had long hair. 

Tommy stood up on his hind legs, puffing up his fur and raising his arms.

He had to look big and intimidating. 

The human holding the flashlight made some kind of… wheezing sound? 

Tommy wasn’t sure. 

Was the light turning off?

Why was his vision going dark?

Tommy was unconscious before he even hit the snow.

———

Wilbur and Techno were out having a normal day as brothers. They went to a movie, ate, hung out with their citizens, and did some shopping. It was nice for them to just have a twin day without having to worry about their duties as royals.

Well, Wilbur liked to call them twins, but Techno always shut him down. The party pooper. 

Wilbur was rambling off about the movie still, being deeply upset about it.

“He just— Why would you leave the group? Like, it’s horror movie 101!” 

“For the last time, Wilbur, it’s a horror movie! That’s like… their thing!” 

“I’m just saying, I would like to see a single movie where they don’t just go ‘oh, crazy monster thing, we should split up!’” he mocked.

“Then make your own!”

“Maybe I will!”

“Finally!” Techno huffed.

Wilbur stopped for a moment, looking towards an alleyway. A whine echoed back. 

“Shh.”

“I’m being serious—“

“Techno! Shush! I thought I heard a whimper.” Wilbur stepped into the alley. 

Techno followed behind him. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to—“

Wilbur pulled out his phone, shaking it and watching as the light turned on.

In the snow, stood a tiny, fluffy creature. Golden fur with rings of cream around his tail. Black fur covered his legs. 

The small thing stood up, stretching his arms out to look bigger.

Oh…

He was so cute.

Wilbur attempted to suppress a whine, but it escaped through his throat like a wheeze anyway.

The creature had to be a baby. 

Suddenly, the animal’s eyes rolled back and the poor thing fell straight into the snow.

Wilbur shouted in concern, rushing over and dropping to his knees. 

“That might be rabid— Wil—“ Techno started.

“Shhh, shhh,” Wilbur hushed as he scooped the little thing up. 

He was even smaller than he thought. His entire body was about the size of a newborn human. He fit nicely into the crook of Wilbur’s arm. Maybe only a foot long. 

“Hey, hey. Wake up. Wake up.” Wilbur nudged his head.

The fluffball lay limp in his hold. 

“We need a vet,” Wilbur said as he stood up. “Look up directions to a vet. Now!” 

———

Wilbur paced the small room, nervously running a hand through his hair.

“Calm down, Wil. I’m sure the thing is fine.” 

Wilbur snapped his head over to him. “He was completely limp, Techno. His breathing was so shallow! He was shivering! I just…” Wilbur sighed into his hands. “I don’t know why I’m getting so worked up about this.” 

“Come sit down. Relax, and let the vet do her thing.”

Wilbur plopped into his seat. “Okay, okay.” 

Only a second later, the door opened, Wilbur shooting up out of his seat.

“Is he alright? Is he awake?” 

The nice veterinarian, Emma, smiled as she held the golden ball of fluff in her arms. “He’s alright.”

Wilbur untensed, huffing in relief as he stepped closer. He peered down at the little thing.

“What is he exactly?” Techno asked.

She grinned. “This is a red panda.”

They blinked at her.

“Aren’t red pandas… y’know… red?” Techno asked.

The vet ran a hand through the small thing’s fur. “Traditionally, yes. I’ve never seen a golden red panda before. This must be a very rare one. I’m just a bit confused about how he ended up in the city. Poaching most likely. Poor thing probably got scared off and ran to the smell of food. I don’t think he’s eaten in a few days.”

Wilbur made a small noise of sadness, reaching out. “May… May I hold him?”

The woman nodded, carefully moving the panda. “Hold him like this…” She positioned Wilbur’s arms, gently laying the creature there.

Wilbur’s chest tightened as he watched the tiny breaths from the panda make his body move up and down. Wilbur felt like even one tiny movement could wake the poor thing up.

He barely fit across his arm. 

“Hi…” Wilbur said softly. “Hi.” He looked up at the woman, smiling brightly. “How old is he?” 

“We think he’s around 9 months.”

Wilbur cooed, looking back to the little ball of fluff. “He’s just a baby…”

The woman grinned. “Would you like to feed him?”

Wilbur nodded vigorously. 

“Let me go get his bottle.” She left the room, Wilbur sitting back down in the chair and cradling the panda close. 

Only a moment later, she came back in, bottle of milk in hand.

“Okay, so just lay him in your lap.” She helped adjust Wilbur, moving him so the panda was sprawled out across his legs, little paws outstretched. He didn’t even reach edge to edge if you didn’t count his tail. 

“Will he drink it if he’s asleep?” Wilbur asked, running a hand down his back. 

Oh.

Oh, he was so soft. 

“Mmhmm! He is in desperate need for food. His body should naturally take it.”

Wilbur nodded and took the bottle from her. He placed the end towards the panda’s mouth, gently rubbing it against the gums. 

The small thing stirred, mouth opening slightly. Wilbur guided it inside, allowing the creature to clamp down on it and begin sucking the milk down. 

Wilbur’s eyes crinkled. He hoped the little guy wasn’t drinking too fast. 

The panda began to move, front paws reaching towards the bottle for stability. 

One landed on his wrist, the other on his fingers holding the bottle, paws pressing against his skin. 

Wilbur made a strange noise in the back of his throat. 

He didn’t know he could even make that sound. 

He ran his hand through the fur, eyes wide and star-filled. 

“You need a name, huh?” He smiled.

“No. No. Absolutely not.” Techno stood up, startling Wilbur out of his trance. 

The baby made a noise of disapproval, eyes opening slowly. Wilbur gasped, hand petting gently on his head.

“Shh shh… You’re okay. Go back to sleep.” 

The little thing’s body relaxed, eyes falling shut once more.

“Tech!” Wilbur hissed quietly. “You nearly woke him up!”

Techno put his hands up. “There’s no way I’m letting you name it. You’ll get attached.”

Wilbur pouted, lip popping out as he widened his eyes. “Tech…” he drew out, lifting the panda in the air slightly. Little paws keeping hold of the bottle and his hands. “Look at him. You can’t tell me that he’s not the cutest thing in the whole world.”

Techno looked from Wilbur to the panda, biting his lip.

Wilbur pouted further.

Techno threw his hands in the air. “Fine. This is not my problem. Dad can deal with it. Wait, wouldn’t we need to put him in a zoo or something?”

Wilbur frowned, looking to the vet with a sad expression. “Will I?”

“I called a few zoos, and because he can still be released into the wild, he can just be rehabilitated and then released. I can come to check on you every couple of days and make sure he’s being fed properly.”

Wilbur grinned. “Yes!” 

Techno groaned. 

Wilbur scooped the baby up, cradling him close as he finished off the bottle. “I think I’ll call you… Sunshine! Because you’re all golden!”

He smiled gently, running a hand through the thick fur once more. “I’m going to take good care of you, I promise.”

———

Wilbur and Techno’s shoes squeaked against the tile floor. The two quietly whispered to each other, Wilbur cradling the golden panda in one arm as his other hand pet down his back. 

“Boys?” a voice called.

The two stopped, Wilbur covering Sunshine with his arms.

“Hey, Dad,” the brothers said in unison. 

Phil blinked at them. His expression fell into annoyance. “What are you hiding?”

“Nothing!” the two said again, looking at each other before smiling nervously at Phil.

Phil put his hands on his hips, raising a brow. “Uh-huh.” 

Sighing, Wilbur opened his arms to reveal a golden ball of fluff. Wilbur smiled at him.

“Dad, this is Sunshine. A special golden red panda.”

Phil stepped closer, glancing at the animal. “And why is it here?”

Wilbur beamed. “Cause I found him! He was out on the street, nearly starving. Poor thing was crying out for help.” Wilbur scratched beneath Sunshine’s chin, the panda tilting his head to allow better access. Sunshine’s eyes remained closed.

“We took him to a vet, and the doctor there told us he would need to be taken care of until he was back to full health, and probably a bit bigger. He hasn’t woken up since we found him.”

“So, he doesn’t have rabies or anything?” 

“Nope! The vet checked for all that. She gave us instructions on how to care for the little guy.” Wilbur bounced him in his arms. “She said she’ll come by every now and then to ensure he’s growing right, but other than that we could keep him!”

“Until he gets better,” Phil corrected. 

Wilbur rolled his eyes. “You know what I meant.”

Phil smiled. “I know you’re already very attached, and that’s only going to hurt you more in the end. If you want, I can take care of him so you don’t—“

“No!” Wilbur squawked, the baby panda in his arms making a noise of annoyance. 

Wilbur quickly hushed him, rocking him back and forth, “Shh, shh… Sorry, Sunshine. We’ll be quiet, just keep napping.”

Sunshine buried his face into the crook of Wilbur’s elbow, nuzzling into it and huffing when he got comfortable.

“I’ll take care of him,” Wilbur said, running a hand down Sunshine’s back.

Phil sighed. “I know you’ll do a great job, mate. I’m just worried about you—“

“I’ll be fine.” Wilbur marched forward, walking towards his room. “I’ll do amazing!”

Phil looked to Techno as Wilbur disappeared. “It’s already too late, isn’t it?”

Techno nodded as Phil groaned.

———

Wilbur quietly opened his door, shutting it behind him. The light was off, curtains open to allow soft lighting from the sun. He tiptoed to the bed, grabbing the comforter and bunching it up so it formed something like a nest. Once he was finished, he gently lowered Sunshine into it. Sunshine stirred for a moment, making a whining noise. 

“Shh… shh…” Wilbur pet his back, watching as the baby relaxed into the blankets. “You just relax.”

Wilbur walked away, grabbing the curtains and drawing them closed. Then, he carefully slid into the bed, curling around the panda. Smiling, Wilbur pet Sunshine’s head. It was just so soft. His fingers disappeared into the fluff, Wilbur’s eyes wide with awe. 

“You… are… so cute.” 

The panda didn’t respond, still fast asleep.

“Rest well, Sunshine.”

Chapter Text

Tommy woke up with his mind feeling a bit fuzzy. Something warm carded through his fur. Alarm bells started ringing. Warm was not something Tommy ever felt.

Where was he…?

Tommy jolted, snapping his head back to look at whatever was touching him.

A brunet man stared back. His hair cascaded down the side of his face as he leaned against his hand, the corners of his lips pulling up and making his eyes crinkle.

“Well, good morning,” the man said, right in Tommy’s face.

Tommy scrambled back, legs getting caught in the blankets. The man’s eyes widened, and suddenly, Tommy was falling. 

He slammed against the ground, letting out a small whine. 

The man’s head popped out over the edge of the bed, expression that of shock and fear. 

“Are you okay?! Poor thing, come here.” The man reached out, causing Tommy to push back further. 

Tommy’s heart thudded beneath his chest. 

He was going to die. He was going to die. 

Where was he? Who was this? 

He woke up in a strange place with a person he didn’t know. Last thing he remembered was that alley, that hunger.

Tommy pushed himself up, holding his arms straight up and puffing out his fur. He needed to look bigger, stronger.

The man stopped his approach, tilting his head.

“Oh… Well, aren’t you scary!” 

Tommy blinked. 

The man hid his face in his hands, arms shaking. “Oh, no! Scary red panda!” 

Tommy’s heart began to calm. 

He had some power here! He could scare the man away!

He didn’t notice the man’s giggle. 

“Uh-oh… How am I ever to feed the baby if he’s so scary!”

Tommy’s stomach rumbled and his limbs shook. 

He was very hungry… 

Now that he thought about it… 

When was the last time he had eaten? 

Tommy wobbled slightly before losing balance. His face smacked against the floor, body aching and tired.

He ran for so long… 

Suddenly, hands scooped him up. Tommy squeaked, beginning to squirm. 

“Shh, shh, hey, buddy. Just calm down,” the man holding him whispered.

Tommy’s breathing picked up, vision swarming with black.

A hand squeezed his neck, and he went limp. 

The man knew how to scruff him?! 

Tommy blinked slowly, feeling as the man’s steps rocked him back and forth. The world around him turned fuzzy. 

“Scruffing works! The vet told me about that in case you got a little too rowdy,” the man said as they left the room. “Now, let’s get you something to eat. I’m sure you’re hungry.” 

The next thing Tommy knew, he was in the man’s lap with a bottle pressed to his lips. 

Tommy turned his head, claws coming out as he dug into the man’s pants.

He was not a baby. He didn’t need a bottle. 

“Ow,” the man deadpanned. “Come on, open up.” He shook the bottle, milk swishing inside.

It looked so good—

No! Tommy, focus!

He stayed obstinate, digging his claws deeper and causing the man to yelp.

Smirking, he relaxed a little. 

“Alright, then.” The man gripped his neck once more, gently squeezing it.

Tommy fell limp again. 

The man cooed, brushing the nip of the bottle against Tommy’s lips. It dripped a tiny amount of milk on Tommy’s tongue, the panda’s eyes going wide. 

That was so good. Why’d he never had this before?!?

Tommy latched on, sucking on it greedily as he gripped the bottle with both paws.

“Whoa!” the man laughed. “Hungry little guy. Take your time, Sunshine.”

Tommy downed the bottle, falling limp onto the man’s lap. His belly full and warm.

Something soft dabbed at his chin, gently removing the small drops of milk in his fur. 

He opened an eye, seeing a yellow sweater sleeve rub against his cheek before pulling away. He could see the slightly damp spot.

“There we go, all clean. Well, for now. You’ll probably need a bath later,” the man said as he scratched at the top of his head.

Suddenly, a door opened, alerting Tommy of his current position.

He’s a hybrid in this man’s lap: completely at his mercy. 

“Hey, Wilbur. How is he?” another man asked.

‘Wilbur’ ran a hand through Tommy’s fur once more. “Oh, it’s going great, Dad. Bit of a hiccup this morning, but he’s calmed down now.” 

Tommy felt his heart pounding in his chest, eyes wide as he tried to figure out the best way to get out of this situation.

He needed to escape before they killed him. 

“What’s wrong, Sunshine?” Wilbur asked, picking him up underneath his arms and holding him so they were facing each other. “You’re shaking. What’s wrong with my little panda?”

Tommy paused.

Wait.

They didn’t realize he was a hybrid. 

They didn’t know what he was. 

And if they didn’t know he was a freak of nature…

They wouldn’t treat him as such!

No wonder they’ve been so nice. 

Now, he just had to keep it that way. As long as Wilbur didn’t find out he was a hybrid, he’d be fed and taken care of. 

Tommy blinked at the man’s deep brown eyes. There was… genuine concern there. 

“I know it’s a bit scary being in a new place, but I promise I’ll take good care of you.” The man gave a small smile. “You need some love right now, don’t you think? I’m sure you’re not feeling too good. You’re probably a bit sick and very sleepy, huh?”

Tommy was a bit sleepy…

Wilbur brought him closer, their noses touching. 

“Even Sunshines need their rest. And you’ve got to recoup after all that hard work you did.”

Tommy did work really hard. All that running was so tiring.

“You don’t need to be scared anymore. You’ll be safe and sound.” 

Tommy couldn’t take his eyes off the man’s. They were so deep. It was like he was slowly getting lost in a mystical forest. 

But for some reason… he wasn’t scared.

He wasn’t scared to get lost in those endless woods. He wasn’t scared of the way the man’s voice rumbled through the foliage and quieted the chirping birds. 

Why wasn’t he scared?

He was so helpless right now. 

But he’d never felt more safe. 

Tommy’s body slowly went limp, his heart rate slowing.

“Good job,” the man crooned. “Just relax, and Wilbur will take care of the rest.”

Wilbur started humming, placing him back in the crook of his arm. A hand ran down his back as Wilbur’s voice vibrated through his ears.

“How did you do that?” Wilbur’s dad asked.

“Hm?”

“How did you calm him like that? He’s a wild, untrained animal. They don’t just… settle down that fast.”

Tommy felt Wilbur shrug, his ear flicking at the movement.

“I think he’s quite sweet. Just a little nervous is all,” Wilbur said.

Maybe he could just… be a red panda. He’d be fed and taken care of. Plus, his bones ached to stay in this form. 

One day, he’d turn back and get out. Start a new life perhaps. Keep his disgusting features a secret from the rest of the world. 

For now though, he enjoyed the fingers carding through his fur, letting his eyes shut in contentment.

———

“Sunshine… Sunshine, time to wake up.”

Tommy bolted up. Dream always got mad at him if he didn’t get up immediately. 

Wait… Sunshine?

Wilbur blinked at him. “Sorry if I spooked you. I think it’s bathtime and then feeding time again.”

Bathtime?

Before Tommy had time to protest, Wilbur scooped him up with a single hand. 

“Oh, every time I pick you up I remember how little you are,” the man cooed as he positioned Tommy to lay across his arm. 

“Hopefully that’ll change just a bit after we get you fed. But I was researching red pandas, and I learned they stay small forever! You’ll only get to about two feet long, and your tail will get about that length too.” 

Wilbur frowned. “But I guess I won’t be keeping you too long. You should be grown in three months… guess that’s how long I’ve got.” 

Wilbur then pulled his smile back. “But! It’s okay. You’ll be the most pampered red panda ever until then.”

Tommy blinked at him. Not keeping him that long? Three months of pampering?

Tommy wasn’t sure how he felt about all that…

Wilbur pushed the door open, walking into the bathroom.

It was huge . The bathtub looked like a pool!

Wilbur got on his knees at the edge of the bath, rolling up his sleeves before dipping a hand into the water. 

The man hummed, pleased with the temperature. “Alright! Ready, little guy?” He held Tommy out in front of him, hovering over the water.

Tommy chirped in protest when he was dunked into the bath. He squirmed around, kicking up water and twittering in distress. He did not like this: not one bit. 

“Whoa!” Wilbur laughed as water splashed on his face. “Calm down, Sunshine. Just relax.”

Tommy’s tail whipped out, slapping against the water. His feet scrambled to find purchase against the floor of the tub, only to slip and fall into the water. It was only a few inches deep, but Tommy couldn’t help feeling like he was about to drown . 

“Hey, buddy. Just calm down. Calm down. Give it a chance,” Wilbur said soothingly, scratching down his back. “I won’t let you get hurt.”

Tommy looked up to the man, caring eyes smiling back. 

“I’ve got you. You don’t have to be scared.”

Tommy found Wilbur’s voice… calming. It was a little scary, the effect it had on him.

The way his breathing slowed, and his heart rate calmed almost immediately. It was almost instinctual, like his soul knew something about Wilbur that he didn’t. 

“There we go,” Wilbur crooned. “Let’s get the cleaning done, and then you can play!”

Play? Tommy hasn’t played in… ever? 

Well, when he was really well behaved, Dream would let him go outside and run around a little. Those privileges got lost when he rolled in the mud. Dream said that playing outside was bringing out too much animal in him and erasing all Dream’s their hard work.

Wilbur maneuvered Tommy around, getting him to sit down. He filled a cup, placing his hand over Tommy’s eyes and leaning the panda’s head back. Wilbur poured the water over his head, Tommy’s ears pinning back as the water ran over them.

Tommy’s eyes closed as he gently pushed into Wilbur’s hands. That felt nice. The way the water flowed through his fur, clearing out some dirt. It was warm, but not overly so. Wilbur’s hand carefully ran through his fur, scratching at the skin underneath. The hands were so soft. 

Tommy chirped, pleased with the feeling. 

When was the last time someone touched him so gently?

Wilbur cooed at the sound. “Do you like that? You want me to do it again?”

Tommy cheeped again, agreeing.

Wilbur’s hand cupped over his eyes, tilting him back as water ran down his body once again. Tommy chittered, satisfied. His eyes closed contently. 

He knew he should be scared. He knew it. 

But, just as before, he couldn’t find himself feeling even a small amount of fear. 

“We can keep doing that in a moment; let’s get you cleaned up first.” 

Wilbur released him, Tommy whining at the loss as he started to fall forward. 

Wilbur caught him, pushing him back up. “Just one second.”

Wilbur let go, Tommy swaying a little. 

He heard something squirt before Wilbur’s hands landed on him again, scratching circles into his fur as the soap was lathered on it.

Tommy melted , leaning forward. Wilbur caught him under his chin, running soapy fingers into his fur. Tommy let out a chitter.

“You’re so cute. Little thing just needed lots of love. Poor baby.” 

Tommy let Wilbur’s voice filter through him. 

He didn’t really care what Wilbur had to say, he just liked the way it rumbled in his brain. 

Wilbur’s hand cupped over his eyes once again, pouring water over him. The soap ran off of him, taking the dirt and grime away. He hadn’t realized how dirty he was from running through the forest.

Wilbur did this a few more times, fingers scratching through the fur again to ensure all the soap was gone.

“All clean!” Wilbur shouted, joy in his tone.

Tommy chirped questioningly, the sound bordering on a whine. 

He didn’t want to be done. He wanted to stay here. 

“Aw, don’t worry, Sunshine. You can soak a bit longer and play. Look!” Wilbur grabbed a bottle. “Let’s make this a bubble bath!”

A bubble bath? What was that?

“You’ll see what it is in a second,” Wilbur giggled, as if reading his mind. 

Before long, strange things started happening. The water turned white and foamy. 

Wilbur dipped his hand into the water, scooping up the strange fluffy stuff. “These are bubbles.”

Tommy looked closer, seeing his own distorted reflection inside. Suddenly, Wilbur scooped more up and placed them on his head. 

“See! It’s fun to play with!”

Tommy’s tail wagged behind him. He could certainly try…

He dove into the bubbles, resurfacing and grinning at Wilbur. It was so soft and fluffy! It stuck to his fur, but it didn’t weight him down.

Wilbur grinned, dipping his hand into the soapy water again and forming a circle with his fingers. He then blew into it softly, a large bubble forming.

Tommy’s eyes lit up. It was so big! And it just kept growing!

The bubble detached, floating towards his nose. As soon as it touched the edge of his snout, it popped. 

Tommy’s face scrunched up, head tilting back slightly before—

ACHOO!

Bubbles went flying off of him, Wilbur laughing as they shot out of the bathtub and onto his shirt.

“Big sneeze!” Wilbur giggled.

Tommy’s heart warmed, a new feeling he couldn’t quite describe bubbling up in him. 

It was strange. It made his heart thump. It made his head feel light. It made him want to run and jump. It made him want to break out into giggles and chirps.

He’d never felt like this before…

And he was most certainly going to embrace it!

Wilbur scooped up more bubbles, throwing them on Tommy’s chin and sculpting them into a bushy glob.

“You’ve got a beard!”

Tommy chittered happily, bouncing in the bubble bath before whipping his tail towards Wilbur, watching as bubbles splashed over the edge of the tub and onto the man’s face.

Tommy nipped at the bubbles, licking his lips and making a face. That did not taste good.

Wilbur laughed, grabbing more bubbles and dumping them on top. Tommy shook his head, watching them fly off. 

“I’m trying to give you a wig!” Wilbur chuckled.

Tommy fell on his back, kicking at the foam and rolling around in it. Bubbles popped and fizzled, Tommy chirping and chittering out laughs.

Wilbur reached over him, grabbing a rubber ducky and pressed down on it. It made a squeaking sound. 

“Oh, and there’s little boats in here. A few others things… I just found whatever I could from me and Techno’s old stuff. You can play as long as you want.”

Tommy grabbed the duck, chewing on it and listening to the noise. 

Oh. Oh, this was going to be fun.

———

Tommy splashed Wilbur, chittering as the man screeched. He dove into the water, knocking all the boats and other floaties out of the way. He smacked one into the wall, standing on two limbs and stretching his arms up. 

Then, he pounced, falling forwards and bumping into one of the larger toys. 

Wilbur laughed as it caused water to splash out of the tub, wetting the floor.

Wilbur would have to clean this up before Phil saw it. 

Tommy laid there for a moment, huffing from exhaustion. 

“Are you getting a bit tired, Sunshine?” 

Tommy tried to stand up, only for his limbs to buckle beneath him. 

Well… maybe he was a bit tired.

“It’s okay. You’re still recovering, so you need lots of rest. Let’s get you fed, then you can take another nap.”

Tommy chirped, not wanting to move. Wilbur scooped him up, and suddenly, it hit him.

It was so cold . Tommy let out a whine-like chirp, tail curling around himself. 

“Sorry, sorry, I know it’s cold. Let’s get you wrapped up.”

Wilbur placed him on something soft. Tommy quickly shook himself off, letting the water spray all around him. Wilbur giggled, grabbing the edges of the soft towel.

What—

Wilbur rolled it around him, keeping it tight against his body. 

Tommy blinked, looking at himself in the bathroom mirror. He was trapped in the towel. 

This was unacceptable. 

He growled tiredly, pushing against the fabric, but it wouldn’t budge .

“Oh, little guy doesn’t like being a burrito?” 

Tommy was not a burrito.

Wilbur lifted him up, resting Tommy against his chest so their eyes could meet. “You have to warm up, so you have to stay in here. You’ll change your tune in a moment.”

Tommy let out another growl before being plopped onto Wilbur’s bed.

“I’ll be right back.”

And the man was gone.

This was his chance. Tommy fought against the fabric, claws digging into the fluffy material. 

It didn’t give at all. 

Tommy huffed, flopping down and giving up. 

It was soft , okay?

Only a moment later, Wilbur came back, shaking a bottle. Tommy felt his mouth water at the sound of the liquid swishing inside.

With one quick motion, Wilbur scooped Tommy up and placed him in his lap. 

“Here you go, Sunshine.” 

Tommy huffed, turning his face away. 

He already gave into the burrito; he couldn’t lose more dignity.

(Despite the fact he already has.)

“Aw, aren’t you hungry?”

Tommy scrunched his face up, trying to look angry.

He failed as soon as his stomach grumbled.

Wilbur giggled. 

Tommy sighed, latching onto it and drinking greedily. 

Once he had finished about 3/4ths of the bottle, he released. 

Wilbur rubbed the bottle against his lips. “Come on, Sunshine. Just a little more.” 

Tommy wasn’t hungry anymore. 

“I know you think you’re full, but you need to eat just a tiny bit more. Please?” 

Wilbur looked into his eyes, something desperate in them.

Tommy sighed internally, grabbing on once more. For some reason, he felt like he should listen to the older. Wilbur did let him have fun in the bath. He could do this one thing for the man. 

“Good job!” Wilbur cheered.

Tommy felt warmth settle in him at the praise. 

It felt so sincere. 

Tommy finished off the bottle, eyes closing as he laid his head on Wilbur’s leg.

Wilbur scratched under his chin. “You did so good. You just keep resting. You deserve it after all that hard work today.”

Tommy chirped contently, letting sleep take him once again.

Maybe… maybe he could stay here for a bit. Why not let himself enjoy this time where no one knew what he was?

Wilbur was nice to him and took care of him… 

There was really no reason not to stay, right?

…

Yeah. He might as well enjoy this while it lasted.

He just had to remember not to get too attached. 

———

Wilbur stepped quickly through the halls, one arm holding a not-so-sleepy red panda while the other laid across Sunshine’s back.

He skidded to a stop once he reached his desired location, raising his fist to rap against the door.

“What do you want?” a voice called from inside.

“Tech! I need you for a moment,” Wilbur answered.

There was a groan before footsteps sounded from inside.

The door flung open, a very tired-looking man stood under the doorframe. 

Wilbur gave him a nervous smile.

“No,” Techno said, already starting to close the door.

Wilbur stuck his foot out, keeping it from closing. Techno put his entire weight against it. Wilbur copied, doing the same with his back.

“Hey, hey! I’ve got a baby!” 

Techno pushed harder. “Then maybe stop trying to get into my room.”

“Technoooooo!” Wilbur whined. “Please! I just need to do a couple things, and he woke up before I got the chance to do them!” 

“No! You brought him in here! He’s your responsibility.”

Wilbur knocked his head against the door, feet planted on the ground as he leaned his whole weight on it. “Techno! Just for an hour! I’ve got Royal stuff I have to do!”

Techno groaned, moving away from the door. Wilbur yelped as he fell backwards, arms moving to cradle Sunshine more protectively.

“Ow,” Wilbur said, glaring at Techno from the floor.

Sunshine chittered from his place on Wilbur’s chest. It kind of sounded like a laugh.

Wilbur smiled at Techno as he lifted Sunshine in the air, ready for the man to take. “Thank you, Tech!” 

Techno looked at the small, fluffy thing. 

Sunshine stared back, neither of them blinking. 

“Don’t you bite me.” 

Sunshine’s tail gently swayed behind him, tongue sticking out innocently.

Techno reached out, grabbing under Sunshine’s arms. As soon as Techno had the panda secure, Wilbur jumped up and ran to the door.

“I’ll be back in an hour to feed him! Okay, bye!!!”

“An hour— “

Wilbur slammed the door shut. 

Techno stared at the red panda, holding him out in front of him. He squinted, the panda squinting back.

Could red pandas squint?

Guess so.

“I don’t like you,” Techno said.

Sunshine slowly raised a paw, placing it on Techno’s arm. 

“Wha—“

Claws dug into his arm.

“OW!” Techno yelped as Sunshine let out a loud growl. 

Quickly setting Sunshine on his bed, Techno cradled   his forearm. “You know what… that’s fair. If someone looked at me and told me they didn’t like me, I’d also claw them.” 

Sunshine stood up, raising his paws in the air threateningly. The bed shifted under his weight, making him stumble and fall forward.

“You seem rather active today. Which is good, I suppose. Guess I have to get you a toy to play with so you don’t destroy my arm.”

Techno looked around his room, eyes landing on three stuffed polar bears. 

He supposed he could give one away for a good cause.

Walking over to the stuffed animal, he grabbed Baba and held it out towards Sunshine. 

“Will this satisfy you?”

The panda stood up once again, wobbling as his tail wagged.

Techno assumed that was a yes.

He tossed the toy over, watching as the panda raised his arms and pounced on it. 

Sunshine growled, biting into the fabric and rolling around the bed. 

Techno smiled, watching as the baby tumbled all over the blankets before falling onto the floor with a thunk. Sunshine kicked and clawed at it, backing away before falling on it all over again. 

Then, Sunshine looked towards a movement, standing up and stretching his arms out at whatever caught his eye. 

Techno glanced over, putting a hand over his mouth when he saw exactly what the panda had made his new target. 

It was Sunshine’s own shadow. The panda stared at it, stepping towards it carefully.

Oh. Oh, that was so cute.

Sunshine fell towards it, biting into the floor. In an instant, it was like nothing happened. The little one jumped back towards Baba, biting into it and rolling around the floor.

Techno blinked, shrugging at the strange switch in interest.

(Little did he know, Tommy was quite embarrassed he got scared of his own shadow…)

———

An hour later, Wilbur opened the door, shaking a bottle of milk. “Hey, Sunshine. I’ve got your milk.”

Wilbur watched as Sunshine stood on his hind legs, raising his arms in the air as Techno threw Baba at the little thing.

Sunshine fell forward, landing on top of it before looking up at Wilbur. Sunshine stuck his tongue out in the closest thing to a smile the panda could get. The baby tilted his head at Wilbur, a questioning spark in his eye. 

Look at me, are you proud?

Wilbur melted, setting down the bottle to clap. His heart pounded in his chest, as if wanting to escape and run to the little one. Like it wanted to scoop the baby up and squish his innocent, fluffy face. “Good job, Sunshine! You caught that toy so well!”

Brightening, the red panda bit into the toy’s neck and stood up.

The toy looked gigantic compared to Sunshine. 

Sunshine’s feet scurried across the floor, getting caught on the bigger toy’s fabric. With a thump, he fell face first onto the floor. 

Wilbur held back a coo as Sunshine scrambled up, only to trip on the toy again.

And again.

And again.

The poor panda only got a couple feet closer before he tripped once more and rolled onto his back. Wilbur waited patiently, watching as Sunshine slowly stood up. The panda looked up at him, eyes watery.

Another step and…

Thunk.

Sunshine whined, chittering sadly.

Wilbur gasped quietly. The poor thing just wanted to show him his new toy, and he couldn’t get up.

Wilbur cooed, closing the distance between them. “Hey there, buddy. It’s okay.” He reached down, scooping the baby up with one arm and grabbing the toy with the other. “Wilbur’s proud of you.”

Wilbur grabbed the toy’s neck, swinging the stuffed animal’s head around and speaking in a silly voice. “You did so good catching me! You’re so big and strong!”

The panda perked up, tail wagging softly. 

He bit into the polar bear’s neck, gnawing on it as Wilbur released. Sunshine gripped it tightly in his paws.

“Ohhhh! So strong!” Wilbur strolled towards the bottle. “And you need lots of food and rest to stay strong!” Sunshine opened his mouth to bite down on the animal again, but in one fell swoop, Wilbur grabbed the milk and shoved in into Sunshine’s mouth. 

Sunshine clamped down on it, eyes wide at the realization that this was not Baba. 

As soon as the milk hit his tongue, Sunshine relaxed. However, his grip on Baba tightened, bringing it closer and snuggling into it as he drank.

Wilbur cooed once again, thumb running against Sunshine’s side. 

“There we go. Such a strong boy.”

Sunshine nodded, as if agreeing. Wilbur chuckled, turning to Techno. 

“Thank you for watching him! I hope he wasn’t too much of a hassle.”

Humming, Techno looked away. “He was alright, I guess.”

Wilbur beamed, smirk appearing on his face. “Oooooooh, he’s growing on you!”

Techno blushed, taking a pillow and throwing it at Wilbur.

Wilbur shrieked, jumping out of the way. “Hey! I have precious cargo here!” 

Techno rolled his eyes, standing up and shoving the brunet through the door. “Go! Shoo!”

Wilbur giggled as the door slammed in his face.

A softie, that one.

———

Wilbur sat at his mahogany desk, his phone buzzing as his fingers flew across the keyboard. Being the crown prince was a lot of work, who knew?

He picked up the phone, not noticing the door squeaking open. 

“Yes, of course, I’ll look into that as soon as I can. I’ll put a team together, and we can have a meeting in… 3 days?”

Wilbur flinched as the person yelled in his ear.

He straightened his back, brows furrowing.

“I understand you have a need. Please understand, our job is to serve the citizens, but you are not our only citizen. We will get to you when we can.”

Something clicked and clattered on the wooden floor.

Wilbur pinched the bridge of his nose.

It was times like these that made him want to throw his weight around.

He was the crown prince and this Karen thought she could talk to him that way.

“Thank you for your patience.” He hung up the phone.

His eyes landed on his computer once again, and he sighed. 

Something scraped against the floor.

Wilbur blinked, looking over the edge of his desk.

A… box?

When did that get there?

Suddenly, Sunshine scurried across the room, grabbing another box and pushing it over. Sunshine looked up towards him.

Wilbur’s eyes widened, and he sat back in his chair, hands coming up to his laptop to pretend he was still working.

Did he notice…?

Paws pattered against the floor again. 

Wilbur gave a small sigh of relief.

Brown eyes stayed focused on the screen, nimble fingeers tapping away at keys randomly. 

After a minute, a small head poked out over the desk’s edge. Wilbur felt his heart flutter as Sunshine tilted his head at him.

The little one just wanted to see what he was doing.

Tiny paws gripped the edge of the desk.

Wilbur nearly squealed, but he kept his composure, pretending to click away at his keyboard.

Sunshine slowly climbed up, struggling to find a footing. The panda huffed quietly, hauling himself up before falling onto the wood.

Wilbur held back the coo as Sunshine stood up and trotted over. The panda sat on his haunches, tongue lolling out as he stared at Wilbur.

Wilbur glanced over before focusing back on his screen.

Sunshine’s mouth closed, ears perking up and head tilting in question.

Wilbur wouldn’t look. He wouldn’t look. He wouldn’t look.

Sunshine reached out, placing a paw on his hand.

Wilbur looked.

Sunshine pawed at him again.

“Okay, Sunshine. You win.” 

Wilbur ran a hand down Sunshine’s back, the baby leaning into it. With only a few more pets, Sunshine flopped onto the desk, curling up with his tail and shutting his eyes.

Did… did Sunshine just want to sleep near him?

Wilbur cooed only slightly before cutting himself off.

He was stronger than this, surely.

Maybe the workday didn’t need to be so stressful.

———

Tommy wanted to see what Wilbur did while he wasn’t with him.

So, he went and found out.

Turns out, the man only did boring work. 

So, after getting the man’s attention for a couple of pets, he laid down and relaxed. 

Wilbur’s hands went back to his computer and answering phone calls, only stroking his back every now and then. Absentmindedly, he’d scratch through the fur.

Tommy also saw the man run his hands through his hair a lot. Tommy wasn’t entirely sure why Wilbur did that. Nor was he sure why Wilbur was doing work in the first place.

Dream always had servants do this type of thing for him. 

Wilbur stared at the laptop for a while, something intense in his eyes.

Tommy looked at the email. 

He couldn’t exactly read it, but he could tell it was short. 

Wilbur had surely read through it by now, right?

Wilbur had skimmed through much longer emails before in a much more timely manner.

The brunet leaned back with a loud sigh, running a hand through his hair and scratching at his scalp. He closed his eyes, rubbing up and down his face.

That could be Tommy’s fur he was touching. This was just not right.

Tommy had to correct this.

The panda reached out, pawing at Wilbur’s arm.

Wilbur opened an eye, glancing at him curiously. 

Tommy pawed at him again. 

Wilbur’s lips twitched upwards as he reached out and ran fingers through Tommy’s fur. 

“Sorry, guess I stopped petting you, huh?” 

Tommy leaned into it, making a pleased sound. He yelped as a hand scooped him up, placing him in the man’s lap.

Wilbur propped his elbow on the desk, leaning into his hand as he stared into the distance. The man’s calloused fingers dragging through the fluff with little thought.

“I’m just… I’m a little stressed.”

He was probably stressed because he wasn’t giving Tommy enough pets. 

“It’s just… There’s this kingdom we don’t really get along with. I’ve always found the king rather… arrogant.”

Huh. Wonder what he could be talking about.

“Plus”—Wilbur laughed humorlessly—“they have a view about hybrids that I don’t agree with.”

Tommy tensed.

If Dream’s view about hybrids was just that they were animals meant to be servants, then…

Wilbur must believe hybrids all needed to die.

Wilbur was the one that Dream warned him about. Wilbur had his hand around his throat and could squeeze—

“Sunshine?”

Tommy didn’t even realize how fast he was breathing.

Wilbur’s fingers shuffled through his fur, brown eyes locked onto his.

“Hey, buddy. It’s okay. It’s alright. What’s got you worked up?”

Tommy shook under Wilbur’s gaze.

Wilbur knew, didn’t he? Wilbur knew , didn’t he?!

Wilbur was just playing some sick game and—

The man gave a light chuckle. “Well, you’re probably feeling the stress radiate off me, aren’t you?”

Wilbur squeezed gently on his neck, helping relax him. Tommy was so helpless . “I’ll try to keep you away from all this. It’s the last thing you need when you’re still trying to heal and grow.”

Wilbur stood up, cradling him softly.

“It’s about time for your food anyway. I’ll put you to bed after that.”

Tommy took a deep breath.

Wilbur didn’t know. The man still believed he was just an animal, not a hybrid. 

Great. 

Tommy could enjoy this a little longer.

———

Sunshine was beginning to walk around on his own. The panda started to explore and stroll through the castle. 

It made Wilbur just a little sad that Sunshine didn’t need to be held all the time, but watching as he trotted alongside him was just the cutest. 

Wilbur had to walk just a little slower, but Sunshine was doing a good job at keeping up with him. His little feet and claws clattered on the wood flooring.

Wilbur smiled back at him, pausing for a moment when the baby tripped and fell forward, quickly standing back up and running after him again. 

“Wil!” a voice called.

Wilbur stopped, blinking at Techno curiously as he approached.

“What’s up, Tech?” 

Wilbur felt something press against the back of his legs near his heels. He glanced down, watching as Sunshine pushed his face between Wilbur’s ankles. 

Wilbur awed, grinning as Sunshine’s fur fluffed up around his cheeks. 

“Earth to Wilbur,” Techno said, waving his hand in front of Wilbur’s face.

Wilbur’s smile wobbled, a blush crawling up his cheeks. “Sorry, you were saying?”

“I was wondering if you saw that email?”

Wilbur sighed, carding a hand through his hair. “Yeah, I saw it.”

Sunshine shoved himself fully through the space between his ankles, twisting so he was looking up at Wilbur.

Wilbur gave him a small smile.

He really didn’t want Sunshine to get nervous about this just because he was.

“I wasn’t sure how to reply, so I was going to take it to Dad.”

“Me and him already read it. He asked me to come get your opinion.” 

“My opinion is this isn’t a simple issue and there’s no way they’re going to make this easy.”

Sunshine gripped onto his pants, claws digging into the material as Wilbur began to walk with Techno.

Wilbur gave a quick glance down, giggling as Sunshine started crawling up his pants. The panda didn’t even seem to mind that he was currently walking.

“It’s going to be a fight to get any information,” Techno agreed.

Sunshine gripped onto the hem of Wilbur’s sweater. Wilbur couldn’t help but watch as the little panda slowly climbed up his clothes, chuckling nervously when he saw how Sunshine’s claws tore through the fabric. Small holes formed, and the wool frayed. He could hear it rip and pop with each claw.

He liked this sweater, but oh well. He’d have to get thicker ones made that are padded so Sunshine could climb them.

Sunshine made it to his shoulder, crawling down his arm. 

Wilbur giggled as he held his arm out straight, Sunshine dangling off of it. Little paws kicked in the air, attempting to find some kind of footing. 

The sweater began to sag. The material started to fray. 

Uh oh—

POP.

Wilbur yelped as the fabric snapped, reaching out and catching the falling panda before he could hit the ground.

He brought Sunshine into the safety of his arms, running a hand down the panda’s back.

“Wilbur, focus! This is important!” Techno snapped.

Wilbur stopped, eyebrows pinching with anger. “Sunshine is important too!”

Techno paused, taking a deep breath and looking away. “Sorry. I’m just… stressed about this.”

Wilbur smiled. “You know what would help?”

Techno sighed as Wilbur shoved Sunshine in his face.

Wilbur beamed, shaking the baby a little. 

“Come on… Petting him relieves stress.”

Techno raised his hand, lazily stroking the panda’s head. His lips quirked up, Wilbur laughing.

“I told you! He’s so fluffy. It just takes all your worries away.”

Techno huffed, flicking Wilbur on the forehead and making him squawk. “Yeah, yeah, let’s just get to the meeting.”

Wilbur rolled his eyes, tucking Sunshine back into his arms and following Techno to Phil’s office.

Chapter Text

Wilbur settled down in his chair, running a hand down Sunshine’s back. 

“So, the email,” Wilbur said flatly to Phil and Techno as they got settled in their own chairs. “We agree it’s sketchy.”

“Obviously,” Techno scoffed.

Phil sighed. “He wants to let a whole troop into our gates to find some criminal that escaped capture in his kingdom. That story in and of itself is believable, but we need more information. What if this criminal has come seeking asylum? Or is a severe danger to us and our citizens? If our kingdom is in danger, we need to know.”

Wilbur spoke up, “And if they’re not telling us why they need an entire troop to hunt this criminal down, there must be a reason they don’t want us to know.”

The three nodded. Wilbur huffed, scratching at Sunshine’s ears and smiling when the baby leaned into it. He cooed, face splitting into a grin at the small, pleased chip Sunshine released. Oh, he just wanted to explode.

“I’ll email him back and let him know we’ll need more information before we allow him in our borders,” Phil said. “Are we in agreement?”

His sons nodded.

“Great. I’ll let you know when I’ve heard back.”

The boys stood up, Wilbur careful to not jostle the relaxed panda as he exited the room.

-/-/-/-/-/-

The sound of shuffling woke Sunshine up. Something made a scrunching sound before a pop. 

Sunshine jolted up, fur puffed out and arms coming up in a defensive position.

Wilbur blinked at him, holding the plastic package with a guilty smile. “Sorry about that, Sunshine. I was just opening some new things that I ordered. It’s okay… I think you’ll like them.”

Wilbur reached out, Sunshine lowering his arms slightly. He quickly ran a hand down the panda’s back, scratching at his chin.

Sunshine sat back on his haunches, head tilted curiously. Wilbur laid out the contents of the packages. Sweaters tumbled out, sprawling across the blanket. 

“Sweaters!” 

Sunshine stood up, toddling over and pawing at them.

“I know, I know. They look just like my old ones, don’t they?”

Sunshine gave a small nod. Smart little guy!

“But, if you’d take a closer look…” Wilbur grabbed one, showing Sunshine the sleeve and tightening his grip on it. “It’s got padding! I ordered specially made sweaters just for you to crawl on since you’ve been loving destroying my others.” He chuckled.

Wilbur quickly slipped the sweater over his loose dress shirt, patting his chest as an invitation for Sunshine to climb.

Sunshine flinched back, gaze nervous.

Wilbur tilted his head, confusion etched into his features. 

“What’s wrong, Sunshine? What’s got you scared?”

Sunshine looked to the new sweaters then back to him quickly. 

Wilbur followed his gaze, lighting up at the realization. “Oh! Sunshine, it’s okay that you tore up the other ones. I promise, I’m not mad. I’m quite happy to have these new ones so you can climb easier!”

Sunshine relaxed, jumping at him suddenly. Wilbur reached his arms out, letting out a small oof as Sunshine’s claws dug into his new sweater. 

Wilbur stood stunned for a moment, chest tight. Oh…

He was just precious. Wilbur just wanted to squeeze him close and never let him go.

The panda quickly slipped out of his tight grip and climbed up his chest to his shoulder, making his way around his neck and standing on both shoulders. 

Wilbur reached up, scratching lightly at his ears. “Let’s get going. Big day today.”

He ignored Sunshine obvious curiosity and walked out of his room.

-/-/-/-/-/-

“Sunshine—“ Wilbur sighed as the panda crawled all around him, dodging his hands as he tried to grab him. “I know you’re nervous, but you gotta let the nice vet check on you!”

Sunshine barked out a growl, jumping out of the way once more. 

The veterinarian chuckled, reaching out to help Wilbur. Sunshine dodged, crawling to Wilbur’s back. Wilbur reached behind him, twisting so his back was to Emma so she could grab the panda.

Sunshine slipped away from her grasp, crawling over his shoulder and wedging himself between Wilbur’s sweater and shirt.

“Sunshine!”

The little one shoved himself fully inside the safety of his sweater, claws digging into Wilbur’s abdomen.

Wilbur sighed, patting the lump hiding beneath his brand-new clothes. “It’ll be over quickly, Sunshine, I promise.”

A growl answered back. 

Wilbur gave a fond smile to Emma. “Any ideas?”

“Take off the sweater?”

Wilbur nodded, grabbing the hem and pulling it up to reveal the cozy panda that had nuzzled into his dress shirt.

“Gotcha!” Emma laughed, grabbing beneath the baby’s armpits.

Sunshine chirped in distress, breaking Wilbur’s heart. 

“Can I hold him?” Wilbur asked.

“Only if you’ll keep him still while he’s fighting against you.”

Wilbur gulped. He wasn’t sure if he could do that with Sunshine’s distressed whining.

The vet quickly shoved a bottle in the little one’s mouth, that quieting him instantly. 

Sunshine gripped it, eyelids drooping as he gulped the milk down. Wilbur cooed. 

“Hungry little guy, aren’t you? Your stomach is louder than your dislike of the vet.” He chuckled.

Emma held the bottle up, forcing the panda to stand. 

She did a quick checkup, running her hand through his fur, pulling back his lips to check his teeth, and checking his ears. She did a quick weight check and measurement, humming with interest.

Right as Sunshine finished the bottle, she finished her exam. Wilbur quickly scooped Sunshine back up, letting the very betrayed-looking panda stuff himself into his sweater again. 

Wilbur looked down, smiling sheepishly when he was met with a baby red panda glare through the neck of his sweater. He yelped as Sunshine’s claws dug into his chest.

“Okay, okay. I deserve it.”

Sunshine chittered, clearly agreeing.

Wilbur turned his focus back to the vet, who seemed to be staring at her notes with a hint of concern.

“Is everything alright?”

She scratched the top of her head. “So far, yes. However, there is a small concern.”

Wilbur wrapped his arms around Sunshine, face pinching with worry. “Is he okay?”

She clicked her pen, shoving it into her pocket. “So, healthwise, he looks very good. He’s gained a little weight and definitely gotten some meat on his bones.”

“And the concern?”

“He hasn’t grown very much. Now, that could be due to his malnourished state, or it could be due to an underlying issue.”

Wilbur sucked in a breath, looking down at Sunshine, who seemed entirely uninterested in this conversation. “Issue? What? What could that be? Is he okay? Will he need special accommodations? Will he surviv—“

“Wilbur. Relax,” Emma said firmly.

Wilbur took a deep breath. 

“For right now, I don’t believe anything needs to be done. It is most likely due to his malnourishment. You told me he wasn’t showing any other signs of concern. He’s active and playful. He seems very smart too. These are all good things. For now, just start weaning him off the bottle. Start giving him solids and see how he does.”

Wilbur frowned. “Already off the bottle? You mean I don’t get to feed him anymore?”

She chuckled. “No, no. He can still have a bottle sometimes. But you just need to start giving him solids so that we can see how that affects his health.”

Wilbur let out a sigh of relief. 

“I’ll check on you again soon. If his health declines, let me know,” she said.

“A-and if it’s an underlying issue? What then?”

She sighed. “Most likely we would have to take him in for further testing. Probably relocate to a place he could better be cared for and watched.”

Wilbur hugged Sunshine, looking at him once more. The baby seemed to pick up on his concern, face pinched in distress. 

“But for now, don’t worry about it.” Emma smiled. 

Wilbur took another deep breath, running a hand through his hair and forcing himself to relax. He smiled at Sunshine. “You’re alright. You’re being taken care of. No more worrying.”

Sunshine seemed to accept his words, shoving his head against Wilbur’s chest once more. Wilbur softened, brushing fingers through the panda’s fur. It’d be okay. Wilbur would make sure of it. 

Wilbur smiled at Emma. “Thank you.”

She nodded and went on her way.

-/-/-/-/-/-

Wilbur held his arms above his head, hands outstretched as he ran around the halls. 

“Sunshine! Please be careful!” Wilbur shouted up, yelping as Sunshine hung upside down on a beam. 

Wilbur rushed underneath him, ready to catch the panda if he fell. “C-could you just come down? You’re so far up there, Sunshine!”

Sunshine chittered, crawling along the beam and ignoring him. Wilbur scowled. Sunshine’s gotten so obstinate lately. The panda doesn’t listen to him at all anymore. 

Wilbur felt like a parent with a rebellious kid, the child testing their limits at every corner. 

“Sir? Is there something we could help you with…?” a servant asked after walking in and seeing him in such a frantic state.

“Huh? Oh, no I— I might just need a ladder…” Wilbur sighed.

Suddenly, a golden blur fell onto the servant, making the poor woman fall to the floor with a yelp.

“Sunshine!” Wilbur chastised lightly, giving the woman a hand.

She took it, letting Wilbur pull her to her feet. “Thank you, sir.”

“Sorry about him,” he chuckled nervously. “He’s very active today…” He looked around for the little one, shouting when he finally found the panda. “Sunshine! No! Get back here!” 

Wilbur rushed to the beam Sunshine was currently climbing back up, swiping at him. His fingers just brushed the fur, not enough to actually stop him. Sunshine shimmied up the beam, paws slowly reaching out and grasping the wood. The panda’s tail swayed side to side as he climbed, as if smug about getting away from Wilbur.

Wilbur groaned, rubbing his hands up his face and through his hair. “Sunshine, please… You’ve got to stop jumping on the servants!”

He’d already done this like five times. 

“It’s time to eat, Sunshine! You want to come down to eat?!” Wilbur shouted up at him. 

The panda continued to ignore him, striding across a beam and looking for his next target. Ears flopping as he trotted with an air of sass. 

Wilbur followed beneath him, a tired look on his face.

Phil was going to kill him if he found out Sunshine had been scaring the workers. Wilbur would be mad too, but…

Wilbur smiled something exasperated and fond at the way Sunshine pranced along the beams. 

He just seemed so happy up there. Wilbur knew red pandas absolutely loved to climb. Sunshine was probably getting tired of being stuck in the castle. 

Sunshine’s fluffy fur bounced with each of his steps, tongue lolled out in defiance.

The beam creaked as Sunshine sat back on his haunches, bending down like he was ready to pounce. Wilbur’s brows scrunched together.

What would he be pouncing at?

Wilbur’s gaze shifted, a gasp escaping him. 

The chandelier. 

That was much too far for those little legs to jump to. He was going to fall—

Sunshine jumped.

“Sunshine!!!” Wilbur screeched, sprinting towards him with outstretched arms. 

The panda’s paws latched onto the very edge, but the slippery metal made it hard to grip. His claws detached, Sunshine chittering in fear. 

Wilbur’s heart raced, legs pumping beneath him. He leaped forward, arms just barely curling around the baby. Cradling the panda close to his chest, Wilbur hit the floor and slid across it. 

Sunshine chittered nervously, curling into Wilbur’s chest and digging his claws into Wilbur’s clothes.

Wilbur’s chest heaved, body shaking slightly with adrenaline. Wilbur paused in his heavy breathing, blinking rapidly. His heart was still beating out of his chest, mind buzzing with the possibility that Sunshine could have gotten hurt. 

His mind played the idea of Sunshine’s body falling to the floor like a movie. He could hear the snap of bone as if it were real.

He shook his head, eyes wide with horror. Why was he thinking like that? Why was his brain locking onto the worst case scenario?

It was like… Like how Phil used to fret over him over every tiny danger.

He squeezed Sunshine closer, tears springing at his eyes. 

What was happening? 

When did he get so attached? 

No, no. He couldn’t get too attached. Then it would hurt so much more when he had to release Sunshine back into the wild. 

A paw pressed against his face.

Wilbur opened his eyes, not even realizing he had closed them. 

Sunshine stared at him, face scrunched up in worry. The panda stuck his face in Wilbur’s as he sniffed him, whining slightly with his ears pinned back.

Wilbur took a deep breath. It was over. Sunshine was safe. 

Safe, his mind whispered.

Wilbur sighed, giving a small smile and scratching at Sunshine’s head. “No more climbing for right now, okay? My heart can’t take it.”

Sunshine curled into his chest again, looking guilty.

Wilbur couldn’t stay mad at him long, not with that cute little face. Not with the way his hands sunk into Sunshine’s fur like they belonged there. “It’s alright, little one. I’ll get some climbing equipment installed, just for you, alright? We’re going to be more careful from now on, yes?”

Sunshine buried his face in Wilbur’s arms. 

“I’ll take that as a maybe.” 

It was a bit strange how Sunshine acted. How he seemed to have a grasp on human interaction and understand Wilbur. Maybe he had dealt with humans before?

The thought made Wilbur shiver. If the vet was right, and it was poachers…

Maybe Sunshine had escaped them? 

Wilbur buried his face into Sunshine’s fur. 

Whatever happened, it was over now. They had each other, so it’d be alright. 

Wilbur ignored the thought of having to release Sunshine back into the wild. 

Ignored the deep pit of loneliness that threatened to stir at the idea. 

For now, Sunshine was here. That was all that mattered.

-/-/-/-/-/-

Now that Wilbur had installed several climbing apparatuses, Sunshine had been quite busy. The panda adored the ladders and small platforms he could jump between. Wilbur also found that Sunshine enjoyed putting his favorite toys in special little hideouts and dens. 

Which is why when Wilbur couldn’t find his crown, he decided to search the many hiding places Sunshine had created. 

He climbed a ladder, peeking into a den. 

Nothing.

He made his way through several of them, shuffling through the many toys Sunshine had accumulated. 

Nothing.

Empty.

Zilch.

And—

Wilbur blinked at the small nest Sunshine had made, a certain golden panda currently snoozing inside. Wilbur melted at the sight of the crown laying across his head, every part of him untensing as his shoulders sagged. He could just lay down and die. The headpiece was much too big for such a little thing, yet part of Wilbur felt pride at the thought of Sunshine wearing his crown.

He wasn’t sure why he felt pride. It wasn’t like Sunshine would ever be a true prince and king. 

He shrugged the thoughts off, focusing back on the ball of fluff. Sunshine had his tail curled around him, soft breaths escaping his little nose. Baba sat in his arms, stuffed carefully in his protection.

Wilbur nearly squealed. 

Poor thing got tired while playing. 

Wilbur smiled softly. “Hey, Sunshine… can I have that please?”

Sunshine jolted up, eyes wide as they flashed between the crown and Wilbur. The baby flinched back, tail curling around himself as his ears pinned back in fear.

He looked like a kid who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. If the child was afraid of worse than just a grounding…

“Hey, hey… Hey, Sunshine. It’s okay. I’m not mad. May I have my crown back, please?”

Sunshine whined, high-pitched and scared.

Wilbur reached inside slowly, carefully running his hand over Sunshine’s back. “Shhh, shhh, baby. What’s got you so spooked?”

Sunshine relaxed slightly at the feeling of Wilbur’s fingers carding through his fur.

Wilbur carefully wrapped his arms around the baby, pulling him out of the den and cradling him. He quickly reached inside once more, grabbing the crown and placing it on Sunshine’s head.

“There, see? You look so good in that crown. It suits you.” Wilbur booped Sunshine’s nose.

Sunshine relaxed into his arms fully, leaning into the hand petting him.

Wilbur brought them to a new room, settling Sunshine down on a large couch. 

The room was lined with shelves stuffed with books. Wilbur ran his fingers over the spines, humming as he read through all the titles. 

Sunshine stood up, hopping off the couch and running to Wilbur’s feet. The panda looked up at him curiously, standing on his hind legs and pressing his paws against Wilbur’s leg for stability. Wilbur stared down at him, vocal cords tensing as he held in a whine. Just look at that little, fluffy face! Wilbur took note of the way Sunshine’s paws pressed into him, of how it felt to be the baby’s steadiness.

The panda started to climb, claws digging into Wilbur’s pants before latching onto the shelf.

Wilbur stumbled slightly, the shelf shaking as Sunshine put more weight on the edge. 

“Whoa, whoa, little guy. Let’s not climb the shelf.”

Wilbur reached down, grabbing the baby and quickly setting him back on the couch.

Sunshine glared at him as he walked back to the shelf. 

Wilbur could recognize that mischievous glint anywhere. 

Sunshine had just made up his mind about something and would not be letting go of it anytime soon.

The panda hopped down, walking to another shelf.

And he was climbing it.

Wilbur grabbed the book he wanted and walked to Sunshine, settling against the wall next to the shelf. He quickly grabbed the panda and brought him to his lap, ignoring the growls and barks of protest. 

As soon as Wilbur released, Sunshine went back to trying to climb. 

Wilbur opened the book, turning to the first page and using his other hand to grab the baby once more.

Little guy was definitely determined. 

Wilbur released, and Sunshine rushed back to the shelf. 

Wilbur sighed, grabbing him once again.

He just wanted to relax with his book.

But no, Sunshine decided to choose violence today. 

Wilbur rolled his eyes with a fond huff. 

The next time Sunshine tried to crawl up the shelf, Wilbur gently squeezed his neck, chuckling to himself as the panda went limp. 

He gently laid Sunshine across his lap, hand melting into the soft fur as he scratched down the baby’s back. 

“Let’s just relax for a little bit, hm, Sunshine?”

The panda chittered, closing his eyes and wrapping his tail around himself to get comfy. Once again, Wilbur found himself wanting to jump up and down in excitement. Energy flowing from his tense chest to his limbs and wanting to explode out. Yet, he forced himself to remain calm. 

Couldn’t wake the baby, now could he?

Wilbur took a deep breath, focusing back on his book. 

-/-/-/-/-/-

Wilbur was currently talking to the head of the servants, Platy, while Sunshine played on his climbing equipment. 

“We’ve had quite a few people quitting here recently,” the servant said.

“Oh? Do we know why?”

Platy shrugged. “I’m not sure. I think they may have found a new job.”

Wilbur nodded. “Very well. Is there anything we can do to improve your work environment?”

“As of right now, we just need to find some more employees to help with the work load.”

Sunshine’s paws clattered against the tile floor as he rushed across the floor.

“Very well. Open as many positions as you need.”

The servant bowed in thanks, walking away.

Wilbur looked back to Sunshine, smiling when he saw the panda pouncing at the wall. 

Sunshine’s paws landed in the corner, trapping something in his grip.

“Whatcha got there, Sunshine?” Wilbur stepped over to him, peeking at his closed paws.

A lizard struggled in his grip, tail detaching as it scampered away. Sunshine barked, rushing back towards it and standing up. The panda fell forward, pouncing on the lizard only to miss and go rolling to his back.

Wilbur cooed, a giggle of delight escaping him. 

Sunshine was just so cute when he tumbled around. 

Wilbur reached down, scratching at the little one’s belly. His hand sunk into the soft fur, brushing against his skin like silk.

Sunshine kicked at his hands playfully, Wilbur pushing them away gently to gain better access.

Sunshine chirped and chittered, claws retracted as he pawed at Wilbur’s wrists. Wilbur laughed as they fought, tickling him. 

The panda let out chirps that sounded awfully like a giggle, mouth open and nipping at his fingers. 

Wilbur just growled playfully back, scratching at Sunshine’s head. Then, he scooped the baby up, grinning as Sunshine crawled along his sweater and perched on top of his shoulder.

Wilbur gave scratched under Sunshine’s chin, continuing on his daily duties.

-/-/-/-/-/-

Tommy had been pushing his limits. He would admit that.

He wanted to see how far he could go, how much he could disobey and be a nuscience, without being scolded harshly. 

He needed to find out their rules. He needed to know just how long this kindness will last because it can’t last much longer.

Stealing the crown was definitely a bold choice of his. Ignoring Wilbur, clawing at him, jumping on servants… surely all that would break this facade?

Tommy strutted into the living room. 

There was more carnage to wreck. 

This will get Wilbur to yell at him! Tommy hopped up onto the couch, lips pulled back to expose his teeth as his claws came out. They dig into the cushions, ripped into the seams. Stuffing popped out, Tommy grabbing it with his mouth and yanking on it. 

He moved onto the pillows, soft fabric falling easily to his claws. The sound of seams popping and ripping filled his ears, stuffing filling his mouth.

He smacked his lips, using a paw to brush it out of his mouth before continuing his onslaught.

He dragged the pillows around the room, watching as the insides spilled out. 

Gnawing on the upholstery, he laid across the sofa. He was so busy yanking the filling out that he didn’t hear the door open.

“Sunshine!” Wilbur gasped, eyes dancing across the room.

Tommy jumped, looking to the taller man. He grinned to himself, tail wagging. That would get Wilbur to act like he should! 

Wilbur’a gaze landed on him, a look of disappointment taking over his expression as he ran a hand through his hair.

Tommy’s tail fell with a small thump against the fabric. 

He didn’t like that look on Wilbur’s face. 

Wilbur sighed into his hands. “Phil is going to kill me.”

Tommy’s eyes widened.

No… no, no, no! He didn’t mean for Wilbur to get in trouble! He was supposed to get in trouble because he was bad. He misbehaved. He earned punishment. 

Tommy curled into himself, flinching back as Wilbur took a few steps closer. He wrapped his tail around himself, letting out a whine.

Wilbur cooed. “Oh, Sunshine. It’s okay. I’m not mad.”

Suddenly, he was scooped up and held to Wilbur’s chest. 

“I’ll have to get you some scratching posts. I didn’t realize how much you needed to tear stuff up!” The man giggled.

Tommy looked up in horror. Phil was going to punish Wilbur, and he was laughing?

Wilbur looked down at him, something like understanding sparking in his eyes. “Don’t worry about Phil, Sunshine, he won’t actually kill me.”

Tommy relaxed, ignoring how it seemed like Wilbur could read his thoughts. Wilbur was okay. He didn’t mess up too badly. 

Maybe… maybe Wilbur wouldn’t hurt him. Maybe Wilbur wouldn’t kick him out. Maybe Wilbur was different from Dream.

Maybe Tommy could get used to this.

-/-/-/-/-/-

Tommy had a plan. 

Well, it wasn’t entirely thought out. Wilbur had just set him down and let him run off for a minute and he wanted to play with Baba.

Who was currently trapped in Wilbur’s room. 

Tommy trotted to Wilbur’s door, glancing up at the doorknob that was all the way up there. 

But he had to do this. He had to free Baba. 

Tommy sat back on his haunches, leaping up to grab the doorknob. 

He fell, landing like a spring and launching off the floor again.

He missed, yet again.

Growling to himself, Tommy kept jumping. 

Bounce.

A little closer…

Bounce.

He swiped at it, feeling the cold metal touch his paws but not enough to grip it.

Bounce—

“Sunshine?”

Tommy fell to the floor, spinning around with fear. He stood on his hind legs, stretching his arms up. 

Wilbur blinked at him, quickly hiding behind his hands.

“Scary red panda is back! Oh no!”

Tommy let himself fall forward, landing on his paws with smugness radiating off of him.

Wilbur peaked out from behind his hands, smiling at him. “Aww!” Wilbur cooed, clasping his hands together under his chin. “Look at you!” The man bent forward slightly, placing his hands on his knees like he was talking to a toddler. “Did you want to go in my room? Were you looking for me?”

Tommy was in fact not looking for Wilbur. He wanted Baba.

Wilbur walked to him, scooping him up with ease. Tommy yelped, trying to find a grip on Wilbur’s arms.

The man laid him across his arm, running a hand down his back. “I could use a cuddle session.”

That was decidedly not what Tommy wanted.

Wilbur placed him on the bed, Tommy peeking up at the sight of Baba. He stood up, quickly trying to rush over, but Wilbur grabbed him first. The man wrapped a blanket around him, trapping him before he could protest. 

“Awww!” Wilbur cooed, getting in the bed and placing Tommy on his chest. “You’re so cute! Just wanted a cuddle from Wilbur!”

Okay… maybe it wasn’t so bad having a cuddle session. Especially when Wilbur scratched behind his ears just right. Tommy slumped down, relaxing into the blanket.

“So sweet! Just tuckered himself out, huh, little guy?” 

Tommy tried to roll onto his back, accidentally rolling off Wilbur’s chest and onto the bed.

The man giggled as Tommy huffed. He quickly pulled himself back up, settling down once more as Wilbur held him close.

“Why don’t you go to sleep, Sunshine? Babies need their rest.”

Tommy was not a baby. But… he was tired. All that jumping made his small limbs ache. Folding his legs underneath himself and trusting Wilbur not to let him fall once again, Tommy closed his eyes. 

The last thing he heard was soft humming.

-/-/-/-/-/-

Tommy felt gentle fingers combing through his fur, scratching along his back. There was a warmth in his skin. It tingled and buzzed with the now familiar feeling of Wilbur’s hands. 

He felt himself bounce up and down, eyes still shut. He was being carried somewhere. 

That was something that should have had him alert. Should have had him jolting up and at the ready for a command. Should have had his heart thumping rapidly for an incoming punishment.

But…

He wasn’t. He just snuggled deeper into the hold, stuffing his nose into the crook of Wilbur’s elbow and sweater. Taking a deep breath in, his body relaxed. 

The movement stopped. “Sunshine… Sunshine, wake up. Time to eat.”

Tommy looked up, blinking his eyes open blearily and taking in his new environment.  He had gotten used to waking up in different places than he had fallen asleep in. Very rarely did he sleep alone, and Wilbur was always on the move. So, he really had to grow accustomed to the changes. 

Now, he was in the kitchen. Wilbur had a plate in front of him with chopped up slices of grapes. They smelled delicious.

Wilbur reached down, grabbing one and placing it against his lips. Tommy reached out, paws resting on Wilbur’s hand as he tried to grip the tiny grape. Tommy opened his mouth, biting down on the grape and using his claws to push it further in while Wilbur grabbed another slice.

“You know, you used to wake up so startled,” Wilbur said, sounding deep in thought.

Tommy paused for a moment.

Huh.

He had been waking up slower here recently. At first, the only thing he could think of when he woke up was Dream. But now, all he can sense is Wilbur’s presence. He can’t find it in himself to be afraid while he’s in Wilbur’s arms. 

Perhaps he had gotten a tad too relaxed a tad too quickly… but he couldn’t make himself care.

After finishing off the plate, Wilbur smiled and scratched under his chin. “Good job! You’ve been doing so good, Sunshine.”

Tommy would admit, he has been doing good. He had been eating a lot more than he ever had before. His belly was always full and warm. He had gotten to play. 

This was the good life. 

Tommy ignored how it would have to end. Ignored that one day, Wilbur would release him into the wild. 

For now, he just enjoyed the feeling of being taken care of.

-/-/-/-/-/-

Tommy crouched down, tail wagging behind him as he bounded forward. His paws landed on a soft toy, claw latching onto the material as he rolled onto his back. The toy swung around wildly as he kicked it in the air. 

Wilbur and Techno watched from their mats, small smiles on their face as Tommy tumbled around the training room. 

The twins always sparred regularly, and it seemed the panda enjoyed copying them. 

Tommy grabbed the toy by the neck, shaking it violently before making himself fall over with the force. 

Something buzzed inside him, blood pumping through his body. Excitement, playfulness, maybe joy. 

Tommy just liked to play and no one was stopping him from doing it. The twins even seemed to encourage such animalistic behavior. Maybe because they truly believed him to be an animal rather than a disgusting hybrid. 

Either way, Tommy let himself enjoy it.

He looked over at the twins, noticing them staring. They weren’t sparring anymore, rather they were simply looking at him with something soft in their gaze.

Well, they always looked at him like that…

Tommy stood up, trotting towards Techno and standing up. He pawed at Techno’s leg, looking up at him with pleasing eyes.

Please understand, please understand…

“You want to wrestle?” Techno asked.

Tommy smiled, tongue lulling out of his mouth as his tail swayed gently behind him.

Techno gave a huff—one Tommy had learned was fond—as he got down on his knees. 

“Don’t take pictures of this, Wil,” Techno said as Wilbur sheepishly slid his phone back into his pocket.

Tommy stood up, paws in the air. Techno gently pushed him, falling to the floor with the panda. Tommy pawed at his chest, nipping at Techno’s hands as the man swatted at him.

Techno pinned him down, Tommy wiggling and chirping as he tried to break free from the man’s grip. He clawed playfully at the man’s scarred hand, just managing to slip out of the hold.

He pounced at Techno’s side, the man rolling to his bad as Tommy jumped on top of him. 

Techno threw his arms above his head, falling against the mat with loud thunks. 

“Oh no! I’ve been defeated!” He yelled dramatically.

Tommy chittered happily. He did win. Because he was big and strong.

Tommy stood up, arms stretched up to secure his victory. Techno let out a high pitched scream, Tommy chittering out a laugh. 

Suddenly, his nose began to twitch, something tickling inside before—

Achoo!

Tommy was sent tumbling backwards, rolling off Techno’s chest and landing on his back. 

He used all his core strength to sit up, looking at the twins. His tongue stuck out and his tail wagged.

Techno stared with sparks in his eyes, mouth slightly open.

Wilbur had his hands covering his mouth, eyes glazed over. The man made a low coo, quickly walking over to him and scooping him up. 

The man quickly spun them around, a giddy laugh escaping him. “You’re! Just! So! Cute!” 

Wilbur nuzzled into his nose, ignoring the way Tommy nipped at it. The man then stared into his eyes, Tommy melting at the softness of them. 

“You’re just so perfect.”

If only he knew the truth.

Chapter Text

Wilbur woke up with something soft and warm on his face, it tickling his nose. His brows scrunched up as he gripped at the fluffy thing. 

Claws dug into his sweater, locking the soft thing in place. Wilbur grinned as he realized what it was. 

“Hey, Sunshine.”

Sunshine lay across his face, wrapping his arms and legs around Wilbur’s head and gripping at his hair. 

The baby didn’t weigh much, so he didn’t put much strain on it. 

Wilbur sat up, giggling as Sunshine remained attached to his face. “You’re extra cuddly today, aren’t you?” Wilbur cooed.

Only Sunshine could get him this giddy in the morning. He ran his fingers through the panda’s fur, scratching at his ears. Sunshine just wrapped his tail around Wilbur’s head, snuggling closer with a chirp. 

Wilbur could only coo once more, pinching the little one’s ears and pulling just slightly. Not to hurt, just to get his excitement and affection out somehow. His body just simply couldn’t hold it in.

Wilbur swung his legs over the bed, trying to navigate through his room despite only having minimal visual capabilities. He felt around his wall, managing to get to his door. 

What? It wasn’t like he was going to move Sunshine when he was so comfy.

Wilbur stumbled through the halls, pushing Sunshine up just slightly to see where he was going and ensure he wasn’t going to run into any servants. 

Once he made it into the kitchen, he started making Sunshine’s bottle while the little thing snoozed on his face. 

Wilbur shook the bottle vigorously, milk swishing inside loud enough to have Sunshine blinking his eyes open curiously. As soon as the panda’s gaze landed on the milk, his nose twitched with excitement. He pushed off Wilbur’s face, Wilbur wincing at the claws as Sunshine crawled from his face down to his arm to get to the bottle. 

Wilbur chuckled. “Someone woke up hungry.”

Sunshine made it to his hand, reaching out and pawing at the milk. Wilbur quickly readjusted him, placing the bottle up to his mouth. Sunshine started gulping it down greedily, Wilbur bouncing him up and down as if he was a baby. He hummed softly, smile on his face.

There’d been a smile on his face quite often since Sunshine’d been here. 

“Oh, little thing. You’re just so cute.”

Sunshine finished the bottle, chittering happily as he brushed his head against Wilbur’s torso as a thanks.

Wilbur’s chest tightened, shaking his legs to get the energy building up in his heart out. He just wanted to jump around and dance. He wanted to swing Sunshine across the dance floor and hold him close and kiss him goodnight and have him forever—

Wilbur froze. His heart dropped to his stomach, making him nauseous with how fast his emotions swooped. 

He couldn’t keep Sunshine forever. He had to remember that. If he remembered, then it wouldn’t hurt as bad when he had to let go. 

It wouldn’t hurt as bad when Sunshine was gone.

Wilbur took a deep breath, putting on another smile and grinning at Sunshine as he crawled all around him.

Wilbur had work to do. 

He made his way towards his office, ignoring the looks of the servants as Sunshine circled his stomach and back then up to his shoulder and around again. 

He was sure it looked quite odd, but Wilbur couldn’t care. Not when he could feel Sunshine’s little paws press against him, a certain sense of comfort and contentment in the air. 

As soon as Wilbur settled down, he opened his computer. Being the crown prince meant a lot of paperwork. 

Wilbur turned his palm up, laying his forearm on the desk. Sunshine crawled along the sleeve, head landing in Wilbur’s hand as he nuzzled into it. Maybe most would be used to the panda’s insistent need for cuddles. Maybe they’d grow a little less excited by Sunshine’s fluffiness.

But Wilbur was not like most. His eyes twinkled with awe as Sunshine used his open hand for free pets, ramming into Wilbur’s fingers and letting the nails scratch him. 

Wilbur didn’t think Sunshine’s cuteness could ever truly get old to him. He’d always have this excitement at the thought of the baby’s soft fur.

Even after Sunshine was gone…

Wilbur shook his head, clearing it of those wretched thoughts. 

Time to work.

-/-/-/-/-/-

Wilbur was excited, to say the least. He’d ordered something new, something special. 

He had it specially designed by the royal seamstress to fit perfectly. 

He pulled open the box, grinning as he took out the stretchy cloth. It took a minute to strap to his chest properly, seeing as he had never put one on before, but he managed. 

A baby carrier. 

Wilbur did a quick check, making sure it was on correctly and was stable. His eyes landed on Sunshine, who was quietly sleeping on Wilbur’s bed, using his own tail as a pillow. The man wanted to coo, but he held back. Sunshine was just so cute! The panda’s face buried in his own fluffy tail. He was just precious. 

Wilbur tiptoed over, slowly wrapping his hands around the baby. Sunshine stirred, making a small, questioning sound as he was lifted into the air.

“Just me, Sunshine. Just Wilbur.”

Sunshine licked his lips, making a smacking sound before going limp in the hold. Wilbur grinned.

It was nice that Sunshine trusted him enough to not freak out when he woke up anymore. It made something in his chest warm.

With slow, careful movements, Wilbur slid the baby into the carrier. The stretchy material pulled at the added weight but stayed stable and secure. Wilbur quickly checked to make sure Sunshine’s tail was poking through the hole at the bottom. He had it specially designed so that the tail wasn’t uncomfortably squished inside. 

Sunshine laid his head on Wilbur’s chest, arms spread out in something like a hug. His face squished against Wil’s sweater as his claws poked through the material in a loose grip. Even with all the jostling, Sunshine remained asleep. 

Wilbur wanted to squeal. He wanted to bury his face in Sunshine’s fluff and never leave. 

But, alas, royal duties needed to be attended to. 

Wilbur strutted out of the room, Sunshine snoozing against him.

-/-/-/-/-/-

“Wilbur…” Phil sighed.

Wilbur just grinned.

The blond ran a hand down his face with a small groan. “This… this is not avoiding getting too attached. This is quite literally the opposite.”

Wilbur shrugged. “I’ll be fine. This isn’t indicative of how I’ll do when we have to let him go—“

“You have a baby strapped to your chest,” Techno said blankly. 

Wilbur huffed as he carded a hand through Sunshine’s fur. “I have things I have to do, and when he’s sleeping, it’s hard to hold him and do those things. This is simply an idea I had to solve that issue.”

Sunshine whined, making small noises of disapproval. Wilbur quickly ran his thumb over the panda’s head, leaning down to whisper soothingly at him. 

“Shh, shh…” Wilbur hushed as Sunshine blindly reached up. The pads of Sunshine’s paws pressed against his face, slowly patting up until it reached his hair. Wilbur just stared in awe, stars in his eyes as the little one gently brushed through his hair. Sunshine’s eyes were still closed lazily, nose twitching slightly. 

Wilbur lifted his hand, sliding between his head and the paw and pushing against it. 

The baby gripped his hand. He chirped, as if he had just succeeded at something. Slowly, he brought the hand down to his head, claws gently poking Wilbur’s skin while he butted into the man’s palm.

Wilbur suppressed a squeal, a quiet wheezing sound escaping him. His chest was tight, body buzzing with the need to just scream at the top of his lungs. 

Sunshine maneuvered Wilbur’s hand until it was tucked underneath his chest. Little paws curled around his pointer finger as Sunshine snuggled closer. After a moment, the panda relaxed, Wilbur’s hand held hostage.

Wilbur’s lip wobbled, wrapping his other arm around the back of the baby carrier. He craned his neck, laying his cheek down on Sunshine’s head as his eyes grew wet. “So… so precious . ”

Phil huffed with a fond smile. “Sunshine seems to have defeated the purpose of having the baby carrier.” 

“Shhhh…” Wilbur whispered, eyes staring into the distance. He was enraptured. Completely and utterly captivated. 

Techno stepped up to him, waving his hand in front of Wilbur’s face. “Uh, Wil?”

“ Little ,” Wilbur simply whispered, rubbing his cheek into the fluff.

“I think we lost him, Phil…”

Wilbur turned his face into the fur, slowly disappearing in it. 

Phil just sighed. “We lost him a long time ago, Tech.”

A giggle escaped the star-struck man, muffled by the softness. 

They just smiled fondly at him, Techno patting his back as he pushed him towards his office.

“Alright, buddy, let’s get you sat down.”

Wilbur let Techno guide him, whispering in a small whine. “ Cute , Tech— Sweet, cute, soft— “

“I know, Wil. I know.” 

-/-/-/-/-/-

Tommy was bored. Wilbur was just typing away at his computer, only giving him pets every now and then. The man was laser-focused on his work, and Tommy didn’t particularly feel like he was getting enough attention.

So, naturally, he tried to get more. He crawled all along Wilbur’s face and desk, stepping over his keyboard. Wilbur just sighed every time and set him back in his lap. Tommy huffed as he was scruffed once again, going limp in the man’s lap.

Wilbur just got back to work, not even scratching behind the ears like he always does. Tommy stood up, hopping off Wilbur’s legs and onto the floor.

Fine then, he’d go entertain himself. He sauntered to the door as his ears flopped, chin and tail up with as much sass as his small body could hold. His tail smacked against the door, alerting Wilbur that he was leaving. 

Tommy looked back to make sure he noticed, only to see Wilbur still staring at the screen. He frowned. 

That always got Wilbur’s attention…

He shook the feelings off, raising his head proudly once more as he strode out of the room.

-/-/-/-/-/-

Tommy missed Wilbur. He didn’t want to admit it because he was fine without him. He didn’t need Wilbur. He was perfectly capable of being on his own for a day without being incredibly clingy. 

But… but he couldn’t help that he wasn’t that interested in playing with his toys. He couldn’t help that he wasn’t interested in climbing or running around or scaring the servants. 

He just… He just wanted Wilbur to play with him. Or even Techno! But he was busy, too…

Tommy’s head hung low as he trudged towards Wilbur’s room. The door was slightly ajar, and Tommy stuck his nose through the opening and pushed it the rest of the way. He jogged to the bed, climbing up the blanket that was half-pooled on the ground. 

His stomach felt empty. He wanted Wilbur. He really did. 

His eyes scanned the bed, landing on a sweater that Wilbur had thrown on it lazily. Tommy felt his skin tingle at the sight of something related to the man. He trotted over, using his nose to lift the edge, and started scooting inside. He wedged himself in its warmth, crawling around as he grunted. It was a bit bigger than he thought…

Finally, his head poked through the neck hole as Tommy lay down and wrapped his tail around himself. The smell of Wilbur hit him like a tsunami. The wave crashing down on him and dragging him into the depths of a comforting ocean. It surrounded him, forcing his body to relax as he closed his eyes. 

This was nice. Like Wilbur’s hugs. 

He sighed, letting sleep overtake him.

-/-/-/-/-/-

Wilbur was busy with royal duties today, and Sunshine did not seem content sitting in his lap all day while he typed away at his computer. Wilbur felt rather bad, but he had to focus on work. He was swamped with diplomatic duties, and even worse, they got an email back from that horrible king. 

King Dream wanted to send some of his advisors to a meeting with them to better explain the situation. Really, Wilbur was rather offended that Dream didn’t come himself, but it is what it is. They truly couldn’t have a war, so it was best to just bite his tongue for now.

Sadly, while he was reading through that email, Sunshine had gotten bored and run off. Wilbur didn’t blame him, but he couldn’t say he wasn’t sad at the loss of the panda’s presence. So, as soon as he got the opportunity, he went searching for the baby. 

Wilbur checked all the usual hiding spots, the little dens he made, and even the kitchen. 

No sign of Sunshine.

Wilbur sped through the halls, calling the baby’s name. “Sunshine? Sunshine? Where are you, Sunshine?” 

His search became more frantic as he rushed through each room. He even got Sunshine’s milk bottle and started shaking it violently in hopes the panda would hear it. 

What if he got out? What if he ran away? What if he was hurt somewhere and Wilbur couldn’t find him?

What if he was dead—

Deep breaths. Wilbur stopped running, letting himself calm down as he retraced his steps. There were only a few places he hadn’t checked yet. 

One of them being his room. Which… Sunshine never went into unless it was time to go to sleep. He liked to play for as long as possible during the day and take occasional naps in his small dens. It was around 4 pm, and he was sure the panda knew that dinner would be nearing soon. So, he wouldn’t have gone into the room. 

Poor thing was probably so hungry.

Well, he’d checked most other places, so his room was the next best bet. He ran through the castle, servants giving him concerned looks, but Wilbur didn’t pay them any mind. 

As soon as he reached his hallway, he noticed his bedroom door was open.

Relief began to tingle at the back of his brain. He wasn’t one hundred percent sure yet… but this was a good sign. 

He walked to the door, peeking into the room and melting instantly. There, in one of his sweaters, was Sunshine. He was curled up tightly in the loose cloth, sleeping peacefully. The fabric rose and fell with each of his small breaths. 

Wilbur cooed, walking further inside as he gently sat on the bed. Luckily, he still had the milk bottle. He very carefully wrapped his arms around the sweater, making sure he had a good hold before lifting Sunshine up and cradling him. Sunshine whined before pressing closer to WIlbur. His nose twitched, sniffing quietly before huffing in satisfaction. He butted his head against Wilbur’s chest, still not opening his eyes.

Wilbur quickly grabbed the bottle, letting Sunshine latch on and fill his belly. Wilbur just rocked him back and forth, cooing more at the way the sweater hung so loosely on the baby. 

“I’ll have to get you some sweaters, hm?” 

Sunshine didn’t respond, just nursing the bottle. Wilbur smiled, scratching behind the panda’s ears.  

“I’ll order some from the royal seamstress. Oh, she’ll adore making your clothes.”

Sunshine finished off the bottle, pressing close to his chest and snuggling closer with a satisfied chirp. Little guy missed him, huh?

Wilbur pressed his face into the fur. “Missed you too, buddy.”

-/-/-/-/-/-

Tommy liked his new sweaters. Wilbur got a few; some were loose while some were a tighter fit.

He even had some that matched Wilbur! It was great. The man was a giggling mess as he looked at them in the mirror, both wearing matching yellow fabric. Wilbur picked up his paws, waving in the mirror. Then, brunet started humming, moving Tommy’s arms to the rhythm and swaying side to side slightly. Tommy let him mess with his hands, tail swishing happily as the man cooed and talked in a funny voice. 

Wilbur rammed his face into the top of Tommy’s head, rubbing his cheek into the fur with a big smile.

Tommy would admit, this was the life. He wished he could stay here forever. Let Wilbur coo and hold him and lov—

Okay, maybe not that far. Wilbur doesn’t love him. He couldn’t. Wilbur loved a fake version of him. He loved him like a pet. 

Tommy shook the thoughts away. They always made him sad. They didn’t matter, anyway; nothing was going to change.

For as long as Wilbur had him, he was going to stay like this. He was going to soak up every ounce of affection knowing how empty it would make him feel when it was gone. 

Wilbur cooed into his fur once more, squeezing him tightly. 

And oh, it was going to hurt more than anything Tommy had ever felt before.

-/-/-/-/-/-

Phil typed away at his computer. He had to work late today: his staff had gotten behind on paperwork, and he needed to pick up the slack. His boys were hard at work as well, Techno in the village helping the citizens set up for a small festival and Wilbur in his own office planning the meeting with Dream’s representatives. 

The door creaked open, making Phil look up curiously. Typically, his workers knocked before entering.

But perhaps it was an emergency.

There was no one there. Phil blinked, eyes trailing down to see a fluffy, golden panda trotting towards him. He sighed.

Right, Wilbur was busy, so Sunshine probably went exploring. 

Sunshine dragged Baba with him as he started climbing Phil’s desk, struggling to reach the top. 

Phil just went back to work until Sunshine made it to the top, walking over to Phil and dropping the stuffed animal into the man’s lap.

Phil grimaced at it. “I can’t right now, Sunshine. I’m busy.”

Sunshine jumped onto Phil’s lap, shoving his head into the man’s chest. Phil sighed,  scruffing the panda and placing him back on the desk. 

“Not right now. Just sit there and behave, please.”

Phil shook his head with a sigh and got back to work. Sunshine mostly stayed quiet, curling into a small ball and watching him type. 

After another 30 minutes, Phil let out an annoyed groan. He was so tired, and he just wanted to go relax. Maybe have dinner with his boys. 

A small chitter rang out as Sunshine gripped the sleeve of his robe. 

“Not now, Sunshine.”

Sunshine just pulled harder. Phil reached over, trying to scruff him, but the baby rolled onto his back and pawed at his hand.

Phil huffed with a smile, scratching at Sunshine’s belly. The panda squeaked, kicking at him once more while playfully nipping at his hand.

Phil grinned, using his other hand to hold him down. The panda chittered before wiggling out of his grasp. Sunshine leapt into his lap, grabbing the toy still there. Phil gripped it, relenting to playing with the little thing. Sunshine scrambled onto the desk again for a better angle, shaking his head wildly.

Phil laughed, giving a playful growl back. Sunshine chirped before releasing the toy and jumping off the desk. Phil followed after him, getting on his knees. The panda lifted his paws in the air, punching at Phil’s hands. 

Phil let him bite one lightly, using the other to pinch his side. Sunshine let out something like a laugh, wiggling and kicking at it. 

Phil smiled. Okay, maybe Sunshine wasn’t so bad. He could see why Wilbur enjoyed playing with him. He was quite soft and was careful with his teeth.

Phil’s head snapped up at the sound of a click.

Wilbur stood there with his phone out and empty baby carrier strapped to his chest, giggling to himself. Sunshine squeaked excitedly, moving to toddle towards him, but Phil grabbed him by the scruff first. The baby fell limp with a soft chirp.

Wilbur frowned. “What are you—“

Phil grinned, turning around and quickly adjusting his robe. 

“Dad—“

Phil turned back towards him, eyes in crescents. 

“He’s in one of my pockets. If you guess wrong, you have to delete those pictures.”

Wilbur hummed, looking at the many deep pockets the man’s robe held. 

He pointed to the bottom left. There was a small lump in that one.

Phil dug into his pocket, pulling out a staple gun. “Nope! Time to delete it.”

Sunshine’s head popped out from the neck of Phil’s robe.

“Hey! That’s cheating!” 

Phil laughed as Sunshine hopped off of him, rushing to the man and quickly crawling up his pants. 

“Hey, Sunshine. Just came to check on you.” 

Sunshine chittered  while he inserted himself into the baby carrier. The panda kept chirping happily, looking to Wilbur every now and then as his tail swished behind him.

Clearly, he was telling a story. They just didn’t understand what.

“Oh, is that so?” Wilbur cooed, running a hand through the baby’s fur. 

Sunshine’s head bobbed up and down.

Wilbur just smiled and scratched behind his ears. Phil’s brows scrunched together.

Did… did Sunshine just nod?

Phil shook the thought away. He must be seeing things. He worked for so long, it was probably getting to him. 

Oh, right… work. 

Phil looked back at his laptop, then back to his son, who was still cooing at the baby. 

Maybe he could take a small break…

-/-/-/-/-/-

Wilbur sat with his father and brother in a meeting with the head staff of the castle. They were in the process of organizing for when the representatives arrive. 

Sunshine was sat on Wilbur’s feet, curled up by his boots and nuzzling into the material. 

Wilbur tried to stay focused on the meeting rather than the small ball of warmth at his feet. 

But that got increasingly more difficult as Sunshine startstartedling up his pant leg.

Wilbur leaned forward slightly, propping his elbows on the table. 

“We should have some of their local cuisine here, to provide them more comfort,” Phil said to their head chef.

The man nodded. “I’ve already begun researching the kingdom’s usual food. Some of my chefs are learning how to prepare it properly to avoid offending them.”

Sunshine’s claws poked through Wilbur’s pant leg, slowly shifting further and further up. Wilbur kept his gaze forward. 

The panda made it to his lap, sitting on his haunches and pawing at Wilbur’s chest. 

Wilbur’s eyebrow twitched, lip curling up just slightly.

The panda chirped to get his attention.

He wouldn’t back down.

Wilbur noticed a few workers glancing over, giving tiny smiles at the prince and panda. They were used to it at this point.

Sunshine gave the closest thing to a frown a red panda could before crawling along his side and back, slowly making his way to his neck.

Wilbur bit his lip, forcing himself to remain still as a statue when the baby’s whiskers brushed against his neck. Then, Sunshine bent over his shoulder, sniffing his face.

Wilbur held back a coo, biting his tongue. The room had gone quiet now, just staring at him and waiting for the moment he’d break.

The panda gripped at the prince’s head, pulling himself up just a bit more before he started batting at the crown. Before Wilbur could stop him, Sunshine had knocked the crown downand onto his head. Wilbur just signed, admitting defeat. He reached back, scruffing the baby as he chirped. 

He laid Sunshine down in his lap, quickly running his hand through the golden fur, only relaxing the panda further. Wilbur smiled down at the way the crown fell over Sunshine’s face, gently lifting it up to see those cute eyes blink at him. 

Wilbur placed the crown back on his own, continuing his pets for the rest of the meeting. Sunshine stayed in his lap. Satisfaction radiated off of him.

After about another hour, the meeting was adjourned, everyone getting up and leaving save Wilbur and Sunshine. 

Wilbur leaned back with a heavy sigh, running a hand through his hair and leaving it there to scratch at his own scalp. “I hate when we have visitors. It’s always so stressful when they want us to be all proper. It’s ridiculous.”

Sunshine looked up at him, tilting his head to the side curiously. Wilbur blinked as the panda looked at his paw, then back to Wilbur. Sunshine then pressed his paw into his own fur, imitating Wilbur. His paw sunk into the golden fluff around his ear. He looked back at Wilbur, a question in his eyes as his tail wagged.

Wilbur just let out a long, drawn-out sigh that melted into a coo. 

“Ooooooh…” Wilbur chuckled as he lifted the baby by the armpits, holding him to his face. “You always know just how to make me feel better, don’t you?” 

Sunshine licked his nose, making him giggle. 

“Baby!” Wilbur giggled, holding him close to his chest. “You just… oh, you’re so cute! It has to be illegal how cute you are. It’s simply not fair.”

Sunshine just chirped, running his paw through his fur again. Wilbur melted further into the chair, burying his face in Sunshine’s fluff. 

“Oh, I just love you.”

Sunshine tensed. Wilbur’s brows furrowed at the sudden change, looking back at the little fluffball. The panda stared at him, something wet in his eyes.

“Sunshine…?”

Sunshine rammed his head into Wilbur’s neck, nuzzling into it. Wilbur just chuckled lightly, fingers threading through gold. “I’ll take that as you love me too.”

-/-/-/-/-/-

Wilbur and Techno giggled as Sunshine rolled around the training room once again. 

The twins were getting ready for a trainer to come in for special lessons. While they waited, they let Sunshine play for a bit. The panda bit into Baba, rolling onto his back as he pawed at the toy.

The door opened, and a man walked in and bowed at the twins.

“My princes, it is an honor to be able to assist you in your training.”

Wilbur and Techno dipped their head in respect. “It is an honor to be trained by someone of your prestige,” Techno said.

The man nodded and the group quickly got ready for training. Wilbur was up first, giving one last glance at Sunshine before he got into his stance. Sunshine just watched from next to Techno, tail swaying slightly.

“Begin!” the man shouted. 

Wilbur drew up his sword, blocking a hit. Then another. Then another.

This trainer was on the offense quite more than his usual opponents. Wilbur grit his teeth as the man released a flurry of attacks.

Suddenly, a very loud bark-like growl echoed through the room as Sunshine rushed at the man. Wilbur blinked in surprise at the ferocity of the small baby, teeth bared and claws released as he pounced on the trainer’s leg, ears pinned back. 

The trainer tried to back away but Sunshine’s claws dug further into his pants, scratching his leg. 

“Sunshine!” Wilbur shouted as he rushed up to him, grabbing him by the scruff and pulling the baby to his chest. 

Sunshine looked at him, chirping questioningly.

“What got into you…?” Wilbur asked quietly. 

Then it hit him. Sunshine hadn’t seen him with any trainers yet. The baby was…

Protecting him.

Wilbur melted, cooing and brushing his fingers through the golden fluff. “I’m alright, Sunshine. This is just a trainer, he wasn’t going to really hurt me. But it’s good to know you have my back.”

Sunshine curled up in his arms, chittering with relief. 

Wilbur turned to the still-stunned trainer, giving a sheepish smile. “Sorry about him, he was just nervous. Go ahead and train with Techno while I go lay him down for a nap.”

Sunshine chittered with a hint of anger, but it was overwhelmed with exhaustion. Wilbur giggled, nuzzling into his fur before leaving the room. 

-/-/-/-/-/-

The vet ran her hands through Sunshine’s fur, feeding him another grape to keep him occupied as she did her checkup. She frowned, and Wilbur felt anxiety rush through him. 

But, he stayed quiet and let the woman work.

She sighed, running her hands through Sunshine’s fur one more time just for a pet.

“So?” Wilbur asked as soon as she looked to him. Nerves pricked at his skin, making it feel itchy.

She gave him a sad smile, Wilbur’s heart dropping. That was not a good sign.

“Overall, he’s healthy. He seems to be mentally developing at a quick rate too.”

Wilbur let out a sigh of relief.

“But…”

Wilbur held his breath again. “But” wasn’t a good thing to hear. Not about Sunshine’s health.

“But he’s not growing as he should. We’ve discussed this before about his abnormal growth rate. And I’ve been monitoring it every visit. He’s barely grown at all and it’s been two months.”

Wilbur’s breath hitched, scooping the baby up. “What does that mean? Is there some medicine I can give him?”

Sunshine wasn’t growing properly? That must mean something was wrong. And nothing could go wrong! Sunshine was far too young for something to go wrong. He was just a baby , he shouldn’t have to worry about a single thing.

Wilbur felt Techno’s hand land on his shoulder, a grounding comfort. Phil’s hand squeezed his arm as well.

“There isn’t anything you can give him. I’m afraid…” She sighed. “I’m afraid there will be a change of plans.”

Wilbur held Sunshine closer, feeling his hands sink into the fur. He never wanted his hands to leave. He wanted them to stay forever surrounded by that softness, that warmth. “What do you… what do you mean?”

“I’m sorry, but I think we’ll have to transfer him to a zoo.”

Wilbur sucked in a breath through his teeth. “W-what? No! No, he- Sunshine is supposed to go back to the wild!”

They were supposed to release him into his home! Where he’d frolic and be happy. Not trapped to be observed by others. At least if he would go out to the wild, Wilbur would know he was happy and healthy. He knew Sunshine better than anybody else, and the baby would get so bored of the same small play area.

“That was our goal, but with how small he is, he’ll need constant monitoring. He won’t survive the wild on his own. We have to keep him under surveillance because his lack of growth may be from other issues that may truly hurt him.”

Okay. Okay, maybe they’d fix it! And then he’d be set free! Surely it took time for a zoo to get prepared for another animal? He’d have at least another week or two, right? Right.

“W-when are you going to take him?” Wilbur asked with a shaky breath. 

Her smile turned pained. “We’ll be by tomorrow to pick him up.”

“Tomorrow?!?” Wilbur’s voice trembled as he spoke. “But—but I was supposed to have another month! I had another month!” 

Tears welled up in his eyes as Phil’s hand squeezed tighter on his arm. He barely even had a day— a day?!? No. No, it wasn’t fair! He was supposed to have Sunshine so much longer! Sunshine was— Sunshine had to stay!

“Wil… You have to do what’s best for him.”

Wilbur snapped his gaze towards his father. “But he’s happy here with me! He loves it here! He—he loves me! ” Wilbur’s lip shook as he held Sunshine closer. Sunshine loved to be here. He wanted to be held and loved running around the castle. He was happy here.

“You’ll be able to visit him,” the vet tried to soothe, only stroking the flames of his anger.

Wilbur just held the panda tighter, Sunshine giving him a concerned look. Wilbur’s face scrunched up, mouth twisting into something akin to a growl. Sunshine’s eyes widened slightly, but he didn’t squirm. 

Right. Right, he knew this was going to happen. He shouldn’t have gotten attached. He knew it would end like this. With Sunshine ripped from his loving arms. 

This was his fault. It was his fault for being so naive. For letting himself get so attached. How selfish of him to put his own wishes above Sunshine’s health?

Yet, that selfishness still curled deep into his gut. He just wanted Sunshine to stay. The guilt he felt for even considering putting himself over Sunshine’s well-being… it tore apart his insides. His emotions were like a war zone, love fighting against love. 

He knew in the end, he’d always put Sunshine first. No matter how angry and hurt it would make him.

“Wil… Why don’t you spend the rest of your time with Sunshine, forget about the meeting with the representatives today,” Phil offered.

Wilbur huffed angrily, gritting his teeth. “No. No, I need to be there. For our kingdom.” This meeting was important. He had to be there. It could be seen as disrespectful if he didn’t show up.

“But it’s okay if you want to spend your last day with Sunshine—“

“I said no!” Wilbur shouted back, eyes filled with tears and lip quivering. “I’m fine. It’s fine. Whatever.” 

He’d be better off forgetting about it anyway.

Wilbur swiveled on his heel, marching out of the room. Sunshine was curled into himself slightly, looking up at Wilbur with something sparking in those eyes.

Wilbur couldn’t see it, not now. It would probably be best if he never saw Sunshine again today. Or until the day of, really. 

He didn’t know if he could even say goodbye. 

Wilbur threw his door open, rushing to the bed and dropping Sunshine on the soft blankets. The panda bounced slightly, a look of slight fear on his face as he wobbled. Wilbur turned around without another glance, the image of Sunshine’s betrayed look burning into his brain as he slammed the door shut.

He stood outside the door for a moment, dread curling in his gut. That face Sunshine gave him… 

The way he looked so hurt at being tossed to the side. Wilbur clenched his fists, knuckles turning white. That wasn’t fair. Sunshine didn’t deserve this anger. Sunshine could never do anything wrong . But the thought of seeing Sunshine again… he wasn’t sure if he could leave the panda. He felt like he would scoop Sunshine up and run away. 

But, that betrayed expression didn’t belong on the baby’s face. It wasn’t right. Wilbur needed to fix it.

Just a moment. 

Just a quick moment, then he would force himself to let go. He quickly opened the door once again, Sunshine staring at him with wide eyes.

Wilbur walked over, cupping Sunshine’s face and pressing a kiss between his eyes.

Sunshine blinked in surprise, and Wilbur rushed out of the room once more, closing the door much softer this time.

-/-/-/-/-/-

Tommy stared at the door as Wilbur shut it softly. Pressure built up behind his eyes. 

So, that was goodbye, huh?

He didn’t… he didn’t even get to say it back.

Tommy slowly got off the bed, falling to the ground with a thump. He had planned on saying goodbye to the man when he was released back into the forest. Then, as he disappeared into the foliage, he would shift and find his way back to the city. Find a job; start a new life.

But he… he didn’t expect this. 

Tommy frowned. There was no way he could wait until the vet was here to shift. Once they got him into a cage, he’d never be let out. And there was no way he could keep up his red panda state forever. 

He would already be locked up in a cage when he shifted back, something to be awed at. 

And he couldn’t let that happen.

Which meant he had to get out now . 

Which meant…

That was it. Tommy couldn’t help but feel it was all anticlimactic. All that time and affection. All the head scratches and coos. All the warm hugs.

All the love .

Gone with a quick kiss. 

Tommy’s head hung down. He wanted Wilbur to come back. Wanted the man to hold him and promise to never ever let go.

But that would never happen. Tommy knew better than to get attached. He should have run away a long time ago. He knew this would happen.

He pawed at his stinging eyes. 

Oh, he’d miss this place. 

He’d miss Techno’s voice. Miss the way Techno played with him and occasionally snuck some extra food. He would even miss Phil! The man had slowly taken a liking to him and was starting to play with him more. The whole family would come together just to watch Tommy play with his toys. 

He’d miss Baba. And his climbing equipment. He’d miss jumping on servants and making Wilbur scruff him. 

He’d miss Wilbur . He’d miss the man’s scent. He’d miss the way Wilbur hummed as he cradled him. He’d miss the coos and head scratches. He’d miss curling up in the man’s lap and letting a calm aura set him adrift on the sea of sleep. 

He’d miss… he’d miss it all. 

With a sigh, Tommy focused on shifting. Once he was human, he’d be tall enough to reach the doorknob. From there, he’d follow the halls to the door.

And then he’d leave. Never to return.

Tommy closed his eyes, all energy going to shifting.

His arms stretched, fingers growing as he felt himself slowly rise from the floor. The warmth of his fur disappeared, replaced by a worn white suit. 

Right, he forgot that was what he had been wearing.

It was quite… loose, though?

Tommy looked behind him, eyes widening when a tail still sat on his back. He quickly felt his head, fingers pinching the soft ears there.

No. No, no, no! 

Why wasn’t he fully human?!? 

He couldn’t walk out like this! What if a servant saw him? He’d be caught and killed faster than he could blink!

Tommy scratched at his right arm, a faint pain radiating from it. 

He took a deep breath, focusing on getting rid of his tail and ears. Just. Focus. He could do this. 

His arm began to itch once more. Tommy scratched at it absentmindedly, closing his eyes once again. 

Focus.

The itchiness returned tenfold.

He squeezed his eyes shut tighter, tensing his entire body as he grunted with the effort. 

Shift! Come on! Shift!

Suddenly, a strange pulse radiated from his arm, and Tommy shouted at the feeling. It felt like it was blocking his shift. Like the energy was being stopped and he couldn’t control it. Tommy shook off the strange vibration coursing through his body. 

He kept scratching at his arm, claw-like nails digging into his suit and into the skin. It hurt .

“Ah!” Tommy shouted as he tried to shift once more, only for his arm to burn.

He quickly yanked off his coat, pushing his sleeves up as far as they could go.

Tommy’s eyes widened at the sight. 

His mark. The sun and music notes surrounding it. It was…

It was glowing gold!

And it was burning .

Tommy’s face scrunched up in pain, hand laying gently over the searing skin. It was so warm. The mark started to glow brighter and brighter, almost blinding to look at.

Curious-excited-nervous

Tommy snapped his head up, looking around the room. Where was that voice coming from? It wasn’t… it wasn’t a voice exactly. It was like an emotion.

But it didn’t feel like his own.

What was going on?!? Why was it hurting so much?! This hadn’t happened before. Was his mark making it so he couldn’t shift? Did he stay shifted for too long?! Was he just going insane?!?

What—

He was too distracted by his own thoughts that he didn’t hear the rapid footsteps.

Not until the door slammed open, hitting the wall with a loud bang!

Tommy’s head snapped up, eyes widening as horror dawned on him. 

Wilbur stood in the doorway, panting heavily with wide eyes. His left sleeve was rolled up, hand half covering a bright, blinding light. Tommy could just barely make out the shape.

A sun surrounded by music notes.

It was… the same as his?

Wilbur’s eyes locked onto his tail, Tommy’s breath hitching.

No. No, no, no—

Wilbur was going to kill him. Wilbur was going to kill him.

Tommy’s body shook. This was his worst nightmare. Not Dream. Not the cage.

No. Wilbur finding out what he was and killing him for it. Proof that all that love and care was fake . 

That was his worst nightmare.

And it was about to come true .

The man’s eyes darted between Tommy’s tail and his eyes before something like realization dawned on Wilbur’s face. Expression dropping into understanding as he breathed.

“ Oh .”

Chapter Text

7 years ago…

Wilbur’s eyes opened slowly, leg sticking out of the blanket. He stared at the ceiling for a moment as he blinked blearily. 

He scratched at his left arm, sitting up. His hair stuck up every which way, the weight of it uneven. Quickly running his fingers through the locks to fix it, Wilbur hopped out of bed and walked towards the bathroom.

He felt… strange? He didn’t know how to describe it. Almost… empty. Like there was something missing. Or something gained?

Both?

It was like he was being pulled away yet pushed towards something at the same time.

Like a space bubbled open in his heart. No, not heart. Something deeper. 

He shrugged it off as morning grogginess, opening the bathroom door and staring at himself in the mirror. He was wearing a nice, thick sweatshirt, one sleeve half-rolled up on his arm while the other hung loosely over his hand.

The brunet scratched at his arm again, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Grabbing the toothpaste, the teen poured it onto his toothbrush and clicked it on. It vibrated in his mouth, whirring as it cleaned his teeth and rid the morning breath from his tongue.

The mint burned slightly, helping to wake the man up further.

After the two minutes were up, Wilbur leaned over the sink and spit the toothpaste out. The water poured from the faucet, blue-colored liquid rushing down the drain. 

His arm buzzed beneath his shirt, and he rolled up his sleeve to get a better look at the irritated skin. His brows pinched together at the sight. On his skin was a mark. It looked like a sun with musical notes around it like a burst.

The brunet touched it, poking and prodding at it. Did Techno come in and put a marker on him in his sleep again?

Wilbur turned on the sink, wetting a hand towel before rubbing it against the mark. His expression only became more befuddled as he pulled the towel back with no ink on its surface. He snatched some rubbing alcohol, running it along the spot.

Nothing.

Wilbur stared. What could it possibly be? It wasn’t marker, it wasn’t a fake tattoo, and it was way too perfect of a shape to be some kind of rash. So all that was left that it could be was—

Wilbur’s eyes widened. “DAAAAAD!” 

He slammed the door open, rushing out of his room and through the halls. 

“DAD! DAD! DAD!” 

Wilbur flung himself through the castle, stumbling around the corners as his footsteps and calls echoed through the hallways.

“Dad!”

He forced open a set of doors, Wilbur stopping in his tracks. The blond was currently talking to someone he didn’t recognize. Probably a foreign leader or something. It didn’t matter right now, though.

“DAD!”

Phil jumped, snapping his head to the side. “What? What’s wrong?” The man rushed over to his son, eyes fluttering over the 18-year-old. “What’s going on?”

Wilbur just shoved his shoulder towards the man, grinning brightly. “Look! Look!”

Phil gripped his arm, brows pinched together in confusion as his eyes scanned the mark. “You… got a tattoo?”

“No!” Wilbur scoffed.

Phil just ran his finger over it. “Did Techno draw on you again?”

Wilbur shook his head violently. 

“Then what…?”

“Dad,” Wilbur breathed, eyes wide with excitement.

“Wil, I really don’t know, mate. Unless this is super important then I really need to–” 

“It is important. Ans rare!” Wilbur leaned closer to his father, whispering with a grin. “One of the most rare things someone could ever receive.”

“Wha–” Realization dawned on the man, jaw dropping for a moment before a smile began to take over his face.

Wilbur bounced on his toes, arms shaking up and down excitedly as he giggled. 

“It’s a soulmark!” Phil laughed in disbelief.

Wilbur threw his arms up, whooping loudly. “It is! It is!”

“Awww, Wil! That means your soulmate was just born!” Phil said.

Wilbur gasped, putting his hands on his cheeks as he squished them up. “They’re just a baby? Awwwwwwww!” Wilbur cooed, smile so wide on his face it made his eyes look like crescents. “They would just be so little!” The man giggled excessively, cheeks warming up. His heart felt so full at the moment.

Then, just as suddenly as it appeared, it vanished. It drained out of him, like a hole was punctured into his heart.

Phil frowned as he saw Wilbur’s excitement leave him, the man slowly deflating. Wilbur’s arms dropped to his side, a look of confusion on his face before it descended into sadness. The brunet’s eyes glazed over, Phil sighing in understanding.

Phil grabbed Wilbur’s hand, saying a quick goodbye to the person he was talking to before guiding his son away. Wilbur followed behind sluggishly, eyes distant.

Phil led him to the living room where Techno sat reading a book. Techno’s brows pinched together, closing his book as Phil pushed Wilbur onto the couch.

“What’s wrong? Is he okay?” Techno asked at seeing how defeated Wilbur looked.

Phil gave a wobbly smile. “He has a soulmate.”

Techno gasped, smiling. He opened his mouth to congratulate the brunet, mouth snapping shut once more once he heard Wilbur huff sadly. “That’s a… good thing, isn’t it?”

Phil bent down in front of Wilbur, cradling his hands gently. “Soulmates are both a blessing and a curse,” the elder explained.

“How so?” Techno asked.

“Well, it’s said that when separated, each soulmate will constantly feel like something is missing inside themselves. An intense loneliness that won’t be satiated until the soulmates meet.”

Wilbur sniffled, letting out a shaky breath. Phil just patted his hands.

“It’s alright, mate. Let it out.”

Wilbur hiccuped, a single tear trailing down his cheek.

Phil continued. “The positive of it though is it’s said once soulmates connect fully, the bond is stronger than any bond in the universe. They are said to be able to communicate almost telepathically so that they are always together in some way. It’s a beautiful thing.”

Wilbur wrapped his arms around his middle, a deep longing curling into his gut and festering. “I want my…”

The man bit his lip, squeezing his eyes shut.

Phil ran his thumb over Wilbur’s hands. “Go ahead, no judgment here. Let it out.”

Wilbur choked on a sob. “I want my baby!” He fell onto Phil’s shoulder, sobbing into his father’s neck. 

Phil wrapped his arms around Wilbur, the brunet curling his fingers around Phil’s kingly robe as he cried.

Phil just ran his hand through Wilbur’s curls. “Shhh… shhh… it’s okay…”

Wilbur shook his head, burying it further into the man’s neck. “My baby. Where’s my baby?”

Phil took a deep breath, rubbing his hand over Wilbur’s arm. The 18 year old flinched violently, Phil muttering apologies. “Sorry, sorry. Didn’t mean to go over the mark.”

“I-it’s alright,” Wilbur sniffled, letting Phil pull him back into a hug. The elder ensured he wasn’t touching the mark, holding his son close.

Techno sat next to his brother, awkwardly rubbing his back. He had never been one for words… but he still wanted to be there for his brother during… whatever this was.

Wilbur pulled back after a few minutes, wiping at his eyes. “I just want my baby, Dad. I want them so bad.”

Phil smiled at him sadly. “I know, I know you do. But, his parents are still the ones who need to take care of him.”

Wilbur nodded. “I know that. I do, but I still feel that way. They’re my soulmate.”

“And that’s okay. It’s okay to feel that way. Because of the large age gap, the soulmate bond is probably playing heavily into your parental instincts. You’ll meet each other eventually. So much is unknown about soulmates since they are so rare. We’ll be with you every step of the way. And when your soulmate does come, it’ll all be worth it.”

Wilbur nodded, fisting away at his tears again with a hopeful smile. “Yeah. Yeah, it will be.”

-/-/-/-/-/-

1 year later…

Phil stood outside the kitchen, peeking inside the door. Wilbur was rushing back and forth through the room, mixing and stirring something before checking the recipe once more. 

Phil let the door fall shut, Techno speaking up from behind him. “Can you see what he’s doing? Why did he kick all the staff out?”

Phil shrugged. “I’m not sure, but he is very focused.” He chuckled.

Techno peeked through the door, eyes landing on Wilbur as he poured batter into a tall rectangular pan. “A cake? Maybe?”

“What’s he making a cake for?” Phil asked. 

“You’re askin’ the wrong guy, I don’t know what you want me to say.”

Wilbur began to turn around, Phil pulling Techno back before he could see them. 

“Let’s just leave him alone for a bit. Maybe he’s just surprising us with a cake,” Phil suggested.

Techno nodded, the two of them walking away.

-/-/-/-/-/-

The cake was finished. Wilbur set the pan down, quickly spreading the icing over it.

It wasn’t… the best… but it would do for his first time. Other than when he decorated cookies with his dad, but that didn’t really count as he was much younger.

He took a single candle out of the drawer, placing it in the center of the cake. He then grabbed a lighter, igniting it and watching as the candle began to burn.

He set the lighter to the side, taking a deep breath. Then, he began to sing. His voice was quiet and soft, near a whisper.

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you…

Happy birthday dear soulmate,

Happy birthday to you,”

He blew out the candle, taking it out before the cheap wax could fall onto the cake.

He wished his soulmate a wonderful first birthday. They were only one year old now. Wilbur could imagine their chubby cheeks all squished up in his big hands.

He knew he wouldn’t be meeting his soulmate for a long time most likely but… that didn’t stop him from looking up and researching all the things children did through the years. Their first words, steps, what they liked to play with, etc. 

He wanted to imagine his soulmate every day. Occasionally, he’d touch his mark, doing everything in his power to send his love through their weak connection.

Sometimes, he was sure he could hear a tiny giggle.

Oh, and it would just make Wilbur’s day. 

Wilbur giggled to himself as he began to slice up the cake. He could just imagine the little one smooshing birthday cake all over their face. He closed his eyes and ignored the longing that came with the picture. The longing to dab away the icing and clean off the child’s face.

Wilbur sighed, placing another slice of cake on a different plate. 

One day he’d meet his soulmate. And it was going to be the best day ever.

He didn’t notice the pair of eyes peeking at him from the cracked open door. Didn’t see the flurry of pink hair as the owner of those eyes dashed away at seeing him pick up the three plates.

Time to bring this cake to his family.

-/-/-/-/-/-

Phil woke up to a scream, eyes wide and heart thrumming in his chest as he threw himself off the bed. He rushed through the hall, making his way to Wilbur’s room.

He’d know his son’s voice anywhere.

He shoved the door open, watching as Wilbur whimpered. The man sat up and curled into himself, fingers digging into his own skin. One hand sat atop the soulmark while he scratched at it.

Techno came in not too long after, sword in hand and wide eyes. As soon as he saw there was no immediate threat, he dropped his sword, rushing to Wilbur’s side. 

Phil grabbed the brunet’s shoulders, raising his voice over the man’s whimpers. “Wil? Wil, what’s wrong? What hurts?”

“He’s hurting, dad. He’s hurting!” Wilbur cried, gripping his soulmark harder.

“He?” Phil asked curiously.

Wilbur nodded with another whine as his hand flew up to his eye, cupping it as he flinched back.

Phil frowned, squeezing Wilbur’s shoulders. He wished there was something he could do for his son. He wished there was a way to wipe the pain away. A way for them to find Wilbur’s soulmate and rescue him from whatever was causing enough pain to flow through their weak link like this—

“Dad,” Wilbur sobbed, falling into the man’s arms. “He’s aching— Someone’s hurting him—“ 

“I know, Wil. I know.”

“We have to do something! I can’t just— sit here!”

“Can you sense where he is? Any type of pull? When it’s time to meet your soulmate I’ve read there was some kind of pull—“ Phil stammered. “Though, there’s so little known that it didn’t seem to be a universal rule I just—“

Wilbur shook his head violently. “All I feel is his pain, Dad. Dad, he’s four years old. Why is he hurting?!”

“I don’t know, Wil. I wish I knew,” Phil said sadly, focusing on comforting his son. “You’ll find him one day. He’ll be safe some day.”

Something dark flickered in Wilbur’s eyes. “I want them gone.”

Phil blinked in surprise at the rage filled tone.

Wilbur grit his teeth, gripping Phil’s arms tightly and digging his fingers into the man’s skin. It hurt, but Phil understood.

“I want my baby. They are hurting my baby.”

Phil nodded in understanding. If someone were to hurt his son, well, they wouldn’t have a head anymore. He couldn’t blame Wilbur for how he was reacting. Who knew who was hurting that little boy? His parents? Someone else?

Either way, Wilbur could feel the hurt and yet do nothing about it. Phil couldn’t imagine that type of torture.

“You’ll have him, one day. He’ll be safe in your arms, Wilbur.”

Wilbur nodded, trying to take deep breaths to calm down. The man shuttered, gnawing on his lip. “He’s so scared. I can feel it.”

Phil had nothing left to say. Whatever was happening, the boy was going through it alone. Wilbur wouldn’t truly be comforted until he was sure his soulmate was safe with him.

For now, they could only wait.

-/-/-/-/-/-

For the next few years Wilbur felt the pain of his soulmate many times. Many times. The man had been keeping a journal. 

It was the fourth or fifth time the brunet had felt the hits when he took a journal out of his coat pocket and jotted down something. It was brand new and hand bound. The cover was a light maroon with a thin, golden rectangle in the center. The rectangle had an intricate floral pattern, the gold shimmering in the light. Phil had asked what he was writing.

Wilbur had said the hits. Each place and how many times he could feel them. There was alway something dark in his gaze when he wrote.

When Phil asked why, Wilbur just looked at him, eye’s alight with rage.

He promised to do everything he has written down to the person who hurt his soulmate.

Phil didn’t question it again. Even, on particularly bad days, he reminded the brunet of his journal or wrote it out for him.

As much as Wilbur wished he hadn’t, he grew used to it. He grew used to having to stay stern during an important meeting while he could feel phantom pains on his ribs. He learned to take deep breaths as his soulmate fell into panic attacks.

Wilbur wondered if his soulmate could feel them. He hoped so.

He hoped that little boy knew just how much he loved him. How much he wanted to just hold and cherish him. What Wilbur wouldn’t give to have his baby in his arms.

-/-/-/-/-/-

Wilbur’s soulmate would be 7 years old now. And well… it had been sometime since he felt anything. There was a large increase in anxiety and fear before everything had quieted. Techno had taken him out to the town to help him relax, and then they found Sunshine!

Sunshine had been such a good part of Wilbur’s life. He hasn’t felt any more pain from his connection, and Sunshine was just so cute! He felt… whole, in a way.

Part of him felt guilty about it. His soulmate was supposed to fill that void, but Sunshine had wormed his way into Wilbur’s heart. 

Which brought him here. He had planned to go to that meeting with Dream’s representatives, but his arm had started itching so bad. He thought he had some kind of rash. Which was not something he wanted to deal with after already dealing with losing Sunshine.

But, he went to check. Only to find his soulmark glowing.

Wilbur had never run so fast in his life as he followed that pull.

-/-/-/-/-/-

“Oh.” Wilbur breathed, staring at the boy in front of him. The hybrid.

Sunshine.

“Oh… oh. Oh!” Wilbur laughed in disbelief, running his hand through his hair. He kept looking over Sunshine, eyes trailing from his fluffy ears to his bushy tail.

“Oh!!!” Wilbur chuckled brightly.

Sunshine suddenly lifted his arms into the air, tail puffing outwards. Like he was trying to look intimidating. The boy growled, tiny teeth on display as his eyes were squinted in determination.

Wilbur melted, cooing loudly as he took a step forward. A step towards his soulmate.

The boy’s eyes widened in fear, stance falling as his tail flung in front of him. The hybrid gripped onto his fluffy appendage, fingers sinking into the fur as he tucked it close to his chest. He chittered loudly, clearly unable to control the instinctual sounds

Wilbur reared back, eyes wide as he felt anxiety and fear hit him like a metal pipe to the chest. He wanted to keel over as the breath got knocked out of him.

Scared-scared-fear-terror

The boy’s chitters rang throughout the room, hands moving to cover his face more as he gripped his head. His tiny body was shaking and trembling.

Wilbur felt his heart begin to race with his soulmate’s, breathing picking up into near hyperventilation.

He had to calm down. He had to calm Sunshine down.

If the connection worked one way then surely… it had to work the other.

Wilbur forced himself forward, legs wobbling beneath him as the boy only kept chittering and shaking.

Sunshine wasn’t breathing. The hybrid was only a continuous stream of fearful noises: not even taking a single breath.

Wilbur took another step forward. He had to get the boy to calm down. That was his soulmate. And his soulmate should never be that scared around him.

He wasn’t entirely sure what set the boy off, but it didn’t matter now. What mattered was reaching his soulmate.

Wilbur trudged forward, panic and anxiety crashing into him like gusts of wind. He could see it swirling around the blond like a tornado, sending a blast of fear upon him.

Wilbur forced himself to focus on calming thoughts. Only to be immediately crushed by terror.

Wilbur took a final step forward, falling to his knees in front of the hybrid. Sunshine squeaked as Wilbur’s hands landed on him.

Wilbur found Sunshine’s soulmark, gripping it tightly and letting their bond pulse with calm-calm-safe-safe.

Sunshine’s body began to relax, the anxiety slowly disappearing. The hybrid’s tail began to fall, hands unclenching from his fur as his eyelids began to droop.

“Shhhh…” Wilbur hushed, pushing past the scared-scared-afraid with continuous pulses of safe-calm-relax.

Sunshine’s muscles loosened, falling forward into Wilbur’s arms. Wilbur cradled him gently, shutting his eyes softly as he focused on calming the boy.

Sunshine had his chin hooked over Wilbur’s shoulder, eyes half lidded. “Wha… what did you… do…” the hybrid breathed.

Wilbur cradled the back of the boy’s head, smiling. “I used our bond to make you feel safe.”

The boy stirred, heart rate spiking once again. Wilbur just squeezed Sunshine’s soulmark, hushing him once more. Sunshine went limp, Wilbur sitting back and dragging the boy into his lap.

He only rocked back and forth, running his fingers through the boy’s soft hair, melting when he ran across his fluffy ears.

“It’s okay… No need to be scared. It’s all okay,” Wilbur whispered.

Wilbur then pulled back slightly, hands coming up to cup the boy’s face. His breath stuttered, heart fluttering at the way his hands practically consumed Sunshine’s tiny head. The way his cheeks squished up in his big palms.

Shining blue eyes locked onto Wilbur’s brown. His lip wobbled as he smiled wetly, eyes glazing over.

“Hi.”

Sunshine blinked at him owlishly, not answering. Wilbur could sense the fear trying to crawl its way back into Sunshine’s mind. He stomped it out quickly, making sure to grind it into dust with his boot.

Wilbur’s eyes searched the boy’s face, taking in every little detail. His button nose. Tiny freckles. Big eyes that looked like jewels.

Oh… oh, he was perfect.

Wilbur’s lip began to shake more as he readjusted his hands, trying to somehow grab ahold of more of him. As if that were somehow possible with his hands being the size of his face.

“Hi! Hi, hi, hi!” 

A tear slipped past Wilbur’s defenses. Not that he had much, not with his soulmate. He was so ready to love openly and vulnerably.

Sunshine stared at him in wonder, eyes wide as he looked deep into Wilbur’s. He seemed in awe. Like he had never seen someone look at him this way before.

A tear trailed down Sunshine’s face, copying Wilbur. Wilbur thumbed it away, breathing shakily as more tears slipped past.

“My baby.” Wilbur somehow pressed them closer, non-stop liquid flowing from his eyes. Sunshine’s mouth was agape as Wilbur just kept repeating.

“My baby. My baby. My baby.”

Wilbur let their noses touch, entranced by his baby’s sapphire eyes. “Hi, Sunshine. My sunshine. My soulmate.” Wilbur pressed a kiss to the boy’s nose, making it scrunch up adorably. “My baby.”

Sunshine’s lips turned upwards, blinking at him slowly. He seemed to be speechless. Wilbur couldn’t blame him. He was sending so much love-relax-safe through the bond he was surprised his baby was still awake.

Wilbur ran his hands down the boy’s arms, freezing when he felt a bump.

Several bumps.

Something dark curled in his gut as he pulled Sunshine’s arm to his face, inspecting it.

Scars.

Those were scars.

Rage filled his lungs, heat rising like dragon’s breath to his lips. A shadow passed over his eyes as he looked over the hybrid. Sunshine curled into himself as Wilbur kept a firm, but not painfully so, grip on his arm. Wilbur reached out, grabbing the hybrid’s other arm to inspect it.

These were the hits he had been writing in his journal. Each one he could feel. He could remember. And now he has the chance to rip whoever did this’s throat out.

“Who did this to you?” Wilbur asked darkly, not noticing the way Sunshine only shrunk more. “Where are they? I want names. I want locations. I want to know everything they did to you. I want all the details. I want—“

Wilbur stopped at the whimper the boy let out, tears trailing down the boy’s face. Wilbur snapped out of it, shaking his mind clear of those thoughts.

He wasn’t pulsing safety anymore. He was communicating anger-fury-rage. And he was scaring his baby.

“I’m sorry— I’m sorry—“

Wilbur shook off the horror that wanted to cloud his mind. The guilt of making his boy fear him.

The brunet reached out once again, touching the soulmark gently as he resumed his pulses of safety.

He dropped his voice to a whisper as he ducked his head, speaking, “No need to be sorry, Sunshine. I’m sorry I scared you. No more questions. That was way too many. No more for now. It’s going to be alright.” Wilbur leaned forward, pressing another kiss to Sunshine’s nose. Then his cheek, then his forehead, and then his cheek again, kissing his face repeatedly as the boy giggled. Wilbur grinned when he heard the sound, pressing a firmer kiss to his baby’s forehead.

He suddenly jumped off the ground, giggling as he spun the two of them around. Sunshine laughed, feeling the love-love-happy getting pulsed into his brain. It made it so easy to forget his troubles.

Wilbur suddenly stopped them spinning, grinning at the boy before letting his face soften. He held up two fingers.

“I know I said no more questions. But two more. Two more than all done.” Wilbur wiggled his fingers against Sunshine’s nose, the boy chuckling at the action.

“And you can answer these any way you like. There is no wrong answer.”

Sunshine nodded. 

“Okay, number one. What’s your name?” Wilbur asked, smiling at the boy. Every time he felt anxiety or fear trying to take over Sunshine’s mind, he’d banish it away with a kiss.

Sunshine just blinked at him.

“I assume your name isn’t actually Sunshine.” Wilbur mused. “And I’d like to know my baby’s name.”

Sunshine opened his mouth. “To—“ the boy then bit his lip, turning away for a second. Then, he shook his head, keeping his chin tucked into his chest as he began to curl into himself more.

“No?” Wilbur frowned, softening instantly when he saw Sunshine deflate. “That’s okay then. I’ll just keep calling you Sunshine!” 

The boy nodded, cheeks turning red as his tail came to his face.

Wilbur’s eyes sparkled, pure awe in his stare as he watched Sunshine’s face disappear into the fluff.

Wilbur just smiled warmly, pulling the tail away and pushing comfort-safe-safe into the boy’s mind.

“Question 2…” Wilbur smiled. “Would you like to go meet Phil and Techno?”

The boy’s eyes widened, shaking his head quickly. “No, no, no. They’ll hate me. They’ll hate me. They’ll hate me just like you do!” Wilbur was suddenly overwhelmed with fear once more, Sunshine trying to scramble out of his grasp. He only held tighter. 

“Hate you? Why would we hate you?”

Sunshine squirmed, making sure Wilbur couldn’t grab hold of his mark. Wilbur whined at the feeling of claws digging into his skin.

“Let me go! Please! Don’t hurt me!”

“Sunshine! Sunshine, I’m not going to hurt you!”

“You’re lying, you hate me!”

“Why? Why would I do such a thing?” Wilbur asked, practically begged as Sunshine finally got out of his grip. 

The hybrid stepped away from him, tail puffing up in defense. “Cause I’m just an animal. And filthy hybrids are hated everywhere.”

Wilbur’s face fell in horror, hurt sewn into his voice. “Baby… baby, no. You’re not an animal. There’s nothing wrong with being a hybrid, Sunshine. That’s a beautiful thing. Who told you otherwise? Who made you think that way?” 

Sunshine opened his mouth, snapping shut once more as he covered his face. His brows were pinched, entire face twisted in consideration.

His poor boy was so confused.

Wilbur sighed, settling down on his knees. “No more questions from me. How about you ask me some questions instead?”

Sunshine blinked at him. “What…?”

“You ask me some questions, and I’ll do my best to answer them.”

“Why… why haven’t you killed me yet?” Sunshine asked.

“Because of many reasons. I don’t randomly kill others, certainly not kids, and you’re my soulmate.”

Sunshine squinted at him. “What’s a soulmate?”

Wilbur blinked at him in shock. “It’s… it’s what we are. We share the same mark, see?” Wilbur showed off his mark, Sunshine glancing down at it too. “We share a very special bond that links our souls together. We were destined to meet someday. And I guess that day is today.” Wilbur chuckled. “And soulmates can share emotions too. Like this…”

Wilbur closed his eyes, focusing on sending joy-safe-calm through the bond. Sunshine shivered, shoulders coming up to his neck. He grabbed at his head.

“Please, stop. Stop tricking me!”

Wilbur gasped, immediately holding in his emotions. “I’m sorry! I don’t mean to trick you. I was just trying to let you feel how I feel about you, that’s all. I’ll stop for now.”

Sunshine looked at the mark on Wilbur’s arm. “You said the mark was about us being soulmates. But Dr— he told me it was a mark of being a hybrid.” Sunshine’s ear twitched, face falling into curiosity.

Wilbur held back a coo at the way his ear flicked.

“Are you a hybrid?”

“I am not,” Wilbur answered, never letting the fond smile off his face. “I don’t know who he is, but he lied. This mark is what happens when soulmates form.”

“I don’t understand,” Sunshine whispered.

“That’s okay…” Wilbur said softly. “Not much is known about soulmates because they are so rare. It is said to be once in a generation. Or once in about 20 to 30 years. When both of the individuals who are part of the soulmate pair are born, the mark forms. Mine formed the day you were born, April 9th, 2004.”

Sunshine’s eyes widened. “How did you— how did you know that?”

Wilbur leaned slightly closer. “Because I’ve been celebrating that day every year. I’ve been waiting for you for 7 years now, Sunshine. Don’t you feel it too? That emptiness just… disappearing?”

Sunshine looked to his feet in thought, face all scrunched up in adorable consideration. Wilbur just wanted to pinch those cheeks. He found himself inching towards the boy, making sure to be slow so as to not startle him.

“And did you know…” Wilbur started, breaking the boy out of his thoughts as he slowly scooted closer. “Hybrids are also very rare. While not as rare as soulmates, hybrids are 1 in about half a billion.”

“But hybrids are animal—“

Wilbur clicked his tongue. “Ooooh, no, no, no. They’re not animals. You are not an animal, sweetheart.”

The boy’s cheeks grew red, hand fiddling with his tail as his ears flicked.

“Do you know what all those big numbers mean, Sunshine?” Wilbur asked, now at arm's length. He made sure to stay ducked down so he looked smaller.

Sunshine shook his head.

Wilbur slowly reached out. “That means the chances of having a soulmate who is a hybrid is nearly impossible. I don’t think it’s ever been documented in the history of the entire earth. And do you know what that means?”

Sunshine blinked at him, big doe eyes watching him curiously as he cupped the boy’s face.

Wilbur smiled, breathing his next words softly. 

“It means I am the luckiest man in history.”

Sunshine could only stare, eyes wide in awe. Wilbur tried to hide his grin. The little look was so cute. So innocent and confused. He just wanted to squeeze his baby tight until all the confusion went away only to be left with the knowledge of just how much Wilbur loved him.

“S…” Sunshine began. “I said stop…”

Wilbur’s brows pinched together, panic starting to take over at seeing tears track down Sunshine’s face. “Stop what? What did I do?”

Sunshine reached up, wiping at his eyes. “I said stop… the… the soulmate thing. Stop making me feel safe and loved.”

Wilbur’s panic subsided, fingers wiping away Sunshine’s tears as the boy sniffled. He smiled with as much gentleness and fondness as he could. “Oh, Sunshine… I’m not sending anything through the bond.”

Sunshine choked on a sob, hands curling around Wilbur’s sweater as he leaned into him. Wilbur wrapped his arms around his boy once more, sitting back and rocking them back and forth.

The brunet ran his fingers through Sunshine’s hair, hushing him sweetly. “It’s okay… It’s okay… You’re safe now. You’re safe.”

Sunshine only sobbed harder into his chest, tail curling around himself.

Wilbur sighed fondly, releasing a breath of relief. Relief that Sunshine was back in his arms. Relief that his baby was safe and sound.

“You’re not an animal, Sunshine. You’re so beautiful. Every part of you. Human or red panda or both. You’re so perfect, baby. Just as you were meant to be.”

Sunshine only continued to cry, nuzzling closer as if he was trying to bury himself into Wilbur’s heart. He was already there.

Wilbur couldn’t stop the bond from sharing just how much love and joy he was feeling. It was too great to contain.

“Sorry, Sunshine. I’m trying to stop it—“

Sunshine sniffled. “‘s alrigh’… don’ s’op.”

Wilbur melted, the floodgates opening. Sunshine instantly relaxed, tears slowly drying.

Wilbur hooked his chin of Sunshine’s head, curling around him as much as possible. He could practically consume the boy. The boy yawned, eyes blinking slowly.

Wilbur just grinned. “Sleepy? Sleepy, baby?”

The hybrid nodded, Wilbur slowly standing up. Careful, as to not jostle the boy.

He quickly locked the door before heading to his bed. Pulling the blankets back, Wilbur scooted inside. He made sure to tuck the blanket around the both of them, hiding the blond from view.

“Hey, Sunshine. Did you want to go see Phil and Tech?” Wilbur whispered.

The hybrid shook his head nervously. “What if they don’t like me…? What if they hurt me cause I’m a—“

“Shhh…” Wilbur quieted. “They would never. And I mean ever hurt you.” Wilbur tilted Sunshine’s chin up, gaze dark. “I would never let them. No one will ever hurt my sweet little boy again.”

Sunshine bit his lip, turning away slightly. “But you can’t make them like me.”

Wilbur pulled him back, features softening. “They’ll love you. Just like I do. They’ll be so happy to meet you.”

Sunshine ducked his head, shaking it slightly.

Wilbur frowned for a moment before sighing. He got comfortable once again, tucking the boy back into his chest as he smiled. “That’s alright. You just let me know when you’re ready. Take as long as you need, Sunshine.”

Sunshine cuddles closer, a tiny smile on his face. Wilbur pressed a kiss to the boy’s forehead, beginning to hum a soft lullaby. He watched as that led the blond into slumber, body relaxing fully and soft breaths puffing against him.

Wilbur stayed awake. For many reasons.

One, he wasn’t tired. Sunshine was only 7 and just had many big emotions. Of course it tuckered him out. Two, the adrenaline of finding his soulmate was still flowing through him. Three, that was his soulmate. His baby.

He just wanted to stare. To never take his eyes off this little one that was entrusted to him by the universe. He wanted to hold him and cherish him forever.

He had waited many years for this moment. It was torture.

And four…

Wilbur’s eyes landed on his nightstand. An old, worn maroon journal sat on top of it. A pen attached to it by an elastic strap. 

The man reached out, grabbing it and flipping through the many filled out pages until he reached a blank.

His eyes trailed down Sunshine’s arms and over his face as he grabbed the pen.

Then, he started writing.

-/-/-/-/-/-

Phil and Techno walked down the halls, feet shuffling on the tile. The meeting had gone… Well, let’s just say it went.

The two representatives (George and Sapnap) had been slightly offended that Wilbur hadn’t been there. Phil was a bit surprised the brunet didn’t show up, but he supposed that after leaving Sunshine the man couldn’t bring himself to say goodbye. 

Phil had explained that, saying they recently found a red panda and the prince had gotten quite attached to it. He also explained that they would be releasing the panda to some zookeepers. 

The two representatives said nothing, only looking at each other before looking back to Phil.

Not much information was passed between them. George and Sapnap were very firm on not giving any more details of what this fugitive had done. All they would say was they had done something really bad and needed to be apprehended.

Phil and Techno were both in agreement that the information was too lacking to make any decisions.

George and Sapnap pushed, asking for access once again. 

After some consideration, they declined once again.

With that, the meeting was adjourned and the representatives went on their way. Phil and Techno decided not to bother Wilbur until tomorrow when the people arrived to take Sunshine away.

It was best not to interrupt them while they said their goodbyes.

But alas, the day had arrived. The people were here to take Sunshine away, and Wilbur was still locked in his room. 

They arrived at Wilbur’s door, Phil taking a deep breath before rapping his knuckles against the wood.

He heard shuffling, the bed creaking before footsteps approached.

Wilbur opened the door just a crack, body taking up the entire space as he stuck his head through as much as he could. His face was pinched in confusion.

“What’s up? Did you need something?”

Phil glanced back at Techno, the man shrugging. The blond sighed, looking back to the brunet.

“Well, mate, it’s time.”

Wilbur only grew more confused. “Time? Time for what?”

Wilbur truly looked befuddled. Like he had no idea what Phil was talking about.

Surely he didn’t forget? Not something this big?

“It’s time to let Sunshine go,” Phil said, trying his best to just rip-off the bandaid.

Wilbur looked somehow even more bewildered for a moment before realization dawned on him.

“Oh. Um..” Wilbur turned, looking into his room. He still kept the door mostly closed so the two couldn’t see inside.

The man mouthed something, then nodded before turning back.

“So… About that…” Wilbur started.

“Wil, you have to do what’s best for Sunshi—“ Techno began before Wilbur interrupted him.

“Yeah! Yeah, I know. But… Okay, I need you to trust me,” Wilbur said.

“Mate, you’re not gonna get out of—“

“I know, Dad, I know. Just… it won’t make sense right now, but I promise it will later. I need you to believe me.”

Phil’s face pinched in consideration. “They are here, waiting for Sunshine.”

Wilbur’s face fell into a plead. “Send them away. Please, please, I need you to trust me.”

“Wil, I— It’s not that I don’t trust you it’s just— I know how much Sunshine means to you and love does things to people.”

“I’m not doing this just to keep him longer. I’ve learned something. Something that changes things, okay?” Wilbur begged.

Phil bit his lip, unsure. “What could you learn that could change this—“

Wilbur grabbed the man’s hands, bringing them up this face in a plead. “Dad, please. Please trust me. I promise it will all make sense sometime soon.”

Phil looked his son in the eyes. “If this is a lie, it will break all my trust in you.”

Wilbur nodded. “I won’t let you down.”

Phil bowed his head in return. “I am sure you won’t.”

Wilbur gave a crooked smile. “Thank you, Dad.”

“Of course, son.”

-/-/-/-/-/-

Wilbur closes the door softly, sighing in relief. He turned back towards the bed, sunshine sitting up with his fists curled around the blanket and an anxious look on his face.

“Sorry… I didn’t mean to- to take time away from your family…” Tommy whispered.

Wilbur just smiled, settling down on the bed next to the boy. “I am spending time with my family.” He booped Sunshine’s nose, making the boy’s eyes cross to look at his finger. He nearly cooed again. “I’m with my baby.”

Sunshine blushed, hiding his face behind his tail again. Wilbur grinned, bringing the boy into another hug.

The blond melted into his hold, Wilbur sighing contently. He wished he could stay like this forever… but, he does have work to do.

He pulled back, cupping Sunshine’s face. “I have to go do work, love.”

Sunshine leaned into the hand as his eyes fluttered shut.

Wilbur chuckled softly. “But I can stay right in here. I’ll work at my desk. I can turn the TV on for you. I’ll ask a servant to bring us breakfast as well.”

Sunshine nodded as Wilbur released, falling forward and into the blankets.

Wilbur giggled, scratching at Sunshine’s ears. The boy melted further, Wilbur nearly turning into a puddle of goo. He’d have to remember that spot for later use.

He grabbed the remote, flicking the tv on and turning it to some kids show. Bluey, he thinks it was called.

Sunshine was immediately entranced, eyes locked on the screen and a face of awe. 

With the boy entertained, Wilbur sat at his desk, turning on his computer and messaging one of the servants.

He couldn’t wait for the boy to have a proper meal. Some waffles covered in syrup and powdered sugar. Oh, he was going to spoil his baby so much.

Once the meal was ordered, he got to work. The faster he got done with his duties, the better.

-/-/-/-/-/-

Tommy stared at the waffles in front of him, drooling over them as they sparking in all their syrupy goodness.

Wilbur ate at his desk, watching with a fond smile. 

Tommy grabbed his fork, watching as it cut through the soft bread like butter. He licked his lips excitedly, stirring the piece on his fork into the syrup even more before finally taking a bite.

His eyes went wide, sparking with awe at the flavor. It was so sweet. He loved it so much. He doesn’t think he ever had something this sweet in his life.

He quickly scarfed down the rest, ignoring Wilbur’s quiet giggle from the side.

“Slow down, baby. Don’t want to choke.”

Tommy flushed red again.

He wasn’t… quite sure how he felt about this. It was very strange. One second he’s scared out of his mind and the next he’s swaddled in blankets with a cooing prince wrapped around him. All he can feel is just love-love-love. Tommy had never felt all that before. It’s strange because it’s new. But not new in a bad way.

New in the best way. The love Wilbur poured into him made him feel warm and gooey inside. Whenever Wilbur cradled him close he felt like he was a treasure being cherished.

The worst of it all was that the feelings went away. They didn’t last— not with his mind screaming that Wilbur was lying to him for some reason.

That these feelings weren’t real.

They were just some fantasy his mind concocted to escape the all consuming fear.

But then Wilbur would just flood him with love again. It seemed the man had an infinite reservoir of affection. All through the night Wilbur was non-stop sending love through their bond. And joy and safety.

The darkest parts of Tommy’s brain had a hard time arguing it was all a lie when Wilbur had done nothing but provide for him. He could have killed Tommy right then and there. But he didn’t. He chose to make him feel safe and cared for. He ordered the finest waffles.

Tommy felt it in every small action Wilbur did. The way he smiled at him. The way he glanced away from his work regularly just to check. The way he asked if he ever needed anything.

It had been less than 24 hours since they truly first met, and yet Wilbur has shown him more kindness than he’s ever experienced in his small life. That he could remember, at least.

That had to stand for something, didn’t it?

“Sunshine?” a voice spoke from beside him.

Tommy turned, Wilbur looking at him curiously. The man then reached out, smoothing out his hair. Tommy couldn’t help but lean into it, hungry for touch. 

“Is everything alright, bud? You spaced out a little there,” Wilbur said.

Tommy pressed into the man’s hand more. “Yeah… ‘m alrigh’.”

Wilbur smiled, pressing a quick kiss to his temple before pulling away. “Okay. I hope you enjoyed your waffle, sweetheart.”

Tommy nodded. “I did.”

“Excellent. You can have as many waffles as your little heart desires, Sunshine.”

Tommy melted at the names. As much as he liked to look big and strong—

It was nice to be seen as a kid. A kid, not an animal. He was allowed to laze in bed all day and Wilbur would do nothing about it. He wouldn’t scream or shout. Or hit…

Tommy shook off the memories that tried to crawl up the marks on his arms and to his mind.

He wanted to enjoy this. Even if his darkest thoughts were true. Even if this was all fake.

He could indulge as long as it lasted.

-/-/-/-/-/-

Wilbur finished up his dinner, closing his laptop after messaging a goodnight to Phil and Techno.

Sunshine was currently trying to climb his desk, failing wonderfully. Even in his half form, the boy loved to try and climb. He didn’t like sitting still. He likes to try for the bookshelf or hang from the headrest of the bed.

Either way nearly giving Wilbur a heart attack.

Sunshine fell to the floor with a huff, Wilbur looking down at him.

The hybrid yawned loudly, eyes blinking slowly.

Wilbur’s smile softened. “Tired already, baby?”

Sunshine took lots of naps as a red panda, he imagined the half form would need more naps than the average human as well.

Sunshine shook his head slowly, though it was clear he was starting to fall asleep right there on the floor.

Wilbur reached down, beginning to grab him only to feel something sticky on his clothes.

“Oh, did you get syrup all over you?” The man giggled.

“Nuh-uh…”

Wilbur rolled his eyes playfully. “Why don’t we get you into a… change of clothes. Hm, I don’t think we have anything for your new size…”

Sunshine shrugged, eyes drifting shut.

“Stay awake for me, baby. I’ll grab you something to change into for now.”

Wilbur grabbed something from his closet, handing it to the boy. Sunshine gripped the soft material, heading to the restroom and quickly getting changed.

Wilbur waited patiently for Sunshine to exit, heading the doorknob turn as the hybrid began to open it.

Wilbur’s heart fluttered, pure joy radiating from him as Sunshine stepped out.

The boy was wearing his best yellow sweater, completely swallowed in it. It hung almost around his shoulders, flowing down to the ground like a dress where it bunched up. The sleeves hung beneath his hands, half of it bent downwards.

Sunshine reached up, rubbing his tired eyes with the sleeve. The part of the sleeve the elbow would normally be.

Wilbur’s lip shook, a wet laugh tumbling out of his throat as he cooed deeply.

Sunshine blinked at him, far too tired to protest the cooing and giggling.

Wilbur walked up to him, bending down to a squat. His face was filled with pure adoration, love-cute-baby pulsing through the bond.

Sunshine smiled slightly at the emotions flooding him, tiny hands reaching out towards the man. He wanted to be held. To feel this love physically.

Wilbur happily obliged, cautiously wrapping his arms around the boy. He cradled him gently like he was made of glass. Like a single gust of wind could shatter him. He rest the boy in his arms like a baby, head in the crook his elbow and Tommy’s knees curled into his chest.

The hybrid snuggled closer, nuzzling into the material of Wilbur’s clothes. Wilbur let out a breath, smiling wetly as he made his way back to the bed. His steps were slow, doing everything in his power to be as gentle as possible. Pulling the blankets back, he slowly sat inside and rested against the headboard.

He pulled the blanket up just a tad, covering the boy in his arms. He ran a hand through Sunshine’s hair, smoothing out his brows. Wilbur watched as all tension left the hybrid, eyes closing to Wilbur’s movements.

The man began to hum once more, stroking the boy’s locks again. He pressed a kiss to his forehead, lingering for just a moment before whispering, “Goodnight, baby. Sweet dreams.”

He knew they had many days together in the future. Years upon years to rest together and simply exist. But he won’t pass up even one time. He let everything else fade away.

He could watch Sunshine’s chest rise and fall for years. He would hold his baby forever. Safe in his arms where the world couldn’t touch him.

It struck him suddenly. He was holding his soulmate. His soulmate. His baby.

It would never truly sink in, Wilbur doesn’t think. He didn’t think he wanted it to either.

Forever reliving the best moment of his life. Forever realizing he was the luckiest man in the universe all because he got the best baby ever.

Oh, he couldn’t wait to watch his baby grow. Wilbur felt his eyes grow wet, sniffling slightly. 

This was all he could ever ask for. He wished he could snap a photo, but he didn’t think it was possible for it to truly capture this moment. Plus, he didn’t want to take his eyes off his baby even once. Not when the hybrid was relying on him to keep him safe and sound.

Wilbur held Sunshine closer. How lucky he was to be able to hold the sun in his arms. To be assigned his protector and caregiver. His sun had been burned, and now it was time for him to heal so he could burn brighter than ever before.

Oh, how Wilbur wished this moment would last forever. He wished to always hold his baby close. Always protect Sunshine and keep him tucked away from all the dangers. 

Wilbur wished he could absorb Sunshine. Tuck the boy inside his heart where he’d be surrounded by nothing but love. Carefully put away where no one could ever reach and where he’d forever sleep peacefully with no fear or anxiety. Just blissfully slumbering in the special place only he could ever reach. Gently suspended in liquid adoration.

Forever safe. Forever loved. Forever his baby boy.

Wilbur would do everything in his power to make those three things remain true.

He knows two of them won’t be difficult. An easy task with a baby as sweet as Sunshine.

But safe? Safe is hard to guarantee sadly. The world is cruel, Sunshine knows that from experience.

But Wilbur was lucky to be a prince and soon enough, a king. He would not let harm befall his little one.

And if anyone ever did… into the journal they’d go.

-/-/-/-/-/-

Wilbur tapped away at his computer, trying his best to finish his work before dinner. He wanted to eat with Sunshine like he always did.

They’ve been in his room for the past few days now. It’s been about a week. Wilbur tried not to push too hard about leaving and meeting Phil and Techno, but he thinks it’s about time to ask again. After dinner and before Sunshine takes his usual nap.

Wilbur found that while in red panda form, Sunshine slept for about 2/3rds of the day while in half form he liked to sleep for about half. Which Wilbur didn’t mind. He liked being able to cuddle up with his baby for so long with no worries of him falling off tall objects and hitting his head. 

Wilbur quickly finished up his last assignment, turning off his computer with a smile. A knock rang through the room, Sunshine jumping up and cowering behind the blanket.

It always scared him when the servants would come in to give them dinner. Wilbur just gave him a sad smile before collecting the plates and drinks.

“Thank you.” Wilbur dipped his head at the servant, the servant bowing back before leaving.

Wilbur was careful to ensure the servant hadn’t seen his baby, closing the door softly.

Sunshine relaxed once the door shut, crawling out of the blankets and sitting down on top of them.

Wilbur hopped on the bed too, placing the plates down and sitting crisscross. He set his drink between his legs, beginning to cut into his steak.

This was the first time Sunshine would have the steak here. Every night, Sunshine tried something new. They learned a few likes and dislikes. Though, the dislikes were hard to coax out of him. He always tried to insist he appreciated the food and how grateful he was for it.

Wilbur reminded him there was nothing wrong with having preferences and voicing those preferences. There was no reason to eat something he didn’t like here. Wilbur wanted to make him happy.

Sunshine finally confessed he wasn’t a fan of fish.

Which was slightly off to Wilbur considering red pandas usually enjoy fish, but he supposed Sunshine was human too. He could have his own tastes and Wilbur should encourage that.

Sunshine grabbed at the knife, doing his best to cut into the steak but clearly struggling. Wilbur smiled fondly, leaning over and grasping the utensils. “Let me.”

Sunshine nodded, watching as Wilbur cut through the steak with ease and chopping it into tiny pieces so the boy wouldn’t choke.

Juice poured out of it as he cut it, revealing a red center with an edge of brown around it.

“I prefer my steak at medium, but if you want it more or less then we can ask it to be cooked further or get a new one.”

Sunshine nodded, poking his fork into the meat and bringing it to his mouth. He took a bite, melting instantly as he hummed in delight. He went in for another piece, Wilbur chuckling softly as he bit into his own steak.

Wilbur would admit, the nerves were starting to get to him. He really wanted Sunshine to meet Phil and Techno. Officially, that is. He wanted to be able to hug his dad and brother and tell him his son is home. He needed that. And of course he would respect Sunshine’s wishes, but it didn’t stop the longing.

He wanted to shove Sunshine in everyone’s faces. Tell the world how proud he was to have this perfect little baby to call his own. His soulmate proclaimed to the world.

He wanted the solar system to know he held its precious sun in his arms.

Wilbur took a deep breath, watching as Sunshine finished off his plate. The boy’s eyes became heavy. Before the hybrid could knock out, Wilbur spoke.

“Hey, Sunshine?”

Sunshine hummed. “Yeah?”

Wilbur gave a shaky smile. “Do you… do you think you’re ready to meet Phil and Techno?”

Sunshine’s eyes widened, scooting back slightly as he curled into himself.

Wilbur quickly put his hands up. “You don’t have to. I just thought I’d ask again.”

Sunshine’s tail curled in front of his face. “They’re gonna hate me…”

Wilbur inched closer. “Oh, baby. I promise you they will adore you. I promise. They won’t care that you’re a hybrid. They will love every part of you, as I do.”

Sunshine hummed, unsure.

Wilbur grasped his shoulders softly, bending down to look into his eyes. “If they try to hurt you, love… I’ll grab you and run away. From the castle. From being a prince. You matter so much to me. I wouldn’t be risking you if I didn’t truly believe it was safe.”

Sunshine dipped his head, nodding just slightly. “O-okay… We can go see Phil and Techno.”

Wilbur beamed, Sunshine smiling at the expression as Wilbur scooped him up and spun him around. He peppered kisses to Sunshine’s cheek, watching as the boy broke out into giggles. Sunshine pushed against his face playfully, cheek squishing up to his eye as Wilbur pressed another kiss to it. “Wil-byyyyy!” He giggled.

Wilbur stopped, pulling back for a moment. Sunshine’s ear flickered in confusion, staring right back. 

Wilbur sniffled, lip wobbling as tears welled up in his eyes. “You… you called me Wilby. You can’t just…” Wilbur breathed heavily. “Sunshine,” he pleaded.

“Did… did I do something bad—“

Wilbur chuckled wetly, bringing him to his chest. “No. Not at all, baby. You’re just so—“ Wilbur chuckled wetly, feeling tears trickle down his face.

Wilby.

“You’re just so perfect and yet you get better every moment.” He kissed Sunshine’s head. “Call me Wilby all you like, little one. All your little heart could desire. Now…”

Wilbur set him down, extending his pointer finger. Sunshine reached up, grasping it tightly. Wilbur nearly fell to the floor into a puddle. Sunshine’s little hand fit around one finger.

He was going to die.

Sunshine barely reached his knees.

His heart was going to explode into a million pieces. He would simply burst. He looked away for a moment, taking a shaky breath before nodding in determination.

Time for his family to meet their newest member.

Wilbur pulled out his phone, sending a quick message to Phil and Techno to meet them in the living room.

Together, the two walked in that direction, Wilbur having to slow down quite a bit so that Sunshine’s tiny legs could keep up. As they walked, Sunshine slowly began to sneak behind his legs. The hybrid grasped onto his loose pants, hiding behind him rather than holding onto his hand.

Wilbur missed the feeling of his tiny hand in his already, but there would be more of that to come. For now, Sunshine needed space to settle.

Soon enough, they arrived at the door. WIlbur pressed his ear to it. Voices reverberated through it, verifying his father and brother were inside.

He looked back and down at Sunshine. “Are you ready, little one?”

Sunshine curled into himself, giving a tiny nod. Wilbur cooed.

“You’re so brave, baby. You’re gonna do great.”

Sunshine blushed just slightly, the red quickly draining into pale white as Wilbur opened the door. The hybrid quickly hid himself entirely behind Wilbur, carefully following in his footsteps as the brunet stalked forward. 

Phil and Techno were sat on the couch, facing the two of them. 

“So… you finally gonna show us what’s up?”

Wilbur smiled, nodding. He glanced behind him, smile softening at the way Sunshine hid behind him.

“Sunshine… Come on, sweetheart. Let them see you.”

Sunshine only curled into himself more, grip tightening as claws poked into Wilbur’s pants.

Wilbur just sighed fondly. “Everyone… this is Sunshine. Sunshine… this is Phil and Techno.”

Sunshine forced himself away from Wilbur, poking his head out from behind him. His ear twitched, eyes looking everywhere except the two on the couch.

Phil gasped, Techno’s jaw dropping. The oldest stood up in shock, eyes filtering over the boy. Techno was completely still, staring in absolute befuddlement.

Phil took a step forward, hand stretched out. “That’s— that’s—“ His eyes flew to Wilbur, question in his gaze.

Wilbur nodded, tilting his head towards Sunshine.

Phil looked back at the hybrid, quickly shuffling closer. Sunshine hid behind Wilbur more, just his nose and eyes peaking out from behind the brunet’s legs.

Wilbur chuckled softly, moving to reveal him more. Sunshine lost his grip on the man’s leg, curling into himself now that he was finally exposed. His tail wrapped around him, fingers digging into it nervously.

Wilbur squatted down next to him, grabbing his shoulders and squeezing him. Phil bent down as well, awe still on his face.

“Hi.” Phil chuckled breathlessly. “Hello…”

Wilbur pulled Sunshine closer, the softest expression on his face as he rubbed his cheek into the boy’s hair. “And Dad…”

Phil glanced over to him, eyes tracking his son’s hand as it moved to Sunshine’s sweater. He pulled down ever so slightly, revealing a beautiful mark in the shape of a sun with music notes around it.

Phil’s eyes blew wide, hands flying over his mouth.

“Oh. Oh, Wil. It’s him? It’s—“

Wilbur let the sleeve back up, squeezing Sunshine closer as his eyes grew wet. “It’s my baby, Dad.”

Phil laughed, delighted sounds echoing through his throat. “Wil! Wil, it’s him!”

Sunshine blushed, Phil looking back to him with a wide smile.

“Hi, Sunshine. What’s your name, little one?”

Sunshine opened his mouth before closing it once more. Wilbur squeezed his shoulder again.

“He doesn’t want to say just yet. And that’s alright.”

Phil nodded. “Of course. You don’t have to tell us.” The man reached out, cupping the boy’s face and squishing his cheeks up. Sunshine’s eyes tracked his hands, eyes turning into crescents from how Phil shifted his face. “Welcome to the family, Sunshine. Wilbur has been waiting for you for a very long time. I guarantee you, you’re the best thing to ever happen to him.”

Sunshine’s mouth fell agape, blush getting stronger as he looked to Wilbur for confirmation. Wilbur’s eyes crinkled.

“Of course you are, baby.”

Sunshine’s lips twitched up, hiding his face in his tail. Phil nodded to Wilbur and got up, moving out of the way as Techno made his way over. 

The man fell to his knees with a loud thump, making the hybrid jump slightly. Techno grabbed his hands, bowing down so his forehead was on the floor.

“I dedicate my life to protecting you.”

Sunshine stared in shock, hands grasped firmly in worn older ones.

“You are Wilbur’s soulmate. One of the most important people to him and someone he deemed son. It is my duty to ensure your safety. Not just as future crown prince, but also as family,” Techno finished.

The people in the room could only blink at the man. Wilbur moved to speak, being interrupted as Techno sat up and brought Sunshine’s hands to his lips and kissed the hybrid’s knuckles. “Thank you for allowing us to know of your existence.”

Wilbur laughed. “Techno you absolute sap.”

Techno punched the man in the arm, a loud “Hey!” coming from him. “Don’t act like you aren’t absolutely gushing right now.”

Wilbur smiled sheepishly with a small blush. “Well, to be fair. He is my soulmate. I am so proud of him.”

Sunshine flushed red somehow even more, burning bright like a tomato. “Stop it!” the boy drew out the syllables.

Wilbur looked to him, grinning with a mischievous spark in his eye. He quickly scooped the boy up, spinning him in circles. “How could I ever stop? My baby is so perfect and brilliant!”

Sunshine giggled, Techno and Phil melting instantly. Wilbur quickly peppered the panda’s face with kisses, the boy non-stop laughing. Wilbur couldn’t help but send all his overwhelming love into their bond.

He just wanted this moment to last all of time. His whole family around him and listening to Sunshine’s giggles. He wanted to hear that sound all day long.

Finally, his baby was home.

Sunshine interrupted his laughs with a yawn, Wilbur’s smile softening. “Oh, we skipped your nap to come out here. Let’s get you to bed.”

Sunshine buried his face in Wilbur’s shoulder. “But I wanna stay with Phil and Techie…”

A high pitched scream sounded from behind them, Wilbur just rolling his eyes fondly. “We will after you nap, love bug. You just need lots of rest. Especially after today, it was so tiring, don’t you think?” 

Sunshine hummed, nuzzling closer and letting his eyes drift shut. Wilbur looked back at Phil, the man giving him a nod and sitting back down on the couch.

Wilbur gave him a shaky smile, happy his father understood before exiting the room.

-/-/-/-/-/-

Wilbur quietly closed the door behind him, sighing heavily. Sunshine was out to bed and finally he could leave his room. He walked down the halls, feet shuffling against the tile floor quietly. Guards were making their rounds, giving him curt nods.

Wilbur nodded back, making his way back to the living room.

He opened the door, relaxing when he saw Phil and Techno chatting on the couch.

They looked up at the man, smiled gently and somewhat sad.

Wilbur stepped over, the two scorching so there was space between them. He plopped down, sighing heavily into his hands.

Techno rubbed his back, Phil wrapping an arm around his shoulder. 

And so they sat in silence. Wilbur breathing heavily into his hands, eyes closed and mind focused. Tears began to slide down his face. With another shaky breath, he broke down into sobs.

His brother and father pressed against him, Phil carefully running fingers through his hair as he shushed him.

“Dad, his scars. I couldn’t stop them.”

“It’s not your fault, Wil. It’s not your fault at all,” Phil corrected in a whisper.

Wilbur hiccuped into his hands. “It’s all so much, Dad. I’m feeling so much. It’s so overwhelming. I’m angry and I’m furious but I’ve never been happier and—“

“We understand, Wil,” Techno said. “You’re going through a lot right now, and you didn’t even get to tell us for about a week. You had no support for all these new emotions.”

Wilbur chuckled wetly. “When did Techno become emotionally intelligent?” 

“Hey, I can be emotional when I want to be.”

Wilbur just shook his head with a huff, emotions beginning to pile on top of him again.

He turned his tear-stricken face to his dad, smiling wetly. “Dad, he’s my soulmate. He’s finally here. He’s everything I could have ever wanted. He’s so precious.”

Phil cupped Wilbur’s cheek, wiping away the tears. Wilbur just sobbed, falling forward into Phil’s arms and grasping at his robe as he wept into Phil’s shoulder.

Continuously repeating the same words.

“He’s home. He’s home. He’s home.”

Phil just held him close to allow his son to release all the pent up emotions he had bottled up.

Wilbur felt a whirlpool inside him. A constant push deeper and deeper into his own emotions. He feels in a new way. He senses things he never had before.

This connection unlocked things in himself he had never experienced and now it was all finally crashing down. The love, the fear, the anger. Everything all at once to new extremes.

There was at least one familiar thing, however.

His father’s arms. Comforting and secure around his body as it held the shattering pieces of him together while he broke apart and mended all over again.

No matter how busy Phil was as king, he always made time for his two sons. 

He hoped to be that for Sunshine. To be this constant figure he could come to with whatever problems he had. Always there to dry his tears and hold him together during life’s shattering moments.

But he was scared. He was terrified.

“Wha-what if I’m not a good dad?” Wilbur asked through his hiccups, pulling back to look Phil in the eyes. “I’m not ready, Dad. I’m scared. I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m going to fail!”

Phil cupped his face, hushing him sweetly. “Oh, Wilbur, son. No… Nobody is ever ready for a kid. Not ever. No one is just suddenly prepared mentally for it. Not even someone who has been a parent. Each child is their own being with their own different needs. And as a parent, you figure it out. There will be times you fail…” Phil wiped away a tear with his thumb. “There will be times you make mistakes. But you and Sunshine are made for each other. And if you’ve already made that scared, hurt boy feel at home? You’re doing a great job.”

Wilbur leaned into Phil’s hand, chuckling wetly. “Thanks, Dad. Do you really think I can do this?”

Phil leaned forward, kissing his forehead. “I believe you can do anything.”

Wilbur smiled, opening his mouth the speak when he felt something shift.

Anxiety-fear-anxiety

Wilbur shivered at the feeling, looking over towards the door. He stayed put, feeling the wave of emotions get closer and closer before the door squeaked open.

There, in the doorway, a small red panda hybrid stood, rubbing his tired eyes with a big stuffed polar bear under his arm.

Techno let out a small whining sound, Wilbur huffing fondly as he quickly wiped away his tears.

Sunshine curled into himself. “I’m… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt—“

Wilbur stood up, making his way over as quickly as he could. “No, no. You’re alright, love. What did you need?”

Sunshine sniffled, stuffing his face into Baba as he mumbled something into its fur.

“What was that, sweetheart?” Wilbur asked.

“‘ad a nigh’mare… you were gone. Scared.”

Wilbur melted, quickly curling around the boy and picking him up. “Oh, well that just won’t do. I’m sorry for leaving you, baby.”

Sunshine snuggled into place. “Is okay… You can finish talking… I’m sorry—“

“Don’t be sorry. I’m done talking anyway. I’m so proud of you for coming to get me.” Wilbur bounced him in his arms, giving a thankful smile to Phil and Techno before heading back to his room.

Wilbur walked as fast as he could, Sunshine slowly falling asleep on his shoulder. Once they arrived, Wilbur quickly slipped into bed, wrapping himself around the hybrid as protectively as he could.

“Hey, Wilby?”

Wilbur pressed a kiss to Sunshine’s head, heart bursting. 

He was far too tired for Sunshine to be this overwhelmingly adorable.

“Are… are you sure I didn’t bother you?”

Wilbur pulled back, pressing his nose against Sunshine’s and looking directly into those baby blue eyes. “I am 100 percent sure. You could never bother me, Sunshine.”

The boy smiled, eyes fluttering shut contently as his breathing evened out.

Soon after, Wilbur found himself drifting as well.

Ready to begin his new life with his baby boy.