Chapter Text
“Hey, Sam?” Dave called.
“Yeah?” Sam stepped into the room that held the Tunisian Diamond.
“Know where the flyswatter is?” Dave asked with a frustrated sigh.
“Yeah, there’s one in storage,” Sam said, gesturing. “I’ll show ya.”
“Thanks!”
Dave glanced back at the Tunisian Diamond, then followed after Sam.
“Here ya go,” Sam said, holding up a fly swatter. “Some bugs got in?”
“Thanks, and yeah,” Dave said. “It’s been bothering me for a while but I didn’t want to leave the Diamond.”
“That’s summer for ya I guess,” Sam said with a shrug. “Every time you open a door to let one out, five more come in.”
“Hah, yeah,” Dave agreed. “Thanks again. I better get back to it. See you around.”
Sam waved a hand.
“Later! I’ll come check on you in a bit.”
Dave nodded, then strode back to his post, glancing at the ceiling to see if he could spot the fly that had been bugging him all evening.
Dave strained his ears for any buzzing, couldn’t hear anything except the low hum of the lights.
Every time I corner the dang thing it vanishes, Dave thought with a frown.
He stopped dead in front of the Diamond.
The glass case that had surrounded it was now in a pile of sparkling powder.
Dave grabbed his radio.
“Sam!”
“Y-yeah? You good?”
A flicker of movement caught Dave’s eye; something bigger than any fly he’d seen was flitting around near the diamond.
He swung the fly swatter, managing to clip the bug and send it to the floor; he crouched to get a closer look but lurched back with a yelp as the thing moved.
“Dave!”
Sam ran into the room.
“What happened? You okay?”
Dave shakily pointed at the creature as it began crawling across the floor.
“What is that?!” Sam exclaimed.
Dave knelt, slowly reaching out a hand and jerking it back when the creature flapped blue butterfly-like wings.
It only rose a few inches into the air before it crumpled to the floor and went still.
“Oh, God…” Dave gasped. “I killed it!”
”What’s going on in here?” Kurt yelled, running into the room with Jacob beside him.
”Nothing!” Dave swept the creature into his hands and put it as carefully as he could into his jacket pocket.
”What made you yell?” Kurt snapped.
”I j-just…” Dave stammered.
”You sure nothing’s wrong?” Jacob asked, frowning. “We can try and help.”
Dave winced, biting his lip, but nodded.
”Yeah, don’t worry,” he said, forcing a smile. “Thanks though.”
”Alright…” Jacob said, furrowing his brow. “Well, call if you need something.”
Kurt and Jacob headed back to the war exhibit.
Dave sighed and pulled his hand out, hissing as he shook it a couple times.
”You okay?” Sam asked as Dave pulled the creature from his pocket and cradled it in his hands.
”Yeah…”
The creature was a miniature version of a person, but with blue wings that had darker blue spots.
“What is this thing?” Sam muttered, leaning closer.
“I don’t know,” Dave said, “but it was biting me just a minute ago…and now it’s…”
Dave bit his lip, then looked closer and saw the creature’s chest rising and falling rapidly.
“It’s alive!” Dave breathed. “What should we do?”
“Come on,” Sam urged, heading for the break room; Dave hurried after them.
Sam grabbed a kitchen towel and set it on the table.
“Thanks,” Dave said, sitting down and gently sliding the creature onto the towel. “I didn’t mean to…I thought it was just a bug!”
”I know,” Sam said. “Let’s see what we can do for it.”
They set the first-aid kit down and rifled through it, pulling out some of the smaller bandages.
“Never thought these mini ones would come in handy…mmm…hold on…”
Sam bustled to a drawer and got a magnifying glass out, then hurried back and examined the creature more closely.
“It’s got antennae,” they murmured. “And…yikes, that’s a big bruise. I think you just knocked it out. I don’t see any other injuries…but it’s been through the wringer. Its clothes are all torn.”
Dave groaned.
“It’s okay,” Sam said quickly, taking out a roll of gauze, then a smaller bandage.
Dave jumped a bit when the creature opened its eyes and started to move, the blue wings fluttering slightly.
“It’s alright,” Dave said nervously. “We’re…we’re gonna help you.”
The creature’s tiny eyes closed as it curled up and started shivering.
“That’s uh…not good,” Sam muttered. “Wrap it in the towel, okay? I think there were some hand warmers in here…”
They went back to rifling through the first-aid kit.
Dave wrapped the creature up as carefully as he could, then cradled it in the crook of one arm.
“Sam…is this a…like a fairy, or something?”
“That’s what I thought at first,” Sam said, pulling out a packet of hand warmers. “And then I wondered if I was dreaming.”
“Me too,” Dave chuckled weakly, still looking down at the fairy. “It could still move okay…”
“I think it only got a bump on the head,” Sam said, putting one of the hand warmers in the folds of the kitchen towel. “But we should probably take it somewhere safer than here.”
Dave set the fairy on the table and removed his jacket, then got his blue hoodie from the nearby closet and pulled it on.
“Should we take it home now?” he asked nervously.
“I think we can risk it,” Sam said, glancing at the clock. “Only one hour ’til the day shift. I’ll go talk to the guys.”
“Okay,” Dave said. “Thanks.”
Sam nodded and hurried off.
Dave gently nudged the fairy with a finger and it opened its eyes halfway, blinking a couple times before staring up at him.
”I’m really sorry,” Dave said quietly, patting the fairy’s head as carefully as he could. “I didn’t mean to.”
The fairy squirmed in the towel and tried to roll over.
”No, don’t move!” Dave gasped. “You’re hurt, but you’re gonna be…”
The fairy sank its teeth into Dave’s finger.
“Ok, let me see,” Sam said, turning on the kitchen faucet.
Dave held his bleeding hand under the warm water and winced a bit.
”He really got you,” Sam muttered, putting soap on the bites and cleaning them with a paper towel.
”It’s okay,” Dave sighed. “He was just scared.”
After patting Dave’s hand dry, Sam put antibiotic ointment on the bites and bandaged them.
”How’s that feel?” Sam asked, giving Dave a worried look.
”A lot better, thanks,” Dave said.
”Hope it doesn’t have rabies or…whatever fairies get,” Sam sighed.
”Me too,” Dave said, reaching carefully into the pouch of his hoodie and pulling out the fairy. “Where should we put him?”
Sam crossed their arms, then went to the hall closet and pulled out a small plastic cage.
”Honestly can’t remember why I had this…maybe I wanted to get a tarantula or something…but anyway.”
Sam removed the red lid and Dave put the fairy inside the cage.
“Was it bad he went to sleep?” Dave said. “He’s probably just tired after everything…but I don’t know how anyone would treat a fairy concussion.”
”Neither do I,” Sam said. “Hang on.”
Slowly they reached into the cage and lifted the fairy out, leaving the towel.
After a minute of examining the fairy and gently touching his tiny limbs and wings, Sam took a small bandage and put it over the bruise on the fairy’s head.
”Let’s leave it at that for now,” Sam said, returning the fairy to the cage and putting the lid on.
The fairy suddenly sat up and shook the towel off, staring all around with wide eyes.
Dave went to a cabinet and got two ramekins, one of which he filled with water and the other with chopped pecans, cheese curds and chopped cucumbers.
”I don’t know what fairies eat,” Dave said with a nervous shrug, “but this is…probably fine.”
”Good idea,” Sam said, taking the cage’s lid off. “If he’s interested in eating he’s probably alright.”
Dave quickly put the ramekins in the cage, wincing as the fairy bared sharp teeth and cowered.
”It’s ok,” Dave said gently. “You’re probably hungry. Does any of this look good to you?”
The fairy relaxed after a minute and looked at the ramekins; warily he approached the water and took a long drink.
Dave let out a sigh of relief as the fairy picked up a bit of cheese and sniffed it, then took a huge bite.
”Looking good so far,” Sam murmured. “Good job, Dave.”
The fairy finished the bit of cheese curd and cautiously ate some pecans and cucumbers, then curled up under the towel; a minute later he was asleep.
”Okay,” Dave breathed, slumping his shoulders. “I didn’t kill him. Thank goodness.”
He looked anxiously at Sam.
”What should we do now though?” he fretted.
”Well…” Sam said, crossing their arms. “Keep an eye on him, I guess. Take care of him the best we can. He seems smarter than I thought…maybe he understands us a little.”
They yawned and shook their head.
”All I know for sure right now is I’m going to bed.”
Sam fastened the snaps on the cage roof.
”Want him to stay in my room or yours?”
”Could he stay in mine?” Dave asked. “I want to take care of him since it’s my fault he got hurt in the first place.”
”If you’re sure,” Sam said, giving him the cage. “Holler if you need something. How’s your hand?”
”It’s a lot better,” Dave said with a smile. “Thanks, Sam.”
”Yup.”
Sam yawned again and went into their bedroom, shutting the door quietly.
Dave let out a breath and went into his room, setting the cage on his desk and watching the sleeping fairy for a moment before going to bed.
A faint scratching noise woke Dave later that morning; he groaned and sat up, rubbing his eyes.
The scratching noises were coming from the little cage on his desk.
Dave shot up in bed and rushed over to his desk to see the fairy sitting up and watching him with narrowed eyes.
”Okay, uh…how are you feeling?” Dave asked, sitting at the desk and noticing that the food bowl was empty.
The fairy touched the bandage on his head and frowned.
”Yeah, that was my fault, sorry…” Dave mumbled. “I thought you were a bug.”
The fairy raised an eyebrow.
”So what were you doing in the museum? Why were you near the Diamond?”
The fairy looked away, crossing his arms.
”When you’re better are you gonna go there again?” Dave asked.
The fairy huffed and didn’t look at him.
”What were you gonna even do with it?” Dave asked, shaking his head. “You’re just going to get hurt. Could I convince you not to? Do you need somewhere to live, maybe?”
The fairy shook his head.
”Was it because it was shiny or something?” Dave asked, raising an eyebrow. “Do you like collecting shiny things?”
The fairy nodded.
”How would you have even gotten it out of there?” Dave asked incredulously.
The fairy glared at Dave, then touched the empty ramekin and closed his eyes; there was a sudden pop and a flicker of light.
”What did you do?” Dave asked, jumping back a bit. “Where did it go?”
The fairy picked something up and held it out; Dave leaned closer and squinted.
”…How’d you do that?”
There was a knock on his bedroom door.
”Dave, can I come in?” Sam asked.
”Sure!”
Sam opened the door and walked in.
”How’s he doing?” they asked.
”He ate all his food,” Dave said. “So that’s good.”
Dave pointed at the mini ramekin.
”Can you see that? It’s his food bowl! He has magic or something!”
Sam leaned closer and raised their eyebrows in surprise.
”Wow,” they remarked. “You aren’t planning to shrink us, are you?”
The fairy smirked and put the ramekin down, then tapped it; it was soon back to its normal size.
”Do have a name or anything, little guy?” Sam asked.
The fairy frowned, then nodded.
”What is it?” Dave asked curiously.
The fairy gestured for them to take the lid off.
”You aren’t going to fly away, are you?” Dave asked, furrowing his brow. “You should rest some more.”
The fairy shook his head.
”Okay.”
Dave took the lid off and the fairy flew out and landed on the desk, then stood on a book Dave had left there and forgotten about.
Sam and Dave watched as the fairy started pointing to letters on the cover.
”Henry?” Sam asked. “Huh. Well, nice to meet you. Glad you’re feeling better! My name’s Sam.”
”And I’m Dave. Do you want some more food?”
Henry nodded and grinned, showing his sharp teeth.
”Alright, well…” Dave mumbled. “We can’t tell you what to do, but will you at least stay here until your bruise is better?”
Henry crossed his arms and nodded, though had a sour look on his face.
”You don’t have to stay in this unless you want to,” Sam said, touching the cage. “It was just so you didn’t run around and hurt yourself.”
Henry shrugged.
”So…” Dave said. “We work during the night. Will you be okay by yourself then?”
Henry nodded.
”We’ll show you where everything is and get a place to sleep set up for you,” Dave said. “We’ll leave food out for you too, since the fridge is too big and it’s better if you don’t shrink it. Deal?”
Henry nodded.
”Great!” Dave said. “If you need anything, let us know.”
Henry flew out the door towards the kitchen and sat next to the fruit bowl, where he began sniffing the apples.
”You want some?” Dave asked, washing an apple and cutting off a little piece for Henry. “Here you go.”
Henry eagerly took the bit of apple and shoved it in his mouth.
”Guess we’ve technically got a new roommate,” Sam chuckled, shaking their head. “Weird, huh?”
”Yup,” Dave said, getting more cheese curds, cucumber and pecans. “I’m just glad you’re ok, Henry!”
Dave held up a bit of cheese and Henry reached out for it, letting out insistent squeaks.
“Aww, cute,” Dave laughed, handing Henry the cheese. “It is weird, but I don’t mind as long as…”
Henry lunged for the cheese and bit Dave’s finger instead.