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In the chaos of the rescue mission, Foolish barely registered anything. His focus was split, attention frayed and all over the place up until the moment the kids were in his line of sight.
Noise exploded in his ears as the islanders yelled out to their kids but Foolish’s world had narrowed to only his family.
Richarlyson was in a small cell with Ramon and Dapper, he looked unharmed if tired. Pepito was in another, curled against the wall.
And then Leo, his perfect daughter, slumped against him.
“Leo!” He yelled, voice joining the cries of the others.
As if hearing only his voice, Leo’s eyes darted up from the ground towards him. They widened.
“Pa?!” Amongst the cacophony of noise, he could only hear her, “Pa!”
All of the eggs had noticed their parents and were up, clawing at the bars of their cages.
The large pit between the islanders and their locked-up kids was seemingly bottomless, only the thin, wobbling platforms making up a parkour course emerging from the limitless darkness below.
Phil was already leaping across the first few jumps, a desperate expression on his face that Foolish had never seen before. Bagi was right behind him, going slightly slower but just as determined.
Foolish didn’t have time for that.
“Back up,” he murmured, only half focused on being heard as he began moving away from the edge of the pit.
“What?” Charlie spluttered, being forced back by Foolish’s body.
He didn’t bother replying or apologizing, Foolish just let his eyes scan over the gap again and took a breath, another.
Then, the open air was below him a beat later as he ran and jumped the distance. Distantly, he could hear gasps of surprise.
There was a sudden, perfect moment of weightlessness before--
--Dirt and gravel harshly scraped along his skin, and Foolish struggled for purchase against the side of the pit as he continued falling down. His nails dug into the earth, and in a sudden flash Foolish remembered years past. Long before he’d had the spider pants, in an age where he’d still made large statues and sculptures, but to get around he’d gotten good at climbing. Bodily hauling himself up massive dirt figures with nothing but his hands and legs had prepared him for this exact situation.
Foolish didn’t know if he believed in destiny, but there was a comfortable feeling of this being right as he skidded to a halt, talon-like fingers finally finding a grip in the dirt and he hung in place, dusty earth floating around him as it was knocked loose. Foolish let himself enjoy the moment of sharp relief that he hadn’t actually fallen to his death for barely a second before he started moving. He clawed his way up the side of the pit, occasionally letting out a hiss as chunks of soil ripped out from under his hands and went careening into the blackness below. More bits of gravel and loose dirt fell into his face but he ignored it, temporary discomfort was nothing compared to the isolation of the past few weeks. His fingers were tougher than a normal human’s—though, really, all of him was tougher than a regular human. They dug as far as possible into the dirt, creating makeshift holds that crumbled seconds later when he pulled himself up further.
Finally, he gripped the top edge of the pit, digging his fingers into the dirt out of his own view.
The weight of dust and gravel sat heavy in his mouth as he pushed up and over the ledge so that he was on the same side as the kids. Phil was still a few jumps away, and he seemed to have stalled upon Foolish jumping across. When the totem forced himself to standing, facing over the edge so he could spit out the dirt in his mouth and try to school his expression, the other islanders started back into action.
Foolish paid them no mind, he just turned to the cells and the eggs who were all watching him with wide eyes.
“Hey kiddos,” he beamed, the bitter taste of dirt coating his tongue, “Your rescue crew has arrived.”
As if the words were a cue, Phil finished the final jump and was instantly running to the cell with Chayanne and Tallulah, clicking the button on the door to open it. All of the other islanders followed shortly after, spilling onto the right side of the pit with a near-manic fervour to get to their kids. Foolish for his part darted to Leo and Pepito’s cell, slamming the button as they both pulled away from the bars.
“Pa!” Leo exclaimed, her eyes scanning him over.
Foolish pried the door open, on his knees a moment later with two armfuls of little dragon hybrids.
“Awelo!” Pepito cried, burying his face into Foolish’s neck, “You came!”
“Of course I did,” Foolish grinned brightly into the kid’s hair, “Couldn’t let you two have all the fun stuff going on. I mean really, I can’t believe everybody on this island has been kidnapped before but I haven’t.”
Giggling wetly Pepito gripped him harder before suddenly he was being pulled from Foolish’s arms. Instinctively, he tried to grab his grandson back while tightening his hold on Leo, a snarl already forming on his face before the voice above him registered.
“Pepito!” Roier swept his son into a close embrace the moment Foolish’s arms slackened, “Oh my, Pepito.”
Heart skittering too quick in his chest, Foolish tried to calm the instinct to snatch back his grandson as he reminded himself that Roier was safe, Roier was his son. It was okay for him to be holding Pepito, he was family too.
Foolish had to swallow back the desire to pull both Roier and Pepito down as his brain registered them both as his.
Leo hadn’t said a word in his arms, and his attention was drawn back to her as she shifted, pressing in closer against him. Her eyes were screwed shut and there was the faintest tremble of her shoulders.
“Hey,” he whispered, the world narrowing to just the two of them, “Leo, you alright? You guys are all safe now, we can go home and you can see your pets and-“
Foolish cut off when he felt Leo shake her head against his chest.
“No?” he questioned lightly, trying to hide the way his own hands were shaking as he held her. Everything in him screamed to hold her tighter against him and whisk her away from the rest of the awful, dangerous world of the island, but he knew that wasn’t a realistic possibility, “It’s alright,” he murmured, “We’ll be okay.”
“Pa,” she finally spoke, voice weak and muffled, “Why’d you jump?”
Foolish’s heart stalled for a beat.
Leo pulled back, looking up at him with tears, “Why’d you jump like that?”
“Ah,” an awkward laugh spilled from his lips, “I just don’t have the patience for waiting in line to do parkour you know? I’m more of an active, runnin’ around type. Besides, I’m great at climbing.”
A wobbling frown appeared on her face, “But-“
Suddenly, a hand was on Foolish’s shoulder and he was being pulled to face away from Leo. His frazzled attention snapped and he whirled to stand up, baring his razor-sharp shark teeth. A deep growl built in his throat and every one of his instincts had him forming a barrier in front of Leo as he faced-
Cellbit.
The man’s hand was still outstretched from where it had grabbed his shoulder but the moment their eyes met he quickly pulled the limb back to himself. All the other islanders were crowded further back with their own kids. Foolish swallowed the growl, forcibly relaxing his shoulders and shifting his bared teeth into a smile. He didn’t need to appear as a threat to them.
“Foolish!” Cellbit had a wild look on his face and Foolish noticed Richas watching with curious eyes behind him. He again had to bite a protective instinct to reach out for his grandkid as Cellbit hissed, “They said not to bring items! Why the hell did you bring the spider pants! You could’ve made us lose the eggs!”
All of the others suddenly snapped to attention and there were a few cries of anger in his direction. Foolish could barely make the words out for how it felt like everything was suddenly underwater. The world seemed muffled but he realized he had to reply, and they wouldn’t take a denial seriously.
There was a harsh frown fighting to appear on Foolish’s face as confusion welled in him but he forced it back by giving a sheepish giggle, accompanied by an apologetic smile, “Sorry, I know, I just totally forgot I even had them until right now!”
The other islanders groaned or swore in turn.
“Just-“ the detective grimaced heavily, a deep exhaustion appearing on his face, “Fucking… don’t do it again. We got lucky this time.”
Foolish swallows back the hurt he feels, careful not to show it on his face as Cellbit turns away. Richas is drawn again into an embrace from his parents and swept from Foolish's view.
Did it look like he had the spider pants when he climbed up the edge? Surely they could differentiate the ease he pulled himself up the side of large structures with when wearing the spider pants from the almost rabid struggle of literally clawing his way up the unforgiving walls of the pit.
The disapproving scowls he received before the islanders went back to tending to their children said that maybe no, they couldn’t.
Foolish turned away from the judgmental eyes, focusing instead on Leo. Nothing else really mattered, despite the sting of Cellbit’s words and the slight burning of his fingers.
“Leo,” he began, not quite sure what he was going to say even as he started.
It was just as well then that his daughter had completely shifted from the teary-eyed worry of moments before, the look on her face suddenly determined.
“Let’s go home,” Leo said decisively, grabbing one of his hands.
Blinking at the sudden change in attitude, Foolish figured it might just be her way of acting strong until they could get somewhere safer and more private.
“How do we leave?” he called over the noise, immediately setting about fulfilling his daughter’s demand.
“There’s a warp plate over here!” Pierre replied loudly, grabbing the attention of everyone again. The Frenchman dissipated in the air, faint purple particles emanating from where he’d stood only a moment before. Before a beat could pass, he was back, “It goes to spawn, come Pomme.”
Running over, Pomme was quickly followed by the other French islanders. They all went one by one, and the others all lined up behind them, chattering as they were all prone to when together. Foolish and Leo were the last ones in the line and soon enough it was just them in the remnants of the underground facility the kids had all been kept in.
Leo stepped onto the plate, turning to face him with a small grin before waving as she teleported away.
Foolish moved to follow her, but a beat of hesitation sent him looking back at the pit.
What had Leo meant, when she asked why he’d jumped? He wanted to get to her quickly, did she not think he would care enough to do that?
The frown he’d been fighting back since arriving finally curled across his face. But, maybe he was overthinking it. Leo would tell him if something was wrong, or she’d ask again if it really bothered her.
Foolish could admit he wasn’t always the best with starting emotional conversations, but he resolved to just keep an eye on her after they got back.
Quite frankly, Foolish mused as he finally looked away from the pit and stood on the warp, he didn’t think any of them would be letting their kids out of their sight for a while.
The walk from spawn to the dragon was short, something Foolish thanked his past self for. It came in handy living so close to all the action. Walking inside, the tower was just as he’d left it and he made a beeline to his backpack.
Picking it up, the first thing Foolish did was fish out some toast for Leo and she murmured a quiet thanks. The second thing he did was pull out the spider pants and slip them back on.
A noise of surprise from behind him made him turn to see Leo had stopped eating, instead watching him with a faint frown.
“You okay?” he asked cautiously.
“You didn’t have the pants on?” her eyes were sharp.
He startled at the question before remembering what Cellbit had said to him earlier, “Yeah, I didn’t.”
“So, when you jumped into the pit….” Her tone was thick with implications, like she was winning some kind of argument Foolish had entirely missed.
“I didn’t have the pants on then either?” He replied, a little lost.
Leo darted forward, closer to him, “So when you jumped you just had to pull yourself up?”
“Yeah…?” Foolish wasn’t quite sure what this line of questioning was getting at, “I’ve always been good at climbing, I told you about the stuff I’ve made when I didn’t have the spider pants, right?”
Nodding slightly, Leo allowed it, “You have, yeah.”
“So… what’s the problem?” he asked, setting the backpack down to fully assess his daughter.
“Cellbit yelled at you for no reason, and you jumped without having the pants to keep you safe,” she told him, very matter of fact, and he got the distinct impression she was disapproving.
Suddenly realizing what the problem might be, Foolish assured her, “I’m fine, Cellbit was just worried and I already told you, I’m good at climbing so we’re all good! Nothing to worry about.”
“Nope,” Leo shook her head defiantly, coming to grab at both of his hands, much bigger than her own.
Foolish let her pull him down so that she could turn them over and look at his nails. He couldn’t quite hide a grimace at the dirt smeared across his skin, dulling it, and stuck all underneath his nails.
“You could’ve just done the parkour,” she said, “And your bed doesn’t look different from how it was before we disappeared.”
Again, her words were all very matter of fact, like she wouldn’t accept any other input on the topic. The only thing she stumbled over was mentioning her own disappearance.
“Fuck, you’re a smart kid y’know,” Foolish could only press a kiss to her hair, a horrible feeling of being seen sitting heavy in his chest.
“I know,” Leo beamed, clearly pleased with the praise before her face shifted into displeasure, “Stop trying to distract me! You weren’t taking care of yourself while I was gone!”
She made it sound like she’d only been gone for a weekend, or like she’d been gone on a school camp, something innocuous. Not the lonely, anxiety-driven affair that it was, all of the islanders clearly going a little wild without their children. Foolish really hadn’t been the worst off! Bad certainly had awful self-care. Tubbo barely slept. Phil had been increasingly isolated. He’d had it good, all things considered.
“I’m alright,” Foolish told her again, trying a smile for authenticities sake, “I really am Leo, it wasn’t as bad as you think. I just did a lot of building so I didn’t sleep here.”
Ignoring his words as though he hadn’t even spoken, Leo frowned imperiously, “No person who is ‘alright’ ends up jumping across a bottomless pit when there is another easier way across.”
“Leo,” Foolish helplessly giggled, an automatic response when he felt unable to react any other way, “Leo, I’m okay, really, estoy bien. You’re the one who was kidnapped, I should be asking you if you’re alright.”
Stubbornly shaking her head, Leo pulled him further down and Foolish went easily, always happy to follow his daughter’s direction. A moment later, she shifted and Foolish barely had a moment to take the cue and readjust before she was fully plastering herself against him, jumping to wrap her arms as far around his body as she could. Even though she was tiny, being a dragon hybrid gave her enough power behind the movement that if Foolish weren’t built as solid as he is (more perks of being a totem) then she would’ve knocked him over.
“Leo!” he exclaimed even as he tucked her further against his chest, holding her tight, “I’m really okay, I promise. I… didn’t like you being gone, but I’m okay.”
His wonderful, lovely daughter looked up at him with all the skepticism of a movie critic and a stubbornness she’d clearly picked up from him, “No.”
A swell of fondness sat heavy in his gut as he said, “I am alright, really, and I’m even better with you here now. Always juntos yeah? Of course I wasn’t feeling as good without you, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t okay.”
It’s maybe as close to honest as he’s going to get about this, even with her, and Foolish feels faintly out of his element. Leo must read it on his face because her mouth sets into a disapproving frown but she doesn’t press it. Instead, she buries her head back against his chest.
“Always juntos,” she says, muffled by his shirt.
“Always juntos,” Foolish agrees.
The world feels far more right with his daughter in sight, so Foolish does what he always does and decides to abandon the negativity of the past few weeks. It’s more important to focus on the good things, like the fact Leo is now here to help care for her pets that he’s become increasingly frustrated with in her absence.
Things might not be perfect but Foolish has his daughter back and in his arms, so it’s pretty damn close.