Chapter Text
"I think it'll be fine. Probably."
October took a step away from the counter, giving himself space to grow without immediately stepping on anyone. Cactus and Molar exchanged glances.
"Probably not," offered Molar. She was leaning against the kitchen baseboard, re-tying her ponytail for the fifth time since they left the den.
Cactus took a more direct approach, pulling out his hooks and gently whacking October with his tail as he passed.
"You just spent a week out of comission-" he tossed a hook, line already wrapped around his forearm- "and you were a fuckin' baby about it the whole time." He tugged hard, making sure the hook was stuck fast.
October nodded, showing that he could listen thankyouvverymuch, and walked forward to hold Cactus's spear so he could start climbing up to the counters.
"What if I just do it once or twice," he said to Molar. "No side effects on once or twice."
She scoffed, grabbing the rope. Then she paused. Thinking.
"We won't have to come out next week if we stock up this week," October pointed out.
From far above, Cactus's voice made its way down.
"If you listen to him I'm eating your dinner!"
"You fucking won't!" Molar shouted back up. She started climbing the rope anyways, leaving October to tie Cactus's spear to the end and follow her to the countertops.
"I'm just saying," Cactus kept hollering, "that if you wanna stay in the den for a week because our Jack couldn't pace himself you can be my fucking guest!"
"I can," October huffed, "but if you keep falling then I have to keep catching you."
Cactus didn't answer, which meant that October was right. And also that next time they went outside he would make October climb into the berry bushes.
Sore loser.
But they all made it to the counter, and nobody fell. Molar walked over to the breadbox, leaving Cactus to untie his spear.
October stayed behind.
"I can pace myself," he said flatly. "And it would be more efficient if I just grabbed a handful of supplies and shrunk back down."
"That's not what Marrow said," Cactus countered.
October tensed. He hated when they kept notes on him; it was like the lab all over again. They fucking knew that.
"What did she say."
Cactus's eyes widened as he realized what he was implying.
"Not like that!" he hurriedly assured October. "This was while you were in the room. Remember, she said that you can't shift up unless she approves? You told her yes, and then you passed out for five hours, and then you said you would never shift up again."
"I was dealing with aftereffects at the time," October said. "And now I'm not."
Cactus swung himself so his legs hung over the edge of the counter, tail strung out behind and spear in his lap. He had a face on, an I'm not going to say anything because I can't argue with that face.
October turned, watching Molar fill a sack with muffin crumbs and individual oats.
I could just bring back a muffin.
He knew, logically, that it made sense to stay tiny while his body recovered. Shrinking and growing as much as he had was a strain. And yet...
That's what they had done in the lab, when someone overextended. You were left alone, forbidden from moving your tag, until a lab tech cleared you for further experimentation. It was boring, and October was learning to hate boring.
Molar tied off the sack, walking back over to the two of them.
"Good haul this week," she noted. "Jane made them with chocolate chips, so I packed one."
October went down the rope first this time, so he could catch the sack once Molar let it go.
He pushed the thought of growing, of just carrying everyone back down, out of his head.
Marrow would be happy about the chocolate chip, at least.