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Tommy did not make many plans in his life. He’s learned that if he planned for things to happen, they most certainly would not go to plan. Thus he tended to live his life reactionary. He lived his simple life by reacting, and almost never acting. He was not proactive, some may say. Did this happen to get him lost from his nursery? Yes. But that’s not his fault. What’s also not his fault is how there was now a bulky pig guy staring at everything he does.
That sounds wrong. That sounds very wrong, very bad. It’s not. To be fair, Tommy was huddled in a corner hissing at the guy. The guy stared back. The long pink hair did catch his eye. It was bright and colorful and made his paws twitch. He wanted it. He wanted it in his den. It was braided and inlaid with golden foil. It was pretty and shiny and looked so so soft.
Hm. He didn’t have a den anymore. He hissed again. This time it was more so out of frustration. What good was soft material if there was no den to put it in. Tommy needed the soft in a den, which meant he needed a den. Tommy didn’t even know where his den was. That was a problem. The guy furrowed his eyebrows, staring at the grabby hands Tommy was making. “Do you want something?”
Yes. No. He wanted the big man to stay away. The big man scared him. The last big man he met had hurt him. He winced as his leg stung with more pain. The big man had been nice and then hurt him. Tommy didn’t want to be hurt. The pain made tears well in his eye, he made a little cry of pain. He wailed at the throb in his leg. Nothing ever went his way. Tommy chittered and put his hands back on the ground. Staring at the small fruit bowl that the man pushed towards him.
“Listen, raccoon? You are a raccoon right? You’re a little too… light colored? Whatever. You’re injured and need help. Phil would have my head if I didn’t try, so… I’m going to go grab my first aid kit. Try to eat something?”
Tommy looked at his fur color. Right. It was light, a bit too light to be raccoon colored. He was still a raccoon, he swore. There were others his color. But he would admit his blondish coat color was a point of contention in his nursery. His ma had looked at him with a fair bit of disgust. It’s not his fault! He didn't want to be all noticeable and shit. He blamed shit genetics, but his ma wouldn’t hear of his excuses.
The man stood up and left. He left the room. Tommy’s eyes went wide. More importantly he left the fruit cup. Tommy let out a happy chitter. Food! Finally some good food! He couldn’t remember the last time he had had food that hadn’t come from a trash can. His stomach rumbled and gurgled, hungry from nights failed at finding edible food. Tommy pounced on the bowl, it knocked over. The grapes rolled out and away from him.
That wouldn’t do! He tried to chase after them, a happy grin on his face. Things were looking up for the great Tommy Innit! The happiness left in a matter of seconds as pain shot through his leg. He yowled, grabbing a grape in one hand and nibbling on it. There was a great sadness in the way he nibbled on the grape. The small fruit held dearly in his tiny paws. He had just wanted a fruit. Tears slid down his tiny face. The pain flaring, his fur had crusted over where the blood had hit it and it made him feel all cross. At least he had his one singular grape.
The man came barreling into the room, a med kit and frantic expression the only thing he had. Tommy scooted back a little, he hadn’t meant to be loud. He chittered an apology. He didn’t want the man to get angry at him. He didn’t want the man to bring a fist to his face, leaving him dizzy and his mind in a haze. The man didn’t raise his hand. The man didn’t get angry. No, his face softened, eyes flicking to the mess Tommy created on the ground.
“Man, little guy. I’ll help you clean up, okay?”
Tommy was not a little guy. He was big! He was huge! However, he would appreciate the help to get the fruit back nonetheless. So Tommy nodded. This seemed to shock the guy because he stared with disbelief at the reaction. The guy still came over and picked up the grapes, putting them back in the bowl. Tommy made sure to keep a safe distance away from the guy at all times.
A small voice in the back of his head screamed that the guy was nice and helping him and… he shook his head. Tommy could not get distracted. It would only result in pain and misfortune. The guy held one of his hands face up on the ground, the other held the fruit bowl. The guy hadn’t hurt Tommy yet, he sounded like he wanted to help Tommy! And he looked like he had soft hair… no one with soft hair was ever mean.
“I’m going to need you to trust me, okay?” Tommy was not one for trust. Trust was a slippery slope, one coated in a thick honey. When he trusted someone, he trusted them. He got stuck in that belief that they couldn’t wrong him. When the mountain came crashing down, so did he. He stepped backward, staring longingly at the fruit bowl. Fruit was so sweet, and so delicious and he wanted a bite. He whined at it. “I know. I know. How about this? If you let me look at your leg, I’ll throw in an egg for free okay? You eat eggs right?”
The offer was tempting. Tommy had been too small to find any good eggs by himself. Not that Tommy was small… but all the birds were big and scary. Fruit and eggs sounded delicious. The one way to Tommy’s heart was through his stomach. He walked forward and bopped the hand with his own. The hand moved. Tommy backed up an inch.
The guy kept the hand where Tommy could see it. Tommy squinted. The guy was human? But not. There were little tusk like things coming out of the man's lower lip. His ears were a little floppy. They looked floppable. Fun to play with. Yes. This man would be a perfect addition to Tommy’s den.
Tommy didn’t have a den.
This wouldn’t do.
But as the man scratched behind Tommy’s ear, all his worries faded away. His tail thumped against the hardwood. The man slid the fruit bowl towards him and Tommy grabbed the fruit, his greedy hands clutching it. The man's hands were calloused and worn, but warm too. So warm. The man was very warm.
Tommy gave a little yawn as he munched down on a strawberry. “Alright buddy, I’m going to disinfect that nasty scratch, it’s going to sting a little.” Tommy was already balls deep in a weird sort of haze that came from the tiredness and the warmth. His little stomach was so full and his tiny feet ached from wandering for so long.
Tommy let out a pained whine when the disinfectant touched his wound. In response the man brought his hand back to Tommy’s fur. He picked at some of the knots and itched right behind Tommy’s ear, hitting the part he just couldn’t get too. The worst of it was over and the man was wrapping his leg up soon enough.
The rest of the night passed in a bit of a blur. Tommy yawned, stretching out. The man picked him up by the scruff, cradling him close to his chest. That night Tommy fell asleep to the crackling fire, on soft and fuzzy blankets. Maybe this could be his new den. The man was nice enough.
___________
The man's name was Technoblade. It was an odd name. What’s odder is that Technoblade named him Theseus, after some Greek hero. He was no hero. He was a simple guy with simple guy needs. He didn’t want to save a kingdom. He wanted to nap. The name seemed to make Technoblade happy though, Tommy decided to roll with it. It was nicer than being called a kit. Which he wasn’t. He was a big raccoon-human hybrid thing.
Because yes. The great Tommy Innit was a shifter, of sorts. When he was a human he had hybrid characteristics, like a fucking curse. But being a human was hard. For the most part people didn’t bat an eye at raccoons wandering the street. They maybe got a bit stingy when he was rummaging through trash, but it could be worse. Techno would have never picked him up if he had been a street urchin child.
They had an established routine. Techno would make him breakfast and play with him. He got to run around the yard while Techno chopped wood. He chittered and picked fights with birds, Techno ran through sword fighting paces, and then Tommy would nap. He would nap. And sometimes he would nap in Techno’s lap. As his gnawing instincts kept reminding him, Techno was a very good protector. Safe and warm and nice. And Tommy purred at the idea of converting the house into his den. He could stash his treasure in all the nooks and crannies.
The routine came to a halt one afternoon when Techno grabbed him by the scruff. Tommy had hissed because it was his nap time. He was tired, brain in a sort of haze. He had tried to turn and scratch at the guy, but Techno held him an arms length away. That didn’t stop Tommy from trying to grab at Techno with his paws and drawing blood.
He failed miserably, but he was still intimidating!
“Theseus you stink. You need a bath.”
At this Tommy perked up because believe it or not, he loved being clean. He loved splashing around in the water. He would do it all the time, his old nursery often stayed around lakes and ponds. The water was so much fun. After the news of the water, Tommy went limp. He was buzzing with excitement, practically vibrating.
Technoblade brought Tommy to a bathroom, he closed the door behind him as if Tommy would try to leave. Why would he leave? He got to be clean and warm, and got to splish splash around the water. Tommy chittered, Techno only tilted his head. If only the big man could hear him. That would be nice.
And technically if Tommy went all human they could communicate But where’s the fun with that? He hadn't been a human in so long that he didn’t even know if he remembered how to be a human. That was a scary thought. One he pushed to the back of his head. He didn’t need to be a human. Techno would take care of him just the way he was. Tommy didn’t know how everything would change if Tommy was to be human, and he wasn’t going to find out.
Techno rolled up his sleeves, turning on the faucet. Before he could be stopped, Tommy had jumped into the tub. He chittered, a happy sound that made Techno smile. He made Techno smile. Tommy’s eyes went wide at this, he stayed focused on Techno’s face as the not-human laughed. Tommy cherished that sound, the way it was deep and echoing and yet was so soft and kind. He wanted to keep the smile, he wanted to make Technoblade smile.
Tommy ran his paws under the running water, rubbing it across his face. He let out a little yelp. Techno had cupped some water in his hands, pouring it over Tommy to cover the rest of Tommy’s back. The entire time was spent with Tommy splashing around the water. He chittered and chattered and he got Techno to laugh again.
Tommy even splashed at Technoblade. Revenge for… something.
After Techno had cleaned through Tommy’s fur, the bath water ran mucky and dirty. As Techno picked Tommy up there was a pause as they stared at each other. Techno’s pupils dilated, staring at Tommy’s now clean coat. Tommy’s eyes also went wide, but more in confusion. He didn’t complain as Techno brought him close to his chest.
He didn’t complain as Techno started carding his hands through his fur. Tommy didn’t complain when Techno started purring, a comfortable rumble. There was a snort and a huff, Tommy didn’t know what it meant but he knew what it stood for.
Tommy smiled, nestling closer into the warm warm warm chest. He was happy, he was safe, and he was clean. There was something nice about the worn hands that picked away at knots in his fur, that knew exactly the best parts to scratch to make his tail thump. Tommy reached up and played with the tail of Techno’s braid, the rumbling pur only grew.
“You’re some kinda kit, Theseus,” that’s the only thing exchanged between them all day.
______________
From that point onward Techno gave Tommy anything he wanted. He even praised the young kit everytime Tommy reached for something golden and shiny. He liked the shiny. He liked the soft. Tommy got it all. He had a little nest filled with all sorts of things. Fuzzy blankets and some of Techno’s capes created the most of it. It was decorated with tiny things he found around the house.
His nest had plenty of gold things, some of the gold foil Techno liked to put in his hair, one of Techno’s crowns and a lot of rings and some necklaces. Tommy was rolling around in it during a nice winters day. He was rolling around in all the trinkets, nicking himself on something sharp.
Tommy let out a pained shriek. Techno barreled into the room, tail thumping and pupils blown.
This had become a regular occurrence. A small bead of blood had formed on one of his fingers. Tommy whimpered, reaching the paw towards Techno. Techno ran towards him, scooping him into warm arms.
Techno started purring. There were chuffs of comfort and Tommy snuggled deeper into the hold. Was he milking the injury? Yes. But there was something about the way Techno bandaged his paw, then took him to the big den.
The big den was Techno’s room. It had the softest bed, with the softest covers. Everything was so very soft, from the capes that hung in the closet, to the socks that lay in the drawers. It was warm and cozy, and filled to the brim with so many shiny things.
When Tommy got hurt Techno would take care of him, then bring him to the big den, draping him in the shiny things. Tommy got placed on the bed, and wrapped up in fuzzy blankets. Techno would braid tiny strands of gold foil into his fur, spending the whole time purring. Tommy would purr back and nuzzle into Techno’s hold. They would both fall asleep in a type of daze.
Sometimes Techno would wake up in the middle of the night screaming. Sometimes he would wake up and his breathing would be rapid and sporadic. He’d be panicking and Tommy wouldn’t know what to do. He’d nuzzle his face into Technoblades hand until Techno was petting him. He’d be there until Techno would be lucid and aware. Tommy would sit on his chest to calm the racing heart.
Techno would smile and mutter something about bad memories of a bad life before pulling Tommy close to his chest and falling asleep once more.
__________
Tommy had been incredibly bored. Technoblade had left to the market, one of his least favorite times of the week. So when he heard the stomping of boots outside he perked up. Tommy let out a high pitched whine, shivering as Techno dragged in some more fire wood and another human. This was a human with wings. Tommy wanted the wings in his nest thing. The feathers looked soft. The winged human stared at him, and he stared back. He looked down to his paws which were making grabby hands. Well… alright then.
“Techno,” the man said. It was airing on cautionary, delicate in the way the name was spoken. Tommy pressed his ears against his head. He didn’t want Techno to get in trouble. Techno took care of him.
Techno spoiled him. From frequent fruit bowls to the cuddles late at night by the fire… Techno was great. And he was great to Techno. Sometimes Techno’s hands would shake, and Tommy would be there to press his face into them until they steadied. He would lay on Techno’s chest when Techno’s breathing got rapid and sporadic. He was there for Techno and Techno was there for him, what was wrong with that?
“Phil,” Techno said, feigning nonchalance. Tommy could tell that his da- that Techno was freaking out a little.
“You have a raccoon in your living room,” Phil the winged human said in return.
Tommy chittered, nervous at what would happen next. Techno’s tail flicked about, floppy ears pinned to his head. Techno let out a huff and then turned to drag the wood to the fire, closing the door behind him.
“Yes, I do.” Techno stoked the fire as he spoke, Tommy scooted a bit closer. Close enough so that when Technor reached out he could pet just behind Tommy’s ear. Tommy moved his head into the hand and Techno purred.
“Mate… did you?” Phil didn’t finish the sentence, maybe seeing how Techno’s pupils went big again. They did that sometimes. Tommy didn’t know why they did that, but when they did he really really liked it. Because when Techno’s eyes went big he got warm and protective. His hands would pick at knots in his fur and he would get so much food it was a little sickening. A good sickening, but his belly would be so full by the end.
“His name is Theseus,” Techno mumbled. Tommy nodded. He didn’t particularly like the name, it was a bit pretentious for him, but he didn't mind. It made him feel all warm and fuzzy and sent his brain into a weird funk whenever Techno called him that.
“Techno, raccoons are not pets.”
“He’s not a pet.”
Tommy once again nodded, fluffing up his fur in defiance against Phil. What kind of name even was that? It sounded stinky and sad and bad and it wasn’t the name of a person who Tommy liked. No, in that moment Tommy decided he did not like people named Phil and he never would.
“I’ll make a quick pot of tea and we can talk about this okay, mate?” Techno scrunched his nose. This seemed to irritate Phil. “Technoblade,” the name was bitten more harshly.
Techno let out a sigh but relented, putting Tommy down. Tommy let out a whine. He wanted to be good. He could be good. Techno was a good protector. He was Tommy’s family. He followed Techno and Phil and overheard them talking and… his heart dropped. His heart dropped when he saw Techno stare at the cup of tea, nodding along to what he was saying.
Phil left not long after.
And as the sun set, the moment Tommy was never hoping to happen came. The cabin was bathed in a golden glow, the warm light creating a mysticism in the air. It was magic and fantastical, and Techno picked Tommy up. Tommy clutched onto Techno’s shirt. He didn't want to leave. He was safe in the den. He was safe and he was cared for and he didn’t want to be hungry or sad.
Before Techno could get far Tommy jumped out of his arms and scrambled against the hardwood floors. His claws scratched against, scraping on the polished wood. He pressed his side against the sofa. Techno looked at him with sad eyes. Tommy didn’t want to make Techno sad. He wanted to hear his protector laugh and see him smile. He wanted to be there on the days where Techno could barely get out of bed in the morning. He wanted to watch Techno go through sword fighting paces in the early mornings.
Before he knew it choked sobs left his body. His back was pressed against the sofa, his whole body shook with each sob. Tears slid down his face and he pressed his ears against his very human head. He hadn’t meant to become human. He really didn’t. Techno stared at him, eyes wide once more.
Tommy drew his knees to his chest. His voice wouldn’t cooperate with him but he managed to speak in a raspy, hoarse tone. “Don’t kick me out. Please. I don’t have anywhere else to go.”
The next thing he knew Techno had wrapped him in a warm embrace. It felt so much nicer, to be able to hug Techno back. Tommy threw his hands around Techno’s neck and pulled himself close. Techno grabbed the back of Tommy’s head and moved it so that he was pressed into the crook of the protector's neck.
Techno rubbed small circles in Tommy’s back as Tommy sobbed. He let out calming chuffs as Tommy continued to cry. Those same calloused hands massaged at his scalp and carded through his hair. Techno only spoke when Tommy had calmed down.
“You’re just a kid. Not even bigger than a runt. Of course I won’t throw you out. You can live here with me for as long as you want, forever if you so choose. We can get you clothes and a room and stuffed animals. I’ll shower you with all the gold you deserve.” Tommy pulled away a little, still held firmly in Techno’s arms. The hand that was on the back of his head came to cup his cheek. Techno rubbed his thumb across the tear slicked cheek, a small sad smile on his face.
Tommy grabbed onto the hand and buried his head in it. “Promise.”
Techno did smile. “I promise. I promise, Kid.”
Tommy buried himself back in Techno’s chest. Techno readjusted to be sitting on the couch. He knitted small braids in Tommy’s hair as Tommy yawned. With a little pur Techno watched as his gold, his runt, fell asleep in his arms for what would be the first time in a series of many. Tommy had found his home. His run was home.