During the first night under her makeshift tent, Mía hears something snuffling outside. Daring to take a peek, she’s instantly greeted by a pink nose nose and a pair of green eyes. The orange tabby kitten looks at her curiously, mewing as it tries to figure out what this tiny creature is.
Mía quickly ducks back inside, thinking the worst, but nothing happens. Instead, a warm purr reverberates around the shelter. She takes a deep breath before sticking her head out again. The kitten is now on its back, paws in the air, purring as loud as it’s small body allows. The teen snickered at the kitten.
“You’re pretty harmless, aren’t you?” Reaching a hand out, she stroked under the kitten’s chin. It trilled happily and leaned into the shrunken vampire’s hand. “Hey what do you say we team up? You can help me catch up to people’s legs so I can bite them and I’ll help you look for food too!”
The kitten mewed happily, turning back over on it’s stomach. Mía smiled for the first time in two days. “Think I’m going to call you ‘Coco’.”
A slam came from the window directly above them, startling the kitten and vampire.
“How long does it take for your department to find a missing girl?! She has been missing for two days now!” Armando’s voice growled. “I do not care what you think, hombre! My daughter always tells me where she’s going and would have been back by now!”
A pause. “What do you mean she’s at the bottom of the priority list?! How dare you! She ...hello? Hello?”
Another slam, this time followed by breaking glass. “Dios maldito los humanos!!!”
Tears pricked the teen’s eyes “He doesn’t even know I’m right here...” She buried her face in the kitten’s fur, sobs racking her body. “I just want to go home.”
Incoming fluff! Thanks again to @madd-catter for the idea! This happens in the same universe as The Four, after the events of that story (even though the story isn’t finished yet...). I hope you enjoy!
Thomas came home that day looking a little...different. Virgil was the first to notice, looking up at the sound of the door opening. He was always on high alert and he only relaxed when he saw that it was indeed Thomas. However, he raised an eyebrow when he noticed Thomas’ usual brown hair...wasn’t so brown anymore.
“What?” Virgil wondered aloud, causing his brothers to stop what they were doing and look in Thomas direction.
“Whoa!” Patton cried, eyes sparkling when he saw the purple.
“I...don’t understand…” Logan murmured, trying to wrap his head around why Thomas would actually choose to color his hair such a color.
“Oh my…” Roman started, his smile slowly turning into a large awestruck grin. “You’re hair! It’s amazing!” Thomas blushed slightly, rubbing the back of his neck.
“You guys like it? I wanted a change, so I figured what better way to do that than to color my hair a bright purple?” Both Roman and Patton nodded vigorously. Logan shrugged.
“It’s your hair. You are free to do as you please. Though I suppose it does suit you. Somehow.” Logan admitted, Thomas smiled and then turned to Virgil. Virgil also shrugged.
“It’s not bad.” Virgil wasn’t about to admit that he actually really digged the purple. Thomas smiled in thanks.
“Well, I’m glad it’s not completely terrible.” Thomas chuckled and set his keys on the counter. Lifting up the bags he had initially brought in on it as well, well away from the others. As he started to put the groceries away, Roman could no longer help himself.
“Could you dye my hair as well?! No, all of our hairs?!” Roman exclaimed, motioning to all of them. While Patton looked excited at the prospect, Logan looked more than a little mortified.
“What, no!”
“Yeah!” Patton turned to Logan, eyes wide. Logan knew what was coming and tried his best to turn away, but he was already caught in the trap.
“Please Lo, it would be so cool for all of us to match!” Logan sighed.
“Yes, but we already match.” Logan explained, pointing up at his brown hair and then at Patton’s exact match.
“Yeah, with, like, 4 billion other people! Purple’s unique! Everyone would know we’re a family!” Patton kept on trying, really wanting this. Roman was behind him, also putting on puppy dog eyes. The force behind the two was starting to really get to Logan.
“Yes, but purple-”
“Would you rather have a full on rainbow?” Roman asked, smirking. Logan froze, before sighing.
“Purple is fine.” Roman and Patton grinned, giving each other a high five. Logan ran a hand through his hair as Thomas came over.
“You know you don’t have to if you really don’t want to Lo.” Thomas reassured him, but Logan shook his head.
“No, no, it’s fine. It’s not likes it’s permanent...right?” Thomas detected the hint of urgency in Logan’s voice and smiled in reassurance.
“No, it’ll wear off in a few weeks.” Logan let out a hidden sigh of relief and nodded. Now all eyes were on Virgil, the last they had to get to agree to the dyeing
“Well Virgil?” Roman asked. Virgil bit his lip and fidgeted with the sleeves of his black and purple hoodie. Like he said before, he did like the purple. And it might look good with the hoodie Thomas had gotten him. Still, a change that big, even if it wasn’t permanent, was still making him a bit anxious.
“I-I don’t know…” Virgil trailed off and Thomas, noticing Virgil struggling to decide, swooped in.
“How about I go ahead and dye the others hair first and then you can decide. Does that sound good?” Virgil blinked up at Thomas, a small smile crossing his features. He nodded.
“Alright then! Looks like I’m taking another quick trip to the store!”
***
It only made sense that Roman was the first to go once Thomas got back. Thomas chuckled at Roman’s enthusiasm and let them all gather onto his hand as he took them to the bathroom. He set them on the counter near the sink and placed the dye next to them. Thomas also grabbed a clean washcloth that was off to the side, bringing it closer to him.
“Alright Roman, you ready?” Thomas asked, just to make sure though he wasn’t surprised when Roman nodded wildly.
“Okay, I’m gonna have you sit down right here.” He tapped a place on the counter and Roman moved to that spot, doing as told and sitting down.
“You do know what your doing, right?” Virgil asked suddenly, eyeing Thomas and the dye. Thomas laughed a bit sheepishly.
“It...shouldn’t be too hard. Besides the back of the bottle has instructions.” He confirmed this by actually holding up the bottle for the tinies to see. Roman waved Virgil’s concerns away.
“I’m sure it’ll all be fine. Now let’s get on with dyeing my hair, hello people.” Both Virgil and Logan rolled their eyes at Roman’s impatience. Patton and Thomas simply chuckled.
“Okay…” Thomas muttered to himself as he opened up the dye bottle. He was a bit nervous about doing this, knowing he would have to be extra careful. He put a small dollop on top of Roman’s head and the tiny shivered.
“You okay?” Roman started to nod before remembering the dye on top of his head.
“Yes, it’s just cold.” Thomas hummed in understanding. He had just gotten his hair dyed after all. He reached out a hand and with gentle fingers, started rubbing the dye into Roman’s hair. He made sure to pay attention, in case he was causing Roman any pain, but thankfully that didn’t seem to be the case. Once he rubbed it in good, he lifted the washcloth to gently wipe away some of the excess dye.
“Alright, now we just have to let that set for a few minutes and rinse it off.” Roman grinned and stood. He wanted to wait until his hair was completely done so he forced himself to not look in the mirror yet. Thomas turned to the others.
“Alright, who’s next?” Patton was up next, of course, and then Logan after him. Thomas did the same thing he did with Roman, making sure he was gentle. By the time he was done with Logan’s hair, he helped Roman wash his. By turning on the sink to a slight trickle and letting him go under it himself.
Thomas handed him the washcloth to dry himself off and when he revealed his hair the others gasped.
“What?” Roman asked, not being able to tell if it was a good or bad gasp. He climbed out of the sink (with some help from Thomas) and looked in the mirror. He grinned.
“I look fabulous!” Thomas chuckled before going to help Patton and Logan do the same. Soon the three were staring at their reflections, running a hand through their hair. Virgil was off to the side, eyes a little wider than normal as he took in their changed appearances.
“Ah! I love it kiddo! You did such a good job!” Patton bounced excitedly, not getting enough of his new purple hair. Logan bit his lip.
“Honestly, it isn’t my favorite. But...I do enjoy the fact that we match, I suppose.” Logan admitted, albeit a little hesitant. Patton squealed and gave him a giant hug. Logan squirmed a little, but returned it. No one could deny Patton’s hugs. Roman walked over to Virgil, slinging an arm around his shoulder.
“So...what do you think? You gonna do it with us?” Roman paused, a small look of panic crossing his features. “Of course you do not have to!” Roman said hurriedly. Virgil smirked before taking one last glance at his brothers. The purple did look good on all of them. But, would it look as good on him? He looked up at Thomas, who was giving him an encouraging smile. Virgil, after a few moments, smiled back.
“Yeah, why not.” Patton cheered and Roman slapped him on the back, almost pushing him off balance. Roman apologized and Virgil caught Logan sending him a nod. One he couldn’t help but think meant thank you for doing this too. Virgil rolled his eyes a little at that, but he did understand.
“Ready?” Thomas asked, tapping the spot.
“As I’ll ever be.” Virgil answered, going to sit down where the others did before him. He closed his eyes as he felt the dye land on top of his head. He flinched a little at the initial contact, but soon relaxed as the rubbing motion became soothing. Virgil couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face. It felt really nice, in all honesty.
He was helped into the sink when it was time for him to rinse and given the washcloth just like everyone else. He hesitated in taking the towel off, but did. Revealing his newly covered hair. Patton was squealing with joy, talking about how cute he looked. Roman was grinning wide, telling him it suited him well, even Logan agreed to that.
Still, even with all of their compliments, it was hard for him to look in the mirror.
“Hey Virge?” Virgil snapped his eyes up to Thomas.
“I am really digging the purple for you.” Virgil blinked and blushed a little and before he realized what was happening, his brothers were by his side, Patton twisting him around so they all faced the mirror. Virgil got a good long look at himself, standing next to his brothers and their human, all with the same bright purple hair. Patton had been right, it really did make them look more like a family. Like they really truly belonged together. Virgil smiled.
Okay first G/t fic ever written in full. There will be a part two. Thank you to @arc852 for allowing me to tag them. Hope yall’ enjoy.
You figured this would be either the stupidest, or last thing you would ever do. You take another look down the drain, not that you could see a whole lot. You glanced around, though you doubted either of the giants would be up this late. The giants who owned the house had gone to sleep hours ago, but not before one of them accidentally knocked their bracelet into the drain while doing the dishes.
She’d been pretty distraught about it, she’d immediately called for her boyfriend. Sean, you think his name was, to come and see if he could do anything to get it out. You didn’t hear the entire conversation, something about needing a plumber and how they'd get it out in the morning. He promised they would get it out, and they went to bed after watching a movie or two.
That had been about 6 hours ago, you’d heard the entire conversation from inside one of the drawers, where you’d been scavenging for something to patch the hole in your shoe. Now you were standing with your climbing rope and and hook, gaping down at the black abyss in front of you, lit only by the full moon that shone through the window.
You weren't really sure what had compelled you to do this. What was it to you that the giant had lost her bracelet? She was gonna get it back once she'd called her plumber. If anything, you were risking a decent place to live if you did this. You were risking a lot actually. There was a million things that could go wrong. The rope could snap, the giants could come downstairs for a midnight snack, you may not even be able to find the bracelet and be stuck on a pointless exhibition. Still, she'd sounded so upset about it... Why you cared so much you didn't know. You weren't even that fond of humans. The whole world seemed small to them and they took advantage of it. 'Specially where borrowers, or 'tinies' were concerned.
You knew the history all too well, giants discovered borrowers at some point, and gave them the name tinies, since they were pretty much tiny humans. In his image and all that. Anyway, giants treated tinies one of three ways, pets, pests, or tests. There was no in between. Wild tiny population was drawing near extinction as they were caught and sold like objects. Homes destroyed and families ripped apart without any consideration from the bigger counterparts. You hated it.
So why were you doing this? Maybe you're sentiments got the better of you, or you just didn't like the idea of a giant poking around in the walls where you'd made your home for the past two weeks, or maybe you knew deep down not all giants were the same. Still, you felt this was a stupid idea.
But you were still gonna do it.
You carefully loop one end of the rope around the faucet, then tie a slip knot around the other bit of rope. That way if you accidentally lost your grip, you wouldn't be trapped.
Unless the string breaks. You thought to yourself.
Shut up. You told yourself.
Or you drown. The logical side of you thinks again.
Be quiet.
You take one last look at the door, double check the rope, and slide down it. The walls are slick with water and you grimace at the thought of what may have been washed down this drain at some point. The wind rushes through your clothes and chills you slightly, you keep going down, down, down, until your feet hit the water and splash you.
"Ick!" You cringe as the grimey water enters your worn shoes and soaked you up to your knees. The water is freezing and you shiver in its cold. You grimace at the squishy feeling of your cloth socks squishing in your shoes. Looking upwards, the entrance to the drain a far off light, barely illuminating the murky water. You'd be looking for the bracelet in near darkness. You take a deep breath to brace yourself, then lean down to feel through the water for the bracelet, meeting the feeling of soggy food, hair and who knows what else at the bottom of this drain. As a borrower, you’d seen and accidentally touched some disgusting things, but this took the cake crumb by far. Your hand feels across something hard and you tug it to the surface. You open your eyes, unable to wipe the grime from your face, and hold it to the light. It was definitely the bracelet, you throw the band over your shoulder. You reach around for your rope. Your wrist hit it and you sighed in relief. You quickly climb out, not wanting to be in that drain any longer than you had to.
You all but throw the bracelet onto the counter, climbing out and collapsing next to it with heavy breaths. Wiping your face, you stare at the ceiling while waiting for your breath to return to normal. You shiver as the cool air hits your soggy clothes, you were gonna need like, 6 baths. You look over at the bracelet and give a small smile. Mission accomplished, you think proudly. Still a stupid idea, but mission accomplished.
You grab the bracelet and climb out of the sink. The bracelet still had a bit of hair stuck to it, but nothing you could do about that. Turning on the tap was too risky and too difficult. Shaking your head like a dog after a swim, you try to get the water out of it. You just have time to contemplate trying to steal an early breakfast when the light to the kitchen comes on.
So... I wrote a thing for the contest @arc852 is running... Hope you like it!
Mark and Jack were having a fight. Later, neither of them would even remember what had started the disagreement, but both could recall the heated tension between the two friends.
'Look, I understand if-'
'No!' Jack yelled, 'No, you don't. You'll never understand what it's like to live in a world that's too big for you!'
Mark groaned, rubbing at his face in exasperation. They had been yelling at each other for half an hour, and nothing seemed to be getting better. He turned away and strolled towards the front door.
'Where the fook are you going?!' Jack demanded, jogging across the counter to keep the human in his sights.
'Out!' Mark briskly replied, snatching his jacket as he stepped out of the house. He had to get away before he did something he'd regret.
So, he casually walked down the dark street, venting quietly. He'd been out for about an hour, despite the biting cold. He sighed, staring up at the stars above. The street was deserted of life, and it gave him time to think. Jack's words had stung. He knew that, as a human, he'd never truly understand what it was like for his small friend. And he wished he could relate.
Sometimes he wondered just what Jack saw when he looked at him. They were best friends, and they trusted each other. But Jack wasn't as good at hiding his emotions as he thought he was. Mark had noticed how Jack would flinch or freeze when the human moved too quickly, or spoke too loudly. Despite their friendship, Jack still feared him. And Mark just couldn't understand that. The entire time they'd been roommates, he'd never hurt his little friend. He'd been so careful. Had he still not earned any trust? Had he not proven himself trustworthy?
He sighed, kicking a stone into the darkness. Guess I'll never know, he thought. Maybe it was just a Tiny thing; they were skittish by nature, after all.
SNAP!
Mark froze, whipping around towards the noise. There was no one in sight. He suddenly felt exposed under the streetlight, unable to see far into the darkness. He shivered as he began imagining what could be lurking in the darkness. Then the lights began to flicker. The whole scene was reminiscent of a horror movie scene. The lights then switched off completely, leaving the entire world in darkness. Maybe there's just a power malfunction, he reasoned with himself, but it did nothing to ease his beating heart.
Mark whimpered, blinking rapidly to try and adjust to the sudden lack of light. And he could hear a noise in the dark, one he couldn't quite place.
Thoom! Thoom!
What the fuck wazzat?
He didn't get a chance to ponder over the rhythmic sound, as suddenly a sack was thrown over him. He cried out, thrashing about to hit his attacker. But something nudged his legs and he toppled over, laying in the bottom of the rough bag. I'm being kidnapped! He went to struggle, but then the bag was rising. He froze, feeling nauseous at the fast movements.
'L-let me out!' He yelled, squirming in discomfort.
Then something surrounded him, squeezing him. Mark gasped in pain, bones creaking at the strong pressure across his whole body.
'I'd suggest you shut up, human,' A voice boomed threateningly, 'I'd rather not cause damage trying to keep you quiet.'
What is going on? Mark wondered, still squirming some. His captor didn't like that though, and the pressure increased. Mark's vision swam and his chest hurt, then he lost all senses as he passed out.
~
Mark slowly became aware of a pounding rumble echoing in his head. He groaned, his whole body aching, and the hard, cold surface he was laying on did nothing to help. He blinked a few times, trying to make sense of this strange place he found himself in. He tried to sit up, but his arms wobbled uncertainly.
'Hey, he's waking up!' A woman's voice said. A gentle hand took his own, easing him into a more comfortable sitting position.
'Ugh... where am I?' He asked, rubbing at his caked closed eyes.
'I'd like to know myself!'
Mark blinked, looking up at the voice. There were five other people with him, two of them being girls. He blinked in shock when he recognised the grumpy sounding man who'd spoken. For a moment he couldn't believe it, but he was in the same room as the new President, Marshal Creek. He was an effective man of office, and was well liked by the population, but he was also known for his particularly low opinion of Tiny's. Mark didn't like him as a result.
Ignoring the man, he looked around the room. He blinked confusedly. Four metal bars rose up above their heads, with thinner rods between them. They were in a cage. The bars were too close together to squeeze through, but one of the younger boys was making a valiant effort to do so.
'H-how did we get here?' Mark asked, trying to sit up and look out though the bars. His grimaced, placing his hand over his aching ribs. The entire room was dark, though he could faintly see the outline of large boxes in the distance.
'We don't know,' Said the girl who'd helped him up, 'We just woke up here after getting attacked.'
Right, an attack, Mark thought, rubbing at his pounding head. But there was something strange about that scenario. He just couldn't figure out what.
'Did... did anyone actually see their attacker?' Mark finally asked. The others were quiet, trying to think back to it, but they couldn't recall.
Thoom! Thoom! Thoom!
Mark froze, glancing around at the echoing sound. The others had tensed as well, some of them drawing closer to the others for security.
'What is that?' Marshal demanded. But no one had an answer.
Ffwoosh!
Light erupted, causing the captives to temporarily go blind. They groaned, rubbing at their eyes to banish the bright spots that clouded their vision.
'Are the products in good condition?' A voice rumbled loudly.
'The products were uncooperative at first, but they didn't fight too much,' A second voice answered, sounding quite pleased, 'They will break quickly enough, captain.'
Mark was able to blink away the spots and froze at what he saw. Two beings stood before the cage, looking unmoved by their obvious cowering. The shorter one was a man in casual clothing, holding a pad that he occasionally wrote on. The second man wore a dark suit, skin as cold as the marble it imitated. Dark hair and eyes, he may have been attractive had it not been for the malicious gleam and hard stare he gave off.
Oh, and they both stood over a hundred feet tall!
The darker man leaned forward, glancing at each captive in turn. Those intense dark eyes grew closer and in sharper focus. The girls flinched away at the hard stare, and Mark barely repressed a shiver. The giant man gave a displeased hum.
'This is all you got?' He asked, turning to glance at the shorter giant, 'Our contractors won't be pleased with this.'
'This is merely a sample for the clients, captain,' The man said quickly, 'Once they have instigated a contract, we can begin collecting on a much broader scale.'
'What are you talking about?' Marshal demanded, bashing a fist against a bar to get their attention, 'What do you want with us?'
The two giants regarded him for a moment, then chuckled darkly.
'What else does a bigger, more advanced species do to another that's so small and easy to conquer?'
The others stared at him in confusion, uncomprehending. Then it clicked in Mark's mind.
'Your taking us as pets.' He breathed disbelievingly. The giant raised an eyebrow, cocking his head almost considerately. Almost like he was surprised he had enough sense to deduce the answer himself.
'Precisely.' He said, ignoring the indignant protests from the other humans.
'You can't do that!' Marshal was saying, standing up to glare at the giant, 'That is cruel and inhuman!' The giant's eyes flashed red, and he grinned deviously.
'It's a good thing we're not human then, isn't it, shrimp?' He said darkly.
To prove his point, his hand reached out to open the small door in the cage. The other humans began panicking, trying to get away from the approaching hand. But it wasn't after them. It was instead heading towards Marshal, who was scrambling back to avoid the hand. But he was cornered against the bars, and there was nowhere for him to go.
Then Mark stepped in front of the hand, holding his arms out as a barricade. He didn't really like the guy, but he couldn't stand back and watch him get grabbed like that. Who knew what the somewhat irritated giant would do to him? The hand paused, and the giant cocked his head again.
'Oh? Do we have a hero here?' He purred, an eyebrow raised in interest. Mark gulped, feeling sweat trickle down his neck. But he didn't falter in his stance.
'Don't touch him,' He said, trying to sound calm and confident, 'He hasn't done anything to need to be punished. Just leave him alone... Please.'
The giant looked him over, then the hand shot out. Mark yelped as fingers wrapped around him, dragging him out of the cage. His stomach did flips at the rapid pace, and the tight grip made it hard to breath. Or maybe it was because of his fast breathing. Probably both, really. He gasped, keeping his eyes shut as he was lifted up to the giant's face. He timidly looked up when the movement stopped, meeting those dark eyes. The giant was looking him over almost appraisingly. His other hand came up and traced along Mark's head, down his shoulder, and repeated. Mark shivered at the strange act. The giant tilted his head to the side, and he grinned.
'Raerk,' He cooed, and the other giant straightened, 'The others can go to the clients. But this one is mine... understood?'
Mark was unceremoniously dumped back into the cage, and the giant slammed the door shut behind him before strolling out of the room. The other giant quickly noted the command down as he followed his superior. They didn't bother turning off the lights as they left.
Mark lay sprawled on the ground for a few long moments, trying to re-grasp his bearings. What...? It took a moment for Mark to realise what had actualy happened. He'd been claimed. Like a common animal.
Or, like a Tiny, he thought suddenly.
'T-they can't do this!' One of the girls was sobbing, shaking her head as if she could banish away their predicament.
'We need to find a way out of here!' Marshal was saying, still looking quite pale from almost getting grabbed.
Mark just sat where he was dumped, staring off at nothing as the others began hacking and kicking at the bars to no avail. He felt a thick rush of dread sweep over him, lined with a hint of hopelessness and insignificance he hadn't ever experienced before. Was this how Jack felt when he was at the store, he found himself wondering. He shivered, drawing his legs in close. Oh god... no wonder Jack was so weary around him. That thing had been so large, and so quick. And the mere presence of it was enough to make him feel small and helpless. Vulnerable.
Hey! So for @arc852‘s contest, I was struck with this idea to do a different type of story last minute. It’s just got a lil’ bit to it right now (Because i only thought of it today), but I might add to it later.
A lone human walking home from work late at night gets tailed by a ginger kitten. Unfortunately for him, he doesn’t notice the tiny creature come up right to his ankles, allowing for an unseen terror to latch onto him. The human doesn’t notice anything amiss right off the bat but feels his right ankle starting to itch like crazy. By the time he’s had enough and throw his bag down to scratch at the offending spot, the cause of the rash had already leaped off.
Together the kitten and the tiny vampire watched as the human grumbled about his body acting up; eventually picking up his bag and stalking off.
“Hehe! Score! Buen trabajo, Coco! Now let’s go get you something to eat.” Mía grinned as she climbed onto the kitten’s back, fully sated for the first time in days.
Tag List: @hanramz-the-fander @michealawithana @justanotherpurplebutterfly @fsm-c-sher @emo-sanders-sides-loving-unicorn @fandomsofrandom @anerdwhowrites
Part 1
This is so late, but I hope you all enjoy!
Thomas was at home, asleep, when Joan called. Bleary eyed, Thomas groaned as he reached over and grabbed his phone off its place on the nightstand. He answered it with a mumbled hello.
“Thomas! It came back and you were approved!” They practically yelled through the phone. Thomas blinked, mind still not fully caught up with him.
“Approved?” Thomas repeated, confused. He could just see Joan rolling their eyes.
“The tinies? You can take them home today.” That finally kick-started Thomas’ mind and he sprang up in bed with a wide grin.
“Wait, seriously!?” Thomas asked, excitement showing through his voice.
“Yep, as soon as you get down here they’re all yours.” Wide awake and giddy, Thomas jumped out of bed and started pulling out clothes to wear for the day.
“I’ll be there in ten minutes!” He hung up the phone and got ready in record time. He was in the car and at the shelter in under ten minutes (he may have exceeded the speed limit a tiny bit, but no one needed to know that). He ran to the front desk and to Joan, who had been waiting for him. Joan held up a hand, keys clanging against each other.
“You wanna go get them?” Thomas grinned, thanked his friend, and grabbed the keys before running to the back. He made it to the door but stopped short of opening it. He glanced through the window, towards the container holding the tinies. From where he was he could see that the four were already up and awake. Thomas smiled softly as he watched them for a few minutes. They seemed to be talking quietly among themselves.
Thomas took a deep breath, calming his nerves before pushing open the door gently. It was still early morning, so some tinies were still asleep. The ones that were awake however, he could feel their gazes on him. He was fairly used to that though and ignored it as he came upon the case holding the four tinies. His tinies.
He leaned down and gave them all a big smile. But it faltered slightly when he saw them back away, fear clear in all their eyes even if three fourths of them were trying to hide it. Thomas regained his composure and sent them a more gentle smile.
“Hey guys.” Thomas spoke, waving a little. He saw Virgil curl into himself more at his voice and he felt a pang of sadness shoot through his heart. His eyes went to Roman, who was standing tall, chest puffed out. He seemed to be in a protective stance, which was made more clear seeing how he was standing in front of Virgil a little to the right. Logan was glancing at him from the side, arms crossed and standing close on the left of where Virgil sat. And Patton?
Patton was right up front and center. He didn’t speak, but he did give a small wave back to him. His body shook though, only enough to pass off as being cold, but Thomas knew differently. He knew they were all scared. He hoped he could change that, show them they didn’t have to fear him. And he was gonna start by keeping them together and giving them a nice home.
“I’ve got some great news. You’ve been adopted!” Thomas staged yelled, still aware of the tinies trying to sleep. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but Virgil’s voice speaking out was not one of them.
“Which one?” Virgil spoke, loud and clear, surprising Thomas with the hint of bitterness he detected in his voice. The tiny was still looking down, gripping the sleeves of his worn out black hoodie tight. Thomas furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
“What do you mean?” Thomas asked softly, subconsciously tilting his head a bit. Virgil took a deep breath before looking up at him with hard, yet tear-filled eyes.
“Which one of us are you taking away first? Which one of us is the first to be pulled away from his family, huh?!” Thomas stared at Virgil, wide-eyed and in shock as the others turned to look at him in horror and concern.
“Virgil!” Patton yelled and moved to sit next to him, putting his arms around the younger tiny. Patton was muttering to Virgil as he shook, most likely telling him that things would be okay, though Thomas couldn’t hear exactly. The human decided to put an end to this panic right away.
“No! No, none of you will be separated. You’re being adopted together.” Thomas told them, still being gentle but now also sounding excited. The tinies froze and looked at him in shock. But Virgil’s shock soon turned into disbelief.
“You’re lying, who would want to take care of four tinies?” Virgil spoke bitterly while Patton continued to rub his arm in a soothing fashion. Both Logan and Roman glanced from Virgil to Thomas, probably wondering the same thing. Thomas didn’t let the bitterness get to him and so continued to smile as he answered.
“I do.” He said simply. Virgil’s mouth fell open in shock, finally at a loss of words. They all were it seemed as they continued to stare up at him. Thomas waited a few moments to see if anyone would say anything, but when no one did he continued.
“I hated the thought of the four of you being separated. No one should be separated from the ones they love. And well…” Thomas paused as he rubbed the back of his neck, giving them a sheepish smile. “I didn’t care much for the thought of any of you leaving me either.” It had only been a few days, but Thomas had already decided he couldn’t go back to life without them. As cheesy and nonsensical as that may be.
He watched as the four of them took in what he said before Patton bolted up, taking a surprised Virgil with him and causing him to stumble. He would have fallen if Patton had not still been holding him. Thomas could still see the fear in Patton’s eyes, but those same eyes also held happiness and love as they locked onto each of his brothers.
“I told you everything would work out!” Patton exclaimed, bouncing up and down in excitement. The others gave each other mock exasperated looks, but it didn’t do much to mask the happiness they also felt at the thought that they would be able to stay together. Patton finally let go of Virgil, who placed his hands in his hoodie pockets as soon as he was free, and ran to the front of the glass container to stare up at Thomas.
“Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to us!” Patton said and Thomas gave him a soft smile. It seemed Patton was already starting to trust him with this action alone. The others, though happy, were still looking at him with mixtures of fear and apprehension. Thomas hoped he could change that.
“Of course. Now it’s about time we went home, don’t you say?” Without waiting for an answer, Thomas reached around and gripped the sides of the container, lifting it off the shelf and started walking towards the door. He heard some soft ‘whoa’s’ as he did so and looked down to see all four of them trying to keep their balance. Thomas did his best to keep it even.
“Sorry about that.” He apologized and went through the door and up front to where Joan was. They looked up at him as he entered and smiled when they saw the four tinies. Thomas placed the container on the desk and handed the keys back to them.
“Just need you to do one more thing and you’re all set.” Joan said and handed Thomas a piece of paper. Thomas knew what to do, didn’t even bother reading it since he already knew it by heart and went ahead and signed the bottom of the page. Joan rolled their eyes at Thomas’ quickness, but had a smile on their face regardless.
“Did you want to keep the container?” Joan asked and Thomas looked down at it for a moment.
“Probably a good idea, I’ll likely return it later on though.” Joan nodded and filed the paper away before turning back to Thomas with a smile.
“That’s it man, they’re yours.” Thomas grinned and thanked his friend with a promise of seeing them later before picking the container back up and heading out of the shelter and to his car. He placed the container and the four tinies in the passenger seat and started the car. He paused, took a deep breath, and glanced at the tinies as he pulled out of the parking lot.
“Don’t worry guys. I’m gonna take good care of you.” And with that, they were on their way home.
