Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Spears of sunlight stream through the windows of the seemingly barren village. Vines crawled up the seams of the buildings, leaves flaring out in every way. From an outsider's perspective, one would think the town was now long forgotten and abandoned, a victim of the tricks of time.

However, there was one building that shone with a certain gleam, untouched by dirt or pests. The building stood out like a sore thumb compared to the neighboring houses. It was a lofty building, a manor, and had a lush back garden accompanied by a small group of cattle and chickens. Inhabiting the towering home was a boy, nearly 18, with golden blonde hair so bright that it could compete with the sun itself. He sat in a tall tree, watching the cattle graze on the flourishing green grass. He and Sam had finished their morning chores early, resting in one of his favorite oaks before moving on with the rest of his day. He wiped a small bead of sweat from his temple as he laid his head against the harsh bark. Spring was soon coming to an end, thus, the time to harvest the garden's summer bounty grew ever closer. The seasonal picking of sweet gooseberries, zucchini and their wide variety of tomatoes was one of the many joys of the gracious summer, besides the everlasting sun. Tommy was one who typically ran cold, he always appreciated how the warm weather kindly restored his void of heat.

Lounged on a sturdy branch, a garden spider crawled across the wood next to him. He picked the spider up gently, cooing. The boy always had a soft spot for bugs. He always used a gentler tone with them, compared with how he would speak with anyone else (Which would be Sam).

"Buddy! What is a little guy much like yourself doing all the way up here ?"

Tommy gently picked the arachnid up, inspecting it under the light of noon. Its bulbous torso and spindly legs curiously crawled closer, red eyes ever so piercing. Upon closer inspection, Tommy noticed bright red markings on its body.

"What a cool little guy you are, my friend! I shall grace you with a name! Lets see, uh…."

Now put on the spot, he quickly tried to think of what to call his spindly friend. He thought to name him after himself, but quickly dismissed it, afraid of mixing the two of them up. He then thought to name him after that one spider from that one book with the pig, but told himself that it was a bit too on the nose. Besides, this spider needs a name fit for someone as cool as him. He then recalled one of the old history books he was forced to read in the library, it was about a fearless general, and it was one of the only history books he could bear to read.

"I know! I'll name you General Shroud! A cool name for a cool spider!"

The blonde then looked around, searching for his other friend, to introduce his new one, of course. Sam Nook was near the garden beds, weeding away at the infesting plants. With Shroud carefully cupped in hand, he dropped, other arm left hanging on the branch. He let go and nimbly landed on the ground, making his way over to his robotic friend.

"Big S! Look at this spider I found! Is he not the coolest ever?"

Sam Nook, turned his head, illuminating eyes now focusing on the creature.

"How nice Tommy Innit," The android began to say until his retinas and database fully processed the species in the teen's hand. His pupils then dilated, shooting up from his crouch on the ground.

"Tommy Innit! I do not want to alarm you, but you are currently holding a Latrodectus MacManus, also known as the Black Widow, a venomous spider! I suggest you put the arachnid down as quickly and calmly as possible."

The boy then looked down at the small spider in his hand, blinking slowly.

"Well he hasn't bitten me yet has he?"

"No, however, that does not mean-"

"If anything that just makes him COOLER! How does it feel to be the most badass spider ever!? We are going to be best friends, Shroud. " He beamed at the arachnid below, ignoring the warnings of the robot.

"Tommy Innit, please put the Black Widow down! It could bite you at any moment!." Despite the artificial voice box, the exasperation was clear in his tone."

"Even if he did bite me, which he won't, it's not like it'll kill me."

"Still," He argued, "It makes no logical sense to take a risk one could easily avoid altogether. It is best to let the spider go back to its natural habitat."

"Fine! Fine! Okay! I'll put him down!"

"Thank you.

"Just know that you'll be forcing me to part with my best friend ever!"

"It seems that any living creature that gives you attention becomes your 'best friend'. Was there a falling out between you and Henry?." Sams eyes narrowed, amusement in the corners of his artificial voice.

With the mention of his cow friend, who just so happened to have been ignoring him the past few days, he turned away, huffing, "Whatever, you're no fun." He scoffed.

"I am serious Tommy, do not keep that spider!"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, go back to weeding Nook!"

Tommy walked away, turning back to make sure his robotic companion was not looking. When he was sure he wasn't, he swiped an empty canning jar from the porch and plopped the spider inside, smirking.

"Sam's gonna have to try harder to get rid of someone as cool as you, Shroud." Though he was nearly an adult, Tommy never seemed to have gotten rid of his mischievous streak, a part of his childhood that would always remain.

The spider blinked at him, almost like it expected something.

Tommy responded with a thoughtful look, "You're right, you need some decoration in there."

He took him out and started searching together. They gathered leaves, small twigs, dirt, and moss. Tommy placed his findings inside the jar, followed by Shroud.

"There you go buddy! Like your new home?"

The spider merely blinks.

"Perfect! Now, let me hide you so Sam doesn't find out, it's almost time for us to go for today."

He kicked his shoes off and ran to his room placing, his new friend under his bed.

"This should be a good place for you, spiders are nocturnal, right? Maybe I should've listened to Sam's rants about biology a little more. Anyway, I should get packed, I have to go see that thing again." He said that last part with a sigh.

Red eyes fluttered.

"It's a lot to explain, I barely understand it myself, but we're basically gonna go to see-"

"TOMMY INNIT! IT IS NEARLY TWO PM! WE NEED TO DEPART SOON!" Sam Nook yelled from the door.

"Guess I need to go, I'll tell you about it later Shroud, bye!"

He pulled out from under the bed and stood. Grabbing his rucksack, he swung it across his shoulders. Tommy slipped on his trainers and looked behind him, double-checking for any forgotten items before shutting the door. Quite begrudgingly, he walked to the back door where Sam Nook was patiently waiting for him. This was his least favorite part of the day. Actually, fuck that, he hated this. Everything about this. As much as he loves summer, even the Sun Gods couldn't take this part of his day away. No, this part of his routine would always stay constant.

Like he's said many times before, he was going to hate this.

—

The walk was mostly filled with the sounds of their steps and the frequent birdcall. However, as they continued on the path, the calls became less and less so. They have been on this trail more times than he could count. Since he was able to walk, the memory of the daily trek was engraved in his mind. Yes, Tommy knew the path very, very well. So much so that he could walk it fully and perfectly with his eyes closed. Despite this, his eyes remained trained on the winding trail, mind growing more and more wary.

"Sam, how much longer?" He ducked under a hanging branch.

"I am sure that you do not need me to tell you that, Tommy." Tommy looked up towards the sky. When he was younger, he used to imagine animals and shapes out of bright, swirling clouds to pass the time. They aren't as pretty nowadays, now enveloping the sky in a murky off-white. The sun was now nowhere to be seen.

"I know, but I need something to think about." He stepped over a large protruding root, eyes still to the clouds, frowning.

"Tommy Innit, I am sensing that you are growing more and more distressed, would you like some water?"

"When aren't I Sam!? This place sucks, always! Everything good about the world outside the forest is nowhere to be seen here! No sun, barely any birds! I hate it here!" He exclaimed, burying his face in his hands.

"I understand your anxiety about the specimen, Tommy Innit, but you know why we have to do this."

"I know, I know! But why us? Why does a random dude with some robot have to deal with the burden of this shit!"

"Well, if we didn't do it, Tommy, who would?" The android questioned.

Who would do it? Tommy knew he had a very unique skillset, and betted that it was one very few had. Tommy also knew they were alone in this village. It's not like there was anyone else that could do this if they wanted a vacation. The nearest town was nearly a fortnight's trip away. A trip that Sam only took when in a serious supply shortage. Those trips left Tommy even more alone. Alone to make these damn hikes. Being near that thing with Sam was bad. Being alone, well, let's just say that he was very glad Sam rarely made those trips. There was a reason why the two became adamant on making their property self sufficient.

Tommy drew in breath, and let it out. As he grew older, he grew more agitated around this particular part of their routine. It soured his happiest days and made his mood irreparable on his worst. Though, it gave him no excuse to lash out at Sam, even despite his cheery and too helpful attitude.

He looked at his silent companion with a little guilt, "Okay Sam, I'll have some water."

Sam smiled and pulled out a very very large flask from his satchel. It was nearly the length of Tommy's shoulders. The sheer size of it made him mad.

"Sam, I told you to stop bringing that fucking thing! It takes up too much room!"

"Hydration is very important, Tommy Innit, I cannot have you fainting from dehydration."

"It's a 45-minute hike! We don't have to bring a whole damn river with us, I'll survive!"

"You can never be too careful, Tommy, always be prepared." Sam continued to hold out the flask as they walked.

Tommy sighed, he knew he was never going to convince Sam otherwise, "Fine, just give me the damn flask".

—

A healthy chug of water and another 15 minutes of walking later, the pair finally reached their destination. For better or for worse, in Tommy's opinion.

Much unlike the ends of other typical forest trails, the end of this one was neither a glorious lake, cliff view, or any other natural wonder one may find. While the specimen was definitely a wonder, it was definitely not a sight for sore eyes. As the pair drew closer, Tommy brought out his modified respirator mask and placed it around his face. Quite begrudgingly, he also put on his goggles. They weren't of the best quality. They gave him a faint, cloudy, translucent glaze over his field of view. And frankly, they looked bloody ridiculous. He'd told Sam to get better ones, but merchants, much less merchants who'd sell goggles, were far and few between.

Red, squirming tendrils wrapped around the unlucky neighboring trees and bushes. Some had ripped plants from their roots, but to Tommy, it looked like the captive shrubs were trying to escape. He shuddered. Has he mentioned that he hates this place?

Walking closer and closer to the dreaded thing, the air around him had a sort of yellow tinge to it, much like that of mucus or jaundice. Tiny orange specks of spores filled the air, and he was reminded how lucky he was to have that mask. Sam didn't wear a mask, as he had no lungs to infect, however, it was clear they'd both need to thoroughly rinse after.

In the middle of all of this, sat a bulging, bulbous entity, crimson red like the blood of a fresh wound. Or the unforgiving flames of a raging fire. Even though Tommy favored the color red, the crimson was overbearing, threatening, even. The form sat tall, and though it didn't have any eyes, Tommy could feel its gaze loom over him, inspecting him, seeing through him.

There were no birds here. No animal in sight. All that were here had left, and Tommy doesn't like to think about what happened to the stubborn animals that didn't leave.

Even through the cloudiness of his cheap goggles, he could see how the creature pulsed and squirmed. It's vine-like tentacles writhed like struggling worms, wrapping around the prey plants like a python captures a rat. It's smaller tendrils that sprouted near the base of the egg sporatically sputtered, like a dying animal spasming before it's last breath. Though he often complains about the cheapness of the goggles, he internally thanked that he didn’t have to see the full sight.

They— meaning Tommy— called it the egg, much to Nook's chagrin. Sam argued it was too informal, and simply called it the Crimson. Tommy called it the egg anyway, the oval shape making it look like what the chickens spew out everyday.

The egg has been here since he was old enough to remember. Though, its existence probably spans way before that, Tommy thinks.

"Go do your thing man, quickly so we can leave".

The android walked forward, eyes emitting thin rays of light that spanned the area. When he was done, he stood still calculating his new data.

"It appears…" Nook started, but teetered off as if he was in some form of shock.

"Yeah?"

"Apologies, but it appears that the specimen's circumference has grown a total of 10.3 feet since yesterday".

"What?"

"I said that it appears-"

"Not that! I know what you said, but are you're bluffing, surely. 10 feet? That's like 3 meters! Almost doubled from yesterday! That can't be true, scan again." Tommy pleaded, almost angry.

"The data does not lie, Tommy Innit, that is the exact amount of growth. It appears specimen has been growing at an exponential rate."

"How is it growing this fast? It's never grown like this before!" Tommy stared at the egg. It stared back.

"Based on past observations, the specimen consumes surrounding matter, increasing its size which allows it to consume more and more. It will continue to grow at the same rate, if not greater," He trailed off.

Silence fell between them, leaving the writhing and squishing of the vines to fill the void of it. The teen looked away from the egg, instead directing his focus to his worn boots. His brows furrowed and held a blank stare.

Sam Nook patted his ward's head, "It would grow larger, If it was not for you, Tommy Innit".

Tommy looked at his companion, his friend, his guardian, and smiled faintly, he knew what he had to do, "Should I do it now, then?"

"Whenever you are ready, Tommy".

The boy breathed in deeply and let it out as he turned his gaze to the egg. He walked closer and closer, dodging stray tendrils on the way, until he finally planted his gloved hands on the creature.

He closed his eyes, blocking out all other sounds or thoughts from his mind. And focused. He shut out and ignored the tiny voices in his mind asking to be saved from the crimson. He shut out all the different strings of life that beckoned his call. Until he focused on one single string. And pulled it.

Soon, the egg's wretched vines unraveled from the trees, slowly retracting. The egg itself, then, ever so slightly started nudging away. It crowed in pain, its life force getting shrunken as the seconds flew by. The small vines began feistily thwacking on the ground, similar to that of a child's tantrum. It began thumping rapidly, like a heart trying to beat out of a chest.

This has been his life since he could walk: to push this crimson away from the village until they find a way to stop it. However, it's hard to do so when the egg is pushing back on your powers with the same fervor. It was inefficient, and hardly stopped the egg from growing nowadays.

Tommy was starting to feel a bit tired from the sudden exertion of his powers until a familiar, cold hand was planted on his shoulders. A sudden rush of energy flowed through him and continued to will the egg away. Though, even with the extra energy, the egg had barely moved half a meter. He furrowed his eyebrows and had an idea. With his slight exertion, it was a stupid one, but better than this.

Focusing harder on the egg, he grabbed a hold of the outer layer of the egg's "skin". It was almost mossy and pliable. Instead of pushing it away, he willed it into decay, allowing his body to absorb the extracted energy. The outer layer, along with nearby vines started to darken and turn black, finally turning to an ash-like substance.

The egg did not like that.

A screech-like moan ringed out from the egg and vines wriggled and squirmed like a worm under the unforgiving sun.

"Tommy Innit! What are you doing?"

Suddenly, Tommy's head pounded, in a rhythmic pattern. It felt like his skull was cracked open. Like an egg. It became harder and harder to focus, and his body shook with exhaustion.

"Tommy, you have to let go of it! Before it's too late!" Sam Nook stammered. He still held on to the boy, for fear that letting go would only hurt Tommy more.

Tommy fought to stay conscious, wanting to finally kill the damn thing off.

However, the egg was not about to simply let the boy continue his work. The pounding in his head increased tenfold, and could feel a warm trail of blood seeping out of his nose.

Before Tommy could stop himself, he was forcefully pulled away, nearly falling to the ground if it wasn't for two metal arms keeping him upright.

The world was spinning, the pounding preserving after losing the connection. Tommy fell to one knee and struggled to breathe.

"Tommy Innit! Tommy! Stay awake!" He fretted.

"Did-" The teen coughed roughly, "Did I kill some of it?"

"Tommy Innit, you agreed to avoid using that power on the egg!"

Tommy tried to throw out a response, but nothing came out besides coughing and heavy breathing.

"We need to get out of here immediately".

Sam Nook wrapped his arms around the other's shoulders, keeping him upright. Typically, Tommy would also move surrounding vegetation away from the egg, but it was clear it was now out of the question. Slowly, very slowly, they made their way back through the trail, egg abandoned.

When Sam was sure they were a good enough distance away, he pulled off his friend's mask. Tommy took in breath after breath greedily as rubbed his back in comforting circles.

The blood from his nose now trailed down to his chin, dripping small drops onto the ground he was kneeling on. He felt cool metal against his lips and began to drink from the flask Sam held up for him. His breathing, while not perfect, was slowing down to a reasonable pace.

They stayed on the ground for a while. Maybe just a few minutes passed, maybe an hour.

Sam stood them both up, holding most of the other's weight. Tommy was past the point of exhaustion when they started walking and fought the battle of unconsciousness in vain.

—

Tommy slumped against the android, still upright by Sam's arms. His mechanical voice drew out a sigh, picking the teen up under his legs and back and continuing the trail back in silence.

Chapter Text

There were dreary clouds in the air, painting the sky in a dull filter. The weather had been unusually gloomy the past couple of months, with the town's science team chalking it up to late spring storms.

Despite the overcast, the villagers there moved along with their day. Florists continued their arrangements, children continued play-fighting, researchers continued running tests, and a mother continued to put her newborn son down to rest.

However, amid the townspeople, there were a handful of people with a different agenda today. An agenda that's been imminent since last winter.

These people, unlike the rest of the town, were touched with a connivance many months before. A kettle of corruption, continuing to brew until the pressure pops the lid off.

The lid will come off today.

—

A group of cloaked individuals gathered together near their savior. Red eyes met Red as they all looked at the one they worshiped. Behind them, a fellow member wheeled over their key to salvation. Their leader in white turned.

"Have you got it?"

"Of course".

A wheelbarrow was rolled over, covered with plump sacks. The one in white opened a bag and inspected.

"You think this is enough to do it?" One asked.

"Yes. It's been gaining its strength these past months, this will be the perfect catalyst."

Their savior pulsed like a heart attempting to burst out of its ribcage. Vines reached out to them in anticipation.

"My brothers and sisters," The leader started, "grab a bag, it is time to introduce our savior to the rest of the town."

The members did so, grabbing a bag and tossing the contents next to their liberator.

It gladly took their offering, its vines shoveling it into their mass. It grows and grows, and grows- faster than ever before.

A nearby intruder watches and draws near.

They continue to feed, and the egg continues to eat.

"Take our offering and save us and our tow-"

"Bad?"

The hooded group stops and looks over to their intruder.

"Puffy?" The leader in white stammered, but quickly recovers, "Puffy! You're here!"

"Bad, what are you- Ant? Punz? Hannah? What are you guys doing?"

"Puffy!" A woman swathed in roses waves to her, "I'm glad you changed your mind! Come help, it's time our savior reaches its full potential!"

"Guy, I'm…I'm sorry…" Puffy confessed.

"It's okay! The egg is very forgiving, it would be happy to take you back! You can apologize by helping us feed it." Bad handed her a bag.

"No, not that. I'm sorry for this." Puffy looked into their eyes and held her communicator up in the air.

The egg and its worshipers were surrounded on all fronts by the town's enforcers. Two stepped out from the crowd and joined the intruder.

"Step down mate," said a man graced with feathers of charcoal and eyes of winter sky. He lifted his sword of netherite, "and no one has to get hurt."

"I suggest you do the same. You have no idea what you're messing with, Phil." The followers of the crimson raised swords and axes of their own.

"Long live the egg!" Bad roared before launching himself into the battle, lunging into the shadow of a tree. His fellow members followed suit, attacking nearby enforcers with their weapons.

Bad withdrew from the shadow behind his former friend and struck with a sword. She turned, quickly conjuring up a shield to meet the strike. She drew her own sword, swinging it against his in response. They fell into a rhythm of strikes, blocks, and parries, hurt evident on both of their faces. She needed to subdue the corrupted townspeople as fast as possible before their plan could succeed.

"Sam! Stop them from feeding the egg! Phil, call for an evacuation!" She called before dodging a stab.

—

Sam ducked various straw arrows and slashes as he ran toward the egg. Someone was still at the base of the creature, continuing to feed it.

He narrowly dodged another arrow, sweat dripping down his temples. He cursed himself for leaving Nook at home to charge, his help would've been great.

When he finally got to the egg, the person was still feeding the contents of the bag into the egg's mass. The battle circled around him, the other person, and the egg. Sounds of swords clashing and yells were not present in the center. He was in the eye of the hurricane.

He held up his trident to the other's head, "Stop what you're doing and stand."

The cloaked individual stopped emptying their bag, but made no moves to stand. Instead, they simply turned their head and removed their cloak. Pale hair ruffled in the breeze, and red eyes met black ones.

"Or what, you'll kill me?"

Sam lowered his trident slightly.

"Ponk?" He shuddered, "Why are you here? I've been looking for you," He reached out a hand, "Let me get you out of here-"

"No."

"What?"

"I'm not leaving Sam. I'm staying with it. I need to."

"Wha-? is this about your…" His eyes landed where his former companion's left arm had been.

"It said that if I helped, I'd get it back."

"Ponk, I'll say this until the day I die, I'm so sorr-"

"Sam, it's too late."

"This isn't the way! You don't know what the egg is capable of! Please, can't we solve it together?" He pleaded, trident now forgotten on the floor.

He continued, "This thing could kill you! I understand that you're upset-"

Ponk cut him off once again, "Upset? My damn arm got cut off because of you, Sam. I think I'm past the point of just being upset. It's because of your recklessness and lack of care that I lost it in the first place! You can't just apologize my arm back into existence! You want to understand me? Cut off your own damn arm and come back to me!"

Ponk looked back towards the egg.

"Besides the egg… I feel like it cares… about me, at least," He started feeding the egg again, dumping out the bag in his hands, "You can kill me, join me, do nothing- honestly at this point, I don't care." He finished.

There was a battle going on all around him. His people could be dying, or at the very least getting seriously injured. He could help. Instead, he stood in place, gaze still strong on his former companion. Whether it was a gaze of longing, guilt, or regret, was irrelevant, as Sam had come to a decision.

If getting his partner's arm ripped off was bad, he was sure that Ponk would never forgive him after this. Still, he remained set on it. He wasn't going to let his friend become a casualty to this damn ass egg.

He examined the battlefield in front of him, 'no one else too close' he thought. He took note of various rocks and sticks around the egg and Ponk and snapped.

The blanchette tossed the final bag into the egg when he heard the snap. Recognizing the sound, he turned his head to him, "SAM, ARE YOU CRAZY?" He screeched.

Sam grabbed his trident, threw the other over his shoulder, and booked it, laughing, "Yeah!"

After getting a good distance away, he shifted his other free and snapped.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Explosions all around the egg occurred in one moment.

"SAM, PUT ME DOWN, ASSHOLE!"

"I can't, I planted like seven more over there, we gotta leave."

"WHAT!"

When finally sat the other down-
"SAM I SWEAR TO–" he quickly knocked him out and laid him down safely before launching himself into battle.

"Sorry Ponkie." He muttered, but it went unheard. He didn't think Ponk would like the apology anyway.

He wielded his trident with stone-cold precision, knocking the weapon out of the pre-poultry goons' hands.

Now he can help his people.
—

"You know Puffy, after all we've been through, I'd think that you would trust me on this," Bad said, parrying a blow. He stepped into a tree's shadow.

"Our history together," Bad emerged from a shadow at her side stabbing down. It was stopped by a shield, of course, "Is why I'm not going to trust you on this. I know you. Past Bad would never want this." She pushed back, leaving Bad to a brief stumble which he'd quickly recovered.

"Past Bad wasn't as enlightened as I am."

She swung her blade to meet his.

"Why did you force Hannah into this?"

He smiled, "After meeting our savior, Hannah joined us of her own volition, no forcing necessary. She understands."

"Not much of a choice when your 'savior' is a mind-controlling egg." She smirked.

Pushing off each other, the two huffed the air, but quickly fell back into the cycle of hit and block.

Puffy was getting tired of this, she could tell Bad was, too. She could probably go for another hour or so, but that wasn't what she was worried about. Something needed to happen, or else this battle will leave everyone vulnerable enough for the egg to consume them in their wake.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Thankfully, it sounded like Sam had already got that covered.

Unfortunately, it didn't seem like it did any damage to the egg. In fact, though the thing remained passive throughout the skirmish, it now was becoming more aggressive, its vines whipping every which way.

The sound of the explosions distracted her opponent, giving her the opportunity to knock his sword out of his hands. She swiftly swept his legs, pinning Bad to the ground with her sword.

Looking at the rest of her fleet, they seemed to have similar success with their opponent, as most of them were on the ground, defeated. However, along with the explosions, it appeared that the egg wasn't very pleased with its worshipers subdued, as the sporadic flogging of vines became not so sporadic. Now, it seemed to hit the enforcers with intent. She even had to conjure another shield to block an incoming attack from a vine.

Aside from the lashing vines, the egg was getting increasingly bigger. She guessed that maybe Sam wasn't so successful after all.

Perhaps she should tell Sam to not set off any more explos-

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Shit.

If the egg wasn't mad before, she was sure it was pissed now. Its attacks held no bias now, now directing some lashings to its worshipers. Those who tried to slash at its vines were thrown away by some force, later crying in agony. As the egg continued to grow, in size and aggression. It didn't take long for her to realize that this was a battle that neither side could win.

They needed to leave, now.

Phil was nowhere in sight, meaning that he was likely at the village, hopefully there helping people evacuate. Hopefully.

She called to everyone "EVERYONE, LEAVE NOW! THE EGGS GONNA BLOW!" She didn't actually know that it was going to blow, but if they stuck around long enough, it wouldn't be pretty.

Luckily, it seemed that everyone else had a similar idea, even those under the egg had chosen to run as far as they could. Bad on the other hand, moved toward the egg, raising his hands, like approaching a stray animal.

Unlike a stray animal, it failed to ease the fury of his savior, as a vine sent a blow towards him, sending him crashing to the ground.

"It's me, don't you remember?" He reasoned, but to no avail.

She watched her friend fruitlessly try to pacify the crimson. To Puffy it seemed like the battle continued, there was a war in her head as she tried to decide what to do.

She could make her escape like her fellow townspeople, joining up with Phil to help with the evacuation.

She could.

But she won't.

A few minutes ago, the same man was ruthlessly dealing blow after blow, but it didn't matter.

That same man was also one of her closest friends. She can't... she won't leave him to die.

Bad coughed from the force of the throw, slowly making his way back into a stand.

And was then knocked out cold from the hilt of his former friend's sword.

As quickly as she could, she picked up her friend and ran, barely escaping from an incoming vine.

As soon as she started running, the egg grew and grew, more rapidly than before. It covered several meters in seconds, and Puffy was glad this wasn't her first time running with extra weight.

However, thanks to Bad's lot, it didn't seem that it mattered, as the egg was quickly gaining on her. If she didn't think fast, it would surely consume her and Bad.

Just then, she spotted what was hopefully a large ditch in the distance, and started running toward it. Puffy could hear the whipping of vines just behind her.

'Don't think, just run'

As she drew closer to the ditch she was relieved to see the foster lowering down into a deep pit.

'Thank Prime, that'll work'

With Bad still in her arms, she conjured another shield under her and slid down the slope. If she wasn't being chased by a possibly extraterrestrial being, she would've whooped in excitement.

Above her, the egg continued forward, towards town, ignoring the escape of its main devotee and foil.

Puffy huffed as her heart slowed its pace. She cut her rest short, though, picking Bad and herself back up. The village needs her help, after all. She shifts her cloaked friend to her shoulders and begins a hurried pace back to the village. If there is even still a village standing when she gets back.

…

Prime, she hopes so.

—

The first thing he noticed was the position of the sun. Light streamed through the curtains like water to a strainer. The sun was at its highest point in the sky when Tommy woke up. Tommy wasn't huge on astronomy, however, it was common knowledge that the sun's current point signified that it was probably noon.

Probably noon. Maybe more or less.

Noon?

Noon…

…

NOON!

Fuck shit fuck! It was noon!

Upon this realization, the teen shot up from his place in bed. Why didn't Sam wake him up? Whenever Tommy did sleep in, Sam always woke him up just in time to see the egg.

The egg!

Everything from yesterday (Was it yesterday? A couple days ago? A week?) came tumbling back to him.

His plan to atrophy the egg worked… sort of? Could he call that a win? He does remember the turning of a crimson body and limb to ash. By this point, it had likely grown it all back, so perhaps he wasn't as clever as he thought. His shoulders and neck felt tight, a loud pop of joints after rolling them back and forth. Exhaustion still dreaded his bones, despite sleeping for who knows how long. If anything, he felt more dead than the egg probably ever did.

Okay, he had to admit, it was kind of a stupid plan.

The fact that he knew it was stupid probably made it worse. In fact, it wasn't even his first time pulling that stunt.

Labored breathing, rigid chills. The sun's reign over the forest was hot enough to melt an entire newly dipped.

He knew the consequences.

Still, under all of his layers of quilts and blankets, he shivered. He was so, so cold. He missed the sun, but he knew that not even the God of sunlight could ease his numbness.

But he did it anyway.

He was surprised to see he wasn't in as bad of a condition as he'd originally assumed. Maybe he's getting stronger. Or maybe he slept through the effects of the egg.

The door opened, interrupting his train of thought.

"Tommy, glad to see you're awake." Sam had brought a glass of water, setting it down on the bedside table. Tommy took it, downing it greedily. He sighed in relief as he felt the cool liquid run down his dry throat.

He brought it down to his lap, fingers tracing over the rim of the glass with his fingers, "How long was I out?"

A mechanical sigh rang out from his friend. He kept his eyes trained on the glass. Wow, what an interesting cup this is.

"Tommy Innit, you were unconscious for approximately two weeks and three days."

If Tommy still had water in his mouth, he'd spit it out.

"Two?!" He sputtered,

"And three days-"

"Holy shit! What about the egg? What happened? How much has it grown?!" The blonde ran his fingers through his golden curls. Thoughts ran through his head faster than he could process.

How much had the egg grown while he was out? Could it already be here, watching him from the edge of the forest? Quickly creeping under his door, through his house, to his room, to wrap its vines around his throat, silencing him for good.

It was like when he asked Sam to divide one by zero. He laughed at the confused android, but he was no longer laughing now.

A metal hand stopped his mental breakdown from furthering.

"Breathe, Tommy Innit, it is okay," Sam Nook had a characteristically monotone voice, but at this moment, no other sound was more comforting than his.

"I have been visiting the specimen independently while you were gone," The droid continued, "According to the data from the past two and a half weeks, the egg has only grown approximately nineteen inches, less than half a meter."

"Really?"

"The specimen's drop in productivity was likely caused by your impulsive decision to start decaying it."

"Really?"

"This does not at all mean that I support that use of your powers, what you did was quite obtuse, if I may say so, Tommy Innit. I expect and hope that you will not pull the same move again, please."

Tommy didn't hear that last part, his mind only focusing on the fact that his powers actually did something! Something that actually impacted the egg that lasted longer than a day! Maybe he is getting stronger!

"That means my powers really are improving! If I train my powers hard enough, I could finally take the fucking thing down!"

"Tommy Innit, did you not hear what I just said?" Nook exclaimed, "Withering the egg again, especially in your condition, is very unwise! I heavily advise you to think otherwise."

He was dejected. While he commonly used his powers to grow and move the fauna around in the village, his ability to mold and decay was used sparsely. It was common for him to encourage their garden plants to grow, second nature to will a branch or vine near him while romping around from tree to tree. However, it was hard for him to recall the last time he casually used his ability to decay. Maybe to put an already suffering tree or two out of their misery. Maybe it was the occasional sapping of energy from the grass when he was a bit too fatigued.
There was a time (despite Nook's protests) when he'd try to weed out some particularly stubborn shrubs from the garden with his decay but ended up killing an entire patch of their season's yellow squash. Safe to say that Tommy was growing the entire patch back the rest of the afternoon.

While he used his decay here and there, Tommy had never truly learned how to control it. But sometimes, he liked to believe if he did, maybe all of this would have been over already.

“I know you are quite restless from being bedridden for so long, however, I insist you stay so for at least one more day. Just so I can double check you have no additional side effects from the specimen. I will go get you something to eat, but please, stay here.” Sam took the now-empty glass from his hands and left the room, shutting the door with a soft click.

Tommy slumped against his nest of pillows and blankets, looking up. A sigh and a huff later, he found himself incredibly bored. He loathed the feeling of being bound to one place. He remembered the numerous attempts and failures of trying to lie to Sam whenever he got sick. Emphasis on failures, as Tommy could never even hide something as small as a splinter to the android.

It was going to rain, and the young boy was taking his sweet time getting back to the house. Before his friend went inside to start cooking supper, he had told Tommy to come in soon, lest he get a cold from the chilly fall rain.

He had agreed at the moment, but the promise was the last thing on his mind as the young blonde gathered some of the autumn cranberries in a small woven basket. As he gathered, he unceremoniously popped a handful or two in his mouth, staining his hands and mouth a cardinal red.

He had read a book about cranberries, some people had entire fields of them! He read that the farmers often flooded the fields to make the harvesting process easier. He didn't need to do that though. He was much faster than any farmer, and didn't need the help of some stupid water to get peak efficiency. He'll gather the berries two- no, three times faster, with enough time to get back in time for supper while still getting to snack on a bunch! He proclaimed himself a master of cranberry picking when a few drops of water plopped on his head. It wasn't too long until the innocent droplets turned into full-on pouring, and it wasn't too long before Tommy was soaked from head to toe.

He debated whether he should go inside as he looked at his basket. It was only half full. Surely a little water won't hurt, right?

He continued picking the red fruit, unrelenting rain still pelting him down. A chilling breeze rushed at the now soaked blonde. He shivered and hurried up his harvesting. The boy cursed himself for leaving his coat inside.

When he felt satisfied with his bounty, he quickly ran back to the house. The lights shone like a lighthouse in the rain. Tommy thought for a moment, and switched his direction to his bedroom window. He didn't want to risk Sam's smothering after finding out he was in the cold rain, he would surely be sent to bed.

He opened the window to his room, quietly shutting it behind him as he climbed in. He could hear his mechanical companion from the other room, shuffling about the kitchen. He dropped his basket of cranberries, deciding to dry off before Sam saw.

Walking to his closet, he pulled out two fresh towels, letting out a sigh of relief as he draped them around his shoulders. When he felt dry enough, he changed into dry clothes and made his way to the kitchen for supper.

As soon as he opened his door, he was immediately met with a warm blast of air from the hearth.

“Hey Sam, what's for dinner?” He sat at the table. Heat radiated from the stove and fireplace, however, a shiver followed up his spine. Perhaps staying in the rain wasn't such a good idea. Sam doesn't have to know that though.

The android turned from the stove with a clay bowl in one hand and a platter of apples in the others. The bowl and platter was set down infront of the boy, who promptly glared at the contents inside. Warm spotted beans and okra sat in the bowl. He could see the occasional dots of ham between.

“Purple hull peas? Really? Are they even ready for harvest right now?” He slumped, pushing the beans around with his spoon.

“No, and they will not be so for another week or so. I got these from the canning shed.”

“Saammmm, you just harvested some broccoli today, why can't we have that? I'd take spinach over these stupid beans.”

“Purple hull peas are an ample source of protein, vitamins, and minerals, perfect for the ailing body. ”

Though his artificial voice typically drew flat, Tommy picked up the slightest bit of amusement from his caretaker. He gaped when it finally hit him.

“What-!”

“I told you to come in before the rain, did I not, Tommy Innit?” He said sternly.

“How? I dried off and everything!”

“Clearly not enough, it seems. The back of your head still shows signs of being damp. That, along with the fact that my thermal scanners detected a body temperature above 100.4 degrees fahrenheit, or 37.8 degrees celsius, confirmed my prior suspicion that you had been out in the rain.”

The boy let out a sneeze.

“And consequently, now have a cold.”

Tommy adored his robotic companion, however, at the very moment, he was trying to glare holes into his head.

“Okay, how'd you know to prepare this then?” He shifted his death-glare to the bowl of beans.

“Though I was focused on preparing supper, my processors had detected no sound, heat signature, nor steps in my vicinity until 30 minutes after the rain started. I predicted that you were still in the rain, so I made a separate dish in the likely chance I was correct.”

He continued, “A shame, as I had planned to serve your favorite eggplant parmesan.” The android grinned.

Tommy ignored the incorrect term for aubergine and groaned. Perhaps the years with Tommy had rubbed off, even on the likes of him.

“Do not be too upset, Tommy, I will put it in the freezer for you to have when you recover. For now, finish your dinner and wash up, I will bring you some ginger tea and honey before you go to bed.”

Sam turned to start washing the dishes, leaving Tommy to begrudgingly eat his bowl of beans.

He hated going to bed early, and had already made plans to escape his bedridden prison. Those plans would fall short, as Sam had caught him and sent him back to bed every time. It was hard to sneak past a robot built to detect the slightest changes in sound, vibrations, temperature, and visuals.

Sam was always like that. Always on high alert when it came to his health. As we grew older, he soon realized that any attempts of hiding an injury or cough was futile.

So, as much as Tommy wanted to move around after being bedridden for half a month, he had a feeling that Nook would end up chaining him to his bed if he tried to. Nook would never do that in a million years, but with how life has been treating him, he wouldn't rule out the possibility.

Still, despite everything from the past week, it would be nice to flex his powers a bit.

The window was open, granting the warm summer breeze a full admission into his bedroom. He looked towards the door, listening. While he would never have as good of hearing as Sam, he learnt how to pick up even the lightest mechanical footsteps.

Sam wasn't near. What he doesn't know won't kill him, right?

Well, technically a lot of things can't kill him, but that's besides the point.

He turned his focus to his window sensing the bush just below it. Sam had planted a thorny blackberry bush in an attempt to stop the teen from sneaking back in. Tommy always ended up willing it to the side, but it's the thought that counts.

When Tommy found his focal point, he willed the plant's branches towards him, juicy blackberries dangling off the arms of the bush. Tommy grabbed his prizes, savoring the tart fruit with relief. He wasn't in bad shape, thankfully.

Footsteps trotted closer towards the door.

In a panic, Tommy quickly pushed the
bush back outside, sitting back down with his hands resting on his lap.

But when Tommy thought his friend was going to barge in, the footsteps were redirected away. Huh. False alarm I guess.

He laid back again with another sigh. Sam won't be done with the food for a short while, he wouldn't believe that Nook had been cooking much in the weeks he was unconscious.

He thought about the egg. Sam had shot down, but what if Tommy was right? Could he actually kill the egg?

He'd definitely need to work on his decay if it holds to be true. He grimaced at the memory of fatigue and fainting.

Sam wouldn't willingly allow it, especially not now. Too risky.

But will playing it safe really be enough?

No, from the past decade or so, Tommy knew that the egg would only continue to grow without something stopping it. Something other than simply pushing it away.

He decided then, he would decay the egg again, only this time, he wouldn't fail. He'd need to hone his skills before then, though. But soon.

Amid his thoughts, the boy slowly drifted off to sleep, dreaming of the gleeful decay of crimson.

Chapter Text

While the people of the village ran to evacuate, a certain android was left in their wake.

He had woken up to multiple alarms and warning messages on his dashboard. Slack on the floor, torn from his charging port in his creator's room. Creator of which was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he went to the lab. It doesn't explain why he was on the floor. Or the messages. Joints creaked as he stood. His sensors detected a high percentage of carbon dioxide. Was there a fire? Gas leak?

The reality was worse than any central processing unit could predict. Houses lined the small road, ablaze in fiery terror. Red vines circled amongst the buildings. The android let out a string of garbles in surprise.

Ah. That explains it.

He scanned the area surrounding him.
The town was vacant, with no human in sight, aside from the unmoving bodies on the ground. One of which lay lifeless in front of him. He fruitlessly scanned the person's vitals, knowing what it would show. Deceased for about four hours now.

The android attempted to identify the corpse, but couldn't see past the blood-cake hair that enveloped their face. He could see a sword in one of their hands, still in an iron grip as if they were still in battle.

With a bit of force, he slid it out of their grip. The robot swung, testing it on a nearby vine. The end of the vine plopped on the ground still wriggling like a fallen lizard's tail.

The fire showed no signs of stopping, spreading to the black house in front of him. The old oak standing tall beside it had caught fire spreading contagiously towards the spindly branches. The fire weakened the trunk, tilting it precariously over the house. The body of the tree fell, creating a large cavity in the roof.

Sam Nook would've paid the scene no mind, the living inhabitants seemingly evacuated. However, a shrieking cry from the house made him stop in his tracks.

It was an infant's no doubt, its wailing echoing across the town. Without a second more passed, he dashed for the building.

The vines heard it too. Crimson growths ran its way to the base of the house, blocking the android's path to the door. Sam quickly made work of them, slicing through with a wave of the sword.

He burst through the door, the weeping growing louder and louder. The vines squirmed their way through the burning kitchen's windows, making Nook weave and slice through them.

The crying was heard loudest outside the door of what Sam Nook presumed was a bedroom. Walking through, smoke layered the top of the room in an awful dark haze. Turning on his night vision, he spotted a shaking wooden crib in the corner beside a large bed. Stepping closer, a baby was cradled inside, swaddled with various blankets. A ‘T’ was carved inside a heart placed at the foot of the crib.

The robot gently held the infant in his other arm, scanning their vitals as he quickly exited the building.

According to his processor, the child was the only human detected in the building, and he was likely the only one left in the entire town.

Meaning someone abandoned their baby.

In his very short time of existence, Sam Nook had trouble understanding the human psyche. But across all species of animals, including humans, it was very unlikely to abandon their kin, unless they were a runt.

But besides common symptoms of smoke inhalation, the baby seemed perfectly fine. Humans don't stick to the rules of runts anyway, so Nook was perplexed by the lone child.

Ruthlessly cutting his way out of the building, he made sure to walk near the houses that were not burning. The baby had stopped crying and looked up toward their rescuer. Electric blue met the black lenses in his retinas.

From what he gathered from his evaluation, the infant was male, however, the parents and name of the child were unknown to him. Though he was no stranger to the people of the town, his duty at the lab kept him from storing all identities of its citizens in his database.

The only hint of a name he got was the letter ‘T’ which could be part of his first, last, or even middle name.

Before Sam Nook began his search for the evacuees, it would be best to give the child a temporary name for simplicity's sake.

When he wasn't working at the lab or charging, his creator encouraged him to store all the information the library had to offer. Few of which were books of popular baby names.

His CPU recalled some of the more prominent “T” names in his memory, randomly landing on one.

Tommy

That'll do for now.

“Tommy,” He tested, gently rocking the child as if devilish crimson wasn't taking over his town.

Tommy cooed, reaching up to touch the robot's face.

Sam Nook warbled happily in response.

—

A bowl was left on his nightstand when he woke up again. It was still hot when he touched the side.

Tommy carefully balanced the bowl in his arms, sipping the soup carefully. It was quite well-flavored, unsurprisingly. Sam was always the better cook. Tommy couldn't remember a time when he cooked something that wasn't a health hazard.

He recognized various vegetables as he chewed. Carrots, celery, potatoes...

Wait.

He drew back from the bowl, inspecting it. Much to his chagrin, he noticed painfully familiar-looking beans floating around in his soup.

“Goddammit!”

Damn ass purple-hull peas!

He considered ditching the whole bowl entirely, but his hunger decided against it.

Thanks to the nature of his powers, Tommy could survive without food a bit longer than average, as long as he is under the sun's grace. He'd learned that the hard way.

However, after everything, Tommy ached for something solid to eat. So, he brought the bowl back up and started drinking, cursing Nook in the process.

—

He was so so so bored. He hadn't seen Sam since he woke up. Tommy guessed he was busy doing chores, including his. He won't be seeing him for a while, he supposed.

Maybe he could sneak out to the library and use their VCR? Nah, Sam would catch him easily. Besides it's not like there's anything there he hasn't already watched.

In times like this, he wished there was someone else in this town to talk to. Sam Nook was his most loyal and gracious companion, but it's hard to make quips to a robot with a humorless nature.

Heck, he'll settle for chatting with one of their cattle. Or chickens. Or horses. He'd even be willing to make friends with bugs to break the wretched silence.

Bugs…

He sat up in a flash.

Hold on…

He already is friends with a bug! (Shroud was an arachnid, so technically not a bug, but he quickly dismissed the thought).

Upside down, Tommy peered under the bed to where he had left his spider friend.

He hoped that Shroud didn't think he abandoned him! It's not his fault he got knocked out by some pre-poultry (even if he was partially to blame).

His eyes landed on the glass jar, Shit, Shroud hasn't been fed in weeks! Tommy would never forgive himself if he killed the first friend he'd made in a while. Looking closer, the blonde was met with the horror of an empty jar. He knew he should have put some sort of top on!

The teen leaped out of bed onto the floor, partially crawling underneath the bed to search. The crevice was brimming with dust, making him sneeze as soon as he stuck his head under. Stuffing his sinuses with dirt and dust after waking up from a coma probably wasn't very smart, but it's not like there was a robot to scold him, anyway.

The space underneath his bed housed old children's books he'd long forgotten about, singular socks that he hadn't seen in months, and old clothes folded neatly into wooden boxes. In other words, it held things he meant to put away but never got around to doing, so he just kicked the clutter under the bed to avoid the inevitable lecture from Sam about cleaning.

Sifting through the mess, he grew increasingly more panicked as he failed to find his spider. Did he leave through the window? The door? He'd never find him if he decided to hole up in a cranny in the other rooms! Tommy lifted a dusty picture book on the very far corner, about some random duck named Benson, but to no avail. To Tommy's horror, he concluded that Shroud was missing. Or worse. Sam Nook was hardly a soft-footed person in day-to-day activities, only putting energy in stealth when absolutely necessary. Having been frequently walking in and out of Tommy's room, Sam definitely could have stepped on him without even knowing!

With a defeated sigh, Tommy retracted from underneath the bed, sprawling out on the floor. Whether or not Shroud was missing or dead, he was back to where he started. Alone, bored, and forced to stare at the ugly popcorn ceiling. Except now he was laying on the grimy-ass hardwood floors instead of his nice bed. Might as well move.

Before he dejectedly did, he noticed a spot on the ceiling, just above his bed in the corner. Rising up from his spot on the ground he got up on his bed to get a closer look. A bed of webs held a familiar bulbous creature with its signature red hourglass on its back. Trapped within the webs, was what seemed to be the other half of a fly.

“Shroud!”

He leaned down to swipe his jar, holding it against the wall for Shrould to climb inside.

It was certainly hesitant, definitely not wanting to leave the meal it was currently eating. Realizing this, he picked out a twig from the jar, flicking the fly's carcass inside. That seemed to be enough, as the spider soon followed.

Someone with a right mind might be perturbed with the thought of a Black Widow living above their bed for weeks on end, however, Tommy's craving for interacting with another living being far exceeded any sort of common sense he may or may not have had.

So, after retrieving his friend, he immediately started to yap to the silent arachnid, who was too busy devouring the other half of the fly to even start to comprehend the chatter.

“You won't believe what's happened!” Tommy started.

“You might have been wondering where I've been, you must have, since I haven't been feeding you, sorry about that by the way. Anyway, so it started during me and Sam's hike a few weeks ago…”
—

“And so I called him a bitch right in front of his face!” He said to the drone, which was splayed out across his workbench.

He picked up a slim screwdriver, quickly inspecting it before using it to twist in the final screw to his masterpiece.

The little robot propellers whirled, quickly picking up speed.

“You should've seen his face! I wish I had it on camera, he scolded me for thirty minutes straight after!” The mechanic flipped the drone back over laying a hand over the machine.

With a flick of his wrist, the drone took flight, circling him.

“Maybe I could convince Dad to give me access to the security cameras to snag the footage” He pondered, resting his head on the table.

The propellers of his metal friend continued to buzz.

After some thought, he sighed, “Then again, probably not the best person to ask.”

It was near sundown, and most of his coworkers had already left. He could, too, if he wished, but it's not like he had anything else to do.

“The Patrol Force did get new recruits, maybe I can sway one of them to help me. Newbies are easily the most prone to bribery,” He explained, smirking.

The drone flew around the teen, now quicker.

“I would do it myself, but the security quarters are on the other side of the building! It's like they made it me-proof.” He huffed.

The whirling of propellers continued as the mechanic pulled out another damaged drone from the mountainous pile.

“Yeah, Yeah, I could always go to the left wing, but people would start asking me questions! They wouldn't understand the importance of my motives. Too much of a hassle in my opinion.” He flipped the frame, quickly disassembling the remains of the machine.

“If only people were as agreeing as you, buddy.” He frowned.

The drone landed to his right, buzzing soon slowing down to a stop.

The brunette fell into his usual groove of things: Disassemble, reassemble, fix this, fix that, yada yada, etcetera.

Dusk soon fell into the evening as he resumed his task. It was silent with the occasional whirl of air conditioning or the clang of metal against each other.

The teen's focus was ultimately broken when a hand landed on his shoulder. Immediately tensing, the boy jumped in his seat, letting out a yelp.

He jerked his head towards the perpetrator startling him, relaxing once he recognized their face.

“Woah! You nearly fell out of your chair there, Tubbo,” The man chuckled.

“Sam, don't sneak up on a guy like that!” He sputtered, punching him in the arm.

“I wasn't even trying to scare you!” He reasoned, “Metal boots aren't the most effective in terms of stealth.” Clanking sounded from his feet, exemplified with a swift stomp.

Tubbo leaned back in his beloved swivel chair, looking at the white fluorescent lights that should totally get swapped for LEDs because their current ones make the building feel like an asylum. Plus they give way more wattage than fluorescent anyways-

A gentle flick to his head snapped him out of his inner ramblings.

“You good there Tubbo?” Sam's once playful look shifted into one of mild concern, “You've been in your head a lot today, more than usual.”

“Yeah, I'm fine. I guess I've just been caught up in drone repair the past couple of days.”

“I bet, you've been practically living in the Tech Department this week.” Sam looked over to the pile of scrappy drones, “How many were turned in today?”

“Almost a hundred, but they're probably fifty more that haven't been sent in yet.”

Tubbo turned back around to his current fixee, screwing a new camera into place, “The pile’s been growing substantially since March, no doubt from the boom in crime on the East side,” He remarked.

Sam whistled, “Didn't realize it was getting that bad, you think your dad's gonna make a statement on it?” The man picked up a nasty-looking drone from the pile, doing a once-over before opening the frame.

A brief silence fell upon the pair as they both fiddled with their respective drones.

Sam finished up his drone first, closing it off with a final click (He was always faster than Tubbo, he never knew how that man worked so quickly). Leaning on the workbench, he placed the drone on a caddy with the other fixed robots.

“No, he won't.” He finally answered, “It'll just raise tensions on the East side, maybe even creating distrust in the agency.” The teen finished his drone, too, setting it on the caddy with the others.

“Communications are gonna keep it discreet for as long as they can, it's probably why they're more eager to hire new recruits to the Patrol Force.”

Sam stood up from where he was leaning on the table, turning to the younger with a smile, “That reminds me, they've planned a little pre-debut party in the canteen to welcome the new Patrol Force members.” He mentioned, “I was going to ask you if you wanted to come.”

“I don't know Sam, parties aren't really my thing.” It was true, while he did enjoy playing tricks with the music and lights with his powers, he'd usually have to spend most parties having to follow his dad around. Nowadays he spends them in dimly lit corners where he isn't bothered by any scrutinizing gazes or remarks. All in all, parties either made him uncomfortable, or extremely bored.

“Come on Tubbo, it's informal, no fancy dress codes or politics, just a small get-together with all the Agency's divisions! Plus, it'll be good to meet people your age, I've heard the recruits are on the younger side.”

“You sound like a mom trying to convince her kid to go to summer camp.”

The man barked out a laugh, “That may be true, but I'm serious, you've been working hard. You don't always have to go full throttle every day, let yourself breathe sometimes.”

“Now you sound like a high school counselor.” The teen smiled.

“Now you sound like you're deflecting.” He retorted.

“Why do you have to be a good boss? Why can't you encourage burnout like any other typical corporate executive?”

Sam smiled, “You wish,” He taunted, flicking the boy's head once more.

“You deserve a break though. Just this once?”

Tubbo drew out a long, exaggerated groan, before plopping his head on the table.

“Fineee.” He grumbled.

He clapped his hands in delight, “Great! See you at eight!”

“Wait, it's tonight?!” He shot upwards shouting to an escaping Sam.

“Yup! Anyway I've gotta go do something, bye!”

“You never told me-!” He was interrupted by the door slamming shut.

“Asshole.”

He debated on skipping it, favoring the calm, quiet, familiar atmosphere of his workplace. But, to be honest, as much as he loves working with his tech, he was getting a little bored. A change of scenery would be nice, too. Maybe he could put in that bribery for the camera room after all.

He put his tools down for the final time for the night and looked towards the cityscape splayed out beyond the lab's large windows. City lights gave a stark contrast against the deep blues and blacks that filled the ocean of twilight.

If Tubbo had to pick a favorite part of his job, it would obviously be the opportunity to apply his passion and skill for technology. However, the sight of the entire city on one the tallest buildings in L'Manburg was definitely a contender for second.

Cracking his knuckles in a satisfying pop, he mentally braced himself for the upcoming festivities.