Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When Sylvia first met Wander, he was an easy bounty. Deceptively empty headed and kind, it was easy to mistake him as weak. She was almost impressed by how wrong she was, once she got to know him. Most days she was floored by his ability to turn any situation in their favor, which was quickly outweighed by the sheer amount of trouble he got himself into. And his pacifist nature definitely did not help in some of their more troubling adventures. This is where Sylvia dedicated herself. Not only would she be his friend, she would be The Protector. While Wander was focused on helping others, she would focus on helping him. It was the least she could do after he saved her from going down a darker path. Only good could come from protecting someone like Wander, and she could use some good to at least try and make up for all of the evil she took part in.

Despite Wander being a trouble magnet, he didn’t get into any serious trouble up until their third month traveling together. They were visiting a rather isolated planet, full of large mountain ranges and deep valleys, where populated and dense forests made it difficult to know where you were. The locals of that planet were relatively underdeveloped, but in spite of the difficulties that naturally came with different languages and cultures, Wander still set out to help them.

On one of their trips to gather food and supplies for the locals, they encountered a local volcano set to erupt in the vicinity of the town. Wasting no time, Wander and Sylvia ran to the village to evacuate the townsfolk. Once everyone was safe and accounted for, the townsfolk used some of the rations they had saved to hold a large feast in her and Wander’s honor.

She quickly noticed that most of the townfolk were being awfully friendly with Wander. Too friendly. They would get way too close, constantly wanting him to try different foods. And while this usually wouldn’t raise suspicion, something felt off. You didn't get far in her line of work without trusting your instincts. She thought that Wander sensed it too with how he inched closer to her.

Once that deliciously uncomfortable dinner was over, they made their way back to their spot on the outskirts of the hastily made camp they made with the locals. Settling in, Wander strummed on his banjo as Sylvia made their patch of ground comfortable to sleep on.

“That was an eventful day!” Wander leaned back against a nearby tree, trying to tune his banjo. “And the townsfolk were so nice to make us dinner after their cute little town was destroyed.”

“Tell me about it! That meat was some of the best I’ve had in a long time.” Sylvia layed down to unwind for the day.

“Their native plants tasted very interesting, but in a good way! I’ll have to see if I can find similar ones on other planets we visit.” Wander smiled as he strummed a small four chord tune.

“Yeah.” Syvlia frowned. “Was it just me, or did the townspeople get kind of.. Weird. At the dinner.” She raised an eyebrow at his aloof expression. He wasn't fooling anybody. “You had to have noticed something was off by the end, at least.”

“Sylvia! I would never, they were very lovely.” He glanced to the side. “Though they did get a little clingy towards the end.”

“Just to be safe, we should probably leave soon.” Syliva gave him a stern look. “We can never be too careful.”

“It’ll be fine, but if it makes you feel better I’ll try and be more careful.” Wander shrugged as he continued to strum a soft and lulling melody. Eventually, Wander put away his banjo and climbed on top of Sylvia, using his hat as a sleeping bag.

Sylvia woke up to a strange noise on her left. Lifting her head and being careful not to move too much and risk disturbing Wander, she scanned the foliage for attackers. Seeing none, she settled in to go back to sleep. She felt lighter than usual.

She shot to her feet. Wander wasn’t on her back. He wouldn’t have wandered off in the middle of the night, so that leaves only two options. Either he was taken by the villagers, or a wild animal somehow stole him away from her. The latter was unlikely, and the faint sounds from the main camp suggested the former. She started running towards the camp center. Someone was going to meet the end of her fists.

As she neared, she could hear Wander’s voice. “Now, I’m… flattered that you like me so much, but I’d really rather get back to Sylvia if you don’t mind. And this is hardly the way you should treat anyone. I’m sure we can come to an understanding if you let me go?” Of course he was trying to negotiate with them. Bursting through the tree line, she could immediately see Wander tied to a pole as the villagers prepared to… cook him? The large pot and cooking materials certainly suggested that.

Wasting no time, Sylvia ran to where Wander was. He perked up once he saw her, while the villagers got into a formation in front of him. Big mistake getting between her and her best bud. “Sylvia! I was just informing these lovely folks that I might not make the best midnight snack.” She fought through the locals to get to Wander, throwing punches left and right and making use of her tail to throw others to the side or knock them out. “I’ve got to admit, though, this is one of the most interesting ways I’ve been woken up!” Sylvia finally fought through to him, tearing the ropes and pulling Wander into a hug. Her shoulders slumped a bit in relief now that he was safe and back with her.

“Come on, Wander. Lets ditch this joint.” Wander hastily jumped onto her back, making an orbble around the two.

“Way ahead of you, Syl!” He turned to face the distraught townsfolk. “Good luck rebuilding your town! Thanks for the dinner!” And of course he was thanking the people that wanted to make him into their dinner. At this point she was just happy that she woke up when she did. She didn’t want to think about what would have happened if she didn’t. “That was eventful. Not the first time someone tried to eat me, though.” Sylvia gave him an incredulous look over her shoulder.

“Really?”

“Yeah! There were these folks who mistook me for an ancient god of theirs and thought they’d gain good luck and harvest if they ate me. Once I broke free, it was pretty easy to give them the slip, still got way too close for comfort.”

“You get yourself into the craziest trouble.”

“I’m just glad I’ve got you to help me out! I could’ve been in some real trouble back there if it weren’t for you.”

Chapter Text

Sylvia was no stranger to danger. Growing up with three idiot brothers trained her to be tough, and she used that to keep herself safe. After she met Wander, she used it to keep him safe. The little guy tended to get into danger all of the time, so she had her work cut out for her. His most recent bout of danger came in the form of bounty hunters. 

They were sightseeing at a popular planet when she lost sight of him in the crowd. At first, she didn’t think much of it since he had a tendency to disappear and reappear with some new friend or cool trinket to show her at their stops. However, after 20 minutes passed with no sign of him she began to grow worried. By the time 40 minutes rolled around, she was fully freaking out. She ran from stall to stall, asking after him. He couldn’t have gone too far.

“Yeah, I saw the little fella not too long ago. He went with a taller gentleman towards Granny Sarah’s Bakery over there.” Sylvia followed where he was pointing and saw a cutesy bakery in between some taller businesses. She scared a few customers when she barged into the store, but that was hardly her concern. She looked through every nook and cranny, frantic in her search. The more time it took, the longer Wander could be in danger.

Finding no Wander, she left the store to search more of the area. A muffled groan came from a nearby alley, causing her to pause. There was a tall, hooded figure towering over a familiar orange alien. Her breath caught, and red hot rage set in. No one hurt her friend.

Sylvia leapt at him, landing a right hook to his jaw. He stumbled before righting himself and going to tackle her. She used his momentum to throw him away from her and get between him and Wander. He tried to attack her again, but she remained steadfast. She wouldn’t let him hurt Wander anymore. 

She knew his type. She was his type, before Wander came along. Sylvia hated who she was, in the before. As a bounty hunter, no one cared how she got things done. And she’d be the first to admit that she went way too far bringing in her bounties. It made her sick, some of the things she did to her bounties. 

He growled, grabbing a bloodied knife from its holster. Trying not to think of whose blood that may be, she ran at him intending to end the fight before he could do her any serious damage. He nicked her side before she could grab his hands and wrestle him for the knife. 

Being a Zbornak gave her the physical advantage, but he was more clever. The assailant dropped his knife and wrenched a hand away from her grasp, using it to punch her neck and momentarily disorient her. In the short time it took her to recover, he ran past her and grabbed Wander, putting his knife to his throat. The lighting finally allowed her to properly see Wander. A growl bubbled in her throat as she cataloged his injuries. 

His hands were tied behind his back and there was tape on his mouth, which explained why she couldn’t hear him during the fight. Wander looked like he was barely aware of what was happening, which was expected considering how beat up he was. Even so, his eyes were wide with tears as he blearily looked at her. How anyone could do this to sweet, friendly Wander was beyond her. He didn’t deserve this.

Sylvia put her hands up. She didn't need this flarfnarping, grop forsaken idiot slicing her friend's neck before she could reach him. “Let him go. You don’t want to make me your enemy.” She kept her gaze trained on him and Wander, looking for an opening.

“I’m not someone to be messed with. This freak is my bounty, go find your own.”

“That freak is my friend. Let him go now, and I won’t rearrange your limbs for daring to lay a hand on what’s mine.” She was tempted to do that either way, but Wander was her top priority and she doubted the little guy would appreciate that type of violence.

“You think I'll let him go just because he's your friend? How pathetic can you get?” He snarled, pressing the knife closer as Wander whined behind the tape.

“At least I’m not some hot headed psychopath that can barely complete a job. Are you so broke, that you have to resort to hunting Wander? Or did you take the job because you can’t handle a stronger victim?” She didn't like the look on Wanders face. That expression always meant trouble. 

“I’m plenty good at my job! I caught him fair and square. Now leave us be, I’ve got more plans for the annoying fuzzball back at my ship. My dropoff isn’t for another day.” Wander kicked back and hit the hunter in the groin, causing his grip to slacken around the knife as he hunched into himself. Sylvia took the opportunity to lunge for him. Her aim true, she grabbed the knife and flung it down the alley. She used her tail to grab Wander and position him on the other side of her. He gasped as she jostled his injuries, and she made a mental note to be more gentle with him. 

With Wander safe in her grip, she held nothing back against the jerk that tried to take her buddy from her. This hunter needed to learn that no one hurt her friend. She was so angry that he thought he could hurt Wander and get away with it. She was even more upset that she let this happen. If she had been paying more attention than she would’ve stopped this sooner. 

She faltered at the displeased sound behind her, causing the bounty hunter to use the opportunity to get away from her. She didn’t bother chasing him down. Either way, she doubted he would cause trouble for them again. She needed to take care of Wander first, anyway. Using her tail to gently set Wander on the ground, she set to categorizing his injuries. She quickly tore off the tape off his mouth. He spit out some blood before giving her a toothy grin. He must have bitten his tongue. 

“Sylvia! I’m so glad you’re here!” His voice sounded shaky and she wanted to hunt down that bloody bounty hunter all over again. Make him truly regret the day he so much as laid eyes on Wander.

“I’m here, bud, I’m sorry I wasn’t quicker.” She undid the binds around his hands as he flexed them to regain some feeling.

“That’s fine, Syl. Nothin’ could really take me down, and he woulda’ stopped eventually. I’m just glad you came.” He smiled at her, innocent and joyful as if nothing bad had happened. As if he wasn’t hurt. She swore he was going to be the death of her.

Sylvia sat down across from him to clean and bandage the bruises and cuts the bounty hunter left on him. She grit her teeth at every yelp and hiss of pain coming from her bud. He had to be hurting, and yet he never complained. She should have been there sooner. She shouldn’t have let this happen to him, she’s supposed to protect him. They shouldn’t be sitting in some grop forsaken alley nursing his wounds, they should be enjoying their day and seeing the sights this planet has to offer. 

“Don’t scare me like that again, do you know how worried I was? From now on, please try to stick closer to me, okay?” He fiddled with his hands as he gave a quick nod.

“Okay, Syl. Sorry for worryin’ ya.”

“It’s fine bud, I just want you to stick closer so I can prevent stuff like this from happening.”

“I know, I know. You sure sent him packing though! It was pretty cool. You were all like ‘Raaaargh!’ and he was like ‘Oh no, not Sylvia!’ and I was like ‘Yeah, go Sylvia!’ though I couldn’t really yell, what with the tape and such.” She smiled at his dramatic retelling of what happened. As he babbled on in the background, she finished up cleaning and dressing his wounds. Nothing could really keep him down for long, it seemed. 

“I know that you’re excited that I came and all, but are you okay?”

“Okay? Of course I’m okay! No bounty hunter is enough to bring me down!” He gave a smile, but Sylvia could tell that it wasn’t as genuine as Wander wanted it to be.

“It’s okay if you’re not. You got pretty roughed up this time around.” Wander seemed to think for a bit, looking towards the ground before looking back at her. Once she caught a glimpse of his eyes, she could tell that he was on the verge of crying.

“I know that. It’s just a bit hard is all. I was so scared, and he wouldn’t stop and I couldn’t call for help even though I was screaming as loud as I could. I was afraid that you wouldn’t find me in time.” He looked back toward the ground. Sylvia felt her rage reignite, but first she had Wander to tend to. She gently picked him up and pulled him into a hug, being wary of his injuries. He clung to her as he slowly relaxed into the hold. He was safe now that he was with her. 

Not wanting to draw attention to them, she decided to orbble to a nearby and less populated planet to recuperate before they continued to the next adventure. She was definitely not letting him out of her sight for a long time.

Chapter Text

She really shouldn't be surprised at this point. Wander and danger went hand in hand. And while there were some notable times he got into trouble with other folks, their most dangerous journeys were often due to the unpredictability of nature.

They were doing their usual nightly routine, camping on a nearby planet. Wander strummed his banjo as he reclined against a tree. Tonight he was in the mood for something happier, not that Sylvia was complaining. A happy Wander meant a happy Sylvia, after all.

Wings and leaves rustled as some birds took to the skies. No cricket or other animal could be heard. Wander stopped strumming, opening his eyes. He was wary, which usually meant that something bad was about to happen. He tilted his head as if listening to something. Slowly, she caught on to a faint, low rumble. It got louder and louder until the ground started to tremble. Soon that tremor turned into shaking, and the shaking into terraforming.

The force of the earthquake sent both sprawled on the ground as the planet opened up between them. “Sylvia!” Cracks were spider webbing against the planet, and while they didn’t quite reach the core of the planet they were still deep enough that it was difficult to see the bottom.

“Wander!” He tried to get up, but was quickly thrown to the ground. She watched in horror as the ground tilted, sliding Wander into the newformed crevasse.

“Sylvia!” He tried to find purchase, but he could not stop nor slow his descent. Sylvia's heart stopped as he fell. Getting up, she stumbled to the ledge. Sylvia looked down to see Wander hanging on to a root sticking out of the wall of the crevasse. She let out a sigh of relief that he wasn’t dead yet. Sylvia knew that she had to act fast. The ground was still shaking, and there was no telling when the root would break free from the ground.

Seeing a nearby vine, she tore it from its tree. She pulled it from both ends as hard as she could. If it could withstand her strength, it could definitely hold Wanders weight. Making her way to the edge again, careful not to fall in, she threw the vine to Wander.

“Wander, catch!” He let go with one hand in order to catch the vine, before letting go of the root to swing to Sylvia's side. He yelped when he hit the crevasse wall, and Sylvia could only hope he hadn't been injured too badly. She pulled the vine, grabbing Wander once she could reach him and pull him to safety. She wobbled as a particularly rough tremor shook the ground before righting herself.

It was a miracle she didn’t fall in with him, and she wasn’t going to test their luck by sticking around. He grabbed an orbble from his hat and they used it to run away from the planet and into the safety of space. They took a minute to catch their breath.

From up high they could see the cracks along the planet surface. She didn't want to think about how Wander was almost swallowed up into the abyss. She used her tail to grab him from her back and give him a hug. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, thanks to you.” They clung to each tighter, reveling in the fact that they were both unharmed. “That was scary.”

“Tell me about it!” She was still reeling from how close she had been to losing him. “If that root wasn't there you'd be a goner.”

“Yeah, but I’m not, thanks to you. I don't know what I'd do without you!”

“Back at you, buddy. Back at you.”

Chapter Text

Sylvia didn't consider herself a light sleeper. But when it came to Wander, some nights any little shift was enough to wake her up. She's woken up enough times to him being captured right off of her back. So when he starting tossing and turning on her back, she was quick to wake up.

“Wander?” She craned her neck to look at him. His face was set in a grimace, and his breathing came in short puffs of air. Was he sick? She picked him up off of her back using her tail, but that seemed like the wrong thing to do since he startled awake with a yell. Surprised, she dropped him and he scrambled away from her, breaths still coming in uneven intervals.

“Hey, Wander, it's okay. You're okay. It's just me, Sylvia.” His eyes were wild and frantic as he took in his surroundings. There was still a haziness to them that suggested that Wander didn't fully know where he was. “You're safe. We decided to camp on this planet tonight before leaving for the Keeton System in the morning, remember?” He looked at her, still shaking, and gave a small nod.

“That's great buddy, I'm glad that you remember. Do you think you can calm down for me? Try to match your breathing to mine, you're doing great.” Sylvia exaggerated her own breathing as he tried to calm down. It took a few minutes, but eventually his gasping evened out into regular breathing. He was still shaking, but it seems the worst of it has passed. Sylvia drew herself closer to him, picking up his hat from where it had fallen. She gently deposited it on Wander’s head. He seemed fine with her, now, and he really looked like he could use a hug. Hesitantly, she put an arm around him, hugging him closer to her once he melted into it.

She hated how good she had gotten at helping him calm down after a nightmare. She was always happy to help Wander, but she wished that this wasn’t a problem in the first place. The increased influx of nightmares have really been taking their toll on him. Just the other day she had to break him out of Hater’s ship because he fell asleep in the middle of a game of ‘tag’. He never falls asleep while playing, especially not in Hater’s presence. Not after the Razor Incident.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He gave another small shake of his head. “Are you sure? These nightmares have been getting pretty common, it might help to talk about them.”

“It's fine, Syl. Jus’ some stuff that happened a long time ago. No big deal.” Sylvia frowned. It seemed like a bigger deal than he let on.

“Long time ago or not, it's obviously hurting you. You know I wouldn't judge you or anything. Right?” Wander suspiciously kept quiet. “Wander, I would never think less of you because of something that's hurting you. You're my best friend! And you don't have to tell me, but I really do just want to help you.” She waited for a moment while Wander collected his thoughts.

“Remember when I told you about how I got my hat?”

“About how you stole it?”

“I had to! The hat just looked so sad and helpless, I had to grab it.”

“I know, Wander, you don’t have to defend yourself to me.”

“I just don’t want ya’ to think that I like to steal, or anythin’.” Sylvia gave Wander an incredulous look.

“I think I got that, buddy.”

“To be honest, I left out a lot of what happened.” Wander looked away, guilty about omitting information from his best friend. He didn’t need to be, though. Sylvia didn’t need to know everything, and she’d always forgive him. “You see, the only reason I saw how they were treating the hat was because they had caught me, too.” Sylvia blinked. She hadn't expected that. “I was travelin’ all on my lonesome at the time. I knew I had ta’ get myself out, since no one was comin’ for me. So when I saw the hat, I knew that together we could get out and be safe. So I took it.”

“So that's what these nightmares have been about? Escaping with the hat?”

“Not exactly.” He sighed, snuggling into her more as he continued. “They’ve been about before the hat. I was with those folks for a while, and they weren’t the nicest around.”

“They hurt you?”

“Yeah.” Sylvia tightened her grip. “I don’t wanna get inta’ details, but it was pretty bad.” She wanted to go back and punch anyone that hurt her buddy. All she could think of was a younger version of her Wander, hurt and scared and alone. No one knew that he needed help. And if they did, they just didn't care. The thought makes her sick.

“I won't let anyone hurt you. I'll protect you, buddy.” Wander smiled at her. He knew he was safe, as long as she was with him.

“I know you will, Syl. I just wish I could forget about it. Out of everythin’ that’s happened, why does that have ta stick to me? I’ve been travelin’ a long time, and I’ve been through worse. I don’t understand why I can’t leave this behind, like I did with the rest.” Sylvia hated hearing Wander sound so upset. Not for the first time, she wishes she could go back in time and punch anyone that dared to hurt him.

“It’s okay to still struggle with things now and again. That’s not something you just forget, Wander.”

“I know, I know. It's just been so long, and I haven't had a problem with it in a long time.” Wanders voice shook as he tried to hold in his tears. “I just don’t understand why they did all that. What did I ever do to them?”

“I’m sorry, bud. You did nothing wrong.” Sylvia held Wander close as he cried. She may not have been there in the past, but she’d do anything to help him now.

It was safe to say that they didn’t get any more sleep that night. But despite being dead on her feet the next day, she knew that it was worth it to comfort her best friend.