#and then it kept going and going

[blametheeditor]

When In Rome

Prequel

What's better than borrowers? Having a shrunken human to show the ropes.

Content warnings: Cursing. Trapping someone against their will.

Is this incredibly self indulgent? Yes, yes it is.

_______________________________________

Eggs wasn’t even doing anything. All he was doing was lying on the floor in the office, waiting for their resident borrowers to appear from the walls. You know, the standard beginning to a Saturday night technically really early Sunday morning. 

And then poof, the desk suddenly towered over him like a building, the ceiling so high above his head it seemed like there should be clouds moving over it, and the security door was big enough to let someone the size of a skyscraper casually stroll through. 

The mechanic stays frozen for a good moment, still lying on his stomach, staring at the small mouse hole that’s sitting in front of him. The same one that’s supposed to be no bigger than his palm and hard to spot when he’s standing up. That one that he now has to look up at as it stands as tall as a grand doorway. 

Oh he is definitely going inside there to explore.

And only to explore, thank you. There’s no blinding terror slowly crawling through his veins at the thought of someone walking into the office while he’s lying on the ground only a few inches tall, no sir not at all! What do you take him for, someone who can’t handle suddenly getting shrunken down to the size of a borrower? Psh, as if. 

That being said, Eggs doesn’t waste any time gawking at his new surroundings, quickly standing up before darting over toward the mouse hole. Because if there was anything Fritz and Caleb made clear, it’s the fact just how dangerous it is standing on the floor where humans who are unaware of certain tiny Eggs Benedict won’t be watching where they step. 

And now he’s imagining a giant shoe crushing him… 

Focus, he needs to focus. And besides, the only people inside the restaurant right now are certified trusted borrower handlers. Everyone should be watching where they step. He’ll be fine. 

Or, at least he’s 85% sure he’ll be fine. Because the moment he looks inside the mouse hole, the one he’s watched Fritz and Caleb use to enter and exit the walls, he is greeted with nothing but pure darkness. And the two borrowers are not known to carry around miniature flashlights and headlamps. 

Eggs looks back at the office. Decides he will not be greeting a giant no matter what certifications they possess, because if the wheeling chair towers over him that much, then he can imagine just how big everyone is now in comparison. Like hell he’s letting Mike get his hands on a shrunken Eggs, literally. 

With that, he takes three steps into the walls before stopping, blinking rapidly in the hopes his eyes will adjust. After a minute of staring into the void, he doesn’t see anything even begin to take shape. No wooden beams, or wall insulation, or even his hand currently sitting two inches in front of his face. 

Which is lame. He’s wanted to know what it’s like traveling through the walls ever since he met their resident borrowers! How can he do that if he can’t see! 

Welp, time for plan B. 

“Fritz!” Eggs yells into the darkness, cupping his hands around his mouth for maximum volume. “Caleb! I summon you!” 

Silence. And he thought they were friends. 

“Fritz! Ca-!” 

The youngest borrower’s name becomes a shriek when a hand suddenly taps his shoulder. He’s not proud to admit it, but he jumps as high as Jeremy does before whirling around. Sighs in relief when the sliver of light shining through the mouse hole hits Fritz’s face. 

“Eggs?” the teenager breathes. 

Said mechanic straightens his shirt before clearing his throat. “I forgot you’re tiny ninjas.” 

Fritz stares at him. What, does he have something on his face? “You’re our size.” 

Right! The whole suddenly tiny thing. “That I am! Cool, right?” 

“How?” Fritz murmurs, more concerned than enthusiastic. 

“Humans aren’t supposed to shrink, are they?” Caleb softly pipes up, the kid stepping into the light so he isn’t a disembodied voice that could’ve been a tiny Funtime Freddy who was put inside the walls strictly to mess with him. 

“No, humans aren’t supposed to,” Eggs grins. “I was just waiting for you guys and then poof, tiny town!” 

“Poof?” Fritz repeats. 

“Poof,” the mechanic confirms as he accentuates the word with jazz hands. 

The two borrowers share a look before looking back at him to openly stare. Then Eggs finds himself staring back because holy shit he can actually see them now. 

Not that he couldn’t before! Like he knows Fritz has red hair and he’s the taller one, and Caleb has brown hair and he’s the shorter one, but he never realized the older of the two has freckles, or that the bear the younger constantly carries around is supposed to be a gold color. The most he notices when he holds them in his hands are how dusty they are. 

He also notices the overwhelming need to squeeze and shake them as cuteness aggression threatens to take control. But it hasn’t happened yet. 

“So,” Eggs smiles as he claps his hands together, wincing when it echos and makes both borrowers jump. “Since I am now borrower size, can I finally take you up on that offer for a house tour?” 

Caleb immediately brightens at the question while Fritz only looks more concerned. “We can finally show you our bags!” 

“And your hook,” Eggs agrees with the youngest. “Don’t forget about your promise on showing me how you climb up counters.” 

“And yours on teaching us on how thimbles are supposed to be used,” Caleb grins. 

“Guys,” Fritz quietly interrupts. “I think we should let everyone else know before we do anything else.” 

Eggs’ want to avoid encountering giants at all costs is crushed when even Caleb straightens up at the suggestion. “We should let them know.” 

“I mean should we?” Eggs asks. “I’m with you guys! We don’t need them when they can’t join the house tour.” 

“But we don’t know how you shrunk,” Fritz murmurs, and suddenly Eggs is being hit with the full potency of the teenager’s puppy eyes. If they were hard to fight against before, now it’s impossible to. Scott and David are lucky they’re too small to be seen properly. “And we don’t know when you’ll grow back or if you will.” 

“It’s also really dangerous when humans don’t know there’s a borrower around,” Caleb pipes up. 

Good points, good points. However, the minute they tell giants capable of crushing him with their shoe, he guaranteed won’t be allowed out of their sight. They’ll also want to pick him up before either trapping him inside a pocket so he can’t get into trouble, or thoroughly inspecting him because he managed to accomplish the impossible. 

Look, he trusts his coworkers as much as the next guy, and all of them a certified borrower handlers who know how to properly hold someone smaller than their finger without breaking something. But you can not tell him that Mike won’t immediately demand to check him over for injuries, or that James won’t do doctor things, or that Jeremy won’t ask to hold him and then Eggs can’t say no. 

And technically he can’t say no to any of them. Not when it would literally be impossible to make them listen to him. 

Suddenly, Caleb grabs his hand before gently tugging on it to earn Eggs’ attention. “We’ll tell them you’re small, and then we’ll give you a house tour.” 

The mechanic takes a deep breath, flashing a grin. “Well then what are we waiting for!” 

With the proclamation he is more or less ready to face someone a hundred times his size, Caleb turns away from the mouse hole and proceeds to lead Eggs into the suffocating darkness in which he’s confident he will never see light ever again. 

He gives walking through a walls a solid 5/10. Great for delaying the inevitable meeting of a giant, but way too dark to truly enjoy the sights it has to offer. 

“Holy shit it’s dark in here,” Eggs comments, his grip on Caleb’s hand tightening out of fear he’ll lose his guide. His free hand blinding searches for a wall to at least give him a sense of where he is. “How do you guys not constantly run into things?” 

Instead of finding a wooden beam, Eggs’ hand gets grabbed. And that earns a shrill shriek as whatever the hell it was quickly recoils away. 

“Sorry!” Fritz’s hushed voice frantically apologizes, allowing Eggs’ heart to settle at the realization it was the teenager and not some random entity that’s come to steal his soul. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you!” 

“It’s fine,” the mechanic wheezes, hand on his heart trying it’s hardest to burst through his chest. When he finally manages to get his breathing under control, he then waves his hand out to try and locate Fritz. This time he only jumps when it’s grabbed again. “I was not expecting that.” 

There’s a moment of silence as a breeze ruffles his hair. "You can’t see that?” 

“What, see what?” Eggs asks. “Describe it to me.” 

“I was waving my hand in front of your face,” and hey, even though it’s dark, he can still sense the smirk on Fritz’s face! 

“Uh, no. It is pitch black in here, I can’t see anything.” 

“Really?” Caleb’s disembodied voice asks, confirming the other hand Eggs holds is still the youngest borrower. Or is it... “Humans can’t see in the dark?” 

“Borrowers can?” Eggs fires back. 

“Yes,” the two say in unison, both sounding amused as all hell about this discovery. 

The only person who apparently can’t see in the dark huffs. “Well no need to brag about it.” 

“No bragging,” Fritz replies as Caleb tugs on Egg’s hand to continue their journey through the walls, this time with all three of them linked together. Honestly he feels a lot better knowing where both borrowers are, especially with the only footsteps he can hear being his own. “Just stating the facts.” 

“How do humans walk in the dark?” Caleb asks, effectively distracting Eggs from the clearly superior tone coming from Fritz. He is definitely going to make sure the borrower doesn’t turn into a mini David, but for now he turns his attention in the vague direction of Caleb. 

“Lots of lights. Like street lamps for outside, and hallway lights for inside, and flashlights so we can carry light with us if those aren’t working.” 

Fritz responds by shivering. “I’m glad the lights here aren’t super bright.” 

“And that they all turn off at night,” Caleb agrees. 

Eggs stares into the darkness as it dawns on him why they hate light. Remembers all the times they’ve just appeared from the shadows after realizing it was one of the few humans they trusted who walked into the kitchen or office. Might have completely forgotten about the fact they have to hide from everyone else, so used to the two happily waving up at them to say hi. 

Honestly, he can’t say he blames them, not when people like David exist. And thank fuck the business man had more important things to do tonight then mingle with the commoners. 

Oh shit! “So you guys don’t use any light?” 

“Not inside the walls, but we do keep a fire going at home,” Fritz says instead of crushing Eggs’ dreams of actually getting to see the borrower’s house. He’d still take the tour even if it was in complete darkness and he’s only told about what’s in front of him, but this makes it way better. 

Suddenly they’re stopping. And then the ground starts to tremble. 

“What the fuck is that?” Eggs demands, his head whipping around in the attempt to find anything that could be making the ground shake. It’s not continuous, either. No, it starts and stops rhythmically. Almost like- 

Holy shit those are footsteps. 

“I’m pretty sure that’s James,” Fritz says. 

“I think so too,” Caleb agrees before gently tugging on Eggs’ hand for attention. “Would it be okay if we told James first?” 

James. Partner in crimes James. Doctor James. Giant James. 

Between all of his coworkers, James might actually be the best option. Because Mike will guarantee pick him up to make sure he didn’t manage to break any bones, and Jeremy will be impossible to say no to no matter what is asked. Scott would be a death sentence. Which leaves James as the winner by default, and Eggs either getting thoroughly inspected or immediately being pocketed. 

...on second thought maybe he would prefer Mike. 

“Sure,” Eggs forcibly smiles. He is doing a terrible job of hiding his nerves if both Caleb and Fritz squeezing his hands in reassurance gives any indication. “Just, uh, question. How do you know it’s not, say, Mike?” 

“Mike’s footsteps are a lot slower.” 

“Though it might be Scott, sometimes it’s hard to tell him and James apart.” 

Eggs’ eyes grow wide. “What are my footsteps like?” 

“Very bouncy,” Fritz says, and he can hear a smile in the teenager’s voice. “We can always tell when you’re walking down the hall.” 

“Hey!” 

“It’s a good thing,” Caleb giggles, distracting him as Fritz lets go of his hand. “It means we don’t hesitate to always find the nearest exit to say hi.” 

And doesn’t that just make him all warm and fuzzy inside. Especially with how genuinely scary it was to feel the ground shake like there’s an earthquake. 

Eggs’ want to pull Caleb into a hug is hindered as something is suddenly shoved into his free hand before he’s essentially slapped as his eyes are hurriedly covered. Too chaotic for even him to keep track of, Eggs decides to hold what feels like a fabric something close as he shuts his eyes to avoid them getting poked out by a finger. Flinches when light not blocked by what he assumes to be Caleb’s hand hits his eyelids. 

“Dude, nice save,” Eggs praises, genuinely appreciative of Caleb’s quick thinking. He’ll take getting slapped around over getting flash banged any day. He does not want to know how long it would’ve taken for his eyes to recover if he got hit with a face full of light after being in complete darkness for several minutes. “I owe you one.” 

“Owe me one what?” Caleb asks as he carefully takes his hand away. Even though Eggs’ eyes are closed, he can’t help flinching from just how bright is it. Imagine if they just trapped customers in pure darkness for a good five minutes before they come into the restaurant, then no one will ever complain how dim it is. 

“Anything you want,” Eggs grins. Takes a moment to gather his courage before gently, gently opening his eyes, blinking rapidly against the burning sensation of his retinas catching on fire. But hey, he can at last make out a dark blob he assumes to be Fritz looking out of the walls! “You’ve got a life debt over me. Those are sacred and you use them as leverage over whoever owes you.” 

Now that Eggs can see, he realizes a few things, that being Fritz is apparently holding a piece of plaster aside so he look out into the hallways, and that the thing he was handed was none other than Fredbear as its soulless eyes stare directly into his soul. And Eggs’ eyes are watering from the pain, not from Caleb trusting him with his single most valuable thing in his possession all in the name of ensuring the human under their care didn’t go blind after being a borrower for less than thirty minutes. 

He’s quick to hand the plush bear back over, Caleb beaming as he accepts it. “Now you’ve got two life debts for letting me use him for emotional support.” 

The kid giggles softly before abruptly cutting himself off as a deep thump echoes through the hallway, and now Eggs wants nothing more than for Fritz to seal them away in darkness again. 

Instead, the teenager slips out of the walls through the crack, turning to hold the plaster away as he gestures for them to follow. “It’s James, he’ll start walking this way any minute.” 

There’s no stopping a bit of terror creeping through him. But this is James. Someone who always watches where he steps whenever he’s at this restaurant. Someone Fritz and Caleb trust wholeheartedly despite the man being a doctor. He’ll be fine, he’ll be fine! 

Taking a deep breath, Eggs steps toward the crack. Gives Caleb a smile as he lets the kid’s hand go so he can carefully shuffle his way out of the walls. Groans when the light attempts to blind him all over again once he’s completely out of the darkness. 

The moment he can open his eyes again is the moment his lungs stop working. Because even though the office had loomed over him, it did nothing to prepare him for the hallway. The same one he walked through thirty minutes ago just like James had, and now it stretches for miles. The opening to the main room looks blurry from this distance like it’s a mountain rather than a simple doorway. 

Eggs then looks down to find the checker floor pattern starring back at him. Except this time he stands with both feet on a single black tile instead of having to balance on one foot so his shoe doesn’t touch any of the other squares. 

Fuck he’s tiny. 

Movement to his right catches his eye, making him focus on the office- 

“Are you fucking with me!” Eggs blurts out, unable to help himself. Unable to decide if he should be angry, or in awe. “The office is right there! Weren’t we walking for a solid five minutes!” 

He whirls on Fritz and Caleb wearing sheepish yet thoroughly amused looks, neither of them surprised that the doorway into the office is literally twenty feet away. “Welcome to being borrower size.” 

“How do you guys get anywhere!” the mechanic exclaims. “You always just appear, and yet-!” 

Eggs’ rant is cut off as the ground jumps, then jumps again. He turns back to the office, backing away slowly as a shadow moves, getting bigger until a tennis shoe steps into the hallway. The very same that Scott constantly bitches about because it’s not proper dress code and that he’s tapped with his own converse to try to annoy James. 

It’s now the size of a bus. And it causes the floor to shake. And then another matching one suddenly joins it as they carry something big into the hallway. 

Eggs looks up, up, up as he tries to find James’ face. The only issue is that the man doesn’t stop walking, those catastrophic shoes stepping toward them as he exits the office. So as Eggs is forced to lean back to try and see the giant in his entirety, the ground seems to explode, leaving him falling onto his back with a suppressed scream from losing his balance. 

At least lying down he can finally see James properly. Watches as brown eyes miles above him glance toward the wall. Stares as a smile spreads across the towering being’s face as the shoes stop instead of continuing on. 

“Hey guys,” the man rumbles like a fucking storm cloud. “Decided you didn’t want to join Eggs-?” 

Eggs sees the moment James realizes there’s something wrong with what he’s looking at, admittedly fascinated as the monumental expression slowly shifts into one of confusion before bursting into one of recognition and alarm. 

Before he can say, do, or think anything, James is kneeling down way too quickly for someone of his size to be. A giant should be slow and need a minute to do something as simple as turning. But this one makes Eggs’ clothes rustle strictly from the speed of its movements. It also makes everything shake again as a knee hits the ground. 

“Eggs?” sounds like a god is about to smite him. And then a hand is reaching out to grab him. 

Fight or flight instincts finally kick in, and Eggs scrambles to his feet with the sole intention to run, only to find himself stopped by a hand on his arm. 

At first he is genuinely confused until he looks up to see Caleb watching him worriedly, having completely forgotten about the borrower. Both borrowers, Fritz skidding to a stop in front of them with both hands held out. 

“James wait!” 

Rather than grabbing the teenager instead, the hand big enough to grab all of them straight up stops before sheepishly pulling away to reveal James looking properly chastened. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have tried to grab. I was just...” 

James wears a defeated look as he fails to find the right word, opting to simply sit and wait for what they have to say. And that single handedly makes all of Eggs previous terror wash away at the realization that despite being a literal giant, it’s the ones smaller than a finger with all of the power. 

He’s still not letting anyone pick him up, though! 

“Surprised, bewildered, letting your inner kaiju come out?” Eggs suggests. 

It’s weird seeing James’ fascination and worry attempting to battle each other on a billboard sized face. “Sometimes the Godzilla in me just can’t be contained.” 

A tugging on his sleeve has Eggs looking down at Caleb’s questioning look. “What’s a kaiju?” 

“And a Godzilla?” Fritz joins in as he glances between everyone. 

James and Eggs share a look. “How have we not shown them any movies?” 

“Think Scott would give us permission to bring a DVD player in?” 

“We don’t need permission,” Eggs waves before grinning down at Caleb. “We’ll show you what a kaiju is next week, deal?” 

The kid nods. “Deal.” 

James clears his throat, the giant earning all of their attention. “As for this week, how did you manage to break every law in biology and physics?” 

“Hey, they broke every scientific law way before me, so why can’t I join them?” Eggs demands. 

James stares at him. “You have no idea how you shrunk.” 

The mechanic shakes his head. “Nope! Waiting for Fritz and Caleb one minute, and then poof, tiny town.” 

The borrowers look up at James for an explanation. Because how they understand it, doctors know everything when it comes to the human body, which means out of everyone it should be James who can tell them what ‘poof’ means. 

This day, however, they’ve managed to stump the doctor as he openly gawks at Eggs. And then the hand is back, except this time it’s a closed fist with a single pointing finger. 

Because it’s clearly not going to grab him, and it’s moving slow enough he could easily run away from it, Fritz doesn’t command the giant to stop and neither does Eggs, admittedly curious about what James is planning. 

Honestly, he should’ve known what was going to happen, but his own fascination over the fact it’s a giant hand left him blindsided as he’s gently poked. Well, it felt gentle, but there was enough force to make Eggs stumble back. “Hey!” 

“This is real,” James confirms. “You somehow managed to shrink yourself.” 

“And I’ll do it again!” Eggs proclaims before turning back toward where he’s pretty sure the entrance back into the walls is. “But now that we have that out of the way, Fritz, Caleb, and I have a house tour to get to, so see you later!” 

“Not so fast,” the giant murmurs, the single poking finger suddenly turning into two as they pinch the back of his shirt, effectively stopping Eggs in his tracks. Strictly from the fact he’s literally trapped and no other reason. “I think it would be a good idea to let me look you over to make sure there aren’t any adverse side effects for suddenly being two inches tall.” 

Eggs crosses his arms to hide his shivers. “What if I don’t think it’s a good idea?” 

“Should we actually be worried about that?” Fritz asks, genuine fear in his voice. 

Eggs shoots a glare up at James, gesturing toward the teenager in the silent statement of ‘look what you did’. 

“It’s always a good sign when someone is talking and moving around normally. However, there could be possible strain on your body and therefore you might need to take it easy.” James fixes Eggs with a pointed look. “It would also be wise for us to inform Cawthon and the others.” 

The mechanic starts the impossible task of escaping from a giant, twisting around to try and yank his shirt away from the fingertips, digging his heels into the ground. “You can’t make me!” 

“What’s wrong with telling the others?” Caleb innocently asks. 

That manages to pause Eggs’ half dramatic half serious escape attempt, glancing up to meet James’ knowing look hovering over him like the moon. 

Then the doctor smirks. “Oh, he just doesn’t want to bruise his ego.” 

The mechanic’s jaw drops. “Excuse-!” 

He shrieks as the fingers suddenly let go, leaving him falling to the floor in a heap. “No, no, I completely understand. I mean, having to tell them you have no idea how you shrunk? That this mastermind of a prank wasn’t something you orchestrated? Your pride wouldn’t be able to handle such a blow.” 

“I’m not Harrison,” Eggs snaps as he quickly stands up in order to kick the fingers. “My pride doesn’t bruise that easily!” 

“Could’ve fooled me,” James shrugs. 

The mechanic points an angry finger up at the giant. “Alright, that’s it, you’re taking us to Scott and that’s final!” 

Without another word, the fingers turn into an offered hand waiting for him to step on. 

...well shit, now he has to. 

Before he can even think about stepping up onto a fingerprint, Fritz is walking over James’ middle finger. “Need any help up?” 

“Nah, I’ve got it,” Eggs grins as he quickly joins the teenager. 

He notices two things the moment he steps onto the hand. One, balancing on someone’s finger is not as easy as it looks, and pinwheeling his arms does nothing to save him from tumbling forward with a yell. Two, he hadn’t realized how cold it was until James’ warmth washes over him as he lays on his back in the giant’s palm, too scared to move or else he’ll fall again. 

Along with James hovering above fighting to keep the amusement off his face, both Fritz and Caleb lean into his line of sight with worried expressions. “Are you okay, Eggs?” 

The mechanic huffs. “Show offs.” 

“Here,” Fritz grins as he offers a hand, helping Eggs up until he’s standing. Even with help though, his knees buckle as the uneven surface dips from his weight, forcing him to sit back down and contemplate pulling Fritz down to join him. “It’s really hard to balance at first, but you get used to it.” 

“It’s easiest with James,” Caleb adds, which earns the doctor a narrowed look. 

James only smirks. “Steady hands are in the job description.” 

Eggs telling the giant where exactly he can shove the fact he’s got steady hands becomes a breathless gasp as the hand suddenly lifts up, gravity trying to flatten him against the palm. That’s when Fritz quickly sits down, the teenager’s grip on his hands becoming tight and face going pale. But when he catches Eggs’ look of concern because that can not be a good sign from someone who’s been held dozens of times, he only flashes a smile. 

“Might want to hold onto something.” 

“Hold onto-?” 

Eggs’ words are stolen by James standing. If he thought going up a single story was bad, going up ten has his stomach twisting from vertigo. He doesn’t dare look over the side of the hand, only reaches out to grab Caleb’s arm before pulling both borrower’s close. 

There, now no one can fall off! 

James’ raised eyebrow says the giant doesn’t understand he is the equivalent to a roller-coaster without seatbelts. “Everyone alright?” 

“Dude,” Eggs berates. “You’re giant.” 

The doctor stares at him for a moment before letting out a quiet ‘ah’ that ruffles their hair. “I promise to be careful.” 

“You better be!” 

As if trying to prove he is careful, the hand’s suddenly moving closer to the giant until his palm is held right next to his chest. And honestly, that does make Eggs feel a hundred times better having a giant wall next to them instead of a mile long drop on both sides. 

Then the doctor starts walking, and Eggs swears his teeth chatter with each one. 

“How do you guys sit on our shoulders?” he breathes. 

“I blame Caleb,” Fritz halfheartedly grumbles, looking like he’s rather enjoying the impromptu pile. 

“It’s fun seeing things the way humans do,” the youngest confides. “Everything looks so small.” 

“You know what Caleb, if you ever want to stand on my head, you just say the word.” 

Fritz goes so pale it almost seems like his freckles will jump off his face at any moment, a perfect contrast to Caleb looking so excited he just might explode. “Really?” 

“As long as someone else is around to spot you,” James rumbles before the kid’s poor brother has a heart attack. 

It seems to work, Fritz breathing out a sigh of relief as Caleb beams. “Okay!” 

“Spotting for what?” 

Eggs goes very still at the sound of Scott’s voice as it rumbles just as much as James’ does. Looking toward his left, he sees their supervisor sitting at a table as he reads over something and definitely a giant. And a certain shrunken mechanic just promised to let Caleb do something extremely dangerous. 

It’s not too late to run, is it? 

“Something to do with climbing,” James responds as he continues walking toward the imminent danger instead of running far, far away. “But there’s something else you should know about.” 

Well great going, James. He just managed to set off every one of Scott’s alarm bells, the man’s attention turning away from whatever he’s working on to focus on James and his handful of borrowers. 

Even though Eggs knows Scott can’t really see who exactly James holds from their current distance, but he swears the oldest is staring right at him. 

“What happened?” Scott asks, more confused than angry. Which is good, very good, they’d like to keep it that way. 

Instead of taking one for the team and just telling their supervisor Eggs is tiny before immediately taking those who have a house tour scheduled directly to said house, James walks straight to the table Scott’s sitting at before setting his hand down. 

It only takes a moment for Scott’s eyes to widen. "Eggs?” 

You know what he likes most about Scott? The fact the man isn’t grabby. Unlike certain doctors. But there is no way in hell he is getting off this hand. So he gives a winning smile as he holds his emotional support borrowers closer. “Heeeey, Scott. So, funny thing, I somehow got shrunk down to borrower size and now they’re going to show me their place, okay bye!” 

“I’m sorry, you just shrunk?” Scott murmurs, shaking his head in disbelief. 

Eggs nods his own head. “Yep! Just poof, tiny town.” 

The man glances up at James, then between Fritz and Caleb before staring at Eggs again. “Are you hurt?” 

You know what, this is going a lot better than he expected. “Nope! Fritz and Caleb immediately found me, then we hailed James down together.” 

Scott then gives a look. “Has James looked you over yet?” 

Fuck! “He doesn’t need to, I’m fine.” 

“There hasn’t been any noticeable concerns,” James begins. And then the hand they’re sitting on is suddenly tilting, earning a laugh from Caleb, a gasp from Fritz, and a scream from Eggs as they’re all slid onto the table. “You can assume what his response was when I first brought up checking him over for potential side effects.” 

Before Eggs can shove Fritz and Caleb away to scramble back onto the hand and demand a ride to anywhere but here, his only chance for escape is taken away at the same time Scott leans down to get a proper look at him. 

Again, it’d be fascinating watching someone’s face twist into different expressions if he wasn’t the center of attention. But at least there’s still no hand reaching out to grab him. 

They have a staring contest for a good minute. Up until Scott forfeits by looking between the two borrowers Eggs is still hugging close for security reasons. “Has he been good for you two?” 

“Hey!” 

“He has,” Caleb grins, Fritz wearing a giant smile of his own. 

“Good,” sounds rather foreboding as Scott focuses on him again. “You let me know if he gets into any trouble.” 

“I’m a great borrower, thank you,” Eggs pouts. “And I don’t need some “doctor” to tell me if I’m not allowed to do a house tour or not.” 

“Did you just air quote my title?” James rumbles from somewhere behind him. 

“Well I’ve never seen a certificate!” 

“You didn’t ask for one when I bandaged your finger last week.” 

“So you’re admitting to medical malpractice!” 

“Humor me,” Scott cuts in, earning a suspicious look as Eggs tries to use Caleb as a shield. “Let James check you over, and then I will personally take you wherever it is you want to go.” 

Ooh, a personal escort from Scott. Not even Mike would be able to intercept them. 

Actually, speaking of Mike. “Where’s Mike and Jer?” 

“Mike’s teaching Jeremy how to repair an arcade machine.” The giant then hesitates. “I’ll make sure he asks to pick you up.” 

“Deal!” Eggs exclaims, not wanting to pass up the deal of a lifetime. 

Scott breathes a sigh of relief that ruffles their hair before sitting up, rubbing a tired hand over his face. “You’re lucky I don’t put you inside a jar and call it a night.” 

Both Fritz and Caleb suddenly tense, the two not even breathing as Eggs is left to try and figure out why he also instinctively tensed up. 

Because Scott won’t actually put him inside a jar. David definitely would, he even put Fritz in one for a bit, but no one else would do that. Scott’s teasing, he always threatens to sic Mike and Vincent on someone, this is just a topical threat! 

Yet Eggs can’t help imagining sitting in the bottom of a jar, pounding on the glass as the others just watch him. Maybe even flick it once or twice just for the fuck of it. 

Physically shaking away the thought from his head, Eggs elbows Fritz, smirking at the fearful look. “Even if Scott did put me in a jar, it wouldn’t be able to contain me for long.” 

“No it wouldn’t,” the giant begrudgingly agrees. 

The borrower’s fear doesn’t immediately disappear, but he does become a little less tense. Caleb for his part let’s his curiosity show past the terror as he looks up at Eggs. “How would you get out of it?” 

“When in doubt, ask Jeremy for help,” the mechanic smirks as he reaches behind him. “But, if he’s not around, a bet ten bucks the glass wouldn’t be able to hold up against a wrench banging on it for very long.” 

With a flourish, he reveals the wrench he never goes anywhere without. Because mechanic secrets 101, if it’s broken, 99.9% of the time it’ll work once it’s given a good whack. It also works surprisingly well for keeping murderous animatronics in line! 

While he was expecting a round of applause, he didn’t anticipate Caleb and Fritz staring at his wrench with wonder. 

“It’s our size,” Fritz breathes and right, right. He kind of forgot about the fact that even though he’s shrunk, they’ve always been tiny. 

Caleb reaches a hand out before hesitating. “Can I hold it?” 

“Of course,” Eggs agrees, passing the wrench over to the kid before gently pushing the two borrowers away so he can stand up and brush his hands off. He then turns to them with a smile, grabbing his screwdriver as well to offer to Fritz. Because that’s the only tool Funtime Freddy’s wary of, the rest give the wrench the proper respect. “Tell you what, you guys chase each other around with these while James does “doctor” things.” 

The teenager copies his brother, reaching out to accept the offered screwdriver before hesitating. He ends up grabbing it, though, staring at it with wonder. If Eggs knew he was going to mysteriously shrink with everything on his person getting downsized as well, he would’ve had cooler things on him! Or at the very least kept a few screws and bolts so they can properly cause property damage. Imagine trying to unscrew something you can’t even see. 

It would’ve been the perfect prank! They’ll just have to plan for next time. 

“Now go forth and cause chaos!” 

“Scott, can you tell us what these do?” Caleb asks, effectively cutting off what was guaranteed going to be a long lecture about not running around with tools and causing chaos. 

The giant looks absolutely torn between the want to answer and the need to discourage everything fun. But it’s impossible to say no a borrower, the man nodding his massive head with a pained look. “I can. Just no running with them.” 

“Wait a min-!” 

Eggs’ words are stolen away when he’s suddenly plucked from the table, his shirt going taunt around his neck as his feet are lifted several inches off the ground. “You can let them run with scissors later.” 

At James’ voice, he realizes who had the audacity to pull him away, literally, from making Scott’s life a living hell. But no amount of kicking and squirming stops the fingers that managed to snag his shirt from carrying him over the table to set him down right by the edge where the doctor stands. 

Eggs crosses his arms as he’s let go once his feet touch the ground. “That was rude.” 

“You agreed to a check up,” the giant shrugs as he kneels down, putting them fairly close to eye-level. “How do you feel physically? Any soreness or fatigue?” 

Other than the crick in his neck from having to constantly look up to talk to giants? “No, I’m not sore or anything. Definitely not tired. More like I chugged a monster.” 

He didn’t think such a feeling was a weird one, but James’ eyebrows raise. “Did you have a monster earlier, or is it just adrenaline?” 

“Oh it’s definitely adrenaline.” 

“Anything else I should know about?” 

Eggs thinks it over for a moment. “I’m actually really hungry. Like more than I usually am. We’re making pizza tonight, right?” 

“We are,” James says, his eyes looking his patient over for a moment. “Mind if I check your pulse?” 

The mechanic shrugs. “Sure.” 

He expected a stethoscope. What he didn’t expect was for a hand to appear, fingers looking like they’re going to pinch his shirt again. As it gets closer, he starts to get worried James will try to do it to normal way by grabbing his wrist. But then the fingers twist, and Eggs stumbles away from the thumb suddenly held against his chest, only to be stopped by the finger against his back. 

He can’t help a shiver go up his spine at how trapped he is. Getting his shirt snagged is one thing, but James can just pinch him in order to lift him off the table. Maybe even drop into a pocket or hand over to Scott. Maybe even use just a little too much pressure and then his ribs are broken. 

That would definitely get James’ medical license revoked, right? 

Eggs takes a deep breath. Reminds himself this is a professional borrower handler. James knows how to hold someone, his ribs will be fine. Besides, they’re not even pinching him. More like just keeping him in one spot. 

Despite the internal psyching himself up, he knows for a fact his heart is beating way too fast, though. Especially as James gives a knowing look before focusing back on his watch to time the pulse. Finally after an entire minute, the fingers move away from his chest, the relief short lived as they then lift his arms up. 

“Woah, I didn’t give permission for a full physical!” 

“I’m checking for any signs of discoloration, as well as any limitations to your movements,” the giant rumbles. “Mind telling me what exactly happened when you shrunk?” 

Eggs decides to try and be as difficult as possible, going completely limp and flopping over James’ thumb as a small huff ruffles his clothes. “So I’m laying on my stomach in the office, watching the mouse hole for when Fritz and Caleb arrives. And then I blink and bam, the desk is towering over me.” 

James’ brow furrows. “‘Bam’ as in you felt it happening?” 

“No, I didn’t feel anything. Not nauseous, not like I was getting squeezed. One second I’m a little under six feet, the next I’m a little under three inches.” 

“And you absolutely didn’t eat, drink, or touch anything that you were unfamiliar with.” 

Eggs shrugs. “I mean I don’t think I did, but who knows what kind of sentient mold has been growing in that office.” 

James tilts his head. “Point taken.” 

“So am I good to go, doc?” the mechanic asks, ducking under the fingers to take a few steps backwards. He would like to do more important things, thank you. 

Their resident doctor almost seems to pout. “You should at least let me document your current weight and height-” 

“I’m hearing things that aren’t necessary,” Eggs interrupts. “I’ve got a clean bill of health, and I intend to use it!” 

He then turns on his heels, intending to race back over to where Scott is clearly enjoying himself and therefore it needs to be stopped. The moment he lifts a foot is the moment his other one is grabbed, ending with him yelling as he falls onto his stomach. And then he’s getting dragged back towards James. 

Eggs immediately attempts to claw at the table. “We still don’t even know how you broke every law of matter conversation known to man.” 

“Oh and you think you can solve it?” Eggs demands, twisting around so he can kick at the fingers pinching his ankle. 

“We also don’t have a timeline for how long you might be-” 

“La, la, la, I can’t hear you!” Eggs sings, complete with plugging his ears. When the giant only gives him a flat look, he turns toward Scott. “Scott! James is trying to use me in the scientific method!” 

Immediately his ankle is freed, letting him stumble to his feet to book it. “I am not. I just pointed out that while he seems to be fine, we have no information regarding what caused this, and how long it might last for.” 

Scott glances between the doctor and the would be unwilling participant to anything concerning using him for figuring out the how and why of him shrinking. Would it be nice to know this isn’t permanent? Of course it would be! But he’s, possibly, only going to be a borrower once, and he is going to use this time how he wants to. 

That means the poking and prodding are going to be kept to a minimum. He is also being taken on a house tour as promised. And then he will experience the wonders of a pizza a thousand times his size. 

“Is he okay?” Scott settles on, doing nothing to stop Eggs skids to a halt next to a concerned Fritz and an excited Caleb. 

“Are you okay?” is asked at the same time as “Look what we made!” 

Man, he really missed hanging out with someone his own size. Giants suck. “No side effects! Now show me what Scott got wrong.” 

As Fritz turns his attention to the giants, Caleb shows him an honest to God bolt. It’s a bit bigger than what Eggs is used to, and definitely a lot shinier, but it’s an actual bolt. 

“That’s cool as hell,” the mechanic praises. “How did you make a bolt?” 

“With the extra foil we had!” Caleb beams. The kid digs his hand into the bag sitting by his feet before offering a thin piece of shiny material. “Fredbear helped me get the shape correct.” 

Eggs takes the material to flip over and see the duller side. Feels like he’s been slapped in the face when he realizes it’s aluminum foil. And yet it’s not flopping around or crinkling from his fingers. No, if he tried to fold this, it’d take a good amount of strength to try and manipulate it. 

“I forgot you guys carried this around with you.” His eyes wonder over to the bag he has never seen Fritz go anywhere without, always slung over the teenager’s shoulder just like Fredbear is always in Caleb’s arms. And suddenly he wants to do nothing more than rifle through it like a raccoon. But he holds himself back, instead clearing his throat before casually suggesting “Can I see the hook you guys use?” 

The one he’s watched Fritz throw high above his head to latch it onto a table or counter before both climb up the string tied to it like it’s nothing. The one he’s asked to look at previously but was nervously declined, including looking at the bag itself. Both of which he respected, because the borrower’s will never be forced to do anything they don’t want to. 

Caleb immediately turns to his brother. “Can he look at our hook, Fritz?” 

Even though the older is still listening to whatever’s being rumbled above their heads, he immediately looks over to answer. And this time, instead of trying to hold the mentioned item as closely as possible, Fritz nods his head in assent. “Sure, just don’t throw it or swing it at anyone.” 

Eggs blinks when he realizes he definitely would’ve challenged Scott with it, and yet Fritz managed to beat him to the idea first. Maybe he can find something else to defend against giants, but that’s for later! For now he’s quickly nodding his head to promise it will not be going off to climb down the table or to fight giants. Watches in awe as Caleb digs through the bag again before revealing- 

“Holy shit it’s a paper clip?” Eggs can’t help blurting out. 

Both borrowers look over what had been declared as a climbing hook since day one with newfound interest. “That’s what it’s called?” 

It definitely can’t be used to hold papers together now with how bent out of shape it is, but now that he finally looks at it instead of watching Fritz and Caleb climb up whatever the cliff of the day is, it’s clear that’s a paperclip. A mangled one that was either extra small or got cut in half, but one none the less. And yet it’s a little longer than his forearm. With a long thread that looks a lot closer to rope then something to sew clothes together with. 

After he stands a good minute with his jaw on the floor, Caleb offers it over to him. The moment Eggs takes it is the moment it really hits home how small he is. Having James hold and pinch him is one thing, but holding a paperclip that could easily hold his weight is another. 

Because the paperclip is hefty. He can’t imagine throwing this thing more than a few feet, not to mention an entire football field and directly above him on top of that. 

Never mind tiny ninjas, borrowers are super humans. 

“You’ve got to show me how you throw this thing around,” Eggs says. “Ooh, can we climb something!” 

“I would prefer if you didn’t,” Scott interrupts, making Eggs jump as he turns to see the giant scowling down at him. “Just because I agreed to take you wherever you wanted to go doesn’t mean I agreed to letting you potentially break your neck.” 

A shiver of fear races up Eggs’ spine. “I can still go on a house tour, right?” 

Scott seems to think it over for a moment, his expression slowly turning into one of reseolve. “You don’t need to climb to get there, do you?” 

“No,” Caleb answers. “It’s just behind the cabinets in the kitchen.” 

“On the floor,” Fritz clarifies as his hands clench and unclench nervously. “There’s nothing in our house that’s dangerous.” 

Scott raises an eyebrow as he turns back to the mechanic. “Is that where I’m taking you?” 

Well shit. Eggs forgot about the part where, you know, the giant needs to carry them. “I mean, you did agree to take us wherever I wanted.” 

The giant silently relents, placing both hands palm up onto the table. As Caleb immediately climbs on, Fritz picks up his bag off the ground before holding a hand out to Eggs. Right as he starts to offer the hook back, the teenager gives a smirk. “Want a hand so you don’t go tumbling this time?” 

“Oh ha, ha.” He whacks the hand away to confidentially walk up to the one big enough to hold all of them. “I won’t go-!” 

His first step onto the fingers, and Scott twitches, sending him falling forward with a yell. And this time the hand turns against him, a thumb almost immediately pinning him down. Which is good, because he’s holding a paperclip that could impale him. But it’s also bad because it’s Scott. 

Case and point, the hook is taken away with a rumbling “Are you okay?” 

“No,” Eggs wheezes, trying to keep his panic down about the fact he’s currently trapped for an undetermined amount of time. “My pride has been shot.” 

Fritz appears at his side, his mere presence making the finger disappear so the borrower can help him sit up. “Are you hurt?” 

“No,” Eggs grumbles as he brushes himself off. “I’m fine.” 

“Good,” and he hears the smile in the teenager’s voice. “Guess you still can’t balance on hands.” 

“Hey it wasn’t my fault this time! Scott twitched!” 

The giant nudges him in retaliation. Or is it to check to see if he’s actually fine? Or is it just because the need to poke your shrunken coworker is a natural phenomenon? 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you trip,” Scott murmurs, meaning it’s a combination of guesses two and three. “You’d think I’d be used to the feeling of someone walking on my hands by now.” 

“No need to beat yourself up, Scott,” James says. “We all know it’s hard to keep your hands steady at such an old age.” 

That makes Eggs grin as Scott aims a flat look toward the doctor. Pats the nearest finger for attention. “No one blames you for it. By the way, have you gotten more grey hairs recently?” 

“You’re pushing it,” the giant warns, and Eggs is quick to become a model hand traveler, sitting crisscross as Fritz and Caleb copy him. 

“Ready when you are!” earns a sigh, but the hand lifts away from the table as Scott stands. 

And then they’re off to the kitchen! He’ll have to say, having two hands cupped together is definitely better in terms of not making them feel like they’ll fall to their deaths at any second. There’s also no Mike’s that appear to try and delay their journey. No Jeremy’s spawning in or James’ attempting to snag one of them. Except for the one nudge, the hands offer nothing but warmth and comfort. 

10/10, would take Scott’s offer to act as borrower chauffeur again. 

“James, would you mind-?” 

“Of course not,” the doctor smiles, opening the door to the kitchen. 

“Where am I putting everyone down?” Scott asks. 

Fritz twists himself to look around the kitchen. Lifts an arm up to hesitate for only a second before pointing beyond the hand. “By the sink, please.” 

Scott’s footsteps jostle Eggs to the core, his stomach getting left behind as the man kneels. This time when the hands are set down, he doesn’t hesitate to accept Fritz’s offer for help, leaning heavily on the teenager as he carefully walks off the palm. 

Once he’s safely on the ground with no tripping this time, he turns around to see Scott towering over them, the perspective once again slapping him in the face. It doesn’t help that James stands a few feet away, a living skyscraper that could walk closer at any moment. 

Eggs waves at them. “Okay see you later bye!” 

“Just a moment,” Scott says, placing a hand between Eggs and the cabinet. Which manages to startle him because again, giants should not be able to move that quickly, but it’s better than having his shirt snagged. “You three are just doing a house tour?” 

“Scoooot,” Eggs whines. His shove at the hand to try and get it to move only receives a twitch back. “You don’t need to worry about us. We’re literally just going into the walls." 

His words do nothing to ease the giant’s concern. Should he have put clingy giants higher on his list of worries? 

“It’s…i-it’s a straight walk there,” Fritz begins, his hands tightly clenched around the strap of his bag. “No turns or inclines. We’ll just show him our room and then bring him right back.” 

“That sounds like it’ll give us plenty of time to make pizza,” James chimes in. 

Scott still looks like he wants to give into the temptation of sticking Eggs in a jar, but hand slowly lifts away. “I’m less worried about him getting lost or hurt, and more-so him causing trouble.” 

“I mean that is my specialty,” the mechanic grins. “But I know being tiny is their specialty, so I’ll listen to the experts!” 

Finally a smile pulls at Scott’s mouth. “I mean it, if they report back saying you caused any trouble, I’m handing you to Mike.” 

Eggs tries to swallow the lump in his throat. “Heard. And I want pepperoni on my pizza.” 

“Heard,” James calls back as the giant walks out of sight, though it’s impossible to not know where the doctor went with the ground jumping with every step. 

“We good to go, then?” 

A finger appears to nudge him into Fritz, both of them nearly toppling over as Scott fights to keep a grin off his face. “Don’t make them regret taking you anywhere.” 

He’ll take that as a yes. “Hurry, before he changes his mind!” 

Caleb is more than happy to take Eggs’ hand to lead him through a small crack in the wood. Good news, Scott doesn’t attempt to stop them. More good news, it feels like a literal weight comes off his shoulders as he starts walking through pure darkness, unable to help feel anything except relief to be somewhere impossible for a giant to watch or grab him. 

“Now I know why you guys hate leaving the walls,” Eggs shivers. “Giants are terrifying.” 

“Humans can be a lot sometimes,” Fritz admits softly behind him. “But we trust you.” 

“And it’s fun being carried,” Caleb quietly gushes. “It would’ve taken us forever to get here, but a human does it in seconds.“ 

Eggs stares into the darkness thoughtfully. “Who do you like carrying you the most?” 

“Jeremy,” they say in unison. 

“…yeah that tracks.” 

Caleb giggles as something elbows him in the stomach. This time he doesn’t jump a mile high. “So how have you liked being a borrower so far?” 

“It has its ups and downs,” Eggs muses. “I can do without the giants, but I’m excited about food big enough to last me for a year.” 

“That’s one of the best parts being friends with humans,” Caleb agrees. 

“Especially because it’s always warm food,” Fritz adds, the teenager sounding a little farther ahead of them, as well as longingly. 

Before Eggs can ask about why specifically warm food, there’s a sound of a match being struck as a ball of light appears. The closer they get, the more it grows until it reveals Fritz kneeling in front of a small fire. 

Caleb lets go of his hand to grab something off of what looks like a table, giving it to his brother who lights it before giving it back. It’s then taken around to room to light birthday candles standing in four different corners. 

Once everything is lit, Eggs finds himself standing in the middle of a space about the size of his apartment’s living room, with something he can confidentially say is a table on one side with some kind of chest, the other sits a nest of fabrics all piled together. 

This is by far the coziest room Eggs will ever have the pleasure of seeing. 

“So, uh, welcome to our home,” Fritz introduces as he stands up, brushing his pants off. “It’s not much but...we don’t need a lot.” 

“Dude this place is awesome,” Eggs replies. “Show me everything.” 

Caleb immediately pulls him over to the table he now realizes is cardboard, offering him a genuine thimble seat in order to sit down so he can be laden with several items. 

“This is our water jug, and our crumb basket, and the candle we use to light the lamps, and our match for the fire, and-” 

The kid keeps going, naming things that are passed to Eggs who doesn’t dare put anything down, though Fritz starts taking a few items once the pile gets too tall at the same time he starts passing his brother things from the bag. Like the button claimed as a tray for ‘breakfast in bed’, and a needle so small he can only imagine how it would be microscopic if they took it to James and Scott to show, and don’t let him forget just how useful aluminum foil is when it comes to holding both water and food. 

He never realized how resourceful the two are. But then again, they can’t exactly just go to the nearest store to buy a few items. Anything they want needs to be made by hand. Or found underneath a cabinet after someone accidentally kicked it. 

“And here’s your wrench back.” 

Eggs is admittedly confused when he’s handed something made for him get passed over among everything else. Once it registers what was said, he’s immediately passing it back to Caleb. “Oh I can’t take this back. You’re an honorary mechanic now! And every mechanic needs a wrench.” 

The kid’s eyes grow wide. “I can keep it?” 

“Are you sure?” Fritz asks, already in motion to pass Caleb the screwdriver to give back to Eggs as well. 

“Very sure,” the mechanic smiles. “Who knows! Maybe you’ll come across a screw your size one day.” 

The teenager winces. “W-We won’t be able to use them-” 

“They also make great impromptu hammers,” Eggs adds. “Or maybe they can help twist the foil you guys use. You’re creative, I bet they’ll help you with something around here.” 

Despite Caleb absolutely beaming, Fritz turns the screwdriver in his hands nervously. “You don’t need these?” 

“Trust me, I’ve got dozens of tools back at Afton Robotics. Those were just my backup tools for my backup tools. I won’t be wrenchless anytime soon.” 

Finally the teenager relents, holding the screwdriver close with a look of pure awe. “Thank you, Eggs.” 

“Can we watch you use them properly when your human sized again?” Caleb asks. 

“Of course,” Eggs promises. “You can even be on my head while I show you how to properly destroy an animatronic beyond recognition.” 

That earns him a wrinkled nose from Fritz and a silent gasp of excitement from Caleb. Which means his work is done here! It only gets better when the younger begins to put everything away, starting with tucking the wrench into the nest of fabrics like it’s a stuffed animal. See this is why he’s an honorary mechanic. 

Too bad Fritz immediately protests. “It’s not allowed in the bed!” 

“Why not!” 

“Because you’re going to flop around in your sleep and whack me with it!” 

“Uh skill issue,” Eggs coughs. 

Fritz sputters. “You get woken up by a button hitting your face!” 

“See, I don’t need to worry about such a thing,” the mechanic tuts as he gestures to the buttons on his uniform. “As you can see, they are usually too small. Therefore, skill issue.” 

The teenager narrows his eyes. Shares a look with his brother. Turns back to Eggs as a button the size of his head is passed over. 

Oh shit.

Eggs jumps out of his seat before booking it into the darkness. “Let’s talk about this!” 

“You’re small enough to get hit with one now!” Fritz taunts, not needing to raise his voice above a whisper as it echoes through the passage.

And because a. humans can’t see in the dark like borrowers can, and b. have silent footsteps, Eggs has no idea if Fritz is gaining up on him. All he knows is he is running straight and not stopping until he can bribe a giant into saving him. 

Either Fritz is going easy on him, or Eggs is just that good, because he manages to make it to the crack before his pursuer catches up, letting him stumble blindly into the light. 

It only takes a moment for his eyes to adjust and see Mike towering over him and looking thoroughly amused. 

Fuck. “Heeeey-” 

Eggs’ greeting is interrupted by the sight of Fritz quietly bursting out of the cabinet, button in hand with Caleb standing behind him with a giant smile. 

Never mind, he’ll take Mike. “Help-!” 

His call turns into a yelp as Fritz tackles him. Which is normally works out pretty well for Eggs because he’s a professional at wrestling. Not to brag or anything, but he is the wrestling champion on the entire Benedict family when it comes to winning against his siblings. 

He forgot about the fact borrowers are apparently super human. Within seconds, Fritz has already pinned him. And even though the teenager frees his arm to grab the button that landed next to them, no amount of shoving from Eggs will ever be enough to make the younger lose his balance. 

And then, without any warning, Fritz is suddenly two inches tall and crouched next to the button of Eggs’ uniform identical to the one being held that was meant to whack him on the head. 

Glancing down to see Caleb looking absolutely minuscule standing on the floor to his right and completely unharmed from the sudden giant, Eggs focuses back on the borrower sitting on his chest looking thoroughly pale now that the person previously threatened can now put him inside a jar as retaliation. 

Eggs smirks. “Guess I’ll never know what it’s like to get whacked on the head by a button.” 

In response, Fritz throws it at his head, hitting him right between the eyes. “Now you do!” 

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

He should be at the Adventurer's Guild.

[sabertoothwalrus]

modern au laios

[rooniearts]

Part 1: The Catalyst.

[Part 2: Breaking Point >]

(page two below the cut)

[stealingpotatoes]

The TCW-ESB timejump au lives rent-free in my head! Do you have any more sketches or something to bless the Internet with?

ah one of my many comics i've accidentally abandoned <3 here i made you this to make up for it

(commission info // tip jar!)

[wordwings]

*kicks down your door* It might seem like a plot hole that no one thought about the possibility of Dracula being invited into the asylum by Renfield (or any other patient) but actually it speaks to the way Renfield’s personhood is being denied mainly by Jack Seward, but also the rest of the crew in part through their reliance on Seward’s expertise. Which also ties into the way they have decided to shut out Mina at the very same time. It literally just did not occur to them that the patients living in the same building as them would have any claim to the residency that allows someone to grant the permission a vampire needs to enter a home. But of course the asylum is the patients’ home just as much as it is Jack’s! They live there! In short this fatal blow dealt to the heroes at this crucial juncture comes about through both their sexism and their ableism. Good night. *puts your door back on its hinges again and leaves*

[egophiliac]

GET LOVED, IDIOT

GET LOVED SO HARD YOUR KIDS HOLD HANDS AND POWER-OF-LOVE YOU BACK TO LIFE

sorry guys, this is just my brain now. this is going to be the only thing I think about for the next week at least.

oh and also this

FIVE YEARS IN AND IT'S FINALLY CANON 🎉🎉🎉

WE DID IT

[mochasucculent]

Was looking at refs and since Viktor has two different leg braces I was wondering, do we think he wears them simultaneously?? The refs don't perfectly line up perspective-wise so it's hard to tell but parts of the one he wears during the Hexcore scenes look like they could maybe line up with the brace that he wears over his clothes, but also some parts really don't and look like they'd be super uncomfy. Also HOW does he take these on and off. Experts weigh in

[hoshiboshimax]

wanted to doodle them

[shouyuus]

18+, vi-shaped brainrot, mdni

consider college roommate!vi who is the star of the rugby team and just such a fucking jock about it, spends hours at the gym, has pre and post workout drinks and never closes her door when she's blasting rock music, leaves pink hair dye on the bathroom counter, stains the tub when she gets drunk and tries to redo her roots, calls you everything but your name -- sweetcheeks, dollface, cupcake, princess -- isn't shy about her hookups, doesn't even bother to apologize the mornings after another pretty cheerleader scampers out of her room, shrugs and winks when you come out of the bathroom with a tiny thong dangling off your finger that's clearly not either of yours.

college roommate!vi who does kickboxing on the weekends and teaches a kid's course at the local gym. the first time you go there to drop something of her's off as a favor, you can't help but stare at the way she laughs and chases the kids around, so gentle with her movements, so careful, guiding their punches, correcting their forms. and the kids love her -- it's so easy to see, the stars in their eyes, the color high in their cheeks, the way the girls cluster around her legs and the boys are constantly vying for her approval, how she tries her best to divide up her attention equally between all of them.

college roommate!vi who goes real quiet the first time you laugh in her presence, a real laugh, not one of those ha-ha ones you snipe at her when she's trying to get a rise out of you, or teasing you about spending all your time in the library, but one that shakes your shoulders and makes your whole face light up. who has to blink when you cock your head and ask if she's okay bc she was so busy staring at you, wondering about the weird thumping in her chest, the tightness in her throat.

college roommate!vi who's there for you when you're stressed about your dissertation, and she knew you were smart, but listening to you rant about it at 3am in the morning, she's starting to realize that... you're kind of a genius. to be so young and already doing a doctorate in mechanical engineering, and the things you're trying to do -- they could conceivably change the world one day. who freezes when you let your head drop onto her shoulder with a heavy sigh, telling her that you don't know what to do.

"you'll figure it out, cupcake. with a brain like yours? you always do."

college roommate!vi who realizes way too late that she's kinda got it bad for you, bc since when did she start getting used to the sight of you wearing one of her gym shirts in the mornings, making scrambled eggs, rolling your eyes when she yawns her way into the tiny kitchen, leaning an arm against the fridge as she looks you over before asking what's for breakfast. who's gotten so used to falling asleep to the soft clatter of your computer keys that when you leave to visit your family for a weekend, she tosses and turns and can't figure out why it's impossible for her to get to sleep, wanders into sliver of space you guys have crammed a couch and tv into to call a living room, slumping down there to stare at the ceiling, only to feel her fingers graze against something on the ground, who tugs out the thing from under the couch only to find herself staring at one of your bunched up socks with the goofy cartoon cats pattern, and she remembers (suddenly) finding you tearing your room apart the week before trying to look for it because it's your favorite pair of socks.

she finds herself chuckling, letting the sock fall again, but the tightness in her throat doesn't recede, and invisible fingers clench in her gut as she lets her eyes fall shut.

"well... fuck."

college roommate!vi who doesn't know how to act when you get back from your weekend away, when you throw yourself into her arms, your skin still smelling of the crisp fall air and something warm, and spicy -- it reminds her of the holiday market you dragged her to last year, the cinnamon and spiced apples, the hot, mulled wine, the way it burned all the way down when she took the first sip, the way it worked the most darling flush into your cheeks above your pink knit scarf.

"i've got a present for you!" you say, when you finally extricate yourself from her gasp, your arms still around her shoulders, her hands still settled around your waist.

"y-yeah? you didn't have to do that, sweetcheeks --"

"yeah, but i saw this in a store window and -- well i just... it reminded me of you," you say, pulling back to dig something out of your travel bag, and it takes everything in vi not to tug you back into her chest. so instead, she settles for knitting her arms across her front and coughing to hide the fact that her throat's just tightened over itself at your words. you? seeing something and thinking of her? gods, she was so far gone.

"here," you say, pulling a small black box out and offering it to her on the palm of your hand.

vi stares, before reaching out to take it, her eyes flickering up towards your face, only to catch you chewing on your bottom lip in a way that makes her mind frizzle out at the edges. she refocuses her attention on the box -- opening it, she finds a tiny little gemstone, set on a thin golden chain --

"oh..." she breathes, tugging out up to let the gem dangle from between her fingers.

"it -- it's an alexandrite stone," you say, your voice a bit reedy, but you push on as vi continues to stare, "it's uhm -- one of the rarest gemstones in nature, but the cool thing is it changes colors depending on what kind of light it's under --" you reach up to grasp her wrist, her lungs seizing at the contact as you tug her into the incandescent light of the kitchen. "see? it was light blue a second ago, right? and now it's --"

"violet," vi says, her voice soft and disbelieving.

you quickly let go of her wrist, pursing your lips and wrapping your arms around yourself, looking anywhere but at her face.

"yeah -- i just --" your shoulders shrug up as she stares at you, her sky-light eyes wide, "it... it reminded me of... you."

college roommate!vi who, ever since the "necklace incident" (as the rest of the rugby team likes to call it), hasn't really been the same. she's put on the necklace and not taken it off for even a second since the day you gave it to her, but now she doesn't really know how to act around you -- bc did you actually like her? i mean, the necklace is... a pretty big thing to just give someone, but what if you were just giving it to her as a friend? as a roommate? she agonizes over it to the point that the rest of the team are so, so sick of hearing about it, they lovingly tell her to just fuck her and get it over with already. but vi insists that she can't -- it's different with you.

college roommate!vi who's stunned speechless when she gets home to find you staring at your computer, your expression blank. and at first, she thinks something's horribly wrong, but then you're slamming into her, squealing about how you've done it -- your thesis defense went well, that you're a doctor now -- and she's picking you up, spinning you around, buoyed up by the effervescence of your happiness, pressing a kiss to your cheek --

"oh my god, congrats princess! i knew it! i always knew you could do it!"

"thanks -- god, i just -- i've wanted it for so long i... i don't know what to do with myself now that i've got it, y'know?" you say, still suspended in vi's arms, your feet lifted off the ground. it takes a moment before you both seem to realize the position you're in, and vi clears her throat as she lets you down, you looking away, pressing your palms to your cheeks to cool the heat gathering there.

after a brief pause though, vi chuckles, reaching out to slip a finger beneath your chin, tilting your face up towards her's.

"c'mon, put on one of those pretty dresses of yours. we're going out."

"out?"

"yeah. to celebrate."

you blink as vi pulls her hand away.

"but it's like... 4:30 on a tuesday."

vi cocks an eyebrow, a smirk twitching at her lips, "yes, and? c'mon cupcake --" her eyes catch yours and instead of looking away, she holds it this time, something flickering behind their powder-blue depths that makes your skin prickle with heat, "i'll show you a good time."

college roommate!vi who takes you to one of her favorite clubs, tugging you through the crowd, the jostling bodies, holding your hand in her's, trying really hard not to think too much about it (or the fucking insane little black and pink miniskirt you put on), telling herself that it's just to make sure she doesn't lose you in the crowd, grinning when someone knocks you into her chest, and she finds her arm wrapped around your waist, fingers scrunching the material of your skirt, your palms splayed on her chest.

she buys the both of you a round of shots, watching with a hitched breath as your tongue flickers out to lick the salt daubed on your wrist, the way your eyes squeeze shut when you take the shot and your lips wrap around the lime slice, tries to ignore the twist in her gut like a turning blade, the way her whole body flushes with heat, the dull ache caught between her legs when you wipe your lips, your eyes bright and a little blown out, your cheeks flushed with color as you giggle and lace your hands with hers again --

"come on! i wanna dance!"

college roommate!vi who is just drunk enough to let herself dance with you, to let herself lean in to the way you're twisting your body, fingers in your hair, your eyes closed, an indulgent smile on your lips, who let's herself imagine (just for a second), pulling you in to kiss you, how soft your lips might feel on hers, how silken your skin might be beneath her hands, who tries not to groan when you lean in closer, link your arms behind her neck, press your whole body against her's, who grips your hips just a little too tight, grinds you against her, sees the way you gasp, your eyelids fluttering as you eyes glaze out --

college roommate!vi who can't help how she groans at the sight, tugs you in by the back of your neck to mash her lips to yours, crushing you to her as she kisses you (finally, finally) and you let yourself he kissed -- your fingers tangle in her choppy pink hair, and she swears you make this sweet, mind-bending whimpering noise in the back of your throat that drives her up the wall and right over it --

but when she pulls back, she sees the look on your face -- shocked and little confused, but you're drunk, and she doesn't wanna do this with you -- at least, not like this.

college roommate!vi who pulls away, only to have you follow her all the way out the club, into this small dark alley, her shaking her head, feeling a strange, saltwater prickle at the back of her throat as she says --

"shit -- sorry. i didn't mean to -- i just -- you were just so -- and i -- fuck, i didn't --"

"vi -- vi -- no, violet, listen to me --"

it's her full name on your lips that makes her pause, makes her turn to find you walking towards her. your lipstick is smeared, your hair a waterfall mess around your shoulders as you corner her against the rough brick of the club's exterior. faintly, she can still feel the pulse of music reverberating from inside the club, but out here, the air is damp and cold and quiet.

"i -- i'm sorry i kissed you," she says, her voice cracking over the syllables. she bites her lips as you frown up at her, your eyes searching her's before you let out a soft sigh and a scoff.

"well. i'm sorry you feel that way. cause..." you take half a step back, your arms curling around yourself before you glance back at her with a hard, determined light to your eyes as you press back into her space, your cheeks bright with color.

"i was really kinda hoping you'd do it again."

vi's breath punches out of her chest; it takes a few seconds of sputtering before she gathers herself enough to speak.

"wait -- what? you..."

you crinkle your nose, rolling your eyes, "i -- i thought i was making it obvious -- i mean, with the whole necklace thing -- it doesn't take a genius to figure how i feel about --"

you squeak as she pins you against the opposite wall, her lips seeking yours out, her fingers rucking up the material of your top, making you hiccup as they tease under the wire-rim of your bra.

college roommate!vi who can barely control herself when you sink your fingers into her hair, tugging lightly as you gasp out a breath, her lips tracking fire along the side of your neck, intent on making you whimper again, just the way she likes, grazing her teeth along your collarbone even as you jerk at her hair --

"vi -- fuck -- vi, not here --" you swallow around the burgeoning desire, and when you glance down to find her looking up at you, her eyes so dark they're almost black, you fight back a groan, cup your palms around her cheeks and pull her up for a long kiss.

"let's --" you suck in a breath even as vi whines at the loss your lips, "let's go home --"

"holy fuck," vi swears, somehow managing to pull herself back just far enough to taste the misty night air. she stares at you, your chest heaving, a daisy-chain of hickeys blossoming along the long expanse of your neck, your makeup good and smeared, your hair a mess, your eyes bright and so full of love as they flicker over her face.

vi smiles, helpless to the loud, uncertain drumming of her heart as she says, "y-yeah -- let's get you home, princess."

college roommate!vi who barely waits for the elevator door to close in your building before she's got you shoved up against the wall, hoisting you up, her fingers seeking out the softness of your skin, tugging up your shirt, her other hand dipping into the waistband of your skirt, her mouth open and hungry as she kisses your neck, bites down at the junction of your shoulder just to hear you moan.

college roommate!vi who's way too good at undoing your bra with one hand the second you get back to your apartment (if you were more coherent, you might've thought it hot), the door slamming closed, the pair of you toppling onto the room, breathy laughs and panting whines as she hoists you into her arms and carries you to your bedroom, laying you down so gently, kissing up your stomach till you're whimpering, your own hands pulling your top off your body, leaving you in an undone-bra and a miniskirt, your cheeks flushed. you push yourself up onto your elbows, watching as vi peaks up at you from between your legs, shooting you a wink before she's tugging down your skirt and panties all in one, an eyebrow ticking up at the lil lacey thing you had on beneath the skirt all along.

"all this for me, pretty?"

you press your lips, eyes cutting away as she looks between the bra dangling off your shoulders and the panties caught round your ankles. her lashes flutter.

"oh, a matching set," she cocks her head, running her palms up your thighs, pinning them open again as you try to press them closed, feeling suddenly much too seen (bc you'd be straight up lying if you hadn't put it on in the vague hope that the night might evolve into something like this).

she clicks her tongue, shaking her head with a cocky, shit-eating grin that makes your heart skitter in your chest. her drops a light kiss to your inner thigh, savoring in the way you whine again.

"nope, keep 'em open princess."

college roommate!vi who takes her time with you, bc rly she's been waiting way too long for this, has imagined it one too many times, but nothing can compare to the way your hips jerk up against her mouth, the way your fingers tighten in her hair every time she licks up the seam of your cunt, the way your breath catches on her name over and over again, like you can't quite get the word out even though it's just a single syllable. she groans against you, too lost in the taste of you to care about what a mess she must look like, with her tongue fucking into your desperate hole, her nose nudging your clit, her fingers digging crescent moon marks into your hipbones.

she's sure that if this were an old-fashioned cartoon, there'd be big, balloon hearts popping out of her eyes. she can't get enough of you like this -- moaning her name, your legs on either side of her face, your skin littered with the remnants of her. she has the eye-rolling thought of you the next morning, of how all these marks will still be there to remind you of her every single time you see one of them.

college roommate!vi who doesn't expect you to flip over after she's literally eaten you out seven ways to sunday, to tug her in for a soft kiss (though she really does like pressing your own taste back into your mouth with her tongue), before your fingers are inching down the length of her body to tease at her hips, trailing circles down the lines of her abs, toying with the thin line of hair that leads into her black boxer briefs.

"what are you --"

you shoot her a look that has her mouth going dry.

"what? didn't think i can give as good as i get?"

college roommate!vi who's literally going to lose her mind with the way you're fingers (at first sight so thin and delicate, but gods are they stronger than they look) are pressing into her, curling up with the kind of precision usually only associated with doctors, and then a voice in the back of her head reminds her -- oh, right, you are a doctor now. but logical thought dies after that, bc you've somehow worked your way between her legs and are looking up at her with those big dark eyes of yours, smiling sunshine bright before you drop a kitten-lick against her clit and she's twitching, keening as she cums all over your fingers.

"jesus fuckin' christ, doll -- is that what you're learning in those engineering classes?"

she's breathless, cheeks flushed, and honestly just a little embarrassed at how quickly she came, but she has to bite back another groan as she watches you lick your fingers clean, grinning sweetly up at her as if you didn't just get her off in record time.

"no, but i did do my dissertation on human-based robotics, which included a lot of late nights memorizing anatomical models so..."

vi pulls you in for a kiss, laughing against your lips.

"you're amazing, y'know that?"

college roommate!vi who can't really believe how much she's lucked out, sharing an apartment with her girlfriend, who literally cannot shut up about you, but the rugby team all agree that they'd rather have this than the months of endless pining. who brags about her genius gf to anyone who'll listen, and looks for you in the stands of all her practice matches when you can make it, who kisses you in front of everyone even when you make a show of trying to wiggle away bc she's sweaty (you don't really care).

who loves telling the story of how you guys met bc she still can't quite believe it herself, and the story always starts with --

"well, actually -- we started off as roommates."

[chimerafeathers]

i really love how intensely Mirabelle reacts to act 5 Siffrin botched friendquest.

Isabeau is mostly operating out of concern and, eventually, hurt. he already knows something’s up before Siffrin gets to him. he knows something truly awful must be wrong for Siffrin to be lashing out like they are, and as soon as he can’t handle the situation anymore, he leaves and asks (with strained cheer) for time apart to cool off.

most of Bonnie’s anger comes from being upset and afraid that Siffrin would willingly put themself in danger for no reason, when that’s exactly why they’ve been so unsettled since the eye incident. they hate that Siffrin values their own life so little, they hate that they’re the cause of any pain or loss for him, and here he is, putting himself in that situation AGAIN. on purpose. it’s loud and explosive, but it’s familiar, too, being “hated” by Bonnie for this reason.

Odile pushes, and keeps pushing, until her concern overwhelms Siffrin and they strike where they know she’s most vulnerable. she gets physical, just for a moment, grabbing his collar before controlling herself and letting go. her fury shuts down into cold detachment, and she walks away.

but Mirabelle—dear, sweet, gentle, loving Mirabelle, “the most wonderful being on earth,” with her secret “ruthless side” that largely involves lightly badmouthing people behind their backs and then apologizing—slaps them. immediately.

and then COMPLETELY RENOUNCES THEIR FRIENDSHIP.

not just “we’re not friends anymore,” but “we were never friends in the first place.”

that’s!!! pretty extreme!!!!

of course, she ALSO starts by asking what’s wrong. something must have happened for him to act like this. but as soon as Siffrin brushes her off, she jumps past that line of questioning and dives headfirst into re-evaluating everything she thought she knew about them as a a person.

if he could say something like that to her and not see anything wrong with it, then she was wrong to treat him as a friend, wrong to read camaraderie into his teasing, wrong to think they must care about them all under their aloof demeanor.

that’s how Mirabelle phrases it—“I was wrong about you”—but i think that there’s a hidden layer of I was right about you, too.

she talks about the way they tease her like she had to convince herself that he was doing it in a friendly way. she says they talk like they “know better than her” like that’s a thought she’s had for a LONG time.

“Always soooo mysterious, Siffrin, always talking as if you're better than me! As if you know me!!! But you don't, Siffrin!!! You're just as lost and useless as I am!!! So stop!!! Talking!!! As if you know me!!!!!!”

none of this comes across as a new, sudden way to view Siffrin for her. it doesn’t shock or confuse her. it makes her angry, defensive, almost like she was waiting for something like this to happen at some point. the feeling of resentment, frustration, jealousy, being patronized and condescended to—this is something she’s been actively pushing down and rejecting this entire time, but they’ve given her ample reason for it all to boil to the surface. violently.

Mirabelle’s kindness is not inherent or easy. it’s a choice she’s making. she treats Siffrin warmly because she gives him the benefit of the doubt—refusing to act based on anxiety-fueled, cynical speculation, and reassuring herself that his actions are driven by care and friendship even if she can’t quite see it.

“I was wrong about you” doesn’t mean she always and without question believed them to be a fundamentally kind, caring person from the beginning—it’s that her first, colder instincts were right, and she was wrong to convince herself otherwise.

never mind that she asked what was wrong at first. she barely gives them time to speak in their own defense, to explain what they really meant by what they said. all of her suppressed doubts and frustrations are getting aired out now, now that all the trust she’d so deliberately placed in him has been betrayed. her pain feels bigger than this singular moment, so when she hurts him back, she makes sure it extends back through the entirety of their relationship for him, too.

“You're awful. You're not my friend, not my ally, not anything. You never were.”

like the others, she goes back to the clocktower and tells Siffrin not to come back until later. but there’s a finality to the way she ends this confrontation that isn’t quite there with the others. Isabeau and Odile reach their breaking point and remove themselves from the situation, asking for space to cool off but still somewhat leaving the door open for Siffrin to tell them what’s really going on at some point. Mirabelle is the only one who tries to fully cut ties—after everything else she says, her “I don’t want to see you until tonight” reads to me somewhat as “I don’t want to see you anymore unless I have to.”

I can’t wait to never see you again.

even back at the clocktower, Mirabelle doesn’t really defend Siffrin’s place in the party when Odile suggests leaving them behind out of concern for their trustworthiness on the most important day of the journey. Isabeau and Bonnie protest out of sentimentality and faith in Siffrin’s abilities and connection to them, and Mirabelle agrees, but…

“I agree, but... B-But would he even agree to come with us, still? Maybe they won't even come back tonight...”

she doesn’t say much outside of that. maybe the stutter and hesitation here are signs of regret about how things happened, but she lacks Isabeau and Bonnie’s confidence that Siffrin even wants to come back to them in the first place. she doesn’t trust that their bond was real anymore. maybe it never was in the first place, or maybe she broke whatever was there herself.

and she’s still mad when they finally catch up to Siffrin at the King! and she makes sure Siffrin knows that—after saving them, assuring him that he no longer needs to fight, that they’re all there for him. she still cares, of course she still cares—she’s still hurt, too, but they can figure that part out once there’s less world-ending stuff going on.

she’s the first to say that they all reserve the right to still be angry at Siffrin later—and that they’ve already forgiven him.

she’s also the first to say we want to stay with you, too. it’s not just you.

she was wrong! she thought they didn’t care but they care so much, it’s overwhelming, it’s world-ending.

i think she’s gonna be wallowing in guilt post-canon the moment she remembers what she said and did TO SIFFRIN and not just what Siffrin said to her. especially now that she knows Siffrin’s exact hangups, and especially especially if she figures out what Siffrin was trying to say.

they put themself through hell out of loneliness and fear that none of the others cared about him the way he cared about them, he was going insane from repetition and exhaustion and hunger and trying to keep them all safe and together, and all they did in the midst of all that was say something kind of mean to her one time (that turned out to not even be MEANT to be mean it was supposed to be HELPFUL they just SAID IT ALL WRONG) and she SLAPPED THEM? and told him that they WEREN’T FRIENDS AT ALL??? how could she!!! she should have known better!! what they said hurt a lot but still!!!

so when they eventually manage to try to talk about it, they end up almost in, like, a guilt competition.

Mirabelle apologizing for how she reacted, that she shouldn’t have yelled or hit him, that she doesn’t want to be the kind of person who acts that way out of anger and she’s sorry that she made Siffrin expect that reaction from her, she should have known better and believed in him more and they only messed up like that because they were losing their mind in a time loop but what’s HER excuse—

and Siffrin going nononono stop I deserved it—(HUH DON’T SAY THAT NO YOU DIDN’T)—and that he should never have said such awful things to her, ever, and she was under so much pressure already with the weight of the country and everyone’s lives and futures and her religion and their whole party counting on her to do this impossible task because she’s the only one who can, all this unbearable expectation and hope crushing her, and they KNEW that but they thought they could skip to the ending as though her feelings didn’t matter at all, like helping her wasn’t as important as saving a little time—

until they’re just. in tears together, apologizing for all the horrible things they did in between complimenting each other’s strength and kindness and resilience and how much they admire each other and saying that no, everything you did was completely understandable, actually, the only one who sucks here is me. which neither of them will accept coming from the other!!

they’re so similar, in ways they couldn’t really understand, before.

warm, affectionate, perfect Mirabelle, the resolute hero, a beacon of compassion and hope for all those around her, who wears her heart on her sleeve, her fear making her courage shine all the brighter—nothing like the insignificant, forgettable Siffrin, too terrified to be known, too fragile to touch, too selfish and disgusting to bear letting go.

cool, mysterious, unflappable Siffrin, the worldly traveler, as charming and silly as they are confident and skilled, who brushed off losing an eye like it was nothing, accepting the risks of this journey with barely more than a shrug—nothing like the anxious, stagnant, undeserving Mirabelle, a fraud and a nobody crumbling under the weight of a mission too important to be entrusted to someone like her, doubting herself, doubting her friends, doubting her mentor, doubting her faith, too weak and brittle to bend and change the way the world needs her to without breaking.

not worth bothering others with their problems. they should be able to handle this alone. stay positive, stay calm. breathe in, and out.

they’ll struggle with it, still—the hiding, the minimizing—but now, they understand each other a little better. they can hold each other accountable for what they leave unsaid.

it’ll get easier, eventually. they have plenty of time.

[luxmoogle]

. ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅𝒲𝒶𝓉𝒸𝒽 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓅 𝓃𝑜𝓌… ⟡ ݁₊ .. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

[tillydouspart]

i am so immensely invested in midnight strangers by @seriouslycalamitous you have no idea

[abnomi]

been trying to get back into animation

original gif below ^^ teehee!

[supernowa-art]

some modern uni AU as a treat!

[c-kiddo]

pirate arc.................