#Gail Wood | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

t3a-tan · 2 months

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Could we see the aftermath of James finding Tanner from that last story? What happens when he meets Oliver?

A loooot of emotions is what happens

Enjoy ^^

Word count: 3,560

First part

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“Oliver? Can you hear me? Over.”

Oliver heard his friend's urgent voice coming through the walkie talkie he had placed off in the corner of the living room. James had come up with the idea a few weeks ago to make communicating easier because a phone was pretty inaccessible for Oliver to use whilst living in the woods. With the walkie talkie the batteries would only need replacing every year, and they were close enough that the signal was just fine.

He picked up his cup of tea as he walked over to the device, pressing on a button.

“I can. Is something wrong? Over.” He responded, releasing the button and blowing onto the hot tea to help it cool faster before braving himself to take a small sip. He hummed contentedly at the taste. The leaves he was using now were some of his best yet, and he planned to keep some to oxidise more so he could have a stronger batch in the future.

“I found a kid. A kid like— a borrower. He…you should get here quickly. He's asleep now, or passed out, or something— but he was scared of me. Come over. Over.” James seemed to stumble over his words, unsure of how to explain the situation briefly enough that Oliver would get here faster, but also with enough information for him to understand the urgency.

Oliver bristled at his words, standing up straighter and pressing the button again to respond.

“I'll be there in 5 minutes. Over.”

He released the button and immediately got moving, placing his tea cup back down on the wooden coffee table, grabbing his jacket and putting his boots on quickly before leaving the door and whistling for Gail.

The buzzard immediately swooped down and Oliver kept his arm raised, feeling the air hit him as he was suddenly being lifted by Gail’s talons. He swung himself up onto the saddle he had made and gave her an affectionate scratch at her head before whistling sharply, telling her where she needed to go.

James had opened his kitchen window so that Oliver would be able to enter easily rather than having to traverse through the tunnels in the walls. Gail landed on the windowsill and Oliver hopped off and quickly hopped down the short distance to the kitchen countertop.

James was already waiting there, but all of his attention was in his hands. Oliver could feel the nervous bobbing of his leg as he sat and waited, and he wasted no time running over.

“James? I'm here. Bring your hands closer so I can see his condition, and tell me what happened.” He commanded softly, worried about how James had come across the child and why he decided it was best to bring them to his home. He didn't think James was thoughtless enough to kidnap someone, so there must be a reason.

James nodded and lowered his cupped hands towards the kitchen counter, biting his lip anxiously as he looked between Oliver and the kid.

“I was taking Henry for a walk, but then Henry started barking and fussing about something down an alleyway. I thought I heard crying or something so I went to check it out— and this kid was there. He said his parents are dead, and he was just hanging out near a bin, and I didn't want to leave him there to freeze or get attacked by something— Poor kid feels like ice…” He explained.

Oliver climbed up onto Jame’s palms, approaching the boy to assess his condition only to freeze. Is it..? Oh god.

“Tanner?”

Although the boy looked slightly different, his build and size was almost the same as when he and Sammy had gone missing…which was concerning, since it had been three years and the boy had hardly grown. His dark curly hair was longer and matted, in desperate need of washing and brushing but clearly he had had no access to such thing for a very long time. He was dressed in a long t-shirt that came down to his knees, which seemed like it should have been white but it was so dirty that it was almost brown.

On what parts of his body were visible, there were scars which Oliver knew weren't there before. And although most borrowers were thinner from a lack of nutrition, Tanner did not have the build of a borrower at all; he looked as if he wouldn't even be able to carry his own weight, let alone climb something. If James hadn't found him…Oliver didn't think he would have lasted much longer.

“Tanner? Your…your cousin?” James breathed, holding very still, as if held in place by Oliver's shock.

Oliver swallowed and nodded slowly, beginning to lower himself to crouch beside the curled up boy. His hand reached out and gently brushed across his cheek, tears springing to his eyes when his fingers actually met skin. He's real. Oliver's hands shook as he inspected his little cousin for any visible new injuries, and he was relieved that James managed to not bruise him.

His parents are dead. That's what he told James? So that means…Aunt Charlie died. How long ago? Was it recent, or around the same time that Uncle Harris was killed? What happened? Is Sammy alive?

James watched silently, seeing how conflicted Oliver's eyes were. He was clearly processing a lot of things at one time; no doubt ecstatic about his cousin's return, whilst also being concerned about what he hsd endured. James knew that both of Oliver's cousins went missing… and if only one was here then…he was sure Oliver had a lot of emotions happening at the same time.

“I…I want to wake him up… but he…looks so peaceful…” Oliver uttered, conflicted. It had been years since he saw Tanner, and in those years he had only been able to picture his cousins suffering or dead. Now that all felt like a very distant memory, and he just wanted to watch the boy sleep in safety and comfort.

Oliver looked up at James again, and James just nodded, knowing exactly what he was asking. Oliver let out a small sigh of relief and settled down on Jame's hands, sitting against his thumb with his arms folded on top of his knees, watching Tanner and still having to keep reminding himself that this was really happening.

An hour had passed before Tanner began to stir. James had stayed still as promised, only moving a little in order to give Oliver some reassuring pats on the back as they waited. They had been mostly silent the entire time too, though James was certain that he had heard and seen Oliver cry at one point when everything had finally hit him.

As James felt the faint movements against his palm his fingers twitched inwards slightly, anxious about how the boy would react to being in his hands still. Now that he knew that this child was Oliver's cousin, the pressure to not scare him felt even more intense. He watched as the boy slowly sat up and yawned.

Then his eyes opened.

James’s breath hitched when his eyes met Tanner's, instinctively lowering his head in an attempt to loom less over the borrowers sat in his palms. He opened his mouth to say something, only for the child to speak first.

“O-oh… A-am I your pet now…?” He asked timidly, beginning to tremble, not having even seen Oliver sitting just a few inches away yet. James and Oliver were both taken aback by the question— and especially the way he asked it. He didn't sound surprised and he wasn't fighting; he was just asking.

“Kid…no. That's…” James trailed off, shaking his head quickly. Luckily Oliver stepped in, seeing that James was having trouble finding the right words.

He shuffled closer without standing up, wanting to be at Tanner's eye level when they spoke. Part of him was hesitating, his heart racing at the thought of doing or saying something wrong. He paused for just a moment when he saw Tanner's eyes; black like a void; but he continued despite the questions the sight gave him.

“It's alright. You're safe…” That was the first thing he wanted to make clear; having no idea what kind of experiences his cousin had had in the past three years so not wanting to presume he would understand that just by recognizing him. Oliver brought his hands forward carefully, keeping them palm up and low down, gently taking Tanner's shaky hands into his own. He offered a small sombre smile.

“Do you remember me..?” He asked, unsure of how much he would remember. Oliver moved out when Tanner was only 5 years old after all, and although he tried to visit regularly he was sure that he must still feel like a stranger. Oliver's thumbs ran over the back of his smaller hands as he waited patiently for a response.

Tanner stared at him for a few seconds, and Oliver wasn't sure if it was because he didn't recognize him or if he was in shock seeing him again…especially in the hands of a human. He simply kept a smile on his face and continued to hold his hands; grip soft enough that he could pull away at any time.

James was silent as he watched the interaction, trying his best to keep any twitching at bay. He hoped he would just fade into the background, practically holding his breath so that the boy would focus on Oliver instead.

“U-um…your name is Oliver…” Tanner finally responded, his words coming out slow and shaky. Oliver watched with concern as black tears began to gather in his eyes, unsure if that was normal or painful or what it meant— he had never seen or heard of such a condition and he couldn't take Tanner to a hospital.

“A-are you gonna save me..?” The younger borrower asked, hiccuping slightly as his fingers weakly gripped tighter onto Oliver's hands. His tone took on a more desperate edge and he moved a little closer to his cousin. “F-from the human?”

Tanner turned towards James, staring up at him with trepidation.

Oliver baulked at the question, his eyebrows furrowing and expression becoming a mixture of surprise and worry. He could feel James's hands shifting from beneath him and knew that he was uncomfortable; only staying put because of the two people seated in his palms.

Oliver cleared his throat and stood up slowly, gently pulling Tanner to his feet too.

“Let's step onto the countertop, okay?” The best way to get Tanner to understand that James wasn't a threat was to show that. Oliver could insist that he was a good human as much as he wanted, but in this case it was better not to argue without knowing how Tanner would react. He might only get upset at his insistence.

Tanner gave James a wary glance before following Oliver, clutching onto his arm now as he moved off of the giant hand and onto the cold granite. He shivered, partially missing the warmth of the human's hands but reminding himself of what those hands were capable of.

James relaxed once he no longer had to keep still, and slowly put his hands into his lap, glancing at Oliver for some sort of signal of what to do. Should he stay or go? It didn't take long for Oliver to tell him what to do.

He looked up at James, giving a slight nod.

“James? Would you make some miso soup for Tanner? Fetch a cup of water in the meantime. I'm sure he's thirsty.” Oliver chose miso soup because, although he would love to give Tanner all of the fruits the boy could ever wish for, his stomach was almost certainly empty. Citrus was bad for an empty stomach… Soup would be easy to digest and filling. Not to mention it would help warm him up.

Tanner watched as the human stood up and walked away, latching onto Oliver tighter at first before relaxing as he realised that the human was obeying. He wiped at his eyes and looked up at Oliver, a spark of curiosity in his timid gaze.

“The human l-listens to you..? Why?”

Oliver tilted his head down at the boy with a reassuring smile, crouching down again so he was closer to eye level.

“Well… James is a nice human. He's my friend… he'll listen to you too, if you ask him to do something.” He explained. Taking his eyes off of Tanner for a moment, he looked towards James and saw that he was walking back over with some water. He held up a hand to signal for him to stop and James was quick to listen. Oliver shot him a grateful smile before looking down at Tanner, who was tense and shaky all over again, staring in James's direction with an owlish gaze.

“Is it okay if he gets close and brings the water over here?” Oliver asked. As expected, Tanner shook his head, crouching down himself and huddling into Oliver's side. James had to strain to listen to the conversation and his heart stammered when he saw the kid shake his head. Even so…

“I'll leave the water over here then, see?” James assured, placing the small cup down on the counter beside him, a few feet away from the borrowers. He also placed down two tinier cups that he had bought for Oliver to be able to drink more comfortably when visiting. With that done, James moved away again to boil some water.

Tanner perked up ever so slightly as he watched, unsure if going over to the water was a trap or not. He looked to Oliver for guidance and followed slowly behind him as the man began to walk towards the water, a hand brushing over his head reassuringly. He craved that kind of touch. It had been so long… it still didn't feel as familiar as his sister's hand though.

He peered at the glass, reaching out and pressing his palm against it, seeing his faint reflection in it. That made him smile, leaning in closer and poking at it. It had been a while since he saw himself…he almost forgot what he looked like. His eyes were different and gave him a weird empty feeling when he looked into them, but everything else was at least vaguely familiar to him.

Oliver picked up one of the doll cups as Tanner began to pull faces at his reflection, slight amusement creeping into his expression and mixing with sadness. He exhaled slowly from his nose to regain his composure and steady his shaky hands, before reaching up and scooping some water into the cup he was holding. He then offered it to Tanner.

“Here.”

Tanner looked at the cup warily, then up at Oliver. His hands fidgeted nervously and messed with the edge of the gown he was in, seeming conflicted.

“S-Sammy always tastes stuff first… she says when someone that loves you does that it makes the food or water better for you. B-but um…she says it only works if you're older.” He explained, tapping his blackened fingers together.

Oliver felt an immense amount of hope hearing Tanner speak about his sister in the present-tense…and simultaneously his heart ached as he immediately understood the real reason why Sammy would be tasting it first; to test that it hadn't been tampered with. Still, he nodded, bringing the cup to his lips and taking the first sip.

Tanner's expression brightened seeing him do that, and once the cup was offered again he took it and drank it hungrily, finishing the cup in only seconds. Oliver took the cup back and repeated the process; filling it with water and taking a sip before handing it to Tanner.

He reminded the boy to slow down a bit, worried he may get himself sick drinking too quickly, and Tanner obliged. Soon enough the boy was no longer thirsty, wiping at his slightly damp mouth and smiling, seeming a bit more energetic now.

“Oliver? If the human listens to you, does that mean he'll let us go too?” He asked, having seated himself in Oliver's lap and hugging onto him now that he was done drinking. Oliver nodded, brushing a hand against his matted hair.

“Of course. James may have scared you before when he and Henry found you, but he was only worried about you. James told me he barked at you a little bit… That's my fault. He must have thought you would give him a treat, because that's what I do.” Oliver explained softly. “He's big, but he's very gentle… James and Henry.”

“I don't like dogs…” Tanner admitted sheepishly, shifting uncomfortably for a moment before looking up at Oliver. “A dog ate mum. Sammy tried to cover my eyes and my ears, but I heard a bit. She was saying no a lot and screaming, and the dog was growling, and then the bad man started shouting too. And Sammy cried all night when she thought I fell asleep, but I was only pretending..”

Oliver let out a shuddery breath, keeping any tears in as Tanner confessed those details to him so calmly. He could tell by how Tanner was holding him tighter that it was uncomfortable for him to talk about, but at the same time, Tanner had been exposed to so much violence at such a young age that he likely didn't understand how alarming it was for someone else to hear about that memory.

He could remember when he had been similar; randomly saying to his aunt and uncle about what his father's body had looked like, or what his mother said to him, or the way his sister had been so silent… It had been his first time being out of that environment, and whenever a memory or association would spring to his mind it felt compulsive to say it.

This was a normal and healthy way for Tanner to start processing those kinds of events, but that didn't make it any easier for Oliver to listen to. He hugged Tanner a little closer, not wanting to cry because he didn't want Tanner to hesitate when sharing these feelings.

James had finished making the miso soup, and cut the tofu into extra tiny pieces (though he was sure they were still hand-sized to the borrowers) before mixing that in. He poured the soup into a small bowl and took some tiny doll bowls out of the drawer he kept Oliver's things in. He walked over but stopped a few feet away again looking down at Tanner. He offered a sheepish smile.

“Can I come closer?” He asked.

Tanner stared back at him for a while, seeming to actually think about it. Even so, James was expecting a no, and was just hoping that he might get a yes. He didn't want to be seen as a monster…

To his surprise though, the boy nodded. James perked up and tried not to get too excited about the opportunity, still walking slowly over and setting the bowl down next to the water cup. He set the doll bowls down too, smiled as he silently celebrated, and then walked back over to the bigger bowl he made for himself. Picking that bowl up, he brought it over, and hesitated to come too close again.

“Is it alright if I sit and eat nearby?” He checked, just in case. Tanner was still curled into Oliver as the older borrower scooped some of the soup into the tiny bowls, picking out a piece of tofu too. The boy looked a bit less afraid now, and seemed to be curious but wary. James was once again happy to see the nod he got in response, beaming at the boy who seemed a little taken aback by the expression.

James set his bowl down and moved a stool over, sitting down close but not too close to the borrowers. He watched with mild confusion as Oliver took a bite of the tofu and a sip of the soup before giving it to Tanner, but shrugged it off as he dipped his spoon into the bowl, blowing on it gently to cool it down.

He saw from the corner of his eyes that Tanner was still watching, blowing onto his bowl to mimic his action, and James had to fight the urge to chuckle. He swallowed down his spoonful before noticing that Oliver wasn't eating.

“Not hungry, mate?” He asked, not particularly concerned but just wondering. There had been plenty of times that Oliver didn't eat when he visited, so it wasn't out of the ordinary. Oliver nodded with a polite smile.

“I ate before leaving my burrow.” He lied. In reality, Oliver wasn't sure if he'd be able to keep it all down after what Tanner had just spoken about. He was content to simply watch his cousin get his fill instead, his hands clasped together in his lap to hide how they were trembling.

It was peaceful at that moment. Oliver continued to think over all the possibilities of what may have happened to his cousins, but all he knew for certain was that as soon as he found the human responsible…

He would kill them himself.

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