Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Welcome to this silly lil book that I decided to make :)

Attention ❕
Most of these will probably be separate small stories that are not connected, but some will have multiple parts;

I will not write romance, at most just something implied or as a joke;

Also, some characters might be OOC, sorry.

Additional edit:

I will NOT write requests featuring Wilbur. I might make him a background character but as of right now, he has been edited out of every chapter. If I do ever write him, it will be as the in-game character only.

If you're thinking of requesting, this info would be appreciated:
(❕ You don't have to follow this exactly, it's just an example! ❕)
Characters: (what characters are the main focus)

Idea: (whatever you had in mind / would like to see)

(At least minimal description of idea tho plz, like can't be just 'those two characters being friends' no bestie, not like that)

Also! Any specific details you'd like me to feature? :)
Cause I might not write it how you wanted it if you don't mention it, oops

Chapter Text

Scott grimaced as Tubbo sent him one last annoyed glare, before stomping out the door of the pub like an angry toddler that just got declined sweets.

He sighed, slumping against the wall dejectedly.

The reaction was valid in Scott's opinion.

While, yes, destroying all of the boy’s hard-earned resources had been an accident, it was still Scott’s fault, and he couldn't even do anything to make up for it, except for apologize a bunch.

But apologies can only get you so far.

The starry hybrid huffed while closing his eyes, rubbing at his temple in irritation.

"Uh... You good over there, mate?"

He jumped, eyes flying open and being met with Jack, staring at him from across the room.

"Oh! Hey, Jack," he shifted a bit where he leaned against the wood, crossing his arms, "Yeah, I'm okay."

Jack looked at him, then over at the door where Tubbo had left, "That was a right mess, I tell you," they made eye contact for a second, before Scott's gaze settled on the floor, "But I don’t think you should get yourself so worked up about it, mate."

Scoot huffed, focusing his full attention on the fiery man behind the bar, and opened his mouth to argue but was stopped by Jack raising a hand up in a 'hold on' motion. The blaze put down the glass he’s been scrubbing and leaned against the counter.

"I've known Tubbo long enough to know that he'll get over it pretty fast," he offered Scott a wobbly smile, "and either way, I can basically guarantee that he is probably more salty than anything. So, seriously, man, relax!"

Scott sighed, his shoulders slumping a bit in defeat, and he nodded slowly, "Alright, alright."

"Actually," Jack piped up again, offering a toothy grin, “Why don’t you come have a seat, mate? We can talk over a drink."

Scott breathed a soft chuckle, as he pushed off the wall, "You drive a nice bargain, firecracker.”

Jack sent him a withering glare over the rims of his glasses, the tips of his hair sizzling.

Scott sat down and gave Jack a cheeky grin, one which quickly fizzled out into a soft smile.

“Thanks.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, shut up.”

Chapter Text

[Let's just pretend that Scott and Tommy caught Fundy stealing eggs from Scott's house, cause I could not think of anything else :p]

———

"You know, those eggs are from the chests in my house," Scott spoke, glaring at the fox hybrid, who huffed, crossing his arms.

"Hey, Scott..?" Tommy murmured from next to him in a hushed tone, his eyes glued to the eggs that now laid on a table.

"Yes?" The starborne hybrid sent the avian a sideways glance and was about to continue glaring at Fundy, when instead he found himself staring at Tommy and his unreadable expression.

"Can I uh-" The teenager looked up at him for a second, "Could I keep them?"

This time, both Scott and Fundy sent him a questioning look.

"Why?" Fundy asked immediately, but was met with silence as the teen squatted by the eggs and wordlessly hugged his arms around them, and pulled them to his chest.

He murmured something as he suddenly bounded up to his feet and took off, eggs still held protectively in his arms.

"Wh- hey! Those are mine!" Fundy barked as he took off after him.

"Fundy, you literally stole them from my house!" Scott yelled, following after them.

...

Scott skidded to a stop, now standing next to an equally confused-looking Fundy.

Before them, was Tommy, who sat cross-legged inside a chicken pen, surrounded by chickens and young chicks, a strange, pleased look on his face.

"Tommy?" Scott stepped forward, narrowing his eyes suspiciously, he had a slight idea of what was going on, but he couldn't quite be sure about it yet.

The avian looked up and sent Scott a questioning look, before looking past him and suddenly glaring at Fundy, his flimsy white and red feathered wings puffing up.

"Leave, fox," he hissed, the furthest from joking venom dripping from his words.

"Wha-" Fundy took a step back, looking offendedly confused, "What's gotten into you??"

"I might have an idea of what's going on," Scott butted in, sounding strangely calm, he looked over his shoulder at Fundy, "Could you go get Phil? He'll know what to do, well, probably."

Fundy grumbled annoyedly but nodded and after turning on his heel, padded off towards the pube to get the most responsible adult there (besides Niki) out of their little hybrid community.

Scott, once sure that the fox hybrid was far enough away, turned back to Tommy, who now once more looked perfectly calm, absent-mindedly petting a chick, that was nuzzling into his side.

"Tommy." The teen looked up, his hand coming to a stop and quickly leaving the chick, which quickly bounced away towards the other chicks in the pen.

"Where are the eggs?" Scott asked in a soft tone, and even though small, he noticed a change in the other's posture and a glint of protectiveness in his eyes.

"I..." Tommy looked down at his lap, and tenderly picked an egg up from between his crossed legs, before looking up at Scott and making eye contact with him, "Can I—?"

"You can keep them." Scott smiled, before gesturing to the egg protectively held in his hands, "I can tell that they're important to you."

Tommy blinked, his mouth hanging open as if he had wanted to say something but instead just nodded while murmuring a small, "You could say that."

"I'll leave you to it then," Scott said, turning away and starting to saunter off, "Also look out for Phil, he'll probably help you figure out what's going on with all that."

"Wh- Hey! You think I need some old man to tell me how to care for my chicks?!" Tommy yelled after him, startling all the chickens around him.

"Well, I don't—!" He suddenly paused, seeming to rethink his words, "Ok- so, I might need some help, but that doesn't mean I couldn't care for them on my own! I am only agreeing to this to make sure that I can care for them properly and not hurt them accidentally!"

Scott shook his head, smiling fondly as he tuned out the teen's remaining shouts and soon was out of hearing range, instead deciding to go tell the others of Tommy's new parent status.

:)

Chapter Text

Sneeg sighed, leaning against one of the lone oak trees in the grassy field.

His trip hadn't quite gone too great, he got sidetracked after getting chased by a pack of wild wolves that thought he was an easy snack and now, after having escaped the animals and looking around — and even though he keeps telling himself that he isn't — he's pretty sure he's gotten lost.

He looked around yet again but found that he still could not recognize anything around the area. But he was not about to give up and lose hope, so, after taking a small break, he picked a random direction and started walking at a pace at which he wouldn't tire himself out too fast.

. . .

Sneeg cursed under his breath as he noticed the sky starting to turn hues of orange and pink, his surroundings shading in the colours of the now setting sun. And while usually, the sight would be pretty and quite relaxing, this time, it only made his distant anxiety spike.

The night was coming. And it was coming faster than he had expected it to.

He was slowly starting to lose hope...

"If someone had asked me like a week ago, how I thought I was going to die, I would've told them that it would be because of some big fight or something like that," he spoke to himself, as he clambered up a thick and tall oak tree that stood near him, "Never would've I even considered that my end would ever include that I got lost and eaten by some damn wild animals."

He grumbled as he reached the higher branches and found a stable one that would neither break unexpectedly nor could be easily reached by the creatures of the night. (Except for the flying menace that are the phantoms, but he hopefully won't have to deal with them anytime soon.)

He settled down, curling up next to the rough bark that bit into his skin straight through his clothing. God, he wanted to go home. Even with his friends there, who make fun of his size on a daily basis. But, of course, they all share a mutual understanding that it's all just fun and games with no real spite behind it.

He just hadn't realized that he'd been taken it all for granted until it all got torn away from him.

Sneeg let his eyes flutter closed, the soft cyan glow of his moth appendages giving him a mild feeling of solace and imaginative shelter when he needed it most. He drifted off to sleep, comforted by the only familiar thing he had left.

. . .

Sneeg awoke with a start, as a sudden wind hit him and he found himself teetering off the edge of the branch.

He yelped trying to grasp at the skin of the wood, but to no avail. He fell.

In his still half-asleep state, he failed to remember that he could just land on his legs and be totally fine as a yell tore from his parched throat.

But last second his brain woke up just enough to process the situation and he spun in the air, hitting the ground with his legs.

He still stumbled to the ground though, groaning.

His head spun from being awoken so harshly, and his back ached from where he'd slept uncomfortably, and, god, does he miss home.

He looked around through blurry eyes, the sun was rising, and the beasts of the night were quickly erupting into flame and turning to dust and ash, only the giant spiders and the walking time bombs left standing.

He huffed a shaky breath, pushing himself up into a sitting position, his head gave an upset throb of protest and he hissed lightly under his breath.

He didn't even manage to get a decent night of sleep, his eyelids heavy, and his limbs even heavier.

He sat in the grass for what must have been at least 5 minutes, just recovering and letting his body wake up some more.

Eventually though, with a slow and deep breath, the small man stood, not without wavering for a second, of course, but still stood.

He rubbed at his eyes for a second, yawning for the last time, and, with one last look up at the tree that offered him some, while not so comfortable, still appreciated shelter, he set off, not really knowing where he was going, and just hoping he'd make it home sometime soon.

He refused to let go of his dwindling hope, it was the only thing that kept him going, the only thing that kept him from simply huddling up in some bushes and sleeping for eternity.

. . .

A curse slipped past his gritted teeth as he skidded to a stop on the ledge of a thin gash in the earth itself, it was so deep that not even with the sun in the sky could he see the bottom.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he remembered Ranboo, Phil, and Wilbur talking about some mysterious deformation in the surrounding area, but it must not have been that important as he brushed it off, jumped over the gap, and continued on.

His legs ached as even with how sturdy they were at not taking fall damage, the strain was still a thing that could bite at his muscles with a bitter soreness.

And of course, the sun was also leaning towards the west already, and for a second, his mind wandered...

Did his friends even notice his absence? If they did... Do they even care..?

He tried to fight off the doubt that swam in his gut, but it persisted.

He always caused only trouble, they must be happier with him gone, why else would they try to kill him so often?

Now that thought made him freeze in his tracks, the usually invisible dread wrenching at his insides.

Do- have any of them ever cared??

He gripped at the sides of his head, stumbling to his knees, then the next thought that entered his mind completely trampled the rest and made his heart stop for a second.

D o e s  C h a r l i e  e v e n  c a r e..?

"No!" It was his voice, but it didn't sound like it, not to his own ears at least, it was higher pitched and broke pathetically.

But it still was enough to ground him to reality, away from his suffocating thoughts, he felt like he'd been underwater as he gasped for air, his lungs burning painfully.

His heart hammered in his ears, his eyes blurred to uselessness.

He hadn't had a breakdown like this one in a long time, not since...

He shook his head, this was no time to lose himself, he, while still huffing for air with lungs that never quite felt satisfied with the breaths he gasped like a fish out of water, looked around with bleary eyes.

It was now late dusk, time really had escaped him in his panic.

He laughed gruffly, though it sounded more like a broken sob, as he stood, swaying dangerously yet again.

Sneeg groaned as he approached the nearest tall object and started climbing up it, his vision was still shot, but his hands gave him enough information.

Of course, another tree, the bark was harsh, even against his gloved hands, but he still climbed. This time he didn't have it in him to reach for the higher branches and just threw himself onto a thicker one that was out of reach from the ground and wouldn't break from his weight.

Then he simply let the sobs consume him, he knew that it probably wasn't the best time for it, but he just couldn't hold it in any longer.

And he cried until the night sky turned a pitch black, the moon glowing in its full glory in the starless sky.

Now he was too tired to even move, the tears made him oh so tired, and he knew he couldn't stay awake for much longer.

Not even as a soft sound of rustling grew below him, nor when the gloomy sky started crying its own cold tears.

Not even when he thought he heard a voice call from below him.

The darkness consumed him...

Chapter Text

A distant "No!" echoed through the air.

Charlie perked up, twirling on his heel to face the direction he'd heard the yell from.

Hope bubbled up inside of him, he knew they were getting closer, too bad the others gave up and went home when the storm clouds appeared overhead.

But then the cogs in his head turned for a second and dread hit him like a bag of bricks. He might be in danger!

He started speedwalking in the direction of the sound and, god, he hopes Sneeg is okay.

.

You see, he'd gone off on a trip 2 whole days ago! and still had yet to return.

The first to notice had been Tommy. The avian had noticed that it was unusually silent with no little gremlin scurrying about.

He'd even peeked into some of his tunnels and looked into the moth’s home to look around for him but to no avail – there was no one there.

And at first, he'd just brushed it off as Sneeg being out and about messing around and consuming the thing he keeps insisting was definitely sugar and not some other addictive substance. (And everyone definitely believes him.)

But after Tommy had gone up to the pub and asked around for the cheeky moth-man, he was met with only negatives. Now that made him quite uneasy, and he began to ask around even outside the pube, he'd asked Niki, who seemed horrified at the idea of the small man disappearing, and then Charlie, who looked dumbfounded for a moment before panicking, and quite a few others after that.

Then, once the sun started to set, he had told everyone to look out for the small man inside their homes. Maybe he'd been setting up more tunnels or something of the sort.

Jack had stayed in his pube with Tubbo and Tommy, in case he showed up there. While Scott, Phil, Fundy, Ranboo, and even Niki, looked around their homes for any possible new tunnels, but, in the end, everyone came up empty-handed.

This is when the searches started.

On the first night, 2 search groups were formed, group 1 consisted of Jack, Phil, and Fundy, who searched to the east. While group 2 was made up of Scott, Charlie, and Ranboo(who had begged to go, even though they didn't want any of the kids going out at night), who searched to the North and Western side. (Niki couldn't go for obvious reasons, but still said she'd swim about and look in and around the water, while Techno stayed and watched the pub, where the kids had settled down for the night, not really feeling like staying at their own homes).

The night for the two search groups went by slowly, everyone had been on guard and tense the whole time. They made sure to search every nook and cranny of the trees, caves, and bushes alike.

Eventually, people had started getting tired, and Ranboo was the first to officially clock out, especially when the adults started pestering him about how late it was and that he should go home and sleep.

When the morning sun was starting to show above the horizon, almost everyone had stopped searching. The only ones still going were Scott, who was running on the stars but was also planning on leaving soon, and, of course, Charlie, who was too worried for his small friend to rest.

But even they eventually were called home by Crow Father Phil. Charlie had tried to argue but was eventually convinced to rest for at least a few hours.

Then, in the daytime, the kids had gone around to search, but the adults prohibited them from going too far on their own, just to be safe.

To Charlie, every second that passed, when he was supposed to be resting, had been spent with his mind making up new and progressively worse things that could've happened to his close friend.

He'd only heard stories of the blood-red death notification that appears in your vision, announcing a person's end, and cause of death. The only person who had died that way so far had been someone he hadn't met - someone named Fragrance Man - whom supposedly fell to their death and never returned.

(In this world, there's a chance of permadeath after dying, normal deaths are white text and perma deaths are red (originally this was just for angst but in later one shots I might add onto it))

With that information in mind, Charlie's brain would not stop making up scenarios of flashing red text appearing in his eyes, taunting him, and his fear with the possibility of his close friend's demise.

He'd ended up only dozing off for about 2 hours before he was woken up by night terrors that played at his fears and emotions. They showed him progressively worse scenarios of him or someone else finding their small friend. Until the last one came around, the worst outcome yet - where he had personally stumbled upon his friend, torn apart but still alive and left to bleed to death with no one around to save him or even comfort him in his dying moments.

And with that scenario playing out in his head, he'd jolted awake and gotten right back up to continue searching.

Then they'd split up into groups once more, but that time searched more thoroughly.

. . .

When dusk had started approaching, quite a few of the search party members had given up and gone home, planning on going out the next morning when it wasn't dark out.

In the end, as the sun was just above the horizon, only Charlie and Phil remained.

They'd stopped in a small clearing surrounded by mismatched trees when Phil placed his hand onto Charlie's shoulder and squeezed in a show of reassurance, he'd murmured, "Don't beat yourself up over this, Charlie. We'll find him." He'd offered a sad smile, before sighing and turning back the way they came to return home for the night.

Charlie had frowned, his hands clenched into tight fists, as some slime dripped down his chin and hands down into the grass below.

"I'll..." He'd started, but paused to think on his words a bit more, "I'll search for a bit longer then turn in for the night as well."

Phil had glanced back at him, offering a small smile, and nodded in a show of respect for his determination and perseverance, before spreading his raven wings and taking off with a gust of wind.

. . .

And so, here Charlie was, standing beside some aged trees, the sky now almost a pitch-black void above him, with gloomy clouds littering the darkness.

He'd gone in the direction of the distant yell, but now, after almost fifteen minutes of searching, he wasn't sure if he had actually heard it or not.

But, just then, as he pushed through some bushes, a small glow from above him caught his eye and hope bloomed in his gut.

 "Sneeg?" His voice was a bit shot from lack of sleep and self-care, but the hope was crystal clear in his tone.

He jogged up to the tree and, with a few bounces to gain some altitude, reached the branch where the glow resonated from and felt his eyes light up. Both literally and metaphorically.

On the branch, just by the trunk, was a small blue form, curled up and shivering.

...w- wait- shivering—?

Charlie almost fell off the branch when a sudden worry hit him like a ton of bricks. He quickly composed himself though, catching his balance. The light rain that started pelleting down around them and rustling the greenery softly went completely unnoticed by him.

Then he froze up, peering down at the huddled form, still trembling for reasons beyond him.

Is- is he cold? What if he's hurt??

He reached out his hands but froze up when the small form flinched and curled up tighter as a stronger gust of wind blew past them, some shards of rain reaching his body.

Cold. Just cold. He's okay. He's going to be okay.

Charlie swallowed down the anxious lump in his throat and then, finally, very carefully, mind you, scooped Sneeg up into his cupped hands.

Then, he brought him up to his chest, willing his body to warm up from its usual frigid temperature.

Once the small man seemed to relax some, Charlie hopped down from the tree, bouncing a few times before simply standing on the now slightly soggy grass.

He looked up from the soundly sleeping form held against his chest towards the direction he'd come from, and slowly set off.

Slowly, so as to not jerk the other about with his unavoidable bouncing. He'd rather not disturb what looked like his friend's most comfortable sleep in a while.

And Charlie couldn't quite help the giddy warmth that bloomed in his chest at the idea that him carrying Sneeg made him feel safe and comfortable.

Because of him, his friend felt safe and comfortable.

And even though he was pretty sure he'd never admit it out loud, he kind of enjoyed the peaceful quiet moments almost more than the loud and chaotic ones.

Especially so with his small bro Sneeg.

He smiled down at said person, pressing him just a tad bit closer to himself. Maybe it was to make sure that Sneeg had no chance of catching a cold, or maybe, it was so he could reassure himself that, yes, Sneeg was there, and, yes, he's alive and breathing, and he's okay.

In the back of his mind, Charlie acknowledged that he will definitely grow more protective of his friend after today, no questions asked.

He just couldn't ever imagine losing him...

Chapter Text

It felt like an eternity of running for Charlie before the pube finally came into view. He smiled, relief flowing through him.

And just as he got to the ladder, he began yelling, "GUYS! GUYS! I- I FOUND HIM, GUYS!"

And soon, as he carefully climbed up the ladder with the small man still held in his arms gently, heads started popping into view over the edge of the floating island.

And as he stepped onto the grass, everyone began bombarding him with questions but he simply walked past them all. He had to get Sneeg inside, where it was warm and safe and nothing bad could happen to him. (He debated adding 'ever again' onto the end if only to reassure himself of his friend's safety.)

He stepped in over the curb, warmth washing over him. He carefully placed the small body onto the bar table, before looking around, "Phil! Are you here?"

There was a squawk of surprise from the floor above, before a tired-looking Philza glided in, "Yes, yes, mate, I'm here, what do you..." His eyes searched about before spotting something familiar on the table, "...need...?"

The winged man approached as Charlie began explaining everything. The rest of the people in the pub (the teens, Jack, Fundy, and Scott, who had just arrived) quietly listened as they watched the birdman lean down towards Sneeg.

Eventually, Charlie found himself trailing off as he, too, began watching Phil as he tenderly as ever picked up the sleeping moth from the hardwood surface of the table.

The others quietly watched as Philza turned, approached the bed and placed Sneeg onto the middle of the soft, fluffy pillow, before pulling the blanket up to the pillow and onto the moth-man, leaving only his head uncovered.

A moment of silence passed as everyone in the room watched the small man visibly relax and roll onto his side where he continued to sleep soundly. Phil then turned to the other occupants of the pub with a certain harsher look in his eyes, "Don't bother him. Any of you. The man needs rest."

"And go rest up yourselves, It's been a long and stressful few days and I will not let any of you stay up another night." He shooed them all.

The teens (Tommy and Tubbo) groaned in unison but left, Ranboo quietly following behind them as he waved goodbye to the others. Scott shrugged and simply wandered off to do his own thing (a certain fox definitely not trailing after him with a mischievous grin on their muzzle).

And so, only Phil and Charlie remained at the side of the bed after Jack climbed up to the second floor.

The elder of the two turned to look at the slime with a small, yet reassuring smile on his face, "You can stay the night here with him if you'd like, I don't think Jack would mind."

Charlie laughed a bit, before grinning at the elytrian, "I wouldn't leave even if he did mind. I'm staying and he can't make me get out even if he tried."

Phil smiled softly, patting the slime's shoulder, before he turned towards the door and walked away with a quiet, "Good night, Charlie, take care."

"Good night to you too, old man." He shot back quietly, snickering when the man groaned.

And then, as the doors shut, there was a whoosh before it became silent for good.

Charlie quickly spun around and kneeled at the side of the bed, looking at Sneeg for a moment before he sighed sadly and turned to sit on the floor with his back leaned against the side of the bed.

And there he drifted off into a peaceful sleep, comforted by his friend's presence, and the knowledge that he was safe and sound for good.

. . .

It was quiet when Sneeg woke up.

He blinked, rubbed at his eyes, and then yawned. And when he stretched, something clicked in his brain.

Where the hell am I-??

He blinked a few more times until his eyes finally focused and he looked around blearily.

It was dark and quite hard to see but that didn't stop his eyes from landing on something... Green...

"Char- Charlie?" The moth croaked, throat throbbing from a mixture of both disuse and overuse.

He pushed away the blankets- wait when did those get there- and- and- he fell asleep on an uncomfortable branch - not a comfy bed! (Not that he was complaining, his back was sore as hell from sleeping in trees for 2 days in a row).

Did the others find him and bring him home while he was sleeping? That must have been it...

He shook his head, he can think later, he just wants- needs- to see if that's actually Charlie and to just- just hold onto him for a while, maybe a day or two- maybe a week or a bit longer just to be sure that this is real.

And so he stood on legs that felt like jelly from countless hours of strain and wobbled towards the edge of the bed.

And with his blurry sight and half-awake mind, he tripped on a wrinkle in the pillow and stumbled forward, unluckily for him,  right off the edge of the bed.

And with a painful-sounding thud, he now lay on the hard and uncomfortable floor. He groaned, slowly sitting up after a moment of simply laying there, his back and unused wings aching from him landing on them.

He huffed, forcing himself up to his feet again, this time almost falling back down as his whole body protested with prickles of pain.

But he simply grumbled and began slowly and agonisingly wobbling the short distance to the green form at the side of the bed.

And after a whole 5 seconds of moving slowly like a senile man, he reached his destination and promptly face-planted the squishy material in front of him.

"It really is you..." Sneeg tore up, wrapping his arms around as much as of the form before him as he could in an attempted hug.

"Charlie." He whispered, "Oh, Charlie..." Happy tears ran down his cheeks, "I missed you so fucking much, you-" he barely managed to swallow down a sob, "You slimy bastard!"

Then the thing he was gripping onto shifted, and he looked up as a groan came from above him, an incredibly slurred voice following it, "Broooo... Lemme sleeeep..."

"Charlie..." Sneeg's voice returned to a delicate whisper, "Oh, Charlie..." He squished his face against the half-asleep slime and stayed there, salty tears rolling down his cheeks silently.

.

Charlie suddenly jerked awake, startling the small man holding onto him who promptly wobbled and fell backward onto his butt.

"S- Sneeg??" The slime peered onto the bed, horror painting his face when all he saw was a tousled blanket with no moth man in sight.

"Down here, dumbass." Sneeg groaned out from the floor, rubbing his sore behind.

"Wha--" Charlie peered down to the floor, and, sure enough, there sat the small in-not-so-great-shape-looking Sneeg.

"You- You're awake!" Charlie beamed, snatching Sneeg up from the floor and hugging him tightly to his chest as his own tears of joy welled in the corners of his eyes.

Sneeg laughed sorely, ignoring the pain of being held a bit too roughly in preference of hugging the slime back as best as he could, "Yup-," he hissed out quietly, "I'm awake, alright."

Then, after a few more moments, Charlie loosened his hold on the small man, pulled his hands away from himself and began smiling down at him. But it didn't last long as Sneeg couldn't help but quietly gasp and start coughing when the pressure was finally removed off of his sore chest.

"Shit- right- sorry! Did- did I hurt you?? I am so sorry." Charlie panicked, his features flooding with worry and guilt.

"No, no." Sneeg groaned, peering up at the other with as much reassurance as he could muster, "I'm all good, don-" he winced as the pain in his legs decided to remind him of its existence, "Don't worry, dude." He offered a strained smile, one which made Charlie furrow his brow.

"Sneeg. Are you okay? You've been gone for two fucking days and so much could've happened in that time and- seriously-" he stared at the small man with a pained expression, "Are you okay? And be honest. Please, man."

Sneeg quietly averted his gaze, a frown pulling at his lips, "I didn't get hurt if that's what you're asking." He spoke quietly. "Just y'know-" he sat down onto the slime’s hand, face twisting sourly as he does so, "really fucking tired, man."

"That's" - Charlie began - "better than-"

"Well, I suppose there were also those wolves that chased me down for like a few hours." Sneeg thought aloud, cutting the other off.

"I’m- I'm sorry wHAT?!" Charlie's eyes were now wider than Sneeg had ever seen them, "Are- bro, are you okay?? Please just tell me if anything happened."

Sneeg stared at the slime blankly for a long moment, he was not used to seeing Charlie act so... Emotional.

He placed a hand onto Charlie's thumb, "I'm okay..." He sighed, rubbing tiny circles into the cold digit, "Maybe a few bruises here and there but I'm okay." He looked up and made direct eye contact with Charlie, the smallest of smiles on his lips, "I promise."

Charlie nodded lightly after a moment, "Alright..." He then once again brought his hands to his chest, this time using very minimum pressure to hold the other.

And Sneeg? The self-proclaimed hard-ass totally didn't melt into the really comforting touch, but then his tiredness caught right back up to him as he rested his head against Charlie's chest. The tiredness slowly drowned out his thoughts and he, with a content sigh, gave in.

"Thank you... Char... lie..." The moth murmured.

The slimecican smiled softly, "Of course, Sneeg."

Charlie slowly stood up and instead settled down on the bed, his small friend still gently cradled against his chest as they drifted off to sleep together, both feeling at peace.

Tomorrow is another day.

One they will face together...