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Tommy’s instincts were killing him. He didn’t have many side effects of being a raccoon hybrid, besides the tail and ears, but the ones he did have were frustrating as fuck. Instead of being able to tell his family he loved them like a normal person, he was fighting the urge to steal from them and somehow it meant the same thing.
He had only recently moved in with the Craft family, and already the urge was in intense that he had to hide in his burrow for a whole day just to stop himself from taking some of Techno’s jewelry that he left on the table. It helped, but not for long. His burrow didn’t feel right without items from each of his family members. Even with all the blankets and pillows, it still felt empty. But Tommy refused to steal from the first people that had trusted him enough to let him in their home. The warmth and the comfort of having a family were worth suppressing his instincts for, no matter how much it hurt.
It only got harder the longer he stayed, though. The shortlived urges grew constant and overwhelming as he forced himself to sit still whenever the gleam of something shiny caught his eye. Techno had the most gold, Tommy noticed. He wore it everywhere; even when he slept, he had small gold studs in. Phil was next; being an elytrian he enjoyed collecting small trinkets and whatever else he found on his morning walks. Then there was Wilbur, the man didn’t care much for gold or shiny trinkets, except for the bits of jewelry that Techno made them all wear because of his piglin instincts. What Wilbur had was almost more alluring than those, his sweaters. Soft and warm and perfect for lining Tommy’s burrow. Tommy had been eyeing Wilbur for the past few days, trying to keep himself from falling into the man just to feel the comfort that his sweaters brought.
Tommy tried to stay strong, he really did, but they were all just so nice to him it was hard to resist. It started one night when Tommy woke up from a nightmare he couldn’t even remember. He was panting and scared and so, so alone. He knew the rest of his family would be sleeping, and he didn’t want to wake them, but he couldn’t handle being alone for the rest of the night. So, he carefully pulled his covers back, climbing out of bed and tiptoeing almost comically to his door.
He slipped into the hallway, trying not to let too much light out as Wilbur was a heavy sleeper. With a mind obscured by loneliness and tiredness, Tommy slowly opened the door to Techno’s room, hoping it didn’t creak. His dresser was right next to the door, with a drawer dedicated just to his gold. It was separated into earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings. Tommy dug his hand into the rings, picking out a few small ones that he hoped Techno wouldn’t miss. He hesitated for a second but also grabbed a thin golden chain from the necklaces and clasped it around his neck.
Instantly, Tommy felt calmer. The gold on his fingers and neck glinted in the light from his doorway as he made his way back to his room. He felt warm, safe, and happy, not quite as nice as it would be to have items from every member of his family, but it still comforted some of his instincts slightly. He dropped a couple of his rings in his closet, where the pile of blankets and pillows made a makeshift burrow. He sat down, pulling a pillow behind his head and a blanket around him, and fell asleep.
Techno never noticed the missing jewelry, something Tommy was incredibly grateful for. But the man did seem far more insistent the next time he asked Tommy to wear some of his gold, not that Tommy minded at all.
The next time it happened was a complete accident. Tommy had bumped into the jar that Phil kept on the kitchen counter, containing all the trinkets and treasures he had collected over the years. He felt absolutely horrible, that thing was Phil’s prized possession, and now here it was, shattered on the ground in front of Tommy’s feet. With a few hours until Phil got home from work, Tommy took what little money he had and set out to the store.
He bought the closest looking jar to Phil’s that he could find; it really wasn’t very special, just a large glass jar, and hurried home. He ran as fast as he could, trying not to break the jar in the process. The house wasn’t too far away, but it still took Tommy a while to get back on foot.
The mess was still on the floor, broken glass shards littered throughout Phil’s collection. Guilt washed over Tommy in waves again as he stared at it all for a minute, wondering where to start. He decided to separate the glass from the trinkets, trying not to cut himself as he scooped little pieces into the trash. He carefully dropped each trinket into the new jar, not wanting to break any of the more delicate ones.
He had almost made it to the end of the pile when something caught his eye. It was a pin, colorful and bright, with a shiny silver back. His instincts took over; treasure, they whispered, keep the treasure. Tommy obliged, tucking the pin into his pocket and placing the rest of the collection into the jar. All he could think about as he put the jar in its new home on the counter was getting back to his burrow so he could place the pin there. He thought about attaching it to one of the blankets or maybe nestling it in with the gold he had taken from Techno.
Tommy made his way up the stairs, hands in his pockets, feeling the pin and turning it over and over in his fingers. He ended up pinning it to a blanket that he put over his burrow, basically turning it into a pillow fort; that way, whenever he looked up, he would see it there. He smiled that night when he fell asleep staring at the little pin.
After two incidents of letting his instincts take control, Tommy was determined not to let it happen again. He spent more time with his family, trying to prevent the aching feeling he got whenever he was away from them. Unfortunately, his plan was foiled when Phil told him that he, Techno, and Wilbur would be going away for a few days to visit colleges. He thought it would be boring for Tommy to come along and have to stay in a hotel all day, and it wasn’t quite long enough for him to hire a babysitter. So, Tommy would be alone – for just three days, his dad reassured him. Three days was a lot, though, and Tommy would never admit to being clingy, but he knew it would be hard to be away from his family for so long. However, Tommy refused to spoil their trip, so when the time came for them to leave, he simply hugged them, told them he would miss them, and said his goodbyes.
The first day was fine; he could just pretend that they were all busy, Phil with work, Wilbur and Techno with school, or whatever extracurricular activities they had. Tommy kept himself busy, rearranging his burrow, brushing his tail, whatever he could do that kept him in his room and quelled his instincts.
The second day was harder. He stayed in bed nearly the whole time, only leaving for the occasional bathroom break or to eat. He longed for a hug from Wilbur or Phil or even Techno, who wasn’t big on physical contact but still indulged Tommy when he was feeling particularly clingy.
The third day he couldn’t take it anymore. He didn’t know how he had gotten so attached to the Craft’s that being away from them for three days felt like torture, but somehow in the last few months it had happened. He was lonely and sad and tired, and the closest thing he could get to a hug was wrapping his blankets around himself tightly. He knew what would make it better, though, and he was determined to get it. There was no need to sneak around the house this time as he hobbled out of his room.
The door to Wilbur’s room swung open, all the lights were off and a cold draft of air made Tommy shiver. It was empty, far too empty. He stepped inside, eyes landing on the beanbag he would always sit on while he listened to Wilbur play all his new songs. The bed that he, Wilbur, and Techno would pile on late at night and gossip with each other, trying to hold their giggles in to not wake Phil up, was neatly made and barren. Tommy looked away, unwilling to acknowledge the tears welling in his eyes. He dug through Wilbur’s closet, trying to search for what he wanted in the dark because he refused to turn on the lights.
He raised his fist triumphantly when he finally found one of Wilbur’s sweaters, his favorite one to be precise. The soft pale yellow one that felt like home, it was worn and the sleeves were fraying, but when Tommy brought it up to his face it still smelled like Wilbur.
Back in his room, Tommy nearly collapsed into his burrow. He pulled the sweater over his head, relishing in the warmth before leaning back. He looked up at the pin and over to the collection of rings in the corner. They’ll be back soon, he thought, he would be ok.
Turns out, Tommy barely had to wait any time at all because he fell asleep instantly. With an item from each family member surround him, Tommy felt safe enough for his instincts to relax slightly. He woke up groggily to soft voices surrounding him. He yawned, feeling like he had just slept better than he had in weeks.
“Tommy?” He jolted, not having expected anyone to be there, “You awake, mate?”
Apparently, the boy had slept long enough for his family to return home and had proceeded to sleep through all their attempts to call for him, until they had eventually found him upstairs, tucked away in his burrow. Tommy glanced up at them, Phil’s face was entirely fond, although slightly concerned. Wilbur had completely melted, seeming as though he was trying to stop himself from cooing audibly at Tommy. Techno was standing just behind them, eyes blown wide as he stared at the small collection of rings Tommy had stolen from him.
“Uh…” Tommy trailed off, not sure how to react to them finding him with all their stolen things, “Yeah?”
“Those are my rings,” Techno said, he didn’t seem mad which startled Tommy, but he did seem slightly dazed.
“Oh, yeah. You can take them back; sorry, I didn’t mean to keep them for so long,” It was a lie, a complete and utter lie, but as bad as Tommy was at lying, he was even worse at telling the truth.
“I don’t want them back,” Techno finally looked at Tommy, concerned at the very un-Tommylike apology, “Unless you don’t like them.”
“No, I do. I just assumed you would be mad. I mean, I did steal them,” He didn’t like the way that Wilbur and Phil aimed the same concerned look at him; it was perfectly reasonable to expect someone to be mad about being stolen from.
“Tommy, you’re a raccoon hybrid,” Wilbur stared at him pointedly, and Tommy nodded, “That’s like, your whole thing.”
“None of us are upset with you,” Phil knelt down, using his dad powers to reassure Tommy. He glanced up at the pin from his own collection, “Honestly, Toms, I think it’s really sweet.”
“Phil,” Tommy deadpanned, “I stole from you.”
“Aw, c’mon. It’s the thought that counts,” He laughed when Tommy tilted his head in confusion, “You didn’t really steal. You wanted comfort, and we give that to you, so do the things that matter to us. You took them to feel comforted in times that you couldn’t get it directly from us.”
This time, Wilbur really did coo out loud. Tommy blushed, glaring at him and Phil. His death stare apparently did nothing to deter Wilbur because the man crawled into his burrow to wrap him up in a hug. The real thing was definitely better than some old sweater, Tommy decided.
“You can take my sweater any time you want, Tommy. I promise I don’t mind,” The shit-eating grin on his face stopped Tommy from taking anything he said seriously, although he didn’t doubt that Wilbur would let him wear the sweater again.
“Fuck off, prick,” Tommy scowled, and Wilbur burst out laughing. Phil let out a chuckle from in front of the entrance to his burrow, and even Techno snorted at the two of them. It was nice, Tommy thought, to have a family that loved him so unconditionally.