.............................................

Michael was serious when he said he'd visit that man and Clara again.No promises,after all.

He couldn't leave the house for about a week after the incident,as instructed by his dad before his boo and grandpa Phil stepped in and talked it all out.

Since then,Michael was allowed to practice going on his own.They first tried allowing him to walk around the outside of the house,just a little farther from the fences.The boy could see the twitching of their ears and strained smile,he knew they were holding back.

And honestly?

Michael was thankful they were trying to.He understood they wanted to snatch him and bring him inside—where it's safe,his dad would say—,but they knew they can't keep him in forever.At least,his grandpa Phil and uncle Techno did.

And thanks to that whole 'talking some sense with his parents' thing—he'll ignore the part when Phil muttered,'don't make the same mistakes I did'—Michael was able to reach the town all by himself.Although,it's just the market place;that's what his parents liked to call it.

There weren't many stores and stalls in the market place,most of them are abandoned in fact.One of the few shops that are still in business is the town's bakery,ran by his dad's long time friend Niki;But Michael likes to call her auntie Nik.

Michael likes her cookies,especially the ones with chocolate chips in it.He wonders if Clara would like these chocolate chip cookies,they are very tasty after all.Can she even eat cookies?Does two year olds eat cookies?He'll just have to wait and see.

His auntie Nik looked a lot like his uncle Techno,that he through she was a piglin hybrid too.Until he saw she had no tusk or tail did he realised she just dyed her hair pink,which didn't really change anything.His auntie Nik is badass and awesome!

So awesome,in fact,that she even secretly gave him a bit more cookies than usual;About fifteen instead of the usual ten.As well as some freshly baked bread she had just made earlier.

Well...at least he had something to give as a thank you gift.Its better than nothing,eh?

The bag he carried was a little heavy,but it's something Michael could handle.The forest around him was quite bright today,brighter than the last time he went inside.Maybe it's because he had familiarise his surroundings last time?

Well,the forest looked quite pretty.

He was thankful his family had allowed him to roam around the land for the day;with strict instructions of course.His parents said not to stray too far from the path,his grandpa Phil said to be very careful and stay within the sunlight,and his uncle Techno said to always have your guard up.

Alright,so that first rule?

Michael is yeeting that rule out the window.How was he supposed to visit them if he stayed within the path?

Although,to be fair,he did say he wouldn't scare his family like that again.Did he promise he wouldn't scare them again?Michael allowed that mischievous grin etch his face.

Somehow,as the boy walked off the main trail,Michael finds a faint outline of what he thinks is where a path would be.Pebbles and daisies were suspiciously lined up,but not in a obvious way that you would notice it immediately.The supposed trail was leading up inside the forest,the trees and bushes looking familiar.

Michael found himself grinning when he realised.Did that nice man made this for him?He did say he's welcome anytime.

Glancing around,Michael hastily rushed into the trees and followed the path,ducking his head just in case anyone might see him.The last thing he needed was to be caught and brought back;or worse,his new friend's location being exposed.

He continues to be quick even if he was in the nether.There are people visiting the nether for resources and he would like to avoid that.Absentmindedly,he even quickened his pace,only to slow down when he turns back and sees the portal about a few meters away,hidden behind the tree trunks and bushes.Letting out a sigh of relief,Michael checks his bag of pastries,satisfied that everything was still there,albeit a little messy from all that running.

He starts treading along the path,thinking about what he could do when he reaches the cottage.

He'd definitely give the pastries first,a thank you gift for helping him last week.His mind wondered back to the question if two year olds can eat chocolate chip cookies.Can Clara even eat those?Can rabbits eat chocolate in general?Well,Clara is a half rabbit,she maintains a lot of human features.Maybe she technically can eat sweets?

Michael is gonna have to read more on hybrids soon.

That's not a bad topic,Michael thinks.Is there a book about hybrids in his family home?Or does he need to borrow one from a library?Does the town even have a library?At this point,all you can find are abandoned buildings and only a few places that are still running by some salty people.

Okay,maybe not everyone is salty,but it's just not...a pleasant experience?Not exactly welcoming?The people there are quite tense,that's something Michael was a hundred percent certain about.He thinks his family is the most tense out of everyone.

Ok,he's backtracking now.

About hybrids;Yes,Michael is going to learn more about hybrids.Most specifically rabbit hybrids.And speaking of hybrids;is the man a hybrid himself?What kind of hybrid could he be?It would be cool if he had wings like his grandpa Phil,or maybe he had fluffy ears and tail like Fundy and dad?What if that man is a end-related hybrid?!No,he couldn't be,Michael knows what end-related hybrids looked like;his boo is the perfect example and he knows the man looked nothing similar to him;or at least,felt nothing similar to him.

He huffs,the urge to learn if the man was a hybrid grew on him.It didn't matter to him if he was a hybrid or not,he was just that curious.It helps keep things off of his mind for a little bit.

Michael noticed how the path began to fade,the trees were closing in on him,and lit dimmed a little.But Michael wasn't afraid,not when he sees leaves tied to a single string that hanged from the branches.People could overlook them as falling leaves;but if you squint enough—you didn't need to squint,actually—you would noticed it just floated there.

The boy smiles,a brand new path.

A slithered through the thick trees,keeping track of any more floating leaves that led his way.He would periodically check his bag of goodies,make sure they were still inside.He slowed down a little,feeling that very tiny tinge of soreness in his legs.

The trees gave way and the sunlight bathed him.Chirps and bleats echoed and Michael sees the barn had been complete.The animals were still out,but was in one large and singular pent,rather than small separate ones.And the farmlands look a little bigger than the last time he visited;more crops had been planted and grown and a familiar man's hoodie stood out from the fields of wheat.

In the distance,he hears a faint blabbing sounds of a little child.His ears perked up with excitement,turning to that direction to spot the mess of white and black hair,along with those tall ears sprouting from her head.

"Clara!"

The baby looked up and smiled widely at the sight of her friend,arms outstretched as if she could reach him where she sat.The chant 'Mikey!Mikey!Mikey!' was repeated over and over again like a broken record,only stopping when the boy reached her.

Clara nuzzles closely to Michael,purring when she begins to melt into the warmth the boy's body emitted.Michael on the other hand laughs at her,his tail wagging at the thought he finally got to visit his new—it's no longer new now,but it still felt like it—friend again.

"Hey kiddo!"

Michael and Clara looked up to see the man walking towards them,one arm holding a bunch of harvested wheat and the other hand holding onto the hood.The boy smiles and warmly greets him with an excited,"Hello!" while the girl starts bouncing in her place,radiating joy.

The man chuckles at them,settling the wheat in a chest before he turned back to the field,"Well,what happened when your parents found you?"

Michael then proceeded to tell him about what had happened that day,how his family were ultimately relieved to find him safe.His grandpa Phil said he swore he was going to have a heart attack if he was gone for five more minutes,to which the boy knew was an exaggeration.His uncle Techno was already about to gear up and storm into the city just to look for him and had dropped every equipment he held when he sees Michael,muttering how thankful he was that the boy was okay as if no one could hear him.And Fundy sorta fretted over his well-being when he entered the house,before pulling him into a tight hug.

Michael tells him how his dad forbidden him to go out for about a week—"So you've been in house arrest for a week?" "Yeah....it was really boring...." "Damn,that sucks."—before his other family members stepped in.He tells him how he and the others have been,in a way,practicing how to go out on your own and to hold back to the urge to grab your child and hide him—"Funny Mikey!" "It's kinda funny,I guess....Dad would twitch a lot and I knew he was holding back." "Poor bastard."—.Micheal continues to tell him about his family,with the man listening to every word as he works.

It wasn't long till the boy ran out of words to say for the day and they opt to just listen to the animals in their natural habitat and allow the wind to roll right into their faces.It was quite a sunny day,they think.

Clara must've gotten a little bored playing with her toys—a teddy bear and a plush doll—and decided to give in to the craving for her father's hugs;

"Papa!"

The man turned to see his kid get up from the porch with wobbly legs,her grubby little hands gripping the wooden banisters.He knew she could walk—a two year old is very capable of walking—but from his recent discovery,her biological parents didn't seem to have the audacity to teach her to walk on her two legs.He remembers how every time he tries to get her to walk,she'd fall and instead crawl around.

The man had decided to teach her instead,still pretty pissed about the ordeal,but would do anything to help his kid.He would teach her how to take her steps to whatever the future holds for her,how to get back up when she falls,and how to stay determined.

So of course,he lights up—underneath the hood,mind you—at the sight of his girl attempting to walk towards him.He gets down to one knee after stepping off of the fields of wheat,outstretching his arms towards Clara.

"Come here,Clara!"

The girl blabbered,then giggled as she takes two more steps.She must've tripped on a rock or a pebble,because soon enough she was heavily leaning forward that it was certain she would trip over and she would start crying because it would hurt in the body of a two year old-

Except there was no crying,nor was there any sounds of falling.No 'omph!' or 'thud!',just silence.It took him to moment to realise the pair of hands holding onto the girl's,both of which were suspended in the air.

Michael grins a little as he watched Clara look up in curiosity,gently holding her small and chubby hands in his palms."You got this,Clara!",he encouraged.

A squeak of 'Ah' was Clara's response for the piglin as she looks back at her father,working her legs as she takes another few small steps forward as Michael continues to lightly hold her hands.The boy knew she needed to learn how to walk on her own,but it wouldn't hurt to help out just a teeny bit,right?

Five steps in and it was then that Michael decided to slowly let go of the girl's hands.The moment his fingertips were retracted,Clara wobbled again.The boy and the man was just about to step into action again if she was about to fall,until they heard another coo from the girl who stood still and waited for her legs to calm itself.

Clara starts walking again and there was a spark of giddiness within the girl's ever growing giggles.Michael watched with a triumphant grin and lets out a 'you got this Clar!'.The man patiently waited for his kid and continues to beckon her over.

Eventually,Clara stumbled into her father's arms and the man couldn't help but pick her up and swing around in a circle,showering the Clara with praises that the two year old laughed at.

"Papa!Papa!",she chanted,flailing her arms around in excitement.

Michael knew the man was smiling widely;"Yeah,kiddo!I'm your papa!"

The boy ran up to them,whooping in the air as he ran around the two for a little as he praised Clara as well.He only stopped when the man's hand gently grabbed his shoulder and kneeled back down to the ground,just so Michael could interact with Clara again.

The boy did what he did the first time he met Clara and held her face on his hands,giggling when Clara purrs and coos at the warmth she was given.

Suddenly,the wind rushed them,blowing onto their faces—or Michael's back,in his case—that their hair waved along with the air.The kids laughed,however,because it felt refreshing and free.Michael looked up when the man chuckles,wondering why he looks familiar-

Wait...

Michael pauses,his body freezes and his eyes stared.Apparently,the wind was really strong at that moment that the man's hood....fell off....

Michael stared at those blue eyes staring back at him,his messy and almost long blonde hair,and a small scar on his forehead.His facial features looked so familiar,he thinks.

"Who's that?"

"Hmm?Oh....that's...."

"Dad?"

"That's your uncle Tommy,Michael."

Then it clicked,a little gasped escaped him.He didn't realised Clara was trying to get his attention again when she started calling him;"Mikey...?"

The boy spared a look at the little girl,before looking back towards this man....

His uncle.

"You...",he started,shocked and confused with this—he's pretty sure it was—unintentional reveal.The last time he saw his uncle was through a photograph in their family home,then during the news of his...death.

His uncle...should be dead right now.

The man—Tommy—softly huffs,"Well....this is awkward..",he comments,turning away to avoid the boy's gaze.

Michael honestly didn't really know what else to say other than;"You're my uncle...aren't you?One of my dead ones?".

Tommy huffs again,but it sounded like a laugh instead;"Y-yeah....I suppose I'm your uncle kiddo.",he turns back to Michael,cautiously hovering one of his hand over Michael's head before he began petting his hair.

"The-They said...",he stuttered a little,"They said you died..."

The blonde frowned,"....Yeah...I did.",he almost sounded ashamed.

Tommy waited for the atmosphere to grow awkward;of course it would,what do you expect to feel when you reveal to—apparently—your nephew,who believed his uncle was dead this entire time.Hell,Tommy had gave condolences to himself;looking back,it was hilarious if you ask him.Giving condolences to yourself,that's probably going to be a new trend for the blonde.

Surprisingly,the atmosphere didn't turn awkward."...don't wanna talk about it?",Michael asked,scratching a certain area behind Clara's ear as the girl purrs at the contact.

"...no...not yet.",he replied and it felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulder and chest.It wasn't much,but it felt like a start.He smiled at the two children as they interacted with one another.

Michael shifts,his eyes staring at Clara's ears with focus.He pauses his scratching and hesitantly looks up to meet Tommy's eyes;

"Can I call you my uncle Tommy?"

The boy could see how Tommy softens at that as the blonde opens one arm to invite him in a side hug.He did nothing but run into it,basking in how nice the hug felt.He laughs when Clara turns to hug him as well,her arms outstretched and wrapped around Michael's neck.

Tommy laughs as well;pulling in both kids into his arms.The boy is a good kid,he thinks as he watches Michael's tail flick and wag at the sappy emotions he must've felt.Piglins have a hard time expressing emotions,but considering that Michael was young by the time Tubbo and Ranboo adopted him,it would make sense he knew how to-

Tubbo and Ranboo...

Tommy nudges Michael and the piglin looks up to him."Hey...you think you can still keep that promise?".Michael's ears droop at that,clearly a little upset,but he nods either way.The blonde ruffles his hair,"Sorry kiddo,but I'm not ready yet..."

"Will you ever be ready?",he asked.

Tommy stared at the boy,then he looks at Clara.The little girl had been observing the two,a curiosity look in her eyes."Papa...",she calls him and the decision was settled.

"One day...",he said firmly,"....It might take a long time,but one day I'll be ready."

Michael nods at him,before choosing to snuggle close to his not-so-dead uncle and—apparently—his cousin.Its comforting to Michael to know that this girl is part of his nest,his family.He wonders how will his dad and boo react to her,or maybe his grandpa Phil and uncle Techno,what would Fundy say?

That could wait.

Because for now,Michael would rather learn more about his uncle while he's visiting.

"Okay,I trust you,uncle Toms."

"....I trust you too,Michael."

.............................................

I'm so so sorry this took so long-
I've been dealing with some personal shit lately,not to mention how tense things feel here in my household and how I'm trying to keep it all together :'D

Yeah,its a mess,but it'll all be alright..
I hope-

Anyways,like I announced in my announcement board,updates are going to go slow.
Idk why,but lately I've mostly been writing other stuff that I don't feel comfortable enough to share,but hey!I can pretend it's practice,so there's that.

Once again,feel free to comment on any mistakes I made.

Hmm...what else.

Ah!
Summary for the next chapter;

"Things are changing,but that ain't gonna stop this big boy.Did he bring enough money?Hopefully."

: )

Next chapter is going to be exciting for me and you'll see why!
It s special feature for this fic~
What is it?
You'll just have to wait~

Have a good day/night everyone!
I'll see ya'll soon

-Hanaki

Update;8/23/21

Changed/added a few things to fix some plot holes :')