Wilbur wasn't sure why a sneeze became such a big deal.
Tommy almost dropped him when he sneezed, shouting in surprise and adjusting his grip when the cat hybrid almost fell out. Phil's wings flapped unmoving in the air when it happened, demanding that Tommy held onto him tighter as they started moving again. He then had to deal with a certain elytrian hybrid nagging on about not hiding when he was sick as well as a teenager asking if he was okay every couple of seconds.
And well, he didn't need to look at Techno to know that the piglin hybrid was harvesting an unimpressed look.
Wilbur was almost falling asleep when he felt Phil lowering them to the ground, the sound of gentle flapping lulling his brain softly as the haziness in his eyes shifted to his head. The cotton wool returned softly, building up in his ears as sounds became more muffled and harder to comprehend. He felt what was like a battering on his skull, causing him to lazily move his head to the side when the cat hybrid finally registered it.
'Soot? Soot, can you hear us?' The cat hybrid blinked slowly as he tried to clear the haziness from his eyes, slowly shifting to look at Techno. The piglin hybrid was stood in front of him, concern reflected in his eyes as he softly continued to tap at his head.
'How out is he?'
'I think he can hear us, but he looks pretty out Phil...' Wilbur let his eyes close again, leaning against Tommy more when he lost the energy to hold his head up.
'Soot... need... shift?'
'What if... want...'
He heard them mumbling distantly, only catching a few words of their conversation. The cat hybrid carefully opened his eyes when he heard a door close, gradually moving to jump out of the teen's arms when the familiar red colour of the sofa came into his view.
'Tommy, it'll be better if he's on the floor.'
'Why?'
'If we can convince him... it's better he isn't lying down.'
The raccoon hybrid complied and lowered him to the floor; gently keeping him there when he tried to move. Wilbur was too drowsy to fight, allowing himself to flop against the hardwood and flutter his eyes shut.
'No, no, no... Soot you need to stay awake for a bit, alright?' The cat hybrid meowed sleepily at the elytrian, blinking slowly as he willed himself to keep a grip on consciousness. He felt a blanket cascade against his fur, the warmth of it suffocating Wilbur and making him feel even more sluggish.
'Phil.' He heard Techno say, his tone making him subconsciously glance over. 'It would be easier...' All 3 of them were knelt beside him, a hesitant look growing in Phil's eyes. Wilbur couldn't help but feel uneasy when no one spoke, the silence growing over them all uncomfortably.
'Soot...' Phil began after a while, the cat hybrid's hazy eyes watching him carefully. 'Do you think you could shift for us?'
Wilbur froze at the question, his brain shutting down instantly. He could see Phil and Techno talking, their nervous expressions growing when they realised he had zoned out again. The cat hybrid couldn't remember the last time he had shifted; the years of familiar routine shutting out the information whenever it surfaced. He didn't remember what it felt like to be human; to have easily controlled limbs and an ability to communicate that he found himself desiring. Wilbur didn't know what he sounded like anymore, whether his accent had faded over time or even if he'd be able to anymore. Anxiousness bubbled in the pit of his stomach as he softly shook his head; the sight of black dots becoming accustomed in his vision.
The cat hybrid ignored their crestfallen looks, fidgeting until he was sat upright instead of laid out across the floor. The blanket laid discarded by his feet, the soft fabric only concealing his tail as he moved out of its way. He wanted to shuffle into Tommy's lap, curl into him for company and give into the exhaustion, knowing his warmth would inevitably lull him asleep. Instead, Wilbur glanced up at the teenager's face, sadness and despondence swimming around his eyes as his hand itched towards the cat hybrid.
Maybe, just maybe he could-
'It'd be easier to help you that way.' Techno commented, clearly sensing a lift in his apprehension. 'And I think we're all a bit curious...' He admitted, ducking his head when a hint of pink started glowing on his cheeks. Wilbur paused again, the previous feeling of anxiousness fading gently, replacing itself with a sensation of softness that nestled inside him.
He was nodding before he could stop himself, the action so small that he wasn't sure if they could catch it. The cat hybrid watched as their eyes lit up, meowing gratefully when Phil carefully adjusted the blanket to cover his back when he glanced back at it. It felt heavier on his back, the feeling grounding him as he procrastinated, allowing his thoughts to swarm around his mind; his breathing threatening to pick up as he mindlessly fretted about anything his brain surfaced.
Wilbur eventually calmed himself enough to shift, frowning uncomfortably when his paws were replaced with legs, his knees scrunched awkwardly against the ground at his position. He felt the blanket creep up his spine when he tried to move, black spots instantly overtaking his vision as he tried to adapt to the situation.
The cat hybrid felt himself falling before he could stop himself, exhaustion stealing his consciousness instantly as his sight faded completely. His tiredness deluged him, his brain struggling to shift through the haziness in order to understand what had happened.
Wilbur distantly felt arms catch him and he blacked out to the sound of anguished voices.
--
There was a ringing in his head.
It had been for a while, sounding like a fire alarm and droning for what felt like hours. The sound slowly got quieter and quieter, it's constant presence never leaving despite how much it shrunk to the back of his mind.
Everything felt hazy. His paws were heavier than usual, dragging his body further into whatever soft fabric he was laying on. The cat hybrid subconsciously tried to pull his tail closer; his eyebrows scrunching in confusion when he couldn't feel it move.
'Soot?' He tried to move when he heard a voice, the sensation of his foot moving finally catching in his brain. He had shifted... he was human again.
'Phil! I think he's waking up.' Techno. He could hear Techno, his voice bouncing off the outside of his brain. Wilbur tried moving again, succeeding in shifting slightly on what he identified to be the sofa as the sound of footsteps consumed the slight buzzing that remained.
'Soot... can you hear me?' The cat hybrid made a sound that he hoped was identifiable as acknowledgement, attempting to force his eyes open by blinking rapidly. To his surprise it worked, his eyes fluttering open and revealing a cloudy image of the ceiling. Blinking a few more times, he tried to sit up, his arms collapsing under the sudden usage and leaving his head to thump against the sofa.
'Woah, be careful mate.' He felt a hand reach under his back, helping him pull himself upright and lean against the arm of the sofa. Wilbur tried to smile gratefully at the elytrain, his eyes slowly adapting to the brightness of the room. The cat hybrid glanced around, noticing Tommy curled into Techno's side from their position of the floor, his eyes full of unfallen tears.
He sneezed into his elbow, bringing his hand to rub at the goosebumps that had built up on his arms despite the sluggish feeling. Pulling the blanket further over himself, he looked over at the clock, his brain grasping the position of the hands after a few seconds. It was well past 1am, and he knew he was keeping them up; the guilt floating around inside him.
'I-' Wilbur tried to speak but ending up coughing instead, the silence of the room making it sound cacophonous. Phil passed him a glass of water, holding it for him and guiding the straw to his mouth when his hands started shaking. He sipped at it carefully, the hydration making his throat ache as he got used to the sensation.
'I'm sorry,' Wilbur whispered softly as he avoided eye contact. It felt weird to speak, his throat contracting uncomfortably as he tried to form words.
'No.'
'Nope.'
'Nah mate.' They all spoke over each other, Techno's deadpanning barely audible over Tommy's shouts. 'You have nothing to apologise for.' Doubt must have crossed his face as Phil said that as he received the look from all three of them. He smiled back sheepishly, fiddling with the hem of the blanket awkwardly.
They sat in silence after that, and Wilbur zoned out slightly, only aware of Tommy's subtle shuffling towards him. He silently offered his hand when the raccoon hybrid got close to him, letting the limb droop over the edge of the sofa compliantly. Tommy snatched it eagerly, encasing it with his own and tracing soft patterns into his palm. His actions felt smooth against his hand, and Wilbur couldn't help but focus in on it, wanting the distraction just as much as the teenager.
'You wanna try and eat something?' He shook his head at the question, his stomach spinning at the thought of food. The elytrain hybrid sighed knowingly, his hand resting gently across his forehead when he subconsciously leaned into the touch.
'Alright mate, but in the morning you have to... okay? You're still worryingly warm though, so try and drink some water.' Wilbur hummed lightly, stifling a yawn as he shuffled closer towards them. He glanced at Techno carefully, noticing that the piglin hybrids eyes had never left him throughout the conversation. The cat hybrid titled his head to the side, confused when a fond expression appeared on his face.
A straw appeared in front of him again, and Wilbur took a couple slow sips before pushing it away. He couldn't help but feel tired again, his brain and limps feeling more and more drowsy as he attempted to stay awake.
'You're bad at stifling yawns,' Tommy commented, his head poking up from beside the sofa and resting on the edge. He looked like a child peering up at a sibling, affection dancing around in his eyes and reflected in teasing.
'He's needs to sleep anyway; he probably just feels sick and sluggish.' He tried to scowl at Techno's comment, watching as the piglin hybrid slowly rose to his feet.
''m not sick.' The cat hybrid sleepily insisted, allowing Techno to help him lie back down again and ignoring Phil's raised eyebrows.
'Go to sleep Soot...' The elytrian whispered, grabbing a couple more blankets to cover him with. He curled into them subconsciously, pretending not to hear a certain piglin hybrid cooing at him.
'Wilbur.' He felt them all freeze in their places, confused expressions glancing down at him.
'What did you say mate?' Phil's voice was gentle as always, his curiosity barely registering in his mind over the sheer softness of his tone.
'My name's Wilbur.'