Chapter Text
=
[Fit]: Forever, you alive brother?
[Foolish]: Do you need kelp to help?
[BagheraJones]: no one wants your kelp
[Foolish]: You took plenty of my kelp last night
[BagheraJones]: hahaaaa :P
[Fit]: She did Not, she beat you Several times
[Foolish]: ;p
[Slimecicle]: what the fuck are we talking about?
[Jaiden]: potential phil destroying forever after carrying him away last night
[Roier]: also phil can fly now and thats how he carried forever off
[pactw]: it was pretty hot
[mikethelink]: he might be dead
[Slimecicle]: so carried off in a sexy way or in an AOD sorta way?
[BadBoyHalo]: - _ -
[Foolish]: My brother in chridst…
[Fit]: aod?
[Forever]: GOODMORNING I LIVE
[Baghera]: FOREVER!!!! :DDD
[BadBoyHalo]: he lived
[Forever]: HELLO I AM FREE FROM PHILZAS SEXY SEXY CLUTCHES UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
[BadBoyHalo]: o_0
[Foolish]: nice
[ElQuackity]: ew
[AyPierre]: hot shit
[pactw]: pics?
[Jaiden]: damn!!
[Fit]: Are you doing good? Do you need anything?
[Forever]: IM GOOD
[Forever]: FOR LEGAL PURPOSES WE ONLY CUDDLED
[mikethelink]: :O
[pactw]: pics?
[BagheraJones]: aw :( damn :(
[Jaiden]: damn
[Forever]: PHILZA IS STILL SEXY SEXY THOUGH
[Forever]: TO ME
[pactw]: forever
[Forever]: I DID NOT TAKE PICS
[Cellbit]: good to hear you are okay
[Forever]: AS IF PHILZA WOULD EVER HURT ME <33333
[Ph1lza]: come back to my house rn and ill hurt u
[Forever]: DO YOU PROMISE O////U////O
[Ph1lza]: nevermind dont come
[pactw]: dont come?
[Fit]: Don’t come?
[Jaiden]: dont come?
[Roier]: dont come?
[Cellbit]: dont come?
[Foolish]: Dont come?
[Forever]: ON IT, PHILZA
[-] Ph1lza
[Roier]: *screaming cat dot gif*
[Jaiden]: we killed him
[Forever]: REST IN PEACE MY LOVE
[+] Ph1lza
[Ph1lza]: polite request everyone tone it down for the rest of the day?
[Ph1lza]: just a bit overwhgelmed
[Forever]: IF ANYONE UPSETS PHILZA I WILL COME TO YOUR HOME AND CUT YOUR COMMS ARM OFF
[Ph1lza]: u can bully me tomorrow
[Ph1lza]: thank you forever
[Forever]: <333333333333
[Ph1lza]: <3
[Forever]: !!! <33333333333333333333333
[ElQuackity]: ew
[Roier]: shut up, stop hating love
=
[BadBoyHalo] msgs [Ph1lza]: hey philza you wanna come over for some tea? how have you been feeling so far today?
[Ph1lza] msgs [BadBoyHalo]: feelin alright just hanging with eggs and a bit overwhelmed haha
[Ph1lza] msgs [BadBoyHalo]: how does five-ish sound?
[BadBoyHalo] msgs [Ph1lza]: sounds good to me 0u0 see you soon!!
[Ph1lza] msgs [BadBoyHalo]: :>
=
[BagheraJones] msgs [Ph1lza]: hello :) fit and cellbit did a thing with foolish today, and i'm on the schedule for tomorrow. wondering if you wanted to come with? they are checking in with everyone effected by max’s thing
[BagheraJones] msgs [Ph1lza]: i’m sure fit has already messaged you but in case he hasn’t, heads up for it!
[BagheraJones] msgs [Ph1lza]: hope you’re doing okay :)
[Ph1lza] msgs [BagheraJones]: hope u r doing alright too :>
[Ph1lza] msgs [BagheraJones]: did the beam get u and foolish? what about bad?
[BagheraJones] msgs [Ph1lza]: yeah! don’t know about bad but me and foolish swam around for hours last night, i'm so tireddddd
[BagheraJones] msgs [Ph1lza]: this is great! have you gone flying today?
[Ph1lza] msgs [BagheraJones]: no not yet haha bit nervous to
[Ph1lza] msgs [BagheraJones]: its been a while
[Ph1lza] msgs [BagheraJones]: ill come with u tomorrow if thats okay?
[Ph1lza] msgs [BagheraJones]: to fits house
[BagheraJones] msgs [Ph1lza]: of course it is!!! warning, cellbit is being a bit intense about code stuff and will probably ask us weird questions.
[Ph1lza] msgs [BagheraJones]: thanks for the headsup :|
[BagheraJones] msgs [Ph1lza]: how did you go with forever ;)
[Ph1lza] msgs [BagheraJones]: haha
[Ph1lza] msgs [BagheraJones]: forever is too good to me
[Ph1lza] msgs [BagheraJones]: would u mind keeping an eye on him for me actually?
[BagheraJones] msgs [Ph1lza]: why :( ?
[Ph1lza] msgs [BagheraJones]: ive upset him without meaning to and i think its going to keep happening for a while if he hangs around me which he will of course
[BagheraJones] msgs [Ph1lza]: of course he will :(
[BagheraJones] msgs [Ph1lza]: and of course :) i can do this
[BagheraJones] msgs [Ph1lza]: i've got your back and my brother’s back <3
[Ph1lza] msgs [BagheraJones]: <3
[Ph1lza] msgs [Baghera]: u r the best
[Ph1lza] msgs [BagheraJones]: see you tomorrow!
=
[Cellbit] msgs [Maximus]: found anything yet?
[Maximus] msgs [Cellbit]: A little. Your stuff on the Federation is helping. I think I have a plan.
[Cellbit] msgs [Maximus]: did you talk to bad yet?
[Cellbit] msgs [Maximus]: can talk to him if you don't have time?
[Cellbit] msgs [Maximus]: might need to leave richas with you, forever is mia [non srs] and everyone else i trust is off right now except roier and i also do not know where he is [maybe srs]
[Maximus] msgs [Cellbit]: I can talk to Bad tomorrow. I am going to talk to Philza tonight.
[Cellbit] msgs [Maximus]: dont talk to him!!! what did i say!!!!!
[Maximus] msgs [Cellbit] I am going to talk to Philza.
[Cellbit] msgs [Maximus]: im going to burn your house down you if you talk to him
[Maximus] msgs [Cellbit]: I am going to talk to him.
[Maximus]: Hello, Philza, can you come by for a chat tonight if you are free please?
[Cellbit] msgs [Maximus]: MAX WHY
[Ph1lza]: yea sure whens good for u :> ?
[Cellbit] msgs [Maximus]: great now i have to burn both of your houses down!!!! amazing!!!
[Maximus]: Nine-ish? At mine.
[Ph1lza]: o7
[Ph1lza]: wow im popular today lmaooo
[Forever]: ???? IS THIS MAN BOTHERING YOU KING
[Ph1lza]: fk off
[Forever]: ghjgkghkkkkkkkkkkkkk
[Ph1lza]: <3
[Roier]: phil it is important to me that you know: forever just threw himself off our boat and is now screaming under water
[Cellbit]: forever what are you doing in the ocean alone with my husband
[Forever]: BONDING
[Roier]: boning down
[Roier]: *bonding
[Cellbit]: wtf
[Ph1lza]: wtf
[Forever]: >:O IM STUCK AND CANT SWIM UP COME SAVE ME
[Roier]: die
[Ph1lza]: wtf
[Cellbit]: wtf
[Forever]: IM GONNA DIE ROIER
[Ph1lza]: roier save him or else
[Cellbit]: OR ELSE WHAT
[Roier]: got him!
[Forever]: philza that was sexy of you
[Ph1lza]: cool
[Ph1lza]: stay safe you two and watch out for whales
[Ph1lza]: let me know when youre back please
[Roier]: o7
[Forever]: yes we will do that <33333
[Ph1lza]: <3
[Forever]: !!!!! <33333333333333333333333
[Ph1lza]: STOP <3
[Cellbit]: SORRY CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW U JUST THREATENED MY HUSBAND
[Forever]: no
[Roier]: no
[Ph1lza]: no i guess sorry mate
[Cellbit]: WHAT THE FUCK
=
Phil and Dapper’s feud begins on day one.
“Hey Bad!” Phil greets, a burbling flock, safe, good good extended towards the looming, beaming demon, hopping his way up the last few steps to where his friend stands. He rubs the back of his neck, all too aware of the sudden height difference, “did you grow a couple of feet, mate?”
“One foot and three quarters,” Bad chuckles, “my horns are longer, too, and,” swirling his tail so it curls around his front, “look at that! It’s so much longer, now. Hi, anyway, come on in- how have you been doing?” Bad makes a precise whip out behind him with his tail, opening the door with it.
Ooh, shiny , Phil goes through, hands lingering on the ornate brass handles of the main entrance to Bad’s place - with a couple of claws and twists, one of them slides neatly into Phil’s pocket. The door remains, handleless, and Phil just stares for a second. He doesn’t realise what he’s doing until the deed is done. And, in this, he didn’t realise what a bad idea this is until he’s actually here, staring down Bad’s home that is teeming with cool shit .
Bad’s home is wonderful. Beautiful, even. As Phil is welcomed in by his old friend and asked about his ‘recent changes’, Phil knows this is going to be rough.
Ooh, shiny. The polished pieces on tabletops and shelves aren’t even eye-catching- they are mesmerising . He has to have them , ooh, impressive, ooh, shiny, good nesting, very good, yes yes.
Dapper waddles a step in front of his father, leading them deeper into Bad’s abode. Neither of his hosts are looking.
No thought behind his eyes, he sweeps a candlestick and a small pile of machine plugs and components into his open bag. The jangling where it all clinks and clanks against is growing assortment of shiny, nice, yes yes, impressive, good nesting, good for favourite, impressive, yes yes, is muffled by the extra-dimensional space inside.
“I’m not too bad,” he bobs his head a couple of times at Bad’s turned back, thanks, good nest, hello, hello, “feeling a bit shit but, like. I could have expected that, after not flying for fucking ages.”
A couple of loose iron boots are lifted from where they’ve been tucked under a low set of drawers. Clunkclink , into the bag.
“Oh, no,” it is always extra-specially comforting, the way Bad comforts. Speaks like he’s really listening, in the moment, trying to capture the emotion- especially the bad ones -and make them better if he can. Phil wants to lean into him and curl up and twitter out all the hurt. Knows Bad would welcome it. Good, flock, strong, “is there anything I can do? I have some of this oil from Fit, maybe I could help out?”
Oooh, shiny, shiny, yes yes.
A set of five item frames, displaying diamond armours shimmering purple in rare, special, very impressive, yes yes, enchantments. In the bag they go! With deft swipes of his claws, all five chestplates are popped noiselessly from their frames.
“Yeah, I have plenty of oil too, don’t worry.” He laughs- bats at the back of Bad’s hoodie in a fluttering strike of playfulness, firecrackers popping through his skin, nice, shiny, touch, nice, good, “what kind of tea are we putting on?”
“I have some… Chamomile, and some weird but yummy kinda black tea Pomme brought me, and a couple of green teas, lemongrass and ginger…”
Bad rattles through some of his more normal teas.
Ooh, shiny, the ornamental blocks and accents around the lights, reflected in pressed, polished metals. Clunkclink, a whole weapon rack gets poured into the open bag. A couple miss and Phil struggles, catching them with his wings and a leg and an arm as he races to open a fresh backpack with his free hand. Not one of them touches the ground. He remains undetected and in the rest go- polearms, and long curved swords, and a single short dagger. Making friends with Baghera’s spare swords, probably. And the hundreds of ores he lifted from Vegetta’s plethora of chests in his hidden room. Not to mention all the shit he took from Etoiles’s cramped panic-base in La France. The inventory space isn’t supposed to be impacted by weight and yet Phil’s feels overburdened and dragging.
That’s probably the guilt that Phil carries, regretfully not enough to stop his need more shiny, not enough at nest, need to keep favourite there, need shiny, impress favourite, favourite never leaves. Always safe. Stay . He huffs at himself, frustrated, boom. Life solved, right?
Ooh, shiny, the scythe that Bad scrolls through to get to his food backpack.
He darts away from his hosts here and there, as Bad moves on to talking about what happened last night, after Phil left. The backpack in Phil’s own hand is feeling heavier and heavier with every room they pass. Ooh, opening drawers and sifting through, everywhere he looks has something metal, something precious. Jewelled and diamond-sparkling rewards for dungeon clearings, silvered cups and shields and-
Oooooh, shiny!!
Hanging over a fireplace, Phil drops his backpack in awe at the sight: an ornate gold-woven cape that probably belonged to a tough air-ship boss.
“Philza?! Where did you go!” Bad's voice calls from down the hall.
“Here-” ooooh, pressing the fabric together between his hands, he leaps up with a soft beat of his wings and unhooks the shoulders of the great cape from the frames holding them up, “sorry, got distracted-” despite its dense look, the fabric is almost sheer in feel and weight. Easy to bundle up and stuff through the mouth of his bag.
“Are you good?!”
“Yeah!” Slinging the bag back into his off hand, Phil ducks back into the main walkway- coming face to face with Bad. He glances down to Dapper, back up to the peering whites of Bad’s eyes.
… Shiny. “Tea? Bad?”
He breathes a sigh of relief when Bad smiles at him. Followed by a sigh of regret, I should just tell him, miserable at the rush of giddiness when Bad’s back turns and Phil easily reaches into an open container and trickles a handful of spoons in with the rest of his prizes.
Bonk, his foot hits something hollow and hard.
WHACK- that something hits him-
“Dapper!” Bad shouts, halted in the door to the kitchen and frowning back at them, “no hitting! No! Don’t hit uncle Phil!”
Ooh, shiny , above the table he just lifted the spoons from, several sparkling chalices sit in a row on a shelf. Practically begging to find a new home on one of the windowsills around the bath in his nest.
Dapper whacks him again. “Dapp- per,” drawing it out, Bad approaches. Phil has to rip his eyes away from the chalices, “what did I say about guests and-”
He says it all in one breath.
“Bad, it’s not his fault, I’ve been stealing things from you.”
Whoosh, like the cape coming down.
The cape - Phil reaches into his bag and throws it down at Bad’s feet, grimacing at the urge to snatch it back up and fucking leg it home. Only a little makes it out of the bag and Phil is stuck tugging more and more out like some clown doing a hankerchief-chain-in-sleeve trick. Humiliating. Dumb fucking bird, can't not steal the shinies...
“Wh…” Bad’s eyes are perfect circles. Wide like saucers in his dark hood. “Why have you been stealing things from me, Philza?”
One by one, Phil drops the five diamond chestplates. His face must say enough, he assumes, as Bad starts to frown once more but it is warped with a slight smirk. “Philza, you know I could go walking through here and list everything you took-”
“Alright, alright,” tamping down no, keep, nest, need to impress favourite- he upends the contents of his newest bag. Bad’s weapons, Baghera’s swords, some shields and plates and bowls, knives and forks and spoons. One of the spoons clangs along the floor and bounces off of Bad’s boots.
There is so much, all over the floor. Half of it he doesn't even remember grabbing.
“Philza!” Bad cries, amused but at least pretending to be affronted, “you were gonna steal my cutlery?! These swords aren’t even mine- Phil. Philza,” Bad stoops- stoops again, struggling with his extra few inches of height- and unearths something from the middle of the trove, waving it around, “what… What the f*dge is this- how did you get the doorhandle off?! Without me hearing?!”
Oh, yeah , the first thing Phil grabbed was one of the front-door handles: massive, polished brass things, I completely forgot about that- I must have put it in the bag with everything else. Keep- best- favourite- he’s babbling and anxiously warbling before he knows it:
“It is really big and pretty, can I please keep it? You can probably make a new door easier than you could replace it-”
“Ugh, okay, fine, you can keep this one thing, alright?” Stepping around Phil’s returned goods, Bad presses it into his hand, and Phil nods, sheepish, sorry, keep, “okay. Good.” Good! Good. Bad giggles, “aw, Forever is right- you are cute, all warble-y at me. Come on…”
A sparking bubble encases Phil. It radiates out from Bad, the familiar lift and gesture of spellcasting with a dark, point-tipped hand. Phil cocks his head. Subtly takes a step back, Dapper taking some interested steps forward and jumping to get a better look at Bad’s spell. Three cups of tea float, steaming, out of the kitchen. Bad’s smile glows with something that wasn’t there a day ago. “Let’s go sit outside, hm?”
Ooh… Phil gets on his tiptoes to reach those shiny chalices the second Bad’s back is turned, thin pink teacups arrayed in the air around his head. Almost- reached-
“Philza!” He jumps, knocking the shelf and sending the fragile glass and metal pieces toppling. Another shower of sparking magic whips around him as Bad catches them and floats them back up past Phil’s helpless, grasping hands. Bad shouts, same tone he uses on the eggs, “Philza! No!”
Whack, whack, Dapper starts to punch him in the direction of the balcony, to follow his father. Phil laughs along with Bad, and waggles back at Dapper when the kid swings at him to keep going. Like a little guardian, Dapper walks him out into the sun- hitting the small nook on the side of Bad’s house perfectly, warming the stone floor and the thick blankets on fold-out wooden seats.
He takes a seat facing the sun so Bad isn’t looking into it, knowing the demon is not too fond of direct sunlight. Rustling his feathers out a little to catch as many of it’s sweet, healing rays as he can, Phil watches with a settling anxiousness as Dapper pops himself up onto an egg-height lounge. When Phil kicks at him, Dapper brings out a long, steel gun-like contraption and aims down at Phil.
Oooh… Shiny…
Dapper punches at him, either recognising the meaning of that trill, or feeling the want, give, want behind Phil's noises.
“You look brighter, Bad,” Phil comments, tearing his eyes away from Dapper and the shiny shiny shiny gadget. He catches the hot tea coming in to land at the table, swirling the levitating mug slowly. “You smell different, too.”
“I know,” the demon nods, swiping a few dark locks of hair back under his hood when they escape, “the growing is cool and all- I’m not nearly as tall as I should be, but! You know. It’s nicer. Less compressed. And I can see way way better in the dark, but, ugh, I’m all crackly and gross. It’s weird- like with your muscles, it kinda. I dunno, it’s frazzling, I haven’t used magic so casually for so long… We've been here, what... One hundred days?”
"More than that.
"Gosh..."
Short, sharpened nails clatter on glazed terracotta. Bad taps a pattern out on his mug.
The sun drifts, grows the shadows over the view far below, calling the cold from the cracks of the world. Phil enjoys the quality time, the quiet company, tracks the shifting of the pointed tail and the slow blinks of burning starlight eyes.
“You smell different too, Philza.”
Bad sounds like he doesn’t know how to word what he really wants to say. ‘I don’t like what you’ve become’ is what he meant to say, the ugly voice burps from the gaps in a closed chest at the back of Phil’s mind, ‘I don’t like what you’ve turned back into’.
Swivelling between his dad and his uncle, bomp, Dapper places a sign.
“Yeah?” Phil breathes it out, “that makes sense. I’ve just got my sense of smell back properly, which is pretty pog. It… The island smells so good."
Dapper waves a paw over his head to get attention for his sign:
‘what does he smell like? i cant smell anything different’
Illuminated by the internal burn in his eyes, Bad’s nose shifts ever so slightly from side to side as he tries to figure out how to lie to his son. The acrid perfume, dishonesty, discomfort, pours off of him in waves. Crimson roots and fresh blood, mouthwatering and metal-on-metal tearing.
“Like… It’s like...”
He knows what it reminds them both of. Knows the memories it brings back; the lost and gone, friends turned enemies, an old lazy river curling between craters.
Black pinions and hollow bones brought back to life by ancient curses. Light-consuming wings that descended alongside the power of the Blood God and the corrupted administrator's sickly fingers looped in green puppeteering strings.
Phil knows what he smells like, to Bad.
While not made of it, Bad knows it as well as Phil does.
Death.
Bad took over their last world with his ruthless empire. Although Phil was part of the far-away Syndicate, dedicated to taking down corrupt rulers- which Bad was, in every sense of the word, and Bad would be the first to say so nowadays -by the time the Eggpire became an issue, Phil had all but backed out of that area of the world. His family, his friends, everyone he might have considered flock were so broken apart and caught up in the green web of the server. In all his years, he reckons he has never had his heart shattered more.
Here they are, now, in a world flooded with baby dragon eggs and the only controlling admins to contend with are ones they have never met personally, ones who are expressly trapping them here on Quesadilla island. The ones who never pretend to be their friends and yet they act 'in your best interests,' 'to promote happiness and order'. After the first few days, Phil had approached Bad, aiming to put the past to rest. Quick and easy. “Look, mate, things are different. I know what it’s like to be caught up in rage- you’ve seen that yourself- and, I know how possession feels, and. I know it probably doesn’t mean much now, but I forgive you. I would like to be friends, if you’d be okay with that.” Bad had beamed at him, shining eyes scrunching up and sparkling with tears. They had talked for hours that day about their old world, what they had been up to in the meantime, and their hopes for this new world. The shifty memory gap between not-being-here and arriving.
Bad had talked about being possessed, about his Eggpire, all the people he had hurt. The friends he pushed away. The guilt he still holds on to. How he was shocked by the relief, when Phil said he forgave him. How, some days, he just feels like a monster.
So, Phil had reciprocated, as much as he could: he went over the blur that was Doomsday, destroying the town of L’manberg completely. Until nothing more than holes in the ground and a ruined river remained. How it felt to watch Bad hunt down his son and attempt to crush him with an anvil, trapped in his own house by the shackle around his ankle. How he had fought with the thoughts he’d had, the lack of remorse, towards Bad and Quackity and the others. He told Bad about Tommy and Wilbur, and Ranboo- Michael, the piglin hybrid child- Tubbo, as well. His flock; scrappy and confusing as it had been, it was his, flock. An new, found flock, that they built together out of nothing, which made it hurt all the more when they broke apart. When they broke themselves apart, when others broke them apart.
When they were broken apart by a dream Ending.
He talked about Technoblade.
Tears in their eyes, they had reached some level of eye-to-eye, some equal footing. Just in talking about it, Phil had known then- he could trust the demon. Then, with the eggs, and the new people, new threats, Bad had only proved time and time again: Phil had made the right choice.
They are locked in something, some kind of weird social dance. It only clicks when Bad starts to chuckle, shaking his hood down to reveal two serrated, pointed horns that twist close along his skull. Freeing long, black hair. The ends lift a little with his renewed magic. Small, fluttery wings poof into the realm, set high on Bad’s back, stretching and waggling.
“It’s so different, here, isn’t it?”
Bad is afraid of me- turning to face the expansive view bowing itself to Bad's sky-built base in all directions, Bad kicks his heels up on the railing, gulping down some of his burning tea. Phil does the same, draining the last of the mug. Main sign a demon is scared, Bad had told him once, they show their aspects. Absently, Bad’s tail curls along the side of the table towards Phil. “It’s so different, to that place, isn’t it? Everyone is way… Way…”
Bad is scared of me, and he still invited me over, Phil hums, taking his tea mug up on both hands to absorb the remaining heat. He wanted to make sure I was okay. He cares about me.
“We care about each other, here.” Phil replies, glancing to Bad when he feels the pinpricks of the demon’s gaze. He’s not just being nice to make sure I don’t hurt him, the smells don’t lie, make it easy to erase the poisonous doubt clouding around every corner Phil’s reasoning tries to take. This place is so, so different, and here, he cares about me and I care about him. “We do- Wilbur told me, it’s basic psychology. Here, we have something to fight against. A common enemy. And the eggs gave us a chance to collaborate. Work together for a common goal. That kind of stuff forms stronger bonds between different people, apparently. With…” he makes a vague gesture, hoping Bad will follow, whatever ended up going on in our old world, “we didn’t really get a chance to make those structures. People just did whatever the fuck they wanted. What ever they fucking wanted, to each other.”
“Language,” the admonishment is soft, “but you’re right, yeah.”
When Bad sighs, “it sucked , so much,” Phil lifts his empty mug in cheers, trills at him . Smiles at his friend. Bad smiles back, the fear no less strong, but the hopefulness, the care, flock, friend, overpowering it.
It reminds him of the others. The messages he’s gotten today, checking in with him- the lingering traces of Missa on his pillows- the lines he could sense and follow when he’d house-hopped his way to Bad’s were almost tangible. Like he could reach out and hold any one, and at the end of it he would find a friend. Love flows so strongly through this island, in this wonky little community from all over the world, so many different folks. Many of whom had never met before but fell in together anyway. Looking for any way to get closer and in doing so, found so many things that brought them together they became impossible to untangle and grow apart.
All of them made it here by accident and yet he suspects, even if given the option to leave and go their separate ways, return to their lives before knowing each other, many of them would chose to stay together.
“I like it better, here.”
“Me too, Philza. Me too.” All of Bad’s notes turn to concern, “are… Are you sure you’re doing okay? With your- after last night?”
“I’ll be okay, Bad. Don’t you worry...” Phil places his cup down carefully and reaches, slow across the table, to place a hand over Bad’s own. The demon turns his hand and laces their fingers. Worrying, anyway. Of course he is. Squeezing tightly, Bad ducks his head a couple of times, a rough imitation of what he’s seen Phil do, no doubt. Phil nods back, “it’s… Not good, I don’t feel good about this…” Fluffing his wings, Phil lets go of Bad’s friend, good, warm hand, and tussles through the under-feathers. “I don’t think all of my code is working. The- the code, the… Her code- I can’t feel it. I can’t feel her. So I’m hoping, maybe, I have the nicer parts of my hybridised bits working, without-”
“The A. O. D.” Bad sums it up for him, sardonic, sympathetic
The less-nice parts of my codes.
Protect. Preserve flock. Do what it takes.
Destroy. Kill. Take. Use.
If it threatens, hurts, it cannot be near nest.
Flock must survive.
Stay.
“Yeah,” Phil shakes the green ones and zeros of the binary entity out of his brain, shivering off his bubbling thoughts with more feather-fluffing. Dapper pops out of his seat and approaches, crouched down, clear interest in Phil’s wings. “For now, all we get is an annoying little kleptomaniac who is obsessed with Forever, I guess.”
“Oh! Yeah, about that,” pulling up his comms, Bad types out a message while he simpers at Phil, “you and Forever, huh? That was funny.”
[BadBoyHalo]: hey everyone fair warning! i caught philza trying to steal metals and spoons and weapons and such from my house. hes after anything pretty that isnt nailed down. hide your diamonds ^u^
Phil reads it when it flashes up in his own communicator, and laughs. He bops Dapper gently with a wing, chuckling when the egg- hatchling, baby- jumps to stay covered by the feathers.
“Remember the doorhandle,” he reminds Bad, finger-gunning- Dapper brushes himself on Phil's primaries, waddling back and forth under the arc of the wing. Phil warbles at him, clean, hatching, good, yes yes, and nearly falls out of his seat when he hears Dapper emanate his own sound and recognises, clean, clean, a draconic set of pops and squeaks like meat cooking on high heat. Bad, oblivious to the groundbreaking interaction, laughs and focuses on typing.
“Oh, yeah! Thanks for the reminder.”
[BadBoyHalo]: correction! he will take something pretty even if it IS nailed down. he is now the proud owner of one of my doorhandles.
Dapper seems wholly unbothered by the fact that he communicated with Phil, wobbling along beneath his uncle's feathers. Phil acts in kind, giving Dapper one last good, good, clean- to which Dapper responds with a flurry of cleans -and turning to his comms.
[Ph1lza]: :’<
The accusations start rolling in.
[Vegetta]: THAT’S WHERE all my ores went!!!
[Etoiles]: I was wondering if it was a bug but u stole???????? so much shit from me
[Etoiles]: How did you get in to my bunker
[Foolish]: BADS DOORHANDLES ARE SO COOL HOW COULD YOU DO THIS FILIPZA
[Etoiles]: why
[BagheraJones]: i thought i saw you near my house at lunchtime!! what did you take!!!!
[Etoiles]: why philza. why you do this to meee
[Forever]: oh philzaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
[Forever]: he is so precious <333
[Foolish] msgs [Ph1lza]: how much can i pay u for the doorhandle
[Foolish] msgs [Ph1lza]: how much can i pay u for the doorhandle
[Foolish] msgs [Ph1lza]: how much can i pay u for the doorhandle
[Foolish] msgs [Ph1lza]: how much can i pay u for the doorhandle
[Foolish] msgs [Ph1lza]: how much can i pay u for the doorhandle
Phil meets Bad’s cheeky glare over the table. The relentless pinging of Phil's communicator- wrist implant flashing orange over and over -private messages flooding in. They are all from Foolish, but Bad can't possibly know that.
“Philza… How much stuff have you stolen?”
Dapper brings out his long, mystery gun and puts Phil in his sights. His father's son, hearing the threat, preparing to take the shot on Bad's behalf.
Oooh… He can’t stop the trill of excitement, so shiny, want want want.
Clean, Dapper threatens him. And oh shit I taught Dapper his first word, the thought blitzes through Phil's mind as his instincts close in, fogging almost everything else away.
Slowly, Phil counts out and holds up three fingers for Bad to see.
“Only three things?” Bad drawls his words, eyes crescenting under the strength of his smile, “are you sure?”
Flicking through his items, Phil flashes each stuffed-full backpack.
“Three backpacks’ worth?! Philza!! Oh my goodness!! We are going and giving everything back, right now!”
No, Phil starts clicking, a snapping sound that speeds up, puffing his wings. He eyes Dapper, then Bad. Want, want, shiny-
“Hey! None of that!”
Khhh, a hoarse, raspy hiss at Bad, away, at the little egg approaching and poking the shiny, shiny, perfect for favourite, end of the canon-like weapon at him. In his right mind, Phil is sure Bad could just reach over the table and grab him, extra height or no. He knows that Bad is just fucking with him, relishes in the demon’s mischievous play. The genuine nest, mine, keep, up up up panicking about his acquisitions only spurs Bad on:
“Don’t you use that tone of- hey!” Nest, take shiny, nest, yes yes- the feathers across the bridging bones of his wings are almost all the way on end, splaying further as he raises them and starts to spread them up and outward. Ready for take-off, “no, no!”
With one leap, he grips Dapper’s gun in both hands and rips it from the egg’s hold, flipping backwards into a neat perch the railing. The human side of him screams, holy shit, I pulled that off, what the fuck!? Dapper is almost bowled over from the air displacement- Bad has to shield his eyes, shouting as he lowers his arms from over his face, “don’t you do it! Don’t you dare- Dapper, lasso him-”
One gargantuan flap is all it takes. Phil is up, wind streaming in his ears, the weightless pause as his wings rip up above his head only to launch him again, further, higher towards the budding stars. Below, Bad tells him off, “don’t you fly away from me, mister!!”
Seconds later, the flash of his comms distracts him, up, safe, up up up. He evens out, stretching into a glide. He doesn’t have to look to turn himself homewards, reading the newest message that has him in giggling fits:
[BadBoyHalo]: philza minecraft just robbed my son!!!!!
[Maximus]: Phil, if you come to mine and steal something, I will cry like the baby until you return it to me.
“Oh, shit, right,” Phil adjusts his course, veering right to head across the main body of the island. He was so wrapped up in making it out of Bad’s with almost every bit and piece he got his hands on today, he completely forgot he was meant to meet with Max. Oh, shit, jangling through one of the three bags, he feels the shapes of things he took from Bad’s house.
[Ph1lza]: ON MY WAY
[Maximus]: DO NOT COME IF YOU ARE GOING TO ROB ME, PLEASE!
[Ph1lza]: ill be good i promise :>
[Maximus]: YOU ARE COMING TO MY BASE AND NOT MY HOUSE NEAR COPACABANA YES?
[Ph1lza]: yes! omw rn
[Ph1lza]: also sorry bad i still have over half a backpack full of ur stuff
[Ph1lza]: mine now :>
[BadBoyHalo]: what?!!
[Forever]: ANNOUNCEMENT ROIER AND I ARE BACK FROM THE OCEAN
[Forever]: PHILZA DID YOU MISS ME
[Ph1lza]: thanks glad to know u r both back safe
[Ph1lza]: yes yes i missed you
[Forever]: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[BadBoyHalo]: phil i watched you empty an entire backpack of my things on the floor! how much more do you have!?!?
[Ph1lza]: some of it was bagheras
[BagheraJones]: give me back my swords D:
[BagheraJones]: i just saw you fly over you could have dropped them :(((((
[Ph1lza]: mine :>
[Etoiles]: he is heading for maxs house? im on wall
[Etoiles]: ill shoot him out of the sky
[Ph1lza]: try me bitch :>
[BadBoyHalo]: how much of my stuff did you take?!?!?!?!
[Ph1lza]: shiny :> mine now :>
[+] Jaiden
[BadBoyHalo]: o/
[Jaiden]: o/ hi bad
[Forever]: philza you are adorable uuuuuuuuuuuu
[Ph1lza]: <3
[Forever]: I WANNA SEE THE THINGS YOU STOLE PLEASE SHOW ME
[Forever]: <333333 !!!!!!!!!!!1
[Ph1lza]: <3 oke :>
[BadBoyHalo]: unbelievable.
[Jaiden]: awwwwwwwww what a cute moment to log in to
[BadBoyHalo]: jaiden. phil literally robbed dapper and me and vegetta baghera and etoiles. three bags full, jaiden. Three Bags of our things. four if you count the one i made him give back to me
[Roier]: jaiden hi phil has been in a silly goofy mood all day
[Roier]: he threatened to kill me
[Jaiden]:how fun!
[Roier]: SO FUN!
[Etoiles]: i missed him! he is going too fast for me to hit!!!
[Ph1lza]: >:D
[Jaiden]: aw phil has the zoomies?? gogogogogogo!!!!!
[Ph1lza]: GOINGGOINGGOINGGOING
[Jaiden]: why are you trying to shoot him?? he is valid to steal <3
[Ph1lza]: <3
[Maximus]: Please no, he is on the way to me.
[Roier]: rob his ass
[Jaiden]: gettim
[Etoiles]: max do u need a bodyguard?
[BadBoyHalo]: oh my goodness
[Forever]: bring me EVERYTHING philza
[Ph1lza]: u r all joking but this isnt helping omg
[Jaiden]: lmao sorry :p
[Forever]: if you steal anything from max ill be very very very sad philza :<
[Ph1lza]: :<
[Ph1lza]: :< oke
[Maximus]: Thank you Forever.
[Forever]: remember this
=
[Foolish] msgs [Ph1lza]: cmonnnn phil sell mee that doorhande i WANT IT
[Ph1lza] msgs [Foolish]: no :>
[Foolish] msgs [Ph1lza]: whati if i gave yuou…… 1000 diamondd blocks
[Ph1lza] msgs [Foolish]: no :>
[Foolish] msgs [Ph1lza]: how aboutttt a rlybiiig sword
[Ph1lza] msgs [Foolish]: enchanted?
[Foolish] msgs [Ph1lza]: whatdy ou want it enchanted wuth?
[Ph1lza] msgs [Foolish]: all of them
[Foolish] msgs [Ph1lza]: ALL OF THEM?!
[Ph1lza] msgs [Foolish]: all of the enchantments :>
[Foolish] msgs [Ph1lza]: OKAY, I WILL BRING YOU A DIAMND SWORD WITH AS MANY ENCHANMNETS AS I CANGET ON IT!!!!
[Ph1lza] msgs [Foolish]: no. every enchantment
[Foolish] msgs [Ph1lza]: TGHATS IMPOSSIBLE PHILZA
[Ph1lza] msgs [Foolish]: then no :>
[Ph1lza] msgs [Foolish]: my doorhandle :>
[Foolish] msgs [Ph1lza]: howwww about i give you
[Foolish] msgs [Ph1lza]: heres
[Foolish] msgs [Ph1lza]: okay heres this: you give me the doorhandle and i will give you
[Foolish] msgs [Ph1lza]: a
[Foolish] msgs [Ph1lza]: glowsquid pouch?
[Ph1lza] msgs [Foolish]: YES
[Ph1lza] msgs [Foolish]: YES
[Ph1lza] msgs [Foolish]: YES
[Ph1lza] msgs [Foolish]: YES
[Ph1lza] msgs [Foolish]: PLEASE
[Ph1lza] msgs [Foolish]: YES
[Ph1lza] msgs [Foolish]: GIVE
[Ph1lza] msgs [Foolish]: YES
[Foolish] msgs [Ph1lza]: :DDDDDDDDDDDD ILL GIVE YOU SO MANY GLOWSQUID POUCHES
[Ph1lza] msgs [Foolish]: :DDDDDDDDD
=
[BadBoyHalo] msgs [Forever]: i think we need to stage an intervention. this is gonna become a problem
[Forever] msgs [BadBoyHalo]: kkkkkkkk hes so cute
[BadBoyHalo] msgs [Forever]: o-0
[BadBoyHalo] msgs [Forever]: something is wrong with you
[Forever] msgs [BadBoyHalo]: it is love, badboy, i would not expect you to understand -n-
[BadBoyHalo] msgs [Forever]: you are a m*ffinhead o_o
[Forever] msgs [BadBoyHalo]: u - u
[Etoiles] msgs [BadBoyHalo]: big daddy you and i should hook up
[BadBoyHalo] msgs [Etoiles]: excuse me
[Etoiles] msgs [BadBoyHalo]: pierre said it would be funny if i said that
[BadBoyHalo] msgs [Etoiles]: do you mean ‘team up’?
[Etoiles] msgs [BadBoyHalo]: yes! to get our things back from philza
[Etoiles] msgs [BadBoyHalo]: what do you think
[BadBoyHalo] msgs [Etoiles]: come over then
[Etoiles] msgs [BadBoyHalo]: ;)
[BadBoyHalo] msgs [Etoiles]: ;)
[Etoiles]: on my way big bad daddy ;)
[BadBoyHalo]: you forgot to /msg
[BadBoyHalo]: you forgot to /msg
[BadBoyHalo]: you forgot to /msg
[BadBoyHalo]: you forgot to /msg
[Roier]: :o
[BadBoyHalo]: o-0
[aypierre]: 0-o i thought badboy was only my big daddy
[Etoiles]: YOU SET ME UP
[Etoiles]: 1V1 ME ILL FUCK YOU UP OLD MAN
[BadBoyHalo]: nonono don't fight! i can be big daddy for both of you!!!
[BadBoyHalo]: what am i saying
[BadBoyHalo]: why do i care
[BadBoyHalo]: f*dge all of you
[Jaiden]: what is in the water today??
[pactw]: what are you talking about its always like this here
[Jaiden]: true. true
[Roier]: badboy will you be my daddy too
[Cellbit]: WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING TODAY
[Jaiden]: bitches want badboyhalo
[aypierre]: im bitches
[Roier]: im bitches
[Etoiles]: im bitches
[Cellbit]: im bitches
[Roier]: what?
[Cellbit]: what?
[Jaiden]: no one is immune to daddy boy halo
[BadBoyHalo]: help me
=