We Can't Play Pretend | SBI Fantasy Fan-Fic

Prologue

Tommy groaned at his alarm clock and slammed his hand down on it. He didn't want to get up, he was tired but knew the consequences if he didn't. He groaned again and got up, stretching and walking out of his room absentmindedly. He just wanted to get some food like some toast. The thought of food, in general, made his stomach growl. He didn't have the energy to cook and he was too hungry to wait for Phil or Wilbur or even Techno to wake up. He grabbed some bread and huffed while sitting there, why did things have to change so much? He knows that it was supposed to be for the better but...

What was he supposed to do? He was getting tired, he had lived with the three for years and recognized them as brothers. He couldn't keep lying to them.

Phil being the kind soul he was, was associated with, what he explained was, a Fenghuang. After plenty of explaining and pestering from Tommy, he caved. He said that he was much much older than he looked. When Tommy asked how much older he couldn't give a direct answer. Phil continued and described that in his creature form he gave good luck and was a signal of good leadership. As a whole, when seen in places with fewer people or with no political leader insight he was a symbol of peace. This explained why he was never in creature form, it could give wrong signals to some. He learned to control most of his powers and could partially transform(wings). He never said what his power was but just this information seemed to satisfy Tommy so he stopped.

Wilbur explained that formally he's what people call a Somadiva, but due to authors and pop culture, another name for it was Vila. He continued by saying that he could lure people and convince them to do anything he wanted. He said he had to be careful because if he messed up his control it would enrage the person he's using it on. He could die if he wasn't careful. Tommy understood why he was so cautious and why he refused to sing.

Lastly, there was Techno, a nian. He didn't hide it, hiding it required energy. Energy that Techno simply didn't have. A nian was something similar to a dragon. A fearsome and brutal monster that wouldn't hesitate to kill. The only true way to stop it is loud noises and overuse of specific colors. The common misconception humans had was the fact they believed it was only red but the humans who experienced it only knew the one that feared red. Techno feared purple, an almost irrational reaction to the color. It would make him back off and hold his head. The true difference between him and the rest of his kind comes from Techno's restraint. He could handle being a human constantly, not just that he didn't kill everyone in sight. Not to say he hasn't had a few bad days.

The four of them were a strange combo together, three powerful and beautiful creatures and a...human?

Tommy hated lying to his supposed brothers but he couldn't help it. How was he going to just drop he was a Nuckelavee. A beast, a monstrosity that gods back in the day could barely restrain. He was relentless, his breaths alone could make flowers and plants wilt. The main drawback was his fear of rain. Rain and snow were terrifying, they hurt and stung, he claimed and had claimed that he hated it cause it was cold, loud (at least with rain), and just plain depressing. The family simply brushed it off though, they weren't going to force him into anything.

The guilt built up as he sat in the dark and ate. When Phil, the first to normally wake up, woke up to Tommy in the kitchen, in silence, just with some bread in hand. It was concerning.

"Toms? You doing alright?" Phil walked next to him as he spoke and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. Tommy jolted and looked at Phil.

"I-I'm doing alright Phil...just thinking a lot." He ran an anxious hand through his hair.

"Well that's dangerous," Phil commented in a teasing tone. He was trying to lighten the mood and that made Tommy force out a chuckle. The two sat together quietly for a long while, then Phil snapped out of it and got breakfast ready.

After maybe fifteen minutes Techno walked in and looked at the two. "hehhhhh? Why is Tommy here before me?"

"I don't know big man, maybe I'm just that much better than you."

"Nahh today was a fluke" Techno walked to Phil and cleaned as he cooked. Tommy watched the two Chinese beasts casually do such basic tasks. Under normal circumstances, this would be unheard of. Their friendship and comradery was something that no one could begin to explain. Now that Tommy thought about it, how did Techno and Phil even meet? Not just that but how did Wilbur even come into the mix? It was truly a mystery, and as the duo completed breakfast the last member of their family came down the stairs.

"Oh ok, what the fuck!" Wilbur yelled from his spot, clearly not happy to be the last to the party. "Techno why didn't you wake me up!"

"You seemed like you needed your beauty sleep." He shrugged, knowing full well he was getting an offended glare and chuckles. "Anyway, what's the plan today?"

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923 words! I normally write this through the weekends and late at night so I apologize for any inconsistencies. There's no schedule but there's at least one chapter a month! There are already a few chapters written in a google doc so I hope you guys enjoy!