Hello, this is a gift for tumblr user thau-draws for the DGM Secret Santa 2017. The prompt was for something Neah-related, so I went with his first meeting with Timcanpy. Enjoy reading, and let me know what you think!
Song the fic was written to: The Lament of Eustace Scrubb by The Oh Hellos
Soft pre-dawn light filtered through parted curtains, slowly illuminating the shadowed room beyond. Gentle light fell upon messy blankets, the sleeping figure beneath making the fabric rise and fall with each slow and restful breath.
It was the kind of peace only an early morning hour could bring; soft silence wrapped around the receding night, hues of pink and baby blue brushing against the horizon of an awakening world.
It was the kind of peace Neah D. Campbell sorely needed.
Dark eyes fluttered open to soft, gentle light and comforting silence, almost lulling Neah back to sleep. A warm contented feeling sat upon his shoulders, as comforting as the blankets wrapped around him. He could easily have remained like that for hours, watching the light build around him with sleepy reverence, half-awake and at peace with the world.
It was not to be, it seemed.
Heavy footsteps, the squeal of protesting floorboards, and a sudden crash as the door to Neah's room forcibly collided with the nearby dresser broke whatever momentary peace he could have had that morning.
He smelt Cross Marian before he saw him, wrinkling his nose at the stench of spirits and cigarette smoke as he rose from his protective blanket cocoon. Neah threw a seething glare in the direction of his very much unwanted companion, who stood in the doorway, breathing hard, a somewhat concerning grin on his face.
Alcohol consumption and wide toothy smiles were not a combination Neah wanted to see from Cross, particularly not at the crack of dawn.
After spending a few seconds tiredly staring up at the man stood across from him, Neah rubbed a hand across his face with a sigh, voice hoarse from sleep.
"What… the everloving fuck do you want, Marian? It's -" he paused to check the pocket watch sat on the nearby windowsill and groaned "- not even 5am yet, what - ?"
Cross extended a middle finger and grinned as Neah attempted to get up in his anger and fell back against the headboard instead, tangled up in his blankets.
"And a fine fucking good morning to you too. Get up, get dressed. I'll explain when you get there."
Neah narrowed his eyes, a furious response building behind his lips, but before he could say a word Cross bounded away with… was that a skip in his step? God help him.
Cursing, Neah managed to de-tangle himself from his blankets and clamber out of bed, grimacing at the temperature difference between his warm bed and the cold room beyond. He took his time getting ready, mostly out of spite - though tiredness was another definite factor - and left the small guesthouse where he'd been hiding himself away for the night.
The street outside was devoid of life, soft amber light from tall cast iron lamps still aglow despite the encroaching dawn, nearby rooftops blocking out the sun hastening its way above them. Neah stuck his hands inside his pockets, watching his breaths turn to wisps of cloud with weary disinterest - it was only September but already so cold - before making his way down the street to the city beyond.
It was quiet, though a few people were up and about like he was; mostly various undesirables wishing to go about their business when less watchful eyes were about to see it. The city was a rat-infested shithole, as far as Neah was concerned, but it served his purposes well.
It was easy to go unnoticed, and even easier to buy silence from the necessary people.
It didn't take long for Neah to find the place he hesitantly called Cross's 'house' - it was more of a dilapidated shed than anything else, but Cross needed privacy for his… 'work', and anywhere far from prying eyes would do, at least according to Cross.
Not bothering to knock, Neah placed a firm boot heel against what could hardly be considered a door - nothing more than a sheet of corrugated iron slotted between two walls - and placed his full weight against it, watching with satisfaction as it fell forward to hit the ground with a loud thud.
Cross was stood but mere inches away, bent over his desk and completely unresponsive to everything around him. Neah huffed, irritated by the lack of a reaction, and peered over Cross's shoulder to see what he was so furtively tinkering with.
It was a small, round ball, gold-coloured and metallic with a cross-like emblem at its centre. Cross was polishing it with careful, almost loving gestures. Neah raised an eyebrow.
"You woke me up for this?" No response. Neah rested an elbow against the table, irritation evident in his voice. "You know, ever since you left that stupid Clan and joined the Order you've been even more bat shit crazy than before, when are you gonna - ?"
"It's a golem."
Neah paused, barely resisting the urge to smack Cross's face into his beloved toy for interrupting - he hated it when Cross got like this - but the evident excitement in Cross's voice and the word 'golem' sparked his curiosity.
"Golem? Like the small flying things the Order uses?"
Cross nodded. "Similar, but not the same." He turned with a grin. "I added a few… special touches."
The small ball in Cross's hands suddenly shuddered. Neah took a step back in alarm, watching with a mix of fear and fascination as feathered wings unfurled from the golem's centre. A wide, teeth-filled mouth opened and a shrill noise escaped from it, making Neah place his hands over his ears with a wince.
"What did you do to this thing?!"
Cross did nothing more than laugh, unfazed by the golem's actions, and bent down to wiggle a finger in front of it and grinned when it tried to bite it off. Neah was mortified - the last thing he needed was one of Cross's experiments following him around, never mind that it could bite.
Cross saw his expression and laughed all the harder.
"You look like someone shot a dog in the face and called your mother something indecent, calm down! Mana and Allen loved Tim, didn't they?"
He directed his question at the golem, who gave a delighted shriek in response. Neah lowered his hands and stared at Cross as if he'd lost his mind - which Neah was mostly convinced he had never had in the first place - and spoke with an incredulous tone to his voice, hardly able to speak.
"Seriously Marian, you're weirding me out. Don't tell me this is what you've been spending the past few months obsessing over?"
When Cross did nothing but grin in reply, Neah shook his head with a sigh.
"You're hopeless. And of course those two idiots would like this thing, they're -" he faltered, realisation kicking in. "Wait, they're already back? Is Mana - ?"
"He's fine, he and four eyes had to go out again but they said they'll be back later." Cross paused, turning and raising an eyebrow at his companion. "Now, when are you gonna stop acting like an idiot and praise me for this amazing feat of science already?"
Neah snorted. "Go fuck yourself."
Cross laughed, shaking his head a little. "That's more like it. You've gotten too tetchy lately."
Before Neah could comment, Cross stepped aside and leant against a nearby wall, allowing Neah to inspect the golem sat happily chewing on a pencil. Cross lit a cigarette with a flick of his wrist and a sharp scrape of a match against his boot heel, watching with tired satisfaction as smoke rose upwards and meandered its way out of one of the many holes in the ceiling.
Neah wanted to turn and ask several questions - namely what drove Cross to create such a monstrosity - and prepared himself for guarded apathy and half-answered questions, as was the Bookman Clan habit. Regardless of Cross's recent status as an ex-apprentice, certain habits remained. Instead he got almost childlike excitement. Neah didn't know what was worse.
"It's like a regular golem for the most part. Stick a shem in it with some magic and it's good to go. But -"
"I don't care about that. Why is it eating all your stationery?"
Cross scowled, blowing smoke in Neah's general direction with a huff. "I could tell you if you stopped interrupting."
Neah turned, indignant. "I interrupt? Says the person who -"
"It likes eating, that's why it eats things. Pretty obvious to me, dumbass."
Neah bristled at the obvious attempt to rile him - as well as the purposeful interruption - but managed to contain himself, pinching the bridge of his nose with an exasperated sigh.
"So, you made a flying, semi-sentient thing that likes to eat… Why?"
"It can track anyone I tell it to, anywhere on the planet, even if they don't want to be found. It can also record whatever it sees, making it very useful for our… purposes."
Neah paused, all anger fading away as he met Cross's gaze. Without a word, he turned back to the golden golem with narrowed eyes.
"We can find all of them… with this?"
Cross paused for a moment, noting the brief flash of fear in Neah's eyes, before exhaling out a cloud of smoke and speaking in a quiet tone.
"Yes, every single one of them."
Neah closed his eyes, breathing out a soft sigh with evident relief showing in his face. Kneeling down, he leant closer to the golem and poked it slightly, frowning at how warm it felt to the touch.
"Seems this stupid thing is more useful than I - Ow!"
Cross burst out laughing, nearly choking on his cigarette as Neah tried to forcibly remove the golem's teeth from his hand. Wheezing, wiping tears from his eyes, Cross could hardly keep the amusement out of his voice.
"See? Tim likes you."
Neah managed to free his hand, throwing a glare towards the golem now fluttering just out of reach, then at his laughing companion.
"It's a piece of shit, that's what it is! What sort of name is 'Tim' anyway?"
Cross managed to calm down enough to speak, stubbing his cigarette against the wall with a cough.
"It's short for 'Timcanpy', but 'Tim' is better. You can blame Allen for the name."
Neah huffed, rubbing his left hand with his right, watching as Timcanpy flew up to Cross and settled itself atop his head, buried among scarlet locks. Neah raised an eyebrow as Cross reached up to give the golem an affectionate pat.
"Well… I don't know what I was expecting, but it sure as hell wasn't this." Neah paused, leaning against the desk with a sigh, before speaking with a serious tone to his voice. "So, Allen and Mana came in earlier?"
Cross nodded, wincing as Timcanpy dug its hands into his hair to avoid falling off. "Only for a bit. They headed out before dawn, said they've gotta… sort some things out."
Neah tried to look disinterested, but the evident way he tensed up said more than enough. Cross sighed, knowing better than to ask, and changed the subject with a cheery lilt to his voice, knowing the kind of reaction he would get.
"Well, since I have shit to do today, you get to babysit Tim while I'm out."
Neah paused for a moment, Cross's words not registering in his head, before spluttering out a response.
"W-wait, what? Since when was I your resident fucking wet nurse?"
Cross grinned. "Since I said so. I've gotta…" he paused, smile falling. "… see that old bastard before we leave the city tomorrow."
The quiet tone to Cross's voice made Neah falter a little, and after a few seconds of hesitation he shook his head and let out a frustrated sigh.
"Fine, but you owe me one. I better come back later to the best food this shithole city has to offer, on the house."
Before Cross could say a word, Timcanpy - who seemed to understand the exchange in some capacity - flew over to Neah's shoulder and settled itself there with a contented noise. Neah thought about pushing it off, but the wide array of sharp teeth being directed at him - and his still throbbing hand - made him reconsider.
Cross stepped forward, patting Neah on his free shoulder with the kind of smile that meant he knew exactly what kind of hell Timcanpy was going to put Neah through, before he picked up the 'door' from its place on the floor and forcefully shoved it back into place. He stepped out of sight, Neah following close behind, but he was already gone by the time Neah stepped foot outside.
Cursing, Neah took a moment to look over at the brightening buildings before him, before letting out a tired sigh.
"Guess we gotta kill some time, huh?"
The golem gave a quiet noise, nudging a wing into the side of Neah's head in an almost human-like display of impatience. Neah didn't know whether to be disturbed or amused, and settled for ignoring the thing sat on his shoulder as he headed back into the city's sprawling streets.
Neah hated Cross Marian more than words could ever express.
Initially, his time with the somewhat precocious golem had been pleasant enough. First the golem had simply sat on his shoulder, content in watching the world pass it by. Then, with an almost childlike curiosity, it flew around and inspected rubbish bins and puddles and various other things with evident glee. However, in the short time since Neah had left Cross's ramshackle home, he had also had to flee from a number of random strangers after Timcanpy ate their food when they passed by, was forced to chase down several cats who seemed to think Timcanpy was a strange flying metal goldfish, and now he was desperately searching the bustling city streets for something no larger than the size of his hand after it decided to fly into a nearby building and disappear without a trace.
It wasn't a good day.
Neah walked, shoulders hunched, muttering curse words under his breath with a level of vehemence that made anyone around him skirt aside, for fear they would pay the price for getting in his way. Any relief he had felt towards the newly created golem for making what was going to be a daunting task slightly more bearable was completely gone. He wanted to tear its feathers out of its sockets, fling it into the nearby river, and watch with satisfaction as it dropped into the watery abyss never to return, tracking abilities be damned. He knew Cross would be angry at him, perhaps even upset that his new creation was destroyed, but Neah at that moment couldn't care less.
He was irritated enough that he had to babysit an inanimate object, regardless of the surprising level of sentience that it held, never mind that while everyone else was out doing something important he was doing nothing. He was glad Cross hadn't roped him into seeing Bookman - the old man was creepily perceptive and it was unnerving - but having to chase after a small flying object in the cold was not a great alternative.
Knowing that Allen and Mana were likely nearby made Neah even more frustrated - he hadn't seen either of them for two days, and it was worrying him. But he knew that it was important they go about their task without him, even if he resented it slightly.
No use having both he and Mana captured if they were found by them.
Neah gritted his teeth, faltering for a moment. The darkened side alley he had been searching seemed to close around him, walls rising, shadows lengthening, white gloves and toothy grins and amber eyes beckoning to him from the darkness. He hated it, all of it - the running, the hiding, the separation from the one person he could not bear to lose. He knew why, but all those reasons - excuses - did little to ease the hopeless feeling of dread inside of him.
They were running out of time, and whether they wanted it or not they would have to fight back, sooner or later.
As if aware of what was running through his head, a tentative tap on Neah's shoulder from a small hand drew his attention to what could only be called an apologetic - and slightly fearful - expression on a certain golden golem's face. Without a single amount of hesitation, Neah grabbed Timcanpy and shook it up and down, teeth gritted, eyes narrowed. As expected, sharp teeth appeared out of a wide mouth and clamped down hard on Neah's fingers, and with a cry he flung Timcanpy aside, nursing his injured hands as the golem smacked into a nearby wall and fell to the ground with a resounding thud.
It took Neah a few moments to notice the sound of… something he couldn't quite make out. With a scowl he turned and saw, to his confusion, that the golden golem was crying. Actual tears were escaping from… somewhere - it didn't exactly have any eyes - and tiny sobs were escaping from its parted mouth. Neah was even more confused over the feeling of guilt suddenly welling up within him.
Golems were not real, mere magical objects that did their master's bidding, were they not? They weren't sentient, they didn't particularly enjoy or hate anything, and they certainly didn't feel much of anything. That was Neah's understanding from the brief things Cross and Allen had mentioned over the years, at least.
Rubbing at his throbbing hands, scowl falling into a slight grimace, Neah took a step forward, then two, crouching down to look at the golem for a moment - if it was broken in any way Cross would kill him - before hesitantly patting it on the head.
Timcanpy gave a quiet gah? noise that made it sound incredibly confused. Neah couldn't help but laugh.
"You're a real weird thing, you know that, right?" Timcanpy shrugged its wings and Neah shook his head a little. "What the fuck did Marian rope me into, huh?"
Neah bent down and picked the golem up, checking it wasn't broken before tucking it into the folds of his scarf.
"Now stay there and stop running off, Marian'll kill me if I lose you again." The golem started to struggle before Neah forced it back down again with a sigh. "I'll buy us both hot dogs if you behave, alright?"
Timcanpy immediately settled down, a content sigh escaping it, and Neah found it hard to stop laughing as he headed back into dim autumn sunlight, placated golem in tow.