Jack ran his palms against his eyelids. An unfamiliar headache coming on and yet he couldn't truly feel it.
It wasn't an uncommon occurrence he supposes.

Jack glanced at Max. His red hair blended in nicely with their surroundings.
His thumb repeatedly scratched at the inside of his pointer finger with his fist closed. As if he was trying to light a lighter.

His golden necklace dangled helpfully and harmlessly down the front of his toga.
He was older than Jack. How much older he doesn't quite remember. Just... Older.

The 2 made brief eye contact and Max leaned forward.
"Stay hidden kid, no matter what you hear," Max instructed.
Jack cocked his head.

What was he going to hear?

Max's eyes were unusual. A scary kind of gold that helped him in situations with Piglins.
He was a mesmerizing man. 24 if Jack recalls correctly.

At least had was when Jack last saw the man.

He sighed, pressed a sparkly blue, white, yellow, and purple star in Jack's palm.
"Ooo, sparkly!" Jack found himself saying.
"Yep, and you know how important sparkly is down here, yeah?" Max replied.

Jack nodded.
"Good, keep it safe and don't lose it, ok?" Max grinned.
Jack agreed easily though he doesn't remember even opening his mouth.

So Max left.

It was as if Jack had super hearing. It felt as if he could hear everything. The piglins squawks, the thunderous feet of an army, the yells of their leader, and even... Max's final words, "maybe he'll have better luck in using it."

He even heard the "there!" And the gut-wrenching quelch that followed it. The coughing and the vague weak, "you'll never find it."

Next thing he knows he's running. A star with 4 points cradled delicately in small hands and small stubby legs beating effortlessly to push him forward.
Too effortlessly. He was fast. Really fast.
Too fast.

How was he supposed to stop?!

It got him over a lava river, past some piglins, even between 2 ghasts.

"Tango?" A voice hit his ears unpleasantly, with a ring that made him cry.
He wasn't being followed anymore but he still ducked into a cave nonetheless.

The sound was something he's heard before. Yet never in his life had he heard it.

The voice was soft, caring, tender, low. A man most definitely.
"Tango, bud, you ok?" He asked his voice ringing over and over.
Too many times.
It made him want to puke, almost gagging as if he had just been thrown on, through, and then off of a dollar coaster too quick.

"You've been quie- Oh my G*d, are you crying?!" He asked squawking.
"Tangy? What's wrong?" A second voice asked a similar reverb coated his words except, somehow, it felt more muffled as if he was under the lava trying to talk, this voice was even deeper than the other one.

"Who is this?" Jack whimpered.
Silence.
"Hewlo?" Jack choked.
"Hi, buddy! My names Wels, what's your name?" The first guy asked his voice hitching up a few octaves to talk to him, it was softer now too.

"J-Jack-" Jack stammered with a whimper.
"It's nice to meet you, Jack! How old are you?" 'Wels' asked.
Jack paused.
How old was he?

"A'most 6!" Jack puffed up his chest.
Ok wtf, he wasn't 6?! He was 16, you doofus.
"Wow! So big! 6, that's a really important age!" Wels boasted and praised.

"Mmmhm! An' Max gave me a ve'y 'portant mission! It sparkly an' I need to p'otec it!" Jack proclaimed too loud.
Too loud.
Shhhhh.
Shhhh.

"Oh, really?! He must be very proud!" Wels replied eagerly.
Was Max proud? Jack has achieved everything Max wished he could have. He's kept the star for years, he's made real friends that wouldn't dare backstab him, he'd even dare to call them family, he's even gone to the overworld. A feat that hadn't been done in nearly 1000 years, well, at least not that he knows of.

"Oh, Max is dead!"

There was a large crack. Jack jolted.
"What? What do you mean- Oh! No Tommy I can't play right now-" Wels hummed.

Tommy?
Tommy?
Tommy.
Tommy.
Brother?
Why does Wels have brother?

"Brother."
"What?" The second asked.
Jack looked at the mouth of the cave as a set of feet crunched at the stone of the entrance, he moved further in.

Cramped.
Leave.
Leave.
Leave!

"-no no no! Please don't cry! Shhhssshhhshhhsshhhshhh! Please?! Please don't cry, Tommy! No- Luke, you are a bad influence!" Wels scolded, then it went silent.

"Jaack?" The second voice hummed. The person got closer.
Cramped.
Too cramped.
"Jaaaack~"
Get out!
Get out!

"Jack Manifooold~"
A shiver ran down his spine. How would he know?!
A hand wrapped around the edge of the wall of the small cage he trapped himself in.

In the pitch darkness, all Jack saw was a singular hand and a bright gleaming red eye as it glared down at him.
Underneath it split a wide arrange of white sharp teeth.

"Found you~ you thief!"

A hand lurched for the child.

Jack screamed lurching up out of the bed he had been settled in, Tommy grumbled beside him. He nearly fell from the platform, too high up to properly survive.

Luckily, 2 strong arms colored like galaxies steadied him by grabbing his shoulders.
"YOU'RE OK! You're ok! It was just a dream, it can't hurt you!" Smajor assured.
Sparkling eyes were calming and grounding. A stark contrast to the terrifying red one.

It was much easier to break here, the sun painting the area a soft pink and orange as it finally arose from its trip around the world.
Finally visiting once more.

So he found himself letting painful tears slip down his face, burning his skin much worst than the rain has ever done.
He found himself lurching forward and taking solitude in the crook of the older man's neck.

And the older man was completely ok with this new arrangement.
Gently rocking the boy from side to side as he sobbed into his shoulder. Gentle arms wrapped warmly around him.

A gentle reminder of home. One far nicer than his actual 'home' ever was. And he thinks maybe, maybe Max would be proud.

Maybe this is what he had been looking for.
Not to leave the Nether, get to the Overworld whatever the stakes.
....
But to finally find a home. A place that didn't try to kill you every step of the way. One where one misstep wouldn't cost you your life or limb. One where you could feel free to sob into your home's arms because they care.

Jack always had felt soft and loved when talking with Wels, or as he had nicknamed him, Hels. Maybe Wels had been his home in the Nether.
Now, Tommy and Smajor and Niki and whoever else were in their group was his home.

"Wanna hear a song, a lullaby per se?" Smajor asked tiredly.
Nocturnal...
Jack nodded.
Smajor shuffled so Jack was on the inside, smooshed between Tommy and Smajor, all three of which seemed completely fine with the arrangement.

A gentle hand rubbed the teen's shoulder and bicep caringly.
Soft.
Loving.

Ok, he can work with this.

"Now the hour has come at last
the soft and fading light
It's crossed the west horizon and has bidden us good night"

Smajor voice was surprisingly delicate. Like the twinkling of stars. It was quiet too, not wanting to wake Tommy up.

"And what a lovely night it is
To walk a moonlit field
To see the softest shades that my twilight's now revealed"

Tommy hummed a barely audible, "Deo!" In his stupor. Pressing further into Jack's chest.
Somewhere, Jack wondered if 'Deo' used to sing too. Maybe this was a sense of comfort for him, a sense of familiarity in his dream.

He hoped he was having a good dream.

"So why is it that now
When candles glow and all the world is at its very best
The humans of Utopia should lock themselves away
And wait instead for sister's sunny day"

"Am I so wrong to wish that they would see things like I do?
And am I so wrong to think that they might love me too?"

As Jack's mind got fuzzier so did the song. Both in his mind and ability to hear, and with the fact that Smajor was starting to drift off too.

"I've waited long enough now
For them all to come around.
Though the sun may plead and threaten
The moon will stand her ground"

As he drifted away he thought he heard the distant flaps of wings and a weird sound of slaps? Like throwing slime on a carpeted floor with all your might.

"When all the world is wrapped in an eternal lullaby
So say good night
The final setting of the sun
Tomorrow dawns in darkness
The nighttime has
Begun!"

"Niiiki!" A soft low voice hummed.
Jack swatted at something, sensing he hit something but not actually feeling anything.
"Aww Niki, don't be like that!" The man laughed.

Everything was black as if his eyes were closed.
And clearly, he wasn't Jack in this dream anymore.

There was gurgling then it was as if he was launched, like when using an enderpearl?
And he was standing in this hallway.
Was it a hallway?

In front of him was a giant glass wall, the other side flooded with water.
And sitting on that other side, with a blue tail, a blue gem embedded in his side that dripped blood turning eliminated blue water red, black hair, blue eyes, and a black beard, was a Merling.

"Tangy!" He greeted.
Jack looked over himself.
His skin had a pinker undertone, his toga was an end city red, and his right eye ached with a pain that shouldn't be there. Tears falling from it involuntarily.

"Good to see you bud! It's been a few years," the man continued.
"None I particularly missed, Beef," Jack, or rather Tango replied.
Though Jack could tell it was a lie.

It was as if he was eavesdropping on their conversation.
Still, 'Beef' laughed.
"Same old Tango! You know, we lived together for 10 bloody years, you can't fool me with that cr*p!" Beef laughed.
"You were headstrong and got on our nerves but you cared, felt, when we lost Impulse you nearly k*lled yourself in grief. A man you temps fate like that for a friend is not someone who never misses one when they're gone," Beef hummed pushing himself up and pacing in a circle.

You know, if you can pace with no feet that is.

"It's hard, not being able to talk to you and Wels anymore," Tango informed weakly.
Beef stopped pacing.
"You're not missing much, if that helps you," Beef scoffed.
Tango cocked his head.

Beef faced the BlazeBorn.
"Wels stopped responding to any attempts at contact a month and a half ago. And my place got raided a month ago. I don't have the Heart anymore. I doubt Wels has the vines anymore. And you haven't had the star in just under 10 years," Beef informed with a huff, sitting on a decorative rock.

"So what do we do?" Tango asked.
"Pry to God the next generation does it right," Beef responded.
"But we have-! I- does that mean..." Tango's voice wavered.
In all his years living under this man's rule, being afraid of him, he has never once heard him waver.

"I love you Tek."
Tango fell to his knees in blinding sobs.

Jack awoke to painful sobs that were hastily being wiped away by Tommy.
"What? What's wrong?" Tommy asked, frantic.
"I don't know..." Was all Jack could respond with.

Everything was fuzzy except.... "I love you Tek".
But who had said it? Who were they talking to?

Then a loud trill erupted through the air and Tommy perked up, instinctually responding with a similar trill.

"Wha-" Jack questioned as Tommy stumbled up and to the edge of the platform frantically.
Only sparing him one excited word, "Dad!"

--------
Notes:

An Enderian town is called an End City.
A group of Enderians are called a Herd or a Haunt.

An Elytrian town is called a Nest.
A group of Elytrians are called a Flock or a Murder.

An Avian town is called an Aviary
A group of Avians is called a Flock, Brood, or a Clutch.
(A brood is when the moms of the Avians gather together at the grocery store after crossing paths and decide to talk for 75 years straight while their children just wait.
A Business Bay Boys would be a Clutch, they gotta get all the clutch or they will miss it and die. 🙃)

A Shulk town is called a City.
A group of Shulks is called a Float or a Lurk.

A Merling town is called an Atlantis.
A group of Merlings is called a School.

A Phantom town is called a Mansion.
A group of Phantoms is called a Haunt or an Orchestra.
(An orchestra is when the group is mostly female. If there are males it can still be called an Orchestra)

A Feline town is called a Cat Tree.
A group of Felines is called a Clowder.

An Arachnid and Inchling town is called a Web.
A group of Arachnids and Inchlings are called WHAT THE F*CK!
Jk, it's called a Clutter, a Cluster, or a Colony.

A Human town is called a Utopia.
A group of Humans are called a crowd or a corporation.

A BlazeBorn town is called a Fortress.
A group of BlazeBorns are called a Kindle.

A StarBorne town is called... There isn't any.
A group of StarBornes are called a Galaxy.

A Smilecician town is called a Goo.
A group of Smilecicians is called a Squish.
(All hail this one guys)

A Renardian town is called a Burrow.
A group of Renardians are called a Skulk.

A Beelarian town is called a Hive.
A group of Beelarians are called a Bike.

Now, have me art:

Made a while back but still good.
Yeah, still good.