Long fic: When In The Attic (3/?)
Title: When In The Attic
Author: littlemrstom
Pairing(s): Tom/Bill
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: WIP
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction; I own nothing but the plot.
Summary: ...one can find some pretty interesting things.
When six-year-old Bill Kaulitz is orphaned and moved to live with his grandparents, the attic becomes his bedroom. Then, one day, when in the attic, Bill finds a book. A book, which he soon finds out doesn’t just contain pretty pictures, but a secret, a friend, and a whole lot of glitter.
Previous chapters: Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2
Author's notes: The beautiful banner was made by ninaelisabeth, and I have to thank themightyjess for answering all my questions and quelling all my worries.
I have exciting news! This story is nominated for an award here, for best WIP. Thank you so much to izzap for nominating it, and because of that, this chapter is for you ♥
Bill peered through the kitchen door, looking left and right to see if the coast was clear. Upon having deemed that, yes, the kitchen was empty and safe for him to enter, he tiptoed across the floor, hands clasped against his chest, until he reached the kitchen table, on which sat a plate of delicious looking, crumbly brownies.
Bill’s lips curled up into a bright smile and he glanced one more time at the door, just in case, before peeling off the material that was covering them and reaching to grab two from the plate. They filled his small hand and he pulled them back, grinning widely at his cunningness, and recovered the plate.
“Ahem.”
Bill froze on the spot. His eyes widened at the voice, which he recognized to be his grandpa’s, and he did his best to cover the second brownie with his hands before turning around on a socked heel.
“What are you doing, cheeky, cheeky Bill?” His grandpa asked, his voice kind, not how Bill expected it to be. He’d just been caught stealing brownies! He thought he was about to get told off and sent to his room for the evening.
“Um.” Bill pondered, creasing his brow as the smile slid off his face. “I-I was just… Um. Don’t tell me off, I’m sorry!” Bill’s eyes began to water and his bottom lip began to wobble. He looked up at his grandpa with wide eyes, and then looked back down at his stolen brownies, feeling instantly guilty.
“Billy,” Michael cooed, stepping up to his grandson and bobbing down to kneel on the floor, so that he was at Bill’s eye level. “Billy, don’t cry, I’m not mad, it’s okay.”
Bill looked up at him again and blinked rapidly. “You’re… you’re not mad?” His little face brightened a bit and Michael nodded.
“Nope. How come you need two brownies, bud? Is one for a friend?” Michael smiled and brushed a stray lock of hair out of Bill’s face, tucking it behind his ear as Bill grinned brightly at him.
“Yes!” he answered happily, nearly dropping his treats in his enthusiasm. “How did you know? One is for me and one is for Tom! Tom’s my new friend, you know,” he said sincerely, looking straight into his grandpa’s eyes, amused and sparkling.
“I’m sure he’s wonderful, Bill,” Michael replied, stroking Bill’s cheek until the youngster giggled and wriggled away from the touch. “Go on, now, go have your brownies. But don’t tell your grandmother, you hear?” Bill pursed his lips, nodding. “It’ll be our little secret.”
Michael gave Bill a kiss on the cheek and a gentle pat on the head before standing up with the aid of the kitchen table, and then Bill was running out of the kitchen, his feet pattering across the laminate flooring, and up the stairs. He heard him run all the way to the attic before the sound faded as Bill presumably began eating and Michael couldn’t help but smile fondly at him before leaving the room in search of his wife.
“Beary!” Bill cried gleefully as he entered the attic and spotted his bear, left stranded on the floor, his legs folded over his head. “What are you doing there, Beary?” Bill giggled and picked up his bear, balancing him over his shoulder and then spinning around, looking for the book.
He spotted it beside his bed after a moment’s searching, and then remembered falling asleep the night before with it under his pillow. He smiled and reached forward for it, glitter appearing on his arm instantly and Bill frowned. He didn’t want any glitter to get on his or Tom’s brownies. Maybe this would be harder than he’d thought.
Bill dropped the book carefully back onto his bed and then placed both the brownies beside it, puzzling. Then the idea hit him. Trying not to get crumbs everywhere, Bill slid the brownies into his jean pockets and patted them, pleased with his idea. Now their brownies would surely be safe.
Finally ready to leave, Bill secured Beary over his shoulder and grappled for the golden book again. He awed and stroked his fingers over the cover, excitement filling his belly as he slowly opened it. He shook with anticipation rather than fear this time as the glitter began to swirl, and before Bill knew it, he felt like he was flying. He closed his eyes as the ground disappeared from beneath his feet and the glitter circled around him, and soon he was deposited on a soft carpet.
Tom’s yell of “Bill!” was the first thing he heard when he realised his journey was over. He blinked his eyes open, wiping his hands over his face and dusting away the excess glitter before standing up on shaky feet and turning around to look for Tom.
It didn’t take him long to spot him, stood right beside him with a huge smile on his face. “You came back!” Tom said happily, opening his arms for Bill to rocket into. Tom’s arms wrapped around Bill’s back, squeezing him tightly and Bill was just about to hug him back when he felt something strange against his thigh. Suddenly, he jumped back and away from Tom, his face crestfallen when he realised what it was.
“The brownie!” Bill exclaimed, dipping his hand into the squashed pocket and retrieving what was, before, a square brownie. When Bill extracted it, it looked more like what a cookie should be shaped like and Bill frowned, hard. “It got squashed,” he mumbled, looking up at Tom, his eyes damp. “I didn’t mean to squash it.”
Tom looked at the brown lump of dough in Bill’s hand, feeling a little guilty. “That was my fault,” he said, “but it doesn’t matter. Did you bring two?”
Bill nodded and reached into his other pocket, this time retrieving a brownie that was still in shape. “Here you go,” Bill said, holding it out to Tom. “You can have it, it’s okay.”
Shaking his head, Tom pushed the brownie back to Bill. “No, no, you have it. I squashed the other one like a stupid person.”
Bill poked Tom’s shoulder. “You’re not stupid,” he giggled, trying not to laugh. “How about we share?” he decided. “We could break it into two pieces.”
Tom pretended to ponder over the thought and Bill only giggled some more, until Tom nodded his head and Bill snapped the brownie in two. He held the bigger piece out to Tom, refusing to give him the smaller one. “Thanks,” Tom said shortly after, through a mouthful of crumbs. A few fell out of his mouth and onto his clothes and Bill just laughed even more, his mood already lifted just by being in Tom’s company. “Mmm, this tastes so good.”
“I know. My granny makes the best brownies, ever,” Bill replied, munching on the last bite of his brownie and wiping his hands on his pants. As he moved, Beary fell to the floor and Bill gasped, bending down to pick him up immediately. “Oh! Tom!” he cried excitedly, surprising his friend who was licking his fingers clean. “You need to meet Beary.”
Tom grinned and stepped closer to Bill and Beary. “Hello, Beary,” he said, reaching out and picking up the teddy’s limp paw. “How do you do?” Giggling, Bill moved Beary’s arm so that he shook Tom’s hand and then he tucked him under his arm, looking at Tom expectantly. “Hi to you, too, Bill,” Tom added.
“Hi,” Bill replied, suddenly shy.
“I didn’t think you’d actually bring me a brownie,” Tom then said, tugging on Bill’s sleeve and walking them across the room they were in until they came across a soft carpet. Tom pulled Bill down so they were sat, and Bill nearly toppled onto Tom, only stopping himself by landing on his bottom with a thump.
“Ah!” he cried out, and Tom was at his side in seconds.
“Are you okay, Bill?” Tom asked frantically, but then Bill was laughing up at him hysterically. “Bill? You’re not hurt are you?”
Still laughing, as a result of too much brownie, Bill nodded and used Tom to pull himself upright. There was a moment of silence as Bill made himself comfy, leaning against Tom and using him as a pillow, his head in his lap as he spread himself out comfortably on the floor. He sighed contentedly and gazed at Tom, who looked back down at him with a lop-sided smile.
“Of course I brought you a brownie,” Bill eventually said, going back to Tom’s previous comment. “Why wouldn’t I have?” Tom shrugged, his hand finding its way into Bill’s head of mussed, blonde hair. “I promised you,” Bill said simply. “And I always keep my promises. Just like I said I’d come and visit you soon and I did!”
Tom grinned. “Yeah, you did, and I’m really glad. I missed you.”
“I missed you, too, Tomi.” Bill rolled his head to the side and buried his face in Tom’s thigh, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. “Hey, Tomi?” he continued after a moment. “I’m cold.”
“You’re cold? Hold on.” Tom looked around the room expectantly, and then, only moments later, Bill felt a warm breeze of air glide over the room, curling around his skin and wrapping him in an invisible blanket of warmth. Bill gaped at Tom, who gave him a knowing, secretive smile. “Better?”
Nodding, Bill closed his mouth and appreciated the warmth silently. He held Beary tighter to his chest and wriggled around on Tom’s lap, getting comfortable again and then continued gazing up at Tom. “Tell me more about this place,” he said quietly, motioning to the room with one arm. “How did you make it warm up like that?”
“I told you before, Bill,” Tom answered, bopping Bill on the nose with a tap of his finger. “Magic. But you didn’t believe me, did you?”
“But… magic doesn’t exist!” Bill whined, making a face, to which Tom let out a small chuckle.
“It does exist, Bill,” he amended. Bill scrunched up his face in puzzlement. “Magic is everywhere! It’s just not always the kind of magic you’re imagining.”
Bill’s lips turned down into a small frown and Tom petted down his face in response. “I don’t understand,” he complained in a small voice, leaning into Tom’s touch and humming placidly. “Explain it to me.”
“I can’t, really.” Tom paused, chewing on his bottom lip. There had to be a way he could phrase it that would help Bill understand it better. “Okay,” he eventually said, and Bill looked up at him in anticipation. “In your world, where you live, magic like this doesn’t exist,” Tom began to explain, his tone soft and acquiescent. “You can’t just make warmth appear, do you understand that?” Bill nodded eagerly. “But there are other kinds of magic, just not this kind. This kind of magic is only here.”
“I kind of get it,” Bill murmured, twisting his mouth to the side. Tom smiled affectionately at him, nodding his head.
“Maybe I’ll get to explain it to you properly when you’re a bit older,” Tom suggested, curling a piece of Bill’s hair around his index finger. “If you’re still coming to visit me then, anyway.” Tom’s tone dropped a little, something which Bill picked up on, and he sat up, crawling into Tom’s lap and putting his arms around him forcefully.
“Of course I’m still going to visit you! You’re my friend now, Tomi,” he said brightly, feeling Tom’s arms wrap back around him. “I’m gonna visit you all the time!”
“Are you really?” Tom challenged, his fingers tickling down Bill’s spine, making him wiggle and squirm in his grip.
Bill pressed his face into Tom’s neck and howled with laughed. “Duh!”
End Notes: I know nothing much happens in this chapter, but there’s the beginning of an explanation about Tom’s “world”, so you’re slowly learning. In the coming chapters, Bill is growing up, so I promise things will get more exciting from now on :)
Author: littlemrstom
Pairing(s): Tom/Bill
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: WIP
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction; I own nothing but the plot.
Summary: ...one can find some pretty interesting things.
When six-year-old Bill Kaulitz is orphaned and moved to live with his grandparents, the attic becomes his bedroom. Then, one day, when in the attic, Bill finds a book. A book, which he soon finds out doesn’t just contain pretty pictures, but a secret, a friend, and a whole lot of glitter.
Previous chapters: Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2
Author's notes: The beautiful banner was made by ninaelisabeth, and I have to thank themightyjess for answering all my questions and quelling all my worries.
I have exciting news! This story is nominated for an award here, for best WIP. Thank you so much to izzap for nominating it, and because of that, this chapter is for you ♥
Bill peered through the kitchen door, looking left and right to see if the coast was clear. Upon having deemed that, yes, the kitchen was empty and safe for him to enter, he tiptoed across the floor, hands clasped against his chest, until he reached the kitchen table, on which sat a plate of delicious looking, crumbly brownies.
Bill’s lips curled up into a bright smile and he glanced one more time at the door, just in case, before peeling off the material that was covering them and reaching to grab two from the plate. They filled his small hand and he pulled them back, grinning widely at his cunningness, and recovered the plate.
“Ahem.”
Bill froze on the spot. His eyes widened at the voice, which he recognized to be his grandpa’s, and he did his best to cover the second brownie with his hands before turning around on a socked heel.
“What are you doing, cheeky, cheeky Bill?” His grandpa asked, his voice kind, not how Bill expected it to be. He’d just been caught stealing brownies! He thought he was about to get told off and sent to his room for the evening.
“Um.” Bill pondered, creasing his brow as the smile slid off his face. “I-I was just… Um. Don’t tell me off, I’m sorry!” Bill’s eyes began to water and his bottom lip began to wobble. He looked up at his grandpa with wide eyes, and then looked back down at his stolen brownies, feeling instantly guilty.
“Billy,” Michael cooed, stepping up to his grandson and bobbing down to kneel on the floor, so that he was at Bill’s eye level. “Billy, don’t cry, I’m not mad, it’s okay.”
Bill looked up at him again and blinked rapidly. “You’re… you’re not mad?” His little face brightened a bit and Michael nodded.
“Nope. How come you need two brownies, bud? Is one for a friend?” Michael smiled and brushed a stray lock of hair out of Bill’s face, tucking it behind his ear as Bill grinned brightly at him.
“Yes!” he answered happily, nearly dropping his treats in his enthusiasm. “How did you know? One is for me and one is for Tom! Tom’s my new friend, you know,” he said sincerely, looking straight into his grandpa’s eyes, amused and sparkling.
“I’m sure he’s wonderful, Bill,” Michael replied, stroking Bill’s cheek until the youngster giggled and wriggled away from the touch. “Go on, now, go have your brownies. But don’t tell your grandmother, you hear?” Bill pursed his lips, nodding. “It’ll be our little secret.”
Michael gave Bill a kiss on the cheek and a gentle pat on the head before standing up with the aid of the kitchen table, and then Bill was running out of the kitchen, his feet pattering across the laminate flooring, and up the stairs. He heard him run all the way to the attic before the sound faded as Bill presumably began eating and Michael couldn’t help but smile fondly at him before leaving the room in search of his wife.
“Beary!” Bill cried gleefully as he entered the attic and spotted his bear, left stranded on the floor, his legs folded over his head. “What are you doing there, Beary?” Bill giggled and picked up his bear, balancing him over his shoulder and then spinning around, looking for the book.
He spotted it beside his bed after a moment’s searching, and then remembered falling asleep the night before with it under his pillow. He smiled and reached forward for it, glitter appearing on his arm instantly and Bill frowned. He didn’t want any glitter to get on his or Tom’s brownies. Maybe this would be harder than he’d thought.
Bill dropped the book carefully back onto his bed and then placed both the brownies beside it, puzzling. Then the idea hit him. Trying not to get crumbs everywhere, Bill slid the brownies into his jean pockets and patted them, pleased with his idea. Now their brownies would surely be safe.
Finally ready to leave, Bill secured Beary over his shoulder and grappled for the golden book again. He awed and stroked his fingers over the cover, excitement filling his belly as he slowly opened it. He shook with anticipation rather than fear this time as the glitter began to swirl, and before Bill knew it, he felt like he was flying. He closed his eyes as the ground disappeared from beneath his feet and the glitter circled around him, and soon he was deposited on a soft carpet.
Tom’s yell of “Bill!” was the first thing he heard when he realised his journey was over. He blinked his eyes open, wiping his hands over his face and dusting away the excess glitter before standing up on shaky feet and turning around to look for Tom.
It didn’t take him long to spot him, stood right beside him with a huge smile on his face. “You came back!” Tom said happily, opening his arms for Bill to rocket into. Tom’s arms wrapped around Bill’s back, squeezing him tightly and Bill was just about to hug him back when he felt something strange against his thigh. Suddenly, he jumped back and away from Tom, his face crestfallen when he realised what it was.
“The brownie!” Bill exclaimed, dipping his hand into the squashed pocket and retrieving what was, before, a square brownie. When Bill extracted it, it looked more like what a cookie should be shaped like and Bill frowned, hard. “It got squashed,” he mumbled, looking up at Tom, his eyes damp. “I didn’t mean to squash it.”
Tom looked at the brown lump of dough in Bill’s hand, feeling a little guilty. “That was my fault,” he said, “but it doesn’t matter. Did you bring two?”
Bill nodded and reached into his other pocket, this time retrieving a brownie that was still in shape. “Here you go,” Bill said, holding it out to Tom. “You can have it, it’s okay.”
Shaking his head, Tom pushed the brownie back to Bill. “No, no, you have it. I squashed the other one like a stupid person.”
Bill poked Tom’s shoulder. “You’re not stupid,” he giggled, trying not to laugh. “How about we share?” he decided. “We could break it into two pieces.”
Tom pretended to ponder over the thought and Bill only giggled some more, until Tom nodded his head and Bill snapped the brownie in two. He held the bigger piece out to Tom, refusing to give him the smaller one. “Thanks,” Tom said shortly after, through a mouthful of crumbs. A few fell out of his mouth and onto his clothes and Bill just laughed even more, his mood already lifted just by being in Tom’s company. “Mmm, this tastes so good.”
“I know. My granny makes the best brownies, ever,” Bill replied, munching on the last bite of his brownie and wiping his hands on his pants. As he moved, Beary fell to the floor and Bill gasped, bending down to pick him up immediately. “Oh! Tom!” he cried excitedly, surprising his friend who was licking his fingers clean. “You need to meet Beary.”
Tom grinned and stepped closer to Bill and Beary. “Hello, Beary,” he said, reaching out and picking up the teddy’s limp paw. “How do you do?” Giggling, Bill moved Beary’s arm so that he shook Tom’s hand and then he tucked him under his arm, looking at Tom expectantly. “Hi to you, too, Bill,” Tom added.
“Hi,” Bill replied, suddenly shy.
“I didn’t think you’d actually bring me a brownie,” Tom then said, tugging on Bill’s sleeve and walking them across the room they were in until they came across a soft carpet. Tom pulled Bill down so they were sat, and Bill nearly toppled onto Tom, only stopping himself by landing on his bottom with a thump.
“Ah!” he cried out, and Tom was at his side in seconds.
“Are you okay, Bill?” Tom asked frantically, but then Bill was laughing up at him hysterically. “Bill? You’re not hurt are you?”
Still laughing, as a result of too much brownie, Bill nodded and used Tom to pull himself upright. There was a moment of silence as Bill made himself comfy, leaning against Tom and using him as a pillow, his head in his lap as he spread himself out comfortably on the floor. He sighed contentedly and gazed at Tom, who looked back down at him with a lop-sided smile.
“Of course I brought you a brownie,” Bill eventually said, going back to Tom’s previous comment. “Why wouldn’t I have?” Tom shrugged, his hand finding its way into Bill’s head of mussed, blonde hair. “I promised you,” Bill said simply. “And I always keep my promises. Just like I said I’d come and visit you soon and I did!”
Tom grinned. “Yeah, you did, and I’m really glad. I missed you.”
“I missed you, too, Tomi.” Bill rolled his head to the side and buried his face in Tom’s thigh, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. “Hey, Tomi?” he continued after a moment. “I’m cold.”
“You’re cold? Hold on.” Tom looked around the room expectantly, and then, only moments later, Bill felt a warm breeze of air glide over the room, curling around his skin and wrapping him in an invisible blanket of warmth. Bill gaped at Tom, who gave him a knowing, secretive smile. “Better?”
Nodding, Bill closed his mouth and appreciated the warmth silently. He held Beary tighter to his chest and wriggled around on Tom’s lap, getting comfortable again and then continued gazing up at Tom. “Tell me more about this place,” he said quietly, motioning to the room with one arm. “How did you make it warm up like that?”
“I told you before, Bill,” Tom answered, bopping Bill on the nose with a tap of his finger. “Magic. But you didn’t believe me, did you?”
“But… magic doesn’t exist!” Bill whined, making a face, to which Tom let out a small chuckle.
“It does exist, Bill,” he amended. Bill scrunched up his face in puzzlement. “Magic is everywhere! It’s just not always the kind of magic you’re imagining.”
Bill’s lips turned down into a small frown and Tom petted down his face in response. “I don’t understand,” he complained in a small voice, leaning into Tom’s touch and humming placidly. “Explain it to me.”
“I can’t, really.” Tom paused, chewing on his bottom lip. There had to be a way he could phrase it that would help Bill understand it better. “Okay,” he eventually said, and Bill looked up at him in anticipation. “In your world, where you live, magic like this doesn’t exist,” Tom began to explain, his tone soft and acquiescent. “You can’t just make warmth appear, do you understand that?” Bill nodded eagerly. “But there are other kinds of magic, just not this kind. This kind of magic is only here.”
“I kind of get it,” Bill murmured, twisting his mouth to the side. Tom smiled affectionately at him, nodding his head.
“Maybe I’ll get to explain it to you properly when you’re a bit older,” Tom suggested, curling a piece of Bill’s hair around his index finger. “If you’re still coming to visit me then, anyway.” Tom’s tone dropped a little, something which Bill picked up on, and he sat up, crawling into Tom’s lap and putting his arms around him forcefully.
“Of course I’m still going to visit you! You’re my friend now, Tomi,” he said brightly, feeling Tom’s arms wrap back around him. “I’m gonna visit you all the time!”
“Are you really?” Tom challenged, his fingers tickling down Bill’s spine, making him wiggle and squirm in his grip.
Bill pressed his face into Tom’s neck and howled with laughed. “Duh!”
End Notes: I know nothing much happens in this chapter, but there’s the beginning of an explanation about Tom’s “world”, so you’re slowly learning. In the coming chapters, Bill is growing up, so I promise things will get more exciting from now on :)