Chapter Text
Tommy didn't like change.
This wasn't a very well known thing. He tried to hide how much things changing bothered him as best he could. There were exceptions, of course, like when he got his powers, or when Wilbur died. Those were the most recent changes that had a strong reaction. Phil adopting him had technically been a big change too, but it didn't feel like it. Ever since, he felt more stable. There wasn't a single thing that could change his life to such an extreme.
Then Phil disproved that.
"I've been considering fostering another kid." It was unexpected. It was terrifying. All Tommy could do was stop paying attention to the fish he was trying to get and turn to look at him. Clearly the other two hadn't expected that either. Techno was actually looking up from his book, though he probably just hadn't actually heard what Phil said based on his expression. Wilbur had stopped playing his guitar. "I was just thinking, since Wilbur's old room isn't being used for anything... It's a shame to just leave it like that, and I'd rather not turn it into a guest room."
Tommy understood, he knew it was reasonable... But he didn't want it. It was probably mean, or selfish, but he didn't want Phil to take in another kid. He was happy with how things were, and a new kid would be a big change. He also couldn't just say that because Phil would absolutely listen and not do it, and Tommy would feel guilty. It was so conflicting.
"I probably won't see them much anyway. I mean, I don't really leave the basement until night usually." Wilbur shrugged. "Do what you want, Phil."
"What about our magic and everything?" Techno asked, shutting his book and setting it aside. "It's not exactly somethin that's easy to hide. Doable, sure, but difficult. I don't think Tommy will like having to suppress his powers like that. Let alone everything about me. Those months without my bell were awful Phil. They don't like incense as much as you think, either."
"Well, it'd probably just be a few months. Just till they're settled. Maybe." Phil seemed unsure. "I guess it would depend on them."
Techno didn't seem satisfied with that. Tommy understood too. He didn't like the idea of hiding such a big part of their lives. He hadn't been able to hide his own ability for a week! Hiding it for months sounded impossible to him.
"How old were you thinking?" Oh, good question. The person's age would change things a little, Tommy figured. The younger they were, the more accepting they'd be.
"I just want to try to do the most good possible for someone who really needs-"
"How old, Phil?" Techno was leaning forward, frowning deeply. Tommy was starting to feel like he was missing something. Especially with the way Phil was avoiding the question. Wilbur clearly knew what was up, since he was giving Phil the same look Techno was.
"Older teen. I know, I know. I just thought that a lot of people aren't going to want to take in an older teen and they'd be able to stay in town after finding out. Or if they don't... well at least we wouldn't have to hide everything too long...?"
Wilbur frowned and shook his head. "This is gonna end the exact same way it did last time."
"Do what you want, Phil, but I'm keeping my distance. Last time was bad enough." Techno huffed.
"Last time?" It was an honest question. He didn't understand what was going on or what they meant. They must not have been talking about when Phil took him in, since he thought he and Techno got along great. But Phil dismissed him, saying they'd talk about it later.
They didn't end up talking about it, because he forgot. He forgot the entire conversation had happened since it wasn't all that important. At least, he thought it wasn't important. He found out how important it actually was a month later when Phil knocked on his door. He was supposed to be working on his English homework at the time, but instead he'd been playing a racing game.
He quickly closed the game and pulled up the word document that he'd barely touched all week and shouted, "what?"
Phil opened the door a crack and smiled at him. "Hey, Tommy." Something had to be going on. "I just wanted you to come downstairs so we could discuss the kid I'll be fostering."
"Wait, actually? I thought you were too much of a pussy to do it." He'd been hoping, anyway.
"Tommy." Ah yes, the slightly disappointed look. Phil did not like to be called that.
He nodded and followed him down to the dining room. Techno and Wilbur were already there. He didn't know what the general vibe was for sure, but he didn't like it. He sat down and turned to Phil.
"Right, so, I found out about the boy who's coming to stay with us." Phil started right away. "His name is Ranboo, he's 17, and he's gonna need a lot of support from us."
"Why?" The guy was practically an adult, and Phil expected them to support him? It didn't make sense to him.
"Well, he has memory problems, which means we might have to remind him of things more often, and we can't get upset if he does forget-"
"But what if it's something important? Like, really really important?" Wilbur and Techno stared at him for that. Like they couldn't believe he'd actually asked that.
"Tommy." Techno frowned. "Phil just explained that he has memory issues. Meaning he has no control over what he forgets. You can't get upset over something someone can't control. That'd be like you getting upset at Tubbo for misreading something."
Right. Now he looked like an ass. He nodded and glared at the table. He felt bad for that one. Maybe they could tell.
Phil moved on. "We're also going to be avoiding fire as much as possible. His last home was lost in a fire, and we don't know if he remembers, or has trauma from that. So no bonfire this year." Techno and Wilbur huffed at that. They'd likely have one anyway and just sneak out for it. "We want him to feel safe here. We need him to be safe here."
"Does that mean Puffy is bringing him?"
"Yes." They knew what that meant. Either he had magic... Or she was scared he was going to die. They'd been lucky with Tommy. Incredibly lucky. Maybe they'd be lucky again. "If it turns out he has magic, then it's likely he either already knows, or he could have an ability he wasn't aware of. This doesn't mean that we tell him right away. He'll still need time to settle in."
Tommy was done with the conversation. Put simply, he didn't want to meet Ranboo. He didn't want him in their house, he didn't want to hide his abilities, and he definitely didn't want to befriend a kid that was probably going to die. It wasn't that he wanted him to die, he just didn't think he could sit through another funeral. Not after Wilbur's, even if he had come back. Sure, he could just have magic, but he didn't want to risk it.
Besides the fact that Ranboo being there would change the way things were run in the house. Sure, he might get less chores, but he'd also have to deal with a whole nother person in the house. In Wilbur's room! It felt wrong.
Okay, Ranboo wasn't so bad actually. Tommy liked him well enough. He'd been the first person to not question why he talked about Henry like a normal person, besides Techno, but Techno was always a special case.
He was funny too, when he tried to be. Sure, Tommy had to be a bit more quiet around him or he would start to freak out, but he wasn't as sensitive about his memory as they expected. In fact, he'd joked about it several times at dinner his second night there. He'd also made a joke Tommy didn't understand, but everyone else had seemed uncomfortable so it wasn't brought up again.
Now they were holding a secret meeting without him. It almost felt wrong.
"It's been a few days... What do you boys think?"
Techno was weirdly silent. Tommy was sure he'd have a lot to say, since he spent more time with him than any of them. He even seemed to like him. But he said nothing. It was Wilbur who spoke first.
"I think he saw me climbing through the floor." They all snapped their heads towards him. "Also, I think he might have a speed boosting ability because he left the pantry faster than any normal person possibly could."
"Are you sure?"
Wilbur was silent for a long beat. "Well, no, but it sure seemed like it. I swear he's hiding something at least! And he's hoarding cans somewhere, which can't be a good thing in the slightest!"
"Drop it, Will. He's a good kid." Techno muttered as he picked at the end of his braid. The can hoarding surely worried him, but he didn't seem willing to say anything about it. He wasn't meeting any of their eyes either. "He's been in some bad places, he's probably just doing the same thing Tommy did."
"Hoard food cause he's afraid we won't let him eat?" Phil clearly didn't like that thought, but Techno nodded. "I mean... Maybe. He could also be hoarding in case he needs to run, but he'd have to find a place to store all that stuff. And we'd know if he was a runner, right?"
There was another beat of silence.
"Yeah. Puffy would have mentioned that." Phil let it drop. "What about you, Tommy? What do you think about him?"
"He's pretty alright. Not fair that he didn't have to go to school but it's fine I guess." He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.
"He's not completely off the hook for that. He has to take placement exams."
Tommy didn't even realize there were placement exams for high school. He was glad he never had to take them. Poor Ranboo though. He had to study over the holiday for that, didn't he?
"Tech?"
Techno was still picking at his braid. "He listened to me talk about potatoes and Greek mythology... No one's ever done that before. And the voices... seem attached to him. Like, yeah, they got pretty attached to Tommy at first, but. Phil, this is different. Some of the voices are actually following him. They've never done that before. And... Phil, they're already calling him 'sonboo'. I didn't even consider adoptin him! They just started saying it! I-... I can't let you mess this up. They'll eat me alive."
"That certainly is... strange. But I'm sure we're gonna do great."
"I hope you're right, Phil. Cause it'll really hurt if we mess this up again."
Tommy still didn't know what that meant.