Chapter Text
“Boys slow down!” Simone Wheeler yelled after her five year old son and his new best friend.
“Sorry, Mom, we're just so excited to get home and start playing. I can't wait to show Phillip all my toys!” W.D turned around and shouted down the street to his mother.
“Sorry, Mrs Wheeler.” Phillip Carlyle looked up at her with his startling blue eyes.
Simone laughed at their excitement as she finally caught up to them and unlocked the front door.
The first thing Phillip noticed as he stepped into the Wheeler household was a sense of comfort. Even at five years old he knew that he would always be welcome here.
He didn't have much time to fully process this thought though, because at that second a small, curly haired three year old collided with him, and sent them both crashing to the ground.
“Anne, look where you're going!” Joseph Wheeler came running into the room behind his daughter and immediately pulled her and Phillip up from the floor.
“Sorry about that young man. We were playing superheroes in the garden and she ran away before I could catch up. I'm Joseph.” He stuck out his hand and shook Phillip's.
“That's okay.” Phillip had just noticed Anne, now upright and hugging her mother's leg.
She had big, brown eyes and her dark hair was a wild mess from where she'd been running. She also had a blanket tied round her shoulders like a cape.
“Hello, Anne, was it?” Phillip extended his hand to the young girl and offered her a small smile. “I'm Phillip.”
Anne took a tentative step towards her brother's friend and shook his hand gently.
“Hello Flip. Would you like to play superheroes with me?”
“Anne, first of all his name is Phillip, not Flip. And second, he's my friend, he's going to play with me.” W.D frowned at his sister, he wanted to show Phillip his new cars.
Anne looked between Phillip and W.D and stuck her bottom lip out, preparing to throw a tantrum.
“Look, why don't you all play superheroes for a while, and then Anne can come and help me with dinner and you boys can play together then?” Simone looked at the three children in front of her, hoping her suggestion would be enough to avoid any meltdowns.
“That's as long as Phillip actually wants to play with you Anne. He is our guest, and W.D’s friend after all.”
Anne looked back at Phillip, blinking up at him through her lashes. “Pretty please Flip?”
Phillip looked at her and laughed, then looked at W.D, who shrugged. He could tell when he was beaten.
“Yeah, I'll play superheroes with you Anne.” He smiled at the three year old, whose face split into a toothy grin. She grabbed his hand and pulled him through the house, heading towards the garden, chattering excitedly.
W.D followed behind them, grumbling about how his sister had stolen his friend.
Simone and Joseph watched them go, laughing quietly.
Anne had never been particularly shy about getting what she wanted, and watching her boss the two boys around really was quite funny.
“How did those two become friends, exactly?” Joseph asked his wife. He had seen Phillip a few times when he had dropped W.D off at kindergarten, but the boy always seemed to keep to himself.
“W.D got knocked over in the playground by another child, and Phillip helped him up. As soon as I picked him up that day he asked me if his new friend could come round to play. I spoke to the woman who picks Phillip up, I assumed it was his mother, but apparently she's the nanny. His parents are lawyers, so they both work a lot and from what I can tell the poor boy spends most of his time alone.” Simone watched Phillip laughing with her children and felt sadness knowing that he had spent the first five years of his life with just his nanny.
Of course his parents loved him, but they were career people and didn't have a lot of time to spend with their son.
The Wheelers were both teachers so they were nurturing by nature.
“I know they fight, but at least W.D and Anne have had each other. Phillip's nanny is lovely, but it's not the same as having friends your own age to play with is it?” Simone looked at her husband sadly.
“No, it's not. But he's got us now. He can spend as much time here as he wants to. Somehow I don't think Anne and W.D will have a problem with it.” Joseph grinned at his wife, before they both looked back into the garden.
The children had abandoned their game of superheroes and Anne had somehow convinced Phillip to give her a piggyback.
He was running around the garden, chasing W.D, while Anne was brandishing a stick like a sword.
Simone smiled at the scene. “Looks like it's not just W.D who's made a new friend. I think our daughter might have her first crush.”
Simone’s theory was proved right that evening when she put Anne to bed, and all the three year old could talk about was how much fun Phillip was, (she was still calling him Flip), and asking when he could come round to play again.
Simone just smiled as she kissed her daughter and wished her goodnight. Something told her that they would be seeing a lot more of Phillip.