Chapter Text
“Are you guys packed?!” Phil yelled from the living room, putting down a moving box.
“I still don’t know why we need to move?” Will said coming down the stairs with a box of his own.
“I just figured we need a new start.” Phil turned to his middle son.
“Or you lost your job and can’t pay rent for this place anymore.” Will only felt a little guilty when he saw a flash of hurt on Phil’s face.
“Will…”
“Just forget it.” Will walked away into the kitchen just as Tommy walked by holding a kitchen utensil.
“Hey dad? Where does this go?”
“Just put it over there.” Phil looked away, fiddling with more boxes.
Tommy followed Phil’s finger to a box labeled kitchen supplies. Tommy gave Phil a questioning look. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah… just stressed.” Phil faced Tommy, giving him a small smile. It held a lot of years in the corners, but it always seemed to reassure his sons when they were concerned.
Tommy watched him for a split second, before nodding, convinced nothing was wrong.
“Dad!” Phil turned to the open front door as his eldest son walked through, his long brunette hair in a messy bun. “The first truck is filled.”
Phil nodded curtly before turning once again. Wilbur and Tommy walked back into the room. “Can you guys grab some boxes and help Techno pack the other truck.”
The two nodded and grabbed the two nearest boxes, walking out the front door.
Phil sighed and walked upstairs. The colors of the rooms peaking from the open doors. Phil remembered when they went to the store to pick up paint.
“I want this one.” Tommy said picking up a bright red color card.
Phil looked at it for a second. “Are you sure, it’s kinda giving me a headache.”
Tommy gave him a fake gasp. “We’ll I don’t get headaches, cause I’m young.”
“Or your head is too thick.” Techno said flipping through the colors aimlessly.
Tommy glared at him, but before he could respond Wilbur came back from a different aisle.
“Tommy that color is horrendous.”
Tommy studied it for a second, his lips pursed in contemplation, before he put it back. He picked up a soft white and handed it to Phil.
“This the one you want?” Phil said, making sure the teasing wasn’t what made him change his mind. But Tommy nodded vigorously.
“Did you guys pick out your colors?” Phil turned to Techno and Will. Techno put down the pile of color cards he had and handed Phil a deep red. Will looked over to the color cards and picked the first one he saw. Phil was handed a dark yellow card.
“What about you?”
Phil smiled fondly before holding up his choice: a green the same color as the grass in the spring.
Phil smiled at the memory. The first room he walked to was Techno’s.
His eldest son was 10 when Phil decided to adopt him, after about a year of fostering him. It had been one of the toughest decisions he had ever made. He had regularly stayed up late thinking about adopting him, he thought about what would be best for Techno, what would be best for himself. He had to think about raising a kid, if he was even father material.
The agency had taken Techno to other foster families through the year, seeing which was the best. “Not a lot of adolescents get adopted, it’s usually babies or toddlers.” It had broken his heart hearing that from the social worker, and every time Techno wasn’t in his house, he would miss him. Out of worry or love. Phil had started missing the way Techno would look away or fidget when he was the center of attention, or the way he would hesitate to talk about things he loved. Like he was afraid he wouldn’t be accepted. And every time, Phil would encourage him to talk, he kept encouraging him until Techno felt comfortable enough to talk about it on his own, he would wait as long as he needed to. Eventually, Techno had come to him for everything, anything. And every time he would hear the pitter patter of feet coming into his room, or down the stairs, and he looked down at the little eyes, his heart would squeeze with paternal love.
Some days it was hard.
Techno had known his parents; he had a loving family with siblings and pets. A backyard where they would have a bonfire, a dining table where they would have family dinners every night, a living room big enough to fit an entire family playing a board game. Smiling, laughing, making jokes. He had time to get to know his siblings, he grew up next to them, he had time to ask his parents about their marriage, and if they ever knew they wanted kids. He had time to know his family before they were ripped from him. One choice had caused the downfall of so many more lives. His father had left. He left his wife, his kids. A Few months later, it was on the news that the same man had died in a drunk driving accident. His mother not being able to handle her husband leaving and so many kids on her own, had taken her own life. Techno’s siblings had been torn from each other in the foster system.
So, some days Techno was closed off. Other days he would freak out and break things. Other days he stayed in his room, and others he would yell and scream and cry.
Phil had once woken up, checking Techno’s room, to find it empty. Techno had run away. Phil couldn’t describe the fear that suffocated him. He knew that Techno would maybe never get over the death of his parents, or the loss of his siblings, but Phil felt guilty. Like he could somehow make Techno feel better with a hug, make him forget with a kiss on the forehead goodnight. But a few hours later he had gotten a call from the police station about a young boy who was caught shop lifting. “He said to call his dad. Because of his family records, we assumed he meant you.” The officer had told him, monotone, over the phone while Phil got in his car, trying not to speed to the station. Phil had felt anger bubble in him at the officer’s words. Once Phil had gotten there, Techno had looked really guilty, keeping his eyes on the floor. Once they were back home, after a silent car ride, Techno had immediately broken down in tears apologizing repeatedly. Phil had to reassure him he wasn’t angry, just scared. Phil had put him to bed later when techno had grown exhausted after his breakdown. After he tucked him in, Phil was about to close his door when he could hear a small “Thanks dad” from under the covers. Phil said a small “Goodnight son” before shutting his door and walking to his own room.
Techno had been in the system since he was 6. He had been thrown from foster homes before Phil fostered him at 9-years-old. They had spent two years together – one year as foster family, the other as a real family – before Wilbur was adopted. Techno was now 17 and Phil couldn’t be happier with the man he’s become.
Phil smiled and closed the door. The next room was Wilbur’s.
Wilbur had been 7 when he was put in the system, 7 when he met Phil, and 7 when Phil adopted him. Wilbur’s case was different then his brothers. He had grown up with a family, he remembers his dads face, his moms laugh. But they weren’t loving. They were abusive and neglectful. It took Will a while to learn to trust Phil. Tommy coming into the family had helped a little. It gave Wilbur a chance to have a younger sibling, and it gave him a chance to watch Phil be a non-abusive father. Techno still had to reassure Will that Phil had never laid his hands on him. When the social workers had first told Phil of Wilbur, they hadn’t given many details. Phil had thought it’s because they didn’t have many details themselves. When Will first showed up he was skittish, and completely silent. He only spoke when spoken too and kept a distance. Phil would always catch him eyeing the nearest exit and watching movements to check for danger.
Will’s now 13 and Phil can tell he’s gotten a lot better, but not knowing the extent of what his bastard parents did then, and still not knowing now makes Phil angry and sad all at once. He didn’t know how to help Wilbur back then, and after a while he became better, but he kept it to himself. A burden wrapped tightly around Wilbur’s neck. Even now, Phil doesn’t know a lot about what happened, Will told him some stuff through the years but never anything that would satisfy Phil’s need to protect.
Even Techno had become upset with not knowing; its hard to help someone when you don’t have a clue as to what to say or do, or what not to say or do. Techno, being his normal straight forward self, had once asked Wilbur why he never celebrated his birthday in the past. Wilbur had only stared at him, gave an obvious lie, then excused himself from the dinner table. Phil glared at Techno, earning a “What?! We need to know. He needs to open up and accept our help.” “We can’t force him to open up, just like we can’t force him to trust us.” Phil had said in return. A week later, Will had come downstairs for breakfast and saw a pile of presents on the dinner table, as well as his favorite breakfast - sausage, bacon, and pancakes. Will had asked what it was and the two had weakly replied that it was his birthday present. It took a few seconds for Will to understand what they were saying. The two basically had to teach him the traditions of birthdays. Opening presents, eating your favorite foods, going wherever or doing whatever he wanted. After the day was over and they were sitting on the couch, Will had said “You know my birthday isn’t today right?” The two had looked at him then busted out laughing. “Then you’ll have two this year.” Techno had replied. The two had fallen asleep on Phil’s shoulders; Phil wouldn’t have changed a thing. Except one more little kid had wormed their way into Phil’s heart half a year later.
He finally stopped outside Tommy’s room, which was the closest to Phil’s.
Phil walked in and took in the memories. Not a lot was left in the room; Tommy being adamant about bringing everything that was ‘rightfully his’. Tommy was his youngest, Phil had adopted him when he was only a few years old. Now he was 10 and almost at the height of Phil’s chest. Tommy never really knew his parents; it only took a few months for him to call Phil, dad. Phil will never forget the pure joy that spread through his heart when his youngest called him that for the first time.
When Phil had gotten a call from the foster agency about a four-year-old kid stuck in the system since he was two, because he had lost his parents in a car crash and miraculously survived, he knew he needed to step in. Even if temporary. But it wasn’t. After a few months, when “Dad” escaped the mouth of a four-year-old who was scared of the dark, Phil knew he was going to adopt him; he wasn’t going to be the reason Tommy lost two homes. He had asked Techno and Will if they were alright with it. Phil had been anxious asking his other sons if they wanted an addition to the family, but he seemed to be worried for nothing cause it seemed the two had become attached to the ‘gremlin’. Will said something about having a ‘pupil’ which Techno immediately translated to ‘a partner in crime.” And Techno didn’t seem to mind having another younger brother, saying he needed somebody to ‘help him do things around the house’, which Will immediately translated to ‘a butler’.
Phil had been worried when he was going to tell Tommy he planned on adopting him, but when he walked down the stairs that morning and caught a whiff of bacon and syrup and watched in amazement as his three sons tried cooking breakfast, the anxiety dissipated.
The sight would have been funny if Phil wasn’t about to cry. Techno had an apron on, which was covered in pancake mix, and was holding a whisk pointing it at Wilbur in joking threats. Will was trying to sneakily add weird ingredients into the pancake mix, with the help of Tommy who was uncontrollably laughing with bacon in his hands. The three started playfully throwing bacon at each other, laughing and dodging. Techno had even resorted to holding up Tommy by the armpits as a human shield.
It took Phil everything in him not to cry with happiness. These were his sons.
This was the house they grew up in.
Phil took a deep breath before leaving Tommy’s room, he walked back to the top of the stairs and looked back. He could see lines carved into each door frame from measuring their height. Phil knew they would all eventually outgrow him. And he couldn’t wait to watch them grow up into men.
“Hey dad?” Phil startled and turned around; Techno was leaning into the room. “We got most of the boxes packed. Is there anything we’re missing?” Techno looked around the empty room. “You’ve been up here a while. Everything okay?”
Phil gave him a reassuring smile. “Yeah… just reminiscing.”
Techno gave him a knowing smile, before there was a crash downstairs. “I think the gremlins are hungry. They might start eating the cardboard.”
Phil chuckled and followed Techno downstairs.
The four grabbed any leftover boxes and walked to their car. “The two moving vans have already gone to the new house.” Techno said getting in the passenger seat.
Phil started the car, took a final glance to the house and drove.
This will be a new start.
New job, new house, new school.
I’m sure everything will be fine… hopefully