Work Text:
Adults tend to believe death won't affect a child when they are too young to fully grasp it. If it was a family friend that the parent knew, but the child did not, that child would grow to forget it. But a parent's death is so much more different, they will wonder why they hadn't come back and when they would.
Phil learns this first hand, he witnesses his son, his five year old boy, ask time and time again when momma was coming back home. He watches Tommy snoop around his mother's side of their once shared room thinking the woman was playing hide and seek.
Tommy didn't understand why his mother was sleeping in the casket at the funeral, and it took Phil having to send him to a friend's house that day because the older couldn't take hearing his son ask his mother to wake up over and over. He wanted Tommy to have that final goodbye, he didn't expect it to hurt that bad .
The five year old didn't grasp death like Phil did, he assumed his mom would come back home and each day was just a question of when.
"Tom's, sweetheart, what are you doing?" Phil asked when he walked into the living room and saw the toddler sitting in front of the door playing with blocks.
Tommy looked up at his dad with a smile, "Waiting for momma!" The boy told him, and Phil felt his heart break again.
"Tommy, momma's not-" Phil felt his throat tighten, rushing to pick up his son to bring him away from the door so the image could fade, "Momma's not coming home bud."
It was hard trying to explain it the best way he could, yet Tommy never grasped onto it. The sitting in front of the door or snooping ended a few months later, and the questions dwindled down. But the ache never left, the thought that she wouldn't see Tommy grow like he was able to see pained him.
He loved Tommy's mom, knew her back when they both were young and the first woman he loved. The ring she used to wear rests safely on his chest, he couldn't bare burying it with her and couldn't bare wearing his anymore so he put them both on a necklace just to have that final peace left.
The day Tommy was born was the second happiest day of his life, the way she lit up when she first held Tommy and how small the boy was. They both wanted kids, Tommy was meant to have more siblings. They were supposed to grow old, watch together as their kids grew in life, she was supposed to see Tommy grow past five years old.
The day he got that call, caught up in a shooting, critical injuries and hospital visits. Told to say their goodbyes, hear the heart monitor stop. He knew she would never see their son grow to be six, Tommy would never see his mom for any more birthdays. And it hurt more than anything, he lost his best friend and his wife. Lost the mother to his only child, lost the day's that they could've truly spent together.
She should've had more time to spend with them, she was supposed to die old with him. Yet the world took her away before she truly could've been given the chance.
When Tommy turns six years old, the celebration doesn't hold that certain spark. More than once he sees Tommy turn to show his mother the gifts he got only to falter when there was no mom there behind him, a place she had taken every birthday. There was no, "Oh look how fun that is baby!" Or "Oh won't you look dashing, like a sweet little prince!" Behind the boy when he opened his gifts.
He won't deny how he would turn around with the camera just to get that glimpse of his laughing wife just as he did all the years before, this video wouldn't have her in it. Only a blank space that wasn't occupied, that would never again be occupied by her.
Tommy's sixth birthday was fun, yet neither felt right without her there.
"It's almost bedtime bud, wanna help me put up your toys?" Phil asked, pushing the wrapping paper down the trash bag.
Tommy didn't answer for a moment, instead looking at the TV with a saddened look.
"Tom's?"
The newly six year old turned to his dad pointing at the TV before asking him, "Can we watch the videos?"
Phil didn't catch on fast enough, re-watching the videos Phil would take for every birthday was always an after day thing, he didn't get what his son meant yet.
"We can watch it tomorrow, you witnessed it all today kiddo." He started, reaching to pick his son up who only backed away shaking his head.
"The old ones Daddy, I wanna watch the old ones." The toddler whined, and Phil finally caught on.
Maybe it's because he wanted to see her too, maybe it's because he can't tell his son no. But they both find themselves re-watching all of Tom's old birthday videos, and each one is another stab at Phil's heart.
He hates it more when Tommy, who had been falling asleep, mumbled out a small, "I miss momma.." Into his shirt, and Phil tried not to cry as his son fell asleep.
He tried to not cry when he tucked the kid in, or when he picked up the toys by himself with no wife to joke around with like there used to be the years before. No mother said the phrase, “Wait till he gets more gifts next year, soon the floor will be covered in wrapping paper huh?” and the laughter that followed was only an echo in his ears.
When he lays down in his own bed, a side cold from months of having no one take that side, he lets himself cry.
"I miss her too." He cries into the pillows, cursing the moons and stars above for taking her away.
He thinks he wouldn't have healed after it all, thinks he wouldn't truly be able to fall in love after her death. But the universe worked in a funny way, because only two months after Tommy turns six he bumps into Kristin in the oddest way possible.
He had been trying to find a bookstore, his old one had closed down and the man couldn't stand buying online books. Never could figure out the way the little tablet worked, so he searched for a new one a friend told him opened up.
What he didn't expect when he walked in, was two kids running rapidly around the store with an older woman shouting at them to calm down. Both boy's looked the exact same, nearly identical to the lady herself as well.
"WILBUR YOU GIVE YOUR BROTHER BACK HIS GLASSES THIS INSTANT." The lady screamed, looking near tired. The type of parent tired that Phil understood all too well.
Though when she turned around and saw Phil, he watched her instantly smile nervously as if her shop wasn't being destroyed by two children and calmly asked him, "Hello, how are you today? Anything I can-" a crash interrupts her slightly and Phil notices her mouth twitching, "-Help you with today sir?"
Phil stared for a second, confused and concerned when the sound's of the two kids screaming at each other were heard in the background.
With a stutter Phil slowly speaks, "Uh- books, I need some books? Like children ones, and historical ones if you have any?" He has to dodge when one of the kid's, who now had glasses on his head, runs out from the door followed by a shorter version of the other kid.
The lady smiles, though he catches her send a glare at the kids, "We do we do, the historical one's haven't been sorted yet though. But if you're fine with looking through the box you can, how old is your kid?" She rambled on, bending down from the counter as she rummaged through boxes.
Phil moves to the side again when the shorter kid runs back, hearing a loud "GET FASTER NERD!" come from the kid as he disappeared into the back one more.
"Six, he turned six two months ago, he read all the books I got him so I had to get more otherwise bedtime gets difficult." The blonde laughs out nervously, flinching when the lady pops back up with the box filled with heavy books as she drops it on the counter with a heavy thud.
She sighs smiling like she remembers something before looking at him again, "That sounds fun, six year old's seem so much easier to deal with then two ten year old's." She giggled, motioning for Phil to come look at the box.
Phil feels the nervous feelings shift away, slightly more comfortable than before, "Not with my kid, he's super picky about a lot of things that you'd think he was mentally a teenager." And apparently she found that funny with the way she busted out laughing.
Somehow they both find themselves looking through different books, Phil offered to help her sort them out and she accepted after he told her he wasn't expecting to be paid. He understood what it was like to work with kids after all.
"Wilbur's the oldest, though the little shit likes to trick everyone into thinking Techno is," Kristin, he had found out her name earlier, tells him, "And Techno, believe it or not, is actually very shy, it takes Wilbur annoying him to act like how he is. Wouldn't trade it for the world though."
Phil smiled at the thought, the two boys had ended up hiding in the backroom when they realized Phil hadn't left yet, So he wasn't properly introduced.
"What about your kid? What's he like?" She turned to ask him, braided hair almost slapping him when she did.
Phils smile grew when he thought about his kid, who was currently with his grandmother, "He's a trouble-maker, a bit spoiled I won't deny. Though that's partially his mom's fault, she used to spoil the shit out of him when he was a baby and he has the worst puppy eyes in the world. Little shit traps you before you can even think." He rambles, thanking her slightly when she handed him another book which he put up.
"Guess you and her are trying to get him out of that little habit huh?" She asked, pulling out another box.
Phil faltered, he remembered that not everyone knew about her death, that she wasn't a big thing to other's. Just another name in the news that people skimmed past, another name that no one cared for.
Coughing he looks back at Kristin with a sad smile, "I'm trying to," he stresses, "She isn't here anymore, just me and my kid now."
He watches her face fall, the realization hits her and he hates it. The same look everyone gets when he tells them about his wife.
"I'm really sorry for your loss, I didn't mean to bring any bad memories up!" She starts fast, hands twisting with each other as she grows more nervous only for Phil to flap his hand at her.
"Don't stress so much about it, you can't know everything and you didn't do anything wrong." He tells her softly, hating how he made her nervous.
It's quiet after that, Phil assumed he had messed up the nice evening they were having for it and had been silently cursing himself.
"I guess me and you understand the troubles of being a single parent," She finally speaks up, making him look back at her and see the sad smile she had. "I know how hard it is to lose someone you love, especially when they're the other parent."
Phil almost goes to tell her he's sorry, but she wasn't done.
"My ex-husband isn't dead, so I guess I can't grasp the death part like you can," Kristin mumbles out, "But he left me with two three years old's, so I get the leaving part." She spats out angrily, almost like a memory had spread throughout her mind that she didn't want.
Phil nudges her when she stays silent for longer than comfortable, giving her a sad playful smile when she looks back at him.
"Guess that makes us the single parents team huh?" He laughs out, followed by her small laughter as well.
"Guess we are."
He isn't sad to say that wasn't the last time he saw her either, he frequently visited the small bookshelf and occasionally helped out if she needed it. He slowly got to know her kids when they were there, slowly got to know more about her and soon the ache of being alone fell down.
He won't deny it was easy for him to fall in love with Kristin, but his heart still held a high place for his late wife. The guilt of leaving her behind like that ate him up, so he ignored the way his stomach had started to warm when he saw her or the way he would blush when she laughed.
He hadn't introduced Tommy to the three yet either, too scared to have that be the final push that made him forget everything about the women he lost. Maybe the slight fear that Tommy would hate him for replacing his mother ached as well.
Wilbur was an odd kid, who had reminded Phil alot about Tommy. The boy was outgoing and loved trouble, Phil couldn't count how many times he walked into the shop and saw Wilbur climbing the shelves while Kristin wasn't looking. He learned the boy loved music, and had even convinced his mom to put in a speaker system so he could play his favorite music.
The brown-haired boy loved to imagine things as well, had a world created by his own mind that had characters with backstories and everything. Phil remembers how Wilbur decided he was a character in the world as well, though the storyline was a bit dark if he might add.
And Techno, who Phil won't deny gives him a slight peace, proved Kristin right about the shyness. He didn't even speak to Phil for the first five weeks, sticking behind his brother or mother if he had to. Though one day when Phil had come to pick up some more history books, Techno ended up sharing his own love for them. They ended up talking about war based books, Greek books and more.
Phil finds out Techno was a history nerd like himself. Finds out the boy forced Wilbur into making his character a god because he saw it fit him better, he also finds out that regardless of appearances Techno was the stronger one compared to Wilbur.
He finds out the smaller twin liked to write books, liked to note down things he saw in his everyday life and make it into something more. Techno tells him he helped write Wilbur's story, that one of the places they wrote down was based on the town hall.
He finds out more about Kristin, how the only reason she let her hair grow out was because Techno liked to braid it everyday. How she would help Wilbur with his songs, test singing them so he could find the perfect pitch for them. He finds out her favorite color is purple, she liked designs that had skulls on them the most.
Phil finds out her favorite food is Dino nuggets, "When you have two babies who love that stuff and you had to eat it a lot, you tend to love it as well." Finds out her husband left because he didn't like their son's, left her alone all because he decided they weren't worth it.
"My biggest regret is not trying hard enough for them," She tells him one day, both sitting outside the shop, "If I tried harder, they could've had their father."
Phil frowns, shaking his head at that.
"What he did isn't your fault, you tried more than he did and that's what counts. You stayed with the boys, he didn't." Phil whispers bringing her into a hug when she starts to cry.
"You did the one thing he couldn't do."
Tommy grows suspicious of Phil, he's a smart kid and knows when his dad was acting odd. The way his dad would go out every three days for a few hours, how his grandmother would visit a lot more than before with a knowing grin.
He hates it, because Tommy wants to know everything and when he doesn't he feels dumb. He feels dumb when his dad comes back happy, feels dumb when he doesn't know why, and he feels dumb when suddenly they have three bookshelves filled to the brim.
But he also feels lonely, his mom would go out everyday and come back happy just like his dad was doing. He knows his dad hadn't been happy for awhile now, Tommy wasn't either. And he gets scared, scared that one day he wouldn't see his dad again just like he stopped seeing his mom.
It's late at night, the storm has started earlier and Tommy couldn't stand the way the tree outside would hit his window. The six year old ended up sliding out his bed, toddling over his door trying to reach for the handle to get out.
He wanted his daddy.
Soon the door is opened, and a chair that was dragged over is left behind as the blonde child runs over to his dad's door. Pushing it open and running to the side of his dad's large bed.
Phil wakes up to the feeling of his blanket being tugged down, the sounds of a little voice struggling and he peers down his bed eyes contacting familiar blue ones.
"What're you doin' up kid?" He slurs out, voice thick with sleep while he reaches to pick up the grumpy toddler.
"It's bad outside Daddy, make it stop." Tommy whines, curling up onto his dad's chest with a huff.
Phil chuckles, rubbing his sons back while he tries to not nod off, "I can't make it stop Tom's, you know that."
Tommy only whines, digging his knee into Phil's ribs making him wince.
It's quiet for a moment, the only sounds heard being the storm outside, the rain hitting the roof and the faint sounds of wind dragging the tree's along the house. Phil had assumed Tommy had fallen asleep, he himself starting to follow along when he heard Tommy whisper in such a sad voice.
"Are you gonna leave me too?"
Phil shoots awake at that, frown evident on his face right away as he hugs his son tighter, "What makes you think I'm leaving you?" He asks carefully and concerned.
"Momma was happy when she left, she didn't come back." Tommy tells him sadly, little hands bunching up the blanket wrapped around them, "I don't want you to go too Daddy, I want you to stay here."
Phil sits up, dragging Tommy up as well as he grabs the boy's cheeks softly leaning the little head up to look at him. And he feels his heart break when he sees the small tears falling down his son's face, Phil feels his own tears build up.
"I'm not leaving anytime soon baby, I won't ever leave you If I have anything to say about it ok?" Phil stresses kissing the boy's forehead when he lets out a small sob, "I promise I'm staying right here, forever and ever until you want me to leave." He tells Tommy with a shaky smile.
Tommy giggles wetly, pushing his dad's face away slightly, "I don't want you to ever leave, you gotta stay forever ok?" The smaller blonde tells his dad with a pout.
"I will bud, I promise."
They go to bed later on, after Phil tells Tommy he would explain everything later when they woke up. Whispering small stories to the toddler to help him sleep, following his son into the land of dreams shortly after.
Phil dream's of a locked door, with his son screaming behind it for Phil to come back and his wife's hands pulling him away.
Tommy doesn't do well when Phil tells him about the small family, he doesn't take kindly to the idea of Kristin one bit. He had immediately started a tantrum when he found out the reason for Phil leaving, refused to even meet the three other's and had quite literally locked himself in the bathroom when Phil tried.
He refused to talk about them, would throw things at Phil when he started to leave for a visit and had even gone as far as screaming at Phil the words.
"YOUR MY DADDY, NOT THEIRS! THEY CAN'T HAVE YOU!" Tommy screamed, clinging onto Phil's legs when he saw his Grandma walk in the house.
Kristin found it amusing at first, though the concern grew when they went out on the first date and Tommy had tried destroying Phil's suit the night before.
"You do realize there's paint on the legs of your pants right?" Kristin laughed out when they reached the table, watching Phil blush.
"Tommy decided he wanted to be an artist now, but with my clothes." Is all he tells her.
Wilbur and Techno had thankfully taken well to Phil, and had even started begging to meet Tommy when Kristin let it out that her and Phil were getting serious, that Phil might become a permanent thing in their life.
"This means I get to be an older OLDER brother now, right mom?" Wilbur asked, tugging on his mom's dress when she told them about Tommy.
"Well- yes maybe, But I also don't-" She tried to start before Techno interrupted.
"I get to be an older brother now? Does that mean I can boss him around like Wilbur does?" Techno asks, dodging the swat Will tried to give him.
"I don't boss you around! I make you do things it's different!" Wilbur whines out.
"I thought I told you no bossing around your brother-"
"You make me do everything! You liar!"
But the only threat was Tommy himself, when Phil tried to arrange bringing Tommy over to the shop he ended up leaving the house alone with Tommy crying in his grandma's lap and the other three disappointed when he walked in without Tommy once again.
Phil tried time and time again, yet the aggression grew worse and he couldn't find out why. The slight fear that Tommy would forever hate Kristin struck him deep, he loved the lady and her kids a lot but there wasn't a world where he would pick anyone over Tommy. If it came down to it, he sadly would've let her go then lose his kid.
Wilbur and Techno loved the idea of a little sibling, and it broke Phil's heart when they realized Tommy wasn't in love with the idea of having older brother's. But he catches the two drawing something out for Tommy one day, something they thought would win him over.
"He's gonna be the main character in this world! And me and Tech are gonna be his protector's. I even wrote a song for him, Techno's making Tommy a box of Random things too!" Wilbur explains after the older asked what they had been doing, making his heart warm at the thought.
Techno only nods, still focused on the large drawing the two had been making.
And then the push finally happened, though not what Phil had been expecting at all.
He gets a call from Kristin one night, they called regularly so he hadn't thought anything of it until he heard her crying through the phone, and suddenly everything was just full of worry.
"They've given me a date and everything, I don't have enough money to get a place fast enough and all my family members live so far away," She explains fast, "I can't put everything into a hotel room, I can't afford a storage place either Phil. I don't know what to do!"
Phil thinks, because a lot can go wrong with what he's about to suggest to her. But he would rather deal with a screaming child than knowing her and two kids were out cold on the streets while he did nothing about it.
"You and the boy's can come stay here, just until you think you're able to get another place to stay," Phil says carefully, "My house is big enough for them to even have their own room, I promise it's no trouble for me."
She's silent on the other end, thinking through the choices before she finally goes, "What about Tommy? I don't think he would be very happy about this Phil."
And it's true, Tommy wouldn't and he would definitely make it a big problem but Phil can deal with that later on.
"Tommy will understand hopefully, but it's a better choice for all three of you. A safer option as well."
They chat more about it, work out the details and everything and soon she agrees. And Phil tells her he can set up the boy's rooms, make it feel like home so they aren't too upset about losing their original room.
Before the call ends Kristin tells him softly, "I'm really glad I got to meet you, you're like an angel you know? I love you Phil."
And oh does his face turn red, the first time they ever said those words and the first time he felt like that in a long time.
Phil smiles, and tells her he loves her too before they say their goodbyes.
The next day he goes out shopping with Tommy.
He wasn't lying when he said his home was large enough for them, before his dad had passed he gave Phil and his wife the home as a wedding gift, both blessed with good jobs that kept the house up and when she also passed he received her money.
His room and Tommy's room were the most occupied, one room had been a guest room and the other used to be his office. Now the office had been turned into Techno's room, decorated with small Greek statues the boy had once said he liked.
Things from Techno's side of the twins' old shared room were placed around the room as well, a larger bed that replaced the smaller one the boy had and a shelf stacked with different kinds of books. Phil even went out of his way to put a built-in desk for the boy, and Wilbur's room was no better.
He bought Wilbur a guitar, not even Kristin knew about it at first but the boy had been wanting one for so long and Kristin told him how it broke her heart that she wasn't able to get him one yet. Placed on the cyan bed sheets he got the boy, the wall covered in posters that the boy had and even some new ones he hoped the older would like.
Just like Techno's room he added a desk, but this one had built-in shelves so the boy could put his music sheets up after he was done.
Tommy had watched him clear out the room, and when he found out why he immediately claimed it as his playroom.
"This is my room Daddy, he can't have this one!" Tommy whined, being dragged when his dad moved around.
"Tommy, all your toys are literally in your own room, you never even step in here son." Phil sighs out, making Tommy whine more.
"I was gonna move all my things into here!"
"No you weren't, you just wanna make me stop moving things in."
Tommy paused, looking up at his dad with a hopeful look, "Is it working?"
Phil snorted, "No, not even close."
The day they finally moved in, Tommy locked himself in his room and refused to get out and Kristin walked in with Phil rushing to find the lock to Tommy's door and they all looked with amusement at the sight.
"I was supposed to change his door so he wouldn't be able to do this anymore, I'm so sorry- Here you can put that down in the living room" Phil rushed, greeting the boy's with a hug along with Kristin.
All she did was smile knowing, "It's fine Phil, I'm just grateful you did this for us and so are the boy's."
Wilbur popped up on Phil's side with a wide grin, "Mom said I get my own room! And I'll miss Techno sure but he snores a lot and I won't miss that-"
"You literally talk in your sleep, don't complain." Techno deadpanned, making Phil hold in a laugh.
"You both wanna see your new rooms? I added some surprises to help make it feel more at home," The blonde smiles, watching the two light up, turning around to rush up the stairs.
"They've been talking nonstop about this, I think they both might be a little upset at not sharing a room anymore though." Kristin tells him, both following up the stairs after the two.
Phil flinches when he sees the two staring at Tommy's door, as if they thought the younger would walk out.
Steering them away with a frown, he stops in front of Techno's room first and allows the boy to be the one to open it. And he won't deny the pride he gets when he watches Techno light up once again.
"MOM LOOK AT IT!" Techno shouts, Dragging his mother in the room with him laughing, "Look look- The statues momma! The books oh my gods-"
Phil grunts when he feels Techno dive into his stomach hugging him with a great force, Phil hesitated in shock before returning the hug back.
"Thank you, Thank you Phil!" Techno whispers, and it warms both the adults hearts.
Wilbur is next, and Phil is a lot more nervous than he was with Techno. He doesn't know how Kristin would feel about him getting the guitar, doesn't know if Wilbur would even like it.
He opens Wilbur's door this time, and he looks on nervously when he watches both of their reactions when they take in the room, immediately zooming in on the guitar.
And Wilbur straight out screams, rushing to the guitar as if he didn't believe it was real and immediately started bawling when he realized it was. He calms down when he watches the smile etch onto the boy's face, and when Kristin comes behind him to hug him he allows himself to smile more.
Techno rushes in the room as well, just as excited for Wilbur as they both look in amazement at the instrument.
He hears Kristin whisper into his shoulder a shaky Thank you, and watches as Wilbur thanks him over and over again crying as he did.
"You can play it whenever you want, well not at night when everyone's asleep but still- I even had a friend get some online lessons for you!" Phil explains to Wilbur after they all calmed down.
Wilbur holds the guitar safely, looking at it with so much love, "And I'll be able to play it like a professional?" He asks softly, and Phil leans to ruffle his hair.
"Just like a professional, a little musician in the making kid." He tells him, and he gets another hug though a lot more softer seeing as the boy didn't want to damage the instrument.
Later after they leave the boy's to their own, Phil walks Kristin to his room and watches her look in awe at what he had done.
He won't deny how it hurt to move his late wife's things out the room, everything covered in dust having not been touched in so long moved carefully into the attic with a mournful atmosphere in the air.
Though when he adds in Kristin's thing's, puts her clothes in what used to be his wife's closet and moves in the furniture Kristin loved, the room looks brighter than it had in almost a year.
"Phil- Oh my god Phil this is beautiful," She whispers in awe, slowly moving around the large room taking in everything.
She turns around, tears filled in her eye's before she rushed at Phil embracing him tightly, "Thank you-" She sobs out, Phil gathering her in the hug as well, "Thank you so much oh my gods-"
"I take it you like it?" He chuckles softly, laughing louder when she slightly hits his shoulder.
She lifts her head up and stares at him, love filling her eye's before she kisses him softly, "I love it, so so much. I love everything you've done for us, I love you."
Phil presses his forehead against hers, closing his eyes with a grin, "I love you too." He tells her, he would tell her that over and over again if it meant he got to see that smile pop up time and time again for eternity.
The first few days weren't easy like Phil had hoped, Tommy refused to talk with any of them including Phil and it worried him a lot. On the first night, he had to give Tommy his food in the boy's own room because Tommy refused to eat with them.
The second he slammed his door on Wilbur when the boy tried to bond with him, something Phil had to scold him about though it only ended with Tommy having another breakdown which ended with a tiring nap.
"I don't think Tommy likes me.." Wilbur dejectedly tells him later, "I don't know why, he won't even accept the gift we made him."
Phil sighs, bringing the boy into a hug.
"He's just having a hard time adjusting to this, it's new and scary to him that's all." He tells Wilbur, yet he doesn't even believe it himself.
The third is spent with everyone looking tired when Tommy cried on and on, only growing louder when a concerned Techno went to check on him.
Phil rushed upstairs when he heard Tommy scream louder, only to be met with Tommy screaming his lungs out at the sight of Techno who looked down right scared, growing more scared when He saw Phil.
"I didn't- I don't know-" The younger twin stutters out, taking a frightful step away from Phil and Tommy both, "I didn't mean to make him scream I swear-"
Phil only ushers him out, "I know, it's ok I promise. Head downstairs to your mom, I'll handle Tommy ok?" Patting the boy's back he rushes back to Tommy's room, seeing his son crying on the ground barely breathing.
He spends the next ten minutes rocking his son back and forth, begging him to calm down and tell him what was wrong only to get broken sob's in the process, that day also ends with Tommy tiring himself out from crying his little heart out, and Phil is nearing his end.
"I don't know what's wrong with him, he hasn't acted like this ever and he's making himself sick." He whispers late at night to Kristin, voice breaking as he did.
Kristin only holds him, not able to ease his worries because she had no clue either.
The next three days are the same, and everyone's tired and concerned for the toddler. The twins feel like it's their fault, Kristin hates hearing the boy cry not being able to help the little guy out and hates seeing Phil beat himself over everything.
She finally decides to step in, after Phil comes trudging down the stairs looking broken once more she stands up and tells him to let her talk with the boy, though he hesitated he ends up agreeing.
And that's how she finds herself sitting in front of a toddler glaring at her.
"What's your favorite thing?" She asks after a few minutes of sharing, making Tommy look at her in curiosity.
After a few seconds, the toddler decides to mumble a small, "Henry." Towards her question.
She smiles, no screaming yet or crying. A small good sign.
"And who's Henry?" She asks more hopefully, watching the small light form in the boy's blue eyes.
Reaching behind him, he pulls out an old cow plushie, "This is Henry, Daddy got him for me when I was born." He tells her, the glare slowly leaving the small face.
She moves closer, smiling softly at the boy, "Really now? You two must be best friends then!"
Tommy nods fast, "He's my bestest friend, Momma told me he would keep me safe from monsters!" Tommy explains, faltering when he mentions his mother.
"But Henry isn't doing a good job anymore," He whispers out, backing away from her when he notices how close they were, "He isn't keeping me safe."
Kristin frowns, the tension filling into the air once more as the storm rages on inside the boy, "What do you mean?"
He glares at her, as if she was a monster that had hurt him.
"You aren't momma." Is all he says, and it's enough to break her heart.
Shaking her head, she looks at the cow in his hands, "No I'm not, I'm not her."
Tommy's eye's start to water again, all the progress draining fast as the fear builds in her chest.
"I want my momma back, I don't want you. I don't want brothers, I want her!" He cries, bringing the stuffed animal to his chest and she raises her hands up almost ready to hold him.
"I don't want you, I don't, I don't! I want her back, why won't she come back! I've been good, what did I do?" He wails, and she finally brings him into a hug. Small hands grab at her shirt as he cries and cries, the small body shaking as he did.
"You didn't do anything sweetheart, If she could she would be here in a heartbeat," She whispers, rocking them both back and forth on her knees as the child cries louder, "She would've rocked hell and earth for you If she could honey."
The boy cries and cries, her shirt is damp where his head laid yet she paid no mind to it. Comforting him was more important than a wet shirt.
"I miss her, I miss her lots." He whispers, voice cracking from using it so much, " I miss my mom. "
"I know baby, I know you do. She misses you too, so much." Kristin whispers, looking back when she hears the door creak only to shake her head when she sees Phil look concerned.
"Are you gonna replace her?" Tommy asks, voice filled with worry and fear he shouldn't have for someone so young.
Kristin wonders how many times the boy would break her heart, she assumes a lot.
"Never, I wouldn't ever dare do that to her or you. Tommy I might be with your father, but I can't take a place that belongs to her." Kristin explains, her own voice shaking at the thought, "No matter what happens in the future, you will always have a place in your heart that I simply can't take. It belongs to her and only her ok?"
Tommy nods, the sobs slowly die down, hiccups are all that's left behind.
"I'm sorry for making the other two upset, I don't like them though." He whispers, making her crack a smile.
"Oh but they like you very much, they would be very happy if you gave them a chance you know?" Kristin laughs out, "They've always wanted a little sibling to share their love with, they just wanna get to know you."
There's no more responses coming from the boy, Kristin realizes he's fallen asleep and Phil finally allows himself to tuck the boy into bed and only then does she see the devastated look in his eye.
Outside the room, Phil breaks.
"He thought I was gonna leave him, I didn't know he thought I was replacing her." He cries, and Kristin frowns.
"You can't beat yourself over this, he wasn't telling anyone but we know now. We just have to make sure Tommy knows he's safe." She tells the older one, only to be brought into a hug as the man whispers thank you over and over again.
The next day, Tommy comes out of his room and follows Kristin around the house like a duckling. Telling her his favorite things all around the house, getting more comfortable when she shows genuine excitement in it.
It wasn’t much, but to the adults it was a start.
It's next week when they hit the next break through with Tommy. Neither hadn't even realized it until they went to check on Tommy, who hadn't been following Kristin or demanding Phil pick him up.
Wilbur hadn't given up on trying to get Tommy to like him, only growing more hopeful when he saw the toddler follow his mom around everyday.
So on a Monday, He picks up his guitar and walks into Tommy's room nervously and they both lock eye's. He expects toys to be thrown, for the boy to cry and demand he get out like he did before.
Yet Tommy lights up when he sees the guitar, and asks if he can touch it.
A few minutes later they find themselves on Wilbur's bed, And how excited he was when he was able to pick Tommy up to put him on his bed. Wondering if that's what older brother's felt like with their baby brother's that weren't an hour younger. And Wilbur let's tiny baby hands play with the guitar.
To others the noises would sound horrible, none matching and just mixed together sounds. To Wilbur it sounds like a make believe heaven, and he teaches Tommy what each string was.
"Can you play?" Tommy asks, after making his own song giggling when Wilbur had clapped along.
Wilbur nodded fast, "I can, though I'm not as good as you are. Would you like for me to play one?" He asks the hope building up, He gets to play for Tommy!
"Can you play the star song? Please?" The toddler asks, looking just as excited as Wilbur.
Wilbur agrees, and soon they find themselves singing along to all different kinds of children's songs, Tommy pressed against Wilbur's side giggling alongside Wilbur with their own sing-along.
"Wilbbbyy," Tommy giggles out after the older son finishes singing a song that had been dedicated to Tommy, tickling the boy's side with a grin, "Stop it! You're silly!" He squeaks, the giggling growing louder as Wilbur launches a full on tickle attack.
"You're the silly one Tommy!" Wilbur shouts laughing, both ignorant to the parents that looked on at them with warm smiles seeing them bond after so long.
Later after they finish attacking each other, after Wilbur is forced to sing more songs, Phil would find them sleeping peacefully with Wilbur holding Tommy in a protective grasp.
For now they leave the two to themselves, the house brightens more that day.
The next two days are filled with Tommy refusing to leave Wilbur's side, who bragged about it on and on like it was his greatest achievement.
And Techno was jealous, because he wanted Tommy to like him too. He wanted Tommy to follow him around and laugh at everything he did, he wanted to be an older brother too.
Yet Tommy refused to leave Wilbur's side, and Wilbur saw his twin look more and more sad as the hours passed. So maybe he bribed Tommy with candy, maybe he did but If It means helping his younger brother out then so what!
It's how Techno finds Tommy, who had been so clearly placed on his bed yet beaming at Techno when he walked in.
"Who's the pretty lady?" Is all Tommy asks, pointing at the statue on the shelf. Techno following the small hand to one of his favorite statues Phil got him.
"That's Aphrodite, she is pretty isn't she?" He mumbles, climbing onto his bed beside Tommy who nods.
"I like her, she's my favorite one." Tommy responds, and Techno snorts.
"I can tell you about her if you want, the other's too." The older asks, and he feels the nervousness leave when Tommy agrees. So Techno explains every statue he owns, the meanings and who they were. And Tommy holds onto every word he says.
"If I was a god, I'd be a really cool one." Techno blurts out, Tommy giggles at the words.
"Can I be a god too?" The younger asks, squealing when Techno ruffles his hair up.
The older one looks at Tommy with a soft loving grin, "We can be the best god's everyone will ever know." And Tommy immediately breaks out in laughter, telling Techno they could have a castle filled with gold.
"Daddy can have the coolest room, and your Momma can have the prettiest! Me, you and Wilby can have the biggest one!" The blonde yells out, jumping on the bed when Techno agrees.
"And-And you can be the king, I'll be the prince!" He continues on, making up more and more as he goes.
Techno laughs when Tommy accidentally smacks his glasses off, dragging the jumping boy into a hug to calm him down.
"We can do all that and more If it's what you want, I'll make it all just for you!" Techno tells him, happy that he was finally able to talk with Tommy like this. He got to be the older brother now, he taunts Wilbur in his mind.
They talk about the make believe castle for hours, and Techno feels immense pride when Tommy starts to follow him around as well. Though Tommy ended up holding both boy's hostage because he couldn't pick a favorite. Neither are complaining though.
Phil and Kristin both are relieved when they see all three getting along finally, Tommy growing more and more comfortable with them each day.
The next week, Tommy has his first meal with them all at the table, And Phil sees his family grow once more.
The year finishes, both boys spend their first actual birthday with Phil as they turn Eleven. The first time they called Phil dad, which he definitely cried at. Tommy helps them blow out the candles giggling when Wilbur presses frosting on his cheek.
They have their first Christmas together and he watches the three spoil Tommy with gifts. He spoils all of them with gifts, and if Kristin goes to bed with a ring that night he wouldn't mind it either.
And on Tommy's seventh birthday, the camera catches Wilbur and Techno on each side of the boy singing out happy birthday the loudest. Kristin helps Tommy unwrap his gifts, yet the space behind him is never filled. But this year, when they re-watch the video neither feel the heart-wrenching feeling they got last time. And the leaves outside float away as the sun shines bright on the home.
The house is loud again, it's bright and filled with love like it was meant to be. And while neither will forget the mother and wife that had been a part of them, she would forever hold a high place in both mind and heart, they allow themselves to move on.
Tommy tugs on his dad's blankets one night, a storm was going on once more outside and he always came running to his dad. Though he isn't alone this time, Kristin and Phil both fall asleep with Wilbur, Techno, and Tommy tucked safely into the bed.
And Phil wouldn't trade this for anything in the world.