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Tommy was running late.
Annoyed chitters slipped through his lips and he ran through the snowy path that led to the cabin in the forest. He promised that wasn’t going to be late for the season's holidays but honestly you could blame it on his hybrid instincts. He wasn’t intentionally trying to be late, it's just that one thing led to another.
Starting with when he decided to wait till the morning to drop off the custom quilt for the Underscore-Beloved household on Christmas morning. While being a Racoon hybrid didn’t mean he hibernates during the cold season, he still hides from the cold. So he might’ve woken up a few hours late. So running all the way to SnowChester and now back took a few hours more than he would like.
The blond prays the ender hybrid better appreciate the gift because it took much time out of big man Tommy’s day. Tubbo likely appreciates the gift, but that’s because Tubbo is cool like that.
Weaving through the thicket of trees he eventually landed on the tree line where a fence separated him from the clearing. Scanning the field he could see that it was empty except for a few of Techno’s wolves and Steve.
Tommy let his tail glide over the snow in a repeatable pattern until he glanced up to see smoke leaving the chimney. Giving a huff he walked over to the fence and gently leaned toward before leaping over the fence. He landed with little struggle and the snow crunched under his weight.
The racoon hybrid barely had flattened the hair on his head when suddenly the door to Techno’s cabin opened and a voice called out. Tommy felt one of ears give an irritated flick .
“Tommy, what are you doing out here so late? Come in!”
He gave a sigh as he watched a tall lanky brunet waved him down from his location on the poarch. As he approached he noticed the small stick in Wilbur’s hand and he gave a small growl. Walking to the cabin, soft baby blue eyes glared at the small curl of small curls of smoke that came out of Wilbur’s mouth.
“You’re smoking”, the teen stated bluntly as he didn’t bother hiding his disgust once he was close enough for the older to hear him.
A stitched face looked and him surprised before smiling fondly, “You still don’t enjoy smoking”
Tommy didn’t even bother dignifying the statement with a glare as he walked up the steps and snatched the stick from Wilbur. The older barely had a chance to protest before the blond dropped the cigarette into the small lake that was under the porch.
The brunet gave an annoyed huff as he muttered about that being his last cigarette but Tommy didn’t care. Instead he scooped a small handful of snow in his hand and tossed it at Wilbur’s face.
“You should make that my present for the day, Quit smoking”
“Tommy…”, the brunet huffed rolling his eyes, this was common routine between the two —even if they didn’t like the others actions, they took comfort that nothing changed—
Wilbur’s addiction to cigarettes stayed the same just as Tommy always found some way to toss the smelly stick away before the brunet could even finish it.
Tommy suddenly felt a flurry of cold hit his face as Wilbur tossed his own handful back at the younger. The teen smirked as reached down towards the snow on the ground.
“So that’s how you want to play?”
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Techno looked out his kitchen window to watch as his brothers played an aggressive game with the snow outside. He could hear them laughing while Steve made a curious noise from the spot beside the porch.
A small part of him was annoyed that Tommy was late but seeing his older twin and little brother play happily in the snow, he couldn’t help but let it slide.
It feels like it’s been centuries since he's been like this.
Something gently bumped into his shoulder and he looked over to see Phil smiling towards him, then the scene outside the window. “Their going to be freezing when they come inside”
Techno snorted as he watched Tommy shove Wilbur into the snow, his fluffy striped tail wagging excitedly behind him. The younger one laughed in victory before Wilbur’s hand suddenly shot out and grabbed at the teens ankles, one swift tug and Tommy was on the ground cursing while Wilbur laughed.
“Good, if they freeze to death then I could go back to sleep”, Techno deadpanned.
Phil gave a laugh while he grinned down to the tea that he warmed just moments ago. “You can’t sleep the day away Techno”
“I can and I will, it’s in my nature”, the piglin hybrid shot back. They both knew he wouldn’t though, this was their first holiday together in a long time… too long of a time.
“You should go outside, we won’t have dinner until later so we have time”
Techno scrunched his nose at the thought of being in the snow gaining frostbite but a hand reached out and ruffled his hair that he didn’t bother putting into a braid today. “Don’t make that face, it’ll get stuck that way”
Phil only grinned as he received an unamused look from Techno. A black wing reached out and nudged Techno gently.
“Go, everything is almost done in here anyways”
Techno always hated it when Phil gave him that look. It wasn’t the look like ‘You are going to do what I say, Challenge me on that otherwise’ but it still had the same effect even when literally everything on Phil’s face screamed ‘Just for me okay?’
It was a face only family could do to another, and god Techno hated it when people did it towards him. Okay, maybe not hated but… it was an extreme dislike.
A distaste if you will.
Techno huffed as he approached the cabin down and opened it up to feel his skin immediately be covered in a chill. Maybe if he was quiet he could sneak up to his room.
“Don’t forget to close the door!”Phil chided and Techno rolled his eyes and walked out onto the porch. He watched his brothers who had long gotten up and were now building a snowman.
Maybe Techno was lying about not wanting frostbite on his fingers because if watching Tommy whine and make that face, being the reward, it was well worth it.
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When Wilbur finally walked back into the house for Christmas dinner, he was freezing. When you're revived from the dead, you already are used to being cold. Your body runs cold all the time.
The brunet won’t lie when he said he noticed he would pull his coat close or that Tommy shivering even when the sun was out sometimes.
Not that he would rather be dead, still a ghost, but it was rather an… annoyance.
But the cold he was feeling right now seemed more real, he didn’t mind it. It made him feel alive. It was a nice change in pace.
The smell of hot chocolate was the first and officially the best thing he smelt the moment he walked in. Phil did remind them to dry off before they came into the kitchen.
Tommy quickly ran upstairs, robbing the bathroom from Techno while Wilbur quickly just went to the other cabin, Phil’s, from the attached porch.
When Wilbur came back to the larger cabin he could hear playful bickering coming from the kitchen. Tommy was whining while Phil did his best to placate him, Techno his lovely twin brother was helping the situation by leaning against the counter while drinking from a candy cane mug.
“Philza Minecraft, Don’t you know who I am?”
“Tommy Kraken Danger Innit?”
“Tommy Kraken Careful Danger Innit! And I think that a big man like me deserves to have more than 17 marshmallows.”
Wilbur held back a laugh as he looked to Techno who only vaguely motioned towards the table where an atrocious Santa mug sat with a small plate next to it. Going over he found the hot chocolate belonged to him, and giving a quick count he found the plate had 25 marshmallows.
A mellow a year, as Phil would say.
“Try to convince Wilbur to give you some,”, and the brunet didn’t even have to look up to see the mischievous smirk his father likely had.
Call him his fathers son because Wil likely grew the same smirk as he looked at the hopeful blond looking at him. If Wilbur was still slightly upset about the cigarette tossed into the small under porch lake, that was between him and the 16 marshmallows he shoved in his mouth.
Because spite.
Before Tommy could let out a wail of complaints Phil gave a small whistle while opening the window. A few crows flew onto the window seal and the avian held out a few fresh pieces of bread for the murder to take. How many crows have to be in a group for it to be called a murder?
Wilbur frowned as he watched the sleek black birds snapped at the bread and each other, “Why do they get to eat first! Favoritism!”
“It’s not favoritism, they’re supposed to be off with their own family and friends but since their not, I’m just giving them something too”
Just then one of the crows in the window let off a caw and Philza snorted. Wilbur rolled his eyes taking a long exaggerated sip from hot chocolate.
Tommy grabbed his own mug and began doing the same exaggerated sipping noise. The murder began flapping there wings, cawing sometimes that caused Phil to scrunch his nose. Wilbur and Tommy counties sipped until the crows flew away.
Once Phil closed the window he turned to the duo sitting at the table. “Really you two?”
Wilbur only grinned innocently and Tommy shrugged, “I have no idea what you're talking about Phil”
Nobody noticed as Techno brought his own cup to his lips and started to exaggerate his sipping of his own hot chocolate.
Phil turned to Techno with an unimpressed frown while Tommy and Wilbur broke into laughter. Phil only rubbed the bridge of his nose before smiling fondly.
The brunet watched as their father reached onto the stove and turned the last burner off. Wilbur stood and started grabbing out plates. Pulling down the glass dishware he saw a bright haired blond begin rummaging through the drawers from serving utensils.
A warm feeling washed over Wilbur as they fell into a rhythm setting up for Christmas dinner.
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“You know, I slightly expected better from you guys”, Phil said watching as his youngest finished his plate.
Wilbur gave him a confused face scrunch while Techno gave a small, “heh?”. Tommy only reached for another bread roll in the half full bowl in the center.
“You should always expect the worst from me”, Tommy stated bluntly. His tail gave a gentle flick behind him.
Phil pursed his lips to hold back the chuckle and stood from his spot at the table. “You guys don’t even know what I was going to say!”
It was easy to forget that Wilbur and Techno were twins, fratile twins, but still twins nonetheless. At Least until they both give you the exact same face of ‘Correct, but this is Tommy we’re speaking off’
Phil just walked towards the pantry and pulled out three medium sized bags. He held them to the side until he reached back at the table and plopped them in the little open space that was on the table.
“They’re color coded”, Phil said smiling. He wasn’t lying as each of the bags were different colors yellow, pink and red. This of course prompted Wilbur and Techno to look at one another, then the bags, then another one last time.
Techno grabbed the yellow bag while Wilbur grabbed the pink. Tommy the little angel (read: gremlin) actually grabbed the bag he was supposed to. Probably only because it was the only bag left.
Techno reached in and pulled out a red sweater that was decorated in white patterns like snowflakes and music notes. And maybe a shape that vaguely looked like a fish.
Wilbur on the other hand pulled out a green sweater that was decorated on white patterns of ornaments and polar bears.
His youngest son pulled out a blue sweater that had the most going on with little reindeers, snowmen and snowflakes.
Phil watched as all three looked towards him and the ashy blond gave a grin. “First one to get in the sweater gets to open their presents first.”
It barely took more than a few seconds for the words to process in the gremlin trio's ears before they all stood from their chairs and began running towards the closest bedroom. At Least Techno and Tommy did, it wasn’t until they turned out of sight that Phil realized Wilbur hadn’t moved from where he was standing.
The brunet ran a finger through his brown and whit streaked hair before pulling off the winter cloak he was wearing. Wilbur pulled Techno’s sweater over his head and grinned as he looked down at the sweater.
Chestnut brown eyes met with ocean dark blue and Wilbur gave a victorious grin, “Layer up bitch”
Phil snorted as he shook his head in disbelief, he felt like he should’ve expected this. If not from Tommy then definitely from Wilbur.
“Help me clean this up while your brothers kill each other for the bathroom.”
The crash and yell from upstairs only proved the latter half of Phil’s statement. While they waited for the two to come back downstairs the father son duo began cleaning the kitchen and dining room.
The table was just cleared off as the piglin and raccoon hybrid made their way back downstairs, slightly bickering with light shoved and half hearted glares.
As soon as they saw Phil and Wil in the process of cleaning they joined in. It didn’t take long for the dishes to be washed, leftovers to be placed in the fridge and anything that needed to be tossed away was tossed.
Phil is going to pretend he didn’t just witness Tommy toss a whole ass turkey leg to Steve through the kitchen window.
Eventually even if it was slowly, everyone landed on the couch in the living room. The small tree in the corner was the only thing Christmas-y in the room besides the ugly sweaters that the younger trio was wearing.
Under the tree were a few gifts that were brought a few days before by Tommy. The twins ran upstairs to grab their own presents that they forgot to place under the tree before. It was weird to think that his youngest was living on his own for the last year, longer really.
Phil watched as Tommy pulled out his gifts for everyone from under the tree.
Maybe Phil should invite his youngest to live back with him, it might be a nice change around here.
The avian will just add that the list of Christmas presents to give away in just a few minutes.
“Merry Christmas you little shits”