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There was music playing from somewhere. A light, soft tune that floated over the room like a warm knit blanket. Voices talked in a low murmur with occasional loud burst of laughter that would make Tommy blink back to attention, waking him from where he laid half asleep on the plush couch.
It had been a good day. Of course it had been, it was Christmas after all! Tommy had been excitedly awaiting this day for weeks now. Ever since the temperatures started to drop, Christmas decorations were put out in stores and eventually decorating all of the houses in their neighborhood. Even their house. Phil had dedicated a day with his three sons to put out the lights and put up the tree inside, covering it in tinsel and old, familiar ornaments.
After that it was making cookies, taking pictures with santa, watching christmas movies both at home and in school when the teachers gave up on teaching the excitable group of 7 year olds, hot chocolate, and the steadily growing pile of presents under the tree as Phil, Wilbur and Techno wrapped what they had bought for friends and of course each other. Tommy even joined in! Wrapping the small gifts that Phil had given him money for when they went to the store, letting Tommy pick something out for his brothers and Tubbo.
Going to sleep the night prior proved to be as challenging as it always was this night of the year, Tommy having had snuck into Wilbur and Technos room to sleep. He giggled under the covers with the twins, talking about what Santa had brought them.
The next morning they sat on the stairs when they woke up like they always did, waiting for Phil to be ready for them downstairs as they dared each other to peek down into the living room where the tree stood and all their gifts were laid out. None of them did of course, waiting for their father to take their picture on the stairs (he had one from every year since the twins were 4) and finally release them down into the living room where they gawked at how many presents were there for them, Santa having definitely delivered.
After that it was taking turns opening presents and cleaning up wrapping paper, being allowed to spend the rest of the day until the annual Christmas party with family and friends later that night. Wilbur and Techno commondearing the tv to use the new game console they got as Tommy sat at the coffee table, dutifully putting together one of his new lego sets and offering rude commentary to whatever the twins were playing.
Phil sat back in his armchair, going between giving the twins advice on their game, helping Tommy, and reading the book Techno had bought for him on ancient architecture that Tommy thought was definitely boring but he didn't say that.
Eventually Phil disappeared into the kitchen, preparing food and drinks for their small party. A yearly event that was always hosted at their house besides the one year that it was hosted at Aunt Puffys which was weird, and as time past people started showing up, knocking at their door and bustling in with tight hugs and kisses to tops of heads, and more presents that the kids took greedily into the living room to open and play with. Uncle Sam with Boomer, Hannah, Quackity, and George, Aunt Puffy, Uncle Schatt, Uncle Sparkles and Tubbo, Bad, Skeppy and Sapnap, Niki and Ranboo, Karl. Everyone that Tommy held near and dear to his heart was there under one roof, chatting and laughing. Playing games and sharing old memories while making new ones. It was the exact reason that Christmas was Tommy’s favorite night of the year.
Everyone was so happy and everything was so cozy. It was an unarguably perfect night, even when Tubbo spilt his drink on the rug or when Uncle Schlatt nearly knocked down the tree when trying to prove to Aunt Puffy he could do a cartwheel.
The kids played in the living room, taking turns with the game on the tv and showing off what they got.
And as the night went on, and the excitement and pure joy of the day caught up with him, Tommy found himself falling asleep on the couch next to Tubbo and Ranboo who were talking about Ranboo’s new telescope and Tubbos chemistry set.
The voices around him only helped in lulling him to sleep, becoming as much background chatter as the music playing over the stereo system. He could vaguely hear someone, tubbo maybe, call his name before he was shushed, probably by Ranboo. The cushion next to him shifted and feet patterned away, only to come back a few minutes later with a second set.
It was Phil, Tommy registered in the back of his head as the man chuckled, whispering out a quiet “Come on Toms, let's get you to bed.” As he was scooped up into warm, caring arms. Be whined at being moved but cuddled into his fathers chest as he started walking, the steady rocking not doing anything to keep him awake.
“Phil..?” Tommy murmured, turning his head where it rested on the older blonds shoulder to look at the mans face. Phil smiled down at him, shifting Tommy slightly to free one hand so he could brush blond curls out of the boys eyes.
“Hey Toms… Tired?” He asked, making Tommy hum and nod a bit, though it was difficult. Like his body was moving through molasses. Phil chuckled, walking up the stairs as he did, Tommy turning his head to watch the downstairs get further away, voices growing quieter but still audible as they made it to the top, Phil pulling open the first door on the right.
“Did you have a good christmas?” Phil hummed, waking in and placing Tommy down on his bed. Tommy smiled sleepily rubbing his eyes as Phil helped him pull off his scratch jeans and put on a very soft pair of pajama pants.
“The best one in the whole world’ Tommy confirmed, making Phil chuckle again. He picked Tommy up under the armpits and positioned him back into the bed do the boy could lay his head on the pillows and pull the thick blankets on top of him, tucking them in with phils help.
“Happy with all your gifts?”
“Mhmmmm”
“Liked seeing Tubbo and Ranboo”
“Yea it was lots of lots of fun”
“I'm glad to hear” Phil grinned easily, sitting on the edge of the bed and running a hand through Tommy’s curls, the blond leaning into the touch.
“I wish that everyday could be like this one” Tommy told him, making Phils smile soften.
“I do too mate. It was a very good day.”Phil agrees. His voice was soft and everything was just getting fuzzier and fuzzier around the edges, Tommys eyes drooping slightly as he fought sleep.
“You… had a good day?” He asked, voice slurring slightly.
“I did.. It was so much fun and I had the best family to spend it with” His dad told him, making Tommy smile dopily, feeling happy and warm at the thought. He was trying his hardest to stay up, to talk to his dad about the day, talk about how much he loved it and how much fun it was, but it was getting harder and harder by the minute to stay awake.
Phil laughed lightly, leaning forward and kissing Tommy on the forehead.
“Go to sleep mate. Love you, alright?” Phil asked, standing up to flip the light on and instead turn on the small snowflake shaped night light he had plugged into the wall.
“I love you too… G’night Dad.. Merry Christmas” He murmured out, eyes falling shut, hearing distantly as Phil said a quiet “Merry Christmas Toms”.
His door creaked quietly as it shut most of the way behind him, slowly falling asleep, as he heard the faint sounds of his family, happy and together just downstairs.