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Tommy couldn't remember his parents.
Of course, he knew the basic facts, like how his mother had the same blond hair as him, and his father was still serving time in prison, but he couldn't remember their faces or voices. He couldn't remember whether he had gotten hugs or bruises, but he could guess. He didn’t know how his mother had lost her life, but he could remember the aftermath of police swarming the house and ripping him out of his bed. He could remember the terror he felt the first time he had spent the night in a stranger's house.
Tommy had been in the foster system since he was six, and every family he had been placed with since then turned him away within a couple months for being a "problem child". The only thing that had kept him going was the pale yellow band around his wrist and the bond that was connected to it.
Tommy had met Wilbur when he was twelve and the older boy was fifteen, and they had instantly clicked, with the bond forming only hours later. They had briefly shared a home before their foster parents kicked them out, and the two were then sent back to the group home together. There were a lot of arguments about what should be done with the boys, especially because it was almost unheard of to find a person’s soulmate when they were still so young, but it was eventually decided that they would be treated the same as they always had. They wouldn't get any special privileges and if they were housed together, it would be because the foster parents chose to do so. The social workers had even made an effort to keep them away from each other after Tommy had screamed and cried and broken almost everything in his room the last time they were torn apart.
When they were last separated, their bond had solidified into something more rare. In the next few months, the boys had learned how to share emotions and occasionally images through the bond, to comfort each other and even to ease boredom. Tommy could remember many times when he was sitting on a bed, fidgeting with his fingers as he experimented with the bond.
Now, Tommy was nearly sixteen and hadn't seen his soulmate in over two years.
Although they hadn't seen each other in a long time, they were closer than they had ever been and still interacted multiple times a day. Even now, Tommy could feel the steady hum of tired-tired-tired flowing through the bond and Tommy sent back amusement-idiot-sleep. Annoyance flowed back before the bond muted slightly and Tommy knew his soulmate had taken his advice and gone to bed.
Tommy wouldn’t have that luxury for at least a couple more hours. He had been kicked out of his most recent placement because he “didn’t fit in with the family” when in fact, their biological child had thrown a fit about having to share a bathroom with him. The parents hadn’t wanted to fight and so, with apologetic eyes, they returned Tommy to his social worker.
So here Tommy was, standing in front of an unfamiliar doorway as his social worker knocked lightly on the door, her hand resting firmly on Tommy's shoulder, as though she were scared the blond would make a run for it. When the door opened to an older-looking man, she straightened and smiled kindly at him.
“Hello,” the man greeted, waving awkwardly. “This must be Tommy.”
“Were you expecting some other random child to appear on your porch?” Tommy snapped back, frowning. The man looked at him with surprise and, if Tommy wasn’t imagining it, a bit of amusement.
“Tommy!” his social worker scolded, turning back to the stranger. “I'm sorry about him, he's not usually like that.”
“No worries,” the man waved her off. “It was a fair question. Would you two like to come in?”
No, Tommy thought, annoyed. He’d rather turn around and walk back to the car. He would rather live with his soulmate, his brother, than have to live in a home that obviously didn’t want him. He could save them all some trouble if he was turned away now.
His social worker nodded and Tommy obediently followed her inside, but not before groaning loudly to show his protest. The blond man only hid a smile in response and Tommy’s eyes were instantly drawn to a pink-haired man, who was sitting on a nearby couch with the tv on. Tommy quickly glanced away when the man looked up and made eye contact with him.
“This is the living room,” the blond man was saying as he led them through the house. “And this is the kitchen. I can give you a tour of the upstairs before we do paperwork, if you want?”
The woman shook her head. “The house seems fine, and I have to get back to the other kids soon. We can start with the papers, if that's alright.”
“Sure,” the stranger seemed taken aback, with a questioning glance toward Tommy. The younger boy rolled his eyes and stared at the table, only glancing up at the sound of footsteps when the other man entered the kitchen and took a seat next to the blond one.
“Let's start with introductions,” Tommy's social worker began. “My name's Mia, and this is Tommy.”
Oh, so that was her name. Tommy never managed to remember it.
The blond man smiled at them. “I'm Phil and this is my son, Techno.”
Great, he had a son.
“I'm adopted,” the pink-haired man was quick to add, with a knowing glance toward Tommy. The blond relaxed slightly, but still frowned in his direction. “We're soulmates. Platonic. It’s more of a roommate situation.”
Oh. Tommy really didn't have to worry, then.
“Have you met your soulmate yet?” Phil asked, smiling gently at Tommy. The blond boy glanced at his wrist without really meaning to before quickly looking away again, but the other two had already followed his gaze.
“Oh, you have!” Phil grinned, pleased, with his eyes fixed on the boy's wrist. Tommy tugged his sleeve down and scowled at him.
“Fuck you.”
“He was only asking,” Techno spoke, his eyes narrowed. “There's no need to be rude.”
Tommy didn't answer, only frowning deeper and looking away, back to where his social worker was gathering up her papers. She sent Tommy a look that screamed please be nice, and cleared her throat. The older two glanced up at her.
“Tommy's soulmate is being fostered by another family,” she explained, and Tommy's shoulders reached toward his ears.
“If he's another foster child,” Phil began, confused, “then shouldn't they be housed together?”
The woman shrugged. “Not many homes will take two children, especially two that are seen as troublemakers. They're more chaotic together than they are apart.”
“But you wouldn't separate siblings, would you?”
She shrugged again, looking uncomfortable. “If there weren't any homes that could take both of them, then yes, they'd be separated. There isn't much we can do when children need a home and there aren't many options.”
Tommy nearly groaned when Wilbur's side of the bond suddenly opened and concern filtered through. The blond hadn't realized he had been sending his own nervous energy down it and had ended up waking the older man. Tommy sent a burst of annoyance and exhaustion in response, and understanding flowed back before the bond fell silent, although Tommy could still feel Wilbur keeping an eye on him.
When Tommy looked up again, the adults were all watching him with varying levels of concern, and Tommy realized he had zoned out for longer than he originally thought.
“Yes?” he asked, glaring at them.
“Mia told us your soulmate is about to age out,” Phil explained. “We were wondering if you wanted to meet up with him when he does?”
Tommy narrowed his eyes. “What's the catch?”
“Nothing,” the man was quick to assure. Tommy's frown deepened.
“He's not lying, kid,” the other man, Techno, spoke. “We understand soul bonds.”
“'m not a kid,” Tommy grumbled, but he felt a spark of hope and knew Wilbur felt it, too.
“So, do you want to?” Techno pressed, and Tommy shrugged in response.
“Please sign here,” the social worker interrupted, sliding a paper over to Phil. “This is the last one, and then Tommy will be yours.”
The blond boy bristled at that and opened his mouth to speak, but a wave of calm-quiet-benice halted him and he returned to staring angrily at the table.
Phil quickly signed the papers and walked the woman to the door. Tommy could hear them talking in hushed voices and imagined all the things she was saying about him. He doubted any of them were good.
“Do you prefer Tommy?” Techno’s voice drew his attention, and Tommy flicked his eyes toward him.
“Yeah.”
“Cool.”
They settled into an awkward silence until Phil came back, his smile faltering a little at the tense atmosphere.
“Everything good?” he asked, glancing between them. Tommy almost laughed, realizing he thought that they had had an argument.
“Yeah,” he answered, tapping his foot beneath the table.
Phil glanced between them again before shrugging gently. “I’ll have dinner done in about thirty minutes. Do you like pasta?”
Tommy nodded.
“Okay. Techno? Want to give him a tour?”
Techno shrugged and slid off his chair, offering a small smile toward Tommy. The younger boy returned it a little hesitantly and moved to follow.
“I think Phil showed you most of the downstairs, and it’s pretty easy to understand, so I’ll just show you the upstairs.”
Tommy nodded silently, following as his new foster brother climbed the stairs in front of him.
“The room to the far left is Phil’s room and the one next to it is mine,” he began, opening the door to his room, and Tommy noticed it was fairly clean, with several swords displayed on the walls. “Yours is on the far right, and there’s a bathroom between yours and mine. It’s pretty plain right now, but I think Phil’s planning to go to the store at some point to get you stuff.”
“No,” Tommy answered immediately, shaking his head. He moved to the door and opened it, blinking in surprise at the large interior filled with a bed, desk, and several comfortable-looking chairs. “I don’t need anything from him.”
Techno hummed. “It’s not a big deal if you do.”
Tommy didn’t answer, still staring in awe at his new room.
“Um, dinner will be done soon, but if you wanted to unpack first, then that’s fine.”
Tommy nodded, glancing back toward the bottom of the stairs, where he had left his bag. Techno gave him a stiff nod and went back downstairs to help Phil with dinner. Tommy collected his bag and returned to unpack, doubtful that he’d make it longer than a month.
**
For the first couple weeks, Tommy mostly hid in his room. He only came out for mealtimes and even then, he barely spoke a word. He took the time to observe his new foster family, perking up a little at the blatant use of curses and casual jokes that passed between them. He realized this family was a lot more relaxed than his previous ones had been and hesitantly allowed himself to open up and answer a few questions, mostly basic ones about his favorite color and animal and what foods he liked.
On the third week of living there, Tommy decided to take a chance and raid their kitchen while they were sleeping. He usually waited until at least the first month had passed, if he managed to stay that long and after he had gained some level of trust, but this family seemed kinder and Tommy decided to test his luck.
He usually went after the more substantial snacks, like granola bars, but when Tommy climbed onto the counter and opened a cabinet door to see several bags of chips, he decided to grab them. After all, he could always come back another night for something else.
The blond was opening other nearby cupboards to see if anything else looked good enough to take when he suddenly heard footsteps approaching. He barely had time to think it’s three in the morning, why the fuck is someone awake, when a voice made him freeze.
“Hey, kid.”
Tommy jumped and spun around, barely catching himself before he slipped and fell. He grimaced and quickly scrambled off of the counter, hiding his hands behind his back and trying his best not to look guilty.
“I wasn’t—”
“If you’re hungry, I’m not going to stop you.”
“But—” Tommy hesitated, his mind whirling. “It’s yours.”
“It’s ours. If you want it, take it, but remember to leave a note if we run out of something or Phil will have your head.”
Techno’s expression instantly soured when Tommy looked away, tense.
“That was a joke.”
The blond didn’t answer, still standing rigid, his hands clasped behind his back. Techno sighed, and Tommy barely managed to suppress a flinch. Of course he was disappointing his foster brother. It was three in the morning and here Tommy was, stealing food from Phil who generously took him in and he hadn’t even tried to talk to them and they probably hated him and—
“Do you want to watch a movie?”
Tommy blinked. “It’s three in the morning.”
Techno shrugged, fiddling with his hands, and Tommy realized that he was nervous. “I don’t think either of us have plans tomorrow.”
Tommy hesitated. “Won’t Phil be mad?”
The older man was quick to shake his head. “He won’t care.”
Tommy still felt a little uneasy about the idea, but he didn’t want to offend his new foster brother. He also thought it sounded almost like fun, especially because he wasn’t often given the chance to watch movies when there were chores and homework he could be doing.
“Okay,” he spoke softly.
“Okay,” Techno repeated, his eyes widening slightly, as though he wasn’t actually expecting Tommy to agree. “Okay, good. Good. Uh… any ideas?”
Tommy shook his head, amused at the other’s awkwardness.
“Okay. That’s—I can pick one.”
Tommy brought the chips with him into the living room and watched as Techno scrolled through Disney movies, occasionally glancing over at Tommy, before seeming to settle on one covered in balloons. It looked bright and colorful, and Tommy was just grateful he hadn’t picked a horror movie.
Techno shuffled around in a basket for a few seconds before pulling out a couple blankets and tossing one to Tommy. Then he moved to a spot only a foot away from the blond, hesitating as he approached.
“Mind if I sit here?”
Tommy shook his head, surprised that he wanted to sit so close to him, and the pink-haired man settled into the spot, taking a minute to wrap the blanket around himself before turning to focus on the screen. Tommy eyed him for a moment before copying and fixing his own eyes on the movie.
The beginning almost had Tommy in tears, but as soon as the animated house lifted into the sky, his eyes were transfixed to the colorful screen and the beautiful soundtrack the entire time. He found himself struggling to keep his eyes open about halfway through, but he forced himself to stay awake. He didn’t know when he’d next be able to watch a movie as amazing as this.
Despite Tommy’s best efforts, his eyes drifted shut for a little too long toward the end and the next time he blinked himself awake, he found his head leaning on Techno’s shoulder, because of course his body couldn’t fall the other way.
Tommy instantly tensed, trying to gauge Techno’s reaction. The older man didn’t seem to mind, still watching the screen. After a few moments, he slowly shifted his arm and wrapped it around the blond’s shoulders, loose enough that he didn’t feel trapped but tight enough that he could tell it was there.
Tommy knew he was being too trusting and that Techno could take back his comfort any time, but he couldn’t help sinking into the contact and letting his eyes slip closed again as the credits rolled. The boy was asleep before Techno had even reached for the remote to turn the tv off.
If Phil came down a couple hours later to start breakfast and practically melted at the sight of his two boys asleep on the couch together, then that was between him and the pictures on his phone.
**
Tommy had his first really bad nightmare barely a month into his new home. He woke up screaming and thrashing around in his bed as terror blinded him from everything around him. He vaguely recognized the sound of a door swinging open and concerned voices, but his attention immediately latched on to the intense worry and comfort that Wilbur was trying to push through the bond.
He focused on it, letting his brother’s emotions squeeze its way past Tommy’s terror and relax his muscles. When he was no longer shaking with fear, he sent back a weak burst of gratitude and curled his knees up to his chest, only then noticing his foster father standing beside his bed and his foster brother fidgeting at the doorway.
“Are you okay?” Phil asked, his eyes frantic. “What happened?”
Tommy forced himself to take a deeper breath. “It was just a dream.”
“But you’re okay?” the man pushed and only relaxed when Tommy nodded.
“You sounded like—” Techno began before stopping himself. “You said Wilbur’s name a couple times.”
Tommy shrugged. “He was helping me.”
“Helping you?”
“Through the bond. He helped calm me down.”
“Oh,” Phil’s eyes lit up. “You have a more developed bond, too.”
Tommy eyed him questioningly. “More developed?”
“You can send more complex thoughts and feelings down it,” he explained. “Techno and I have one as well. It usually only happens when soulmates are separated from each other for a significant amount of time, by force.”
“Oh,” Tommy snorted, still focused on the warmth coming from his bond. “That matches.”
Phil smiled gently and exchanged a glance with Techno. Tommy sat up straighter when they both turned back to him, a small smirk on Techno’s face and a warm expression on Phil’s.
“Your soulmate’s aging out in a week, right?”
Tommy nodded slowly, surprised that they had remembered.
“Do you want to invite him over?”
Tommy froze, his eyes widening. He could feel Wilbur poking at him, but he was too stunned to respond.
“I thought—I thought you were joking,” the boy gasped. “You're not?”
“Of course not,” Phil spoke gently. “He’ll always be welcome here.”
“Oh,” he breathed. “Yes. That’d be—yes.”
“I’ll message him,” Phil smiled, glancing at Techno again before flicking a look toward Tommy’s hands, which were still shaking. “How about a cup of hot chocolate?”
Tommy spent the rest of that night curled on the couch with a steaming mug in his hands as he watched his new favorite movie, which he had learned was called Up, his feet kicking at Techno and his head resting on his father’s shoulder.
**
When they went to the store for the first time, after Tommy had mostly settled into his new family, the blond boy was practically glued to Techno’s side. The older man seemed to pick up on his hesitance, because he walked on the outside, purposefully blocking the younger from passing strangers.
“Toms,” Phil called, and Tommy felt warmth flow through him at the nickname. “Which coat do you like better?”
He held up a blue coat in one hand and a red one in the other, and Tommy easily pointed to the blue one, squashing the small flicker of guilt he had for asking for something by convincing himself that Phil had offered first.
“Okay,” the blond man continued, setting the blue coat in the cart and returning the other to the rack. “Do you need any other clothes?”
Tommy shrugged, kicking at the floor. Techno nudged him and Tommy scowled up at his brother.
“Maybe socks?”
“Let’s grab a pack, then,” Phil spoke easily.
As the trio added more and more items to the cart and got closer to checking out, Tommy started to feel a buzz of eagerness, but he couldn’t pinpoint where it was coming from. Phil and Techno both seemed relaxed, and the bond with Wilbur was a steady thrum of calm-calm-calm. Although, as Tommy poked at it, it shifted slightly to worry-concern-excitement before another wave of calm slammed into him, causing Tommy to halt for several seconds to catch his breath.
“What’s wrong, kid?” Techno rested a hand on his shoulder to help ground him.
“Wilbur seems off,” Tommy responded, frowning. He noticed the other two exchanging a glance, but Phil only shrugged and moved forward to pay for the items.
“I’m sure he’s fine,” Techno grunted, but frowned when Tommy continued to look worried. “You can ask him when we get home.”
Home. When had he started thinking of them as his home? It had been less than two months and already Tommy couldn’t imagine living with another family, used to the sarcastic jokes from Techno and the gentle warmth from Phil. He was used to the chaotic bursts they got, like the time Techno had chased Tommy around the house screaming about greek myths while Tommy nearly fell over laughing as he dove behind Phil, only to start running again when the blond man joined in with a mischievous grin.
He loved this family and although it was still early, he couldn’t help but hope they would choose to keep him.
“Ready to go?” Phil came back, an armful of bags hanging from his arms that Techno and Tommy were quick to take from him. They piled into the car, blasting music the entire way because Techno had said it was the worst music he had ever heard. When they pulled into the driveway, Tommy paused, noticing the unfamiliar car.
“Who’s that?”
Phil shrugged, a small grin on his face as he reached over and took the bags from Tommy. “Why don’t you go look?”
Tommy sent him a confused look but at a gentle nudge from Techno, he stumbled toward the house and climbed the steps. He turned the door handle, surprised to find it was unlocked, and pushed it open. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until Tommy flicked on a light and froze, locking eyes with a tall brown-haired man. They stared at each other for a long moment before Tommy spoke, his mouth suddenly dry.
“Wilbur.”
“Tommy.”
They stood, transfixed, neither moving, both content to observe and soak in the excitement and nervous energy from both ends of the bond. That was, until Wilbur took a step forward and shot him a mischievous smirk.
“I can’t believe you’re still shorter than me.”
Tommy choked on a laugh and lunged forward. The older man was quick to catch him and swing him around in his arms, laughing. Tommy burrowed closer, bathing in the warmth that flowed from both the bond and the contact and flicking a look at the glowing band on his wrist. When he pulled back slightly to take him in again and convince himself he was actually there, he wasn't surprised to find his soulmate crying as well, tears dripping onto Tommy's shoulder.
It had been so long since they had last seen each other, and it felt like something had snapped back into place the instant they collided. Tommy was more sure than ever that Wilbur was his family, his brother, as they cried into each other’s shoulders and took each other in, observing how much the other had grown. It was like a fever dream, and it was the best feeling Tommy had ever felt to be reunited with his soulmate, the rest of his family only steps away.
They stayed like that for as long as they could, until Phil gently asked if they were hungry and Techno told them they were blocking the door and had to move or he'd push them out of the way. Tommy easily flipped him off and pulled away from Wilbur, not missing it when the older boy's hands lingered on him before moving away. He supposed they were both a little touch starved.
As the family settled at the table, Tommy couldn’t stop staring at the way Wilbur interacted with the others, almost like he had known them his entire life. It made Tommy think that the brunette might actually consider joining them and by the way Phil and Techno grinned at him, he knew they were thinking the same thing. When Wilbur sent Tommy a wink, he couldn’t stop his skin from prickling with excitement, his grin blinding.
The next day, Tommy was settled at the table, scarfing down eggs with Wilbur seated next to him and teasing Phil about eating his relatives, when the older man slid a folder over to him. Tommy took one look and burst into tears, sending Wilbur into a protective frenzy until he saw the folder himself and relaxed, leaning back with a satisfied grin.
“I know it hasn’t been that long,” Phil began, smiling, “but you fit in really well with us, and I couldn’t imagine our family without you in it.”
“It’s not my birthday,” Tommy gasped, trembling. “Holy shit, I can’t believe—”
“Would you want to stay with us forever?” Phil interrupted softly. “Are you okay with us adopting you?”
“Yes,” Tommy spoke with no hesitation. “Yes, a million times yes.”
He felt Wilbur curl an arm around his shoulders and saw Techno grin brightly at him from across the table and watched Phil quickly wipe the tears from his eyes, and he felt at peace.
After nearly ten years of switching between houses, Tommy had finally found his home.