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The SBI crew hadn’t expected to take on another member. They were content with three members. A family. Just Phil, Techno, and Wilbur.
They hadn’t expected their crew to grow to four. They didn’t expect a human to be added to their family.
And they certainly didn’t expect it to be a baby human.
Well, not a baby, Tommy would yell at them if they called him such a thing and say he was a whole 5 years old.
To each of their species, that was a baby. In Techno’s species, runts stayed in a family nest until five before moving to a communal nest, where they stayed until ten and were then slowly introduced into hunts and the rest of the world. Phil’s species didn’t let their babies out of the nest until around twenty human years. Wilbur’s species had the longest growth period for their children. Over one hundred years, but that was to be expected with the large lifespans of Phantoms. Phantoms were practically immortal, having children very rarely. Which made them all the more precious and protected while in their more vulnerable states.
So, when a human child was found hidden in their vents, starved and afraid, they couldn’t help but take him in.
Wilbur was the one to find him, and Phil and Techno knew as soon as the phantom crooned at the small, passed-out human in his arms, he was attached.
It had been a bit nerve-wracking at first, a tiny human in their medical bay. Humans were notorious for their aggressive behavior. And while it was clear this one was a baby human, they still had to be careful.
What they found was nothing more than a scared child. Like an animal backed into a corner, acting loud to hide their fear. But they pushed past that. They managed to calm him down, gain his trust, and before they knew it, he was part of the family. Part of the crew.
And what had once been a content, happy family of three, became a joyous family of four. Tommy livened up the place in a way they didn’t know they needed. And now they’d never want to change a thing. Phil doesn’t believe he’d ever seen Wilbur so happy, the phantom having been the main caretaker for the boy. Not that Techno or Phil hadn’t been there as well, but Wilbur was the one that never left the boy’s side. The two knew the moment Wilbur held the boy, that the phantom claimed him as his own.
The phantom always hovered around Tommy, ensuring he was fed, safe and loved.
They were happy.
Still, despite caring for Tommy for a year now, there were things that befuddled the SBI. Little things that the human did that left them fondly confused.
Today was one of those days that they discovered another one. This one did not scare them (unlike the time Tommy’s tooth fell out) but rather left them melting into puddles. Humans were so cute when they weren’t trying to claw out their eyes.
They were all sitting in the common room, space floating outside a large window along the side wall. A peaceful aura settled around them as Phil and Techno sat at a raised table in the corner, sipping on their drinks.
Wilbur was currently playing with Tommy, the occasional giggles ringing out from the boy.
It was nice.
Wilbur smiled as Tommy beamed at him.
“I love you, Wilby!”
Wilbur brushed a thumb against Tommy’s skin, chuckling. “I love you too, Tommy.”
Tommy’s eyes twinkled with mischief as he backed up slightly. “I love you more! ”
Wilbur’s brows scrunched together, glancing at the other members of his crew to see if they understood what the boy meant. They seemed just as confused as him. Wilbur looked back at the boy.
“I believe we love each other the same amount. Or, perhaps, I have a more paternal bond, which brings a closeness I don’t believe is comparable to much else.”
Tommy stuck out his tongue. “Nuh-uh! I love you the most! I love you thiiiiis much!” The boy drawled, spreading his arms wide as if to represent a size.
Wilbur tilted his head, lips pinched. Love was not a physical thing that could be quantified by any objective manifestation of shape or size. It could not be packed into such tiny arms, as it was an emotion.
Tommy then continued, not seeming to care about their confusion. “I love you… a thousand plus a thousand! ”
Now he was using numbers? What variable did these numbers represent? What unit were these measured in? Was love a calculatable thing for humans?
Techno seemed to be the first to indulge in these strange antics, standing to his full height and stretching his arms out all the way. “Well… I love you this much. And my arms are longer. Therefore, I love you more.”
Tommy huffed, cheeks puffing up in fake annoyance.
Phil smiled, deciding to join in as he stretched his long black wings. They nearly covered half the room. “You see… about that, Techno. I believe I take the prize of most loving.”
Techno huffed, giving a playful glare to the elytrian.
Wilbur’s confused expression fell to something more soft. He may not understand this strange ritual, but he would participate in it for Tommy’s sake. A needless competition of one-upping each other in a game where the points did not even truly exist. Arguing over love for the sake of bonding. What an interesting game.
A grin stretched up the phantom’s face.
A game Wilbur would win.
Wilbur stepped behind Phil, stretching his body sideways and using his wings and tail to give him as much distance as possible. From the tip of his wing to the tip of his tail, he covered about two-thirds of the room.
“I believe I love my little one the most.”
Tommy glared, quickly running to one side of the room. He tapped the wall with one hand, keeping the other outstretched to the other side of the room. “Well I love you thiiiiiiiiii—“ he then pushed off the wall, running as fast as his little legs could take him, “—iiiiiiiiiis much!” He touched the other wall, grinning at the family with all his teeth.
The three crossed their arms, looking around the room for anything they could use to win. Techno quickly hoofed it across the room, tapping the wall before running along each edge. “I call the whole area of the room.
Phil grinned, talons clicking on the floor as he rushed through the same course as the piglin before stretching his wings to touch the floor and the roof. “I’ve got the whole volume. ”
Tommy giggled, eyes sparkling in excitement. Wilbur tapped his chin in thought, over-exaggerating his movements as Tommy waited for him to do something. Wilbur then smirked, rushing through the door with a cackle.
“I’m going to claim the whole ship! ”
The other three immediately protested, running after the phantom.
“That’s not fair!” “That’s cheating!” “Get back here!”
Wilbur skidded down the hall, grinning as he made it into the control room. A large window sat in front of consoles, Wilbur turned to see the rest of his family barging through the door. He gave one final smirk before phasing through the window.
“THAT’S NOT FAIR!” Phil’s muffled voice came through Wilbur’s comm, the phantom spreading his wings as he climbed up the ship. He let himself float across the roof, using his hands to propel him slightly until he made it to the back of it. He grabbed hold of it, using the edge of the ship as an anchor to spin himself around before phasing right back into it. He landed in the cargo bay, hand slapped onto the door as he waited for the rest of his family. They burst in a moment later, huffing tiredly.
“You cheater!” Tommy shouted, playfulness in his tone.
Wilbur just puffed his chest out, wings flaring as he closed his eyes with a smile. “There were never any rules about us using our abilities. I win! ”
Tommy’s nose crinkled. “Nuh-uh! I love you times a billion! ”
Wilbur sputtered. “You cannot change the unit of measure now! We had agreed on physical sizes!”
Tommy jutted his chin out. “I didn’t agree to anything. I said numbers before!”
Wilbur grumbled, Techno seizing the opportunity. Techno suddenly grabbed Tommy, rushing back into the common room with the other two chasing after him. He then set Tommy down in front of the window, pointing at the smallest dot in the distance.
“I love you the size and distance of that star, way out there. Star Z-1077.”
Tommy gasped. “That’s very big!”
Phil swooped in, grabbing Tommy’s hand and dragging him back to the control room. “Z is far, but it’s small! I say I love you more than this one…” Phil pressed a button, watching as a blue-tinted hologram filled the room. Tommy’s eyes lit up, the light shimmering in his blue irises. Phil pushed and pulled the hologram, pointing at a large dot. “That is star A-12. It’s the biggest in any known galaxy and so far away you can’t even see it from here!”
Tommy tilted his head, lips parted in awe. “Even bigger than Techno’s star?”
Phil nodded, wings ruffling in pride. Techno elbowed the elytrian. “And you call me a nerd.”
Phil slapped the piglin with his wing. “I’m the captain; of course I know about the stars!”
Techno rolled his eyes. “Sure, old man. Sure.”
The alien squawked. “I'm not that old! Wilbur’s older than me!”
Wilbur chuckled, leaning against the doorway as he smiled fondly at his family. Now that Tommy was here, it was hard to imagine this ship without him. How did they not feel the overwhelming sense that something was missing before?
“Well, if we’re doing numbers then… I love Tommy a billion to a billion power!” Phil grinned.
Techno squinted. “Tommy doesn’t even know what to a power means you can’t—“
Phil pulled Tommy to him, hands on the boy’s shoulders. “So? It doesn’t matter, what matters is you understand.”
Tommy just smiled up at them. “I love you uh… a billion to a billion power plus one!”
Wilbur snickered from the sidelines.
Humans were so… strange. But he was beginning to understand the appeal of this little game. Humans enjoyed friendly competition just for the sake of it. And this was the perfect way to drown his family, his son in his affections. Doing so competitively added a sense of closeness. As if there was nothing but love, and everyone was comfortable and trusting enough in that fact that there were no worries or cares about any stretched truth. Nothing hidden behind fake affirmations, simply playing a game made by love, for love.
How fun.
Techno and Phil continued to bicker back and forth, pulling the boy between them as they continuously one-upped each other with higher and higher numbers.
“I take the win! You can’t beat infinity! ” Phil said with a hearty laugh, wiping a tear from his face.
“ Infinity plus one! ” Tommy shouted proudly.
“You can’t—“ Phil started.
“Infinity plus two. ” Techno interrupted, smirking.
Wilbur watched as the two just kept stacking, neither willing to back down. Tommy was between then, watching with glee before he yawned.
The human sign of sleepiness.
Wilbur pushed off from the doorway, getting on his knees in front of the boy. Tommy blinked tiredly as Wilbur took his hands, cradling them gently. Bright blue eyes stared into soft brown, the phantom squeezing Tommy’s hands.
The other two had gone silent, seeing the pure adoration in Wilbur’s eyes.
“Well…” Wilbur began. “I love you more than the ever-expanding universe. More than the never-ending unwinding of time. My love for you shall span dimensions, as time splits, my love remains threaded through each strand. No matter where, or when, there is my love for you. Infinity could not compare, nor any quantifiable equation. It is every infinity, that was, is, and could have been. You are my everything and beyond. Thank you, to this universe for granting me the ability to hold you now.” Wilbur kissed Tommy’s hand, eyes melting with fondness as he gazed upon the awestruck look on the boy’s face.
“That’s very big…”
Wilbur reached one hand forward with a chuckle, cupping the boy’s face and stroking his thumb across his cheek delicately. “Bigger than you will ever know.”
Tommy’s face stayed awestruck for a moment longer before it dropped back to his normal smile. “Well… I love you more than the expanding… uh… time… whatever you said, plus one!” The boy grinned with pride.
Wilbur just giggled, watching as the grin faded with another big yawn from the human. Wilbur booped Tommy on the nose. “Oh my, that is quite a lot, isn’t it? I suppose you win our little game. Let’s get you to bed. After all, all that love is very hard to hold in that tiny body of yours. You need your rest.” Wilbur scooped Tommy up, Tommy swinging his arms around the phantom’s neck and legs around his waist with another yawn. The human smacked his lips, nuzzling into Wilbur’s neck with a happy sigh.
“Mmhmm. It’s hard work.”
Wilbur pressed a kiss to Tommy’s head. “Of course, stardust. You do it so wonderfully, though.”
Wilbur turned Tommy to Phil and Techno, having him wave goodbye and give a small goodnight before heading to his room. They entered the dimly lit room, Wilbur laying the both of them down in a pile of blankets and pillows. Wilbur made sure not to jostle Tommy too much, as he was clearly half asleep.
He curled around Tommy, giving the human another kiss on the forehead. “Goodnight, my strong little boy. You’ll get to love some more tomorrow.”
Tommy nodded tiredly, small, even breaths expanding on Wilbur’s neck as he fell into slumber.
And Wilbur meant every word of it. There was no real way to quantify the love he held for Tommy. For his little sun.
But he would do everything in his power to show it every one of his days.