Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Phil wakes up to the sound of someone crashing into his chests, in the low basement of his house. It’s 2 am, he knows he didn’t leave his front door unlocked, and his heart is pounding from being jolted out of his sleep. He grabs his sword, which is leaning by the door of the bedroom, and runs down the stairs in his slippered feet to find his chest room inhabited by a… piglin.

It seems to have stumbled out from the portal and knocked into a fair bit of his stuff, but it’s small. Not like a usual piglin child, but definitely not tall enough to be an adult. The piglin turns around and Phil drops his sword as he realizes it is a child, a human child, with tusks, slouching pointed ears where normal ones should be, and long, matted pink hair. The piglin’s only possession is a golden sword, but it charges at Phil and he puts his hands up in surrender, really not wanting to hurt a kid.

“Wait, I don’t want to hurt you!” The kid doesn’t stop, and Phil has to yank a shield from a nearby armor stand to stop the kid from slashing him with the sword. The gold sword hits his shield, but the kid doesn’t stop, eyes glowing red, and tusks revealed by a snarl too cruel for any regular child. The kid keeps swinging his sword, and Phil keeps putting up his shield just in time, before the top of the shield starts to splinter in half. The kid is going to swing at him again, and Phil lifts up the bottom of his shield just in time, charging forward with it and hitting the kid into the wall, holding him against it with the shield.

The kid’s sword is limp in his hand and hanging down, and Phil kicks it away while it’s focused on getting out from under the shield. The kid snarls and kicks out against Phil’s shins, clearly feeling trapped, but Phil can’t do anything to help it until it calms down.

“I don’t want to hurt you, just let me help.” The kid is in a near panic, too busy trying to wiggle out from under the half-broken shield to comprehend Phil’s words. Phil reaches out with one hand, trying to get to the kid’s shoulder so he can stop him from struggling and panicking so much, but as he does the kid snarls and moves its head towards Phil’s arm, in just the right position so that one of it’s tusks cuts into the skin of his arm. Sharp pain hits Phil before he sees what happens, and he staggers back, blood dripping down the side of his arm and hitting the oak floor underneath him in small drips.

The kid’s snarl turns into a satisfied grin, and the red in its eyes seems to dim as it watches the blood drip down Phil’s arm. The kid doesn’t make a run towards him again, clearly waiting for Phil to come at him, so he can do the same thing again. Phil doesn’t, this isn’t a fight, and he sees it’s chest stop heaving as much, the breaths becoming deeper and more controlled as it looks at Phil’s confused face. They stand there stuck in place as the kid catches his breath, waiting for the other to make a move, and it seems the kid finally catches on to the fact that Phil isn’t going to get near him again as a confused look flashes across its face. It’s still in a fighting stance with tusks out and lips curled up into a grimace, but it looks like it doesn’t know what to do.

“Do you need help? What’s your name?”

“That’s not your business.” It’s voice is deeper than Phil thought it would be, and scratchy. Maybe the effects of being a hybrid, but nonetheless Phil is pretty certain that the kid is a boy. His eyes have seemed to have adjusted to the light change, and he’s still in a position to fight, but he’s sizing up Phil now, seeming to realize that he would be outmatched if Phil really wanted a fight as his eyes widen a little bit before turning back into a glare. “How do I get out of here?”

“The door is just up the stairs, but you don’t have to leave. Are you hungry? I can help you.” Phil is confused, tired, and hurting, but he knows the boy shouldn’t be by himself out in the overworld. He doesn’t think twice about the tusks or that he’s dangerous, he just sees a kid in need. He’s always been told he’s too noble for his own good.

“I can take care of myself.” The boy responds, still eyeing up Phil. He doesn’t want to let the boy go, but he knows forcing him to stay would be worse than letting him go.

“Can I give you some supplies before you go?” Phil slowly walks over to one of his chests and the boy walks in the opposite direction, keeping the same distance between him and Phil and positioning himself closer to the door in the process. He pulls out some food, wood, and his only spare pickaxe (stone) with pretty shotty durability. He sets it on the floor in front of him and steps back. “You can always come back. If you change your mind.”

The kid steps forward, eyes still on Phil, and picks up the stuff before going up the stairs. At the top he looks back and seems to do a double take at Phil, but he goes out the door and into the cold anyway, leaving Phil alone and wishing he could do more.

The boy comes back 6 nights later, right before Phil is about to have dinner, head bowed like he’s embarrassed and looking substantially worse than the last time Phil saw him. He lets the boy in (he finds out later the boy's name is Techno), sets him a plate, and they don’t talk about it. Techno does glance at Phil’s still-bandaged arm, and mutters a quick apology, but Phil just smiles at him.

“You’ve got a mean bite.” He means it as a joke, but Techno only looks back up at him for a second, seemingly analyzing him before going back to his dinner. The only thing Phil says after that is that he can leave or come back at any time, and that he has stuff for cleaning up if Techno needs it. He knows that Techno will talk to him in his own time, and that he needs space. Techno never leaves.

Techno moves into Phil’s spare room and tries to take up as little space as possible. He spends a lot of time outside the house, sparring at random trees and sometimes at mobs hiding in the shadows, but always comes back for dinner and engages in the polite amount of conversation at the table. He lets Phil know when a question isn’t appreciated by shutting down for the rest of the meal and retreating to his room as soon as possible.

He knows that Techno’s sleep schedule is so messy because where he came from, which Phil assumes is the Nether, they slept in short shifts, but he won’t tell Phil why he left his home. Phil doesn’t pry, he’s good about that (ever since he asked about Techno’s family and he bent a dinner fork in half with one hand), but he says that his door is always open if he needs anything. He doesn’t ask why Techno wakes up in the early hours of the morning with a shout or deep, growling snarl, or why he sleeps with his sword on him. What he does do is wait for Techno to come downstairs in the morning, and hands him a cup of hot chocolate when he knows it's been a rough night.

Phil goes into town a lot, he’s a busy man and he needs extra materials to protect the house now that he has Techno, not to mention what he needs to expand the house. He’s in town when he spots a gold crown and thinks of Techno. It’s probably only gold plated, meant for dances or parties, but it’s sturdy, shiny, and has assorted small gems in the molding of the crown. It’s expensive, but he can afford it and he knows that Techno will like it, even if he won’t say it out loud.

When he gives it to Techno that night at dinner, his face lights up and he holds the crown in his hands gently, looking at it with reverence. He puts it on his head and it's a little big at first, he has to tilt it quite a bit so it doesn’t slip, but he loves it. Techno looks up at Phil, looking like he wants to say something but doesn’t know how, or doesn’t know what to say. So Phil just ruffles his hair a bit, and clears their dishes, knowing that Techno isn’t ready yet.

“It looks good on you.” Techno beams while Phil can’t see him, and he sleeps with it on for a week.

Two months later, Techno wakes up with his signature snarl and his crown falls off his head with a loud bang. Phil wakes up and rushes into his room, expecting to see an intruder, but he just sees Techno sat up in bed, his knuckles white and clenching the bed sheets, tusks out and eyes red. He picks up the crown from the floor and places it back on Techno’s head, tucking a piece of pink hair behind the boy’s ear. He’s glad Techno trusts him enough that when he gets worked up like this he doesn’t try to kill him anymore. He sits on the edge of the bed, by Techno’s waist, and Techno leans into his side, not saying a word in the dark. He hears the boy sniffle, and wraps one of his wings around the boy’s small frame. He falls back asleep on Phil’s shoulder, and they don’t talk about that either. But now Phil knows he can check up on Techno and it will make both of them feel better.

Eventually Phil gets him a new sword, too, and he finally lets Techno go out after dark after they spar a couple of times and he kicks Phil’s ass. Techno is a ruthless fighter, and it’s hard to get him to stop, but every time Phil does it gets easier. He volunteers to protect their fields before bed and he gets rid of a whole group of travelling pillagers while Phil is out in town. He comes home to Techno covered in blood on the steps of their house, with a small smile on his face and a distant look in his eyes. Phil helps him clean up and he takes him off night duty until Techno says he can handle it again.

Phil knows that Techno fights too hard for it to be normal, wakes up with his sword in-hand too often, and goes out every night basically looking for trouble. But he also knows that somehow Techno needs it. It hurts him when he goes too far, when the fighting becomes too real and he has to cave in on himself, but keeping him inside and away from a sword aggravates him even more. He becomes snappish, ready to fight over a wrong word and antsy to break Phil’s furniture. It’s a lose-lose situation, and Techno always swears that he can handle it. That he can handle himself, that he can protect them. Phil believes it but he wishes that Techno didn’t have to. He goes back out, and the next time he loses himself in the blood, in battle, he cleans up himself. Phil doesn’t have to know.

Chapter Text

Techno isn’t a normal kid and Phil knows that, believe him, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve a normal childhood. He knows what people will say about his son, but he also knows that it’ll be bullshit, because yes Techno gets out of control sometimes and doesn’t know when to stop, but he loves his boy. The Techno he knows has a soft spot for sad stories, will protect his family with his life, and likes hugs in the safety of the dark. So after 6 months of trying to bribe Techno with hot chocolate, Phil gets Techno to go into town with him.

Phil says something about getting him to ‘socialize’, and Techno thinks that's the stupidest thing he’s ever heard: he doesn’t need anyone but Phil. Nonetheless, he is forced into town. It’s not that bad, he gets to look at the blacksmith's shiny weapons and even asks him a question about one of the swords hanging on the wall. But the townspeople are giving him weird looks, so he doesn’t stay in one place for long.

He makes his way over to the town’s makeshift orphanage while Phil is trading. There aren’t many kids, it's a small town, but there was recently a raid that killed quite a few people and left some kids without a place to go. They’re out playing in the grass fields around the town, and he spots a kid with a yellow sweater sitting underneath a tree and staring up at the leaves.

The kid looks around his age, so Techno approaches him, hoping that he’s getting the whole 'socializing’ thing right. He doesn’t really know what to say, so he stands underneath the edge of the tree’s leaves, waiting for the other boy to notice him.

“Hi,” the boy looks over at him, smiles, and looks back up at the tree. “I’m Wilbur. Do you want to sit with me? I’m watching the leaves because there’s a bird in the tree somewhere and I want to see what kind it is. Do you know anything about birds? I don’t, really.” Wilbur talks much faster and much more than Techno is used to, but it makes him feel weirdly welcomed, and the boy’s smile is open and trusting in a way Techno wishes his could be. Techno sits down next to Wilbur and tilts his head back like the other boy’s, not seeing any birds, but staring up at the way the sunlight filters through the leaves.

“What’s your name? I like your tusks, they’re really cool! Thanks for sitting with me.” Techno lowers his head to look at the boy and finds himself fascinated. He talks so much, and he’s so happy to talk to Techno, which is a trait he thought only Phil possessed.

“My name is Techno.” Wilbur looks over to him, smiling still and looking surprised.

“I didn’t think you’d say anything back,” the boy says with a laugh. His hand leaves his side fast, and strands of Techno’s long, pink hair are wrapped around Wilbur’s fingers before Techno can react. He backs up a little bit in surprise, but Wilbur isn’t doing anything that hurts so he just lets it happen. Wilbur’s fingers gently tug, falling through to the end of the strand, and Techno finds that he actually likes the feeling.

“Soft,” the boy says, quiet for a second, before laughing again and saying, “I wish I had hair like this. Pink is a good color.” Techno stares at the other boy for a second, before returning Wilbur’s smile with a small one of his own. He reaches out for the cuff of Wilbur’s yellow sweater, sitting up from the ground and pulling the other boy with him.

“Come here.” Techno says, not really giving him a choice because he’s pulling Wilbur along behind him, but he follows Techno easily. Techno takes him into town, weaving between stalls and people, not really having much difficulty as people generally avoid his tusks and other unnatural features. He stops behind Phil, Wilbur’s sweater cuff still in hand and not caring that the other boy is looking at him with a confused expression, waiting for Phil to turn around and see them. By the time Phil does turn around Techno can feel Wilbur shaking in excitement next to him, because he’s gotten an eyeful of Phil’s wings, and as soon as Phil looks at them Wilbur blurts out,

“I like your hat,” with a huge smile on his face. Phil gives Techno a knowing look, and Techno nods, staring Phil down and refusing to feel embarrassed about socializing effectively after 6 months of avoiding it.

“We’re taking this one,” Techno says, daring to let a bit of emotion creep into his tone, and Phil laughs. Wilbur comes home with them that night.

Wilbur’s bed is right by Techno’s, and while they couldn’t be more different, they get on like a house on fire. Techno balances out Wilbur’s constant talking, makes sure he doesn’t get pushed around, and Wilbur makes sure Techno doesn’t go too far when protecting him or even play fighting.

Phil asks about Wilbur’s family one time and never does it again when he sees the color drain out of Wilbur’s face and tears well up in his eyes. Techno still has bad nights, and Wilbur wakes up with his mother’s name on the tip of his tongue, but they have each other. And when that isn’t enough, Wilbur goes to get Phil and they sit on their rug in a clump, one of Phil’s wings around each kid.

Techno now comes to town with Phil a lot more, (because Wilbur does too) and they mostly pretend fight in the village, but Phil teaches them about trades too and sometimes Wilbur goes off by himself to the town cemetery. He deliberately avoids one side of town, and when Techno and him make their way over in that direction he always turns around at a certain street. Techno doesn’t ask, and neither does Phil; they just give him a ruffle of his hair or a squeeze on the arm and change the subject. He needs time too.

He’s in the market with Phil and Techno one day, Techno off looking at the weapons and asking endless questions towards the blacksmith as always (the one thing he actually is comfortable talking about for a long period of time is weapons), and Wilbur sees a beautiful, handmade guitar. He stares at it long enough for Phil to notice, and he says so quietly Phil almost misses it, ‘That looks just like my mother’s…’

Phil buys it in a second and Wilbur hugs him right in the market square. He keeps the guitar right by his bed, and shows Phil whenever he writes a song, which always is followed by a proud smile, hair ruffle, and ‘I love it, Wilbur.’ The third time this happens Wilbur says ‘Thanks, dad,’ with a beaming smile, and runs back up to his room, seemingly not realizing what he said. Phil had never felt more proud, sitting in the living room alone with the sound of guitar chords and the word ‘Dad’ echoing in his brain. It stuck after that.

Chapter Text

Techno and Wilbur have a favorite ‘hiding spot’ (even though Phil knows about it they all pretend he doesn’t) in a small cave with a shallow pool of water. It’s perfect for swimming and pretend-fighting in the summer, and they skid around on the ice in the winter. They go into the cave one day and there’s a small, blonde boy in the corner who looks a tad bit terrified behind his brave stance. He’s thin, dirty with ripped clothes, has matted hair, is covered in scrapes and bruises, and is favoring his left leg but he still crosses his arms and says,

“Who are you?” with a tiny little glare. The boy doesn’t look older than five, and also doesn’t look like he could stand tall against a strong wind. Wilbur slowly steps forward, hands a small bit out in front of him in a surrendering stance.

“I’m Wilbur, that’s Techno. Who are you?” The boy steps backward and looks around for a way to get past Wilbur and Tommy. “We aren’t going to hurt you, we’re kids like you.” The boy scoffs but looks over Wilbur and Techno again before seeming to accept that they weren’t dangerous. They were standing in front of the main light source in the cave, so Tommy couldn’t see them all that well but they were kids and both pretty lean and tall, making them easy to maneuver around.

“That hasn't stopped anyone before.” He hesitates for another second. “I’m Tommy. What kind of a name is Techno?” Techno lets out a laugh that echoes off the walls of the cave and Tommy stares at him a bit before laughing with him.

“Do you have anywhere to go Tommy?” Wilbur asks, still trying to get closer to Tommy, and this time Tommy lets him.

“Anywhere I have to go doesn’t want me.” A look of recognition flashes across Techno’s face, and he speaks before he seems to think.

“Come home with us. We’ve got a…” He pauses, like he’s looking for the right word, “Phil. He’s nice. Takes care of us.”

Tommy’s eyes widen and he yells “No!” Wilbur jumps a bit and Tommy glares at both of them. “No adults.” Techno steps closer to the boy, not going slow like Wilbur had.

“Look at me, Tommy.” Tommy doesn’t try to back away and he holds the same defiant stance, even though Techno is twice his size. “Do you see these tusks? My eyes?” Tommy gets a good look at him for the first time as he steps into the light, and his arms drop as he backs up into the cave wall. “Phil took me in, of all the kids who need homes. He’s a good guy. He won’t ever hurt you, I promise. He’s different from the rest. Come with us.” He holds out his hand and Tommy seems to think for a moment, before hesitantly taking it, curling his little fingers around Techno’s.

They lead Tommy through the forest by their house carefully, the boy looks tired and they want to make sure he’s not going to collapse. When they get back to the house Phil is still out, so they let him use the bathroom and get cleaned up. When he comes out without a layer of grime on his skin and a T-shirt of Techno’s that almost reaches Tommy’s feet, he looks a lot better, although he’s been clearly roughed up. But who would attack a five-year-old? Who is so despicable? Wilbur and Techno exchange a look, and Wilbur looks as confused as Techno feels.

“Do you like soup?” Wilbur asks Tommy, speaking in that special gentle way of his that he saves for the horses, or Tommy now he supposes. “I can reheat you some.” He adds a soft smile to the end of his words, hoping that Tommy will accept the offer. Poor boy looks far too skinny in the draping fabric of Techno’s shirt. Tommy nods and gives WIlbur a small smile back, before hopping up onto one of the kitchen chairs and watching as Wilbur heats the soup up on the stove.

Phil walks through the door with pockets full of stuff from town and notices his boys’ cloaks by the door, but it’s too quiet in the house and it smells like last night's dinner, which is peculiar because he remembers making them lunch before he left. Something is up. Techno and Wilbur are standing side by side in the living room, perfectly still and clearly waiting for Phil to come home.

“Dad,” Wilbur starts, looking anxious, “We’ve got a bit of a surprise.” Phil takes off his cloak and armor in the doorway, trying not to look too concerned or upset. Wilbur and Techno are very observant, and Phil knows the wrong look will stop them from saying anything.

“What’s that, Wil?” Phil walks into the living room, past the entrance, and sees a young, blonde boy who looks too thin and too tired sitting on the kitchen counter next to an empty bowl and looking at him with wide eyes.

“His name is Tommy, and we want to keep him,” Techno says, staring Phil in the eye and unwilling to back down.

“I see,” Phil says, giving his boys an amused look before turning towards Tommy. He takes a step towards the boy, but Tommy jumps off the counter and skitters over to Techno, hiding behind him and holding the sleeve of Techno’s shirt in his little hand.

“Remember what I said?” Techno says softly, looking down at Tommy and squeezing his hand, “He’s not gonna hurt you. He just wants to make sure you’re okay.” Tommy peeks out from behind Techno, and gives Phil a once over, still looking skeptical but stepping out from behind the older boy. Phil walks into the main part of the living room slowly and deliberately before sitting on the couch closest to Tommy, but just far enough away that he couldn’t reach the boy if he wanted to.

“You’ve got some pretty rough bruises, Tommy. Mind if I take a look at them?” Phil asks, extending his arm out in Tommy’s direction. Tommy takes it, but still hesitates a little as he walks over to Phil.

“No. And they’re not that bad.” Phil looks Tommy over carefully, noticing how he favors a leg, and that he inhales sharply when his hand gets too close to his left side. He’s definitely hurt his leg, probably landed on it wrong is Phil’s guess, and he has some bruised ribs.

“How old are you, Tommy?” And who the hell did this to you?

“I’m seven!” He says, smiling up at Phil, proud of his age like all little kids are. Phil smiles back, and only Techno can tell that it doesn’t reach his eyes. He should be bigger than this. He’s underfed.

“Let’s get you some ice and some cookies, yeah?” Tommy takes his hand and lets himself be led into the kitchen, excited enough by the prospect of cookies to let Phil take him anywhere. Tommy decides that he’s staying (literal minutes after eating through Phil’s cookie stock), and Phil tells him to never go home with strangers again.

It’s only later, when they’re in their room alone, that Wilbur asks Techno about Tommy.

“What do you think happened to him?” He whispers, sitting on the end of Techno’s bed.

“Phil thinks it was his parents, Wilbur. He’s seven fucking years old and I could throw him like a wooden sword. I don’t think I’ve ever been so mad.”

“Oh.” Wilbur looks down, and it’s clear he hadn’t thought that conclusion was an option. “We’re going to protect him though, right? Phil’s going to let us keep him?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure. We’re going to keep him safe, Will. As long as he needs it.” Wilbur moves so he can lay down next to Techno, and he cards a hand through the soft pink hair.

“Good.” They fall asleep like that and they don’t talk about it.

Tommy is scared, at first. After Phil heals him up he watches from behind furniture at the way he interacts with Techno and Wilbur. Phil lets Tommy eat dinner in the kids’ room, something he never lets Wilbur or Techno do. But they understand. He only really talks to Wilbur and Techno, and he positively adores Techno. He looks up to the older boy so much it should make Techno physically ill, but he has an annoying soft spot for this skinny little kid.

He likes Wilbur too, of course, but it’s different. Wilbur’s songs calm him down when he’s upset, but Techno lets him sleep in his bed and talks to Phil for him. Wilbur helps him pick out flowers in the fields and make a mushroom treehouse, but Techno teaches him how to ‘fight’ with long wooden sticks (or spoons if they're inside the house).

Not too long after Tommy decides to stay, Techno wakes up with a snarl, and his tusks catch on his pillowcase, ripping the bedsheets. Tommy wakes up but he’s used to pretending to still be asleep, so he watches as Wilbur gets up and sits next to Techno on the bed, threading his fingers through the other’s hair as Techno leans into it.

“It’s okay Techno, I’ll go get Phil,” Wilbur whispers.

“What about Tommy?” He closes his eyes and makes his breathing deepen as he hears Wilbur reply,

“He’s out. It’ll be alright, and Phil always knows what to do.”

Phil comes into the room and Tommy braces himself for a screaming match about the ripped pillowcase, even though he knows Phil never yells. He’s still waiting to be proven wrong, waiting to be dumped back into the forest with red cheeks and cracked bones.

“Oh Techno…” Phil pulls him into a hug and Techno leans his head on Phil’s shoulder, his frame relaxing when he feels Phil’s wing wrap around his shoulders.

“I’m sorry about the pillowcase,” Techno says into Phil’s shirt.

“It’s okay. We’ll always have backups.”

Wilbur goes to get an extra pillowcase and switches it out for Techno, and Phil kisses both boys on the top of their heads before going back to his room. Tommy starts to think that Phil might be the nicest adult in the world. The next night he eats dinner at the table with everyone else, and Phil smiles through the whole meal.

Once Tommy gets out of fight or flight mode and realizes he’s safe, he keeps pushing the limits. He’s loud, and takes up a lot of space with his little body, knocking things over a lot and being generally careless. He’s finally becoming himself, but Phil can see that he’s also trying to see how far he can push at Phil before something bad happens. He begs Phil to give him a sword like Techno and yells at Phil when he says no, and that he’s too young. But when he’s finished and Phil doesn’t do anything but look at him with disappointment in his eyes, he just feels worse. He stares at Phil for a couple of moments before tears well up in his eyes and he runs over to Phil, hugging him and giving the edge of his wings a gentle tug so that Phil will put them around the young boy.

“I’m sorry, Dad.”

Phil tears up a little, it only took Tommy two months to call him Dad, which is a third of how long it took Wilbur.

“I know.” He puts his wings around the boy and cuddles him close.

A little bit longer after that, Tommy doesn’t come home from playing to check in with Techno like he should. Phil comes home over an hour later and he still hasn’t come back, and they’re all worried sick. Phil and Techno go out to look for him, and they find him under the setting sun, in a wide-open field where mobs will flock in by the tens shortly. Techno stops at the tree line and lets Phil go up to Tommy, cursing under his breath at his impossible brother.

Phil approaches Tommy, about to remind him of the rules about playing, that it’s dangerous outside, but when he gets close to Tommy… He looks like he’s expecting it. He’s scared, but he looks up at Phil with a steady, challenging gaze. He’s waiting for Phil to blow up, send him back out, and so Phil just scoops Tommy up in his arms and hugs him. Tommy is stiff in his arms, surprised and confused.

“I’m never not going to want you to come back home, Toms.” Tommy relaxes and hugs him back. He falls asleep, head lolling on Phil’s shoulder on the way back, and Wilbur is waiting for them when they come home. Tommy wakes up and Phil sets him down as Wilbur rushes up to him.

“I’m so glad you’re home, Tommy.” Wilbur exhales with tears in his eyes, leaning down to Tommy’s level and looking him over, making sure he’s okay. Tommy turns around and grabs Techno’s hand, and then Phil’s, pulling them all into a group hug.

“I’m sorry. I… This is the best home I’ve ever had.”

“It’s okay Tommy.” Techno whispers somewhere into the group hug, “Do you want to sleep on the couch with me and Wilbur tonight? We can play your favorite games and stay up, too.” A small blonde head pops up, nearly hitting Techno’s chin, and turns to Phil.

“Can we?” He looks excited, and most importantly, happy. Tommy’s smile is so cute and Phil is so proud of his boys.

“I’ll start making the hot chocolate.”

Their family is a little mismatched, for sure, but Phil wouldn’t have it any other way.