Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Philza's life was somewhat simple. He woke up everyday, taking care of his two boys, and tending to his few farm animals.

His two boys were his pride and joy, one named Techno, and the other named Wilbur. Wilbur was his biological son. (We don't talk about how he was born.) He was a sweet boy who wore a yellow sweater and grey beanie Phil had knitted for him. His demeanor was rambunctious, but it was easy to wear his energy out with the use of crayons and coloring books, or play-fighting with his brother, Techno. They were practically attached at the hip, despite their physical differences. Techno was a piglin hybrid, which Phil had taken in when he was about 4, rescued from sinking in soul sand by Phil. He was quiet, but strong, and humble. Techno definitely knew how to control his strength, which Phil loved. 

Phil let out a silent hum of satisfaction as his two boys started talking between themselves. They were having a silent, petty argument, in which Phil respected their privacy, but he always listened to what they were about in case there was an insignificant fight. They were currently arguing as to where the purple crayon went. Wilbur swore he saw Techno have it last, as Wilbur needed it currently to color in a squid. 

Phil chuckled, his feathers rustling against the rocking chair. He was an Avian hybrid, with a set of beautiful silver wings. He had always taken pride in his wings, and loved to carry his boys in his arms during some sunsets, letting them gaze upon the land around their simple wooden cottage. He had thought about taking them on a flight tonight, but after pondering, he had gotten a bad feeling. Techno and Wilbur had both been disappointed, but he never wanted to risk his instincts. 

He made sure to eye the fire the boys sat beside, making sure it didn't go out or get too hot, not wanting to risk their appendages getting burned by the fire. They had apparently resolved their conflict, or found the purple crayon, because they had gone back to coloring in a comforting silence. 

His feathers ruffled a bit, becoming fluffy against his wings as he looked to peer out of the window. Normally they ruffled during bad weather, or when his instincts thought something bad would happen soon. He got a little worried, peering around the room to look for his enchanted diamond sword. It propped against the wall near the door, untouched for the day. He felt a pair of eyes on him as he looked back to his kids. Techno watched him, his tusks over his top lip. His face looked worried, while Wilbur just seemed unaware, coloring in the lines of a squids tentacles. 

Phil always wondered if all hybrids had better senses than normal humans, and each day Techno provided more evidence for his case. Techno looked towards the door, and then to Phil, almost begging him for an answer. Phil sighed for a moment, but couldn't deny the bad feeling in his gut or flatten his fluffed feathers.

"It's okay Techno." Phil gave a comforting smile to his son, and Wilbur who had decided to raise his head from his picture to look at his dad. "It's probably just a storm brewing around here, it'll be fine. You two have nothing to worry about." He tried to calm Techno's nerves, even if Wilbur was unaware and had a confused look on his face. 

Techno almost seemed convinced, and then one of his ears twitched, causing Phil to look towards the door. They heard a rush of wind, and a loud, echoey wail. It almost sounded like a ghast, or an animal who had been caught in a trap. Phil's feathers ruffled more, like an angry parrot. 

Wilbur's bottom lip stuck out as he grabbed his brother's hand. "Dad? What was that?" Techno and Wilbur both stood up, hand in hand. Techno's tail swung back and forth, he normally did when he was scared. 

Phil had to comfort his sons, as the wailing was dulled, but could still be heard. He rushed up in a hurry, race-walking towards his room, gripping an iron sword in each hand. They weren't allowed these when they play fought to prevent damage, but whatever was outside Phil needed to shush urgently before it attracted mobs in the nearing night. He didn't want to risk bringing his two sons, fearing they would take unnecessary damage. His heart broke as he walked back into the living room. Techno and Wilbur both had each other's hands in a death grip. He made sure to kneel, resting the iron swords on the ground, one in front of each of them. He grabbed their free hands, ingrossing them in his larger hands.

"Look at me you two. Listen closely. Techno, do you know why I have to go check what is out there?" Techno eyed the iron swords, then his dad. He took a deep breath, steadying his nerves to not sound worried, although he kept a death grip on his brother's hand. "Because… if it echoes enough it could attract mobs when it gets dark, and they could hurt us or the animals."

Phil nodded, releasing Techno's hand for a moment to ruffle his hair, and giving him a quick kiss on the forehead before grabbing his hand again. He moved his gaze onto Wilbur, who wasn't hiding his fear at all. He shook like a leaf in a tornado, his grey eyes were shining with tears. Phil hated seeing his kids like this, but he needed to make sure they knew about survival. 

"I'm going to go check what is going on, and see if I can stop whatever is… crying out there. Will, if I don't come back by morning, what do you do?" Will hiccupped, a few tears dripping out of his eyes and dropping onto his yellow sweater. "W-we pack up and take our horses to the village, and wait for you to come back." He let out a few sobs between his words, wiping his eyes with his shoulder and letting intakes of wet sniffles. Phil rewarded him with a swift kiss on the forehead, knowing Wilbur didn't like his hair getting ruffled under his beanie. 

Phil looked out the window, noticing quickly that he was losing daylight over the tops of the trees. He knew he had to speak faster if he wanted any chance of getting home with even a little bit of daylight. He let go of their hands, replacing his grip with the handle of an iron sword in each of their hands. "These aren't toys, these are used for zombies that try to get in the house. Remember, only zombies, or anything that proves an instant threat. Do NOT go near creepers." Techno and Wilbur both nodded, but Techno gripped his sword with just a little more confidence than Wilbur did. 

Phil raised himself up, looking towards the door once more. "I love you, my boys." He spoke with extreme fondness, as he grabbed his diamond sword that sat by the door, hooking it to his belt with a few flasks hanging off of it. Wilbur sniffles again, whispering under his breath, to his dad that he loved him as well. Techno spoke the same, as they watched their dad open the door, his wings spreading out as they got out the door. 

Phil made sure to close the door, and lock it. The wails hadn't died down, still as loud as when they had started. Phil spared a glance to their horses. They didn't seem spooked, which he took as a good sign, but their ears were definitely alert as they put their noses to the wind. Phil looked to the air, and listening to where the wails direction seemed loudest paired with the wind. He clutched his compass, glancing at it, and memorizing the direction he was taking. 

His wings spread, thankfully the wind wasn't too awful, which confused him due to the gust of wind he heard earlier before the wails. He silently thanked the wind for dying down, and spread his wings. He jumped, and took a deep breath as he catapulted off the ground, quickly taking to the skies. The sky was chilly against his cheeks, but he kept flying. The wind whipped through his feathers, he had seemingly chosen the right direction, though, as the cries got louder and louder. He wasn't too far from his house, and figured maybe this would be easier than expected. He took a quick glance at the moon, and shivered as he saw another winged creature far away in the sky. He figured it was a phantom, but it seemed too big to be one. Maybe if he wasn't in a hurry to return home, he would've chased after the shadow to see what it was, but he dipped down into a small clearing in the trees. There was a slight flame on the ground, and he feared briefly for what it was, or if it could possibly light up any dry brush nearby. 

The clearing of trees opened up wider, and he looked around, not able to find what was causing the screaming. Then, he saw it, but he almost didn't believe his eyes. His wings slowed their flapping as he reached the ground, his feathers weren't as ruffled, and slightly flatter. He quickly grabbed some brush, wrapping it around a stick. He needed light, fast, to inspect what he found. He quickly grabbed his flint and steel off of his belt, chipping it a few times against the brush. It lit up, and he inspected what was in front of him. 

It was a baby, with wet, blonde hair, and purple bruises on its exposed skin. It was wrapped in a red blanket, and when the blanket was pulled down a little over its shoulder, it wore a white onesie. It screamed with no end in sight. Phil feared if the baby screamed any louder, its lungs would pop like party balloons. He was scared, he thought this would be an easy trip. Maybe have to put down an injured animal, or slay some irritating mob. What scared him more though was the arrow right beside the baby's head, that had barely knicked its right ear. The feathers of the arrow were singed, perhaps an enchanted bow? 

He was scared to pick up the infant, it was tiny, tinier than Wilbur was when he was a newborn. This baby had to be fairly fresh, maybe a few hours old. But who would leave a kid out here? Maybe its parents are nearby? He thought, but looked over the baby again. Its face was blood red, probably from screaming, which it continued to do. He looked over the bruises once more, carefully angling the torch so it wouldn't get close to singeing the newborn. There were too many, and the baby was screaming too loud. Any parent would have come back by now to soothe it, especially a newborn. 

He looked once again to the treeline, the sun was getting deeper down, almost all signs of light were gone. The sand was running out, he was almost out of time. Soon mobs would come out of their dark crevices and caves, an endless swarm to murder him and this newborn. He hissed air through his teeth, cringing as he sat the torch down on the ground. His wings remained out, and ready to take off at a moments notice. He gently put his hand behind the newborn's neck, making sure to support it, and the other on its lower back. The baby was in a tight swaddle with the blanket. At least they gave it the mercy of making sure it was semi warm before they murdered it, Phil thought. He pondered on how bad of a shot they had to be to miss a still infant, but quickly regretted the thought, since he new this newborn's fate if they didn't miss. 

He felt something here against his hand supporting the baby's next, brushing it off as it knocked him from his thoughts. He would have to hush the baby before he took off, or it would surely attract mobs back to the house, or possibly suffocate the infant mid-air due to lack of oxygen. He swiftly moved the baby so it cradled in his non-dominant hand. It still screamed, but he honestly couldn't blame it. He fumbled around on his belt, cursing as he remembered all he carried was a potion of instant regenerate. It would surely shock its newborn body. He had to be careful with what he gave the infant. 

It didn't take long before he remembered the flask of vodka he always carried on his belt. Vodka was used for all sorts of things, like disinfecting minor cuts his sons got from play fighting, or simply for a shot whenever things get too much. He quickly unscrewed the flask, bouncing the child did nothing to soothe its screaming, but he still swayed anyways out of parental nature. He quickly dipped his index finger into it through the mouth of the flask, swishing his finger around in it. He felt a little guilty doing this to a newborn, but it needed to be done. He loosely put the cap back on with his middle finger and pinkie. He was running out of time, as night drew nearer. He silently prayed to anything or anybody who cared enough to listen to his pleas, and swiftly inserted his index finger into the baby's mouth. 

The baby paused its screaming, before suckling on his finger in a ravenous motion. The baby suckled like it was starved, and Phil figured it was. Phil made quick work of stomping the makeshift torch out. He made sure it was all out, before getting into a position for take-off. He leaped into the air, and smoothly took off. He cradled the newborn close to his chest, it was surprisingly silent. It was odd feeling the baby suckle on his finger, but he didn't want to take away its only comfort. 

He glanced at his compass, seeing as the moon was the only light in the sky. He surely cut it close, he thought, and started heading in the direction of home. He sighed a little, sure this wasn't what he expected, but he never expected Techno or Wilbur either. He knew he had to take care of this newborn, a new daughter, or son. He moved his gaze down to the baby in his arm, and noticed it was staring up at him with baby blue eyes. A fond smile developed on his face as he looked down at the newborn. He figured he would humor himself to make this trip a little easier. "Hello… I'm your new daddy little Lass... or Lad… and no one's gonna hurt you while I'm here." The newborn just blinked, focusing on the appendage in its mouth, but still stared up at Phil with curious eyes. Phil knew this baby had no idea what he was saying, but he still wanted it to know that it was loved.

"You have two brothers at home, I'm sure they'll be ecstatic to meet you and that powerful set of lungs you have." He chuckled after that sentence, knowing how hard it would be the first three months for the four of them. "You'll have Techno, who'll probably try to suffocate you, but he'll love you, I know it. And then you'll have Wilbur. He'll love you to bits and pieces. We all will." Phil's gaze averted to the path of torches that he had set down near their cottage, knowing he was almost home. He saw a few zombies straying away from their yard as he flew into the clearing. He was glad about that, at least, hoping they hadn't had to actually use their iron swords. 

He swiftly landed near the porch, once again, his feathers smooth against his wings. He was nervous as he walked up to the door, and quickly had to pull his finger out of the nerborn's mouth to knock on the door. He knew his boys would've locked it. The newborn almost started crying again, but he had dipped his finger back into the vodka and back into the baby's mouth before any cries could escape. 

He was almost worried Techno and Wilbur were asleep as they took a while to open the door. His wings folded around the front of his body, covering himself and the baby from any chill breeze that would have happened. Soon he saw Wilbur's sleepy eyes gaze out the blinds in the window, and heard a few rushed "It's dad, open up!" He chuckled again, and his eyes lit up as he opened the door, seeing his beautiful sons all safe and sound, still clutching each other's hands as he had left them. They both rushed forward to hug their dad, tear tracks down their cheeks and their shirts slightly damp around the collar. They almost looked offended when realizing their father didn't hug back, and they backed up into the house to let Phil inside.

Phil took no time walking in, pushing the door shut with his back. He sighed, happy to be home. He moved onto his rocking chair silently, wanting to surprise them with the newborn. Techno opened his mouth to speak, but as soon as he did, Phil let out a soft "shhhh." Techno and Wilbur looked equally confused before moving closer to their father. Techno's tail swung quickly, out of excitement. Phil's wings slowly folded against his back, revealing the tiny newborn.

Wilbur and Techno's jaw both went slack as they looked at their father, and back to the tiny baby held in his arms. They had never seen something so small. Wilbur was the first to speak, a hushed whisper. "Dad… is this what was screaming that whole time?" Phil nodded, a sad look across his face. "They had been abandoned in the forest, their cries echoed through the trees. I'm lucky I got there in time."

Techno and Wilbur still seemed in shock, while Techno took the first advancement, moving his finger into the baby's hair, smiling at Wilbur which gave him confidence to do the same. They smiled at each other as they felt the baby's soft hair and skull. "Woah." Techno said, before starting a new sentence. "Do you like, know if it's a boy or a girl?" Phil shook his head to the question. "Wasn't enough time to check, not important enough."

Phil inhaled, and then huffed. He hated asking his boys for help, especially after a stressful night like it had been, but he needed some help, considering the infant was trying to get milk out of his finger. "Do you two think you can help me? They're pretty injured, there's bruises on their arms and they're hungry too, and need new clothes. Do you think you can help me?" He barely got to finish his sentence before Wilbur and Techno were frantically nodding. 

Phil smiled, and then sighed, realized they were gonna get their first taste of a screaming newborn up close. "Wilbur, can you go grab your old baby clothes out of your closet, make sure to pick tiny ones." Wilbur rushed off as soon as he could, running down the hall. He then looked to Techno, knowing he would give him the worst of the jobs. "Techno, you're gonna have to hold them." Techno gave his dad a fearful look, but nodded once. "It won't be hard." He reassured his son, and kneeled as Techno put his arms out. Phil adjusted the baby so Techno's right arm held under its head, and his left supporting the body. 

The infant seemed content enough being moved, but that wasn't what Phil had worried about. As soon as Phil pulled his finger out of the infant's mouth, all hell broke loose. The newborn suckled on its own lip, before sealing its eyes shut and starting to wail once again. Phil pat Techno on the head with his hand that wasn't covered in drool, before taking off towards the kitchen. Sure, the wails hadn't been as loud, he had the Vodka to thank for that, but they still frightened Techno. Techno's tail swished quickly, signifying his anxiety, and he thought about dropping the newborn. He realized he had to be strong, though, for his new baby sibling. He bounced his body back and forth, trying to coo and hush the infant with his words. It didn't work, but it made himself feel better that he was trying. 

Phil quickly looked through the cabinets, finding one of Wilbur's old baby bottles he kept around in case a baby sheep needed to be supplemented. He never thought he would need it for this, and quickly realized he was unprepared. The baby would need a powdered supplement. He kept one, but knew it had to be 8 years old by now. He shook it for a moment, feeling terrible how he was treating the poor newborn. After being snapped back to reality by the wails, he realized he couldn't be picky right now. He filled the bottle with water from the faucet, and scooped two scoops of the powder into it. He gave it a quick smell, it didn't smell awful, so he placed his finger over the bottle's nipple and shook to prevent spillage. He turned on his heel, looking back at Techno.

Techno's tail swished back and forth quickly, signifying his anxiety as well as his ears twitching. Wilbur had returned, clutching a red onesie in his hand, while petting the newborn's head like a dog. It didn't stop the shrieking, but he thought he was helping. Wilbur and Techno both swiveled to give their dad a begging look for him to come help. Phil gave them a reassuring smile, and rushed over, bottle in hand. Philza had barely offered his arm out to Techno, but Techno rushed to put the newborn into Phil's arm and back up. Phil wasted no time, positioning the nipple to the baby's mouth. It wasted no time, opening its mouth fully and taking the entire nipple into its mouth. They sucked feverishly, as if their life depended on it. 

Wilbur and Techno took the moment of silence to admire the infant once more, as Wilbur moved his hand to rub a finger on the baby's soft, blonde, hair. He looked at the bruises on the infant's collar, frowning. "So they're just our sibling now? That's it?" He didn't tear his eyes away from the infant. Phil nodded, but spoke silently, stress lacing his voice. "Seems that way. No one was there to claim them, I haven't even looked under the blanket to see the gender." He decided to stay quiet about the arrow, not wanting to freak them out. Techno and Wilbur both looked at each other at the mention of an unknown gender, with a cheeky smile on their faces. 

"I bet you…a purple crayon it's a girl." Wilbur spoke, smiling at his brother, poking him with his free hand. Techno took this as a challenge, peeking a look towards the infant, and back towards his brother. "I bet you three apples it's a boy." Techno and Wilbur both extended hands, giving a firm shake. Phil decided not to scold his boys for gambling, chuckling a little. He couldn't lie, he was getting a bit curious as well about the sex of his new child. He couldn't say he preferred one sex over the other, though. He knew he would have to bite the bullet soon enough though, as he could tell there was extensive damage on the child by the vision of their bruised collarbone. He sighed, not wanting his children to see how cruel someone could be to a child. 

"Alright boys," he spoke, catching the attention of his kids, who pulled their eyes off the newborn to look at him. "You two go get your pajamas on, and clean up your crayons or move them to your room, okay?" Wilbur nodded, but Techno hesitated, looking back to the newborn. Phil could read his face, and quickly reassured him. "I'll call you two if I need help, or if something goes wrong, I promise." This seemed to reassure Techno, as he nodded, and grabbed his brother's hand. They walked towards their room, and Phil sighed as he watched them enter. 

Phil moved his body so his chin propped up the bottle for the infant, the milk almost all gone. He used his free hand to grab the red onesie, remembering back when Wilbur was small enough to fit in them. He walked into the kitchen, laying the onesie on the table. He watched the last few drops of milk disappear, and got scared to hear cries again. He replaced his chin with his hand, slowly pulling the bottle out of its mouth. He braced himself, and his ears, but heard nothing. The newborn just wiggled a little against its blanket, grunting once or twice. It seemed very content, and opened its mouth to yawn. Phil smiled, he was ecstatic, thanking whatever watched him from above that the newborn was just hungry, or so he thought.

 He rubbed the newborn's back, and lifted it up, its chin resting on his shoulder. He moved his hand in between its shoulder blades, and firmly patted down. The ungodly shriek that emerged would've busted his eardrums. And for a moment, he paused. Had he unintentionally saved a baby that was just destined to die? He hadn't heard a shriek of pain like this ever. Not when Techno had accidentally chipped his tooth, or when Wilbur had fallen and broken his arm. This was a shriek of pain, one longing for death, like an animal with an arrow piercing its lungs. He had found an infant, introduced it to his sons, and promised them a sibling. Now he would have to murder this child, he thought. 

He would have to kill this child and tell his sons what he had to do. 

Take an innocent life, and crush it under his foot.

He was quickly jerked from his thoughts as something sharp pressed against his hand he used to burp the child. It fluttered against his hand, pushing it away. This wasn't a normal back muscle, something was sharp. He panicked, his mind going to the worst. That maybe there was a knife piercing this child under his hand, and he hadn't known. But there was no blood? Confusion plagued his mind as he wasted no time, moving the child off his shoulder, face down on the kitchen table. By the time the infant was moved, he heard footsteps running into the kitchen. Techno and Wilbur stood, huffing at the entrance to the kitchen. "Dad?!" Wilbur exclaimed over the screaming. 

Phil knew something was wrong, and he had to do something. His hands meticulously started unwrapping the swaddle covering the child. He felt awful, about to subject his sons to whatever gore they might see on this infant, but only had two hands. He quickly started giving orders. "Techno, get a potion of regeneration out of my dresser. Wilbur, get the first aid kit out of the bathroom." They didn't hesitate even for a moment, ready to help their father and new sibling. 

Phil tried to shush the child, cooing to it. It didn't work, of course, but it made Phil feel better. With the blanket fully unwrapped, he could assess some extra damage on the child. Their arms were littered with bruises, and a burn mark on one of their hands that quickly outstretched. Nothing too awful, but what peaked Phil's interest the most was the two appendages that seemed to be stuffed and crumpled under the white onesie. Thankfully Wilbur had returned with the first aid kit, and opened it for his father, setting it to his right. Phil quickly felt around through it, grabbing a pair of medical scissors. 

Wilbur made sure to be silent to not interrupt his dad's concentration, but watched with intensity as he stood on his tippy toes, moved to the other side of the kitchen table. He laced his finger through the infant's uninjured hand, smiling when its tiny hand wrapped around it. Phil created a tiny knick in the top of the onesie, and put the scissors to the side. He tore down the rest with his hand strength, and let out a gasp of surprise as the two appendages were freed. 

There, on the newborn's back, were two fleshy wings, much like Philza's own. The tips were covered in a soft fluff, while the rest were exposed to the elements. There was a deep gash on the left wing, as if someone had tried to dismember the appendage with a pocket knife, but stopped as they reached muscle. The right wing was bent in an unnatural position, a few bones clearly broken in the infrastructure. Philza's wings shuddered a bit as he swore he could feel the phantom pain run them. Someone had to be damn cruel to do this to an infant, and Philza bit back a growl of anger. Whoever did this, he WOULD find them, and they WOULD feel his wrath. 

He was pulled from his thoughts once again by a quick hand on his shoulder, and quickly leaving. He looked to his right, eyeing the potion of regeneration Techno had placed into the first aid kit. Techno had taken a spot beside Wilbur, watching their dad work on their infant sibling. Philza swore he saw his son's mouths move, wondering how they could hear each other over the crying. He moved his hand to the right wing, adjusting it. The bones weren't too awfully damaged, he felt. He didn't know much about baby Avian hybrids, although he did know from his own experience that wings were very resilient and quick to heal with even a bit of care on them. 

He shifted the bones, the infant getting octaves higher when he shifted the broken bones. He moved them until they felt correct, and grabbed the gauze out of the first aid kit. He grabbed a few popsicle sticks, propping them correctly to set the bones in place, and quickly wrapped gauze around them. The wing twitched once, in his hands, and he laid it down against the infant's back once he was assured it was set correctly. Maybe it was a trick of the mind, or maybe he was too enveloped in his own thoughts, but the newborn seemed to quiet down a little once their wing was laid correctly. He took this as a good sign, and grabbed a cotton ball, flushing some alcohol on it, and a drop of regeneration potion. He took care in brushing the dried blood, thankful whoever took the knife on this newborn was shit at cutting, and had missed the major artery leading into the wing. He wiped at the dried blood, taking care to wipe it off and not apply pressure. 

Almost a miracle happened, the newborn went quiet, the wails dying down. He glanced up, noticing Techno's index finger was in the baby's mouth as a pacifier. Unsanitary? Sure, but it wasn't as awful as anything else that had happened to the infant. He thanked Techno under his breath, while he grabbed the bandages. He wrapped the bandages around the wing, sighing in content. 

He took a little more regeneration potion, putting it on a cotton ball, rubbing it over the bruises and burn mark on its hands. The potion smelled sweet, tickling all 3 of their noses. He was content with this job, and removed the rest of the onesie off of the newborn, and tossed it to the side to discard later. He put the new, red onesie on backwards, making sure the part that had to be buttoned up had the newborn's wings through it. It was a botched job, but he was too exhausted to cut holes in the onesie's back and manually slip the wings through. 

He sighed in content, his wings slacking out of loss of stress. Wilbur looked up, eyes plagued by sleep and concern, but still curious. "They'll be okay… right dad?" Techno looked at Phil as well, fearful of the answer. Phil thought, but spoke with confidence after a few seconds. "Yes, son, they should be okay. A few weeks of tiny dabs of regeneration potion should prevent any permanent damage." Phil smiled weakly, patting his son's beanie, and Techno's fluff on top of his head. 

"We'll head to the village tomorrow, to get some supplies, and you two some new toys for being such good help." Techno and Wilbur's eyes lit up, a smile across their faces. "But you gotta go get ready for sleep now, we gotta leave in the morning." Phil leaned down to kiss each of them on the head, the nightly ritual. Tecno pulled his other finger out of the infant's mouth with a "blech" as he wiped the slobber on the tablecloth. He then yawned, grabbing onto Wilbur's hand as they started their walk down the hall.Phil decided this would be a perfect time as he leaned down, sticking his finger into the back of the infant's diaper and checking. He pulled his finger away, picking the newborn up and cradling him carefully in order to not fold his wings. "Oh, by the way boys, Techno won the bet." 

Techno smiles cheekily, looking towards his brother, who stuck his tongue out at him. Phil made his way over to the older boys, smiling as he bounced his new newborn son into sleep. "Do we have a name picked out?" He knew what name was coming, the one name they wanted to name every new animal, but Phil always scolded them on it, saying it was too human-like. They spoke in unison, their brainwaves practically in sync. "Tommy." Phil rolled his eyes, a weak smile as he lulled the child to sleep with rocking. He watched his new son's eyes drift closed. "Alright. Tommy it is."

They seemed content as Phil walked behind them towards their room. Techno got into their shared bed first, with Wilbur close behind. Phil pulled the blanket up to their chests once they were snug, and placed a kiss on their foreheads once again. "I love you, my boys." Wilbur's 'I love you too, dad' was muffled from a yawn. Phil leaned Tommy down, watching as each of his older boys pressed a kiss onto his soft head of hair. Phil wondered how he could be so lucky to deserve two sweet boys, and now another. He made sure to keep a candle on to fight any demons that lurk in the darkness in their imaginations. 

Phil got up from the bed, walking his way to his own bedroom. He moved a few pillows around to emulate a bassinet on the bed, laying the newborn on it. He adjusted his wings, so they weren't folded, at all. He made a mental note to get a bassinet in the village, as he stripped his clothes off his own body, replacing them with green silk pajamas. It didn't take him long to lay down beside his new son, exhausted from the day. He placed a swift kiss on his hairline, turning over in the bed so his wing was laying right over himself and his son. 

He knew it was gonna be a hard task to raise a new son, wondering about his demeanor when he got older. He would be ready, though. They would help each other, all four of them. He sunk into sleep, dreaming about his precious family, and his new found Hatchling, Tommy.

Chapter Text

It was a beautiful beginning of the day in the valley where Philza's house was. Mourning doves cooed and woodpeckers hammered at the trees outside of the house. The house was currently occupied by 3, the owner had taken off early while it was still dark, so he could return as quickly as possible. He had left with five sheep and a yearling stallion, armed with a diamond sword. He hadn't ditched his kids, just going to sell some unneeded animals at the village for some money. He could have brought his kids, but they were far too energetic for such a boring journey, and one was too young and was just barely learning to walk. He had left an early spring morning, and promised his two older boys the night before that he would be back before night. He had left them food, and left a short list on what to feed young Tommy. 

The house had been quiet when Philza left, he had just put a fresh diaper on Tommy and put him down with a bottle of milk. He made sure to kiss Tommy on the forehead before closing the door. He also made sure to kiss Techno and Wilbur, even if they were asleep, it was the gesture of love he lived for for his kids.

A few hours later, daylight started to leak through the windows, and warming up the tips of Tommy's wings. He rubbed his eyes sleepily, his blonde hair all messed up from laying in his crib. His wings had the slightest bit of fluffy feathers on them now, more of a duckling's fluff. They were still blonde, but the owner of said wings didn't mind. Tommy laid there for a moment on his back, craning his head to see a discarded bottle of milk, any leftover drops of milk would have evaporated by now. He squinted as his drowsy eyes got adapted to the sunlight. He used the force of his eleven month old strength to flip over so he laid on his stomach, and then pushed himself up so he was on his butt. This gave him a better view of his crib. There was a blanket kicked to the bottom, dangling, and hanging on by just a thread. There was also a discarded red pacifier near the bottle. Tommy stared at it for a moment, and then his gaze wandered down to his shirtless tummy and red socks. He hated wearing anything on his chest, it made his wings feel cramped. He rubbed his eyes once more, babbling to himself incoherently, and then gasping. 

For the past few months, as Tommy had gained the ability to crawl and stand by leaning on things, he and his dad had an early day thing. He would always prop himself up, gripping onto the railing of the crib with all of his baby might. He would babble at Phil, until he would turn over and pick Tommy up. They would snuggle, play, or read Tommy a story. Sometimes they would go into the kitchen and Phil would set Tommy on the counter as his little helper to cook breakfast. It was always a mess, but always made everyone happy to see Tommy covered in flour and other foods. 

Tommy hoisted himself up onto his feet, gripping the crib, and looking over it. His wings stretched out, and flexed. They mostly had a mind of their own as he was younger and couldn't use them. His eyes scanned his dad's bed, but he saw no lump over the covers, or wings. Tommy furrowed his brow, wings fluttering as he jumped up and down on his crib's mattress. The wiggling caused his blanket to fall on the floor, but he didn't care. "Da?" He asked quietly, his voice cracking a little. He hopped up once more, and then started lifting his left leg over the top of the crib. His legs were too stubby, and couldn't reach up high enough. His wings started flapping as he jumped up and down on the mattress, purely instinct. His wings were far too tiny, though, and not enough feathers to catch any air. "Da! Da?!" He started getting frustrated, and his eyes watered just a little. A few tears started dripping down his body, running down from his eyes. 

He lost his grip on the railing as he went to wipe his tears, forgetting he couldn't do them both at the same time. He fell on his butt. It wasn't a bad fall, and it really didn't hurt him. It just frustrated him, and he started crying. He couldn't hear much over his own tears, not even his big brother Techno's footsteps. Techno opened the door, and felt a little bad that he hadn't thought about checking on Tommy earlier. Tommy was clearly a mess, as he rarely cried, and was pretty hardy. Techno made his way over, tapping Tommy's shoulder once to not startle him. Tommy turned his head, and his facial expression almost broke Techno's heart. He had tear streaks down his face, and the mattress had a little wet puddle. His bottom lip was curled out in a pout, and he reached his arms out to Techno. He had a little snot dripping out of his nose, but it didn't bother Techno much. 

Techno quickly took Tommy under his arms, bouncing him up so he was holding him securely. "It's okay, Tommy, you're alright." He wasn't great with emotions, but wanted to say something to soothe his baby brother's nerves. Tommy wrapped his arms around Techno's neck, hugging into him. His wings tickled Techno's snout, but he didn't say anything. Techno patted his back a few more times, feeling Tommy's fingers entangle in his own long hair. Tommy babbled to Techno, but frequently said the word "da", so he had a basic idea of what was wrong. Techno grabbed Tommy's pacifier from the crib, holding it just in case Tommy would need it later. 

Tommy made sure not to pull Techno's hair, and he was surprisingly gentle with his family and the farm animals for being an energetic baby. Tommy stopped babbling as Techno spoke up. "Well, Tommy, dad went to go into town. He'll be back soon, though." Techno had no idea if Tommy was sentient enough to understand what he was saying, but he made sure to say it to calm his own nerves. He did understand why Philza didn't want to bring the three along, though. He didn't much like the village anyways, and knew his dad would already have his hands full with the rowdy stallion he had to take there. He did understand Tommy being upset, too, Tommy always saw his dad and this was the first time being away from him for more than a few hours.

Tommy sniffled a bit more, a final few tears dripping onto Techno's shirt and creating a wet stain. Techno didn't want Tommy to associate Philza leaving with a bad thing, so he bounced Tommy in his arm once. "Hey, Toms? Wanna go bug Wilbur and wake him up?" He felt Tommy's fingers weave their way out of his hair, and Tommy leaned back to look at Techno's face. He had a cheeky four toothed smile, which caused a smile to grow on Techno's face. His eyes were still puffy, but maybe some fun would make him feel better.

Techno creeped down the hallway, walking into the living room, and down the hallway where Wilbur's room sat across from his own. He silently turned the door knob, creeping his way into Wilbur's room. Wilbur snored loudly, making Tommy giggle a little. Techno disconnected Tommy from his body, and held him out. Tommy kicked his feet, and Techno released him to fall on top of Wilbur's chest. Tommy giggled, wings flapping as he was airborne for a moment. He landed on Wilbur's chest with a loud squeal.

 Wilbur gasped for a moment, before his eyes landed on Tommy. He looked a little surprised, before smiling, and fake screaming. "Ahhh! I'm being attacked by a little moth!" Tommy giggled, his wings flapping quickly. Wilbur hooked his arms under Tommy's armpits, and put him up in the air. Tommy had drool dripping out of his mouth, and onto Wilbur's chest.  Wilbur sat up in his bed, holding Tommy out with his arms. He flipped over, laying Tommy down, making sure his wings didn't crinkle. 

"I got you Tommy! I'm gonna eat you alive!" Wilbur started tickling Tommy's sides, kissing his chest and blowing raspberries into his bare tummy. Tommy screeched out in laughter, kicking his legs, and pulling at Wilbur's fluffy hair. "Teh-no!" He screeched out for help from his brother. Techno just stood there, chuckling, watching the scene. He leaned down, looking at Tommy, and then spoke. "You're not safe from me either, Toms!" He leaned down, and started blowing raspberries onto him as well, being very careful to not knick either of his brothers with his tusks. 

Tommy squealed even more, he could barely hear his own laughing over the sound of kisses and tummy farts in his ears. "Da! Da!" He started calling out for his dad, tugging on Wilbur and Techno's hair to try and pull them off. His wings fluttered against the bedsheets, moving the covers back and forth. "Dada isn't going to save you! You're all ours!" Wilbur yelled in between raspberries, while Techno was mostly focusing on tickling. "Muahahahaha!" Techno yelled.

Tommy started choking on his spit in between giggles, and Techno and Wilbur both backed off quickly to give him some air.

Tommy coughed a few times, they both made sure to pat his back a few times. Tommy eventually coughed it out before pushing his fingers into his mouth and suckling on them. He moved his way deeper into Wilbur's lap, nuzzling under his chin. He started babbling to Wilbur and Techno, looking between both of them. They both made sure to nod, agreeing with whatever Tommy was saying that came from his baby brain. Wilbur sat Tommy down on the floor, propping him up on his feet. He couldn't stand on his own, Phil had said something about how his wings weigh him down or change his movements. Wilbur reached his hand down, grabbing Tommy's hand. Wilbur's arm was long and lanky enough to hold him, yet Tommy always had to hold Techno's tail when he helped him walk. 

Tommy toddled, gripping hard onto Wilbur's hand. Techno walked beside them, figuring they were going to the kitchen. Techno eventually walked past them both, and started rummaging through the cabinets. Phil had left the older boys homemade pizza in the fridge, as stated on the note he left. He had also stocked up on a few different kinds of baby food to diversify Tommy's growing palette. As Techno rummaged around, he took time to read some of the labels and gagged a little at some of the names. Wilbur eventually walked in, Tommy's socks slapping against the wooden kitchen floor. Wilbur lifted Tommy up, sitting him in his highchair, and was called over by Techno. Wilbur made sure to quickly buckle Tommy in so he wouldn't wiggle his way out. 

"Chicken? Room temperature chicken and rice? This is prison food!" Techno yelled, disgusted. Wilbur gagged, holding the jar to read it, and then setting it down. Wilbur picked up another one, showing it to Techno quickly, mouth agape. "Carrots, potatoes, and fish!" Wilbur exclaimed as Techno grabbed it out of his hand. "This is worse than prison food! This is torture!" Wilbur said, and turned to look at Tommy. Tommy just babbled, slapping his hands on the tabletop, drool trailing down his chin. 

Techno went through a few more gross ones, making sure to show Wilbur ones that seemed the most nasty. He shuffled through "Lamb and Gravy," "Green Beans and Beets," and more disgusting ones. He eventually found one titled "Sweet Potato and Apples." That didn't seem awful to Wilbur or Techno, so they opened the jar, both giving it a careful sniff. It didn't smell like dog food, so they figured it was okay. Tommy had gotten a little restless, babbling towards them both, so they started rushing to give it to Tommy. Tommy kicked his feet out a bit, hitting the highchair tabletop. He made sure everyone felt his wrath as he slapped the tabletop loudly. 

Wilbur popped a few pieces of pizza in the microwave, two for himself and two for Techno. He plucked a few of the pepperonis from the pizza, pulling them apart into small pieces. He emptied the baby food onto a small plate, and put the shredded pepperonis beside it. Techno made silly faces to hush Tommy's babbling, but Tommy still made sure to smack his tabletop, waiting for food. Wilbur added in a baby spoon beside Tommy's food, figuring he wouldn't use it but wanting to give him the option anyways. He decided not to give Tommy a bib either, since skin was easier to wash than cloth. Wilbur placed the plate in front of Tommy, and Tommy immediately started to dig in, discarding the spoon to the side of the tabletop. Wilbur and Techno both sat on either sides of Tommy, making sure he didn't choke. They couldn't help but be disgusted at the combination of foods the baby was eating, though. Tommy had a handful of pepperoni in one hand, and a handful of baby food in the other. He was undoubtedly messy, the food getting all over his face and body, on the back of his wings, even. (How did it get there?) Tommy was relatively quiet while eating, though, and gave Wilbur and Techno a chance to talk. They talked about what their dad would bring them home, maybe some coloring books like he usually did. Maybe some more clothes for their roleplay-dress up they did almost every evening. They talked absent-mindedly about a few other things, about a few movies they could watch today with Tommy. It was nice, pizza for breakfast, the best nutrition, and a nice brotherly moment. 

Soon enough it had to be finished as they had both finished their slices of pizza, and Tommy had made a mess, but seemed finished. They played rock-paper-scissors over who had to clean up Tommy. Techno had lost, as he always threw scissors and never learned his lesson. Techno glared at Wilbur as he unbuckled Tommy. Tommy grabbed onto Techno's and he had to fight back a gag. Wilbur laughed at Techno, beginning washing the few dishes they made. Techno held Tommy at arms-length, and made his way into his dad's bathroom that was connected to his room. He made sure not to bump Tommy into anything. Tommy's wings flapped as he enjoyed the feeling of being mid-air. Techno laid Tommy on the floor of the bathroom, and grabbed a rag from the shower. He wet it with some warm water and a little soap. Techno debated giving Tommy a bath, but figured it was too early and he would have to spend a lot of time calming down an energetic child to be able to blow-dry his wings. Also, Tommy was a messy child, so he didn't do it. He made sure to be gentle as he talked to Tommy about everything they were gonna do today, how many toys they would play with. Tommy babbled back to him, not minding much as Techno wiped his entire body down. Tommy focused on Techno's tusks, feeling them, and giggling happily whenever Techno snorted at him. 

Once Techno had finished, he dried his damp skin with a towel, and lifted him once again. As much as Tommy despised clothes, Techno knew he would have to wear some to not get cold. He laid Tommy on the changing table, handing him a little squeaky toy to play with. He dug through Tommy's dresser, picking out a white onesie, a bright red shirt, and some black pants. The onesie and shirt both had two slits in the back, so Tommy's wings didn't feel so cramped and had full mobility. Tommy squeaked the toy, chewing on it, and Techno walked back over. "Listen, Theseus. You're gonna put these clothes on and you're gonna give me an easy time, or I'm gonna tickle you to death." Techno was obviously joking, but it wasn't like Tommy understood him anyways. Tommy just giggled, squeezing his toy in content. Techno gave Tommy a fresh new diaper, and started putting the onesie on him, carefully slipping his wings through the slits. Tommy fussed at this, kicking his feet out at Techno, but Techno didn't really mind as he just continued putting it on. Tommy babbled angrily, his wings smacking Techno's face a few times. Techno finished putting the clothes on, and looked at his little brother, a proud smile on his face. Tommy just pouted, tugging at the clothes to pull them off. "No, Tommy. Gotta keep em on," Techno verbally scolded him.

Tommy pouted a little more, babbling as Techno clipped his pacifier onto the top of his shirt. Tommy picked it up, popping it in his own mouth. He chewed on it for a moment, and then reached his hands out to Techno. Techno picked him up, and then sat him on the floor, bending to hold his hand as he got his grip. Tommy grabbed onto Techno's tail, holding it gently for a baby. Techno made sure to walk slowly, not wanting Tommy to trip. Wilbur was sitting on the couch, pulling out a few toys for Tommy to play with, and looking through their movie collection.  He had changed from his night clothes into a t-shirt, shorts, and his signature beanie. Tommy looked towards their dad's rocking chair, tapping it once with a slight frown that was covered by his pacifier. He looked over to Wilbur, waving his free hand at him. Wilbur looked up, smiling, and waving back at Tommy. "Wow! You're so handsome buddy! Techno dressed you up real nice!" Tommy giggled, causing his pacifier to fall out of his mouth. His pacifier swung down, attached to the clip on his shirt. He let go of Techno's tail, falling onto his hands and knees as he crawled over to Wilbur, sitting down beside him. 

"Imma go wash my hands and change, you look after Theseus." Techno spoke, heading towards his room. Tommy rested his hand on Wilbur's thigh, crawling himself into his lap and sitting down. He looked around at the DVD binder in Wilbur's hands, looking at all the brightly covered discs. He seemed satisfied, watching Wilbur flip through them and explaining each movie. He explained a few Disney movies like Bambi, The Lion King, and a few more. He finally settled on a movie called Milo And Otis, one of their favorites. Wilbur zipped the binder back up, and moved Tommy out of his lap. He made sure to put it on a tall shelf that Tommy couldn't reach, and started working on inputting the movie. 

Tommy babbled to himself, grabbing a few toys he could put in his mouth and chew on. He crawled around, a tiny rattle in hand, before looking down the hallway Techno had disappeared into. He looked around, and started crawling towards each door, looking at the one he had disappeared into. He propped himself up against the wall, leaning his entire chunky body into it as he reached for the handle. "Tehno?" He asked, shaking the rattle a bit more, hitting it against the wall. He wasn't expecting Techno to sneak out of the bathroom a bit further down the hall, though. Soon he was grabbed around his waist, and quickly tossed into the air. "I got you, Theseus!" Techno exclaimed, hands a little damp from washing them off. He was wearing a t-shirt and shorts, with a big red cape on, and a dress up crown. Tommy squealed as he was airborne, and then caught. He giggled, leaning into Techno, grabbing onto the front of his cape. He babbled at Techno, scolding him, booping him on the nose a few times. 

Techno just laughed, kissing Tommy's little forehead, and bringing him into the living room. He gently sat him down on a blanket on the carpet. Wilbur had just found the channel to watch the movie, and they all sat beside one another to watch it. Techno and Wilbur didn't take long to lay down on their stomachs, and start coloring. Tommy seemed amazed with the movie, pacifier going back into his mouth sometime in the middle of it. He suckled on it, shaking his rattle occasionally. He moved around, sitting on top of Techno or Wilbur's back, and moving back and forth between them. They made sure to raid the snack cabinet, grabbing bags of chips. Tommy ate cheeto puffs designed for babies, and a few other Gerber puffs he shoved into his mouth. Techno and Wilbur mostly ate yogurt pouches and packs of chips and Pringles. Tommy would spectate their coloring books, watching them color for a few minutes, but never touching. He even snagged a white crayon he chewed on for 10 minutes before Techno noticed and snatched it out of his hand. They stayed like this for a few hours, coloring, talking, and watching movies.

Eventually, they had started to get a bit cramped up since they hadn't released any energy all day. Tommy had started becoming whiny, his wings fluttering more often as he needed to release energy. He had started tugging on Techno's shirt, pointing at the door. The first few times he refused with a shake of his head, and Tommy would just whine and go back to watching TV. The hours had started mixing into each other, and it had turned late afternoon, around 4. The sun was still in the sky, though, so Wilbur and Techno decided to put up their coloring books and turn off the TV. They cleaned up their own mess, and Tommy's toys. Tommy sat on the couch, staring out the window at a white cat who sat on the porch. He thumped on the window a few times, and the cat turned, peering at him with mismatched eyes. He giggled at the cat, tapping on the window, trying to pet it. The cat mowed once, rubbing its face against Tommy's hand that was against the window. Tommy giggled wildly, and got a little fussy as he was scooped up by hands under his armpits. He looked at who had snatched him up, Wilbur. Wilbur smiled at his baby brother, "you need shoes Tommy, don't want your socks getting wet." Tommy babbled at Wilbur as he was sat on the couch, and small red velcro shoes were put on his feet. It felt weird and he kicked them a little, trying to remove them. Wilbur grabbed both of Tommy's arms, and put him on the floor. He forced Tommy to stand, holding him up by his arms. They waited at the door, Tommy stomping impatiently and babbling as he looked towards the door a bit. It didn't take long for Techno to walk in, all dressed up in his crown. He held two wooden swords in one hand, and a smaller foam sword in his other. Tommy was lifted into Wilbur's arms, propped on his hip as Wilbur opened the door for Techno to walk out. 

They looked around on the porch, looking to the multiple farm animals in the fenced-in field by their house. They mostly seemed calm, a few horses prance around, heads high. None of the farm dogs were barking, either, and the cats were calm as well. Phil had taught his boys that animals always had a second sense to mobs, and that they were very alert when anything dangerous was nearby. Tommy reached his hands towards the white cat who meowed a few times at the 3 boy's entrance to the outdoor porch. Techno set down the three swords on the porch, and reached back inside, grabbing one of the iron ones. He propped it on the wall. Wilbur nodded, approving of his idea, and then smiled. He sat Tommy down near the cat, only stating "gentle." Tommy reached his hands out, digging his hands into the fur of the cat, and petting it. The cat meowed, purring a few times as it started grooming tufts of Tommy's blonde hair that was on his forehead. 

Techno picked up one of the wooden swords, looking at it, and then Wilbur with a sly grin. Wilbur noticed the way he was looking at him, and grabbed his own. "En Garde, evil king!" He exclaimed, pointing his sword at Techno. Techno gasped, hand over heart, sword pointing at Wilbur. They walked their way off the porch, into the grass of the front yard. They had started their own little role-play, imaginations running wild. Techno was a king, who only craved to be alone and hated government. Wilbur was just an anarchist who wanted to take down Techno, just simply because he could. They ran around each other, jabbing each other with their swords, and a few of the farm animals looked over the fence to watch them play around. Tommy hadn't minded his brother's at first, too busy admiring the soft cat in front of him. The cat had eventually curled up beside Tommy, sunbathing beside him. His gaze had changed to his two brothers, yelling catching his attention. He watched them play with each other, grabbing his own little foam sword. He had just chewed on it, sitting on the safety of the wooden porch. The yelling of his two brothers had attracted one of their wolf-dogs, Gizmo, who looked over the farm. It was such a silly name for a huge dog that almost stood taller than Wilbur, but that's what you get when you have two wild boys with a huge imagination. Gizmo had walked over, sniffing Tommy and giving him a soft lick on the cheek, which made him squeal and giggle. He then made his way over to Wilbur and Techno, barking at them, his tail wagging wildly. Techno and Wilbur pointed their swords at Gizmo, and yelled in "fear" of the vicious canine that had attacked them. Gizmo chased them around, barking loudly, nipping at their heels. 

This caught Tommy's attention, as he carefully scooted his butt down the porch steps, and into the grass. His foam sword was still clutched in his hand, and he crawled towards his two brothers and dog. He babbled at Gizmo, reaching his hands out for the dog. Gizmo ran over to Tommy, and laid down on his back for tummy scratches. Tommy ran his hands through the dog's fur and giggled. Techno and Wilbur stood, mouths agape with shock. Wilbur spoke up first, "he has slayed the beast! Who will you side with, saviour Tommy?" Tommy moved his head as he heard his name, staring between Techno and Wilbur. They both had kneeled, reaching their arms out to their baby brother. Tommy looked between the two, and started crawling towards Techno. Wilbur gasped in betrayal, calling out to Tommy. "No, Tommy, how could you betray me?!" Tommy glanced at him for a second, before he was close to Techno. Tommy reached his arm up to Techno, before raising the sword and bonking Techno on the head with it. Tommy giggled wildly as Techno gasped. 

Wilbur cheered for Tommy, jumping in the air and laughing. Techno looked at Tommy, smirking. "Oh yeah, Theseus? That's your biggest mistake betraying TechnoBlade, because I'm gonna steal you and EAT YOU!" He yelled as he scooped up Tommy in his free arm, blowing raspberries into his neck. Tommy squealed and giggled, kicking his feet as he was relentlessly tickled. "Burr!" He called for his other brother in between loud squeals and giggles. "Wilbur won't come to save you, you're all mine! I'm gonna eat you for dinner!" Techno exclaimed before Wilbur stood, pointing his sword at Techno, swinging it around. "Put my little brother down, he won't be your dinner! He's too chubby and cute to be dinner!" 

Techno laughed loudly, "oh but he's an orphan, and those are my absolute favorites to eat!" He used the hand he was holding him in to tickle Tommy, who squealed once more. "Burr!" He yelled out again, calling for Wilbur. Wilbur charged at Techno, smacking his wooden sword against Techno's. They fought for a few minutes, before Wilbur jabbed Techno in the arm. Techno gasped, clutching at his heart. "No, I've been stabbed!" He sat himself down on his butt, and then laid on his back, letting Tommy wiggle out of his arms as he faked being dead. His tongue was stuck out, laying out of his mouth. Tommy squealed, crawling over to Wilbur's extended arms as he was crouched down for Tommy. Tommy crawled into his arms, and Wilbur tossed him in the air, and gave him kisses all over his cheeks when he landed. Tommy grabbed his hair, giggling and nuzzling into the kisses. After Tommy got his kisses, he looked down at Techno who was still laying on the ground. "Tehno?" He questioned as Wilbur sat him down on the ground. He crawled over to Techno, tapping his face. Techno leaned up, placing a fat kiss on Tommy's cheek. Tommy giggled once again, drool rolling down his chin. 

Wilbur and Techno were both dripping sweat, staining the neck around their t-shirts. Wilbur wiped at his forehead, panting a little. Techno sat himself, Tommy in his lap. He looked to Wilbur and spoke. "Dad is gonna kill us if we didn't eat anything a little healthy today. All we had were snacks and pizza." Tommy leaned his head into Techno's chest, nuzzling him, even though he was sweaty. Techno put his pacifier in his mouth, and he started suckling, closing his eyes as he bathed in the sun, wings spread. Techno went to pick him up, to move him into the house, but Tommy kicked him in the arm. "Ow, you little, ugh. Fine, you stay out here and don't move or I'll put you back in your crib." He laid Tommy down in a patch of soft grass, while Wilbur giggled about Techno getting "rolled" by a not even one-year old. That earned Wilbur a soft shove as the two of them walked into the house. 

Tommy rolled in the grass, absolutely loving how warm and toasty he felt. His back rubbed against the grass, eyes closed in bliss. He had almost fallen asleep before he heard a soft moo from the field close to him. His eyes opened as he sat up, the back of his shirt tinted a light green. He opened his eyes, looking around for what had made the sound. The animal mooed again, and he saw a black and white calf staring directly at him. Its head poked through the wooden boards of the fence, mooing once more as Tommy noticed him. Tommy couldn't contain his excitement as a smile plagued his face, pacifier slipping out of his mouth. He got on all fours, quickly crawling over to the fence. The calf didn't even move, mooing and reaching his head as far as his neck would allow him. It's tail swung quickly, like an excited dog. Tommy gurgled as he finally reached the calf, reaching his hands out to tap its nose. It's nose was warm and wet, and the calf licked Tommy's hand as a greeting. Tommy giggled, propping himself up by grabbing the fence, and standing on his two legs, holding the calf's head to keep himself upright. His hands ran along the calf's face, petting the white and black spots softly. The calf mooed once again at Tommy, before using his tongue to lick Tommy's face. He squealed, but in return, mimicked the cow's noise. "Mooooo!" He bounced up and down excitedly, before nuzzling his face into the calf's. His hands ran over the calf's tiny, budding horns, rubbing them curiously. 

They sat in a comforting aura, enjoying each other's company, almost like lost platonic soul mates. The comforting aura didn't last long, before the calf started wiggling his head out of Tommy's grasp, mooing a few times. Its movements were quick, and panicked, but Tommy didn't quite sense as much fear. His wings were fluffed up though, sitting higher on his back than normal. Something in the air had shifted, aura not as comforting as before in the meadow. The shadows from the trees seemed to eerily look darker than before, and the soft background noise of chirping birds were silenced. The calf eventually pulled himself away from Tommy, mooing once, before retreating back into the field in fear. Tommy fell on his butt, a bit betrayed, but mostly confused. Tommy watched his cow friend retreat, before turning around, memory of the soft grass fresh in his mind, and wanting to return. He wasn't expecting to see what he saw when he turned around, however. 

Behind him stood his father, Philza. His wings got puffier than normal, but Tommy sat in surprise for a moment. His dad was kneeled down, arms out to Tommy. He had come out of the brush a few feet behind him near the woods, darkness trailing him. Maybe it was the child-like innocence that nothing wanted to hurt Tommy, or the young ignorance he faced, but he started crawling towards him. He fought his instincts, just too giddy to see his dad after an entire day without him. As he got closer, his eyes wandered over his face, taking in every detail. It was quite a bad reincarnate of his father, lacking the belt of potions Philza always carried. The wings almost looked made out of cardboard, silver feathers no longer as fluffy and soft looking. Perhaps if he was just a bit older, he would have taken note of all the bad feelings welling up in his tummy. Or the way his "dad's" teeth were sharp canines, the way his reflection was so poor looking, it looked like Philza after looking into a blurry mirror. Tommy had almost seemed to notice the unwelcoming aura of him as he got within a foot, but it was much too late. The sharp canines bared, grabbing Tommy's arm roughly. His arm was caught in a death-grip, being pulled into him. Tommy was shocked for a moment, he had never been rough handled by his father like this. The creature pulled Tommy into his chest by his arm, encasing him with his other arm, caging him in. Tommy's instincts were off the chart, as he kicked at the creature, shoes digging into his chest. The creature wasn't phased as the wings behind him dissipated, and he reformed into his natural look. 

He was wearing a green hoodie and black pants, and a pair of questionable sneakers. He almost looked normal, except for a white, round mask covering his face. There was an eerie smiley face on his mask. His nails were painted black, and filed sharp, that dug into Tommy's flesh. Unknown to Tommy, this was an evil entity named Dreamon. Tommy babbled angrily, aiming his kicks at Dreamon's chest. He struggled to keep his hold on Tommy, Tommy's fluffy wings were now flapping quickly, still puffy from fear. "Stop, you fucking bastard." Dreamon spoke, trying to keep the child from kicking him any more while also trying to control his flailing wings and arms. Tommy didn't stop, still babbling angrily as tears started to flood his blue eyes, a few dripping down his face. Dream was quickly losing his patience, and must've slipped up the positioning of his hands. Tommy kicked his finger, bending it in an unnatural angle, which caused Dreamon to yelp and shift his hold on Tommy. He would've held his grip, but Tommy's wings batted at his smiley face mask, knocking it off, revealing his face to the sun. Dreamon hissed at the light, grabbing Tommy by the wings that had assaulted his face. He held Tommy tightly, knuckles red as he kept a death grip on his wings. "You little fucking BRAT!" Tommy didn't get a chance to brace himself as he was flung towards the ground, landing in the cow pen. He whimpered, sniffling as he started to cry, as his body hurt. 

Dreamon shook his hand wildly, trying to dull the pain in his finger as he fixed his mask with his other hand. He was determined to steal this child, and quickly hopped the wooden fence. Tommy couldn't defend himself anymore, too hurt, as he just curled into the fetal position, his wings covering his body in a weak effort to block any more brute trauma. Dreamon started stomping his way over, before pausing as he came within a few feet of Tommy. A few horses in the field started rearing and whinnying in fear of the demon. This caused a chain effect, as a few of the cows started to moo, including the calf's mother from earlier who made her way closer to Dreamon, shaking her horns at him. She felt like her calf was in danger, so she moved closer and closer to Dreamon, effectively guarding Tommy on accident. The calf walked behind his mother, before prancing to Tommy's side, sniffing him. Tommy was curled in a ball, wailing in fear and pain. Dreamon was tempted to grab Tommy and walk forward, before Gizmo and a few of the other guard dogs were alerted by the scared animals. Gizmo hopped off the porch, viciously barking and snarling as he quickly made his way to the field in a matter of seconds. Dreamon knew he was screwed, and gave a nasty look to Tommy before hopping the fence, making his way quickly to the brush. Gizmo was still hot on his heels, standing on the edge of the woods, barking and howling aggressively at the woods. The calf's mom had walked over to Tommy as well, careful to not step on him as she licked Tommy's blonde hair. Tommy shook like a leaf, but popped his head out of his protective wings. The calf licked his cheek, drinking some of his tears, before mooing a few times. 

Gizmo's barking had eventually alerted Techno and Wilbur, as they ran out of the house, slamming the door behind them. Techno had grabbed the iron sword inside, while Wilbur grabbed the one that was still discarded on the porch from earlier. They ran off the porch, towards the grass patch they had left Tommy. Their blood ran cold as they noticed their baby brother wasn't there. Wilbur started panicking, looking around, calling for Tommy. Techno snorted once, before his ears flicked in one direction. He heard the quiet wailings of his baby brother towards the animal pen, and called for Wilbur as he ran over. He saw the fluffy golden ball laying there, being comforted by two of the cows. Wilbur opened the gate, and Techno ran through it with him. They didn't bother shutting it, running towards their baby brother. The calf spooked along with his mother as Techno and Wilbur ran near them. They pranced away, snorting a few times, before watching them from afar. At the sound of footsteps, Tommy covered his head with his wings once again in fear, sobbing for his brothers. 

Wilbur made it to Tommy first, and wasted no time scooping him up. "Tommy? Tommy are you okay?" Tommy heard his brother's voice and sneaked a peek. He looked at Wilbur, and then back to Techno, before his wings unwrapped around him, moving back to his back. He wrapped his stubby arms around Wilbur's neck, digging his face into Wilbur's shoulder. One of his hands reached out to Techno, and Techno reached his hand up to grab his hand. Tommy's hand gripped Techno's finger tightly, scared of letting go. Gumdrop sized tears fell down his chubby cheeks, wetting Wilbur's shirt. Wilbur patted his back a few times, wanting to get him out of the field and back into the warm house. He gave Techno his other iron sword, and Techno carried both in his free hand. Tommy made sure not to drop Techno's finger, nudging it into his face and kissing it a few times. Tommy whimpered a few times every time Wilbur took a step and wiggled Tommy's injured body. They walked through the gate, quickly locking it to not let any animals out. Gizmo had run off into the woods, confusing the two older ones why he was barking still. Wilbur took caution walking up the steps to not wiggle Tommy too much, which muffled some of the whimpers and gasps. Once they got inside, Techno laid the swords against the wall near the door, even if they wouldn't need it again, it would be there for use.

Wilbur was careful as he walked into the kitchen, Techno not far behind him. Even if Tommy couldn't understand him, he wanted to explain himself to Tommy for his own sanity. "We're so sorry, Toms. We were making food but couldn't find your special oatmeal. We cut up some fruit really small for you though. We made you some regular strawberry oatmeal, though, do you want some?" Tommy sniffled, not answering as he dropped Techno's finger. Wilbur glanced at Techno worriedly, and stirred the oatmeal with a spoon. Wilbur tried to pull Tommy off his shoulder, but that was obviously the wrong move. Tommy started screaming bloody murder, and the tears started dripping down his face faster. He gripped tighter onto Wilbur, hands leaving small red marks. He was terrified of being separated from either of his brothers, even if it was only a one foot gap. His crying picked up, and Wilbur rubbed tiny circles into his back. "I'm sorry, Toms, we thought you would've just fallen asleep in the sun. We didn't know whatever was gonna happen… happened." He tried to soothe the baby with words, which partially worked as his cries got a bit muffled. Techno sighed, making his way around Wilbur and grabbing the bowl of oatmeal. He scooped up a little in the spoon, trying to put it in Tommy's mouth. He shied away, pushing it away with his fingers. No matter how many funny noises Techno made, Tommy would just look away, nuzzling into Wilbur's skin more. 

"He did have a lot of snacks earlier." Techno said, trying to justify the odd behavior of the baby. Every minute of trying to get Tommy to react to anything in his environment worried the older boys. They had one simple job, to watch him, and they had failed that. They knew dad probably wouldn't get too mad, as whatever had happened outside was an accident. He surely wouldn't hit the two of them either, as he always just scolded by talking it through with them and maybe taking away TV privileges if it was a bad offense. Dad would be home soon, within the hour, as darkness started covering the house in the meadow, and they had to turn a few of the lights on to keep the house from being spooky. They turned the TV on even, desperately trying to show Tommy something and get him normal. The closest they got to having him be normal was when they switched who held him. They kept themselves in the living room, laying on the couch, but would swap him in between the other. With Wilbur, Tommy gripped onto his shirt and kept incredibly close. With Techno, however, Tommy would sit on his lap, facing his chest. He would pet Techno's snout, inspecting his looks with the curiosity only a baby could have. Tommy toyed with Techno's tusks, and pet his ears gently in between small fingers. If anyone ever asked Techno, he would deny it and say he simply just wanted to keep Tommy from crying. But secretly, he enjoyed it. Most villagers and townsfolk alike looked at Techno in a different way than they did Wilbur, which isn't surprising since he looked mostly like a piglin. He did enjoy the sensitive moments, and loved how Tommy looked at him as if he was normal. Tommy spared a few smiles when he would hold Techno's ears and they would wiggle in his hands. 

They tried to play with him with toys, but he just rejected each one, kicking it to the floor, and snuggling back into one of his brothers. He rubbed his eyes like he was sleepy, but never closed his eyes long enough to even take a quick power nap. He did get scared when Gizmo started barking however. He pulled himself closer to Wilbur's lap quickly tearing up. His wings covered his body, wrapping around himself like a security blanket for a scared child. He figured it would hide him from the monsters, especially the one that he had seen today. Techno sat up, peeking through the window by the couch. He shot a worried look towards Wilbur. "It's dad." He stated, gaze averting to Tommy. Tommy poked his head out of his wings at the mention of the word, which both Wilbur and Techno took as a good sign for the moment. They heard Phil hush Gizmo with a greeting, and heard him shuffle his wings before knocking on the door. Despite the worry for Tommy, they were very excited to see dad. Wilbur had tried to take Tommy with him, but after a brief few babbles from Tommy and a couple tears, Wilbur sat him on the floor so he could cry it out. Techno and Wilbur both stood near the door, happily awaiting comforting fatherly hugs. Techno unlocked the door, turning the knob before their dad walked in. Philza looked a bit tired and worn out, hair messy, and feathers all ruffled. He had a tired smile on his face, various animal hair coating his signature green coat and green and white striped hat. His tired smile immediately brightened as he saw Wilbur and Techno, and he opened his arms wide for them to embrace him. Techno and Wilbur wasted no time, each rushing forward and wrapping their arms around him. Wilbur nuzzled his face a little deeper than Techno did, but both inhaled the comforting and homey smell of their dad. Phil wrapped his arms around his boys, nuzzling into them. Oh how he had missed their antics all day, their craziness and unique attitudes each of them had. 

Thinking of crazy, he started to wonder where Tommy would be. Normally Tommy clung to Phil like an over attached puppy, but he was nowhere to be seen at the moment. It was surely too early for the energetic baby to sleep. He stood once both boys had pulled away from the hug, taking a moment to crack his old man back. "Where's Tom-" he asked, but before he could finish the question he already had his answer. Standing on the floor all on his own, confidently was his youngest. He didn't have time to get excited about Tommy standing on his own as he noticed a critical detail. Tommy stood, wings all fluffed up, raised over his head. Blue eyes pierced into Philza's soul, and Philza resisted fluffing up his own feathers out of pure instinct. Techno and Wilbur both looked back to Tommy, and started giggling. Perhaps it did look a bit silly for this 11 month old to try and look all big and tough, but Philza knew something was wrong. Say it was his dad's intuition or his knowledge of Avian hybrids, he knew Tommy didn't feel any hilarity in this situation. He knew what Tommy was doing was something only Avian hybrids did when they felt truly in danger. It was a fear tactic, much like how a cat will fluff up its fur and stand on its toes to appear much larger than whatever is scaring it. He knew this wasn't something Wilbur or Techno could have taught him, as this isn't something normal or something they had seen Phil do. They typically stop doing it when they hit puberty, or simply just grow a fair amount and feel safe enough to deal with danger. Phil reached his arms out to Tommy, kneeling down. He fluffed up his own feathers, before shaking his wings for a moment, purely communication, he was showing Tommy he wasn't a threat. Tommy's eyes flickered over to Philza's wings, then back to his eyes. A few tears welled up in his eyes, and Philza couldn't help but pity Tommy. He was so terrified, and Philza didn't even know of what. He couldn't deny, he missed his clingy baby, and was determined to get him back as soon as possible. As Philza inched closer and closer to Tommy, he started reaching out to Wilbur for comfort. His wings batted together, slapping themselves together to create noise that would try and scare Phil away. Phil wasn't phased, and as soon as he got within arms-length, he scooped Tommy up under his armpits. Tommy started wailing at this, crying as he kicked at Philza. Phil avoided what kicks he could, not wanting to feel Tommy's rage, and not wanting any bruises when he woke up the next day. Tommy started screaming, tears gushing down his face and onto his shirt. His eyes were all puffy and red, and Philza felt terrible for him. 

He didn't know if this was his fault, but considering he was the one that Tommy was trying to get away from, he felt guilty. Tommy reached towards both Techno and Wilbur, kicking at Philza's chest still. Phil sighed, still exhausted from the day, but knew he had to fix whatever this was, whatever was going on. He put his satchel on the floor, cradling Tommy under one arm in a football hold. Tommy could no longer kick, only just crying, tears dripping on the floor. Phil pulled two things out of the satchel, two bottles of shampoo. One smelled like wood, the other an ocean breeze. He offered the wood one to Techno, and the Ocean Breeze one to Wilbur. "I'll give you the other stuff later, go ahead and take showers, I'll call you two later for something. I love you both." They both looked at their respected soaps, smiling a little. They both mumbled love yous back, before racing one another down the hall to see who would shower first. 

Phil smiled fondly at the antics of his kids, before looking at Tommy. Tommy was still crying, but no longer struggled against Phil. He just hung there, arms and legs dangling towards the floor. A mixture of tears, snot, and drool was covering his hand that he had stuffed in his mouth for comfort. Phil tsked, rubbing his hand through the boy's hair. Tommy flinched much too hard for his liking, which caught Phil off guard. Maybe a bath would soothe whatever Tommy was going through? He cooed to Tommy, touching his cheek a few times as he walked himself to his bedroom, and then into the bathroom. Tommy seemed less upset as he started craning his neck to look at Phil, touching a few of his feathers that got close enough to Tommy's grasp. Phil made sure to lock the door so Tommy couldn't rush out, and sat Tommy on the ground near the bathtub. 

Tommy curled in on himself, trying to cover himself with his wings. He teethed on his hand, whimpering softly. Phil watched him pitifully, as he turned on the water and stuffed a washcloth down the drain to stop water flowing out of the bath. He bent down, opening the bottom of the sink. He shifted through some of the bottles, and a first aid kit, before finding a bottle of bubble bath. It was scented Lavender to aid in getting the child to sleep faster and soothe him. Phil put a soft hand on Tommy, lifting him up carefully. Tommy didn't strain against him, exhausted from fighting and a lack of a daily nap. He did watch the water flow into the bath though, peeking his interest. "Wanna make the bath fluffy?" Phil asked him, unscrewing the cap and handing him the bottle. Tommy sniffed at the bottle, before grinning and cheekily dumping almost half of the bottle into the water. Phil grabbed the bottle from him before he could empty it, chuckling. "That was a bit too much mate, but it'll do. You're gonna be good and squeaky clean." Tommy giggled as he watched the soap tint the water a light purple, and bubbles started forming where the faucet met the water. He made sure to tug on Philza's coat, and point to the water, eager to show his father what he had created. 

"I know, buddy." Philza said as he gently sat Tommy down on the downed toilet cover. He started stripping Tommy of his clothing, pulling off the shirt, pants, and then the onesie. He looked shocked as to how much dirt had accumulated on the baby during the day, but even more shocked as he got to Tommy's mid-section. It was covered in a nasty purple bruise, a fresh one at that. The bruise extended from his upper chest and around his stomach. He KNEW his older boys hadn't done this, as they weren't the one Tommy was scared of. If a bystander had looked in earlier, Phil would have been accused of child abuse. Phil ran his fingers carefully over the bruise, maybe he had fallen out of his crib, or off the porch? He had no idea, but he knew he would have to add a few drops of healing potion to his bottle tonight. He was careful as he stripped the child of the rest of his clothes, as he was starting to get squirmy and reaching for the bubble bath. Phil made sure the water wasn't too hot, and carefully lifted him up, before dipping him into the water. 

Tommy squealed before sinking into the water. He sat on his behind, hands grabbing at the bubbles. Tommy picked the bubbles up in his hands, showing them off to Phil. "Daadaaa?" Phil took a few of the bubbles off of his hand, scooping them up in a finger. He poked Tommy's nose, leaving the bubbles on the tip of it. "Boop." Tommy giggled, grabbing a handful of bubbles before smacking them on Philza's face. They went everywhere, some of them managing to get on one of Philza's tucked wings. Tommy seemed to be enjoying his bath well enough, as he started splashing in the water. Phil untucked one of his wings to use it as cover from the relentless splashes, chuckling. "Alright son, that's enough splashing, you're gonna get soap on the floor and one of us is gonna slip." Tommy babbled, copying Philza's tone, but stopped splashing at least. He started to show curiosity in a particularly big patch of bubbles. Phil took this short window of time to turn around, and grab the baby soap out of the cabinet. He heard a particularly large splash, and turned around. He started to panic as he realized he couldn't see Tommy, and sat up. He could see Tommy under the water, and quickly rushed to grab him. He lifted up the baby, so his head was above the water. "Tommy??" Tommy seemed unphased at least, no coughing, no water in his lungs or any such. 

"You can't do that son, you'll drown!" Philza scolded him, but Tommy just watched him, confused. Water dripped down his forehead and off his eyelashes, and he shook his wings a tiny bit. Phil made sure not to take his eyes off Tommy as he poured soap into a washcloth. He scrubbed all of the baby's body, being gentle around the bruise. Tommy hardly struggled, smiling content as he was moved around. Phil took extra soap to Tommy's wings, and preferred his hands over the washcloth. He gently combed through the fluff with his fingers, getting them all sudsy. Tommy was extra calm with this action, not even wiggling around an inch, just calmly babbling out a few "dadas." Once Phil was finished with the wings, he poured more soap on his hand, starting to run his fingers through Tommy's blonde hair, making sure to wash it well. He didn't notice as a drop of soap dripped down into Tommy's eye, causing Tommy to push himself away from Phil. He rubbed at his eyes, whimpering a few times. Phil couldn't couldn't grab water to flush his eye out before Tommy once again dipped his head under the water, before breaching up. Phil almost panicked before feeling kinda stupid as he watched his actions. Tommy was an Avian, of course he would know how to hold his breath underwater. Much like a bird in a birdbath, Tommy was trying to clean himself. Phil still stood on guard, watching him carefully. Tommy breached up from the water soon enough, shaking his wings off. His eye was only a tiny bit red from the irritation of the soap. He looked totally exhausted though, eyes half-lidded. 

Phil laughed a little, "sorry for fussing over you buddy." Tommy reached his hands out to his dad, yawning. Phil grabbed a soft towel, wasting no time in scooping Tommy up and placing a few kisses on his cheeks. "You're all nice and clean, ya smell so good." Tommy babbled back to him, grabbing at his cheeks when he was covered in kisses. Phil used the towel to dry him a little bit so he wouldn't be freezing, and laid him in the center of the bed in a pile of blankets. "I'll be right back, you stay here." He hurried his way into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle from the drying rack next to the sink. He fixed the bottle quickly, even tossing it in the microwave to heat it up a little. He shook the mixture, making his way back to Tommy. Tommy hadn't moved, just shivering a tiny bit, his eyes had wandered back onto his dad though, eyeing the bottle in his hands. Phil smiled at him, "gimme a second mate, gotta add something so that bruise will clear up." He dug through his dresser, finding his bottle of healing potion, and dripping a few drops into the bottle. It tinted the mixture a light pink as he shook the bottle up. He sealed his potion and put it back, walking back to Tommy. Tommy had little grabby hands out, and Phil put the bottle in his mouth. Tommy knew how to hold his bottle, so that's what he did. Phil appreciated it as he was able to use both of his hands, grabbing a clean diaper out of a box near the crib. He put it on Tommy, making sure to add baby powder. He wouldn't put a shirt on him, to keep a close eye on the bruise. 

Tommy wiggled around a tiny bit, watching Phil. The bottle started to slip out of his hands and he got a tiny bit fussy, grunting at the bottle. Phil grabbed himself some clothes from his dresser, a long green nightgown and some silk pants. He made his way into the bathroom, stripping down. He kinda wanted to take a shower, but drying his wings would be too much of a burden as he was exhausted. He just put on his night clothes, slotting his wings through the slits down the back of the gown. He gave his wings a quick stretch as he opened the bathroom door, and ruffled his feathers. Tommy, still laying on the blanket, tried to copy him, but his wings were much too damp still. The bottle was only half drank, discarded to the side of him. Sure, Tommy could've just grabbed it and finished it, but he was sleepy. So, with a roll of his eyes, Phil scooped up Tommy in his arm, snuggled him into the crevice, and put the bottle to his lips. Tommy seemed to be in absolute bliss as he suckled down the liquid quickly. This had reminded Phil of what he had gotten for Tommy at the town today. He got up, dropping the bottle to Tommy's dismay, and grabbed his satchel. It didn't take him long to rummage as his fingers found the soft plush quickly. He lifted it out, and brought it to Tommy's face. It was a little crocheted cow, almost an identical model of the cow that Tommy loved so much. It was almost the same size as Tommy, completely engulfing him, but he didn't seem to mind as he lifted it by its head. He stared in its button eyes for a moment, completely enveloped before nuzzling his face into it. Tommy babbled incoherently, drooling on the cow's face. 

"You like him, Tommy? He's pretty cute, huh?" Tommy just babbled still, legs kicking in excitement. Phil took this time to gently comb through Tommy's hair and dry it with a towel, then worked his way to his wings. Tommy still babbled at his cow, he must be a good listener. Once Phil was assured he was dry enough, and his wings were all fluffy again, he tucked him under a blanket on the bed. "Don't roll off, stay right here. I'm gonna go get Techno and Wilbur." He made sure to glance at him for a second more before making his way out of his room. He swiftly walked in the living room, and then down the hall. He didn't hear the shower running, so he figured they were both out of it. He walked up to Techno's room, making sure to knock on the door. He heard Techno and Wilbur inside, and smiled fondly as they giggled for a moment. "Come in, Dad." Phil turned the handle, letting himself inside. He wasn't phased as he watched Wilbur and Techno both criss-cross on his bed, both in sleep ware. He watched Wilbur braid Techno's damp hair, that was very long and almost down to his shoulders, even in a braid. They both looked to their dad, each giving a wave and a smile, even Wilbur who had a thick handful of Techno's hair. 

Phil rubbed his hands together before asking them a question. "Would you two possibly wanna sleep in my room tonight? You don't have to, I respect your privacy. I just figured maybe you'd want to, since we didn't spend any time together today? Tomorrow I'll make some pancakes for breakfast, and whatever you guys want for lunch and dinner. I got some movies too?" He seemed like he was trying to convince himself more than them. Truth was, his boys were growing up, and as he loved them with all of his heart, he hated watching it. He also had a thick lace of guilt in his tone, mostly from leaving them alone all day. Wilbur and Techno quickly caught on to the guilt, before looking to one another and quickly nodding. "Yeah, we will sleep with you, dad." Wilbur stated, tying one final hair tie at the bottom of Techno's braid. 

Wilbur grabbed his crocheted blue sheep he had with him since he was little, his name was Friend. Friend had been sitting in his lap beside Techno's hair. Techno grabbed his crown from off his table, and pushed it into his hair. They both scooched off of Techno's bed, pair of feet and hooves touching the ground. They laced their fingers together before following Phil. Phil couldn't be more ecstatic as he walked his way down the hall, turning off any lights. He opened his bedroom door, pulling a few extra blankets out of the closet. His bed was a king size, so it had no trouble holding the four of them. Phil placed swift kisses on Wilbur and Techno's foreheads as they got into bed. Techno scooped up Tommy, who had fallen asleep clutching his cow. They became situated, scooting around one another without waking Tommy up. Phil tossed the blankets on the bed before climbing in the left side of it. 

The order was as followed, Phil on the left side of the bed, laying on his side, facing his kids. Wilbur was next, then Techno, both facing their dad. Tommy was sprawled out over all three of them, wiggling around in his sleep. They were all content soon enough, eyes closing. Phil watched his boys fall asleep, loving each one as much as the day he had first met them. He yawned one last time before unfolding one of his wings, and laying it over the three of them like a canopy. He thought about how much he loved each of them, and how he would go to the ends of the earth and back for each one. Silence soon enough filled the house, along with the snores of four sleepy boys. 

Chapter Text

Screaming, that's all Techno heard. That all Techno had heard for the past three days. Through morning and through nights he wanted to rip his hair from his skull. The voices would shut up if he made himself sleep, this voice did not. This voice needed to be cared for 24/7, and needed every few hourly bottles, this voice hadn't shut up in three days. Techno was worried, babies shouldn't cry this long, they shouldn't drool this much, and they shouldn't refuse food for three days in a row. 

When you see a raccoon on your porch, you shoo it away or let it mind its business, yet when you see a newborn raccoon hybrid, you can't take the same route. When Techno had plucked up the child off of his porch, he never thought it would be like this, and normally it wasn't. The first night he had him, he wailed for hours on end, before being soothed by food in a village and a fresh pair of clothes. He had named him that night, Thomas Theseus Blade. Sure, it didn't roll off of the tongue, but it was good enough. Now that the baby had a name, Techno knew it was inevitable to get attached. Luckily the feeling had been mutual, and Tommy stayed quiet most days as long as Techno was holding him. Techno had picked up a book on parenting at the village, and learned a bunch of stuff about newborns, and supplies he needed. He had learned to make a swaddle, and Tommy had loved listening to Techno's pounding heartbeat no matter what he was doing. The days had been long, beautiful, and filled with cuteness. When Tommy was younger, Techno would swaddle him up while he farmed potatoes, only letting his tail hang out of the swaddle. Tommy's tail was almost as long as he was, ringed and fluffy. His ears would always be swiveled to the front of his head, watching Techno with intensity until he fell asleep to the swaying of his body. Once they had reached the six month mark, Techno would lay Tommy on the ground in the dirt, watching him roll around, eat handfuls of dirt, and bat at flowers that were twice his size. The wolves would always guard him like they would a pup of their own, growling at butterflies who neared. The days would always end with Tommy being swaddled and pulled to Techno's chest once again. 

They had gone almost seven months like that, seven months of blissful peace. That was, until one off night where Tommy started wailing. The crying had been loud, and ferocious, he seemed upset. Techno had offered him a bottle, one of Tommy's favorite things, only for it to be smacked away and any liquid he got in his mouth gargled between cries. Nothing he could do would soothe the child, he would pace around his house, bouncing Tommy in his arms. It had worked the first day, able to get him to fall asleep for thirty minutes at a time. He would start up again not long after. He tried everything, toys, bottles, pacifiers, stuffed animals, going on walks in the stable, nothing had worked. To say Techno was lost on what to do was an understatement, normally being lost meant not understanding a math problem and having to have someone explain it to you. If that was lost, Techno was three hundred thousand miles deep into the Amazon rainforest without a map. Sure, he had thought about grabbing a firm pillow off of his bed and pushing it down over Tommy's face for a solid 3 to 5 business minutes. MAYBE he wasn't quite fit out for this. Sure, maybe he should've given Tommy to Phil at first sight, and soured away from the thought of raising a hybrid infant on his own in the literal middle of nowhere. But it was too late now, and whether it was up to debate that Techno was selfish for keeping Tommy, he didn't care.

There he sat now, Tommy pressed against his chest, laying on a rag that kept the unstoppable flow of drool and spit from staining his cape. Tommy seemed content enough in Techno's arms, if it wasn't for the screaming. Techno had given him a few drops of healing potion at a time, it was enough to give him peace and quiet for fifteen minutes. The cries had become hoarser over the course of three days, and Techno wondered how Tommy still had a voice, although he could tell it wasn't for long with how deep it got as he screamed his throat raw. The potion was probably partially to blame. The crying worried Techno even more as a thought had come to his head, maybe whatever Tommy was suffering from was meant to happen, biological even. Nobody dropped off healthy babies at random people's doorsteps, or so he thought. Tommy had been getting skinnier, all the weight Techno had struggled to put on him the past few months was getting thin. Techno wondered if he should start digging a hole in the garden for his body, but kicked himself for thinking that. Tommy was strong, he was the Blade's son for goodness sake, he would survive. 

Techno bounced Tommy on his leg, watching as Tommy stared up at him, pleading in his wet, puffy and red eyes. "I don't know what you want from me, Tommy." Techno admitted, speaking to him. "If you're hungry, you won't stop spitting up any food I offer you. Maybe if you stopped crying, you could eat." He felt dumb. Techno ran a hand through his unkempt hair, he couldn't shower since he couldn't leave Tommy for any time. He didn't even spare a glance in any mirror lately, knowing he would have bags under his red eyes, his piglin snout would droop with tiredness. If someone would have told The Blade, a man who had stories of striking down a hundred people without gaining a scratch, that he would look like this. That he would be raising and trying to negotiate with a screaming baby, he probably would've laughed, or cried, or both. 

"Do you want some potion, Tommy? I have some more, just try to calm down, you're gonna hurt yourself crying for so long." Of course Tommy wouldn't respond, but he had read that talking was good for kids to learn speech patterns and how to pronounce letters of the alphabet. Tommy's tail curled around Techno's hand, which rested on his back. Tommy's ears were pinned to the back of his head, and Techno just sighed in exhaustion. He loved Tommy, he absolutely adored the child and wouldn't change his situation for any in the world, he just wished his son wouldn't be crying and starving himself to death in his arms. 

Nonetheless, Techno stood, bouncing Tommy into a cradled position in his arms. The walk from the couch to the potions room was short, all he had to do was go down a ladder. It was tedious work, balancing a baby and himself, yet he had become an expert on it through the months. Techno grabbed a pacifier off of his desk, laying Tommy on the ground for a moment. He used both of his hands to pop the cork on the healing potion, slipping the pacifier into the sparkly liquid. He let it sit there for a moment, and scooped Tommy up in his arms again. "You ready for the pacifier, huh, Tommy?" One of Techno's ears perked up, and the hair on his nape bristled. The wolves were howling outside, and one of the ones inside barked viciously. Techno clutched Tommy closer to his chest in fear. If someone who had a personal problem with him knew he had Tommy, he would one hundred percent be used as a pawn over Techno. Techno wasted no time in getting the pacifier out of the jug, and rushing his way up to his bedroom. He popped the pacifier into Tommy's mouth, which hushed the cries immediately as he feverishly suckled on the plastic. As much as Techno would love to pull Tommy close to him, snuggling him now that he was quiet, he didn't have any time to. He laid Tommy down in a tiny bassinet, and pushed it into his closet. "Please, Tommy, don't cry. I will be back for you. Just let dad take care of it, okay?" Tommy grabbed one of his fingers, tugging on it, and Techno took that as answer enough. He pulled his finger from his grasp, and shut the closet door. 

Techno waited a moment by the door, not hearing any sort of cry, he took it as a good sign. Maybe Tommy would listen. Techno ran to his enderchest by his bed, shoving it open and grabbing his full set of enchanted netherite armor, and the Axe of Peace. He never thought he would have to use this stuff again, hoping to shove it away. Rushing down the ladder, he grabbed a few potions of healing, and one of strength, leaving the opened one out on his counter, and hopping back upstairs. He was supposed to be retired from all this, from fighting. Nobody knew where he was besides his brother and dad, and he knew it wasn't them, as they normally decided to send letters before coming. Looking out the window, he saw a foreign horse tied to a tree in his yard. The wolf that sat on his couch, named Violet, snarled as she stared out the window. Techno called her to his side, gripping the axe tightly in his hand. Maybe it was just someone lost, he hoped, but something told him this wasn't true. His hand faltered as he grabbed onto the handle, he had to do this for his safety, and for Tommy's safety. Three raps on his door, made by a fist would be heard. Techno opened it right away, shoving himself forward, only to stumble back in shock. 

On his porch stood two people, his father, dressed in his signature look with his wings behind his back, and his brother, who wore a backpack and a yellow sweater. "Fuck, hi, dad."

Philza and Wilbur both looked shocked, perhaps it was because they were underdressed, or maybe they had forgotten how terrifying Techno looked with his armor on. They instinctively backed up, holding their arms up. Techno dropped his arm down that held the axe, swiftly hooking it to his belt clip. He felt awkward, watching them scoff with concerned smiles on their faces. "Quite a hello, son." Phil brought up with a chuckle, eyeing Techno up and down. Wilbur did the same to him, and Techno was quick to start taking off his armor and laying it on the porch. "I wasn't expecting either of you to join me at my humble abode, apologies." He waved Violet off, watching her stalk back into the house. 

"No, no, it's our fault for not sending a letter, we kinda wanted to surprise you with a visit!" Phil said as he clenched his hands together, when Techno slipped off the last of his armor. 

Wilbur was quick to speak up. "You look like shit, brother, are you good?" Shit. Was it that noticeable, Techno didn't think it was, yet he hadn't even looked into a mirror in the past few days. "Hello to you too, Wilbur." Techno said monotonous. 

"Is everything okay in there? We heard some crying, are you okay?" Phil asked, and Techno swore he felt his blood freeze over, go to hell, and then get dunked in ice again. He didn't know if he wanted them to know about Tommy. Sure, they were family, and he trusted them with his life, but with how skinny Tommy looked, what if they thought he was neglecting him and took him away. He didn't have time to think of that now, however, he needed an excuse. "Oh, yeah, Violet smacked her head on the wall running in here, she started yelping?" It seemed more of a question than a statement, but if they didn't buy it they showed no sign of it. They just nodded, shifting on the porch. 

Wilbur cocked his brow, pointing at Techno's shoulder. "You have a… wet spot there, Tech." It had been where he rested Tommy's head on his shoulder, it was a little puddle of spit and tears. Techno wanted to die, to curl up in a little ball and pass away on the floor. He needed another excuse, and came up with one quite fast. "There is a, um, there's a leak in my ceiling, yeah."

"Techno… it's not raining." Wilbur lifted his brow, Phil just looked plain confused. 

"AHEM, um, yeah! Come in, make yourself at home, please." Techno was sure his heart was gonna give out at any second. 

They didn't question him any longer, moving their way into his house as he stepped back. Wilbur pulled his backpack off, laying it on the floor. It took him a solid three seconds to notice Violet laying on the couch, and another two to run over to her. He gathered her cheeks in his hands, affectionately cooing to the canine. "You're such a good girl, yes you are. You're so pretty." Techno blocked him out quickly, nerves too on end. "Would you like some tea, Phil?" 

Phil bowed his head in affirmation. "Yes, tea would be lovely, thank you Techno. You sure you're alright, mate? You look feverish, like you haven't slept. I can't remember the last time you didn't wear the crown I had gotten you." Ah yes, the crown, the staple of his 'brand'. He had to take it off months ago when Tommy wouldn't stop trying to reach up and gnaw at it, he was afraid a gem would slip down his throat so he stopped wearing it in general. He filled the kettle with enough water for the three of them, and one of Tommy's bottles for later. He laid it on the stove, trying to busy his hands as he turned the burner on. "Yes, well it slipped off of my head while I was farming, I wasn't able to find it for a few days, so once I found it I put it in my room. Didn't wanna lose something Dadza gave me." Techno gave him a smile to really sell it, and he supposed it did as Phil sat in a chair beside the kitchen table, crossing his legs. Wilbur was still playing with Violet, having a ball in his hand he tossed for her, praising her when she caught it. 

"So, what brings you here? Not many people who are sane take a trip to the middle of nowhere, especially to travel." He couldn't lie to himself and say he wasn't excited to see Phil and Wilbur, he was, but there had to have been a catch. There always was a catch. 

"Can't we just visit our loving family member?" Phil asked, crossing his hands in his lap. 

"No, that makes me more suspicious, what do you ask of me?" Techno looked between Phil and Wilbur, who had disregarded the dog and walked into the kitchen, standing at the doorway. 

"Well… we wanted to ask you if you would like to come live with us again." Techno scoffed, he'd heard this conversation a thousand times over, and turned on his heel. Truthfully, it had been a year since they last asked it, it had been a firm no. If he didn't have Tommy, maybe this time he would've accepted. 

"No, no, Techno don't give me that. Hear me out first before you judge it. We moved again, closer to a town. It's more modern there, and there's humans amongst hybrids." A sparkle of hope in Techno's eyes emerged, but it was quickly stomped out again. "We live far enough away from the town, enough for privacy but it's a ten minute walk there on horseback. We have a nice farm, a few cows, some sheep and pigs. There would be plenty of room for a potato farm, we could make that happen." 

"No one judges dad there, they all think he's really cool looking and some human kids ask him about his wings." Wilbur chipped in, and it seemed he and Phil were on the same page of wanting Techno back with them. "We even have you a room set up in the house, it's large, and big enough for you." But could it be large enough for him and a child? "There's a spare plot beside it, you could make your own house if you wanted privacy!" They seemed to be finished with their convincing momentarily, leaving Techno to weigh it over in his mind. He tumbled the thought back and forth. Being near a town seemed nice, there would probably be a school, and Tommy would need to go there eventually. Yet he couldn't help but worry, towns with hybrids integrated were normally attacked first by hateful humans. He was too tired to argue with them both, but they were stubborn. He had a feeling he wouldn't get out of this easily. 

"You guys act like you two blending in was hard to accomplish, Wilbur's a damn human, and Phil can hide his wings easily. I'm a three hundred pound plus piglin hybrid, it's not gonna be easy for me to integrate into that." Techno spoke, checking the kettle and reaching into his upper cabinet to grab tea bags. He grabbed adjacent mugs, laying them onto the cabinet. "Plus, what happens if someone has heard of me, and I have to go back into hiding again? It'll make our family a target."

Phil hummed, ready to speak, but Wilbur had him beat. "That's where you're wrong, my dear brother. We have a few neighbors who live closer to us, about five minutes away. Ram hybrids, but they have most of the features. It's a sister and brother, Puffy and Schlatt, Schlatt has a kid. They're not… y'know. Anyways, they fit in perfectly, never had a bad experience from what they told us. Schlatt's kid is one of the cutest I've seen, he's like one and a half now, when we got there he was only six months. His name is Tubbo, and he was so fluffy and energetic, they come over sometimes for conversations, or we babysit, you could meet them." 

Techno scoffed, but not for the reason they thought. He scoffed because of how Wilbur spoke about the kid, if they saw Tommy his cuteness would beat that kid's record. As much as he loved the thought, and as well as they were doing convincing him, it would be difficult. He couldn't just bring Tommy out of his current hiding place, along with his bassinet and million other things, and just be like "yeah well here's your new grandchild and nephew, surprise!" It was a good idea, but not a plausible one at the moment. "Can this wait, I dunno, a few years?" 

"No." They spoke in unison. "We're staying here until you agree to come with us, you never write to us anymore, we don't want to do a yearly visit only to find your bones on the floor." Phil said, and Wilbur added into it "you love us, don't you?" The kettle had started to whistle, signifying the water boiling hot. He tilted the water into the three mugs, watching the tea stain the water a dark brown. 

"Yes, I love the two of you, but you're very annoying to deal with. I'm just not in the right position to move, currently. I have things to deal with here. If it helps you sleep at night, you can drive a hard bargain. Maybe in a few years." Techno stirred into their tea as they liked it, both with a splash of milk and Phil liked sugar. Techno liked his own tea with nothing added. The kettle still whistled, causing his ears to flatten as well as they could. He gave them the cups, and gestured for Wilbur to sit at the table with him. Techno was enveloped in his tea, sipping the warm liquid. It was hot, but definitely hit the spot after what he had been dealing with for the past three days. 

Phil and Wilbur looked like he had slaughtered someone in front of them, looking around the house. He froze in his spot, watching them, had he given them the wrong type of tea? Violet was whimpering, running and laying beside the ladder. He didn't understand what was going on, and had to ask. "What, what's going on, why has everyone gone crazy?" 

"Do you have a child? There's crying." Phil stated. Techno wasted no time in standing up, clutching the Axe of Peace in his hand. Phil eyed him up and down, worry written on his face. Wilbur looked terrified, backing up into his chair. 

Techno didn't know how he hadn't heard Tommy crying, maybe it was because of the kettle still whistling. That must've been the culprit to waking him up, identifying the sound of a kettle with a bottle. Or maybe he was just screaming again, it's not like it would be the last time. He had to think on how to handle this, it wasn't like he was going to be able to hide Tommy forever in his closet, yet he didn't wanna do this so soon. "If you two think about hurting him, I'll kill you right here, right now. I need your… I need your promise that you won't try and take him. I don't want to threaten you, and even less to kill you." His breath was shaky, but Wilbur and Phil simply looked confused, but compliant. 

"Yes, Techno, we understand." Phil said, and Wilbur nodded slowly, still fearful. Techno checked their faces for any signs that they were lying, but came up empty handed. He clipped his axe back to his belt, and walked towards the ladder. 

People weren't supposed to get used to a baby crying for this hard, or this long, and learn to expect it. A voice in the back of his head spoke. 

Well, people aren't supposed to get used to hearing voices, yet here we are. The voice shut up just as fast as it started, bested by Techno's logic. 

Once Techno hit the ground, he started to feel awful for snapping at them like he did, perhaps it was the sleep deprivation getting to him. He didn't know as he walked into his room, and sure enough, the wailing was coming from his closet. He opened it wide enough, and got down on his knees. Tommy laid in his bassinet, pacifier beside his head. His cheeks were blotched red, and his tail was curled around his ankle. Once he caught sight of Techno, his ears sprung up high, and he reached towards his dad. "Hello, Theseus. We have visitors." There was a certain fondness in his voice that only Tommy would ever hear. He scooped Tommy up into his arms, taking the pacifier with him. He grabbed one of the tiny red baby blankets off his bed as well, wrapping it around him. The crying was subdued, only a few quiet whimpers as he got to work drooling on Techno's chest. Techno placed a few kisses on his head, and then cradled him under one arm, making his way near the ladder. There was no use in checking his diaper, but maybe he'd be up for a bottle today. Tommy grabbed a handful of his dad's shirt, shoving it in his mouth and chewing on it. Techno didn't have enough sleep in his system to care much, taking care to walk down the ladder safely. 

Wilbur and Phil's eyes lit up as they saw Techno hop onto the ground. Their eyes were both trained on the red, certainly not quiet bundle gnawing a wet spot into his shirt. Techno rubbed the crown of his head with his palm, running his hand through his blonde locks. "Well, this is what I've been busy with, the reason I haven't been able to respond to any letters." 

Techno knew they had so many questions for him, like where did he get a child, and was it his? He decided to brief them up on it, moving his arms so more of Tommy's cute face was shown to them. "His name is Thomas, I just call him Tommy most of the time. He'll respond to it, and look at you. He showed up on my porch out of nowhere, I wanted to letter you both at first, offering him to Phil to raise, as I'm not exactly fit to be a parent." He blew out a breath of air, listening to Tommy start to fuss again and cry. "I got attached too quickly, he was just so small and so dependant, and I got addicted to taking care of him. Sorry about the crying, he's been doing this for the past three days. I think somethings wrong with him, so, enjoy him while he sticks around, I guess?" It was hard for him to say out loud, as saying it out loud was basically admitting he knew his child was going to die. He released a breathy chuckle to rid himself of some tension, a few tears filling into his eyes. 

Phil's heart was broken, watching Techno and Tommy clung to each other like they were all they had left. He wanted to help them, and stood up, walking to Techno's side and resting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not gonna hurt him, let me help. You said all he did was cry? I'll sit across from you, beside Wilbur. This isn't my first child, I've taken care of you two. Let me help you, son." Techno clutched onto Tommy a little harder, it was hard to let go, but Techno missed his sweet little boy who gurgled and laughed all day. Techno just gave a quick nod, lifting Tommy up, and placing him gently into Phil's arms. This didn't stop the crying, in fact it made it worse. Techno felt his heart shatter as he slipped his finger from Tommy's grasp. 

Phil walked back to his seat, slowly bouncing the baby. It didn't help in the slightest, and Phil laid him down on the table. Wilbur looked to Techno for consent, "can I touch him?" Techno replied with a quiet "yeah." Wilbur wasted no time in reaching over, pulling on one of Tommy's hands. "Hi Tommy… you're so cute." He cooed to him, and Tommy turned his head over at the sound of his name. A tear dropped out of his eye, falling to the table in a little puddle. Wilbur wiped the tear away, booping Tommy's nose. Tommy wasn't impressed it would seem, as he kept crying, shoving his free fist into his mouth.

Phil lifted Tommy's legs, squeezing various parts of his body to check for a reaction. "Anything else you can tell me, Techno?" Techno moved his hand, petting behind Tommy's ears, mostly to calm his own nerves. "Well, he hasn't eaten in three days, he'll cry and drool, like I said, he used to be a really happy kid. Giggles and relative silence, all of that. It was like a switch flipped one night, we were playing and he started getting fussy. He just never stopped crying after it." Phil hummed, urging him to continue, but seemed more frantic in movements after hearing he hadn't eaten. He put his ear to his chest, listening for a moment and then pulling away. "I don't know, Phil, I'm scared he's going to die. So I've been giving him a few drops of healing potion for his throat, and it'll stop him crying for enough time to sleep, but he'll wake up and do the same thing once again." Phil had recognition in his eyes, and he pulled Tommy's fist out of his mouth, replacing it with one of his own fingers. 

"Shit, I got it, mate. He's teething. See how red his gums are? I made the same mistake with you, back when your tusks were growing, I bet you don't remember that." Phil stood, walking to the freezer, pulling out a few cubes of ice from a tray. He rushed back over, sitting Tommy up on his back, leaning against his arm, and put a cube of ice in his hands. Tommy flinched his hand away from the cold, and put his fist up to his mouth. The wailing stopped quickly, and Tommy gurgled a few times on the ice cube. He was propped up now on his butt, looking around the room. There were two new foreign people here, who he was closest to. Tommy watched both of them, staring at their faces, and furrowed his brow. "Aaaaah." Tommy turned his head toward Techno, and reached his free hand out to him, almost falling on his stomach. Techno caught him, and reeled him in, pulling him close to his chest. His eyes were still puffy, cheeks flushed, and voice a bit hoarse, but they'd work on it soon enough. 

"I feel like I just got judged by a baby." Wilbur stated nonchalantly, before patting his legs to call Violet over. Phil watched Techno coo to Tommy, he felt like this was the happiest he'd seen his son. "When you put the healing potion on the gums, it'll cause whatever progress the teeth have coming in to get covered up again, and it's just painful in general. You'll have to let him cry it out, ice will numb the gums, and you can use pain meds, nothing that'll heal. He should eat now that they're numbed for a little, if you wanna try it. And trust me, I won't judge you if he's skinnier. Remember how tiny Wilbur was? I'm pretty sure people thought I would starve the feeble bastard." Phil ruffled Wilbur's hair, and Wilbur shoved his hand away without malicious intent. 

"You're just mad I was a cuter baby than you were, old man." Wilbur said as he flattened his hair again, poking his tongue out at his dad. 

"You haven't even seen my baby pictures, Will!" 

"That's because you're embarrassed of how ugly you were so you hid them. I'll find them one day." 

Techno held Tommy in one arm as he poured the water from the kettle into one of the baby bottles. Adding two scoops of powder to it, and then putting the nipple on it. He shook it up with his one hand, and let it settle, listening to his family bicker. While it settled, he grabbed a bib from the drawer, putting it on Tommy. It read in bold lettering "Daddy's Favorite" but he didn't have any other ones washed, and it technically wasn't a lie either. His face heated up, but Tommy looked at him with wide eyes, staring at his bottle. Techno lifted the bottle up to his mouth, and Tommy spit the ice out onto his bib to melt. He took the nipple into his mouth, and suckled down the liquid. Techno sighed in relief, after a few days, his son was eating again. Tommy's ears perked up, and he stared at the features on Techno's face. Techno gave a swift kiss to his forehead, not trying to hide the uncharacteristic display of affection. 

As content as he was with Tommy laying in his arms alone, he walked over to Phil, gesturing for him to open his arms. Trust, trust was the one thing Techno knew he had to have. He trusted Phil and Wilbur, and needed them to know he did. Phil questioningly eyed him, before holding out his arms. Techno placed Tommy into them, and nudged Wilbur's chair closer. Tommy whimpered a few times as he was shifted around, and the bottle was pulled from his mouth. Phil pushed the bottle back into his mouth, and watched Tommy not suckle. He eyed Phil curiously, looking all over his face. This certainly wasn't a face he was used to looking at, but after staring, he started drinking the bottle again. Phil and Tommy made intense eye contact, and Wilbur used his hands to pet Tommy's tail, reveling in how soft it was. Tommy reached his arm up, grabbing a thick handful of Phil's hair. He winced in advance, expecting a hard tug on it, but instead Tommy just pushed it around in his hand, then released it. He poked at Phil's nose, and the rest of his facial features, his ears at the front of his head in curiosity. 

While they took care of Tommy, the idea of him being safe and cared for caught up to him, and unfortunately so did exhaustion. Techno walked into the living room, sprawling out on his huge couch, there was still more space on it. He cracked his joints and bones as he stretched, enjoying the peaceful aura in his house. He didn't sleep, simply just laying with his eyes closed. 

Tommy had finished his bottle fairly quickly, and Phil put him over his shoulder to burp him. It only took a few pats on the back before he inevitably burped, and Phil pulled him off, putting him back onto the table so he could sit himself up. Normally babies would be drowsy after eating, but not this one. He had a determined look on his face, like he was gonna take over the world. His tail dragged behind him, and his ears twitched towards Wilbur. Wilbur froze on the spot, giving him a wave. Tommy babbled at him, mostly just a conjointment of vowels. He reached his arms out to him, and Wilbur looked at Phil. "I dunno why you're looking at me mate, it's obvious he wants you. I'm gonna go braid Techno's hair, so good luck." Phil lifted himself off the chair, and walked over to where Techno laid. He nudged Techno's head, and he lifted it with a groan. While it was lifted, Phil slipped underneath it, lying Techno's head on his legs. He started to rake his fingers through the coarse hair, and Techno had started purring. He did it often when he was in bliss, but Phil hadn't heard it in a while. If he had to guess, he would figure the action arose again to help Tommy sleep faster. 

Wilbur reached forward, hooking Tommy under his armpits, and pulled him close to him. He had noticed a box of toys in the room earlier, thinking they were for the wolves, but he guessed he was mistaken. He pulled Tommy into the middle of the room, sitting criss crossed on the floor with him. Tommy batted at his glasses, trying to steal them off of his face. Wilbur sifted through the box, sitting him down on the floor in front of him. He pulled out a few rattles, toys that crinkled, and some plastic ones that looked like he could chew on. Tommy pulled one of the rattles into his hand, shaking it in the air. "Aaaaabaaa." He smacked Wilbur with it on the leg, and looked at him for a reaction. Wilbur just gasped out loud "ouch, you hit me buddy!" 

Tommy giggled, leaning forward into his lap and laying on it. The drool spot was none of Wilbur's concern as he looked at Phil. "Fuck, Dad, I think I like him better than Tubbo. Look at how cute he is." 

"I'd hope so, Will, you're his uncle now." Wilbur gasped, lifting Tommy into the air, pressing a few kisses onto his cheeks. "I'm an uncle to you now, you little shithead. I'm gonna be the coolest uncle ever, gonna get you involved in so many drugs. We're gonna be drug lords in our town." He over exaggerated a few kisses onto Tommy's cheeks, listening to the baby squeal loud with giggles. Wilbur pretended he didn't feel the burning gaze of an overprotective father into the side of his head. "Wait, dad, that means you're a grandpa you old bastard."

Phil groaned, pulling Techno's eyes back closed as he braided. "I hoped you wouldn't bring it up, that maybe you'd forget. But yes, I am a grandpa. It's funny, I always thought Wilbur would be the irresponsible one to have a kid first." 

"To be completely fair to Tommy and I, he wasn't exactly planned. He kinda showed up." Techno spoke, purrs emitted in between every few words. 

"Hush, Techno. Rest." Phil quarreled with him, but it was fruitless. His instincts wouldn't let him sleep until Tommy was asleep first. Thankfully, Tommy looked like he was falling asleep quickly, as was Wilbur. 

Wilbur yawned, kissing Tommy's forehead, and pulling him close. Tommy whimpered once, kicking Wilbur's arm. "Goblin child. I'm going to spoil the shit out of you." Tommy pulled his own fingers into his mouth, suckling on them, his eyes fluttering closed. Wilbur stood, walking over to Techno and Phil. He moved Tommy onto Techno's chest, and his arms instinctively went up to cradle him to his chest. It was adorable watching this huge buff piglin cradle a tiny infant to his chest. The purring got increasingly louder, and Techno shifted to get more comfortable. Phil had his hands full braiding, laughing as he watched Wilbur pull himself so he was squished between Techno and the couch. It didn't look very comfortable for him, but he laid down anyway. The purring must've worked exceptionally well on all three of them, because soon enough after Tommy had fallen asleep, Techno was soon to follow, then Wilbur. The breathing was rythmatic, all of them in sync except for Tommy who breathed a bit faster, emitting breathy cooes. Phil grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch, it was a pink knitted throw, and he laid it over Techno, Wilbur, and pulled it up to Tommy's neck. It had been a bitch to manuever, but seeing how cute his boys and new-found grandson were together, it had all been worth it. He got back to work braiding Techno's hair, but if he was lulled to sleep by the purrs and the body heat, no one would know. They slept together, the four of them, a mismatched and new family, yet none would trade it for the world. 

It had taken less than a few hours to convince Techno to move in with them. They promised to keep Tommy safe, and Tommy had gotten attached to playing with Wilbur when he was awake. Tommy's teeth had come in two days after their arrival, and he had razor sharp little chompers in the bottom of his mouth. It took two weeks for them to pack up all of the stuff in the back of a wagon, and Phil had left a week earlier to prepare Techno's room and baby proof the house. Techno packed up his more domesticated wolves, leaving the ones that were solely there for protection to guard the house and live on the land. He made sure to bring along his horses and all of their gear as well. By the time they had gotten to the house, Wilbur's promise of spoiling Tommy had not fallen on deaf ears. The room was packed with toys, and other things to play with, and the cabinets were filled with bottles and sippy cups. 

The first week there had been tedious, Techno hadn't felt safe, and Violet had been left to guard the door. He remembered deep into the night, playing with Tommy and tickling him, listening to his laughs ring out into his room. Tommy had reached forward, grabbing onto Techno's face, stared him into the eyes and cooed out "daaada." He had hoisted Tommy up in the air, and gone to show Phil and Wilbur in the house. As he bounced Tommy in his arms, Phil and Wilbur praising him for talking, he knew at that moment that maybe everything would turn out just fine. 

Chapter Text

Vermin were annoying, in Phil's mind. Sure, some of them looked cute, such as racoons and opossums when you see them climbing trees or stumbling around your yard rooting for bugs in the dirt. They were so curious and fluffy and Phil genuinely didn't have a problem with them. However, when said species dig in your garbage cans and fling around garbage into your yard beside the bins, they can get a little irritating. 

Philza had a bit of an issue. It had started about a month ago, life had been fairly normal. He lived in a cottage about a mile away from a nice little town named Village (ironic, right?) His job was simple, he lived there and farmed with his two adopted piglin sons. Wilbur, and Techno. They were sixteen years old, twins he rescued from the nether, and an absolute handful if he had to be honest. Wilbur looked more human than Techno did, yet he still did animalistic things such as purr and chuff. He had tiny tusks that barely stuck up past his lip when his mouth was closed, and a tiny tail he wagged like a dog when he was happy. Techno was more animalistic, he looked almost exactly like a piglin, yet his hands were more defined, that was about it. They were fairly territorial of their property, and such snuggly lovebugs whenever it was time to spend time with each other, although neither would be caught dead giving affection in the town. 

Speaking of the town, dealing with that was easy as well. All they asked was that people put trash cans out near the end of the driveway in the street so trucks could come and pick them up and there would be less littering. That was easy as well, until it wasn't. For the past month, Phil had dealt with waking up every morning to the trash cans absolutely destroyed. He could understand it at first, as it was fall, soon to become winter and food was a bit more scarce this time of year. But the entire thing had seemed so out of nowhere, one day the bins were fine and the next they were constantly toppled over. Phil had tried almost everything, he had put bricks around the cans to stop them from toppling over, he thought it would work, but woke up to see the bricks shoved to the side and trash everywhere. Then he had tried a trash can lock, it had worked for one day, a singular day, the next night the lock was discarded off to the side, and once again, trash laid out everywhere. He had one more trick up his sleeve, obviously he was getting outsmarted by an animal, so to save himself some pride he grabbed a trap from a store in town. The trap wouldn't hurt the animal, only catch him so he could relocate it elsewhere. He filled it up with different foods, some fresh fruit and peanut butter. It would be a good last meal at Phil's house.

And yet, he had sat at the front of his porch the next morning, once again humbled by the creature. His trash can had been spared that night, yet the trap had not. The trap was triggered, yet all of the food was stolen out of it. To say Philza was fucking confused was an understatement, he was astonished. The early morning chill caused his cheeks to redden and his nose to crinkle, so he turned on his heel, heading back inside to make himself a warm beverage before his boys woke up. His kids knew what had been going on, and they found it more funny than Phil did. Of course they had, they weren't the ones waking up at the asscrack of dawn to clean up garbage. They insisted on hiding in the bushes around the trashcan all night, with a crossbow to shoot whatever was digging in their trash cans and eat it for dinner. He had scolded them for that idea, one only territorial teenage boys could conjure up. Philza didn't hate the creature, and he surely didn't want to watch it die, he kinda took it as a game at this point. It was humorous to watch himself be outsmarted by an animal time and time again. 

Phil had left food out in the trap for a few days, when it seemed he was still being bested, he got rid of the trap and just started leaving it out on a plate. Sure, he was breeding bad habits for the animal, but it was better than watching his bins be toppled over every day. This endeavor had carried on for two weeks, each day his bins were spared from the wrath of the animal. Yet, as fall turned into winter quite quickly, and the temperature started dropping, as did his bins once again. He hadn't stopped leaving out food, not once, but it didn't seem to be enough. This not only caused frustration, but more confusion. Animals such as racoons didn't hibernate, but they entered a state of torpor, where their metabolism would slow and they would sleep more. Winter always caused them to snap into this state, yet for the creature it defied these rules of nature. 

He had debated getting cameras, but what good are cameras when you are forced to watch whatever creature it is overturn your bins? He decided against them fairly quickly, as it would just be a waste of money. Besides, he had other things to worry about, like taking care of Wilbur and Techno, making sure they wouldn't get into any trouble as they were off from school for the entire winter. He had decided that tonight would be a movie night, so he compiled a few Disney movies he had, mostly ones they hadn't seen, and grabbed multiple bags of microwavable popcorn. No matter the age, Wilbur nor Techno ever fussed over their dad caring for them. It was built into their hybrid brains the need for a pack, and that typically overrides any teen embarrassment. 

Phil so dearly loved his kids as he popped on the movie, they were all fairly engrossed in it. Wilbur was under his left arm, with Techno under his right, and both of Phil's wings draped over their bodies like fleece blankets. Phil kept a quiet murmur of a purr in his throat and into his chest, soothing his kids. They both reciprocated the purrs back to him, loud rumblings deep in the base of their chest. Although they were both way larger than him, they were essentially tiny kittens in huge piglin bodies. They would chuff occasionally if something exciting happened, and Phil would chirp to them. It was soothing, and they stayed like that until the late hours of the night. It almost made Phil forget about his little trash can problem.

Almost. 

Maybe if the purring pile was a little louder, it would've drowned out the sounds from outside. But Techno's folded pig ears flicked towards the door, and all three of them craned their necks to look at it. A loud thunk from outside, along with some rummaging. Phil was partially thankful, he would be able to catch a glimpse of the animal. He sat up quickly, both of his boys had stopped purring and turned to a more territorial snort or grunt. Phil purred at them quietly, emitting a few reassuring chirps to soothe their minds and tense muscles. He didn't grab any sword, not thinking he would need it. Techno stood, trailing behind Phil as he walked. Phil slowly opened the door, flicking the porch light on. He slipped onto the porch, keeping the door open as he didn't wanna make any excessive noise by closing it. The chilly wind whipped through his feathers, causing them to disarray and fluff. It was freezing out, and his cheeks had a rosy tint already from being exposed for almost a minute. He creeped his way to the edge of the porch, and bit back a gasp in shock, not that his trashcan was being angrily swayed, but WHAT it was being swayed by. 

Clung onto the corner of his trash can, using its weight to swing it back and forth was a child. They were frail, and wore only a t-shirt and shorts, both having chunks of fabric taken out of them and sliced up. Not only was it a kid, it was a HYBRID, he could tell only by what the measly porch light revealed, but it had a long, gray and black ringed tail. It was currently using momentum to swing back and forth, knocking the trash can back and forth before it eventually tipped over. They chittered quietly, not noticing Phil inching closer off his porch over to them. They dug around cautiously, and Phil could see just how poor its health was. Its ribs were showing through the tears in the shirt, and the pants were hardly being kept up, he could see the dip in their hip bones. Its collarbone was prominent against its neck and shoulders. Everything about it was just so poor, and it made Phil sick. He knew hybrids weren't exactly invited with opened arms in society, but the fact that someone could do something so sickening such as starving a child like this was disgusting. 

The child's ears flicked towards Phil, its eyes glowed red, reflecting the light from the porch. It raised its head up, sniffing the air before growling a guttural growl. Its fur stood up on its tail, and where their cheeks would be fuller due to baby fat, they were hollow and sunken in. Phil would bet money the kid wasn't older than eight, and even that was pushing it. Phil crouched down, it was freezing and the grass crunched with frozen dew. He extended a hand out to them, watching their fur stand up higher and ears twitch back and forth. He was about to click his tongue, but decided that was too dehumanizing, so he treated the kid like a hybrid. He rumbled out a soft purr to the kid, one that signified he wasn't any danger. He heard a chorus of chuffs from behind him, Techno and Wilbur copying his non-intimidating approach. They were obviously interested in the child as well, and the fact there were no grunts was a good thing, it meant they were accepting the kid into the family. 

He didn't miss the way the kid's ears shot up, following Phil's approach. They chittered a bit at Phil, and Phil got close, within three feet to them. Their body language leaked curiosity, but as Phil extended the palm of his hand out, the kid hissed in his face. It grabbed a few pieces of food, thankfully the ones Phil had laid out, and took off towards their animal pen. He didn't miss the way they ran on all fours, impressively bounding over the wooden fence and off into the woods. He sighed softly, walking over and flipping his trash can back up, replacing the top. His mind raced a million miles a minute. 

Why would a young hybrid child be out on their own? Normally hybrids stayed together in packs, or even making a bond with others to stay together for warmth and safety. Why were they so skinny, he had been feeding them, was it not enough? He huffed, watching his boys stand in the doorway, and made his way back to them, a sleepy purr in his throat. He nudged them back inside, closing the door behind him. They both pushed their heads into his chest, headbutting him with affection. He rubbed both of their heads, making sure to scratch in between Techno's ears. He placed a kiss to the crown of each of their heads, purring to them. 

"Dad, I've seen the look on your face before. It's the look you get when you see something you wanna adopt." Wilbur stated nonchalantly, watching Phil's eyes avert to him. Phil gasped in shock, although he already knew he was gonna adopt that kid if it was the last thing he did. He would keep up his facade for now so his kids could tease him about it. 

"What do you mean, Will?" Phil asked, using his injured facade with pride. They saw his shit-eating grin, however. 

"He means that the look you have is the same one you got when you saw the barn cat in town, and you took it in. And the multiple cows that you bought before they were sent to slaughter." Techno pitched in, in favor of his twin. 

Phil puffed out a breath of air. "Yeah, well, this is a kid. So get used to the idea of a sibling you shitheads. Go to sleep, we need to look where they've been going off to and try and gain their trust." He gave them another kiss on the top of their heads, turning off the TV and discarding the trash from their movie night, putting the popcorn buckets in the sink. Techno and Wilbur both mumbled goodnights, trudging their way into their respective bedrooms. 

Phil would be lying if he said he hadn't been pondering how long it would take to clean the spare room in their house, and how fast he could make it into a bedroom. 

He would be lying if he said he hadn't cried himself to sleep thinking about the frail child. 

The next few weeks were uneventful, and eventful at the same time. The weather was getting colder, and he had to bundle up before he went to check on the animals. He fed his animals hay and made sure the barn was always warm. As for the kid, they had started seeing him creep around. Phil made sure to leave out more balanced meals, ones with more protein and fat. The next three days he hadn't seen the child, they didn't even tip the trash cans anymore. Phil worried about them, but the food was being taken away so it calmed his nerves a bit. After the three day period, the child had started getting more curious. He would see the ringed tail dart out of his peripheral vision, and hop around near the woods. He pretended not to see them sometimes, to make them more confident. Those two weeks passed by, and Phil would see the child come around more and more. They would get close enough to watch them whatever they were doing. They would always shiver violently, their small body racked by the cold. Phil left clothes out for the kid, they never changed, meaning they probably had a lack of education or were too deep in their instincts. 

The closer the kid got, the more detailed Phil could look at their body. The malnutrition was obvious, and it was worse than Phil thought. They had blonde hair, with rounded ears poking through the top, the hair was fairly long and unkempt, and dirty. Their teeth were serrated and sharp, as were the claws they had on the tips of appendages. Their fingers were black, as were the toes, and Phil prayed it wasn't because of frostbite and was just markings. They had a few black furs around their cheeks, with a darker pigment of skin around their eyes like a mask. They were quite adorable to look at, and were very attentive to whatever was happening around them.

Phil couldn't say he wasn't worried when the kid would climb into the highest trees, eyeballing him when he played with his boys. One day he had sat on the porch, rocking in his chair, knitting Techno and Wilbur tail warmers so their tails wouldn't get cold in the winter. Techno and Wilbur were grunting at one another as they played with stone swords in the yard, sparring with one another. They were fairly evenly matched, even through physical differences. It mostly ended with them tustling one another in the dirt, snorting as they wrestled over stupid things. Techno had knocked Wilbur's sword near the woods, and they had bickered a little. But, Wilbur had gone to retrieve it, and nearly stumbled back on his ass. Phil shot up, going to help his son from whatever it was, but paused as he heard him emit a few chuffs. In the tree, about ten feet high, sat the child. Their eyes were glued onto Wilbur, and they didn't waver off of him. Their ears swiveled to the front of their head, twitching with every chuff Wilbur let out. They chittered quietly at Wilbur, emitting an array of noises, none hostile, but none quite as trusting as a purr. 

Wilbur picked up his sword, looking to his dad for advice, but Phil just watched them interact with a grin on his face. He had a hand on Techno's shoulder, patted it, and moved back to his porch. Wilbur didn't really want to leave the kid, but it was obvious that he wouldn't come down for him, so he went back to sparring with Techno. He purred to the kid as he left, and while they sparred, all three of them noticed how a grin formed on the kid's face. The kid climbed down the tree further, to a lower branch. If one of them would come over, they would be eye to eye with the kid. They shivered, and Phil felt horrible, but there wasn't much he could do to help at the moment. They eventually stopped their sparring, wanting to go inside. The kid watched them go towards the house, the smile on its face falling into a sad frown. Phil had hopped up, waving to the kid with a soft purr and chirp, and headed inside. 

They all were super fond of the kid, and the weird instances that came with it being around. Sometimes there would be a random banana in the stables, and on multiple occasions there were bits of food dropped into the bottom of the animal's water trough. No one could pinpoint it was the kid's fault, but it was pretty funny nonetheless.

You could only imagine the confusion that ensued when the kid stopped coming around. It had happened out of nowhere, the food Phil left out would be untouched by morning, the bins weren't even messed with, nothing happened. Food stopped appearing around the property, and there was no feral kid who watched Techno and Wilbur spar. They caught on pretty quick as well to the absence, and it made a sad pit in all of their stomachs. Anything and everything could've happened, sure, their town was full of hybrids and people who didn't really mind their existence, but that didn't mean there weren't sick individuals. There were sick humans and hybrids alike who would show little mercy to a kid. They could've been kidnapped, killed, hit by a car, pretty much anything. The possibilities of death were agonizingly long. They all recognized each other's sadness, and there were a lot more cuddle sessions in what was supposed to be the kid's new room. They had set it up with a bed, tons of blankets for a nest, and a multitude of shirts. Techno and Wilbur thought they were a boy, and Phil thought differently, that they were a girl. They didn't know, so every blanket or item was a gender neutral color like red or green. 

Phil was being honest, he left new food out every day, even if none was taken. He was getting worried, but something changed when he went out to the barn one day. 

He had to refill the water trough for the animals, there had been a particularly freezing night before a snowfall. The trough had gotten frozen, so he used the light of day and warmth of the sun to thaw it out so he could refill it. It was in the barn, so it didn't take him too long to pull the plug that was at the bottom. One of the cows watched him, sitting beside the trough and peering into the water as it poured out. Phil pet her head, pulling the cloak over his shoulders and shuffling his wings to gain some warmth. The cow mooed, and he noticed what she was trying to get to. At the bottom of the trough was a red apple, one that looked familiar, like one he had given Tommy about two weeks ago. It was a little mushy, and he offered it to the cow. The cow happily grabbed it, munching it up with a soft moo. Phil was pretty confused, it wasn't the first time he had seen a piece of fruit in the trough, but that meant the kid was nearby maybe. He stuffed the plug back into the trough, and used his hose to start filling it back up. Techno and Wilbur were still inside, they were watching some animal show on TV. He decided to look around himself, and started purring to soothe his nerves. 

There were a few bits of hay scattered around the floor, they had a second story to the barn but it was hardly ever used, the cats normally slept there. It was also a storage for hay and other tools they may not need all the time. He heard one of the cats meow, and looked up to the loft. An orange male tabby cat stuck his head over the side, peering at him. His name was Daisy, and he watched Phil intently. Phil put his hand up, standing on his tip-toes to pet him. Daisy leaned into the touch, meowing once more as he grabbed Phil's finger in between his teeth and tugged lightly. "Ow! Fuck, mate, what'd you do that for?" He asked, rubbing the little indents his teeth had made into his skin. Daisy scrambled over to the ladder leading up to the loft, meowing before running back out of sight. Something made Phil think he wanted to show him something, so he flicked off the hose once it was full and made his way over to the ladder. He adjusted himself, taking the ladder one step at a time to not trip. Daisy was in his face, purring and meowing as he rubbed his body against his nose. "Now, what could you possibly want, Daisy? Attention?" Daisy purred, running back over to a small pile of hay that sat in the corner of the loft. He pawed at it, meowing, and the pile shifted around. 

Phil froze once it moved, and noticed a piece of the shirts that stuck out. The ones he had given the child. Maybe it was his old brain playing a trick on his mind, and he inched closer. Daisy meowed again, paws digging into the pile as he made bread and kneaded onto it. The pile chittered once, shifting around again, before going still. He would have to play this cautiously, and eyed the place around the kid. It was a typical nest, filled with straw and fabrics of clothing from what he could see. His heart raced as he noticed stains of fresh blood on the wood around the kid. 

He was at a standstill, in one sense he didn't have the greatest bond with the child, and picking them up could break whatever bond they had. On the other hand, this blood was very fresh and the kid could be seriously injured. He didn't have much time to figure something out, however. He pulled his cloak off of his shoulders slowly, and draped it over the lump of clothes and hay. It didn't shift at all, but still shivered in the cold, and Phil couldn't blame them. It was cold as shit right now, and upon losing his cloak there were goosebumps forming on his arms. Phil pushed the cloak deeper into the pile, and stopped as he reached the waist. He could feel ribs between the layers and it made him sick. The chittering got a little louder, and the hay started shifting more at the pressure. The child started hissing as Phil maneuvered them so he was cradling the bundle in his arms, he would come back for the clothing later. He needed to make sure that he wasn't gonna drop the kid while going down the ladder. 

The kid struggled against his grip, kicking his legs once or twice in a failed attempt of escape. They shook some of the straw off of their hair, peering at Phil from above the cloak, teeth bared in a growl. Their lip was clearly busted, and dark pigment around their eyes was darker as blood pooled around the lower eye. "Mate, I'm not gonna let you go. Stop struggling or we're both gonna fall and you're gonna get more injured." Talking might have been fruitless, but he did it to soothe the flailing child in his arms. He started emitting a few purrs, hugging the kid closer. "You're alright, mate." It sickened him that he was able to hold the kid so easily, and he spread his wings to land smoothly on the ground. 

One of the cows mooed at them both, and the child stopped their growling for just a moment to reach an arm out to pet the cow's ears. They used the palm of their hand to do it, which was coated in dried blood. Phil was getting worried, and rushed out of the barn, closing it behind him. The growls returned, but they were a little quieter. Their ears were flat against their hair, glaring at Phil for their life's content. "I know you're pissed at me, mate, but you have blood on you and you're not strong enough to fight back. I have to help you and then you can go back if you want." He upped his purring, and the child slow-blinked at him, growling on pause. Phil knew if the kid was truly pissed, they could easily bite him or claw him, nothing was stopping them. He hoped deep down the kid wanted help as much as he wanted to offer it. 

Phil knew dealing with his boys would be difficult, as they simply wanted to meet the child. He moved the kid into one arm, disgusted he could lift them so easily, and used his other hand to turn the doorknob. He nudged the door open, and the warm air blasted him in the face. The kid flattened their ears and ducked into the cloak, a few pieces of hay falling off their head. They shivered violently, and Phil knew it wasn't a good sign. 

"Shit, dad, we thought you got lost or fell out there. Techno was gonna come looking for you, eventually." Phil stayed quiet, and Techno nudged Wilbur's shoulder after he spoke. His eyes were glued onto the shivering bundle in his dad's arms. Wilbur looked over with a quick "huh" but quieted when he saw the cloaked outline of the figure. "Is that…" he didn't get to finish before Phil interrupted. 

"Yes, it's the kid. They've been hiding out in our barn, there was blood there. Dunno what happened, but they're not really fighting back." The kid growled themselves into a sneeze, trying to be frightening but failing all the same. They were wormed pretty deep into the cloak. "They're just, really thin, and maybe just grab a snack from the kitchen? Techno, grab the first aid kit and meet me in the room. I know you're not great with blood, Wilbur." Wilbur nodded, hoisting himself up from the couch and making his way into the kitchen to find something edible. Phil race-walked into the bedroom, making sure to close the door securely behind him in case the kid bolted. He had to be gentle with his actions, even if they spent some time looking at one another or feeding them, he wouldn't doubt for a second that they would sink their teeth into his arm. 

He laid the kid on the bed, and they poked their head up from the cloak once again, sniffing their surroundings. The bed probably smelled a lot like the three of them, so that was either a good or bad thing. Phil still hadn't gotten a good look at any injuries they had, only seeing the two on the face. Phil moved his hand closer, grabbing one part of the cloak and starting to pull it off of their body. They pulled back their teeth and snarled at him, a warning, but maneuvered their limbs to get out of the cloak. A few pieces of straw fell out onto the bed, he would have to clean that later, but eventually the cloak slipped down their shoulders, down to their waist. They sat in an awkward position, tail still hidden under the cloak. 

They cradled their left arm close to them, and Phil saw something that made him disgusted. Burns covered parts of their body, blue swirls Phil recognized quickly. Someone had used a potion of harming, which typically will burn the flesh into nothing. Their arm was the worst, it seemed, as their entire wrist, up to the bicep was inflamed and red. "Fuck sake, whoever did this to you will rot in the Nether." He started emitting a quiet purr, it would be difficult to convince the kid to hand him their arm. The child watched him, an expression that looked like confusion on their face. They turned their back to Phil, moving closer to the wall, as far away as they could get. In turning, their tail slipped from the blanket, and he got to look at it as well. Their janky t-shirt had burns in the back, where the fabric tried, and failed to protect the body from the potion. There were a few burns near the shoulders, and down the spine from what he could see. It was a surprise the shirt was still on with how decimated it was. Phil swore if any of the burns down their spine were deeper, he'd be able to see their bones. Their tail looked okay at a glance, but there was a mangled laceration in two spots that looked oddly enough like an injury from a bear trap. Their tail was bent as well, and Phil wondered just what in Nether had happened. It wasn't like he could ask, though, and just decided to think of a healing plan for this. 

He figured the best thing would be some antibacterial cream and a little health potion on some gauze under bandages for the burns. The gashes would heal well just with bandages and gauze, as they didn't really seem to harm the muscles of the tail. They swished their tail around, cringing a little in pain. They chittered at Phil, pulling their arm close to the body and starting to groom it with their tongue. It couldn't feel, nor taste well, so Phil decided to put a halt to it. "Ah, ah! No, don't lick it. You're gonna give yourself an infection if you don't have one already, and you'll feel like shit." They just peered at Phil, ears twitching after he raised his voice at them. His eyes were round like saucers, and his pupils were slit. They watched Phil's hand, as if expecting something, but when it didn't come and he just moved his fingers, their pupils blew out again. They just maintained eye contact with one another, although the situation was out of nowhere, the silence was comfortable. The raccoon hybrid sounded like they started mimicking Phil's purr, and he didn't know whether it was his old man brain messing with him. There was a quick knock on the door, before Techno rushed in, med-kit tucked securely under his arm. Whatever noise that they were making dissipated into a growl, their pupils slitting once again. 

Techno moved to Phil's side, and they both stared at the kid with wide eyes. Techno chipped in, starting a loud purr. He spoke between them, however. "Do they look okay? I mean, obviously not, but, what does the damage look like?" Techno obviously did not have a way with words like Phil did. 

"Well, their tail looks like it's been caught in a trap, and they've been hit with a potion of harming, maybe multiples with how extensive the burns are. Some look manageable with some TLC, others, especially the arm will need to be wrapped. The arm might have an infection because they seem to like to lick it. The face will heal with time." Phil huffed after saying all of it, it was a mouthful. Techno's cheeks were red, and Phil recognized why. That normally happened when he got pissed off, but he was holding back a growl to not scare the kid. His fist was clenched around the handle of the medkit, and he proceeded to sit it on top of the bed near the kid. They swatted at his arm, obviously not intending to scratch, just to get him away. 

Phil opened up the medkit, pulling out a small vial of his potion of healing. He popped the cork, inhaling the watermelon scent. The kid's nose twitched as they leaned forward, sniffing at the vial with interest. They didn't seem to care about how close they were to Phil now, and turned around to face Phil. They sat up on their hind legs, reaching their good hand up to hang onto Phil's wrist for balance. Phil froze at the touch, and the feel of claws rubbing against his skin but refusing to pierce it. They seemed invested in the smell, whether it reminded them of food or not. Their ears were at the front of their head, and Phil brushed their hand off of his wrist. As much as he enjoyed them being comfortable with him, they would need medical care first. There was always time for physical contact later on. 

Not bothered by being brushed off, they started sniffing around the other contents of the med-kit, plucking out a red band-aid and starting to toy with the packaging. It kept them entertained, and by extension, still. Techno got to work unrolling some of the bandages, keeping his own hands busy so he wouldn't rage at the mistreatment of his (new) sibling. Techno and Phil worked as a team, with them both using cotton balls with the potion attached. The smell of a healing potion doing its job was overly sweet and stung the nose hairs a little, but that meant it was working. Phil worked on the tail, which the child so kindly smacked him with before he got to work on it. Phil made sure to wrap the bandages carefully so they wouldn't hinder any movement of the tail. He stuffed the lesions with cotton balls, making sure the bandages were tight. Techno worked on their chest, and unfortunately had to tear their shirt off with medical scissors. He slipped their shirt off, shuffling it down their body and felt awful watching them shiver. They toyed with their band-aid though, eventually peeling some of the adhesive off. It got stuck to their finger, and they flailed it around. Techno rubbed the healing potion all over the smaller burns on their chest, ignoring the quiet growls that they did when he would get too close to their face. The arm was definitely the problem, but neither knew how they were gonna treat it when they seemed so protective over it. 

Thankfully, a few moments later Wilbur stepped in, one of his hands covering his eyes to not see the blood. He had a multitude of different snacks on the plate, some dry cereals, some gummy snacks, and a few various vegetables. He had a glass of water balancing on the plate as well as he walked close to them, it was quite impressive. He sat the plate down on the bedside dresser. "Is it safe to look, dad?" He asked, not wanting to see blood when he uncovered his eyes. 

Phil looked over the kid quickly, not missing how their eyes were glued onto the plate, band-aid now stuck wrapped around their finger. "Just don't look at their left arm, we're about to work on that now." Techno was finishing up the kid's middle section, the ruined shirt now discarded onto the floor, and some dirty cotton balls laying on it as a trash pile. He pulled away, moving closer to the end of the bed so it wasn't so cramped in the tiny space. Wilbur uncovered his eyes slowly, giving a small wave to the kid even if they weren't looking at him. Phil used this as a distraction so they could work on the arm. "You hungry, buddy? If you wanna eat, you gotta let us work on your arm, okay? Then we can get you some fresh clothes." A bath would be nice as well, and while the child didn't exactly stink, they didn't smell great either. Thankfully the sweetness of the healing potion masked most of the earthy smell. 

The child moved their eyes away from the plate, watching Phil, and he saw the recognition in their eyes. He could practically see their mind thinking, and was happy the kid could seemingly understand English. They looked to Phil again, and slowly pulled their arm away from their body, into Phil's open palm. Their other arm moved to the plate of food, and Wilbur moved it closer so they didn't have to reach. They pulled off a few of the snacks, popping them in their mouth. Phil sighed in relief, pulling the arm closer to him. He dabbed on the healing potion and wrapped the arm gently so the bandages wouldn't rub raw. He made sure to keep the elbow free of bandages so the arm would keep a little range of motion. It was adorable watching the kid eat, they would dunk the food into the water before eating it. Phil cringed a little as the water gets murky, but they still drank it. 

They had just finished the snacks with a satisfied whirr, licking their lips happily. They seemed to snap back into reality after that, and noticed the three sets of eyes staring at them expectantly, purrs coming from each of them. They blinked once, jerking their arm back to their side, ears flattening at the attention. Techno and Wilbur frowned, hoping they would be more comfortable with them, but guessing that wasn't the case. They didn't hiss or growl however, and reeked of uncertainty. Phil would get out of their hair as soon as he changed their clothes. He took no time walking to the dresser, grabbing a few pairs of the twins' old clothes. He grabbed a red hoodie, and some old boxers that would surely fit. He shoo'ed the other two out of the room, and they left with a few upset snorts, before he closed the door. 

Phil walked back over cautiously, holding out the clothes thrown over his arm. "You're gonna need to change out of your pants, okay? Do you need help?" Their ears perked up, looking at the clothes, and then their arm. They flexed their arm, cringing when it shot a throb of pain, and then stood. They slipped off of the bed, landing uncertainty on their two legs, balancing against the bed. They slowly started stripping out of their clothes, and when they were done, looked to Phil for help. Phil grabbed the hoodie first, slipping it over his chest, manipulating his arms carefully through the sleeves, and then poking his head through the top. Once his head poked through, Phil booped the tip of his nose. The boy's mouth upturned in a tiny smile, and Phil reciprocated it with a purr. "So, you're a boy, right?" He asked, staring at him and not wanting to misgender him. He gave a quick nod of affirmation, and Phil helped him slip the boxers on. "Do you know how old you are?" The child stared at his fingers, putting down a couple before raising some in confusion. It took him a moment, but he raised both of his hands, six fingers up with a little bit of a larger smile. "Dang, you're six? You're pretty brave to be living all on your own. Do you have a name?" His previously blown out pupils slit once again, and he stepped back from Phil like he had hit him. 

He didn't growl at Phil, just staring at him before a saddened look came across his face. He snorted, hoisting himself onto the bed, finding a crease in one of the blankets, nudging his head under it. He pushed himself under the blanket, curling up underneath the covers. The only sign that he was there was the lump under the blankets, and the bandaged raccoon tail that laid outside of them, dangling off the mattress. Phil sighed, he didn't know the name subject was a harsh thing.Yet, he had an age and a gender now, so that was more than he had the other day. He scooped up the trash, and the dirty plate, walking to the door. "You're welcome to leave, or to stay. I'll leave the front door unlocked, promise you'll let us check your bandages. We would all like it if you stayed, you know. Sometimes my kids would need a little shithead like you to keep them smiling." He heard a quiet chitter, and chirped reassuringly before exiting, not closing the door all of the way. He walked out into the hallway, then to the kitchen, tossing the dishes in the sink and the trash in the trashcan. The TV was still blaring with a show about animals in Africa now, with the sound of some gazelle being murdered by a lion. He heard a quiet whisper from Techno. "You would be the gazelle, Wilbur" followed by a playful growl and the sound of them falling off of the couch together. 

Phil rolled his eyes as he walked into the living room, watching his kids tusle like they were five. Wilbur had Techno pinned before Techno gently kicked him off, sprawling out on top of him. "Told you, bitch boy gazelle." Wilbur groaned loudly, kicking Techno off of him, neither noticing their dad with his arms crossed, a fond smile on his face in the room. "It's not my fault your brute ass grew like a weed, big ass, the hell did dad feed you?" 

"Dad fed me souls of the innocent for lunch and diesel for dinner." Techno retorted, purring as he nudged their cheeks together. Wilbur rolled his eyes, emitting his purr of his own, no harsh feelings. Techno nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a third purr from behind him, whipping his head around to see his dad. They smiled cheekily, Techno sitting up, off of Wilbur, and Wilbur shooting up with a dramatic gasp for air. 

They both looked around expectingly, and then frowned at Phil. "Where's the kid?" Wilbur asked first, pulling himself back onto the couch. Techno followed after him, sitting beside him. 

"He hid under his blankets. I got a gender, though. He's a boy, and he's six years old." Techno and Wilbur had a smug smile across their lips, high-fiving one another. 

"We told you he was a boy, pops. You just don't listen to us." Wilbur said, sticking his tongue out. 

"Yeah, yeah. Leave your old man alone before he doesn't feed you two little piglets." Phil sat in his chair, crossing his legs over one another. The sun was starting to set outside, making a beautiful array of orange lights shine through the window behind the couch. It was a comfortable silence, with the TV now showing a bit about hippos. There were unanswered questions and sadness, but those could be answered another time. For now, they rested. 

It didn't take long before Techno and Wilbur fell asleep on one another, it was dark, however, and the only light that was in the house came from the TV. Phil was just about to doze off himself, before the familiar creak of the spare room door echoed through the hallway. Phil closed his eyes, leaving only a little space in between his eyelashes to peek out. Was this spying? Maybe, but in his own defense he was curious. 

The child inched down the hallway, the dark house was no matter for him as his eyes adjusted well into the darkness, his nocturnal being allowing him to see everything. He was on all fours, which wasn't awkward due to him being short. He supposed in a few years when he grew that it would be harder to be on all fours, but for now he adjusted. He limped around, barely resting any weight on his injured arm, his tail dragging behind him. He sniffed under each room, one smelled a lot like the boy Wilbur, and the other like the boy Techno. He didn't open either, just peeking through the cracks under the door and moving on. He moved his way into the kitchen, sniffing everything curiously. He didn't grab anything, too afraid of making noise or alerting his presence. He knew where the front door was, briefly remembering the layout of the house. The trouble was, by the scent, everyone was currently crowded in the living room beside the door. His ears flattened as he inched closer into the room, eyes glued on the man sitting alone in the chair. He seemed asleep, so the boy moved slowly past him, towards the front door. He stood on his hind legs, pawing at the knob and about to twist it until. 

A chitter, coming from the TV. The boy froze on the spot, turning towards the noise. On the TV there was a mother raccoon, cradling her baby in her arms, grooming it. The boy let go of the door, dropping down to the floor again, walking towards the TV. He rested on the floor beside Wilbur and Techno, who were currently purring so loud in one another's contact that Phil was surprised they hadn't woken each other up. 

The mom raccoon picked up the baby, licking its head and bringing it to its siblings. Some old man narrator was talking about how the mother wanted to keep her babies safe, how she loved them. A few tears welled up in the boy's eyes, his ears flattening against his hair. He felt heat in his chest, where his heart was, and not the kind that came from a potion from an angry man. The mom purred to her babies, in the same way the two piglins were doing, and the boy paused. He looked over to them, they were pretty deep into sleep and radiating heat like hot coals. Desperate for attention, and to feel the same way the pups in the show were being treated, he cautiously made his way up the cushions of the couch. From there, he pressed weight onto the boys' laps, adjusting his body so he was laying comfortably in their lap. It was a perfect angle to watch the TV from, and the purring mixed with the heat comforted his scared nerves. 

Techno chuffed, resting a hand onto the boy's back, but when he looked back at the piglin, he was still fast asleep. The boy froze, and wiggled himself into the touch, laying his head on Wilbur's lap. It was out of the box, out of the norm, yet he felt so safe. He stared at the TV, watching so intently. He was so warm, and for the first time since he can remember, he felt safe, protected. Idea of leaving and never returning was long gone, shoved out of his brain.

Phil swore he could feel his heart melt, mopped back up, and replaced by another one at the gesture. He also knew there was a one hundred percent chance Wilbur and Techno would wake up the next day, ecstatic by the attention they received in their sleep. He would never hear the end of it, about how they were the boy's favorite. 

They had a lot to work on, and a lot of learning to do. But as they were, all sleepy boys, in the same room. Phil truly began to doze off, the last thing he heard was a fourth, new, echoey purr emit from the room. Everything would be just fine, he knew it. 

Chapter Text

Raising kids is hard, that's what guardians who are fed up with your behavior and just want a break tell you when you're little. You always just roll your eyes and keep going on being a kid, thinking you'll never be a parent, or it'll be easy for you. At least, that's what Phil used to do when he was little. 

Now he knows. He knows that raising kids is hard, but raising hybrids? That was a nightmare. He should know, as he had three. Human kids are fairly normal, he supposed, they would occasionally cry over skidded knees, but settled with soothing words and a kiss. Hybrids were different, they had different noises, different needs, it's as if taking care of a pet and a kid mixed into one. If you missed a cue, or took a certain snort the wrong way and didn't react correctly, you'd have a whole 'nother problem on your hands. Sometimes Phil wondered if hybrids were REALLY that difficult to take care of or if he just got fucked over in the orphan lottery.  

Yet, he loved his kids, and his new arrival. The next day they had all woken up together, animal shows still on, talking about sea creatures and coral reefs. Phil was the first to wake up, making himself a hot cup of coffee and debating the dreaded walk outside to feed the animals. A few flakes of snow fell past the kitchen window, and he took his cup of coffee back into the living room. Dare not change the animal show, he just watched Techno shift around, knowing he was normally the second to wake. He was entertained by the thought of them waking up to find the boy laying on their laps. Eventually, Techno opened one of his eyes, stretching his arms, a loud purr escaping his throat. He hadn't recognized the weight on his lap, smiling at his father, snorting softly at him. His eyes widened and he nearly jumped out of his skin when the boy shifted in his lap while sleeping, emitting a loud chitter. There was a look of confusion on his face, before he gasped. He nudged Wilbur's shoulder, his brother swatting him away a few times. He kept incessantly poking and kneading at him before Wilbur opened his eyes, glaring at him. 

"What the fuck could you-" he spoke drowsily obviously not wanting to be woken up so early. Techno shushed him, grabbing his hand, and pointing at the child that lay in both of their laps. Wilbur scrunched his nose up, blinking to fix his eyes on the body, before gasping himself. The boy was snuggled deep into them both, one of his hands gripping the fabric of Wilbur's shirt. His tail was curled into his body, the tip of it rubbing against Techno's fur. Thankfully his eyes were still closed, not awoken by the twins goofing off, but his ears were flat to his head. His nose twitches occasionally, as did his fingers. A quiet, broken purr rumbled through him, and Techno and Wilbur both purred back at him to keep him asleep. They inspected his blonde hair, hands roaming his body to look all over him. They were cautious to not wake him, and both pulled an ear into their hands to rub them. The boy shifted at the contact, uncurling himself and rolling onto his back like a playful puppy begging for pets. They pet the non-bandaged parts of his tail, rubbing on his ears. Both fell so deeply in love with the kid they now considered their brother. Phil could only watch his three sons bond, a soft hum of pleasure at his throat when he gulped down his morning coffee. 

He would need all the coffee he could get, he figured, and that was so. Phil had believed, as did his sons, that the boy laying on them was a good thing. Perhaps it was, yet as the boy had woken up after that first night, laying on both of their laps, he snarled at them and ran off back into his room. They had sat there in confusion, but Phil had to remind them that change didn't come in a day. It was a sad truth they had to learn, and Phil reassured them with a kiss on the forehead each. 

It had taken Phil two days to convince the boy to take a bath. The days leading up to that were simple in a pattern, the boy would lay in his room all day, hiding from all three of the members of the house. Phil would bring him three meals a day, some were eaten, some were not, he took notes of what foods he would eat. Most would be eaten, except for one fruit. Pears, any plate that he would give him that had pears on it would be dejected to the other side of the room. Phil didn't understand, however he believed kids have a right to not like a certain food, as did adults, so he just didn't give him the pears anymore. After the meals, towards nighttime, the boy would sneak out without fail. He would prop himself on the couch, sniff around for Techno or Wilbur, and whimper quietly. Phil made sure to leave the TV on for him, on the animal channel he loved so much. It broke his heart to hear the interaction, or lack of one, but there wasn't wasn't he could do about it except to sleep. 

Convincing the kid to take a bath was easier than he expected, he only needed to bribe him. Kneeling down in front of the bed, on the floor, it was hard to see the boy look so dejected under the bed, but he seemed comfortable enough in his nest. He had promised the boy a fresh change of bandages, new clothes that smelled of Techno, and a cuddle session with a movie. He seemed hooked enough on the clothes, everything else was just a bonus. He slipped from under the couch, standing on his legs, grabbing onto Phil's hand for balance and comfort. Phil led him to the bathroom, sitting him on the top of the toilet seat cover, and started peeling off his bandages. The wounds were healing nicely, and his black eye was nearly fully gone. The burns would heal, but he reassured him that they would look awesome. The tail was pretty mangled still, but seemed well enough to be dipped in water. Phil added a little bit of bubble bath to make the water more appealing, and a few drops of healing potion. He helped the boy take off his hoodie, and the boxers, tossing them to the side to be washed later. The boy watched the bath fill with bubbles, and Phil helped him in after a moment. 

The boy chittered a few times as he was dunked in the water, trying to hold some of the bubbles. "See? It's not horrible." Phil reassured him, watching the kid lick at his wounds, and would splash water whenever his tongue drew across them. It soon became more of a game for them, each flicking bubbles at the other with loud laughter. Phil wet the washcloth with some soap, giving it to the boy to wash himself. He cocked his head at it and started washing his arms, preening with joy as Phil praised him. He started a soft purr in his chest as Phil got a handful of soap, lathering it into his hair and rubbing it into his ears. His tongue lolled out of his mouth as Phil scratched the sweet spot behind his right ear, his leg twitching with happiness. Phil just chuckled, using a cup to rinse some of the soap out of his hair, using his other hand to funnel the water away from his eyes. "Do you like it here?" He wasn't expecting an answer, and blurted it out by accident. One of his ears twitched as water tried to enter the canal, and he stared at Phil with those baby-blue eyes. The boy pursed his lips, and if Phil wasn't looking for it, he would've missed the quick nod of his head. He gave him a reassuring smile, running his fingers through the blonde hair, brushing out a few pesky knots. 

"You know, I hear you at night go in the living room, you look for us, don't you?" The boy flinched away from the words, as if they were going to hit him. "I'm not angry at you, I just don't want you to be alone." He seemed more relaxed after the reassurance, shrugging his shoulders in an answer to the previous question. "We wouldn't mind if you would wanna come into our rooms if you get lonely, honestly. You're free to barge in my room at any time, and I'm sure Techno and Wilbur's if you knock first. We love having you here."

Phil watched as confusion overwrote the boy's smile, his ears flattening against his wet head. He shook his head off, splashing Phil with a few droplets of water. The water was getting a bit of a chill to it, and was a different shade of brown due to filth. Phil grabbed a towel from beside him, helping the boy to his feet, and stepped out of the tub. He rubbed his hair and face, giving him the towel to dry himself. Phil replaced all of his previous bandages, re-bandaging them with a bit of neosporin. Once he was re-bandaged, he helped the boy put on new boxers, and then Techno's hoodie. The hoodie completely encased his entire body, going down to his knees like a dress. He didn't seem to mind though, bouncing up and down with excitedness. His tail wagged, and he hopped out of the room, ears alert as he skipped to the couch like he owned the place. Phil followed him out, draining the water and gathering everything dirty out and put it in a hamper. The boy sniffed around the couch, a pout on his lips when he saw there was no one else. 

He laid his head down on the couch, shifting his body to one side, hood falling over his eyes. Curling up in himself, he nuzzled his way under a pillow. Phil walked past him, going to get the popcorn ready. He made four bags, filling each one with an assortment of different candies. It didn't take long for his twins to catch the smell of food in the air and come trotting down the stairs, both of them eyeing the boy curled into a ball on the couch. Techno was the first to walk up, followed by Wilbur on his heels. "Seems beat up, what'd you do to our little brother, old man?" 

"I beat him with a wooden spoon and cut out his tongue." Phil said nonchalantly, shoving the popcorn into their hands with no real maliciousness, just a cheeky grin on his face. Wilbur rolled his eyes, popping a few kernels into his mouth and chewing. He walked over to the couch, settling on the opposite end of the raccoon ball. 

"I promised him cuddles, Tech. From you. You don't have to, but I know you want to anyway. Both of you are itching to nuzzle into him. Possessive bitches." Phil gave him another bag of popcorn, obviously for the child, and a kiss on the head, walking in and seating himself in his chair. Techno trailed behind him, laying the bags of popcorn on the floor for a moment. It was risky, but he reached down, wrapping two secure hands around the kid's waist. The kid chittered loudly, all of his body parts drooping as he was lifted. He didn't fight back though, didn't even squirm as Techno flopped in his spot, and he was laid in Techno's lap. 

He peered up at Techno and Wilbur with wide eyes, watching them move around. The popcorn was handed to him, but his eyes were glued to the older boys. Techno shot him a fond smile, petting his hair, then raising a brow. "Is that my hoodie? Did you steal it?" The kid looked down at the hoodie, bottom lip wobbling as he grabbed the bottom of it, going to undress himself and hand it back. "No, no! You can keep it, you can steal all the clothes from me that you want." 

Was that a bad idea to say out loud? Yes.

Was that a problem for future Techno? Absolutely. 

Right now, he was content with what was going on. The boy shifted in his lap to face the TV, and a random cartoon movie was flicked on. The air was light, there was no tension, and only quiet purrs filled everyone's eardrums. Wilbur and Techno moved closer so he could have more area to lay on, and the boy nuzzled closer into them, they were sure if he could crawl inside of them he would. The air was light as everyone laughed at scenes in the movie, and Phil eventually moved over to join the snuggle pile. 

Things shifted after that night, for the better.

The night after that movie night, the boy ended up coming to Phil. He had left his door slightly open as an invitation, and it certainly was accepted. Phil couldn't say he was overly ecstatic to be bed-sharing, as when he did it with the twins they nearly shoved him out of his own bed. Accepting the boy onto the bed, he quickly figured out that this would be much different. The boy wasn't taking space, he just snuggled as close to Phil as humanly-no-raccoonly possible. Phil draped a wing over him, pulling him into his grip. 

Every night was different, the next night he went to Wilbur's room, scratching on the door with all of his might, quietly whimpering. Wilbur had opened the door for him, obviously confused, and nearly fell over as the boy climbed up into his arms. Quiet sobs racked his body, and tears fell onto Wilbur's arm. Wilbur didn't ask questions, just pulling him into his chest, bouncing him up and down. He purred to him quietly, cringing as the boy dug his claws into his skin, but not rejecting him a smidgen of comfort. He brought the boy back to his bed, rubbing circles into his back as his crying died down slowly. They eventually fell asleep, comforted by Wilbur looking out for him, and the protective grasp around his waist. 

Wilbur alerted Techno and Phil of what had happened that night, they brushed it off as a nightmare, but Wilbur warned that Techno might be the next to be visited. Techno didn't think that was true, he stayed up a little bit after, even turning on the animal show to draw the boy in. After an hour of nothing, he fell asleep, before waking up a few hours later needing to use the bathroom. As he walked out of his room, he nearly tripped over the boy that laid curled by his door like a dog. Forgetting all about his need to pee, he carefully scooped the boy up by his armpits, resting his head on his shoulder. The boy nuzzled into the crook of his neck, ears flicking Techno's face. Techno kissed the top of the boy's head, purring for him as he flopped back down onto his bed. He grabbed a bunch of blankets, making a makeshift nest on top of his bed, then resting his arm over the boy and curling around him. 

The boy was a great addition to their little family, but there were always things to improve on. Such as his ability to speak. They would ask him more and more questions, simple ones, not forcing him to talk but encouraging him. He would shrug his shoulders and cling to them normally, though, nuzzling his head in their necks. Sometimes he would open his mouth, and they would get excited to hear him speak. However, he would seal his lips once again, ears drooping as he looked at himself in an angry way. He also had a bit of separation anxiety, always wanting to hold one of their hands or cuddle into them. No one really minded the boy, nor his clinginess. They would just have to take him to more places.

A few weeks into their arrangement they started getting on a schedule. Whoever had the boy for the night would wake him up, and dress him in new clothes. They still had none that would fit him perfectly, but they were planning a trip to Village to get some in the coming weeks. They would take the boy into the bathroom to wash his face, check his bandages, and brush his teeth. The routine was easy for him to latch onto, despite being nocturnal. It also gave them more chances for him to find something he liked to do. Going outside wasn't really his thing, he would always cower away and sit under the porch, laying on Phil's lap with uncertainty. They tried offering him little handheld mechanical devices, such as a Leapfrog Phil dug out from his closet. The boy would play with it for a few minutes before getting distracted and back to sitting in someone's arms. They offered him coloring books as well, it kept his attention for long enough, but he would always doodle on the backs of the pages that had no existing art. Finally they found the sweet spot, just bare pieces of paper. He would doodle on them for hours, the first few days had been random things such as an animal he learned about, or a type of pretty flower he saw outside. He was so generous with the pictures as well, handing them out to certain people he saw fit. 

The first one was a picture of a bright blue sheep with "FRIEND" written in bold lettering. That surprised all three of them to see, knowing that the boy could write, and that it looked pretty damn good for his age. The picture of said sheep had a pretty beat up van in the back of it, and a strange looking flag that not even Google could place. That picture had gone to Wilbur, as the boy wrote on the bottom right corner, and Wilbur pinned it onto his pinboard in his room, saying it was his favorite decoration art. 

The next picture was a drawing of a forest, it was fairly simple, with bright red rose bushes growing from the ground under the trees. There was also a murder of crows drawn flying around the top branches of the trees. In the bottom right corner of that one, there was Phil written in the bottom, the P was backwards. What was strange about it, though, was the scribbled out three letter name beside it. He had just chalked it up to a mishap, thanking the boy with a kiss. He put it beside his bed so he could see it every morning when he awoke.

The third, and what they thought would be the final picture, was obviously for Techno. There was a big polar bear drawn, and a bunch of wolves. He had drawn with such precision, a large crown and cape on a disproportionately sized pig body. Techno didn't know whether to be offended or not, but decided against it as what he assumed what was supposed to be him was pretty fucking muscular, so he let it slide. In the bottom right corner there was "Tekno" in pink lettering, that he had to stifle a laugh at. Techno pinned it under the lightswitch so he could see it every morning as well. 

They all expected that to be the last of the pictures, but they were horribly fooled wrong. Each of them tried to peek as to what he was drawing, but they would be swatted away with a nasty look. He had a look of precision on his face, tongue stuck out of his mouth and pinched between his lips in focus. That was the look he gave when he was working on their pictures, so they knew it was something special. He had nearly worked on it all day, moving from location to location, and had come to them with such excitement when he was finally done. All three of them had been chilling in the living room, playing a card game (that Phil was TOTALLY whooping their asses at.) He had run over from the kitchen table, tail swaying behind him so fast they were sure he would blow the cards away. He moved closer to them, letting them all inspect the paper. It was fairly strange, and kinda cryptic in a way. In the middle of the paper there was a half-black-half-white character with mismatched eyes. He also had horns, and a long tail that reminded them of a lion's. The name under it was titled "BOO". The other figurine was shorter than the previous, with brown, bushy hair that covered their eyes. Sticking out of the mess of hair was a tiny pair of horns from the top, and from the sides were goat ears. That one was titled "BO." In between Boo and Bo, there were pink hearts drawn. None of them knew how to interpret that, and figured in their minds they were just imaginary friends. Beside that figure was a picture of another raccoon hybrid, except a female this time. She looked almost identical to the boy, except for the long hair that went down to her back. She was labeled in tiny letterings "mama." It was a melancholy feeling as they viewed it, as it had damp blotches where teardrops hit the paper overtop her face. There was a drawing of a cow in the top-right corner, a cute little black and white dairy cow. Under Boo and Bo there was a drawing of all four of them, all holding hands under a smiling sun. It was adorable, and brought a tear to Phil's eye. However, no one expected what was in the bottom right corner. 

Now, it wasn't that they thought the boy didn't have a name, it was the fact maybe he wouldn't know it. So they had come up with nicknames, and words of endearment. Wilbur called the boy Gremlin, while Techno and Phil would mostly use "baby" or other pet names you call your children or siblings. It was a good replacement, yet only temporary, as they had talked about offering him a new name. Yet, here it was, in the bottom corner, sloppily written yet clear as day. Tommy. Sure, one m had three bumps, and the other had four, and sure his circle looked upside-down (how do you manage that?) But it was his name. 

"Tommy?" Phil was the first to ask, an expert at looking over children's drawings. The boy with a name now, Tommy, his ears swiveled forward as he looked at Phil expectantly. He was starting to bounce up and down in joy, chittering to them happily. It was such an unexpected milestone, and Wilbur pulled him into his arms, listening to the boy squeal with happiness. Tommy giggled in his arms as he was tickled by Techno, with Wilbur doing his best to hold him down. Phil got the picture from him so it wouldn't accidentally tear in the scuffle. "Should I hang it on the fridge?" He asked the three of them.

"Duh." Techno and Wilbue said in sync, and Tommy enthusiastically nodded as the tickling stopped. Phil held the paper as he walked into the kitchen, Techno lifted Tommy on top of his shoulders and Wilbur followed. Phil used a plain magnet to hold the paper in place at the top of the fridge like promised. The three of them clapped for Tommy who held his head high, absolutely drinking the praise up.

Everything gets so easy with time, even with a little. Something has to give, this carefree feeling can't last forever. 

Something has to go wrong eventually. 

They seemed to be spared from that reality for the meantime, as getting bonded to Tommy was easy. He was enjoyable to be around, even if he didn't speak, and hell, who doesn't want their kid to be quiet? Phil kinda wished he would talk every once in a while though, but it was a big enough milestone to get his name from him. Phil sat in the kitchen, making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Tommy had gone outside about an hour before, he had been on the porch watching him but decided to make them a quick lunch. Techno and Wilbur had both gone out to the town, their planned trip to Village with Tommy was a bit more than a week away, and they needed to grab him some clothes. They had taken the measurements and set off two hours before the current time. Tommy was all bundled up in a few clothes, the sun was bright but it was still chilly so he was wrapped in layers. He seemed comfy enough from what Phil had seen earlier. He was playing with a few different sticks, tossing them around and digging through the dirt to find rocks. Every rock he collected he would run back over to Phil, laying them on both of his palms and show them to him. He swore he saw stars in Tommy's eyes as he would gasp and take them out, holding them in his own hands and shoo'ing him off to find more. Tommy didn't know he was tossing them to the right of him, into the dirt, but ignorance was bliss. 

Phil hummed to himself, trying to decide what would go well with the sandwich, when he heard a strangled cry. It wasn't something he heard his animals ever do, so he figured it was probably a bird or maybe a mob of some type. He paid no mind, only for a moment until the one cry turned into two, and then three… and then, sounded more human. The feathers in his wings tingled, and laying the plate of sandwiches back onto the table, he rushed to the door. "Mama! Mama!" He heard, and nearly couldn't believe his own ears, but didn't let the shock of the situation halter his movement. He swiftly grabbed the sword that laid by the door, running out with a ferocity only a parent could have. He tracked the audio perfectly, only a few meters into the woods. The yelling for mama got louder, no end in sight. Phil skidded beside him, knees digging into the ground. 

"Shh, shh." He attempted to soothe quickly, knowing any mob would come quickly to feast on an injured or distressed child. There were no mobs, however, but he seemed to be struggling. His clothes were trapped in a briar bush, with prickly spines adorning the vines wrapped around the clothes. Tommy's leg was trapped in a weird angle, both that and the briar causing him to be stuck in place. Even though the thorns certainly weren't getting through the fabric, they were strong enough to keep him in place. Tommy's calling for mother never faltered once, his eyes wild and instincts rampant. Phil cut away at the briars quickly with the edge of the sword, making sure to hold Tommy close so he wouldn't jerk and accidentally hurt himself. He made sure to purr, all while giving low praises and reassurances when he eventually stopped screaming for the mother that wasn't around. Eventually he pulled the last briar off, un-twisting Tommy's foot out from the log. He wasn't prepared for how quickly his unofficial son grabbed onto him, latching onto him with all four limbs, and his tail that curled around his waist. 

"D-don't leave me. Please don't leave me. I been good I have." He muttered the same sentence over and over, and Phil wrapped both arms around him after hooking the sword on his belt. 

"Hey, hey. Shhhh, okay? I'm here for you, I'm not going anywhere." His wings protectively wrapped around him, and he kept the boy firm in between his arms, pulling him as close to his chest as he could possibly get. It didn't quite make sense why he was freaking out, as nothing really happened besides him getting trapped. He walked his way back to the house, heartbeat pounding in his ears with adrenaline. The front of his shirt quickly got covered in warm tears, all he could do was bounce him until he got into the house. There were a few muffled "mamas" in between the sobbing he did, which broke Phil's heart. He had no idea what happened to his mother, or where she was, but he would comfort him while he called for her. Phil closed the front door behind him, wings all fluffed up as they adjusted to the warmth of the house. He rested the sword back in its usual place. 

Tommy had to be uncomfortable in all of his layers, but he moved them over to the couch, leaning on the arm of it. He patted his back, shushing him with soft cooes of warmth and promises that he'd always be there for Tommy. The wet spot on his shirt was getting bigger, and Phil ran his fingers through Tommy's hair, kissing the crown of his head a few times. The sobs seemed to be getting quieter at least, and were being replaced by sniffles and soft hiccups. Phil kissed the tops of his ears a few more times, flicking on the TV to the beloved animal show. There was a segment about birds momentarily, talking about what they did when they were happy. There was currently a mother eagle sitting on her nest of hatchlings, and taking care of them. Phil felt Tommy move his head to the side, unfortunately watching as the mother regurgitated into the chick's mouth to feed it. Phil felt himself getting a little queasy at the sight, and agreeing with the boy as he mumbled a quiet "ew." 

He heard Tommy take a wheezy inhale, to steady himself, and got a great idea. He rustled his wings, poking Tommy on the shoulder. It broke his heart as Tommy's baby blue eyes peered up at him, glassy with tears. "You know… I'm a bird hybrid, Tommy." Tommy seemed to not quite get it as he nodded slowly, rubbing a stray tear from one of his cheeks with a closed fist. "And you're a little baby." He saw the puzzle pieces connect in Tommy's brain on his face, watching his red blotchy cheeks get a smile inching up the sides of them. Phil's arms squeezed tight around him, tickling the clothes. He didn't think his nerves would catch any of the tickles through the layers of clothing, but apparently they did as he started squealing with laughter. He kicked at Phil's chest, trying so desperately to get away. 

"Let me feed you, Tommy! Are you hungry, huh?" Tommy shook his head, trying to scrunch his body up as Phil moved closer and closer to his face. He squealed louder as Phil opened his mouth wide, moving closer to his face. 

Phil was within inches, and Tommy still couldn't wiggle away. "N-no Dada!" He squealed out, as Phil's lips connected to the center of his forehead. The tips of his ears felt warm with embarrassment. Phil hadn't realized what he had called him before his arms went loose, but Tommy never moved from his lap. Tommy pushed his head deep into Phil's chest, trying to hide from the world. Phil backed away, hand going in Tommy's hair. Had he heard that correctly, did Tommy just? 

He would need to comfort him now. 

"It's okay to call me dad, Tommy. You don't need to be embarrassed, okay baby?" Phil made sure to speak softly to comfort him.

"No mad?"

"No, buddy, not mad at you. I couldn't be mad at any of my boys, legal or not. I'm so proud of you, actually." Tommy looked up at him, cheeks still red along with his forehead. His eyes had that glassy sheen again, and he pulled one of his hands into his lap, it was kinda bumped out and looked like he was holding something. "Proud?"

"Yes! I'm so proud, you talked to me today. You're talking, and you told us your name a bit ago, and you're so smart! You're so smart, buddy. You even called for help when you needed it, I'm gonna get you something especially special with lunch today! Do you think you can talk to Techno and Wilbur later?" Phil was so ecstatic, watching the boy blush and giggle at the compliments. 

Tommy puffed out his cheeks and nodded, putting his hand out and opening his palm. "Oh, what is this buddy?" Phil asked. In his palm was a clear crystal, it looked like a clear quartz from Phil's brief knowledge on them. 

"For you… found in the pokeys." Tommy laid the crystal in his hand, a happy grin on his face. It wasn't anything too spectacular or rare, but the fact he had gone out of his way to grab it out of the bristles just for him warmed his old man heart. The crystal meant everything to him, and he slipped it into his pocket, feeling the weight of it in there. 

"Thank you so much, sweet boy." He said, placing a kiss on his forehead. "Wanna go get undressed and then eat lunch? We'll bake some cookies for when Techno and Wilbur get home, okay?" Tommy nodded, chittering as his layers were removed and he felt so much lighter. 

Phil picked him up, heading into the kitchen, a cheeky smile on his face as he knew that Techno and Wilbur would be oh-so jealous. 

Sometimes the Dam will creak and groan with weight, yet still hold. It sounds terrifying, like it will crumble any second, but always stands.

Other times, the Dam will get a crack in it, a hairline crack, and that singular crack seems like nothing. However, if pressure builds, that crack will soon get deeper until it shatters and all of the weight of the water comes down. 

And here we are, the day they're going to Village. Tommy had slept with Techno the night before they went, but he seemed a little nervous to go. Tommy didn't talk much, but he definitely had his voice when he talked. Techno was currently teasing Tommy, poking his body all over, especially his sides that were very ticklish. Tommy squealed as he tried so desperately to shove Techno's hands away, smacking Techno in the nose with his tail. Techno would sneeze in offense, and scooped Tommy up under his shoulders, tossing him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Tommy growled playfully, covering Techno's eyes and biting at his ears. Techno didn't mind at all, really, he picked up their clothes in his other hand. He had lived there too long to not know the way to the bathroom with his eyes closed. When he got into the bathroom, Techno sat Tommy down on the floor. 

When Wilbur and Techno had gone to Village previously, they had picked up a few different outfits for the kid. He preferred anyone else's clothes for sleeping in, but they had picked out a pair of red overalls with plenty of pockets. Tommy had a thing where he would shove his pockets full of random trinkets, and when his own would fill he would do it to anyone else. It was kinda like he was giving them gifts, but making their pants heavy at the same time. They had also gotten him some red tennis shoes, along with a white t-shirt with dinosaur print on it for him to wear underneath the overalls. They started their routine, which would normally include changing all of Tommy's bandages, but most of his wounds were healed except the one on his tail. So, Techno put toothpaste on Tommy's toothbrush, giving it to him to brush his teeth, and leaned down to replace the bandages. The tail was looking much better, just scabbed over wounds, but no one wanted to take the chance of the scab coming off and bleeding, especially when they weren't home. His arms were fully healed as well, although they left the swirled scars on them like Phil had said. Tommy didn't mind them mostly, saying they looked cool. They made Techno and Wilbur enraged to see them, though. It hurt to see how someone could hurt their sweet baby brother like this. 

Techno finished up the bandages around the time as Tommy finished brushing, and he grabbed the clothes off of the counter. Tommy was good as he got undressed, and then redressed up in the new clothes. He seemed fascinated in them as Techno buckled the final clip to the overalls that went over his shoulders. He spun him around in a 360, making sure everything was good, and yep. His tail slipped through the hole, and his shoes were on the right feet. The clothes looked a little light, since it would be cold, but he knew Phil would scoop him up and wrap his wings around him if it got too chilly. Techno brushed his hair out quickly, finishing with a smile. Tommy kissed his snout back, smiling with pride as he was walked out into the hall by Techno. 

"Can you do something really important for me, Theseus?" Tommy didn't know what the nickname meant, but Techno only really used it when it was just the two of them, so he didn't mind it as much. Tommy nodded quickly, he loved impressing everyone in this little family. 

"Dad is probably awake already, but I bet Wilbur isn't. And I have to take a shower before we leave. Do you think you can annoy him in my place, for my honor?" Tommy stuck out his tongue to think, and then nodded. 

"Have good shower, Techie." Tommy murmured, sinking his shoulders close to the floor. Techno watched him creep towards Wilbur's room before closing the door behind him. Tommy kept his body low to the ground as he walked on all fours, the thump of his shoes on wooden floors gave him away, but if Wilbur was sleeping it wouldn't matter much. Tommy stood on his back legs, turning the knob, his claws gently scraping against the wood of the door. He nudged open the door slowly, grinning wildly at the lump that laid in Wilbur's bed. His ears swiveled forward, then flattened mischievously. He kept his body low, creeping over to the Wilbur-sized lump, not even noticing the lack of pillows on the bed. 

"A-HA!" He exclaimed, pulling the blankets off of the lump and about to dive onto them, but paused in confusion. There was no Wilbur, only four pillows stuffed under his blanket. He hardly got time to react as he heard a loud voice behind him "AHA, TO YOU!" He was hooked by the waist from behind, and picked up upside-down. Tommy chittered and then shrieked out a laugh. 

"Wilby, No!" Tommy squealed, he'd just woken up thirty minutes ago and already been assaulted by his brothers TWICE.  He hung upside-down, feeling the blood rush to his ears. 

Wilbur was the ultimate tickler. While Techno would pussy out and stop tickling their little brother whenever he would squeal loud enough, Wilbur wouldn't back down. He would tickle until Tommy was struggling to breathe, and especially now after he had almost gotten assaulted in his own BED no less? Tommy would suffer. "Wilby, Yes! YOU came into MY room trying to wake me? Well you foolish Gremlin, I was awaiting you! I've been ready for ages, hiding and waiting for you! Who are you working with, is it Techno?! Answer me!" 

Tommy couldn't answer, only giggling wildly as the blood in his head made him feel woozy, and the loud laughing he did compressed his lungs. "Not a snitch!" Tommy squealed out as Wilbur tickled one of his sides, his entire eyesight flipped the wrong way. Wilbur hummed softly, threatening to bite Tommy's tail as it smacked one of his tusks. "If you're not gonna talk to me, Gremlin, I'll take you to someone who will make you talk!" Wilbur shuffled down the hallway out of his room, towards the kitchen where the smell of freshly brewed coffee was potent. Tommy giggled and swung his arms around, it was actually quite fun. Tommy gasped as he saw his dad, all dressed and groomed well, cup of too-large coffee in his hands that he sipped at. 

"Dada! Hellllp Dada! Wilby gonna kill me!" Tommy stretched his arms towards Phil, and Phil sat his coffee cup down for a moment. He looked at Wilbur, then Tommy, raising a brow at Wilbur. 

"Wilbur, why are you trying to kill your little brother?" Phil asked, grabbing onto one of Tommy's extended hands and holding it. 

"This little shithead tried to wake me up AND attack me in my room! I think he's been put up to it by Techno! I caught him because I was waiting for him. If I didn't he surely would've chewed my face off and given me rabies."

Tommy's newly chubby cheeks were flushed with red, his hair in disarray from being held like a toddler's stuffed animal. Phil gasped in shock, reaching his arms out and tugging Tommy out of Wilbur's arms. "I don't believe you, Wilbur! My baby raccoon boy TomTom would never ever do something like that!" Phil readjusted Tommy right side up, settling the boy in his lap. 

It was Wilbur's turn to gasp, clutching a hand to his chest and falling on his knees dramatically. "This is the beginning of my villian arc, I've been betrayed by my father AND my brother! This is textbook betrayal, I WILL get you both back for this." Phil patted Wilbur's head, rubbing his cheek. 

Tommy swung his legs back and forth, nudging into Phil's chest and yawning. It wasn't incredibly early, but definitely earlier than Tommy was used to waking up. Phil rubbed his hair, massaging his scalp with his fingers. "You sleepy, buddy?" He asked Tommy, humming as Wilbur laid his head on Phil's lap as well. Tommy nodded, rubbing his eyes and laying down. Phil moved back and forth between rubbing their heads. He already knew that someone would be forced to carry Tommy, and that he had the old man card in his palm already. He took a slow sip of his coffee, waiting for Techno to get out of the bathroom. He was wearing a green shawl with no hat today, his hair in a braid down his back. Wilbur had on a shitty comical T-Shirt that said "I'm Most Likely Taller Than You" on the front and "If You're Short, Just Grow" on the back that Techno had gotten him for his birthday a year ago. He had loose jeans on and boots, his tail swaying back and forth as he purred. 

Techno eventually walked out of the bathroom, his long hair in a ponytail down his back. He was wearing a reddish-pink sweater, and pink-tinted sweatpants. He had some gold necklaces on, as well as gold earrings. A chain hung off of one of his tusks, adorned with an emerald at the end. Although he wasn't in the nether anymore nor had to wear gold in his Piglin herd, old habits die hard. He strutted over to Phil, rolling his eyes at his brother and nudging him to get him up. Wilbur yawned, moving to his feet and getting his head off of Phil's lap. Tommy was long asleep, head slumped on Phil's shoulder, breathy snores emitting from his body. Phil had long finished his coffee, eyeing both of his boys. He spoke in a quiet whisper. "One of you needs to carry Tommy, I'm too old, my back may hurt. He'll probably need to be carried on the way back, so whoever does it now won't have to do it later." 

Techno and Wilbur looked to one another, to be completely fair, Tommy HAD slept in Techno's room already, and he had to dress him. They seemed to communicate with their shared twin thoughts before Wilbur groaned and leaned forward, scooping Tommy into his arms. He shifted him around by bouncing him in his arms, until Tommy's head snuggled into the crook of his neck. Tommy was still skinny, but they had all gotten him more at a healthy weight with his time there. Phil stood himself up, gesturing with his arm his sons out. Techno took the lead, with Wilbur behind him and Phil in the flank. Phil made sure the door was locked before stepping off of the porch, shifting his wings. It would be a simple twenty minute walk, probably thirty to get to the Village's marketplace. So they set off on foot, maneuvering their bodies so they all walked side by side. The walk was fairly uneventful, as they talked about what to do when they got to the marketplace. A few birds that hadn't left for the winter tweeted and flew past them, perching on branches. 

Once they had walked towards the outer-edge of the town, they were met with a few strangers out for walks as well. One had a few dogs on leashes at his side, and there were a few hybrid couples they saw. They seemed friendly enough, smiling and giving greetings, but sometimes their eyes would stare at Wilbur for a little too long. The hybrid couple mumbled something to each other before stepping off. Normally Phil would be used to the glances if they were humans, but this was different. Techno caught the energy as well, and Wilbur wasn't completely oblivious to it either. Tommy had stirred a few times as the marketplace got closer and people were louder. Horses knickered tied to posts next to cars, it was cool to see the amount of mixture of ways of life. 

Tommy wiggled in Wilbur's grasp, wanting to hop down after rubbing his eyes of sleepiness. The three of them paused as Wilbur sat him down, and Phil kneeled while grabbing onto his shoulders firmly. "You gotta stay in sight of us, okay Tommy? If you wanna hold one of our hands or see something you want, let us know. Let us know if this becomes too much as well, we'll leave and go home." Tommy seemed very excitable, his tail wagging behind him quickly that no one really expected. Wilbur was the only one who was anything close to an extrovert, but it seemed Tommy was one as well. Tommy grabbed onto Phil's hand, dragging him straight through into the marketplace. The surge of people glaring at them didn't slow, however, and the stares became almost accusatory. Phil genuinely didn't understand, his boys were good normally, never causing trouble. Phil was known as the Angel Of Death to most, so he didn't understand where the lack of respect was being built on. Tommy waved to a few of the people owning booths, who enthusiastically waved back and would offer him something, whether it be candy or a drink. Tommy would shake his head, mumbling a "no thank you." 

It was strange, really, how accustomed to Tommy they all were, Phil wondered if they knew him somehow. It didn't make sense, if all of these people cared for him… why was he borderline feral and skin and bones when he came to them? Thinking about it made his head hurt, and he pressed it to the back of his mind to think of later. They looked at a bunch of random booths, one of the main ones that stuck out was one with plushies and blankets. Tommy looked through all of them, skimming over lion ones, and a dolphin one. He seemed uninterested until he found a crow plush, and a piglin one. He wagged his tail behind him, hopping over to show his brothers and dad excitedly. All three of them felt their hearts melt at the boy, and Phil patted his head. "Go to the lady and buy them, okay?" He pulled out his wallet, grabbing the money for them and accidentally overheard a conversation. 

"Hey, Tommy. No one has seen you or your mom in a while? What happened?" Tommy's ears flattened as he put the plushies on the counter. "I dunno. But I gots'a dad and brothers now, so it's easier. They have a house, too! It's good and warm… do you know where 'Bo and 'Boo are?" 

The shopkeeper, a sweet, older woman nodded. "They're at Niki's bakery last I saw them, Puffy is working there today since Tubbo's dad went on a trip." Tommy nodded like he understood, a happy smile on his face. Phil didn't mean to overhear the conversation, but it seemed strange enough. Tubbo, the Mayor's boy? There was no way they were talking about the same person, right? 

Phil handed the woman more than enough money to cover the plushies, and took the bag in hand. Tommy grabbed his hand, and started dragging him down the street once again. Wilbur and Techno were getting a bit nervous at the glances, while Phil was still trying to piece together everything in his mind. He was snapped out of his trance as they neared the bakery, or at least that's what the giant sign on the top said. There was a sweet scent of pastries in the air, that made their mouths water. 

"Niki's bakery? You know this place, Tommy?" Wilbur asked him, holding his hand. Tommy bounced up and down happily. "Yah! 'Bo and 'Boo come here! Auntie Puffy works here top and Auntie Niki owns it! I come here when mama and the mayor are talking!" 

"I'm friends with the owner, Niki! We talk sometimes and I'll get stuff to bring home. I've seen Ranboo and Tubbo here sometimes, they're your friends?" Wilbur asked so nonchalantly, like it wasn't something maybe Phil and Techno probably should've known. He spoke like it was common sense, like oh, y'know, the drawings Tommy did of 'Boo and 'Bo, yeah, those are real kids! Techno just didn't care about the whole thing anymore, resting against a tree and watching some human kid gawk at him. 

Tommy nudged his way into the window of the bakery, looking through the glass. He didn't see anyone, had the shopkeeper lied to him? He saw Puffy inside, laughing with Niki as they threw handfuls of flour at one another. He caught Niki's eye, waving excitedly, and her face went from happy to nearly pale and shocked. She nudged Puffy, pointing to the window. Puffy pulled out a little walkie-talkie that Tommy recognized, that's the one Tubbo always had! Tommy had his own too, but he's pretty sure he lost it a while ago. Tommy wanted a higher point of view, and extended his arms out to Techno. Techno pulled him up easily, resting him on his hip. Tommy giggled loudly, and they were gestured in by Puffy. Puffy and Niki used a cloth to clean the flour off of their hands, walking over to the door. 

Phil pushed the door open, making his way inside with Techno and Wilbur. Puffy had tears in her eyes as she leaned forward, stealing Tommy from Techno. Techno was mildly offended and VERY overprotective, but he just grunted once as a warning. Niki gave Wilbur a hug, punching his shoulder at the sight of the T-Shirt. Tommy giggled loudly as Puffy squeezed his cheeks, kissing the sides of his face. "Where have you been, Tommy? We've been looking for you forever, you've had all of the Village stressed! Tubbo has been interrogating every poor villager he can get his hands on. Ranboo has been so stressed and Schlatt couldn't find your mom or you anywhere." 

Tommy flattened his ears, fiddling with his fingers. "Dunno what happened. Dada said I went… um… feral?" He looked to Phil for reaffirmation, and was met with a nod. So Tommy WAS actually friends with the mayor's kid? 

Puffy hummed. "So you've been lost, also, Dada? This is your dad?" 

"Yah! And that's Wilby and Techie, my brothers? Innit cool auntie puffy?" 

"Not Biological." Phil reassured her quickly after Tommy spoke. "We found him rummaging through our garbage bins, and slowly took him in. He had potion scars all over his arms and was severely malnourished, wouldn't talk or anything. It's taken a while for him to get adjusted."

"Tommy? Not talking? I could hardly believe that." She gave him a weary glance, and it became painfully obvious they didn't believe him. Techno snorted once again, moving closer to Wilbur. Phil sat a calm hand on Techno's shoulder. 

Tommy wiggled out of Puffy's grip, gasping as he ran to the door. Running up to the door was the goat boy and enderman hybrid themselves, they nearly broke the door shoving through it. "TOMS!" Tubbo yelled, lurching forward and grabbing Tommy in a tight hug. Ranboo followed as well, his tail that resembled a long lion's one curling around the three of them. Ranboo made a few enderman noises, and warbled as he kept his grip firm around them. Ranboo started purring quickly, nuzzling his head into Tommy's hair. 

"Hi Tubbs and Boo! I missed you so much!" Ranboo's pupils amongst mismatched irises were blown out. Phil thought about how cute these three were together, but what would that mean for them as a new family? Well, it was obvious Tommy HAD a mom, where she is was a mystery. Phil also didn't really enjoy how he seemed to be blamed for this, do they really think low enough of him for him to kidnap a CHILD and STARVE him? It made him sick at the thought, and he reached his hand out to hold Techno's. It was a cute scene nonetheless, it quelled the aching anxiety in his stomach momentarily. 

"Don't leave us again, you butthead!" Tubbo headbutted Tommy's chest with the tiny budding horns on his head. Phil didn't miss the way Techno and Wilbur tensed up simultaneously. "We've been worried sick about you, and dad's been looking for you and your mom everywhere! We thought her… living conditions caught up to you both." This kid was obviously older than Tommy by how well he spoke, how much older they couldn't quite place. The other boy, Ranboo, seemed much older than both by height alone, but he still had baby-fat in his cheeks. It was odd, though? Living conditions? Phil would definitely ask when he got the chance. 

Tubbo seemed to notice the other three in the room, turning on his heel to stare at Phil, Techno, and Wilbur. "Did you kidnap him?" And… there it was. Were they being accused by a what? An eight year old? "Did you really think you could kidnap OUR Toms and get away with it?" Ranboo didn't seem angry, just indifferent before he spoke. 

"Tubbo, we don't really know if they did, you can't really… you know how Tommy's mom was." He seemed to whisper the last part, holding Tommy's hand gently. Tommy definitely heard, his ears flattening to the base of his head. 

"We didn't kidnap him, he showed up skinny and feral. We already told Puffy this. He didn't have a mom with him when he showed, just him. He was holed up in our barn, and we lost him for like, a week." Techno spoke, correcting them. 

"Yeah!" Wilbur added in. "Then dad went to change the cow's water and our barn cat, Daisy, led him to Tommy. You should've seen how bad it was when he brought him in. The scars on his arms were all open and gross, it was fuckin' gnarly. Whoever did that shit to him, when I catch them." Wilbur was cut off by Niki. 

"Okay… watch the language in front of the kids. They have a colorful enough vocabulary already."

The air was uncomfortable, Tommy felt like he was suffocating as he moved away from Ranboo and Tubbo, playing with Ranboo's tail. He batted at it a little, watching Ranboo sway it for him. He loved Ranboo, Tubbo, Puffy, Niki, his dad, and his brothers. He… didn't know what he felt about his mom. He remembered her, but it hurt to think about her. His tongue would get solid like lead when thinking about her, his heart would sink like an anchor on a ship. 

Tommy blocked out the conversation, he heard them talk, just didn't use enough of his brains to LISTEN. He felt Ranboo's gaze on him, but walked over to Phil. Phil rested a hand on his head, he liked that. He liked when Phil gave him affection. Tommy rustled through the bag of two plushies, his eyes watched them both intently, but something in his brain decided to pick the crow. He pulled the crow out, resting it under his arm, the fabric was soft, and it tickled his fingertips to hold. He hugged the plushie to his chest tightly, leaning into the hand that rested between his ears with a purr. 

"Wait, what did his mom do? You keep bringing it up." Tommy wasn't trying to listen to it, but he was so close to Phil it caught his ears anyways. His body shook, he blinked back a few tears that burned his eyes. His mind didn't want to hear about her, he wanted to leave. He walked towards the exit, shoving at the door. He paused as he heard his name mentioned. 

Niki, she was always sweet. She would give him and his mom sweet cookies, his favorite were the ones decorated with cows. It had been a while since he had one. "Where are you going, Toms?" Tommy didn't know himself, so he thought for a second. Dream, he could see Dream. Dream and Sapnap were nice teenagers, they always tried to play with him and involve him in little games. 

"Gonna go see Dream and Sapnap, okie?" 

"Okay. Be safe, Bubs, and stay near the market." 

Tommy flashed her a toothy smile, shoving the door open and slipping through it. He never felt Ranboo's gaze leave him. He clutched the crow close to his chest, waving at a few people he had seen before. Some of the hybrids gave him high-fives and ruffled his hair. He liked it here, but it felt bad sometimes. It felt like everyone knew more about him than he did, and that made him feel weird. Dream and Sapnap normally hung out towards the less populated part of the market, even a little outside of it. As he walked further, the more cheerful atmosphere dissipated and died out quickly. Less people would give him happy glances, and there were more angry sneers at him. It was mostly humans now, human males. Dream was a goat hybrid, and Sapnap a demon hybrid. Maybe they wouldn't be down here. 

His ears pinned back to his head, and he debated on turning back and leaving. It was freaky, and smelled weird. 

A scent caught his nose, a bittersweet one, and his pupils dilated. It smelled like his mama, moments before she…

No. This scent changed everything. He moved closer to the source, a stand where two human, burly white men stood. One was talking, the other was listening with a nod. The one talking seemed to be the owner, he had a thick southern accent on his tongue. Tommy didn't really pay attention to the stand the man owned, too infatuated with the scent. Maybe if he would've looked a little harder or gotten his heads out of the clouds, he would've noticed the various animal skins hanging behind them.

Phil wasn't quite grasping what he was being told by Puffy, Niki, and Tubbo. So, Tommy's mom was homeless, but she was close friends with Schlatt, the mayor. She never seemed to like to stay in one spot very much, even when someone would offer her to stay in their home. Apparently, Schlatt had offered her to live with him, and offered her keys to a house as well, which she declined. Tommy became quickly loved by the entire village, with how sweet he was and honestly his cuteness. Tommy had a little bit of separation anxiety, which Phil already knew as the boy would cling to anything with a heartbeat. One thing they all agreed with was that it was strange, the entire situation. How does this sweet little happy boy who was loved by everyone get lost with his mother? And then on top of that somehow he gets separated from her, goes feral, and eventually becomes severely injured. They had all come to the conclusion that no one was lying, as every story matched up in chronological order. They were missing that huge puzzle piece gap that only Tommy could supply. Speaking of Tommy, where was he?

They were pulled out of their conversation, and Phil from his thoughts as Dream barged into Puffy's bakery, Sapnap hot on his heels. Dream's face was red, streaks of sweat drenching his shirt collar. "Hey Puffster. Oh, hey Techno and Wilbur. Cool to see you two here." They went to school together, and were in the same grade. Techno nodded to him respectfully, and Sapnap nodded back. 

"Wait, where's Tommy?" Niki asked, hand on her hip. 

"Tommy? Oh shit! Kid's back in town? Is his mom with him?" 

"Wait, wait. You didn't see him? He went out looking for you." Now this piqued Phil's interest. Where was his son? Wilbur looked out of the window, watching a few people walk by and studying the street. Techno felt his heartbeat in his throat, protective instincts taking over.

"No? We were running the marketplace for like, what? Twenty minutes?" Dream looked towards Sapnap. 

Sapnap's tail threaded his ankles. "Yeah, we've been out for a while. Didn't see the kid, you know we would've called if we did." 

"No one would have any ill intent towards him, right?" Techno asked, a quiet growl under his breath as he spoke. 

"Well, no, but we don't really want a kid roaming around alone no matter if it's safe or not. He knows this place well enough to navigate it, but sometimes kids just forget." Puffy said. 

Ranboo whirred a bit in fear, nibbling on his bottom lip. "We could look for him. He's not far I'm sure, and we have a number of people here." 

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Okay. Wilbur, Techno, Phil, you go to the sketchy part of town. Nothing against you guys, you're just kinda fucking HUGE and terrifying. And he would probably come running to you if you called. Dream and Sapnap will roam the outer market, ask questions, someone would've had to see him. Niki and I will take Tubbo and Ranboo to look around the market, he's probably just wandered around and gotten a snack." Puffy rested a reassuring hand on Phil's shoulder. It was a nice gesture and soothed his nerves that were on end. He truly thought Puffy was a good person, maybe he'd have to get to know her better later. Right now, however, he and his boys were stressed to find Tommy. Dream and Sapnap were first out the door, jogging together away from the shop. Niki took Ranboo's hand to relieve some anxiety, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles and walking out. Puffy ushered Tubbo out, turning the sign on the door to Closed. 

Alone in the shop, it was easy to tell how much anxiety flowed through their blood. Wilbur breathed in a wobbly inhale. "We just got him, dad, what if we lose him?"

"We won't lose him, I promise you Wilbur. We're gonna get him and go home, we'll ask him what happened to his mom in due time. They trust us, well, Tubbo doesn't. But I'm sure he wants what's best for his friend."

Techno snorted angrily. "If anyone decides to harm a hair on his head, I'll gut them on the spot."

Phil rubbed in between his ears, kissing their foreheads once each and clutching the bag with one lone plush. "We'll get to him before anything happens."

☆TW Starts Here☆

◇TW, mentions of murder, alcohol, death, child abuse. Look for the diamonds for added or removed TWs, and a Star to signify all TWs are over.◇

Tommy knew what it was like to have someone killed in front of him. He was only eight months when it happened, just a baby so dependent on his parents. He remembered the death rattle, what it sounded like. The sound of fire crackling around him, a plush cow in his arms and a pacifier stuffed in between his gums. He was quiet, he thinks he remembers, he remembers his mom sobbing loudly begging not to be left alone with him. He remembers the press of a kiss on his forehead, by cold lips that were somehow hot at the same time, probably caused by the fire. His mom had told him every day when he was little that humans had burned their house down. Because of their tails, and their ears, because they were hybrids and had different blood running through their veins. 

He was six when he watched his mom get slaughtered in front of his eyes. She had been going mad with grief. It had been the fifth year anniversary -he felt bad to call it that- of his dad's death. She fled the town he loved so much, with Tommy holding her hand and forcing her to come with him, forcing him to leave his friends, all to follow her feral instincts she so believed in. They stopped talking to each other vocally, only chirping and making various raccoon noises for communication. They had been hungry enough, but some villagers they barely knew spared them food. She had smelled a sweet scent, a fruit he believed was called a pear. 

He snapped out of his thoughts as the man running the stand did a loud bellowing laugh. He listened to them speak to one another for a moment, and the southern one who ran it pulled out a jar of something that smelled like pears, his nose twitched. He wanted so desperately to run away, to go back to his dad and brothers, but his legs were stuck in place like he was standing in tar. 

"I'm telling you, man. This shit works like a charm in bringing in animals. Remember that raccoon bitch who always walked around, the fucking mayor's pet? She had that kid with her too, Tommy, I think. Fucking annoying bitches, both of em. They were treated like the gems of the Village, fucking gross. But anyways, I set some of it out one night in a trap, had some potions with me in my offhand. I was hoping to catch some deer or something, something with a good enough pelt or antlers to skin and sell. But I couldn't believe it when I saw her come around." He sneered like it was funny, like it was a laughing matter, and he didn't understand when the man he was talking to started chuckling. "She was on all fours, real feral like, you should've seen it. Her brat was in tow behind her, but I'll tell you about him later." Tommy's spine got a shiver down it, his face flushed. As the man told the story, he nearly felt it happening as he remembered. 

"She comes up, sniffing the trap. And I left regular bait out, too, but she was just so interested in the smell. Her eyes were all red and shit, reflective, almost makes you wonder how human they really are. So she comes right into the trap, and boom! The bear trap I had set down went off. Clamped right on her neck, you should've heard the way she yelped."

Tommy had, it was horrible. The way she screeched, every nerve in his body was on end, he was nauseated. The crow was in a death-grip now. She had screamed at Tommy in their language to run, to get out and leave. He couldn't just do that. 

"So this bitch is screaming at her kid real loud in those chitters and shit, the trap clamped harder into her flesh and you could've heard the blood rising in her throat and cutting off her airways." Both men laughed again, Tommy didn't really know what was funny. 

"Anyways, this little fucker she's with, that fucking brat. He runs up to me as I got closer to her, sunk his fucking teeth into my arm. Those fuckers are no joke, man. I threw his stupid ass off and kicked him in the ribs. He yelped and ran off before I could get my gun, lucky son of a bitch." 

The man brought a bottle to his lips, guzzling down the liquid. The scars from his teeth were visible in his fore-arm. He had seen the bottle he drank from before, sometimes his mom and Tubbo's dad shared it.

She wouldn't be too nice after that. 

"Damn, he got you good. I would've knocked the bitch's teeth out. So what did you do with him?" 

"Oh, the kid? He stopped coming around, I guess he knew I had him bested as I had his mom. I thought he was as good as dead without his momma. Didn't come around for a month. Then he started coming back. He would leave various foods out where she was trapped, no idea where he got 'em from, and guessed he wanted her to come back. If I was a good man, I would've took pity on the bastard… but I'm not. So I started studying his footprints, he would take a different pattern every time he came, so I had to make note of it. I knew I would get money for his ears and tail, and could sell him as a two-for-one with his momma's. Anyways, I started trapping his paths. When I tell you this little fucker is smart, he was real smart. He would avoid every spot that smelled like pears for the life of him, it was kinda funny,  would make me laugh." 

The man took another swig of his drink. 

"Well, he couldn't outsmart me for long. He came one night, and I guess he had gotten too comfortable around my house." He leaned down, grabbing something metal that jangled in a haunting manner. A bear trap with dried blood covering the rusty teeth of it. His tail went between his legs, wrapping around his own ankle. He cringed at the phantom pain that ran through it, under the bandages his brother had replaced this morning. "This caught his tail, snapped it right down the middle. He was yapping and yelping, calling for his mom, too. Nearly froze my blood when I heard that monster speak, thought he was feral like his momma. It sounded like when his mom was trapped, except he was louder, and it was more satisfying. Because I had nothing against his mom, but I had something against this fucker, the teeth marks in my arm. So I deemed to make him suffer in his last moments, grabbed some potions of harming, I know they make the pelt look awful with the swirls, but I was only there for the tail and ears anyways. He growled at me, so much anger in such a tiny body. He looked at me like I had taken everything away from him, and I suppose I did. I splashed him with them, listened to him suffer. I kicked him in the head twice. Busted the shit out of his lip, knocked his eye in. He grabbed onto my leg, dug his fucking nails deep into it with them nasty hybrid claws. I would make him pay for it, and I did. Grabbed his arm, poured the potion directly on flesh. The smell was horrid, let me tell you." 

Tommy wanted to cry with how every scar on his body felt like it was opening up, like the potion was being poured on him, like he was being saturated in the liquid and battered. He held back a whimper by biting into his lip, tongue trailing over the scar tissue.

"Little fucker knocked me over with all of his might. I'm telling you, them shitheads is real strong when they have something to fight for. With how skinny he was, I'm still surprised as to how he managed it. I stepped back, my boot got caught in one of my own traps I had set. Karma, maybe, but he ended up wiggling out of his while I struggled to get out of my own. Couldn't grab the gun fast enough to shoot him. I'm guessing he either bled out in the woods or another animal got him. Unfortunate. Could've gotten a pretty penny for him. Maybe would've sold him alive."

The man shook his head, making a few noises of disagreement as he sniffed the liquid the trapper was selling. "So what'd you do with his mother, did she make it?"

He guzzled the last of his drink, tossing it into a bin next to him. It clanked so hard it sounded like it would nearly shatter, and Tommy flinched. 

" 'Course she didn't make it! Died after her kid ran away, neck was snapped due to the trap. I skinned her real good. Took pictures of her too, got her ears hanging up and her tail. They're real fluffy and harder to skin than a regular raccoon, but you can tell they're hybrids by the bone structure. Poachers will pay real good money for 'em, that's why you take pictures while you're doing it." 

That couldn't be true. His mom, his mom was dead. Something in his instincts told him it wasn't true, that she was alive, but there she was. Her body parts behind the man, in his stand. There were ram horns, goat tails, bunny ears. How many of them weren't solely animals? Tommy's thoughts swarmed in his brain, anxiety formed in his chest. His throat locked up tight, and he tried to take a breath. 

◇TW for Murder over. TW added for heavy child abuse and attempted kidnapping, also attempted murder.◇

He didn't mean to squeak, to whimper out a shitty breath that barely made him exhale. He really hadn't meant to make noise, and he slapped his hand over his face after he did. The crow's wings bent in his crushing grasp, and his ears flattened as both men looked over at him. 

"Well I'll fucking be… No damn way that's the same one. His arm, though." The man spoke aloud, popping the cork on the bottle of liquid. He reached under his desk, grabbing another bottle. The other man backed away, inching himself a bit closer to Tommy. Tommy couldn't move, his feet felt stuck in quicksand. 

"C'mere. I know where your mom is, want me to take you to her? She's alive, been missing you real much." Tommy knew he couldn't trust the man, but what if he was lying to seem cool? Sometimes his mom said people would do that, to lie and seem cooler to other people. He moved closer to the man, in his mind he knew this wasn't right, that he was lying. His instincts, however, which hadn't ever gotten rid of the thought his mom was dead, didn't listen to his brain. His pupils blew out, tail coming out to wag back and forth. The man seemed nice enough, he even smelled like mother, both had that tint of liquor under their breath. 

He tried to back up, but he didn't react fast enough to. The guy grabbed his free arm that didn't clutch the crow, twisting it in a hard angle and listening to it pop. Tommy yelped, his adrenaline kicking in as he tried to escape. The one running the stand ran up, vial of purple-gray liquid in his hand still. He grabbed his face, and Tommy screeched as he felt the man's nails dig into his cheeks, forcing his mouth open. Tommy tried to snap at him, but was smacked harshly across his face. "Don't FUCKING bite me you brat. You're gonna learn manners real quick." Tommy whimpered loudly, straining against their grip as the purple-grey mixture was forced into his mouth. It burned his tongue, a few drops slipped down his throat but he puffed out his cheeks, holding the liquid in it. It was a potion of sorts, that what he was assured of in the way it tingled his body. The man went to tap his throat and make sure he swallowed, but he spit it out towards their eyes. They snarled as it burned, stinging and turning their eyes red almost immediately.

 He tried to wiggle out, digging his nails into their wrists, and kicking at their chests. The other man let go, but the merchant he had met before kept a strong grip. Tommy whimpered as he was dangled, then the man poured the potion all over his arms. "This will sink into your pores, making you a placant little BITCH." Tommy flinched as spit from his mouth hit him in the face, but didn't have much time to react as he was thrown to the ground, boot on his back, pressing down into his spine. He coughed hard, it was hard to breathe, and it felt like his ribs were gonna crack. His arm was deemed unusable, and it popped in the socket every time a tiny movement was made. He would have fought back with his other one, but he feared if he dropped the crow plush he would never recover it.

His eyes wandered around him, there were people looking at him, all humans, of course. No one stepped in, nor gave him a look of pity. They just walked past with their heads down. Tommy's body started getting weaker, it had been a potion of weakness he thinks, because this feeling of a thousand elephants on his chest wasn't normal. Tommy's ears flattened and a tear fell down his cheek, falling onto a rash that was forming due to the slap. His entire body felt hot, it dulled the pain in his back and chest from the boot. "Fucking bastard kid. You'll learn quick, maybe I'll keep you around before skinning you. You'll end up just like your mother. Dead, crying to someone who will never answer her calls." 

Tommy looked down at the ground, sobbing silently. The rough path hurt his face to lay on, but he was too embarrassed to look up. He wheezed through cries, yelping quietly as the man stomped on his tail, right where the bandages would be. He couldn't bring himself to fight back, everything felt so heavy. "The funny thing about that night, the same trap your tail got stuck in, is the same one that ripped your momma to heaven." 

Tommy's eyes went wide and he started sobbing once again, everything hurt so much. Neither stopped for even a second. Another firm stomp on his tail and he heard a snap. He cried out loud, only to be kicked hard into his ribs. He could feel the way his ribs became malleable to the boot, again and again until he felt something shift. The man kicked the side of his face with his heavy boot before grabbing the back of his nape. Every hybrid had a weak spot on their nape when they're little until they hit puberty. If you grab the right position it immobilizes them until you let go, similar to a cat. Not that Tommy could move much anyway, his joints were locked in a position as he began to be carried away. 

"You're gonna be good now, aren't you? Those pretty little ears will sell well. Will allow me to get more money to kill more of you little hybrid freaks."

Tommy wondered if he was going to die. His heartbeat was loud in his ears, the scent of blood in his nose canal, the taste of blood in his mouth. When did his nose start bleeding? He didn't remember. 

The world was all swirling around him. Would he be able to see his mom again? It was funny, she always said how much Tommy reminded her of his dad. 

With the burning of a potion on him, his breathing faltered to heavy rasps, he wondered if that was so true. 

Maybe he would die like him as well. 

He was barely keeping consciousness, his eyes fluttering now and then as his gaze went to his crow. It reminded him of his dad, not the one who passed on soon, leaving him alone. The one who would always make sure the TV was turned on and it wouldn't be too dark. The one who gave him extra snacks for being good, who always would give him a firm kiss on the forehead before wrapping his wings around him. He wondered if Wilbur and Techno would miss him, maybe the barn cat or the sweet cows in the field? Would he be a memory, or would they forget. He didn't want them to forget.

His lungs ached, his throat was sore, but he opened his mouth.

He didn't want them to forget. 

"DADA!" He wailed loudly, yelping as a firm hand smacked his cheek again. More blood gushed out of his nose at the pressure, it was staining his dinosaur shirt. Dad probably wouldn't be happy with him. 

Tommy cried, tears burning his cheeks and mixing with the blood that shed off of his lip. He was jostled around quickly, hearing a loud shout of fear from one of the men. 

Seriously, they had the audacity to trip, they couldn't even walk straight?

Hot blood dripped on his shoulder, his muscles betrayed him when he wanted to look up to see. It didn't feel like his own, there was too much of it. 

The grasp on his nape loosened, and he fell to the ground. Falling sent a shock through his body, jostling his already injured arm, broken tail, and broken ribs. He sobbed to himself, and could barely move. He used his little might to turn his neck, hair settling into the dirt. 

The man who had killed his mom, injured him, and nearly kidnapped him had an ivory tusk going through his neck. He was lifted quickly, and then thrown to the ground in a display of might. As his body fell to the floor next to Tommy, he saw his saviour. His pupils were slit, eyes wide and wild, blood dripping off of gold chains and ivory tusks. His brother, Technoblade stood in all his glory. He snorted once at the man who was now on the ground, Tommy couldn't see him. Out of sight, out of mind. The look from man to Tommy switched quickly, and the anger quickly dissipated out to fear, maybe sadness? "Fuck, Dad! You're okay, Theseus. You're okay. C'mon, look at me buddy. You're alright. You were so brave, so brave." He was stuttering over his own words, Tommy hissed in pain as an arm drifted under his ribs, trying to secure a good hold on him. It wasn't Techno's arms, he seemed to be occupied. Wilbur came into his point of view, it was easier to see his tusks from this angle. 

◇TW for heavy child abuse, attempted kidnapping, attempted murder over. 

TW for random mentions of alcohol, abuse, and the constant implications of wounds started. There will be no end of these, there's nothing too graphic, but continue at your own risk.◇

"Oh, poor Gremlin. You're gonna be alright. Dad's gonna take you home, okay? We'll be home soon, and heal well." Tommy hated that stupid nickname, but it seemed like one of the best things he'd ever heard at the moment. 

Another arm secured him under his legs, he couldn't fight it. The movement hurt, but he was pulled closer to the person's chest. Some feathers came into his peripheral vision, valiant black wings spread to both sides of him. He heard them talk, but none of it stuck to his brain. The relative warmth of his dad's chest died off quickly as they were shot into the air. The freezing air whipped through his hair, tickling his ears. Everything moved so quickly past him, the village houses were so cool to see from above, then the transition to green wooded areas. The air that flooded his nasal canal and throat quickly became too much for his shallowing breaths to handle, and he coughed. His vision went dark around the edges as pain shook his nervous system, a loud whine escaping past his lips. 

"You're alright, Tommy. We've got potions at home, you're being so brave right now. We'll get you tons of treats and cookies when we get home, how does that sound?" Tommy let out a weak chitter, closing his eyes, he was so tired. He guessed his dad caught him as his eyes stayed closed for a little too long. "Hey, hey. Toms, you can't sleep, I know you're tired. You probably just wanna sleep, mate. You gotta keep them open for me, okay? Just watch how pretty the treetops are. We're almost home, I'll even put on your animal show." He seemed more pleading, like he was begging Tommy to open his eyes. It was a struggle to do so, to not slip into slumber like his brain tugged and begged him to, but he wanted to help Dada feel better. He watched the treetops fly by, and a few deer prance in a meadow that was yellow-tinted with flowers. Then he saw the house, the barn, the cows in the field he had become so attached to. They dived towards the ground, and Tommy absent-mindedly flinched when they hit the ground, thinking he would feel the impact. The impact never came, however, nor did any more pain in his body than the throb of broken bones. 

His dad quickly walked them up the porch, using one hand to cradle Tommy, and the other to use his keys and unlock the door. He shoved the door open, rushing in and laying Tommy on the couch. It didn't hurt too bad as he was laid on the good side of his ribs. "Okay buddy, I'm gonna have to take your clothes off, can you tell me where it hurts so I don't have to strip you completely. Take your time to think, I'm gonna grab the potions and med-kit, alright?" 

Where it hurt was hard to pinpoint exactly. Almost his entire body hurt, but he decided to focus on the places it hurt the most. His ribs hurt the most, his tail hurt too. He thought his arm hurt as well, but wasn't sure. His dad rushed into his point of view again, holding one of those stupid potions in his hand and a kit he had seen the first night here. The kit was laid on the floor beside the couch, and opened. "Where does it hurt, Toms?" 

Tommy held his breath to repress a cough to the back of his throat. "Ribs… tail… arm…" it hurt the side of his face to talk, and more blood filled his mouth when he licked his lips to speak. His dad worked quickly to release the buckles from his overalls. He stretched the shirt out with his hands, manipulating Tommy's arms so carefully that he was able to slip off the shirt instead of cutting it. The blood rushed out of his dad's face as he stared at his chest, and Tommy couldn't help but crane his neck to look at it as well. The skin was a dark red and purple across most of his chest. Bruises bloomed on each side of his ribcage near his back, before honing in on the one spot the man had kicked the most. Tommy's breath stuttered, and his dad quickly pushed his chin up with his fingers to avoid his eyes. "Okay, don't look buddy, it's alright. You'll be fine." His fingertips roamed just over the bruise, Tommy could feel the energy and heat off of them but he applied no real pressure. 

His dad pulled his arms back, looking to the potion and turning it in his hands like he was deciding something. He seemed to make his decision quickly as he pulled the cork out, Tommy was so sick of hearing that sound. His ears flattened on instinct, hiding in his fluffy blonde hair. "I know you don't like these, but you're gonna have to drink it, okay? It'll make you feel much better faster, and your ribs will heal so we can snuggle again. You want that, don't you? You wanna snuggle with Wilbur and Techno and I, yeah? Can you be a brave boy and drink some of it?" 

Tommy didn't like them, he was right about that. But cuddles seemed especially nice right now, it was a good vacation from the harsh contact he had been subjected to. Tommy squeaked as he opened his mouth, and Phil gave him an especially fond smile. He grabbed his chin, and Tommy almost flinched away from the contact as he thought about earlier, but this was his Dada, he wouldn't hurt him, right? The liquid sizzled when it touched his tongue, the overpowering flavor and scent of watermelon taking over his senses. His body became warm again, chills forming on his arms from the severe temperature changes. He drank as much as he could, shivering as he felt the potion travel down his throat. The pain in his ribs disappeared quickly, but he was still too weak to want to move. He closed his eyes for a moment, rebelling in the painless feeling and trying to focus on the warmth that rumbled in his tummy. 

His ears flickered as he heard a quiet, strained sob and he opened his eyes. His dad had tears running down the sides of his face, leaving wet streaks as they fell onto his beard. Why was Dada crying? Was Dada hurt too? Maybe he was scared, Tommy hated being scared. 

He rumbled his own chest and into his throat a soft purr to his dad, handing him the crow he had been clutching for so long. He didn't want Dada to be sad. 

"Oh, oh are you purring for me baby?" Phil wiped a streak of tears that was quickly replaced by another. "Sweet boy. Sweet, sweet boy. You don't have to do that, but thank you." Phil choked and covered his mouth after speaking, his own throat clearly closing in on him. "We don't know what we would do without you, Tommy. We were so worried when we saw the man… messing with you. We're sorry we couldn't look after you." Phil grabbed the crow from his grip, kissing Tommy's fist and giving the crow back. "We love you so much, I don't want you to forget that. No matter what happens, you're the greatest gift we've ever received."

Tommy just stared up at him with those big, watchful eyes. For a moment Phil thought about how similar they looked, it was like looking into a mirror. Phil kissed him between his blue orbs, one of his tears landing on Tommy's nose. "Love you, dada." Phil didn't want to shed any more tears on the boy, wiping under his eyes with his wrist. 

Tommy huffed when Phil started inspecting his arm, adjusting and turning the palm in his hand. "I don't think it's broken, buddy. It feels dislocated." He felt around the upper arm, Tommy only cringing when he touched around the socket. 

"What that mean?" Tommy asked, his voice was a little hoarse and his throat sore. 

"It means that I'll only have to pop it back into the socket, and then boom, it's back in. It won't even hurt, just pressure." Phil knew it would hurt like a bitch, each of his boys had dislocated their arms, kinda like a tradition now that he thinks about it. He was an expert at resetting them after Wilbur was the first after falling off of his horse. It seemed the healing potion targeted some of the weakness potion, as Tommy had a little more light in his eyes. It was a good and bad thing. On one hand, if Tommy was sleepier, it would be harder to reset his arm since he would fight back. Techno had bitten him when he reset it, Phil still had the tiny tusk scars through his hand. On the other hand, his movement was obviously good as it signified he had no internal bleeding, and that the potion was doing its job. 

Tommy wavered on the word "hurt" as he looked away, seemingly disassociating temporarily. A few tears piled up in his eyes, his bottom lip going wobbly as he mentally checked back in. Phil just didn't avoid his eyes, giving him the same look of fondness. "W-want Techie an' Wilby…" he whimpered. Phil couldn't help but reach forward and kiss his head again, starting a deep rumbly purr in his chest to soothe his youngest. 

"They'll be back soon and I bet they can't wait to see you buddy. But look! Here, does this help?" Phil found the bag with the Piglin plush, pulling it out and putting it in Tommy's free arm. Tommy squeezed it to his chest tightly, nodding once. "Okay, now close your eyes real tight for me, really tight." Tommy obliged, squeezing his eyes shut and forcing a tear out of one. "Okay, I'm gonna count to three, on three, I'll pop it back in. Do you like that plan?" Tommy gave another quick nod, and Phil adjusted his hand so it was on Tommy's elbow, holding his palm out towards the sky. 

"Okay. One." 

Tommy clutched his two plushies so close that his wrist went white, biting his lip and flattening his ears. 

"Two." He had an awkward angle on the arm since Tommy was still laying down, but he would have to try. Phil shoved his arm back into the socket, it made a loud, nasty pop that made a shiver go down his spine. He expected a yelp, a curse, hell, maybe even some teeth sinking into his arm. When none of that came, and Tommy was still white-knuckling his plushies, he was a little bit confused. 

Tommy's ears swiveled to the front of his head, and he cocked his head to the side as he opened his eyes. "Dada, you didn't say three and do it…" Tommy eyed him accusingly. 

"I did, Tommy! It's back in place. Look." He pulled out the crow plush, putting it in the hand of the arm he relocated. "Now hug it. Trust me." 

Tommy inspected his face carefully, then pulled his arm to his chest, cradling the plush with all of the care a six year old could have. He almost seemed shocked at the mobility he had, and that it didn't hurt anymore, AND that Phil wasn't lying to him! 

"I didn't feel it at all, dada!" Phil laughed and rubbed in between his ears. "You didn't? Well, can I tell you a secret about your brothers?" Techno nor Wilbur probably wouldn't want their stories being leaked, but what kind of father was he if he didn't expose his son's secrets? He almost debated saying nevermind and brushing it off, but when he saw Tommy's gaze and smile that looked like him as if he held the entire world in his fingers, it wouldn't hurt to slander his brother a little bit. 

"You know, when Wilbur and Techno had to get them relocated, they both screamed and cried, Techno even bit me!" He showed him the hand, pointing to the scars. Tommy gasped at them, looking them up and down.  

Phil cupped his hands over his ear, putting his mouth to it and whispering. "I guess you could say you're braver than both of them." Tommy pulled away, looking his dad up and down in disbelief. He leaned his head back into the couch cushions, and Phil could nearly read him as well as an open children's book. The telltale signs of sleepiness as his eyes drooped, the tension in his body releasing.

 "I don't think anyone could be as brave as Techie and Wilby… they saved me… I thinks…" his breathing started slowing down, his eyes fluttering closed every few seconds.  The healing potion must've been kicking in, his body working hard to replace damaged cells and broken bones. Phil would wipe his face down and splint his tail while he slept. He flicked on the TV, listening to a sound of tree frogs and crickets as the man explained how they hunted. Tommy wanted so badly to watch, but his body was betraying him slowly as he shut his eyes. Phil placed a kiss on his cheek, flopping a blanket over him so he wouldn't get too chilly. 

《How shitty of a person would I be if I said Tommy never woke up? Eh. I've hurt you enough. For now. Muahahahaha.》

"You're a walking ad for birth control. You're so stupid, how do you miss the jugular artery in someone's neck? Are you really THAT bad at maiming someone?" It was Wilbur's voice. Tommy was too groggy to open his eyes, but he felt a soft hand caressing the side of his face like he was a rare jewel. 

"I missed because I wasn't trying to murder someone, no matter how much I would've liked to slaughter him in cold blood. A jail sentence wouldn't look good on me." He identified the hand that held his cheek as Techno's as it vibrated slightly as he talked. 

"Nothing looks good on you, pig headed bastard." The words weren't exactly argumentative, more of wound up energy needing to be released. 

"You are one to talk, fluffy haired condom promotion." The hand that pet him left, and Tommy nearly whined at the loss of contact. The end of his tail flipped up, and he was surprised at the lack of pain he had felt earlier. 

"Say for yourself, loser." He could hear a playful growl emitting from Wilbur's chest. 

"Boys! I am cleaning two strangers' blood out of your clothes after they nearly murdered your brother. If you two wake him up with your bickering so help me I'll lock you into your rooms and nail them shut. He's healing right now, his body is weak." Tommy could smell the faint smell of blood, and a more overpowering smell of laundry detergent, bleach, and soap. 

"Yeah we know, it's a lot of their blood too. We fucked them up good, didn't we Wilbs'?" 

"Hell yeah we did, they said that one guy wouldn't be able to speak again after your tusk hit him through his neck. Shame, would've liked to hear the bastard cry for his life like Tommy had to. And I beat the shit out of the one dude." 

Tommy heard quick footsteps walk into the room, followed by the smell of soap and the sound of two smacks on hair-covered skin. "You two shitheads nearly murdered someone. Tommy was mangled, you don't understand how awful it was. He…" Phil's voice cracked and his voice got wobbly. 

"Yeah, we know. We're sorry dad, we're just messing around, right, Wilbs?" 

"Yeah, we were just gonna wrestle or something, you know what you always say about piglins needing their daily dose of violence." 

"You two are good boys, I love you. Just let me know when he wakes up, I'd bet money his ribs are still broken, and his tail hasn't healed. Just pain medicine. His breathing is faster, he'll wake up soon. You're free to be as loud as you want." Tommy purred into the fatherly kiss that was placed on his forehead, feeling feathers brush air into his face. "Also, I'm making dinner so you better be hungry. No snacks." 

"But what if he wakes up and he's hungry then? Like if he doesn't eat he'll die?" Wilbur was the one to speak, because of course only his dumb Wilbur brain could argue with everything and everyone. 

"I swear to the gods, Will." More air flew past him and he heard footsteps echo away. 

"He didn't say no…" 

"I wish he said no to taking you when he found you in the Nether." Techno retorted, playfully snorting.

"We're twins, asshole! We were practically attached at the hip!" He heard a few more grunts, coming from Wilbur he thinks.

"A poor choice on his part to not separate us and take me only. I'm obviously the superior." 

"I'll show you who's the superior!" And there it was, the sound of wrestling he had heard so many times. They would be pretty focused on one another at this point, so Tommy opened one of his eyes, and yep. Wilbur had Techno pinned, both grunting and laughing as they laid on one another. They shot insults with no weight to them at one another. Tommy didn't really understand the whole reasoning behind the fighting. He thinks it's for fun, and it looks pretty fun. 

He kinda wants to join in. The plushies fall from his grasp and onto the cushion, barely making a noise. He carefully pushed his body up into a sitting position, cringing as a pressure in his ribs was felt, and a twinge of pain pulsed his tail. It wasn't awful, however, and he was stubborn against his pain. His ears flattened against his head, licking his tongue over his sharp canines. He pushed himself off of the couch, landing on his feet. 

Okay. Now his tail and ribs hurt. His entire body hurt, everything was just painful. 

He kinda wanted to sit back down, to pout and actually LISTEN to his body. 

No, he didn't think he would. 

Techno and Wilbur were too focused on one another to sense him walking over. He guessed his dad had changed his clothes, as one of Wilbur's yellow sweaters enveloped him down to his knees. It was kinda awkward, but he tried to shove Wilbur off of Techno, he wasn't really picking a side, more of just wanting to start a fight. Techno grunted, a smile on his face, but Tommy couldn't bring his eyes away from his tusks. The ivory sheen of white, last time Tommy had seen them they'd been splattered with blood that wasn't his. 

Wilbur nearly went to complain about being shoved off, but his eyes caught onto Tommy. They stared at him like a herd of deer in car headlights, until he pushed himself up, still sitting on Techno's legs. "Really? You just woke up and you're picking a fight with us already?" He spoke kinda whispery, his voice low to not alert Phil that Tommy was awake. 

Tommy nodded, leaning forward and grabbing onto Wilbur's neck, growling into it. Wilbur grunted, they had never wrestled so gently before, but they had seen his injuries, so it had to be done. Tommy made a few strange sounds that sounded like an in-between of a growl and a chitter. Techno gave a weary look to Wilbur, who just shrugged and grunted as he softly fought back. Techno joined in, nudging Tommy's back and arms with his nose. Tommy giggled a few times as their hair tickled, but it barely lasted a minute before Tommy was panting. 

He had a little burst of energy, but it quickly died throughout the wrestle. The little pangs of pain got harsher, to the point where every time he breathed it felt like his lungs were stabbed. He emitted a low whine, and both of his older brothers stopped their fighting immediately. A few tears came to Tommy's eyes, and his stomach growled loudly. 

"Hey, hey. Don't cry, Toms. You want a… oh! Tubbo and Ranboo gave us some stuff to give to you. And some townsfolk helped, adding some other things. You want them?" Wilbur spoke, words sweet like honey as he picked up Tommy ever so gently, putting him back on the couch so he was resting on his butt. 

Tommy wiped a few tears from his eyes, Techno and Wilbur crawling over to the couch. It was a tiny red backpack, with a green bandana and a black and white one tied into it. He recognized it quickly, that was the bag that had all of his personal belongings! It matched with Ranboo and Tubbos, they didn't use theirs as much as Tommy used his. Then again, they didn't need all of their belongings packed in a tiny backpack. He snatched the bag, not pulling it too close to his chest to touch his ribs, but close enough so he could shuffle through the contents. He unzipped it, a tug of a smile on his lips as he realized his old clothes had been discarded, and it was filled with stuff that had meaning. Not that his clothes hadn't meant anything to him, just that… they were gross, and even though his mama had given them to him…

He knew his mama wasn't exactly good. He knew that deep down in his little six-year old brain. As much as he admired her and looked up to her throughout the years, he knew she wasn't good. Townsfolk murmured stuff about her being crazy, condemning her for keeping a child in the conditions she did. Of course Tommy saw no wrong in what she did, at least when it was happening. Sometimes he would grasp little concepts that weren't normal, such as Tubbo and Ranboo had their own house, a secure bed to sleep in at night. Their family members didn't force them to sleep outside, in little holes in buildings with shittily built nests filled with anything that could hold warmth. Their family members never got horrifically drunk and blamed them for their father's death, for losing their house. They never hit them across the face and had cold water run over to fade the bruises faster, all while whispering about how sorry they were and how they'd never do it again. 

Yet with due time Tommy would be playing with Tubbo, and both of their parents would come out horrifically wasted. Tubbo would get soft rubs behind the ear by his father, scooped up like he was the most precious being to exist and even sparing the same to Ranboo, a kid who wasn't even biologically his, just a close friend who lived with his son. Tommy would get grabbed by the hand, forced to say goodbye, and yelled at on their way to whatever dingy hole in the wall spot mama had picked for them. 

At least he would go to sleep with the treasured knowledge that only one of the trio would be getting hit that night. 

Maybe if he would've told someone, something would have happened. Their fates would be different. Maybe Tommy wouldn't have been orphaned at five with only the clothes on his back, by a man who despised him simply because he had a fluffy tail and ears. He wouldn't have had to celebrate his sixth birthday getting potions splashed on him by the same man who slaughtered his mother. Maybe his mama would still be alive, or he would've suffered the fate of death himself against her. 

He shook his thoughts off, digging through the bag excitedly. At the top he nearly gasped as he saw his cow plush, Henry! He loved Henry, and he squeezed the plushie close to his chest. The bag wasn't entirely big, and his eyes lit up big as he pulled out a plastic cup filled with pink and blue fluff. He'd seen it before, but never tried it. Mama said it would rot his teeth out of his skull and he'd look like an old man. 

He… didn't want that. So he gave the cup to Wilbur, unfortunately for him, missing the shit-eating mischievous grin they gave one another. He swung his legs as he shuffled around the bottom of the bag, it was filled with a variety of knick knacks he had found through the years and collected. There were some rocks from the time he had nearly knocked one of George's teeth out throwing it at him. He had apologized profusely for that, but he remembered the harsh words his mom had given him for it. He had a few coins that he found on the street that were supposed to give good luck. There were a few dried up flowers, including an allium from Ranboo! He nearly cut his finger on the next item, a tiny glass piece of a shattered bottle. It was a pretty purple bottle, he remembered finding it on the side of the street while walking with his mama. She had that smell on her breath, though. And he was just so excited, looking through the mouth of the bottle with his eye like he was a cool pirate! Like auntie Puffy told him about so much! He couldn't help it that he was just so happy and hopped up on a cookie auntie Niki had given him! It didn't take long of him ranting to his mom about his day that the bottle was stolen from his hand, and cracked over his skull in a matter of seconds with a loud "SHUT UP, THOMAS!"

She stitched him up shittily with a piece of wire and fishing line they had found. He briefly remembered being soothed by her before he passed out from blood loss, telling him that he would need to keep his hair long from here on out. He was pretty sure the scar was still there if you looked hard enough.

Maybe he should've just been quiet for mama.

Wilbur nudged him, the mischievous grin long fallen from their faces. Tommy put the bag to his
side, cocking his head curiously as he stuffed Henry to his side by his other plushies. "Yah, Wilby?" 

Wilbur held the cotton candy extended out to him, along with a glass of water. 

Tommy eyed the cotton candy suspiciously. "Can I have it?" 

"Yes, Tommy. You can have however much you want. And we got you some water in case you're thirsty." Maybe if Tommy was paying more attention, he would've rejected the snacks. Or maybe if he had less trust in Techno and Wilbur. 

Well, what good are big brothers if not for pranks on their little brother, in sickness or in health. 

Tommy pulled a piece out, it felt weird, like cotton. Well, duh. That's why it was called that he guessed. He looked to the water, and Techno snorted a laugh as Tommy dipped the cotton candy into the water…

and it completely dissolved into the cup. 

The water turned pink, and Tommy's smile had folded down into a distraught look. His bottom lip started wobbling quickly. " 'M sowwy, I broke it." A fat tear slid down the side of his cheek, and he emitted a loud, wet sob. 

Okay, maybe picking on their younger brother who had nearly gotten murdered today wasn't a good idea. 

At least it was funny for like, two seconds?

Tommy's sobs morphed into loud cries, each cry hurt his ribs and caused more crying. 

Maybe like funny for one second?

Techno and Wilbur gave each other a nasty look before leaning forward to soothe their little brother. They glared at each other trying to decide who was at fault for the tears, even though they both came up with the plan. Techno put the red tinted water to the side, wrapping Tommy in a little hug to soothe him. 

"No… No we were just messing with you Theseus, you didn't break anything."

Tommy leaned into Techno's grasp, tears wetting Techno's shirt. "Toms?" He heard echo from the kitchen, and he looked over Techno's shoulder to see his dad. He pushed away from Techno, who had to pretend he wasn't hurt by the action, in favor of extending his arms out to him. 

"Aww, what's wrong Tommy? It's okay, dada's here." A quick survey of the situation would explain everything quickly. The water, Techno and Wilbur having VERY guilty looks on their faces, and the opened cotton candy with a clump taken out of it. Along with Tommy's wet fingers, he was able to figure it out without struggle. He would definitely be rubbing this in their faces later. 

Tommy whimpered as he was lifted into Phil's arms, placed on his hip gently. 

"Aww, did Tom's mean old brothers play a prank on him while he didn't feel good?" Phil watched the guilt eat their smug faces alive like a hungry caterpillar eats a leaf. 

"Y-yah…" he hiccuped into Phil's neck, nearly crying out in pain as the action jolted his ribs, hurting him awfully. 

"Poor baby. How about I go get you something for the pain, okay? And you can sit here and tell Techno and Wilbur how brave you were today when you got your arm relocated in, does that sound good?" Tommy nuzzled into Phil's neck once more, enjoying the soothing circular rubs he did into his back. 

Once Tommy was a little more soothed, he was sat back on the couch, and he rubbed his nose into Henry's back. Phil had left to retrieve pain medicine, and with a small sniff Tommy spoke. "D-dada said you two cried when your arms were relocated in." 

"Oh, c'mon! Really, dad!?" Wilbur yelled, a groan in his voice. 

"You didn't tell him everything, right?" Techno yelled, and a loud cackle was heard from the room Phil had gone into. 

As Tommy watched, his ears flickered in a calming way as he listened to his brothers belly ache about the slander their dad had done. 

Maybe, if Tommy had told someone, everything would be different. He wouldn't be battered, bruised, or traumatized at a young age. But he wouldn't have met his family, the ones who no matter how much arguing they did, they would be together at the end of the day. The ones who pulled harmless pranks on him, or the ones who whispered sweet words into his ears as he was coddled into a blanket. 

Yes, things would be different, but he liked the way it turned out. 

He loved his new-found family, and he knew his family loved him back..

He wouldn't change it for the world.

Chapter Text

Today was going to be a good day, Tommy knew it! He knew it deep down in his feathers, his entire family was home today! Phil had come back from an adventure the previous day, he had even brought him a rock! A whole entire rock just for himself! He sat it on his dresser nearly as soon as it was placed into his open hands, and he chirped happily, watching his dad give him a tiny smile before walking off. Tommy hoped dad would stay longer this time, he had been a bit lonely lately, and his feathers had started prickling his skin lately due to a lack of preening. That was okay, though! He was dressed in one of his oversized red and white t-shirts, boxers underneath and not even noticeable. His hair was messy, blonde locks knotted and maybe slightly matted against his head. It hurt to brush, so he didn't do it anymore. Wilbur and Techie were supposed to, anyways, but he didn't much like bugging them anymore. They fought more recently, especially when dad was gone. Techno would leave for days at a time, and when he was gone, Wilbur would take care of him. Then Techno would come back, and Wilbur would leave, and the cycle would repeat! 

But it would be different today! Because dad was home and so were his brothers! And today would be perfect because… it just would be! He rubbed at his face, cleaning out eye boogers from sleeping, and caked on dirt from when he went outside a week ago. He had to look his best for his dad, and maybe he wouldn't leave again if he saw just how big of a man Tommy was. The wood flooring was cold against his feet, but he didn't care enough to put socks on, too excited! He bounced on every step, running to his bedroom door and going to open it, before freezing in place. He turned on his heel, remembering what he had drawn for his dad a few weeks back! A picture of a crow, pitch black wings and body having deteriorated his black crayon. But that was alright, because the wings looked just like his dad's. He grabbed the picture, careful not to crumple the paper under his ecstatic grip. He opened his door quickly, hopping through it and nearly slamming the door behind him, but remembered to close it softly. That's what Wilby had taught him so that his excitement and poor thinking wouldn't hurt anyone's ears. And wouldn't make him or Techie mad. 

Tommy held the paper carefully, skipping down his hallway, barely sparing a glance to any of the other doors in the hall. He hopped up and down, wings bouncing behind him on par with his happiness. As he entered the living room, he saw a multitude of things that caught his attention. Techno sat on the couch, enveloped in a pretty thick book. Tommy turned his head to read what the back said, but he couldn't read well enough yet to make out a single word. Techno seemed uninterested enough in him, still so enveloped in his book. That was okay, though, maybe Wilby or dad wanted to talk to him! 

Wilbur was on the other end of the couch, a pack of cigarettes on the couch table laying beside him. He was too young to smoke, and Tommy knew that, but last time he had brought it up he'd gotten locked in his room with no dinner for the night, so he knew not to talk about it anymore. There was a show on TV, Tommy wasn't quite sure what it was but it seemed to be almost a cooking show. Phil and Wilbur seemed pretty interested in it, but no one spoke, and Tommy didn't like that much. He loved talking to people, even when they would huff and roll their eyes in the other direction, looking away from him and praying the lack of attention would make him shut up. It never did, however. It mostly only egged him on to talk louder to get the attention he lacked in that moment. Wilbur watched him walk in, staring at him with those brown eyes he swore glowed red in the light. This catch of vision caused Tommy to slow his bouncing, pulling his wings closer to his body in nervousness. 

Tommy smiled nervously, his wings poofing instinctively behind him in fear. "What are you doing, Tommy?" The tone was dry, so devoid of emotion, and even though it was a question it didn't even sound like one, more of a statement. It made goosebumps form on his arms, and he hugged the picture to his chest protectively. 

"Just… wanted to talk to dada…" he spoke softly, like Wilby had taught him. He was being good, there was no reason for him to be suspicious. The flame of excitement in his chest was burning out and he wanted to beg it to stay. 

Wilbur eyed him again, looking to their father, and then back to the TV. No words were spoken, not even a single grunt or further acknowledgement. Phil hadn't even moved his gaze, still staring at the TV. The morning newspaper sat on his side table, a cup of coffee that looked long cold laying on top of it. Tommy watched the paper, almost debating asking if he could see it, he loved the silly comics on the back page. They made him giggle, especially the ones with the fat cat. And although he couldn't quite tell what they said, they were drawn sillily enough that he would laugh. His footsteps were muffled as he moved closer, and the hard floors morphed into a ruffled red carpet. He came to his dad's side, though, staring at him for just a hint of acknowledgment that he was there. That he existed. 

There was nothing, not even his father's wings ruffled in acknowledgement. 

Tommy forced himself to not frown, he could do this. He was a big man and being upset wasn't what big men did, that's what Wilbur said. He'd listen, he'd show he was learning! Tommy squeezed the paper, moving it into his dad's lap. He didn't even look at him, like he didn't exist, acting as if Tommy wasn't real. 

Momentarily Tommy brought his fingers to his arm, pinching himself. 

It hurt. 

He was real.

He couldn't fight the frown this time, and pushed on Phil's arm. "Dada? Dada. I made you something." He pushed the paper closer to Phil's chest, and Phil finally looked down at him. Tommy fluffed up and moved his wings happily, wanting to see his reaction, he was already preening happily at the thought of praise, a soft chirp rising in the back of his throat. 

He looked at the paper, his eyes not even resting on it for a second before he picked it up, setting it on the table beside him over his coffee cup. "It's very nice, thank you Tommy." 

His voice was disingenuous, Tommy felt warm tears starting to form in the back of his eyes. That was it? He had spent so long on the picture, even sacrificing his black crayon, and he was being brushed off like that? The chirp to his father died out, air being gulped back into his lungs and pressure building in his chest for a different reason. He had to press on. He HAD to. He wanted his father's attention. 

"B-but Dada… you didn't even look at it." His wings drooped down his back, one of them twitching as he tried to force the negative pressure and energy of tears forming out in another action. 

Phil sucked in a breath that sounded more like a hiss, and Tommy flinched, an arm going over his face instinctively to block any motion. The breath was huffed out, and his dad rolled his eyes at him. "Tommy, I said it was a very nice picture. Which means I looked at it, yeah? That's what that means." The words were bitter and laced with venom, no matter how golden they got they would never be honey. 

Tommy didn't want to argue, but at the same time, he did. He puffed up his cheeks, looking at his dad, fully prepared to ask him a question about it. Like what kind of bird it was, or what color its eyes were, but he was cut off before he could even finish his thoughts. "How about you go bother your brothers instead, yeah? They're a few feet away." 

He heard a scoff from the direction of the couch, but didn't bother to turn his head to see who it was. The smile his dad gave him was strained, it was so obvious. His little six year old brain could tell, even if he wasn't the best at faces sometimes. Even if the smile was fake, it fought back his tears and gave him a tiny spark of hope in his chest. Plus, it was still early, maybe everyone was still sleepy!

"Okay dada." He rubbed at his eyes, blinking his tears back and walking over to the couch. There was an obvious space in between his brothers, and he stepped his knee up, hoisting himself up, and turning and flopped into the area. Techno snorted once as Tommy's wing accidently brushed his arm, and he tucked it to his back to prevent anything else. His legs dangled off of the couch, and he swung them up and down, boredom quickly sinking in. He heard the familiar sound of flint striking metal, and the smell of a burning cigarette filled the room. Wilbur held it between his pointer and middle finger, taking a deep inhale. Tommy held back a sneeze as it wafted past his nose when Wilbur reached to flick ash into an ashtray. 

"Wilbur." Phil spoke, and Tommy's chest clenched with joy. Was his dad finally stopping the nasty habit his brother gained? It would be hard for Wilby, but it would finally take away the smell of smoke and nicotine that wafted around him constantly. Tommy craned his head, looking at Wilbur, and then to his dad. 

"Don't blow the smoke towards me, you know I don't like it." Phil reprimanded his son, and once again, for what felt like the millionth time today, the joy was extinguished just as quick as it started. 

Wilbur rolled his eyes, cheeks puffed out a bit, filled with the deadly tobacco smoke. He saw Tommy eyeing him, and moved close to the boy's face, blowing the smoke directly into it. Tommy scrunched up the bridge of his nose immediately, the smoke burning his eyes and forcing tears to pool in his eyes. Wilbur maniacally cackled, leaning back on the couch, kicking up one of his legs in amusement. Tommy tried blinking away the tears, coughing a few times and batting his wings to blow the smoke away from him. He didn't feel his wing touch Techno, but nearly all of his blood froze when he heard a quiet growl beside him. He immediately stopped his wing movement, heat rising to his cheeks as he looked over to Techno. 

He could hear Wilbur laughing at him, loud cackles and banter of "uh oh, Toms pissed off Techno! You're in for it now." 

Tommy looked up at his brother, who glared at him angrily. "Don't you have anything better to do than sit here and fucking BOTHER us?" 

Tommy froze in his seat, truthfully, he didn't have anything else to do. He just wanted attention, for some care. Was that too much to ask, really? It must've been. He had to remember, he kept comparing his family to Tubbo's. Tubbo's big brother Dream was always super nice to him when he came over, always picking him up and ruffling his hair. He would feed him well, giving him praise for every little thing he did. Tubbo's sister, Niki, was super nice as well. She would always tsk to him when he would come in dirty from neglect, not that they knew it was that, and ask why he was so dirty. The reprimandings were always gentle, and accompanied by a soft laugh. The air was so light, and Tommy wondered if he deserved the kindness in the reprimandings she would give him. When Wilbur or Techno got upset, they would yell at him, grabbing his hair or forcing him in his room. They never hit him, only verbally raising their voice and locking him up. 

When Niki would ask about the state of his body, or clothes, he would always laugh. Say he forgot to brush his hair after he slept, or fell in a puddle. He knew Wilbur was Niki's friend, and the last thing he wanted was for his big brother to lose his friend. 

No one needed to know about the neglect, plus, there were no bruises, so what was there to suspect?

"'M sorry Techno, I just… I just wanted to be out here." Tommy spoke, his voice warbling with a soft chirp at the end of his sentences. 

"Don't you have somewhere ELSE to go? What about with Tubbo, go play with him." Techno spoke harshly, his tusks sharp and pointed towards him, nostrils flared in anger. He dog-eared the page he was in in his book, slamming the paper together with a loud boom that made Tommy flinch and lean into Wilbur, away from Techno. 

Truthfully, he was craving one of Dream's delicious breakfasts. Yummy waffles with chocolate chips embedded in the fluffy mix, making a gooey delicious mess. And he would put whipped cream in the shape of a smiley face on the waffle. Along with the sizzling bacon on the side that Tommy had no trouble stabbing his fork into and stuffing into his mouth. He missed playing with Tubbo, getting impossibly more dirty than he was, walking through the woods hand-in-hand and plucking flowers. The flowers would be taken back to Niki and Dream, who would lay out a blanket on the grass in front of their house. They would crouch on it, making cute little flower crowns that each would get at the end of the day. He wanted to feel Niki use a rag to wipe at his face so softly, who would giggle when his eyelashes would flutter open and he would be met face to face with a person who felt more like a sibling than the ones he lived with. When she would take sweet scented conditioner and detangler to his hair, combing through the golden locks with a brush and humming to him. She would tell him how pretty his hair was, telling him of every golden thing she could recall that his hair reminded her of. Then, at the end of the day, she would hold his hand, walking him back to his "house." He would always assure her how she didn't have to bring him home, but she would squeeze his hand nonetheless and say how little boys shouldn't be alone when it was almost dark. Once they got there, Wilbur would always be on the porch, waiting, and Tommy always knew what to do. 

Wilbur would put on his temporary facade, reaching his arms out to his little brother, letting Tommy jump into his arms and hoisting him up. He would give him a little kiss on the cheek, waving off Niki and thanking her for watching him for the day. She would wave back, and as soon as she turned her back, she would never see how Tommy was dropped to the floor. And how Wilbur would shove him inside, slamming the door and lighting another cigarette as he sulked to his room, the cycle of neglect always doomed to continue. 

Tommy didn't mind going to see his friend and his family, yet his dad was home! And he had to impress him and spend time with him. Maybe he wouldn't leave again if he saw how impressive Tommy could be. "I… don't wanna go, I wanna spend time with dad. Please, Techie. I'll be good. Pinkie promise." He stuck out his pinkie to Techno, blue eyes bright with tears and begging for him to agree. 

Techno watched him for a second, grabbing his book angrily and opening it. "Whatever, just get off of the couch. You keep touching me." 

Tommy sighed. It was good enough, he supposed. At least they didn't force him outside. He pushed himself off of the couch, padding away as he moved to the floor, plopping down and starting to pick at strands on the carpet. He pulled at one of them, pulling the string until it snapped, making a tiny hole in the carpet. The color out of his face flushed, and he pushed the string back into the hole so it wasn't noticeable. He kicked his feet up and down, batting his wings and making a few loose feathers fly off. He would pick each feather up, in between his thumb and pointer finger, moving it all around to watch it. They were almost the total opposite of his dad's feathers. While his were pitch black, Tommy's feathers were white, with little gold streaks across them that sheened in the sun like his hair when it was clean. The feathers had long lost their sheen, but it was always nice when he closed his eyes and imagined it was still there. 

Tommy flicked one of his feathers elsewhere, watching it catch wind and float around the room before landing somewhere down the hallway. So much for his temporary boredom relief. 

He sat up on his butt, staring around the living room. No one had moved, but Wilbur was staring at him with a smile on his face, a genuine one. That wasn't a look he had seen in a while, and he liked it. He propped himself on his knees, brightly smiling back at Wilbur. 

"Hey, Toms. Do you wanna play a game?" Wilbur asked, staring at him with that same smile that didn't waver. 

Tommy thought he was dreaming once again. Wilbur wanted to play with him? A game, of all sorts? How could he say no?! He couldn't, so with a loud chirp he didn't bother to bite down, he shot to his feet. "Yes! Yes I wanna play a game! What is it, Wilby?" His voice was getting higher pitched, and two annoyed pairs of eyes rested on him. But he didn't look towards them, so focused on Wilbur and that honey-glazed smile. 

"Hide and seek." Wilbur spoke.

Tommy was too excited to see the red tint grow in his eyes. 

"Oh! Oh! I'm the BEST at hide and seek! Can I hide first, please? Please Wilby?" It was true, Tommy was the best at hide and seek. Dream and Niki AND Tubbo had complimented him on it. About how his small frame is so easy to fit into tiny spaces, and how good he is at folding his wings. The compliments would always make his skin tingle. 

"Yes, Tommy. You can hide. I'll count to ten." Wilbur spoke, looking towards the TV. "And once I hit ten, we'll all come searching for you." 

This was a dream. This had to be, it was too good to be true. Both of his brothers AND his dad playing with him? He felt like crying. But there was no time for crying, he had to find a good hiding spot. 

And as he was practically bouncing on his heels in joy, he ran to the doorframe into the living room, stopping as he reached it. He put a hand on it to stabilize himself. Something in his tummy felt wrong, and it wasn't the hunger. 

"Why aren't you counting?" He asked, particularly to reassure himself and his racing brain. 

"I'm counting in my head, Toms."

That was good enough, he supposed, and he took off down the hallway. He looked at every door, tossing up his options in his head. He couldn't go in Techno's room or Wilbur's, those had been off the market for as long as he could remember. That left three more doorways. The bathroom, the storage closet, and his own room. 

He pondered his options quickly in his brain. 

The bathroom would be too predictable, and what would happen if someone needed to pee while he hid? He would be caught, and that wasn't good. So he marked that out in his brain. 

Then there was his room, which was predictable as well. Plus there wasn't much in it besides under his bed, which was the pinnacle of any cliche horror movie. He also didn't think he'd be able to fit into one of his dresser drawers, and he didnt have enough time to test if he could or not. 

So that left the storage room, it wasn't the best idea he'd ever had, but he ran over anyways, tucking his wings close to his body preemptively. The storage closet had four racks towards the top. They were filled with a variety of items, mostly folded towels you could grab since the room was across the hall from the bathroom. It had some extra toothbrushes, toothpaste, and mouthwash on another rack. The bottom was kinda a mess, with a vacuum stored on the floor, and the back of the closet filled to the brim with old blankets. Tommy held his breath as he slipped in, shaking himself between the vacuum, and moving further into it. It wouldn't be that cramped of a space, he could definitely hide underneath the pile of blankets. He turned around, fully closing the door behind him and wiggling around to get himself situated. There was only a bit of light seeping in from the crack at the bottom of the door. He used that bit of light to look around the closet, it wasn't that dusty, only smelled a little damp. Like that old item's smell, it wasn't bad, however. 

He pushed one of his wings out, unfolding a few of the blankets and pushing himself under where they were. He kicked them off, it was a little warm in the closet so he didn't really need one right now, he'd pull one up to his head if it was needed to hide deeper. 

It had been a few minutes already, and no footsteps neared his spot. But that was okay, because Tommy was the best at hide and seek. 

He got a little bored quickly, and the lack of light except the tiny bit under the door wasn't doing well enough to keep his eyelids from getting weighed down. He had slept well the previous night, of course, but the coziness and warmness of the closet drove his hybrid brain wild. It reminded him of a nest, and he peeped once, quiet enough so no one would be able to hear it. With boredom on his mind, he fought to quell it by digging around in the closet. He couldn't reach the shelves, but nonetheless he shoved around the blankets, wanting to see their pattern. 

One was a quilt, he couldn't tell exactly the color due to the darkness, but it seemed to be light blue and pink, with tiny monarch butterflies. He pulled it to his nose to sniff the fabric, inhaling an oddly feminine scent. Yet it was very soft, and he couldn't help but think maybe Tubbo or Niki would like it. Maybe he would tell them about it, he thought as he pushed the blanket to the side, grabbing another one. This one is different, it's smaller but it has something it's wrapped around. As he unfolds it, something that tumbles out gets his attention and he pushes the blanket to the side. 

He reached out to hold onto it, and was met with a soft fabric. It was long, fluffy, and from what he could tell, pink. He felt around the stuffed animal some more, pressing on its tummy, revelling in how firm yet soft it was. He turned its body to face him, and noticed it had a cute little pig face. It had floppy ears, cute little black, glassy eyes, and a derpy face under its snout. He pulled the plush to his chest, giving it a big hug. Yep. It was definitely huggable, and if it was in the closet, definitely discarded long ago. Out of curiosity he sat the chubby pig on his lap, deciding a name quickly for it. Waddles. It was a derpy name for a derpy pig, and he liked it. 

He picked up the soft blanket Waddles was wrapped in, pulling it apart with his arms. It had a red rim all around it, with a white background in the middle. On the white background was a set of black wings that was well-embroidered onto the blanket. He sniffed the item, not coming up with a scent. This time as he draped it around his own shoulders, the blanket was too tiny to cover his wings, so it slipped in between them. 

He knew he would be here a while, because Tommy himself was just so good at hide and seek. He leaned his head on the butterfly blanket, curling up and draping one of his wings across his shoulder and chest. He hugged Waddles close to his chest, placing a kiss on the stuffie's head. It was more to comfort himself, but the stuffed animal didn't need to know that. That was between Tommy and his brain. 

As Tommy stared down in the stuffie's eyes for who knows how long, he recognized something. The little pig's eyes, no matter how lifeless and devoid of emotion they had, reminded him of his family. 

The look they would always give him, when they were upset or just seeing him in general. Those burning gazes that held emotion, but so little for him. 

And as Tommy stared at the beady eyes of the stuffie, he began to tear up. 

Because this stuffed animal looked at him with more fondness than his family gave him, and that wasn't a good feeling. 

But Tommy wasn't going to leave his spot and run to his family. 

He wasn't gonna, because he was just so good at hide and seek, and he WOULD win. 

So he would lay here and cry like a big boy. 

And when the tears had long dried, and he heard footsteps and quiet mumbling go by the closet, he clasped a hand over his mouth to keep quiet. 

Because Tommy was just so good at hide and seek, he would win. 

And when the footsteps continued, along with the sound of Wilbur talking, yet his voice was so cheerful. He hadn't talked to Tommy like that in a while. 

And when the footsteps were accompanied by two sets of wheels, Tommy stayed quiet and hidden. Wilbur must've gotten his old roller skates out of the closet, because he needed to go faster to find Tommy faster. 

And Tommy couldn't wait to see the dumb look on all of their faces when they found him, in such an obvious spot too. He was right under their noses.

Because Tommy was just so good at hide and seek, he'd win and they'd be happy. And dad would make them a family dinner because he would be so surprised that Tommy won. And dada would tell him and his brothers that he would never go on another adventure, that he would stay around longer. That he would help Wilby with his cigarette addiction, and Techie with his feelings more often so he wasn't so angry.

And when a bit later, he heard the familiar sound of the front door opening and closing he got so giddy. They were probably outside looking for him right now, for his hiding spot. 

And Tommy pushed away the realization that their house only had one entrance and exit, that he couldn't leave any other way to possibly hide outside. 

Because Tommy was just… that good at hide and seek.

And when the footsteps never returned, the sound of a door opening and shutting never returned, he laid his head down on the damp blanket under his head. And he fell asleep with the knowledge that if he woke up and was still not found, he'd have won. 

Because Tommy was just that good at hide and seek. And he fell asleep with Waddles stuffed to his chest like a lifeline, he didn't have the will to purr to soothe himself.

And when Tommy would awake the next morning, finally drawn out of his hiding spot by the need to use the bathroom, and the rumbling of his tummy that growled incessantly for nourishment. He'd prance around the house, head high and wings fluffed with pride. He'd chant about how good he was, and shout to his family to beckon them over so they'd see his hiding spot. And they'd be so confused as to why they didn't look in the storage closet. 

And when Tommy shouted at the top of his lungs, checking every room and going past set boundaries in his head, he'd panic. He'd panic and yell into each room, calling for his brothers and his dad until his voice ran raw. And his head hurt from yelling, his muscles ached from how many times he ran around the house, double and triple and quadruple checking each room. 

And when he reached the living room, body too sore to continue, he'd sink to his knees. He'd sink to his knees and wail, pulling his wings closer to his body than he ever had before. 

Because maybe Tommy wasn't as good as hide and seek as he thought he was.

 Turns out they just never cared to look for him in the first place.