Chapter Text
It was an early day in August and the elder Watson boys were in their room discussing the coming start of school. It wasn’t their usual chatter about it though. Instead of talking about what teachers they would have or what classes they dreaded going back to they were instead complaining about the changes Middle school already seemed to be bringing to Wilbur’s life.
Wilbur, though excited to be going into the sixth grade, was nervous and a bit annoyed. The Middle school was still near the Elementary one so he would still be taking the same bus with Techno thankfully. However, for some reason neither boy could figure out, Wilbur’s school year started earlier.
Almost by two weeks!
They had tried to ask their father about it but the man had only say ‘some schools are like that’ and sent them off. They couldn’t ask their mother yet as she wasn’t home but Wilbur didn’t think they’d get any better an answer.
“Maybe there’s just more to learn, so you have to start early.” Techno reasoned as he toyed a bit with his hair.
It had reached just past his shoulder blades at this point and often times founds itself being fussed with by tiny fingers. Even when it was put up in a ponytail Techno found a way to have just enough to fidget with.
Wilbur didn’t want to say he was jealous exactly, but he certainly felt something. Especially when, due to the approaching school year, he had to get his cut earlier than normal. Techno hadn’t even needed to sit there for the whole thing and as soon as their parents inspection of Techno’s upkeep on it was done he’d been free to go.
But, that wasn’t the issue at hand.
“That would be stupid. I shouldn’t have to miss out on the last weeks of vacation just for that!” Wilbur complained loudly as he flopped hard onto his stomach on his bed.
“Do you think maybe they don’t kn-”
“ -Cha! Hcha!”
Both boys paused for a moment as Tommy’s voice rose up from his own room. He had been entertaining himself for the last hour or so without more than a few sounds of toys banging around. It was one of those rare times where he had actually turned down Techno and Wil’s presence for playtime.
Their brother’s voice lowered again in the next moment leaving the two with no hint as to Tommy’s current game. Other then the sound of one of his electric trains honking.
For a moment it looked like Techno was going to question it, but Wilbur just shrugged it off.
Until Tommy came to them to play they didn’t need to think about it.
“Do you think the teachers will be nicer? Because you’re missing vacation?” Techno asked, abandoning his prior half finished question.
“I doubt it. I heard the teachers only get meaner as you-”
“- Look Out! Itsa Really Big Bowl!”
Again Tommy’s voice rose up enough be heard through their shared wall. He was speaking with an animated panic which was quickly followed by fake ‘yells’ from...whoever it was he was warning.
Again the boys looked at one other, Techno looked more confused than before by far. Wilbur couldn’t help his small prickle of curiosity, though it wasn’t big enough for him to want to act on.
“Did he say its a ‘big ball’?” Techno asked quietly, as if their brother would hear them.
“I think he said...’boo’? Like a ghost?” Wil offered with a slight frown.
It was a bit hard to translate Tommy’s words through the wall, yelled or not.
“ -Its Coming Back! Jump Away!” Again Tommy’s words were shouted in mocked panic and followed by shouts of fear from his imagined playmates.
Wilbur sat up on his bed at this point. He was tempted to get closer to the wall to hear more, not that it was entirely necessary at the moment. Tommy hadn’t dropped his voice lower again just yet.
“Jump! Jump! Like a frog. A bigger frog!” Tommy shouted again before giving a more worried yelp, “Oh no! Its got you! Wiggle! BIG Wiggle!”
At this Wilbur let out a laugh. Whatever game Tommy was playing at seemed properly weird. Techno was laughing too, but was covering his mouth. It wasn’t like they had to worry about their brother hearing them. The unseen blond seemed to be entirely enthralled in his playtime scenario.
“Its Going To Get Burned! Don’t Be Like The Potato!” Tommy’s little voice peaked with his imagined distress.
Wilbur and Techno were both snort laughing at this point. With or without context the phrase ‘don’t be like the potato’ was more then they could handle. Techno was laughing so hard he was starting to wheeze snort too, which didn’t help Wilbur in pulling himself together.
Being mid fit it was no wonder they didn’t hear the sudden silence from their baby brother’ room. Nor did they hear the scuffling sounds of movement or even the opening of doors. That is, until their own was opened with a loud squeal of hinges and a bang against the wall.
Both older boys jumped, choking on whatever laugh had been partly on its way out of their mouths. However, instead of seeing their father in the doorway they saw...Tommy.
Tiny Tommy, who wasn’t even looking in their direction, was simply trudging with determination towards their toy box. He had an odd look on his face, one of utter concentration that neither older boy had seen on him before.
Without a word Tommy approached their toy box, opened the lid and then pulled at the side as if to tip it over. When that failed at first Tommy busied himself with taking the toys on top out and tossing them over into Techno’s reading area.
“Hey!” Techno protested, only to be ignored, “Tommy, don’t make a mess in-”
Before he could finish Tommy had emptied out the box enough to pull it over as he originally intended. Toys spilled out and even ended up knocking himself down.
“What Are You Doing?!” Wilbur shouted next, pushing himself up to jump off his bed.
With no more attention than before Tommy began rummaging through the now spilled toys a moment before seeming to find what he wanted. Picking up three or four figures the small blond stood back up and scurried back out of the door.
The indignant shouts of Techno and Wil after him didn’t phase him one bit as Tommy was quick to close his own door after him.
Not sure what to make of it the boys looked at one other as if unsure if that had really happened. Were it not for the mess clearly left in their little brother’s wake they would have doubted it. At least a bit.
Within moments they could hear their brother back at his playing, voice once more in that faked panic.
“Everyone hafta get in now. We gunna pee the potato out of here!”
Whatever upset or annoyance the older boys had felt just moments ago it was gone again. Fresh laughter burst out of them bringing them back to the snorted riots they had been in before Tommy had ransacked them.
It took a fair minute for them to pull themselves back together. A bit longer then that for Wil to pick up on certain...sloshing sounds underneath Tommy’s continued babbling.
At this point it was too much for him not to go see what their brother was up to.
Techno wasn’t far behind him even if he was still more giggly. Wil doubted it would give them away considering Tommy’s earlier focus on the toys alone.
Peeking in from the doorway the boys had an easy view of their baby brother in the middle of his room. It was more messy than normal that was for sure. Blankets and pillows had been pulled out of the crib somehow and were tossed about the floor. Some of them had abandoned trains and cars on them along with more than a few of Wil’s little solider men.
Something Tommy wasn’t allowed to play with so of course he somehow had them. Them and a few of Techno’s tiny fantasy figures of course. Not only was Tommy not allowed to have those, but he also at some point had raided the fridge because there were at least four juice boxes strewn about the mess.
As for Tommy himself, he sat dead center to it all. He was currently fist deep into one of their mother’s clear mixing bowls which he’d placed on the floor before him. It sat like a cauldron which was presently filled with an actual potato, various toys and figures and a pool of...liquid.
A yellow-ish liquid.
For a moment Wilbur’s heart stuttered as he recalled the order to ‘pee out’ the potato. Tommy, who hadn’t noticed his older brothers just yet, was using his hand to stir around the bowls contents, praising the little men in the bowl for doing a ‘good job’.
“Just a little more and then no more potato!” Tommy encouraged the little men.
“Daaaaad!” Techno was shouting before Tommy could say more, turning from Wil’s side and racing down the hallway.
Only now did Tommy seem to snap from his focus and look up.
*_-_*
Valuable lessons had been learned after Phil had come rushing through on damage control.
One, Phil learned it best to not assume the child locks in the kitchen, or in general, were all properly locked. Double checking them was faster then doing cleanup.
Two, the boys learned to keep their smaller toys on high shelves instead of in their toy box. Tommy clearly knew how to get to them.
And three, Tommy had learned how to ‘open’ juice boxes on his own and he was more then happy to do that then to ask for a refill of his cuppy.
Technically fourth being that any failed attempts at juice opening quickly became playtime ‘enhancements’ such as ‘apple juice pee’ and ‘grape juice potions’.
While Phil would love say there was a fifth lesson about ‘asking before taking’ he wasn’t going to hold his breath. Tommy was only four with two older gremlin brothers to learn from. He doubted that one would stick for a while.