Chapter Text
Expectations vs. Reality
Tommy was greeted by the crisp morning sun beaming brightly through the bedroom window. Slowly blinking away the little amount of sleep from his foggy, blue eyes, Tommy stretched. With his arms reaching above his head, taking his headphones with them, he stretched his legs away from him. Gurgling something unintelligible, Tommy rolled over on his side, pulling the rumpled covers back over his shoulder.
He sighed as he groggily stared at the desk that he was now facing. His mind went back to last night’s laptop incident. Tommy wondered how much he could’ve actually done on that thing. He found reading enjoyable. What books could he have read? Tommy’s only seen a few movies and a few clips of shows here and there. What could he have watched? He remembered an old foster sister, who used to let Tommy watch her play video games like Call of Duty, and Fallout. What could he have played? Closing his eyes, Tommy didn’t bother worrying about it anymore. He wasn't going to be able to use it now anyways. Thanks to his antics, he could kiss that gift goodbye. Surprisingly though, Tommy found he didn’t really care all that much. Sure it was disappointing, but he got along just fine without it before. He’ll be fine now.
Listening to the faint chirps and whistles of birds outside, Tommy looked down to check the time on his phone. He grumbled when he was greeted to a black screen. He really should have expected this.
Tommy lifted himself from the comfort of the thick blankets and began to drag his feet across the pale carpet towards his bag. Kneeling down by the right side of the bed, Tommy pulled out his old, black charger and plugged it into the wall beside the side table. After his phone began to slowly charge on top of the table, he stood and headed to the door.
He rested his hand on the cold handle before taking a deep breath.
Be calm, be kind, be polite. Stay out of their way, stay quiet. Tommy rehearsed in his head. After taking another deep breath, he took the step of courage, opening the door. Making his way down the hall, he headed towards the kitchen.
Keeping his head down, he took the last few steps down the stairs. The sun brightened the whole house in a gentle golden hue, not a single light was on but all was still visible. As for sound, Tommy would say the house was a peaceful quiet for the most part, minus the general buzz coming from the kitchen and living room. Soft, hushed conversations and the sizzling of foods cooking, it was like a busy library, occupied and moving, but still generally peaceful and-
“GOD FUCKING DAMNIT TECHNO!!” Tommy’s head snapped up towards the living room as his eyes widened in terror. He grabbed the rail with a white knuckle grip as the yelling continued. “I fucking TOLD you that was the wrong way! Now we’re all the way back at spawn with literally nothing to our names.”
Techno’s voice was like honey compared to Wilbur’s screams. “It’s really not that big a deal.”
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL ?!?! It’s a HUGE DEAL!!” Tommy began to retreat up the stairs with slow, backward steps, his eyes never leaving the living room entry. “Prime, I can’t believe I’m forced to work with you,” Wilbur grumbled.
“That’s your own fault for getting banned from the server,” Techno replied simply.
“IT ISN'T MY FAULT DREAM IS A PRICK!!”
Tommy finally reached the top of the staircase again. His heart was going a million miles an hour, he could hear and feel his blood rushing and pounding in his ears, he felt like his legs were going to buckle and collapse under him.
He had no idea what they were talking about but at this moment, he really isn’t too worried about that as he ducked into the right hallway beside him. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he pressed his back to the wall while his mind searched for what to do.
Should he stay or run? Should he stay or hide? Should he stay or investigate? Stay or go. Stay or go. Stay. Or. Go.
“Alright, alright you two. Please, don’t start war on each other.” Phil's voice came floating through the house as he scolded his boys.
“ Oh, dear Father , war has already begun.” A shiver shot down Tommy’s spine from the clear malice in Wilbur’s voice.
“You act as if we’re on separate sides. We’re on the same side. Remember?”
Wilbur scoffed.
“Okay, okay, turn off the damn game. Breakfast is ready,” Phil said. “Techno, can you go wake Tommy?”
The blue eyed boy froze.
Wilbur snickered as Techno sighed, “Yeah, sure. Also, is Tommy what he likes to go by?”
Tommy’s whole body shook as he heard Techno get up from what he assumed was the couch. Where does he go? What should he do?!
“Yeah, he told me yesterday. Didn’t I tell you both about that?” Phil asked.
“Probably, I didn’t care enough to listen.” Wilbur stated. Tommy probably would’ve been offended if it weren't for the fact he was panicking out of his mind.
“Wilbur. We’ve talked about this. Please, get over yourself and be kind to the boy.” Tommy honestly had a hard time envisioning Phil glaring or giving any angry look at all, especially right at this moment, but he could at least sense Phil’s frustration.
“I have been kind! I saved his ass from Techno. I even smiled at him!” Wilbur argued.
“Wil-”
Techno cut him off, “Stop arguing about it. For all we know he could be listening to this conversation right now.”
Tommy held his breath as he felt a single pair of eyes on him. Then one became two. Then two became three.
Taking a deep breath, Tommy peeled himself from the wall and leaned on the top of the staircase banister on his forearms, giving his best smile. “Mornin’ fellas. How’d y'all sleep? ‘Cause I slept great.” He could see Wilbur roll his eyes as he walked into the kitchen.
“Morning mate, glad you slept well. Ready for some breakfast?” Phil asked with a kind, patient smile.
Tommy nodded, beginning to come back down the staircase once again.
So much for going unnoticed.
Following Techno into the kitchen, Tommy took the opportunity to really take in the pink hair in front of him. It was long, it reached to around the man's lower back. It shined in the morning light as it swung left and right as they both walked. It looked really healthy for obviously dyed hair.
Tommy’s admiration was cut short when Techno took a seat at the kitchen island and started to pull his hair up into a low, messy bun.
Wilbur took a seat next to his brother. “Hey Dad, what’s for breakfast?” He asked, pulling out his phone.
Phil responded as Tommy took the farthest to the left, keeping a space between him and Wilbur. “Just some simple blueberry pancakes and bacon.” A soft hiss came from the sizzling pan as Phil flipped a piece of bacon with a small pair of silver tongs.
Tommy froze when Phil looked over his shoulder to him. “I hope you don’t mind, Tommy. If you don’t like pancakes or bacon, I’ll keep that in mind for future reference.”
Tommy jerkily looked up with his brows raised, “O-Oh, I don’t really care what you give me. I’m not picky.” He looked back down, staring down at the shiny, smooth counter. Tommy fiddled with his fingers nervously.
He began to pick at a particular hangnail on his first finger as Phil simply hummed and placed a porcelain plate in front of him. As the blue and white plate filled his vision, he blankly stared at the golden stack of three, fluffy pancakes sided with two pieces of crispy, juicy bacon. And if it looked good, the smell was simply mouthwatering.
Tommy breathed in the nice smell. In all honesty, it had been awhile since he had pancakes. He wasn’t upset with the warm meal he had been given.
Looking up at the other blonde across the island, he thanked him when he was passed a silver fork as a clear glass of orange juice was slid over to him.
While the butter, syrup and other condiments and fruits were passed down the train of people, Tommy fiddled with the fork he was handed. He twirled the bit of metal in between his fingers, rolled it over his palms, spinning it around a few times.
“Can you stop doing that?” Wilbur snipped.
He immediately stopped his fiddling and set his fork on the plate with a clink. “Sorry.” He said quickly, putting his hands in his lap and froze, waiting for his share of toppings.
Wilbur rolled his eyes as he passed the butter and syrup to him.
Giving a small thank you, Tommy began to dress his pancakes with a minimal amount of butter and syrup as the room shifted into a semi-comfortable silence.
Enjoying their meals, Techno and Wilbur talked about Prime knows what while Phil seemed to just listen silently, but Tommy couldn’t tell. He was nearly invisible behind Wilbur and Techno’s hunched over forms.
As he picked at his pancakes, Tommy couldn’t help but find himself a little upset or maybe disappointed. Just a little bit. After three spots taken by him, and the brothers, two spots were left, one to the left of him, and one next to Techno on the opposite side of him. Obviously, Phil had gone for the one next to his pink haired son, leaving Tommy physically excluded from the family. He didn’t blame Phil, not in any way shape or form, for sitting next to his son, and away from him. But it was still a subtle and effective reminder he was doomed to be an outcast for the rest of his life.
Sighing as quietly as he could, he began to dig into his thick stack of pancakes. He pushed the side of the fork into a small portion of the pancakes, breaking a piece away from the rest of the stack with little struggle.
Using the prongs of the utensil, he poked through the top of the piece of pancake and scooped it into his mouth. Tommy’s shoulders drooped when the fluffy mixture rested on his tongue. Chewing with a little more purpose and enjoying every bite, Tommy’s meal was gone in a matter of minutes.
After shoveling the last bit of pancake and bacon in his mouth, he turned towards the rest of the family to see he wasn’t the only one finished.
While Wilbur was hunched over the sink, rinsing off his plate, Techno was standing up from his chair, following after him. Tommy flinched at the sharp screech that came from the legs of the chair against the tiled floor. As Techno walked away, Tommy took note that Phil was still eating.
Letting his bare feet touch the cold tile, Tommy was about to stand before he realized, he probably doesn’t share the same house rules as the older boys. He sat back down and turned towards Phil's general direction.
“May I be excused?” Tommy asked quietly.
Phil seemed surprised or even taken aback by Tommy’s question. Swallowing his food, Phil choked out a response, “O-Oh, yeah, you can just leave the table mate.”
Nodding, Tommy stood and started to walk over to the sink as Techno was leaving. He jumped when his face ended up meeting Techno's chest.
“S’rry.” Techno grumbled out before he scooted away and seemed to head upstairs.
With his cheeks turning red, heating up with embarrassment, Tommy began to rinse off his plate and fork.
As syrup and grease began to pour down the drain, Tommy heard another chair squeak as it was moved. Soon enough, Phil was standing beside him with his hip leaning against the counter. His dark blue eyes looked tired as he limply held his plate.
When Tommy finished, he stepped aside and Phil took his place. As the faucet was turned on and water began to pour down the sink, Phil took the moment to speak to Tommy. “I was wondering if you would be okay with chatting with me for a bit?”
Tommy simply stared with his hands in his hoodie. Leaning on the kitchen counter, his gaze fell to the floor as he simply hummed in acknowledgement.
The room quieted as Phil turned the faucet off and set his plate quietly on top of the others. “I just want to go over some simple rules, expectations and all that boring crap so we can fall into a simple routine and get you comfortable. Did you see the basket on the desk?”
Tommy nodded.
Phil smiled at him, “Go ahead and get dressed and ready for the day. Feel free to come meet me in the living room when you're done, alright?”
Tommy simply nodded again, before rushing out of the kitchen and back up the stairs.
This was it, so far this house has been incredibly comfortable. Now he was going to figure out if it would stay this way or not. While his heart begged for this place to stay calm and peaceful, his mind knew better. Tommy knows things will change, he’ll be expected to be perfect and when he fails, his heart will be broken again and he will be sent away. Just like he always is.
Pushing the bedroom door open, Tommy closed the door behind him and immediately went for his bag. He didn’t have to dig much to find and pull out a pair of old, black jeans and a yellow and white t-shirt.
Tommy sat on his knees as he started to eye his shirt. He hated it. It was old, didn’t fit and had a long, red stain on the front of it. It was from a bloody nose he got around a year and a half ago. He doesn’t like thinking about how he got that in the first place.
Tugging off his hoodie and shorts, he took his time pulling on his jeans and t-shirt. Prime, he feels so uncomfortable. He feels like a mummy from ancient Egypt with the way his clothes are tied and wrapped around him. It was suffocating and stiff. What he would do for new clothes, but he must be grateful. That's what he’s told anyway.
He had half a mind to just change back into his hoodie, but he’s worn that old thing for the past two weeks. It’s far over due for a wash.
Doing his best not to cringe at the tight clothes, he turned his attention to the basket on the desk.
Shuffling his way around the bed, he pulled the black chair out of the desk again and-
“What?” Tommy stared at the sleek black laptop resting in the middle of the desk. It looked just like it did yesterday. It almost seemed like it was taunting him, except there was a yellow sticky note on top of it.
Just keep the damn thing.
-Wilbur
Tommy scowled at the scribbled note before he crumpled it in his fist and threw it over his shoulder. He didn’t care where it landed. He had half a mind to storm out and scream at the brown headed prick, giving him a piece of his mind, but he shook that oh so pleasing thought away. As much as he wanted to tell him to “piss off”, he knew better.
Picking through the basket beside the laptop, he grabbed the deodorant and hair brush. He opened the deodorant with a soft pop as the powerful, sweet citrus of the deodorant filled his nose. He applied it before taking the hair brush and running it through his hair a few times.
Putting the contents back in the basket, he took the toothpaste and toothbrush and started heading for the door.
The door let out a soft creak as he closed it behind him again. Looking over the edge of the railing on the far side of the hallway, Tommy started thinking of where he could brush his teeth. There was no way he was using Wilbur's bathroom.
After a bit of staring down at the game room, he looked to his right, where more undiscovered house was and began walking down the rest of the hallway.
It didn’t take long for him to reach the end of the long corridor before it opened up into more doors and rooms. It was almost a narrow trapezoid shape with three doors on each wall except for where the railway was.
Two of the dark wood doors were cracked open, the one on the right and the middle door. Peaking in the one on the right, he saw a white, grey and blue themed laundry room. There was a small, blind covered window in the middle of the far wall. To the right of the window, a humming washing machine and dryer were stacked on top of each other as they worked away. On the left of the window, were countertops covered in folded laundry, full and empty laundry baskets, and a sink.
Guess I know where to do my laundry now. Tommy thought as he pulled his head back out of the doorway.
Turning towards the second door, he pushed it open and was met with a small half bath.
Sighing with relief, Tommy walked through the door and flicked the light on. After taking a few steps in, he closed the door behind him with his foot.
Looking through the glass mirror, he was immediately drawn to the dastardly, dark bags hanging under his eyes. He grumbled and poked at them a bit before ignoring them to brush his teeth.
After deeming his teeth clean, Tommy rushed back to his room. Throwing his new toothbrush and toothpaste on the bed, Tommy rushed down the hall and down the stairs to find Phil.
The living room was brightly filled with sunshine as Tommy walked in. He was met with two loveseats facing the TV and to the left was Phil, sitting on a pastel blue couch under a window. He was silently reading a book with his legs pulled up onto the couch with a light blanket over his thighs. He looked comfortable and it was obvious he didn’t hear Tommy coming in.
He stopped behind the side table in between the two loveseats, shuffling his feet. “Uhm. . .”
Phil looked up from his book. “Oh! Hello Tommy!” The older blonde sat up, letting his feet meet the floor. “Go ahead and take a seat, get comfortable, feel free to use any of the blankets scattered around here. I like to have a few here and there.” He winked at Tommy before gesturing to the loveseats. “We won’t take too long, I promise.” He smiled as Tommy walked around the seats, sitting on the one farthest from Phil.
The small couch he sat on was a light green with white polka dots, while the one next to him was a dark purple with a tall back. It reminded him of an old chair from a past foster home. Their grandma always used it.
He crossed his legs and started pulling at the cuffs of his jeans. He waited patiently for Phil to get comfortable and begin the execution.
“Alright mate, I just wanna ask first, how have you settled in? Is there anything I can do for you? I know this was all kinda last minute for you.”
Tommy simply shrugged. As much as his heart wanted to reach into that small amount of care, he just wanted this to be done and over with.
After a bit of silence, Tommy started to panic. Did he want a verbal response!? Oh shit!
“I-It’s been fine, I don’t need anything. Thank you for asking.”
“Are you sure? Do you need more blankets? Pillows?” Phil responded slowly. Though his attention seemed to shift to his clothes. Tommy pulled his knees to his chest. “Do you need any new clothes? I’d love to take you clothes shopping sometime! You can find some clothes you like, some things for your room. We can even go out for lunch after!”
Prime, did Tommy want that. He wanted it so bad, his heart screamed for it. The “Father, son” bonding time. Not to mention, he was dying for some new clothes. But he knew better. He’s not your father. You’re not his son. Don’t get attached.
“Eh, I’m good. Don’t want you to waste your money on me.” Tommy shrugged nonchalantly with a half hearted laugh. His smile fell when he saw Phil's questioning look.
“You sure about that mate? Even then, it wouldn’t be a waste, not on you.” Tommy couldn’t help his jaw from dropping a bit, just a little bit. He closed it right back up as Phil continued. “I’ll let you think about it for a bit. I work from home anyways so, as long as you knock, you're welcome to come find me in my office and we can go anytime really.”
He simply nodded.
“Now! Onto rules!” Tommy braced himself. “I don’t have many.”
That’s what they always say. Tommy thought bitterly.
Phil began, “First, simply have respect for me and the other members in the house.” He put up his pointer finger, “Knock before going into bedrooms, bathrooms and only enter if given permission. We all value privacy and you should too.” He put up two more fingers. “If you respect us, we will respect you.”
So far, that sounds pretty fair, and even amazing compared to other homes he’s stayed in. And if Tommy didn’t know better he’d fall for the all too tempting peace. But he's heard this rule a thousand times, it hardly ever gets followed, at least not towards him anyway.
Phil continued, “Please speak kindly, I don’t want too harsh insults thrown around, but I do know some things will be said, it's bound to happen eventually alright?”
Tommy simply nodded. He fought back a deep frown. I’ll play nice if they do.
“I don’t really care about cussing. I can’t really ban it if I'm a victim of a dirty mouth myself, just keep it limited and don’t be brash.” Phil at this point has stopped using his fingers.
Eh, I’ll cuss when I want. Tommy did his best to hide his smirk.
“Okay, onto chores.”
Oh here we go.
“I’ll only really ask you to do small things here and there, like load and empty the dishwasher, sweep the kitchen, nothing too big. All I ask is don't give too much attitude when asked okay?”
Huh, that’s not half bad. He can’t promise about the attitude though, that beast is uncontrollable.
“Hm, that should be all. . .” He paused like he was trying to remember some long forgotten thought. It must have come back to him because his back straightened and his face relaxed. “Oh! The forest!”
The forest? Oh yeah, the forest that surrounds this whole house, this whole town and goes on for miles. Yeah. That forest.
“Since you don’t know it well, I’m going to have to ask you to bring me, Techno or Wil if you want to go play out there.” Phil must have seen the utter disgust in Tommy’s face because he laughed and patched it up with, “They don’t have to be glued to your side, don’t worry. They just have to be around.”
Tommy felt his shoulders relax. Don’t get him wrong, it wasn’t like he wanted to go out there. But in the small chance he did, he doesn’t want to be babysat. He’s Big Man Tommyinnit! He doesn’t need a babysitter.
“It's pretty deep and gets really thick at times. Even I’ve gotten lost out there.” Phil chuckled and leaned back into the couch. “Just tell me if you want to go have fun and explore. There's a bunch of tree houses, a creak that seems to stretch on for miles. There’s a waterfall somewhere near the back of the woods, there's a lot to do. Techno and Wil spend a lot of time in the woods already. You just need to keep near them and you can spend hours back there.”
Something seemed to come to Phil's mind, and he continued, “Curfew is 9:30, I’m not strict about it. If you're a minute or two late, I won't even notice. If you want to stay out later, just ask me and I’ll determine whether I'll let it slide or not. Lemme know when you're leaving and where you're going. Does that all sound fair?”
It was a bit much to swallow but Tommy simply nodded again. It didn’t matter what he thought or what he had to say.
“I know that was all a lot of information, but I’ll be writing it down on a piece of paper and putting it in the kitchen if you need it.”
He nodded.
“Alright Tommy, you're free to go, I’ll be in my office if you need me.” Phil gave one more smile before he slowly stood and began to walk upstairs.
Tommy chose to ignore the fact he had no idea where Phil’s office was. So he sat there, fiddling with his fingers in comfortable silence. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do with himself. He didn’t have any chores to take up his free time. He was living in a house miles away from town. After a bit of pondering, he supposed he could go poke at the laptop, but honestly, he wanted that thing to be a last resort of boredom.
Looking up from his hands, he began staring out the window. It lead to the front yard. He could clearly see the beginning of the forest from here.
Curiosity began to spark as he pulled himself from the loveseat. He made his way over to the couch, his gaze not leaving the window as he leaned over the back of the couch. With interested eyes, he watched as a doe and her fawn made their way back into the woods.
He wonders how long he could follow them.
:D :) XD