In Times of War

Phil tries not to adopt another kid and fails miserably

Chapter: 5

Phil's heart dropped the instant he saw Tommy for the first time. The boy was skinny at an unhealthy level, had multiple deep scrapes on his arms and legs, and was covered in what appeared to be dirt and maybe blood. All Phil knew when he saw the boy was he needed to get him away from all of the press and get him help as soon as possible. So that's what he did. He even got some basic information about Tommy without giving him an anxiety attack which was a good sign. So far Phil has learned how Tommy got there, his age, and if his parents were alive. But now Phil has to decide what to do with this orphaned traumatized child. Phil can't send him to an orphanage because that drastic setting change might but unnecessarily stress Tommy out and he won't be given the proper therapy he needs. But on the other hand, there aren't many other options and Phil doesn't know if Tommy would even want a new family after his parents were killed. The best Phil can do for now is take Tommy in until he finds a good place for him in the kingdom. The boys seemed to like Tommy anyway. It was really nice to see them start to form their dynamic with each other.

As Phil walks down the hallway to go tell Techno and Wilbur dinner was ready he hears not-so-quiet whispering coming from the room up ahead. So Phil being the noisy person he is decided to stop and listen to his children's plotting before heading in and pretending he knew nothing.

"Do you think Phil plans on keeping Tommy?" Asked Wilbur who clearly already had an answer picked out in his brain based on his tone.

"Wilbur, for the last time Tommy is not a dog. I know it's hard to remember with how loud and talkative he is but he is surprisingly human," Techo said with a bit of fondness etched into his words.

"Come on you know you like him! We all see how endearing he is even when he is being super annoying."

"Yea I thought Phil was going to adopt him on the spot with how he was acting." The sheer amount of sarcasm at the end told Phil that it was time to move on. So he quickly told the boys that dinner was ready and left to tell Tommy.

Phil had been knocking on Tommy's door for five minutes before he decided to go in. He normally tried to stay out of others' rooms unless given permission but he just wanted to make sure Tommy was alright. When Phil opened the door what he saw kinda surprised him. Tommy was lying in bed sleeping. He looked so peaceful compared to the loud and anxious boy they met earlier. Even if Tommy tried to hide it he flinched every time there was a loud noise. But Phil was glad that the boy was getting rest he sure needed it. Maybe Phil could let him rest a little longer. Maybe Phil could let him weasel their way into their hearts.