"Brother Keepers" | SBI/Alliumduo family Au |

The Departure of Father

Techno was awakened by a screaming bird. Since he lived on farm land, you would have expected this to be from a rooster or chicken. Unfortunately it was from neither, but a crow that was perched outside his window. And when he said the crow screamed, it screamed like bloody murder. He groaned as he lifted up Ranboo, who had moved to sleep on his head, to glare at the feather menace at his window. He looked over to the other side of the room where the clock was. It was around 6 am in the morning. He let out another annoyed groan as he sat up. He ran his hand through his hair but flinched as he heard tapping at the window. He pushed the boys aside to climb out of bed. He walked over to the window and threw it enough.

"Scram, you flying rat" scolded Techno, swatting away the feathered animal.

It cawwed and retreated away from the window. Satisfied, Techno closed the window and made his way to the back of the bed. He scooped Ranboo & Tommy into his arms before making his way out his room. The hallway lights were turned on which meant Philza was awake and probably getting ready. He walked over to his father's bedroom and pushed the door open. He looked inside but was only greeted by emptiness. Techno walked away and headed towards the stairs. As he headed down, the sounds of music echoed from the kitchen. Curiously, the brunet poked his head the the doorway. By the stove stood Phil, cooking something that smelled like pancakes. The music had been coming from a recorder player on the counter. Techno moved over to the table, before making his presence known by clearing his throat. The winged man looked over his shoulder before smiling softly at him.

"Mornin' mate, how did you sleep?" greeted Phil, as he lowered the stove heat.

"As best as I could. I was gonna finish up my hair but boys wanted to be clingy last night" replied Techno, as he sat down.

"Must have been because Will left during the night" commented Phil, laughing to himself.

"He left?" asked Techno, trying to play dumb.

"Yeah, probably to avoid being late or missing the boat" nodded Phil, as he grabbed a nearby mug.

"Probably" nodded Techno, tapping his fingers.

"Which means you have chores to do, sorry mate" said Phil, passing the mug to Techno.

"It's fine, give me more things to do while you are gone" shrugged Techno.

"Well don't overwork yourself, mate. It's summer so you should be relaxing" stated Phil, ruffling his son's hair.

The brunet huffed but let his father smother him in affection. Phil leaned and gave him a small head bump before moving back to the stove for the food. Techno pulled a chair close to him and moved the boys over to it. They were awake now and patting the table excitedly. Techno chuckled softly before taking a sip from the mug, which was filled with coffee. Phil returned to the table with plates and small cups. He passed a plate to Techno, which had pancakes & eggs on it. The plates he passed to Tommy & Ranboo were small pancakes & beans with cups filled with apple juice. Phil settled himself on the chair on the other side of the boys & started digging in.

"So, when do you plan to head out?" asked Techno, picking up his fork.

"A bit after breakfast and chores. Gonna help you out a little since Will isn't here before I fly out" replied Phil.

"Awe, thanks Phil" muttered Techno.

"No problem, mate" smiled the winged man.

The rest of the morning was filled with dry banter between Techno and Phil as they moved from cleaning breakfast to doing tasks around the barn.The winged man was carrying hay bales into the red shelter while the brunet hybrid boy transported crates of veggies into the storage cell. Tommy & Ranboo watch from afar, occasionally chasing the chickens who entered into the barn. It seemed like time was moving slowly as the morning sun climbed into the sky. When they finished half of the chores, it was almost 10 am and the family was heading back to the house. They were tugging along one of the horses from the stables that Phil could take on his trip. The older blonde could fly most of his trip but it was less tiring on horseback. From what he has been told about the trip, Phil will be fixing structures & trading supplies over in the village just two towns over. An acquaintance of his had informed him about the offer from the local commission postal board and suggested it to him. He took the offer and is how he ended up in the positions in the first place.

"I promise to bring you guys gifts when I come back" informed Phil, as fixing the reins on the horse.

"You don't have, Phil. It's not like one of your expeditions, right" assured Techno, as he closed the back of the small wagon.

"I know but you 'lotta are gonna be on your own" nodded the winged man, gesturing to the young boys.

They looked over to Tommy and Ranboo who were playing with the family hound, Apollo.

"Eh, it'll be fine. I'm not Wilbur so they won't get into too much trouble" stated Techno, shrugging his shoulders.

"Alright then, mate. I guess I'll beheading out" sighed Phil, stretching his arms.

"Tommy, Ranboo! Can you two come over here" he called, crouching down.

They both exchanged looks before trotting over to Phil.

"Yes, Dadza?" replied Tommy, clinging onto the winged man's arm. This contact made small manifested wings appear on the small blonde's back.

"You two know that I'm going on one of my trips" addressed Phil.

"Awe" groaned Ranboo, his ears flopping.

"Don't worry, mate! I'll only be gone seven days this time" assured Phil, ruffling the bicolor-haired boy's head.

"That's still so long," whined Tommy.

"Are you gonna come back?" questioned Ranboo.

"Yes, I will come back. Till then, your big brother Techno will take care of you." replied Phil, scooping both boys into his arms.

"And remember to treat him nicely, don't give him too much of a hard time," he added, firmly.

"Yes, Dadza" nodded Tommy, his tiny wings flapping.

"Yes, Dad" declared Ranboo, giving the winged man a head butt.

Techno smiled softly at the interaction. Once Phil placed both of the young ones back on the ground, they retreated over to him. He sighed and picked them up, placing them on his shoulders.

"I will see you three when I get back, don't cause too much hell" stated Phil, walking over and giving Techno a head butt.

"We'll try not to but no promise" smirked Techno.

The winged man rolled his head and walked towards the carriage. He mounted the horse and pulled the reins just a bit.

"Bye, mates" waved Phil, before ushering the horse forward.

"Bye Dad" called the boys, returning the farewell as they watched their guardian head down the path.

The trio stood outside and watched Phil leave until he was no longer in their sights. Even after that, they stood outside.

"Techno?" chirped Tommy.

"Hm" hummed Techno.

"I'm bored" stated Tommy.

"Me too" parroted Ranboo.

"Wanna go listen to the radio?" asked Techno.

"Yes" cheered Tommy & Ranboo, in sync.

"Alright" nodded Techno, as he carried his brothers back into the house.

Maybe watching over these two wouldn't be so bad.