Just us- SBI adoption story (Just me and him book 2)

Chapter 30: will it break him?

Tommy's POV:

I licked the rest of the cola slush puppy from my lips and cheeks. Or as much as I could before Phil ruined it with the napkin. I do like ice cream because it's cold, but the creamy bit makes me feel a bit funny. I still eat it but slush puppies are way better! It's the same  feeling with butter and cheese and milk and creamy stuff like that. When Techno explained what slush puppies were, I just knew it would be my new favourite thing. I'd seen them in some places before, but there was never the right time to have one and Tubbo always reminded me we didn't have money to spend on things that like. They were treats. We didn't have treats when we lived with Dad. We always had treats when we lived with Phil and Kristin and Wilbur and Techno and Kelly.

Phil tried to explain to me that Kelly would be going home soon but I thought she was staying. That's what happened with us when we got hurt. He kept saying, in the nicest way possible, that Kelly's dad hadn't died like mine had but I couldn't understand it. I just thought she was like us.

When we got home, my older brothers opened up a box and all got very excited about having a microphone. I left them to it because they were being boring. Then Phil came out with a huge box and handed it to Techno. I looked over and kept playing with the trains because presents that are for me are the only really interesting ones.

It was a big box full of all the parts for his PC (like a computer but special) and apparently it was as a well done for getting his job. Phil said he'd help him build it sometime this week, maybe after his therapy on Wednesday. I could see how excited he was and that made me happy.

Mumbo came over that evening because it was a Monday. Today, we played piano and the drums and a clapping game that was actually fun.

"Ready, you copy what I do yea?" I nodded and held my hands ready.

He clapped to a beat and I copied when he stopped. We did the same over and over, as he varied the rhythm of his claps each time. Afterwards, we high-fived, which I really liked. Once I realised that people weren't trying to hurt me, I realised how much I liked high-fives. They were fun and felt good.

Techno had just got back from his driving lesson when my music lesson ended and I came back up to the house.

"Hey!"

"Yea." I said, running up to hug him. I liked Techno's hugs best of all, but don't tell Tubbo because I don't want to make him sad. I used to like Tubbo's hugs but I'm too tall for him now and it doesn't work. I like giving him hugs though.

"How was your music lesson?"

"Yea."

"Was it good?"

"Yea."

"Good, did you want to play mario kart with me?" I nodded and ran to the blanket on the sofa so I could wait for him. Mum was with Kelly at gymnastics. Phil was with Tubbo in his bedroom doing some work I think.

Once Techno had sorted everything out, he handed me the controller and reminded me how to play. I appreciated that, because my muscles didn't always work the way I wanted them to. Phil got me to do some exercises to make my muscles work with my brain better but they didn't work very well and I found them boring.

Mario kart was way more fun and the more I played it, the better I got. At first, it was difficult to get all the buttons pressed at the right times and remember which did what. But now as long as I concentrated when I did it, it was a lot easier.

We must have spent a lot longer than I realised, playing mario kart because Phil took me up for bath time after only a few races. The bath was already run and he'd set two different pajama options out for me.