Author's note: I'm trying to update every week instead of once every two weeks. Accidental Adoption is going up tonight. Check it out, please.
Phil was... odd. For one thing, he was thirty-two. That was nine years older than Wilbur. He'd expected for most of the people around his age he interacted with to be nearly done with college, yet here was someone else in their first year. It was jarring but pretty relieving to know Wilbur wasn't the only one in this odd situation.
Another odd thing was that Phil was nice. To cite an example, when he put his stuff away on the first night, he tried to be quiet so as to not disturb Wilbur. Wilbur was quietly observing him while also on his phone, so it didn't matter. It wasn't like Wilbur was trying to sleep. It was a considerate sentiment nonetheless.
Phil had, without fail, asked him how his day had gone every night. Phil seemed so genuine every time that Wilbur wasn't quite sure that it was simply polite conversation. Phil would probably stop it eventually, they hadn't even lived together a full week. For some reason, Wilbur thought he would miss someone caring about him.
Phil also talked a lot. Well, he talked to Wilbur without annoying him, and that was already more than Wilbur had anticipated. Wilbur already knew many trivial facts about him, and some about his parents, who Phil had chosen to go to a London college to spend more time with. It was clear to him already that Phil was someone who valued and cherished the people in his life.
Phil got a job as an electrical engineer in America. He hadn't particularly wanted to be an electrical engineer and intended on saving up enough money to get a college degree and try for his dream job. Phil changed the subject while looking forlorn when Wilbur asked why it had taken him fourteen years to save up enough to go to college.
Phil put up a lot of pictures on his side of the room. Wilbur would look at them idly sometimes. He would end up staring at them by zoning out in the direction of the wall, and his attention would be grabbed by the pictures. Some of the pictures were photos of a younger Phil and his parents. It was nice to see that at least Phil had a happy childhood.
Most of them were photos of an adult Phil and two others. Both were male, one had brown eyes and hair that were lighter than Wilbur's own, and the other had blue eyes and blond hair. The brown-haired one was older and seemed to be a young adult in the most recent photo. The blond one was younger, and nearly out of being a teenager. Wilbur had never heard anything about those two, so he chose not to mention it to Phil.
Sometimes though, Phil would seem to be about to start a story, or about to mention someone, then falter and dismiss it. He always looked vaguely sad and wistful when this happened. Wilbur never asked about it. He didn't want to hear that they had both died of cancer or a car crash or something else. Well, he found out one night.
Wilbur was furiously writing an essay at the kitchen table when Phil blurted out that they should have a family dinner night. Wilbur's hands stilled from where they were. One rested on his keyboard and the other stopped taking notes.
"What!" Wilbur exclaimed disbelievingly. A family dinner? Yes, Wilbur felt like he knew Phil better than he'd known anybody else in a while. Yes, Phil knew Wilbur's personality pretty well, knew that his childhood wasn't the best, and knew that Wilbur wrote songs that he played on his guitar. It had been just barely a month that they'd been living together, though, and Wilbur didn't consider Phil 'Family', a title that only one person had ever really held in the past.
"Not like that!" Phil said hastily. Wilbur sat there in silence, waiting for Phil to elaborate. "I meant family dinner as in everybody in the house. I'm just... used to calling it that, I guess."
"Alright then, pitch your idea." Wilbur gestured for him to go on.
"For one," Phil started off, "You've had instant ramen for lunch today, and you had it for lunch and dinner yesterday. Second, with all the assignments you and I have, we haven't spent much time together recently." Wilbur slowly nodded. He felt a bit attacked at the ramen noodle part, but it was true so he couldn't argue. They also hadn't gotten to spend as much time together as they used to because of assignments.
"Third," Phil adopted a sheepish look. "I kind of miss eating with someone. Me, Techno, and Tommy usually had dinner together. It was nice, and it helped strengthen our bond." Wilbur was simultaneously floored and confused.
"First of all, I'd love to have a 'family dinner' with you," Wilbur formulated the question in his head. "Are Tommy and Techno the blond and brunette that are in a bunch of pictures with you? Are they your brother?"
"Techno's the brunette, and Tommy's the blond," Phil confirmed. "And yeah, we are brothers."
"Are they, you know, still around?" Wilbur winced while asking.
"Oh no, they are definitely still alive! I called them both yesterday! I didn't mention them to you because, well, personal reasons basically." Phil admitted guiltily.
"Well, since family dinner has been implemented now, you're gonna have to move your stuff off the table. Since we don't have that much food right now, I'll just order some takeout." Phil declared. Wilbur groaned and moved all his books to his bed. Inside, he was pretty happy about eating with someone.
Also, Wilbur had learned a lot about Phil. Who knew Phil had brothers? He had assumed that they were brothers but he hadn't known the other two were still alive, let alone that they all talked regularly. Well, Wilbur assumed that they called regularly because, face it, Phil was a real family man and would definitely call his siblings regularly.
As Wilbur watched Phil buzz around the kitchen, a thought struck him. The pictures of the three brothers were very recent. Phil probably missed them and wasn't used to life without them. It also explained why he was so friendly. Wilbur just accidentally ended up filling the void in Phil's life. It was just a coincidence.
That hurt a little. Frankly, it also scared him. Wilbur found that deep down, he didn't mind that Phil cared about him. It gave him a warm feeling in his chest. Wilbur fought against accepting the fact that Phil was quickly gaining a place in his heart. Wilbur had been burned enough times to know better than to trust so quickly.
Phil was different, though. No-one else would have done all this for him. Phil had ordered him Chinese food, had shared personal stories with him, had said he cared about him. Wilbur had offered him smiles, insights, and personal details in return. Not just in return, because he'd wanted too. For once, though he was scared, Wilbur couldn't wait to see where this would bring him.
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Parasocial Family
FanfictionWilbur's life hasn't exactly been easy, but he likes to think he's handled it well. His father was an alcoholic who died when Wilbur was a kid, leaving Wilbur's newly widowed mother to provide for them. Wilbur had always been a responsible kid, on...
