Finally Rest - A Sleepy Boys Inc. Story [PERMANENT HIATUS]

Official

A month had passed since Techno moved in with Phil, and Techno finally felt at home. It had been a long time since that word had applied to him, but he certainly liked it more than the streets. Life had fallen into a rhythm, Phil making food, working or running errands, then relaxing for the rest of the day. This particular night was a bit different, however. Techno and Phil were eating when Techno spoke up.

Techno: “Could you pass me the sauce, Da-” Techno stopped, realizing what he just said. Phil was equally stunned, not sure how to respond. There was an awkward silence across the table as they both tried to comprehend the situation. Techno, frozen with embarrassment. Phil, with joy. Finally Phil spoke, breaking the silence.

Phil: “Of course, kiddo. And you can call me dad, if you want” Phil had a warm smile on his face Techno was now even more confused, but he was fine with this accidental progression. Once they finished eating, Techno went to lay down. Techno faded off to sleep fairly quickly. When he woke up, he walked into the living room to see Phil slumped over beside his laptop, screensaver bouncing around. Techno slowly layed Phil down on the couch, covering him with a blanket. When Techno went to close the laptop, he saw the page Phil was on and felt a warmness grow in his chest. Phil had a page pulled up on the process to adopt someone and had another tab full of notes and the occasional math equation. Techno shut the computer and set it aside, then went to the book shelf and read until given something else to do.

Phil woke up a few hours later. As he opened his eyes, he saw Techno, quietly reading and listening to the radio. The boy seemed not to have a care in the world, despite having lived on the streets for god knows how long. Phil stretched and remembered his research from the night before. He had started looking into adoption soon after finishing work. He knew it would be a long and difficult process, but he also knew it would help Techno. Phil got up and started making food for the morning when he got an idea.

Phil: “Hey Techno, how would you feel if I adopted you. Like, officially.” Techno was taken back, but silently nodded his head. It had been so long since he had a family, he wasn’t sure what would happen. After they ate, Techno sat beside Phil as he filled out the necessary paperwork and got a meeting scheduled.

~ One Week Later~

It was the day and Phil couldn’t be more nervous. What questions were they going to ask him? How long would this take? Should he stop by the bakery and get some bread? Would they even let him adopt Techno? He managed to push all these thoughts back, except for the one about bread. After entering the building, they were immediately brought back to an office. They started with simple questions, like his name and occupation. Phil was able to easily answer at first, but as the questions got deeper, he felt less and less secure. Eventually, they stopped asking him things and moved on to Techno. Up until this point, Techno had been quietly reading in the other chair. When the man asked him questions, he answered simply and concisely. He had no reason to lie, nor was he focused on the questions. Eventually, the man ended the meeting and said he’d get back to them shortly. After they left, Phil decided they needed to get their minds off of things, so they decided to go to the bakery. Phil ended up ordering a few things they had on display and introduced Techno to Niki. Techno was a bit older, but Niki found his reservedness calming. The two talked and played for a bit before Techno and Phil went home. On the way, Phil and Techno passed a busker, playing “The Guitar” by Guy Clark. The man playing had a small boy beside him. The boy wore a dirty yellow sweater and a worned beanie. Techno looked eyes with the boy and gave a quick nod, which the boy reciprocated. Techno then gestured to the man's guitar case, which was, for the most part, empty. Phil understood what Techno wanted him to do and dropped a twenty dollar bill into the case. Then they walked away, Techno and the boy exchanging another nod.

For the next week, Phil paced anxiously, clearly stressed by the whole situation. Finally, there was a knock on the door. Phil quickly answered, not wanting to keep the person waiting.

“Hello again, Mr.Phil. I’ve come with good news.” The man handed Phil an envelope. “Congratulations” With that, the man walked off.

Phil was completely awe-struck. He had done it. He was officially, Techno’s father.