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alright so backstory to this is phil adopted wilbur and techno and they live together. 
yeah there's angst and just general wholesome family vibes 
this is my first book so im sorry if its terrible, lmao enjoy!!
started 17 jan 2021

Nobody had seen the signs.
Of course, Tommy had managed to hide a lot of the evidence, wearing long-sleeved shirts, completely caking his face in makeup so no one could see the bruises. He would even inconspicuously mute himself whenever he heard one of his parents yelling, storming around. Or both. Sometimes it was both. Often it was both.
But one day, it had gotten too hard to hide. It was too much.
His father had barged into his room, utterly reeking of whiskey, and yelled at him about how Tommy was a failure, he wasn't wanted, and other various abuse until Tommy actually got fed up with him and fought back, for the first time ever. They had engaged in a heated shouting match, Tommy finally managing to say things he had wanted to say for months, years. He paid for it dearly though; his father had beat him, mercilessly, until he got bored; or tired. Once his dad stalked away, Tommy picked himself up and packed his bags, stuffing clothes haphazardly into a red backpack.
He was sick and tired of this. Of his parents, of their relentless abuse, of being starved, for days on end. 
He stuffed a pile of clothes into a bag, ears buzzing with ire. "I am done. I am done, with you, with this place." He fumed as his mother arrived at his doorway, leaning on the doorframe and scowling at him.
Sneering, she had asked, "Where are you even going to go?"
He didn't even dignify her comment with an answer and finished packing. He pushed past her silently and stormed out of his front door, not realising his mother even had a point until he was about half an hour away from his house.
Shit. Where am I going to go?
---
Phil awakes to knocking. His room is the only one downstairs and is very close to the front of the house, so he even manages to hear the soft knocking, however faint, on his front door.
The sound of footsteps sends a wave of relief through Tommy, it feels like he's been knocking for far too long.
"Tommy? What- it's 2 in the morning-" Phil is shaken from his half-awake daze at the sight of Tommy, on his front steps, looking like he's been through hell and back. Or more.
"Hi. I-I don't have anywhere else to go. Can I stay-"
Phil interrupts him with a soft, "Come in."
"Shit-" Tommy only manages to take two steps towards the door before his legs buckle underneath him, Phil cursing under his breath as he tries to catch the teen before he hits the ground.
He calls for Wilbur and Techno to come downstairs, scooping the child up and laying him on the couch.
Techno immediately walks down the steps - because sleep is for the weak - and asks, "What happened to Tommy? Why is he here?"
"I don't know, all he managed to say before he passed out was asking if he could stay with us. Of course, I said yes, cause... well, obviously. He's so thin, I don't think he's okay. I found him way too easy to carry for a 16-year-old kid."
Phil's reply prompts Techno to say, "He looks malnourished to me, but I guess we'll just have to ask him when he wakes up."
"Where is Will- Can you go get him, please. Tell him what's going on - what we know, at least."
Techno nods and a few minutes later Wilbur trails after his brother, curly brown hair sticking up at odd angles and eyes still half closed. He looks down at the young boy and sits on the couch next to him. "I'll stay with him; you guys go back to bed."
He softly lifts Tommy's head onto his lap.
Once Techno and his father go back to bed, Wilbur puts his head back and closes his eyes, sleep easily closing in once more.
661 words