Chapter Text
Arriving at the house was nerve wracking for the young blonde.
It was his third ever foster home, of course he was going to be nervous.
On the brightside, this house looked pretty decent.
The house in front of him was a lovely, white, fully detached, two story house with a small front garden, mostly full of daisies and buttercups.
He slowly stepped away from the car, his social worker Connor picking up his files from the front seat. “Are you ready Tommy?” He asked, walking over to the boy. “What if he doesn’t like me, Connor?” Tommy grumbled, holding his trash bag of items with an unnecessarily tight grip.
With a light pat on the back, Connor gave him a smile “I’m sure he’ll like you alot Toms, now c’mon, we don’t want to keep him waiting do you?” Tommy shook his head and swiftly followed his social worker to the front porch of the building.
Connor knocked on the door in a firm but gentle manner as Tommy admired the fencing on the porch. The poles of the fence were painted white, with a singular blue stripe just below the middle, he looked to the pole beside the blue lined one and saw the blue painted with yellow instead. As he looked further down the short fencing he noticed that it made an interchanging pattern of yellow and blue stripes.
A tap on his shoulder from Connor pulled his thoughts away from the fence as he looked at the opening door.
When the door had fully opened, standing there was a tall, skinny man who seemed to be in his 20s at least. His brown hair looked messy, though you could tell it was styled, and sat to the right of his face. He had a yellow hoodie on, accompanied by two circular glasses with a thin, silver frame, and finally, on his head, sat a red beanie.
“Ah! You must be Connor!, and this is Young Tommy I assume?” His face held a lovely bright smile. It seemed as though it was almost contagious in a sense that not only could the smile light up a room but make those around him smile too.
“Yes! That’s us, you’re Wilbur I assume? Do you mind if we come in?” Connor asked, a small smile forming on his face, as well as Tommy’s.
It turned out this man’s smile was all but contagious. (Which Tommy didn’t mind at all).
“Of course Of course! Be my guest!” With a quick nod he ushered the man and the boy into his home, showing them to the living room. They entered the living room, Tommy making a mental note of how cosy it seemed before he noticed Wilbur motioning them to sit, which he graciously obliged. His legs were killing him after the car ride here.
He sat down and watched as Connor sat beside him, setting the files he’d been holding on the coffee table while Wilbur sat himself in the armchair adjacent to them. They began a conversation about some foster details that Tommy really couldn’t be arsed to listen to, so he elected to look about the room.
The first thing he noticed was that it was quite spacious compared to how quaint it looked outside. There was another armchair opposite where Wilbur was sitting, just across the coffee table, and there was a decently large TV mounted on the wall in front of them, just above the fireplace and mantle.
On the mantle were photos of what Tommy assumed was Wilbur when he was in college or high school with his friends. One of them had ginger hair, two of them were brunettes like Wilbur, while people he assumed were girls (though he could be wrong) had pink hair, one more of a light pink and the other a magenta.
He had only noticed that Connor and Wilbur were coming to the end of their conversation when he heard Connor ask the tail end of a question.
“-mmy, would you be ok with that?” Tommy moved his head to look at the adults beside him, raising a brow. “What?” He looked between Connor and Wilbur. Connor gave him a smile “Wilbur and I were discussing when check ins would be and we were thinking every three weeks for a month and then we’ll see how things are going?” Connor was gentle with his voice, clearly trying to make sure Tommy knew it wasn’t set solid unless he was ok with it.
Tommy gave a small nod “Yeah, I’m ok with that big man” At his response, Connor smiled.
He said his goodbyes to Wilbur and Tommy, leaving Wilbur with his information if he needed anything and Tommy’s file for reference while he stayed.
Tommy, overall, was happy with the arrangement. Wilbur seemed like a kind man. Tommy had heard the horror stories of the foster system, and had been lucky enough to have never experienced such a thing, and here with Wilbur, Tommy was 99.9% sure Wilbur wouldn’t be like the parents in the horror stories.
(Tommy always chose to ignore the 0.1% of himself that was unsure of Wilbur. He had no reason to be unsure anyway. It was probably just nerves)
Besides, Tommy knew how strict the requirements for being a foster parent could be. So if Wilbur had been cleared to be a foster parent then clearly he was kind and stable enough to care for children.
He waved goodbye to Connor on the porch and watched him wave back before reversing out of the driveway and driving down the road.
The air was silent and awkward for a moment with the absence of Tommy’s social worker. Wilbur, however, soon broke it, with the offer of a house tour, which Tommy accepted before following the tall man back into his new, temporary, (maybe one day permanent) house.
He started in the hallway at the front of the house, where there was a coat and shoe rack sat beside each other. “I’d prefer if you’d take your shoes off when you’re in the house to avoid tracking in mud and dirt, but if you don’t I won’t really mind I forget to take mine off sometimes so t would be silly to expect you not to forget either” He chuckled lightly as he led him down the hall and into the living room.
Tommy followed Wilbur into the room, “This” Wilbur spread his arms in a wide gesture. “Is the living room, you’ve already seen it though.” He turned to Tommy before showing him the rest of the room. He pointed to the items in the room, occasionally explaining what they were or giving a rule for them. “The TV, obviously, please try to make sure you turn it off if you’re not using it, and try not to be up watching it past midnight. I won’t be a dick if you do, I’d just prefer if you don't, it’s bad for your health.” Tommy gave a small nod at the rule, noting it in the back of his mind.
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By the end of the house tour, Tommy had a decent idea of where everything was and a small list of rules that were mostly guidelines in comparison to rules
Stuff like if he’s eating late at night to clean up after himself, to place leftovers in the fridge. Knock on Wilbur’s door before entering (Wilbur says he’ll do the same for Tommy because privacy is important), don’t take anything he doesn't own from the medicine cabinet without asking, which is fair enough.
Ofcourse, there were also general rules like; Don’t be mean, don’t hit people and generally similar rules where the general consensus was ‘Don’t be a dick’.
But now, at the end of the tour, Tommy is standing in the middle of his new (maybe one day permanent) bedroom.
It was decently spacious but not overly so, with a single bed placed in the middle of the room, a bit off from the closet to give it space to open. There was also a desk opposite the bed and a lovely window beside it with rather plain curtains.
Wilbur said that he would take him shopping at some point during the week to get decorations and clothes and such for his new room, which Tommy was very excited for. However, he still has stuff to remove from his trash bag of not many items.
He started with a singular pair of socks, two pairs of boxers and a set of trousers. He made sure it was all folded and placed them individually in their new designated desk drawers. Sure, the clothes weren’t much but you make due when you get what you can in the system.
It didn’t take long for him to set out and put away the rest of his belongings, because, well, there wasn’t much to begin with. He had some clothes, a jacket, a phone and a cow plushie he named ‘Henry’.
After at least half an hour of lying on his new bed, Tommy decided to get up and head downstairs.
Tommy walked down the stairs and into the living room (which was connected to the kitchen) sitting himself on the couch as he noticed Wilbur in the kitchen.
He was cooking. Probably dinner. Tommy just hoped he didn’t burn down the house, considering Wilburs mention on the tour of the kitchen that he has, infact, almost burnt down his house while cooking.
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After an uneventful dinner with Tommy and Wilbur eating and making light conversation (Tommy’s just glad the house is still standing) Tommy made his way up to his room, falling onto the bed.
It was wonderful. It was home. Wilbur was so kind. The house was lovely. Maybe, if Wilbur wanted to, maybe one day he’d live here. He didn’t know if Wilbur was someone who fostered to adopt, but Tommy could only hope so.
He decided not to mull it over. He should just be happy where he is. Whether he stays or not, he can be glad for the experience.
So, that night he slept peacefully in the warmth and comfort of his new bed.
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The second day was quiet. Wilbur had to leave for work, and since Tommy hadn’t been enrolled in school yet, he had nowhere to go. So, Wilbur entrusted him home alone until he got back. For the most part, Tommy just watched TV in the living room.
For lunch, he made two grilled cheese sandwiches, making sure to clean up after himself and place his plate in the dishwasher when he had finished eating.
At around 6pm, Wilbur came home. He ordered some pizza, and he ranted to Tommy about this dick who worked with him - Wilbur said he lived at the end of the street - and how he would always be on about his projects and other work things. Tommy thought he was a dick too.
Wilbur said his name was Schlatt and they knew each other in high school, and had horrible mutton chops (Tommy found it funny the way Wilbur shivered at the mention) he thinks Schlatt should get his money back from whatever barber told him he looked good in them.
Overall, it was good.
The third day was a Saturday, so Wilbur took him shopping. He got a cool red lamp for his desk, some nice bed sheets, clothes, posters and a blue minecraft sheep plushie that Wilbur said was a ‘gift (He named it friend).
Soon, a week in, and things were going good with Wilbur.
He was starting school next month, and he and Wilbur were already like brothers. (Wilbur always said he would cry when Tommy brought it up), but, it was two days into the first week when things started to change.
Wilbur had sat Tommy down at the table to tell him something important.
“Toms, I know you’re just settling in, but I had been thinking of fostering another kid…” Wilbur trailed off “Of course, I won’t do it if you aren’t comfortable, I know you’re still settling in, but I just want you to think about it” He finished “Who is it?” Tommy mumbled
“His name is Tubbo, he’s around your age, and I think you’d really get along with each other” Wilbur smiled. Tommy sat for a moment. It would be rude not to let another foster kid come in. If Wilbur was fine with fostering another kid, then why shouldn’t Tommy be?
What if Tubbo ended up in a bad house all because Tommy didn’t want Wilbur to foster someone else just yet? Tommy didn’t want that to happen. So, he looked back to Wilbur with a nod. “It’s fine, you can foster him, besides, like you said, we might end up being really good friends” He smiled.
Wilbur smiled back “Great, he’ll be staying in the spare room and I’ll have to talk more with his social worker, but I’ll see if I can get it worked out for him to be here before the end of the month so you’ll have time to help him settle in and so that he has time to get settled in before school starts. Is that ok with you, Toms?” Wilbur asked, Tommy just nodded his head in confirmation.
Tommy chose to ignore the excitement bubbling into his chest at the idea of having a foster brother, and chose instead to focus on the tiredness consuming his thoughts. He felt his eyes getting heavy, and Wilbur, apparently, noticed too. He chuckled a bit, watching Tommy rub his eyes.
“You look tired, do you want to go to bed?” Wilbur smiled. Tommy nodded with another yawn. Wilbur shook his head “Then shoo! Off to bed, I’ll do the dishes tonight” He gently pushed his chair away from the table, standing up to pick up the plates.
Tommy stood up as well, handing his plate to Wilbur. Wilbur took it and made his way over to the kitchen. Just as Tommy was making his way over to the door, he paused, walking over to Wilbur instead.
Wilbur, faced towards the sink, had been caught off guard, when two small arms wrapped around his torso and a mop of blonde hair was pressed into his side. “Thank you for being so nice Wilby” Tommy mumbled.
Wilby
Wilbur went stock still as the nickname rang through his head. Tommy had called him Wilby. Tears formed in his eyes with the warmth swelling in his chest, turning around to hug Tommy back. “You’re welcome Toms” he barely hid the way his voice sounded on the verge of breaking. He pulled away, ruffling Tommy’s hair.
“Now go to bed! We’re going to start setting up the new kids room tomorrow and I want you to help” He brushed the forming tears from his eyes.
Tommy nodded sleepily, slowly trudging out of the room and up the stairs with a yawn, leaving Wilbur alone in the kitchen with the joy and warmth in his chest.
And, if Wilbur had cried tears of joy that night from the simple nickname, that was his business.
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The next day when Wilbur woke Tommy up to help arrange Tubbo’s room, he mentioned the nickname the boy had called him the night before, laughing as Tommy grew red and flustered, stuttering over his words trying to come up with reasons as to why he had not called Wilbur ‘Wilby’ because he was a big man and big men don’t use silly nicknames-
Wilbur just shook his head with a smile at the rant as he continued putting the sheets onto the bed. If he were to think about his relationship with Tommy, it was more of a sibling relationship than a parent kid relationship, but, either way, Wilbur was happy to have Tommy.
And soon, Tubbo would be here, and hopefully he’d get on with Wilbur just as much as Tommy, and maybe, one day, if the boys wanted it, Wilbur could adopt them.., they’d be a family.
Wilbur hadn’t realised he’d been doing nothing until a pillow hit his face. He was pulled from his thoughts, looking in disbelief at the pillow on the ground, before glaring over at the blonde perpetrator.
Tommy just smiled, running out of the room. “Oi! Come back here you brat!” Wilbur yelled with joy, chasing after the younger to the living room.
As Wilbur entered he was met with a couch cushion to the face. He glared harder at the boy hiding behind the couch. Quickly picking up the cushion that had fallen to the floor.
He snuck around the opposite side of the couch Tommy was hidden behind, chucking the pillow at him. Tommy, cushion in hand, sought revenge, and charged at Wilbur, batting him repeatedly with the cushion.
And so a pillow(technically cushion) fight ensued. Which then led into Tommy being pinned to the ground being tickled, begging for mercy. “Please- Will- No more- I surrender” He spoke through fitful laughs. Wilbur eventually showed the child mercy, standing up with a small chuckle.
Tommy really liked it here. He hoped Tubbo did too.
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The day Tubbo arrived was nothing short of nerve wracking. Wilbur was double checking that everything in Tubbo’s room was ready while Tommy made sure the house was clean (apparently that was a big thing with first impressions, especially for the social worker).
They had met up at the bottom of the stairs and were going over their checklist of items when the doorbell rang. They both whipped their heads to look at the door and then looked back to each other.
Tommy jerked his head, pushing Wilbur towards the door. Wilbur looked back with betrayal on his face. “What? You’re the foster parent!” Tommy hissed quietly. Wilbur turned back around and took a deep breath, slowly opening the door.
Tommy slowly moved up behind Wilbur as he greeted the social worker at the door. He peered around the tall man to see who was there. There was a woman, who he assumed was the social worker and hidden slightly behind her was a small boy with brown hair holding a bin bag and a bee plushie.
Tommy quickly tore his attention away from the young boy and moved away from Wilbur as he and the two others made their way inside. As they stood in the hallway, Alyssa greeted Tommy. “Hi! You must be Tommy! Wilbur mentioned he was already fostering a kid. I assume you’re having a good time with him?” She smiled. Tommy nodded enthusiastically, a bright smile etched onto his face. “Wilbur is great! I’m really glad he wanted to foster me!”
Alyssa laughed at his excitement, gently nudging Tubbo out from behind her. Once Tubbo was in front of her, she crouched slightly to meet their height. “Tubbo, why don’t you go upstairs and play with Tommy while Wilbur and I talk.” She explained, still smiling gently.
Tubbo nodded slowly and she nodded back, standing back up before turning to Wilbur. He led her to the living room as Tommy turned to Tubbo. “Come on then!” He grinned, dragging the smaller boy up the stairs.
When they reached the top of the stairs, Tubbo was slightly out of breath from the sudden burst of speed. Tommy too, was slightly catching his breath with a laugh. He turned to Tubbo, his chest puffed out, he noticed he was smiling.
Yes!
Tommy spoke up, gaining Tubbo’s attention. “Alyssa said we should play in my room, but I want to give you a tour!” He exclaimed, Tubbo raising a brow. “Since you’re going to be living here, I want to show you around! But since the grownups are downstairs, I’ll just have to show you upstairs instead!” Tubbo seemed to weigh his options before settling on a smile. He vigorously nodded his head “Ok!” He’d spoken! Another win for Tommy Innit!
Tommy dragged Tubbo around the rooms, showing him Wilbur’s room, the study, Tommy’s room, the bathroom and Tubbo’s room last.
Once he had dragged Tubbo around and was beginning to explain the house rules that Wilbur gave him when he had first arrived, he was cut off by a call from downstairs. “Tommy! Tubbo! We’re finished talking!” Wilbur had yelled.
Annoyed that he hadn’t been able to finish his explanation, Tommy huffed with puffed out cheeks and crossed arms, turning to Tubbo. Tubbo giggled at the look before grabbing Tommy’s arm and dragging him downstairs.
Tommy narrowly avoided falling down the stairs as he was dragged by the bee-boy, finally finding his footing as they reached the bottom. Waiting for the two boys was Wilbur and Alyssa. “Ok, Tubbo, so, I’m going to check in next week and from there I was thinking check ins every other week until you’re at least 2 weeks into school?” Alyssa had a smile on her face as she asked the question, which Tubbo hastily agreed to.
After Alyssa left, Wilbur helped finish Tommy’s tour and explained the house rules like he did with Tommy. By the end of it all, the two boys were sat in the living room getting to know each other, the TV playing some cartoon in the background.
Wilbur was in the kitchen making dinner, only catching snippets of the conversation when Tommy or Tubbo got a bit loud.
He had a feeling they’d be a good foster family.
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Over the next couple weeks, Tommy and Tubbo started school. Since Tubbo, Wilbur found out, was dyslexic, he got extra help in a few of his classes. Tommy was doing pretty decent as well.
The two had seen their social workers in prior weeks, and the adults were delighted to hear of how wonderful Wilbur was, and how amazing it was in his house.
Tubbo sometimes struggled with his homework, but it never really bothered him, because Tommy always offered up help (even if sometimes he ended up as a bigger distraction than a help) and if Tommy couldn’t help, they’d just call for Wilbur, who was surprisingly bad at maths.
Tommy and Tubbo had also found some friends in the school, one of them being called “Jack Manifold” Tommy insists that’s not his real surname.
The three often pulling pranks on their classmates and were, pretty much, inseparable. At some point, in the later months with Wilbur, they met some of his college friends.
One of them was a lovely woman named “Nikki” and there was someone else named “Fundy” . They always played countries with the boys when they visited Wilbur’s house. (Wilbur had somehow infected them with his love for geography)
They had a country called “L’manburg” and would pretend to be fighting in a revolution for their freedom. (The blame being placed on Wilbur by his friends for showing Tommy Hamilton) Fundy was Wilbur’s ‘son’ and his mother was a Salmon.
(According to Wilbur, these were old jokes from when they were in college, so Tommy and Tubbo didn’t really understand it, but found it funny nonetheless)
Sometimes, Jack would join in when he was over at their house, a newly introduced member of their nation.
They met another one of Wilbur’s friends called Eret, who helped in building their nation. Wilbur had to explain that Eret used all pronouns to the boys, which they were confused by, but in the end they decently understood.
Sadly, a month after they met her, Eret had to move, so they staged a large act of betrayal by Eret, so that he could leave the nation with reason. They had betrayed everyone to the enemy, and in the end, he was no longer part of L’manburg.
They still gave her a proper goodbye party before he moved.
Everything was going well
Everything was wonderful infact
They were a family