Chapter Text
"Wilbur! Techno! C'mon guys, we're burnin daylight!" Phil called, hoisting Tommy up higher on his hip as he packed the car. He heard the stomping of feet, a crashing in the house, a door slamming before his two elder kids emerged.
Phil had a set of twins and a toddler to take care of and they were a handful on a good day. Techno was just slightly older than Wil by a couple of minutes and those two were thicker than thieves.
They were going to give Phil an early heart attack at this rate from all the shenanigans they manage to get themselves into, god forbid they get into a fight.
Case in point.
"Dad!" Wilbur whined, "Technos being mean!"
"Uh huh," Phil said, only really half listening as he strapped Tommy into his car seat. He pulled out a ziplock baggie full of pretzels and handed it to his youngest.
"Try not to get it in the seats okay mate?" Tommy squealed with joy. "Okay!" He said, happily munching on his pretzels.
Phil begrudgingly tuned back to the argument.
Techno snorted. "I am not. He's just mad I'm better than him at mario kart."
"Fuck you!" As funny it was for a seven year old to cuss, Phil had to parent.
"Wil mate, those are big words for adult mouths and I asked you not to cuss," Phil said exasperatedly. His middle promptly ignored him, like always.
"Techno never lets me win! It's not fair!" Wilbur pouted, his lip quivering. Phil sighed.
"Techno would it kill you to let your brother win every once in a while?"
Techno looked him dead in the eye and said, "yes."
"I'm gonna beat you up Techno!" Wilbur started to chase him. Techno laughed and dashed off.
"Your brothers are gonna be the death of me, kiddo." Tommy babbled as he slammed pretzels into his mouth. It would be cute if it wasn't mostly slobber and it wasn't getting in hard inbetween spots to clean, but here they are. At least Tommy was in a good mood though. He'd lose his mind if he had to reign in the twins and deal with a wailing baby.
Once he got Tommy situated and comfortable for the hour drive, he turned to see what the little shits were up to. He wasn't even surprised to see Techno pinning Wilbur into a headlock and Wilbur trying his hardest to get a kick on Techno.
"Just admit it," Techno sneered, "you're just a nerd."
"Daaad!" Wilbur cried. "This is bullying! Harassment! Make him stop!"
Phil rolled his eyes. "If you two aren't in the car within the next two minutes we're not going to the park," it was an empty threat. It was a beautiful day and the kids needed some fresh air. Techno and Wilbur didn't know that though and scrambled into the car as they buckled themselves into their booster seats.
They're almost a little too big for booster seats, but Phil would rather be safe than sorry. When they turn eight they'd graduate to regular seats. Tommy on the other hand had a very long way to go.
Phil climbed into the front seat of his minivan. "Alright, seatbelts?" When he got a resounding yes, he started the car.
"Dad," Techno whined. "Wils in my space." Phil wanted to bang his head into his dash, but instead sighed.
"Wil, c'mon mate knock it off," Wilbur scoffed. "It's not my fault I have long legs! He's just being incon- inco-"
"Inconsiderate?" Phil offered gently.
"Yeah! He's being inconsiderate!" Wilbur glared at his older brother.
"Mean!" Tommy cheered, pretzels going everywhere. Well, at least he ate some of them.
"Okay you little shits, here's the deal," he said looking into the rear view mirror. "If you guys can behave for the hour drive to the park I'll get us burgers from that food stand. How does that sound?"
"Okay!" All three of his sons said in unison. Fucking finally. Bargaining should be a valid form of parenting because it works. They still bickered for most of the car ride but at least it was a little more subdued because they knew burgers were on the line.
Halfway through the drive they asked to play music, and Phil happily agreed. Not only was it nice not to hear his sons bickering, but it was nice that they liked Phils music. Phil dreads the day they grow and have their own taste in music, but for now they were content to listen to his hard drive.
He smiled glancing back at his rear view mirror as Techno and Wilbur were playing rock paper scissors, and Tommy was babbling excitedly as someone won. It didn't matter who won, he just cheered.
He looked back to the road and saw his exit coming up. The park they were going to was a bit out of town, but it was well known for its nature. They had a snack shack built there and a playset for toddlers and a bit older kids. He went there as a kid, and his parents went to the park as well. There wasn't even a playground yet, just a field where he and his friends got into trouble.
He flicked his turn signal on as he pulled into the abandoned parking lot, noting there wasn't any else at the park today save for a car. He didn't see anyone else at the park, so he assumed it was an employee's car for the snack shack.
"Let's go!" Wilbur said, pulling at his door handle. "Jesus, one sec Wil let me park first," he said as he parked his car. He got out of the car and opened the door. He barely pulled the handle as his two eldest scrambled out of the car, beelining it towards the playground.
"Be careful!" He shouted after them, but neither of them were listening. He chuckled as Tommy made grabby hands towards him. Phil scooped him up and took him to the back of the car, carefully balancing him on his side as he opened the trunk.
He pulled out some sunscreen and made sure he was thoroughly covered and grabbed his to-go-bag. He no longer needed diapers thank fuck because he pottytrained him early, but he still brought plenty of snacks, toys, waters, baby wipes, anything else these kids could possibly need.
"Are you ready?" He said holding Tommy up above his head. Tommy's full belly laughed. "Yeah!" Phil swung him around and sat him on the grassy floor.
"Okay mate, hold onto my hand okay?" Tommy nodded and eagerly grasped his hand. Phil locked up his car and walked to the playground. Techno had already scaled the bigger kids playset and Wilbur was trying to catch up. Phil wasn't too worried, it was maybe seven feet tall. It'd be a hard fall, but not a hospital visit.
Hopefully.
Regardless he kept an eye on them as he helped Tommy climb a wall with plastic rocks at a pretty even incline. It wasn't at all steep and Phil kept a firm hand on Tommys back as he fumbled his way up.
When Tommy got to the very top, a grand total of three feet, he cheered. "I did it!" He smiled as Techno and Wil cheered for him across the playground.
"Good job!" Techno shouted from his perch.
"Fuck yes!" Wilbur shouted loud enough for the whole park to hear him.
"Fuck yeah!" Tommy parroted him, clapping his hands.
"Wilbur!" Phil scolded, embarrassment creeping up his face. They just laughed in his face, Tommy included.
"Oh that does it," he said, scooping up Tommy. "Wanna go get your brother?" He cooed at Tommy.
"Yeah! Let's go!" Tommy cheered on, and Wilbur was already gone. Techno was laughing as Phil took off after his son, his lungs already in stitches but damn it he made a point to make.
Phil made it maybe ten yards before he was bent over wheezing. "Dad!" Tommy said, hitting his shoulder. "Come on! He's getting 'way!"
"Sorry, kiddo," Phil said, his body aching something fierce. He was going to be in a lot of pain in the morning, but it was worth it. "I'm a bit out of shape," he said breathlessly, chuckling.
Wilbur had already gone back to the playset, fighting with Techno over the swings. "Wanna go play on the swings?" He said as he got his breath back.
"Yeah! Let's go, let's go!" Tommy said, pulling on his hand with all of his might. Phil chuckled, and walked over to the swing set. He lifted Tommy up and sat him in the smaller toddler swing, but Tommy whined uncomfortably. The swings cuffed into his legs and his bottom was just a bit too big.
Phil swelled with pride, his son was growing up. "Aw mate, you've gotten too big for these swings," he said, crouching down to Tommy's level. "You wanna try the big boy swings?"
Tommy looked anxious, looking at the swings. Techno was pushing Wilbur as hard as he could. "What if I fell?"
"If you fall," he gently corrected. "I'll dust you off, and we'll go again. I promise I'll be there the whole time okay?"
Tommy's hesitancy turned into excitement. "Okay!" Phil smiled and lifted him up, putting him on a proper swing. The swing was meant for smaller kids, so it was close to the ground.
"Ready?"
"Ready!"
"Hold on tight okay?" Tommy clutched the chains as Phil gently put his hand on his back and pushed back and forth. Tommy giggled. They weren't going nearly as high as Wilbur was, but that was okay. He didn't need to, Tommy was having a blast.
Phil lost track of time, the sun was steadily climbing in the sky and while Phil was thoroughly worn out, they were still going at it. Wilbur was climbing the monkey bars, Techno was going down the slide over and over again, and Tommy was in the sandbox.
He glanced down at his phone, and took note of the time. It would probably be good to get food for the kids and head home for Tommy's afternoon nap.
"Wilbur, Techno," he called them over. "Can you watch Tommy for like ten minutes? I'm gonna go to the snack shack and get us some food,"
"Do we have to?" Wilbur whined. "He's just a baby, he's not doing anything and he's too little to play."
"I know Wil," Phil said, getting down to their level. "I need you boys to help me out though, my hands are gonna be full. It's just for ten minutes. Can you do that for me? Just make sure he doesn't eat the sand, and doesn't get taken off by a hawk or somethin,"
"If not, you boys can come with me but it'd take away from playing," he raised an eyebrow.
"We can watch Tommy," Techno said, but neither of them looked thrilled to watch their baby brother. They'd be fine for a couple of minutes. The park was deserted. As long as they don't get eaten by a bear, there's nothing to worry about.
Phil made his way to the snack shack, and Tommy was making grabby hands towards Wil. "Up!" He asked.
Wilbur just rolled his eyes, nudged Technos shoulder with a mischievous look. "I'll race you to the woods and back,"
Techno looked hesitant. "What about Tommy? Should we just leave him here?" Tommy was growing increasingly fussy, he was being ignored and big fat tears were building in his eyes.
"Up! Wanna go!" Tommy demanded. Wilbur ignored him. "There's no one around! We can still see him from the woods, relax. Or are you too chicken?" Wilbur taunted.
Techno snorted and shoved Wil. "Last one there is a rotten egg!"
"Hey!" Wilbur laughed, chasing after his brother. Tommy was swiftly forgotten about.
—
The snack shack was a little further down the trail and deeper into the woods. Outside of the snack shack there were benches and picnic tables, and the snack shack itself was what the named described. It was a shack with a menu printed on one of its walls with a big open window and counter.
A bored looking employee was at the counter and perked up when he saw Phil approaching. The employee was a ginger kid with a beard with a hint of silver in his hair. His name tag read Fundy.
"Holy shit, it's a customer!" He exclaimed, a big smile on his face. "I didn't think we'd have any today. What can I getcha?"
"Hey mate," Phil said kindly. "Could I get like, three kids meals and a normal burger? Four cokes should do it,"
"Course, give me like a couple minutes, it's just myself today. How's it goin?" Fundy asked as he started to make the burgers.
Phil sighed in good nature and smiled. "I decided to take my kids to the park, and man I'm tired." He couldn't see the park from this angle, but he could hear Techno and Wilburs playful screaming, and Tommys big belly laughter from where he stood.
"Oh man, I couldn't imagine having kids," Fundy chuckled. "I'm trying to save up for a car right now, and kids are expensive."
That didn't sit right in Phils gut. Why didn't that sit right in Phils gut?
"Oh, did you get dropped off or something? The parks are a bit out of town to be walking," Fundy filled three small drinks and a large coke.
"Yeah my mom drops me off usually. Did you see that SUV in the parking lot? It was a beautiful car, I wanna get somethin like that."
The more Phil thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. He did see the SUV. He also noticed that the windows were tinted and he can't remember for the life of him if someone was in the driver's seat.
Phil tried to shake off the uneasy feeling, it was probably somebody on a hike and that's why he didn't see the person at the park. The woods around the park were beautiful and dense, it was a great day for a hike.
The conversation petered off into silence, Phil was deep in thought. He couldn't shake the feeling. Phil smiled but it felt hollow as Fundy handed him a bag of burgers and his drink carrier.
"Have a good night!" Fundy smiled brightly, and Phil wished him well. He made his way back down to the park. He could still hear Techno and Wilbur play fighting.
"Boys!" He hollered. "Lunch time, come on!" He said as he sat the food down at the picnic table. Tommy wasn't at the playground, and his gut sank a little further. It was fine though he was probably with Techno and Wil.
Techno and Wil emerged from the forest, looking breathless but smiling. They had twigs in their hair and pine needles on their clothes. Blaring alarms were going off in Phils head.
Tommy wasn't with them.
"Wilbur, Techno," he asked slowly. "Where's Tommy?"
"He was right over-..." Techno gestured to the sand box. "...there." Technos face considerably paled. "He was right there!" Wilbur stressed. "He couldn't have gotten far, we were watching him!"
No. No, because Wilburs ears and face turned bright red when he was lying, and he lit up like a Goddamn Christmas tree. Phil took a deep breath.
"Let's see if we can't find him before we start freaking out okay?" He was on the verge of freaking out himself. They had one job, but if he freaks out they're going to freak out, and he needed to find his son.
They abandoned their food as they scoured the entire playset. Phil looked in every nook and cranny a toddler could cram himself into, but it was still. It was silent aside from Phils own beating heart. Wilbur was sniffling quietly trying to hide the tears, and Techno was silent.
The SUV from the parking lot was gone, and he didn't think it was a coincidence. He wracked his brain desperately trying to remember the license plate number. All he could vaguely remember was an XD and that was it.
Phil crouched down to Techno and Wilburs level, his voice perfectly level even though everything inside of himself was screaming to yell at them. It wasn't their fault, they're seven years old. He couldn't help but to feel a little bit upset his fucking toddler was missing.
"I need you boys to go wait in the car." His voice was flat and toneless. "I need to call your mom, and I need to call the police."
Wilbur sniffled. "I- I'm sorry dad we didn-"
"Not now Wil." He said vacantly. "I just- not now. Go wait in the car. Okay?"
Both of the boys slunk off to the car, their tails between their legs. They knew they fucked up but they have no idea how badly they fucked up, and Phil knew that but God, how does Phil explain to them that the likelyhood of their little brother showing up is close to none?
Oh god. What if they find his body in a ditch somewhere?
He walked into the woods where he was out of view of the car and shook. Shook with fear. Shook with anger. Shook with shock. He shakily pulled out his phone and called Kristen.
She answered on the third ring. "Hey!-"
"Kris-" Phil choked out. "Kristen I lost Tommy-" he was starting to hyperventilate. Tears were filling his eyes. "I don-"
"Woah, slow down, what happened?" Kristen coaxed gently.
"We were at the park- I had the boys watch him but he's not here-" he wailed.
"Okay, it's okay, did you look for him? He could've wandered off-"
"Of course I did!" He snapped, wiping the tears from his eyes. "I tore the playground apart looking for him!"
Bless Kristen's heart, she took the snapping in stride. He'd have to apologize later. "Did you see any cars?"
Phil sniffled. "SUV, tinted windows. I couldn't see the person."
It was quiet for a moment. "Fuck. Okay Phil, I'm gonna go down to the police station and file a missing person's case and we'll give them everything we know. We're gonna find him okay? Meet me down there," Kristen promised. How she was remaining calm he had no fucking idea. She was his rock that kept him grounded.
"Don't you have to wait forty eight hours before filing a police report?" He asked numbly, wiping his tears and snot on his sleeve.
"No, that's a myth to make crime TV shows more dramatic. I love you."
"I love you too," he said, his voice cracking. His son was missing.
Kristen promised they'd find him. His son was kidnapped.
—
They did everything in their power to find Tommy. Phil sat through countless police interrogations. He even sat through hypnotic therapy to see if he could remember any details deep within his subconscious.
He put up missing posters in every town in a fifty mile radius of Tommy, but not a single time did someone call. He must've printed hundreds of them. Blue eyes. Blonde hair. Blinding smile. Fifty thousand dollar reward.
He recruited many search parties of the park and surrounding areas to hopefully find Tommy if not his body. It was grim work, and by the end of the first year Phils hope was diminishing.
He wanted to find Tommy alive, of course he did, but at this point he would take finding his body to get any sort of closure. The case was growing cold, it grew cold after a month, but every week, every Monday morning he'd call the police station to see if they'd see anything. To see if they found a SUV with XD on the license plate.
He made friends from the search parties. The community would send Phil and his family casseroles and flowers, something to soothe the pain. One of the friends he made was Dream, who helped organize the search parties. He was a lanky kid, brilliant green eyes and blonde hair, and always willing to help search.
Dream was a bit off putting, he had too big of a smile. His eyes shined a little too sharply. Still, Phil appreciated the help in his searches, and he needed all the help he could get.
"We'll find him, Phil." Dream offered a supporting smile, around the sixth month mark. Phil didn't smile back.
It all happened so quickly. Every night he beat himself up for not taking Tommy with him to go get stupid fucking burgers. He didn't blame Wilbur or Techno. He couldn't. They were kids and he knew that. He knew Wilbur and Techno were feeling guilty enough as it was.
After a year of searching and reading articles of every John Doe blue eye blonde hair little boys that came through, he was done. He knew that the likely hood of finding Tommy dead or alive was so fucking slim it would take a miracle. Apparently it was extremely rare for kidnappers to pick a kid out of the blue. The fucker had been waiting at the park for a perfect opportunity.
During the investigation, he became good friends with Fundy. He got dragged into police interrogations as much as Phil did, and Phil had apologized for it. Fundy said that he completely understood, and when the grief hit the hardest, Fundy would come over and cook the family dinner.
After Phil came to the conclusion Tommy wouldn't come back, he offered to use Tommys college money to put Fundy through school. He didn't have to do that, but Fundy didn't have to help and volunteer as much as he did. He could've easily fucked off after the police interrogations. Maybe he felt guilty about what happened to Tommy? Regardless, It was a long talk between him and Kristen, and at the end of the day Fundy got his degree in computer science many years later.
Tommy wouldn't be needing the money.
He stood in front of the mirror, washing his face. His face was horribly sunken in. His hair and beard were growing out, and underneath his eyes were a deep unhappy purple. He inhaled, and he exhaled.
He didn't want to have his conversation with his kids, but it needed to happen. Kristen was waiting at the table for him, and Techno and Wil were across from them.
Phil sat down, a somber look on his face.
"I would like to start off by saying," he started off strong. "I'm not mad at either of you two for what happened. It was an accident, and I should've brought you guys with me." He said, staring down at his hands. Kristen grasped his hands.
Wilbur and Techno were quiet. They'd been walking on eggshells for a while, and as much as Phil fucking hated to admit it, they needed to move passed Tommy. That was his baby, but he has two other sons that have needed his attention for the past year, and Phil being so deep in his grief ignored them.
Kristen, thank God, helped the boys through their own grief while Phil figured it out. "We-" Phil swallowed thickly. "We don't think Tommys coming back." He said in a whisper. It had been a year and nothing.
"And in my grief and fear, I ignored you two. I'm so sorry," his voice broke. He cried into his arms, Techno and Wilbur were damningly quiet.
"So you're father and I," Kristen picked up for him. "Have decided to declare Tommy legally dead. We don't know what happened, I don't know if we ever will, but we're going to hold a funeral for him." Perhaps they were a little too young to be having this conversation. They had a right to know though.
"We made this decision so we could have closure. So we can grieve your brother, and we can move on." Phil finished.
Techno looked thoughtful, Wilbur looked crestfallen.
"What if he comes back?" Wilbur demanded.
"Wilbur-" Kristen started. "No! He's going to come back!" Wilbur said, but it sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than anything.
Phil got out of his chair, and knelt beside him. "He's not coming back, bud." God, how that sentence shredded his heart and stomped on it. His baby wasn't coming back.
Wilbur flung himself into Phils chest. "It's not fair! He's so little! How could someone take him?" Wilbur wailed. That was a great question.
"Some people are evil, evil beings." He said, hugging Wilbur tightly. Techno was silent. Techno was a lot more quiet these days, lost in thought. Phil didn't have the heart to stop Techno as he got up and left. He made eye contact with Kristen, and she went to follow him.
"You'll get to see him again one day," Phil promised vaguely. He wasn't sure what happened in the after life, but he fucking hoped he'd see Tommt again some day. He hoped Tommy was resting peacefully, wherever he was.
"I want him now!" Wilbur whined, wiping snot and tears all over Phils shirt.
"I know you do. I do too. I promise it'll be okay one day." He whispered into his wispy brown hair.
He held Wilbur as he sobbed and cried for hours. It wasn't fair.
It wasn't fair that he buried an empty casket of a toddler who would never get to grow up. It wasn't fair that that was the only closure they got. God had a twisted way of showing how life wasn't fair, because not long after their talk, Kristen got sick.
It must've been the stress. The doctors said she died from a broken heart, because not even a year and a half later she died due to a heart attack, and the heart attack led to a brain aneurysm.
It's startling how quickly life can be taken from someone. Tommys life was taken from them in a twenty minute period, Kristen's life was taken in the span of a day. She was diagnosed with high blood pressure, but none of them were expecting that.
He stared numbly as they piled dirt onto her casket. Their family went from five to three in just a short couple of years. Techno and Wilbur held both of his hands, all of them quietly subdued.
It was a lot quieter in the house nowadays. If Phil closed his eyes long enough, he could hear Tommy laughing in the living room. He could hear his sons trampling through the house, and he could hear his wife laughing as she watched TV.
Techno and Wilbur spent a lot of time up in their rooms. As the years went on, something of a normal routine would happen. His sons were growing into teenagers with their own personalities. Phil knew he fucked up handling their baby brothers and their mothers death, but God damn it he was going to make this right.
When Wilbur talked about learning about music, Phil bought him the nicest guitar he could find and got him guitar lessons. When Techno expressed interest in books, he took Techno on a shopping spree to Barnes and Noble just to see his eldest smile.
Now that they were full fledged teenagers, angst and all. Sure there was a lingering hurt they couldn't get rid of, but their relationship was closer than ever before. They grieved together, they moved on together. They collectively decided to move houses early on so they can fully move passed. They never forgot Tommy or Kristen, but they needed to breathe.
They moved to a small town a couple miles away from the city with around the same size house. Instead of a nursery, they had a collective game room where they spent their weekends playing TF2 or Minecraft. Phil blinked, and it had been thirteen years since Tommy went missing.
The house was full of life again, just a different type. They were healing, as much it pains to admit. His sons were in university, but Phil still took time out of his morning to pack them lunches.
He yawned as he made sandwiches for his sons. Six in the morning was too damn early, but they had an hour commute to school, and Phil would be damned if he didn't leave a "have a good day! :D -Dad" notes in their lunch boxes.
Wilbur stumbled down the stairs in a comfy looking sweater and skinny jeans. His hair is a mess and glasses crooked on his face. He yawned as he took his lunch box from Phil. "Coffee?" He grumbled, rubbing his eyes.
Phil handed him his thermos. "Try not to drink too much of it in one sitting mate,"
Wilbur hummed in acknowledgment, sitting down at the breakfast table and scrolling on his phone. Techno came down shortly after. He looked far more put together than Wilbur did. His bubblegum pink hair tied in a long braid, with a flowy poet's shirt. Techno dressed a bit eccentric, but Phil was just happy his sons were expressing himself.
He handed Technos his lunchbox and his thermos of tea, and Techno nodded his thanks. Neither of his sons were much of talkers in the morning, but neither was Phil.
Life was starting to get good again. He had found peace in his garden, and his sons were becoming somebodies. Techno was becoming an English major, Wilbur was going for music. Phil often wondered what Tommy would've gone for if he went to university.
That was, until he got a call from L'manburgs police station.
"Wil," he sighed. "Did you vandalize another fucking building again?" That was a fun night, getting a call in the middle of the night of Wilbur being caught trashing public property because he could.
Wil snorted. "Yeah, but I didn't get caught this time."
"That's my boy. I wonderin' what they want?" He asked more to himself, and picked up the phone.
"Hello?" He greeted hesitantly.
"We think we found him."
He recognized the voice instantly. Sam, the lead detective on Tommys case.