Rain pattered on the roof of a modest cabin, creating a symphony with the whistling of wind and rumbling of thunder in the distance. The building was shielded by trees, the smell of pine needles surrounding it. Tommy, 14 years old, sat comfortably in a wooden rocking chair with a blanket wrapped around him, reading an interesting book about business. Next to him on a couch sat Wilbur, 16 years old, softly picking at the strings of his guitar and humming a melancholy tune. Techno, 17 years old, lay in the loft under a heavy quilt, simply listening to Wilbur and the symphony. They were all lazily waiting for Philza to get back from town, though the weather would probably slow him down.

"Tommy, I want to show you something," Wilbur said, motioning for Tommy to come over to him. Tommy looked up from his book, then set it down, moving to the couch to be by Wil, "Try doing this, Tommy. Play a G and pick these strings..." he picked the strings slowly so the boy could see, "Like this." He handed the guitar over to Tommy, who held it awkwardly; it was pretty big in the young boy's arms.

"How do I play a G again?" He asked, looking to Wilbur, puzzled.

"Put your fingers here, here, and here," Wil said, adjusting Tommy's fingers to the right position. Tommy nodded, then regarded the pattern that the musician had performed. Wilbur listened and watched fondly, swaying his head to the music. "Try to hammer-on this string right here," Wil advised, showing the blonde what to do. Tommy played it for another two minutes before he started complaining about his fingers being sore. Wilbur rolled his eyes but took the guitar back, packing it up in the case.

"Nice job. Both of you," Techno said, his voice carrying down from the loft and earning a 'thank you' and 'thanks' from the other boys. Techno came down the ladder from the loft messing with his pig-pink hair.

"I'm gonna go grab some wood for a fire. I'll be right back," he announced, grabbing a jacket from a hook by the door. An ax stood by the doorframe that Techno took in his rough hands. He swung the door open, letting in a burst of cold air and rain into the room. Wilbur shivered. Tommy noticed and offered a bit of the blanket to Wil. He took it gratefully as they huddled up on the couch.

-

The two had dozed off, Tommy's head on Wil's shoulder and Wil's head on Tommy's. Techno opened the door and stepped through, dripping water everywhere. He set the ax down with a thud, then, noticing the others were asleep, quietly headed over to the furnace, kneeled by it, and unwrapped the plastic tarp he was holding that covered some wood. He placed the wood in the furnace as well as some old newspapers and kindling that sat next to it. Techno struck a match, starting the fire. He watched it burn, the crackling of the fire soothing to his ears.

Wilbur's head snapped up at the smell of fire. He looked around, alerted, to see Techno making a fire. He sighed in relief and slightly nudged Tommy. The younger boy grumbled and groggily asked why he was woken up.

"Let's move closer to the fire," Wil said as Techno turned his head to see them getting up. He smiled at them and shut the furnace door. Techno got up from the ground and went over to the couch by the others. All three of the boys pushed the piece of furniture closer to the furnace. Techno went to one side of the couch with Wilbur and Tommy on the other side. After they realized they were still cold, Techno grabbed the blanket and slung it around them all as they clustered together.

They sat in the quiet, Tommy leaning his head on Wilbur's shoulder with his eyes closed.

"What do you think Phil got in town?" Tommy asked sleepily.

"Food," Techno responded.

"Well, yeah, but what else?" Tommy asked urgently, opening his eyes and glancing at Techno, making the pink-haired boy let out an exasperated sigh.

"I don't know, but Wil asked Phil for a yoyo, so he might've gotten that." Wilbur chuckled at Techno's statement.

"I hope he got me a knife," Tommy said seriously. Techno and Wilbur glanced at each other briefly before bursting out in laughter. "What!?" Tommy exclaimed, only making them laugh harder.

Their quiet conversations continued as they watched the wood slowly be consumed by the fire, their eyes growing more tired by the minute. Slumping down on the couch, they all fell asleep, leaning against each other as they were soothed by the crackling of the fire, benign howling of the wind, and the low grumble of thunder.

-

Philza arrived back at home, soaked from the rain, to see his makeshift family all sitting around the furnace with a fire glowing warmly. He smiled warmly, glad to have someone to come home to. They had only known each other for a while (was it coming up on a year?), but they all considered themselves a family, no matter what other people might've argued.

Phil shrugged off his wet raincoat and set his umbrella hat down on a surface. He then carefully sat down on the couch with all the boys. Thunder rumbled in the distance as he settled on the couch next to Tommy, who stirred but then nestled up next to Phil.

"Hi, Dad," Tommy mumbled. Phil chuckled to himself. He must be pretty tired, he thought. Philza sighed and leaned his head back, dozing off to sleep.

~~~~~

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the fluff in this part. If you have any suggestions for this story or the next, I appreciate all the nice comments and suggestions. I love you all, and I hope you're staying safe during everything going on right now <3 :)