Tommy bounds out of the gym with a little too much excitement for someone who has been sparring against Techno for the past few hours. Tommy holds the door open for Techno, leaning against it as he watches the man turn off all the lights in the interior space. Tommy smiles, riding the smooth descension of his energy loss. He starts to feel some aching pain rolling throughout his body from how many times he was put on his ass, but he has started lasting a little longer in these fights. It won't be long until Tommy's defeat crosses the threshold from embarrassing to respectable. Tommy's smile right now is entirely because of that reason, the future of maybe one day, years down the line at this rate, defeating Techno in a fight. Once Tommy does that, he doubts there is anyone on the island that he couldn't take in a fight, if both sides aren't using their powers, that is.

"Have you ever thought about giving your moves badass names? I was thinking about giving my moves some cool names. I haven't thought of any just yet, but I'm definitely going to need to learn a 'Phoenix Punch' or maybe 'The Mother Crusher'! Those are pretty badass names in my book," Tommy chats, falling easily into the habit that has been building over the past few weeks or so. Although Tommy does his own work-out in the mornings at the boutique, he comes by every evening after work to train with Techno. They stay all the way until Techno closes up for the night. As someone who talks a lot and someone who barely talks at all, Tommy will always find himself filling the silence. He was cautious around it, at first, worried that he would annoy Techno, but the man keeps Tommy around and always responds when Tommy leaves an opportunity for him to. It warms Tommy's heart, creating a very different yet similar feeling to the one he has around Wilbur. It's a twin thing, Tommy decides, not thinking about it further. "You should name your moves after rocks since you're like a walking mountain. Not to say your fat, of course, I just mean your bulky- er, maybe buff is a better word? Who cares? You're as strong as a mountain, so name your moves after it. What do you think?"

"It would take too much time to say the names of my moves when I could be just doing them," Techno responds, turning off the last light. He steps toward the door, picking his duffle bag up as he goes. Techno slings it over his shoulder. It settles against his back as Techno picks up a pair of keys. Tommy listens to the jingling of the metal. He thinks, not for the first time, that he should get Techno a keychain. He should go shopping with Wilbur one of these days to do that.

"You don't have to say the name. You just have to think of it!" Tommy takes a step back as Techno comes to the door. Techno catches it, pushing it shut even though the door naturally falls shut. Tommy takes the opportunity to jump into an offensive position. His muscles burn at the tension after having been relaxed by his and Techno's cool-down, but Tommy preserves to punch the air in front of him, double-checking in his mind that his fingers are in the right spot. Tommy quickly switches, using his other hand to punch again. He finds himself smiling at Techno as the man gets to work finding the right key to lock the gym up. Tommy declares, "See? My punches were a hundred times stronger because I was thinking about the name! If it would have hit you, I would have knocked you to your ass. The only reason I didn't is because I am in perfect control of my body... and I don't want you to come up with a mountain name for your punch and send me flying across the street."

"While I could, I'm not going to send you flying across the street," Techno replies, finding the appropriate key. He leans down toward the door to lock it, leaving Tommy to process what has just been told to him. He knew Techno was buff, but he didn't think Techno could actually punch him across the street. Tommy would have thought Techno was joking, but Techno doesn't make these kinds of jokes. Even when he does, Tommy can immediately tell based on his tone. Techno is being truthful right now. Tommy feels a temporary jolt of fear through his body, but he quickly silences that part of himself. Techno just said he wouldn't do that to Tommy. He is probably only that strong because of his hybrid traits (as Tommy is certain he is a hybrid), and Tommy isn't prejudiced against hybrids.

"You better not die before I get to beat you in a fight," Tommy complains, realizing that if Techno is as strong as he claims to be, it is going to take way longer than a couple of years for Tommy to win in a fight. It irks Tommy a little, but it mainly makes him even more determined. He's going to surpass all the goals Techno has set for him, put the man on edge so that he'll think twice about challenging Tommy's future self to a fight. "I'm being serious, you know? I am going to beat your ass one day. It might not be tomorrow, it might not be next week, it might not be next month, it might not be next year-"

Tommy would continue until Techno tells him to shut up, but he sees something in the corner of his eyes. As he has been staring at Techno and the front of the gym, he didn't notice that the street isn't empty. There is a sleek gray-blue car parked next to the curb. A man stands against the car, his arms crossed over his chest. His blue eyes shimmer in the lamplight from the pole next to his car, casting an iridescent sheen over it. The man is waiting for someone, and as Tommy and Techno are the only ones in the gym, the man is waiting for them. Tommy tenses immediately before all the knowledge Techno has been imparting on him for the better part of a month. Tommy lifts his fists defensively towards the man. He forces his voice to be a little deeper and sturdier as he yells, "I can fucking take you in a fight, so get out of here, you bastard!"

"You're still new," Techno reminds Tommy, looking away from the door to raise an eyebrow at him. Techno isn't looking at the man, but Tommy is certain that he at least saw the man pull up. Techno is far more perceptive than Tommy is like that. Tommy wants to be a little detail-oriented, but Techo told him he was only taking one 'impossible challenge' at a time. Tommy got offended about that, so he didn't return back to the matter of being taught a different sort of lesson.

"I think we can take the old man together," Tommy says, keeping his eyes on the blonde-haired man. His muscles start hurting from being tense for so long, but Tommy can't force them to relax. He doesn't know what the man is there for, but he doesn't look like a fighter. He, at least, doesn't look as strong as Techno does. Tommy might be a hindrance in the fight, or he might be subtly beneficial to Techno when they start beating up the man like bullies set against nerds.

Techno actually snorts. Tommy startles, barely taking in the fact that the 'old man' has started howling with laughter. The man's arms fall to his sides, setting one hand on the top of the car to steady himself. Tommy, in his confusion, stands up straighter and lets his fists slowly sink to his sides. Techno slips the keys to the gym into his duffle bag. He turns around, gesturing towards the laughing man with his chin. "Tommy, this is Philza, my father. Wilbur's, too, in fact."

The blood drains from Tommy's face, leaving him cold and horrified. He looks at the man, taking in his appearance once more. With the blonde hair, blue eyes, and green color scheme, he doesn't particularly look like either of his sons. Tommy can see it, though. He sees it in the subtle things. The man's eyes shine exactly like Wilbur's eyes. He holds himself with the same airy confidence that Techno does. There is a firmness in his cheeks like Techno's cheeks, and a quality of his smile that mirrors Wilbur. They probably both look more like their mother, but that doesn't really matter. Tommy can see Wilbur and Techno in Philza, and now he's slamming his hands against Techno's forearm, hissing at the pink-haired man. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me?! I wanted to make a good impression, not threaten him and call him an 'old man'."

Philza's laughter trickles to a stop, but he does the same thing that Wilbur does where the laugh continues to linger in his eyes long after the sound itself has ceased. Philza smiles warmly at Tommy, not a hint of ill-will there. Apparently, Tommy's hissing wasn't quiet enough because Philza declares, "I don't think it was that bad. I've certainly seen worse first impressions."

"What are you doing here?" Techno asks, walking over to his father. Tommy remains behind, shifting a little closer to make sure that passersby knows he's with them, but he doesn't want to intrude on whatever is happening here. Techno looks more relaxed than Tommy has ever seen him, and with Techno, relaxation equates with happiness.

"I'm here to pick you up for family dinner," Philza declares. Tommy recalls Wilbur talking about how his family often have dinner together. Tommy was horrified at the thought until he realized Wilbur's family was simply tight-knit. There wasn't anything more to it, and Tommy did his damnedest not to be jealous. Philza shifts, leveling Techno with an unimpressed stare as the silence stretches between them. "You did remember that tonight was family dinner, right?"

"I might have forgotten with Tommy talking my ear off," Techno evades blame, gesturing towards the blonde that stands a few feet away, watching the exchange with slightly wide eyes and gently parted lips.

When he hears his name, Tommy's expression quickly straightens. It hardens further when he realizes that Techno is blaming him for his own misremembering. Tommy decides to conveniently forget about the rules of politeness. He marches to Techno, slamming his hands against the man's forearm and side. Tommy glares up at him, "Oi, fuck you! I didn't make you forget your family dinner, you absolute bastard!"

"My father is literally right there," Techno says, unphased by the many hits befalling the side of his body.

"Asshole! Fucker! Shithead!" Tommy goes through his list of insulting names, avoiding the ones that have anything to do with parents since Techno wasn't technically wrong even if he was being a smartass.

"Hey, hey, calm down, both of you," Philza tells them, raising his hands up placatingly. He is smiling humorously, probably far too used to his twin sons arguing with each other. While Tommy doesn't think Wilbur curses as much as he does, he knows that Wilbur would be as lively as Tommy when defending his position. "I'm not blaming anyone. We still have time to get there. We won't even tell your mother that you forgot."

"See? Your dad doesn't blame me," Tommy snarks, face twisting him in victory. Techno raises an eyebrow at him, and Tommy sticks his tongue out. When he's done annoying Techno, Tommy pats the man on the shoulder. "Anyway, I'll get going. Goodbye, Philza. See you tomorrow, Techno. Have fun with your family, and don't be an annoying prick to them!"

"Wait," Philza says as Tommy takes a step away from the two of them towards the distant boutique. Tommy looks over his shoulder at Philza. The man is smiling kindly at Tommy, gesturing for Tommy to come closer. Tommy turns a little more, but he doesn't walk back. Philza stops gesturing, but his smile never wanes. "How about you join us tonight for dinner?"

Tommy laughs awkwardly. He looks to Techno for support, but the man is staring at Tommy impassively, which basically means that Techno is more than fine with Tommy coming with them. Tommy's chuckling gets a little more strained as he shakes his head. "I wouldn't want to intrude on a family dinner, you know?"

"It's perfectly alright, Tommy. Both of my sons like you, after all, so I would like to get to know you better," Philza explains.

Tommy's eyes brighten as he looks back at Techno. "You like me, Techno?"

"I deny all of this slander," Techno declares, but Tommy can hear it, that soft undertone that means Techno is joking. A slow smile begins creeping across Tommy's face, as slow as a feather falling in the opposite direction. While there is something easy and simple about Wilbur's affection, Techno's is a lot more hard-won. Tommy feels like he's been walking this very narrow line, trying not to let Techno get annoyed at him and keep up some sort of relationship with Wilbur's brother. Knowing that Techno might actually like him is astounding news. It fills Tommy with the sort of warmth that he imagines the foster kids would get when a family decided they were a perfect fit. Of course, Tommy isn't getting a family, only a friend, but for someone like Tommy, he wasn't even expecting that much.

"Well, if you don't like me, I guess I have to go to the dinner to annoy you," Tommy jokes back, his voice far too cheery for anyone to take what he's saying at face value. It's a cheap excuse, but Philza is the one that invited him and Techno indirectly admitted that they were getting closer. Tommy doesn't need an excuse. He makes one, anyway, out of habit, but he doesn't need someone to offer again as he slips into the backseat of Philza's car.

The car is dark as Philza pulls away from the curb. It is dimly illuminated by the fading daylight through the tinted windows and the light of Techno's communicator as he messages someone, so Tommy doesn't fall into a full-blown panic, but he does get antsy. When Tommy's on edge, he tends to talk a little more than most people are okay with. Philza is not like most people. He seems just as eager to converse with Tommy as the blonde. With Tommy's chaotic thought patterns, they jump around topics a few times, but Philza is quick on the uptake. He doesn't get bogged down by Tommy's rolling words, slipping past his lips with little thought and even fewer pauses. Philza even laughs at a few of Tommy's jokes. The happiness and pride seems to scare away the agitation.

As the conversation progresses, Tommy feels a little like he's going to a new foster family, only he is way more at ease with Philza than any of those experiences.

The car ride takes the three of them outside of the main district into an area claimed by nature. Tommy finds his responses coming out a little slower as his attention is caught by the trees. They look as tall as skyscrapers to Tommy, but the rough brown and green colors contrast starkly with the grays and silvers of the distant cityscape. Tommy is in awe of the lush plant life that seems to thrive despite the way humanity treats it on the island.

The trees eventually clear away to reveal flatlands with very slight, near unnoticeable, inclines. Philza pulls off the main road down a dirt and stone one, getting closer to a house in the distance. The house is large, at least two or three stories, but is also made from dark wood with a warm red door. Tommy presses his face against the window to look at it. Never in his life has seen something so homely. He knew Wilbur was rich, but he didn't think his parents were wealthy enough to buy such a house on some private land. Tommy wishes he'd gotten Wilbur to pay for more stuff. Tommy could have saved some credits relying on Wilbur's future inheritance.

"You're like a puppy," Techno notes philosophically, looking at Tommy from his spot in the passenger's side seat.

"Hey! I am not a puppy! I am a huge, scary dog!" Tommy glares at Techno. His mind trickles back to the hunting dogs one of his foster brother's had. Tommy always thought it was strange that he had hunting dogs when they both lived inside the city, but Tommy was quick to realize that these dogs didn't hound game. They hunted whoever pissed off their owner. Tommy was frequently one of the people those dogs went after. Luckily, Tommy can climb and hunting dogs cannot. That is the only reason Tommy only ended up with some scars on his calves instead of having his neck ripped out by one of their slobbering muzzles.

Tommy shivers to himself as he opens the car door. He slips out of the vehicle, almost hearing the low growling of the dogs in his ears. Tommy reminds himself that it is only the wind blowing, and he blames his subtly shaking on that as well. Without the skyscrapers to create a hotbox, the breeze in these pastures is a little chillier than Tommy thought it could be on the island. It isn't to the level of being cold- especially not like Wraith's frosty winds- but it does give Tommy an easy excuse for why he's shaking.

Tommy shuts the car door. Philza shifts as he moves, letting Tommy see Wilbur bounding down the porch. Tommy follows behind Philza a few paces. Wilbur darts around his father to throw his arms around Tommy's shoulders. He pulls Tommy in closer. Tommy returns the hug, unable to resist the comfort that Wilbur gives out so willingly. Even though Wilbur is just as cool as the air around them, Tommy doesn't feel the need to pull away until Wilbur does. Even when the brunette does that, he keeps one arm around Tommy's shoulders, guiding him towards the house like he knows Tommy is going to run away. "I'm really happy you're here for family dinner!"

"Family and friends dinner," Tommy corrects, not trying to upset any of the people around him that are actually family with each other.

"We're like brothers, remember?" Wilbur says without a hint of embarrassment on his face as he reminds Tommy of the joke he made a while back. Tommy wishes he hadn't made that joke, especially if Wilbur is going to reference it now.

"How the fuck can you say that when Techno is right there?" Tommy asks, pointing towards the pink-haired man that has fallen in line beside the duo. Philza is already inside the house, but he left the door open for the boys. Or really, Wilbur left it open and Philza didn't shut it as he went past.

"Techno is my twin. That's a little different," Wilbur reassures Tommy, lifting a hand up to pass it through Tommy's blonde hair as they step onto the porch. The wood creaks underneath their feet. Tommy can see a swing swaying slightly in the breeze.

"I could never be jealous of you, Tommy," Techno adds as if to be helpful. Wilbur pulls Tommy ahead so that they enter the house before Techno does. The pink-haired man follows them without a shift in expression, unphased by Wilbur's childish actions.

"You should be. I am a Big Man with many wives. I'm so rich and powerful that everyone should want to be me," Tommy declares, putting his hands on his hips as Wilbur releases his hold on Tommy's shoulders. Wilbur leans down to start pulling his shoes off, letting Tommy know they are in an infamous mudroom. These are tiny rooms that rich people who can afford houses have. The entire room is dedicated entirely to shoes and umbrellas. There is a fancy painting hanging on the wall, marked with the initials 'KRC.' Tommy tilts his head at the name, trying to recognize it even though he definitely doesn't know famous artists.

"You aren't rich," Wilbur pipes up, stating an observation he's made from hanging out with Tommy and probably remembering how Tommy lives in the same place he works. Jokes on Wilbur, Tommy only lives at the boutique because he doesn't have paperwork, not because he doesn't have the money to get his own place. Sure, he didn't have the money until after he started making suits for supervillains (and one vigilante counting Pulverize), but that is neither here nor there.

"Techno doesn't know that," Tommy grumbles, leaning closer to Wilbur as if whispering a secret. Tommy masks this action by also taking his shoes off. He drops them down haphazardly next to Wilbur's shoes, beside a woman's pair of shoes.

"I do know that you aren't rich," Techno assures Tommy. As he already has his shoes off, the three of them start heading into the next room after the waiting room. Tommy was scared it would be a reception room, at first, but he thankfully realizes that it is only a large living room. He does get a little more weary when he notices a piano in the corner of the room. He knows how to play a few songs, courtesy of a particularly musical foster family, but he also knows how expensive pianos are when they break. He knows how painful it can be to suffer those consequences. "I know everything Wilbur has told me about you."

"Is it twin-telepathy?" Tommy genuinely asks. He's been wanting to know if the two of them had twin telepathy since the moment Wilbur mentioned he was a twin, long before Tommy knew Techno personally.

"That isn't a real phenomena," Techno shakes his head with a stern, bored expression like this isn't the first time he's been asked this.

"It is a real phenomena," Another voice cuts into the conversation. A door swings open, and a woman using a dishrag to wipe off her hands steps into the living room. She has long black hair with an almost purple sheen to it. Her eyes are actually purple, deep and velvety like the color of royalty. Her smile is extremely kind and warm, though a little mischievous as her eyes twinkle. She walks over to the trio, leaning close to Tommy conspiratorially. "The two of them have always had the uncanny ability to simply know each other's feelings, if not the other's thoughts themselves."

"Tommy, this is my wife, Kristin," Philza introduces the woman. Philza looks at Kristin with such a fond expression. When Philza looks at Tommy, the expression doesn't change so much as shift slightly. It's like Philza is looking at Tommy with a different kind of fondness, but Tommy pushes that thought away. What would he know about any of this? Barely anyone looked at him kindly as a child, so Tommy knows he doesn't have the best metric for these kinds of things.

"It is lovely to meet you," Tommy says, bringing out the fancy words like 'lovely' for this encounter. He reaches his hand forward. Kristin takes it, shaking his hand. He notices immediately that her skin is extremely warm. It isn't burning him, but he has a feeling that it could if it were turned up a few more degrees. Tommy tries not to let this realization show on his face. Either Kristin is sick or she's the reason at least one of her kids is a hybrid. Either way, Tommy isn't going to say anything untoward.

"It's good to finally meet you, Tommy. I've met all of Wilbur's friends, yet he squirrels away one of the most important," Kristin tells him, pulling her hand away. She glances at her son, tenderness and playfulness in her eyes. She looks back at Tommy with a large grin on her face.

Tommy blushes at the title given to him, one of the most important friends, but Techno's voice cuts through his pleasant buzz. "Don't get a big ego."

"It's a little late for that," Wilbur immediately tacks on, gesturing his hand towards the mudroom where Tommy called himself a rich and powerful Big Man with many wives that everyone should be envious of.

"Would you two cut it out? I'm trying to make a good impression on your parents here," Tommy hisses, looking between both of them quickly to make sure they both understand.

"You tried to square up against Philza and called him an old man," Techno reminds Tommy. The blonde audibly groans, not wanting to be reminded. He had been aiming to make a good impression on Philza and Kristin. He wanted Wilbur's parents to like him since he was getting so close to Wilbur. He should have known that a random person wouldn't be waiting for Techno and Tommy at a gym in the middle of a street that comes to life only twice a day- once in the morning when people depart for work and once in the afternoon when people come home from work.

"Don't worry, Tommy, I already have a favorable opinion of you," Kristin says, a polite laughter easing out of her lips as she realizes what must have happened when Tommy first met Philza based on the story. Tommy pouts, pretending that he isn't pouting because he doesn't think Big Men do that. Kristin claps, saving him from his misery as she declares, "Dinner is ready!"

Kristin turns around, heading back into the kitchen. Philza goes right after her. Wilbur and Techno share a look (twin-telepathy, Tommy suspects). When they both look away, Techno goes into the kitchen and Wilbur grabs Tommy's hand. Wilbur pulls Tommy along behind him. The two of them head through a different door, adjacent to the kitchen door. When they get inside, Tommy realizes that they are in a dining room. The walls are a buttery yellow color with golden designs depicting birds flying away from open cages. There is a painting on each wall, sometimes two standing vigil on either side of a door or window. Each one is marked with the same three initials as the painting in the mudroom. Tommy doesn't know what her middle name is, but Wilbur's mother's name is Kristin Craft. Maybe these are her paintings. Tommy thinks that is pretty neat, especially since the paintings are so beautiful.

"Sit, sit," Wilbur commands, pulling out a chair for Tommy. He puts his hands on Tommy's shoulder, maneuvering him to sit in the chair. Tommy pulls the chair up, staring at the empty table. He frowns slightly, looking over his shoulder and the back of the chair to look into Wilbur's shining smile. Tommy's fears are proven true when Techno and Philza enter the room through the door that connects the kitchen to the dining room with plates, cups, and silverware in their hands. Tommy tries standing up, but Wilbur's hands on his shoulders push him down again. "Stay here. You're our guest, after all."

Wilbur steps away, going into the kitchen. Tommy feels embarrassed as he watches Philza and Techno. He tries standing up again without Wilbur there, but Techno's cool stare forces Tommy back into the chair. He sets his hands in his lap, letting these people do what they want. It's for the best, anyway. Tommy doesn't know how to set a table properly. He would put something in the wrong spot and ruin dinner.

Wilbur and Kristin step into the room. Wilbur is holding a pot with oven mitts on. Kristin is holding a pan with her bare hand, leaving Tommy to confirm that she's the reason her sons are potentially hybrids. Tommy is a little curious what kind of hybrid she could be, but he decides against asking. Wilbur still hasn't talked to Tommy about what kind of hybrid he is, and they've known each other for a couple of weeks now. With due time, Tommy might find out, either being told or puzzling it out himself, but even if that doesn't happen, Tommy is perfectly alright.

Wilbur sets the pot right next to a vase of purple and black feathers that sits in the middle of the table. Kristin places the pan on the other side. Tommy can clearly see the sliced garlic bread on the pan, but he has to sit up a little straighter to peer into the pot. Tommy frowns, squinting his eyes. It is some noodle-based dish with a cheesy white paste. The noodles are long and thin like spaghetti noodles but a little wider. He sees a few torn chunks of chicken paired with the pop of color from something green and red cut up and put into the pot. Tommy thinks he's had this dish before, but it's been so long that he doesn't remember the name of it.

"Let's eat!" Kristin cheers, interrupting Tommy's trip down memory lane. Kristin starts scooping the pasta dish onto her plate. She takes a piece of garlic bread with her as she sits down at one head of the table. Philza goes next, sitting on the other end. Techno sits across from Tommy. Wilbur picks up Tommy's plate without the blonde's permission. He scoops the pasta onto it, setting a piece of garlic bread on the side. He smiles at Tommy, setting the plate down in front of him. Tommy stares at it as if it were poisoned. Why would someone be so willing to give him food if it wasn't some sort of trick? Tommy has never in his life been allowed food by other people so easily unless he bought it with his own money and ate it by himself.

Wilbur plops down in the chair next to Tommy, scooting closer to knock elbows with him. Wilbur continues to smile at him. Tommy suddenly feels terrible about doubting Wilbur. There is no way that Wilbur- sweet, innocent, loving Wilbur- could ever do something as heinous as poison someone. Even if he is capable of that, the affection in his eyes for Tommy is real. He must actually like Tommy, and people don't poison the people they like. If Wilbur did poison it and secretly hates Tommy... Tommy would eat the pasta, anyway. He would wear a smile even because at least he got to experience a little bit of kindness before he died, even if it was fake.

Tommy uses a fork to scoop up the pasta. He watches the others from the corner of his eyes, realizing after a few seconds that they are twirling the noodles around their fork. Tommy thinks that is a brilliant idea, so he decides to stop acting like a poor fool in front of these rich people who eat their dinners underneath a fancy chandelier. Tommy takes a bite of the pasta, and he thinks that his taste buds suddenly come back to life. He didn't know that food could be this good. Tommy continues eating more forkfuls of the paste, even eating a little bit of the garlic bread and realizing that bread is also better than he thought it was originally. He hears someone chuckle, and he looks up to see Kristin smiling kindly at him, watching for his reaction. Tommy swallows quickly, coughing a little as he smiles back at Kristin. "The food is really good."

"His opinion doesn't mean much. He eats truck food for nearly every meal. That, or barely flavored noodles," Wilbur informs the table, absolutely demolishing Tommy's choice in lunch and dinner.

"Hey! Food trucks make incredible food for being a fucking restaurant on wheels. And they don't make that many credits, so you have to cut some slack," Tommy defends the food trucks. He no longer feels confident in defending noodles, not when he's currently shoveling the best pasta he's had in his life into his mouth between his words.

"I suppose this means someone is going home with leftovers," Kristin claps, gathering Tommy's attention. He looks over at her, then at the pot. He does think they won't be able to eat all of that tonight, but it astounds him that these people have leftovers. Tommy looks back at Kristin, and she asks him, "When do you have your self-defense classes? I'll make you some snacks."

"There's no need for that-"

"I'll tell you if you'll make me snacks, too," Techno cuts in, staring at his mother like a shrewd businessman. She laughs at him, shaking with incredulity. She nods at him, leaning closer. Techno leans toward her. He whispers into her ear, and she nods slowly. When she pulls back, she has a victorious smile on her face. Techno shrugs at Tommy. "She makes good snacks. Plus, eating better will be good for training. Didn't you say you wanted to beat me before I die?"

"Are you staying for movie night, Tommy?" Philza cleverly intervenes before Tommy can start complaining about Techno.

"Ah, I don't-" Tommy starts, cutting himself off when he notices Wilbur's smile and anticipating eyes in the corner of his eye. Even without looking directly at Wilbur, Tommy loses the fight immediately. "I'll stay. What movie are we watching?"

"We haven't picked yet. These two always argue," Philza laughs, gesturing between Techno and Wilbur. The twins have already started glaring at each other, using more of that twin-telepathy to argue about what movie they're going to watch in their heads. Philza rolls his eyes at them.

Kristin chuckles under her breath, standing up to grab the plates. Tommy rushes to collect the dishes alongside her. He sees Wilbur and Techno look at him when he gets their dishes, but he shakes his head at them. He follows Kristin into the kitchen with several dishes in his arms. Kristin leads him directly to the sink. They put all the dishes into one side of the sink. Kristin turns the water on, reaching for a sponge and the dish soap. Tommy looks around the kitchen. He finds a dry hand towel on the island. Tommy grabs it, sliding beside Kristin. She smiles gratefully at him as Tommy starts drying the dishes. He can hear Wilbur and Techno arguing in the living room as he starts stacking the dry dishes on the counter, waiting to put them up when Kristin tells him where they go.

"You know, I really am happy to finally meet you. Wilbur and his friends have talked about you. Techno has mentioned you once or twice," Kristin explains, eyes focused on the dishes in her hands and voice only barely louder than the running water. Despite the steam starting to rise out of the sink, Kristin doesn't flinch as she puts her hands through it.

Both of those facts are equally embarrassing to Tommy. He looks at Kristin, pleading with her, "Please tell me what they said."

Kristin giggles, her entire head turning to the side away from him. She looks at him from the corner of her eyes with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. "It's a secret, but I assure you that it was all good things."

"I have trouble believing that," Tommy replies sullenly. No one ever has anything good to say about him behind his back. They only talk about how he's a little too chaotic for their tastes, a little too profane for their sensibilities, a little too excitable for their preferred atmosphere. Tommy always gets into fights with the other kids, they would say, and his trauma is a little too much for them to handle. Tommy's social worker would listen to their complaints with a nod and a hum, but they weren't listening. They always stopped listening when the complaints began with 'we're sure he's a good kid...' or some other bullshit like that. Unlike his social worker, Tommy would listen. He would try to reign himself in for the next house, the next family, the next whatever, but it never stuck. Tommy was who he was, and he couldn't change no matter how many times he tried. It became a lot worse when his powers developed, but at least that was on purpose, at least those broken expectations were necessary.

"Hey," Kristin murmurs softly. Tommy looks up from the plate he had been staring into without actually drying it. Tommy immediately rushes to get back to work, but he feels warmth against his skin. His head is tilted to the side. Kristin looks up at him with something genuinely tender in her eyes. Her smile is small but no less overwhelming with how comforting it is. "I promise it was all good things."

"We've got a movie!" Wilbur yelled from the living room. Tommy's eyes flicked over to the door, but Kristin didn't move. She remained standing there, hand on his cheek and smile on her lips. Tommy looks back at her. He realizes all at once how much of a person must come from their parents, or at least, their primary caretakers. No, not even that. The people who love them and that they love in return, because Wilbur is one of the kindest and most affectionate people Tommy has ever met and he's seeing all of that in Kristin under a different lens. Kristin must have been the one to impart that caring nature into Wilbur, and Tommy suddenly has the urge to cry. Not only is it plainly overwhelming, but it also makes him hurt. He hasn't cared about having a family since he was a little kid, but those feelings didn't just disappear. They hid in his heart, waiting for moments like these, moments with every damn member of this family, to reappear and make Tommy want with everything inside of him, want what he can't have and will never have.

"Okay," Tommy murmurs, agreeing if only to bring this moment to an end. He really will start crying if this continues. Kristin accepts his answers with a nod. She pulls at his hand- another mirror of Wilbur- and leads him into the living room, the dishes on the counter completely forgotten. Tommy would have mentioned them if he didn't feel like he would sob if he opened his mouth.

The lights are off in the living room, but the entire place is illuminated by the television's bright glow. Kristin releases Tommy's hand, going to sit with Philza in a chair. Techno and Wilbur are on opposite sides of the couch, the piece of furniture big enough to give them both ample room with their own pillows and blankets. Tommy is about to sit on the couch in front of the couch when he feels a hand around his waist. Tommy makes a soft noise as he's pulled close to Wilbur. The brunette wraps both arms around Tommy, using the blonde as a stuffed animal. Tommy is torn between gratefulness and embarrassment, but he doesn't say a word. He sinks into the coolness of Wilbur's naturally low body temperature. He gets comfortable, pretending for a moment that this is normal for him. He sinks into the solace, unknowingly given to Tommy's sorrowful heart.

Tommy doesn't even realize when he's fallen asleep to the soft thrumming of Wilbur's heartbeat.