I'm a Healer, But...

19

Phil's in a lovely mood as he flies into town. It's one of Techno and Tommy's days out- a sweet tradition they started a few weeks back, Techno taking him out for a few hours to get a meal or go shopping. He's hoping to catch them before they return home- he has some great news, and maybe an excuse to extend their day out and join them. Foolish has finally finished the expansion, which means Tommy gets to pick out furniture and clothes to fill the closets and anything else he could possibly want.Tommy's been in a much better mood since he started going on trips with Techno- he's talking to Wilbur again, even if he's still a bit awkward about it, and he's eating meals with them again, even if he eats like a bird. Phil still can't get him to come back to the nest- Tommy gets huffy whenever he gently suggests it, he's been sleeping on the couch again- but they're making progress.He'd like to really cement a bond with Tommy, though. His fondness for Techno is fine- more than fine, it's wonderful, and Techno's clearly growing more fond of him despite his denials- but Phil is going to be his father. He can't just piggyback off Techno's successes.So he makes his way to Techno's favorite bookshop, one of Karl Jacob's many businesses that Ace funds for him. He mentioned this morning that their plan was to go there- Techno could spend hours lost in the stacks, so the only reason they wouldn't be there is if Tommy insisted they leave early."No, Techno hasn't been in at all," Karl tells him. "Also, uh, I'm not banning you guys, but I kind of don't want to see any of you for, like, a few months. If he wants books or something just send a message to Ace and I'll have it delivered, but-"Phil doesn't hear him out, already heading outside. Techno left a few hours ago, there's no reason they wouldn't be there by now. He whips out his phone, checking Techno's location-Why is he in their Badlands base, miles from Kinoko?He doesn't hesitate to take to the skies again, despite how it might draw a lot of attention. He'll be more sneaky when he gets to the Badlands, but if something happened that made them run and hide, he needs to get there immediately. He texts Techno on the way, but no response, which just makes him all the more concerned.Phil lets himself into the base immediately, and can almost instantly hear Tommy. He's very loud, just like he was when he first came to them. "-just one more time!""I already did last time, you fixed it just fine then," Techno says, sounding exasperated."Yeah, but I wanna try something different, come on."There's another, quieter noise in the background, something almost familiar but not enough for Phil to recognize it as he walks down the hall towards their voices. At least, not until the whimpering gets louder. "Fine," Techno says. "But I don't know why you're so obsessed with this."Phil throws open the door just in time to watch Techno's axe come down, a tied up man screaming as it carves through his leg, severing flesh and bone. Tommy sits on the edge of a nearby table, his expression going from neutral to alarmed when he notices Phil. "....oh, fuck-""Techno?!""...uh," Techno turns back, having the gall to look sheepish and hold the axe behind him as if Phil didn't just walk in on him torturing someone in front of Tommy. "Heyyy, Phil." He glances at the screaming man on the ground and shuffles slightly to the side, barely trying to hide him."What are you doing?" Phil sweeps across the room, stepping over the man without a glance to make his way to Tommy. Tommy tries to get off the table and keep space between him, but Phil isn't allowing that, not this time. He sweeps Tommy into his arms, glaring at Techno. "This is not the type of bonding you told me about!""Well..." Techno drags out. "I mean, we were gonna hit up a bookstore later... I promised I'd buy him some-""Don't tell him!" Tommy hisses, trying to pull himself out of Phil's arms. Phil just tightens his grip- his fledgling doesn't get to run off when he's been dragged into torture. Tommy bristles like a cat, but gives up easily- probably something he's used to now that Techno has started picking him up and moving him around when he's being difficult."You planned this?" Phil asks incredulously. He expected something like Techno taking advantage of a good opportunity, or maybe it was a request from Ace- but it was planned that he would take Tommy to torture someone?Tommy wriggles around more. "Phiiil, let go, I'll explain-"Phil refuses, wrapping his wings around him. "You're telling me you decided to bring Tommy along to just watch you kill someone? He's delicate, you saw how he was when Dream died-""He's not delicate," Techno defends himself. "And I didn't choose this, alright, he followed me a few weeks back and proved he could handle it, so-""You've been doing this for weeks?!" he screeches. "All those days you took my fledgling out, you were bringing him to this? "Techno glares back at him, a rare occurrence. "He's not just yours , Phil. He's the Syndicate's healer. I can take him out if he wants to go out. He's-""He's just a fledgling, Techno, he's a healer, he shouldn't be here- ""It's good for him!" he interrupts him. Phil is about to get louder, maybe even ground Techno before taking Tommy out of here, but Techno steamrolls over him. "Damn it, Phil, were you even payin' attention to him before? Theseus has been neglectin' himself since before he even got to us because he's used to overusin' his powers. He didn't eat, Phil, he didn't sleep sometimes, because he needed to get rid of the actual fuckin' pain he got when he didn't use them enough. Lettin' him heal bigger injuries like this is good ."Phil freezes, still holding Tommy tightly. His fledgling was hurting himself? He's been so abused and traumatized that the itch is a pain for him? And Phil didn't even notice? He's... he's been a bad father to him?"Oh, sh- Phil, no-" Techno sighs. "It's okay, I've been handlin' it, that's how he managed to keep it from you- you're fine, you're a good caretaker and provider, just lemme-" He reaches out, gently pushing at Phil's wings, and he lets them relax, lets Techno pull Tommy out of his arms. Tommy stumbles a little, grabbing onto Techno's arm for a second to steady himself before letting go. "You- do whatever you were planning with the guy. I need to-" Tommy steps over to the man on the ground, while Techno pulls Phil over to a chair and sits him down."I... should have known," he murmurs. And he should have. Phil just left Tommy to sit out of meals even though he wanted him there, thinking that he needed space or to make his own choices, and the whole time his fledgling was starving himself. Is that why he's always covered in sunflowers, even when he doesn't seem injured? Is that why, when he pulls off his gloves, flowers fall out in droves- he's always healing himself? His fledgling is always hurt?"Phil, it's okay. I promise, I was keepin' an eye on him. And he's better now, you've seen it. He's joinin' us for meals, eatin' more everyday. He's gettin' better, I promise." There's a gurgle and a thud from where the victim is on the floor, but the two of them pay it no mind. "Your fledgling is gonna be just fine.""But he's... he shouldn't be here," Phil protests weakly. "He shouldn't see blood and gore, he's a healer-""Yeah, I said that too, and then he Withered a hero without hesitatin' just to prove me wrong. He's a tough kid. Hell, he's enjoyin' it, last week he had me cut off a guy's fingers just to see if he could grow them back. He's powerful, he picks up on things fast, he's-" Techno cuts himself off.Phil pauses for a moment too. The room is quiet, other than pained breathing. "He fits in with us well, doesn't he?" he asks delicately."He's a good employee," Techno says quickly, too quickly, before stepping back from Phil. "Look, is- are you doin' okay now?"He still hates himself for not paying enough attention to his fledgling, but it'll be okay. He'll make up for it, a hundred times over. "I don't like that you hid it all from me," he tells Techno instead of answering directly. "And we'll be having a longer talk about what sort of things you keep from me later, when we're at home." Techno winces. "But for now, why don't you finish up here? I went looking for you because I had something for us to do.""Yeah, sure, I-" Techno turns to look at Tommy. "....Theseus. What are you doin'?""Hang on," Tommy says, a little breathless. "I think I've- I've fucking got it-"Phil stands, glancing past Techno to get a good look. Tommy is kneeled over the man, who's gone unconscious- either from the pain or from pure fear, because Tommy is healing the man's leg.Not scabbing over the stump. Not reattaching the leg laying on the floor nearby. New flesh and bone marrow grows from the stump, building a new calf. Phil watches with wide eyes as Tommy's eyes glow bright enough to blind as he shapes the ankle, moving it to make sure it works even as the foot builds itself. When it's done, all the toes in place and moving, Tommy drops the leg and cackles. "I fucking knew I could!" He scrambles to his feet, which is a poor decision, as he almost immediately wavers. Phil swoops forward, grabbing him and keeping him upright when his knees buckle. "Oh- haha, shit, I think that's- that's probably, uh, worst- worst I've ever healed!" Tommy laughs again, leaning into Phil's side for support."Did. Did you just." Techno is at a loss for words."I fucking got it. " Tommy lets himself be pulled away, Phil taking him to sit down. "Wait- wait, Phil, he's gotta- you gotta wake him up. He has to be able to, uh, move it and stuff. I gotta know I did all the nerves right.""That can wait," he fusses. "Tommy, you're shaking. " He wants to take him home right now, bundle him in the nest, his fledgling is cold- no, he's not cold, it's worse than that, but his instincts are screaming that he is, that he needs to be warmed up."From excitement, big man, I can fucking grow back whole limbs, are you kidding me? This is- I knew I could do it, holy shit- ""You're shakin' from overusin' your powers," Techno corrects him, sounding worried. "I think we've found the limit of what you can do.""Yeah, for now. Just wait, I'm gonna-""No," Techno cuts him off. "Theseus- overusin' your powers is how that pain gets worse. I thought we were tryin' to scale it back, so you could go longer without usin' it."That takes the wind out of Tommy's sails, and he sinks a little in his chair. "Well, yeah, but- it's cool, right?"Techno sighs. "Yeah, Theseus, it's really cool. Just- take care of yourself before worryin' about stuff like gettin' stronger. You're already more powerful than any healer we've had before, you don't have to run around pushin' yourself. Okay?"Tommy huffs, disappointed. "...okay.""Good." He reaches out, ruffling Tommy's hair. "Phil, you said you had somethin' for us to do?""Oh, right," he says, a little distantly, because his healer just grew an entire human leg with nothing but his powers- no sacrifice, no equivalent exchange, just powers . "The... the house is finished.""You mean the expansion, " Techno says, just to be difficult."Yes, the expansion. I wanted to take Tommy out shopping for furniture and decorations for his room.""Oh, fuck yeah," Tommy says tiredly. "I want it to be ugly as fuck. I'm talking whatever hideous shit we can find at Goodwill. I want a ton of fucking, mismatched furniture, and at least three items that never should have existed. And, uh... a big bed," he yawns. "Like, as big as... as big as your nest...""Big enough to fit the whole family?" Phil questions, ignoring how Techno looks at him when he asks."Mhm," he hums, closing his eyes. "Huge.""...maybe furniture shopping can wait a day," Phil murmurs, watching Tommy fall asleep. "Techno, finish up here, will you? I'll take him out to the car.""Might take a bit. I'm gonna have to wake him up, make sure the foot works like Theseus wanted.""That's fine," he murmurs, gently picking up Tommy. "Try not to take too long. I want to get him back to the nest.""...Phil," Techno sighs. "He's not family.""You heard him," Phil says defensively. "He wants a bed big enough for the family-"" The family. Not his family. And he just meant he wanted it to be big. That doesn't mean he actually wants to fit everyone in it." Techno lifts his axe again, not looking at Phil. "He works for us, but he's not ours. ""He will be," Phil says with a sense of certainty. "My newest son. Your little brother."He hears how Techno's breath catches. " Phil. You can't-""I can. And I will." He carries Tommy through the door, glancing back at Techno. "Try to get through your denial, okay, mate? It'll be a lot easier for all of us when you accept you like him as much as we do. If not more."He leaves Techno standing there, with a torn expression on his face.