Run ~ SBI

5 ~ Rule Of Thumb

"Nothing," Phil sighs. "You're old enough to look after yourselves, but a text would have been nice. It's one in the morning!"

"Last time I checked," Wilbur slurs, clearly deeper in drink than his twin. "It is two ."

"Okay, Wil," Phil says defeatedly, deciding that enabling his son was far easier than fighting him. "Just... go to bed, okay? Drink some water."

"Phiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiil," Wilbur whines, taking a step forward and almost tipping off Techno's shoulder. "I'm nearly twenty, don't tell me what to do. "

"I'll stop telling you what to do if you can walk in a straight line to the fridge," Phil deadpans, crossing his arms over his chest. Drunkbur takes this as challenge, lets go of Techno, takes two steps and falls flat on his face.

"That's what I thought," Phil says, fond amusement clouding the worry in his head. "Come on, let's go up to bed, huh?"

"Heyy, that's what we tell Tommy!" Wilbur points out, giggling to himself at the similarity. Angry warning flashes in Phil's eyes, and even though he's knee deep in alcohol, Wilbur looks sober for a second.

"Uh-huh," Phil placates to keep up appearances, hauling his son to his feet. Together, he and Techno manage to force Wilbur up the stairs and into bed, all the while blabbering indistinctly about sand.

The second his head hits the pillow, the sound stops. Techno, still in his own head somewhat, takes himself to his own room and finally, Phil can breathe again.

He knows his twins are adults and he can't protect them forever (that's what he has Tommy for) but they're still his children. It's instinct.

*****

The weird drug circulating his system seems to have dissipated when Tommy opens his eyes again. The fact that he can't finish a day without something unusual or scary happening is becoming a trend, one he doesn't like. It seems like a new lie starts every time he goes to sleep and every time he wakes up, there's a new mystery he's forced to solve.

Sunlight streams through open curtains, which were absolutely closed in the night when he first woke. Someone had been in here since then, and Tommy can guarantee it was Phil.

He hadn't noticed at first, but the way his father acts... it's not new, is it? For years, he's been in and out of sleep, supposed fits, and too many unfounded accusations. For years, he's been alone, with no one but Phil by his side.

Tommy can remember the day that his brothers stopped paying attention to him, and oh, how terribly it had stung. How can two people lose love for him so quickly? But he also remembered Phil whispering in his ears, telling him he didn't need them, that he would always be there.

Fuck, how long had it been since someone who isn't directly related to them stepped foot in their house? How long since someone else genuinely showed an interest in Tommy?

And now that he's bringing it to light, it feels like a huge punch to the gut. Hasn't he been through enough?

Every time he thinks about his childhood, holes, splotches and all, he feels a little part of himself break off and float into the abysmal plain of memory. Be it a shard of his heart or a sliver of his soul, cut from his body, something fell to the ground if he thought too hard. It feels like a nightmare; nothing makes sense, there's no escape, and he's terrified.

He just wants some solid ground to stand on. He just wants to stand! His life would be so much less effortful if he did. He wouldn't be constantly sore or tired. He could walk around like normal people. Normal people don't take frequent naps.