Just us- SBI adoption story (Just me and him book 2)

Chapter 48: care

TW- swearing, mentions of death

Techno's POV:

Mum was busy at home, packing for her trip to America. Or so Dad had told us. I was old enough to remember and realise some stuff my brothers might not have. Mum only ever packs the day before she goes away to America. And Mum and Dad's argument last week was about taking breaks. This was her break, and that was fine. No need to lie to us though.

Dad was so stressed at the moment. He was just all fidgety and flustered. I knew it was about Mum going away. He hadn't been left alone with all of us for a longer period of time yet. He normally got stressed when Mum went away and it was just me and Wilbur. Tommy and Tubbo bring two whole new sets of needs. I mean, Tubbo had his hospital appointment yesterday and when they got back Dad looked half dead. But I hoped he knew I would help and so would Wilbur. And James was supposed to be helping us anyway.

I held Tommy's hand tightly, assuming older brother duties because we were out in public. We were shopping for her birthday presents. We were celebrating her birthday on Thursday by staying at home and doing nothing. Mum's choice. She was going out with some friends that evening and so James was coming for a 'sleepover' so that Dad wasn't alone with us all on an already stressful day. Tubbo was going to cook us a really nice meal (it was his birthday present to her) and then on Saturday we were going out for dinner to both celebrate her dinner and as her going away dinner before she leaves on Sunday at like midday.

Anyway, it was Tuesday and all of that felt ages away. Tubbo was up ahead with Dad and Wilbur, on his crutches and leaping about all over the place. He'd be really quiet after his hospital appointment yesterday but as of this morning, had fallen straight back into being his usual Tubbo self. It was nice.

Birthday present shopping normally went something like this for Mum and Dad. For us kids, we both got surprise presents and ones we'd chosen. It was the same for christmas. We struggled with surprises (or a lot of us did) so it was nice to have some presents you were looking forward to and already knew about, to keep it calm. So far we'd picked out her favourite perfume and a nice blouse type thing. Mum had given Dad a list of things she's found online that he had already ordered so this shopping trip was mostly for us kids to get her something each.

We went into a small craft shop (the kind that sold ready-made crafts not like a hobbycraft) and I held onto Tommy's hand even tighter. Both of us were likely to somehow break something in here. Dad watched me tense and how it made Tommy tense. "It's alright mate. Why don't Tommy and I go and look at some stuff together?" He took Tommy's hand so seamlessly and my little brother seemed so unphased by it that I almost felt useless for a second. Luckily, Wilbur came over and broke the tension, "Techno, they have t-tty statues here." He said it in one of those loud whispers that you immediately know means that whatever this person is about to say should never be spoken.

Tubbo was giggly about it, silently though and I felt like asking him to give Wilbur a lesson. I reluctantly followed them over to the small section of resin-crafts. And he was right, there were some smalls resin models that show female anatomy in... surprisingly high-definition. I'm trying my best here okay!

"Wilbur, do be such a child. Someone has put time and effort into that art and some people like it."

"Want one for christmas?!" He said barely containing how funny he thought he was. I looked at him, doing my best 'cut it out' look that I was trying to copy from Mum and Dad. "Sorry," he said, realising if he carried on, he would have gone too far and regretted it. He was learning: but so was everyone else. Everyone is always learning.

"Found anything?" Dad asked, coming over with Tommy who was stimming loudly.

"Nope," I said quickly. Tommy looked at what we had been looking at and I watched Dad cringe as Tommy's eyes ran over the models. But that was it, his eyes scanned over them and then lunged towards a bookmark. Flowers and glitter were floating in the resin and it had a tassle on one end. He picked it up carefully with some help from Tubbo