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Realistically, Techno knows that Phil and Kristin have a soft spot for kids. He's seen it happen every time they are in the same room as Tommy. So, it shouldn't have been a surprise when they announced that they wanted to adopt.
They have helped him out so much, even if they didn't have to, it makes sense that they want to continue to help out others.
One slight problem is that there are no more free rooms in the house. Techno and Tommy's room was the single quest room that they had. So, if they want to make space for someone new, Techno will need to give that room back.
---
The day starts the same as it always does, but Techno feels that something will happen today. He gets ready for the day, along with Tommy, who is still half-asleep through it all. After dressing himself and his son, he's almost ready to go out the door, but Kristin stops him.
"Your classes end at 4 pm today, right?"
"Yeah," Techno answers. Today he's supposed to have a lecture in the morning, after that would be a window, followed by two classes. It would take him a little over half an hour to get back to Phil and Kristin's house, but he was planning to stay behind to go over his notes with his friends.
"Can you come home right after? Phil will be home early, and there is something we wanted to discuss with you."
Well, there go his plans.
"Alright, I'll be back then," Techno agrees. It's better that they tell that they want him out of the house as soon as possible, rather than him trying to dodge that conversation.
Kristin smiles at him (at least he can do what's told) and lets him leave for uni. On the subway Techno looks at the apartments in his old district.
---
"Hey! Earth to Techno!" A small eraser gets flung into his forehead, hitting it square in the middle. That effectively brings Techno out of his thoughts.
"What was that for?" he asks, rubbing the hit spot and glaring at the person, who was targeting him with a stationery attack. Puffy.
"The lecture has ended, you were spacing out the whole time," Jack answers for her, sounding softer than he usually does. Techno looks around and sees that their group is the only people left in the room. Even the professor has left already.
"Is something bothering you?" Niki reaches out and puts her hand atop Techno's. It grounds him in reality a bit more.
"If something is on your mind, you can always tell us," Puffy adds. And even if she has another eraser in her hand already, she looks concerned as well.
Techno can't stop the guilt rising up at the thought that he's making them worry about something so stupid. Suddenly, Niki's hand feels like it's trapping him and Puffy and Jack's gazes are ones of disgust. It wouldn't be the first time someone looked at him like that.
"It's nothing, just figuring some things out at home. You don't have to worry about it," Techno waves off, pulling his hand away from Niki. The look of hurt briefly flashes across her face, but she tries to mask it. Unfortunately, Techno has caught it, and now it feels like something is pressing down at his lungs, making it harder to take a full breath in.
"Let's go to the library and compare our notes there. I'll need to leave right after the class ends, so I won't be able to join you today," he says as a means to stir the topic in a different direction. Luckily for Techno, his friends are kind and understanding people, who accept his clumsy attempt at hiding his problems.
He just hopes they won't ask any more questions, he isn't sure how long he'll be able to lie.
---
One library session and two classes later, Techno walks on his usual path to the subway station. If Kristin didn't say that they needed to talk, today would have been just another regular day.
Techno stops in his tracks in front of a random convenience store. If he's being kicked out, then it means that Tommy will be going with him. Unless Phil and Kristin decide that he's not a good enough parent and call CPS to take away his kid. But they're good people, so they wouldn't do this. ...right?
Techno walks through the automatic doors of the store. He needs to finds a toy for his son. No matter what Kristin and Phil decide, he knows that Tommy's normal will be changed either way, so he'll need something good to ground him. Techno scans the shelfs, before he finds the one filled with kid products. He grabs the softest toy he sees, a small-ish white chicken plush.
At the cash register, he incidentally makes eye contact with the cashier, who looks even more exhausted than Techno, before looking away. After paying for his stuff, Techno leaves the store with a chicken plush sticking out of his hoodie pocket. It must look a bit ridiculous from the side, but if Tommy will like the gift, then it'll be worth looking silly.
Techno continues walking to the station.
---
Techno comes into a suspiciously quiet house. If he strains his ears, he can hear muffled clicking somewhere farther inside, but not much else. Leaving his sneakers on the rack, the man goes into the living room.
The sight he comes across would be enough to turn him into the puddle right there on the living room floor. Tommy is sleeping on the couch, curled up under a blanket in an almost perfectly circular shape. The only things peeking out from under the blanket are blond curls, one small socked foot and a cow plush, being clutched by an equally small hand. Techno sets his backpack as quietly as he can, not wanting to disturb the napping kid. But as always, the luck is not on his side, since his son begins stirring and moving around.
The blanket falls away as Tommy sits up, yawning widely and slowly rubbing at his eyes. When he pulls his hands away from his face, he blinks with unfocused eyes a few times, before he seems to realize who is in the room with him. Immediately Tommy begins reaching out his hands towards his dad, and Techno obliges the unspoken request. He collects the kid into his arms and sits down on the couch with him safely curled up in his lap.
Tommy tries to wrap his arms around Techno's torso, but their length only allows him to grab onto the sides of his dad's clothes. The toddler ends up squishing his face in the older's hoodie, seemingly ready to go back to sleep. Techno tries gently shaking him, quietly chuckling to himself.
"I think it's time for you to be awake," he murmurs to the kid, who seems all the more disgruntled at being moved. Tommy buries himself further into the fabric, trying to fuse with it, so he doesn't have to face the world. But Techno knows his kid and knows how to bribe him.
"Look," Techno says, taking out the plush that was still in his pocket. Extending it towards Tommy, the boy takes a few seconds to detach himself from his dad, before he spots the toy and begins making grabby hands. When he gets his hands on the plush, he immediately begins inspecting it, running his fingers through the soft material and tilting it each way.
"Do you like it?" Techno nervously asks after the chicken has been in his son's possession for a minute already. Tommy looks between the plush and his dad, before smiling up at the man, holding the toy close to his chest.
"I love it, thanks," the boy says softly, falling against Techno's chest and further curling up in the man's lap. Techno feels like his heart is about to burst, so he just hugs his son tighter, burying his face in the golden curls. Tommy giggles in response, and isn't that a beautiful sound.
It seems like the noise of all the commotion has reached Kristin, as she appears in the doorway to the living room. As she leans on it, she observes the scene before her with a smile, until Techno raises his head and the two of them make eye contact.
"Welcome home, Tech," Kristin greets with a warm smile directed towards the man, and isn't this just cruel. Techno knows that they're about to kick him out, so why does she need to pretend to be nice to him? This can't be his home.
"Theseus, can you go to our room, please?" Techno asks, as he puts the boy on his feet. Tommy turns to him with a confused expression, still clutching the chicken plush, before he glances between his dad and Kristin. Techno can only muster up a small smile, as he gently nudges his son closer to the bedroom. After a few moments of hesitation, the toddler does go past the woman and presumably into their shared room.
When Tommy goes out of his sight, Techno's smile drops. He gets up from the couch, while not looking at the other person in the room with him. Despite that, he can still feel Kristin's gaze boring into the side of his head.
"Techno, is everything okay?"
Techno lifts his gaze, and there it is. That concerned expression. He would have said that Kristin is a good actor, but he knows that she's a very genuine person. Maybe that's why it hurts so much.
"Yeah, it's fine," Techno brushes off in a practiced manner. "You wanted to discuss something, right? Is Phil here?"
Kristin still looks at him with an analyzing gaze, eyes scanning every part of his expression. Still, she lets him get away with this lie. "Yeah, he's in the kitchen."
The two of them leave the living room, going over to join Phil at the dining table. The blond seems unusually nervous, especially with how tightly he's holding his hands together.
"So, Techno, how has your day been?" Phil asks, trying for his usual smile. Techno just looks at him confused. Why would the two of them be so anxious about it?
Techno doesn't want to remember those times, but he's still able to recall when his foster parents would tell him that it's just not working out. That he'll need to go back to the group home or to his next placement, if anyone would be willing to put up with him. It's not always that he knew that he's being sent back, until the car of his social worker stopped in front of the house.
But he's not a foster kid anymore, and Phil and Kristin are at least kind enough to inform him that he'll need to give the room back.
"Fine," he answers and watches as for some reason Phil gets a bit more tense. Techno thought that the man is just nervous about kicking him out, since he promised to help out however he can. Maybe Techno misjudged the whole situation. Is Phil actually angry at him for taking his support for granted? But Techno didn't mean to do anything like that.
"You're probably wondering why we asked you to have a talk," Kristin cuts through his thoughts, bringing Techno's attention to her. She looks way more relaxed than her husband, but there is still something off in her gentle smile. Is it nervousness or well concealed fury?
"I already know," Techno says flatly, and maybe that's not the tone that Kristin and Phil expected or wanted out of him, because they look surprised all of the sudden.
"You do?" Phil asks, hopeful and confused at the same time. Does he really want Techno gone so bad? Did he not expect Techno to catch onto it?
"Yeah. Can I just please have a week to find a place for me and Theseus and move my things?" Techno expects them to begrudgingly agree and be happy that they'll finally have him out of their hair. But as he looks up at their faces, he only sees utter confusion, which just makes him confused in return.
"Techno, what do you mean?" Kristin asks, looking at him with something like worry in her eyes. Techno can only switch his gaze between her and Phil, trying and failing to find words to say.
"You're kicking me out, aren't you?" he manages to get out and watches as something close to horror blooms across their faces. Why would they look so terrified? Is it because they are scared about being found out? But why, if they were planning to tell him anyway? Or... oh no, did they actually decide to take his kid away? "I know you must not like me being here and that you love Tommy, but please don't take him from me," Techno pleads, words falling out of his mouth like a waterfall with no plans of stopping. "He's all I have, I can't be away from him. Please, don't take him away."
Techno almost feels sick, listening to his own words. How can he be so selfish? Tommy will have a way better life with the Crafts, than he would ever have with him. Even knowing all that he can't bear the thought of parting with his son. His baby. It'll feel like his heart is being ripped out of his chest, and he can't help but selfishly wish that he won't experience that pain.
"Oh, Techno, you got it all wrong."
Kristin's words shock him into looking up into their eyes once again. When did he look away? Both Kristin and Phil watch him with pity, and Phil seems more stressed than Techno has ever seen him. One of his hands is tangled in his blond hair, while the other is tightly held by Kristin in an attempt to stop it from also tugging at the man's hair.
"Huh?"
"Did we really make you think you aren't welcome here?" Phil says, looking like he's trying to sort through everything he has ever said to get to the root of what he thinks is the problem.
"It wasn't you," Techno says in hopes of reassuring the man, but his voice sounds weak even to his own ears. His hand itches to reach out, but he knows that it's not his place to do so. Probably. He isn't sure what he should believe anymore.
"Techno," Kristin's voice comes through once again. Gentle and steady. Techno looks at her and the two of them make eye contact. "Can you please tell us your thought process?"
Techno feels like a fish thrown out of water, his mouth opening and closing, but no sound actually escaping. He must look stupid. He feels stupid.
How is he supposed to explain it? How is he supposed to explain years of foster care, where he was never sure if that day would be his last at his current placement, before he's shipped off somewhere else? Techno has always been an unwanted child. His birth parents never cared for him, his first foster family cast him aside for something better, no foster after them even thought about adopting him. He's never had a place, where he was at home.
"You said that you plan to adopt," Techno forces his throat to work. Kristin asked him for an explanation, he should give her one. "So, the new kid will need their own room. But there are no more rooms available, which means your old quest room will need to be redecorated. After, of course, I move out of it."
"Oh, Techno, I'm so sorry. We should've told you right away." There it is. Kristin will finally outright tell him to get his things and leave. Techno takes a breath in and braces for the words to come. "We meant to tell that we want to adopt you."
The breath that he's been holding leaves him in one sharp exhale and confusion takes its place. This isn't how it was supposed to go. If this is a joke, then it's a very cruel one.
"What... do you mean?" Techno asks slowly, mind still reeling from Kristin's words. He looks to Phil, wishing that the man would clear up this misunderstanding already. Instead, the blond keeps quiet, watching Techno's every move.
"We've started looking into a way to make it official, but Phil has been thinking about it ever since he met you," Kristin says with a light chuckle in an attempt to diffuse the unstable atmosphere in the air. It works, as Phil turns to her with a slight blush dusting his face.
"You weren't meant to say that," he whispers, seemingly glaring at his wife. But anyone who knows the two of them could see how there is no heat in Phil's gaze and a corner of his mouth almost quirks up into a smile.
Techno almost smiles as well, seeing the couple playfully picking at each other, since this at least is familiar. For nearly two and a half years that he's been living in their home and spending every day with them, he's come close to forgetting that the place isn't also his.
"But well, Kristin isn't wrong," Phil says, looking back to Techno and bringing the younger man out of his thoughts. The older looks a bit bashful and nervous, as he scratches the back of his neck. "If that's something you also want, then we'd be happy to make you an "official" part of the family. Along with Tommy, as well. We'd never try to separate you two."
All of the sudden, Techno feels a sharp burning behind his eyes. His throat hurts, so much he isn't even sure if he'll be able to give an answer.
"Oh," is all that comes out. And then the tears fall. Techno doesn't even register them at first, until his vision gets too blurry to ignore. The last thing he sees before he tries to cover his eyes are Kristin and Phil's worried gazes.
Techno needs to give them an answer. It's only polite to repay their kindness.
"I-," he starts, but his words get caught on a sob. Techno tries rubbing at his eyes to get rid of all obstacles preventing him from speaking up. Even if he can't see at the moment, he can practically feel the other two's anxiety. It makes him feel a bit better thinking that they'd be worried about him. "I'd love that."
As soon as the words leave his mouth, Techno manages to swipe away enough tears to look up at his potential future parents with a mostly clear vision. Only to see their expressions go from shocked to glossy-eyed. Techno can't help a small chuckle that escapes him at the notion that the three of them ended up shedding tears at the kitchen table. Kristin and Phil seem to have the same thought, as they warmly smile at him.
Phil is the first to move. He swiftly gets up and rounds the table to pull Techno into a hug. All of his previous anxiety slowly bleeds away from his frame, leaving him leaning even further into the older's embrace. Kristin reaches across the table and takes Techno's hand into hers, beginning to methodically run her thumb over his knuckles.
"Welcome home, Techno."
He can only smile at her words, something warm blooming in his chest at hearing them in a different context. Sure, Techno isn't "officially" part of the Craft family just yet, but his parents told him that they know a way to make it a reality. So, truly he has no reason to worry about anything else.
Techno can't wait to surprise Theseus with such good news.