Home is not a house- alternative scenes

Chapter 38/ The papers

Original tw for this chapter: Mention of Ed, suicide, death, abuse

Tw for this chapter: Noneeeeeeeee

Original plot for this chapter: Tommy opens up the adoption papers on Christmas morning and when Phil explains he doesn't have to answer straight away Tommy says no.

"Tommy you go first!" Wilbur smiles and Tommy looks down at the gift in his lap. It was a small box, wrapped nicely. He took a deep breath and opened it up, trying to have his hands not shake as they watched him open things.

Inside was a watch, nothing over the top but it was pretty. The way the face of the clock was clean and smooth made Tommy smile, the rubber that made up the band didn't feel uncomfortable on his skin.

"Now you don't have to look for a clock everywhere you go." Phil smiles and Tommy nods staring down at it. He continued to stare at it as the others open up their presents, not realizing what he was doing.

"Tommy it's your turn again." Techno tells him and Tommy looks up. He nearly dropped his watch. He placed it down and looked at the pile in front of him.

"Oh sorry, I was thinking." Tommy apologizes, grabbing the next box on his pile, Phil grabbing his cup off coffee on the table. He wasn't exactly looking at what Tommy grabbed.

"It's okay, what did you get there?" Wilbur asks as Tommy opens the box, Tommy shrugged as he peeled open the top.

"Oh wait that was supposed to be last!" Phil said quickly, trying to put his cup of coffee back down but it was too late.

Tommy was staring at the box, the papers inside read on thing clearly.

Adoption request

"Well, too late now. You don't have to answer now, but we would like you to become family, if that's something you want." Phil chuckled softly. Wilbur and Techno both stared at the pile in the box, just as Tommy was staring at it.

"Are you joking?" Tommy asked softly and Phil's face dropped slightly.

"No I'm not joking Tommy. This is real." Phil said softly. Tommy didn't look up from the papers.

"This isn't some prank? Some cruel reminder of what happened during my episode is it?" Tommy asked, trying to ignore the tears that were welling up in his eyes.

"No Tommy, it's not. I promise you." Phil said. Tommy didn't take his eyes off the papers in front of him. This was real, Phil was asking him to be apart of their family forever and it's real.

Tommy wanted to say no. He wanted to say no so he wouldn't have to deal with what happened when they eventually kick him out, but he also wanted to say yes.

He wanted to stay in the place that made him feel loved and safe and truly okay.

He wanted to stay in the place that made him feel like he was at home, that this house was his home.

He never felt that before. He had lived in houses before but they were not homes. This was a home. And he desperately wanted to stay.

"Tommy, you okay?" Wilbur asked after a moment of Tommy not moving or saying anything. Tommy looked up at him as the tears finally fell from his eyes. "Oh Tommy." Wilbur said softly.

Tommy looked at Wilbur, and then he let his gaze go over to Techno and then over to Phil.

All three of them were staring at him with a look that Tommy could only see as concern. They each did give him a soft smile when he met their eyes and that reminded Tommy why he felt so safe there.

It reminded him of all the good times they had, the late night drives with Wilbur and Techno. The cups of tea in the morning with Phil before he had to get work done. The dinners and movie nights while cuddled up on the couch with Storm. Just everything good.

Everything that Tommy had never had before this.

"Tommy, can you take a deep breath please? You're holding your breath." Techno says softly and Tommy nods, taking a deep breath after processing what Techno had said.

"I know this is a lot and you can just put the box down and we can come back to this later okay mate? You can take all the time in the world, there is no rush." Phil said and Tommy nodded, wiping away his tears.

"Yeah, yeah can we move on for a bit?" Tommy eventually mumbled and the other three nodded in agreement. It was then Wilbur's turn where he opened up some new guitar picks from Techno.

And things continued for a while, they ended up taking a break half way through to use the bathroom and fill up hot coco mugs.

Tommy and Phil ended up back in the living room first, Tommy sitting back down on the floor near his present pile. He stared at the neatly wrapped boxes for a moment before looking at his pile of opened gifts. The papers sat on the coffee table.

If he said yes, was that betraying Liam? It might be seen as that. But at the same time Liam would have wanted him to be happy, Liam would have wanted him to be taken care of by a family that truly truly cares about Tommy.

Since day one they have always truly cared about Tommy. They cared about his progress, his happiness, his well being and just everything. They helped bandage every scrape and cut, they took him for drives just to help him sleep, they fed him foods and let him try new ones. They took care of Tommy like no one had in a really long time.

He didn't want to let that go.

"Yes." Tommy said softly, catching Phil's attention.

"What?" Phil questioned, confused since moments ago they were sitting in silence.

"I am saying yes to these." Tommy mumbles, pointing lightly to the papers that sat on the coffee table.

"Are you sure? We're not trying to force you or anything." Phil said, just making sure Tommy knew. Tommy nodded.

"I want to. I feel the best here that I've ever felt. And I trust you guys. And you're my family." Tommy mumbles softly and Phil tries his best not to cry right then and there.

"Tommy can I hug you?" Phil asks standing up. Tommy nods and stands up as well, letting Phil embrace him tightly.

They stood there for a moment, Phil hugging Tommy softly as both of them tried their hardest not to cry right then and there. When Wilbur and Techno came back moments later they were confused.

"Everything okay?" Wilbur asks, setting a mug down on the coffee table. They pull away from the hug.

"Tommy said yes to signing the papers." Phil said smiling and wiping away his tears.

"Really?" Wilbur asked and Tommy nodded, smiling softly.

"Fuck yeah!" Techno smiles and that makes Tommy laugh. They both hug Tommy.

Yeah, this was the family that he felt safe with. He knew things would be okay with them.

Word count: 1200

I would have put this in at first but I liked the other way better and it went better with the plot. But this was the idea that I had for plan B