Benchtrio's Amazing Guide to City Living | Ft. The Hermits & SBI

Always saying "I'm leaving" but staying anyway

"Not a word", Phil warns his two sons when he enters the house. Wilbur and Techno stare at him wide-eyed, maybe concerned or on the verge of making fun of his ridiculous, otherworldly, physical state. He can't really tell over the exhaustion in his old, aching hollow bones.

He has sticks and leaves sticking out of his (messed up) blond hair which is caked in debris and blood. His clothes are torn in places, his prized kimono ruined beyond repair and to top it all off, his wings are a mess and in immediate need of a good, long preen. Some of the secondary feathers are hanging on by a thread; he should pull those off.

He hates this. He hates everything, he hates the houseplant outside, he hates the proximity of the buildings, he hates owl wings and he abso-fucking-lutely hates The Watcher.

No, the villain doesn't have owl wings but he may as well do with how silent he is! Phil's poor, elderly heart has yet to return to its normal rate ‐his BPS has probably set a new world record by now- from the huge scare he received tonight.

Instead of making fun of him as many would expect these chaotic brats to do, his sons rush to his side and look him over for any open wounds -which, no, Wilbur, he did not get stabbed. Only a little battered and bruised and a little punched through the fuckin' wall. Y'know, the usual shit a hero has to go through when fighting an overpowered villain. And no, Techno, he is not bleeding- oh, would you look at that, he is bleeding. Guess the blood on him isn't The Watcher's after all. At least this one will heal quickly; 'tis but a flesh 'ound!

"How did you even bump into The Watcher when the Dream Team was chasing him?", Wilbur asks after Phil shoos him to go to the kitchen.

"He bumped into me! ", he says, very exasperated and frustrated with the beating the villain oh-so-kindly gave him. "He just- flew in while my crows were distracted with the two little shits- ahem- vigilantes, sorry, misdirected anger", he hastily apologizes, doing a vague motion with his hands to accentuate his overwhelming frustration. "He came out of fucking nowhere! Just woooosh! And he was there!"

And a second later, Phil had been drop-kicked into the building next door and completely ruined a family's dinner. He probably gave the kids nightmares for the next year or so but honestly, that was the mildest his night was.

It was quite the painful experience, honestly, though every experience that involves The Watcher is painful in many ways and for obvious reasons. Not only is Phil having trouble hauling himself around, barely being able to put one foot in front of the other like a toddler learning how to walk but his pride has been hurt and his reputation ruined.

"What happened to the vigilantes? Did he get them?", Techno asks, failing to mask his growing concern. Phil sits at the table after Wilbur fusses over him having to rest so as not to open the barely sealed wound. He lets his son serve him dinner.

"The taller of the three has teleportation powers. He got them out of there right as The Watcher showed up", he explains and takes a spoonful of the soup Wilbur served him.

By the taste, he can easily tell that Techno cooked tonight. That and the fact that there are more potatoes than there are carrots swimming in the broth and more herbs have been added on top. It's warm, the taste is perfect, same goes for the texture which he can tell his son has paid extra attention to for Wilbur's ruined taste buds. It makes him feel proud; proud of both of his boys. He feels warm by the sense of home; of family.

It dawns on him then that he could've died tonight. This night easily could've been his last. It is a miracle that he is even standing right now -or, well, sitting- talking to his sons like it's a normal night. He realizes that today... today he could've lost this; his life, his sons simply reaped from his hands and he would be ripped from theirs. No one escapes The Watcher unless he doesn't feel like giving chase; he can track heroes down even if they are in the next town over and he has proved that by killing those who tried to escape him that way.