On the other side of town, the snow floated down, getting swept away by the rapid swishing of the car wiper. Phil clutched the steering wheel, exhaling outward with another deep sigh as he drove around in another circle.

He had made sure Techno had gone to bed, making him feel a little better after the incident with Wilbur. He knew Techno's tendencies to work into the late hours of the night, and sometimes the only thing that could get him to bed was Phil's constant nagging.

Past the blinding, dirty gas station and past the laundromat again. The coffee sat untouched in the cupholder, spoon clinking against the edge with every turn. His tires skidded against the gravel as he rounded another corner.

He knew Wilbur would come back eventually. He always did.

But he regretted even making him leave in the first place.

Phil knew it was his fault. Will had every right to be angry.

He wondered what she would say if she was still here.

Phil looked up at the rearview mirror, a small keychain hanging down from above. Oversaturated colors popped out from the laminated front, the faint outlines of 4 figures on the front.

Wilbur, a little baby wrapped in red blankets, Techno, a surly toddler, Phil, and Kristen, her brown hair tucked up into a lazy bun. They were standing at the front of some aquarium, some educational immersion technique she was trying to get Techno into.

He missed her.

He missed her every day for 15 years.

And he knew Techno missed her too, although he never talked about it. He never talked really after that. He just studied.

But the one Phil felt the worst for was Wilbur. He grew up without a steady parent to look after him, without the attention that Phil knew he wanted, but he couldn't give.

Their family drifted apart day after day.

And Phil wished he could fix that, but he just didn't have enough time.

Some part of him feared that it was too late already.

Techno was 18, heading to university the next year, and Wilbur was 17 now.

Was it too late to go back?

Suddenly a glowing light blared in Phil's vision, and he covered his eyes, expecting another car to whoosh past.

But the light kept glowing, but it wasn't coming from the road. It seemed to be a faint outline of something from a brick alleyway, slowly becoming lighter and lighter.

Phil looked at it in fear and shock, but he felt his hand drift to the car door, clicking it open. Curiosity got the best of him, and he stepped out quickly.

The freezing wind bit into his bones, and Phil pulled his gray overcoat closer, shivering as he stepped towards the dark alleyway. Snow like fluffy pillows sat on top of trash cans. He felt his feet stepping towards it, the light growing dimmer.

What the fuck are you doing? It's freezing and you're going into a dark alleyway! It's probably some flashlight that a runner dropped.

Phil paused, shaking his head as he turned to go back to his car. He wasn't going to risk it. It probably was just a flashlight, and he needed to go home anyway. He had two kids to worry about.

And so he went back to his car, his fingers wrapping around the cold handle of the door, when suddenly he heard it, like a wish into the wind.

"Dad?"

Phil had never turned around so fast in his life. He rushed over to the trash bins, his boots thumping in the thin blanket of snow.

His eyes widened as he saw the sight before him.

2 small boys lay propped up against the jagged brick wall, leaning on the gray trash bins. Snow decorated their skinny arms and ruffled their hair. The smaller one was zipped up in a red sweatshirt, the others bare arms wrapped around him protectively.

The taller boy looked half frozen to death, his lips purple as he shivered in the cold wind. Ice flecked across his red arms as he mumbled weakly n his sleep.

"Mom? Dad?" Eyes moved beneath closed eyelids as he clutched the smaller boy closer. His eyebrows knit. "Don't hurt him, don't hurt him, don't hurt him-"

Oh my god.

Phil knelt down, his parental senses taking over. He felt the older boy's forehead. It was cold at ice as the boy shivered under his touch, breaths becoming quicker.

Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.

He glanced over at his car, its taillights blinking in the frigid cold.

He knew what he had to do.

---

Techno slid the metal drawer on the bottom of the oven open, reaching in to grab some crisps sleepily when the door slammed open.

He turned around, putting his hands up in the air.

"It's not what it looks like I swear-"

His eyes widened as he saw a small figure cradled in Phil's arms. "Wait what-"

"Techno, go get some blankets upstairs. Turn up the thermostat upstairs while you're at it." Phil rushed over to the black leather couch they hadn't used in years, placing the figure that Techno now realized was a skinny teenage boy, blonde hair flopping against his forehead. "I'm going to get the other one in the car."

"Wait- OTHER ONE!?" Techno's head whipped from Phil to the boy on the couch. Phil ducked out of the door before he could ask more questions, leaving him alone with the boy.

The boy started mumbling in his sleep again, tossing and turning and trying to reach out for something. Techno's eyes flitted around in panic.

"Uhhhh- DAD!?" The kid's arms wrapped around his knee, squeezing it tightly. Techno desperately tried to shake him off, but the kid clung like a little parasite. "DAD!? HE'S ON ME!"

"Shhhh, you're going to wake them up." Phil placed another small boy snoring soundly with his chin flopped on his chest next to the other. The other immediately let go of Techno's leg, hugging the smaller boy instead.

Techno looked at the two boys, cheeks stained with grime. "Dad what is going on-"

"Techno, didn't I tell you to go get some blankets?" Phil took off his coat, placing it on top of their sleeping forms. "These two are freezing!"

Techno was about to protest, but Phil shot him a stern look. He sighed, heading upstairs to get the blankets in his room.

When he came back down, Phil was rummaging through a little drawstring bag. He pulled out a dirty moth plushie that had obviously been through a lot and smiled at it softly.

Techno handed him the blankets, watching the brown curl on the smaller boy's head flop up and down with his breaths. "Soo... explain to me why we have two random kids on our couch at 1 am in the morning?"

"Found them half-frozen to death near some bins. The older one was worse."

Phil piled the blankets on them heavily, reaching down to feel the older boy's forehead again.

"I just couldn't leave them there. It's not right."

"What happened to their parents?" Techno watched as the younger one shifted uncomfortably under the weight of the blankets. "Aren't they worried sick?"

"I-I don't know." Phil looked at their skinny arms, which looked like twigs that could snap at any moment. "I would be."

They lapsed into silence again, Phil pushing the older kid's sandy hair off of his forehead.

"I'm guessing that Wilbur hasn't come back yet?"

Phil's voice was tired, and he didn't look at Techno.

"No." Techno cracked his knuckles absentmindedly. "But you know Wilbur. He always comes back eventually."

Phil stood up suddenly, heading over to unlock the door.

"Don't do that." Techno chuckled bitterly. "You know Wilbur always climbs through the window whether you leave the door unlocked or not. Think he's in some movie or something."

"I know." Phil sat down again, cradling his head in his hands.

"I don't remember you going through this phase, Techno." Phil's strained voice was muffled against his hands. "Running off late at night. Things are so dangerous out there. And I know it's partly my fault but-"

"Don't worry about it, Dad." Techno patted his arm. "You're doing great, you've always done great, actually." Phil's smile peeked at him from under his fingertips.

"It's just that... Wilbur expects more. But he doesn't understand that there's not more to give."

"Yeah."

Phil sighed, standing up. "We'll ask them questions in the morning. You need to sleep."

"Dad, I'm not 10 anymore-"

Phil ignored Techno's protests, pushing him up the stairs. "C'mon, up you go. Time for bed."

"Fine, fine." Techno started towards his room before suddenly turning back.

"Goodnight, Dad."

Phil smiled at him. "Goodnight."

He watched as Techno's shadow walked into the orange light, shutting the door behind him.

"I love you." 

---