"Techno, have you seen your brother?"

Techno looked up from his coloring book to stare at his father. The man looked worried, too much so for him to be talking about Wilbur. Not surprising really. Now that Tommy had started to walk around he was proving to be rather fast at getting out of sight.

"He's not in here. Want me to help look?" Techno offered, already pushing himself off his bedroom floor.

Normally he would wait until being asked specifically to help if he was doing something, but today the family was planning for an outing. Something that, if they couldn't find Tommy, they'd not be able to do.

"That would be great, mate. Thanks." His father replied as he was already backing out of the room.

At first Techno wasn't sure why his father seemed so rushed this time. Losing sight of Tommy was pretty common, even if they were due to leave soon. However, as his father pushed the door open wider for Techno to join the search he noticed a familiar green turtle patterned t-shirt in his dads hand.

Ah.

Tommy had managed to strip off a few layers again.

Something else his little brother had learned to do rather effectively. Not only could he slip out from under a watchful eye but he could get himself almost entirely unclothed in a matter of moments after doing so. Techno didn't know why he did this. It was mid fall and heading into winter. Even with the heating the house itself could still get chilly sometimes. If anything Tommy should be burrowing into any warm fabric he could find.

Distracted by his thoughts on the matter Techno tugged at the hem of his own sweater. It was a nice shade of blueish green that Wilbur had given him when Techno's own favorite 'actual blue' one got torn. Wilbur had been adamant on him taking this particular one and even if Techno didn't know why he was fine with it. It was soft and fuzzy and so warm that Techno actually would start to sweat in it even on the colder days.

With a slight startle Techno was once more pulled from his head as he looked down. He'd stepped on something squishy that he didn't much care for and it had him reeling back quickly.

Was that-

"Daaaaaad!" Techno called out, his little feet pattering quickly down the hall.

Phil popped quickly out of his own room, having been checking under the bed as Tommy could really have tucked himself anywhere at this point.

"What's up, Tech? What's wrong?" He asked quickly at the sound of worry in his songs voice.

Phil's face paled as he took note of what Techno was holding up by a single fist, his own face looking proper concerned as well.

It was Tommy's diaper.

His youngest son was traipsing around bare bottomed unsupervised.

What's more is the diaper in Techno's hand was still clean. If Tommy hadn't gone yet today before removing it then…

"Wiiil" Phil called out down the hall to where his eldest child was due to look over.

Xx-xx

Wilbur was just closing the last of the kitchen cabinets, now sure Tommy hadn't crawled into any of them. He jumped a bit as his father called out to him, stress in his voice. Quickly scurrying to the doorway Wilbur peeked his head out to be looking down the hallway. His father and younger brother were both there and both looked less than at ease.

"Yea, Dad?" Wilbur question with a slight fidget of his hands.

"Your brother is proper naked. Hopefully he hasn't… watch your feet." Phil warned, taking the apparently discarded diaper from Techno and turning back into his own room.

Wilbur could hear his father muttering something about Tommy and a word he could only assume was 'leash' but Wil was too far to grasp it fully. Before Wil could question Techno on it the other boy was pushing into to Tommy's room and calling out for the babe.

Swallowing his growing anxiety Wilbur turned back towards the kitchen. He'd looked in all the cupboards and there wasn't much else in the room that Tommy could hide in or around without being noticed. At least that meant Wil could move on swiftly. This was the longest they'd ever lost Tommy before and it was honestly starting to scare him.

Walking into the living room Wilbur first bee lined it to the play pen for the third time. He'd put a few extra of Tommy's toys down hoping they might attract his baby brother if he were to scuttle past them. However, they remained undisturbed in the slightest.

Turning towards the sliding door Wilbur logically knew that it was far too heavy and big for his baby brother to ever open on his own. But his panicking mind kept asking him if he were really sure about that. His thoughts came to a screaming halt as he caught a sound just under the thundering of his growing heart beat.

A giggle.

It was muffled and hushed, but Wil had heard it. He knew he did. Darting around the coffee table Wil perked his ear up to see if he could hear it again, though it proved unnecessary. As he brushed past the end of the sofa movement caught his eye.

Wilbur's jaw dropped as he spotted the form of his baby brother, tucked behind the sofa chair at the wall and the large house fern pot that blocked most of said chair from view from the front door. The space itself was small, barely a crevice. But Tommy was there, squatted at the base of the plant and covered in the potting soil.

Face, hands, arms, full body, there was no part of Tommy that the toddler hadn't managed to cake in the crumby brown. His golden locks as well slightly matted with it, as if he'd dunked his head into the dirt and rolled it around like a paint roller. In his fist was a clump of dirt that he was currently shoveling into his mouth. Though, when Wilbur entered his line of sight he paused and stared the other down.

"T-Tommy!" Wilbur choked out, darting forwards with his hands out to try to stop the dirt feast that was in progress.

Tommy seemed to know this was coming though because before Wilbur even reached him he'd opened his mouth just enough for the now soggy soil to drop out. Not that a lot of it did. Without thinking Wilbur was reaching into his baby brother's mouth with two fingers and trying to unshovel what the other had already packed in.

Tommy let out a whine of disappoint but didn't pull away from the action. It wasn't the first time his elder brother had had to removing something from his mouth. While he didn't appreciate it he seemed to at least accept it more often than not.

Phil, hearing Wilbur's shout, came running down the hall, fear built in his chest as he wasn't sure what to expect. Certainly not the mud golem that his eldest was pulling from behind the large potted fern. What further concerned him was that Tommy's mouth was smeared as well in that ever telling way to show he'd done more than just dress himself in it.

"Did he pee?" Techno questioned having come up behind his father, eyes widening as he saw hos baby brothers state.

"Not sure." Phil replied as he approached the other two with a deep sigh, "We were so close to leaving on time, Tommy. You couldn't sit still for five more minutes?"

Wilbur looked to his father as the man picked up Tommy, who was now giggling as if he wasn't guilty of a thing.

"Your mother is going to be wondering where we are while you get a bath." The man sighed as he tucked Tommy, dirt or not, against his side.

"Why don't we just say Tommy needed a bath cus of the dirt?" Techno asked as his father walked back in his direction.

Phil paused as his shoulders tensed. He looked to Techno, then to Tommy, then to Wilbur and then back to Techno again. He leaned in with a serious look on his face and his voice in a 'whispering' tone.

"We don't ever mention this to your mum. Okay?"

He looked between both his boys as the two seemed confused and worried. Techno was the first to nod, Wilbur shortly after with a furrow of his brow.

"A secret?"

"She never needs to know." His father stated with a nod before heading once more towards the bathroom.

If he was quick then they'd still be able to make it on time to the bus station. If they could manage that then maybe, just maybe they'd be on time.

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Hey, so, the more I write for this I can see this being more like, a legit sort of potential official story.

I'll still probably write it in small snapshots like this until they get older, but would anyone be interested in this turning into something bigger?

Also, in general any reviews or comments anyone might have I'd love to hear them. Getting reviews helps give me motivation and while I feel awkward asking I'd very much love to get them.

Other then that I'd just like to say I hope you are all enjoying so far.