Chapter Text
“Phil, look! Phil Phil Phil! Look look look!” His new foster son, Wilbur, tugs at his sleeve, pointing at a puppy as they’re walking. “Can I pet it? Please!”
Phil laughs softly and smiles apologetically at the dog’s owner. They simply laugh with him as they give Wilbur permission to pet their dog. It is a rather large dog, Phil’s not sure of the breed. It might be a mixed breed. But it’s still a puppy, despite its size. “Careful, Wil, be gentle with ‘em, mate.” Phil leans down to pet the puppy’s head slightly, Wilbur nodding with a serious expression on his young face. The young boy takes his puppy petting very seriously, something that draws a soft laugh out of Phil. Before the moment is broken, Phil quickly pulls out his phone to snap a photo of the sweet boy he’s fostering, petting a large enthusiastic puppy.
“You know, you'd think he would be more interested in the actual animals here in the zoo and not just the dogs people bring with them,” the puppy’s owner says with a grin to Phil. Phil nods his head, smiling softly, happy that Wilbur was finally coming out of the shell being in the system for so long forced him into. “How old is he?” they ask softly, having seen the look in Phil's eyes.
“He's nine, almost ten,” Phil answers just as softly, eyes never leaving his foster son. “And to be honest, I think he has seen just as many dogs as he has tigers, something I intend to change.” Phil's eyes turn slightly sad for a second but still always filled with fondness and love for Wilbur.
The other looks at him with a slightly confused expression. “Oh? How come?” they ask softly.
Phil sighs quietly. “Wilbur is my foster son. The foster homes he was in, before I got him, left their marks on him, and not in a good way. Most just took him in for the money they'd get.” Wilbur laughs freely as the puppy licks his face, enjoying the attention it got from the young boy.
The puppy’s human companion lightly bumps their shoulder with Phil’s, giving him a soft yet compassionate smile. “I understand. You want the world for him. We've only met, but I know you're an amazing father to Wilbur.” They look at Wilbur and the puppy play and be adorable together a little way away, humming thoughtfully. “You know,” they address Phil again. “I was only supposed to foster Happy as well. Her previous owners had been neglectful with her before they dumped her off at a rescue,” they say softly, but the look in their eyes only bore disdain for those humans. Phil glanced over slightly, but their eyes quickly return to a soft fondness. “I connected with her right away, I was the only one she’d allow close. So naturally, they asked if I’d foster her, help her become the sweet and playful puppy she was supposed to be until they’d found a forever home for her. Some time into fostering her I realised, I couldn’t part with her. She was mine as I was hers. We knew each other. We had a too strong bond. So I adopted her. Became her forever home.” They turn to look Phil in the eyes. “What I'm trying to say is, you let that little boy know he has a forever home with you. When you’re able to, you adopt him. I know it's a long legal process and all, but you give Wilbur the family he deserves.” They say with such finality and certainty that Phil finds himself thinking they might’ve glimpsed the future.
Suddenly, they turn back to look at Wilbur and Happy playing on the grass. Phil turns back as well, smiling at how out of breath Wilbur was from laughter and just being a kid. He is never gonna let Wilbur go back. He deserves so much happiness and joy.
“Ah, shit,” the kind stranger next to him hisses under their breath. Phil glances over and sees them looking at their phone. Looking up, they notice Phil's slightly concerned dad face. “Oh, we just have somewhere to be soon.” They give Phil an apologetical smile before calling Happy back.
“Aww...” Wilbur pouts sadly as Happy slowly makes her way back to her human, also sad their playing was cut short.
They kneel down to Wilbur and ruffle his hair slightly. “Sorry, kiddo. Haps and I have somewhere to be soon, I'm afraid. But I can tell she really loved playing with you, you really made her day!”
Wilbur beams up at them, a bright smile overtaking the sad pout from just a moment ago. “Really? You think so?” he asks, happy, but also still slightly reserved, Phil notices. Still afraid kindness is a trick, Phil note to himself, sadly.
“Oh, I know so!” Happy jumps up slightly to lick Wilbur in the face as a goodbye, making the boy giggle and her human roll their eyes with a smile at their puppy’s antics. “C’mon, Haps, we gotta go or we'll be late.” Phil and Wilbur wave goodbye and continued walking in the opposite direction. “I know, baby, he's been hurtin’ a long time,” their voice was a bit away, but their words still sound so clear to Phil, as well as odd, so he turns around to ask what they were talking about, “but we've set him on a good path. All we have to do now is see how this all writes out.” And no one is there. No trace of the young adult or their dog, despite having just heard their words so clearly.
Phil rubs the bridge of his nose slightly, confused. He must have just imagined that. “Phil?” Wilbur looks up at him, slightly concerned and scared, holding Phil's hand in both of his.
Phil shakes his head clear and looks down at Wilbur and smiles. “It’s alright, mate. My ears are playing tricks on me, didn't drink enough water.” An idea suddenly pops into his head. “So how about we go and fix that and get you a soda?” Phil asks, smiling brightly.
Wilbur lights up quickly, worries completely forgotten at the promise of soda. He excitedly tugs on Phil's arm, trying to make them go faster. Phil laughs at Wilbur’s excitement, letting the boy tug him along.
They absolutely spend the rest of the day at the zoo, Wilbur’s eyes being wide in awe the entire day with just how many different animals there are and how much knowledge about each and every one of them he gets. Except for the anteaters, much to Phil's amusement. Wilbur absolutely hates them. Hatred at first sight, if you will. But the other animals are super cool, though. Especially the dogs. At one point, Wilbur is even buried under a small mountain of dogs and puppies and that made him sad “cuz I don't have enough hands to pet them all at the same time and then they'll feel left out!” Phil just chuckles, snaps a photo and continues to watch Wilbur have the time of his life with all the dogs he gets to pet all at once.
It makes Phil happy to see Wilbur just be a child, see him let all his walls down and be happy and not worried or scared all the time.