An SBI Alien AU where they crash land in a garden, and after a few minutes of fixing the ship (and Techno exploring the house-) they leave before someone notices. They left too late, though, as when they turn around - halfway up in the sky - a human toddler is staring at them.

The toddler is small, very small - about the size of Phil's hand - and has big, wide blue eyes that stare at them in curiosity and awe. His gurgle echoes around their ship. Silence follows between them all as they process what's happened. And then, there's screaming.

"THERE IS A HUMAN CHILD ON OUR SHIP," Wilbur yells, distress in his tone as his tentacles cover his face in shock. "Now surely this can be resolved-," Phil attempts to soothe, but Techno interrupts him. "There's no way we're going back down!" he declares, shaking his head.

"BUT WE HAVE A CHILD," Wilbur tells him, pointing at the tiny toddler on the floor - who is now waddling towards the bundle of cables that control their ship's power. He panics. "NO." Phil rushes forward and scoops up the toddler into his claws, pulling him away from the danger.

"We'll risk being seen," Techno hisses, continuing to steer the ship upwards with his clawed hands. "It was already too much that I entered the house, I didn't realise an intruder had followed me out." He glares at the child, but he's oblivious, eagerly playing with Phil's claws

"Oh my Galaxies," Wilbur mumbles, shaking his head in disbelief as he stares at the child. "We're going to get in so much trouble with the Patrols, they'll take him away, he'll be hurt by them-." "None of that's going to happen," Phil answers back sternly. "He won't be found."

"Yeah, and then he'll die to us," Techno jumps in sarcastically. The ship wobbles as he scoffs. "Do any of us know how to take care of a human child?" Silence follows his question from the other two aliens "Point proven," Techno answers, turning back round to focus on steering

"Surely it can't be that hard," Phil argues, glancing back down at the toddler in his hands. He reaches up to pat the baby on his head hesitantly. "Humans do this, right? I've seen them do it before." "To animals, Phil!" Wilbur yells, groaning. "We're fucked! This is fucked!"

"Well why don't you try it, then?" Phil fires back, tone growing in anger as he stares at Wilbur. "If you know so much about humans!" "I don't know everything," Wilbur fires back, anger and panic swirling in his eyes as he looks at the toddler again. "I can't look after that."

"Well one of us is going to have too!" Techno tells them, glaring at them both from his seat. "We can't go back down there at least until another month!" "A month?" Wilbur screeches. "How are we meant to look after a human child for a month?" The screams echo around the ship.

They build and build, the anger festering stronger and stronger, and then, a different noise pierces through their argument. A shrill, high-pitched wail that sounds entirely human The three of them all quiet down and face the toddler The toddler who is currently crying loudly.

They panic. "Shhh," Phil begins, tone hushed as he begins to rock the toddler back and forth. "Shh it's okay, you're okay, we're sorry for yelling." He knows what he's saying is coming out as a garbled mess to the human, and it's evident by his continuous screeching cries.

"He won't understand us," Phil admits, glancing between the two other aliens. They share a look in hesitance, and then Wilbur sighs. "Hand him over," he requests, and Phil obliges, placing the crying child into Wilbur's grasp. Wilbur lets out a gentle sigh, and then sings.

It's an old song from his culture, one Wilbur had shared to him and Techno after he opened up from his shell when they rescued him from the Patrol governed planet They never learned the words, but that doesn't stop the melody helping them calm down. And calming the child, too.

Slowly but surely, shrill cries of terror ease into gentle babbles of joy, and Techno and Phil sigh in relief. Wilbur finishes the song and looks down at the toddler in his arms. At the curious gaze and small smile on his face. He looks back up at Phil. "Maybe he's not so bad."

Phil smiles, walking towards them. "And maybe you know more than you think." Wilbur shrugs, rocking the baby gently as he feels him grasp at his body with tiny hands. "It's what we used to do with our young, what my mother did to me." "I guess they share similar customs."

By now, the spaceship is submerged deep into space, the twinkling lights of blinding stars surrounding them as they travel towards their home planet. "Does he have a name?" Techno asks curiously, invested now in their new stowaway. Wilbur looks down at the toddler.

Phil moves forward and gently grasps the toddler's hands, moving them away to reveal the white onesie he wears. There, placed directly in the centre in bright red writing with floral patterns, rests the name Tommy. "Tommy," Phil says aloud, cooing at the name. "It suits him."

Tommy perks up at the use of his name, turning to Phil and making grabby hands at him. Phil cannot resist, and he leans down to take Tommy from Wilbur's hands, bringing the boy up towards his chest and placing the boy's head on his shoulder. Tommy giggles at the movement.

They stand there for a moment, glancing at the tiny human in Phil's grasp that he pats rhythmically with his claws. The only noise that echoes is the blabbering noises Tommy mumbles every few seconds. For the first time in their hectic journeys, the atmosphere is peaceful.

Techno sighs, leaning back into his chair by the control panel. "I think we could look after him for a month, can't be that hard, right?" Wilbur nods, smiling softly. "Yeah, he seems quite pleasant." Phil giggles. "This'll be far easier than breaking into Las Nevadas' planet."

Turns out, Tommy was NOT easier than breaking into Las Nevadas' planet. He would constantly wander around the ship, and bring them all to near tears with how often he hid in small spaces. Not to mention his stubbornness when they tried to feed him any food. He was a nightmare.

But when the month passes as quick as the light years that bolt past their ship outside, the three don't have the heart to bring the child home. They've grown too attached to his presence and the comfort he brings And so, Tommy joins their makeshift family and grows up in space