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Wilbur had been waiting for this moment for the last month. He had a suitcase packed for both himself and Tommy (it was hard being that prepared when you were in charge of a three-year-old, but Wilbur liked to think he managed.) Their apartment was an old one-bedroom thing on the outskirts of downtown L'manburg. It was somewhere in the middle of a cluster of apartments and condos, and for the last three months or so, it had been good enough to keep him and Tommy safe.
Until it wasn't, and Wilbur had seen a flash of green and black wings a few blocks away, and all Wilbur could think of was the last conversation he had with Quackity (if they saw you, Wilbur, I can't do anything even for Tommy. You need to get out of Antarctic Empire territory.) It seemed even hiding in Essempi and L'manburg wasn't enough.
So much for that job at the bakery.
Wilbur ran to the daycare that he had enrolled Tommy at so he could work and keep them afloat. He hastily explained that there was a family emergency and that he and Tommy were expected at home. Less than an hour later, Wilbur was on the highway headed north towards Logstedshire. The suitcase with their clothes and the box of important documents and whatever important shit his parents had left him was in the trunk of the car. Wilbur had put on some random show for Tommy to watch while he was too busy focusing on the traffic around them, half expecting to see a flash of pink hair or a green hat in the cars next to him.
Wilbur would have to call the lovely old lady from whom he had rented the apartment. She had been helpful when Wilbur stumbled in with a screaming toddler. He would miss her, but Wilbur needed to keep Tommy safe and himself alive. Thankfully, the lease was going to end at the end of the month, and Wilbur was already preparing to move on to another city (three months was pushing his luck, especially with how many resources the Syndicate had compared to Wilbur. There wasn't exactly a "shit the Syndicate is after me and I need help" hotline.)
"Right, we can stop the night in Snowchester and get you some McPuffy's," Wilbur mumbled to himself as he glanced at Tommy through the rearview mirror.
Tommy didn't reply, and Wilbur didn't blame him as another episode of Bluey began playing.
Tommy's good behavior lasted about two hours into the drive before he started whining and trying to unbuckle his seat. Wilbur tried to reassure him as he drove, but after about ten minutes and when Tommy started to cry, he gave up and pulled off the nearest exit. They were in Pandora, which according to google, was a small city on the outskirts of Snowchester. It was small with one main street and a few neighborhoods, but it had a McPuffy's and a grassy spot, and it was exactly what Wilbur needed.
"Hey, Tommy, look!" He spoke cheerfully as he pulled into the parking lot despite how much his brain had warned him against stopping.
Tommy stopped midcry with red cheeks and tears running down his cheek to stare at the restaurant. Wilbur was glad that Tommy was old enough to realize what going to McPuffy's meant (it meant he got a kid's meal and a new toy. Wilbur didn't take him there often, after all.)
Wilbur gave himself a moment after parking the car to close his eyes and sink into the worn driver's seat before he unbuckled Tommy from his car seat and carried him inside. The line wasn't too long, just a couple of teenagers and a family of six, but Wilbur kept an eye on the clock and the door while absentmindedly replying to Tommy's mix of gibberish and words.
Ten minutes later, Wilbur sat in the grass behind his car with Tommy in his lap. The sun was setting now, and Wilbur guessed they had about two hours until they reached downtown Snowchester. He aimed to find a hotel of some sort along the outskirts of downtown and spend the night split between napping and watching the night around them. They had a pile of blankets and pillows in the passenger seat, and the trunk was big enough to make some nestlike bed and sleep for the night.
Wilbur could spend one night sleeping in the car if it meant there wasn't a trail leading the Syndicate to Logstedshire or wherever Wilbur and Tommy ended up.
The only issue Wilbur could think of (besides being on the run from the biggest crimelords in the Antarctic Empire) would be how cranky Tommy would be until they either stopped or Tommy fell asleep in his chair.
"Tommy," Wilbur said softly, "we're going to play a game while we drive, okay?"
Tommy looked up with interest, his hands covered in breadcrumbs and ketchup.
"You know how in Bluey they sometimes play pretend?"
Tommy nodded and showed Wilbur the mess he had made on Wilbur's jeans. Wilbur didn't have the heart to scold him.
"Well, we're going to do that. Let's pretend we're in our own movie and going on a trip!"
Tommy looked thoughtful for a moment before he nodded with a grin and a half-eaten chicken nugget. It was a good enough answer.
"Can you do that? We'll put Bluey back on, and if you get bored, you can tell me what you see in the window."
"McPuffy's," Tommy added helpfully and pointed at the building like he had when they had pulled into the restaurant.
Wilbur nodded, "exactly like that."
After Tommy had finished his meal and was cleaned and safely back in his car seat, Wilbur quickly ate his meal. Of course, it was cold, but at least he had a happy toddler, and that was what really mattered to him.
Two hours later, Wilbur pulled off the freeway and headed toward a nearby Holiday Inn parking lot. He glanced into the rearview mirror and spotted Tommy asleep in his car seat, clutching at his stuffed cow Henry. Wilbur felt himself relax.