Archive of Our Own

1. 

As the middle child, Wilbur learned very quickly that he was often overlooked by his father. His older brother, Techno, was the “favorite” of the family, and though Phil never outright said it, Wilbur knew it deep down. More often than not, Phil would take Techno out of the house to travel, to go on adventures, and he’d leave Wilbur to his own devices. 

There was never an invitation to come along. It was always just a note saying that he and Techno left, that they’d come back home in a few days (they never did). Wilbur had tried a few times to ask his father to come along, wanting to be involved in the fantastical adventures that Phil would tell him about during dinner. 

But he was always dismissed by a gentle hair ruffle and a kind smile, followed by a, “Maybe when you’re a bit older, mate.” 

Wilbur quickly grew to hate those words. Techno was only older than him by a few minutes at most, but Wilbur never tried to argue. He just sat back and nodded his head, giving his father a smile it slowly became strained over time and a cheerful, “Be safe!” 

And sometimes, if he was early enough, he’d stand by the door, watching as his father and older brother left, swords strapped to their bodies with string. 

He didn’t mind it at first, truthfully. Having such a nice house to himself was cool, and he felt so grown up. He got to stay up as late as he wanted reading novels and teaching himself to play guitar. He could eat whatever and whenever he wanted, with no one around to correct or reprimand him. 

It was fun. 

Until a new member joined their family. 

Phil and Techno had returned home one evening, a baby swaddled in a blue blanket in the former’s arms. They had found the baby while exploring a village for supplies, and decided to turn around as soon as they found him. 

That night, Tommy officially joined their family, and Wilbur had a baby brother to look after. 

Wilbur was excited at first, because having a baby in the house meant that Phil would have to stay home more to care for him. He assumed that Phil wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving Tommy home with Wilbur, who was just barely nine years old. Techno shared his sentiment, and the two brothers expected to have a full house a lot more often now. 

But it seemed Phil thought differently. 

He stayed home for about a week before he and Techno were going off adventuring again. It appeared that Phil deemed Wilbur capable of taking care of a baby. 

Wilbur did not think the same. 

The first few days, he had panicked whenever Tommy so much as moved. He read as many books as he could find about babies and how to care for them. He was a big brother now, he couldn’t let Tommy down (like their father already had). So he did everything he could to take care of his little brother, and eventually, he got the hang of it. 

It takes a bit of time, but Wilbur adjusts to taking care of Tommy. He falls into an easy enough routine. And he believes to be doing a good job. 

Until he realizes he isn’t. 

Over the course of the next few months, Tommy hits a few milestones. All of which Phil and Techno miss while they’re gone. (They don’t realize they miss them though, as on the rare occasion they’re home, they believe they see the toddler do something they think is new). But it’s one such milestone that hits a lot harder than the others.

Wilbur is attempting to feed Tommy breakfast, but the toddler is much more interested in slamming his tiny fists on the table of his high chair. Wilbur loves his little brother, really, he does, but there are some days where Tommy wears his patience thin. 

He pulls the spoon away from the toddler, taking a calming breath. He looks at Tommy with a pointed look, “Okay, Toms. Here’s what’s going to happen.” He says, raising the spoon into the air. Tommy’s eyes follow with interest shining in them and he gurgles. “I,” Wilbur points to himself, “Am going to give you this last spoonful of food and then you,” He points to Tommy, “Are going to eat it.” 

Tommy slams his fists down, as if arguing with him. Wilbur sighs softly. This kid is definitely going to be a handful when he grows up. He can practically feel the headache now. 

With one last idea in mind, Wilbur raises the spoon higher and makes it move through the air, making the sounds of an engine. “Here comes the airplane, Toms!” He singsongs, moving the spoon toward him. 

Tommy giggles and Wilbur grins. He’s won. Tommy takes the final spoonful with ease, and smiles at his older brother. Wilbur is just relieved that Tommy didn’t put up any more of a fight. It’s happened quite a few times in the past, resulting in baby food all over the floor, himself and Tommy included. 

With his little brother, mealtimes are never simple. 

Ruffling the growing curls on Tommy’s head, Wilbur smiles and goes toward the sink. As he washes the spoon off, he hears Tommy laughing, clapping his hands. “D… Da..! Da da!” The toddler cheers, and the words make Wilbur drop the spoon in his hands. The metal utensil falls to the bottom of the sink with a clank!  

But Wilbur pays no mind to it. 

Instead, he turns his full attention to his baby brother and practically rushes to him. As he stands in front of Tommy, his heart is in his throat. “W--What did you just say?” He asks. 

Tommy’s eyes light up as soon as Wilbur is standing in front of him, “Da!” He exclaims, jovial. 

Under normal circumstances, Wilbur would be ecstatic to hear Tommy say his first word. But this isn’t a normal circumstance. No, this is Tommy calling his nine year old big brother dad . There’s a pressure building in his chest, and his eyes are watering. “N-No, Tommy, I’m not -- I’m not dad. I’m Wilbur, your big brother. Phil -- Phil is our dad.” He says, trying to force down the growing lump in his throat. 

But Tommy pays his correction no mind and simply repeats himself, “Da!” 

Wilbur feels close to breaking, and he hurries to get Tommy out of his chair and in his playpen before he can. Tommy shrieks with glee and starts hitting his blocks together while Wilbur leans against the couch for support. He doesn’t even sit down on the plump cushion. He leans against the back of the couch, and slides to the ground. 

He hugs his knees to his chest and buries his head in them. The only sign of his cries is the subtle shaking of his shoulders. 

Hearing Tommy call him ‘dad’ makes him realize just how much he failed his little brother. He had done so much to take care of him, but failed him in the most fundamental way possible. Because, if he had truly done everything in his power to provide a good home for Tommy, wouldn’t he have tried harder, tried more to get Phil to stay home? 

If he had been a better big brother, Tommy wouldn’t be calling him ‘dad’, instead of Phil. 

2. 

Tommy, as Wilbur predicted, grows up to be quite the handful. He’s only five years old, and Wilbur has already had enough of his shit. He’s loud and temperamental, and it’s so hard to find peace and quiet for more than five minutes with him around. 

It’s moments like those when Wilbur curses Phil and the beings above. He never signed up for this. 

But he’ll be damned if he leaves Tommy to fend for himself. 

He's spent the last few years making sure that he could take care of Tommy to the best of his ability, and he's certain that he can deal with anything Tommy throws at him. He already has a decent handle on the kid’s temper tantrums after all, and nothing can be worse than a five year old nearly blowing out your eardrums. 

He thinks this up until Tommy gets sick for the first time. 

And Wilbur (understandably) panics. 

He had a feeling something was off when the kid didn’t want to get out of bed for breakfast, and when his complexation was paler than normal. He had to coerce Tommy into eating something and made him drink some water. Wilbur watched him during breakfast, and he saw how unfocused the boy was, how glassy his eyes were. At first he assumed Tommy just had a headache, as he had complained about his head bothering him. 

That thought promptly flies out the window as soon as he hears Tommy throwing up in the bathroom. 

He had thought nothing of it when Tommy got up to go to the bathroom, turning to wash the dishes and wipe down the table. And then he hears sounds from the bathroom and Wilbur wastes no time in abandoning the dirty plates and the table. He rushes to the bathroom where his little brother is crumpled on the floor. “Toms? What’s wrong?” He asks, going to his side. 

“H-Hurts…” Tommy stammers out in reply, holding his stomach. He opens his mouth to say something more, but instead leans over the toilet and spills his breakfast into it. Wilbur stays by his side, rubbing circles on his back. He speaks softly and comforts him. He ignores how his chest hurts seeing Tommy so uncomfortable and unwell. 

When Tommy is no longer at risk of puking his stomach contents out, Wilbur helps him back into his room and into bed. He pulls the covers over him and presses a hand to his forehead. He winces almost as soon as he touches the scorching skin. 

Great, Tommy has a fever. 

Don’t panic, Wilbur, you can do this. 

Can he? 

This would’ve been a lot easier if Phil was home. Phil would know what to do, he would know how to take care of Tommy. But Phil isn’t home, and it’s up to his thirteen year old son to be the responsible adult around the house. 

Wilbur looks at his brother, and feels panic gripping at him. He has no idea what to do. He’s read books, but there’s a difference between reading about something and having it happen right in front of him. 

Tommy’s small whine breaks him out of his building panic. Immediately, he pushes his worries aside and sits on Tommy’s bed. Trying to comfort him, he starts to run his fingers through Tommy’s hair, quietly humming a lullaby. It does the trick and calms him down while surprisingly calming Wilbur down as well. 

Now isn’t the time to panic. Instead, he tries to think back on everything he’s read from those books and puts some ideas together. When he’s sure that Tommy is alright, Wilbur slowly pulls his hand away and gets up. He grabs a bowl from the kitchen and fills it with cold water before grabbing a washcloth. 

He then brings both to Tommy’s room and after rolling up his sleeves, he dips the cloth into the bowl, making sure it soaks up as much water as possible. Once the cloth is soaked, he gently places it on Tommy’s forehead. The boy lets out a whine at how cold it is, but lets Wilbur place it on him. 

He eventually sees Tommy moving his head, as if trying to get closer to Wilbur’s hand. The thirteen year old lets out a soft sigh and gives his brother a gentle pat before pulling his hand back. 

Tommy’s response is immediate. 

A hand shoots out, grabbing Wilbur’s, and a weak voice moans, “No... dad… stay…” 

The words pull at Wilbur’s chest. 

They also light a fire, one that’s been waiting to be lit for some time now.  But before he can be consumed by the flames, Wilbur sits down next to his brother, “It’s me, Wilby. Not… not dad.” He says, hoping Tommy will hear him in his feverous state. He even makes sure to use the accidental nickname that Tommy gave him. Phil should be here, taking care of Tommy. Phil should be here, comforting Tommy.

Tommy whines again as Wilbur starts to pat his hair, smoothing it back. This continues for a while until his breathing evens out and Tommy falls asleep. 

As soon as it’s safe for him to do so and he knows he won’t disturb his brother, Wilbur slowly pulls away and leaves his room. He heads over to the chest of emeralds Phil has and takes a handful before throwing them into a bag. 

“I’ll be back soon.” He says to no one in particular. And unlike his father, he means it. 

Wilbur grabs his hoodie, pocketing the bag of emeralds. 

And as he heads out the door, planning to go into town for medicine, he finds himself starting to feel a hatred for Phil.

3. 

It’s only when Tommy’s a bit older that Wilbur feels comfortable bringing a book to read while his gremlin brother runs around to get rid of his excess energy. Though, Wilbur secretly thinks that his brother is a source of endless energy because holy shit Tommy just never stops. 

Anyways, Wilbur makes it a point to take Tommy out of the house as much as possible because if he doesn’t, Tommy starts asking questions as most children do. And while Wilbur doesn’t mind answering his inquisitive statements (even if it can get annoying), recently, Tommy’s started to ask about Phil and Techno. 

Wilbur isn’t entirely comfortable with telling his kid brother that Phil and Techno are always out because Phil plays favorites and clearly enjoys adventuring more than watching his children grow up. 

So he learns to take Tommy out, let him run around and play with kids his age. 

He used to watch Tommy like a hawk when he first took him out of the house. Tommy would go everywhere, wanting to explore and run as much as possible. Wilbur had nearly lost him once and had a panic attack. Thankfully, Tommy had appeared quickly enough and Wilbur slowly calmed down. 

Over the years, Wilbur’s relaxed a bit and now he feels comfortable enough to bring a book along with him while Tommy plays. He still makes sure that he keeps a close eye on his kid brother though. 

Though, there have been one or two times that he’s just gotten so absorbed in reading or writing lyrics that Tommy manages to escape his eye. 

And one such occasion leads to an unexpected outcome. 

Wilbur had taken Tommy out early that morning, the boy unable to stop bouncing from excitement. As soon as breakfast is done, Tommy is begging for Wilbur to go out of the house and eventually, Wilbur caves. He tells Tommy to grab his shoes while he grabs his songbook and together, they head to a familiar open area of land. 

He holds onto Tommy’s hand as he leads him, seeing no other children or parents around. It seems they have the area to themselves then. Tommy is taking off before Wilbur can even let go of his hand. He chuckles at his brother’s excitement and lets him go, sitting below a sturdy looking oak tree. 

It doesn’t take long for Wilbur to get sucked into his writings. He’s been honing his craft for years now, almost as long as he’s been playing guitar. Writing music brings him a sense of peace that nothing else does, and he loves it. Tommy seems to enjoy it too, seeing as he sometimes begs Wilbur to play something for him. 

He isn’t entirely sure how long he’s writing for, as his surroundings had been drowned out in favor of him mumbling and humming to himself. But when he looks up, he doesn’t see Tommy around. He quickly stands up, dropping his book and quill in the process. 

“Tommy?!” He calls, looking around. 

“Over here!” Wilbur hears from behind him and he sighs softly. 

He wastes no time in running behind the tree, looking for his little brother. And when he finds him, he’s surprised by the sight. Tommy is standing next to a boy a few inches shorter than him with shaggy brown hair and shy blue eyes. As soon as Tommy’s eyes land on Wilbur, he grins, “Hey, Big Man!” He exclaims. 

“Tommy you shouldn’t have run off without telling me where you were going.” Wilbur immediately replies, relieved that Tommy hadn’t gone very far. He scolds himself for getting so absorbed by his writing, he should’ve been paying better attention. 

Tommy waves him off, “It’s fine! I’m a big man!” 

Wilbur sighs, “Tommy you’re eight, you’re still a child.” 

Pouting at his brother’s response, Tommy juts his bottom lip out and furrows his brows. “Well I had to run after Tubbo, so I didn’t have any time to tell you!” He explains. 

Wilbur raises a brow, “Tubbo?” 

He glances at the boy next to Tommy, seeing him shrink back a bit at the call of the name. Tommy nods in response, smile replacing his pout within seconds. He gestures to the brown haired boy next to him excitedly, “Yeah! Wilbur, this is my new friend, Tubbo! I found him in a box!” Tommy then turns to Tubbo, “Tubbo, this is my dad, Wilbur!” 

Tubbo turns to Wilbur with wide eyes, “Oh! It’s very nice to meet you, Tommy’s dad!” 

Wilbur ignores the pang in his chest as he awkwardly chuckles, “I think Tommy meant to say I’m like his dad. I’m actually his older brother.” He says. “But it’s nice to meet you as well.” 

Tommy, catching his mistake, jumps to add onto what Wilbur said, “Haha, yeah, yeah! Wilbur’s like my old man! He’s pretty old himself, ya know!” 

Wilbur bristles, “I’m only sixteen!” 

“Anyways, can Tubbo stay with us?! His home is a literal box and I don’t think a box sounds like a very comfortable home.” Tommy asks, turning to Wilbur with pleading eyes. Wilbur pretends like he doesn’t see it, but he spots Tubbo’s eyes lighting up with poorly disguised hope. 

There's a part of him that goes to say he has to talk with Phil first, but the man’s never around anymore now that Wilbur is older. So he ruffles Tommy’s hair and sends Tubbo a smile, “Sure. Why don’t we head home then?” 

Tommy cheers and Tubbo smiles gratefully at him. Wilbur gathers his things and the trio start to make their way back to the house, Tommy talking Tubbo’s ear off about his father and older brother and how cool they are. 

And if Wilbur thinks about everything that Phil is missing out on while adventuring with Techno, and how much of a shame it is? Well, that’s no one’s business but his own.

4. 

Wilbur likes to consider himself a patient person. It takes a lot to get under his skin, but it takes even more to make him yell. Regardless, that all goes out the window when Tommy is involved. There’s just something about his presence that seems to make Wilbur’s patience wear thin. And it seems like this only worsens the older Tommy gets, funnily enough. 

Tommy just knows how to get Wilbur to snap at him and lately Wilbur is coming to realize the little gremlin seems to enjoy annoying him. 

Go figure. 

Even so, Wilbur has never out right yelled at Tommy before. Sure, he’s spoken to him sternly when scolding him, but he’s never yelled. 

And of course, he has to go and jinx himself. 

Things have been somewhat stressful in the house lately. Between taking care of Tommy and Tubbo, working part time, and trying to find a new place for them, Wilbur is stretching himself a bit too thin. He hasn’t mentioned anything about leaving to Tommy and Tubbo yet for multiple reasons. They’re both only ten years old, and Wilbur doesn’t see the need to tell them about moving yet. They won’t be going anywhere until a year or so, anyway.

And of course, there’s Phil to worry about. He has no intention of telling Phil before they leave. His current plan is simply leave a note telling him not to come looking, that they’ll be fine. 

But before any of that can happen, Wilbur has to get the proper materials and funds for a trip. So he picks up a few jobs on top of playing music in town for people. As a result of doing all of this on his own, he’s been a bit stressed as of late. 

Neither Tommy nor Tubbo have picked up on his stress which Wilbur is incredibly happy about. It makes it easier for him to pretend that there’s nothing wrong, that he’s fine. But that also means that the boys don’t hesitate to mess with him or act up. 

Wilbur is in the middle of doing some work when he hears a shout from the other room. Pushing himself out of his chair, he goes to investigate. He stops just in front of the door, raising a brow as he hears the two boys arguing on the other side. After listening for a few seconds, Wilbur opens the door which causes both boys to freeze and look at him. 

He takes a second to examine the scene before him, frowning. Both Tommy and Tubbo are holding onto some sort of toy that Phil had brought back from a trip with Techno, tugging it between them. Behind them, it looks like they have some sort of backdrop set up. 

Once he’s done looking around, he focuses his gaze on the boys and crosses his arms. “Mind telling me what’s going on here?” He inquires. 

Tommy immediately lets go of the toy and turns to Wilbur, exclaiming, “Tubbo wants to play with Henry, but he knows I always play with Henry!” 

“I just wanted to play with him once…” Tubbo replies, pouting, “You’re always playing with him, it’s not fair.” 

Wilbur hums, “And so you both decided to play tug of war with Henry?” He says, eyeing the two of them. Tommy huffs and puffs, crossing his arms. Tubbo looks away, clearly upset. “How about you both take turns playing with Henry? Tubbs, since Tommy always plays with him, you take the first time and then switch with him.” Wilbur suggests, and Tubbo lights up at the idea. 

“Okay!” 

Tommy, however, does not seem to like the idea for his eyebrows furrow and he frowns. He stomps his foot, “No way! Henry is mine, I don’t wanna share!” 

Wilbur sighs and goes to speak, but Tubbo beats him to it. He walks over to Tommy and holds out Henry to him, “If you want Tommy, you can play with Henry first, okay? And then I’ll take the next turn.” 

Tommy vehemently shakes his head, “No! I don’t wanna share!” He snatches Henry from Tubbo before pushing him backward. Tubbo lets out a short scream as he topples into the boxes behind him, and Wilbur is already moving. 

“Tubbo! Are you alright?” He exclaims, kneeling down beside the boy. Sniffling, the boy nods with teary eyes. Wilbur gives Tubbo a quick glance, making sure he isn’t seriously hurt. Once he’s sure that Tubbo is alright, he looks over at Tommy with a frown. 

Tommy meets his eyes before sharply looking away from him. 

“Tommy,” Wilbur says, and the boy jumps. He sighs softly, “Apologize to Tubbo, and then I want you to go to your room to cool down.” He tells him. 

“What?!” Tommy cries, looking up at his older brother. “But I don’t want to!” 

“You should’ve thought about that before you pushed Tubbo. Now go apologize and then cool off.” Wilbur replies, keeping his voice even and calm. 

“No!” Tommy continues to protest, and Wilbur pinches the bridge of his nose.

“Tommy.” He says, a pleading tone in his voice. 

“No way! Fuck you, dad!” Tommy shouts, stomping his foot. 

And Wilbur stops. He opens his mouth without thinking, “For the last time Tommy, I’m not dad! Dad isn’t here, he never is!” He shouts. And for a split second, he feels all of the stress that had slowly been building up over the past few weeks escape and it's so relieving. 

As soon as he hears Tommy’s sharp inhale, Wilbur freezes and realizes what he’s just done. 

He shouted at Tommy . 

Tommy has called him ‘dad’ quite a few times in the past, but Wilbur has never reacted in such a way before. It’s always been gentle reminders that he’s not dad, he’s just Tommy’s big brother. But to a young boy whose brother is more like a father to him, there’s this instinct to refer to Wilbur as his dad. 

Because Wilbur is the closest thing to a father Tommy has. 

And Wilbur is fully aware of this. 

And now he’s gone and yelled at his kid brother for calling him dad, and god the guilt crashes over him like a fierce tidal wave. 

He watches as Tommy’s eyes water which only adds to the piling guilt. “Tommy I--” He stutters, but Tommy is already spinning on his heels and running out of the room. 

Wilbur watches him go, his feet feel glued to the ground. He can’t bring himself to move. 

“S-Should I go talk to him?” Tubbo stammers out, and honestly? Wilbur doesn’t know. 

His head is such a mess right now that all he can reply with is, “Just… give him a few minutes.” Before leaving the room. 

Tommy doesn’t call him dad for a long while after that.

5. 

It’s funny how time seems to pass by within the blink of an eye. One moment Wilbur is bringing his brothers somewhere new, starting a country, and now he’s standing in front of a button, ready to blow it all to smithereens. 

And he does. 

Phil tries to stop him, but he fails ultimately. He tries instead to protect Wilbur, pulling him into his arms and shielding him from the blasts of TNT with his wings. Wilbur lets him, lets him believe that he’s saved Wilbur from death. 

But then Wilbur hands him a sword and begs him to kill him. To let him rest. 

He can see the hesitation in Phil’s eyes, the reluctance. “You’re my son!” He screams, but Wilbur has never really felt like his son. He’s felt more like a convenience than anything. So he eggs him on. He gets Phil to kill him. He feels the sword being plunged into his chest, and he smiles. 

He wasn’t planning to die right as the dust clears though. He didn’t want Tommy or Tubbo to see him die, but apparently fate has other plans. 

Right as the sword enters him, he hears Tommy’s anguished scream. “DAD NO! ” 

Heh, Tommy hasn’t called him that in a long time. 

He sees Phil tense, assuming the words are for him. Wilbur sees his eyes widen and the dying man lets out a weak chuckle. 

He won’t correct Phil. 

Instead, he’ll let the man hold him as he bleeds out, life leaving him little by little. He tells Phil that Techno is the traitor, what he plans to do. He makes Phil promise that he’ll look after Tommy and Tubbo for him. 

Wilbur’s eyes start to feel heavy and his eyelids start to fall shut. And he smiles. 

He can finally rest. 

+1.

When Wilbur opens his eyes again, he’s laying on the ground. He shoots up with a sharp gasp, panting heavily. He looks around the area, feeling confusion. He’s surrounded by lapis and stone, and he faintly hears people talking. 

He’s confused. 

He died. 

Phil killed him. 

He had been in the afterlife with Schlatt, right? Right… he and Schlatt had been talking with one another about… something. But then Wilbur had felt like he was being tugged, and his body moved without his permission. Now he’s here, wherever this is. 

His palms feel weird against the stone ground, and maybe that’s because he hasn’t had a tangible body in god knows how long. As soon as he gathers himself together and feels less disoriented, Wilbur looks around, vision slightly blurry. He blinks a few times, clearing the haziness. 

“Wil!” A voice cries, and he sees Phil standing right in front of him, sword in hand. 

“Philza..?” He asks, voice croaky from not being used in a while. He sees Eret standing beside Phil. 

“Oh thank gods it worked.” Phil says, dropping his sword. As the weapon falls to the ground, Phil follows, landing right in front of Wilbur. He pulls him into a hug, and it only makes Wilbur more confused. “I’m so sorry, son.” Phil murmurs, hugging him tightly. 

And then Wilbur understands. 

They brought him back from the dead. They successfully resurrected him. 

Wilbur knows he’ll probably be angry later, but he feels so drained and numb that he can’t bring himself to care right now. 

Someone steps behind Phil, and Wilbur looks up from his father’s shoulder. With a gentle tap, Phil is letting go of him and standing up. Wilbur looks to the newcomer and opens his mouth to speak. 

But before he can even get a word out, his younger brother is throwing himself at him. “W-Wilby!” He exclaims, and huh. Wilbur had almost been expecting Tommy to call him dad again.

A small part of him feels disappointed. 

Wilbur simply opens his arms to catch him. Tommy clutches at his sweater, shoulders shaking as he cries. Wilbur can’t help but chuckle, “Did you miss me that much?” 

“S-Shut the fuck up!” Tommy pulls away, furiously wiping away his tears. He then looks at Wilbur with a glare before punching his shoulder. “Don’t ever do something like that ever again, dickhead!” 

Wilbur weakly laughs, smiling at him. “I won’t.” 

“Promise!” Tommy demands.

“I promise, Toms.” Wilbur says, and Tommy is diving right back into his arms for a second hug.