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Wilbur was practically floating through the battlefield. Lost in the swinging of his sword and the clashing cacophony of sounds around him, his mind hovering above it all as he tried to ignore the blood splattering across his face and armor, hoping and praying that this would end faster.
It should’ve been going faster. Sure, they were outnumbered, technically, but they had the Angel of Death and the Blood God on their side, which should definitely even out the scales. Wilbur occasionally heard them, or more specifically, he heard Techno, across the battlefield, screaming and yelling, throwing off the enemy in more ways than one.
(For a while Techno was right next to him, eyes watching Tommy, flicking to the younger boy with a clarity that Wilbur rarely saw on the battlefield.)
Wilbur had been grateful to it for a time, but being with Technoblade, the Blood God, wasn’t exactly the safest place on the battlefield, as everyone tried to gang up on him, so when Techno finally split off with a nod to Wilbur and a tilt of the head to where he had seen Tommy last, he had been almost grateful.
Someone collapsed dead at Wilbur’s feet. He thought he remembered eating across from the younger boy, who was so eager to be on the same battlefield as the notorious generals. Cold seeped into his chest as he suddenly became afraid for Tommy.
Tommy who couldn’t have been much older than the boy who was dead at his feet.
Wilbur’s breath came quicker.
Tommy.
He had lost sight of him awhile ago, the two being split by the battle, by the enemy, and Wilbur didn’t know where he went or how he was doing and Tommy could be dead.
Wilbur shook the thought from his head.
He had to find Tommy.
Tommy who was alone on the battlefield, with not enough training and… and… and Wilbur needed him to be safe.
Wilbur was going to find him. And so he began to look, slicing down any enemy that stood in his way, searching through the vast field, heading the direction that Techno had pointed out, wishing that Phil was nearby, that he would see Wilbur carving a path through the battle and tell him where Tommy was.
(He would know, Wilbur was sure, because Phil loved Tommy. He would know where the youngest of their little band of boys was. He had to know.)
Wilbur swallowed roughly before grabbing at one of their knights, tugging on their armor to bring them close.
“My brother,” he said roughly. “Where is he?” he asked, slicing through an enemy that dared try to disrupt their conversation.
“I saw him last by the flag bearer,” the knight said, and Wilbur nodded, dropping their armor, letting them straighten themselves out.
“Thank you. Thank you,” Wilbur said, swinging around to end the life of another enemy. The knight stood stock still for a moment, blade quivering in their hand.
“You know sir, most of the time it is hard to tell that you spend time with the Blood God and the Angel,” the knight said, and Wilbur peered at him for a moment. “I wish you luck in finding the Prince.”
“Thank you,” Wilbur said again, rushing off to the flag of his country, still being held high, protected by several soldiers on either side.
Wilbur practically ran into Tommy, crashing through the soldiers into the partial clearing, being protected by their soldiers as he watched the battle with wide unseeing eyes. Wilbur launched forward, slamming back into his body as he realized that Tommy needed his help. He sheathed his sword and approached Tommy quickly.
“Tommy? Tommy, can you hear me?” Wilbur asked, grabbing Tommy’s shoulders gently at first, but when Tommy didn't react, gripped harder, trying to get him to focus. “Tommy? Look at me,” he said, moving his hands to Tommy’s face. Tommy’s eyes snapped to him, something like panic shaking in them.
“Wil?” he said frantically. “They’re all… so many…” he murmured and Wilbur swallowed roughly.
“I knew you were too young for this. I’m going to get you out of here,” Wilbur said, reaching to grab Tommy’s hand, but Tommy shook his head abruptly, pulling his arm away.
“No, I can stay, I can fight-“
“Tommy,” Wilbur interrupted, and Tommy stopped, looking anxiously at Wilbur as he waited for him to speak. “Tommy you’re going to leave this battlefield and you’re not going to look back, okay?” he said, and Tommy slowly nodded.
“Okay. I- I’ll see you all again right?” he asked and Wilbur grinned.
“Of course.”
And Tommy threw himself at Wilbur, hugging tightly for an instant, about to take off and run, muscles tense underneath his armor.
That’s when it all went to hell.
Wilbur felt the power of the hit before he actually felt pain.
He landed on top of Tommy, sprawled on his chest. He was about to turn and figure out what happened, what he got hit with, when something twisted uncomfortably in his gut.
That’s when the pain hit, sharp and brutal and slicing through his entire body. His mouth dropped open in a silent sort of pain as he desperately tried to focus on anything else. The battle hadn’t stopped, and it wouldn’t stop, not even for the princes, though there was a shriek of some sort of shock in the distance. The clanging of the blades all around them rattled around in Wilbur’s skull, the scrap of blades against armor. He took in a deep breath, regretting it as he did but managing to calm himself down enough to realize that Tommy was still under him.
“Tommy?” he whispered when he finally regained his voice.
“Wil? What happened? Why are you on top of me?”
“Tommy- Tommy don’t move,” Wilbur said quickly as Tommy started to squirm. He felt the pole shift through his stomach and Tommy froze.
“What- oh no.”
“Yeah,” Wilbur said, and Tommy’s breath hitched.
“We’re- we’re stuck here?” he asked.
“Y-yeah. Don’t panic,” Wilbur said and Tommy huffed.
“Don’t panic. Don’t panic, the big man says. Don’t panic while you’re impaled through the stomach and stuck to the ground, a situation I have every right to panic in,” Tommy said quickly, voice getting louder and more frantic with every word.
“Tommy, everything is going to be okay,” Wilbur said, trying to console him at least a little.
“No- it’s not, it’s not just going to be okay- we’re going to die!”
“Tommy, we’re going to get out of this, trust me. You trust me right? Answer me, Toms,” Wilbur said quickly, and Tommy inhaled sharply before stopping whatever outburst he was going to have to instead nod jerkily.
“Yeah. Yeah I trust you Wilby. I just- how- we can’t move,” he said, and Wilbur nodded.
“I know. I know. I’m thinking Tommy, I’m thinking,” he said, and Tommy stayed silent under him. “Phil will find us,” he said.
“Phil?”
“He’s been watching over us just about the whole time as he fought. He’ll find us.”
“Okay. Okay, yeah. Phil will find us,” he said, and Wilbur smiled a little.
Silence swept over them. Uncomfortable and heavy and Wilbur didn’t know how to fix it. He was the one with a thousand words, the one who always knew what to say in every situation, it’s what made Wilbur good, what made him stand out next to Technoblade, and for once, he was speechless. The words danced away from him, waving him farewell as he struggled to find a way to make the situation lighter.
Tommy found the words, catching them as they fluttered away from Wilbur, cradling them gently and using them.
“I think that they’re cheating,” Tommy said after a minute, and Wilbur turned as much as he could.
“Cheating? Who?” he asked bewildered.
“The enemy. Obviously. Taking out the best fighter using a long-ranged weapon. Totally cheating,” Tommy said, and Wilbur huffed.
“Obviously,” he agreed and Tommy nodded underneath him.
“Do you think we should just wait it out?” Tommy asked.
“There isn’t much else we can do,” he said.
“Phil’s going to find us.”
“He will,” Wilbur reassured, and Tommy smiled.
The fighting was still going on around them, people crying and screaming, blood flying and blades clashing brutally.
No one stopped to check if the two impaled people were alive, and maybe it was for the best.
“Tommy, go limp,” Wilbur said, and wordlessly, Tommy obeyed, and then Wilbur did the say, wincing as the spear shifted. “We have to act like we’re dead, okay? Just until help comes, right?”
“Right. Pretend we’re dead,” Tommy said, and there was a brief second of silence. “Wil could you keep talking?” he said quietly, and Wilbur smiled against the ground over Tommy’s shoulder.
“Sure Tommy. Ah… Phil’s going to want to keep us off the battlefield for the rest of our lives when we get out of this,” he joked, holding onto the ‘when’ desperately.
“Yeah. Bummer, I just convinced you lot too,” Tommy said, and Wilbur could practically see the weak grin that he had.
“Techno was ready to send you home when he saw you in the wagon,” Wilbur said honestly, smiling a little, and Tommy shifted his head as much as he could without pain.
“What? Really? What convinced him?” he asked, and Wilbur paused for a minute, slumping into the green grass and Tommy’s shoulder, the crushing reality of guilt weighing him down.
“I did,” he whispered. “I convinced him that you were mature enough. You’ve been training for this your entire life by the best of the best, and… Techno was so paranoid. At first he was going to follow you,”
“Follow me?” Tommy said, a chuckle creeping into his voice.
“He got this idea in his head that he would protect you from every enemy by following you. But uh…” it was getting harder to speak and articulate. That couldn’t be a good sign. “Phil. Phil said that was dumb, and that Techno trained you better than he trained me, so if anyone shouldn’t be allowed on the battlefield it’s me,” Wilbur said and Tommy snorted, before he hissed through his teeth.
“I bet that just made The Blade more paranoid than before,” he said. His voice was breathier than before. Wilbur tried to convince himself that it was just because of the weight of his body on Tommy’s.
“Oh yeah. He was ready to send me home with you, two birds with one stone, even saddled up Carl in preparation.”
“He was going to have us ride Carl?” Tommy asked and Wilbur smiled.
“He cares about you more than he expresses,” he said simply. The grass was blurring underneath him and Wilbur realized belatedly that he was crying.
“Wilby, we’re going to live, right?” Tommy asked, and Wilbur just about stopped breathing.
“Yes. Don’t let another thought enter your mind,” Wilbur said, maybe a bit more harsh than he needed to be.
“Okay. Okay. We’re going to live,” Tommy said, and Wilbur smiled a little. He was getting suspiciously cold, fingertips beginning to numb. “Wil?” Tommy said, and Wilbur closed his eyes.
“Hmm?” he said, and Tommy bumped him lightly.
“Hey. Don’t fall asleep.”
“Okay.”
Within moments, Wilbur was asleep.
“Wilbur? Wilby? Wake up, please wake up!” Tommy’s voice was frantic, and Wilbur’s eyes snapped open.
“Sorry Tommy, just figured I’d take a quick nap you know? You’re awfully comfortable,” Wilbur joked, tongue awfully heavy in his mouth, iron coating his taste buds disconcertingly.
“Don’t do that again. Not again Wilby. You can’t just go to sleep like that,” Tommy said seriously, and Wilbur nodded against his neck.
“I won’t, I promise Toms,” he said and Tommy swallowed loudly next to Wilbur’s ear. “Your heartbeat is fast,” Wilbur noted and Tommy huffed.
“I wonder why. It’s almost like I thought my brother had died on top of me while we were skewered together,” he said, panic slipping into his voice and Wilbur instantly felt bad.
“I’m sorry,” he said and Tommy shook his head.
“It’s over now. Phil or Techno will find us soon,” Tommy said hopefully, and Wilbur nodded.
“Of course they will. They have a sixth sense for this type of thing.”
“They will,” Tommy said again.
“They will.”
A moment passed in silence.
“Wilbur, can you tell me a story?” Tommy asked.
“What story would you like to hear?” Wilbur asked, Tommy didn’t speak for a second.
“Can you tell me about mom?”
“Oh Toms. I don’t remember her that well,” he said weakly, and Tommy shook his head.
“I don’t care. I don’t remember her at all,” he said, and Wilbur sighed.
“Well. She was… our mom. Techno has several memories of her, he would be a better person to ask, and after he finds us and heals us up, he might be willing to tell you his stories,” Wilbur started and Tommy interrupted.
“I don’t want to hear Techno’s stories right now. I want to hear yours,” he said, pausing before tacking on a quick, “please.”
“Of course. Ah… I told you about the horse, right?”
“Many times. I want to hear a new story.”
“I don’t have that many stories to choose from Toms,” Wilbur said, searching back through his memories, trying to dig up something new for him.
“C’mon, there’s got to be something behind that receding hairline,” Tommy said, and WIlbur was silent.
“Are you kidding me? You’re lucky I don’t hit you, gremlin,” he said and Tommy huffed out a laugh.
“Fair enough. Please though?”
“Let’s see... “ Wilbur paused for a moment before the story got reeled to the front of his mind. “Did I ever tell you about the time she caught me stealing jelly donuts?” Wilbur asked. Tommy huffed.
“No! Tell me,” he demanded, and Wilbur smiled, getting in half a lungful of air before starting his story.
“Well, I think I was four or five at the time, uh… I was hungry. But only for the jelly donuts that mom made,” he took in another shallow breath before continuing, “she had spent half the night making these donuts for the banquet, and so I snuck in with the plans to steal one or two,” Wilbur said, and Tommy huffed.
“I’m guessing you didn’t steal… ah… one or two?” Tommy asked, words blurring together slightly.
“No. By the time mom found me, I was on my seventh or eighth.”
“What did she do?”
“Well, she sat me down, and told me stealing was wrong,” he paused for effect (and to catch his breath- did he always get this winded?) “and then she took the platter and we hid from the staff in a cabinet and ate the rest together,” he said, smiling fondly. There was a bit of silence. “Tommy?” Wilbur asked.
“I think I would’ve liked to know her,” Tommy said quietly.
“I know, Toms, I know,” Wilbur said. “She loved you, I remember that.”
A faint memory swayed to the front, being carried by Phil, the blond baby being cradled in a large black cloak. A giant hat. It passed as quickly as it came, leaving some empty slot in it’s place.
It was difficult to stay awake, somehow more than before, like there were weights attached to his eyes. Sleep dragged him down, despite how desperately he tried to stay awake, listening to Tommy ramble on and on about everything and nothing, keeping himself calm.
When he woke up again, it was to Tommy frantically shouting right next to his ear, jostling him on the spear, making the wound twinge uncomfortably. Although still being able to feel pain was probably a good sign.
“Phil- Phil, Wilbur, he- you have to help him. Help him, Phil! Phil please,” Tommy was shouting, and Wilbur cracked his eyes open.
“Tommy?” he said quietly, and became aware of the heavy taste of blood in his mouth and on his lips.
“Wil? Wilby? You’re going to be okay, you’ll be fine, Phil is- Phil’s here now,” Tommy said, turning his head to look Wilbur in the eyes, trying to hold his stare. “Just stay awake for a bit longer okay? Just a bit longer.”
“There’s so much blood.”
Wilbur turned to see Techno on the opposite side, staring at the mess of their bodies, eyes wide and unblinking. He was coming down from the haziness battle brought him, unfocused, twitching, and pale, looking like he was about to fall over.
“Techno- Tech, go grab a medic, please. Quick as you can,” Phil said, hands dancing over their bodies as he tried to figure out how he could help them. “Wil? You awake now? Stay awake for me, okay bub?” Phil said, and Wilbur slowly nodded.
“Phil?” Wilbur said, and Phil quickly leaned over him, pushing his hair out of his eyes with a gentleness the Angel of Death shouldn’t have.
“Yes? What do you need Wil? What can I do?”
“If it comes down to it, save Tommy,” he said, and Tommy immediately reacted underneath him.
“What- no! No that’s not necessary, don’t even- don’t even joke about that Wilby- you can’t- no,” Tommy was choking on his words, breathing getting faster and Wilbur watched as Phil’s eyes grew wider.
“Tom- Tommy calm down, shh…”
Phil gently rubbed Tommy’s shoulder, before moving into Tommy’s hair, gently pulling it away from his face to kiss his forehead. “Everything is going to be okay,” Phil said in his falsely confident tone. Tommy bought it though, for the moment, nodding and swallowing quickly, obviously trying to calm himself down.
“Phil,” Wilbur said, and they made eye contact. Phil swallowed roughly.
“We won’t come to that.”
“But if we do-”
“We won’t. That’s final, don’t argue with me Wil,” Phil said, and there was the panic he must’ve been feeling. Leaching into his tone in the shape of concern and something almost like anger. “Techno?” Phil said, looking up in confusion.
“Phil- I- the medic is busy and he- he said- he can’t… he’s…” Techno was frantic as his footsteps pounded back into the clearing. His eyes were wide as saucers, trying to explain to Phil in a hushed voice why he had no medic with him, and in a moment of clarity, Wilbur realized why he didn’t.
The medic didn’t think they would live long enough to make a difference. And that was a sickening thought.
“Techno,” Wilbur said, and Techno’s head snapped over to him, eyes tracing their forms as he stumbled closer, dropping to his knees. “Take a deep breath.”
“Okay. Okay,” he said. Techno’s eyes were still too wide, his breathing too fast. He was also covered in blood, which couldn’t be helping the chaos in his head.
“If any of us has the right to panic it’s me big man,” Tommy said underneath Wilbur, and that forced a strangled sound out of Techno’s throat, almost like a laugh.
Techno nodded, inhaling shallowly but looking slightly more calm afterwards.
After another moment, Phil placed a gentle hand on Techno’s shoulder.
“You have the most training out of all of us,” Phil said quietly, and Wilbur watched as the panic rose all over again.
“What? No-” he started, and Phil crouched down next to him.
“Techno, take a breath,” he tried, but Techno shook his head rapidly.
“No, no, Phil- Wilbur has the training, he shouldn’t have been on the battlefield,” Techno started up again, and Wilbur gingerly pulled his hand away from his body, gently placing it on Techno’s knee.
“Techno, my hands are shot,” Phil said, and Wilbur squinted, finally taking in the busted joints and swelling. They were shaking even as he held them extended out.
“After me, it’s you. I’ll be here to help but it’s you.”
“I can’t-“ Techno started, again, hands reaching out, covered in blood. He scrubbed his face, bloody streaks going down as he shook his head. “I’m The Blood God- I can’t- I don’t save lives, I take them!” he said, and Tommy huffed out a breath underneath Wilbur, suspiciously quiet during this time.
“You can. Remember when I was little?” he asked and Wilbur smiled. Techno shook his head again.
“That was a scraped knee- this… this-“
“Techno if you don’t do something they will both die.” There was Phil, ever the voice of reason.
Techno’s hands twitched for a moment before he launched into motion, and Wilbur felt Tommy relax slightly underneath him. Phil always had a way of getting Techno to move, whether that was a good thing or not was to be decided at a different time.
“Phil- Phil get as much clean cloth as you can, and… and water. Alcohol. Uhh…” Techno paused. “A saw,” he said with a wince, and Phil just nodded, taking to the sky in an instant, and the Techno was crouched over both of them, bloody pink hair swinging over his shoulder as he began checking them over, golden jewelry glinting in the setting sun.
“Big man, I don’t know why you’re checking my eyes when I can clearly tell you what the problem is,” Tommy said loudly in Wilburs ear, and he had to resist the urge to laugh.
“Concussion,” Techno said. “You don’t have one but Wilbur does.”
“How’re we looking?” Tommy asked and Techno flinched.
“Fine. You’re going to be fine,” he said. “I don’t know!” Techno yelled over his shoulder suddenly, and Wilbur swallowed nervously.
“Techno?” he asked quietly, and Techno shook his head roughly, hitting his hands on his temples.
“Shut. Up,” he declared with finality, eyes squeezed tightly shut.
“Techno, you can do this,” Wilbur said, and Techno nodded.
“I know I can. I have to. I can do this. As long as the voices shut. Up,” he said, head twitching to the side a little, as though he could knock the voices out of his head.
Phil came back down with a thump, carrying all his supplies to Techno, keeping a very close eye on him.
“Are you okay to do this?” he asked, and Techno glared at him with a ferocity Wilbur had never seen before.
“I have to be able to do this,” he said, and Phil nodded. Techno glanced around and swiped one of the white cloths from Phil’s hand, scrubbing it over his face and hands, leaving dark streaks of blood behind. “Where is my saw?” he asked and Phil winced.
“I uh… I couldn’t find a saw,” Phil said, and Wilbur couldn’t see what Techno was handed.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Tommy said underneath him, in a way that meant he had seen what Techno was handed.
“What’s happening?” Wilbur asked.
“I- I brought Techno’s axe,” Phil said, and Wilbur slumped into Tommy.
“This is going to hurt isn’t it,” Wilbur stated.
“Well. To put it simply, yes. Especially if I can’t get through it in one hit,” Techno said, coming around to where Wilbur could see him. His hands were loose on the axe, fingers twitching.
“I trust you Techno,” Wilbur said and he winced.
“So do I,” Tommy chimed in, sounding far too cheerful for their predicament. Techno’s face twisted in that way that it always did when he was trying to block out the voices.
“Shut up,” he said, glaring at the sky. A twinge of nervousness snuck into Wilbur’s chest.
“Techno’s got this. He’s the best,” Tommy said, almost like he had read Wilbur’s mind.
“TIme is ticking,” Phil said, before he winced. “I don’t want to rush you-”
“Oh please, rush me Phil, I’m only trying to get the voices to stop talking over each other,” Techno said.
“Do they want you to kill?” Phil asked, and Techno turned away from Wilbur and Tommy for a moment.
“Not this time. They don’t like an un-honorable kill. They’re giving me medical advice,” Techno said, and for a split second Wilbur thought he was joking, until Techno turned with that deadly serious expression on his face.
Techno took in a steadying breath, grip shifting on axe as he hefted the familiar weight. Wilbur had seen him cut through thousands of enemies with that axe. It had ended so many lives, and it was weird to think that it might be the one thing that could save Wilbur and Tommy.
“This is going to hurt,” Techno said, closing his eyes tightly for a moment. Wilbur follow suit and then quickly whispered,
“Tommy, close your eyes.”
And then there was the distinct sound of his axe slicing through wood, for a moment, Wilbur felt nothing. His fingertips had been numb for a while, his body feeling oddly cold, so feeling nothing wasn’t exactly new… but he knew that he should be feeling some sort of pain.
Then there it was. The pain danced through every bone in his body, arcing from the top of his head to the tips of his toes as he desperately tried to catch his breath as the feeling of the wood scraping his insides filled his thoughts.
Techno threw his axe off to the side, rushing to Wilbur’s side as he gasped and struggled to stay awake.
“You’re okay. You’re okay, we’re done. We’re done,” Techno said, his eyes radiating fear and hurt as he gently rubbed Wilbur’s head. Deep down, Wilbur knew they were far from done, as a sizable chunk of the spear was still lodged in their bodies. Techno was draping white cloth around the wound, pressing down in a way that made Wilbur ache from everywhere.
“Hurts,” he managed to get out.
“I know. I know, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, please, please,” Techno was rambling, eyes frantic as he looked between the spot on Wilbur’s back to his face.
“Sleepy,” he said, and Techno shook his head.
“No. No, don’t sleep, please.”
Wilbur was out before he even registered that his eyes were closing.
When Wilbur woke up again, it was to arms reaching under him, he was lifted quickly, the spear sliding out of him, and he was laid down on some soft cloth that was quickly being stained red. Phil appeared over him again, pressing hard into his gut with gauze, lips moving rapidly. Wilbur wasn’t registering sound, for whatever reason, just watching Phil’s lips move, Techno’s face appeared next to his, his hands gripping Wilbur’s face. Techno’s hands were sticky. Wilbur didn’t know if it was his blood, Tommy’s or someone else’s entirely.
“Wil?” Techno said, and Wilbur flinched, which caused his body to try and recoil away from itself, pain twinging through his nerves as Phil pressed down harder, hands and cloth soaking with red.
“You’re going to be okay,” Phil said, and Wilbur nodded.
“Yeah. Yeah. Tommy?” he asked, and Techno smiled a little.
“Kid’s a trooper. He’ll be fine. He’s not nearly as bad as you are,” Techno explained, and Wilbur smiled.
“Good. That’s good.”
“We’ve got you Wil,” Phil said.
“Are we going home soon?” Wilbur asked, and there was a spot of silence that drifted around him. “It’s okay if we’re not… I just want to know…” Wilbur trailed off.
“We’re going home now,” Techno said at last, and Wilbur smiled, closing his eyes.
“Does that mean I can sleep?”
“Well…” Phil started, and Wilbur could feel the silent argument going on above him.
“Just go to sleep, Wil. We’ll take care of you,” Techno said, despite the fact that Phil seemed to be protesting above him.
The room they were in was easily recognizable, the white sheets, white pillows, the cool stone on the walls.
For a moment, Wilbur had forgotten. Then he tried to sit up and abruptly remembered exactly why they were in the infirmary. He looked to the side quickly, looking for Tommy. It only took a moment, but his heart was beating too fast.
Tommy was sitting up next to him, peering at him in that way that he did, and Wilbur smiled at him.
“Toms?”
“Hey Wil,” he said.
“We made it.”
“Yeah. Yeah, we did, much to my surprise.”
“Hey, you sounded confident earlier!” Wilbur protested, and Tommy winked at him.
“A ruse big man, bet you didn’t see that one coming.”
“You… gremlin child.”
“Thank you,” Tommy said, before going suspiciously silent, awkwardly fiddling with the pure white blanket lying over him. There was still red under his fingernails.
“What is it?” Wilbur asked, and Tommy looked up.
“You were so pale,” Tommy said quietly, and Wilbur tilted his head a little. “I was awake. On the way home. And you were… so so pale. Your lips were practically blue. I don’t know how you survived, honestly.”
“Well, maybe Death is looking after us,” Wilbur joked.
“Do you ever think-” Tommy cut himself off, and Wilbur turned as much as he was able to.
“Do I ever think what?”
“Do you think that maybe mom is watching after us?”
Wilbur couldn’t mess this up. “I think she’s stuck with us. And shows her love in little ways. Like when we were younger, and you thought that you had lost your music disk, and then you found it under your pillow.” Wilbur had put the disk there.
“There were two,” Tommy said, smiling a little. “Do you mom put both of them there?”
“Both? I thought there was just the one.”
“No… that’s how I got my second disk,” Tommy said noncommittally, and Wilbur swallowed roughly.
“Well… yeah. I think she did.”
“Wil-” Tommy started up, but both of them perked up at the sound of footsteps outside, the familiar clomping of Techno’s favorite boots, the soft tinkling of his favorite jewelry. Techno stuck his head in, scoffing a little at them, though he sounded amused.
“I’m never ever letting the two of you near a battlefield ever again,” Techno said, crossing his arms over his chest for a moment before stepping further in, placing a hand on the hilt of his sword.
“Awe c’mon big man-” Tommy started up, almost pleadingly.
“Absolutely not, I turned my back on you two for like… tops 3 minutes and you went and got impaled,” he said exasperatedly, and Wilbur laughed a little before clutching at his stomach. Techno was immediately by his side, checking the bandages gently. “You idiot,” he chided.
“You’re the one that made me laugh!” he protested.
“You’re the one who laughed,” Techno said, and Wilbur spotted another figure in the doorway. He turned as much as he could to look at Phil, who was smiling fondly, giant wings folded comfortably behind him as he watched over them.
“Philza? Is that Phil?” Tommy called, his view blocked by Techno.
“It’s me mate. The mother hen over there hasn’t been letting anyone in to see you guys,” he said in a joking tone, and Techno whirled around, clean pink braid whipping around his body.
“You said you wouldn’t tell,” he said in the whiniest tone Wilbur had ever heard from the Blood God.
“No way. The Blade? A mother hen?” Tommy said incredulously.
“It’s true,” Phil said, and Techno stared down at his feet.
“It might be a little true,” he said softly, awkward for only a moment.
“They should probably get some rest,” Phil said, and Techno nodded.
“Yeah. Yeah, rest,” he then turned to Wilbur, eyes gentle. “It’s good to see you awake.”
“Did I scare the Blood God?” Wilbur asked, though his joking tone died as Techno peered at him, grip tightening on his blade for just a moment, revealing the nervousness and concern that Techno must’ve been feeling. “Sorry,” he said, and Techno just nodded a little, a small smile on his face as he looked at both of them.
“Don’t ever leave my sight again, you hear?” he said, before stepping out the door. Before the door could close, Phil slipped his head in.
“I know you two are up to no good, but be sure to rest,” he said and Wilbur nodded, smiling.
“You got it.”
“Thanks mate. You too Tommy,” Phil said and Tommy rolled his eyes.
“Fine, whatever old man. I’ll sleep soon,” Tommy said, and his defiance was marked by a yawn.
“Yeah. You do that. I’ll let you be now,” Phil said, and the door shut behind him with a soft click, Techno and Phil’s voices retreating as they walked down the hall.
“I’m never leaving you alone again,” Wilbur said jokingly, and Tommy huffed, settling further down into the bed.
“C’mon, I’ve already got Techno as a babysitter,” he tried, and Wilbur shook his head.
“Nope. Never ever ever,” he said and Tommy laughed a little, quieting down tiredly, and Wilbur smiled. “Go to sleep Toms,” he said, and Tommy nodded, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them again.
“Wil- can you- I just… hold my hand?” Tommy asked quietly, and Wilbur immediately shifted as much as he could, reaching for Tommy’s outstretched hand.
“Of course.” His hand was tight and warm, and Tommy fell asleep soon after, a smile on his face. Wilbur gently ran his thumb across Tommy’s knuckles before letting sleep tug him down as well.