Chapter Text
tommy thinks he’s going to be sick when he stumbles upon the crime scene. his parents, murdered in cold blood, and his babysitter over their dead bodies, holding a knife with a sick, satisfied grin on his face.
“sunshine,” wilbur practically purrs, throwing the knife to the other side of the room. “it’s- god, i’m sorry, sunshine. they just pissed me off. talking about you as if you’re their personal toy.”
tommy’s parents weren’t the best. they’d yell and scream and sometimes hit, and the hitting was more constant, now. wilbur must have seen the bruises.
“wil- wilby…”
“shh, sunshine, it’s okay.” despite being covered in blood, wilbur makes his way to tommy and engulfs the teen in a hug. “bubba’s got you. you’re safe, now. you’ll never be hurt, again.”
tommy buried himself into a part of wilbur’s shirt that isn’t messed with blood, and he allows himself to stand there and to be hugged. his eyes start to slip shut, and he falls asleep while standing, hugging wilbur.
———————
when tommy wakes, he’s somewhere unfamiliar. he can only assume it’s wilbur’s home. he’s tucked into a soft bed, and his clothes have changed. he was now wearing wilbur’s yellow sweater, the one tommy knew was wilbur’s favorite because he wore it so often, and a pair of sweatpants.
“wilby..?” he calls out, nervously.
the door opens just a few minutes later. “sunshine! you’re awake!” wilbur’s been cleaned up, thank god. now adorning one of his favorite band shirts and a pair of sweatpants. “sleep well, baby?”
“i slept… okay… do i- should i thank you? for what you did?”
“thank me?” wilbur asks. “sunshine, i would have done it either way. you don’t need to thank me. i’m your big brother, it’s what i’m supposed to do.”
warmth fills tommy as he hears wilbur refer to himself as tommy’s brother. tommy, despite being fifteen, makes grabby hands towards wilbur.
“okay, okay,” wilbur chuckles as he slides into bed next to tommy. “this is my room, you know. well, ours. you’re staying with me, sunshine.” wilbur presses a kiss to the top of tommy’s head as he pulls the boy into his chest. “i love you.”
“i love you, too, wilby.”