Work Text:
Wilbur couldn’t seem to stop replaying the memory of that day in his head. The events that happened just a week ago playing in a taunting loop through his mind. He would lay awake at night, the terribly loud thoughts in his mind a stark contrast to the silence of his room.
And as he stared blankly at the ceiling, reliving that day, he could only think, “I could have done so much more” Wilbur knows he could’ve- no should have done more to prevent it. If he had just done things differently it wouldn’t have turned out this way.
He shouldn’t have snuck out that night.
He should’ve just stayed home with them
He should have picked up the phone
He should have at least said goodbye
But he didn’t, and it was far too late now. That day was ingrained into his memory. Always replaying, over, and over.
Wilbur shoved his beanie on, pocketing his phone as he walked over to the window in his room. He had waited until everyone had fallen asleep, for tonight was the night he snuck out. It honestly wasn’t for anything bad either, he was going to go explore the old train tracks with Quackity, he had wanted to for awhile, but his parents had told him to stay away. “It’s dangerous.” They would tell him. But that wouldn’t stop him.
Looking back, Wilbur wished desperately that he had just listened and stayed home.
Wilbur opened his window, clambering down the short distance to the ground before reaching up and closing his window once again. He waited silently for a few heartbeats, making sure no one had heard him. No one came, the lights in the house stayed off, no shouts of “Wilbur Craft! Just what do you think you are doing?”
If only someone had caught him, had stopped him from leaving…
Wilbur grinned, sprinting down the driveway as he pulled out his phone, texting Quackity, “on my way” as he headed towards the tracks. He pocketed his phone once again, walking quietly through the dark streets. It was surprisingly easy to sneak out like that.
Far, far too easy.
After an uneventful twenty minute walk, Wilbur had made it there. He grinned widely, seeing his friend Quackity was already there! “Hey Big Q! I made it!” The boy in question turned upon hearing his name, “Hey Wilbur! Damn took you long enough man!” Quackity chuckled. “Oh shut the fuck up man- I had to wait until EVERYONE fell asleep! My whole family is a pack of night owls, Mum is the only one who has a reasonable sleep schedule, Dad and Tech stay up into ungodly hours of the night.” Wilbur said in exasperation. “Well you're fine now, come on! Lets go check out the tracks, I wonder what kind of stuff they have in those old train cars.” Quackity rushed over to the tracks, Wilbur followed.
“It’s probably just boring junk.” The brunette said. “Or it’s drugs!” Quackity said jokingly. “Wha- No of course there’s not going to be any drugs! What the fuck Quackity?” “Hey, you never know until you see it.” The Raven-haired boy said. “Well… then lets go see it! I’ll race you to one of the cars!” Wilbur said, already sprinting to the nearest car. He hopped into it, turning to see Quackity far behind him. After a few seconds his friend made it, pulling himself up into the cart and turning towards Wilbur. “What the fuck man! You got such a big head start!” He wheezed, out of breath. “Nahh you’re just slow!” He teased. Quackity slapped him on the arm. “Oh shut up already!”, “Fine, fine!” Wilbur laughed. “Come on lets open up one of these crates!” “YEAHH IT’S DRUG TIME!” “NO- Stop with the drugs already!”
Wilbur sighed, walking up to the crate and tried to pry it open, it let out a shrill, ‘CREAAAAAK’ but wouldn’t budge. “Quackity come help me open this!” “Alright! I'm coming!” The two both grabbed the lid, before nodding as they both heaved upward at the same time. They lid snapped off and they both tumbled to the ground, thrown off balance as dust danced through the air. For a few moments it was completely silent, Wilbur crept forward, he stood up and peered into the crate, then…
‘RIIIING! RIIIING! RIIING!” Wilbur shrieked, jumping as a shrill ringing filled the air. Quackity jumped. “AHHH! WHAT THE FUCK!” They both whipped their heads around, searching for the source of the noise. Wilbur froze, his face reddening in embarrassment when he felt a buzzing in his pocket. “Oh my fucking god- it was my phone!-” Wilbur whipped his phone out. Who is calling him at the ungodly hour of 2:30 in the morning? It was…”Oh shit- My mom is calling!” Wilbur yelped, holding the phone out in front of him. “They must have found out I snuck out!” “Shit! Okay uhm- definitely answer, you’ll just get in more trouble if you-” ‘ Beep!’ “Hang up on her-...DID YOU JUST TURN YOUR PHONE OFF!?” Quackity yelled. “I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO!”
Oh, how Wilbur wished he had just answered the phone
Quackity sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Okay, we just need to get you home as quickly as possible. The longer you’re gone the more trouble you’ll be in.” He said. Wilbur nodded. “Okay…” and they both started the twenty minute trek to Wilbur’s home. About five minutes away from the house they saw a figure rushing towards them. It was Techno. “Wilbur!” His brother said, ramming into him and wrapping the brunette in a hug. “Holy shit you’re okay!” Techno’s expression was warped with worry, but upon seeing Wilbur's concerned gaze he reigned his expression into a more neutral one.
“Wilbur, please tell me you’ve seen Mom, was she the one who found you?” Techno said quickly. “No I haven’t seen her, she called me…I didn’t pick up but I thought it would be best if I came home.” Wilbur said. Techno took in a sharp breath. “Thats- thats not good…” He said. “What- why? What happened!?” “After we found out you left Mom panicked and drove off to look for you. We don’t know where she went and her phone is going straight to voicemail.” Techno said.
Wilbur would always remember that night.
He would always remember the worry that had seeped into him the moment Techo said those words, settling in his chest, sitting there until it rotted him from the inside out
He would always remember-despite how desperately he wanted to forget-the sight of his mother’s corpse, killed in a car accident hours before they found her.
Wilbur couldn’t forget that night, no matter how much he wanted to
So he simply laid in his bed, rotting away as he uselessly wished he could have a second chance
But wishes don’t come true, if Wilbur knew anything, it was that.
oOo
Wilbur stared at the mirror, noticing his messy hair, but not bothering to fix it. He pulled his beanie on, and nodded, seemingly satisfied with his work. After his Mother’s death Niki had given him awhile off of work, but after a few weeks that had seemed to drag on for forever, it was time for him to go back.
Wilbur didn’t want to go, of course he didn’t, he felt too drained to do anything but curl up and wait until time claimed him to join his mother, but Niki needed him, he was her only employee besides Jack, he already felt bad leaving her alone to run the shop for the few weeks he’d already been gone. So Wilbur took in a breath, and stepped out of his room. He made it outside without any trouble, Techno and Phil nowhere in sight of course, all of them had been too lost in their own mourning to even attempt at comforting the others. So Wilbur started down the sidewalk, beginning the short trek to Niki’s bakery.
oOo
Wilbur had already begun his work routine, taking orders, baking, filling cups of coffee, it was the same as always, save for the fact that Wilbur no longer tried to greet the customers as he used to do. When he returned Niki had seemed worried, saying he had come back too soon, asking if he wanted more time off.
Wilbur did, but he didn’t have the heart to leave Niki to run this place alone again. So Wilbur just got to work, it wasn’t so bad after awhile, it was actually nice to have a distraction, to have something to do. Wilbur found himself actually appreciating the tedious work. It was bland, but a good distraction nonetheless. It was simple, take their order, prepare it, deliver. Though of course, nothing lasts forever, not even the calm routine of work, that was quickly proven when a new customer walked into the shop.
He had blonde hair, and ocean blue eyes, his clothes were dirty, but that wasn’t too out of the ordinary for kids his age, as he looked to be around fourteen. After walking in, the kid turned, making a bee-line for the counter. “Hey big man! What kind of pastries ya got here?” He said cheerfully. Wilbur blinked, taken aback. “Did you just call me big man?” The kid grinned. “Yup!” He said, popping the p’. “Well ok then, what can I get for you?” “Not sure, how about you choose? You work here so I’m sure you know what tastes good.” Wilbur blinked, not sure what to do, no one ever asked him to choose their fuckin order for them. “Uhm- well, the blueberry croissant bites are pretty good.” Wilbur raised an eyebrow when the kid scrunched up his nose in disgust.
“Hey! What's wrong with those!?” Wilbur exclaimed. “Blue berries are for fuckin wrong’uns big man.” The kid said seriously. “Wha- you know what, I’m not even going to try to question that- What about the strawberry ones then?” The kid’s face lit up at that. “Hell yeah! Strawberries are the way to go! I’ll get two of those and a coffee, lots of creamer please!” He said. “I don’t know if you can handle a coffee, you’d be jumping off the walls. My boss told me I’m not allowed to give caffeine to children.” Wilbur said jokingly. “OI! I’M NOT A FUCKING CHILD BITCH-BOY!” He yelped.
Wilbur let out a startled laugh, some other customers glancing over in annoyance at the noise he was making. “Really? Bitch-Boy?” he said, laughing. “Yes, Bitch-Boy, that is what you are called now.” “I have a name y’know?”, “Sorry I didn’t quite catch that, anyways that’s such a weird name you have. Honestly, who the fuck names their child ‘Bitch-Boy’, you should get that checked out.” Wilbur laughed harder, doubling over as some customers shot him concerned looks. “Alright, can I get a name for your order.” Wilbur said, straightening up as he tried to contain his laughter.
“Yes, That’ll be Tommy Danger Kraken Innit.” Tommy said proudly. Wilbur let out another huff of laughter at that. “Got it.” He said, and promptly wrote ‘Loud Child’ down for the order’s name. Tommy grinned and went to sit down as he waited for his order.
For the first time in awhile, Wilbur found himself smiling.
oOo
Over the next few weeks, Tommy started coming to the bakery every day, and Wilbur always found himself looking forward to it. Tommy was like a lighthouse, shining his light across the dark ocean Wilbur had found himself stranded in, leading the brunette to the shore. Wilbur wasn’t okay, not yet. But Tommy made things easier. So that was why Wilbur found himself here, asking Tommy if he’d like to join Wilbur for dinner, as Wilbur thought it’d be fun to hang out with blonde outside of work, when he wasn’t stuck taking orders for everyone who walked in.
“So, do you want to?...I mean you don’t have to of course!- Only if you want to!-” Wilbur rushed, he would admit he was nervous, he was scared Tommy would think it was weird, Wilbur wouldn’t blame him honestly, it’s not everyday some random seventeen year old you occasionally talk to in a coffee shop asks to hang out. But Tommy didn’t seem weirded out at all, much to Wilbur’s relief, he seemed to think the opposite. “Yeah of course I want to! That sounds fun Wil!” Wilbur let out a sigh of relief. “Awesome, how about Mc’ Puffy’s?” The brunette asked. “Sounds pog!” Tommy paused, then pointed a finger gun at Wilbur. “I want a coffee now Bitch-Boy.” He said grinning. “Alright, alright, no need for violence child-” He said, turning to grab a coffee cup.
“M’ NOT A FUCKIN CHILD!-” Tommy shrieked, Wilbur was glad the shop was empty, otherwise he would be dealing with lots of angry customers due Tommy’s screeching. “Whatever you say Gremlin.” Wilbur said, raising his hands in mock surrender. Tommy narrowed his eyes, taking a step back.
Then he leapt right over the counter.
He tackled Wilbur, laughing. “Take that Bitch-Boy!” He cackled. “Pfft- Get off me you Gremlin!” Wilbur laughed, standing up. “You’re only helping to prove my point, Tommy! You’re a literal chil-” Wilbur was cut off by Tommy tackling him again. “Wilbur, I will have you know that I am quite literally the biggest man ever. Your inferior mind clearly cannot perceive my sheer amount of pog, so you make things up to try and make sense of what you can’t comprehend. It’s fine to be in denial big man, just don’t call me a chil- AGHH- '' Tommy cut himself off with a screech as he was shoved off of Wilbur.
“Yep, still a child.” Wilbur laughed.
oOo
Tommy and Wilbur walked together down the L’manburg pier, eating the food they’d gotten earlier. It was a pretty cool place, almost the whole pier was lined with Carnival-like games, and Tommy loved it. The blonde was practically ecstatic as he rushed around, pointing out every game and looking on in awe at the bright lights surrounding everything. As they were walking Tommy suddenly stopped, staring over at a certain booth in excitement. “Huh? You good Tommy?” Wilbur said. Tommy turned to look at him. “Wilbur…” He said slowly. “That booth has cow plushies as a prize! I need it! Wilbur I will actually die if I do not get a cow, I’ll shrivel up like a raisin! Do you want me to become all raisin’y?” He said pleadingly.
“Alright, no need for the raisin dramatics, lets go get you that cow child.” Tommy narrowed his eyes at being called a child, but seemingly decided against commenting on it. When they got to the booth, Wilbur discovered that it was a ring toss game, he frowned, he'd never really been good at this type of game, they tended to be rigged as well. Tommy tended to not give a shit, he grabbed some rings off the counter after Wilbur paid the person working there. Tommy handed a few rings to Wilbur, and they both threw at the same time.
and they both completely missed.
"OHHH THAT'S BULLSHIT!-" Tommy shouted. Wilbur glanced over at him. "Hey it'll be fine, we still have a few more tries." He said, smiling. Tommy paused."Yeah, you're right!" he nodded, smiling in determination. They both threw their rings again...
and missed.
"Shit, this is our last try, lets make this count." Tommy said, eyeing the cow plush. They both threw. Tommy's ring missed.
But Wilbur's landed, his ring landing on the rung with the most points. Wilbur froze. How the fuck did he do that? He sucks at these games- Holy shit he actually did it! Tommy looked over to him, eyes shining. “OH MY GOD- WIL YOU DID IT! THANK YOU! COW PLUSH YOU ARE MINE!” The blonde said, laughing happily. Wilbur smiled, grabbing the prize and handing it to him. Tommy grabbed it excitedly. “This is immensely pog- Oh! He needs a name!” Tommy squinted, looking at the cow plush, before holding it up. “I dub thee…HENRY!” He shouted happily.
Wilbur smiled, looking at the boy who seemed to shine brighter than the sun. “Henry is a good name.” He said. Tommy smirked. “Yes, a much better name than Bitch-Boy.” “Pfft- oh grow up you child.” He huffed fondly. “Growing up is overrated anyways Bitch-Boy, it can wait until next summer.”
Wilbur just smiled, continuing his walk down the pier with the little brother he never had.
oOo
Wilbur walked down the streets, head down as he wandered aimlessly. To anyone else, it would be just another ordinary Sunday, No school or work, just a nice day to relax. But for Wilbur, it was one of those days. One of those days where no matter what he seemed to do, his mind just wouldn’t seem to quiet down. Even in the silence of the calm streets, Everything seemed so loud. All he could see was his mother’s corpse, the mangled car she sat in. All he could feel was the cold winds biting at his face as his whole family searched for her. All he could hear was the ringing of his phone as he stood in the train car with Quackity.
It was a cold day, despite it being summer, the sky was covered in grey clouds, blocking out any light the sun tried to share. It was as if the very sky was reading his mind, turning everything a dreary grey to match his misery. He looked ahead numbly, noticing he was nearing the beach, as if on autopilot, he headed towards the ocean. He looked up once again as the concrete beneath his feet slowly faded to sand. The water was grey too, reflecting the sky as waves crashed onto the shore.
Tears burned in Wilbur’s eyes as he stared at the dark water.
Mom had always loved the beach.
Before he knew it, he was stumbling forward, sitting roughly down on the sand as he tried to contain his tears. He was sitting so close to the water that the waves lapped at his feet, soaking his boots in the chilling water. She’d loved the beach so much. But she couldn’t anymore. She couldn’t do anything anymore. And it was all Wilbur’s fault. It was his fault that his Mom is dead. Tears slipped down his face, and he sobbed. Trembling as his body was wracked with guilt. Why!? Why had he been so fucking stupid!? Why had he gone out that night!? Why didn’t he just pick up the phone!?
The waves crashed loudly, but they did nothing to drown out Wilbur’s wails as he screamed out to the ocean. He let out another broken sob, pulling his knees up to his chest. As he cried, his tears fell into the water, the ocean claiming them into its salty expanse as if they were never there. As if he was never there. He was alone.
Until he wasn’t.
Wilbur turned, brows furrowed as someone laid a hand on his shoulder. Who?- He paused. It was Tommy. “Hey Wil.” He said, smiling softly. “Not a good day huh?” Wilbur huffed, pointlessly wiping the tears that couldn’t seem to stop. “Yeah…” He whispered hoarsely, his throat raw from crying. “You could say that.” Tommy nodded sadly. “Can I hug you?” the blonde said quietly. Wilbur nodded, and the next thing he knew, he felt arms gently wrapping around him. “If you want to talk about it, I’m always here to listen Wil, but if you don’t wanna talk, that’s completely fine too. I understand.” He said quietly.
And Wilbur found he did want to talk, he needed to let someone know how he felt, and if he trusted anyone in this sick world, it was Tommy.
So Wilbur told him everything, and by the end of the story, the brunette was sobbing all over again. “Wilbur…could you look at me please?” Wilbur took in a deep breath, looking up at Tommy’s ocean blue eyes. “Wilbur, the things that happened that night… I need you to know that it was not your fault. You could have never known that would happen, and you certainly didn’t mean for it to” Tommy said. “But it was my fault. She was only driving- she only crashed, because she was out there searching for me!” He sobbed.
“Wilbur, no. It was not your fault. You weren't the one driving that car. You weren’t the other driver who crashed into her. Hell- it was a hit and run Wilbur! They were the one that killed her, not you. So stop blaming yourself, or you will never get over her death. She loved you. You know she loved you. And she wouldn’t want you to feel like this, she would want you to move on, she would want you to be happy, not this. Because it was not your fault Wil, it wasn’t. And I know she knows that as well.” Tommy said. Wilbur looked down at Tommy, tears still gleaming in his eyes. “Okay…Thank you Toms.” He said, smiling weakly.
“No problem Wil, I haven’t known you for very long, but you’re like a brother to me, I’ll always be here to listen.” He said, giving Wilbur a smile that, while it was small, it could easily outshine the sun.
And for the first time since his mother’s death, Wilbur thinks that maybe… just maybe, he’ll be okay.
oOo
A few weeks passed, and Tommy didn’t come by the bakery again. At first Wilbur didn’t think too much about it, Tommy might’ve just gotten sick or something. But after three weeks with no sign of the blonde, he was worried. He couldn’t find him anywhere, and that scared Wilbur more than he would like to admit.
The last time he wasn’t able to find someone, they had ended up dead.
But Wilbur searched desperately anyway, he couldn’t lose someone he cared about. Not again. He wouldn’t lose his little brother. So, Wilbur searched, and searched, staying up into unhealthy hours of the night to search through every street, every alley, every park, he would find Tommy. He asked every person he saw if they had seen a boy of his description, asking if they knew any ‘ Tommy’s’. But no matter how many people he asked, no one seemed to even know who the boy was.
It was as if he had never existed.
But Wilbur wouldn’t give up.
oOo
It had been six weeks since Wilbur had seen Tommy, but Wilbur couldn’t worry about that, at least not today, as today was the four month anniversary of his Mother’s death. He knew he couldn’t avoid it forever, so today he needed to stop worrying about Tommy, just for today, and visit his Mother’s grave.
After quietly slipping on his jacket, he stepped out of his room, wincing as he could hear sobs coming from Phil’s bedroom. He should have comforted his father, but that would need to wait, he couldn’t push this off any longer. So he stepped outside, and started making his way towards the cemetery.
It was raining gently as he walked quietly over the cemetery’s grass, but it was one of those rare occasions when the sun was still out while it rained, shining light through the glittering drops. It was quite beautiful in all honesty, as if the very sky was weeping glimmering tears for his mother.
As he came upon his Mother’s gravestone, tears of his own joined the flurry that danced from the sky. He sat down on the grass in front of his Mother’s resting place, gently placing a Dandelion down in front of it. It had always been her favorite flower, insisting that it was beautiful despite it being a weed. “Hey Mom…I-...I really miss you. I look back on that night all the time… I wish you were still here with us… I used to blame myself too, hated myself for it. But, someone helped me realize that it wasn’t my fault…and…I think I’m going to be okay. I’ll never stop missing you, but I think I’m ready to move on…To be happy.” He smiled gently.
“Y’know, I met this kid, Tommy… he’s- he’s a great kid. He’s got this smile, hell he could outshine every star in the sky without even trying. He’s just bright and so full of life, he helped me a lot. Told me you’d want me to be happy. He’s like the little brother I never had, he can be such a little shit, but prime I love that kid. I… I haven’t seen him in awhile, I’m pretty worried, I won’t lie. But I’m going to find him, and then… I think I’ll be okay Mom…” He smiled, quietly standing up, he paused when something on the gravestone next to his Mother’s caught his eye.
Huh? Did that say?...
He stepped closer, freezing when he saw what it said.
May he rest in peace
Tommy innit
Date of death: 1982
What? No… that- that didn’t make sense…How? The date of death said he had died before Wilbur was even born- It had to be fake- It-
“Hey Wil”
Wilbur froze, looking up to see Tommy sitting on the gravestone, a sad smile gracing his face. And then, the realization hit him.
Tommy was a ghost.
“Tommy…” Wilbur said quietly, tears building up in his eyes. “You’re dead…how- why? How am I even seeing you?” He said, voice shaking. “You needed help Wil, Y’know…Kristin was the one who sent me…she needed someone to make sure you were okay. Honestly, I’m glad I’m the one she chose, you’re like a brother to me Wilbur…” He said, giving Wilbur a small smile. Tommy hopped off the gravestone, wrapping Wilbur in a hug. “I’m really glad I got to meet you Wil…” he said, tears building in his own eyes. “You’re going to be okay Wilbur, but Phil and Tech need you. You need to go home.” He said.
“You can’t stay, can you?” Wilbur whispered. Tommy looked down, smiling sadly. “My work here is done Wilbur. Go back to your family.” He said softly. Wilbur hugged him tighter, tears streaming down his face. “I’ll miss you.” He said. Tommy pulled away, looking into Wilbur’s eyes. “I’ll see you again someday Wilbur. Until then, be happy for me, okay?” Wilbur nodded.
And then, slowly, Tommy faded.