Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Techno said it wasn’t a good idea to go outside,” Wilbur said to no one, pacing his room as he thought, “But where the hell am I supposed to go otherwise? The castle’s boring.”

“The library?” A voice cut in at his door, making him swivel to face his brother, Techno’s smile holding little to no emotion as he kept his pink hair tied up in a bun too neat to not not have been braided before being twisted into the crown of his head.

“I’m not a nerd, Tech,” Wilbur sighed out, pinching his nose as Techno weaved his way into the room, leaning on the boy’s desk. He pushed a stray hair from in front of his face, taking the crown from one hand and placing it on his head just right so it wouldn’t fall off. “There aren’t even any good books in there.”

“Have you looked?” Techno returned immediately, raising an eyebrow as Wilbur went to talk again, but he stopped himself.

Had he?

“No,” he muttered, watching the smile on the other’s face grow more fond as he signalled outside the room again. Wilbur had no other choice, taking his cloak and clipping it over his chest, moving out of the room with Techno trailing behind; the man soon broke off though, going to do some other King duties that were more important than annoying his little brother.

He never really took time to go to the library in the past years of living in the castle, even in the long weeks where he’d been locked inside the walls he refused… but now? He looked at the large wooden doors with a feeling like admiration, the handle worn from the daily use of their kingdom’s King who almost always hid away in the large room.

Before he could change his mind, Wilbur pushed the door open, mouth dropping slightly at the absolute beauty of it. The tall shelves filled to the brim with books, leather and simple paperback, each having been read too many times to count by many different people over the years, each hand turning the page as caring as the last.

Wilbur couldn’t help it as his feet moved swiftly into the room, shutting the door silently behind him as he made his way to the nearest shelf, smiling at the covers and the names, each and every one different and amazing in their own way. He’d never been the bookworm type, but as he looked over every colourful cover with neat words sprawled in different fonts on the spine he couldn’t help but feel at home in some way.

Silently, he carried on, feet falling soundless on the wooden slabs that lined the floor, running a careful hand across the books.

But when he rounded the corner, he saw something he didn’t quite expect.

There sat a boy, feet propped up on the table, book in one hand and he was biting his nails on the other. His hair was a golden blonde and he wore clothes that seemed too poor for him to be sat in a castle library – a white collared shirt only slightly tucked in, a pair of black trousers, some worn down black boots and a pair of black suspenders, and to top it all off a red and white patterned bandana loosely wrapped around his neck.

“Um, can I help you?” Wilbur asked slowly, watching the boy jump and fall backwards on his chair; Wilbur was by his side at once, holding out a hand that the boy slapped away, using the table to help him up and pulling the chair back so the legs were touching the wood slats once more.

“I’m fine, you don’t just scare a man when he’s reading though,” the boy groaned, placing his book down on the table and turning to Wilbur, taking a moment to look at the boy before pushing his lips into a thin line, “You’re Prince Wilbur.”

“I am,” he replied, taking notice of the boy’s scruffy unwashed hair before looking back to his eyes, cocking a head at the beautiful blue that met his own penny brown eyes. “And you are?”

“I’m Tommy,” he stated proudly, holding out a dirtied hand that Wilbur took with a smile, watching as the boy turned back around and placed the book under his arm.

“What you reading?” He decided to ask before the boy could make off, making him pause and turn back around, raising an eyebrow.

“Why do you care?” He asked slowly, pulling the book out from under his arm as Wilbur shrugged.

“Simple curiosity I guess,” Wilbur said, looking at the book held out to him. ‘Jane Eyre’, “I haven’t gotten a chance to read it yet, is it good?”

“You don’t even read books,” Tommy returned, snatching the book back and tucking it back under his arm.

“And how would you know that?” Wilbur spat back, stepping closer to the boy when he turned back, already heading for the exit before the brunette could get another word in.

“I’m just smart like that.” Was all he said before jumping out the window, but when Wilbur walked after him and looked out, he couldn’t see him anymore, confusion crossing his features at the sudden lack of the kid.

Before he could think about it too much, he headed to a new shelf, looking over the books before he found one he deemed interesting enough, taking it in his hands and leaving the room, shutting the door silently once more.

-

Turns out the man named Theseus who lived in approximately 800BC was a lot more interesting than Wilbur had thought, so interesting, in fact, that Techno had to come to his room to tell him it was time for dinner which he was never late to. 

But he was soon making his way back up to his room anyways, feet banging louder than he’d prefer on the ground before he pushed open his too big door, running to his desk and swiping the book back into his hands.

He practically fell back onto his bed, opening the pages. It took a moment, but he then realised the light pattering on the window, smiling as he temporarily left the book back on the bed, making his way over and slightly opening it to let the smell and the cold fall into his room. Wilbur loved rain, mainly because his mother loved rain, it helped him think though, helped him focus.

Once he’d sat back down, he went to take the book into his hands, but something stopped him. He heard an extra patter from his windowsill, groaning as he looked back up. But he paused.

It was a kitten, ginger fur damp as it stepped inside, immediately falling down and falling asleep.

It was an exhausted soaking wet kitten.

Wilbur had never jumped up quicker, immediately scooping the kitten up in his arms and grabbing a towel from his bathroom, wrapping him in it and then settling the bundle on his bed, making sure he was sleeping peacefully before moving back to his book, focusing on the rain and the steady breaths of a newly content kitten, smiling as he read the words decidedly splayed out in front of him.

It was nice, warm even if it wasn’t for the cold breeze breaking through the crack in the window, and Wilbur couldn’t stop grinning.

The only issue was how he’d make Techno believe he wasn’t invested in the book, knowing he’d shove it in his face and laugh at how he was right because he was always right.

And then the kitten started to move, and he felt a need to stop everything he was doing, letting a hand reach out behind the kitten’s ears and scratch at the matted fur, feeling him sink into it with a mini sigh.

Then, strangely, the cat jumped, eyes going wide as he leapt backwards, staring right at Wilbur before scanning the rest of the room.

~

“Hey, it’s alright I don’t want to hurt you,” Wilbur said quietly, and Tommy couldn’t help but snarl, jumping further back when a hand reached out to touch him.

He was in the castle, with the prince, in the wrong form.

What if something had gone wrong? What if he’d changed back when he was asleep?

But, as he looked up, the man only seemed scared, and it made him step back down for a second and fully evaluate the man’s face with a tilted head.

His brown eyes seemed concerned, his brown hair was neat but not too neat and it had been fluffed in front of his face as if in a rush to be somewhere, but he was a prince that hadn’t left the castle since he’d stolen a horse and rode it to the nearest lake – the King had to drag him back by his collar as he road the horse, feet in the dirt as he was pulled – so there was no way he was going to go and do anything.

And then Tommy noticed the book in his lap, still flicked open onto a page; obviously, curiosity got the best of him, making him trot over to look at the page.

‘He was one to be adored by many, and yet they cast him aside, exiling him.’

It was something he recognised, but he couldn’t exactly remember from where.

Decidedly, he placed a paw on the page to get a better look, making Wilbur move the book slightly to face him as if he knew he’d be able to read it.

‘This was after he accidentally caused his father, Aegean, to jump off a cliff, killing himself in distraught of Theseus’ death.’

“This is Theseus, he was a Greek myth, said to have slayed the minotaur,” Wilbur explained with a smile, grazing a careful hand over the page, “I haven’t finished it all yet, but i’ve heard Tech talk about him before at the dinner table and apparently he kidnaps a child and gives her to his mother to look after until she’s a woman.”

It made Tommy grimace slightly, just a little confused in all actuality if he was being completely honest, mewling to show his discomfort as Wilbur laughed, running a hand over his head and behind his ears.

Tommy sank into the feeling, leaning his hand back into the careful fingers as the boy continued to laugh, watching his paws fall off the page until he was lying down, resting his chin on the warm covers of his bed and letting the boy enjoy a little bit of peace and quiet, if only for a moment.

“Little Theseus, you are adorable.”

Theseus?

He let out a huff at that, shaking the hand off his head and turning around so the other could no longer see his face, only making him frown.

“What? Don’t like it? Do you have a better idea?” 

He did, his own name, Tommy, but he couldn’t tell him that, glancing back at Wilbur as the man sighed, noting the careful footsteps outside his room and shutting his book. He slipped it onto his bedside table and stroked down his back once more, “Come in!” He shouted before they could even knock, the door opening to a tired Phil, a warm smile on his face.

“Hey mate.” He greeted, walking in and shutting the door behind him. Subsequently, Wilbur shuffled further over, watching Theseus move with him and sink into his bed next to his leg, resting the side of his face on his knee and letting out a breath as Phil sat carefully on the edge of the bed, raising an eyebrow at him, “Who’s this?”

“Theseus, he didn’t want to be out in the rain,” Wilbur returned, stroking the kitten’s head as his eyes slipped shut, pretending to be asleep yet secretly and ever quietly listening to their careful words passed between a strangely warm air.

“He’s gorgeous, maybe give him a bath some time soon.”

Hah, Tommy thought, hiding his smile, he thinks i’m staying.

“Yeah.”

They stayed quiet for a moment, and it seemed Phil wanted to say something, yet something held him back, biting his lower lip as Wilbur stayed patient.

“Have you-“ he paused, looking at his lap for a moment as he picked his nails, “Have you noticed anything off about Tech recently?”

“Um, no? Why?” 

Phil stayed quiet, placing a careful hand on the bed sheets. Tommy almost felt bad for the man before he remembered he would be leaving as soon as the rain stopped, noting the nervous bounce of his leg and his breath that seemed a little too shallow.

“He was found… alive.” Wilbur froze.

“And?”

“And he got away.”

He? Who’s he?

“He got away?” Phil nodded in a way that seemed too solemn for it to be a good thing, and with how Wilbur started to stroke Tommy once more he knew something was very off. “Do they have any leads?”

Phil, again, stayed quiet, thinking it over for anything that might fit into the category of a ‘lead’, “Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“There’s this kid.” He stated, looking to the book on the bedside table with a hint of glee his boy was reading once more, “They don’t have his name yet, but they think he’s after him.”

“Oh.” Tommy realised the hand on his head had stopped, nudging it and making the boy smile, only slightly complaining as he was picked up, held close to Wilbur’s face. He knew what the man was doing, even as he was unable to move or do anything but kick his legs around in annoyance he knew that Wilbur just wanted some kind of comfort from something, anything. “I saw someone in the library today.”

“Who? Techno?” He laughed at it as if it was absurd, shaking his head and pulling Tommy to his chest as if he was a baby, ruffling his stomach with a grin too cheeky for him to simply be petting him; the worst part was that Tommy enjoyed the attention, sinking into his arms and letting the boy stroke his fur, unknowingly unknotting multiple chunks of hair that had been annoying him for weeks.

“No, this blonde kid, was reading that new book from a few years ago, ‘Jane Eyre’ .” Phil simply nodded, observing the boy’s interaction with the kitten with an emotion akin to fondness, watching as the kitten squeezed it’s blue eyes shut with each passing careful finger. “No clue who he was, didn’t look too wealthy either in a non-offensive way.”

Tommy almost laughed and swatted the boy’s face, but instead he didn’t, because he knew it was true, and there technically wasn’t a reason he should’ve been in the castle in the first place.

“Huh, I don’t remember ever seeing a kid younger than you or that Techno’s mentioned, was he younger than you?” Wilbur thought about his face, how simply young it was despite the few scars that sat across his cheeks. 

“Yeah, I think so.” He said quietly, watching as Theseus slipped his eyes closed again, this time sinking further into the warmth that was Wilbur’s arms, nestling into it and making sure the boy was comfortable himself, feeling beneath him as he giggled, scratching his chin with a smile.

“Alright, i’ll ask around, see if anyone knows him, got any descriptions of him?”

He started massaging Tommy’s head, and his mind went almost fully blank, eyes unwillingly shutting as he sank further into his arm, “Uh, blonde hair, tall, freckles, scars across…”

Theseus drifted off before he could hear the rest of the conversation.

-

Thankfully, Tommy had woken up before Wilbur, maybe he had been cradled in the man’s arms for longer than he had hoped, but the sun was finally shining once more, and without a hint of carefulness he leapt out of the man’s grasp, immediately going to the window-

To find it closed.

The window was closed.

“Th’seus?” A groggy Wilbur called out, making him turn back around to meet the boy’s tired gaze, “Is everything alright?” He decidedly scratched at the window pane, not even caring about the disappointed look on Wilbur’s face as he placed his legs onto the cold wooden ground, making his way over and carefully opening the window.

Tommy didn’t think twice, scanning outside to find the safest way down before leaping, ignoring the piercing gaze on his back of golden fur as his paws landed on slightly damp stone, cold to the touch and almost rough enough to cut into the bottoms of his feet, but he was stronger than that, he’d been through worse than walking on rigid rock.

Wilbur couldn’t tear is eyes away as Theseus scanned his surroundings, hopping off in the direction of the gardens. Only when the kitten was out of sight did the prince back away from the windowsill, sighing to himself as he ran a careful hand through his hair.

He wondered if Theseus would ever come back, but with how eagerly he wanted to leave he didn’t have much hope, sighing as he shut the window over once more.

-

“Why do you look so depressed?”

“Techno!”

“What?!” Techno shot back, genuinely confused with how what he said could be considered rude in any way.

“My cat left me.” Wilbur returned, no emotion laced into his words, only exhaustion and a want to return to his book and not have to look his brother in his eyes and tell him that he had escaped.

“Oh no that’s such a shame… what cat?” Phil held in his laughter with a forkful of pancake, holding a hand over his mouth to be more polite – when in reality he was trying tremendously hard not to spit out his food in an amused fashion – as he watched the scene unfold in front of him.

A Prince and a King, brothers likely forever and probably always.

“Theseus, he came in yesterday from the rain and he left this morning.”

Techno paused, fork half way to his mouth as he looked to Wilbur; the boy solemnly picking at his food. “Where’d you get that name from?”

Wilbur’s eyes went wide, immediately stuffing his mouth with food until his plate was clean, “I’ve got to go, good bye.” He announced with his mouth full, standing from his seat and leaving the room. Yet he wasn’t exactly sure where else to go, thinking with all he could about where he could go that the other wouldn’t find him. 

Techno had said he would be busy all day, and it’s not like the library was the first place anyone would look for him.

So he walked in, this time without hesitance and making his way to the same shelf as before, smiling as he found a book explaining different Greek villains and placing it under his arm.

Then, for some odd reason he didn’t understand, he made his way to the end of the aisle, poking his head around it in feign curiosity; as expected, there sat Tommy, looking maybe a little better than the day before with how his hair was slightly neater and not as dirty, but other than that he seemed relatively… well, normal.

“Morning Thomas.” He greeted with a small smile, no emotion hidden between his pressed lips as the boy finally took notice of him, dragging his eyes away from the book to simply raise an eyebrow at Wilbur who seemed equally unimpressed, “How has your day been?” He decided to ask, pulling the other chair out from under the table and sitting down, making sure to remain some way from the other as he leaned his elbows on his knees, chin falling into the palms of his hands.

“Shit, you?” He replied, tugging slightly at his bandana. It made sense, it was quite hot, but why would he be wearing it in the first place.

“Also shit,” he returned with a grin that, to people not listening, showed the opposite emotion to what he actually said, “you can take the bandana off y’know.” Wilbur returned easily, pointing to the red and white patterned fabric that seemed to be tugged too tight around his neck. But, for another odd reason Wilbur didn’t fully want to know the answer to, the boy froze, a simple mistake made by too many mysterious men.

“I… can’t.”

“What do you mean you can’t?” He asked, looking over it and seeing a slight red line just above where it sat on his throat, telling him outright that it needed loosening, “Here I’ll do it for you-“ as he reached his hand out, it was immediately slapped away, a frown appearing on his own too tired face as Tommy huffed, mumbling a string of incoherent words Wilbur couldn’t catch before standing.

“I have a really bad cut I need to cover up,” Tommy stated after a moment, “That’s why it’s so itchy y’know?”

“Do you want me to fix it up for y-“

“No.” He spat back immediately, taking another step back to make sure he wouldn’t try and grab at it again, “No, you uh- don’t, need to do that.” The last few words were laughed out, but the tenseness in the boy’s shoulders said enough. Only then did Wilbur find himself feeling bad for him, when considering the boy probably snuck into the castle he found it just a tad bit stupid to feel sympathetic.

But he couldn’t help it.

It was all too… familiar.

It reminded him of the time his brother finally returned home after years of being missing, he was all too secretive, too closed off, so newly apathetic it was almost scary. But when he eventually explained the reason, Wilbur knew he couldn’t blame him.

“Well i’ll leave you some bandages at least so you can fix it up.” Wilbur stated before the other could object, making his way to the desk and taking out some bandages he’d left there a couple months ago after he patched his brother up – he’d been forced to defend himself from someone trying to assassinate him – and handing them to Tommy who simply stared for a moment, “And if it isn’t a cut these will at least help cover it up so you don’t have to wear an uncomfortable bandana.

He took them.

And then he looked to Wilbur, his face way too patient and his brown eyes kind, and he somehow felt a urge to trust the prince despite who he was, despite who Tommy himself was. Maybe he could trust him.

He glanced back to the bandages, letting a small smile grace his face for a moment.

“Thank you.”

Wilbur couldn’t help but smile back, leaving without another word and letting Tommy continue reading alone in a silence likely better than his own confused words.

Maybe the kid wasn’t too bad.

-

Dinner was quieter that evening, and Wilbur just wanted to go, he wanted to go to his room, finish his book and start his new one (he only had a few chapters left).

“So,” Phil started, and Wilbur sank further into his chair, poking his sausage with his fork and shoving it in his mouth to have an excuse not to talk, “How were your days then?”

The two stayed quiet.

“Techno?” The man in question sighed, leaning his head back as he shut his eyes.

“Don’t patronise me.” He groaned, running his hands over his face before going back to his food, poking it in boredom.

“Wil?” He only hummed in return, not looking anywhere but his plate, “How was your day?”

“Fine.”

“Just fine?”

“Yeah.”

Phil couldn’t help but sigh once more, eating the rest of his food in silence (much to Wilbur and Techno’s relief).

Neither were sure why they were both being so quiet, but the feeling was somewhat mutual, and neither were determined to break their strange quiet.

Wilbur left as soon as he finished, feet moving easily up the stairs, pushing open his door.

And then he paused.

He heard something, following the noise; it led to his windowsill, and there outside sat-

“Theseus?” He asked, brows knitted before he opened the window, watching the kitten prance in and sit decidedly on the desk next to the window, bringing his paw to his mouth and licking it twice, then he pressed his paw behind his ear, pushing it down slightly with the movement, “You’re back?”

The kitten stopped, gorgeous blue eyes meeting Wilbur’s own brown ones.

The look basically said it all, as if to say ‘well i’m sat here right now aren’t I?’ And it made him smile, scooping the kitten back into his arms and scratching behind his ears. The cat immediately resisted, jumping back onto the desk before trotting back off towards the bed, jumping up onto the cool covers and pressing his paws to them for a moment.

Wilbur followed behind, sitting beside the kitten as he pulled his book back to his lap, watching in his peripheral as Theseus curled into a ball, resting his head on the back of his paws as he shut his eyes.

“You’re absolutely adorable, y’know that?” He cooed easily, lying down and resting his head next to the kitten. Apparently he didn’t like that, kicking out a leg and hitting Wilbur’s nose before bringing it back to his stomach, “Alright, sorry.”

They fell into a quiet more comfortable than the one at the dinner table, Theseus’ chest slowly rising and falling as he slept as Wilbur went into his own world, learning about a man with the same name he dubbed the resting kitten beside him.

“Theseus?” He called out, watching the kitten turn his head towards him to show he was listening – it was a little strange but he brushed it off, “Would you like me to read it so you can listen?”

The cat immediately jumped up, turning fully towards Wilbur as he sank into the covers right beside boy, closer to his face than before and letting the brunette rest his forehead on his own dirty fur, “Alright, i’ll read for you.” He giggled out, turning back to the book as he kept the side of his head resting on the cat beside him to make sure he didn’t feel left out of anything he was certainly privy to.

~

Tommy listened oh so attentively as the other spoke, voice calm and even as he read the words, stopping sometimes to share his emotions on whatever he’d just read with wide eyes and a voice that seemed way too shocked to be impressed by someone killing something.

In all serious, Tommy was hardly listening, he’d just been… well, focused on another things. 

Like the adoration in Wilbur’s voice, the excitement in Wilbur’s tone, the disbelief in his words and the volume reduced slightly to not bother anyone, showing his utter respect for the people around him.

“It was Lycomedes that eventually took Theseus’ life, by- wait a second, isn’t that the dude who had seven daughters?” He asked suddenly, flicking back in the book and reading a random line, “It was! Oh what a man.”

Tommy couldn’t help but laugh, and it seemed to catch Wilbur’s attention. In all honesty, he’d never seen a cat laugh, but Tommy remained normal, determined not to still in case it would give him away. But it was probably fine, most people assumed shifters were things of myths like the ones in Wilbur’s book, and judging by the man’s confused face he was likely one of them.

“Anyways, sorry-“ he flicked the pages back, coughing to regain his thoughts before placing his finger back on the page in the place he’d left off, “-eventually took Theseus’ life by throwing him off one of the island’s cliff… wow.”

Tommy took a deep breath to compose himself, making sure not to let anything else slip as Wilbur shut the book.

“What a life he had, am I right? Imagine being Theseus, would it be good or bad?” He asked, looking at Tommy.

But this time he uncontrollably froze, slowly shaking his head.

“Bad? Why would it be bad?” Wilbur returned, slightly half hearted, but Tommy slowly stood, nudging the book open and flicking to the page he knew held the answer, the page he’d been shown many times by a man he once knew and hoped to never come across again.

It read, ‘They say he’d been cursed with the worst traits of those he loved, like his sons angered ignorance causing him to nearly die when going to save Persephone from the underworld; and he passed in the same way his father had of his own doing, when he foolishly forgot to show white flags instead of the black, causing his father to commit suicide by jumping off a cliff.’

“Oh, yeah I guess that’d be pretty shit.”

Yeah, Tommy knew that, he’d felt that.

Decidedly, he shut the book once more, curling onto Wilbur’s lap and letting the man stroke a careful finger down his back, sinking into the warm feeling.

“You’re a strange cat Theseus,” he stated simply, and Tommy stayed decidedly still.

Even as Wilbur continued to pet him, even as he struggled to place the book back on his bedside table, he stayed, because he didn’t want to move, because if he did-

If he did… he’d probably be taken once more.

-

Wilbur couldn’t help but feel slightly proud of himself when he saw Tommy with bandages wrapped around his throat the day after, no red spots or anything to signify there had been blood. It meant he’d gotten something right, and the fact he was actually wearing it meant he’d done something right.

“Is that more comfortable now?” Wilbur asked with a smile, pulling out the chair and sitting down, leaning his feet on the table as Tommy shrugged, no book in hand surprisingly as he picked his nails.

“It’s alright.” He responded, not meeting the other’s gaze as Wilbur tried to figure out how to start another conversation with the boy.

“How long have you been going here?” He eventually asked, meeting Tommy’s ocean eyed gaze as the boy finally looked at him, shrugging as he sighed.

“I don’t know, two weeks?” He replied, running a hand through his blonde hair that still needed washing. Wilbur, again, couldn’t help but feel bad, it seemed dirtier than the day before.

“This might sound strange-“

“Oh god-“

“But do you want to go have a shower? I can sneak you upstairs to my bathroom.” He offered, waving absently to the door to emphasise his point.

But Tommy stared for a moment, maybe at Wilbur’s own smooth face, or maybe his too fluffy hair or his expensive clean clothes, but he stared, because he wasn’t sure what to say.

It was a strange offer, but it was a kind one no matter what and he had good intentions.

“I don’t know, there’s people all around the castle y’know.” Tommy stated easily, looking around the nearest corner for anyone who might’ve been in there; much to his relief, it was just him and Wilbur.

Why was that relieving? He was still the prince.

“No one will know, and if Tech- the king sees you he won’t even question it, I do shit like this all the time.” Wilbur returned with a small smile, holding out his hand.

Tommy stared at it for a moment, slightly surprised at the lack of scars and dirt, and then surprised at why the other was asking to take his dirtied hand. But he took it anyways, the two immediately taking off through the library and immediately opening the door. After Wilbur had a quick scan of the hallways, he pulled Tommy down one he hadn’t actually seen (understandably, he’d never been out of the library) – Tommy had to avoid staring at every painting on the walls, decidedly looking in front of Wilbur to see where they were going.

They continued on for a strangely prolonged amount of time, but eventually they reached another staircase, and Wilbur started trotting up it, hand still firmly holding Tommy’s as he did so. At the top of the stairs were two double doors, solid wood, and newly familiar to the blonde.

“Here we are, that wasn’t so difficult now was it?” Wilbur asked him with a proud grin which Tommy only scoffed at, watching the other open the doors for him and gesturing to him to walk in.

Obviously, it was smaller than he remembered, but maybe that’s because he was various times bigger than usual. It was quite a warm feeling room despite the cold breeze coming through the window, and he almost laughed at how Wilbur had left it open before pausing.

He’d left it open… for him.

“This is a nice room.” Was all he said, turning to Wilbur to find him going through his clothes in his wardrobe, placing multiple bits on his arm before shutting the doors, turning back to Tommy and holding them out with a kind smile.

“Here, for when you get out, those clothes don’t seem the cleanest.” 

Tommy stared at them for a moment. They were definitely cleaner than his own, Wil wasn’t wrong, but also they seemed too fancy, he’d be mistaken for someone better off, and for some reason that didn’t feel right.

“I’ll be okay thanks.” He returned after a moment, pushing the clothes closer to the other as he started to frown, humming as he glanced back at his clothes.

“How about you pick some? So you feel more comfortable, y’know?” 

Tommy tried to smother it, he tried to decline, he tried to hide the absolute joy and excited grin that rose to his face, but he couldn’t, not with Wilbur being his amazingly caring self.

-

“Theseus look at this!” Wilbur said happily, ushering the kitten over as he jumped through the window, immediately making his way to the desk Wilbur was slouched over, “Look what Techno got me.” He held it out in front of him in a proud fashion; it was a crown made of the finest rubies, the gold of the ring beautifully polished and tinted slightly red as if it was made specifically to match the crystal it showed off – which was highly likely considering his status.

After a moment of staring at it, Theseus jumped up onto Wilbur’s shoulder, manoeuvring so he wouldn’t fall off as he looked at the crown a little closer. It was definitely beautiful, that much he knew, but why would Wilbur even need a crown? He was only a prince.

As if to ask this question, he nudged his face against the man’s, feeling his shoulder’s shake slightly as he laughed, placing it on his head before moving to the nearest mirror, making random poses in it as Theseus kept moving to keep steady.

“Well, little guy, I think he just wanted me to look cooler, don’t you think I look so much more handsome?” He asked, reaching a hand up to scratch behind his ears; but he refused out of blatant disrespect, fully disagreeing with the man’s words as he trotted away, decidedly going to the window and watching as Wilbur walked further towards him, “Sorry, sorry didn’t realise- don’t leave, please, I have more to show you.”

He placed one paw out.

“Alright i’ll stop showing you things,” Wilbur sighed out, taking one more step as he held out a hand, Theseus retracting his paw from the window and moving it to the prince’s palm, stepping up onto it and jumping back up his arm, making sure to leave at least a couple scratches on his way to let the man know he wasn’t fully forgiven. “At least your fur isn’t matted anymore.”

Theseus stopped, prodding a paw on the man’s head to draw him away from the thought, but it didn’t seem to work.

“Actually you seem cleaner overall, you smell nice too, you smell like-“ he took a second to breathe in, Theseus immediately jumping back down onto anywhere nearby he could retreat to, trotting away and out of reach to quickly clean himself, getting rid of any familiar scent he might hold. “Like my shampoo, do they have the same scent for cats? Who gave you a wash?” 

His words were slow and calculated, walking over to the kitten and crouching down beside him, stroking his fur and making him stop licking himself.

“Doesn’t matter, what does is someone is looking after you, and that’s all I can ask for.” Wilbur sighed out with a smile too kind for Theseus, “Though I do need to ramble a little, is that okay?” In response, the ginger kitten curled his head further into the hand, receiving a light laugh in return before warm hands scooped him up, making his way to his bed before sitting cross legged, placing Theseus down in front of him before making himself comfortable.

~

It takes second before Wilbur finally starts talking, shutting his eyes as he spoke to be able to gather his thoughts a little easier.

“So, Techno has this thing right? He disappeared for years, two or three maybe? And when he returned, he was struck dead silent, never talking, hands always shaking no matter how much he tried to steady them, it was admittedly a little scary,” Wilbur spoke, Tommy immediately padding his way along the blanket to rest his chin on the other’s knee for support, “And he always did this thing were he covered up the right side of his neck.”

Tommy froze, uncontrollably of course.

“And it’s because he had this thing, I call it a mark, but it looks like a tattoo of some sorts, a small smile.” He lifted his arm to his neck, tracing a smile into his neck, coincidentally in the exact spot Tommy had one.

Techno was just like him?

“It’s more creepy than you’d think, he doesn’t really cover it up purposely anymore but his shirt collar usually does the trick.” It seemed there was something else he wanted to say, and Tommy didn’t think he’d ever wanted to hear something more, climbing further up the man’s leg and nudging his hand to continue, soon being lifted into the man’s arms with a kind hand stroking calm fingers down his spine.

“And, he told me about this man that he and the other ‘captives’ called Dream, because he said he’d put them all to sleep and do tests to try and create more powerful beings, it’s all very complicated but-“ Wilbur stopped for a second, retracting his hand, “Theseus are you okay? Are you cold? I can give you a blanket.”

Oh.

Tommy was shaking.

That… wasn’t something he expected.

Either way, he accepted the blanket given to him, nestling into the warmth and not really complaining when Wilbur tucked it around him, poking his nose before sitting back once more, taking a deep breath before running his hands down his face, them landing carefully on Tommy’s newly clean fur.

“But,” he continued, looking a little too carefully at Tommy for the cat’s – boy’s – liking, “He told me one night that no one could escape, but when he actually started opening up was when he thought he’d found an easier way he could’ve gotten out, and then Dad mentioned this boy the other night that Dream might be chasing after.”

Oh god.

Oh god oh god oh god.

This is not good, this is- no, no this couldn’t- Dream was after him? Dream had been found alive and escaped because of him, to find him, possibly endangering so many other escaped captives all because of his own selfishness.

“And just the way that Tommy was covering his neck was so similar to Techno that I can’t get my mind off it y’know?” Wilbur spoke, his voice quiet and eyebrows knitted in confusion, “I can’t stand seeing my friend-“ he cut himself off, pushing his lips into a thin line before continuing. “My brother in the same pain Techno once was and probably still is.”

Brother?

Huh.

That feels… warm.

The brunette smiled, looking into Tommy’s blue eyes as he looked back at the other, “Your eyes are pretty.” He said after a moment, smiling as Tommy huffed, turning his face away from the other.

Wilbur continued to stroke him, scratching behind his ears as Tommy leaned into the touch as he usually did, wanting someone to hold him, warm and comforting and never letting go, someone who’d make sure Dream wouldn’t find him.

“Sometimes I think you can actually hear me, you react to everything I say in such a you manner it’s hilarious,” Wilbur said happily, leaning forward and grinning into the cat’s fur, Tommy trying to wriggle out but ultimately failing as the blanket stopped him from moving, “But you’re just a cat, aren’t you? You don’t have a damn worry in this world.”

Oh, he could not be more wrong.

Tommy wasn’t just a cat, he was Tommy, the amazing, handsome, hilarious, smart Tommy, a cool ass shifter who was able to sneak into castles and get away with it because of his undeniable charm.

And he had many worries, like keeping his mark hidden, like making sure Dream didn’t find him, like making sure Wilbur didn’t find out Theseus and Tommy were the same being just in different forms.

“Wonder if Techno will tell me more about this Dream dude and what he actually did to them, or would that be too traumatising? I don’t want to hurt him.”

I’ll tell you, Tommy wanted to say, falling onto his side in tiredness, i’ll educate you, if you just help me, if you just give me a fucking hug i’ll tell you.

“Sleepy Theseus, you can rest, i’m here.” Wilbur assured him, and he didn’t think twice, letting his eyes fall shut.

-

Wilbur didn’t even bother going to breakfast that morning, he wanted to be at the library before Tommy, and if that meant skipping a meal he’d do it just to see the look on the boy’s face. Much to his delight, when he got there, the boy was no where to be seen, taking a seat in the boy’s usual reading place and pulling out his own book he hadn’t had the chance to start yet on the greater wonders of greek mythology.

After a moment of realising the boy probably wouldn’t show up for a while, he let himself fall into the book, making sure to keep a sharp ear out for any footsteps, especially from the window seeing as that’s where he’d escaped through on their first meeting.

Soon he’d stopped caring, almost forgetting where he was, not minding if the other didn’t show up at all.

He read about Pandora, how she was created by all the gods and gifted to the Earth – because of how Prometheus gave the human’s fire and Zeus had an issue with that – with a box full of all the horrible things in the world and instructed not to open it, but curiosity got the best of her and she opened it anyways, becoming less of a gift and more of a burden to the other humans around her.

He missed Tommy; sure he’d seen him the day before, but how could he not miss the boy? He was funny, he was an amazing person to be around, he was smart – smarter than Wilbur anyway, he couldn’t sneak into a castle to save his life – and most importantly he made Wilbur feel like a child again, despite only being fifteen he felt so much older than he was, and Tommy fixed that, Tommy reminded him of who he was only a few years ago.

He didn’t hear anything for a while, but at some point he felt a presence nearby, glancing up and seeing a very still Tommy by the window, his lips in a thin line and his hands clasped in fists by his sides.

“Hey Tommy!” He greeted, trying not to unpick the boy’s expression too much; he knew it was of shock, and that’s all he needed to know, “You alright?“

“Uh, yeah, you? You’re here two hours early?” Tommy asked cautiously, eyes squinted in suspicion as Wilbur hummed, shutting his book and standing, offering the chair to Tommy who remained hesitant. “Something’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong-“

“You’re early, you’re acting strange, you haven’t stopped moving since I got here, what’s wrong.” Tommy stated too clearly, taking a confident step forward and looking slightly up to meet the other’s eyes, watching him freeze.

“I’m- it’s- it’s nothing, promise.” Wilbur told him, easily taking Tommy’s hands in his own, temporarily distracting the other as he stared at their hands, interlinked in front of him.

“Ask me the question, Wilbur, I will simply just leave again-“

“Alright, alright, no need to go crazy.” Wilbur laughed back, squeezing the boy’s hands to make sure he’d stay, watching his blue eyes flick back up.

It almost seemed familiar.

“Well?” Tommy asked, cocking his head slightly as Wilbur looked back, only for a short moment before looking to the window Tommy had jumped through.

“Why do you cover up your neck?” Tommy immediately let his hands go, placing them in his pockets and backing away, standing still at a safer distance, “You don’t need to answer, I would never force you to do anything you’re not comfortable with or-“

“It was Dream.”

Silence.

“What?”

Sighing, he lifted his hands to his neck, carefully unravelling the bandages to reveal a smiley face scar that had been etched so deep into his skin that it was tinted slightly black.

He pointed to it, never taking his eyes off Wilbur’s own doe irises, using them to keep him sane.

“Would you like me to explain who he is?” Tommy asked, the feeling on his neck starting to sting from finally getting some air.

“I-“ the brunette started, watching the other’s careful hands as he wound up the material, “Well I know a fair bit, but what was Dream’s goal?”

For some reason, the blonde smiled, placing the bandages in his pocket, “He wanted to create supernatural beings, people with extra powers, and then the process would begin.”

The what?

“The what?”

“The process,” Tommy reiterated, feeling his hands start to shake and pushing them into his pockets. He wasn’t weak, he didn’t need comfort, he was perfectly fine talking about his past, fully, “Once he’d given us the abilities he wanted us to have, he’d lock us up in his mind-forged chamber and rewire our minds,”

Wilbur took a step back, “Tommy I don’t like the sound of this.” 

It was in that moment he realised the boy’s normally blue eyes had flicked to a light green, and it was only getting brighter.

“Of course, I never fell for it, i’ve had too much experience with manipulation to not learnt how to fight it.”

Tommy took one step forward.

“Dream was never able to fully get to me, and he got pissed, pulling the chamber down for a second, one simple mistake, and I was able to run,” Wilbur hated it, he hated how confident the boy looked despite the very apparent tremble in his leg and the quiver in his voice, he hated It, he hated it, he-

“Tommy listen to me, please, you- you’re not-“ he didn’t expect tears to spring to his eyes, covering his mouth with his hands as he stared at Tommy, at his brother, face blank despite his own eyes that started to gloss over. “Come back to me, please.” Wilbur begged, taking the other’s hands once more and meeting his gaze, watching the green fade into a light blue once more.

“That was me, Wilbur, that just shows he’s near.”

“He’s near? Who’s near?” Wilbur asked frantically, bringing their hands up next to his face as Tommy smiled, letting go of the right but dragging the other with his left.

“Doesn’t matter, we need to find Techno, he can help.” Tommy told him, pushing down everything in him that told him how much of a terrible idea it was to show up to the king of the kingdom and ask to take down their past leader (as he called himself anyways).

“He’s busy right now, why do we need him, Tommy are you guys in trouble? We can hide you, we can-“ Wilbur tried, but Tommy stopped walking, meeting the boy’s eyes once more with a warm smile.

“We’ll be okay, I got away from him before, I can do it again, but it’s not safe for Techno anymore, he’ll find him and take him back.” Tommy stated, placing a hand on the door handle and pushing it down, suddenly not caring if anyone heard him – he had bigger problems – as he continued to look at the other, “And I don’t think you want him to go back, you saw the state he was in.”

“How did you-“

“I’ve been through it myself.” The boy reminded him, walking out into the hallway and letting go of the other’s hand, knowing damn well it was the only thing keeping either of them sane. “Where’s his office?”

“Down there,” Wilbur sighed out, pointing down a hallway and following the strangely quick boy in front of him, feet moving in a way that seemed calculated for only the most speed, and considering they were only in the castle it didn’t exactly seem necessary, “Toms, it’s safe here you can relax.” Wilbur tried, placing a hand on the other’s shoulder than was slapped off, not looking at him as he continued.

“No where is safe from Dream.” He said, looking at every door and stopping at one he deemed to be Techno’s.

Wilbur wasn’t exactly sure how he knew, but with the intricate carvings on the wood and the very faint ‘blood god’ that had been engraved he wouldn’t be surprised if Tommy’s quick feet also meant he was quick minded, noticing the little details and assuming it to be the king’s.

The boy knocked on the door with only a little hesitance, a quiet ‘come in’ resounding from inside. Tommy opened the door at once, looking at Techno who was bent over his desk, paper in front of him and a pen in his mouth in thought. Only when Wilbur had shut the door behind them that the king looked up, eyes meeting Tommy’s immediately.

“Proteus?” He asked quietly, squinting his eyes in confusion, Wilbur following suit with an equally as confused noise coming from his mouth.

And to the prince’s surprise, Tommy was equally as surprised at the king, looking over his long pink hair with knitted eyebrows that was strangely not styled, simply being it’s not usual long and wavy self, brushed to perfection.

“Enyo?” He replied, voice cautious as the other stood, making his way around the desk as he looked over the boy, holding out a hand.

“I’m Technoblade.” He stated, and gods if Wilbur wasn’t confused in that moment he didn’t think he ever had been. Tommy grinned, for some strange reason, took the other’s hand.

“Tommy.”

“Nice to see you again Tommy.” Techno replied, taking back his hand and leaning it on his desk, cocking a head, “What brings you here?” He glanced to the brunette beside him, “And with Wilbur.”

“Someone tell me what’s happening.” The prince said in turn, the other two simply blanking him.

“I ran to the safest place I could find, but now it’s not safe anymore and I think he knows you’ll be here too.” Tommy said before he could stop himself, placing his hands in his pockets once more as they started shaking again. “Im leaving tomorrow morning, he’s getting close and I think you know that.”

“Can someone explain what the fuck is going on.” Wilbur almost shouted, finally catching their attention.

“Dream is on his way.”

“I know Dream is on his way Tech! Tommy’s eyes went fucking green earlier, or Proteus of whatever the fuck you called him.” Wilbur returned, gesturing to the boy, “I’m talking about the names, i’m talking about why you’re leaving, i’m asking if Techno is leaving with you too.” The last few words were slightly broken, voice wavering slightly as he spoke, trying to get answers, wanting to understand something.

“The names were given to us by Dream.” Techno said simply, glancing to the other who sighed, biting his bottom lip to stop it from quivering so much, “Once we had our powers, they correlated with a greek myth, and from all the books that you’ve been reading recently you should understand.”

“We all got given two myths,” Tommy spoke, watching the other’s brown eyes flick to his own blue, “One for our ability and one for our burden.”

“Burden?”

Techno turned to Tommy, the boy’s own head turning away from Wilbur. “I’ll come with you, I don’t want to endanger Dad and Wil.”

“Techno you can’t just leave, you have a country to run-“

“No, I don’t, not anymore.” He sighed out, taking a hair tie from his desk and pulling his hair back into a loose ponytail, “But you do.”

“What-“

“My past has finally caught up to me.” He said simply, smiling at the other and resting a hand on his chin, “I’d have it differently if I could.”

Only after a moment did Wilbur realise he was crying, he wasn’t sure when it started, he wasn’t sure when he started hearing sobs as his chest started to ache. No, he only wanted to understand why his brother was leaving him, why both of his brothers were leaving him.

“Please don’t go.” He begged, his words coming out more choppy than he’d like them too, clamping a hand over his mouth to stop it, feeling his brother’s hand fall onto his shoulder.

“It won’t be forever, I promise, just until we get him off our trail, we’ll come back.”

Tommy didn’t have the heart to tell him that he couldn’t return, staying silent as if agreeing with the statement, letting the other two hug and for Wilbur to cry as he edged his own way out the room, shifting once not in sight and jumping down the hallways on all fours, not ever wanting to hear the other cry like that again.

He was wrong to hope for so much.

-

Tommy was already in Wilbur’s room before the boy stormed in, the door slamming behind him just before he fell face first onto the bed, sobbing into the covers as he punched the pillows. The kitten was by his side in an instant, decidedly meowing just loud enough for the other to hear, the punching slowing to a stop as the other sank into the covers.

“I don’t want him to go, Theseus.” Wilbur cried, his words scratchy like his throat probably was, “Techno’s leaving, Tommy’s leaving, Dad isn’t fit to rule, that only leaves me, Theseus, i’m not fit to be a king, I can’t be here on my own.”

He nudged his nose under the boy’s arm, making himself go under and watching the other pick his head up slightly, watching the moment Tommy sat in front of him, looking directly up into his eyes, almost touching noses.

His eyes were familiar, so so familiar, and it made Wilbur want to scream.

But something stopped him.

Theseus pressed his forehead to Wilbur’s chin, shutting his own eyes temporarily as the other comprehended it, sinking into the ginger fur on his face with a sigh.

And for the first time, Tommy let himself purr into the other, making sure he heard it (or felt it) and rubbing his head further into the other.

“Sorry, I’m just worried I won’t do as well as Techno expects me to, and I’m worried for Tommy, he wasn’t alright.” Theseus nodded slowly, making sure the other knew what he was doing and hearing a light laugh, “You can definitely understand what i’m saying.” He nodded again.

The brunette hummed, scratching behind the kitten’s ears as he sniffed, wiping away the drying tears on his face with his spare hand, and throughout it all the small ginger kitten stayed with his head on the other’s chin, purring to calm the both of them and not wanting to move. Wilbur was scared for him, he hardly knew the man, and yet he was worried; it was a form of kindness Tommy had never experienced before, and he couldn’t find a way to name it.

“I need to do some research, find me a pen will you?” Wilbur asked, wiping his eyes once more as he moved away from the other, and gods did Tommy missed the contact, moving on nonetheless and taking a pen from one of the desks into his mouth, finding Wilbur by his main one next to the window with a book sprawled open, hand swiftly flicking through the pages, “Where is it where is it.” 

He dropped the pen next to the other, watching his eyes scan a page and move on, but then he paused, making Tommy want to read it too, placing a paw on the pages to get a better look.

“Proteus, son of Poseidon and Pheonice, god of rivers and bodies of water,” Wilbur read out loud, and Tommy knew what was happening, jumping down immediately and making his way for the door as the other skimmed his eyes down the page, pointing at a specific line to keep his thoughts in one place, “Proteus held the ability to shift-“

The boy stopped talking, looking to Theseus and back at the page.

“Theseus?” He called carefully, taking a deep breath as he gripped the table, “Theseus who are you?”

The Prince turned his head back to him, finding the cat by the door, mostly facing the corridor par his head that had been turned to face the brunette.

It made too much sense. The matching scruffy and uncleanliness, the shampoo smell, the fact he just understood everything, how he shook when he spoke about Dream.

Everything.

“Tommy?” He asked quietly, the kitten taking one last look before walking out the door, leaving the other in a silence that felt just a little too painful for the both of them.

A cat, and newly found boy, walking carefully down the castle hallway with a prince on his mind, hearing every cry over and over in his head, remembering every quiet word the other had whispered to him, every word full of passion and interest when reading history books. 

He knew he’d miss him, but he hardly knew him, life was never a normal thing for Tommy, always one thing after another, and now it was running with an old acquaintance – and current king – to safety.

He could do this, yeah.

Totally.

-

Walking into the kitchen, Tommy thought he had nothing else to do, he couldn’t exactly leave the castle because then he wouldn’t be able to get back in, and he wasn’t exactly up for going into the library in the morning in case Wilbur was there. So he strolled through the way too big and way too fancy kitchen, hopping onto one of the counters and finding a stray bread roll, shifting into human form to get the butter out the way too big cooler and a knife from the drawer he found after a moment of opening them.

It had been a while since he’d buttered bread, but he did so anyways with ease, grinning at his marvellous creation and jumping onto the counter, sitting down and kicking his legs beneath him happily as he hummed, tapping the kitchen side with one hand and holding his bread with the other.

“You could’ve just asked y’know.” A voice cut into the room, making the boy pause and look back over, raising an eyebrow at the sight of Phil, a small smile on his face despite the random kid sat on his kitchen side.

“Sorry I didn’t know you were awake,” Tommy apologised, watching the other laugh lightly before walking in, lighting the lamp by the door and stepping further into the room, checking for any discomfort in the other who – surprisingly – stayed still, simply eating his roll as he looked.

“That’s, fine, yeah,” Phil returned, taking one last step forwards so he was about two steps away from the boy, “Who are you anyways?”

“I’m that kid in the library, y’know the one Will told you about?” Tommy tried with his mouth full, waving the bread around, “Oh, and that kid Dream’s after.”

“Excuse me?”

“Yeah, that’s why we’re leaving in the morning.” He sighed out, finishing his bread and jumping back off the counter, decidedly ignoring every confused question thrown at him, “See you in the morning Philza!”

And the boy was gone once more.

-

Tommy decided to take one last visit to the library, just whilst the sun was coming up, just as the prince and the king and their father were waking up, he could go alone for the very last time. He walked in in human form, walking through the bookcase he visited most – the gothic section – and shifting, looking at every spine of every book to find one that might be good to take on his journey.

Eventually, he found a book titled ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’, knocking it to the floor and shifting back, taking it into his hands and cocking a head at the cover. He’d always loved Sherlock and everything he’d gotten into, how smart he was too, it reminded him of Enyo before he escaped.

So he slipped it into a small bag he took from the library desk, making sure it was secure around his chest before taking one last breath, looking over the tall shelves and high ceiling and beautifully painted canvases on the walls of the past Queen and King. 

He’d miss the comfort the room brought him and every memory he’d had in there, mainly the ones with Wilbur, because in the end he found they were the only ones to truly mean anything.

-

“Dad don’t let him go, please,” Wilbur begged, tugging on his father’s sleeve as the two looked at Techno and Tommy, the latter two stood by the door with a small bag each with some supplies to keep them going for a bit

“Techno you can’t leave, you have a country to run.” Phil told him, taking a step forward as Tommy tried to blank the conversation out, ruffling his hair and staring at the wide open door, just knowing his eyes were flashing green in faster intervals than before.

“And I have a family to protect, I don’t want either of you getting hurt.” Techno told them, looking into Wilbur’s deep brown eyes and seeing his own green ones flickering in the reflection. After a moment of silence, he lifted his hands to his head, taking his crown into his hands and placing it onto the brunette’s head before he could object, watching the boy’s eyes gloss over, “Watch over my country whilst i’m gone, alright? If I trust anyone to keep our people safe it’s you.”

“Tommy?” Wilbur spoke up suddenly, voice shaky as the boy looked back over, not exactly wanting to watch the other cry anymore or to hear his broken voice, “Stay, please.”

“I can’t-“

“Yes you fucking can! Nothing is fucking stopping you, please, if I get hurt at least I know that you’re okay.” Wilbur tried, but Tommy wasn’t one to fall for trembling lips and broken words, not even the tears that started to roll down his face that replayed the screams in his head once more, frowning as the other sobbed into his shoulder, no exactly knowing what to do with himself.

“I’m sorry Wilbur, honestly, but it’s not safe for you if I stay and i’m not going to be the reason you’re in pain.”

“Then why are you leaving?”

What?

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Tommy I-“ the boy was interrupted with a sudden loud bang, Tommy grabbing Techno’s hand and immediately running out of the building, slamming the door behind them.

Wilbur worried he’d never get to say what he wanted, opting to run to his room and cry his eyes out until he thought of the best way to go about it; after a while, he finally thought of it, exhaustion wracking his body as he sighed in relief, relief that he finally had an answer to whatever the fuck was happening.

Wilbur was going to follow after them.

-

“Techno we have to fucking go.” Tommy told him in his haste, running at his cat pace and still not being able to catch up to the other, who surprisingly – considering all he did was sit and read and be a fucking nerd – was faster than Tommy thought he’d be, keeping good pace and only getting further away from the blonde in seconds.

“Pft, says you, what’s that speed? Pathetic.” The man joked back, having the absolute audacity to glance back with a smirk, only making the other smile at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Please i’m hardly trying.” Tommy shot back, immediately speeding up and shifting, pouncing onto the floor and shifting back, gaining speed by the very second, “Can you do any better, Technoblade?”

“Is that a challenge TommyInnit?”

“I know nothing but.”

And what was once running for their lives became a thing akin to freedom, grinning into the air as if nothing was wrong, as if a psychopath wasn’t right on their tail, as if-

Well, as if everything was normal.

As if they were in the spare times from the past, the times without tests and cords and abilities. No pressure, no green eyes constantly digging into your back and very soul, no young prince and his strange ability to make friends with anyone he spoke to.

It was normal.

Well, almost anyways.

“Hey boys.”

~

Somehow, Wilbur’s timing was on point, hiding behind a tree as a man in a dark green cloak simply appeared out of no where, and stood in front of him were a stunned Techno and Tommy, sharing a quick glance before looking back at the other, weapons immediately drawn in front of them. “Please, don’t be scared, i’m here to help-“

“You’re not here to help shit bitch.” Tommy spat, eyes squinted as he clutched the hilt of his own blade a little too tightly for Wilbur’s liking. Somehow, the man managed to laugh, unclipping his cloak to reveal a simple white t-shirt and black bottoms, a bow tied on his back and a sword in the scabbard on his hip.

“Please, intimidation never worked on me, you should know this of all people Theseus-“

“If you dare to ever use that fucking name on me.”

Wait.

Wait wait wait wait wait.

No.

No, he couldn’t’ve been, he couldn’t-

“Feisty much, little Theseus, picked up anything new lately?” The man teased, taking a step forward as the other two took a decisive step back.

“No, actually,” Tommy returned, a sound akin to a growl in his voice as he spoke, “because i’ve surrounded myself with a boy with no flaws in his young self, and I assumed a person like that was impossible to find.”

“Oh, but he is impossible to find, everyone has something bad to their name-“

“Wilbur has nothing bad about him.” Tommy stated without thinking, immediately regretting his words as he pinched his nose, letting out a silent scream before coming back to reality, seeing the man’s battered face twisted into a horrific grin.

“Wilbur hm? Prince Wilbur, brother of Pandora over here?” Wilbur had never seen his brother flinch, but all it took was a name, that was it. “He has many flaws, if i’m not mistaken.”

“My brother has no flaws.” Techno said in full confidence, taking a step towards the man who simply cocked his head in return.

“None? Wow, must be one hell of a man,” 

“Shut the fuck up.” Tommy scowled, stepping beside the other in a feign confidence Wilbur could tell the man could see through, “No one fucking cares about your opinion.”

“Well,” he stated, dirty blonde hair moving slightly in the breeze, “That doesn’t matter right now, does it?” The man lifted the sword to Techno’s throat, turning his head to the younger with a grin, “You come with me, or he goes.”

“Don’t you fucking-“

“Ah ah, don’t use that language with me.” The man almost tutted, seeming fully calm in a situation that Wilbur felt his own throat having something lodged in, wondering how the fuck someone could be so… well, normal with a blade to a man’s throat and a threat so heavy no one could understand it to the other, “Are you coming with me then? Or will you let him get hurt?”

“I…” he glanced to the man beside him, acceptance written across his features; Wilbur didn’t think he could look as an emotion filled Tommy’s eyes he’d never seen anymore, a look of finality, of acceptance, of courage. “I’ll come with you.”

“Fantastic!” The man cheered, clapping a hand to the back of the other as he brought the sword away from Techno’s neck, “Come along then.”

And something happened.

A bright green string started to extend from the man’s finger tips, connecting to Tommy’s wrists, ankles and neck.

He felt like he couldn’t breathe, clasping a hand to his mouth as he watched Techno’s eyes flicker to the man’s face as he placed a smiley face mask on, then to Tommy who seemed a little out of it, and then to Wilbur, eyes lingering on the brunette for a moment before pressing his lips into a thin line, unsure exactly what to do.

“Fuck this.” Wilbur sighed out, grabbing his blade and throwing it at the strings that connected the boy to the man, watching them split and all eyes suddenly move to him, another blade already in hand.

“Throw it, I dare you.” The man stated through gritted teeth, hands clasped in fists at his sides; Wilbur was unbothered, shrugging as he threw the next at the man’s head, seeing worry flash across the man’s features as Wil strode closer, eventually crouching beside the man’s crumpled figure.

“Don’t complain you asked for it.” Wilbur stated proudly, standing and meeting Tommy’s wide eyes. “He deserved it.”

“For what?” Tommy asked hesitantly, tears forming in his eyes as the other smiled, placing his hands on the other’s shoulders.

“For hurting my brothers.”

-

“Techno.”

The man stayed silent.

“Techno?”

A groan.

“Technoblade!” Wilbur tried again, poking the man’s face as he pulled his bed covers over his head.

“Fuck off,” he murmured, not caring as Wilbur started to whine.

“Tommy help me out here.” Wilbur asked to the cat sat at the end of Techno’s bed, head resting on his paws as he stared at the brunette; eventually, he meowed in response, walking up beside Techno and nestling himself in the man’s side, and oh did Wilbur want to murder them both in that moment, but something stopped him. 

They just looked so adorable. “For fucks sake man.” 

And he left the room once more.

-

The two boys sat in silence in Wilbur’s room, Tommy sat on the floor next to the door and Wilbur cross-legged on the bed, waiting for the other to say at least something, to say what he’d asked Wilbur to take a moment to listen to him for.

“You know you can speak to me about whatever Theseus, alright?” Wilbur assured the boy, leaning his chin on his hands.

“How about you ask questions and I answer them? I don’t know where to start.” Tommy stated, fiddling with his hands in his lap with his head slightly titled to the side, trying to gather his thoughts as the other boy stayed silent for a moment.

“Proteus was a shifter, therefore that’s your ability, correct?” Tommy nodded, “But Dream called you Theseus.”

“He did.”

“Why?”

“Because Theseus is my burden,” Tommy said, voice shaking ever so slightly as he let out a deep breath he didn’t realise he’d been holding, “Dream refers to everyone as their burdens, because that’s what he sees us as, but to each other we call each other our abilities, our strengths, out of respect.” His explanation was everything he’d thought over in his head, calculated words in an order that was somehow coherent.

“What’s Enyo’s ability?” Wilbur asked, remembering how Tommy had referred to his brother before when they met once more.

“Enyo holds the ability to manipulate war, she manipulates the parts of war to bend her way, could be the way they fight to the strategy, she’s quite powerful and you can imagine how excited Dream got about that.” 

Somehow, Wilbur could, maybe not to the exact extent, but he somewhat understood after seeing the lack of tenseness in the man’s shoulders when he threatened to kill someone.

“And his burden is Pandora? Curiosity?” He asked carefully, watching the boy nod slowly, hands still intertwining as he stayed silent, “And yours is taking the flaws of others as your own?”

“It is, pretty tricky thing to deal with but I make do, like making friends with people without many extreme flaws.”

“Like who?”

“Like you.”

-

Techno, for some reason, had insisted everyone meet at the stables, and Tommy found the man first, his arm carefully brushing a black horses coat and giving it a bucket of water.

“This is Adonis, he’s getting ready to go.” Techno told him without turning, taking the horse’s saddle from the other side of the stable and pulling it onto his back, clipping random bits together that – to Tommy – seemed a little pointless.

“Where you guys going?” He asked, hearing more steady footsteps behind him and turning to see Phil, giving the man a short wave before turning back to Techno, finding the other leaning on the side of Adonis and looking to the other two, sparing a glance behind them before sighing.

“Where’s Wil?” He asked with an unamused sigh, eyebrows furrowed as he looked for the other; it took a moment, but quick footsteps could soon be heard, and the brunette was in the building, leaning over and heaving to regain his breath. “Ah, there he is.”

“Ugh, Technoblade, when are you ever pleased? Just be glad i’m here at all.” Wilbur groaned, leaning on Tommy for a moment, the boy immediately shoving him off as Techno looked between the two, Phil laughing beside them.

“I am glad you’re here, actually, because i’m leaving.”

“You’re what?!” Wilbur shouted right down Tommy’s ear, making the boy have to clasp a hand over his ears, “Why?!”

“Because I want to travel, and I think leaving the country in less shaky hands is a good idea.” Techno pointed out, a bittersweet smile growing on his face as his brother glanced at his hands, finding them shaky but not as bad as the practically rattling ones in front of him. “I promise I’ll visit, bring you a present here and there, alright?”

The stable went into a silence, not a negative one per say, but everyone simply processing it all.

“Can I have a hug at least?” Tommy asked, looking up to the man as his untied pink hair moved slightly in the breeze the open door brought, arms opening to the boy who immediately bundled into them, “It was nice seeing you again Enyo, don’t get into too many wars will you?” Proteus teased, the man only squeezing him harder as if it was a promise to fulfil his wish.

Without a word, Phil joined them, wrapping his arms around the two despite being the shortest and laughing at the youngest’s complaints.

“Wil?” Techno asked, catching the boy’s attention once more and holding open an arm, Wilbur’s eyes glossing over before he felt into them, sobbing quietly into the other’s shoulder as a hand threaded through his hair.

“Love you Tech.” Wilbur told him quietly, the man laughing and wrapping his arm around Wilbur’s shoulder, planting a kiss to his head.

“Love you too, Wil.”

-

Wilbur looked to everyone below, eyebrows knitted in confusion at the absolute delight on their faces as they cheered for him.

“Tommy, what’s happening?” He asked the blonde boy beside him who was tugging at his strangely expensive suit, sparing a glance at the other for a moment as he fiddled with the collar.

“They’re happy to have you as their King, Wil.” He told him, smiling as he unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, slightly proud of himself for his work and the fact he could finally breathe again.

The King held out his hand to Tommy, the boy immediately smiling and shifting into the familiar ginger kitten Wilbur knew and loved, hopping onto the man’s hand before standing proudly on the rail beside the man’s hands, 4 paws placed evenly on the white marble.

“My people,” Wilbur stated loudly, waiting for everyone to look to him before lifting Tommy back into his hands, placing him on his shoulder and looking back to them, everyone stood in silence and expectance, “I would like to thank you all for everything you did for my brother when he was under the crown, but now he has wished to move on, to go travel, and I hope we all respect his wishes.”

They all stayed quiet, a respect to the man they all still loved.

“But now, he has handed the crown to me, and this little friend here,” he motioned to Tommy, hearing the confused chattering below him and lightly laughing, remembering his own past stupidity at the situation, “We promise to bring prosperity, protection and kindness to the country, thank you.”

The people below erupted into cheers and shouts and a mass amount of clapping. 

A King turned to his brother, taking his paw and looking into his blue eyes, nodding in assurance as the hesitance in the kitten’s movements grew more evident.

After a moment, he watched Tommy shift back into human form, watching his blue eyes scan the people below as they awed in amazement, yet no smile rose on his face, simple and pure bewilderment and adoration.

“These are your people as much as they are mine, Tommy.” Wilbur told him, but the boy shook his head, gripping the railing in front of him with his scarred hands.

“No one owns people, that’s something i’m adamant about,” he spoke, a smile growing on his face; but Wilbur knew it was bittersweet, “But we will protect them. We don’t own them but we have responsibility over them, meaning we must do whatever we can to keep them safe.”

Wilbur had never heard truer words, ruffling the boy’s hair and leaving the balcony with a salute to his people.

In honour of his people, of his brother, of his father, of Tommy, he would protect them, if it took everything he had.

Because Tommy deserved something good in this strange world, and he’d be willing to do anything he could to give his brother a better life than before.