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Tommy lunged for Wilbur's bag of trail mix. At this point, Wilbur just had M&Ms left, and Tommy really wanted the sugar after his race.
The JR Cup was earlier in the day, and since he was still under 18, it was the division he had to race his car in. He had finished in 5th place in the finals, which wasn't his best, but Techno and Phil hadn't let him do his signature move because of how risky it was on a wet course.
Usually, he would ignore them and do it anyway, just taking the inevitable scolding after their race. This time, they threatened him by not allowing him to come into the pit to watch Wilbur's race.
That he couldn't risk, so he had mumbled words that would have made Phil glare at him and watched any chance of a podium place speed by.
But watching Wilbur compete in the finals from the pit was worth it. He was a rookie this year in the adult division and highly favored for a podium finish.
Wilbur lifted the bag of M&Ms just out of his reach as he almost grabbed it.
"Hey! I need these for my pre-race snack!" Wilbur yelped, guarding the sweets.
"You need to get ready to drive. You don't have time to finish them!" Tommy pointed out. The four of them were almost to where Wilbur's car was waiting.
Then, with a look in his eyes that Tommy knew was only to prove a point, Wilbur dumped the entire bag into his mouth and chewed.
Techno turned around from in front of them and just sighed. "You just ate all those M&Ms to prove a point?"
Phil laughed as Wilbur nodded and mumbled something none of them could understand through a mouthful of food.
After he swallowed some of it, he tried again. "It's not my fault I need pre-race sugar."
Wilbur was the only one of the four who could eat before a race. Tommy had tried it once and threw up in the car.
Techno and Phil didn't either back when they were still racing.
"Here," Wilbur shoved the plastic baggie at Tommy.
"I'm not taking your shit," he yelped as he dodged. He was careful not to jump into Wilbur's blue race car that was next to them. Wilbur might just kill him if he managed to scratch the paint. He didn't really want to either since that had been their project last summer, right after Wilbur aged out of the JR division, to repaint his car to his adult race color and number. A deep royal blue and the number 59.
"What am I supposed to do with it? Blue doesn't like garbage."
Tommy snorted. "I still can't believe you named the damn car."
It was a pretty common practice, but it still didn't stop him from teasing Wilbur about it.
"I've heard you call your car Clementine," Wilbur hissed. "You don't have a lot of room to talk."
"He's got a point, mate," Phil added, very unhelpful.
"Hey! You said you wouldn't tell!" Tommy yelped, turning to face Phil, who was grinning. During a race earlier in the season, his car had been acting up, so he had called it Clementine while begging it not to quit mid-race.
"I didn't," Phil said, raising his left hand in defense. His right hand rested on the cane, which served as a constant reminder for them all to be careful.
It had been seven years since Phil had his crash, but the day was still just as pressing in their minds.
So if Phil didn't tell him… Tommy's brain started to work out that there was only one other person that could have.
His eyes narrowed on Techno.
"You," he growled.
Techno shrugged. "It was part of an informational trade."
"Wait, what information did you get?" Tommy asked, suddenly very curious.
Techno snorted. "Like I am going to tell you."
A loud whistle blew, signaling that it was time for the racers to get into their cars to drive to the start line.
"We'll talk about this later," Phil said, looking up at the countdown clock.
Wilbur slid into the car's seat with the muscle memory that came with doing it hundreds of times.
"Race smart," Phil started.
"Come home safe," Wilbur finished.
It was the agreement Phil made them say before a race. Usually, Tommy was the one who groaned at it, but this time, Wilbur's response didn't seem as sure as it usually was.
Tommy glanced over at Phil, who was starting to open his mouth when the whistle sounded.
They were out of time.
Anything Phil wanted to say would have to be over the headset now as the three of them stepped away from the car.
Tommy shifted to the edge of the platform. He sat down with his feet hanging off the edge. Techno and Phil were standing behind him, watching Wilbur drive along the track in the slow pack, with the others getting used to the track. The platform was a medium-sized one in the row, with the other crews here to provide support for other racers.
"Wilbur, are you planning something I need to know about?"
Tommy turned back to see Phil holding a hand down on his headset.
The unspoken question was if he was planning to do something dangerous.
Tommy knew because it was the question he was asked a million times.
He couldn't hear Wilbur's answer, but apparently, it wasn't satisfactory for Phil because he sighed and ran his hand through his hair.
"Winning isn't everything," Techno added in his gruff voice that left no room for protest.
From the silence that came as the final whistle blew, signaling for the racers to take their positions at the start line, Wilbur didn't protest.
All eyes snapped to the stop light that hung in front of the racers. It was stuck on red for now as the announcer read out the different racers, and the crowd cheered. He felt the excitement buzzing through the stadium as it leapt into his veins. The JR race had a crowd, but this filled the stadium.
Racers were already naturally competitive people, but this made Tommy want to scream at his brother to take first place.
To do everything he could to win.
The crowd roared even louder, and Tommy could hear his own cheering join the others as Wilbur's number and name were read out.
He pulled into his spot behind a pure white car and to the side of a bright orange car. Out of the line of 12 cars, he knew each of them. They were all strong competitors, but Wilbur had beaten them all in races at some point during the prelims, so most of them didn't bother him.
The pure white car in front of him did.
It was owned by the racer they called The Queen of the Track. Tommy had never seen them without their sunglasses on, and there were rumors about why they never took off their sunglasses, but they were all seconded to the fact that everyone feared her.
They were who Wilbur had spent the four hour-drive trying to come up with a defensive tactic to not lose places to them. Their racing was a mix of speed and offense that was hard for even the most skilled racers to beat.
If someone didn't bet on Wilbur to win, their money went to Eret.
Someone in the racing magazine had called it the battle of generations. New racers vs old racers all coming to a head.
Tommy sucked in a breath to calm his own body as the tone sounded, signaling the start of the race. Wilbur had five laps to beat them all.
The shrillest tone sounded as the light dropped to green. His eyes drank in all the sights as the pack of racers shot off the start line.
This was it.
He could hear Techno and Phil shouting directions and advice as Wilbur moved through the pack, but he didn't pay attention to it. Instead, all his focus went on watching Wilbur drive.
He had started five places back, but he made those up by the time they were all halfway around the track.
Tommy could feel the hum under him as if he was driving his own car. He could feel the adrenaline coursing through his body as his hands moved the steering wheel. With each move Wilbur made to get through the pack, Tommy made in his head to keep up.
Wilbur would never hear these words said, but when Tommy joined the adult division, he wanted to be like his brother. He couldn't imagine what it would do to Wilbur's ego if he heard that.
One lap was down now as they went speeding over the start line, and the counter on the giant screen ticked up one.
At this point, the three leaders were defined. It was Wilbur's blue car, Eret's white one, and number 24, Niki's pink car. The rest of the pack had started to fall away, not wanting to get in the middle of that.
They stayed like that as they entered into the third loop. Glancing back, he could see Phil and Techno still talking to Wilbur as they followed the race around the track.
The stress was painted over Phil's face, but he turned back to watch the race. They were halfway through the third loop, and Wilbur was starting to fall behind Niki and Eret.
Tommy could feel the frustration as they crossed over into the fourth lap. It was getting too late in the race for Wilbur to be falling behind.
They all knew it. Either way, he secured a podium finish, but number one as a rookie was something that hadn't been achieved in years. It would set the precedent for his entire career.
Phil and Techno moved closer to the edge so Tommy could actually hear what they were saying.
As he expected, it was various of the different maneuvers they had talked through in the car. He watched expectedly as Wilbur pulled off each one to perfection, but Eret or Niki still read it and blocked him.
The frustration was getting to even Techno's usually calm voice as they started to near the end of lap four.
Tommy took a deep breath and held it as Wilbur used the straightaway to try to pass in a last-ditch effort. It looked like he had pulled it off until Niki swerved in front of him at the last second, blocking it.
It forced Wilbur to take the interior of the first bend of the fifth lap.
That cut his choices down to a handful, and Tommy knew from experience that Phil would let him use exactly zero of them. If it was Tommy out there, he had one move that he could use, but Phil and Techno hated it because of the risk. It had always worked out fine for him, though. It had won him more races than he could count.
That meant the stern conversation they would always have after it was worth it.
"Hold the spot, Wil," Techno said as they all realized the same thing.
That was as good as Wilbur was going to get.
"Absolutely not," Phil growled.
Tommy's eyes shot to where Phil stood at the edge. He had moved away from Tommy, but the anger in his voice carried enough that he could hear.
Tommy grinned. There was only one option that would make Phil that angry…
He swung back to the track and watched as they started to come up on the third bend.
If Wilbur was going to do it, he was in a good position now.
It was a move that Tommy made all the time, but Wilbur had only done it in practice. All he had to do was cut the third turn as tight as possible and use that to make up the ground. The risk, of course, was any wetness from the rain would still be there. It wasn't fully possible for the course to have totally dried after Tommy's division had driven it.
If Wilbur did hit a wet patch, he wouldn't have the space to correct it and would crash into the barrier.
Sure enough, as they came up onto the bend, Tommy could see Wilbur slide his car into position.
"Do not fucking cross, Wilbur!" Phil shouted.
They all knew it wasn't going to make a difference as Wilbur's car cut sharply to take the inside bend. Niki and Eret were taking the loose curve like most people would on this course.
Tommy held his breath as Wilbur turned. Each second ticked by as he took the first half of it without issue.
He could feel everything freeze as Wilbur's car kept turning to take the second half. Even he could tell from here that it was too tight. Wilbur needed some distance between the barrier and the car otherwise -
Before he could even finish the thought, he watched it happen.
Wilbur's car hit a slick patch and went sliding.
"WILBUR," he screamed as if his brother could hear him.
He froze as he watched, unable to do anything except watch as Wilbur's car went crashing into the barrier.
Suddenly, he couldn't even hear the crowd that had been deafening just moments before.
All he could see now was the crash.
Wilbur could feel his frustration grow as they made the turn into the straight stretch, where they would enter into the fifth lap. Niki and Eret had blocked out any of his attempts to pass.
"I'm running out of track," he yelled into his headset. There was only one more option that Phil had approved that they could do.
"Try to get around Niki like we talked about," Phil's crackly voice gave the go-ahead.
Wilbur took a deep breath and sped up, trying to pass on Niki's left.
Come on…Just a bit more. He was almost past her. They passed into the fifth lap, but it didn't matter.
He could feel the knot in his stomach loosen slightly as it looked like he was going to get by.
Then, in a split second, he was forced to drop into the interior line as Niki swerved in front of him, blocking any chance.
" Shit ," he growled into the headset. "I can get ahead." He crossed on the interior path as they went around the first bend. He held back behind Eret and Niki as they prepared for the second bend.
He was running out of track to make a move, and he had to make a move.
"Hold the spot, Wil," Techno's gruff voice came into his ear.
Wilbur snorted as they made the second bend. He was guaranteed a podium finish, but that wasn't enough.
He could get first.
"I'm going to pass on the third," his voice didn't leave any room for discussion, even though he knew Phil would have plenty.
This was the move that he constantly scolded Tommy for doing because it was risky. The car would cut so close to the barrier that it didn't leave much room for error.
He was worried it would come down to this, which is why he had only been able to half-heartedly lie to Phil about playing it fully safe.
"Absolutely not," Phil growled.
Wilbur ignored Phil as he slid into the position as they got closer to the third bend. Third place was not good enough…
He saw the way Tommy beamed when he would mention that he was Wilbur's brother and the pride in Phil's voice as he spoke about how much he had accomplished. Even the way that Techno looked at him when the announcer said his name on the podium.
They were so fucking proud of him.
A little part of his brain screamed about how proud they would still be if he got third place, but he couldn't stop thinking about how proud they would be if he got first . Phil would scold him, but his eyes would still have that pride.
He could hear Tommy's voice chattering nonstop about how Wilbur used his move and won.
The cars hit the first part of the curve, and he could see Niki and Eret drift up higher into the track. He cut his wheel sharp.
His wheels skidded along the track, and it was all going to plan. The tightness in his chest started to let him breathe again. He was almost through.
The breath caught in his throat as his wheels hit a slick patch.
Traction.
His tires needed traction.
But they didn't have it.
There was nothing Wilbur could do as he frantically spun the wheel, trying to prevent exactly what he knew was coming…
The harness around his chest dug in as he slammed into the barrier. His world crumbled around him as the impact hit.
Blinking the stars out of his eyes and trying to tug at the harness took over all his movements.
Something was holding the harness tight around him even as he tugged at the release.
Sucking in another breath, he choked.
Fuck.
The cabin was filling with smoke, and he could already feel the heat licking at his neck.
Fire.
"Come on," his horse voice pushed out as he struggled against the harness. It refused to let him go. It refused to let him go, even as the flames started to burn.
His suit was fire-resistant .
Not proof.
All the racers had that lesson driven home after the last crash that went up in flames…
That was not going to be him.
But as his fight got weaker against the thing meant to keep him safe, it became clear that it might be him.
He might never see them again…
He might never laugh with Tommy or bother Phil as he worked. He might never get to see the day that Techno coached Tommy to win his first adult race.
He might die.
He would die if he couldn't get out of here, the smoke choking his lungs reminded.
His radio was beyond destruction, but he could still hear his brothers' and dad's voices.
They were all saying the same thing.
Get out.
Tommy was vaguely aware of the red flag getting thrown up and of the shouts of crash traveling down the line, but the only thing that mattered was that Wilbur got out of that car.
Tommy could already see the flames engulfing the car from where he stood.
It had been years since a crash this bad had happened, but he remembered the whispers from then like they were being whispered again into his ear.
Flames don't leave much hope.
That driver hadn't survived…
Wilbur would.
Wilbur had to come walking out.
He had to.
He couldn't breathe as he waited. Each second took away a little bit more of the hope they all had. The sound of sirens had finally broken through to his brain as his senses returned. He had done that move a million times, and he had been fine.
He had been fine.
So why had Wilbur gotten hurt?
His brain screamed at him how it wasn't right. He made the move more often, so why was it the one time Wilbur did it, he had crashed.
The fire crew had reached the car now, and Tommy kept watching.
They wore fire-resistant suits while racing, but even this was too long for him to be in there.
Alive.
His body finally woke up from the spell his brain had put on it to keep it still. He had to get over there now. He had to get to Wilbur's side.
He could help.
He could do something.
Something.
"Fuck," he mumbled as he staggered from the edge.
Techno's hand grabbed his shoulder, stopping him where he was.
"Let go. I have to get over there," he yelled, trying to twist away from Techno.
"Phil's already going," Techno motioned to where Tommy could see Phil weaving through the crowd.
Tommy could hear his older brother trying to keep his voice calm, but Techno's face told him everything. The fear was painted in neon colors.
His hands only started to shake worse.
Wilbur…
"LET ME FUCKING GO!" He screamed at the top of his lungs as he kept pulling at the harness. Wilbur had managed to find a sharp edge to rub the harness against, but it had slipped from his hands, which left him back at pulling.
The material on his back was starting to melt, which meant he only had seconds at the maximum.
His body was in agony as it felt like a hot press was being held against his skin, but it didn't matter.
He wasn't going to let Tommy watch his brother die.
As soon as he felt the material snap, he was crawling out of the car and stumbling onto the track. He could hear the cheers of the crowd erupt around him and mix with the sirens.
Forcing himself to take another step, he moved away from the burning wreck. The smell of melting rubber burned his nose, but it was a sign that he was alive .
His shoulders screamed, but he had to show them that he was okay, so he lifted them above his head in triumph.
The flames had not taken Wilbur Soot today.
He had survived .
They turned back to look at the wreck right as the crowd started to cheer again.
Tommy could feel his entire body go almost limp, only using enough energy to keep himself standing, as Wilbur managed to finally stagger from the car. The main screen to show the track cut to Wilbur as he lifted both of his arms. Soot covered his face and his race suit, but Tommy locked onto his brother's face.
Wilbur was alive.
He was alive.
"Like a phoenix, the rookie driver, Wilbur Soot, surprises us all and emerges from the flame," the announcer's voice echoed through his head.
The paramedics were trying to keep him on the bed to load him into the ambulance, but he didn't care.
As soon as he saw the blond hair that could only belong to one person, he felt a last bit of energy surge as he stumbled into Phil's arms.
"I'm so sorry," was all that he could mumble over and over as he hugged Phil. He shut his eyes to try to keep the tears back.
Phil took a second to hug him back, trying to avoid the burns all over his back, but he couldn't even feel the pain of Phil's touch.
All he could focus on was his dad's touch.
"It's okay. It's okay," Phil whispered back.
He opened his eyes to see that Phil was crying.
"Where's Techno?" Wilbur asked hoarsely. He had expected to see his pink hair rushing behind Phil in the crowd.
Phil shifted from hugging Wilbur to supporting him, as the energy boost started to fade as he started to wobble.
"He's back watching Tommy. I didn't want him to see if…"
If Wilbur didn't survive. If they had to put out the fire and he didn't come out.
That part was left unspoken as Phil helped him back onto the stretcher.
Wilbur tried to fight to let him see Tommy first, but one strong look was enough for him to sit back against the stretcher again.
Seeing Tommy would have to wait.
But at least he would be able to see him at all .
"Gremlin child," Wilbur yelled from the hospital bed, and Tommy just stuck his tongue out.
Tommy had pulled one of the chairs in the hospital room next to Wilbur's bed and hooked up his switch to the TV. They had settled for playing Minecraft since it didn't require too much quick movement on Wilbur's part. Wilbur had somehow only gotten away with moderate burns and nothing more severe.
It was the first time that they had been left alone since the accident. Before then, either Phil or Techno had always been in the room.
"Don't fucking scare me like that again," Tommy said at just above a whisper.
Wilbur snorted. "Like you haven't scared us all half to fucking death with the shit you've pulled."
"I don't crash," Tommy snapped. This time, he turned and met Wilbur's gaze.
Something in his own must have startled Wilbur because his face shifted from teasing to guilty.
"How about neither of us pull stupid shit again? Fair deal?" Wilbur asked, his voice had a hint of pain.
Tommy nodded. "Only if you tell me what information you told Techno." His tone was lighter with that, and Wilbur seemed to relax some more.
"I told him how to sneak hair color into Phil's hair stuff like I did last year."
"Tell me right fucking now."
"Absolutely not," Wilbur shot back immediately. "That will backfire on me , and I would rather it didn't ."
Tommy just exasperatedly sighed and flipped him off. "I'll find a way."
They fell back into silence as they started playing the game again. Tommy was enjoying this time when, just two days ago, he wasn't sure he would have the chance again.
Wilbur was the one to break it, and it was so quiet that, at first, he thought it was a voice in the hall.
"When I couldn't get the harness loose enough to climb out, and the only thing I was thinking about was that I wouldn't get to see you race again, or eat Techno's pancakes, or hear Phil lecture about how fucking stupid I was. That I wouldn't get to see you all again. "
Tommy couldn't remember the last time he had seen Wilbur cry, but as he looked over at his older brother, he could see the tears as he spoke each word.
Without another word, Tommy moved over and hugged Wilbur. He wasn't sure how long they stayed in that hug, but it was long enough to remind them both that they were alive and here.
"Race smart," Tommy started.
"Come home safe," Wilbur finished.
That's how it would always be.
They had too much to lose.