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"Tommy, we need to leave. Now," Wilbur is shaking him frantically. Tommy opens his eyes, sleep still depriving his brain.
"Wilbur.. just let me sleep, it isn't even that early."
"They found us." Tommy is immediately awake.
"They can't, they can't... how would that ever be possible? We were careful, we-"
"It doesn't matter what we did wrong, Tommy, we need to run. Run from this country, find another place to life before they find us again."
"You knew they would find us?!"
"I.. it was never possible to be the most wanted supervillain duo and never be caught, Tommy, it would never be possible."
"You bastard! You told me that we wouldn't be found. Ever!"
"I... I made a mistake, okay? But we need to run, now, before it is too late to hide."
"You said-"
"I know I said that. But we need to do what the most important thing is now. We need to run, hide and live. Nothing else matters."
"I hate you," Tommy snarls. Wilbur was the one dragging Tommy into this, Tommy is going to die because his big brother lied to him when he told Tommy they would be save.
"I know you don't mean that," Wilbur says, his voice all confident but there is still a bit of hesitation to be heard. "Dress yourself, we're leaving in ten."
"Be a villain, they say. It will be save, they say. Now, look what happens!" Tommy mumbles while pulling on his pants.
"I am sorry, Tommy. But I thought-"
"You told a lot more than only that," Tommy snaps, putting on his shirt and hoodie.
"Yes, I know. You are allowed to be angry, but first I need to be certain that you are save," Wilbur says while packing two backs, he knows exactly what needs to go into them. A set if clothes, a gun, a knife and food. Then a gun and knife in the holster on their pants and then they can leave.
"Why did you drag me into this when you knew that it would kill me!?"
"I thought-"
"You need to know, Wilbur. You needed to know for certain!"
"But I didn't, and I am sorry. But just.. please, for the love of prime, stop yelling at me, we need to flee the country."
"We will die, Wilbur. We won't even be able to escape the country before they breach into our appartment."
Both the brothers know what the punishment is for being a villain.
Death.
They will be executed, publicly, in front of the whole city. And no one in the city will care because in their eyes; the villains always do the bad thing and the government always do the good thing.
"No, we won't. Stay positive, Tommy."
"I will die, William! I will be murdered and everyone will laugh and celebrate because of it!"
"You won't, and if, and hear me say if, you die, I'll kill myself not much after. I can't live without you, I can't live with the thought that you died because of me," Wilbur says. He throws a bag at Tommy, who catches it with ease. "We are leaving. Now."
"I haven't eaten yet," Tommy whines.
"You would rather eat or die?" Wilbur snaps, Tommy immediately shuts up.
As Wilbur looks out of the door, he freezes. "Cops, they're already here."
"The roof?"
"Helicopters."
"The window? And then the fire escape?"
"It's nearby the road, they will shoot us."
"Then it is the rooftops," Tommy says, while opening the trap door to the roof.
"Tommy!" Wilbur yells but Tommy already is standing on the roof.
"No helicopters in sight, sergeant."
"We need to run, fast. Maybe hide at Phil's?"
"He will call the cops, don't you have more villain friends?" Tommy asks, because Wilbur has friends right?
"I do, but.. if they know we are found, they will never let us hide there. They will do everything to not be found."
"Will..." Tommy begins, looking at the sky.
"We need to run, fast!" Wilbur yells as he too sees the helicopters in the sky.
They run, sprinting over the rooftops and balancing over the small roofs.
There are gunshots all around them, they are pointing at them. Tommy barely avoided one bullet.
Tommy hears someone scream, it's Wilbur. Tommy just jumped over a roof to another, Wilbur didn't make it.
Tommy knows he could have made it, Wilbur taught him how to jump over them. Wilbur is the best of all he knows who can do that.
Tommy stops, wanting to help his brother.
"Tommy run! I... don't worry about me, I am okay. Just... run and don't look back."
It's an order, Wilbur never orders with such much power behind it. Tommy can listen to his older brother, he always can. He runs, he doesn't look back, even when the shooting stops.
He runs until he reaches the border of l'manberg. He can't go thought it, not when they are suspecting both Ruin and Wraith to escape through them.
It's already becoming lighter, the sun coming up behind the horizon.
Tommy turns around, not dealing with that he will be caught at the border.
He returns home, or not really home. He goes to the warehouse. Wilbur once told Tommy that if something happened, everything he would need to survive would be there.
When Tommy enters the warehouse, he is glad that there are no red-blue lights.
His phone buzzes, his heart stops. Could it be Wilbur? Did he escape the cops?
But no, when he opens his phone, he sees that there is a warning about that Ruin and Wraith, he and Wilbur, are spotted on the streets and that all the citizens need to stay inside of locked rooms.
The warehouse isn't locked, but he doesn't think that Ruin or Wraith would come here anyways, considering he is one of the pair.
He goes to lie down on the mattress, Wilbur once placed a mattress here, if one of them was dying, bleeding out he means, and would need to be patched up. Luckily for both of them, it was never that bad that they were wounded.
He isn't even lying down for a minute and his eyes fall close, sleeping.
When he wakes up the next day, be immediatly checks the new. Looking for something that tells him the Wraith has been caught.
To his horror, the whole news is filled with it.
One of the most wanted villains in while L'mandberg, caught.
On the 7 of April; Wraith, the most wanted villain besides his comrade Ruin, has been caught.
The police got a hint of where the supervillain duo could be located, and like the anonymous-
Tommy can't read further, they found his brother. They found his blood.
Wilbur going to die, they're going to execute him.
When?
He scrolls through the news again, hopefully finding a date when it is going to happend.
Execution of the most wanted villain of L'manberg.
Tommy read, it isn't a article, it is a video from the president.
'As you all, might, have heard. Wraith, one of the most wanted supervillain duo, is found and caught.
Like all citizens know, this is something to celebrate.
But, like all citizens know too, the punishment for being a supervillain, and getting caught, is death.
On the 9th of April, 12 o'clock, Wraith will be publicly executed. This will happend, like all citizens know, on the Founders Ward square. We expect all citizens from Founders Ward there-'
Tommy heart sinks, he and Wilbur are from Founders Ward. Tommy will be forced to watch his big brother be executed.
His phone rings, it's Tubbo.
"They finally caught him!" Tubbos voice yells out of the speaker. Tommy needs to hold his phone away from his ear, he doesn't fancy getting ear damage.
"I know, I read it."
"Why aren't you happy? This is the best this that happend to l'manberg in ages!"
"I just... it's going to be a big change, since we grew up with those villains..?" Tubbo doesn't know that Wilbur is Wraith, Tommy can't tell Tubbo that his brother will be executed.
"You know what the best part is, this is going to be an awesome birthday present for you!"
"W-what?"
Tommy's mouth falls open when it clicks. The execution will be tomorrow, tomorrow is his birthday.. his brother will be murdered on his birthday.
"Ohh."
"Are you going to come to it? It's going to be so awesome. Wraith, being tied up and then the president will be cutting of his head!"
"I.." his brother is going to fucking die and he is forced to see how.. "we don't have much of a choice..."
"Me and Ranboo will meet you there then, drag Wilbur with you, I would like to finally meet him."
"Okay, Tubbo.. see you tomorrow." He doesn't even wait for Tubbo before he end the call.
The day goes by so fucking slow. He just sits there, not caring about the calls he gets form Tubbo and Ranboo.
He wants to go home, wants to cry about this, but he can't. He will be forced to see his brother die, he will.. his big brother will die on his birthday, and no one will care.
He drags himself out of bed, it's the 9th of April. His birthday and the last time he will see his brother alive.
While he is dressing himself, the moment where Wilbur fell goes throught his mind. Only one question remains.
What if?
What if Tommy would have helped him, not listen to Wilbur and ran, he could have helped his big brother. It's could mean both dying, but than it wouldn't be only Wilbur standing at Lady Death's door. It would be them together, waiting for Lady Death to open her door for them and let them in.
Now it's only Wilbur who will meet her, he will die alone. He will be alone for as long as Tommy lives.
Tommy knows that he will search for Wilbur when Lady Death opens her doors for him too.
Only, that time isn't now. He needs to travel to Founders Ward, see his brother die and hold back his tears. He can't cry there, he needs to watch his brother die and look happy.
When he reaches Founders Ward square, it's already filled with people. There is a stage in the middle of it and Tommy's heart sinks when he sees who is displayed on the stage.
It's Wilbur. His brother, still in his uniform, only the mask is missing. Everyone can see who he is, everyone around him is laughing.
Wilbur's head is locked in a wood block, his hands trapped besides it.
Tommy has always known that the wooden artwork wasn't for only decoration of the square. But he never known what is was meant for, only now he sees that it is for shaming his brother.
There is someone bumping into him, he looks at the boy, it's Tubbo.
"Hello, Tommy. How had your birthday been?"
Bad, really bad.
"It's been alright," he lies.
"Where is your brother?"
There.
"He became sick, he was vomiting all over the bathroom. Not a delicious sight." The lie comes faster than he thought.
"Have you seen Wraith!? He is in the pillory!"
"A what?"
"A pillory... it's.. it's a big wooding thing, often in the middle of town. Your head and hands are placed in these holes, they then lock it and you can't get out. Often people throw things at you, sometimes they spit in your face, but seemingly Wraith has been saved from that."
Tommy looks at his brother, he is hunched over, too tall for the.. pillory. He has his legs bend, his back is painfully bend. It doesn't look nice.
Without even waiting for Tubbo. Tommy pushes himself thought the crowd until he is standing at some meters from his brothers feet. There are cops all around his brother, waiting for him to break free and try to flight the scene. But Wilbur isn't able to.
"Tommy! What are you doing, don't come too close!"
Wilbur looks up form where his eyes are trained on the ground. He sees Tommy, Wilbur smiles, although it doesn't quite reach his eyes, it's only gratefulness. Tommy knows that Wilbur is glad that Tommy came away, could run from the cops.
He sees Wilbur whisper something, he can't hear what his brother is saying. This could be the last words his brother is saying to him before he dies and Tommy can't fucking hear it.
He wants to cry, wants to use the powers Wilbur told him to never use. Tommy wants to tear the world apart for his brother.
Tommy looks at his brother again, hoping this is all just a nightmare. But it isn't and Tommy knows that.
Wilbur is moving his hand alot, Tommy notices. Only when he looks at Tommy and then at his hand, Tommy understands.
Sign language.
Wilbur learned him it when he was younger, they only used in on missions. Wilbur knows Tommy sucks at it, he only can understand the letters, and Wilbur is now using that to his advantage.
Tommy read the letters carefully.
'I love you, I will miss you, stay save.' Wilbur signs, over and over and over again.
"Wraith, you are a dumbass," Tubbo yells besides him. Tommy hates his friend. How could anyone say that to His brother?!
Wilbur is still going with the signs, only now a bit slower.
Tommy wants to cry, he wants to fight the guards, but he can't. He will die if he does that, and Wilbur tells him to stay save, he will listen to his brother, always.
Its all too much for Tommy, people are yelling but Tommy just keeps staring at his brothers hand.
'I love you, I will miss you, stay save.' Over and over again.
Only somewhere in the distance Tommy hears the president speak and Wilbur being placed into a guillotine.
'I love you, I will miss you, stay save,' he reads from Wilburs hand. 'Turn around and go to Phil's, he will take care of you, just like I have always done.'
That were Wilbur last words before.. Tommy doesn't want to think about it. He turns around and listens to his brother.
'Stay save, go to Phil.'
-
Its been 13 and a half years since Wilbur died. Tommy hates that empty space in his heart where first his brother was.
The doorbell rings, he doesn't want to stand up, but still he does. He walks to the door and opens it.
"Hello," someone says and Tommy freezes. He looks up, it's his brother. "My name is Ghostbur, what is your name?"