Chapter Text
The guards leave as the pain sets in. Heavy sobs rack Tommy's body. But they only serve to pull at the dagger that is still burrowed in his stomach. His body feels as if it's on fire, every nerve burning up into ashes as the pain soaks deep within him.
“Tommy! Tommy, please you have to answer me bud!” Wilbur’s screams ring in his ears, almost drowned out by the blood that pounds in his head. He can only answer the man with another sob.
It had all been for nothing. Everything he did and they just killed him in the end. The dream that Wilbur had planted in his mind shriveled up and died at that moment. He wasn’t sure why he believed it in the first place.
A loud thud echoed in the cell, quickly followed by more banging. Metal against metal thundered through the room. It hurt Tommy's ears. Carefully he tried to raise his hands to block out the noise, but that just made him cry out in pain as his torso stretched, wiggling the knife.
Slowly he opened his eyes, trying to see where the awful noise was coming from. There Wilbur stood, slamming his wrist against the bars, a shock set through him every time the cuff hit. It sparked and sputtered, but Wilbur didn’t stop until it broke in two hitting the ground with a dull thud.
The moment it did Wilbur phased through the bars. Tommy stared at him, getting ready for the man to leave. For him to run out and escape. Tommy wouldn’t resent him if he did, he was a lost cause already. Maybe he always was.
But to his surprise, Wilbur continued to walk, entering Tommy's cell. He approached the boy slowly, ripping off his sleeve as he did.
“You're going to be ok Toms. You’ll be alright I swear.” Wilbur's voice shakes as he talks, as if he is holding in tears. Carefully he wraps Tommy's wounds, leaving the knife in for fear he might make the wound worse with how bad his hands are shaking.
“See you going to be just fine,” Wilbur tells him, running a hand through Tommy's hair. And at that moment, he believes him. “Now let's work on getting this off,” Wilbur says as he picks up Tommy's wrist.
Wilbur does quick work of the cuff. Phasing his hand through the metal before becoming solid again, breaking the cuff in two. Gently he rubs the irritated area, trying to soothe the lines that were embedded into his skin. Tommy can only stare at the skin that had almost never touched the air. His wrist felt almost as if it could float away without the cuff.
Wilbur turns his arm a bit, only to gasp at what he sees.
“What is it?” Tommy asks. His voice was scratchy and it almost hurt to talk, but it also hurt to breathe so Tommy thinks that it was the least of his problems. Wilbur doesn’t answer, still staring in disbelief at his wrist. Right where his soul mark lay.
Tommy tried to fight for his wrist back. Wriggled as much as he could with a knife stuck in his chest. He doesn’t want Wilbur to see it anymore. He never wanted Wilbur to see it in the first place.
Tommy flinches back as Wilbur raises a hand toward his face. But the hit never comes. Instead, Wilbur leaves his wrist on display. The same colorless guitar sits there, a small disk in the middle. He has to do a double take to make sure Wilbur wasn’t just showing him Tommy's own wrist.
“You're supposed to be dead!” Tommy cries out, shock in his voice. Wilbur wraps him in a large hug, carefully of his wound as he does. A bitter laugh sounds from his voice.
“I am, I really am,” Wilbur tells him. Only succeeding in confusing Tommy further. “Primes how could I be so stupid,” Wilbur mutters to himself. That doesn’t stop Tommy from hearing it though.
“I don’t understand,” Tommy whispers.
“I died Tommy. The very first time something like this happened I died. But I was given a second chance. When I came back I had seen that the mark had grayed, I just assumed it was you who died. Not that it was me,” Wilbur says, another laugh bubbling up in his chest as he talked.
That's when Tommy realizes that the lonely feeling hasn’t been as present since Wilbur arrived here. And at this moment it was completely gone. Tommy was whole again. Tears drip down his face and he can tell if they're from happiness or pain.
A scream sounds above them. Tommy pauses, looking towards the ceiling. More screams follow as footsteps thunder from the ceiling. Large thuds soon follow the cries. Tommy looks to Wilbur for an answer, only to see a knowing smile on his face.
“They're here,” Is all Wilbur says in order for Tommy to understand.
“We’re going to get out of here? I’ll get to see the sky, the grass, and trees?” Tommy asks.
“All of it and more. Tommy I’m going to show you everything. I want to teach you how to ride a bike, and play catch. I want to show you the lowest seas and the highest mountains. I want to give you the life you have never had but always deserved.” Wilbur tells him. A large smile grows on both of their faces as the doors slam open.
A large man storms in. He has bright pink hair that is tied back in a braid. Dusty red wings hang at his side. A large axe swings in his hand, tainted with blood. Immediately Tommy knows that this is Wilbur's brother, Techno.
The man's eyes searched the room desperately, lighting up the moment he saw Wilbur. They darkened; however, as he sees Tommy. A snarl on his lips as he stalks closer. Tommy can’t help but curl into himself, irritating his wound.
“Get away from my brother,” Techno growls out, hitting his axe against the chain that held the cell door closed. Tommy can feel his body start to shake, one thing Wilbur failed to mention was how terrifying his brother was.
“Techno stop it. You're scaring him,” Wilbur yells, hugging Tommy a bit closer.
“Who is him?” Techno asks, a glare still pressed even though his voice had softened a bit.
“This is Tommy. No time to explain right now. Where is Dad?” Wilbur says standing up and lifting Tommy carefully. He still cries out in pain, he almost forgot how bad it was with all the distractions. Wilbur whispers a small sorry as he walks towards the now-open cell door. “We need to get to a medic, and soon,” Wilbur mutters to his brother.
“Follow me,” Techno states, already walking ahead.
Every time Wilbur took a step, it felt as if another knife was plunged into his stomach. Tommy watched as the halls changed into something he has never seen before. Stone turned to painted smooth drywall. The synthetic lighting soon turned to real moonlight. He could see through the windows, the outlines of the trees, and the candlelight from the nearby village. It drew him in, forcing his eyes to follow the windows.
“Phil!” Wilbur yells out, finally, Tommy takes his eyes off the windows, only to see a new person approaching them. He had large black wings and shoulder-length blond hair. WIlburs dad, Tommy fills in. Phil gives him a funny look.
“I thought I was the one who was supposed to adopt strays.” Phil teased. Wilbur scoffed, ignoring him.
“This is Tommy, Dad. And we really need to get to the medic’s tent,” Wilbur says. Phil nods before leading them through a door.
The smell hits Tommy before anything else. It's strong and metallic. Blood soaks into the tile floor as bodies are littered across the room. Tommy even recognizes a few of them as guards or doctors that worked on him.
“Shit the kid,” Techno says, immediately a hand is covering his eyes.
“I’m not a kid,” Tommy grumbles, although he is slightly grateful for the thought. They move through the room quickly and as soon as they exit a new smell hits him. One he hasn’t smelled in years, one he thought he never would again.
The fresh scent of the morning due and pine trees mixed perfectly. And the moment the hand was off his eyes it got a million times better. Trees towered over his head as the stars seemed to wink at him. Tommy could see them walking towards a cart, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.
Carefully bandages are wrapped around his stomach and the knife is carefully taken out.
“He is going to be fine,” Phil tells Wilbur, Tommy frowns a bit. They're talking as if he isn’t here.
“What's going to happen now?” Tommy asks, drawing attention to himself. Wilbur smiles before he speaks.
“Well first you are going to drink this potion that will make you feel better, and then how does the title Prince Tommy sound to you?” Wilbur asks. Tommy’s face breaks into a large smile.
“Really?” He asks.
“Of course, I did promise to show you everything this world has to offer, so we better start sooner rather than later,” Wilbur tells him. Tommy smiles as his dream quickly turns into a reality.