barbarism (dreamnoblade)

chapter twenty seven

"What... what happened?" Wilbur stands confused and terrified at his father's bed, watching as the puddle of crimson creeps through the fabric, "what did you two do...?"

The blood is on his hands, they tremble as he raises them to his face. It's dry, cracking as he curls his fingers, he watches the blood crumble down into his palm like red snowflakes.

Behind him he hears sobbing, Tommy is leaning against the wall, body racking as he cries and shouts.

Technoblade is frozen, he doesn't move an inch as his eyes stay plastered on his father. Wilbur doesn't understand, why isn't he crying? Was he not upset? Or maybe he was just too shocked, Wilbur just notices that tears never leave his own eyes, they stay stagnant, blurring his vision.

"Techno... Tommy... what the hell were you two doing?" Wilbur snaps and shouts at them, turning around to glare at them. Technoblade shrinks into himself and he hears Tommy's sobs get louder.

Why was father like this?

"I-I wanted to get the bullies back for hurting me so I got Techno to help me- b-but then- they- he-!" Tommy whimpers and wails, tears falling down his face like waterfalls.

Wilbur's glare directs itself at Technoblade, who musters up the courage to glance up at him, "one of them hurt Tommy, so I got out to defend them- but I attacked a little too hard and scratched their arm open..." He sighs as his chin trembles, "a-after that it's blurry."

A storm buzzes behind Wilbur's eyes, it fills his stomach with a burning lava. All he wants to do is scream and shout at them, to yell so loud he drowns out the buzz. But instead his eyes drift back to his father, watching the puddle creep in the sheets like a poisonous ivy.

No, his father was fine! This was probably just a dream, they were happy earlier today. He wouldn't accept this, Wilbur's hands grab the sheets and pull them down, just to confirm it.

All he sees is a shivering body, pale skin fading into a wing, the other wing gone- a fleshy stump of pulsing flesh in its place. The blood pumps and trickles down Philza's body, and the tears in his eyes finally spill.

He growls and tugs at his hair, "you idiots- why wouldn't you tell me? I could've helped! I could've... I..." Tears spill from his eyes as he glances back at his brothers, "I could've stopped this-"

Wilbur's shoulders jerk forward as a whimper leaves his lips, he quickly covers his mouth and furrows his eyebrows, why was he acting like this? He was the older brother, he should be the brave one. That's what Philza told him. Wilbur looks up to stare into Technoblade's eyes, his own glisten like dark pools of oil, tears rapidly gathering and trickling down his flushing cheeks.

"Get out..." The tangles of hair between his fingers threaten to pull out, stinging his scalp, "get the fuck out of here!"

Technoblade flinches, opening his mouth to say something before looking down. He grabs Tommy by the wrist and pulls him away, Wilbur watches as the door is slammed shut.

He turns to look back at his father.

His hand goes to pat his father's hair, breaking out into sobs as the dam finally collapses. He falls, hands gripped tightly in the sheets as he buries his face into the mattress.

"I'm sorry dad- I'm sorry I'm sorry. I couldn't do what you wanted me to, p-please don't hate me..." Wilbur's sniffles died down after a while, he couldn't act like this. He needed to patch it up before he bleeds out and dies. He didn't have time to cry.