life on the line. || W. Soot ~ Angstfic

☁️ Chapter 6 - Brotherly Love ☁️

"Hey, Tommy?"

"Hm?"

It was early afternoon, shafts of sunlight filtered in through the windows of the blonde-haired boy's room. Allowing the golden rays to soak his face, Tommy was positioned on his bed, blanket crumpled on his carpet and fish circling their tank - he'd not long bought them, yet the things were spoilt as hell. Wilbur was standing awkwardly at the door in his pyjamas, rubbing his fatigued eyes whilst he had waited for his brother's acknowledgement.

"May I come in?"

Tommy blinked his eyes at the question, then failed to contain a snort. Why was Wilbur asking if he could come in? The answer should've been obvious, or perhaps getting up at 1pm was getting to his head. That was a possibility.

"I mean, the door was open-"

"Oh, right. Good afternoon, Toms."

The brunette sat down on the carpet after kicking an area of blanket away, sighing quietly whilst he fumbled with his fingers. Despite knowing what to say, he didn't know how to say it. Perhaps if he got more sleep, the words would've came to his head quicker. Guilt still tore at him, but perhaps apologising would get rid of it... hopefully. After going to the park, it was proved to Wilbur that Tommy wasn't to blame - whilst they were walking round, he held onto his older brother's arm like a koala. Brotherly love.

"So?"

Tommy's voice broke his thought process , blocking him from allowing the silence to continue.

"Uh-"

"Wil, did you really come into my room just for a seat? Or did something happen? Oh! Did you get punched by Techno? Mm... Did someone drink the last of the milk? Ooh-! Did someone-"

"No, Tommy."

"Oh. What is it then? OH, does Wilby have a crush~?"

"Shush, no I don't!"

"Then spill!"

Instead of replying once more, Wilbur sat, redirecting his gaze to the window. He searched for the correct words, creating brief scenarios. Tommy's eyes burned into his skin whilst he waited for an answer.

"I- Uhm-" he began, "I'm sorry.. about the- y'know. Guitar situation." A sigh of relief escaped his lips after he'd spoken the last word. His glazed, tired eyes shifted to meet Tommy's confused expression. He bit down on the side of his mouth, waiting for the 'Ohhh'. Fortunately, it came after a few seconds.

"OHH! Yeah, don't worry about it." Tommy gave a smile, though his blue eyes were averted to the side. "I get it, that guitar's probably very special to you. I shouldn't have messed with it, but it won't happen again, promise!"

"Thanks, Toms. You're awesome." Wilbur gave a warm smile, lifting himself to his feet and sitting on the bed beside him.

"Why exactly are you so attached to your guitar, Wil? General question."

"..."

"Wilbur?"

His face turned away, Wilbur's quiet sniffles tainted the room's atmosphere. His head was resting on his hand, and his long breaths seemed unstable. Clearing his throat, he finally answered.

"That- That guitar was a birthday present from Phil. The only gift I ever really got from him, other than a couple stuffed animals and a pair of headphones, hah.." He glanced over at Tommy for a reaction, pausing to give him a chance to speak if he pleased. However, the younger was all ears, so he continued. "It makes me feel like there's still a glimmer of hope that Phil still values me like he did before he adopted Techno. Don't get me wrong, I love both of them, it's just.. I feel that they never have any time for me anymore, like they prioritise the more important things. Which is a lot of things. Sometimes I feel like my opinion doesn't matter- Oh why am I shoving all my problems onto you? You're only a kid, you don't need me and my.. issues.. polluting your life." Wilbur forced a chuckle, voice cracking, while he wiped his eyes. By now, tears were rolling down his cheeks every time he blinked. Within seconds, Tommy had wrapped his arms around the other.

"Cry on me. It's okay." Were the only words he'd spoke, yet it was enough for Wilbur to burst into sobs on his brother's shoulder, clutching his back. The despair was contagious, and Tommy found his own eyes becoming watery.

"I'm here for you, Wil."

That single line broke him. Wilbur stayed silent to process what had just been said to him, then his sobs grew louder. He could barely even speak a 'thank you'.

The two boys stayed like that for a good hour or so, ranting quietly about their problems, though it was mostly Wil speaking and Tommy listening. The only reason why they stopped was because Phil had called everyone down for dinner. It was 7pm - time sure does fly by when you're spending time with a person you enjoy the company of. Techno was the first one down, then Tommy manoeuvred over to his door. Wilbur stayed where he was.

"You coming down then?" The blonde asked, leaning against the white frame.

"Nah, I'll just skip dinner for today. Tell Phil that I'm not insulting his cooking, I'm just not that hungry." Wilbur replied, flicking through his phone. Although he felt like his stomach was being clawed at, the acknowledgement that more food meant more weight demotivated him from going downstairs. He could imagine the roast dinner, steam emanating from the food, and all it was doing was taunting him. He didn't want it. He didn't want any of it. It was a battle between his stomach and his brain, that's all it ever was lately.

"Alright.. just make sure to eat something when you do get hungry, mhm?"

"..mhm."

Once Tommy's footsteps had faded into silence, Wilbur got up and ambled out the room, gently shutting the door behind him. He rested his head on it for a few seconds, sighing softly to himself, then made his way over to the bathroom. He'd only observe his appearance, nothing else. Not yet, at least. The mirror glistened at his entry, as if welcoming him. He didn't like the mirror much, but it helped him to see how much weight he'd have to lose. He met with its glinting surface, examining how he looked: utterly terrible. His hair was an absolute mess, he had bags beneath his dull swollen eyes and his skin was extremely pale. How did Tommy even want to hug him when he looks like this? Tommy was more of a big brother than he was, Wilbur had to be the one supporting him, not the other way round. The brunette continued to stare at his reflection, mentally picking out all his flaws and insecurities before he brushed his teeth ready for bed. Unsteadily exhaling, he turned back towards the door, shutting it and walking over to his own room. He was so pathetic. He didn't even have any plans for the future. He didn't know what career he wanted, he didn't have a girlfriend.. hell, Techno would probably get a significant other before he did, and Techno doesn't even want to date anyone. The only thing he'd date would be special events.

It was still light outside - in Summer, it usually gets dark at around 9pm - yet fatigue and demotivation still struck Wilbur. One early night wouldn't destroy his sleep schedule (as if it wasn't destroyed already) and so, he shut his blinds, lay down on top of his bed with eyes locked on the ceiling and tried to eavesdrop on what Phil, Techno and Tommy were saying. Yet, he could only hear quiet mumbles and the occasional excited yells. And then it all went silent when he shut his eyes and drifted into a light sleep.

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1288 words