Tainted Perception | Wilbur Soot Angst (ORIGINAL)

Time

TW: Implied violence, blood, and death

A/N: Thank you guys so so so so so so so so much for all of the support, holy crap! We hit 2K!!! That is insane!!!! 

It was now almost ten o'clock, and still, Wilbur was sitting anxiously on the couch. A while ago Techno had tried and failed to convince him to go to bed, so now they were both waiting. Phil had said he'd be back by now, so where was he? Tapping the cushions uneasily, their gaze remained fixated on the door, hoping against hope that the man would walk through.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. The clock's noise echoed through the house, as if mocking their insecurity. Tick. Wilbur's hand brushed Techno's, a comforting touch. Tock. The normally stoic boy glanced down, but didn't pull away. Tick. The younger twin's thoughts drifted to their little brother, he didn't deserve this. Tock. Tommy was young, naive. Even though Phil wasn't their biological father, he still called him Dad. Tick. He probably didn't even remember the fact that he was (unofficially) adopted. Tock. Too bad he and Techno weren't as lucky.

The details on how they had come to meet Phil was a bit fuzzy. It was dark, someone telling him to run, a person talking gently to Techno, trying to calm him down, the pig hybrid yelling something back, then red. So much red. Techno had been covered with it when he had found him. He had been next to a body, he couldn't recall who it was, or even the gender of the nameless person. All he remembered was the gaping hole that had appeared in his chest, the feeling that he had lost something, something important to him. Then he had cried, he wasn't sure why, Techno had been crying too.

And then they had ran. Their young minds scared and confused, they had acted on the primal instinct implanted on every living thing: survive. Fight, flight, or freeze. Those had been the options. But there was nothing to fight, and Wilbur couldn't freeze. No, he had to move, he had to do something that felt productive to their cause. So they ran, the younger twin pulling his brother along. Stumbling over roots and slipping on the mud that had been created from the ongoing storm. Their tears being lost in the downpour that surrounded them, their thoughts staying in the clearing that used to be their safe place. Now it was a place full of nightmares and memories that neither wanted to recall.

Then they must've ran into Phil, because the next thing he knew, they were in the house. Wrapped in blankets by the fire, mugs of hot chocolate in hand. It was peaceful. What had happened to those times? When had Phil decided that they weren't worth the effort anymore?

Click. Wilbur's eyes swung back to the door, his gaze now fixated on the handle. Techno squeezed his hand gently before pulling away, getting into a protective stance. That was when Will realized how useless he was. He didn't know how to fight. He didn't know how to protect himself, let alone Tommy. He didn't know how to lead. He didn't even know what to do if there was a fire. He was worthless. A broken piece in an otherwise perfect puzzle.

Tommy was young, he had time to learn, to grow. Wilbur was nearly ten now. And what did he have under his belt? He could sing and play guitar, neither of which had any real use in the world. Meanwhile, Techno knew how to protect himself and others, he knew how to survive. That was what was important.

The door swung open. And there stood Phil. His wings majestically posed behind him, looking perfect in every way. Techno relaxed immediately, though he didn't quite let down his guard.

"You guys are supposed to be in bed." Of course that was the first thing he said. Not, 'Are you guys okay?' or 'What happened while I was gone?' or 'I'm sorry I left you guys alone to care for your four year old brother with no explanation.' No, it was always a reprimand.

"And you're supposed to take care of us, look where that got us," Techno shot back, taking Wilbur by surprise. "What do you have to say for yourself? What can you possibly say to make up for that? What's your excuse?"

"I-"

-

Phil came into the house quietly, Wilbur was probably asleep at this point. His theory was proven correct as his gaze fell on the man, who was practically unconscious on the couch. Smiling slightly, he set the items down carefully, he would deal with them in the morning. Right now, he only wanted to do one thing. Taking the guitar up the stairs, he set it down gently at the foot of Wilbur's bed, he would find it when he woke up. 

Again thank you all so much! Have a wonderful day/night! 

PS: Thank you for 50K on Unpredictable and the 145 followers