there is only us | wilbur soot x reader

Chapter 11 - Dye

Wilbur POV

I have had many weird things happen in my life before.

But never have I ever had a queen show up at my doorstep.

I suppose we should rewind a bit though.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

A three-year-old, a ten-year-old, an eight-year-old, a blond man, and a bottle of hair dye.

That should set the scene for you.

Tommy at the time was a baby, loud and punt-able, two traits still held by the boy to this day. He came home from the markets with a grin on his face, my fingers in one hand and a plastic bag in the other.

Dave was waiting on the couch, eyebrows raising with curiosity as we barged through the door. The boy put down his book with a sigh, fixing his blood-red eyes on his brothers.

"See!" Tommy shouted, pointing to Dave's hair with a satisfied glance at me. He strolled over to his brother, sprawled on the furniture, and tugged at his pink braids. "Dye!"

Then, using gestures to communicate, he lifted the bag in his hand and waved it in the air. "Dye!" And then, he pointed to the hair on his own head. "Dye!"

Normally, one would be concerned when their younger brother was yelling die at the top of their lungs, but I simply rolled my eyes and took the bag from Tommy's grip. I plopped down on the ground beside Dave, who fixed us with a confused look. I shrugged, muttering some excuse for a later explanation.

I turned to my baby brother, who had come and stood in front of me with his hands on his hips. "But why?" I asked, still baffled by why he begged me to buy the bottle in the first place.

Tommy frowned, but before he could answer a low chuckle came from the hallway. A man with blond hair and a bucket hat stood above us, his presence warm and welcoming as he leaned against the doorway. Tommy's face lit up, and he faced me again.

"Dad!" He exclaimed, pointing at the man. Then, he took the dye from the bag and rotated it until the random model was showing, with his blond hair waving dramatically. "Dad," He shoved the picture in my face.

Finally, he tugged on his own hair, the same dark brown as mine. He pulled it in front of his eyes as if examining the color. "Dad," He said once more, a rare whisper followed by a genuine grin.

I got the gist. He wanted to dye his hair to look more like our Dad, the man with the grey wings and blurry face. Dad smiled fondly down at us, and he shook his head, amused, before retreating to the kitchen. On his way, he called out to me.

"Dye his hair, Will. Just keep him distracted until dinner."

Tommy smiled triumphantly, scurrying off to our room. "Dye!"

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

I was dreaming when the power went out.

Like most power outages, it was completely silent afterward. The thunderclap that followed, though, was not so quiet. It sounded as if it were right beside me, the clouds filling my ears. I sat up abruptly, amazed by Tommy's gentle snores.

"Holy hell," A voice above me grumbled.

"Techno?" I whispered, the familiar nickname rolling off my tongue.

A pale face appeared upside-down in my vision, Techno peeking at me from the top bunk. His eyes widened as he saw me wide awake. "Oops. Did the thunder wake you too?"

I nodded silently in reply, trying to reach the lamp from where I was sitting. Tommy was curled up at my side, his fluffy hair the only thing showing. I tried my best not to wake him, fearing another toddler tantrum. Four-year-olds aren't very pleasant in the middle of the night.