Will Them Into Existence

Illusionary Tale

If Wilbur was bewildered before, they were horrified now. Shaking their head profusely, he stared at their brother. "What?"

"Okay, uh," Thomas laughed, rubbing the back of his neck tersely. "I did tell you not to freak out."

"Tommy, how can I not freak out? What the hell are you talking about 'changed my DNA'? What does that even mean, Tom?" They exclaimed, hands flailing with their rapid breaths, finally landing on his headphones and fiddling with the chord.

Tom sighed and looked to his side, picking at the grout of the wall. "You remember the exhibit hall, right? I mean, yeah, obviously you do, but do you remember when I said most of the creatures there were probably radioactive?"

Wilbur nodded, hands still twisting the chord around his fingers. "Yeah. You said it was a shame."

"It is. Beautiful creatures, and radiation-" He glanced up towards his brother, words falling short as he shut his mouth. He shook his head again, pulling his knees up to his chest. "I don't know, Wil. Radiation alters base chemical formulas. You know that."

The taller huffed, crossing their arms biting their lip. "So what? You think I've got radiation poisoning or something?"

Thomas laughed dryly, eyebrows pulling up. "No. Your symptoms aren't consistent with radiation poisoning."

Wilbur leaned forward, hands falling to his lap. "So what, then? What's happening to me, Tommy?"

"Wilbur, c'mon, I don't know everything." The shorter said, turning away from his brother and resuming his earlier job of picking at the wall's grout.

"You keep saying that. But you know something, Tom. Something you aren't telling me." They pressed, pushing his knee with their own.

At his silence, they shook their head, scoffing and biting his lip with enough force to build pressure behind their eyes. "Okay," They started, grasping their headphones and turning towards the alcove's entrance. "Okay. Have it your way, 'Major Tom'."

The blonde flinched, rubbing his cheek against his shoulder with a sniffle. Down the hall, footsteps drew nearer, and a familiar voice grew steadily louder.

"Wilbur! Tom! There you are, I've been looking all over for you." Sam called, kneeling to stick his head into the little hideout. Seeing their tense stances, he smiled apologetically, glancing over his shoulder and then looking back towards Wilbur. "Sorry. Colby's waiting for you. You were supposed to be at practice, like, seven minutes ago."

Wilbur gasped, looking at their watch and smacking their forehead. "Right. I'm going. Thanks, Sammy." They looked at their brother as they crawled out of the space, opening his mouth and then turning away with a sigh.

Tom leaned against the wall and watched them go, swiping a hand down his face. "God, Sam. I've really done it this time."

Sam slid into the alcove with a hum, sitting beside the shorter and tapping his shoulder with his hand. "You wanna talk about it?"

Thomas bit his lip, looking to the side as pressure swelled behind his eyes. "I don't know. Not really. Just- I don't know." He leaned against the taller's shoulder, the other wrapping an arm around him and squeezing once.

"I'm worried about Wilbur." He finally whispered, face scrunched up with tears. "I think- I think things are about to get really hard for them. And I don't know how to help."

Sam smiled softly, leaning his head against the shorter's hair. "Just be there for them. Follow his lead. " A laugh, and then, "The way you always have, Tommy."

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Navigating the halls alone was not a feat Wilbur was used to. Naturally, they had separate classes from their friends every now and then, but the group had developed a routine over the years of following each other through the halls, walking each other to their classes and other activities, so that no one had to go alone.

The chill of the empty hallways settled in his bones, and Wilbur found themself walking a lot faster than they would normally, desperately pushing every thought except that of their destination away. Colby was waiting for them in practice. Sam would be there soon. And Tommy-

They shook their head, pushing the door of the auditorium open with a creak. He cringed as heads snapped his way, cursing every being they could think of that an already extra rough day had to be one they walked in alone. He cleared his throat and cringed again as the doors shut loudly behind him, making his way down the isles with eyes glued to the floor in front of them.

"Wilbur!" Someone said from the front of the stage, voice echoing despite an obvious attempt at low range. They walked closer, hands hovering around them but not quite touching.

Wilbur looked up, small, tired smile falling into place. "Hey, Colbs." They said, leaning into his hands lightly. He squeezed their shoulder lightly, leading him to the side-steps of the stage.

"Hey yourself.". Colby responded, pulling back the curtain and letting the other slip through. Finally, he turned around, eyebrows knitting together. "What happened? You okay?"

Wilbur scoffed, knocking their shoes together and sitting down on a nearby stool. "Somehow, you always know when somethings happened."

Colby lightly flicked their forehead, sitting down beside them. "Yeah. It's my bullshit radar, trained specifically on you."

The twin laughed lightly, the sound catching in his throat. "I- I don't know. I guess I kind of fought with Tommy."

The other whipped his head around, raising an eyebrow in surprise. "You? Fought with Tommy? Our Tommy?"

"Well, not really a fight. We just-" They shook their head, meeting their own eyes in the mirror in front of them. "We clashed. Can't remember the last time we did that."

Colby caught their eyes over his shoulder, leaning slightly to be in the mirror. "About what?"

"It's stupid." Wilbur replied, dropping his hands to the counter. "I think he thinks he's protecting me."

Colby nodded, positioning himself back in front of his own mirror. "Is he?"

Wilbur looked at themself in the mirror again, eyes glossing over before reverently shaking his head. "I don't know. I guess I'll have to see. Later."

They brushed at their hair absently before shrugging, standing from their seat and laying their jacket on it in a heap. "For now?" They extended a hand to Colby, who laughed and grabbed it as he stood. "We have some parts to play."

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wilbur is an actor (this comes in handy in more places than one)

as always dedicated to my very own spidey. i love you forever