Will Them Into Existence

We'll Always Be (But, Maybe Not This Time)

Wilbur cracked open the door, letting it close behind them with a sigh. Almost immediately, a voice called out from the living room. "They're back!"

Footsteps approached the front door fast, a comforting brunette figure coming into view and stopping in front of the green-haired teen, hands hovering above their shoulders with eyebrows creased. "Where have you been?"

Wilbur stepped forward, shaking their head and simply lifting out the hand that carried the pill bottle, pushing it into the other's hand and moving to walk away. Dean tutted, lightly grabbing his arm to turn them around and then pulling his hand away.

"I saw. On the news." The older man said, flipping the bottle around to read the words with a nod. "If I would've known that would've happened, I never would've sent you there. Especially not on your own."

"I know, Dean." The younger replied, again turning with the intent to walk into the living room and check up on the status of their brother, knowing that more time than they would've liked had passed.

"Wilbur." The brunette said, setting the pill bottle on the table with a soft click. "You've gotta promise me something."

The green-haired teen turned around to look at him, crossing their arms and fiddling with their sleeves. "What?"

"If something like that ever happens again, you take care of you first." Dean said, glancing towards the living room. "Sam and I, we try our damndest to protect you kids. But we won't always be there to help you. You experienced that tonight. You have got to prioritize yourself, kid, because no one else is going to. Not like I- like you, will need them to."

Wilbur dropped their arms, raising his eyebrows and turning their head slightly to the side, heels clicking against each other nervously. "Do you want me to promise, or do you want me to be honest?"

Dean caught his eye, shaking his head and closing his eyes for a second before looking back at them again. "I want you to be alive, Wilbur."

"No, I know. I just-"

"There is no 'just' anymore, kid. You either are, or you aren't. You and your brother were both in separate, serious danger tonight." The brunette stepped forward, hands on his hips. "There's going to come a time when you have a choice to make. And I need to know that you'll choose you."

The teenager eyed their guardian, eye twitching. "What, so I'm just supposed to leave everyone else high and dry?" They threw a hand out, running it through their hair with a dry laugh. "When I know I can help? When there's a clear best case scenario that is depending on intervention?"

"Kid, you're sixteen, there is no scenario that should rely completely on you-"

"Like you didn't take care of Sam at sixteen? Like you weren't hunting and saving people and having been a hero for years at that point?"

Dean pushed his palm into the counter, the sound reverberating off the walls of the kitchen and entryway, filling the whole apartment. "My childhood- I am trying to make it be different for you and your brother. That was not heroism, it was desperation. Now that is enough, Wilbur."

"No. No, it isn't. If there is a situation where I have the possibility to save someone- to save Tommy- then I am going to take it. I thought that you of all people would understand that." Wilbur said, shoulders pressed tight to their ears and arms wrapped around their stomach.

Sam came into the room, glaring at both of them as he looked over his shoulder towards the figure laid across the couch in the living room, who tossed and turned with eyes clench tightly shut.

"Nice going, you woke him up." He hissed under his breathe, leaning over the counter to grab the pill container and turning towards the still simmering pot on the stove.

The brunette and the teen exchanged a glance behind the blonde's back as he stirred the pills into the mixture, Wilbur biting his lip while Dean rubbed his arm. Dean opened his mouth, but the man at the stove beat him to it.

"For what it's worth, Wilbur, I think you're very brave. Much more brave than I was at your age, and much more brave than Tommy will ever have to be, if you have it your way, I'm sure." He poured the mixture slowly into Tom's favorite faded Lightning McQueen plastic cup, turning and eyeing the mentioned green-haired teen. "What my idiot brother is trying to say, is that you can't save everyone. It's a lesson we all learn eventually." He stuck a pink bendy straw into the cup, turning again to exit the kitchen.

Sam walked into the living room, Dean trailing slowly behind him and stopping at the very end of the kitchen, just before reaching the living room. Sam turned to Wilbur one last time before sitting, locking eyes with them and shaking his head. "Don't be the one you can't save."

Sitting gently on the side of the couch, the elder blonde smoothed Thomas's hair back squeezing his shoulder gently. "C'mon, Tom. Just a little drink, and I promise you'll feel much better, okay?" He said, voice raising gently as he brought the cup closer to the blonde teen.

Thomas hummed, fighting his eyes open and looking blearily around the room. "'lby?" He asked, voice cracking as his unfocused eyes teared up.

Wilbur flinched, joining Dean at the doorway. "I'm right here, Toms. I'm home. Drink your- uh, your juice, okay? It's all gonna be okay."

One hand still holding the cup and the other helping Thomas position himself into a sitting position, the blonde man looked over his shoulder at the doorway and rolled his eyes.

"Throw out those shoes before you come over here, Wilbur. They've got oleander dust on the bottom of them." Sam said, still sitting beside Thomas and helping him slowly sip on his undoubtedly disgusting tasting drink.

Wilbur frowned, looking down at their shoes and fighting back the irrational tears that came from the thought of parting with their worn and admittedly well-past-the-prime converse. Dean stepped closer, clearing his throat and holding out his hand.

"I'll deal with them." He offered, motioning for them to kick off the shoes and, once off his feet, shooing him away. "You go sit with your brother, kid."

They paused on their way to the couch, turning around and biting their lip.

"I know that look. Go. It's okay. No hard feelings." The brunette man shrugged, hauling a trash bag now containing Wilbur's old shoes towards the door.

Wilbur smiled gratefully, once again turning towards the couch and shaking their shoulders out to get rid of the now dissipating sinking feeling. Their eyes landed on Tommy.

The younger blonde slowly looked up, matching green eyes meeting Wilbur's own for a millisecond, a tiny smile catching on his face before he refocused on downing his antidote.

And for a millisecond, the whole night seemed worth it.

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i luv angst + i luv my spidey = angsty first look at spidey discourse chapter. finally got around to the plot points i cut from last chapter ! yippie !

finally a shorter chapter (STILL OVER A THOUSAND WORDS) so maybe it'll be easier to digest again so sorry for the excess word count these past few chapters! i'll work on condensing more in the future, i just have so much to say