Escape - Wilbur angst

Chapter 32 - Two steps wrong

I guess you could call this a filler chapter. I just need to throw some half-shitty lore in here to continue the story.

TWs

Mentions selfharm, slight flashback

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" he yelled.

Phil's eyes softened.

"Wilbur, I'm not mad at you, I just want to help..."

The younger looked around the bathroom in a panic. This wasn't good, this was nothing but bad. No one was supposed to know.

Phil took a testing step forward.

"Please don't hurt me, I-"

"You let someone see your bruises..?" 

Wilbur flinched away from the harsh grip on his collar. 

"I- I didn't m-mean to, we were playing tag in PE a-and he accidentally pulled my sh-shirt, and it exposed my s-shoulder..." he defended himself.

His father's grip swiftly moved up and grabbed hold of his throat, blocking his air. Wilbur stared into the other's eyes and-

"Wilbur, hey? I need you to be with me. It's not real, you're here with me and Techno." Phil had noticed the brunette's eyes widen before becoming distant and glossy, a clear sign the other was having flashbacks.

Wilbur stepped back, but nodded at the other's statement.

"There you are... may I come closer?" the adult asked. He was cautious, scared of what his son's next movement would be. The other shook his head.

"Please don't. I'm sorry."

If he was sorry for cutting or not letting the other get close neither of the two knew, but it was important that his boundaries were respected.

Phil's eyes were begging the other to not do this, but eventually sighed in defeat. "Alright. You can wash the cuts under running water, then put pressure on them with a towel, and last you bandage your whole arms please. Tomorrow we'll clean them properly."

Phil's instructions came out with a broken voice, one of guilt and... grief.

Wilbur nodded and Phil went back to his room, a wave of sadness washing over him. He knew he shouldn't blame himself, but where did he go wrong? What caused his son to not talk about his feelings and instead harm himself?

Upon entering his room he was shocked to see Techno sitting on his bed. "Tech? It's three in the morning and you have school. Why are you up?"

The other looked at him with a 'seriously?' look. "Couldn't sleep, heard what happened, decided to check up on you."

Phil's gaze softened. "Thank you mate..."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Techno asked. Phil nodded. 

The younger patted the space beside him on the bed. After his father had sat down he leaned in, they were now cuddling, something they had grown to love over the years.

"So as you might have figured Wilbur has been... self-harming. A lot, it looked like. I wanted to help him, but he didn't let me come near. I don't know what went wrong." he explained. 

Techno thought for a moment. 

"There could be a lot of reasons. One, he probably doesn't want us to keep him clean, so he hides it. Two, he's scared of your reaction. Or three, he feels guilty that he didn't ask for help and didn't want to be a bother."

Phil nodded. "I know, it just makes me feel so... I don't know. Worthless?"

The silence was thick. "Phil, you've done more than enough. Wilbur talks well about you, I love you and neither of us would have survived without you."

"You've told me that every time these past years."

"Because it's true."

A small chuckle left Phil's mouth. He pulled his son closer.

"How have you been Techno? I'm sorry I haven't checked up on you as much as usual..." he asked. It was true. From checking up on his son at least once every week to see how he had been feeling during the past seven days to only checking up after something major had happened.

Though Techno didn't mind, it was rewarding to see Wilbur get better, and he enjoyed taking care of others.

"I've been okay, I guess." he spoke.

Phil looked down at him, worry in his eyes. Techno had always been so straight forward with his feelings and answered truthfully. "What? Techno, is something wrong?"

Techno began shaking slightly, tears welling up in his eyes. "It's been getting worse." he whispered. "They're everywhere, not talking just- just staring."

Phil froze, he knew what this was about.

"Techno, why didn't you tell me..?" his voice was weak.

Tears began streaming down Techno's face. "I'm scared, dad. They- they intimidate me, they make me see things."

"See what Techno?" Phil's voice was full of stress.

"Things... I don't know Phil! Creatures, something, someone, I really don't know!"

"Techno, calm. Neither of you are going to school tomorrow, and we'll book something with Miss. Bruqo as soon as possible. Maybe Wilbur would be interested in trying out."

Techno nodded. He knew his meds would increase, though if it was in strength or amount he did not know.

I'm correcting this in school, only 13 minutes left.

- Bread