Will Them Into Existence

Everything You Lose

Wilbur sat up in bed, their heart racing. They looked around their bedroom, eyes catching on the streetlight flittering in through their curtain. They swallowed, sweat pouring down their forehead. Remembrance of their nightmare made them shiver, and they knocked their knuckles nervously against each other. He closed his eyes for a moment, immediately pulling them back open when the hair on their arms raised. They had tried so hard to leave it all behind, but it seemed like the memories would never truly fade away.

Desperate for comfort, they reached for their phone and hit 'call' on a familiar contact. After a few nerve-wracking seconds, Colby picked up, his voice groggy and soft from sleep. "Hey, Wil. You okay? What's going on?"

Wilbur swallowed hard, their throat feeling tight. "I had another nightmare," he whispered. "About...about what happened with, uh...the company."

Colby was silent for a moment, and then he spoke, his voice gentle. "I'm on my way, okay?Stay put."

Wilbur whispered their reply and then curled up under their covers, feeling grateful for the other teen's presence in their life. They knew that they could always count on him to be there, even in the odd hours of the night. It seemed that even when they didn't want to bother Dean or Sam, or didn't think their brother would understand, the brunette teenager would always be there with open arms- something the ever-evolving relationship between the two only cemented further.

A few minutes later, Colby arrived, having let himself in quietly with the spare key. He closed their bedroom door softly, making his way over to Wilbur's covered form. He sat down on the edge of their bed, his eyes filled with concern. "Hey there, Spidey," he said softly, the nickname rolling off his tongue. "You want to talk about it?"

The other teen shook their head, his eyes brimming with tears. "No. I- I can't."

Colby nodded immediately, understanding their thoughts and bringing a hand down to rub their shoulder. "Okay. That's okay. How about we do something to take your mind off it?"

Wilbur nodded, grateful for the distraction. Colby rummaged through his bag, pulling out a box of black hair dye. "I may have prior predicated that something like this might happen," he said with a grin. "How about we dye your hair black?"

Wilbur laughed, feeling a little lighter already. "Okay. Let's do it."

Colby pulled the other up, gently leading them to their desk on the other side of the room and making them sit down, turning on the lamp by the side with a soft smile. He set to work, carefully applying the dye to Wilbur's green hair, the two quietly bickering good-naturedly about the occasional drop of hair dye on Wilbur's desk.

As Colby stepped away to examine his work, Wilbur cleared their throat, looking back to their window. "I can't believe we're almost done with high school." They tapped their hand against their thigh. "So much stuff is changing. Don't get me wrong- like you said, change can be good." They looked towards the other teen. "I guess I'm overwhelmed, or something. I don't know."

Colby stepped forward, kneeling and taken Wilbur's hand. "It's a lot. I bet all the uh, company, stuff is getting brought up a lot. And of course, I'll never know what that feels like, but I'm here to help. And you called me. I'm proud of you, for, uh, reaching out." Colby finished, blushing and clearing his throat and then standing up and clapping his hands softly.

"Anyway. This has probably been sitting long enough. Can we wash it out in the bathroom or will that wake someone up?"

Wilbur stood, putting a hand on their hip. "Uh, no. It should be fine. It's early enough that Tom's TV hasn't cut off yet and Sam and Dean are heavy enough sleepers, not to mention they are on the other side of the apartment. We can use the bathroom."

The brunette teen nodded, gently opening Wilbur's room door and leading the way to the twins' bathroom a little down the hall. He scooted in, waiting for the other teen to enter before closing the door behind them. "Alright. You can sit on the counter or the edge of the tub. Your choice."

Wilbur narrowed their eyes, sitting lightly on the edge of the tub and then putting their hands out with warning. "I swear to everything, Col, if you spray me in the face I will never forgive you."

Colby laughed, tugging his hoodie off and laying it on the counter. "I'm literally going to rinse your hair, Wil. There's no way it doesn't get on your face."

Wilbur huffed as Colby climbed into the tub, unclipping the shower head and giving them warning before starting the water.

As Colby rinsed out the dye, Wilbur caught his own reflection in the mirror, their hair now a sleek shade of black. He couldn't help but smile, feeling like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"Thanks, Colby," he said softly. "For everything."

Colby grinned, tousling Wilbur's newly black hair. "Anytime, Wil. That's what I'm here for."

——-

The next day, Wilbur popped their back as they walked into the kitchen, immediately heading for their claimed stool and sitting down. Tommy stood at the counter, animatedly talking to Sam and Dean about his current favorite movie, his own blonde hair starting to grow out at the roots.

Without thinking, Wilbur leaned on their hand, thoughts immediately going to the extra bleach Colby had left under the bathroom counter 'just incase'. "Toms. Your hairs growing out. You wanna bleach your roots today? I'll help you."

Tommy turned to his twin, eyes bright and answer on his lips, and stopped at the sight of black hair in the place of now-familiar green. "Wh- when did you dye your hair?" He raced around the counter, waiting for their nod before laughing and ruffling their hair. "It looks great! We really are opposites now."

"Oh, uh," The black haired teen rubbed the back of their neck, blush creeping. "It-"

"Was Colby. Right?" Dean asked, sipping his coffee. "You aren't slick, kid. Next time he wants to come over in the middle of the night, tell him not to use the front door."

Sam nodded, tapping on the side of the counter. "We put cameras on it weeks ago."

————-

black hair arc <3