Will Them Into Existence

Tangled Webs

Cameras flashed with the frenzy of the crowd as the four shuffled into the room, Pepper leading the pack with Tommy and Wilbur in tow and then Tony closing up the rear. The audience was abuzz with excitement as the discussion revolved around the advancements and potential collaborations between Stark Industries and various competitors, and was also the first official showcase of the Young Minds Initiative and the first public conference that included the twins as panel members.

The red haired teen sat still in their seat, eyes never leaving the crowd as Pepper began the press conference with her usual statement as CEO of the company. Minutes passed with no words spoken from Wilbur, even as interviewers asked about tasks within Tony's lab. The brunette man slid every answer towards the crowd as smoothly as usual, his sunglasses snug on his face, but more than once he faltered - fruitlessly hoping that his mentee would jump in. Despite his wishes, Wilbur never answered any questions. The shorter blonde to their left bounced back with news station anchors and gathered laughs throughout the room, his eyes glancing every so often to the stoic figure of his brother beside him.

But, as the conversation turned Stark Industries competitor, Oscorp, a peculiar tension filled the air. Pepper and Tony exchanged a brief glance, their eyes conveying a shared understanding, and Tommy bit his lip and then cleared his throat as Wilbur stirred at the question.

"Do you think Oscorp has a problem with employee endangerment?"

Before Wilbur could respond, Tommy interjected with a playful grin. "Oh, haha, I think that's a question better suited for the PR side of things - I'm sure Ms. Potts would be glad to answer that on the official Instagram Q&A. Let's keep the panel's focus on our innovations here at Stark Industries, yeah?"

The audience chuckled, but Wilbur's demeanor shifted. A distant look settled in their eyes, and they seemed lost in their own thoughts. In the audience, a brunette team gripped the handles of his seat until his knuckles turned white, and the three people to his right did the same.

As the panel continued, a participant in the audience noticed Wilbur's change in behavior and couldn't resist pointing their camera and their question towards them. "Are you alright, Wilbur?"

Wilbur turned their gaze to the person who had spoken, their voice tinged with an unusual intensity. "Do you think everything rots? That it all falls apart eventually?"

Beside them, Tony's eyebrows shot up behind his sunglasses and he set a steady hand on their should, taken aback by the question. "No, of course not, Wilbur. Progress and innovation are about building something lasting and impactful."

Wilbur's eyes narrowed, their voice sharp as they whipped their head around to the brunette man. "I'm not asking you!"

The exchange left the audience puzzled, and the four closest onlookers in the crowd shot glances to each other. As the panel concluded, the Winchester brothers, accompanied by a brunette teen and his best friend, made their way towards the employee exit, using their guest passes to push through.

Cornering the red haired teen outside the hall, the brunette teen spoke gently but firmly, "What was that about, Wilbur? You seemed different up there."

Wilbur shrugged, attempting to brush off the question. "It's nothing. Just a momentary lapse. I'm fine, really."

Colby, completely unimpressed, made eye contact with Tommy over the teen's shoulder and soldiered on. "Wil, c'mon. We can see something is bothering you. We're your friends, and we want to help."

Wilbur's defenses went up, their voice guarded. "I appreciate your concern, but I can handle this on my own. Please, just let it go."

The tension in the air was palpable as Colby and the others exchanged worried glances. They knew that pushing Wilbur too hard could push them further away, but they couldn't ignore their gut feeling that something was truly wrong.

The brunette teen, unable to let Wilbur slip away, made a decision. He quietly followed Wilbur, who had began walking away from the rest of the group, navigating through the labyrinthine corridors of Stark Industries. Eventually, he found them standing alone on a rooftop, their back turned towards him.

"Wilbur," Colby called out, his voice filled with both apprehension and determination. "You may think you're alone in this, but you're not. We care about you - I care about you - and I won't let you face whatever is going on by yourself."

The red head's shoulders tensed, and for a moment, it seemed as if they might open up. However, the walls snapped back into place, and they turned to face Colby, their expression guarded. "You don't understand. No one does. This is something I have to deal with on my own."

Colby closed the distance between them, his voice pleading. "Wilbur, I may not understand everything, but I'm here for you. We can face this together."

Wilbur's eyes flickered with a mix of frustration and fear, and then immediately snapped back to blank as they stepped away from the brunette teen and shook their head once, before smiling and turning back around the face the edge of the building. "If only it were that easy, Col."

They said, and pressed a button on their watch that sprang their Spiderman suit over their street clothes and covered their expression with the web-designed mask. Green laced where familiar and comforting blue used to reside, and Colby swallowed, for the first time feeling a little bit afraid. Afraid of the situation, and afraid of the battle the other was facing, but also a little afraid of them.

The brunette stepped back, and watched as Wilbur swung away, immediately pulling his own watch closer to his chest and following the little red dot moving further away with his blurry eyes.

———

💚