Eburnean Tommy Au

XVIII - Wilbur

"I think I figured out why Tommy likes physical affection so much more now" Tubbo says

"Yeah, I mean he was trapped with you know who for over a year," Phil responds, "it's expected that he'd be clingier"

"That's certainly part of it, but I think it's also because he can't speak, touch has become the easiest way for him to interact with people"

"Oh, that makes sense; there were a couple days when all he wanted was a hug from Technoblade, and he was devastated that he wouldn't give him one," he recalls, "Tommy wrote him something and finally got a hug. Turns out, the kid had been having a lot of trouble understanding their relationship"

"I'm glad he has some kind of way to show affection, but that's a problem if he can't recognize or understand any other kinds though"

"There are a lot of problems"

Ghostboo phases through the wall.

"What are you doing and where's Michael?" Toby demands

"Loosen up, he's with Techno. I wanted to apologize for upsetting him." he points to boy whos sound asleep in his best friend's arms, "I was thinking you could live in Ranboo's old house so you can be closer to Tommy, or he could live there with you. I'd help you move"

"That's actually a good idea. Phil, if I do, could Tom live with me?"

Phil hums in uncertainty,

"You can visit as much as you want," Tubbo promises, then mumbles, "and to be honest, he should have a room of his own"

"Okay, you're right," Phil admits, "but let's see what Tom thinks when he wakes up"

"Yeah, that sounds good"
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That evening, Phil brings it up with Techno,

"I'm not okay with this"

"I know you're worried about your little brother-"

"I'm not worried about him, I just don't want to be neighbors with a president and a weird ghost"

"Are you really going to tell poor Tommy that he can't stay with his best friend?"

The blade notices the guilt trip immediately, "Hey, that's a dick move"

"Well, are you?"

Techno crosses his arms and looks away, then sees a familiar face outside.

"Phil, uh, Wilbur's here"

"What!?" he looks through the window, and sure enough, his second son is walking up to their houses.

Phil and Techno walk outside, and the latter is the first to speak, "What are you doing here?" he demands.

"It's nice to see you too Technoblade" Wilbur quips

"Why are you here?" he asks again

"Do I need a reason to visit my dear family?"

"It's always seemed that way" Phil mumbles, but Wil hears it,

"Well I've had a change of heart, would you mind if I come in?"

"Actually we would mind, you've caught us at a bad time, sorry" Phil tries to be polite

"Maybe if you tell us why you're really here. You want explosives or something?"

"If you really must know, I've seen Tubbo going to and from this place from time to time recently; I was curious as to why"

Phil let's out a pained sigh, but Techno continues the argument, "So you're some kind of stalker now?"

"I'd be a very bad stalker considering I don't know why he's been coming here"

"That's still a kind of stalker"

"Techno," Phil interrupts, putting a hand on his shoulder, "you understand that he deserves to know, right?"

"I feel like I actually don't deserve to know why he's been coming here; I just kinda want to"

The blade grabs him by the arm and drags him into Phils house, "I'm afraid it's not about Tubbo"

"Wait, Techno, don't just-" Phil tries not to let him drop it all on Wilbur at once, but it's too late.

Wil sees Tom sitting on the pull out bed in a partial embrace with Tubbo. He looks his little brother up and down, he's certain that it's him, but his hair is long and white and he's covered in bloody bandages. He looks more like a badly prepared corpse than the hyper little kid he once knew him to be.

"Tommy, you look ridiculous" he comments, and the boy gives him nothing more than a puzzled stare in response.

"Wilbur? What are you doing here? A- and why would you say that?"

"Well he clearly just wants attention, but he looks stupid and so do you lot for falling for it"

Phil and Techno glare at Wil, while Toby looks at his friend with worry of how he'll react. What he does is sickening; he grips the bandages where his eye used to be and pulls them down from his face to show a bloody mess.

Phil rushes over to fix them, "Tom, you know better than to mess with your bandages"

He shows him the card for sorry and points to Wilbur.

"I know why you did it, but there are better ways to prove it" he says while fixing the bandages, and Tommy starts to get overwhelmed.

"That didn't prove shit," Wil tells them, "he could have done that himself if he really wanted to," he kneels down to look Tommy in the eye, "Quit being dramatic"

The blade butts in, "He's being dramatic?! Need I remind you anything about L'manburg?!"

"Ugh, please don't remind me, that was all stupid"

Phil finishes fixing Tommy's bandages and quickly stands up,

"Shut up! All of you! Shut! Up! Techno, take Wilbur outside and explain. For the love of the gods, I can't deal with your shit right now, I'm trying to help Tommy!"

His two older sons leave the house for Phil to turn his attention to his youngest, and find him crying and clutching Toby's arm.

"Ow, Tommy, stop, that hurts man," he whines as Tom's nails dig into his skin, "calm down mate, I'm not going anywhere. Can you hear me? Tom?"

He, in fact, couldn't hear them, all of his senses told him that he was back at that crater running from the masked man. He kept shooting Tommy in the back with a crossbow, and each hit made him jolt forward and slow down. He feels the pain and nausea worsen each time as well.

He collapses to the rocky dirt after a hit to his spine, "Please..." he says with his worsening voice, "I... I don't want.. I can't.... die.. again"

"Oh don't worry, you won't be dead for long" he feels several arrows lodge into his neck and blacks out.