Few weeks prior

Wilbur didn't want to be here. He felt like shit. His skin was clinging too desperately to his muscles that weighed him down, and his blood kept clogging up in some areas while flitting through others. That's what it felt like, anyways. That was his bodily pains. His mind was being far less sensitive and compassionate. Wilbur couldn't move his body without feeling like he was doing that wrong. Every rise and fall of his chest made Wilbur worry that he was disappointing everyone because he couldn't breathe right. A large part of Wilbur knew it was stupid and the people who cared about him wouldn't have an opinion about how well he breathed, but an equally big part was yelling at Wilbur that no one cared about him.

So, walking to a cafe packed with people? Out of the fucking question. Yet, here Wilbur was, hair slightly greasy and eyes darting around fearfully as he pushed open the door. He knew instantly that his friend, Niki, had lied to him about the cafe closing. Wilbur understood on a surface level that Niki did this out of concern and to push Wilbur out of his own mental prison, but a deeper level kept blaming his current pains on Niki and her deception.

Wilbur was about to turn and leave when he saw the boy. Blonde hair as raggedy and oily as Wilbur's- maybe more so- with a distant look in his blue eyes that sat above deep, sagging bags that marked tiredness. The boy looked like he was seconds away from bolting or crying, and Wilbur felt the exact same way. Against his better judgment, Wilbur lifted his feet one after another, step by step, until he was next to the boy's table.

"Do you mind if I sit here?"

Wilbur gave a placating smile, tension spiraling into springs ready to jump high in his stomach. The boy shifted to stare at Wilbur, zombie eyes blinking slowly as his face morphed into a light glare. Wilbur knew it wasn't ill intentioned, merely defensive.

"Fuck off."

"You have a mouth on you."

Wilbur lowered himself into the seat. Even though the booth supported his weight, Wilbur felt something heavy sitting on his chest that kept him from relaxing. He lowered himself around his coffee with far too much creme. The boy shuffled closer to the wall, looking back out the window. Wilbur didn't want to see any more people than he already had, so he keeps his eyes trained on the boy.

"My name's Wilbur."

The boy had this look of disbelief hidden in his eyes as the flickered over to Wilbur. The man didn't blame him. Wilbur didn't know anyone who was this kind to someone they had never met. Strangers weren't friends you haven't met yet like school teachers said, they were enemies you haven't made yet. Still, Wilbur couldn't be cold to someone that looked like they had similar problems to himself.

"My favorite snack is sand and I absolutely despise anteaters."

Wilbur didn't know why he said that. To fill the silence, his mind supplied in between the self deprecating thoughts. Wilbur froze up when he heard a stifled laugh, and the boy trying to hide his lower face. Wilbur thought of a mischievous game to play: try to get the boy to laugh.

"I'm serious! Anteaters were created by a devil somewhere. The worst devil in the world, in any world. He saw humanity, and decided to fuck them over with anteaters."

Wilbur smiled on satisfaction as he kept talking, the boys laughter rising in pitch and volume. Wilbur could barely contain his own laughter as he continued, testing how loud the laughter could become. The boy was eventually breathing so heavily with a red face that Wilbur decided to give him a small break.

"Oi! Unfair!"

Tommy, as his name was, started talking back to Wilbur, the two joking back and forth like friends instead of strangers. After an hour, Wilbur rose to his feet.

"I'll be back tomorrow."

He left the mug. Wilbur paid for his coffee at the counter, sending a look back at Tommy. Wilbur paid for both of their drinks, hoping the friendship would last long.

Present Day

His communicator buzzed in his back pocket. Wilbur dropped his spoon of cereal back in the bowl to check who would message him that early in the morning. A person saved as Gremlin apparently.

Hey, Big Man! Good morning! I hope you slept poorly!

Anyways, I, being a fan-fucking-tastic person, got some tickets to the new entertainment center Las Nevadas for my fav price: freeeeeeeee

If you don't have any plans with some pog women or men-

whatever gets ya there at night lol

- you can come with me

You don't gotta

Just offering or some shit cause I'm a good friend

I don't need you or anything fuck off

"Techno! He's as awkward as you!" Wilbur chanted as he read through the messages. Wilbur could hear Tommy in each and every message, his voice that waned as he tried to be a tough guy when anxious or when he compensated with humor when he couldn't handle emotions. It was Tommy's way of communication that Wilbur was used to and fluent in.

"Heh?" Technoblade replied immediately. Wilbur gave a low chuckle as he showed his twin the messages. Techno gave an unimpressed stare at them. "I warned you about getting close, Wil."

Wilbur's attitude changed immediately. He narrowed his eyes. There was very few things Wilbur and Technoblade genuinely argued about, but the situation with Tommy had become a prime example of how different their goals and ways to achieve said goals were.

"Fuck you. He's my friend," Wilbur dropped the communicator on the table as he stood up with more force than necessary. His chair scratched the floor as it scooted back, rocking but not falling. Wilbur gripped his half full bowl and dropped it on the sink.

"You don't know anything about him. He could be a bad person, or he could be using you," Technoblade said in his defense. They were valid reasons, Wilbur couldn't deny, but that made him hate them all the more than he already did.

"What about the people using him? What about the person who made him codependent? Don't think I haven't noticed the signs. He's been hurt, Techno," Wilbur said, turning to glare at his brother with eyes growing in fire.

"That makes him all the more dangerous. When this person comes back into Tommy's life, who do you think he'll choose? You, a guy he barely knows and is harboring so many secrets from him, or someone he has trusted for most, if not all, of his life?" Technoblade responded with eyes that stared monotonely behind his glasses.

Wilbur didn't respond right away. It was because Techno was right, and Wilbur hated to think about it. Tommy was Wilbur's little brother, and the person who forced Wilbur out of his isolation and into accepting himself. Wilbur didn't know what he would do if Tommy gave up on him and decided that someone who had programmed him into obedience was better than Wilbur. "Fuck off. Tell Dad I'm going to Las Nevadas with a friend."

—

"This is the needle, my amigos!" Quackity called out, slipping into the language of El Rapids, his birth country, when he was showcasing the large tower to Wilbur and Tommy.

Las Nevadas was an entertainment center owned and operated by Quackity and his assistant Charlie. It was fairly new, but it had major business already. It was known for many fun activities and beautiful places like the Garden Temple where people could have a speedy wedding ceremony, the grand casino, the curvaceous women and naked men at the strip club, and Tommy's favorite part: the pools. Quackity had been giving Tommy and Wilbur a personal tour while allowing them to use fast passes to do all the activities ahead of the line.

Right now, the three stood high above the cloud on top of the Needle, a white shapely tower a balcony ringing around a glassed in area to sit. They were enjoying the view, watching the sun lower into the ground. Tommy was sitting on the railing with his feet dangling off the edge while Quackity and Wilbur were playfully commenting about penises in the distance that weren't actually there.

"Oh wow," Tommy muttered as the sunlight hit the clouds, creating red balls of wisps that blew idly with the wind. "This would be such a good point to just jump off and end it."

It took a moment for the words to register in Wilbur's head. They had been having such a nice time that he didn't expect anything like that to come from Tommy. Once it did register, Wilbur was sprinting towards Tommy while chanting 'no' with Quackity not far behind. Tommy looked back at them with a sheepish smile as he lifted his arms up, "Wait! Wait! I didn't mean it like that! I meant: you should get some sort of safety precautions."

Despite how convincing Tommy was, Wilbur demanded they go inside to sit away from the ledge. Tommy called him a scaredy cat while laughing, but he allowed himself to follow Quackity inside while Wilbur trailed behind, a sandwich of safety.

They chatted inside for awhile before they decided to go home due to the time. Before Tommy left, Quackity actually asked him, "Hey! I was wondering if you could do me a favor. I'm moving in with my fiancees, and I need help moving a few boxes. It will only be a few, but they're a little heavy so I need some help."

"Yeah, whatever, Big Q."