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Wilbur pulled the squirming child closer and clutched him to his chest. He ignored the grumbles and complaints muttered into the fabric of his shirt. Wilbur merely squeezed tighter until the child settled down and stopped moving.
“That was a dangerous thing you did,” Wilbur said in a deceivingly light tone. “Dangerous and idiotic.”
“If I didn’t you’d be dead- well more dead,” Tommy grumbled into the man’s fancy poet shirt.
“I can take care of myself,” Wilbur reminded sharply. “You are a child and it is not your job to take care of me.”
“Yes it is!,” Tommy protested. “We take care of each other! And I’m not a fucking child.”
“I am responsible for your well-being and safety, not the other way around,” Wilbur pushed. “We care for one another, yes but it is not your duty to protect me. And you are a child.”
Tommy scowled as he balled up a fist in the man’s poet shirt. “You wouldn’t have blocked it in time,” Tommy insisted, trying to defend his actions.
Wilbur breathed deeply for a second despite not needing to before he yanked the kid up and turned him around to face him. Tommy sat in his lap staring at Wilbur with wide eyes. “Do you think I’m weak?,” Wilbur demanded in a dark tone.
“No of course I don’t- ,” Tommy immediately denied loudly.
“Do you think that after centuries on this planet that I couldn’t defend myself? Hmm?,” Wilbur continued over Tommy.
Tommy swallowed. “I- I know you can but there wasn’t enough time-,”
“Funny you mention there not being enough time,” Wilbur said with a humorless dark chuckle. “Because it still was enough time for you to jump in front of me.”
Tommy inhaled sharply as Wilbur’s eyes bore into his. He missed needing to blink because Wilbur’s unblinking stare pinned him in place making him squirm. “Will I-,”
“Does your life mean that little to you,” Wilbur hissed. “Tell me Tommy what good would come out of you taking my place.”
Tommy swallowed out of reflex not out of need. Human habits were hard to let go. “I- listen Wilbur I couldn’t let you get hurt-,”
“This again,” Wilbur chuckled darkly as he pulled Tommy closer by his shoulders. “So you can get hurt and it’s fine? Hmm?”
Tommy looked down and his shoulders tensed up. “That’s not what I meant,” he insisted.
“Then what did you mean,” Wilbur pushed sharply. “What could have possibly spurred you to put yourself at risk.”
“You were going to be hurt,” Tommy snapped as his eyes shot up. Crimson eyes met matching crimson in a fiery stare down. “Or you could have been. You’re my brother dickhead and I love you. You didn’t even see him coming. He was going to stab you- you prick. Plus he had a gun with holy bullets. So yeah I jumped in front of you.”
Wilbur unceremoniously yanked Tommy forward until their foreheads were touching. “I don’t care how sweet that sentiment is but you will never risk your life for mine. Understand?”
“Wil I-,”
“Tommy,” Wilbur said sharply in a steel tone, making said kid’s jaw close with a soft click. “You’re my little brother. My fledgling. I do appreciate it but you are by no means allowed to sacrifice yourself or put yourself in danger for me.”
“Oh and you can? How’s that fair?,” Tommy snapped back.
Wilbur leaned back a bit and glowered at him as he flashed his fangs in warning, making the younger wilt in submission. “Yes because I am older,” he hissed. “I have seen the end of civilizations, empires fall, people die and be born. I have seen it all. You are a baby in comparison. You are mine. So yes Tommy I’m allowed and you’re not.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes as Wilbur’s speech hung heavy in the air. Wilbur sighed and raised a hand to cup Tommy’s cheek. “I don’t mean to be cruel but you truly scared me darling.”
Tommy melted into Wilbur’s hold as he always did, both alive and undead. “I know,” he whispered. “I’m sorry.”
Wilbur thumbed over the scratch on Tommy’s cheek with half lidded eyes and a set to his jaw. “You mean so much to me you know that right?,” he asked.
Tommy swallowed and met Wilbur’s eyes again. “I know,” he quietly answered as his fight died after Wilbur’s speech. “You mean a lot to me too.”
“I would destroy the entire world, kill every human, every creature on this god forsaken planet to keep you safe,” Wilbur swore, staring his brother in the eyes. “I would gladly slaughter our own kind if it meant you were okay.”
Tommy shuddered lightly as the weight of Wilbur’s words made his guilt fester. “Wilbur I don’t-,”
“I would kill Phil and Techno with my bare hands if it meant I’d have you save and sound,” Wilbur continued.
“Why are you-,”
“Every one of our friends are meaningless when compared to you. Nothing beats you,” Wilbur insisted.
“Wilbur, why are you telling me all of this,” Tommy choked, overwhelmed.
Wilbur’s free hand stroked the blonde's hair. “I need you to understand,” he said simply. “You’re mine now and forever. And the idea of living on this side of the veil without you is impossible.”
“You’d be fine,” Tommy insisted weakly.
Wilbur's hand around Tommy’s cheek tightened and he pulled Tommy’s chin up. His claws lightly pierced the soft baby flesh of his cheek. “Repeat that again,” he hissed.
“You said earlier that you survived for centuries without me. I’m sure you could do it again,” Tommy quietly explained as he winced from the small pain emitting from his cheek.
Wilbur was silent as the grave he was buried in. The elder vampire just stared at Tommy blankly. His grip on Tommy’s hair and cheek tightened even more. Tommy winced and Wilbur slowly relaxed his grip.
“How could you possibly ever think that,” Wilbur whispered, sounding heartbroken.
Tommy’s eyes shot up and Tommy’s mouth opened in shock at seeing the tears in Wilbur’s eyes. His small fangs glistened in the moonlight. “Wilbur,” Tommy breathed as he stared at Wilbur’s tear filled eyes.
One of the most dangerous vampires in all of history crying because Tommy said Wilbur could live without him.
Tommy was frozen as Wilbur blinked and tears fell from his ruby eyes. His guilt increased almost painfully since he made Wilbur cry.
“Tommy-,” Wilbur started to say before he cut himself off and positioned Tommy so he’d be cradled against his chest like a baby. His head layed sideways on Wilbur’s chest. “Never say anything like that again,” Wilbur demanded firmly in a strained tone.
“But I’m right,” Tommy mumbled. “You’ve done it before and you can do it again if you wanted to.”
Wilbur swallowed as he shut his eyes briefly. “Could I survive without you? Technically yes. Do I want to? Absolutely not.”
“But-,”
“You’re my fledgling,” Wilbur whispered, almost pleading. “You fill my life with so much chaos and destruction and so much light. You bring me so much joy. I’m so happy with you by my side. And without that- without you? It would destroy me.”
Tommy swallowed as he felt Wilbur’s tears hit his hair and forehead. “I didn’t mean to make you upset,” he weakly offered, not knowing what else to say.
Wilbur laughed slightly as he lowered his eyes and gazed down at the child who was staring at him with glistening crimson eyes. Tommy looked extremely apologetic and guilty at making Wilbur upset.
“I know you didn’t toms,” Wilbur assured. “But you are the best thing in my life and I would do everything in my power to keep you in it. By my side.”
Tommy offered a weak smile at hearing that before Wilbur moved one arm so he could squish Tommy’s cheek lightly. He did it repeatedly until Tommy smiled at the sheer ridiculousness of the gesture.
“There’s my sunshine,” Wilbur sighed as his face softened. “I killed those hunters easily sweetheart. And I would kill anyone who even looks in your direction wrong if I had to.”
“I know Wil,” Tommy said as guilt leaked through the empty space in his tone. “You always protect me.”
“And I always will,” Wilbur swore. “So enough with this self sacrificial bullshit. My unbeating heart can’t take it.”
“I’ll try-,” Tommy started to say before Wilbur cut him off.
“You will,” Wilbur said in a steel-like tone. “When I turned you I vowed to protect you until the end of time. And I can’t do that if you aren’t here. So no more throwing your life away. Especially not for me. Got it?”
Tommy quickly folded knowing that if he didn’t verbally agree Wilbur would keep pushing or get mad. And Tommy hates it when Wilbur gets mad. “Okay,” Tommy quietly agreed. “I’ll stop.”
Wilbur relaxed at hearing his verbal confirmation and wiped the small bead of blood off of Tommy’s cheek. He then rubbed soothing circles with his thumb into the soft skin. Tommy melted into his hold and purred lightly.
“I know it’ll be hard to curb your old habits but we’ll have months to do so,” Wilbur hummed as he kept stroking his kid's cheek. “It’ll pass quickly, promise.”
Tommy’s eyebrows furrowed and he looked up at Wilbur confused. “What do you mean by months?,” he hesitantly asked.
Wilbur only cooed at Tommy. “Oh you’re so cute my little fledgling.”
“Wilbur,” Tommy pushed.
Wilbur only let out a dark chuckle as something possessive filled his eyes. “You really think I’m letting you out so soon after I almost lost you? As if.”
Tommy was trapped against Wilbur’s chest so he settled for staring at the man with wide red eyes. “But we came to an understanding,” Tommy whispered.
“We did,” Wilbur hummed. “And I’m very proud of our communication skills. But I don’t trust you to be out of my sight for now. Not for a while. A long long while in complete honesty.”
Tommy shuddered and Wilbur only cooed as he tucked his fledgling impossibly closer to him.
“It won’t be bad I promise. We’ll have fun just you wait,” Wilbur said as he stared at Tommy. His Tommy. “Oh sundrop it’ll be over before you know it, honest.”
Tommy could only surrender and accept it since he knew he had no chance of fighting it. Just like when he was first turned and he refused to drink blood and Wilbur force fed him it.
Whatever Wilbur wanted he got.
And if Wilbur wanted to keep Tommy by his side for the next few months he’d make it happen.
Besides, Tommy loved Wilbur. Wilbur was there in his last moments alive comforting him and Wilbur cried while turning him. Wilbur spent every moment he could showering Tommy in affection and praise after turning him. Tommy knew Wilbur loved him.
Despite his very unethical morals and possessiveness.
Plus Tommy felt so guilty over what happened. Wilbur rarely cried. The last time he saw Wilbur cry was when he died. And that was…..
How long ago was that? He can’t- he can’t remember. Time gets all fuzzy. It couldn’t have been that long but he doesn’t remember. Why doesn’t he-
Wilbur hummed a soft lullaby using his sire abilities and Tommy’s tense shoulders relaxed unwillingly as his eyes immediately became half lidded with sleep.
“Sleep sundrop,” Wilbur whispered, pouring so much love into his tone. “I’ll be here when you wake. Just sleep.”
Tommy's eyes shut and he slumped into Wilbur’s hold. Wilbur stared at him with love and a possessive gleam in his eyes before he turned to stare out the window as he thought.
Tommy needed to know how important he was. And if that meant keeping him inside and drilling it into his head then so be it.
Wilbur would never risk losing Tommy. To anyone or god forbid to himself.
He promised eternity and Tommy promised it back in his last moments alive.
Wilbur would make sure Tommy kept his end of the promise.
His Tommy.
Now and until the sun burns out.
The two of them would always have each other.
Always.