Archive of Our Own ^beta

Techno could tell from the way he moved. His steps were heavy, his movements mechanical. The weakness and pain that he dealt with on a daily basis had improved a fair amount, but they weren't gone. They probably never would leave him entirely. And whenever his mind was occupied with other things, a stillness came over him. Like the small, subtle movements of the living had to be actively constructed with focus.

Normally, it might worry Techno. Wilbur had many bad days. Days where he fell so deep into stillness that he appeared to be the corpse he once was. The corpse he still was, in a way. Some days it was the physical exhaustion and pain. Other days it was the weight he carried in his mind. Often, the two went hand in hand. Techno eased him through the bad days as best as he could. Letting him rest, but firmly dragging him out of his head when he retreated too deep. It didn't come naturally to Techno, not the way it did to Phil or Tommy. But he'd had enough of his own bad days to know roughly what worked.

Techno wasn't alone in trying to help him, at least. Wilbur talked to Kristin fairly often, and it seemed to do him good. In the unique space he occupied between life and death, Wilbur was able to communicate with Kristin in a way Techno never had. Where Techno could only pray and know his messages were received, Kristin could actually appear to Wilbur and speak to him directly.

In the early days, that had freaked Tommy out more than anything. His distrust for Kristin ran deep, and Techno didn't fully understand why until Tommy woke him up one night by jolting from a nightmare. It had taken a bit of coaxing, but eventually he had told Techno that he had dreams about Wilbur taking Kristin's offer. Dreams where there was nothing Tommy could do to talk him out of it, or worse, that Wilbur took it without ever telling him.

Kristin visited not long after that and assured Tommy that she wouldn't let Wilbur make any rash decisions. That her offer was only a last resort, and that she would make sure Wilbur talked it over with the rest of them if he was seriously considering it.

Tommy and Kristin got along better after that. Sometimes a little too well. Individually they were menaces. Together… Well.

A number of repairs had been added to the list.

Today, though, Wilbur's stiffness didn't worry Techno. It almost made him smile. The more he'd gotten to know the man over the past few months, the better he'd understood his tendencies and tells. And while Wilbur was never one to be upfront with his emotions (not that Techno could exactly throw stones in that particular glass house) there was one name that always made his eyes soften, could always get him to push through another bad day.

"Excited?" Techno prodded gently as they trudged up yet another hill.

Wilbur glared and rolled his eyes.

Techno raised his hands in apology, unable to help the slight smile that crept up on him.

"Not makin' fun," he said. "Though…come to think of it. It's only been a few months. You sure you don't want a longer break from Tommy's…everything?"

Wilbur punched him in the arm. He actually felt it a little, which spoke to Wilbur's unnatural strength.

"Ow," Techno said flatly.

Wilbur's mouth twitched towards a smile, but he forced it down, adamantly ignoring Techno's teasing as he pushed forward through the tall grass. Techno didn't get a change to keep needling anyway, because there, over the top of the hill, appeared two figures.

"Wilbur!"

Wilbur's face broke into a grin as Tommy broke into a run, all but tumbling down the hill towards them. Wilbur pushed forward to meet him, opening his arms and catching Tommy when he barreled into him. The force of gravity and Tommy's excitement pushed him backwards, but he didn't fall, hugging the kid tight with the brightest expression Techno had seen on him in months.

Tommy laughed, high and cracking. He squeezed Wilbur tight, then pulled back, still holding him by the arms and behind held in turn.

"Wil!" he said, half-breathless from running. "You won't fucking believe all the places we've been. There was this huge fucking canyon with like, massive spiders and shit. And this forest that was all just giant mushrooms the size of trees. And the ocean, Wil. Holy shit the ocean! It's fuckin' huge, big man! And Wil, you'll never guess—Phil took me flying. Flying! We had to get through these mountains and Phil didn't want to go around, so he just fuckin' grabbed me round the middle and we flew. Wil, you have to try it. It's so fucking cool. When I get my wings I swear—"

"Woah there, slow down mate." Phil came up behind Tommy, having taken his time coming down the hill. "Give Wilbur a chance to breathe."

"When he gets his wings?" Techno repeated, raising an eyebrow at Phil.

Phil looked sheepish.

"He and Kristin have been talking," he said. "She's thinking about taking another angel."

"Hear that Wil?" Tommy said, grinning widely. "I'm gonna be a fuckin' angel of death. How fucking badass—"

"Maybe," Phil interrupted. "You're maybe gonna be an angel. After you've turned eighteen and have fully accepted the responsibilities of—"

"Meh, meh, meh. I'm Philza and somehow despite having the coolest wife to ever exist I still manage to be a boring-ass old—"

"Come here you little shit!"

Tommy under his arm as Phil swiped at him, laughing wildly.

"Coolest wife to ever exist?" Techno parroted again, a smile growing on his face as he looked pointedly at Phil.

"They've been talking a lot," Phil said with an edge of deep weariness. He smiled though, stepping towards Techno. "Hi mate. Nice to see you."

Hugging Phil was, as always, coming home. He would never admit it to anyone, but it wasn't like he had to. Phil knew.

They stepped back. Tommy had resumed chattering to Wilbur about anything and everything he'd seen in the past few months. Wilbur was smiling at him, impossibly fond.

Techno cleared his throat. "So do I just get ignored…or?"

"Techno!" Tommy said, like he had just noticed he was there. Techno had just been teasing, so it caught him off guard when Tommy pulled himself away from Wilbur to throw himself at Techno instead. The hug was brief, but surprised him so badly that Phil choked helplessly on a laugh.

Techno glared at him.

"Sorry," Phil said, still laughing despite his sheepish grin. "It's just. The look on your face."

Wilbur grinned mischievously at Techno over Tommy's shoulder as the kid started up on yet another topic. Techno groaned. He had a feeling he wouldn't be hearing the end of this for a while.

"And man, there were these cows," Tommy was saying. "I mean like, you remember the cows in the village. But these ones, holy shit. They were huge and the fluffiest thing you've ever seen. And I pet one! Phil said not to because he's a lame and old but I did it anyway and they were so fucking soft, Wil. I'm gonna—when we go back I'm gonna make you pet one with me 'cause there is nothing like it I swear. I've never felt something so soft in my life."

Wilbur hummed.

The effect was instant. Tommy froze, looking at Wilbur with wide eyes. After a moment of silence that stretched too long, Wilbur shifted a little, lips pressing together in a self-conscious line.

Then Tommy lit up, grabbing Wilbur by the arms.

"Holy shit!" he said. "It worked! You actually—you can—"

A relieved smile grew on Wilbur's face. He hummed again, and Tommy laughed, bright and helpless in disbelief.

"I can't fucking—" Tommy started. "That's amazing. I can't believe—"

He wiped at his eyes with the side of his hand. When Wilbur caught on to what was happening, a soft expression came over his face and he gathered Tommy into his arms, rocking him slightly in a hug. He hummed softly, and Tommy shuddered against him.

"So," Phil said quietly, drawing Techno's attention back to him. He was smiling softly, watching the boys with affection and pride. He turned to Techno with a grim smile. "How much do we owe Ponk?"

"An arm and a leg," Techno said. "Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm not sure he didn't mean that literally."

Phil grimaced. Ponk's methods could be a little...unsavory, and aired on the side of leniency when it came to obeying the natural Way of Things. There was a reason Techno was the one who dealt with him. He had a much easier time overlooking what Phil couldn't.

"I'm kidding," Techno said, smiling a little. "It's not bad."

He glanced back to where Tommy and Wilbur stood. Tommy, slightly puffy-eyed but ignoring it adamantly, was asking Wilbur question after question. Wilbur nodded or shook his head or hummed in return. It was the most Techno had heard out of him since they left Ponk's. Wilbur was self-conscious about his voice. Still without a tongue, he had made no attempts to speak yet, and hummed only rarely. Techno had a feeling that now that he and Tommy were together again, that would change.

"Besides," Techno said, watching them. "It's worth it."

Phil smiled fondly. "Suppose it is," he said.

Suddenly, Tommy was tugging Wilbur back towards the direction he and Phil had come from.

"You have to come back to the village we're staying at," he said. "We have a surprise for you."

Wilbur looked at him curiously, then turned his questioning stare to Phil instead. Techno was quick to follow, raising an eyebrow.

Phil just shrugged, smiling like he knew something. "You'll have to come back and see, I guess," he said.

So they did.

Phil and Tommy took them back to the inn they were staying at, and up to their room. Phil generally preferred camping out, like Techno did, though he tended to travel lighter. It made flying easier if he didn't have much to carry, and it was easy enough for him to dip in and out of civilization to restock on resources. It was odd for him, though, to be actually staying at an inn.

When they stepped into the room, though, Techno understood why.

There were clothes folded neatly and laid out on the bed. A few sweaters, trousers, knit hats. Next to the clothes, a handful of books—old leather-bound volumes and what looked like a journal. Then there was a crossbow, the wood softened by age, but still holding strong. And finally, a large wooden box, engraved with the same markings that decorated Tommy's potions kit, but much bigger.

Wilbur made a soft sound in the back of his throat, stepping towards the bed. He touched one of the knit hats, ran his fingers over the journal, then opened the box.

It was empty.

"The uh…the place was a little ransacked," Tommy said, apologetically. "Someone took the actual kit. But it seemed like the case was too heavy. So I mean. We figured we could get you a new brewing stand and all. Or. Of course you can have the little one I took back. But if you want a more permanent set-up."

"This is Wilbur's old stuff?" Techno asked Phil.

Phil nodded. "What's left of it," he said quietly. "There really wasn't much."

"And…Tommy was alright. Going back there."

Phil shrugged. "It was his idea."

The way he watched the kid betrayed more caring than his tone would suggest.

"Ready for the best part?" Tommy said. There was a nervous edge to his grin, but he pushed through it as usual, ducking down and pulling out a large case from under the bed. Wilbur's eyes widened in recognition as Tommy placed it carefully on the bed.

Wilbur reached forward, automatically, but his hand stilled before he could touch it.

"It's in there," Tommy assured him, watching his expression with nervous anticipation.

Wilbur's hand withdrew slightly. An emotion passed over his face. One Techno saw on him only very rarely. Fear.

"It's okay," Tommy said with surprising gentleness. "You don't have to take it out. I just thought you'd want it back. You know?"

Wilbur looked at him, overwhelmed. Tommy just smiled.

"Happy first day of summer," he said.

Wilbur stared for a long moment, then he lifted his head, standing up straight and grabbing the handle of the case with determination. He hummed and started towards the door, motioning for Tommy to follow.

Tommy's eyes widened, surprise and careful hope lighting up his face. He stumbled over his feet to catch up. He stopped in the doorway, turning to look at Phil and Techno when he realized they hadn't moved.

"Are you guys coming?" he said.

Phil and Techno looked at each other.

"I don't know, mate," Phil said. "Does Wil want—"

Wil hummed, loud and impatient, somewhere from the hallway.

"Can Phil and Techno come?" Tommy shouted.

Another impatient sound. Tommy grinned and looked at them.

"Guess we're going then," Techno said.

The sun was low in the sky but still an hour or so away from setting, casting long rays of golden light across the rippling grass. Wilbur found a spot on the hill and sat down in the grass, the breeze pushing gently at his curls. Tommy sat down beside him, watching his brother eagerly as he set the case down on the ground and opened it, only hesitating for a moment before reaching inside and pulling out an old worn guitar. Phil and Techno sat down. Wilbur placed the guitar carefully in his lap.

For a long moment, no one moved. Wilbur stared down at the instrument in his arms. Then he carefully positioned his fingers on the fretboard and strummed a chord.

It was horribly out of tune.

Tommy burst out laughing. He slapped his hands over his mouth as soon as he realized, eyes widening but unable to stop himself.

"Sorry, sorry," he said. "I just. The build up. And everyone's—And then—I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Wil."

But Wilbur just grinned and reached over to ruffle Tommy's hair. Then he dug around in his guitar case and pulled out a tuning fork. He handed it to Tommy, who lit up with a grin as he took it and hit it against the side of the guitar case.

The note rang out, cutting through the sound of breeze and bending grass. Wilbur thumbed one string, made a face, and adjusted it. When that string was tuned, he moved to the next, always tuning to the last string he'd finished.

When he was done, he replaced his fingers and strummed the chord. This time it was sweet. A little muted on one or two strings. He adjusted his fingers and tried again.

They sat there for a long time just listening to Wilbur play. As far as Techno could tell, he wasn't playing anything in particular. Just feeling out chords and small bits of melodies. Some came out dissonant. Some came out muted. Some rang out lovely through the cooling afternoon air.

Tommy lay down in the grass, and, with a bit of coaxing, managed to get Phil to lay down beside him. With Phil's wing stretched out on one side of him, and Wilbur's shadow on the other, it almost looked, out of the corner of Techno's eye, like Tommy had wings of his own.

Wilbur paused for a moment, then strummed another chord. And in a low, unsteady hum, he started to sing.