Chapter Text
After that awkward morning spent explaining his new relationship to his father and Techno, Wilbur went to visit Tommy.
He waited until noon in case Ponk’s sleeping draught was still in effect, and also to give himself time to gather his thoughts after everything that happened that morning. When the guards let him in, he found Tommy wide awake as he held a quiet conversation with Tubbo.
Right before they noticed his presence, he heard Tubbo saying,
“Don’t be stupid, Tommy! This never would’ve happened if Jack had been-”
Then, the doors fell shut behind him and Tubbo cut himself off. Tommy’s face lit up when he caught sight of Wilbur. In contrast, Tubbo frowned as soon as he realized who had entered the room.
“Uh, am I interrupting something?” Wilbur asked, put-off by the hostility written across Tubbo’s face.
“Oh yeah, you’re interrupting our big important meeting,” Tommy said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Don’t be a fucking idiot, Wil. Get over here!”
Wilbur hadn’t even recognized his own worry, but he breathed a sigh of relief as soon as Tommy waved him over. As he began making his way towards the bed, Tubbo got to his feet from the chair beside it.
“Oh, it’s alright, Tubbo. I can find another seat,” Wilbur reassured him.
Tubbo shook his head. “It’s fine. I’d rather take my leave for a bit anyway.”
Both Wilbur and Tommy frowned in confusion as Tubbo made to leave the room.
“You’ll come back though, right?” Tommy asked, the question sounding far more child-like than he probably intended.
“Yeah, of course, Tom,” Tubbo reassured him, his expression softening. “I’m just gonna go wash up, that’s all.”
Sufficiently pacified, Tommy nodded and settled back against his pillows. Wilbur settled himself in the seat Tubbo had vacated, while Tubbo slipped out of the chamber doors.
“What was that about?” Wilbur asked as soon as he was gone.
Tommy shrugged and then winced at the shoulder pain that must’ve followed. “I think he’s just pissed that this happened. He’s been in a shitty mood since I woke up.”
This made sense. Wilbur was all too familiar with Tubbo and Tommy’s protectiveness over one another.
“I don’t blame him. I’m upset this happened too,” Wilbur murmured, staring at the door for another moment before turning back to Tommy. “You were able to sleep though?”
“Are you kidding? I slept like the fucking dead,” Tommy told him. “I have no idea what Ponk put in that draught, but it definitely did its job. I only woke up about an hour ago.”
“I’m glad you were able to rest. You certainly needed it,” Wilbur said, glancing at Tommy’s shoulder. “How is it feeling today?”
“Sore, but it’s not as bad as you’d think,” Tommy answered, attempting to circle out his shoulder but wincing again. He lowered it and sat up straighter. “But we’re not going to sit here talking about how shitty I feel because that’s fucking boring. We have much more interesting things to talk about.”
“We do?”
Tommy huffed. “Of course we do. You need to tell me how Cedardijk was!”
Wilbur smiled, grateful for the chance to talk about something less stressful. “Well, I know I already said a few things in my letter but let me tell you about these fireworks I saw.”
From there, Wilbur told Tommy all about the festival. He spoke of the wonderful food, the bright decorations, and the multi-colored fireworks. He also told Tommy about the people he’d met, like Fit, Jaiden, Roier, and even Bagi, recounting the story of Bagi identifying his leg injury within minutes of meeting him. Tommy’s eyes were wide with wonder the whole time, but as his words slowed, Tommy’s brows began to furrow.
“Is that it?” Tommy finally asked when Wilbur stopped talking.
“Tommy, I’ve recounted every day I was there to you.”
“And you’re not leaving anything out?” Tommy pushed.
Wilbur blinked, wondering if Tommy was implying what he thought he was implying. “What would I leave out?”
At this, Tommy scoffed and slumped back against his pillows. “For fuck’s sake, Wil, have you and Quackity gotten past your bullshit yet or not?”
“What are you-”
“I’m not blind, man. You two have been all gross for each other for years now,” Tommy cut in before Wilbur could deny it. “So did you kiss or not?”
“Tommy!”
“Am I wrong?” Tommy raised his eyebrows at Wilbur.
Wilbur met Tommy’s gaze without blinking. After a beat though, he relented and looked away.
“Shit, Tommy, yes! Yes we did!” Wilbur exclaimed, his voice dropping to a whisper.
A wide grin split Tommy’s face. “Fucking knew it.”
“How did you know?” Wilbur asked, glancing around the room despite the fact that they were the only ones inside. “How long have you known?”
“Wil, you two are so weird about each other it’d be more strange if you didn’t want to make out,” Tommy told him. “I figured out you had a thing for him back in my first year here.”
Wilbur buried his face in his hands. “Fuck.” Before he could wallow in his embarrassment for too long however, his head snapped up again. “Tommy, you can’t tell anyone about this, do you understand? And I don’t mean that as a joke or because it’ll embarrass me. This is serious.”
At this, Tommy scowled. “C’mon, man, I’m not a complete idiot. Of course I’m not going to say anything.” He paused then, considering. “Well, except Tubbo, but that doesn’t count because he’s got his own weird thing going on with Ranboo-”
“No,” Wilbur snapped, “you can’t tell Tubbo. You can’t tell anyone, do you understand? Not Tubbo, not Niki, no one. The only people who know besides myself and Quackity are Phil and Techno, but the information has to stay limited to them.”
Tommy’s scowl faded. “Oh. It’s serious then.”
“Yes. It is.”
“But Phil and Techno know?”
Wilbur nodded. “Just told them a few hours ago.”
“Seriously?” When Wilbur nodded again, Tommy smirked. “How did that go?”
Although Wilbur was embarrassed by how it happened, he couldn’t help but laugh a bit as he admitted, “Well, I didn’t so much as tell them as Phil and Techno found me in Quackity’s room this morning.”
Tommy choked out a laugh at this. “What made you think it was a good idea to spend your first night back in Quackity’s room?”
“I couldn’t sleep!” Wilbur protested.
“Oh man,” Tommy groaned, “you’re too far gone, Wilbur. My good man already lost in the throes of young love-”
“Who said anything about love-”
“Well, am I wrong?”
“I swear, Tommy, I’m going to-”
The rest of their conversation dissolved into that familiar bickering Wilbur had missed so much. Despite his injuries, Tommy still seemed to be in high spirits. Wilbur was sure that the reality of his near death experience would fully sink in soon, but at least he was doing alright for now.
He stayed with Tommy until Ponk and Tubbo both returned. Ponk changed the bandages on Tommy’s face and checked for any swelling around his shoulder before declaring his recovery to be on track. Tubbo ignored Wilbur for the most part, which was at least an improvement to the outright hostility from before. He only left when Techno arrived with a stack of books that made Tommy’s face turn white, finding himself thankful he was no longer Techno’s student.
Later in the evening, when Wilbur was getting ready to go to sleep, he found himself unable to climb into his bed. Although he knew it was an unnecessary risk, now that his father knew about his relationship with Quackity, he couldn’t find a good reason to not go to Quackity’s chambers again. Besides, he hadn’t seen Quackity since that morning. He wanted to tell him about his father’s reaction to the news.
Despite knowing that Phil would be working to keep his and Quackity’s secret safe, Wilbur still ducked his head every time he passed a servant on the way to Quackity’s chambers. Admittedly though, this was an exercise in futility and Wilbur knew that. Even if he hid his face and left his ferronnière in his chambers, his cane still gave his identity away.
One of the guards flashed him a knowing grin when he arrived at the doors. The other rolled her eyes as she called to Quackity to tell him who it was.
As soon as he was inside, Wilbur was greeted by a nervous looking Quackity.
“My father has no problem with our relationship,” was the first thing Wilbur said as soon as he was sure the doors had shut behind him.
Quackity blinked in surprise, almost as though he’d already forgotten about the events of that morning. Then, his eyes widened as he jumped to his feet.
“Seriously? Thank the fucking powers that be,” Quackity said, stepping close to hug Wilbur.
Wilbur hugged him back, smiling into his shoulder. “I know. I just about had a heart attack this morning when he discovered us. But he didn’t have an issue with it. He just wants us to be careful.”
“Yeah, that makes sense. We’ll be careful.” Quackity stayed hugging Wilbur for another moment before he pulled back. Despite the good news, there were still tense lines around Quackity’s eyes, and Wilbur furrowed his brows as he tried to decipher the expression.
“Is everything alright?”
Quackity quickly looked away from Wilbur and made his way over to his desk. “Of course it is. This is good news, right?” He asked, picking up a goblet Wilbur hadn’t noticed before and taking a sip from it.
“It is. But you still seem worried,” Wilbur pointed out.
For a moment, Quackity didn’t respond. He kept his eyes on his goblet as though he was searching for an answer in the wine. Then, he sighed.
“I’m sorry. I think this morning just made me realize how careless we were last night,” Quackity admitted. “If we want to keep this a secret, I don’t think we can spend the night in each other’s chambers.”
Wilbur tried not to let his disappointment show as he nodded. Quackity was right, of course. His father had already warned him against behavior like this, and here he was finding an excuse to spend an evening in Quackity’s chamber once more.
“I know.”
Quackity winced at the obvious disappointment in Wilbur’s voice. “At least not for right now,” he clarified. “You and I both know there are a lot of eyes on us since we just got back from Cedardijk. But once things calm down maybe we’ll be able to work something out.”
“I’ll probably ask my father for his thoughts on that when things settle,” Wilbur agreed. “But I know you’re right. This isn’t a risk we can take right now.” He glanced towards the chamber doors. “It’s already late. I should probably get going.”
Although Quackity looked like he wanted to protest, after another moment of hesitation, he nodded. “It’s better that way, I think.”
The two stared at one another, waiting for the other to make a move. But Wilbur didn’t want to leave just yet. Not when it still felt like there was something else hanging over Quackity’s head.
But then, Quackity walked towards him. He rested a hand on the back of Wilbur’s neck and tilted his head down to give him a long, sweet kiss. Wilbur felt the tension in his own body unwind as he wrapped his free arm around Quackity’s waist, pulling him closer as he mourned the loss of the warm bed he’d wanted to share tonight.
When Quackity stepped back, his own tension was still there. Wilbur wondered if it was a kind of shock Quackity was going through, having to confront just how different things like this were here in Pandorinne compared to Cedardijk. He wished it didn’t have to be this way.
“I suppose I’ll see you sometime in the next few days then?” Wilbur asked as he made his way towards the doors.
“Yeah, for sure. Just because we can’t spend the night in each other’s chambers doesn’t mean we can’t see each other,” Quackity reassured him.
“Of course not. We’ve always been close friends after all, haven’t we?” Wilbur teased.
This made Quackity roll his eyes. “Ah yes, my very close friend and not at all a rival, of course.”
“Rival?” Wilbur grinned. “That’s a new one.”
“Don’t look so satisfied. Get out of here and go to bed,” Quackity huffed, shooing him out of the room.
Wilbur obliged, blowing a kiss to Quackity over his shoulder on the way out. Quackity pretended to be annoyed at the gesture, but Wilbur could see him trying to suppress a smile all the same.
❀❁❀
The Next Night…
“Well Philza, I thought you should know that I recently received a very interesting letter.”
Phil kept his face placid as he glanced down, wondering if Quackity had the letter with him. But his hands were empty. If Phil had to guess, this meant that Quackity had no intention of letting Phil actually see this letter with his own eyes.
“And what was this letter about?” Phil asked.
“You,” Quackity answered, tapping his fingers against his thigh. “You’ve been up to quite a lot these past few months, haven’t you?”
Phil huffed out a laugh. “I probably get more done in a single day than you do in a whole week, Quackity. You’re going to have to be more specific than that.”
“That’s a fair point. I’m well-aware just how busy you are, Philza,” Quackity agreed, making his way over to the fireplace. “You spend your days running this kingdom for Sam, and then when night falls you have to get your reports from all the servants you pay off for information. I’m sure that takes up quite a bit of your time.”
Ah. So it was that kind of a conversation.
“The people who serve you your meals and clean your rooms have eyes and ears, just the same as anyone else. It would do you well to remember that, Quackity,” Phil said, folding his hands behind his back.
“You’re not even going to ask how I know?” Quackity asked, raising his eyebrows.
Phil felt himself smiling in the same way he’d smile at a child showing off his first attempt at writing his letters. “No, I don’t need to. Of course there’s the possibility of a leak, but I don’t think that’s the case. You wouldn’t look so proud of yourself if one of the servants here simply told you about the arrangement. Rather, I’m sure you figured it out on your own, in which case I commend your skills of deduction. But you don’t need me to tell you how smart you are, Quackity.” He looked down at his desk and idly flipped open a book. “If that was your entire reason for being here this evening, well, I must say I’m disappointed. I had higher expectations of you.”
Quackity’s jaw clenched. “No, that’s not why I’m here.”
“Then get to the point. My time is valuable.” The smile dropped from Phil’s face.
“Fine.” Quackity moved closer so he and Phil were face to face. “I know you’re the person behind the assassination attempts against Sam.”
For a moment, Phil could only stare at Quackity.
Then, he began to laugh.
“Really? Now who told you something like that?” Suddenly, understanding washed over him. “Is that the letter you received? Someone claiming to know that I’m responsible for trying to kill Sam?”
Quackity narrowed his eyes at Phil. “I’d never give up my source.”
“Of course, of course,” Phil agreed, flashing Quackity another amused smile.
“The issue is that I can’t quite figure out what your purpose is with these attempts on Sam’s life. Either you’re actually trying to kill him but your plans keep failing, which already feels unlikely, but if Sam were to die right now then Niki would take the crown,” Quackity continued, seemingly undeterred by Phil’s laughter. “You and I both know that’s not who you want on the throne. So the only other explanation is that you’re not actually trying to kill Sam. You wanted both attempts to fail. Possibly as an attempt to scare him into making a choice. But it’s a dangerous move.”
“That would be a very risky thing for me to do, yes,” Phil agreed.
“You would be executed if you were discovered,” Quackity told him, as if Phil wasn’t already aware of this fact. “If I went to Sam right now with this, you would-”
“Be perfectly fine,” Phil finished before Quackity could. “Regardless of whether or not your claim is true, it’s a baseless accusation. You have a letter, but do you actually have any evidence that ties me to the assassination attempts?”
“I have my ways.”
While Phil had never actually played cards with Quackity, he’d heard of his prowess in the game. Quackity knew when to hold his draw close to his chest, when to raise his bets, when to take his losses before they got worse. But that was the moment Phil learned that despite all of this, Quackity had no clue how to bluff.
Still, Phil decided to indulge him.
“So what’s the point of this meeting then? Are you giving me a courtesy warning before you turn me in? While that’s kind of you, I don’t think getting me executed will help your relationship with my son.”
“I told you this isn’t about him,” Quackity hissed, anger flaring in his eyes. After a beat, Phil blinked and Quackity seemed to return to himself, taking a step back before continuing. “I have no intentions of turning you in. Rather, I’d like to make this a matter of business.”
Now it was Phil’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “If you’re going to ask me to have Sam make you his heir, I’m afraid that’s something out of my reach. I’m trying to steer his choice, yes, but it’s taken years of building up the idea in his mind and will likely take many more to reach its conclusion. I can’t simply tell him it should be you.”
“I’m well-aware of that, and frankly, I don’t need you to prop me up like a prized pig. Instead, I’d like it if you could… even out the playing field, let’s say.”
“Even out the playing field?”
“I’m not an idiot, Philza. I know I’m third runner-up at the moment, so let me improve my odds. Give me more opportunities to stand out and show what kind of a leader I can be. Point out my positive attributes. Make Sam like me more.”
Phil chuckled and shook his head. “While that’s a fair proposition, I still don’t believe you have any real evidence against me.” This time, he was the one who stepped closer to Quackity. “I respect the way you’re trying to play this game. I really do. But I’ve been playing this for a lot longer than you, so believe me when I say that you’re out of your depth here.”
Although Quackity tried to hide it, Phil didn’t miss the fear that flashed over his face at that.
“Is that a belief you’re willing to risk your head for?” Quackity pushed.
“Is this something you’re willing to risk yours for?” Phil countered.
Quackity paled. Phil took a step back.
“Now get the fuck out of my office.”
Scowling, Quackity turned on his heel and stormed out. Phil watched him leave, his silhouette growing smaller and smaller as he made his way down the corridor. Then, once he was out of sight, Phil shut the office doors and latched them with the lock he rarely used.
Then, and only then did Phil let himself grimace.
This was going to be a problem.
❀❁❀
The next few weeks were a blur of settling into Wilbur’s new normal back in Pandorinne.
Tommy’s recovery was rather quick, all things considered. Wilbur visited him every day, usually alone, sometimes with Tubbo or Puffy there to keep him company. One time, Wilbur walked in to find Tommy engrossed in a conversation with Niki, but she went silent as soon as she spotted Wilbur in the room. Then, she said some strained goodbyes to Tommy and hurried out, not meeting Wilbur’s eyes as she left. Apparently Jack had requested to visit as well, but Sam suggested this might not be the best idea. Tommy had been left with the decision, and he declined.
Wilbur, who had been busy attending to other duties when the discussion happened, didn’t find out about this until after Tommy’s decision had been made.
While Tommy was recovering well, Wilbur’s concerns were soon shifted elsewhere. His father hadn’t summoned him since that morning when he found Wilbur in Quackity’s room. While Wilbur had gone to Phil’s office and chambers several times of his own volition, their conversations were short, with Phil telling him that he was busy and would fill Wilbur in once things calmed down. When Wilbur asked Techno about it, Techno told him that Phil was trying to make a decision, and would tell Wilbur what it was once he’d reached it.
Although Wilbur disliked being kept out of the loop, over the years he’d grown more confident in his role as one of his father’s confidants. If Phil was keeping information from him, he had good reason to do so. Wilbur would find out when he needed to find out. He just had to remind himself of that.
There was also something off about Quackity. Although he did his best to hide it, Wilbur could see the worry he was carrying with him every day since they got back from Cedardijk. It weighed down his shoulders and carved lines into his forehead, making him look older than he was. He was jumpier than he’d been before the trip, always glancing over his shoulder and speaking in a low voice, even in the privacy of his own chambers.
It had to be Quackity’s paranoia about their relationship being discovered. Wilbur couldn’t think of anything else it could be. Wilbur didn’t ask, but he got the sense that Quackity hadn’t fully thought through how much of a risk he was taking by being in a relationship with Wilbur. If things came to light, Wilbur’s reputation would be damaged, but not much in his daily life would change. But Quackity was a potential heir. His reputation was far too important to lose.
Still, Quackity never turned Wilbur away when he appeared at his door, and he even made his way to Wilbur’s chambers on more than one occasion. They saw each other as often as they could. They didn’t spend nights with one another, but their evenings were still draped in the other's presence. Lounging together on sofas, bickering over their opposite opinions on whatever new piece of legislation Sam had announced that day, wrapped in each other’s arms all the while. It was the happiest he’d been in… a long while. Possibly ever.
Wilbur realized this one night, nearly three weeks after their return. It was one of those rare evenings Quackity had agreed to visit Wilbur’s chambers as opposed to Wilbur attending his. There was no fire burning in the fireplace, with the sweet summer air billowing through Wilbur’s windows keeping them plenty warm instead. The room was enveloped in candlelight, casting Quackity’s face in a soft, flickering glow.
“And that’s the only way we’ll be able to create a proper trade agreement with the Oesonian Free States,” he was saying as he set his wine goblet down on the table.
Wilbur, who had draped himself across the sofa beside Quackity, rolled his eyes. “You can’t solve all your problems through bartering. Even though the Oesonian Free States are consolidated under a single government, they’re still far too scattered to be treated as a single entity. There’s so much infighting that’s still going on, even if you make a business deal with one state I doubt it would be honored by the others.”
“If the deal is beneficial for everyone there’ll be no reason for the others to oppose it,” Quackity countered.
“You and I both know there’s no such thing as a business deal without drawbacks.”
“Yes, but if it’s a net positive-”
“Any drawbacks whatsoever will be grounds for the other states to pull out of the agreement-”
“That doesn’t mean they will!”
“Believe me, there’s always a contrarian.”
Quackity gave Wilbur a flat stare. “Yeah, I know. I’m staring at him right now.”
Wilbur frowned. “Disagreeing with your opinion doesn’t make me a contrarian.”
“It does when I’m obviously right,” Quackity shot back.
“You keep telling yourself that, darling,” Wilbur teased, pulling out the nickname he only used when he was trying to piss Quackity off. “See how that works out for you.”
Instead of rising to the bait, a slow grin grew on Quackity’s face. He shifted closer to Wilbur, leaning over so their faces were only inches apart. Then, he pressed a soft kiss to the corner of Wilbur’s mouth. Then, his chin, his jaw, further down to his neck. He lifted the edge of Wilbur’s collar and began to kiss his skin in a way that they both knew would leave marks.
It was moments like these where, for possibly the only time in his life, Wilbur’s mind went quiet. His anxieties that plagued him, the expectations he always had to fulfill, the pressures that pushed down on him—they disappeared, overruled by the sweetness of the present. Here was where this nervous, broken body of his well and truly felt like his own, and not the stranger’s skin he so often feared he wore.
After several minutes, Quackity moved away from Wilbur’s neck. Then, he kissed Wilbur on the lips again, but only remained there for a few seconds before pulling back.
Wilbur made a noise of protest and tried to chase after Quackity’s lips. But Quackity held up a hand to stop him.
“Admit it,” Quackity told him. “Then you can kiss me.”
Wilbur furrowed his brows. “Admit what?” He asked, his voice hoarse.
Quackity grinned again. “Admit that I’m right and you’re wrong.”
And just like that, Wilbur burst into laughter realizing Quackity’s ploy. He caught sight of Quackity’s self-satisfied smirk and found himself leaning forward, a challenge dancing in his eyes as he gripped Quackity’s shoulders.
“If I were to do that, I’d hardly think I’d be worthy of the medallion that rests on my forehead,” Wilbur told him.
Quackity’s eyes flickered up to the ferronnière resting in the center of Wilbur’s forehead. He reached for the jewelry and Wilbur remained silent as Quackity began to undo the pins in his hair, even leaning down further to give him easier access. Then, Quackity lifted the ferronnière off of Wilbur’s head and spent a moment staring at it, before placing it on the side table behind him.
“What about now?” Quackity challenged, his smirk having softened.
Wilbur matched his expression. “Regardless of my position, I’m still not admitting you’re right.”
“You asshole-” Quackity’s protest got cut off as Wilbur captured his lips in another kiss.
That was when Wilbur felt the aforementioned happiness. An elation so unlike anything he’d felt before, the rest of the world seemed to fall away. But of course, this wasn’t meant to last. Not in the long-term, or even in the short-term, given that their kiss was soon interrupted by a knock on the chamber doors.
“For fuck’s sake,” Wilbur muttered as he pulled himself away. Quackity groaned and slumped back against the sofa. “What is it?” He called out.
The door cracked open as a single guard poked her head in. “Apologies for the interruption, my lord, but the Lord Consil has summoned you.”
Wilbur felt Quackity stiffen beside him. “He’s summoned…?”
“Lord Willum,” the guard finished for Quackity.
Wilbur raised an eyebrow. “What, you thought my father suddenly decided to summon you out of nowhere? Why on earth would he do that?”
Quackity shrugged. “I don’t know! I wasn’t sure who she was looking at!”
“Apologies for the confusion, Lord Quackity,” the guard said, dipping her head before focusing on Wilbur again. “The Lord Consil’s messenger said the summons is an immediate one.”
In the back of Wilbur’s mind, he knew this had to be the decision Techno had said Phil was dealing with. While that would usually put him on edge, the hand Quackity now had wrapped around his own quelled his anxieties for the time being, and he continued to hold onto Quackity as they rose to stand.
“I’ll walk you back to your chambers,” Wilbur said.
“Yeah, it’s getting late anyway,” Quackity agreed.
A few minutes later, they were making their way down the darkened corridors of the palace. They weren’t holding hands anymore, but like their first days in Cedardijk, Wilbur found himself tempted. He forced himself to be content with letting their hands brush every now and then, knowing it wasn’t worth the risk.
It was unfortunate how close their chambers were to each other. All too soon, Wilbur found himself staring at Quackity’s doors. A painful ache emanated in his chest.
“If my meeting with my father doesn’t run too long, perhaps I can stop by here on my way back?” Wilbur asked Quackity, trying not to look too hopeful and failing miserably.
Despite Quackity’s recent nerves, he agreed. “We’ll share a drink.”
Then, to Wilbur’s surprise, Quackity leaned up to press a quick kiss to his lips. It was over in the blink of an eye, and Wilbur felt dizzy from the way his heart raced at such a brazen act of affection outside of their rooms, but Wilbur couldn’t help but smile at the gesture. Quackity smiled back, and another moment ticked by, both reluctant to part ways.
Until one of the guards in front of Quackity’s door cleared his throat.
“Um, my lords-”
Wilbur and Quackity looked up at the same time, and Wilbur felt his blood turn to ice when he spotted Niki standing in the corridor.
“Oh fuck,” Quackity muttered, instantly stepping away from Wilbur.
“Don’t bother,” Niki said, her shoes clicking loudly against the stone as she walked towards them. “I already saw you two.”
Nausea washed over Wilbur. “You saw us…” he trailed off, not wanting to say it out loud.
The light from the lanterns cast strange shapes across Niki’s face as she ignored Wilbur and turned to Quackity. “You know, I never took you for a fool.”
“Excuse me, what?”
“You’re no fool,” Niki repeated, even though Wilbur was sure Quackity had heard her the first time. “Taking a risk like this, with him of all people? Why would you put yourself in this position?”
Quackity frowned. “The risks I take are measured. And we haven’t been discovered yet.”
“Except by you,” Wilbur added, even though that technically wasn’t true if you counted Phil and Techno. “But you won’t tell anyone, will you?”
Despite the fact that Niki had every reason in the world to expose them, given her position as a rival to Quackity and the obvious grudge she held against Wilbur, he still believed that she wasn’t that kind of a person. Niki wouldn’t be able to stomach winning out against Quackity through means like these.
Niki scowled at Wilbur. “Of course not.”
“Then it’s all settled,” Quackity said quickly. “Niki, I’d be happy to fill you in more sometime tomorrow. But Wilbur has to go, and I really don’t enjoy having a conversation like this out here, so how about we call it a night?”
“Fine,” Niki relented. “We can talk tomorrow, Quackity.”
Despite her agreement, she made no move to head back to her room. Quackity looked between her and Wilbur for a moment, both he and Wilbur realizing at the same time that Niki was waiting to speak with Wilbur alone.
Quackity gave Wilbur a look of sympathy before heading into his chambers.
After the doors shut behind him, Wilbur avoided the guards eyes as he resumed his walk down the corridor. He wasn’t surprised when Niki followed him.
“So have you given up on Tommy then?” Niki asked once they were out of earshot of the guards.
Wilbur clenched his jaw. “No. I still support his claim.”
“And Quackity is aware of this?” Niki pushed.
“He is,” Wilbur said. “We have an understanding.”
Niki scoffed. “Great. So if Sam were to choose Quackity as heir over Tommy you wouldn’t have any problem with that? Since you both share this understanding?”
Wilbur stopped walking. “What are you trying to do here?”
“I’m trying-” Niki cut herself off, taking a breath as she clenched her deep pink skirts in her hands. “I want to understand you, Wilbur.”
“Niki, you and I both know you understand me better than almost anyone else in this palace,” Wilbur said, frowning at her.
“I used to,” Niki countered. “I understood the person you used to be. Not the person you are now.”
“What are you talking about? I’m still me,” Wilbur protested, even though deep down, he knew exactly what she meant.
“No,” Niki argued, shaking her head. “The boy I grew up with was honorable. And whether or not you want to admit it, we both know the man standing in front of me gave up his sense of honor long ago.”
The barb cut deeper than Wilbur expected it to. “Niki, I know I hurt you and I’m truly sorry for that, but I don’t think that’s exactly fair-”
“Oh, it is fair,” Niki snapped, “and it’s nothing to do with me. This is about Tommy, and why you decided to support him. What the actual ‘potential’ you saw in him was.” She dropped her skirts, and in the reflection of the torchlight, Wilbur saw her eyes glitter with unshed tears. “I used to ask myself over and over what I did wrong. What mistake I made to lose you. But now I know that it wasn’t about me at all.” She glanced behind Wilbur in the direction of Quackity’s room, before focusing on Wilbur’s face again. “It’s never about me.”
Before Wilbur could even try to formulate a response to that, Niki was storming off back in the direction of her own chambers. While Wilbur considered going after her, the summons from his father was tugging him the opposite way.
It was probably for the better anyway. Wilbur doubted Niki wanted to speak to him anymore tonight.
In stark contrast to the overwhelming happiness he’d felt only a few minutes before, he spent the rest of the walk to his father’s chambers in a haze of melancholy. Niki’s words that had torn so cleanly through him echoed in his mind. Even if she claimed not to understand Wilbur anymore, deep down, Wilbur knew that she saw straight through him.
By the time he reached Phil’s doors, his nerves were somewhat settled, but he was struggling to focus his mind after his conversation with Niki. Still, he took a breath and tried to force himself back into the image of his father’s son as he knocked on the door.
It was only when the door swung open that Wilbur realized he’d forgotten to put his ferronnière back on before leaving his room.
“It’s about time you got here,” Techno huffed as he ushered Wilbur inside. “Phil was just startin’ to get worried.”
“I wasn’t worried!” Phil protested as the doors shut behind Wilbur and Techno.
“You know you were acting like a mother hen,” Techno teased, squeezing Wilbur’s shoulder as he passed by to take a seat on the sofa.
Phil, who was standing by his desk, rolled his eyes. “I was simply wondering what was holding him up, that’s-” His eyes flickered to Wilbur’s forehead and frowned. “Where’s your ferronnière?”
Wilbur’s cheeks burned as he looked to the ground. “I’m sorry, father. I had taken it off in my room and forgot to put it back on when I received your summons.”
“Oh, alright. As long as you didn’t lose it,” Phil said, before focusing back on Wilbur’s face. “You were still delayed though. I trust there wasn’t any trouble getting here?”
Once again, Wilbur knew there was no point in trying to hide what happened from Phil. The guards outside Quackity’s door would almost certainly tell him about Niki. He might as well beat them to it.
“I was with Quackity in my room when your summons arrived. I decided to walk him back to his chambers since it was in the same direction, and as we were saying goodbye we were seen… being affectionate.”
Phil cursed under his breath as Techno asked, “Who was it?”
“Niki.”
“Well, could’ve been worse I suppose,” Techno muttered.
“Shit,” Phil said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You don’t think she’ll use that-”
“No, she won’t,” Wilbur reassured his father. “Niki would never want to get a leg up on Quackity through those kinds of means. She’d find it unfair.”
“That’s what I assumed, but you know her better than I do.” Phil let out a long breath, and folded his arms over his chest. “Though I suppose it might not matter much soon.”
At this, Wilbur frowned. “What are you talking about?”
Phil and Techno shared an unreadable look across the room. Then, Techno gave Phil a small nod, and Phil sighed.
“As you know, there’s been something I’ve been deliberating over the past few weeks,” he began, avoiding Wilbur’s eyes. “I wish I didn’t have to tell you this, but shortly after you and Quackity got back from your trip to Cedardijk, Quackity paid me a visit.
Wilbur blinked, taken aback. What reason would Quackity have to visit his father? And why would he not tell Wilbur about it?
“Was he there about me?” Wilbur asked, unsure of where this was going.
Phil shook his head. “No. He actually got quite upset when I brought you up. I got the impression he didn’t want to think about how our discussion could blow back on your relationship.”
Wilbur still didn’t understand. “Then what was he there for?”
“Well-” Phil straightened up where he was leaning against the desk, “Quackity has accused me of being the person behind the recent assassination attempts against Sam, and has threatened to turn me in if I don’t make a deal with him.”
It took a beat longer than it should have for the information to register in Wilbur’s mind.
“I- I don’t understand,” Wilbur stammered, his thoughts racing. “Quackity accused you of trying to assassinate Sam?” Phil nodded. “But that’s ridiculous! It’s not as though he could have any evidence against you for something you didn’t do.”
Phil didn’t respond to this immediately. The seconds ticked on, and Wilbur took a closer look at his father.
Finally, Phil said, “I wasn’t actually trying to kill him.”
“What the fuck?” Wilbur felt as though he’d fallen through a sheet of ice and into a freezing pond.
“It was a scare tactic,” Phil continued as he started to pace the room. “I began to worry that Sam was considering bringing in a new heir. In order to discourage that, I thought he would benefit from being reminded of his mortality, that’s all.”
Wilbur’s head snapped to Techno. “You knew?”
Techno huffed. “Obviously.”
“So the poison-”
“Sam’s tea was never poisoned,” Phil explained, “we just poisoned the poison tester afterwards. And the mounted crossbow was purposefully angled so that it would hit the table, not Sam.”
For some reason, the first coherent thought Wilbur had was, “Jack could’ve been arrested for this!”
“Collateral damage,” Phil said, waving off the concern with his hand. “Besides, we never would’ve let him get to the execution block. I would’ve arranged some other half-assed attack while he was imprisoned to prove it couldn’t have been him.”
Despite the absurdity of this revelation, at the same time, he couldn’t help but think of how much sense it made. His father had always seemed somewhat reluctant to talk about the assassination attempts, although he hid it well. Also, it was exactly the kind of the plot his father would hatch. Bold, incredibly complex, and kept an absolute secret.
Until now, at least.
“How did Quackity find out?” Wilbur asked.
“I’m not sure. He claims he received a letter from someone who knew I was behind it all, but he refused to tell me who his source was. The issue with this is though that I never had any direct contact with the people I hired to enact the attempts. I would speak to Sneeg, then Sneeg would discuss it with a trusted member of his staff. It was that staff member who would hire someone for the job.”
“Were the staff aware it was you acting as the benefactor?”
“Sneeg never told them outright, though I’m sure it wasn’t difficult for them to guess. Except the only staff members Sneeg told were his most trustworthy sources. They’re all people I’ve been paying for information for years. I doubt any of them would want to see my head on the chopping block because it would mean they lose their extra income,” Phil explained.
“There’s also the chance that Quackity never actually received a letter and he just guessed,” Techno chimed in. “High risk move, high reward?”
“No, he’d never take a risk like that,” Wilbur said, speaking without thinking. “Quackity likes risk, but only to a measured extent. To go so far as to accuse the Consil of trying to kill His Majesty isn’t something he would do unless he had at least one other source claiming it as truth.”
“That’s what I thought as well,” Phil agreed, nodding to himself. “I believe it’s unlikely that he has any evidence outside of this one person’s testimony, but still, there’s a measure of possibility there I really don’t like.” He gave Wilbur an ominous look, and Wilbur felt a chill run down his spine. “We’re going to need to do something about him.”
Although Wilbur wasn’t sure what his father had in mind for Quackity, his heart began to race as he shook his head. “No, look, I- I can talk to him, alright? I can convince him that he’s making an enemy with no real evidence to back up his claim. I can make him see how ridiculous this is.”
Hearing this, Phil grimaced while Techno shook his head. Dread began rising in the back of Wilbur’s throat as Phil took a yellowed piece of paper out of his coat and held it out to him.
It was a letter. One that was several years old, if Wilbur had to guess.
“Read this,” Phil instructed as Wilbur took the letter in his hands. “There’s something about Quackity that I think you should know.”