Summary:
In a crowd unfamiliar
I just wanna touch a familiar face
And make friends at the parties I've feared
The likes of an age
To be wanted with truth
And make formidable love
See light in myself
That I see inside everyone else I know
~~~
Schlatt gave one last tiny nod to Alex before slipping out the door.
Alex didn't respond back, turning away so that he wouldn't have to see Schlatt leave.
A pang shot through Schlatt's heart, but he understood.
He definitely didn't want to overstay his welcome.
He knew that the both of them had short fuses and too much bad blood, so they both knew it was best for him not to hang around long.
Especially now that Alex knew he had Wilbur to go back to when the sun set.
Despite Schlatt not having any romantic feelings for Quackity, he couldn't help but feel guilty at seeing his face light up in quiet realization.
They had always played games with each other, teasing and jeering insults. For Quackity, he probably guessed that it would forever be that way.
That final confrontation at the White House, where Schlatt had been so drunk and so angry he could hardly see straight, grabbing a pickaxe and tearing the fucker down while Alex screamed his name.... both of them knew then that Schlatt's actions could never be undone.
Schlatt remembered tossing the pickaxe to the ground, looking up through bleary vision to see tears slipping down Alex's cheeks, and then watching him slowly shake his head as if to say, "I should have realized it would end like this," and walking off into the sunset.
Schlatt didn't see him again until he marched in with the rest of Wilbur's army in that stupid van, decked in armor that didn't fit him properly, his beanie squished under the helmet.
And Schlatt couldn't meet his eyes.
Schlatt knew that the bad blood between them will stain forever.
Best not to hang around and dig up any other trauma between them.
Schlatt knew that one conversation wasn't enough to fix everything that was broken, and he also knew that just saying he was sorry wouldn't make Quackity genuinely want redemption for him.
Despite the small smiles and brief happy memories they shared, Schlatt knew that Alex still hated him.
He felt it just like he felt Wilbur from across the SMP, a small tug that meant that Wilbur had made himself visible since the moment he walked into Alex's house.
Hate like theirs is something that would need a miracle to reverse.
What is one thing, or person, that could show Alex that Schlatt deserved to follow Wilbur into the afterlife?
One person that Schlatt had wronged in such an unforgivable way that, if Schlatt could convince them, then everyone else might follow suit?
Schlatt froze in his tracks, his breath freezing in his throat as his eyes fell on a familiar sight.
The bench.
Tubbo.
---
"You're hindering yourself, Wil." Techno mentioned, his cape unclipped and thrown over a chair, stretching over Wilbur's bed.
Wilbur looked up from his spot on the floor, sitting up to get a better view of Technoblade. He scrunched his nose at seeing Technoblade's boots get dirt on his bed.
"Get your nasty feet off my bed."
"Nah," Technoblade breathed, smiling. "Not like you're using it anyway."
"Ew."
Technoblade laughed, but his smile faded. "You ignored what I said."
"No I didn't," Wilbur replied, "What do ya mean, 'hindering myself'?"
"You remember what I said to you a couple days ago, about your memories?"
Wilbur thought for a second before it dawned on him. "Oh, about how I might have forgotten because I do it on purpose?"
"Yeah."
"I've been getting better at that, though. I've been remembering."
"You have?" Techno asked, turning his head to look at Wilbur on the floor. "Where are you at?"
"Um," Wilbur murmured, rubbing his head, "I remember what happened at the festival."
Technoblade lurched up, his eyes drilling into Wilbur.
Wilbur tried to ignore how his fist clenched, and how he remembered Technoblade executing Tubbo, fireworks filling his memory's vision.
"After that," Wilbur persisted, nervousness piling in his gut, "I don't remember."
Technoblade sighed, and swung his feet off the bed, his heavy boots hitting the floor with a thunk. "If you want...I can forcibly trigger those for you."
"My memories?"
Technoblade nodded. "I didn't want to do it when I first found out, when I took your hand that day at the campsite. You weren't ready then."
He sat down cross-legged on the floor next to Wilbur. "But if you want me to, I can pull the rest from your subconscious."
"...how are you able to do that?" Wilbur asked, sitting up and crossing his legs as well to mirror his brother.
"Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to." Technoblade replied, holding out his palms.
"Oh, of course, I should have known." Wilbur sighed exasperatedly, clasping his hands in Technoblade's own, careful not to accidentally pass through Technoblade's fingers.
"It might cause discomfort." Technoblade mumbled as his large hand ghosted over Wilbur's small fingers. "....or pain."
"I'm ready." Wilbur confirmed, nodding.
"Okay." Technoblade responded after a span of silence, almost waiting for Wilbur to go back on his word. "Close your eyes and relax."
Wilbur fluttered his eyes closed, and breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth till he felt his heart still. That familiar tingling sensation spread out from his hands, down his arms, and across the rest of his body. Then...the tingling sensation turned into something...else.
Fire.
White hot heat flicked down his arms, causing him to gasp.
"Keep breathing," He heard Technoblade mumble. "Stay calm."
Wilbur bit his lip to stop himself from groaning from the pain, nodding.
The invisible flames licked up his neck, causing Wilbur to arch his face upwards in an attempt to somehow avoid the fire.
"Accept it." Technoblade breathed.
Hearing Technoblade's voice grounded him somehow. That steady monotone telling him that it was gonna be okay.
Wilbur breathed deeply, and accepted the flames, the heat consuming his head as the world went dark.
---
Wilbur stepped out from behind a building and attempted to act confident as he walked into the lion's den, enemies surrounding him as he entered the main festival area. Heads swiveled to meet him as he continued to walk forward, finally stopping to stare Schlatt in the face, his head arching up to glare at the figures on the platform. Debris from the aftermath of Technoblade's fireworks littered the scene, blood staining the grass.
"Hello Schlatt." Wilbur managed as he slipped his hands into his pockets, careful not to let slip how scared he was.
He was careful not to make eye contact with his son, only focusing on the dark and menacing frame of Schlatt.
This wasn't the time for weakness.
"Oh my god." Schlatt breathed, his voice barely audible if not for the microphone to his lips.
Wilbur felt anger bubble inside him.
How dare he sound like he was tired by his presence.
"You actually...murdered Tubbo.." Wilbur forced out.
"And you let him do it." Schlatt replied, shifting his gaze just as Wilbur felt Techno's cape brush against his feet."
Despite his efforts, Wilbur felt his fists clench on his sides.
JSchlatt glanced over at Nikki, who had almost hunched over to make herself as small as possible.
Wilbur felt a sense of protectiveness rise in his chest, taking a step forward. "If you're going to kill anyone else, kill me."
Laughter erupted from Schlatt's throat. "Yeah, yeah, loverboy, I've had enough out of your mouth." He barked, grinning as he saw Alex take his sword out of his hilt. "I'm not gonna kill anyone else."
"Do I look like a bad guy?" Schlatt said, his horns curling tightly around his face.
He looked like the devil himself.
Before a "Yes" could form in his throat, the scene warped and twisted.
Flashes of Tommy and Techno in a deep hole flickered across his mind, blood splattering the stone walls as fists and legs connected with the opposing body, and Technoblade striking the finishing blow to send Tommy unconscious. Wilbur felt a maniacal cheer erupt out of his throat as Technoblade looked up, swiping the blood off his lip.
Another flash of him standing atop a hill, an army below him.
The scenes sped up.
Technoblade's armory.
Wilbur pulling back a flaming arrow, letting it loose on Dream's forces below.
The ceasefire.
Everyone piling into the van, taking in Schlatt's broken state.
His son screaming, tears slipping down his face as he realized how everyone in his life always ended up betraying him.
Wilbur telling Tommy to shoot him in the eyes.
Schlatt coughing, blood dribbling down his lip.
The words, "If I go down, L'Manburg goes down with me." spilling desperately out of Schlatt's mouth as he realized he had reached the end of his rope.
Schlatt taking a final, desperate breath before he collapsed completely, the life gone.
Wilbur felt his body address the crowd below him in the place that Schlatt had been, his voice filled with fake hope of his country.
Tubbo taking the stage.
Wilbur slipping away as Tubbo's voice echoed from his spot on the podium.
.
.
.
And the button.
That fucking button.
Then Philza, his father entering from the shadows.
Then, tears staining his cheeks, in a pure moment of madness, his fist colliding with the mechanism that haunted Wilbur's dreams.
"This," He thought as his father's sword speared his skin, rubble around them, "This is my legacy."
Instead of his memories to black as Wilbur came to the end of his life, Wilbur felt his body lurch in the physical world as the fire leached off his head, and back down his body and arms. He felt Technoblade's fingers twitch as they hovered over each other, a small grunt escaping his brother as they both entered a new scene.
Wilbur he felt his being grow heavy and tall, his mind loud.
"These aren't my memories." Wilbur realized as the hissing voices calling for blood and destruction filled his ears.
This was Technoblade's.
His voice bellowed, his trident sweeping to each of his so-called friends as he claimed treachery and deceit.
In the physical world, a pit formed in Wilbur's chest.
"You wanna be a hero, Tommy?" Technoblade's voice echoed, voice cracking with emotion as he clutched the wither skulls in his hands. "Then die like one!"
Explosions and screams saturated Wilbur's senses for the second time before that too faded into darkness.
---
Wilbur wrenched his fingers away from Technoblade, scrambling along the floor until he felt his back hit the wall.
Technoblade slowly opened his eyes, tiredly watching Wilbur's frantic state.
"Calm down. You're okay." Techno breathed.
Wilbur took deep breaths in an attempt to steady his racing heart.
"Why- why did you do that?" Wilbur asked, clutching his chest.
Technoblade shifted slowly in his cross-legged stance, his stature despite emitting grace and skill still looking somehow awkward. "That's a stupid question."
Wilbur blinked as he wrapped his mind around his newly acquired memories.
"I know your beliefs Techno-" Wilbur started, slowly coming to the realization. "But- but those were your friends."
Technoblade scoffed. "They were never my friends."
"And Tommy-" Wilbur began again but was quickly interrupted.
"Tommy only cares about himself! He always has." Technoblade shifted again, standing up. "He only ever used me, anyway..." Technoblade's face darkened as he scowled, "And we definitely aren't on good terms anymore after I killed Tubbo."
"That's not true-"
"Get off it Wilbur." Technoblade snapped, causing Wilbur to pale. "Both of you did. Don't act like you didn't."
As much as Wilbur wanted to deny it, he knew that Technoblade was right.
He used him.
Everyone did.
And Wilbur continues to do so, stringing him along with the promise of a finish line, a resting point for the both of them.
"You-" Technoblade began, but his voice cracked. He cleared his throat before continuing. "You all used me, then expected me to sit by and just watch while you used the victory that you won with my help to do the one thing that I didn't want to happen?"
His voice dripped with malice. "And then expected me not to do anything about it?"
Wilbur, as much as he hated it, understood Technoblade.
"I don't regret helping you overthrow the Schlatt administration," Technoblade admitted, "The only thing I regret....was watching you go insane to achieve that goal."
Technoblade shuffled his feet, eyes to the ground as if he confessed.
A stab shot through Wilbur's heart as he found his words, "That's not your fault!"
Technoblade's eyes found his as he continued forward, "Techno, my choices were my own. Don't act like because you had your ambitions that me doing what I did was your fault! It wasn't!"
Wilbur launched to his feet, and reached out his hand in an attempt to grab Technoblade's arm to comfort him, but his hand passed through him completely.
Wilbur's arm fell, the deep pang of the loss of physical connection echoing between them.
They stood staring at each other as each other's words sunk into their skins.
Wilbur watched as the seconds passed how Technoblade's face morphed from one of deep pain to something devoid of expression.
Like how he often did all throughout their youth, Techno had once again buried his feelings deep inside for no one to ever find again.
And again like in their childhood, Wilbur never knew what to do to stop Techno from doing so.
He felt so helpless.
Technoblade walked over to the chair, grabbing his cloak, sliding it over his shoulder and connecting the clasp.
"Wait- don't go." Wilbur whispered, holding his arms like he wanted to take up as little space as possible.
Technoblade froze, halfway to the door. "What?"
"H-how's Phil? After...after my death?" Wilbur asked, remembering his first moments of a ghost, how he had materialized seeing his physical body speared through with his father's sword. How his dad had slowly reached his shaky hands to Wilbur's face, closing his dead eyes.
Technoblade didn't answer immediately.
"He's alright," Technoblade finally responded. "Working. Alot."
Oh.
"Like...after mom?" Wilbur hesitantly questioned.
"Yeah." Technoblade gritted out, and walked away, his palm covering the door handle.
"Techno?" Wilbur whispered as he opened the door with a creak.
Techno looked back, the sunset shining in from the window dancing across his face.
"It'll happen soon, won't it? The ritual?" Wilbur asked.
As much as Wilbur hated to admit it, he wanted the turmoil of his redemption to be over with, and soon.
Technoblade frowns but nods softly, grabbing his mask and slipping out the door.
---
Dusk had fallen by the time Schlatt had entered the castle.
He slowly climbed up the stairs, the torches along the wall barely illuminating his path.
He almost didn't notice Technoblade till he was right in front of him, an inch away from passing through him completely.
Technoblade visibly stiffened, aware of his presence.
Schlatt wondered if it was worth it to just slip by, but Techno interrupted his thoughts.
"Come on out, Schlatt." Techno growled.
He sighed, flickering into Techno's vision. "What'cha want?" Schlatt questioned.
"I know about you and Wil." He gruffed.
Schlatt tried to hide any expression on his face, careful not to show the way that Technoblade affected him.
"Yeah? What of it?" Schlatt bit back.
Technoblade leaned down from his spot above Schlatt on the stairs, his shadow passing over Schlatt and covering him in semi-darkness.
"What of it?" Technoblade repeated back. "I have every right to send you straight to hell for everything you've done while alive, forget what you're doing now."
Technoblade stepped forward and Schlatt stepped back on impulse, almost missing the step below him as he attempted to maintain the space between them.
"You disgust me." Technoblade glowered.
"Look- Techno, uh-"
Techno's hand reached out like he was going to grab Schlatt's throat.
"He can't," Schlatt thought frantically, "He can't touch me."
But regardless, he felt a pressure build in the base of his throat. Schlatt let out a breathless gasp.
"If I ever find out you've been treating him badly, in any dimension, you'll be done for. Permanently. No consciousness."
The pressure increased.
"Do you understand?" Technoblade purred, a slow smile forming on his lips.
Schlatt couldn't reply, so he managed a weak nod.
The pressure released itself and Schlatt frantically breathed in air.
"You are everything I hate about this world," Technoblade continued, "And the only reason I'm helping you get something you don't fucking deserve is because of Wil. Don't think this is anything else."
And with that, he swept past Schlatt, not even bothering with a backward glance.
Schlatt collapsed down on his bed once he got back to his room, finally letting out the stress that had been building inside him.
He heard his door open and looked up to see Wilbur walk in, smiling as they met eyes.
Schlatt's head hit the pillows again as Wilbur sat down on the bed.
Comfortable silence stretched between them.
"Your brother is fucking terrifying." Schlatt blurted out.
Wilbur's laugh echoed through the room, and Schlatt's heart warmed.
He sat up and leaned over, grabbing Wilbur's chin to pull him in for a kiss.
"Sleep with me tonight, babe." Schlatt breathed after they pulled apart.
Wilbur smiled, his hand sliding up to cup Schlatt's cheek. "Of course...wouldn't want to be anywhere else."
---
Wilbur slipped out of bed, careful not to wake up Schlatt as he pulled back his arms and shuffled into his clothes.
He descended the stairs, surprised to find Eret walking around the castle that early in the morning.
Eret rubbed his eyes, his sunglasses slipping past his nose before he could push them back up.
Wilbur revealed himself, tapping the wall to notify Eret of his presence before he had the opportunity to scare him.
"Why're you up so early?" Wilbur asked as Eret looked in his direction with a smile.
"A king never sleeps." Eret replied smoothly.
"Mhm."
"I could ask you the same thing, actually." Eret continued, walking into a room off of the throne room.
Wilbur followed as Eret entered another drawing-room, the fire warming the coldness of the morning. "Got work to do...repentance and all."
Eret nodded, sitting down on a couch. "Speaking of work..." Eret said sheepishly, "I summoned Philza to come into town."
Wilbur sat down on the opposite facing couch before he processed what he had said. "....why?"
"Well," Eret continued, "I need a living relative to sign the adoption papers...."
"Oh."
"And I didn't think Sally would come onto shore for something like this, so...."
"Yeah."
"And...if you need help with the ritual, maybe your father could help with that." Eret breathed out, clasping his hands in nervousness as he forced the last bit out.
"You know about the ritual?" Wilbur questioned.
"Techno asked me for supplies at the crack of dawn this morning."
Wilbur nodded in acceptance, but the anxiety of seeing his father soon weighed on his heart.
The last time he had seen him, Wil had asked his Phil to put a sword through his chest.
"You told him about...my state?" Wilbur asked, his voice warbling.
Eret nodded. "He understood. He said he'd heard of this condition happening to others, but he said it was rare."
Wilbur tried not to think about how Phil must have reacted to the news.
His cold demeanor he had built up as a form of protection against trauma breaking, but still choosing to stay strong for everyone around him.
Wilbur took a deep, shaky breath. "When do you think he's coming?"
"Sometime tomorrow," Eret replied. "He's working, but he said he should finish it by tonight."
Wilbur nodded. "Hey, Eret, any idea where Tommy might be today?"
Eret, though noticing Wilbur's start change in topic, didn't mention it. "Yes, actually. He mentioned yesterday how he wanted to check out the new addition to my museum. I would check there first."
Wilbur stood up, ready to push the thought of seeing his father to the back of his mind. "Okay, thanks!"
"No problem." Eret replied as Wilbur quickly exited the room.
---
Eret's prediction was correct as Wilbur hand brushed one of the large quartz pillars to enter the museum.
A replica of the caravan stood in the center, a huge map of the land on the back wall.
With a chill, Wilbur noticed a second smaller map of L'Manburg after the explosion, and a fetal position Tommy underneath it.
His instincts pushed him forward as he sprinted to Tommy's side.
"Tommy, Tommy!" He cried out, revealing himself.
Tommy flinched, looking up. Tears streamed down his cheeks.
"What're you doing here?" Tommy asked bluntly, embarrassed that Wilbur had caught him in a moment of weakness.
"I actually came to find you." Wilbur replied, sitting down next to Tommy on the floor.
"Yeah, to try to get me to "forgive you", right?" Tommy said, his fingers making air quotes.
Wilbur blinked.
"Alex told me."
Oh.
"Well, yeah, but also....I just wanted to see how you are." Wilbur breathed, looking down at his younger brother.
Tommy sniffled. "Guess."
"...wanna talk about it?"
"Do I look like someone who wants to talk about their feelings?" Tommy bites back.
"Can you try?" Wilbur asks.
Tommy rolls his eyes.
"Or we could just sit here."
And they do.
For a long while.
Tommy, like he always did, spoke first.
"I always thought I could count on you. Even in the end." Tommy began, flexing his fingers. "I didn't believe you would actually do it till I saw the explosion happen."
A part of Wilbur wanted to say, "Me neither," but he held his tongue, letting Tommy speak.
"I dunno Wil. You were always my actual big brother. Sure Techno was there, I guess, but he....well you know how he is. He never actually cared about me." Tommy continued, licking his lips.
Wilbur grimaced, but nodded.
He hated how perceptive he was sometimes, despite his explicit nature.
"I hate what you did to all of us, Wil. But it wasn't all bad." Tommy thought out loud, looking around the museum.
Wilbur's eyes landed on the recreated L'Manburg wall.
"No, it wasn't." Wilbur simply responded instead of the thousands of other things he thought to say.
"I guess the same could be said about Schlatt....when I heard he actually went to talk with Quackity, I didn't believe him. But...then he said that Schlatt went because you asked him to....and it made sense."
Wilbur's heart swelled as Tommy met his eyes.
"I know you're not a bad guy Wil, as much as you tried to act like you were." Tommy concluded. "Even when you were going bonkers you still acted like the brother I always knew...."
Tommy's fist clenched, then relaxed. "I mean Wilbur, I already forgive you. I always will."
Wilbur's throat started to burn as he resisted the tears.
As much as Tommy drove him up the wall, he still loved him.
He forgot how much he took him for granted.
His body felt light despite the heaviness in his heart.
Tommy smiled for the first time, "You don't have to worry about me Wil. I always bounce back."
And as weightlessness filled Wilbur's heart, a smile mirroring Tommy's stretching across his face, Wilbur finally let loose a tear.
The smile dropped once he saw Tommy's face go pale.
"Wil- you're fucking floating!" Tommy blurted.
What?
Wilbur looked down, and noticed with a shock that he was hovering above the floor by several inches.
Oh.
That's new.