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Techno said he wasn't allowed in the forest.
Not after Wilbur.
It wasn't going to stop him. He had to find Wil, there was no way their brother would just leave like that. He said he would go get the basket he left in the woods and then he just never came back.
What if he got lost? What if them not going back in was dooming him to stay lost? He could be in danger! He tried to tell his older brother as much but Techno would just get a pinched look in his face and send him to his room.
Sometimes he could swear he’d hear him crying afterwards. He never answered when he asked him if he was.
Techno had been so stubborn ever since after the snowstorm. There were whispers in the village of unnatural flower blooms in the forest and blood in the snow. The baker said there were new fae rings sprouting up everywhere.
Maybe he could ask the fae where his brother went!
Wil always warned to never speak to the fae but- he wasn't here anymore. Techno said he was never coming back but he always said he'd never leave them.
Tommy had no interest in heeding the words of a liar.
Wilbur lied to them about coming back but it did nothing stop him from longing for his hugs. They always felt the warmest. Techno only ever cried when they hugged, it didn't feel good. He’d been crying alot since Wilbur got lost. It was why he had to get him back! If he could save Wil and bring him home then Techno wouldn't be so sad anymore.
That was why he was marching through the woods and down the trail they always took. He stayed brave even as it felt like all the trees curled towards him. Snow crunched under his boots, filling him with childish glee whenever he was able to stomp over a particularly big lump.
He was heading towards where they always went, a pretty little opening in the woods that they could sit and rest in after taking what they needed.
It was where Wilbur left his basket before he went missing, he said he was going there so it only made sense for him to be around that spot. He was never good with directions, that was Technos job, so he probably just got lost on the way back.
That was okay though, he was gonna get him and bring him back, he'd hold his hand the whole way to make sure he wouldn't get lost again.
He hummed as he finally approached the clearing, the walk almost felt shorter than normal, foliage rarely getting in his way as he carried on. It was probably because he wasn’t dawdling like he usually did when he was with his brothers, he was on serious business.
It wasn't time for playing, no matter how much he wanted to. Techno was always too sad to play. That was why he had to get Wilbur too, he always knew how to cheer him up. He’d also always make time to play with Tommy, even when he was really tired from his job in the village.
He was nice like that.
Looking around didn't prove to be much help, everything blanketed in snow from it falling for days on end after Wilbur went away. He pushed a bit deeper in, spotting a strangely shaped lump of snow right beside a fallen log.
He dug into it with gloved hands, revealing Wilburs now ruined old basket. Why was it still here? Wil went out to get it. He should have this.
A pout crossed his face as he tried to sort through his own confusion. This is where he should start looking for clues but there were none to be found! The basket wasn't any use and it wasn't like there were any footsteps leading away from it.
How was he meant to find clues when he couldn't even get any hints? That was unfair!
Just as he was about to turn back to the cabin, crunching footsteps made themselves known. Swivelling around revealed someone new.
It was a man dressed all in green, a black undershirt hidden away under expensive looking robes. His long blonde hair reminded Tommy of himself, only the mans was much lighter. He was paler too, looking as if he’d been in the snow for a while. Maybe he was lost too?
“Hey!” he called “are you lost too? Do you need help back to the village?
The man stared for a moment before smiling, walking closer to him as he spoke.
“Hello” he hummed, voice almost musical sounding “I don’t need any help, I was just wondering why you were in the woods.”
“I’m looking for my brother, tall and brown haired, have you seen him?” he asked “he was supposed to be here but…”
“He’s not?”
“No” he tried not to sound too upset about it “is there any chance that you've seen him around?”
He watched as the man seemed to think for a moment, hand tapping at his chin as he hummed in thought.
“As a matter of fact I think I might have.”
His heart leapt in his chest, he smiled brightly up at the man as he clutched his hand with hope “really? Could you show me the way?”
The man seemed stunned for a moment, looking at where Tommy held his hand before smiling a strange smile and nodding “of course I can, follow me.”
“You’re really nice for this” he praised, beaming as he practically skipped behind the kind man “thank you so much!”
“It's my pleasure” the man cooed, hand leaning back to pet at his curls, Tommy tried not flinch away at how cold his hands were out of politeness. “I’m sure you’ll be returning my favour soon enough.”
He would be. Maybe he could bring the man a really cool rock or twig like he brings his brothers? Wilbur always said they were the best gifts in the world so maybe the man would think so too!
They walked through the snow in relative quiet, the forest almost seeming silent as they walked through it. When he thought about it, the whole thing went stopped making sound as soon as the man made an appearance.
He probably spooked all the animals with how loud his steps were. That's what Techno said Tommy always did. It was probably an easy mistake to make.
Soon they stopped walking, a huge clearing making way for a lake. It was pretty but it gave him no clue for where Wilbur was. The man seemed to catch the confused look that he sent his way, smiling down at him with strangely sharp teeth.
He pointed out to the lake, aiming at the centre “over there, see him?”
With a confused hum he looked out to where he was pointing and finally noticed a strange lump off in the distance. He squinted a bit before gasping at what he found. There, in the middle of the lake was Wilbur.
He sat cross legged on the ice, seemingly staring off into the woods before turning to them. His face was paler than usual, no doubt affected by the chilly air that was flooding the forest. A look of shock seemed to cross over his features, eyes flicking between Tommy and the kind man in green.
“He’s right there mate. Why don't you go get him?”
“Te- my brother said I should never walk out on the ice. He said it's dangerous.”
“It's no more dangerous than walking in these woods.”
“Really?”
“Mhm. There's plenty of danger here already, going onto the ice wouldn't be much of a difference.”
He glanced back at Wilbur, looking at him frozen from where he’d been sitting. His lips looked tinted blue. Techno said that when things start going blue you have to go inside and warm up.
Wil hadnt made any move to come closer to them, still sat right in the middle with a strange look in his eye. Maybe he couldn't get out of the centre. Maybe he was scared.
One time he climbed a tree too high and was too scared to come down. Wil was really brave and went up to save him.
He had to save Wilbur. If he was scared to leave the ice then he just had to show him that it wasnt so scary! The man in green probably couldn't get to him because he was so big, too heavy for the ice.
Tommy was small though, he’d be able to make it.
“Go on, what's the worst that could happen?”
With that encouragement, he tested his foot against the ice closest to him. His shoe slid a little but ultimately held his weight
“You need to crawl to reach him” the man in green said, smiling down at him “if you stand then you’ll fall through. You wouldn't want that happening, would you?”
No he didn't. With a solemn shake of his head he got down to his knees, inching his way forwards, closer to his brother.
Wilbur just continued staring up at him, eyes unblinking while a dawning terror seemed to be coming over him. He was scrambling to rest on his knees and shouting something, that and an encouraging hand pushing at his back only motivated him further.
He’d never seen Wilbur so worried, that meant he was probably really scared about the ice.
It made him speed up his movements, testing the ice less as he got to the centre. No matter how close he got, his brother's words never got any clearer, only remaining as muffled shouts. There was a strange chain circled around him, trapping him from where he kneeled.
Maybe he was scared to climb over it. The nice man said he shouldn't stand up on the ice, maybe he just didn't understand that he could be super careful and just crawl over it.
The chill of the ice bit through his gloves, freezing his hands despite the cover. It was getting unsteadier too, little cracks forming where he keeps his hands for too long. That probably meant he had to go even faster then.
So he did, he sped up, only incentivised as Wilbur started crying, voice still hoarse from how much he’d been doing so. He was so focussed on trying to decipher what his brother said that he didn't notice the large crack forming in the ice.
It was only when he heard a loud snap! from under his hands, staring as the crack spread out into cobwebs along the surface, that he noticed. Wilburs shouting froze too as a look of dawning horror covered his face.
“Leave me! It's too late!” He cried “Toms turn ba-”
His next shout was muffled by the sound of his body crashing through the water.
A gasp left him on impact, flooding his lungs with ice cold water, he choked on it while he sunk like a stone. He never learned how to swim, never had to, but now he was regretting it deeply. His arms flailed in vain attempts to pull him up, Wilburs shouting getting louder and more upset as he scrambled from where he was.
His whole body felt frozen already, ice cold water biting at frost nipped fingers and burning the tender flesh that remained. Tears mixed with the water, eyes stinging as he stared up at the gaping hole he had crashed through.
Like a mouth in the ice that had swallowed him whole.
He kicked desperately, still trying to fight the incessant push of the water over him. He waved his hands up, finally catching on the arm that Wilbur had shoved through the ice in an attempt to help him.
Luckily his brother caught onto his sleeve and tugged, pulling him closer to salvation despite the weight in his lungs. Black dots clouded his vision now and he could feel his limbs barely respond to him.
Never in his life had he been so cold. It was like it had replaced all the blood in his body, leaving only ice to stay dormant in his veins.
Clawed hands dug into his shirt and hefted him up from the water, the ice cracked under his body weight a few times until finally he was laid on a piece thick enough. Desperate hands fretted over him, pressing desperately at his pulse and his stomach.
The world was hazy, he could hardly see. His lungs desperately tried to breathe through the water in his lungs, causing him to only choke on each breath. Distantly, he could hear Wilburs panicked voice again as hands pretted over him.
“-idn’t want him dead!”
“-anted him back, didnt you?” The nice man replied “here he is. For however long is le-”
“-ot like this!” Wilbur's voice was so distant “-lp me save him!”
“-y would I do that?”
“Please! You can’t take him from-” it sounded like he was crying, sobs cutting between each word “I’ll do anything! I promi-”
“-nything? You’ll do anything?”
Everything was swimming around him, violent shivers wracking through his body as he felt his clothing freeze on him. He could feel water leaking out of his ears, making it slightly easier to hear as he wrestled with chattering teeth and unmoving limbs.
“Yes, please just help him!”
“Well I suppose there's one way you could help him…”
“What is it?” He was being pulled to Wilburs chest now, desperate hands with too sharp nails digging into him as he was tugged around “please I’ll do it.”
“If you could get him to agree to a deal then I’ll be able to turn him like I turned you” Wilburs breath hitched but he couldn't understand why, the man's voice was so nice sounding, like birdsong and bells “best hurry, though. He’s getting weaker.”
Hands desperately clutched at his face, Wilbur staring down at him panicked. His eyes seemed almost golden in this light, pupils too large from panic to look anything like the brother he knew.
“Toms, Toms stay with me, please you have to stay with me” he looked dazedly up at him “there we go, thats it, listen, I- I need you to agree to what he says alright? You have to do that for me, okay??”
“‘kay” he croaked out, voice feeling wrecked from all the water that had flooded his throat during his fall. The man in green didn't look so nice anymore. He had a mean grin painting his face as he looked down at the both of them.
“Toms” he cooed before turning to Wilbur “is that his name?”
“Not his true one” his brother spat, a strange anger filling his tone “help him!"
The man only smiled as he stepped closer, ice forming under his feet as he trod easily over the crack. Watching it made his eyes hurt, an ache stinging at the bottom of his brain. It didn't feel natural.
Ice cold hands pressed against his head, forcing him to look up at the mans sharp smile.
“There we go, how about we make a deal Toms?” he cooed, voice sounding hypnotic as he spoke “you’re in a bit of a mess, aren't you?”
Tommy felt the arms tighten around him as the man spoke, Wilbur grip turning crushing at his words. He barely had the strength to nod at his question.
“How about I make it so you never feel this way again, hmmm? I can make you just like your brother here.”
That's what he’d wanted for years. He wanted to be strong like Techno and smart like Wilbur for all his life. He’d do his best to watch them and learn so that one day, when he was older, he’d be able to take care of them the same way they took care of him.
If the man could give him that then maybe he was nice.
“All you need to do is nod your head” he cooed, thumb swiping under his eyes as his blinks became heavier and heavier “nod your head for me and I’ll fix you right up.”
It was hard, but he did it. His neck ached with the effort, bones protesting each minute shift of muscle. He hoped it was enough.
Judging by the sharp grin the man had, it was.
“Perfect. That's just wonderful” he hummed, Tommy was glad he could make him happy “now all you need to do is give in.”
Sharp taloned hands combed through his curls as he heard his brother sniff above him, undoubtedly still crying.
“Let yourself die, little one. Give into the frost and let it consume you” ice cold lips pressed themselves in a kiss to his forehead “I have so much planned for all of you, you have to help me grab your last brother after all.”
He felt so tired and heavy, droplets landed on his face only to be swiped away by hands colder than death, it felt impossible to stay awake for any longer. The rest of his body refused to respond anyway, it was easier to just fall into a void and sleep.
Sobbing got louder in his ear despite drifting away from everything else, he could only cling on to the hypnotic voice for a moment longer before his body gave in.
“Don’t cry so much, Wil. He’s only human” the voice scolded “through death he’ll become so much better. Just like you.”
And then he was gone. A frozen body clutched tightly in his brother's arms. Maybe if he learned not to play on ice he would’ve avoided such a fate.
At least he’d make a good example for the other village kids.
All but one of course, not that it mattered though, his time would come soon enough.