Chapter Text
When he entered Pogtopia, following Tommy's lead, still a little worried that this was all a trap and the naive child wasn't actually that naive, Wilbur almost scared him to death.
Now, it wasn't like he felt great to begin with. He just had this argument with Schlatt, and it was... heartbreaking, really. He had sent an arrow into the man's back after he taunted him, and then just took off, suppressing his pathetic tears of betrayal; Schlatt had made all of those promises, and Alex had loved him, he had honestly loved the man, but he didn't care.
He didn't care for Manberg, he didn't care for Alex, he didn't care for anything but himself.
The realization had both relieved him and taken him apart.
So when Tommy picked him up in the forest, offering a safe place after just completely publicly killing the president, he couldn't even think about not saying yes.
Tommy could have guided him into a trap, it would have been okay. Quackity wouldn't have complained.
His heart was confusingly shattered, the betrayal seeping deep, deep, deeply through his every vein. Even if he'd lost his second life then, dying due to Tommy's hand, he'd be fine. Maybe he was better off dead anyways.
But, now, back to Wilbur.
Turned out it wasn't a trap, and Tommy had actually led him into Pogtopia, smiling brightly when he opened the last secret door, presenting the giant sight that Pogtopia actually was.
Only to hear the terrifying sound of an arrow flying right at him in the fastest speed he's seen one of them do that lately (and he's just seen it, after all, he killed the president. His husband. Ex. Ex husband) - but instead of hitting him like he thought, turning away and closing his eyes as he squealed, it hit the wall right next to him, spearing into the stone.
"Why did you think that it's a good idea to bring Quackity here, out of all people? Tommy..." Wilbur sneered, staring down at them from a higher point in the cliff, holding a bow inside of his hand. He looked amazing, honestly, he looked like a surreal character. Standing on the edge of the stone ground, his coat flowing from a slight breeze coming from behind them, his eyes piercing through Quackity.
His shattered confidence happened to be the reason why he shivered, avoiding the angry gaze, instead scratching on his arms.
"He killed Schlatt," Tommy suddenly announced, and Quackity froze immediately.
Wait... he... saw? He saw that?
"Big Q is on our side now."
The black haired was staring at the blonde with an idiotic expression.
"You saw it?" Alex then actually asked, gulping when he saw how Tommy looked at him, only to stare back up at Wilbur.
"Now, Tommy is vouching for you... What a turn of events it is," the brunette chuckled, still holding the bow, pointing it at the black haired.
"I..."
"I will keep you under watch. Make sure you behave."
"Yeah... okay," Quackity agreed, fidgeting around a little only to close his eyes, trying to shove images of Wilbur torturing and killing him "under his watch", away from his mind. Better not to look suspiciously nervous.
"Will, I literally saw him shoot Schlatt in the back."
"Tommy, are you really this naive? This man is literally the reason why we lost L'manberg. Why I can't..." Wilbur started, seemingly stopping himself from starting to go on a paranoid ramble, clearing his throat.
"Again, this could just be a trick. And if it's not... who says that he's not going to betray us at the very first possibility he has?"
If this wasn't such a tense situation, Quackity would have probably made a joke about how "he could hear them talk about him", but since it was probably the most endangered he'd ever felt, he didn't say anything.
"Will, come on..."
"He will stay with me, under my watch, under my control. Take it or leave it, I won't let him roam around in this place like that."
Tommy helplessly stared at Quackity, something that made the man gulp and look back at Wilbur, who still stood straight, the threatening bow in his hands, a glare of pure mistrust.
"... I mean, okay for me," Alex mumbled then, watching as Wilbur basically jumped from the cliff, climbing down, or rather gliding down, the stone walls until his feet hit the solid ground, the sound echoing through the halls of Pogtopia.
"I will take over now, then."
Quackity, still a little scared, looked over at Tommy again, asking the boy for some kind of advice over their eye contact before being escorted to god knows where.
But Tommy looked just as worried as the black haired was, Wilbur holding his hand out into Alex' direction, the glare the brunette carried being so penetrant and threatening that it ran shivers down his back.
Nevertheless, he stretched his own hand out, hesitantly, only for Wilbur to take his wrist when it was close enough, not waiting for Alex to even react and grab the other one, roughly guiding him away from Tommy, further into Pogtopia.
"Woah, woah," he couldn't help but gasp, a cold gaze falling back over Wilbur's shoulder.
His grab was hard and almost bruising, something that make Quackity's heart race so immensely fast that he felt like fainting.
Pogtopia was huge, and it was kind of... not pretty, but, mysterious, and secure - it would be, if Wilbur wasn't currently leading him into basically the most dark and hidden away corner.
At least it looked like that, and Quackity actually stumbled because he felt dizzy out of nowhere, Wilbur just pulling him further onwards. Yet, when they went through a smaller hole, there was a big room opening up to them, with both a rather big bed and decorations, mostly buttons on top of that - there even was a second bed, for whatever reason.
"This is your room?" Alex asked, trying to stop feeling so damn shaken up just because Wilbur was holding his wrist a little too strong.
"Yeah."
Of course he sounded cold, but he finally let Quackity go nevertheless.
It didn't help that the black haired actually toppled over, almost falling to the side, only for Wilbur to actually catch him - wait.
Wilbur catched him.
Wilbur catched him from falling.
Wilbur...
He had his arm around Quackity's waist, holding him up against his own tall body to steady his stand, doing so very successfully.
He felt warm, and welcoming. How was this possible when his glare was so cold? God, was he really that desperate that a friendly touch from anyone but Schlatt made him feel like this?
Realizing that Alex wouldn't be steady in his feet anytime soon, Wilbur sighed, guiding him to one of the beds with his arm around his side, once again, successfully doing so.
He sat the black haired down, still watching with those judgemental eyes as Quackity raised a hand, rubbing his tired eyes.
"Why are you really here?"
"I know it's not easy to believe me," the shorter man muttered, his head still spinning, "but I... I'm sorry okay? Schlatt promised so much, and I fell in love, I was stupid-"
"Why are you here?"
"Schlatt needs to be taken apart."
His voice must've dropped some tones deep, his ears couldn't take it up, but Wilbur was suddenly all quiet, making Alex look up in confusion.
Wilbur was smiling.
He was straight up smiling, and Quackity liked the vibes he was getting. It was better than anything he had felt on that day yet.
"Well, well."
Wilbur rummaged through some things as it seemed, only for him to throw something at Alex without really looking, it perfectly landing on his lap, gesturing around. "Change."
"Now?"
"Yeah."
Wilbur leaned against a wall, crossing his arms in front of his chest, raising an eyebrow when Quackity eyed the clothes, realizing that they were actually around his size - did Wilbur just kind of have these size of clothes lying around.
"They're my old ones," the former leader explained then, chuckling when Quackity was the one to raise an eyebrow, "yours are torn, I'm not sure if you actually noticed it."
He hadn't.
It must've happened when he walked, no, no, ran, away from Schlatt and didn't watch out for all of these twigs.
"You're also bleeding," Wilbur said then, pointing at his cheek where Quackity suddenly felt a slight stinging sensation come up.
"Huh."
"Now, change."
The black haired squinted at the Brit, gesturing away to the hole they came through, without actually saying anything.
Wilbur chuckled, now sounding so very cold once again, "Come on, I'm not stupid. I will not leave you alone in here."
"So you'll stay here while I change?"
"Yup."
The shakey breath Quackity let leave his throat definitely told Wilbur what he thought about this idea.
"Come on, do you need help or what?" Wilbur teased suddenly, making Alex blush a little, biting down on his lips as he took his shirt off, avoiding Wilbur's gaze as if it would burn him to lock eyes with the former leader.
But despite any tries, he felt the glare burn into his skin, deep, deep under it, carving Quackity open in the simultaneously best and worse way.
"Your scars," Wilbur then suddenly said, and the black haired heard the footsteps coming closer, something that made him freeze in nervousness, dropping his torn shirt in shock.
"You died on the festival, didn't you?"
For some reason Quackity thought it would help to get away from this conversation by taking his pants off too, feeling incredibly naked.
"Yeah... Yeah I did... it's all over my body," Alex tried to wave off as quick as possible, gulping heavily.
"And yet, you still stood behind Schlatt... up until now."
The shorter man took his time to put on the pants, them comfortably fitting onto his body as if they were his in the first place, before taking the sweater and glaring at it.
"You know, I had nowhere to go. I chose Schlatt and fucked up, and I was sure that I couldn't find refuge here, so I stayed with him. Tommy picked me up in the forest, if he hadn't done so, I probably would've just walked and walked and walked until I, I don't know, died or something," he explained then, trying to pull himself together when unwanted tears of whatever emotion he had bottled up came to life.
The sweater was yellow and very fluffy, he could tell that it was warm just by looking at it.
Wilbur was quiet out of the sudden, so the black haired took the opportunity to just put on the sweater, perfectly fitting into it - it was just a little too big, but he really didn't mind.
"Thanks," Quackity muttered, and turned around to where Wilbur was supposed to be, only to flinch and gasp at the man standing right there, right in front of him.
Wilbur was holding a little cloth and bandage, his eyes scanning Quackity's face like he was searching for more than just injuries - he was so close that Alex could feel his body heat radiate from him. He looked up, blinking perplexed, only to actually now meet the other's brown eyes.
They were warm.
"So he betrayed you," Wilbur muttered then, his tone so soft and welcoming as if he just completely switched his whole mindset on Alex, only to lean in even further, the black haired noticing that the cloth was actually a little wet.
"You're gonna clean the wound?" he asked then, seeing Wilbur stop in his motions, only for him to blink shortly.
"I'd say so, yes."
"Okay..." Alex mumbled, biting his lip, knowing that it was going to burn like a bitch.
Wilbur gently placed his fingers at the shorter man's chin, something that made his breath shutter, only to tilt it up and lean into his direction.
Then the burn was there, and Quackity sucked in air through his teeth as Wilbur cleaned the wound.
"Almost done," the Brit mused, putting the dumb burning thing away, only to shift and get that bandage, gently putting it over the wound.
Wilbur's fingers felt good on his chin, on his skin.
But.. the way he was holding him. The way his fingers were positioned, it was like Schlatt. It was like Schlatt. There was only Schlatt.
Alex may or may not have passed out at that point.