Chapter Text
“ Wilburrrr” He heard a voice groan from behind him dramatically, “ Are we there yet?”
Wilbur rolled his eyes good-naturedly, “ Almost Toms, I know you’re tired, I promise you can take a nice long rest when we get there”
The two were on their way to las Nevadas, and Wilbur understood the dangers of venturing into a city well enough. He had no doubts he’d have to fight his way through to get to where they needed to go. But they didn’t have much of a choice, no one was crazy enough to raid a city hospital even if they were desperate. It would be the only place Wilbur would be able to find proper healing supplies for Tommy. He glanced over his shoulder back to the boy in question. His face was covered in his protective gas mask but even so, you could tell the blond was sick. His unusually thin frame shook with every breath he took, and he walked slowly like his legs weren’t responding the way they should. Wilbur paused for a moment, waiting for his brother to catch up. It took Tommy almost bumping into the brunette to finally realize Wilbur had stopped walking.
“ Will? You good big man?” The younger asked, cocking his head slightly to the side.
Wilbur nodded, “Yeah Toms I’m good. Just thinking”
“That’s never a good thing” Tommy jested, resting his forehead against Wilbur’s back.
Wilbur chuckled, “You tired bud?” He asked, turning around to face Tommy.
Tommy nodded, and Wilbur knew it was time to set up camp for the night. They had been moving for almost 6 hours now, and they were close to the city. They needed all the strength they could get for tomorrow’s venture into Las Nevadas.
He pulled Tommy to the side of the road, and into the woods. He searched around, eyes scanning for a heavily wooded area to shield them from potential undead. He sighed in relief when he finally found a suitable place. Tommy lagged behind Wilbur a considerable amount as the older led the way. Wilbur pushed past a large tree branch blocking their way and let Tommy pass through. He made sure to keep an eye on the younger as they moved through the brush. Pausing every so often when he noticed Tommy started to lag behind again.
“This seems to be a pretty good spot” Wilbur declared, satisfied with his find.
He shrugged off the pack on his back and rifled through it to find fire starters and his lighter. Wilbur scanned the surrounding area and kicked some sticks into a pile. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Tommy flop down onto the floor next to him.
“ So Will, have a girlfriend?” Tommy asked, looking up at Wilbur with a chaotic glint in his eyes.
Wilbur shook his head and sighed, “ Tommy, where would I even find a girlfriend?” He laughed as he began to start the fire.
It took a few sparks of his lighter to get the fire going, and once it did, he took a seat next to his brother. Tommy seemed to melt into the warmth almost immediately, raising his pale hands to warm them next to the fire.
“ My friend, there’s PLENTY of women around. Like that fine lady over there” Tommy began, pointing over to a nearby tree.
“ Uh Toms, that’s a Tree” Wilbur pointed out, raising an eyebrow at him.
Tommy smiled, “ Yeah, a FEMALE tree”
Wilbur shoved Tommy’s shoulder lightly, “ You gremlin, I’m not dating a tree-”
“Your loss,” the blond shrugged.
After eating some canned green beans and chatting about whatever was on their minds, the two got ready to go to bed. Wilbur rolled out Tommy’s sleeping bag for him and helped him get situated before climbing into his own. He listened closely for any signs of danger before he closed his eyes and drifted off into sleep.
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Wilbur awoke to the usual ramblings of whatever Tommy had on his mind at the moment. He wiggled out of his sleeping bag and began rolling it back up. He checked to see if Tommy had rolled up his and noted silently that he did. He picked up the remains of last night's dinner and tossed it into the woods, along with picking up some odds and ends they had left out. Nervousness gnawed at his stomach, but he did his best to ignore it as he picked up camp.
“Wilbur?” Tommy's voice cut through the silence, his voice tinged with anxiousness.
Wilbur hummed in response, looking over at the younger. He paused picking up the granola wrappers when he saw the way Tommy was fiddling with his sleeves. It looked like he was just as nervous about the city as Wilbur was.
“ What’s up bud?” Wilbur asked, shrugging his backpack on and brushing off his Knees.
“I want you to promise me something.” Tommy spoke up after a few moments, serious, something rare for him.
Wilbur opened his mouth to speak but the younger cut him off, “ Will, If I get bit again, or hurt, I want you to leave me in the city.”
He brushed him off, “You’ll be fine Tommy.”
“You don’t know that big man. I don’t want you to sacrifice any more of your lives for me.” Tommy whispered, eyes downcast.
“Tommy-” Wilbur started but the younger cut him off
“Promise me Wilbur.” Tommy pleaded, looking up back at Wilbur with tears in his eyes.
“No.” Wilbur's hands started to shake, with anger or fear he couldn’t tell.
Wilbur pulled Tommy into a bone crushing hug “ I wont lose anyone else to this fucking plauge Tommy. I don’t care how much you think you can take care of yourself, or that you refuse to admit you need help. I’m not leaving you.”
Tommy didn’t reply, instead he brought his hands up to rest on Wilburs back, grasping the wool of his yellow sweater tightly. Wilbur rested his head onto the youngsters, letting a few stray tears fall onto his blond hair. His heart ached for Tommy, even the thought of leaving Tommy behind made Wilbur feel sick. They stood there for what seemed like hours, soaking up eachothers company. Eventually they had to part, and Wilbur could tell Tommy still had something on his mind. He decided to leave it alone for now, as the two finished packing up camp. Besides, they had bigger things to worry about. It was time they went into the city.