The world was a rupturing, trembling mess of lights, shadows and sound. All of which fell deaf on Tommy as he writhed on the floor, mouth gaped open as much as he could get it. The air had been swept from lungs from his scream just moments prior and now, in the effort of trying to regain it, Tommy found himself choking on the gag itself. The taste of decay and rot and frayed burlap not even registering as his chest heaved uselessly, the desperate wheezing noise swallowed by the chaos around him.
A wet smack upon stone.
A panicked cry.
A heavy crack.
It was all nothing to him.
His eyes were screwed shut pitching him in darkness, but even then the feeling of fading out started to ebb into him. His muscles obeyed him less, the ache in his lungs felt less sharp and even the panic that had been choking him a moment ago seemed less pressing. The edges of his consciousness softened steadily as his limbs seemed to grow heavier.
He felt his heel slide ever so slightly against the uneven cobbled floor and in a brief moment of partial awareness Tommy realized his sock had fallen under his heel…He'd get a blister…if he wasn't..if he-
There were hands on his face.
Xx-xx
"TOMMY!" Wilbur shouted as he none too gently slapped at his cheek rapidly, "Tommy! Open Your Eyes Tommy! Keep With Me!"
His brothers face, smeared with dirt and sweat, remained far too relaxed, his body limb against the floor. The distressed scarlet flush that had built up over Tommy's face was already slowly beginning to fade. It sent a shiver down Wilbur's spine as he continued to claw at the rag the younger had been choking on. He had managed to tug it out of his brothers mouth mostly, but that hadn't stopped Tommy from blacking out from lack of air.
"Please , Toms! Open your eyes! Breathe!" Wilbur pleaded as he desperately tried to recall how to perform CPR.
Gods, this was all his fault.
His brother was going to die here because of him!
He had to do something!
He- he had to-
"Breathe, Wilbur."
Sharp, clipped and right beside him Techno's voice spoke with such a firm tone that it had Wilbur flinching. His older brother slid in on Tommy's other side, a hand already reaching out to check the youngers pulse.
Wilbur chanced a glance up at him as his own gripped tightened on Tommy's shoulder, his hands shuddering even as they attempted to remove more of the binds from the other. Techno wasn't wearing his usual boar mask, leaving his face on open display for all to see. The worried creases of his brow, the anxious shivering of his snout and the half panicked rush of air through his half parted lips. There was even the subtle shifting in his eyes that, as his brother, Wilbur could tell Techno was currently fighting with or trying to suppress his…'Chat'.
Given the situation Wilbur wasn't surprised to see their elder brother in such a state, but he'd be lying to say he didn't find it unsettling in its own right. Techno, for all his anxieties, was a master at keeping his face an unreadable mask. Even before he had been gifted the boars head one. There were certain tells his family knew of, sure, but that wasn't what he was seeing here. These weren't tells, they were cracks, practically chasms into the heart of him.
The last time Wilbur had seen his brother show so much-
x-
Crisp air and a low rumble from a nearby set of furnaces.
The echo of a set of cheers muffled through walls.
Two figures ahead.
His brother's face pulled tight in an attempted glare that faltered with unease.
Words just barely overheard that caused his own breath to fall short-
x-
A distressed noise from Techno brought Wil back into the moment.
Whatever he had found from Tommy Techno didn't seem to like as the distressed sound, short as it was, tried once more to make its way our of his mouth before he clamped his jaw shut. When he looked to Wilbur it was brief, but sharp. His eyes flickering briefly once more to red before that too was shoved down.
"Get dad." Techno ordered bluntly in a strained voice as he already started to move to pick Tommy up.
"Wh-what- No! Tommy he-"
"He needs space to breath and you can't come into the sunlight." Techno cut in as he hoisted Tommy up, trying to take care with how the other's wings were bound, "Do what you're able to, phase through the ground, go get dad."
There was no room for argument and every second he tried to would be a second Tommy wasn't being seen to. Wilbur, feeling his heart tear at the choice before him nodded. His eyes watered with tears and his legs shook as he pushed back up onto them. He watched for a moment as Techno made a swift ascent up the stairs and into the sunlight he himself could not traverse. However, the second the two were out of his sight he turned towards the wall he knew the direction of home to be in.
Ignoring the viscera on the floor around him Wilbur took in a deep breath, concentrated and stepped forwards. It wasn't usually safe to use his powers when emotionally compromised, however, it would be far worse if he didn't.
Tommy needed help.
Tommy needed their dad.
Wilbur wouldn't let him down.
He wouldn't fail his baby brother again.
