Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The first thing Tommy noticed when he woke up was that his throat hurt.

The second thing he noticed was that he felt warm.

There was a hand running through his hair, and his head was cushioned on something soft. He tried to wade through his thoughts, struggling to remember where he was and why he felt so… strange. It was as if his head had been stuffed with cotton, picking through his memories with a fine-toothed comb that his mental hands were shaking too much to hold.

They had been running. He remembered that. There was running, yelling, and then… and then pain. Pain in his chest, radiating out into his entire body until it burnt out, leaving waterlogged numbness in its place. Everything had been so heavy and exhausting, and all Tommy had wanted to do was go to sleep.

Something happened though. He was afraid, but then he felt safe. He was cold, but then he was warm. He was dying, but then he wasn’t.

Suddenly, there was a question in his mind. Or, well, it wasn’t a question. It was curiosity. Something perking up as he mulled over his memories. The strangest part was that it didn’t feel like he was questioning something. It was- It was almost like he could feel someone else’s silent question.

Awake? The strange other presence in his mind wondered, although it wasn’t so much said in words, and instead just… felt.

The presence was familiar. Oh so familiar. A wave of reassurance washed through Tommy at the realization that he wasn’t alone, even though he knew he should’ve been freaked out.

The hand in his hair paused. Tommy whined without thinking, wanting the soothing sensation to continue. There was a low chuckle above him, and suddenly, Tommy’s eyes snapped open.

Wilbur. His head was in Wilbur’s lap, and Wilbur was running his hands through Tommy’s hair. He was smiling down at Tommy, although Tommy could see the dark bags under his eyes that had faded over the past few months had come back in full force.

“Hi Tommy.”

And just like that, the haze in his mind was lifted, and Tommy remembered.

The Hunters. Running with Wilbur. Sapnap. Dream. The arrow.

Gasping, Tommy lurched upright, clawing at his chest for the arrow he knew should be in there. Phantom pain spread through his body, even though there was no hole where his heart should be. There was blood staining the front of his shirt, but none of it was fresh. It was completely dried, and when he lifted the shirt up completely, there wasn’t any sign of the arrow that Tommy knew had embedded itself in his chest. Instead, there was just smooth, unblemished skin.

That wasn’t possible. He should be dead. Why the hell wasn’t he dead?

It was then the ache in his throat made itself known again. A dry, sandpaper-like sensation scraping his esophagus every time he swallowed. He was thirsty. Horribly so.

…oh.

Tommy remembered the fear that had gripped him in his last conscious moments. The desperation that had seized his entire body, his mind screaming at him to hold on, that he wasn’t ready to go yet.

Slowly lifting his head, Tommy met Wilbur’s eyes again, and realized that there was something different about his face. Nothing had changed, Wilbur looked the same as he always had—albeit, he seemed a bit more tired than usual—but Tommy could see more.

He could see the dust motes floating in the air between their faces. He could make out the tiny pores that dotted Wilbur’s cheeks and nose, and the faint blue veins that ran under his pale skin. It was subtle enough to ignore, but Tommy hadn’t been able to see any of that before.

His breathing hitched as he noticed that Wilbur’s eyes seemed brighter than usual. Not like they were turning into molten gold like they usually did when he was drinking, but their normal dark brown was… more. He could make out the individual lines of his irises and the tiny places where the color was closer to black versus the color being closer to caramel and- and-

This was vampire vision.

He had asked Wilbur to Turn him before he passed out.

Tommy was a vampire now.

“Oh,” Tommy whispered, the single word sounding like a booming shout to his newfound hypersensitive hearing.

The weak smile faded from Wilbur’s face. “You remember?”

There was that strange second presence in his head again. Subtle nudges in the back of Tommy’s mind, feeling like worry worry guilt worry-

“I remember,” Tommy said, his voice hoarse.

He was a vampire now. Tommy had become the thing he had sworn to destroy. Maybe he should’ve been more upset about that. Maybe his chest should’ve swelled with anger, frustration and sorrow washing over him as his newfound immortality settled on his shoulders.

But it didn’t. Instead, staring at the man who was now his family in not just name, but in actual blood as well, all Tommy could feel was cool, blessed relief.

Without thinking, he launched himself at Wilbur, wrapping his arms around his brother as tight as he could. In the back of his mind, some buzzing anxiety he hadn’t even noticed till now was immediately soothed, and he sunk into Wilbur’s hold, his eyes already burning with tears.

He wasn’t sure what he was crying about. It wasn’t sadness. Maybe it was because of the relief spreading through him, or maybe it was just because so much had happened and he wasn’t sure how to mentally process it. But either way, Tommy started crying, and Wilbur ran a hand up and down his back as his body was wracked with sobs.

Then there was that second presence in his head again. Repeating the same worry worry guilt worry- over and over again, like a physical weight in his mind. Without thinking, Tommy shoved some of the bubbling euphoric relief he was feeling back at it, and felt Wilbur stiffen above him.

Suddenly, like a lightbulb was going off in his head, Tommy realized why the strange presence felt so familiar to him.

“Is- Is that you in my head?” Tommy asked as he caught his breath, sniffling a bit after lifting his head from Wilbur’s shoulder.

The second presence in his stiffened in fear right as Wilbur’s eyes went wide, blinking at Tommy like a deer in headlights.

“That’s you?” Wilbur whispered, confusion mixing in with the fear Tommy could now tell was coming from his end.

Tommy scoffed, and although he wasn’t sure how he did it, he shoved some silent comfort back over the bond. “Pretty sure it is, unless you went and Turned some other guy while I was passed out,” he joked.

More confusion swirled between them, and although Tommy didn’t even know that fucking emotion sharing was possible between vampires, it felt natural for him to tamp down on the confusion and send more reassurance Wilbur’s way.

“I- I didn’t- how is this possible?” Wilbur asked, his voice tight. “Niki told me there could be problems but she didn’t say anything about something like this.”

“I don’t know,” Tommy muttered, readjusting so he was sitting next to Wilbur, resting his head on his shoulder. “But what do you mean that Niki said there could be ‘problems’?”

Wilbur sighed, resting his chin on top of Tommy’s head. “I’m still a fledgeling, but I Turned you, so apparently that can cause us some problems.”

“Like what?”

“Separation anxiety for the most part,” Wilbur said. “Also, it’s going to take both of us longer to mature into adult vampires now.”

Tommy furrowed his brows. “I mean, that doesn’t sound too bad.” Sure, maybe it would suck to have to wait a bit longer to mature into an adult vampire, but that seemed like a small price to pay for not dying.

Wilbur snorted. “Trust me, the separation anxiety is worse than you think.”

Now this made Tommy frown. “You’ve felt it?”

There was a beat of silence as Wilbur stared at him, opening and closing his mouth like he was struggling to figure out what to say. After a few beats, he let go of Tommy, moving to the opposite end of the couch. “You see that room over there?” He asked, pointing to a bedroom door Tommy hadn’t noticed before (actually, Tommy was only now realizing he had no idea where the fuck they were whatsoever). “Go in it and shut the door behind you.”

Tommy blinked. “Whose room is it?”

“Jack’s. This is an apartment that sits above the bakery, so Jack stays here,” Wilbur explained and, well, now Tommy understood why the smell of sugar was so strong in the air. “Niki said it would be a bit better after you woke up, so I want to see how strong it is right now.”

Although Tommy was perfectly comfortable on the couch and his body was still very achy from, well, everything, he forced himself to push to his feet. He winced at how tight his muscles were, and tried to stretch his arms out as he padded across the room and towards Jack’s bedroom.

There was a buzzing in his chest. Anxiety fluttered around his insides, crawling up his throat and getting more and more noticeable with each step he took away from Wilbur. Still, Tommy shoved it down and made his way into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him without a word.

The room was rather plain. Dark bed sheets, a few dirty wine glasses here and there, Jack’s room with nothing very notable.

Alright, this was fine. He was okay! The buzzing in his chest was getting stronger, and the anxiety was starting to claw at his insides but- but it was fine. He was fine. Wilbur was right on the other side of the door. Tommy was-

Not safe not safe sire gone fear fear-

Tommy grit his teeth. Wilbur was right there. Only a few feet away. He could feel his presence in the back of his mind, twisting with worry and fear that was only growing as the seconds ticked on.

His breathing turned to sharp gasps. Vaguely, he noticed the absence of a rapid heartbeat that he would usually have when feeling a panic like this, but he was too focused on the fear turning everything inside of him into ice to notice it.

Wilbur wasn’t here. Wilbur was supposed to be on the other side of that door but what if he wasn’t? What if something happened? What if the Hunters found him? What if the Hunters found Tommy?

Tommy lasted all of thirty seconds before he practically threw open the door.

Wilbur was already standing right outside the door, as if he’d been about to open it himself. Tommy threw his arms around him, panic lighting up his insides as he clutched Wilbur’s shirt for dear life. Wilbur was hugging him so tightly, it was difficult to breathe, but then Tommy remembered he didn’t need to breathe anymore so that wasn’t a problem.

“Don’t- Don’t make me fucking do that again,” Tommy hissed out.

“I won’t,” Wilbur said weakly, guiding him back towards the couch. “I just wanted to see.”

“Yeah, well I fuckin’ get it. Separation anxiety is a bitch,” Tommy replied, his breathing slowing down as the panic in his mind began to subside.

In the back of his mind, Wilbur’s lingering fear mixed with his own, swirling together until Tommy wasn’t sure where his own emotions ended and Wilbur’s began. They both took shuddering breaths, and calm only began to wash over them when they sat back down, Tommy burying his face in Wilbur’s shoulder and Wilbur hugging him with surprising strength.

They stayed like that for several minutes. Tommy timed his breathing to Wilbur’s, even though again, he knew that neither of them needed to breathe. It was just something to focus on. Something to put their energy into instead of thinking about the all-encompassing panic that had engulfed them both.

Eventually, Tommy’s head cleared again. Once it did, the first thing he thought to himself was what the fuck?

“Are we just stuck like this now?” Tommy asked.

“Niki said it’ll get easier as time goes on, but it’ll be a while before we’re, y’know, back to normal,” Wilbur huffed, absently twisting a strand of Tommy’s hair around his finger.

Tommy groaned loudly, slumping further into Wilbur’s hold. “Great. Like you weren’t already clingy enough.”

It was a joke. A gentle teasing remark that Tommy thought would make Wilbur laugh, before making some snark quip in return about how Tommy was just as clingy as he was.

Instead, the surge of guilt that flooded the bond was so strong and sudden that it made Tommy gasp.

“Wilbur, what’s wrong?” Tommy asked, lifting his head to frown at him.

Wilbur was avoiding his gaze, instead having tilted his head up to the ceiling. Tommy waited a few moments for him to say something, but he stayed silent, and Tommy’s frown deepened.

“I can feel your emotions, asshole. You’re not getting out of talking about whatever the fuck’s bothering you this time.”

Guilt embarrassment guilt sorrow-

Reaching out, Tommy pulled Wilbur’s face back down so he was staring right at him. Now, Tommy could see the tears glittering in Wilbur’s eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Tommy repeated, narrowing his eyes at him.

Wilbur clenched his jaw, before reaching up to push Tommy’s hand off the side of his face. “Why aren’t you more upset?”

Tommy blinked. “About what?”

“About the fact that I fucking Turned you!” Wilbur exclaimed. “About the fact that we’re fucking stuck together now because of these stupid anxiety instincts and-”

“In case you forgot, I asked you to Turn me,” Tommy snapped, cutting him off.

“Yeah, when you were delirious from blood loss and pain!” Wilbur argued. “You should hate me, Tommy. Don’t you get that? I’m the bad guy here. You can’t tell me you’re just perfectly happy to be literally forced to stick to my side.”

“For the love of fuck, can you stop making everything about yourself for five goddamn seconds?” Tommy asked, raising an eyebrow at him. “Wilbur, I asked you to Turn me. What don’t you get about that? I made this choice, and I’m fine with it. Yeah, there are some unexpected side effects, but that doesn’t mean I regret it.”

Wilbur opened his mouth to argue again, but before he could say anything, Tommy kept going.

“Even if I did regret it, I wouldn’t blame you. This was my choice, Wilbur. You did what I asked you to, and I’m not gonna get pissed at you for listening to my literal dying request. So can you stop being all ‘oh woe is me I’m such a terrible person’ and realize that I’m allowed to decide how I feel about things?”

Wilbur stared at him, shocked into silence.

Tommy continued talking.

“I get that you’ve been dealing with some pretty shit mental stuff for a while now,” Tommy said, his voice softer now, “but you really have a bad habit of making everything about yourself. Right now, the whole me being a vampire thing? This is about me. Not you. If I want to be pissed, I can be, but I also don’t have to be. And I’m not. So stop trying to find reasons for me to hate you.”

There was a beat as Wilbur stared at him, blinking slowly as the guilt he was feeling slowly faded. It was still there, but it was less strong now, with embarrassment taking its place.

“You… You’re right,” Wilbur muttered after a minute, hunching over to twist his fingers into his hair. “Shit, yeah. I do that kind of stuff a lot.”

Tommy huffed, shifting so he was pressed against Wilbur’s side. “You do. But even though you can be an annoying prick, I’d still do it all over again.”

Wilbur snorted, and slung an arm over Tommy’s shoulders. “I guess that’s good to know.”

Another moment of silence hung between them, although this one wasn’t anything tense. It was just a second of peace as Tommy leaned into Wilbur’s side, taking another long breath simply out of habit. The smell of sugar and bread wafted up from the downstairs, carrying with it the sounds of Jack and Niki moving in the kitchen. If Tommy focused, he could hear Jack opening the oven door, while Niki spoke to a customer behind the register. Jack cursed under his breath, and Tommy laughed to himself, imagining that he probably burnt his hand.

“Are you okay by the way?” Wilbur asked after a few minutes, startling Tommy out of his focus on the bakery.

Refocusing back on Wilbur, Tommy frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Like, overall. Physically, I guess. Are you in pain? I don’t really know how the healing factor works when you’ve had a bad injury like that,” Wilbur explained, eyes now skimming over him like a concerned mother hen.

Tommy shrugged. “I mean, there was a bit of pain when I first woke up, but I’m pretty much fine now.” He swallowed again, wincing at the sandpaper in his throat. “Well, my throat hurts a bit, but that’s it.”

At this, Wilbur’s eyes widened. “Oh, fuck. I totally forgot, Niki told me you’d have to feed when you woke up.”

Oh yeah. There was the part about being a vampire that he wasn’t thrilled about. He had to drink blood now.

“Alright, let’s get this over with,” Tommy grumbled, reaching for a wine bottle that was sitting on the edge of the end table next to the couch.

Wilbur reached out a hand to stop him. “You can’t drink that.”

Tommy frowned. “Why not? It’s blood, innit?”

“Well, yeah, but it’s just normal human blood,” Wilbur explained, moving the wine bottle out of his reach. “Fledgelings aren’t supposed to drink human blood unless they have to. Niki explained to me that you’re supposed to just feed from me for the time being, since I’m your sire.”

“I have to drink your blood?!” Tommy made a disgusted noise. “That’s so nasty! I’m not drinking your blood!”

“You kinda already did when I Turned you,” Wilbur pointed out.

Tommy pretended to gag. “That’s so fucking gross. I’m fine with drinking a stranger’s blood, but yours? That’s just weird!”

“Tommy, you’re gonna be weaker if you drink human blood right now,” Wilbur argued, giving Tommy a look that reminded him of a parent scolding a child.

Shit. Tommy didn’t want to drink from Wilbur. It just felt wrong to drink from someone he considered family.

But if Niki was right, and Tommy had to drink Wilbur’s blood because he was his ‘sire’ or whatever… well, the separation anxiety was already a bitch to deal with. He didn’t want to deal with being weaker than normal at the same time.

“I’m not drinking from your wrist or any of that shit,” Tommy huffed, slumping back against the couch. “Pour it in a cup or something.”

“What am I, a fucking soda machine?”

Tommy snorted. “Kind of.”

Sighing, Wilbur pinched the bridge of his nose, looking like he wanted to argue with Tommy. But after a few beats, he dropped his hand, and reached for an empty wine glass that Tommy could see was stained with the remnants of red liquid. Wilbur must’ve been drinking out of it while he was still asleep.

Tommy watched as Wilbur bit into his own wrist, wincing in sympathy even though Wilbur didn’t seem to be in that much pain. It was kind of fascinating to watch the blood pour from Wilbur’s wrist into the glass, but it was also a disturbing reminder that Tommy was about to drink blood. Real blood. Yes, he’d technically done it before when Wilbur Turned him, but he’d been delirious from blood loss and really wasn’t all that there. It was different when he was fully awake, and found the burn in his throat fighting with the way his stomach was twisting in on itself.

Once the glass was full, Wilbur tilted his wrist up, and Tommy watched the skin almost immediately grow back over the wound. Then, Wilbur handed the wine glass (which was filled to the very top) over to Tommy, and gave him an expectant look.

The smell was… surprisingly good. Something savory and sweet at the same time. His parched throat screamed at him to chug it as fast as possible, but the back of his mind kept nagging him with the reminder of what he was staring at. What he was about to put in his body.

Then, there was warmth spreading through the back of his mind. Quieting the nagging as reassurance wrapped around him, calming the nausea twisting his gut as Wilbur sent waves of comfort through the bond. Tommy breathed out a sigh of relief, flashing Wilbur a grateful smile before he tilted the glass up to his lips.

Okay, it didn’t taste like what Tommy expected blood to taste like, so that was a win. It was almost like dark chocolate, but a bit less on the side of being sugary and more on the side of being salty at the same time? It was hard to describe.

He quickly forgot about his reservations as his parched throat rejoiced at the drink, and practically downed the entire glass in one go. Before he could set the glass down, Wilbur was already taking it from him to add more blood to it, and Tommy was grateful he didn’t have to ask given there was still an itch in his throat.

It was weird when he thought about it too much, but he tried not to linger on the reality of the situation for too long. This was his new normal now. It was just something he was going to have to get used to.

Finally, the burn in the back of his throat disappeared. Setting the glass down a second time, Tommy slumped against Wilbur, his eyes already growing heavy with exhaustion. He was frustrated that he seemingly had to sleep again so soon, but he knew there was no sense in trying to stay awake when his body was begging him to close his eyes.

And so, Tommy curled into Wilbur’s side, and let himself drift into sleep. This time, he knew for sure he was going to wake up again, and the realization warmed him from the inside out.

Tommy slowly adjusted to his new life.

He and Wilbur mostly hung out in Jack’s apartment above the bakery, though sometimes they would go down to the kitchen and help out for lack of anything better to do. While Niki was still a bit tense around Tommy, Jack had jumped headfirst into giving Tommy as many tips as he could think of on how to get used to being a vampire. Tips like:

”Drink whenever you’re thirsty. Trust me, if you try to hold out and not drink, you’re just gonna feel like shit for no reason. It ain’t worth it, mate.”

And,

”If you’re going outside, at some point you’re going to forget your sunglasses and a jacket and you’ll think, ‘oh, it’s fine! I’m only going out for a little bit.’ That’s the devil talking. Just go back and get the fucking sunglasses, even if the sun is about to set. You’ll regret it if you don’t.”

And,

”Whatever you do, don’t try and mix stuff into your blood. Like, I know you might think to yourself, ‘maybe if I mix some soda into my drink I can make a blood cocktail.’ Don’t do it. It doesn’t taste good.”

“I literally wasn’t going to-”

“Don’t put it in a sodastream either. Carbonated blood… I still have nightmares about it.”

Some of Jack’s advice honestly gave Tommy more questions than answers, but he appreciated his friend’s attempt to help all the same. Niki’s advice was a bit more logical, reminding Tommy how often he should be feeding, making sure Wilbur kept up his strength since he was also losing blood now to help Tommy, things like that. Also, she explained to them that apparently the emotional bond was rare, but not unheard of between a sire and a fledgeling. It usually only occurred when the sire and fledgeling were extremely close prior to a Turning, which made sense for him and Wilbur.

Another change Tommy noticed: even if Niki gave Tommy sharp looks sometimes, or eyed the now-defunct sigil tattoos on his arms with obvious disdain, she was far less guarded around him than she’d been before. That in itself was a win in Tommy’s book.

According to Niki, they had to wait a week before Tommy was strong enough to travel in daylight. He and Wilbur already knew they had to leave the city, considering the Hunters were still searching for them both. Neither of them were sure where they were going to go, but Niki was trying to get in contact with some old friends she had in a nearby city, and Tommy knew they were extremely lucky to have her help with all of this.

Roughly three days after Tommy first woke up from his Turning, something unexpected happened.

He and Wilbur had spent most of the day in the kitchen of the bakery, with Tommy kneading dough while Wilbur decorated cakes. Tommy’s hands were sticky with flour, and powdered sugar clung to his eyelashes as he wiped down the counters after the bakery had closed. Wilbur was helping Jack wrap the leftover pastries to donate to a local food bank, while Niki cleaned up the front part of the bakery.

Things were peaceful. Niki had turned on the radio, so a cheery pop song was echoing through the kitchen. Tommy bounced on his heels as he wiped off dough bits and melted chocolate, humming along to the music as Wilbur and Jack both sang under their breath behind him.

Then, there was a knock on the front door of the bakery.

Tommy, Wilbur, and Jack all froze at the same time. In the back of his head, Tommy felt a spike of fear shoot through Wilbur, and he tried to send silent reassurance his way. It only mitigated Wilbur’s worry the tiniest bit, and as they listened to Niki walk to the front of the store to see who was there, in a split second Wilbur rushed to Tommy’s side.

“Wilbur, Tommy, be ready to run upstairs,” Niki murmured, her voice carrying all the way through the front of the bakery and into the kitchen thanks to their enhanced vampire hearing.

Wilbur wrapped an arm around Tommy’s shoulders, and Tommy could practically feel the anxiety racing through Wilbur like an electric livewire. Jack moved so he was standing in front of them both, and the three of them focused on the kitchen door, straining their ears to hear what was going on outside.

There was the chime of the bell as Niki pushed open the door. There was a beat of silence, and Tommy knew that if his heart was still beating, it would be pounding out of his chest right now.

Then,

“Oh thank god it’s only you.”

Even though Tommy didn’t know who was at the door, the relief in Niki’s voice was enough to tell him that it wasn’t anyone they needed to know about. He slumped into Wilbur’s side, while Wilbur tugged him close, the tension draining out of his shoulders as quickly as it had appeared.

“What, were you expecting someone else?” An unfamiliar man’s voice replied.

Niki huffed. “Kind of, yeah.” There was the sound of footsteps as the man presumably made his way inside, and after the door shut again with another chime of the bell, Niki called out, “you guys can come out here! He’s not a threat.”

“Do you know who that is?” Tommy whispered to Jack, staring at the kitchen door.

Jack furrowed his brows. “The voice sounds familiar, but I’m not sure.”

The three exchanged an unsure look. Even though Tommy was reluctant to go out and meet whoever the hell was visiting Niki after the bakery closed, if she said he was trustworthy, Tommy and Wilbur had no reason not to believe her.

After a few beats, Jack shrugged and headed for the kitchen door. Staying glued to each other’s sides, Wilbur and Tommy quickly followed.

Right as they swung the kitchen door open, the man spoke again.

“I thought you ran a one woman operation, Niki,” the man said, something teasing in his words.

Before Niki could respond, the three of them pushed through to the front of the bakery. Standing on the other side of the counter, Niki was smiling at a man Tommy had never seen before, but who he could immediately tell was a vampire all the same.

He was short—possibly even shorter than Jack, but still a bit taller than Niki. The man wore a wrinkled button-up shirt rolled to his elbows in a way that reminded Tommy of a businessman relaxing after work, but paradoxically also had a blue beanie shoved over his dark hair.

The guy physically looked to be around the same age as Niki, but Tommy knew that meant nothing when it came to immortals. As the trio walked out of the kitchen, the guy turned his head, a crooked smile slipping over his face as his dark eyes skimmed over them.

“Well well well, look what we have here,” the guy crooned, glancing between the three of them and Niki. “You’ve been busy, haven’t you?”

“You’ve met Jack before,” Niki said, rolling her eyes.

The man furrowed his brows for a moment, before recognition dawned on his face. “Oh yeah! Bald guy! Niki found you turning in that alley and took you in, right?”

Jack frowned. “Uh, yeah, but I don’t remember us meeting.”

“You probably wouldn’t remember. I only stopped by for a bit while you were still turning to drop off some extra stock for Niki,” the guy explained, grinning at him. Then, his eyes flickered back over to Wilbur and Tommy. “I have no fucking clue who you two are though.”

“Wilbur is a friend of mine, and Tommy is his-” Niki paused, eyes darting between them, “his, uh, little brother. Tommy was recently in an accident, so Wilbur turned him.”

Oh. Niki probably didn’t want to tell this friend of hers that Tommy used to be a hunter. That was fair, he supposed. He was surprised that Niki referred to them as brothers, but it must’ve just been easier to explain.

“Pleasure to meet you both,” the guy said, bowing dramatically at them. “Name’s Quackity. Hope immortality’s treating you well so far, Tommy.”

Tommy shrugged. “It’s fine, I guess.”

“Just fine?” Quackity snorted. “You’ll learn to appreciate it eventually. Especially since you have family with you.” His eyes drifted up to meet Wilbur’s, and his smirk returned. “Though I gotta admit, your brother looks more like a pissed off mother bear right now.”

Above his head, Tommy could practically feel Wilbur’s glare as he tugged Tommy closer to his chest. Tommy had to resist the urge to laugh at Wilbur’s overprotective sire instincts being sent haywire, and instead just leaned into the hug.

“Forgive me for being a little overprotective when I still have no clue who the hell you are or why you’re here,” Wilbur snapped, narrowing his eyes at Quackity.

Quackity laughed. “That’s fair. I’m another blood dealer, if that makes you feel any better. The only threat I am is a threat to Niki’s business.”

Niki rolled her eyes. “Please, take some of my customers. They all came flooding to me after you left town.”

“Look man, the Hunters were hanging around a little too much for my liking, so I had to dip to cool the trail down,” Quackity explained, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “I thought that several years would be enough to let them forget about me, but that’s actually what I’m here to talk to you about.”

Immediately, the four vampires in front of Quackity stiffened.

“Did something happen?” Niki asked in a low whisper.

Quackity huffed. “Nothing bad happened, per se. But I’m literally on day one of my fucking grand reopening, and guess who walks in? A fucking hunter that got turned a few months back! Even had his human boyfriend with him, who was also part of the Hunters mind you. I thought I was totally fucked, but turns out the vampire and the human had left the Hunters because they were treating him like shit, and he wanted to find a place to get ethical blood.”

Tommy’s eyes widened.

“Is his name Sapnap?” Tommy suddenly asked, stepping away from Wilbur and towards the counter.

“Uh, yeah, it is,” Quackity said, frowning at Tommy. “How the hell did you know that?”

“He’s a friend of mine,” Tommy explained, smiling widely now. “Me and Wilbur are the ones that convinced him to leave the Hunters. I thought he would find Niki’s place and come here, but I didn’t realize there was another active blood dealer in the city.”

Quackity folded his arms over his chest. “Yeah, apparently the Hunters have a list of businesses they checked out a few years ago, thinking they could be blood dealers. That’s why I had to skip town for a bit because they wouldn’t leave me the hell alone, and that’s also what I’m here to tell you about.” He turned back to Niki. “Your bakery is on the list too. Just thought you should know that in case any hunters come sniffing around here.”

Sighing, Niki pinched the bridge of her nose. “Thanks for the warning, but I already know.”

“How? Have they already stopped by?” Quackity asked with a frown.

“Actually-” Tommy cut in, awkwardly raising a hand, “I kind of, um, told her. Because I used to be a hunter before, uh…” he gestured to himself and to Wilbur, hoping Quackity would get the point.

At this, Quackity’s eyes widened. “Oh, holy shit.”

Tommy nodded, relieved that Quackity didn’t seem upset to learn that he was a former hunter. “Yeah, I’m the one who told Sapnap to look in the old files to find a blood dealer. That’s how we found Niki.”

Quackity hummed. “Makes sense, I guess. Little pissed to know the Hunter’s still have my info though. I should probably just do a full rebrand.”

“Probably for the best,” Niki muttered.

A moment of silence fell over the group, a crease forming between Quackity’s brows as he presumably began to run through renaming options in his mind.

Then,

“So did you help Sapnap?”

The question wasn't asked by Tommy surprisingly, but instead by Wilbur. He seemed a bit more relaxed than he had been when Quackity first walked in, but he was still hovering close to Tommy’s side, and Tommy could feel the anxiety buzzing from his side of the bond.

Quackity blinked, clearly taken back by the question. “Of course I did. It takes guts to do what he did—leaving the Hunters and all.”

Tommy breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good. He’s a good guy, and so is Karl.”

“He’s not bad for a human, I guess,” Quackity acquiesced, although there was a hint of something fond in his face that Tommy couldn't name. “But anyway, uh, yeah. Just thought I’d warn you that the Hunters might come snooping around here soon, but it seems like you’re already ahead of me on that.”

Niki gave Quackity a soft smile at this. “Thanks, Quackity. If you need any help with the rebranding stuff, just let me know.”

“I appreciate the offer, but you’ve got your own business to run. Don’t worry, I’ll manage,” Quackity reassured her, nudging her shoulder with his own. “I should be heading back now though. I got Sapnap and Karl staying at my place at the moment, and the last time Karl tried to make himself dinner he nearly burnt down my kitchen.”

Tommy snorted. “Karl sucks ass at cooking, and Sapnap’s a bit of a pyromaniac. Don’t let either one of them near a stove.”

Quackity laughed. “Good to know. Thanks for the info, Tommy.” He stepped away from Niki, heading back towards the front door to the bakery. “Nice meeting you guys. Don’t cause any problems for Niki or else I’ll have to have my boy Foolish come teach you all some manners.”

“Quackity, they’re fine,” Niki reassured him, giggling a bit.

“I’m just saying! I owe you one for taking care of my customers while I’ve been gone,” Quackity said, one hand on the door handle. “If you ever need anything, just let me know, okay?”

Niki rolled her eyes again, although she was giving Quackity a fond smile. “Alright, I will.”

Suddenly, before Quackity could turn to leave, Tommy found himself calling out.

“Quackity!”

He paused, one hand on the doorhandle. “Yeah?”

“Uh, do you think-“ Tommy paused, wringing his hands in front of him. “Could you, um, tell Sapnap and Karl I said hi? And that I hope they’re doing alright?”

Even though the request was childish, Quackity smiled at him like he’d just said the best thing in the world.

“Yeah, I can do that for you, Tommy.”

Nodding, Tommy shrunk back into Wilbur’s side. “Thanks.”

And so, with one last salute, Quackity turned and left the store, the door chiming behind him as it clicked shut. As soon as he was gone, Niki hurried to the door to pull the blinds closed, before herding them all back into the kitchen.

“So you’ve known Quackity for a while then?” Wilbur asked as Niki shut the kitchen door behind them.

Niki nodded, gathering the pastries Wilbur and Jack had wrapped up and putting them into a canvas bag. “I’ve known him for several decades. I was the first to open up a blood dealership in this city, but he was the second. We’ve always helped each other out when the other needed it.”

“I’m surprised he was so chill with helping a former hunter,” Jack said, resting his elbows on the counter. “Didn’t even seem that phased when Tommy told him he used to be part of the Hunters too.”

“Yeah, I’ll admit, I didn’t think he’d react so well to that,” Niki said, shrugging as she finished wrapping a croissant Jack had abandoned when Quackity first showed up. Once it was wrapped, she placed it in the bag with the other pastries, before straightening up to look at Wilbur and Tommy. “Why didn’t either of you tell me that you convinced another hunter to leave?”

Tommy and Wilbur exchanged wide-eyed looks, before Wilbur decided to answer.

“It just didn’t come up,” he admitted, giving her a sheepish look.

There was a pause as Niki furrowed her brows at both of them, before her grey eyes focused on Tommy. He resisted the urge to shrink back as she walked around the counter, staring at him like he was a puzzle she couldn’t figure out how to solve.

“Why did you get him to leave?” Niki asked, standing directly in front of Tommy now.

Tommy blinked. “I mean, he was treated like shit at the Academy. Some of the people there were so cruel, and I just… I dunno. I didn’t want to see history repeat itself. Not when I knew there were other options for him.”

Another beat passed, and Tommy felt pinned by Niki’s intense stare. For once, there was no disdain or suspicion lingering in her eyes as she watched him. Nothing even close to that. Instead, she was looking at him like she was only seeing him for the first time. Tommy felt like he was under a microscope, and warmth brushed the back of his mind as Wilbur offered a form of silent comfort.

Then, Niki let out a soft sigh, and nodded. Tommy waited for her to say something else, but instead, she just turned on her heel and headed back to the kitchen door.

“Jack, wanna come with me to drop the pastries off at the food bank?” Niki asked, glancing over her shoulder.

Jack, who looked just as confused by the interaction as Tommy and Wilbur were, hastily nodded as he rushed to her side. “Uh, yeah, sure.”

“Get some rest you two,” Niki said, not looking over her shoulder as she pushed open the kitchen door. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

And with that, Niki and Jack left. Once again, Tommy felt like he had only gained more questions than answers, but a tiny part of him couldn’t help but think he had done something right.

Judging by the way Wilbur was smiling at him as he tugged him back up the stairs, he figured that Wilbur was thinking the same thing.

The rest of the week passed in surprising normalcy.

Tommy felt more and more like himself again as the days went on. Whereas before it was difficult for him to stay awake for longer than a few hours at a time, by the end of the week, he was only sleeping an hour or two every night. Niki told him it would only be a few more weeks before his sleep schedule would match Wilbur’s, meaning he’d barely need to sleep at all.

On the official one week anniversary of his Turning, they were getting ready to leave the bakery—and the city of L’Manberg—entirely.

There was a peculiar ache settling in his chest as he packed up the few things he’d shoved in his backpack that fateful night he and Wilbur went on the run. Already he found himself missing his apartment, with the leaky faucet, the couch that was just a bit too soft for comfort, and the runes Wilbur had carved into just about every single appliance he could put an unbreaking enchantment on.

He didn't just miss his home though. As asinine as it seemed, he found himself missing the Academy. Even though they had tried to have Wilbur killed, and would probably try to kill Tommy if they saw what he’d become, he missed the arched ceilings and creaky wood floors. He missed Eryn’s loud laughter and Hannah’s small smiles.

He missed the way Sam used to ruffle his hair. He missed the smell of oil in the air when he would help Sam tinker with different inventions. He missed the relationship he and Sam used to have years before any of this went down.

Tommy missed Sam, but not Sam the Dean of the Academy. He missed Sam, his mentor.

But Tommy had accepted the loss of his relationship with Sam long before Wilbur came into his life. This was a familiar wound that had scabbed over hundreds of times. It was only because everything else was so raw now that he was noticing it once again.

Unlike before though, when Tommy would shove his sadness as far down as it could go and put all his energy into training, now he had someone who could snuff away the sadness with a burst of warm affection. If he found himself missing Sam, he could rest his head on Wilbur’s shoulder, and Wilbur would pull him into a hug with no questions asked.

In that sense, the emotional bond was far more useful than Tommy had expected it to be. Sometimes it was too difficult to put his feelings into words, and now he didn’t have to. Wilbur understood.

As the strange ache of something like nostalgia and something like mourning settled on his shoulders, Tommy immediately felt a wave of reassurance flood through the bond. He smiled to himself, sending back a silent thank you, even though Wilbur was only across the room from him.

“You gonna miss this place?” Wilbur asked after a moment, slinging his backpack over his shoulders.

Tommy glanced around Jack’s apartment and snorted. “Well, I’m not gonna miss being Jack Manifold’s roommate, that’s for sure.”

From downstairs in the kitchen, Tommy heard Jack yell out a disgruntled, “Hey!”

Ignoring him, Tommy zipped up his own backpack and pulled it up on his shoulders. “I’m gonna miss the bakery though. And just… y’know, L’Manberg in general.”

The smile dropped from Wilbur’s face as he walked across the room, reaching out to rest both his hands on Tommy’s shoulders. He tilted his head down a bit so they were eye to eye, and Tommy noticed his expression had shifted to something far more serious.

“We’ll come back eventually,” Wilbur said, not blinking as the words were set in stone. “When it’s safe for us here again.”

Tommy took a shaky breath. “You promise?”

Squeezing his shoulders, Wilbur nodded. “I promise.”

And Tommy believed him.

A few minutes later, they were walking down the stairs with Wilbur’s arm slung over Tommy’s shoulder. Jack was in the middle of separating some risen dough out into bread rolls, but stopped the work as soon as he spotted them both.

“Hey guys. You got everything packed?” Jack asked, setting down another roll onto a greased pan.

“Sure do,” Tommy nodded.

“Good. Because if you leave anything up there, it’s mine now. I’m not mailing shit to you,” Jack snarked as he pulled off another hunk of dough to shape into a roll.

“Oh fuck you, Jack Manifold. If I leave my phone charger here and you don’t mail it to me I’m gonna hitchhike all the way back here just so I can kick your ass,” Tommy shot back, taking a step towards him.

“Yeah right. Like Wilbur would let you do that,” Jack scoffed, grinning at both of them.

At this, Wilbur rested his chin on top of Tommy’s head, and Tommy leaned back against his brother’s chest. “I’d go with him just so I could film it, actually. I’d love to watch Tommy kick your ass.”

Jack gaped. “Wilbur! What the fuck, man? Why are you taking the gremlin’s side?!”

“I dunno, I think I just like him better than you, Jack,” Wilbur teased, not moving from his spot behind Tommy. “He might be a gremlin but, y’know, he’s my gremlin. So I’m a little biased.”

“I’m not a fucking gremlin,” Tommy grumbled, folding his arms over his chest.

“You absolutely are,” Wilbur shot back, reaching down to poke Tommy’s cheek.

Tommy smacked his hand away. “Then you’re an ugly bitch with dandruff.”

“Wh- how the hell can I have dandruff if I’m immortal? Dandruff is made of dead skin cells and my skin cells don’t even die,” Wilbur pointed out.

“You don’t have dandruff literally, but you have it, like, spiritually,” Tommy explained, glancing up at Wilbur.

“What the fuck does that even mean?”

“Why are we talking about dandruff at all?” Another voice cut in.

The three of them all turned to the kitchen door where Niki was currently standing. Her pink hair was pulled up into two buns on either side of her head today, and Tommy could see that one strand of hair had had an unfortunate run-in with some chocolate. He wondered how long it would take her to notice.

“Tommy is saying I have dandruff, and I’m telling him that’s impossible because vampires don’t get dandruff,” Wilbur explained, stepping away from Tommy and walking over to Niki.

“Vampires can get dandruff,” Niki said, smirking at him.

“What the- how?!”

Niki shrugged. “I’m not sure, but I’ve seen it before. So don’t get lazy with your hair routine, Soot. You’ll regret it.”

Wilbur self-consciously tugged at one of his curls, while Tommy struggled to stifle his giggles.

“Okay, dandruff aside, have you called the uber for them yet?” Jack cut in.

Smile fading, Niki nodded. “I have. It should be here in a few minutes.”

Tommy and Wilbur both sobered up at the reminder of their imminent departure.

“How long is the drive gonna be?” Tommy asked, moving closer to the counter so he was standing next to Willbur again.

“Between two and three hours, depending on traffic,” Niki explained, twirling a strand of pink hair around her finger. “You’ll be far enough away that the hunters don’t bother to go after you, but you won’t be so far that we won’t be able to come visit.”

Wilbur’s eyes widened. “You’re gonna come visit us?”

Niki scoffed. “Of course! Obviously we’ll need to wait a month or so for things to cool down with the Academy, but you bet your asses Jack and I will come by to see how you guys are settling in.” She paused then, her face lighting up with a large smile. “Besides! It’ll give me a reason to visit my old friends again!”

Oh yeah. The friends they were going to stay with.

“Speaking of your friends,” Tommy jumped in, “who even are they? You haven’t told us anything about them except that you’ve known them for a while.”

“Oh. Did I forget to tell you about them?” Both Wilbur and Tommy nodded, and Niki blinked. “Shit. My bad! Well, I met these guys nearly a century ago. One of them is a vampire, and the other is actually a witch.”

Immediately, Wilbur frowned. “I thought witches were myths.”

Niki shook her head. “No, they’re not. They’re just extremely rare, and really powerful. They don’t need conduits for magic like sigils and runes, because they’re able to pull out the magic inside of them and bring it into the physical world just on its own. Also, because of how much magic lives inside of them, witches are practically just as immortal as vampires. For instance, the witch I know is at least five hundred years old, but he might be older, I’m honestly not sure.”

…holy shit. Niki was sending them both to go rent a house from a five-hundred year old witch and his vampire friend?

“Wait, does he know anything about sigils and runes though? Or potions, maybe?” Wilbur asked, excitement dancing in his eyes.

Niki smiled at him. “Yeah, he knows all about that stuff. When I told him you had an interest in those things, he said he’d be happy to teach you anything you want to know.”

The only way Tommy could think to describe Wilbur’s face at that moment was like those kids in the movies who lose their minds on Christmas morning. Wilbur was grinning from ear to ear, and suddenly, his arms were wrapping around Niki and pulling her into a bone-crushing hug. Niki giggled and hugged him back, having to stand on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his back.

The two stayed like that for a moment, hugging in silence, while Tommy and Jack shared an awkward look from the side.

Then, after a few beats, Wilbur pulled back. He still kept his hands on Niki’s arms though, and his smile softened. “Thank you for everything. Seriously. You’ve helped us both so much, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to repay you.”

“You don’t need to repay me, Wil. Just take care of yourself, okay?”

Wilbur nodded, dropping his hands from her arms, but reaching out to squeeze her hand one more time. “Can I call you to keep you updated on how we’re doing?”

“You better! I’ll be so pissed if you don’t call me by tomorrow,” Niki scolded, although she was still smiling as she tugged on Wilbur’s hand.

“Okay, then I’ll make sure to call,” Wilbur chuckled before dropping her hand and taking a step back.

Seemingly satisfied, Niki nodded at him, before she turned to face Tommy.

Tommy tensed. Although things were better between them now, he still wouldn’t fool himself into thinking Niki actually liked him. He was a murderer who spent years killing vampires. She should hold a grudge against him for at least the next century, if not the rest of their immortal lives.

Like the other day with Quackity, Tommy noticed how there was no disdain or suspicion in her cool grey gaze. She was silent for a moment as her eyes skimmed his face, and Tommy waited with baited breath to hear what she had to say to him.

With startling gentleness, Tommy’s breathing hitched as Niki cupped his cheek.

“Y’know Tommy, I think I misjudged you,” she whispered, regret washing over her face. “You’re a good kid. A really good kid. Don’t ever forget that.”

Oh.

Oh.

Tommy blinked fast, trying to stave off the burning in his eyes. After a few seconds of silence, she dropped her cool hand from his cheek, and moved to step back.

Without thinking, Tommy stepped forward to pull her into a hug.

Niki didn’t stiffen when he hugged her like he expected. Instead, she was just still for a moment, before she was hugging him back. He let out a shaky breath of relief, and wasn’t sure if he wanted to cry or smile knowing that Niki didn’t hate him. Not anymore.

“Thank you for everything, Niki,” Tommy whispered.

Pulling back, Niki gave him a soft smile. “Of course. Anything for a friend, Tommy.”

A friend. Tommy was officially her friend now. Warmth burst through his chest, and he was almost stuck in a daze as Niki stepped back, pulling her phone out of her pocket again.

“Shit, the uber is almost here,” Niki muttered, frowning at the screen. “Are you guys ready to go?”

Giving himself a once-over, Tommy nodded. Wilbur did the same, but before they could make any moves towards the kitchen door, Tommy turned to face Jack.

“Get better at fighting so I don’t kick your ass as easily next time we hang out,” Tommy said, grinning at his old friend.

Jack scowled, but yanked Tommy down by his shirt into a tight hug of his own. “You’re a bit of an annoying prick. Y’know that, right?”

Tommy huffed out a laugh as he hugged Jack back. “It’s my best quality.”

“Make sure not to annoy the wrong person in your new city. It’d really suck ass if you died again,” Jack said as he pulled back from the hug, slapping Tommy on the shoulder.

“I’m gonna piss every single person in that city off just to spite you, Jack Manifold.”

“Oi! I’m trying to be fuckin’ nice for once and here you are, saying you’re gonna purposefully spite me!” Jack exclaimed, frowning at him again.

“Would you really expect anything less from me?” Tommy asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jack stared at him for a moment, before sighing and shaking his head. “No. This is what I signed up for when I became friends with Tommy fucking Innit, I guess.”

Then, he walked over to Wilbur, and the two said a quick goodbye that Tommy didn’t try to focus on hearing. He watched from the corner of his eye as they shared a quick hug, and as soon as they pulled apart, Niki raised her hand up.

“The driver is here!”

With that, the four of them left the kitchen and headed out into the main part of the bakery. It was the middle of the day so business was in full swing, and Tommy tugged a hood over his head as he and Wilbur headed towards the front door.

The uber was waiting right outside the bakery for the two of them. Niki checked the license plate and gave them a thumb’s up, and with one final round of goodbyes, Tommy and Wilbur hurried from the bakery straight into the backseat of the car.

Despite the fact that he’d been in the sun for less than a minute, the sunlight reflecting off the sidewalk had pierced straight through his eyes, and it took several minutes for black spots to stop dancing in his vision. They pulled away from Roses and Sugar, Niki and Jack waving at the car as it headed down the road. Wilbur and Tommy both waved back from their own window until the two were out of sight.

Once the bakery was far behind them, Tommy slumped into his seat, curling into Wilbur’s side with a loud huff.

“Is it sappy to say I’m gonna miss them?” Tommy asked, his voice muffled by Wilbur’s sweater.

Wilbur chuckled, wrapping an arm around Tommy and burying his face in his hair. “It is sappy, but I feel the same way, so we can be sappy together.”

Frowning, Tommy shifted so he was hiding his face entirely in Wilbur’s shoulder. “Gross. I don’t want to be sappy with you.”

“Too bad you’re stuck with me,” Wilbur teased, and through the bond, Tommy felt more warmth curl around his mind.

It wasn’t just the warmth of reassurance though. It was something more. Comfort, reassurance, happiness, relief-

Love. It was love that Wilbur was flooding his side of the bond with, and Tommy didn’t think twice before sending the same amount of love back. Because Tommy loved the man that had become his brother over the course of only a few months. They were family now, and nothing was going to change that.

They were okay, and they were together. That’s all Tommy could really ask for.

Tommy ended up falling asleep on Wilbur’s shoulder during the car ride. Despite the fact that he didn’t necessarily need to sleep during it, the feeling of the sun shining through the window exhausted him in a way he wasn’t used to. So he kept his hood pulled up, and hid himself in Wilbur’s side as much as he could, diving headfirst into the cool darkness of sleep.

It wasn’t until the car pulled to a stop that Tommy blinked awake.

“That’s so fucking unfair that you got to sleep that whole ride over,” Wilbur said as soon as he noticed Tommy was awake.

Tommy, who was only half-coherent at this moment, mumbled something that was supposed to be an insult but definitely didn’t sound like one. Wilbur seemed to get the gist though, because he rolled his eyes as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

“This the right place?” The uber driver asked, pointing out the window.

Blinking a few times, Tommy pressed his face against the glass to see what the driver was pointing at. The car had stopped in front of a small store—one that had wood shutters and flowers growing on the windowsill despite the fact that they were still in the middle of a fairly metropolitan city. Above the door, Tommy saw a sign that read, Crowfather’s Apothecary.

Huh. An apothecary. That wasn’t what Tommy was expecting.

“Yeah, this is it,” Wilbur said, flashing a grin at the driver as he pushed open his car door. “Thank you for the ride.”

The driver waved as Wilbur climbed out of the backseat, gesturing for Tommy to follow. Still struggling to gather his thoughts, Tommy slid across the seat, holding out a hand in a silent plea to Wilbur.

Wilbur sighed but took Tommy’s hand anyway, dragging him out of the car and onto the sidewalk with a loud grunt. Tommy stumbled on his asleep legs, but as the car door slammed shut behind him, he found his footing and straightened up so he wasn’t leaning on Wilbur.

The car drove off, leaving just the two of them standing in front of the apothecary. This was it. This was where they were going to be staying for at least the next few years.

“You ready?” Wilbur whispered.

Reaching out, Tommy grabbed Wilbur’s hand, threading their fingers together and squeezing tightly. “I’m ready.”

With one more nod, Wilbur led them to the front door of the shop. He swung it open and went in first, with Tommy still holding onto his hand as he followed behind.

The inside of the shop was lit only by lanterns, giving everything a soft, orange glow. The smell of herbs and flowers hung heavily in the air, and when Tommy took a deep breath in, his tense muscles immediately loosened up.

Hundreds of potion bottles lined the walls. Liquids of all different colors glittered inside the glass flasks, ranging from shades of bright red and dusty pink, to potions that looked as though the night sky itself had been captured in a bottle. There was a shelf on the opposite wall, filled with old books that had labels like, ‘Advanced Sigil Design’ and ‘The History of Rune-Making.’ Wilbur’s eyes were blown wide as he stared in wonder at everything the apothecary had to offer. In fact, he was so distracted that he didn’t even notice the two figures standing at the other end of the shop until Tommy tugged on his hand.

Two men stood next to the register counter. One of them was tall—even taller than Wilbur—and hair the color of cherry blossoms was pulled back into a loose braid over his shoulder. In the low light of the candles, Tommy noticed gold earrings glinting off his ears, along with a gold chain intertwined with his braid.

A single glance at the pink-haired man’s eyes told Tommy he was a vampire. Because his eyes were a deep shade of burgundy, and Tommy knew that when he fed, those same eyes would flash bright, blood red.

The other man was much less intimidating than the first. He was far shorter, with pale blonde hair that fell to his shoulders, and was partially tied back with a braid and a similar gold chain. He wore a short-sleeved shirt, and Tommy saw his arms were absolutely covered in an array of black ink depicting all different types of sigils—even more than Tommy himself had (although unfortunately all of Tommy’s sigil tattoos were now just for show given that sigil tattoos didn’t work on vampires). When Tommy met his startling blue eyes, he smiled at them both, and Tommy almost flinched at the way the hairs on his arm rose when he felt the magic practically crackling off of the man’s skin.

“Welcome to Crowfather’s Apothecary, how can I help you two?” the blonde-haired man asked, walking out from behind the counter to approach them both.

Wilbur wrapped an arm protectively around Tommy’s shoulders, but Tommy could tell he wasn’t worried. Neither was Tommy, really. These had to be Niki’s friends, and if she vouched for them, then they were trustworthy.

“Uh, we’re actually friends of Niki’s. I believe she called you?” Wilbur asked, eyes still fixated on the potions on the walls.

Immediately, the man grinned. “Oh, right! She said you two would be coming down sometime today.” He held out a hand, and after a beat of hesitation, Wilbur reached out to shake it. “The name’s Philza, but you can just call me Phil.”

“I’m Wilbur.”

Phil let go of Wilbur’s hand and held it out to Tommy. When he touched Phil’s skin, he almost jumped when it felt like a static shock. Niki wasn’t kidding about this guy being made of magic, huh?

“Tommy,” he introduced, shaking Phil’s hand once before quickly letting go.

From behind Phil, the pink-haired man waved a hand. “Name’s Technoblade.”

“Nice to meet you both, Wil and Tommy,” Phil said, still smiling at them. “Welcome to the shop. It’s small, but it’s home.”

Wilbur looked like he had stars in his eyes as his gaze flitted over the potions and enchantment books. “This place is amazing,” he breathed.

Phil chuckled. “Niki told me you had an interest in magic. I’m happy to teach you whatever I can, if you’re interested?”

“Holy shit, yes, I’d love that,” Wilbur said, nodding so hard Tommy was worried he was going to hurt his neck.

“See Techno! Someone is interested in learning magic!” Phil shouted behind his shoulder, shooting Techno a pointed look.

Techno huffed. “Trust me, you’re gonna regret agreeing to that in a few days, Wilbur. Once Phil gets started on his magic stuff, he never shuts up.”

At this, Tommy groaned. “Great. You two are gonna get along fucking fantastic then because Wil never shuts up either.”

“Ignore the child, I’d love to hear everything you have to say about magic,” Wilbur said, elbowing Tommy in the side.

“Well, let’s get you two settled for tonight and we can start in the morning. I’m sure you’re fucking exhausted after that car ride.”

And as the two followed Phil and Techno to the back of the store, Tommy felt another surge of love flood through their bond. When he glanced over at Wilbur, he saw him smiling brighter than Tommy had seen him smile in ages, and Tommy couldn’t help but smile back. Because if this was the start of his immortal life, he’d say it was looking pretty damn good.

But then again, it didn’t matter what path Wilbur took. Tommy would always follow him. And he was happy with that.