Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Tommy don’t lie like that, it'll hurt your neck,”

Wilbur grumbled from the front control panel. He was one to talk when he was leaning over– with gods awful posture by the way–Techno while having his happy little hushed conversations Tommy was too unimportant to hear. It actually didn’t bother Tommy but he needed something to complain about because he was bored out of his mind, or rather just too lazy to find something to do. His brothers were actually getting better about including Tommy in their plans, it's not like before. Tommy thinks he wasn’t incorporated in plans because he was too young, but it's not like he’s an adult now, he’s just been exposed to adult things. He guesses that’s good enough for Wilbur and Techno. Still, Tommy couldn’t care either way–but he likes feeling important. Maybe that's just his need for appreciation and validation coming through, though he wouldn’t admit that.

Another thing he would admit was that the truth was that his neck was beginning to hurt. It was because he was lying across his seat the wrong way. His legs thrown over one arm rest while his neck laid over the other, he had changed positions in an attempt to be more comfortable, but he found it was quite the opposite. And Tommy was just about to move too, he was, but now he couldn’t since Wilbur commented. He had a reputation to hold, he wasn’t one to listen to what Wilbur had to say. So Tommy just rolled his eyes back at his brother, Wilbur turned back around to resume speaking with Techno, but Tommy could see a trace of a smile. Wilbur was always bad at hiding his smiles. And with that Tommy crossed his arms closer to his chest and closed his eyes.

Tommy always found it easy to fall asleep in space. Something about opening his eyes to count the stars through the front window, or the surrounding silence buzzing coldy around him while he listens to his brothers talking with a respectful vocal level. He even knows damn well he laughs the craziest and talks the loudest when his brothers are trying to sleep, his brothers are too good to do that back to him, or too mature, but if Tommy knew anything it was that his brothers were far from mature.

Anyways, he likes the steady float of the space ship in the sea of blackness, rocking slightly to the sounds of the engines. It was always calm, the feeling of gliding through a void knowing not what comes next, but excited for it nonetheless. He’s now comfortable inside the metal industrial ship, as it once seemed intimidating now it was his every day. He always enjoyed it more than sleeping on a planet, his old one was always booming with liveliness which he always felt at home with, but sometimes it was too much. He had his friends and family and it was always smiles and games, until it wasn’t. The point was that he would much rather be on a ship where he knows he’s safe with his brothers, where there was no screaming and crying except for in his memories he was trying so desperately to suppress. It doesn’t matter anyway, it doesn’t look like they are gonna be on another planet for a long time.

Outside the front window instead of stars it was all debris, eight planets and a star, a broken solar system. It was darker than it should be, like life was absent, which it was. The once creature plagued planets were now slowly moving rocks, serving no purpose while they littered space with its ugliness. Tommy didn’t want to look at it, it made him sick.

It had to be a month ago, the sun star went first, collapsing on itself and then wiping out planet after planet. The people on the small planet of Tnret were alerted the moment the first planet was destroyed, it was only chaos after that. Everything was breaking, even the people, even the ideas and thoughts, it was all drenched in instability, tightly wrung out with the harshness of collective fear.

Techno and Wilbur weren’t there that day, the day Tommy's own planet was taken out by the destruction and force of the previously eradicated planets. Once the first domino fell there was no use stopping the collateral damage. His brothers had been gone for two weeks on a supply run for their job, they wouldn’t let Tommy come because apparently “it was too dangerous”, or it “didn’t require his help”, or maybe it was that he “wasn’t strong enough”, pick one, or, it could of been all three. Tommy knew what it was.

Tommy was alone and without a ship, he couldn’t begin to describe what he was feeling that day, he didn't even know if he was thinking. By the time the planet next to Tnret was obliterated most of the people had fled on ships or had accepted their fate. It was survival of the fittest, morals and principles thrown out the window. There would most probably be enough room for everyone on the amount of ships that were docked on the planet, but people are selfish. People left individually on huge transport ships, others killed pilots to steal ships, the possibilities were endless and deadly.

Tommy thinks, when he goes over the day in his head, that the worst part was that he couldn’t find his friends. His family was in the sky and his friends were nowhere to be seen. He didn’t want to think that they left without him, that they had found a way out and didn’t take him, but there wasn’t any explanation. All he could imagine was them being terrified, and alone, and afraid, and he wasn’t there for them. Maybe in the back of his head, he decided that keeping his mind on someone else then he couldn’t think of himself, if he ever thought of himself he knew he wouldn’t make it out, it just worked like that. If he thought of himself he wouldn’t be able to see past his vulnerable optimism and unbreaking fear. He wouldn’t be able to function if he thought about himself.

So Tommy kept his eyes and his heart and his mind on his friends. He ran through the abandoned buildings and deserted streets, shouting their names until his throat was raw, until tears streaked his face and his terror was breaking through the surface. He ran to the edge of the town, eyes blurred but desperate, he screamed, lungs filling with sweet air mocking Tommy’s future with licks of fire in his mouth. No one answered his seeking shouts and when the shattered planets got so close he could see them through the sky, he fell down and he knew in his tired bones he was the only one left.

Tommy didn’t want to die alone.

He looked up into the sky for a god he didn’t believe in. Instead he saw the brothers he had lost faith in.

Their ship had come to a skidding stop, dirt flying up in disturbance. He had never seen Techno and Wilbur the way he did then. They ran with so much purpose and regret all at once. Faces strung up in smiles but the tears in their eyes said otherwise. They had scooped him up in a hug, whispering apologies and demanding forgiveness. Tommy's panic dissipated at the hands of his brothers, although it wasn’t gentle the way they ripped the heaviness from his chest, that’s just how it was. With the silent agreement to never cry in front of your brother reinstalled, they rushed back into the ship. And that was that.

Tnret, their home, blew up behind their retreating ship. And the brothers left in a silence that didn’t match the tragedy. Tommy had pulled his knees up to his chest, the way he does when he wants a hug but couldn’t ask for one, he learned now that the only people he could rely on was his own blood. Wilbur would sit too still in his chair, eyes trained on a star knowing one day it would burn out and disappoint him, an unrelenting protectiveness of Tommy brewing past the point of return. And Techno with a sigh, flying the ship away from dangerous surroundings knowing the only thing keeping him grounded was the feeling of the cool metal levers against his palm. He promised to himself he wouldn’t separate the three of them again, he would keep everyone safe, his brothers wouldn’t have a scratch before the last of his blood was spilled.

Now it was like a distant memory. One Tommy despised to revisit. Sometimes the thoughts didn’t stay far enough away, especially when he was asleep. His subconscious was a devil.

He finally moved from his uncomfortable position, cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders. The remnants of the planets were still in sight. Wilbur and Techno insisted on checking for survivors, people or planets, it had been days now. Tommy thinks they are just scared of leaving.

They have circled the system countless times, and every time it gets a bit darker. Tommy wants to leave, maybe this was his sign to finally go out and explore. He wants to see more galaxies, learn more plants and stars, he knows they are out there, Techno and Wilbur have been.

Tommy had been to a few, it’s not like this is his first time on a ship. Although he isn’t that required for the ships success, like Techno who was the pilot and Wilbur who was the navigator and engineer, but really they both did everything. They were the perfect team, which made sense, they were twins, their minds fit together like puzzle pieces. So really it was always a two-man show, Tommy was the odd one out. Which, when it came to ships it wasn’t all bad, it meant he could do whatever he wanted if he didn’t have a crucial job.

Tommy spent a lot of time on spaceships when he was young, his father was the pilot back then, they were a four person crew then. Tommy would find interests throughout the ship while wandering and his favorite was engineering, which had claimed him the role for a year before it was stripped away and given to Wilbur. He liked having a task like that, but he supposes the experience meant he could help out whenever he was needed. He wasn’t needed for a couple years. His father died suddenly, and his brothers took it upon themselves to take his spot, but instead they became distracted with responsibilities. He was kicked off the ship, thinking it was better to leave him at a planet where it would seem he would be safe, but it didn’t turn out like they wanted.

For now, as he stared at the back of their heads, slouching in his chair in their shadows. He had no job or task to complete, he was as helpful as a piece of luggage.

Well, he guesses he’s good for something.

Tommy made weapons, guns and sabers, and not only that but shields and spacesuits, gadgets that he was actually pretty proud of. Tommy was glad that he finally found something that he was good at, that he could do and impress his brothers with, he spent nights working and hours calming his shaky hands so he could weld, and that was his job. But really, that's how he made money back on the planet, he didn’t really need it because his father left them a decent amount of money, so instead, he gave it away. Really his job was a hobby, or a distraction. He gave Techno and Wilbur all the best of his inventions, hoping they would return in a couple months with something other to ask for rather than his guns. They never did.

Tommy stood up and wandered to the back of the ship, sorting through the storage containers. He filtered through the supplies, and finally he had some energy to find something to do, and what he wanted to do was cause some chaos.

Unfortunately the king of ending chaos was now waltzing between the seats of the ship to come meet Tommy. He eyed Wilbur through his peripheral vision, while he continued digging through the weapons.

“What are you up to?” Wilbur asked eyes darting to find somewhere to sit down. He chose a chest and perched himself on it with a dull thump.

“Finding something to do,” he turned his head to his brother, his hair falling in his face before he swept it away, “why do you insist on staying here? It’s obvious nothing is left,” Tommy removed his hands from the gear, and leaned against the metal pole. Eyeing Wilbur while he unsurely pressed his palms to his thighs.

“You are right,” He sighed, looking behind him for a moment, drawing Tommy’s gaze to Techno, “Y’know he has a savior complex, and he didn’t get to save anyone,” Wilbur chuckled, but it didn’t go far, halting with a harsh purse of his lips. “We’ll leave soon, we just needed a goodbye,” He reasoned, smiling slightly, palms running over his knees.

“He saved me,” Tommy blew out, keeping his eyes a distance from Wilburs. “If that counts for anything,” He shrugged.

“Tommy,” Wilbur was looking at him, and Tommy wasn’t going to look back. He was going to do that thing where he talks with his eyes because he’s too much of a coward so say it with words.

“Never mind,” Tommy ran both his hands down his face, breathing in with a silent inhale. After the breaks in the tension were glued back together with ignorance, Tommy spoke again, “This place is getting depressing, can’t we go somewhere new, come on Wil! We have the whole universe, literally,” Tommy cracked a sloppy smile, pushing off the wall to add to the dramatics.

Wilbur nodded, “I agree, we need a change of scenery,” swiping a hand through his unruly curls.

“Yes!” Tommy exclaimed, “and while we are on the topic of changes,” He trailed off. He brought his hand back into the container of gear, hand hovering over a specific weapon.

Something shifted in the air.

“God Tommy,” Wilbur threw his head back immediately in exasperation? Disappointment? “No.”

Tommy’s fingertips left the metal hilt hesitantly, matching his brother's newly adorned scowl. Wilbur had always been the more overprotective brother between him and Techno, Tommy doesn’t know if he just takes pride in the eight minutes he was alive before Techno followed or he was just made like that. He’s protective of Techno but he’s always hovering over Tommy, watching his every footstep like he’s gonna fall, every drink like he’s gonna choke. It’s fucking annoying. It wasn’t always that bad but after dad died he got worse, and after Tnret blew up its been borderline obsessive.

They would often fight about it, which Tommy was good about staying calm but with Wilbur breathing down his neck it was always enough to push him over the edge. Especially with this particular issue. Tommy thought he could have his weapons, he made them, he tested them, he was the one who assured their safety for people to use. Yet, Wilbur insists that he can’t use a lightsaber, which was exactly why he made it, so he could use it.

“Why not?” Tommy snapped back.

“Didn’t we already talk about this?” Wilbur leaned back on his palms.

“No? I picked up a lightsaber and you yelled at me profusely until I put it down,” Tommy narrowed his eyes, he didn’t understand why it was such a big deal.

“Do you want me to apologize?” He tilted his head, opening his mouth slightly in mocking confusion.

“I want you to let me use my own fucking weapon,” Tommy could very well pick up it right now and never put it down, but he would never hear the end of Wilbur's scolding. He could hear a sigh from the front of the ship, Techno was probably tired of the same old conversation, so was Tommy.

“I already told you no,” Wilbur said sternly. Then he stood up, Tommy had to stop himself from backing up a step.

“Can you explain to me why,” He strived to control his rage, he spoke calmly.

“I don’t know why you can’t just listen to me!” He spit a sudden rage that was too familial and contagious.

“Because you won’t give me a fucking valid reason!” He dared a step forward.

“Guys,” Techno looked back from the control panel, a solemn unimpressed look on his face.

Wilbur and Tommy paid no mind.

“Am I gonna hurt myself?” Tommy thought out loud, “Because apparently I can’t do anything without hurting myself,” He shot a foul knowing look at Wilbur, “Wilbur what are you scared of? It's not like I can hold the saber by the blade, it doesn’t work like that!”

“God Tommy, you can be so naive sometimes!” He grabbed his head, pulling weakly at his hair. “You can use any other weapon, be my guest,” He backed up, turning around, his interest falling through the cracks.

“But guns are for far-distance fights, what if I want to be up close and do some cool tricks, and blow their face off, like I would-” Tommy was just speaking words, ranting off his thoughts, but all of the sudden Wilbur was back in his face.

“Then you fucking blow their face off with a gun,” He spoke lowly, eyes dark with something Tommy knows he shouldn’t mess with. He walked off then, and Tommy didn’t say anything else.

Brothers are brothers. One minute they were fighting and the next they were fine, that's how it always was. Sure it bothered Tommy that none of the fights ever got anywhere but at least nothing too fierce was said, Tommy didn’t think there was anything that could ever be said that would tear them apart permanently. And if there was, Tommy knew he wouldn’t be the one to say it, because if Wilbur and Techno were puzzle pieces he would be the table holding them up, the structure that always has to be smooth, not rough, and strong, not weak, constantly overlooked but important.

Maybe that analogy was a bit too ludicrous. The point is, that it wasn’t odd that now, ten minutes after their fight, Tommy and Wilbur were lounging in the back joking with each other. While Techno listened fondly from the front, adding comments where they were necessary, or comedic. Tommy was ranting off his bucket list, the things he wanted to do at new planets in new places. Wilbur listened and hummed along, Tommy was slightly anxious about the fact that he wasn’t defying his ideas, but he was thankful Wilbur was letting him speak.

He’d already explained all the things he wanted to invent or build for himself. Some things he had to remake as well since they were destroyed on Tnret. He really wanted to make more kinds of transportation, like jet packs or speeders or even build his own spaceship. He really wanted to settle down on a planet so he could get to work, their small ship was too narrow of a space to actually build anything.

Some could speculate it was a bit odd for Tommy to make weapons, to give them out. But, Tommy never killed anyone, he couldn’t say the same about his brothers, the universe was fucked, and they had to do what they could to survive.

But a lot of that didn’t go through Tommy's mind when he was making things. Most of his creations were gadgets and space necessities, he didn’t like to think of what his weapons could do if they got in the wrong hands. But were there really any right hands? Was there anyone who wouldn't kill someone for their own good? Maybe, but Tommy would make no promises on his own behalf. Like he said, when peace gets trampled, it's survival of the fittest, and Tommy knew next time, he wouldn’t fall behind.

So he mostly just talked about his accomplishments he wants to strive for in the future with Wilbur and Techno. Though as the professional thoughts faded away more interesting topics came about, now Tommy was just saying whatever he was thinking.

“I want one of those,” Tommy was sitting on the floor, staring upwards and snapping his fingers trying to remember what he was trying to say. Too many ideas were flooding out of his mouth at once, “It’s like a creature and they have really big heads and like,” he cupped circles over his face, “huge eyes, they look really cool,”

“Aliens?” Techno asked Tommy from the front, throwing back his head in a short laugh, his braid–which Tommy had done days ago– swung in the air. “They don’t exist!”

“Yes they do!” Tommy retorted, “I’ve seen one,” He said, puffing his chest slightly.

“Where have you seen an alien?” Wilbur called from across from him, face split in two by his smile. He looked at Tommy incredulously, obviously neither of them believed him.

“I had one as a pet, back on Tnret,” his gaze darted between Techno and Wil, “I had it for like a week and then-”

“You killed it?!” Wilbur assumed, a mask of feigned horror on his face.

“No,” He corrected quickly, crossing his arms, “Tubbo said I should let it go because it wasn’t supposed to be a pet,”

“And Tubbo’s right,” Wilbur said, Techno looked back, sharing a glance with Tommy, mouthing Wilbur's words. Tommy giggled at the mimicking. “Techno,” Wilbur snapped, Techno turned back around with high eyebrows yet obviously unbothered.

“Anyway, I just want one as a friend, I personally think they are really cool,” Tommy said, adjusting his posture.

“Sure, we will try to find a planet infested with aliens and just leave you there,” Wilbur threatened lightly. Rolling his eyes playfully while he stretched his arms over his head.

“You wouldn’t do that,” Tommy confided.

“We most certainly would,” Techno laughed, Tommy shot him a glare before speaking again, with a so-called sophistication to his voice.

“You couldn’t leave me behind, I am very important to the team, if not the most important,” Tommy insisted, he leaned up to stand on his knees flashing Wilbur a confident smile.

“How could you be?” Wilbur leaned forward ruffling Tommy’s hair, pushing his head down so he fell down from his elevated position, “You’re fourteen, That's practically still a child,” He laughed, looking at Techno for an accompanying smile but Techno wasn’t looking back.

Tommy’s eyebrows knitted together, mouth opening but then closing with a snap. Wilbur’s smile dimmed at Tommy’s upset expression.

“I'm sixteen, i'll be seventeen in april,” Tommy corrected slowly, “jackass,”

Wilbur exhaled a uncertain breath, air sliding past his teeth that were still exposed in a grin, “no you’re not,”

Tommy blinked.

“Techno, how old is Tommy?” Wilbur asked, yet he didn’t move his stare from Tommy.

“Fifteen?” Techno answered, there was hesitation to his words. Wilbur's smile finally faltered, pulling downward into a frown.

“You are closer than Wilbur,” Tommy grumbled back to Techno. Wilbur rolled his eyes at that but when Tommy gave him a disheartened look, he seemed to curl in on himself.

“Okay look, I'll throw you two birthday parties, sound good?”

“April is in a week,” Tommy mumbled.

“Okay! Three parties,” He laughed, trying to bring Tommy’s spirit up, and Tommy couldn’t say it wasn’t working. “I’ll get you a bunch of presents, and there will be cake and music-”

“Will you sing?” Tommy asked, eyeing Wilbur pleadingly. He loved when Wilbur would sing.

“Yes I’ll sing and we can dance, okay?” He tilted his head, trying for confirmation that it was good enough.

“Can it be on a beach? Because a beach party would be pretty fucking cool,” Tommy offered, enjoying the fondess swirling in his brothers eyes.

“Sure, you will get your beach party king, will that make you happy?”

Tommy shrugged, saying, “yeah,” Then he smiled and it seemed like the ship lit up brighter than it was moments ago.

“Uh guys,” Techno said suddenly, stealing away Wilbur and Tommy's focus, “come up here,” He almost sounded awe-stricken.

“Alright,” Tommy got up quickly, walking to the front where he leaned against the back of Techno’s chair. Wilbur followed, bumping into Tommy where he decided to stand directly behind him, smacking Tommy’s ribs into the metal seat. Tommy turned and pushed Wilbur off of him with an unamused glower.

Wilbur comes back around, leaning against the control panel, planting his hands near the front window. “What is it?”

“It's another galaxy,” Techno answered, an excited smirk appearing on Tommy’s face.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Tommy exclaimed, the urge to fly the ship himself was burning at his fingertips, but Techno would kill him, literally.

“Wilbur?” Techno asked, checking for affirmation in the idea. Tommy’s eyes flicked to Wil, he was staring out the window, licking his bottom lip apprehensively. He contemplated prodding him to speak, he was getting impatient, but he bit his tongue, deciding not to.

“Yeah,” He proclaimed finally, he tore his gaze from the stars to look at Tommy and Techno, “lets go, let's do this,” He said, his nerves washing away from his face.

“Alright buckle up boys,” Techno declared, undauntedly smiling at the two. Tommy grinned back, throwing his arms around Techno's neck, nudging his head into his shoulder. He gave a tight squeeze, Techno chuckled lightly as he patted Tommy’s head. Tommy pulled away before Techno made a comment about not being able to breathe.

Tommy celebrated with a “woo!," hopping backwards towards his chair.

He climbed into his seat which was diagonally behind Techno’s and next to Wilbur's with a couple feet in between for comfort– and so they could ignore each other if they pleased. Pulling the seat belts over his shoulder, Tommy fastened it to the connecting buckle at his waist. Wilbur reached over to pull on the strap, just to make sure it was secure enough, Tommy didn’t waste his energy on giving him a look.

“Next stop, a new home,” Techno announced, Tommy leaned back staring at the swirling galaxy in the distance.

“Hopefully,” Wilbur mumbled quietly, Tommy acted like he didn’t hear it.

Techno pulled some levers and pushed some buttons, Tommy didn’t know exactly how to fly a ship, but that's what it looked like. Shortly after, the ship was sent into hyper speed, Tommy was pushed back into his seat from the force. It was fun, that’s how Tommy would describe the feeling of flying through space, thrilling and fucking fun. He knew his opinion varied far from Wilbur’s who always looked bored, but perhaps it was because he did it too many times. Tommy hoped he never got sick of this feeling.

The galaxy was growing closer, larger. It was pretty yet plain, the center glowed a gold color, and spiraling around it was blue-ish white, it faintly reminded him of lightning. As the ship got even closer, he could tell that it was actually made of small flecks of color, planets and stars. Still the radiance from them resembled a luminescence Tommy hadn’t seen before. It looked like heaven, if it was real, if it is real. But in simpler terms, it kinda looked like spilt milk.

Tommy snorted, laughing at his inner thoughts, “Wil, doesn’t it kinda look like milk?”

“Yeah,” He responded short, tilting his head, “I guess,”

Tommy looked at it further, and his friends kept coming to his mind. If they were here, they would all be trying to name it something dumb.

“What should we name it?” Tommy asked no one in particular.

“I’m sure it already has a name Tommy,” Techno reasoned dully. “I don’t think we are the first ones to find it,”

“But what if we are?” Tommy questioned, “Come on, how about the milky way,” Tommy offered, that seemed like a pretty good name to him.

“You really couldn’t come up with something better than that?”

“Did it have to have the word milk in its name?”

“Shut up, that's its name now, no complaining,” Tommy rebuked, stopping their criticism.

“I'm not complaining, i'm just saying you need to work on your naming skills,” Techno stated, Tommy could see him shrug his shoulders from where he sat. Tommy flipped him off, glaring at the back of his brother's head.

He blew out noisily, “are we there yet?”

“Tommy I swear to fucking god,” Wilbur threatened.

—

When they entered the milky way, Tommy’s jaw dropped, he was immediately surrounded by colors and lights and maybe he was just used to the depression of his own solar system but it seemed so much brighter and astonishing. He stared in awe at huge planets as the ship sped past them with a determined pace. The galaxy seemed so lively compared to his old home. He couldn’t wait to explore each and every planet. He stimmed with excitement, bringing his closed hands to his face, watching the stars dance around him.

He looked over to Wilbur, and for once he didn’t look so dark and tired. The stars brought a light to his eyes, reflecting a gleam he only ever rarely saw. The brightness seemed to pull the dirt from his face and wash his hair, so that it shined a chocolate brown, one that Tommy always longed to have and Techno despised, changing his own hair color to pink. Wilbur never let Tommy dye his hair.

There didn’t seem to be any other spaceships flying about, Tommy didn’t know if that was a good or bad sign, maybe neither.

“Where are we headed?” Tommy asked, tugging lightly at his seat belt.

“There,” Techno pointed, which was totally idiotic, because how was he supposed to know–

“Oh,” Tommy whispered, in stunned understanding.

There in the distance was a large burning star. The color of a deep aurous gold, like a dandelion on fire. Tommy understood why anyone would be drawn to it, it was captivating. Tommy wondered if it had a system of planets orbiting it like where he was from.

Their ship slowed to a steady pace, Tommy was finally allowed to unbuckle and stand up. He wandered to the front of the ship, staring at the crowded void, glinting with an array of hues. They neared the star, not too close, but enough so they could see the surrounding planets, and the way the star flicked with heat like a candle.

“Woah,” Tommy gasped, “where do we go first?”

“I say we find a planet and just start there, yeah?” Techno responded, his head down, clicking at a screen.

“Yes!” Tommy was exhilarated.

“Well, wait we should pick it wisely, we don’t know who or what are on these planets, it's a whole new territory, it could be something dangerous,” Wilbur explained, speaking with hands the way he does when he’s particularly assiduous about something, in this instance it’s being obsessed with safety precautions.

“Whatever Wilbur, it's new, it's supposed to be scary, right?” Tommy tried to persuade, he hated when Wilbur was being anxious about this kind of stuff.

“It's not supposed to be deadly,” He claimed.

“I never said anything about death! Calm down Wil, we will be fine,” Tommy shook his head, Wilbur dissolved into the darker part of the ship, and Tommy turned back to Techno.

“What is it?” Tommy asked, craning his neck to see what Techno was looking at. Techno had stopped typing, falling back into his chair.

“There are no signs of life,” he said slowly, unsurely, “On any of the planets,” He moved the screen so Tommy could see it more clearly, he grunted with uncertainty and an odd feeling of defeat washed over him.

“What? That can’t be right, check again,” Tommy demanded, he stared back out the window, there was no way, it's impossible right?

“Hold on,” Techno said after a moment, his fingers glided across the screen skillfully. “There is on one planet,” he looked up, squinting like he was trying to find it in the vast space, “but it isn’t humans,”

“Huh?” Tommy hummed, pleading to Techno for an explanation.

“There isn’t any communication, no radio waves, no evidence of industrialization, but,” He stalled, checking the screen again, “the planet is invested with life, so either the people are very discrete, like impossibly discrete,” he looked up to Tommy solidifying his point that it was absurd, “or it’s a creature of some kind,”

“Like?”

“Like we might have found your planet covered with aliens,” Techno finalized, and without a smile to his face, Tommy believed that he wasn’t joking.

“Can we go see it?” Tommy raised his eyebrows, batting his eyelashes dramatically.

“Why not,” Techno shrugged, pushing the lever forward, and the ship was in steady motion once again.

Tommy skipped to the back of the ship, “You hear that Wilbur? I'm gonna make alien friends!”

“Tommy what happens when they eat you?”

“What the fuck?!”

Wilbur broke out in a fit of laughter, “I'm just saying what if they are hostile?”

“What if this? What if that? We will see Wilbur, stop assuming,” He drew out the last word deeply.

“Whatever, don’t come back to me when you find that their diet is little boys,” Wilbur looked through his lashes, creepily wiggling his eyebrows.

“Don’t say that! My alien friend is going to be nice and lovely and friendly and I'll teach it to protect me,” Tommy spoke with a voice octaves higher than his usual. He nodded, smiling proudly, he could already see it, alien friends, that sounds so cool.

“I already protect you,” He stated, crossing his arms across his chest.

“Well, you aren’t an awesome alien,” Tommy condemned lightheartedly, shrugging with disinterest.

“Yeah,” Wilbur rolled his eyes, “I'm just your awesome older brother,” He sighed through tight lips.

Tommy’s face twisted up in feigned disagreement. When Wilbur opened his mouth in offense, Tommy’s eyebrows shot up and he turned to run. Unfortunately, Wilbur moved faster, grabbing him in a headlock rubbing his knuckles against the top of Tommy’s head.

Tommy screamed, “Techno help me!”

“Could you guys stop fighting for one minute?” Was his response.

“Tommy thinks an alien is better than me!” Wilbur shouted at Techno, he didn’t respond that time. “Ow!” he exclaimed at Tommy unrelently clawing at his arms.

“Let me go!” Tommy whined, wriggling in Wilbur's strong grip. Wilbur just laughed in response, his knuckles still raking his skull. His grip wasn’t strong enough to choke him, but it was enough so that Tommy couldn’t move. “Fuck you!”

“Guys when you are done, you might want to come up here,” Techno said, obviously unbothered.

Wilbur's grip loosened slightly, and Tommy pushed him away holding a hand at his neck. He whispered, “bitch,”

“What was that?” Wilbur asked, eyes widening dangerously.

“Nothing!” Tommy darted around the seats, meeting Techno in the front. He braced himself, and much to his prediction, Wilbur pushed him, sending him stumbling into the control panel.

“Wilbur!” Techno scolded, eyebrows pulled down.

“What?!” Wilbur defended, his hands near his head. Techno just stared him down, Wilbur stared back.

“Okay, alright,” Techno blew out, “Just no fighting near the controls, okay?” He looked between Tommy and Wilbur, his serious face suddenly taking an appearance.

“I didn’t do anything!” Tommy reasoned, shrugging his shoulders, shooting a meaningful glare at his brother who was standing on the other side of Techno.

“You-” Wilbur started, taking a step towards Tommy. Tommy flipped him off, sticking his tongue out.

“Guys!” Techno interrupted, eyes darkening.

“Okay fine! Fine,” Wilbur agreed, taking a retreating step. He ran a mind-clearing hand through his hair, “What was it that you needed?”

“I wanted you guys to see this,” Techno spoke, pointing forwards, his voice already switched back to calm.

Tommy’s gaze was drawn forward, a planet was in view, presumably the one inhabited with unnamed creatures. It was a mix of blues and grays, Tommy wouldn’t call it pretty, but it was chaotic, alluring. It looked bigger than Tnret, maybe twice the size, but it looked small compared to the other planets he had seen in the system.

“Can we get closer?” Tommy urged, not looking away from the grays surrounding the planet almost like smoke. They darkened, almost washing away the blue from view.

Without an answer, Techno steered the ship closer to the planet. Tommy squinted, watching the planet behave abnormally, or maybe it was normal and it was just new. New is always scary. He leaned closer to the glass, there was debris emerging from the planet. He swallowed, perhaps it was just a ring, they had to get closer.

“I don’t like this,” Wilbur mumbled from his left.

“You don’t like anything Wilbur,” Tommy snapped, “go closer Techno,” Silence enveloped the cockpit, the ship continued its flight.

The ship was quick through the blackness, avoiding the spiraling debris. Soon enough they were hovering over the planet, space rock surrounding their ship in all directions.

“Techno,” Wilbur warned vaguely.

“Can we go in?” Tommy suggested, looking below at the clouds swirling on the surface of the planet.

“Fuck no!” Wilbur answered harshly, swinging his head in Tommy’s direction. “Are you seeing what I am?”

“I wasn’t asking you!” Tommy yelled back, matching Wilbur’s unnerving stare.

“Techno tell him no,” Wilbur ordered.

Tommy waited for Techno to say something, he was watching the planet warily. Rocks came flying out of the atmosphere detrimentally fast.

He went to reach for techno’s arm but he was sent unstable. The ship spun, jerking to the side with a painful sound of metal breaking. He fell against the side of the ship, pushing himself upright as soon as the tremors and rocking stopped.

“What the fuck was that?” Eyes widened in alarm, he wandered closer to Techno with careful steps.

“Uh oh,” Techno said too quietly, he was clicking his screen again, but this time with a shake to his fingers.

“What? What’s ‘uh oh’?!” Wilbur demanded, it didn’t look like his stance was bothered at all.

“Left engine is down,” He noted, chewing on his lip.

“Can you restart it?” Tommy asked, watching outside the window for any approaching rocks.

“From in here? No,” He shook his head, looking up to Tommy momentarily.

“I'll go fix it then,” Tommy offered a solution, he took a hesitant step backwards before pushing himself to walk.

“No, you won’t,” Wilbur stopped him with a hand on his forearm,“We can still fly with one engine, Techno get us out of here,” Wilbur commanded, his fingers digging into Tommy's skin.

“I will,” He promised, rolling his shoulders and setting his hands on the controls. “Go sit down,”

Tommy ripped his arm from Wilbur's grasp, heading back into his seat. Wilbur followed into his own respective chair, eyeing Tommy with a heavy gaze with an emotion Tommy couldn’t determine.

Tommy pulled his seat straps over hastily, struggling with the middle buckle when the ship began to jolt forward at a faster rate. He was sent back into his seat, feet flying off the ground for a second before he adjusted to the speed. He finally was able to secure it, looking up he was frozen with an uneasiness he was unfamiliar with. The ship darted between asteroids, Tommy found himself involuntarily flinching when some came too close to the ship.

“Hold on!” Techno called, and Tommy’s eyebrows dipped but then the ship descended. His stomach jumped, a sudden feeling of nausea washed over him. Techno flew them closer to the planet, Tommy's hands clawed at the arm rests.

“What are you doing? I thought we were trying to go away?” Wilbur panicked, Tommy also wondered because he didn’t like the way the smoky atmosphere was whirring, shooting more rocks past its surface. Techno didn’t answer, the question was left floating in the air, but Tommy was able to understand quickly.

There was an area of clearance, absent of any debris, but it was just above the planet. Under all the spinning flaky rocks, but above the foggy planet. They would have to get very close to cut through it, but if they were able to, they would be out.

They would be safe.

Tommy found that he was holding his breath. He held onto his chair with a frightened ferocity as the ship jerked with uneven and fast movements he wasn’t used to. He could tell Techno was just as unsure if the plan would work as he was, and when the pilot is doubting, the chances are slim.

Finally as they leveled out, in line with an exit through the cluttered destruction, Tommy was able to breathe.

For a moment. For a second, he was able to exhale. But as his back hit his chair with a bone breaking strength he inhaled the air before it left his lips, choking on his temporary hope. He gasped, space and time turning around him until he could lift his head from where it was forced to his chest. The ship shook with the finality of the impact, then it halted, but Tommy couldn’t help feeling that it wasn’t done, something wasn’t right.

“That was our second engine,” Techno noted miserably from somewhere around Tommy, he was spinning, he was still spinning. Breaths poured out of him like he was a pipe that had burst, his head wouldn’t catch up. Then there was a hand on his chest, holding him still. “We- the ship is going down,”

“What does that mean? What–” Wilbur spoke, it was then Tommy realized he was next to him, that's right. Slight heat transferred from Wilbur's palm to Tommy, it cleared his head but not for long enough, because then the ship began to fall. With the ship's nose pointed upwards, the spacecraft plummeted down.

Tommy closed his eyes.

A pit in his stomach grew larger, like a black hole taking everything but his fear. He grabbed onto Wilbur’s hand, keeping it close to him. He tried to focus on anything else, but the ship fell forward and rotated at an irregular quickness, his body being dragged along with the jolts.

“Breaching the atmosphere,” Techno commented, his voice barely stricken with worry. He was always brave like that.

“Techno!” Wilbur shouted, and Tommy wondered if he just said it for the sake of saying something, because Tommy presumed there was nothing left he could do. “What do we do?!”

Despite the force Tommy willed to push the back of his head against his seat, breathing into the recycled air he tried to block out his brother's talk. Because if they were worried, Tommy would be worried.

“There is a massive amount of gravity on this planet, we are picking up speed,” Techno explained, more like thinking out loud.

The sounds of chaos were in his ears, metal was bending and breaking, his head was raging with thoughts, burning with an unexplainable fire, and, somewhere in the distance, thunder was booming.

The ship must have stopped spinning, it was now plugging straight down, or that's what it felt like.

“Pull up! Pull up Techno! We are going to crash!” Wilbur shouted, his hand leaving Tommy’s and he was left clutching his own chest.

“I've got this Wilbur!” Techno grunted exasperatedly. Yet still it didn’t feel like the ship was moving position at all.

Tommy peaked open his eyes, all he saw was red before something exploded. The windows shattered, glass cutting through the air, earning shrieks and grunts from everyone except Tommy. Whose mouth was too dry and his head too heavy to make any sound. The glass slashed Tommy's face as he stuffed it into his shoulder. Scratching against his exposed neck and hands. His eyes snapped shut once again, his face contorted as made sure to keep them closed tightly.

Now there was wind on his face, wind and smoke and fire. The air was on fire. It burned his lungs and his face as blood was blown in streaks away by the strong current. The wind tied his body in ropes, keeping him upright, his chest tight and his whole stature unmovable. He could barely hear his brothers over the wind let alone his heartbeat, so loud he could hear how fast it was, pounding relentlessly against his constricted rib cage.

“Techno!” It was a cry.

Even through Tommy’s closed eyes, tears were drawn out, blown sideways across his face.

“Pull up! Pull up!” Wilbur’s voice was broken, swollen with distress and terror, Tommy supposed that's one thing that made the twins different– and one thing that made him and Wilbur similar.

“Shut up Wil!” Techno screamed back, his voice breaking with its sharp brutality. The ship was quiet for a moment or how quiet a tragedy could be with its underlying dread.

“The controls, they are fried,” He said softer like admitting defeat. His words are carried with the wind, and Tommy’s never felt more terrified from words coming from Techno. He heard a small gasp from Wilbur, and Techno spoke again, “Brace for impact,”

Tommy didn’t know the end would be this taunting, this extended and prolonged. Tommy swears he could see the devil smiling at him in the blackness of his eyelids, but it was something he couldn’t look away from even if he wanted to. There was a moment when everyone had to accept their fate.

“I love you guys,” Wilbur said, it was broken and raw, but that’s all those words meant anyway.

“I love you,” Techno repeated.

Tommy wasn’t able to say it back.

His last breath was a scream, and then fate was decided.

-

When the end came, a low laugh rippled against Tommy's skin, a smile in the form of a frown in his vision. A coin was tossed.

Spinning until it landed and Tommy was held back from seeing the result, hands on his arms, his mouth, his eyes. Darkness washed over him, if only he was able to see faces now he wouldn’t be so lonely. His heart was empty, rotten and old. He was cold, fingertips blue and teeth chattering. Tommy was pulled to the ground until his knees scraped against the ground, tearing holes in his skin and gnawing at his bones.

He was pushed forward, choking on dust and ashes, face wet with blood and tears. A flicker of silver in the distance, claws and horns and a coin. It would be obvious who would win, except the fight wasn’t about strength, it never was. Plus everyone knows the story, Lucifer never wins.

-

Tommy’s head was pounding. Mouth filled with cotton, no that's not right. He spit, dirt spewed from his mouth in globs, it was in his teeth and in his throat when he swallowed. He coughed away the rest of the irritation in his lungs. He pushed himself up from where he laid face first on the ground. He spun over to sit down, his back screaming at him but he couldn’t focus, not at that.

Tommy was in the ship, it was flipped upside down and buried in the ground. So where he sat, it was the front window. The seats were still attached to the ship above him, he wondered how he got down on the ground. All the seats were empty, his brothers in the corner, not yet aware Tommy was up.

Tommy swept a hand over his face, collecting a hand of blood and dirt, he could feel dried tears in the corner of his eyes. His arm was spotted with torn fabric, painting his white sleeves red.

But he was alive.

He stood up, wandering towards the opening to the ship, his consciousness set on the odd noises he was hearing outside. Most importantly, on whatever was hitting the top of the ship, creating a dull knocking sound, it almost sounded like rain.

“Tommy,” A hand on his wrist, it was Techno. He grabbed Tommy's face, using his thumbs to wipe smeared blood from his cheeks. “Are you okay?” He smiled slightly, it looked painful.

Techno looked much worse than Tommy, which made sense because Techno was sitting right in front of the window. He was cut up badly, blood coating every part of his face. Tommy raised an eyebrow slightly, the bruise on Techno’s jaw made him wonder how long they had been knocked out. His hands were shaking slightly on Tommy’s face, he reached up to gently remove Techno’s hands, but still held them.

“Yeah, I am, how long have we been here?” Tommy asked and Techno dragged him further from the door.

“I'm not sure, I woke up not long before you, but-” He ended his sentence, bringing Tommy to Wilbur.

He was laid sitting up against the side of the ship, unconscious head lolled to the side. “I’ve been trying to wake him up,” Techno finished. Tommy kneeled down, looking at his brother, his chest was moving.

“What's wrong with him?” Tommy asked, moving Wilbur's hair from his forehead where it was stuck in blood.

“My guess is that he has a concussion,” he provided, “but i'm sure he’ll be up soon,” He assured, brushing his braid off his shoulder with a sigh.

Tommy stood back up, he pressed his palm to the back of his head trying to subside his own pain. “Have you looked outside yet?” he asked while he rolled up his sleeves, it was getting hot. His gaze brushed over the ship, the supplies had been knocked loose from their containers, gear and weapons littered the ground.

“No, and I don’t think we should, something doesn’t seem right,” Techno suggested, nervously looking at Wilbur and the condition of the ship. Techno’s feelings were nothing to challenge Tommy’s curiosity.

“Well we can’t figure out how to leave without knowing our surroundings,” Tommy walked to the boarding ramp, Techno didn’t stop him from pressing the button to open it. Sensibly, the ramp opened upwards, so it provided a cover like an awning for the door. Tommy had to push it a bit to open, as it was stuck in the dirt. But once it did, it revealed the outside.

Tommy’s mouth was open in aghast until he forced it shut, backing up a step from the entrance.

“Techno,” he said slowly, shock reverberating in his hands, they began to shake. He stuffed them in his pockets as his brother appeared next to him. He didn’t speak at first, looking around and pulling a hand to his mouth.

“I think we’ve made it to hell,” Tommy whispered, that was the closest thing he could compare to the sight he was seeing. He took an impulsive step closer to Techno.

“No,” he sputtered, “this is much worse,” Techno admitted with a reluctance that made them both want it to be untrue.

The sky was painted scarlet, it was blood-like how it dripped down the sides of Tommy's vision, closing in like they were trapped inside. The vivid red and orange hued sky was accompanied by thick menacing clouds. They were dark, not different from how they looked on the outside, they were chalky, sparking with the biggest lightning Tommy had ever seen.

There was a vast plain in front of the ship, burnt to blackened ashes. Beyond it was an expanse of hills and mountains, a dark set of claws held tightly on to them, peeking over was a face of dark eyes that Tommy had seen before, he blinked, and it was gone. The forestry was still burning, on fire with huge bright flames. Smoke escaping the tops of the trees and swarming around the mountains as it lifted to join the pollution in the sky, slowly blocking out the sun. The air was suffocating with its heat, it crawled down Tommy’s throat with the thickness of the smoke. It was unbearably hot against his body, drawing sweat from his pores. Tommy noticed It was raining, puddling in the dirt, and now dripping off the ship. But it wasn’t just raining water, something else was falling.

“Close the door Toms,” Techno ordered, his voice dark as he disappeared behind him.

“But-” Tommy began, but something caught his attention. Something fell onto the ground with enough force to throw dirt on Tommy’s shoes. A rock the size of a golf ball glittering with embers lodged into the ground under the protection of the ramp. Tommy glanced over his shoulder, Techno was tending to Wilbur with whispers that made him smile with relief.

Tommy nonchalantly walked through the ship, finding gloves to pull over his hands. He rushed back to the entrance, stepping off the ship and ignoring how he could feel the heat through the bottoms of his feet. He crouched down, picking up the rock he had to hold back a scream as he dropped it back into the dirt. His glove was scorched, burnt through the first layer. He scooped some dirt on the burning rock, trying to put it out. When he picked it up again, it was less hot and he spun it in his fingers. Inspecting the small rock, it was no more than a pebble he used to skip with his brothers.

It wasn’t that scary.

He shifted his feet to stand up when a rock the size of him hit the ground just feet from where he was crouching. It spit flaming debris into the air where it was caught in the breeze, blowing it towards Tommy. Its impact sent him unstable on his feet, knocking him back. The rock was ablaze, flames jabbing towards him threateningly. Tommy crawled with his hands through the searing dirt until he was met with metal. He clumsily got up, his breath caught in his throat, and hit the button to pull in the door.

It closed with a straining sound, dragging through the dirt until it finally shut, locking the hot air outside. Tommy walked backwards, yanking the gloves off his hands and tossing the rock elsewhere.

“Are you alright?”

“yeah i’m okay, just a scratch, it won’t kill me,”

His brain racked itself for a plan while his gut whirled with uneasiness, he couldn’t talk past his nausea. He couldn’t think past the irritated red splotches on his body from the heat outside. Passing by his brother's conversation, his mind didn’t notice Wilbur being awake, or it did, but faced with other problems, Wilbur waking up the least of his concerns.

“What’s going on?”

“I'm not sure yet, we were busy making sure you were going to wake up,”

Cursing at himself, he picked up gear off the floor. He found a space suit, made of advanced elastic technology that should be able to withstand the conditions, hopefully. He pulled it over his clothes, skipping the part where he would praise himself for making it so comfortable and fitting. He grabbed a gun and attached it on his hip at the belt, just in case.

“Fires?”

“Yeah something is really wrong, it's completely catastrophic out there,”

Techno and Wilbur’s conversation filtered in and out of Tommy's ears. He marched back up to the door, opening it once again, and this time he wasn’t shocked by the burning taste the air left on his tongue. He hit a button at the base of his sternum and a helmet formed over his head. He was determined to know what was going on, what was outside. After checking his breathing, he was all set, stepping off the ship once again.

“Tommy?! Where are you going?” Wilbur called from behind him, he turned over his shoulder just for a minute, his brother's face was red with anger and blood. His skin pulled tight over his face and his eyes resembled a dark red. “Come back here,”

Tommy wanted to speak, but he found he couldn’t, his mind swirling like it was back in the ship. The ground felt like it was sinking underneath him, his body heavy like rocks. He cleared his throat, “I’ll be right back, I promise,” He stammered, eyebrows wrinkling in confusion at why his voice didn’t sound like him. He turned back, stepping out from under the cover of the ship, he watched the sky fall.

Falling into a steady pace, he headed left of the ship, ignoring the calls of his brothers, but he couldn’t tell if he was imagining them or not. The surroundings were much worse as Tommy ran through the demolished field, craters sunk deep holes into the dark dirt, fire spread slightly before being put out by the rain. Thunder clapped over him, bright flashes of lightning lit up the dark sky just enough to substitute for the sun. Tommy watched the sky, trying to dodge any of the balls of fire. Smaller pieces pelted his suit, marking small holes in the fabric. Heat swarmed him, it wasn’t as bad, but he could still feel it. Up ahead Tommy could spot a drop off, a valley. He silently hoped for something or anything that would help him and his brothers get out of here.

But when he reached the cliff, his head fell silent, hope felt like a foolish thing to wish for, always being snuffed out by reality.

Large creatures laid scattered on the ground of the flat valley, wind blew harshly, biting and catching on the burned skin of the victims. Tommy couldn’t tell what the animals were, they laid face first into the dirt, scales covering their backs. It was a large group, like they had all gathered to die. It was nothing Tommy had seen before.

He went further down to investigate, skidding down the slope of the small hill. He was met with the smell of rotten flesh, it was smokey and bitter. Tommy didn’t care to check what was wrong with his suit to let him be able to smell the outside, perhaps it was all in his head. Tommy weaved gently through the dead creatures like they were going to wake up, he checked for any small movements, but they lied still. Tommy looked around for a moment, rain dripped down his helmet, clouding his vision. He swiped away, coming close to one of the creatures.

He went to nudge it with his foot, to tap its face slightly to lift it from the mud. Yet when he came in contact, his foot fazed through the creature. He watched as its skin and bones disintegrated into a pile of ash, floating away in small gray particles, leaving nothing in its wake. Tommy took a step back, alarm and confusion wracking his mind. He bothered yet another creature, it too fell away quickly, escaping into the heated air. All of them looked solid, they were visually rotting, skin caved in and bones peaking out–it didn’t make sense.

He bent down now, touching the face of death, wondering why it wouldn’t show him. It briskly decomposed, leaving residue on his fingers. Tommy rubbed them together, scrubbing it off in uncertainty. He walked through the valley, passing by all the animals when suddenly they all began to disappear. Dust was reaped from the bodies, whirling in the air, surrounding Tommy in a cloud. Like a cyclone, the grayness was like lead, Tommy refused to breathe as he spun slowly, appalled but allured. He searched for a way out, it was then as the darkness floated away, the redness and the heat returned and it felt right for a moment.

At the end of the valley, a singular body still remained. Tommy's legs were already walking him towards it. This one was sprawled on its back, its complexion frightening. Fangs and claws and oily skin that Tommy couldn’t wrap his head around, it didn’t belong, it was different from the rest. Its ribs were visible through its melted chest, mutilated by the heat and picked apart by the unrelenting wind. Rain pooled shallowly in the dips of its body. Tommy reached towards it, expecting a similar reaction, but this time, he was able to feel it.

He pulled away, breath catching at the strange feeling. He touched it again, its skin was liquid at the touch, sticking to his gloves like tar. He stayed there, his hand on the creature's shoulder, when it began to fall away. Not like dust, but quite the opposite.

Its skin fell from its bones like water, puddling around its body in a blackness that only reminded Tommy of space. Its muscles and tissue peeled easily from the bones, corroding into the fluid. Its eyes imploded, falling through the creature's eye sockets. And then all that was left was the bones, floating on the shallow puddle. Tommy had to look down to his shoes to see that the liquid was expanding, growing larger around him, swallowing the bones and taking over the valley.

Tommy whipped around, assessing the situation, it was moving fast. He stepped away and towards where he came from, he needed to go. He ran, the water nearing his ankles and then it shifted. It was thicker, stickier, weighing down his shoes, halting his sprint to a struggling walk. He wobbled, pushing forward as the tar licked up his legs, as it reached his knees he could almost reach the hill.

The tar was heavy and hot, dragging at his suit and steaming a horrible smell. And Tommy wasn’t thinking, he couldn’t, he didn’t understand. He didn’t know what kind of crazy aliens lived on this planet, or why this planet was falling apart. He didn’t know why he came to explore, he wanted to be back with his brothers coming up with a plan, they would know what to do. They know what to do, they always do.

Tommy watched as the rain pummeled into the tar, avoiding it and bouncing off. The falling rocks did the opposite, devouring the tar, or perhaps it was the other way around. Tommy used his hands to pull himself through, using every ounce of his strength to march with big steps. He reached the cliff, delving his hands into the dirt and pulling himself from the tar as it crept up the hill itself. He pulled at the loose dirt, trying to gain leverage as he fell and kicked with his feet.

Tommy made it up, flopping onto his back, the freedom of the tar letting go of his feet was one he wished he had someone other than himself to thank for. He didn’t stay there for long, he couldn’t, he dragged himself back. He stood up, but not before he got a glance at his suit, he saw nothing of the tar, instead replaced by crimson, dripping off his body from his chest down. He choked, looking forward, looking at a sea of red. He stared, like his brain was stuck, and then once he could feel his body again, he turned and ran.

He sprinted across the burnt crops, stepping on fainted flowers and dodging holes in the ground. He saw the ship, the condition was awful, its wings bent and broken, nose turned down in the dirt where it laid upside down. Panic pulsed in his veins, his only bodily function he could focus on as his legs grew tired of running.

“Techno! Wilbur!” He yelled, hoping his brothers could hear him. He waited until he was closer when he shouted again, “help me!” he cried.

He was able to pass through the opened door, “Tommy?” Wilbur asked in a way of acknowledgment and scolding and relief, Tommy didn’t know.

“Get it off me! Get it off me!” He cried, rubbing at his body and gripping wildly at the neckline of the suit. The helmet collapsed, letting him breathe freely, but all it was warm, warm and thick.

“Tommy! What's wrong?” Techno was asking, hands were on his shoulders trying to stop Tommy’s hysterical actions, “What happened?”

“Where did you go?” Wilbur questioned but it was less concerned, maybe that's why Techno shot a glare at him.

“I-” Tommy ripped the suit off his body, peeling it off his stature and throwing it away from him as he fell into Techno’s arms as he wobbled. He went to breathe, it was all too fast, and he couldn’t. His eyes burned, he wasn’t crying, it was just too much.

“Tommy breathe,” Techno said, he held Tommy up, inspecting him with a careful eye.

“I can’t,” he shook his head, “it hurts,” he hiccuped, he wasn’t crying, he wasn’t.

Techno looked at Wilbur and then he was at the door, closing it. “What did you see?” Techno asked and Tommy was able to come back to what was happening. He stepped away from Techno, gathering his suit from the floor.

“Everything is destroyed, and there was this valley and-,” Flipping the suit inside out Tommy found that it was clean, spotless of any blood. Sure it had burn marks but it was dry, he tossed it in his hands, pulling at the fabric, stretching and bending. He was sure it was there, it didn’t make sense that it wasn’t.

“Alright well, you aren’t ever going out there alone again, dumbass,” Wilbur wrapped his hands around Tommy's neck, Tommy didn’t hug back. He was baffled, he was scared.

And it only got worse. Now Wilbur and Techno were formulating a plan, and frankly Tommy didn’t want anyone going out there, not after what he experienced.

“I think we go out,” Techno stated, “There's nothing we can do from here, maybe we can find civilization or something that could help get this ship back into the air.”

“I think you are right, we are just wasting food and water here,” Wilbur added. Tommy watched as the two grabbed suits from the floor.

“Guys you don’t know what it's like out there, plus Techno you said there were no people,” Tommy reasoned, he had a bad feeling about all of this.

“I said there was a small chance it was people, it’s not impossible,” Techno corrected, explaining to Tommy in the most ignorant way possible.

“Isn’t a ‘small chance’ enough to keep you here, where it's safe?”

“Tommy, we are one hit away from one of those rocks until this place isn’t safe anymore, we have to do something,” Techno sighed, he wasn’t wrong, but Tommy didn’t want him to be right.

Tommy pulled at his face, groaning in pure dread. “Fine,”

“But you aren’t coming with us,” Wilbur stated, activating his helmet over his head. Eyes glittering with the protectiveness Tommy hated. “I have a job for you,”

“Wilbur, you know what happened last time you left me alone,” Tommy spat, pulling on his own suit, demanding that he should come too. When he looked up, Wilbur's face was tight with guilt and grief, something Tommy didn’t intend to induce.

“Tommy I want you to try to restore power to the ship,” He ground out, “The power box there,” he pointed to a metal casing on the wall. “Since you are the most experienced in that, try and figure it out, I don’t think it should be totally unsavable,” He spoke, his eyes not meeting Tommy’s gaze.

“The most experienced?” Tommy questioned softly. He intended sarcasm, but it came out differently.

“That is what you were practicing when I left you alone, am I mistaken?” Wilbur asked, finally looking up and a wave of ice cold water poured over Tommy. He swallowed around nothing, gaze sweeping over to Techno, who was simply leaning against the wall pretending not to listen.

“Yeah, I'll stay here, I'll try to do that,” he nodded towards the power box with pursed lips, leaving first from the line of tension pulled tightly between him and Wilbur.

“Thanks, we’ll be back soon okay? Talk to us if anything goes wrong,” Wilbur motioned to Techno to open the door, “we’ll do the same,”

“Alright,” Tommy picked up two guns from the floor, “be safe,” He handed them over, his brothers taking them thankfully.

“We will,” Wilbur replied, the door creaking open.

“We will make sure to watch out for any of those monsters you saw,” Techno snorted jokingly, trying to light up the situation.

They both waved to Tommy, he smiled as he watched them leave even if he was trembling with anxiety. It wasn’t until he turned around that Tommy realized he never mentioned the creatures, he never called them monsters, even if that was what they were. Yet when he swiveled back towards the entrance, his brothers were no longer in sight.

Tommy grabbed at his head, exhaling a large breath, he was just worried, he needed to calm down. He needed to distract himself, so he opened the power box and got to work. Funny how the one time he gets a real job he doesn’t want it. Funny how the one time Wilbur complimented him, he didn’t want it. Tommy yanked his tool box off the floor, straining his arm with the unusual weight, however Tommy didn’t feel like laughing. Cruel jokes were always the worst in his opinion.

Tommy lazily played with the power box, nothing he tried was working. He pulled at a wire, lifting his gaze to the ceiling, everything would be much easier if the ship was right-side up. He needed to tend to all of the broken wires, which included the ones that traveled under the seats.

So Tommy gathered boxes, stacking them on top of one another because it was the only solution he could find. He would call himself distracted but he was subconsciously waiting for Wilbur or Techno to communicate with him, just some check-in. He tried to push it away, maybe it was better they didn’t. He decided to tend to the wires around the wings, he also found another power box on the opposite side of the ship. It felt as if hours passed, and Tommy was getting impatient, or worried, whatever made him sound better. He wanted to get out of here, but what was the point if his brothers didn’t return safely?

He climbed the boxes, holding tape in his mouth, he was doing his best to do his job. Reaching the top, he kneeled unstably as he taped severed wires, he never remembered this many. While he was up there, he spotted the seat belts, they hadn’t been broken in any way. Tommy still questioned how he and his brothers ended up on the floor.

“Tommy!” A shout came through his speaker in his suit. Tommy flinched at the sudden noise, he toppled off the boxes falling down to the ground. He groaned, rolling onto his stomach, where he pushed himself up.

“What? Is everything alright?” Tommy stressed, rushing to the door.

“Yeah, everything’s fine, I just wanted to say we are in range,” Wilbur admitted and when Tommy peaked out from the door he could spot his brothers. They were perched near the top of a mountain across from the ship.

“Gods, you scared me,” Tommy laughed a bit, “see you soon, yeah?” He said, almost like he could promise to himself. He just wanted one thing to go right, he just wanted his brothers to get past the couple hundred feet, just past the field, that's all.

“Yeah,” Wilbur simply responded before there was a voice in the background, presumably Techno.

There was a cry and Tommy didn’t need to ask to know what happened when the radio in his ears deafened to a steady white noise. His hands raised to his face, eyes blinking rapidly searching and wishing.

A large piece of debris hit where Techno and Wilbur were standing on the mountain. Wiping them from Tommy’s view.

“Wilbur?” Tommy asked into nothingness, hoping the speaker would pick up on it, that someone was on the other side. He removed his hands from his face, calling again, “Techno?! Tell me you guys are okay,”

The impact left a puff of dirt and smoke into the air, washing the whole mountain away as it blended into the sky. “ Are you guys there?! please answer me,” He cried, his mouth open in a frozen plea, tears threatening to fall from his waterline.

He couldn’t move, he wanted to fall down, his knees growing weak. “Guys?!” He shouted, intaking large breaths of the nauseating air. He gave up on coherent sentences, holding in his cries as he strained his ears to hear for a breath.

There was finally something, a crinkling in his ears, like static. “Hello?!” He tried.

“Tommy,” It was Wilbur, it was quiet and weary but he was there.

“Wilbur!” Tommy’s face pulled upwards in relief, “god I thought you guys were dead, is Techno okay?”

“Tommy,” It was drawn out, regretful and tired. He sounded hurt.

“What?” Tommy answered quickly, what was wrong?

“I need you to listen to me,” he grunted, and Tommy didn’t feel good about any of this, “I need you to close the door to the ship and don’t come out okay?”

Time felt like it slowed, warm air curdling around him.

“What?”

“Please Tommy,” He breathed.

“But you guys are coming right?” Tears were back in Tommy's eyes, he felt as if he was begging.

“No, no we aren’t coming,” He confessed, “but you have to close the door,”

“Why? What's happening?” Tommy demanded, his heart was bouncing through his chest, on fire with the rest of his body. He didn’t understand what Wilbur was saying.

“If I tell you you will wanna come help, I can’t let you do that,” Wilbur said like it was a bad thing, Tommy didn’t think it was, “Shut the fucking door Tommy, right now,” He demanded with a strictness that did nothing to Tommy anymore.

“No, tell me what happened,” Tommy was still staring out towards the mountain, the smoke hadn’t cleared.

There was a moment of silence, where he knew Wilbur was contemplating telling him.

“Techno,” Wilbur started but came to an abrupt stop, there was a muffled sniffle, “he’s stuck, and he’s not awake,” He cried, “There’s lava, it’s coming down the mountain, and im not letting it take Techno without taking me. I'm trying to get Techno out but I can’t” He spoke, distressed, agony in every breath, in every word. Tommy shook his head, backing up, with shaky steps.

“The lava is coming straight towards the ship, you have to close it and you’ll be safe, just do it Tommy,”

Tommy didn’t respond. He activated his helmet, searching through the ship for something to free his brother. Because if Wilbur would sacrifice himself, so would Tommy.

“No, no, Tommy, this is what I said,” Wilbur chided, “I know what you are thinking and you aren’t coming out here, if you take one step off that ship I swear,”

Wilbur was just sounds in his ears. He knew what he was doing.

“Please Tommy, i'm begging, don’t,” His brother was crying, but if it meant he wouldn’t be dying, he doesn’t have a problem.

Tommy left the ship for the third time, marching into the unforgiving weather.

“Sorry Wil, but I'm your little brother, I'm never gonna listen to a word you have to say,” Tommy reasoned before launching towards the mountain. Wilbur has to know that if one of them goes down all of them do.

When Tommy reached where Wilbur resided, he had to dodge his fiery stare, it wasn’t difficult when taking in the condition of Techno. He was trapped under the large rock, keeping his arm under the weight of it. It was still prickling with embers, Tommy could feel the heat radiating, and see how poorly of a job his suit did to protect techno.

Flames were fleeing over his sleeve and exposed flesh. He groaned almost unconsciously, yet his eyes were fluttering inside his helmet.

“Techno,” Tommy walked closer to his brother, Wilbur's hand shadowed over his arm ready to grab him and pull him back. “We’re gonna get you out,” He nodded, eyes narrowing on the bright red lava cascading down the mountain. They still had time.

“Tommy?” Techno coughed out.

“Yeah! Yeah i'm here, we are gonna help you,”

“Leave me,” He begged, leaning his head back into the soil.

“No, I've got an idea,” Tommy dismissed Techno’s words, pulling his lightsaber from his belt. A click of a button a red light in the shape of a blade extended from the metal hilt. He could hear Wilbur's words floating in the wind even if he didn’t say them.

His idea was that if he could make the rock lighter it would be easier to pull Techno out from under it. All he had to do was cut it in half. He glanced upwards while he stepped closer to Techno, lava poured viciously closer, carrying bloodied screams with it.

Flames licked Tommy’s chest as he stood close, he shot a look at Wilbur who already had his hands on Techno. The exhale of his breath seemed to ignite the fire brighter, he trembled in the heat.

He lifted the weapon into the air, it cut through the wind the way Tommy would think tearing through flesh with a dagger would be. He slashed downwards, cutting through rock while the screams grew closer. The rock wasn’t hard to break through, it was dense but fragile, it was large but weak. The only harm was the angered flames burning at Tommy's mask, eating at his skin even through his suit.

When he reached the bottom, a piece fell away and then Wilbur was able to drag Techno along the dirt.

“Are you okay?” Wilbur was breathlessly asking Techno as his arm fell numbly at his side. His eyes weren’t opening and he didn’t respond.

“We have to go Wil,” Tommy decided, the lava surged burning red with sparks of barbarity. It swallowed the dirt, burning through everything on the surface.

“Yeah,” Every word of Wilbur’s was spoken with such exhaustion, it made Tommy worry as he looked at the ship and how far away it was.

Wilbur hauled Techno up over his shoulder, staggering with unadmitted weakness. Tommy would offer to help but the sobs in his ears were too loud, he wanted to run away, he would have to settle somewhere in between.

Tommy led the way, asking Wilbur to step where he stepped. Wilbur didn’t complain, he was deathly silent.

Tommy checked behind him, and Wilbur was hardly keeping up. Lava begins to touch at his heels.

“Wilbur, come on! We are almost there!”

His eyes flicked up from the ground, to where the ship was, noting Tommy's lie. His face translucent with fatigue, and his figure hunched with the weight of Techno.

“Go, go without us,” He said with a groan.

“No!” Tommy’s eyebrows drew together. He was sick of everyone insisting he leaves them.

He grabbed Wilbur's hand, dragging him forward with as much strength as he could manage.

“I'm not leaving Techno,”

“Wilbur!” The lava was creeping closer, inches from their feet, bubbling with cries and Tommy was panicking. “Wilbur please, run with me,” Tommy cried, his gut tightening.

“I'll carry him,” Tommy tried, he knew he couldn't but he was running out of ideas. Embers swirled around his head.

With a rough shake of his head, Wilbur's eyes moved past Tommy. Then a voice spoke up.

“You gotta leave me Wilbur,” Techno struggled to say, his voice wet with fear.

“I’m not doing that,” Wilbur bit back, he pushed forward but not enough.

“Please,” Techno wept, his voice barely audible. “Do it for Tommy,”

Two pairs of eyes were on Tommy and he didn’t know what to say or do.

“You have to let go Wilbur, you have to make it,” Techno spoke with truth and Tommy couldn’t bring himself to counter it.

“I can’t do that,” Wil rebuked, slowing until he stood still. Tommy backed away, watching as the screams flowed closer to Wilbur’s feet.

“Then I will,” Techno grunted, he planted his feet on the ground and for a moment Tommy saw only black before time resumed and Techno pushed Wilbur on the back, hard.

Wilbur stumbled forward, crashing into Tommy and the duo were left a few feet away watching their brother be taken away by the screams. Tommy was crying, his mouth frozen in pained awe, his hands shaking and head pounding. He could taste salt on his lips when he grabbed for Wilbur’s hand before he ran forward, he was yelling and shouting. He found himself yelling back at Wilbur. Tommy pulled him away from the sobs and cries as if he thought it was something you could escape from.

Tommy’s feet dug through loose dirt, legs tiredly pulling his and Wilbur’s unrelenting retreating body. He didn’t speak, he couldn’t, his throat was tight as he cried noiselessly. Sound seemed to be lacking, he could hear Wilbur, he couldn’t hear himself.

The image of Techno kept playing itself over and over in his head like an endless purgatory.

He kept tugging on Wilbur until he complied. Until Tommy felt him give up.

They were still outrunning the lava but it was far behind them now. They were able to make it to the ship, Tommy didn’t miss the small spots of tar in the dirt near the entrance but his attention was drawn away by the doors closing.

Wilbur fell against the wall, grabbing at the metal sides, sliding to the ground with a groan. Tommy paced to the front, pulling down his helmet, his breaths harsh as he felt hysterical. He pulled at his hair, trying to draw his focus away from the way his heart was beating in his neck, he couldn’t seem to swallow it. He let out strangled cries that pulled at his burning lungs, he wrung out his hands as if they weighed pounds. He was panicking and he couldn’t stop, Techno was gone and he wasn’t coming back.

Dark clouds tried to take over his vision, he shook his head, blinking until it was gone.

“Tommy,” Tommy’s eyes were drawn to his brother who was slumped against the wall. He leaned his head back, his cheeks were tear stained.

“I’m sorry, Wil,” Tommy apologized for nothing in particular. He thought he was done crying but it seemed the tears were coming back, tickling his eyelids and lining his eyelashes. He walked closer, noticing that Wilbur's eyes weren’t tracking his movements, he seemed spaced out.

“Tommy, I don’t-”

“Are you okay?” Tommy was on the ground quickly, knees cracking at the sudden impact, he leaned over Wilbur’s lap to look in his eyes.

Wilbur’s head moved slowly, meeting Tommy’s concerned gaze. “It’s hot,”

“I know, I know,” Tommy spoke with a sense of urgency, “take off your helmet, i'll get you water,”
Tommy turned but a hand on his wrist stopped him, holding him still.

Wilbur lowered his helmet, looking Tommy in the eyes. “I don’t think I'm gonna make it,” Wilbur admitted, his voice torn up, almost gone.

“No, no, no you are,” Tommy insisted, he grabbed one of Wilbur’s hands with both of his, “god Wilbur why do you always have to be so pessimistic,” Tommy tried to laugh, but it came out a ugly.

Still, Wilbur smiled, “one of us had to be the bad brother,” He tried to joke, but he coughed instead. The movement wrecked his body while Tommy held on tighter to Wilbur’s hand.

“You aren’t a bad brother,” Tommy said, and it was the truth. Tears fell off his cheeks, he wiped them off instantaneously, there was no reason to cry. “You are a great brother, and my only family, and you aren’t going to die,” He flashed a smile, but Wilbur's face was falling.

Wilbur lifted his other hand slowly, reaching over his shoulder to his back. He winced, his eyes falling shut suddenly before he opened them with a realization. When he brought his hand up his fingers were doused in blood, Tommy watched Wilbur's eyes widen. He could feel their hearts quicken in unison.

“That's not good,” Wilbur said, a single tear falling and skipping over his skin. His eyes lost focus once again as he looked at his hand. The blood on his glove sliding downwards towards his palm.

Tommy mouthed “no,” in a gasp, he pulled a hand down his face as it swelled with terror. He let go of Wilbur, running back to search for bandages.

He could hear his brother panting as he searched, calling for him to come back. Tommy wouldn’t let him die. He wearily picked through the thrown supplies, his gaze finally finding bandages. Yet, when his fingers grazed the packaging it fell apart at his touch, becoming specs of particles. It pervaded the air, sinking into Tommy’s lungs.

Tommy stepped back, looking to Wilbur briefly for guidance, but he decided it was just in his head.

He rushed back to Wilbur with bandages, kneeling by his back. “I'm gonna fix this, you are okay,” Nodding, he peeled Wilbur's shoulder from the wall, exposing Tommy to the condition of Wilbur’s back.

Blood coated the wall, leaving a dark red splotch where Wilbur was sitting. His back was utterly burned, disfigured in a way that left Tommy holding in a gasp. The suit was torn through, melted away with the first layer of his flesh. Skin was black and bloody, flayed in horrifyingly sick ways.

Tommy couldn’t think, he bundled a handful of bandages and pressed against the wound. Wilbur groaned, arching in pain while he reached out for Tommy who didn’t take his hand. He was pulling apart the bandages, ripping them until he had a sash, he went to wrap it around the wound.

He soon realized it was very hard to wrap bandages around his back. He tried it at odd angles, but his eyes were blurring with frustration and he had to stop to wipe his face too much. Wilbur grew quieter, falling away.

“Why won’t it work?!” He shouted pointlessly in dissatisfaction with himself. His hands shook trying to soak up the blood that didn’t seem to ever stop. Bandages turned red, matching his stained hands, and it became hopeless. He sobbed, body trembling so violently he curled up in himself.

Wilbur's hand’s gently caressed Tommy’s back and he looked up. “You can’t die, Will, please don’t die,” He stammered, his face pulled painfully tight in agony. “I can’t be alone, don’t leave me alone,”

Something was whispering in his ear that he was already alone, but he pushed it away.

“Tell me what to do! How do I save you?” He pleaded, leaning up to find some sort of comfort in Wilbur’s eyes.

“I don’t think there’s anything you can do,”

“Don’t say that, don't say that!” He was yelling, he really didn’t want to yell. His heart was hammering in his chest, he grabbed onto Wilbur's hands again. “Please,” he whispered lightly, he was trying to meet Wiburs gaze but it was blurry and lost.

After a moment of silence, which was filled with rampant thoughts of how to save Wilbur. He came up empty every time.

“I’m sorry Toms,” Wilbur spoke first, looking away to the side with sad eyes. His jaw was quivering.

“For what?” Tommy’s eyebrows pulled together, a dreadful feeling dragging inside his chest.

“For everything,” He scoffed in shame, his chest fell with an exhale he struggled with. Wilbur ran a finger under his eye, pathetically trying to clear the tears on his face when he broke into a sob. “Tommy I didn’t mean to– I’m sorry I left you there,”

Instantly Tommy knew what Wilbur was talking about, and as much as he wanted to intervene, he let Wilbur speak.

“I thought I was doing the best thing, I thought you would be safe, but I know now it was a mistake. Please Tommy forgive me, I don’t mean to be overbearing, I'm just looking out for you. Your my little brother and I love you and I don’t know what I would of done if you died,”

His eyes were blinking slowly, falling closed.

“I forgive you Wil,” Tommy cried, he took Wilbur’s face in his hands.

“Please,” He begged, he pleaded, he couldn’t lose him. He couldn’t.

He breathed in a choked sob. Wilbur wouldn’t open his eyes.

Tommy fell against Wilbur's chest, pressing his face close enough to hear Wilbur's heartbeat. It was still there. Arms encircled him, warm but weak.

“Wilbur I can’t do it, I can’t be alone, I don’t want to be alone,” He stuttered, closing his eyes and wishing that it was all a dream. He could feel the demons perching around them, knowing they would take Wilbur the moment Tommy let go. He could practically hear the hissing, the screeching. It was loud, the way their claws dug into the metal, he couldn’t let them have Wilbur.

“I’m sorry Tommy,” He spoke as if he was suffocating, “You are gonna be okay,” His voice was calm, shaky but calm. As if he could accept this.

Tommy didn’t respond then, he couldn’t, there were no words that fit this impossible situation. Perhaps an ‘I love you would do. But before he could speak, there was a sharp short exhale of breath above him.

“No,” He said with a cry, tears drenching his face and burning his eyes. He hugged his brother, so tight he thought he just might melt into him. “No!” This couldn’t be how it ended. He was frustrated. And now, he was officially alone.

He didn’t know what to do, he stayed there crying, unable to get up. His mind was empty of any plan, of any solution. He wished he had never come to this planet, he just wanted Techno and Wilbur to come back. It took him a few hours to accept that it was impossible for that to happen.

Fate had been decided, it was beyond tough to walk away from Wilbur. To watch him be taken by death. To accept his own fate of loneliness.

It was then when he realized that no matter the fight, the winner is decided by the perceiver.

And Lucifer is always a winner in his own eyes, could he be the champion here too?

No one ever knows the whole story.

-

A few days later Tommy clicked on the camera.

“Uh hey,” He said, he was sitting on the floor of the ship, it was dark. “Um,” His eyes darted everywhere but the camera. The background noise was fuzzy, incoherent. “I'm sorry,” He scoffed, “this is stupid,”

He turned it off.

-

A few days later, he tried again.

“Hey!” he waved with his hand, “um I thought since I have no one to talk to I might do a video diary,” He shrugged, playing with the rock he had found when they first crashed in his hands.

“No one will see this probably, and I don’t know how long i’ll do this for,” He was staring off into the distance. “I don’t know,” The empty sound was filled with the sounds of rain.

“Anyway today I just sat in here,” the energy in his voice was lacking until a light spark lit up in his eyes, “Well, except I did figure out the camera, I also got the controls to work! So the lights are on,” He pointed upwards, his lips lifting slightly.

“I might go exploring tomorrow, but” he dragged on his words as he looked around for something, “I need to conserve battery so I’ll see you later,”

The camera clicked off.

-

Each day he kept track of his progress in a video diary. It kept his spirits up, it kept him distracted and motivated.

-

“Entry six I think,” He announced, moving the camera up and balancing it.

“Today I went exploring! And there wasn’t much out there, lava has cooled down, so it's not dangerous anymore.” He paced throughout the ship. “Well the forest is still on fire but I don’t go near there, but i'm thinking of working on my suit to make it more suitable for it in case I ever want to explore that way,”

“I also found this rock,” He held it up to the camera until it turned blurry, he adjusted it until it wasn’t. “It looks like a smiley face, see?” He laughed.

“Anyway I think i'm going to stay in here for a couple days because it’s really hot and my suit is still damaged.”

“That’s it I think, bye!”

-

“Entry ten!” Tommy exclaimed, sitting on the ground in front of the camera. He was holding something behind his back.

“I was going to the forest today–the fires are finally beginning to stop–and I was looking for more rocks to add to my collection because-”

The camera fell, its lens pointing upwards for a moment before Tommy retrieved it and held it out in front of him.

“Sorry, the ground has been shaking lately,” He pursed his lips nervously, “I think it might have something to do with a volcano, but I don’t know where another one could be,”

“Anyway I found a flower!” He held up a red flower that was planted in a food container. “I brought it inside here so it would be safe, I have no idea how it survived,” He set it down, “ I want to try and keep it alive, I mean it’s the only life left on this planet–well besides me,”

“Anyway I’m going to go sleep, I’ve been really tired lately, i’ve also been having weird dreams but that’s not really important,”

“Bye!” He waved and the recording stopped.

-

It went well until things took a turn. Things started looking like they weren’t going to turn out too good.

-

“Hello? Is this thing on?”

Tommy’s face was in the camera.

“Entry sixteen,” He grumbled, “The power went out of the ship, tremors are increasing, and i'm a little scared,”

He propped up the camera.

“I didn’t know if the camera would turn on but it looks like it still has some battery,” He paused, “I haven’t gone outside lately, the air is impossible to breathe through,” he sighed with a hand threading through his greasy hair.

He picked up the camera pointing it towards the flower, “My buddy is still alive, I don’t know for how long,” He admitted, pulling the camera back up to him.

Tommy tapped his fingers against his lip before chewing on a nail. “I don’t have much to say, I don’t know,”

“That's it for today,” He managed a smile.

-

“Entry twenty,” Tommy said as he was unsure. The ship was dark and Tommy had a flashlight.

“The clouds have successfully taken away the sunlight so, I have to use these now,” Tommy held up the light in his hand. “It’s really dark out there,” He was looking at the door of the ship, his eyes more dull than the last entry, “I almost like it better with the fire, Is that weird to say?”

“I’ve never been scared of the dark, but this is different,”

Tommy was quiet for a moment and now there was no noise to fill the void. He rubbed his eyes, “I was gonna try to keep these positive, but I don’t think i’m-” He stopped himself, breathing loudly through his nose.
“I don’t know why i’m trying so hard, I don’t know why i’m lying to myself, the inevitable is bound to happen,” he stuffed his face into his hands. “I’m gonna die,” He shook his head, as he looked up the darkness was too fragile to hide the pain in Tommy’s eyes.

“This is stupid,” He huffed, a frown pulling at his lips.

He turned off the camera.

-

“Entry twenty one,” Tommy croaked, his hands shaking as he held the camera.

“Sorry I haven’t recorded in a while, but it’s been five days, i've been angry– but I don’t think I am anymore,” His shoulders dropped with an exhale as he put up the camera.

“I think I've been hallucinating, which makes the dark a lot more scary,” He chuckled weakly, “things don’t feel real, and I don’t know what to do,” He looked down at the floor. “Sometimes I see things that don’t make sense,” His voice was shaky, as he looked up to the camera his emotion for the topic seemed to dwindle.

“Not that a camera can do anything,” He mumbled shortly. He swallowed and cleared his throat.

“My flower,” He leaned out of view before coming back with his flower in his hand, “it’s still alive,” He smiled almost proudly, “I think it might outlive me, and I don’t think I have a problem with that,” He nodded.

“That's really all the updates, sorry it's not very long but I’m tired,”

Tommy coughed as he shut off the camera once again.

-

“Entry twenty two,”

Tommy was sitting still in front of the camera, his flower in his lap. He dragged his hands down the sides of his face. Taking a deep breath before speaking again.

“I think this may be my last entry,”

“I ran out of food and water a while ago, i've searched enough to find that there’s no way of getting more,” He pressed his lips together to stop his lips from quivering. “So things aren’t looking that good,” He closed his eyes, rocking slightly he cracked his knuckles.

He spoke after a few moments.

“Um,” He hummed, “I don’t want to die,” He wiped at his eyes, exhaling shakily. “But I don’t think, I don’t think i’m gonna get what I want this time,”

He covered his mouth, eyes looking up in an attempt not to cry. “I’m fine,” He said, but it was muffled. He swept back his hair, removing his trembling hands from his face, “I knew it was coming, I just didn’t–”

“Gods,” He wiped underneath his eyes again, stopping any tears from falling.

“Obviously there’s not going to be anyone to save me this time, I just thought maybe there could be a way to get out,” He sniffled, chest expanding in a large breath.

“I just wanted to make a final video diary, it just made sense,” He nodded with red eyes.

“I really hate being alone,” Tommy declared, a weight on his chest visibly diminished. “Maybe I'm getting punished,” he proposed in delirium.

“I need to go,” He reached towards the camera, finally a tear escaped his eye, slipping down to rest on his lip. “I'm going to lie down, if anyone finds this, check if my flower is still alive alright?”

And the camera turned off.

-

Tommy had laid down, accepting his own death. At Least he didn’t die from being burned alive from the outside, or the inside. Maybe that's one thing the twins had in common that he didn’t.

Not that starving to death was pleasurable. He would most likely pass out from lack of sleep before starvation caught up with him anyway.

He stared at the ceiling of the ship, it was dark and hot. He missed his brothers and he felt like he was being torn apart from the inside out.

He never once thought to take fate into his own hands, he never thought to wander over to one of the guns on the floor. He thought that even if he did, he wouldn’t be able to do it.

The time came when it was too much, when he couldn’t seem to inhale.

When Tommy could see the demons surrounding him, passing by the body that was Wilbur's, he didn’t run away. He did close his eyes though, hoping and wishing, on a useless coin. A silver coin tossed in a sea of red, held in a palm that wasn’t human. In a palm that was manipulative to the point where the coin was useless, a bargaining chip in the game of chess. Negotiation has no place in a game of power.

Where the demons went, Tommy was bound to follow. To meet the face of death, and as it smiled, Tommy didn’t dare smile back. He had played the games before, he had indulged in the dangerous and alluring fantasies that weren’t more than mere lies and fabrication of what could be, or what could have been.

He was told in a low voice to open his eyes. He held them closed for as long as he could. But his hope was always his poison. He opened them, thinking that he might see freedom.

He saw the ceiling of his ship. When suddenly it was torn apart, the metal pulled from his vision and he couldn’t seem to move his head.

The sky was revealed. It wasn’t dark or plagued by smoke. It wasn’t red. Instead it was blue, dazzling with the light of the sun. Clouds were white and fluffy, making shapes of animals Tommy would point out if he was in any other situation.

And in the distance flying through the air towards Tommy as if in rescue, was his ship.

His brothers had always been there to rescue him.

Except that one day, that day when his planet exploded. When Tommy was left alone, to die alone, whisked away by death’s cruel claws.

His brothers had been too late.

-

In death's hands where his fears were exploited. Where his mind was tampered with and his sense of reality distorted. He only knew two things.

One, that he was alone.

And two, if he could change his fear to anything but that. He would.

Because he died alone once, and it never stopped. Stuck in an eternal purgatory, penalized for whatever he did “wrong”, using the worst part of his life to hurt him.

And when that ship flies in, piloted by his brothers, when the sun glints off its wings and shines a bright white, everything starts all over again.