Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“And you wanna know the best part?” Tommy peeps, hands in excited fists as he hops alongside Wilbur. “He says he has info on Dream! So, yknow, if you think about it…us three just got Pogtopia a hell of a boost!”

Wilbur rolls his eyes, chuckling softly. “And that you did. Who woulda thought?” He pats Tommy on the shoulder before ushering him away. “I can handle him on my own. Fetch Fundy and Tubbo, I’m sure you three have better things to do than poke at him with me.” Tommy wanted to argue, but it was hard to when the other option was a lot more appealing. So, with a light huff, he turned and scurried off.

Now that he was alone, Wilbur’s face fell to display something much more neutral. He entered the newly dug cave, sealed by a fresh iron door that opened upon his foot landing on a pressure plate in front of it. He stepped in as the door shut with a clang behind him, hands tucked neatly behind his back as he approached the figure in the middle of the desolate room.

Under a flimsy light, tied tight against a chair was Sapnap, Dream’s blaze brother and second in command. He was a ferocious fighter, one Wilbur had to admit he feared to meet on the battlefield. His hair was jet black and his eyes were fiery, albeit not just in color. When Sapnap’s head shot up, his eyes were wide and honing in on Wilbur in an instant. He almost looked…scared.

“Wilbur! Fuck, thank Prime, you- you can get me out of here, right? Just tell them I mean you no harm and I’ll be on my way!” He pleaded, shrinking back as his tail lashed nervously behind him. Sapnap yanked on his chained limbs, desperately trying to free himself of his confines. “Fuuuck…” he hissed under his breath. Wilbur managed to hear the faint sizzling of heat against metal before it was overpowered by the strong material.

The brunette raised a brow, giving him an unimpressed look despite the surprise that flashed in his thoughts. Sapnap was pleading? When the hell did the blaze get so…soft?

“Now why would I do such a thing?” Wilbur asked innocently, voice high and mocking. He smiled cruelly and took another step forward, taking pride in the way Sapnap shied farther back. The Nether hybrid curled in on himself, tail coiling nervously around his leg.

“Why…what?” He seemed genuinely shocked, and now Wilbur could see the fear evident in his expression. “Wait- Wilbur, you can’t be serious-“ His eyes flit over the ex-president’s face, helplessly searching for any hint of a joke. Wilbur only smiled at him.

“Sweet Sapnap, what reason have you ever given me proving I should spare you? Show you some mercy?” He laughed silkily, tilting his head back in amusement. “You know, I always used to think you were just…Dream’s numb killing machine. But now that I’ve actually met you? Prime, you’re so weak!” Wilbur mocked, laughing again. Sapnap winced and looked down, ears pinned down as his face burned with shame.

“I’m not weak, Wilbur.” He defended, trying to put some anger behind his words, but that was considerably hard to do while cowering in chains.

Wilbur snorted, “You’re not? Okay, then,” He walked closer, stepping around him to initially stand behind the blaze. Of course, Sapnap instantly displayed his hate for this, tensing up while he thrashed again in an attempt to move away from the towering brunette. “Move my hand.”

“Your hand?” Sapnap made an inhuman sound of panic as he felt fingers thread through his hair, yanking his head back not long after. He yelped, faltering as forward as he could go before Wilbur dragged him back.

Wil chuckled at the panic in the blaze’s movements, watching as he jerked his head around and warbled insistently. 

“Wil- Wilbur, please, fuck, let go-“ He whimpered, and Wilbur could’ve sworn he saw a few tears poke at his eyes.

“I might…Will you admit that you’re weak?”

Sapnap instantly shook his head, scowling at him. There’s the fire. 

“Then move my hand,” The brit challenged again, tugging at his hair just enough to sting more. 

With little time to react, he could only watch as Sapnap’s tail suddenly shot up and wound tightly around his wrist, unmoving even when Wilbur clawed at it. With a scoff, he glared down at the blaze, not noticing how the coil slowly gained heat. It was only after the smell of burning flesh and the sound of sizzling filled the room that Wilbur noticed, screaming and pulling his arm back from his head. The tail let up easily, letting him retreat while he stumbled back, gripping his wound tightly.

“Dick,” Sapnap hissed weakly, head falling forward now that nothing was forcing it up. His neck ached from the strain, scalp screaming at him in pain as he tried to shake it off. Wilbur scowled at him and unsheathed his sword, the sound alerting Sapnap and sending him into another panicked frenzy. But Wilbur didn’t plunge it into his chest as he approached. Rather, he flipped it over and lifted it above the blaze’s head, whacking his skull as hard as he could so he could see Sapnap slump over, unconscious. That should keep him until next time.

Chapter Text

It wasn’t the end. His side was still winning; there was still hope. How did he know this? Well, the god’s awful cave he’d been stuck in for the past week wasn’t exactly soundproof. Tommy would stumble into the ravine at the same time every day after his scouting. He’d shout and complain about new threats from Sapnap’s team, dragging his feet towards the direction of Wilbur until the brunet silenced him.

Dream and George were still fighting tirelessly to keep their upper hand. They were few in numbers still, but from what Sapnap was hearing, JSchlatt was still president, and Dream still held onto his power. That was good enough for him. As long as they were okay, Sapnap would sit here and rot until he died.

But..something was different about today. The blonde brit had come into the ravine as usual, whining loudly. But then he had just…stopped, and it had gone quiet. What was going on?

All Sapnap could hear were hushed voices and faint footsteps. He looked up meekly, squinting at the faint cracks of light from the door. 

“It’s not going to work, Wilbur!” Tommy abruptly shouted from outside the iron blockade.

That’s when Wilbur appeared, dressed in his usual suit and striding up with his aloof demeanor. He stepped inside the cave, door slamming shut behind him. Sapnap watched him warily, pulling his legs up and closer to himself while his tail partially coiled around the chair’s leg.

“Sapnap,” The brit mused, chin held high. Sapnap sneered, pressing his body as flat as he could against the back of the chair. Wilbur said nothing if raising an eyebrow didn’t count. “I’ve come to make a deal with you.”

Sap scoffed, “You’re a real comedian, Wilbur Soot. Never laughed so hard in my fucking life.” He retorted with a sinister chuckle, forcing his muscles to slightly relax. His tail swung languidly by his foot, swinging back and forth like the pendulum of a clock.

Wilbur frowned. “This isn’t a joke, Sapnap. I have a proposition for you.”

The blaze rolled his eyes, kicking his leg and leaning back. “Yeah? Well, do you wanna know what I think about your proposition?” He asked, smiling, fangs pressing harmlessly against his bottom lip. 

Wilbur narrowed his eyes, “You haven’t even-“

“I think you should shove it up your ass.”

The brit, clearly expecting that, clamped his mouth shut and glared at him. His hands curled into dangerous fists as he approached him, eyes fixated on his suddenly tense figure. 

Before Sapnap could possibly protest anything, Wilbur reached for one of his horns and grabbed it tightly, yanking his head to the side and eliciting a yelp from the blaze, who kicked helplessly at him.

“Fuck you!”

“Yes yes, fuck me, I’ve heard it already, Sapnap,” Wilbur Soot rolled his eyes, holding his head down with the grip he had on his horn. For some odd reason, the blaze almost went completely limp, growling indignantly. The brunet hummed, watching the lax figure in the chair with curious eyes. “Something wrong, Sapnap?”

“Go fuck yourself, I’m fine,” He insisted, but it sounded weak, even to his own ears. The ex-president only sighed, letting go of his horn. While Sapnap recovered, Wilbur stepped behind him again and rested a hand on top of his chair, slowly pulling it backward. Sapnap, confused, made a small noise of protest, trying to look over his shoulder.

“Are you ready to listen, then?” Wilbur asked, looking directly down at him.

Sapnap snorted, “I ain’t doin’ shit for ya,” He spat at him, smoke dripping from his lips. It was weird having to look at him upside down, but Sapnap could manage.

Wilbur sighed, looking to the door, almost as if contemplating giving up. He didn’t move, though, just stood there and stared. Sapnap, now uneasy, wriggled in the chair, glaring down at the chains. This alerted Wil, who looked back down at him casually. He let go of the chair and Sap fell forward suddenly, just barely managing to not topple over.

“Bitch,” He seethed, chest heaving. Wilbur only smiled and shrugged.

“Forget I ever said anything, then. You’re clearly not interested in seeing your friends again.” He started to slowly walk away, letting Sapnap process the weight of what he’d just implied. The blaze stared at him with wide, hopeful eyes, and it was almost…sweet.

He asked, “What do you mean?” His voice almost sounded higher, breathier, like he’d just been stomped in the chest and was holding back tears.

Wilbur stopped walking, hiding a smile while his hand, holding a key, hovered over the iron door’s lock. “Oh, no, don’t worry about it. You clearly don’t seem too interested.” He shrugged again, jamming the key into the keyhole.

“No! No, fuck, uh, wait, Wil-” he blabbered, straining against the chains. “I guess I’m- maybe, like, a little…interested, in your offer.” When Wilbur said nothing, Sapnap caved and added, “Please, Wilbur, I’ll listen.”

He extracted the key with a satisfied smile, whirling back around to face him. “Perfect,” The brunet purred, walking back over to him. Sapnap watched him sadly, ashamed of how easily he’d given in. “It’s simple, really,” Wilbur began, sounding all too cheery. “You’re a good fighter, yeah?”

Sapnap stared at him, suspicions rising. “Yeah…”

Wilbur’s smile grew. “Great! Then you’ll be a perfect escort for Tommy and his crew.”

“Escort?” Sapnap displayed offense, tail lashing. “I’m not babysitting your brother!”

The brunet rolled his eyes. “Yes, escort. Him, Tubbo, and Fundy are all making a trip tonight for some spider eyes, but they’re fucking idiots. All I need you to do is protect them for the night, gather what they need, and leave. Not too hard, right?”

“What’s the catch?” Sapnap asked, narrowing his eyes. It sounded too…simple.

“The catch is that if they come back with a single scratch on them, my mates will ambush your idiot leader.”

Panic snapped at Sapnap’s chest. He watched fearfully as Wilbur tossed his communicator at his feet, craning forward to read what was on the steel blue screen.

Sapnap: I’m out. Meet me by the river in two hours.

Dream: Took you long enough. I’ll be there.

“The question is, which one of us will be there?” The brunet grinned toothily.

Sapnap stared at the screen and his eyes filled with fear. If he didn’t come back with those brats, Dream’s death would be all on him. He looked up at Wilbur, meeting his fiery, boastful gaze. Had Wilbur won this time?