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Technoblade shouldn’t have been so surprised when he saw his older brother at the edge of a bridge. He should’ve seen it coming. He should’ve noticed the clear signs of distress Wilbur was showing. If he’d just paid more attention, Wilbur wouldn’t have even been there in the first place. Techno should’ve fucking noticed .
“Wilbur?” Techno had never felt so scared before. His voice was small and shaky as he watched his older brother reach his tipping point. Wilbur didn’t look up when he heard Techno. He couldn’t take his eyes off the water below.
“The water looks nice tonight, Technoblade.”
“Yeah?”
“It’d be so easy just to jump, y’know?”
“Well, it would be much nicer to walk down to the water.” Techno took a cautious step towards Wilbur. Wilbur stepped back defensively. Techno let out a quick exhale. So , Techno thought, how the hell do I get him out of this situation?
“It’s quicker to jump.”
“While it may be quicker, it won’t be as satisfyin’.” Techno took another step forward. Wilbur hesitated, but stood still. “Phil’s worried out of his mind. We’ve been lookin’ for you all night. I’m not supposed to be out here anymore, but I had to find you.” Techno reached for the phone in his pocket. Wilbur’s eyes widened.
“Don’t!” He said frantically, subconsciously taking a few steps forward. Techno slowly took the phone out of his pocket and set it on the ground next to him. Wilbur sighed. “I don’t want him worrying about me anymore.”
“Wil, you’re worryin’ him by not letting him know where you are. You didn’t even bring your phone. Please, will you let me just talk to him and let him know that you’re alright? I’ll put it on speaker if you really want.” Techno stared into Wilbur’s eyes. The icy blue met chocolate brown as Wilbur conceded.
Techno bent down and picked up the phone. He ignored the thousands of texts he’d received from his friends and family and dialed Phil’s number. Techno noticed Wilbur visibly tense up.
Phil picked up the phone immediately.
“Techno, where the hell are you?” Wilbur flinched even though Phil’s yelling wasn’t even directed at him. Techno wanted to give his older brother a hug, but he knew that Wilbur wouldn’t let Techno near him.
“Tower Bridge in London,” Techno responded simply.
“Why are you at the Tower Bridge?” Phil’s voice was laced with worry. Wilbur looked away from his younger brother and back over the edge of the bridge at the water. It was clear that the boy was so fucking tempted to jump.
“I found Wilbur here.”
The other line went silent. Techno could hear Phil mutter something under his breath.
“Techno.”
“Yes?”
“Why is Wilbur at the Tower Bridge?”
“Hang up,” Wilbur cut in.
“Dad, I think he’s goin’ to-”
“Hang up.”
“He’s goin’ to-”
“Hang up!”
“I think he’s goin’ to jump.” Wilbur’s breathing hitched as he took a few steps backward. That’s when Techno knew he’d fucked up.
“Wilbur, I’m co-” Techno reluctantly hung up. He knew he shouldn’t have, but he couldn’t stand seeing Wilbur so scared .
Wilbur laughed humorlessly and turned away from Techno. Techno could barely make out the tears pouring from Wilbur’s eyes in the dark.
“Wil-”
“Don’t fucking ‘Wil’ me, Technoblade! I don’t even want you here and you’re bringing Phil now! I’m sure Tommy will be here soon as well!” Wilbur violently ran his fingers through his hair before pulling on it. Techno flinched. “You couldn’t just let me do one thing! One fucking thing !”
“Of course I’m not gonna let you do the thing that involves you jumpin’ off a bridge ! Unluckily for you, I actually care about you!” Techno couldn’t help but raise his voice. He felt bad when he watched Wilbur curl in on himself further.
“Don’t lie to me. No one cares.” It was barely a whisper, but Techno heard it loud and clear. He bit his lip and took a step toward Wilbur. For once, the older didn’t back up. Techno decided to close the distance between them.
Techno wasn’t a touchy-feely kind of person, but when Wilbur collapsed into his arms, he immediately held his older brother as tightly as he could. Wilbur sobbed into Techno’s shoulder. Techno ran his fingers through Wilbur’s hair gently in a comforting gesture. Techno barely even noticed the scars and cuts on Wilbur’s arms, but he took note of them.
After a few minutes, Wilbur’s sobs turned into quiet whimpers. The boys were too afraid to let go of each other. Techno was afraid Wilbur would jump, and Wilbur was afraid that Techno would leave.
Suddenly, it began to rain. It started out as a light sprinkle but soon turned into a thunderstorm. Both boys were soaking wet, yet neither of them moved. Techno was faintly aware of the car that was driving towards them.
“Boys!” Phil called, stepping out of the car. Tommy was anxiously waiting in the passenger seat of the car. Techno turned to Phil. Wilbur didn’t move his face out of Techno’s shoulder. Thunder roared, making Wilbur jump and sink further into his younger brother.
“Phil-”
“Tell me in the car.” Phil seemed angry, but more concerned than anything. Techno pulled away from Wilbur, but Wilbur still clung to him as they walked. They got into the car.
Tommy was quiet. It was weird not hearing him chatter away. It made Techno feel slightly disconcerted. Phil got back into the driver’s seat and started up the car again.
“What the hell happened?” Phil didn’t look at anything other than the road, but Techno knew that the question was directed at him and Wilbur. Wilbur didn’t seem in the mood for talking, he was nearly asleep on Techno’s shoulder.
“Dad…” Techno took a deep breath. He felt Wilbur tense up. “He was goin’ to-'' He cut himself off. He choked back a sob. He hadn’t cried that night and didn’t plan to, but thinking about what he saw made him upset. “He was gonna jump, Dad.” Wilbur dug his head deeper into Techno’s shoulder. Techno could feel the fresh tears falling from Wilbur’s eyes.
“Jump off what? What does that mean?” Tommy asked finally, turning around to face them. Techno frowned. Tommy was smart, Techno knew that, but he didn’t know a lot of things. Apparently that was one of them.
“Toms, Wilbur wanted to jump off a bridge.”
“Yeah, and?”
“If he jumped, he would’ve died.” Techno spoke in a soft voice. Tommy’s eyes widened as he turned to look at Wilbur.
“Why would he want to do that?” Tommy asked. Wilbur sniffled and finally looked over at Tommy, but his head still rested on Techno’s shoulder. His eyes were red and puffy, and he was still crying.
“Have you ever felt sad?” Wilbur asked. His voice was hoarse.
“No, I’m perfect.”
“ Tommy ,” Techno cut in with a stern look. Tommy sighed.
“Yeah.”
“Imagine feeling like that, but all the time. To the point where you’d rather die than continue feeling.”
“Why are you sad, Wilbur?” Wilbur bit his lip and looked at Techno pleadingly. Techno turned to Tommy.
“I don’t think Wil wants to talk about it right now.” Techno expected Tommy to object, but he didn’t. He closed his mouth, nodded, and turned back around. Wilbur dug his face into Techno’s shoulder again.
The rest of the car ride was nearly silent; the only sounds being Wilbur’s small whimpers, Techno’s quiet coos and comforting words, and Phil sniffling.
They finally reached home. Tommy was the first out of the car. Techno opened the car door and dragged Wilbur along with him. As they walked to the door, he turned back just in time to see Phil wiping his eyes and letting out a shaky sigh.
Tommy led them into the home. He seemed uncomfortable. He didn’t understand exactly what was going on. Techno couldn’t blame him; the kid was only fourteen. Techno was just happy that he’d found Wilbur before Tommy did.
Techno walked with Wilbur to his room. They didn’t speak. Wilbur sat down on his bed. Techno stood near the door.
“I’m sorry,” Wilbur said finally. Techno shook his head.
“Don’t be; it’s alright.” Techno shot his brother a small smile. “Get some rest, I have to make a few calls.” Wilbur nodded. “G’Night, Wil.”
“Goodnight, Technoblade.”
Techno left the room and shut the door behind him. He leaned against a wall in the hallway and sighed. It had been a stressful night, and Techno was overwhelmed. Unfortunately, he wasn’t finished.
He walked downstairs again. Tommy and Phil sat in the kitchen silently. Phil had his head in his hands. Tommy’s leg was bouncing up and down. He was looking at the floor. Techno cleared his throat. Both blond boys looked up.
“I have to, uh, make a few calls,” he said. “If you need me for anythin’, I’ll be in the livin’ room.” Techno left the kitchen without another word. He pulled his phone out of his pocket again. He didn’t bother to read any of the texts he’d received while he was out.
He dialed in Fundy’s number.
“Hey, this is Fundy! I’m unable to come to the phone right now, probably because I’m with Dream, so leave a message or shoot me a text after the beep!” Techno sighed. He didn’t feel like leaving a voicemail. He simply texted Fundy, ‘found wil. don’t talk to him unless he talks to you. he’s having a rough time.’
Next, he called Niki. She didn’t answer. Neither did Eret nor Schlatt. Techno had sent them all the same text. He rubbed his eyes. It was three in the morning and Techno hadn’t slept a wink.
The next person he called was Tubbo. Well, Tubbo’s house phone. Dream had picked up instead.
“Hello?” Dream said. Techno sighed. He didn’t want to speak to Dream.
“Hallo,” Techno responded.
“Oh. Techno. Why are you calling so late? Shouldn’t you be asleep?”
“I could ask you the same question.”
“That’s fair. Why are you calling?”
“I want to speak with Tubbo.”
“Tubbo? My step-brother Tubbo?”
“You know who I’m referrin’ to.”
“Sorry, just messing around.” Techno could hear Dream’s smile through the phone.
“Can I please speak to him?”
“He’s asleep. Leave a message?”
“Let him know we found Wilbur.”
“Wilbur was missing?”
“Yes.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“That doesn’t matter right n-”
“Um, yeah, it matters to me.”
“We didn’t think you’d know where he was.”
“That’s true, but I’m good at finding things.” Techno sighed.
“Just tell Tubbo that Wil’s alive.”
“Well is he alright? You gotta give me more than that.” Techno frowned. At that point, Dream was just playing with him.
“No, Dream, he’s not alright. But he’s alive. That’s what matters to me.”
“What do you mean ‘he’s not alright’? Did he get arrested or something?”
“I don’t want to discuss this with you right n-”
“C’mon, you know you want to. What crime did the ‘Dirty Crime Boy’ commit? Was it fratricide? I bet he finally murdered Tommy.”
“He tried to kill himself, Dream.” The other line went silent immediately. Techno knew he shouldn’t have said that. He didn’t know if Wilbur wanted that information shared.
There was another beat of silence. Techno wondered for a moment if Dream had hung up.
“. . .He did what ?” Dream asked with a shaky laugh at the end.
“You heard me. Now please, just tell Tubbo that we found him so he doesn’t worry. But don’t tell anyone what I told you, got it?”
“Alright.”
“Goodnight, Dream.”
“Night, Techno.”
Techno hung up. He didn’t realize he was crying. He pursed his lips and wiped his tears away. He looked at the clock. 3:10. He’d been on the phone for ten minutes. He cleared his throat again and stood up.
The pinkette walked back into the kitchen. Tommy was doing something on his phone. Phil’s position hadn’t changed. Neither of them looked up when Techno walked in.
“Dad,” Techno said. Phil snapped his head up to look at his son. His entire face was red. He was still crying. “What are we supposed to do?”
“I don’t know, Tech.” Phil wiped his eyes. “Did he - did you - y’know?” Techno didn’t know. What the hell was Phil on about? Phil sighed. “Did you see his arms?” Techno bit his lip and looked down.
“Yes.”
“Were there any…y’know…”
“Yes.”
“Fuck.” Phil put his head in his hands again. Techno took a seat next to his father. He rubbed Phil’s back in a way that he thought was soothing. “I’m the worst father of the decade,” Phil said with a watery laugh.
“Don’t say that, Dad.” Tommy scooted his chair closer to Phil. “If you’re the worst father, then I’m the worst brother. I didn’t know either.”
“Neither of you are the worst,” Techno interrupted. “He just needs time. He’ll be alright. We’ll all be alright.”