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Techno has always known his brothers better than they know themselves. When his items started to go missing - specifically the valuable ones -, Techno had the oddest feeling that he knew who was doing it. Phil would never touch his things without Techno's permission, and Wilbur doesn't know where he lives. No one knows where he lives - he's far away enough that he's never seen anyone's footprints in the snow. With Phil and Wilbur crossed out, Techno's only option was Tommy.
And he was right.
He went down to his basement, went below that. He nearly stumbled face first into a room that hadn't been there before. And Tommy is right in front of him, right there. He's curled up on his side, his knees raised up to his chest. His head is buried on top of his legs, and he's so, so small. Techno can see his ribs from here, and he feels a wave of fury and uncontrolled rage surge up into his chest, threatening to strangle him. Tommy might be stupid sometimes, but Tommy is his little brother. His little brother. No one gets to hurt him and get away with it, not if Techno has a say.
Techno stares at the little boy in front of him, his heart nearly shattering in his chest. Tommy looks so small. Techno looks at the bruises on his neck and arms, biting down on his tongue. He tastes blood a second later, unclenching his jaw. "Phil," he turns, whispering his dad's name. "Phil," Techno repeats, seeing blue eyes meet his own. "Come here." He moves away from the ladder, watching as Phil scrambles down it, standing next to him. His dad's hand flies to his face, clamped over his mouth. Techno recognises the look in his eyes as raw fury.
"When.." Phil breathes in, puffing himself up. He juts his chest out, a look of neutrality passing over his face. Phil is better at pretending than Techno has ever been. "When did you find him?"
"Just now," Techno murmurs, keeping his voice as low as he can. "I would have told you if I had found him earlier. He's got bruises, Phil. New and old."
Phil clenches his jaw, gritting his teeth. His eyes close for a second, and Techno listens to him murmur swears under his breath. "Dream." Phil finally settles on, and Techno nods gently.
"He's the only one," he agrees, his hand flying down to his sword on his hip. "I'm goin' to kill him."
"Not if I get to him first," Phil settles him with a look that says he's being honest, his eyes shining with rage. "If I get to him first, I'm going to kill him." Techno nods, letting his hands fall back to his sides. It's only fair. Tommy is Phil's son, after all. As much as Techno wants to skin Dream alive, he isn't going to get in the way if Phil finds him first. He knows that Phil plans on doing the same.
"Alright," he nods, wincing when Tommy whimpers in his sleep. "Make it last. If I don't get to him first. Make it last. Make it hurt." Phil looks at him with a smile, and Techno smiles back. It isn't a smile of happiness, only one of twisted anger.
"I will," Phil promises. "Should we wake him up?"
"No," Techno shakes his head, staring at the small boy in front of him. "He needs the rest."
Phil nods, his shoulders slouching. "I'll go get him a blanket and some food." And then he's climbing back up the ladder, disappearing. Techno feels the anger in his chest slowly start to fade as he stares at Tommy, watching his little brother's side rise and fall. His breathing sounds laboured, and Techno is going to have to check him over for any wounds. But right now, Tommy is afraid of him. There's a reason his things started to go missing. If Tommy wasn't afraid of him, he would've just asked.
Techno understands. He knows that it took Tommy a long time to forgive Wilbur, and he doesn't even think it's forgiveness. Just acceptance. Techno destroyed his home a little less than Wilbur did, but still. It's going to take a long, long time before Tommy even considers forgiveness. Techno understands. He isn't going to go groveling for Tommy's forgiveness, he doesn't have to. It'll happen eventually, Techno isn't going to force it. Phil drops to the ground by him, a plate in his hand and a blanket slung over his shoulder.
"He'll be okay," Techno tells him, though he's mostly saying it for himself. "Nothin' can happen to him here." Phil turns to smile at him, draping the blanket over Tommy's shoulders.
"Thank you, Techno," Phil doesn't need to thank him. But it still makes his heart soar, hearing even the weakest praises from his father. "He'll forgive you."
"Thank you," Techno smiles, leaning against the wall of the room that Tommy caved out. "He'll come talk to us when he's ready. He's just.."
"Scared," Phil finishes the sentence for him, setting the plate on the counter next to Tommy. "He's just scared. It'll all work out."
"It always does," he takes a long look at Tommy's sleeping figure, wishing that he wasn't so skinny. His clothes are all torn and worn down. Techno knows how to sew, but he thinks that Tommy's clothes are too far gone for that. He'll have to get Phil to go into New L'manberg and pick some up. "He'll know that we know when he wakes up."
Phil nods. "He will," he confirms. "But he's still not going to come upstairs until he's ready. Might as well do the most we can until he is."
"Yeah," Techno agrees. "If I see him anywhere near here, I'll bring him to the house. I'll let you have him." Phil beams at him, his smile so genuine and bright that Techno can almost ignore the bloodlust that hides behind it.
"You don't have to," Phil reaches up, patting his shoulder gently. "If you find him first, you find him first. Same rules go for you. Make it last, make it hurt. Now," Phil starts to climb up the ladder again, and Techno follows him, trying to be as quiet as he can. "Let's let him him rest for a little."
Techno moves the chair that had been hiding the room back to where it had been, his heart aching in his chest as the hole disappears. Tommy is going to be okay.
Techno is going to make Dream pay.