Work Text:
It all started with a visit from Technoblade. Well, realistically it started before that, but they hadn‘t the time to retell their entire lives, so it was most logical to just start at the point their lives broke apart completely.
So yes, It all started with a visit from Technoblade. With a heavy knock. The opening of a door, only to be met with one‘s oldest friend.
„Hello, Will.“
„Technoblade,“ Wilbur stepped aside, waving his brother into their house, „ You must be famished, do you want to eat something?“
„That won't be necessary.“
Will hated how formal they had become. Long gone were the times of joking and laughing and play-fighting. Now they were just a Houseowner and his guest, the little detail of their blood-relation unimportant.
„Why are you here, Technoblade?“
„I wanted to visit you before-„ He cut off, looking down onto his shoes and Wilbur wanted to laugh out loud. That was the first time that he had seen Techno so out of place that he lowered his gaze.
But before he could laugh the meaning of Techno‘s pause became apparent, „Technoblade, you can‘t mean-„
„I fear I do, Brother.“ Techno looked back up and directly into his twin's eyes.
„No,“ Wilbur used the same tone he used when Tommy wanted to do something extremely dangerous and stupid with the neighbours‘ kids, but Techno didn‘t seem impressed.
„I don‘t have a choice, Will,“
„There's always a choice, Tech. You can‘t-„ He stopped. It had taken less than two minutes for them to return to their nicknames, but that didn‘t mean anything if Techno would just run off again.
„That‘s the problem, Will. I can.“
„You don‘t know that,“
„I do, Phil,“
„Phil-„
„Who‘s there, Will?“ A voice asked from the door, and soon the lean blonde figure of Tommy stepped into their cabin. He was about sixteen now, and wore one of Will‘s old red sweaters over one of Techno‘s old shirts.
„A guest,“ Will answered, shooting Techno a warning glance, but the second man didn‘t need to say anything for the boy to recognise him.
„Techno“ The words came out as a breath and a smile settled on Tommy‘s face, „You‘re home.“
„He’s not staying long,“ Wilbur said as he turned towards their small kitchen, „Bread or Soup?“
„Soup.“ Tommy said as he sat down, gesturing for Techno to do the same, „Why are you here?“
Wilbur couldn‘t quite understand Techno‘s whispered response but based on the way Tommy‘s eyes lit up further, it could be said that his brother hadn‘t told him that he was trying to get himself killed.
He wanted nothing as much as to kick Techno out of his house, but that would hurt Tommy and that was the last thing he wanted, so he just sat down next to them and continued to talk, „How long do you plan on staying, Tech?“
Techno was fiddling around with one of the golden rings he wore on his fingers, „Just tonight. I‘ll be off tomorrow, never to bother you again.“
Wilbur wanted to answer something, but Tommy was quicker, „Techno, tell me a
story.“His brother laughed a little, „I don‘t know if I have any stories suitable for a young child,“ Wilbur braced himself for the annoyed `I am not a child‘ speech Tommy always gave when someone referred to him as such, but nothing came.
„Please, Techno. You‘re the Blade, the coolest person ever.“ Techno smiled, „I would, but I believe our dear Wilbur here would kill me if I did,“
„I don‘t need to, you‘ll manage that yourself.“ Wilbur simply said and Techno took that as permission to begin, „ I‘ll tell you of my first adventure okay? I was seven, I believe.“
„Eight,“ Wilbur cut in, „Dad wouldn‘t let you leave at seven, because you couldn‘t tell him the average temperature of a mountain creek,“
„Nine. Will didn‘t want to let me go. But I had to, so he tried to sneak away with me. He was of course caught, because he didn‘t train like I had and then I had to walk him all the way back and had to wait another three months to go. The end.“ Techno bowed as if he had just told the best hero story, but Tommy was entirely unimpressed, „I meant a real story. If I want to be joked with, I‘d go to old lady Mary down the street.“
„Okay, a real story.“ Techno agreed, this time not even pretending to care about Wilbur‘s opinion and he began to tell a tale that sounded like something their father used to tell them when they were children. A story about suffering and training and finally, success.
„And that‘s how I killed a wither.“ He ended the story and one look at Tommy showed Wilbur that he was amazed. Of course he was. Their father hadn‘t told him the stories, no, from the moment Tommy was old enough to comprehend speech, Wilbur was the only one willing to talk to him. Techno was gone and so was their father.
„That‘s so cool, I have to tell Tubbo about it. Can I go right now, Wilbur?“ Tommy smiled and Wilbur hated to tell him no, but there was no other way, „I‘m sorry Gremlin, but it‘s late and Schlatt said you couldn’t come over so late anymore,“
Tommy‘s shoulders slacked immediately, but he didn‘t complain, „Okay, I‘ll head to my room then. Homework waits for no-one,“
„Take your plate to the kitchen first,“ Wilbur said and Tommy complied, now looking as happy as ever.
„The kid changed,“ Techno noted after Tommy had disappeared in his room,
„based on the fact that he exists, I‘d guess so.“
„I‘ve met him before,“ Techno said,
„No, you haven‘t.“ Wilbur was sure of that. He hadn‘t seen his brother in sixteen years.
„Yes, I have. When he was twelve. He came to that fair I invited you two to. You couldn‘t come because of business.“
„He never went to a fair, Techno. The nearest town that has fairs is two days away from here. I think I‘d have noticed when my brother ran away for a week.“
„Then tell me, Brother… How did he know my name? Trust me enough to hug me?“
Wilbur didn‘t have an answer, at first but then it dawned on him, „You said when he was twelve?“
„Yes?“ Techno looked almost worried at Wilbur's tone, but he didn‘t say anything.
„I know why I didn‘t notice.“
„Yes?“ Techno asked, drawing out the ‚e‘ and gesturing with his hands.
„When he was twelve, my son was born. My wife was in labour for two days. Then she got very ill and we thought she‘d die. It took her a month to recover completely and I didn‘t leave her side.“
Techno‘s eyes lit up and he seemed interested, happy almost „You have a son, where is he? I want to meet my nephew.“
Wilbur almost wanted to lie. To tell him some story about his son who was in a big boarding school or staying with relatives, but he couldn‘t lie, not to his big brother,
„I don‘t know where they are. Sally died a month after his birth. And her family took my child and moved to the other end of the world for all I know.“
„I‘m sorry.“ Techno seemed sorry, and that made Wilbur laugh, „You have no right to feel sorry, Tech. You‘ll kill yourself tomorrow.“
„I will succeed.“
„Sure,“ Wilbur stood up, „And then you‘ll find dad and we‘ll hug it all out and be a big happy family,“
„I-„
„Good night, Techno. I‘ll see you at breakfast.“
Breakfast came quick enough and soon they were all sitting around their small table that always held two more sets of cutlery than necessary.
„When did you learn to cook?“ Techno asked as he ate his third egg,
„Sometime after you and Dad abandoned us,“ Wilbur supplied and Tommy laughed, „Techno?“
„Yes, Theseus?“ Tommy scrunched his nose at the nickname, „Can I have a gift?“
„Tommy, people usually don‘t ask for gifts,“ Wilbur warned Tommy, „I‘m sorry, Tech. He doesn‘t meet a lot of people not from around here.“
„It‘s fine, Will. Of course you can have a gift Theseus, What would you like?“
„Your coat,“ Tommy said, causing Techno to laugh, „Not over my dead body. Any other wishes?“
„Your crown,“ Techno waved away this request as if it was a joke, „no.“
„I meant to ask before, why do you have a crown? You are not any more royalty than we are.“ Will asked, before turning to Tommy, „continue eating, it‘ll get cold otherwise.“
„Well, I just liked it,“ Techno stated and now it was Wilburs turn to laugh.
„What?“ Techno demanded, „You, Techno,called my brother Theseus, doesn‘t have some poetic reason for wearing a crown.“
„Not one that I imagine you want Tommy to know.“
„Now, I want to know.“ Tommy piqued in only to be immediately shut down by Wilbur, „You should head to school now Toms, say goodbye to Techno and go.“
At first, Tommy did what was asked of him. He put on his coat and shoes, and even hugged Techno, but then he remembered, „What about my Gift.“
„Okay, what do you want?“ Techno asked,
„I want two things,“ Tommy decided and Techno cocked an eyebrow,
„Do you now? Okay what?“
„I want that thing in your hand,“ Tommy began and Techno looked down onto his hand to find a bracelet with a sapphire hanging off it, „It‘s yours.“
He threw it towards Tommy and for a second he couldn‘t believe that Techno had agreed, Wilbur would never have given him something this valuable.
„Second?“ Techno asked and Tommy was forced out of his senses, „I want you to visit more often.“
Tommy‘s words hit hard, but who was he to deny his younger brother the third wish he ever directed towards him, „I‘ll try, Tommy,“.
The boy looked as happy as he had ever seen him. Even when he was twelve he seemed rather down, which made sense with the context he had been given yesterday, but still.
And because he knew he might not be able to hold the promise, he let Tommy hold him for the entire six minutes that he wanted to, before his friend ‚Tubbo‘ came to get him for school.
„He‘s going to be disappointed,“ Wilbur spoke and Techno turned around to find him leaning in the doorframe, „When I have to tell him you won‘t come back.“
„You did a great job with him. You would’ve made a great dad for-„
„Fundy,“ Wilbur completed, his voice now unsure and rather wobbly, „I have made a great dad for Tommy though.“
„You have.“ He didn‘t cry. Not when Wilbur hugged him, not when his twin brother shook so hard that Techno thought Wilbur would choke on his own sobs and not when he was finally let go,
„Technoblade never dies.“ He whispered instead, handing Wilbur a golden ring with an inset ruby.
„Prime let it be true,“ Wilbur prayed, „That my Brother will return to me in one piece and with a beating heart.“
„For Prime,“ Both brothers ended the prayer.
After that day they waited. Everyday they waited for a letter, for a message but no one came. And when the snow melted off the mountain fields, Wilbur was ready to give up.
It wasn‘t hard to convince Tommy of Techno‘s death. It was almost comically easy, actually. Wilbur had just stepped towards Tommy‘s door. He knocked.
„Come in,“ Tommy had answered and Wilbur had done just that. He had come in, sat down on his bed and then begun speaking, „Techno won‘t come back.“
„I know,“ Tommy answered,
„You know?“
„Yes, he promised. Technoblade doesn‘t promise,“ Tommy‘s voice was void of any emotion, as if he had cried all of it out over the months of waiting for an outcome he already knew, „Why does it hurt Will?“
„Because he was our brother.“
„I met him twice. Once without you even knowing and the second time I got one lousy story and a stupid bracelet,“
„But he was still our brother. I haven't talked to him in sixteen years, it still hurts.“
„What do we do now?“ Tommy looked at Wilbur like he had when he was five, like Wilbur had all the answers in the world and Tommy couldn‘t wait to hear all of them.
„I don‘t know,“ He confessed, „We could have a funeral?“
Tommy shook his head, „We have no body.“
„We could pray?“ Tommy shook his head once again, „prayer didn‘t keep him alive,“
„But maybe it‘ll keep us alive,“ Wilbur insisted and nudged Tommy, who closed his eyes obediently, „Prime let it be true, that not one member of our family will ever follow that path again. Let it be true that Mum and Dad and Sally and Techno find peace wherever they are now. Let it be true, that I won‘t lose another Brother,“ he paused for a second before the two brothers finished the poem in unison ,
“For Prime.“