Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I think we fucked up.”

A complete understatement if you were to ask Technoblade. His fingers tighten their grip on the wooden shaft of the shovel. His black eyes stared down at the pit they dug out in the woods- six feet deep. His blonde counterpart huffed, hands running through his greasy hair. Techno twisted around to look at the heap of incriminating evidence that laid behind them. “We’re royally fucked, Dream.” Techno amended the previous statement.

“Why did you do that?” Dream cried in exasperation. His arms clutching his triceps; as if he were trying to make himself appear smaller. Techno stared at the blonde, no emotion evident on his face while Dream’s lips curled downwards at the memories of what happened 3 hours prior.

***

It was evident at a young age that Techno could never properly express his emotions- if he even had any. His mother had always told him that he never cried. Even at birth. While most babies came out wailing, he was dead silent. He had slowly opened his eyes, ones that looked just like his mother’s. His mother claimed that he was unresponsive to basic stimuli that other babies would react to. When he had an accident as a toddler, he never shed a tear. A shaving razor had cut across his nose, leaving a long scar where his skin had been soft and pale; now was wrinkled and pink. His father had stared down at him in the emergency room. Maybe he thought he failed somewhere raising him. Or maybe Techno was just a failure in his eyes. His second son was completely numb to the world and possibly to pain. When his youngest brother, Tommy, was born, he couldn't feel the appreciation or excitement of becoming an older brother. When blue eyes met black, all he could hear was screaming. The small bald child shouting bloody murder at the sight of Techno. As if his little blue eyes could tell something was wrong with the middle child. That something was so off-putting about him. When Technoblade was old enough for kindergarten, the other kids steered clear of him. Many little girls tried to talk with him, trying to coax any form of emotion out of him. It never worked. His teacher had called in his father to express her worry. She worried that he couldn’t make connections with the other students. All the brunette had done in his three weeks of school was math equations in the corner of the classroom. He never participated in recess, in drawing assignments. Again, he had to see the blonde look down at him in pity. Middle school had rolled around fast for Techno, a child who spent his days with a nose in a history book- his mother had learned that he had taken an interest in history and bought as many books as she could. Techno had finally been exposed to the internet in fifth grade, looking up more history facts, true crime, psychology. At that moment he learned one thing:

He may be a sociopath.

Freshman year, Techno sat his father down outside. They slowly swung on the bench. The older man kept his gaze locked on a tall Evergreen tree that sat on the front of the forest line. At that moment, he asked him.

"Did you know?"

“I had an idea, but I was hoping you could change.” His father replied, still refusing to look at the brunette.

Techno turned to face the Evergreen as well, “Is that even possible?”

“I don’t think so. Not with you.” His father spoke, eyes distant. His blue eyes almost looked paler than they had before, “I wish you could.”

The first semester of senior year had closed two weeks prior. Technoblade was still the top of his class, taking multiple AP courses. Others thought he was over doing it, his guidance counselor questioned when he had free time to enjoy his hobbies. He didn't have hobbies. He didn't know what to say. The hallways were bustling, students shoving past him and avoiding him at the same time. He could understand their uneasiness around him. He was tall and lanky, hunched over with a face void of emotion. He could understand, really. His purple backpack weighed on his shoulders, full of AP course textbooks. He was, in fact, the weird smart kid of his school. He's watched movies about high school. He fits that stereotype, right? He supposes he does for the most part.

Loud yelling erupted from down the hallway, a large group of teenagers circled up. He could hear simple phrases spurring on a fight. He didn't want to get involved so he backed away from his locker, eyes still trained on the crowd. A teacher quickly ran out from behind him to figure out what the commotion was. When the students finally left, there stood three football students and another kid, who had a bloody nose and bruises on his face. "It's not my fault, Mr. Min! He grabbed her butt and she quite clearly didn't want it. I was defending her!" The tall blonde hissed out, crossing his arms.

The teacher just sighed, "both of you have detention. This will get looked into, Dream. It's not going under the rug."

"It better not." Dream huffed, turned to look down the hallway. His green eyes met Techno's for an extended second before the blonde looked away.

In Technoblade's opinion, those three knew how to schmooze their way out of trouble. George, Sapnap, and Dream. He's seen them get in trouble with teachers quite often. Mostly it was about not doing their homework because of a football game. Well he heard about it before he was put into advanced placement courses. Techno no longer had to deal with students like them. They were in academic classes at best. The brunette turned away to go to class, not wanting to be bothered to listen to how Dream gets his way out of detention.

Class ended after an hour, lunch block starting. He never ate in the cafeteria, too loud plus the food was gross. He grabbed his lunch container from his locker, closing the door to be met by a familiar face. "Hello!"

Techno sighed seeing the blonde's face. The same blonde who had beaten the shit out of somebody that morning. "What do you want?" Came his curt response, turning his back to the boy.

"I saw you this morning," he smiled, jogging in front of the brunette. "I don't think I've seen you since middle school."

"I'm in Advanced Placement and you're not. That's why. Goodbye." He responded, brushing past Dream.

The blonde frowned, "well you don't have to be a dick about it."

"I was just stating facts."

The blonde gave up. Techno could almost feel relief when he noticed Dream was no longer trying to get in front of him. He made his way up the stairs, into the library where he normally ate. He'd finished his homework from the class before after he was done eating. He sat at the far table in the corner, pulling out an apple and water bottle. He ate at a reasonable pace, chomping down to the core. He wrapped the left overs in a napkin before placing it back into the container. He turned to pull his binder out of his violet bag.

The school day had been just like every other day, long and taxing. He had another mountain of schoolwork to do when he got home from the last 4 classes of the day. When he pushed through his front door, he could hear the loud laughs of his younger brother. Tommy must have his friends over again, Tubbo and Ranboo. The boy always seemed to be in the favor of his father. He remembered when his elder brother, Wilbur, would fight with their father to have his friends over. Maybe it's because he thought they were sketchy. Techno had always sat silently at the dinner table while the two fought, he’d pick at the meal. Wilbur had left the household as soon as he graduated two years prior, finding an apartment in the city. He’s sent a letter to Techno every once in a while, but never in much depth about how he was doing. It was almost like it was customary. Techno could never write him back, he was never given the address. He didn’t want Father to find him.

Their voices echoed in the hallways, ricocheting off the walls. It was a little annoying when he had planned to do his homework in the room next door to Tommy’s. He changed his course to the dining room table. The voices were quieter here than they would be in his room. He pulled out his textbooks and notebooks to begin his work. A few hours later, an army green car pulled into the driveway. He watched from the window as his Dad left the car, slamming the door shut on his way into the house. The front door opened and closed and keys rattled on the hook. The blonde man walked past the brunette, heading straight for the kitchen.

“Tommy’s friends are over again,” the brunette mentioned, looking up from his textbook. His father glanced at him from the corner of the kitchen. He ignored the teen, opening the fridge for a drink. He took a large gulp of the liquid before finally addressing Techno, “I figured as much.”

“I thought you didn’t like friends coming over. You used to yell at Wil-”

“That’s because Wil was with the wrong group of kids, Techobalde. Tommy is just a kid. Let him be a kid.” He snapped, twisting the cap back onto the bottle, stashing it back into the fridge. “You never had friends so it was never a problem with you.”

“I guess so,” He replied.

His dad frowned at him, scrutinizing him again. He stood there for a long minute with his face scrunched in distaste. “Where did I go wrong raising you?” He asked quietly. It was soft enough that Techno had just barely heard the question. The brunette didn’t know how to reply. He had figured he had been wrong since birth. “I don’t think it’s your fault.” Techno replied, looking back to his notebook. His notes were neat and color coded- he probably tried too hard to make them look nice.

His dad sighed, fingers rubbing against his temple. “Listen, I didn’t mean anything by what I said. I just don’t understand you. And I probably never will.”

Techno shrugged, folding his textbook closed and stuffing it into his bag. Something felt wrong with the statement. It felt off. He didn't know what it was. His dad would say things like that all the time and it never bothered Techno. Hell, he never had the best relationship with his father. His father was hard on where he stood with their dynamic. He wouldn’t budge nor sway. It had always felt like there was a large wall between the two. The only expression he could remember on his face since childhood was one of disappointment. The only time his father ever smiled was when Tommy had made some sort of achievement. Nothing Techno has done ever made him smile. Placing top of his class, acing AP tests. Nothing ever seemed to impress him.

It was just destined to be this way.

The next school day felt weird. Techno felt different, he couldn't quite pin what it was exactly, but he knew something was off. He walked out of his AP government class with a weird itch on his brain. It was the first time in his life that he wasn't paying attention to the lesson. He felt so distant and numb to everything going on around him. Words going in through one ear and out the other. When Techno made it to his locker, he saw a mop of blonde hair down the hallway. Dream. The boy was, once again, surrounded by a small group of people. He could make out George and Sapnap, the others he didn't care enough to remember.

It almost felt like his brain was hyper-fixated on the football player who stood down the hallway, laughing at something somebody had said. His smile didn't really reach his ears, he could see an ingenuine smile from a mile away. It's the same smile his father had fed Wilbur all throughout his time in high school. The same fake smile that never graced his face in front of Techno. The brunette stuffed his hefty textbooks into the blue locker, swapping them for his lunch. He could see the large group disperse, leaving the blonde behind down the hallway. A perfect opportunity for the boy to come up to Techno again. "Hey, I think we got off on the wrong foot yesterday." He started, his voice a little shaky- like he was nervous to talk to Technoblade.

"I guess," Techno replied. He saw Dream's lip twitch. There was something about the blonde that just made him blurt out the next sentence. "Do you want to come over to my house?"

Green eyes widened in disbelief. His mouth agape. "I mean, sure. If it's alright with you- I mean you wouldn't ask if it wasn't. But- sorry, I'm a little shocked." Dream sputtered, his shoulders scrunched up towards his ears. His face was red in embarrassment.

"Cool," Techno replied, awkwardly standing in front of the other.

"Cool." Dream copied, a small genuine smile on his face. "I'll meet you after school? Near the front entrance?"

"Sure."

"Kay.. see you then." The boy said, waving as he walked towards the stairwell. He was most likely going down for lunch. Techno glanced down at the lunch container in his left hand, his knuckles were white. He loosened his grip, watching the color flood back into his joints. "Why did I ask that?" He murmured out loud as he walked down to the library.

His fingers felt tingly when he saw Dream later that day, standing patiently at the front doors. He didn’t know how to approach the teen. The question had been a spur of the moment idea that he failed to filter. Something about Dream just made him ask. Maybe it was because he had been spacing out all day. He wasn’t acting like himself. He couldn’t tell the difference much by looking at his demeanor, but his chest felt weird. He felt some weird form of energy coursing through his veins- something he’s never felt before. He just can’t place it. The blonde seemed to notice him during his zone out and approached him. “Hey? Do you still want me coming over?” He asked with a tinge of apprehension in his voice. “It’s alright if you’re not comfortable with it anymore.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll drive you over.” Dream’s frame seemed to lighten up a little, small smile on his face. The car ride had been short since Techno only lived a few blocks from the building.

The house was a mild size. The white siding was a little dirty and the shrubs in the front were overgrown. The driveway was cramped, only enough room for, at most, two cars. Techno could almost sigh at the lack of an army green car in the lot. He parked his dinky car to the left, opening his creaky car door. Dream followed in suit, grabbing his neon green bag from the floor of the passenger side. “You have a nice house.” He commented.

Techno’s head tilted slightly, “Yeah, it’s very.. Lived in.” Techno made his way to the front door with Dream in tow. The front door pushed in, Techno waiting to hear loud laughter. But he heard nothing. Tommy’s friends weren’t here today. That was a first. The entrance way was a little tight for the two boys as they shucked their shoes off. Tommy’s red and white sneakers were thrown carelessly in the hallway before them, dirt tracked from where they slammed down. “You have siblings?” Dream asked, noticing the pair of dirty shoes.

“I have two.” He responded, “Wilbur is twenty and Tommy is fourteen.”

“Ah, I have a younger sister. She’s younger by a good couple of years.”

“That’s cool.”

“Yeah,” Dream shrugged.

Techno turned to look at Dream, “What do you want to do? I’ve never had a guest over before.”

Dream chuckled, “I kind of figured. It’s cool. Actually, I was wondering if you could help me with some homework while we’re here? I need to get my grades up.”

Dream’s expression looked uneasy. He was nervous, but it didn’t have to do with asking Techno for help. Techno couldn’t really place what he was so afraid of. Techno nodded and Dream’s worry alleviated. The two walked into Techno’s room and sat on the floor. Notes were strewn out on the carpeted floors, pens and highlighters moving. Dream seemed to be able to pick up on topics pretty fast. Plus his notes weren’t too bad. He couldn’t understand why his grades were low, unless his memory was just that bad on test days. Or maybe he didn’t do his homework on time. Either or, they were traits that could be improved. The two were too entranced with their work when a knock sounded on the door. The two turned to see a lanky blonde boy in the doorway.

Tommy stood in the doorway with the look of utter disbelief. His blue eyes gawked at Dream. “Who the hell are you?”

Dream stood up quickly, knocking into his binder. “Hello, I’m Dream. I’m one of Techno’s friends.” He held his hand out for the younger to take. Tommy glanced down to the hand then back to Dream.

“Dad!” He yelled out, “We have an intruder!”

Tommy took off down the hallway, footsteps thumping with him. Techno sighed through his nose as he followed after the fourteen year old. Dream followed after him. He can faintly hear his father questioning Tommy in the kitchen. Since when did he get home? With a short glance to the clock, he could see it had been hours since school ended. How did he not notice? “Tommy, what are you talking about?” The two high schoolers appeared in the doorway, causing his father to gasp in surprise. “Who are you?”

“Hello, I’m Dream. I’m friends with Techno.”

“No, no. Who are you actually?” Father quickly cut in, expression unreadable. Dream sat there awkwardly, mouth opening and closing slowly. This couldn’t be any stranger, could it?

“He’s my friend.” Techno replied bluntly. He turned to face Dream, “Do you want to stay for dinner?”

“Yeah, that’d be nice, actually.” Dream muttered out.

His dad glanced between both boys, “Techno, can I speak to you privately?”

He could feel a pit in his stomach at the request. It felt strange. “Sure.” The two walked off into the living room, leaving Dream behind with Tommy, who quickly began asking the older weird questions.

“Were you going to tell me you were bringing somebody home?” His dad asked. There was that look again. The one of disappointment. One where he was the biggest disgrace to ever enter the family.

“I have friends.”

His father frowned, a snarl pulling across his lips. “Did you only bring him home because of what I said to you yesterday?”

"No, that's not why he's here-"

"Then why is he here?" He cut off Techno fast, "cause he is obviously someone who'd never be friends with someone like you. Explain yourself!"

Technoblade stood there silently. What was that supposed to mean? "I have friends.." was all he could muster in response to his father. "You never yell at Tommy for having his friends over. Why am I getting yelled at? He's not like Wilbur's friends."

"Then what's he like, Techno? You've never had a single friend since you were a child. How am I supposed to believe you genuinely have a friend?" His father glared at him. He wasn't wrong, per say. But hearing him say it made something in Techno feel odd.

"Let's just eat dinner. You have a guest." Techno answered, pushing off his questions. The brunette walked out of the living room, leaving his father fuming. When he returned to the kitchen, he heard Tommy bladdering Dream's ear off. The tall blonde glanced at Techno with a wry smile on his face. "Your brother is very interesting." He whispered.

Techno nodded in understanding, "he's been like that since birth."

The four sat around each other at the dinner table. The silence was uncomfortable. The only sounds were silverware clinking against plates and Tommy’s loud chewing. Father kept his eyes trained between Technoblade and Dream. Expression unreadable. He suddenly cleared his throat, “So Dream, was it?”

The blonde teen looked up from his plate, “Yes?”

“When did you and Techno become friends? I’ve never heard about you.” His dad asked, his tone was low. He wasn’t happy. His obvious display of trying to humiliate the two.

“Well, actually it’s kind of funny. We knew each other in middle school. I thought he was kind of cool. I didn’t have the courage to talk to him until earlier this year.” Dream replied, his face tight. He wasn’t wrong.. But it also wasn’t the most truthful. However, Techno’s brain short-circuited at the mention of him being cool. Cool? Since when would he ever be classified as cool? His father didn’t look impressed by the confession. His pale eyes were dark as they bore into the teen.

“Are you sure you’re talking about Technoblade?” He challenged.

“Will you stop?” Techno shot in. His father seemed taken aback for a second. Tommy had ceased his chewing to observe the tense conversation. “Dinner is nice.” He commented, trying to steer the discussion. His father gave the child a small smile. He quietly thanked his son as he went back to eating.

“Do you need a ride home?” Techno asked as he finished his dinner. The blonde looked up at him, “Yeah, that’d be nice.”

He could sense his father watching them enter the car from the window. The two pulled out of the driveway, pale eyes following them until they were out of view. “That was intense.” Dream noted, chuckling when Techno scoffed. “Does he always talk to you like that?”

“Since childhood.” Was all Techno revealed.

Dream nodded, “Well.. This might seem sudden but- If you ever want to run away, come talk to me.”

Run away? Techno spared a quick glance to Dream, his face completely serious. Not a single jesting gleam in his eyes. Techno turned back to the road, his knuckles turning white from his clasp on the steering wheel. “That’s dangerous, Dream.”

“When you’re alone with no plan.” Dream annexed, turning to look out the window. He seemed upset by Techno’s criticism.

It was extremely dangerous. He wasn’t lying. He’s read multiple police reports of people their age getting murdered after running away from home, or getting kidnapped by grown freaks. But he couldn’t help but see the sudden appeal in the extended offer. Running away would mean getting out of his house. Getting away from disapproving celeste eyes. Getting away from the blade of an armed tongue. He let a sigh fall out of his mouth. “I’ll think about it, Dream.”

The other turned towards him with a delicate smile on his face. “Let me know then. Sooner is better than later.” Techno pulled up the sidewalk at the other’s house, turning to look at Dream. He went to open his mouth until he noticed something. There was a small mark on the younger’s collarbone. It was faintly purple, he could just barely see it in the dark. “Well this is my house.” Dream mumbled, opening the passenger door. He watched quietly as the boy left to walk through his front door. He turned back to Techno for a few seconds before entering. Techno pulled into the left side of the street, silently making his way back to hit the house. But something kept nagging him. He felt restless. Techno had to pull his car to the side of the road. He dropped his head to the steering wheel, letting soft breaths of air out. He couldn’t understand why the proposal knocked the air out of his chest. He picked his head up to look out at the wooded road in front of him. The proposition was risky. His brain couldn’t rest at how that was the first thing Dream offered him. Has the teen been considering this for a while? He was so nonchalant about it too.

The offer nagged him all night.

School the next day had passed much faster than the day before. He felt as if he was at 1.5x speed. Words seemed to jump at him, flying through his head. Another day of not learning anything. He and Dream had a brief conversation before lunch. Techno drove Dream home. The notion felt strange. He never thought he’d be doing something as domestic as this. He was used to the student body keeping to themselves when he was around. That or they shoved past him. He knew something was off when he arrived home; an army green car in the driveway. He slowly parked his car next to it, noticing how the car was empty.

Something in his stomach twisted.

His father never came home earlier than 5. Techno knew something was going to happen when he entered the house. It was impossible not to. When he entered the house, it was eerily quiet. He quietly undid his shoes, neatly laying them on the shoe tray. Walking into the house, he could faintly see his father’s dad from the dining room table. “We need to talk, Techno.” He said, sensing the brunette. “Okay.”

He sat down opposite of his dad, keeping his eyes anywhere from the blonde. The male had his finger intertwined on the tabletop. An ominous pose. “Who was that kid, really?” He inquired. “I know he wasn’t a friend.”

“He is a friend though.”

“You don’t have friends!” His dad barked out, fingers clenching together. His light eyebrows were pulled together in a frown. “You’ve never had friends. Don’t lie to me. You can’t even feel bonded to others. You’ll lead that poor boy on. He’ll think you care about him, Techno.”

“But I could-”

“No, you can’t! You’re a fucking sociopath! You can’t feel anything,” His father cried out. Techno sat there, staring down at the table. Just a smidge below where his dad’s hands unclasped to slam down. He could have emotions. He could try to feel something, he’s just never tried. Or so he thinks. He had tried it with his dad. But that turned out splendidly. The metaphoric wall between the two was slowly expanding.

“I think you’re overreacting.”

“I’m not. I don’t want you to ruin somebody’s life.”

Techno’s filter broke after his father said that. “Like how I ruined your’s, Phil?”

His dad’s eyes widened. Techno had never called his father by his first name. Ever. His father’s mouth was agape. Maybe in regret. Techno would, apparently, never know. “Techno, I didn’t mean that-”

“You never do.” Phil went to say something, only to silence himself when he saw Techno’s dismissive hand. “Whatever, I have homework to do. Don’t even bother me for dinner.”

The brunette took off down the hallways, fingers fidgeting. Why did he feel so jittery? Is this what being nervous feels like? He couldn’t tell. But he could feel his heart thumping in his chest. Had he really just done that? He slammed his door closed, locking it behind himself.

“If you ever want to run away, come talk to me”, The proposition hung heavily in his head. Was he seriously considering this? He looked at his backpack, it was lumpy and filled with homework and textbooks. Why did he even try so hard? What was the point in trying so damn hard to impress somebody who obviously doesn’t give a shit? He could feel his eyebrows scrunching. It felt weird. Was he frowning? Has he ever frowned before? He reached out for his bag, turning it upside down to dump all the contents out. Papers went flying onto the ground. Pens and pencils dropped down. He rushed over to his closet, ripping the door open. He pulled random shirts off of hangers, grabbing any garments he could think of. He rolled them on his bed before neatly stuffing them in his bag. He spent almost an hour packing necessities in his school bag. He paused for a minute when he heard an engine start up outside his window. He shuffled over to the window, pulling the curtain back to see the green car pulling out of the driveway with a disgruntled Phil in the driver’s seat. He turned his phone on to look at Dream’s contact information. His thumb hovered over the call button, he hesitated for a minute before pressing down.

“Hello?”

“Hey,” Techno pushed out. “Let’s run away.”

He heard a little gasp come from the other side of the line. “Wait. Are you serious?”

“Dead serious. Pack your stuff, I’ll pick you up when I’m done.” He heard shuffling from the other end. He felt oddly giddy about this. He could almost feel the blood gushing through his veins as he packed toothpaste into the front pocket. He was getting away from everything. He was finally leaving.

“I’ll have everything packed when you get here. We should also buy some water bottles or something.” Dream added in through the phone. “I’ll steal some money from my mom.”

“Will you get caught?”

“Like they can do anything about it,” Dream chuckled. “I’ll finish packing here, call me when you’re heading over.” The line went dead. Techno plugged his phone into the wall before going to raid the kitchen for food. He opened the pantry to see a box of protein bars and a thing of crackers. He put them into plastic bags, going to find sandwich materials.

“What are you doing?” Tommy’s voice snapped Techno out of his trance. He turned to see the fourteen year old standing in the doorway between the dining room and kitchen.

“Packing.”

“No shit. Why are you packing? I heard Dad earlier.” Tommy said, his irritation almost seemed forced. “What’s going on?”

“I’m leaving.”

“No, you’re not.” Tommy frowned, his lower lip twitched. “You’re not just going to leave. Where are you going? I heard you on the phone. Are you leaving with the guy from last night?” Tommy seemed desperate. The blonde slowly walked towards Techno with a pleading look in his eyes.

“Yes, and we’re leaving tonight.” Techno responded, packing a loaf of bread into the plastic bag. He opened the fridge door to look for jelly. They had jelly, right?

“You’re just going to leave like Wilbur?” Tommy interrogated.

“Kind of,” Techno murmured. He turned back around to see Tommy. His eyes were watering, shoulders pulled to his ears. He looked like he was refusing to cry.

He whimpered out, “Why do all of my brothers run away?”

“You should ask Phil that.” Techno pulled a small container of jelly from the fridge door. “I’m not living with him anymore.”

Tommy’s thin hands reached out to hold onto Techno’s shirt, “Please don’t go…”

“I have to.”

“But you don’t! I can talk to dad about it!”

Techno looked down at his younger brother, tears streaming down the boy’s face. Techno sighed, pulling his hands off of his clothes. “I’m sorry, Tommy.” He felt as though he meant that. Leaving behind the younger with Phil. “I’ll see if I can come back for you.” He muttered before walking back to his room, hearing Tommy fall onto his knees. His heart twisted weirdly in his chest knowing that the, usually loud, boy was crying on the floor. When he and Dream were stable, he’d come back for him.

Would he?

Techno grabbed his charger from off the wall, putting it in his bag as he pocketed his phone. He grabbed the multiple bags, carrying them out to the car. Walking passed the sobbing blonde. He threw the bags into the trunk- on top of a shovel. He dialed up Dream.

“Are you heading over?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there in five.” He hung up.

He slid into the driver’s seat, inserting the keys into the keyhole. The car roared to life, shaking a little bit. The car was a hand-me-down so he didn’t expect much else. Techno pulled out of the driveway, en route to Dream’s house. He could barely pay attention to the trees flying through his view. His brain dead set on one thing: leave. He turned into the blonde’s driveway so see the teen rush out with a handful of bags and his neon green backpack. Techno popped the trunk open, letting Dream dump his belongings. The vehicle shook when he slammed the trunk down. The passenger door opened to a huffing boy. “Hey!” He sat down on the seat, closing the door behind himself.

“Where to?” Techno questioned, facing the Juniper eyed boy. After shortly discussing their route, they took off out of town.

***

When they were three towns out, Dream turned to ask. “What made you change your mind?”

Techno’s lip twitched, sort of uncomfortable by the memory. “Phil said I ruined his life, so I might as well get out of it.”

“Phil? Is that your dad?”

Techno twisted his neck, a loud crack erupted in the car. “Yeah, my father.”

Dream scowled, “That’s a shitty thing to tell your son. No offense but your dad is kind of a dick.” Techno scoffed, “None taken.” Dream turned to face the window, watching as houses and trees alike whizzed past him. Techno kept his eyes trained on the road. He wanted to continue the conversation with the other. But he was never the best at starting discussions. He remembered a time where he had made Tommy start bawling after trying to get a reaction out of the younger. He didn’t mean to make him cry. He grimaced when he recalled the look of disgust on Phil’s face when he picked up the wailing blonde.

He grimaced? Techno blinked a couple times to process it. His face had pulled itself tight, lip curling upwards. He almost felt satisfied over the fact that he felt something. Even though it was a negative emotion.

“You’re smirking,” Dream murmured. “What’s on your mind?”

Techno’s lips dropped from their position. “Sorry.. My dad said I could never feel anything.”

“Why would he say that?” Dream questioned, scooting over a little to face the brunette.

Techno felt his chest tighten uncomfortably. Did he have to tell him? Well he was to be with Dream for a while, the boy might as well know what he got himself into. “We think I may be a sociopath. My dad has been dead set on it since I was young.”

Dream frowned, “That doesn’t mean you don’t have emotions. You just feel them differently, I think. I’m not too well versed on this subject.” The boy seemed to think for a minute before asking, “Is that why he talked to you like that the other night?”

“No, that’s how he’s always talked to me. Nothing’s changed since I was 3.” Techno answered. It felt kind of weird admitting that his father has never really been too thrilled with him.

“Well that’s just shit.” Dream muttered, “What an ass.”

Techno’s lips pulled tight, “What about your family? I never got to meet them.”

Dream tensed up at the inquiry, “Yeah, they’re not too great either.”

Techno’s head tilted to the side at the admission, “Is that why you wanted to run away? Because they’re jerks too?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

A tense silence befell them. In some sort of sadistic sense, Techno was kind of glad he wasn’t the only one with shitty parental figures. He just couldn’t understand why Phil hated him so much but fawned over Tommy. He never really liked Wilbur either.

“Did Tommy see you leave?” Dream asked after a few minutes of silence.

“Yeah,” Techno mumbled. He could recall seeing Tommy crumpled on the floor in the kitchen, crying. He had walked past him while he sobbed, packing his things into the trunk. “He didn’t take seeing another sibling run away too well.”

“Another?”

“Yeah, my older brother ran away after he graduated. We’ve never seen him since.” Techno’s eyes soften a little remembering Wilbur. “Dad didn’t like the crowd he seemed to attract.”

“He doesn’t like anything huh?”

“He likes Tommy. But that’s kind of it.”

Dream cocked his head, “What about your mother?”

His mom. She had passed away not too long after Tommy was born. He could just barely remember her long black hair and kind eyes. He wonders what she would say if she could see him now, driving a car across the state border with a newly made friend. “She’s deceased.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it badly.”

Techno sighed, “It’s okay. She died when I was 6, so there’s not many memories.”

“You don’t really look like your dad. Do you look like your mom?”

“I’d say so.” It was true. He had dark eyes like his mother. Her’s were a dark shade of brown, while his were black. His father had pale blue eyes and blonde hair. His hair was brown. He couldn’t recall much about his mother’s appearance, but he knew damn well that he didn’t look like his dad. Tommy seemed to be the only one who resembled the older man. Blue eyes and blonde hair. Dream stared at him as he tried to reestablish the image of his mother. His memory was hazy. “Anyways- Where are we sleeping tonight?”

“A motel? Or just in the car to save our money for gas.” Dream said, facing back out to the street. “If you don’t mind, that is.”

“I don’t mind.”

The two teens fell back into a comfortable silence. Techno kept his gaze on the road, following their route on the highway. It had been a little bit since they had taken off earlier that afternoon. He didn’t know Dream’s reason for running away with him. It was his idea after all. Techno figured it'd be easier to park the car in a public parking lot. A Walmart or something.

The sky had darkened considerably when it happened. A vibration sounded from the center console. Techno’s shoulders tensed at the possibility. There was no way. There was no way his father was calling him. If it were to be anyone, it’d be Tommy. He exhaled shakily. “Can you check my phone, Dream?”

The blonde opened the center console, picking up the small pink phone. “It’s your brother.”

Techno’s head slumped in relief, “Can you put it on speaker?”

“Sure.”

Dream’s thumb pressed the green icon, Tommy’s profile photo spreading on the screen. It was a stupid photo of the younger, but he had found it a little endearing. His face was twisted back in an over-exaggerated scowl. “Hello?” He called out, voice flat.

“Techno?” The brunette’s eyes widened at the deeper voice that came out from the speaker. Of course his dad knew he wouldn’t answer him. He used the kid. Techno frowned.

“Stop calling me.” He spat out, hands gripping the steering wheel tighter. Dream looked over at him in concern. His thumb began to hover over the hang up button. “Where are you, Techno? I didn’t mean what I said. I’m sorry.”

“No, you’re not.” Techno snarled. “You always use that excuse when you fuck up.”

Silence befell the three.

“Did you take off with that blond boy?” He questioned, voice stern. Of course he would jump over the accusation. He never owned up to his mistakes. “Does it matter?”

“Techno, come back home.”

“No, I don’t think I will. Do whatever you want, but I’m not seeing you again.” He glanced at Dream, “Hang up.” His dad’s voice abruptly cut off when Dream hit the red button. The blonde stared at him as he continued their trip. “You sounded mad.”

“It’s annoying when he lies. He does it all the time.”

Dream hummed in response, turning the pink phone off. He reopened the center console, dropping it back in. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Technoblade’s lip quirked at the offer. Did he really need to talk about his relationship with his dad? He figured this was typical. Fathers always acted like his own. Or maybe they didn’t. Not that he would ever know the difference. “I’m fine.” He replied after a tense minute of silence. Dream stared at him, face disbelieving. The blonde turned back to face the road, expression still pitiful. Techno let out a quiet sigh. He glanced at the dashboard to check the time. 9PM. “When do you want to pull into a lot and sleep?”

“Whenever you’re tired. I can sleep whenever.” Dream replied. That was helpful..

“I’ll pull over now. I’m exhausted.” Dream nodded as they exited the highway, looking for a large parking lot. Techno followed the signs to a Walmart. He pulled into the far corner of the lot, parking the car. “I have some blankets in the back if you want one. I’m not leaving the car running at night.”

“That’s fine. I’ll take a blanket.”

***

“What’s something you’ve always wanted to do?” Dream asked one day. The question was abrupt and unexpected while they were out at lunch. They’ve done a well enough job sleeping in parking lots and conserving money for gas. But they both decided they wanted a properly cooked meal compared to the gas station sandwiches they’ve bought in the past. They both ordered a small meal, trying not to waste too much on their meal. Techno raised his eyes to look at the blonde across from him. He finished chewing his chicken to pause and think. “I don’t really know. Never thought about it much.” He answered, fork plunging into another bite.

Dream dropped his spoon into his soup, “There’s gotta be something you wanna do.” He continued urging, trying to get Techno to think of something he wanted to try.

“Dye my hair, maybe?” He finally came up with. Dream chuckled lightly, “Oh really? What color?”

“Pink.”

Dream suddenly choked on his soup, sputtering while reaching for a napkin. “Pink?”

“Yeah, it’s one of my favorite colors.”

Dream snickered, “Sorry, I just didn’t expect it. Mine’s lime green.”

Techno rolled his eyes playfully, “I figured as much since you wear that sweater everywhere.” He pointed to the hoodie Dream was currently sporting. Dream laughed, doing a small pose. Techno snorted at the display.

“So would you wanna dye your hair? Like tonight?” He asked, looking at Techno expectantly. The older one shrugged. He wasn’t opposed to the idea itself. They’d have to rent a motel room and buy bleach and dye. It’d take a bit from their budget. But it wouldn’t be that bad. “Sure.”

The two ran around the CVS nearby after finishing their meal. They looked through bleaching kits and found a baby pink dye box. The total came around $35. It wasn’t as bad as the price of the motel. Eighty for two teens. Ouch, Techno thought as they unlocked the door to see one queen bed and a door to the bathroom. “Oh my god we can shower!” Dream said excitedly. He ran into the bathroom with his clothes and locked the door. Techno chuckled at the blonde, setting up the two boxes of dye on the table. He could hear the shower start up behind the door. The brunette unpackaged the bleach box, reading through the instructions while Dream took his shower.

The blonde came out later with damp hair sticking to his forehead. Techno looked up from his spot at the table, “You should shower, Techno. We’ll bleach after you get the grease out.” The blonde smiled down at him. Techno nodded and grabbed clean clothes from his bag. He retreated into the bathroom while Dream read through the instructions himself.

“This is gonna be so messy,” Dream said once Techno finished his shower.

“Yeah,” Techno agreed. “Let's just do it.”

The two hovered over the bathtub while Dream wiped the bleach into his hair. The two talked about random moments from school, Dream was really the one carrying the conversation. Techno didn’t have friends beside the blonde. His father wasn’t wrong. His personality really scared people away. He could vividly recall his first interaction with Dream this year. He cringed slightly at the memory. Dream wrapped a plastic bag around his head when he finished covering his head. “Hey,” Techno started. Dream looked at him expectantly. “I’m sorry about how I talked to you when you first came up to me. I was kind of a dick.”

Dream suddenly grinned down at Techno. “You kind of already made it up to me. Plus you weren’t really wrong, Mr. AP course.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Techno smiled, “I’m still sorry.”

“Well I accept your apology,” Dream beamed. He left Techno alone in the bathroom in favor of turning on the television. Techno stood up off the edge of the tub, following Dream out. The two sat in silence, watching whatever obscure TV show Dream had turned on.

“I’ve been meaning to ask..” Techno started, Dream turned his head to look him in the eyes. “Where did you get that bruise on your collarbone?”

Dream’s eyes widened, face full of worry. The boy brought his hand up directly to where the mark had been. Part of Techno wished it had been a birthmark, but seeing it slowly fade the first few days of their trip made him think otherwise. “I didn’t think you had seen it.”

“It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it. But I figured I’d offer it to you in case you need to.” Techno sighed, Dream looking back towards the television.

“I got it from my mom.” He started quietly, “She hadn’t taken the divorce very well. It’s been around a year since the hearing, but she’s not getting any better. I think she has some underlying issues but- I just can’t get her to the help she needs. And I’m sick of being at the end of her episodes. That’s why I offered to run away with you.” Techno sat silently at Dream.

“What about your father?”

Dream scoffed, “The bastard wants nothing to do with us. He made it clear at the hearing. I had no other options. She’d act normal in front of health officials and the police, but- she’s just not okay.” Dream rolled over to stuff his face into the pillows. He let out a long exaggerated groan before popping up again. “We should probably wash the bleach out of your hair.”

Techno smiled softly, “okay.”

Dream smiled back at him, “Thanks.”

***

The dye job had come out better than they thought, his slightly longer hair a flamingo color. Techno felt weird with the sudden change of appearance. He’s always looked the same since he could remember. He always had a short haircut with dark brown hair. The sudden switch in shade threw him off when he looked in the mirror. His skin almost seemed tanner than it had hours before. Techno chalked that up to finally having lighter hair. Dream had joked that he looked like Tommy after they washed the bleach out which Techno had a lovely time arguing against. But when he stared into the mirror, he saw it. For the first time, he looked like his family-excluding Wilbur. The same shade of blonde hair. But he was missing the blue eyes. Dream had been right. He resembled his family. Something in his chest clenched at the idea of looking like them. It’s something he had wanted when he was younger, sure. But now.. Does he really want to look like them? He had quickly asked Dream to apply the pink so he didn’t have to see it anymore. He did so without question.

The two were now sitting at a gas station, eating sandwiches while Techno filled the gas tank. Dream came bounding over, a bright grin on his face. “Guess what I heard.”

“What?”

He leaned against the side of the car, “There’s a party going on tonight not too far from here.”

“We’re not going to a party, Dream.” Techno said, frowning at the idea of underage kids drinking their body weight in liquor. “I’m not watching you get drunk and then dealing with it.”

“I promise I won’t drink. But this is something I’ve always wanted to do! Just hang out at a party and just be myself.” Dream tried.

“Dream..”

“I won’t drink, I swear! I understand the harms of underage drinking. I won’t do it.” He said, putting a hand up in a mock salute. Techno rolled his eyes, sighing out, “For an hour. But after that we’re leaving.”

“Thank you!” Dream shouted, jumping over to wrap his arms around Techno’s shoulders. The hug was a little too tight for comfort but the thought was there. Dream quickly gave him the information of the party; the address, the time, etc. Techno felt dread gurgling in his stomach. A huge body of teens and adults didn’t seem appealing. Especially drunk. When he entered the car, he could almost feel Dream shaking in anticipation. If Dream was that excited, he could make an exception. The two waited around for a few hours, waiting for the sky to get dark. Sighing, Techno drove off to the house party Dream gave him the address for. He got off the highway, already seeing multiple cars parked along the street. Techno groaned driving around for a parking spot. There had to be one closer. He watched as a car pulled off from their spot near the house and quickly pulled into park. Dream hopped out of the car quickly, rounding over to meet Techno. “Just remember, no drinking. I’m gonna keep an eye on you so please. Just don’t drink.” Dream laughed loudly at Techno’s concern.

“I’ll be fine.”

Three words Techno prayed he could believe. He trusted Dream but he didn’t trust intoxicated kids. The two walked towards the house, already seeing a hoard of people in various stages of intoxication. Techno felt his face twist in disgust as Dream ran into the front door. Techno stumbled to keep up with the teen. Entering the house was a mistake in Techno’s opinion. The front room was packed like sardines. People of varying ages danced together as colored lights flashed. It hurt Techno’s eyes and ears. The gaudy display almost made him feel nauseous. And not even the music blasting was good. The bass was hellishly loud. He watched Dream run into the crowd. There’s no way Techno was following him. He would walk out with diseases he didn’t even know existed.

The large group of people started to become overwhelming. His hands shook from their place at his sides as he watched Dream leave the kitchen with a cup. Techno frowned. The boy wasn’t even in here for a half an hour and he’s already broken his promise. Techno huffed out a breath as he left the house. The cool air smacked him in the face. It was late at night, the party had started at 11. And they showed up around midnight. There were a few people hanging out in the front yard. One person was emptying their guts in the bush next to him. His lip curled in a disgusted snarl, walking away from them.

He knew he needed to go back into the house to watch Dream. But he really didn’t want to. He wanted to stay outside, stargazing with music playing distantly. But he also had told Dream he’d watch out for him. He returned into the house to look for the blonde boy, finding him towards the outside of the crowd. The way he was moving.. Had he really drank?

Techno reached out to grab the blonde’s wrist, pulling him out of the crowd. “Did you drink?” He asked, disgruntled. There was a very high chance considering how the teen was moving. He was sluggish, arms hung heavily at his side. His expression had the hint of doppiness to it that the other drunk patrons possessed. The blonde frowned, leaning in closer, hand coming up to cup his pierced ear. “Did you drink?!” Techno shouted over the music. The blonde frowned and shook his head, mouthing the word ‘water’. Or maybe he said it. Not that Techno could hear him anyways. Techno frowned as Dream ripped his arm out of the pinkette’s hold, reentering the crowd of drunken teens and adults alike.

Something was off.

Techno knew something was wrong. Nobody acts that sluggish and doppy without alcohol in their system. Techno watched the other boy dance around in the cesspool of bodies. His arms raised above his head, body swaying back and forth to the absurdly loud club-like music. He didn’t seem to be able to follow the beat of the EDM music. Techno could almost laugh at the messy display. The blonde seemed to be in a world of his own, face full of euphoria. Techno turned around to look for a place to sit or maybe a wall to lean against. No way was he standing for hours as Dream danced his heart out. Every couch he saw was covered in couples making out. He scowled, bawdy scenes in almost every corner. Maybe coming here was a mistake. Knowing he wouldn’t find a place to sit, he leant against the wall in the far corner; Dream still in clear view. He could see Dream slowly getting more and more tired, arms falling to his sides. His movements slowed significantly. After a few minutes a particularly tall man found his way up to Dream, hands holding his hips. Techno frowned at the boldness of the brunette. Hands gripped tightly on his waist. A little too tight. Techno couldn’t see Dream’s face adequately due to his back being towards him. It wasn’t until he saw Dream try to push him away that something was definitely wrong. Thin arms reached up to pry a bruising grip off of himself. Techno shoved himself off the wall to help the blonde. The older drove his way through the cluster of people, narrowing in on the two. His hand reached out to the taller’s elbow. “Can you please get off my friend?” He asked, pulling the elbow, dislodging his grip on Dream. The blonde quickly weaseled his way out of his hold, body swaying dangerously so. His feet stumbled over one another as he tried to reclaim his footing. The teen’s face was beat red, eyes drooping. Sweat was beading on his forehead. Arms hanging loosely at his sides. That’s when it suddenly hit Techno.

Dream was drugged.

He trusted Dream when he said he didn’t drink that night. “Hey, man. Don’t be like that. You’re ruining my night.” He chided Techno, glancing ominously at the blonde.

“Yeah, I’m just going to take my friend and leave. Have a good night.” He replied with a scowl, putting his arm around Dream’s shoulder to lead him away from the dance floor. A thick hand grabbed his empty arm, “Don’t be doing this man. I just want to spend some time with him.”

Techno glowered at the man and the implication of his words, tugging his elbow away from the taller. “Dude, just drop it. We’re leaving.” He hurried the younger man away from the other and towards the main entrance of the house.

“I don’t feel good..” The whisper was soft, hand reaching up to grab at Techno’s sweater. His breath was unsteady and heavy. “I feel gross.”

“I know, we’re getting you back to the car to rest, okay? Just keep walking.” The two rushed out to the beat up car that was on the side of the road. Techno quickly helped Dream into the passenger’s seat when he saw it. The taller man exited the house, head jerking around. He was searching. Techno ran around to the driver’s side, dropping in and twisting the key. The engine roared to life, Techno knowing damn well it caught the asshole’s attention. He hastily drove into the road, uncaring of his surroundings. Get him to safety. Get him to safety. Get him to safety. His brain repeated, glancing over at the other. His breathing had evened out slightly, eyes squeezed closed. Techno sighed, turning down towards the highway.

Bright headlights beaconed in the distance, a CUV closing in behind him. The speed was way too fast for a normal person driving over the speed limit. This person was pushing at least 20 over the limit. It can’t be that guy from the party. There was no way he was that desperate to commit a felony. But when the car came close enough to rear-end him did he realize. He really was that desperate. There’s no way it wasn’t him. The car came in close again, this time on his side. Was he trying to push them off the road? Techno had no other option but to drive into the grass, close to hitting a tree while the guy pulled up in front of them. He quickly got out of the car, taking the keys with him so he could lock Dream in there. The other guy stormed towards him. “Dude what the hell are you doing?” Techno scowled, placing his keys in his grip, the metal sticking out from between his thumb and pointer. This didn’t seem like it would go well.

“Give me the boy.”

“Why? So you can assault him? I don’t think so.”

The man's eyes darkened at the accusation. “What’s your name?” He asked abruptly.

“I’m not giving my name to a guy who drugged somebody.”

“Yeah, and I didn’t just waste forty dollars for some pink-haired bitch to get in my way.” His foot stepped closer.

“You paid forty dollars for a roofie? Are you that desperate, dude? Or do you just get off on abusing teenagers?” Techno readied his arm to swing if the man came too close. He was taller by a couple of inches, but he didn’t seem that buff. Techno multiplied his chance of winning with his keys. The man seemed more agitated than before. ‘Good going, Techno.’ He berated himself. “Dude you’ll go to jail if you follow through on this. Do you really want that? I’m willing to let this go if you do.”

“I’ll take my chances.” The man lunged forward, swinging his arm back to punch Techno in the jaw. He slashed his keys across the man’s face as fast as he could. Blood beaded out of the raised skin as he stumbled back. “Did you just scratch me with your fucking keys?” The man brought his hand up to touch the wound, fingers red.

“Yes, so please just back off.” Techno begged, changing his stance to ready himself for another slash. The man stared down at Techno, “I’m gonna kill you.”

They lunged forwards again, this time grabbing onto Techno’s hand with the key. Techno wound his other arm back to punch the guy. The hit landed on his shoulder, knocking him back a bit. The man yanked Techno down to the dirt, foot colliding with his stomach. Techno let out a grunt as he dropped his foot down on his back. The man dug his heel into his side before lifting it again. The pink-haired boy turned over to grab his leg and jerk his leg to the side. The man lost his balance, falling over, slamming his head on Techno’s sedan on his way down. Techno took the small advantage of the discombobulated man to mount his stomach and start wailing on him. His arms rear back to come crashing down on the man’s face. Each punch got harder the more the man tried to pry Techno off. Techno’s chest was heaving as adrenaline pumped through his veins. His breaths were ragged and shaky. His knuckles split with each punch, blood spraying on his fists and sweater sleeves. When the man started to gurgle, Techno stopped. His breathing labored as he stared down at the purple and red mess of a face in front of him. His hands shook in pure terror. “Did I.. Did I just fucking kill him?” Techno croaked out. The man’s nose was completely busted and his eyes began to swell over. His lip was split open in three spots. Techno quickly stood up from the body, looking around him for other cars. None seemed to be coming. Plus it was around 1AM at this point. Nobody should be coming. And he just fucking killed somebody. No, there's no way he killed the guy, he reasoned with himself. He grabbed onto the male’s wrist to feel for a pulse, watching his chest for a rise and a fall. None. Techno’s eyes felt hot. He felt like they were burning. And for the first time in his life

Techno cried.

His chest heaved as a loud sob ripped from his throat, falling onto the hood of his car. Tears flooded down his face, hands coming to grip at his neck. It was painful. Crying was painful. His heart was practically beating out of his chest. He leaned back on the hood, gasping for breath. He was hyperventilating. He couldn’t stop, panic welled up again. Holy shit he’s going to die like this. And if he lives, he’s going to jail for manslaughter. He squeezed his eyes shut as he broke down. He couldn’t hear anything, it felt like cotton was stuffed into his ears. His shoulders trembled as he continuously choked for air. He was beginning to feel light headed. He had passed out on the hood of his car.

Roughly an hour later did he wake back up, body trembling still. He sat up from the front of his car, looking down at the man still laying on the ground. He sighed, picking up his keys from the grass as he made his way over to Dream’s door. Unlocking the door and opening it to see Dream peacefully snoring. His head was rolled on his shoulder. Techno smiled slightly at the view. But unfortunately, he had to wake the younger one up. He shook the boy’s shoulder muttering small words to rouse the boy of his slumber. Green eyes cracked open, blinking a few times to orientate himself. “Hey..” He mumbled, leaning forwards in his seat only to wince and hold his head. “Sorry, I’m really dizzy.”

“I’ll explain that to you in a minute but we have a problem.” Techno sputtered, glancing back to the man on the ground. “What is it?” Dream asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I might have killed somebody.”

“What?!” Dream shouted, eyebrows shooting up on his forehead. He fumbled with his seat belt, quickly exiting the car to see a body laying in the dark. He ran over to the figure, practically wheezing when he saw his face. “Techno, what the fuck did you do?” He asked, frantically turning back to the pink-haired boy.

“He attacked me, I retaliated, okay?” Techno let out.

“That doesn’t mean you kill somebody!”

Techno sat down on the hood of his car again. A small part of his brain reminding him of the panic attack he just went through. He gazed wordlessly at the body of the older man. Dream’s eyebrows scrunched together as he waved a hand in his face, “Don’t ignore me! You fucking killed somebody!”

“I was protecting us.”

“Self defense doesn’t look like that!” Dream let out, hands coming up to grab his hair. He dropped to his knees to feel for a pulse.

“It’s futile. I already looked for a pulse. Plus he’s not breathing.” Techno muttered, face blank. But his eyes looked regretful.

“Techno! We’re going to jail for this! Why the fuck would you do this!” Dream continued to berate the pink-haired male. Asking why he did this. Telling him he’s going to jail. Telling him it’s terrible. Continuously trying to wake up the guy. Techno knew he was dead. “Techno! Fucking explain yourself!”

“He was going to rape you! Is that what you wanted to know?!” He yelled, pushing himself off the hood and towards the blonde. “He roofied your drink at the party! He followed us out here! He attacked me! Why do you think you feel like shit right now? Because you’re drugged! He was going to take advantage of you! He tried attacking me to get to you!”

Dream’s face twisted in disbelief. “I’m- I’m not drugged! I just felt sick!”

“You passed out as soon as you got in the car. You’re dizzy. You were lethargic. You can’t even remember anything from the party can you? Your words were slurred and I had to physically drag you to the car. That’s all symptoms of being roofied, Dream. Not only that but he admitted to it! Said he wasn’t letting the money he bought for the drug go to waste.”

Dream sighed, running his hands over his face. “I believe you, it’s just- this is a lot.” The two stood in silence for a few minutes. Both trying to collect their thoughts. “What do we do with the body? I don’t want to go to jail.”

“Bury it in the woods?” Techno suggested, looking at the battered face. “I need to clean up too.”

Dream looked over to see his sleeves that were covered in splattered blood. It was small patches, nothing too bad. But it still was blood and still threw Dream off. “I still have a shovel in the back so it shouldn’t be that hard.” Techno suddenly said. His tone was flat. Dream stared at Techno, noticing something weird about his face. There were faint lines that came from under his eyes. His eyelids were shiny. Skin was flushed. “Did you cry?”

Techno turned to look at Dream, “Yeah. It hurt a lot. Worse than when this dude beat the shit out of me.”

“It hurt you to cry?”

“I couldn’t breathe. I passed out on the hood. I thought I was dying.” Techno replied honestly. Shoulders slumped.

Dream frowned, “Did you have a panic attack?”

“I don’t know. Can you help me put this guy in the back seat?” Techno asked, wrapping his arms under his armpits, heaving the upper body off the ground. Dream grimaced as he walked over to pick up his legs. The two maneuvered the body into the backseat, pushing aside their blankets and food. Techno slammed the door closed and entered the driver’s side. Dream stood at the passenger’s door, trying to level out his breathing. He can’t fathom this. What the absolute fuck were they doing? The two drove off down the highway, leaving the man’s car there. “They’re gonna check a mile radius around the car. If they even check.” Techno said, “That’s what they tend to do on the true crime cases I’ve read. He needs to be at least five miles away.”

Dream stared down at his lap as Techno spoke. Tears lining his eyes. “Okay..” He mumbled.

“Are you okay?” Techno asked. “I know this is a lot and I wish we didn’t have to do this either.”

Dream let a few stray tears fall down his cheeks. He knew techno was just trying to protect him. It was self defense. But it’s still so wrong. It’s terrible. “I’m fine. I’m just overwhelmed. And it’s all my fault!” He sobbed out, hands covering his face. “If I didn’t persuade you to go to that stupid fucking party, this wouldn’t have happened!”

“Hey, it’s not your fault. It’s his. You didn’t know you’d get drugged. I didn’t know I’d have to fight somebody.” Techno comforted, “It’s neither of our fault. It’s his fault for trying to assault you.”

Dream dropped his hands to his lap, leaning back on the headrest. “Okay..” He let out weakly. Techno pulled onto the side of the highway after twenty minutes of silence passed. He parked the car, “You grab the shovel from the back. I’ll drag him into the woods.”

Dream made a hum of acknowledgment and opened the trunk, pushing their bags of clothes out of the way to see a wooden shovel lying on the floor. He pulled it out and dropped the trunk closed, seeing Techno pulling the body out from the backseat. It would almost be funny to see Techno struggling if it weren’t for the context. Dream walked up into the woods to dig the hole. It had to be deep enough to cover him. It might not get to six feet deep, Dream thought as he began to dig up the soil. This was hard. He heard the twigs snapping as Techno dragged the man in. “Oh good, you’re digging.” Techno let out, letting the body flop down. When the hole was decently deep enough, he stripped himself of his sweater and dropped it in.

“I think we fucked up.” Dream sighed, staring down at the pit that he dug out. He ran his hands through his greasy hair

“We’re royally fucked, Dream” Techno amended the statement, looking back at the body that laid behind them.

“Why did you do that?” Dream cried in exasperation. His arms clutching his triceps; as if he were trying to make himself appear smaller. Techno stared at the blonde, no emotion evident on his face while Dream’s lips curled downwards. Techno ignored the question in favor of dragging the man into the pit legs first. “Let's fill it up.”

Dream began to dump the dirt over the man. Tears falling down his cheeks again. Techno threw sticks and leaves over the dirt patch, hoping to hide the pit. The two quickly ran back to the car, driving away from the crime scene.

***

Dream had been paranoid since. He’d glance over his shoulder as if somebody had snuck up behind him. He’d constantly try to find comfort in Techno in public spaces. Techno couldn’t tell if it was because he was drugged or the fact that they buried a body along the highway. It might just be a mix of both, he assumed. The blonde had no idea his drink was spiked and he woke up to a corpse laying in front of the car. Techno hadn’t grown paranoid at all, but he had grown over-protective of Dream. It was his fault this happened. If he hadn’t left the house and watched Dream like he said he would, the other’s drink wouldn’t have been spiked. Dream still continuously blamed himself for this all happening. “But I was the one who brought you there!” He would say, “I should’ve listened to you and not gone.” It was starting to piss Techno off. No matter how many times he told Dream it wasn’t his fault, he’d get cut off with another apology. He didn’t have to apologize. He’s the victim. He was the most innocent out of all of them, having done nothing but sleep in the car. It was Techno’s fault for reacting the way he did. He should’ve stopped sooner. But he didn't. He kept going and going and going. He could almost phantom feel the man’s face on his knuckles. And the worst of it all- It felt good. The man deserved the beating he got, Techno tried to reason with himself. He was a gross man who was prepared to take advantage of a teenager. He deserved it.

“We should stop for gas,” Techno spoke. They had one third of a tank left. Plus the gas was cheap around this town. “Okay,” Dream mumbled back to him. Techno almost wanted to snap at him for the whispered reply. He’d been doing this for almost a week now. He understood why Dream was nervous and upset, but the constant moping began to piss him off. He’d constantly tell him “Dream it's okay” and “Dream it’s not your fault.” But the other never seemed to listen to him. Techno pulled up to a pump and slammed his door closed. He walked into the station to pay for the gas, pulling out his wallet. He made his way up to register and almost gagged at what was on the wall.

‘MISSING’ in bold red letters. His and Dream’s yearbook photos on display. He quickly read over the information before taking off his glasses, hoping to look slightly different. He has pink hair now. He doesn’t exactly look the same. But Dream.. He looked like an empty shell of who he once was. His wide smile and shiny eyes were no more. His eyes always looked glazed over and lips were always pulled into a frown. He’d randomly start crying in the car sometimes when his emotions got too much. Techno felt like it was all his fault. And maybe it was his fault. If he hadn’t taken up Dream’s offer to run away, he wouldn’t’ve killed somebody. He can’t go into the past and change it all. He should’ve pushed Dream not to go to the party. He should’ve watched Dream. He should’ve known. He paid for the gas, the employee looking none the wiser. He hurriedly made his way back to the car to pump in the gas and leave. Dream sat there as always. “Dream.”

Dream looked over at Techno, “What?”

“Do you want to go back home?”

The question hung in the air menacingly. Dream suddenly started crying again. He sobbed into the crook of his elbow. He shook like a leaf. Techno quickly pulled into another parking lot to comfort the teen. He unbuckled his belt so he could lean over to hold him. “Do you want to go?” He asked after a few minutes of crying. Techno shook his head, smiling softly.

“I don’t. But I want to do what’s best for you.” He started, leaning back into his seat. “You’re so depressed and paranoid. I just want you to feel safe.”

Dream hummed. “I’m sorry. I just- the body. The roofie. It’s a lot to comprehend. And you were so nonchalant about burying the guy.. I don’t know. It’s scary. I’m scared.”

“Of me?”

“Not you. Just what you did.” Dream admitted.

Techno sighed, chest clenching uncomfortably. “I know. And I’m sorry. I wish I stopped, but I just couldn’t. I kept going.. I wanted to protect you. I was worried he’d get up and get to you.”

He looked over to see Dream’s eyes watering again. “I’m sorry for taking us there. I should’ve-”

“Shut up, Dream.” He snapped. “Stop saying that. It’s not your fault. And it’ll never be your fault, okay? It was his and we got stuck in it.” He grabbed Dream’s shoulder, “Just please understand that.”

The blonde nodded slowly and Techno took his hand off his shoulder. “I don't want to go back there, Techno.. I don’t want to go home.”

“I understand. However, I saw missing fliers at the gas station-”

“What?!” Dream shouted. His eyes wide in shock. Techno nodded, “Yeah, our yearbook photos and information was on the fliers.”

Dream groaned into his hands, mumbling about something. “I can’t believe your dad filed a missing person report.” He jested after a few seconds. Techno snorted at the joke, “Me neither. He probably did it so you could get away from the sociopath.”

Dream chuckled slowly, “I still don’t think you’re a sociopath.”

“..What?”

“Well, I looked into it when you told me. You’re not really doing sociopathic things. Sure you lack empathy and overall emotion sometimes, but you have them. You’ve laughed and cried. And it was genuine. Minus you killing somebody..” Dream expressed his opinion, “I don’t think you are a sociopath. Sure, you fit some of the symptoms, but that doesn’t define you as one.”

“Well.. Thanks?” He smiled awkwardly. “I kind of went my whole life thinking I’m one. And my dad too. I mean it was the first time I’ve ever cried.” Techno leaned in close, “I actually cried! It really hurt to breathe, but I cried!”

Dream smiled fondly at Techno’s spiel. The pink-haired boy seemed so proud of himself for.. Crying?

“What do you want to do about the missing posters?” Dream asked, leaning back into his seat. Techno sighed, scratching his head in frustration. “I don’t know. Maybe just get as far away as we can?”

“How long do you think those missing posters have been up?”

“Knowing my dad, he wasn’t the one to do it. Tommy probably did it.”

***

The two had stopped at another motel, deciding they needed a proper shower and bed to sleep on. It had been a while since their first shower, last time being when they dyed Techno’s hair pink. Techno had taken the first shower, leaving behind pink dye for Dream as he thoroughly washed his greasy hair. Dream exited the bathroom, toweling his hair dry. “How comfy is the bed?” He asked the pink-haired male who was already reclined on the far side.

“Not that bad, still kinda hard.” He replied, pushing his hand down into the mattress. At least it wasn’t a rock. Sleeping in a car got pretty frustrating at some point. You couldn’t sleep on your side very well, legs hung off the seat. Don’t even try sleeping on your stomach. Not to mention the lack of temperature control within the car. Some nights it was boiling, having to crack the windows in the middle of the night. Other times it was freezing, both boys having to double up on their blankets. They had both agreed to keep the thermostat around 75 degrees when they first entered the dinky motel room. Not too hot for Techno and not too cold for Dream. “Can we watch some TV?” Dream asked, sitting against the edge of the bed. Techno agreed, handing him the remote. Techno had been on his phone for a while, finally having it charged after almost two full months of driving. He had many missed messages from Tommy, but that was about it. He scrolled through the messages, seeing the younger begging him to come back home. That he missed Techno. There was one message from his father reading ‘come back home.’ As if. Techno heard the television click on as Dream laid down, head propped against the pillow. He flickered through channels, trying to find something to watch. He paused on a news channel. “Techno?”

“Yeah?” He murmured, glancing up from his phone.

“Isn’t that the guy we buried on route 75?”

Techno frowned, looking at the television screen. On screen had been the man, face completely swollen, beaten blue. He was lying down on a hospital bed, IV jabbed into his hand. His chest was moving. Holy shit had he been alive? Techno sat up right away, grabbing the remote to turn up the volume. “He has been in intensive care since he was found on the side of the highway. The suspects have been identified as two teenagers, two of which had run away from home almost two months ago. They’ve been identified as Technoblade Minecraft and Dream-”

“You’re shitting me!” Techno gasped out. Fists shaking as their yearbook photos flashed onto the screen.

“We’re going to jail, Techno!” Dream panted out. His green eyes welled with tears. “I thought you killed him! How is he alive?”

“I don’t know! He was dead!” Techno exclaimed, body shaking in terror. “He was dead..”

Both boys sat in silence as the new anchor continued reading off information about them. Their heights, last place seen, what type of car they were in. She went on to describe the man’s injuries. Techno cringed slightly at the fractured cheekbone bit. Both teens didn’t know how to process the fact that he’d been alive. Dream seemed to be relieved that Techno hadn’t been a murderer all along, but still distraught that they’d be running from the police. They’d be running from the police.. Techno winced at the idea. They’d be arrested and tried in court. Techno could go to jail, and if they didn't believe either of them, Dream could as well. Techno had settled with the idea of him being behind bars. But Dream.. The blonde doesn’t deserve it. He’d done nothing. They both slept uncomfortably that night, tossing and turning. Waking up at odd hours to glance through the window. Paranoia had quickly settled in between them. They had run out of the motel fast the next morning, hoping they weren’t identified as they dropped the key off in the front office.

Hours later, they decided to stop for gas, finding a station that was pretty far away. The station had been pretty far out of the way, along a desolate highway. Techno exited the car, leaving Dream to peacefully snore. He entered the small store to pay for the gas- cash was starting to get obnoxious. He wished he stole his dad’s credit card, though he knew the old man would cut it off. The little bell rang as he opened the door, signifying his entrance. “Hello, how may I help you?” The young lady behind the counter asked. She eyed him up a little before smiling. Techno glanced a way, a little uncomfortable with the attention. “I need to pay for pump 3.”

“Alright, how much gas do you need?”

“Around 7 gallons, if possible.” He replied, pulling out his wallet. He put the bills in her hand, catching the change and receipt. He shouldered opened the door to go pay for the gas. He pocketed his change, picking up the pump and opening the tank. He waited patiently for a few minutes until he heard a piercing wail in the distance. His head shot up to look down the road. Red and blue light flared. “You’re fucking me.” He muttered, pulling the pump out of the tank. Had she called the police? No, there's no way she could’ve. She must’ve pressed the panic button for a robbery. She fucking recognized him. He quickly screwed the tank closed, he unlocked the door when the police cars zoomed into the lot. “Shit!” He cursed, as they jumped out of the passenger side.

“Put your hands up!” They yelled, hands hovering over their gun strap. Techno frowned, thrusting his arms into the air. The young woman ran out from the store, yelling about his wanted poster from last week. Techno’s eyes darkened as they bore into her. She shrivelled back from his stare. “Technoblade Minecraft, you’re hereby under arrest for attempted murder. Is your accomplice with you?”

“I didn’t have an accomplice,” he snarled as the officer made their way over.

“Where is Dream?” They asked.

Techno rolled his eyes, “Passenger seat. He had nothing to do with anything.”

“The court decides that.” They said, pulling Techno’s arms behind his back, clipping the handcuffs around his wrist. “Thank you for not resisting arrest.”

The other officer opened the passenger door, shaking the blonde boy awake. They ran through the same spiel as they did to Techno. The blonde shook wildly as they pulled him out to handcuff him. He turned to face Techno as he was handcuffed. “What’s going on?”

“Lady pressed the panic button in the store,” he murmured. “We’re getting arrested. Don’t worry about anything. You know you’re innocent.”

Dream’s face contorted, looking over at the store worker. She seemed pitiful as she watched them being pushed into the police car. What a bitch. Dream sat beside Techno, his face twisted in an attempt to not cry. He could see the boy’s lip wobble. “It’s okay, Dream. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I’m worried about you, dipshit.” Dream snapped, tossing his head back. Techno’s eyes widened at his proclamation. He was worried for Techno? Well, Techno was the one who beat the man half to death. A part of him is glad he didn’t actually kill the man. It had been weighing heavy on his conscious since the moment he landed the first punch. He could vividly recall the man’s gurgling as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. He remembered seeing his lips split with each punch, his eyes swelling. Not only that, but he remembered heaving on the hood of his car; split knuckles grasping at his throat. The memory wasn’t a fond one. However, a small part of him had wished the man had died for real. He didn’t believe such a terrible person deserved to live after what he had attempted. He drugged Dream, tried to- as threatened- kill Techno. But now the bastard had survived it all only to go and report them for attempted homicide. The man had to know he could get jail time for spiking a drink. For attempting assault. For actually attempting murder. What an idiot. Techno prayed the bastard got jail time; apparently it wasn’t his time to die.

“What are you guys doing with my car?” Techno broke the silence, looking up at the officers in the front. He still had the shovel in the trunk. And if that’s not suspicious for premeditation..

“It’ll be inspected for evidence.”

“Do you have a warrant?”

Silence broke out again.

“We’ll get one.”

***

Technoblade sat patiently in the all-grey room, ankle chained to the floor by a single, elongated cuff. The medical garb was big; the split exposing his entire back if he bent over. The police had dropped them off at the hospital for inspection; they wanted to make sure they weren’t injured or sick. The inspection revealed the faded bruises on his back and side from when the man kicked him down. The pinkette sat with his head leaned against the concrete wall, eyes locked onto the small camera. It sat in the corner, mounted to the wall. His black eyes bore into the lense, waiting for somebody to push through that door and read him his rights. His rights to silence, to a lawyer. However, none had done so for the past hour. (It was becoming increasingly hard to keep track of time the more bored he grew). He hadn’t seen Dream since they were whisked away at the hospital. He was starting to get antsy. Has the blonde been okay? What if he needed Techno? He slowly began to worry about the other as he waited on the dinky fold out chair. They could’ve bought better chairs, his ass was going numb.

A soft knock echoed from the door, “Hello. Technoblade Minecraft, correct?” An older man, probably near his sixties, pushed open the door.

“Yes.” He replied curtly. The older man walked into the room with a clipboard in his hands. Techno has watched scenes like this one too many times. They’ll read him his rights and then he has to sign them away. It was the basic procedure. And it’d only be worse for him and Dream if he refused or lied. “I’m going to read you your rights as a defendant.”

And so the man did. Techno barely paid attention, already knowing every sentence word for word. The clipboard slid over, he signed his right to silence away. “I’ll tell you everything.”

The man’s eyes widened at the sudden proclamation. “Alright, let me ask a few questions first.” The boy looked at him expectantly. He coughed lightly before continuing, “What’s your relationship like with your father?”

He hadn’t spoken to his dad since the day he ran away. His last conversation hadn’t gone too well, having had Dream hang up on him. They had probably informed his father of the accusations. There was no way his father didn’t know he’s under arrest. No doubt his dad had probably told the police he was guilty. His dad enjoyed fucking him over. “He’s why I ran away.”

“Why?”

“He constantly puts me down. Told me sociopaths, like me, can’t make connections with others. Practically interrogated Dream the first time he came over.” Techno answered, head lolling to the side. He didn’t like thinking about his dad.

“Do you know why Dream ran away?”

Techno frowned at the question, “It’s not really my place to tell you. All I can say is because of his mother.”

The man scribbled something down on his notepad. “Who offered to run away first?”

“Dream. I refused until a big fight with my dad a few days later.” This was starting to get boring- a little upsetting all the same.

“Where did you meet the Plaintiff?”

Techno gagged slightly at the name. This was real.. He could really be going to jail. “Dream wanted to go to a house party. So we did. I left part way through because I was overwhelmed. I came back to find out Dream’s water had been spiked. The guy started to come onto him and I dragged Dream out.”

“His drink was spiked, you say?”

“Yeah, Dream was acting like he was drunk. He was sluggish, distant, drowsy. The guy even admitted to drugging him after he followed us down the highway. Said he spent too much- fortyish- to let Dream leave.”

“He followed you down the highway?”

“He tried rear ending me and drove onto my side. We got pushed into the dirt.” Techno’s hands clenched tightly. The fucker..

“What happened after that?”

Techno sighed, “I tried asking him to leave. I said we wouldn’t report him if he left us. He said ‘I’ll take my chances’ and then attacked me. I scratched him with my keys and then he got me on the ground. That’s where the bruises were from. He said he was going to kill me. I fought back as best as I could. I got him down and started punching him.”

“What was Dream doing during this?”

“He was asleep.”

The man began writing in his notebook again. “What did you do after you thought the man was dead?”

Techno cringed, “I had a panic attack on the hood of my car and passed out. I woke up an hour later and told Dream what happened. He freaked out too. We panicked. I was the one to offer to bury him. Dream didn’t want to. I feel like I forced him to..” Techno unclenched his fists, leaning back again. “I knew we shouldn’t have but… I don’t know.”

“Why’d you bury him so far away?”

“I didn’t want to get caught.” He said, “Sounds shitty, I know. But I panicked. Buried the guy and left. Dream had been a wreck after it all. I don’t care about what happens to me at this point as long as Dream’s okay.”

“Do you believe this was in self defense? Do you think he would’ve killed you then assaulted Dream?”

Techno’s jaw clenched at the image, “Yeah.. That’s why he attacked me in the first place. What a piece of shit.”

The man wrote something down again. Techno prayed he didn’t screw himself over. But it was better to tell the truth than to lie. Plus his story would match Dream’s. Or the little that was Dream’s. “Is Dream okay?”

“Do you care about him?”

“A lot.”

The man smiled subtly at the admission. “The boy is alright. Shaken but alright. I could get in trouble for saying that but you seem like a kid who was just protecting his friend. However, your dad has been waiting for a few hours to talk with you. Would you be okay with seeing him after this?”

“My dad?” Techno frowned. His dad waited hours to talk to him? HIS dad? The man nodded. Techno scratched his head, “I guess. I haven’t seen him for months..”

“It’ll be alright, shout if you need anything. There are people all over this place.” The older man stood up with a smile on his face, patting his head gently. “I hope nothing bad happens to you two. You’re good kids.”

Techno’s eyes widened at the confession. The man left through the door, hearing it click locked. Did the man just defend Techno? Techno felt his heart rate build up. Did somebody actually believe he wasn’t in the wrong, when even he thought he was in the wrong? Techno clenched his fists tightly, biting his trembling bottom lip. Maybe it was because he was the first adult to believe in him. He was a good kid? Techno was a good kid? Techno dropped his face into his hands, feeling himself sniffle lightly. His chest tightened at the thought. Somebody thought he was a good kid. He was never a good kid growing up. But somebody.. Somebody believed in him. He took a shuddering breath, dropping his hands down. Even if he ends up going to jail for attempted manslaughter, somebody believed he was justified.

After settling back down, the door opened again. A green cardigan walked in. A striped bucket hat sitting on top of pale blonde hair. His breath hitched seeing his father. The man’s face was neutral, ungiving. “Hey mate.” He spoke, sitting down on the chair the older man had.

“Hello.”

The air was tense between the two. Techno refused to lift his head from his chest. He didn’t want his father to see him. He waited for his father to say he was right. Techno really was just a big mistake. He was the family’s disappointment. He always had been. A child who had been void of emotions had grown up to become a potential felon. There’s nothing more poetically disgusting than that. Techno sighed out harshly, suddenly pissed at his father. “Why are you here? To tell me how I fucked up, Phil?”

“No, I’m not here to degrade you. I’m here to say sorry. For failing you.”

“Failing to look like a good father? Not failing me, right?” Techno scoffed, crossing his arms against his chest. He stared down at his father, anger bubbling in his throat. “We both know you never cared before as long as I stayed in line. But the moment I got a friend, you were pissed at me. Why Phil? Why were you so mad?”

The older male sighed, “Because I was blind to see you hurting. I hid behind the veil of your possible personality disorder and never acknowledged you. I’m sorry for failing you in life.”

“Are you only saying that because we’re in the police station? I know you’d never mean that, Phil. You were planning to let me go like Wilbur, weren’t you? Did you even want to put out those missing posters?”

“I care about you, Technoblade Minecraft! You’re my son!” Phil yelled, standing up abruptly. “I never wanted Wil to leave! I never want you to run away with some boy! I wanted you to stay safe!”

“Quit talking about Dream like he caused this!”

“You’re in here because of him!”

“Because I didn’t want him to be raped?! That’s something to be ashamed of? I think not!” Techno yelled, ankle cuff clicking tight as he stood. “If you’re gonna come in here and spew shit, you can leave. I’m probably going to jail anyways. I hope I don’t see you again.”

“Techno-”

“Shut up! I’m done with you talking to me like I’m the biggest disgrace you’ve ever laid your callous eyes on! I’m a person, Phil!” Techno spat, tears lining his eyes. “I’ve had the best and the worst past few months of my entire life. You don’t even give a shit about that do you?! You just think I’ve damned everyone I’ve touched.”

“Tech-”

“No! I’m done, Phil.” He dropped back into his chair, a small tear leaking down his cheek. “I don’t need this to be the last thing I hear before I go on trial. Sorry Mom gave birth to such a fuck up like me. I hope Tommy makes up for my mistakes. Please just leave..”

Phil stood stock still in front of his son. Eyes zoned onto the tears dribbling down his face, something in his stomach churned. He had begged for years of his life to witness a moment quite like this. One where Techno finally felt something. But never had he wanted it all to be his fault. No matter what Techno did, he’s still his father. “I love you, son. Whether you want to hear it now or never.” He knocked on the door, asking to be released from his grieving child. The door cracked open, Phil still stared at the trembling teenager as the door blocked the view. He heard a deafening wail rip through the door. His chest tightened hearing the noise.

He really failed him.

All of this was truly his fault.

***

The court hearing hadn’t gone the way they had anticipated. Seeing the man again sent Dream into a short panic attack in front of the entire court. Techno was told to back off of Dream when he hunched over, wildly inhaling for air. This was the first time Techno had seen him in at least a week. The blonde looked like a mess, dark eye bags dragging his juniper eyes down. The older man had bore his eyes down on Dream, feeling all too sinister in intention. Techno did his best to stay calm when seeing the man again, anger gushing in his veins. The police officer had come down to calm the younger down as he heaved. So the beginning of the hearing was going great. Techno had to listen to the man’s lawyer babble on and on about how the kids were basically evil and out for violence. Their sadistic tendencies shone when seeing the vulnerable plaintiff. Techno tongued his cheek in impatience. He was doing his best to watch himself and not further damn the two’s case. Their lawyer had gone up to the jury to justify them in their opening statement. Techno felt his throat close up, hearing the statement. It had been the information he’d given to the detective the other day, but it still hurt rehearing it all.

The man’s lawyer had called Dream to the witness stand. Techno bit his lip, refraining from saying anything as the man grilled into the blonde about the potential drugging. Things like ‘how would you remember if you’d been roofied?’ and ‘there’s no proof you were actually drugged’. Techno felt his stomach churn as Dream panicked. Finally, their lawyer cross examined, getting Dream to list the symptoms he remembered feeling. The fogginess, the dizziness, the exhaustion, feeling sick. He asked about the party, when he woke up. Almost all of it painted Techno in not the prettiest light. The blonde looked at him apologetically as he continued answering the questions. He was just being honest.. But it still hurts. When the blonde left the witness stand, their lawyer had called up the other man.

Almost every question made the man damn himself more and more. Asking about the unidentified withdrawal from his bank account. Why was he at the party in the first place? Why did he drive after the two teens? All answers further incriminated him. Techno almost felt giddy at the news being broken to the public. The plaintiff lawyer didn’t really help him out much, his answers not helping his case.

Then came the moment Techno was called up, swearing in, pale hand on a bible. He sat awkwardly in front of the entire courtroom. The plaintiff’s lawyer walked up with a small smirk on his face, “Technoblade Minecraft, correct?”

“Yeah.”

“From your interrogation, you claimed you were a sociopath. Is this true?”

Techno finally looked at the man, frown carving its way onto his face. “I’m not a sociopath.”

“But you said, and I quote ‘sociopaths, like me’ when speaking to the investigators.” The smirk suddenly made sense to Techno. He was planning to pin this all on him. That’s why Dream’s answers made him seem so bad. “So you attest to being a sociopath?”

“In context, I said my father calls me a sociopath. I was never properly diagnosed as one, so no.” Techno felt rage boiling under his skin, trying to keep calm. He knew if he blew up here and now, like the man was trying for, he’d make himself look even worse.

The lawyer seemed slightly annoyed at his refusal. That might’ve been his driving excuse to use. “I heard you have a lot of pent up aggression towards your father. This was shown during his visit after the investigator left.” A small clip of him yelling at his father played on the television, “Would you say you released some of this anger on my client that night?”

“No. All the anger I felt that night was because he attempted to rape my friend. My father had nothing to do with this.” He defended. All he had to do was deflect all of this onto the man. It was his fault for attempting assault, not his father’s.

“Why did you force Dream to bury the body of my client?”

Now that was one he could avoid. “I panicked. I didn’t know what to do.”

“Does panic and anger alleviate blame for attempted manslaughter?” He asked, Techno ducked his head down. Feeling a bead of sweat roll down his forehead. The judge banged the gavel down and quickly told the lawyer off. The lawyer closed his questioning after that. Techno’s lawyer coming up afterwards.

She was much nicer than the other, a genuine smile on her face. She seemed to be trying to calm Technoblade down by asking easy questions about the night. Questions that slowly continued to attack the plaintiff. “He admitted to drugging Dream.” Techno answered one question. “Said he wasn’t going to waste forty dollars for Dream to get away.”

She then went on to ask him about it, painting it all to be the self defense that it truly was. There was no covering up burying the man, but the rest was self defense. Techno felt more and more confident as he answered her.

There was a brief recess after Techno left the witness stand. The two teens talked in the hallway as the jury deliberated. “I’m sorry for how I made everything sound.” Dream apologized once they were away from the large group. Well they still had their lawyer and police officers nearby.

“It’s fine. You were just telling the truth.” Techno smiled, shrugging his shoulders. The two joked around a bit to alleviate the tension that had been gnawing at them. Techno asked about Dream’s interrogation. Dream asking about how his fight with his dad went. Suddenly, it felt like they were in the car again. Enjoying the breeze from open windows. Listening to Dream sing along to the song on the radio. It felt peaceful again. A part of Techno was still worried they’d be found guilty. Maybe they could just get probation though. There was enough evidence presented against the plaintiff for them to seem justified. But Techno knew better than to hope for the best.

Everyone was called back into the courtroom after a while, the jury representative standing with a paper in their hand. Techno’s fist clenched in anxiety as he waited for his sentencing. Techno’s ears increased in pressure, his hearing going with each passing second.

“-find the defendants innocent.” His breath hitched, ducked head jutting up to stare at the jury. Wait, were they talking about him? Innocent? As in he and Dream are alleviated from the conviction? The jury looked back at him, faces looking content with their ruling. A loud hiccup sounded from next to him, but he couldn’t even process it as Dream cried.

***

Techno sat on his bed, in silence. He hadn’t been here in months. The space almost felt foreign to him at this point. The driver’s seat of his car felt more like home than this space. Music lightly echoed from his alarm clock, a soft jazz tune that was supposed to wake him from his slumber. But he hadn’t slept that night. His old bedroom felt worse than the holding cell he had been in for a week. He saw his old AP textbooks lined up perfectly on his shelf like he had left them. His schoolwork from two months ago still strewn across the floor from when he emptied his bag. The memory felt bittersweet. He hadn’t lied when he said it was the best and worst moments of Technoblade’s life thus far. He missed driving with the windows down, hearing Dream sing along to the radio. One thing Techno didn’t miss was the feeling of pummeling a man half to death on the side of the road. Though one sick part of his brain had wished he killed the man. But that would be a conversation with his new therapist that the court had ordered him and Dream to regularly see. Apparently they went through a traumatic experience, like they hadn’t known that already, and needed to get the proper help. Additionally, he was assigned family therapy sessions, hoping to make his relationship with his father better. The cynical part of Techno doubted that their relationship would ever improve. The notion was well-intentioned, but ultimately fruitless. He knew it wouldn’t work. Techno can’t bring himself to forgive Phil for his childhood. For saying all of those things in the past. That he ruins the lives of those around him. A concept that he can’t seem to ignore.

Techno picked up the discarded books and papers off the floor. Homework from two months ago sat unfinished in his hands. He doubted he could even remember how to do the equations that were listed down on the sheets. He dropped them onto his empty desk. He had to get ready for his first day back at school. It had been a week since his court hearing, so he had to return. As did Dream. Apparently completing the final quarter was enough for them to pass. Techno already had enough credits to pass, considering he’s been taking AP courses since Freshman year.

Techno shucked off his plaid sleep shorts for a pair of jeans. The denim hung loosely around his hips. Had he really gotten that skinny? These jeans used to be snug to his waist. Now there was a gap, his fist could fit through it. He searched around for a belt. He figured he should’ve expected losing weight with how little the two ate those last two months. He remembered the day Dream had stomach cramps, Techno assumed it was his stomach shrinking from a lack of a proper meal. Techno took him to a small dinner that was along the highway.

Techno stared at himself in the mirror. His arms were noticeably thinner than they were before. His shirt hung loosely from his boney shoulders and drooped over his waist. He quickly tucked the shirt in, hoping that it made him a little more presentable. His hair was combed down, still a vibrant pink color. He smiled in remembrance. They two dyed his hair in the bathroom of a motel, laughing and joking. He could recall Dream’s serious conversation about his mother. The reason why he ran away.

They hadn’t talked since the hearing. It stung a little, considering they weren’t banned from contact.

He shook the thoughts away, leaving his room. His dad and brother sat at the table, making small conversation. Once Techno was seen in the doorway, Tommy began to engage him. Techno just stood there. It was still difficult for him to communicate his thoughts with his family, let alone his father. His dad smiled softly at him, “How’d you sleep?”

“Not at all.” He grunted, opening the fridge. There wasn’t anything too appetizing. He closed the door again.

“Do you want some coffee?” He offered. Techno just looked at him, unsure with how to answer him. Some nights he and Dream grabbed cold brew coffee cans from vending machines, wanting to stay awake and enjoy seeing the stars through the windows of his car. Though he remembers the pounding headaches that came without drinking more. Maybe his body just wasn’t into coffee. Dream always seemed to be fine when they drank.

Techno turned away from his dad, “I’m good.”

“Were you thinking about Dream? You took an awfully long pause there, big man.” Tommy taunted, wiggling his eyebrows.

Techno frowned in disgust, “It’s not like that, Tommy.”

Techno left the kitchen before the younger could rebuttal him. He found his backpack sitting in the living room, stock empty. He remembered stuffing it full of dirty clothes and sitting in a laundromat for hours.

Techno sighed, why did almost everything remind him of Dream? Maybe spending two months with the teen has warped his point of view.

He picked up the purple bag, shucking it over his shoulder. “Are you ready to go back?” His dad asked from the doorway. Techno glanced at him before walking to the front door, clipping his shoulder on his way. “No.”

“What are you hesitant about? Not having work done or what others will say?” His dad pried. He remembered their family therapist had told him to ask more questions; they wanted them to open up together. Techno doesn’t want to. The court won’t be too thrilled with the lack of progress they’ve made, but the required time is only a month of sessions. He can go that long without opening up to his dad. “All of it.”

He wasn’t lying when he admitted it.