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A few months ago, without any hesitation, Techno would say that Wilbur was a good brother. He was attentive, caring, and had proved time again that he was someone Techno could trust. He listened to them rant, never failing to make sure they knew he was listening to every word. Whenever Techno needed someone to look over school work, WIlbur would take up the challenge before Phil could even think to respond. Wilbur was kind and accommodating, always careful about Techno’s triggers and knowing when things were getting too overwhelming.
But then Wilbur was off to college, spending less and less time at home as classes nearly an hour away took up all his time. Most free time he had was dedicated to being locked up in his room or out with the new friends he’d made, only ever really spending time with family at dinner or when Tommy snuck into his room.
Techno didn’t blame him, how could they? They were still in high school and that stressed them out to the point of sleepless nights and daily anxiety attacks. College was levels harder, of course Wilbur would be stressed about it all.
That stress turned Wilbur a bit harsher, snappier. He would try his best, Techno could tell that he did, but he couldn’t fight off the annoyance in his sentences or the anger in his usually playful teasing. It was manageable and understandable. No one complained.
Recently, though, Wilbur’d been more volatile, angrier and louder and quicker to annoy. Techno could barely even breathe without him yelling at them to shut up. They tolerated it, at first. They let Wilbur argue, let Phil reprimand him, let Tommy watch in silence. They could handle a bit of shouting from a theater kid who had too big of an ego, they’d definitely dealt with worse.
But then Wilbur was attacking them, personally, and roping Tommy into it as well and, because Tommy thought Wilbur was the greatest, he never protested. It left Techno having to deal with hurtful, burning remarks just because someone had the desperate need to get their teenage angst out.
It all came to a head one night after Techno spent all day hanging out with the Syndicate, the incredibly small group of friends they’d managed to amass. Niki wanted to show them a new installation at the history museum and she was incredibly persuasive, getting both Ranboo and Techno to cave in a matter of minutes.
Techno told Phil they’d be out, knocked on Wilbur’s door to say goodbye, reminded Tommy when he was eating breakfast. Everyone knew they had plans, plans that had been in place for a while.
And yet.
“I fucking told you I needed help with something!” Wilbur shouted, face so dangerously close to Techno’s. They wanted to push him away and get those hateful eyes as far away from them as they could.
“No you didn’t! I had today planned for weeks and now you pull some dumbass excuse to get mad at me for having fun for once!” Techno shouted back, just as angry. “I’m allowed to have time for myself!”
“It wasn’t really for yourself though, was it?” Tommy chimed in. His voice, which Techno could usually find comfort and familiarity in, was grating. Too loud, too high-pitched, too much for their already collapsing mind.
Wilbur chuckled and it was disgustingly mocking; Techno could fully understand Niki’s distaste for him, finding none of the usual joy in seeing their brother smile. “Good point Tommy, good point.”
Tommy practically fucking glowed from the praise, a stupid self-satisfied grin settling on his face. Techno hated this more than anything else. They trusted them. They put their whole heart on the line for them and then their brothers turn around and do this shit, teasing and bullying him just for the fun of it. They purposefully dug at things Techno would respond to, choosing the perfect places to aim to hurt. Selfishly, they wished they’d never opened up to their family.
“You chose to hang out with people you’ve known for only a few months instead of helping family. What a brother, huh?”
He knew. He fucking knew more than anyone else how Techno struggled socially, how talking to strangers was a monumental task. Wilbur had listened when Techno had ranted, too emotional and too out of their mind, about how isolated they felt without any sort of support outside of their family. He congratulated them when they first mentioned meeting Niki and subsequently Ranboo; he wrapped them up in a hug and whispered to them about how proud he was. He knew how important his friends were to them, knew that they cherished them almost as much as they did their own family. And yet he stood there belittling them, belittling Ranboo and Niki.
“Wil. You never told me you needed my help, you didn’t call me at all. You’re pulling this shit for your own sick enjoyment and it’s getting fucking annoying.” Techno wanted to rip their hair out. They wanted to punch Wilbur and see him bleed. No. No. Nope. Can’t do that. What’d their therapist say again? “Find something better to do with your free time instead of making me feel like a stranger to my own damn family.”
With all of his audacity, Wilbur cooed. At Techno. Like they were a child. “Aw, is little Techie getting his feelings hurt?” The condescending tone, the nickname everyone abandoned after Tommy turned eleven, and the pout on Wilbur’s stupid, stupid face made everything so much worse. He dropped it all in just a second, going back to the shiteating grin he’d had before. “You know we’re only joking right, no need to get so sensitive over it.”
Tommy went from enjoying whatever Wilbur was trying to pull to looking vaguely uncomfortable, maybe finally catching onto the genuine hate sneaking into Wilbur’s tone. “Wil-”
(For a second, they forgot that Tommy was as interested in pushing their buttons as Wilbur was. For a second, Techno wished he could scoop his little brother up and take him far away from Wilbur. Wilbur, who was parroting words that had hurt Tommy in the past only now to a different face.)
“You’ve had worse done to you, you can handle some brotherly teasing.”
“It’s not teasing anymore. You’re just being-” They stumbled over their words, head too fogged up to speak as steadily as Wilbur was. “-you’re being cruel. It’s not fun for me and it never has been.”
Communication. This counted as communication. Would their therapist be proud? If she was, it wasn’t worth it all. Techno would rather get the quick gratification that came with a simple punch, the easy satisfaction of seeing someone hurting them in pain, instead of having to actually use their words.
“Oh, I know. Did you ever consider that maybe I don’t care how you feel about it?” Wilbur said, words sitting heavy in the air like poison. It wasn’t hard to tell that Wilbur’s words had a deeper meaning, had more to it then he was allowing himself to say. Knowing he meant something more, something worse than what he had said, made Techno’s blood simmer in a way it hadn’t in years.
They couldn’t be in the same room as him right now. They couldn’t guarantee that they wouldn’t punch Wilbur right in his stupid, smiling face. Techno could handle him better if he was bruised and bleeding, not when he was towering over them with far too much malice in usually warm eyes.
“I’m going out, tell Phil to call me when he gets home,” Techno forced out. They grabbed their coat, which had only been taken off ten minutes prior, and thanked the Gods up above that they hadn’t gotten the chance to take off their shoes before Wilbur came thundering out of his room.
Their brothers made no effort to stop them, finally having some fucking common sense. Maybe the two of them recognized how Techno’s hands were curled tight into barely restrained fists or maybe they noticed the way they looked only seconds away from crying (something they hadn’t done in front of their family since they were first adopted). They were free to grab their car keys and leave, back out into the late Autumn chill.
Once they were in the car, Techno checked out. Their thoughts became hazy, every single one incoherent and just out of reach so they wouldn’t have to spend any more time thinking about the very real anxiety and bone-deep sadness plaguing them. They couldn’t recall a single moment of the drive or how long it took, but suddenly their car was parked right by the park. It was when they were still and no longer moving that their brain unclouded, deeming it safe enough to let them spiral.
They got out of the car and closed the door with far too much force, all of the energy and strength that could’ve been aimed at Wilbur shown to their poor car instead.
Wilbur was always toeing the line between what was acceptable to say and what wasn’t, but tonight wasn’t anything like that. He knew he was going too far, he just had to. There was no way he wasn’t aware of all the hurt he’d caused. Techno was able to ignore all of his previous outbursts because, even if they still ended up hurt, none of Wilbur’s words felt genuine. But tonight they did.
The cold air was only moderately calming, more biting and uncomfortable than actually helpful. Unfortunate.
Would Phil take Wilbur’s side on this argument? Hell, would Tommy? The thought of going home and being lectured by Phil about how “Techno, Wil’s going through a lot and you need to more mindful of that” and “you know better than to respond to his baiting” made their stomach turn and a feeling they weren’t quite acquainted with sit heavy in their chest. Wilbur was good at making himself the victim and there was no doubt Tommy would agree with him. If he decided he wanted to be an even bigger asshole, Techno would have to deal with guilt that they weren’t sure they deserved.
They found themselves in front of the playground, absolutely devoid of the usual cluster of children. It looked lifeless like this, only under the light of the moon and left alone. Techno distantly wondered if that’s what they looked like to other people.
Techno was about to turn away and head down the path that curved through the park when, right at the top of one of the slides, they spotted a very familiar someone swinging their feet. It wasn’t hard to recognize the badly dyed head of hair that belonged to Ranboo, even with the dim lighting.
“What are you doing here?”
Ranboo startled, jumping where he sat and his head hitting something metal with an echoed clang. Ouch. He groaned in pain right after, hand moving to cover the back of his head. His eyes, which had been closed, were now wide open in panic. Once he noticed that it was Techno who spoke, though, all that panic immediately left and he shot them a grin.
“I needed fresh air,” he called back, voice echoing slightly in the silence of the night. “You know how it is.”
For the first time since they’d gotten home, Techno felt relaxed. They wandered closer to the slide, just so that Ranboo wouldn’t have to raise his voice for them to hear. Being closer, they noticed that what they had assumed were sweatpants were actually pajama pants (with a repeating pattern of little black cats on a witch’s broom; they smiled, the pants were a very Ranboo thing to wear).
“I doubt your parents just let you come here alone,” Techno said. Ranboo’s face fell the second they mentioned his parents, a small frown replacing their smile. He was always so easy to read and, while usually it’d be endearing, it only served to make their worry worse. “What’s wrong?”
Ranboo sighed. “I snuck out.”
“Figures,” Techno replied, trying to keep their tone light. The last thing they wanted right now was for Ranboo to panic and close himself off. “Not enough time to change?”
His face flushed, turning red all the way to the tips of his ears. “Dude, shut up,” he grumbled and Techno chuckled. “It’s comfortable, alright?”
Techno leaned against the plastic of the slide, feet suddenly too tired to carry all of their weight. It was fine though. It was easier to talk to Ranboo from here. “Why’d you sneak out?”
Whatever humor Techno had tried to build fell away and, for just a second, Ranboo looked exactly the way he did when he first met Techno. For some unfathomable reason, their mind offered up an image of Tommy earlier, uncomfortable and clearly not happy about what Wilbur was saying. He had looked painfully similar to how Ranboo looked now.
“No judgement, okay? And you can’t tell anyone else, either, not even Niki. It’s a secret between you and me,” Ranboo said, panic just barely seeping into their voice. He attempted to make eye contact, most likely to prove how serious he was about it, before immediately breaking it and looking at Techno’s forehead.
“I won’t tell anyone.” Techno meant it more than anything else; they’d hate themself if they so carelessly broke Ranboo’s trust in them.
“You promise?”
“I promise.”
Ranboo took in a deep breath, body shuddering with the effort. “My parents have been, y’know, they’ve been arguing. Lately. About anything, really, and most of the time I’m just watching, right? But, uh, well-” He hesitated here, mouth snapping shut as if he was forbidden from saying anything else. Techno could only nod encouragingly as tears welled up in his eyes, eyes which should never look that sad. “-this past week? Maybe weeks? They’ve been arguing with me instead. So instead of, uh, mom getting mad at dad for staying out too late, she gets mad at me for forgetting to clean the dishes or-or, like, missing an assignment. She just takes away everything too, y’know? My phone, my cat, food, whatever she can. And dad just, he just sides with her and so it’s just. A lot. I guess.”
“Oh, wow,” Techno replied, their usual supply of words failing them. Ranboo didn’t deserve any of that, he deserved so much better.
Ranboo laughed and it nearly devolved into a sob. “It’s so stupid. I don’t get it, what did I do wrong?” He was fully crying now and the distance between him and Techno was suddenly too far.
“Ranboo, you didn’t do anything wrong,” Techno reassured. They weren’t usually one to comfort others, that was a Phil job, but they couldn’t just let Ranboo think he was the one in the wrong. Techno unfortunately knew all too well how that felt. “Your parents are being immature. Instead of talking to each other like, I don’t know, adults, they’re taking their anger out on you because they know you wouldn’t fight back. That’s not your fault, got it?”
He curled in on himself, shaking as if it was well below freezing. His cries were silent except for the occasional sharp intake of breath. Techno felt like their heart was about to shatter. They looked at Ranboo and they saw themself, an echo of what they used to be.
“Do you think you’re good to, uh, to go down the slide?” Techno asked. When Ranboo lifted his head, they tried to give him a reassuring smile. “It’d be easier to comfort you or whatever when you’re not-” They gestured vaguely at where Ranboo was curled up, trying to not sound as awkward as they felt. “-up there.”
Ranboo shrugged before sliding down the slide. The oddity of going down a slide while still crying must’ve struck him as funny because as he sat at the bottom, feet splayed out in the mulch, he began giggling. His giggles dissolved into sobs and his tears were no longer silent. Each sob shook through his whole body, shoulders jumping up and hands trembling where they sat in his lap.
“I’m-” A sob. “I’m so sorry.”
Techno kneeled in front of Ranboo and almost instantly, he threw himself at Techno. He wrapped his arms around their next, pulling himself impossibly close to them. Techno returned the favor and held Ranboo just as fiercely. They probably needed this just as much as he did.
“You have nothing to be sorry about,” Techno whispered. The younger teen didn’t respond, only shoving his face into the crook of their neck in a way that couldn’t have been comfortable.
The two of them stay there, safe and held comfortably in each other’s arms. Slowly, Ranboo’s crying stopped. At some point, Techno’s hand had gone to Ranboo’s hair, carefully brushing through and undoing any tangle they came across. Ranboo shivered and Techno realized he was only wearing a long-sleeved shirt. Oh Gods, he must’ve been so cold.
Techno pulled away from Ranboo, ignoring the whine of protest from the younger teen. They took in his face, wincing at his red, puffy eyes. He was definitely getting a headache after this, no doubt about it.
“Have you had dinner yet?”
“Uh, no, no I haven’t.” Ranboo’s voice was fucked, scratchy and worn down from all his sobbing.
“Wanna get McDonald’s?”
Immediately, Ranboo perked up. He pushed himself further from Techno to look at them with something vaguely resembling eye contact. It didn’t take much for Techno to figure out that he was gauging just how serious they were about their offer; the furrow of his brow paired with the slight purse of his lips gave him away easily.
“Of course I want McDonald’s,” Ranboo answered, face breaking into a weak grin. Techno definitely did not feel any pride at that, none at all. “I haven’t gone in forever because apparently it’s too greasy.”
“That’s part of the appeal.”
“Exactly! You get it!”
Techno stood up, groaning at the pop of their knees; exactly how long had they been crouched like that? Ranboo followed their lead, having much less trouble than Techno did with the simple task of standing up.
Without much more conversation, Techno led Ranboo to where their car was parked. Upon seeing the familiar vehicle, he practically fucking sprinted towards it, ignoring all of Techno’s protests because, yes, let’s use up even more of our energy. What a good idea. Techno only associated with the smartest of people, clearly.
“Why are you like this?” Techno asked after walking to their car. Normally.
Ranboo grinned and Techno was just slightly surprised at how fast he bounced back from a complete breakdown. It was concerning, not that Techno cared too much. Definitely. “It’s part of my charm.”
They unlocked the car and both of them wasted no time in getting in. “What charm?” Techno turned the car on and Ranboo reached out to turn on the heater, more than used to the controls of their care.
“Oh, y’know,” Ranboo said, completely vague and not helpful.
Techno snorted as they pulled out of the parking spot. “I don’t know.” Feeling eyes on them, they turned to see Ranboo giving them a disbelieving glare. “Seriously, dude.”
“Uh huh, sure.”
The drive to the nearest McDonald’s was filled with Ranboo trying his best to connect his phone to the bluetooth of Techno’s car and just playing music out loud when he gave up. Usually, Techno would find themself complaining about Ranboo’s choice in music (the kid was an oddball in every single way), but they had the feeling that he really needed to just sing along to his favorite songs. At least for tonight.
Once at the drive-thru, Ranboo finally let up, turning off whatever Lemon Demon or Oingo Boingo song he was listening to. The silence was a sudden change in atmosphere, but not one that Techno hated.
“So why were you at the park?” Ranboo asked, not accusatory, after they’d ordered and gotten their food. Techno froze up at the question even if it was a completely fair and understandable thing to ask. They didn’t exactly want to explain what had happened, at least not with the detail Ranboo used when explaining his situation.
“Wilbur was being a bitch.” Close enough.
Ranboo nodded as if he understood completely, opening the kid’s meal he wanted (Techno forced him to order more than just that, though, because no way in hell was a kid’s meal enough for Ranboo). “So it’s safe to say that Niki was right about him?”
Well,,, “I guess so.”
“Good to know.”
Techno drove around aimlessly as Ranboo finished his food, far faster than he probably should’ve. They made a mental note to ask him about it on another day, maybe when he hadn’t already gone through a lot of emotional stress. As he made his way through nuggets and fries, Ranboo rambled. He talked about anything and everything, somehow managing to find topic after topic.
Techno glanced at the time. 11:12pm. Legally, they really shouldn’t be on the road. There were only two options they could choose: take Ranboo back to his house or let him stay the night at their house. Phil wouldn’t mind if Techno explained the circumstance, but Wilbur was going to be the real issue. If he was still throwing a fit, Techno coming home hours later with Ranboo would just set him off again. They wouldn’t want to subject Ranboo to that, especially considering the arguing he was dealing with at home. And that was another issue. If Ranboo went home and his parents found out he snuck out, they’d most definitely treat him worse.
There was no harm in asking.
“Do you want me to drop you off at home or would you want to take our couch for the night?”
“I- uh- hmm-” He turned to look out the window and Techno could picture the contemplative look on his face as he weighed the two options. “Home? It’s the weekend so they usually let me sleep in, but I don’t wanna risk it.”
“Alright, Beloved household it is,” Techno mumbled, forcing down their worry.
Ranboo was silent for the rest of the drive, abandoning all of the joy he was displaying earlier. If they could, Techno would absolutely fight Ranboo’s parents.
When Techno pulled up in front of the house they’d become only partially familiar with, they could barely hide their concern. “You’ll be safe, right?”
“Yes, Techno.”
“Don’t make too much noise.”
“I know.”
“If anything happens, text or call me. Don’t worry about bothering me or anything, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
Ranboo tried his best to hug Techno across the center console, only barely managing to make it not completely awkward. With the slight squeeze around their shoulders and the deep sigh Ranboo tried to muffle, Techno could tell Ranboo didn’t want to let go. He was stalling and completely obvious about it.
“See you Monday?”
“Of course.”
Techno stayed parked and watched as Ranboo climbed a tree close to his window, making his way up as if he’d done it a million times before. When they could no longer see any traces of Ranboo, they finally pulled away and began heading home though not after contemplating just heading to Niki’s.
They really didn’t want to face their family.