Chapter Text
The smell of rotting wood. The smell of dripping water from the ceiling. The smell of old and wrinkled bed sheets. The smell of cold breeze seeping through the broken window. The smell of wilted flowers in the vase by the shelf. The smell of rust still lingering in the suffocating air for hours.
No matter what he did, Tommy will always end up here. No matter how much effort he established over the years, he will always come back here. His life remains forever unchanged no matter how long he's been doing this. He was promised a new home. A new family to welcome and embrace him every day. A warm family who will love him unconditionally.
Unfortunately, it was all but a pipe dream. After the tenth foster house—
No, maybe even earlier than that... He was forced to face the reality that everything he did for someone to accept him for who he is will be futile. A pointless effort, in the end.
Born with a frail body, despite his inhumane strength, forsaken by his parents when he was but a baby, left alone in a stone doorstep of the orphanage, waiting to wilt and die by the harsh snowstorms, a child named Tommy will never be loved.
The thought of loneliness and longing made him puke his breakfast and stomach acid without fail. The sour putrid smell entered his nose, forcing him to cover his mouth with his tiny hands to avoid gagging once more every morning. It made him skinny and malnourished as days went by, but it can't be helped.
At least, that’s what he thought one day, until he met the Watson family.
Worry was all he ever thought. His heart beats like a loud drum inside his chest, waiting for the huge disappointment in the end that everything they did for him will be temporary.
Everything will only fall back into routine as soon as they get sick of him, showing their true colors, treating him harshly just like every prior household he entered, and finally deciding to send him back, acting as if Tommy was but a storm passing by. Acting as if it will all be over once he was gone and they could go back into a happy family, where he could never know the sensation of.
He was wrong.
But he was ecstatic. Because of a man called Phil, who treated him like he was one of his own despite the differences in blood and embraced him tightly around his huge arms whenever he was trembling and afraid.
Because of a man called Wilbur, the eldest of the siblings and the only blood relative of Phil in this nucleus family, playing with him at every chance he gets, and singing him to sleep whenever nightmares overwhelm him every night.
Because of a man called Technoblade, a fellow orphan but was adopted first and loved like a real family, reading him Greek mythologies with his dark and monotone but soothing voice when his doubts overtook him, reassuring him that they will never hate him, and they will always love him.
It was the first time that Tommy felt warm in all his life. The choked and tightening sensation that weighed him for so long vanished in a blink of an eye. He was finally allowed to be happy with this new family. He was reassured that it will stay that way for as long as they live, till death do them part. No, even after death, their love for him will never fade.
They will make sure of it.
"Tommy, capture it! It's coming your way!" Wilbur yells, his breath short as he runs with his family, chasing their prey for about thirty minutes.
The said prey runs ahead of Tommy, though, with a couple of kilometers already between the two in a matter of seconds.
"Easier said than done! Why don't you use your stupid powers and sing it to sleep?" Tommy groans as he picks up the pace and manages to run behind the huge boar while pushing the earpiece on his ear, avoiding it to fall off.
"Do I look like I want to serenade a boar?"
"What about Sally?" Tommy asks in a smug expression.
"That was one time. And she's not a fucking fish! That was her pet!" Wilbur's cheeks are bright red as he exclaims. "Techno, you're a pig. Why don't you flirt with it or something?" He clears his throat and turns his attention to Techno who was running beside him in silence.
"No thanks. I don't flirt with animals, unlike some people." Techno deadpans as he eye-rolls.
"Can you please move on with that fucking bit already?" Wilbur whines, pushing Techno to the side with both hands to throw him off-balance but he didn't budge.
"Boys, can you stop talking about fucking with animals and focus on catching our runaway lunch?" Phil pinches the bridge of his nose as he complains from behind his two sons.
"Dadza! How could you say such crude language?" Tommy gasped in exaggeration and his grin reaches ear-to-ear.
"What?! That's not what I—" Phil exclaimed, places both of his hands to his face and muffled a loud groan in frustration.
As Tommy hears Phil's muffled groan, Techno's huff, and Wilbur's cackles over the earpiece, he smiles to himself, thanking anyone that he was given a privilege to be a part of such an amazing family and he wouldn't trade it for the world or multiverse for that matter. He digs his foot firmly onto the dirt ground, and propels himself forward, increasing his speed further.
Tommy is now running side-by-side with the fleeing boar. It being huge is such an understatement, in his opinion. The fucking thing looks like it’s three Tommys tall. And he's a growing 16-year-old, for fuck's sake.
At least it isn't a few Wilburs tall. The motherfucker’s a skyscraper at this point.
The wind blowing on his face as he runs begins to sting his eyes. He can barely see what's in front of him with all the headwind's pressure. He has to finish this now or he'll never be able to get a second chance of catching up to it. With a sharp inhale, Tommy clenches his teeth and fists, leans to his side where the boar is, hitting it with his elbow, and tackles it with all his might.
The boar let out a loud cry as it is being pushed to the ground at full force with Tommy at its side. Tommy grunts with the strong impact whilst roughly landing on the ground.
When they successfully stick the landing, Tommy breathes heavily as he slowly stands with trembling legs away from the boar and pulls out his knife. He slowly walks towards the unconscious animal's front, holds a strong grip on the knife's handle with both hands. He raises the sharp object above his head, and with his clenched teeth, he drops the weapon towards the animal at full force without hesitation.
In front of a cracking campfire in the middle of the woods, the soft light from the moon shines down on their family as they eat their dinner under the dark but beautiful starry sky. The gentle wind whispers as they reminisce one story to another from their memorable past. Where Tommy was included, and no one could imagine how happy he is about the said fact.
These moments in their life may be idle and dull compared to their adventures from one planet to another as Avastas , but these are Tommy’s favorites. He can puff his chest out in confidence and say that he’s a part of every story they impart. He no longer had to feel envious of people chattering about their lives, making it sound like it was so perfect but he’s the only one who can’t obtain it. And that he wasn’t given the privilege to do so.
Unfortunately, even now, he still can’t help but think about unnecessary things that made his chest tighten and cut his breath short. Unnecessary but painful things like it was all a lie and that they actually don’t care about Tommy. It was just a ruse to trick him into a false sense of security and rub it in his face in the end that they were just toying with him.
Things like he’ll never obtain the happiness he yearned for all these years. He will always end up being alone, even in death. No one will bat an eye that he disappeared one day, and no one will mourn for his death when that happens.
Tommy will forever be cursed to only watch from the sidelines as families around him enjoyed their happy times with each other whenever they felt like it. They will cherish each other till the end, but not him. It will never be him .
It was only a play on stage with an audience for him to entertain to act the tale of his painful life. He was expected to play the role well and he must comply with the other actors who were far better than him, who were better off without him.
The multiverse hates him and wants him to suffer no matter the cost. No matter how much pain they will inflict upon him until someone is satisfied with the expected results. The results of him being beaten until he loses his will to be happy. His will to live.
It was never meant to be.
Whenever these thoughts cloud him, Tommy’s chest tightens further, the ringing in his ears becomes louder and louder till he can hear nothing from his surroundings and potentially shatter his brain with its intensity, no air will enter his lungs no matter how much he struggles to heave for air, and an irritable and painful itchiness he could never scratch within his throat.
Tommy did try to stop these thoughts from overtaking him, but alas, they win by a fucking landslide. Fortunately, he’s used to dealing with these types of situations that would randomly occur throughout his life. The most effective method for him to get through it, the one thing that helps him make it this far… is to suck it up.
To deny every possible pain that inflicts his entire body by smiling and pretends that everything is fine. He’s proud of his false bravado as it can sway both friend and foe into thinking that nothing ever scares him. Nothing ever bothers him (yet they actually did). It aids him into protecting himself from the pain it causes him all these years.
Fortunately, it helped him .
Unfortunately, it was only temporary .
The smell of the juicy and scrumptious meat held by his hand made him snap out of his distracting thoughts. Tommy looks at the beautiful sight in front of him, where his family chat about their lives away to rid of the heavy issues weighing them. His thoughts may still haunt him till this day, but as long as nothing changes and he still has his loving family, he can endure it. Ignore it.
“As usual, you’re really fast and strong, Tommy. We can’t even catch up to you earlier while you chased that boar. Doesn’t running continuously tire you out?” Phil gives him a warm smile, his large and calloused hand pat and rubs Tommy’s blonde locks.
“I’m the biggest man there is, so running doesn’t bother me at all. You should’ve seen me knock the shit out of that pig. I was so awesome earlier!” Tommy crosses his arms as he grins smugly.
“We know, Tommy.” Phil chuckles and ruffles Tommy’s hair into a nest-like mess. The blonde can only pout at the gesture, but his cheeks flushed red shortly after.
“Oh, look! The gremlin’s embarrassed that Dadza complimented him.” Wilbur points his long as fuck finger towards Tommy with a smug look on his face.
“I’m not a fucking gremlin, dipshit!” Tommy yells as he instantly stands up from his log seat, his fists clench to his sides, waiting for something to punch these with or it might be a someone, if Wilbur doesn’t shut his fucking mouth this instant.
“Aww! I’ll still love you, even if you’re such an annoying gremlin.” Wilbur cooes; his grin reaches ear to ear as he places both of his arms in front of him and slowly approaches Tommy.
“No, you fucking won’t!” Tommy sprints away from his spot as he screams at the top of his lungs whilst Wilbur chases him effortlessly with his pair of stilts for legs.
Their non-stop chase around the forest near their camp lasted for a couple of minutes and only ended with Tommy heaving air for dear life as he kneels on the ground when his shaking legs give up on him. The smug look on Wilbur’s face immediately disappears as soon as he sees Tommy collapse in front of him. In a panic, he runs towards him and places his brother’s skinny arm around his shoulders and slowly accompanies him back to their spot.
Tommy’s breathing finally evens out after a few minutes of rest and a couple of canned Colas to help raise his blood levels.
“Thank fuck you’re alright. Don’t you ever do that to us again, Tommy. I don’t think my heart could last with all the worry I have for you every time something bad happens to you.” Phil sighs deeply and sits back to his log.
“Is it because you’re old and shit?” Tommy forces a smirk but wavers when his lips tremble with the exhaustion.
“Shut.”
“At least you’re better now compared to earlier. You looked like a ghost earlier. You’re already skinny as it is and you being pale as snow certainly did not help.” Techno mumbles on his seat but can be heard by everyone anyway with the clarity of his dark and monotone voice.
It may not look like it, but despite how apathetic Techno may seem to be almost all the time, he actually cares but doesn’t express it through his emotions. There are subtle signs to tell what he feels at the moment, but right now, his lip trembles so slightly and his pupils dilated.
So, Techno is clearly worried for him. It makes Tommy warm up inside and it feels nice, even though he should feel bad about it. If it weren’t for Techno’s eyes being crimson red, he wouldn’t be able to see clearly the changes in his brother’s slit pupils. Huh, that must be why he always wears masks except when it’s only them four.
With how Techno expresses himself, other people besides Tommy and his family would deem him as a cold and unpredictable force for everyone to fear. He may be a war veteran, but he still has feelings, no matter how much people try to hoax it for their fucked-up benefit.
“The Blade, my man. As you can see, I’m perfectly fine, so you don’t have to be a pussy about it.” Tommy’s voice is a bit raspy as he replies, his arms crossed to his chest.
“Don’t call me that.” Techno deadpans.
“Call you what? Pu—”
“Finish that and I’ll finish you myself.”
“Why do you hate swear words that much? It can’t harm you if you use it.” Tommy sighs deeply and asks.
“But those who are on the receiving end will.” Techno replies nonchalantly.
“Oh.”
“Also, I don’t want my audience retention to drop down, so I can’t use that anytime soon.” Techno adds.
“What?” Tommy’s brows furrow and jaw drops in confusion.
Ok, one thing is for sure: He’s not going to bring that topic anymore.
Phil removes the bandages that wrap around his pitch-black feathered wings. To be honest, Tommy prefers that his father can finally fly again. The sight of him flying freely towards the blue sky made Tommy feel at ease and awe. Sometimes, he can soar as well with the help of his father carrying him. The memories of fresh wind blowing his hair and the sights, prettier than a thousand glistening jewels, he could see in front of him will never fade.
Phil and Wilbur wave their goodbyes to Tommy and Techno before facing their backs and walk away, ready to head to one of the Avasta's branch headquarters. Tommy and Techno, who are left behind, stand silently for a couple of minutes as they stare into the horizon without uttering a single word. Tommy is reminded just how awkward it is to be alone with Techno, considering the piglin hybrid to be famous for talking less compared to other people and can stay silent for hours.
Since Tommy is the bigger man between the two (ignore the two-inch gap with him being shorter), he shall be the one to break the ice and talk to his dear brother.
"Techno, my brother. I just remembered that your hound army has lessened a few weeks ago after that incident, and I suggest that we should go to the forest and tame more bitches for them to increase their numbers. How does that sound?" Tommy casually places his arm around Techno's shoulders as he smirks in confidence.
"I think that is a great idea, considering those two will probably take their time before going back. How many female dogs do you suggest we should tame?" Techno leans closer towards Tommy as he gives a small smile.
"Don't you mean bitches ?" Tommy grins, raising his brows up and down.
"I prefer bikkja , to be honest." Techno deadpans as usual, clearly ignoring Tommy's genius methods of taunting him to swear.
"What the fuck does that mean?" Tommy's brows furrow in confusion.
"Another term for a female dog." Techno removes Tommy's hand away from his shoulder with a smirk on his face. "We should start searching while it's still early. We don’t want to search until nightfall when there are numerous mobs that will get in our way." He slowly walks forward, away from the still Tommy.
"Fine." Tommy crosses his arms to his chest with a grimace as he follows behind Techno. "Oh, yeah. I remember something."
"What? You left somethin'?" Techno turns to face Tommy who is now standing still and his eyes wide in realization.
"No, it's not that. I was curious why you never call Phil 'dad' , that's all. I know it's weird to call someone who's not your parent until recently, but you've been with them for years longer than I was. But never once have I heard you call him dad. Is there a reason I didn't know about?" Tommy waves his hands randomly as he explains, his heartbeat gradually getting faster and louder. "O-Or do you prefer me not knowing?" He bit his trembling lip as he stutters.
"Is that all? Funny story, honestly. As much as I hated it, I was an orphan surviving the harsh environment in my home planet, the Nether . It was hard, considering how young I was. I was probably six when that happened, and I was already alone for as long as I remember." Techno continues to walk forward but at a slower pace this time, with Tommy by his side.
The excruciating heat and harsh environment of the Nether was as vivid as he could remember, despite being away from that dreadful planet for more than a decade. He remembered being vigilant at every second, never letting his guard down to avoid being a victim of this hellscape. He remembered his skinny limbs trying to fight against warriors for him to survive their reign and scavenge whatever loot he could get from their cold corpses.
Techno sighs deeply to snap himself out of that terrible memory. He's not alone anymore. He already has Phil and Wilbur. He already has the sunshine beside him, comforting his frozen heart with his bright smiles and energy.
"I encountered Phil while he was walking around the Nether as he gazed around his surroundings with his piqued interests. I remember thinking that I could loot him easily with how he looked distracted and unguarded. I was wrong. " Techno explains, reminiscing the memory of charging towards the blonde man with huge, black feathered wings on his back.
In a blink of an eye, a sharp and shiny longsword was pointed towards his frail neck before he knew it, the rusted and chipped knife on his hand now held by the same man who has Techno's life in his hands. The young hybrid held his breath as he clenched his scarred fists to his side, fighting his urge to move even the slightest tremble of his muscles. He looked up to observe the face of the man who was about to end his lifetime of suffering from loneliness and survival.
A chill was sent down his spine as Techno stared towards a cold, icy gaze, readying his talons that are capable of tearing him to shreds in a matter of seconds. His breath heaved for air, his body flinched at the smell of rotten flesh and rusted iron lingering in his nose. He saw the pale white man drenched with the blood of his victims and his own will be next. A warm liquid trickled down his neck from the tip of the blade. His sharp sense of smell quickly picked up the new lingering smell of rust, more vivid than the previous.
Techno's vision began to blur as he exhaled the breath he'd been holding in for what felt like an eternity. His body trembled more, now ignoring the weapon still threatening his neck. Water flowed from the corners of his eyes down to his dry and dirty cheeks. How long has it been since he last cried like this? It was pathetic of him, crying his eyes out in front of the blonde reaper who was about to cut his life short. It doesn't matter. His life sucked, anyway. At least he was hoping he could get a better one as he reincarnated into another life.
A loud clang of metal disturbed Techno from his thoughts. He slowly looked down at the source of the sound and spotted the same blade that was about to cut his flesh as easily as breathing, now sitting atop the dry and reddish ground of the Nether. While his confusion, a huge pair of arms were wrapped around his small but sturdy body. The hold was tight but not painful or suffocating. It was warm and loud beats could be felt on his chest, rising up and down with his.
"I'm sorry. It's gonna be ok. You're gonna be ok now. I promise." A soothing whisper could be heard by his ear as warm air blew afterwards.
With that warm promise that he never received before until now, Techno's lips tremble and his brows furrowed as he cried louder and louder, his cries echoed throughout the barren wasteland. He was meant to be emotionless. Expressing emotions meant weakness, for his enemies could exploit it to their advantage. He was meant to be quiet. He was meant to be as silent as possible to avoid any predators and threats from discovering his location. To avoid his targets from spotting him whenever he hunted them.
But for an unknown reason, he sensed that he wasn't obliged to do any of that anymore. His body never felt this light in his life of kill or be killed.
"Techno?" Tommy's quivering voice interrupts his inner thoughts that are coming back to him one by one.
Techno turns and faces the blonde boy, who is only expressing nothing but worry as his shoulders tense, trembling lips slightly open, and aquamarine eyes about to shed tears. For his sake. He smiles gently to express his gratitude, trying to remove the unnerving expression off him.
"We spent a couple of days travelling the dangerous lands, sharing stories and telling jokes to keep each other company. It was one of the best moments of my life since then. This is where it gets funny. Phil had always told me stories about his home planet, where his beautiful wife and innocent baby boy waiting for his return. He also pointed out every time he mentions Wilbur of having the same appearance as I, apart from our hair and eye color. One day, out of nowhere, I was awake in this bright area I had never seen before. Do you know where it was?" Techno waves his calloused hands in mid-air, making gestures here and there as he continues to tell the tale with a small but bright smile.
"I don't—Where was it?" Tommy hesitantly asks, forcing himself to smile but doesn't reach his ear like the usual.
"I was in Phil's house. His actual house with Trixtin and Wilbur. He just yanked me out of that dump and brought me to their house like a souvenir. They were sleeping peacefully in their respective bedrooms like it was nothing, when there was literally a pig hybrid sleeping in their bedroom." Techno let out a chuckle as he reminisces about his younger self being confused by the new scenery, of being in an unknown territory.
"What the fuck? That's literally—Phil just kidnapped a literal child out of nowhere and let you sleep under the same roof with his family like it was nothing!" Tommy's shoulder trembles as he cackles his heart out, his face as bright as before.
"I know, right? Old people with their weird phase." Techno eyerolls, his face still smiling.
Somewhere in a building filled with people from different planets, Phil sneezes silently as he stands in front of a dark oak wooden door. From beside him, Wilbur faces his sneezing father in confusion and worry.
"Phil, what's wrong? Do you have a cold?" Wilbur asks.
"I'm fine, I'm fine." Phil smiles, places his hand onto the golden handle. He grips it and opens the door wide in one full swing.
"Unfortunately, in every happiness, sadness and grief always follow. It was one year after I lived with the Watson family that Trixtin died." Techno sighs and clenches both of his fists on his side. "She was killed by one of Phil's nemeses while trying to protect me and Wilbur. I told her that I can fight the bastard but she refused, saying that I shouldn't be carrying that kind of burden at my age." He grits his teeth at the memory of a pool of blood spreading across their house's wooden floor, where Trixtin's cold body peacefully lied still.
"As I was about to kill the man who took away our family and defended Wilbur with my life, Phil managed to arrive in time and dragged the fight outside. We hid inside our bedroom as the battle occurred. I could vividly tell what happened just by the sounds they produced. Phil may have lied to us with a reason, but I knew the truth. He slaughtered that man with everything he had until a dismembered corpse was only left. He was suspended by the Avasta higher-ups for a year due to that. Fortunately, he had enough money to last us for a few years, so it wasn't a problem." He continues as he tries to pull back the tears that are about to fall.
"The house that was once filled with laughter and happiness was filled with grief, sorrow and regret. No matter how much Phil tried to take care of us, it wasn't enough. Trixtin was better at taking care of kids than he, so it took us a while to adjust. We tried to support Phil as much as we can, so he does not have to be the only one to carry the burden. Wilbur always tried to cheer him up with his songs, but all he received from Phil was a small smile and a pair of dead eyes." Techno stares into the bright sky as he tries to keep himself as calm as possible, blood already trickled from his too clenched fists.
On a one dark night, Techno slowly tiptoed out of their bedroom through the slightly opened door. Phil always kept them open in case something happened so he could quickly come for them. He walked silently towards a room decorated as little as possible, with a shrine only standing beside the concrete wall. He knelt in front of it, a picture frame of Trixtin's smiling face staring straight back at him, forever reminding him that he should have done better.
If only he fought to protect them, would she still be alive? Would she still be here with them, providing everyone with her bright smiles and energy whenever she can? Would she still be able to comfort Techno whenever his nightmares overwhelmed him too much? Would she still be able to sing with Wilbur to take away his sadness? Would she still be able to hold Phil's calloused hands with her smaller ones to reassure him that everything was fine?
Not anymore, unfortunately. And it was all Techno's fault. He took away the sunshine that once brightened this household. Now, it was frozen solid with his presence, his existence. Blood and death always follow him wherever he goes. He shouldn't have stayed. He should have left while he still can and preserved this family's peaceful life. He should've never wished for a family to love him the same way every family did for each other. It would be better for everyone if he was to leave.
Techno let out a breath, his chest tighten and ache every time he tried to inhale the cold air around him. He could still smell the rust from Trixtin's blood lingering all around him despite it being wiped clean for months, leaving no trace of red from the wooden floor. The voices in his head were silent for once. Their usual chants and demand of blood were exchanged into a complete silence. He held a grip of his shirt by his chest of the too much pain it caused him. If he ripped his cold heart away from his chest, will the pain finally disappear? Tears began to flow continuously towards his cheeks.
It's too much. He placed both of his hands to his ears, trying to cover it from the overwhelming silence. Covering one's ears was supposed to be for loud noises too much for someone to handle. But just this once, allow the too much silence to stop haunting him. He preferred the noise to come back in this household. He would rather have his ears be destroyed by the noise rather than suffocate in silence. He pulled his hair and crouched further into a fetus position onto the cold floor, trying to silence the sobs that were leaving his mouth.
It won't stop, it won't stop. His chest continued to heave for breath rapidly as he gasped for more air. His chest hurt. His head hurt. Everything hurts. It's better to be slashed with blades from all over his body than this. He would give up everything if it meant for her to come back, even if it was his own life. If it meant paying only a small price for their loved one to be alive again, he would willingly place a blade against his throat in a heartbeat. At least his experience with battle will not go to waste.
Techno slowly walked into the kitchen with trembling legs and grabbed a knife from the cabinet. He pointed the sharp end of the knife towards his neck with his trembling hands gripping the handle tighter than he could ever have. He remembered the chants to offer blood for the Blood God. If he offers his, will the god that he worshiped all his life grant him his final wish of reviving her? As he exhaled silently, the blade slowly approached his skin and began to draw blood. Before he could finally thrust the weapon, a huge hand grabbed the blade without hesitation and a loud clang was heard from behind him.
A warm sensation embraced him as he wondered about the current situation. He slowly turned his head around enough to see the presence behind him.
It was Phil. And he was crying. Techno never realized how dark the man's eyebags were until now. He was embraced by someone who he caused tremendous pain with their family's death.
"Please, please, please, no. I don't want to lose someone I cared about again. I don't want to be alone." Phil repeatedly mumbled under his breath as his trembling embrace on Techno got tighter.
Was he still part of the people Phil cared about? Even though it was Techno's fault that he caused so much pain and suffering into this family that welcomed him with open arms? He deserved Phil's cold shoulder and neglect after all that happened. He doesn't deserve this, he doesn't deserve this, he doesn't deserve this. His head shook repeatedly at the thought.
"You deserved it, Techno. No matter how much you doubt this, but you deserved it as much as everyone else. It wasn't your fault and it never was. I'm so sorry." Phil whispered in reassurance before letting out a quiet sob.
And with that, Techno released everything that he held back since that day. His tears seemed to never stop flowing from his eyes as he hugged Phil tight in return, his face deep in his chest, wetting the night attire with overflowing tears.
Techno sighs deeply and faces the worried Tommy once again.
"Phil suggested adopting me after that, making sure that I won't be separated from them and officially included me into their family. He added that I don't have to call him 'dad' since we never really treated each other like that in the first place. We're more like friends than family but treated me like one from the start anyway. He was still terrible at parenting, but Wilbur and I supported him as much as we could to at least ease the burden off his old-man shoulders." Techno smiles softly towards the blonde teenager.
In return, Tommy returns the gesture, his shoulders lax as well.
"I'm glad that you're part of the family, Techno. And I think everyone in the Watson family feels the same, too. Don't you ever doubt that you're not or I'll fucking knock some sense into you." Tommy pats Techno's shoulder, reassuring him that it is ok for him to be happy.
"Thank you, Tommy. You know that you deserved it as well, right?"
"Yeah, yeah. Of course, I do." Tommy grins. You don’t deserve it , the dark part of his inner self disagrees. Shut the fuck up , he thinks.
"Speaking of which, it's already been nine years since you were adopted into the family. I apologize about the delay since honestly, I was kind of nervous to hand you this." Techno takes out something from his faux fur-trimmed coat’s inner pocket. "Congratulations and happy birthday, Tommy." He holds out his hand, with a box and a red ribbon around it on his scarred palm.
Tommy slowly accepts and grabs the box off Techno's hand, observing it like he can see what's underneath if he tries hard enough. He knows that it won't happen, but still.
"You can open it, you know. There's no laser that's gonna tear it open for you no matter how much you stare at it." Techno deadpans, his arms crossed to his chest.
"Shut up, dickhead."
Tommy pulls the cherry ribbon and tears the lemon wrapper off the box. He slowly opens the box, his chest already beating fast and not helping with the anticipation welling up from inside him. It's probably a prank to see your gullible and hopeful face turned into despair when you open an empty box , the back of his mind whispers. Will you shut up for fucking one second , Tommy growls in his thoughts.
After the box is opened into the world, he spots a yellow scarf sitting inside. He pulls out the fabric and wraps it around his neck. From the corner of his eye, he notices a few mismatched colors from the inner side of the scarf. He takes a peek and sees an embroidery of six icons that resembles his family and friends. He immediately jumps towards Techno and embraces him tightly, his smile getting wider.
"Thank you. I love it." Tommy says and wraps his arms tighter around Techno's warm chest, ignoring the tears rapidly flowing from his eyes.
"No problem." Techno wraps his arms around Tommy as well in reply.
Before setting off in the forest for their intended plans, they stayed still for a couple of minutes as they hug each other in silence.
On a dry grassy field from a different planet, a green hooded man, the cape behind him sways with the wind, his face concealed with a white porcelain mask, chuckles and grins to himself.