Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Technoblade wakes up starving.

Sunlight streams into his cave, the saccharine smell of pollen and the cry of birds indicating life has returned after the frost's frigid reign. Winter has passed, and Techno has awakened from his hibernation ready to hunt for a meal. 

Still, he slowly stretches out, working out the knots and stiffness in his muscles. His mind is still foggy, slow and filled with sleep. Techno’s eyes are still sensitive to the light and his throat is dry. He takes his time to comb his nails through his hair to straighten it out while he fully wakes up.

Once Techno feels more present, he leaves the shade of his temporary resting place to feel the sunlight on his face. For a moment all he does is stand still, snout tilted upwards with his eyelids clamped shut. He lets the noontime sun warm his sore, cold limbs. Every spring he wakes, growing anew like perennial flowers.

Then his stomach growls and aches with sharp pains, begging him to finally ease his hunger.

So he listens.

The forest is alight with life and noise. Sparrows chirp above him, the chicks loud and also begging for food. Smaller creatures run in the leaf litter, things like squirrels, mice, and rabbits. All things too small and unsatisfying. Techno glances around, trying to spot an animal trail- and then he hears a nearby bleat of a deer.

He sighs. It’ll have to do.

Technoblade lunges forward, now on the hunt. Unused to pushing himself, his breath grows thin quickly and his legs complain at the harsh movement, but he is bigger and faster than the deer, and a much older and seasoned hunter than the young creature. 

He easily catches it. It never stood a chance. His heart is pounding in his chest from the hunt, blood pumping through his heart, through his veins, flowing through his entire body. And the blood of another creature sits in his stomach.

It’ll quell his hunger for now, but Techno knows what he needs to fill him up properly. 

A human. 

It’s his nature, as the monster he was born as. He’s a creature drenched in blood and rot, craving living things. But not even a hundred deer match the satisfaction of eating a human. Once he can dig his claws into a person’s pathetically soft skin and taste their rich blood, will his hunger be truly satisfied. 

His hunt continues, but he’ll have to work harder for his next meal. Humans are not simple prey animals, and he’s certainly not finding any in the middle of nowhere.

He sniffs the air, following the bitter smell of car exhaust to find the closest city. 

Technoblade walks for hours until he finds a small town by the seaside. The air smells of salt and ocean spray, but there’s a strong undercurrent of something only he can smell.

Human establishments always reek of something else- their emotions filling the air. To his nose alone he can sense the sharp smell of happiness like sweet elder trees or anger’s smoky smell of forest fires.

He is a creature born to eat humans, and he has all the talents to hunt them down. He has never questioned this nature or tried to defy it. He simply uses them to his advantage.

There are things humans concern themselves with that Techno finds a waste of time. They want to know about the end of the universe, the start of life, the nature of the soul, and things they can’t truly find answers for. Techno does not question why he was made, why he is alone in his existence while other species are multiple, or why he has the powers that he has. He lives, he eats, and he is content. There is only insanity and despair trying to solve riddles without answers. He doesn't waste his time with those concerns- or with other people.

Techno isn’t a simpleton, he’s a learned man. He’s read human history books, their most acclaimed works of literature, and studied their sciences and maths. He can admit, albeit a little reluctantly, that some humans are smart- perhaps interesting- but most bore him, better to be food than someone to discuss intellectual things with. Even the few other monsters Techno have met have bored him or were weak, timid things too afraid to approach him.

He isn’t a man who has ever needed another’s presence. Loneliness has never graced his heart, but it’s still an emotion he is familiar with.

Techno sniffs the air, following the scent of loneliness, like rotten wood. Many humans feel lonely, that isn’t what he hunts for, though. 

He’s looking for those humans truly pushed to desperation, willing to overlook some oddities just to see the person they want to see again. The loneliness usually guides him to a betrayed lover or selfish souls who believe they deserve everyone’s adoration. 

But every human has a face they want to see again. He’s long since learned to use his skills and abilities to manipulate these wishes. 

He knows loneliness well, but only through the smell of old woodland. He’s faced hundreds of humans who’ve been lonely, the perfect prey.

As Sun Tzu once said, “Attack the enemy where they are unprepared, appear where you are not expected.” The goal is to catch his enemy off guard and to seize victory in their battle.

Technoblade finds his target in a quaint suburban area, in a tiny house at the end of the block. It’s painted yellow but weathered and peeling from negligence.

He stalks in the shadows, peering through the windows with sharp, red eyes. His instincts scream at him to disregard caution and to dig his sharp teeth into the next human he sees- but Techno might be hungry, but he’s a careful and clever hunter. He’s a smart creature who’s never been caught. There might be human stories about red-eyed monsters who feast upon humans, but nobody knows Techno is a monster very real.

Instead of breaking down the back door, he slinks into the shadows around the house to gather more details on his target.

⤝ - ● - ⤞

It takes some time, but Technoblade learns more about the human.

He lives alone from what Techno can see. In the past few days, he’s been the only one to exit and enter the house. His target is a younger human who others call “Tommy.” Like most lonely humans, he doesn’t seem so on the outside. In the mornings and evenings, he is energetic and his conversations with his neighbors or with people over the phone are loud.

Every photo in the house is of “Tommy” and a brown-haired man. Sometimes the human will pass by one of the framed photographs and pause, the smell of decaying wood growing stronger. It’s easy to figure out this is the human the boy misses. It’s not the smell of grief, not accompanied by the sour-sweet scent of citrons. It’s a coin toss whether humans react positively or negatively to seeing a dead loved one, as Techno’s learned. 

After a couple of days, Techno feels fully prepared. He waits for the boy to return home, “Tommy” most of the time returns after sunset, and his neighbors go to bed long before he does. The boy usually stays up until the early hours of the morning. Techno has studied his target closely. 

The neighborhood grows quiet. The sun slowly sets in the sky leaving the world below cast mostly in shadow. The low light is even better for him and his hunt.

The fewer witnesses, the better, even if no authorities will ever be able to pinpoint Technoblade as the culprit.

Tonight is the night. He knows “Tommy” is awake, and he has studied the brown-haired man as well. Through the windows, he’s examined the photos with his keen eyesight.

Technoblade is a monster who feeds off the lifeblood of humans and other creatures, with a long snout made for smelling the swirling mess of human emotions and bright eyes capable of seeing far and wide even in the dark of night. He is a large but swift beast, with strong digitigrade legs. At a glance, any human would shriek in horror.

It’d be ridiculous to approach anyone in his true form, and that’s why he studied the brown-haired man so closely, why he follows the scent of loneliness.

With a crack, Techno doubles over, his legs flexing and shortening. His claws shrink away into blunt nails, and his snout and tusks retreat into the round face of a human. In the reflection of the glass, unfamiliar brown eyes stare back at him. 

Techno has many abilities he has never questioned having, instead learning to hone them to be the most useful for his hunts. And in his long life, Technoblade has learned how to shapeshift into any human guise of his picking.

His mimicry isn’t perfect, that isn’t his specialty. He’s known shapeshifters who could take on other’s faces pore for pore, not a hair out of place. If one looked closely, they could pick out how Techno’s nose was too big, or his eyes too sharp. In the right light, the brown of his irises still looked like blood. Techno is still broader and stronger than the man in the photos, and his hair has remained the same through his transformations; long and pink, not brown and curly. The slight inaccuracies are never usually an issue. To be careful, Techno finds his targets at night, and they’re usually so taken aback by the face of their dearly missed ones that they ignore any inconsistencies.

To be on the safe side, Techno pulls his hair back into a quick braid to be less obvious.

There’s no way he’ll fail now. 

It’ll be easy to convince the kid to follow him into the forest, leaving no trace behind of Techno’s crime. When the police grow aware of the human’s disappearance, they’ll find no sign of struggle and no evidence of where Tommy had gone. Any witnesses, if there are any, will claim to have spotted him with this human from the photographs.

The monster’s patience has rewarded him. 

He knocks 

Tommy’s loud footsteps are clear from the second he gets up from where he’s sitting, running up to the front door, and slamming it open.

“Tubbo, I thought we agreed to meet at your-” The kid chokes, cutting himself off.

Techno puts on his best smile and softly says, “Hi, Tommy.”

Tommy steps back, eyes wide and breath quick, “Wilbur?”

That’s the brown-haired man's name. For as long as Techno wears this poor facsimile of a human’s face, his name is Wilbur.

“Yes, it’s really me. I’m back,” He steps forward, passing the threshold of the house.

The boy’s voice cracks, “You’re back? Why?”

“I missed you.” The lie rolls easily off of his tongue. 

Slowly and carefully, Techno slides the front door closed.

“You missed me?” Tommy asks, taken aback. Saying things like that always works wonders to deceive humans.

“Yeah, and I’m home now.” He holds his arms out in a hug, inviting the human closer. 

The human doesn’t move.

 “... For how long?”

Distrust grows apparent in the air. Ah. This is going to be a difficult one. 

Techno bites back a sigh. 

No matter. He’s okay with a challenge.

“...for the foreseeable future. My little brother is going to graduate soon, after all.”

The kid lights up, “You’re going to attend my graduation ceremony?” 

“Yes. If that’s what you want.”

“I- I- shit, I’m supposed to visit Tubbo’s house tonight. No, fuck that, you’re back in town! We should- we should do something! Hang out like old times, it's been forever.”

Techno holds back a victorious grin, “Sure.”

“Really? Holy shit man, you’re so poggers. Let me grab my coat and then let’s go!”

It’s always so easy to guide gullible humans to their doom.

Tommy bounces with excitement, everything going perfectly to plan, when- when the kid’s phone rings. 

The sound alone wants to make him strangle the human. It takes all of his self-control to resist making a crime scene of the front entrance. 

“Oh, uh, fuck that’s Tubbo. He, uh, he- Hey man! How are you?” Tommy answers the call, shuffling further away from Techno.

Through the speaker, another human’s voice shouts loud enough for him to pick out, “You didn’t seriously just ‘hey man’ me, did you? Where are you?”

Tommy looks to Techno, then away, “I got… distracted?”

“You can not be flaking on me, we have a group project to finish. Do I have to remind you we have two months of procrastinated reports to get done before the first period tomorrow?”

The boy laughs nervously, “Oh yeah! That. Do you really need me to-”

“Don’t you dare finish your fucking sentence. I’m going to kill you if you don’t arrive in the next twenty minutes.”

The phone beeps, the call ended.

Tommy looks up to Techno grinning guiltily. The monster’s hands shake. Techno considers just bringing his claws out and ending this farce here, but that would really alert the authorities to his monstrous presence.

Techno is clever, and he can be patient.

“So, let’s raincheck all of that. I’m so sorry Big Dubs, but I’ve got a giant, super important science project I’ve got to bullshit in the next twelve hours.” Tommy starts running around the house, hastily shrugging on a coat and grabbing his backpack, “If you called ahead I could’ve warned ya. Sorry man.”

“It’s- it’s okay.” Techno grits out. 

His perfect planning, thwarted by a school project. If Techno does anything to Tommy now, this Tubbo kid will know something is up when his friend doesn’t show up. The window of time wouldn’t be enough.

Techno scowls slightly, irritated.

Tommy freezes from his frantic moving, and quietly asks, “Wilbur, you won’t… leave again, right?” 

The smell of rotting wood grows stronger.

Techno has spent the past days dedicated to perfecting his hunt, his record full of successes. He can't fail here, he's an apex predator not swayed by emotions or impulses.

“You’re not getting rid of me that easily.” He smiles viciously.

Chapter Text

Techno uses his time alone in the human’s house to investigate. He doesn’t usually go into in-depth searches for his targets since it’d be a waste of time, but he is stubborn and has the time to kill.

The monster vows to himself that no matter what happens, when his target returns from school in the evening he will convince him to follow Techno into the forest to be devoured. It’ll be easy, he won’t accept any more interruptions. 

Until then, he flips through mostly-empty picture albums and piles of letters and old files. Most of the stuff he finds is junk irrelevant to his mission, but he does learn that Tommy has a lot of glowing praise from his teachers. There’s stuff filled with legal jargon that’s too dense for him to understand. The extent of his knowledge of human laws surrounds his own crimes- not “estate management.”

He explores the rest of the house, the layout familiar enough from what he saw from outside the windows. It’s a simple one-story place, too big for one person but it’s clear Tommy and Wilbur grew up here. There are no signs of any parents, but there are a few documents co-signed by Tommy and people sharing his surname. 

Wilbur changed his name to Wilbur Soot. The reasons aren’t clearly stated, but he left home- maybe he truly wanted to cut off his old life? Tommy sounded so shocked to see "Wilbur" home again and scared that he would leave again.

Techno snorts. Theorizing is useless. The only investment he has in this Wilbur guy is his face. Everything else he learns is to just make his act more convincing.

At the end of the hallway, past Tommy’s room and the bathroom, is an empty bedroom and a closet surrounded by undisturbed dust. Wilbur's old bedroom.

He cracks the door open.

The room is surprisingly full. Books line the shelves, clothes still fill the dressers, and small personal effects like a folded pair of glasses or some silver rings still remain on the desk. It’s as if Wilbur walked out the door with nothing and didn’t look back.

On the bed is a neatly folded yellow sweater that still smells of sadness.

Techno decides there won’t be anything useful in there, and carefully closes the door behind him.

⤝ - ● - ⤞

Tommy arrives home at his usual time, late in the evening. 

The moment the human closes the door, he points to Techno and shouts, “Tubbo told me to ask you some questions.” 

The human flips open a notebook filled with scribbled writing- and a couple of doodles of dicks because teens have the most inane humor.

“Hit me,” He smiles from his seat. Tommy collapses into the chair across from him.

The kid keeps his face blank, asking in a deep voice, “Why are you back home so suddenly?”

“I missed you and I missed home.”

“Really?” Tommy presses.

“Yeah, I don’t know how you felt, but I was lonely.”

Tommy frowns but shakes it away, “What about your whole music thing?”

Techno read about that- Wilbur is a musician. There was a closet at the end of the hallway, hinges rusty from never being opened, that was filled with Wilbur’s things. It had been a jackpot for him, finding old guitars and sheets upon sheets of music.

“I’m taking a break. I’m burned out from songwriting at the moment.”

“Is that why you’re back home? To deal with burnout?” Tommy’s eyebrows dip.

“I’m back because I missed you, Toms. Unfamiliar roads and faces make a person yearn for home.”

Tommy’s harsh expression softens. Finding out that nickname was another goldmine.

“Are you going to cause any trouble while you’re back?”

“I know I’ve got a record of picking fights and other unsavory things but I promise I’m only here for my family. No problem-making will be going on here.”

Wilbur didn’t look like a tough guy, but there were old files filled with his misdemeanors. He wasn't a thug, but he wasn't pristine.

The questions continue, most of them easy to bullshit answers for. Simple “I missed home” “I was sad” and “I regret leaving you” weaken the human’s heart. And Techo easily lies about Wilbur's travels, filling in blanks with his own travels across the world.

Tommy taps his fingers on the notebook, “One last question, then, Wilbur.”

Techno nods, ready for anything. Tommy's eyes sharpen examining the face Techno's copied. He doubts he's been caught. His only concerns would be any questions digging into their childhood or their parents since he couldn’t find many details on that, but he can easily come up with something on the spot-

“I was wondering why your hair’s pink?”

Oh. Wait-

Humans don’t have pink hair naturally, crap, he’s gone and blown his cover in the most obvious way, he’s been found out. Techno’s never been around his targets long enough for them to wonder about his abnormal hair. In the light of day, though, of course it drew Tommy's attention.

He scowls, “It appears that you’ve reali-”

“I didn’t take you to be someone who dyed their hair. Or wanted to grow it out. You also straightened it! But I think it’s cool, big man, you do you. Ranboo says I should look into getting my hair professionally straightened because I keep getting twigs stuck in it after our hiking trips, but I told him it’s part of my brand. Then-” 

How… how dense is this kid?

Whatever. It’s saved him this time.

Techno slaps on another fake smile, “Now that this interrogation is over, do you wanna go out? We could do anything, go to the store, the park, the forest.”

Tommy hesitates, drumming his fingers over the tabletop, “Actually, in hindsight, I don’t think it’s a good idea. I- it’s not that I don’t want to hang out with you, but if we get in trouble then it’ll be our legal guardians who get called, and you’re a whole adult in control of your own life, but I’m still seventeen. If they think I'm causing trouble it'll be a nightmare.”

No way. Not again.

“I promised I’m not here to cause any trouble. It’d just be some harmless brotherly bonding and a chance to see the city again. It’s been so long since I’ve been here, so much has changed.”

“Then go see it yourself. Or, we could do something here, at home. Like, uh, play a board game or have a movie night. It’s been a long time since we had a movie night.”

It’s really tempting to bash his head into the table right about now. His head or Tommy's, it doesn't matter. How does this human keep unknowingly dodging the bullets being fired at him?

Techno should just give up. This kid isn’t worth all the effort.

“Movie night sounds great,” He tries replying happily through a tense jaw.

“Awesome! I dunno what movies you’ve been watching during your travels, but recently I’ve really been enjoying-”

Stay strong, Technoblade. This is yet another hurdle for him to overcome, he’s not someone who gives up. When he competed against Squid, sure, he had moments where he thought he should just give up but he never did. And he won that battle. This is one human kid, not even a real challenger. 

“Oh, what do you want for takeout, big man?” Tommy suddenly asks.

“Takeout?”

“Yeah, the fried chicken place down the road closed down a couple of years ago, but a lot of our usuals are still kicking.”

“Do you have nothing in your fridge?” Techno glances over to the ancient refrigerator. It's an unsettling teal color, like at one point it was light green but has yellowed from age. Maybe it is empty?

Tommy shrugs, “Uh, some random shit I guess. Nothing we can make a meal out of.”

“I’ll see what you’ve got.” Techno gets up from his chair.

He cracks the door open and glances through the depressingly empty shelves. The kid wasn’t kidding when he said only had random shit. A carton of eggs, cheese sticks, some wilting tomatoes- why the hell does Tommy have five jars of vegemite?

The monster looks through the cabinet and sighs in relief at the box of pasta he finds.

“I can make us dinner, no need to order it from some place.”

“Really? You're going to… cook? Are you sure, because I’m not a big fan of food poisoning, quite reasonably? Maybe we should call out tonight.”

“I learned some skills while traveling, and I ended up having to cook for myself a lot. Just trust me, I don’t plan on giving us food poisoning.”

Tommy hums, obviously reluctant, but says, “Fine. But be careful!”

“How would I even mess up boiling some pasta?”

“I dunno, you have your talents.” 

Techno may not be filled by human dishes, but they do have some good recipes he likes to indulge in from time to time. Cooking is a fun pastime when he has access to a kitchen. It’s a rare occurrence for him. He needs to convince this kid to buy better food- not that it would matter. After tonight it won’t matter what food fills his fridge.

The monster grabs the tomatoes and some other condiments to start making a sauce.

⤝ - ● - ⤞

As Techno cooks, Tommy drags out pillows and spare blankets to dump in the living room- “For movie night!” The human explains. Tommy then messes with the TV, setting up the film he insists they watch, and Techno strains the pasta. He fixes up two bowls and pours tomato sauce over them.

“Dinners ready!” He shouts, grabbing forks and napkins to set the table.

Tommy complains but makes his way to the dining room. The kid slowly sits down, staring at his meal with clear suspicion.

“What’s wrong now?” Techno groans.

“The sauce is clumpy, I don’t think pasta sauce should be clumpy.”

“That’s the tomatoes.”

“Did you make it?” Tommy screeches.

“Just eat- if you don’t like it you don’t have to finish it,” Techno says nonchalantly, but he watches closely as Tommy twirls his fork into the pasta and takes his first bite. 

“Holy fuck, this is good. You didn’t put like, crack in it or something, did you?”

“... I didn’t drug your food, Tommy,” Techno says, pained.

If the monster feels a little smug, too, he doesn’t mention it. He knows he’s a good cook.

“Just checking, I think the last time you tried cooking you set the dish on fire. Oh, the terrible, terrible things you did to that salmon.”

“Please just eat your meal like a normal human being.”

“No can do, I’m one of a kind,” Tommy says proudly through a mouthful of pasta.

Techno can sympathize with this Wilbur guy. He had to live with that as his only company. At least he can be comforted he won’t have to deal with Tommy’s antics after today.

Tommy, even while eating, can’t shut up. He talks about his day at school, the all-nighter he pulled with his friend Tubbo, and how rehearsal went. He even chokes on his pasta at one point from trying to talk so much. It’s a different experience than the constant silence Techno surrounds himself with.

When they finish their meals, Techno takes their dishes to rinse off on the sink. This surprises Tommy- “You’ve always hated doing dishes.”

“I don’t mind doing them tonight.” The monster shrugs.

Water and soap run over Techno’s hands as he cleans away the red sauce clinging to the bowls and scrubs at the forks until they shine again.

“Hey, Wil?”

“Hm?”

“Thank you for making dinner tonight- I really appreciated it.”

Techno… doesn’t know how to respond. “Of course.”

“I can’t remember the last time we just sat down and ate like- like a family.”

Something sharp, something unpleasant fills the monster’s heart.

“Yeah, yeah, now- movie night!” Tommy laughs maniacally, even if the only thing he does is run to the living room to plop down in the pile of blankets he made.

Teens are weird.

⤝ - ● - ⤞

Techno doesn’t want to participate in movie night, but Tommy is dead set on it. 

There’s no convincing him otherwise. So, the monster is wrangled to sit on the couch covered in pillows and blankets as Tommy tries to explain what he’s about to play.

Technoblade doesn’t expect to enjoy the movie since Tommy is the one who picked it, but he keeps his eyes on the screen to pretend to be interested. His original intention is to claim boredom and encourage Tommy to finally leave the house, but the movie ends up… being not so bad. Techno doesn’t watch a lot of movies, they’re a simple human pastime, but maybe they got something right when they created cinema.

Suddenly over an hour has passed and the monster sits in awe as the credits play past with focused eyes.

He was so distracted by the movie, he didn’t even notice the human passed out next to him. 

Tommy is asleep with his cheek squished into the armrest of the couch as he quietly snores, the noise more obvious now that the movie is over. 

He looks over Tommy’s sleeping form, finally quiet. The kid could talk up a storm and his laughter was louder than thunder. Since he came home, he filled up the silence. Seeing him quiet and still is strangely… uncanny. Like he was already dead.

But now is his chance. Tommy is asleep, it’ll be easy to carry him out to the forest, far from any witnesses to hear him scream. This isn’t his usual lure and attack kill, but he’s exhausted from the full evening of humoring the human. He just wants to get his meal’s worth out of his deception game. 

Techno picks Tommy up, still wrapped up in blankets- prime, he weighs like nothing. What the heck?

“Wilb’y?” Tommy mumbles.

Techno stiffens. Wasn’t this human a heavy sleeper? Maybe moving him was too much. Would it be possible to take him to the forest before he was coherent enough about what was happening to him? If he screamed that’d cause a lot of issues.

“Sh, just go back to sleep.”

“Okie.” Tommy goes limp again.

Techno takes a couple more steps before Tommy speaks again, “I’m… I’m so happy you’re back, Wilbur. I thought you’d- you’d never come back home. It’s so surreal, I’m so happy.”

The human wetly sniffs, tucking his head further under the blanket. Blonde hair tickles at Techno’s neck.

He says he’s happy, but the air smells like the rotten berry scent of despair. This kid is so… sad. 

The breath in Techno's throat is caught, choking him. He only relaxes and breathes out when Tommy starts snoring again.

He looks between Tommy’s bedroom door and the back entrance. His plans have been continuously delayed and he should just take this opportunity while he can-

But that’s never been his MO. He’s always taken pride in deceiving his targets, luring them out into a remote location to eat them. It’s a coward's move to take a sleeping person, and Techno doesn’t need some easy way out.

With a stiff certainty, Techno opens up Tommy’s door and lays him on his bed. He retreats back to the living room where a mess of blankets and pillows still remains. Techno starts picking everything up, folding and putting things away.

Techno will wait until he gets his chance to trick the human. Do this hunt the proper way.

So, this mission will be about the long con. Sun Tzu once said, “According as circumstances are favorable, one should modify one's plans.” Techno can be flexible, this is a simple adjustment to his plan on the road to his ultimate victory.

… Tommy is concerningly underweight anyway, Techno will help the kid eat better before he eats him. Then he’ll make a better meal. This is for the best, truly. Fate has given him this challenge to help him. 

With a new determination burning in his veins, Techno steels himself to be strong, patient, and cunning. This is similar to spy warfare, infiltrating right next to his opponent, to eat and sleep under the same roof. He is careful enough not to be caught and clever enough to pull this off. So, he will.

Chapter Text

Techno starts his long game of deception by going to the kitchen at seven am to make breakfast. Tommy seemed to appreciate it when he made dinner the night before, being surprised that “Wilbur” had gone from a horrible cook to an amazing one. He makes scrambled eggs, working with the meager materials he has on hand.

Tommy doesn’t leave his room at seven thirty like he usually does. Techno finishes his own plate of eggs waiting for the human. The clock ticks until eight hits, and Tommy still doesn’t make a noise.

This isn’t part of the routine, Techno knows Tommy’s routine. Even if he wakes up now, he’s already late for school.

The monster knocks on the teen’s bedroom door, “Tommy, are you okay?”

Tommy mumbles something back, indiscernible even with his superior hearing.

Techno grinds his teeth, “What-what was that?”

“It’s the fucking weekend, Wil, let me sleep in!” A shout comes back, alongside the thud of a pillow hitting against the door.

Ah. A miscalculation. Techno hasn’t figured out his target’s weekly regime, only a couple of days out of the week.

Techno packs the extra food away and cleans the mess he’s made in the kitchen. He may be a monster who lives in caves and forests, but he’s not a slob.

It’s noon when Tommy creaks open his door and stumbles over to the bathroom. After a few minutes of brushing his teeth and freshening up, he wishes Technoblade good morning.

“Good afternoon more like.” He snorts, “I made breakfast, it should be wrapped up on the top shelf of the fridge for you.”

Hearing that “Wilbur” cooked yet another meal, Tommy looks surprised and slightly concerned, but he grabs the eggs. Just like last night, after the first bite, the boy happily eats them.

“You’re spoiling me, big man. At this rate, I’ll demand you to make all my meals.” Tommy laughs.

He shrugs, “I have no issue with that.”

Tommy is clearly pleased with that response. That’s good. By the end of this con, Tommy will happily follow Techno to the forest.

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Tommy says while eating, “but why does your accent sound all funny?”

What does he mean? Techno sounds completely normal- crap. He has no idea what Wilbur sounds like, but he probably… he probably has the same accent as Tommy.

He coughs, “It’s because of all the, uh, travelin’ I was doing. I picked up on a lot of different accents.”

“Really?” Tommy raises an eyebrow.

“Yeah.”

Tommy squints his eyes, but leans back in his chair, “That’s wild. If I traveled I would never change my accent. I would simply refuse for my voice to change, I’d grab other people's throats and say ‘no no, don’t think you can infect me.’ I’d rather die than sound American.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m just better than you that way.”

“Come on, I can’t control my accent changing.”

“I bet I could! And then I’d laugh at you.”

As Tommy laughs, Techno breathes out in relief. He wasn’t found out. That could have been disastrous.

But why did it matter so much in the first place? He’s going to eat this kid soon, it wouldn’t be a big deal if he was suddenly found out. Right?

Right?

Techno clears his throat, shaking his head clear, “Uh, so do you have anything planned for today?”

“Not really. Just like, playing video games and watching youtube.”

“Then… do you want to go out today? Hang out, the two of us. Do some catchin’ up?”

“Yes!” Tommy immediately agrees.

Technoblade grins, trying to smother it out into something less feral looking. Tommy is clueless about what he just agreed to.

“Going out sounds great, Wil. The car keys are still kept in the bowl by the front door. Oh, we should visit the ice cream shop! I haven’t gone in weeks because I’ve been swamped with rehearsals.”

What can go wrong, will go wrong.

“Do you really want me to drive us? We could walk and enjoy the fresh air.”

“I’m not walking thirty minutes in this weather just to get ice cream.”

“Then let’s go somewhere else. It’s too early to eat so much sugar.”

Tommy pouts, “Please?”

This is- this can be part of the plan. Taking Tommy places he wants to go will earn Techno more favor.

“Fine.”

Tommy jumps in celebration, cheering, “Thank you so much, you’re the best.”

Techno’s annoyance somehow fades away. The kid is lucky he’s taken the time to learn how to drive or they’d surely get in a wreck.

⤝ - ● - ⤞

Techno is a bit rusty at driving- as in, he runs multiple red lights, almost rear-ends multiple cars, and nearly hits a biker. Tommy doesn’t seem that bothered, though, so maybe Wilbur was also a bad driver.

Tommy is content to give directions under Techno’s excuse that he’s been gone so long he’s forgotten the way to the ice cream place. He doesn’t as much as blink when they finally arrive and Techno fails to break in time, the car driving up onto the- thankfully empty- sidewalk. He drives back into the proper parking place. Prime, that was awful.

They arrived in one piece. That’s what matters.

When they enter, Tommy orders a double-scoop abomination of chocolate, marshmallows, and caramel all squished into one cone while Techno sticks with classic vanilla. It’ll always be the best flavor to him.

After they get their cones, they sit down in a booth by the back, the cheap red plastic of the seats squeaky at the slightest movements.

“Would you-” Tommy cuts himself off.

“What’s up?”

“Oh, just,” Tommy tears at a napkin, “would you be interested in coming to see the show I’m in?”

“Sure, I’d love to.” Techno agrees easily.

“R-really?”

“Yeah, when is it?”

“In two weeks, we’re going to have three different performances so if you're busy one night, you can still see it.”

Two weeks- this game of deception should be over by then.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, Toms.”

“Thank you! I’ll be sure to give it my all, it’ll be the best show you’ve ever seen!”

Two weeks. Techno has been given a deadline. It’s a long time frame, he doubts he’ll wait a full two weeks but it’s good to know the seconds are really counting down on him.

As Sun Tzu once said, “-though we have heard of stupid haste in war, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays.”

He can’t let delays continue to push him back in his plans.

“Are you finished with your ice cream?” Tommy asks, noticing Techno's empty cup.

“Yeah, but you don’t need to feel rushed.”

“I can eat in the car, I wanna visit the record store before it closes and the hours there are always whack.”

Techno grimaces, “Okay, sounds good.”

Driving is one of humanity’s biggest mistakes- not just for the detriment it causes to the environment, but for the mortal terror Technoblade feels as he has to sit behind the wheel again.

“Lead the way, Toms.” The monster sighs, pulling out of the parking lot.

“Prime, stop getting ice cream all over your car seat.” Techno scolds, eyes darting between the road and the passenger seat.

“I’m trying, my man.”

“Where are your napkins?”

“I dunno.”

“I swear- it’s like I’m looking after a five-year-old.”

Several cars honk at them as Techno drives through a shifting yellow-to-red light.

⤝ - ● - ⤞

Tommy’s normal routine returns on Monday, the human waking up at seven thirty in the morning to get ready for school. On their outing into town, they stopped by the market to fill the fridge up with real ingredients and food, so Techno makes pancakes.

“Woah! That’s so badass.” Tommy shouts when he sees Techno flip a pancake in the air, catching it in the pan.

Techno tosses the next one higher in the air, just to hear Tommy cheer again.

Their usual breakfast rituals continue, Tommy talking and eating at the same time. He eats ravenously, devouring one pancake after the next. Meanwhile, Techno neatly eats his own stack.

“Do you have rehearsal again today?” Techno asks.

“Yeah, this week is going to be a lil hectic since next week is tech week.”

“Tech week?”

“Yeah, the week before we put on our show we have extended rehearsals, practice doing full run-throughs, and do shit with costuming and tech.”

“I see.” Techno contemplates. That might complicate things. Tommy will be on a strict schedule where he's expected to be at certain places at certain times for hours at a time.

When they finish their food, Tommy grabs his backpack as Techno rinses off the dishes in the sink. Tommy moves towards the front door but pauses.

“Is there something you’re forgetting?” Techno asks when all Tommy does is loiter by the door.

“Uh- you know how you drove me to town over the weekend?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think you could- that you could drive me to school? I usually walk, but it’s shitting cats and dogs out there and it’d be kinda nice to, y’know, not get soaked.” Tommy points a thumb out the window to the rain pouring down outside.

“... Sure,” Techno says. He doesn’t have a lot of things to pass the time while Tommy is away at school, so it’s no bother to him.

It’s more of a surprise Tommy wants Techno to drive him after the fiasco the trip to and from the ice cream shop was.

Tommy beams at him, “Thank you!”

The drive doesn’t go too badly. Techno is more aware to keep an eye on the color of the lights and if there are any people in front of the vehicle. There are a couple of close calls, but Tommy is unfazed as ever.

When they arrive, Tommy hops out of the car, popping open his umbrella, “Thanks for driving me! See you tonight, Wi- uh, see you tonight.”

Techno waves half-heartedly. Really, how has this kid convinced him to drive again? What a menace.

As Tommy disappears behind the school’s front doors, someone knocks on his window.

Techno doesn’t startle, but anyone would be caught off guard by the quick incessant knocking. He flinches hard enough to accidentally slam his elbow into the door, sending waves of pins and needles up to his shoulder.

On the other side of the glass stands some brown-haired human and a taller human in a face mask trying and failing to hide behind the brunette. The shorter human knocks on the glass again, face determined. Techno is far from intimidated, but the bright yellow bumble bee umbrella kills any intimidation factor the kid might have had.

He stiffly rolls down the window a single inch.

“Hullo?”

“Holy shit Wilbur, I didn’t believe Tommy when he said you were back home.” The human shouts. Have humans suddenly become louder, or does Tommy just surround himself with others as obnoxious as himself?

“I told you Tommy wouldn’t make something like- like this up. You owe me ten bucks.” The taller one mumbles. Then louder, he says, “Hello, I’m Ranboo. We’ve never met.”

Techno glances between the two teens in front of him. Ranboo- and the other one is probably Tubbo. Or maybe Purpled? Or Jack. Tommy talks about a lot of people.

“Okay? Did you two have anything important to ask me? Or are you just wasting my time?”

“Yeah, we do!” Probably-Tubbo declares, “Tommy said- what- wait, what’s wrong with your voice?”

Agh, not this again. With his best fake British accent, Techno responds, “I have a cold.”

“Oh.” Tubbo blinks in confusion, but continues, “Well, Tommy said that you said you’re back for ‘honest reasons’ and because you suddenly ‘care about your family’ but I call bullshit!”

“I told him the truth.” 

“I know you, Wilbur Soot,” The short human hisses, “and you don’t care about anyone but yourself.”

Techno laughs a little. This kid has no idea what kind of thing he’s talking to. 

As easy as violence would solve this situation, the monster holds himself back. Techno just needs to get these kids off his back, he needs to tell them what they want to hear

“Listen, I know I messed up in the past. I disappointed a lot of people and I hurt the person most important to me. While I was away from home I had a lot of time to reflect on my screw-ups. I truly just want to mend things with my brother.”

Wilbur, he knows, is a musician. An artist. He was a bit dramatic, a bit verbose. Technoblade isn’t a talker and he’s never had any company to talk to, anyway. But he grins and tries to will the two humans in front of him to leave him alone.

Tubbo scowls, “You should be in the negatives for second chances, but Tommy has a bleeding heart. You know he thinks you hang the stars in the sky or some shit. I don’t believe this new crap you’re spouting about being better or gaining a conscience, but at least for as long as you’re in town, don’t hurt him. Be a decent brother for once, or I’ll hunt you down and tear your heart out like you’ve torn out his. But physically. With lots of violence- and maybe a gun.”

Techno almost wants to laugh- because this tiny human? Threatening him?

But he can’t well up the humor. He doesn't smile. He’s taken about by how much… how much Tubbo cares for Tommy. The boy's eyes burn with a protectiveness for his best friend, and it somehow renders Technoblade speechless.

“What?” Tubbo snaps.

Techno blinks. Oh. He’s just been silent. “I’m thankful that Tommy has had you to look after him.”

“I’d never leave him behind like you,” Tubbo sneers.

“Thank you. You’re a better friend than I’ve ever proven myself to be.”

“O-of course.”

The rain continues to pour down around them. In the distance, a bell rings.

“We’ve got to go now, first period will start in five minutes. It was nice meeting you, Wilbur.” Ranboo says.

Tubbo elbows him, “It was not nice. I’m watching you, Soot!”

The two teens run off into the school building.

Techno is confused by the whole ordeal. That was- that was like some shovel talk. He's never been given a shovel talk before. He's never faced anything like Tubbo and his fierce protectiveness or Ranboo with his nervous determination.

Those are the people that would miss Tommy if he went missing.

Techno frowns.

When Tommy goes missing. Not if.

Chapter Text

Wilbur left behind a journal. It’s a plain leatherbound thing worn from years of being written in. It probably holds a lot of sentimental value, and yet like everything else in the human’s room, it was left behind. 

Techno can’t figure out much from reading through it. It’s filled with potential song lyrics, messily drawn up chords, and a few paragraphs of musings about current politics or what books he was reading at the time. Techno is learning about Wilbur through the scraps left behind. Tommy clearly loves and misses his brother, welcoming Techno easily despite his oddities. Tubbo had been suspicious, straight up volatile to him. 

This is what Techno knows: Wilbur is a musician. He is also a brother and a son, but they rank underneath his music. Growing up, Tommy and him were mostly on their own. They don’t have a close relationship with their legal guardians. Wilbur hits his teens and goes off the rails, getting into fights and creating a bad reputation for himself. 

Despite all that, Tommy holds onto the image of the brother he grew up with- someone who he loved and loved him in return. 

And then a couple of years ago, Wilbur changes his name to Wilbur Soot. He cuts off all friends and family and leaves home to build his career as a musician. This devastates Tommy and concerns the people around him. But he soon returns to the routine of normal life, now alone.

That is what led Techno here to this house. Tommy is a kid who has never had anyone stay. The people who were supposed to be his parents didn’t stay, and then the one person he thought he could depend on left as well. 

It’s no wonder Tommy reeked of loneliness, enough to draw Techno to his house, rather than anyone else. 

There’s no written explanation why Wilbur truly left. It’s clear through others' reactions that it wasn’t just because of music. If it was just for his passion, Tommy wouldn’t be so sad. Wilbur would have kept in contact, and no face-copying monsters would have been able to trick his brother.

Wilbur abandoned his family. Techno is a monster, he’s never had any family and he has always cared little for the notion, but hates Wilbur for the destruction he’s created in his path. 

Techno does not understand human emotions well, despite his abilities to sense them. What he does know is that Tommy has been happier and happier these past couple of days with his brother at home. To Tommy, the path of destruction is being mended little by little. 

Sometimes Techno wishes he could ask Tommy what happened to him that left him so alone, but he can’t. Wilbur would know why their parents don’t live with them, and Wilbur would know all the answers to the questions Techno has. It’s frustrating to no end. There are things the papers he reads though don’t answer, holes in an incomplete story.

There are pieces he doesn’t have. But he’s lived in Wilbur’s shoes, seen the aftermath of his actions, and he feels qualified to say that whoever Wilbur was, he’s a despicable guy for abandoning a kid as amazing as Tommy. 

Tommy is always so grateful for the smallest things. His eyes light up when Techno makes meals, drives him places, and promises to go to his events. He isn’t vowing to cross the oceans for him or promising to bring back treasures never before seen- being nice is enough to earn Tommy’s gratitude. It can only mean that Wilbur failed even at being a decent human being to his brother.

If he ever saw Wilbur, he’d want to eat him. Not for a meal, or to deceive him, just to give him the pain he deserves.

Tommy might be unbearably loud, obnoxious, and a pain to look after, but he’s a good kid. He’s funny and passionate about so much, and he’s a hard worker when he decides to put the effort in. If Techno was Wilbur, truly a human with this face, he would have never dreamed of hurting such a person. 

He- he doesn’t. He doesn’t want to hurt Tommy.

Techno’s stomach strangely aches- oh. 

He’s hungry.

In all the mayhem that’s been happening, he'd completely forgotten he needs to eat. The human food Tommy has stocked up in the fridge has done little to satiate him. There’s one thing he needs to eat, as the monster that he is. 

He’s not like Tommy. Techno is a monster, not a human. No matter how his face may look, stolen from another, he’s… he’s never going to be like Tommy. There worlds are complete opposites from each other, and if Tommy knew what Techno really was...

This is the perfect time to finally enact his plan. He’ll eat Tommy, disappear from the small city of L’Manberg, and the real Wilbur will have to deal with the fallout. The guy deserves it, after all he put Tommy through.

He should. He really should. Techno never intended this to get so far, to play at being human for so long.

Techno paces back and forth through the living room. He- he can’t.

But only because Tommy will be home later because of a long rehearsal. Techno should just- just go and find someone else to eat. It’s too soon! Tommy isn’t- the time isn’t- it isn’t the right time yet.

Techno leaves the house, following the scent of loneliness and looking for another face to copy- and he decidedly does not think about how tonight Tommy will return home, and they will continue playing at being a family.

The monster doesn't want to hurt the human- but he has to. It is the only nature he knows.

⤝ - ● - ⤞

The monster knows his time is running out- whether it means he’ll inevitably make a mistake and be discovered by Tommy, he’ll eat Tommy, or he’ll run from town, he isn’t sure. But there’s an invisible clock ticking down and Techno doesn’t know when the timer will hit zero, spelling out the end of this act. He wants it to continue on for forever and also worries that any moment he'll be found out.

The week passes by bringing more and more anxiety. Techno drives Tommy to school, they eat their meals together, and they talk.

Over the weekend, the two go to see a movie. Some action drama film that Tommy goes crazy over. Despite the anxieties Technoblade may have, being around Tommy has made him… happier. He can’t help smiling when he’s around the kid. It’s bad, he shouldn’t be getting sentimental over his target.

But he can’t push himself to eat the human- or to leave.

And then tech week for Tommy’s show starts. Throughout the week Techno barely sees the human, dropping him off at school before eight am and not seeing him return until ten in the evening. Tommy quickly eats whatever food Techno has made, works on his homework, and passes out. It leaves little opportunity for Techno to just do something because Tommy is so busy. He- he doesn’t have the heart to bother Tommy when it’s obvious he’s working so hard in school and on the musical.

Techno has never felt so torn over a human before. In the past, it’s always been deceive, lure, and eat. Humans are food for a monster like him.

“Are you going to see the show tomorrow night?” Tommy asks Wednesday evening.

“Yes. I’m curious to see what you’ve put so much time into.” Techno says… a little too earnestly.

Because he may have never been interested in human theater before, but this is his brother’s show! 

No- not- not his brother, his target’s show. Under the very best circumstances, they’re strangers to one another but if Tommy knew what he really was, he’d never call the monster brother again. 

Technoblade thought he’d be far from the town of L’Manberg by the time Tommy’s show would be opening. Instead, he’s lingered in this old yellow house, playing family with a human. 

Techno is so screwed.

⤝ - ● - ⤞

Thursday evening comes too fast, and yet Techno eagerly drives to Tommy’s school to watch the performance. 

The show is some musical he has never heard of, but he’s overheard Tommy practicing his parts in his room every night to have them memorized himself. 

The chair he’s sitting in is old and creaks undo Techno’s weight, and the auditorium is packed full of humans making a mess of scents on his sensitive nose, but he waits in excitement as the lights dim and the curtains pull open.

The show starts slow and kind of boring, but then Tommy walks on stage. And Tommy- he never messes up a single line, every second spent under the spotlight full of charisma and confidence that Tommy lacks in his everyday mannerisms. 

He likes to put up a brave act, but Techno can tell by the nervous scent of mint that he’s an anxious kid.

When he sees Tommy dance across the stage, belt his heart out, and bow teary-eyed at the end, he yet again wonders how Wilbur could ever bear to hurt this kid.

When Tommy walks onto the stage for his final bows, Techno claps loudly, a smile making its way onto his face. He feels- he feels proud. Maybe that isn’t the right word, he didn’t put the hours of work into the show as Tommy did, but he feels so proud that his br- that Tommy did such a spectacular job.

The audience floods out into the lobby, the actors soon after joining them. Parents praise their children, friends shout with friends, and Techno sees Tommy in his ridiculous stage makeup. When the kid spots him, he jumps in surprise like he didn’t expect him to still be there.

Techno waves to the human, walking up to him and presenting a bouquet of white roses to the boy, “Congratulations. You did an amazing job.”

Tommy slowly accepts the flowers, eyes wide in awe, “Aw man, you didn’t have to go this far. I’m just- I’m just glad you came.”

“You should… you should be proud of the work you’ve done.” Techno awkwardly says. He’s not usually the one for sappy comments, but Tommy’s teary-eyed smile is worth the embarrassment.

“I-I know, I’m the biggest man ever, of course I’m the best!” 

Another one of Tommy’s friends tugs him aside, as a group of the actors huddle together for a photo. Techno leans back on the wall, avoiding the humans surrounding him. 

He wilts internally when a woman approaches him- Ms. Puffy, Tommy’s director. Human interaction, cringe.

“Wilbur Soot, you really came.” The director draws out, unimpressed.

“Of course, Tommy has put so much time and effort into this show. I’m very proud of him.”

The woman snorts, “And yet this is the first time I’ve ever seen you step foot in this auditorium.”

Yet again, Techno really doesn’t understand how Wilbur messed things up so spectacularly. Techno is left living in his mistakes.

“I’m trying to be here for him now.”

Puffy raises a brow, clearly doubting him.

“...The pink hair is a new look.” The woman points out.

“Yup. I dyed it.”

“I can see.” Puffy sighs, “I'm not impressed by this new you you're trying to play. I'll be honest, when I first got the news that you were back in town, I doubted that it was for good reasons. I thought maybe you’d gotten yourself into debt and was planning to pull from Tommy’s savings, only to skip town again.”

“Never, he’s- he’s my brother. I would never do something like that to him.” Techno swears.

“You’ve always acted like such a wordsmith, Soot. You make pretty promises and rarely keep them. Y’know you hurt him badly when you left. He skipped a lot of school and dropped out of the musical after getting cast as the lead. He’s bounced back because he’s a strong kid, but you hurt him. You can’t hurt him like that again.” 

Wilbur must have had no idea what he had, how good he had it when he left. Everyone in Tommy’s life sees the obvious light he emits, a glow from his very soul. 

Techno isn’t blind to it. On stage and off, Tommy is like a ray of warm sunshine after the long winter. 

“... I won’t. I promise. I never want to hurt Tommy.”

And he- he means it. 

Technoblade is a monster, and he has never failed in devouring his targets. But Tommy isn’t a target, a goal, or his next meal. Not for a long time, not at all. He hasn't truly wanted to eat him for a long time.

The realization doesn’t shake him like he thought it would. Maybe he’s been aware all along of the excuses, of the happiness he feels in tandem with Tommy’s own elderberry smiles.

Puffy nods, satisfied with his answer and walks back into the crowd of people.

“Hey, Wil!” Tommy calls out across the lobby. Barely anyone bats an eye at his shouting, clearly used to it. Tommy’s presence demands to be heard, to be seen. 

He’s been left in the shade for so long, after all. Alone, unseen, unsung.

Techno smiles, chest lighter than it’s been in weeks, “What is it, Toms?

“There’s going to be a cast party at Jack’s place, can I please go?” 

Techno hums, “Bruh, it’s a school night and you want to go to a party?”

“Please, please?” 

Tommy used to always be fogged by the scents of old forests, decaying logs, and rotten fruit. Techno was as well, in a way. He’ll never be human or feel the things the same way, but it’s like the clouded skies have opened up over the two brothers- the rain cleared and the frost thawed out. 

“Okay, fine. But you can’t sleep in or miss classes tomorrow, you won’t be allowed to act if you do.”

“I know, thank you so much! You’re the best!” Tommy cheers, running off to join his classmates. Tommy smiles, matching the sun in its intensity.

Winter has passed and the roses have bloomed. Truth, as it has always been, is finally seen in its entirety.

Tommy is his brother. 

Chapter Text

Life doesn’t change much after Technoblade’s epiphany. He’s a monster with a human brother, and things continue on as if nothing major has shifted in his worldview. 

Well, he doesn't think much has changed.

“You’ve been acting kinda weird lately.” Tommy brings up, giving the monster a heart attack. 

“What do you mean?” Techno asks carefully. 

“I guess  you seem… livelier, I dunno.”

Techno sighs in relief. It would be harder to explain why he sometimes disappears at night- to find prey to hunt.

His liveliness is, in part, is because the weather has warmed up, all sluggishness left from his winter hibernation shrugged off. As spring comes into full bloom, the days grow longer. Sunset arrives later and later, and the days are long and warm. 

And this is the first spring Techno has spent not isolated. The first spring he has spent happy, instead of plain surviving.

 “I’ve been in a good mood lately. I think being back home has really made me feel better.”

“Oh yeah, about that- do you think you’ll still be in town for my graduation?” Tommy tries sounding casual, but his anxiety is clear.

“I’ll definitely be there,” He messes up Tommy’s hair. 

“That means you’ll be here for my birthday, too! The big one-eight. We can set off fireworks like you promised we would! Thank you so much.”

There will be issues down the line. Techno doesn’t want to leave town at all, he wants to stay with Tommy, but that’ll be an issue for the future.

“You don’t have to thank me for every little thing, this is the very least I could do after- after everything.”

Tommy smiles, “Thanks.”

“Bruh, what did I just say? Do you even listen to me?”

“Huh? What was that?”

“I can’t believe this. I’m being ignored in my own home.”

Tommy giggles, “Maybe the TV was left on and that’s what I’m hearing?”

Techno messes his hair up again, earning a shout from the human. 

“Ah- now you can hear me?”

“I’ll never surrender, bitch!”

“You literally just responded to me.”

Tommy screeches, slapping Techno’s arms away from him.

After the two calm down, Tommy hesitantly asks, “Are you busy right now, Wi- big man?” 

“Not really.” Techno hums. 

His schedule has been clear his whole time spent in the house, but there’s a lightness that comes with his recent realizations. The past few weeks have been spent split debating between ditching town or eating Tommy, but now that he’s accepted that he cares for the kid, he’s found a peace in his heart.

Of course, he’s not deluded into thinking it’ll be easy to pretend to be human long-term, but he’s ready to commit to the challenge.

“If you’re not busy, then, do you want to go out today?”

Techno zeroes in on the kid, “Are you done with all your homework?”

“Of course, I’m a diligent student! All my teachers praise my hard-working-ness.”

“Mhm.”

“Really!”

Techno lets Tommy fret for a few more moments before nodding, “Okay. What did you have in mind?”

Tommy’s solemn look breaks into a large grin, “Let’s go to the park!”

“The park?”

“Yeah, the one down the road. It’s a quick walk, we won’t even need to drive unless you’re feeling lazy, then I guess we could.”

Techno is immediately sold on not having to drive. Motor vehicles are a sin to the earth and every weekday he drives Tommy to school, he partially fears for his life. 

“Sounds good, kid.” 

-Maybe Techno just gives in to peer pressure too easily. With enough pestering, he ends up doing whatever Tommy demands of him.

⤝ - ● - ⤞

The two leave the house soon after, walking down the sidewalk, the sun high overhead. The park quickly comes into view as Tommy tugs his hand, pointing it out.

The park is old, and even on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, there is no one there but them. All the rides are rusted and discolored, and the grass is overgrown. It looks more like a safety hazard than a park, but Tommy excitedly jumps over the fence and runs straight to the swings.

Techno reluctantly follows him, sitting down on one of the swings and watching as Tommy kicks off the ground.

It's ironic. When he first was hunting Tommy, he would have been overjoyed to get him somewhere remote like this. Now it's finally happened and Techno has no intentions of eating him.

“Man, it’s been so long since I’ve been here. It’s a real shithole now. We used to come to this park a lot as kids.” Tommy comments.

“We did? Er, yeah, we did.”

Tommy nods, “I remember when you hit thirteen and you decided it was too cringe to go play at the play with your kid sibling- you insisted you were practically an adult and had to do adult things. I stopped coming then, too.”

“I’m sorry.” Techno frowns.

Wilbur’s wrongdoings are not his own that he can apologize for- and he doubts the real Wilbur feels bad for all the things he’s done- but if he could somehow lessen the hurt left in Tommy’s heart, he’ll apologize a thousand times using Wilbur’s face.

Tommy shakes his head, “It was a long time ago.”

 The monster looks around at the monkey bars and slides, imagining a younger Wilbur and Tommy playing. Like most things in Tommy’s life, this place was left behind.

Tommy clears his throat, “Y’know Wi- uh, y’know how before you left, things had become really bad?”

“... yeah?”

“Like, you would leave home and not return for days on end, you’d go out drinking a ton, and whenever you were home you’d yell at me?”

Techno winces, “Yes, and I’m sorry for how I behaved.”

“No, uh, what I wanted to say was that- you were different, then. And it was awful, I didn’t deserve it even if at the time I thought I did.”

“You never deserve to be treated that way.”

Tommy stills in his swing, letting momentum carry him back and forth, “Thank you. But you’re better now. You’ve really changed, which is the only reason I’ll forgive you. I didn’t like who you were when you got into fights and hung out with bad people. I like this version of you. You seem happier, too, no longer writing depressed ballads and getting crossed in the park at three in the morning. I gave you a second chance you didn’t deserve, but thank you for- for proving yourself.”

Techno doesn’t know how to answer. In a selfish way, he feels seen. It’s not Wilbur who was a good brother, it’s Techno. Wilbur was horrible, but Techno has proved his worthiness in Tommy's eyes. Tommy appreciates the things he does for him, despite the hurt Wilbur put him through. It was his work that earned that, no lingering affection for the brother of Tommy's past.

The conversation derails to whatever Tommy wants to rant about. Spiders, musicals, and video games. Techno nods along, content to listen.

It isn’t until later when Techno is emptying the washing machine does he realize what Tommy’s words mean for him. 

Tommy, though he loved and missed his brother Wilbur, was hurt by him. But it’s Techno’s actions that have redeemed him in the boy’s eyes. Wilbur burned his bridges and Tommy rightfully was upset, but Techno is the one who mended them. When the human walks that bridge to meet Techno halfway, it isn’t because he’s holding onto the old mirage of his brother. Tommy had said he liked the person he was better now.

Tommy likes Techno because he’s himself, not for the face he wears. 

The monster smiles.

⤝ - ● - ⤞

Techno’s new life still has some hurdles. When he starts getting hungry again, he resigns himself to sneaking out in the middle of the night. Tommy no longer has rehearsals that take up his evenings, which used to give him plenty of time to sneak out into the twilight to hunt and return home with enough time to make dinner. Now he has to juggle sneaking out of the house after hours without waking up Tommy, returning before the kid wakes up, and still managing to wake up at seven am to make breakfast for them.

The hunt is the easy part since he’s still a skilled predator. Tommy is his one failure, and he’s okay with that. He got a brother out of that failure. 

It's cleanup that’s a pain. 

Once he’s gone and eaten to his heart's content, he is covered in blood. He’s never been a clean eater, and even if he brings a duffel bag packed with a change of clothes and sanitary wipes, he still looks like he walked right out of a horror film.

It’s past four am on a school night, and Tommy is for sure asleep. 

The monster returns home, careful to be quiet as a mouse as he scrambles for the hose. He pulls it free from its place stuck in the bushes and twists the handle. The system whines to life, rushing with water.

He runs the water over his hand and hisses. It’s freezing, but he’ll have to handle it.

Blood isn’t a hard thing to clean off. It stains clothing harshly with no remorse, but with water running over him, the clotted clumps stuck in his hair and over his skin dissolve into a pink stream into the grass below.

Techno is barely halfway done washing off the blood when the back door opens, the porch lights turning on from the movement.

He freezes, staring right into Tommy’s eyes.

Fuck.

“Tommy this isn’t- I can explain.” Techno stammers with a pounding heart. 

He doesn’t know how to explain it. He’s lucky he shifted back into human form, at least. He’s not sure how Tommy would’ve reacted to a seven-foot-tall monster with red eyes being in the backyard, but he’d dodged that bullet.

“Holy shit did you just kill someone?” Tommy says much too calmly.

“I don’t know what you’re-”

Tommy squints, “Prime, do you eat people?”

Techno’s hands flail around his bloodied mouth like he can somehow still hide his crime.

“No, this isn’t- I…” 

“Hey! It’s okay. I, uh, don’t care if you do things like that. As long as you stay with me, I don’t care about the cost.”

“... Toms, I-” Techno takes a step back.

“Are you going to leave me just like Wilbur?”

Technoblade freezes. 

“What do you mean?”

Tommy frowns, “I’m not dumb. I was… I was elated to think that Wilbur would come back for me, but I came to my senses. You probably don’t know this, but when Wilbur left he told me that he loved me, and that’s why he had to go. He said he destroyed everything good in his life so he had to leave before he tore my life apart, too. A part of me wishes he was lying, that he just hated me so much he had to get away, but he cared about me at one point in time. I realized that he’d never come home, and if he did it would be because he didn’t care about me anymore.”

Techno shifts awkwardly in the muddy grass.

Tommy coughs, “And y’know, Wilbur has a mole under his eye.”

Techno presses his fingertips to his mole-less cheek, “... so you’ve known the whole time?”

“Pretty much? You’re a pretty shitty liar. But- but I don’t care. You stayed, and you did the things Wilbur never did, like drive me places, or make me dinner, or come to my performances. You even do my laundry when I nag you enough! If you wanted to, like, eat me you would have already, right?”

Techno looks away from the boy’s burning eyes, “I was planning to, at one point.”

“But not anymore!”

“I’m a monster, Tommy. You know this now.” He growls, finally letting his inhuman nature show. This facade can’t continue anymore, and he’s- he’s angry. Or maybe not. Maybe he’s sad. 

Techno’s always been able to discern human emotions better than his own. 

“I don’t care! If I have to kill people to feed you, I’d be okay doing that. If that’s what you need, if that’s what’ll make you stay.”

Techno laughs in disbelief, “Prime, kid, I can feed myself just fine. You don’t have to do that.”

“But you’ll stay?”

Techno shouldn’t. He should leave now that he’s been discovered- apparently discovered the whole time. This hasn’t been some long game of deception, he’s been a bug under a microscope, clear for Tommy to see.

Instead, the monster slowly steps away from the shadows into the dim light. He stands in front of Tommy in all his bloody glory.

“... I’ve never needed anyone else in all my years alive. I hunted and ate, and lived in isolation. I don’t care about humans. But I’ve-” Techno trips over his words, “I’ve never been loved before.”

“You’re my brother, more than Wilbur ever was,” Tommy says unflinchingly.

“You love me, then? Not because I was Wilbur and despite the fact that I’ve killed people?”

“Yes, of course. Because you love me, too.”

And Techno does. Somehow he’d let himself come to care for the human. And he can’t regret it, not when he’s so happy.

Tommy tilts his head, “C’mon inside, then. It’s too early in the year to tell anyone that sees you that you’re just preparing for halloween.”

Techno follows behind his brother, shoes squelching from the water and blood soaking them. Pink footsteps are left behind in his trail.

“I thought humans were squeamish around blood,” Techno asks, weirded out by Tommy’s continued calm.

“I am, I’m not fucking helping you clean this mess up. Also, man you smell.”

Techno shuffles down the hall, “I can't believe you've known I wasn't Wilbur. When exactly did you realize?”

“The morning after you arrived. I had time to think over things, like I said, it didn’t make sense for you- for him to be home. And I’m not that dumb to think Wilbur suddenly developed an American accent.”

Techno cringes. Yeah. That makes sense.

“And so you were just- just okay with some look-alike of your brother living with you?”

The boy nods, “Yeah, you treated me way better than he ever did. I didn’t assume you, like, ate people but I can work with that. Just don’t eat any of my friends and we’re good.”

“You’re… really okay with it?”

Tommy shrugs, “Everyone has their quirks.”

Techno looks at the teen in confused awe. The bar is low for him, and even if it’s working in Technoblade’s favor, it’s still appalling.

“Hey uh- now that we’re unboxing everything, can I… know your name? Your real one, it’s been pretty weird just calling you Wilbur.”

Techno hasn’t always had his own name. A long, long time ago he was a nameless beast who only thirsted for blood. Once he decided to pick a name for himself, he never had anyone he could tell.

“I’m Technoblade.”

Tommy grins, “Then, hello Technoblade. That isn’t your real face either, right? Or do you not have a face? It is still really uncanny seeing you speak with Wil’s face.”

Techno looks away, “I don’t want to frighten you.”

“I’m not a pussy, Tech-no-blade.”

The monster has never heard another person say his name before. Maybe that’s what breaks down his resolve so easily.

“Fine. But you’re the one who insisted.”

“I know, I know.”

There have been countless people who have been witness to Techno’s transformations, but all were victims moments away from being eaten. The crack of his bones or shifting of his skin has always been met with screams of horror.

Tommy silently watches as the monster stretches, his joints clicking back into place as the transformation finishes. Techno’s true form will always be more comfortable for him to be in, but he’s also never stayed in a human shape for so long before and he aches more than he does after waking up from hibernation. His bones feel bruised and squished, all his muscles stretched awkwardly over his longer limbs.

Tommy stares at him with wide eyes.

“Tommy?”

The kid doesn’t answer.

“You good?”

Tommy, slightly shaking, nods, “Ye-yeah. Yeah! Just. Okay- uh, I’m good. I’m just internalizing this. Yup.”

“You’re freaked out.” The monster points out. 

“No- no, I’m a big man who is never freaked out by anything.”

“I can put the other face back on-”

“No!” Tommy shouts, leaning forward, “Don’t- don’t do that. I’m happier- I- I’d rather you look like yourself. I’d be happier if you stayed like this around me since it’s the real you. I’m already used to it, so don’t change back.”

“Are you sure? Because I don’t mind.”

Tommy nods, smiling again. “I’m sure.”

Tommy is- is an anomaly. There’s no way he can just be okay with a monster walking into his house acting as his brother. But he doesn’t smell any fear coming off Tommy. He’s really okay with the monster he is, tusks and claws included.  All Techno can chalk it up to is the strangeness of teenagers. He’ll never understand them.

“Now for the love of prime, please go take a shower. You’re dripping blood everywhere.” 

⤝ - ● - ⤞

After that night, the two find a new normal as things settle into place. Techno still drives Tommy to school, Tommy still asks him for help on his English essays. Their routines stay the same, as well as their attitudes, but there is no longer a barrier of lies between them.

Tommy also insists that Techno no longer wears Wilbur’s face inside the house. It ends up being a compromise since Techno doesn’t want his identity to be discovered. When it's night, he shifts back into his true form. Tommy does not look at him with anger or disgust when faced, he doesn't change depending on what face Techno wears.

It’s better than anything he could’ve wished for. Tommy knows he is not Wilbur, he is not his blood brother, he is not even a human. And yet, the two still talk and laugh as they have always done.

And there are the new things, like Techno no longer having to sneak out in the middle of the night for his hunts.

“I’m going to go… eat dinner now, Tommy. Make sure to finish your English homework before you play any video games.”

Without moving his eyes from his laptop, Tommy says, “You know you can just say ‘eat somebody,’ you don’t need to use those euphemisms.”

“Is it a euphemism if it’s really my dinner?”

Tommy hums, finally looking up, “Hey, could you consider eating my math teacher? I really don’t want to take his final.”

“Don’t joke about stuff like that,” Techno scolds.

“I’m not joking. I seriously hate the guy.”

“No.”

“Please?”

“Do you even hear yourself? No.”

“You’re a pussy, Technoblade.”

“I’m careful and I’m smart, and I’ve never been caught. It’s murder basics that you don’t kill people that could be tied back to you. Now go write your essay on Hamlet.”

“Meh meh meh I’m a big scary monster. Meh meh, I'm so smart but I’m too scared of math teachers.”

“I don’t know how I put up with you.”

“Because you love me.” Tommy grins.

Techno smiles, breaking his faux annoyance, “I do. I’ll be back soon, don’t stay up too late.”

The monster slings his bag of supplies over his shoulder but pauses when the smell of mint fills the room.

“What’s botherin’ ya?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re bothered by something, I can smell it.”

Tommy gives him a foul look, “I’m going to buy nose plugs for you.”

“Good, you stink. And not in the emotional way, just in the teenagers-who-don't-shower-enough way.”

“Fuck you, I am a cleanly person. I am a paragon of shower-taking, all should bow before my greatness.”

Techno laughs, but presses, “Seriously, what’s up?”

“... It’s dumb.”

“Just tell me, then.”

Tommy grumbles, but says, “What time do you think you’ll be back?”

He shrugs, “Depends on how quickly I can… find dinner.”

“Just say ‘eat a person.’ Anyways, give me a ballpark.”

“Uh, one am?”

“And you’ll… really come back?”

Ah. The familiar rotten wood smell reminds Technoblade of what Tommy was like when they first met. He’s a lonely kid, abandoned by all the family members he once trusted.

“I’ll be back before you know it. You can’t get rid of me that easily.” He grins. 

Tommy grabs Techno’s gnarled hand and quietly asks, “Promise?”

“I promise.” Techno squeezes his brother’s hand.

Maybe it’s odd for a monster to live with a human. Techno has never been interested in human affairs and how they conduct their tiny lives, content to just eat them. He surely never thought he’d look after one, or view one as his brother.

Maybe it’s odder for the human under his care to be so calm about the monster living under the same roof. In very plain terms Techno had admitted he was going to eat Tommy at one point, but the teen didn’t seem to care. Maybe it was that desperation of loneliness that first drew Techno to Tommy’s little yellow house at the end of the block. 

But Tommy hasn’t been sad in months, not since Techno had entered his life.

Maybe the kid is just an odd one. 

Techno isn’t complaining, though. He doesn’t know what he would’ve done if Tommy had shunned and scorned his true nature.

They shouldn’t get along, logically. Their differences should have repelled each other and their lives never collided at all.

But Techno is a monster who has never been loved before, and Tommy was a kid who’d been left behind by everyone he ever loved. The two had wounds in their hearts they didn’t know were there until the other had mended them. 

Techno hunts, and he returns home to a place filled with more love and sweet elderberry than he could ever ask for.