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Techno wakes up to movement around him. It takes him a moment to adjust, to find out where he is. He rubs at his eyes, remembering reading by the fireplace, waiting for Wilbur to get home and then... nothing. Sitting up, he finds his book face down on the table, the fire dying out, and – complete darkness outside?
He stands up, wobbling slightly, trying to find the cause of his sudden awakening. He follows a mysterious sliver of light into the kitchen, where he finds Phil next to the coffee machine, typing at his phone faster than Techno’s ever seen him do. The clock above him reads 3:47 a.m.
„Dad?” His voice comes out rough, and he clears his throat before continuing. „What’s going on? Why are you awake this early?”
Phil yanks his head up, clearly surprised. Techno can see him briefly consider shrugging it off and sending him to bed, but the other just finishes his message and slips his phone in his pocket before responding. „Wilbur just called me.”
Techno feels his stomach drop. „Is he not home yet?”
„No.” The coffee machine goes off; Phil turns around and pours himself a coffee. He offers the mug to Techno, but the latter just shakes his head. He’s too worried right now.
„Where is he? Is he okay?”
„He’s, uh... Well.” Phil sighs. „He got arrested.”
„He did what? What for?”
„He got into a fight.”
Techno feels the world slow down. This is it, a voice whispers in the back of his head. You’re losing your brother. “Holy shit, is he okay?” He manages to force out.
“Fine enough to not need medical attention.”
Techno feels the world drop off his shoulder. So he’s okay. Sort of. “Are you going to pick him up?”
Phil runs a hand down his face. “Yeah.”
„Can I come with you?”
It’s clear that Phil wants to say no, but something about Techno’s expression makes him change his mind. „Some company on the way there would be nice.”
While Phil finishes his coffee, Techno slips upstairs, grabbing Wilbur’s hoodie and something off his desk before taking a glance inside Tommy’s room. The younger is asleep, limbs spread out in a way that doesn’t look comfortable in the slightest. Techno smiles fondly, slipping on Wilbur’s hoodie and shutting the door to let the boy sleep. He makes his way back downstairs and out the front door quietly.
By the time they get to the station, it’s 4.20 a.m., and Techno regrets not accepting Phil’s offer for coffee. As soon as they make their way inside, he heads straight for the coffee machine, buying the strongest thing possible and chugging it immediately, cringing at the bitterness before joining Phil at the counter.
His father had already been talking. “…Wilbur. Yes. That’s him.”
“And you’re who exactly?” The guard looked largely uninterested in the situation, and Techno could see the freeze frame of some TV show on one of the two computer screens.
“His dad.”
“ID?” Phil gives it to him with narrowed eyes. The guard barely glances at it before tossing it back. With how careless they are, Techno doesn’t want to consider what would happen if someone else came to pick up his twin.
The guard stands up, gesturing for them to follow him. They do, and Techno isn’t entirely unhappy about not being acknowledged – the guard seems like an asshole.
They walk down a hall of cells, and the guard unlocks a door to another set. They walk down the hall, and at the end, Techno sees his brother sat on the edge of a shitty bed, running his fingers through his hair. With how fluffy it is, it’s clear he’s been doing it for a while. When he lifts his eyes, Techno’s heart lurches at the sight of his face – there are bags under his eyes, but the bruise on his cheek is much more prominent.
He half smiles upon seeing Phil appear, and when he sees Techno behind him, his smile widens. Techno doesn’t smile back; the only thing he feels besides concern is anger. He guesses it’s because he’s worried sick about him… he can’t bear to lose him this fast.
The guard stops in front of the cell, and Techno watches Wilbur’s eyes meet Phil’s.
“Hey, Dad. I… I’m sorry?”
The guard unlocks the cell and Phil lurches forward immediately, pulling Wilbur into a hug. “Don’t ever scare me like that again, you little shit.” He whispers into the boy’s hair.
“I won’t,” Wilbur whispers back, and they pull apart. He steps past Phil, glancing at the security guard warily before offering his fist to Techno. The latter ignores it, refusing to meet his brother’s eyes; the image of him behind bars, helpless, floats in front of his vision. Wilbur’s fist and smile drop simultaneously.
The guard leads them back out, calling Phil over to the desk. “How would you prefer to pay the bail?”
Phil turns back to Techno and Wilbur, who are standing behind him awkwardly. “Go wait by the car. Here are the keys.”
The guard snorts at that, which Phil chooses to ignore. It’s clear he doesn’t approve of his father’s parenting methods, and Techno’s glad the guard doesn’t make a comment on it, because if he did, it would be guaranteed that all three of them would spend the night here. Phil tosses the keys to the duo, and Wilbur catches them effortlessly as they turn to walk out.
They’re halfway through the parking lot before Techno stops, turning to Wilbur and punching his arm. Hard. “You absolute idiot.”
Wilbur has the audacity to look offended. “What?”
“I wake up at three thirty a.m. to Dad walking around the kitchen, trying to chug coffee to be awake enough to pick you up from the police station after you’d called him because you got arrested? I can’t imagine how you told him: hey, Dad, I’m in prison, come get me please! You scared the shit out of both of us. You scared the shit out of me, Wilbur. What was worth starting a fight for, anyway?”
Wilbur’s shoulders drop and he mumbles something in response.
Techno tilts his head slightly. “What was that, Wil?”
“Someone insulted Tommy. Dream did. At the party. I’m sorry, Techno. Really.”
“It’s okay,” Techno responds out of reflex, but Wilbur doesn’t seem to hear him.
“I didn’t want to scare you, but I made a joke about something Dream had said, and he insulted Tommy in return, but he actually meant it, and I saw red – I think I punched him, but I can’t be sure-”
Something doesn’t feel right.“Hey, Wilbur.”
“-then one thing led to another, and a bunch of people ended up fighting, and someone called the police, and I couldn’t run fast enough- and I’m sorry, I swear, I just didn’t know what to do, I just knew that if someone hurt any of you I couldn’t survive, and-”
“Wilbur, stop.” The other looks up at that, eyes wide, and it finally registers in Techno that he isn’t breathing.
“Look at me, Wil. Breathe.” Only upon being told to do so can Wilbur really do so – he gasps for air suddenly, stumbling. Techno catches him immediately, rubbing his back until Wilbur’s breathing evens out again. He doesn’t pull away until his brother does.
“Are you okay?”
Wilbur manages a small nod. “I just didn’t know what to do.”
Techno nods. “I'm sorry for snapping at you... I’m just glad you didn’t get hurt too badly.” His eyes flicker back to the bruise on Wilbur’s cheek, and he meets his brother’s eye. “Can I?”
The brunet nods, and Techno reaches forward gently, tracing the bruise on his twin’s face. “You know, you always manage to get into trouble – just not badly enough to leave a big mark.” Wilbur snorts at that.
“Yep. That’s me, your older dumbass twin.” Techno half smiles, but it fades as he notices three small cuts on the bruise – the mark of three rings. He knows who left the mark – he’d recognize the rings anywhere. He asks anyway.
“Did anyone else punch you?”
“I don’t think so, just Dream. After that I tried to back out, but I couldn’t - I got caught in the pit.” Techno’s hand drops, squeezing his shoulder.
“Did he get arrested too?”
“No, he got away.”
“Don’t bother.”
Techno doesn’t respond to that. Instead, they keep walking until they reach the car. Wilbur leans against the door before speaking up.
“Please don’t let Tommy find out about this.”
Techno, despite himself, snorts. “What makes you think I won’t tell him?”
“Just… please. He won’t ever let it go. I need to keep some of my dignity.”
Dignity, huh? Techno looks up at that, smile widening as he reaches into his hoodie. Well, Wilbur’s. The latter seems to realize this, too – he narrows his eyes in a glare.
“Mhm.” Techno pulls out a sheet of bent card and lays it down over the car’s hood. “A shame. I honestly thought Tommy had this one in the bag.”
“What?” Wilbur glances over Techno’s shoulder. “Is that-” He laughs incredulously. “Is that the fucking bingo card we made ages ago?”
“Yep.”
“You’ve kept it this entire time? Have you been updating it?”
“Yep.” Techno crosses off someone gets arrested, and writes Wil next to it. “So far, I’ve only done two dumb things, Tommy’s done four, and you’ve done six. See? This is why Dad loves me more.” Wilbur snorts at that. “Aaaand, that’s one away from a bingo. We just need one of us to get suspended.”
“You’ll have to wait a while for that one.”
“I’m not too sure about that.” He turns back to Wilbur, putting away the card and opening his arms, pulling the other into a hug. “Seriously, though. Don’t do that again.”
“No promises. But I’ll try.”
Techno looks back to see a door opening in the distance, and Wilbur’s eyes follow his. They both watch as Phil steps out of the building and heads in their direction. Wilbur turns to face his brother.
“D’you think I’m grounded?” He asks, but he’s smiling – he very clearly does not regret what he did. (Techno doesn’t blame him; he would’ve done the same thing in Wilbur’s place.)
“Oh, most definitely. Don’t worry though, I’ll go out and have fun instead of you. And I won’t get arrested.” Wilbur hits his arm lightly, but he’s laughing, and so is Techno.
❊
It’s two years later that Techno and Wilbur are sat playing Mario Kart in their living room. Phil had left an hour ago, saying he had some errands to run, leaving the twins home alone.
“You’re not getting this win, Wilbur.”
“On the contrary, I think I’ve already got it.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure.” Techno aims and shoots a blue shell after Wilbur, taking the lead. Within moments, he passes the finish line, beating the other by two seconds. He cheers loudly.
“See? I told you! Yoshi wins every time - beats Waluigi easily!”
“You got lucky, man. There’s no way.”
The front door opens, and Tommy walks past both of them wordlessly, head down, hood up and his hands in his pockets.
“Hey, Toms. Why are you home so early?” He ignores both of them and heads up the stairs, holding the railing. Techno’s breath catches in his throat as he spots blood on his knuckles. Phil walks in seconds later. Techno stands up and turns to face him.
“What happened?”
Phil sighs. “Tommy got into a fight.”
Images of picking up Wilbur from jail in the middle of the night, with his face covered in bruises and cuts (some of which left scars), flash into Techno’s mind. “Is he okay?”
“Yeah, he’s fine, just pissed. He got suspended for two days.”
The twins speak simultaneously.
“He got suspended?”
“For two days?”
“Yep. I’ve already lectured him, but he might listen to you two more than to me."
Wilbur turns off the TV and the duo head upstairs. Techno knocks, and upon hearing a quiet come in, pushes the door open and heads inside.
Tommy’s laid across his bed, facedown. hood still over his head. Techno and Wilbur sit on either side of him, sharing a concerned look.
“I heard you got into a fight.” A groan in response. “Are you okay?”
“’m fine. The fucker deserved it.” Techno raises an eyebrow and Wilbur snickers. Can tell you’re related, Techno mouths at Wilbur, whose smile widens at that.
“Oh, really? What’d he do?”
“Insulted Ranboo. Dickhead punched back damn hard, too.” Once again, Techno’s mind goes back to the way Wilbur had fought Dream over Tommy. Wilbur’s mind flashes back to the same thing, judging by the way he meets Techno’s eyes.
“Who was it, Theseus?”
“Dream.”
“I’m fighting him this time, I swear.” Tommy snorts at Techno's statement, turning around to lie on his back and missing the way Wilbur’s eyes widen. Techno can tell he needs to be cheered up, so he stands up, mumbling an “I’ll be right back.”
He slips into his room, bringing back a piece of card. “Hey, Tommy, can I borrow a pen?”
“Uh, sure? What are you doing?”
Wilbur seems to know already. “Is that the bingo card?”
“The what now?
“Techno and I made a bingo card together as a joke when we were younger. Turns out he’s been filling it in this entire time.”
Techno crosses off someone gets suspended, and puts Tom next to it. “And, bingo! Thank you for your honorable sacrifice, Tommy.”
“Hold on, let me see that thing.”
Techno puts the pen down and passes the card to Tommy, who begins to read through it. “Burn water, hah, ‘course that was Will, dumbass... steal something, Techno – The Spain Incident, fall into a pool with clothes on, not a fun experience… get arrested, Wilbur?” He sits up faster than Techno has ever seen him do. “Wait, what the fuck? When was this?”
Wilbur glares at Techno. “You prick. You promised he wouldn’t find out.”
“Whoops?”