Chapter Text
Technoblade didn't like it when Wilbur was quiet.
Normally, it was his job to be the silent one. So when his twin didn't speak, Techno couldn't help but feel anxious.
Glancing over at the male in the passenger seat next to him, he saw Wilbur staring intensely out the window.
"Uh..." Techno mumbled, and then closed his mouth again. He was never good at small talk. "Do you wanna talk about it?"
No response. Just a vague glare his way. Techno sighed.
He knew the answer before he even asked the question. He knew what was causing the silence.
They had just gotten a call from their father that morning. Not a call of worry over the fact that his seventeen year old sons disappeared, but to berate them for 'causing trouble'. Telling them both not to come home after this one unless they were ready to 'man up and face consequences'.
It was always a problem with their father. While both boys had the things they were good at, it was what they weren't that got pointed out.
Techno excelled in school, but was often in fights with people who disrespected him. Wilbur was a savant with a guitar and had the voice to match, but did poorly in class.
Techno was a troublemaker, Wilbur was lazy. That's what they had been told for years.
Thinking about the bastard they were forced to call a father, Techno's grip tightened on the steering wheel. Only to be loosened as Wilbur placed his hand on Techno's arm. Dropping the hand closer to his brother, Wilbur linked hands with him, giving a reassuring squeeze.
"I'm sorry." Wilbur looked at Techno, finally speaking up.
"Don't be." Techno shot him a small smile. "I get it ."
Sudden ringing coming from Techno's phone cut through the moment, causing both twins to let out startled yells.
"Jesus, Techno! Why's your phone so loud?!" Wilbur quickly scrambled to pick up his brother's phone.
"I need to hear it? Duh." Techno shook his head. "Who is it?"
"Phil." Wilbur said with a smile, picking up the call and bringing the phone to his ear. "Hey, Phil!"
Techno could practically hear the hey mate coming from the phone.
Phil was a friend of theirs that they had met on the internet years ago at this point. They were both 14 and he was 20, and he had scolded them both for being in chatrooms at their age. Phil had formed a protective, near fatherly attitude with the twins, and had helped them through the worst of their actual father's attitude.
He was also the reason that they had left a few days ago. Now 24, Phil had enough space and money to offer the two a safer place to stay.
They trusted Phil.
"We're doing alright." Wilbur turned so he was sitting on the seat right. "Yeah, one second." Holding out the phone, Wilbur turned the call on speaker. "Okay, go ahead."
"Techno, what happened? Why does Wilbur sound upset?"
Wilbur opened his mouth in shock, Techno snorted.
Busted.
"Had a call with the ol' bastard is all."
"Are you guys okay?" Phil's voice turned serious, going into what Techno and Wilbur called 'Dad Mode'
"We're fine, Phil." Wilbur sighed, fake annoyance in his voice despite the smile on his face. "Just a little..."
"Frazzled."
"And hungry."
"Oh! Well, you should've started with that!"
Techno raised an eyebrow, looking at Wilbur. Wilbur's eyes widened.
"Phil, no-" Wilbur's phone dinged. Wilbur quickly checked it, groaning at the notification telling him that money had been sent to his PayPal. "Phiiil." Wilbur whined.
"Go get some lunch, mates. Maybe some noodles or something. Call me when you make it to your next stop. And no driving tired!"
"Yes, Phil." Both Techno and Wilbur said in unison.
"Bye, guys"!
"Bye, Phil." In unison again. Both twins sighed as Phil hung up. Wilbur looked at Techno, a sheepish grin on his face and a shrug.
"Lunch?"
"Lunch."
"Awesome." Wilbur quickly looked up nearby places on his phone.
The two of them wound up going to a nearby park, a place that had different food trucks practically wrapped around the block. Both interested in different options, they both went in different directions.
As Wilbur stood in line, he couldn't help but notice a flash of purple running behind the trucks. Raising an eyebrow, Wilbur just shook his head and got his food. Meeting back up with Techno, he noticed his brother looked just as confused.
"Did you notice a blonde kid with a red shirt running behind trucks?" Techno asked as he sat down at the table.
"Red? I swear I saw purple." Wilbur sat down as well. "But yeah, I saw the blonde." Taking a bite from the wrap he got, Wilbur looked around the park.
It was a nice day. But really empty for how nice it was. There were only a couple of people in the park, mostly jogging around or playing at the basketball court.
"Wilbur." Techno called. Wilbur turned back and saw him staring somewhere completely different. His eyes widened a bit.
Sitting under one of the tables sat a pair of kids.
One in purple, one in red. Both blonde.
Holding what looked like the tip jar from one of the trucks.
"Huh." Wilbur glanced back at Techno. "Guess we were both right." Wilbur chuckled, stopping as he realized Techno getting up. "Wait, Tech-"
Techno walked over to the table, crouching down and accidently startling both boys.
"I know you didn't steal that from hard working people, did you?" Techno raised an eyebrow at the boys, clearly unfazed by their startled screams. The two boys looked at each other, then back at Techno. The one in red scowled.
"Fuck off, old man. I'll yell and make you look like a real creep!"
"I'm not old, I'm seventeen."
"Old." The one in purple stared blankly at him.
"Not. Old." Techno repeated. "Now, let's give that back to the employees, yeah?" Making the mistake of reaching towards them, Techno only realized what he had done as the boy in red quickly bit him, letting out a startled and pained yell.
"Hey!" Hearing Techno yell, Wilbur immediately ran over. Before he could make a grab at the two, the boy in purple immediately ran out from under the table and tackled him to the ground.
Not willing to hit a kid, Wilbur let himself fall and immediately wrapped his arms around the boy. The boy kicked and yelled, making the one in red let go of Techno and run over.
"Let him go!" He went for Wilbur, but was pulled back by Techno. Kicking his legs, the boy yelled in frustration. "Let my brother go! Don't hurt him!"
"Hurt him?" Wilbur immediately let the purple clad boy go, a horrified look on his face. "We're not gonna hurt you."
"You had him held down!"
"Because he tackled me!" Wilbur defended himself. "Besides, you bit my brother!"
"Because he tried to grab us!" The boy squirmed free from Techno, running to his brother.
"I tried to grab the money." Techno glared. "Which you stole."
The two boys looked at each other, then back at Wilbur and Techno.
"We were hungry." The one in purple glared back. "You gonna fault us for being hungry?"
"No, but you shouldn't even be stealing!" Wilbur threw his hands in the air, standing up.
"Or out here alone."
"You're, like, ten!"
"We're eleven, asshole!" Both boys spat.
"Oh my god, Techno, they're eleven."
*Look." Techno pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm giving the money back." He looked at the boys. "If you're hungry, we can buy you lunch."
"Fuck no!"
"Tommy..." The boy in purple tugged at the sleeve of his brother, who was apparently named Tommy. He leaned over and whispered something in his ear. Tommy grinned.
"We want one of everything."
"What-"
"Fine."
"Techno!" Wilbur looked dumbfounded at Techno.
"Great!" Tommy ran over and picked the jar up, skipping back and handing it to Wilbur. "You get the honor of giving the money back, bitch boy."
"Excuse me?!"
"I'm sorry that my brother bit you." The boy in purple looked up at Techno as both of their respective brothers walked away, arguing. "I'm Purpled, by the way."
"Techno." Techno looked at the boy. "My brother is named Wilbur."
"Cool. Can you buy me a Caprisun?"
"Sure, why not."