Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Techno watched in alarm as the leaders of the pack ran around, yelling and throwing things into the fire. There were sirens and flashing lights outside. Everyone was moving too fast and bumping into each other. He needed to find Wilbur and Tommy and make sure that they were safe. Tommy was tiny, he could easily get stepped on. And Wilbur didn’t like bright lights in his face. He was their big brother, it was his job to protect them. How could he protect them if he didn’t know where they were?

With that thought Techno ran through the hallways, looking for his brothers. He bit back a cry of surprise and pain as he was shoved harshly to the side into the corner of a wall. Stumbling slightly, he grabbed the doorframe near him for support and caught sight of Wilbur’s wide eyes through that crack.

Techno ran into the room, nearly sighing with relief when he saw his brother had already found Tommy and hidden them away someplace safe. Guilt twisted in his gut at the same time that Wilbur had needed to protect Tommy because he hadn’t been there to protect them himself. 

The yelling in the hall got worse and then there was a loud crash followed by thundering footsteps and the voices yelling doubled. Techno scooped up Tommy and shoved him into Wilbur’s arms and pushed them into the closet. He followed them in and closed the door behind him, pressing his brothers against the wall behind him.

“Tech, you’re squishing us,” Wilbur grunted.

Techno just shushed him. They had to stay quiet. The footsteps stomped through the house going back and forth past their hiding place.

A pair stopped just on the other side of the door and Techno felt his stomach sink with dread. He pushed further back into his brothers, ignoring Wilbur’s annoyed jab into his side. At least he had the sense to stay quiet. 

The footsteps started to leave and Techno almost breathed a sigh of relief. Then Tommy made a small noise behind him. It was quiet but it was enough. The steps turned back towards the door and the knob started to turn. Techno was sure his heart was about to explode out of his chest.

The door flung open and a man in a bulletproof vest stared down at them.

“Shit! There’s kids in here!” he shouted over his shoulder.

Techno growled at the man. He couldn’t let them get Wilbur and Tommy. He had to give them a chance to run. With that in mind as more footsteps hurried down the hall towards them, Techno launched himself at the man, flailing his arms and trying to scratch at the man. Hopefully Wilbur would understand what he needed to do. The man caught his wrists and then wrapped his arms around him as Techno continued to struggle.

“Woah! Hey, easy there, kid.”

Techno managed to flip himself around and saw, to his horror, that Wilbur had not run. Techno kicked and screamed as hands reached out and pulled Wilbur and Tommy out of the closet.

~~~

Techno jolted awake, breathing heavily from the memory turned nightmare. He laid on his back and ran his hands through his hair. It had been years since that night and Techno still had nightmares about it. It didn’t make sense why it wasn’t one of so many other nightmare worthy nights in his life. He had been seven when that had happened and then eight when he lost his brothers. 

The house they’d been put in wasn’t a good one. Techno had done what he needed to protect his brothers, to draw their attention onto him instead of them. He had been successful, but had earned himself a mark in his file that said he was violent and that his werewolf genes affected him differently than his brothers so he needed a ‘firm guardian’ to keep him in line. Because of that note, the next family only would take Wilbur and Tommy, not him. He hadn’t seen them since.

A sharp knock rang out on his door.

“Technoblade! Get up! Your social worker is coming in 15 minutes!” his current, soon to be former, foster mother barked through the door.

Another sharp knock on the door.

“I’m up,” Techno groaned before she could keep going.

Right, he was moving to a new foster home today for some reason. He didn’t know why they were moving him, nothing out of the ordinary had happened recently. Maybe they just got sick of him. Not that Techno would complain about leaving this house. They were so loud all the time, always pounding on doors and yelling, and Techno had more sensitive hearing than humans so it hurt.

He got up and gathered his things together into his beat up backpack. Techno heard the doorbell ring and someone open it as he finished getting dressed.

“Technoblade!!” his foster father screamed up the stairs. “They’re here! Come down stairs!”

Techno winced and did one last sweep of his room with his eyes to make sure he didn’t leave anything before he walked down the stairs.

His social worker, Logan, stood in the doorway and gave him a stiff smile. Techno wished they wouldn’t bother but they always insisted on giving him forced smiles to be more welcoming, unaware or uncaring that it had the opposite effect.

“Are you all set to go, Technoblade?” they asked.

Techno gave a small nod and tried to side step his foster parents' attempts to pay him on the back.

“We’re gonna miss you, Technoblade. We really enjoyed having you here,” the foster mother said.

Techno resisted the urge to scoff. Yeah? Then why were they getting rid of him if they liked him so much. He tried to brush it off, but it felt wrong. He’d always known the reason why he was leaving a house, be it someone finally realizing that that many bruises couldn’t be natural or the family giving the reasons Techno wouldn’t work out in painful detail. This situation had never happened before. It was unknown to him, and because of that he was terrified.

Techno followed his social worker out to their car and sat in silence for 15 minutes of the drive until he couldn’t take it anymore. 

“Why?” he asked softly.

Logan glanced at him for a moment before looking back out the windshield.

“Why what?” 

“Why am I leaving? What happened? Where am I going? Why hasn’t anyone told me anything?!” he asked desperately.

“I-” Logan hesitated. “I think it might be best that you see for yourself.”

Techno’s nostrils flared in indignation. He quickly turned away to look out the window and tried to shove down his anger and frustration. He wasn’t aggressive. He wasn’t a monster. He could control himself. His fingers dug into his thighs as he tried to calm himself down, but underneath the anger was a thick layer of panic because what weren’t they telling him.

The rest of the drive passed in tense silence.

“Alright, we’re here,” Logan said as they pulled into a driveway.

Techno peered up at a large suburban style home. It looked decent but outward appearances didn’t mean much in Techno’s world. Sometimes the most beautiful things hid the worst rot. It looked like there were probably other kids at this house based on the bikes in the front yard. Techno felt a little unsure about that, it could be good or bad. 

His frustration spiked again as he realized that he had no idea how many people lived in this house because no one had told him anything. 

Logan led him up the front steps and knocked on the door. Techno held his breath as it creaked open to reveal a man with blonde hair that fell around his shoulders and a weird green and white hat on his head.

“Hi mate, come on in.”

Chapter Text

Techno followed the man inside the house with Logan walking in and closing the door behind them. Techno felt his shoulders tense more at the idea that he could be trapped in there.

“You can call me, Phil,” the man said. “Is there something you’d prefer I call you?”

“…Technoblade,” he mumbled. 

It was his name, nothing special, but Phil looked so happy to be given it.

“Well, it’s wonderful to meet you, Technoblade,” Phil said cheerfully. “I’m sorry, the boys begged me to let them stay home from school so they could greet you, but they seem to have forgotten to wake up. Would you mind waiting for a minute while I go get them?”

Techno shook his head slightly.

“Thanks, mate. Feel free to look around while I’m gone,” Phil said before disappearing up the stairs.

Techno frowned and stared down at his shoes. No one had ever left him alone right away without clear instructions to not touch anything or wander off or cause trouble. Sure his social worker was still with him, but still. Did it mean that Phil was willing to trust him? Or was it some kind of test?

Logan sent him a concerned look as he failed to stifle a groan. It probably was a test, wasn’t it? Techno hated the houses that gave tests like that. He could never be sure if he was actually allowed to do something or if they were waiting just out of sight to deliver a line about how he should have known better alongside his punishment. 

He decided that the only way to know for sure would be to test it out, and so he took a few wandering steps over to the large bookcase and carefully ran his fingers along their spines. His heart clenched with longing. He probably wouldn’t be allowed to read any of them. They looked old and would probably be considered too delicate for him. 

“Techno?” a hopeful voice asked behind him.

It wasn’t Phil or Logan’s.

Techno slowly turned around and stared into a face that looked too much like his with shock. Eyes just a few shades darker than his own sat behind a pair of thin gold frames. A smile rested above the same chin he saw in the mirror. A nose that looked like Techno vaguely remembered his own before it had been broken.

“Wil- Wilbur??” Techno choked out.

The boy before him nodded happily.

“Yeah, it’s me,” Wilbur said, tears forming in his eyes.

Techno took a jolted half step forwards and that was all his brother needed as an invitation. He met him quickly, wrapping his arms around him tightly. Techno buried his face in Wilbur’s hair, breathing in his scent for the first time in far too many years. 

Techno’s relief faltered for a moment. He didn’t want to ruin the moment, but he needed to know.

“Tommy?” he asked stiffly.

“He’s here,” Wilbur said before pulling away slightly. “Tommy, come here. It’s Techno.”

Blonde curls entered his vision and another set of arms hesitantly wrapped around him. Tommy didn’t know him, Techno realized with a sinking feeling in his stomach, he had been too young to remember him.

Techno placed his chin on top of Tommy’s head almost desperately. He was hopelessly out of practice but he let out a low sort of hum.

“Brother,” he murmured, wanting to make sure it was clear.

“Yeah, I know, big man,” Tommy said and then hugged him tighter.

Techno allowed them to slowly sink to the ground. He was certain that, if he had his tail right now, it would be thumping against the ground.

Something moved out of the corner of his eye and Techno was immediately on guard. The person took another step closer to him and his brothers. They were too close. The person was a threat. They needed to back off. Techno started a low growl rumbling in his chest. Wilbur and Tommy made small noises of confusion but Techno ignored them. When the threat didn’t immediately back away, Techno turned to a full blown snarl. 

“-no! Techno, what are you doing?! Stop! It’s just Phil!” Wilbur shouted at him, pushing at his arms and chest to try to make him stop.

Techno blinked and looked up, suddenly realizing what was happening. No, no, no! He was growling at his new guardian. He couldn’t- 

Techno scrambled backwards away from them, his heart pounding rapidly in his chest. He’d lost control. He hadn’t been able to keep himself in check and now he was proving himself to be everything his file said he was. He wouldn’t even get a chance to try and show that he wasn’t aggressive. That he wasn’t a monster like they said he was. He’d just ruined everything. 

Apologies fell past his lips as he desperately tried to fix what he’d done.

~~~

Phil felt sick as he watched the boy in front of him spew out apologies. His head tilted down and to the side to bare his neck in an act of submission but his shoulders tensed and rose to protect it, showing that he was terrified and expected to be hurt.

It was clear that Technoblade hadn’t realized who was approaching him and had simply registered him as a threat. In a way Phil couldn’t blame him. He was a stranger to the boy having only met him a couple minutes ago and he clearly didn’t have the best experiences with adults. 

Technoblade’s breathing was getting dangerously shallow and he seemed to be trying to watch everyone in the room at once, his eyes snapping over at any form of movement. There was too much happening in the room for the boy to calm down but Phil didn’t want to leave without attempting to show that he wasn’t going to hurt him.

“Wilbur, Tommy, how about you go wait in the other room for a bit so that Techno can have a chance to calm down?” Phil suggested.

Wilbur looked at his twin brother and then started to give a reluctant nod but he was interrupted.

Technoblade gasped and his arms shot forward to grab each of his brothers’ hands, pulling them closer to himself.

“No! Please! Please! Don’t! Please, I’ll be good! I’ll be good! Please don’t take them away! Please! I’m sorry! I’ll do whatever you want! Punish me in any other way! Please! Don’t take them!” Technoblade cried.

Phil slowly lowered himself to the floor, slack-jawed as he processed what the boy in front of him, the brother of his sons, had just said. 

“…fuck. Technoblade, no… I’m- I’m not trying to fucking take them away from you. I’m not going to do that ever. Especially not as a punishment. What the fuck?”

Phil looked desperately over to Logan, hoping that they might know how to handle this situation, but they looked just as at a loss as Phil felt. 

Wilbur shifted uncomfortably.

“Techno? You’re ok. Can I give you a hug? Will that help?” he asked.

Technoblade jerked his shoulders in what could pass as a shrug.

“I give way better hugs than Wilbur!” Tommy proclaimed. “You have to judge them, ok Techno?”

“O- ok,” Technoblade muttered.

He started to calm down some as the boys wrapped their arms around him and Wilbur hummed a song that Phil found familiar but did not know the words to. Phil decided to leave them there and quietly moved to the other room to go over the remaining paperwork with Logan.

“Are you doing ok?” Logan asked him after he’d given another shaky sigh.

Phil ran his hands through his hair with a shrug.

“I knew things were going to be hard when I started looking for him. I just will have to work more than I had anticipated on making him understand that he is safe here.”

~~~

Once Phil had finished the paperwork and walked Logan to the door, he went back to the living room and found all three boys asleep in a pile on the floor. He smiled and shook his head fondly as he gathered up a couple of blankets and carefully draped them over each of them. 

It was going to be a long and hard journey, but he would do anything for his boys and now he had one more included in that.

Chapter Text

Techno woke up feeling weirdly warm and kind of uncomfortable, but he didn’t hate it. He was almost tempted to just stay where he was and doze for a while but, unfortunately, awareness crashed into him far too quickly and he remembered what had happened before he fell asleep.

His eyes snapped open to see that he was on the floor of Phil’s living room with his brothers’ limbs intertwined with his own. A part of him wanted to savor the moment but he quickly shut it up. He had messed up so bad yesterday. He had finally had something good happen and had to immediately go and ruin it. 

He sucked in a deep breath. He just needed to figure out how to fix this. 

How was he supposed to fix this?

Techno carefully extracted himself from his brothers, trying to keep from waking them. Then he started pacing nervously around the room, tugging on the hem of his shirt. Come on, Techno. Think. What did he normally do when he did something wrong?

Dammit! He let out a distressed groan. None of the stuff he could think of would actually be helpful.

“Everything alright, mate?” a voice said behind him.

Techno froze and spun around to see Phil watching him from the hallway.

“I’m fine,” he muttered.

Phil looked at him for a long enough of a moment that Techno started to squirm. 

“I’m going to make some breakfast, do you want to help me?” he asked.

Yes! Good! That was something that could work towards fixing this. He could show that he was obedient and not a monster.

Techno nodded and followed Phil into the kitchen.

~~~

Things were not going as well as Phil had hoped. 

He thought that giving Technoblade something to focus on might help him to calm down a bit from his anxious pacing, but instead Technoblade was almost in tears as he burnt his third pancake.

“Here, mate. Why don’t we try something else?” Phil offered, reaching out to turn off the burner.

“I can do it,” Techno whispered desperately, but it sounded like he didn’t quite believe himself either.

“It’s alright,” Phil tried to reassure him. “Why don’t you grab some eggs from the fridge so that we can cook some of those up?”

Technoblade looked like he still wanted to argue that he could handle making the pancakes, but he nodded and walked over to the fridge. 

Phil turned to the stove to start a new pancake and heard a gasp and a splat behind him. He spun back around and saw Technoblade standing frozen in place with his hands in front of himself and the carton of eggs smashed open on the floor with egg goop oozing out around him. 

“Oops,” Phil mumbled as he took a step forward towards the mess to clean it up.

That seemed to startle Technoblade out of his frozen state and he dropped to his knees and started to try to scoop up the mess with his hands.

“I’m sorry! It wasn’t on purpose! I didn’t mean to! I’ll clean it up,” Technoblade gasped out.

“Hey, it’s ok. Accidents happen,” Phil said calmly, grabbing the boy’s wrist gently.

That was the wrong move apparently, since Technoblade jerked away from him, falling backwards onto his butt. His breaths were coming far too quickly as his eyes darted around in panic. 

“Hey, Technoblade, it’s ok. You’re alright. Everyone’s safe. I just want to clean this up. I’m not going to hurt you,” Phil murmured gently, but made no move towards the boy. “Do you want to go clean yourself up? You have raw egg all over your hands and the knees of your jeans.”

Technoblade looked down at himself and nodded slowly.

“Ok, do you want me to show you where the bathroom is?”

Technoblade shook his head with a start of a whine before he snapped his jaw shut.

“It’s the second door on the left. The door should be open,” Phil explained.

Technoblade quickly scrambled up and hurried down the hallway.

Phil sighed quietly and grabbed some paper towels to start cleaning up the mess.

~~~

Techno quickly washed his hands and then fumbled to lock the bathroom door. He slumped down against it and pressed his shaking hands over his lips as desperate whines tried to force their way out of his throat. His own body was trying to get him in trouble. That wasn’t allowed. He wasn’t supposed to do wolf stuff. It was bad. It made him seem more dangerous.

A choked sob managed to get past the whines caught in his throat. He was supposed to have been fixing things, making them better. Instead he had just made everything worse. What if Phil decided to kick him out? 

Another sob tore out of him, making his shoulders shake. He couldn’t lose his brothers again. He’d just gotten them back. He couldn’t- He couldn’t breathe.

Techno clawed at his shirt around his chest like removing it would remove some imagined obstruction to his breathing. It didn’t.

Techno laid on the bathroom floor panting heavily for what felt like an eternity before he felt like he could breathe again. 

A gentle knock came at the door.

“Hey, mate. I realized that you probably need to change your pants. I didn’t want to touch your stuff without asking you though,” Phil said softly through the door. “Do you want me to grab your bag and bring it here or do you want to come out and get it yourself?”

A strong protective instinct rose up in his chest at the thought of Phil going through his stuff. Techno shoved it down quickly. This was good. Letting Phil get his stuff would show that he trusted him. Foster parents liked that. 

“Can you grab it for me?” he asked, careful to keep his voice light.

He wasn’t dangerous. He wasn’t a threat. He could control himself. Please let him stay. He couldn’t lose them again.

“Ok. I’ll be right back.”

~~~

After breakfast, Phil showed him where his bedroom would be and told him that he could take some time to get settled in.

Wilbur came up after Phil left and sat next to Techno on his bed. Techno allowed himself a small moment to melt against his brother. He had missed him so much and, now that he had them back, Techno couldn’t afford to lose them again. He needed to be perfect.

So he was. 

Or… at least he tried to be. He wasn’t very good at being good.

He tried to guess when Phil would want his help so that he could offer it at the right times, but it was hard to figure out because he never asked for it. And a lot of the times he tried to help, Phil said that he didn’t have to and shooed him away. It was frustrating.

It didn’t seem like he’d be able to make up for his mistakes. That was ok though, because Phil hadn’t kicked him out or punished him yet. He just needed to make sure that he didn’t mess up again and make things worse.