Chapter Text
Money had never been an issue in the past. Techno only had himself to care for, and if things got too tight he could always go and steal. He’d told himself he wouldn’t do that anymore, though. Not with Tommy.
They didn’t have food. Techno hunted. It wasn’t enough. They lived too far north to be in range of any fatty animals. All he could consistently rely on were snow-white rabbits, a pain to catch and not hearty enough to be worth the effort.
Tommy had begun eating less. Not because Techno gave him less, although that was true as well. No. The kid would look at what his brother brought him and automatically ration it out. A skill he must have picked up while living with Wilbur. Techno didn’t want to think about it.
He tried to give Tommy some of his own rations. He was fully grown with enough meat on his bones to last a difficult winter. His brother, on the other hand, looked one harsh breeze away from blowing over and not getting back up.
“You have less,” Tommy pointed out on a particularly scarce night. He had nearly double what Techno had, but it still wasn’t anywhere near a filling meal.
“I’ll be alright,” he said truthfully, although Tommy didn’t seem to believe him.
“You shouldn’t have less,” he said matter-of-factly, giving Techno some off his plate so they were a little more even.
“Tommy–”
“ Don’t ,” Tommy growled, and Techno startled at the sound. He was used to his little brother being one of two moods: timid and apologetic or bright and loud. Tommy was usually willing to go with whatever Techno suggested, something that both pleased and terrified him.
He wondered if Wilbur had done this. Had given Tommy more than he gave himself, only to wither away in front of the young boy’s eyes.
Techno ate his extra food, although he couldn’t taste anything other than his own bile.