Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Techno Blade sat quietly in the corner of the room, twisting his long light brown hair on his finger. He hated this place. He hated the- the orphanage .

Sounds of babies crying, toddlers screaming and children running rebounded around his ears as he tried to hide from it all. He hated this place so, so much. 

He’d spent his whole life here as far as he could remember and that singular fact had never changed.

Sometimes he’d see people get fostered out. Sometimes they came back. That was most of the time actually. Other times, you never saw them again. Those were the times you could smile to yourself and say, “Thank goodness there’s one less person in this horrid place.”

He was bored. He was tired, socially exhausted and bored. So of course when he needed it most, entertainment provided itself.

His eyes had suddenly caught the sight of a book on the floor underneath the rusty metal bed next to him on his corner of the floor. He wasn’t sure who slept on this one. Personally he hated sleeping near walls. It made him feel trapped. 

Techno’s eyes lit up as he saw the book. There were hardly any of them in this place, but he really did love to read. It was like escaping from reality, a way to pretend what was real wasn’t. Movies were similar, but they were hard to come by at the orphanage.

Glancing left and right to see if any of the other children were watching him, he quickly reached out and grabbed its spine, tugging the book from under the creaky old bed.

Excited now, at the prospect of entertainment, and pushing his unhappiness away, he read the cover.

“The land of Essémpi,” he whispered to himself. His dark brown eyes glowed brightly. He always enjoyed geography.

Opening the cover he saw someone had written on the front inside page. He winced, cringing at the audacity of a person to do such a horrid thing to a book.

He squinted closer and saw that whoever had written the words had written their name. In the book!!

And it wasn’t just once, it was over and over again, as if to prove their ownership. They’d written things like, This book is Wilbur Soot’s , and Wilbur Soot’s book: don’t touch , littered the whole front page, top to bottom. 

Techno stared at the warning for a moment, hesitating. Then he shrugged. He wasn’t stealing it. He was bored, lonely and wanted to read.

As he flipped the well worn pages, his eyes lit up even more. There were beautiful drawings depicting willow trees and different flowers. There were magnificent lakes and a huge grassy and rocky mountain.

Techno decided right then that wherever this place was, when he was old enough, he was going to go there. He had his young heart set on it.

Suddenly his heart sank as he came across a couple sentences. 

It is still unknown whether this place exists. The explorer Ecksdee Wastaken, came back with these sketches, claiming to have found it, although there is no proof whatsoever this area of the world is real. If it was true though, it is said to be located far, far north above the country of L’manburg. Perhaps one day, an explorer will find it and-

Techno let out a startled gasp and jumped back as the book was pulled roughly from his grasp.

“What are you doing!?” Exclaimed a lively young boy around his age, with a thick British accent. His curly mop of brown hair practically covered his face and a red battered beanie hid the rest of it. The boy also wore a massive yellow sweater that covered most of his hands, and was much too big for him. 

Pinned to the front of it was a large blue hand made pin with a sheep on it that said, “Sav the sheeps, there importint.” It was horribly misspelled.

Techno was about open his mouth and tell the person to leave him alone, before realizing this was most likely Wilbur Soot, the owner of the book he’d just been reading, when it specifically said not to.

“That’s my book it is,” the tall skinny boy yelled, confirming Techno’s thoughts. “You can’t just go picking up peoples things!”

Then the boy paused, as if reconsidering his words. 

“Well, actually I don’t care about other people's stuff, just don’t touch mine .”

“I-” Techno started again.

“Anyway, what’s your name?” The kid rambled on, not even seeming to care that Techno had touched his book anymore. “I’m Wilbur. I bet you have a cool name. You seem cool. Did you like the book? What were you reading it for?” Wilbur talked on and on, and quite honestly, Techno felt a little overwhelmed by this chatty brunette. Don’t blame him, he’s not an extrovert.

“I’m- im Techno,” he said, feeling angry at himself for the clear shyness in his voice. “And I did like your book. It was- it was cool,” he finished lamely.

“Oh, you like Essémpi?” Wilbur gasped. “You know you seem like someone who would. Wait, here-” he paused, reaching into his deep pockets of the baggy jeans he wore.

He pulled out another pin, this one labeled, “Essémpi explorer.” He leaned over to Techno, not seeming bothered by the way he flinched back slightly, and pinned it onto his old red hoodie.

“There!” He exclaimed happily. “Now your part of my club!”

“Your club?” Techno asked, stupidly. What was happening? Why was he so bad with people?

“Yep!” Wilbur replied brightly. “The club to find Essémpi of course!! It’s just you and me for now, but I’m sure we’ll get so many others.”

(They wouldn’t)

”I’ve even written poems about how beautiful it must be there, but they’ll be ever so much better when he actually can stand by that lake.”

Techno suddenly grinned. “We’re going to find Essémpi?” He asked, his gaze lighting up with curiosity.

“Yeah of course!” Wilbur laughed. “What else would this be for?” He said, pointing to the pin on Techno’s hoodie.

“I’m not sure,” he said, staring at it with a newfound joy.

“Wait, does this- does this mean we’re friends?” Techno asked breathlessly. 

“Well duh, of course!!” Wilbur snorted, putting an arm around Techno’s shoulders. Suddenly his gaze darkened. “The only condition is that you must promise that you’ll take me.”

Techno’s eyes widened.

“Promise!?” Wilbur glared at him.

“Yes!” He gasped. 

“Cross your heart?”

Techno crossed his heart.

Shut up, he’s not good with peer pressure.

“We’re going to find Essémpi together!” Wilbur bellowed excitedly, his bubbly attitude bouncing back immediately. Techno smiled brighter than he had in a long time. Maybe this place wasn’t so bad. Not if he had Wilbur with him.

“-And, you’re going to help me break out of this place!” Wilbur was continuing animatedly.

Techno froze. “Wait what?”

________________________

“Are you sure this is the way out,” Techno whispered, scooting on the floor behind Wilbur.

“This could be a very bad idea, you know that?”

Wilbur just laughed. “It’ll be fine! Haven’t you wanted to know what’s out there Tech, my friend? Don’t you want to see the world and escape this place?”

Techno closed his eyes for a moment. He pictured all the lonely days he’d had here, before he met Wilbur a few days ago. Even with Wilbur here he didn’t think he’d ever be happy. Besides, families were overrated weren’t they?

“Oh course Wilbur!” Techno answered back, truly meaning it. “We’re gonna get out.”

And that’s how they found themselves, two eleven year old boys with a dream, on the streets of L’manburg with no idea where to go from there.

“We don’t need families, right Wil?” Techno asked quietly, as a car zoomed past, sending his long hair flying up into the air. Wilbur hesitated for a moment, for the first time looking a little put off by the vastness of the city.

Then a grin suddenly filled his face. “We got each other!! I’ll be your family!”

Techno frowned. “I’m not sure that’s how it works.”

“Sure it is!” Wilbur exclaimed. “We can adopt each other! I don’t really want to be your father though.” He frowned.

Techno glared at him playfully, shoving his arm as they made their way down the pavement path of the city. “Yeah I don’t want to be your father either.”

“Wait!” Wilbur said, his eyes lighting up as the thought of something. “We can be brothers!”

The other paused for a moment as if considering it. “I’ve never had a brother before,” he muttered quietly. 

“Me either!” Wilbur gasped excitedly, bouncing like a happy toddler. “Now I have a family!” Techno nodded, a smile slowly filling his face as the idea settled in. 

“Brothers.”

“Yeah, I like that.”

__________________________

“Give me the paint!!!” Wilbur shrieked, leaping at Techno. They were 16 years old now. How they’d survived that long was a wonder to both of them.

Wilbur collided with Techno who let out a yell, his voice much deeper than when they had escaped the orphanage all those years ago. Blue paint splattered everywhere, making the floor a deep shade of royal blue.

Techno and Wilbur were both silent for a moment before they both burst out into laughter. “You're covered in blue!!” Wilbur shrieked, cackling his head off. Techno laughed so hard he started coughing, accidentally spilling more paint. Wilbur laughed harder.

They ended up just painting the wooden floors blue.

They’d been living in the house for a long time. After wandering around for a while after leaving the orphanage, the two of them had found this old wooden house that had been abandoned. It was in horrible shape, but they'd had to make do.

After they’d gotten good working jobs at a cafe near the old house by the invitation of a kind woman named Puffy, the brothers had actually been able to purchase it. With Puffy’s help of course. What would they have done without her?

Wilbur still teased him about how it had taken five whole years just to repaint the inside of the house, though. Which now included the very splotchy blue floors. 

After leaving the orphanage they’d struggled to figure out what to do with themselves. They hadn’t needed to worry for long though. Soon they learned that Wilbur loved music and Techno enjoyed fencing.

After they’d gotten jobs and stopped stealing food from the farm an hour's walk down the road, one of the first purchases they'd made was a record player. After that, every year since they got their paying job at 13 from Puffy, they’d bought each other records for Christmas. 

Techno’s favorites were Pigstep and Mellohi. Wilbur liked Wait. They were listening to them now actually. Techno had put in Mellohi and the two brothers smiled as the music played. 

In the back of Techno’s mind though, he felt as if there was something familiar about this record. Something… important. He shrugged it away.

Two years went by, just the both of them, making it out alone in the great big world. 

Their life was simple, nothing too crazy. Sometimes they’d joke about going off to find Essémpi like when they were eleven, but as they’d gotten older, reality had crossed out that certain dream for the time being.

They knew it was impossible at that time. Plane tickets were expensive, and although they had jobs, neither brought in enough money for that sort of pleasure.

One day, they’d been laughing together on the roof of their house, (they enjoyed it up there) when Wilbur had suddenly suggested an idea.

“You know how we can’t go find Essémpi because of the plane ticket price?” He asked. Techno turned his head, and nodded at him, his legs crossed.

“Well, what if we didn’t take a plane!?” Wilbur threw his arms up in excitement. He was always a very animated person.

“Wilbur, we have to cross an ocean,” He deadpanned, raising an eyebrow. “So unless you're planning on taking a boat or making our house into a plane, then we’re still on square one.”

“Well why not? I'm sure I could do it,” He replied.

Techno stared at him. “Wilbur, you can’t even drive a car, what makes you think you could drive a boat?”

Wilbur huffed, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. “Not the boat one silly,” he scoffed. “Turning our house into a plane!”

Techno almost fell off the roof.

“Wilbur, I- I was joking,” he laughed. “There’s no way we could turn our house into a plane .” Wilbur frowned. “Not a plane, but what about a blimp? Like a hot air balloon but the basket is our house!”

Techno squinted at him.

Had his brother gone insane?

“Stop looking at me like that,” Wilbur complained. “We could do it!!” Techno snorted. “Then explain to me, dearest brother, how that would work?”

“Well,” Wilbur said slowly. “The house is pretty small, and it’s already on stilts above the ground. That would make it easier to lift off!”

“Lift off-” Techno let out another laugh just thinking about it. Their house, up in the air like a sad excuse for a parade float.

“Shut up!” Wilbur snapped, looking upset. Techno sighed, patting his back. “I’m sorry,” he said, concealing another laugh. “Continue.”

“Ok, we could- we could get a ton of balloons-” Techno choked out another laugh, “-And blow them up with helium! And then the house would float!!” Wilbur grinned excitedly. “And then we can hook up some strings and stuff to the weather vane to steer it!”

Techno just let out a sigh.

“How are you still alive Wilbur?” He asked teasingly. “It’s a wonder you haven’t died with all these crazy stunts you’ve thought up.”

But even as Techno said this, he couldn’t help but feel like this balloon thing had happened before. That this idea wasn’t as original as Wilbur thought. As he pondered it more, his brain picked over the specifics. Honestly, as insane as it seemed- it actually could work, if there were enough balloons. But then there was the chance that the helium would drain out.

“You know Wilbur,” Techno muttered, watching the stars in the sky. “It could- it might actually work.” He laughed out loud. They were insane. Both of them. There was no doubt about it.

“Of course it would!!” Wilbur said, sounding annoyed. “I did think of it after all.” Techno rolled his eyes.

“But we’re not doing it.”

“What!?” Wilbur asked, his face falling with disappointment. 

“Come on Wilbur,” Techno said. “Get your head and your flying balloon house out of the clouds. I want to go find Essémpi as much as you do, but we can’t just do something so drastic .”

Wilbur frowned angrily. “You don’t sound like you want to. What about us being the explorers? We were supposed to find it together! You promised !!”

Techno sighed. “I’d love to find Essémpi, I swear, but we have to be realistic. We’re eighteen now, not little kids. We can still do amazing stuff together for sure! You love music, and I’m sure you’d be amazing at guitar or any instrument you wanted to learn.”

Wilbur met his gaze, searching his eyes before letting out a quiet sigh.

“You’re right, really,” he whispered. “I’ve been holding onto the childish hope that I could find it one day, trying not to think about the fact that, given the state of life we're in, it’s- it’s never going to happen.”

Techno hesitated before pulling his arm around his brother and holding him closer. “It could still happen,” Techno replied softly. “We have our whole lives ahead of us.”

Wilbur turned to look back at him, smiling softly. “Yeah…” he murmured. Suddenly Techno reached over and yanked Wil’s maroon beanie over his head, covering his eyes and making his glasses almost fall off.

“You jerk!!” Wilbur screeched, tugging at his beanie back in place, but completely ruining his hair before shoving Techno away from him. “We were having a moment!!”

Techno grinned. “I don’t know social cues!” He yelled back, half snickering. “That’s what my emotional support extrovert is for!!”

Suddenly Wilbur lunged at him, lanky limbs and all, and they rolled, tumbling down the side of the roof. Techno screamed in a very manly way, and Wilbur screamed along with him, though he had an evil glint in his brown eyes.

They landed with a thump in a massive overgrown bush they’d never managed to tame.

“You idiot Wilbur!!” Techno yelled, his eyes wide as he tried to adjust his sweatshirt which was now covered in dead leaves and those annoying brown prickly things that stick to your clothes. “You could have killed us both!!”

Suddenly a voice called over from the other house across the street.

“Are you boys alright?“ It was the tall, friendly man who lived by himself with his cool dog Fran, in the large house.

“Yes Mr. Sam,” Wilbur called back sweetly. “Perfectly fine.”

“Just be careful,” Sam called back. “Someday you’ll get hurt sitting way up high on your roof like that.” Then he turned back and went inside.

Techno glared at his brother. “Now look,” he said. “You’ve worried Sam.”

Wilbur shrugged, before grinning and offering his hand out. “Let’s go back inside, it’s too way to cold out.”

Techno snorted but accepted, and together they went back to their life, leaving their dreams of exploring and adventuring on the shelf.

_____________________________

Wilbur’s eyes glimmered with emotion. “You got me a guitar?” He whispered. Techno shuffled his feet from his chair. He wasn’t good with emotions.

“Yeah?” He said slowly. “Merry- merry Christmas…”

Suddenly Wilbur burst into tears. “Thank you-” hic- “so much Tech-Techno,” Wilbur sobbed. “I have no idea how to play. But thank you-”

Techno let out a laugh and hugged his brother. It was the Christmas right after their nineteenth birthday. Neither of them had known when their birthday was, so they had decided to be twins and share their birthday on the day they escaped the orphanage. Which had been only a few weeks before Christmas.

“You’ll be the best guitar- guitar- ist? Ever.” Wilbur smiled wetly. “How did you pay for it?” he asked. “These aren’t cheep.” Memories of late nights at the cafe and extra yard work for Mr. Sam flashed before his brain.

“Don’t worry about it,” he smiled. “I have my ways.”

For the rest of the night, days and weeks to come, Techno would hear Wilbur playing the guitar. He’d hear it and smile.

One night before he went to bed, (it was really much too late), he stopped by Wilbur’s door. Before he opened it to say goodnight, he paused, listening.

“Wasting your time, You're wasting mine…”

“I hate to see you leaving, a fate worse than dying.”

“Shout at the walls, cause the walls don’t love you,”

Technos eyes widened at the music. It was beautiful.

“There’s a reason,”

“London puts barriers on the tube line,”

“There’s a reason London puts barriers on the rail.”

“There’s a reason, they fail…”

Slowly and uncertainly, Techno cracked open the door. “Wil?” He asked cautiously.

Wilbur jumped, his guitar thumping on his knee as he let out a gasp. “Techno!” He grabbed the guitar before it could fall. “I didn’t know you were awake!”

“Wilbur did- did you write that?” He asked slowly. Wilbur stared at the ground. “Y-yeah?” Technos eyes widened even more. “That’s incredible.

“You think so?” He asked breathlessly. “I wasn’t sure if I liked it it’s- well it’s about things I don’t want to think about, but I should.”

“What do you mean?” Techno asked, making his way across his brother's messy room, like he was crossing a minefield.

“Well, I never really- really told you about my time before the orphanage did I?” 

“No,” Techno said slowly. He’d thought Wilbur had been there since he was a child, like himself. Techno couldn’t remember much of his past.

“I grew up in London,” he started. “I figured that much,” Techno deadpanned. Wilbur rolled his eyes, but smiled softly.

“My mother died when I was little, but my father- he wasn’t the greatest. He struggled with a lot of things, you know, drugs, drinking, the whole lot.”

Techno nodded.

“Eventually he- he ended his own life when I was six. People came to our house to tell me, and then shipped me off here, to America, where I apparently had family. They didn’t want me though. They sent me to the orphanage.”

“Then we met,” Techno finished. He paused. “But you said you didn't know your birthday. How could that happen if you lived with your father for so long? Surely you celebrated birthdays…” he trailed off, seeing Wilbur stare at the floor.

Now, he wasn't the best at social cues, but he liked to think he knew when people needed hugs. Wilbur cried a little.He denied it later. Techno didn’t.

Techno Blade never cries.

After that, every night before bed, Techno would go into his brother's room at 1 am before he slept, and he’d play his guitar for him. It was both their favorite part of the day.

——————————————

More years passed, seasons came, jobs shifted, and music was written and played. At twenty four years of age, Techno and Wilbur were poor as dirt and happy.

“I'M IN LOVE WITH AN E-GIRL!!” Wilbur and Techno screamed as loud as they could, Wilbur strumming up and down his guitar with vigor. Techno laughed as Wilbur cursed when a string broke.

“Not the G string!!” He screeched. Techno cackled at Wilbur’s peril.

“Quick do the high part!” He yelled at Techno. The other grinned before taking a breath and belting out the lyrics in his highest pitched voice.

“I wanna be the girrrrlll, that you fall asleep on a calllll with,” Techno sang out, his voice cracking worse than a teenager going through puberty.

Wilbur wheezed with laughter, slapping his leg. Techno laughed with him before falling on the floor at about the same spot they’d spilled the paint all those years ago.

Eventually their laughter died down and they were silent, gasping for breath.

Techno smiled. Life was good.

“What are we eating for dinner?” Wilbur asked, leaning over the couch to stare at Techno.

Techno shrugged. They hadn’t gone shopping in a few days. “Wilbur can we get out- food?” He asked pleadingly. “McDonald’s is calling.”

Wilbur snorted. “Of all the out- food to choose you want McDonald’s?”

Techno nodded. “Please, Wilbur who has finally learned how to drive, will you bring me some?”

“You can drive, why don’t you get it?” Wilbur groaned. Techno lay flat on the floor, his roughly dyed pink hair spreading out around him.

“One, I want to watch the news, two, I’m lazy, and three, you are the best most awesome brother to ever exist and an amazing guitarist and the best-”

“Fine, fine!” Wilbur laughed. “I’ll go get it. You want your usual?” Techno grinned and nodded, sliding up into their falling apart floral couch they’d gotten from a yard sale.

“Be back quick!” He called as he heard the front door slam.

Then open.

Then slam.

Stupid door.

He clicked on the news casually and flicked to his and Wil’s favorite, the Geography channel. Suddenly his eyes widened. It was a special edition interview with none other than the grandson of Ecksdee Wastaken, the person who claimed to have found Essémpi many years ago.

“Mr. Wastaken, can you tell us what you’ve discovered?” A reporter asked, holding a microphone to a man with dirty blonde hair and vibrant green eyes. He looked about Wilbur and Techno’s age.

He grinned wildly, his face young and full of life. So this was the grandson of Ecksdee? 

“I have found what I think appears to be Essémpi,” he exclaimed. Techno’s heart plummeted. Wilbur and Techno were too late. This young man, Dream, had found it first.

“Oh?” The reporter asked, seeming to be excited. “And where is it?”

“I-I don’t have the exact coordinates.” The reporter frowned. People in the crowd started yelling stuff, and things like “He’s a fraud” were caught on the mic.

Dream frowned slightly. “You see, I- I have found a strange creature there, a winged being that I will track down and bring back. But it attacked me, and I lost my crew. I am the only survivor of the expedition.”

Techno raised an eyebrow. The man was kicked out of Essémpi by an exotic bird? Lame.

“Are you willing to receive any backlash over the fact that you do not know the exact placement or have any photos of this fantastical landmark?” The unsaid words, Again , hung in the air between them. 

The man frowned. “Do not worry everyone, I’m taking an immediate trip back out into the northern mountains with a new crew, and I swear to it, I will succeed this time.” People cheered. “My grandfather died without the honor of seeing people truly explore this great place.”

“I will not fail.”

The reporter nodded, and then turned to the camera. “Alright folks, you heard it here, the grandson of Ecksdee Wastaken, Dream Wastaken, is starting his mission to find and capture this exotic bird, as well as reclaim Essémpi for the world to see.”

“Next up, we have a short documentary on the possibility of a new creature, called an endermite-”

Techno watched the tv with boredom for quite some time after that, the endermite theory proving to be most likely just a myth. He rolled his eyes. Where was the good stuff?

After almost an hour had gone by, Techno grew a little confused. The McDonald’s wasn’t that far, and the wait couldn’t have been that long, even on a Saturday evening. It was McDonald’s . There was a chance the car could’ve needed gas, and he hadn’t checked last time he drove it, but even that wouldn’t be too long.

Sighing he just figured there was traffic, and decided to wait a little longer, ignoring the unsettled feeling in his stomach.

A half hour later, and worry had taken over. He’d long since turned off the tv and had just decided to try calling Wilbur on his flip phone.

Slight panic overtook him when it went to voicemail immediately with Wilbur’s answering machine playing.

Taking deep breaths, Techno sat on the couch, bouncing his leg up and down nonstop. His eyes kept flickering to the guitar propped up against the wall and desperately wishing Wilbur was there playing it right then.

Rain had started coming down, matching his mood.

“Where are you, my emotional support extrovert?” he whispered into the empty house.

Suddenly his phone rang with a strange number, and fear churned in his stomach, but he picked it up anyways.

“Hello?” He asked, steadying his voice as much as possible. It had been two hours now, with the sky pitch black, and rain pouring hard. It was probably gonna leak now.

“ Is this- ” a woman’s voice crackled. “- Is this Mr. Techno Blade on the phone? ”

“Yes it is M’am,” he answered, unsure of what to expect.

“ Oh good, This is a call about a Mr. Wilbur Soot .”

Techno’s heart stopped.

“This- This is about Wilbur?” He asked shakily. “Please, what happened? Where is he? I haven’t heard from him in over two hours.”

“ I’m so sorry, but there- there was an accident that happened on L’manburg town square road, and- it was very bad. ”

Techno’s breathing picked up even more, as emotion closed in on his throat.

No no nonnono-

“Is he, he in the h-hospital? Is he hurt? I can come right away!” Techno quickly rattled off.

“ Oh honey ,” the woman said in a sympathetic voice that would burn in his brain forever, piercing his heart. It sounded familiar. 

Techno’s ears started ringing. No. This couldn’t be real. This kind of thing only happened in movies!! Not- not to real people! Wilbur couldn’t be-

“ His car was at the brunt of it- and the doctors have said that he didn’t make it .”

Tears immediately started flowing down his face, and his hands shook. In a blur the call went by, mentions of needing to plan a funeral and other important things that Techno could hardly fathom because his brother couldn’t be gone. Wilbur couldn’t be gone he just-

He was so bright and happy and so- so Wilbur . He didn’t die! As the call ended, the cell phone slipped from his grip and Techno stood silently in a room that would never hold the same laughter of two brothers again.

A blue stain on the floor, a wooden guitar, and messy room- all remaining forever untouched. Life would move on, leaving Wilbur behind.

Tears flowed down his face and he let out an angry scream, sinking to his knees. He pressed his hands against the blue floor and just sobbed, ugly and wretched. This wasn’t supposed to happen!!

He and Wilbur were supposed to grow up and get older together! Maybe even find partners in the future, and make families of their own. 

They were supposed to go find Essémpi.

Techno had promised Wilbur that one day they’d go there. This was- it was too soon. Something about this whole situation seemed familiar as well, a crash and death-

No.

If only he’d been the one to go out tonight. Why had he insisted Wilbur go? He’s the one who wanted food anyways. It should have been him .

Techno didn’t know how long he lay like that, hands pressed to the floor, tears in his eyes, Wilbur’s last words on his ears, his last songs-

He hadn’t even said “I love you,” to Wilbur. He’d said “ be back soon.” He hadn’t even gotten to hug his brother one last time, or tell him how much he meant to him.

It was too late now. He’d never feel the warmth of Wilbur’s yellow sweater, (he still wore one) never listen to him ramble about how horrid anteaters were, or how cool sheep were. Never listen to his soft British voice singing his songs in the quiet dark of the night.

It was over.

_____________________________

The weeks after that went by as if someone had muted the audio of a video and sped it up 5x.

A funeral happened at some point. It was small. Sam showed up for some reason, along with Puffy and some of their coworkers at the cafe. But overall, not many people. The truth was not many people knew him.

But that was ok. He didn’t think Wilbur would have liked anything too big.

They buried his brother underneath a willow tree. It was quiet that day, and it was misting slightly, matching Techno’s mood.

He’d cried again that day.

He doesn’t think he’ll ever have any more tears after this.

__________________________

The house was quiet now. No music. No laughter.

Techno had moved the guitar away from sight and into the attic. He hadn’t even attempted to go into Wilbur’s room. The dirty clothes he’d never put away were probably collecting dust along with all his papers of music lyrics.

But that was ok.

He couldn’t bear to enter that room.

It might even have still smelled like him, with all the songs that would forever stay unfinished, childhood dreams left to collect dust on a lonely shelf.

Wilbur’s unfinished symphonies.

But it doesn’t matter. 

Nothing matters.

Nothing will ever be the same again.

Chapter Text

Light streamed through a window onto the old bed. The sun shone brightly on a new day, and an alarm clock went off, making the figure in bed grumble before turning over and reaching out to turn its blaring noise off.

Techno Blade rose out of bed, shaking his head to clear it before stretching.

Then he flopped back into bed on his back with a grunt.

Ten minutes later he was stumbling across the hallway to the kitchen, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to wake up.

Slamming into a wall he jerked awake, rubbing his shoulder and then opening an almost broken cabinet door to grab a bowl. After a few more minutes of searching for a spoon- (a small spoon thank you) -and cereal as well as milk, he sat down to eat.

His face stayed inexpressive as he chewed his food slowly before drinking a glass of water.

The normal routine.

After making his way back to his room, he pulled on his Puffy’s Cafe polo and khaki pants. He made his way into the small bathroom, brushing his teeth and pulling his pink hair into a bun before taking his Puffy’s cafe visor and setting it on his head comfortably.

Grabbing his phone, wallet and keys, he walked over to the door, pausing for a moment as he walked over the blue part of the floor. He’d thought about repainting it or even covering it up with a carpet, but in the end he kept it.

Closing his eyes he shook his head, and made his way to the door, opening it to see a sunny day with no clouds in sight. He looked to his right to see the picture of Wilbur on the wall, wearing his favorite sweater and beanie. His style never really changed from their youth, did it?

“Hey Wil,” Techno said quietly. “We’re 27 today. You’d probably call us ancient,” He laughed dryly.

“Watch the house while I’m gone, ok?” He asked, before sighing and shutting the door.

He opened the door again.

Then he closed it.

Stupid door.

He slid into his car, which really wasn’t in the best shape. He’d had to buy a pretty cheap one after… after the other one got…broken.

As he pulled out of the driveway, Sam called out to him, who was walking Fran. “Good morning Techno!” He called out.

Techno nodded, cracking a small smile for the man before driving away down the street towards the cafe. 

He turned the radio on, half listening to the morning news. The Endermite conspiracy was back. 

-officials are still wondering: does this small purple creature exist? Certain citizens have claimed to see such a thing, but the scientists are still searching for more evidence to start a-

Techno rolled his eyes and changed the channel.

-almost three years since the young explorer Dream Wastaken went missing in search of Essémpi, having not returned with any of his crew. People are speculating that his promise of not returning until he finds Essémpi and the strange wild bird were indeed true, and he is still out there. Others have assumed him dead after he remained unresponsive-

Techno switched the channel again. He didn’t really feel like hearing about that stupid explorer today. He honestly could care less if he’d died out there. It meant Essémpi was still out there, waiting to be explored. 

-So come, one and all to see the apathy

The rings of gray stencils that fill the tapestry

I look to all of you and see a diffe-

Techno immediately switched the radio off, deciding that he didn’t really need to know what was going on in the world today. He especially didn’t want to listen to that weird band that sounded much too similar to his late brother's music.

Finally he pulled up to The Puffy Cafe, and took a breath before turning his car off and walking up the door. He knocked once before waiting, and then Puffy answered the door with a smile.

“Techno! Good morning!” She asked brightly. Techno smiled, trying to put on a happy face for her, but it ended up looking more like a grimace.

She put her hand on his arm sympathetically as they walked to the back counter. She knew not to press him on a day like today.

“Hey Techno!” An energetic voice exclaimed. Techno turned to see Foolish, looking like he just drank coffee with five shots of espresso and had more energy than a five year old child.

Which he had, probably, if he knew Foolish. 

“How are you this fine morning?” He grinned, his bright smile and slicked back brown hair making him look like he was ready for a movie commercial, not working at a family run city cafe. But that was Foolish for you. He loved to look his best.

“I’m doing good, thank you Foolish,” he replied in his steady monotone voice. No one minded though. It’s how he always spoke.

As he made his way back to the kitchen to start working on the different coffee machines, he took a deep breath. Grabbing his apron and tying it around his waist, he tried to pull himself together. 

He could do this. 

“Come on Techno,” he whispered at his reflection in the slightly smudged coffee pot. “Today’s supposed to be special. Wilbur wouldn’t want you sulking.”

“Talking to yourself again?”

Techno jumped, spinning around to see Niki coming out of the pantry area with several cakes and scones ready for the bakery section of the cafe.

Techno blushed slightly, embarrassed at being caught talking to a coffee pot. He rubbed the back of his neck, and tried to lean against the counter casually.

“Talking? Who said anything about talking?” Techno rambled, his eyes darting around the kitchen. Niki just smiled sadly at him.

“Today is hard for me too, you know,” She said softly, unstacking containers of blueberry and chocolate chip muffins.

Techno stared at the floor. He knew Niki and Wilbur had been very close. He’d never known if there was anything more, but they’d been such close friends over their time working at the cafe. Niki would sometimes even bake a cake for his and Wil’s shared birthday.

Techno remained silent though. He didn’t want to talk about it. Niki sighed again, seeming to understand. “Just know you're not alone, ok Techno?” He nodded, before going out of the kitchen to the front counter to start taking orders.

The day went by slowly. Every order he took felt like the hundredth. Every customer seemed to take ages just to select their drink choice.

One customer in particular he found incredibly annoying.

“May I get your order,” He asked, tone monotonous but attempting a smile.

“Hello!” A young cheery voice exclaimed. “I’ve never been here before, I just moved in. This place looks so nice. The muffins look delicious, do you bake them? Do you have any good drink suggestions?”

Techno could not deal with this child so early in the morning.

Shut up he knows it’s 3:00 pm.

“Kid, I don’t know,” he said to the lively brunette. He had thick fluffy hair, and a green button down t-shirt. He wore jeans that looked much too big for him, and several small bee pins. He ignored the part of him that said this boy looked like Wilbur. He did not.

“Aren’t you a little young to be here by yourself? And ordering coffee?”

He’s a hypocrite, he knows it. 

The boy frowned. “Nope! I’m fourteen, thank you very much, I can do what I like! Besides… sch-schools just ended!”

The kid literally looked like ten. 

“Whatever you say kid,” he muttered. “Just maybe you should at least get decaf?”

The boy smiled and shook his head. “Nah, but I think I’ve decided on my drink. I’ll get the uh- the Caramel…Frap-frapu- frappechino…” The kid struggled over the word for a second. “Two shots of espresso!! And a chocolate chip muffin!”

Techno nodded, writing the order down. The kid could do whatever he wanted, that wasn’t Techno’s job. He really didn’t deal well with children.

“Can I get a name?” He asked, not looking up.

“Well, my name is Toby,” the boy said happily. “But peopl- my friends call me Tubbo. I think it’s a much bette nam-”

“That’ll be all kid,” Techno interrupted. “$7.76 is what it comes out as.”

The kid- Tubbo, or whatever, suddenly paused, his smile dropping a little. Then he reached deep into his jean pockets and pulled out some really battered pieces of cash. 

“I’m not good with dollars,” he said, “but this should be enough?” It came out as a question.

Techno counted the money. It was a little over a dollar short. He stared at the kid out of the side of his eye. His clothes weren’t in the best shape. He had a rugged backpack over his shoulder. He clearly didn’t have much.

“Yup, you’re good kid,” Techno said, before turning around and walking back into the kitchen to get his order.

Why did you do that?

It’s because he reminds you of Wilbur, isn’t it?

Shut up.

________________________

After his shift was over for the day, he listened to the radio more, which was filled with more strange endermite theories. 

As Techno got out of his car that evening, he walked to the old mailbox to see if anything had come for him. 

Sighing, he pulled out another fancy envelope. Why did they keep sending these to him? 

Grumbling, he ripped it up without reading it. All it ever asked was for him to fix the house more or cut the grass and shrubs- look he didn’t know ok? He didn’t have time for any of this, what with working almost all day and every day at Puffy’s cafe. 

Now a little annoyed, Techno creaked open the door to the old battered house. He did pause for a moment though, just as the sky was getting dark. After work he and Wil would sometimes sit on the roof at this time of day. Shaking his head, he continued inside. 

He smiled softly as he passed the picture of Wilbur. “Niki says hi,” he whispered. “So do Foolish and Puffy. I’m sure Fundy would as well, but…” Techo stared at the floor for a moment before looking back at Wilbur’s smiling face. “I’m sure he’s wishing you a happy birthday…wherever he is.”

He let out a groan then, walking away from the picture absolutely exhausted from work that day. He was done being emotional for the day. 

(He wasn’t)

After cooking a microwaveable meal in his practically broken microwave, he sat down to eat on the couch.

His eyes drifted to the blue stain on the floor again.

He turned on the tv.

Letting out another loaded sigh, he chewed on a chunk of potato from the hot plastic container. It was half cold, clearly not done properly. 

What a way to spend his 27th birthday.

Memories of laughing with Wilbur and playing his guitar flashed across his mind. He missed him so much. His chest tightened and his stomach clenched. He threw away the rest of his meal.

After watching a rather boring show on the television, he made his way down the hall, quickly walking past his brother's room into his own. Laying in bed, he tried to wait for sleep. None came. 

After finally accepting that he wasn't getting z’s any time soon, he got up and left his bed. He wasn’t even sure where he was going. 

Slowly he paused in front of Wilbur’s door. Closing his eyes, he half expected to hear him playing, just like he used to, when he first listened to him play those years ago. All that greeted him was silence.

Turning away, Techno went to the only other room in the house that could be interesting. The attic.

The wooden ladder creaked as he climbed it, shaking so hard he was afraid it would break. He hadn’t been up here in years. He wasn’t even sure why he was coming up here now. 

As his head poked up, he coughed, dust entering his lungs. He waved his hand through the air to try and clear it, but it didn’t do much. Suddenly his eyes caught something in the corner of the room.

He froze, as if deciding to go over or ignore it and leave. Eventually Techno walked across the wooden floors and stared at the dusty guitar and cardboard box he’d roughly thrown together three years ago. There was no sharpie written on it like some other boxes, but he knew what was inside.

Carefully he lifted the guitar, shaking it off, and grabbed the box in his other hand, only hesitating for a second before carrying them down the ladder.

As he set them down on his bed, he paused. He wasn’t sure he wanted to open the box. He’d taped it shut three years ago, not sure if he’d ever open it again.

But he was feeling brave tonight.

And he needed music.

Slowly he pulled back the tape, wincing as brown cardboard paper came with it. As he opened the flaps, he felt his throat close up. Wilbur’s rough handwriting scribbled all over the messy lined pages. It reminded him of when he first met Wilbur, all those years ago at the orphanage. He’d written all over the inside of the Essémpi book.

Clearing his throat, he started pulling out pages to look at. The first one he saw nearly made him break. It was Jubilee Line, the song he wrote about his time in London just after he got his guitar. Techno traced his fingers over the rough paper, reading all the lyrics. There were some his brother had never even sung to him.

The chords were there too. They actually… they actually didn’t look too hard. Techno bit his cheek, possibilities flowing through his tired mind.

Five minutes later, he was at their old computer, searching the internet for how to play the guitar chords, and how to tune.

A half hour after that, he was carefully plucking at the strings. The G string was still strung on a little oddly, from when Wilbur had reattached it in a rush when they’d sung that final song three years ago. Uncertainty hung tightly in his chest. This felt wrong somehow, playing the guitar.

It didn’t belong to him.

Shaking that feeling away though, he choked down the sadness in his throat. He could do this. He’d heard Wilbur sing it a million times, and watched him just as many.

It sounded awful, and it was much too slow, but it still almost made him break down.

His voice wavered, coming out shaky and whispery, not having sung like this since his brother had died.

“Wasting y-your time.”

He was pretty sure the notes were wrong.

“You’re wasting mine.”

“I hate to see you leaving,” Techno sang softly, the words holding completely new meaning to him.

“A fate worse than dying.”

Closing his eyes, Techno paused playing the guitar, his fingers frozen. “Shout at the walls,” he called into the empty house.

“Cause the walls d-don’t-”

Techno stopped, his voice cracking. He couldn’t do this. He stared at the wooden guitar in his hands and had the sudden urge to smash it. He couldn’t.

After calming himself down a little, Techno started to pile the song lyrics back into the box when his eyes caught something near the bottom. His heart dropped.

He quickly reached in and pulled out a few small pieces of lined paper. They were almost all blank. Except for the first one, which only had a title and a few notes.

Essémpi Song and poems.

Verse 1

I’ve heard there was a special place

Where people could go… emancipate ? 

Ugh, I’ve tried to write this but just can’t get it correct. It doesn’t feel right singing about a place I’ve never truly seen or been to. I’m just going to have to save it for when Techno takes me there. He did promise after all. I bet it’s beautiful-

Techno couldn’t read any more of it. Wilbur was right. He had promised. And he’d failed.

Wilbur was never writing this song. He was never finishing these lyrics. His brother would never make it to Essémpi now. 

You could go. 

Techno froze as the thought came. He- he could go for Wilbur. He could start saving money, and maybe… maybe in ten-ish years? He could make it. 

He could finish Wilbur’s song. His unfinished symphony could be finished. It might take years, but he could do it. 

A small thread of hope bloomed in him, a trickle of joy in his haze of unhappiness.  

Then tiredness hit him, and he let out a breath. It was- it was really late now. It had to be almost four am at least. Moving a little unsteadily, he closed the lid of the box and moved the guitar to a corner of his bedroom. 

Letting himself flop back, ignoring the groan of the old bed, he lay there for a moment, thinking about the past day. 

It had been a hard day. He wasn’t sure he’d ever get over Wilbur’s death. He couldn’t. Moving on meant forgetting, and forgetting would kill him. 

Maybe he’d start extra hours at Puffy’s, try to earn money faster. He should have done it when his brother was alive. He should have kept his promise. 

But this was the best he could do. 

This was his way of finishing Wilbur’s Symphony. 

Chapter Text

A week passed, and Puffy grudgingly accepted his request to work more hours. He didn’t understand why. For some reason she just didn’t seem to want him overworking or something. 

Nice people aggravated him like that. 

But Techno found that with this new purpose, he was slowly feeling better. His nightly guitar practices seemed to help as well. Although he hadn’t played Jubilee Line or I’m In Love With An E-girl since. 

But of course, as all things in life do, with good things, soon comes the bad. 

It happened on a Thursday night around 6:00 pm. He was tired, and had just finished his microwaveable mac'n'cheese and was watching his new favorite show, Wild Polar Bears of Antarctica. 

Then a knock came. That was weird in itself. Not many people ever came by his house. Sometimes Sam would say hello, but that was it. 

Sighing with annoyance and pausing the tv, he got to his feet and stretched slightly before walking to the door in his lounge clothes. 

The knock came again, more insistent, and Techno groaned. “I’m coming! I'm coming!” He called. 

As he opened the door he did a double take. A man in a suit flanked by three other taller men, stood ominously in the doorway. 

Techno’s eyes widened slightly. Whoever these people were, it couldn’t be good. 

“Can I help you?” He asked, trying not to sound worried or too confused. 

The man in front with a dark beard and cold frown just stared ominously at him before speaking. 

“Is this the residence of Miss Cara Puffy?” He asked almost boredly. 

Techno froze. They were here for Puffy. But why? It didn’t make sense. 

“Why?” Techno asked out loud suspiciously. The man glared. “As you can see,” he gestured to the house and lawn. “This residence has been kept in quite horrid condition, and we have papers here saying that Miss Puffy is the owner.”

Techno’s eyes flicked down and back, worry creeping up his spine. This could get very difficult. 

For one, Puffy did not in fact live here, but she was the one who’d officially paid for the house. Since, you know, after he and Wilbur escaped the orphanage and very legally destroyed their documents, according to the L'manburg government, Techno Blade and Wilbur Soot didn’t exist. 

“She must either fix this problem in a week, or she will be escorted off the property, and the house will be-” the man’s nose wrinkled.  “- Properly taken care of.”

“What?!” Techno exclaimed. The house had looked like this for years . They had no right to say such a thing. Who even was this man who thought he could barge in and destroy his already crumbling life?

“Take this paper and give it to Miss Puffy, will you? It’s got all the details.”

Techno grunted as an important looking envelope was shoved into his hands. 

 “I’m quite sorry Mr… ?” The man trailed off, looking somewhat bored.

“Techno,” He muttered.

“Well Mr- uh, Techno , I’m sorry about this whole ordeal.” He didn’t sound sorry at all. “It’s just business, you know?”

“How do you have the rights to do this?!” Techno asked, still in shock from the whole thing. “This is my- Puffy’s house. How can you just kick her out?!”

“Schlatt by the way,” the man tossed over his shoulder, completely ignoring him. He walked leisurely back to his fancy car with the body guards. 

“Oh, and tell my dear sister Cara that her little brother finally got a pay raise.”

Sister ?

Techno glared at the back of his head as he walked away. The door to the car slammed shut and the man, Schlatt , drove away into the darkening night. 

Dumbfounded, Techno walked slowly back into the house, his eyes on the envelope. Carefully he peeled open the letter and sneered in disgust at the fancy lettering and paper. 

Ms. Cara Puffy, 

For reasons disclosed in this letter, we must inform you that because of your poor duty to attend to this house, if you do not fix all property issues within one week from today's date, you will be forcefully removed from this house. According to the L’manburg laws of housekeeping and land we-

Techno growled angrily and threw the envelope at the couch where the tv was still paused on the polar bear Steve’s face. 

Why couldn’t anything go right for him?!

“WILBUR!!” He yelled into the silent house. “I can’t do this!!! Where- where are you?” His voice cracked. Techno stared at the blue patch on the floor. He lifted his foot and slammed it down, as if that would make Wilbur come back. The house shuddered. 

His ears ringing, Techno sprinted down the hall to his room and ripped the old extra blanket off the edge of his bed. 

Back in the main room, he threw the blanket on top of the blue stain. 

“I CAN'T DO THIS!!!” He bellowed, sinking onto the floor. He put his head in his hands, his eyes wide and staring at nothing. His breathing was quick and fast, heart pounding. 

“I thought it’d get better,” he whispered duly. “Why isn’t it any better?”

It had been three whole years. Almost three years since that day, when Techno’s world caved in. 

Suddenly a knock came at the door. Techno groaned inwardly. 

“I-I’m busy!! I got your letter,” he yelled.  He winced at how broken his voice sounded. 

“Techno?” A concerned voice called through the door. Techno paused, unsure whether to answer or not. He finally decided to push himself off the floor and say hello to Sam.

He opened the door, trying to put on a smile for him. “How are you Sam?” He asked quietly.

Sam raised an eyebrow. “Are you really going to try that?” Techno sighed, then he opened the door to let the man through. 

“Now,” Sam started as he took a seat on the old floral couch, choosing not to pay attention to the blanket on the floor. “The real question is how you are doing.”

Techno stared at the floor, glaring. “You’re not my therapist Sam,” he said flatly. “I’ve got Puffy for that,” he added dryly. 

“No, but I am someone who wants to be there for you. Especially when I see a dark fancy car pull up with rich men, and then hear screaming from inside the house minutes later while on my walk with Fran.”

Techno side eyed him before leaning back into the couch with a grumble.

“A rich pretentious idiot from the government came and said that if the house isn’t completely repaired in a week then they will, ‘forcefully remove me from my property,’” he said with air quotes. 

Sam nodded. “That’s quite a problem.” Techno just stared at him. That was kinda obvious wasn’t it? 

“It is Sam, especially considering I have nowhere near enough money to fix it.”

“But, there could be loopholes,” Sam continued. Techno raised an eyebrow, interest creeping through him. “They can’t force you off your property for any reason, if they have given you no prior warning to this.”

Suddenly guilt and dismay crashed through Techno, as he slowly remembered the letters he’d received in the past. But they hadn’t said anything about kicking him off his land if he didn’t fix it!!

“I’m guessing they did give you a warning then,” Sam sighed. It wasn’t an accusing sigh though, more of a- that’s really a bummer but maybe we can still fix this, sigh .

“Who was it anyway?” Sam asked curiously. “The government official?”

“Oh,” Techno muttered. “Some guy called Schlatt. I don’t know who he is, I don’t bother with politics.” That was always Wilbur’s thing.

“Schlatt!?” Sam exclaimed, looking shocked.

“Do you know who he is?” Techno asked curiously. Sam nodded hesitantly. “I heard about him from… sources, who’ve said that he’s trying to buy out certain pieces of land for a strange project. No one knows what it is, but J. Schlatt’s the sort of man to only do something like that if it’s for his own gain.”

Techno’s eyes widened as he realized what Sam was insinuating. “You’re saying that he’s using the excuse of my house in awful shape to kick me out so he can use my property for some project of his?!” Techno’s eyes were wide with shock and anger. Sam stared at him sadly before nodding again.

“If this truly is the case, then there’s almost no hope for you to get your house back. Once Schlatt’s mind is made up, he will follow through.” Sam put a hand on Techno’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Techno,” he said sorrowfully. “I know what this place meant to you and Wilbur. If you need help finding a place to stay you can always come to me.”

Techno sat there in silence, his body frozen. He barely heard Sam leave, (shutting the door twice of course.) He stood slowly, his body almost shaking. He pressed his rough hands against the walls and closed his eyes. In a week Schlatt would probably be tearing it all down for whatever project he had planned.

In a week, over a decade's worth of memories would be snapped from existence. The blue stained floors would be ripped apart, the wooden walls where Wilbur had hung his guitar would be crushed, the old roof that still bore the marks where Techno and Wil had first scratched their names into its old wood-

It would all be gone. 

And all because a rich politician wanted it for himself. Why did Schlatt want this place? Was it because of the small grassy hill it sat upon? Was it because of the beautiful lake in view of the western windows? Was it just because he could ?

Techno didn’t know. All he knew was that he hated this Schlatt with a passion, and he was not going to let him get his way. Techno was not losing the last bit of Wilbur he had left. 

Techno would not lose this house.

__________________

Work the next day was tense for Techno. He knew he had to tell Puffy what had happened with her- her brother , but he didn’t know what to say. Luckily for him, he didn’t have to start it, because Puffy had gone to school for therapy before taking on the family cafe, and could just tell when you were hiding something.

“What’s wrong, Techno?” She asked, hands on her hips, eyebrows raised. Techno almost dropped the coffee granules he was holding. 

“Wrong?” Techno asked, feeling panic rise. He wasn’t sure if this was how he wanted to explain it to her.

“Techno, you’ve been darting around me all day. I’ve known you since you were 12, and I can tell when you're hiding something.”

Techno sighed heavily.  He should have known Puffy would suspect him. 

Puffys eyes softened with worry. “Techno, what’s going on? You’re scaring me.” 

“Puffy, I-I’m in a really bad spot,” Techno said, taking a breath. “There’s a chance I might be kicked out of my house.”

“What?!” Puffy gasped, her eyes widening. “Oh my gosh, what happened?”

Techno closed his eyes for a second. “A man that works for the government claimed my house was in too bad shape for me to be allowed to live in it. He says I have to fix everything in a week or I will be forcefully removed from my property.”

“Is that- that can’t be legal!!” She gasped, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure there’s a way around it.”

Techno groaned. “That’s exactly what Sam said, until I told him who was the one who came to my house.”

Puffy tilted her head. 

“It was a man called J. Schlatt,” Techno explained. Puffy tensed. “And he said your his- his sister?”

Puffy frowned angrily. “Jonathan is no brother of mine. Him and his- his wild goals. He’s too ambitious for his own good. This just about proves it.”

“You are related to him though?” Techno asked eyebrows raised. 

“Yes,” the cafe owner replied regretfully. “That's probably why he came after your land for his project or whatever. It’s bought under my name. I’m so sorry for dragging you into this.” 

“Oh,” Techno said. “He- he did say that um, tell Puffy that her little brother finally got his pay raise or something like that.”

Puffy rolled her eyes. “Of course he did,” she muttered. Then she turned back to Techno. 

“I’ll contact him and try to get him to leave the house alone. There’s not much I can do if he refuses, but you are always welcome to stay at my apartment. It’s the least I could do.” Her eyes were filled with pity. 

Techno nodded, hope draining even more from him. He hadn’t really thought that Puffy could help, but he’d hoped that she could. But talking to her now, realization hit him harder as he really could lose his home by the end of the week. 

And what was left of Wilbur.

“Thanks Puffy,” he said, trying to sound thankful. He thinks it probably fell a little flat though. 

The rest of the day chugged by, not slow, but not fast either. The only interesting thing that day happened at around 6:30, a little before the night shift came in. 

“Hello!!” The Tubbo boy exclaimed. He had way too much energy for this time of day. He had way too much energy in general. 

“Hullo,” Techno replied monotonously. He did attempt a smile though, don’t discredit him that much. 

Tubbo just laughed. “You’re funny.” 

Techno just raised an eyebrow. The kid’s clothes hadn’t gotten better since last week. If anything they looked a little more shabby. 

“Are you here for your coffee?” Techno asked. “Not that you seem to need it, with all your energy.”

Tubbo just shrugged, his demeanor fading for a split second. “I uh, I’m just going to have the muffin this time.” 

Techno didn’t comment, and simply wrote down the boy's name on a paper.

“So, your name is Techno?” Tubbo asked, leaning over the counter and eyeing his name tag. “Techno Bl- ade?”

Techno glanced at him and nodded. “Weird name,” Tubbo said pleasantly. “I like it.” Techno just shook his head. He couldn’t deal with this child.

“It’ll be $2.59,” Techno said finally, after finishing the note of what kind of muffin he wanted. “Alright Mr. Blade!” Tubbo said with a grin. Oh he knew what he’d just done.

Techno stopped and just stared at him, his expression flat. “Kid, don’t call me that. It makes me sound old like Phi-”

Techno paused, his words stopping suddenly. Something flickered in his brain and he pushed it away, focusing back on the kid. “You’ll make me sound old,” he finished.

Tubbo just laughed, and reached into his pocket and pulled out some very, very battered pieces of cash, and coins that looked like they’d been found on the street, rolled over by a car, and been through the sewer system and back.

Techno wrinkled his nose, but took the money. It was the right amount this time at least.

After getting the kid his chocolate chip muffin, Techno shooed him off. “Stop bothering me child , and go back to whatever things you get kids get up to.”

Tubbo snorted. “Yes Mr . Techno.”

Techno really hated this kid.

_________________________

“I’m going home for the day Puffy,” Techno called out, hanging up his apron on the rack with the others. He’d just finished his shift and was very ready to head back to his house. If it would even be his house in the next few days. 

Puffy nodded and smiled at him sadly. “Please take care of yourself Techno,” she said quietly. “You’ve been through so much. Always know you have a place here no matter what happens.”

Techno nodded mutely. After getting in his car, a sudden urge hit him. He couldn’t go back down that same route he drove every day. He needed a change. 

After driving for a while, he eventually ealized he had no idea where he was going. The large crowded streets of L’manburg’s city had faded away to a more country looking area, similar to where he lived. But as far as he knew he wasn’t near his house. 

Suddenly a familiar field came up in the distance. Techno’s heart dropped, realizing where he’d gone at last. 

Kinoko Cemetery

Letting out a quiet sigh, Techno pulled his old car into the side of a hill and carefully stepped out. 

Slowly he made his way past the countless graves and over more small grassy hills. It really was a peaceful place away from the city if not a little morbid. 

After walking for a good five minutes he came to a stop in front of a massive weeping willow tree. 

“Hey Wil,” Techno muttered quietly, staring at the small gravestone. Wind blew the loose hairs from his bun across his face. 

“I-I guess people usually bring flowers.” He coughed a little, trying to clear his throat. 

“It’s been a long time. I- am I supposed to feel better yet?” Techno blinked his eyes to clear them. “I don’t know if I ever will.”

Techno crouched down, kneeling in the long grass. He reached out as if to touch the stone before drawing his hand away. 

“I uh, I’ve started to learn your guitar.” He smirked. “You would’ve laughed at how bad I am.” Techno squeezed his eyes shut. 

“Maybe you would’ve helped me.”

He sat in silence after that, moving so his back was pressed up against the willow tree. Light dimmed down, the sun almost gone behind the hills. Fireflies darted around him and through the field, lighting it up like stars down on earth. Closing his eyes, Techno let himself drift into his mind, listening to the chirps of crickets and forgetting his troubles for the moment. 

After a while, Techno sighed and stood up, dusting off his pants and staring down at Wilbur’s resting place. 

“It’s nice here,” he whispered. “A good place to sit and think. You liked to do that.”

Sucking in a shaky breath, Techno backed away, shaking his head. It was time for him to go home. While he still had one. 

“Goodbye Wilbur,” he said with a shaky smile, before turning around and heading back down the hill to his car.