Archive of Our Own ^beta

Ever since he told Techno about his dream with the creature, he noticed how his brother changed ever so slightly around them, like he had to put on a mask to be able to talk to them. 

But being Techno and not the most social cookie in the cookie jar, he didn’t put a lot of thought into it.

A few days after that, everyone was awake except for the pinkette, which was a little off, Techno would always be up early unless he stayed up late, which he might have done.

“Hello Technoblade,” he sang, watching as his brother served himself a glass of water and gave him a dirty look, “did you sleep well?”

“What do you think?” Someone was grumpy.

Phil prepared brunch, and instead of going to the dining room, they decided the living room could be better, they had been transmitting news mostly every day since the first emergency broadcast, and ever since that day, there were more and more attacks, each more and more horrific, usually, Tommy would run to the kitchen or his room to not see the disfigured corpses, from time to time Phil would stay with Techno while he went to check on Tommy or vice versa.

Techno never changed his expression while watching those images, horror in his features until he turned off the TV; today wasn’t the exception for the emergency broadcast, that day however, they skipped through the images to show the president. Everyone looked at each other confused, what did the president have to say about something like this?

“Dear citizens of L’manburg. I know this animal has been causing a lot of trouble and killed many of your friends, neighbours, and family. I’m doing everything in my power to try and stop it, meanwhile, all schools and offices are closed, we suggest to students and workers that can prevent going out, go online, the ones that can’t, don’t go alone or close to the forest.”

J.Schlatt was the president of L’manburg for the last decade, his first campaign was successful, and those first 5 years brought a lot of improvement to their little town of Pogtopia. Everyone agreed that he was a good option for president, so when the next elections came, he was immediately elected president.

But for better or worse, the first speech in his second term came with a horrible hangover; in the middle of the speech, he barfed on stage. They had to postpone it until the president passed his hangover, and that took almost a week. Of course, he turned into a meme.

From that day on everyone knew Schlatt as the president with alcohol instead of blood. Tubbo, a friend of Tommy's, confirmed how his father cried every time he drank, remembering that "tragic day". 

Other than that, Schlatt seemed to be a good person, Tommy still thought he was a two-face, but no one would correct him, Tubbo got a good laugh every time Tommy tried to imitate his father.

As the speech finished and moved towards questions from the press about the president and stuff related to the beast, Wil decided to do a little impression of the man on TV to release some of the tension in the room.

“Hey, Tommy!” The younger turned to him, an arched eyebrow trying to figure out what was happening in his mind. Wil, with the little knowledge he had on how to imitate voices, said, “Don’t ya’ think the man on that podium looks kind of sexy?” Tommy cackled at this, Wil smiled at his little brother to turn to see his twin, Techno had a small curve in his lips.

"I have to say, Big J, that suit looks.." said Tommy tapping his chin lightly with a finger. Wil took the opportunity and ran his hand through his hair, "fixing it up" and looking less presentable than he already did in his pajamas.

"Handsome? Best man alive? Unique and different?"

Tommy smiled, a mischievous smile, he parted his lips and, "Gay, I was going to say gay."

Phil cackled, Tommy and Wil laughed so hard they hugged their stomachs and Techno chuckled. After a few minutes of that, they relaxed, Phil stood from his seat and stretched, “You okay old man?” He said, getting another laugh from the latter.

“Yes Wil, I’m fine, thank you for taking care of your old man.” 

“You’re my dad, of course, I’m taking care of you!” 

“Just because you do it doesn’t mean I’m giving you money, dude.” Tommy cackled, dropping from the couch to the floor, and hugging his stomach, Wil dropped to the floor next to his brother and started tickle-attacking him, making him squirm and try to crawl away, “Shut up you gremlin child!”

“I’m not a gremlin!” 

“Yes. You. Are!”

“Techno!! Help me!!”

The pinkette rolled his eyes, looked at Phil and after a moment, both nodded. Techno hugged Wil and dragged him away from Tom, while Phil took care of the latter. Tommy sighed in relief, letting himself relax in Phil’s arms, “Thanks, guys… fucking bastard, but no one can beat Big Man Tommy!”

His twin let him go, a knowing smile between the two of them, then they looked at their dad, who simply returned the smile and fixed his grip on Tommy, the teenager looked confused, his eyes darting from the brunet to the pinkette, then to his father, when he realized what was about to happen, he screeched.

“NOOOOOOOO!”

–o0o–

As the days passed, Wilbur not only noticed that Techno didn’t wake up in time for his classes, but sometimes he would be up on time for half of the first one, but some others he would only show up for the second or third one. 

Everyone agreed that Tommy would do his schoolwork in Phil’s study, Phil would stay with him and work from time to time on some models for new buildings, Tommy could be perfectly fine alone, but to be fair, Phil’s study was better than nothing, and he could just play on Phil’s xbox once he finished his homework.

While he and Techno stayed downstairs, one in the dining room and one in the living room. Now and then the brunet would get up from the couch and go to the kitchen to get a snack, while also keeping an eye on his twin; even if they hadn't touched on the subject of the Dreamon, Wil knew there was something about that being that bothered his brother, the dark circles under his eyes was proof of how badly he'd slept.

Like the ones he used to have when the creature haunted his dreams.

From time to time, he would make two small plates with cookies or some fruit to snack on while they were in class, and he would leave one in front of his brother, sometimes he would notice him and other times he wouldn't make the slightest movement, eyes fixed on the screen, the lenses of his glasses reflecting the blue light of the screen.

It had been a couple of weeks since the party, and two weeks of classes online so far, so that would make it three weeks. Simple math! 

He hated math.

That night after supper, Techno left his plate on the counter and went straight to his room, Phil looked at him with the same confused look, Techno never left his plate on the counter, he would wash it and put it away.

Phil pats his shoulder and leaves the kitchen to go and talk to the pinkette. Wil stayed behind, he didn’t know if it was the best idea to go right now ad ask him if he was okay, if he had seen it or something. Anything.

He was trying hard to make it tolerable for everyone during the lockdown, they would go out during day time but… 

That’s it!

He would take Techno out! But he would need some help to distract his twin from his troubles.

Thank Prime it was Friday.

–o0o–

“You want to what?!” Phil looked at him like he was crazy, and it did sound crazy, but it may help.

It had to help.

“I know it sounds crazy- no, it’s crazy! But we’re not going alone, and we won’t stay late! Everyone will go home before dark.”

The present situation, it was Saturday morning, Wil had asked Phil the night before to talk in his office first thing the next day, neither Techno nor Tommy would be awake, which by now, was normal from Tommy, but from Techno…

His plan was this: go out at noon, meet with some of Techno’s and his friends and go to the movie theatre, have a good time, and then go back home. All of it was perfectly planned with just a cup of coffee and 4 hours of sleep.

He had to be sure it would work, and it didn’t have to be that same day! It could perfectly be the next day! He just needed to take Techno out, just that…

“Wil, you know what I think about that, we don’t go out unless is completely necessary. We have a garden and that’s as far as I go every day! Techno already saw that animal, what if he sees it again?” 

“Then we’ll be with him, we’ll hide in a building, I’m not letting him close to that thing!”

“I don’t want either of you injured, Wil!” 

“We won’t! We’ll be fine! Quackity is going to be there, Charlie and Punz will go, and even Niki is coming with Jack! You know Niki is strong as fuck!”

“Wil…” 

“And we’ll be going in Punz SUV, so we’re not exposed at all!”

“Wil.”

“It’s a short movie too! Only two hours, probably less if you don’t count the credits. We won’t be long!”

“Wil.” He could feel his dad’s cold glare straight into his person, but he continued.

“We won’t even go around, it’s just the movie! Please Phil you don’t-”

“WIL!” Shit…

The brunet stopped his rambling and looked straight in the eye to the blond, brown and ice blue meeting, his hands turned into fists, a tight grasp on nothing, knuckles turning white, he could feel the itch on his eyes and the heat rising to his face.

“I just…” he sniffed, his gaze escaping from the older’s, focusing on his shoes instead, green plushie slippers. “I don’t want Techno to…”

He could see the blond taking a step closer towards him, his shoulders tensed at the feeling of hands on them, small rubs relaxed them.

“I think I know what you’re talking about…” His hands moved to his neck, thumbs under the brunet’s jaw, pushing slightly upward to make him look at his eyes. “I’m worried about him too, I’m worried about all of you.”

“I try my best, to be the best parent you three can have, and that of course includes keeping you guys safe.” Wil nodded, eyes dropping from the staring contest they were having.

“I know…”

There was a sigh from Phil, he was ready to give up, send a message to his friends and-

“You guys can go.”

Wil’s eyes met with Phil’s, a gentle smile on his dad’s face. “I can’t lose any of you… so please, be safe.”

Wil nodded with excitement, Phil chuckled and hugged him. He sighed, the plan was still up! He just needed to convince Techno of going with him, not a problem at all to be fair.

“Thanks, Dad.”

Wil separated from his dad, ran towards the door, “Be safe!” He heard the door close behind him, he had to prepare Techno before Phil changed his mind.

–o0o–

“Technoooo!” He knocked at the door, it wasn’t that early anymore, it was just 9 o’clock, and even Tommy was up! 

“Technoblaaade!” He could hear a grunt from his twin as he continued calling his name, suddenly there was a creek, and he stopped yelling and knocking to listen better. There was a loud ‘THUMP’, followed by another groan, this time, less annoyed and more in pain.

“Techno?” He asked, opening the door a little as he heard another groan and the rustling of sheets.

“I’m up…” When he opened the door completely, he could see the pinkette slowly standing up from the floor, sheets tangled on the floor, seems like his brother didn’t have the best of dreams again.

“Need help, sleeping beauty?” 

His twin gave him an annoyed look, long hair tied in a very messy braid, this time the circles under his eyes were not as noticeable as before, maybe he was right, the dreamon was stalking his brother.

“‘M fine… what the hell do you want?”

“Get ready, we’re going out.”

“What? Where?”

“It’s a surprise!” he sang, leaving a very confused Techno to change, he heard the slam of his door, Wil laughed at this as he prepared himself to go out.

–o0o–

“WIL! LET’S GO!!”

“Seems like they’re excited to go.” Phil laughed as he was fixing his coat, Techno readjusting his boots. 

“It’s Wil’s boyfriend, of course, he’s excited to see him.” Tommy said, proceeding to imitate people kissing with his hands as puppets, Wil groaned, picked one of Tommy’s shoes and threw it to the owner, hearing him screech.

“PHIL!!”

“You deserved that one, mate.”

“Wil,” Techno tapped his shoulder, making the brunet turn to see his brother, “let’s go, Q is going to kill you if we are late, and I’m going to kill you if you don’t get me those chips.”

Wil raised his hands in defeat, having promised Techno to buy him chips and smuggle them into the movie theatre mostly for Techno’s amusement rather than wanting those chips.

“I’m ready, let’s just go.

“Be safe!” Phil yelled from the door. What a mother hen!

Techno got to the vehicle first, opening the door and revelling two empty seats, he could see the way his brother hesitated for a second, Wil almost thought he would have to wrestle him, but then, the pinkette entered, sitting on the other side and leaving him a seat.

“WIL!” Quackity yelled again, this time more joyful and less stressed.

“I’M COMING, MI AMOR!” He yelled as the rest of his friends laughed at the affection towards the tanned man. He closed the SUV door and Punz started the car, the ride was mostly Jack and Wil bickering about how working in a corner store was better or worse than working in Mcdonald’s.

Fortunately, Wil won the argument with votes from everyone in the car, earning a whine from the youngest in the group as he accepted his defeat.

–o0o–

The movie wasn’t much, it was “good”, but not spectacular; a thriller sold as a horror, it happened all the time with movies like this, the typical entity stalking the protagonists, they manage to kill it and they’re free as far as they know.

The damn alien looked like a fucking plastic bag! The best thing about that movie was the horses. No one could disagree with him, no one.

“I’m telling you, Wil, if they tried using a bomb on that thing, it wouldn’t have worked, someone would have died, AND USING THE HORSES IS NOT AN OPTION!” The pinkette stated with a stern look, he had liked the movie a lot, just because of the horses.

“They could have used the metal horse!”

“But they already used it and it learned.” Said Punz, popcorn in hand, Charlie stole a handful and shoved it right into his mouth, making Jack and Quackity laugh at the size of his cheeks and the struggle of chewing.

“It technically learned that it shouldn’t eat stuff with flags, that was what got stuck in its system, right?” Niki said, eating a gummy worm after this, she wasn’t wrong.

“Ok, but listen to this, the creature didn’t even check for that statue to move, it would have worked! Just, create a bomb and put it inside the fricking horse, and when it takes it, BOOM! NO MORE ALIENS!” 

The whole debate continued on their way back to their respective houses, Jack and Niki were first, then it was Charlie, when they got to Quackity’s, Wil stepped out and Punz waited for him, Techno watched outside his window staring at nothing that Wil could see.

“So…” the tanned said, speaking low so their conversation was just between them. “You think he’ll be okay?”

Quackity knew about that thing, after Wil started being stalked by the dreamon, he immediately told Quackity, and instead of making fun of him, which he did at the very beginning, he stopped and tried to help him as much as he could.

The first time he got injured by the creature wasn’t the time he told Techno, the first time that happened, the creature slashed his chest and shoved him with its horns. 

He was in his house with his family, and everything was normal, Tommy played with his food as Techno and Phil discussed how shitty the government could be, then, he saw how there was a shadow behind his twin, it hovered over him, and when it took shape, one of its talons went to the pinkette’s neck. 

It crooned something as its talons raised to the top of his head, claws barely touching him, the creature opened its mouth, and even though it was a dream, Wil attacked.

He attacked the creature with his bare hands, he screamed as he tried to make it go away, to leave him alone. The creature screeched and snarled, it didn’t try to attack at first, but when he got close to his brother, it roared and moved forward.

Empty eye sockets staring at him, he swore he could see something glowing in those sockets. The dreamon slashed his chest, the ripped fabric falling to the floor and the remaining filling with blood, he balanced himself by holding onto his siblings’ chairs, now that he noticed, none of them were talking, they didn’t move, they just stared.

The pain was real, he could feel the blood flowing from the wound, and he cried. The creature snarled at him, when he turned towards the sound, it rammed him, antlers barely stabbing, more carrying him away. He was thrown away, his body slamming against the wall, the air in his lungs gone.

He could barely keep his eyes open, and what he saw was terrifying to him.

His family stared blankly at him, branches covered Techno and his eyes showed signs of exhaustion, the creature stood behind him, and before he closed his eyes, he saw another person standing in the corner, he saw them moving their lips, but before he could even make out what they said, he woke up.

That day was staying with Quackity, and the moment he woke up screaming, hands holding his chest as he panted and sobbed, just told his partner that his story was true; his chest had bloody scars, and his torso was covered with bruises. The claw marks weren’t as big as they were in his dream, but they still bleed a bit. He was lucky to have him with him, he didn’t know how to even explain to Phil how he got those marks.

Those scars were banished for the next few days, and then he got the one on his side. 

He sighed, moving his hair out of the way, his eyes burning a little, “I hope so… I hope he’ll be okay…”

He could feel his boyfriend's eyes on him, his arms around him, the younger man's hands circling his back.

"I'm here for you...if anything happens, let me know."

He nodded, and they broke away from the embrace, Quackity deposited a kiss on his lips and he returned it, lasting a little longer than the other.

He returned to the SUV, hopped on the passenger seat, and closed the door looking outside his window, he saw his boyfriend waving goodbye. He did the same before Punz started to drive.

–o0o–

“Thanks for the ride, Punz.” 

“Hey, no problem. You paid for my gas, so, better for me!”

The brunet laughed with a hint of sarcasm, they arrived home and Wil was the first to get out of the vehicle, Techno was still watching through the window, all his body language showed that he was alert. Wil felt as if his heart was being crushed, seeing his twin like this was horrible, he patted the inside of the door, nodding towards Punz, Punz returned it and gave him a sympathetic look.

"Hey, Techno." The pinkette startled, finally looked away from the window and seemed to relax, letting out a sigh he probably didn't know he was holding back. "Ready to go back to your fortress of solitude?" 

He heard Punz chortle, and hear Techno chuckling at the reference. "Cringe! Come on, get out of my way. Bye, Punz!"

"Bye Techno! Thanks for the gas Wil!" 

The twins entered their house, and Techno almost stops but he was rushed by the brunet, as he closed the door, he peeked out, a stern look on his face while searching for that creature, when nothing appeared, he closed the door.

–o0o–

A few hours later, Techno was still looking out the window, sitting on the couch hugging himself and flinching every time a door opened or there was a loud sound.

Phil brought him some tea and a blanket, Techno accepted them without saying a word. Tommy asked him to tell him some Greek myth, and Techno simply asked him to come later.

Something was wrong, if Techno was cold, he would make himself some tea or put on a sweater. Whether or not Tommy asked him about a Greek myth, he would go into detail about every story. Of course, sometimes accepting things from Phil was easier and made the older man feel more fatherly, and of course, Tommy could get annoying; this just wasn't his brother.

“Wil?” His father called, the brunet turned to see his dad and Tommy watching him with a worried look, if he had to guess, he had one too.

“You think… you think he’s depressed?” Tommy asked, worry in his eyes, they were in the dining room, whispering, it felt wrong talking about Techno like he wasn’t in the next room, but, he would talk to them, he would give any other explicit sign that something was wrong, the biggest one right now was the fact he was staring outside.

“No. No, I don’t think he’s depressed.” Phil answered, patted his youngest shoulder and brought him close to him.

“He’s not fine though… I’ll think of more stuff to do with him.” He had to, he couldn’t leave his brother to that creature’s mercy.

He couldn’t lose him. 

Not like in that dream.

Not his brother.

"Wil…” Said Phil, a grim expression came over his face, his hands met with his nape and brought him close, resting their foreheads together for a moment, his eyes burned with tears and he had to stifle a sob as his father hugged him. “We won't lose him, Techno is strong, he'll come to us if he needs to talk. You know I'm here to help you, okay?"

He nodded, returning the embrace to which Tommy soon joined, hugging them both tightly. They were okay.

He was okay.

He was okay.

—·— 

He didn't know whether to thank Wil for taking him out. 

After that night when he dreamed and accepted the beast's friendship, his sleep schedule had changed. When he lay in his bed, sleep came almost immediately, and when he had to wake up came later each morning.

Sometimes he would wake up on his normal schedule, but other times he would wake up after lunch. 

Most of the time, he had no dreams, not that he remembered at least. But since the encounter, they were confusing. Sometimes he was in the same landscape where the Dreamon gave him the flower, other times he was at home with his family, sometimes they were memories of his mother and other times, he would go to sleep, and suddenly, he would wake up, as if time had passed faster than he would think. Or as if it hadn't passed at all.

He would go to sleep again and once he woke up, he would realize it was a dream.

I mean, that's normal, right? Dreams aren't predictable, it must be his mind processing all the stress from seeing that being, and what Wil told him about the creature messing with his dreams, it was that, nothing else.

There was one time he talked to Wilbur about this, his brother looked at him like he said something crazy and proceeded to laugh, his answer made a mess in his brain.

"Dreamon? What is that? Have you been watching horror movies or something? You're just overreacting, you probably had a bad dream from all that shit the news has been talking about."

After that, he went to sleep. Next thing he knows, Wilbur is knocking at his door and being annoying, asking him to go watch a movie. 

And to be fair, it was a good movie, at least as good as it could be considering the alien was a plastic bag, but after that, it was fine. Except for Dream.

Its presence had been persistent, cold and suffocating. He knew perfectly well that this thing was watching him, it was barely noticeable when he left his house, but once they left the movie theatre, it was simply there, bristling the hairs on the back of his neck.

He could feel those empty sockets staring at him, during the car ride, he couldn't help but look out his window for any indication of the creature. And when they got home, it was worse, it was calling him, he could hear it around, but no one else seemed to notice this.

He spent most of his afternoon looking outside the window, sitting on the couch, hugging his knees close to his chest. Phil gave him some tea and a blanket, now he was cozy, but still focused on whatever could happen outside, any kind of hint that it was there.

Time was relative at that moment, he wasn't paying attention to most of the things going on around him. It wasn't until Wilbur snapped him out of his trance that he realized it was time for dinner, he was grateful with a whisper to follow his twin into the dining room.

Dinner went on as if nothing, Wil and Tommy were discussing the new mode they had been taking with some of the teenager's classes, the latter was complaining about how hard it was not being able to talk to Tubbo and Ranboo in class, Phil gave him a stern look and guffawed at this, causing the younger boy to try to change the subject completely. Everyone laughed at Tommy's attitude, he had to admit it brought a small smile to his face.

Once they finished dinner and he cleaned his plate, he said goodbye to his father and brothers, he was tired and all he could think about was sleep. Just dress his pajamas, close the curtain and make a cocoon of himself with his sheets, not knowing anything about anyone. 

At this point, everything was a dream, everything was so real and yet so unreal..... What was wrong with him? 

Before he could enter his room, he felt someone grab his shoulder, he turned around and the night from three weeks ago rang in his head again.

"Wil."

"Techno."

His brother gulped as if whatever he was about to say was too difficult to pronounce.

"I...wanted to know how you're feeling. If you're not having any problems with.... that."

That? Was he talking about...? 

Was this the real world? Was it a dream? 

Would Dream show up in this reality? 

Would Wil tell him that he was making it all up again? Was this time even reality or a dream?

He frowned, nodded, and gripped the doorknob of his bedroom door tightly. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.

"I'm... fine, everything is fantastic...".

Wil's face showed him how little he believed him. Without waiting for another question, he walked into his room, prevented by the brunet from slamming the door in his face.

"Wil, get out of my room."

"Techno, I know you're lying, please, I want to help."

"I don't know what you're talking about, I just want to sleep."

"Techno, please listen to me, I know I haven't talked about it much, but I can't keep seeing you like this, let me-"

"GET OUT OF MY ROOM, WIL! I SWEAR IF YOU DON'T GET OUT RIGHT NOW, I WILL MAKE YOU GET OUT!”

“I’m just trying to help! Don’t be an arsehole and let me help!”

“I DON’T WANT YOUR STUPID HELP. LEAVE ME. IN. PEACE!"

The other’s eyes showed concern and pain, soon his frown showed his concern and, to his surprise, Wilbur said nothing more. He simply turned around, and walked out of his room, closing the door behind him.

Regret filled his chest, he had no reason to talk to his brother like that, there was no reason why he should treat him like that. He heard the door to the brunet’s room open and slam shut.

That was his fault... He sat up in his bed, he had to apologize, he had to do it now before it got worse. Wil didn't do anything wrong, he just cared about him.

Before he even tried to get up, everything around him started to spin, one of his hands came up to hold his head. He ended up on the bed, his vision going dark as every part of his body succumbed to tiredness that hadn't been present before.

Falling into the world of his subconscious, a name left his lips, his eyes closing after uttering his twin’s name.

—·— 

He was pissed at his twin from last night, and how could he not? He was trying to be a good brother! 

This morning started like any other Phil was the first one to wake up as always, then it was him, and the last one was Tommy. Techno would probably wake up a little after noon or something.

Phil talked to him, tried to calm him down and search for a solution, but the thing is, they would need to wait for Techno or go and wake him up to solve it. It simply wasn’t okay, he needed that apology.

Fine, he would wait, it wasn’t too late yet, probably another hour or two for Techno to wake up and apologies.

And then, that would be solved, they could go back to normal. Everything would be fine.

–o0o–

Nothing was fine.

It was supper time and Techno didn’t appear, whenever he went to his room, he would hear the tense silence in his twin’s room, would he be so upset that he decided to not make an appearance?

“Okay, that’s it.” Phil said, an annoyed look on his face, “Tommy, go and tell Techno to come downstairs to have supper, his behaviour is ridiculous.”

Tommy nodded, a mischievous grin on his face. Wilbur huffed and continued toying with his meal.

“You feeling better?” 

“I’ll feel way better when he talks to me.”

“Wil, look at me.” 

For a moment the brunet didn’t want to look at his father, but after a moment, he turned to see Phil’s gaze, the annoyance long since gone, now replaced by his gentle smile.

“He loves you way too much, he will apologize. We just have to wait for Tom’s to wake him up.”

“That won’t be long then.” Both of them laughed, but what they didn’t expect was that after ten minutes, Tommy came down, all of his body language told them that he watched a ghost or something similar. Tommy was scared.

“Techno… He- I was… He’s not-”

Phil was the first one to go towards the teenager, grabbing him by his shoulders and looking him in the eye, Wilbur followed, looking between his little brother and his father.

“Tommy, I need you to tell me what’s wrong, okay? Is there anything wrong with Techno?”

The blond opened and closed his mouth, then looked at the two of them, turned and ran upstairs. None of them wasted more time and followed the youngest.

When they got to Techno’s room, they saw him lying in bed, his face showed some he was somehow uncomfortable, but there was no movement, no more than his chest rising and falling whenever he took a breath.

“Techno?” Phil called the pinkette. Nothing.

“Hey, mate, it’s supper time.” Nothing.

Phil scoffed, the worry starting to slip through his expression. He grabbed his son’s shoulder and slightly shook it.

“C’mon, mate, it’s not funny anymore. We need you to wake up.”

Nothing.

“Techno. Techno, I need you to open your eyes… Son? Techno!” 

Both Wil and Tommy could see how Phil started falling through the spiral of desperation, the brunet turned to see the youngest, the latter clinging to his arm, a tight grip on his jumper.

“Tom, what happened?”

The teenager looked at him and then pointed at Phil, “This…” The oldest turned to see them.

“I came upstairs to wake him up. At first, I thought he was joking with me, but then I even tried jumping on his bed, and even then there was no reaction.”

His brother’s eyes started filling up with tears, he clenched at Wil’s jumper like his life depended on it.

“He didn’t wake up. I tried everything I had in hand, every trick. Nothing… But he’s not… He is breathing, he can’t be dead if he’s breathing!”

Phil reached for both of his sons, hugging them tight, Wilbur could only stare at his twin.

Techno was there, laying in bed, almost sleeping peacefully, the only thing showing was the slight frown on his face, something was bothering him, but he might not be able to wake up to fix that.

Would he wake up? 

He had to wake up… He couldn’t just- sleep forever or until de-

No… No, Techno would be fine… They just had to take care of him… 

What the fuck could he do though?

—·— 

He opened his eyes.

He stared at the ceiling of his room for what seemed like an eternity. Was this the real life, or just another dream? He felt like he was caught in a landslide, with no escape from the forced fantasy. He looked up, and instead of seeing the artificially blue skies of the dream, he saw his plain white ceiling. He pinched his arm, the pain was real.

He prayed it was real. 

"Techno! Breakfast is ready!" The pinkette stood up, using his hands to support his torso, an alien feeling went through his whole body as if he had been in the same position for a long time and this body was just brand new.

"Okay! I'll be right down!" He heard giggles and then footsteps coming down the stairs at full speed. 

Once out of his bed, he gathered his hair into a bun, he looked out his window, everything seemed normal, it should be normal. He waited for a second, waiting for some sign of the creature. Nothing.

"Techno!" He heard Phil this time, and without wasting more time, he exit his room and go downstairs to join his family for breakfast. If he had paid more attention, he would've noticed the flowers at his desk, petals staining the wood with blood.

When he got downstairs, he saw Phil, Tommy, and Wilbur looking at him, gentle smiles on their faces. That freaked him out a little, but it was something that would happen in reality, except that… he had to apologize to Wil. 

"Come on, Techno, your plate is getting cold." 

"Thanks, Phil."

During breakfast, Techno kept looking at his twin, the brunet didn't seem to bother looking back at him, he kept eating and chatting with his father and brother.

He didn't seem bothered, but he knew Wilbur, he was the best actor in the whole house, maybe in all of L'manburg.

Once he had finished his plate, Phil snatched it out of his hands, "Don't worry Techno, I'm going to clean them up. You guys go and have fun."

Something didn't sit right with him about that comment and the way Phil was smiling at them, for some reason, made him uneasy.

Tommy grabbed him by the wrist and started pulling him along, a grin on his face, Wilbur was already at the door, fixing his boots and trench coat. "Come on, Tech! It's been a while since we played outside."

"But... What's with the monster?" 

He could have sworn there was something in his brother's expression that looked like he'd said something he shouldn't, something that was forbidden. But there was only his smile, his cheerful smile.

"It's morning already! That animal has never attacked anyone during the day."

That... was pretty accurate, he had never heard anything in the news about daylight attacks. 

"Okay, you two, are we going or not?" his twin smiled at the two of them, Tommy let go and ran to the taller one. "Come on Techno! Wilby is usually the slow one!"

"Oi! I've told you to stop calling me that!" 

That made him laugh, "I'm coming, I'm coming..." 

They walked around for a while, Wil and Tommy complaining about the amount of schoolwork their teachers were leaving them with, Techno would join in the conversation from time to time, reminding them that they were the ones guilty of procrastinating instead of finishing on the spot.

They stopped at a park near the forest, the grass was freshly mowed, birds were singing and flowering bushes abounded. Something didn't like about the place, was possibly the fact that the park was connected to the forest. 

“Techno! Are you coming or what?”

He saw Tommy sitting on a swing and Wil leaning on the play post.  "Wiiiil, could you push me?" To hell with his hunch then.

"No. Do it yourself, you're not five years old."

"But is it more fun that way? Techno, say something to him."

The pinkette shrugged, a mischievous grin on his face as he watched the blond struggle through his little tantrum. "I dunno man, Wil's right, weren't you a big man and all?".

The younger man looked offended, dumbfounded, scowling and wide-eyed. "I'M A BIG MAN! BIG MAN TOMMY!" and with that, the teenager started rocking back and forth.

He continued to watch his brother for a while until he noticed movement beside him. Wilbur was walking towards the woods, dread filled Techno's chest. He looked back and forth at Tommy and Wil, Tommy was more than lost in his world, while Wilbur was about to put himself in danger.

"Tom, I'll be back." He didn't wait for an answer, he just took off and ran to his twin. Tommy stopped swinging, got up from his seat and turned to watch his brothers disappear into the woods in the distance. 

After a few moments, he turned and walked away, disappearing from the park.

The pinkette one kept running after his twin, whose pace seemed faster than it was. It was as if they wouldn't let him catch up to his brother, as if every step he took was five of Wilbur's.

"Wil! Please wait. I have to talk to you!"

The brunet kept walking, Techno could only run trying to avoid the overgrown branches and roots of the forest. He continued to call out for his brother, everything around him was darker and lusher, "Wil, I'm sorry!" 

His brother disappeared behind a curtain of foliage, he felt everything return to normal and his speed was now as he thought it must have been all this time he had been running.

Oh maybe he wasn't running, he had run, hadn't he? 

Pushing through the foliage, he found that he had left the forest altogether and entered a new area, with no trees around but plenty of grass. His brother was standing still, a lit cigarette between his lips.

"Wil." He called the brunet turning and smiling warmly at him.

"You wanted to talk?"

He drew in a shaky breath to steady himself, then nodded. "Then let's talk."

There it was, it was his chance to apologize, to say how badly he messed up, how much he needed to say he was sorry and get forgiveness from the most precious person in his life. He stared directly at his brother, blue and brown meeting in silence for a moment.

"I'm sorry. For everything." He took a step closer to his brother, everything around them felt safe and warm. "You were trying to help me, to get me out of a void you knew I wouldn't be able to escape without you."

"It's always because of you Wil, you keep me upright. You take care of me even if I don't ask you to do it, because I'm my person and it feels weird that my brother is checking if I've drunk enough water or eaten enough food, for me at least. I am supposed to take that role, not you."

His twin simply looked back at his, a silent "Go on."

He felt tears well up in his eyes, "I love you. You're my brother, and no matter how annoying you can be, I know you'll be there for me, and I...". He couldn't help the hiccup that escaped his lips, he wasn't one to show his emotions, he was the stoic brother, the one who had to protect his family, not because he was the oldest, but because he was stronger than the rest of his family both physically and mentally. 

At least that's what he always heard. More when he wanted to be weak when he needed to be, he could always count on his twin, Wil to keep his secret, that when one needed him, the other would be there to lift him.

He felt a hand lightly squeeze his shoulder, the brunet stared back at him with a gentle smile. "And you'll be there for me." He finished, Techno nodded while he tried to compose himself and dry his tears with the back of his hand. 

Techno!

“Techno…” He heard his brother call, the cigarette butt thrown to the ground and extinguished with the sole of his boot. His twin pressed his forehead against his, something their father did with them to calm them down, to let them know everything was okay. 

"I forgive you..."

Techno, please-!

He sobbed, closed his eyes and smiled, taking in his brother’s scent, all he could smell at that moment was the smoke of tobacco and nicotine, and, flowers.

I need you to open your eyes.

When he opened his eyes, Wilbur was there, but his expression was somewhat different, cold, even numb.

“I’ll see you later, Tommy is waiting.”

"Then let's..." His twin grabbed his arm, making him stop in his tracks, he could only stare at him in disbelief, what was going on?

"Wil? What's wrong?"

"You should stay." 

As if by magic, Techno couldn't move in the direction of the forest, Wilbur let go of his arm and walked away. 

"Wil? Wil, this isn't funny." The brunet man ignored him again. "Wilbur!" he shouted.

Before his brother crossed the foliage, he turned in his direction, his eyes staring at him, then travelling to something behind him. His body froze as its presence was simply obvious at this point. 

"Wil?" his voice barely a whisper. The brunet looked at him one last time, eyes drained of all life returned to his gaze, no words came out of his mouth, nothing, and then, he simply turned away.

No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO, NO, NO!!

He could feel it hovering behind him, slowly, he turned around. And there it was, those empty sockets staring back at him, he could barely contain a whimper at the sight of the creature. 

This had to be a dream, it was so silly, he was in a dream. The creature used one of its talons to bring him towards it, enveloping him in its terrifying hug, it started cooing. It was trying to soothe him.

He simply froze, there was absolutely nothing he could do to escape. Why didn't he notice that the place he was with Wil was the same meadow where Dream gave him that stupid flower?

Techno, wake up!

“Fr-ien-d… Frie-nds…” He felt himself trembling with fear, a choked sob in his throat, not like this, it couldn't end like this. His family would find a way to wake him up, they had to.

He felt the creature take him in its claws, lifting him as if he weighed nothing, his fur was covered in blood stains and dirt, and his claws were mostly dark for the same reason. The creature howled, a sound he would never hear again, it reminded him a bit of what a loon sounded like, of course, if that loon was a large monster with a deep, gurgling howl, then yes, a loon.

Its strides were long and made almost no noise as he walked toward the center of the meadow, it kept trying to calm him down, but how could it? He was terrified, he was in the arms of a cursed creature that could kill him if he tried anything to escape. In his mind were the scars Wil showed him that night of his first encounter with Dream, Prime knew how much he prayed that he would never see him again after that night and that dream.

He kept his gaze fixed on his hands, anything would be better than being there, no dream or even nightmare was better for him. 

He desperately wished to not be in this hell.

The Dreamon paused, a purring in its chest, he could hear the grass rubbing against a body that was neither his nor the creature's, and suddenly, Dream spoke.

"Friend... New..." 

Techno raised his head, and the creature lowered it and brought him face-to-face with a guy. He wore white glasses on his head, he wore a blue shirt with the number 404 printed in a white rectangle in the middle of his chest, his pants had mushrooms printed on them, and he wasn't wearing shoes. If I had to guess, that guy was wearing pajamas. 

"Tech-no... Geor-ge... Friends... M-My..." The creature started hovering around them, and the guy, George he presumed, stared at him for a moment. It made him feel uneasy, was this guy a product of Dream? Was he another victim? Who was he?

"M'name's George, I'm not glad that we're meeting like this." The brunet offered his hand. 

He hesitantly took it. "Technoblade... same, I guess."

They received a squawk of approval from the creature, then Dream moved away and started digging, George grabbed his arm and led him a little further away from where they were initially.

"Listen to me Techno." Heterochromatic eyes met him, terror flooded his being. "You must get out of here, if you stay you will end up like me and so many others."

"But how? How can I escape? How can we escape?" He had completely forgotten that he was still crying, he didn't know at what point but his clothes were now his pajamas, the same ones he was wearing before he was a fool and argued with his brother and then passed out and fell into this world.

Geroge shook his head, eyes sad as he let go of the pinkette's arm. "I'm a lost cause Techno. I've been here for years, I'm not even sure if I'm still alive or not. This is Dream's world and he can have our consciences for as long as he wants."

Techno's breath hitched, what would happen to his body if he stayed in this world? How could he even escape if Dream had control over it? His heart hammered against his chest, his breathing turned laboured, George seemed to realize what was happening and hold him. "Breathe. You need to breathe."

Tears escaped his eyes again, this time they just fell to the ground, they didn't rise in the sky like the first time he met Dream. "Breathe." The brunet repeated.

George looked at where Dream was digging, the creature seemed busy enough not to notice them, then sat down and began to grunt and chuff as he did something. He had been here longer than the pinkette, but even he didn't know everything the Dreamon could or would do.

Techno took a moment until he regained his composure, George patted his new 'friend' on his back. He knew how difficult it was to be trapped in a place like this, he's been trapped for years now.

"That's it. Better?" 

The pinkette nodded, short gasps as he filled his lungs with air, he would be alright, as much as he could at least.

"How can we-"

"Escape?" 

He nodded, and the brunet frowned, a clear expression deep into his thoughts. "We need someone from the outside to wake us up. You live with your family I presume?"

It was his turn to nod. "Then they might be already trying to wake you! If not... I'm not certain of how could we escape..." 

Suddenly, there was a chuff from the creature, they ran out of time, George separated a little from the pinkette and made him a sign to keep quiet. He could do that, or at least try as far as the situation let him.

The Dreamon turned at them, its tail wagging and its empty eyes focused on both of them. "What is it, Dream?" The creature softly roared, turning once again to, whatever there was in the hole it just dug. 

"We'll talk later, for now, don't panic, you might see something too... vicious." 

Vicious? In what way?

Then Dream returned with two wreaths of flowers, all the petals were stained with blood. George took a step towards the creature first, letting the Dreamon place his gift on top of his head. He could see the internal struggle the brunet was having as he tried to hold back a retch from the small trickles of blood dripping from his crown.

Then the creature crooned to him, Techno looked to the other for guidance, the only response he got was a silent "You have to do it".

He took a step towards the creature, who placed the bloody gift on his head, the sensation was strange. He had had crowns on his head before, but none had ever felt like this. This one, of course, was bloody, but it had a mixture of soft and hard parts. Not like stems or petals, nothing like that.

"Do you... like...?" It cocked its head like a bird, empty sockets staring at him, at his soul. He nodded, drops of blood trickling down his forehead. The Dreamon gurgled, caressed first George's face, then his own, who bit the inside of his cheeks to stifle a whimper. 

He stepped out of the way, circling them, watching them.

He looked at the brunet and he could have sworn his stomach dropped. George's wreath wasn't made of flowers at all; muscles, organs, and different cracked and small bones intertwined to form a gory gift, a gift that he almost innocently hoped were real flowers.

He sobbed. 

He wanted to go home.