Work Text:
"Tommy!"
Techno fell to his knees at his brother's side, fingers fumbling to grab him by the shoulders. Blood was spreading rapidly across Tommy's chest and soaking into his hoodie. Another streak of red escaped from the corner of his mouth when Tommy gave him a cheeky grin.
"I guess this is one way for us to find out, huh?" he said. His head tilted to the side a bit, Techno swore he could see tears building in his brother's eyes. "If only we'd known sooner."
Shaking his head, Techno pulled him closer. "You're not dying here, Tommy. You're not-" His sentence was cut off into an almost sob, throat too tight to get the rest of the words out.
"I'm sorry," Tommy said. His fingers tangled into Techno's sleeve, voice wavering and desperate. "I'm sorry, I should have tried harder."
"Tommy…"
"And cut!"
Techno kind of winced when all the lights on the set turned on at the same time. He hated filming scenes that were supposed to be set in dark warehouses or junk like that, it was terrible for his eyes. Especially with the lenses they made him wear for the action shots.
"Was that good?" Tommy asked, flopping back in Techno's arms to address their director and almost making Techno drop him in the process. "I thought that was pretty good!"
The director gave him a thumbs up in response. "We're taking five."
"Thank God." Techno did drop Tommy then, wiping his hands on a towel one of the set PAs offered him as he stood up. Fake blood was the worst thing in the world, it dried so fast under the warm tungsten lights and got all tacky.
"Hey!" Tommy yelled at him from the ground. "That's no way to treat your brother, jerk."
Techno just rolled his eyes at the dramatics, but did reach down to offer the younger boy a hand and help him up. And as he did so, he didn't try to dwell on how those words made his heart flutter unpleasantly in his ribcage. The cameras weren't rolling, but Tommy must be really into method acting. Obviously there couldn't be any other reason for him to say that.
After all, Techno and Tommy weren't actual brothers. They just played at it for the show.
Techno walked off the set and towards a couple of chairs in the corner. One of the makeup people immediately swooped in to touch up his foundation and make sure his hair was still pristine. With effort, Techno managed not to twitch while they were working - despite it easily being his least favorite part of filming. He'd learned to cope over time, but it was one of several reasons why he'd originally meant to work in theatre productions rather than cinema. Sadly, the life of a theatre actor was a starving one and Techno had to audition for things outside his comfort zone if he didn't want to end up giving up on his acting career altogether.
In the end, it paid off. The show he currently worked on was a massive hit, boosting him to world fame in the barely two years he'd worked on the production. It was titled 'Strange Relatives' and told the dramatic tale of a single father and his three sons trying to each separately juggle their secret identities. By day, the characters were a loving family. By night, they fought crime as vigilantes without the others knowing they were all doing the exact same thing. The plot was extremely convoluted, to be frank.
Techno loved it. What a joy to act out a narrative that made no sense at all.
"Are there any more action scenes planned today?" Techno asked as Tommy came to sit in the chair beside him.
The PA checked the script briefly, then shook her head. "No, I think those are all done for today. Phil and Wilbur are coming in later for those two domestic scenes we rehearsed yesterday, and we'll need to film some B roll for the heist scene next. But you're not using your powers during that."
"In that case, I'm taking these out before I go blind," Techno said. His character changed eye color when using his powers - from a mundane brown to a glowing red. While the glow effect could be added in post-production, Techno did wear red lenses during a lot of the action segments.
Tommy kind of cringed watching him fish them out of his eyes. "That's still freaky every time you do it," he said.
"Says the guy covered in fake blood. You looked great while you were dying, by the way."
"Didn't I?" Tommy was clearly proud of his performance. And for good reason, Techno would admit. The kid had been acting in movies since he was basically three years old and it showed. "We both did really fucking great. Twitter is going to blow up when the episode airs, the fans will lose it."
"I'm sure they will." Techno didn't really keep up with social media the same way Tommy did, just enough to know the ratings were good. He knew the show was incredibly popular - that they were incredibly popular. But that was it.
He picked up his reusable metal water bottle to have a drink before they were forced into the heat of the set again and watched Tommy do the same. Except Tommy had one of those plastic disposal ones probably bought by staff. Noticing Techno's gaze, Tommy frowned.
"Oh yeah, I broke my plastic bottle yesterday. Really stupidly though, I was walking down the stairs at night and missed a step. Hit my ass three different places on the way down. Don't tell Wilbur."
"That is stupid," Techno agreed, chuckling when it made Tommy puff out his cheeks.
"That's pretty rude of you considering I was about to invite you to my birthday party this weekend," Tommy said.
Oh right, Tommy would be turning eighteen on Saturday. Techno had almost forgotten.
"What kind of party?" he asked. The idea of being forced to attend a big, luxurious celebration in a mansion (or whatever it was that teen celebrities did for their birthdays) could not be less appealing to him, but also he'd hate to disappoint Tommy. Maybe he could just suck it up and power through it?
"It's just going to be us two, Phil, Wilbur, and Kristin," Tommy said. Techno tried not to outwardly show how relieved he felt on the inside. "We'll probably hit up an amusement park or something. Nothing too big."
"'Nothing too big'?" he echoed. "Who are you and what have you done to Tommy?"
Tommy near-pouted at him even more, taking another sip from his water. With his blue eyes and blond curls, it was no wonder he was America's sweetheart. The thought made Techno smile a little because he knew from firsthand experience how much of a gremlin Tommy truly was behind the scenes.
But a gremlin with a heart of gold, so Techno wasn't going to complain.
"What?" Tommy said, "Is there something wrong with me wanting to spend my birthday with my family?"
Again, Techno's chest felt tight and his fingers automatically clenched against the metal of his bottle. He swallowed, but it left a bad taste in his mouth.
"What about your parents?" he asked.
What about your actual family?
"They're out of town for a bit. We'll probably take a trip down to Mexico when the filming for this season wraps up." Tommy bent forward, excitement making his eyes gleam. "So, you're coming right?"
Techno nodded. "Yeah, sure."
It wasn't like he'd never hung out with his co-stars before. They'd spent a lot of time together on set and backstage during certain events, but they also sometimes met up outside of work. Just to grab a bite to eat or something. Techno had been to Phil's house and to Wilbur's condo.
He couldn't really pinpoint why Tommy's behavior made him feel so wound up though. That was something to discuss during the therapy sessions he could definitely afford but never went to.
"Cool! It's going to be sick." Tommy grinned as he hopped off his chair, throwing the plastic bottle into his now abandoned seat. "I'm going to get all this blood off again, see you in a minute."
Techno nodded but didn't respond.
That night, he opened his laptop and stared at a blank webpage for almost half an hour. It was Tommy's eighteenth birthday. That was a big deal, probably. Technoblade should get him something.
(For his own eighteenth birthday, Techno had picked up Chinese takeout on the way home from his part-time customer service job and eaten it alone in front of the TV. Back then, that was his idea of a fancy treat)
But what do you get for a teenager who's rich enough to afford anything he wants?
The internet was full of gift ideas, Techno scrolled through page upon page of them. All the things suggested were things Tommy probably already owned if he wanted them, or things he didn't own because he wasn't interested in them. Tommy had been on his first magazine cover by the age of twelve. He had enough money to buy an island by the time he turned sixteen.
What could Techno possibly give him that wouldn't feel lackluster or forced?
Sighing, Techno closed his laptop. Then he opened it again. He went to another tab, altering his method a little.
'Top ten gift ideas for your younger brother - never be the lame older sibling again!'
Techno's finger trembled over the mousepad. He felt silly, and really out of his depth, and a bit annoyed honestly. Was he even supposed to bring a gift at all? Maybe he could just treat Tommy to ice cream at the park and call it a day?
Techno had no point of reference for this stuff. He never had much of a family - his parents died when he was a kid and he had no siblings. He was raised by an uncle who never wanted kids and didn't bother much with being around. Techno moved out when he was still in high school.
He wasn't like Tommy, with a doting mom and dad who took every opportunity to proclaim to the world how proud they were of their son, who made it very clear how much they loved him. And he wasn't like Phil and Wilbur either, those two were literally family.
Techno was just kind of… there.
He rubbed at his stinging eyes. Between the lenses and the harsh glare of his laptop screen, they must have gotten irritated.
He couldn't disappoint Tommy though. With another sigh, he started scrolling down the page.
Techno had been outside for barely five minutes and he was already regretting his wardrobe choices for the day.
Fashion wasn't his thing - which was the main reason he had a stylist hired to dress him for movie premiers and similar events. Techno couldn't match a blazer with a pair of dress shoes to save his life. He always wore the same three hoodies in his spare time, usually with simple jeans and a pair of sneakers. As the sun shone down on him with a vengeance, Techno was definitely having second thoughts about the hoodie. At least his shoes meant he could keep up with all the walking he'd be doing today.
"Techno! Techno!" Tommy was waving his arms like a lunatic as if Techno could have somehow failed to notice his friends standing exactly where they'd agreed to meet. The boy was wearing a much more sensible t-shirt and shorts combo for this weather. The others also were dressed lighter to accommodate the heat.
Looking at them, they really looked like a family to a ridiculous degree. Well, Techno supposed that made sense since most of them were. Phil and Kristin had been married for over two decades, and Wilbur was literally their adopted son at the age of eight. And since Phil and Kristin had been friends with Tommy's parents for a long time, Wilbur and Tommy basically grew up alongside each other.
Techno could not feel more out of place.
(Really, sometimes he was scared that the only reason he even got his role on the show was because the writers thought having the older brother characters be twins would make for good potential drama down the line, and Techno did bear a striking resemblance to Wilbur. Maybe he was hired only because of a coincidence in genetics, and not for his 'talented acting' or 'natural dynamic with the other actors' like the directors claimed)
"Hullo," Techno greeted them.
"Techno, Jesus dude you're going to melt in that," were the first words out of Wilbur's mouth.
"Thanks for the concern." Techno had already bunched the sleeves up to his elbows. "At least I'm not wearing crocs."
"They're sandals," Wilbur practically gasped.
"They're crocs sandals and they're hideous," Tommy said.
"They're not?!"
"Nah, they're pretty hideous mate," Phil added.
Kristin nodded gravely. "I'm honestly hoping they fly off during a rollercoaster and we never find them again."
"Remind me why I'm even here?" Wilbur asked.
"Because it's my fucking birthday," Tommy cut in. "Speaking of, shouldn't you say something to me, Techno?"
"Oh right." He looked around. "Where's the bathroom? Because it was a two-hour drive and I really got to go."
"Wha- Techno!" Tommy punched his shoulder in outrage. Techno turned away from him while chuckling.
"Hey, hey, watch the backpack. Your gift is in there."
"You got me a gift?" Tommy asked, eyes sparkling. Any anger he held only a second ago immediately dissipated at the promise of getting a present.
"Yeah, you're not getting it until later today though."
They walked into the park. Techno had never been there and was surprised by how empty it was. Amusement parks were often related to big crowds, long lines, and mediocre food in his mind. This place might fly under the radar and be less of a tourist trap, that would explain the relative calm. There were certainly people - clusters of teenagers laughing loudly with their friends and young families with small kids - just not as many as he expected.
"So where should we head first?" Phil asked.
"I think that should be up to Tommy," Kristin offered with a small grin. "He's the birthday boy after all."
Tommy was already unfurling the map he had grabbed at the entrance, turning it around when it was upside down. "We should do some rollercoasters first to get our blood pumping," Tommy said. He squinted at the colorfully drawn layout. "This one?"
Wilbur nodded. "Sounds like a plan."
But Tommy just stood there, still frowning at the map as if it had personally offended him. An awkward silence had fallen over them.
"Uh, Tommy-"
"I'm looking," Tommy said, turning the map over again. "It's really hard to read these, you know?"
Wilbur pretty much doubled over from how hard he was laughing and the others weren't far behind. Even Tommy himself was smiling, but also kind of shrugging and manhandling the map so badly that Techno just took it from him. He couldn't watch this any longer.
"It's this way," he said and pointed down the path they needed to go.
"Cool." Tommy stood next to him and clapped him on the back happily. "As the official leader of this expedition, I hereby appoint you our navigator and my right-hand man. I know you would never steer me wrong, Techno."
"It's a trip through an amusement park, not an expedition into the jungle," Phil said with a grin as he walked past them in the direction Techno had pointed.
"Statistically you're much more likely to die here as opposed to in the jungle though," Kristin pointed out.
They wandered from attraction to attraction for a few hours, never having to wait in line for more than twenty minutes. It was fun, even if Techno was definitely overheating because of the hoodie. On most rides, the carts seated two people and Techno had the instinct to linger behind a bit. He didn't mind having to sit next to an empty seat (or share with a stranger. As long as he wasn't expected to make small talk with them). But both Tommy and Wilbur had a tendency of tugging him to stand next to them and insist they'd ride together. So in the end, they all took turns sitting alone on occasion.
After going down the log ride, Techno finally took off his hoodie because it was completely drenched. Wilbur laughed at the way Techno's long hair stuck to his face, getting in his eyes. He reached into his pocket and handed Techno a hair tie.
"Here you go."
Techno started putting his hair up into a bun, though he gave Wilbur a curious look. "Why did you have a hair tie on you?" Wilbur's hair wasn't short, but it wasn't long enough to really be put in a ponytail. Techno had never seen him do that anyway.
"Because you don't," Wilbur said.
"What?"
"You always forget yours. I see you messing with your hair when it gets in the way, it annoys you right? So I started carrying some on me." Wilbur pulled out several more hair ties, all bunched up in a ball in his pocket.
"Oh…" Techno said - not really sure how else to answer. "Thanks."
Pathetically, his mind couldn't help but point out this was probably the kindest, most considerate thing somebody had ever done for him without prompting.
And he was half-braced already for the joke Wilbur would make at his expense.
"No problem," Wilbur said and put a hand on his shoulder as they kept walking. Techno smiled to himself.
The next ride Tommy wanted to go on was some sort of haunted house type deal. Phil told them he was going to sit this one out, he wasn't big on being scared. Techno decided to stay with him. Not because he couldn't stand being spooked, but because he didn't want Phil to have to wait by himself. They sat on a bench together while the other three went off to do their thing.
"I'm really glad you decided to come with us today," Phil said at some point.
Techno looked up from his phone. "Hm?"
"I think we should do stuff like this more often. Quiet stuff, away from the crowds." Phil laid his arm along the back of the bench. Techno leaned against it a little. "That's the only way to keep sane in this business."
"You would know better than me," Techno answered. Phil had been rising in fame when Techno was still in diapers. Like Tommy and Wilbur, he'd started in show biz very young.
Yet another thing Techno didn't have in common with them.
"What's wrong?" Phil asked. Techno must not have concealed his expression very well.
"Nothing," Techno said. "Just… Nah, nothing."
For a moment longer, Phil studied his face. Then he reached up to ruffle Techno's hair, which was still wet from the water ride. "You worry too much, you know. It's not healthy for somebody your age."
Techno shrugged, but if he leaned into Phil's arm a bit more that was neither here nor there. "There's a lot to worry about."
"I know," Phil said. "If you need help figuring shit out, you know where to find me though, right?"
He looked at Techno again while waiting for him to answer, with nothing but sincerity and fondness. Techno picked at some loose lint on his jeans. The feeling inside his ribcage right now wasn't too far off from how he felt on those rollercoasters earlier.
"I do. Thanks, Phil."
Phil smiled and sat back again. Then two hands landed on his shoulder, gripping around his neck.
"Boo!"
The jumpscare was effective enough to basically have Phil jumping into Techno's lap with a high-pitched cry. Kristin laughed so hard she had to wipe a tear or two from the corners of her eyes.
"You're evil," Phil told her seriously.
"And you love me for it."
She pulled him in for a kiss, which prompted a loud gagging noise from Tommy.
"Gross, the parents are kissing!" He grabbed Wilbur's wrist in one hand and Techno's in the other, dragging them along. "We're getting out of here."
By the time evening started to fall, Techno was about ready for a nap. Walking around all day was exhausting and keeping up with Tommy's high energy would be the death of him. He was glad when they started to head towards the exit.
"Uh, excuse me…" A young girl of around Tommy's age nervously raised her phone in the universal 'can I have a selfie?' gesture Techno had come to recognize over the past few years. "I'm sorry, is it alright if we take a picture? I'm a huge fan. Sorry if that's not-"
"No, it's fine!" Wilbur said quickly, already gesturing her over. They were used to being interrupted in public spaces, but so long as people weren't rude or demanding, none of them really minded.
"Let me take it for you," Kristin offered, holding out her hand. The girl nodded gratefully, giving her phone to her.
The girl was kind of exuding a lot of nervous energy, clearly trying to keep her excitement contained. "I can't believe you're all here at the same time, that's like… incredibly lucky for me." They smiled for the picture, and then she gave them all a hug before heading off.
Jup, that was definitely a part of fame Techno would never quite adjust to.
Somehow, her being brave enough to approach them ended up causing a sort of domino effect of people coming up and asking for pictures. After about ten minutes, they could finally move on.
"Sorry about that," Phil said to Kristin sheepishly. She had been offering to play photographer the entire time.
"Are you kidding me?" she said cheerily. "I spend all day on the other side of the camera having my picture taken, it's fun to switch it up once in a while." She pulled her own phone from her pocket. "While we're here though, we should totally take a family picture for ourselves too."
She held the phone out for Techno to take.
He swallowed, rubbing the smooth screen with his thumb. Right, yes… it made sense Kristin would want a picture of her family when they went out together.
"Your arm is the longest so you're going to have to do the honors," Kristin told him. She wrapped her arm around his waist, pulling him a little closer - so they would all fit in the selfie together.
Techno found his smile for this picture was a lot less forced than it was when he was posing with fans.
As they were leaving the park, Tommy lagged behind to walk beside him. "Am I getting my gift now or what?" he asked. It was light, playful. But Tommy was bad at concealing his burning curiosity over the surprise. Techno pretended he needed to consider it.
"Hm, well-"
"Pretty please with a cherry on top?" Tommy asked. "I'll start to cry if you say no and you know how convincing my fake tears can be."
"And you know they wouldn't work on me," Techno answered. But he did open his backpack to grab what he had bought for Tommy. "I didn't wrap it, sorry about that. The shape is kinda weird."
Techno wouldn't even know how to begin trying to gift wrap the water bottle he had gotten. It was exactly the same one Tommy used to have, though in red instead of silver because red was Tommy's favorite color. Techno had also decorated it with various stickers related to fandoms Tommy was into, places he'd mentioned wanting to visit, and animals he showed Techno cute videos of.
'Gift idea #5: give something personalized, something that shows you know them and what they like'.
Tommy was staring at the bottle in silent perplexity, the lack of words between them dragging on to such an extent that it made Techno nervous. He shoved his hands down his pockets awkwardly.
"I know it's not really special enough for your eighteenth birthday but-"
"Shut up," Tommy said. He looked up at Techno with tears in his eyes. "Literally, shut the fuck up. This is the nicest thing anybody has ever gotten me."
"You don't need to lie," Techno said. "And you definitely don't need to fake cry." He hoped it would lighten the mood, but it only made Tommy sniffle.
"These are real tears, you jerk."
Techno blinked, taken aback. "What?"
"You really listen when I talk, don't you?" Tommy suddenly said.
And the way he said it too bounced strangely around Techno's skull. At least Tommy didn't seem to expect an answer.
"Seriously, thanks Techno." Tommy opened his arms and hugged him. Techno stiffly hugged him back, though Tommy didn't seem to mind his general air being akin to that of a skittish woodland animal.
"Yeah, happy birthday Tommy."
This whole family thing was definitely not Techno's forte. He simply never got a chance to experience it before, though acting it out on screen had become second nature. He still didn't think he was any good at it.
But maybe given some time, he could learn.