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It got really quiet in the house, sometimes.
He couldn’t really complain. He liked the quiet, he did. It just.
Got stale, sometimes. Boring. He was bored, that was it.
Bored.
He lay on his bed, legs crossed, hands underneath his head, watching the dust swirl in the afternoon sun that broke through his bedroom window. It was quiet, wasn’t it? As far as he knew, there was no one else in the house right now.
Phil was at work, he’d get home in an hour or so (if he didn’t stop to go grocery shopping, of course). Tommy was always with his friends- Tubbo and Ranboo and some other people, probably. Wilbur would probably be leading a band of college delinquents into an ice cream parlor and demanding they all spontaneously break out into song. They might agree to it, though- Wilbur was awfully persuasive.
A door slammed open, startling Techno. He couldn’t help but be annoyed at the stomping of at least two pairs of feet, and then nearly outraged when they both stopped at his door and slammed it wide open.
Speak of the devils and they will appear.
He at least had the dignity to ignore them, even when they started yelling over each other.
“He likes me better- Techno, tell Wilbur he’s an idiot and a-”
“Oh, shut up, you’re just mad because he knows that I’m cooler,”
“ You are not cooler!” an angry shout, and then a small scuffle, and Techno finally turned just as they both knocked into a tall laundry basket and knocked it over.
“Hey!” he protested, standing quickly, somehow now next to them- he was shorter than both, but he had time to grow. They were already stuck at their lame height, “That’s my clean laundry!”
“You and your laundry, come on, Techno- the floor’s not gonna ruin it-”
“It’ll wrinkle it,” Techno pointed out, but he really was fighting a losing argument, cause Tommy was already laughing.
“Whatever, Techno- big man, come on, tell Wilbur I’m right,”
“Right about what?”
“Ha! He sided with me!” Wilbur grinned, sidling up to stand next to him and propping his elbow on top of the Techno’s head. Techno huffed.
“Sided with you about what?!”
“He did not!” Tommy jabbed a finger in Wilbur’s face, “Techno, you didn’t, right? You’re with me? Right- we gotta band against him and crap, y’know- fight against tyranny!”
“Tyranny?!” Wilbur scoffed. Techno practically growled.
“About what?!”
Both his older brothers finally turned to look at Techno, both of them grinning their mischievous grins and-
-well, Techno knew what that meant. Nothing good. Usually something bad.
“Techno, lil’ bro, dude- you like me best, right?” Wilbur threw his hands in his pocket and leaned back, staring imploringly at Techno. Who was, of course, majorly suspicious.
“What is this leading up to?”
“Imma take that as a yes-”
“-that wasn’t a yes! He already agreed with me!” Tommy whined, and- if only to annoy Tommy- Techno rolled his eyes and stood a little closer to Wilbur.
“Just tell me what this is about,” and Wilbur laughed as Tommy spluttered his indignance.
“Tommy wants you to hang out with his friends-”
“- what?!”
That was an automatic no. It had to be- hang out with a bunch of seniors? A bunch of college students? Worse than that- his older brother’s friends?
Are you kidding?
He much preferred staring at dust.
Wasn’t he just complaining about the quiet, though? At least he wasn’t bored, now. In fact, something light bubbled alongside his irritation.
“Just for bit, Techno, please!” Wilbur pouted, and Techno had to look away from his stupid puppy dog eyes. For being the eldest sibling, he sure didn’t care about his dignity.
“Why?”
“They don’t believe you exist,” Tommy stated, matter-of-fact with a small smile, “Or they don’t think you’re what we said,”
“What does that mean?”
“Tommy went on and bragged about you-”
Tommy was frantic to cut in, “-because Drista couldn’t shut up about her little brother Dream! And so we, of course, knew that you were better- cause you are, Dream sounds like a dirt rat of a freshmen-” (quietly, Techno disagreed. He was friends with Dream, considered the boy to be at least respectable), “And I was completely honest! But she said that I’m a little liar- and Drista’s jerk-of-an-older-sister, Puffy, agreed- and said that you’re either a figment of my imagination or you’re not nearly as cool as I was saying-”
“She said I was a ‘figment of your imagination’?” Techno interrupted, raising an eyebrow. Wilbur nodded, confirming it. Then he bent down to whisper in Techno’s ear, purposefully turning his back to Tommy.
“And then Tommy’s face got all red and he swore like a damn sailor until Quackity bet money that you were fake.”
Techno couldn’t help but laugh at that, “Quackity bet money that I don’t exist?” Picturing the college freshmen, an angry, shorter man with at least a little more wit than Tommy, denying Techno’s existence? It was a little bit funny.
And maybe a little bit bitter, but in a funny way.
“So you want me,” Techno started slowly, “To come with you… so that your friends believe I’m real?”
Tommy nodded vigorously, “Yes, I’ll bribe you- ice cream, candy, I’ll let you borrow my clothes-”
“-yes on the candy,” Techno started, “And the ice cream, but your clothes suck. Honestly, that’s more of a threat than a bribe-”
“-hey!”
“Wait, wait, Techno, no- don’t listen to him,” Wilbur scurried in front of Tommy, so that their middle sibling was hidding behind the eldest, “Hear me out- don’t go.”
Techno raised an eyebrow, but didn’t disagree, and Wilbur grinned.
“Techno!” Tommy whined, drawing out his name, and Techno laughed a bit.
“Imagine Tommy’s face when he has to give money to Quackity-”
“But I’m right! I can’t give money to Qauckity, because he’s a jerk and I’m right, you do exist-”
“-how astute of you,” Techno’s voice was dry, and when Tommy glared he just grinned.
“I’ll do your chores,” Tommy finally said, but Techno only held his stance straighter. Waiting. Playing the long game, the smart game- Tommy may be older, and he may pretend to be smarter than Techno, but he knew when Techno held the upperground.
He let out the loudest sigh, “Here,” he grumbled, digging a hand in his pocket a pulling out a twenty dollar bill. Techno waited a second longer.
“How much is this bet to Quackity?” he asked, innocently, and Tommy spluttered.
“You little-”
“-It’s only fair,” Wilbur cut in, grinning, “You’ve gotta give up the money either way, Tommy. Either to Quackity or to Techno,”
Tommy’s face turned an angry red, and Techno’s smile widened just a little bit. “Fine, whatever,” he grumbled, pulling out more money- a total of $50.
“You should spend your money wiser,” Techno said, stuffing the cash in his front pocket. Tommy glared.
“Whatever- come on, now, you’ve made a deal.”
“Where exactly are we going?” Techno asked as he was pushed out of his room by Tommy, Wilbur trailing a second behind, trying to withhold his laughter, “And how many friends are there? And don’t make me talk to them- all I have to do is stand there.”
“Oh my god, you’re so lame, just get your shoes on,” Tommy stopped in front of the front door, and Techno rolled his eyes but complied.
“What exactly did you tell them about me?”
“Nothin much-”
“-he told them that you could bust their skull easily,” Wilbur interrupted, grinning when Tommy spluttered in protest, “And that you have a better fashion sense than any of them, and that your hair is better than Puffy’s, and that you could spar Dream and teach a class on ancient china at the same time and still win.”
“I did not say any of that!” Tommy shouted, and Techno just laughed.
“But it’s all true, isn’t it?” he said, smirking, even when Wilbur laughed.
His eldest brother’s hand mussed through his hair, “You wish-”
“Come on,” Techno grumbled, pushing Wilbur’s hand away, “You want me to look- fashionable for your friends, right?” He muttered, smoothing out his hair. It was bright pink and fell just above his waist, small braids littering the otherwise straight locks. The pink looked nice over his black leather jacket, he had to admit.
“Yeah, Wilbur,” Tommy agreed, grabbing Techno’s arm the moment he finished slipping on his shoes and pulling him out of the house, “He’s gotta be fashionable.” And Wilbur just laughed, walking to the car and slipping into the driver’s seat.
Tommy shouted immediately, “Hey, no! I’m driving!”
“You’re barely over twelve-”
“I’m seventeen!”
“You’re a child!”
Techno rolled his eyes, taking shotgun without much thought. Tommy yelled again.
“Oi, I get shotgun! I’m older than you so you have to sit in back,”
Techno stuck out his tongue and didn’t respond, Wilbur laughing, “Get in the back, idiot,” the eldest snarked at Tommy, and Tommy jabbed his middle finger in Wilbur’s face as a response.
“Whatever,” he grumbled, and Wilbur turned on the radio as Tommy got in the car. Techno would never admit it, but Wilbur’s music taste was actually good- better than Tommy’s, anyways, and definitely more extensive than Techno’s. Techno was more likely to put seven songs on loop for hours than put in the effort to find other good music.
“Wait- does dad know that I’m leaving?” Techno asks as Wilbur pulls out of the driveway, straining his neck behind him while Tommy pulls out his phone.
“Yeah, I texted him-”
“-you assumed that I was coming!” Techno protested, and Tommy laughed.
“Aw, does little Te-no-blade think he’s so mysterious?” he mocked, grinning. Techno glared.
“Strong words coming from you-”
“-what does that mean?”
“Girls, girls,” Wilbur cut in, “Stop fighting, you’re both pretty.”
Both turned their glare on the eldest, who just smirked as he turned up the music.
“How many people did you call over ?!” Wilbur shouted over the blasted music- and over the sound of wind as Techno had opened the windows.
“Most of our friends!”
“What?!?” Techno whipped around to stare at Tommy, and Tommy held up his hands in surrender.
“Not that many, I swear!” he yelled, “Just, like, a couple of friends! And some of their friends! And Quackity invited some other people because he was convinced that he was gonna win this bet!”
“What kind of bet is this?!” Techno asked, turning to face the right way as they pulled into a busier road.
“Fifty dollars!” Wilbur yelled, “And a jump in the river!”
“Just to prove that I exist?!”
“Don’t you feel special?” Wilbur grinned, and Techno just rolled his eyes. But he couldn’t help smiling a bit. It was funny.
“Quackity texted!” Tommy said, bending over to get closer to the front, “He says that he invited Schlatt!”
“Why would anyone do that?!” Wilbur protested, albeit jokingly. Techno shook his head- Wilbur and Schlatt were both on the debate team- always bickering- stupid arguments that verged on the edge of banter, but they liked faking their status as enemies. It usually ended in Wilbur coming home ranting on how stupid Schlatt was, only to go out and debate with him and a couple other friends the next day.
“He wants to watch me get dunked in a cold-as-hell river!”
“Watch me push him in!” Wilbur snapped back, but he was smiling.
“It’s worthless, anyways!” Techno added, “Quackity’s the one who’s gonna end up soaked!”
“Puffy and Drista are bringing Dream!” Tommy shouted, and Techno immediately perked up. Finally, someone who isn’t old and lame.
Wilbur grinned and roughly knocked his hand against Techno’s face, “We’re bringing the kiddos to a playdate!”
“I’m the one who’s getting paid to do this!” Techno protested, but his voice cracked midway through, and Tommy laughed.
“Stop bickering, we’re here!” Tommy shouted- the last bit was obnoxious as Wilbur had turned off the car (the music going with it), so he was basically just screaming in Techno’s ear. Techno glared at him.
“You’re so observant,” he said dryly, and Tommy laughed as he jumped out of the car. Techno did the same- with a bit less enthusiasm.
The destination was literally in the middle of nowhere- an abandoned parking lot that led into a forest, where the distant sounds of rowdy college students came from. The sun was hot, but the wind was chilly, so Techno pulled his jacket closer- the forest itself was giving way into autumn’s browns and occasional orange.
As they got closer, the sound of shouting only got louder- “How many people is this?” Techno asked, a little uncertain. It wasn’t that he hated his brother’s friends- most of them were actually pretty chill (not that he ever hung out with them, but he’d heard stories)- but he hated people in general. Especially strangers. Especially old strangers who thought they were young just because they weren’t thirty. Especially old strangers who didn’t act like strangers because they happened to be friends with his brothers.
“I think I’ve told you stories about most of them,” Wilbur encouraged, nudging his little brother’s shoulder a bit, “Dream, of course, you know. And Quackity, Fundy, Puffy, Drista, Tubbo, Ranboo, Charlie, Karl-”
“-did you invite the whole school?!” Techno spun around to stare wide-eyed at Wilbur, who shrugged sheepishly.
“I just have a larger friend group, is all,” Wilbur said, “They’re all nice. They won’t treat you awful-”
“-I don’t care about how they treat me ,” (although, that did calm some of the anxiety) “I care that I have to interact with that many people!”
“Think about wet Qauckity,” Tommy said, trudging forward through some undergrowth, “And the fifty dollars.”
Techno rolled his eyes- but could he really back out now? He’d have to give Tommy back the fifty dollars, and Tommy would mock him for months.
“It’s not actually that bad,” Wilbur murmured, throwing an arm over Techno’s shoulders and leading him forward, “You can sit in a corner with Dream after the bet, and then the rest of us will just be talking.”
“I’m not a baby,” Techno grumbled, shrugging Wilbur off (the dude was putting all his weight on Techno, come on, have mercy), “I can deal.”
“If you need to leave just tell me,” Wilbur said last minute as they stepped through the last underbrush, making it into a large clearing.
There were so many people.
Almost a party’s worth. They crowded and bantered and laughed and-
-no, Techno was fine. Don’t think about it. Don’t think at all, actually.
The clearing itself looked well-cared for, as well. A metal firepot was burning in the middle, a calmer group of girls talking over it- not to say they were calm, it was all relative. A group of guys pushed each other around near the edge of the clearing, where a steep hill made way into a fast-moving river- and yeah, the river looked cold. Freezing, actually; white water frothed at the edges, and Techno shivered just thinking about being pushed in.
He didn’t see anyone familiar- where was Dream?
“Started the party without me?” Wilbur asked, smiling as he jogged over to the rowdier group of guys near the river. Tommy went the opposite direction, toward a closer group of younger-looking people. Techno recognized maybe four people- Tubbo and Ranboo, and he thought the third person might be Drista- and near Wilbur, Techno could definitely recognize Quackity (what, with the one gold tooth and all).
“Did you bring him?!” Quackity asked after maybe a minute, and the clearing turned to watch in anticipation as Tommy strode over to the older man. A couple people laughed, a few others talked about exchanging smaller bets.
Techno couldn’t help but scoff just a little bit, even with the anxiety roiling in his gut- it was a little funny, all this money and these stakes just to prove that Techno did, in fact, exist.
“‘Course I brought him, bitch- c’mere,” and then Techno was the center of attention, and no, it was no longer funny.
Yes, he took pride in his fashion sense. Yes, he took pride in how athletic he was. Yes, he took pride in his leather jacket and his gold earrings; his pink hair and his strong but lethally graceful form; his ability to beat people up even though he was short (he had time to grow, he always protested). He took pride in all of that, except he couldn’t help but feel a little self-conscious when almost two dozen college students and some high school seniors turned to stare at him.
“ That’s your little brother?” Quackity asked, just as a shorter kid pushed through a small group of older teens.
“Techno!” Dream grinned, rushing over to meet him. Dream didn’t have much of a fashion sense, even Dream himself would admit, but he knew how to fight, and it was always fun to spar with the slightly taller teen. Plus he knew how to joke around, and Techno didn’t mind calling him a friend. He gave the blond a small smile, “I didn’t think you’d come,” Dream admitted, smiling. Techno rolled his eyes.
“What, with Tommy’s dignity on the line?” and then he paused (for comedic effect, of course), “He had to bribe me fifty dollars just to get me to consider it.”
“Wait- wait, wait- no, you were telling the truth?” Quackity’s voice cracked and got a little high-pitched, and Techno turned to face the young man, who was staring at Techno in surprise, “And he’s even got pink hair!”
“He means that in a good way,” a young woman- Niki, Techno thought, guessing from the pink hair and kind smile- said, nodding at Techno. Techno shifted his weight awkwardly, glancing at Wilbur, who stood near her.
“Why does your little brother have a better fashion sense than both of you?” A woman with white hair (Puffy?) asked, grinning. Tommy spluttered.
“Why does he have better hair than you?” he snapped back, and Puffy just grinned wider, huffing a bit in good fun.
“I’ll have to take the fall for that,” she admitted, giving Techno an approving smile. Techno may or may not have smiled back, he honestly couldn’t tell from how tense he stood.
“Oi, Quackers, get in the river!” Tommy shouted, jabbing a finger in Quackity’s face. Quackity jumped to intercede.
“Nope- no way. You said he could fight-”
Techno’s heart leaped in his throat, “-I’m not fighting anyone,” he said quickly, and Dream laughed next to him. Techno glared a bit.
“Come on, Techno-” Tommy rushed to stand in front of him, grabbing his arm, “Little bro, please- you love me, right? You wouldn’t do this to me?”
“No, you heard him!” Quackity shouted, “He’s not fighting! I win, get ready to jump!”
“Techno!” Tommy shrieked as Quackity pulled him away. Nearby, Tubbo cackled and Ranboo just shook his head. So much for loyal friends, “I’ll pay you more!” he said, and Techno hesitated.
Tommy latched onto that, sensing the opening, “Another twenty- no, thirty!” enough to tempt him, Techno had to admit. He was weak, sometimes.
“Who would I be fighting?”
Dream raised his hand, “I’ll volunteer-”
“-oh, that’s good,” Drista- a tall woman with brunette hair and a devilish grin- admitted, “Dream can beat me any day.”
Techno hesitated just a second longer, but then everyone was staring at him, and Tommy was begging him with his eyes, and Dream was a familiar person to spar with- whether it be with swords or with hand-to-hand combat, so…
“Alright,” he said, reluctantly, and maybe a bit nervously, “But I get to push Quackity in the river,” just for revenge’s sake. A bit of payback for indircetly shoving Techno into this whole situation.
“Deal,” Quackity said, almost immediately, “Granted you can beat Dream- and I’m calling your bluff now,” his gold tooth glinted when he grinned, “Dream’s a better fighter than I am, even when I pull out the better moves,”
“He means the dirty, underhand tricks,” Dream cut in, glancing at Techno like they were sharing a joke. Techno just stared back, confused.
“You’ve sparred him, before?”
“Another bet,” Dream shrugged, “Quackity’s big on those.”
“And yet he always loses,” Wilbur added from somewhere nearby, and Quackity spluttered.
“Big words from someone who can’t even eat a ghost pepper-”
“Strong stance for someone who refuses to eat sand-”
“-At least I’m not in love with a salmon!”
“You know just as well as I do that that was a bit!” Wilbur protested, and then Quackity laughed, and another man- Schlatt, Techno guessed- laughed from near Quackity.
“You’ve gotta come out of denial eventually, Wilbur,” he said, and Wilbur rolled his eyes.
“Don’t you guys go and take sides on me,”
“Guys, come on!” Tommy interrupted, “Hurry up, I’ve got a date to go to,”
Tubbo shook his head, raising his voice to be heard, “That’s a lie!” and then Wilbur was pushing Tommy lightheartedly.
“You’ll get a girl eventually, kiddo,” Wilbur cood, a bit (a lot) demeaning, and Tommy spluttered.
“Oi, just get to the fight!” he pushed away, and then (again) Techno was the center of attention. Dream raised an eyebrow and gestured for them to walk to a slightly clearer spot, where the rest of the group formed a loose circle around them, some of them chatting and other genuinely excited for the duel. Techno averted his eyes and slipped off his jacket- a black t-shirt underneath- throwing it against the base of a tree.
“Did ya’ bring your sword?” Dream asked, grinning when Techno shook his head, “Guess it’s just hand-to-hand.” And Techno found himself relaxing as the prospect of fighting drew closer. This Techno could do. He slid into his place easily, feet shifting below him, weight balanced but light. Maybe he was a bit too tense- but whatever. It came with the territory of fighting in front of a bunch of college students.
“Any specific style?” he asked, and Dream tilted his head.
“We could go for good old Ju’jitsu,” he said, “But I think…”
“Yeah, freestyle’s more fun,” Techno finished, and Dream grinned.
“Just get to it!” Tommy leered, and Techno rolled his eyes. He made eye-contact with Dream- brown eyes meeting green, measuring, testing each other- and then lunged.
They were evenly matched- Techno knew this, Dream knew this- but no one else did. So when Dream threw two quick jabs and Techno evaded both in a breath, and then Techno himself slid in front of Dream to hook his leg behind Dream’s and turn sharply, and Dream took the drop into a spin and used the momentum to kick high at Techno, and Techno pulled the leg with him as he took two steps backward, Dream spinning into the momentum and trying to wrap his legs around Techno’s torso, succeeding except that Techno hooked his arm under Dream’s throat and wrenched hard, and they both pulled away again-
-there was a volley of whoops and cheers, and a shuffling as people backed away, and some excited conversation-
Dream ducked in first, this time, side-stepping and throwing an elbow into the crook of Techno’s neck, who deflected with his arms firm in front of each other, sliding left, and shifting to kick at Dream’s stomach. Dream took the hit- shifting backward to lessen the impact, grabbing Techno’s leg and throwing as he moved, but Techno was already twisting and he let himself fall, arms braced on the ground as he whipped his legs in a wide arc over Dream’s, and now they were both on the ground- Dream twisted to hook a leg over Techno’s neck, Techno moved with it and spun so that his arm shifted over the leg and wrenched it at an angle- Dream’s upper body bucked, taking leverage on Techno’s legs, and he pushed hard enough that Techno was forced to face him, and Techno moved in quickly, crossing both their bodies so Techno’s leg could wrap under Dream’s right arm, wrenching so that his knee pressed against Dream’s throat- but this wasn’t a holdable position, which Techno knew, so when Dream braced his arms over Techno’s leg and pulled it sideways, pulling his body with it and separating the two of them, Techno was already tossing his weight up and using his hands behind his head to throw his body into a standing position. Dream did the same kip up a moment away from him, and they both landed facing each other. Neither of them hesitated to move forward again.
Dream throws a punch toward Techno’s face and tries to trap him with a jab, Techno weaving and moving into Dream’s personal space, ducking under his shoulder and hooking his leg behind Dream’s and then twisting sharply, where they both should’ve fallen but both of them spun out of the hold- neither took time to recover, Dream throwing a wide kick and Techno stepping into it, jabbing at Dream’s face- who lurched out of reach and weaved under, throwing his weight backward and trying to force Techno to the ground again. Techno bent his knees and hooked his arms over Dream’s body, throwing him (the group of people around them shouted and scrambled backward) sideways, where he landed and spun into a standing position, immediately turning to throw a fist at Techno. Techno was already moving, grabbing Dream’s shoulder and spinning himself over the blond, legs wrapped around his neck and throwing his weight backward, so that Techno would flip to land right-side up and Dream landed on the ground. Dream hooked a leg around Techno’s so he landed next to him, Techno already slipping underneath Dream’s knee, and Dream was moving to intercede-
-Techno pulled Dream’s legs sideways, wrenching the blond to the left- where Dream makes a mistake, pulling away from Techno instead of twisting around or finding other leverage. Techno’s legs find a way around Dream’s throat; pulls his knees tight and finds a grip on Dream’s calf, angling and pulling upward so that Dream’s throat strains against Techno’s hold. Dream’s legs wrap around Techno’s torso, but can’t find a way to his throat, and he bucks but Techno holds the grip, and-
Two taps against his knee; Techno releases immediately.
He stands, smiling a bit in good sport, reaching a hand toward his friend- Dream gasping a bit before smiling and taking Techno’s offer to hoist him up. Some students whoop and yell, Tommy especially- Wilbur looks impressed, Techno notes, smiling at his eldest brother. Both Techno’s and Dream’s chests are heaving, both of them panting with dirt all over their faces and clothes, their hair disheveled. Drista’s whooping, Puffy’s nodding approvingly- maybe respectively- and Niki’s grinning at him. Tommy’s cussing at Quackity, who swears right back, their words fast enough that Techno can’t catch a lick of it. Dream just pats Techno’s back and laughs.
“Come on, Techno!” Tommy shouts, “You get the honors!” and starts pushing Quackity, Fundy and Tubbo joining in as Quackity yells. Dream nudges him playfully forward, and Techno grins gratefully behind as he moves. Dream’s swept up into Puffy’s high-fives and Drista’s playful mocking, and Wilbur pats Techno’s back proudly as he passes.
Yeah, this was worth thirty dollars.
Better than sitting in bed and staring at dust. He wanted to laugh at the thought.
“No, no, no- come on, show a bit of mercy-” Quackity holds up his hands in wide gestures, and Techno just rolls his eyes.
“ You’re the one who insisted I didn’t exist,” Techno pointed out, raising an eyebrow as he stalked closer. Somewhere in the background, Dream shouted for Techno to ‘get ‘em!’
Tommy’s cheering the loudest when Techno pushes, and there’s a loud bout of cursing when Quackity lands, screaming and shouting like a dying cat. He climbs out of the river immediately- helped up by Fundy, who laughs at Quackity outright- but he doesn’t glare at Techno when he passes. He does splash water on Tommy’s face, though, and Techno can’t help but laugh.
Later, after they’ve pulled out marshmallows for the firepot (Tommy’s loud protests, “ We’re not too old for marshmallows!” when Techno had jokingly pointed out that he and Dream should have all of them), Drista walks right up to Techno and ruffles his hair, laughing when he stares at her hesitantly.
“That’s Drista, by the way!” Puffy shouts from over the fire, jabbing a marshmallow in their direction. Techno glances at Drista again, and she’s still laughing.
“I’ve gotta thank you, dude,” she pushes his shoulder jokingly, and maybe her smile is infectious, “You humbled my little brother so hard- it was beautiful,”
“You got her, as well!” Dream cut in, moving to stand next to Drista, “she lost, like, four separate bets.”
“Only three!”
“Oh, that makes it so much better,” Dream rolled his eyes, grinning at Techno, and Techno smiles right back.
“Oi, Drista-” Tommy butts in, marshmallow sticking to his lips, “-By the way,” and then he leans in close to whisper, “I told ya’ so,”
And Drista scoffs and pushes Tommy backward, and then he shouts because, “ You almost pushed me into the fire!” and Drista just laughs, and Puffy yells at them to be careful, while Wilbur shouts for Tommy to push her back.
Techno rolls his eyes, following Dream as he pulls them away from the firepot and closer to the river. A couple of other high schoolers- Dream’s friends who he invited, Sapnap and George, are wading in the shallow parts, laughing. Dream runs in to join them, and if Techno joins in- well, it’s too late for Wilbur to stop him, now.
The next day, in the morning when Techno gets a cold, Techno blames his older brothers- and Phil, in his perfect wisdom and justness, agrees and scolds Tommy and Wilbur for letting Techno swim in the river. Techno’s laughing the whole time, even when he has to text Dream that he got sick and won’t be in school today. Somehow, as he lays in bed and stares at the dust floating in the air, the silence is a little less lonely than before.