Chapter Text
Techno wakes up early. The sun barely peeks over the horizon, painting his room in a myriad of colors. The warm air blows softly through his open window, pushing his hair from his face.
This used to be an ordinary experience for him. Waking up early to prepare for his day.
A lot of old habits got left behind in the wake of obsession.
Tommy has been missing for two and a half weeks.
But today he can feel energy in the air. In his veins.
Perhaps it’s psychological. The anticipation of the full moon sits heavy in his chest, like it does so many others. Perhaps he’s just grown more in tune with his surroundings.
Or Perhaps he’s dreading tonight.
The only thing he can really define is that he is way too worked up.
He lets himself fall backwards into an old routine. He ties his hair into a neat braid, fingers moving on their own, working on pure muscle memory.
He grabs one of his real swords out of the back of his closet. It’s one he’s always liked, nicely weighted and ornate. It of course would be smarter to start with a classic fencing sword, considering how out of practice he is, but he can’t really bring himself to care.
The routine comes to him like second nature. He stands in the backyard as he runs through different techniques, sharpening his dulled skills and focusing his troubled mind.
At some point the slider door opens, and Wilbur joins him. Standing in silence as he finishes a particular set of moves.
“You're up early.” Techno comments eventually, barely sparing a glance.
He would have been perfectly content to sit in silence. Enjoying the company of his twin while he practiced, the only sounds being the wind, the waves and the swish of his blade.
But that’s not why Wilbur came out here. Something is troubling him. It’s become a common occurrence, the sadness permeating their lives.
“I didn’t know you were still fencing.”
“I haven’t practiced in a while.” He admits, returning his sword to his sheath.
“Are you.. Feeling jumpy?”
“Not particularly.”
“Oh..” Wilbur says quietly, looking away.
“Why do you ask?” He continues.
“I just have a really bad feeling.”
“Tonight’s a full moon.”
“It is?” Wilbur asks, eyes wide.
“You’re probably just worried about it.”
“I don’t think so. I didn’t even realize it was a full moon.”
“Maybe not consciously. But many animals react strongly to the moon. Humans are no exception.”
“Maybe you're right.”
He waits for Wilbur to finish formulating his thoughts.
“I just don’t feel like it’s that. It feels like somethings wrong.”
“What?”
“I don’t know what.”
“Is there anything you can do about it?”
“..No.”
“Then there’s no point worrying.”
“I guess..”
The slider door opens, and Phil’s head appears from it.
“Boys, breakfast’s ready.”
He glances over at Wilbur, who lets out a dramatic sigh.
He’ll have to fix this later.
The first week after Tommy went missing, people treated him like he was made of glass.
They hovered, threw out condolences when socially appropriate. He’d walk down the school's hallway and people would stare.
Now things were starting to return to a sort of normal.
People were starting to forget. They were settling into the new normal, the one where Tommy wasn’t there.
He wasn’t sure what he hated more. The pity or the apathy.
There was still one pair of eyes that lingered as he walked past.
It has been about a week since he’s spoken to Dream. They have just been drifting apart.
First, it was the obsession with the truth. With sirens. They talked less and less, as he had grown more and more consumed.
They had drifted pretty far by the time Tommy went missing.
Dream had tried so hard to be there for him. He helped organize search parties, he brought them dinner a couple times the first week, and helped them hang up posters.
Dream stood there with open arms.
But Techno was never good at emotions. And Tommy’s disappearance was something he didn’t know how to handle, let alone talk about.
So Dream stepped aside.
He didn’t want to lose him. His best friend.
He finds himself standing beside Dream’s locker before he even considers what he’ll say.
“Hey Techno. How are you doing?”
Life is going to keep moving forward, whether Tommy is there or not. As much as he hates that fact, he is going to have to move on eventually.
“I’m alright.” He pauses. This shouldn’t be awkward. This is his best friend. “Do you want to hang out this weekend?”
“Yeah, I’d like that.” Dream says, a smile on his face.
“Cool.” He says, heading back to his own locker.
It’s messier than normal. He hasn’t bothered to organize it properly. Weeks and weeks of haphazardly shoving books and papers inside and putting off sorting is starting to show.
He wonders if that missing piece in his chest will ever go away. If his life will one day feel normal again.
Right now, it feels like the world has ended. And no one else got the memo.
Techno stands out in front of the school, waiting for Phil to show up.
He watches as people pass by, caught up in their own conversations and lives. After two and a half weeks he has faded back into the crowd.
Sally walks through the gate bag slung over her shoulder. Techno’s pretty sure this is the first time he’s seen her neutral face. There’s no feigned interest or sadness. This is just plain Sally.
She catches his eyes and her face hardens. He resists the urge to look away. This is a challenge, a show of power, and he is not going to show any sign of weakness to her.
She keeps eye contact even as she climbs into her fathers car. He can still feel her cold gaze as the car pulls away.
He had once considered her a friend.
It was a long and dark road that led him there. To trust someone like her, who only cared about what other people can do for her.
It will sit within him as a reminder. That is the type of companionship he’ll find in obsession.
Someone who almost killed him for an inconvenience.
A car horn beeps, and he turns to investigate.
To his surprise, a familiar figure climbs out of the car.
“Mom?”
“Techno.” She wraps him in a warm hug.
He tries to break free. He isn’t one to care for reputation, but c’mon.
“Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
“I didn’t know you were coming back.”
“It was kind of last minute. I’m sure Phil didn’t want to get your hopes up.”
“Mom!” Wilbur chimes, throwing his arms around her.
“Hi Wil.”
“Oh, I missed you boys so much. How have you been?”
He can’t help but stare.
“Well, besides obvious things. Unless you want to talk about that! I’m here if you need. But I meant more positive things. Like, Wilbur, how are things with Sally?”
He takes a sharp breath through his teeth. Wilbur does the same.
“Ok, touchy subject. Why don’t we go home then? I’ll make you this new recipe I picked up in America.”
Surprisingly, Wilbur leaves him the front seat.
He’s happy to see his Mother, of course. But it’s just odd right now.
Their household is in shambles without Tommy. It’s barely held together, and she is a wild and dangerous addition to their already teetering stability.
She makes them dinner and fills in the catching up parts with her own adventures in America.
There hasn’t been a whole lot of good things happening to him or Wilbur. And Phil is consumed with worry.
And Techno knows the reason she’s back is because of Tommy. Because he’s been gone so long it’s looking as if he won’t come back.
And he knows she couldn’t just drop everything, not without losing all of her scientific credibility, but Tommy has been gone for two weeks. And Techno hasn’t even received a phone call from her since then.
It hurts a little.
Practicing with his sword is not nearly as scenic at night. He doesn’t turn on the porch light, not wanting to be disturbed, and there are many mosquitos out.
It doesn’t hold the same meditative qualities, but it burns off some of the frustration and some of the weird pent up stress.
The door slides open. Techno sheaths his sword.
“Hey.” Wilbur says, taking the initiative.
He wants to be alone. But Wilbur seems like the most tolerable person in the house currently, so he says, “Hullo.”
“Are you doing alright?”
“I’m fine.” he snaps.
“That’s a pretty aggressive tone for someone who’s fine.”
“How are you?” he asks, steering the conversation away from territory he’s not ready to cover.
“That weird feeling is still there.”
“I’m sure it is.”
“I have a request.”
“And what would that be?”
“Take me to Mako.”
Techno gives him an odd look.
“Look, I know it’s a strange request. But I have a gut feeling. Something bad's going to happen.”
“You have a gut feeling something bad’s gonna happen and you want me to take you to Mako during the full moon?”
“Just, go with it. Please.”
He sighs, loudly in hopes Wilbur will understand his exasperation, how bad of an idea this is.
But Wilbur takes it for what it is. An admittance of defeat.
He hadn’t wanted to go back inside anyway.
He can see the faint outline of Mako island from the docks.
Something about it seems different.
“You feel it too.” Wilbur says.
Mako always has a sense of Mystery. Allure and fear all in the same glance.
But something about looking out over the water draws him towards it.
“Mako has been proven to do some weird stuff on full moons.” He responds.
“Just trust me. Drive.”
The boat’s engine starts with a healthy rumble, and he sends it forward at a good speed.
The water is turbulent tonight.
Wilbur sits, in silence. It’s not awkward, it’s filled with uncertainty. With some sense of fear and anticipation.
Mako grows closer and closer, and eventually they can see light.
No, fire.
Smoke bellows upwards in thick clouds, creating an ashy covering over the sky.
Techno gives the boat more gas.
