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Tired doesn't even begin to describe Techno as the spring semester creeps upon Southwood High. Granted, all of the seniors are feeling overworked but, as the lead-valedictorian, and class treasurer, as well as volunteering on the weekends at the library, plus his friends and their activities and family functions and maintaining his perfect GPA, tired is a laughable adjective for his life. Stretched so impossibly thin, he doesn’t think he can maintain the momentum he has built up. And it shows, in heavy bags under his eyes, constant cups of coffee and energy drinks, a less than pleasurable mood. He’s snappy, tired and so hyped on caffeine his friends have noticed. Surely they have.
If they feel the same, overwhelming pressure and expectations as Techno, they aren’t showing it as easily as he does. He can hear Wilbur’s keyboard clicking through the night, working on essays and applications. Hears the soft singing as he works through his theater work as a junior director. Aside from that, the Senior Student Council group chat has grown to be the most active in the middle of the night. Having to coordinate meetings around sports, jobs and clubs, they often just have the meetings on call in the middle of the night, because they never have spare periods. Any and all time is devoted to something else, be it school work, college essays, or even just resume building.
It was such a meeting in mid February, as Prom began to go underway. They were on a call, to discuss the preliminary requirements to host Prom. Budgeting, theme discussion, planning for future meetings, et cetera. It was barely 1 in the morning and Wilbur and Techno were sitting on Wilbur’s bed, not seeing the point in being on separate calls considering they lived in the same house. Both twins were drained, and they still had more to do that night, given the textbooks on Wilbur’s desk, and the pile of papers on Techno’s desk on the opposite wall.
“What’s something that we can do, as a class to help boost morale. I️ don’t know about you guys, but I️ want to just drop out because of the stress.” Wilbur asked, laying his head on Techno’s shoulder as they steered the conversation away from Prom. They had a list to run by the junior class, and they could vote from there, as well as the budget for the event planned, with some spare for a rainy day fund.
“We could do a field day? Set up little events like a balloon toss, four legged race, dunk tank and all that? It would help with Prom costs too.” Dream suggested. Dream, given all his popularity and prowess in the athletics department, was not on the Student Council. He was offered the position, but declined. George however, was on the council as Vice President to Wilbur. Tonight, the brunet was staying with Dream tonight, so the blond athlete was also contributing to the conversation when necessary.
“Well, we have the Prom budget covered and will be totally okay with that.” Techno said, looking at the budgeting document he had maintained for the last couple years he’s held the treasurer’s office.
“Would a field day eat into the budget, Tech? We'd have to rent a couple things for this and it won't be cheap. Especially because most field day attractions are rented by the hour, and that racks up.” Alyssa chimed in, clicking her pen. She was the secretary, and often maintained the schedule for the meetings, and kept meticulous notes during the meetings.
“It would be pushing it. But we could always fundraise or even just have an attraction cost something. Like for the dunk tank, it could be three tries for a dollar.” Techno offered, running some base numbers for a rough estimate of costs for a field day.
“There’s a carnival coming to town in the next month or so. Maybe we offer discounted tickets to attend for seniors during a school day. That gives us a mental health day, and it also saves some money. Usually, carnivals do discounts for bulk tickets.” George said, sending a picture of the advertisement through the group chat. A bright red and gold flyer floated on Wilbur’s phone, and both twins looked over the carnival flyer. It read:
The Pickett's Traveling Carnival, coming to Southwood!
Fun games and attractions for all ages!
Coming to town: April 21-26th!
Tickets starting at $5/child and $10/adults!
A little blurb for more information on the website was written in flowery print at the bottom of the flyer. It was bright, colorful and Techno craved the stress relief the day would provide, given they could pull this off. Alyssa’s loud gasp brough Techno’s attention back to the present. ‘ Right, phone call. This is just an idea’ Techno reminded himself.
“Ooh, that would be fun! Plus, it’s far enough away where we could strike this deal, and alert the seniors. Make it our Senior Skip Day, too. Administration can’t get too upset if they agree to it.” Alyssa said.
“Great! I️ can write something up tonight and bring it to the staff tomorrow to propose the idea.” Wilbur said. Techno narrowed his eyes at Wilbur. His brother already had a large plate of stuff due in the next 6 or so hours, he definitely didn’t need to add a proposal plan into the mix as well.
“Or I️ can type it and bring it to you tomorrow.” Dream chimed in quickly.
“Dream, you don’t have to do that.” Wilbur protested, sitting up. Techno rolled his eyes.
“Wil, you have a math textbook with like 25 questions, it wouldn’t kill you to delegate it to Dream.” Techno said, giving his twin an unimpressed stare. Wilbur leveled him with a similar look.
“You say that like you don’t have an English essay and a history paper, not to mention your mythology project.” Wilbur tattled. Techno glared at his brother, before rolling his eyes. So what, he took on a heavy workload for enjoyment. How was he supposed to know they would all assign multitudes of homework at the same time.
“And that’s why the rest of us are only children.” Alyssa laughed, breaking the staring contest both teens were having.
“I may be sleep deprived, but I'm pretty sure you don’t get to pick whether or not you're an only child or not.” Laughter crackled through the speaker as the other callers laughed at Wilbur’s deadpan delivery, akin to his twin’s monotone speech patterns.
“Okay, well is there anything else we need to discuss?” Alyssa asked. After a collective “no”, she ended the call and sent them the document of her meeting notes, meticulous as always.
“Alright, well I have to at least begin one of my three assignments tonight, and you have math homework. Goodnight Wilbs.” Techno yawned, sitting up and detangling himself from his twin.
“Yeah, goodnight Techie, sleep well.” Wilbur yawned as well, and they departed for homework. Techno felt his phone buzz as he settled into his desk chair to start working away at his history paper. Something about colonialism and how it affected the trade market of the word at the time. Also known as, the most boring topic of Techno’s three assignments currently. Best to get it done now, before he procrastinates on it for the two weeks he has to write it. He spared his phone a glance, to check what the buzz was and saw a text.
Dream - 1:37 AM
Hey tech, if you need help with homework, my phone’s always on :)
Techno smiled, appreciating that Dream took the time to actually check in while not being direct about it. He tapped out a quick thank you and began typing out the rough draft for his history paper.
He hit the hour mark after two and half pages and had most of it outlined, and decided to try and attempt similar progress on his English paper before a tap on the wall startled him. Something he and Wilbur started doing, when they got separate rooms, was little taps on the wall they shared to communicate. Originally, it was a way to stay up talking without waking Phil or Tommy, but now it was a way to check-in when one was stretching themselves too thin. A precise four tap rhythm followed by a fifth tap after a beat of silence. Are you okay?
Techno thought about lying, and saying he was okay or even just ignoring the taps but he knew Wilbur would double check on him, if the taps went ignored. So he tapped out two short taps, before dragging his nails in a circle on the wall, loud enough Wilbur could hear the scratching. Their signal for No. which was different from a plain no, which was just two taps.
“No.” with a period meant that he was not doing good at all, and he didn’t precisely know how to fix it. Something that was added once they hit middle school, which triggered Techno’s anxiety to surface, after multiple panic attacks in the middle of the night, they added “No.”
A buzz on his desk alerted Techno to Wilbur’s incoming text.
Wilbur - 2:32 AM
What’s wrong?
Techno - 2:33 AM
everything. School, homework and life. I may have to drop our social gatherings because school is stressing me out, and i don’t want to stop being around you guys, but i can’t forfeit my gpa
what do i do wilbur?
Wilbur - 2:36 AM
I’m sorry techie
I know how much your gpa means to you, but you could always tell the gc that school’s bogging you down? And they all know that we all support each other, so they would gladly let you lean on them for support. I know Dream does that a lot more now.
Just don’t cut us off, like dad, tommy and I. especially me.
Techno - 2:38 AM
Do you think so? It feels impossible to cut something out, to ease stress. Like i can’t drop my volunteering because it’s great for applications, and scholarships. Can’t quit school, for obvious reasons, and it’s too late to drop a class.
And i like our friends, and i wanna be able to chill at Dream’s on the weekends, or relax at the quarry but there isn’t enough time in the day when every class assigns a minimum of 1 hour of homework a night.
Wilbur - 2:40 AM
Have you talked to guidance or dad? They could help you with it
Techno - 2:40 AM
No time. Well, aside from dad. But he has so much other stuff happening, i dont wanna pile on
Techno watched the little bubbles blink while Wilbur typed, before they disappeared and Wilbur barged in. Techno rolled his eyes at the dramatics, but scooted away from his desk to let Wilbur talk.
“You know that that is their job right? Guidance is supposed to guide you and help you with school troubles. And Dad would drop everything, to help you. You know that.” Wilbur said, crossing his arms. The glare would have been more effective, if Wilbur wasn’t swaying slightly from exhaustion.
“Wilbur, you are about to pass out. Let’s just leave this for tomorrow.” Techno sighed, standing up. His vision went blurry, before it cleared. He was gripping his desk tightly, and Wilbur’s hand rested on his shoulder, supporting him.
“So are you. C’mon, let’s just crash here. You and I both know that neither of us will make the trips between our rooms, without waking up Tommy and Dad.” Wilbur said. Techno nodded and he crashed onto his bed, pulling Wilbur with him. They hadn’t shared a bed since they were, maybe 5 years old at the latest. The two twins shuffled until they were both under a blanket, before dozing off.
The next morning, Wilbur and Techno awoke feeling slightly more rested than previous days. After going about their morning routines, Techno skipped braiding his hair and threw the long locks into a messy bun on top of his head. After winter break, the subject of breakfast had changed. Normally, all three would be downstairs eating cereal, or toaster waffles, while Phil fixed his coffee. Then they would depart for school, and go about their days. Now, Techno was lucky if he could sit down before rushing off to school for his early morning meetings with teachers, or just squeezing in a couple minutes for breakfast with Niki and Eret, should they be available. Tehno rifled through the cabinets, looking for a granola bar to scarf down before leaving.
“Techno, why don’t you sit down and eat today?” Phil requested, a worried tone permeating his request.
“Can’t, sorry dad. I have a meeting this morning, so Puffy will be here in like two minutes.” Techno said, finding the granola bars and unwrapping it. His father frowned, and Techno heard the honk of Puffy’s car.
“Son you need to eat.” Phil said.
“I will, but I have to go.” Techno said, rushing off towards the front door and leaving with haste.
He collapsed in Puffy’s passenger seat, and buckled in. The sophomore gave him a smile, and passed him his usual breakfast request. A coffee cake muffin, and an iced coffee with cream and caramel drizzle.
“Thanks Puffy, you are a lifesaver.” Techno sighed, digging into the muffin. At the bottom was another package.
“You’re welcome. Eat up.” She said, pulling off to drive. She turned the radio up, and began to lightly hum along to the music flowing through the speakers.
“What’s at the bottom?” Techno asked, picking the muffin apart and popping the bites into his mouth.
“It’s a breakfast wrap. You need more than coffee and a muffin.” Puffy explained, unsympathetically.
“Who put you up to this?” He asked, slightly amused. It couldn’t be a coincidence that his dad was requesting him to eat more than a granola bar for breakfast, and then Puffy buys him something else with his breakfast.
“No one, but I’ve driven you all week, and I’m just looking out for ya.” She said plainly. Techno hummed but continued eating his breakfast, thanking her quietly.
“No problem Techno.” She said, and dropped him off. Techno ate at the breakfast wrap on his way to his meeting, and felt better after his actual breakfast. His meeting was helpful and he had a better idea for his mythology project after it. He headed to his English class after his meeting to get started on his English paper, since he couldn’t get the headstart he wanted last night. He kept getting distracted as the group chat awoke, with a new name, despite a name change not filtering through the notifications.
Bitches Get Stitches- 7:43 AM
Callahan - 7:43 AM
George if you do not stop kicking my seat I️ will punt you.
George - 7:43 AM
that’s not me, it’s sapnap!
Sapnap - 7:43 AM
it’s not me!
Callahan - 7:44 AM
i will break your kneecaps.
BBH - 7:45 AM
??? what’s happening o.O
language.
Callahan - 7:45 AM
One of your gremlin children is kicking my seat and i will just leave them on the side of the road.
BBH - 7:45 AM
Dream, Sap and George aren’t my children…
Callahan - 7:45 AM
the fact that you know who I️ was referring to says otherwise Mr. Aylo.
GEORGE!
Dream - 7:46 AM
I️m not even in the car tho
Im with Phil, Wil and Tommy
Wilbur - 7:47 AM
facts
sorry techno you’ve been replaced
:/
Tommy - 7:48 AM
YEAH BITCH!! HAHAH
BBH - 7:48 AM
language Tommy.
also who changed the chat name?
Callahan - 7:49 AM
That’s asking to get in trouble.
Sounds like a trap.
Dream im hurting your friends.
Dream - 7:50 AM
rip
ill grieve you both
George - 7:50 AM
DREAM!!
Sapnap - 7:50 AM
DREAM!!
Techno snorted as the messages came instantaneously from the blonde’s best friends. He muted the chat and refocused on the essay. He had one word, and it wasn’t even spelled right, much to Techno’s annoyance. He corrected the error and moved forward with his paper. He continued typing, thankful when the teacher alerted him they would spend the class working on the essays.
Techno was relieved and continued working, as everyone else filed in and settled at their desks. He plugged headphones in and quietly put on some violin music. The period went by within a few pieces and Techno had made significant progress on his paper, and dabbled into his history paper as well. With Motzart’s “Violin Concerto No. 1 in B Flat Major” trilling through his headphones, Techno made his way to second period History, conveniently enough.
He was not as lucky as to have in class time to work through the essay, as they began to cover the unit material more in depth, with a possibility of having 20 minutes towards the end of the class for working on their papers. As the history teacher began the long, tiring spiel of the PowerPoint presentation prepared. Techno sighed, and began taking notes as required, feeling drained already from the first two periods.
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As the school day neared to a close, Techno was dragging, having a headache and more homework piled on top of his pre-existing homework. It was exhausting, and Techno had lost the confidence he had in maintaining this speed. He climbed into Phil’s waiting car, and slouched down in the seat with a heavy sigh.
“Everything okay Tech?” His dad asked, looking back at his eldest with concern prominent in crystalline blue eyes.
“No, I’m exhausted and they keep piling more and more.” Techno sighed, frustrations building with each passing class.
“Anything I can do?” Phil asked, as Wilbur and Tommy approached with Tubbo and Ranboo in tow.
“Tech? Are you not coming to the meeting today?” Wilbur asked, peering in. Techno gave him a confused look, before pulling out his phone, which had a plethora of messages. The Student council had managed to get an hour slot for a meeting with the Principal after school, which Techno was seeing now.
“I’ve had my phone on silent all day, so I didn’t see it. Gimme a second to breathe and I will be right there.” Techno sighed, slumping down. Wilbur nodded and turned back to the building. Techno huffed and sat up, before the world spun for a second. Blinking the spots away, Techno got up and joined his twin in the office, preparing for the meeting to come. Alyssa was already there, writing in her notebook and George was texting, an annoyed expression the brunet usually wore around his rambunctious best friends.
“Oh, you found him!” Alyssa said, looking up at the twins entered.
“I didn’t have my phone on, so I missed the text.” Techno explained, pulling up his word processor app and began working on the history essay while they waited. They were pulled back after ten minutes of waiting.
“He’ll see you guys now.” The secretary said, escorting the group of four to the office. The principal was seated behind his desk, and had a pleasant smile on his face.
“Hello seniors, how can I️ help you four?” He asked, folding his hands on the desk.
“We wanted to see about perhaps having a Senior Day, to allow the seniors to enjoy a day at the carnival coming into town, instead of holding a senior skip day. We were also wondering if it would be possible to get in contact with the carnival and see about reduced ticket prices through purchasing at school.” Wilbur said, taking charge as Class President and wording the proposal Dream had written to increase their chances of success.
“Hm, interesting. We can certainly see about this. When were you planning on having this event?” The principal asked, looking at a calendar.
“We were thinking, the Friday of the week the carnival was in town. If you can’t give us the school day, Saturday would be fine as well.” Wilbur said, showing the flyer dates on the calendar.
“Well, Friday is a school day but if you can get the carnival to give a school discount, and sell at least 100 tickets, I will allow Friday to be taken off. But, you have to meet those requirements.” The principal said, issuing the challenge.
“Thank you sir.” Wilbur said, and thus they were dismissed. As the group of four exited the office, they stopped by the benches, which Techno gingerly sat down. His head was spinning slightly and he was waiting for the dizziness to pass before tuning into the conversation.
“...that sound good Techno?” George’s voice broke his concentration and the pink haired senior looked up.
“I’m sorry, what?” He asked, having missed the conversation.
“Alyssa is going to get in contact with the carnival people, and Wilbur was gonna start working on flyers. I was wondering if you wanted to catch a ride with us to Dream’s, for movie night. We are also having a study night before dinner.” George said, nodding to where the blond was leaning against Alyssa’s car, nose in a book while he waited. Techno hesitated, knowing he had a lot of homework, and was exhausted. But he nodded.
“Sure, sounds good.” Techno said, and stood up. The black dots appeared for a brief second but his vision cleared faster this time. They walked across the parking lot towards Alyssa’s car, and Dream raised a hand in greeting. He put the book into his bag and climbed up front, allowing Wilbur, George and Techno to squeeze into the back of Alyssa’s little Honda.
“How did the meeting go?” Dream asked, when the five teenagers settled, and Alyssa was pulling out of the parking spot.
“He said if we could get a discounted price, and at least 100 tickets sold, and he would let us take off Friday, if not then it’s Saturday.” Wilbur sighed, running and hand through his curly hair. Tossing his head to the side, he caught Techno’s eye and quirked an eyebrow at his twin, mouthing “you good?” over George’s head. Techno shrugged and mouthed back that his head hurt and was slightly dizzy. Wilbur leveled his brother with a look, before texting him, in an effort to not draw attention to Techno, who looked like he would rather die than be confronted with his overbearing friends.
Wilbur - 3:45 PM
Did you eat today?
He watched as Techno pursed his lips, and thought for a second. Wilbur sighed softly, and tapped out another message.
Wilbur - 3:46 PM
Techno. You HAVE to eat more than just a granola bar. You are eating something when we get to Dream’s. Don’t fight me on this, or I will just tell everyone right now.
“You wouldn’t.” Techno scowled, glaring defiantly at his twin.
“What Techno?” Alyssa asked, confused. Glancing in her rearview mirror, she saw both brothers having a standoff, with poor George in the middle, looking slightly uncomfortable and confused by the standoff he was now inbetween.
“Nothing, just Wilbur being a dick.” Techno said, and turned away, pulling out his history book to go over his notes.
“Careful Techno, don’t wanna be bored before movie night.” Dream joked, trying to ease the tension.
“Actually, I'm not feeling too well, sorry but can you drop me off at home?” Techno asked, glancing over to Alyssa. She frowned but nodded, changing course to take Techno’s house.
“Everything okay Tech?” Dream asked, concerned green eyes peering at him. Techno shook his head but didn't say anything. Dream sighed, and nodded. The ride was unsettlingly quiet as Techno forcibly read his history book, ignoring the concerned glances in his direction. Each one grating on his nerves until the car stopped at his house. He clambered out, bid them a tense goodbye and practically ran into the house.
Tommy, Tubbo and Ranboo, or the Freshman Four, looked up in alarm when Techno stormed into the house and ran to his bedroom without a word of greeting. Phil peered his head in, at the slamming doors with a questioning look.
“What was that?” he asked, booking around confused.
“Techno came in here, mad as fuck and stormed to his room.” Tommy said, perplexed and annoyed. Phil’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
“I’ll ask him about it later, when he’s cooled off. No sense in making him more upset.” Phil said, frowning. He turned back to his office and gently closed the door, continuing his work.
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Despite his anger and frustrations, Techno collapsed on his bed sobbing when he got to his room. The weeks of stress, mounting expectations and babying he had received had reached its breaking point and the emotions swelled out of him. A tidal wave headed to his heart, and crashed through his lips as he sobbed. Hot, angry tears leaked from his eyes as his emotions flooded the soft cotton of his pillows. The garnet sheets splotched with his tears, evidence of his emotions stained into the pillows as his heart thudded with regret, fear and sadness.
Him and Wilbur rarely fought, if ever. They squabble like any siblings, and could be cruel but it was forgiven in due time. But never, in the 18 years they had been raised together had something of this magnitude happened. Techno was the calmer, level-headed twin. He didn’t do dramatics. That was more Tommy’s speed, with the careful coddling of Wilbur’s theater work and Tommy idolizing the younger twin growing up.
They didn’t fight, that was the point. And Techno didn’t know if this counted as a fight, but with the hurt evident on Wilbur’s face, and the strings of apologies clogging their text thread made the guilt claw and eat away at the facade of walls he had hastily built with each mounting day of homework and stress.
His sobs whimpered into little coughing cries before exhaustion settled heavily on his thin frame. If Techno was tired before his breakdown, he was one step away from passing out now. With no energy to begin tackling the mountain of homework in his bag, Techno fell asleep.
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It was closer to 7 when Phil checked on Techno. His eldest hadn’t come to dinner, or read the texts Phil sent him about dinner, or talking afterwards. Same with Wilbur. He hadn’t been able to get answers from his middle son either about what had happened after school. Getting worried with the ongoing silent treatment from both of his sons, he ascended the steps to check Techno’s room. He lightly rapped on the door, and when he was greeted with silence, tested the handle. Seeing it unlocked, and with an unhealthy amount of fear for the worst, cautiously opened the door.
The light was off, the school bag unpacked and laid spilled on the floor. The teen himself was curled on his bed, sleeping. Phil’s heart cracked seeing the dried tear tracks on his son’s pale face, and the drying spot on the pillow clutched in Techno’s grip. Phil sighed, and brushed the pink strands away from Techno’s face, and laid a soft kiss on the teens temple. He laid a blanket over his son’s sleeping body, and left him to rest. They could talk in the morning, for sure.
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They didn’t talk though. Not the next morning, or the morning after that. Techno avoided his family like a plague. His phone stayed on silent and messages went unanswered from everyone. He walked to and from school, barely eating and hardly talking. He just buckled down and finished his work. Assignments were turned in early, and completed far before most others. It wasn’t until he hit the fifth day of his solitude that someone took direct action. His window was opened, and a dainty figure stepped into his room. With her new shoulder length pink hair, and a pissed off expression, Niki climbed up and stood with her hands on her hips. Techno hardly paid her any attention, elbow deep in his Calculus homework.
“Go away.” he said, voice grating from the disuse. He cleared his throat and sipped some water before returning to his work.
“No, absolutely not. You and I need to talk, Techno David Watson. Now.” She said, no nonsense tone. Sighing, Techno turned to face her.
“There’s nothing to talk about Niki. I am busy.” He said, before turning back. This angered her. It may have been nearing two in the morning, but she slammed her hand on the desk, and glared at him.
“Don’t give me this bullshit Techno. This is an intervention.” She said.
“The dramatics aren’t needed, or appreciated, Niki Hachu.” Techno drawled, looking at her. She grabbed his ear, much to his annoyance and was forced into following her downstairs. Despite the late night, most of his friends were there. Crowded in the living room with his brothers and dad. They were tired, obviously but had determined looks.
“What’s this about?” Techno asked, confused.
“We're worried about you Techno. You don’t hang out, you don’t text or talk to us. What are we supposed to do, cause you’re our friend and we care about you.” Dream said, arms crossed.
“I’m busy, and I’m sorry but I can’t sacrifice everything now. I’m sorry but I am doing my best. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have like two more pages of calc homework to complete before I can go to bed.” Techno said, trying to leave.
“Son, wait. We need to have this conversation. It’s really important for you to take a break. I️ know you have your goals and your own plan for your future, and I️ will always support your decisions, except this one. It’s not healthy to just cut everyone off. And I️’m sorry if I️ haven't reached out or helped as much as you needed me to, and I️ can do my best to do so in the future, but you need to talk to me son.” Phil pleaded.
“We’re here for you, idiot. And we care about your happiness so just let us help you.” Dream said, frowning.
“Yeah, well maybe I️ don't want your help. Have you ever considered that Dream? I️ appreciate you all, but this isn’t something I can just have a heart to heart with you guys and everything will be okay. I️ have a lot of homework, and while I️ will try to take better care of myself, I️ probably won’t be able to hang out anytime soon, okay? It’s nothing personal.” Techno said, backing away and going back to his room. His heart ached at leaving them all, but the pressing matter of his homework pulled him away. Hurt flashed in Dream’s eyes, and he wished he could take it back, but he was already turning to jog up the stairs.
His calculus homework greeted him, with whispers of refuge within the pages and equations. He scowled, staring down at the pages betrayed. Slumping down to his chair, he dropped down and continued through with the problems, but without the same gusto as previous.
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The silent treatment continued, unless he was talking with the student council. But they could tell that Techno’s condition was worsening. The already pale teen grew paler, with heavy bags under his eyes. His clothes hung looser on his thinning frame, and Wilbur saw the poor care first hand. Techno’s hair hung limp in the ponytail, and he shuffled from place to place. He ate a little bit more for breakfast than prior, but still not enough to be healthy.
And then the carnival was upon them. They managed to get Friday off, as per the Principal’s requests and they were on the bus ride over. Techno, clad in loose jeans, and a sweatshirt was reading through his English assigned book, not paying attention to the surrounding group of friends loudly chattering around him. He sighed, and slumped down in the seat. Sam sat next to him, separating him from the others, much to Techno’s relief. The carnival tents rose up along the street as the bus neared. They unloaded and checked in, getting their passes from the teacher aides and were let loose. Bags left on board, techno felt his arm tugged as Wilbur pulled him along.
“C’mon Tech, it’s carnival time! Let loose and have fun! That's why we’re here!” Wilbur said, pulling his twin along. Techno struggled to stay caught up.
“Wil, slow down.” he pleaded, his vision blurring slightly. Wilbur stopped, hesitating at the plea and allowed Techno to catch his breath.
“Sorry, you okay?” Wilbur asked. Techno nodded, and they walked around at a slower pace. Dream, George and Punz caught up with them around the carousel, which they rode together. Afterwards, Sam, Callahan and Alyssa caught up as well, hands full of carnival snacks. With some pleading, they settled at a table and helped the trio eat through the plethora of sugary foods. Techno tried, he really did try to get through the single deep-fried oreo shoved his way, but his stomach lurched at the heavy sugar after days of menial amounts of food. He forcibly swallowed it, and the rising bile before settling. His stomach gurgled from the sugar and he went to get water, to help settle his stomach before he threw up.
“Tech, you okay?” Wilbur asked, seeing Techno get up looking ill.
“Just need some water. A lot of sugar.” Techno managed to choke out and slid the money required for a water bottle at the nearest concession stand. Taking a couple deep swigs, he sighed feeling his stomach settle slightly.
“Everything good?” Bad asked, strolling up. The black haired teen, and Skeppy had come as well, tagging along with the seniors, despite having graduated early.
“Yeah, just thirsty.” Techno said, and settled next to Wilbur. Wilbur gave him a look, and Techno nodded in response to Wilbur’s prying eyes.
The group of nine walked down thoroughfare admiring the carnival. They were talking of rides to go to next and lunch plans when Techno’s world spun. Stopping suddenly he reached outward to the nearest object. With a tight grip on Dream’s green sweatshirt in an effort to stabilize himself before the world tumbled to darkness, he shook his head lightly. The black spots dancing grew into large balls blocking most of his vision. He could feel the eyes of his friends, asking him if he was okay. He didn’t have a second to answer them as his legs gave out and the large balls of black consumed his vision. He heard shouts of hysteria before the blue sky greyed to blackness.
Dream had stopped, feeling someone sharply jerk on his hoodie sleeve. Turning to see who needed him, he paused seeing the pale and shaking hand of Techno as the pink haired teen swayed in his spot. Brown eyes clenched tightly closed, Dream softly called to him. Sensing that something was happening, the group turned to see Techno holding Dream’s sweatshirt sleeve. Techno was swaying on his feet, before looking up and his eyes rolled back as the teen fell limp. Someone shouted in shock, and soon the group descended to check on their friend.
“Help! We need a medic!” Alyssa shouted, drawing attention to what was happening. A teacher ran over, concern etched into her stern face.
“Back up, hold on. What happened?” She demanded.
“We were walking, before he collapsed.” Dream said, kneeling next to Techno’s head. Sunken pale skin bruised with sleep deprivation grew paler as the teen laid on the ground still. A pair of medics ran forward with a stretcher.
“We need to get them to the hospital. Are you guys friends?” One of them asked, looking around at the teens and teacher.
“We are, we’re his friends. Please, can you help him?” George asked, scared. Techno was extremely pale, and gaunt looking on the ground. He looked like a corpse.
“We are, is there someone we can call? Family, guardians?” The medic asked, as their partner began to look over Techno’s body. Wilbur nodded.
“Our father, we can call Phil.” Wilbur said, stuttering. He whipped his phone out and dialed Phil’s number. Shakily, he stepped away from his friends and the growing crowd to call his father.
“Dad? It’s Techno. He collapsed at the carnival. We’re about to go to the hospital. Can you meet us there?” Wilbur’s voice shook.
“What? Of course! Oh my god.” Phil muttered. They exchanged some information and hung up. Techno was loaded on the stretcher and was being carried to an ambulance.
“Wait! Can I ride with you guys? He’s my twin.” He asked the medics. They looked at eachother, before nodding.
“Hop in, careful though. We need to hurry and get him on fluids.” The driver said, climbing in. Wilbur nodded, standing back. He felt Alyssa rub his back, and Sam clap his shoulder.
“Take care of him, we will meet you guys later, since we can’t all leave.” George said, from the side. Wilbur nodded and thanked his friends softly. He climbed into the ambulance as they began hooking Techno up to various machines and a saline drip. He cast a look to his friend before the doors slammed close and the ambulance lurched into motion, speeding around the town to the hospital.
The ride was maybe 15 minutes, with the traffic encountered and they escorted Wilbur to the waiting room while wheeling Techno into the emergency rooms. Phil stood there, with Tommy and Wilbur pulled them into a harsh hug, tears falling as he worried for his twin. They returned the hug as well and the little family stood for a second before restlessly settling into the chairs.
One hour passed with no information. The group chat was alight with questions, concerns and Wilbur answered each call from their friends.
Two hours passed and Techno was stable but still sleeping. They could visit him, but he probably wouldn’t wake up due to the extreme insomnia he had inflicted as well as his limited diet.
Three hours, and Phil was seated by the door. Wilbur in the chair next to Techno, and Tommy sitting on the bed. Both of Techno’s hands were tightly clasped in his brothers’ hands. He hadn’t woken up. A doctor requested to speak to Phil. They stepped outside and when Phil returned, he looked troubled and closer to crying again.
Four hours, and Techno shifted and groaned. Tired brown eyes blinked open and was quickly pulled into a tight and grounding hug that smelled of his twin. Cinnamon, ink and evergreen. Tears fell from two pairs of brown eyes as they clung to each other. A third body wormed his way between them and teary blue eyes joined the pair. Together the siblings cried for their brothers. Phil watched and got a text. The extended family had come. Phil told them to wait for a second. Family concerns.
Five hours later, and a hard conversation was had. The hospital wanted to keep Techno in the mental health ward for monitoring and observation. They were afraid of this being a case of an eating disorder. Phil didn’t want to lose his son, but understood what they meant. He approved an overnight stay, for Techno to get the proper fluids and some proper food in his system. However, the teen wasn’t being sent to the ward. He would attend the physician required therapy sessions. What happened was dangerous, and could have ended much worse. Phil understood and he would be talking with the school about rearranging Techno’s schedule for the last month of school.
Six hours, and the room was crowded with an overly concerned group of friends. They traded shifts, since there were too many people and the hospital wouldn’t allow more than ten people in the room at a time. First was the seniors at the carnival. They tightly embraced the bedridden teen, scolding and apologizing for what happened.
Seven hours later and the friends left, begrudgingly. Promises to visit were made and Techno’s phone was given to him. Tommy curled around his eldest brother, head tucked into Techno’s neck. Techno had an arm wrapped around his little brother, eyes drooping heavily from the exhaustion wracking his system.
Eight hours later and the family was asked to leave. They could return tomorrow at 7AM. Wilbur hesitated but gave his brother a very tight hug. Phil kissed his son's forehead and Techno was left alone. He didn’t feel as alone though, as he fell asleep from the overwhelming exhaustion.
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The weeks following Techno’s hospitalization were taken as slowly as needed. Weekly therapy sessions for Techno, as well as a renegotiated schedule for homework. Less papers and books to be read. At first, it grated on Techno’s nerves that he was being coddled, but after a long, heartfelt conversation with a certain blond, he understood.
“As someone who kinda knows what you’re going through, you can talk to me you know.” Dream said. The pair were on call, around three AM. Techno was struggling to sleep and Dream was more than willing to lend an ear.
“Yeah, and I’m sorry for snapping at you. I know you meant well, but with constant homework being assigned I felt like I could never catch up.” He said.
“No, I get it. It was stressful, and I’m sorry we didn’t give you the support or space needed. And that we didn’t see the signs before.” Dream said, apologizing.
“It’s okay that you didn’t see. But it’s also not okay that I pushed you all away. I shouldn’t have gotten so in my head.” Techno said, sighing. He pulled his knees to his chest and rested his chin on his knees, hunching forward.
“We all make fuck ups. As long as you’re willing to get better, for yourself than I will be here to support you. I know Tommy and Wilbur and Phil will as well. They love you, and we just want you to be healthy. Just think, in like three weeks, you and I get to give our valedictorian speeches at graduation. Have you thought about your prompt? Something you wished you knew before going into High School?” Dream asked.
“Your truest friends will show themselves in your darkest moments. Lean on them and allow them to help you shine.” Techno said, sitting back to write down the answer for his prompt.
“Cheesy. But very true. Mine would probably be to make the best of what you have.” Dream said, and Techno could hear the small smirk in his voice.
“Who’s cheesy now. I swear, Mr. H is right, you can be disgustingly wholesome sometimes.” Techno complained, thinking of their shop teacher from Sophomore year.
“Oh hush. So, you ready?” Dream asked.
“I think as long as you guys are with me, I’m ready for anything. But if you steal my fucking grapes tomorrow, I will stab you.” Techno threatened as a loud laugh erupted from Dream’s side of the phone.
“Understood. Well, I’m going to bed. I’ll see you and your grapes tomorrow Mr. Watson.” Dream laughed. They exchanged good byes and hung up.
Techno couldn’t help but realize just how truthful his words were. He definitely felt a lot better with the restricted schedule. And while, he was anxious for the last three weeks of school, as long as his friends and family continued their unending support- Techno felt like he could definitely take on anything.