Archive of Our Own

Techno was tired. 

So incredibly tired.

He'd been up for a few days working on some magic stuff to help protect the village. Now, usually, Phil or Wilbur would scold him for doing something like that. But Phil had Tommy to worry about and mother-hen, the young witch often needed his familiar to be a father figure to him (and Techno and Wilbur) because of his lack of one. 

Techno and Wilbur are twins, brothers in everything.

They don't know why Wilbur became a familiar and Techno a witch, they'd just both been assumed to become nothing but humans. 

But now Techno was delirious and tired and he just wanted Wilbur here so he could take a nap. 

It was always so hard to sleep without Wilbur around, he often would miss his brother's fluffy blue wool (or was it brown? The details were fuzzy) against his cheek when he slept and more often than not would just refuse to sleep if Wilbur wasn't home.

Wilbur was out right now with Tommy and Phil gathering supplies, Tommy having borrowed Wilbur's defense magic for the long trip. They wouldn't be back until tomorrow at least, a week more if something went wrong.

Techno hoped nothing went wrong, he wanted his family to come home safe and sound. they were all he had left in this world and he didn't know what he would do if they didn't come home.

Techno yawns and reaches for his pillow, pounding it down softly with his fist, trying to get comfortable enough to sleep. 

Instead of drifting off into the sweet abyss of unconsciousness, Techno lies there staring at the ceiling, his body missing the comfort that Wilbur's presence brought. 

Techno could've gone with them, but someone else would have to be here to defend the house and their property. 

That, and Techno’s magic was fragile for being the witch of such a powerful familiar and being able to join the Death Coven. 

He still wasn’t entirely sure what a coven was or why it was so important, but he couldn’t deny how nice it was to have other people to rely on.

However, he has a new problem to deal with.

Techno knew that magic deprivation was something that could happen. He was well aware of it, having had to deal with magic-deprived Phil and Tommy a few times because the two had too much fun and used too much magic playing in the fields with the excuse of "training Tommy".

Techno took a deep breath and rolled over. 

He had to be careful, if he used up all of his magic while Wilbur was gone, well... that could end badly. Not really for his health necessarily. I mean sure I could theoretically get stabbed while I was delirious but that would never happen. Wilbur's too much of a worrywart for that.

Techno chuckles to himself, remembering the last time Techno had used a little too much magic on one particular spell and Wilbur had forced him to bed rest for multiple days. If Techno hadn't been constantly sneaking out, it would've been weeks .

Techno yawns as he rolls over once more, unable to find the right spot that would allow him the comfort of sleep. 

Well... since he's up, he might as well just put up one more protection spell, just to make sure that everything will be fine while he sleeps. (Or lays in bed for hours tossing and turning missing his twin.)

Techno sighs as he gets up. He wobbles but balances himself out. He can feel Wilbur gently tugging on their bond, a sign that he's thinking about him. Techno nudges softly back in acknowledgment and feels excitement-excitement-happy-happy sludge through the distance into his mind. Techno chuckles and sends back happy-happy-good-good-home?

Wilbur doesn't reply, but Techno doesn't mind.

He doesn’t think about how busy Wilbur must be and the other was still taking the time to let Techno know that he was thinking about him.

Definitely not. He wouldn’t think about that. 

That would be selfish, and he’s not selfish.

I absolutely am. I want my brother back so much that it hurts.

He sits down at his desk and looks over the four protection spells. He ignores the fact that he’s trying to bury himself in something so he can’t think about how much he misses his family.

He only trusts one to stay strong all night without Techno having to check it every hour or so, but... it is also his most taxing spell. 

Now, Techno knows that these spells could easily last a few weeks without maintenance, but... what if they get a powerful witch that comes? Or what if a fae decides that they want to come onto their property or a werewolf pack tries to move in?

So many possibilities and Techno needs to protect his coven's land.

Techno cracks his knuckles and stands, grabbing his staff that doubles as a sword, and walking into his casting room. 

Scorch marks line the walls from Tommy's failed attempts to combine his and Phil's fire magic into a different type of spell. Tommy had a natural affinity to fire, with Philza being a phoenix familiar, the two fit very well together.

Or was he a crow?

Why couldn’t he remember what bird Phil was?

He shakes his head to clear his thoughts.

Techno and Wilbur were like the water and the wind. 

Wilbur had the gentle melody of rain pattering softly against the trees and Techno had the force and fury of the wind after a tragedy had struck. 

Powerful enemies.

Even more powerful allies.

Or at least that’s what he likes to tell himself. He ignores the emptiness in his soul that is always so easily depleted. 

Techno feels a breeze swirl around him as he casts the spell, a mixture of swinging his staff and a few words in Nature's Tongue.

After he's cast the spell, he feels... lighter, almost like he's a cloud. 

His staff clatters against the ground with a loud echoing sound and Techno giggles. It sounds like when Wilbur threw rocks against the lake they just sunk. Techno grabs his staff and twirls it around. What was he doing?

Oh yeah! He needs to tell his brother how much he loves him! 

Love-love-love-love!

Confusion-annoyed-confusion.

Techno frowns. Was his brother... annoyed at him? Was his familiar upset with him? 

Techno feels a sadness unlike anything he's ever felt roll into him like a big tree that's fallen into the ground after its roots have decayed and given up on holding the massive trunk up. Sad-sad-sorry.

Confusion-love-love-no-sad-not-annoyed-love! Techno perks up at hearing that his familiar loves him. That's good! If his familiar didn't love him, he'd be a bad brother. Where is his brother? He wants his brother now .

Brother-want-want-come-come-where?

Confusion-with-Tommy?

Techno feels a bit of jealousy roll through him. Wilbur and Tommy had always gotten along well, almost too well.

Jealous-jealous-want-home-want-twin.

Upset-worried-worried-coming!

Techno smiles. It'll be okay, his brother's on his way home.

Then Techno can wrap his brother up in a hug and lots of blankets and never let him go anywhere without Techno again. 

However, something tells Techno that he won't be out of Wilbur's sights for a while. He's tired though and he misses his twin. 

Thick and thin, they'd been through it. Long before they'd met Tommy or Philza they'd had a rough life. They'd been raised in a semi-decent home. Techno and Wilbur's parents hadn't ever cared to spare more than a glance over some extraordinary things either had done, but they hadn't cared. They'd had each other. 

It wasn't until their stubborn heads met Phil's dad's instincts did they realize just how good having a parent was. 

Techno remembers when he and Wilbur discovered their magic. As soon as they had, they'd bonded to each other. They were more than happy to spend the rest of their lives together as witch and familiar, but... they'd always thought that Wilbur would become the witch and not Techno. 

Techno tries, he knows that Wilbur longs to use his vast well of magic, but Techno... well, Techno has a small well. He's capable of powerful spells, his body being able to withstand the impact of the spells, he just doesn't have a very big depth. He usually pulls a little from Wilbur, but when they'd done that, a witch had warned Techno that he could hurt Wilbur.

So now he has a personal vendetta against taking anything from Wilbur.

Techno plops down on Wilbur's bed and breathes in the scent of sheep and leather. He loves both smells, it's always been something uniquely Wilbur. It calms him after a long day and is his favorite comfort to give himself. If it wasn't "kidnapping" Wilbur, it was in his brother's room snuggling with all of his brother's stuffed animals that he'd kept ever since Phil gave him his first one almost five years ago. 

Hard to believe it's only been five years.

Wait, what if it's been longer though? It's felt like it's been longer. What if Techno and Wilbur had just been caught in a time loop for a long time without knowing and Phil and Tommy knew about it and have just never told the twins because it's too unbelievable?

Checks out.

Techno hums as he curls around Wilbur's stuffed orca, cradling it like it was a child. Techno smiles when he feels a gentle tug on his mind, but ultimately ignores it. 

Sometimes, it's simply too hard to think, too hard to try and talk to his brother, no matter how easy it would be to open his mind and let every thought flow. But he misses his brother. Techno whines and rolls over, trying to get comfortable.

He wants his brother and he wants him now.

Techno yanks on their bond and feels amused-coming-coming-patience drift softly in. Like the lullabies that he and Wilbur used to sing to Tommy before they'd met Phil. 

Techno smiles and gets up, taking an armful of his brother's animals with him as well as a blanket draped over his shoulders like a cape. He's tired and he can't sleep, and now he just wants his brother, his twin to be there and let Techno hold him. 

The door bursts in a while later and Techno perks up from his spot on the couch and smiles at his twin. "Techno!" 

"Wilby," Techno calls, standing up and reaching for his brother. "Wilbur, Wilby, my itty bitty brother, my familiar." Techno falls into his brother's arms after he trips on the edge of the blanket.

"Techno? What's wrong?" Wilbur catches Techno easily and Techno wishes he could make cool noises like Wilbur and Phil do. Maybe there's a spell for that. "Techno we're not going to let you become half-animal just so you can make noises like Phil and me." 

Techno blinks up at his brother. Concerned and amused chocolate brown stares back at him and Techno laughs. "Y're funny."

"Techno, seriously, mate, you've got to tell me what's wrong, you've been sending weird thoughts to me and I'm worried," Wilbur frowns as he drags Techno back to the couch. Techno flops onto his brother and hums noncommittedly, happy to just lay there.

Techno then wonders how Wilbur could read his mind. "Wilbur, h'w'd you read m' mind?"

"Techno how long has it been since you slept? Have you used all your magic? I felt the protection spell as I ran past the border?" The back of Wilbur's hand rests on Techno's forehead. While Techno does like his human brother, he wants to cuddle with his brother's soft wool. Techno tugs gently on the animal side of Wilbur, knowing that most of the time, his brother willingly shifts. Wilbur shakes his head. "No, I need to know what's wrong, Techno. You don't want to hurt me, right?" 

Techno frowns again and shakes his head. "No, never hurt you, I love you, Wilbs. Itty bitty--"

"Stop calling me itty bitty or I'm going to yeety-yeety you right out the window," Wilbur frowns at Techno, and Techno's frown deepens into a sad one. Tears form in his eyes and Wilbur panics. "Hey, wait, I didn't mean it. I was joking, remember? You like jokes!" 

Techno perks up. Jokes? He likes to joke with Wilbur. Techno hesitatingly nods and just as fast as the tears come, they leave.  "Game?"

"What about a nap? Doesn't that sound good?" Techno thinks for a moment before nodding. When Wilbur stands without the animals, Techno frowns. "What? What's wrong?"

"We can't forget our little ones, Wilbur," Techno stoops over to pick one up and would've faceplanted into the floor had Wilbur not caught his shoulder. 

"Hey, they'll be fine while I take you up to bed, alright?" Techno shakes his head at Wilbur's words.

"No, no, I have to help, I can't let you get hurt by taking," Techno lets the rush of determination help him pick up all of their animals and hold them tightly. Wilbur stares at Techno for a moment before bending down to pick up the blanket that Techno had dropped. 

"Is this my favorite blanket?"

"No, it's my favorite blanket," Techno frowns. How dare Wilbur try to take his blanket?

“Techno, come on, what’s up? Talk to me,” Wilbur cups Techno’s face and Techno burrows closer to his familiar.

“Don’ wanna talk,” Techno whines. Techno wants to be hugged right now. Why aren’t they in Wilbur’s room yet? He wants to be there, not here.

“Technoblade.” 

Techno whines at the tone and wonders what he’s done wrong now. Was he not enough? Was Wilbur sick of him? What had he done this time?

Wilbur sighs, he walks ahead, motioning for Techno to stay. Techno stands there but feels tears brimming in his eyes. He knows he’s not powerful like Wilbur and Phil and Tommy, but he thought… he thought maybe his twin would still love him. 

Maybe this was the breaking point.

This would be the moment that his brother decided he didn’t want to deal with Techno anymore and would break their bond, disowning Techno and moving to a better life with Tommy and Phil. 

Techno’s heart pounded and Wilbur slams a door open somewhere and comes barreling into Techno. “Hey, hey, it’s okay, what’s wrong? C’mon, Tech, you can tell me, I promise I won’t get mad. Who’s hurting you? Why are you sad?” 

Techno is going to hate himself in the future, being all vulnerable like this to Wilbur, but he can’t help it. 

Their bond thrums with worry from Wilbur and Techno leans into his brother’s hold. “This magic depletion stuff must be hitting you pretty hard, you could’ve asked me to help, you didn’t have to do this alone.”

“Didn’ wan’ t’ hurt you,” Techno mumbles into Wilbur’s shoulder, soaking in the love and concern that Wilbur is pushing to him. Techno can remember all the times that he’d nearly died, only to be saved by Wilbur coming with angry bleats or shouts. 

“Tech, you- you would never hurt me on purpose, Techno. I know you. I know you better than anyone, or I thought I used to. I thought we knew each other like we knew our own minds,” Wilbur whispers to Techno, pulling him close with one hand and rubbing gentle circles on his back with the other. “Maybe I still do know you, but I think someone has infected your mind with lies. You can’t hurt me by relying on me, Technoblade. In fact, you only hurt yourself, and that hurts me. You don’t like me hurting do you?”

“No,” Techno affirms. He’s never liked seeing Wilbur hurting. There was that one man who had tried to force Wilbur to bond with him, not realizing that Wilbur was already bound to a witch. An angry one who ripped the man to shreds with his sword. Techno and Wilbur had always been together, and there hadn’t been many problems between them ever in their lives. 

Techno can’t help but indulge the small voice in him that proclaims that Wilbur deserves better than him, that he’s not powerful like Tommy, or as kind. Maybe… maybe if Techno cut Wilbur off, he’d go to Tommy and then he’d be able to have a better witch. 

“Techno, you shut your bond, whatever you’re thinking, stop it.” Wilbur nudges Techno with a hand and Techno leans into it. “I forgot how clingy you are.”

“You’re clingy,” Techno responds without hesitation. Techno hums as he leans into Wilbur. “I missed you.”

“So you said earlier,” Wilbur hums, tugging Techno toward his room. “C’mon, let’s get you in bed, alright?” Techno nods as they walk to the bed. “So, Techno, what do you think of my songs?”

Techno smiles as the door opens. “I like them a lot, they remind me of potatoes.” Wilbur snorts.

“Of course they do.”

“I also like your strawberry chocolate cupcakes, I don’t know why Phil doesn’t like them,” Techno says, sitting on Wilbur’s bed with its owner right beside him. “Do you eat grass when you’re a sheep?”

“What?” Wilbur looks bewildered. Techno gives Wilbur the most serious look he can. 

“I want to know, do you eat grass when you’re a sheep?” Sheep eat grass, so does Wilbur eat grass? That must be so cool to watch if he does, knowing that it was a person in a sheep eating grass growing from the ground. 

“Techno, you’ve watched me do it, you dared me to do it.” Techno thinks thoughtfully. He vaguely remembers asking Wilbur to eat grass after they’d found out he was a sheep to see if he’d like it. He doesn’t remember what Wilbur said it tastes like though. And that’s the important question.

“What did it taste like though?” Techno remembers hearing that grass tasted like apricots once, and he wants to know if that’s really what it tastes like.

“Like… like grass? I don’t know what to tell you Techno, it was grass.” Wilbur sighs. “Let’s go to sleep, yeah? Doesn’t that sound nice?”

“I wish I was an animal like you, maybe I’d be a little more worthy to have you,” Techno mumbles as he lays down on Wilbur’s bed. He is asleep before Wilbur’s body lies down beside him. 

He’s asleep before he hears Wilbur whisper, “That’s what you’ve been thinking?”

Techno wakes up with a headache and no memory of what he’d done the day before. His arms and hands ache, a sure sign that he may have overused his magic again. He groans as he tries to sit up, but he finds something warm lying across his stomach. Something warm and soft, and smells like his brother. 

Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to stay in his brother’s bed a little while longer right?

Techno turns and hugs the sheep close.

Wait… sheep?

Wilbur doesn’t have any sheep in his bed. Techno scooches away from the lump and looks to see his twin, in all his wooly glory, lying there, asleep, his horns curling into a sharp end around his ears. If he wasn’t so large he’d probably look like another sheep out in a flock somewhere. That and the fact that his eyes are dark blue, rather than the typical brown that sheep have. 

Techno likes to theorize that Wilbur’s eyes are blue because his eyes are brown. To help differentiate Wilbur from regular, more stupid sheep.

Not that Wilbur isn’t stupid sometimes, the opposite in fact, but Techno loves him. Techno cups Wilbur’s face and lifts it into his lap, curling around his familiar and melting when Wilbur unconsciously nuzzles closer to Techno’s warmth. “I missed you, Wil,” Techno whispers, rubbing a gentle circle into Wilbur’s long ear. 

Wilbur’s brown wool was always a mystery to them. They’d attempted to shear Wilbur when they were younger (and dumber), trying to see if they could make a blanket out of his wool. Techno had pretended to take his lamb to the shearer to get his wool sheared, but the shearer said it was too fine for his shears. Which was silly, Techno got a pair of shears himself and has had no problems shearing Wilbur. 

Sure… Techno probably should have learned to shear first before actually doing it , but they’re here now and Wilbur only has small battle wounds from them learning the hard way. 

Wilbur gives a soft baa as he wakes up and nudges Techno’s arm. Hello-hello-hungry? Techno nods and Wilbur bleats again, nodding as he stands. Techno feels Wilbur pulling on his magic reserve a smidgen, but when Techno goes to give some, Wilbur’s already pushing away.

Techno feels his heart break a little bit at that. Is Wilbur already pushing him away? Maybe Wilbur wants… wants a new witch? Techno is kinda (a lot) weaker than the other witches around, maybe when they went out, Wilbur found a new witch that is better for him. Techno manages to keep a straight face and all the feelings away from Wilbur and his bond. 

He doesn’t want Wilbur to feel bad after all, if he does decide to let Techno go and take on a new witch. 

Frustration-can’t-shift-witch-hungry. Wilbur’s feelings overwhelm Techno and he can’t help but let out a grunt of sympathetic irritation. Wilbur flicks an ear before he turns around on the bed and bites down on Techno’s shirt. 

“Hey!” Techno tries to get Wilbur off of his shirt, grabbing underneath his face and trying to push him away, but Wilbur remains stubbornly attached. “Wil! I’m not hungry, go eat without me.” Techno tries to roll over and pretend to go back to sleep, but Wilbur tugs hard on Techno’s sleeve, causing him to fall off the bed. “Wilbur!”

Hungry-frustration-feed! Wilbur finally lets go of Techno’s shirt, only to go behind Techno and begin head-butting him. 

“Wilbur! Stop it!” Techno rolls his eyes as he gets up groaning as the world spins around him. “Wil, I- I don’t know if I can do this.” Techno starts to fall forward but Wilbur darts in front of him, catching him easily. “I don’t… I’m fine, just need a nap.”

Eat-first-feed-witch-love-love-witch-lots! Techno rolls his eyes but groans when he stares too long at the candle and buries his face in Wilbur’s wool, letting Wilbur drag him out the door. 

“I’m really not that hungry.” Techno bemoans as Wilbur nudges him into a chair. 

He knows that Wilbur’s a little more protective now because he feels like he can’t pull from Techno’s magic right now, so he’s stuck in his familiar form until he feels like Techno can support his shifts again. To be honest, Techno’s not sure how he handled it before anyway.

His magic is just so… so small compared to Wilbur’s. He wishes he was at least average. He lays a hand against his cheek, leaning into it as he watches as Wilbur struggles to maneuver things around. “Here, let me help, Wil.” Techno stands and begins to shuffle through the cupboards, looking for something for Wilbur to eat. 

Wilbur bleats angrily and bites Techno’s pant leg, pulling hard enough to knock Techno over. “Wil!” Wilbur baas again and Techno rolls his eyes. “Of course I’m fine! Why wouldn’t I be?” Wilbur looks at Techno. “Don’t give me that look!” Wilbur doesn’t stop giving Techno that look, however, Techno does move so that he can go and find some food for Wilbur since Techno thinks he moved all the sheep treats and food up high so that when Wilbur was in an instinct haze, he didn’t eat it all. 

It didn’t happen very often anymore, but old habits die hard. 

Love-witch-witch-come-eat-first.

“Wil, I need to get you food first.” Techno sluggishly moves toward the kitchen, laying on Wilbur a little too heavily. “Sorry.”

No-sorry-no-sorry-need-coven?

Techno shakes his head, “No, it’s fine, Wil, let’s just get some food.” Techno pushes himself up and immediately feels sore. 

He muffles the bond, making it so not everything would go through to Wilbur, but it wasn’t shut so Wilbur wouldn’t ask questions. “Why is there sheep grain here? I didn’t–”

Wilbur bleats and stomps his hoof, tossing his head up in offense. 

“I don’t know why,” Techno grumbles, lightly glaring at Wilbur, “Grass hay or alfalfa hay?” Wilbur huffs and bites Techno’s leg. Techno stifles a yelp of pain as Wilbur’s teeth graze a bruise that he’d gotten from falling in a hole while gardening. He remembers his lower thigh landing on the tip of the hand shovel he’d set aside while he searched for his other tools. “Something else?”

Witch-eat-eat. 

Techno sighs. “Are you going to be stubborn about this?” Techno looks away from the cupboard down to Wilbur who nods. “Fine! Fine.” Techno slams the cabinet doors shut and flings open another, pulling out a handful of some kind of berry, he didn’t even look before he ate it and Wilbur bleats worriedly. “What? It’s just-” His teeth crunch on something hard. Berries don’t usually-

He spits it out in the sink and Wilbur butts the back of Techno’s leg in concern. Techno stares at the yew berry seeds that sit in the sink. “I see your point.” 

Wilbur baas and tugs Techno to a chair. 

That… that scared Techno more than he’d like to admit. His hands shake as he watches Wilbur rummage through the cabinets, looking for something that Techno can eat without getting violently ill. 

Techno looks out the window at the garden in the back, that was full of things that Techno could eat, and Wilbur isn’t seeming to find any luck, mostly sheep and crow food for the familiars when they couldn’t reach the top pantry doors. “Wil, look the garden’s out back and there’s plenty of–”

No!

Wilbur’s scream of protest makes Techno sit back down in his chair. “H-Huh?” Techno’s mind seems all mushy like he is still struggling with the symptoms of power depletion. “W-Wilbur,” he leans forward against the table, suddenly feeling weak. 

Tried-to-tell-you.

Techno whines and Wilbur snorts affectionately, still rummaging through the cabinets in search of food that he won’t find for Techno. 

Familiar-eat-I-sleep? Techno finds himself asking. He lays against the table, his arms cradling his head above the cold stone counter. 

No-no-bad-don’t-sleep! Wilbur’s worry falls into Techno’s mind through the bond and he whines in confusion. Coven-coming! Techno shakes his head.

“No,” he whines, “they can’t see this.”

Why-not?

Wilbur’s nose is soon nudging Techno’s leg and Techno makes a small space for Wilbur to poke his head through. As soon as the soft wool touches him, he’s leaning into it. 

Scared-nervous-worried-anxious. 

Here-comfort-love-love-witch-love. Techno relaxes a bit but can’t help the nervousness of his coven seeing him weak and vulnerable. He hates when people see him at his lowest points, he’s afraid to see them reject him. 

After all, that’s why their parents had left. 

Because Techno was a weak witch and if their sons were going to have magic, they may as well have powerful magic. 

Useless-worthless-sad-sad-scared.

No-love-love-good-wonderful-love! 

Techno smiles at Wilbur’s comfort, but Techno knows deep down that Wilbur doesn’t really mean that. A bond broken is one of the most painful things a familiar can experience. Or that’s what Techno’s been told anyway.

“‘S okay, Wil, you don’t havta lie,” Techno mumbles, not sure that Wilbur understood the words that were muffled by layers and layers of wool. 

Not-lying-never-lie-you!

“‘M tired,” Techno mentions, his eyelids feeling heavy as bricks. He lets them slide closed and snuggles closer to the warmth in his arms. Asleep, he can’t notice that Wilbur drags him to the living room, careful not to give him a carpet burn.

Can’t notice the worries bleats and gnashing teeth of Wilbur’s concern.

“Techno!” 

Techno jolts as the hand shoves him into the wall. 

“You’re a fricking waste of space, I don’t know why I kept you.” Another hand wraps around his throat and he prays to God that Wilbur doesn’t see him like this. He can hide the bruises, he can hide it all, if only Wilbur stays happy. 

All for Wilbur, everything for Wilbur. Nothing less. 

Techno refuses to let his twin have anything less than true happiness. 

“Techno!” Wilbur walks into the room and his eyes widen. This… this isn’t how Techno remembers this scene going. Wilbur wasn’t supposed to be there. Wilbur was supposed to be out with his friends having the time of his life while Techno played the role of introverted twin and let their parents have at him. “T-Techno?”

“Brat!” Techno’s tossed onto the floor and he claws at his throat, it feels closed up, but he’s just got to remember to force air into his lungs. He grabs the mini version of an old fan that the blacksmiths used (a bellow or something like that, he can’t remember) and lifts it to his mouth. He winces before opening the valve and pushing the ends together. Once, twice, and then-

Air pushes into his lungs and suddenly he can breathe. 

Finally! 

It’s never taken him that long to get air into himself after his parents have had at him. He just has to make sure he hides it from–

“T-Techie?” Wilbur’s broken voice flutters through Techno’s mind. 

That’s not right. Wilbur wasn’t here for this.

So why can’t he dispel the thought that maybe he was?

“We… something… see him….Please, Phil!”

“...couple…then…try.”

“I’ll…just to…okay, Wil?”

“Thanks, Toms.”

Techno looks left and right, holding Wilbur’s unconscious form. 

The bullies at school had finally tired of Techno and had gone after Wilbur. By the time Techno had found Wilbur, the bullies had left and Wilbur was unconscious and bruised. Techno was just thankful that his twin wasn’t bleeding. 

The trees were blending together and he didn’t know where he was. He thought he had run in the direction of their safe house, the one where their “tree house” was. 

Really, it was the place Techno kept his medical supplies since Wilbur was usually out with friends or didn’t want to be at the tree house with Techno. 

“Where is it, where is it?” Techno growls, snapping his head in the direction of a sharp snap! that rang loudly from a bush. “Who is it?” He calls. “Come out before I shank you!” 

Nothing comes out.

No one comes out. 

Maybe… maybe he’s imagining things. 

He’s heard starvation can do that to a person. 

His head has also been hurting lately. He can’t seem to want to leave Wilbur alone and all he wants to do is disappear into the woods with Wilbur for a few days.

No one would let him of course, his twin was the star student and the most popular kid in school. Techno’s sure that the bullies who had beat Wilbur up were already facing consequences for beating up Wilbur Soot.  

Techno lets a few tears slip past. 

Techno tried, he really did, but no matter how many good test scores came across his parents’ eyes, no matter how many good comments Techno got from a teacher, none of it compared to Wilbur’s musical talent, his charisma. The only skill sets that Wilbur and Techno didn’t share in talent. 

Sure, Techno wasn’t inept when it came to music, but he wasn’t gifted either. 

Techno yelps as his foot catches a tree root and he crashes into a tree. He cries out in pain and wishes that there was something he could do to help his brother. He’d give anything to help his brother. 

Suddenly, a rush of something sweet pushes through his veins and he feels like something is draining from his soul into Wilbur. He feels Wilbur give a little, but it doesn’t feel like it’s as much as Techno gave. Techno didn’t care. He’d give it all to see Wilbur okay. 

Then, instead of his brown-haired, chocolate-eyed brother in his arms, he has a brown sheep settled in his lap. 

What?

What’s happening?

“Wilbur?”

Confused-confused-what-confused.

“I don’t–” Techno stops. “Did you just–”

Wilbur’s eyes open and bright blue eyes gaze back at him. Techno-love-confused.

“I- I don’t- I’m so- it’s–” Techno’s breathing quickens and he’s out cold before he feels the cold nose pressing against his face in concern. 

“...magic…really…not like him…”

“I…nothing….not sure….just need….right?”

Techno grumbles. 

Tommy must’ve broken into his room again and was gossiping with Wilbur. Techno snorts at them in annoyance and rolls over. 

There are three gasps and suddenly his arms are being grabbed and he’s being lifted upright. He blinks awake and stares at the three sets of worried eyes in front of him. 

“Techno! You’re awake! For real!” Tommy says, a bright smile on his lips. “I hadn’t been sure that having you and Wilbur being bound was the best idea when Phil first mentioned it, but you’re awake now and–”

“Tommy, calm, he doesn’t know what happened,” Phil chides softly, the younger witch crossing his arms with a huff, but quieting. “So… uh, erm, Wilbur’s still asleep, but if you’re up, he’ll wake up soon too.”

“What- what happened?” Techno raises a hand to his head and rubs in a gentle circle at his temple. 

“Well, Wilbur had gotten concerned because he said you used up like all of your magic,” Tommy says, a frown deeply set on his face. In any other place, Techno would laugh at his adopted brother, but now, Techno is only concerned. “Which was dumb, don’t do that. And then! He said in the coven bond that you were getting worse and that he was scared for you. He also said that you tried to eat yew berries, that was also dumb, don’t do that. And then–”

“When we got home, you were out cold and Wilbur was worriedly bleating for you to wake up. You didn’t wake up for a couple of days and we were getting really worried,” Phil interrupts Tommy, taking one of Techno’s hands in his own. Techno stares at the hand in his in confusion. 

“I- what?”

“Yeah! And then Wilbur thought that maybe you’d given up too much and your soul was trying to eat you or something–”

“A legitimate concern,” Phil says while Tommy takes a breath.

“And was like ‘I think I need to give some of my soul to save my beloved brother’ and then we did that after making sure we wouldn’t hurt you guys and you’ve been asleep for a week or so. The book said that was normal but it’s been so lonely. Dad just sleeps allll day,” Tommy bemoans, settling on one side of Techno. Techno looks at the lump beside him, a limp arm laying where he once was and Wilbur’s human form lies unconscious underneath the same blankets that rested across Techno’s lap.

“So… I- I hurt Wilbur?” Techno asks, looking down at the hands that have been captured by Phil and Tommy. 

“No! In fact, I think you’ve made him feel better. When you guys first found each other,” Phil says, his hand squeezing in a physical show of comfort, “as a witch and familiar of course, I’m betting that you had given more of yourself because Wilbur was in a bad situation, and since you hadn’t grown up with witches or familiars around you, you hadn’t known that Wilbur needed to give back to you in order for a healthy bond to form. Over the years, your bond has, well, it’s been taking from you, making your magic appear–”

“Weak.” Techno finishes. “So… all this time, I wasn’t weak, I was just giving my magic to Wilbur?”

Phil nods. “You two are actually really powerful when you’re evenly matched and not you having to bear most of it. Wilbur will probably be a little out of it when he wakes up, so be prepared for that.”

“Why- why do I feel so- so–” Techno doesn’t know how to describe the clinginess that is resting in his soul again, the undeniably insistent urge to hold Wilbur and not let anyone else see him. 

“So protective? Perhaps clingy?” Phil smiles, looking over at Tommy who has a bright red face. “Do you want to–”

“Nope.” Tommy immediately puts on the ‘I deny this event ever happening’ face, the expression that he wears when he deems something really embarrassing and doesn’t want to talk about it or admit that he did something like that. 

“Fine, I will then,” Tommy opens his mouth to presumably protest, but a sharp look from Phil has Tommy shutting his lips and a frown resting on his face. Techno would laugh at Tommy, usually, but he feels like this is a serious talk.

In the time that they’ve lived together, nearly a year, maybe more, Techno can’t recall in the moment, he would’ve thought that they’d learned everything they’d needed to know. And in some ways they have. 

Techno now knows that sometimes Wilbur is too overwhelmed to think and talk like a human but still has human desires, so that’s what the bond is for. Sometimes Wilbur tries to hide something from Techno, but because their bond exists, he can’t hide it. 

Wilbur–

Techno stops. He’s only ever learned stuff about Wilbur. 

Once, he’d thought that was all he needed to know, only keeping himself alive so Wilbur didn’t experience the excruciating pain of having a bond broken unwillingly, but now he wonders if there’s more. 

If him not knowing his weaknesses and strengths that he has, has hurt Wilbur in some ways, he doesn’t know what to do. Maybe he hadn’t been allowing Wilbur to be his best self because Techno was holding himself back unbeknownst to anyone. 

“When a witch and familiar bond, the familiar allows themself to become vulnerable, it’s not really as big of a deal for ‘weaker’,” Phil air-quotes the word with his fingers and adds an eye roll with it, “familiar species because they’re already vulnerable. Like me, I’m a crow and my only option for self-defense is my talons. Whereas a phoenix or dragon or other mythical beings could easily shred someone with their talons alone, not to mention that they have fire breathing or some kind of magic. All familiars do this because it shows that they trust their witch with their life. 

“If, for some reason, a familiar does not allow themselves to become vulnerable or weak to their witch, it is a sign that something is wrong. It’s not always that it’s a forced bond, there are other factors that will tell people that, but in you and Wilbur’s case, it’s because the bond wasn’t done in the way that it needed to be. In your case, you gave more of yourself to Wilbur, almost all, and Wilbur gave a bit of yourself back to you.” 

Techno stops. So… they weren’t- were they not bonded? 

Techno frowns. “So… we’re not really bonded, or… we weren’t.”

“Yes and no,” Phil answers, making a so-so motion with one hand, the other holding Techno’s hand still, “your bond was weird, Wilbur had only given a little bit of himself to you. Let’s do an example, yeah?” Phil summons his wings and gently tugs a feather out. Techno winces. 

Techno knows how much pulling a feather out when it’s not ready hurts, the few temporary transformation spells that he and Tommy had done on each other had shown how much it hurts to pull feathers out of a wing. 

Though, they usually saved those spells for when Phil was in his instincts and wanted to preen and their hair wasn’t enough to satisfy him. Wilbur was somehow spared from the ‘my nestlings have lost their wings’ freak-out that Phil tended to have once a year. 

“This feather,” Phil says, showing it to Techno, “is how much Wilbur gave to you.” Techno frowns. He doesn’t know if he likes where this is going. “How much you gave to Wilbur is represented by the rest of my wings. I can still fly without this feather, and that shows that Wilbur could technically, metaphorically function without you.” Techno’s heart sinks. “You cannot function without Wilbur because you gave so much of yourself to him that you depend on him, much how this feather depends on the wings to be useful. This single feather,” Phil places it in Techno’s free hand, “was your magic before we cast the spell. My wings,” Phil gestures to the massive black wings on his back, “were Wilbur’s magic. You gave so much to him that his magic thought it was his, your magic is depleted because you gave too much of yourself to Wilbur without receiving much in return. You get tired easily because your magic was constantly giving itself to Wilbur to sustain him.”

Techno….

Techno doesn’t know what to think about that. 

He hadn’t- 

Well, he hadn’t really ever thought that it was because he had given to Wilbur that Wilbur was so powerful. 

“So the spell you did-” Techno hesitates, trying to think past the confused muck that was his thoughts, “... did what exactly?”

Phil turns to Tommy. “You better explain that one, mate, I’m not a witch, so I don’t even understand it, really.” Tommy had been watching Techno with a gaze that Techno couldn’t interpret, and he moved back to the bed. Allowing Phil to drape a wing over the boy’s shoulders, he took a deep breath. 

“You don’t know what a coven bond is, do you?” Tommy blurts. Techno jolts in surprise.

Coven bond? Like… that’s- that’s supposed to happen when they coven bond? 

He remembers Wilbur talking about it, but just passing it off because he didn’t know what it was about.

“I- I didn’t know that was a thing,” Techno says instead of the questions that were in his mind. 

Those really existed? Wilbur hadn’t been pulling Techno’s leg when he said random things that just so happened to align with what Phil and Tommy would later tell him?

“I wondered why you never responded,” Phil adds, “he didn’t- he was never there.”

“No. He was.” Tommy says hesitantly. He thinks for a bit, his upper teeth biting on his lower lip as he thought about something. 

Probably how to explain how broken Techno was without sounding like an asshole. At least, that’s what Techno was assuming he was doing. 

“Because of how much you gave to Wilbur, the bond was going to him, and not so much you. So, like big things, like stress and depression and shit you could see, but it was more so you reading the room and having that extra little bit funneling through your brain through Wilbur than the bond. The best way I can describe the problems with the coven bond we had is, erm,” Tommy stops as he thinks of how to describe it. 

You screwed it up, you messed up and you’re not good enough, is what Techno hears in the silence. He knows it is. It’s always his fault somehow. 

“Remember when Phil explained co-dependency problems between witches without covens and shit?” Techno nods, the conversation vaguely familiar. “Well, you depend on Wilbur for… basically everything. Instead of a healthy push-and-pull between you two, it’s more like Wilbur leaning on you for so long that if he sits up, your magic doesn’t know what to do.”

Techno lets that sink in. 

Yeah, that- that sounds about right. 

He thinks about every time that Wilbur did most of the work for a spell and Techno felt better than when they’d tried it the other way around. Every time he’d heard of witches and familiars, their dynamic was what he’d envisioned. One doing the brunt of the work and the familiar was just the support. 

He’d… he’d never really thought about a balance scale. 

Is that what he should’ve thought about?

“When Phil bonded with me, I was really clingy to him.” Techno snorts. “I’m not clingy!” 

“Yeah right, you little shit,” Phil smiles softly, fondness practically oozing off the older. 

“Shut up. Anyway,” Tommy says after he light-heartedly hits at Phil’s chest, “that’s normal. From what I’ve heard, Wilbur was really clingy to you. Wilbur said he didn’t remember you guys’ bonding, which is normal for a familiar, but do you?”

Techno looks down and takes a breath. 

He’s kept this to himself for years. He never told anyone, not even Wilbur. He’d just assumed that his brother had been embarrassed and Techno had been too when his brother had asked, so it’d just never come up. 

Maybe, maybe it’s time that it comes into the light. 

He looks around and wishes he didn’t have to. He wants to go back to a couple days ago when-

No. 

It would’ve been weeks ago, according to Phil and Tommy. 

When Techno was just magically crippled and he was a little miserable the longer Wilbur went without using magic. 

When everyone thought that Techno and Wilbur had bonded because there was no one else around and that it worked for them because they were twins. 

Back when Techno would get sick if Wilbur went too long without using magic or Techno didn’t use a spell that he had to pull from Wilbur to do it and would get sick anyway from the magic depletion. 

He’d never had anything as bad as this. He–

He doesn’t even know anymore. 

“I don’t remember how old we were, but somewhere in our early teens,” Techno says, looking at the far wall that holds a painting that Tommy had done of Wilbur playing his guitar. 

Wilbur had hated it, said it was his bad side, but Techno had loved it and hung it up in his room. Where they were now. “I- I wasn’t social as a kid.”

Tommy snorts. “Really?”

“Tommy,” Phil scolds. 

Techno ignores them and continues, “I got picked on a lot. Mostly because everyone thought that I was teacher’s pet, or that I was just trying to use Wilbur’s status as the king of the school to get friends, I don’t know for sure. Some kids really hated me, beat me up a lot or threatened to beat Wilbur up if I didn’t let them. I didn’t tell anybody because I knew they wouldn’t believe me.” 

He takes a stuttered breath, the memory of that awful night flooding back to him. He’d dreamt about a part of it before he’d woke up. Phil’s left wing pulls Techno closer to his side, the blankets on his lap falling away as he leans against his pseudo-father. 

“They hated me. One night, I’d stayed late to talk to a teacher about Wilbur’s musical talent and forgot that we’d scheduled for me to get beat up that night.” Techno’s breath quickens and tears gather in his eyes. “He was supposed to be out with his friends. He wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near them so I could deal with it, but when I got there- Wilbur- he- he was- and I- he was bleeding and there was so many bruises. They weren’t bad, but they were there and they weren’t supposed to be. I was supposed to protect him and–”

“Hey, shh,” Phil lets go of Techno’s hand to press his finger against Techno’s lips, hushing him gently. “It’s okay, mate, breathe, take your time, we’ve got all day.”

Techno sobs and throws himself further into Phil’s embrace, letting the older comfort him in a way he hasn’t had since he was five. Over thirteen years ago.

“He’s my twin! My other half, Phil, and I didn’t protect him and he got hurt and- and–”

“Shh, Tommy, go get some food, why don’t you?”

“But-”

“Please?” Phil sounds desperate and Tommy huffs and mutters something that Techno doesn’t hear before the bed shifts under a body leaving. The door clicks as it opens and shuts behind Tommy. “Hey, mate, shh, it’s okay. He’s okay, I promise.” A hand combs through Techno’s hair, tugging gently at knots and other various tangles in his long hair. “Can you finish or do you want to wait?”

“I can- I can finish,” Techno says, his hands still tightly holding onto Phil’s shirt. “I was taking him to our old treehouse, it’s where I kept all my medical supplies, and on the way, I tripped and twisted my ankle really bad. I was begging for someone to save him and I remember pleading that I would give my all for him and then we bonded I think.”

Phil nods, his gentle touch never fading, “Go on, if you want, son.”

“And he was really protective of me when he woke up. Our parents hadn’t been able to hit me since Wilbur was basically attached to my arm the whole time.”

“Your parents…” Phil’s voice goes cold, “ hit you?” Techno freezes. He’s never heard Phil be so- so-

So much like them. 

Techno shivers and tenses. “Oh darling, I would never ever hurt you, sorry I scared you. Now tell me, did they hit Wilbur?”

“No, they loved Wilbur, he was just like them, I didn’t like to play music like he did. That’s why they didn’t like me.” 

My failures were the reason they hated me. They’re why you’ll hate me too. He doesn’t say that though. 

“You’re such a smart little bookworm though, and so good at gardening,” Phil coos. A soothing chirp slips out after, but Techno doesn’t take notice of it. 

“When I was with Wilbur, I didn’t feel so lonely or useless, Dad,” Techno doesn’t notice the endearment slipping past, or the way that Phil seems to tighten the embrace after he says it. He’s only focused on letting everything out, getting all of the weight on him off his chest. “But after a while, Wilbur started acting out, and then he shifted for the first time when we were out in the forest and- and I knew we had to run and- well, you know the rest.”

“Oh, thank you for telling me, son,” Techno melts at the title.

Son. How long had it been since he’d been called that? Treated like- like- like this. Like he was something to be cherished. “Dad, I brought food back!” Tommy announces, ruining the moment, but Techno finds himself chuckling wetly as the boy forces himself into their space. “Just some sandwiches but it’s something!”

“Thanks, Tommy,” Phil replies. Techno turns and takes one from the plate that Tommy was holding. 

“Did you burn the food again?” Techno asks, laughing as Tommy’s face sours. 

“I didn’t even cook anything!” 

“So how’s it warm?” 

Tommy glares at Techno and Techno smirks, knowing he’s won. “No I didn’t burn anything, the fork wasn’t even supposed to be–” he stops. 

Techno’s smirk stays on his face as Tommy pouts. Phil warbles in worry and is soon dragging Tommy out the door with the excuse of “letting Techno rest” to clean it up. 

Techno knows that Phil is absolutely going to be checking on the state of the microwave and scolding Tommy for not paying attention and that it could’ve ended badly. 

Techno finishes his sandwich, something with meat and cheese, and lays back down beside Wilbur. He still doesn’t really know what to think about all of this. They hadn’t even told him about the spell yet, they’d just left!

Techno takes the sandwich that they’d left behind for if Wilbur wakes up and sets it on the nightstand behind his head. He stares at Wilbur’s sleeping face as his eyelids droop. He’s tired, and he feels like he can sleep for once, so he might as well. 

Techno pulls the blankets back up over him and wraps his arms around Wilbur, melting inside when Wilbur unconsciously reaches back for him. He feels a lot better than he did when he first woke up, but he’s still so tired. Hopefully, when he wakes up, Tommy and Phil will explain what happened.

There’s the sound of a crow cawing somewhere to their right. Techno’s head snaps toward the sound. He has to protect his twin, he’d failed once, he’s not doing that again. Wilbur’s head also snaps toward the sound and they freeze, waiting to see what was going to happen. 

Instead of just a crow, like they’d been expecting, a young blond boy with a crow on his shoulder walks into their view. “Hello! I sensed you guys’ presence! It’s been a while since I last saw a witch and familiar, and you two seem a bit lost. You wanna come hang out at my house?”

“You- you know what’s wrong with us?” Wilbur asks bluntly. Techno suppresses a wince at the rough wording. Usually, Wilbur was a bit more soft with his words, but after they’d run, he’d gotten a bit more blunt. 

Maybe it had started before that. 

Techno can’t remember, it feels like they’ve been on the run for so long. He’s tired. Tired of running. Tired of not being enough for Wilbur. 

He’d promised his twin long ago that he could have the world, and so far it feels like he’s failing. 

Techno grunts as something jabs into his ribs. He must’ve fallen asleep on a book again. 

He moves his arm to grab at the foreign object and finds something softer than a book. “Morning.” Techno yelps and nearly falls off his bed. “Techno!” Wilbur grabs Techno’s arm and Techno catches himself with a foot against the wall. He pushes himself back into the bed and Wilbur is immediately curling up to him. “Jerk. You tried to leave me!” 

“No?” Techno’s confused. Wasn’t Wilbur the one who had almost scared Techno off the bed? Why was this man saying that Techno was to blame?

“Yes, now you have to stay,” Wilbur says nothing more than that. Techno wraps his arms around his twin but looks around his room in confusion anyway.

“Wilbur.”

“Hmm?” 

“Why are Phil and Tommy tied to chairs and gagged in the corner of my room?” Techno stares at Phil and Tommy’s blue eyes as they stare back at him. He can’t imagine that’s comfortable in any way. Phil has a look of amusement, while Tommy looks annoyed.

“Well, they were in here.” Techno snorts.

“And?”

“I told them to get out.”

“And then.” Techno doesn’t ask for Wilbur to continue, but he doesn’t reprimand Wilbur either. Neither Tommy nor Phil seem to be scared or concerned, so Techno’s not either. He will admit that he does find it a bit funny.

“Then they said no, so I said that if they didn’t leave I was gonna make them stay where I could see them,” Wilbur says as if Techno should’ve already known. Techno rolls his eyes fondly and wraps his legs around Wilbur’s. The other burrows his face into Techno’s shoulder. 

“This part of that spell you never finished telling me about?” Techno asks, looking at Phil and Tommy. They both nod before Tommy freezes and rolls his eyes. Techno laughs at the reaction and Wilbur makes a soft baa. “Yeah, yeah, you clingy theater kid.”

“You were worse when we first bonded,” Wilbur adds. Techno snorts. 

“Yeah? I didn’t tie anybody up to uncomfortable chairs.”

“I didn’t know what to do with them and you weren’t awake,” Wilbur whines. Techno melts and begins to move out of the blankets. “Hey! Don’t leave me.” Wilbur pouts as Techno stands beside the bed. 

“Well, then come on,” Techno says. Wilbur hurriedly moves so that he’s holding Techno’s entire arm and his head is perched on Techno’s shoulder. 

“What’re we doing?” Wilbur asks as Techno walks closer to their coven. Techno lets a playful smirk dance across his lips. 

“We’re gonna move them somewhere more comfortable.”

“Don’t let them loose!” Wilbur protests as Techno starts untieing Phil. 

“I never said anything about letting them loose.” Techno grabs Phil’s wrist before the other can make a break for it and reaches for the other wrist, loosening it and pinning the two wrists together. Phil pulls back against Techno only once before a glare from Techno has him sitting still. “What was it you said about feeling protective? Didn’t you think that maybe that would extend to coven members?” Techno finds himself chuckling as Phil gives him a knowing look. “Or maybe you were hoping for an easy way to watch over us like the mother hen you are without leaving Tommy alone.” 

Tommy makes a muffled protest and Techno laughs. “Techno, I don’t want them in the bed,” Wilbur whines, still attached to Techno’s arm. 

“Nah, they can have a little nest in the corner,” Techno says. Phil’s eyes light up and Tommy rolls his in annoyance. Techno knows that Tommy hates being in a nest, especially with Phil. Or he pretends to anyway, Techno is sure that Tommy enjoys the endless attention from Phil. “Look there’s half of one there already.” Techno shoves Phil into it with a few more blankets and watches the man place them around the nest with bound hands. He waits a few minutes and watches Phil begin to get antsy.

“What about Tommy?” Wilbur asks, his cheek pushed as close to Techno’s face as it can be where Wilbur’s still at Techno’s back. 

“See, if I wait long enough, we can just untie Phil and he’ll make Tommy stay and they won’t have to be tied up anymore.”

“Oh,” Wilbur laughs. “Good thinking.”

Tommy makes a muffled protest and Techno watches the last straw slip from Phil’s grasp to sanity as the man’s pupils dilate and his wings flare out. Techno hurriedly cuts the soft cloth around Phil’s wrists and the man drags Tommy, chair and all into the nest. 

Similarly, Wilbur is dragging Techno back to the bed and curling up in his lap. Wilbur falls asleep, the excitement having drained him, leaving Techno awake to watch with amusement as Phil smothers Tommy in the nest. 

For once in his life, Phil isn’t dragging Techno and Wilbur to the nest with them. 

Might help that they’re in the same room. 

Techno’s not going to pretend that he completely understands Wilbur and Phil’s instincts. He’s not going to pretend that he knows anything about being a witch or having a healthy bond that is beneficial to both parties or what a coven bond is. 

What he would never have to pretend is his love for his family. 

His twin who’s been at his side since birth and now will never leave. At least not for a while, because Wilbur’s fingers are curled so tightly in Techno’s shirt, Techno’s not certain whether or not Wilbur’s fingers will become part of his shirt. Forever entangled in his shirt front. 

Techno wouldn’t mind.

After all, Techno would give everything for Wilbur. Even if it was his dignity.