1.

All Technoblade wanted was to take a shortcut.

He stared at the kid standing opposite him, looking so very out of place. One of the first things he noticed was that they weren't wearing shoes. Which was weird, because it mattered so little. In the grand scheme of things, the fact this random teen he just walked into in the middle of the woods was barefoot was the least of his problems. But Techno still noticed it, for some reason.

No shoes, light golden curls and eyes of cornflower blue that seemed almost unnatural in their vibrancy.

Or maybe that was just because it was the dead of night, a darkness that made their color stand out more starkly than it should.

Technoblade tried to avoid creepy forests after midnight, especially the ones that local folklore said were haunted. He had seen enough horror movies to know that's how you end up as a serial killer victim. But his shift that was supposed to be finished well before ten had crept into the early hours of morning courtesy of a burst sanitary pipe and a customer who wouldn't stop asking annoying questions about detergent brands. Who could have guessed working in a 24/7 laundromat would be so exciting? Techno wanted to get home as quickly as possible, and if that meant risking bodily harm by walking through the woods people often disappeared in, so be it.

He just hadn't expected to actually run into anyone.

And it wasn't even a serial killer. It was a scrawny fifteen-year-old (if Techno were to judge) in cargo shorts, a t-shirt, a zip-up hoodie, and with no shoes.

Techno was perplexed.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" the boy asked - in what had to be the most baffling instance of role reversal Technoblade had ever witnessed.

"I'm… walking?" It came out more like a question than an answer.

"Yeah, and who said you could walk here?"

Techno laughed, halfway awkward and halfway incredulous. "I'm pretty sure this counts as a public road, kid." It was a lie. Techno didn't have a clue if these woods were private property or not, it wouldn't be the first nor last time he was trespassing. But if this land belonged to somebody, it certainly wouldn't be to the bold-faced barefoot teenager in front of him.

"Don't call me kid," the kid grumbled at him.

Techno nodded. "What should I call you then?"

"My name is Tommy." He inclined his head a little, scrutinizing Techno with an intensity that left him profoundly uncomfortable. "Can I have yours?"

"How old are you, Tommy?" Techno asked, ignoring the question.

"I'm a big man!" Tommy puffed out his chest a bit, shoulders squared back. Techno surmised his initial guess of fifteen was probably pretty spot on. "And fuck you, it's none of your business anyway. What are you doing here?"

"It's not my business at all," Techno agreed. "I don't really care either. And I told you, I'm walking home."

"Well, you shouldn't walk through here. This is our domain."

Domain? Now there was an odd choice of words. Techno rubbed his face, deciding he was much too tired to deal with whatever this was tonight. He needed to go home and sleep because he had another shift in the evening. Customer service was hell. Surely he could keep an eye on the news tomorrow, and if anybody reported a teen with Tommy's description had gone missing, he would go to the police and make sure this wasn't all some sort of weird stress-induced fever dream.

"I'll be out of your hair in no time then." Techno started speed walking past him, really not wanting to stick around any longer than he needed to. Tommy spun on his heels, getting angry suddenly.

"You haven't given me your name yet, jerk!"

But Techno was already too far away to hear him.

2.

Two things happened the next day.

First of all, Tommy did not show up on any missing person posters. So that was a definitive win for Techno. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he would actually feel pretty guilty if something had happened to the kid overnight. If Tommy hadn't been a hallucination caused by Technoblade's constant sleep deprivation, then it would have been a dick move of him to leave the kid out there alone. But since no teenagers had been brutally murdered, Techno's conscious could go guilt-free.

The second thing that happened was Techno realizing he had lost his wallet.

He'd gone straight to bed last night, only bothering to kick off his shoes and drape his jacket over one of the chairs in his tiny apartment. So he didn't actually notice it missing until he was searching for it in the morning, planning to do some shopping. He called the laundromat, but they confirmed he hadn't left it in his locker nor had he left it lying around anywhere else.

He must have lost it along the way home.

And it was stupid, and it was senseless, and really the walk had been long and tedious so Techno had no way of knowing where he'd dropped his wallet, whether it wasn't picked up by somebody else along the way.

Something still drew him towards those woods again.

Tommy was sitting cross-legged on a tree trunk, not even ten paces from where Techno had left him last night. He still wasn't wearing shoes.

"That's mine," Techno said, watching Tommy riffle through his wallet.

If his presence was a surprise, Tommy had the poker face of a lifetime. He didn't even acknowledge Techno sneaking up on him, which was a little unnerving.

"What kind of human being doesn't carry their ID with them?" Tommy asked.

"The kind that keeps it in their phone case," Techno answered. Automatically, his hand patted his pocket, feeling the solid shape of his cellphone. It was still safely there, of course. He wasn't sure why he'd doubt that.

Tommy looked at him, curious. "Why?"

"Because I tend to lose my wallet." He reached out a hand. "Case in point."

But the kid didn't hand it over. He was watching Techno closely, eyes narrowed. "I'll trade your name for it."

Techno's hand fell down to his side again. "Heh?"

"Your name," Tommy repeated, holding out his own hand in a mock gesture mirroring what Techno did seconds ago.

Now, Techno might not be a person of superstitions, but he was definitely one to believe his gut when it told him something. And right now every deep-buried instinct of human nature told him that revealing his name to this… person was a bad idea.

(Child, his mind corrected automatically. Tommy was just a child, there was no reason for him to get nervous)

"Keep it," Techno said. "The only thing in there is money anyway and you look like you could use it more than I do. Maybe you could buy yourself a pair of shoes."

"Prick!" Techno caught his wallet when Tommy threw it at him in dismay. "Take your stupid wallet and don't ever come back then! See if I care!"

"You seem to care quite a lot-"

"Get out!"

Despite the day being mild at best, with blue skies and a sun that easily peeked through the clouds, Techno actually stumbled back at the gust of wind that hit him when those words were spoken. It was gone just as quickly though, making him wonder if he'd been imagining it or something. If it wasn't for the lingering swaying of his clothes in this unnatural breeze, he might have.

Unsettling as it was, he didn't make Tommy tell him to get out twice.

3.

He hadn't planned on ever going back there. There was no reason for him to either. But on Techno's next day off, it was raining.

Raining might even be an understatement. Pouring would be a more accurate description. Techno was sitting at his kitchen table drinking coffee and scrolling endlessly through social media, watching rivulets of water coming down across his window pane until the view outside was too distorted to make out.

He got up and walked towards the door. Then he shook his head and went to sit back down.

This was stupid. It wasn't his responsibility. Tommy definitely wouldn't be there anymore, three days had already passed.

("But what if he is?" Some tiny, easily swayed part of Techno whispered. "Out there in the rain, all by himself.")

Cursing that part vehemently, Techno started lacing up his boots. He put on his long coat and brought two umbrellas. As an afterthought, he went into his bedroom and retrieved something from his drawer.

Tommy was exactly where Techno had met him twice before.

He was absolutely soaked, blond hair now closer to tawny hay than gold sticking to his face at odd angles. His clothes seemed glued to his skin, accentuating how skinny he was. Techno was suddenly hopelessly glad he listened to the part of himself that had morals.

"What are you doing here?" Tommy asked. Like before he hadn't even turned around to acknowledge Techno's arrival. But then again, Techno was causing a horrible squishing noise with every step he took across the muddy ground. It wasn't exactly a sneaky approach.

"I came to bring you a gift," Techno said.

Tommy finally looked at him. His glare was kinda ineffective since he looked about as intimidating as a wet cat. "Is it your name?"

"Uh, no?"

"Then I don't want it."

"Are you sure?" Techno stepped closer and held up the umbrella. "Hypothermia is not a fun ride, trust me."

"I can't get sick," Tommy told him. "I can't get cold either, so don't even bother."

"I guess that makes these useless too," Techno said, pulling out the socks he went back to get from his bedroom.

And for the first time since meeting him, Tommy looked surprised. "You brought me socks?"

"I didn't have any shoes that would fit your tiny child size."

"Well, I don't need them." Tommy still held out his hand. Techno still handed him the socks. They came almost halfway up Tommy's calves and looked absolutely ridiculous. Tommy smiled. "Thanks, I guess."

"You're welcome, I guess."

Techno sat down next to Tommy, holding the umbrella so it would cover them both. The kid blinked at him. "What are you doing?"

"I'm taking a break because it was a long walk."

Tommy frowned at him. "You're weird."

"So I've been told." The rain made gentle sounds as it fell down onto both plastic and trees. Techno always found rain relaxing. "Not weird enough to be running around the woods barefoot. What are you doing out here, Tommy?"

Tommy opened his mouth, no doubt to deliver another witty retort that boiled down to him telling Techno to fuck off. Then he reconsidered, fingers fiddling with the socks Techno had gifted him.

"I don't like being at home right now."

"Why's that?"

"My dad has been pretty busy lately because he wants to retire."

"Family business?"

"And Wilbur has been getting all weird about it because it's his birthright to get on the throne." Tommy said the word birthright with an exaggerated infliction, almost doing a funny voice. Most likely making fun of this Wilbur person.

"So you ran away for attention?"

Despite claiming he wasn't able to grow cold (and by logical extension, warm) Tommy's cheeks got awfully red at that.

"I didn't fucking run away. I'm just choosing not to go back. Not until I've proven myself at least."

"Riiiiight, that's really normal behavior I'm sure."

"You brought me socks. Don't preach to me about normal."

"Fair enough."

For a moment there was nothing but the patter of the rain. Techno shivered, breath visible with every exhale. Tommy suffered neither of those inconveniences.

"You should go home." Tommy was the one who broke the silence. "Somebody might worry. That's usually what happens to people when they disappear."

Some things were starting to get more apparent to Techno by the second. The conclusion he was coming to might be impossible to wrap his head around, it was also the only thing that made sense.

"Not really," he said. "Not me. I don't have any friends, no family. I don't really leave the house unless I'm going to work." It was something he had known for a while, but saying it out loud still hurt. "Nobody would miss me if I vanished."

Tommy looked at him, then away again. "Oh…that sucks." It was said so quietly, Techno could have missed it.

"Yeah, so I'll just wait for the rain to stop before heading home."

With a nod from Tommy, the clouds broke. Sunlight came down in scattered beams, reflecting in the leftover dew stuck to the leaves.

It only confirmed Techno's growing suspicion.

"Leave," Tommy told him. "Don't come back this time."

Technoblade didn't argue, but he left the second umbrella beside the tree trunk before he went home.

4.

If people had to describe Techno with one word, 'stubborn' would probably be a popular choice.

So three days later, he was walking the now familiar path into the woods again. And there Tommy was, right where Techno had left him.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Tommy asked when he saw him. He sounded so offended by Techno's mere presence it was kind of hilarious.

"I'm passing through on my way to work."

"Hey, no!" Tommy jumped to get into Techno's way. Techno sidestepped around him. "No, no, I told you not to do that anymore."

"I don't think you can actually do anything about it though, can you?" Techno asked. "Unless I give you my name, you hold no power over me."

Tommy's cheeks puffed up, face scrunched together. Techno practically saw the gears in his head turning as he struggled to come up with a devastating comeback. "Prick," he decided eventually.

"I'm going to be late." Techno tried to step around him again but Tommy jumped forward to pull on his sleeve.

"How did you know?" he demanded.

"You're not exactly being subtle about it." Techno laughed, trying to pull his arm free. Tommy held on for dear life, somehow successfully so. "Though I've read fae can't lie. Is that true?"

"Fuck you!"

"I'll take that as a yes." Techno finally managed to wrench himself free. "Tell you what, if you can guess my name on your own, I'll give it to you. Fair and square."

"That's stupid," Tommy complained. "Just piss off and don't come back, will you?"

Techno waved at him as he walked on, loving this new shortcut to and from work he had discovered now. "See you later, Tommy."

5.

"Is it Dave? You look like a Dave."

"Nope." Techno sat back, using his hands to protect the back of his neck against the tree's rough bark. "My turn. Who is Wilbur?"

"Hey, I never said I'd answer any questions."

"But it's only fair, right? Equal exchange. That's a fae thing."

"It really isn't," Tommy said, looking down at him. "But fine. He's my older brother. Is it Steve? Steve is a stupid name."

"No. What do you do when you're not running around the forest barefoot, Tommy?"

Tommy swung his legs, balancing precariously on the branch he was sitting on. "I don't know, hang around with my friends. Play pranks on people, collect flowers, practice with my bow, listen to Wilbur play music. Just… stuff."

Techno hummed. "It sounds nice."

It sounded simple, it sounded worthwhile.

It probably beat living in a concrete box working ten-hour shifts and having no hobbies outside of staring at screens.

"Carl?" Tommy tried.

"God no." With his finger, Techno traced a pattern in a leaf he'd picked up. "Did you really run away because they were busy?"

"No…" Tommy hesitated. Then he shook his head. "Kinda, I guess? They don't really need me around right now."

"Your family doesn't need to need you around," Techno said. "They just need to care."

"They care!" Tommy said quickly, defensively. Clearly, that wasn't the issue then. "I just need to prove myself to them first. I told you, I can't go back until I do that."

"Is that why you need to steal a name so bad?"

"It's not your turn to ask a question," Tommy pointed out. Techno rolled his eyes, before watching him jump down from his branch, landing on his feet right in front of Techno. "I know… Alex."

"Not even close."

Tommy huffed, which made Techno smile.

"Answer my question now. Why do you need to steal a name so badly?"

It was still early evening, Techno had the day shift. The twilight cast sharp shadows across Tommy's face, and when he grinned Techno noticed a sharpness to his teeth he hadn't before. Still, he couldn't find it in himself to be scared.

"It's a rite of passage. Usually, you're tasked with doing it once you're an adult, but clearly I'm such a big man I can already do it. And then dad and Wilbur will see they don't need to take care of me all the time. I can take care of myself." That smile fell then, revealing something more fragile hidden beneath. "I can take care of them too."

Techno's fingers tightened around the leaf, crumpled and empty. He didn't know what he was feeling at that moment.

(Maybe his life had been so empty for so long, it was nice to see that there were still people who cared at all)

"Do you miss them?"

Unable to lie by his very nature, Tommy evaded the question instead. "It's fine, I'll get a name soon. Then I can go back."

"So if I find somebody right now and bring them here, that'd be all you need?"

It was not a serious proposal at all. Tommy didn't know that though.

"Wha- no, that's stupid. It can't just be any random person."

"Why not?" Neither of them acknowledged that Tommy had stopped guessing ages ago.

"Because they'd have to like, come join the fucking court or whatever. I'd be stuck with them, tied to them forever. I don't want it to be some prick who I don't even like being around."

Finally getting up, Techno stretched his legs. He's been sitting around in the cold for two hours, he needed to get home. "I hope you find somebody like that soon."

"Yeah…" Tommy watched him impassively. When Techno had already turned around, he finally called after him. "Are you coming back tomorrow?"

Barely able to contain a chuckle, Techno looked at him over his shoulder. "Do you want me to?"

Fae couldn't lie. Maybe that's why Tommy just flipped him off before running back into the cover of the trees.

+1.

He didn't end up visiting Tommy the day after, or any day for the rest of the week.

Almost ten days had passed when Techno finally made it down that small, tucked-away path into the forest again.

"Where have you been?" Tommy asked. He was wearing a flower crown, blues and pinks. It matched his eyes, which Techno could now recognize really did shine with a nonhuman quality. But what had seemed scary in its unnaturalness before didn't bother him as much anymore.

Tommy would always be the scrawny little blond kid with no shoes to Techno.

"I have bad news," Techno said. Better to get it over with quickly, rip off the bandaid in one go. "I'm leaving."

"What do you-"

"And I'm not coming back. My lease ran out, and my job doesn't pay enough to rent anything else. I don't have a choice."

Tommy's arms dropped to his side. That was when Techno saw he was holding another flower crown, blue and yellow blossoms woven together with branches. It was pretty, made slightly larger. As if to fit an older person.

Tommy's voice was tiny when he finally managed to speak. "Where are you going?"

"I'm moving back in with my parents. They live halfway across the country."

"You told me you didn't have any family," Tommy said. He didn't sound angry, just confused, and it made Techno's heart hurt.

"I lied. Humans do that sometimes."

The hurt that fled across Tommy's face was ten times worse than the one inside him.

"But you don't want to go." It wasn't a question. Those cornflower blue eyes could see right through him.

"I don't have a choice," Techno repeated, shrugging. "There's nowhere else I can go."

Tommy stepped forward. Where his socked foot planted resolutely into the earth, flowers sprouted instantly. "There is though!"

"Tommy, I can't-"

"Why not? Give me one good fucking reason why not."

And as much as Techno tried to scramble for one, he came up empty.

(Would it really be that bad, to become another folktale told about these woods?)

"I…" He started, knowing he could be about to make the largest mistake of his life. But then again, he never amounted to much in anything. If this was some sort of trick, it was one Tommy had put too much time into for it to make sense. "I'm…"

"Please," Tommy said. He held out the flower crown for Techno to take. "Can I have your name?"

He reached out. The petals were soft beneath his fingertips, welcoming. "Technoblade."

Tommy smiled wider. "Shit, I would never have guessed that. That's such a stupid fucking name." And he sounded so sincere it made them both laugh. Tommy breathed in deeply. "Technoblade."

When he said it, something filled Techno's chest. It was a foreign feeling, not uncomfortable yet not entirely familiar either. Reaching deep and holding him fast. It was warm though, warm and solid. It gave the impression that it would never let go.

And Techno found he was strangely okay with that.