Wilbur is glad he got to talk to Techno.

When the bunny hybrid had first shown up, Wilbur wasn't happy to say the least. It's not like Techno had done anything to piss him off, or to make Wilbur hate him, or to deserve getting the cold shoulder. Looking back on it, Wilbur felt a bit guilty that it had taken him this long to give Techno a chance.

But hearing that hunters were so close to the commune… it scared Wilbur.

He doesn't want to think about it, he doesn't want to ever think about what life is like past the mountains. Within this valley, they are safe. His father and Tommy are safe and all Wilbur's friends too. When Wilbur was still so very young he couldn't really remember, Wilbur's mother was a traveler. She went beyond the borders of the commune, and she-

Techno is like a constant reminder.

It doesn't help that Tommy couldn't stop fawning over the guy when he'd just arrived, talking about how cool it is to see a rabbit hybrid (Tommy had never seen one before, so of course it would seem cool. Tommy thought Niki was the coolest person in the universe when she first joined as well). Their dad, too. He didn't have as much time to spend on them when he was figuring out the carrot farm and doing research in the library and setting things up with Scott.

Wilbur likes his life. He doesn't want it to change.

Not all change has to be bad, though. Since their truce, Techno and Wilbur have spent a lot more time together. Usually still with Tommy around, all three of them go out to the pier together a lot. Or sometimes they visit the pub to play cards. Techno is funny, and he is pretty smart. He is interested in the books Wilbur reads while Tommy never gave a fuck because he doesn't like to read books with too many words and that is nice.

Wilbur has given Techno one of his favorite books, the first in a series about a strange elytrian who goes to far lands and solves mysteries wherever she visits. After each chapter, Techno will give him his thoughts, and Wilbur is always perplexed that Techno seems to focus on some detail he hasn't noticed.

Techno is fascinated by his guitar.

"You've never seen one before?" Wilbur asks, completely flabbergasted. He has been raised within the commune for most of his life, never leaving the valley, and even he has heard and seen a whole ton of instruments throughout the years. The Captain has a collection.

Techno shakes his head. "How does it work?"

"Uhm, I don't know, it's hard to explain. I just know how to play it." His fingers brush over the strings. "Wanna hear?"

Three weeks have passed since their argument. Things are easier now, better. Wilbur still feels a bit awkward sometimes. He never really told Techno he was sorry and he doesn't know if he should.

"Sure." Techno scoots a little closer.

Wilbur starts to play, the same song he used to play for Tommy when he was younger. He can't remember who wrote it - maybe their father? Wilbur remembers hearing it hummed to him when he was still a chick himself, gentle hands working through his hair while he sat in his dad's lap. Techno listens, curiously following the movement of Wilbur's fingers. The avian closes his own eyes, not used to somebody watching him play. He doesn't want to get nervous and mess up.

When he is done, it remains quiet. He opens his eyes again, seeing that Techno is staring at him with a slightly vacant expression. He doesn't move, not even twitching his nose - something he often seems to do subconsciously.

"Uh, that was the end," Wilbur says stupidly. "I also wrote some of my own songs…"

Techno doesn't answer. Doesn't even blink. Concerned, Wilbur sticks out a hand and waves it in front of Techno's face.

"Techno, are you okay?"

Techno jumps back, snapping out of it. It ends up with him kinda rolling over until he's on his hind paws and looking at Wilbur with a spooked expression, lashes fluttering. Wilbur chuckles because it's simply that absurd.

"Were you daydreaming?" he asks. He can't stop laughing.

"I'm not-" Techno flushes, kicking aimlessly at him to express his annoyance. "Stop it!"

"No, no. I'm glad you liked it that much." Wilbur adjusts the guitar, bracing the neck against his knee. "Do you want to hear another one?"

The next one he plays is more upbeat, cheerful. It's Jack's favorite. Wilbur got to perform it at the pub a few times. Techno listens while sitting at attention, compensating for his apparent wandering thoughts earlier by trying to stay even more alert. But Wilbur can see the way his feet tap against the ground and his fingers grip at his sleeves. His ears won't stop flicking away in short little jerks. Techno picks up one of the many fallen leaves that have ended up in the nest, scratching his claws over the orange and yellow surface. Autumn is always very beautiful in the valley because they have so many different trees.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Wilbur asks after a moment, interrupting his playing.

Techno frowns again, looking uncomfortable. "I'm fine."

Wilbur doesn't want to push him. Not after being so mean to him before. So he doesn't say anything, not even when the next day Techno freezes up on him a few more times, or the day after when Beautie playing a prank on them makes Techno scurry into the bushes out of fright, or the day after that when Techno refuses to eat.

Has he gotten sick too? Tommy has been better for almost a month now, but maybe sickness works differently for a rabbit.

"Do you think Techno has been acting strange?" Wilbur asks Tommy after almost four days of this odd behavior. Tommy holds his chin in thought, giving the question ample consideration. So much so that Wilbur gets kind of sick of waiting on an answer, really.

"Nope!" his brother decides eventually, popping the p. "He's always weird. He's a weird guy!"

"Thanks Tommy, that's literally the opposite of helpful," Wilbur complains. "I think he's been… off."

"Off how?"

He shrugs, unable to put it into proper words. "Like he's nervous or something."

"Have you tried asking him?" Phil folds his wings onto his back as he lands, feathers weaving between branches effortlessly. Wilbur hopes he can do that someday. He's starting to be able to fly, not just glide. But he never quite manages to stick the landing.

His father comes over and ruffles his hair. Wilbur allows it for a moment, before continuing the conversation. "What?"

"You're worried there's something wrong with Techno, right? You should talk to him about it, ask him if he needs any help."

Wilbur's full attention is suddenly directed at the laces on his boots, untying them simply to have an excuse to tie them again. "I dunno…"

He doesn't know why that feels like a bad idea. It's not like Techno acts angry toward him. There's nothing that makes Wilbur suspect that Techno holds a grudge against him.

But what if he's acting off because he doesn't feel welcome anymore?

Phil really likes Techno. And Tommy really likes him too. And while it took a bit longer for Wilbur to warm up to the idea, he doesn't want Techno to leave. He wants Techno to be part of their family, assuming he wants that as well.

Maybe Wilbur ruined that by being an asshole, and then-

A soft smack on the side of his head pulls him from the musing, his father's flat palm hitting against his temple with no real strength behind it. "You're overthinking things again, Wils."

Wilbur frowns, opening his mouth. "But what if-"

"You won't know until you ask. That's how you get answers to 'what if's."

Leaning forward, he slightly bites at his thumb. Phil is probably right. Wilbur does have a terrible habit of getting caught up in these anxieties and not acting rationally as a result. In a sense, that's what started this whole mess in the first place: Wilbur's fear that Techno moving in with them meant that his family wouldn't be his family anymore. Knowing what's causing these thoughts doesn't make them easier to get rid of though. With his other hand, he rubs at his face.

"It can't be that simple."

"I have bad news, Wilbur," his father says gravely, hand coming up to squeeze his shoulder. "It absolutely is that simple."

Tommy laughs and then when Wilbur glares at him, the child proceeds to stick out his tongue. Wilbur flares out a wing and with one strong swipe, he sends a powerful gust of air that knocks Tommy onto his back. It doesn't stop his brother from laughing his ass off, but it feels good in a petty way.

"I guess I'll go talk to him," Wilbur says.

He finds Techno down at the pond, hanging around with Niki.

Wilbur has noticed the two seem to get along very well. Wilbur isn't surprised, Niki is one of his best friends too. She's kind beyond measure, curious to learn new things and thus a very good listener. But she's also not afraid to state her mind, only with the sort of candid honesty you can't get upset at.

She spots him first, raising one scaled arm out of the water to wave at him. "Hi, Wil!"

"Hullo," Techno says as Wilbur sits down on the grass next to him. Niki has her body draped along the sand, large caudal fin moving up and down like the swaying of a wave.

Wilbur sits down after greeting them and lets the small talk continue for about five more minutes before he can't hold it in any longer. "Techno?"

The bunny hybrid hums to indicate he's listening. He's braiding flowers together, making a sort of crown out of them.

"Is something wrong?"

Techno stills for a second then goes on with his work. He doesn't lift his eyes to look at Wilbur. "Nah."

"Are you sure?" Wilbur presses. "If there's something wrong, you can tell me."

"And if there is, I'll be sure to let you know," Techno says. It makes Wilbur frown, the nervous feeling curling up in his chest more tightly.

He doesn't know what to do.

He gets up and leaves, ignoring Niki calling out for him. He goes home and ignores Tommy asking him to play tag and Phil asking him how it went. Saying that he's exhausted, he curls up in a corner of the nest and pretends to go to sleep. He feels miserable, like he failed at something though he can't say what.

It's hours later when he hears Techno return and the others go to bed too.

But Techno doesn't fall asleep.

Or Wilbur doesn't think he does. He can hear Techno shift restlessly beneath the blankets, rolling over onto his back and sides time and time again. After about an hour of this, Techno throws the blankets off with a sigh, apparently giving up on sleeping. He crawls out from under them, so Wilbur peeks through his half-closed eyes to see what he's doing and watches him sit on the side of the nest with his legs dangling down.

That's where Techno stays for at least ten more minutes. Then Wilbur can't stand watching anymore.

"Techno?" he whispers, trying to make it loud enough for his voice to carry. "Psst, Techno."

The bunny's ears swivel back, head turned to watch him. In the shadows of the nest, Wilbur can't really see his expression.

"Come here," Wilbur says.

Techno hesitates but then crawls back to him. Wilbur lifts the blanket, gesturing in a silent invitation. Techno only takes a few seconds to decide before joining him. His body is warm, the fur on his legs a bit itchy against Wilbur's skin.

"Hey," Wilbur whispers, tone hushed so they don't wake the others up.

"Hey," Techno whispers back.

"Do you want to tell me the truth this time?"

Techno's brows draw tight, though obviously he knows what Wilbur is talking about. His hands fidget restlessly. "I can't sleep."

"Yeah, I noticed. I mean beyond that, though. You've been acting really weird."

"I don't know," Techno lies. Wilbur can tell because his hands stop moving and he's biting his bottom lip.

Technoblade is a really bad liar. It reminds Wilbur of Tommy when he was younger. His brother's wings would always hike up and give it away when he wasn't being truthful.

"You do know," Wilbur says matter of factly. "You just don't want to tell me. Why? Are you angry at me because I was being a jerk before?"

Wilbur still doesn't think he can apologize, but at least it's out in the open now that he recognizes he was being a bit of a prick. Even if he's not exactly sorry - not entirely. A little bit. It's complicated.

He was scared.

"No, I'm not-" Techno swallows and starts fidgeting again. "I'm not angry."

"What then?" Wilbur insists. He knows he's being pushy, but honestly he's getting to be very worried now. And as the older brother in the family, it's more or less his responsibility to look after the others, especially his little siblings.

(Since when has Wilbur considered Techno part of his family?)

Techno looks at him with wide, red eyes. The moonlight falls through shifting leaves, and for a moment Wilbur swears he can see tears there. They're gone just as quickly though, making him think it was probably a trick of the light.

Techno doesn't seem like the type of person to cry. He didn't even cry when his real family died.

At long last, he gets his answer, but it isn't what he expected. "I'm scared."

The confusion makes Wilbur grip a bit tighter out of instinct, hand moving up to rest on Techno's back like he used to do for Tommy when he had nightmares as a little kid. There are no wings there to pet, none of the soothing gestures Wilbur is familiar with.

So he does what he has seen their father do with Techno a few times. He puts his forehead against Techno's gently. The bunny hybrid smiles.

"What are you scared of?" Wilbur asks.

"I can't sleep," Techno says again, and Wilbur is about to complain about him dodging the question but Techno continues the sentence, "because this is a nest. Up in a tree. And it doesn't… feel right."

"Oh," is all Wilbur can say.

It makes an odd sort of sense, he supposes. They hadn't considered before if their living arrangements would affect Techno in the long run. Perhaps he'd been good at suppressing these instincts for a while, but now they were finally boiling over.

"I didn't want to say anything because I don't want to make a burrow," Techno admits. "I uh… I really like it here. With you guys. And sleeping all alone in a burrow sounds like crap, honestly."

Wilbur laughs a bit. "Yeah, it does." He's kinda relieved it wasn't anything more serious. "So you were hiding it because you'd think we'd insist you sleep somewhere else?"

Techno nods. "Stupid, right?"

Wilbur thinks of his own stupid behavior the past month, spurred on by the thought of losing his family - irrational as it was. "Nah, I don't think that's stupid."

When Techno closes his eyes, Wilbur thinks he's probably going to sleep. That's why he startles a little when Wilbur suddenly cries out.

"What about the tree!"

"What about it?" Techno asks, confused.

"It's hollow on the inside. We can make a burrow for you at the bottom and then connect it to the nest," Wilbur explains. "You can even alternate sleeping down there or up here if you want. Or we could sleep in the burrow too."

Going by Techno's completely astonished expression, the fact that Phil, Wilbur, and Tommy might be willing to forgo their normal habits to accommodate him hadn't even crossed his mind. "You'd do that for me?"

"Well, duh!"

Techno tucks his chin down, pressing his face against Wilbur's chest to nuzzle him in what is probably some bunny show of affection. Wilbur laughs and pulls him a little closer. It's really not that different from when he hugs Tommy, he thinks to himself.

They fall asleep like that, holding each other.

The burrow is done less than three days later, thanks to their dad's help. He complimented Wilbur for having such a stellar idea and it made Wilbur fluff his wings out in pride. The bottom of the tree is filled with moss and a heap of blankets and pillows. It looks just as cozy as the nest does - maybe even cozier - and Wilbur is almost jealous. Thankfully there's room for all four of them down there (though Phil really has to tuck in his wings). There's a door near the base for Techno to go in and out easier. Plus the ladder means Techno can still come up to them whenever he wants. Where they sleep is mostly dependent on their mood these days. As long as it's together.

When they first show it to him, Techno is so happy he does this funny little hop and kicks with his leg in midair. It makes Phil laugh and Techno flush so dark his face is the same color as his hair. But he still doesn't stop grinning, because he must be super happy.

And after seeing that, Wilbur doesn't feel like he needs to say sorry anymore.