Flufftober fourteen: Coworkers to family. This is a sequel to 'Until I Found You'. It's set in the same AU (a modern AU where SBI are actors working on the same tv show). I do recommend read that first.

Techno doubted he could make this jump.

The gap between the roof he was on and the one he needed to jump toward was about nine feet, but the other building was less tall so Techno did have the height advantage. Despite this, the distance might just be too much to cross in a single leap. He swallowed, taking a few deep breaths to steady himself. Nerves would make him sloppy - something he couldn't risk. Then Techno took a couple of steps back so he could get a running start, exhaled one final time, and sprinted to the roof's edge.

He didn't have a choice. He had to do this.

He used his right foot to push off from the bricks, arms swinging wildly in a fruitless attempt to get some extra momentum. Techno hadn't crossed half the gap and already knew he wouldn't make it. He tried to tuck his chin into his chest, hoping to make sure not to hit anything vital when he fell. His left foot slammed into the edge of the other roof, making pain ring through his leg. He hissed, falling back and onto the inflatable mat below.

"Cut!"

Techno blinked at the glaring studio lights above him.

"Techno?" A shadow fell over him quickly, Phil moving next to him and blotting out the light. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He sat up, wincing a little when he moved his leg and his ankle pounded painfully. One of the production assistants ran up behind Phil but then just kind of hovered there awkwardly, seeming unable to decide whether to grab Phil's sleeve and pull him away or not. Running onto the set in the middle of shooting wasn't really acceptable behavior, no matter if the cameras were actually rolling or not. But Phil was also a grown adult man and one of the most successful actors the studio ever had, so she might be more nervous about offending him somehow.

"I can't believe you almost made that," Phil said. He reached down a hand to help Techno upright. Techno sat up first, his fingers sinking into the mat beneath him. Obviously, he hadn't actually been jumping between two high-rise buildings. The fake rooftops were made of wood and styrofoam, painted convincingly by the decor department. After a bit of editing, nobody would be able to tell the drop Techno fell down wasn't actually ten stories, but rather just a few feet.

And he was always meant to fall down. Because that was part of the scene, as written out by the script. Techno just hadn't expected to be able to jump that far, ending up knocking his foot into the set on accident. He was supposed to just fall straight down.

"I ran track and field in high school," Techno said, taking Phil's hand. "Always killed it on the long jump too."

"I can tell." Phil pulled him up, possessing a surprising amount of strength for a middle-aged man. Acting could be dangerously close to a workout sometimes, especially since their characters were all superheroes so staying in shape was part of the gig.

As soon as Techno put any weight on his foot, another jolt of pain made itself known. He winced slightly, then bit his lip to hide the worst of it. Phil did still notice, raising an eyebrow at him. "Did you hurt yourself?"

"Not really," Techno said.

"So kind of?"

Techno chuckled, allowing Phil to help him off the mat before letting go and making a deliberate effort to not show how badly it hurt. "It feels as if I kicked a solid wooden object, yes. But it'll pass." He looked at the PA. "Do we need another take for this?"

"Uhm…" She seemed slightly relieved she could herd them toward the edge of the set, using the clipboard she was holding as an extra measure to extend her arm and wave them along. She touched her ear for a moment, presumably getting some sort of instructions from the director through the flimsy headphones. "I don't think so, that was pretty good. You can take ten."

"It looked really convincing," Wilbur said as they reached him. He was sitting in his usual chair, tapping away at his phone. "I thought you got hurt for real."

"Yeah, because he did," Phil said.

Wilbur looked up at Techno. "Really?"

"No." Techno made his voice sound firm, and didn't allow the pain to show on his face a second time. The last thing he wanted was for them to make a big deal out of this.

"He hit his foot on the edge of the set," Phil said.

"That's why you should never agree to do your own stunts," Wilbur told him, frowning.

"That was barely a stunt," Techno said.

The truth was that the director of the show had planned for a stunt double to do the shot, but the man they hired had to drop out last minute - ironically because of an injury he got while filming for another project. They could have just postponed this scene to a later date, but Techno overheard the director complaining on the phone about delays and having to push back episode releases, and he got nervous.

Things were different for Phil and Wilbur and Tommy. They had a lot going on for them outside of this show, and weren't really replaceable either. They were big names, star actors. The showrunners would probably bend over backward to keep them on. And if they did lose their jobs, they'd have a thousand people clambering to hire them instead. Techno didn't feel that way. He constantly had to worry about doing things right, because if he got fired, that would ruin his career forever.

So he had impulsively offered to do the stunt himself. How hard could fake falling off a building be?

Another twinge of pain from his ankle reminded him that the answer apparently was 'pretty freaking hard'.

"Do you want me to grab some ice for your ankle?" Phil asked. Techno plopped down in his own chair, picking up his water bottle.

He shook his head. "Nah, I'll be fine. Seriously, Phil, just because you play our dad on the show doesn't mean you need to go all mother hen on us in real life."

Phil's face turned an amusing shade of red, and Wilbur snorted a loud laugh from next to him. Techno didn't really mind the fussing, even if it had made him weirdly tense and uncomfortable at first. He wasn't used to having somebody caring for him like that. But he also wanted to distract them from how he did hurt himself, Techno didn't want to draw any more attention to it. He'd rather not bother anybody with it.

Really, it wasn't that big a deal. Today was the last day of filming before the weekend, he had two days off after this. He'd try and stay off his feet and be good to go on Monday.

"If you say so…" Phil goodnaturedly rolled his eyes at Techno's jab, finally dropping the subject as the production assistant returned to run them through the next scene.

When Tommy arrived for the afternoon filming, Techno was afraid the other two would bring up his little mishap, but neither of them did. Either they'd understood how badly he wanted to not talk about it, or perhaps they simply forgot it happened. Techno did make it clear how little it should matter to them. And Tommy didn't ask him if he was in any pain, which made Techno feel confident he was doing well hiding that every step he took hurt.

They got through the rest of filming fine - Techno even did a line reading on one of the scenes for the season finale where his character argues with Tommy's character about the involvement of the government in superhero work that he really liked - but by the end of the evening, Techno was beyond exhausted. Being in pain the entire time and hiding it was surprisingly tiring. And all he wanted was to go home, take a shower, and fall onto his couch.

Sadly, Tommy might have other plans.

"Techno, what kind of pizza do you want?"

"Pizza?" Techno asked. He hadn't even considered dinner for today, he wasn't exactly hungry. Being wound up about stuff usually killed his appetite. First it was stressing out about doing the stunt, then it was stressing out about doing the stunt wrong.

He skipped breakfast and barely had half a sandwich for lunch.

"Yeah, we're going to Phil's place and ordering some. You look like an extra meat type of guy." Tommy turned his phone around, making Techno squint into the bright glare of the screen. The text on the delivery menu was way too small for Techno to read.

Ever since the theme park, Techno felt like Tommy had been asking him along on things more often than before. Phil and Wilbur too, actually. He didn't mind. His New Year's resolution had been to open himself up to more new experiences. He was kind of getting used to it, he'd say.

But today he was just way too drained for it.

"I think I'm just going to head straight home," he said, hating how that instantly made Tommy's expression fall in disappointment. Techno felt bad, and not only because getting along with his coworkers was an important part of working on the show. He hated making Tommy upset.

"Seriously? You're going to skip out on family dinner?" Tommy's lips pulled down into an almost frown.

Techno gathered up his stuff a bit too quickly for him to fully play it off as casual, but he shrugged. "It's been a long day, I kinda want to decompress."

"We can decompress by watching a movie together," Tommy said. "Seriously, my shoot today was hell. The magazine people-"

A hand landed on Tommy's shoulders, which made him stop. Phil offered Techno a smile. "It's okay. We'll see Techno on Sunday anyway, right?"

Techno recently had felt more comfortable confiding in Phil about how overwhelmed he sometimes got with the whole celebrity thing. Techno took his own measures: staying away from social media, keeping himself out of the public eye, and agreeing only to a select few interviews. It helped that even though the show might be popular and was watched worldwide, it wasn't as if every other person recognized Techno on the streets. He'd hate that. What little fame he did have, Techno was more than content with. And he was focused solely on keeping it intact by not screwing up with his co-stars or boss.

But even beyond that, Techno was an introvert through and through. Everything about playing family with these guys stressed him out, because he was so terribly bad at it. Like walking over a minefield. He was constantly scared that one wrong move would make it all blow up in his face.

And in character that was fine, he was quite literally being paid to pretend to be their family. It was the real-life stuff he sucked at. When the cameras weren't rolling, and they weren't acting, and Techno still felt their affection for him in every word and every gesture.

Like they didn't care it was supposed to be just for the show.

"Yeah, we're meeting up at the museum, right?" Techno asked. Kristin had collaborated with a famous photographer for an exhibit. She'd been excited to show them the results. The grand opening was actually tomorrow, but Phil had asked them to pop by on Sunday since it was more of a private showcase then. Less people, less crowds. Another decision made for Techno's benefit, he knew.

Ironically, he both hated being a burden and appreciated that they cared enough to take his comfort into account.

"I'll text you the details," Phil confirmed.

"Cool, enjoy your pizza."

"I will," Tommy said. "And I'll even save you a slice because I'm so kind and considerate. I'll bring it with me to the museum."

"Don't do that," Techno said. The idea of bringing a greasy, cold piece of pizza into a museum grossed Techno out. And it probably wasn't allowed.

"I'm definitely going to do it."

Deciding this was not the hill he was going to die on, especially since he was tired and in pain, Techno dropped the subject. His ankle throbbed painfully during the drive home, and he pretended it didn't sting when Wilbur sent him a couple of pictures from around the dinner table and of them sitting on the couch with popcorn. Including one where Tommy was sticking his tongue out and Wilbur had written 'wished you were here'. Part of Techno almost wished he was there too.

Then he stood up to throw the plate he'd used for his own dinner - heated-up leftovers - into the sink, and winced when his ankle twinged again. Yeah, definitely better he wasn't there. He went to bed with an ice pack and hoped by tomorrow it wouldn't be an issue anymore.

Techno kept tapping his foot anxiously, a bad habit he really should get rid of someday.

The room he was in kind of made it hard for him to concentrate on anything aside from the tight feeling in his gut though. His surroundings were unbearably bland, pale gray walls and a floor made of some carpety thing? Techno wasn't sure. There was only a large table in the room, with eight chairs posed around it. In the middle of the table, somebody had put a pitcher of water and glasses. Techno didn't know if he was supposed to help himself. He'd arrived about twenty minutes earlier than the scheduled script reading.

Normally, he was chronically late to everything.

Today might be the most important day of his life. He was already hired, he already got the job. The hard part should be over.

But it wasn't. Because Techno hadn't met his co-stars yet.

Their identities were kept purposefully vague by the studio. Maybe because they didn't want to influence who might audition, maybe because they were trying to keep the entire show hush-hush while in production so they were rather concerned with leaks. Techno didn't know, he used to be a theater actor so the realm of shows was foreign to him. Or he used to be an aspiring theater actor, at least. He hadn't performed in more than a handful of small plays. Movies and TV shows hadn't been on his radar until very recently, when he realized he wouldn't be able to keep affording his bills much longer unless he got some paid work.

The door to the room opened and Techno snapped up his head.

The first thing he noticed was that the man who entered was older than he expected.

That felt like a silly sort of realization. But the acting world was full of young, good-looking people. Enough so that even Techno, who was not insecure about his physical appearance at all, had become used to mostly seeing conventionally attractive people in their early twenties around all the time. This man was pushing mid-thirties, had a stocky build, and wore his shoulder-length hair in a low ponytail.

The second thing Techno noticed was that this was Phil Craft, a famous movie star who acted in blockbuster hits such as 'Fall of Endlantis'. This man had been making it big when Techno was still going to school and falling asleep in math class.

"Oh, hey!" Phil immediately made his way over to Techno and stuck out his hand. Techno took it, allowing Phil to shake it with very little input from his side. "You must be Techno? Simon mentioned your name."

"You know Simon?" Techno asked. Simon was Techno's agent. Well, kind of? He was the one who helped him find the auditions and prep for them. He was the one who pushed Techno to go for this opportunity specifically, saying it was a golden ticket.

Phil pulled up the chair next to him so he could sit down. "We've worked together before. He's got a great eye for talent." Phil smiled. "I'm Phil. I'm assuming you're going to play one of the twins."

"That's the part I auditioned for," Techno confirmed. "Let me guess, you're playing the little brother?"

The joke was dumb and not very funny, so Phil's laugh was probably more pity than genuine amusement. It eased some of Techno's tension, allowing him to relax back in his chair. Phil had reached for the pitcher and was pouring a glass of water.

"They offered me the part almost two months ago, so I've been dying to know who my fictional sons are going to be," Phil said lightly. Techno picked at his sleeve. Phil was offered the job. Of course he was. The part might even be written with him in mind, rather than it being a blank slate for whoever performed the best during the audition to mold themselves into.

Would that be the case for the other actors too? Were they all requested to work on this, and Techno was simply an afterthought because they ran out of people?

Phil picked up the glass and put it in front of Techno, then started to pour a second one for himself. "First ever script reading?" he asked. At Techno's hesitation in answering, Phil added, "You have that deer in the headlights look. No offense, mate."

"Just never been involved in anything that has the potential to actually earn me more than a hundred bucks and exposure," Techno said. "I only did theater before."

"Theater?" Phil sat down properly, wiping the edge of his glass before taking a sip. "That's impressive."

"Says the guy who has three Emmy awards and an Oscar."

Phil chuckled. "Theater requires you to learn a lot more dialogue by heart, right? I'd say that's pretty impressive. I'm constantly trying to freshen up on my lines between takes."

"Yeah, must be hard on the old man memory." Techno bit his tongue as soon as he said it, not knowing if his dry sense of humor would go over well with a complete stranger. And he was fairly certain that if Phil decided he didn't want to work on this show anymore so long as Techno was involved, the producers were going to kick Techno out faster than he could snap his fingers.

But Phil just laughed again.

"Ah, well, the upside is that this old man has a lot of experience in the field. So if you ever need help with something, you know where to find me. We're family now after all."

The way Phil put it - adding a wink and everything - made it clear he was joking, though Techno simply nodded and thanked him.

Little did he know how much closer to the truth Phil's words would turn out to be in the long run.

The next morning, Techno woke up because his alarm was blaring loudly.

He blindly reached out for his phone to turn off the annoying, shrill noise. It took a bit of fumbling, but he managed eventually, groaning as he rubbed at his face. He automatically swung his legs off the bed to get up, only to instantly fall back with a grunt of pain. Trying to stand was enough to make what happened yesterday rush back.

His ankle was swollen.

Techno prodded at the skin slightly, which obviously only made it hurt more. The ice pack hadn't helped much. So that was great… He most likely sprained it.

Using the edge of the bed for support, he made a second attempt at getting up. Since he expected the pain this time, he managed to get on his feet without incident. Moving slowly, he put his phone in his pocket and then shuffled his way into the kitchen. Techno grabbed some stuff for breakfast and a painkiller, before going to sit behind his laptop.

Today would be a lazy day. Sit around the house, play video games, that kind of stuff. Then he'd be good as new for the exhibit opening tomorrow. He went to get a cushion from the couch and put it on the chair opposite. That way he could elevate his ankle, and with a new ice pack on top he barely felt it anymore. An hour or two was spent like that. Techno really needed the downtime, last week had been chaotic.

He wished the rest of the day had been like that.

Alas, when Techno decided he should probably go run by the store and stock up on food for next week, hitting his foot truly came back to bite him in the ass. Techno rented a small penthouse apartment in a fancy downtown area. Moving out of the moldy, leaking apartment he used to live in had been an easy decision when the show took off. The place was within walking distance of a store, a library, and a park. So between those, Techno had everything he wanted nearby. What the building didn't have since it was only four levels, was an elevator.

The cold had left his ankle more numb than painful, maybe that was why he didn't notice how badly he was limping until he was trying to make it down the stairs. Techno had his phone in one hand and was holding the banister with the other, but despite that, he missed a step. His heel hit the edge, sliding off and then he was tipping. Techno could feel himself start to fall, throwing out his other arm to try and keep his balance. It had the opposite effect of making him trip the other way and he pitched forward.

Techno tried to catch himself. His bone protested with a sharp snap when he hit the ground.

If he'd been higher up the stairs, this situation could have turned out a lot worse. As it was, Techno merely ended in a heap on the ground, having mostly hit his elbow and shoulder on the way down. His arm hurt the most, enough that he could barely move it. He probably broke it. Techno had a fair idea of what that felt like since he'd fallen out of a tree as a kid and broken it once before.

Techno closed his eyes and for a moment just lay there, unsure if he wanted to laugh or cry. Maybe both. Did he seriously injure himself twice in less than twenty-four hours?

Not wanting to wait for somebody else to come by and find him in this pathetic position, Techno was glad he hadn't let go of his phone when he fell, somehow clutching it tighter instead. He scrolled through his contacts.

There weren't a lot of people he could call. He didn't have many friends.

"Morning, Techno. Is the leg feeling any better?" Phil asked. He probably had caller ID turned on, so knew who was calling him. Considering it was fairly early on a Sunday, Techno was flattered that Phil picked up at all.

"Uh, yeah, about that…" Techno swallowed, trying to squirm into more of a seated position against the wall.

"What happened?" Phil's tone dropped away in complete seriousness.

"I fell down the stairs."

For a few seconds, there was silence. Techno even pulled his phone away from his ear to check if he hadn't been accidentally disconnected.

"What the fuck do you mean you fell down the stairs?" Techno could hear that Phil was moving around the house quickly, picking up stuff.

He flinched a bit as he moved his broken arm into his lap. "What part of that is hard to understand?"

Phil sighed. When he spoke next, it wasn't into the phone, more like he was muttering to himself and not for Techno to hear. "Fucking hell, I'm losing years of my life to this stress." Techno smiled. Then Phil was louder again. "Do I need to call an ambulance for you?"

"If I needed an ambulance, I would have called it myself instead of calling you," Techno pointed out calmly. It was a little funny to him that Phil seemed to be panicking more than he was. "I don't think it's that serious, but maybe you can give me a ride to the hospital? My arm might be broken."

"Yeah, I'm- I'm on the way." Techno could hear a door slam shut. Phil must have already been gathering his stuff. How thoughtful. "Try not to move, otherwise you'll have ten more broken bones by the time I get there."

Phil hung up on him, and Techno was left in the stillness that lingered after the line went dead. With a sigh, he rested his head on the wall.

He probably ruined Phil's entire morning, if not his entire day. Because Phil now had to drop everything to come to Techno's aid, to help him because he wasn't social enough to have anybody in his life aside from his coworkers. Techno should make it up to him somehow.

He could sit there and ponder on it while waiting for Phil to arrive.