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Techno wasn't really one to show affection. He was considered to be more distant in that department, always freezing up when someone even just began to show him love. He normally just kept to himself, and planned on keeping it that way.
Which is why he didn't believe his slip up at first.
After a long day of fighting mobs and farming potatoes, he returned home completely exhausted. Maybe that's why I said it, he thought.
Normally he would just return to his room and fall asleep, not flop down on the couch. But he did anyway, too tired to care. He dropped his sword next to him on the floor, and only bothered to take off his netherite helmet.
From across the room, Tommy snickered. "The Blade? Tired?" He teased. He was sitting with Wilbur on their kitchen island, and the latter was strumming chords on his guitar, seemingly teaching him how to play.
"Shut uppppp..." Techno groaned.
"He's right! I don't think I've ever seen you tired. Or sleeping, ever," Wilbur chimed in, setting down the guitar. After a moment's thought, he shuddered, "...That's actually really creepy."
"Yeah, no shit," the youngest laughed. "Do you ever sleep?"
"I'm trying to..." Techno muttered, exaggerated annoyance soaked into his monotone voice. He hoped his brothers would take a hint and just let the poor man sleep.
"Oh, we should sneak into his room while he's asleep," Tommy suggested.
"You do have a habit of sneaking into rooms, don't you?" Wilbur then put on a serious act, one they both knew was fake. The other connected his fingertips together like a Disney villain, calling himself the 'Dirty Crime Boy' before they both fell into a fit of laughter.
Techno lifted his head from its resting place on the couch to glare at the two, to tell them to shut the hell up, and upon doing this he realized Phil had just walked in. "Thank God," he said, not caring he didn't believe in said God, "Dad, tell them to shut up, I'm tryna' sleep here."
Why did everyone go silent? Why were they all staring at him? He sat up, a confused look finding its way onto his face. "What...?" He asked, eyes squinting from sleepiness.
"You just called him Dad," Wilbur smiled. The two younger siblings had started calling Phil their dad months ago, and while they had been taken in by the fatherly figure before Techno, the difference in time wasn't that long.
"What? No, I didn't," his brows furrowed, trying to think. Did he?
"You totally did," Tommy laughed.
They both had no reason to lie, unless it was some dumb prank, but he guessed that yes, he did call Phil his dad. He looked in the latter's direction, surprised to see he was on the verge of tears. "Are you... Crying?" He asked in disbelief.
Suddenly the attention was now turned on Phil. He had both hands over his mouth, though you could clearly see he was smiling big. "No," he sniffled, even further confirming the other's obvious suspicions. "I'm just-- you called me dad."
Techno didn't know calling him dad would affect him this much. He didn't even mean to, he was just tired. It's not like he was uncomfortable with it, otherwise the slip up never would have happened in the first place.
"C'mere," Phil opened up his arms, clearly asking for a hug.
"..'m tired, you come here," Techno held out his arms, not nearly as energetic or big of a gesture the other had given.
Phil, still a little teary-eyed, came over to the couch Techno practically crashed on and gave him a big, loving hug. He returned the physical affection, slowly, mainly due to the fact he was tired. But he knew this hesitation was also because of how much he truly did keep to himself. Trying to ignore the burning he felt anywhere Phil was touching him, he just returned the hug and enjoyed it while it lasted.
Once Phil pulled away--Techno feeling cold at the sudden loss of touch, though he would never admit it--he ruffled the kid's hair and got up off the couch. "Don't fall asleep on the couch, Techno," he whispered to him, in which Techno begrudgingly got up. He heard the strums of Wilbur's guitar once again, and while they weren't unpleasant, they were definitely loud. Phil took notice of this and said, "Boys, keep it down, yeah?" And in return, Wil put down his guitar with a fake pout.
The eldest of the siblings trudged off into his room, falling straight onto the bed. After a minute or two of just laying there, Phil walked past his room, stopping in the doorframe. He flicked off the light, then softly said, "Don't forget to take off your armour. Goodnight."
"Night... Dad."