Sleepy Bois Inc. Angst Oneshots

Techno's Mask Part 4

TW: trauma and unwanted attention (like a stranger pointing out someone's scar)
~*~
Philza was worried about his son. Yes Techno had gotten used to the mask quickly, and Phil had to give him credit for how well he was handling the situation. But still, it was hard for the boy.

He began to notice that Techno stepped back from his brothers more. He spent a lot of time alone; he rarely held conversations that were more than a few words.

As his father, Philza wanted to help Techno however he could. It was difficult, though, because Techno wasn't a touchy-feely kind of person, and Phil had no idea what it was like for him. He needed to find someone Techno could relate to, someone Techno could open up to.

With that thought in mind, Philza began searching. He met many kinds of people on his journey: an alcoholic with horns, an intimidatingly tall black and white man, and a colorblind Brit.

He was about to give up when the British man, George, pointed him in the direction of one of his closest friends.

Dream was at the supermarket when a peculiar man with wings approached him. The man stared at him and tailed him for a few aisles. Uncomfortable, Dream went for his sword. He turned to face the man.

"What do you want?" Dream didn't want to jump to conclusions, but this man was acting very strange. He kept analyzing Dream's mask and opening his mouth to speak before shutting it again.

"I'm Philza Minecraft. May I, uhm, may I ask about your mask?" Blunt. Dream flinched at the mention of the mask permanently stuck to his face.

Dream answered curtly, wishing Mr. Minecraft would leave him alone. Not knowing how much information to share, Dream answered, "It's cursed. I can't take it off."

"Great! Wait, no!" Dream began backing away from Philza as the man floundered with his words. "Sorry, that came out wrong. My son, Techno, has the same problem as you. I was hoping you could help him." Dream examined the man, trying to figure out his plan.

"If I can't get my mask off my face, what makes you think I can get it off of someone else's?" Seriously, what was this man thinking?

"That's not what I meant. I think he needs someone he can relate to, and I think you might need that, too." Dream realized he had been absentmindedly toying the edges of his mask. He wrapped both of his hands around his shopping cart's handles.

He didn't know what to say to Phil. It bothered him that people brought up his mask, and he didn't want to have to be a therapist to some kid. He should've said no, but the man looked so hopeful...

"Fine." The man pumped his fist. He danced around in the aisle for a bit before his wings knocked all the Kraft Mac'n'Cheese boxes off the shelf. Dream laughed as an employee glared at Phil.

"We should get going," Phil said with his voice a few octaves higher from embarrassment. "Does it work for you to come now? I was hoping to start sooner rather than later, and I can cook you dinner!" Phil started rambling as Dream finished up his shopping, paid, and left. He followed the eccentric man home.

Techno was sword fighting with Tommy when Phil called him into the house. When he got to the kitchen, he presumed Philza wanted to know what he wanted for supper.

Instead, he walked into a trap. Phil was sitting at the table next to a man with a smiley face mask. When the man saw Techno, he burst out laughing.

"Dude," he wheezed between his words, "Your mask is so much worse!" Techno glared at the masked man and pointed his sword towards the smiley mask.

Philza slapped his forehead. Techno sensed that this clearly wasn't how his plan was supposed to play out. Techno knew exactly what his father's plan was: get Techno to make a friend. He must've noticed Techno's social decline.

Most of the time, Techno liked the fear and respect that his mask gave him, but sometimes, the way people flinched when they looked at him hurt, especially if it was Tommy or Wilbur doing it. And the voices... They weren't particularly bad today, but they were definitely affecting his mental health. Besides, the fewer people in his life, the fewer people he could hurt if- when the voices finally pushed him over the edge.

The masked man seemed to realize his words and their effect. He stopped laughing and glanced at Techno. "I'm sorry. The name's Clay, but you can call me Dream."

"I'm Techno," he responded angrily. "Dad, why is he here?" If Phil wanted him to open up, he could've just asked. He didn't need to bring a jerk in, especially one like Dream.

"I was hoping you boys might want to hang out while I make supper. Maybe sword fight or something. Just don't kill each other." Philza got up from the table and turned to the cupboards. Clearly, the conversation was over, and any further words from Techno would be ignored.

"So... You like to sword fight?" Dream attempted to make small talk with Techno, but he wasn't having any of it from the man who'd insulted his mask. Dream seemed to realize that small talk wasn't going to go anywhere. "I bet I could beat you in a fight."

Techno observed how his approach switched and sighed. He might as well play into Philza's wishes for a few hours. Then, it would be over, and he wouldn't have to even look at Dream ever again. He led the blond to his training area, and they got out their swords.

Quickly, Techno noticed the matches were an actual challenge since he was used to sparring with people worse than him like Tommy. Techno had to give Dream some credit, he really knew his moves. In the end, Techno won, but it was very close.

Philza finished supper and called the boys in. Dream and Techno talked happily between themselves while Tommy and Wilbur watched them closely, probably wondering who this man was and what he had done to their brother. The duo ate their burgers quickly and went back to sparring.

Perhaps Dream wasn't so bad after all. Perhaps Techno could get used to this.
~*~
(1060 words)