Sleepy Bois Inc. Angst Oneshots

Goodbye

TW: mentions of blood, severe injury, murder, and death, self-blame and mourning
AN: Thanks for 6.3k!!!
The best word to describe this story is melancholic; it's sad and nostalgic. I think it pairs pretty well with the song. Enjoy!
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The old house, with its wildly overgrown garden, was silent, secretive, and safe. Techno approached his childhood home quietly, reminiscing about all of his memories there.

He paused at the door and looked at the painted handprints he and his brothers had left. He placed a hand over the faded pink paint of his last handprint. Taking a deep breath, he swung the door open and stepped inside.

The scent of must hit him strongly, but even it couldn't drown out the faint scent of apple pie, Phil's favorite dessert to bake. Techno inhaled the scent, pushing past the must.

He closed his eyes and imagined that he had just returned home from a quest. Tommy would be spread out on the couch, and Wilbur would be plucking away at his guitar on his stool. Phil would be in the kitchen baking an apple pie. When Techno would walk in, they'd drop what they were doing and welcome him home with cheers and shouts of joy.

He opened his eyes, half-expecting to be engulfed in a hug by his family. Instead, he was met with no one. He shivered and pulled his cloak closer to his chest. Techno sighed, missing his family.

He stepped around the broken glass and the dried bloodstains on the floor, pushing the memories that surrounded them out of his mind. He carried his bag to his bedroom and sat down on the old, squeaky mattress.

This was home.

Techno wished his family was there to fill the silence, but they hadn't been there in a long time. He played with a frayed string on his bag and twiddled his fingers. He hummed a tune Phil had taught him to fill the silence.

He finally couldn't stall anymore. He set his bag down gently on the floor and walked out of the house, headed for the backyard.

He passed the old oak tree Tommy had broken an arm from falling out of when he was younger. He walked underneath the leaves of Wilbur's favorite willow tree, the one that had a heart with the initials W+S carved into it. He paused and ran a hand through the dangling leaves, sighing.

He reached Phil's flower garden. Foxgloves, Techno's favorite flowers, mingled with Tommy's red roses and Wilbur's sunflowers. He froze, his heart hurting to see weeds threatening to choke the flowers. He knelt down in the grass and began gently pulling the weeds from the garden, like Phil had taught him to.

After an hour or so, the garden was completely weeded. Techno sighed, wiped the sweat from his brow, and laid down. Warm sun rays danced across his body as he laid in the grass, breathing deeply and contentedly. He still had one last thing to do, but he didn't want to do it quite yet.

Eventually, the sun began to set. Techno begrudgingly stood up and stretched. He turned back to the garden and picked some of the blooming flowers, separating them into three bouquets.

He left the garden behind and walked farther away from the house until it wasn't much more than a speck in the distance. Each step he took, his facade slipped a bit more. His eyes welled up with tears as he walked over the hills he and his brothers used to play on, stopping momentarily to steady himself. He wiped his eyes and shifted the bouquets into his other hand.

He came upon what he was looking for and what he dreaded seeing: three pearly white headstones that stood near the edge of a cliff. They laid underneath a willow tree much like the one in their backyard, as per Wilbur's last request. Techno leaned against the tree and looked out over the cliff's edge.

The setting sun cast a shadow over the graves, not that he'd need the sun to see them. He knew them by heart.

Wilbur's was the oldest. The name was scratched over, and the stone was wearing away. Techno carefully placed a bouquet of sunflowers, foxgloves, and red roses in front of the stone with shaky hands. He knelt down and whispered a quiet, "I love you, Wilby," before moving on to the next grave.

Tommy's was newer than Wilbur's, and it hurt more to see. Tommy was his baby brother. Techno was supposed to protect him and be there for him. He failed.

"I love you, Toms." He traced a hand over the neatly engraved name on the headstone. He left the flowers behind without saying another word.

He turned to the final grave, one he never expected to see: Philza Minecraft's. Phil was an immortal; he was supposed to live forever. Losing two of his sons had broken the man. When Techno had almost died, he traded his immortality to save his life because he couldn't bear to lose another son.

That decision stuck with Techno. He blamed himself for Phil's death. If he had never gotten hurt, Phil would've still been immortal, and he wouldn't have died. If Techno had been home when Dream broke in, he could've saved Philza. He wouldn't have had to return home to find his final family member dead with a sword through his chest.

"I love you, Dad." Techno fell to his knees in front of the grave and wept. There were so many things he could've done to save his family, and yet, here he was, cold and alone.

He felt the whisper of a hand touch his shoulder, and he sobbed harder. "I love you, too, son," Philza's voice echoed in the silent night. Techno turned to the light figure and smiled through his tears. The ghost smiled back and sat down next to Techno, gently rubbing circles into his back.

They watched the stars slowly blink into existence, listening to the waves crash below the cliff and the wind blow through the willow leaves, until the sun started to rise. As the sky grew brighter, Phil faded away, and Techno whispered one final goodbye.
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(1003 words)