Chapter Text
Techno sat up abruptly from the bed. It was very uncomfortable and left his back aching for at least an hour afterwards. He groaned as he stood up, taking steps through the rickety house. It belonged to his parents but had been worn down in their absence. Before stopping at the kitchen, he walks by the bedroom door his younger brother had painted with yellow flowers. He knocked loudly, opening the door when he hears a groan from within. Techno smiles at the sight of his dishevelled brother. His golden hair, which desperately needs a trim, is mussed in his face. Tommy looked a lot like their mother, inheriting her pale, freckled skin and bright blue eyes.
“Come on, Theseus, we’re going to be late.” That's a lie, they’re actually ahead of schedule, but Tommy’s distant cursing draws a laugh out of Techno. He trudges into the kitchen and grabs two slices of burnt bread the old baker had kindly given Tommy the day before. He grabs an apple that his brother had snuck from the orchard and cuts it in half before setting the two plates on the table. He sits down with a grunt and waits for his brother to come down before starting. Tommy hobbles in yawning and looks at the clock on top of the bookshelf before turning to Techno with a look of betrayal when he realises the time.
“Fuck you, bitch.” He mutters before focusing on his breakfast and taking a bite of bread. Techno can tell he stayed up last night worrying about today's reaping. It's his third year of his name being in the reaping bowl. District 11 has strong men and women working on farms and orchards, but it’s not it's not often the underfed and overworked district has a winner. The District’s last winner was 15 years ago, when then 17-year-old Philza Craft won.
“You’ll be fine, Theseus.” Techno grabs his brother’s wrist from across the table.
“Yeah, I know Tech.” Tommy reassures Techno and himself. “Can you braid this bit of hair?” Tommy asks, grabbing a section in the middle of his hair. Techno smiles and nods before taking both plates, walking them to the sink, and leaving them for later.
“Get dressed, I’ll do your hair in a minute.” Techno says, as Tommy disappears down the hall. In the bathroom he stops in front of the mirror and begins to carefully tie his long brown hair back. His rough hands, calloused from working on the potato farms all day, work elegantly as he wraps a golden string through the hair tie. It’s become a tradition that for each reaping they braid a string in their hair. Techno wears a golden one for Tommy’s golden hair. Tommy has a brown string braided to represent Techno’s.
Tommy knocks on the door, “Come in.” Techno mumbles out as he finishes his plait. Tommy opens the door dressed in his pale red tunic with three-quarter khaki pants. Techno picks up and places the stool in front of him before tapping it. Tommy hops onto the stool, zoning out on Techno’s hands working the brown string into a rear section of his hair.
Once he finishes, Tommy analyses the braid in the mirror before smiling brightly and turning to hug Techno.
“Thank you, big man! Now let's go, I want to be able to find Purp.” He grabs Techno’s wrist and drags him out of the bathroom. Techno groans sighs fondly? and rolls his eyes as he detaches Tommy’s hand from his wrist. Tommy sits by the door, puts his shoes on, and waits for Techno to lock the house. Techno moves methodically around the house, pulling shutters closed and locking them each. He finally finishes up and meets Tommy at the front door, slipping his shoes on before grabbing the keys, walking out the door and locking it behind them. He faces the green door with Tommy’s hand-painted yellow flowers. Taking a deep breath, he turns to Tommy and gestures for him to keep walking.
On their way, Tommy talks animatedly about the cow, Duffle, who he had been taking care of not far from the potato farm Techno worked on. Once they reach the muddy main road, Tommy spots his friend Purpled, a blonde-headed boy wearing a muted purple tunic in the crowd. He hurries through the crowd a bit faster, Techno speeding up to follow. When Tommy taps his friend on the back, the boy whips around, after noticing its Tommy his face softens and they continue to trek through the muddy roads. When they reach the check-in, they line up in their respective lines. Techno watches Tommy wince as his finger is pricked – not quite used to the pain yet. Techno is next, and as he is identified, he watches Tommy walk with Purpled to the designated area closer to the front of the town square. Techno stands near the back since it’s his second to last year.
It’s an awkward five minutes of silence until the district’s escort, Kristin Rosasles, walks out in a long, flowy gown of dark purple. The glitter on her face sparkled under the stage lights. “Hello, Hello everyone!” The crowd is silent. She pauses before starting again. “Happy Hunger Games!” She is again met with silence, but smiles: “Well, the time has come for us to select our courageous young men and women to represent District 11 in the 74th Annual Hunger Games.” She moves to the glass bowl in the middle of the stage, twirling her hands elegantly before pulling out a name from the bowl. She unfolds it, and Technoblade can feel a rush of anxiety hit him like a train.
“Purpled Grayson.”
The boy Tommy had been friends with glances around, panicked and scared. Techno watches as Kristin’s smile slips. She sees how young the boy is. The boy turns to hug Tommy who has a broken and distraught look on his young face, and Techno acts on pure instinct.
“I Volunteer!”
The words slip out of his mouth, and he watches as everyone whips their head around to look at him. He doesn't register what he’s done as he walks out from the crowd. He doesn’t when he looks at his younger brother, who doesn’t know how to feel. He doesn’t register it until he’s standing on that stage next to Kristin Rosasles. He stands there looking at the ground, refusing to look up and let everyone see his tears. He can see Kristin moving to pick a new name from the bowl, and Techno doesn’t know who to want to have alongside him. An enemy or a friend?
“Thomas Innes.”
The name is a blade to Techno’s heart. His head whips back up, and he makes eye contact with his terrified brother. Tommy shuffles forward slowly, until a guard harshly nudges him from behind. He takes his place on Kristin's other side. The blade in Techno’s heart is twisted when he quickly glances over at his brother who is sniffling – trying to hold back tears.
Kristin sucks in a breath. “Well, there we have it: District 11’s tributes, Technoblade and Thomas Innes.” She doesn’t sound as excited as she was when she first walked out, and when Techno looks at Philza up and down, his eyes are caught on his white-knuckled grip.
Fuck.
___________
Techno sat in the room alone. He had no family except Tommy, who he wasn’t allowed to see until they arrived at the train station. Techno has never really had silence like this before. Usually, something accompanies the silence: the sound of potatoes being ripped from the ground, the chirps of the Capital Crows or the sound of his little brother. Tommy was talking to Purpled, but Techno never had friends like Tommy had. His brother had always been the more social between the two. By the time Tommy was six, he had managed to charm at least half of the ladies at the pit.
Techno is ripped from his thoughts by the wooden door creaking open. Philza Craft walks through the door with a smile that rivals Tommy’s. The silence continues as Philza takes his spot in a seat next to Techno. “Are you scared?” The older man asks.
“Only for Tommy.” Techno smoothly replies.
Philza turns to look at him. " Are you expecting anyone?” Techno drops his gaze to his feet and shakes his head. It’s silent for a while again. “I’ll try my hardest to make sure he wins,” Philza assures him, but Techno hears doubt in the man's voice.
Still, like a child, Techno asks, “you promise?”
Philza pauses, “I stopped making promises a while ago, mate.”
Techno clears his throat, “right.”
Philza was brutal during his games; he had heard the ladies at the pit talk about it for months after. He heard how he killed everyone he came across in terrifying ways. It wasn't until he met a twelve-year-old from District 4 that he stopped his barbaric behaviour. He had promised the boy that he would get him home, but in the end, the boy was bitten by a creature that made the boy turn insane. Philza was forced to kill him; he had stabbed a sword straight into the younger boy's stomach and cradled him for an hour afterwards.
“They call you the Angel of Death. They say people thank you when you kill them.”
“Yeah, I'm not proud of that.” Phil shifts from one foot to another nervously.
“How often do you think about that kid?” Techno breaks the silence.
“Every single day.”
Peacekeepers throw the door open. " Let's go, " one of them says harshly. Techno walks out of the room, Philza following closely behind him. Techno sees Tommy standing facing the glass doors that Purpled has obviously used to exit. The boy's face is red, puffy, and shattered. “Tommy,” Techno grunts out. Tommy moves his body slowly, his eyes glued to the floor. Techno watches a teardrop on the perfect flooring. Techno rushes forward and hugs his brother tightly.
“I hate you.” Tommy grits out as he tightly wraps his arm around Techno.
“That's fine.”