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Phil stared off at the sunrise far off in the horizon, wings rustling in the cold tundra winds. A cold cup of tea was clutched in his hand, joints aching from the cold exposure.
His joints always seemed to hurt recently, maybe his body was finally starting to declin after so many years of pushing it.
He didn't dwell too much on the thought, taking a sip of his cold tea, only to realize that there was no liquid in the mug, only dried circles lining the inside, tea bag laying at the bottom of the mug in a droopy mess.
When did that happen?
Well, it was no matter.
The cold breeze picked up suddenly, wrapping around his body like a cold blanket, and he shivered, his weak and frail wings tensing and shaking pathetically, exposed scars feeling particularly sore.
When had his wings grown so weak? He'd always been meticulous in caring for them, stretching them and preening them to avoid something of this sort happening, even on his worst days.
"Phil?" Came a familiar voice, soft and concerned. Phil's brows furrowed as he turned to look at Techno, concern immediately pooling in his gut. The man looked as though he'd woken only moments ago, pink hair ruffled and knotted, wearing a loose dress shirt and black pants that Phil recognized as pajamas.
The concern didn't come from his disheveled look though, because-
Techno was soft, in his own way. He was soft with his touch, meticulous in his gift-giving.
But he was so rarely soft in tone, well-meaning words coming out gruff and harsh in even the most tender of moments shared between them.
So, it was a rightful cause for concern.
"Yeah mate?" Phil asked, lowering his voice to be soft as well, wondering if he'd had a nightmare or anything of the sort. Techno didn't tend to ask for help, unless things got too overwhelming, especially with the voices in his head.
There was a beat of silence.
"You're shivering" Techno said, voice dropping to a more familiar gruffness, concern lacing Techno's deadpanned tone. Phil sent him a small smile, a shiver wracking his body.
"Hadn't noticed" He responded sarcastically, keeping his tone light. Techno let out a huff, going back inside for but a moment before coming back out, a thick red cloak draped over his own shoulders and another one clutch in his hand, a familiar green color that could immediately make it identifiable as Phil's.
He wrapped it around Phil, touch gentle as Techno secured it over his shoulders, the beige shawl fluttering around Phil's thin frame. Phil suppressed a grunt to hide how much effort it took to slip his wings through the slits in it.
It hurt, and Phil felt a pang in his chest at that realization.
Must be from the biting cold of the wind, it has to be.
"Thanks mate" Phil said, sending a smile Techno's way before looking back to the sunrise once more. His dearest friend just let out an acknowledging grunt, turning his head to the side, following Phil's line of sight. The older man was leaning his weight onto the wooden railing to take some pressure off of his feet.
Gods, even standing too long hurt.
Had he been injured recently? He couldn't quite remember, which was strange, but if Techno was being so caring and fussy, that must be it.
He'd always been a worrier afterall.
"What are you doing here so early?" Techno finally asked, turning his gaze back to look at his partner, soft and attentive. Phil smiled, gesturing with his mug of tea.
"Was drinking some tea, want a taste?" Phil asked, holding it out in offering. Techno leaned over just slightly to look inside.
A beat of silence passed.
"It's empty" Techno said, tone flat. But... there was something behind that as well, a certain sadness coating his tongue that made Phil feel uneasy. Phil's brows furrowed, taking a look inside of the mug, seeing only the lumpy and soggy tea bag at the bottom, dried lines circling the interior.
"Oh, dunno when that happened. Huh." Phil said, shrugging it off and placing the mug on the railing, letting it balance precariously.
He waited for the old man joke to hit, for Techno to make a jab at his age and his fading memory, but none came. Phil felt his heart spasm at the thought.
He didn't ask, knowing Techno would tell him if he wanted to.
Techno continued to stare at him for a prolonged moment, examining his face before turning his gaze to the ground. Phil frowned slightly, lightly patting his arm, aiming for a mild comfort.
"Well, there may be another reason I'm out here" He said, giving Techno a little, mischievous smile to try and lighten his mood. Techno raised a brow, leaning his side onto the railing, turning completely towards Phil.
He didn't have to ask for Phil to continue.
"I'm expecting Wilbur to arrive sometime soon, he sent a letter a few days ago saying he's gonna possibly stop by and visit. Apparently, things have been going well in that new country of his... L'Manberg, I believe it was?" Phil said, a certain excitement filling him at the thought. He knew Wilbur and Techno weren't the best of friends, but they got along rather well.
Instead of cheering up Techno like he'd expected it to, his expression went from bemused to pained, as though Phil has just struck him with something worst than a sword.
Phil felt his own expression fall at the reaction, gut curling and shriveling up with that feeling that had been permeating there since Techno had arrived.
Was he forgetting something? Were he and Wil not on the best of terms for whichever reason and Techno had failed to inform him?
"Phil, Wilbur is-" Techno began, reaching out towards Phil, only to cut himself off, hand hesitating in the cold air between them before retreating. The hybrid shoved his hands into his pockets.
Phil felt like he was forgetting something, missing a critical piece to a puzzle he wasn't even aware existed.
"Wilbur's what?" Phil inquired, finally turning away from the rising sun, the warm colors having started to fade into the pale greys and blues that always hung over the tundra.
He turned to fully face the man before him, and Techno's face still held that deep sorrow, grief hanging around him like a cloud.
Techno offered a pathetic attempt at a smile, a small quirk of the lips that quickly fell.
There was a pause, the air not quite tense, but not comforting and easy like their usual silences.
This was a deliberate pause, like Techno was mulling over his next words carefully.
"I'm sure Wilbur's a bit busy, he may arrive later than intended" Techno finally said, and Phil stared at the man before him, pondering over it.
He knew Techno like the back of his hand, knew when Techno lied, knew when he covered for something he didn't necessarily wanna talk about. That would never change, no matter how many years passed.
If there was one certainty in life, it was that he had Techno, and Techno had him.
"You're right, and Wilbur was never an early riser anyways. He'd probably sleep till noon before he made his way over" Phil joked, letting the fib slip away for now.
Because he knew Techno, knew that if it was important, his partner would say so.
Techno turned to look at Phil, offering a small smile of thanks, shoulders untensing and gaze growing soft as he looked at Phil, and the man had never felt more grateful to have such a look directed towards him. Phil gave a knowing smile, glancing at his mug on the railing.
"I'll finish this tea, then we'll head inside, alright mate?" He offered, the ache in his wings and his knees becoming too apparent to ignore now, not that he'd ever admit it to anyone. Techno's jaw clenched, before glancing at the mug.
"You already finished it" Techno grunted, voice gruff with... a feeling that Phil couldn't quite identify. A small sense of shock went through him, and he picked up the mug and glanced inside it.
It was empty, the tea bag laying at the bottom, a faint layer of frost over it, fried circles of tea lining the inside of the mug.
"Huh, wonder when that happened" Phil wondered aloud, before shrugging his shoulders, going to place it back down where it'd been.
Techno's hand grasped at the cup instead, and Phil let go of it without resistance, giving the man a confused look.
"Let's go fill it up then, we need to eat anyways" Techno said, just a faint note of a plead in his tone. Phil hummed, nodding, always agreeable when Techno was having a more off day.
"'Course mate" Phil said, nodding his head towards the door. He pushed himself off of the railing, repressing the grunt of pain that made it's way up his throat.
So, he made his way towards the door leading back to the warm cabin, opening the door with a wrinkled, worn hand.
His long, greyed hair bellowing in the cold tundra wind one last time before entering.
And Techno, forever young, followed.