DSMP AGERE ONESHOTS

Techno and Tommy sat across from each other in the cozy little restaurant, their food freshly placed in front of them. It was supposed to be a simple outing—just two brothers getting something to eat, a rare moment of peace. But Tommy could feel it creeping in.

The clinking of silverware, the hum of voices overlapping, the distant hiss of the kitchen, the occasional burst of laughter from a nearby table—it was all too much. It pressed against him, loud and overwhelming, making his head fuzzy, making his fingers twitch against his jeans. That familiar feeling bubbled up inside him, the urge to shrink down, to let go, to be little.

But no. He shook his head, gripping his fork tightly. Not here. Not now. He could handle this. He was fine.

Techno, of course, noticed. His sharp eyes flicked up from his plate as he chewed a bite of food, brows furrowing slightly. "You good, Toms?"

Tommy forced a grin, pushing the food around on his plate. "Yeah, yeah, ‘m fine. Just, uh—food’s hot. Burnt my tongue a bit." His voice was steady enough, but his fingers kept twitching, legs bouncing under the table. He needed to focus. Stay big.

Techno didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t push. Instead, he hummed and took another bite. "Drink some water," he suggested simply, a casual out if Tommy wanted to take it.

Tommy did, but the sensation of the cold water against his tongue barely registered over the tightness in his chest. His eyes flickered across the room, searching for an escape, for something to anchor him. But the restaurant was still loud, still bright, still too much. His stomach twisted, his hands gripping his hoodie sleeves now. He needed—he needed—

Techno sighed, setting down his fork. "Alright, c'mere, gremlin," he muttered, voice softer now.

Tommy blinked, heart skipping. "Wha—"

Techno just gestured with a tilt of his head. "Booth’s got space. C’mere."

Tommy hesitated. But his hands were already shaking, his mind slipping, the fuzziness making it harder to think. Techno wouldn’t judge. He never did. So, finally, Tommy shuffled over, sliding into the booth beside his brother.

As soon as he was there, Techno draped an arm across the back of the seat, a protective barrier between Tommy and the rest of the world. "Take a minute," he murmured, voice calm and steady, the way he always sounded when he was taking care of something important.

Tommy let out a shaky breath and curled up slightly, letting his head lean against Techno’s shoulder. The weight, the warmth, the familiar scent of home—it helped. The noise of the restaurant faded just a little. He could breathe.

Techno let him sit like that for a while, just being close, giving Tommy the space to let go without making a big deal of it. After a few minutes, he nudged Tommy’s cup of juice toward him. "Drink," he said simply.

Tommy obeyed without thinking, small hands gripping the cup as he sipped. His fingers still felt too big, but the feeling was easier to ignore now. Techno was here. He was safe.

Techno waited until he set the cup down before speaking again. "Wanna finish eating here, or wanna take it to go?"

Tommy hesitated, then mumbled, "Go..." His voice was smaller now, a little wobbly.

Techno just nodded. "Alright. We’ll get it packed up. Then we can go home, put on a movie or somethin’."

Tommy sniffled but nodded, gripping the sleeve of Techno’s hoodie this time. His fingers curled around the fabric, grounding himself in the steady presence beside him.

Techno let him, keeping his arm resting along the booth like a silent shield, watching over his little brother.

"Yeah," Tommy whispered, feeling the last of the tension ease away. "That sounds good."

---time skip (cause I ain't about to write a car journey)----
As soon as they got home, Tommy had fully slipped. He clung to Techno’s sleeve as they walked inside, his steps a little clumsy, his eyes big and wide as he took in their home like it was brand new.

Techno didn’t comment on it—he just guided Tommy to the kitchen, lifting him effortlessly onto the countertop. "Alright, bud, you sit tight," he said, ruffling Tommy’s already-messy hair.

Tommy giggled, kicking his feet where they dangled off the counter. "’Kay, Techie!" he chirped, all traces of the stress from earlier gone.

Techno smirked at the nickname but didn’t correct him. Instead, he grabbed Tommy’s tablet, unlocking it and swiping through until he found what he was looking for. "There we go," he muttered, pulling up Hello Kitty. He glanced at Tommy, who was already staring at the screen like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

Techno chuckled under his breath. "You’re easy to entertain, huh, Toms?"

Tommy didn’t respond—he was too invested in whatever Hello Kitty and her friends were up to. Techno just shook his head fondly and turned toward the stove, pulling out the pack of dinosaur-shaped nuggets from the freezer.

He knew from experience that Tommy would eat just about anything while regressed, but dino nuggets were his absolute favorite. It was an unspoken rule that whenever Tommy was little, Techno would make them. And, honestly? Techno didn’t mind.

As the nuggets started to cook, Techno leaned back against the counter, crossing his arms as he watched Tommy. The kid was still completely immersed in his show, but every so often, he’d swing his legs a little or mumble something under his breath.

Techno shook his head again, amused. "You good over there, buddy?"

Tommy gasped dramatically, turning to Techno with wide eyes. "Techie! Kitty gots a pwobwem!"

Techno raised a brow, playing along. "Oh yeah? What’s the problem?"

Tommy huffed, waving his arms dramatically. "She los’ her bow! Gotta fin’ it!"

Techno nodded seriously. "Sounds like a real crisis. Think she’ll find it?"

Tommy nodded furiously. "Uh-huh! She’s so smawt! She gots fwends helpin’!"

Techno smirked. "Well, if she’s got friends, I think she’ll be okay."

Tommy hummed, satisfied, and turned back to the screen, his attention shifting just as quickly as it had come. Techno took that as a sign to check on the nuggets, flipping them over before heading to grab Tommy’s favorite juice box from the fridge.

By the time the food was ready, Tommy was humming along with the Hello Kitty theme, completely at ease. Techno just smiled as he plated the food, setting it in front of his little brother.

"Alright, bud, dino nuggets are ready."

Tommy gasped like it was the best news he’d ever heard, his hands immediately reaching for a nugget. "Fank you, Techie!"

Techno ruffled his hair again before sitting next to him, watching as Tommy happily munched on his food, fully content in his little world.
As Tommy finished his last dino nugget, Techno noticed something was off. The usual bright energy in Tommy’s eyes had dimmed slightly, and his hands, which usually clung onto something—his sleeve, the edge of the counter, or, most often, his plushie—were fidgeting idly against his shirt.

That’s when Techno realized. Shroud wasn’t with him.

Techno glanced around the kitchen, but the little black plush spider was nowhere in sight. That meant it had to be in Tommy’s room.

“Hey, buddy,” Techno said softly, already moving closer. “You missin’ someone?”

Tommy blinked up at him, his lower lip jutting out slightly. “Sh-Shroud…” he mumbled, rubbing his fists against his eyes.

Techno nodded. “Thought so. C’mon, let’s go get him.”

Before Tommy could even respond, Techno effortlessly scooped him up, one arm supporting his back while the other tucked under his legs. Tommy instinctively clung to Techno’s hoodie, his small fingers gripping the fabric tightly.

The walk to Tommy’s room was short, but Techno could feel how much Tommy needed this—needed to be held, needed to feel safe. So Techno didn’t rush. He walked slowly, giving Tommy time to snuggle into his shoulder.

When they reached the room, Techno immediately spotted Shroud sitting on the bed, right where Tommy had left him.

“There he is,” Techno murmured, reaching over to grab the plushie. He held it up to Tommy. “Look who was waiting for you, bud.”

Tommy gasped softly, immediately reaching out and snatching Shroud into his arms. “Shrou’!” he mumbled against the plushie’s soft fabric, hugging him tightly.

Techno sat down on the bed, still holding Tommy in his lap as Tommy buried his face into Shroud. “There we go,” Techno said, rubbing Tommy’s back gently. “All better now."

Techno could tell Tommy was exhausted. The way he blinked slowly, how he kept rubbing at his eyes, and the way he leaned against Techno just a little more than usual—it was obvious. But Tommy? Tommy was stubborn.

“Not sleepy,” Tommy mumbled, gripping Shroud tightly.

Techno raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah?”

Tommy nodded, his lips pursed in determination. “Wanna stay up! Wanna colow wif you!”

Techno sighed, but he wasn’t really annoyed. He knew forcing Tommy to sleep wouldn’t work—he’d just get pouty and upset. Instead, Techno smirked. “Alright, buddy. Coloring it is.”

Tommy gasped, immediately perking up. “Weally?”

Techno ruffled his hair. “Yeah, yeah. Just for a bit, though. No fallin’ asleep on the crayons, got it?”

Tommy giggled, bouncing excitedly as Techno went to grab the supplies. He had a stash of Minecraft coloring pages specifically for moments like this, and it didn’t take long before they were both sitting at the coffee table, crayons scattered between them.

Techno handed Tommy a sheet with a little blocky pig on it, and Tommy gasped dramatically. “It’s Techie Pig!” he declared.

Techno snorted. “Sure, bud. That’s me, I guess.”

Tommy grinned and immediately started coloring, grabbing a bright pink crayon and scribbling wildly. Techno took a more relaxed approach, shading in a creeper on his own page with green and black. Every so often, he’d glance over at Tommy, watching as his little brother kicked his legs happily, completely focused on his masterpiece.

At one point, Tommy leaned over and pressed a blue crayon into Techno’s hand. “For de sky,” he said seriously.

Techno smirked. “Oh? I was gonna leave it blank, but if the little artist insists…”

Tommy nodded firmly. “Gotta be blue! Like de real sky!”

Techno rolled his eyes but went along with it, filling in the background of his creeper. “There. Happy?”

Tommy beamed. “Yuh-huh! Looks good, Techie!”

Techno huffed a laugh, shaking his head. “Yeah, yeah. You’re the real artist here.”

They kept coloring for a while, Tommy getting more and more sluggish as time went on. His coloring became slower, his grip on the crayon loosening, and eventually, his head started tilting to the side, resting against Techno’s arm.

Techno glanced down and smirked. “Not sleepy, huh?” he teased.

Tommy mumbled something incoherent, his eyes barely staying open.

Techno sighed, setting down his crayon and stretching. “Alright, bud. Coloring time’s over. Let’s get you to bed.”

Tommy whined softly, but he didn’t fight it when Techno scooped him up, bringing him back to his room. He still held onto his coloring page, clutching it like it was the most important thing in the world.

Techno tucked him in, making sure Shroud was in his arms before ruffling his hair one last time. “Night, buddy,” he murmured.

Tommy yawned. “Night, Techie…”

And just like that, he was asleep, safe and sound.