Note: this is all platonic
Techno was not an open man. He didn't like to share his feelings, he didn't like to express what was going on in his brain, he mostly stayed quiet. People either didn't know this or truly didn't care.
Phil knew this about him, knew never to expect things from Techno other than monotone replies containing the words "Fine" and "Nothing". In the end Phil gave up trying to force him to express his true feelings. If there was a time that Techno wanted to share these he would.
And that's how their dynamic worked. Phil never pressured Techno into sharing emotions, and while Techno never pressured Phil into sharing either Phil did end up sharing his. Techno didn't mind, he enjoyed knowing what was going through Phil's brain. Sometimes he wondered if Phil longed for the same thing.
But he never asked, never wanted to bring it up and feel guilty if Phil's answer was yes. So in the end he kept quiet, just like he did with the rest of his emotions. He learned that this was probably his best option.
Prime only knows if that's the truth.
It was a quiet day in the Arctic. Phil was coming back from a resource trip, on his back was loads of freshly cut firewood, a bag full of apples, carrots, potatoes and even the bundle of sweet berries he planned on making into a pie. It wasn't too often that he was able to get the berries, so he hoped Techno would be pleased.
Phil reached the front porch and dumped the bundles of firewood onto the deck, standing right next to the door as he slipped off his boots, knowing if he brought the snow and mud covered things inside Techno would have his head. He didn't mind that his socks got damp in the time it took him to slip inside, he took them off after he closed the door behind him.
"Techno! I'm back!" Phil called as he threw his damp socks into the hamper they kept near the door, it was there for this exact reason. When there was no response Phil didn't think too much of it, Techno sometimes just didn't hear things. He made his way to the kitchen to start putting things away.
He dropped the bag carefully on the counter, putting down the fruits and veggies nicely so they wouldn't bruise. From the top of the bag he pulled out the berries, glad to see the smaller canvas bag they were in was not soaked with berry juice.
Phil moved to put them on the counter near the stove top, but paused when he went around the counter and saw Techno on the floor. He was crying, wordlessly staring off into the distance. This surprised Phil, even scared him slightly, Techno never cried.
"Techno?" Phil said lightly, putting the berries on the counter he was standing by. He walked over to Techno and bent down to be on his level. Techno didn't stop staring off into space, completely unfazed by Phil being there. Instead he continued to stare at the cabinet in front of him as tears fell. "Techno?" Phil repeated.
He gently reached out a hand, placing it on Techno's cheek. Techno leaned into the touch as Phil wiped away the tears from one side of his face, blinking a couple of times before looking up into Phil's eyes.
"Phil?" Techno asked softly, sounding like a broken child as he stared at Phil. Phil nodded gently.
"What's going on mate?" Phil asked carefully. Techno blinked a couple more times, like he was trying to process what was happening. "Are you okay?" Phil wondered. Even the times Techno had gotten hurt he didn't cry, he didn't share his emotions.
"Yeah, I'm okay." Techno spoke softly, in the same tone. This worried Phil more, he wasn't sure if Techno was lying or if he was truly okay. Spending years and years together didn't make it any easier to read his emotions when he rarely shared them.
