#so Techno needed Ranboo to go home and take care of Steve who got a cold

[demonboyhalo]

Hot Take: Ranboo wasn't lurking in the shadows of the Red Banquet for some terrifying Enderwalk intel gathering, he's actually just very socially awkward and didn't want to interrupt the festivities

#bc yeah he knows he was invited but he still feels like he's intruding? #and then they started doing Speeches which terrified him - having so many eyes on him at once?? hell no #so he sat in the rafters and saw Bad put Eret in a hole for some reason but he was too far away to hear why #he took the chance to get some punch after everyone left the dining table and when he got back to his position in the rafters #he noticed foolish had left early (hopefully to build his damn mansion smh) which he didn't think much of #but then Techno whispered him for some reason?? he said quackity had hired him to party crash the banquet #so Techno needed Ranboo to go home and take care of Steve who got a cold #Ranboo had brought no armour per the invitation...but there was no rule against enderchests #so he put on his netherite and walked through the lava wall that Bad must have put up for decorative lifting #*lighting #and nether traveled back to Artic. he was very thankful that Techno gave him an excuse to leave early #but still embarrassed that he went and didn't even TALK to anyone. in the future if anyone asks about him about it he will FIRMLY deny it. #(imagine saying you went to a party that no even SAW you at?? ranboo shivers at the sheer awkwardness of it) #mcyt #ranboo #red banquet #dream smp

[condorclaw]

How c!Technoblade deals with others’ mental health

(TW: mentions of panic attacks and trauma symptoms)

Just finished the newest Technoblade stream, and something that stood out was Ranboo telling Techno about the voices. More so how Techno reacted to them.

The moment Ranboo tells him about the voices, the two are already in a stressful situation, with Techno's support animal, Steve, in danger. In this panic, the two try to talk to distract themselves from the current situation. Ranboo asks Techno about his voices during that moment, which Techno elaborates on. Ranboo tells Techno about the voice in his own head, trying to connect to him in some way, while letting out his own feelings.

Techno's response during this is asking simple questions and making a few jokes. This could be seen as disrespectful, but it's rather in-line for who Techno is and the current situation.

Techno doesn't do too well with talking to people, and when he does, he makes jokes to try and interact with his peers at least somewhat. He shows more through his actions, and in the moment of him having to hang on to Steve with a rope while a piglin tries to push him, there's not much room for physical acknowledgement. When it comes to what he says, Techno is already balancing Steve's safety and the voices in his head, so his responses won't be as thought out or carefully crafted.

He still knows that Ranboo is telling him something important, and he does care about what Ranboo is saying. When Ranboo says that his voice tells him bad things, but Techno's voices appear to be helpful, Techno responds by telling him that they're just saying "E" at the moment. Techno isn't trying to downgrade Ranboo's experiences at all here, and is rather trying to convey that his voices aren't all that helpful, not wanting Ranboo to feel bad about his own voice.

Techno knows that Ranboo is opening up about something important, and if Techno really didn't care about Ranboo's experiences, he'd tell Ranboo to shut up while they were saving Steve.

Now compare this to another situation where Techno was present: Tommy's frequent panic attacks during exile. More specifically, the ones occurring near Logsteshire and the Final Control Room.

When the two chose to sneak into L'manberg at one point to create a base, Techno shows Tommy a room he found, which turns out to be the Final Control Room, where Tommy had lost his first canon life. Techno wasn't present when the L'manberg Independence war wasn't taking place, so he, himself, didn't know what it was for.

Upon entering, Tommy immediately starts having a panic attack, and Techno tries to ask him what happened in that room. Tommy takes off running, and due to how he normally acts, Techno probably saw it as just another thing he does sometimes. As Tommy ran through the tunnels, Techno repeatedly asked why he was so afraid of the room, only fully realizing what was going on after Tommy said he didn't want to think about it.

Techno followed him, trying to tell Tommy that it was fine, and that he didn't need to talk about it. Tommy then started having conflicting thoughts about Dream again, with Techno trying to direct them towards the "you don't need Dream" area so Tommy could hopefully clear his thoughts more.

Techno's immediate response after Tommy recovering from his panic attack was for the two to head home. Heading in that direction, Techno tried to talk about secret bases to distract Tommy, and the two ended up staying in the tunnels for a little longer after Tommy found a ravine and got distracted, forgetting about what he previously felt like. Techno made some jokes and helped out Tommy with his discovery before they headed home.

The other instance of Techno witnessing one of Tommy's panic attacks was when the duo went looking for some wolves, and ended up going near Logsteshire, which is where Tommy was emotionally and physically abused by Dream.

The journey started off well, where the two continued to banter in their normal way, but the situation started to get worrying when Techno warned Tommy that Dream was online, and Tommy proceeded to talk about how he and Dream were friends, which worried Techno, since Tommy had expressed aggression and hatred for Dream several times.

Techno tries to ask Tommy more about his feelings, but by then, Tommy's trauma is starting to surface as he sees familiar landmarks from Logsteshire. Techno tells Tommy that he can handle the dogs, and tries to distract him by asking Tommy what he knows about the dogs. While Techno is busy with looking up information however, Tommy wanders off to Logsteshire, getting more and more panicked and quiet. Techno tries to ask him where he is and tells Tommy very clearly to come back to where he was.

Tommy sees a forest nearby and insists that he'll conquer his fears and find dogs for Techno. Techno says that he'll go off on his own, and gives Tommy instructions to find dogs, believing that Tommy will be fine since he said he would be.

When Tommy says that his head started spinning, Techno tries to make a joke about it, saying that it's a "promising development", but Tommy takes that literally. Tommy says that he just wants to get bamboo and go home, and Techno talks to him softly, saying that he just needs two dogs, emphasizing that it's not much. Techno meets up with Tommy again, but they get immediately separated as Tommy runs away again, trying to rush past Logsteshire to get to a different forest.

Tommy insists that he's going home, and Techno agrees that they can head back, he just wants to meet up with Tommy so they can go together. Tommy and Techno have a slight argument, where Tommy says Techno isn't the best at comforting him, and Techno says that he wants to meet up with Tommy, implying that he feels it would be bad to let a disoriented Tommy go alone.

Techno mentions that he might have spotted Dream, panicking Tommy who desperately asks where Techno is, and starts rambling about his conflicting thoughts. Techno becomes concerned as Tommy starts talking about how he's alone again, and asks Tommy to describe his surroundings. Tommy proceeds to do that with single words, with Techno trying to ask Tommy as simple questions as he can.

Techno pieces together that something is wrong, and works on trying to get Tommy home, while distracting him with random things and other jokes. As soon as Techno recognizes that Tommy's back in his regular headspace again, the two resume their banter.

The experiences Techno has had with Tommy have been similar in how he handles them. Techno always tries to ask first, and when he realizes that Tommy isn't in the right spot to talk, he tries to make jokes and distract Tommy with his current muddled thoughts. Techno isn't being disrespectful by doing this, and even expresses concern and wanting to get Tommy home when the boy's feelings become too much for Tommy himself to handle. Tommy frequently gets distracted from his own thoughts himself, so Techno finds that joking around helps pull him back to reality, since it's what Tommy likes to do.

When Techno believes that Tommy should do something specific, he always speaks in a clear, short manner, that Tommy can easily understand and reply to in simple ways. Techno himself isn't good with words, so it's easier for him to speak in short sentences when it comes to dealing with serious problems.

Techno could have carried these observations over for when he talks with Ranboo. Ranboo and Tommy are different when it comes to how they express trauma, and Techno is mostly familiar with what Tommy's is like. Ranboo is more direct with his words, while Tommy can't address the situation directly and has to drop cues.

When it comes to using words to comfort others, Techno is mostly familiar with distracting the person from their pain, wanting them to keep stable long enough so he can either get more information about what's going on, or get them to a better spot where they can rest.

Techno deals with the pain of others' in a similar manner to his own. He makes jokes constantly, and keeps moving frequently to keep unwanted voices away from his own thoughts. He's not heartless, and rather has a different way of handling certain issues than many others do.

#I BANGED THIS OUT IN ONE FUCKING GO WOOOO please read it #dream smp #dsmp #dream smp analysis #c!technoblade #c!ranboo #c!tommy #my post

[elliotl]

Hi Elliot <3

/rp /dsmp

He was out! He was actually out!

Dream was standing barefoot in the grass outside the Vault, taking in the rain and the night sky and freedom. Finally. Now he only had to find a place to stay, some food-

Techno interrupted his train of thought, gently shaking his arm

“You coming, nerd?”

“Coming were?”

Techno just smiled, gesturing to the rest of the Syndicate.

“Home.”

(Ngl I am surprised this isnt angst <333)

"Home?" Dream looked up at Techno confused. The blade looked at Dream with mischievous glint in his red eyes and smiled.

"Yeah I mean your old one kinda got damaged so you know people usually go and stay in a new one. I'm not letting go of my roommate," Technoblade joked and then smiled genuinely at the end, "A friend?" Dream scrunched up his nose and pulled Techno's cloak more close to his face so the fur would hide his face partially when he looked at the other three figures standing in the distance. He bit his lip and blinked his eyes to stop the tears from coming out. "Friend yes," Dream nodded and took Techno's arm. "Yoooo we win these," Techno spoke after Dream was helped up to mount the horse. "As always mate but not hurry up you two," Phil spoke, a hand on his circular hat. "They'll be out in no time looking for you. Dream come with me." Dream looked at Techno who was standing near his own horse. Going with Phil? Dream shook his head and told Techno no. Technoblade sighed and walked over to him. "Listen here roommate, we are going in groups? Phil can protect you better than I can at the moment," Techno glanced at his bloody leg to make his point. "I promise and you know my promises right?" "Okay," Dream uttered before he looked at Phil's smiling face. The horse was very patient to him. Dream being not familiar with one for a long time made him nervous as the being trotted towards the angel. "Come on mate," Phil spoke and then noticed Dream nervously glancing at the horse. "She is very patient don't worry. Ranboo learned horse riding on her and you know how clumsy that child is." Phil chuckled and Dream gave him a partial smile. Phil nodded at him and the duo started off. Dream glanced back ones to look at Techno and saw him with Ranboo and Niki who were recovering from crying and now were riding at a distant pace behind them. The terrain changed constantly as they had to take a long way home instead of the nether travel. Dream glanced at Phil's wing from time to time cause it twitched whenever Dream sighed or gasped. Like Phil was on alert, worry hidden behind his smiling wise face. "Thank you," Dream croaked and looked at Phil once before breaking the eye contact.

"Dream," Phil started and expected for the boy to look at him but Dream didnt. "Look that place was a hell hole. Fucking terrible thing okay. You dont need to thank me or anyone of us. We act on our beliefs." There was a moments pause and Dream looked at Phil who was watching back with a knowing gaze. "In a right way. Now, Dream, I want you to know what your beliefs are after all this. We will be with you whatever. Okay mate?" Dream nodded and they were silent for the rest of the ride. When the cold tundra came Dream did not shiver. He enjoyed every snowflake falling on his skin. He still remembers how the flakes would gather on his long lashes when he was out in the cold too long. Techno, Ranboo and Niki had joined them and now they were all going together. Dream smiled at Techno who just blinked in assurance and smiled. Dream was going to owe him for life. Not just because Techno had got them both out of the prison but because despite all of this shit, Techno had called him a friend. Cared for him the same way he had cared for Wilbur and Tommy. Dream smiled at Niki who waved at him and smiled kindly. She was the first one to touch him when he stepped out of the prison, wrapping him up in a cloak and convincing him to drink his regen pot even though he protested. The next moments were spent in silence as Dream was helped down from the horse by Techno and escorted in a cozy warm living room. Dream was alert under the curious eyes of Steve and only waved at him as the polar bear snorted and sat down staring at him. Niki had gone to put the horses in the stables, Phil went away to fetch the meds and Techno, Dream didnt know where Techno was so he started looking around panicked. "Hello," Dream turned around started to look at the half enderman and stumbled back to land on the sofa. Ranboo backed away looking panicked Dream and purple particles fluttered around them. "I'm sorry i didnt mean- I just wanted to give you tea." The boy finished shyly. Dream took the cup with shaky hands and stared at it. Ranboo was Tommy's friend. How? and why? "If it comforts you, Phil made it," Ranboo spoke and sat opposite to Dream, his tail flicking nervously. Dream took a sip, slight afraid to show that he didnt trust Ranboo completely. "So you liked that horse?" Ranboo asked not making an eye contact. "Yeah she was very fine," Dream spoke as honey soothed his throat.

"Yeah.. yeah she is mine.. i heard you liked horses so... I, I mean we got the finest for you..." Dream hummed and the awkward silence settled. Ranboo would glace at the scared man once in a while and every time the figure would pull the cloak closer. "I mean after you get better," Ranboo started and Dream looked up immediately fearing being thrown out after all this was over. "I mean after you get a little bit better... Will.. will you train with me, Dream?" Dream just stared at him as the question had took him off guard. He didnt know what Ranoo was planning. "I mean I have mob heads you know. I got them myself," Ranboo smiled a bit being proud. "It was scary but now i have many Cre.. skeleton heads and we could you know target practice." Dream looked at Techno who was silently watching unnoticed by Ranboo. "You know Techno teaches me and Niki and he is great at it. He praises but I know I am not as good at fighting yet so you can join us maybe? We can train together and then niki can bake us...." Ranboo went on while Dream heard all of it. "Okay," Dream smiled at him stopping the rambling. "I'll train with you."

#kiuda <3 #the syndicate #c!dream #c!techno #c!niki #c!philza #c!ranboo #post prison arc #arctic commune #rivalsblr #emeraldblr #dreblr

[thecheesiestcheese23]

the will to live ( was only a whisper before i went )

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR TECHNO'S PHIL'S QUACKITY'S AND SAM'S LORE STREAM

Rumors were hard to ignore.

They spread around, scattered in the wind as more and more people started to believe its faulty truth.

Rumors were hard to ignore, especially when the truth started to leak out. Technoblade had been gone for three months. Three months too long, in Phil’s opinion, but there was nothing he could do now. All he would do was wait and hope that Techno would be able to survive in the prison.

However, Phil would not worry so much if he didn’t know one key factor.

Techno was at one life. He had foolishly lost two of them in hypixel when he was a kid, too cocky and too confident for his own good. One misstep and one swing later, he rested at two lives. One faulty move and one arrow later, he was on his last life. He had learned enough from his mistakes, he told Phil one day, and he made sure to never make them again. He hid it from the rest of the world, joking around and acting as if he was still at three lives, rushing into battle at a moment’s notice.

Phil knew the possibilities of Techno coming back to him alive, and he knew that Techno knew that too. He had seen it in his eyes and in the way he moved, had seen right through him as if he were looking through ice. But he had let him go with a forced smile and a promise that they would see each other again, no matter how long that may be.

A will was placed in his hands with a promise to not open it for three months, but those three months had come and gone, and now the will rested in Phil’s hand, waiting to be opened and read.

Dear Philza Minecraft, the will began with.

I am going to the prison to visit Dream and make sure he’s alright. If I do not return within a few days, activate the pearl I left in our book club’s meeting room.

Of course, their pearl stasis chamber, how could Phil have forgotten? A laugh bubbled up and out of his throat, relief flooding through his body. There was hope after all, and a chance of getting Techno safely back to the Arctic. Not wasting a second more, Phil threw on his coat and ran outside, his wings taking flight.

His wings beat against the harsh winds, snow entangling itself between his feathers and his hair, clutching on for dear life at the speed he flew. Not soon enough, he was at the entrance of the stronghold. He barreled down the lava and landed in the water that rested below. He skidded on the ice, sliding through the corridors as he made his way through all the twists and turns.

He finally made his way to the portal room, hope coursing through his veins as he made his way to where Techno’s seat was and-

Oh.

The pearl was gone.

And with that, Philza broke, collapsing on the stone floor. Cries of anguish echoed throughout the empty room, never to be full again. At least then no one was there to witness him break. Techno was gone- gone for good this time.

And Phil had a strange feeling that even if the pearl was there, it would only teleport back Techno’s remains.

If the pearl is gone, well, it was nice knowing you. Look after the others for me when I’m gone.

____________________

I left my valuables in a barrel hidden in the top floor’s ceiling and a chest under the stone in a corner of that one weird room under the house with the potions. Distribute them as you see fit. Please keep Steve and the foxes well-fed, the wolves can be released into the wilderness.

Steve was curled up on his owner's bed, the bed creaking against his weight. He whined, nose burying itself between his paws.

The foxes pulled at their leads, searching for the one with pink hair and kind words, but to no avail.

Yipping sounded throughout the forest, the once blood-hounds exploring the forest. They searched all around, but could not find the one they had gone to war with.

Tell Ranboo and Niki that they’re stronger than they know.

A knock sounded throughout the near-empty mansion, causing Ranboo to jump. He recognized the pattern of the knocks, a grin forming on his face.

“Phil! You startled me-” Ranboo smiled at the other as he opened the door, but it slipped off of his face as his gaze landed on Phil.

Phil’s hair was ruffled and dried tear tracks covered his face. He avoided eye contact as he spoke, voice wavering.

“Techno’s gone.”

____________________

Niki was working away at her city, beads of sweat forming on her face as she moved objects around. Her city was coming together nicely, and she just needed to put some finishing touches to complete it.

However, she was interrupted by a knock at the entrance. She looked up in curiosity, recognizing the pattern as Phil’s.

“Phil! How nice of you to visit-” She said as she climbed up the staircase, coming face-to-face with Phil. She paused as she took his appearance in. “Are you okay?”

He shook his head wordlessly, “Techno’s gone.”

Tell Tommy that I hope he finds what he’s looking for, whatever that is.

The day was calm with a slight breeze rustling through the trees, a perfect day for Tommy to bring Shroud out.

“Remember what I taught you, big man, stay close to me, don’t wander off, if you see anyone, anyone at all, you alert me, and if I get into trouble, you run all the way back home and hide, okay?”

“Okay!” Shroud happily chirped from where they sat. “Can we go now?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” Tommy clutched Shroud’s hand, opening the door to reveal Philza, hand raised like he was about to knock.

“Philza Minecraft.” Tommy said, voice cold. He gestured at Shroud to leave the room, which they reluctantly did. “What do you want?”

“It’s about Techno.” Phil looked defeated as he spoke.

Tommy’s heart started to hammer in his chest as a pit started to form in his gut. If Phil was coming to him about Techno- then something was horribly wrong.

“What’s wrong with Techno?” He demanded.

“He’s gone.”

Phil, I’m glad I met you in this life.

“Where is he?”

The Warden looked up from where he sat, not surprised to see Phil’s face.

“Philza, what a pleasant surprise. What brings you here to the prison?”

“You know full well why I’m here, and I’m only going to ask once more. Where is Technoblade?” Phil spat out, rage coursing through his veins.

The Warden remained silent, the only sound filling the room being keys typing away.

“Listen, if you don’t give him to me, I’ll destroy this prison bit by bit until all that’s left of it is its charred remains.”

“You want him so bad? Fine.” With that, The Warden typed some words into the computer, and a circular tube similar to a coffin appeared out of the wall.

His heart dropped as he saw the tube, mind screaming as he dared to look at what was inside. He didn’t want to confirm his suspicions- but something urged his body to peer into the tube.

It was Techno’s body, scarred and burnt but still recognizable. He knew that Techno was dead, but confirming it just hurt so much more. “Who.” His voice was quiet, almost muted.

“Quackity.” The Warden simply said, eyes focused on the computer. “He’s in Las Nevadas.”

Phil wordlessly nodded, carefully picking up his body and cradling him in his arms. “Thank you,” with that, Philza walked outside and took off, tears slipping down his face.

For you, the world.

Techno’s grave was placed atop of the mountain.

The gravestone was carved with care, with the prettiest flowers blooming above it.

Five people came to his grave.

Ranboo mourned the loss of his mentor, and at the missed chance of showing Techno his family. He was sure that Michal would have loved Techno, even if the other was cold towards children. Techno’s axe was clenched tightly in his hand, his tears and the snow burning his skin, but he found that he didn’t have the energy to care.

Tubbo stood from afar when he visited, fists at his side as he felt both anger and sadness at the one six feet below. His mind screamed at the other for hurting him, for taking his childhood away so soon, but yet his body stood still as if he was made of stone.

Niki visited when she was sure no one was there, and she cried. She screamed at Techno for leaving and screamed at the world for taking her friend away too soon. She cried and yelled for what seemed like ages until her throat was sore and it felt like she swallowed shards of glass.

Tommy visited when it was still day out, allumins clutched tightly in his hand. He wordlessly planted them in the ground, dirt and tears staining his shirt. When he left, the Axe of Peace rested next to Techno’s grave.

Philza visited last, his feet dragging in the snow. He sat there in front of the grave, mind numb. He didn’t know how long he sat there but he knew that when he got up, it was day once more. Phil didn’t want the world if Techno wasn’t going to be in it, but he knew that Techno would want him to move on.

But there was something he had to do first.

____________________

Clouds of smoke filled the air as a fire raged on Las Nevadas. Three people stood in front of the fire, gazing at the sight before them. Quackity laid dead beneath their feet.

“For Techno.” Phil said.

“For Techno.” They echoed.

I love you.

#technoblade angst #technoblade #philza minecraft #ranboo #niki nihachu #nihachu #tubbo #tommyinnit #quackity #awesamdude #mcyt #angst #dream smp

[tack-tick]

Dream SMP Pokémon Take Two!

Basically, a while back I made a list of matching pokemon to SMP members and I decided to redo it! No real lore in this, this is just a list matching pokemon to SMP members and notes on each of them. Nobody shares lives or anything, just ignore the stuff from my previous post. Also no images this time. Also it is very long.

Tommy

Primeape- Chosen because it’s the pokemon that gets so pissed that it dies, which I think fits perfectly. His main pokemon. Nicknamed Clementine. Was imprisoned by Dream from Tommy’s exile until Dream was sent to prison. Has as hot of a temper as it’s trainer.

Miltank- You know, cows. The first Pokemon Tommy got on the SMP. Might be dead but got brought back to life. Didn’t die again because fuck that. Nicknamed Henry.

Linoone- Was hiding out in Techno’s basement when Tommy found it as a Zigzaggon. Was Tommy’s only pokemon for a while because Clementine got taken by Dream when he was exiled. Evolved during the final fight with Dream. Got called Thief by Techno and it responds to that as it’s nickname

Timburr- Saw Tommy building his hotel and wanted to help. His youngest pokemon. Nicknamed Ellie.

They all temporarily stay with Tubbo and Ranboo while Tommy is dead in the prison

Tubbo

Vesiqueen- His main. A strict but reasonable commander to the rest of the team. Raised with Beedrill. Nicknamed Spins

Beedrill- Got caught as a weedle shortly after L’Manberg was founded. Nicknamed Spunz. Tubbo found a mega stone for it and they’re training with Puffy in order to master mega evolution. Serves as co commander along with Spins. More carefree

Alolan Vulpix- Tubbo found it alone in it’s nest shortly after he moved to Snowchester. It didn’t have an family around so Tubbo kept it. Nicknamed Snowball

Koffing- Tubbo found it after he launched his first nuke at the test site. It was eating the radiation and decided to stick with Tubbo in order to get more. Has a tendency to explode at bad times. Nicknamed Nuke.

Ranboo

Chatot- His main Pokémon. Nicknamed Chatterbox. Helps Ranboo remember things by squawking words to him like a parrot. Thought bitch was a common greeting to people at the beginning due to hanging out with Tommy. This resulted in poor Ranboo who was already nervous about meeting Techno and Philza. Then, Chatterbox just flew up, looked them in the eyes, and said “Hello, bitches!” To the embarrassment of Ranboo. Sassy and mouthy, especially to Dream.

Glaceon- Came to Ranboo as an Eevee becasue it noticed that Ranboo had an ice stone in its house it needed to evolve. It got along with Chatterbox so Ranboo took it in. Nicknamed Jonald. One of the calmer pokemon on the server and likes to meditate in the snow

Michael

Torchic- His only pokemon right now. Nicknamed Torchy by Michael. Tubbo and Ranboo’s pokemon are very protective of it. The youngest pokemon to be owned on the server.

Philza

Drampa- Philza’s main Pokémon. Nicknamed Gramps. About as old as Philza is but still plenty strong. You don’t mess with Special attack of 135. Acts as a father figure to pokemon it is friends with.

Honchcrow- Nicknamed Kristin. Philza claims it is named after a person he knows. No one knows who that is though. Has bossy tendencies and loves to be praised

Rookidee- Saw Kristin flying and admired it. Followed it home and came into Philza’s house. Philza thought it had a good amount of determination and decided to train it. Not nicknamed yet because it’s new.

A murder of Murkorws- A horde of Murkrows who follow Kristin’s and Philza’s command. Philza calls them Chat. They come and go. They like to bring shiny things to Philza’s house.

Technoblade

Emboar- Nicknamed Floof, in his offense he was like five when came up with that nickname. His main. Raised it from a Tepig. Calls it Emboar during more serious situations. Very close to Gramps. Just as cocky as Techno is but is also one of the strongest pokemon on the server.

Mudsdale- Nicknamed Carl. Got him as a mudbray soon after he came to the SMP. Evolved right before The Red Festival. Would like to retire but is still willing to fight. Loves to take Techno on fast rides on the snowy plains.

Cubchoo- Got it after he left to the snow biome. It just showed up at his door every day. and wouldn’t leave. So, Techno named it Steve and trained it. Steve got taken hostage by The Butcher Army. Is having trouble evolving but still tries to threaten pokemon that are way bigger/stronger than it is.

Wilbur

Braviary- Nicknamed Hamilton. Wilbur’s main and only pokemon. Technically belonged to Phil after Wilbur died but it disappeared until Doomsday. Came back at Doomsday to defend L’Manberg. Stayed with Ghostbur and then Wilbur again when he came back to life

Ghostbur

Mareep- Nicknamed Friend. Ghostbur’s only pokemon. Belongs to Wilbur since Ghostbur is gone.

Dream

Ditto- Nicknamed Spirit. Dream’s only pokemon becasue he didn’t want too many attachments. Dream wasn’t treating it well after he sent Tommy to exile. It ran away after Dream was sent to prison. The poor thing was found in the woods by Puffy and is staying with her.

Eret

Aegislash- Nicknamed Lancelot. Eret’s main. Has the attitude of a knight. If it could talk, would have a French accent

Serperior- Nicknamed Jade. Heard of this king as a servine and wanted to be a royal. Quickly learned that it wasn’t all glamour. Haughty but has a good heart. Evolved right before Doomsday.

Fomantis- A former friend of Jade who wants do evolve. Eret named it Ruby and took it in. Shy and prefers the quiet. Gets easily startled.

Badboyhalo

Houndoom- Nicknamed Rat. Bad’s main Pokémon. A softy and a bit of a scaredy-cat despite its appearance. Is acting more aggressive than normal after getting possessed by The Egg. Doesn’t have the training to mega evolve.

Exeggcute- Bad saw if after getting possessed by The Egg and immediately took it in because eggs. It doesn’t really care what Bad does as long as it is cared for. Nicknamed Sunny. Not possessed but doesn’t give a crap

Yveltal- Might have a vague connection with Bad? If anything’s gonna be in The Egg it’s this thing. It’s inside The Egg and ready to hatch out.

Skeppy

Sableye- Skeppy’s main. Nicknamed Fluffy. Best friends with Bad’s Rat. Used to be energetic and mischievous with a love of pranks. Got possessed and now is much more mellow and apathetic. Doesn’t have the training to mega evolve

Carbink- Skeppy saved it when he found it lost in the mines. Thinks of itself as Skeppy’s butler to some extent. Used to be a voice of reason to Fluffy and Skeppy. Nicknamed Alfred. Has become apathetic like Fluffy and Skeppy after getting possessed.

Karl

Galarian Rapidash- Karl’s main Pokémon. Nicknamed Socks. It’s mane sometimes turns white due to traveling with Karl. While Karl has tried to leave it behind before it always comes with him. Has a love of exploring. Optimistic.

Xatu- A Pokémon that came to Karl after he started time traveling. Nicknamed Rutabaga. Generally friendly but acts aloof and strange at times. Seems to not like The In Between that much.

Celebi- Only appears to Karl in the In Between and wherever he time travels to. Serves as a kind of guide to him and helps defend him, such as at The Masquerade. Has never appeared to him in the main SMP.

George

Slaking- George’s main. Nicknamed Beckerson. Could be one of the most powerful Pokémon on the server if it bothered to train. Very protective of Glow and Spirit.

Morelull- Gifted to George by DreamXD. Nicknamed Glow. Sleepy and absent minded.

Sam

Rotom- Sam’s main. Nicknamed Pandora. Has the prison named after it. Loves zipping through red stone wires. Can serves as emergency control of The Prison if needed. Sam fears Pandora will get hurt if he tries this so he hasn’t let Pandora do much with the prison’s red stone. Pandora is very disappointed by this.

Midday Lycanrock- Nicknamed Fran. An old stray that Sam found. Can’t fight very well but is very good with emotional support.

Magearna- Built by Sam to protect Tommy and his Pokémon. Nicknamed Nook by Tommy. Naturally protects and supports Tommy. Helps to build the hotel. Is a strong fighter but would much rather talk things out. Motherly to Tommy’s Pokémon.

Sapnap

Pyroar- Sapnap’s main. Nicknamed Mars. Will intimidate other Pokémon by swallowing Magicarp live and in one gulp in front of them. Still sits in Sapnap’s lap sometimes like it’s a Litleo and crushes him every time.

Pangoro- Gained as a Pancham when Sapnap first came to the SMP. Nicknamed Sketchers. Loves to spar with Sapnap and Mars.

They’re both protective of Spirit after it was abandoned

Niki

Alcremie- Niki’s main Pokémon. Ruby swirl with strawberry sweet. Nicknamed Fungi. A sweetheart but can still fight very well. Especially if you’re a dragon type

Floette- Was gifted to Niki by Puffy as an egg. Nicknamed Niki Jr. Delicate and has a love of growing flowers and edible plants. Provides fruits and vegetables for Niki to cook with. Vaguely remembers Puffy but it misses her

Meowth- Nicknamed Shy. Contrary to the name, it’s very energetic and has a love of gold. Stole a ton of golden apples from Techno one time during a syndicate meeting.

Jack Manifold

Magnezone- Jack’s main Pokémon. Nicknamed Godzilla. Tough and helps Jack try to strike Tommy with lighting. Almost always misses. Temporarily stayed with Ant until Jack came back. Hah rhyming!

Golett- Started hanging around Jack after he was revived and Jack caught it because why not? Nicknamed Robo. A bit creepy.

Wobbuffet- Nicknamed Rocket. Found alongside Niki’s Shy. The two of them are very close. A bit unintelligent but it is loyal to it’s friends.

Quackity

Empolean- Quackity’s main. Nicknamed Ossium. Generally fun loving but can show a serious side. Froze Schaltt’s feet to the ground once and still has no regrets. Holds a grudge against Karl for forgetting Quackity.

Ducklett- Was owned by Quackity before he came to the SMP. Nicknamed Chip. Refuses to evolve. Serves as a mascot of sorts for The Casino. Doesn’t get into many fights but is good for scouting.

Sandile- Saw a poster asking for tough bodyguards for the casino and showed up at Quackity’s house. Quackity hopes to evolve it to an insanely tough Krookodile. Nicknamed it Wild Card. Very tough and always looking for a fight.

Ossium and Chip used to be close with Karl and Sapnap’s pokemon but they’ve drifted apart due to circumstances

None of them helped Quackity torture Dream because Quackity didn’t want them to get involved in case it got dangerous

Fundy

Delfox- Fundy’s main. Nicknamed Sally after his mom. Was given to him as a Fennekin by his mom. Tends to have nightmares like Fundy does. Used to look up to Hamilton before it left. Holds a grudge against Wilbur. Loves to do magic tricks with fire.

Munna- Fundy woke up to it floating beside his bed. After freaking out for a little bit, he realized it liked to eat his dreams because of their flavor. Decided to catch it. Nicknamed Leonard or Leo for short. Likes to sleep and sometimes gets blown by the wind too hard and floats away. Helps Fundy sleep.

Nickit- Got caught stealing from Fundy one too many times. Eventually, Fundy noticed it was sick and took care of it. They got along and Fundy decided to take it in. Nicknamed Apples. Still likes to steal just not from Fundy. Thinks of itself as a master thief.

Foolish

Sharpedo- Foolish’s main. Nicknamed King Toad. Very old but still very strong. One of the few Pokémon on the server capable of fully utilizing Mega Evolution.

Cofagrigus- Been with Foolish for as long as King Toad has been. Nicknamed Cleopatra. Married to King Toad. They’re good at battling together.

Tirtouga- A fossil that Foolish revived. Nicknamed Foolish Jr. Still learning how to battle from King Toad and Cleopatra. Feels guilt for being unable to protect Foolish at The Red Banquet.

Kyogre- Foolish also owns The Blue Orb which allows him to have a partnership of sorts with Kyogre. He can use it to attempt to summon it from the seas. Wether Kyogre decides to come or not is basically random.

Puffy

Audino- Puffy’s main. Nicknamed Cottonball. The closest thing to a therapist this server’s gonna get. Can effectively use Mega Evolution and did it at The Red Banquet.

Swirlix- Gifted to Puffy as an egg by Niki. Nicknamed Bubbles. Loves to eat. Misses Niki’s treats

Dhelmise- A Pokémon that mysteriously showed up at Puffy’s house one day. It led her to her old ship. Appears to know more about Puffy’s past than it lets on. Nicknamed Blitz.

Currently has ownership of Spirit after Dream was put in prison.

#dream smp #tommyinnit #tubbo #ranboo #philza #technoblade #wilbur soot #dreamwastaken #eret #badboyhalo #skeppy #karl jacobs #georgenotfound #awesamdude #sapnap #nihachu #jack manifold #quackity #fundy #foolish gamers #captain puffy #Spent way too long on this honestly #gave everyone at least two #long post #pokemon au #thank god I figured out how to use read more on mobile #I had to find pet nicknames that didn’t sound completely ridiculous #pokemon

[max-is-tired]

They can tell you that it’s righteous

Fandom: Dream SMP

Prompt: Kidnapping ( @badthingshappenbingo )

A/N: Aaand I’m back on my writing bullshit, let’s go. I started plotting this fic back in January, so it only follows canon up until Doomsday/Techno and Phil finding the portal room, but at least it’s finally done!

Obligatory tags of people who asked: @deadonmercury @littlecatninja​

Warnings: hostage situation, blood, violence, mention of skin melting off, antagonist Quackity, drowning, temporary character death (gotta love respawning), near death experience, beheading.

Read on AO3!!

It had started like such a good day for Ranboo. The sun was shining bright in the sky, the SMP seemed to be at relative peace for once, and there were plenty of grass blocks lying around and waiting to be picked up. So yeah, great day!

Ranboo knew this peace probably wouldn't last long, not with these lands' track record of starting conflicts and trying to kill people on a weekly basis. But when the afternoon rolled around and random explosions had yet to start filling the sky with smoke, the hybrid felt pretty confident that, at least for that day, things were looking up.

The problem was that, by thinking on those lines, Ranboo ended up forgetting the most important rule of the server, the one rule he'd promised himself he would not break, no matter what.

Never, ever lower your guard, especially in times of peace.

He didn't even notice the person sneaking up on him until the very last second. One moment, he was crouching down, happily patting the grass block he'd just placed on the ground and the next, there was a shadow looming over him, the familiar shape of small, feathered wings being the only thing he managed to discern before a sudden, excruciating pain in the back of his head made his vision go white.

Ranboo groaned, stumbling on the ground while his vision wobbled and filled with dark spots. Dark, dirty sneakers stopped just in front of his head, but try as he might, the hybrid couldn't bring himself to move his head enough to look up, the mere thought of it making him wince.

"Sorry Ranboo, nothing personal," a familiar voice muttered, drawing a confused whine out of the kid. After that, everything went black.

+++

Technoblade had been feeling on edge all day -which, by itself, wasn't such a strange occurrence. Being on edge was a given for him, what with the voices in his head constantly chanting for blood and half of the server seemingly having a personal vendetta against him.

Listen, okay, he did blow up their precious country -but only after they decided that a corrupt government was the way to go and, you know, tracked him down while he was in retirement to try and execute him. He felt like the retaliation was kind of deserved.

Still, Techno didn't give much weight to the feeling. He'd learned to never let his guard down after the butcher army, and if someone decided to be stupid enough to attack him in his own home, they'd have to deal with him, Philza, and the small army of hounds living in the pen outside, plus the polar bears. The entirety of the SMP could attack them and he'd be able to at least hold them off enough to get away.

So, Techno spent most of the day chilling, for once, sitting on his couch with a book and Steve curled up nearby while Phil worked on some blueprints for a project of his.

"You keep that up, you're going to end up building a whole city down in that abandoned fortress," he commented, huffing in amusement as the older looked up from the table to glare at him.

"Oh, you shut up," Phil retorted, pointing at him with the quill in his hand. "Do you want the syndicate room to look decent or not? Because if you prefer I can just wing it-" chat cackled at the unintentional pun, much to Techno's dismay- "and have it turn out whatever."

Techno squinted at his friend. "You wouldn't."

"You sure about that, mate?" Phil grinned back, the picture of innocence. Which, when it came to him, meant he absolutely would, the fucker.

"Alright, alright," Techno huffed, rolling his eyes good-naturedly, "leave the old man to his planning, got it."

Phil snorted, pushing his chair back as he stood up. "Now you listen here, you little shit-"

The sound of tapping on glass distracted them from the discussion, attracting their attention to the kitchen window. There, perched on the windowsill, stood one of Phil's crows, holding something in its beak.

After exchanging a curious glance with Techno, the older went to retrieve the bird, opening the window enough to let it hop in. Giving the crow a few pats on the head, he reached for the object, raising an eyebrow when he realized it was, in fact, a folded piece of paper. 

Intrigued, Techno watched as Phil opened the message, his eyes quickly scanning the paper before widening slightly in alarm. Well, that wasn't good.

"Mate, I think you might want to take a look at this," Phil called, urgency obvious in his voice and that really, really wasn't good.

Techno sighed, slipping the bookmark back in his book before standing up. Guess he could say goodbye to his plans for a chill afternoon.

Hello, Technoblade,

heard you guys took in a little stray -should have known, traitors tend to stick together, don't they? Well, jokes on you, I've got him now. Get to the coordinates listed at the bottom of this note, alone and unarmed, before sundown, or Ranboo gets it. An eye for an eye, that's how the saying goes, right?

See you soon,

Q

+++

Techno had been already halfway out of the house the second he finished reading the note, Phil hot on his heels.

"I'm not letting you go alone," the older stated, already reaching for his coat.

"Well, you'll have to," Techno countered.

"You can't go in without backup, especially unarmed and not knowing what to expect!"

"Oh trust me, I'll be anything but unarmed," Techno huffed, letting the axe Ranboo had gifted him slide in his inventory. "I can use the element of surprise, I'll be fine. But the second Quackity sees you, Ranboo is going to be in hot shit, and we don't even know where he's keeping him."

Phil glared, his lips pursed in a displeased frown before sighing in defeat. "That doesn't mean I have to like it."

Techno sent him an apologetic glance, quickly fastening his coat on before stepping down the porch.

"I'll keep my communicator on the whole time," he promised, walking towards the stasis chamber and reaching for one of his ender pearls, "I'll get there, grab Ranboo, kill Quackity if I can and the second I text you you're gonna teleport us back."

"Sounds like a plan," Philza sighed. "Be careful, okay mate?"

"When am I ever not?" Techno smirked. "we'll be back before you know it, old man."

"Fuck off and go save our neighbor, you ass!"

Techno cackled, shaking his head as he set off towards the Nether portal.

Save Ranboo!

Protectiveblade

Blood for the blood god

Techno shook his head, pushing the voices back as he forced himself to keep a clear head. He was pissed, sure, but he knew men like Quackity -he'd met a lot of them in his life, and all of them had fallen under his sword. He would be no different.

The Nether travel didn't take that long, and after that, all he had to do was follow his compass towards the coordinates he'd been given. Techno found himself feeling glad the place wasn't all too far away, seeing how the sun had just started dipping below the horizon when he finally stepped out of the forest.

"Man, look who is here, our guest of honor!" Quackity exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear as he turned to look at him. "Technoblade, how nice of you to join us, I was starting to think you wouldn't come, after all."

Distantly, Techno could hear the ocean waves crashing against the rocks under them, the occasional droplets of water reaching the top of the cliff they were currently on. Quackity was standing just near the edge, gusts of wind ruffling the feathers of his duck wings and trying to slip the beanie off his head -all it would take was a misstep, a small push, and he would plummet towards the unforgiving water below.

But what actually got the piglin's attention was the small structure he could see just behind the man, a small, locked cage rigged with redstone dangling well over the edge and above the crashing waves. And just inside of it, slumped against the metal bars, laid an unconscious Ranboo, left with no armor on but his clothes.

"What did you do to him," he demanded, not even bothering to tear his gaze away from the cage that reminded him too much of the day the butcher army had come for him.

"Ah, watch your tone, Blade," Quackity tutted, a smirk evident in his voice, "all I need is pull this lever, and the kid falls down into the ocean. I heard he doesn't do well in water without his armor… we wouldn't want that, would we?"

Techno snapped his head towards Quackity, baring his tusks in a silent threat.

"I'm here, I followed your stupid directions," he growled, barely able to keep himself from cutting Quackity's head clean off like the voices wanted him to, "now let Ranboo go."

The duck hybrid tilted his head to the side, feigning confusion. "And why would I do that, Technoblade? He's a traitor, he needs to be punished as one."

"A traitor to what?!" Techno asked, bewildered. "L'Manburg is gone, Quackity!"

"And whose fault is that?!" Quackity shouted. "Uh? Remind me, oh great Technoblade, who here razed an entire country to the ground not once, but fucking twice? Please, enlighten me!"

"Government corrupts," Techno answered, his voice low and dangerous, "L'Manburg was rotten to its core, look at what it did to you, to Tubbo, to Tommy! It needed to go."

Quackity laughed, throwing his head back as the wind kept howling around them.

"Oh, yeah?" he grinned, throwing his arms open. "Well, that's my old home you're talking about. And if it was rotten, well, then so am I."

Before Techno could even react, Quackity reached to his side, wrapping his hand around the lever connected to the redstone of the cage. And then, still grinning from ear to ear, he pulled.

"Ranboo!" Techno shouted, watching helplessly as the kid plummeted down towards the ocean water. Quackity's laughter mixed with the howling wind, crazed and high-pitched and making Techno's blood boil.

Ruby red eyes settled on the laughing man, filling with bloodlust as the familiar weight of an axe appeared in his hand.

The voices were growing louder by the second, feeding on his fury and chanting for blood. And this time, Technoblade didn't bother holding them back.

+++

Ranboo woke up to muffled voices, yelling from somewhere in front of him. He didn't know what was happening, or where he was -the voices were somewhat familiar, yes, but he couldn't place them for the life of him and as it was, he could barely even catch a word every four, with how loud the wind was.

Normally, something like this wouldn't have failed to send him spiraling into a panic -he hated not knowing, not being aware of his own surroundings or how he got there in the first place. But his brain felt fuzzy, off-kilter, the only thing he could focus on being the dull throbbing coming from the back of his head. Ender, it hurt.

Fighting down a small whine, Ranboo pried his eyes open, pushing against the sluggishness to try and at least make some sense out of the situation he'd found himself in. His vision was fuzzy, but he could somewhat make out two figures standing somewhere in front of him.

One was standing with his back on him, decked in the familiar iridescent purple of an enchanted netherite armor. The other was a little farther away, enough so that to Ranboo, they looked like nothing more than a blurred blob of amassed colors. Pink was very prominent, followed by something red flowing on their back -they felt familiar, safe, causing Ranboo to relax almost on instinct.

"Technoblade...?" he slurred, confused. What was Techno doing there? They weren't in the Antarctic, there was no snow around them.

Before he could properly think of a reason, however, Ranboo felt the floor suddenly disappear from under him, fear shooting up his spine as he started plummeting down into the abyss. He didn't even have the time to make a sound before something dark and cold enveloped him, shocking him awake as he got twirled and smacked around.

A few seconds of shocked bliss passed, and then everything started burning.

It felt like he'd fallen in a pit of fire, the flames licking at every ounce of his skin as if trying to melt it directly off his body. Ranboo opened his mouth, trying to scream as the pain overwhelmed him in the worst way possible, only for something to fill his mouth and throat, choking him and only strengthening his growing panic.

He was going to die. He was going to die, alone in this darkness, he needed to get out, out, out-

Ranboo crashed on the hard, unforgiving ground, coughing harshly as water rushed out of his airways. Cold, frigid air hit his skin, soothing the burns and making the pain a little more bearable. He could breathe. He could breathe.

Ranboo slumped to the floor, staring up at the ceiling as he tried to get his racing heartbeat under control. He had to fight even just to keep his eyes open, exhaustion weighing him down until he could barely move his head, let alone think about standing up.

A white, furry snout filled his vision, curiously sniffing at his face. Ranboo blinked, a startled sound escaping his lips. The dog blinked back, tilting its head to the side.

"What…?" he whispered, wincing at how hoarse his voice came out. Ender, his throat hurt.

Another snout appeared above his head. And then another, and another, the sound of barking finally reaching his ears. Where- where was he, exactly?

Before he could try and come up with an answer, Ranboo heard the sound of a door opening, followed by a sharp gasp and hurried footsteps.

"Ranboo?"

The hybrid squinted in confusion, immediately recognizing the voice.

"Phil?"

+++

No matter what tricks he might have had up his sleeve, Quackity couldn't stand a chance against an angry, vengeful Technoblade. It took him barely minutes to sink his axe through the other's neck, slicing his head clean off and sending it rolling on the ground under their feet. Techno barely watched as the lifeless body slumped down, ignoring his communicator vibrating with the death message as he raced to the cliff. He knew, he knew there was no way Ranboo had survived a fall like that, but he had to check, had to make sure. 

Crashing waves and wet, glistening rocks were the only things staring back, destroying whatever hope he might have had. Someone more impulsive would have jumped off, in a desperate hope to find the kid still struggling against the current, but Techno knew better.

The ocean was unforgiving, and for someone like Ranboo, even more so.

He sighed, stepping back from the edge and turning around. Quackity's body wasn't there anymore, having disappeared as the respawn mechanics worked their magic -if the man was smart, he wouldn't dare bother Techno again, not unless he wanted to lose his last life and find out how permadeath felt like.

In theory, Techno knew that Ranboo's death wasn't permanent. The kid still had all of his lives, at least before this, and the SMP would bring him back soon enough. Respawning sucked, though -it left you aching and in pain for days on end as your body stitched itself back together after whatever trauma had taken away one of your lives. It was a painful process, gruesome at times, and one Techno wished Ranboo didn't have to go through.

Especially not when it was his fault.

Ignoring the guilt pooling heavily in his gut, Technoblade reached for his communicator, intending to text Phil to bring him back. As it turned out, however, his friend had beat him to it, blowing up his notifications with hurried messages. Guilt now replaced with worry, Techno tapped the screen, reading through the chat.

[Philza] Techno

[Philza] Techno what the fuck

[Philza] Ranboo is here, he's in the dog pen

[Philza] Jesus christ he's covered in burns what the fuck happened

[Philza] Technoblade you better answer your fucking communicator right now or so help me god I will fly there, find you, and drag your ass home myself

[Philza] I saw the kill message where the fuck are you

Techno blinked, staring at the messages with wide eyes. What?

[Philza] Techno, I know you're reading these, answer me right now

[Technoblade] im omw

+++

When Techno slammed the door of his cabin open, he didn't know what he was expecting. A dead body in the middle of respawning, maybe, with Phil watching over it like a silent guardian angel.

He certainly wasn't expecting to walk in on Phil wrapping gauze around what looked like the entirety of Ranboo's body, the bandages visible for the world to see with the simple shirt and pants the kid was now wearing.

Techno barely spared a glance to the pile of soaked clothes lying on his floor, raking his eyes over the enderman hybrid as he tried to work the surprise out of his system. Fine is the farthest adjective the piglin would use to describe Ranboo right at that moment, seeing how his entire body was covered in gauze and he was holding a pack of ice to the back of his head, but he was alive and breathing and for once in his life, Techno had no fucking clue about how that was possible.

"Fucking hell, kid," he groaned, letting his cloak fall to the floor as he trudged inside the house. "You'll give me a heart attack, one of these days."

Ranboo winced as Technoblade slumped on the couch, still a little dazed from the hit to his head.

"Sorry," he muttered, breaking into a coughing fit immediately after.

"Don't force your throat, mate, you gotta let it rest," Phil scolded gently, sending Techno a small glare. "We're just glad you're okay -or, well, as okay as you can be right now."

Ranboo hesitantly looked up, looking at Philza and then at Techno. The piglin nodded in silent agreement and watched as the kid seemed to slump on himself in relief, the tension leaving his body at once. Was it really that surprising, that they'd grown to care for him enough to be worried about his well-being?

The two men exchanged a worried glance, silent words passing between them. Then, Phil nodded to himself, tying up the last of the gauze around Ranboo's forearm before heading to the kitchen.

"How do you guys feel about some tea?" he asked, pulling down a kettle and three mugs. "I'd say we could all do with something warm right now."

Techno made a noise of affirmation, watching with amusement as Ranboo snorted and nodded in agreement.

Maybe things weren't okay just yet, but this? This was a start.

#dream smp #dream smp fanfiction #ranboo #technoblade #philza #philza minecraft #quackity #blood #temporary character death #near death experience #antagonist quackity #protective technoblade #angst with a happy ending #bad things happen bingo #maxiswriting

[pruinaelibrary]

The Babysitter

“Are you sure it’s okay to leave Boo with Blade?” Ranboo asked as he followed Techno through the tundra.

“Heh? Oh, yeah. You’re kid’s fine, Ranboo. Little Blade has been babysitting Little Blue forever, so your little enderman will be fine.”

---

“So, what do you wanna do kid?” Little Blade asked the smaller girl. Little Boo looked around the house nervously. “Fair enough. You like to draw? Maybe read?” Boo perked up at the sound of reading and Blade nodded. “Alright, reading it is.”

Blade walked towards the bookshelf, pulling out some kid books. She placed them on the table, and looked back towards Boo. “You can sit here and read, I’m going to clean up a bit and make lunch.” Boo didn’t say anything, but she did move towards the table and sat on a chair.

Blade walked into the kitchen to make some food for the two, and to organize, as it was impossible to find anything in the kitchen thanks to her father. As she cleaned and cooked, Boo walked into the room.

“Ms. Blade?”

“Yeah kid, what’s up?” Blade asked, sorting spices.

“Do you have any other books I can read?” Blade stopped for a moment and looked back at the younger girl. A teasing smirk grew on her face.

“What? Didn’t like the books I had to offer?” Boo shook her head.

“No, I finished them already.” Blade blinked, then looked at the clock hanging on the wall. 10 minutes had passed, and she gave the kid six books. Blade shrugged it off and put the mushroom stew she was making on a lower heat, then walked out of the room after Boo to find more books.

“Um… I don’t know how many other kids books we-”

“Can I read that one?” Boo interrupted. Blade looked over at the girl, who was pointing to a book up on the bookshelf. Blade pulled out the book to reveal ‘The Iliad’. 

“I don’t know, kid. This book might be too big for you.”

“I’ll be fine.” Boo said promptly. Blade was silent for a moment, then shrugged, handing the book to Boo.

“Suit yourself. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.” Blade returned to the kitchen to continue making the mushroom stew. Time passed by pretty quickly after that, and soon the stew was done. Blade cleaned up after herself, then took a bowl of the stew to Boo. “Here you go, kid. Eat up.”

“Thank you.” Boo placed The Iliad down, and Blade raised an eyebrow to see the young girl was already halfway done.

“You a speed reader or something, kid?”

“Mr. Philza says I’m able to read faster then most kids my age, so yes.” Blade huffed out a laugh at Boo’s bluntness.

“Alright, kid.” Sitting at the table as well, Blade ate some of the mushroom stew, thinking of what else she could do with the kid besides reading. “You wanna play outside in the snow later?”

“Okay.” Blade stopped talking, allowing the young girl to eat. The two ate in silence. Steve’s steady breathing caused Blade’s attention to be drawn onto him. The polar bear walked into the room, probably looking for Techno. Boo froze, staring at the bear in slight fear. Blade noticed and bit back a smirk.

“Kid, Steve. Steve, kid.” Blade said, introducing the two. Boo didn’t move, but she did speak.

“You… you have a bear…”

“His name’s Steve. Say hi Steve.” Steve let out a growl that sounded more like a purr, but it didn’t stop Boo from flinching. Blade chuckled slightly. “Calm down, kid. Steve is just dad’s support bear. He’s about as dangerous as a fire ant.” Steve let out another growl, then walked out of the room, not finding Techno.

“Your family’s weird.”

“Compared to other families… I’d say yeah we are.”

“The way you just admitted that-”

“Kid, have met my uncles and cousins? The only sane one of all the SBI is probably Angel. But then again, she did adopt Dream, so…” Boo stared at Blade for a moment, before going back to her stew. The two continued to eat in silence, till Boo finished, pushing her bowl towards Blade.

“I’m done.”

“Alright, kid. Put on your jacket while I clean up, then you can head outside.” Boo ran off to get her jacket, and Blade took the two bowls to the kitchen. Rinsing them out and placing them in the sink when she heard the front door open, but not close. Blade let out a sigh of annoyance, then let it go. Kids were kids after all.

Blade walked outside… only to be met with a snowball in her face and Boo’s giggles. Blade wiped the snow from her face glaring at the girl, before smirking.

“I do hope you know that’s an act of war, kid.”

“Please. As if you can hit me. I’m the best at snowball fights after all.”

“Yeah? Says who?” Blade asked, taking off her crown.

“Dadboo! And he’s never wrong.”

“Is that so? Well, kid…” Blade untied her cape, letting it fall behind her. “Snow for the snow god.” 

And like that, a snow war had begun against the two. While Boo did get the first hit, Blade was trained in the art of war, even if the war was just a snowball fight. The two were so into their battle, they didn’t notice the growing amount of crows watching them.

---

Philza walked with Angel through the snow back towards his and Techno’s houses. Armen stood on Angel’s arm as she was showing him all of the items she got from trading the villagers. The sound of yells and laughter drew the attention of Angel and Phil, and they saw the battle between Blade and Boo.

Blade was obviously winning, though Boo seemed to be having the most fun, laughing loudly every time she got hit or every time she hit Blade. Angel giggled, watching the crows watch the fight, flying whenever snow got to close.

Both girls were covered in snow, so Philza whistled to get their attention. Both Blade and Boo turned to Philza, Blade being hit in the cheek by a snowball that Boo had already thrown. The crows let out sounds that sounded like laughter, and Blade was tempted to throw some snow at them.

“Alright, you two. Let's head inside and get you dried off.”

“Okay, Dadza.”

“Okay, Mr. Philza!”

Boo led the group, picking up Blade’s cape and crown as she went.

“Hey, Mr. Philza? I won, right?” Phil chuckled.

“With that last hit, most definitely.”

Boo cheered, running inside followed by Phil. Blade rolled her eyes and leaned towards Angel.

“I totally won.” Angel just laughed, shaking her head.

---

After Blade and Boo were changed into dryer clothes, Angel went outside to do some chores while Philza went off to make some potions. Blade sat on the couch, reading while Boo was coloring something for her father.

“Ms. Blade?”

“What’s up, kid?” Blade asked, flipping a page in her book.

“Does your dad ever… talk to himself?”

Blade froze, then looked over to Boo, who was still besides her breathing. Blade was… aware of her father’s voices… despite his and Phil’s attempt to hide it from her. She knew they told, asked, and demanded things of him, and his actions would depend greatly on them.

“Why… why do you ask?”

“My… my dad speaks to himself some nights. Or at least, he talks to someone, but no one is with him. And he’s not talking to me. It’s always when he’s alone.”

Blade sat up, placing her book down.

“How long has this been happening?”

“As long as I can remember, maybe. I just didn’t realize until now.”

“Do you ever hear what he’s saying?”

Before Boo could answer, Angel walked in, followed by Techno and Ranboo.

“Boo, time to go home.” Angel said.

“Dadboo!”

Boo ran to her father, who picked her up.

“Hi, Little Enderman. Did you have fun today?”

“Yeah! I beat Ms. Blade in a snowball fight, I got to read, and I even drew you a picture! Here, come look.”

Boo dropped from her father’s arms and dragged him to the picture. Ranboo crouched, trying not to hit the ceiling. Blade walked up to her father, watching as Angel left the house.

“Hey, dad.”

“Hey, kid. Was everything alright here?” Blade nodded.

“Yeah, it was fine.”

“Hey, Blade?” Blade and Techno looked over at Ranboo, who was holding Boo again, who was now holding the picture. “Thank you again for taking care of Little Enderman.” Blade shrugged.

“It was no biggie, I swear. Just bring her over again sometime and we can have a rematch snowball fight.”

“Yeah!” Boo cheered. Ranboo chuckled.

“Okay. We better get home.”

Everyone said their good-byes, and Blade watched Ranboo and Boo leave to go home. Blade thought back to her and Boo’s conversation and turned to her dad, who was sitting on the couch, Steve’s head on his lap.

“Hey, dad?”

“Yeah, kid?”

Blade wanted to tell him about what Boo said, she wanted to ask about the voices, but when she opened her mouth to speak, she quickly closed it and shook her head.

“Nevermind. Don’t worry about it.”

#lost ones stories

[ufuckingpastry]

Amongst Feathers and Emeralds

AO3 Link

Hi, this ended up with a lot of words, so I've split this fic into 2 chapters. This fic takes place after the events of These Bonds We Keep and Stalking Nightmares.

Content Warning: Trauma/Dealing with Trauma, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Hallucinations, Derealization, PTSD, Referenced Suicide Attempt, Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm

This fic is based on the characters in the DreamSMP, not the content creators. Any views expressed in this fic are not a reflection of the content creators in any shape or form.

Note: I do use terms in this that are meant replace terms used in the Homestuck quadrant system with words that would fit in the Dream SMP universe. See the relationship note below.

Relationships: Dream/Technoblade - Soulbleeder/Kismesistude/Rival Shipping Technoblade/Philza - Starfated/Moirallegiance/Platonic Relationship

Chapter 1: Like a Ghost, You’re Haunting Me

Philza bounced the tea ball in the mug, watching the tea steep into the water with dead eyes. His eyes closed slowly before he shook himself awake. No, no, he had to be awake. He had to. Technoblade still hadn't woken from the events with the egg. Philza had slowly fed him slices of the god apple Dream left, hoping to see his eyes open not with bloodlust and snarls, but just… something else. Philza cupped his face with a groan. The only time he slept was when Ranboo visited, but those moments were few and far in between. He didn't want to bother him with this, even as he grew more sleep deprived.

"I brought him home. To you."

Dream's voice remained ever present in his head. To you. Because Philza knew how to take care of Techno. More than anyone, he knew. And somehow Dream knew that too. He had analyzed their conversation, there in the snow. He had to know what Dream meant.

"He never told you."

Told him what? Philza couldn't figure it out. He couldn't go talk to Dream because that would mean leaving Technoblade. And also, Sam had put the prison into total lockdown as he fixed the break Dream managed to worm his way through. Puffy was there. She could help him.

Philza rubbed at his eyes and pulled the tea ball out. He set it aside and took the tray of food up to Technoblade's room. He laid still, his breathing more like pants as he fought off whatever demons plagued him. Philza stepped close, set the tray aside, and sat next to the bed. His own bed rested off to the side, close enough to touch and share warmth. He cupped Techno's cheek, his tension and stress fading as he watched Techno soften under his touch and his breathing slow.

“Techno, please,” he begged, his voice soft. “Please wake up. I need you back.” He rubbed his thumb on his cheek, blinking when a drop of water fell next to his thumb. His breath hitched and he wiped away his tears. It had been days, days, since he had last seen his friend awake. Days since he had last seen his friend not suffering. A sob slipped out before he could stop it. He covered his face, another sob wracking him. His wings flared out and wrapped around his form, as if to hide his sorrow from the rest of the world.

Like the days before, he wondered if Techno would ever wake up. He had been with the egg for three days. Alone. Isolated from everyone except those who wished harm upon him. An ugly sound broke out of Philza and his wings closed tighter. The corruption that burrowed into Techno had faded under Philza’s care, but he wondered about the corruption within. Would he ever see his friend again, the way he was before?

He cried for what felt like hours, unable to help his sobs. The food and his tea had gone cold, but Philza didn’t want to crack open his wings yet. Just… just a little longer. He just wanted a little longer before he had to face the world again.

“Phil?”

Philza’s breath caught. He didn’t dare to breathe, even as he felt Technoblade shift next to him. When his friend called his name again, Philza peeked through the shredded feathers. Technoblade’s head turned towards him, infinitely tired, but awake. Infinitely weary, but whole and not a snarl in sight. Seeing that Philza was looking at him, Techno rested a hand on Philza’s thigh, worry creasing his brow.

“Phil? Why are you crying?”

Philza dove for Techno, dragging him into a tight embrace and heaved another sob. Techno groaned in pain, but he hugged Philza back.

“Phil?” Techno called again as Phil sobbed into his shoulder. He groaned as he tried to sit up in bed. His hand pet over Phil’s splayed wings, his fingers finding the vanes and stroking them softly. His friend shivered under his touch, but rather than move away, he pressed closer, squeezed him harder. They stayed like this for a long while, holding their silence together. When Technoblade broke the silence, he spoke quietly. “Phil, what—what happened?”

“You,” he started with a shaky exhale. He sat back, wiping at his eyes as he settled in next to his friend. “BadBoyHalo and Antfrost trapped you above the egg. Puffy and I went looking for you and—” Phil closed his mouth, biting off the rest of that sentence. Techno’s hand stroked his feathers again and he breathed out. Forgive him, but he still needed time to understand, “And we brought you home,” he lied.

Technoblade pressed a hand to his face, his breath still slow and deep, but… His eyes fell shut as he tried to think, tried to remember all that had happened. He… There was the dark, the blood, the lava popping in the distance, the whispers, the shape of the ghost in the corners of his vision, the laughter and victory in Bad’s voice as Technoblade dropped into the hole. His fingers closed and he could feel the scar on his palm from holding onto the shard of obsidian, the goal of slamming it into his—

His fingers found the scars in his face, the lines of where the egg’s vines had burrowed into his flesh, taking hold of him, taking him into darker and darker places where even the voices couldn’t reach. Places where the ghost put weapons into his hands to put weapons into his/its enemies’ eyes, into their flesh, into into into into—

Philza’s brow furrowed as he watched Techno hands curl into fists, the shaking returning, the snarls cracking across his face, his eyes darkening in rage and fury. His friend’s breaths were coming quicker now. His gaze focused on something in middle distance and. And Phil went cold. No… No, no, not again! No!

“I’ll kill them!” Technoblade lurched from the bed with a roar. “I’ll slaughter them all!” Philza scrambled off the bed, reaching for Techno, reaching for his friend. “I’ll stain the earth with their BLOOD!” Technoblade snarled, his rage propelling him forward towards the ladder. He’d go back, he’d fill that cave with TNT, and he’d—

His legs crumpled beneath him and he dropped to the ground. Technoblade clawed at the floor, his breaths panicked and gasping, pain shooting through his leg and his lungs and he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t—!

Arms wrapped around Technoblade, black wings encircling them and hiding them from the world. Technoblade’s breath caught in his throat as Philza squeezed him.

“Please,” he begged. “Please, Techno, stop. You’re safe. You’re home. You’re not there anymore!” Phil closed his eyes and he let some old power seep through the fabric of the universe. Just enough that soothing darkness, the darkness like the space between the stars on a moonless night, enveloped them. Technoblade’s breathing slowed in the space where even time begged for stillness.

And it was in this darkness that Technoblade cried.

---

Philza set aside the tea ball and picked up the steaming mug of peppermint tea. He turned to see Technoblade resting face down in Steve’s fur, his back rising and falling gently as if he were sleeping. Philza knew better though. He still stepped quietly towards his friend and knelt down. Techno turned his face towards the angel and took the mug with soft thanks when it was offered to him. Philza glanced at the almost untouched plate of food. He pushed the plate towards Techno with a pointed look.

“Techno, eat.”

“When was the last time you slept, Phil?”

“Techno,” Philza said.

“Phil,” Techno echoed. They stared at each other for a while, then Technoblade sighed. “If I eat, will you sleep?”

“The bed is too far away.” Philza scooted in close, folding his wings up as he sat up against the wall of Steve. Technoblade grabbed the plate and shifted his position. He tapped the floor next to him and Philza settled at his side. “No feeding Steve your plate, either,” he warned.

“When have I ever?”

“That night I fried salmon?”

“Bruh, you set the plate too close to his face. I did not feed him!”

“I saw you sneaking him bites.”

“He was skin and bones!”

“Well, he’s not anymore!”

The two frowned at each other, challenging looks on their faces. Technoblade broke first, his frown cracking into a smile before ducking in a hearty laugh. Philza joined in with his own airy laugh, falling over into Technoblade’s lap. Philza gazed up at his best friend and smiled. Technoblade smiled back at him, then had to look away from the softness in Phil’s expression. His cheeks warmed and he coughed to break the growing silence.

“Go to sleep, Phil. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“Promise?” Phil asked, his voice cracking on the word. Technoblade stiffened underneath him, feeling the weight of his answer before he responded. He exhaled softly, then lifted Phil up enough so they could press their foreheads together.

“I promise.”

Technoblade finished his plate as Phil settled in his lap. Technoblade leaned over, grabbed a nearby blanket, and settled it over Phil's form, being careful not to pinch the wings as he did so. Phil fell asleep quickly, belying how tired he really was. Technoblade pet his hair as he slept, his thoughts drifting. He tried to remember what happened after… After he got away from the egg. He found he couldn’t remember much. He… he barely even remembered leaving that dark room. He tried to kill himself, to trick the egg into letting him go. He remembered it shrieking in his skull. And he remembered it all going dark. He remembered nightmares plaguing him, of stumbling in the dark and snarling threats at those who led him away. He remembered a dark shape, familiar in the form, familiar in how it rumbled at him, but his head ached when he tried to put a name or a face to the feeling.

The nightmares continued. He’d wake to Phil and. And he didn’t know if it was a trick and he would fade like he had every time before, or if it was a trick come to hurt him. And then he remembered waking to feathers brushing his face, feathers curling around a body that hitched with sobs and shuddered with breaths that felt like they ripped his soul from his body. It was Phil crying and Technoblade didn’t understand why.

Except, he did… sort of. How he got from the community area, from the dark room, to his home, Technoblade didn’t know. He would have remembered the nether, wouldn’t he? But no, Phil said he had been passed out, asleep in bed. But how else would Phil have taken him home? It was too long of a trip across the overworld to drag an unconscious body. Technoblade’s fingers found the feathers in his best friend’s hair and stroked them idly. He continued to think and think and overthink until the thoughts felt worn against his skull. At one point, he tucked himself under the blanket, the night air seeping in through cracks in the walls. He made a note to fix those as soon as possible as he dozed off into darkness.

Technoblade blinked awake. Morning light streamed in through the windows, warm on his face. He felt around under the blanket and froze when he couldn’t find Phil. He scrambled to his feet, panic welling under his ribs. Steve grumbled as he shoved at him in his haste. A clattering from the kitchen startled Technoblade.

“Techno?” Phil’s voice called. He appeared in the doorway, a towel in his hands. His face softened when he saw Technoblade’s panic slipping across his uncovered face. “Oh, come here,” he said, ordering gently. And Technoblade went to him. He wrapped his arms around Phil in an embrace more desperate than he meant it to be. “Hey, hey, I’ve got you. I’m sorry I left, but you looked so peaceful sleeping there.” Phil’s feathers ruffled under his fingertips as he carded through them. He relaxed piece by piece, holding onto Phil until he reluctantly let him go.

“Thanks,” he sighed. Phil cupped his cheek and smiled gently.

“All good?”

“Yeah.”

“Good,” Phil smiled and dropped his hand onto his shoulder. “Now, I need you to undress.”

“Uh,” Technoblade’s cheeks warmed. “What?”

“Techno, you’ve been bedridden for nearly a week. I am going to give you a bath,” he said with an unimpressed look. His gaze dropped to his arm, then to Technoblade’s leg where he had to reset it. “And check your injuries,” he added thoughtfully. Phil’s lip pressed together and his gaze flicked up to his friend. Technoblade’s face warmed even more at that look.

“You’ll take care of me?” he asked.

“Oh, I am going to take such good care of you,” Phil replied, his voice dropping low and gentle. “Now go ahead.” Phil leaned back against the wall, his arms crossing over his midsection as he waited.

“Right here?” Technoblade asked.

“Yeah. Undress for me, Techno.”

Technoblade chewed his lip, then purposely looked away as he started to undress for Phil. He took his time because he knew Phil liked to watch, liked to see his skin flush and warm from the attention. His ears twitched as Phil pushed up from the wall. He walked around Technoblade as he finished, his fingertips brushing along the multitude of scars that crisscrossed his flesh. Phil’s fingers lingered on one on his back, where the anvil hit first. Phil frowned at the scar and rubbed his thumb over the faded mark. His hand pressed fully on his back, radiating warmth on Technoblade’s cooling skin. Technoblade exhaled, not surprised by how shaky his breath sounded already.

"There you go," Phil crooned. "Let's go." The hand on his back applied just enough pressure that had Technoblade following immediately. Phil must have planned this because the bath was already warm by the time they got to it. Steam drifted up from the surface and Technoblade eyed the flowers and other herbs drifting on the surface. He climbed in with Phil's encouragement, a low groan escaping between his teeth as the warm water settled into his bones. He tilted his head back and found a pillow resting beneath him.

"Going all out, huh?" He asked as Phil moved around the washroom, gathering wash cloths and small brushes and more oils to help clean him. Phil simply hummed and settled down beside the bath. His jacket hung by the door, the sleeves of his kimono rolled up to keep from getting wet, and his wings hung relaxed on his back.

"It's you, of course I am."

"Keep me away from the bees. I'm gonna smell like flowers by the time you're done with me. They'll be all over me."

Phil laughed, loud and bright. He picked one of the sprigs of lavender out and dropped it on Technoblade's nose. He snorted out air in an attempt to dislodge it. Phil snickered again and went to work. He scrubbed down where the grime was caked on the most, though Technoblade noted that he wasn't as dirty as he probably should have been. Maybe Phil cleaned him when he first came, passed out and bleeding. The bandages were off his arm, the flesh half healed and scarred over. Phil saw him looking and rested a hand next to the wound. He rubbed his thumb over his skin and gently pushed it back under the water.

Phil was gentle with him as he cleaned Technoblade. He blamed the flush spreading across his skin on the warmth of the bath and not on the soft touches of his friend’s fingers. Phil took his time, murmuring praise when Technoblade obeyed whatever order he gave out. It was nice, to relinquish control to someone he knew he could trust. He couldn't remember much after being trapped with the egg, but Phil was here.

Phil was here and touching him and whispering praises as he cleaned nearly every inch of him. Technoblade couldn't remember a time he was so relaxed. He almost started dozing in the water, his eyes lidded and his mouth cracked in a lazy grin. Wings fluttered above him as Phil bent down. His eyes flickered open just in time for their foreheads to press together. When Phil parted and started gathering up his supplies, Technoblade caught sight of his wings. 

They looked… worn. Weary. Relaxed for now, but the feathers weren't straight and many spots looked dirty. A wing fluttered near him and Technoblade reached out and brushed his fingertips along the feathers. Phil stiffened with a soft gasp. He stroked the feathers gently, smiling as Phil breathed all shaky and wanting.

“I should preen you soon,” he said casually. Phil pulled his wing back and spun on his heel.

“Not until I’m done with you first!” he said with a huff. Technoblade grinned at him. A towel hit him square in the face and he burst out in a loud laugh. “Get dried up. I need to look at your injuries.”

“Am I staying naked for this too?” He asked, pushing out of the water with a groan. He leaned heavy on the leg he hadn’t broken, bracing himself on the wall as he made his way out. He leaned too far one way and Phil caught him with a grunt before he fell.

“Careful, mate.” Water dripped all over Phil’s clothes, but it didn’t look like he much cared, more worried for his friend than for himself. Technoblade thanked him softly. Phil helped him dry off, more focused on keeping him upright rather than doing any actual drying. He thanked him again as they limped to the table Phil set up. Phil helped him lay across it, the towel over his lap for modesty.

Phil checked over him for a moment, to make sure he was comfortable, then left to go change. Still warm from his bath and definitely smelling like lavender and berries, Technoblade dozed off. A touch to his shoulder woke him. He glanced up to Phil’s apologetic face. He was in his undershirt, his arms free of fabric so they wouldn’t get in the way as he worked on Technoblade. In one of his hands was a simple black strip of cloth. Technoblade’s breath hitched at the sight of it.

“Hey,” Phil greeted, lifting up the blindfold. “Thought you might want this.” Technoblade nodded once and Phil tied it over his eyes. Darkness fell and he relaxed immediately. Fake darkness, it might be, but darkness all the same. He could hear Phil walking around the table, gathering supplies. A match struck and the hiss of something catching fire echoed in his ears. The faint smell of incense filled the room and Technoblade sighed.

“What? Don’t I smell good enough after that bath?” he teased. A hand pressed firmly on his chest, pushing him back down to the table.

“Hush,” Phil whispered, dragging out the word. Technoblade went down without a word. His eyes closed behind the blindfold and his ears twitched to listen for his friend. Philza made noise, of course. He knew Technoblade would want to hear something, especially after being alone for so long. But he didn’t really go out of his way to do it. He trailed his fingers along his friend’s skin, watching almost idly as the muscles twitched under his caress. Each breath, each gasp sent another spark of… something down the length of his spine. Something fierce, protective, loving, wanting, and just. Something. He never really understood it, why caring for his friend in this manner felt. Well, it felt so intimate. Just shy of romantic, like a step removed. Something lovers might partake in, or, perhaps, what it felt like to worship a god. Philza snickered to himself; a god, indeed.

Technoblade made a questioning noise beneath his hand and he hushed him again. Philza exhaled slowly, focusing his thoughts again. He started first on the wound on Technoblade’s arm. The bath helped to clean it out, to soften the flesh so he could poke at it some to check the healing progress. It looked fine, but Philza wrapped it in a bandage again. More to protect it from outside filth from infecting it than to stop any bleeding. Next, he checked the small wounds crossing over his body where the corruption burrowed in. Those looked like they would remain as scars, but the corruption had faded for sure. He worried the corruption would return should they get close to the egg before Technoblade finished recovering.

Finally, he moved to Technoblade’s leg, to where he had set it himself. Philza didn’t know what happened to cause that; Techno hadn’t offered that information yet. That was alright. Philza was a patient man. He could wait forever if he needed to. He just hoped it wouldn’t take that long. The bone was set well, nearly perfect, plus it had already started to heal. Philza straightened out the leg, then attached the splint. He let his hands explore his friend, feeling for other hurts, others pains, other injuries that his tired eyes missed. A sniffle caught his attention. He pulled his hands a breath away, worried that he had hurt Techno.

Then, he noticed the tight lines of Technoblade’s body, the way he shook minutely, the tense shoulders, the gritted teeth. Philza felt his old heart melt. He stepped close to Techno’s face, his hand coming down to cup his friend’s cheek.

“It’s okay,” he whispered, stroking the cheek under his thumb. “You’re safe, my friend.” Technoblade sniffled again. Phil cupped his face with both hands, pressing their foreheads together. Slowly, like water eroding away stones, Technoblade let himself go. Piece by shaking piece, the tears came, and Techno cried. Unlike earlier, where he buried himself in Philza’s feathers and squeezed him until his bones creaked under the force, this time he cried in little bursts. Gentle would be the wrong word to use, but he cried gently. The blindfold helped, Philza knew. Technoblade wouldn’t allow himself to cry in anything other than darkness. He hated to let people see him cry, not because he expected others to think lesser of him or because his childhood taught him that he wasn’t manly enough if he cried. It was the vulnerability. The same vulnerability that made him scream hatred upon friends turned enemies. The vulnerability that made each betrayal hurt worse and worse. The same vulnerability that left Philza shaking for days after he plunged his son’s sword through his belly.

Philza sat with him, sat with their hurts together, for what felt like eons. He continued to touch Technoblade, to let him know he was still there, still taking care of him. He waited until Technoblade cried his last tear, then patted his shoulder.

“I’m going to get some water. You’re going to drink it all.” He stood up, but a hand grabbed his wrist. He turned back to see Technoblade with his head turned towards him. The blindfold still covered his eyes, but Philza could feel his friend looking straight at him.

“I’m preening you next.”

They took a break afterwards. Of course, they did. Philza had to make sure Techno was okay, but every time, he was still surprised when Technoblade took care of him back. While the angel cleaned up the table and the bath, Technoblade cooked them lunch. It was mushroom stew, Techno’s favorite. A comfort food for when the comforting became too intense. They ate, then joked with each other, and enjoyed each other’s company. Philza talked about building a house next to his, talked about moving his stuff over sometime so he didn’t have to always be in Techno’s space.

“But I like you in my space,” Technoblade replied, his arms tugging Philza close.

“Yeah, but, mate,” he started. Technoblade’s smile fell a degree and he nodded. He understood what Philza meant. It had been nearly a century that he wandered the overworld alone before he met Technoblade. Solitude was a close friend to Philza, almost like a lover itself. But, that he wanted to make a permanent base here, close to his friend… Well, that meant something. Philza didn’t quite know what kind of something, but he was a patient man. He could wait to find out, even if he hoped he wouldn’t have to wait long.

Once lunch was cleaned up, Technoblade and Phil settled together on a mat on the floor. The piglin would have preferred the bed, but Phil worried about the mess they would make. At least the mat was soft on the stone floor. At least the fire crackled warmth nearby. Phil still hadn’t put his jacket back on. His bare arms showed goosebumps and Technoblade ran his hands down his skin, trying to help warm him back up.

“Relax for me, my friend,” he said as he carded his fingers through Phil's hair, earning him a nervous little laugh. Phil peered back at him through the feathers of the raised wing, checking that it was him at his back. Technoblade smiled reassuringly. He gently pulled Phil’s hair, guiding his head back towards him.

“You’re going to be good for me now, won’t you?” he asked.

“Yeah, mate,” Phil breathed. When Technoblade let go of his hair, he bent forward, splaying his wings for his friend. Technoblade reached into the bag of tools at his side, pulling out the little tool to help with picking out dirt and parasites. He wouldn’t need it yet, but he liked to look at it before starting. Phil huffed out a laugh when Technoblade set the bone tool aside.

“You still have that old thing?” he asked, stalling. Technoblade ran his fingers down the leading edge of Phil’s wing, savoring the gasp that touch got him.

“Of course,” he said, his fingers light as air as he felt over the feathers. He started with straightening the feathers, able to talk while he worked at this point. “You gave it to me the first time I did this.” He glanced at the tool and leaned forward, enough that Phil could feel his weight. It always made him shiver when he did that and Technoblade couldn’t help but laugh. “You were still teaching me words, still some of this language I didn’t know. Covenant, you said when I asked. My covenant.” Technoblade’s words faded in the silence, focusing on his work. Where Technoblade was quiet during care, Phil wasn’t. Sure, he tried to hide the noises, bite down on groans and soft gasps as Technoblade preened him. It was after a particularly sharp hitch his breath that Technoblade tugged his hair back.

“Philza,” he crooned. Phil’s face was flushed, warm and soft and open. “You know I like hearing you.”

“It’s embarrassing, though,” he said with a huff.

“Bruh, it’s just you and me.”

“And Steve.”

“Steve is a polar bear. He has no concept of embarrassment.”

“Oh, you’re an expert on polar bears now?”

“Of course, I am. Have you seen how many polar bears we have?”

Phil laughed and Technoblade let his hair go, let him get comfortable again before he picked up the bone tool. As he worked over Phil’s wings, his friend let him hear all the soft little noises he knew Technoblade liked to hear. Most were real, he knew. There were some Phil just made because Technoblade asked him to be louder. He didn’t mind hearing the fake ones. It gave him something to listen to, something to help stimulate his brain while he worked. It wasn’t that Phil was boring or that he despised the task of preening. The noise helped him focus. Sometimes Phil would talk, or tell stories, but he really only did that when he had regular preening.

This time, though, it was obvious Phil hadn’t preened in a while. A week? Two? He told him once that he preferred Technoblade doing it over his own hands. When he asked why, Phil admitted he didn’t know.

“It’s… more intimate, I guess, when it’s you. No one else, either,” he had said.

“You let others near your wings?” Technoblade teased. Phil had flicked him in the face with the free wing and the piglin burst out laughing.

“Not often, and not just anyone,” Phil said when the laughter died down. Technoblade remembered him pulling his legs up to his chest, a far away look in his eyes. “Before she left, I’d let my wife do it. She liked to do it, in her own way. But it doesn’t feel the same, not like how it feels with you.”

“What happened to her, anyway? It’s been decades since I last saw her.” Phil was quiet for a long time, before he eventually answered his friend’s question.

“Her work keeps her busy. It’s been decades for me too. The last time was when…”

“Wilbur showed up?”

“Yeah.”

Technoblade’s ear twitched when Phil’s breath hitched. He focused back on Phil, turning the memory away. He was straightening a few feathers, the tool catching on one. He whispered an apology and refocused on his task. It felt good to take care of Phil, to take care of someone other than himself. He knew why he felt like this, of course. The word on his tongue so many times, too afraid to ask Phil if he would agree. Technoblade remembered the first night Phil let him preen him. It was a starry night and Technoblade remembered gazing up at the stars and realizing why.

Fated amongst the stars, they were. Technoblade was sure of it. He was sure.

But he wasn’t sure Phil felt the same. They were close, they acted like it, but Technoblade was afraid. Afraid that the second he spoke it into existence, it would vanish before his eyes. As he finished up taking care of his friend, he dropped his head in between Phil’s shoulders. They moved under his skull as Phil turned to look at him.

“Hey, are you alright?”

“Yeah,” Technoblade answered as he sat back. Phil turned around to face him fully, pulling him into an embrace. “I’ll be alright. I’ll be alright.”

And he hoped, against whatever the universe told him, that if he spoke that into existence, it wouldn’t vanish before his eyes. 

---

Ranboo strolled down the main path, keeping his ears open for more ghasts or the magma cubes that always jumped to their deaths. His ear twitched, picking up the sound of hoofsteps. He turned, scanning the area, when he saw a familiar piglin. He started to raise his hand in a wave, but something in Techno’s stance, in the way he held himself as he crossed over the netherrack made Ranboo pause. The piglin was tense, meandering, and the other piglins bolted from him even though he limped heavily. Ranboo glanced back to where he was going, back towards the path, and made a quick decision. He turned on his heel and hurried to catch up with Technoblade.

“Techno!” he called. “Technoblade!” He wasn’t too far back that he couldn’t see Techno’s ears, but they didn’t even twitch at the sound. Oh, oh that was NOT a good sign. He picked up his pace until he finally caught up. Techno still didn’t acknowledge his presence, not even when Ranboo did the wrong thing and came up from behind him in his blind spot. Ranboo caught sight of the glassy look in his eyes and felt his stomach drop out from under him. He readied a potion of weakness he carried on hand, in case Technoblade reacted badly (which he probably would). Ranboo grabbed Techno’s shoulder and pushed him back with all his strength. To his credit, Technoblade stumbled. In that moment, Ranboo put himself between Technoblade and his path, his shield ready to defend against any lashing out.

But instead of the normal response—uh oh—Technoblade blinked a couple times and shook his head. When he lifted his head, the glassy look was still there, but…

“Technoblade?” Ranboo ventured, lowering his shield. This time, the piglin’s ears flicked forward. Ranboo didn’t let himself relax, not yet. “Where are you going, Techno?”

“Home,” he replied softly. He shook his head again, a hand coming up to touch the scars in his cheek. Ranboo’s anxiety spiked with that answer. He couldn’t stop and message Phil and—why didn’t Phil know Techno was gone???

“Home? Techno, do you mean, uh, in the arctic biome?”

“Yeah,” he answered, though he sounded a little far away still. He took a step forward and Ranboo squared up, his shield back in front of his body. “Home.”

“You’re going the wrong way, Techno,” he said. Technoblade tried to take another step forward, but Ranboo pushed him back with the shield. “Techno,” he started again. “You’re going the wrong way. You’re going towards the community portal.” Horror slid into his veins like teardrops into his scars. “Back to L’Manberg. Back to the Egg.”

Of all things, that seemed to wake Technoblade up. The piglin tensed, another blink, and he looked up at Ranboo. There was, oh boy! There was now red twining around in the black sclera of his eyes. OH BOY. Ranboo exchanged his shield for an empty hand, hoping they could stop this peacefully. 

“Let’s get you back, okay? Phil’s probably worried sick about you, Techno.” Ranboo offered. Technoblade eyed the hand. The hesitation before he took Ranboo’s hand had the half-enderman steeling himself. He was not the strongest one here and, if Technoblade decided that he’d much rather bolt the other direction, Ranboo wasn’t sure if he could stop him on his own. But Technoblade took the offer, his own hand grabbing onto Ranboo’s forearm. He returned the gesture and guided Technoblade away from the community portal.

Technoblade released Ranboo’s arm in time, his gaze dropped to the path beneath their feet. He walked just a little behind Ranboo, but Ranboo kept an eye on him, in case he did decide to run back. The red in his eyes eventually faded and Ranboo wondered if it was because of how close he got to the egg. Or because of whatever lingering effects still sat rooted in his mind. Ranboo could relate to that, to being unable to trust your own mind, your own thoughts. Ranboo was so focused on his own thoughts, jotting down notes in his memory book, that he almost missed Technoblade speaking. No, wait. He did actually miss that.

“Uh, sorry. Could you repeat that?” he asked with a sheepish smile, stuffing the memory book back into his inventory. Technoblade was always patient with his memory issues and never griped about him when he ‘spaced out’.

“I said,” he started again, soft and considering. “This must remind you of when you guys brought me back home.”

Ranboo stopped so quickly that Technoblade actually ran into him. Technoblade started to ask if he was okay, but Ranboo’s brain was already gone. The half-enderman whipped out his memory book again, flipping back to the night they found out where Technoblade had gone. He, he remembered that pretty well, right? Right???

And yeah, no, there it was right in front of him.

Techno taken by Ant and Bad? To the Egg

Gone for 3 days

Went with Phil and Puffy to get him back, but Phil sent me home to wait for Techno

Black shape in the sky???? Dream brought Techno home

“Uh,” he said, the memory book lowering. Technoblade was looking at him intently. Ranboo faltered in the face of such an intense expression. Technoblade's demeanor had changed like the wind and Ranboo did not like what that meant for him. Ranboo continued, since he was obviously waiting for him to finish. “We… we didn’t bring you home, though.” Technoblade’s mouth curved down into a frown. But then it brightened back into a smile. Ranboo didn’t know what was going on.

“Right, right. Not including you. Puffy and Phil did.”

Oh, Ranboo did NOT know what was going on.

“No?” That stopped Technoblade in his tracks. He leaned back, speaking very, very carefully. 

“What do you mean ‘no’?”

“Techno,” Ranboo said, glancing around for a moment to make sure no one else was around them. He shuffled closer, eyeing the tusks and the way his hands rested on his belt too casually to not be dangerous. He forged on. “Puffy didn’t come back with Phil. She stayed with Sam at the prison. Phil didn’t bring you home. Dream did.”

Technoblade stiffened. Then, as silent as the moon, he rose to his full height. Ranboo, still taller than him by a head, shrank in response. He chirped in Ender, his anxiety spiking even MORE now. Who told Techno that Phil and Puffy brought him back? Plus, hadn’t he been unconscious??? What was happening???

Ranboo didn’t get a chance to ponder that for long. Technoblade turned on his heel and strode towards the arctic portal, his cloak billowing out behind. If it could storm in the nether, Ranboo was sure he would have heard lightning cracking with each footstep. He followed him at a distance, afraid of what had made him so angry.

Ranboo watched Technoblade hurry to the house, his own steps in the gently drifting snow silent. At the door, Technoblade stopped, breathed in, and forced his shoulders to relax. He stepped into the house. Ranboo considered hovering outside the door, or watching from the windows, but he stopped himself. Phil was in there. He was going to talk to Phil. Ranboo scurried away into his own house, deciding it best to give the two some space. He pulled Enderchest into his lap and started petting her, the fur feeling nice under his shaking fingers.

“Phil?”

Philza turned to see Technoblade leaning in his doorway, arms crossed across his chest. The tension in his shoulders, the piercing gaze holding steady and unblinking, and the firm press of his lips caused Philza’s feathers to instinctually puff up to make him larger and scarier against the threat before him. Technoblade was not wearing the boar mask and Philza felt his gaze pin him in place. He breathed in and shuffled his wings, folded them back down, and held them tight against his back. This was Techno, his friend. He wouldn’t hurt him, no matter how angry he was.

“Yeah, mate?”

Technoblade clicked his tongue and pushed up out of the door. His hooves click-clicked across Philza’s floor until he stopped before him. Philza lifted his head, reminded how tall his friend was now that he was just… there. A voice in his head noted how he was basically baring his throat now and Philza took that thought and hid it away.

“You said,” Technoblade started casually and Philza felt his blood turn to ice by the tone. “That you and Puffy brought me home?”

So. He knew.

Philza held his friend's gaze. If he turned away now, if he didn't stand his ground, if he gave Techno any reason to doubt… then this all would fall apart. He saw it with Tommy. He saw it with Wilbur. He would not see it with himself. Philza pressed his lips together. Techno didn’t offer any more than just that question, but there was no need. Even now, even though he was caught in his lie, there would be no brushing this off. It was his mistake for waiting this long. It was his mistake for lying in the first place.

“Yes, I did,” he replied with a swallow that made his throat click.

“Why?”

Philza couldn’t help the shiver from the deep octave Technoblade’s voice dropped to. It spoke of danger, dripping venomous and deadly. It was not a tone Techno used with him, not since… Philza stowed away the thought. Techno tilted his head, waiting for a response. When Philza took too long, he growled and stalked back.

“Phil, you know I trust you to tell me the truth, right? You know I need you to tell me the truth! So why? Why did you lie?!” Technoblade roared. Philza heard the pain in that roar, the betrayal. And he couldn’t keep calm, because if he let Technoblade keep going like this, he wouldn’t get the chance to defend himself.

“Because I didn’t understand why!” His wings snapped open as he shouted back. “Because I still don’t understand why! Techno, do you think I wanted to? That I wanted to hurt you? I wanted to give myself time to think because—!” Philza’s voice stuttered, breathing quick between his words and his frustration. He paused, hunching his shoulders as he tried to keep his thoughts in line. “You hate him, but then he breaks out of prison to save you? D-do—How else do you expect me to process that!” Technoblade growled and stepped forward again, his gaze glaring down at him.

“That’s your reason? That’s your excuse? That you don't understand?” His exhale was a snarl. “Phil, why didn't you just talk to me instead of lying to my face?”

Philza's feathers now flared out, the full black wingspan like a night sky behind him. He was still shorter than Technoblade, but like hell he was backing down!

"Talk to you? Just talk to you?” Philza almost laughed. Instead, he straightened to his full height, and he felt the edges of the universe shimmer in his anger. “Like how you talk to me about everything? Like how you don’t hide shit from me? Technoblade, Dream told me you were hiding something. That there was something you never told me. Don't rag on me for lying if you're going to hide shit from me too!"

For the first time that night, Technoblade seemed to be at a loss for words. He pressed his lips together and looked away. The fact he didn't have an answer for that, that Philza had caught him in his own mistake sent the angel two steps forward, forcing Technoblade to either back up of his own accord or be pushed back.

"What exactly is your relationship with Dream?" Philza hissed.

"You-you wouldn't understand," Technoblade said as he took a step back. Philza’s eyes narrowed. The irony of that response was not lost on him.

"That's your reason?" He echoed coldly. "That's your excuse?" Philza took another step forward, folding his wings. Though he was smaller now, Technoblade backed up further. When he saw that Technoblade’s gaze was still looking away from him, Philza closed his eyes and breathed in. The darkness that had begun to seep forth faded back into nothingness as he forced himself to calm. When he opened his eyes again, he reached up to touch Techno’s cheek. He hesitated and that hurt Philza more than all the rage and pain. Then, finally, he leaned into the touch and Philza sighed.

“What am I going to do with you?” he asked the universe. Neither it nor Technoblade answered, but that was alright. “I won’t lie to you, Techno, as long as you don’t hide things from me. And I refuse to let this be the thing that drives a wedge between us. Not a petty fight like this.” Technoblade was quiet, but Philza knew his friend enough that a big release of emotion was draining for him. He still held him there, turned his head to look at him. “Techno, I swear. I swear on my wings I won’t lie to you, but I still need you to talk to me. You know I do.” Technoblade shivered and Philza knew that look. He knew that expression deep in his old bones. He coaxed Techno back towards his house, so they could rest up against Steve. Once they were settled up against the bear, Philza tapped Techno.

“Techno, please. Help me understand. What is your relationship with Dream?” Philza watched his friend’s face, watched the worry and hesitation as they passed by until he gave in.

“He’s my… soulbleeder.”

“He’s—” Of all the things he expected Technoblade to say, that. That was. His confusion must have been plain on his face because Technoblade gestured pointedly with his hands. Philza focused again.

"See? I was right!" Techno said. He flopped back onto Steve, who growled softly in acknowledgement.

"Bruh, that's still not a reason to hide things!” He shoved Techno, not enough to harm, but enough to show his frustration. He huffed out a breath and asked, “What even is a soulbleeder?"

"Uh, it’s… This is going to be really hard to explain,” he said. Philza waited and Technoblade muttered, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He took a moment to compose himself, compose the words in his head. Philza was ever patient. He would wait as long as his friend needed.

“Soulbleeders are rivals. Arch-rivals. Your soulmate if they were your rival. Hating each other is the point, but, uh, like if Dream died, there’d-there’d be no point to the relationship. So, if one side is in trouble, then, if you’re trying to be a good soulbleeder, you’re going to go help them. Uh,” Techno glanced at Philza to see if he was still following, to which he nodded.

“So, it’s, it’s about being competitive. It’s about fighting each other, but not in a way that would actually screw them over.”

“So, like your duel with Dream?” Philza asked. He didn’t understand, fully, but. The way Techno was describing it, it… He could see it.

“Yeah, exactly. Sure, there was a reward at stake, but—you saw it. You watched it.”

And Philza did. He reviewed the memory of the duel in his head, what he remembered of their faces and their body language as they fought. It reminded him of the way Techno and him sparred: almost playful, but knowing their partner’s limits. But where Techno and Philza tended not to push those limits, those boundaries, not past what they knew they could handle, that duel… As it progressed, the playfulness gave way to true competition, pushing, pushing, pushing further and further. Pushing past the limits, past the boundaries, pushing and not accepting defeat until they were forced to. And even then, when Technoblade won, he offered his hand, offered a smile. No hard feelings, no sore losers. They were joking with each other afterwards, poking fun and grinning, and Philza remembered it as… strange.

He refocused on Technoblade, now that he was apparently done explaining. And… Philza exhaled and took his time to process. Techno had described it as a relationship. It had a term even. It was not something he could fathom experiencing himself, but. He could see it. And so, Dream was a good soulbleeder, coming to help Technoblade.

“I could hear him screaming.”

Dream’s voice came back to him then. Technoblade rarely screamed. Shouted, yelled, roared, but never screamed. So, if Dream was hearing that… Philza put himself in Dream’s place. Imagined himself trapped in prison and hearing a significant other screaming and—

Philza swallowed the sudden rage, the sudden need to do what he could to save Techno from such a fate—and he understood. He understood. His gaze flicked up to Techno and he huffed out a breath.

“Alright.”

“Alright?”

“Yeah, mate.”

“So, we’re… we’re good?”

“Yeah. We’re good.” Philza cupped Technoblade’s cheek and leaned in. They pressed their foreheads together and Philza finally allowed himself to relax. Like many things with Technoblade, this peace did not last long. About an hour into the chilling against Steve, Techno stiffened. Woken from his dozing, Philza nudged Techno instead of speaking.

“Phil,” Technoblade started. “Did—Dream broke out of prison that night?”

“Yeah, mate,” Philza yawned. He shifted so that he was laying on his stomach, his elbows in Techno’s lap.

“Did… do you know if anyone helped him?”

“All Puffy got from Sam was that Dream was gone. I don’t know if anyone helped him, though I’m gonna go with no.” Philza remembered how Dream looked: half human with wings still dark with netherite. A nightmare from the deepest pits of the Void.

“Phil. Phil, we gotta call Sam.” Techno said, bringing Philza’s focus back to his friend. He moved around in a way that was not trying to dislodge Phil, but still trying to get up. Philza leaned a bit more in his lap, trying to pin Technoblade before he worked himself up.

“Why? What’s going on, Techno?” Sleep still clung to his brain and he couldn’t follow why Techno was acting this way.

“No one visits Dream, not every day. If I was the last person to see him… Phil, Ph—I signed waivers that stated that if something happened after my visit—” Technoblade was still stumbling over his words, but Philza’s brain had finally caught up. Like Tommy, like anyone who visited the prison, Technoblade had signed his lives away if it was found that Dream escaped because of him. Phil scrambled to his feet, panic moving his limbs into motion. He grabbed his communicator, his ears tracking Technoblade as he hurried down the ladder, already going into preparation mode. Philza felt a sense of déjà vu, of breaths held as he watched Quackity and Tubbo and the rest of the Butcher Army hunting down his friend. Philza’s feathers flared on instinct and he swallowed down the urge to run. As the communicator connected to Sam, Technoblade appeared in Philza’s line of vision, Hiasobi Benihime in his hand as he offered the blade.

“Hello, Sam?” Philza greeted as he took the sword and hooked it back in his belt, where it belonged.

“Philza,” Sam greeted back. A bark could be heard over the communicator, followed by a soft shushing from Sam. Philza was thrown off for a moment, but he managed to compose himself before Sam grew suspicious.

“Sam, I know what happened with Dream,” he started. Sam went quiet on the other line, then exhaled in a sigh. Philza took that as a sign to continue. “How did he get out?”

“That is confidential information, Philza,” Sam replied after a moment of silence.

“Do you know who helped him escape?”

“Also, confidential.”

“Did he go back?” Sam didn’t respond and Philza couldn’t bite back the growl of frustration. “Sam, is there anything you can tell me?” The silence stretched until Philza’s impatience neared its peak. He opened his mouth to snarl at Sam, but a hand came down on his shoulder. He stiffened and glanced behind him. Technoblade stood steady, donned in full netherite and the skull mask covering his expression. But Philza knew what would be under there, knew that when Technoblade’s hand squeezed his shoulder, it was in comfort and reassurance. Philza breathed out slowly and his wings smoothed down and folded against his back. Sam’s voice crackled in his ear when he responded finally.

“Puffy and I completed our investigation into Dream’s escape. We confirmed our conclusions and—” Sam cut off momentarily, before continuing with “We are not coming for Technoblade.”

Philza blinked, stunned into silence from Sam’s response. His eyes fell shut and his shoulders relaxed. Of course, Sam would know what he was really asking. Sam was smart. He had to be smart, for the things he did.

“We had suspicions, of course,” Sam said. “But after we completed our investigation, we dropped our charges against Technoblade. We know he did not help Dream escape.”

“Thank you,” Philza replied. The line cut out and he pressed his hands to his face in a sigh. Technoblade put gentle pressure on Philza’s shoulder and he went. Techno guided him into his arms and hugged him. The armor, while hard and an uncomfortable line against his body, was grounding and comforting. He tucked himself in, his stress melting away like iron in lava. Techno’s hand brushed through his feathers and Philza couldn’t help the shiver that ran through his body.

“Phil?” Techno asked softly. “Can I preen you?”

And Philza.

Philza nodded.

They would be okay. If it was the last thing Philza was ever able to do, he would make sure they were okay.

---

Being okay was going to be a lot harder than Philza expected.

Ranboo’s shield shattered under the force of Technoblade’s sword. His mouth opened in a snarl, his tusks flashing as he launched forward. Ranboo tried to block with his own sword, but the angle was wrong and he screamed in pain as the sword broke through his armor as well. The smoke from the splashed potions blew away, giving Philza a clear shot. An Angel of Death, he might be, but not today. Not when his arrow was aimed at his friend. The arrow whizzed through the air, struck Technoblade in the arm. He barely even winced, even as the weakness arrow took effect.

“Ranboo, run!” Philza shouted, dropping from his perch on the half-finished house. He darted forward, his own shield and sword at the ready. Ranboo glanced between Technoblade and Philza and bolted.

“I’ll kill you, Quackity!” Technoblade roared, lurching after him. Philza was faster. He slammed his shield into his friend, throwing him off balance. Technoblade spun on his heel, kicking up loose snow, turned on Philza. Red pulsed in his eyes, the scars glowing brightly. Philza didn’t know what triggered it, what triggered the episode. A few minutes ago, Technoblade and Ranboo were sparring while Philza worked on his house. It sounded like Ranboo got a hit on him; by the cut across Technoblade’s mouth, just under the mask, it was definitely a hit. Technoblade had stumbled back, his hand pressed to his skull. Philza couldn’t hear what he said, but when he heard the snarl, he hurried to the edge of the roof. The shout of “I choose blood!” sent a chill up Philza’s spine.

He had heard that line before, had seen the potions splash on the ground and the smoke rise up before Technoblade had launched himself at Quackity and the rest of the Butcher Army. Now, Philza saw nothing in Technoblade’s eyes but hatred and bloodthirst. He didn’t even look at Philza, didn’t even recognize that he was holding him back.

“They’ve got Carl!” he yelled. Philza shoved him back with the shield again.

“Technoblade! It’s not them! Carl’s here! Wake up!”

Technoblade snarled and Philza put all his weight into the shield again. The piglin stumbled back and Philza readied himself for a fight against his friend. But Technoblade dropped his sword, his hands pressing to his skull. He dropped to a knee, panting and muttering too fast for Philza to follow. Philza waited, waited for his friend to wake up, to see that he wasn’t in danger. To see it was just them. He didn’t want to hurt him. What they had to do already felt like he was stabbing a knife into his chest.

“Technoblade!” Philza cried out, his voice cracking on the name. Technoblade stopped muttering, curling in on himself. Then

Then he dragged himself to his feet, his hand coming up to brush the hair out of his face. He laughed and Philza felt dread take hold of his heart. The vines were growing again, burrowing into his flesh. Philza’s gaze flickered down when Technoblade pulled out his pickaxe. No…

“Did you really think, Quackity, that you could kill me that easily?”

Philza felt the world drop out from under his feet. That Technoblade didn’t recognize him, it—it was too much to handle. Technoblade snarled and lurched towards him.

“I’ve got a pickaxe and I’ll put it through your TEETH!”

Philza jumped back, barely missing the pickaxe strike. Fuck, fuck, no, he couldn’t—!

“Philza! Get back!” Ranboo’s voice cut through the air. The angel jumped back and a potion crashed down on Technoblade. A pearl hit the ground and Ranboo teleported between him and Technoblade. Double weakened, Technoblade snarled at them. Philza stumbled forward, reaching to grab Ranboo and pull him away, but—

Ranboo stood his ground, staring at Technoblade, an axe in his hand, his trident in the other. The two of them stood staring at each other for what felt like an eternity before Ranboo tossed aside his axe. He held out his hand and waited. Technoblade blinked, shook his head, and looked down at the hand. Philza held his breath, hoping against hope that whatever Ranboo was trying to do here would work.

Within the time it took Philza to blink, two things happened. Technoblade lurched forward with a roar and knocked Ranboo aside. The kid skidded in the snow out of Philza’s view. Then Techno’s hand grabbed the front of Philza's coat and slammed him back against the wall of the house. He growled at Philza, not a hint of recognition in his eyes as he readied his pickaxe. Philza's wings flared against the stone, beating up snow between them as if to blind Technoblade. It wasn't working. He eyed the pickaxe, panting as he quickly got over his shock. With a glance at Techno, he muttered a small apology. 

Philza's legs kicked out. One hit Techno square in the stomach and the other swung up over the arm. With the help of his wings, he twisted out of the grip, his shirt tearing. Technoblade cried out in pain, his arm bending wrong and the pickaxe dropped from his hand. The arm didn't snap, but the lapse allowed Philza to dart behind and pin the piglin's arm behind him. A beat of his wings and Philza slammed him into the snow. He pinned Techno by the arms. With how his legs were kicking, he would flip their position soon. He kicked away the pickaxe too, then struggled to hold his friend down as Technoblade kicked. Fuck, fuck! Phil pressed down as he risked moving one of his hands. Down the spine, where, where! Once he found the pressure point, he hit it and Techno's legs stilled. Technoblade still tried to buck him off. Philza used a powerful beat of his wings, forcing his friend down into the snow.

"Ranboo!" he shouted, swinging his head towards the kid. He scrambled to his feet, looking no worse for wear. "Fourth chest down, bottom left, sleeping potion, now!" He ordered. Ranboo jumped, then bolted into the house to find the potion. Technoblade was still struggling underneath Philza, but it was easier to hold him down. Ranboo stumbled out the door in his haste, holding the potion and staring down at the pair.

Philza shifted his position, letting Techno’s head up from where he pushed it into the snow. He snarled and Philza took that chance to stick his arm into Techno’s mouth. The thick leather bracer would protect his arm from the tear cutting through, but if Technoblade tried to bite with all his strength… He wedged his arm in, forcing Techno’s mouth open too wide to bite. His head snapped up to Ranboo, who was still just standing there.

“Well, what are you waiting for?! Pour it in!”

Ranboo startled, nearly dropping the potion. But he dropped to his knees and fumbled with the cork. Half the potion splashed on the ground, but he managed to get some into Techno’s mouth. Reflexively, he swallowed the remaining potion. Slowly, ever so slowly, Technoblade’s body ceased its struggling and he went limp. Finally, Philza relaxed, heaving a heavy sigh. He slid off Techno’s back, then rolled him over so he wouldn’t suffocate, and then turned his head so he wouldn’t choke. Philza gazed down at his friend and caressed his cheek.

“Is. Is he going to be okay?” Ranboo asked, still kneeling.

“Yeah. That potion should last for an hour or so. We should get him into the house.” He tapped his knee, frowning. “I think. It would be a good idea to remove his armor too. And his weapons. And keep him away from any potions. He’s. Right now, he’s a danger to himself and to others.” His gaze flicked up to Ranboo, who was writing in his journal.

“I agree,” Ranboo said as he slowly closed his journal. “We could hide them in my basement? I, uh,” he hugged the journal to the front of his coat. “I’ve been working on a—“

“That’s not necessary,” Philza dismissed with a wave of his hand. “I have a vault of my own we can keep them in. Plus, I mean to move all of that stuff over. I don’t want to take up all your space with ours.” Philza stood to his feet, checking over the brace on his arm. It had some holes where Techno’s teeth tore into it, but not through. He started to take it off, then flinched. Ranboo stood up, hands held out to help or hold or… something.

“It’s nothing,” he lied. “See?” He wiggled his fingers and picked up the axe from the snow. Ranboo didn’t look convinced, especially with the badly hidden wince at the weight of the axe on his arm. But Ranboo kept quiet. “Help me move stuff into my vault?”

It took them two hours to move everything over. Philza threatened Ranboo with a canon life if he ever showed anyone his vault, to which he completely agreed. Philza didn’t want to freak the kid out, but he’d had enough with people rummaging through his stuff. He refused to let anyone do that again. Techno was awake on the couch when he finally turned in, rubbing gently at his arm. Philza startled, his wings flaring, to see his friend wide awake and staring at him. But the feathers smoothed down. The man before him was awake and whole, not a hint of the egg’s taint on him. Exhaustion hit Philza like a roof of gravel knocked loose. He was tired. He was so tired.

Technoblade stood from the couch and stepped over. Silently, he reached out for Phil’s arm. Philza hesitated, but eventually offered it over. Phil’s arm, where the brace had protected it from piercing, did not protect it from the weight of Technoblade’s jaws struggling against him. Bruises covered the flesh like oil on a painting, deep purple like the fading sun at dusk. Pain seeped through Technoblade’s chest, squeezing his heart. How could he have done this to Phil? To his… To his friend? How could he let this happen???

In a move akin to worship, or to accepting execution, Technoblade knelt before Philza. He held Philza’s arm gently in his hands and pressed a line of kisses down from the crook of his elbow to his palm. Phil’s other hand came to his hair, carding through. He guided Techno’s head up to looking at him, the softest melancholy Technoblade had ever seen on his face.

“It wasn’t your fault, Techno,” he said, quiet enough to be a whisper. Technoblade pressed his forehead to the palm of Phil’s hand. The angel above him sighed, then resumed petting him. “I forgive you.”

After the Butcher Army incident, as he started calling it, Philza limited what Technoblade could do. He explained it to his friend, explained that he didn’t want to limit his free will like this, should he get the wrong idea, but he didn’t want to risk anyone else’s safety. If it had gone any other way, Techno could have killed Ranboo. He was certainly fighting like he wanted to kill him. And Philza knew what kind of regret would cling to his bones, to his soul if he had taken a life undeserved. Philza knew intimately what that felt like. He would not wish it on his best friend.

And so Technoblade agreed. Philza took away his armor and his weapons. They had already moved the potions. Philza didn’t tell Techno where he put them. It hurt him to hide things from Technoblade, but it was necessary. They couldn’t have another incident. They could not.

Philza felt hyperaware, always paying attention to Techno and how he reacted to things. He didn’t know what triggers Technoblade had now, what would set him off and what didn’t matter. The worst of it was that Techno refused to talk to him about it. Philza asked, Philza pressed and pried and he tried, but Techno snapped his jaw shut so fast his teeth clicked together and refused.

His nerves felt stretched, tense like tripwire, and exhaustion quickly lined his shoulders. Several nights now he found himself at his table, staring into middle distance, thinking and not thinking until eventually he dragged himself to bed.

---

The axe came down, splintering the log in half. Technoblade straightened with a groan, looking down at his work. Phil just recently trusted him with the axe. Not his armor though, and he had to return to the house the second he saw the sun begin to set. But it was nice, nice to be outside for once. The air was cold, crisp, and barely a hint of wind blowing that would cut through his coat. He leaned back until his spine cracked, then reached down to pick up another log. The sight of two legs in his vision nearby startled him. He straightened, his gaze traveling up to see, of all people, Tommy standing before him. The second Technoblade’s gaze fell on him, Tommy looked away. He hugged his coat close to him, the same one Technoblade had stitched for him when he finally accepted Tommy would be staying with him. He still had the turtle helmet resting on his head and Technoblade felt something sharp and longing break inside his chest.

“What are you doing here, Tommy?” Technoblade asked, hefting the axe onto his shoulder. He glanced at the sky, checking the time, then back to the kid. When Tommy hesitated, he narrowed his eyes. This was a side of Tommy no one had seen. Well, maybe Tubbo. And him, back before his betrayal pierced through his ribs. The seconds stretched into minutes as Tommy searched for words. Finally, he straightened and turned his gaze back to Technoblade. He found himself strangely pinned by the gaze.

“I heard about what happened with you and the egg,” he said. His gaze dropped again to look at some snow, kicking it around. Technoblade shifted his stance and Tommy glanced up immediately at the movement. Good; the kid still knew to be wary even against an unarmored foe. As long as he held an axe, he could be the most dangerous thing in the world. When it was clear no threat was coming, Tommy continued, picking at the fuzz on his coat. “The first time Tubbo met it, he started crying. I joked around and said it was saying slurs, you know, as I do.” He cracked a smile at Technoblade, who returned it with a truly unimpressed stare. He pressed his lips together as his shoulders hunched.

“I don’t know what it told you, but… I…” he trailed off. Technoblade closed his eyes, allowing himself a moment to relive exactly what the egg showed him. Visions of it dragging him down, of handing his weapons, of his friends bleeding out and feeding them to the Egg. He inhaled, his breath shaking against his will.

“If you need someone, Techno, I’m here,” Tommy said, promised. The words made Techno’s heart ache and the betrayal in his ribs pierced deeper. He bared his teeth as his fury ignited and he stomped forward with a snarl.

“You’re here? Now? What about back at the community house? Were you there for me then?” Tommy opened his mouth to speak, to protest, but Technoblade overruled him. “I was there for you! I would have fought them all for you, Tommy!” His eyes stung and he blinked back tears. Not here, not now. Not while light still fell upon them. His tusks flashed in the light as he snarled, “Why did you betray me?!”

“Betray you?” Tommy spat. “Why? You sided with Dream! You and him blew up L’Manberg! If anyone betrayed anyone, you betrayed me! You betrayed us!” Technoblade’s fury quieted, burned inside him as he leveled his glare with the kid. His voice dropped low when he spoke next, barely steady as the axe shook in his hands.

“Tommy. I was always planning to blow up L’Manberg. For what it did to me, to what its people did to me. That injustice was not going to go unpunished, Tommy. I didn’t betray you. Do-do you remember how many withers I have? Tommy, I showed you the vault!” He stepped forward, brandishing the axe. “How many withers did I spawn, Tommy?” Tommy looked away, holding his answer tight behind his lips.

“How many!” Technoblade roared. “I showed you mercy! Dream wanted to blow it to bedrock. I just wanted it to be enough that my message came across. Dream laid the TNT. I spawned the withers. Do you know how many more I can spawn, Tommy? I could wipe out everyone if I wanted to! And I showed you mercy!”

"Mercy?" Tommy's voice was cold, not unlike the ice that encased the landscape when the temperature plummeted. It sounded just as deadly. "Is that what you call it? Mercy? I can’t… You're more lost than I realized, Techno, if you believe what you did was merciful." Technoblade's axe lowered. This… this was not how Tommy behaved. Not…

"I tried to save you!" Tommy yelled, snapping Technoblade from his thoughts. "Big man, walking into hell thinking that you'll just walk out again! I saw Wilbur do that! I watched Wilbur walk into hell and when he came back, he wasn't the same!" 

Memories sparked through Technoblade's head, like flint striking before his eyes. When Wilbur was young, his flair for dramatics, his desire to explore. The day when Wilbur met Tommy and he joined their little group. The tournament they won together. The smiles on their faces. And he saw Wilbur's smile as he slowly descended into madness. Technoblade breathed and dragged himself out of those thoughts before he relived the betrayals that followed after like shadows.

"I tried to save you from that fate!" Tommy shouted, his voice hoarse from the pitch of his screams. Tears rolled down freely as he squeezed his hands into fists and shook.

"I didn't need saving!" Technoblade snarled. "Unlike Wilbur, I know where I stand. I know what I can handle. There's nothing I can't survive!"

"You're not invincible, Techno! What about the Egg, huh? Was that surviving?"

"I'm here right now, aren't I?"

"Are you?"

Technoblade blinked, the mood suddenly shifting. Words were hard to force out, with how it felt like something was wrapping around his throat. "W-what?"

"Are you? Here. Right now. Technoblade."

Technoblade reached up to his throat, but he found no vines curling, nothing choking him, yet he still felt its presence pressing into his mind. He squeezed the handle of the axe, the wood biting into his palm. It was enough to ground him. Just barely. He straightened to his full height, his eyes burning at Tommy.

"Leave," he ordered through bared teeth. When Tommy didn't move, he stepped forward and raised the axe at him. "Now. Before I take your life for trespassing, LEAVE!"

Tommy glared up at Technoblade and didn't budge. Technoblade lifted the axe to make due on his word. He wasn't going back on it now, not even for Tommy, not even if the kid didn't deserve it. Not for the pain squeezing his heart, burying itself into his soul. He would stand true to his word, even if that word would kill him. A sharp gust of winter wind slammed into him. Technoblade slid back with the force of it, squeezing his eyes shut. He felt ice slice through his will, through his strength, through his flesh. When the wind finally died down, he opened his eyes.

Tommy was gone.

Technoblade huffed and picked up the next log to chop down. A soft landing in the snow alerted him, the whisper of wings folding telling him it was Phil. Technoblade swung the axe down, the chop and breaking of wood soothing to the thunder still roaring in his ears.

“Hey mate? You okay?” Phil asked, resting his hand on Technoblade’s shoulder.

“Yeah,” Technoblade grunted. “Tommy showed up.” explained, not looking at his friend. Phil’s grip tightened on his shoulder. He assumed it was reassurance. “We had an argument and, er, I threatened him with an axe?”

“Techno…” Phil started. Technoblade frowned at his tone. It was the one he used when he came home too late in the day, the sunset still warming his back. Or the nights he woke up and just. Didn’t go back to sleep. He rolled his shoulders and Phil’s hand fell off it with the motion.

“Nothing happened, don’t worry. I wouldn’t kill the kid. I promise.”

“Techno,” Phil said again. His hand came up on his shoulder again, but this time he pulled, forcing him to turn. Technoblade lifted his gaze to Phil’s face, startling at the open concern. “Techno, I was watching from the window. There was no one here.” Silence followed after; all save for an icy wind chasing after a crow made of void.

#dream smp #dream smp fic #technoblade #philza #ranboo #mystuff #this fic took a long time to write #and i'm still not done with it lol #long post #mind the content warning #hurt comfort fic #this chapter is 12k words #nothing i write anymore can be short i guess