#tiny!techno

[guppybubbles]

Sweet Dreams are Made of This. [1/3]

(A/N: Kind of a sequel to my other fic, ROLL ME A 6 ! :> You don't need to read that though to understand this!)

Borrower Tommy accidentally shifts into a universe where his homebrew DND world is real. He still sucks at being a giant.

WORD COUNT: 1,341 words

WARNINGS: None.

"Tommy opened his eyes and what he saw was unlike anything he's seen before…"

Tommy listened in anticipation. What could it be? A new friend, a new foe? He looked at his dad, a smug little smile barely hidden by his serious storytelling.

 

"And we'll find that out in the next session."

Halfway through his sentence, he and his brothers already knew it was the end of their game for the day. All groaning and complaining about Phil leaving it in such a dumb cliffhanger, Phil only laughed. 

It couldn't have been hours already, had it? They barely started! He still had to redeem himself and his character into great glory! "No, come on, let's do one more hour— please, please?" He begged, holding onto one of Phil's fingers like he had all the power to hold him down and force him into another round. 

With his other hand, Phil picked up the die and tossed it into the container— folding up the map before putting it back in the box. Tommy knew it was over, they'd start another session again sooner or later. 

But he wanted to do another hour, or maybe two more, now. "Pleasee, I rolled so low every turn, I need to redeem myself!" 

"I wish we could continue, mate." Phil smiled, "But I got work tomorrow and it's already…" He stared at the clock, making a surprised sound at the 11:48 PM on the wall. Phil cursed under his breath, gently, slowly pulling his hand away from Tommy’s hold. "Alright, get to bed you three." 

The blond borrower knew there was no convincing Dad anymore. He crossed his arms with a humph, upset with his bad luck during the game. "Cheer up, Toms! I'm sure luck will make you do justice next time." Wilbur consoled, pushing his chair into the table and picking up the box with their fantasy map and die. 

“You are horrible at throwing the die for me,” Tommy grumbled, narrowing his eyes at his older brother who had offered to throw the dice for him earlier. Wilbur’s luck when it came to the game was pretty good, yet whenever he tossed the die for Tommy, the luck seemed to plummet- doing worse than when the borrower himself threw the die. 

In the corner of his eyes, he could see Wilbur’s lips press into a thin line. He was stopping himself from being amused at Tommy’s anger. “It really wasn’t on purpose.” 

“Yeah, I know,” Tommy replied. Not upset at Wilbur, nor was he upset at the game. He swears he would be able to throw the dice better if he was just… more human-sized. 

“You’ll do better next game, I’ll make sure of it,” Wilbur promises.

Tommy looks at him incredulously, slightly laughing. “What, are we gonna cheat or something?”

In response, Wilbur shrugged, a playful smile tugging at his lips. “Dunno, maybe.”

Holding the game board, he placed his other hand on the desk. A trust exercise that slowly grew into a habit none of them thought was strange anymore, Tommy hopped on the hand and held onto the fingers for support. He used to have to walk from place to place, no matter how far it was because the big man was too stubborn to accept and ask for help. In response, they all worked together to install little stairs everywhere so Tommy would at least be able to reach things without having to heave himself up with a rope and a hook. He almost cried in front of them because of how much he appreciated the gesture. 

That night, Tommy lay in his bed, uncharacteristically quiet as he stared at the ceiling. His room looked so much like a human's room- constructed by his family after nearly a year of accidentally revealing himself to them. It wasn’t exactly like him to be upset for the dice throws during the game, it really wasn’t Wilbur’s fault. On a good day, he throws exceptionally well for Tommy’s character too. 

But Tommy isn’t upset about the dice, is he?

It was never the dice, never Wilbur, never his family, but him. 

If he was truly meant to be their family, then couldn’t the universe make him human? Did he seriously have to be something that was never allowed to mingle with larger beings? It was a written code since the beginning of time that borrowers were never allowed to be with humans. Never share anything, what you are, what your name was. Most importantly, never be seen. 

Were they never supposed to be a family then? Did he have to break the borrower’s code just to be a part of something he’s not supposed to? He’s not a borrower anymore, he knows that. He barely even follows the code anymore, but he’s not human either. Too exposed to be a borrower, too small to be a human.

Then what was he?

Tommy released a loud, exasperated sigh. His calloused hands rubbed over his face. He knows he shouldn’t think about such things, but lately, he’s been more aware than ever. He notices how Techno looms over him when they do woodwork together, Wilbur’s singing voice goes from soothing to too loud, and Phil barely gives him any chores (Maybe he shouldn’t complain about that one, actually).

They don’t mean it, of course, they didn’t. They probably don’t even notice it as well. Something so small and insignificant to them could be so overwhelming for him. He just wants to be bigger, to fit in… 

He should go to sleep. He'll forget about it tomorrow and everything will continue on like it usually does (until the nagging feeling returns and he feels like he's rotting in bed).

Goodnight, me. Tommy closed his eyes, unable to rid of the heavy weight in his chest. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

If Tommy could recall this correctly— and while he may not have the best memory, he can certainly tell when something is just plain wrong… He fell asleep on his bed, right?

His eyes blurred as he gained consciousness and though he wasn't aware of where he was— he could sense danger even from a mile away. His shoulders ached, raised high above him. Something was holding his arms upwards. Cold, tight metal gripping his wrists, uncomfortably pressing into his skin. He tried tugging it downwards, but it barely moved. 

Instead of lying on a soft, warm bed, it felt like he'd been kneeling for Prime knows how long. His legs felt numb, ringing uncomfortably no matter how much he tried to move. It didn't matter because he was stuck in place. 

It was hot. Sweat was dripping from his forehead to his nose and down to either his clothes or the floor (he made a mental note that he wasn’t wearing his pajamas). 

He sucked in a deep breath, humid air filling his lungs in a way that didn't calm him down, but just made him panic more. 

Tommy's vision began clearing up and despite the little ache in his neck, he decided to look around. The room was dimly lit, weak artificial lighting barely reflecting the big, metal room he resided in. 

There were mini stairs and platforms built around him. The platforms in front of him connected through the middle and had a door on each side of the wall. Above the platform in the wall in front of him was glass, he couldn't make out anything inside, it was darker than the room he was in.

The metal room he sat in was quite spacey. The ceiling was quite high but he couldn't stand up even if he attempted to— his ankles were chained as well, shorter in length compared to the ones around his wrist. Tommy struggled against the chains, everything looked so.. small yet so oddly detailed. 

Where was he? Who were these stairs for? Were there more beings smaller than a borrower? Prime, how would they even look next to a human?

Does his family know where he is right now..?

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

yayaya thank you sm for reading! & holy shit guppy writing fics comeback??? no way!!!

[nobodywritingao3]

Cold Love

masterpost

Wilbur is a dragon, his most wellkept secret. Tommy finds out so he brings him back to his hoard in the mountains.

CW: - vore

title taken from Cold Love by Rainbow Kitten Surprise

word count: 1.7k 🐉 read it on AO3

"Let me go," Tommy spits out. Despite his aggression, there's a fearful, panicky air about him that sends pangs into Wilbur's chest.

"Toms, come on. You know me - you know I'd never hurt you." He wrestles him into the ground, easily pinning him to the dirt without having to exert real effort.

Tommy's arms shake from the effort of trying to fight him off. Wilbur is almost relaxed above him, a slight frown on his face as he easily presses the boy down. The more he tries to fight and the more he sees how futile it is, the more his hostility slips into abject terror.

"Wilbur, please." His voice cracks and he starts to go limp. He blinks back tears. "I won't tell a soul. Your secret is safe, just let me go. I'll disappear, and you'll never hear from me again."

No. No, he doesn't want that at all -

And something must show on his face too, because Tommy's eyes widen at his reaction, and he starts to writhe again, sobs building in his chest.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I don't - I didn't - "

"Hush."

He falls dead silent, tears still streaming down the sides of his face.

"You're fine," Wilbur murmurs to him, trying to imbue his words with as much love as he can. "Everything's going to be fine, okay?"

He starts to stand, pulling Tommy up with him as he goes.

He's tense in his arms, but Wilbur remains gentle.

As soon as they're both standing up, Tommy lurches away from him, but he's not fast enough.

Wilbur pulls him close, his arms still loose around Tommy. "Were you trying to catch me off guard?"

Tommy is sobbing and yelling and hitting at his chest, but he doesn't react.

"I... what are you doing? You - you know I'm much stronger than humans, sweetheart, you've got to stop fighting me."

He breaks down in his arms and tries to fall to the ground, but Wilbur catches him and holds, staring at him in puzzlement.

"How do I make this better?" He asks, almost blankly.

Tommy is still crying. "You - you ate the mayor," he whimpers. "You burned half the village to the ground. You burned the orphanage to the ground. You killed Phil and Tech - "

Wilbur swallows a lump in his throat and shoves down rising feelings of guilt. "I did what I had to do. I ate the mayor, I destroyed your village, including the orphanage. But how else could I get you?" He brushes a strand of hair from Tommy's eyes. "All that paperwork... it's easier if they think you perished in the fire. And for the record - " he conspiratorially winks at Tommy, trying to get humor him, "Phil and Techno are just fine."

He doesn't wait for a response, closing his eyes and starting to shift. He pays extra mind to Tommy's position in his arms. The change is done in seconds, and when he opens his eyes again, Tommy's just a tiny little thing lying between his clawed paws.

"Treasure," he purrs irreverently. "My little human - let's get you taken care of, yeah?"

Tommy stares up at him with wide eyes, completely frozen on the ground.

Wilbur wastes no time in leaning down and swallowing Tommy. He screams and kicks as he goes down the throat, but Wilbur's body was designed to eat live prey. Functionally speaking at least, Tommy is no different from the deer or tigers or knights he regularly eats.

He hums contentedly as Tommy settles into his brood pouch. It's padded out so he can be rough as he wants in there and it won't hurt either of them (and let it be said that he is trying very hard to hurt Wilbur).

"You're safe now, Tommy. Let's get you back to the rest of my hoard." He purrs again, a burst of delight in his chest. "I've waited so long to get you with the rest of my collection. Bit of a shame that you found out this way, but I'm a little glad too. I was going to reveal myself in a few months, but now I don't have to wait."

He spreads his wings and takes flight towards the treacherous mountains. Only the royals' finest knights could traverse the landscape, and even then, they were so tired and cold from the trip that their hands could barely grip the hilts of their swords.

He lands in the entrance and strides in. Techno and Phil sit idly on a pile of gold coins, chatting away, but as soon as their eyes land on him, they avert their gazes and seem to wilt. He's learned not to take it to heart - they've gotten better about managing their fear of him in the past few months since he added them to his hoard, and he's sure that as the years progress, all three of his humans will come around again.

He leans over Techno and Phil and opens his mouth up, finding it just the teeniest bit funny when they flinch back and start to plead with him not eat them. He brings out Tommy, letting the boy gently fall onto the two men below.

He sits back and admires them, a happy sound growing in the back of his throat.

"Finally," he says dreamily, "I have all three of you."

He shifts back into his human form and saunters up to them, ignoring how Tommy flinches backwards into Techno and Phil.

Phil pulls Tommy into his arms and starts to soothingly rub circles into his shoulder. "Wilbur, you're scaring him."

He shrugs nonchalantly. "You were scared too, in the beginning. He'll get over it soon - you all will - and then you'll be a proper part of my hoard."

Phil and Technoblade share a glance that he doesn't bother to decipher.

"Your hoard... what does that mean?" Techno asks slowly.

Wilbur grins brightly at him. "My collection! My treasure - it means you're mine now."

Tommy stares at him slack-jawed.

"Why us?" It seems like it slips out of Phil's mouth, something he says before he has a chance to apply a filter. But Wilbur doesn't mind answering.

"Techno is my twin, Tommy is my little brother, and you're my father." Those are all the human words for the familial terms, so they should understand.

Phil bites his lip. "Wil... we love you, but you can't - "

"I can do whatever I want," he cuts in, his voice edged with aggression.

Phil falls silent.

Wilbur smiles at him again. "Do you have anymore questions?"

Techno awkwardly coughs. "I hate to be the bearer of the obvious, but humans don't live as long as dragons. We're a lot less hearty, and you've stationed us on Dead Man's Hill. Because that's the name of this mountain, Wilbur - Dead Man's Hill. Are you sure you don't want to take us somewhere else?"

He feels his expression darken. "That won't be an issue. You're my hoard now. Which means your life force is tied to mine, and all three of your aging processes have stopped. If I'm to die - if - then you'll begin to age again." He turns a steely eye to Techno's. "And we will leave this mountain. But only when I know you won't try to do something silly, like leave me."

Techno nods, avoiding his eyes. "Sounds good."

"It does, doesn't it?" He agrees happily. "Now that I've taken Tommy, my collection is complete."

"Sorry - sorry, what the fuck?" Tommy chimes in, finally having found his voice.

Techno lowers his voice and says into his ear, "Wilbur is a dragon and he's keeping us now."

Tommy stares at him. "I thought you were fucking dead."

"Mm, me too," he says dryly. "But I'm not. I'm just the adopted twin brother of a dragon."

"Did you know?!" Tommy asks, sitting up and stumbling away from them.

Wilbur watches him curiously, fondly noting as he tips backward into a stack of gold coins.

"Did they know what?"

"What do you - what do you fucking think, Wilbur?!" He screeches.

Wilbur smiles, and lets himself shift again. Tommy flinches away as he approaches but he doesn't mind, picking him up in his mouth and plopping him back down next to Phil and Techno.

"They didn't know," he says soothingly, gazing down at them. He curls his tail loosely around their little group, forming a protective barrier. Or a cage.

Techno slides an arm around Tommy's shoulders. "Trust me," he murmurs, "if we had known, we never would have let you - " he cuts himself off, seeming to stiffen as his eyes nervously dart up to Wilbur. "We didn't know," he concedes.

Wilbur laughs lightly. "Can you imagine if you had? You never would have been my friend! And Phil never would have taken both of us in. I had to lie."

There's a look on Phil's face that he can't decipher. "Wilbur... I would have. Of course I would have," he says gently. His words carry weight, but the meaning behind it is unidentifiable to Wilbur.

"No," he says simply. "So it's a good thing I lied. Because the years passed and you realized how much you loved me, and now that you know I'm a dragon, you won't leave."

A sharp wave of paranoid insecurity strikes through his chest. "I don't think you'll leave," he mutters in afterthought, his tail slightly tensing around them.

Technoblade looks conflicted. "We love you for you, your being a dragon doesn't change that."

Wilbur frowns down at him, puffing a plume of smoke out. "Why are you saying that?"

"What - what do you mean?"

"We aren't leaving this mountain, Techno. I'm not that stupid."

A look of surprise crosses his face. He's a good actor, Wilbur decides. "I wasn't saying that to trick you, we do love - "

"I know you do!" Wilbur sharply cuts in. "Because I spent years bonding with you as a human. And now that you know I'm a dragon, it doesn't matter!" He gives them a smile with his large, sharp teeth. He ignores how forced it feels. He ignores how it feels like he's trying to convince himself more than them.

Phil looks at him with a pained expression. "Mate - "

"You're a little scared right now, but that's fine," he purrs, cutting him off. "We have the rest of time for you to love me like you used to. You weren't supposed to find out, but you have, and that's fine. I'll just keep you here. I'll just keep you here, and we can be a proper family."

He nuzzles the three of them with his snout, ignoring how they flinch away from him. "I love you!" he exclaims. "And you love me. So everything is fine. It's fine."

~ ~ ~

🏷️: @i-am-beckyu @da3dm @flowers-of-plenty @gracideaviolet

hope you enjoyed :3

[munchkin1156]

I have fallen (but have faith, for I shall rise once more)

. . .

Borrower Techno with rest of sbi as god's? More likely than you think :D

2.2k words for part one, definitely going to make a part two because I'm not about to LEAVE y'all on a cliffhanger like that.

(Cw: Blood, injuries, mention of death (non happens) swearing, angst, accidental fearplay and Techno passes out due to blood loss.)

Hope you enjoy my (technically) first addition to the mcyt g/t community from my user!

. . .

Technoblade wasn’t like other borrowers.

Other borrowers didn’t have voices in their heads, who screamed at him for blood, grew emotionally attached to the most random things, or know things that helped him evade capture multiple times.

Other borrowers didn’t have memories that never existed, searing into his brain at moments when he loses themselves, of friendships with beings of power, of him being a being of power, of falling from the clouds for a crime he did not do.

When his sword is stained red from those who wronged him, then in his head it rings. When the voices, or as he called them, Chat, started chanting. It never made sense, what they chanted.

Blood for the blood god

And it scared him, not knowing what it meant. But he couldn’t dwell on it now, just like he couldn’t dwell on it yesterday. He was a borrower, and that meant he needed to borrow.

Techno stepped outside of the comfort that was the shelter that he had been using for the past week. Being a wandering borrower, he didn’t have a home, exactly. He wandered from place to place, travelling lightly and swiftly, being able to escape at a moment's notice.

He had bases in some places, so he could restock and rest for a bit, but he was exploring a new area and that came with the consequence of not knowing where safety lay, so if a bean were to see him, he might not be able to get out of there fast enough.

But it wouldn’t come to that. Techno was an amazing borrower, and his motto was literally ‘Technoblade never dies’. He started walking through the long grass, humming to himself. He wouldn’t get caught, he was certain of it.

So why did he feel so uneasy?

. . .

“Hey- Hey! Stop it!” He whispered, whipping his sword out as an act of defence. The crow squawked defiantly but didn’t stop trying to pick him up with its beak.

Techno groaned. Crows were always nice to him, and they were one of the few things that gave him those memories other than blood. 

Memories of black wings surrounding him, feeling safety and warmth, and when he looked into those eyes-

Other things that did this were music, especially guitars or discs, the colour red, and that one statue. It had been in some rich fucker’s garden, and from what he had overheard the people in it were gods, whatever that was.

Their names, according to the beans he had been eavesdropping on, were Philza, Angel of Death, a golden blonde man with large black crow wings, a fatherly expression on his face as he stared at Soot, the god of music and chaos, a brunette who was laughing and ruffling the hair of Innit, god of discs and the wilderness.

And, standing a little bit away from the others, was a statue with its head gone. According to one of the beans, it was because they had been banished from the kingdom above, for a crime so terrible, and therefore been erased from history.

He also heard them say that it turned out to be an accident, that DreamXD, had framed him. But by that time it was discovered, it was too late, and he had been cast down, though it is said those three gods still search for him, in the hopes that they could bring him back.

They said his name was Blade, the god of war and blood. And that’s how he got his name. 

Technoblade.

And, another funny thing is, no matter how hard he sees those gods as Philza, Soot, and Innit, like the man described, some hidden part of his mind changes that to Phil, Wilbur, and Tommy. But that was beside the point.

The point was, that no matter how nice the crows were to him, they kept trying to take him somewhere.

Usually, they’d stop if he complained or shouted, or drew his sword (never intending to kill, just to scare them off) and they’d stop. But this one was even more persistent, and Techno realised now that he’d either have to fight it (something he would like to avoid if possible, he liked crows and they sometimes brought him gifts) or run.

He chose the latter, dashing to the side the moment the crow grabbed him. It squawked in outrage and Techno realised that it couldn’t chase after him on foot, with its legs like sticks. Birds were meant to fly, not walk.

‘Looks like I win this time, eh?’

He thinks, grinning to himself. The crow that he escaped from cawed loudly, and he only had a split second to wonder what that could mean before another crow SWOOPS down out of nowhere and yoinks (he’s not even sure what that word means but it seems about right for this situation) him up in its claws.

He had jinxed it. Techno didn’t believe in superstition, but he was certain that was what had happened.

The pinkette struggled in the crow's grasp, desperate to get free before it took him to… Well, wherever it was taking him. But it was no use. He wondered why it was so determined to bring him wherever it was going. Techno supposed he’d find out, soon enough.

Eventually, after a few minutes of flying, the borrower noticed something very, very strange. The crow was taking him up. And by that, he meant really, really high up. The world below was barely visible, as they went higher and higher, through the clouds.

And once they came out of the clouds, Techno couldn’t believe his eyes.

“The kingdom above… Fucking hell it’s real…”

He muttered to himself in awe. It was made out of pristine white shining material that might’ve been made out of the clouds themselves, with magical glowing lanterns floating in the air.

Techno’s first thought was that it belonged to the ruler of this kingdom, or at least some kind of person in power, I mean it was so fine and well-kept that it had to be, right? Wrong.

On closer inspection, he realised that the people walking down below were… Normal. This was a normal town here, and these were normal civilians.

The crow flew past it though, taking Techno with it. Its wingbeats never slowed, and it showed no sign of tiredness. This was no ordinary crow, he was sure of it.

And this was no ordinary place. Chat had stopped talking altogether, and his mind felt as if it was his own, at last. It was as if someone wanted him to be peaceful, but that was silly since he was literally getting kidnapped by a bird.

What a great day Techno was having, right?

Aaaaand now the crow was flying down, towards three people that looked awfully familiar, but he just couldn’t put his finger on it and then-

Oh fuck that’s Philza, Soot and Innit. He’d recognize them anywhere, after the incident with the statue. Oh, he’s fucked. He’s going to die, oh stars he needs to get out of this mess-

‘But aren’t the gods his family?’

He brushed that thought off with a shudder. Why on earth did he keep thinking stuff like that!? It didn’t make any sense, and you better believe that he was gonna get to the bottom of this.

Not today though. He was about to get caught by some of the most powerful beings in the entire universe, and he’d actually rather not. He valued his life, after all. So he did what any self-respecting borrower would do and fucking stab the bird.

Techno hadn’t particularly wanted to stab the crow. As he might’ve mentioned before, he liked crows. There just hadn’t been another choice. 

And it had worked.

The crow dropped him with a screech, alerting the three gods immediately. Their gazes fell on the bleeding crow who flew over to them with a lot of effort and landed on Philza’s outstretched arm. It healed almost instantly.

But the pinkette didn’t know any of this, because he happened to be falling when that situation had played out. And when Techno hit the ground, he felt his body scream out in pain and his head ring in agony.

The world around him felt loud and blurry. His head seemed to be sticky with what he could only assume was blood. He forced himself to stand, he needed to get out of here, needed to be safe-

Chat was back now,  just as incoherent and jumbled as his thoughts, and from what he managed to make out, delusional. They kept saying something about… Dadza? Who the hell was- Oh. Wait what!?

So Chat was no help. 

Techno winced. He couldn’t think, everything was just so loud and it hurt so damn much and he couldn’t understand and oh fuck did one of the Gods? beans just spot him and oh no they’re all walking towards him now.

The borrower’s eyes widen, and he couldn’t help but shrink back as the three gods towered over him, eyeing him over with such a strange expression of hope and longing that made Techno wonder if he actually was delusional.

The silence was broken when one of the gods, Innit, spoke up, voice breaking slightly and eyes glazed, as if holding back tears.

“Holy shit… Is it him? Like, really him?”

Philza responded, managing to sound calm and yet so desperate that it made Techno’s cold heart shatter, though he was not sure why.

“I don’t know Tommy (wait WHAT-), why don’t we ask him instead of talking over his head?” The angel of death suggested, and now they were all staring at him again, possibly even more intensely than before.

“So,” Philza said curiously. “Who are you, why did you stab my crow and why did it try to bring you here?”

There was no malice in his voice, it was just confusion and subtle amusement, but that just made Techno’s nerves worse. The only reason he could think of that would involve the god being amused about his half-dead state was-

Oh fuck, were they going to torture him?

“I’m Technoblade,” He said, after a few moments of hesitation. The pinkette ignored the sharp gasp of air from above, acting like he didn’t hear it, because he did not want to think of why the god might be shocked, and instead continued.

“I stabbed your crow because I was about to get seen (and look how that ended up) and I have no clue why it brought me here.” Techno knew it was not a smart idea to lie to a god, and he was anything but stupid. His injuries throbbed painfully, but the gods either didn’t notice or didn’t care.

Techno wasn’t about to guess which one…

After a very long while (in which Techno was trying his absolute hardest not to die on the spot) Soot spoke up. “So that’s a- a yes, then? It’s him?” He asked, voice cracking slightly. “Yes, Wilbur, (WHAT THE FUCK) It’s really him.”

The borrower didn’t have time to question what in the world he meant by that, because at that moment  Philza reached down, and Techno realised what was about to happen a second too late.

He scrambled backwards as the hand came towards him, absolutely terrified out of his wits, but the god paid no mind to that, plucking him off the ground by his waist easily. 

Techno struggled in his grasp but fell limp almost immediately. There was no way he was escaping from Philza, even though he wanted to, and besides, it just made his injuries worse. The tight grip the god had him in didn’t help either.

“What do you want from me!?”

He shouted, glaring at the gods, though it quickly fell as he remembered how easily they could crush him. Soot made a small noise (pity?) but he ignored it. “You- you really don’t remember us?” Asked Innit, with a look of despair on his face.

‘Remember you? I’ve never seen you before in my life!’ 

Not in this one you haven’t.

 Responded one of the voices, before it faded back into the clutter of noise. “Chat?” Philza asked, and Techno almost responded with ‘Yeah, it’s making no sense…’ when he remembered that he never told them about Chat.

Something clicked behind Soot’s eyes, and he spoke up. “So you really don’t know who we are… Right?” Techno nodded. Where exactly was (Wilbur) Soot going with this? “So that means…” “Means what? I’m not about to sit around all day waiting while you give me half-formed answers,” the borrower responded, with more challenge in his tone than was wise.

It’s not like you could stop them from doing that…

Said another one of those loud voices unhelpfully. ‘Thanks a lot…’ He thought to himself irritatedly and stared at Soot expectantly, which was harder than it seemed because his eyes kept unfocusing, and the corners of his vision were blurry and stained red. ‘Blood?’

“Listen, Technoblade, I don’t know what species you think you are, but…” He hesitated again, before continuing.

“You're a god, and our brother, at that.” Soot paused, and then started saying something more. “I’m so glad we finally found you, we’ve-”

But Techno didn’t get to hear what they’d done, the blood loss had finally caught up to him, and he passed out, darkness now surrounding him as he finally drifted into a dreamless sleep.

. . .

Aaaaaand that's it, folks! Great ending we got there, right? Hope you liked it :] Big thanks to Beckyu for helping me choose how to end it, and start next chapter.

That reminds me...

@i-am-beckyu and @brick-a-doodle-do, thank you for wanting to be tagged! If you want to be tagged, comment, ask or dm me and I'll add you! :D

Bye for now!!!

[beansthough]

Ch.9 {A Snake in the Bird’s Nest, It’s Made a Home}

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Cw/Tw: slight angst but hurt/comfort, slight fear.

Tommy never expected that this would be how his situation would turn out. It was strange to say the least. They boy was mostly expecting a painful death, followed by the destruction of the forest. Instead, he found himself sitting in a tree on the edge of the village, fidgeting with the leaves and twigs on the branches with an unsure feeling in his gut.

A cool breeze combed through the naga’s golden hair, his red eyes were dim as he thought of the events of the past few days.

When he woke the morning after the destruction, the first thing he did was release the hybrids he had tucked away in his storage. The fire was long dead and the rain of the night led to a cool crisp morning, even with the remaining smoky smell in the air. Wilbur was the only one that seemed to protest the idea of being let out into the chilled air, Phil and Techno seemed almost in disbelief that they were let out at all.

——————————

Techno had been the one to thank the kid first. For his bravery, his strength, and for protecting his brother. Philza could only stand by his side and nod his head along with his son’s kind words.

Techno also apologized profusely. Guilt ate away at the warrior any time he even glanced at the kid. It seemed that his eye was healing well, but it seemed just a little more dull than its counterpart to the left. Techno also couldn’t help but notice the many tiny arrow scars that coated the boy’s arms and back.

Techno was relives that the healing potions had worked that well, but no matter how subtle it was, the evidence that Techno had deliberately hurt the kid was still there. It made something ugly and cold sit deep in his gut and crawl up to the back his throat, Techno couldn’t even meet the boy’s gaze.

Wilbur and Philza were stuck with Tommy while Techno made his own way to the villager’s camp on the other side of the river. His cut leg was already healed from the healing potion he had hastily splash on it last night, it was still sore and a rather noticeable scar was in its place, but he could walk.

His rabbit Carl, who he had rode into battle that night, seemed to had gotten spooked by the two naga’s and the fire’s presence and disappeared mid fight. Techno was relived to find his rabbit halfway to the river hiding in a burrow under a tree. It seems the fire hadn’t even made its way to this part of the forest, the plant life was as lush as ever.

He was glad that his rabbit knew how to stay safe, but he was a little disappointed that he was abandoned during such a stressful moment. Techno’s feelings couldn’t be too hurt, Carl was just a rabbit after all, and their instinct to run heavily outweighed the instinct to fight.

The rabbit had ran right to him the moment he walked by, Techno held him tight before climbing on top of his fluffy white back. He made it to the river in minutes. The berry bushes around them ripe with the early summer’s harvest.

Techno walked to the edge of the bank and gazed out to the makeshift camp. It was quiet, even as he saw villagers sitting outside of their tents, there was no laughing and shouting of friends, no joking from the guard. They were all quiet, waiting for any sign that their leaders were still alive.

Techno would give it to them. He brought to fingers to his lips and blew out a long shill whistle. Head’s all along the other side of the shore’s bank all whipped around to meet him.

Techno lifted his hand in a single big wave and cheers suddenly cried out everywhere. He could

make out Tubbo and Ranboo’s small forms jumping and shouting from the bank. His soldiers and friends were quick to storm him as he made his way across, tears and relief in their eyes, and many many questions pouring out of their mouths. This was going to be very difficult to explain…

——————————-

Tommy wasn’t use to being around this many people at once. Tommy wasn’t even use to being seen by people. Especially people who were all very much afraid of him.

Tommy could hear the large group coming when they drew closer to the village. When they did arrive all the laughter and conversations died down to a whisper, and many fearful eyes trailed over Tommy.

The healer’s hastily collected Wilbur and Philza, taking them to the medical center to deal with Philza’s broken wing and Wilbur’s broken leg and ribs. After they were gone silence once again overtook the crowd, Techno stood a little nervously at Tommy’s side. It seems the rat wasn’t to good around large crowds either.

The caution of the group was overwhelming, parents pushing the children behind them and many of the soldiers holding their weapons tight, you could cut the tension with a knife. The silence was however quickly broken by the relived cries of Tubbo and Ranboo. The pair quickly swarmed Tommy and tackled his face the best they could, smothering the Naga was tears and snot ran down their cheeks. A lot of the tension melted away, but Tommy could still sense that they all had their guard up.

Techno had said that he explained the situation to the villagers and guard to the best of his ability. He said he told him that his name was Tommy, he wouldn’t hurt them, and that he didn’t have anywhere else to go. Techno had said he had explained it as if they were taking in Tommy like they would to any hybrid that was in need.

Apparently some of the villagers protested the idea, but Techno had made it clear that Tommy wasn’t going to be a problem. He also made sure that Tommy understood that the villagers wouldn’t be a problem either.

So now here Tommy was 3 days later, sprawled out in a tree with only himself has company. The past two days he had stuck to Ranboo and Tubbo’s sides like glue. The pair never left him alone and Tubbo made sure to scare off anyone who looked at them a bit two long.

Today they were away. Helping to rebuild the town and replant some of the lost vegetation. Techno was busy leading the town in its new renovations under Phil’s directions. Wilbur was still restricted to bed rest, bones never did heal quite as well with potions like cuts and scrapes did. Philza however was up and about with one wing in a sling.

Techno made and effort to go see Tommy at least once a day, many of these meetings more awkward than not. Techno didn’t seem to be the best conversationalist when it came to anyone, many of their interactions started with Techno asking how he was doing and then telling him any updates on the restless mouse trapped in bed. Their talks never lasted very long, the Blade running out of things to say and them sitting in awkward silence. What do you even talk about to someone you almost killed?

At least Techno seemed to like Tommy, he made an effort for him and made sure to let Tommy know he was welcome. Philza, however, was no where to be seen. Tommy hadn’t seen him since he was let out of the clinic. He had only given Tommy a nod when he came to visit with Techno and he had utterly disappeared after the one meeting.

Tommy just wished he knew what he was doing wrong. He had been kind and understanding. He stayed out of the way and used his best manners, but people still seemed to think he would snap at any moment.

Honestly, if Tommy were in their position, especially Philza’s, he wouldn’t be quick to trust himself either. He has watched XD smack the bird to the ground. A sickening crack had rung out as phil’s wing made contract with the massive white tail. Only seconds later he impacted rather harshly to the rough ground.

XD had threatened to kill them all, he had done so casually, as if the tiny hybrids weren’t meant to be anything else than a quick snack. Tommy supposed that the sadist Viper didn’t really care that much for any creature of his own size as well, ready to sell them off for his own gain. As if they weren’t even people with thoughts and feelings.

Tommy shuddered at the thought of his old tormentor. He knew the viper was long dead, but sometimes he could still feel XD’s claws digging into his throat while Wilbur desperately cried out for him.

Wilbur…

He missed his older brother deeply, but he knew the mouse needed his rest. Tubbo and Ranboo were trying their best to help Tommy feel welcomed in the village, but Tommy knew when he was unwanted. Nervous glances and fearful whispers were the only interaction he got from the other villagers. The whispers stung the worse, but how were they supposed to know that Tommy could actually hear them?

Tommy wanted his brother.

A lump started to form in the boy’s throat and tears began to well up in his eyes. His chest ached and he longed for Wilbur’s warm embrace.

He missed Wilbur’s voice, wether it was telling a daring story or singing along to a beautiful melody. He missed his small hands that would pet his check or caress through his hair. He missed his brother’s contagious laugh and the fun games they played.

He missed Wilbur.

He just wanted things to go back to they way they were before. Just him and his brother spending the day together, with Tubbo and Ranboo coming to play on the days that Wilbur couldn’t be there, but now it was just Tommy once again.

Sitting alone in a tree, this time avoiding watch the villagers working below him. He found they were much more nervous when they knew he was watching.

Tommy sighed and wiped away the beginning of his tears and buried his head in his arms. Letting the sounds of the village fill his mind.

“Hey Mate…”

Tommy’s head shot upwards and he was surprised to see Philza standing in front of him. His wing still restrained in a makeshift sling, and Tommy to a moment to wonder who the bird got up in the tree in the first place.

The cawing of a crow over his head answered his question, Phil laughed and threw a shiny coin into the air. The crow dived for it and caught it in its beak before flying away to its murder. They flock of birds all began cawing at Phil and the avian waved them away before they all took flight.

Phil gave another chuckle before meeting eyes with Tommy, “They never stick around long after they’ve gotten what they’ve wanted, but they’re useful when you have what they want.”

Tommy gazed at Phil in amazement, this man had tamed the crows. “They listen to you?” Tommy asked with wonder in his voice. Philza shook his head with a smile, “Only when they want to, kind of like my own boys.”

Tommy found himself grinning with that last joke, but he quickly thinned out his lips and ducked his head away as the older man flinched at the sight of Tommy’s fangs. “Sorry…”

“It’s alright mate…” The pair stood in silence, neither of them having any idea what to say. It was obvious that Phil was still nervous around Tommy, if the flinch didn’t give it away, then the bird’s constant fidgeting would.

After what seemed like eternity Philza let out a long sigh. “Y’know, you remind me of Wilbur when I first found him.”

Tommy glanced back at Philza with a curious look, Phil gave a soft smile. “He was always so timid, always apologizing for things he shouldn’t be apologizing for. But he was also so full of wonder and curiosity. He was always finding something new for him and his brother to get into.”

Philza looked down towards the village as if he were seeing it as it was years ago. “You also remind me of Techno. Always willing to protect others and above all else your brother…. Y’know when the boy’s first got here they didn’t fit in all that well either. Techno was always picking fights with the other kids, and Wilbur wasn’t the best at making new friends.”

Philza turned to Tommy now, looking the boy in the eyes, ���But they came around eventually, with some help of course, but they found a home here.”

The bird cleared a his throat with a short cough nervously picking at his hands. “Tommy… I’m afraid I’ve been rather a coward these past few days.” Tommy’s eyes widened. He knew Phil was afraid, but he didn’t think the bird would outright admit it.

“I’ve been hiding from you, from the village, even my own sons…. My mind hasn’t been in the best place since that night…” He was wringing his hands together now. “I didn’t have a very good experience with Naga’s when I was younger. My entire family and village were taken from me, and I’ve spent my whole life healing and rebuilding what I once had, and it was almost taken away from me all over again.”

Phil met Tommy’s eyes once more. “But you saved them. You save me.”

“It’s just… I’m so grateful for you, Tommy. You’ve looked out for Wilbur. You protected him and you even protected those who hurt you.” Philza took a breath.

“You did all of that Tommy… and you’re just a boy.” Philza took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair. “I regret more than I ever have in my life sending the guard to you. I didn’t know that you never intended to harm us, but I was afraid and irrational. I didn’t even try to scope out the situation before I rushed in.”

“I don’t ask for your forgiveness, but I want to make it up to you.” Tommy could only gaze in silence as Philza spoke, surprised that the man who he thought despised him, who had every right to after what XD had done, was instead now kneeling before him with his head to the ground.

“I want to know that you are free to stay here for as long as you want. I also want you to know that if you need something, anything, let me know and I’ll take care of it mate. I now we didn’t have the best first impression, but I want to change that now.” Philza stood back to his feet.

“You’re far too young to be on your own, Naga or not you should have someone looking out for you. I know that Wilbur had taken up that role for you, but I just want you to know that I’m here for you. Right, mate?” Tommy’s pupils rounded as the avian finished his speech, Tommy restrained his tail from reaching out to give the man a makeshift hug, instead he smiled and nodded his head. “Right.”

With that Philza gave a finale nod of his head grabbed a strand of ivy hanging from the tree. “See you tomorrow, mate?”

“Yeah, see you tomorrow.” A hopeful cheer coated Tommy’s voice, a happy purr was on the edge of his throat. It wasn’t perfect, but things were getting better.

“Oh!” Philza had shouted last minute before sliding down the vine. “Wilbur should be here to see you Tomorrow.” With that the Avian made his final departure leaving Tommy in a joyful bliss.

Maybe Tommy could have a home here. Perhaps he had already found it.

———————————————————————————

Wilbur was practically bouncing off the walls, today was the first time in a week that he was allowed to leave his bed.

It was also going to be his first time to see Tommy again after he was taken to the clinic. He spent the week worrying himself into a tizzy, he could only hope that Tommy was doing alright.

He prayed to the gods that the villagers were treating Tommy well.

He had only gotten some vague updates from Techno on the subject in the afternoons. Phil never came to see him during the day, but he was there at his bedside when he thought that Wilbur was fast asleep at night. He never spoke a word, only running a clawed hand through Wilbur’s hair.

That was enough of an apology for Wilbur.

The mouse burst out of the room, his crutches clacking loudly against the stone floor. His father and brother were by his side, scolding and chirping for him to be more careful as he walked.

His cheeks hurt from the giant grin plastered to his face. He laughed and waved at anyone who walked by.

He was finally getting to see Tommy.

Techno led the way to one of the larger trees on the outskirts of the village, before the mouse could even call Tommy’s name, the Naga plummeted out of the tree to see his brother.

Philza gave a frightened Squawk at the sudden movement but quickly straightened out his feathers, giving an embarrassed smile.

“WILBUR!” The mouse didn’t even care to cover his ears. He dropped his crutches at his feet and stumbled towards Tommy’s face. The mouse vaguely registered Phil’s excessive scolding.

Wilbur head butted Tommy on the tip of his nose. The Naga’s purrs overpowering any other sound, Tommy completely taking up all of Wilbur’s senses.

They basked in each other’s presence, soaking up all of the lost time between them.

After a good few minutes of hugging it out, Wilbur reluctantly pulled away, taking in all of Tommy’s features. “I see your eye has healed well, a lot better than how I was healing anyways.” In the corner of his vision, Wilbur saw Techno nudge the dirt around with his foot.

“Yep! I can see just fine. I guess I’m just more of a big man than you Wilbur!” The mouse snorted and nodded his head.

“Yeah Tommy, I guess you’re right, I’m just too weak.” Wilbur playfully wilted to the ground. “Your mere presence is too much for my minuscule form.” Tommy was laughing now.

Wilbur put a hand to his forehead and faked fainting. “I guess you’re too much of a big man to need your big brother Wilbur then.” The mouse smirked and Tommy’s face dropped.

“Wilbur I didn’t mean it like that!” Tommy defended. Wilbur covered up his laughter with more sad wailing. “Wilby! Come on!”

Wilbur shot up and looked at Tommy with wide eyes. “Did you just call me Wilby?” A growing smile encompassed the mouse’s face.

Tommy’s face became as red as his scales and he tried to hide away in his coils. “You did! You did call me Wilby!” The pair became a fit of chaos, while Phil and Techno watched awkwardly from the sidelines. Phil slightly worrying for his sons broken ribs in the tussle.

After the two tired out they seemed to remember the pair they had sat to the side for their reunion. Wilbur gave an embarrassed chuckle and stood back up with his crutches, giving an apologetic glance at his father and brother.

Tommy also seemed to remember himself and he sat up straighter, smiling with his lips tight to hide his fangs.

“Uh Tommy…I was talking to Techno and Phil and we all agreed that you guys didn’t have the best first impression…” Wilbur cringed as he spoke, Philza and Techno kept their eyes adverted to the ground.

“Well…” The mouse drawled out. “We wanted to start over, on a clean slate.” Tommy shook his head in understanding, he Lowe’s himself to be closer to them once again.

“Alright, I guess we’ll start!” Wilbur gripped Techno’s sleeve and pulled him forward in front of the naga.

“Tommy, this is my brother Techno. Techno, this is Tommy.” Wilbur nudged Techno once more, Techno giving Wilbur a warning grunt. The mouse pretended to not notice.

“Um…Hi…” Techno mumbled. Tommy couldn’t hold back a giggle at the ridiculousness of the situation.

“Wilbur, you know I’ve already know them for a week now.” Tommy explained, but Wilbur looked downright offended at the statement.

“I know that!” Wilbur raged. “I just wasn’t there, so Techno please finish your introduction!”

Tommy laughed once more but they his eyes trail back to Techno. “It’s nice to meet you, person who I have never met in my life.” Techno spoke in a low monotone drawl, the Naga hissed in delight at the pinkette’s antics. Wilbur only huffed and instead pulled Philza forward.

The bird had a nervous smile on his face, giving a small laugh. “ Hi Mate…” He gave a small wave to the boy. “Uh… Pleasure to make your acquaintance?” He held out a wing for Tommy without thinking.

Tommy stared at the outstretched hand before reaching out with a clawed finger. Tommy felt the tiny talon’s softly grip his finger the best it could. Tommy slowly lifted his finger up and down, a happy grin on his face and his eyes crossed trying to sone in on the tiny movement.

Philza felt his heart warm at the sight.

Tommy pulled back his hand after the second shake and looked back to Wilbur. The mouse nodded his head, proud of his father’s performance, clapping his hands with a smug look. Techno rolled his eyes and shook his head with a small smile.

Tommy laughed at Wilbur’s antics. He reached out and gently plucked the mouse off the ground, holding from underneath his arms. Tommy immediately began nuzzling into Wilbur, the mouse shrieked with delight. “Tommy please! You know I’m ticklish!” Tommy’s response to that was to stick his tongue out, swiping at lick with the tip of his forked tongue. Wilbur only screeched louder.

Techno looked on at the scene amused. He leaned over into Phil’s ear before mumbling. “ I finally see why Tubbo gets along with him so well.The kid lives for chaos.” Philza chuckled in response.

Philza looked the pair over, they were already roughhousing in the grass once more. Wilbur crying out while Tommy repeatedly tickled him. Phil gave a soft smile as an idea popped into his head.

He leaned back into Techno’s ear as Wilbur’s cries for mercy filled the air.

“How would you feel about having a little brother?” The bird spoke with pure adoration, his eyes latched onto Wilbur’s and Tommy’s smiles.

Techno gave a satisfied snort. “Heh, I don’t think I’d mind.” Philza patted his son on the shoulder, and pulled him into his side. The old bird crooned happily, having already made up his mind.

[brick-a-doodle-do]

dreams trying to get techno to agree to be eaten

i fiddled with this for soo long man it was rough. at first i was gonna have a maw be behind techno but then i decided i wasn't talented enough to do that and then i considered a bunch of other stuff and ended with this :D

[i-am-beckyu]

AU where a human shrinks to borrower size but instead of it being a super fast change where they're suddenly tiny, they shrink really slowly over a month or so and slowly freak as they turn OR vice versa where a borrower start slowly growing and still when the human discover him

idk why but I'm imagining the sbi with either phil shrinking or techno growing

Honestly that is such a cool idea!!!!

I love it as it is but like also imagine this situation right, but like a human Phil and borrower Techno have like known each other for a long time but they've not like met face to face. So Phil knows about Techno but Techno refuses to be any closer than up on a high shelf or behind a vent where it's safe.

Techno only really talks to Phil because he's lonely but he's to scared to do anything more because obviously all the stories of humans hurting borrowers etc.

So when he starts growing and can suddenly hit his head on the make shift door to his home in the walls, he starts getting concerned. Even if it's slow, he's getting bigger and can't tell why.

He doesn't mention this to Phil as he's not sure what the human will do with the knowledge his little friend intruder is getting to big for the walls- hence being easier to catch.

On the other end, Phil has noticed that he's suddenly getting shorter. At first it was just a few cms, him chalking it up to getting older and inevitably starting to shrink in height, but he measured his height and he was almost and whole 5 inches shorter! It didn't make sense!

He had tried to voice his concerns with Techno about it, but the borrower had been strangely silent for the past few weeks. He'd only ever gotten slight glimpses of them when chatting, and he was becoming concerned that something may have happened to his small friend.

It was at that moment that he heard a very small "hey phil" and was shocked to turn and see a what must have been a comparable barbie sized Techno standing behind him.

"I need help."

The two basically then talk about how the other has been growing/shrinking and don't really understand what's going on just that it keeps happening. Unsure if this is going to continue, Phil starts teaching Techno about how to do and use things as a human and Techno as a borrower.

I think then at some point it would be really good if the moment when they were both the same size, that Techno basically breaks down scared out of his mind with having to basically become and act human and is scared about it lasting forever. He's been alone for years and now he has to just take phils place basically and act like it's normal? Cue the two having a heart to heart again and the first hug either has had in a long long time. And they're both the same size so it's perfect.

Continuing further I think basically they'd both become the same size as the other and adjust to new life with Phil being a lot more out int the open then what Techno was and Techno just learning how to adjust. They'd probably be those sizes for a few months and then randomly they'd start switching back again.

They never figure out why it happens, just that it does and it continues on like this for basically the rest of their lives and they adapt to it. I'd say they end up doing work from home jobs lol.

That's my take. Thank you very much anon for the idea!!! I don't know if it was intentional, but you forgot to sign off lol. Def gave me a bit of brain brrrrrr action on this one.

Also sorry for my weird activity being online and not lol. Busy at work and wanting to concentrate on the fic so I'm kinda tunnel visioning my focuses on those and forgetting other socials exist at random times lol. I WILL KEEP MAKING THIS FIC AND IT WILL BE DONE BY MY BIRTHDAY! I SWEAR IT!

[ingo4you]

STARTING THE LIGHT Height differences

Tommy - 124'9

Wilbur - 7'0

Techno - 7'1

Phil - 6'11

[tinykween]

Nomie!!!!

i would looooove to see you write that scene you mentioned of naga tommy losing control and nomming everyone, where they don't know its safe (and even those who do are worried hes going to move them into his second stomach)

Alright Chat- it's been a... hot minute since I last posted anything to Tumblr of my actual writing. It's long overdue, but here we are! Time to answer an ask that's been collecting dust in my inbox for almost a year.

maybe over a year at this point, i'm too lazy to check.

Anyways, y'all better be hungry because I'm here to serve you dinner!

Here's Beyond Shed Skin

almost 5,000 words, my children- feast.

warnings: SFW Vore, NSFW DON'T INTERACT, Blood, Snakes/Nagas, G/t, Body horror?? kinda.

Tommy drifted his eyes over the group of people in front of him. He’s been getting used to his new life, even if seeing all his loved ones as strangers was weird, along with the fact that he wasn’t sixteen anymore, instead twelve years old. He’d awoken in the forest, covered in rags that shouldn't even be called clothes, along with his blonde hair almost a deep brown from the amount of dirt in his curls. 

It was honestly a huge surprise for him to have been stumbled upon by a man. A familiar man. His instinct had been to run to his brother, part of his head supplying that the safety he brought meant everything to Tommy, but he had to remind himself that they weren’t technically brothers anymore. He had to think back on the plot of the book: the villain was the royal’s brother, having been conceived by Lady Death without the king's knowledge due to her magical restraints, but Techno and Wilbur wouldn’t know that, making him a stranger. The pink hair the man carried was a clear sign of calmness to him, showing that his big brother still looked the same despite the new world he found himself in.

Tommy had been here for around a month before Techno had stumbled upon him. He hadn’t been expecting it, even if he’d heard rumors in town that one of the princes planned to scour the forest for the monster roaming inside. In a way, they had been right. The prince had found his monster, but he couldn’t recognize it. The blonde had been very careful with his new body, able to shift and change from a large snake-like form in moments to the appearance of a young boy. It was in this small form that he’d been stumbled upon, quickly being confronted by the previously mentioned man. 

When Techno had spoken, his heart had stopped. He never thought he’d hear that voice again, low and behold, his big brother was right behind him. He turned and froze like a deer in headlights, the tall man pausing at the sight of him as well. Tommy had hoped for a moment that he’d be recognized, that he wasn’t the only one who’d been pulled into a new environment, but his hope was shattered swiftly. Instead of recognizing him, his brother had ordered a knight to check on him. It wasn’t hard to see that Techno had wanted to make sure the child was unharmed, but he also knew it was because the man believed he scared kids. 

Tommy had let himself be checked out, staying quiet so as not to give himself away in any way, even as a female knight asked him where things hurt. Nothing was hurting; he was a big kid after all, despite how certain they seemed to be that he was harmed. It took a glance for him to realize that it was because his clothes were drenched in a decent amount of blood. He knew some of it was his own, but most of it was from animals he’d caught himself. 

Despite this, he was being looked over, everything short of being stripped, which was when Techno intervened. So here he was, 5 months since being dragged to the castle, standing in front of his big brother with the rest of the royals in their seats. He recognized everyone in the castle at least in passing. Ranboo was Techno’s accountant in this world with Tubbo being an apprentice mage. Phil was a king, which was a role his dad didn’t fit into, even in this world, with his brothers being princes. 

He had been spending the last months eating well and being kept out of the forest despite how badly he wanted to return. He loved his family, and he’d do anything to protect them, but in this new world, he wasn’t here to help them. Tommy was destined to ruin them, destined to kill them, but he refused to cause his family any more suffering, even in a world he didn’t know. His eyes drifted over all of them, memories of laughter and joy hitting him roughly as he watched them. 

It hurt to have all his loved ones looking at him, every one of them completely oblivious to his connection and the desire he had to be back with them. He was learning to handle it, learning to recognize that even though it wasn’t the same, he’d managed to bond with each of them. He’d managed to get closer to the copy of his eldest brother. Techno and Tommy were one hell of a duo in this new life. His brother had taken the child into the forest and decided to keep him as a knight in training. At least, that's how he always explained it. The blonde had a feeling there was more to it, maybe their mom had visited him in a dream or something considering, in the book, Techno’s character had been known to have heavy connections to the divine. 

Even with all of this in mind, he still felt this sense of connection to them. These last 5 months have been wonderful, learning the differences and similarities each copy had to his previous life. Either way, he knew those connections wouldn’t change the current predicament. To keep his family as safe as possible, he’d broken into his memories, trying to convince Techno of the impending attack that was planned on the kingdom. He wasn’t one for reading, so he didn’t remember the specifics but knew enough to know the danger would be coming soon. It was one of the few events not caused by his character; instead, a neighboring country had sent assassins to take his father's life. 

In the main plot, Wilbur interrupts the attack and loses his life in place of the king. As much as he hated this version of his brother, Tommy couldn’t find it in himself to allow the man to die. Maybe, by preventing this tragedy, he could throw the plot on its head and remove his destiny as the villain. 

____________

Everyone’s eyes were burrowing into him, heavy gazes with a mix of emotions that he couldn’t disturb. He knew of the laws, someone couldn’t speak before them unless asked to so he had to wait as Techno explained the situation. He’d told him a lot of things, seeing him as the only trustworthy member of the royal family right now. He listened to the prince speak, hearing as he went over Tommy’s own words and his investigation that he’d done at the blonde’s request. The king was listening calmly, taking all of his words with open arms along with Ranboo, but… Wilbur was having none of it. His lack of care of obvious, and Tubbo seemed more intrigued by how Tommy knew of this attack. 

He was uncomfortable with the mix of emotions they all carried together, but at least his family acknowledging him was enough to send his heart rushing with joy. Tommy glanced over, Technoblade’s eyes meeting his, and a stern but gentle smile gracing his lips long enough for him to catch it before it returned to the stoic expression. “I’ve inspected his claims myself, and I trust Theseus enough to recognize his worry, Father.”

The older man was silent for a moment, taking his time to digest his son's words and judge his claims. With a hum, he stood, black wings hiding his throne from view as he spoke. “I recognize your worries Prince Technoblade, but the words of a random orphan aren’t justifiable for concern. No offense to your prodigy, son, but I have no reason to worry about my life.” Phil’s words stung, but he had to admit that he’d been allowed an audience at all was enough for Tommy. 

He watched as the blonde man went to sit back down, but something in the back of his head began to scream. The child turned, standing from his bow quickly and looking toward the right. A huge window was letting sunshine into the court, but that wasn’t what had grabbed his attention. Hidden, just out of a regular person’s sight, the younger blonde found his eyes landing on the shape of a human. He could hear voices rise, mostly Wilbur’s, before a hand landed on his shoulder. His head was pounding as he turned and looked up at the person who’d touched him, red eyes locking with his blue as he recognized what was going on. 

Tommy could feel his skin shift, his small body growing in size, and his legs turning to a long, thick tail of scales. He towered over the group in front of him, using his tail to trap them in the area as he pulled them towards his body. The blonde could smell their fear in each tongue flick he made, feeling as an arrow was embedded in his muscles where the king had once been sitting. He hissed, looking back at the window with his pupils no doubt slits. 

His ears flooded with blood, his hearing muffled within seconds as he shakily let his eyes drift toward the most active person in the room. His eyes landed on brown hair as he swiftly pounced, scooping a tall brown-haired man up and pushing him into his mouth without hesitation. He could feel legs squirming past his lips as human voices muffled the air around him. He drenched the arms and fabric in saliva, wanting to make sure he was well-coated so that the journey down was easy. Tommy swallowed, feeling the squirming past into his chest as he turned to look down at the little humans again. He found the one he’d swallowed tasted rather gross, but that wasn’t his main focus. He moved his hand to steady himself, pinning the pink-haired man down in the process as he locked his eyes on the blonde. 

The naga knew he needed to make sure everyone in the room was tucked away somewhere safe, so his brooding pouch would be the best idea. He could feel the small weight settling down into the space which was enough of a sign for him to grab the other man, shoving him into his mouth. The man’s wings were annoying, but he knew to be careful, licking at the chirping king with more careful laps than he had with the first. Tommy was purring loudly as he went ahead and swallowed him down too. 

It took him another swallow to get the king into his esophagus, licking his lips as his eyes drifted to see the two shapes tucked against part of his tail. He could tell the smaller of the two was standing in front of the taller one. His eyes were settled on the bee hybrid, scooping them both up with one hand before he carefully used his fingers to push the tiny one into his maw. He was gentle with his teeth, trying not to let them scratch at the 13-year-old’s clothes or body. 

He tasted like honey, causing him to drool a little. He’d always had a sweet tooth before being pulled into this new world, so being able to enjoy honey again was very appreciated. He was letting his hissy purr keep up, softly lapping at Tubbo since he could fit the small teen in his mouth completely. He could feel the squirm in his hands, gazing down at the one on the floor. He smiled a bit, recognizing that Technoblade was the one he had held down. The blonde swallowed, pulling his mouthful down in a moment before he swiftly stuffed Ranboo’s upper body onto his tongue, lapping at them with ease as Tommy swallowed some of his saliva.

His tail shifted, blocking the window again as another arrow shot through it, embedding in between two scales and causing him to hiss in pain. He wasn’t happy with that, also unable to tongue flick as his mouth was full. He swallowed, pulling the enderman hybrid into his esophagus. He gulped again, and then once more to force the wiggling shape deeper. He leaned forward, protecting his face as he pulled his hand away from the pinned man, and his tongue flicked out. He could taste the fear in the air, noticing how the scent was mixed with worry as well before he dipped his head further down, his chin resting on small hands as the man cradled a bit of his weight. 

His pupils widened a bit, being able to focus on the prince in front of him now that he had felt as though the people around him were safe. He watched the nervous smile creep onto Techno’s face, his big brother glancing around a small amount as his gravelly voice hit his ears. “You don’t mean to hurt any of us… I trust that Theseus.” Tommy’s gaze didn’t shift, eyes locked onto the man's pointed ears and the golden bands that decorated them. He purred as a hand carefully ran over his nose, a soft hiss escaping his lips before the sound of shattering glass shocked him from his calm stupor. 

He growled, the tip of his tail flicking around like an annoyed cat, before he ended up opening his mouth, pushing Technoblade’s upper body into it as his older brother snorted in alarm. Tommy didn’t acknowledge it, knowing he needed to get him somewhere safe so that he could handle the intruders and keep his family safe. He was working on coating himself in saliva, hissing a tad as the assassin entered the throne room. The skinny man got a better look at him, eyes widening at the sight of a royal member sticking out of his mouth. 

The teen smirked to himself, swallowing Techno down quickly while staring just past the small man. He let his eyes drift over, pupils narrowing significantly as his gaze landed on a tiny form. He’d been prepared to attack, angry at the humans for attempting to harm the people he deemed to be protected, but a sharp call in an unknown language was enough to startle him out of the instinct to attack. Tommy’s blue eyes widened, his pupils filling out once more as he realized that the intruder wasn’t alone. 

The naga shifted his large body, ignoring the six assassins, to bolt out of the throne room instead. He needed to make sure nothing risked their safety… so this fight was unnecessary, yeah… this fight wasn’t scary. He just needed to keep them safe. 

____________

Something about Theseus had struck a chord with him, and that was something that Technoblade couldn’t explain. That was what it had been at first, at least, before the gods had supplied an answer to his confusion. He’d had a feeling that the orphan wasn’t human, but a dream walk with his mother had made him feel as though he’d bitten off more than he could chew from an overcooked steak. Being told that this random kid was his full-blooded baby brother had been surprising enough, but Lady Death had also added that the boy was more than just a demigod, as he and Wilbur were. 

His mother had claimed she shouldn’t share more, saying that the blonde child should be able to share his secrets at his own pace. He’d agreed only after being reassured time and time again that Tommy meant none of them harm. He’d had a few more boundaries with the child in the following days, trying to process his feelings without accidentally harming him in the event he accidentally fell victim to the Voices once again. He’d learned over the months of awareness that they truly were in no harm in regards to the kid. 

Tommy could be a bit sporadic and loud, maybe a little chaotic, but he was a good kid deep down. When he got bedridden with the flu for around a week, the child had been parked right outside his door keeping better guard of him than the guards that were supposed to be watching over his room. He’d always understood why his knights were more lenient when it came to keeping him safe, since Techno hadn’t had an actual need for them since he first picked up a sword. Despite this and the knowledge of it, Tommy had remained inside his room at his door for five nights and four days, which had been a welcome presence when he’d escape his fevered haze. 

The boy’s request had been unexpected. Other than seeking some time in the garden, he’d not uttered a word about anything concerning his needs. The prince could easily grant any of his wishes since his soft spot for the boy had grown after his dad indulged his whim to grant him shelter in the castle. Asking for an audience from the king wasn’t something he ever expected to leave his mouth. Tommy had been stern with his request, but not enough for it to sound like a demand. 

Being reasonable, Techno had asked him why and his answer felt too real to be true. He had Ranboo search the matter, which granted enough proof for him to believe that the boy was correct about the assassination attempt. After talking with the child, they agreed that meeting as soon as possible was the best thing in this situation. 

The audience hadn’t gone as the prince wanted, but he at least set the idea into his dad’s head. He felt uncertain about slightly manipulating his dad, but it was the safest thing to do in this situation. He’d noticed how sad the pre-teen looked, planning to reassure the blonde after this that he’d bring it back up with the king when he had a chance. Theseus’s sudden disrespect to his father, standing without permission, wasn’t something he personally saw fault in; he was a member of the royal family, even if they lacked proof of it. He noticed how the boy’s eyes were set on the horizon. 

Wilbur was pissed at the disrespect, snapping at the child quickly. Techno waited for Tommy to reply, planning to take his side regardless of the reasoning behind his actions. What he didn’t expect was for the boy to ignore what his brother was spouting. The blonde seemed to be completely gone, his eyes scanning for a moment. Worry flashed across his face for a moment, being enough for the man to act. The crown prince reached over, hands settling onto too-small shoulders as he turned. His red eyes settled onto baby blues, and the emotions shared in one glance shocked him since he’d not seen such vulnerability in the child as recognition settled in. 

Theseus’s pulled away from him, his pupils having turned into slits as the 12-year-old hugged himself. He had no idea what was going on, but the pain on his face was enough for the prince to worry. “What in the…” He started only to cut himself off as he watched the boy change. His body almost seemed to convulse, his form shifting unnaturally, his hands looked too big, and his ears grew pointed, with more of his body following the change. His legs turned into a thick tail, scales lining the area and further up the boy’s torso fully dissipating just below his navel. The pattern and color on his... lower body matched the morph of a blue adder. Wilbur was quick to make his fear known, screaming as he began to back up, but Tommy’s tail coiled around their area, trapping every royal official in the room. 

The sound of a flying arrow pulled him from his shock, the attack landed on part of the naga’s scales, his red blood obvious on the pale blue of his tail. Techno’s eyes were wide with a mix of shock and concern as he looked up at Tommy. His hand hovered near his hip, his sword settled in its sheath as he kept his eyes on the giant child. “Theseus-” He started to say only to have Wilbur interrupt him with the amount of malice he’s come to expect from his brother. 

“This is exactly why I didn’t want you to take in some random orphan! This is why you shouldn’t be the crown prince-” The brunette’s rant was quickly stopped as he watched his younger brother get pinned under two hands, lifted swiftly as he was forced to look at Tommy’s back. He started to rush forward, only for those hands to move to the giant's face. Techno’s breath caught in his throat as he watched his brother’s form disappear past parted lips. He froze as the other prince screamed, yelling angrily instead of pleading, before a thick swallow caused the noise to stop. 

Anger flooded him momentarily, and he stepped closer as his head flooded with voices. He recognized some of them, the familiar sounds of swearing and calls for blood, but the soft hum of safety made him hesitate. This moment of pausing was enough for sharp eyes to land on him, quickly followed by the sudden weight pinning his body down. He looked up as the kid’s palm pressed against his torso, trapping him to the ground despite his attempts to push it away or squeeze out from under it. His head lay back, trying to look at the others in the corridor, seeing how the two other kids backed themselves into a corner. He could see the worry on Ranboo’s face; his accountant was frightened, and their multi-colored eyes were wide and teary. 

“Everything is going to be fine, just stay still,” Techno told them quickly before his eyes finally made their way back to the creature above him. His eyes widened at the sight of black feathers and legs sticking to and past it’s lips. He felt his heart drop as a purring sound seemed to leave the naga, sounding pleased as a swallow interrupted the constant hum. The prince was shocked to see his dad disappear, not sure what to do or say now that the man was gone with the few stray feathers grabbed with a simple lick of the lips. 

He followed Tommy’s gaze, taking note of how it landed on the other children in the room. “Tommy, stop! Don’t-” He started to call out, being ignored in favor of scooping them both up. Techno watched as Tubbo was nudged into the naga’s maw, Ranboo screaming in response to the near-perfect view of the creature’s mouth. The prince found himself pausing as he noticed how careful the giant was being, watching how he took care not to let the buzzing human touch his teeth or even get near them before he closed his lips with a hiss. 

The man wasn’t surprised to hear a faint gulp, seeing how the naga’s throat bobbed but the squirming form wasn’t sent down. He watched as the child’s eyes drifted over the room, his pupils widening as they landed on him before another gulp showed he forced the mage away. Tommy didn’t seem to hesitate, his eyes barely glancing at the window before he shoved the enderman into his maw as well. He could see how his ward swallowed what was seemingly saliva.

Theseus’s entire body tensed, hand pressing on him a bit tighter; if the man hadn’t been blessed by the gods, he probably would have been crushed under the giant’s strength. His tail shifted, raising a bit as he lowered his head with the pain on his face rather clear. He could see the anger and pain on his face, feeling his heart crushed at the sight. He never wanted to see such a look on the boy’s face, looking away just in time to miss how he forced his assistant down. 

The weight pinning his form suddenly left, allowing his lungs to heave like they were supposed to as Techno changed his focus. Tommy seemed worried and uncertain now, not as pained as he had been moments prior. He watched his tongue flick out, face getting closer as the pre-teen seemed to look solely at him. The prince moved his hands, feeling a chin nestled into them. He couldn’t help the soft smile that graced his face. Tommy seemed to be very happy with whatever he’s done. He trusts the kid enough to understand that whatever he’s done isn’t going to cause anyone pain. 

Technoblade took a deep breath, trying to keep the uncertainty in his voice hidden as he spoke up. “You don’t mean to hurt any of us..” He whispered, “I trust that Theseus.” He admitted as a quiet hiss escaped the young boy. They stayed like that for what felt like forever but was truly a few seconds, before the shatter of glass seemed to shake Tommy up. The low growl that left him sounded far too inhuman for a person to make, which seemed rather on brand at this point, considering his little brother was currently the size of a building. The preteen gave him no warning as his lips parted and his mouth was forced open. The boy leaned his head forward and used a hand to shove him closer. 

The prince gave a stangled snort at the action, his inhuman side squeaking out at the sudden motion. His arms were in front of him, slipping on the slick surface below him as he tried to brace his impact. It didn’t work very well, leaving the piglin sprawled out on the boy’s tongue. His legs felt cold compared to the heat that seemed to surround his upper body, lips tight around his waist as he barely managed to prop his head up. His eyes were quick to dart around, taking in his environment just as swiftly. There were large white columns that seemed less imposing than they should. Techno had considered that being surrounded by teeth would be life or death, yet he couldn’t help but feel content where he lay. 

He groaned as a glob of slime drenched his braid and forehead, forcing his eyes closed as he tried to keep saliva out of his sight. The muscle below him was shifting as he felt the head connected to the mouth he was inside move. Technoblade would have attempted to get Tommy’s attention, but the way the deep red muscles in front of him opened quickly told the prince that he wasn’t going to get a single word out. There was a distinct lack of tonsils in the area he could see, but there were pale sacks that seemed rather redundant until the sight of a striking snake hit his mind. He shifted his torso as the tongue lowered, feeling distinct teeth against both sides of his waist, enough to convince the man that they were fangs. 

The loud swallow wasn’t nice to hear, but the slick noises of moving muscles made him cringe. He found himself trying to pull away from each wall, only to be shoved down with one more gulp. The tight chute he began to fall through was pulsing him deeper as they moved, and louder sounds began to interrupt his thoughts. The sound of the wind was a surprise, but a heave of his chest was enough to allow him to understand the cause: lungs. He was passing right by Tommy’s lungs. His eyes were wide as another noise hit him, almost like the banging of a drum, as he assumed the boy’s heartbeat added to the bodily symphony. There was a mix of squelches and groans, things shifting naturally yet so unrealistically as his path suddenly opened into a wider sack. 

Techno was shoved into some kind of pouch, hearing quickly as multiple voices hit his ears and not the kind he was used too. His eyes lifted and landed on Ranboo as they moved to help him sit up. “W-what should we do?” They asked, their voice shaky as they shifted to pull Tubbo to their chest. 

The prince took a deep breath, feeling things move as the large body gave an uncomfortable gurgle. He let his eyes settle on the roof above them, feeling how everyone’s gazes bore into him.

“We wait.”

[anarchy-and-piglins]

Not only do I firmly headcanon cTechno as a knitting/crochet person, I believe he mostly makes stuff for his animals

[spookberry]

Trolls AU anyone????

[mahikamihan]

a little cathartic breakdown

[cyncerity]

I saw you asking for stuff. Could u do a ghost Tommy and ghost hunters sbi with ranboo? safe vore. Tommy is an old soldier ghost. He died protecting is group and the town don't remember his name just his story. feel free to do what u want to it

I took some tiny liberties with this, but this idea has been infecting my brain for days now so i hope you like it!!

tw: soft, safe vore, talk of suicide, character death (duh it’s ghosts)

Ranboo sat in the back of his family’s van, pressing lightly on his stomach as he felt a few marbles come back into his mouth before he swallowed them back down again, as he’d been doing for a few hours at this point. Machinery rattled in the back of the van; different cameras, scanners, and other ghost hunting stuff. Ranboo had been in this game for a few years, when he met his adoptive family Phil and Techno. They met him at his group home and realized he was something special, and something that could definitely help with their less than normal job.

Ranboo grew up lonely. They never knew their birth parents, as they were given up as a baby. So what did lonely kids do? Well, in Ranboo’s case, learn magic! That would surely make them cool! They became good with cards, regurgitation, and slight of hand, cause what else were they supposed to do with their time? They very quickly learned that the others kids didn’t find any of that cool, and they were only pushing potential friends farther away. Eventually, they set their sights on a family, but that didn’t seem to be going well either. Ranboo lost almost all hope of being adopted by the time they were a teenager. Until one day when he met Phil and Techno. Two best friends (they had to make it very clear to the adoption agency that no, they were not gay, Phil had a girlfriend, they just wanted a kid together cause fuck it why not, which in Ranboo’s opinion made perfect sense). These two were weird. Like, really weird. And Ranboo loved them immediately.

They were professional ghost hunters (which almost made the adoption agency kick them out, they had to call Phil’s girlfriend Kristin to verify that she had a stable job and was supplying Phil and Techno with enough money to properly take care of a child) and were looking for another member of their troupe. Ranboo believed in ghosts wholeheartedly, and was ecstatic when they showed genuine interest in his magic tricks (which included the marbles, to his surprise). When Ranboo turned 16 he was officially legally adopted, and it was the best birthday present he ever could have received. From that point on, the three of them were a ghost hunting team (Kristin still had a “real job” cause they needed money), and quickly learned that Ranboo was a pretty damn powerful medium. He could sense and communicate with the dead through their machines far easier than either of his dads, and had helped them find plenty of haunted locations in the past.

The place they were headed was a memorial to an old war, some place that Ranboo had a feeling was incredibly haunted. Now, museums were normally at least a little haunted, but almost never haunted enough to make him feel ill. But this memorial, whatever is was, was unwieldy upsetting to him.

“You doin’ alright back there, kid?” Techno asked from the drivers seat, and Ranboo swallowed down his marbles again to answer. “Yeah, just, uh, a bit nervous. Something feels…off about this place.” “As you’ve said,” Phil chuckled. “Whatever’s here has to be mega haunted.” He said, fiddling with his camera. Oh, right, they were youtubers too, Ranboo almost forgot that part. They had a somewhat popular channel and Ranboo was incredibly grateful that his parents were very considerate with what he wanted to put online. Right now, Phil was just trying to make sure their main handheld worked. “Yeah, something’s here. I’m sure.” Ranboo adds. This was about to be one hell of a trip.

~~~

It’s midday when they arrive at the museum of the town of L’Manberg, somewhere none of them had ever even heard of. They meet a nice man who Phil had called over the phone to do a tour with. He introduces himself as Mr. Manifold, or just Jack, and leads them around the museum. Apparently, this small town had a lot of war time history, and Jack knew loads of it, since apparently he’d had an ancestor who fought, which was pretty cool. Ranboo tried desperately to feel for anything specific attached to the man, especially if he had a great great grandfather who died in these parts, but nothing. No ghosts. Ranboo still felt wrong, but he couldn’t find why. Nowhere they went had any sort of supernatural readings, no matter how cool it all was. With every nervous glance Phil and Techno gave to Ranboo, he felt worse and worse that he could have led them somewhere useless.

Until that one room.

Apparently, the museum was built over a specific relic of the war. Jack started leading them down an old stone staircase, into a place he said was called “the final control room.” There were old half decayed wooden chests lining the walls, moss infested stone bricks, and a single wooden button in the center of it all.

As soon as Ranboo entered the room, they collapsed.

They had never had panic seize them like this in their entire life. Something in the room, something about it, was wrong. So, so wrong. Something had happened in there, something that hurt a lot of people. Something that time couldn’t let go, that had lingered in that room and hit him like a freight train over a hundred years later. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t see through his own tears, and could only barely feel Techno lift him and run him back out of the room.

“Something bad happened in there.” Ranboo muttered as soon as he was able to. Phil and Techno looked to Jack, who explained that that was the very room where the infamous L’Manburg traitor tried to kill the original founders. He apologized for taking Ranboo in, but they insisted they were fine to continue the tour. So, Jack did. Eventually when he finished (with no more incidents, thank god), Phil thanked him profusely for his expertise, and Jack wished them all well and invited them to explore on their own a bit to stop and read.

“Im so sorry, i swear to god I felt something, i still do, there has to be something here, there has to-“ Ranboo started apologizing as soon as Jack was out of hearing range, only for Techno to cut him off. “It’s ok, Ranboo, it’s ok. Maybe you’re just off your game, it happens to everyone, we’re not mad at you. You figured out what was wrong with that room, maybe that was all it was. And hey, we get to look around this cool museum!” Ranboo looked and saw the genuine excitement in Techno and Phil’s eyes and chuckled, ignoring the feeling that the control room was definitely not what he was looking for, no matter how upsetting it was. His parents were both huge history buffs, and he bet that they loved being here and just learning more than even finding actual ghosts.

“Ok, yeah, I- I’m just gonna go sit outside, if that’s alright. I feel like i’m suffocating in here. You guys keep exploring and call me later, we’ll meet back up then.” “If that’s what you want to do, mate. Keep in touch.” Phil tussled Ranboo’s hair, and him and Techno left to put their paranormal equipment back in the car, leaving Ranboo to find their way outside through a back door. He stepped out and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He felt better…for all of two seconds.

Then he opened his eyes and panic hit him again.

The outside area to the museum was a historical town, a place that held some of the exact homes that L’manberg citizens lived in over a century ago, and with those homes was a horrible sight that almost made Ranboo pass out from sheer panic for the second time that day.

A tower. Massive and made of cobblestone, it grew to lengths almost higher than Ranboo could physically see. It was old, moss covered, and slightly crumbling, as old stone is, but still sturdy. The control room was nothing compared to this thing.

Ranboo managed to keep himself from throwing up as he made his way closer to the tower and read its plaque: “Tower of the Child Soldier.” Ranboo pulled some of the marbles up to his mouth and started chewing on the glass, a nervous tic that Kristin warned would break his teeth one day, but for now her warning was the farthest thing from his mind. He read on.

“This tower was built by an original citizen of L’manberg who couldn’t take the war efforts, ending their own life by jumping off this very tower. Letters and documents from other soldiers around this time indicate the victim of this tragedy was a child. This stone is a testimony to the cruelty of war, and just how many innocent people were lost not just to the battle, but to the wars they were fighting with themselves. Rest in peace, Child Soldier, your memory has lasted far beyond your years. To learn more, visit the memorial of the Forgotten Soldiers.”

Ranboo didn’t know when they started crying. This was horrible, so so horrible. But, for the first time, they felt like they found part of what they were here for. He rushed back in the museum and found Jack shockingly quickly, asking about the memorial to the forgotten soldiers. Jack explained that while the stories of many remembered veterans’ stories were told in the museum itself, there was another memorial to the soldiers whose names and faces had been erased over time.

The memorial Jack led them too was, admittedly, beautiful. It was outdoors, marble archways and columns aligned in a circle with display cases with belongings. Some of the things were all together and labeled that it’s likely they all belonged to the same person, though historians were unsure who those people were. Some display cases just held random objects. Finally, there was a small room with a door and a staircase. Jack said that it led to the room where the rest of the memorabilia that belonged to the child soldier was. So, Ranboo thanked him and went down.

The hallway at the bottom was narrow, the walls were glass cases lit up and filled with remnants from this poor kid. Diary entries, songs and poems, hand knitted scarves and jackets, and mementos that were presumably gifts from their friends. There were even letters from people who knew them, ranging from talking about how irritating they were as the youngest soldier at just 16, some talking about how they’d never met someone so loyal and it was a shame they were fighting in such a huge war so young.

Ranboo had never felt quite like this in his entire life. He honestly couldn’t help the tears that rolled down his cheeks. He felt utterly sick to his stomach, pain stabbing him through the gut at the sheer grief he felt. The feelings weren’t his, something was pushing this onto him. This was what he set out to find; this poor child, only a little bit younger than he was now, losing his life to suicide in this war. “I’m not sure if it’s you that’s here,” Ranboo started quietly, “but…but I’m here to talk to you. To learn your story. I’m a medium, I just want answers.” Nothing. Ranboo continued. “I’ve never had a place make me feel like this. I knew something happened here the moment I heard of this town, and I needed to see. I learned about the war, I learned about the rebellion and the betrayal and-“ at that, a draft blew through the room, dropping the temperature drastically. Ranboo was sure he closed the door behind him, and even if he hadn’t, it wasn’t this cold outside.

“I know, I know that must have been horrible, I can’t imagine, I went in that room and just the sight of the stone and chests sent me into a panic attack. I can’t imagine what it would have been like in person.” It felt like a rock was sinking in his gut the more he talked about the control room, so Ranboo shifted gears. “I’m so sorry. I’m about as old as you were, I can’t imagine. You didn’t deserve it, you didn’t deserve any of it. And you don’t deserve to be stuck here alone. This place may have forgotten you, but I don’t want to. I’m here. I want to be here, if you’ll let me be.” Ranboo could barely finish speaking before he fell to the ground, his forehead pressed into his knees as he began to sob. He knew these feelings weren’t his, he knew it, but he also couldn’t reason through the blind grief and sorrow he was feeling enough to care.

With no warning, the lights in the display cases at the walls went out, leaving a single illuminated case right in front of him, the center of it all: a uniform. White and blue with accents of red. Tattered, torn, with small patches and embroidery on it. And at the foot of the case, a little ghost stood. Barely 5 inches tall, standing just on the other side of the glass. Ranboo was…well shocked, to say the least. He’s been able to feel ghosts, sure, but he’s never seen one. Half of him didn’t think they could even have a visible form until right now.

The child soldier was a boy, somewhat translucent and shaded blue, with dirt filled hair, sunken almost glowing blues eyes, and a torn up mismatched outfit of whatever he must have been wearing when he died. He stared up at Ranboo, who he’d let stop sobbing, tense and full of distrust. But as Ranboo looked at him, he found himself tearing up again all on his own. “You look…exhausted.” The little ghosts eyes went wide, shoulders dropping as he began to cry again. Ranboo laid a hand in front of the glass, and was shocked when the ghost stepped through onto it. They pulled him up to their chest, feeling the cold and only half corporeal being press into them and cry as Ranboo swiped a finger up and down his back.

“It’s been so long,” the ghost muttered eventually. “Even when I was alive, I…” He trailed off, and Ranboo didn’t push him to continue. “It’s ok.” Ranboo said, cause what else were they supposed to say? It was a ghost. A real, actual fucking ghost, it was taking all of their self control to not freak out. All things considered, it looked weak, but if this kid was what was infecting the museum and the memorial and messing with their head like that, Ranboo could guess that he was anything but. “I’m here to help, however i can.” “How?” the ghost whispered in response. “I’m dead. Thats it. I didn’t do well enough in life, now I’m here forever. Even if you can finally see me, you can’t stay.”

“Can I take you out of here? You don’t deserve to spend the rest of your afterlife surrounded by the same places you were for your entire life. I travel a lot, I’ll take you.” Ranboo wasn’t sure why he was offering. He certainly didn’t need to, he just met this dead kid. But…something about all of this hit home for them. They lived their life seemingly alone, unappreciated, and helpless. Getting a family had been Ranboo’s saving grace, maybe they could be a saving grace for this ghost too.

“I…I’d love to go. But I can’t.” the ghost admittedly sadly. “Im stuck here. Im bonded to this stupid uniform and there’s nothing else in here that I’ve had a stronger connection with. There’s only one thing I might be able to re-bond to, but it’s not down here.” “Wherever it is, I’ll find it.”

“I had it throughout the whole war, and it was on me when I..when I died. I���d bet it’s there. If you find it, I’ll be able to follow wherever it goes. That’s how I think it works, or at least, that’s how it feels like it should work. You’re the first person who’s ever been able to see me like this, I want to trust you. If you really can somehow feel my emotions, you’ll find it. Help me and I’ll leave with you.” “I’ll find it, then. I’m not leaving you behind.” He didn’t know why he became so attached to the ghost, but he wasn’t going back on his word now. Ranboo pulled the ghost away from his chest, holding him to eye level with one hand and holding the other outstretched. “I’m Ranboo.” The ghost grinned, his smile taking up his whole face as tears still poured from his eyes. He took one finger with his hands and shook. “I’m Tommy.”

~~~

The sun was starting to set by the time Ranboo gathered everything they needed for what they were about to do. Whatever weird physic connection they had to Tommy was truly fucking with their head as they circled the tower, trying to get a sense of where this thing might be. Almost everyone in town was home for the night, which Ranboo was grateful for since he was pretty sure that digging up around a memorial site was probably unappreciated at best and illegal at worst.

He was running fully off his own intuition, digging near the front of the stone, quickly realizing that whatever Tommy needed was in that area. It luckily wasn’t too far down, since Ranboo was only using their hands, but eventually they found it: a compass. This was it. Almost as soon as their hands touched the old iron, the sick panicked feeling they’d had since first arriving here went away, though Tommy’s lingering grief remained. They pulled a water bottle from their backpack and quickly cleaned off the compass with their shirt till it shone like it hadn’t been buried for a century. They opened it’s clasp to find the inside miraculously untouched and clean of grime, save for a message that had been scratched into the inside years ago: “Your Tubbo.” Along with this, it was fully functional, pointing in a direction that was decidedly not North but hey at least the hand was working. They clenched it in one hand and pushed the upturned soil back into place with the other. They had to push back more tears as they thought that this had been Tommy’s, now unsure if the sadness was theirs or not, but that was an issue for later. Right now they just needed to steal this century old historical artifact and be on their wa-

“Ranboo! There you are, Phil and Techno have been lookin’ for you!”

Now call it a practiced reflex or whatever, but when a kid who has spent most of their free time practicing magic tricks that may or may not involve swallowing marbles gets caught by a museum curator holding what could be a priceless addition to the museum that they are not going to give up, you can imagine that in the panic to hide it, muscle memory may kick in.

Ergo, you know exactly where the compass ended up the second Ranboo heard Jack’s voice.

Ranboo turned away from the monolith to see Jack running towards him, trying to keep his cool and pretend everything was fine as he felt the cold metal of the compass slip down his throat and into his stomach, eventually clinking against the marbles he hadn’t had time to pull to his mouth. “You alright, man?” he questioned, and Ranboo nodded. “Yup! yup, totally, absolutely nothing wrong here, heh…where are my parents? I have something to show them.”

~~~

“This is crazy, we didn’t even know this was here!” Phil said, standing at the cobblestone tower. “It’s sad, too. You said there was more stuff left behind by this kid?” Techno asked, and Ranboo nodded, wanting to get back to the other memorial as soon as possible so they could get Tommy and get out of this town. “Yes, there’s a little underground tomb thing in his memory, and we need to go there before it closes and we head home.” Ranboo said with a determination that was rare for them. Techno and Phil took the hint to follow.

Making his way back to the memorial, Phil and Techno looked around a bit at some other artifacts, but Ranboo bolted straight back to where Tommy was. Racing down the steps, he saw all the lights were still broken except for the uniform spotlight, and Tommy was nowhere to be seen. “Tommy, it’s me, I’m back. I found it, I found the compass. ‘Your Tubbo,’ right? You can come with me, I’ll get you out of here.” Nothing. He waited. He heard the district footsteps of his parents behind him, but paid them no mind. “Tommy? It’s ok, you don’t have to hide! It’s me, Ranboo, your friend, remember? Tommy??” He started to get frantic, and felt a calming hand on his shoulder. “Calm down, Ran, you don’t need to have another panic attack today. Who’s Tommy?” “The soldier, this soldier!” Ranboo said, pointing at the uniform. “The kid, the one who built the tower! He asked me to find something, it was where he said it would be, I spoke to him, I touched him, he was here!! Please, please you have to believe me-“ “We do, mate, we do!” Phil interjected, taking Ranboo’s hands in his and rubbing circles into the backs of his palms. “You spoke to a ghost, that’s incredible! But, maybe if you found what he wanted, he’s moved on? You helped him find peace.” “He didn’t want peace, he just wanted a friend! I told him I’d be back for him.” Ranboo practically sobbed. He again didn’t know what came over him, he was never like this. He barely knew this ghost, why was he getting so worked up over this?? Phil and Techno exchanged glances that told him they were thinking the same thing he was.

“Ranboo, listen to me;” Techno said, placing his hands on his kid’s shoulders, “you helped him. He’s at peace now because of you. He probably didn’t know that would happen, but he’s ok now. He’s happy, alright?” Ranboo took a few deep breaths, and suddenly felt a shocking wave of calmness wash over him. And by shocking, he meant freezing. It was like a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head, but he no longer felt ill. Sure, he was shivering, but he felt…better. So, so much better. He was worried about Tommy, but maybe his parents were right, maybe he had moved on. Maybe Ranboo had helped him.

No one noticed that the air in the cellar grew warmer as the trio left the up the stairs.

~~~

Ranboo’s sense of calm had persisted as he was helping pack up his family’s van, now knowing they’d have to drive through the night to get home, but so did the chill. In fact, his shivering had gotten so bad that Phil had stopped to buy him a blanket and a few packs of hand warmers at a gas station, and that was barely doing anything. It had been a few hours at this point, and while Techno was driving in silence and Phil was asleep, Ranboo found himself laying across the backseat pulling the marbles back up to his mouth again out of habit, only to barely suppress a hiss of pain when they hit his teeth. They were fucking cold, and the sensation on his teeth was incredibly unpleasant. Pulling the marbles out of his mouth, he was shocked to discover that they were coated in ice, fully frozen over.

None of this was making sense. They set the marbles aside, sitting up somewhat and pressing a hand to their torso underneath the blanket. It was frigid, the entire area of his stomach was ice cold. Was…was it the compass? Could it be?? He tried to pull it up, but for the first time in years, he couldn’t. He tried again. Nothing. He tried a third time, and this time distinctly felt something yanking the compass back into his stomach.

The aura of calm (which Ranboo was quickly realizing was being pushed onto him like the panic had been earlier) was cracking, and Ranboo began to panic. He couldn’t throw up, his body temperature had dropped by at least 10° F, and his stomach felt like it had frostbite. What could he possibly have done, what could possibly-

wait.

The air in his stomach was dropping in temperature, his emotions were being manipulated, and the compass was in his stomach, the one thing that the ghost had said he’d be able to latch onto to leave with Ranboo.

no fucking way.

“Tommy…?” Ranboo whispered as loud as he would dare as to not disturb his parents. He waited for a response, until-

“I was wondering how long it’d take you.”

Ranboo could have screamed. The calm aura shattered, and he slapped a hand over his mouth to keep from hyperventilating while his other hand stayed firmly grasped over his stomach. Fuck. Holy fuck, there was a ghost inside of him. Was he possessed, or was this being haunted? It felt like he was being haunted, more so, but either way he would certainly fucking rather not be. “What are you doing in there?! Get out!!!” Ranboo hissed frantically, still trying to pull the compass out of his stomach and hopefully the ghost along with it. The compass was pulled back down regardless.

“Hey, don’t yell at me like this is my fault! Why would you swallow my compass anyway? Don’t you think it was a bit of a shock for me to see you walk into my room, feel the presence of the most valuable item I owned before I died, and attach myself to it only to end up in here?! Pretty damn weird way to rescue a guy, if I do say so myself.” Tommy snarked, and Ranboo sighed. “I’ll explain later, I don’t want my dads to hear me. I’m sorry, now let me bring you out.” “No can do.” Tommy replied. “I don’t, uh, deal with adults well. I heard them talking to you, that’s why I didn’t just leave the second I ended up in here. I’d rather not meet your folks. And myself and the compass seem to be just fine.”

“I’m gonna die.” “No you won’t, pussy. I’m not that cold.” “The metal against my stomach lining is!” Ranboo quietly argued, “just let me bring the compass up, i’m not gonna get rid of it. I want to help you, but i can’t do that if we’re both ghosts.”

“You…you still want to help me?” “‘Course.” Tommy responded in silence for a few seconds, before sighing. “Fine, but if you toss it I’ll curse you.” Ranboo hummed in agreement, not bothering to argue that if he wanted to toss it he wouldn’t have dug it up and certainly wouldn’t have swallowed it in the fucking first place, and this time when he pulled up the compass it came easily. When he pulled it out of his mouth, a cloud of steam came out with it like he was standing outside in negative degrees. Sure enough, the compass was frozen and almost hurt his hands to touch, so he immediately opened a new pack of hot hands for it, wrapping it carefully.

With nothing else in his stomach, he could start to focus on what Tommy himself felt like, which he’d expected to be nothing, but was…definitely something. Firstly, the ghost was cold, as was to be expected, but oddly physical. Like, there was a noticeable weight in his stomach, but he was generally used to that. Tommy didn’t necessarily weigh…less or more than the marbles, but he weighed differently. His weight was spread out, and since he wasn’t as solid as what Ranboo normally swallowed, it felt strange. He could feel something, someone, in there, but it wasn’t like anything he’d felt before. He…didn’t hate it. Tommy was almost…soft? Like a form made of tv static that he could feel along the bottom of his stomach, but he still had a form and some mass. Tommy hadn’t said anything since he gave up the compass, so Ranboo took the opportunity to press his unoccupied hand against his stomach, feeling where the front walls touched Tommy’s form and the tv static feeling spread. Then he felt Tommy press back, seemingly done with talking for the night. Ranboo patted where he felt his stowaway and laid an arm over his…well, he guessed friend now.

Something warm lit up in him when he realized he’d finally have a friend, even one his own age (Tommy still acted like a teenager, so in his mind, it counted). He genuinely couldn’t wait to get to know Tommy better, learn about ghosts and how he lived, and more, but he quickly figured out that excitement was not the only thing making him feel warmer. Tommy, who seemed to be completely unconscious, was warming up slowly, and Ranboo was confused for all of 2 seconds before looking back at the compass. Right, the hot hands. He guessed Tommy was more linked to this thing than previously thought. Ranboo looked down at his torso, arm still over his friend. Yeah, Tommy deserved to be warm after all his time in that cold ass cellar. He reached down and placed the compass, still in hot hands, right in front of the car heaters that Techno had been blasting for the entire ride. He felt his stomach heat up a lot faster, and swore he heard Tommy sigh as he felt the tension in the ghost’s frame melt away. Good, if this is where Tommy needed to relax, Ranboo could do that.

[nobodywritingao3]

Your Love (Deja Vu) [ch 5]

Phil is panicking. He can't find the boys anywhere.

"Technoblade?!" He yells. He agonizingly waits for an answer before calling out to Wilbur and Tommy as well. The cold silence greets him.

They're not here. They're not here, where the fuck did they go?!

Phil inhales sharply and forces his brain to turn its gears.

Wilbur told him over breakfast that he was going to spend the day practicing guitar in his room. Techno had said at lunch that he was taking a nap. And Tommy had just shrugged a little when Phil asked what he was - andohshitfuckfuck, they tricked him.

He leans against the wall of the bedroom hallway and takes another breath.

He's less scared now. There had been images in his head of soldiers sneaking into his home and abducting his children, dragging them kicking and screaming from their bedrooms while he obliviously worked away in the garden. But the soldiers hadn't returned. If they had, he would have smelled them.

No. His boys just ran away. He ignores the pang in his chest.

Had their trip been that bad?

He pushes the thought from his mind. No, no, it had been fine. He's not the problem. He isn't.

Oh, what are they thinking? Scaring him like this... He shoves his guilt away.

He has to bring them home. It's not safe in the woods, especially at night, and especially for three human children.

Phil storms into Techno's room. For the first time since searching through, he takes note of the opened window. Wilbur's is opened too, but Tommy's is closed. He notes that they didn't bring much with them. Nearly all of their belongings are still in their rooms, and he almost lets himself hope that they plan to come back, that this has been a silly misunderstanding. But Wilbur took his guitar with him and he instinctively knows that unless he brings them back, they won't return on their own.

He exits the home and takes a look at Techno's window from the outside. He opens his mouth slightly, tasting the air. Tommy and Techno faintly hang in the breeze, and when he follows their trail across the perimeter of the house, he reaches Wilbur's window. All three scents intermingle, and though it's fast disappearing, he knows he can follow.

He frowns in thought. His human senses are dull and if he was able to survey the forest from his natural height, he'd surely find them sooner. But then they'd know he's looking for them and they might give way to chase. He'd still catch them but retrieval has to be a delicate process. He normally doesn't care about whether his prey is afraid or not, but these are his kids, not his food.

Their fear of him is restrictive, (and hurtful and heartbreaking and so, so shameful,) but he's willing to work with it. Work around it. He is their father.

With a sigh, he starts to follow the scent trail into the forest.

~

"No!" Tommy howls, kicking at Techno's back. "I don't want to go with you!"

"Toms, sunshine," Wilbur pleads, "we can't leave you there by yourself, you know that - "

"I wouldn't be by myself," he sobs, "I would be with dad!"

Techno bites down frustration. "Tommy! What did I say about calling it that - !"

"Fuck you!" Tommy spits out.

Wilbur readies to retort, but Technoblade shoots him a look. "Leave it be. We can discuss all that after we reach town."

Tommy wails inconsolably but his brothers pay no mind. Night is starting to fall and they'll need to find somewhere safe to spend the night before they start again in the morning.

They left Phil in the garden. For as long as they'd known him, he adored that garden to the point of tunnel vision. He would spend hours outside and usually only realized how much time had passed when the sun was starting to set and visibility became limited. Techno kept trying to explain that they had sundown before it was worth getting antsy, but Wilbur had been clearly terrified the whole time.

"We should find somewhere to camp tonight. Now, Tech." Wilbur fidgets restlessly with the straps on his guitar case.

Techno pauses and adjusts his grip on a still sniffling Tommy. "You've been saying that for the past three hours."

"Night is falling. I'd rather be safe than sorry and find somewhere now, before it realizes. Do you want to test how fast it can find us?"

He pauses and looks at the sky. It's starting to darken. Maybe Wil has a point. He gently sets Tommy down on the ground and combs his hair with his fingers.

"I have a cave in mind we can go to."

Wilbur frowns. "Won't a cave be more danger than it's worth? Monsters will start spawning soon too."

An edge of dread started to forms in his heart. They hadn't brought any weapons with them. He thought they would have reached town by now, but they still have a quarter of the trip to make.

Regardless, he knows somewhere they can stay. Techno points out the exposed side of a mountain, somewhere far off. "When the giant first took us, I scoped out the forest for months in case we needed to run away." He ignores the surprised look from Wilbur. "I know a few good caves. Trust me, we'll be safe."

He takes Wilbur's guitar and hands him Tommy, who is still distraught.

"The mountains are a little far, Tech. Do you think we can make it before mobs start spawning?"

He shoots him an unimpressed look. "Well if you'd said something sooner - "

"You mean the whole time?"

" - then we could have gotten there on time."

Wilbur rolls his eyes but the two start towards the hills anyway.

They walk for fifteen minutes and are almost there when the sun finally sets. Mobs spawn in the distance.

"Tech?" Wilbur looks solidly freaked out. "Are you sure there won't be anything in the cave? Which one even is it?"

"It's the glowing one, Wilbur. I set up torches there when I was eight, do you think I'm daft?"

Wilbur laughs nervously. "Of course not. I'm just - what the fuck, man? Can we appreciate how fucked this situation is?"

Tech sighs and doesn't say anything.

They continue walking in silence. Tommy's fallen asleep.

Wil swallows. "Did you ever think this was going to work out?"

He's quiet for a moment. "What do you mean?"

"Months looking for an escape route. And you hardly seem surprised that we're here. Did you ever think he could have been home? Or did you doubt the whole time?"

"I thought that... I though he was too good to be true."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Wilbur sighs. "Tech - "

An arrow lodges itself into a tree next to his head. He widens his eyes and ducks down just as another one is fired right where his eyes had been.

"FUCK!"

"Skeleton?!"

Tommy wakes up with a cry.

They start running for the cave.

The further they run, the more mobs seemed to appear. From behind trees, from a pond, from the dark. Somewhere to Wilbur's left, a creeper explodes and decimates a few trees. Techno hears Tommy screaming ahead of him. He hears his heart pounding in his chest.

"It's never been this bad before!"

"I fucking know!"

They dive into the cave. Most of the mobs have lost interest but a few zombies still drag themselves forward.

Techno curls his lip in disgust at the sight and pushes Tommy towards Wilbur.

"You want to go at it, hm?" He murmurs. "I've had the most shit week. Give me an excuse. Give me a fucking excuse."

Wilbur leans against a wall and slides down the side, clutching at Tommy. He closes his eyes and wills his heart to slow. At least the cave is well lit.

Tommy is still sobbing. He hugs him close. "Shh... I know. I know, we've had a really bad time, huh?" He can feel his jacket start to dampen with warm tears. He dully watches as Technoblade beats a zombie to its second death with a rock, screaming obscenities and threatening to do unspeakable acts to its family. He kisses Tommy's hair.

After about twenty minutes, Techno finishes and stomps back into the cave. He curls up roughly against his brother.

"How are you doing?" he asks after a moment.

Wilbur bursts into tears.

Tech sighs. "I'm sorry dad ate us."

But that just makes him cry harder.

They doze off like that, on the hard cave floor.

~

It's been two hours since Phil started his search, and he still doesn't have his boys.

The night has fallen. He's torn through hundreds of mobs.

He screams and smashes a spider's skull open, a lot harder than necessary. He rakes his hands through his hair.

It's been too long. The boys' trail heads directly for town. If they started at noon, when he first headed into the garden, then they'll still be an hour out, but God knows they don't know that, or else they would have planned more carefully. And none of his weapons were missing.

Fuck. Fuck.

He presses his palms into his eyes. The odds of them being alive are slim. So fucking slim.

A horrible mix of disbelief, grief, and panic overwhelms him.

It's his fault. If he hadn't scared them off, if hadn't been absorbed in the garden, if he had just looked for them as a giant instead of a human then -

He starts to cry. God. He's fucked up. He's such a fuck up.

He can feel his subhuman instincts start to cloud his mind. He sniffles and lets it happen. If his boys are alive, then he wants them back. Now. He doesn't care if he scares them anymore. And if they aren't -

God.

If they aren't, then he at least wants something to bury.

As the changes take over, he can feel his emotions start to fade at the edges as his mind starts to soften and become something else.

He opens his eyes and looks down. He frowns and steps on a creeper.

His boys. Where are his boys? The coil of fear in his gut hasn't lessened, but the grief has subsided enough for him to think.

The trees come to his knees. He idly crushes a zombie in his fist and eats its broken body.

Like this, his sense of smell is strong. He can smell them so clearly like this. He can smell Tommy's sadness, and Technoblade's fearful rage, and Wilbur's resignation. He can smell how recently they were here - only two hours before him. He presses forward and scans the area, looking for some kind of sign.

There's a glow in the distance. A fiery glow, but not the kind that comes from a forest fire out of control or a pool of lava in the dirt. No. Torch glow.

"Oh, Techno." A glimmer of hope ignites in his heart. "Sweetheart. You wonderful little genius."

With renewed energy, he moves forward.

~

Wilbur wakes up to a booming noise outside.

"Tech. Techno!"

His brother wakes up with a jolt and gasp, sitting up like someone's dumped ice water on him. His attention snaps to the cave entrance. A giant silhouette in the moonlight creeps closer.

"Fuck."

Tommy sits up excitedly. "Dad - !" Technoblade clamps a hand over his mouth but it's too late.

The giant hears. Its footsteps quicken.

Neither of them are thinking as they scramble up. Technoblade destroys the torches and shoves them into his inventory, where they won't make any light. The cave bends in a U formation and Wilbur runs deeper inside, clutching Tommy to his chest in spite of his violent wiggling. He curls up in fetal position as the cave goes dark, and just a moment later, Tech is there next to him, pulling Tommy into his chest and shaking like a leaf.

The footsteps stop outside the cave entrance.

Can the giant hear his heart?

Techno clamps a hand over Tommy's mouth.

They hear the giant speak. "Kids?" Its voice is raspy and soft. "Are you okay? Please come out of there, it's not safe."

Tommy wiggles harder and Techno can feel his brother's hot tears on his hand. He can feel his own tears too.

"Guys, please. It's just me."

That's the fucking problem.

WIlbur presses into him, sandwiching Tommy. "I thought we got away..." His voice is broken.

Techno suppresses a sob. He's the only thing standing between his brothers and Phil. He's supposed to be the oldest, supposed to keep them safe.

They can't see him from where they are, only faint moonlight being cast through the cave entrance. But suddenly the light is totally obscured.

Phil speaks again, his voice pained. "Please just come to me." It's practically a beg. "I know you're there, I can smell you. Let me take you home." He takes a sweeter tone. "We can put on a movie, or have some cocoa. Isn't it chilly out here? I can get you all warmed up."

Wilbur has no doubt that he can. Being inside his stomach had been -

He trembles.

None of them respond.

"You're scared. I know you are, but you have nothing to be scared of. My babies - I love you so much. Let me take care of you." They can hear him shifting around outside, preparing to do something. What's he doing?

They don't have to wonder for long.

Wilbur's heart stops as fingers start to curl around the edge of a wall. They're long. Taller than any of them by a lot, and they're feeling around and creeping closer. An index finger brushes against his guitar case where it leans against the cave, and it falls over with a soft thump. The fingers freeze and then they gently curl around the little instrument and drag it outside.

His shoulders shake in silent sobs.

There's a small exhale from outside. "Your guitar? Oh, honey... I'll hold onto this for you, okay? Just come out."

The fingers enter the cave again, more excited than before. "Are you hurt in there? Is that why you won't move? I can bring you out. I'll you get the three of you taken care of." His voice grows eager. "I can eat you up and take you home."

Wilbur bites back a whimper. Even Tommy stills in their arms.

There's nothing they can do.

When the finger brushes against Wilbur's back, he knows it's over. He harshly shoves Tommy into Techno's arms and prays that his little brother will stay silent.

The finger curls around his midsection and there's a relieved grunt from outside the cave.

Techno sniffles but doesn't do anything, knowing what's happening and knowing that there's nothing he can do. He presses himself further into the cave. He's failed as a big brother. Again.

As Wilbur is pulled into the light, he closes his eyes. The cool night air greets him and curls tighter into a ball, silently shaking from sobs and fear.

"Oh Wil, sweetie," Phil coos around him. The hand is almost pleasantly warm underneath him. A thumb starts to stroke his head. "Are you hurt? You have to tell me if you're hurt."

He hides his face in his hands and prays to the stars.

"Are your brothers hurt?"

The giant waits for a response that won't come. It keeps stroking along his back in a move that's supposed to be comforting.

"That's okay. We can talk about it at home." The giant adjusts his hold on him. "Let me eat you up, dear. That sounds nice, innit? We'll get you warmed up and safe from the world."

He's petrified but shaking. Against his will, a sob tumbles from his mouth.

The giant starts to coo again. He's raised to its mouth. He waits for the inevitable, but the giant just plants a soft kiss to his face. "What's wrong? Can you tell me what's wrong?"

Wilbur shakes his head. All of this is wrong. Phil is supposed to be his dad. He shouldn't get to act like a dad, say things that dads say, and comfort him like a dad, all while threatening to eat him. He doesn't get to threaten to eat him in the most dadlike way. It's wrong. It's cruel.

He can't help the sobbing fit that overtakes him. It isn't fair. 

The giant keeps whispering sweet nothings to him.

He hates that it works. He hates how it comforts him.

"I'm going to get your brothers out now. I'll get the three of you together, and then we can go home, okay? And I have your guitar in my pocket."

Wilbur is hardly paying attention.

When the giant finds Techno and Tommy, Wilbur knows because of the screaming. To his credit, Tech is putting up a fight. And he can hear Tommy wailing. Maybe it's sick of him, but he's glad they'll be together again. He was so scared alone.

The giant holds the three of them in its hands and whispers assurances, rubbing their backs soothingly with his fingers and occasionally kissing them.

Wilbur feels defeated. What can he do? He almost wishes Techno would stop fighting it. He's so tired of fighting it.

He settles into the warm skin and lets his body relax as the tears start to dry on his face. If he's going to die, is it so wrong of him to enjoy his last moments?

The giant sighs above them, noticing how he gives in. "There you go, dear. Settle down. Settle down."

Techno is brokenly sobbing beside him and Tommy just stays quiet and still, save for shakes in his little body and his eyes squeezed shut. Wilbur reaches out and pulls him into his warmth.

The giant coos above them.

"I'm going to eat you now," it says sweetly. "You'll feel better, I promise."

Techno screams even louder but the energy in Wilbur's body only seems to drain even further with that remark.

The fingers around them freeze, the whole hand seeming to tense up.

Techno doesn't seem to notice.

"I..." The giant sounds uncertain above them. "What's wrong?"

It doesn't sound comforting anymore, just confused. Deeply confused.

"Do - do you not want me to eat you?" There's almost a note of hurt in its voice.

Wilbur feels a faint spark of hysteria in his chest. Techno is still screaming. Tommy just huddles closer.

The giant doesn't speak and doesn't move to touch them. "Is that why you're upset?" And then softer, "Is that why you're upset with me?"

No one really responds.

"Oh. Oh. I'm sorry." It sounds sincere enough to hurt.

Wil can feel the giant stand up.

"I won't eat you then. Not tonight at least." Its voice sounds odd, a little strangled. "Let's go home, okay? You had a long day today, didn't you? Let's go home."

Wilbur is too tired for this. He falls asleep to the giant's swaying footsteps and the sound of his crying brothers.

[munchkin1156]

hmmMMmmmmMmm i wonder who techno lives with ?? since he's a borrower... anyone specific ? i can't see them fitting into the storyline at all but i just wanna know if you had anyone in mind ,,,,

— brick

Thank you for the ask brick! As to that...

I'm pretty sure I mentioned during the fic that Techno is a nomad borrower, so that means he travels from place to place, never really calling anywhere home because his true home was in the skies

Buuut he did have "bases" where he restocked and rested for a while, hidden around the area. Aaaaaand though this definitely wasn't mentioned in the fic, he may have grown slightly attached to a certain enderman hybrid...

[beansthough]

hi ! First I love your snake charter Au, it's Great 🌸💖🌸🩷🩷🩷💖💖🌸🩷🌸

If do to his upbringing Tommy was more dark and instead of making that deal with Wilbur he just kidnaps him. How would that go/end ?

Oof this was definitely an idea I had when I was first making snake charmer for it to be more dark, but I definitely went down the fluffy route lol.

But it would’ve probably would’ve gone like this.

Tommy would become infatuated with Wilbur. He would watch from afar at first, but once he knew the mouse’s routine he would’ve just snatched Wilbur up all to himself, and hid him away.

Wilbur would just be Tommy’s.

Wilbur of course would be rightfully terrified, but he would see that Tommy is just a mislead kid, so lots and lots of angst and minimal growth.

But I’m sure this version of Tommy wouldn’t hesitate to have a little snack whenever and he would love to taunt the little mouse with the idea. Tommy is definitely more rough and less careful with his strength and teeth.

But Wilbur becomes accustomed to this life eventually, and maybe Tommy will even get some new toys when a devastated Brother and Father come looking for their lost mouse.

But long long down the line Tommy would become very attached to all of them. And he would see them as a makeshift family, but the others would always feel like prisoners to this beast.

(But thank u so much I happy you like snake charmer :3 ❤️)

[its-coffeetime]

More Lil Pearl Au!!!

Our cute lil guppy…. Techno!

I love him sm! He’s my favorite little boi 🥹 he’s just so tiny and cute, his parents are terrifying but he’s so little!