Work Text:
Techno was constantly on edge. It made sense, he was in enemy territory after all. L’manburg’s dislike of the pig wasn’t hard to see given the wanted posters everywhere and the propaganda that was popping up. Phil told Techno to stay in the house and away from windows if possible for his own good and he understood why. But he was still getting antsy.
Phil’s house was nice, yeah and he enjoyed staying with his dad and making sure he was there to look after Tommy like a good brother should but he had this itch in the back of his head. It told him he needed to run, needed to move, needed to be ready at all times. The survival skills Phil had taught Techno and his brothers had benefited him greatly and made sure that he stayed alive in the tundra he currently called his home and the hole in the ground he had dug out for himself in a lake before. He currently had the longest “being alive” streak compared to his brothers using the skills Phil had taught them.
But one night it was too much.
The fear that he would be found any minute and be pried away from his father, the last person he had, weighed heavy on Techno’s shoulders. As did the itch to run, the itch to harvest, the itch to kill.
Heavy is the head that wears the crown he guessed.
Techno had been in L’manburg about a week or two now. Tommy had been buried, Wilbur alongside him, a private funeral with just Techno, Phil, and Tubbo was held. No speeches were made, just heads hung low and tears ignored and silent understanding.
The reminder of his brother’s fates was another thing that had led to this.
Techno was many things. Resilient, determined, sleep-deprived, stubborn, smart, strategic, the list goes on. But one thing he was known for most was being strong.
And he had been strong for far too long.
Techno had believed that the dent in his pride left by weeping openly over finding Tommy in the snow and bringing him home would be the worst of it. He was wrong.
It was late at night and Techno was laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, Tommy’s ghost in the bed next to him. As a ghost Tommy still seemed to be Tommy, missing a couple pieces but still Tommy. Unlike Ghostbur who was a husk of the brother he remembered.
So many thoughts raced through Techno’s head he thought they would form a whirlpool and drown him right then and there but no. His mind kept spinning and the thoughts kept coming.
He didn’t know when he decided he needed Phil but by that point, breathing felt like a challenge and the fur on his face laid flat due to the tears that made their way down. He quietly looked around for Phil, not finding him in his room but instead finding him downstairs, with a book of some kind open on the dining room table, reading by torchlight. Techno hadn’t realized he made a noise until Phil looked over at him and he watched his father's face instantly grow soft. It made him feel at home.
Phil got up from the table and walked over to Techno, softly asking him what was wrong but no words came out of Techno’s mouth, just desperate gasps for air which Phil somehow understood.
Phil pulled out the chair he had been sitting on earlier so there was plenty of room in front of it and Techno sat on the floor, wiping his eyes and sniffling as quietly as he could to not disturb his brother. Phil sat in the chair as Techno rested his head on Phil’s lap. Though the position looked awkward from the outside it was what worked for Techno and Phil since Techno was at least two heads taller than Phil. But no matter how tall Techno was he was still Phil’s little piglet.
Phil began to distract Techno by petting his hair and telling one of the stories from his time adventuring before finding Techno. Eventually, Techno got to a point where he could breathe and closed his eyes peacefully as he listened to Phil.
With a lull in stories where Phil was trying to think one Techno decided to quietly chime in.
“How did you find me, Phil?” Techno’s voice was clearly struggling but he still managed to get words out as Phil made a mental note to get Techno some water before he went to sleep.
“I found you while exploring. You were young so I don’t know if you remember but I was exploring the nether, looking for basalt for my newest project. And you were in this little crevice between some pillars, clinging to this little gold nugget like a life support system. You clearly weren’t supposed to be out there and were terrified . When you looked up at me your little face filled with that much fear just absolutely broke my heart. I got you out of there and offered to carry you but you were very hesitant so I had you follow me back to the crimson biome I had passed through in the attempt to find your parents. Nobody was claiming you as theirs and when I noticed how small you were compared to the other piglins who looked to be about your age it was clear to me that if you had wandered off or gotten dumped didn’t matter to them. So when you continued to follow me around I pretended not to notice when you came through the portal with me. You were so quiet back then and the first few days were rough I won’t lie. You were… I wouldn’t say nervous but you were definitely cautious around most things that you didn’t understand. But seeing you go from this scrawny little lost piglin who held onto a gold nugget for dear life to who you are now has been a journey. And I’d do it all over again any day. I don’t say it enough but I’m proud of you Techno.”
Phil was a great storyteller, knowing how to weave the words and events together enough to keep it interesting yet relaxing. And Techno did remember a few things from when Philza found him. But he was too tired now to think about adding on.
“I remember I think I made that gold nugget into a necklace for you to wear didn’t I? Do you still have it?” Phil looked down at his lap at Techno, who seemed to be half asleep as he slowly nodded and mumbled the words “ender chest”. Phil smiled softly and pet Techno’s hair.
“Are you tired now? Do you need help getting back to bed?” Techno slowly nodded again, sitting up with a yawn and beginning to stand up with Phil’s help. And once Techno was in bed Phil left a glass of water on his nightstand.
This whole ordeal had given Phil an idea.