Work Text:
The netherite axe in Technoblade's hands was glowing purple like any other well made axe would. However this wasn't any random axe. It was something that Technoblade received as a gift. This axe wasn't clumsily enchanted either. It had all the required enchantments to make one of the most powerful weapons that would tear through multiple shields and any armour. Technoblade also knew that crafting something like this wasn't easy. After all, he put his heart and soul into making his Axe of Peace. The Axe of Peace that didn't survive the destruction of L'manberg, the Doomsday. The axe that was now gone.
Gone, similarly to his friendship with Tommyinnit.
Gone, was the bond Techno tried so hard to build, to give a chance. It was carefully forged, with a place to stay, food, well thought out gifts and most importantly, protection from anyone, even if it was a thousand men against Tommy. Hoping that someone else would come to his life other than Philza, he put time and effort to this bond, despite what the Voices would occasionally whisper in a mocking tone. The Voices said that 'The Blade' would ultimately betray Tommy, that he was using Tommy for his own needs. The voices were wrong once again. It was Tommy who threw the first match stick, making the bridge burst into flames. Techno simply followed his lead and added fuel to the fire so even the broken remains couldn't be rebuilt again.
The bridge burnt faster than it would have if he had left it untouched. The quicker it disappeared, the less sadness would linger. Something that lasted less than two months wasn't worth mourning over. At least, that was what Techno believed in. This bond was nothing compared to his friendship with Phil.
Tommy never helped Technoblade like Phil did. He only saw Techno as a weapon of mass destruction, never as a person. Never as a friend. That was what Technoblade now believed in. He was a fool to let Tommy in.
So why did it hurt Techno, when Tommy stood next to Tubbo once again, like the fire was burning him alongside the bridge?
Emotions bubbled inside Techno like lava, burning him inside once again, when he continued to stare at the axe Ranboo gave. The lava burst out from the ground and he threw the axe away. Fists shaking, he took in a ragged breath. He carefully poured water onto the lava, making it obsidian, cooling it down. After a few more deep breaths, Technoblade unclenched his fists. Slowly, he walked towards where the axe was lying on the floorboards and picked it up. He carefully inspected the axe and made sure there were no scratches. Techno reasoned to himself that no matter what, this axe would still be useful to him, that it wasn't because he cared a lot more about the axe since it was Ranboo's gift.
Ranboo's gift. His first gift from someone in this land. A gift that wasn't made because it was a holiday about gift giving, like Christmas. It wasn't his birthday either.
Most of the Voices in his head held positive opinions on the gift, but instead he paid attention to the very few that spoke doubt and made it echo above the rest.
Ranboo gave this axe to him because he was scared of 'The Blade', not out of the kindness of his heart. That had to be why. No one other than Phil would ever see him as a friend. Techno cannot fathom to believe any other reason.
However, if that was the case, why did it warm his heart when Ranboo timidly handed the axe to him? Why was the warmth comforting instead of burning? Why would his heart want to start blindly trusting someone again? Technoblade should have learnt his lesson by now.
But hope was a warmth that can be revived in the simplest ways and at random times, no matter how insignificant it would look to an outsider. It had infinite cannon lives.
A knock on the door brought Technoblade back to the real world. "Techno! It's me," said the slightly muffled but very familiar voice outside his closed doors.
As Techno was laying the axe on the work table to his side, Philza let himself inside Techno's house. The older man was in his usual powerful armour. His giant black wings dragged behind him on the ground and was dusted white with the snow.
"Hello Phil," greeted Technoblade.
"Hey mate," replied Philza with a smile while removing his helmet to put it away. The fondness was clear in his voice. "Did you notice the snow storm that's happening outside? Haven't seen one like this in weeks!" said Philza as he walked towards where the fireplace was. He paused in confusion. "Techno, where are the logs? I thought you always kept the fireplace lit? It's so cold here after all. Well… Not cold as our old home." He then realized there was something else missing too. "Where's Edward by the way? Did he finally get tired of you and left?" Phil asked in a light hearted tone. He turned around and saw Technoblade in deep thought. He didn't mind that Techno wasn't listening.
Technoblade's mind muffled out Phil's voice completely as soon as he realized that there was indeed a snow storm happening outside. He worriedly gazed out of his window, unconsciously wondering if Ranboo was alright in his little shack under the mountain next to his house. He almost stepped out of the house but he stopped himself. As much as his heart was beating in worry, as much as the Voices were screaming at him to check on Ranboo, he wouldn't allow himself to care. Ranboo would be fine.
"Sick, you got your axe back."
Techno was snapped out of his thoughts once again. "What?" he questioned, and saw that Phil was inspecting the axe that Ranboo had given him. "Oh that. That's not… Nevermind."
Phil hummed. "Yea it's not the Axe of Peace I could tell. How long did it take you to grind this one?"
Techno reached out, silently asking to give the axe to him. "No time at all." Philza raised his eyebrow in question. Technoblade let out a sigh. There was no point in not telling Phil. "It was a gift."
Phil's eyebrows now raised in surprise instead. "Someone actually gave you a gift?"
"C'mon Phil, you sound like I have no friends at all who cares about me."
"Well-"
"Never mind, don't say anything. I know I'm lonely," Techno quickly interrupted, making Phil let out a low chuckle.
"Who was it anyways? That axe is definitely very well made. Not cheap at all." asked Phil, curiosity peaking in his voice, as he finally handed the axe to Techno.
Techno mindlessly touched the blade of the axe. The enchantments on it made his skin tingle. "Ranboo."
"Oh, that's-"
"It's not what you think, Phil," Techno once again interrupted the winged man. He didn't understand why he felt the need to defend himself. "It's rent. For staying here."
Philza let out a boisterous laugh at that statement. Techno couldn't help but let out a small smile. It was hard not to when Phil's laughter always felt like home. "Rent!" Philza repeated in a higher octave. "Techno, you and I both know that's completely bullshit."
Techno opened his mouth to argue but didn't know what to say. "Anyways…"
Philza's laughter died down. "Oh please," he continued in a playful tone, eyes smiling. "Just admit you're happy that someone finally went out of their way to make a gift that is not for a special occasion."
Technoblade's face froze, the soft smile gone quickly as it appeared. Was he really that pathetic for already wanting to invite someone new into his messy, private garden that is within himself, even though the last guest that he let in contributed to withering the plants away in his garden? His garden he was trying so desperately to heal, to trust more people again. Tommy was the same as the previous guests he dared to trust, so why would Ranboo be different?
Philza immediately noticed the shift in air and dropped the playfulness. "Techno…?" he asked gently. So gently that Techno felt like he was once again a child. A naive child who was lost in the world without anyone to rely on but himself. Alone, until Philza found Techno and let him into his own garden, providing Techno comfort that everyone else failed to give him. Philza wasn't his real father. Not only was he a great friend, he was also more of a parental figure than his real parents could ever be.
"... Phil." Techno's eyes slightly widen at how broken his own voice sounded. He let out an exasperated, breathy laugh. This was ridiculous. It was just a gift. A gift should not have sent him into an endless abyss of fear and doubt.
Phil smiled, eyebrows furrowed and reached out his hand to place on Technoblade's shoulder. "Do you want me to braid your hair like I used to do?"
"Yes Phil," muttered Technoblade.
Philza made his way up the ladder, beckoning Technoblade to follow him upstairs into the attic where Techno's bed was. "Sit," he said, gesturing to the bed.
Humming, Technoblade sat down without a word. He could sense Philza behind him, and the giant black wings reaching around his sides, making Technoblade feel that he was so much more tiny than he actually was. The gentle tug he felt as Philza ran the comb through his hair almost lulled him to sleep. Technoblade closed his eyes. This was comforting. They had not done this in ages. It was exactly like the many times Philza would comb Techno's hair when he was younger as a way of relaxing and bonding. The same solace was achieved. The bond between Technoblade and Philza did not change, and if it did, it only had gotten better.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Philza asked before the Voices could start speaking up again.
"I…" started Technoblade. He didn't know how to continue, how to word this right. He never was great at venting his feelings through words. It was always through actions. The action being good or bad depended on the situation. Sometimes venting for Technoblade would be taking a long walk around sunset, or it could be battling endless wither skeletons haunting in the nether.
Sometimes... it would be blowing up a country.
As much as Technoblade hated governments, he cannot completely deny there was personal grief attached to the reasons why he wanted L'manberg gone. They wanted to execute him and hurt Philza along the process even though Philza did nothing wrong. Maybe Tommy was right. He was selfish that way.
"I can't trust Ranboo."
Philza put the comb aside and started petting Technoblade's hair, soothing the younger more. "That's okay. We don't know him after all. Besides he seems to be kind of mentally unstable and I heard there was something going on about his memory, yea?"
"...But I wish I could trust him."
Philza paused for a second, gathering his thoughts. He can be a comforting presence but after so many years of experiencing the nastiness of the world, after having to murder his own son, it became harder for him to be the same comforting presence he once was. The trust he had towards other people and himself was fragile like glass once again. He wanted to take care of people but after failing Wilbur, was he truly capable of doing it? Philza would sometimes blame himself for Technoblade's execution because The Butcher Army found the compass to Technoblade's base, even though he knew Technoblade would disagree that he was at fault. It was a gift of trust that Phil couldn't protect.
"Maybe time will allow that," said Phil, not truly knowing what to say. "He does seem like a nice person after all."
Technoblade sighed. "True."
They both let silence settle around them once again, not knowing how to continue. They can only hope time will heal them once again.
Philza tied the end of the braid and smiled softly at his work. "It's done," he said, patting Technoblade's shoulders. "By the way, I noticed you were staring outside your window earlier. Don't worry, Ranboo wasn't in his shack when I arrived. He might be taking shelter somewhere else."
"I wasn't worried about him," denied Technoblade, ignoring the knowing smile on Philza's face. "I was just…"
"Yea, yea we get it. Techno-chan is a tsundere."
Technoblade physically cringed. "Please never let those words leave your mouth ever again or there will be consequences."
Boisterous laughter echoed through the room and this time, Technoblade joined him. At least they had each other. No matter what, they would always have each other. Their bond was greater than a physical item. Their memories with each other are held within themselves, not within something tangible. Hence, it was unbreakable.
"Seriously though, I'm sure the kid is fine," said Phil once the laughter died down. He then looked out of the window and noticed a black blob moving on the snow. The snow storm wasn't as bad when Phil arrived. "Speak of the devil."
Technoblade peered out his window, joining Philza. It was Ranboo slowly making his way towards his shack. Technoblade muttered an enchantment from the Old Text, magicking out a whisper and then blew it towards Ranboo. He didn't need to be discreet since it was only Philza next to him. He sent the message before he could start overthinking about trust once again. It would be courtesy to ask Ranboo anyways.
'Do you want to stay in our house till the storm ends?'
Technoblade could see Ranboo pausing his steps when the latter got the message. Soon afterwards Techno got a reply.
'Thank you, but I will manage! Thank you!'
Ranboo noticed that both Philza and Technoblade were at the window, and gave them a gentle wave with a small smile, before continuing his way towards the shack.
Technoblade looked away from the window and sat down on the bed. "It'll be fine, right?"
"Yup. It'll be fine."