Chapter Text
Techno tossed another log into the fireplace, moving his hand back from the growing flame, as the sound of crackling wood drowned out the heavy wind outside. Phil, who had just put on his fluffy arctic cape, stretched his arms and yawned.
"Alright,” He spoke, “I'm gonna head out, but you can message me if you need me for anything”
Techno frowned, him and Phil were both tired from an adventure in a woodland mansion, but Phil had only been home for an hour or two. “Aww man, I was hopin’ you’d stay longer. But, If you insist,” Techno walked to the door to wish him goodbye.
Phil looked out the frosty window and furrowed his brows in worry at surroundings. “It’s really coming down out there.”
He was right, the snow was coming down thick, and the wind was blowing so heavily the trees shook.
“You’re right,” Techno said, looking out, “you sure you’ll be able to make it home safe?”
“I’ll be fine, i’m more worried about Ranboo”
Techno groaned at Phil, of course it was about Ranboo, he just couldn’t stop talking about him, like he was his dad or some shit.
“Ranboo will be fine, he’s survived every night before, he’ll be fine tonight.” he said, keeping his voice monotone.
Phil stared at Techno with disapproval, but knew he wasn't worth fighting with, they had the same conversation yesterday, with no result.
“Fine.” Phil scoffed, “but I think you should get to know Ranboo a little better, he’s a good kid, and probably a good ally too.”
“Sure old man, let's get you to bed” Techno said sarcastically, opening the door for him. Phil laughed and stepped outside.
“Alright, alright, i’m leaving, fine, goodnight Techno.” Phil grinned and lifted his arms in fake surrender.
“Goodnight Phil.”
The door shut and Techno, as he always did when Phil left, shuffled to look out the window, to watch Phil walk away, until he couldn’t see him anymore. (He just wanted to make sure he was okay, he wasn’t clingy). But this time, instead of walking his usual route, Phil started towards Ranboo's depressing shed, practically falling apart in the wind and snow.
Don’t you dare old man.
He did. Techno watched in anger as Phil gently knocked on the wood, spoke to a shivering Ranboo, and worst of all, motioned over to Techno’s house. The voices got a little louder.
Oooooh
Techno PISSED
E
Let him in!!!1!!!1!
RANBOO POG
Techno ignored chat and decided to walk away to the kitchen where he started filling a kettle water for tea, and while it heated, he grabbed his communicator messaged Phil,
“ Do not invite that child into my house”
No response.
A few minutes passed, the kettle had started a low whistle, and Techno heard a knocking on his door.
Techno peaked through the glass, and just as expected, Ranboo, the 8’5 enderman hybrid was standing there, shivering at his doorstep.
Techno groaned and as he was about to shoo away the strange teen, his communicator buzzed from his back pocket.
“ Msg from Ph1lza: I let invited Ranboo in, you better let him in and treat him well”
Techno sighed, grabbed the handle of the door and gently opened it.
Ranboo jumped at the movement and dropped whatever he was fiddling with.
The tall boy stumbled over his words, “H-hi Techno! Phil said that you wanted me to come over! How are y-you?”
Techno narrowed his eyes, he had to let him in, even if he would much rather be alone, “I’m fine Ranboo, come in, you can sit over by the fire.”
Ranboo carefully stepped past Techno, and over to the living room, where he sat in a cushioned chair, relaxing his shoulders slightly.
“So, are you gonna-” Ranboo started, but the pigman hybrid had left, to go trade and get away from him. Ranboo didn’t bother him about it though, he was respectful, as he should be.
------
Ranboo looked at the kettle as it’s whistle got louder, a bustle of steam coming out of its metal spout, and moved it onto the table, grabbing a porcelain cup from the spruce cupboard and carefully pouring in the water. Ranboo then grabbed a “instant hot cocoa packet” and dumped the powder into the cup and started to stir.
His mind started to wander from what he was doing, it was happening more and more often now, the Dream voice had gone, but now it just seemed to be coming from himself, and unlike the Dream voice, he can listen to himself anywhere. In a way, getting rid of the voice only worsened his situation.
His thoughts were the same as they normally were. Techno, Phil and Tubbo are your only friends. You're doing great. Just don’t hurt anyone.
“You already failed that.”
“Wha-” Ranboo spun around, no one was there, but then, why did he hear that? Why did he hear him? Dream.
“You’ve been helping him, helping Dream” The voice was calm, it spoke like it was best friend with Ranboo, his tone was sweet, but his words were sour.
Ranboo shook his head, “No, no, I couldn't have, you know, you know me, I would never help him!”
“But you did,you gave him TNT, you gave the disc, you put them in danger, Phil, Techno, Tubbo, you hurt them all.”
Ranboo moved his hands to grip his stomach, his head started to sting, “No, no, no, no, no, you, you aren’t real, and I did nothing.”
“You did.” The voice spoke in few words, like he was putting in no effort, but still causing Ranboo to spiral.
Ranboo stumbled, knocking over his drink, he fell backwards and sat, back against the wall, he raised his voice, “But I didn’t! I-I didn’t write it, I don’t remember.”
“But you do.”
Ranboo didn't respond, he just put his head in his knees and started to quietly sob.
“Because i’m you.”
“And i’m not even real.”
The voice was gone, the only remains of it were a cold, crying teen, in a crumpled ball on the floor, quickly breathing, talking to himself through muffled sobs.
“Am I real?”
------
Techno wasn’t really concerned about Ranboo, he was already busy trading with the poor villagers, and that took quite a lot of brain power, trying to get the cheapest prices for ender pearls and such.
He wasn’t even really that worried when he heard a glass shatter above him, yeah, he wasn’t worried, he went upstairs to make sure Ranboo hadn’t broken something. The voices contributed too.
TechnoDAD
Uh oh
RANBOO??????!!
OH GOD
SAVE HIM
He climbed the ladder and placed his hand on the cold iron rim of the trapdoor, opening it. When he did, his nose was flooded with the sweet smell of hot chocolate and his ears the sound enderman sobs. He could barely make out the scene in the darkness, so grabbed a torch, illuminating the room and filling his face with warmth.
Now that he could see the situation seemed a lot more scary, the table was coated in broken glass and hot chocolate, dripping onto the floor. And hiding behind the table, Ranboo, with his head in his knees.
“Shit!” Techno didn’t mean to yell, but the voices concern was just so loud, he couldn’t keep it in. His loud words must have scared Ranboo, because a wobbly, broken, enderman-like yelp came from the black and white blur in the back corner of the room. He started to breath faster, just the sound of it stressed him out.
Techno stood in front of the mess, not his kitchen, but Ranboo, and considered just not helping, messaging Phil to come back and deal with the child, and just going to sleep. But that would so incredibly cruel, Techno couldn’t, he would never-
“ Msg to Ph1lza: Phil help ”