Chapter Text
Bbh sighed. Hanging from chains in a pillager tower was not his idea of an ideal morning, and yet that was exactly how he was spending it. The cold metal dug into his wrists as he looked around. The odd...dungeon? Attic? He had been left in smelled like damp mulch and rotting hay. There was a small window with bars, through which beams of morning sunlight came through, adding the slightest bit of color to the room. It was surprisingly spacious, and if it weren't such a mess it'd make a nice study. He supposed Pillagers aren't much into writing though.
He trusted his friends to come for him, it was just a matter of when they would come that concerned him. If he spent this long hanging from his arms it could have some bad effects…
The chains hurt. This sucked.
Another thirty minutes passed. Or so he assumed. During those thirty minutes he started seriously doubting his arms would be attached by the time anyone noticed he was gone, and while he tried to stay optimistic, genuine fear started to creep in. It could be hours before anyone even thought to look for him, he hadn't had any meetings or visits set up and had told Skeppy that he was just going out for supplies, which had been true. Supply or exploration runs usually took hours, so Skeppy would have no reason to worry. He bit his lip, trying to tame the anxiety churning in his gut.
Bad jolted in his chains as he heard a crash from the lower rooms of the tower. There was the clear yelling of Pillagers, crossbows being shot, and the faint sound of an incredibly sharp sword slicing through the air. Dream! It had to be him, everyone else was good at pvp but there were few other men who sharpened their sword every morning just for intimidation factor.
Straining against the chains, he yelled down "Dream! I'm up here!"
The racket downstairs momentarily grew, a flurry of crossbows being cocked, by the remaining pillagers he guessed, but never shot as he heard the weapon swing, and then silence.
"Dream?"
Footsteps sounded...steel-toed boots? Dream usually wore more comfortable shoes. It was a small observation, but you could rarely hear Dream when he approached, and the clacking of heels unnerved him. Maybe he hadn't been correct about the identity of his hero…
Cold fear bloomed in his gut, and he was made painfully aware of just how compromising of a position he was in.
The footsteps alerted him to his… Savior? Enemy? Ascending the ladders up to where he was trapped. The darkwood trapdoor swung open and up popped a pink haired head, golden crown adorning the scarred face. For a moment he just started at the other, who seemed just as surprised to see him chained to the wall.
"Um..Hello Techno!"
"...Hullo."
Techno pulled himself up through the trapdoor, and Bad had to stop from squirming. This was...he didn't know. That was the worst part, Technoblade was completely unpredictable. Dream seemed to admire him, but that didn't mean that Techno shared the sentiment, and even if he did, why the hell would he help Dream's friends? Still, he didn't seem completely heartless… Which was odd to say about one of the most notorious killers in all of the land, but Bad always liked to see the best in people.
"Do you mind, uh, unchaining me...Muffin?"
Techno walked over to him, eyes flashing with surprise at the nickname.
Bad almost slapped himself. or he would have if his hands weren't chained to the walls. It sounded so weird, like a pet name or something. Calling a seven foot piglin hybrid muffin just didn't really click.
Techno unclipped his bloodied weapon, face expressionless, and lifted his Netherite axe over his shoulder. Bads eyes widened, and terror coursed through his veins. Right before the axe came down he shut his eyes and waited for the cold experience of respawn.
It didn't come.
Instead, his arm jerked as the axe broke through the chains cleanly. Bad almost collapsed right there and then from sheer relief, not to mention exhaustion. Oddly gently, saying nothing, Techno grabbed his other arm to break the second chain.
His axe must have had every enchantment in the books because it cut through them like butter. Right before Bad could fall to the ground, strong arms caught him under the shoulders, and Bad would be lying if it wasn't at least a little attractive how effortlessly he was lifted.
"Can you walk?" Technos voice rasped next to his ear.
Jesus Christ
"Uh, probably yeah."
He stumbled to his feet, mostly stable, but clung to the warriors arm as they walked the few steps to the trapdoor.
"Hm. I'll go down first in case your arms give out." the pink haired man grunted, jumping down the trapdoor and catching himself a few rungs below, pausing for bbh to follow.
Bad scrambled to get down, lifting himself down on shaking arms. It felt like ages, but somehow, he managed to climb down the entire ladder, sighing in relief when his feet finally hit the ground.
He stumbled behind Technoblade, but stayed in his feet with slight effort. The outside was, surprisingly, covered in snow. Bad didn't remember what happened after he got caught by the pillagers, so he assumed that he'd been grabbed not too far from the Arctic biome.
"Hm. You need transport back to Manberg?" Techno walked up to his horse, Carl was the name? Bbh wasn't sure.
"Uh, yeah! That would be appreciated, thanks Techno!" He decided to avoid calling Techno muffin, it would only sound awkward.
He shivered as he approached the horse, in a second surprised to feel a warm fluffy cloak wrap around his shoulders, right before strong arms grabbed his hips and lifted him onto the horse.
"Oh!" He yelped, looking down at the hulking warrior from his, literal, high horse. To be honest with how tall the other man was he wasn't so much looking down at him as finally eye level. He couldn't help but wonder if Techno wore heels, his height was ridiculous, and it wasn't like piglins were known for being tall.
"Ah, shit, sorry, should have asked. Habit."
Bad didn't question with whom Techno had picked up such a habit as Techno mounted Carl as well, with a fair bit of maneuvering around Bad.
The ride back was quiet, but after a few minutes, faded into a not entirely uncomfortable silence. They were surprisingly far from L'ma-.. Manberg, and even the Badlands. Bad didn't even remember what he had come out for, and wasn't sure whether he was dragged to that the dungeon or just wandered so far. Getting caught by pillagers...how embarrassing. He'd been really out of it lately, mind clouding with, for some reason, red. Weird. Probably should have stayed home.
Bad cuddled into the cloak, which was almost surprisingly very warm, and rested his face on Technos back, the man seemingly unbothered. By now it was noon, and Bad, exhausted, fell asleep.
When he woke up, he was being fretted over by Skeppy. Apparently he had been dumped outside of Skeps house? Huh. Dimly, he registered that he was still wrapped in a red cloak. He made a mental note to perhaps un-officially declare the Badlands an ally of Technos, and promptly fell back asleep.