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It came on suddenly.
One moment Technoblade was sorting out some items in his storage room, carefully placing ingredients in their appropriate chests. The next instant his knees were hitting the wooden floor with a painful crack, and he was being pulled.
It felt like a string was suddenly drawn taught against his very being, his innermost self was tied up in it, wrapped round and round…
Technoblade struggled out a ragged gasp as his life shivered, being held in the balance against this binding, this horrible attachment that was strangling the life out of him. Unless—
His mind cleared as the invisible string thrummed its message, as it revealed its offer of exchange and agreements. As it asked—no—demanded something of him.
It was then that Technoblade understood what was happening. It had seemed like such a small thing when it occurred, a tiny thread wound round his finger. A reminder of a favor owed. But a life debt is no small thing to ignore. He should have known it would be called in eventually.
He sighed heavily as he tried to still the too-rapid beating of his heart, only to jolt again when the door nearby was flung open.
“Techno?! You alright mate, I heard a bang—” Philza burst into the room, concern written across his ageless face to see Techno kneeling on the floor. The piglin hybrid slowly shook his head, forcing a rueful smile to ease Phil’s anxiety.
“Dream called in his favor.”
Ranboo was just vibing… like actually just having a good time, hanging out with Tubbo and gathering up some flowers for Michael.
Oh, and then Technoblade and Philza showed up, which wasn’t in and of itself too alarming. Sure, it was a bit… odd that they just strode out of the forest next to them. And okay, maybe they were being somewhat ominous in the way they stared at the two younger boys, not responding to Tubbo’s waves…
But it was fine! Ranboo knew that the Syndicate didn’t have any issues with Tubbo or Snowchester anymore, and things were at least cordial between the groups, besides…. They would tell him if they were planning something… Right?
“Hey guys, what’s going on?” Ranboo followed the question up with what he hoped was a friendly expression, though neither of them seemed to mirror it, which only served to increase his anxiety. Philza stepped forward, and Ranboo caught himself automatically taking a step back. Not because he was afraid of Philza, of course he wasn’t afraid of Philza, he and Technoblade had taken him in when he didn’t have anywhere else to go. They were his friends, so he wasn’t afraid of them… but there was something hard in Philza’s eyes that screamed danger.
“Ranboo, how about you and I go for a walk.” Gently Philza extended a hand in invitation, but Ranboo’s attention had slipped sideways. Technoblade wasn’t looking at him, he wasn’t—
“What are you doing here?” Ranboo voiced the words slightly more forcefully, reaching out to insure Tubbo stayed next to him, in whatever safety the nearness could provide. The smaller boy was glancing around, fear and confusion taking turns racing across his face.
“We… Technoblade has something he needs to do. Please don’t make this more difficult than it has to be Ranboo. You aren’t involved.” Philza grimaced slightly, but it was Techno’s eyes that had Ranboo’s full attention.
There were few people who would have noticed the glint in the piglin hybrid’s eyes. It was only because of the many hours spent with him, the days and nights living and working with him that Ranboo could read his face. Could comprehend the particular expression that meant only one thing, one outcome. Blood for the Blood God.
And Technoblade’s eyes were fixed on Tubbo.
Locked on target.
Ranboo moved slowly on instinct, some inner part of him that knew what it meant to be prey was honing his actions, guiding his steps. Carefully Ranboo stepped forward while pushing Tubbo to the side, directing him behind his body. Easy movements, fluid and so, so slow. When he spoke his voice was soft, conversational and even. His dichromatic eyes gazed steadily at Technoblade, but his words were for Tubbo alone.
“Tubbo, run.”
There was a moment where everything was still, like the world was taking a deep breath in preparation for what would follow. Then it shattered.
“RUN!!!” Ranboo shouted, urging Tubbo to move, to get away from the danger even as Technoblade drew his weapon. He didn’t have time to check if Tubbo had responded because he was occupied with drawing his own axe and lunging forward, taking the offensive against Techno to buy Tubbo any time to escape.
Their twin weapons met in a clash of sparks, the axe that Ranboo had made Techno now wielded against him with casual ease.
“Phil, don’t let him escape.” Technoblade snorted out the words, and Ranboo gritted his teeth as the older man took off in a gust of wind and water, enchanted trident and damaged wings working in tandem to achieve a facsimile of flight. But Ranboo couldn’t turn to check on Tubbo because he was being beaten back by Techno’s relentless attacks.
The warrior was unparalleled. He managed to match speed with strength in a way that bordered on supernatural. Ranboo was no match.
Still, he held his own, because he had to. He needed to give Tubbo a fighting chance. So he used the only real weapon he had.
“Why?! Techno, what are you doing?! Why are you trying to kill Tubbo?” The enderman hybrid ducked away from an overhead blow as he spoke, panting as he tried to catch his breath. For a long moment he was sure Technoblade wasn’t going to respond, that his last attempt would fall short of helpful. But the piglin hybrid did pause, did consider.
“It’s not personal, has nothing to do with you or Snowchester. I just have to do this.” Techno sighed and lowered his weapon, turning it in his hands contemplatively. “I’ll make it quick.”
Ranboo was stunned to realize Technoblade intended to just walk past him, as if thinking he wouldn’t even protest, wouldn’t fight this. With a snarl Ranboo tossed himself back towards him, forcing Techno to raise his shield in response.
“Of course it’s personal! There is no good reason for you to do this!” Ranboo gasped as a blow fell past his guard and against his armor, he could feel a bruise forming, but he didn’t let himself falter. “Tubbo hasn’t done anything to you, and I’m part of your syndicate, right?!”
“It’s just a necessity Ranboo, Dream called in his favor.”
Dream.
This was about Dream. Of course it was. Everything around here seemed to revolve around that masked monster.
Even with him in prison he still reached his hands out and held the strings, controlling everyone like his personal puppets.
Ranboo had seen what he had done to Tommy. The blond hadn’t been the same since his time stuck in prison. Since Dream killed him and brought him back to life just to prove a point. Ranboo had foolishly held onto hope that it could be the end of Dream’s ability to hurt him and people he cared about… but here, again, Dream was tying a noose around a neck he couldn’t even reach.
“That’s not—No! No, you can’t do this!” Ranboo heard the undertones of pleading in his own voice, and he knew by the tightening of Techno’s expression that he heard it too.
“I have to. And I can.”
The worst part was, they both knew it was true. Technoblade could.
Tubbo turned and ran, sprinting through the forest like death itself was on his tail.
Which, to be fair, it kinda was.
He felt somewhat badly for just leaving Ranboo behind, but at the same time, it was obviously him Technoblade was after. He could see it in his face, the exact expression from a previous death recreated in front of him. So, he ran.
Fortunately, Tubbo had a few ender pearls on him, though it was hardly a lot. It wasn’t like he expected to have to flee for his life today. Though maybe he should have been more prepared, more paranoid. After all, his life had been threatened so often that keeping a well-stocked bunker was second nature at this point.
Tubbo dashed through the woods, headed towards Snowchester. If he could get there, if he could get to the nuke controls…
They wouldn’t be able to do anything. They wouldn’t dare.
The nukes were an ultimate protection, both for him and the people he cared about. He just needed to get there—
Tubbo jerked to a stop, tripping and stumbling as he tried to avoid running directly into Philza when the older man dropped in front of him, trident burying into the dirt centimeters in front of his feet. With a dodge to the side Tubbo had thrown another pearl, aiming to get over the next hill and in sight of Snowchester.
Philza was right behind him at every step, throwing his own pearls in matching trajectory. Tubbo’s mind raced as he considered…
He would have to fight, there was no way Phil would allow him to get to the nukes without a fight, but—
Michael. Michael was in Snowchester with Tommy… he couldn’t let them be involved. Not now, not again. No. Tubbo couldn’t do that to either of them.
He turned and adjusted accordingly, noting that he was rapidly running out of ender pearls. He didn’t doubt that Philza had far more than him. Still, he knew he couldn’t risk going to Snowchester with Philza there, so Tubbo ran towards the Smp lands. There was no real protection there, but other people could be around, or he could maybe hide…
He didn’t make it that far.
He didn’t really expect to.
Tubbo yelped when Philza caught up to him, knocking his legs out from under him and shoving him to the ground in one motion. The smaller brunette shot back to his feet, drawing his sword quickly and striking first, no hesitation in his mind. Philza met the blow with his own sword, casually parrying and dodging.
Everyone knew Philza had several lifetimes of combat practice, far more than anyone else besides Technoblade could dream of. So it was no surprise when Tubbo felt his sword torn from his grip, sent flying across the clearing to land in a pile of leaves. He backed up slowly, grimacing when his shoulder hit a boulder. Philza stopped him, sword tip resting against his throat with passive victory.
“Alright Tubbo, enough of that.”
Tubbo’s mind was a blur, static and thoughts rushed through with no pause or respite. Plans were created and dismissed in a never-ending stream of consciousness, hopes for escape slowly dwindling. He needed more information.
“What are you doing? Why? I thought we had an agreement, that you were okay with Snowchester. Why attack now?” Tubbo raised his empty hands in supplication, watching Philza’s face carefully. The blond man pursed his lips, before sighing and lowering the sword to Tubbo’s chest. Tubbo breathed easier with the imminent threat reduced.
“It’s not about Snowchester. Technoblade has to kill you, it’s an old favor being called up.”
Dream. Dream’s favor being called in—
“Snowchester will be left alone if it’s any… comfort to you.”
“No! No, that’s not—Phil, it’s Dream’s favor, isn’t it?” Phil hesitated, biting at his lip in consideration… Tubbo needed to know. “Tell me!! It’s Dream, right?!”
“Yes. Yes, it’s Dream’s debt.”
This… oh. Tubbo leaned backwards, suddenly grateful for the boulder that blocked his escape as it held him upright against the sudden pull of gravity and shudder in his legs. This was terrible. This was just--
“This is crap.” Tubbo almost giggled at his own involuntary outburst, especially once Philza’s face turned to confusion. “This is actually such crap, you know?”
Philza very obviously did not know.
“Okay… okay. Philza, are you going to keep me here until Technoblade catches up? So he can kill me?” Tubbo actually did giggle with a slight hysteria when Philza nodded, some concern tracing across the immortal’s brow. “This is ridiculous. After everything… this is how I’m going to die? In a random forest because Technoblade owes Dream a favor? Don’t you think that’s bullcrap?”
Philza stuttered slightly, but Tubbo ignored his struggle for words.
Because all at once, Tubbo understood, and with understanding there was a sudden burst of urgency.
“Phil! Philza, I need you to deliver a message for me!” The older man tensed when Tubbo jerked forward, but seemed to relax after a moment, realizing that he was no longer attempting any efforts at escaping his fate. “I don’t care how you get it to him, but you need to tell Tommy something, or tell Ranboo to tell him—it doesn’t matter! Can you do that?”
Tubbo started intently at Philza, hoping some vestige of empathy rested somewhere in the winged man’s chest. He smiled softly to himself… he could still break Dream’s plan, if only Philza would agree. He shifted impatiently from foot to foot as Phil hesitated, there wasn’t time for this! He knew Ranboo would fight as long as possible, but Technoblade could arrive any minute, and he wouldn’t wait.
Finally, after an agonizing minute, Phil responded.
“Alright mate. I can’t promise he’ll listen, but I’ll find a way to get him the message.”
That was all Tubbo needed to hear.
“Tell Tommy that I don’t want to be brought back, that I never want him to talk to Dream again, and that I’m okay with staying dead. I need him to know that he cannot try to bring me back, because then Dream has all the power and it just gets worse for everyone—so tell him I don’t want to be brought back to life. Please, make sure he knows that it’s my decision, you have to convince him and Ranboo that it’s what I want. Because otherwise… Tommy can’t handle dealing with Dream again, and this is Dream’s last power play… if Tommy can accept my death—” Tubbo felt a first pang of real hurt in his chest as the reality of his own death started to sink in. “If Tommy can accept it, then Dream loses. So I need you to make sure he knows.”
Philza had started to slowly lower his sword as Tubbo explained, eventually resting the tip in the dirt. His blue eyes were solemn, laced with sadness.
“Tubbo… part of the reason I was okay with this whole thing is because I knew Dream could bring you back… but Technoblade has to kill you either way. Are you sure that—”
“Yes!! I’m sure! Listen to me, you have to deliver my message, please Philza, I am literally begging you.” Tubbo put every ounce of energy he had into his plea, and eventually, Philza relented.
“Fine. I don’t like it, but I’ll make sure he knows.”
“Good… good.” With that out of the way, Tubbo felt a wave of exhaustion roll over him. He let his back rest against the cold stone once again. “Oh, and could you tell Ranboo that he’s an amazing friend? You know, that it’s not his fault.”
Oh god. Ranboo was going to be so upset… Tubbo’s eyes prickled as reality started to set in. His composure broke down with each word as he continued to ramble, fighting off his own knowledge of the inevitable.
“Tommy too, tell him that I’m sorry, and that I want him to help Ranboo take care of Michael. I think that would help both of them. And I don’t want Michael to have to fight any wars, ever. He should be safe, you know? Uh, and Ranboo… can you make sure he knows that he was never second to Tommy, and Tommy was never second to him? They’re both my best friends and were there for me and I care about them—”
Tubbo ran out of words eventually, tears streaming down his face as Philza looked on, forced passiveness keeping his expression tight in the face of Tubbo’s emotion.
“I’ll tell them.”
Okay. Okay. Then it could be okay, it was okay…
It wasn’t. Tubbo didn’t want to die. He didn’t, honest to god he didn’t want to die here, not now. Not now…
But he knew that begging would do no good. All the same….
Tommy would never forgive him if he gave up this easily and just accepted it. He had always hated that.
So Tubbo waited for a moment longer, wiping his face as Philza awkwardly averted his eyes—
Then he dashed past, shoving Phil to the ground with all his might and breaking into a full sprint. Tubbo gasped for air as he ran, hoping without conviction that maybe he could get far enough ahead to make a difference.
“Come on Tubbo, let’s not do this.” Philza sounded vaguely disappointed as he fired arrows around Tubbo’s path, forcing him to dodge to the side and—
Run directly into a sheer rock wall. Tubbo managed to stop just short of hitting it, but he was truly trapped now. He turned slowly, nodded softly as Philza stood there, sword once again keeping him in place.
“It was worth a try.”
Ranboo and Technoblade circled and parried, each blow a deliberate choice or feint, almost dancelike in their precision.
Ranboo was tiring more than he would care to admit, it was exhausting trying to keep up with Technoblade’s energy, and each blow he blocked was far too heavy. This wasn’t sustainable. But at the same time…
“If you are just going to kill him, then why are you talking to me? We both know you could defeat me and be long gone by now if you wanted to, so why?” Ranboo tipped his axe to the ground, dropping his guard entirely. There was no point to keeping up any pretense that he stood a chance. Technoblade mirrored the movement after a moment, letting out a displeased grunt.
“Well… normally no one ever listens to me when I try to explain myself, but I thought you might. I figured there was no harm in trying.” Techno shrugged, belaying the flash of hurt in his eyes, remembered slights that obviously still stung. “Besides, anarchists can have friends, it’s like what I’ve been saying…”
“I’m listening, but I don’t feel like any of this is a good enough explanation! Sure, okay, you owe Dream a favor, but killing Tubbo?! Don’t you think that’s a little much?” Ranboo tried to keep his breathing steady as he tried to negotiate, to understand in hopes of saving Tubbo’s life.
“Ehhhhh…. It’s not that simple Ranboo. A life debt like that has a way of making you fulfill it, and I don’t particularly want to die to save someone who tried to execute me…” Techno shrugged passively.
“You’ll die if you don’t kill Tubbo?! Is that what you’re saying?”
“Yeah, that’s the way this works.”
“Okay but surely… don’t you have all your lives? Tubbo is on his last one Techno, please couldn’t you—”
“No. Phil says these things don’t stop at one life, they hang on until you either fulfill the exchange, or are dead permanently. And dying would kinda mess with my brand…”
Ranboo scowled at the weak attempt at a joke. This wasn’t funny. Nothing about this was funny.
Technoblade was going to kill Tubbo. Tubbo…
Memories flashed through Ranboo’s mind in a rush of emotion, more coherent than he had experienced in months.
Building the Bee n’ Boo hotel, laying out the boundaries and collecting the materials together. The jokes and delight Tubbo took in creating a breakfast buffet.
Tubbo staring blank-eyed at the prison, whispering about denial and grief.
Finding Michael together, how Tubbo’s face softened when the child tucked his head into his shoulder and fell asleep, grunting snores that made them both stifle giggles.
Tubbo sobbing into his hands, refusing to let Ranboo hug him for fear of burning him with his tears.
The two of them joking and laughing and finding a slice of peace and joy in the world that had hurt them so much.
Ranboo let out a sob as his face burnt, lines of tears running in rivets down his face.
He would lose all of that. He might not even remember it.
Loosing the memories of good times wasn’t as bad when you knew there would be more to take their place. When you could make more in the future.
“Please Technoblade, please if there is any way, any chance you don’t have to do this…” Ranboo didn’t bother to wipe his tears, even as he felt the horrible pain they brought with them. It was only physical, nothing compared to what he would feel if Tubbo died. “I know his life isn’t worth much to you, but he is to me. He’s… He’s my Philza. I would do anything if I could protect him.”
Ranboo straightened, raising his axe once again, determined that Techno would have to kill him if he was going to pass. Technoblade didn’t raise his own weapon.
“Really? You think you and Tubbo are close like me and Phil? Isn’t Tommy his best friend?”
Ranboo winced with remembered feelings of being outcast, of being on the sidelines. But Tubbo had made it clear that wasn’t the case.
“Yes!! Tommy is his best friend, and so am I! There’s not a limit! We can both… we can both be that close to Tubbo. So please, if you can think of any way…”
For a moment Technoblade seemed to be considering seriously, intently studying Ranboo’s face. For once the enderman hybrid didn’t break the eye contact.
Then the piglin hybrid sighed, cracking his knuckles in nervous fidgeting.
“Well… there is one thing you could try… but I don’t know if it would work. And I might still die so I don’t know if I’m willing to lose a life for that ex-president.”
Ranboo stepped forward, wiping red-tinted tears from his chin.
“For me?”
Ranboo considered Technoblade a friend. But he wasn’t always entirely sure if the older man returned the sentiment. He supposed this was the biggest test of that friendship he could give.
The two stared at each other for a long time, one deep on thought, one trying to keep more burning tears from spilling as he stifled sobs.
The world almost seemed to shift around them, as if every bit of life and land was turning on its axis to watch the scene unfolding in its midst. The trees themselves looked like they folded inward, reaching their scraggly branches out in supplication, the clouds dropped low in the sky, the grass reached high.
Technoblade felt the tug of an invisible string.
Ranboo pleaded for a future with more good memories.
Eventually it broke, everything snapping back into place at once.
“Do you have a totem?”
“Yes! Yes I do, in my enderchest, will you let me get it?” Ranboo waited breathlessly, eyes fixed on Technoblade’s, watching them soften.
“Yeah… I’ve got a chest on me, you can grab it out. I still have to kill him, but there’s no particular clause saying he needs to stay dead. At least I hope there isn’t.”
Tubbo and Philza stood there for a while.
They waited, one for his friend, one for his death.
It was… awkward.
Tubbo sighed and tried to make himself relatively comfortable, rolling his eyes when Philza tensed at his every movement. The winged man had made it clear that Technoblade needed to be the one to kill him, but he would do what it took to keep him here. Which meant that unless Tubbo wanted to be non-fatally stabbed, which he did not, he needed to stay still.
Eventually footsteps crunched in the leaves, and Tubbo tried not to let his breath hitch when Technoblade entered the small clearing between the trees. Still, he couldn’t help but back up a little, gasping when his back hit the rough stone wall behind him. It was too much, too reminiscent of being trapped in a box and—
Ranboo walked out from behind Technoblade, immediately rushing to Tubbo’s side once he spotted him. Tubbo opened his mouth to form several questions, but Ranboo was shoving something into his hand, warm and smooth. The enderman hybrid closed his hand around the object and wrapped his fist in his own hands, looking down at him carefully.
“Tubbo, are you okay?”
Really? Tubbo snorted in a mixture of morbid amusement and confusion.
“Sure, I’m swell, just waiting for him to come kill me.” Tubbo tried to look at what was in his hand, but Ranboo refused to allow him to open his fist. Instead Tubbo turned his attention to Technoblade. The piglin hybrid was currently marching towards him, reaching down to where weapons hung at his side. A sword and a crossbow.
“Wait!” Tubbo shouted despite himself, cutting off whatever explanation Ranboo was trying to form. “Please, not fireworks, please don’t—”
Tubbo gasped and fought to stay on his feet, remembering burning and pain. So much pain. Pain that followed him through respawn and into his nightmares to this day. Then, as suddenly as the pain was remembered, he was warm and safe, because his head was against Ranboo’s chest and his friend was hugging him close, providing a barrier between him and his coming death.
“Tubbo, I got a totem, I’m going to make sure you hang onto it. Techno… he has to kill you because of some weird rule of life debts or something, but you’ll come back. You’ll respawn and I’ll be right here.” Tubbo forced his breathing to calm, to slow. The shape, still firmly gripped in his hand, now understood. But he couldn’t belay his own anxious question.
“He won’t use fireworks?” Ranboo tilted his head, for a moment Tubbo had forgotten that Ranboo wasn’t around for the festival, but then dropped his chin back down to rest comfortingly on Tubbo’s hair.
“No, no I’m sure he won’t. Right?” The last word almost sounded like an accusation, and Tubbo was amused to realize Ranboo was glaring at Technoblade. The piglin hybrid nodded.
“Just gonna use my sword. Let’s get this over with.”
Tubbo let out a tiny, suppressed sob when Ranboo pulled away from him, leaving only his hand in contact, still holding around the totem in Tubbo’s fist. Securing it in place. Techno moved closer and Tubbo fought himself not to run. There was nowhere to run, but Technoblade was walking towards him with a sword and his eyes were sharp and—
“Don’t look. Tubbo look at me, okay?” Tubbo obediently turned his head, eyes fixing on Ranboo’s face.
“Okay, okay…” he tipped his forehead forward after a moment, resting it against Ranboo’s arm and squeezing his eyes shut.
The two boys stood side by side peacefully for single instant before Technoblade struck.
Ranboo tried to obey the same instructions he had given Tubbo.
He tried not to look.
But he couldn’t help but watch as Technoblade stepped forward and drove the blade directly into Tubbo’s chest. He couldn’t help but see when the sword was removed and blood poured out, forced out by the muscles desperately contracting around the wound, trying to fix what was hopelessly broken. He couldn’t help but hear Tubbo’s cut-off cry of shock and pain, his head twisting away from the relative peace of his shoulder.
Ranboo saw it all, and for once he hoped he wouldn’t remember.
The tall enderman hybrid managed to swing forward and catch Tubbo as he collapsed, dropping to his own knees to keep him off the cold ground. One hand never left Tubbo’s. Never stopped gripping it like a lifeline. He needed to insure Tubbo didn’t let go of that totem.
Technoblade wiped the blood from his sword automatically, turning to leave before Tubbo had stopped breathing. Philza met Ranboo’s eyes for a moment before following, only giving a murmur of a goodbye.
“Best we be going now, good luck mate.”
Then Tubbo and Ranboo were alone.
Tubbo gasped weakly, eyes wide and unseeing. Ranboo was grateful he was already unconscious, the wound was surprisingly small for its deadliness, but the blood soaked into every scrap of clothing it could find.
For a couple minutes Ranboo just cradled Tubbo to his chest, fighting an inner battle.
He was determined not to cry. He didn’t need to cry, Tubbo would be coming back. Any minute now the totem would activate, and Tubbo would burst back to life in a swirl of golden dust and magic. So there was no reason to cry. Even if Tubbo’s breathing was ragged and harsh, and even if the blood was far too warm on Ranboo’s legs, and even if his friend grew still…
No need to cry.
Please…
“Please don’t make me cry Tubbo…” Ranboo let out a hoarse chuckle, pulling Tubbo around so he leaned against his chest, resting his chin in Tubbo’s brown hair. Tubbo was limp…
His chest stopped in its rise and fall.
“Tubbo, I’ve already cried once today, and so I really need this totem to work and for you to wake up, okay?”
“Please.”
“Tubbo?”
“Come on!!!”
“Just work, damnit why isn’t it working?!”
“Please work. Please just come back… I can’t…. I can’t—”
“Tubbo?”
“Hey big man….”
Ranboo opened his eyes to a swirl of gold and light. Tubbo shifted against him, gasping as air returned to his lungs in a rush, as the wound on his chest knit itself back together. Ranboo blinked away his tears as the magic settled.
“Tubbo I—I was so worried.”
“I can see that Ranboo.” Ranboo stilled as Tubbo reached up an arm and wiped his tears, staining the fabric with blood.
Tubbo looked down at the cuff of his shirt in disgust, before glancing down at himself and—
Ranboo broke into laugher as Tubbo realized he was absolutely soaked with blood, little changed by the tiny stain from Ranboo’s tears. Tubbo soon followed him in their shared amusement, laughing hysterically as he tried to wring the blood from his shirt and only succeeded in spreading it to his pants. Both of them giggled and snorted in turn, eventually standing as Tubbo’s strength returned to him.
“We have got to get cleaned up before we go back to Snowchester.” Tubbo sighed dramatically, looking over them both judgmentally.
“Maybe you should jump in a lake.”
Ranboo gave the suggestion innocently, but Tubbo looked absolutely aghast. He gasped in mock offense, mouth gaping as he returned a joking remark.
“Did you really just suggest I jump in a lake? My own platonic husband??”
They both broke into giggles once again, the old joke of marriage still funny.
They laughed all the way to the lake and all the way home.
At some point there were tears mixed in with the joy and relief, but neither of them mentioned it.
They were just happy to be able to make more memories.
Technoblade faltered before they made it back to the cabin.
He gasped in pain as something tightened around his chest, his heart, his—
His very innermost self rebelled against the ties that bound it. It shifted and knotted, as if fighting both for and against relief.
The exchange wasn’t complete, yet it was.
This contradiction started tearing him apart.
Philza helped him settle to the ground, blue eyes wide with fear and concern.
“Techno, mate, are you alright?”
Techno could only reply with a painful groan, muttering under his breath.
“I think it’ll be fine… just meet me at home.” Techno’s breath hitched as the string drew taut, trying to resolve the conflict that raged within the life debt both fulfilled and owed. His vision started to grow tunneled as air escaped him, as the simple act of drawing it into his lungs became too much to bear. As his world faded to darkness, he wondered if this was what dying was like…
Technoblade woke up in his bed. He waited for the pain to come again, for the string to start pulling him back towards his necessary duty… but it never came.
Apparently one lost life was enough to resolve the balance of a half-fulfilled favor.
He let out a heavy sigh, grateful he wouldn’t have to return to Snowchester and finish what he started.
Grateful he could maintain a friendship.