Chapter Text
Techno was not expecting this.
Techno and Phil just finished off a quaint cottage in Snowchester. It was really only for Phil to stay in on a night when Ranboo or Tubbo needed some help. With what, Techno didn't know. Phil wouldn't tell him and he assumed it wasn't really his business to know.
He was just running some food over to Phil's house, upon his (albeit, very frantic) request. Techno was a little concerned for his friend, who had flown off from the arctic to Snowchester just two hours before.
The last thing Techno had expected to deal with when entering the – colony? Commune? Who knew – was a little zombie piglin crying just inside the Snowchester wall, shivering.
Now, Techno wasn't one to care for children. They were annoying and messy. His sword was quite literally named the Orphan Obliterator. Techno couldn't bring himself to just ignore the helpless child, though.
He set down the bags of food, and crouched down in front of the panicked piglet. It was then when Techno saw he was tagged, with the name Michael. "Hey, bud…" he mumbled, quietly getting the kids attention with his gruff voice.
Michael looked up to Techno with a teary eye, puffy from crying. Techno wasn't really sure what to do here.
"Uhm.. you lost, kid? It's pretty cold to be wandering..."
Michael nodded, sniffling once again as he let out some grunts in a language Techno hadn't heard or spoken in years. "Can't find Papa and Dad.." he roughly translated in his head.
So, the kid could understand english, but not really speak it. Makes sense, speaking around tusks is pretty hard, even if the kids were barely grown in. Techno had lisped for years before he figured out sounds around his tusks. Guess he'll have to work with his mother tongue for the night.
"I see. Come with me, it is cold here." Techno roughly stumbled out the grunts, the language foreign and familiar at the same time. The piglet nodded, holding up his arms, the universal sign of wanting to be picked up. Techno pulled of his cape, wrapping it around the boy, whose pants were soaked by wet snow melting around his hooves, and then picked him up, along with the food bags. Michael in his left arm, pressed close to his side, the bags in his other as he trudged on to Phil's cottage in the settlement.
He pushed open the door to an empty house, to both his worry and his relief. On one hand, he had no clue where Phil was, and on the other, he didn't want Phil to see him carrying in the little boy in favor of his pride, that he could feel slowly slipping in favor of caring for the piglet nuzzled into his side.
Techno wasn't going soft, he swears. He couldn't just leave the child there in the cold. He'd find his parents, and then move on.
Techno dropped the bags at the door, kicking off his boots after closing the door behind him. He went to the fireplace, carefully placing Michael down, getting a soft grunt of annoyance at the gesture, before starting a fire. He kept Michael close to it, hoping to warm and dry him.
"I'm Techno. Who are you?" Techno asked, taking off his down coat as to not melt in front of the fire. He had a feeling the kid was named Michael because of the tag, but it could also be a parent's name or something. Better safe than sorry.
"Michael! I just turned four," he held up four of his piglin fingers, grunting through sniffles.
Techno nodded, allowing a small smile to grace his features as Michael warmed up. "Greetings, Michael. Are you hungry?" Techno was met with a nod. He stood, and quickly made them both a baked potato, letting Michael's cool down before handing it to the toddler.
Michael ate it quickly, showing his hunger. Techno let him finish before he asked about his parents. "Where do your parent's live, Michael?"
Michael paused for a little, before he shrugged, his eye filling with tears again before putting his hands in his hair. "Here, somewhere," he mumbled out.
Techno internally face palmed. 'Of course, you had to ask,' he thought, scooping Michael into his arms, pressing the boys head against his chest. A low hum followed, a low song he remembers would be hummed to him before he was left behind in the nether. The low and throaty tune was familiar, to both him and Michael, it seemed. Michael calmed, now just sniffling once again. The overwhelming instinct to protect and comfort the boy bringing instincts he didn't know he had with it.
"Apologies, Michael. I did not mean to upset you." Techno murmured, as the piglet played with his long braided hair, a lighter shade of pink compared to Michael's own.
"Is okay, Techie," Michael mumbled. "I miss them."
Techno nodded, pressing his chin against Michael's head, pretending like being called Techie didn't warm his heart in any way "I understand. It's quite late, friend. You should sleep."
Michael nodded hesitantly.
"We can look for your parents tomorrow. They will be okay. You need sleep, friend," he stood up, keeping Michael in his arms tentatively. He nuzzled into Techno's chest, an action that may as well have melted Techno's cold heart, but he would have never admitted it.
He wasn't going soft. He wasn't.
Techno sat on the couch, pulling out a book to pass time, and wait until Phil returned to help. Michael looked at the book, fascination in his eyes. "Mmm?" He mumbled questioningly, as the piglet stared at the pages. "You want me to read to you, friend?" Techno asked. Michael nodded, and sat on Techno's knee, awaiting his story.
"Well, if you insist."
The scene was something you'd never expect to see. The Technoblade, the labeled Blood God and Orphan Obliterator, reading next to a fire with a kid sat on his knee, slowly falling asleep on his lap.
Techno would admit, it was quite a weird situation for him to be in. He was just letting instinct and rational take over his pride and stoic heart, allowing himself to vaguely enjoy the moment.
No, clearly he wasn't soft. Anybody would do this. He wasn't attached either. No way.
Techno hummed when he realized Michael had finally fallen asleep, comfortably laying on Techno's lap, snorting softlyin his sleep. He put down the book, keeping a protective arm around Michael, his other arm covering his eyes as he leaned his head back. His neck and back would hurt like hell in the morning, but you know what?
That was okay.