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Technoblade woke to darkness surrounding him. That in itself wasn’t unusual, he always woke before the sun rose. The quiet surrounding him was different. There were constant sounds of mobs outside, but as he lay in bed with his eyes open, he heard none. No moaning zombies, no clanking of skeletons. Nothing. Just the soft sound of footsteps from the floor below him.
He quickly found a shirt and pants, putting them on with a practiced perfection in the dark. Slipping a few of his usual weapons into their hidden fabrics, he headed down the ladder and into the main portion of the house. The fireplace gave the house a cozy vibe, even if it didn’t give off much light. For once, it seemed as though he wasn’t the first one awake.
Techno stopped in his tracks when he saw his friend sitting on their couch, bandaging his arm. The blonde looked up, smiling when he saw his roommate. “Hey mate. Sorry if I woke you. Just needed some bone meal for the crops.” Phil chuckled, tying off the bandage at his wrist. When he stood Techno could see a basket full of bones from the mobs outside. The silence made more sense.
“You know, you could have waited until morning. They leave bones all over the place.” Phil handed him the roll of bandages he hadn’t used, the piglin putting them into a chest. They’d need them sooner or later.
Phil rolled his eyes at the suggestion, moving his arm to test its mobility. It seemed like it was probably a nick from a skeleton’s arrow. “Where’s your sense of adventure gone? The Techno I know wouldn’t back down from a few monsters.”
They walked to the kitchen together, Phil starting a pot of coffee while Techno got the mugs down from the top shelf. The cream and sugar were already on the counter, where it was always kept. “My sense of adventure doesn’t involve fighting skeletons at midnight. I’ll leave that one to you.” He set the mugs down on the table, within Phil’s reach. “I’ll leave the healing potions out tonight for your next adventure.”
“Oh, fuck off. They were for your stupid potatoes, anyway. You should be grateful.” Phil shot him a glare from his corner of the kitchen, although he couldn’t keep the smile from reaching his eyes.
Techno put a hand over his chest, being careful not to catch his claws on the fabric. “Thank you, Phil. I couldn’t have ever farmed potatoes without you.” They both laughed at the thought, the noise dying down to smiles as the coffee finished brewing.
Phil poured the coffee while Techno added the cream, eyeing Phil as he added the sugar cubes to his cup. Phil took three cubes in his coffee, he had for as long as Techno had known him. After the second cube was added to Phil’s cup the avian stopped him, a hand hovering over the cup. “Easy there mate, you know how I take my coffee.”
Oldza
forgetful Philza
Phil your age is showing
Techno bit back a chuckle at the voices. They weren’t always bad. Being settled for so long, there wasn’t the constant screaming for blood and death. If anything, the voices had taken on a more helpful tone. Not to say that they weren’t annoying, or sarcastic, but he supposed they were better than before.
His friend was staring at him, reaching for his cup that Techno was still holding. Techno sighed, relenting and handing it over. “You won’t like it. You take three.”
Phil rolled his eyes, stirring his cup so the sugar dissolved. “Don’t argue with me about this. We go through this every morning.”
Techno stirred his own cup, watching the winged man. “Yeah, and every morning I’m right.” He took a sip, appreciating how warm the coffee was. As a Nether type mob, his body was naturally warm, making living in such a cold climate easy on him. The hot liquid served as a comfort in the early mornings.
“Damn it, I think I’d know how I like my coffee!” Phil stirred his drink, staring at Techno the whole time. The piglin only stared back with a fondness that not many people got to see him express. Phil was the only one that he was truly open with, the only one that saw the sides of him that he hid from the rest of the world.
“You’d think so.” Techno muttered into his cup, hiding his grin. Phil took a sip, swallowing with a wince. He glanced between the cup and his friend, settling on staring into his cup with a look that bordered on heartbroken.
told you
“Hey mate…?” Phil wasn’t making eye contact. “Could you pass me one more?”
Techno couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him. “Sure, Phil. Maybe you’ll try listening to me tomorrow.” he won’t
Once the sugar cube was passed to Phil he dropped it in, stirring it slowly. They were quiet, just waking up with each other’s presence, until Phil pointed towards the window. “Sun’s coming up.”
As was their daily routine, the two moved to the porch. Their rocking chairs were sat next to each other, a small table between them for their drinks. Their days may have differed, going in their separate directions until nightfall, but this would always be a constant. Their morning coffee while watching the sun rise.
A sliver of light was peeking from behind the overgrown forest around them, washing them in rosy hues. It was cold, but between Techno’s natural temperature and Phil’s thick coat, the morning air didn’t bother them.
They were quiet, watching the world wake up, just being together. Phil’s drink made its way to the table, grabbing Techno’s attention. “I’ve been thinking.” The blonde started, not taking his eyes off the sunrise, “about what’s next.”
Now that was certainly a sentence. Techno’s thoughts immediately went off in a thousand different directions, none of them logical. What did he want to do? Years worth of insecurities so few knew existed came bubbling to the surface. Surely, he’d grown tired of Techno’s personality, of his odd mannerisms, had decided to separate after all these years. The voices agreed, voicing their own concerns. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat before speaking. “What do you mean?”
Philza’s expression was unreadable when he turned. “Just… you’ve mentioned leaving. And truth be told, I think it’s time we do.” His silence screamed that he had more to say, but Techno wasn’t going to push it.
The piglin chose his next words carefully, knowing everything that this home held for his friend. So many memories, both good and bad, had been made in this area. “What made you decide that?” His fingers gripped the mug tightly, his thoughts calming as he realized Phil wasn’t tired of him.
Phil looked back to the sky once more, the light giving his eyes an unnatural glow. His breath was visible in the crisp morning air. “It doesn’t hurt anymore.” He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “He’s gone, Tech. They’re all gone. There’s nothing left for me here anymore.”
Now, Technoblade was known for many things. Talking people through their feelings was not one of those. Comfort wasn’t something he had ever received before Phil had come into his life. He simply wasn’t good at giving it. So when Phil looked at him with watery eyes, he didn’t know how to respond.
“It has been a while.” Eloquent. He didn’t add anything else, letting Phil speak if he felt like it.
“Tech...” When Phil moved to set his cup on the table, his friendship emerald shone in the morning light, attached to a chain around his neck. “Do you miss any of them?”
Did he? He didn’t need any of them. He had Phil, he had his home and his animals. But did he miss them?
He thought about the blonde teenager, bouncing around him with excited smiles and a loud voice. Terrified of so many things, but willing to face them to protect those he loved.
The short ram hybrid, forgiving Techno when he had no reason to. Always keeping an upbeat persona, never wanting anyone to see his negative side.
The enderman hybrid, who had grown from a scared kid to a self sustaining parent within a matter of months. Despite everything, he was still a good kid.
That was the issue with being immortal beings. While Techno would have Phil until the end of time, there were people that he had to say goodbye to eventually. He’d lost people, betrayed people, hurt people that he considered friends. It had never bothered him before he’d come to this place. And of course, Phil had lost far more than he had. He’d not only lost his own son, but he’d had to be the one to kill him. Something that he’d felt grief from for years, never truly coming to terms with it.
Techno realized that it had been a while since he responded when Phil looked at him questioningly. “I do. Didn’t think I ever would.”
Phil nodded, reaching into his coat and pulling out a music disk. It was cracked and broken, but still mostly in one piece. The color was faded, but the word “cat” was clearly scrawled across it in Tommy’s handwriting. “I never could throw this away. We don’t even have a music box, and even if we did, it wouldn’t work. But it just feels wrong to throw it out.”
Techno just nodded, watching as Phil took something from his other pocket. A red beanie, in surprisingly good condition. Of course, Techno knew that Phil had kept it in as good condition as he could. Phil rubbed his thumb over it slowly, thinking. Phil was close to Tommy, of course. He had been Wilbur’s best friend, joining the family as a pseudo-son later on, but Wilbur had been his. Phil had been so attached to the boy, and it had hurt him beyond repair for so many years. “This is the only thing I managed to keep of his. L’Manburg took everything else that he had.”
He put his head back, putting the well loved beanie on his head. It wasn’t Phil’s normal style, and his blonde ponytail made it sit at a weird angle, but it didn’t look bad. It was just different. “What do you think?” He turned to Techno, taking a sip of his cooling coffee before setting it back on the table.
“Looks good. Makes you look younger.” Truth be told, Techno already knew that the beanie would become part of Phil’s daily attire. At least he was retiring the ridiculous bucket hat.
“What, are you saying that I’m old, or something?” Phil nudged him with his elbow, both of them looking up to the sky. It was bright now, the sky filled with yellows and oranges, blue quickly overtaking it. It was like a new start, a bright beginning to a new day. A vague poetry that Techno could appreciate at a later time.
“You’re not exactly young, Phil. How long have we been here, anyway?” A spider crawled along the ground at the base of the treeline, the daylight subduing it and making it wander around. No concern, seeing as how it wouldn’t attack in the light.
“Nearly four hundred. The longest we’ve settled down somewhere.” They took simultaneous drinks of their coffee, Phil finishing his cup off. “How’s your wanderlust treating you, Tech?”
Techno grinned, feeling his bottom tusks poke out over his lip. “I think a change of pace would be nice.” His emerald dangled from his ear, catching the light in the same way that Phil’s did. “If you’re sure about this.”
Phil nodded, sitting up and stretching his back. His wings were tucked against his back, dark feathers reflecting an inky black in the light. “I think I’m ready.” There was a pause. “I’ve forgiven myself. Time to move on.” The two met eyes, Phil’s shining with an excitement Techno hadn’t seen in a long time.
“If you insist.” He stood, Phil following suit. “I guess I could find a new government to overthrow, if I have to.”
Phil laughed, glancing up at his taller friend. Techno felt Phil’s head drop onto his shoulder, the two watching as the last of the colors bled into blue sky. It was warmer than usual for the area, perfect weather for them to get ready for their new life somewhere undiscovered.
“You’ll follow me, right?” It wasn’t even a real question, they both knew that they would do anything for the other. More than friends, closer than brothers. Phil had called them platonic soulmates once, and despite it being centuries since then, it was still as true as ever.
Techno repeated his words from years ago, the words still ringing as true that day as they were the first time he said them. “For you the world, Phil.”
They stood there for a few more minutes, until one of Techno’s dogs ran up to them, barking excitedly. Phil bent down to pet it, getting an arm full of canine. Techno went to the side of the porch to get their dog food, stopping to level Phil with a look. “No more claiming orphans as yours. Leave them in the street where you found them.”
The grin Phil gave him in return made Techno think he was already doomed. “You’d learn to love them. Even if they were an orphan.”
He thought about the moment he first saw Wilbur, a tiny, underfed toddler, terrified of his piglin characteristics. The fear Phil had shown when he brought the child home, afraid that Techno wouldn’t take his presence well. And the fond expression Phil wore when Wilbur fell asleep on his shoulder for the first time. And Techno knew that his friend had more than enough love in his heart for another child at some point.
He sighed, picturing having another kid running around whatever house they ended up building, already seeing Phil’s joy despite knowing the pain that would follow losing it. “Yeah. I will.”
Where the future would take them? It didn’t matter. They had each other. And that was enough for them.