Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Technoblade wasn’t exactly a gentle person. Many described him as a merciless and ruthless creature. He was known for his power, for the way people feared him. There were few that would try to challenge him, try to kill him, take his powers away; those people learned the lesson fast. You can’t mess with a dragon without expecting consequences, terrible consequences. 

He was a protector, a defender for his people and his family, he didn’t have the luxury of being seen as weak. Technoblade was a guardian, everything that touched his land was his responsibility and he wouldn't let anything happen to those that lived under his wings. But now, he was afraid that his strength and power weren’t enough. 

The egg laying in his lap was so, so cold. He found it alone, in a cave where he was casually mining for more resources. No mom or any other alive were near the place, there wasn’t even a nest. It was placed on the ground like it was nothing, abandoned as if it didn’t carry a powerful and wonderful creature inside of it. 

The worst? It was clearly a dragon egg. The shell was composed of dark scales that had a soft green light on them. Beautiful, yet fragile. 

On the top of the egg he could see a little crack and it didn’t really look like it was made by the baby. The crack was ugly and looked like someone hitted on the same spot for a while, probably the same person that abandoned it in a cave in the middle of one of the coldest biomes in the region. It was not only trying to abandon the child, but get rid of it completely… 

Technoblade was known for his brutality, for the way he didn’t blink when he killed someone and for the respect his people had for him. But Techno’s heart was far away from being cold like the story's told. He was, in fact, the most emotional person in his family. It was no need to say that his heart broke when he saw the scene. 

Who would do something like this? 

Who would even dare to abandoned a child, a nearly born dragon baby—

He stopped his train of thought. This was not the right moment, whoever had the audacity to leave an egg behind like that would be found after he made sure the baby was no longer in danger.

Ignoring his anger and frustration, Technoblade focused on little one. The first thing he noticed when he approached the poor thing was that it was mature. He knew nearly nothing about eggs, even the ones of his own kind, but he could see that it was almost ready to hatch. Young eggs were small and light, this one was the perfect size of a baby and slightly heavy. If it wasn’t for the cold, it would be moving.

The only type of dragon eggs that could survive the cold were the childs of mountain dragons and Techno was pretty sure there weren't any dragons of this kind in his territory. 

It could be dead already. He thought. 

Maybe it’s too late and he can’t save it. 

But Technoblade could hear it, the beating heart. It was beating so fast and so loud, trying his best to not stop. Dragons' eggs didn’t last so long in the wild, they needed a warm place and someone to watch over them. They were fragile and if not watched closely, they would die. 

Now, listen, he never ever had to take care of an egg, Techno was sure that he hadn’t even see an egg in his entire life. Dragons were protective creatures, they wouldn’t expose their children to the world till they could fend for themselves. So yeah, he wasn’t an expert on how to keep a dragon egg alive. 

Sneeg would know what to do, god, even a human like Phil would know better than him. But the temperature outside the cave was too cold, the egg wouldn’t resist a trip to his house. So he had to deal with what he had. 

Maybe it was the first time he was truly grateful for his fire powers. Techno laid both of his hands on top of the egg and slowly embraced it, and while doing that he let the temperature of his body increase gradually, taking care that it wasn’t too hot but warm enough for the little baby. He could hear the heart beating but couldn’t feel the body moving. 

Tum-tum-tum-tum-tum-tum. Fast, loud. 

But no movements. 

His fingers touched the crack that it had on the top and his heart stopped for a few seconds. 

What if it was really too late? What if he couldn’t save this baby? What was he going to do? It was so, so young. Goddamn, it wasn’t even born yet. 

Techno started to overthink, anxiety quickly spread in his mind like it was going to eat him alive. He unconsciously held the egg tighter, trying to do his best and concentrate on his temperature. 

“You are going to be ok, little one”, he murmured maybe more to himself than to the baby. 

The baby responded with a loud beating sound from its heart. Warrior, Techno thought, They don’t want to give up. 

Technoblade didn’t move for some good minutes, his mind extremely focused on his temperature and the temperature of the egg. He sat still, waiting, but at some time the silence started becoming too loud. 

He could hear the snow storm outside and the whispers of some creatures that lived in the cave, none of them was really a threat so he didn’t mind them. He could also hear his own breaths and, of course, the fast beating heart. But nothing else. It was not like he wasn’t used to the silence, but in that moment it was a little suffocating. 

There were two dragons in the same place but it felt like no one was really there. 

After a minute or two, Techno started humming a song. He didn’t notice a first, his mind not processing the melody escaping his throat. But then he felt it, very softly in his arms, a tiny movement. It barely did anything, but he released a loud gasp of surprise. 

It moved! It was alive and could be saved. He wasn’t late, he could do something, he should— 

Oh lord, what should he do? 

The storm was still going, but he knew that that cave wasn’t a proper place to take care of the egg. He needed to go back home, needed to talk to Sneeg and Wilbur, they would certainly know how to help. But he couldn’t, not until the storm stopped fully. 

He was born from lava and fire, his blood could burn other dragons, but he was afraid that it wasn’t enough to keep it safe. Even with all that power, dragon eggs were fragile things. And this poor little one was already weak, cracked on the top. 

So he hugged it again, seated in a more comfortable position and prepared mentaly to stay in this same position for a few hours. He hoped that it wasn’t going to be a long night. 

“You know”, he started, staring at the wall, “when I woke up today and decided to do a little bit of mining, I wasn’t expecting to find an egg”. 

In response, he felt another movement. This time, it was a little harder, like it was actually trying to respond to him. 

Technoblade was known for his cruelty, but if any of the people that hated him saw his face right now they would doubt that he was the same dragon. He couldn’t hold his own smile, his eyes glowed with pride and he felt his chest getting warm. He couldn’t really describe what he was feeling, maybe relief, maybe happiness. Probably both mixtured. 

Techno hugged it tighter. 

He would do everything he could so this egg hatched with safety. And, oh lord, when Techno said everything he meant it. 

“You scared me, little one”, the fire dragon said, “But you really are a warrior, aren’t you?”

The little heart didn’t slow down, still beating in the same rhythm. Tum-tum-tum-tum-tum-tum

“You are going to be fine, I promise”.

And he meant it. 

____________________

It was a long night, a really long one. 

The storm just stopped fully when the sun started rising in the sky and Techno barely slept the entire night, too afraid that something would suddenly happen and the egg would get cold again. So instead of sleeping he spent the night singing. 

Techno quickly learned that the baby loved music, every song that he hummed made the egg twitch a little. It was quite funny and actually really cute. He thanked Wilbur and his music that night, he wouldn’t have a large repertory of songs if it wasn’t for his brother. 

In the morning, when he heard the strong winds stop and the birds starting to sing, Techno felt once again relief. He was able to keep the baby alive for the night, but he couldn’t provide all that the egg needed in that cave. They needed to get out, to go to his house. 

So when he felt that it was more safe to get out, Techno took off his cape, wrapped it around the egg and hugged it tight against his chest again. He walked calmly back to the beginning of the cave where the light of the sun was shining bright and the stone floor started mixing with the snow of the mountain.

Once the two were fully out he spread his wings and didn’t waste a single minute in the same place, rising in the sky above and heading back to his family — they weren’t too far but weren’t exactly close, either. Techno went to the south mountains because it was where most of the diamonds and other precious stones were, his house and the village were most headed to the north, away from the cold. In fact, his house was one of the hottest places in the land since it stayed really close to a volcano. 

Well, at the least he didn’t have to worry about the egg getting too cold again. 

Either way, he tried his best to fly safely and not disturb the egg too much, always checking if everything was fine. It was a bit challenging since flying required a lot of movements, but he liked to think he did a great job. The trip lasted less than one hour and Techno landed right in front of his house, a little cabin made of wood and obsidian. 

Unfortunately, he didn’t even have the time to enter because something — better, someone — stopped him. The figure seemed very distressed, walking towards Techno with angry steps and sharp blue eyes. The wings behind the figure were spread to look scary and the tail was wagging up and down non stop. Normally, Techno would find it a little bit funny, but his first instinct was to hide the egg more and take a step back.  

The angry figure pointed at him and screamed really loudly.

“You fucking little shit!”

And that’s his lovely twin, Wilbur.

“I was fucking worried about you! You said you are going to mine for a few hours, not— not vanish entirely for a day!” He spoke fast, but even with the hateful words every single sentence was filled with worry. “You aren’t even fully recovered yet! I thought something bad happened to you— Lords, I even told Phil that we should look after you or something! And— and I…”

“Wilbur,” Techno said firmly, interrupting his brother. “Breathe”. And Wilbur obeyed. 

Wilbur's wings were twitching behind his back and his first breath came out hard, like it was really difficult to get a hold of the air. On normal days he wouldn’t really care if Techno disappeared for a few days and came back like nothing happened. Techno liked his space sometimes and mining for resources would usually mess up with his sense of day and night. 

But things weren’t like before. Both of them knew it. 

Techno and Wilbur were guardians, defenders and leaders. When war knocked on their door, they fought back. When prophecies and gods tried to destroy what they had, they stayed and refused to leave. 

The last disaster took a toll on everyone, it was still hard to overcome. Even with all the famous stories about them they couldn’t really keep the hunters out of their land. There were stupid people that would always try, specially the greedy ones. They wouldn’t rest till they got what they wanted or were killed by one of the twins. Both had to deal with these kinds for a really long time now, even before Phil and Sneeg. 

Most of the time it wasn’t hard, however it didn’t mean that they wouldn’t get a close call here and there. Hunters used all the weapons they could and dragon's heads were a precious prize, these two things together would leave a scar here and there. Nothing that he couldn’t deal with, really. Last time it was tough, true, but still, Technoblade was a fire dragon born from lava and anger. If he couldn’t deal with some little problem then he wasn’t worthy of mother nature's blessing, simple as that. 

Even so Wilbur was different, he was always anxious, always alert. Techno understood his brother's worries, but he couldn’t let himself panic too. He had to be the reason when Wilbur couldn’t. 

“Where you were?”, Wilbur said almost in a whisper. Voice more calm after breathing deeply for a few times. 

Almost like it understood the conversation, the egg in Techno’s arm twitched again. Techno held him closer again and looked at his brother’s eyes. Logically he knew that he could tell the truth, that Wilbur would understand him and actually try to help him. But for some reason he didn’t find the voice to say it out loud, something in his head telling that it might be a bad idea. 

What if Wilbur didn’t like it? What if his brother thought that it was better to abandon the egg again or crush it completely? He could hurt the egg or ask Techno to do it. All the bad endings were running in Techno’s mind non stop and he froze in place, not sure of what to do. 

“Promise me you won’t get mad first”.

“What— Why? What did you do?” 

“Nothing! I just… Look, just promise me that. It isn’t anything that bad, I just want to make sure”. 

Wilbur looked at him extremely confused and ready to argue more, but gave up and conceded. 

Unconsciously Techno held the egg a little bit tighter, his wings spread and started tingling, waiting for a threat. Wilbur wouldn’t do anything extreme, he was his brother, his family… but something inside of him was still afraid. 

“I was mining” he decided to start from the start, “I went to the south mountains caves and found something…”. After saying that he slowly revealed the egg and immediately checked Wilbur’s reaction. He swore that he could hear his heartbeat in the silence that followed the reveal.

“So… we are gonna eat it?” 

What. 

“What?”

“Why did you bring an egg here? Are we going to cook it and have a meal or— OUTCH!” Wilbur screamed and retreat a few steps back while protecting his head with both hands, “Why the fuck did you hit me?! Are you insane?”

In Technoblade’s defense, he didn’t really think about his actions. When he realized his fist had already punched Wilbur’s head a little bit too strong and his wings were spread, trying to make himself look bigger.

Heh, dragon instincts. 

“Are you insane ?”, he answered back, voice rising too. He wasn’t exactly angry, but Wilbur’s question really pissed him off. Techno just showed him a fucking egg and his first reaction was to eat it? His brother was insane, completely insane. 

“You are the one that hit me!” 

“You said you wanted to eat it!” 

“But it’s an egg, you moron!” 

Technoblade was ready to hit him once again but a familiar hand touched his arm. It was a gentle touch but also firm, stopping him immediately from doing something he might regret after. 

“Techno”. And that was Phil, his father. “You are back”. 

Phil wings moved a little bit behind his back, his smile was genuine and Techno almost forgot why he was angry for a second. Phil was always the one that had the power to stop the twins from destroying the world. 

Right behind his father was another well known voice, mumbling as he always does. Sneeg was a dwarf dragon, connected with the spirits realm, he wasn’t bigger than Wilbur’s palm but he flew really fast. He was like an uncle to the twins and the only one that could truly help Techno in this moment since he was probably the only one that ever had to deal with a dragon egg before. 

That made Techno forget about his brother being an idiot. Right, the egg was a priority. He came back home especially just to make sure to accommodate it in the right way so it could hatch safely and healthy. Wilbur was just as dumb as him in this question, Phil was human, but Sneeg.. Sneeg was an ancient dragon, he would know exactly what to do. 

“Oh, you are back, thanks to the lords! Wilbur was almost—” The dwarf dragon started but was interrupted by Techno who was quickly to add. 

“I am back and I need help”. Phil’s face almost immediately fell in a worried semblance, Sneeg also dropped any sarcastic comment he was going to make and rushed to Techno’s side til both of them noticed the thing Techno carried in his arms. 

“Lords help me right now, you have a dragon egg”. 

Techno took a step back. Wilbur let out a loud gasp and Phil looked at him closely, a mist of curiosity and shock in his eyes. Sneeg's face was a mystery, he didn’t know if the older dragon was angry, just surprised or happy about it. 

“Is it that bad?” 

“Is it yours?”

Again, what.

“What? No! I found it in the cave, it was freezing, almost dead. I stayed the night with him.”

“Oh… so it was abandoned”. Sneeg flew close to the egg and touched in the crack that it had on the top. For a second the air was a little tense, like they were… mourning. It was so rare to see a dragon egg and to see one in this state was heartbreaking. Techno was one to say, he was exhausted enough after last night, but he wouldn’t change it. 

Of course not all dragons were good, but he never would hesitate to help one of his kind. One of his own people. 

“You did a good job, I can feel the movements and hear the heartbeats. You probably saved it from freezing”. 

“You know how to take care of it? I… I need help with this, I never saw an egg my entire life and I was scared to do something that would hurt it more”. If Techno’s voice sounded desperate no one commented on it. 

“Yeah, we will need to make a nest and cave a hole too. Also we will need a warm and calm place.” Sneeg said, still analyzing the egg, touching the dark scales and looking around to see if it had more wounds. 

“He will stay at my house”. 

“Techno,” Now it was Phil’s time to say something. “Are you sure about that? It is a lot of responsibility”. His father's voice wasn’t in a passive aggressive tone, he was calm and gentle, just wanting to make sure. Phil always was the one to receive new people with open arms, he adored kids and from all of them he was the only one that had a better manner to deal with the little ones.

But he also knew his sons. An egg was a big responsibility, as much as a child is. You have to take care of it constantly and actually care for it, the life of another being is not something to be messed with. 

Still, somehow, Technoblade never felt more prepared with this in this entire life. He didn’t even think about other people taking care of it. 

“Yes. Yes, I am sure. I will take care of it, I promised”. 

And he meant it. 

Chapter Text

“You are an idiot.” 

After the egg was revealed the four of them talked more about it; who would really take care of it and what they were going to do exactly from now on. Just after many pleas, Sneeg agreed and helped Techno build the nest inside his house, even if he was a little reluctant about it at first. Techno said he could take full responsibility for the egg since he was the one to find it and all the four of them agreed they were going to keep it till they made sure it was safe and would hatch with no risks. 

Sneeg tried to say something about finding a dragon that could take care of the baby after that, but Technoblade tried to avoid it. There was no need to think about it so soon, they could do something when the time actually came.

For now, the twins were finishing the final steps for the perfect nest. They made an improvised hole right beside Techno’s bed and now they were putting some blankets and warm things around it. Sometimes, when they talk too much, the egg you twitch and Techno’s heart would melt a little.  

“Maybe I am.” He said calmly because it really may be true. Techno acted too much on impulse to be considered smart. “But I don’t regret bringing it with me.”

“I know, I’m not talking about the egg, Techno.” Wilbur looked tired. He was full of energy when he arrived, screaming and walking side to side non stop. He was hesitant to keep the egg at first. They didn’t know any dragon that would leave a child like that, that would try to break it and let it freeze in one of the worst biomes they had. But after watching it for some minutes, Wilbur stopped arguing against it and decided to help Techno with the nest.

“I thought they got you.” His twin said again after some seconds of silence, voice quiet like he was telling a secret. “They had been active lately and you were alone….”

That was… Not what Techno thought Wilbur was going to say if he was honest. But he gave his brother a ressasure smile and bumped his shoulder lightly, trying to brighten the mood a little bit.

“It’s my territory, Wilbur. Don’t worry about it, they can’t kill me here.”

“You could've died last time.” 

“I made a mistake last time, that’s why.” Techno replied with a firm tone, wanting to make sure that Wilbur knew everything was under control. Because it was, everything was fine and under control, no one needed to be worried anymore. “They didn’t get near the community house, I won’t let them get near the ocean”. 

“I am not worried about my territory” There was another pause. Wilbur seemed to think if he was really going to tell him this, the younger twin sighed and kept working, trying to not look like he cared too much. “I’m worried about you.”

Oh.

Techno looked at Wilbur, really looked at him. The light of the fireplace reflected his face and he got that look in his eyes, that tired and soured look. 

Wilbur and Technoblade were dragons and children blessed by the World, both of them born from volcanoes. Water, fire, lava and wind formed them, made them into physical forms, into warriors and guardians of this piece of land. Creatures born from the blessing of the world were rare, they didn’t exactly have a purpose but they knew they had to establish some kind of order. 

But being powerful creatures that had the domain of a large place and the trust of so many was a dangerous thing, a death wish. There were many who would give anything just for a little bit of the power they carried. For many years they keeped their ground safe, the four of them fought and did everything they could so not a single soul could destroy their home. 

However time passed, things changed. Blessed by the world or not, living creatures were as mortal as any mundane being. 

And last time was a close call, the outsiders brought a dragon with them, not as old as the twins but hard to deal with. The fight was ugly and it took too long to end, the other dragon made a pretty number of damages before Phil could finally take him down. Still, after that day, Techno's leg sometimes froze for no reason and he would feel terrible pain from the wound that was no longer there. Like a phantom haunting him. 

Maybe Wilbur felt the pain too, he was there when it happened. He saw everything. 

“Sorry.” He responded, not sure of what he was sorry for. 

Wilbur shaked his head softly and let a sigh escape his lips. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Techno. I just… I don’t know, be more careful.”

When both of them were just kids they didn’t understand why so many hated them, why they couldn’t sleep without worrying if someone would try to kill them. Then Philza and Sneeg arrived and things got easier, they got older, stronger. People never stopped trying, even when they made clear they wouldn’t fall so easily, but they weren’t alone anymore. 

They weren't alone. Techno wouldn’t let anything happen again. 

He had gone mining especially because of this, they need more protection. Weapons, things that could help them. So he mined, he built, he gave his people all the materials and taught them the basics of fighting. He wasn’t alone anymore. No one would get hurt again.

And now the egg. A new child, a dragon child that he swore he would protect. And it looked silly, to promise something to a thing that couldn’t even understand yet, but he swore it so he would do it. There is not going back on this. 

“I made a promise, in the cave.” He stared after some minutes in silence. The room was still a little tense from the conversation, but the brothers kept working on the nest non stop. “I said I would protect it.”

“Well, I guess I have to say it once again: You are an idiot.” Wilbur retorted with a little grin in his face, his tone making obvious that he wasn’t being serious. 

“It’s cute, Wilbur. You can’t exactly blame me.”

“It’s an egg, Technoblade. It’s not cute, it’s big and heavy and is demanding too much of my time already.” Wilbur dodge a deadly pillow coming to his face and said a incredule “Hey!” to the person that throwed it. 

“You volunteered to help me with the nest!”

They spent the rest of the evening fighting over little things and laughing while finishing Techno’s room to accommodate the new being. Sometimes they would catch the egg moving, twitching as it tried to follow the conversation. 

Techno thinks that the kid will love to talk and make many friends, just like WIlbur. He would teach him every word and every phrase and the little one would talk non stop. Phil would love it, the man loved a good chat. The picture with his family joining a conversation with his little protegee almost made him melt. He couldn’t wait for this. 

Patience. He told himself. First things first. 

After everything was done and the both of them kept talking close to the fireplace, Sneeg and Phil showed up in the room. Phil was with his famous glasses on and his hair tied in a little bun and Sneeg was flying slower than normal, both of them seemed a little tired. 

“Good to see that the two bastards were having fun while we both were working.” Sneeg said, flying straight to Techno’s shoulder. It was funny to see how such a small creature could hold so much anger in his tone. “At least you two finished the nest, good job I guess.”

“Thanks, we worked hard on it.” 

Sneeg didn’t retort to Wilbur, instead he sat comfortably on Techno’s shoulder and waited for Phil to also accommodate himself in the room. The winged human carried some books in his hand too, all of them seemed too old for Techno’s liking. 

“So while you two were having a little party, we were trying to see who’s dragon egg is this and if there is anyone that could possibly take it home when it hatches.”

Techno grunted for the last sentence. Why would they talk about it so soon? The baby couldn’t leave the house for some days anyway. 

“Yeah, yeah. I know, it is too soon. But we have to talk about it, Techno. We can not take care of a child, we need to find someone that can and knows how to.”

Phil took care of us. He wanted to say. I can do it too. But he didn’t respond, Sneeg was much wiser and much older. His opinion would always be first in the family. Techno was too impulsive for his own good, if he started a discussion now they wouldn’t listen to him and then he would lose what he wanted. Because of that he couldn’t oppose it, not yet. So he closed his mouth harshly, letting another angry sound escape but didn’t say another word. 

“We can have this talk later.” Phil said, interrupting Techno’s thoughts. “The most important thing at this moment is that we were looking for types of dragons that could lay an egg like this. We wanted to make sure of it’s species so we can take care of it properly.”

“And? What did you two find?” Wilbur asked. 

“Nothing.” 

There was a pause. Both of the twins stared at their father at the same time, waiting for him to explain. Phil looked like he lost a battle, maybe it was the age catching up with him or his ugly dad glasses. But his fingers tapped the books in his lap nervously, like they were to blame for the result. 

“We searched for it everywhere, boys. Sneeg even tried Bad’s library, but, yeah, we didn’t find anything. All we know is that it is certainly a dragon's egg.”

Techno looked at the egg laying in the nest they made for it. The dark scales with soft green light, the big size of it and the crack on the top. There was no doubt about it being from a dragon or not, those scales couldn’t fool no one. But he never saw any of his kind with this pattern. There wasn’t any dark scale dragon alive. 

“We will try to take care of it just like the majority of the eggs are taken care of. There always has to be someone to keep it company, the egg must stay warm, it can’t be moved around too much and absolutely no loud noises near it.”

“What if it is a water dragon?” Wilbur asked once again, his eyes now fixed on the egg. The fireplace next to it was still burning the wood they put earlier. 

“It would probably be dead by now.” Sneeg replied simply. It was true, water dragon’s eggs couldn’t survive on the surface for too much time. 

Even the thought of the baby not surviving gave Techno’s spine chills. 

“But it’s not dead so we can safely assume it isn’t from any mountain or sea dragon.” Phil said again, spreading his wings on the floor. He removed the old glasses and closed his eyes for a moment. “We have been really searching for it everywhere, since this morning. There is no register of an alive dragon that would lay an egg like this, anywhere. Is a bit scary.”

“It is, indeed, strange.” Wilbur comments. 

“We need to ask around. It was left in my territory, someone got to know something.”

“I agree.” Sneeg said, his little wings moving behind his back. “We should know who did this too, it’s an almost born baby, they were trying to kill it.” 

Now they were talking about something that really interested Techno.

“They should pay for it.” 

“Yes, but let’s be calm and reasonable here. We barely got out of a fight with a dragon, we need to be more careful now.” Phil was the voice of reason in the room, even when he was clearly tired. “I will put a team together to search, I know someone that could help us. But no blood till we get all the information we need. Is not only about if they deserve a punishment or not, but also why they did it in the first place.”

Techno grunted again. Who cares about the reason? No one sane would do this. They had communities, safe spaces where the person could let the egg to another one, but they decided to be cruel. Especially with an unspecified species. 

For all the Technoblade knew this criminal tried to kill an unprotected almost born dragon from an even more rare species than any other dragon species. It was unacceptable, unforgivable.  

“I’m not saying that we shouldn’t do something, Techno.” His father said with a calm tone, again trying to stop the impulsive child that he was. “We need to understand what we are dealing with first before judging it, alright?”

“...Alright, I guess.” But the moment they were finished with all this stuff, it would be over for the person, no matter who. 

“You seem attached to it.” Sneeg commented, still seated on his shoulder. “I can feel your irritation from here just because we mentioned going after the person that hurted it.” 

Oh, uh oh. 

“Well, yes. I found it in the middle of nowhere, almost dead, of course I’m going to try to protect it.” That was not a lie.

“Techno, don’t get too attached. I know this sounds bad and it’s not what you want to hear, but right now we don’t even know where this egg is from or if we have what it needs. Also, it wasn’t that long ago since the last attack we had in the borders. We may not be the ideal people to take care of it.” 

Something in Techno’s heart burned. He could feel it, the fire, the heat. It was increasing slowly and it was burning everything. Anger. It was not the worst time of anger he had sensed in his life, but it wasn’t quiet. He was overreacting, he knew that. Sneeg was stating facts but he couldn’t just accept them. 

Techno wanted to explain that it was not that easy. He couldn’t just let go of it, he wouldn’t do that. 

“Techno.” Phil called, voice low. A warning. “Calm down and think clearly. You are being impulsive.”

He was, Lord, he was being so impulsive. But everything inside him was screaming. Protect, keep, don’t let them take him away from you, he is important. 

He was making noises too, angry ones. It was a little monstrous, dragons tend to do it when something would treat them. Like a warning noise, don’t come closer or I will kill you. 

Don’t take what is mine or I will kill you.

“You can’t take him away.” 

“We won’t,” Sneeg replied, no longer on his shoulder. Now he was by Phil’s side, floating. He didn’t look scared even with Techno’s behavior, he looked annoyed to say at the least. “I’m asking for you to think a little bit. If you really care about this baby you will understand that it’s better to leave it with someone that can provide everything it’s needed than let it stay with us.” 

Sneeg was a dwarf dragon. He didn’t have more than 5 centimeters of height but he was ancient. Older than the twins, older than Philza himself. He was there when the first catastrophe happened, he was there when dragons were almost extinct and watched as the world healed from every disaster. Techno couldn’t beat Sneeg in anything, he never wanted to test it, but right in this moment he felt like this was a reminder. 

“Look at me and tell me that I’m wrong, Techno.”

Sneeg could and would beat Technoblade in a fight if it was necessary. 

“You are not.” And that was it. 

They didn’t talk about it later, Wilbur just gave him a stare and they moved on. It was simply not worth it, if he wanted to show that he could take care of it he would have to prove it. So after that, the four made a schedule to take care of the egg, Techno took most of the tasks and no one said anything against it. Later that same week Phil called Niki and Puffy, both dragons that could help them more. 

Niki was a sea dragon, she was one of the first people that Wilbur took care of when he was old enough to really guard his territory. She helped him in every way possible and was a really good friend of the family, if someone asked Techno she could be considered part of it already. Puffy on the other hand was a new addition, she was an earth dragon and stayed close to the community house on Techno’s territory. She was found hurt on the borders, running away from hunters.

When the two of them arrived they immediately made a fuss about it. They shot every question they had and were fascinated by the fact that the egg didn’t have a species. Niki said it was like a mystery to be solved. Phil and Sneeg continued to search about it and send people behind the one that caused all of this. 

For two weeks everything seemed too much. People would come to Techno constantly, afraid that another attack would happen. He didn’t stop building, he didn’t stop leading. He could do everything people asked, lead, guard, protect; and still, Techno didn’t leave the egg alone for too long. Puffy said he was overworking himself, but he ignored it. Techno listened to every advice that Puffy gave and every single thing that Niki teached him, he could do it. 

For two weeks, he made a routine. Wake up, check the egg, clean the nest, do his chores, spend the rest of the day in his room watching it and building weapons. Niki and Puffy stayed and helped him with the egg, Wilbur helped him with the people. He worked, he did everything right. 

“I won’t go back on my promise.” He said in a whisper. It was 4 am and there were only two beings in his room, one of them wasn’t even born yet. “You won’t go anywhere.” 

He was tired. Oh, Lord, he was so tired. 

But Puffy said it would hatch soon, so he couldn’t sleep. The egg was impressively bigger and the scales were soft, delicate. Like it was ready to be destroyed, to be ripped apart. And Techno’s anxiety was on the roof. He could only imagine, the baby was going to be so small and so fragile. Would he even have the courage to hold him? Oh, Lord, what if he dropped his child?! 

He shook his head hard. No, no more absurd thoughts. He trained, he asked Puffy and Niki everything. Puffy herself had two kids, everything was going to be fine. Yeah… yeah! He got this. He was going to prove to Sneeg that he could take care of it. He could be a good guardian and take care of his kid. 

His kid. It was what he was feeling, his mind screamed it since the first time he holded the egg. Your child, your kid, you need to protect it. Techno holded the egg again in a gentle embrace, his temperature adapting to the heat of it. 

“I can’t wait to really meet you.” How could one love someone so much that they never met? Techno’s little dragon brain couldn’t process it and he didn’t care either. 

He was going to love his child for infinity, he was sure of it. 

And then, in the silence of his room, at 4 am, he heard it. A crack. 

Maybe his child couldn’t wait anymore to meet him, too.

Chapter Text

There were some moments in Techno’s life where he thought it was the end of the line, that we wouldn’t be able to make it out alive. Sometimes these moments passed so slowly that he could see everything clearly for some seconds. The fire in his heart increased at an extreme speed and the lava in his body became unbearable, like it would tear him apart. Phil once said that it was anxiety, but Techno liked the idea that it was death calling his name. 

He felt this for the first time when some hunters caught Wilbur. They were alone, young dragons that couldn’t do much without help. He became desperate and the idea of losing his brother made him explode, literally. He remembers the fire of that day, the smell of the dead bodies. It was terrible. 

But this time it was different. It wasn’t a fight or flight situation, it didn’t make his heart beat in anger and frustration. He felt fear, absolute terror, but most of all; he felt love. 

When Techno heard the first crack he immediately got up to call for Niki and Puffy, both came running to help and soon the rest of his family was also there. Wilbur and Sneeg didn’t last long awake though, too early in the morning and it was not like they could do much since both of them had no experience with this kind of stuff. And like that, while Niki, Puffy, Phil and Techno did their best to make the hatching process as smooth and safe as possible, Wilbur and Sneeg slept on Techno’s bed. No one disturbed them. 

The hatching process wasn’t quick, eggs could take hours to fully hatch and sometimes they would have to interfere to help the little one get out of his shell. It was stressful, to say the least. 

His wings didn’t stop shuffling, trying to release the tension in his body. His mind was a mix of joyful screams and all the bad possibilities of what might happen. He couldn't focus on anything if not the kid, he would keep his promise and protect it no matter what. Techno tried to capture every moment and print it forever in his memories, he felt like he would never forget that day even if he tried. 

At 5 am they could see a little hand trying to break through all the stuff around it. And, Lords, it was so small. He wanted to hold it, to take it off the shell already and hug it tight. Phil had to hold him back, put a hand on his arm and made him stay exactly where he was. 

“Stay calm, mate. You will burn the room this way.” Oh, yeah he forgot he could burn things if his temperature was too high. Yeah, right, he had to calm down. He could do this. 

“Sorry… Nervous.” It’s the only thing he says trying to breathe properly. That’s why his house was made with obsidian blocks on the base. Sometimes controlling his own temper was a tricky thing. 

Phil giggled a little, his wings moving with him. Techno nervousness didn’t let him laugh with his dad but Phil’s smile definitely calmed him down a little more, it was a reminder that everything was going to be fine. 

“It’s ok, I understand you.” He moved closer to Techno, holding his hand and squeezing it in a comfortable way. “I have felt like that too.” 

“When?” He asked because that couldn’t be right. Techno felt like the whole world was going to combust if he didn’t see that baby alive and well in the next hour. Phil certainly didn’t understand that feeling. 

But his father gave the most sincere smile he had ever seen, like he just remembered a sweet memory. “When I first met you and your brother.”  His blue eyes glowed a little while he responded. “I felt the same way.”

It took somes seconds for Technoblade to understand and when he did he squished his dad’s hand in return. His mind screamed: family, protect, don’t let go, family, family, part of the family. Phil didn’t leave his side for the rest of it. 

The next hour consisted of tiny hands breaking the egg scales along with the skin and placenta. Niki and Puffy did basically all the work since the two of them were the only ones that had seen an egg before and could actually help, the two of them helped the little one break some scales that were too hard and removed some stuff in the way. 

It was 7 in the morning when Ranboo was born. 

Techno was the first one to hold him. No questions asked. He was scared, lords, he was so fucking scared. The baby wasn’t just small, he was fragile and so delicate. He held him like his life depended on it, heart racing so fast and the only thing he could think was don’t let him fall. The moment he placed the baby next to his chest he felt the pair of tails curling around his arm and he couldn’t hold a little gasp from it. He felt like he would cry. 

His mind could only process that this small being was putting trust in someone that he didn’t even really know yet. It was a small move, an innocent thing, but it really shook Techno’s heart a little bit. However, the next thing he could process was the crying, the loud scream that such a small thing could make was indeed impressive, but he got desperate as soon as it started. 

"It 's ok, Techno! Don’t be scared, he is fine.” Niki told him as soon as she saw the look in his face. “He is just overwhelmed, you didn’t do anything wrong! This is a good sign, actually.” 

A good sign? The baby was screaming! “Oh… Ok, that’s- That’s fine, that’s good.” Techno managed to say, holding him close. He wasn’t desperate, no, not at all!

“Keep holding him, soon he will stop and calm down.” Puffy said while giving him a red blanket with fluffy fur on the board. “And put this around him, it’s too cold for a baby.” Techno didn’t even wait for her to finish the sentence, putting the blanket carefully around the tiny body.

The new being in his arms screamed and cried till he woke up Wilbur and Sneeg who were immediately shocked by the scene and gathered around Techno like the rest of the room. Wilbur was tremendously upset with the fact that he slept through it all and was also very emotional that his brother was now the responsible for a child. He kept saying how he was proud and sorry for losing the big moment. Techno didn’t blame him, he didn’t really feel bad that Wilbur lost the “big moment”, his entire family was there with him and that’s all that really mattered. 

It also didn’t take long for the baby to calm down and stop screaming. The more Techno talked, the more he stopped crying and eventually the baby only made some cute noises here and there. Meanwhile Puffy, at some point, took a fruit out of the bag with things that she had brought to help them and handed it to Techno after they made sure the baby wasn’t going to go back on having a breakdown. 

“He doesn't have teeths yet so we give it to him, since he doesn’t have a mother it’s what we can provide.” An angry thought passed through Techno’s mind but he swallowed it. “Also he will be hungry soon so don’t wait too long to give it.”

The fruit had a funny texture in his hand, it was like it could dissolve easily. He didn’t really know what it was, but as Puffy said it was safe for the baby and it was what they could provide since they didn’t really have milk. Techno gave it slowly and very carefully, listening to Puffy and Niki’s orders while he was doing it. Both of them said that Techno was doing a pretty good job till now and it made him a bit better. He was still extremely afraid of doing something wrong, but the words of encouragement lifted his spirit. 

While he was feeding the little one, his family kept chattering very softly. Phil didn’t leave his side and Wilbur took the free one, Sneeg sitting on his shoulder. All of them looked very closely at everything Techno was doing and made little comments on the baby’s movements. 

“What’s his name?” Sneeg asked after a while, sounding a little emotional. Deep down the ancient dragon was a big softie just like the rest of them. 

“Ranboo.” Techno said in a whisper. “The sky made a rainbow when he got out of the egg.” He explained looking at the new member of his family, gently passing his thumb on the chubby cheeks. 

The entire room made a fond noise and Wilbur even screamed in a low voice. 

“Mate, that’s really cute.” Phil said and everyone agreed. 

Techno huffed softly, shaking his head. He thought that it was funny so many feared his family when every single one of them was falling for every single little gesture a little baby was making. 

“Ranboo likes your voice.” Wilbur commented, making a move to slowly brush the little one’s strand of hair. “He makes this small smile every time you say something.” 

“Oh? I… I didn’t realize. Oh, that’s- That’s…” Fucking adorable. “Very cool, I think."

“I think he heard you talking too much when he was inside of the egg and now your voice is like… Soothing or something like this.” Wilbur’s wings shifted a little to embrace 

“I don’t… I don’t think that this is possible?” Techno turned his face to Puffy and Niki. “Is it?”

Now that things were more calm and Techno could really take his time to see both of his helpers, they really looked exhausted. He almost felt bad to bring them to all of this, but he wouldn’t change a thing. All of them were tired, but they did a good job. 

“Well… It’s nothing concrete, but when I was hatching my son I talked about waffles the entire time and now it’s like, his favorite food so.. I don’t know, maybe it is.”

Oh, well. Could this baby stop being so cute already? 

The answer was no, he couldn’t. With only some minutes of life, Ranboo was the cutest thing Techno had ever seen, although he didn’t really look like any other dragon Techno had ever seen. The little boy had two different skin colors, his left side was dark purple toned, almost black, and his right side was light purple toned, very close to white. His chubby cheeks had little spots with the color of the other side, the same had happened with the baby’s hair, even if there was almost no hair yet the difference of colors on each side was kinda funny.  

And his eyes, oh, lord, his eyes were so pretty. Ranboo had heterochromia, (of course he had heterochromia), but surprisingly it wasn’t dark and light purple. His left eye was green, emerald green, and the right eye was red, like scarlett red. Sneeg said something about it being strange and Wilbur said how it was beautiful. It really was. 

Ranboo didn’t have wings, which was certainly a thing everyone noticed at first glance. Some dragons weren’t born with wings and develop them later in life, others didn’t have wings at all. Techno hoped it was the last one, growing wings was one of the most painful things one could go through. Phil and Techno knew that much. 

But he wasn’t really concerned about Ranboo’s species, he was so sure that no matter what he would do anything to protect this child that this information wasn’t really important for him. Sneeg surely disagreed since he was gone searching for more, Phil and Wilbur stayed and helped clean the room, build a new nest. Puffy and Niki also helped them and gave Techno more tasks to do, but both soon had to go back to their rooms to rest. Phil said that if he wanted to, he could rest while he watched the baby and Techno said “no” like the stubborn man he was. 

“Your arms will hurt if you keep holding him, Techno.” Phil said at some point, sounding worried. “And you have to rest, you didn’t sleep nor eat this whole time.”

Techno’s wings twitched and his tail hit the floor, loudly. He was fine.

“I am fine.” 

“You should stop lying.” Wilbur said, falling dramatically on the bed where Techno was seated still with Ranboo in his arms. “Your eyes do not lie.” 

“I. am. fine.” He repeated slowly and impetialy. He was being difficult, he knew that but really couldn’t sleep now. Not now. 

Phil made a face to that. He sat next to Techno again, a place he had been all day and just left to clean the room. His right wing embraced Techno’s body, putting him closer. Phil’s wings were different from dragon’s wings, they were bird-like, he had feathers. Which meant they were warmer, a good place to be under when it was cold and you needed a hug. 

Phil made a gesture to Wilbur lay his head on his lap and the younger did not waste a single second, changing his position to be near the two of them and lay his head on his father’s lap. The room was quiet even though it was sunny outside the house and they should be pretty much doing work.

“What are you worried about, Techno?” Phil breaked the silence, his voice was very calm and low.  If Techno closed his eyes it would be a good sound to sleep listening to, but he wouldn’t because he was not tired. 

“Nothing.” 

“Then why don’t you rest a little bit? Ranboo is fine, he is fed, he is sleeping, Niki and Puffy said he was healthy. It’s fine, Techno, I will keep a watch on him, I promise it to you.” 

Wilbur made a sound agreeing with their dad, his eyes were already closed and Techno wouldn’t be surprised if Wilbur slept again. He would judge his brother if it wasn’t for Phil’s hand on his hair, he didn’t even know when the old man started playing with his hair but damn, it was so calming and comfy. Suddenly his eyes were very, very heavy and he hated that. 

“I can’t, I can’t sleep… Stop playing with my hair-” 

“Why can’t you?” Phil retorted, removing his hand from Techno’s hair and putting it on Wilbur’s hair instead. It did not make Techno’s eyes stop threatening to close. “Give me a good reason and I will stop insisting.” 

He didn’t have one good reason for Phil. It made sense for him, but his father would certainly say he was wrong. And maybe he was, maybe it was paranoia building up already. Either way he would have to say something, Techno was a stubborn man, but his dad could beat him easily in this game.

“I… You, you and Sneeg will take him away.” He started, words coming out carefully. Technoblade didn’t want to sound desperate because he wanted them to know he deserved it, this tiny little thing. He was ready, he really was. Techno could take the responsibility and do whatever it took just to still have the child in his arms. He didn’t want to sound desperate, but only Lords knew that he was shaking. “I know you two are seeking the best for the family, the best for him. But… but you can’t, you can’t take him away from me like that.” 

Wilbur snapped his eyes open from this and Phil freezed for a second. Great, he did something stupid. Techno closed his eyes, embarrassed. This was going to be bad. 

“Oh… Oh, Techno, look at me.” Phil placed his two hands on Techno’s cheek and the boy did what his father asked, looking helpless. He was helpless. “You really thought we would take him away from you without even asking you first?” 

Something inside Techno breaked. He was so tired, he didn’t sleep and the day was so stressful already. It was not only about Ranboo being born but the fear that came after it. He promised he would protect Ranboo at any cost and he meant it. He spent the last weeks proving over and over again how he was ready for it, he learned and he practiced and made it happen. He kept the egg safe, the nest clean, the room warm. He did everything.

And it still didn’t look enough. Even now, with his little baby in the arms. 

“I just… I was scared, I think. That you guys- That you would find someone better than me. And I want his best, Phil, I really do, but I… I can be good, too.” 

Wilbur was the first to make a movement, hugging Techno and putting his brother’s head on his shoulder. Phil soon joined in, hugging both of them and closing his wings around his sons, the whispered apologies for letting Techno think like that and promises that no one was going to do nothing with Ranboo. 

In the end Techno did end up sleeping, meanwhile Phil and Wilbur stayed with the little one. When Sneeg appeared again late that night he didn’t mention anything and no one commented on it either. Techno rested with a calm heart, trusting on Phil’s promise. 

The first three days passed slowly like that, they kept rotating who would watch the baby while the others would do some work or rest. They didn’t let anyone visit yet since the baby was too young, Niki wanted to make sure he would be healthier enough to go outside in a few weeks.  

Techno reduceded his work to a minimum to keep taking care of the baby. Phil took his place and started a new form of defense on the borders of his territory, just like the discussion before all of this. There weren't any threats near but since the last battle they didn’t want to risk anything, especially now. The last thing Techno wanted was another invasion or hunters. His blood boiled only by thinking of that. 

Anyway, by the end of the third day with a new baby dragon in their community, when Techno was alone in the room and Ranboo was sleeping in the new nest they made, Sneeg entered without knocking. Sneeg didn’t really need to knock, he could pass through walls and physical materials which was a little weird at first, but Techno was used by now.

“Hey.” Techno greeted closing the book he was reading, old man’s glasses covering his eyes. 

“Hey.” Sneeg replied, sitting on top of the book. He sighed before continuing. “We need to talk.”

Chapter Text

When Sneeg and Phil found the twins, both were only kids. There weren't any territory or scary big dragons with powers that could easily kill hundreds, just children trying to survive. They didn’t have parents - Being blessed by Mother Nature had its contrapoints, and all they knew was to run and hide. 

Phil was quick to take care of the two, he built a house, a small one, so they didn’t have to sleep inside a volcano anymore. He hunted for food and cooked it for the boys, he told them historys, teached them about the stars and made them feel safe. Sneeg, on the other hand, didn’t lower his walls too soon. He knew what dragons like them could do, he saw it, that was a reason he searched for the twins in the first place. 

In the very beginning Sneeg avoided everything that could make him bond with the kids, he stayed far away and watched as if he was analyzing something. One day he and Phil had a major fight, Techno and Wilbur didn’t understand much since both didn’t know many human words, but it was loud and ugly. After that, Sneeg magically started helping them too, Phil seemed to have won the discussion, whatever that was. 

The dwarf dragon had a soft heart, in the end. He would do for them what Phil couldn’t, he taught them to control their powers, to understand their instincts, how to hunt, how to live as a dragon in a place that would never really accept them. If Phil was their dad, Sneeg was definitely their uncle or something close to this. 

And Techno admired him for years, respected him above all. But right in this moment he felt like he could easily do something he would regret later. 

Ranboo was sleeping very peacefully on his side, in the nest. And Techno was very aware of this fact, was very aware that his baby was right there, sleeping, and he hoped it would continue like that in this conversation. 

Sneeg looked very serious, he was small but terrifying when he made that face. He tapped the book where he was sitting and sighed again. Wings flapping very fast behind him. 

“There were older dragons generations before mine. Way before humans even existed and when spirit creatures could still travel between worlds. Some of these dragons were from other dimensions, legends say, that they were so much more powerful than every earth-born dragon.” He started with a very low voice, dark circles under his eyes. “That’s what a legend says, a fairytale that people passed through the years. That’s what I found about dragons with dark purple and light purple skin color.” 

Techno’s heart skipped a beat, something inside him still scared, still ready to do something dangerous and the other part extremely curious. 

He lifted his head and removed his glasses. “So? What do you think about it?” 

“That it is bullshit, honestly.” he crossed his arms rolling his eyes to the back of his head. “Humans like to make up stories like this to scare little children. I don’t really think Ranboo has anything to do with ancient dragons, this would be impossible.” He made a face at the end of the sentence, like he was tired. Techno couldn’t blame him, they were all working hard to make things work well and Sneeg was seen going from place to place in the past three days, probably still looking for answers. “I told Phil that we should go after the person who left him in the cave as soon as possible, they are the only one that knows better about the baby. I’m hoping that you will help us with this.”

Oh, that was actually great news to him. The plan to immediately go after that person was slowed down due to Ranboo’s birth and all the things they had to take care of. But he didn’t forget about it. There is one person out there that tried to kill this baby and this person deserves punishment.

“Yeah- Yeah, of course. We can talk about it when Niki arrives here.”  

Sneeg nodded. “Good, I thought you would agree with this.” He let a small laugh out, but quickly returned to a more serious pose again. “Now, we have to talk about a more delicate topic.” 

Techno tensed again. His wings automatically spread a little bit and Sneeg made a hand sign for him to stop. He made a loud noise to that but sat still, waiting. He would not lose this baby, that’s for sure. 

“Let me speak first, then you can throw your little tantrums. I am not here to fight you, Techno, really. I will listen too, just hear me first, ok?” 

He wanted to be petty, to say something back, but that was his dumb side speaking. He didn’t want to fight either. Techno always hated having discussions with his family, but Ranboo now was also his family. Wilbur knew that, Phil knew that, Sneeg had to know that too. But instead of screaming and crying like a little kid, Techno crossed his arms and made a move with his head to Sneeg to proceed. 

“I looked for some families these past three days. Older dragons that had experience with kids and could protect him. I had personally met every single one and talked with them. Two of these families live very close to your territory, we could visit them any time. The others are a bit far away, but in protected areas. Places that don't have wars or people trying to hunt them every time.” 

Safe place. Away from here. 

He looked at the baby sleeping right by his side. So small, so peaceful. But not safe. Not here, not with Technoblade. People wanted him dead, wanted his entire family gone. If they got the chance to burn his entire territory til nothing else stood, they would take it without thinking twice. 

Techno thought about the last incident, about the dragon that they had to deal with. He did not have the injury anymore, but his leg sometimes still felt the pain of teeths meeting his skin and bones. It was a close call, which made him and WIlbur rethink about the way they were protecting their territories. However he could take care of things like this, he was a guardian and it was his job so of course injuries like this would be overcome quickly.

But Ranboo… he was only a baby, barely born. 

“I know it is not what you want. But I want you to think about it carefully, Techno.” Sneeg interrupted his thoughts, voice careful and very sympathetic, like he understood the difficult situation Techno was in. “You want the best for him and I will follow your judgment, what you decide I will support it, no matter what.” 

Then there was a moment of silence in Techno's room. Suddenly he was aware of everything and nothing at the same time. Too many thoughts running through his mind, thousands of possibilities playing over and over again. He could feel the heat in his blood starting to pick up, anxiety knocking at his door and entering without permission. 

He was helpless. It was not the first time he felt this way, but it didn’t make it any better. 

Technoblade was a leader, a protector. Known for his power and strength. He never let any creature with bad intentions cross his limits, he kept his people safe for years. So many trusted him, so many were willing to follow every decision he made. But in the end he was no different than any other living creature with emotions. Fear and anxiety were both things that could eat any man alive, even the worst of them. 

The fire dragon was scared for the life of his baby. Scared that he wouldn’t be enough to keep him safe and in a good place to grow up. He wanted to scream, “Yes, of course Ranboo is in the best place he could be!”, but both him and Sneeg knew that it was a lie. 

He was torn apart, mind already hurting from all the thoughts. But he wouldn’t make a decision now, this was not about him, not about how he felt. It was about Ranboo and his future, so he had to think about this carefully to not make something he would regret later. 

“Don’t worry about giving me a response right now.” The smallest dragon said, flying away from the book he was sitting on. “I want you to really think about it and talk to everyone you judge helpful on this decision, it’s a hard thing to decide so don’t say something without analyzing your options first.” 

Techno nodded but more like an automatic response than actually listening to Sneeg. His head was in another place, playing with different scenarios and outcomes. He didn’t even realize when Sneeg left the room, leaving only for him and his baby. 

His baby. He made a promise, he needed to keep it no matter what. 

____________

He spent the day doing work. He had gone to the village nearby and helped them with their farm; he distributed the resources he got to the villagers and made some trades. People came and congratulated him for the new baby, apparently word running fast among his people. He smiled and didn’t say anything more, not really wanting to think about it. 

Sneeg’s words were haunting him worse than every nightmare he ever had, chores were his distraction from it or else he would go insane. 

Puffy had to return to her home, her two kids waiting for her close to the beach, where they lived. Niki stayed and she would be the one taking care of Ranboo when everyone else was working or needing some help. Techno didn’t like the idea of leaving Ranboo and if it depended on him he would never leave his house, but his thoughts became too much. He didn’t sleep that night and didn’t eat anything in the last 6 hours, so Techno decided to occupy his day. 

Got up early and flyed to every village near them. He even attended some villagers' silly requests like helping a cat get out of the top of an tree or deciding the best dress for a bride. Really, he was accepting anything to forget the decision that was waiting for him. 

“You are good with kids.” A red-haired woman said to him, he was in the second nearest village from his house playing with some children that helped him collect the carrots from their farm. She approached him the moment he got out of the children's circle, still laughing about the little ones.  “Heard you just had a baby, you are going to be a good father.” 

Father. 

This hurted so much more than it should.

“Many would disagree with you.” He said ignoring the pain in his heart. Father, father, father, his mind screamed but he forced it to drop it. He had yet to make a decision. 

“I don’t think I’m like the others.” her eyes glowed, a vibrant red magic behind them. Powerful, old magic. A witch. “My name is Lua, by the way.” She offered her hand to him, a kind smile in her face. 

Huh. Techno throwed his head to the side and shook her hand. He met humans that played with magic before, some more dangerous than others, but he knew for sure that no one that stayed in his territory had true bad intentions. He personally made sure of it. 

“You can see the future.” It was a statement with a little bit of hope. Only a witch that could see the future would say something like that with so much surrance. 

“It's different possibilities, yes.” She corrects, her eyes fixed on the kids still playing in the farm behind them. “There is no way of seeing the exact future, Technoblade.” 

“So you probably know that I have to make a choice.”

“I do, I know that you are struggling to find the right path. But I do not have a right answer for you.” Her words immediately killed all the hope and expectation that Techno had, he wanted a firm decision for him, the only right thing to do without having to think too much and ending up choosing the wrong thing. But nothing can come so easily. “I can see both happiness and disaster in any choice you and your family decide to make, there is no right and wrong here. The future doesn’t depend on only one factor.” 

“How will I know what is the right thing to do, then?”

“You won’t.” Lua turned her head to him once again, the kind smile never leaving her lips. “You have to follow your heart, I’m afraid.” 

Well, that wasn’t helpful at all. But before he could say something she laughed, red curly hair flying along with the wind. 

“I’m not here to help.” Her voice was light, like she found something very funny. “I just know that you are very good with kids and that you love this baby. I know you would give anything to give the best for him and that already makes you the best dad he could have, even if it’s temporary.” 

Best dad. 

These two words stayed in his head all the way back to their little place, where he and his family stayed with their houses together in a little community. Lua's voice echoed in the back of his mind like a constant reminder. He wanted things to work so bad, he would do anything to give Ranboo the best life possible. But he was so unsure, what if all of his efforts were for nothing? What if it made Ranboo’s life miserable? 

Techno had millions of doubts and thoughts but all of them were stopped by a loud scream. It was Wilbur. 

“Techno! Fucking- Thank Lords, you are here. I looked for you everywhere , but I couldn’t find you! And, and Phil kept telling me to find you and Ranboo-”

“What?” He interrupted his brother immediately, taking heavy and quick steps walking towards the water dragon. “What happened to him? Is he ok? Where is he?”

He kept shooting questions and walking to his house, Wilbur following him at the same time. His twin looked distressed and worried and afraid, all at once. And Techno started to feel that burning anxiety again, a feeling that he hated with all of his being. 

“He is- He is… Look, Techno, we really tried everything, ok? Everything! Promise you won’t get angry, please.” 

If Wilbur’s job was to calm Techno down, he did a pretty shit job. 

Techno immediately started to run to his room, despair in his face and worry all over his mind. Please be safe, he repeated it like a mantra. Lords, he would not forgive anyone if something had happened, especially himself. 

Wilbur kept mumbling behind him while they runned through the living room and climbed the stairs. Techno didn’t give him attention, he heard one or two disconnected words like “crying” and “help” but didn’t process the whole sentence. When they reached the hall to his room he heard it; a loud sharp cry from a baby. His baby. It broke his heart. 

He didn’t remember his exact actions, everything was blurred from the moment he heard his little one crying, he entered the room in a blink of an eye and just stopped to find his baby in his father’s arms. The small face was red and swollen from screaming and fat tears were running through his cheeks. In the background Techno heard someone, probably Niki, relieved that he was finally there, but he also did not give it attention. His body moved automatically to where Phil was standing, arms reaching the tiny kid and Phil giving to him very carefully. 

He held Ranboo close to his chest, hugging him like he was trying to protect him from all the bad things in the world. His own heart was heavy, feeling the pain in the cry of the little one. It was so loud, so agonizing. He knew that babies could do that for little things because they didn’t know how to deal with emotions yet, everything was too new and big for them, but he couldn’t help but feel helpless. The suffering of a baby was still suffering in the end. 

“-and he started crying non stop.” When Techno senses came back Niki was in the middle of a sentence, she looked very serious and also worried. He blinked twice to try to focus better, the crying being muffled in his shirt. 

"What?''. 

“When he woke up after you left I tried to give him food, but he refused and started crying. I… We tried everything, Techno, but he just didn’t stop.” Niki said and every word exalted frustration towards herself, like she failed an important task. “I didn’t know what to do anymore.”

“Is he hurt?”.

“No, we checked, mate.” Phil was the one to reply, looking as sorry as Niki was. “I came here right in the moment Niki called for help but couldn’t do anything, too.” 

“He is perfectly fine physically. I don’t know what happened.”

Techno nodded to them. He wasn’t angry or irritated, he knew it was no one's fault. But at the same time he knew exactly what he needed to do. So he didn’t say a word back, focusing only at Ranboo again. 

He sat on his bed, back touching the pillows that were thrown around. He started to bounce the baby in his arms very, very lightly and gave a very low and calm “shh” before starting to whisper a song. He could see his twin making a grin at him for singing one of his songs, but he did not mind. Wilbur had great songs and literally no one could blame him. 

Soon they heard the silence reing the place again, only Techno’s voice filling the room. The fire dragon wanted to laugh at their faces, Phil looked like he aged another fifty years and Niki was ready to pass out at any moment. It was like magic. 

Techno made sure his body temperature was hot enough to be comfortable and cozy for the little one and it did seem to get good results since his baby started waving his little tail, even if very slowly and tiredly. The fire dragon had to fight the urge to laugh at the scene, it was too cute for him, but he resisted and didn’t stop humming the song. 

Niki was the one to make the first move, giving Techno the food that Ranboo was supposed to have eaten a while ago. Techno gave it very carefully and the baby ate everything as he was probably really hungry. After this it didn’t take long for him to fall asleep once again, all the crying and screaming having exhausted the shit out of him.

“I guess he just missed his father.” Wilbur said in a quiet tone to not wake Ranboo, but seemed relieved and tired at the same time. Techno couldn’t imagine the despair the three of them were in before he arrived.

Wait, Wilbur said what. 

“Who?”

“You, his father. He missed you.” Wilbur repeated like he didn’t realize the weight of his words. The water dragon threw himself in the bed mattress in front of Techno and closed his eyes dramatically, mumbling about how kids were too much work. 

Techno didn’t say anything but his mind froze for a bit, not being able to process the whole day. All the events that happened in the last 12 hours and Wilbur’s phrase suddenly looked like too much. He got out all day to get some fresh air and forget about every problem but somehow he just made it worse. 

He looked at Ranboo, his littles hands grabbed his shirt while he slept, fluffy light and dark hair covering his closed eyes. He didn’t want to give up, didn’t want to let other people, other family, take care of his baby. But he wasn’t the right choice either. He was impulsive, he was dumb and there was danger wherever he went. He didn’t want Ranboo to go through this, the kid deserved the best and only the best. 

“Techno?” It was Phil’s voice saving him from his own mind. “Is everything ok?”. 

He held the baby closer, hugged him in a protective manner. Not from his father or the others in the room, but from the world. For the first time he wished things were different in his life. 

“I’m not his father.” It was supposed to be a statement, but it came out like a melancholic announcement. He felt like he was defeated, like he lost a battle. 

If anyone had something to comment about it, they didn’t. Phil quickly changed the subject and the three of them ate dinner later that night that the winged human himself made. Techno didn’t leave Ranboo’s side at any moment, something telling him that if he did the baby might disappear. 

___________

“You look so fucking terrible.”

Wilbur was always one blessed with the ability to choose the best words to express himself, opposed to Technoblade who hated expressing any feelings at all. Somehow Wilbur’s talent never applied to Techno. 

He huffed and closed the door of his house the moment Wilbur started to make himself comfortable around this living room. It’s been officially a week since Ranboo was born and Wilbur decided to spend his entire day with them, celebrating. Usually Techno wouldn’t mind but the problem was that he wasn’t fine. He tried to be, he gave his best since Niki also had to go back to her house, however his best wasn’t enough. 

To be honest? He was a fucking mess. He didn’t sleep much, he didn’t eat much, he couldn’t focus on the work that Phil made him do since he couldn’t get out of the house. Above all of these things Sneeg had found him just to say he should give a response soon so they could talk with the families. Everything he did made his mind spiral in anxiety and fear and the only moments he found himself being calm and happy was when he had to take care of Ranboo. 

Things were not good and he was ashamed to ask for help at this point. So he didn’t, he swallowed everything and kept going. Still, Wilbur was his twin and nothing escaped from him. 

“Hello for you too, Wilbur.” His response was sarcastic but with no true anger behind it. “It’s too early.”

“I told you I was going to spend the entire day with my new favorite dragon. I’m here to celebrate! Where is he?” 

Techno waved his hand to the little basket near the fireplace. Ranboo played with a wooden toy that some villagers gave to Techno the other day. They have been receiving a lot of presents lately. The word of the grand blessed guardian having a son spread faster than fire. It didn't feel right, but Technoblade didn’t have the heart to tell them he was not Ranboo’s father. Plus it meant Ranboo was loved by his people and now had a lot of new toys and clothes, so he really didn’t complain. 

Wilbur immediately sat in front of the baby and started talking about his day and some nonsense stories in a funny way that made Ranboo laugh like he understood every word. Techno took the chance to prepare something for him to eat and rest a little bit. He really was in a terrible shape, exhaustion present in every muscle of his. His last memory was laying on the couch listening to Wilbur telling a story about a golden dragon that took control of a kingdom. After that, his body shut down and fell asleep. 

He dreamed about a dark place, it was like a void with no where to go. He could see some white little dots but they seemed too far for him to reach and running didn’t take him anywhere. He tried flying, tried screaming, tried putting fire on everything, but nothing changed. He woke up with a roar of an unknown creature from his dream and a bad headache.

“Hey.” That was Wilbur 's voice. “You are finally awake.”

Techno grunted, still laying down on his own couch. Wilbur was in the armchair next to him, Ranboo in his arms probably sleeping. Something about his brother holding his baby made his heart warm, his nearly awake mind screaming ‘ family, safe, family’ non-stop.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Head. Hurt”. It was what he managed to say and Wilbur made a face to that. Out of both of them, Wilbur was always the one to be more sensitive, especially when they were sick. Techno didn’t even have to guess where this conversation was going to lead. 

“Do you want something to help the pain?” 

Techno shaked his head without making too much movement. “I’m fine, don’t worry.” He wasn’t, but the less they talked about it the better it was for him. 

Wilbur sighed loudly, his tail started to tap the ground fast and strong. His wings just didn’t twitch nervously because of the armchair pressing his back. And still the tallest could see how nervous the other was, the hands playing subconsciously with the little baby’s hand. 

“You're not.” He said in a way that didn’t leave room for Techno to retort. It was the truth, he wasn’t fine and Wilbur wouldn’t accept more lies about it. “Phil's worried too” 

The thought of his brother and his father talking about him and his behavior in the last few days made Techno cringe, they were both probably waiting for him to say something. He was too stubborn for that, though. 

"It's nothing.” He said simply but it wouldn’t satisfy Wilbur.

“It’s about what Sneeg said to you, isn’t it? About deciding if Ranboo should go to another family.” 

Damn, he hitted the nail with too much precision this time. 

“Wil…”

“I say that this is bullshit.” Wilbur said the last word in a whisper, covering Ranboo’s ears with his hand. Techno snorted, knowing that his brother didn’t see the two sides of the coin to say such a thing. “It is! You have been doing such a great job this entire week, even after that you were amazing already. And you can’t lie about Ranboo having a connection with you, too. He can’t go longer than 10 minutes without his dad in the same room or he will start to cry. He loves you Techno.” 

The fire dragon felt like his mind was about to explode. Too tired to really argue with Wilbur in a cohesive manner. He didn’t like it either, but for Ranboo’s best future he would do it. 

“This… This isn’t about if he loves me or not. Our territory isn't safe, he would be in danger here.” 

“You are Techno the fucking Blade, there is a reason people run to you for protection. There is a reason your territory is so big, there is a reason people trust you to defend them.” Wilbur’s voice sounded desperate, trying to convince Techno at any cost. It only made his head hurt more. “You told me yourself, Tech. You promised in that cave that you would protect this baby no matter what, and I know you will do a pretty damn good job on it.”

He wanted it, he wanted it so bad. He sometimes imagined a future teaching Ranboo just like Phil and Sneeg did to him. Showing him their territories, teaching him about his powers and his place in the world, seeing him grow in his own person, becoming independent at some point. But these fantasies of his mind were quickly destroyed with the thought of a war. Of fire and destruction and people taking Ranboo away from him, hurting him. 

He couldn’t let this happen, he wouldn’t. 

“My promise it's why I’m doing it, Wilbur. Last time that guy broke my leg, I couldn’t protect you in time. Phil had to do something for me, because I failed. And these guys are out there, probably thinking about a new way to invade and try to kill us.” He sat abruptly on the couch rubbing his hands on his face, waking up forcibly with anger. It was not to be towards Wilbur, but to the situation itself. “I can’t let my mess get to him, they are after me because of who I am. He shouldn’t be in the middle of this.”

His twin was ready to reply back, keeping the arguments, but was interrupted by a loud scream and then a cry. The baby in his arms waking up with tears in his eyes already, little tail jumping up and down. Techno’s brain forgot everything they were discussing and rushed to Wilbur’s side, taking Ranboo from his arms. 

The effect was almost immediate, he grabbed Techno’s shirt and he stopped his crying while in the middle of another loud scream. He kept whining and with tears running down his face, but was calm and let Techno sing for him. 

“I think he had a nightmare.” Wilbur said observing the two. “He is scared.” 

Techno did the same technique he did to calm Ranboo down, humming and making his temperature warm enough for the baby to be comfortable. He kissed the small thing forehead and hugged him, waiting for the tears to stop. Wilbur sat there watching them, his face looked sad and concentrated, like he was trying to mark this moment in his mind. 

They let the discussion from earlier be forgotten while taking care of Ranboo. They gave him a bath and fed him, the entire conversation between the tasks being light banter or trying to make Ranboo laugh. Wilbur said he was the favorite since he was the one that always knew what to do to see a smile on the bicolor dragon’s face and Techno defended himself saying that this was because Wilbur was the dumbest among them. 

Later they made dinner together and decided to throw a little one week celebration song that made the baby really happy. And when Ranboo got tired again from playing, Wilbur decided that it was his cue to leave. 

“He trusts you.” He said before closing the door. “Please think a little more before you decide to take my new favorite dragon away.”

____________

For some reason Ranboo liked to sleep in his chest at night. He discovered it by accident, one day he couldn’t go back to sleep but Techno was too tired to try new things so he laid down on his bed and put Ranboo on his chest. The kid didn’t wake up once that night and every other night that Techno did the same thing. 

Today Technoblade was the one having problems with sleep. The recent nap on the couch and his anxiety were a good combination to keep him with eyes open. He watched the small being laying on his chest. The chubby cheeks smashed against his shirt and the double tails curled on his arm. He kept patting Ranboo’s back and playing with his hair, trying to keep his mind focusing on the little details. 

He found peace in this moment. It was simple, but he learned years ago that the best memories were the ones where his mind got quiet. 

The silence allowed him to think, really think about his situation. He remembered his childhood, growing up with a man that didn’t know anything about kids, especially dragon kids, but loved them more than anything in the entire world. Remembered the first time Phil teached him to read, the first human words he wrote and the first trip they had together. He thought about his dad and how grateful he was that Phil and Sneeg found them.

Wilbur once said that they spend too much time taking care of other families, keeping them safe. Techno always thought that he was fine with it, fine to see the families that search for them being happy and growing. But now he imagines his own family growing, too. Imagine baby Ranboo getting old, meeting new people, taking his side and becoming a guardian too. A little warrior.

The egg that refused to die in the coldest biome of his territory, growing to be a strong man. Techno would give anything to see this happen.

“You really changed my life overnight, little warrior.” He thought out loud. His life was never going be the same as it was before that cave, regardless of what he decides.  

The words of the witch also echoed in Techno's mind. A decision that didn’t have the right or the wrong answer. The future never depended on one factor to happen. 

“I promise that I will keep you safe.”  He whispered on top of Ranboo’s head, and he meant it.

He knew what he had to choose. 

Chapter Text

“Are you sure about it?” 

It was a sunny day. The weather was nice, perfect for a day out. Techno seated on a large rock, wings spread behind him trying to feel the wind. In front of him was the river that they used to fish, the light of the sun shining bright on the crystal water. Sneeg stayed on his shoulder, neither of them looked at each other. 

It was a good day to finally say this with his full chest.

“Yes, I am.” 

Relief was the first thing he felt, it spread in his body like fire. He said it, he was sure of it. That was his decision and there was no going back.

Sneeg made a sound for that, seeing to understand him. 

“Alright, I will talk to the families, then.” 

Techno got his eyes out of the river to face the smallest dragon, who was found with a smile on his face, like he was relieved too. 

"That 's it? You won’t try to stop me?”

“I said it before, Techno, I will accept whatever you want and support it. Family will always be first place.” 

Sneeg was many things. He was a grumpy little old ancient dragon, he had a mysterious history and never really talked about his intentions. He was also bad at talking about his feelings and being an open person in general. But what Sneeg wasn’t was inconsiderate. Techno was too blind by his protectiveness at first, but now he understood. 

Sneeg wasn’t wrong. He wanted the best for their family, whatever it would take. He cared about them and would do the same Techno would for them. 

“Thank you.”

And that was all that was left to say.

__________

Dragon babies were the terror of any alive being, this took Techno one month to discover. Ranboo is an absolute menace to society, in the most positive way possible. 

Now, he knew it was ridiculous to say that a one month old baby could win a literary blessed fire dragon that had more than one hundred years, unfortunately he was being dead serious. Recently they discovered that Ranboo did have dragon abilities and that the kid was stronger than they thought he would be, which ended with Techno with an black eye — yes, a one month baby did that.

However, this wasn’t the only thing he learned about his baby in the last months. Ranboo is three months old now and he surprises Techno every single day with something new. He hated water with a passion, but didn’t mind lava and fire. He loved music, especially Wilbur’s music; he liked to hear others talk, but was reluctant with people he didn’t know. He also was really quiet, didn’t cry much or give too much ‘trouble’, Ranboo liked his space and did things on his own time.

The kid was also bigger now, not so much to actually break Techno’s heart, but enough to not fit in only one of his hands now. Puffy told him it was normal, dragon babies grow a little bit faster than humans for protection reasons. Their skin had to toughen up and they gained much more strength through that time, hence the force to make an black eye on an adult. 

Today was going to be another ‘learning more about my baby’ day since Wilbur thought it would be a good idea to take everyone to a picnic in the mushroom forest. It was not the first time Ranboo was being taken out of the house, but Techno was still nervous since they would be out the entire day. 

He spent the night preparing for it, put all the things that Ranboo might need in a bag and kept making sure that Ranboo was well rested for the flight. 

“You remind me of Phil, when you and your brothers were just little kids, too.” Sneeg was the first one to enter his house that morning, no reason in specific just felt like it. He played with Ranboo while Techno checked the bag for the eleventh time. “He was paranoid just like you are being right now.” 

Techno hummed, nostalgic memories of his father being a worried mess quickly flashed in his mind. “I’m just… Trying to make sure, you know?” 

“Oh, yeah, mosquitos are super dangerous for dragons. Be careful, Ranboo.” Sneeg bumped Ranboo’s nose lightly and the baby laughed loudly to him, the dwarf dragon smiled back. 

“But what if they are to him? We don’t know, so I’m taking precautions.” He shrugged, finally getting satisfied with the ‘Emergency Bag’ that he made. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to use anything more than the food and dippers. 

Sneeg looked like he was ready to reply but before he could the door was open once more in that morning, but in a more brute way. Techno didn’t even have to look to know it was his twin making a dramatic entrance like always. Phil right behind him, with a smile on his face and carrying two baskets, probably with the food and picnic stuff inside of it.

“Where is my favorite dragon?!” Maybe it wasn’t a good thing to let Wilbur call himself Ranboo’s uncle, after all. It gave Techno more headaches than anything. “We are going for a picnic today!”

“Good morning, Wilbur.” Techno said with a grumpy voice, but was immediately ignored by his own brother who jumped to greet his baby. “Hi, dad.” 

“Hi, mate. How are you two doing?” Completely different from his sons, Phil carried patience and gentleness in every step he took. It was really difficult to see his face without a smile.

“I’m nervous.” 

“No shit, mate.” Phil laughed, handing him one of the baskets. “You look like you didn’t sleep much.” 

“I didn’t.” Instead of sleeping he was trying to find the med kit he had somewhere in the house and choosing clothes in case the weather changed. “I was doing Ranboo’s bag.”

He showed the bag to Phil who, looking through the thing inside it, opened his eyes wildly like he wasn’t expecting half of the things there. In Techno’s defense they didn’t know about Ranboo’s species and there were multiple types of dragons out there with multiple types of weakness. He was just making sure that his baby wasn’t going to get hurt in any form, that was what he was learning in the past three months, too. 

“Why is there a golden apple here?” The winged human took the golden and shiny apple out of the bag and raised his eyebrow in an outraged question. “Ranboo can’t even eat that yet.”

“Just in case.” Techno responded very, very tired. Ok, maybe he passed a little bit from the limit, but he was worried, alright? No one can blame him for wanting to make sure his kid was safe and fine.

“Lords, I can’t even say it’s too much. When you two were younger I did stuff like this, too.” It was all that his father said, placing the apple back in the bag. His eyes were glowing with something nostalgic in them, probably memories of the twins’s childhood.

“I told him, like father like son.” Sneeg comment from afar, apparently being held hostage by Ranboo that holded him like he was one of the kid’s toys. “Anyway, can someone, please, help me?”

After some more silly talking and helping Sneeg not become a toy for Ranboo to play with, they packed all the things and prepared to head to the mushroom forest. Techno once again took his time to assure that Ranboo was safe on the improved carrier they made, and even after spending 5 minutes checking he still held him close the entire flyth. 

The mushroom forest wasn't that far from their houses. It was a cozy and beautiful biome, protected by the fairies and some other magical creatures that liked the place. It was one of the prettiest biomes in Techno's territory but also the most dangerous if you were an outsider. 

Fae creatures were not merciful.

That was one of the reasons for their little trip. Other than to show Ranboo a little bit more of his own world and just have a nice family bonding time, the mushroom forest was their biggest defender if something bad came to happen. They needed to let the creatures living there know about Ranboo’s existence and importance. 

And while Sneeg and Wilbur didn’t think it was a big deal, for Techno it was. Because of his blessing he had a kind of responsibility towards everyone living under his wings, he needed peace, patience and respect to be established between both sides. If they didn’t accept Ranboo as part of the guardian's family, as he was not blood related, things were not going to be easy.

So, yeah. mosquitoes weren't Techno’s only concern here.

“Have you ever wondered what Ranboo’s true powers will be?” Wilbur was the one to distract him from his anxiety this time, while setting down their picnic stuff. “Like, he is not a water dragon and certainly not a fire dragon, so… maybe earth will be his thing?”

“He didn’t cause any earthquake though, earth dragons are well known to be born with the earth trembling at their cries.” Sneeg argued, placing down a basket with food, using all his strength. “I think he will be an air dragon or maybe connected with the spirit world, like me.” 

“Aren’t all the spirits dragons dwarfs?”

“No, only the powerful ones.” 

“Yeah, right.” Wilbur mocked it lightly, not really meaning it. “I bet I could win you in a fight.” 

“No, you couldn’t.” All the other three replied together.

Wilbur made an offended face but dropped it, he knew the truth and that he, in fact, couldn’t take Sneeg in a fight. The spirit dragon was way older than everyone there and had more mysteries to hide than stories to tell. They never truly saw what the small dragon could do, but Techno hoped that this day would never come. 

Either way, they finally sat down and started to distribute the food. Phil prepared their favorite desserts and made an apple pie for them. The smell was like a dream. Their father was always the best cook ever, he never failed. 

“I think he might not even have powers.” Phil said pouring some orange juice for his children. “Might be a commun, like Connor.” 

Techno hummed, the little baby on his lap trying to catch his hair to push it. He looked down to see the big bi-colores eyes looking back at him, no thoughts behind them. The baby smiled when he noticed the guardian's attention on him, a funny cute smile without teeths. Techno’s little warrior.

“He will have powers.” Technoblade said, still looking at his baby. “He will be powerful, strong. I know it.” 

“Is it because of the black eye he gave you?” Wilbur asked, taking a bite of the pie. 

“Ok, first of all, it was an accident. Second, it’s normal for baby dragons to be stronger than normal babies, Puffy told us that.” Techno raised one hand to point at this twin and holded Ranboo with the other. He wasn’t being defensive, he was just stating facts that Wilbur insisted on distorting. His black eye was cured months ago, anyway, this wasn’t supposed to be a big deal. “But, anyway, we still don’t know what he is. Maybe he doesn’t have any power that we know off.”

“That is an interesting take, yes.” Sneeg said, holding his chin while he floated around the food. “But I’m not sure, we don’t have any records of that. He would have to be from another dimension.” 

“Another dimension like the nether?”

“Yes, precisely. But there are no dragons in the nether, we cannot live there.” 

Techno hummed, playing with Ranboo’s thin hair. They should find the person that left Ranboo’s egg soon; he made sure to have an entire team working on it. It wasn’t his main priority, but it was inevitable to be curious about Ranboo’s roots. He wanted to know anything about his baby, the more he knew the better it would be to take care of Ranboo and protect him. 

Other than that, he just really wanted to have a 5 minute private converse with the crazy person that did that. 

“Small steps, everyone, small steps.” Phil interviewed, taking a sip of the tea he also brought. “We are already going after that, we need patience right now. However, we also had other things to be worried about.” 

“What? Showing the baby to the fairies? Come on, now, they will absolutely love him.”

“We don’t know that.”

“Techno, he is a cute baby and your son, of course they will like him.” 

“But what if they don’t?”

“Then, they are insane.”

“What if they say he isn’t a part of the family?”

“He is literally your baby, you dumbass-”

“ Boys.” Both Sneeg and Phil interrupted their silly discussion with a firm tone. The twins shut their mouths instantly not daring to say another word, while Sneeg laughed at them and Phil only sighed foundly. 

Techno takes a quick look at Wilbur and his brother is smiling so he starts smiling too, something nostalgic growing in the air. They never really changed since they were kids, light banter always happening every time and Phil and Sneeg always there to stop them. Ranboo must have sensed the light atmosfere around them because he started to smile too and make happy noises to them. 

The fire dragon could only think how he wanted the baby to start talking so bad, he wanted to hear his voice more, his actual voice saying words that made sense. He was such a livid baby, wanting to be a part of every conversation even when he didn’t understand any of it and it was the cutest thing ever. His baby was the cutest thing ever. 

After attacking Ranboo with multiple hugs and kisses, Techno decided to feed him and let him play around with Wilbur and Phil for a bit, Sneeg got caught by Ranboo tails and they had to distract the kid to release the dwarf dragon, which, to Techno, was pretty funny. However, the food they brought was slowly disappearing as they kept talking and telling stories to each other, at some point Wilbur grabbed his guitar and started singing some of his famous tunes, Ranboo following the melody as he could, little double tail shaking frenectly to the music. 

The day was good, no ugly clouds in the sky, the sun kissed their skin with a good temperature and it was just genuinely nice to have a time with his family. They were funny in their own way and Ranboo was the perfect addiction to their little space. Thinking about it he never really talked about wanting kids or to expand the family, never really interested in it since his full attention was on protecting his territory, his people. But now? With big green and red eyes looking at him like he was the entire world? He regretted not find Ranboo sooner. 

Phil danced around with Ranboo in his arms, laughing like there was no tomorrow. Sneeg decided to also sing with Wilbur but in the most cursed way possible and Techno… Techno just watched. He was so tired, been working all week, both at home and outside of it. For the first time he was actually enjoying the moment, living it, seeing how his family is perfect, how much he loves them. He is grateful, so he prays for the Lords, for Earth itself, his mother . 

I hope there isn’t a day where my family isn’t happy. I love them, please keep them safe.   

Later that day, when the sun started to fade in the mushroom trees, the winged family heard it. The wind getting quieter, the rushed sound of lights feets running around, a low humming voice. They finally arrived, the fairies that protected that place with their lives. Techno made a mental note to ignore the fact that they were late. Well, if he took into account that they can hear and see through the forest, they were always there with them. 

“You are late.” It was Wilbur's voice, of course it was Wilbur who was going to comment on it. “You missed the cake and the music.” Lords, he hated his brother so much.

“We were listening.” A sweet voice replied, coming from the woods. Techno could sense them, but not quite see yet. They must be waiting for something, so they can finally reveal themselves. “You play well, blessed by the world. Some of us liked your… music.” 

“Uh…Thanks?”

“We are here for something important. I need your help, Maria.” Techno decided to interrupt before it got out of hand. Wilbur couldn’t stay focused for the life of him and Techno really needed to get this matter out of his way. 

His arms unconsciously wrapped Ranboo closer, protecting him from an unknown danger. Phil was by his side, wings spread to cover both him and the baby in his arm, not really in a protective way but more affectionate. Techno felt safer anyway, especially with Sneeg holding Ranboo’s hand, keeping the baby distracted. 

“Ah, yes, the mysterious baby dragon left behind by their biological parents. That’s the reason you need our help, right…” The sweet voice grew slowly stronger and a dark silhouette appeared in front of them revealing a small brunette girl with a pair of wings on her back. “...Technoblade?” 

Maria was the one that talked with outsiders about important matters. All the times that he came to the florest as the Guardian blessed by the world it was Maria whom he talked to. Their agreement upon territory and protection was a difficult talk to have, but they never had problems with it ever since it was done, thirty years ago. They can’t be considered friends, but Techno liked the idea that he could trust her, especially after all they had gone through. 

“Yes, I made a decision to keep him as my own. He is part of the family now, we need to change our agreement.” 

“You want a baby dragon from a non-known species to be included in our agreement as a part of your family?”

“Yes.” 

“Why?”

Why. He asked that same question a while ago. Why keep Ranboo? Why have a baby living with them, a well established family already. Even he already thought that maybe Ranboo was better off to another family, people that probably knew everything about babies and would be perfect parents. Give Ranboo everything that he couldn’t. 

But he also answered this question a while ago. 

“He is my son.” He answered simply, voice calm, but continued before anyone else could speak again. “I cannot explain to you the connection and the love I feel for him, I cannot explain to you why I look at him and feel nothing but happiness, I cannot explain to you how much I am willing to do just to make this kid’s life the best life he could ever have. He is my son and I don’t expect you to understand that, I don’t think you will. Things are just like this.”

Maria does not answer him at first, looking carefully at him and the rest of his family. She seems to be thinking of his words, the veracity of them. It made sense, for her, after all the things she saw. People lied about kids, about loving them and wanting them, especially kids with something to give. But this was different. Ranboo had nothing to give and even if he had Techno didn’t want it. Quite the opposite, Techno was the one wanting to give something to him, a home. 

“Sneeg agreed with this.” She says after a minute in silence.

“I did.” The spirit dragon replied, still close to the baby. 

“Was it the best decision?” 

“I can’t answer that, Maria.” There was something in the way that Sneeg retorted that Techno couldn’t quite catch what was exactly happening. He knew that Sneeg's opinion on this was stronger than his, since he was older, more powerful and experienced, but for some reason it didn’t seem like she was only asking him for his opinion. “The start may guide us now.” 

“Huh.” Maria tilted her head, looking intrigued with his response. Her blue eyes fell right into the baby on Sneeg’s side, now curious about him. Analyzing him. “We don’t mind changing the agreement for the new addition to the blessed dragon’s family. But the rest of the agreement must not be changed, the mushroom forest stays protected.”

He felt Phil behind him sigh in relief, wings going down after her final decision. He felt his muscles also relex from that, and didn't even realize his entire body was so tense. The last thing he wanted was to have Ranboo being out of the agreement and considered as a threat, it would be a terrible outcome and he was glad that he didn’t even have to fight someone for that. His safety was the number one priority at the moment. 

“Of course. Nothing else will be changed, I promise.”

“I also don’t want my people to be involved in whatever mess he might bring. We will protect him, sure, but do not bring an entire non-known dragon species into our forest for war.”

“I won’t, I’m still a guardian. I will protect this place, it’s my duty.” 

“No, Technoblade. You are a father first, guardian second now.” She says kneeling in front of him, eyes still fixed on Ranboo who is happily playing with Sneeg’s tiny tail. “I can’t really blame you for that, he is cute.” 

He is the cutest, strong little warrior, my son, my rainbow. But he shakes his head, the fact that he is a father now cannot and will not interfere with his purpose. He was born by lava and fire, molded by the Earth itself, and handled this family just to fulfill his destiny: A guardian and protector for those in need, keeping the balance of a broken world with plenty of evil on it. 

“I still have a compromise with this land, Maria, and I don’t have any intentions to break it. I promise.” 

“And I trust you, my guardian.” She bowed briefly, showing her respect, and then stood up again. Blue eyes finally smooth and a smile appears in the corner of her face. “It’s a shame we lost the picnic, Sandra thought it would be better to let you guys have this moment alone.”

“Well, next time I can bring Wilbur again and he will sing some of his songs to you.” Techno looked at his twin who was, clearly, not paying much attention to the converse and got confused when all the eyes turned to his side. “Right, Wilbur?’

“Ah- I..Well, yes! Of course.” God, he loved his brother so much.

“I would love to hear it once again, you have a pretty voice.” Maria says with wings shuffling behind her. Wilbur’s blue-ish skin gets purple to the compliment, his face all flustered and lost. Techno decides that his brother really is a complete idiot, he can hear Sneeg and Phil trying to hold a laugh too. 

They don’t stay longer, wanting to go back to their little village before the sun sets completely. By the time Maria said her last goodbye and good luck, Ranboo was tired and sleepy, falling on Techno’s arms comfortably. The flight back home was quiet, everyone was satisfied with their day together. 

That day everyone slept at Techno’s house, building a quick nest in his room that could fit everyone in. With Phil’s fluffy wings holding him and his brother, Ranboo on his chest, Sneeg on Wilbur’s hair and his tail around his brother's leg, they settled for the night and slept quite quickly. He doesn’t exactly remember the last time they did that, but he did know it was the first time in a while he slept without any worries. 

____________

Sneeg was the one to call them in the middle of the night, saying it was urgent, that they had to do something. Techno got up so confused and lost, with a sleepy baby in his arms that he had no intention to let got. But it was just one look to the villagers behing Sneeg that he understood, it was an important matter and he couldn't brush it off. He left Ranboo with one of the villagers, walking with the others to a room were they could actually talk. It was a cold night in the middle of the summer, but the commom humans were wearing heavy coats and boots with fur. They were from the south, were he found Ranboo. 

"Speak." Technoblade said, tail stumping on the groung loudly. On his mind there were million of thoughts, all of them hoping to hear what he wanted after all of these months. 

“Someone found something, near the south mountains.” It’s been months since everything happened, they were losing hope already, thinking that the person actually run away . But Sneeg and Phil never stopped the searchs, they knew Techno wouldn't allow it. And now, for the first time, they had something. “It’s a camp, abandoned now. But it looks like it was made by who we are looking for.”

“You think they are Ranboo’s biological family?” Phil was the one asking, impatience and hope all over his face. 

“They aren’t family if they abandoned him like that.” Techno retorted, eyes dangerously sharp, mind not thinking straight. His head screaming: We found them, we found them, time to make them pay, finally, justice, justice, they hurted your baby- “I don’t think a dragon mother would have the guts to do it either way, especially not under my territory.” 

“Why would a stranger try to kill a baby, though? If they were hunters they would have taken the egg.” Wilbur tried to bring logic, but they didn’t have time for this, didn’t have time for theories. They had a lead and Techno would follow it. 

“I don’t care, we can think about this later. I’m going there now. ” 

And he didn’t wait for an answer.