Chapter Text
“They actually thought that they could beat Techno?? I’M CRYING”
“E”
“Blood for the blood god”
“Back home pog”
“Ugh, calm down, Chat.”, The young Piglin hybrid dismisses the voices as he walks through the Nether. His nose crinkles as he wipes away the blood that stained his favorite sword. It’s not like he wanted to kill those humans. All he wanted to do was venture to the Overlord to stock up on resources. He thought surely getting a few potatoes wouldn't be a crime right? But nope. Apparently to the humans him simply existing was a crime. It was annoying to have to deal with them when they came at him with their swords, but it wasn't something new. Even in his short life, he's learned how to fight, how to survive. It was a skill he learned well living amongst Piglins and Humans alike that did not like him.
He kicks a stray rock on the ground as he walks the familiar path to his home, ducking into the cozy netherrack cave and setting his satchel of potatoes down before he sits down on his bed. He lays down, staring at the ceiling. He closes his red eyes and curls up in the bed. This was fine. The Nether was his friend.
He walks alongside the pool of lava, listening to the gentle pops of the scalding liquid. The heat was a little uncomfortable this close, but his Piglin genes made it feel nothing more than a warm campfire. He finds a netherrack block set aflame next to the pool and hops over to it, pan he had snatched from the Overworld in hand.
He didn't mind eating potatoes raw if he really had to, but he much preferred how the tastes heated up. He holds the pan over the fire, Chat already excited for the food to come.
"Alright alright.", He tries to calm them down as he watches the food intently. As much practice as he had, he still had a tendency to overcook them..just a little. Nothing wrong with blackened potatoes though if you asked him.
His ears twitch when he catches the sound of running footsteps tapping from afar. He glances over, expecting to see some Piglins. They weren't half bad when he was carrying gold with him to appease them, but he wasn't carrying any on him then. He groans at the thought of having to head back home early with undercooked potatoes because of them. He hopes the footsteps will go away, but no, he hears them even louder now. He frowned when he realized they were increasing.
He finally steps away from the pan and fire, eyes searching until he spots the culprit. A boy is running across the Nether floor. From afar he looks like a human boy, and his eyes catch onto the way the boy's shoulder length hair resembles the color of gold. His eyes are almost glued to it, but he shakes his head. Nobody had golden hair. That would be stupid..but cool.
He hopes the boy doesn't notice him. Humans rarely went into the Nether, and when they did it usually led to an agonizing death. Judging from how small the boy was, he would surely die. He shrugs, about to turn away, before suddenly he sees them.
There were jet black wings on the boys back. They suddenly spread, and the boy flaps them a few time, his feet barely being lifted off the ground as he struggles to take off. What the-
"Heh!?", He voices his disbelief. The boy flaps his wings a few more times, gaining some feet, but it's still clear he's struggling. The boy is incidentally flying straight towards his direction. Oh heck no. He needed to get out of there before he gets roped into whatever this was. He goes to his pan, groaning when he sees the burnt potatoes. He definitely would have had it this time if it wasn't for the weird bird boy. Why was he even in the Nether? Didn't he know that ghasts roamed the open airs and would surely shoot him down? What a loser.
The boy suddenly looks in his direction and his eyes widen. The boy looks surprised, wings faltering, before he waves. Yeah that's his cue to leave. He takes off, running in the direction of his home in hopes to lose the boy.
"Hey!", The boy calls after him, but nope. Techno doesn't fall for that. He keeps running but he hears the sound of faltering wing flaps and panting behind him. "Wait! Hold on a second!"
He glances back and catches as the bird boy lets out a tired chirp, his wings flapping slowly that they don't carry him in the air anymore and the boy starts falling. He shields his eyes, expecting the boy to splatter across the hard rocky surface, but when he opens his eyes again he sees the boy had landed on his feet, legs a bit wobbly but standing.
"Phew.", The boy says aloud as he wipes away sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand. The boy is panting, struggling to catch his breath from such a short height. Technoblade should continue to run. He'd really lose the boy now, and yet his feet stay put. From this close he sees the way the boy's eyes are unnatural in color and pupils. He sees the way his hands are feathered on the back and have nails like talons. This wasn't a boy at all. It was a monster, just like him.
"You are like me!", The boy replicates his thoughts. He takes a step back at that. The boy is looking at him with wide eyes, a sharp toothed smile spreading on his face. Technoblade stares. He's only seen a couple hybrids before, but this was the first one had talked to him. He takes a step forwards.
"Uh, I don't think so.", He says bluntly. "I mean, I don't have wings like you."
"Well I don't have ears like yours mate!", The boy says as he points to his own slightly pointy ears. Huh. He shrugs.
"I guess.", He says dryly. He frowns. The boy was still swaying on his feet despite having landed for a minute already. "What are you doing here? Do you want something?"
"I heard about you.", The boy says. "You're The Blade!"
"The Blade.", He repeats. He knows the name the humans call him. He crosses his arms. "That is not my name."
"Oh. Then what is it?", The boy asks.
"Technoblade.", He says in his thick Piglin accent. Philza blinks before he smiles.
"Nice to meet you Technoblade!", He says. He says the name roughly, and Technoblade rolls his eyes. Of course the boy couldn't speak Piglin, figures.
"Yeah. I'm going back home.", Technoblade says as he turns around. He didn't like this. He was used to being alone. He didn't like the way Chat was whispering about the bird like he could instantly be trusted. Not taking the hint, the boy goes closer to him.
"Wait. I thought maybe..we could be friends? You're the only hybrid I know, and you lived out here this long right? You just know all the tricks.", The boy says uncertainly. Technoblade hesitates. He looks at the boy. There were bruises that littered the pale skin of the boy's face. He was wearing a dirty green shirt that reached to his knees, barely covering scraped knees. He thinks of the way the humans try to treat him and doesn't have to guess far how the boy ended up this way.
"Who are you?", he asks, accepting his fate. The boy blinks before he beams.
"I am Philza!", The boy says proudly. "It's nice to meetza!"
Technoblade groans. This guy was an oddball for real. He nods even so. There was a slight accent to the way Philza spoke, but he couldn't place his finger on it. He shakes his head. "Well..I guess you can stay for a bit if you really want to."
"Really?", The boy asks hopefully.
"Well I did say yes.", he says plainly. The boy chirps before putting a hand over his mouth to stop it, but still he beams.
"Ok! Thank you Technobladeza!", He says with a giggle.
"Can you stop that?", He groans at the boy's odd way of speaking. The boy just laughs more. He shakes his head and leads the boy along, feeling odd to be walking home with someone beside him. He noticed the way Philza would openly look around, seeming to be amazed by everything the Nether had to offer.
"Haven't you ever been here?", He asks.
"Nope!", Philza admits. Technoblade raises an eyebrow.
"Then why did you come here?"
"I told you, it was to see you!", Philza said. Technoblade shook his head.
"So let me get this straight..you heard of a dangerous hybrid, and then you went looking for it?", Technoblade asked disbelieving.
"Well yeah. That's how I knew I'd be safe here.", The boy says. Technoblade's chest feels odd at that. Oh no. Nope. He wouldn't accept it. He's heard of friendship, but he wouldn't let himself get close to the bird. His only friend was the Nether. That was how he planned to live his whole life.
He hums. "Weird. But ok."
Philza smiles, and he ignores the way it makes him feel.
Technoblade waited for Philza to leave.
When the boy saw there was one bed in Techno's home, he thought he wouldfind somewhere else to stay, but instead he didn't say a word about the situation. After Techno shared some of the charred potato between them and called it a night, the boy yawned and laid down on the floor without a question.
"Goodnight Technoblade.", He had said as he curled up on the ground, his dusty wings serving as a blanket over him.
"Night..", Technoblade had said, an uneasy feeling at how easily the boy fell asleep on the rocky ground. He watched the bird sleep peacefully. He looked as if this was the best sleep he's had in ages. He turns on his side away from him and buries himself in the covers and falls asleep.
When morning came and Technoblade offered the boy once again a potato to eat, he thought surely then the boy would go. He's observed the way humans eat a wide variety of foods and plenty each meal. Even a bird must grow tired of potatoes everyday. When he placed the vegetable in his hand though, the boy simply thanked him and started to gnaw at it raw without a complaint before Technoblade could even show him a place to cook it. He frowned. This boy had some screws loose.
But this was it, the worst part of the day, the time the boy would surely go on his way and leave Techno alone again. Techno tried to set apart time for mining most days of the week. It was a grueling task in the heated realm with only gold pick axes crudely made to work from, but it was his only way to get gold. Gold came in handy the few times he got lucky enough to trade with no trouble. He told the boy of his plans for the day.
"Since you're staying and all, you got to help too.", He said.
"Ok!", Philza agreed easily. Technoblade frowned in the face of his complacency, but handed him a gold pickaxe and lead him along to the place he would mine. The boy observed the way Technoblade used his pic before he mirrored his actions, successfully chipping away at the rock.
"How old are you?", The boy asked as they worked. It was odd to hear anything else but the voices and the sound of rock being chipped as he mined. He wonders if he could ever get used to this.
"Eleven.", He says proudly in response to the question.
"Oh! I'm twelve!", The boy smiles. Technoblade laughs.
"Ok. Don't lie, how old are you really?", He asks. Philza stops mining and looks over to him confused.
"Twelve, mate. I'm not lying.", Philza repeats. Technoblade stops his work as well.
"Heh? But you're so short..", He says. Philza pouts, his feathers ruffling visibly behind him.
"Hey! I am still growing!", He defends.
"Whatever you say..", Technoblade says as he goes back to mining. He hears a chirp and sees the boy holding a piece of gold in his hand.
"Hey this isn't so hard!", Philza says. Technoblade hums.
"Even a bird brain can handle it.", He says with a slight laugh. He expects the bird to rise to defense again, but instead the blonde boy grows silent, an unreadable look on his face. Technoblade swallows in uncertainty. Maybe he didn't want to get attached to Philza, but he didn't want to see him look like that either. Chat mirrors those sentiments, urging Techno to say something, but he stays quiet as he continues working on.
When he eventually finds a fair share of the substance and looks over and sees Philza has done the same, he calls it a day, and the two venture back to Technoblade's home.
"What will you do with it?", Philza asks curiously.
"Make some tools. Maybe trade with some if we're lucky.", Techno says with a shrug as he sorts through the gold pieces. Philza's eyes light up with interest.
"Can you show me how to make tools?", He asks hopefully. Technoblade shrugs. He guesses it wasn't the worst to have someone watch as he works. He figured Philza was just collecting the skill before he inevitably went on his way.
"Sure.", He says. Technoblade works the gold over the fires, his work not the best, but something he doubts anyone his age could replicate this well. Philza watches attentively, staying mostly quiet as the Piglin creates a sword from the gold they collected. The sword he had already was in top quality. It didn't even have a scratch on it yet despite him using it against some humans who had tried to kill him not too long ago. He hesitates as he finishes the sword in his hand the best he can. He looks over at the boy still watching. The bruises on his face are still much too apparent on his skin, making something inside Techno feel uneasy.
“It’s for you.”, Techno says. Philza blinks.
“Really?”, He asks with wide eyes.
“Really.”, He says. The boy would need it when he left. He would need to learn how to fight the humans off just as Techno had. He would need to learn how to survive and never get hurt again. Not ever.
“Thank you Technoblade.”, He says. “I’ve never been allowed to touch one before. I can’t wait to use it!”
“Never allowed?”, Technoblade asks confused.
“Well yeah.”, Philza said plainly, like it meant something that Technoblade should understand, but the Piglin didn’t. He couldn’t imagine a world where he had to be allowed permission to just hold a sword. In fact, Chat often encouraged it.
“That’s dumb.”, He says bluntly. “Just do what you want. Why should anyone tell you what to do?”
Philza stares at him at those words before he nods.
“Yeah. Ok.”, he says determinedly, as if those words were a battle cry. He reaches for the sword but Technoblade catches his hand before he does.
“Uh, I know I told you to do whatever you want but it’s still hot y’know.”, He says.
“Oh, yeah.”, Philza says. Technoblade groans at the boy’s carelessness, but Chat thinks it’s funny. He cracks a smile, his growing tusks peeking out the corners of his mouth. Ok, maybe he will be a little sad when Philza goes. Only a little bit though. He knows the Nether will still be his friend when the winged boy grows tired of the place.
Philza yawns, his wings stretching out behind him. They’re still dusty and the feathers look out of place, but Technoblade knew his hair must not look any better. He wonders if the wings must feel heavy with all that soot though. He yawns himself before standing up.
“Guess it’s time for bed.”
“Yeah.”, Philza says. He’s already moving, sleepily lying down on the ground next to Techno’s feet. The Piglin frowns.
“That must feel terrible.”, He says.
“It’s fine.”, The boy says sleepily.
“Really?”, Technoblade questions and the boy nods, his golden eyelashes still shut. Technoblade sighs and crawls into his bed. He’s slept on the ground before, but he knows he never looked as comfortable as Philza did doing it.
“Alright. Night.”, He says as he curls up on his bed.
“Goodnight Technoblade.”, comes the sleepy response. He closes his eyes and falls asleep to the sound of Philza’s light breathing.
Him and Philza start to follow a routine. They wake up, share breakfast, do some chores, and go home together.
In the past, his day to day routine didn’t vary much, but now with another person tagging along there were a lot of changes Techno couldn’t account for. Like the way Philza would make conversation with him or the times they would just be together in a silence that was oddly comforting. Everything was different with the presence of someone there. It wasn’t the same as chat whispering to him or the popping sounds the Nether would offer him. This was something new, something he realized with a sinking feeling he quite rather liked.
Philza was an odd boy. There were moments where he would ask silly questions (“What are we eating actually?” “You don’t know what potatoes are..?”) or believe silly things (“Is it ok if I just sit down for a moment?” “Yeah, why would I care?”), but it was ok. He may be a bit over excited sometimes, and sometimes there was a blank look in his eyes that told Techno he needed a bit of space, but he was a good person. That was something Techno had doubted existed before.
But there was something wrong with Philza. Even as those ugly bruises faded and the boy started to stop asking Technoblade if he could do a simple task before he did it, the boy was starting to wilt in the Nether.
He had seen the way Philza easily tended to grow rosy cheeks and sweat in the heat, but he thought nothing of it really. When the boy was winded they would stop with a bit of teasing from Techno admittedly, but Techno didn’t see it as something worth worrying about. He was so used to being ok in the high temperatures, that he thought it was just normal for someone like Philza to take a couple breathers and be fine. But nothing was ever that simple for the pair was it?
It started with the stumbling.
They were heading back from gathering mushrooms in the deep grounds of the Nether, giggling about a Piglin they had seen on their way back who had tried to chase after them.
“He totally thought your hair was gold!”, Techno said with a laugh.
“That’s stupid, no way!”, Philza denied while laughing himself. He was dragging behind a bit, but
Technoblade just thought it was because the few inches difference in their heights and carried on.
“Nope, they totally did. Could have traded you and everything.”, Techno continues.
“Hey that’s mean.”, Philza said, but he’s laughing a bit. Techno frowns when the laughs die into coughs and gasps for air.
“Need another break old man?”, He says.
“I’m only a year older than you.”, Philza grumbles but coughs again. He takes a step over to one of the flat rocks to the side to rest but his feet waver and he stumbles.
“Philza!”, Technoblade says quickly as he goes over to him. Philza gasps another breath and flinches when Techno grabs his shoulder to help him upright. Techno quickly moves his hand away, feeling almost scalded from the way the bird hybrid’s reaction. The bird wavers at the loss of support, but manages to move himself over the flat rock and sitting down before he can fall.
“You ok?”, Technoblade hesitantly asks, not knowing what to do with his hands. Philza nods, a wavering smile.
“Sorry. Don’t know what’s up with me lately.”, He says as his breathing calms slightly.
“Lately?”, Technoblade asks in rising alarm. He hadn’t noticed anything different about him.
“It’s fine. Just need a moment. I’m fine.”, The bird says, putting a hand over his head and wincing. Techno nods, relieved as he sits next to him and sets the bag of mushrooms he carries to the side. He looks up at the Nether sky.
“Where did you live before this?”, He finally asks. Philza looks down at his hands on his lap.
“Somewhere with humans.”, He says vaguely.
“They let you live with them?”, Technoblade asks. Philza’s expression falls.
“Um. Not really. I guess I…I’m not really sure what I was doing there.”, Philza says. He makes a frustrated noise at not knowing the right words. Technoblade perks up a bit. He has read plenty of books he had…borrowed. He has a stack on farming, and even one on the art of war. He prided himself in knowing a ton of words. He’s sure he can find the right one for him.
“Well, what was it like?”, He encourages him to tell more.
“Um..Well they let me sleep there, but I couldn’t leave. I guess they just liked to look at me.”, Philza says. He picks at the feathers on his wings, the dust collecting on them joining the air of the Nether. “I hated it. They kept touching my wings, and there were a lot of rules.”
He goes quiet after that, like he can’t say more. Technoblade frowns at the image. He had never even thought to try and touch the bird’s wings. They were pretty despite how dirty they were sure, but they were a part of him. It would be rude to just go up and touch them. He knows he would never want someone to touch his ears or hair or anything really. He honestly thinks the only person he would let do that was sitting right next to him.
“Sounds like they trapped you.”, Technoblade says finally. He thinks about the chapter on catching birds in his book on hunting and farming animals. The thought made him not feel so good. Chat was calling for blood at the very image. They were already clinging onto the bird. He knew they would cry when the boy left, idiots.
“I guess so mate.”, Philza says, his voice quiet. He stands up suddenly. His feet are still wobbly, but he manages to stay upright. “Can we go home now?”
“Yeah.”, Techno nods. Home. Since when did Philza start calling it that? “Let’s go.”
Philza is a little slow on his feet, but that’s ok. Technoblade just slows his steps down so they are side by side, and when they reach the cave he doesn’t complain when Philza lays down on the ground almost immediately, his exhaustion apparent on his face. He simply places both of their collected mushrooms away before he lays down on his bed.
“Night.”, Technoblade offers. The boy does not answer back, already asleep. He turns to his side and does the same.