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When Technoblade arrived home from having his bones forcefully rearranged by an anvil then reincarnated through the Death Goddess’s blessing, he didn’t expect to find a dirty blonde teenager sleeping against his polar bear Steve. Steve was supposed to be his home defence system and he seems to have failed spectacularly by allowing someone to break in then falling asleep on the job.
The piglin hybrid sighed, shrugging off his bloody cloak. Every part of his body ached, his clothes soaked through with his lifeblood after the Third President and his association decided he needed to die. Checking on instinct to make sure his emerald earring is still hung from his right ear, gold metal wrapping the precious gem worn by a select few.
Tommy slumbered against the giant land mammal, Steve snoring away in unison with the curly blonde boy. His face was so peaceful in sleep, a few more scars scattered across his once youthful and innocent flesh gouging deep through his features. Techno couldn’t help the warm rush of anger as he looked at the boy, wondering how the hell he found his way here as last time he saw him he was several hundreds of blocks away.
Just as quickly as that rage came, a certain worry filled his chest. As much as they had screwed each other over in the past, Tommy was just a child beaten down by the cruel server they found them on. He had no idea the lengths his mind had fallen left alone for literal months with one of the most calculating people in this goddess-forsaken world.
The piglin rubbed his stubbled chin, brushing fingers over both his tusks, noticing his right was now shorter than the left. Mumbling under his breath, he climbs up the ladder to shed out of the clothing he wore, tossing it in a pile to soak later to hopefully get the bloodstains out. He really liked that cloak, it was going to be impossible to replace if he had too.
Sighing, he digs out another set of clothes, an old grey shirt with flannel pants. Finding his spare bed, he returns to the main floor once more after putting it in his inventory. His blood red eyes look once more over the blonde, leaning down to shake his too thin shoulder. Resolving to get at least a dinner into the boy before he builds him a place to sleep, Techno goes about waking the teen up.
“Tommy, wake up.” Techno’s deep voice was scratchy from the cold air, having to walk from the portal in the cool air had dried out his throat significantly. “ Tommy. ”
Shooting straight up, panic paints the boy’s face as he cowers against Steve, who wakes up with an annoyed look at Techno. Resolving to give him extra fish tonight, Techno’s concern climbs at Tommy’s chest heaves, frantically searching around but not truly seeing where he is.
“No! GO AWAY! I DON’T WANT YOU HERE ANYMORE!” He screams, the piglin dropping the clothes to kneel at the panicking boy’s side.
“Hey, hey, Tommy you aren’t there anymore.” He soothes, reaching a careful hand out to lay on Tommy’s shoulder before he flinches, the piglin dropping his hand as he sits cross-legged.
Steve snorts, laying his heavy head on the teen’s soaked jeans, rumbling deep within his torso. Not quite a growl, but more a sound for the boy to latch onto. His anxiety drops as the bear gives him a grounding point, face morphing to pure sadness as tears drip down his face. His pupils finally focus on Techno’s, a scared glint to them as he stares the piglin down.
“Please don’t send me away.” Techno feels his obsidian heart crack, seeing just a child who had been through things even adults wouldn’t be able to handle. He lays both his hands out between them, palms up.
“I won’t Tommy, I promise. You are safe here.” Techno swears, moving his left palm to lay across his chest. “As long as this ancient heart beats, you are under my protection for as long as you need.”
Surprising both of them, the teen shoves Steve’s head off and launches himself into the great man’s arms. His long lily-pink hair crunched from dried blood, he ignored it to wrap the sobbing boy in his arms. Steve huffs out of his snout before laying his head down once more, one eye still focused on the boy who had been slumbering against him.
Techno gave his bear a small smile, wrapping his one arm tight around the slight torso of Tommy and leaning down to pat his great white head. They spent a few more moments like that as Tommy’s crying continued, his breathing speeding up.
“Hey, hey, hey.” Techno spoke aloud, embracing the boy with both arms again and pulling him into his lap. “I know, I know. Breathe for me Tommy, focus on bringing the air all the way into your belly an’ out through your mouth.”
Slowly the scarred teen begins to calm down, his breathing slowing down to doze in the crook of Techno’s neck. Huffing, he hooks his strong arm under the teens knees and his shoulder blades, picking him up clean off the floor. Looking to the ladder, Techno knows there would be no way he can climb it holding the boy like this. Looking around his living room, he decides the couch would be good enough for him to sleep on tonight.
Mumbling low, he hopes to wake him up enough for the boy to change out of his soaked clothes. Judging by how cold the teen was, he must have walked all the way from the exile area and hypothermia was a real concern. “Tommy, you have to change out of those clothes then I will let you sleep.”
He told himself in the morning he would force a full meal into the bony teen, for now sleep was probably best for him. Tommy’s sky blue eyes opened slightly as Techno placed him down, retrieving the clothes from the floor and handing them to the swaying boy.
“Change and I will go get you a blanket, then you can sleep the night though, okay?” Techno instructed, wishing with everything he had Phil was here with them too instead of all the way in L’Manburg still. The crow avian was much more adept at comforting others, all his skills picked up second hand he hoped he was doing enough to make him feel safe.
Climbing the ladder, he opens the chest at the end of his bed to dig out his spare bedding, tucking a pillow and a heavy fleece blanket under his left arm before descending once more to the teen sitting on the couch. His eyes were wide now, staring down the piglin hybrid where he stood.
“Why are you covered in blood?”
Techno sighed, going closer to the teen to deposit the sleeping materials beside Tommy and reaching across to muss his curly sunshine strands. “It’s nothing Tommy, just go to sleep for now. I will tell you in the morning.”
“Are you sure I can stay here for the night? You don’t want me to leave? What about our history?” The boy stressed and Techno decided to kneel, so he could look directly at Tommy’s downcast eyes.
“No matter what has happened in the past, I see a scared boy who needs reassurance an’ I refuse to let anything happen to you in this current state. We can talk things out more tomorrow, for now, you are under my guard. You know I can single-handedly defeat anyone on this server, rest easy with that thought to soothe you. There is always tomorrow to talk an’ you can stay as long as you need.” Techno squeezes his knee which Tommy hisses at, the piglin giving an apologetic look. “Sorry, I didn't know you were hurt. Do you have any other injuries that we need to attend to right now?”
Mutely he shook his head, tucking the pillow behind his head as he relaxed once more, the pink haired man shook out the navy blue blanket before spreading it across the boy. Tommy’s voice was so quiet when he spoke next, barely audible over the crackling fire Techno told himself to stoke before retiring for the night.
“Can you double check the locks?” Tommy’s paranoia made Techno so sad, the piglin making a show of going to double check the door he entered from.
“I will even go make sure the downstairs one is locked if you give me a moment.” Techno offers which Tommy nods too, the piglin going to do just that after picking up his wet clothes.
Leaving the teens sightline for a moment he allows his face to fall, worries filling Techno’s brain besides the Voices screaming about what happened to the obnoxious boy who used to drive him crazy. A shell of who he used to be, something happened out on that plain's biome under Dream’s careful watch. Techno’s fist clenched as he used his free hand to check the knob, finding it secured as he left it. Tommy used to drive him insane the moment he saw the piglin, this shy scared boy was a far cry from how he last saw him.
He hangs the boy’s clothes on the line strung across his basement’s ceiling, brushing the debris off the soaked fabric. Looking across the pieces he sees places where the seams let go, resolving to either mend them himself or continue with his plan to break Philza out soon and let the adept crow handle the task. That plan was postponed for now though, the piglin needing to focus on the damaged child upstairs first. As much as he hated leaving Philza in L’Manburg’s clutches, Tommy took priority.
Returning upstairs he finds Tommy’s eyes slowly slipping closed again, Techno walks to his side to tuck the sheet in tighter around the shivering blonde. “Sleep Tommy, the wolves will alert us if anyone comes close to the cabin, plus Steve will protect you. I am still not sure how you got past him, he is supposed to scare off any intruders.”
“He likes chin scritches.” Tommy sleepily mumbles, his eyes closed as his breath slowly evens out.
Techno makes a show of looking at his polar bear, pointing two fingers towards his eyes then flipping them to point at Steve’s night-black depths. He drops his voice to not awaken the teen anymore.
“No more people in the cottage, got it?”
Steve snorts, closing his eyes and settling in once more. Technoblade takes that as a confirmation before climbing his ladder to the top floor of his home. He pulls his long braid over his shoulder, grimacing at the blood flakes that shower his clean clothes as it lays down to his right hip. Some of the lily-pink strands were clotted together. He shrugs, giving up on fixing this problem tonight as he tucks his lengths of hair up under a nightcap. Pulling the dim glowing amethyst necklace off from around his neck, he prepares for bed.
Laying under the rose-red knitted blanket Niki made him, his mind starts to plan the next day. He wanted to talk to Tommy about why he is here now plus hear more about why he is acting the way he is now, compared to the rowdy boy Techno has in his memories.
Shaking his head to clear the thoughts, he reaches over to set his clock for the morning. Rolling to his side, he lets his eyes fall closed to the blissful peace of the pitch dark night. Sleep is slow to take the piglin that night, his mind switching between worrying about Philza and wondering about Tommy before dreamland finally steals him away.
The blaring alarm draws the piglin from his dreams about a memory with Philza, from back in his hardcore world when he had come to visit. They had been spending some time in separate places as Philza raised his son Wilbur, the adventuring pull never leaving Techno but he always came home to his partner.
He reaches to slap the alarm, shutting it up as he groans. Rubbing his face, he sits up from the bed’s warm embrace reflecting on his day yesterday. Every one of his muscles and tendons screamed their protest, being reformed yesterday from evisceration always made him sore the next day.
Slapping his bare feet on the cold floor he winces, looking down to locate his slippers before tucking his feet into them. Pulling his lounging robe from off the bed post, he wraps it around himself before descending the ladder. Checking over to where Tommy lies, he finds the boy still asleep.
Good, this was probably one of the first times in a while he had allowed himself to sleep so long. Steve’s head raised as he huffed, meeting Techno’s gaze as he walked to his pet’s side. He drops his voice to barely above a whisper, reaching down to grab the bear’s collar.
“Come on, you can go outside while I prepare breakfast.” Techno lets the bear out the front door after he unlocks it, letting the bear wander slowly outside. Closing the door behind him, Techno was confident the bear would return after his usual patrol around the property. After all, the piglin was the one who fed the bear his meals.
Digging out a frying pan, he prepares eggs and toast for the teen along with a generous helping of coffee and tea. Plating the food, the piglin’s tummy growls while he finishes making the food.
Tommy shoots awake at some point during the meal preparation, Techno meeting the boy’s terrified blue eyes. “Tommy, you have nothing to be scared of. You are in my cottage to the north, far away from anyone who wishes you harm. I do not want to hurt you.”
His gaze falls to look at his blanket covered lap, only looking back up when Techno comes to his side to press the plate of food into his one hand and a hot mug of coffee into the other. “Eat up, I want you to eat at least half of that plate. We need to get more meat back on your bones, I know you are a lanky boy but you still need to keep your strength up.”
Tommy slides his legs in front to allow Techno space to sit beside him on the couch, the piglin bringing over his own food. Digging in, he eats a few bites before Tommy breaks the silence.
“You really aren’t going to kick me out?” Tommy asked, Techno immediately shook his head.
“You will be going nowhere unless you want to, I promise. As long as you need me, I am at your side.” Techno responds, reminding himself to have patience for the repetitive questions.
He could see the trauma in every act the boy performed, from his eyes routinely glancing around the room to the flinches when he made eye contact with Technoblade. The pair finish their food quickly, Tommy offering to take his plate as Techno fills his cauldron with water above the fire to wash his hair from the dried blood. The teen disappears for a moment downstairs to retrieve where Techno had hung his clothes, returning to the main floor after changing into the now dry garments.
Tommy and Technoblade spend the morning preparing for the day, Techno getting a chance to wash and braid his hair as Tommy sipped his coffee after refilling the mug. Soon both are standing on Techno’s main floor of his cottage, facing one another before the front door leading to the cold outside. The boy was unnervingly quiet, an oddity compared to his usual boisterous personality.
“What’s the plan for the day, Blade?” Tommy asked, Techno pulling his clean cloak around himself before offering his spare to the tall teenager.
“While you stay here I am expecting you to pitch in for chores so we are going to start the day by cleaning out the wolf shelter. I will warn you ahead of time, they are excitable mutts who will probably jump all over you.”
Tommy nods, pulling on Techno’s extra outdoor clothes. Techno gets a bit closer, using a scarred finger to tilt Tommy’s chin so his gaze meets the teen’s. “What happened out there to you? Usually, you would have thrown a fit over me asking you to do a chore.”
Tommy steps back, shaking his head as his sky eyes grow watery. Heading for the front door, Techno sighs as the teen disappears from his sight. This was going to be a long road if the teen was just going to shut him out. Luckily for Tommy, Techno has centuries of practice with patience, he would get the true story out of him eventually.
Following Tommy outside, the boy’s face whips towards Tommy and Techno gives him the most soft look he can. “I won’t ask anymore, tell me when you want to. Let’s go feed my wolves, alright Tom?”
Tommy nods, picking up a bucket from where Techno set them earlier, filled with animal entrails and meat left over from Techno preparing meats for the future. He grimaces seeing the insides before following Techno as the man leads him to the covered area where all his wolves reside.
Barking and howling overwhelms any conversation as they bounce towards the gates where Techno waits, his eyebrows raising as they jump over each other in excitement. Raising his voice he calls out. “Settle down, my wolves, we have a newcomer you are going to scare off if you don’t.”
“Oh, it’s okay.” The first bit of happiness Techno has heard so far is tinged in Tommy’s voice as he looks at the mass of white wolves, a small smile on his face. “I understand their want for food.”
He pushes open the gate, the hounds immediately pouncing on the teen. Techno almost drops his bucket in preparation to go rescue the boy before he hears the peals of laughter from the boy, his hands bloody as he feeds Techno’s wolves. The piglin follows him in with a fond feeling surrounding his heart, seeing the genuine joy upon his features while surrounded by excitable white fur.
They go about the rest of the tasks Techno had planned with similar enthusiasm, his happiness coming out each time they come across a chore with animals. Cleaning out the beehouse, sweeping the floors of Techno’s cabin, and shovelling the pathway that leads away from the cottage towards the portal to the property’s borders. Techno watched the boy begin to heal even the smallest amount as his shoulders lost their tense stance. He stops looking over his shoulder in fear as they go through each task, his focus slowly becoming what the piglin instructed.
When Tommy made his first crack at Techno’s expense, the pink-haired man finally began to relax his concerns about the boy. There was going to be a long way to go, he saw the consequences of mental damage in each move the teen made but Techno had hoped there was a chance for him to heal.
As the sun set, the night found the pair standing on Techno’s deck nursing a cup of cocoa each. Tommy looked down at his steaming mug before speaking, his voice still so tentative when addressing the piglin.
“Thank you Technoblade, I don’t think I deserve your grace. You should have thrown me out the moment you found me. After all, no one else on this fucking server wants me near them.”
The piglin took a few moments to gather his thoughts, reaching out his free hand between the two with his palm open as he replied. “We have both done things to hurt each other in the past but I think now is a good time to move forward to the future while putting those things to rest. Tommy, I have no idea what you faced out there but I will never walk away from you as long as you require me to stand at your side. I will face the entire server for you to walk away unharmed, all I see is a scared child who has too many things hanging from your thin shoulders.”
“I am not a child.” Tommy protests, laying his trembling hand in the Blade’s.
“Tommy, compared to my centuries you are an infant.” Techno assures, squeezing his hand. “Please do not forget you are of the youthful age, even if your experiences demand a more mature mindset. You never should have faced the things you did, going forward I will be here for you, I promise. A very tiny part of me misses the rambunctious energy that used to surround you, I want to help you get back to that point.”
“Thank you, Techno.” Is his only response, holding his warm hand.
The piglin looks up to the cold night sky dotted with shining white stars, his breath catching as the bright lights of the Aurora Borealis paints the night sky.
“Tommy, look up.” He asks, the teen quick to do so as his mouth falls open. “I haven’t seen them in a while, one of my favourite sights in any of the worlds I have been too.”
“Beautiful.” The teen says breathlessly, silence falling between the pair as they enjoy nature's splendour.
Sure, Technoblade wasn’t sure what happened to the teen while they had been apart but standing right here, it was easy to forget what had happened between them. Technoblade thought of each of their conflicts and took a breath, letting them go. He listened to Tommy unconsciously follow his deep meditation breathing, his eyes widened in awe as he admired nature’s masterpiece.
He felt his partner’s energy bolstering his heart, encouraging the forgiveness towards the child Techno resolved to protect going forward. Maybe they could even work on breaking Philza out together. For now though, he would take standing at his side being supportive for one of the most pure souls he had ever met. Tommy truly never deserved what this world had put him through, Technoblade vowed to protect the boy going forward even if the entire world came against them, the boy needed someone in his corner and Techno would be that for as long as Tommy wanted him to be.