Chapter Text
Smile, they always tell you to smile
To appreciate the things you have
But it doesn't change what's on your mind
So you smile, but it's only on the outside
So they can't see the pain that's overwhelming
And eating you alive
Echoed howls awaken the piglin warrior from his slumber deep in the snow covered lands of the Arctic, bloodthirsty hounds calling for their master to come feed them.
Technoblade groans, his joints aching in the cold air, stretching tired arms tall above his head where he sat up in bed. Pulling the curtains away from the window, he sleepily peers at the sky. Usually when his bones caused this much pain there was a storm coming in, the piglin threw his muscled legs over the edge of the mattress and stood.
The hybrid did a full body stretch, wincing as his body popped and cracked. Drawing a thick fur-lined cloak around himself after changing into everyday clothes he descends his ladder, intending to check on Phil. His old crow partner could barely move some days when these winter events rolled in, his shattered wings causing agony so keen he couldn’t even care for himself.
“Phil?” Techno calls out after leaving his cottage, cold air biting at his exposed face while he knocks on the avian’s door.
“I’m up, mate, come in.” His tired voice answers, echoes of ancient accents weaving in the words he crooned.
Techno pushes open the protesting door, hinges creaking, finding Phil sitting down on a chair within the main room of his house. The blonde man looked slightly embarrassed, the piglin giving him an inquisitive look until he spills the beans. After thousands of years together, they were most at ease when the other was happy and the crow clearly was not.
“I…I can’t brush my hair today, Tech, can you?” Phil’s sad eyes looked strained, being upright was clearly costing the man today.
“Of course, dear one.” Techno replies, voice soft as he reaches for the brush Phil held.
Phil’s golden strands now touched the top of his wing joints, ruined and scarred as the once grand limbs were. Techno gently draws the bristles down his soft hair, shimmering strands of silver hiding among the light mane, no words exchanged as the warrior cared for his partner through thick and thin. He carefully avoids the braid just behind the crow’s left ear in his act of preening, five beads clinking together at the end of the piece coloured rose pink, daffodil yellow, leaf green, blood red and indigo purple.
Both had seen far too much death these past several years on this server. Even after the aeons they both counted their life in, bloodshed could become exhausting. Technoblade had hoped by razing that nation to the ground he would be left in peace but that did not seem to be the case. Conflict seems to drip from the very bones of this world, relationships shattering at the drop of a hat for a mere morsel of power or selfish want.
Technoblade was tired and judging by the drooping shoulders of his twin flame, the crow was too.
Dividing the golden strands into three, the piglin’s steady fingers braided Phil’s hair neatly and quickly. After he finishes Phil motions him to sit in front, taking longer to brush out the piglin’s waist-length lotus-pink hair. The bone handle of the hairbrush glanced off his emerald earring with a chime, Phil taking a moment to pull the hair further from the precious gem before continuing the rhythmic strokes. Techno gave a small smile at the care, feeling pride over the matching piece he wore to the crow, the mark of those protected by the Death Goddess.
Suddenly, three knocks sound on the door, Techno standing quickly so his partner doesn’t have too. Opening it up he finds a startled enderman on his front porch, Ranboo’s ruby and emerald eyes frantic. The piglin pulls him in, glancing over his ward, not seeing any injuries he wonders what has the young soul so scared.
The enderman hadn’t even changed from his sleepwear; coal and cloud strands waving free around his sharp cheekbones of differing shades. His golden crown was nowhere in sight, his face scared as the piglin pulled him in for an embrace.
The tall lanky being accepted the hug with enthusiasm, trembling like a leaf in high winds. Techno turns his head to look at Phil, who looks just as confused as what was freaking out Ranboo.
“What’s wrong, kid?"
“Nightmares.” They mumble into his shoulder, the warrior holding them closer.
“I’m sorry, those are terrible.” He sympathises, the Voices in his head screaming to comfort his sounder. “You are safe here, far from anything that could harm you.”
“Have you seen the mighty Technoblade? Even Dream fears this old bastard, no one will touch a hair on your head while you live on this property.” Phil remarks with a forced upbeat tone, one you must know the crow for decades to pick up on when he’s putting up a front.
“I know…just…” Ranboo trails off, freezing in the piglin’s warm arms while Techno rubs his back soothingly, waiting for the shy one to continue. “I dreamed he hurt someone precious to me and I could do nothing about it.”
Technoblade’s chest seized tightly at that, knowing that exact feeling. Both himself and Phil had felt it intimately over their scrolls of life, mortal beings just so easy to fade away. The piglin rumbled deep in his chest at the thought of someone harming the pure teenager in front of him, snarling at the mere idea.
“No one will hurt us, I can promise you that.” Techno vows, pulling back to meet his crimson eyes to the teen’s wide ones, cheeks red from the very tears that spilled out.
The piglin moves one arm to reach up and brush the burning water away from the enderman’s emerald eye with his rough thumb, giving a small smile.
“I am always here to protect my student, got it?”
Ranboo hesitates before nodding, the wind beginning to howl outside from the oncoming storm. Techno shakes his head, turning back to sit in front of Phil and pats the empty floor beside him.
“Come sit for a moment and calm down, let Philza brush your hair then we can work off some of your nervous energy preparing this commune for a winter squall.” Techno beckons his ward, the tall one shy as he sat where Techno motioned.
Phil finishes quickly as the weather picks up energy, Techno insisting the crow just stay indoors today. Making sure Ranboo puts on their special enchanted gear that protects their skin from the snow, both walk outside to begin preparing the farms for the incoming gale.
And it feels like you might have had enough
Shut out the world and remind yourself
They make a quick trip to Techno’s cottage to get Ranboo some working clothes, not wanting to trudge all the way back when they were on the clock. Splitting the priority chores up, Techno decides to go prepare the wolf shelter while Ranboo says he will check on the bees. Finding a few buckets of innards from the meat they had been preparing for storage, Techno powers through the blowing snow to the area where his Hounds are kept.
The white fiends bounce and howl as their master approaches, Techno shouting for them to get down as he walks through the mass of canines to drop the buckets in bowls near the back of the covered room. He pulls planks from his inventory to cover the normally open windows, the Hounds being otherworldly things enjoyed the temperature to be a deadly cold. But cleaning the snow from inside this place was not something the piglin enjoyed doing while being lovingly mauled by his summoned creatures.
Ranboo meets him outside the wolf shelter with a bucket of fish, handing them to the warrior. “The bees didn’t need too much so I gathered these for Steve and the others if you want to feed them. I was going to check on the cattle farm and wheat fields but I am sure those will be fine.”
Techno nods at the enderman’s methodical nature showing, the soul fitting right in with the pair of ancient warriors. The piglin finishes his task quickly and meets the tall being at the wheat fields.
The structure groaned in the whirling wind, Techno looking worriedly at the wooden supports that were loose from the constant battering. He sure did pick one of the harshest climates to live in here, wondering just how they were going to solve this challenge.
Ranboo appeared to be deep in thought, hearing the same thing as Techno while the wood creaked menacingly. Reaching into their glowing inventory, they pulled out stone blocks with a questioning look.
“For the sake of protecting the fields we may just want to line it in cobblestone for today.”
“Oh but cobblestone is so ugly.” The piglin whines, the enderman chuckling.
“Well if you want to deal with Phil’s complaints about having no wheat to bake with, be my guest.”
“...fine. But we are taking it down immediately after the storm.”
“I figured we would leave it up year-round. You know, just how wheat likes to grow; in pure darkness.” Ranboo jokes, Techno huffing at his pupil’s snark.
“You learned sarcasm too well.”
“I have fantastic teachers!”
They work quickly, lining the supporting walls with strong pillars of cobblestone, the whole building less likely to just collapse now.
Just as they turn to leave, Techno watches Ranboo’s face fall again, deciding to wait just a moment as he gestures for the enderman to pause leaving.
“What else is on your mind, young friend?”
Ranboo looks like a deer caught in headlights before their stance relaxes, rubbing their hands together as they speak.
“I am very happy with my life here but I miss L’Manburg.” His student’s brutal honesty cut deep, but that was exactly why he adored the bi-coloured hybrid. “I miss the camaraderie between all parties and the peace that was there.”
“That quiet was never going to last, not in a country so corrupt.” Techno shakes his head, sighing. “I am sorry for the lengths I went to but I will not feel bad for detonating it to bedrock. It was a ticking time bomb ready to explode, I struck first.”
“Did it have to be such a definite end?”
“If even one beam still stood, those damned stubborn best friends would have built it once more.”
“That’s awfully rich coming from you, my obsidian-willed teacher.” Ranboo offered with a small smirk.
“Pot calling kettle black.” Techno narrows his eyes which the kid chuckles at.
“I just miss my friends, Technoblade.” He said so softly the piglin almost didn’t catch it. “You guys are amazing, I appreciate you far beyond what I can ever express, but how can I even call them friends if all I did was stab them in the back.”
“Relationships can mend from broken trust, kid.” Technoblade puts a heavy hand on their slight shoulder. “Goddess knows it happens, it’s who you become after such lessons that means all the world. If those people are meant to come back into your life, they will.”
“At the end of the day, Ranboo, you will always have a home with us.” Techno promises, holding his free hand to his heart. “I promise.”
"Why? I am a confused creature who knows not who they are, only what I write on a page. I've openly been a traitor to my country. I have weird injuries I cannot remember how I obtained, slightly too close to catastrophic events in this world for it to be a coincidence."
The teen looked so lost, staring at the piglin, begging him to hate the enderman.
But somehow, the warrior couldn't forsake his disciple. He saw too much of himself in those confounded eyes and loud thoughts.
"I've seen hundreds of civilizations fall by traitorous hands, you show regret unlike many of those fallen souls if you are to blame." Techno reaches out a hand, giving a gentle look to his poor student. "It would be awfully hypocritical for me to condemn you for those actions considering my history. Ranboo, I trust your moral compass because it has led you very well even if you cannot remember. I've seen it. Give your trust to me I've done my research an' yet I still stand at your side, despite all of that. Okay?"
He waits patiently for Ranboo to give in and nod their agreement, reaching out to nudge their chin so their gazes meet once more. The Voices screamed to comfort him more, to drive through their thick skull Techno had stood at the side of much worse people. His poor pupil looked so lost, Techno only wished to assure them he would never leave them to flounder. No matter the lengths he had to go, this ancient piglin felt very protective of the kind soul.
"Okay."
Both piglin and enderman bundle up to walk back outside, the snow beginning to come down quite heavily as they struggle through drifts.
Techno nudges Ranboo behind him and breaks through the high piles of cold white. They make their way back to the crow's house, the door creaking ominously as they come back inside to the warmth.
If you could hold on, just for a little while
You might just find it's not too much for you to make it through
It's crazy how far you've come
All you've done
The life that you came from
Take a step back and look at who you are
You've made it this far
Student and teacher find the blonde avian sitting on the ground, hands covered in soil with seedling trays in front of him. He had bound his wings to his back, keeping their broken weight from causing him more pain.
"How bad is it out there?" Phil's tired storm-blue eyes met his partner's, Techno shrugging off his gear.
"Reminds me of the Antarctic ages." Techno jokes, this old memory a fond one shared between the pair.
"Well, have you taken over the world yet?"
"Too much work." Techno waves it off, Phil rolling his eyes with a good natured smile. “Whatcha doing partner?”
“Creating new worlds.” Phil gives a wonder-filled smile to his piglin, gesturing to the delicate jade green stems. “Our sprouts have grown to the point we could start growing them in the greenhouse.”
“Might have to wait a bit on that still, I need to reinforce the structural integrity of that building. We had to fill it with cobblestone to just keep them safe for now, I will probably have to go get some deep stone an’ carve them into bricks so it at least looks good.” Techno frowns for a moment before coming back to see Phil raising an eyebrow at him.
“Mate, you cannot do anything right now. C’mon, sit down and help me transplant them into larger pots.” Phil reaches over to grab a stack of clay pots, Techno sighing before joining his partner on the floor and looking back at Ranboo.
The enderman looks hesitant but Phil waves them over, handing a third of the stack of pots to sit at their slight side. They look so confused Techno gives a chuckle, taking one of the trays and holding it in hands once used for killing, but just as tender with new life.
“Here, pinch the sides to encourage the seedling out of it before grabbing the stem carefully.” He lays the small plant on his open palm, roots still covered in the dirt it sprouted from, demonstrating the task with a practised ease. “Now, if you can fill one of the pots and scoop out a small pit in the soil…”
He waits patiently as Ranboo does so with shaking hands, their clumsy attempts and spilling of the dirt only earns a small amount of teasing. Soon, they have done as the piglin asked and he pushes the small green life into the soil, giving the pot to Phil to water later. That was the one thing Ranboo could not do, their skin hissing like it's being burned upon contact with the substance.
Techno walks Ranboo through it a few more times before they grow more confident, zoning out into the methodical task while a record plays from upstairs. The warrior chuckles as he recognises Pigstep, his crow partner having a certain fondness for the track.
Hours pass as the trio get through all the trays, silence only broken occasionally for small conversations before returning to their duty. The gale pounded away at the house while they worked, Phil had lots of experience building strong bases and Technoblade had complete faith that out of all the structures on their property, Phil’s would be the last to fall if a situation arose.
Phil’s stomach growls while each finishes their last transplanting, the crow giving a hearty laugh as he leans back to stretch. Ranboo joins with a smile, slowly getting to his feet to reach those long arms high into the air.
Techno gets up to check through his inventory and Phil’s food stores looking for what to make into dinner, often of the two the piglin was the most likely to cook. The crow handled the preserving and baking as a balance, the two working in perfect tandem for decades.
Lighting Phil’s fireplace, he prepares the ingredients for a hearty carrot stew with chunks of tender beef, spicing it with herbs from their greenhouse. Phil and Ranboo pack up the gardening supplies and move the trays of seedlings to a protected shelf near the avian's back door. The piglin chops all the parts of the stew as he slowly adds it to the ready iron pot.
Phil prepares everyone tea for dinner and Ranboo sweeps the cabin floor of spare soil, tossing the dustpan content’s out into the howling wind. The crow clears his small table with three chairs, two matching and one late but welcome addition stood around the spruce surface. Pulling a soft cloth out he lays it across the flat table, tugging it to be even across.
Eventually all three gather around it, each taking small spoonfuls of the stew. Techno barely waits for it to cool, his piglin blood meant he was built to handle high temperatures where Ranboo and Phil took longer to start eating.
“How long do you think the storm will last?” Ranboo asks, looking worried at the window dim in the blowing snow.
“With the amount of power this one is coming at us? We should prepare for at least a day of staying indoors, don’t worry about going home tonight, mate. I can make up the couch for you and Techno can take my spare bed upstairs.” Phil lays a hand across Ranboo’s pale-skinned one, the enderman giving him a grateful look.
Techno could see how the weather could be scary but it also made the warrior nostalgic. It reminded him of ruling the world and listening to all bow to his word, before having a law named after him because of those actions. Of those long nights in that cold North holding Phil to keep the crow warm, building a small fire in their huge cathedral-like building before they truly got established.
Looking at just how much the crow cared for the young soul in their protection warmed the piglin’s old heart. It had been far too long since his overly caring soul mate had someone to protect, the enderman a perfect addition to their northern dynamic.
Though shaky and scared by nature, there lay a strong will buried beneath those anxieties. The enderman was a keen judge of character who held the same ideals they did closely, that choosing people was far better above any material goods. Ranboo could banter with the best of them, offsetting their more erratic tendencies with the fresh view of youth. Techno remembered being indifferent to the bi-coloured individual until he wormed his way into his good graces.
Hearing his deep laugh entwined with Phil’s high-pitched tones, the piglin gave a rare love-filled smile to his worlds. Though they were all stuck inside, these two souls were the ones he would choose over and over again.
They were his family.
Breathe, close your eyes and breathe
I know, it feels like it's consuming
And you're tired of this feeling
And you try
You try so damn hard
Sometimes it feels like falling
And you're just waiting for the ground