Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sometimes, in the silence of his cell, with only the quiet hum of engines to keep him company, Techno wonders if he would’ve been better off sticking with high command. Sure, the government was way more corrupt than the academy had led him to believe; and sure, the things he was ordered to do during the Mars-Earth dispute still made him sick to his stomach; and sure commandeering the squadron leader’s spaceship and hightailing it out of airspace was like taking candy from a baby but-

But maybe, if he hadn’t deserted, he wouldn’t be stuck in some random alien spaceship lightyears away from the Milky Way; poked and prodded and treated like some kind of animal-

No. He is calm. He is fine. And he is definitely not planning on shattering the flat-faced aliens keeping him here the next time he sees them. That doesn’t sound like something he would do. Not at all. Because he is calm.

…

So being this far from Earth passed around from ship to ship for who knows how long might be messing with his head a bit.

Whatever.

At least this ship was better than the last. It might be inhabited by annoying pure white four-armed aliens with unnaturally long limbs and no facial features, but at least they were breakable. It was kind of like smashing plates against a wall.

Just as satisfying too.

…

Hm.

He might need to curb his violent impulses at some point. But in his defense, it was hard to treat the aliens like the sapient creatures they clearly were when they tried to put a leash on him.

They wouldn’t be trying that again any time soon.

Besides, it was probably self-defense to snap off a few limbs. The aliens did kidnap him. Or buy him. That was what he’d tell the space cops if he ever figured out how to speak their stupid language.

You would think that after at least a year of being out here he would start to pick it up, but no! Because half of the aliens he sees speak something different and somehow still manage to understand each other! The most he ever learned was body language and tone before he ended up on a completely new ship with a completely new common language.

It was, frankly, extremely frustrating. Especially whenever he ended up with malicious aliens.

He shuddered.

Techno had to have spent at least three months on this ship, and while it certainly wasn’t as bad as the one he was experimented on in, it still wasn’t good. He didn’t want the bare minimum, he wanted freedom.

Unfortunately, the last time he managed to get free and gain control of a ship, he crashed it on some random planet and was recaptured less than a week later.

He’s just lucky he wasn’t killed on the spot.

Techno wanted out, but getting out wasn’t the problem. He had spent a long few days throwing up foods until the aliens gave him something protein-dense enough to let him maintain his strength. He had already adapted to the stun-charge of the staff-like weapons, had memorized the layout of the ship from the aftermath of the leash incident. He even knew how to open the cell door, it clearly being some type of DNA or facial recognition system.

No, getting out of his cell wasn’t the problem. Staying out was.

Even if Techno escaped and managed to survive the hordes of aliens long enough to take the ship or ditch, he wouldn’t last very long. If he miraculously managed not to crash and die, he would be arrested the second he was discovered.

Humans were, apparently, an oddity outside of his galaxy. And very feared, if the screams of terror he heard every time an alien saw him were anything to go by. One of the five or so ships he was held on clearly used him to intimidate people into compliance, and he had no issues with slaughtering the ones in charge until they sold him off.

Maybe he’d have a moral dilemma about all the aliens he’d killed someday, but that day was not today.

Techno sighed, staring at the hallway outside of his cell, a transparent barrier being the only thing keeping him from leaving the white furry rug he called a bed and waltzing out of here. The room he was in was long and narrow, the invisible door being the only entrance. Everything on this ship was pure white—which made him think this particular alien race had some kind of hatred for any spot of color—and it was cold. Evidently not enough to freeze him, but still a very uncomfortable experience all around.  

Techno wrapped his dirty red cape tighter around himself, burying his nose into the faux fur collar. He was infinitely grateful that he was able to hold onto his clothes for as long as he had. The aliens probably thought they were part of him, and the scientists didn’t live long enough to learn otherwise.

Techno was just glad he could keep his dignity.

He looked over at the chute embedded in the wall of his cell, absently tugging at long strands of pink hair. Unless his impeccable internal clock was wrong, and a brief glance at the brightness of the overhead lights told him it wasn’t, the aliens should have already dropped down his first meal of the cycle ages ago.

He wonders if the ominous shuddering the ship experienced earlier had anything to do with the delay.

…

Who was he kidding, of course it did. Maybe Techno would wake up on ship number six soon.

That would be annoying. He was already used to this one.

He was pulled out of his internal grumblings by the far-off sound of screeching and clacking footsteps. He looked back at the transparent wall, reluctantly getting up from his huddled position on the rug. It wasn’t guaranteed that whatever was going on would involve him, but he would like to terrorize the aliens walking by anyways.

It was the only form of entertainment he got around here.

Techno got closer to the entrance, making sure to stay far enough away that the aliens wouldn’t see him waiting. From here, he could make out the noises better, and he tilted his head in confusion. There were the familiar clacking footsteps of the ceramic aliens’ long feet, but there were also sounds of struggling, snarling, and shrieking as heavy objects were dragged across the floor.

Scraping that grated on Techno’s ears rang out, and he could imagine claws gouging into pristine white floors. Chatter that sounded kind of like words echoed out, desperate and accompanied by the high-pitched wheezes of amusement the aliens holding him captive often made.

Just what was going on out there?

He stepped a little closer, trying to see out into the hallway. Unfortunately, he couldn’t see much because of the narrowness of the entrance. He huffed in frustration, backing up as the racket got closer. Finally, two figures came into view, looking exactly the same as all of the other aliens he had seen on this ship. He was about to charge the invisible door, but his eyes caught on what the two figures were dragging along behind them.

There were two different aliens.

One was a freakishly tall demon thing while the other had a more beastlike build. They were struggling, metallic white cuffs wrapped around their wrists and ankles designating them as prisoners. Techno did a double take at the hooves on the shorter one. It had been a while since he’d seen a hooved race.

There were only bad memories of the last one.

The two white aliens gave him a passing glance and paused, which seemed to draw the attention of the new ones. Predictably, they both shrieked, launching themselves away from the door in what was easily recognizable as fear.

The two white aliens chattered for a second, seeming to take note of how Techno stared at the new aliens. They must have said something bad, because the two captives froze in terror, their next words coming out stilted and begging. Techno winced in sympathy, still too lost to do much more than flinch when one of the white aliens slammed their hand into the wall next to his cell entrance. They quickly pressed their blank face to it, and suddenly the two prisoners were chucked his way.

Techno released a growl, something he learned freaked out aliens the most, and stepped aside, letting the two new aliens crash behind him. He darted forward at the opening, the white alien frantically replacing the transparent barrier.

He slammed into it with a heavy thud, pounding his fists and giving a deep snarl as he tried his best to break the wall down. The two aliens backed up, whistling in anxious relief at the close call they suffered. They chattered something in their language back at the aliens behind him, and Techno gave the barrier another loud crack, delightedly watching as the aliens scrambled away.

Nodding in satisfaction at the terror he had induced in his captors, he turned around, his dull blue eyes meeting a brighter, terrified blue. Techno tensed.

Right.

There were now aliens in his cell.

And he probably just scared the hell out of them.

Techno took wary a step back, scanning over the aliens huddled against the far wall of his cell.

The first one, the one he locked eyes with, looked like a strange mix between a raccoon and a bipedal cow. He—well, Techno thought the alien was a he—was that rude to assume? Did aliens even have genders that could be conveyed in human terms? A train of thought for later.

The first alien had blue eyes with strange ring-shaped pupils and fluffy raccoon-like ears pressed down against his head. He had two stubby white horns on his forehead and was covered in short blonde fur that peeked out from the simple black one-piece outfit he wore. The fur was longer on his head, similar to hair, and faded into white around his eyes like a mask. His black nose and mouth were poked out from the rest of his face, sharp teeth on full display in a clear threat.

His hands were white-furred paws, the short fingers tipped with black claws that currently dug into the other alien’s arm tensely. Techno glanced down at the raccoon alien’s legs, finding them digitigrade in form and ending with black cloven hooves. Two tails wrapped around his middle defensively, ringed like a raccoon’s with large shocks of white fur at the ends.

Ultimately, he didn’t seem like much of a threat. He could definitely do some damage if he charged Techno, but there wasn’t enough space for that.

The second alien was much more intimidating, although he seemed to be hiding behind his friend. He was tall, easily reaching eight feet, although the way he was folded in on himself made it hard to tell. He looked like the left half of him was covered in splotchy white paint, and he wore the same plain outfit as the raccoon alien. His right side was all black and held a green cat-like eye, while the eye on his white side was a bloody red.

Other than the seemingly glowing irises, there was a small bump where his nose might be, and a distinct lack of mouth. He had long, pinned back ears on the sides of his head and two demon horns, one black and one white to match his short hair and skin. The white horn was cracked in half, and that side of his body seemed to have light purple lines running down it like veins. His hands and feet were long and clawed, and he had a thin, whiplike tail ending with a white tuft that wrapped around his friend’s arm.

His vibe was… unsettling. He didn’t look like he could put up much of a fight, but there was a quiet buzzing in the air that made Techno’s hair stand on end.

He stared at the two aliens, a long silence of held breath settling between them. They seemed frozen in fear, wide-eyed and shaky. Techno glanced at their bound limbs and cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Uh. I come in peace?” he croaked, voice rough from disuse.

There was a pause, and then all hell broke loose. Techno slammed his hands over his ears as a shrill, ear-piercing wail came from the taller alien, their face cracking and splitting in half with a grotesque squelch as they screamed. Now that was a horrifying visual that would show up in his nightmares at some point.

Apparently, the raccoon alien and him were on the same page, as the former quickly barked something in the taller one’s direction, paws clasped over his ears. The tall alien shut their face—mouth? There were no teeth—and shrunk back, an apologetic sounding warble coming from their throat.

Techno slowly lowered his hands from his ears, the raccoon alien taking notice and hissing in threat even as he trembled. Now this was an issue. Techno really didn’t feel like being on the wrong end of those claws.

He sighed, holding up his hands in what was hopefully a universal sign for surrender. Judging by the flinches it elicited, he wasn’t lucky in that regard.

“I’m not gonna hurt you, just moving away from the door. Those shatter-prone losers might come back, y’know?” Techno spoke softly, moving slowly towards the rug-bed he had set up against a side wall. He winced at the defensive growls and pitiful warbles coming from the two aliens as he carefully sat down, wrapping up in his cape once again.

“See? All good. I won’t get closer, just stayin’ right here,” he muttered, leaning back against the cold plaster wall. He was glad he decided to change things up a bit and move his bed from the back of the cell to opposite the food chute. Now, he could give his new panicking roommates their space.

…

Why did he now have roommates.

Did the- No. No, they wouldn’t have. The strangely breakable aliens were horrible monsters who treated him like an animal, but they couldn’t possibly be forcing him to socialize… Right? Techno quickly looked over at the entrance, straining to hear if there were any footsteps returning to take the raccoon and tall alien away.

Silence.

Oh no.

Techno hasn’t talked to anyone in months! He doesn’t have the social capacity for this!! It was just cruel! Survivability be damned, the next time one of those ceramic losers came into his cell, he was going to shatter their legs and use their face to open all the doors on this monochrome ship. How dare they.

Techno must have let his annoyance show somehow, as a heartbreaking whine came from where the two aliens were huddled in the corner. Techno glanced over at the raccoon alien with a wince, smoothing over his features.

They all sat in strained silence for a few minutes. That was, until a rumble came from Techno’s stomach. He jolts at the noises of fear from the aliens and grimaces, looking at the chute. He could always eat from the stash hidden under his rug, but he would rather not. When were they going to send the food down?

As if summoned by his thoughts, a quiet rattling echoed from the chute. Techno perked up. He stood, ignoring the aliens cowering in the corner and pacing the small distance over to the gap in the wall. He held out his hands as a plastic canister of water rolled down and landed in his palms, waiting for the usual bag of dried meat.

…

Nothing.

Techno frowned, crouching down and looking back up the chute. He waited another moment longer before deciding that they just weren’t going to send food down.

That… wasn’t routine. The aliens seemed to want him alive for something, so they always sent food. Why wouldn’t they-

… Oh.

He went rigid, abruptly standing up and stiffly walking back to his bed. He buried his face in his hands and tried to reign in his disgust, carefully watching the now dubbed Raccoon and Tall from his peripherals.

The aliens wanted him to eat them.

He was going to be sick.

He dry swallowed, cracking open the canister of water and taking slow, calming sips. This was bad. They really thought he was some kind of animal, huh? A feral wolf on a chain, attacking anything in sight indiscriminately. Yeah, he was aggressive, but that was because these aliens literally kidnapped or bought him. His hostility was justified! He’s not going to attack two random people that are clearly also prisoners!

Well, maybe not prisoners. Raccoon and Tall were probably going to be executed if the aliens tossed them in here for Techno to eat. He shivered, and for once it wasn’t from the cold.

Quiet, hastily spoken words attract his attention. He turns to look fully at Raccoon and Tall, seeing the former trembling uncontrollably. All his fur is standing on end, his eyes drooping as shudders wracked his body. Tall was getting increasingly more worried, nudging and shaking Raccoon, muttering the same sounds over and over again.

Well, Techno was now reasonably sure he either knew Raccoon’s name, or the alien equivalent of ‘stay awake.’ Mostly because Raccoon looked like he was going to pass out at any moment.

Techno furrowed his brow at the scene. Was Raccoon sick? Or having some kind of panic attack? Techno thinks it would be warranted, given the situation and all, but that didn’t seem quite right. The alien wasn’t breathing fast, he barely looked lucid, Tall getting more and more desperate with his nudging.

Then, Techno saw it. Tiny puffs of condensation coming from Raccoon’s nose in slow breaths. He was cold.

Apparently, whatever alien race Raccoon was, they ran much warmer than humans.

Techno frowned, not too keen on possibly watching Raccoon freeze to death in front of him. Now that he was really looking, the alien seemed young, curled in on himself and shivering miserably. Techno’s heart ached, and he looked down at the rug he sat on.

…

It wasn’t like he needed it. He just didn’t want to see a possible child die. This was for the sake of his own mental health and no other reason.

Techno stood, pulling the rug up with him and flapping it out in the air. He walked over to the two aliens, disregarding the weak whimpers and terrified pleas. If Raccoon was scared, he wouldn’t be falling asleep. Techno was willing to accept that trade-off.

He stopped in front of Raccoon, seeing the alien shivering with panicked eyes. Techno quickly crouched down, letting the rug flare around the alien before tucking it close around Raccoon’s shoulders.

The noises the aliens were making cut out.

Techno locked eyes with Raccoon, giving a small but hopefully reassuring smile as he leaned back, sitting down a few feet from them. He was now stuck in a cell with two aliens. He might as well show them he means no harm lest they slit his throat in his sleep. Maybe they can all break out together. It would be nice to not be alone.

Techno aggressively squashed down that thought as soon as it popped up, resolutely ignoring it.

Without his hands holding the rug in place, it starts to slip off of Raccoon’s shoulders. The alien quickly latches onto it, burrowing deeper. Raccoon and Tall watch him now, thankfully with less fear and more confused suspicion. Progress.

Alright, time for phase two of making friends. Techno brought a hand up, pointing at Raccoon and trying to remember the sounds Tall was muttering earlier. The two aliens tensed at the gesture.

“T’mm-y,” Techno slurs, frowning as the word came out differently than he was expecting. Raccoon jolts, narrowed eyes going wide as Tall makes a surprised little vwoop sound. Techno grins victoriously, careful not to show too many teeth.

“Tomm-y,” he says more confidently, nodding when the word comes easier. Raccoon shrieks, a more awed than terrified sound. He leans forward, almost subconsciously, sticking chained paws out from under the rug and pressing them to his chest.

“Tommy,” he says, and Techno repeats.

“Tommy,” Tommy says again, growing excited as Techno repeats it once more, slightly accented but mostly correct. Tall leans forward too, ears perked up. They stop fidgeting with their hands and press them to their chest instead. They open their face to speak, and Techno can’t help but startle at the sharp teeth popping from their gums with a dry scrape.

Retractable. Okay then.

“Ranboo,” Tall says, and alright, how the hell is Techno supposed to pronounce that. It had a throaty sound right at the beginning and wobbles in the middle and end. His brow furrows as he turns the syllables over in his head.

“An-bo,” he tries, wincing when he gets it very wrong. Tall doesn’t look discouraged, warbling cheerfully.

“Ranboo,” he says, and Techno hums, frowning.

“Ran-bo.” That felt closer. He gets a squeal from Tall, who turns to Tommy and starts chattering and gesturing towards Techno. Techno coughs, flustered at the mystified tone.

“Ranboo,” he says again, earning another squeal of delight, a soft smile emerging on his face in response. Ranboo acts kind of young too. His heart aches again, but Techno doesn’t acknowledge it as he brings a hand up to his chest.

“Techno Blade,” he speaks, watching the happy expressions on the two aliens turn absolutely baffled. He can see Ranboo mouthing along in confusion while Tommy says something rude, judging by the whack Ranboo gives him right after. Techno snorts.

“Don’t look at me like that, I know it’s weird. What d’ya expect when you let a 14-year-old choose his own name?” Techno mutters, earning an even more horrified expression from the two. He almost thought they somehow understood him when he realizes.

Oh no. Did they think all of that was his name? He quickly taps his chest again.

“Techno,” he simplifies, repeating it once more for emphasis. “Techno.”

It takes a few tries, but eventually Tommy has it down. Ranboo struggles much more, but to be fair, they spoke by cracking open their face and didn’t seem to have much in the way of lips to form sounds with. Ranboo soon gets close enough, and Techno nods.

A rattling echo comes from behind him, and Techno looks back in surprise. A water canister rolls out of the chute and lands with a soft thud. He stands up slowly, not wanting to startle his cellmates, and walks over to grab the water, trying not to grimace at the lack of food with it. He didn’t even notice it was time for his second meal. The lights would go out soon.

Techno looked over to his stash of food and water, previously hidden underneath his rug. He had started it in case the aliens holding him decided to starve him into submission.

He was glad he hoarded now.

Phase three of making friends, eating together. He walks over and grabs three packages of dried meat and two extra water canisters, bringing all six items over to Tommy and Ranboo. He places one of each in front of them, breaking open his own jerky package and starting to eat. From what he saw, the two aliens had sharp teeth. That meant they could eat meat, right?

Tommy and Ranboo watch on in confusion, looking down at the meal placed in front of them and back up at him, almost in sync. Techno nods towards the items, cracking open his canister of water. He notices Ranboo inch away from him and raises an eyebrow in silent question.

Predictably, it goes unanswered.

Tommy seems to take the hint, slowly reaching out for the food. Techno notes that his paws are still shivering, eyes drooping further with the lack of excitement. The rug seemed to shield him from the chilled air, but Techno wasn’t sure how long that would last when the lights went out. It always got colder in the dark. Tommy carefully tears open the package with chattering teeth, chewing on the flavorless mystery meat inside. Ranboo gives both of them a wide berth after Tommy pokes a hole in his water canister, taking their food package with them and rolling the water as far away as possible.

Techno glances at the rolling object in confusion, looking back at Ranboo as the alien struggles to open their food with bound hands. Maybe Ranboo just didn’t need water. Noted. Techno stares at the bindings around Ranboo’s ankles as he drinks, wondering how durable they were. The ceramic aliens never bothered to bind him, always shocking him with electric staves to immobilize him. Maybe that meant he could break the restraints if he tried.

The three finished eating in silence, Techno collecting the trash and tossing it down the waste chute. He looked out the transparent door, seeing no activity. The aliens would come to check on him eventually, and Techno doubted they would be too happy seeing him making friends with Tommy and Ranboo instead of killing them. That meant it was time to say goodbye to this ship and break out of here. Hopefully Tommy and Ranboo would be grateful enough to let him stick around without being locked in cage. He’d rather not do that whole song and dance again.

Techno turned around, going back to the two aliens and sitting slightly closer than before. He subtly looked them both over, glad that they were much more relaxed and no longer fearfully whimpering every time he moved.

“Ranboo,” he called, waving his hand to get their attention. Their head snapped towards him, a questioning warble coming from their throat.

Techno leaned forwards, slowly reaching out towards Ranboo’s feet. Then he paused, glancing up at them for a reaction. They tensed, bringing their limbs closer and shifting to not meet his eyes, but otherwise didn’t react. Techno stretched his arm out further and tapped on the ankle cuffs, his long nails making a soft clinking sound against the metal. He withdrew slightly, looking up at Ranboo as they said something he couldn’t understand.

Well, it wasn’t shrieks of horror, so he shuffled closer, tugging Ranboo’s legs slightly towards him as he stared at the cuffs. He ran his fingers along the chain-like structure that bound them, huffing as he scraped white paint off. That confirmed that the unending whiteness this ship suffered from was intentional.

He gave the chain an experimental tug, nodding and gripping one of the ankle cuffs tightly. He leaned, just to get a better angle, and pulled. Creaking metal sounded throughout the room, Tommy jumping with a surprised chitter.

Techno’s muscles strained and he stopped pulling, taking a deep breath. Then, he pressed his boot down on the cuff, contorting to grab the chain with both hands and yanking. The metal came free with a loud snap, small pieces clinking to the floor. Techno stumbled back with the force of his pull, quickly letting go of the chain so he didn’t drag Ranboo with him.

Tommy gave an awed and possibly scared squeak, diving forward and staring at the break in the chain. Techno hummed, flipping his wrist upwards and tapping it while looking pointedly at Ranboo.

Ranboo seemed almost concerned, watching him with wide eyes and a slightly parted mouth. Techno simply tapped at his own wrist again, holding his hands out for Ranboo’s. Ranboo seemed to get the message, pulling the chain taut and stretching one hand on the ground in front of him. Techno places his foot on the cuff once again, grabbing the chain and yanking it free with another snap.

Ranboo marvels at his newly freed limbs, standing up and stretching to his full height. Which was tall. Definitely closer to nine feet than eight. Huh. Tommy chittered excitedly, removing his legs from where they were bundled under the rug and stretching out the chain.

Techno made equally quick work of these restraints, huffing and taking deep breaths from the exertion. The chains were much tougher than he thought they would be. Tommy headbutted him in the shoulder, making him jump and pull his arms up defensively. Tommy leaned away, ears pressed down as he tugged his limbs under the rug again with a chitter.

Well. The headbutt didn’t seem to be a hostile gesture. Techno slowly let himself relax, scanning over the raccoon-like alien.

He was still shivering.

That rug should have warmed up enough from his body heat to prevent that, but if Techno looked closely enough, he could tell that Tommy was still moving sluggishly.

Techno frowned. Maybe whatever Tommy was didn’t produce heat like most mammals?

Tommy gave an anxious chitter, clearly realizing that Techno was staring. Techno coughed awkwardly, looking away as he reached out to lightly squeeze the alien’s wrist.

Admittedly, there were probably less weird ways to go about confirming his suspicions, but at least it was effective. Tommy’s skin was hot, incredibly so, but the warmth seemed trapped under a thin layer of cold fur. Techno cupped Tommy’s paw in his palms, rubbing it slightly. He ignored the way his skin tingled at the contact, focusing instead on warming the fur as much as possible.

After a few moments, Tommy jerked his paw away, and Techno let it go. He looked up to meet hesitant blue eyes, the alien pulling his arm back and tugging the rug over his head, hiding completely under it.

Techno stared at the lump for a moment, looking back up to meet Ranboo’s red and green eyes, wondering if he had just crossed some kind of alien social boundary. Ranboo once again avoided his gaze, looking just over his head and waving with their tail.

 Well. That wasn’t helpful. Techno turned back to the rug and sighed.

“Tommy,” he calls, watching both the lump and Ranboo jolt at the name, “it’s going to get colder when the lights turn off. You’re gonna freeze.” He fought back a smile as Tommy poked his head out from under the rug with a sleepy expression. Techno would feel bad, but the lights were gradually getting dimmer, and he really did not want to see the kid freeze.

If these two were going to attack him, now was as good a time as any to find out. He would definitely be crossing some kind of alien social boundary with this stunt.

Techno stood, circling behind where Tommy was still trapped under the rug. Ranboo gave a nervous warble as Techno bent down, effortlessly tugging the rug off of Tommy. The raccoon kid shrieked with indignance and maybe betrayal, his shivering instantly getting worse. Techno sat down beside him, pulling the kid into his side before draping the rug over both of them.

Tommy thrashed tiredly, growls and probably insults spilling past his lips. Techno ignored the warbles and tugs coming from Ranboo, pressing Tommy closer and humming an idle tune while he waited for them to calm down.

Tommy instantly stilled, ears poking up from where they had been pinned against his head, swiveling as they traced the sound. Ranboo stopped prodding at Techno, his concerned noises silencing.

Techno felt the moment Tommy realized just how warm he was in comparison to the rest of the cell, the kid pressing further into his side with a huff. Techno continued humming, pulling Tommy closer until the alien was tucked into his lap, head resting against his chest. Techno wrapped the rug around them, completely covering Tommy and only leaving his own head sticking out. He looked up to see Ranboo next to him, claws sunk into the rug and looking incredibly conflicted.

Techno wasn’t having a very good time himself, nerves alight and skin buzzing as the alien in his arms clung to him. A lump was forming in his throat, heat building behind his eyes. He quickly shoved the bitter, almost desperate feelings down.

Look, he couldn’t remember the last time he was hugged. Came with the orphan military recruit territory. It was a little overwhelming. Sue him.

On second thought, don’t. He was too broke for a lawsuit.  

“Tommy is fine, Ranboo.” Techno rasped, trying to pull himself together. “He’s just cold. This is warmer.” He was not going to have a breakdown over some random alien kid snuffling into his shirt. He was not.

Ranboo said something with Tommy’s name in it and slowly unhooked his claws from the rug. He opened his mouth again, probably to say something else, when the lights suddenly flicked off.

Techno tensed at the panicked shriek Ranboo gave, Tommy’s hooves kicking against his legs at the sound. Techno pulled Tommy closer with a wince, blindly flinging a hand in Ranboo’s direction to shush him.

“Ranboo, quiet! It’s just the lights! You’re gonna freak Tommy out,” Techno whisper-hissed, feeling the air chill with the mimicry of nighttime. Ranboo’s shriek abruptly cut off, leaving his mismatched eyes to glow eerily in the darkness. Techno found himself looking away first this time. He blinked rapidly, trying to adjust his eyes to the low light from the hall while lifting the rug to check on the alien in his lap.

He choked on a strangled sound. Tommy was pressing his face into Techno’s chest, short horns digging in awkwardly and paws curled in the fabric of Techno’s cape as he pulled it around himself. His eyes were closed, and his ears flicked occasionally as he breathed steadily, no longer shivering. It was a shockingly endearing sight.

Now, no matter what anyone told you, Techno wasn’t getting attached. He wasn’t. He’s not going soft, this was just basic human decency. It was for survival reasons and nothing more.

They’d help each other get off this ship alive and that was that.

Then Tommy’s ear gave another flick, and Techno couldn’t help but scratch behind it experimentally.

He felt it before he heard it, going rigid as a soft rumble vibrated against his chest.

Tommy was purring.

Techno felt something inside him shatter.

He was definitely getting attached. This wasn’t fair. Techno melted around the kid with a shuddering breath, something wet trailing down his cheeks. He removed his hand from Tommy’s ear, shoving his face into the soft fur on the kid’s head. The purring seemed to increase further, sealing Techno’s fate.

He would kill for this kid. And judging by where they were, he was going to make good on that promise. No one was touching a single hair on Tommy’s head without giving up their right to functioning limbs.

Techno was startled from his daze by a quiet crooning sound. Ranboo. He had nearly forgotten the alien was there. He felt his face flush, pulling his head up and giving them a small glare.

“Not a word. I mean it, Ranboo. Not. A. Word.” he said pointedly, wiping the wetness from his eyes with a corner of the rug. He clutched Tommy closer, shuffling them to the back corner of the cell, Ranboo and the entrance both clearly in his sights. Usually, he would never fall asleep before an unfamiliar person, but the purring weight in his arms and tingling of his skin seemed to drag his eyelids down.

Techno yawned and gave one last cautious glance to Ranboo before leaning against the wall, succumbing to exhaustion.

Curse his lack of social battery.

Chapter Text

The first thing Tommy noticed as he drifted into consciousness was that he was warm. Very warm. Warmer than he had been ever since he smuggled himself into space while running from the law. It made him hazy, made him burrow deeper into the seemingly heated cushion he was laying on.

The second thing Tommy noticed was that he was purring. Like a kit. He was a big man, a full-grown roghco despite the lies and slander Phil tried to spread, he didn’t purr! He drowsily tried to put a stop to the rumbling in his chest, but it was hard when he felt so comfortable.

Where even was he? He thinks he remembers someone humming, so maybe he fell asleep in Wilbur’s room again? But no, that couldn’t be right, it was way too hot in here for a deep sea merphant. The bitch would be complaining about drying out right now.

A faint feeling of unease settled over him. It was like he was forgetting something important. He should probably get up. Tommy furrowed his brow, grumbling at the idea of opening his eyes.

Then, there were five claws in the fur behind his ears, scratching just right and making Tommy melt. The purring in his chest tripled, and Tommy jolted up with an annoyed growl, shoving his paw against the larger-than-he-remembered hand. That mother fucker-

“Tubbo you BITCH! How many times have I told you not to scratch my ears! It’s fucking embarrassing!” He looked up, prepared to rant and rave at his best friend for rousing him from a perfectly good nap when he froze.

Staring down at him in confusion, hand raised from Tommy’s head, were the blue eyes of a distantly familiar human. The weight of separated cuffs on his wrists and ankles cemented him in reality.

Tommy had several realizations at once.

One, this was not Tubbo scratching his head, and the five claws instead of four really should have tipped him off sooner.

Two, he was not on the SBI spaceship, curled up in some kind of heated den Phil had managed to whip up for him. He had, instead, been captured by dreamons while on a supply run with Ranboo and narrowly avoided being chucked out of their airlock.

And three. He had just fallen asleep on a human, one of the most dangerous races in the universe, a fucking deathworlder, and he was still fucking purring.

Tommy shrieked, launching to his hooves and stumbling backwards—he was in its fucking lap when the fuck—getting tangled in a fur mat. He tripped over himself, landing on his ass with an undignified squeak. A wave of freezing cold hit him immediately. He started shivering, staring wide-eyed at the human that had a weirdly disappointed look on its face. The human held up both of its hands, leaning away from Tommy and looking at something over his shoulder.

Tommy snapped his head around to look behind him, seeing Ranboo twiddling their fingers anxiously. Tommy accidentally caught their gaze, quickly shifting his focus to the bump in the middle of their face instead.

“Ranboo, WHAT THE FUCK?!” he shouted, glancing hurriedly between his friend and the human. Ranboo shrugged awkwardly.

“I was going to pull you off, but you were cold and started purring and—well…” the enderian spoke sheepishly, looking away suspiciously. Tommy felt his ears flatten from embarrassment at the reminder of his purring.

“So you let me fall asleep on it?!” he shrieked, skin warming underneath his fur. Ranboo’s ears pinned back, his features scrunching into an appalled look.

“Techno—” the human’s head snapped over to Ranboo at the name, “—is not an it, Tommy,” he stated dully, red and green eyes looking disappointed.

Oh fuck whoops.

Tommy winced, ducking his head as his tails flicked around him shamefully.

“Right. Sorry. I—sorry,” he muttered, fur standing on end. The human, Techno, whether he knew it or not, had inadvertently saved them from being ejected just by existing. Not only that, but he was even taking care of them. He was a big man that deserved all the respect. Tommy turned back to Techno, sitting down in front of him and bowing his head in apology.

Ranboo warbled, satisfied. His mouth split into a mimicry of a smile as he looked back at the human. Techno seemed very confused about the interaction he had just witnessed, but all he did was slowly nod his head up and down.

The gesture was oddly reminiscent of Phil’s head bobbing. Actually, a lot of Techno’s gestures and mannerisms reminded Tommy of Phil. Their faces looked pretty similar too. Maybe it was because they were in the same galaxy before Phil’s home world got sucked into the Black Hole, or maybe it was because they were both deathworlders, Tommy wasn’t sure.

It made shaking off the memories of videos distributed by the council a lot easier though. It was kind of hard to link the human currently slow-blinking at him to the recordings of them going on animalistic rampages that couldn’t be stopped until either the human or everything else in sight was dead.

The universe was terrified of humans—the horrific footage captured by council satellites being spread around like wildfire when the new sapient race was discovered. Humans had already ventured out to other uninhabited planets in their system when the council found out about them, hindered in their surveillance of the galaxy by the massive Black Hole blocking off travel there. It didn’t take long for them to forbid contact with humans altogether—the pussies deciding to just wait for the new race to come to them.

Humans were bloodthirsty, vicious, violent—all the synonyms for aggressive you could think of. They caused multiple wars among their own kind and—worst of all—naturally produced adrenaline. The drug was universally banned for its lethal and disastrous effects on most existing lifeforms. In fact, Phil’s race, the elytrians, were the only sapient race other than humans known to produce and survive the aftereffects of the stuff. Even then, elytrians were much less resistant, the drug hindering normal blood flow and causing them to lose feeling in their limbs and pass out within minutes.

Of course—despite their reputation and the fact that interacting with humans was illegal—researchers and poachers continued to venture past the Black Hole and snatch up any living thing they could find in the name of science.

Not that the humans made it easy for them.

They were known to be smart and ruthless, decimating the crew of any ship unfortunate enough to hold them even at the cost of their own health. There was even a story of one having their arm ripped off and still continuing to fight.

Tommy refocused back on Techno, wondering how the human had ended up on a dreamon ship. He huffed, breath condensing in the air.

Fuck it was cold.

Techno shifted, seeming to notice Tommy’s discomfort. He lifted up the rug with an arm, leaving a small space open by his side.

“Tommy,” the human called gruffly, a few other words Tommy didn’t understand following the name.

Tommy tensed as he eyed the opening Techno had clearly left for him, weighing the pros and cons. On the one hand, cuddling up to a non-pack member—when he wasn’t delirious from near-hibernation, mind you—was something Tommy had never considered doing in his life.

On the other, he was fucking cold.

Tommy saw Ranboo glancing between him and Techno, tail swishing pensively. He seemed to reach a decision, bobbing his head and warbling encouragement in Tommy’s direction. Which was fucking weird. Tommy didn’t think Ranboo, of all people, would trust someone else that quickly.

Tommy glanced back at Techno, eyes picking apart every detail for a sign of threat. Other than a slight tensing of his shoulders, the human didn’t react, tilting his head in the direction of his open arm.

Tommy shivered.

“Fucking dreamons and their cold fucking spaceships and their freaky long ass arms—full offense Ranboob-” Tommy hissed, resolve caving as he shuffled over to Techno, settling himself under the human’s arm. He let Techno press him into his side and drape the fur rug around their shoulders, trapping the warmth.

If Tommy closed his eyes, he could almost pretend he was at home—safe under Phil’s wing.

The peaceful silence was broken by Ranboo clearing their throat.

“So, now that you’re awake, we should probably consider how we’re getting out of here,” they stressed, eyes flicking from the huddled pair to the door and back. Tommy tensed, ears pulling back with a grimace at the reminder of their situation.

“I don’t know, big man. The doors have biochip locks for fucks sake. This place also managed to hold a human as buff as Techno for long enough for him to have that stash.” Tommy nodded towards the pile of dried meat packages and water canisters on the floor. “We’re pretty fucked, unless you’ve already managed to flush out the water and can teleport?” Tommy asked hopefully, looking up at his friend. His face fell as Ranboo shrunk back, warbling a negative.

“Sorry Tommy, the place is too cold to make myself sweat in,” Ranboo muttered, idly tracing the faint purple marks on his left side. Tommy knew they were marks from the damaged veins underneath—white skin barely light enough to let them show through. He growled lowly. He was going to kill those dreamon bastards for injecting his packmate with water. That shit burned enderians.  

Tommy felt Techno shift beside him, a hand starting to scratch the fur at the base of his neck soothingly. Tommy scowled up at him, crossing his arms and thumping a hoof defiantly. As if it wasn’t bad enough that Techno was a touchy bastard, Tommy had to look up at the guy. First Wilbur, then Ranboo, and now even Techno was taller than him! If only slightly. Tommy was tall for a roghco, and these giant fuckers still had him beat!

In revenge, Tommy reached over and grabbed at the human’s long fur, pulling it in front of him. He started absently running his fingers through the greasy pink strands, much like how Techno seemed to enjoy doing to him. The human stilled at the motion, arm returning to around Tommy’s shoulder.

Tommy reveled in the victory.

“I reckon we should just lunge at the fuckers when they come to finish us off. Unless you are able to teleport before then. I could take a few off-guard dreamons in a fight, especially if they’re just the low-content ones we’ve seen so far. Techno might even join us, I’m sure he’s not their greatest fan…” Tommy rambled on with a faux calm, leaning further into Techno when the human looked down at his name. Why were humans so fucking warm? He swears they could compete with fireborns.

“But- there’s no guarantee that would work! What if they shoot us with their staves? What if they just gas the cell through the food chute? What if-”

“Ranboo,” Tommy starts a little too harshly, seeing Ranboo start to spiral, “it’s okay. I’m sure Phil is turning over every connection in the fucking galaxy to find us. You know how he can get when in Dadza mode,” he jokes, trying and failing to lighten the atmosphere. Ranboo was shaking, purple flakes phasing out of his skin and static buzzing in the air. He curls in on himself further and further, overwhelmed with anxiety.

Fuck, Tommy was hoping to prevent this.

He quickly reaches out, Ranboo crawling forward to meet him. Tommy taps a steady two-beat rhythm against their chest, trying to get their two thundering hearts to calm down. The enderian warbles in distress, wringing their tail with their hands and breathing deeply.

Tap tap.

Tap tap.

Tap tap.

Soon, Ranboo joins Tommy, tapping the heartbeat rhythm on his neck as the panic-driven tremors subsided. Tommy catches Techno watching out of the corner of his eye. The hand on his shoulder starts tapping along mindlessly.

“Yeah. You’re right,” Ranboo eventually croaks, pulling their knees to their chest and burying their face in them with a whine. Tommy’s heart aches at the sight, tails twitching with the instinct to wrap around them. He startles when Techno moves forward, the arm around his shoulders falling away.

Ranboo, face hidden, doesn’t know what’s happening until Techno latches onto his forearms, tugging him back to where he and Tommy were huddled under the rug. Ranboo shrieks in surprise, flailing as his gangly form is tucked awkwardly into Techno’s other side.

Tommy watches blankly as Techno gives Ranboo a weird side hug, rubbing up and down the enderian’s arm and resting his chin on their head. Logically speaking, the enderian was way too tall for that to be comfortable, but Techno somehow made it work. Ranboo looked like they were buffering, both physically and mentally as the human cuddled them close.

Because that’s what was happening, wasn’t it? The both of them were being cuddled by a human. What the actual fuck.

Suddenly, Tommy found himself paying a bit more attention to why Techno would be clinging onto them like a lifeline.

He didn’t know if he liked the implications.

“Ranboo?” he started, voice uncertain. The enderian seemed to snap out of whatever confusion induced trance he was in, warbling in acknowledgement. “Didn’t Tubbo say humans were super social? A pack-bonding race?” he whispered, watching Ranboo freeze. “How long do you think he’s been away from other humans?”

Silence reigned in the too small cell, making Ranboo shift uneasily. He vwooped lowly, opening his mouth to speak.

“I—when both of you went to sleep, there was another reason I didn’t wake you up,” he admitted, long tongue flicking over his teeth and eyes drifting to Techno. “He… when you started purring, he cried. Like—Like Phil did when Wilbur was injured.” Tommy recoiled. “He folded himself around you too,” Ranboo mumbled, looking everywhere but Tommy. “Whenever I moved or made a sound, he would hold you tighter in his sleep. It was- uh. Sweet. And protective.”

Tommy’s breath hitched. He could only think of two races that cried emotionally like Phil’s did. The crew had been worried when water started pouring from Phil’s eyes, concern only growing when the elytrian explained why it was happening.

Did humans also cry because of grief?

His heart twisted.

“Do you think he pack-bonded with us?” Tommy asked quietly. Ranboo shrunk impossibly further into Techno.

“Surely not. It’s been less than a day. How desperate would he have to be to bond with the first two friendly aliens he saw?” Ranboo said, warbling a slightly strained laugh.

Tommy didn’t reply. Roghcos were pack-bonders too. He knew what isolation from his family would do to him.

Tommy wasn’t sure how long they spent there, leaning against their new human friend and just listening to the sounds of the ship whirring through space. Techno seemed satisfied that Ranboo was calm, but he still didn’t push them away.

The quiet was broken by a rattling coming from the chute, Techno’s hold tightening minutely at the sound. He stared intently, watching as a water canister rolled out, landing on the floor with a thud. It continued rolling, Techno paying it no mind and continuing to stare at the chute.

After a few moments of nothing happening, Techno’s face scrunched up in a way that told Tommy he was angry, if his experience at reading Phil’s expressions was anything to go by. Ranboo shuffled nervously at the sight. Techno looked down, giving both of them two familiar taps on the shoulders.

Tommy blinked, wondering if he had picked that up from watching Tommy calm Ranboo down.

Techno stood, wrapping the rug tightly around Tommy’s shoulders as he did so. He walked over to the stash of supplies, grabbing the rolling canister on the way. He picked up another thing of water, as well as three packages of dried meat before rejoining them.

Tommy wished he could say he was surprised when Techno immediately pulled the two of them close together. No one told him that humans were this fucking clingy! Seriously, Techno was giving Tubbo a run for his money, and that guy was an apris! The most social race in the universe! With that and all the head scratches, it was no wonder Tommy confused them when he first woke up!

After eating, there was nothing left to do but talk, the silence only making Ranboo spiral into negative thoughts. So they talked. They reminisced. They regaled Techno with stories of the Syndicate—their crew, their family—and of their… less than legal pastimes.

They talked about how Phil was actually really similar to Techno, how he liked to huddle them all close in the nest after a successful heist. They talked about how Wilbur nearly lost a fight with a vegetable, how Niki looked kind but could absolutely rock someone’s shit if needed. They spoke about their mutual best friend Tubbo, about how he was a clingy bastard that was obsessed with death worlds and their inhabitants. They even talked about how they had ended up on the ship in the first place, and how Phil was definitely going insane trying to find them.

It was obvious that Techno couldn’t understand them, but he still nodded and hummed along, mumbling a few words that were repeated a lot. Tommy cheered when he said Tubbo’s name, thumping his hooves and loudly complaining about his best friend.

Soon, another canister of water dropped down the chute, Techno staring at this one just as angrily as the first. The same as before, he gave them two reassuring taps and went to retrieve another helping of food. Tommy was starting to feel guilty about eating from the human’s stash.

When Techno came back, Tommy headbutted him on the shoulder in thanks, burrowing into the warm human’s side as he ate. Techno seemed briefly stunned by the gesture, but eventually he huffed a breath before ruffling Tommy’s fur. Tommy growled in annoyance, but ultimately allowed the action because he was just so gracious.

The three of them quickly scarfed down the tasteless food, Tommy struggling to tear apart the tough meat. He couldn’t even tell what it was. Hell, it might be synthetic. That would explain the poor quality.

After they were done, Techno shuffled them over to a back corner, repeatedly glancing at the ever-dimming light panels above them. Tommy assumed that meant they would turn off soon. Ranboo watched them huddle up, sitting in the corner closest to them and facing towards the door. Techno once again started gently scratching at Tommy’s scalp, causing him to huff in annoyance. What was this guy’s obsession with his fur? He knew it was soft, but come on.

He found himself pressing up into the hand despite these thoughts.

Techno started humming a tune, sounding eerily similar to Wilbur as he did. Ranboo noticed this too, long ears flaring out to listen closer. Techno continued running his fingers through Tommy’s fur, combing out the longer sections as he went. Tommy felt when the human started separating the fur on his forehead into strands, looping them around each other oddly. He let out a questioning chitter, causing Ranboo to look up from where they had closed their eyes.

Ranboo vwooped in awe, leaning closer and staring at Tommy’s fur. Techno snorted, shifting around to show the enderian what he was doing. Tommy reached up to feel what was going on, but his paw was lightly batted away.

“Ranboooo,” he whined, “what is he doing to my fur?” he tried to reach up again, only to be swatted at once more. He hissed. “Ranboo!”

“That’s so cool- Tommy! He’s twisting it like a kelp basket weave. Give him a second, I think he’s almost done!” Ranboo said, hands twitching from where he pressed them on the ground to lean forward.

Techno finished up whatever weave thing he was doing pretty quickly, letting the section of fur go and starting again on the opposite side. Tommy watched it dangle in front of his face, eyes crossing to look at the three-strand twisted pattern. He reached up to rub the fur between his fingers, the weave coming slightly undone with the movement.

It… looked pretty cool, he had to admit. Techno’s own fur—maybe humans called it hair? Ranboo called his fur hair—seemed to only come from his head, and it was nearly half his height. Tommy supposed it made sense for humans to weave little designs into it if they could grow it that long.

Techno soon finished with Tommy’s other side, the fur there now hanging down like Ranboo’s bangs. He puffed a breath up at the weaves, watching them flop back against his face. Ranboo scooted closer, tugging on the rug over Techno’s shoulder.

“Techno, me too!” he warbled excitedly, giving another short tug and gesturing to his hair. Techno snorted, saying something back. It was probably an agreement, considering he pulled Ranboo closer and started combing his fingers through their hair.

Tommy watched with smug amusement as Ranboo melted into the warm touch, Techno taking notice and scratching at his scalp. That’s right bitch, suffer the petting like he has. Tommy watched curiously as Techno divided the hair, splitting it into three strands and deftly twisting them together. Ranboo soon had two weaves of hair on the sides of his face and was delightedly shaking his head back and forth to watch them sway. Techno huffed at the action, leaning back and hugging Tommy close again.

“This is so cool,” Ranboo vwooped. Then he seemed to have an epiphany, slowly turning towards Tommy. Tommy watched as his pupils thinned into slits. “Do you think he could weave gold into it?” Ranboo asked reverently, delicately rubbing a claw against the twisted hair.

Enderians had a habit of wearing a lot of precious metals, Ranboo in particular having a fixation on gold. The shiny things helped keep them calm and grounded, a necessity for a race so prone to anxiety attacks. Tommy rolled his eyes fondly—a gesture he picked up from Phil—and tried not to think about how Ranboo had his gold taken away from him.

Add it to the laundry list of things he was murdering the dreamons for.

“I don’t see why not, big man. Though you should probably stop cutting your hair short,” he said, smirking at the words. Phil would have an absolute field day preening Ranboo’s grown out hair.

Actually, now that Tommy thought about it, Niki would probably love to weave hair. She often made those kelp baskets just to keep her hands busy.

She’d probably like Techno.

Tommy reached out a paw, pulling Techno’s hair closer to him as he studied it. He ran his claws through, separating small tangles and splitting the hair into three mostly even chunks. He started trying to twist them together, but the strands kept slipping through his paws, and he grunted in frustration. He heard a snort from above him, glancing up to level Techno with a look.

“Not all of us can have long ass dex-ter-ous fingers like you!” he snapped, glaring and definitely not pouting up at the human. Techno rolled his dull blue eyes, the elytrian-like gesture shocking Tommy for a moment. The human used so many of those. Techno brought another section of his own hair closer, running his fingers through it and expertly splitting it into three strands with practiced ease.

Tommy watched as Techno showed off, weaving the hair together much slower than he did Ranboo’s—even stopping at some points to show Tommy what he was doing. Tommy snatched up his own section of hair with a grumble, carefully following along as best he could.

Minutes later, Tommy was holding a sloppy pink weave, beaming at his work. Techno snorted again, bringing his hand up to ruffle Tommy’s fur, being careful of the small weaves there. Tommy looked up at him, silently basking in the small smile on his face.

Ranboo warbled to catch their attention, scooting closer and poking at the already falling apart weave of Techno’s hair. It didn’t seem to hold together nearly as well as Tommy and Ranboo’s did. Techno obligingly separated the strands again, smoothing the hair out before handing it over to Ranboo.

Tommy frowned at the thought of the weave he did being undone, but to his surprise, Techno avoided touching it completely, bringing a different section of hair from the back of his head forward to demonstrate.

Tommy watched on happily as Techno taught Ranboo how to twist the hair together, grumbling when Ranboo’s turned out much better than his. In Tommy’s defense, his fingers didn’t bend as easily as the other two’s.

Tommy jolted when the lights shut off overhead, growling and blinking upwards in annoyance. He felt Techno tap twice on the back of his neck, the human humming when Ranboo gave an upset little warble. The air chilled, and Tommy started shivering despite how he was pressed up against Techno and bundled under the rug.

As if expecting this, Techno pulled him over, tugging him into his lap. Tommy grunted at being treated like a kit, but curled closer in the cold, letting Techno cover him with the fur rug.

He felt Techno lilt sideways, and judging by Ranboo’s surprised vwoop, the human was now leaning up against the enderian. Tommy tried to poke his head out to see what was going on, but was pressed back down with a scratch behind his ears. He reluctantly settled in, closing his eyes and letting Techno’s warmth suck away his anxieties.

…

“Hey Tommy?” Ranboo called quietly, causing Tommy to bury his face in his paws sleepily.

“Yeah?”

“Do… Do you think Phil would let Techno stay on the SBI?” he asked carefully, and Techno twitched with the mention of his name.

Tommy stilled, not even having considered what would happen after this mess.

He thought about Techno’s head scratches, and the cuddling, and the fur ruffles that radiated fondness. He thought about the hair-weaving lessons and the disappointed look Techno had when Tommy shrieked and jumped away from him after waking up. He thought back to the previous day, Techno giving them their space while they cowered in the corner. Techno stumbling to pronounce their names and draping a rug over Tommy’s shoulders when he was freezing.

He thought about the food sharing, the soft smiles, the snorting laughter and extreme clinginess.

He thought about the two taps Techno gave whenever they were nervous, as if he was trying to tell them everything was okay in the only way he could.

Tommy wrapped his tails around the human, holding onto him tighter.

He didn’t want to leave Techno behind.

Tommy… cared about what would happen to this human. He didn’t want him to be locked away in a cell for who knows how long, unsafe and alone. Tommy cared about Techno, even if it hadn’t been that long yet.

He was willing to bet Techno cared about them too.

“We’ll convince him. Him and the rest of the crew,” Tommy decided after a long silence, confidence dripping from his words. “We will. I’m not leaving Techno here when we break out or they come to save us.” Techno was coming with them whether Phil liked it or not.

They could find a workaround for communication. Look for a biochip with human language programmed on it or teach him to read Common script. Sadly, only Phil could actually speak Common tongue because of every race’s different voice boxes, but the rest of them could at least talk through writing if nothing else.

Actually, they should teach Techno Common script either way. Tommy didn’t want to have some sketchy doctor inject Techno with a biochip without his consent first.

Ranboo warbled in relief, drawing Tommy out of his future planning.

“Okay. That’s good. I really didn’t want to leave without him,” he said, voice sounding less wobbly than before. Tommy was glad they were on the same page. He snuggled closer to Techno, the human’s breathing stuttering for a moment before steadying.

“Night ‘Boo,” Tommy slurred, careful not to press too hard with his horns as he nuzzled into Techno’s chest, a quiet purr starting up.

“Goodnight Tommy. I’ll wake you up if I hear anything,” Ranboo replied with a small, adoring croon. Tommy couldn’t even find the energy to be annoyed at the sound, too comfortable to care.

His breathing evened out.

Hopefully it would be a peaceful night.

Chapter Text

Techno froze, not even breathing as the squadron commander went over the plans. They couldn’t be serious. Sure, high command had ordered them to stop the protests on Mars, but they couldn’t- There was no need to- No. The academy said the elite squad protected people. Techno knew not to take their word as gospel, but how would dumping opium in Mars’ water supply protect anyone?! So many people would die-

The scene shifted, and Techno was once again frozen, a gun in hand to the back of a traitor’s head. The traitor lifted their chin high, blindfold on.

“For the revolution.” They spoke clearly, voice steady. Techno heard the other traitors in line shout the same.

“Fire,” the commander ordered. Techno didn’t close his eyes as the shots went off.

The scene shifted—the bodies of traitors below him traded for odd sheep-like creatures, bleeding from gaping wounds in their throats. Techno felt himself panting—tasted blood on his tongue—all sound drowned out by blaring sirens and flashing yellow lights-

The scene shifted and he was in a control room, pressing random buttons and watching an orange planet come closer and closer-

The scene shifted and he was strapped to a table in a too sterile white room, writhing, heart pounding, a scalpel raised over his chest to carve out his-

He shot up with a gasp, slamming the back of his head into a hard wall. His breath stuttered and wheezed, his ears rang, his vision clouded with spots. It was white- everything was white- too white- too sterile- too much- too much- too much- no no nononono-

Something gripped his wrists firmly, pulling his fingers from where they dug harshly into his scalp, a few strands of hair ripping out with them. He screamed a blood-curdling sound as he violently yanked out of the restraints, whipping his head to the source and lunging with teeth bared in threat, dislodging something on top of his crossed legs. He distantly heard garbled sounds of panic, butchered attempts at a word, but he couldn’t focus, eyes blurry and ears deaf and no he couldn’t be weak he couldn’t be ignorant never again-

Then there was a harsh, methodical thumping on his chest. Two beats and a pause. Two beats and a pause.

He stilled.

Thump thump.

Thump thump.

It was familiar.

Thump thump.

It meant something, he knew. He couldn’t remember what. He latched onto it.

Thump thump.

Thump thump.

Thump thump.

“Techno.”

That was his name.

Thump thump.

The thumps were… meant to calm people, right? They were being used on him. That meant he wasn’t calm. He should be calm. If he acts up, he’ll get kicked out. The professors already didn’t like his genetic glitches—pink hair and hyperactivity, inability to pay attention. They would kick him out and he’d have nowhere to go-

Thump thump.

Where was he?

Thump thump.

It was too fuzzy to tell.

Thump thump.

He should fix that. Three things he feels.

Thump thump.

The… thumps. The cold. His favorite cape. Okay. Three things he hears.

“Techno.”

His name. A… whirring sound. His breath, too fast. His skin tingled and he couldn’t make his fingers move. They were too stiff. He tried to take a deep breath. It exploded out of his lungs.

Okay.

Thump thump.

Three things he sees.

His vision came back to him, still blurry and spotty. White. Too much white. Don’t focus on that. A… fur rug thing. Ranboo.

Ranboo.

“An-bo-?” he croaked, wheezed, tongue like cotton as he tried to focus on worried red and green eyes. A friend.

Ranboo bobbed their head, warbling something that might be relieved. Techno took a deep, shaking breath. He managed to hold it for longer this time.

He started to gain his bearings, wrangling heaving gasps into a practiced rhythm. He was panicking. Panicking was useless. He needed to breathe.

Thump thump.

What was that?

He looked down from Ranboo, seeing a figure sprawled over his legs, a paw fisted in his cape. Another paw was against his chest, thumping a steady beat into it.

Thump thump.

Tommy.

“T-mmy,” he rasped, throat sore. The figure’s head whipped up, face scrunched in worry and eyes slightly glassy.

“Techno,” Tommy said, not stopping the thumps. Techno felt the water on his cheeks now, and he slowly raised a hand to wipe them.

His heart broke when Tommy flinched.

“Tommy,” he repeated, wiping his face roughly with the rug. “Sorry,” he said. “Sorry,” he said again. And again. And again. He hunched over and wrapped his arms around himself, still repeating the word.

He hoped beyond hope that the meaning would somehow get across.

“S’ry,” Tommy imitated, the strong thumps dulling to taps. Techno choked on tears, the kid chattering something else.

He wished he knew what was said.

Techno cautiously lowered his arms, lightly setting them on Tommy’s shoulders. When this didn’t cause any flinches or hissing protests, he slowly pulled the kid closer, squeezing and burying his face in the fur on their head.

He felt Tommy freeze in the hug, and he nearly pulled away. But then, the kid relaxed. Tommy’s arms and tails wrapped tightly around him, and Techno couldn’t hold back a strangled sob. His breath hitched when stuttering purrs started to rumble against his chest, the soothing tapping continuing on his back.

He cried.

Tommy’s fur soaked up his tears.

Techno should be better than this. He was the adult here. He should be comforting the kid through his nightmares, not the other way around.

It was so easy to forget that though—thoughts drowned out by the rumbling against his chest and the tapping on his back.

Techno heard a soft croon, not even bothering to look up as cold gangly limbs wrapped around him, a thin tail spiraling around his arm. He leaned into the careful scratches on his scalp, skin buzzing.

The three of them sat there for a long while, Techno eventually composing himself and pulling away. He quickly looked the two kids over, scanning them for any injuries his panic might have caused.

He only allowed himself a breath of relief when he found none. That was lucky.

“Sorry,” he said again, cheeks burning with embarrassment and head ducked in apology. Tommy huffed at the word, thumping the ground with a hoof and lightly swatting Techno on the side of the head. The action caused a small smile to rise on his face.

Then he noticed the rug was gone.

Techno quickly looked around, snagging the fur rug from where it had been thrown to the side. He draped it over his own shoulders, raising his arm for Tommy to huddle under. The kid was already shivering. They needed to get off of this ship stat.

He would kind of miss the hugs.

Tommy rolled his eyes, and Techno startled at the familiar gesture before Tommy slotted himself under his arm. The kid tapped Techno’s chest twice, and Techno repeated the pattern on Tommy’s shoulder.

Ranboo and Tommy started talking to each other, occasionally saying his name and sending glances his way. Techno didn’t like not understanding a conversation he was the focus of, but he couldn’t be surprised that they were talking about him. It would honestly be weirder if they weren’t.

Techno let his mind wander, eyes drifting over to the chute in the wall. The ceramics, a name Techno had recently bestowed upon the aliens holding him captive, hadn’t given him any food yesterday. Considering they wanted him to eat Tommy and Ranboo, who were massive, that kind of made sense.

However, there’s no way they would expect him to eat two-day old bodies. He was reasonably sure that rot was still a concept out in space.

That likely meant that the next time he got food, the ceramics would be by to collect the corpses.

Hopefully they didn’t mind becoming some themselves.

The rattling started up in the food chute, Tommy and Ranboo’s conversation dying off. Techno watched with anticipation, the canister of water rolling out.

There was a pause, and then a bag of jerky slid down after it.

Techno grinned; teeth bared. Looks like today was the day. He felt Tommy tense under his arm and quickly gave him two settling taps, removing the rug and wrapping it tightly around the kid’s shoulders. He needed to be ready for the aliens to come in, so he wouldn’t be able to huddle up with Tommy. 

Once he was satisfied, he went to collect the rations, giving Tommy the fresher bag. The kid seemed to have trouble chewing tough meat despite his sharp teeth. Tommy looked confused when Techno didn’t immediately pull him into his side, but Techno just scarfed down his food and kept the door in sight.

After he was finished, he started doing his usual morning stretching routine to limber up. He had skipped it the previous day in favor of keeping Tommy warm, but it was better to be in peak condition for the inevitable fight.

Techno pulled his arm over his chest, sighing as his joints popped. Sleeping sitting up was really doing a number on them.

The relief was broken by a shriek and concerned warble, Ranboo jolting forward and grabbing his arm in concern. Techno raised an eyebrow, watching the kid stretch it out and mutter words.

Hm.

Techno cracked a knuckle. Ranboo vwooped, lightly tapping at his finger to make sure it wasn’t broken. Techno huffed once. Twice—the huffs quickly dissolving into side-splitting laughter. This only seemed to concern the two aliens more, Tommy joining in on the prodding.

Techno waved them off, wiping tears from his eyes. It seemed he was still high-strung from that morning; he couldn’t remember the last time he laughed that hard. He tapped twice on his chest, reassuring them that he was fine. He cracked a few more joints in demonstration, flexing them after.

Tommy and Ranboo still looked concerned, but they let him continue his stretching, jolting whenever a pop sounded. Techno finished his routine, shaking out his limbs and sitting down cross-legged, staring at the door.

Time passed, his name being said a few times as Tommy and Ranboo talked quietly behind him. Still, he paid them no mind as the day went on.

Then, he heard it.

Faint clacking footsteps.

He shoved himself to his feet, drawing back and shushing some kind of argument going on between the two kids. He saw their ears twitch, a look of fear plastering itself on their faces as they finally registered the footsteps. Techno placed a hand on the back of their necks, forcing them to look at him and not the door.

“Tommy. Ranboo. It’ll be okay. They won’t touch you, alright?” he said gruffly, pointedly meeting Tommy’s eyes but avoiding Ranboo’s. The latter didn’t seem to like eye contact much. He waited a few moments, then tapped their necks twice and nudged them to the very back of the cell.

Techno made sure the rug was still wrapped around Tommy’s shoulders, shoving Ranboo’s feet under it and having them hide their wrists behind Tommy.

Couldn’t have the broken cuffs giving them away.

Then, he leaned back, heart pounding in anticipation as he heard the ceramics draw closer. He gave both of the kids two taps on the chest, making them look at him again.

“Tommy, Ranboo, it’ll be okay,” he repeated, doubling back and spinning around. He stood calmly maybe three feet from the entrance, waiting for the ceramics to arrive.

Four of them did, two dragging a couple of white bags behind them. Body bags. The thought made Techno’s blood boil, his lip curling up into a snarl. There were another two following them, both equipped with familiar electrical staves and white armor-like plating over their vitals.

They looked into the cell.

The whistling conversation that accompanied them came to an abrupt stop, and the front two shrieked at seeing Tommy and Ranboo still alive at the back of the cell. Techno lunged forwards, slamming his fists into the barrier and growling an animalistic sound. He saw the aliens fumble, swiping the air to pull up some kind of hologram that Techno figured was a communication device. He had seen things like it before.

Techno gave the barrier another hard slam, keeping up his snarling. A short while later, he picked up on the distant clacking of footsteps as more aliens ran down the halls. The current ones must have called for backup. That was fine, the guards here were barely able to put up a fight without paralyzing him first.

And after three months of being here with the occasional visit from a spiky and much larger ceramic alien to ‘train’ him, he was used to the electricity. It wouldn’t keep him down for long.

Not with adrenaline pumping through his veins.

Around four guards charged into the hall, each armed like their brethren. Techno bared his teeth but let his growling quiet down. He didn’t want them to bring more backup just yet. He needed out of the cell first.

He reared back, giving them an opening to release the barrier. The guards, overconfident fools that they were, leapt into action. One slammed their hand into the side wall, pressing their face against it. The barrier faded away, and Techno was instantly hit with three pulses of electricity. He seized, letting himself buckle to the ground, twitching and falling silent.

…

The guards hesitated, staring at his downed form with apprehension. Every moment they spent was another moment Techno gained feeling back in his limbs. The trap was set, now he just needed them to trigger it.

Tommy and Ranboo shrieked his name, fear evident in their voices. Techno could only hope that they didn’t impulsively try to attack the ceramics in his defense.

Actually, with the guards’ attention now on them, there was something he could do besides hope. He carefully shuffled a mostly numb hand to his chest, clumsily tapping twice.

Ranboo’s shrieks cut off into a warble. Tommy didn’t change, still spitting and snarling at the guards. Techno would have to assume Ranboo got the message. Maybe the taller alien could hold Tommy back.

Four of the ceramic guards walked into the cell, almost painfully slowly. For once, things seemed to go in Techno’s favor, since Tommy and Ranboo were too far back for the staves’ electrical charges to reach.

The guards continued walking.

And now, they were in Techno’s range.

He launched himself to his feet, ripping a staff out of one ceramic’s hand and slamming it into their head with a crack. Whistles of panic rang out, and Techno saw the guards try to double back. He lunged forward, lifting one alien by their neck and slamming them into the wall, green blood splattering out as they shattered against it.

That was two.

The guards left in the cell lifted their staves, but they were too close. Techno ripped the weapons out of their grips with a snarl. He tackled one guard to the ground, gripping their head and smashing it into the floor in a show of brutality. The last guard tried to flee, but he reached out, yanking them down by their leg.

They squealed in fear, and Techno looked up just in time to see the remaining two guards outside slam the transparent barrier back into place.

…

That was fine.

Techno stared unblinkingly at the ceramics outside, letting the one he was holding whimper out what he assumed were pleas to his comrades. Techno continued staring, bringing his other hand up to grab the alien’s leg.

He snapped it in two.

The pained scream would likely haunt his nightmares, but he couldn’t care less at the moment, snapping the other leg as well. Then he moved on, methodically cracking three of the alien’s arms in half so they couldn’t attack him.

His eyes never left the ceramics outside.

He lifted the now unconscious alien up, slowly walking to the entrance of his cell. The guards flinched back, whistling nervously to each other.

Techno raised the alien’s only good hand, pressing it into the faint outline of a square on the wall.

A quiet beep sounded out.

The guards froze.

Techno let himself grin—wide and full of malicious intent. He pressed the alien’s face into the wall, another quiet beep echoing throughout the room.

The cell door flicked open.

Techno charged, slamming into the guard by the outside wall. He lifted them up with his free arm, chucking them into the other guard and watching them both crash to the floor. He stomped his boot down hard on their chests, a loud crunch rewarding his efforts.

The two ceramics with the body bags screamed and started running down the hall, frantically whistling into their holograms. Green lights soon flashed overhead, accompanied by loud sirens. Techno still held the maimed alien in his grip, forcing his heavy breathing back under control.

Then, he turned around, a vicious grin still on his face.

He froze.

Tommy and Ranboo were still at the back of the cell, Tommy in front of Ranboo with the latter’s arms looped under his armpits. They were standing there, rug discarded even as Tommy shivered.

However, it was the looks of complete horror on their faces that made Techno wince, mouth twisting into a grimace.

He felt his heart skip a beat, adrenaline still pumping through his veins with the blaring of alarms around him. He slowly set the guard he was holding down—making sure they didn’t shatter because he might need them to open more doors—and raised his hands by his head.

Tommy flinched, zeroing in on the hands, eyes flicking between them and the battered corpses of aliens around them. Techno had to admit, the splatters of blood might be a tad traumatizing for children.

“Tommy. Ranboo,” Techno started, waiting for their eyes to lock onto him before continuing, “I’m sorry for scaring you. I’m sorry it was necessary. They were going to kill you, and I’m not gonna let that happen,” he said, lowering one of his hands to his chest.

He tapped it twice.

Ranboo relaxed slightly, Tommy cautiously joining him.

“S’ry,” Tommy chittered hesitantly, and Techno’s heart stuttered at the reminder of that morning.

“Sorry,” he repeated with a nod, dropping his hands. That seemed to be all Tommy needed to rush forward, hooves carefully dodging the littered bodies as he shoved himself into Techno’s chest.

Techno stumbled back, arms raising to catch him. Ranboo soon followed his friend, pointedly not looking at the carnage around them.

Techno released one of his arms from the impromptu hug, standing on his toes and reaching up to ruffle Ranboo’s hair, nails lightly scratching at their scalp. Ranboo bent down to give him better access, a warble coming from their throat.

Techno sighed with relief.

Clacking footsteps echoed from far off. He reluctantly split from the hug.

Techno leaned over, hoisting the injured but still alive ceramic over his shoulder, ignoring the green blood that dripped down his front. He scanned the halls, pulling up his mental map to the control room from that one time he tried to cause as much damage as possible in revenge for the leash. He turned in the right direction, frowning when he realized that the clacking sounds were coming from there.

Great. The kids were definitely going to be traumatized by the end of this.

“Tommy, Ranboo, let’s go. Stay behind me,” he ordered, not bothering to pick up the discarded weapons. They only worked for the aliens, for some reason—probably DNA or handprint recognition like the cell door—and had long cooldowns regardless. He was better off without them.

Tommy and Ranboo jolted at the sounds of their names, stumbling after Techno as he charged down the hall with purpose.

Time to get off this ship.

- - - -

Tommy could only think one thing while watching Techno use the dreamon on his shoulder as a shield, chucking them into the others as soon as he got in range and leaving nothing but shattered remains in his wake.

No wonder the council didn’t want to fuck with humans.

Ranboo was staring in wide-eyed awe at the massacre. Tommy will be honest, he kind of doubted Techno when the human started running towards the enemies—but clearly, the guy knew what he was fucking doing.

So this was what it was like to be in a human’s pack.

Tommy was fucking terrified when he heard the footsteps of dreamons coming towards the cell earlier, Techno’s hand securely on the back of his neck as he sat next to Ranboo. The human had shoved them to the back of the cell, hidden their broken cuffs and said their names with some other words lost to Tommy’s thundering heartbeat.

Then he had tapped both of their chests twice. It almost felt like a promise.

And holy shit, Tommy never wanted to be on the wrong side of that promise. He was hissing and snarling when Techno went down, held back by Ranboo as he ached to tear their throats out. However, the second the guards were close enough, Techno lunged like he had never been paralyzed in the first place. He absolutely slaughtered the dreamons, even taunting them with a grin as he used a guard’s biochip to open the cell door.

How he even knew to do that, Tommy had no fucking clue, but he felt like he had been the one paralyzed in that moment.

He honestly wondered how the dreamons had managed to hold the human as long as they had. He was clearly capable of decimating them whenever he wanted.

Maybe he just didn’t have anywhere else to go.

Tommy frowned at the thought, still running after Ranboo and Techno as the latter bowled over every dreamon in his path, occasionally picking one up to open a door or use as a shield. It was brutally efficient.

Tommy was right in assuming that there was no love lost between Techno and his keepers.

Ranboo didn’t seem to be taking the whole experience as well as Tommy, ears pinned back and tail twitching with anxiety as he followed behind Techno.

The Syndicate rarely killed, only Phil or Niki wrecking people’s shit whenever one of their members was in danger. Other than that, they avoided it if possible. They were intergalactic thieves, not murderers.

Once it got out that a human had settled in with their crew, the already revered Syndicate would be borderline untouchable. As if one deathworlder and two merphants wasn’t enough, they would now have the most feared race in the universe in their ranks.

That is, if Techno agreed to stay with them after he could understand them. He might be against crime.

…

Tommy nearly let out a hysterical laugh at the notion, seeing as Techno was still barreling over dreamons and shattering them with a firm stomp to the head as he passed by.

They would cross the bridge of Techno staying when they got to it. The human might want to go back to his own galaxy, after all.

Tommy tried to pretend the idea didn’t make his heart ache.

They continued running who knows where, trailing after the merciless human. Tommy would probably be more horrified by Techno’s actions if the dreamons weren’t actively attacking them. Being the jackasses of the universe didn’t help either. With the generations of cloning reproduction, dreamons grew more physically brittle and mentally unstable. You’d be lucky to find one who actually had a sense of morals. Those were steadily dying out as time passed.

Ranboo came to a sudden halt in front of him, causing Tommy to nearly ram into his back. He skidded to a stop, peeking around the enderian to see what was holding them up.

They were now in front of a room guarded by half a dozen dreamons. They were high-content too, their hands clawed and shoulders spiked. The room’s sign read ‘Command Center’ in Common script.

Holy shit.

Techno led them straight to the command center.

The human was definitely only sticking around for shits and giggles.

Tommy watched as Techno drawled something at the dreamons in his language, stretching his limbs in the same weird way he had done that morning. Tommy was relieved they didn’t crack this time, although Techno didn’t seem to mind the possibility of his arms breaking all that much.

Techno tensed, that being the only warning the dreamons got before he lunged, slamming his fist into the first one he reached. Tommy watched the brawl with morbid fascination, eyes snapping to a dreamon on the side trying to sneak around back. They pointed their staff at Techno.

Tommy snarled as the haze abruptly descended. He growled, feeling separate from his body as he pounced on the dreamon for daring to attack his pack. His sharp front teeth sank into their neck, and he yanked the shell there back with a grotesque creak.

The dreamon flailed, toppling over as Tommy buried his claws in the gaps of their shell. He thumped his hooves against their chest, something finally giving way and making the dreamon fall limp.

Ranboo let out a shocked vwoop as Tommy panted, hacking up the remains in his mouth. He grinned with green-stained teeth, rumbling in victory.

Ranboo tugged Tommy away from the body, wiping at his mouth and frowning at his probably dilated pupils. One last clatter sounded, and Tommy felt himself being whirled around, coming face to face with Techno.

The human’s eyes were wild, darting over him as if checking for injuries. His hair was a darker shade than normal, pressed against his forehead and seemingly damp. When that happened, Tommy didn’t know.

Techno was breathing heavily, the black of his eyes larger than before. Tommy squinted, hoping that those were signs of exertion rather than panic. They might not be able to calm him down again.

Tommy was glad that Ranboo wasn’t in his enderwalk state when Techno had that night terror.

Techno rubbed at Tommy’s mouth, frowning when his thumb came back covered in green gooey blood. He placed the hand on Tommy’s cheek, still looking him over.

Tommy leaned into the touch with a short purr, and Techno scratched behind his ears obligingly.

Pack, Tommy’s instincts whispered, and Tommy was inclined to agree. He roughly shook his mind free of the haze, choking on a whine when Techno removed his hand and stepped back. Fuck, Tommy would have to be careful not to fall into that again. The human turned around, leaning down to pick up a dreamon he had snapped five limbs off of, the breaks slowly leaking blood.

Techno lifted the dreamon, using them to open the door to the command center. The sounds of carnage continued while he cleared out the enemies inside, and Tommy noted that the SBI should not upgrade to a biochip security system. It clearly wasn’t as safe as advertised.

Ranboo quickly ushered him in, Techno walking back over and using a dreamon to shut the entrance before setting them aside.

“Tommy, Ranboo.” Tommy perked up as Techno said his name, looking over to find the human gesturing at the command console with a tilted head. Ranboo vwooped and darted forward, fiddling with the controls and trying to access the communication system. Tommy and Techno walked up to watch him, Techno staring in confusion at the boxes of text that popped up.

Tommy laughed at his face.

Ranboo shot him a flat look.

Tommy spluttered at that—fuck you Ranboo. He obviously knew what the boxes meant, bitch. He was just letting the enderian do it because he was so charitable.

The door suddenly flared open, and Tommy turned around, eyes widening in horror at the fucking dreamon brute taking up the whole doorway with their massive build. Weren’t they supposed to have died off?! The cloning made dreamons weaker and weaker every time it was used, but the brutes were the originals, on par with Phil in terms of combat strength. Holy fucking shit, this was bad.

This brute carried an axe, one X and a half-circle grin painted on their face. They charged, Techno snarling and meeting them halfway. Tommy spun around to face Ranboo, seeing them frozen in horror.

“RANBOO! Get the communications UP and FUCKING RUNNING!! Techno doesn’t even have a weapon, who knows how long he’ll last!” Tommy shouted, Ranboo jerking at the words.

“R-Right! Give me a second!” he shouted back, fiddling with the controls much more vigorously than before. Tommy glanced worriedly at Techno, who seemed to have the brute in a stranglehold. He watched with bated breath as Techno slipped down from the brute’s back right before they slammed him into a wall, stomping down hard on their foot as he slid between their legs.

The foot cracked under the force, and the brute screamed. Holy shit, Techno was a fucking powerhouse. Brute shell was as hard as bone.

“It’s up!” Ranboo shouted, and Tommy dove for the microphone.

“Phil, PHIL! Philza FUCKING Minecraft, do you read me?!” he yelled into it, watching as it crackled to life.

“Holy shit Tommy, is that you?!” The voice of his father sounded out, and Tommy nearly crumpled to the floor with relief. A pained grunt from Techno had his fur standing on end as he snapped to look back, releasing a quick breath when the human seemed to still be moving fine.

“Sure is big man! I’d love to chat, but you need to come to these coordinates RIGHT FUCKING NOW-” Tommy was cut off by another scream of pain from the brute. Holy shit, Techno had ripped off one of their spikes and stabbed it into their side-

“TOMMY?! What was that?! Are you okay? What’s going on?!” Phil shouted, frantic typing sounding over the comm as he booted up the coordinates Ranboo sent through. Tommy gave a slightly crazed laugh.

“Nothing! Just a dreamon brute and a human whaling on each other behind us, I’m fine, Ranboo’s fine, perfectly fine!”

“A dreamon brute?! A FUCKING HUMAN?!”

“Don’t worry! I’m pretty sure he’s on our side!”

“TOMMY THAT DOES NOT INSPIRE CONFIDENCE-”

“JUST HURRY THE FUCK UP OKAY?! Shit, TECHNO! Gotta run Phil!”

“TOMMY?!”

Tommy ignored the shouts coming from Phil, barely beating back the haze as Ranboo took over the mic. He should absolutely not get lost in his instincts right now. Tommy dove for the heavy axe that Techno made the brute drop, barely lifting it enough to embed it in its owner’s leg. The brute screamed, reeling back from where they were about to kick Techno’s collapsed form and falling to their knees.

Techno, definitely looking worse for wear, rolled to the side with a groan, huffing something in Tommy’s direction. Tommy tumbled backwards as the brute reached down to swipe at him with long claws, whistling in fury. He quickly jumped to his hooves, regretting leaving the axe in the brute’s leg.

Fortunately, Techno still seemed to be high on adrenaline, charging towards the axe despite his injuries and ripping it out with a loud scrape. Tommy shuddered at the sound, blood leaking from the wound. Techno used his momentum, twisting around and burying the axe head in the brute’s throat, turning their pained shrieks into low gargles.

He didn’t stop there, yanking the axe out and going in for another blow, slicing clean through the brute’s thick neck.

Everything froze for a moment. And then, the head slid, falling to the ground in a splatter of green blood.

The body followed.

…

“That,” Tommy gagged, “was fucking horrifying,” he whispered—although by the twitch of Ranboo’s ear, they could still hear it. Ranboo bobbed their head in agreement.

Techno stumbled, dropping the axe with a loud clang and sinking to his knees, faceplanting into the ground with a groan. Ranboo let out a concerned warble, and Tommy dashed forward, hands hovering anxiously. He didn’t see any blood—was Techno bleeding? Was he dying?!

Techno stared dazedly at the wall, chest heaving as he took in more oxygen.

“You okay big man? Techno?” Tommy asked shakily, remembering to use the human’s name at the last second. Techno groaned again, rolling over and lifting a hand to his chest, tapping it twice.

Tommy would take that as a yes. He deflated with relief.

He sunk down, grabbing Techno’s arm and pulling it over his shoulder, chittering when Techno hissed in pain. Tommy quickly half-helped half-dragged Techno back to the control panel, hearing Phil’s voice still ringing through as they leaned against it.

“-anboo?! What happened?! We’re less than three minutes out, just hold on a little longer-”

“It’s okay, Phil. Techno killed the brute,” Tommy cut in, pointedly not looking at the mangled corpse. It was quiet on the ship, and he hoped that meant no other dreamons were coming after them. Techno wasn’t in a state to fight.

“Oh thank the void—wait, who’s Techno?” Phil asked, perfectly imitating the human’s name like the show-off he was. Tommy heard faint cheering clicks and buzzes in the background and felt his heart pang, missing his pack.

“Techno is the human. He’s pretty out of it now, though. Definitely going to need medical attention. Fuck, I hope he doesn’t need surgery, we don’t know shit about human surgery-”

“Wait, back the fuck up, the HUMAN?!” Phil shouted incredulously. Tommy winced at the volume, bobbing his head absently. He was exhausted, drained from nearly sinking into the haze twice in a row.

“Yeah, Techno. Ranboo and I went out on that supply run, as you know, but a dreamon ship intercepted us. They were going to chuck us out the airlock when they recognized us—consequences of robbing nearly every organization in the galaxy, I guess—but they passed by Techno’s cell and decided to throw us in there instead.” Tommy tuned out the horrified gasps from the other end. “Anyway, turns out humans are pretty chill when you’re not actively trying to kidnap or murder them. Pretty sure Techno pack-bonded with me and Ranboo too. He’s coming with us, by the way. On the SBI. We’re not leaving him.” Tommy lilted forwards, resting his head on the table. He felt Techno card a hand through his fur and sighed contently.

Phil was blessedly silent, letting Tommy calm down from the fight. There was, of course, a downside to this. The lack of movement made the chill air freezing. Fucking dreamons.

“Ranboo, can you turn the heat up?” he slurred in the silence, shivering and pressing further into Techno—who also leaned up against the control panel to hold him closer. Ranboo jolted.

“Shit, of course, you must be freezing without the rug, let me-” Ranboo paused, sifting through the options before cranking up the heat dial.

“Oh void Tommy, are you alright? That ship must be cold as fuck,” Phil asked softly, seeming to come out of the shock of two of his fledglings befriending a random human in the three days they were kidnapped. Good on him.

“Hmm,” Tommy hummed in reply, yawning as the ship started to warm up, “I was okay, did you know humans are insanely warm? They put out so much heat, I swear. They’re also clingy as fuck, although I’m half sure that’s loneliness or something in Techno’s case-” Tommy rambled, holding up a one-sided conversation as he tried to stay awake.

“Tommy,” Phil interrupted his rant, releasing a soothing trill, “We’re here. We’re going to dock now. You guys are in the command center, right?” he asked, Tommy bobbing his head in response. Ranboo cleared his throat.

“Yeah, we’re there. Just run a thermal scan—you should find us pretty quick. I’ll open the doors for you since they’re biochip activated,” he said, tapping away at the console and reaching out to nudge Tommy in the shoulder. “Tommy. Don’t fall asleep. We have to make sure Techno doesn’t freak out and attack them.”

Tommy groaned, cursing his friend’s facts and logic. He heard Phil ruffle his feathers anxiously as he moved away from the mic. Ranboo nudged him again.

“Okay, okay. Just let me-” Tommy mumbled, pulling himself out from where he was half-buried under Techno, the ship warm enough now that he didn’t shiver. Techno opened his eyes at the action, straightening up and hooking an arm around Tommy’s shoulders. “Well fuck. Looks like you’re handling most of the introductions, Ranboo.”

“Tommy!” A shout came from the comms, and Tommy whipped his head around to stare at it, chest fluttering.

“Wil!” he shouted back, slumping into Techno’s hold. Fuck, he missed Wilbur’s voice. He wasn’t even captured for that long—but it felt like a lifetime.

“Toms, you two are safe right? The human is Definitely Not going to murder you?” he asked anxiously, and Tommy could practically see his tail curling in on itself.

“We’re fine. A little beat up, but what do you expect. Don’t worry about Techno, he likes us.” Wait, if Wilbur was here, “where’s Phil?” he asked, glancing back at the still-open door.

“He and Niki are coming to collect you. They want to meet—uh, Tik-o? First,” Wilbur said, stumbling over the pronunciation of Techno’s name. Techno turned towards the mic, furrowing his brow.

Wilbur was a merphant, so it was unlikely that he would ever be able to say Techno’s name correctly—what with his language mostly being clicks and hums that carried well underwater. Hopefully they could come up with a substitute that would register on their translators.

“That makes sense. Tell them to hurry up. I want to go home,” Tommy grumbled, ear twitching as he heard the telltale clicking of Phil’s talons. He hoped the corpses littering the halls didn’t make Techno seem aggressive.

Shortly after Tommy did, Techno seemed to hear the sound as well, muscles tensing on high alert as he stood more solidly, clearly favoring one leg.

Tommy removed himself from under Techno’s arm, standing in front of him and tapping twice on his chest. Techno glanced down at his paw in confusion, blue eyes immediately refocusing on the doorway. Tommy huffed, figuring he couldn’t do anything to calm Techno down without Phil and Niki being in the room first.

He ached to see them again.

Chapter Text

Techno stared down the open door, muscles tense and bruised ribs protesting every movement. He tried to press Tommy and Ranboo behind him, heart beating rapidly in his chest. Footsteps echoed down the hallway towards them, sounding off. Softer than a ceramic’s. It set him on edge.

As they got closer, a scratchy sound joined the clicking steps, almost like sandpaper on stone. Techno did not like whatever that implied. The noises were continuing at a fast pace, and he was now certain that they were coming directly for him.

Damn, he really should have been more careful fighting against the large ceramic. In his defense, he wasn’t exactly used to hand-to-hand combat with four-armed creatures. It made sense that he ended up getting slammed in the chest by one of the arms he’d lost track of. He had wrongfully assumed that the alien wouldn’t be much stronger than the others on this ship, and he had paid the price for that miscalculation by getting flung across the room like a sandbag.

He would really not like a repeat of that. Please let his intuition be wrong and the sounds be coming from more easily breakable aliens.

Techno held his breath, mental prayers going unanswered as two foreign figures turned into view. He groaned, letting another growl build up in his throat. The two figures didn’t seem to notice him yet, eyes still trained on a hologram as they briskly moved forward.

Then, about halfway to the door, one of their heads snapped up—the clicking footsteps coming to a halt. The other figure paused shortly after, following the first’s gaze and settling on Techno.

Everything went still.

Techno growled a bit louder, distantly feeling tugs from Ranboo on his cape. He didn’t turn to look at the kid, eyes dissecting the new threats standing just outside the room.

He had never seen an alien even remotely similar to them. And that was saying something. He had seen plenty of Tommys and aliens that vaguely looked like Ranboo—but nothing like these two.

The first one was some kind of short bird-man-thing. He had two sets of wings, one massive black pair on his back with white diamond symbols near the ends and a smaller pair connected to his arms in a patchwork of green and pale-yellow feathers. Dark feathers dotted his ashy white skin, and his posture was tense—like he was about to lunge. The bird man wore a bright green robe, loose fabric hiding any potential weapons Techno might have been able to see otherwise.

Techno jolted when he locked eyes with the bird alien, dull blue meeting emerald green. The alien actually looked shockingly human—if you ignored the wings. And the feathers on the sides of his head. And the bird legs peeking out from under his robe, taloned four-fingered hands, unsettling skin tone… okay so his face looked shockingly human. The rest of him? Not so much.

Still, it was comforting to see someone with a nose, mouth, and eyes where he was used to them being. The alien even had pale yellow feathers coming from his head like hair. Techno tensed in spite of his minor concussion, realizing he had relaxed a little too much at the vague familiarity. There were still threats here. The bird man’s eyes flickered to Tommy behind him, and Techno snarled out a harsh sound, careful not to put too much weight on his sprained ankle as he shifted to cover the kid.

His eyes darted over to the other alien, scanning… her, he thinks—for weapons. This one reminded him of a lamia creature from ancient Greek mythology. Instead of legs, she had a 10-foot-long dark pink scaled tail with a surprising number of scars, the colors shifting to a brighter red-pink as they went up. Her torso was more humanoid from what little he could tell, what with it being swaddled in light blue turtleneck-like clothing. The outfit had no sleeves, revealing muscular arms, webbed armpits, and dotted orange scales on her red-pink shoulders. Her hands were pulled up defensively at her sides, displaying five sharp claws and webbed fingers.

Techno studied her face, seeing the same orange scales as before dotted along where her nose would be like freckles. She had large pure white eyes, no hint of iris or pupil anywhere. Despite that, Techno knew she could see. He felt himself being watched, felt his movements being studied. Her mouth was pressed into a thin line, and if the webbed hands and arms didn’t already have him betting on semi-aquatic, the light pink coral sprouting from her head confirmed it. There were two three-pronged appendages on the sides of her head, a bit lower than where ears would go. They pulsed backwards at an even rate, covered in feathery hairs.

The room seemed to be at a standstill, both parties eyeing each other warily. Techno still had his teeth bared, tugging Ranboo behind him whenever they tried to shift forwards.

“Techno,” Ranboo called from the side, making him glance over out of the corner of his eye. Ranboo was wringing their hands anxiously, but they reached over the arm Techno barred them with, tapping his chest twice.

Techno paused. He stared down at the hand, thoughts buffering. He looked up at Ranboo, and then back down at the hand, and then at the new aliens.

He… thinks he heard Ranboo and Tommy talking to someone on the hologram console thing. Did they call for help? Were these new aliens friendly?

Techno’s exhausted mind slowly processed the situation, looking dumbly at the new aliens and back to the kids. Ranboo stared at his nose, the closest thing they ever got to eye contact, and tapped Techno’s chest again.

Huh.

He took stock of the kids. Ranboo’s hand was still on Techno’s chest and Tommy was pressing into his side, blue eyes staring up at him.

They didn’t… seem scared. Nervous? Sure—but that was a constant in Ranboo’s case and Tommy was probably just leaning into him because he was drained. Still, Techno wasn’t too willing to just—assume these new aliens were safe. He could barely communicate with Tommy and Ranboo. For all he knew, they could just be thinking he was strong enough to protect them.

Well, let Techno be the first to say it, he was absolutely not. He was on the verge of passing out from an adrenaline crash fueled head injury, his ankle was badly twisted, and his ribs screamed at him every time he took a breath.

He was very much not well enough to fight Birdman with wings twice the size of him and Lamia with a tail as thick as his torso. Techno was on his last legs.

He shook his head to clear the thought, regretting it near instantly when the room tilted and his gut churned. He lifted a hand to his—thankfully no longer bleeding—head wound and dragged his fingers through the clumped hair self-soothingly. He opened his mouth to speak to Ranboo, shutting it with a furrowed brow when he realized the action was pointless.

Language barriers.

Techno looked directly at Ranboo, pointing at the two new aliens. Everyone tensed at the movement until he brought his hand back to his chest, tapping twice with his head tilted in a silent question.

Ranboo’s eyes lit up. He said something, bobbing his head repeatedly. He copied Techno’s gesture, pointing at Birdman and Lamia then tapping Techno’s chest twice. When Techno focused on the movement, Ranboo slowly edged away from him, letting out a vwoop when he wasn’t stopped. Techno barely kept himself from reaching out as Ranboo moved further away, the kid beckoning Birdman and Lamia closer.

Techno’s eyes were glued on the new aliens as they carefully approached, seeing how they faltered when the maimed corpse of the huge, beheaded ceramic came into view. Birdman’s feathers fluffed up, and a short, forked tongue flicked out of Lamia’s mouth. Techno jolted forward when Ranboo practically threw themself at Lamia, biting back a hiss as his ankle flared in protest.

Lamia opened her arms wide, rearing up to a taller height as Ranboo collided with her chest. She closed her eerily blank eyes, a faint clicking sound coming from her throat. Techno saw her grin, the action displaying sharp teeth and elongated fangs. She hummed, wrapping her arms around the kid.

Techno was frozen for a long moment, heart in his throat as he waited for any sign of aggression. His eyes drilled holes into the clawed hand on the back of Ranboo’s neck.

Nothing happened.

He waited a moment longer just to be sure.

…

Alright. Birdman and Lamia were friendly. The realization had Techno slumping over, remaining traces of adrenaline vanishing in an instant. Tommy shrieked and rushed to support him as he became deadweight, falling limp in the kid’s arms.

“Sorry,” Techno mumbled, receiving a chastising whack on the shoulder. He got the feeling they knew what that word meant by now. He heard the clicking footsteps of Birdman’s talons coming closer, but could only manage to crack an eye open warily.

Birdman looked worried, relieved, and scared all at once, clearly wanting to check on Tommy but unsure what to do about Techno being draped over him. Which, you know what, fair enough.

Techno felt a little bad, especially for threatening the aliens when they showed up to help, but he couldn’t bring himself to move. The problem was partially solved by Tommy reaching out a free arm to hold onto Birdman’s back wing, shoving his face into the shorter alien’s shoulder. Birdman lifted a taloned hand, lightly scratching behind the kid’s ears.

Everything was peaceful.

Then a series of clicks and hums came from the console. Techno was pretty sure the sounds were from another alien, since he had heard Tommy responding to them earlier. How all these aliens seemed to understand each other despite speaking, like, five different languages was lost on him. Techno knew English and some French and that was it.

He was not looking forward to learning twenty languages just to have a conversation.

The group of aliens seemed to jump into action at the sounds from whoever was using the ship’s communications. Birdman and Tommy were talking to the console while Ranboo broke from his hug with Lamia to walk back to Techno. Ranboo placed Techno’s arm over his shoulder, supporting his right side while Tommy carried the left. It was a lopsided hold with the widely different heights, but Techno appreciated the effort.

He grunted as his ribs were jostled, tapping twice on both the kids’ shoulders to reassure them. He was really lucky he didn’t break any bones. They probably wouldn’t heal right unless he could figure out how to make a space splint. As it was, he just needed to sleep, and that was looking increasingly more tempting as Ranboo and Tommy carried him out of the control room.

His eyes felt heavy.

Damn. He’d really been letting his guard down a lot lately. He wished he had managed to get more sleep last night.

…

A nap couldn’t hurt.

He let out a puff of air, eyes falling shut.

- - - -

Ranboo sunk into Niki’s arms with relief, holding onto her soft sweater with a stressed warble. Niki readily held him tight, sagging into him just as much as he did her.

“Thank the void you’re alright, Ranboo. I’ve got you now,” she murmured, hand pressed protectively against the base of his neck as she hummed a soothing tune. The near constant buzzing in his blood settled at the sound, a promise of safety invading his mind.

“I missed you,” he whispered, feeling Phil give him a brief squeeze on the shoulder as he walked away. Probably to check on Tommy. Ranboo was content to stay in his protector’s arms.

Time passed slowly. They stood like that for a long while, sinking into each other’s company.

And then Wilbur’s voice rang out from the comms.

“Uh… Is everything okay? Are you all coming back to the ship now?” he asked, clicking nervously. Ranboo sighed, Niki and him pulling apart reluctantly while Phil chirped an affirmative. Ranboo looked back at the noise only to see Tommy awkwardly clinging onto Phil while holding up an exhausted looking Techno.

“Yeah, we’re all good mate,” Phil said, causing Wilbur to hum in relief. “Get the med bay ready for a few checkups. A private room too. The human’s just about passed out, so he might not remember anything when he wakes up. I’d rather you not come complaining to me if he destroys your clinic,” he teased, veering into Dadza mode as he took control of the situation. Wilbur made an offended clicking sound before pausing for a moment.

“So the human is coming back with you?” he asked carefully, an unsure hum in his voice. Phil glanced at the brute corpse, opening his mouth to reply.

Tommy beat him to it.

“Yes,” the roghco said simply, leaving no room for argument.

Phil didn’t protest.

“… Okay, private room it is,” Wilbur replied, the scratchy noise of him slithering away from the comms ringing out.

Ranboo’s tail swayed as he warbled in approval, ears flapping happily. He couldn’t help but feel lucky that the crew was willing to take Techno on board so easily. He didn’t think all the dead dreamons were very good friendliness vouchers.

Although, he and Tommy were safe, so maybe that did vouch for his friendliness. To them, at least.

Ranboo stepped away from Niki, moving to help Tommy support Techno. The human really was about to pass out, blinking slowly as he lazily tracked the movement in the room. Ranboo was actually impressed he wasn’t asleep yet, considering he fought at least forty dreamons—six of them being high-content and one being a full-on brute.

Techno made a pained grunt as Ranboo moved him, causing them to warble in concern. Predictably, they received two taps on the shoulder. They were kind of glad that Techno had taken the grounding technique to be a reassuring gesture because it was honestly a lifesaver in the communication department.

“Fuck, let’s go already. I want to pass out in the nest,” Tommy grumbled, clearly exhausted if he was admitting to wanting to stay in the nest. Ranboo warbled in agreement, and Phil trilled a laugh.

“Checkup first, then nest. Don’t think I didn’t notice your water burns, Ranboo. We have to get those shackles off too,” he stated, hissing a bit as he tapped the white cuffs on Tommy’s wrists with his talons. Ranboo bobbed his head, taking a step forward and letting Tommy match it.

“Sounds like a plan.” The three of them started heading towards the door. Niki watched Techno warily, webbed hands hovering like she wanted to help but wasn’t sure if she should. Slowly, they made their way down to where Phil and Niki had docked the shuttle, Techno’s breathing falling steady. The ship was unnaturally void of dreamons. The surviving crew members probably all fled on escape shuttles by now.

Ranboo had no doubt Phil would hunt them down at some point.

They soon reached the hangar, a large room with multiple empty lots for shuttles to dock. A large black one with a green line across the middle sat there innocently, still vibrating with energy.

The group of five boarded the shuttle, it being cramped with the additional person in it. Ranboo, Niki, and Phil’s wings already took up a lot of space, and Techno was just bulky in general. At least Tommy was kind of thin, not having grown into the typical roghco stockiness yet. Regardless, Ranboo still had to fold himself into a ball to fit.

They let Techno lean against the wall, Tommy shoved in between him and Ranboo with Phil and Niki taking the pilot seats up front. Techno jolted awake as the shuttle engine roared, blearily blinking around. Tommy quickly reached over, running his fingers through the human’s hair and lightly scratching at his scalp.

Techno melted into the touch, eyes closing with a huff. Ranboo crooned adoringly, and the human cracked an eye open in a glare before being subdued yet again by Tommy’s scratches.

His breathing soon grew steady with sleep.

Phil coughed lightly from the front, sounding suspiciously like he was choking down a coo of his own.

“So, you said Techno pack-bonded with you?” he asked, filling the silence as the shuttle flew off towards the SBI’s docking station. Ranboo bobbed his head, Tommy idly weaving strands of Techno’s hair.

“We’re pretty sure. He did share his food and keep Tommy warm when the lights were out… Tommy might’ve gone into hibernation without him,” Ranboo muttered, seeing Tommy flinch at the mention. Phil’s wings rustled, and Niki let out a series of concerned clicks.

Hibernation was a difficult topic for Tommy. It only happened to roghcos when the temperatures on their home planet dropped to extreme levels while their moons blocked out their star. Tommy could sleep for weeks at a time from his body going into a defensive coma against the cold.

Tommy had confessed that those few times were terrifying for him. At the time he was an orphan street kid that rarely had enough to eat, let alone the fat to last the hibernation. He always woke up sickly and disoriented from the lost time, relieved to have even woken up at all.

Ranboo wrapped an arm around Tommy, leaning over to put their chin on his head.

“He also fucking slaughtered those dreamons to protect us, so there’s that,” Tommy cut in. “Man, you should’ve seen him against that brute. I get why the council doesn’t want to fuck around with humans now. They’re still pussies though,” he quipped, breaking the tense silence. Niki let out a surprised chortle, Phil snickering alongside her.

“Agreed. I personally think it would be bad for humans to find out we exist by coming out here themselves, but the council doesn’t give a shit, I guess.” Phil sighed, rocking his head as he spoke. “There’s going to be a huge mess of intergalactic relations in a few decades.”

Tommy snorted.

“Yes yes, my name is Philza Minecraft and I am so old and wise, mimimimimi-” Tommy mocked, Phil turning to glare at him over his wings.

“Listen here you little shit-” he started, Niki patting his arm sympathetically.

“Don’t worry Phil, I won’t let them send you to a retirement resort,” she said solemnly. Phil squawked, feathers bristling.

“Who said anything about a retirement resort-”

“But Nikiiii, we could send him to Logstedshire! I hear it’s beautiful around this time!” Tommy protested, the corners of his mouth twitching with a barely repressed smile.

“The exile wasteland?!” Phil screeched, a chorus of laughter following. Ranboo was preparing his own jab when he heard Techno grumbling in his sleep, the human’s head tilting to press into Tommy’s shoulder.

Their laughter grew hushed, not wanting to wake him up.

They stayed quiet for the rest of the trip, waiting for Phil to dock the shuttle on the SBI. Ranboo shuffled out of the pod once it landed, stretching out their legs while Tommy crawled out after them. They were about to help carry Techno out when the telltale sound of buzzing came from behind them. Ranboo didn’t even have time to turn before a small body barreled into their back.

They yelped, stumbling as they tried to regain their balance, the buzzing ringing loudly in their ear.

“OH THANK FUCK I THOUGHT YOU GUYS WERE DEAD AND I BECAME A WIDOW HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO TAKE CARE OF OUR THIRTEEN SICK CHILDREN ALONE-” Tubbo shrieked, wings fluttering as he death gripped Ranboo’s shirt. One of his hands wrapped around Tommy’s arm, careful not to sting him as he held on tight.

Ranboo sighed when Tubbo’s curved horns dug into his shoulder blades, knowing a bruise would likely form where the apris had rammed him. Tommy pried Tubbo’s hand off of his arm, yanking him from Ranboo’s back and pulling him into a tight hug. Tubbo screeched when he was removed from his platonic husband, but quickly relaxed in Tommy’s hold with a short bleat. His fluttering wings settled down, and he choked on a sad sound.

It made Ranboo’s hearts break.

“You’re never leaving the ship without me again,” Tubbo mumbled. “I swear I will remove your kneecaps to keep you here.” He clung on to Tommy, his feet dangling in the air. Ranboo quickly threw his arms around the two, pulling them close in an awkward hold of drastically different heights.

Ranboo jumped when darkness overtook them, looking up just as Phil pressed himself into the hug, wings surrounding them.

“All three of you are fucking grounded,” he said gruffly, sounding close to tears. Ranboo thinks the elytrian would already be crying if he wasn’t worried about burning him.

“What’d I do?” Tubbo grumbled, tone clearly trying for annoyed but falling flat with relief. A pang of guilt shot through Ranboo’s chest, making his tail flick anxiously. When apris hive-bonded, they hive-bonded hard. Tubbo must have been ripping out hair with worry. Ranboo’s eyes sunk down to the soft brown mane that covered Tubbo’s neck, seeing a worrying bald patch on the side. He swallowed down a warble of concern.

“Sorry mate,” Phil chuckled wetly, “someone has to deal with a stir-crazy Tommy, and that someone won’t be me.” He pulled back from the hug with a teasing grin, Tommy giving an annoyed growl in response. Ranboo blinked at the sudden brightness, seeing Phil quickly wipe his eyes on his robe and give them a reassuring smile.

“Alright, let’s get you all to the med bay. Ready Niki?” Phil asked, looking over at the merphant exiting the shuttle, Techno cradled in her arms. She clicked, tongue flicking out of her mouth.

“I think. He’s heavier than he looks,” she said with a laugh, eyes narrowing curiously at the weave Tommy had put in Techno’s hair on the ride over. Ranboo’s tail swished as he thought about teaching Niki to weave hair too.

Tubbo’s four eyes practically lit up when he saw Techno, the apris zipping forward to hover around the unconscious human. Ranboo warbled worriedly, tugging him back.

“Your wings will wake him up!” he whispered, glancing between the pouting apris and the human. He honestly should have expected this with how fascinated Tubbo could get with deathworlders. Seriously, the only reason Tubbo, Niki, and Ranboo had even ended up on Phil’s crew was because Tubbo decided to zip up to the fucking elytrian with a universal arrest warrant on their head and begin asking sensitive questions about their atomized home world.

Thank the void Philza liked kids.

Ranboo was grateful for the older man. Without his help back then, the three of them might not have had a way off-planet. Tubbo, Niki, and Ranboo were all taken from their home worlds by traffickers looking to make a quick buck selling rare races on the black market. Phil had actually been looking for information on the traffickers when Tubbo had darted up to him.

The three escapees were perfectly happy to lead him in the right direction.

Ranboo jumped out of his head to see Tubbo glaring at him, antennae occasionally tilting over to Techno curiously as Niki slithered off the shuttle ramp. Ranboo’s ears flapped in amusement.

“Okay, Tommy and I can tell you all about him, but quietly. He fought pretty hard to get us off the ship, he needs to sleep,” Ranboo offered, staring Tubbo down. The apris’ wings buzzed in consideration, his jagged mouth splitting into a grin.

“Deal, boss man. Now tell me everything-”

“Tubbo, big man, you would not believe how fucking warm humans are—I swear they could compete with Jack Manifold-”

“No way. Tommy, Jack Manifold’s literally made of fire!”

“I said what I said, bitch! And they’re also clingy as fuck, like you on drugs-”

“More like you on drugs-”

“You two better not be taking shit from Wil’s lab-”

“Don’t worry, Phil. They’re talking about the supplements.”

“Well tech-nic-ly they’re still drugs, Niki!”

“Tommy, focus, back to the human stuff!”

“You’re the one that sent us off topic!”

“Guys, please. Quiet,” Ranboo groaned, trailing after the group as they walked towards Wilbur’s med bay. Tommy chittered at his words, bounding over to Techno and scratching at his head. The vaguely tense expression the human wore evened out, Techno pressing his face into the crook of Niki’s shoulder with a huff.

Tubbo vibrated in excitement.

“Holy shit they have an off-switch like you-”

“Fuck you!” Tommy whisper-hissed, having the sense to not shout while so close to the human. The last thing they needed was Techno waking up in a panic. Again. The slightly quieter bickering continued as they went down the hall, Tubbo barely getting any information between his verbal jabs at Tommy. Ranboo, of course, joined in sometimes. To resist would be criminal, Tommy practically walked into them.

They ended up at the medical ward quicker than expected, Wilbur waiting outside the door. He drummed his fingers against his arm, tail curling in on itself with anxiety. He perked up when he saw them, blank eyes narrowing in on Tommy. Wilbur jerked forward, tugging the roghco up into his arms with a tight squeeze.

Tommy yelped at the sudden move, having been walking backwards while talking to Tubbo. Wilbur hummed out a soft tune, lifting Tommy off the ground as he hugged him. Tommy spluttered in embarrassment, ears flat against his head.

“Wilbur, I’m fine, rude ass dreamons are no match for the great Tommyinnit-” Tommy’s usual spiel was cut off by chastising clicks from the merphant.

“Let me have this, sunshine. I was worried,” Wilbur muttered, squeezing Tommy impossibly closer. Tommy huffed in response, burying his nose in Wilbur’s lab coat.

“Missed you Wilby,” Tommy mumbled. Wilbur choked on a series of happy hums as he lowered them both down, wrapping his long tail around them.

The group let the moment last, but Phil eventually broke it with an apologetic smile.

“Sorry mate, but we should make sure they’re alright. Also, Ranboo has water burns.”

Wilbur’s head whipped over to Ranboo so fast he was worried the merphant pulled a muscle.

“Burns?!” Wilbur shrieked, “why didn’t you say anything!? Get in here! Niki, come help me-” Wilbur ordered, releasing Tommy and scurrying into the med bay. Ranboo’s ears pinned down as they followed him in, long fingers idly tracing the faint purple marks on their skin.

“They don’t hurt much anymore. Only when I press on them,” they mumbled, a small warble coming from their throat. Wilbur’s head once again snapped over to them.

“Then stop messing with them! Let me see-” Wilbur paused, having delicately tugged Ranboo’s hand over to him. A dark look passed over his face, lips pulling back to bare sharp teeth. “Did they inject you?” he seethed quietly, the spiky fins protecting his earholes and gills flaring in threat. His claws scratched against the white cuff on Ranboo’s wrist, eyes narrowing dangerously.

Ranboo shrunk a little under the scrutiny, a low growl coming from Tommy’s direction.

“Yes, they fucking did. He still can’t teleport,” Tommy hissed, claws digging into the tough skin of his arms. Wilbur’s face became stony as he dropped Ranboo’s hand, going over to the cabinets along the wall. The med bay was pure white for better visibility with two cots an arm’s length away and a small table between them. Tommy sat on one cot, kicking his hooves as he watched Wilbur rifle through the cabinets for Ranboo’s water-related medication.

Ranboo winced as a pump-syringe was pulled out. Wilbur grabbed a bottle of orange liquid, holding it up in the light and gesturing for Ranboo to sit on the cot.

“Here, drink this. It’ll help you sweat out the water,” Wilbur instructed, like Ranboo hadn’t drunk the liquid before. He hated it. It was spicy. Ranboo grimaced as he grabbed the bottle, swirling it around before popping the top and downing the thing in one go. His mouth immediately felt like it was burning, and his white side flushed a bright purple when his body began to warm.

Wilbur bobbed his head, satisfied, and pulled out a laser cutter, slicing cleanly through the cuffs on Ranboo’s wrists and ankles. He turned to Tommy, freeing him as well before giving the roghco a pointed look.

Tommy hissed in response. They stared, Wilbur refusing to back down.

Tommy eventually shrunk, begrudgingly showing his brother where he was bruised.

“Seriously bitch, I’m fine! You should check on Techno, he’s the one that got thrown across the room by a dreamon brute!” Tommy complained, wildly gesturing to Techno. Who was still in Niki’s arms. Wilbur blinked, as if suddenly remembering that the human existed.

“Oh shit right,” Wilbur muttered, confirming Ranboo’s thoughts, “Niki, the room to the right is set up, just put him down in there.” Wilbur tilted his head towards the private room, turning back to give Tommy a stern look as Niki followed his directions. “You better put the bruise cream on. I know you hate how it feels in your fur, but I will make you take a regeneration tonic if you don’t.”

Tommy’s face screwed up at the threat, causing Phil to chuckle. Those tonics tasted awful. Wilbur was just lucky he physically couldn’t taste them, what with not having a tongue and all.

“Don’t worry mate, I’ll make sure he puts it on. Go take care of Techno,” Phil said, waving Wilbur off. The merphant went reluctantly, uneasiness creeping into his form.

Having a human around would take some getting used to. Ranboo hoped the crew warmed up to Techno quickly.

Wilbur slithered through the open doorway he sent Niki to, quietly chatting with his fellow merphant while he looked Techno over. Phil, a man of his word, stared Tommy down as the roghco grumpily smeared bruise cream on his injuries, exaggeratedly gagging at the feeling.

Tubbo quickly flopped over Tommy, ignoring his grumblings and humming contently. Ranboo still felt uncomfortably warm from the orange tonic Wilbur had given them, water vapor misting off their body.

Enderians were highly resistant to extreme temperatures, so it took a lot to make them hot. Somehow, Wilbur had concocted the perfect mixture of the hottest and spiciest chemicals known to life just so Ranboo didn’t have to suffer with too much water in his system. He didn’t know whether to curse the mad genius or not, but it was better than sweating it out naturally. That could take ages.

Wilbur reentered the main room with a small cart, cursory examination apparently over as he shuffled through the cabinets once again. The merphant piled a bunch of miscellaneous medical instruments onto the cart, objects and chemicals only him and maybe Tubbo knew what were for. Once he was done, he started to move back towards the private room. In passing Ranboo, he quickly shot his hand out, pressing a pump-syringe to their shoulder and pushing the button on the back.

Ranboo vwooped at the sudden action, the sludge-like burn treatment in the syringe shoving into his blood stream before he could even react. Wilbur pulled back the syringe, immediately sticking a plaster coated in numbing agent over the small wound. He had the gall to smile apologetically as Ranboo warbled in betrayal.

“Sorry. I know you always tell me to surprise you, so I did it before asking,” Wilbur said, grabbing the cart and slithering away like nothing happened. Ranboo glared at his back, rubbing his sore shoulder.

“Prick. I’m gonna boil his intestines when he gets back,” he muttered, gaining a cackling bleat from Tubbo. “You don’t think I will? ‘Cause I will. His days are numbered, I tell you,” Ranboo continued, glaring harder when he heard clicking laughter from both Wilbur and Niki in the other room. “NUMBERED!” he shouted, glare morphing into an affronted look when Phil and Tommy started laughing as well. “You guys are assholes.”

Ranboo slumped into the cot fit to accommodate his height, relaxing as the water steamed off of him. Wilbur and Niki exited the private room, shutting the door behind them with a whoosh. Tommy perked up at their arrival, and Ranboo couldn’t help but do the same.

“So,” Wilbur started, “he is stable, from what I can tell. I don’t know much about human biology, but the bioscans don’t show any tears in his organs. His bone structure still looks symmetrical, so I don’t think anything is out of place either. Internally, he seems to be all good, but externally there is a lot of discoloration around his upper abdomen. He also had some major swelling around his ankle joint, so I rubbed some cream on that and he didn’t appear to have a negative reaction to it.”

Ranboo breathed a short sigh of relief, Wilbur continuing to list off his findings.

“I also found what I assume is dried blood in his hair, but that injury looks mostly scabbed over. I would rather not use tonics on him without knowing how it could affect his insides, so I’ll let the AI examine how his body functions a little while longer. He also has a lot of scarring that could cause issues, bites and cuts and strange circular dip marks that I’m not sure what were caused by.”

Ranboo vwooped, eyes darting over to the room Techno was asleep in. He had just assumed all of those markings were a pattern—like his black and white half! Were they actually scars?!

He snapped to look at Wilbur, the merphant having paused when Ranboo vwooped. He bobbed his head with a grimace.

“Yes, it is a little surprising, but those marks on his limbs are scar tissue. I went ahead and took some of the dried blood in his hair to process and make sure he doesn’t have any infections or diseases lingering from old wounds. We can run some simulations after the AI gets a good read on him and maybe give him something for the pain if nothing appears detrimental to his health, but for now we wait.” Wilbur finished his report, gills flaring behind his ear-fins as he took a deep breath.

Ranboo furrowed his brow at the listed injuries. He was worried about the scars, but at least Techno didn’t seem to be in any immediate danger. Hooray for no surgery. Phil clicked consideringly at the information.

Tommy burst into full out laughter, the rest of the room eyeing him oddly.

“Come on guys!” he gasped out, “holy shit. Thirty something low-contents, half a dozen highs, and a full ass brute, yet they couldn’t even break a bone? That’s fucking hilarious!” he cackled.

Ranboo’s eyes widened in realization.

“Who will win, a ship full of the greatest assholes in the galaxy, or one tired pink boi,” he contributed wisely, causing Tommy to wheeze. “May the void spare whoever gets on his bad side,” he drawled, bobbing his head and puffing his chest out with pride. Tubbo looked absolutely delighted, twisting to look at the room Techno was sleeping in as if he was about to barge in and interrogate him.

Ranboo leaned over and preemptively snatched his arms.

“Tubbo, no.”

“Tubbo yes.”

“No.”

“Yes-”

“Okay!” Phil cut in, wings puffing up, “how about we all go to the nest and chill out. Techno must be exhausted, and us shouting in here won’t do him any good. Tommy, you can tell us all about how epic your escape was over there. Come on,” the elytrian said, hoisting Tommy up off the cot and folding his wings around them both. Tommy yelped, helpless as he was carried out of the med bay.

Ranboo quickly stood to follow, still restraining Tubbo so the apris didn’t charge over to irritate the human. Niki and Wilbur slithered after them, closing the door as they left.

The crew walked to the community area—a large room in the center of the SBI. It had green wooden paneling along the walls, transitioning to gray stone further down. Phil insisted it made the place homier, and Ranboo couldn’t be more grateful after the endless white of the dreamon ship.

The community area had a large kitchen packed to one side, the dining area beside it. A huge screen took up the opposite wall, muted but currently playing the news. In front of it, a round mattress spanned the whole floor, piles of blankets and pillows spread out all over it.

Phil wasted no time in dropping Tommy into the middle of the soft nest, wing draped protectively around his shoulders as the rest of the crew joined them. Ranboo leaned into Niki’s side, her long tail wrapping around both him and Tubbo. Wilbur coiled up opposite them, midnight and sapphire blue scales shifting in the low light. It was almost comical how large he was compared to Niki, something about deep sea gigantism that Ranboo barely remembered. Niki, being a tropical merphant, was at least 30% smaller than Wilbur.

Ranboo warbled contently, Tommy instantly launching into the story of their imprisonment on the dreamon ship, hands gesturing wildly. Ranboo smiled at the bravado he injected into their encounters, sitting up excitedly when he got to the hair weaving part. He quickly showed Niki how to do it, Phil watching the process just as intently. Ranboo was glad that the tenseness faded from their forms, hoping their lingering doubts about housing Techno were resolved.

Eventually, Tommy tired, and the group shuffled to get ready for a nap. Ranboo prepared to shut off half of his brain in return, his race never quite achieving full sleep.

He found that, in this instant, he didn’t mind it too much, happily able to watch over his exhausted family as they knocked out in an ungraceful heap. Ranboo shuffled his legs under Wilbur’s tail in hopes that the weight would keep him from enderwalking that night, warbling a happy sound as he let his mind drift away.

Chapter Text

Techno jerked into consciousness with a pounding heart, an unfamiliar electronic voice grating on his ears. His eyes shot towards the source of the strange sound, a migraine thudding through his skull. His vision tilted with vertigo, but he could vaguely make out a round black object before the room he was in abruptly went dark.

Techno jumped up, his bare feet getting tangled in some kind of fabric. He stumbled, tripping over himself and tumbling off the side of whatever platform he was on.

He barely managed to get his shoulder underneath himself in time—slamming into the floor almost as soon as he realized he was falling. He instinctively rolled with the movement, hoping to save his arm from an annoying bruise. Unfortunately, considering how far he fell, he likely wasn’t lucky in that regard. He scrambled to his feet, blinking quickly to adjust to the darkness. His breathing was heavy, and he made a conscious effort to steady it while looking around the room.

He squinted.

This… wasn’t his cell. It was completely white, much like his cell, but it was larger. There was a raised platform in the middle of the room that was probably what he fell off of—it looking like some kind of cot with pale blue sheets. The ceramics would never have something non-white on their ship. It also wasn’t freezing in here.

Techno’s heart started to slow.

Then he registered the burning pain in his ankle and ribs. He doubled over with a sharp gasp, leaning against the cot as he fought to keep his bile down.

He quickly lifted his tattered shirt, seeing his skin painted in blues and purples. Great. He had fallen off of a strange cot onto apparently bruised ribs and proceeded to stand on a probably sprained ankle.

Lovely.

He blinked back the tears forming in his eyes and just… focused on breathing. It was a lot harder than it sounded.

When he finally got himself under control, he stood straight, careful to not put too much weight on his injured foot. The swelling didn’t seem too bad, but his boots were missing.

…

Alright. Where was he? Techno looked around the room again, seeing a couple of vaguely dangerous looking machines and a cart with weird alien items on it. He jolted at the sight of a space syringe, quickly feeling his neck and arms for any sign of injection.

He held his breath, only releasing it when he didn’t find anything. No pinprick wounds or numbing bandages.

He took a deep breath.

Okay.

He willed himself to stay focused, pointedly avoiding looking at the cart full of medical instruments. The ceramics never would have left him in here unsupervised and undrugged, plus there were the non-white sheets. So he wasn’t with the ceramics.

Wait a minute.

Didn’t he break out with Tommy and Ranboo?

Memories slowly trickled in, and Techno lifted a hand to his pounding head. Right. The kids had called for help. Birdman and Lamia showed up. He carded a hand through his hair, feeling a loose and clumsy braid twisted into the strands. Techno vaguely recalled sitting in some kind of shuttle, Tommy’s claws scratching at his head.

Did that mean Techno was on Tommy and Ranboo’s ship? Considering the lack of restraints and guards, he was willing to bet yes. Most aliens wouldn’t have taken that risk.

It was nice of them not to leave him behind. Looks like he was better at making friends than he thought. His kindergarten teacher would be proud.

Techno scanned the walls, looking for any sign of a monitoring device. Other than the black speaker thing that had woken him up, they were empty. He spotted what looked like a doorway on one side of the room, a very obvious button jutting out from the wall next to it.

…

Well, it couldn’t hurt to try. Techno’s ankle seemed to resent that thought as he hobbled over to the door, pressing a hand to the button. It lit up white briefly, the door whooshing open in the next instant.

Oh.

That was new.

And certainly a welcome change.

Techno stood there dumbly for a second, staring at the opening.

Forgive him if he was stunned, alright? This was the first time in ages he hadn’t been locked up. The sudden freedom was a tad overwhelming.

Techno resolutely ignored the twisting ache in his chest.

He took a cautious step forward, hands gripping the doorway perhaps a little tighter than necessary. He waited for alarms to go off, waited for blaring sirens and guards to come and drag him to a cell.

Nothing happened.

He walked into what looked like a clinic, two more cots and a few drawers along the wall. Techno pointedly didn’t linger for long, not having the best of experiences with medical rooms. Honestly, who did? His eyes settled on another doorway with another button next to it.

He wasted no time in shuffling over, pressing the button again and delighting in the way the door whooshed open. After so long of not being able to understand weird alien technology, a simple button was pure bliss.

He stared into a hallway, confused at the wooden and stone walls. Dim white LED strips lined the bottoms of the halls, lighting up a brown tiled floor.

If it wasn’t for the familiar whirring sound of traveling through space, Techno would almost think he was in a normal house.

He stepped out of the clinic, looking up and down the hallways. They seemed to gradually curve inward, neither direction having a visible end. His vision tilted again, making his stomach churn. He took a deep breath, deciding to just pick a direction and start walking. It was always good to know the layout of a ship.

Techno limped along, using the wall as support and regretting not looking for some kind of ankle brace or crutch while he was still in the clinic. He came across a few other doors, although most seemed to lead to unused space or storage closets from the brief glimpses he took. The hallways themselves were bare of anything but the occasional open-topped tank of water. The things were huge, dotted along the walls at steady intervals.

It wasn’t long before Techno heard vaguely familiar sounds coming from farther in front of him. He froze, the air seeming to buzz with static as the sounds approached.

Okay, maybe walking around weaponless and injured on an unknown alien ship wasn’t his greatest idea. In his defense, he had a mild concussion. He wasn’t making the best decisions right now. 

A figure came into view before Techno had time to decide what to do. He tensed, ready for a fight, but relaxed at the familiar lanky build.

Ranboo stood tall, splotchy white side illuminated by the faint lights in the hallway. When the kid spotted him, he warbled excitedly, and Techno smiled a little at the sound. A loud vwoop rang out, and suddenly the alien across the hall popped up in front of his face.

Techno jerked back, stumbling as he stared up at Ranboo in shock. Now that he was closer, Techno could see that the kid’s unfocused eyes were glowing a bright purple, slit pupils barely visible.

What in the-

There was like twenty feet between them, wasn’t there?!

Ranboo made a happy warbling sound again, loud static accompanying it while purple flakes phased out of his skin. Techno was frozen. His heart pounded with panic, leaving his head swimming in confusion. Ranboo reached out a clawed hand.

Techno caught it on instinct, holding tight as the static buzzed louder. Ranboo let out another warble, hunching over and dragging Techno’s hand to rest on the back of their neck.

Techno gasped, sucking in air like he was drowning.

The unnatural panic vanished before he could even blink. He sucked in another sharp breath, focusing on the alien in front of him. He could feel the kid’s uneven pulse under his hand, feel the bumps of their spine. They were closer together than he would’ve expected, jutting out from underneath their skin.

“Uh,” he coughed, voice rough, “Ranboo?” The kid’s ears flapped at the sound of their name. “You okay? Are the glowing purple eyes normal?” he asked, only getting a warble in response as they leaned closer. Techno had to reach another hand up, pulling Ranboo into a loose hug that wouldn’t aggravate his bruised ribs.

Alright. This was happening now. Okay. At least he had confirmation he was on Tommy and Ranboo’s ship. And that they didn’t mind him wandering around. Although, Ranboo seemed kind of out of it, so Techno might need a second opinion on that last one.

Ranboo leaned back, tugging Techno’s hand in the direction they came from. Techno stumbled after them in confusion. He tried to pull away, but Ranboo grabbed on again without fail, continuing to tug with eyes directed forward unseeingly.

It had been a bit since Techno was genuinely intimidated by the eternally awkward Ranboo, but this weird sleepwalking state was incredibly unnerving.

“Ranboo?” Another ear flap. “Mind telling me where we’re going?” he asked tiredly, knowing he wouldn’t get an understandable response.

Ranboo vwooped.

A sigh left Techno’s mouth, and he resigned himself to blindly following after the alien. It wasn’t like he had anything better to do.  

They continued along for another few moments, Ranboo sometimes disappearing and reappearing further down the hall, only to walk back and grab onto Techno again with an annoyed sound. Techno honestly didn’t know how to process the sudden teleporting ability. Why didn’t they use it to get out of the cell? Was it teleport-proofed or something??

Techno stewed in his thoughts as he followed Ranboo who knows where, not walking for long before they came across a large set of double doors. The kid stared blankly at the doors, disappearing into a puff of purple flakes. He reappeared moments later, tail thrashing in annoyance.

Techno couldn’t hold back a snort, taking pity on the very out-of-it kid. He leaned forward, pressing a button next to the doors. Like he expected, they whooshed open. Ranboo warbled happily, hand returning to grab Techno and drag him inside.

The room was huge, seeming to be a large communal area. There were a couple of machines he didn’t recognize taking up one corner of the room, separated by a half wall and counter. The walls had the same green tinted wood and stone paneling as the hallways, and there was a large table with a few different chairs around it beside the counter. On the wall opposite the table hung a huge dark screen, another large tank of water standing beside it.

What next caught Techno’s eye was the round mattress taking up half of the room, piled high with blankets and cushions and—most worryingly—aliens.

Ranboo continued tugging him forward.

Did Ranboo just lead him straight to their… den? Bedroom?? It didn’t seem like a bedroom, but everyone there looked to be asleep.

Techno suddenly felt like he was intruding.

“Ranboo, kid, I really don’t think your friends would be happy to see me here,” he commented nervously, digging his good heel in as Ranboo tried to drag him onto the mattress thing. Ranboo crooned, tail lashing as they turned to Techno. They stretched their arms out, looking like they were offering a strange sort of hug. Techno eyed the gesture warily.

And then, his feet were off the ground as he was hoisted into Ranboo’s arms. Techno grunted in surprise, stomach churning uncomfortably. Ranboo was apparently way stronger than he looked. The kid stumbled under Techno’s weight, quickly pacing forward and dropping him a few inches onto the mattress. Techno wheezed, glad the bedding was soft enough to not hurt his ribs even more.

Ranboo climbed over a cushion wall, tugging at Techno’s shirt to lead him towards the center.

“Nope,” Techno blurted. “No no no. Not happening.” Techno shot up, wrenching his arms out of the alien’s grasp and pointing a finger accusingly, “I will allow myself to be tugged around, I will reluctantly allow myself to be picked up, but I absolutely refuse to go near strange unconscious aliens,” Techno declared, keeping his arms far out of reach as Ranboo tried to grab on again. He almost felt guilty when they let out a disappointed little warble.

Shuffling out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, a familiar blonde furred raccoon-like alien shifting in his sleep.

Tommy.

“Tommy. Hey, Tommy,” Techno called, as loudly as he dared. Tommy seemed to have really good hearing, so hopefully only he would wake up. “Tommy.”

The kid’s ears swiveled towards him. He grumbled, pressing his face into a cushion.

“Tommy, please. Ranboo is doin’ some weird voodoo teleporting magic and his eyes are glowing and I am way out of my depth here. Tommy,” Techno half-begged, repeating the name until Tommy blearily opened his eyes. The kid looked around in confusion, his gaze finally settling on Techno. He let out a happy chitter upon spotting him.

Techno watched with relief as Tommy stood up and trotted over, seeming to say something before his eyes caught on Ranboo. Ranboo, who was still trying to grab Techno’s arms. Tommy paused, and then his face scrunched up as he hoarsely cackled.

Techno was, frankly, offended. Wasn’t it obvious that he was in dire need of assistance?!

Tommy walked closer, grabbing Ranboo’s arm and dragging him down to sit on the mattress. Techno thought he was saved—that was until Tommy latched onto him too, tails wrapping around his legs and arms around his bicep. Techno grunted as he was yanked into a cuddle pile, caged between Tommy and Ranboo.

“Tommy,” Techno managed, brain rebooting. “Tommy, I swear to- Don’t fall asleep on me Tommy. Ranboo is being weird enough, and I really don’t want those other aliens to wake up with me in here- Don’t start purring! Tommy! Ugh,” he groaned, the kid clinging on tighter and pressing his wet nose to Techno’s arm. His grip was surprisingly strong as Techno tried to shuffle out, and whenever he did Ranboo pushed him back down with a worried croon.

Techno stared at the ceiling, wondering how his life got to this point.

Hours later, he was still pondering the meaning of existence when he felt eyes on him. He stiffened, careful not to move too fast lest Ranboo break free from whatever trance he had eventually fallen into to stop him. He slowly turned his head.

His eyes locked with Birdman’s, and he took a second to appreciate the human-like features. They stared at each other, Birdman seemingly struggling to process the situation. Techno slowly raised his free hand in a wave.

“Hullo,” he drawled, mouth twitching at the way Birdman’s feathers fluffed up, “feel like helpin’ a guy out?” he asked, predictably not getting a reply. They stared at each other for a few more moments before Techno decided to point towards the cause of his predicament.

“Blame Ranboo,” he tattled, watching as Birdman jolted before following his finger to Ranboo. Birdman chirped, eyes widening. He stood up, talons digging into the surprisingly sturdy bedding. Techno let his hand fall, tensing as the alien approached.

Soon enough, Birdman stood near Techno, glancing between Tommy and Ranboo while the latter warbled a greeting. His eyes settled on Techno, and Techno swore he could see amusement gleaming in the green irises. Birdman cocked his head, chattering something in his language. Which, of course, was different from Tommy’s and Ranboo’s. Stupid alien languages.

Techno averted his eyes, not quite liking the vulnerable position he was in. He looked at Tommy, trying to sit up and free his arm. Tommy clung on tighter, purrs turning into growls while Ranboo vwooped and pushed him down again, thankfully avoiding his injured ribs. Techno groaned, slumping back in defeat.

He opened his eyes at what could only be described as muffled shrieks of laughter, seeing Birdman hiding his mouth behind his hand.

“Haha. Laugh it up. See if I don’t turn you into fried chicken later,” Techno grumbled. Birdman seemed to laugh harder, eyes shining with mirth. Well, at least the alien wasn’t terrified of him.

Eventually, Birdman seemed to take pity on him, crouching down and nudging Tommy. The kid clung tightly, completely ignoring his friend’s efforts. Birdman cooed, scratching lightly behind his ears. Tommy purred hard, melting into the hand before jolting into wakefulness with an annoyed growl. He sat up, rapid-fire chattering and flinging his arms at Birdman, the latter holding him back with a taloned hand to the forehead.

Techno quickly sat up, newly freed and dodging Ranboo’s attempts to pin him down again. This carried on for a few moments, the kid becoming more determined to catch him by the second.

“Ranboo, no, I am not laying down again. It isn’t even nighttime! I think. Either way, no!” Techno complained, shuffling backwards as Ranboo made another lunge. He was about to stand up to make his great escape when he heard clicking words behind him.

He froze.

Right. The other aliens.

Techno slowly turned around, fears confirmed at seeing Lamia and two others he didn’t recognize staring at the scene before them. Tommy had stopped trying to claw at Birdman, ears pinning back and fur fluffing in embarrassment. Ranboo seemed to take Techno’s pause as an opportunity to latch their arms around his stomach, releasing a victorious warble.

Techno fumbled a bit, being pulled into Ranboo while awkwardly staring at the recently awoken aliens. He raised his hand in a wave.

“Hullo,” he greeted once again, letting his hand fall shortly after. He eyed the two new aliens apprehensively. They stared back at him, expressions varying with interest and wariness.

One was massive and looked to be the same race as Lamia. Though compared to her sunset-colored scales, his were all deep and midnight blue with some spots of yellow on his shoulders and face. The yellow ones glowed in the dim lighting of the room. Like Lamia, he also had a tail instead of legs, his being at least five feet longer than hers even if the constant curling and uncurling made it hard to tell. There was a thin eel-like fin trailing up one side, continuing on his back and ending under a yellow sleeveless turtleneck. The fin reappeared just beneath the short brown coral on his head. His eyes were completely white, and he had webbed armpits and hands. There were sharp appendages right under where his ears would be, but unlike Lamia’s, they didn’t pulse backwards in a breathing rhythm.

Techno flicked his eyes away from the newly dubbed Eel, examining the other alien. This one was much smaller than everyone else in the room, coming up to maybe four feet tall. He looked like a strange mix of bugs and animals, the main ones being a bee and a ram. He had skin rather than fur or scales, it being a peachy tanned color similar to Techno’s own. There were bee-like wings buzzing away on his back, keeping him hovering just above the ground. His feet had four bat-like three-jointed toes, and his hands ended with four two-jointed stingers rather than fingers.

There were ram horns curled back around floppy ears on the sides of Bee’s head, the antennae in between them poking out from short brown hair. He had four pitch black bug eyes that were currently crinkled in what might be excitement. Finally, he had no nose, a jagged mouth grinning with flat teeth, and a mane of brown hair around his neck. When he turned to talk to Lamia, Techno could see a short fluffy tail peeking out from the shorts and vest he wore.

Techno was pretty sure he had seen Bee’s race before. A large group of them on some ship he was being carted through. It was honestly a surprise that he hadn’t seen any Birdman or Lamia lookalikes until now. Just how many races were out there?

Techno jolted at the loud chirp from behind him, head awkwardly turning to look back at Birdman with Ranboo still clinging to his back. Birdman chattered something out, the room suddenly brightening with light.

Ranboo flinched at the change, and Techno carefully pried them off, seeing the purple gradually fading from their eyes. He let out a breath of relief as green and red replaced it, awareness seeming to settle in.

“Ranboo? You good?” he asked quietly, although not quietly enough if the eyes snapping to him were any indication. Ranboo blinked a few times, gaze settling on Techno’s face. Then, his white half flushed a bright purple. He vwooped, stumbling back and bowing his head in shame. Techno snorted as Ranboo started chanting something, freezing when a familiar word reached his ears.

“S’ry,” Ranboo slurred, repeating the sound. Techno quickly shook his head, pulling Ranboo into a hug. He briefly hesitated, slowly moving to place a hand over the back of their neck. Ranboo pressed into it like a cat, and Techno smiled slightly.

“You’re fine, Ranboo. It’s okay,” Techno whispered, other hand tapping the two-beat rhythm on their back. Ranboo relaxed into the hug, wrapping their arms around Techno and thankfully avoiding his injured ribs. Techno held the kid close, hyperaware of every sound the aliens behind him made. He didn’t like having his back so exposed.

Techno heard Birdman coo, and he sent the alien a narrow-eyed glare. Ranboo pulled away, face still flushed purple as he scrambled to stand, tail wrapped around his leg. Techno moved to follow, startling when he heard a series of loud clicks and hums. He turned, seeing Eel reared up and waving his arms in Techno’s direction.

Techno tensed, leaning back defensively from the flailing alien. What did he do?

Something Eel said seemed to set Ranboo off, because the tall alien immediately crouched down, tugging Techno’s bad ankle closer and warbling in concern.

Techno furrowed his brows, looking down at the injury. Sure, it was still red and inflamed, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle. His jaunt through the halls last night proved that. He tried to stand up again, immediately earning a reprimanding shriek, hands pressing down on his shoulders.

“Ranboo, I’m fine. It’s just a sprained ankle,” Techno deadpanned, rolling his eyes at the kid. He tapped Ranboo’s hand twice, receiving a scrunched-up expression and vigorous rocking of the head. Techno narrowed his eyes, tapping twice on his ankle and ignoring the flares of pain. He moved to stand, once again gaining a warning vwoop.

Techno crossed his arms, shoulders pulling back with a raised eyebrow. Ranboo had literally seen him wipe the floor with a ship full of ceramics and their boss, yet he thought Techno couldn’t walk with a sprained ankle. It wasn’t even that bad! The swelling had gone down considerably!

Ranboo took his challenging gaze head on, leveling a look straight at his nose. Techno huffed and leaned forwards, bracing a hand on Ranboo’s shoulder and shoving himself to his feet. Ranboo vwooped in shock as Techno stood, hurt ankle hovering in the air.

“Look. I’m fine,” he said, tapping his chest twice. Ranboo warbled a concerned sound, eyes scanning over him with no small amount of suspicion before flicking back to Eel. There was a long pause, and Eel let out a resigned series of clicks. Ranboo bobbed his head slowly, stretching out an arm for Techno to hold on to.

Techno took it, staying off his ankle to appease Ranboo and Eel, and the group started shuffling off of the mattress. Techno was led over to the circular table he noticed last night, getting set down in a chair. Tommy chattered something, darting off to who knows where. The other aliens settled around the table, Ranboo in a high-backed seat on his left and Bee on a stool next to them. Lamia didn’t sit in a chair, coiling her tail under herself and settling on a cushion next to Bee.

Eel was beside Lamia, coiling his tail onto a cushion as well while Birdman sat down in a low-backed seat next to him. Tommy returned a few moments later, carrying another chair proudly and squishing in between Techno and Birdman.

It was quiet for a long moment, the aliens exchanging glances while Techno played with the ends of his hair nervously, braiding and unbraiding them just to have something to do. Ranboo tapped Techno on the shoulder, jolting him out of his daze. They pressed a hand to their chest.

“Ranboo,” they spoke.

Techno blinked, nodding slowly with a furrowed brow. Ranboo chattered to Bee, who then bobbed his head. Bee raised a hand to his chest.

“Tubbo.”

Techno’s eyes widened.

“Tubbo,” he repeated easily, Tubbo buzzing with eyes blown and jagged mouth cracked into a thrilled grin. The table chattered, Ranboo giving a surprised vwoop. Techno smiled.

He had remembered how excited Tommy got when he mimicked the word once before, committing it to memory. So Tommy had been talking about Bee back then. Techno relaxed a little as the aliens chattered around. Then Birdman chirped, silencing everyone. He was probably the authority figure here.

Techno leaned in as Lamia pressed a hand to her chest.

“Niki,” she clicked. Techno blinked again, frowning slightly. So he was right in assuming the clicks and hums were a language. He didn’t think he could pronounce that.

“-Kki?” he tried, wincing and rubbing his dry throat. Okay, his voice definitely wasn’t made for that. Lamia only smiled a little sadly, Birdman standing up and stepping behind her. He tapped on her head.

“Niki,” he said, and Techno jolted at the familiar word. Ranboo had said this one a lot before. Had Tommy and Ranboo been telling him about their crew?

“Niki,” he repeated, the name coming much easier than the clicking sounds. Niki bobbed her head, smile widening and showing off her fangs. Techno idly wondered if she was venomous. Birdman moved back to his seat, gesturing at Eel. Eel pressed a hand to his chest like the others before him.

“Wilbur,” he hummed a vaguely familiar word, and yep that confirmed it. The kids had definitely been telling him stories about their crew.

“Wil-by,” Techno tried, the hums a lot easier than the clicks of Niki’s name. Wilbur suddenly looked like he was choking, and Tommy cackled, leaning back in his chair dangerously. Techno quickly reached out to steady it, looking back up to see Birdman halfway to doing the same. Wilbur clicked and hummed at Tommy, yellow scales seeming to glow before he turned back to Techno.

“Wil-bur,” he hummed slower, and Techno mulled it over.

“Wil-bah.”

Eel bobbed his head, smile growing.

“Wilbur,” he repeated, and Techno opened his mouth.

Then he stopped.

And this was the moment he had the sudden urge to cause problems.

“Weasel,” he said, voice deadpan. Wilbur reared back, clicking out a few confused noises and making Tommy chuckle.

“Wilbur.”

“Winery,” Techno replied without missing a beat. Another batch of clicks and hums as Wilbur shrieked, Ranboo covering their mouth with their hand.

“Wilbur,” Wilbur leaned forwards. Techno cracked a grin, leaning in to match.

“World war four. A true tragedy, really,” Techno nodded solemnly. Tommy, Ranboo, and Tubbo didn’t bother to hide their laughter now, shrieking and bleating as Wilbur spouted what was likely to be curses. He deserved it, really. That’s what he gets for sicing Ranboo on him earlier. Techno rolled his eyes as the giggles continued.

“Wilbur,” he said, taking pity on the huge alien. Wilbur thudded his palms on the table, chattering something with his own name in it at Techno who just watched on in amusement. Birdman rubbed circles on Wilbur’s back consolingly, hiding a grin behind his talons. The group of aliens settled down, Wilbur coiling his tail up with a huff, ear-fin things flared.

This left Birdman to properly sit back in his own chair, tapping his talons on the table to draw attention to himself. He brought a hand to his chest and spoke his presumed name.

Techno thought his ears were malfunctioning.

“Your name is Phil?” he asked incredulously, staring at Birdman. The alien just cocked his head, repeating the name.

“Phil,” the full-blown alien from outer space said.

“Phil,” Techno repeated, dumbfounded. That was a human name. Techno knew the guy’s face looked kind of human, but was he actually just some freak genetic experiment and not an alien?! Like, seriously, Phil?!

Phil bobbed his head, smiling proudly. Well okay then. Sure. The eyes of the table turned to him, and Techno quickly brought a hand to his chest.

“Techno,” he said, trying not to dwell on how his name was stranger than Phil’s. Tubbo took a crack at the name first, the attempt ending up sounding more like Behkhno, which was honestly close enough. He’d recognize it.

Niki went after, and Techno ended up having to develop a series of clicks and hums she and Wilbur could pronounce. It went Tik-nn-oh, and it would take some getting used to, but he was pretty sure he could handle it. Techno was going to hate learning the two’s language—provided he was allowed to stay on this ship for that long.

He felt a pang of disappointment at the thought of leaving, but quickly directed his attention to Phil.

“Techno,” he spoke.

“Techno,” Phil repeated perfectly. Techno blinked in surprise. Maybe the alien was just a good imitator? Like a parrot his treacherous mind provided, and Techno barely held back a snort.

With the introductions out of the way, Phil and Niki hurried behind the half wall separating the table and the room with a bunch of weird machines. Techno watched curiously as they opened a large silver electronic door, chattering something back and forth with Tommy. Techno was surprised to see them pulling food from the drawers, tugging out miscellaneous plants and chunks of unknown meat.

Phil walked over to a different machine, pressing a few buttons and pouring some kind of liquid into the top. Techno’s eyes widened as he saw the machine spit out the strips of jerky he was used to eating on the ceramic ship.

Had he been eating synthetic meat…?

Huh.

Techno found himself unconsciously sitting up tall, watching Phil and Niki move around each other while preparing different plates of meals. Phil flapped his wings a little to reach a higher cabinet, pulling out an especially large platter and piling something from each plate onto it.

The two swirled around, a plate in each hand as they carried meals back to the table, chattering as they set food down in front of people. Eventually, Niki slithered over with the platter, setting it down in front of Techno.

…

Oh no. Did they expect him to eat all of this? Techno thought it was for Wilbur!

He looked down at the spread of foreign foods, looking back around the room as the others started chatting with each other.

… Maybe they were just checking to see what he would eat.

He felt two taps on his left shoulder, glancing over to see Ranboo give him a small smile. They picked up some kind of large beetle looking creature from their plate, cracking the shell open with sharp teeth and slurping out the insides.

Techno looked down at his platter, seeing a similar bug there.

He pushed it to the other side of the plate.

Techno picked around the foods, lifting the solid options up and sniffing them to get some kind of sign on whether they were safe to eat or not. Some of the food items, like the bugs and flowers, he just pushed aside without even attempting. He tentatively bit into a dark purple drumstick, lighting up at the rich beefy taste. It was so tender it practically fell apart as he chewed, and he melted at finally eating something that wasn’t tasteless and probably synthetic jerky.

It was peaceful, in a way. The chatter around him filled a hole in his chest he didn’t even know existed until Tommy and Ranboo were chucked into his cell. It was achingly prominent now, encouraging him to press his shoulder against Ranboo’s and scratch Tommy behind the ears.

He didn’t think he could survive being made a prisoner again. Not after realizing what he was missing.

Chapter Text

Phil had woken up relaxed for the first time in days. He was calm, nursing a fuzzy warmth in his chest that sang at finally having his two kidnapped fledglings back in the nest. He stretched out one of his back wings, shuffling the feathers as he wrapped it around the person beside him.

Only there was no person beside him.

He was suddenly thrust into alertness. The space next to him where Tommy usually slept was empty. His eyes darted over the dimly lit forms of his flock with his heart in his throat, noting Ranboo’s absence as well. He panicked, adrenaline begging to be let loose—had it been a dream?

Then, he finally spotted a pile of bodies near the edge of the nest.

Tommy and Ranboo.

Phil collapsed with relief, drowsiness crashing over him.

Unfortunately, the relief was short lived as Phil zoned in on the third figure in the pile.

The human.

How did he get there?! Didn’t Wilbur say his ankle was too fucked up to walk?!

Dull blue eyes popped open—as if sensing Phil’s gaze—and slowly turned to look in his direction. They stared at each other, silent as Phil’s tired brain processed the situation. Phil jumped when the human—Techno, if he remembered correctly—raised a hand.

“Hullo,” Techno intoned with a wobbly voice, chattering more foreign sounding words after it. Phil felt his feathers puff up, defensive and unsure as he tracked the human’s movement. The raised hand moved, one finger jutting out. The human said something else, and Phil jolted when he realized Ranboo’s name was mixed into the words. He followed Techno’s finger, letting out a chirp when he finally processed Ranboo.

The enderian was in a daze, full enderwalk mode as he hovered protectively over Techno. Ranboo tended to enderwalk whenever he rested the half of his brain controlling his thoughts, meaning he was currently acting purely on his subconscious right now. The fact that his mind had claimed Techno as safe in less than four days had Phil reeling.

Though, he supposed seeing someone slaughter a ship full of dreamons for you would do that.

Phil quickly stood up, talons gripping the bedding as he walked over to the two, Tommy still fast asleep. Techno’s hand lowered to his side, and Phil’s keen eyes caught the slight tension in the human’s muscles. He hesitated, deciding to stand a bit away from Techno rather than crossing over him to reach Ranboo. As he got closer, he heard the faint purr coming from Tommy’s chest.

Phil didn’t bother hiding a fond smile as he stopped next to his sleeping fledgling, green eyes darting between Tommy hugging Techno’s arm and Ranboo warbling a greeting. He held back a laugh as Tommy’s ear flicked, the fledgling snuggling further against the human’s arm.

Phil looked at Techno, taking in the borderline grumpy expression.

“Comfortable?” he asked, trying to stop the twittering snickers from escaping. Techno’s brows furrowed, dull blue eyes flicking to Phil’s mouth before averting entirely. Phil followed his gaze down to Tommy, seeing the moment Techno tried to pull away.

Tommy clung on even tighter in his sleep, soft purrs abruptly switching to annoyed growls. Ranboo vwooped a startled sound, pushing Techno back down into the nest. Techno let out a groan, struggling a moment longer before slumping back, staring at the ceiling defeatedly.

Phil burst out laughing, attempting to muffle his chirping shrieks with his arm. Judging by the way Techno practically pouted up at him, he was not successful.

He laughed harder.

“Sorry, sorry! Let me help you out there, mate,” Phil giggled, finally getting himself under control. It was a miracle no one else had woken up yet. He leaned over, nudging Tommy’s shoulder.

His heart burst with fondness as Tommy curled up further in response, chittering something nonsensical. Phil couldn’t help but coo, reaching out to scratch lightly behind the fledgling’s ears.

Tommy started purring loudly, pushing his head up against Phil’s hand. The moment only lasted a split second before Tommy jolted into awareness, snarling when he saw that Phil was the culprit.

“What the FUCK PHILZA MINECRAFT?! You fucking traitor! I trusted you!” he shouted, springing into a crouching position and reaching up to claw at Phil. Phil laughed again, holding Tommy back with a hand to the forehead as increasingly creative curses and threats were thrown his way. Phil rolled his eyes at ‘I’ll fucking pluck your wifeless ass!’

Techno didn’t waste the chance Phil had so graciously given him, snapping up into a sitting position and rolling out of the way of Ranboo’s restraining hands. Ranboo vwooped, ears pinned back and tail lashing as they tried to catch the human. Techno was chattering something out, most likely complaining as he shuffled back from another of Ranboo’s attempts.

“What the fuck is going on?”

Techno froze. Phil’s wings twitched, his head swiveling in the direction of the clicking voice. Tommy slowly stopped trying to claw Phil’s eyes out, ears pressing down and fur fluffing in embarrassment.

Wilbur was propped up on his arms, looking extremely confused. Niki was at his side, arm draped over the barely lucid Tubbo. Wilbur opened his mouth to say something else when Ranboo lunged, latching onto Techno with a victorious cheer.

The human jumped, shifting to get his knees under him and leaning into Ranboo in the process. He awkwardly flicked his eyes around, slowly raising his hand again.

“Hullo,” he muttered, just like before. A greeting, maybe? His hand dropped down, and he eyed Wilbur and Tubbo warily. Phil watched curiously as the human seemed to analyze them, eyes lingering on Wilbur’s tail and Tubbo’s wings. Tubbo was fully awake now, buzzing excitedly as he whispered something to Niki. The silence lasted a while, Phil watching worriedly as Wilbur’s tail curled in and out from anxiety.

“Alright,” Phil chirped, startling Techno into finally looking away from Wilbur and Tubbo, “AI, lights on,” he said, the ship registering the command. The room brightened considerably, making Phil glad that he could finally see properly. His night vision had always been terrible.

Phil saw Ranboo jump out of the corner of his eye, his enderwalk state easing up. Techno slowly pulled Ranboo’s arms off of him, furrowing his brow when he wasn’t stopped. Instead of pushing away again like Phil had expected, the human turned around, back facing Wilbur, Niki, and Tubbo. Phil’s feathers fluffed up in surprise. He watched, stunned as Techno’s hands rubbed up and down Ranboo’s arms absentmindedly.

Phil would never expose his back to new people like that. It made his wings twitch uncomfortably just thinking about it.

Techno said something quietly. If all eyes in the room weren’t already on him, they definitely were now. Ranboo blinked into complete awareness, white half suddenly flushing a bright purple in embarrassment.

“Oh no. Oh fuck, oh no, oh void. I am so sorry-” Ranboo stammered, stumbling back from Techno and rambling apologies with his head bowed. Phil frowned at the display, wondering what had Ranboo so worked up when Techno snorted. Ranboo froze at the sound, thinking for a minute before clumsily saying an unfamiliar word.

“S’ry,” he slurred, repeating the word over and over again. Phil chirped in confusion, watching as Techno straightened up with wide eyes. Techno shook his head side to side, pulling Ranboo close and simultaneously ending the weird chant. Phil’s eyes widened as the human placed a hand over the base of Ranboo’s neck.

And Ranboo relaxed into it.

Holy shit. Since when did Techno become Ranboo’s protector?! They couldn’t even understand each other—why was he already using enderian gestures?!

Techno quietly said something to Ranboo, pulling the fledgling down and resting his chin on top of their head. The hand not on the back of Ranboo’s neck tapped a familiar pattern, the heartbeat rhythm that always helps the enderian calm down. Ranboo easily returned the hug, pointedly keeping their arms away from the human’s injured upper abdomen.

Phil heard an adoring coo, jumping when he realized the sound came from himself. Techno’s eyes narrowed at him in what looked like a glare. Phil flattened his puffed-up feathers, looking away unrepentantly as Ranboo pulled out of Techno’s arms.

The fledgling stood, white half still tinted purple and thin tail coming to wrap around their leg. Techno moved to stand, and that’s when Phil was reminded of the other people in the room.

“Wait!” Wilbur shouted, arms flapping in Techno’s direction, “don’t let him stand on his foot! I don’t even know how he was able to walk here, the joint was pretty messed up and I only gave it minimal treatment!”

Techno leaned away from Wilbur, brows furrowed. Ranboo vwooped, immediately crouching down and tugging Techno’s injured foot closer. He let out a sad warble, and Phil bit back a comforting trill, moving closer to the pair to see better.

The human’s foot did look pretty bad. His ankle was massively discolored compared to the rest of his skin and still very swollen. Techno didn’t seem to agree, glancing between his injury and Ranboo before attempting to stand up again.

Phil watched on, fascinated as Ranboo and Techno roughly communicated with wild gestures and taps. He was kind of impressed that they could understand each other as well as they seemed to. It was a mess of wordless shrieks, crossed arms, and silent stares. Techno seemed to have had enough, quickly darting forward and shoving himself up with Ranboo’s shoulder as support, hurt foot hovering in the air.

Techno said something, tapping his chest twice. He seemed to do that a lot, and Phil wasn’t quite sure what it meant. Ranboo seemed to understand though, eyes locking onto the movement and flicking back to Wilbur with a concerned warble.

It was silent for a moment.

“Fine,” Wilbur sighed, “just—help him walk or something. And keep him off that ankle,” he instructed, Ranboo slowly bobbing their head in acknowledgment. They offered Techno an arm, and the human easily took it.

All eyes turned to Phil, and he blinked.

“Why don’t we all head to the table?”

“Oh thank fuck, I’m starving,” Tommy declared, sprinting over to the large round table. Ranboo and Techno awkwardly shuffled after him, Phil following behind with the rest of his flock.

Tommy pulled out his chair, gesturing for Ranboo to set Techno down there.

“We need to teach him your guys’ names!” Tommy said excitedly, bouncing on his hooves, “I’ll go grab another chair, don’t start without me!” And with that, he darted out of the room.

Everyone settled down in their usual positions at the table, Techno’s eyes flicking around the area. Tommy soon came bursting into the room, chair proudly held above his head.

He shoved Phil closer to Wilbur, placing the chair down between Phil and Techno before squishing into the gap.

The table went quiet, Phil’s crew looking at each other, unsure of how to start. Techno seemed to scan the room, glancing around and taking in his surroundings. Eventually, Ranboo reached out and nudged Techno on the shoulder.

“Ranboo,” they said, placing their hand on their chest. Techno nodded his head slowly with a furrowed brow. Ranboo reached out with another hand, tugging on Tubbo’s vest. “You too. Put a hand on your chest and say your name,” Ranboo directed, and Tubbo bobbed his head in understanding. He raised a hand to his chest.

“Tubbo,” the apris bleated. Techno’s eyes widened.

“Tubbo,” he repeated, a strange accent to his gruff voice. Tubbo jerked, mouth splitting into an ecstatic grin as Ranboo vwooped.

“Holy shit!” Tommy shouted, gaping, “It took him like three tries to say mine and Ranboo’s names correctly!” He looked vaguely jealous at the fact.

“Tubbo’s name is hard to pronounce too,” Ranboo muttered, ears flapping in surprise.

“Maybe I’m just better than you both.”

“You wish bitch!”

Phil smiled as the fledglings argued, Ranboo looking on in resignation. Phil glanced back at Techno, seeing him tracking the conversation idly. Phil chirped loudly, silencing the table as he waved a hand in Niki’s direction.

As expected, Techno had a hard time pronouncing Niki’s name. Merphant language was hard for pretty much every race. He made a valiant attempt, but it left him with a pained expression as he rubbed at his throat. Phil was lucky that elytrians were such great imitators. He got up and tapped Niki’s head.

“Niki,” he said, the nickname being what Niki usually went by since the fledglings couldn’t pronounce her birth name either. Techno copied this one easily enough, and then it was Wilbur’s turn.

“Wilbur.”

“… Wil-by,” Techno hummed stiltedly. Wilbur reared back, Tommy starting to cackle loudly at the unintentional use of Wilbur’s childhood nickname. Phil fought down the urge to join him, reaching out a hand to steady the roghco’s chair when it started tipping backwards. However, Techno beat him to it, glancing between Tommy and Wilbur.

“Shut it gremlin!” Wilbur clicked, yellow scales flaring brightly in embarrassment. He whirled on Techno, “Wil-bur,” he emphasized.

“Wil-bah,” Techno tried, much closer than before. Wilbur bobbed his head in satisfaction.

“Wilbur.”

There was a pause.

“Weasel.”

“Wha- No!” Wilbur leaned back, tail flicking as Tommy tried to calm his laughter. “Wilbur,” he spoke again.

“Winery.”

“That’s not even close!” the merphant shrieked. Ranboo turned away with shaking shoulders, a hand covering his wide smile. Phil’s eyes shone with amusement as he caught on, smothering his own chuckles with a cough. “Wilbur.” Wilbur leaned slightly over the table, eyes narrowing on Techno.

Techno leaned forward to match him, a grin cracking on his face.

“World war four,” the human said, the words following being drowned out by Tommy and Tubbo’s laughter. Ranboo doubled over with stifled wheezes while Niki pointedly avoided looking at Wilbur—who of course started shrieking profanities. Phil was just about dying from repressed snickers. It was painfully obvious that Techno was mispronouncing the name just to get on the merphant’s nerves.

After a minute longer of Wilbur ranting and raving while the fledglings laughed at him, Techno said Wilbur’s name properly.

“Yes!” Wilbur shouted, fins flared and hands thudding on the table, “It’s Wilbur! Wilbur!” Wilbur only got innocently blinking eyes in response. Phil leaned over to rub consoling circles onto the merphant’s back, hiding a smile behind his talons.

“Now now, no making threat displays at the deathworlder—even if he is being a little shit,” Phil ordered, Wilbur grumbling in response. The table settled down in time for Phil’s turn.

It went pretty uneventfully, Techno having an easy time with his name. They quickly established some alternatives for the merphants and Tubbo to call Techno, seeing as they had some issues with pronouncing human language. With introductions out of the way, Phil and Niki got up to make breakfast.

“Hey Tommy, any idea what Techno eats?” Phil asked, shuffling through their food stores while preparing the other meals. Tommy chittered thoughtfully.

“No idea, honestly. The dreamons fed him synthetic meat, I think? It was pretty shitty stuff.” Tommy shrugged. Tubbo perked up.

“I’m pretty sure they’re omnivores! They also, like, regularly consume poisonous things. Think caffeine poisonous,” Tubbo noted with a shudder. Ranboo vwooped, staring at Techno in horror. The human in question just blinked back before continuing to watch Phil and Niki, obviously not following the conversation. Phil chirped.

“Well, we’re definitely not giving him caffeine. I don’t feel like testing that. You all good with giving him a bit off each of your plates? He can decide what he wants from there.”

A chorus of affirmatives rang out, and Phil bobbed his head, flapping to reach one of the higher cupboards.

It wasn’t long before he and Niki were bringing out plates of food, Niki having grabbed a large platter to fit something from each plate onto it. Techno looked down at the platter blankly, eyes flicking between it and the crew. Ranboo seemed to notice his lost look, tapping his shoulder twice before crunching down on a large bug in demonstration.

Techno stared, eyes trailing down to a similar bug on his plate. He pushed it to the side. Phil snickered, watching as the human instead bit into a drumstick and practically lit up at the taste.

“Hey, Ranboo,” he called, “I’ve been meaning to ask, what’s the tapping thing about?” He mimicked the tapping on the table, cocking his head. Ranboo looked at him, ears pinning back as they registered the question.

“Oh. Uh, it’s like—a reassuring thing?” they said uncertainly, glancing at Tommy for help. Tommy bobbed his head rapidly.

“Yeah!” Tommy agreed, “basically, Ranboo was getting stressed while we were on the ship, right?” Phil forced his feathers to lay flat. “So I tapped the heartbeat pattern on their chest to calm them down. Techno must’ve thought it was a reassuring gesture, because he uses it whenever we’re nervous and shit,” Tommy said, pausing for a second in thought. “He also uses it on himself to tell us he’s fine and stuff. Or like back on the ship when he used it to ask if you and Niki were friendly. It means a lot of things.”

Ranboo bobbed his head in agreement.

“The heartbeat pattern works on Techno too, which is convenient,” he said idly, crunching down on another bug. Phil cocked his head with a questioning chirp.

“What do you mean?”

Ranboo stilled, and then grimaced, staring down at his plate. Tommy cleared his throat.

“Uh, he—humans get night terrors too.” Tommy frowned, tails flicking in agitation. “He was struggling in his sleep and when Ranboo went to wake him up, he freaked out on us. We weren’t hurt or anything!” Tommy quickly added, “he just—didn’t recognize us at first is all. I tapped the heartbeat pattern on his chest and he calmed down enough to snap out of it,” he mumbled, bright blue eyes conflicted and ears pressed against his head. Ranboo warbled a sad sound.

Phil didn’t know how to process that information, chest tightening as he glanced at Techno. The human was looking between Tommy and Ranboo with a furrowed brow, chewing on a piece of squash.

“Uh,” Wilbur spoke, attracting the group’s attention, “so how did Techno get into the nest anyways? I didn’t think he could walk on that foot,” he asked, a clear attempt at changing the subject.

It worked.

Ranboo flushed purple, burying their face in their hands with a croon. Phil cocked his head.

“I was enderwalking,” Ranboo admitted sheepishly, as if that wasn’t obvious by his state earlier, “I think I saw Techno in the hall and just kinda-” He stopped, vwooping as he imitated a carrying gesture. Tubbo started bleating with laughter, Niki swatting him scoldingly as she hid her own amusement. Phil snickered.

“Find yourself another protector, mate?” he asked lightheartedly, gaining another embarrassed croon from Ranboo as they flushed darker. Enderians weren’t counted as pack-bonders since the majority of their adults preferred isolation, but young enderians? They easily latched on to guardian figures, Ranboo more so than most. Niki clicked a laugh.

“Shut up Phil,” Ranboo muttered, “like you don’t try to adopt every young person you see if they don’t have an adult within 10 steps of them.”

Phil squawked in mock offense, Wilbur and Tommy devolving into cackles around him.

“I do not!”

Wilbur whacked him with the end of his tail.

“Phil, Dadza, father dearest- You’re not fooling anyone,” he said solemnly, choking back his amused clicks. Tubbo laughed harder.

“Hold on!” Tubbo gasped out, wings still buzzing, “let’s make a bet on how long it takes him to adopt Techno! I give it three days.” He grinned, four eyes shining with mischief. Niki rocked her head.

“Three days? Really Tubbo, what will Quackity say when he hears you made such a terrible gamble?” Niki sighed, and Phil was about to thank her when she grinned as well. “Did you not hear him coo when Techno hugged Ranboo? I give it three hours.”

Phil groaned, wings curling around himself as he held his head in his hands.

“Seriously?” Wilbur cut in with a smirk. “Shame on all of you. Techno is already living on the ship, and Dad has made no mention of kicking him off. Clearly, he’s already been adopted.”

Phil sighed defeatedly.

“Children. I’m being bullied by children. Does the rank captain mean nothing anymore?” he lamented, earning nothing but laughter at his expense.

“You love us,” Ranboo said decisively, and Phil couldn’t argue. He gave a long groan.

“We probably should actually talk about Techno’s situation,” Phil said, only slightly regretting it when the atmosphere sobered. “I can call Sam once we get in range and see if he has a translator with human language programmed onto it. He had elytrian and merphant languages, so it is possible.”

Tommy bobbed his head, frowning.

“I was thinking we could teach him Common,” he said, picking at his food, “he would need to know it to read anyways. Plus, I don’t really want to let someone stick a biochip in him without him knowing what’s going on,” Tommy muttered, chomping down on some fruit. Phil bobbed his head in agreement.

“You’re right. If Sam had access to human language though, that would definitely streamline the process. We could order a handheld translator or something. Not as foolproof as the biochip, but at least we could explain what a biochip is through it.”

“Okay, say we can speak and understand each other,” Wilbur started, cleaning his claws, “what then? I don’t think we can get him back to human territory without dying in the process. The council would definitely be after us even more than they are now if we survived.”

“Well…” Phil grimaced, knowing Wilbur had a point. “You were right in saying I’m not going to kick him off. He saved Tommy and Ranboo’s lives. Not to mention he would be locked up or hunted down if we just—left him on a planet somewhere.” Tommy and Ranboo flinched at his words. “Provided you all are okay with it, he is more than welcome to stay with us.” He stopped, glancing around the table for any sign of disapproval. Tommy, Ranboo, and even Tubbo were staring at Niki and Wilbur pleadingly.

Niki and Wilbur were in charge of the crew’s well-being, Niki as the head of security and Wilbur as the head of medicine. If they thought Techno was too dangerous to have around, they would have the final say. Niki exchanged a look with Wilbur, glancing at Techno.

“Of course he can stay,” Niki decided, bobbing her head as if there was never another option. “We owe him a lot. Besides, judging by the state of that dreamon ship, I think we can trust him not to hurt us without reason. Although, I do suggest not dragging him to the nest to sleep—in case he has another night terror.”

Ranboo warbled sheepishly, ears flapping while Tommy grinned.

“I would have bitten you if you said anything else,” Tommy stated, Wilbur mumbling a ‘gremlin’ under his breath.

“Tubbo is going to have to show me where he gets all of his information on humans,” Wilbur said, humming in consideration, “I still need to check what the AI picked up on Techno’s biology. That will probably take a while to sort through.” Phil bobbed his head.

“Definitely do that. We don’t want to accidentally kill him because it turns out he has hollow bones or something,” he said casually. Wilbur groaned loudly.

“It was just a hug, Phil! A hug! How was I supposed to know you’re brittle as fuck?! I’ve literally seen you chuck three shulks across the room at the same time!”

“Adrenaline, mate. Adrenaline.” Wilbur let out a defeated sigh at Phil’s words. “Anyways, regardless of what happens, Techno will have a home with us. We can ask him what he wants to do later,” Phil decided, receiving hums of agreement from the table. He glanced around, seeing that everyone was mostly done eating. “Alright. Niki, Tubbo, you’re on dish duty. Wilbur, go check your lab scans. Tommy and Ranboo are going to come with me and show Techno where the bedrooms are.”

Tommy and Ranboo visibly perked up, Tommy practically flying out of his chair and prodding at Techno with an excited ‘come on!’ The human looked bewildered, slowly nodding his head up and down and getting to his feet, hurt ankle still not touching the ground as he was propped up by Tommy.

“The room next to mine is free!” Tommy shouted excitedly, slouching under Techno’s weight. Phil didn’t blame him, the guy was huge. Not in a ‘Wilbur’ way, more in an ‘I can and will fracture the ground with your skull’ way.

The point is he is intimidatingly muscular. Phil once again cursed his race for being on the small side. At least flight was a good trade off.

“Alright Tommy, we can set him up in the room next to you,” Phil laughed, ignoring Tubbo’s grumblings about not getting to talk to the human. The elytrian honestly didn’t know how Tubbo was planning to go about that in the first place, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to find out. Wilbur stayed back to chat with the fledgling for a bit, letting the group of four leave first.

Ranboo pressed the button to open the door, letting Phil and Tommy pass through before following behind them. Phil and Tommy walked side by side, their pace slow as Tommy helped Techno walk.

It didn’t take long for them to reach the residential side of the ship. Halls were lined with bedroom doors—many of which were not currently in use. The SBI was honestly too big of a ship for how small the crew was, but they had to show off their prestige somehow.

Can’t be good space pirates without a fancy ship.

They continued down the main hall—Phil, Wilbur, and Tommy’s rooms on the left, Niki, Tubbo, and Ranboo’s on the right. They eventually got to the fourth set of doors, Tommy pausing before the one on the left.

“Hey, Techno,” Tommy called, waving his free hand in Techno’s face to get his attention. The human looked at him, a single eyebrow raised. Tommy gestured to the button by the door, making a show of pressing it. The door whooshed open, Techno tensing at the sound. Tommy waited a moment before nudging them both through the opening.

The room was fairly plain, understandably so since it was just a guest room. The walls were painted a pale blue, and there was a screen on the far side that could play videos. One side of the room had a round mattress, blankets and cushions piled up similarly to a nest. The other side held a desk with a stool in front of it, a dresser, and another door.

Phil and Ranboo shuffled in behind the two, watching as Techno looked around the room in what Phil guessed was confusion. Tommy waved another hand in Techno’s face, turning to show him how to close the door with the inside button.

“See, big man? And this is how you lock it,” Tommy said, pressing another smaller button below the other one. As a demonstration, he tried to open the door again, showing that it didn’t work until he pressed the smaller button again.

Techno stared at the buttons as if he had never seen anything like them before, pressing them himself once Tommy had moved away. Phil and Ranboo hovered awkwardly, letting Techno mess with the door until he was satisfied.

“Techno,” Tommy called again, getting Techno’s attention once more. He led the human over to the other door in the room, opening this one as well. It revealed a restroom with tiled white and gray walls. There was a shower against the back wall, a sink and waste chamber beside it.

Tommy showed Techno how to turn the shower on, a violet glow filling the booth. Tommy stepped in, the grime on him shining light blue before being lasered off. Techno jumped at the display, reaching in to pull Tommy out. His entire arm glowed blue, the shower zapping him before he could yank away.

Ranboo let out a startled vwoop, tail flicking out. Phil stared in shock as Techno pulled back, skin a noticeably paler shade than before. Just how much stuff was caked on him?! Did the dreamons not even let him shower?!

“Holy shit man!” Tommy hissed, shuddering at the uncleanliness. Roghcos were known to hate being dirty. “Get in here!” He tugged Techno into the shower, swapping places with him. Phil watched in horror as the human’s entire body glowed a bright blue, the color noticeably denser on his hair and the clothes over him. You could barely see Techno underneath the light.

The laser shower started at the top, slowly working its way down while Tommy stopped Techno from leaving. Techno eventually sighed and accepted his fate, marveling at how the grime was stripped from his skin. After the laser’s second pass over, Tommy bobbed his head in satisfaction, letting Techno out of the shower.

Tommy turned it off, giving Techno a quick tutorial on working the sink and waste chamber before leading him out of the restroom and closing the door. Techno ran a hand through his tangled and significantly brighter pink hair, rubbing a few strands between his fingers in awe.

Tommy dropped Techno onto the mattress in the room, the human falling with a grunt. He then proceeded to flop down next to him while Ranboo sat on the stool.

It was quiet for a moment. Phil hummed.

“Well, I’m going to go talk to Wilbur and Tubbo about registering Techno in the system,” he said, glancing between Tommy and Ranboo. “Have fun? I guess? I’ll come get you guys for lunch.”

“Bye Dad,” Tommy mumbled, face still planted into the mattress. Ranboo warbled a goodbye and Phil turned, exiting the room.

…

Well that was… something. Phil grimaced at the image of Techno glowing in the shower. He clearly had not had a good time out here in space, given the night terrors and horrible living conditions he had apparently been subjected to. It was not lost on Phil how the human seemed so fascinated at the concept of a lock, of all things.

Phil waited until he was far enough down the hall that not even Tommy’s superior hearing could pick it up before he let out the worried trill he had been holding back. At first, he had only brought Techno on board because the human had saved his two fledglings and Tommy had pack-bonded with him, but this was getting worrying. Phil had listened to enough of Tubbo’s rants to know that humans were heavy pack-bonders, so much so that isolation could drive weaker willed ones insane.

Techno got attached to Tommy and Ranboo way too quickly. He trusted them fully, even extending that trust to those the fledglings trusted, exposing his back upon first meeting them. Maybe that didn’t mean the same thing for humans as it did for elytrians, but it still made Phil’s feathers rattle with unease.

He felt bad for Techno, lightyears away from human space and anyone he could talk with. It wasn’t painting a pretty picture, and Phil wasn’t even sure how long Techno had been out here.

He continued walking, hoping for the best.

Chapter Text

Techno honestly felt kind of bad for slaughtering the ceramics so horribly.

Sure, it was a matter of life and death and all that, but he really should thank them. If it wasn’t for them, he never would have met Tommy or Ranboo, never would have befriended them and ended up on their ship, and never would have gotten to take a shower.

At least, that’s what he thought the weird glowing booth was used for.

Techno ran his fingers through his hair yet again, shocked by how clean it felt. He was currently laying back on a smaller version of the huge mattress thing Ranboo had taken him to last night, Tommy face-planted into the blankets beside him. He would almost be worried about the kid suffocating if he didn’t see his ear flicking in his direction every few moments.

Techno dropped his hair with a sigh, sinking into the bedding. He had been… startled when Tommy shoved him into the booth earlier—even more so when he started literally glowing—but after a few minutes of the laser thing zapping off the blue stuff and decidedly not killing him, Techno had calmed down.

He shifted, rubbing the soft material of his cape between his fingers. The shower seemed to double as a washing machine, considering his clothes were in the best condition they had been ever since he was abducted. They were still falling apart in some places, but at least they were no longer covered in dried blood. He wondered if he could borrow some more when these eventually gave out on him. Unlike most aliens, the ones on this ship actually seemed to wear clothes.

Either way, Techno wasn’t certain yet, but he was pretty sure that the bedroom he was in was his. His own actual bedroom—that locks from the inside and everything. He didn’t quite know how to process that. It had been a long time since he was really free, and he was kind of just waiting for someone to jump out and say ‘sike you thought’ before throwing him back in a cell again.

The tight skin on his shoulder blade ached with a phantom pain. He scowled, pressing harder into the mattress below him to chase away the sensation. So it was going to be that kind of day.

Ranboo chattered something with Tommy’s name in it, causing the kid to poke his head up grumpily. Ranboo sat a ways away on a stool by the desk, leaning forwards with his ankles crossed in front of him. The room was huge, and kind of empty, making Techno think it was a guest room of some sort. Something Ranboo said must have excited Tommy, because the kid jumped up and dashed over to a dark screen on the wall.

Techno reluctantly pushed himself up, sitting cross-legged as Tommy fiddled with the screen. The kid said something, and then an image appeared—a field of ocean blue grass and tall dandelion-like trees. The image moved, plants swaying in the wind. Soft blowing sounds fill the room.

Oh.

The screen was a TV.

Techno stared at the video, inching towards the edge of the mattress to see better. Tinkling sounds like wind chimes echoed out while pale orange clouds drifted through an icy blue sky.

Techno wasn’t sure what planet that was, but he would like to go. It seemed peaceful.

His eyes flicked over to Tommy, the kid watching him with his chest puffed out in pride. Tommy reached out and tapped the screen, two circles appearing. He dragged one circle sideways with the pad of his paw, and the video flicked to something else. Techno watched as Tommy continued flicking the videos, a couple of them containing other aliens.

It really was a TV. Techno wondered if the huge screen in the nest room was one too.

Soon, Ranboo chattered something else, and Tommy gasped. He bolted back to where Techno had been droopily watching the screen, tugging on his cape. Techno sighed as he got the message, pushing himself up and letting Tommy half carry him to the door.

It opened with the click of a button—something Techno would deny gave him a thrill—and Tommy guided him to another doorway beside it with Ranboo in tow. Tommy opened this door as well, and Techno was shocked by the gust of warm air that flew out.

The room was just as big as Techno’s and was considerably more lived in. Rather than blue, its walls were painted a bold red color. There was a doorway on one wall that probably led to another bathroom, if Techno was right in assuming the layout was the same as his. Items were strewn about the floor, so much so that Techno would barely be able to walk without stepping on something. The desk was cluttered with scraps and bits of machinery, and there was a large vending machine thing shoved between it and the dresser.

Tommy chittered, letting Techno go before dashing into a cave on the other side of the room. The large gray structure seemed to replace the round mattress; a blanket hung over its opening. Techno put a hand against the wall for support, Ranboo coming in and carefully leading him over to the desk. They grabbed a chair that was toppled over on the ground and propped it up for Techno to sit on.

Tommy burst out of the small cave, two translucent discs in hand. One had a ring of purple and white stripes in the center, and the other a ring of solid green that Techno eyed curiously. Tommy moved over to the vending machine and slid the discs into a slot.

Then, a soothing, foreign sound started playing in the room, Tommy chittering along with it.

… Was the vending machine a jukebox? Techno doesn’t think he’s ever seen one before. Although, this was probably a weird alien version of anything Techno might have recognized.

The three of them spent maybe an hour in that room, Tommy showing Techno around and letting him peek inside the cave. It was padded inside, with little trinkets pushed against the wall and insulation making it stiflingly hot. Techno came to the conclusion that this was Tommy’s room pretty quickly.

Eventually, Ranboo seemed to get antsy, whining at Tommy. Tommy grumbled something out, and Ranboo vwooped in excitement, quickly darting over and opening Tommy’s door. Techno was once again half carried out, this time to the door across from Tommy’s. It opened with a whoosh, revealing a dark purple room inside. The lights here were very dim, Ranboo’s red and green eyes glowing in the darkness.

It was way cleaner than Tommy’s room, but there also seemed to be fewer personal effects. A long rectangular bed was shoved against one wall, raised off the floor much like how a human’s would be. Bolted to the ceiling above it was another TV.

Ranboo walked over to a series of drawers, opening one of the ones in the middle and reaching in. He pulled out a large dark box, the thing seemingly heavy with how he had to hunch over to carry it. He quickly shuffled to the bed to set it down, patting an open spot next to him and flipping open the lid like a chest. Tommy huffed something under his breath, carrying Techno over and depositing him next to Ranboo.

Techno settled in, leaning to peer around Ranboo’s shoulder and into the box.

He sucked in a breath. Piles of gold items glittered in the dim lights, a few having gem-like accents and looking much like jewelry. Ranboo warbled something pleased, a staticky sound filling the air. Techno still had no idea how he was able to produce that sound. Or how he was able to teleport. Or why his eyes glowed purple when he sleepwalked.

Ranboo was a freak of nature.

The kid quickly pulled out a short, thin golden bracelet, unlatching it and holding it up to their hair. They warbled something, looking up at Techno with slitted pupils. Techno blinked slowly at Ranboo, brows furrowing as they pressed the chain bracelet into his hand and gestured to their head.

With a vwoop, Ranboo split a section of hair into three strands, poking at the bracelet in Techno’s hand.

“Oh.” Techno snorted. “Did you want me to braid your hair with gold in it?” he asked, cocking his head and carding his fingers through Ranboo’s hair. The kid lit up, warbling and scooting to lean down so Techno could reach more easily. He half-smiled in amusement.

“Okay, give me a second.” Techno started combing his fingers through Ranboo’s hair. It was too short to really put a good braid in, but Techno would make it work. He twisted one strand together with the gold, quickly braiding the hair so it wouldn’t fall out. He made it to the bottom, looking around for something to tie it off with. His eyes drifted to the box Ranboo was rifling through, seeing something short and flexible enough that it could, theoretically, serve as a ribbon.

“Ranboo,” he called, tapping the kid’s shoulder. Ranboo looked up, and Techno moved to keep the braid pinched between his fingers. He pointed at the ribbon, slowly bringing his finger back to point at the end of the braid.

Ranboo still looked confused, but he picked up the ribbon and handed it over. Techno hummed in thanks, wrapping the object around the braid and tying a simple knot with minimal effort. He released the hair, watching with a small smile as Ranboo grinned at it excitedly. The kid reached over to grab a long golden necklace he had pulled out of the box at some point, poking at Techno’s hair with a questioning noise.

Techno huffed, leaning over and allowing Ranboo to sloppily braid the necklace into his hair. Although, Ranboo didn’t seem to be satisfied with just that, tying two more pieces of gold jewelry in with it. He even pulled out a crown of some kind and set it on Techno’s head, looping pink strands through and around it to keep it in place.

And it didn’t stop there.

Techno’s confusion must have shown on his face, because Tommy started cackling as he tried to shift the crown into a better position. That was how Phil barged in on them, opening Ranboo’s door with puffed up wings and slightly panicked eyes.

He froze, staring at Techno and Ranboo blankly. Ranboo had covered themself in gold, cuffs on their ears and braces on their arms. Now, they were in the middle of wrapping some kind of rope thing around Techno’s wrist and up to his shoulder. The metal clinked as the charms hanging from it bounced into each other.

Techno jolted at Phil’s entrance, startled from his bewilderment. Why Ranboo had suddenly decided to cover him in gold, Techno had no idea. He relaxed slightly when Phil made a confused birdlike noise.

Ranboo warbled something in greeting, eyes still thinned to slits with Tommy chuckling in the background. Techno watched Phil’s wings smooth out, and he awkwardly raised his hand to wave.

Phil seemed to come out of his thoughts, twittering snickers escaping his mouth. He rocked his head, saying something to the room. Tommy quickly got a hold of himself, cheering and shoving Ranboo’s shoulder. Ranboo blinked a few times, pupils rounding out when he bobbed his head. Techno moved to take the crown off, only to gain a reprimanding vwoop and light batting at his hands.

Tommy and Phil laughed again, Ranboo holding out an arm in front of Techno. They started chatting with Phil while Techno looked down at it—confused until he realized they were probably going somewhere again.

He used Ranboo’s arm to stand.

The white noise of alien language drifted over him.

- - - -

Niki was… conflicted on how she felt about Techno. It was eating her up inside. She knew she needed to be more decisive on this—she had already given her permission for him to stay but—okay, look. On one side, Techno saved her siblings’ lives. On the other, she was the head of security for this small crew—and that meant she was the best fighter they had.

And, if it came down to it, she was not at all confident that she could take Techno in a fight.

The image of a decapitated dreamon brute and bloodstained hallways rested heavily behind her eyelids at night.

It was a horrible feeling. Niki was strong—even for a merphant! But they were known as the glass cannons of the universe for a reason. She had her lethal venom and hypnotic voice, she had her invisibility and crushing strength—but. She also had no stamina. She had no tolerance for changes in temperature or air density, her scales cracking and head growing woozy within moments—and that was with Wilbur’s miracle working moisturizing balm and Tommy’s air filter.

Niki never would have been able to do what Techno had done on that ship. The cold alone would’ve taken her out.

It didn’t help that she was almost certain Techno already knew of these weaknesses. He was frighteningly observant. Niki had felt the way his eyes lingered on her fangs.

However, she pushed her hesitancies down, locking them up in a box and shoving them to the back of her head. The fact of the matter was that Techno had shown absolutely zero signs of aggression. It would be terrible of her to judge him just because he was strong.

Especially when he was there for her siblings, and she wasn’t.

She strangled the inadequacy and guilt writhing beneath her ribs. It wasn’t doing any good.

That was the last time she would feel so helpless. She would never let her family be threatened again. 

Anyway, Techno.

Niki was sure she’d grow to like him. She trusted Ranboo’s judgment, and Ranboo vouched for him whole-heartedly. It wasn’t unwarranted either; Niki had seen Techno’s protectiveness over them firsthand. When the enderian had accidentally gotten water burned at lunch earlier, the human had yanked Ranboo away from the table and chucked the cup across the room with zero hesitation. Niki hadn’t even realized what was going on before Techno was drying the light burns with his clothes, brows furrowed in concern.

If anyone should be wary of the situation, it should be Techno; and yet he acted like he would give his life for Tommy and Ranboo. He was always looking out for them, even letting them cart him around and bully him into things.

As shown by the crown sitting lopsided on his head and Tommy sneaking chunks of golden fruit off of his plate.

“Tommy, stop swiping gapples from Techno’s plate. We need to know if he can eat those!” Niki clicked sharply, watching Techno’s attention flick to her and then down to Tommy. It could not be fun being talked about without knowing what was being said.

“I’m not stealing anything!” Tommy lied. “He just really likes them—is eating ‘em so quick you can’t even tell! We should give him more.”

Niki gave a resigned sigh. It was a good thing humans didn’t seem to be territorial over food.

Honestly though, Niki just thought that Techno was a big pushover for the kids. Phil was the same. That only served to reinforce her assumption that Techno was a good person.

They just needed a bonding exercise to get used to each other.

Luckily, Niki had the perfect idea.

“Hey Phil,” she called, waiting for Phil to stop laughing at Wilbur and turn to her, “it’s been a while since we’ve done a movie marathon.”

Tubbo gasped, wings buzzing as he shot out of his seat.

“Yes!” he shouted, “there’s a documentary that just got released about the new death world!” he bleated excitedly, causing Niki to smile fondly. Phil looked in her direction, a knowing glint in his eyes.

“I suppose we do have some time to kill until we get in range of Sam,” Phil noted idly, Tommy and Ranboo visibly perking up.

“We should watch the ones dubbed in Common for Techno!” Tommy cut in suddenly, Ranboo bobbing his head in agreement.

“Good idea,” Phil said, trilling thoughtfully. “I should find an old holopad he can study with,” he murmured, swiping the air to pull out his own holopad before typing something down on a to-do list. Niki chortled softly, Tommy’s comments of ‘old man’ coming to mind.

“I’ll go set it up!” Tubbo declared, shoving the rest of his flowers into his mouth and darting over to the nest area. Niki shook her head, swallowing her last fish whole and collecting her and Tubbo’s plates. She grabbed Wilbur’s too, taking the dishes to the kitchen and zapping the grime off of them.

Niki made her way into the nest room, seeing Tubbo fluttering around the screen as he tried to turn on the documentary. She reclined against her tail, content to watch as he screamed at the connection for being slow. They were pretty far from any satellites.

“Tubbo!” Phil called, entering the nest with Wilbur at his side, “turn on subtitles too!”

“I’m working on it!” Tubbo bleated angrily, giving the screen a good whack on the side.

“Why is Tubbo abusing the screen?!” Ranboo shouted from the table, helping Techno stand up.

“THE SCREEN IS REBELLING AGAINST ME!” Tubbo screamed back. Tommy scowled,  ears pressing down against his head.

“STOP FUCKING SHOUTING!”

“NO!”

“Boys!” Phil yelled, stopping the argument before it could truly begin, “Tubbo, come sit down. I’ll turn it on.”

Tubbo reluctantly fluttered down, flopping on top of Wilbur with a grumble. Phil walked over, messing around with the controls before pulling up a menu of new documentaries.

“This the right one, mate?” he asked, gesturing to the most recent one about a planet with a foreign name. Tubbo bobbed his head rapidly.

“Yep! I heard it’s just in the beginning stages of life.” His eyes crinkled in excitement, black depths practically sparkling as Phil opened the icon. Tommy, Ranboo, and Techno had made it to the nest, the human looking up at the screen curiously.

Niki wondered if he had ever seen anything like it.

Phil told the AI to dim the lights, and then the documentary started playing. Everyone settled into the nest, most laying back against Wilbur’s tail. Techno shifted around kind of awkwardly until Ranboo pressed into his side, pulling the human back to lean against Niki.

Niki felt it when Techno tensed up, tilting her head slightly to see his eyes darting between her and Ranboo. She hummed out a soothing sound, and the human’s eyes shot up to meet hers.

She gave him a reassuring smile, lightly tossing the end of her tail over Ranboo and Techno’s laps before refocusing on the screen.

She barely paid attention to the documentary, hyper-focused on the human’s reaction. Ranboo immediately started picking at some of the muck under Niki’s scales, sharp nails delicately scraping at them. Techno was stiff, not daring to move a muscle as he glanced at Ranboo out of the corner of his eye.

Slowly, the human started to relax, tentatively putting more weight on Niki as if testing if she would collapse under him.

Niki pointedly kept her eyes on the screen.

She had to hold back a victorious hum when Techno finally leaned fully against her, and wow Tommy wasn’t joking. The amount of heat humans put out was astonishing. Niki subconsciously pressed closer, the warmth reminding her of the rocks warmed by underwater volcanoes near her old reef. She flopped down onto her arms, watching the documentary show some of the bacterial life that had begun to form in the new death world’s acidic oceans.

A few hours passed peacefully, Phil switching to a different movie whenever their current one ended. At some point, Ranboo had begun showing Techno how to clean Niki’s scales, which the human was now doing mindlessly. She noticed that he was always moving, whether that be bouncing his leg or fiddling with the threads of his clothes.

She thought they were actually alike, in that way. Niki often weaved baskets or picked at her scales when she felt the need to do something.

She wondered if Techno would like basket weaving. It was pretty similar to the hair weaving he taught Ranboo.

Speaking of, Techno had seemed to run out of scales to clean and had started fidgeting with his hair, avoiding the sections that Ranboo had weaved gold into. He deftly twisted thin weaves, undoing them and beginning again whenever he reached the end.

Niki was entranced. And apparently staring too hard considering the human’s eyes flicked up to hers. An embarrassed clicking sound built up in her throat, and she quickly turned away.

Only a few moments had passed when Niki felt two taps on her tail, causing her to jerk up. She looked back in Techno’s direction, seeing him pause hesitantly before scooting closer, a weave pinched between his fingers. He held it farther away from his head than before, undoing it and redoing it again. Niki watched, fingers twitching as he once again undid the weave. This time, however, instead of redoing it, he combined the three strands into two.

She squinted at the action, leaning closer. Techno started weaving again, although much slower and in a different pattern than before. Niki watched, fascinated as the weave turned into something new.

It… It almost looked like a bunch of fish tails.

“That’s so pretty!” she clicked, all of a sudden wishing she had hair instead of coral growing out of her head. It was not nearly flexible enough to weave. Her words drew Ranboo’s attention, and he vwooped in surprise. A small smile appeared on Techno’s face as Ranboo leaned in for a closer look, startling Niki. She didn’t think humans smiled. It was generally an aggressive expression for races outside of elytrians and shulks, but Techno wasn’t baring his teeth, so Niki assumed they were in the clear.

Techno undid his weave, now having an audience of two as he remade it. Then, he undid it again, twisting the two strands into tight columns before twisting them around each other like a rope.

Oh wow. Humans did a lot with their hair. Ranboo’s eyes sparkled as he warbled, turning to Niki.

“Niki, I’m growing out my hair,” he stated, pupils thinning in excitement as he turned back to watch Techno. Niki chortled a laugh.

“If that’s what you want,” she said happily. You wouldn’t find her complaining. Hair weaving looked fun and turned out much prettier than her baskets. She could probably do some really cool designs with Ranboo’s two-toned colors—not to mention how it would look with gold.  

The end of her tail curled in on itself with anticipation.

Techno snorted, undoing the weave and lifting one of the golden threaded ones.

“Ranboo,” he called, something else in the human’s language following. He poked at the weave with a tilted head, carefully starting to undo it. Ranboo’s ears drooped—but he allowed it, looking on forlornly as Techno removed all the jewelry and straightened out his hair.

Then, he pulled two sections of hair in front of his shoulders, leaving one behind in the middle. He separated the middle section into three parts, twisting a golden chain in with one of them before weaving all the way down. He handed the end of weave to Ranboo, closing the enderian’s fist around it.

He then pulled away two smaller parts from the front of his hair, twisting them together with more gold chains before weaving them in with the crown he settled back in place. The weaves circled his head, draping down and intertwining with the weave Ranboo was still holding.

Niki was staring with wide eyes as the human worked, pulling groups of hair from the front and looping them with other weaves, sometimes passing them to Ranboo to hold while he was busy with a different section. The fact that he could do this without even looking spoke of tons of practice, and Niki was astounded when he tied everything off with a looping golden ribbon at the bottom.

His hair was shining, the gold catching in the dim lighting and complimenting the pink colors.

Niki was so jealous. Techno was just showing off at this point.

“Holy shit, how did he even do that?” Tommy suddenly asked. Niki jumped, looking at the other side of the nest. Apparently, the movie had been forgotten, Techno having attracted the attention of the others. Tommy and Tubbo were flopped over Wilbur’s tail, heads on their hands while the merphant propped himself up beside them. Phil was kneeling, arms crossed on Wilbur’s head as he leaned forward to get a better look.

Techno seemed to only just notice the attention, face turning a bright red color as his hand rubbed the back of his neck just under the intricate weave. Niki squinted, hoping the red wasn’t a sign of illness and was just a blush similar to Ranboo’s. Tubbo buzzed in excitement, darting forward and circling above Techno’s head.

“This is so cool!” he bleated, the human edging away from the hyperactive apris. “It must be a culture thing—there’s practically no information on what humans do when they aren’t being bloodthirsty warmongers! I had no idea they cared about aesthetics!”

And that was weird to think about, wasn’t it? Half the races out there never did anything that wasn’t practical—most not understanding the concept of clothes being used for something outside of protection or warmth. Merphants and roghcos were the same way, and only after being exposed to Phil’s rich culture did Niki, Wilbur, and Tommy start branching out.

Yet, sitting in front of Niki was a human that, despite being strong enough to massacre an entire dreamon ship, liked to weave pretty designs into his hair.

Clearly, humans were not as barbaric as the council made them out to be. And despite Niki already knowing the council was full of it from how they depicted elytrians, having the confirmation in front of her was comforting.

Techno was now standing on one foot, saying something in his language as he dodged around crewmates, always keeping at least one person between him and Tubbo. The apris was pursuing him relentlessly, chattering questions the human had no way of answering and not seeming daunted by that in the slightest.

Ranboo was worriedly reprimanding Tubbo while Tommy laughed, Phil obligingly stretching out a wing for Techno to duck behind. This only seemed to make Tubbo more determined. Wilbur flopped against the mattress dramatically after Techno’s third time vaulting over him, resigned to being used as furniture.

Yeah, humans weren’t that bad at all.

Chapter Text

Techno dozed, slowly blinking up at the tiled roof of the community area. His scalp buzzed comfortably as Ranboo dragged their claws through his hair, practicing the fishtail braid that Techno had shown them. Niki clicked at their side, occasionally poking at Techno’s hair to show Ranboo where they had made a mistake.

Techno was honestly surprised at how big of a hit braiding was among the aliens. They always reacted like it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Seriously, even if most races Techno saw didn’t have hair to braid, it was literally just twisting strands together. How impressive could it be?

Ranboo vwooped as he reached the end, holding Techno’s hair out for him to inspect. His ears flapped excitedly, his slitted bicolored eyes shining.

Techno smiled.

Well. If they liked it that much, he wouldn’t complain. He could finally flex his braiding skills on someone.

He gave the slightly lumpy braid two taps and nodded in approval. Ranboo cheered, taking the braid back and undoing it to start over again. Techno huffed, letting himself relax back against Niki’s tail as claws lightly carded through his hair once again.

It was peaceful, and Techno was about ten minutes away from falling asleep entirely. He hadn’t slept at all last night because he had finally figured out how to pull up a kid’s channel on the TV in his room. At least, he assumed it was a kid’s channel. It used the same words repeatedly and was overly colorful and energetic.

Anyways, he had spent so long attempting to somehow absorb the alien language that by the time he was about to go to sleep Tommy was already calling him for breakfast.

The quiet whooshing sound of a door opening drifted through the room, and the hands in Techno’s hair stopped moving. He felt Niki shift from under him and grumbled, pushing himself up to see who had entered.

It was Phil.

Niki hummed a greeting at him as he shuffled into the nest. He was carrying one of the hologram communication watch things in his talons, his own still strapped around his wrist.

“Hullo,” Techno drawled out, flopping back down against Niki. He didn’t really feel like getting up yet. He ignored Phil’s twittering snickers, bringing an arm up over his eyes to block out the lights.

Techno let the hum of conversation drift over him, content to stay where he was. Niki’s tail wasn’t exactly the most comfortable thing to lay on, what with how muscular it was, but her scales were pleasantly cool against his skin.

Techno was just about to doze off again when someone called his name. He huffed, blinking his eyes open grumpily. He rolled over, partially braided hair falling apart as he moved to lay on his chest instead of his back. Techno rejoiced at the only slight twinge of pain the movement elicited from his bruised ribs. Whatever Wilbur was putting in that salve he kept making Techno use, it was working. It had barely been two weeks since he was injured and he could barely even feel it.

He folded his arms in front of him, setting his chin on them and raising an eyebrow at Phil in mild annoyance.

What did it take to get a nap around here?

Phil looked apologetic, but he didn’t hide his amusement either. He lifted the watch in his hand, waving it in front of himself a little before tapping at his wrist. Techno blinked slowly as Phil reached out a hand, talons up.

He was not nearly awake enough for this.

Techno reached out with one of his hands, copying Phil and hoping that was what the alien wanted. Phil took the watch thing, stretching out its band and sliding it over Techno’s wrist.

Techno stared dumbly as the band morphed to fit his arm.

“Techno,” Phil called again, and Techno’s eyes lifted back up to him. Phil made a swiping motion in the air, a hologram appearing before him.

He gave Techno an expectant look.

Techno sighed and copied the motion, jolting when a hologram appeared in front of his face. Weird boxy and circular symbols filled the screen, and he was surprised to find that he recognized them. They were alien letters. Practically everything that looked like it was labeled out here had them scrawled over it. Techno could spot about thirty different letters, although they seemed to cut off on the right side of the hologram. He squinted, sitting up properly and raising his hand to it.

Techno pressed his fingers down, jumping when instead of phasing straight through like he expected, he was met with an almost gel-like texture. He swiped left on impulse, the hologram moving exactly like the TV in his room. He quickly swiped in a few more directions, only mildly disappointed when he realized swiping up and down just turned the hologram on and off. This didn’t deter him for long, as he quickly focused on the three isolated red dots on the right side of the screen.

Techno wouldn’t say he was an expert, but those looked an awful lot like buttons.

He tapped the middle one, blinking when the hologram filled with letters literally flew away from him. It shrank and disappeared, being replaced with a different hologram.

He paused, staring blankly at the spot-on Niki’s tail it disappeared to. Did he just delete something?

He looked up, abruptly realizing he had lost himself in messing around with the device. He came face to face with Phil’s stunned expression.

Techno hesitantly waved a hand in front of the alien’s eyes, getting no response.

… Hopefully that tab wasn’t anything important.

Techno returned back to the hologram, leg bouncing. He felt like a kid playing with a new toy he got for his birthday. Techno snorted softly at the comparison. Only he would have his first ever present be a fancy space watch from an alien.

After closing the tab—which Techno was just going to assume was what he did—the hologram now showed a different screen. Little dots were scattered over it, each having some kind of image on them.

Now, Techno had no idea what these images were supposed to be, but his eyes caught on the upside-down-balloon looking one.

Might as well commit to the ‘birthday kid’ bit.

He tapped the icon, furrowing his brow when nothing happened. He double tapped it. Triple tapped it. Held it down for a bit before letting go.

Nothing.

He huffed in frustration, swiping at the icon only to find that he was just moving it around on the screen.

Okay, there had to be something else to this. The tab before shrunk when it closed, so maybe he just had to make a zooming-in kind of motion? He thinks he saw the ceramics do something like that with their fancy watches.

Techno leaned closer, squinting as he pinched at the icon with his fingers before dragging them apart.

A new tab flew at his face, causing him to recoil. His heart skipped a beat.

Then, a sense of triumph flooded him. He grinned.

Nice.

This tab was a little plain, not covered in lettering like the last one. The same three red dots as before popped up on the right side. Techno idly noted that the middle one might be some kind of delete button or home screen.

He focused on the single hollow circle in the center, tapping it.

Another circle appeared beside it.

Okay then.

This time he pressed down on a circle, swiping it around the screen.

It left a trail behind.

…

No way.

Techno let go, the circle remaining at the edge of the squiggly line he had drawn.

He had just found a drawing app.

This was huge.

Techno immediately dove headfirst into his experimentation. It was difficult to get used to at first, but soon he found himself writing out his name relatively quickly, double tapping the circle when he was done and moving it to write more letters. He had been doing this for maybe five minutes when a hesitant chirp caught his attention.

He jerked his head up from where he was basically hunched over the hologram, the translucent screen following his vision as he locked eyes with Phil behind it. The alien somehow managed to look winded.

Techno had forgotten he was there.

Whoops.

He quickly swiped down, dispelling the hologram and hiding his hands behind his back, coughing awkwardly and averting his gaze. Ranboo and Niki were staring at him too, Ranboo with confusion and Niki with awe.

… Techno felt like he was missing something here.

Phil closed his eyes, rocking his head like he was trying to stretch a stubborn crick in his neck. Techno felt a bit sheepish, fingers itching to mess around with the hologram some more.

Space was pretty boring, alright? He never expected that to be one of the most annoying parts of his abduction, but it was. The hologram watch was basically a massive puzzle game. There were so many icons on that one screen to explore-

“Techno,” Phil called, swiping up with his hand yet again. Techno tilted his head, bringing his hands back in front of him and reopening the hologram. Then Phil leaned forward, poking at the lower red button on the side and making eye contact.

Techno blinked, glancing between his drawing app and the button.

Hopefully that stuff was saved when closed. It would be great if he could take notes on it.

He obligingly tapped the button, having a mini-heart attack when another tab came flying out at him.

Whose decision was that?! Yes, let’s make people think things are flying at their face whenever they open something. That totally isn’t a design flaw.

Phil trilled something soothing, green eyes looking apologetic. Maybe he didn’t like the jump scare tab openings either.

Techno huffed, tapping his chest twice before focusing on the image. It was the same tab as before, the one covered in alien lettering.

Well, at least he knew pressing the middle button didn’t delete stuff. It was probably just a home screen then.

Phil chirped, poking at a little gray circle beside one of the letters. Each letter had one next to it, continuing down and starting again at the top a column over. When Techno had seen them the first time, he had overlooked them as bullet points or something.

Now, he tapped one, jolting when a robotic voice echoed from the watch on his wrist.

Did…

Did it just speak to him?

He tapped the button again, getting the same sound as before. Then he tapped another one, a different sound coming out.

Techno stared, wide-eyed as the letters took on a whole new meaning. He looked up at Phil, tapping a button without breaking eye contact.

Phil repeated the sound that came out.

Techno grinned wider than he thought he ever had, looking down and tapping the buttons. He traced the letters with his finger, softly repeating each alien sound.

Phil was trying to teach him their language.

Techno felt a rush of energy. A breakthrough felt so much closer than before. The drowsiness from the morning was chased away in an instant. He didn’t even register Phil sitting down beside him before the alien reached a talon out, poking at three different letters in succession.

Techno quickly pressed the buttons next to them, sharply inhaling at what he heard.

“De-Kh-No,” Phil said, annunciating each sound in time with the watch, “Techno.”  

Techno barked out a short, breathy laugh, tracing out the letters. Dekhno. He had an alien name now.

“Dekhno,” he repeated quietly, turning the word over in his mind. His cheeks were starting to hurt from how wide he was smiling.

It felt like progress.

- - - -

Phil fluttered his wings hesitantly, feeling bewildered as he watched Techno mess with the holopad. The human was completely engrossed with it, confidently using the navigation buttons on the side to switch between the drawing and alphabet windows.

When he had first given Techno the holopad, he had been prepared for a long few hours of charades to even begin to teach him how to use it—not to mention how long it would take to get him started on sounding out the alphabet.

He hadn’t expected Techno to figure it out on his own immediately. Phil hadn’t even gotten the chance to show him that the letters had sound buttons next to them before the human was already going to the main window and exploring other functions!

And Phil thought Tubbo was a quick learner. Techno could break records.

As it was, it had only been around half an hour, and Phil didn’t really feel like Techno needed his help anymore. The human had seemed to pick up on the fact that he was being shown an alphabet pretty quickly—a shock considering how tired he looked—and had quickly begun scribbling out what Phil assumed were notes with the drawing function he found.

“Well that was easier than I expected,” Phil said absently, rustling his feathers again. Techno glanced up at him for a moment, cocking his head in a very elytrian-like manner. Phil just smiled and poked at the hologram, and Techno went back to his studying, hunched over the holopad like it was something precious.

Phil’s wing shifted, wanting to wrap around Techno’s shoulder. He forced it to lay still.

“Yeah,” Niki replied, a knowing smile on her face as she looked between Techno and Phil’s outer wing. Phil tucked it closer to himself, looking away with an embarrassed trill. “He figured it out a lot faster than me. I won’t be surprised if he’s speaking by the time we get to Sam’s.”

“Really?” Ranboo asked hopefully, a happy little warble in his voice. Phil smiled, leaning over to ruffle the fledgling’s hair.

“We’ll see. I’ll try introducing some vocabulary after he’s satisfied with the alphabet,” he decided. A glance at Techno showed he was still deeply immersed in the content he was given. Phil hummed thoughtfully. “I don’t think I’ll be able to teach him anything but the names of things though. Too much guesswork involved otherwise. It might do more harm than good when we don’t know if we’re on the same page.”

Ranboo bobbed their head understandingly, ears drooping. Their tail twitched like it wanted to wrap around something. Phil gave them an encouraging smile.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll pick it up eventually. He’s frighteningly intelligent,” he remarked. If there was one thing he was sure of, it was that. Actually, he was more sure of Techno’s combat prowess, but intelligence was a close second.

Phil’s holopad chimed. The sound it made when connecting to nearby satellites.

Ranboo’s eyes widened, and then he vwooped excitedly, tail curling around Niki’s arm.

Phil swiped up, opening his holopad and pulling up the connection window.

He grinned.

“Looks like we’re finally in range of Sam.” He swiped down, watching fondly as Ranboo cheered. Phil stood, shuffling his feathers and stretching out his back. “I’ll go call him. I’m in the command center if someone needs me.”

Niki hummed an affirmative, Ranboo warbling out a goodbye. Techno lifted his head up, glancing between the three of them before lifting his hand and rocking it slowly in Phil’s direction.

Phil was starting to think that hand motion was a goodbye. Or a greeting. Techno seemed to use it for both.

Phil smiled, unable to resist leaning over and ruffling the human’s silky pink hair with a parting trill. Techno froze under the touch, staring blankly ahead as Phil pulled away.

A curl of apprehension settled in Phil’s gut. Did he just overstep?

“Techno?” he called, the barest hint of anxiety in his tone. Techno jumped, eyes snapping to Phil. The human tapped his chest twice with an unreadable expression, his other hand coming up to card through his hair.

Two taps. Means basically anything positive.

Phew.

Phil deflated, giving Techno a cautious smile.

“See you later mate,” he said, carefully stepping out of the nest. He exited the community area, making his way towards the SBI’s command center. It was a fairly long walk, what with the size of the ship, but that gave Phil time to think.

How was he going to explain things to Sam?

Don’t get him wrong, he trusted the guy, but trusting him not to expose them to the council and trusting him with information on Techno were two very different things. Humans were dangerous and hunted on a universal scale, and while Sam never had any issues working with Phil’s crew in the past, Phil wasn’t sure how the creeper would react to a human.

“AI, open door,” Phil said idly, typing in the verification passcode on the panel once prompted. The door slid open, and he was now in the command center. He walked forwards towards the communications console, sitting down in his captain’s chair. He pressed a few buttons to boot everything up, navigating around the holograms that appeared.

He’d just wing it.

Phil flicked a few windows out of the way, swiping sideways on a list until he found Sam’s contact.

He pressed connect.

A questioning grunt came from the speaker system.

“Hey Sam, It’s Phil. Are you busy?”

“Wait, Philza?” a hissing voice asked, sounding far away from the comm. “Give me a second.”

A chorus of clanking metal rang out, followed by rolling and the hum of an engine.

Hm.

Sam must be working on a new project.

“So,” Sam spoke, and Phil perked up in his chair, “to what do I owe the pleasure? The SBI isn’t due back for a maintenance checkup for another few months.” There was a curiosity in his tone, and Phil hummed, unsure of how to start.

“I was wondering if you had any translators equipped with human language up for grabs.”

Silence.

Okay, that might have been a bit suspicious. Phil’s wings rustled nervously.

“… Why would you need a translator for human, Philza?”

Shit.

“Uh,” Phil started, immediately regretting his decision to wing it. “Well, you see, our next heist takes us pretty close to their galaxy and it would be nice to have?” he lied through his teeth. “Like, if it’s an option, no reason not to understand human, right?” He gave a slightly strained laugh.

Subtle, Phil. Real subtle.

“… Uh-huh,” Sam muttered dubiously. “And why, pray tell, would you need a new translator instead of a software update for your biochip?” he asked, skepticism dripping from his words.

Fuck.

It was now Phil’s turn to host a long silence.

There was a breathy huff.

“Well you’re in luck. I recently finished fine-tuning an advanced human to Common translation. It should be fairly simple to hook up to other languages,” Sam said, a whirring sound coming through the comm. Phil jumped, eyes widening and wings fluffing in surprise. “Just give me a dozen cycles or so and I’ll have it ready to go. Bring your new kid too.”

“Seriously?!” Phil asked, finally getting over his shock. The creeper had access to human language? “That’s great! We’ll be over—wait,” he paused, brain finally catching up to what else Sam said, “the fuck do you mean new kid?!”

“Bye Phil.”

“Sam?!”

The connection abruptly cut off. Phil stared down at the communications hologram for a long moment.

The sound of a door opening behind him made him jump, wings flaring out defensively as he spun around.

Wilbur was at the doorway, looking mildly amused as he slithered inside.

“Did you call Sam? Or were you planning on staring at the comms forever,” he asked lightheartedly, shutting off his holopad as he came to a stop in front of Phil. Phil scoffed, flattening his feathers.

“Yes, I called him.” He rolled his eyes as Wilbur perked up, the merphant curling his tail under himself and sitting forwards attentively. “There’s good news and bad news. Good news is Sam has an advanced human to Common translation.” Wilbur’s mouth dropped open as he made a shocked clicking sound. “Bad news is, he might know there’s a human on board.”

Wilbur’s blank eyes widened considerably.

“What did you say to him?!” Wilbur screeched, ducking behind Phil and tapping on the hologram to pull up the call logs.

“Uh, well-” Phil started, only to be cut off as his own greeting was played back at him—marking the start of his conversation with Sam. The recording played, and he shuffled awkwardly after Wilbur shot him a deadpan look.

“Really Dad?” he asked, talking over the long awkward pauses. “Our next heist takes us close to human space? You mean the human space that currently has nothing else around it because of the massive Black Hole? That one?” Phil winced.

“I panicked!”

Wilbur’s deadpan look remained. That was, until it dissolved into a fit of cackles at Sam’s closing words. Phil’s wings bristled with embarrassment.

“New kid-” Wilbur wheezed, gills flaring as he tried to take in more air. If he kept this up, Phil might have to dunk him in one of the emergency tanks. “Oh he totally knows we’re harboring a human!”

“Okay, sure, I was being a little obvious-” Phil resolutely ignored Wilbur’s gasping ‘a little?!’ “but why’d he assume I had a new kid?!”

“I mean—” Wilbur took a deep breath, calming down, “—are you denying it?”

Phil spluttered.

“I-” he began, sucking in a breath. He opened his mouth, only to shut it a moment later with a click.

He couldn’t get the words out.

Look, he could admit he liked Techno—the human was a good guy! And it wasn’t like Phil was the only one! The fledglings loved hanging out with him, and Wilbur was having the time of his life with the new medical data, and Niki would finally be able to spar with someone without worrying about them-

“That’s what I thought,” Wilbur said smugly. “Dadza.”

Phil scowled, whacking his son over the head with an inner wing. Wilbur gave him a shit-eating grin, immediately vanishing into a dark gray mist when Phil tried to whack him again. His hand passed through the vapor harmlessly, skin tingling from the little arcs of blue lighting coursing through it. The mist pulled away, rematerializing into Wilbur once out of Phil’s reach.

“Don’t worry Phil, I won’t tell Tommy that he’s being replaced as the favorite son,” Wilbur mocked, shrieking when Phil lunged for him.

“I don’t have favorites you little shit!” Phil laughed, although he might be forced to reconsider that statement if Wilbur kept this up.

Phil grabbed his son’s ear-fin, pulling him down to his level and driving the dull backs of his talons into the merphant’s coral. Wilbur yelped, the sound edging on a laugh as he turned into mist once more, phasing through Phil’s hold. Phil shuddered as a cold feeling seeped into his bones, glaring at Wilbur when the merphant resolidified again.

“Honestly, Phil, you found me first. I should be the favorite, but instead I’m losing to my new little brother. How sad, how horrible,” Wilbur sighed, overdramatically humming a sorrowful tune. Phil rolled his eyes.

Then, he registered Wilbur’s words.

“Wait, little?” he asked. “Is Techno younger than you?” Something worried crept into his tone. Could—no way. Could Techno be a fledgling?

His stomach flipped at the thought.

Wilbur blinked at him blankly for a moment. Then he perked up, opening his holopad and gesturing for Phil to read over his shoulder.

“Yep! I finally finished sorting through all the data the bioscan picked up, and let me tell you, there was a lot. Techno’s genetics are insane to look at. He’s a carbon-based lifeform with a dense calcium bone structure, which is pretty neat in itself, but practically every physical ability is boosted to peak performance. Nervous system, metabolism, regeneration, adrenaline production—fuck, I’m tempted to say he was grown in a lab as some kind of super-soldier,” Wilbur ranted.

Phil gaped at the information. Humans were powerful enough on their own, why would they need super-soldiers?!

“Anyways,” the merphant continued, “the bioscan also gave me a rough estimate of his life expectancy, which is around 250 origin-star years. He’s 8.5% of the way through that, so that puts him at 21, right between me and Niki in terms of age.”

Fuck.

“He’s so young holy shit Wil,” Phil breathed. Sure, Techno wasn’t Tommy young like he had briefly feared, and there were certainly adults out there younger than him, but still.

That was far too young to be lost in space with no way to communicate beyond gestures. Phil didn’t think anyone was old enough for that, but he had at least hoped Techno was closer to him in age.

Wilbur cringed, excitement dimming. His tail curled in on itself anxiously, and Phil felt his heart skip with dread.

“Yeah, uh, I actually came to talk to you about something else I found.” Wilbur grimaced as he pulled up a dermal layer scan, poking at an image that made Phil’s blood boil. “He has this on his right shoulder blade. The scar tissue dates back to a little less than a year ago, which just so happens to be around the time Schlatt’s operations took a big hit.”

Phil glared at the image, simple curved horns wrapped around a crown, chemically seared into the upper layer of skin.

Techno had been branded by Schlatt.

That fucking bastard.

Phil’s feathers rattled, a low hissing sound coming from his throat. His crew had a personal grudge against the hircus, what with him funding the operations behind Niki, Ranboo, and Tubbo’s abductions. Fuck, he had personally bought Wilbur from his home planet to raise as a gladiator. Phil had been lucky to find the young merphant before the transaction was completed. 

But about a year ago, Schlatt had gone quiet. Upon further investigation, it was found that one of his new fighters had ended up massacring the people that ran his colosseum. Phil had tried to track Schlatt down, he had finally been getting close, but any traces of the man vanished after that incident.

At this moment, Phil wanted nothing more than to rip Schlatt’s horns off and shove them down his throat.

“So,” Wilbur said, drawing Phil out of his thoughts, “knowing that Schlatt had Techno at some point, I checked for any subcutaneous trackers.” Phil jumped. He hadn’t even thought of that. “It looks like there was something in the usual spot they’re placed, but whatever it was had already been dug out and the wound scarred over. I don’t think Schlatt has been able to track him for a while, so we should be safe on that front.”

Phil bobbed his head.

“I’m glad you checked. That was good thinking,” he praised. “Was there anything else particularly worrying?”

Wilbur clicked, tail curling in on itself.

“That was the big one, but he has way more scars than I thought—especially on his torso. The AI couldn’t tell me what the circular dip ones were from either.” He zoomed in on an image of the scar. “They aren’t anything cancerous though, so I have to assume they come from human weaponry.” Phil chirped in surprise. Maybe Techno had some kind of battle experience even before getting abducted. “Other than that, we’re good though. The balms I am using to treat his bruising and swelling seem to be working great, so besides his current injuries, he is in perfect physical health. From what the AI could tell, anyways.” Phil sighed with relief. “Although I do suggest we give him larger meal portions and up the protein. His high metabolism means he needs to eat a lot more than we assumed to stay healthy.”

Phil bobbed his head.

“Noted,” he said, opening up his holopad to check the time. “It’s almost lunch. Let’s go tell everyone that Sam can help us out, and about the other… developments,” Phil said hesitantly, and Wilbur cringed again. He should probably change the topic. They started towards the door. “Oh, did you know that I set Techno up with a holopad?” he asked, Wilbur perking up as they exited the command center. “He seemed to figure it out pretty quickly. I want to try teaching him some words tomorrow.”

“That’s great!” Wilbur beamed, “I’m not surprised. His brain scans put him between elytrian and creeper levels of intelligence. I guess it’s a death world thing.”

Phil couldn’t help but gape at the information.

Creepers were an old race, the oldest non-extinct one in the universe, with insane levels of intelligence to make up for their many physical limitations. Elytrians were always only second to them.

And now, apparently, third to humans.

“You know, I shudder to think of what the human death world is like if they had to evolve that much intelligence and strength to keep up with it,” Phil remarked. He didn’t remember much of his own home world—if anything at all. He had been too young when the Evacuation went into full effect. He was basically born on a spaceship.

Still, Phil had heard the stories from his parents. Stories of the land on their planet constantly shifting, of mountains sprouting into existence within years only to be torn down by earthquakes and landslides.

Phil knew that the elytrians only survived because of their superior intellect. Figuring out floating cities to avoid the hazardous ground and advancing to space travel quickly enough to escape the Black Hole were no easy feats.

Wilbur hummed thoughtfully.

“I think Tubbo said something about drastic temperature fluctuations and tons of lethal flora and fauna.”

Phil whistled.

“Damn, even the plants are deadly? I don’t envy them.” He rocked his head, Wilbur clicking a laugh at the statement. They reached the community area’s doors, the merphant opening them with the press of a button. Phil glanced around the room, seeing Ranboo, Niki, and Techno in the nest where he left them. Techno’s head snapped up upon his entrance, and a smile spread over his face.

“Phil!” he called, excitement coloring in his usually monotone voice. Phil cocked his head, carefully stepping into the nest as he approached the three. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the way Ranboo was practically vibrating in place and Niki was struggling not to smile.

Techno quickly waved him down, patting the open spot next to him.

“Do I even want to know what’s got you all excited?” Phil asked, lowering himself down to lean back against Niki’s tail. Ranboo opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off when Techno shifted the holopad screen so Phil could see it.

The drawing window was open, scribbles that looked systematic dotted around the hologram. Then Techno zoomed in on a spot in the corner. There sat a few words of Common script, shakily and painstakingly scrawled out.

Phil sucked in a breath.

Phil Ranboo Niki Tommy Tubbo Wilbur. Techno Friend. Thanks.

Holy shit.

“You know,” Niki said, her lips twitching into a grin, “the first thing he did after you left was figure out how to write your name.”

Phil choked on a chirp.

“We didn’t even teach him friend and thanks! I think he picked those up from watching movies,” Ranboo warbled, apparently no longer able to contain his excitement.

Phil’s eyes widened, and he looked back at Techno, seeing the human studying his reaction.

Ah. He should probably say something.

“Looks like I’ll be the one struggling to keep up,” Phil laughed, ruffling Techno’s hair as a fond coo slipped out. “You did good mate.” Techno huffed in protest, ducking his head and grumbling something in his own language. Phil could still see his smile though—still see the way he flushed bright up to his ears like an embarrassed enderian. Then, Techno paused.

“Gh-d,” he repeated, the word coming out awkward. He quickly hit one of the red buttons, switching to the window containing the alphabet and tapping a few letters with a furrowed brow. Then, he hit two in succession, the word ‘good’ ringing out. “Good.”

Phil watched as Techno maneuvered back to the drawing window, scribbling something he couldn’t make sense of before carefully writing ‘good’ next to it.

It was only then that Phil realized this had happened a few times, other words like ‘thanks’ and ‘sorry’ and ‘hello’ filling the left side of the window with other scribbles next to them.

“Holy shit.” Phil said, gaping. “I was gone for, like, an hour. At this rate we might not even need Sam’s human to Common translation.”

Ranboo shot up with a vwoop.

“Does that mean he has one?!” they asked, tail thumping against the pillows rapidly. Phil smiled, going to respond when Wilbur suddenly flopped against him, arms folding on his head. Phil squawked, readjusting to support the merphant’s weight while simultaneously beating his wings against the little shit.

“Yep!” Wilbur clicked cheerfully, completely ignoring Phil’s sputtering cursing at him. “He even told Phil to bring his new kid down to pick it up!”

“Hey!” Phil screeched.

Ranboo laughed, warbly cackles spilling from his mouth. Niki was muffling her amused clicking sounds, but her efforts to hide them were made completely useless by the fact that Phil could literally feel her shaking with laughter. Techno looked around, head tipping sideways before he did a weird shrugging motion with his shoulders and went back to scribbling on the holopad.

“Alright, Tubbo is now my favorite, consider yourselves disowned!” Phil declared, shoving Wilbur off of him.

“Poor Techno,” the merphant said dramatically, “he just got here, yet he’s already been disowned! What a tragedy.”

“That’s it,” Phil said, a dangerous grin on his face as Wilbur’s head snapped over to look at him. “AI, lower community area gravity.” Wilbur didn’t get the chance to fade into mist before Phil had him around the waist, lifting him off the ground with a beat of his wings and dunking him in the emergency tank on the other side of the room.

Wilbur spluttered as he was suddenly submerged, water splashing into the air before being sucked back down by the tank’s field.

“AI, return gravity to normal,” Phil said smugly, releasing his hold on Wilbur and letting the merphant pop his head into the open.

“My shirt!” Wilbur shrieked, the shirt he had on now thoroughly soaked through. He gave Phil a baleful glare.

“Oh no, not the shirt,” Phil drawled apathetically, grinning as Wilbur’s glare intensified. He fluttered his wings, droplets of water falling off of them. It was uncomfortable, but he was used to it by now. He lived with two merphants for void’s sake, he couldn’t avoid his wings getting wet every now and then. “Anyway,” he said, looking back at the nest.

Techno had a shocked expression on his face, eyes darting between Phil to Wilbur and then back to the blankets and pillows that had been mussed up from the short time without gravity.

Ah. Maybe Phil should avoid disabling gravity until he could explain it to the human. It was a necessary feature, since Wilbur and Niki were too heavy to move to the emergency tanks without gravity being nullified, but it probably freaked Techno the fuck out.

“Uh,” he stuttered awkwardly, “who wants lunch?”

Chapter Text

Tommy curled up in his den, wide awake despite how late—well, early—it was. His ears twitched, sensitive to every sound coming from the room next to him. He had never had this problem before. It used to be that the only occupied room next to his was Wilbur’s, and that one was soundproofed because the merphant’s singing tended to be hypnotic.

As of three weeks ago, however, there was a human living beside him.

Phil had to specifically buy the soundproofing for Wilbur and Niki since the bedrooms didn’t come with it equipped. It was because of this lack of soundproofing that Tommy could hear when Techno started heaving ragged breaths. Could hear when something thudded into the wall hard enough for him to worry something was broken.

Could hear the moment panicked gasps turned into heart-wrenching sobs.

Fuck.

Tommy swallowed hard, remembering the night he had woken up to a white room and an ear-piercing scream, the image of Techno lunging for Ranboo with bared teeth and unseeing eyes stayed prominent in his drowsy mind.

Tommy had foolishly hoped that that was a one-time thing. That after they got Techno off of that fucking ship, he wouldn’t have night terrors anymore.

Another choked sob invaded his ears.

Fuck. Tommy couldn’t just leave him like this.

He crawled out of his den, grabbing a musty old translator the crew had been using to speak Common out loud. Carefully navigating the messy floor, Tommy opened his door, hearing a sob get cut off into a gasp as he did.

He winced, hooves clacking loudly in his ears as he walked the short distance to Techno’s room.

He hesitated at the door.

Usually, Techno would have heard Tommy and already been opening the door before he even got to it. Tommy could have the AI call out to him, but Techno wasn’t that good at understanding Common yet.

His tails swished restlessly around his legs.

He shook his head. Not wasting anymore time, he leaned forwards, tapping twice on the door.

It was quiet for a moment.

Then Tommy heard a grunt, followed by stumbling footsteps making their way towards him. He took a step back just in time for the door to whoosh open, coming face to face with a very disheveled human.

Techno looked pale in the dim lighting of the hallway, mussed up strands of pink hair escaping Ranboo’s careful weaves. He swayed slightly on his feet, one hand bracing against the doorway.

Tommy grimaced sympathetically, ears pinning back as he flicked on the translator.

“Are you good?” he asked, making sure to speak simply as the words were repeated in Common. Tommy tapped his chest twice with a tilt of his head—just in case Techno was too tired to process the question.

Techno stared for a bit, eyes a dreary blue color that glistened with unshed tears. Something seemed to war inside them, and Tommy got the feeling that whatever Techno said next wasn’t going to be the truth.

So instead, he shuffled a step forward, nodding to the room behind him.

“Can I come in?” he asked, almost certain that Techno didn’t know these words yet. Verbs were hard to teach. The human’s brows furrowed, confirming Tommy’s thoughts, so he nodded towards the room again with another head tilt.

Head tilting seemed to be how humans nonverbally asked questions, so they were all trying to do it whenever they asked something.

Techno opened his mouth, breath hitching for a moment. Then, he stepped away from the door, leaving a gap for Tommy to enter.

Tommy smiled, walking inside and plopping himself down in the miniature nest, staring at the ceiling. Techno paused for a few moments before the door closed with a whoosh, and then he was laying on his back next to Tommy.

“I heard you having a night terror,” Tommy said, mostly just to fill the silence. Techno gave him a confused look, and Tommy flicked one of his ears. “Big men like me are just built different—our hearing is just so vastly superior to everyone else’s, we know everything,” he said haughtily, eliciting an amused huff from his audience of one. He grinned. “Big men also aren’t afraid to be emotional. Like with—um. Crying?  Yeah. Crying is super manly, you know? Philza Minecraft, the only man ever, cries a ton. Big tears guy, he is. It’s pog. Well, not for Ranboo, since he has his whole water allergy or whatever, but Ranboo is also a big man who gets scared and shit. So-” Tommy hesitated, glancing back at Techno.

The human was now laying on his side, facing Tommy and blinking slowly. Tommy tipped onto his side, reaching out and grabbing one of Techno’s hands. He started fiddling with the human’s fingers, running the pad of his paw over the silvery scars there.

“It’s fine if you’re scared. You don’t need to hide it or anything,” he mumbled, the translator stuttering as it tried to decipher his words. “I’m a people-pleaser or whatever it’s called, so I can help.” Tommy leaned forward, lightly bumping his head against Techno’s shoulder. He felt the nest shift, and then Techno was bumping his own forehead against Tommy’s, carefully avoiding the horns.

Tommy huffed as the human tucked him under his chin, leaning into the warmth. If anyone asked, the reason was because Techno’s room wasn’t heated like Tommy’s den was. And that was the only reason. Fuck off.  

A quiet purr started up in his chest as Techno dragged a blanket over their shoulders. He sighed, feeling sleepiness tug on his eyelids as he burrowed closer, wrapping his tails around Techno’s stomach.

Tommy fell asleep, blissfully unaware of the human’s alert gaze.

- - - -

Something was wrong. Techno didn’t know how else to explain it.

He had woken up from his latest nightmare in a harsher panic than usual, a feeling of dread lingering over him like a thick cloud. It had strangled his lungs, making it difficult to control his gasps for air.

Apparently, that had woken Tommy up, since the kid had knocked on his door not long after.

Listening to the kid ramble had been soothing, almost enough for Techno to convince himself that he was just being paranoid.

And then Tommy fell asleep.

The bad feeling increased tenfold.

He held the kid close, watchful eyes scanning over the room. Nothing was out of place, but Techno couldn’t shake the sense of foreboding. Everyone on the ship was probably asleep right now—except for Ranboo, who apparently didn’t sleep—and that grated on his instincts.

Techno was not dumb enough to ignore his instincts. They had saved his life many times before, and they would save it many more.

Luckily, he had his nightmare around when he usually woke up. He knew Phil would be the first awake besides him, and then Niki and Tubbo, and then Tommy and Wilbur.

Techno… should go talk to Phil. Warn him or something.

His arms curled tighter around the sleeping alien in his hold.

Hm.

Alright. How would he go about warning Phil? This could all just be his paranoia—though something in Techno’s brain screeched that that wasn’t the case—and he didn’t know the words for ‘caution’ or ‘danger’ or anything similar.

Well, at least he had been keeping up with his workouts. If space debris suddenly rammed into the ship and punctured a hole in its hull, Techno was confident he could drag even Wilbur to an escape pod.

…

He should probably find out where the escape pods were first though.

In his defense, he had tried looking earlier, but the ship was unreasonably huge and he couldn’t open some of the doors until Phil had taught him the command to a few days ago. He also may have been distracted by the whole greenhouse that Tubbo had dragged him through while making him memorize thirteen random plant names.

Hm.

Whatever. Plan decided. First, try to get Phil suspicious of something. Then go look for escape pods.

Tommy’s ear flicked.

New plan. Try to get Phil suspicious of something, make sure he stays with Tommy, and then go find escape pods.

Foolproof.

Techno grunted, forcing himself to crawl out of the bed. He squatted down, lifting Tommy up carefully and trying not to wake him. He froze when the kid burrowed into his arms, a soft purr vibrating Techno’s chest. After a moment of nothing else happening, he sighed with relief.

He carried Tommy across the room, resisting the urge to scratch behind one of the flicking ears. The kid always seemed to jolt awake irritably whenever someone did that. Techno pressed the door button with his foot to open it, leaving his room and walking towards the community area. Hopefully Phil was already in there and drinking his space tea or whatever.

Techno still had no idea what was actually in the cup, but it smelled flowery and tasted bitter, so he would just assume it was tea.

He reached the large doors, using his foot to once again press the button to open them. His shoulders slumped when he spotted Phil at the table, a cup in hand and hologram open while he flicked around the tabs reading something. Phil lifted his head at the sound of the door opening, chirping a greeting Techno’s way.

Ah. Maybe Techno should’ve come charging in here like a bear was chasing him. That would’ve cued Phil in that something was wrong.

Too late now.

The alien’s eyes settled on Tommy, his face scrunching in confusion. Techno quickly made his way over to the table, setting the kid down on Wilbur’s pillow-chair. He reluctantly pried Tommy’s claws out of his cape when the kid tried to hang on, heart clenching at the sad little whine Tommy let out in his sleep.

He’d make it up to him later.

Techno turned to Phil, seeing the winged alien watching the scene in amused bewilderment.

“Phil,” Techno started, Phil’s attention falling on him. Techno’s jaw worked as he flicked open his hologram, opening his notes and scanning the words available to him. “Bad,” he settled on, the word unfamiliar on his tongue.

Phil’s face scrunched further.

“Tommy xxx bad?” he asked, head tilted to show he was asking a question. Techno huffed.

“No. Tommy good.” He looked back at his amateurish dictionary, frowning when the words he needed didn’t just magically appear. There was nothing he had learned that could even begin to explain just how wrong everything felt.

“xxx xxx bad?” Phil asked, speaking slowly and simply. Techno settled on just flailing his arms in a gesture at the ship.

“Bad,” he said, turning and baring his teeth at nothing. Phil just stared at him blankly in response, and Techno dragged a hand down his face. “Something is very very wrong, alright?” he muttered, speaking in English before he gave in to the urge to scream.

Language barriers.

Techno took a calming breath. Time to switch tactics.

“Phil,” he started, staring at a word he had just learned yesterday and slowly sounding it out, “w-ai-t Tommy.” He reached out, grabbing Phil’s hand and clasping it with one of Tommy’s paws. “Phil wait Tommy,” he repeated more confidently, staring directly into Phil’s green eyes.

Phil bobbed his head slowly, something Techno had come to realize was the alien form of nodding. He slumped with relief.

Techno released his hold on them, backing away. When Phil didn’t let go of Tommy’s paw, he bobbed his head.

“Wait,” he told him, spinning on his heel and heading towards the door. He nearly bumped into Niki entering the room as he reached it, her hand still outstretched to press the button. He reeled back, placing his hands on her shoulders to stabilize her as she jolted in surprise.

Okay. This was good. Great, even. He should try to get everyone together in case something did happen.

“Niki,” he said, lightly squeezing her shoulders until she focused on him. “Wait Tommy Phil. Wait.” Niki just blinked at him in confusion, but Techno didn’t elaborate further as he stepped around her to exit the room.

That was Tommy, Phil, and Niki gathered, so now he just needed to track down the others. This was probably a better plan than the escape pods. Tubbo should be awake by now, no doubt searching for Tommy or hanging out with Ranboo. Wilbur would either be in his room or passed out inside the tank of water in his office.  

Techno would check the bedrooms first, since all three of them might still be there. If Wilbur wasn’t, he would head towards the medbay to check his office.

Techno started to relax, relieved at having his next steps planned out.

Then the hair on the back of his neck stood up.

Techno went rigid. Chills wracked his body, making him shiver unconsciously. The sense of wrongness in the air intensified, and his instincts screamed.

He stopped. Held his breath. Focused completely on his surroundings to try and figure out what was going on.

…

Oh.

He couldn’t hear the ever-present whirr of the ship traveling through space.

The ship was no longer moving.

And Techno knew, in his heart, that this was a bad thing.

The ground quaked under his feet, shuddering and jerking with the telltale sign of another ship docking them. A shrieking alarm shattered the abnormal silence, rattling like a cowbell in his ears.

Techno’s boots pounded against the floor in time with his heart. He didn’t remember when he had started running. The ship’s computer was saying words he couldn’t process as he bolted into the hallway full of bedrooms, throwing doors open as he passed them.

No one was there.

He felt his hands clench into trembling fists as he wrangled his breathing into a normal pattern.

And then there was a shrill, ear-piercing wail.

His heart dropped to his stomach.

Ranboo.

Techno tore down the halls towards the source of the sound, the wail dying out soon after. He pushed himself to go faster, muscles straining as he sprinted down the bend.

Ranboo came into view, kneeling before a massive translucent green blob.

A green blob that was currently suffocating Tubbo inside of it.

Techno saw red.

He didn’t stop his charge, body slamming into the blob. He jolted when he felt himself sink into it, pressure changing and speed sharply decreasing. He rammed into Tubbo, moving sluggishly before they flew out the other side. His ears popped painfully, and he fumbled, pulling the small alien to his chest as his shoulder slammed into the ground. It was only muscle memory that made him roll with the impact, a trail of slimy green residue left in their wake.

He flipped onto his back, gaping like a fish as the wind knocked out of him.

That was a horrible experience. He was never plunging into a slimy green alien again. Never.

Sloshing sounds came from behind him.

He yanked himself to his feet, ignoring the dull ache coming from his shoulder and ankle. Looks like the sprain wasn’t quite healed yet. Great.

Techno snarled at the blob, holding the shivering Tubbo under his chin protectively as he growled with his whole chest. His throat protested the noise, having grown used to not needing the threatening sound. Tubbo bleated breathily, air wheezing out of his neck fur and flinging bits of slime with it.

The air shifted, and Techno jolted away from the mass of purple flakes that appeared out of thin air. Ranboo stumbled into existence, leaning into Techno with pained warbles spilling from his mouth.

Techno’s eyes settled on the faint dark and light purple burns seared onto their skin.

Ranboo was dunked in water.

Techno’s growl died, a burning rage clawing at his throat. The blob wobbled, and then lunged, aiming to swallow them whole. Techno grabbed Ranboo by the waist and yanked him back, turning and bolting in the opposite direction. Trying to attack the blob right now probably wouldn’t do anything.

He ran, Tubbo and Ranboo awkwardly tucked under his arms, the green alien bouncing after them. He wracked his brain, trying to figure out how to fight the alien. Ranboo had water burns, but considering there were no water tanks around here, they were probably swallowed by the blob with Tubbo before teleporting out. Which meant that the blob was mostly made of water. So maybe if Techno added more water to them, they would get diluted or something?

Look, it had been a while since he’d taken chemistry.

Techno took off in the direction of the medbay where one of the tanks resided. He honestly had no idea if adding water to the mix would make the situation better or worse, but it was the only thing he could think of.

Deep snarling sounds caught his attention, rough growls and agitated clicking coming from in front of him. Techno rounded the bend, seeing a couple of aliens that looked like gray versions of Tommy being shrouded in a dark cloud. Blue lightning jumped off of it, leaving spots in his vision and making the air smell of ozone.

Then the cloud pulled away, darting in Techno’s direction. Techno skidded to a halt, flinging himself to the side as it zoomed right through where he had been standing. He breathed heavily, tensing as the cloud started condensing. It grew darker and darker, shifting and churning until it materialized into Wilbur.

Techno gaped.

“HEH?!”

“Techno! xxx, Ranboo, Tubbo!” Wilbur clicked, ignoring Techno’s confused shout entirely. His attention was fully on the kids in spite of the painful looking cuts in his tail. They rapidly leaked watery blue blood.

Since when could Wilbur turn into a storm cloud?!

Techno’s reeling was interrupted by sloshing sounds, and he jerked as the blob chasing them lunged for Wilbur.

He didn’t even have time to shout a warning.

Wilbur was swallowed, the green slime stretching thinly to cover his whole body, and Techno saw his eyes widen.

And then the blob was lighting up like a glowstick. They gurgled and spasmed as the electricity surrounding Wilbur surged, the brightness making Techno squint and look away.

The blob lost all form, dissolving into a slushy puddle on the floor.

…

Huh.

Looks like he wouldn’t need to test his water theory. A shame, really. Techno kind of wanted to know if he could shatter those tanks.

Wilbur buckled, heaving in a gasp and forcing it out through his gills. He gagged as green slime sputtered out from behind his ear-fins.

The two raccoon aliens’ growling picked up, and Techno hastily dumped Ranboo and Tubbo on the floor before throwing himself at them as they charged. He tackled them, keeping low to avoid the long, deadly sharp horns jutting from their heads.

They went down in a tangle of limbs, the aliens thrashing underneath him. One managed to jab their knee into his healing ribs, and he gasped in pain.

He wrapped his legs around the first one’s neck, choking him as he grabbed the second’s face. He smashed her head into the ground before pulling it up and doing it again. She struggled, ringed pupils dilated and hazy, teeth nipping at his palm. Luckily, she couldn’t get a good angle, and her other limbs were pressed down under his and the other alien’s bodyweight.

Techno cried out as white hot pain flared in his thigh, the other alien digging his claws deep into the flesh desperately while he choked. Techno hissed, yanking his leg away and feeling the claws tear as they were ripped out. Warm blood steadily dripped from the wound.

He twisted, nails digging into the second alien as he whirled around, bashing her head into the first’s. She snarled dazedly, one now free arm coming up to sluggishly rake down his back. The claws caught on his cape, shredding it. She aimed for another swipe.

Techno snarled, whipping his head back and clamping teeth down on her throat. It felt like he was biting into rawhide, barely breaking the flesh as he ripped his head back, taking a chunk of thick and bloody skin with him. She shrieked, and Techno didn’t waste the opportunity, slamming her now vulnerable throat onto the first alien’s horn.

It pierced with a sickening squelch, and Techno didn’t let himself wince as he hammered her down further until she stopped flailing. The first alien shrieked a horrifyingly murderous sound, eyes completely black as blood spurted out of the second alien’s throat. The alien growled thunderously, and Techno barely pulled away from the claws trying to sink into his neck.

He flipped, dislodging the now dead second alien and putting himself under the first. He folded his legs over the first alien’s waist, grabbing both of their arms and firmly jerking them up and back. The alien howled in pain, and it took another few hard jerks for the limbs to snap out of socket.

Techno grimaced as the alien thrashed, their sharp teeth snapping in the air. He swallowed hard, wrapping his arm around the other’s throat and leaning back. Techno wheezed as the alien’s weight crushed against his ribs, but he held fast. The alien weakened painfully slowly, eyes blown wide with panic as they failed to draw breath.

It was almost a relief when those terrified eyes finally rolled back into their head.

…

Techno let go.

The alien remained limp.

His arms shook.

He dragged himself out from under the corpse, breathing harshly. He tasted blood on his teeth, felt it drying on his skin, felt his leg pulsing with his heart.

“Techno!” came a shout, and Techno felt his head snap towards the sound. Wilbur flinched at the motion, wavering for just a moment before his expression hardened. He had things in his arms, bottles of stuff that he seemed to have been rubbing on Ranboo’s burns and some kind of vacuum that was pointing at Tubbo’s neck fur. He set the bottles down, folding Tubbo’s hand around the vacuum before edging away from them.

Wilbur quickly slithered forward, and Techno noted that the cuts on his tail were sealed, blue blood bubbling up under a clear film of water. Wilbur barely even glanced at the dead raccoon aliens before stopping beside Techno, leaning down and clicking harshly at the deep gashes in his leg.

Techno followed his gaze, wincing.

Those would need stitches.

Wilbur abruptly vanished into a cloud of mist, zooming away and phasing straight through the nearby medbay door. Techno blinked dumbly at his departure. He was still too pumped full of adrenaline to properly process… that.

Wilbur can turn into a storm cloud. Sure. Why not. Techno didn’t care at this point.

His hands moved automatically, tearing the fabric of his tattered pants to expose the gashes fully. He winced as the fabric tugged at the scabs trying to form, unclasping his cape and pressing it against the wounds. This gave him a full view of the large tears in the cloth, making him frown. Hopefully there was some concept of a needle and thread around here. He could sew up his cape after sewing up his thigh.

The medbay door opened, and Wilbur slithered out with a cart. There were a few items on top of it—a washcloth, a bowl, a strange-looking machine, and a bottle full of suspicious dark pink liquid that Techno didn’t want anywhere near him.

Unfortunately, it was coming near him.

Wilbur perched himself on his tail, pushing away Techno’s hands and batting at them with a stern look. He removed the cape, brows furrowing as he dunked the washcloth in the bowl, it coming out soaked with what was hopefully just water.

Techno’s eyes bore into Wilbur’s skull, and the alien glanced up with an apologetic sounding hum before pressing the cloth down on his cuts. Techno sucked in a breath through his teeth, letting Wilbur quickly clean the area of blood. The alien grabbed the weird machine, pushing a button that made the front end glow with a purple light.

A familiar purple light. The one the shower and sink used to laser dirt off of him. Techno relaxed as his injury lit up with specks of blue, realizing that Wilbur was properly disinfecting the wound.

And then Wilbur reached for the pink bottle. Before Techno even had the time to tense, Wilbur was snatching it up and popping it open, letting the liquid dribble out onto Techno’s skin. This time Techno couldn’t restrain a hiss, hands fisting in his cape as his blood bubbled and steamed. He couldn’t take his eyes off the mess even though they watered, watching with apprehension as his blood clotted over and the pain settled to a dull stabbing rather than a sharp one.

Wilbur hummed in satisfaction, reaching up and grabbing some kind of plaster that Techno hadn’t noticed before off of the cart. He peeled open the packaging, spreading the plaster flat over his injuries and lightly pressing it down.

Techno stared at it, the object itching and tugging at the hair on his leg. He cringed as he felt the wounds shift, the plaster scrunching up and pulling his skin together. He went to poke at it, only to have his hands batted away again.

Techno huffed, shooting a blank look in Wilbur’s direction before planting his feet on the ground and shoving himself up.

Wilbur shrieked, clicking warningly as Techno forced himself to stand. The dredges of adrenaline were fading away, but he didn’t let the protesting pain bother him.

There could still be enemies on the ship.

He limped his way over to Tubbo and Ranboo, the latter apparently in their sleepwalking state while curled protectively around the former. Wilbur followed at his heels, clicking and humming words that Techno couldn’t even begin to interpret without the alien using Phil’s language.

Ranboo’s head snapped up at the sound of his approach, pupils slitted and lost in a glow of purple. Static buzzed warningly around them, before abruptly cutting off as the kid recognized him and threw themself into his arms. Techno stumbled backwards, Wilbur shrieking before his arms came up to stabilize him, pressing into his shoulders.

Techno grunted in thanks, wrapping his arms around the trembling young alien. He tapped the soothing rhythm onto Ranboo’s back, the other hand coming up to cup his neck. The kid warbled a heart-breaking sound, and Techno pulled them down closer, pressing his chin to their hair.

“You’re okay Ranboo. It’s okay. You’re safe,” he mumbled, loosening his hold in case he was aggravating the alien’s burns. He wished he had gotten Phil to teach him the word ‘safe’ somehow.

When Ranboo seemed calm enough, Techno pulled away, staring down the hallway with a grimace. The ship had been completely silent, which meant Phil hadn’t tried to contact them, which meant he was probably under attack and hopefully he stayed with Tommy and Niki like Techno asked because if he didn’t-

“Wilbur,” Techno called, voice strained when he leaned back to look at the alien still holding his shoulders, “Phil Tommy Niki?” He tilted his head in question.

Wilbur’s face contorted into some kind of grimace, and he swiped the air to open up his hologram. His tail was curling in and out—an anxious tic Techno had come to recognize—and he rocked his head.

Techno forced himself to let out a breath.

It would be fine. Phil and Niki seemed to know their way around a fight, especially with the latter probably being poisonous and able to crush things with her tail. Hell, if it came down to it, Techno was pretty sure even Tommy could hold his own, considering how he ripped out that ceramic’s throat back on the last ship.

It would be fine.

The thought didn’t stop him from booking it towards the main room.

Chapter Text

Phil watched as Techno rushed out of the room, the human nearly barreling Niki over in his haste. He said a few words Phil was too far away to hear before ducking around her and into the hallway.

Huh.

Phil felt his hand get dragged down, looking over to see Tommy sleepily pressing the palm to his forehead with a content purr.

“Do you know what that was about?” Niki asked, eyeing Tommy before slithering past him to settle on her cushion.

“No…” Phil trailed off, “he just came in here with Tommy and started saying something was ‘bad.’ I think he gave up on trying to explain what and just told me to wait with Tommy.” He furrowed his brow, concern welling up in his chest.

Niki frowned at his words, leaning over her tail to look at Tommy more closely. She hummed, gently prodding at Tommy’s shoulder.

“Hey Tommy? Can you wake up for us real quick?” she asked softly, Tommy’s ear twitching. She nudged him again and he growled, blearily opening an eye. He grumbled something Phil couldn’t quite catch before freezing.

The fledgling shot up, looking around the room with his tails flicking in agitation. It made the concern in Phil’s chest grow.

“Where’s Techno?” Tommy asked, looking up at Phil in confusion, “actually, how did I even get here?! Don’t tell me I’m enderwalking like Ranboob because that would fucking suck-”

“Techno brought you out,” Phil cut Tommy off, a bit too on edge to let the fledgling ramble like he usually would. “Do you know what happened?”

Tommy blinked up at him, face scrunching in thought.

“… Techno had another night terror, so I went to keep him company,” he mumbled, picking at his claws. “Must’ve fallen asleep.”

“He didn’t freak out on you, did he?” Phil asked, wings puffing up in concern. He remembered how Tommy had described the human’s last night terror. Maybe Techno was referring to himself when he said ‘bad?’

Tommy shook his head.

“Nah, it didn’t seem as bad as the last one. He opened the door and stuff on his own.”

Niki clicked consideringly.

“So you don’t know why-”

The ship lurched.

They all went quiet.

The ground beneath them shuddered.

Fuck.

A loud screeching noise pierced the air, quickly followed by blaring alarms.

“Warning,” the AI reported. “Unauthorized spaceship docking, unauthorized spaceship docking-”

Phil was already moving, wings flaring and boosting him across the room in a single stride. He needed to get to the command center and lock down the systems, that would be the first thing the intruders targeted-

The alarms suddenly cut off, the AI’s voice going with them. It was eerily quiet. Phil realized that the ship wasn’t even moving anymore.

They already had the systems.

That was why the cloaking detection didn’t work.

Shit.

Phil burst into the command center, tearing open the door manually with a quick flush of adrenaline. He chased away the feeling of pins and needles in his arms, scanning the room for the enderian that probably warped in.

It didn’t matter. The command center was empty, the console hologram open and showing a live feed of the AI combatting a hacker.

The intruders had taken the systems remotely.

Sam was going to be so pissed. No one hacked his tech.

Tommy came barreling into the room behind Phil, Niki slithering in soon after. She was reared up tall, fingers curled into claws and fangs bared in preparation for a fight. Her tail wrapped around Tommy protectively as she scanned the room.  

“The systems are down, whoever latched onto us is probably already on board,” Phil said, urgency dripping from his words. “We need to set Tubbo or Ranboo on blocking their connection as soon as possible-”

Tommy’s head snapped over to the doorway so fast Phil was worried he would get whiplash. The fledgling growled, hackles raised and teeth bared. A moment later, Phil heard the pounding footsteps that Tommy had likely picked up on before him.

He swore under his breath.

Niki and Tommy barely had time to clear the doorway before the intruders barged into the room, holding themselves like mercenaries as they fanned out to close them in. Phil shoved Tommy behind him, rattling his feathers dangerously as Niki posted herself a little in front of his left side. Phil quickly glanced over the crowd, counting seven shulks, five roghcos, two fireborns—fuck, Niki would have an issue with them—and a tamed slime among their ranks. The slime and the fireborns would be the biggest threats, but the roghcos and shulks looked skilled even if they seemed inexperienced.

They’d have to be inexperienced to take a job involving the Syndicate.

Phil examined them closely, trying to pick out the leader of this little raid, but he saw no great sign of deference.

So their leader was somewhere else.

As if summoned by Phil’s thoughts, the sounds of hooves clacking against the floor reached his ears. He settled his eyes on the doorway, ready to rip out the heart of whichever upstart had decided to try their luck on the Syndicate’s bounty.

His blood froze in his veins.

“Schlatt,” he hissed, a deep rage washing over him. His feathers rattled a deathly sound, accompanied by Niki’s threatening clicks. The hircus stood unaffected, a sleazy grin on his face as he met Phil’s green eyes with his own sickly yellow.

“Philza!” Schlatt greeted cheerily, leaning forward and making the jewelry dangling from his curved horns jingle. “Just the man I was looking for.”

Phil huffed a mirthless laugh.

“Could’ve fooled me. I’ve been looking to have a chat with you for a long time,” he hissed.

Schlatt’s hostile grin seemed to grow wider.

“Oh, I’m well aware. But I’m a busy man, you see. No time to spare meeting with the pests attacking my honest businesses!” Schlatt lied blatantly, head tipping back in a show of power.

Phil wanted to rip his throat out.

His talons twitched.

“What the fuck are you doing here Schlatt,” he spat, refraining from lunging at the soon-to-be corpse.

Schlatt hummed consideringly.

“Pest control.”

Phil went still.

“I see we’ve got all of your competent fighters in here,” the hircus drawled, lazily scanning the room. “It would be such a shame if, let’s say, seven of us and a slime were spreading out taking care of the rest of your crew as we speak.”

A terrible hiss rattled out from Phil’s throat, his feathers echoing it in a deadly song. The mercenaries standing closest took a step back, a few of the roghco’s dipping into their instincts. Phil’s vision tunneled in on Schlatt, seeing nothing but his sleazy grin.

That motherfucker.

Phil’s heart pounded with dread. Ranboo, Tubbo, and Wilbur weren’t really the fighting types. The three of them going up against seven trained mercenaries and the natural predator of enderians made his stomach swoop. Phil and Niki couldn’t go back them up, there were way too many enemies here and by the time they dealt with them it might already be too late and fuck why didn’t he realize the ship was taken over sooner was this what Techno meant-

Techno.

The name slammed into Phil’s mind with the force of a comet, halting his spiraling panic.

Schaltt didn’t know about Techno being on board.

A chilling relief settled in Phil’s bones, his thoughts slowing down.

The human had known something was wrong earlier. He had specifically told Niki to wait with Phil and Tommy. With any luck, he was already with the other three.

Phil trusted Techno. The human would make sure everyone was safe.

He had to believe that.

“I’ll rip out your throat if you touch my flock,” he seethed, talons flexing with the urge to do just that.

Schlatt laughed—a hearty, boisterous cackle that reverberated throughout the room. It lasted too long to be appropriate, devolving into a coughing fit as Schlatt clutched his chest.

“Haaah,” the hircus sighed, “that was funny.” He clopped his hooves together. “Well, I’ve got other things to do,” he said idly, never losing his sick grin. Phil saw Niki tense in preparation. “Take ‘em down, boys—and make it bloody.”

There was a pause, the mercenaries glancing between Schlatt and Phil for a moment.

“What are you waiting for?” Schlatt drawled, annoyance laced with threat coloring his words as he took a swig of something from his gourd.

Phil rattled his feathers again. One last warning.

The mercenaries ignored it. They leapt into action with a grim determination, one shulk whistling an attack command to the tamed slime.

Niki pounced, snaking her tail around the nearest roghco and shulk, crushing them together while her fangs sank deep into another roghco’s neck.

The fireborns stuttered in their charge forward, immediately twisting to target Niki. Phil hissed, grabbing the nearest enemy and throwing them at the fireborns with a burst of adrenaline. The one further back flared, yanking themself away from the incoming roghco. The other wasn’t so lucky, getting hit straight in the core. They were thrown back, flying into the slime about to try its luck at swallowing Niki whole.

The roghco screeched, fur catching fire only to be abruptly put out as they got sucked into the slime. The slime immediately started boiling, the fireborn’s flames sputtering into nothing as they lost oxygen. The slime convulsed, the roghco trapped inside it opening their mouth in a silent scream.

And then the slime stilled, dissolving into a puddle on the floor. The roghco fell limply to the ground, followed by a few clangs of metal rods and the fireborn’s core.

The remaining two roghcos shrieked in anguish, ringed pupils filling their eyes as the haze fully descended. They growled animalistically, abandoning their weapons and charging Niki who still held two of their pack in her grip. She clicked aggressively, flickering into invisibility when the shulks readied their spears.

Phil let the adrenaline pump into his wings, beating them harshly and causing gusts of wind to fill the room. They blew the last fireborn off course, sending them flying away from Niki. He needed to keep that one back at all costs.

He pushed Tommy farther back as two shulks charged him, feeling vaguely proud of how well the fledgling was pushing down his own haze of instincts. It would be very bad if Tommy lost his mind and dove into the fray right now.

Phil ducked low, dodging the shulks’ spears as they pierced the air above him, shoulder-checking them backwards and wrapping his hands around their armored throats. His eyes drifted back towards Niki and he cursed, quickly chucking the shulks at the enemies attacking her and beating his wings again to pin the fireborn back to the wall.

Niki clicked a short thanks as four of the shulks went down in a pile of limbs, her faint outline wrapping her tail around the two Phil had missed and squeezing. The roghcos attacking her were in deep, jutting their horns in her general area and seeming to locate her based on sound and smell alone. She was blocking them with a crushed shulk held up in one hand when Phil suddenly heard a gasp of pain.

Her invisibility fell away, revealing a gaping hole where Niki had been caught with a lucky stab from one of the shulks being crushed in her tail. She hissed, burying her claws into a thin gap in the shulk’s shell and ripping it off before sinking her fangs into their shoulder.

Phil screeched, beating his wings again to keep the fireborn disoriented as he dove for the two roghcos, pinning them beneath him as he tried to sink his talons into their thick skin. They bucked against him, and Phil had to let adrenaline flow through his whole body just to keep them down. Pins and needles overtook him. He heaved in gaping breaths, the roghco’s necks slowly leaking blood as he clenched harder.

Then Tommy growled deeply, lunging from where Phil had left him with dilated pupils and bared teeth.

Fuck.

The fledgling’s eyes were zoned in on Schlatt, the hircus having been shifting on his hooves impatiently near the door. He bleated in shock as Tommy tackled him, head clonking against the floor. He held his hooves out, warding off Tommy’s gnashing teeth.

Phil cursed again, pushing more adrenaline into his hands and finally feeling something give way as he pierced the roghcos throats. They choked, still thrashing and not seeming to care for their sudden lack of oxygen. Phil could already feel his numb arms start to buckle from the excess of adrenaline, spots forming in the corners of his vision.

He heard a pained yelp, his eyes snapping up and landing on Schlatt. The hircus had managed to buck Tommy off of him, the fledgling rolling and slamming into the nearby wall from the force.

Schlatt panted, standing up and adjusting his suit with fury in his eyes and claw marks on his face.

Niki clicked angrily, claws digging further into where she was prying the armor off of a shulk to get at the gaps in the shell underneath. She was getting weaker, her tail spasming with pain and exhaustion as she tried to take out two of the shulks wrapped inside it.

Phil rattled his feathers, reeling back and using one last burst of strength to chuck the roghcos to the other side of the room. They staggered, blood still leaking from their throats. They half-crawled towards Phil, limbs uncooperative as they lost more and more oxygen.

Phil stumbled to his feet, cutting off his adrenaline so he could postpone the crash. He reared, preparing to lunge for Schlatt.

He froze.

Tommy was hissing and spitting, clawing and Schlatt’s arm guards uselessly as the hircus held him to his chest. Phil’s eyes zeroed in on the knife in Schlatt’s grip, pressed threateningly against Tommy’s throat. A thin trail of blood dripped from the shallow cut it left.

Phil rattled his feathers warningly. Niki stopped trying to rip the shulks apart, her hold turning restraining instead.

The injured roghcos gave one last gurgle, followed by a pair of soft thumps when their heads hit the ground.

It was silent.

They were at a standstill.

Schlatt hacked on a lung, Tommy twitching in his grip and trying to beat his hooves against the larger man unsuccessfully. He got a rough shake for his efforts, the movement seeming to jostle something. Tommy’s pupils shrunk a little, the fledgling wrestling for control of the haze and leaving him exhausted as he whimpered.

“Well clearly I should have focused on quality over quantity!” Schlatt said with a rasp, pressing the knife harder into Tommy’s neck.

Both Niki and Phil hissed at that, twitching with barely restrained movement.

“Here’s how this is gonna go,” the hircus spat, roughly shaking Tommy again, “we’re all gonna wait here nice and behaved until my guys get back, and then I’m going to leave, and you will sit there and watch or the brat gets it,” he threatened.

Phil rattled his feathers again, more quietly than he would have liked with the exhaustion pressing down on him. The black in his vision was creeping in, threatening to pull him under.

Footsteps started pounding down the hallway, getting closer and closer. Tension flooded the room as Schlatt relaxed a little, the hircus leaning out of the doorway to scowl in the footsteps’ direction.

“Finally!” Schlatt shouted, “what the fuck am I even paying you for?! Seriously, how long does it take to kill two brats and a non-combatant—is that a human?”

And it was, indeed, a human. The fuming hircus was tackled with a vengeance, Techno snarling in his face with bloodied teeth as he yanked Tommy and the knife out of Schlatt’s grip.

Phil had never been happier to see him.

- - - -

So. Good news, Techno got to try and break the water tank things. Bad news, they didn’t break. Equally bad news, he now had to figure out a way to kill the aliens made of literal fire floating between iron rods that wasn’t bashing a purple armadillo-bug into unbreakable glass.

Which was cool.

He raised the corpse of the purple alien higher, blocking yet another string of fireballs that were lobbed his way. In hindsight, shattering the tank probably wouldn’t have done much good. Since the fire aliens could fly, the water would have spilled out over the floor and done absolutely nothing.

Which, in Techno’s opinion, left only one option. If you can’t bring water to the blaze, bring the blaze to water.

He waited for the frantically fired string of fireballs to pause before he darted forward. Panicked vwooshing sounds came from the two blazes as they flung themselves away from him, on some kind of cooldown for their main attack.

Techno unclasped his cape, grimacing at how the recent tears meant it wouldn’t protect him nearly as much as he hoped. He pounced, wrapping it around the core of the fire alien. Which was just a deformed ghastly looking skull that absolutely wasn’t incredibly unsettling. Not at all.

His cape immediately burst into flames, and Techno punted the blaze into the water tank as fast as humanly possible. He winced at the feeling of first-degree burns forming on his arms, hissing with the pain. The water quickly started to boil, the iron rods the blaze hovered between falling to the ground.

The alien sunk to the bottom, barely struggling at all.

The bubbles stopped forming.

The water went still.

Techno turned his head to the second blaze.

The alien shrieked, flipping around and bolting down the hallway like a demon was on their heels.

Techno huffed, fishing his cape out of the warm water. It was singed, holes dotting where the worst of the flames had burned through. He clicked his tongue, wringing out the ruined cape and clasping it back around his shoulders. The damp cloth felt nice against his burning skin.

“Good?” he asked, turning to face Wilbur, Ranboo, and Tubbo with a tilt of his head. They were a little farther down the bend to better hide from the blazes, a pair of dead purple aliens propped up to shield them. Those guys had been incredibly hard to kill. Their armor must have been made of diamonds or something, because Techno could not break it. If he hadn’t been able to steal one of their spears, the fight might have gone very differently.

Wilbur looked over Ranboo and Tubbo—the latter staring at Techno like he had hung the stars in the sky—and clicked a confirmation.

“Good,” Techno grunted, hefting up one of the spears. It was pretty heavy, so he wouldn’t be able to throw it accurately, but it was better than nothing. They had already encountered eight aliens just roaming through the halls. Who knew how many more there were.

Techno continued charging down the hallway, Wilbur and the kids trailing after him. They were getting pretty close to the control room now. Or, at least what he assumed was the control room from what Phil had shown him when he gave a tour.

Luckily, they didn’t encounter any more enemies as they rounded the final bend, but the sound of a particularly loud and grating voice did reach him.

It didn’t belong to anyone from the crew.

Techno pushed his legs faster, finally coming into view of the alien he was hearing-

And then he saw red.

He dropped the heavy spear, barreling into the bipedal sheep-like alien that had so frequently haunted his nightmares. He snarled viciously, ripping the knife out of the alien’s hand and only having half a mind to push Tommy away as they toppled.

The alien went down harshly, Techno slamming him into the ground with vigor. He plunged the knife into the alien’s shoulder, grinning with bared teeth at the choked sound that followed.

The scar on his shoulder burned with a phantom pain.

This alien’s ship had been the third one he was imprisoned on. Techno hadn’t been able to kill him back then—the guy having escaped the massacre while Techno was busy dealing with the security.

He wouldn’t be getting away again.

Techno yanked the knife out, one hand pressing into the alien’s head to keep them from goring him with their horns. He stabbed down, sinking the knife into their thigh and getting another pained bleat.

He twisted the blade on the way out, the alien bucking against him and forcing him to push down with more of his weight. The alien lifted their uninjured arm, beating against his side with a hooved hand. Techno growled low in his throat, the noise tearing at his vocal cords from how often he’d used it in the past hour.

His hand shook, the blood in his mouth and sheep-like creature below him taking him back to a worse time. Back to the first ship—to the original group of aliens that had abducted him.

And he had learned one thing from them.

Go for the throat.

Techno raised the knife again.

“Techno!” Phil called, and Techno’s head snapped towards him.

In his fit of rage at seeing his most hated past captor, Techno had neglected to take note of his surroundings.

There were bodies everywhere, littered around the control room and crushed in Niki’s tail. Techno counted thirteen, one purple alien seemingly still alive in Niki’s arms and a blaze frozen stiff with terror near the back of the room. Phil, Tommy, and Niki looked like they had been through an earthquake, Phil kneeling on the floor with his wings drooping low from exhaustion.

Ranboo had apparently dragged Tommy away from the action, and they both sat curled up in a ball near the wall while Tubbo tapped away at the main console. Niki had multiple stab wounds with a spear still sticking out of her tail, Wilbur by her side patching up the worst of the injuries.

Techno’s hands clenched, earning a wheeze from the alien underneath him as his nails dug into their skull. The alien huffed what might be a laugh, chattering something out in a language Techno didn’t understand.

He inched the knife closer to their throat.

“Techno, no,” Phil said quickly, and Techno bared his teeth.

“Yes,” he growled, giving the alien a harsh jerk and knocking their head into the floor. “Bad,” he emphasized.

Phil bobbed his head.

“Yes, xxx bad, xxx wait xxx xxx.”

Techno narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

Why did Phil want him to wait?

The very thought made him anxious. He was not letting this guy go.

Phil came closer, a hard look in his eyes as he glared down and the alien. He started talking, but Techno barely understood any words and had no idea what was going on. Although, from the tilt of Phil’s head, it seemed like an interrogation.

Techno supposed that would make sense. Find out who sent them so you could root out the enemy thoroughly. He kind of regretted letting that one blaze go now.

The alien talked back, tone sharp and mocking. Techno knocked their head into the ground again, baring his teeth. Then, something the alien said seemed to strike a nerve, and Phil’s eyes flared with anger.

The winged alien knelt down unsteadily, arm trembling with exhaustion even as it darted forward. Techno barely realized what was happening soon enough to avoid being splattered with dark red blood as Phil ripped out the alien’s throat.

Hm.

He stumbled back, getting off of the alien and attempting to keep his only shirt clean. He knew he could always wash it in the shower, but it was the principle of the matter.

He stared down at the corpse of the alien that had haunted his nightmares for months, feeling oddly hollow at the victory. He glanced around at the other bodies strewn about the room, the last two living aliens having apparently been taken care of at some point. The purple one was dead on the ground with their shell and armor ripped off, and the blaze was pinned to a wall with a spear through their core.

…

It was only now that Techno realized the aliens he had befriended might not be the most upstanding of citizens. If fact, they were probably leaning a bit farther to one side of the criminal spectrum than he had previously considered.

He probably should’ve realized this sooner.

The room shuddered, ground quaking in a way that told of two ships dislodging from each other.

And that would be the blaze Techno let get away. Hopefully that wouldn’t come back to bite them.

… He really wished he could knock on wood right now.

Phil settled back on his haunches with a grunt, ruffled wings hanging limply behind him. With the adrenaline fading from Techno’s system, his wounded leg and burns started making themselves known. He lowered himself to the floor, flopping onto his back with a groan and staring up at the ceiling. It looked oddly squishy, he realized. He kind of wanted to touch it.

“Techno? xxx you good?” Phil asked, speaking slowly and clearly. Techno groaned again, tapping his chest twice.

Unfortunately, this movement seemed to give Phil a full view of the burns littering his arm.

Phil squawked.

“Wilbur! xxx xxx burn xxx!”

Wilbur looked up from where he was checking on Tommy, Niki having already been patched up with a clear film trapping her blue blood in. Then he caught sight of Techno’s burns, eyes widening at the red slowly dyeing his leg plaster a different color.

He shrieked.

Welp. Looks like Techno was back to not standing by himself again.

This was going to be a long few weeks.

Chapter Text

Wilbur sighed, shuffling around the contents of his shelves. Burn ointment, bruise cream, plasters, clot aiders… he should probably stock up on tonic ingredients too. He had used quite a few regeneration and dehydration ones while treating Techno and Ranboo.

Wilbur scribbled notes onto his holopad as he went, taking inventory of everything he had and what he would need more of. Usually, the SBI wouldn’t need a restock for a few more months, but this had been a particularly eventful year even excluding the recent addition of Techno.

Since they were already docking on Pandora to meet up with Sam, Wilbur might as well get some shopping done. He sighed to himself again, picking at the gunk under his claws as he scanned over the shelves one more time. He glanced at his list.

“That should be it,” he muttered to himself, saving the document and closing the holopad. He stretched his arms behind his back, twisting to work out the cricks in his spine.

Now to give it to Phil.

Theoretically, Wilbur could just send him the file, but he had nothing better to do and would never give up the opportunity to annoy his father.

He hummed a happy tune, slithering out of the medbay and towards the community area. Phil had been spending a lot of his downtime tutoring Techno, so the two of them would probably be in there.

Wilbur opened the double doors and, just as he expected, Techno and Phil were sitting next to each other in the nest. They were propped up against pillows with one of Phil’s wings around the human’s shoulder, staring at Techno’s holopad. Phil would occasionally poke at something on the window, the human mumbling along quietly.

Techno’s legs were crossed in an awkward and mildly uncomfortable looking position, his knee bouncing. Tommy was laying on his back at their feet, some game open on his own holopad that he tapped at mindlessly. His ears twitched in Wilbur’s direction, but he didn’t look up, too focused on his game. Techno and Phil didn’t look up either, apparently deeply engrossed in whatever Phil was trying to teach.

Wilbur huffed, evaporating into a dark mist. He kept low to the ground, silently drifting into the nest. He crept closer, making sure to stay out of the group of three’s vision. He could hear what Phil was saying now, the elytrian trying to teach Techno words like ‘planet’ and ‘spaceship.’ That made sense, considering they would be landing on Pandora soon.

Wilbur floated closer. He was only a few paces away when Techno’s head suddenly snapped in his direction, bright blue eyes locking onto him. Wilbur panicked, flinching into his corporeal form and body flopping over Techno and Phil’s legs with a yelp.

Fucking hell—that was horrifying! How did he even know Wilbur was there?!

Phil squawked, his legs jerking up into Wilbur’s abdomen. Tommy gave a shrieking hiss, fur standing on end as he tumbled back. Techno just grunted, his legs uncrossing as he doubled over, arms coming to grab Wilbur’s shoulders and keep him from face-planting into the floor.

“Wilbur—” Phil wheezed, “what the fuck.”

Wilbur just groaned, rolling onto his back and squishing his fin beneath him. He waved a hand up at Phil dismissively.

“Was trying to sneak up on you. Didn’t account for humans not only magically sensing anything in the general area but also being able to snap their necks nearly 180 degrees at a moment’s notice.”

Techno blinked down at him, slowly closing his holopad. Phil and Tommy stared in silence.

Then they erupted into laughter.

Wilbur’s ear-fins flared, his yellow scales glowing faintly with embarrassment.

“Hey! You guys didn’t even notice me coming in! I need constant attention or I’ll wither into a husk and die! Is that what you want, Father?! To have a husk son?!”

Phil laughed harder, wheezing out ‘husk son?!’ in between breaths. Tommy cackled, collapsing back down beside Wilbur and going back to his game.

“And people say I’m clingy,” he mocked.

“Clinginess is not mutually exclusive, mate.”

“Your face isn’t mu-tua-lly exclusive.”

Wilbur chortled, flicking his tail through the air and curling the length that hung off of Phil’s legs into a coil.

“Yes yes ladies, you’re both pretty,” he interrupted, ignoring Tommy’s sputtering and Phil’s amused glance. “Anyway, Phil. I’ve got the list of stuff I need for the medbay.” He swiped open his holopad, sending the shopping list over with a flick. Phil’s holopad dinged as he opened it, the elytrian leaning to the side a little so Techno could look over his shoulder. The human scooted closer, watching the screen as Phil briefly skimmed over the items with a hum.

“Sounds good. Tubbo and I will go grab those after we check in with Sam,” he decided, idly tapping his talons against Wilbur’s tail. “I still need to ask him about security updates for after he finishes repairing the ship.”

Tommy huffed out a laugh.

“Don’t get the biochip door locks. If Techno has taught me anything, it’s that those things suck when you have enough firepower,” he remarked, ear flicking as he squinted at his holopad. Techno and Phil both turned to Tommy, Phil tilting his head with a questioning chirp. Tommy glanced over at them, eyes darting between the two before landing back on his game. “Techno took a dreamon hostage back when we met and used their biochip to open all the doors. We should just stick to passwords.”

Wilbur jolted, pushing himself up with his elbows to stare at Tommy incredulously. Phil’s mouth hung open.

Tommy didn’t acknowledge them.

“You know what,” Wilbur started, slumping back down and pinning Techno’s right arm underneath his head once again. “I’m not even surprised.”

Phil snickered, rocking his head.

“Alright, I will avoid biochip security.” Phil’s leg moved under Wilbur, bumping into his waist. “And you should go soak in your tank. We’ll be landing in a few hours, and I don’t want you complaining about drying out.”

Wilbur groaned.

“Noooooo,” he grumbled dramatically, sinking further into Phil and Techno’s legs. Pandora, being a nether planet, was hot all year round. It made Wilbur and Niki dry out incredibly easily. On top of that, Wilbur had to wear a thick cloak to block out the sun because his scales weren’t built for direct solar contact. Niki would be fine with a thinner one, but Wilbur was born in the deep sea and would have to suffer alone.

Phil laughed at his pain.

“Yes,” he said, nudging Wilbur with his legs again. “You can chill out in the emergency tank here, but I insist you get some water on you.”

“But the emergency tank is cramped!”

“Tough.”

Wilbur glared at the elytrian, getting a completely unrepentant look in return. He grumbled, lifting himself up painfully slowly and dragging himself over to the emergency tank. Phil watched him go with mild amusement, and Wilbur flared his fins to further show his distaste at being made to sit in the tank.

He huffed, hefting himself up over the transparent rim and pulling his tail in. He collapsed into the water, sending it splashing over the top before it was caught by the leakage prevention field. He stretched out as much as he was able—and even then, he still had to fold himself in half—glaring out at Phil with crossed arms.

He would not be admitting that the water felt good. Phil could fuck right off.

Techno swiped up, reopening his holopad and going right back to studying. Insane, that man. Who actually enjoys studying? He was going to burn himself out soon.

Wilbur sighed, staring at the ceiling in boredom.

He wished they would land already.

- - - -

Techno watched as everyone bustled around, the aliens pulling cloaks over their heads and pressing veils to their faces. He focused on pulling on his boots, having finally gotten them back after his ankle fully healed. Wilbur shrieked as he was pinned down by Niki, Phil forcing a massive white cloak over him and tying it down over the end of his tail.

Tubbo flitted around the room, chattering a mile a minute at Ranboo who was carefully wrapping their remaining burns in golden bandages. In addition to the bandages, Ranboo was absolutely covered in gold, and while the kid usually did wear a lot of jewelry—this much seemed a bit excessive. Tommy bounced excitedly beside Techno, fidgeting with his dark veil. His tails wagged furiously, making the black cloak he was wearing flutter around him.

Techno wasn’t exactly sure what was going on, but he knew it had something to do with planets and helping him speak. At least, that’s what he got from Phil showing him different images of planets and waving the translator thing in his face. Whatever the case, if it had anything to do with Techno getting to understand these people, you wouldn’t catch him complaining.

Wilbur wailed as Phil finally managed to cover him fully in the cloak. Niki clicked, releasing him and shaking out her arms before grabbing another white cloak to slide over herself.

Phil chirped, getting Techno’s attention.

“Techno,” he called, picking up a dark red cloak and veil. He wadded them up into a ball before chucking them in Techno’s direction.

Techno grunted, pushing himself to his feet with one of his makeshift crutches—which were just pieces of metal scrap with padding welded to the top—and snatching the cloth out of the air. He rubbed the fabric of the cloak between his fingers, finding it much softer than he had been expecting. He dropped back down to a sitting position, tapping his chest twice when Tommy headbutted him scoldingly.

The aliens worried too much. Thankfully, Techno was able to put together some crutches, so he managed to avoid walking restrictions. His ankle may be healed, but he still wasn’t allowed to stand on his clawed-up leg even though the injuries barely hindered movement. It was annoying, but if it gave the aliens peace of mind, then he would stay off of it.

He looked at the cloak in his hands, separating the veil from it. He glanced up, seeing the crew putting their own on.

Techno was going with them.

And probably, considering the outfits, outside.

What would that be like? Would there be plants, or would it be a dust planet? The last time Techno had been outside was when he crashed that alien ship for a week. And even then, he only went outside for necessities since he wasn’t sure if the air would be hazardous with prolonged exposure.

He put on the cloak, tucking his braid under the hood and pulling that low over his forehead. He pressed the veil to his face, stretching it and hooking the back pieces that rested behind his skull together. He jolted when the fabric buzzed, flashing and disintegrating into blue squares. Suddenly, he could see, the world around him coming into blurred focus with a slight red tint.

He immediately brought his hand back up to his face, pressing to make sure the veil was still there. Tommy cackled beside him, and Techno blindly swatted at his head. The kid ducked, flattening his ears and scampering away while Techno glared at him from underneath the veil.

“Techno, you good?” Phil asked with a tip of the head. Techno pushed his arm out from under the cloak and gave him a thumbs-up.

It took the man’s look of confusion for Techno to realize that he probably had no idea what the gesture meant. Most aliens didn’t even have thumbs.

“Good,” Techno said quickly, pulling his hand back to his side.

Phil bobbed his head, helping Ranboo slide a brown cloak on. Tubbo’s flying increased in speed, the kid buzzing around and shoving the moping Wilbur towards the door.

Techno pushed himself to his feet, watching the cloak fall just a bit short. It was probably one of Tommy’s spare ones. Tommy jumped up too, helping steady Techno’s crutches under his arms.

“Thanks,” Techno grunted, looking up to find Wilbur, Tubbo, and Ranboo exiting the room. Niki and Phil stood by the door, watching as Tommy carefully guided Techno off of the mattress and onto more solid ground. They lingered, letting Techno walk at his own pace out of the room and towards the control room of the ship.

Phil and Niki chattered behind him, Techno catching a few of the simpler words. Looks like they were definitely landing on a planet to help him speak. Tommy walked a bit ahead of them, clearly excited if his skipping gait had anything to say.

They reached the control room, Phil opening the door with a command and stepping inside. Techno jolted, gaping at the viewport as he entered the room. When he had last been here on Phil’s tour, all he could see through the massive window was stars dotting the sky. Now, they were slowly drifting towards a huge planet.

It was mostly red, though Techno could see patches of orange, teal, and black scattered across it. They were close enough that he could even make out buildings—massive alien-made structures that rose off of the surface. The whole planet seemed to glow faintly, the light projecting onto one of its pitch-black moons.

“Woah,” he breathed. It was one thing to see pictures of alien planets, it was another thing entirely to actually see alien planets. They were so much more colorful than the ones in Techno’s solar system—outside of Earth, of course.

“Techno,” Tommy called, snapping Techno out of his daze as he looked over at the kid. Tommy was tugging on his cloak, apparently wanting him to sit down.

Ah.

They would probably be landing the whole ship. He might not want to be standing on one leg for that.

Techno lowered himself to the ground, sitting and staring at the planet. Ranboo and Tubbo were at the console, tapping away at the hologram screens. Then, they both turned to Phil in sync, the man sitting in a large chair in the middle of the room.

Tommy hastily knelt down, grabbing Techno’s shoulder.

Phil spoke a command.

Techno’s stomach dropped, the ship suddenly propelling forwards and straight towards the red planet. He inhaled sharply, feeling lightheaded as the change in speed knocked the wind out of him. The floor rocked, the entire ship rumbling so loudly that Techno couldn’t even hear his own thoughts. His eyes were wide, watching the planet grow larger and larger through the viewport.

Then they broke through the atmosphere, and Techno’s breathing came a little easier as the ship steadied. They plummeted—straight towards one of the massive orange patches of the planet’s surface.

They got closer.

The orange patch was shifting, moving rhythmically with large bubbles popping up from the surface.

…

That was lava.

“Hold on-” Techno started, forgetting for a moment that he had to speak in alien. And that he was still out of breath from breaching the atmosphere. He wheezed, watching the ship dive further and further towards the lava lake.

Then, Tubbo yanked up on a lever, the ship screeching and slowing its descent. They plunged into the lava, a grating creaking sound ringing out before coming to an abrupt stop.

The ship drifted, floating lightly before hitting solid ground with a thud.

Techno thudded with it.

He leaned back on his hands, staring wide-eyed at the darkness outside of the viewport.

Did-

Did these people just fly Mach speed into lava without any hesitation?! Do all aliens do that, or are his friends just crazy?!

Two taps on his shoulder.

Techno’s head whipped to the side, and he saw Tommy’s face scrunched up with concern. The two taps came again, followed by a tilt of the head in silent question.

Techno took a deep breath, only now realizing that his ears were ringing. He flexed his jaw, popping them as he placed two fingers against his pulse point to feel his racing heart.

He took another breath.

“Good,” he finally said, tapping twice on his chest. Tommy bobbed his head, tails swishing under his cloak. He stood, holding out Techno’s crutches.

Techno took another deep breath before forcing himself up, grabbing the crutches and shoving them under his arms. He held his foot slightly off the ground, balancing carefully before looking up at the rest of the aliens with a small nod.

Phil bobbed his head with a chirp, following Tubbo with Wilbur as the kid bolted out of the room. Ranboo and Tommy half-dragged Techno after them, Niki taking up the rear as they walked through the ship. They soon entered the loading dock, or at least what Techno assumed was a loading dock. There were sleek blue crates lining the walls holding who knows what inside of them. Phil went over to the far-right wall, flipping open the container for a button and pressing it.

The room rumbled. The ship’s computer started talking, and white air—steam?—shot out of the vents in the walls.

Techno latched onto Tommy for support, wobbling as his crutches shifted beneath him. Tommy yelped at the sudden movement, but quickly widened his stance and supported Techno’s grip. The room grew warmer with the steam, smelling almost like smoke and nitrogen as it poured in. Then, it stopped, and Techno felt his ears pop as the pressure in the room changed.

The far wall groaned, and Techno watched as it lowered out, the bottom side remaining hinged to the ship. Black stone came into view, and he sucked in a breath as he realized they were exiting from here.

The wall continued lowering, becoming a ramp as it thudded to the ground outside. The black stone lit up, patches of yellow crystals starting to glow and revealing the walls of a cavern. Teal blue vines crawled up the sides, covered in orbed barbs as they intertwined with glowing yellow crystals.

The smell hit Techno full force, it being distinctly sulfuric and smoky. The air was now wet and hot, like how tropical forests were always described. Techno got a lungful of it, choking back a cough on the unfiltered oxygen.

It had been a while since Techno last breathed in unfiltered oxygen.

Phil crossed the room, stepping down the ramp. This jolted Techno’s mind back into awareness, and he realized he had spaced out for a moment. He unclenched his fingers, giving Tommy an apologetic look that the kid couldn’t see through the veil. Tommy tilted his head, tapping twice on Techno’s hand.

Techno tapped back.

They started walking again, Ranboo and Tommy once more by his side with Niki trailing behind. Wilbur and Tubbo had already moved off of the ship, Tubbo apparently riding on Wilbur’s shoulders as the man slithered down the ramp.

Techno stared down at his feet when he got to it, carefully maneuvering his crutches so he didn’t trip and fall flat on his face. He was almost in a trance, just putting one stick in front of the other until he hit uneven black stone.

Techno stopped, taking a relieved breath. He looked around, seeing the huge ship he had been on for the past month and a half from the outside for the first time. It was landed in a huge cavern, one side of the cavern having a wall of flat black glass.

Techno looked up, expecting to see some kind of hyper-realistic hologram of the lava they dove through to get here.

Instead he saw stars.

His breath hitched.

There were hundreds of them, dotted throughout a smoky gray sky. Some were bright, brighter than the Earth’s moon, and some were so dim you could barely see them past the thin yellow clouds. They swirled and spiraled in unfamiliar constellations, large and small telling unfamiliar stories. In the center of it all was a black sun, surrounded by a halo of white that left spots in his vision.

Techno had never seen a sky like this.

He had never felt farther from home.

“Techno?”

He jumped, looking back down to see Tommy’s veil staring at him. Techno’s chest felt like it was constricting, an empty void pulling on his ribs.

It was kind of difficult to breathe.

“Tommy,” Techno said in response. His eyes burned.

Tommy paused, hesitating, before he nudged Techno twice.

They were doing this a lot today.

Techno huffed. It was a little weak. He closed his eyes, breathing in for just a moment.

The unfamiliar sky rested heavily behind his eyelids.

“Good,” he said, nudging Tommy twice.

Tommy didn’t seem to believe that answer much, but he bobbed his head, gesturing in the direction of the front of the group.

Techno looked up and realized everyone was staring at him. His cheeks grew warm, and he coughed awkwardly, tightening his grip on his crutches and trudging forward once more. They moved toward the black glass, and he now noticed that the surface wasn’t completely smooth. There was a short podium that jutted out, just as reflective as the rest of the wall.

Phil walked up to the column, leaning over the top of it and sliding his talons across the surface. The top part lit up red, flashing letters on the screen. Before Techno could try to read them, Phil was typing something in, the screen flashing white right after and shutting off.

Then, the wall split, opening up into a large doorway.

Techno gaped.

There was a whole city on the other side.

The glowing yellow crystals lit up a massive, cavernous system, revealing countless doors and archways carved into the walls. Stone and metal pathways stretched up towards the sky, splitting the sides into different levels. Neon bright signs poked out, images and words decorating them like advertisements. Techno could see gray metal balls darting around the place, zipping through the air and zooming down different paths.

And then there were the aliens.

There must have been hundreds of them, all kinds of different races spread out across the caverns. They spoke both familiar and unfamiliar languages, chatting with people at what were probably marketplace stalls. There was a bunch of them shouting at an alien standing on top of an escape pod like it was an auction, and there was another group cheering for a raccoon and purple shelled alien as they punched each other in a pit.

Techno squinted at a sign near where he walked out of.

Welcome xxx Pa-gh-to-pi-a

“Pogtopia,” he muttered, looking out over the densely packed ravine.

Tommy cheered.

Techno nearly jumped out of his skin, having forgotten that there were people next to him. Tommy starts tugging on Techno’s cloak, urging him forward towards the crowd.

Oh no.

Techno hesitantly moved, keeping his head down despite having the veil in place. He really did not want any of these aliens to find out he was human. They would probably attack him on sight or stampede in the other direction. With the numbers here, Techno didn’t even want to imagine what an all-out brawl would look like. It would be even worse if law enforcement ended up getting involved.  

Luckily, the aliens seemed to part when their group came through. Techno watched warily as they all but jumped out of the way, only to fill in behind Niki as they passed. The aliens spoke in hushed tones, chatting amongst their neighbors before quickly going back to whatever it is they were doing.

Yeah. Techno’s friends definitely weren’t ordinary citizens.

They kept walking, the group oddly silent as people pretended not to stare at them. Techno’s skin itched with the feeling of eyes on him, fingers twitching for a weapon.

Then, his group abruptly turned down another cavern, and Techno stared up at the full-on palace etched into the wall in front of them. Seriously, it looked like an evil king’s castle from the movies—all black stone and dark metal spires.

And Phil was going straight up to the gates.

“Sam!” he yelled out, rapping on the metal gate. One of the gray metal balls flew out from between the bars, floating in place. Now that Techno was looking, he could see that the front of it had a blue mechanical eye pointing directly at Phil. The eye lit up, a grid of light flying out and wrapping around Phil before disappearing in a blink.

Techno shuffled forward warily, one crutch lifting off the ground in case he needed to whack something.

The eye flicked in his direction, making a whirring noise. Then, it beeped, zooming back through the gaps in the gate.

…

Okay then.

The gates creaked, slowly starting to pull open. Phil stood by the side of one, ushering everyone through with a beckoning gesture.

So this was happening now. Cool.

Techno followed after Wilbur and Tubbo, Phil and Niki staying at the back as the gates shut.

“Techno!” Ranboo called, warbling a sound that was meant to grab attention. Techno looked over at him, seeing him kneeling in teal-colored grass. Apparently, the gates weren’t doors into a palace, but instead a courtyard. There was a stone brick pathway leading up to another mansion-like building, teal trees and yellow five-petaled flowers on either side of it.

Ranboo raised one of these flowers in Techno’s direction, and Techno stepped forward to see it. The kid lifted up his veil and blew on the petals, causing them to flicker to a redder color before fading back to yellow. Kind of like a mood ring.

Techno knelt down on his good leg, brushing his fingers against the soft petals and looking up at the mushroom-like trees. He could still see the sky peaking between the dense leaves, the sun shining down on them with its eerie light.

“Ranboo! xxx later, xxx now!” Tubbo called, his translator repeating the words so Techno could piece them together. He buzzed around near the mansion’s doors excitedly.

Right. Techno was about to get some speaking help. The cool flowers could wait.

Ranboo warbled an understanding sound, helping Techno stand back up again. They continued walking towards the mansion, Techno a little more quickly than before. He wanted his language learning shortcut already.

Wilbur slithered straight up to the panel by the doors, swiping around in some kind of sequence and causing the panel to light up white. The doors clicked, and Wilbur bodily shoved them open, revealing the interior.

Well. Techno was not expecting it to look like that.

The inside of the mansion was more like a warehouse than a mansion. A technological scrap warehouse, to be exact.

Machinery littered the floor, looking much like Tommy’s room in that sense. There were huge piles of scrap near the walls, and a couple dismembered vehicle and spaceship parts in the middle of the room.

Also in the middle of the room was a creature that would be showing up in Techno’s nightmares.

There was a huge metal pillar in the center, suspending a vehicle in the middle of it with chains. Working on the vehicle was a large green alien—one somehow distinctly covered in both scales and wiry hair. The alien had no arms, but that didn’t seem to stop them, seeing as there were four mechanical ones sprouting from their torso. These mechanical arms latched onto the short bars decorating the pillar, maneuvering the alien around like a demented spider—which made sense since the alien also had four tentacle-like legs that wrapped around the bars as they moved.

Thankfully, this alien’s face was covered with what seemed to be a welding-gas mask hybrid. Techno wasn’t sure he wanted to see what was under it.

The alien’s head spun completely around upon their entrance, making Techno tense as they were spotted. The alien crawled off of the pillar, gracefully lowering themself to the ground. They pressed a button on the side of his mask with a mechanical arm, the welding visor getting sucked into the bottom oxygen filter part.

The alien’s eyes looked normal enough—two yellow ones with black sclera. Intimidating, but not the worst Techno had seen.

Phew.

The alien hissed and clicked, kind of like how Wilbur and Niki talked.

There went any chance of understanding that conversation.

Phil stepped forward, pulling back his hood and removing the veil over his face. Techno jumped, seeing the other aliens remove their disguises as well. Wilbur even went up to join Phil and the green alien in conversation.

Techno stared at Ranboo removing their veil dumbly.

…

Was Techno supposed to do that too? He was under the impression that it would be bad if people found out he was human.

Before Techno could come to a decision, doors he hadn’t even realized were there burst open on the other side of the room. Metal scrap went flying as it was pushed aside, a massive ball rolling into the main area.

Then it paused, turning on a dime and starting to roll towards him.

Starting to roll towards him.

Techno threw his arm in front of Ranboo, one crutch clanging as it hit the floor. He braced himself on his bad leg, grimacing as he lifted the other crutch up defensively.

The ball screeched to a stop, parts of it shooting outwards and creaking. Four metal spikes stabbed into the floor, keeping the ball from rolling away. Techno watched apprehensively as a hatch flew open, a figure popping out of the top.

He froze.

The figure let out a breath, yanking off a red, yellow, and black striped ninja mask. Dark brown eyes locked with Techno’s through the veil.

“Please tell me you speak English.”

His brain stuttered to a halt.

Chapter Text

BE WARNED THAT THERE WAS A DOUBLE UPDATE. MAKE SURE YOU READ CHAPTER 11 OR YOU WILL BE IMMENSELY CONFUSED.

Techno couldn’t believe what he was hearing. What he was seeing.

“YOU’RE HUMAN?!” he shouted at the figure, recoiling in shock.

“Oh thank god,” the human muttered, “Sam just went ahead and told you guys that he had a human to Common translation without CONSULTING ME. This would have been so awkward if you spoke Russian or something.”

Techno felt like all the air had left his lungs.

He was talking.

To a human.

“Holy shit,” he breathed, barely even realizing he was speaking. He felt like he was having an out of body experience. This was definitely some kind of hallucination.

The hallucination stretched, pulling themselves up out of the hatch. They slid down the side, nonchalantly walking up to Techno and holding out a hand. A mechanical hand. Attached to a mechanical arm.

“The name’s Ponk. Any pronouns work. Nice to meet ya!”

Techno stared at the hand. Robotically, he reached out, shaking it with his own.

“Um. Techno. He/him. Nice to meet you too,” he mumbled.

“Cool!” Ponk cheered, retracting her hand. “Now then. I know that aliens aren’t exactly the kindest towards us folks—” she pointedly waved her mechanical arm through the air, “—so if these guys are causing you any problems, just say the word,” she finished, miming slitting her throat with a little too much enthusiasm.

That snapped Techno out of it.

“Wha—no! They’re fine!” he said hastily, casting a glance back at his friends. Ranboo had, at some point, retreated from Techno’s side. They stood with the group, most of whom were staring at the exchange with varyingly shocked expressions. Tubbo and Wilbur were openly gaping, heads swiveling between Techno and Ponk.

“Are you sure?” Ponk asked, looking at them suspiciously before raising an eyebrow at Techno.

“Yes!” His voice cracked a little. He coughed. “Yes. They’re fine. Great, even. They helped me get away from some crazy six-limbed ceramic aliens and have been housing me ever since,” he explained, discreetly shuffling a step between Ponk and his friends.

Not discreetly enough apparently, seeing as Ponk’s eyes snapped down to his bad leg.

“Are you injured?” they asked, their eyes staying intently trained on the spot.

“Ah,” Techno said awkwardly. “Uh, yeah. It’s not that bad though. And Wilbur already treated it.”

Ponk hummed dubiously at that statement.

…

“So,” Techno started hesitantly, making Ponk look back up at him again, “do you know what’s going on, or are you also getting destroyed by the language barrier?”

Ponk blinked.

“Right!” they shouted, clapping their hands together and causing a weird clank to sound out. “Since you said that the Syndicate—” The Syndicate? “—has been treating you fine, we can get to the main event. Which is…” They did a little drumroll with their pointer fingers, “getting you hooked up with a biochip!”

Techno blinked dumbly.

“That doesn’t answer my questions at all.” In fact, he now had more of them.

Stilted hissing came from one side of the room.

Techno twitched, looking in that direction to see the green alien shaking with what might be amusement.

Ponk snapped his fingers.

“Let’s go meet Sammy! He explains it better than me,” he said cheerfully, lightly grabbing Techno’s arm and dragging him in the green alien’s direction. “Also, you can take your mask off and stuff. Sam’s nice—I promise!”

Techno’s steps stuttered as he glanced at the green alien he was unwillingly approaching. The green alien who was apparently called Sam. Yet another extremely human sounding name, although the alien’s appearance certainly wasn’t as close to human as Phil’s.

Techno slowly pulled his veil down, pushing back his hood and running a hand soothingly through his hair. Ponk let them stop a reasonable distance away from Sam, giving them both a bright, toothy grin.

“Sam, Techno. Techno, Sam,” Ponk introduced, gesturing between them wildly. Techno looked at Ponk, then back at the alien awkwardly.

“Um. Hullo?” he said, the word coming out more like a question. The stilted hissing sound came again, and this time Techno identified it as a laugh. Sam tapped a button on the side of his mask.

“Hello Techno.” Techno jumped at the mechanical voice coming out from the mask’s slits. “My name is Sam. I am a friend of Phil’s, and I usually do the maintenance checks on his ship. It is nice to meet you.”

The alien spoke English.

If you had told Techno this would be happening two hours ago, he would have called you insane.

As it was, he still couldn’t tell if he had finally gone insane. It honestly wouldn’t be much of a surprise at this point.

“He wants to know what biochips are!” Ponk stated helpfully, saving Techno from having to speak.

This was the first conversation he had had in forever. His social anxiety was going nuts.

Sam’s eyes crinkled somewhat fondly, and he turned away from Ponk to face Techno.

“Biochips are like what humans call nanobots. They’re small computers we inject into the bloodstream that move to connect with the nervous system. Mostly, they’re used for security purposes and auto-translating languages between races. Everyone leaving their home planet is required to have one so communication does not become an issue.”

Techno froze.

“They’re translators?” he asked, eyes wide as he stared at the alien.

“Yes,” Sam replied, making a circle with one of his tentacle legs.

Techno facepalmed.

“I knew they were cheating. No way can anyone learn, like, twelve different languages without even being able to speak some of them,” he muttered, glaring at the unreasonably tall ceiling.

Ponk burst into a fit of laughter.

Sam’s eyes did the fond crinkling thing again.

“Yes, Phil and his crew have biochips. They already requested one for you about a dozen cycles ago, so it is ready for implementation. We could also set you up with a handheld translator if you prefer, but then you wouldn’t be able to understand people outside of the Syndicate without attracting the attention of immigration services.”

Techno hummed.

“And what, exactly, is the Syndicate?” he asked, glancing at his friends out of the corner of his eye. He jumped when Sam hissed softly, watching the alien’s tentacles tap idly on the ground.

“The Syndicate is what Phil’s crew is usually called. You’d have to ask them for the details,” Sam said thoughtfully, softly hissing again.

Yep. Techno’s friends were criminals.

“Sure. So, are these biochip things secure?” he questioned, swiftly moving on. “They’re not going to get hacked and kill me or anything, right?” Because if that was the case, Techno would definitely be taking the handheld option.

“They’re secure!” Ponk jumped in, cutting off whatever Sam was about to say. “There’s, like, hundreds of fail-safes implemented in them and insane virus protection software. The best engineers in the universe have worked on the system to make it foolproof.”

Techno blinked at the information. Sam clicked.

“As Ponk said. There has never been a breach in the biochip software that resulted in more than an individual being unable to use it for a cycle. And that happened decades ago with an older version. The council never would have mandated it if it wasn’t as close to perfection as possible.”

…

“Huh.”

Ponk giggled.

Techno flushed.

“And you said Phil and them have this too? And the translation between their languages and English is accurate?” he asked quickly, coughing into his fist.

Sam made another circle with his tentacle.

“Yep!” Ponk added cheerfully, “Sammy and I have been perfecting the translation for almost seven years now.” This guy’s been out here for seven years?! “It’s as good as it’s gonna get. Though, I should warn you, it doesn’t work for written languages. You’ll still have to learn Common in order to read and speak to aliens outside of these guys, since most biochips don’t support English.”

Damn.

Well, it was good to know all his practice so far wouldn’t be useless.

Hm.

“I’ll take the biochip,” he decided, rubbing his upper arm with a small grimace. He hated getting injections, but he couldn’t imagine how annoying using a handheld translator for five different languages would be.

Sam’s eyes crinkled again, his front tentacles wiggling a bit. Ponk cheered, taking Techno’s hand and clasping it with her own.

“Hell yeah! I already have it loaded up in a pump-syringe in my clinic. I’d like to do a scan on your injuries while we’re at it, I’m probably going to need to have a word with your doctor about human biology too…” Ponk rambled, trailing off as her eyes drifted in Wilbur’s direction. Then they snapped back to Sam. “Sam, I’m gonna set Techno up, you do their software updates!”

And Techno was now, once again, getting dragged away by the hand.

Okay then.

He locked eyes with a very confused Tommy, exaggeratedly tapping his chest twice. Sam had switched off whatever alien to English translator he was using and was now holding his hands out in a placating manner towards Phil and Niki.

He probably had it handled.

Techno turned to see where he was going, noticing that Ponk was dragging him to the door they burst in through earlier. Ponk led him into a huge room that looked like a mix between a hospital and a laboratory, which was not an environment he ever wanted to be in again, thank you very much.

There were papers spread across the ground, covered in English writing—that was surreal to see—and biology diagrams. Techno noticed a hologram computer system open on top of a desk, showing real time video footage of what was happening in the other room. He stared at it curiously, watching as Sam waved some kind of device over Tubbo as the kid laid down on a table.

“Alright!” Ponk said, clapping his hands together. Techno jumped, turning to face him. The man was now holding a thin cylinder, flicking one end of it idly. “This here is a pump-syringe. When I press this button on the back, it’ll prick you with a tiny little needle and shove everything in here into your skin with air pressure. It’s kind of like getting your ears pierced.”

Techno decidedly did not need that in-depth of an explanation. He pressed harder on his shoulder, fiddling with his cloak.

“Uh-huh,” he mumbled, for lack of anything better to say.

Ponk gave him a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry! I won’t say it doesn’t hurt, but it’s nowhere near as bad as stubbing your toe.”

Techno snorted, making Ponk grin victoriously.

“Come sit down,” they directed, patting what looked like a handmade rolling stool, “and pull up your sleeve for me. You should get new clothes, by the way. Those are falling apart.”

Techno rolled his eyes, sitting down on the stool as instructed, leg bouncing with nerves.

“Thanks, I hadn’t noticed,” he drawled, rolling up his sleeve, “I’ll be sure to inform Phil of your wardrobe complaints.”

Ponk laughed, pulling out a machine Techno recognized from when Wilbur was cleaning his cuts and swiping it over his shoulder. The skin lit up with speckles of blue before they were lasered away.

“Good. If you don’t, I’ll get Sam to make some kind of drone and have them forcefully delivered to you.” Ponk picked up the pump-syringe. “Ready?” he asked, looking up at Techno.

Techno swallowed, taking a deep breath.

“Yep.”

Ponk smiled again, something glinting in her eyes.

“Alright, on three,” she said, pressing one end of the pump-syringe to Techno’s shoulder. Techno sucked in another breath, nodding. “One—”

Techno jolted as a prickling feeling invaded his arm, accompanied by a loud burst of air. The prickling grew, pushing at his skin and crawling through his veins.

“Two three,” Ponk finished quickly, a mischievous grin spreading over her face as she yanked the syringe away.

Oh Techno was going to commit war crimes. So many war crimes.

“I hate you,” he hissed, hunching over with a hand cupped protectively against his arm. Ponk just giggled, setting the syringe down and pulling out a small plaster. He gestured for Techno to move his hand, pressing the plaster down over the pinprick wound.

Techno felt his arm hairs stick to it before the area started to grow numb.

“Now come lay down over here while that settles, I want to do a full scan on you,” Ponk directed, patting a table before sitting down by another set of hologram monitors.

Techno sent them a narrow-eyed glare before complying, shaking out the pins and needles in his arm as he went. He hoisted himself up on the table, carefully stretching out his leg before laying down. He stared up, studying the barred platform that hung above him.

“Alright,” Ponk stated. “I would recommend closing your eyes, this is going to be bright!” Techno quickly shut his eyes. “Here we go!”

Techno’s eyelids lit up purple, and he scrunched them closed tighter. The light shifted, whirring sounds coming from the platform above him as it presumably traveled down. Then the light returned for a brief moment before disappearing, the whirring sound shutting off.

“Done!” Ponk called out. “Thank you for your cooperation,” they said lightheartedly, a laugh in their words. Techno huffed, opening his eyes and sitting up on the end of the table.

Ponk was at the holograms, scanning over them as blurs of information whizzed by. They whistled lowly, sounding impressed.

“Your parents were rich, huh? Looks like you got the full genetic treatment,” they noted, a diagram of Techno starting to build in front of them. Techno winced.

“Uh. Yeah,” he mumbled, rubbing his neck awkwardly. Ponk directed a raised eyebrow at him, humming a curious note.

Techno sighed.

“I’m an orphan,” he stated plainly. “The caretakers told me my parents paid top dollar for the perfect test tube baby.” He scowled, picking at the ends of his hair. “Something went wrong while I was developing though, and the error gave me a few defects. My parents took one look at the pink hair and tossed me, I guess,” he muttered, trying his best to sound apathetic.

Ponk made an offended noise, glaring like someone had shot his cat.

“They told a child that?! Someone ought to wring their necks,” he stated, flicking through more data. “Don’t feel too bad about it. If they were parents that gave you up over some imperfections, they wouldn’t have been good parents in the first place.”

Techno snorted.

“Trust me, I’m well aware,” he said bitterly, recalling memories of his ‘parents’ showing up at his early graduation and trying to take credit for his achievements. “But at least I had better stats than everyone else at the military academy.”

His parents didn’t want a kid. They wanted a soldier that would increase their fame.

“So, seven years?” he asked, swiftly changing the topic, “that’s a long time to be out here.” The question in his words was obvious, but he didn’t want to pry. It was probably a sensitive issue.

Ponk smiled a little.

“It’s more like eight, actually,” he corrected, leaning back in his chair and watching the hologram fill with information. “I was a biologist and doctor, and I got put on a secret team that was investigating possible alien life on an asteroid that came from beyond the Black Hole.”

Techno’s eyes widened at the information. Ponk turned to him, his face lighting up.

“The best part is there was life! It was just a plant, but my team and I were having a grand ol’ time making history until boom!—” he made firework gestures with his hands, “—An alien spaceship appeared out of nowhere and abducted us. It was quite the shock,” he said with a little laugh.

Then his face shifted, taking on a more somber look.

“Unfortunately, the aliens that got us weren’t the nicest.” His tone was bitter. “We made a break for it. And we kind of succeeded,” he sighed, combing a hand through his short brown hair. “Most of us died in the process. It was just me and two others left, and I had already lost an arm.” He waved his mechanical arm in the air. “Then we found out we couldn’t exactly pilot an alien spaceship and crash landed here.”

Oh damn. Techno was not expecting Ponk to open up about all of… this.

“I was the only one that survived the crash—no idea how,” Ponk continued, a faraway look in his eyes. “And that’s where Sam found me. He took me in, patched me up, even started learning English and teaching me Common.” The smile came back, and Ponk met Techno’s eyes once more. “Now I trust him with my life. We’re best friends—I really don’t know what I’d do without him.”

The hologram beeped.

“Looks like it’s done processing!” Ponk stretched her arms in the air, looking perfectly chipper. “Roll up your pants for me, I want to see your injury.”

Techno was left winded. It was as if he had just watched a tornado blow through his house. He numbly rolled up his tattered pants leg, exposing the plaster Wilbur had set in place.

“I’m sorry,” he blurted, feeling like he should at least say something. Ponk rolled her chair over, giving him a soft smile.

“Thank you,” she said, leaning over and examining the plaster. “But it’s okay. I’ve come to terms with it, and I’m happy with where I’m at.” She picked at the edges, humming in approval. “Can you tell me how you got this, and how Wilbur treated it?” she asked, looking back up at him.

“Oh, yeah,” Techno said awkwardly. “Our ship got attacked by a large group on the way here. I got into a fight with a pair of raccoon-cow aliens, and one of them clawed up my leg pretty bad.” He fidgeted with his cape, it still ripped from those same claws. “Wilbur used what I thought was water to wipe off the blood, one of those laser things that cleans stuff, and then poured a dark pink liquid on it before putting a plaster over it.”

Ponk hummed.

“What did the dark pink liquid do?” they asked, leaning back in their chair. Techno thought back with a grimace.

“Uh, it made the blood bubble, steam, and clot.”

They nodded.

“That sounds like a pretty potent healing tonic. It isn’t poisonous to humans, and he treated it the same way I would have, so I think we can leave it as is and let it heal,” they explained, wheeling back over to the hologram and clicking through a few images. “I’ve noticed that you have a lot of scars, though.” Techno grimaced. “Do they ache any? I can put something together that’ll help them fade and such.”

One scar pulled to the forefront of his mind.

“… Just the one on my shoulder blade,” he said hesitantly. He would very much not like to explain the story behind that one. Ponk zoomed in on the hologram, hissing.

“Schlatt, huh?” he said, his mouth twisting into a frown. “Someone needs to get rid of that bastard.”

Techno blinked. That was not the response he was expecting.

“Shat?” he questioned. Ponk snorted, turning back to him with an amused expression.

“Schlatt. He’s a huge crime lord, but law enforcement doesn’t mess with him since he’s got a finger in every pie,” he said, tapping the image of Techno’s scar. “This is his mark. The prick uses chemicals to burn brands on his property—” he made air quotes around the word, “—and then sells them all over the universe.”

Oh.

“Was Shat a sheep person with massive horns and hooves for hands? Had a brown muttonchop beard thing?” Techno asked, thinking back to the alien Phil had ripped the throat out of.

Ponk nodded.

Hm.

“I don’t think he’s going to be a problem anymore.”

“Huh?”

Techno coughed.

“He was the one that attacked our ship.”

Ponk’s eyes widened.

Then she devolved into cackles.

“Sucks to suck,” she said, giggling. “That’s why you don’t mess with the Syndicate, I guess.”

Techno’s lips twitched into a smile.

“Alright.” Ponk swiped their hand up in a familiar motion, a hologram screen appearing before their eyes. They opened one of the apps, typing into it. “I’ll whip up some scar treatment for you and get the recipe to your doctor when I have a chat with him.” They swiped down, closing what was probably a notes app. “I’ll also need to get you guys to hang out in this planet system for a bit, since I assume giving your doctor the necessary medical training to treat humans would take a while,” they added with a grin.

Techno shuddered. Medical training.

“Don’t remind me. Learning first aid was hell.”

Ponk laughed.

“Understandable,” they said, hopping off their chair. “Well then. Let’s go test out your new translator, yeah?”

Techno jolted.

He can’t believe he forgot about that.

He might be able to talk to aliens now.

“Definitely,” he said, shooting to his feet. His leg twinged a little, but he ignored it, heart pounding with an unidentifiable emotion. Ponk grinned at him, waltzing over to the doors and throwing them open.

Seven heads snapped in his direction. His friends and Sam were sitting near the doors on a bench and table. One that was definitely covered in stuff when Techno walked in earlier. Tommy jumped to his feet.

“Techno!” the kid called, charging towards him excitedly. Techno only had a split second to open his arms and brace before Tommy crashed into him. He easily caught the alien, not even stumbling. He was used to the kids throwing themselves at him at this point.

Tommy latched on tightly, his tails furiously wagging behind him. Techno huffed in amusement, scratching behind the kid’s ears. Tommy pressed into the touch with a thundering purr.

Then he let out a small growl, pulling back and peering up at him.

“So?!” he shouted, one hoof thumping impatiently against the floor. Techno’s heart leapt to his throat. “Did it work?! Can you understand me? What am I saying right now? Techno?!”

Oh.

Techno laughed wetly, warmth blooming behind his eyes. He cupped Tommy’s face with his hands, lightly bumping their foreheads together.

“I hear you, Tommy,” he said, cheeks starting to hurt from how wide he was smiling. “It worked.”

Tommy’s mouth fell open. His fur stood on end, making him look incredibly fluffy.

Then he threw himself at Techno again, tails wrapping around them both. Techno hugged him back just as fiercely, pressing one hand to the back of the kid’s head and setting his chin between Tommy’s horns.

“Holy shit,” Tommy mumbled against his chest, making Techno laugh. “Holy shit,” he said a little louder.

He pulled back, and Techno let him, his hands sliding down to Tommy’s forearms instead.

“Holy shit you can speak,” the kid said even louder, blue eyes gleaming. He practically vibrated with excitement, bouncing in place. “Holy shit, YOU CAN SPEAK!! PHIL!!” he suddenly called, head swiveling back to the table. Techno looked up, seeing the aliens there watching with fond expressions. Ponk had, at some point, moved to sit next to Sam, looking about three seconds away from exploding into squeals. “PHIL HE CAN SPEAK!!”

Phil grinned, twittering snickers escaping his mouth.

“Yes, mate.” Techno’s heart jumped at the words. “That’s how biochips work.”

“Holy shit—” Techno looked back at Tommy, hearing buzzing steadily growing louder, “I have so much I want to tell you—” and he was cut off by someone shoving his face to the side.

“Do you actually consume caffeine?!” Tubbo shouted, zipping right up to Techno’s face. Techno leaned back from the habitual personal space invader, blinking as he processed the question.

“Fuck off Tubbo!” Tommy shrieked, batting at the air like he was trying to swat a bug. Tubbo dodged him easily, buzzing above Techno’s head.

“Do humans really have a sixth sense?! What about your home planet?! Is it true that most of your animals produce adrenaline?! Are the plants poisonous?!” Tubbo fired off questions, constantly circling around him to dodge Tommy. It was making Techno kind of dizzy.

“Uh,” he said dumbly, trying to remember the questions, “I think yes? To all of that.”

Tommy stumbled in his steps, staring at Techno with wide eyes. Tubbo gasped.

“Even the caffeine?!”

Techno slowly nodded.

“That’s right…” he said, trailing off. He cast a glance at the aliens at the table. Except for Ponk and Sam, who were quietly amused, their expressions were all frozen stiff. “I practically lived off the stuff during my academy days.” Tommy looked absolutely horrified at the news, while Tubbo seemed to have been shocked out of his question asking spree.

Huh.

“Uh,” Techno continued, figuring he should clarify his answers before he caused any galactic misunderstandings, “and not all plants are poisonous, but there are a lot that can be deadly. Plus the sixth sense is less of a sense and more of our subconscious picking up on things we would usually ignore and warning us about them. Like when we got attacked a few weeks ago—” Tommy and Tubbo both jolted at that, “—I woke up with a bad feeling and only realized later that it was because the ship had been slowing to a stop.”

Tubbo’s four eyes twitched as one.

“That is so fucking cool,” he breathed, seeming to calm down.

Tommy bobbed his head in agreement.

“Okay, stop hogging him!” a voice suddenly whined, and Techno turned to see Ranboo crossing his arms with a pouty expression and drooping ears. “I want to talk to Techno too,” he warbled grumpily.

Techno snorted. Tommy threw his arms around him once again, this time from the side, leaving himself open to give Ranboo a smug smile.

“Clingyboo,” he mocked, grinning when Ranboo made an affronted noise, their tail swishing through the air haughtily.

Techno gently bonked Tommy on the side of the head, the kid gasping like he had been stabbed. He stared up at Techno with exaggerated betrayal.

Techno booped his nose.

“I don’t think you have room to talk,” he said lightly, ruffling Tommy’s fur. The kid squawked in offense—much like Phil tended to—releasing him from the hug to shove his hand away.

Techno laughed, pushing Tommy’s face back when the kid started playfully snapping his teeth. He looked back at Ranboo, lifting his other arm up in invitation.

Ranboo immediately perked up, scooting off the bench. He jogged up to Techno, hunching over and slotting himself under his arm. Techno smiled at the action, snatching Tommy’s wrist with his free hand and pulling the feral child into a group hug.

Phil cooed adoringly, and Ponk seemed to have finally given up fighting her squeals.

Techno flushed bright red.

“Shut up,” he muttered, hiding his face in Ranboo’s hair.

“I didn’t say anything,” Phil said innocently.

Techno flipped him off. All he got in response was a confused chirp.

Ponk snorted.

“It means ‘fuck you,’” he clarified, and Techno had to hold back a smile when Phil started spluttering.

“Why do humans have a gesture for ‘fuck you?!’”

“Wait, they do?!” Tommy shrieked, squirming out of the hug. He tugged at Techno’s cloak. “Show me!”

Oh no.

“What have I started,” Techno muttered, the aliens at the table starting to snicker.

“Show me!” Tommy demanded again.

Techno sighed, pulling away from Ranboo.

He held up a middle finger at Tommy.

The kid grinned, immediately copying the gesture.

Techno let out another long-suffering sigh.

Then Ranboo vwooped.

“We can show him the blowflowers now, right?!” he asked Tubbo, the kid still flying above their heads. Tubbo’s eyes widened, and he snapped to look over at Phil and Niki with a pleading expression. Tommy gasped.

“Yes! Niki, you can show him how to make the flower jewelry! It’ll be so cool—come on!” Tommy said, grabbing Techno’s hand and dragging him towards the entrance.

“Tommy!” Niki clicked admonishingly, “be careful, he’s still injured!”

Tommy squeaked, dropping Techno’s hand as if it was on fire.

Techno rolled his eyes.

“I told you guys, I’m fine—”

“Yeah, well—” Wilbur cut in, “—you also said you were fine when your torso was bruised a different color and your ankle was swollen twice its normal size.” Techno’s mouth clicked shut. “Forgive us for not trusting your judgment.”

“I’ve walked with worse,” he mumbled, glancing away. It was true. He had had to run with a bullet in his leg once. That was way worse than a sprained ankle or a flesh wound.

Wilbur shrieked.

Maybe he should’ve kept that to himself.

Ponk clicked their tongue.

Definitely should have kept that to himself.

“You should know better than to walk on a sprained ankle, Techno,” Ponk deadpanned, raising an eyebrow at him. Techno shuffled awkwardly, feeling oddly chastised. “That said, his leg is fine.” They turned towards Wilbur. “It wasn’t a shallow wound, but it didn’t hit any major arteries or bone. Plus it’s mostly healed now. As long as he is careful with it, he can walk unaided.”

Wilbur’s eyes widened.

“Are you a doctor?” he asked excitedly, leaning over the table in Ponk’s direction.

Ponk blinked. Then she grinned.

“I went to human medical school for twelve years. Are you interested?” she asked, something glinting in her eyes. Wilbur gaped.

“Absolutely.”

Ponk jumped off the bench.

“I’m gonna go show him my research, bye Sammy!” she called, circling around the table and pushing Wilbur in the direction of her clinic. Wilbur went, albeit with no small amount of confusion.

The clinic doors slammed shut behind him.

…

“Sooo…” Ranboo trailed off, “blowflowers?”

Phil snickered. Niki sighed fondly.

“Alright, we can go show him the blowflowers.” She rocked her head, rising up from where she was seated on her coils. She turned to Phil. “Tell me about the system updates later, okay?”

Phil smiled, bobbing his head.

“Of course. Have fun,” he said, smile turning into a teasing grin. Niki clicked, whacking him with the end of her tail as she passed by.

“I will, thank you,” she hummed.

“Yes!” Tommy cheered, grabbing Techno’s hand once again and leading him towards the entrance. Tubbo darted ahead of them, Ranboo trailing behind while Niki pulled up her hood again. Phil stayed at the table, apparently chatting with Sam about updates. Security updates, if Techno had to guess.

Tubbo opened the doors, a faint smoky breeze flowing in from outside. Techno exited the warehouse, seeing the mushroom-like trees and golden flowered garden once again. He looked up at the distant sky, the haloed black sun further through the day than before. The stars still twinkled beautifully, the clouds having drifted away to expose more of them.

He wondered what Earth’s stars looked like right now. He couldn’t remember them much anymore.

“Techno, over here!” Tommy called, and Techno looked back down, smiling softly when the kid ran over to sit by a large patch of flowers. The whole garden past the gate was covered with them, and Techno carefully tried not to step on too many before lowering himself to the ground. Tubbo excitedly joined them, already starting to pick through the flowers and poke at their twisting stems. A soft wind blew by, bouncing off the cavern walls and making all the yellow flowers flicker red in a wave.

“Woah,” Techno whispered, watching them fade back to yellow. He reached out, brushing his thumb against a teal stem. It was a little prickly.

Ranboo warbled an agreement, sitting down on Techno’s other side. Niki joined them with a laugh, eyes twinkling as she watched Tubbo flit about.

“I know, right?” she said, carefully picking one of the five-petaled flowers and lifting it up. The stem stretched out, ending up being much longer than Techno thought now that it was no longer curled up. “Flowers are rare on my home planet, since it’s an ocean planet. Though, there was one month in each year when the waterlilies bloomed. It basically became a tourist attraction,” she chortled.

Techno watched as she picked a few more flowers, her hands skillfully weaving the stems together to make a circlet of flowers. She smiled, leaning over and setting it on his head.

“I’ve never seen flowers that shift colors like this,” Techno said, running his fingers along the surprisingly sturdy crown. He smiled as the wind blew through his hair, shifting the crown’s colors to a bloody red. “We don’t have many wildflowers on Earth anymore either. Most of the land was torn up for infrastructure.”

Niki hummed.

“Earhh?” she questioned, and Techno leaned back on his hands, looking up at the unfamiliar sky.

“My home planet,” he elaborated, watching a yellow cloud change shape. “Although, I spent much more time on another planet called Mars after I joined the military.”

Ranboo vwooped.

“You were a soldier?” they asked. Techno glanced at him, smiling.

“Yeah. One of the elites, if you could believe it.”

“I believe it,” Tommy muttered instantly, Ranboo furiously bobbing his head in agreement.

Techno snorted.

“Alright, done! Niki, how is it?” Tubbo asked, thrusting his flower circlet in Niki’s direction. Even from here, Techno could tell how easily it would fall apart, being proven right when a flower dislodged as soon as Niki went to grab it.

“I think it needs some work,” she replied lightheartedly, lips twitching into a smile. Tubbo pouted at the words, making Techno cough to hide his laughter.

He was unsuccessful.

Tubbo rounded on him, glaring.

“I’d like to see you do better!” he challenged, dumping a pile of flowers on Techno’s lap. Techno raised an eyebrow at him, pushing himself back up into a sitting position and squinting at the plants.

He brushed his fingers against his crown again, feeling how the stems were interlocked. They were basically just looped over each other in a cross pattern.

Techno carefully stretched out the stems, laying them in a plus shape and looping one over the other and then behind itself. He continued the pattern, eventually ending up with a strip of flowers roughly big enough to circle around Tubbo’s head.

He connected the ends to each other, leaning over and putting the flower circlet on Tubbo’s head. It drooped, nowhere near as pretty as Niki’s, but pretty good for a first attempt if he said so himself.

Tubbo gaped.

“I blame the fact that I don’t have five fingers,” he huffed, crossing his arms.

“L.” Techno replied intelligently. Judging by how Tubbo bleated in offense, the meaning was translated properly. Ponk and Sam really did perfect this thing if even slang was implemented.

His thoughts were cut off when he was suddenly tackled, falling onto his back with a grunt. The crown tipped off his head, landing somewhere behind him. He huffed, pushing Tubbo back as the kid tried to ram him with his horns, his antennae bent out of the way.

“Gang up on him!” Tommy suddenly shouted, and then Techno had an armful of raccoon alien as well.

“Woah woah woah, hey, wait a second!” he protested, rolling over and pinning Tommy under his hand, “Niki, come control the feral children!”

“I’m not a fucking child!” Tommy shouted, redoubling his efforts to wriggle out from Techno’s hold.

Niki hummed consideringly.

“I think you’ve got it handled,” she clicked, laughter in her voice.

Techno sent her a glare, Tubbo gnawing on his forearm with flat teeth. He quickly released Tommy, using his hand to pull Tubbo off before tossing the kid in Ranboo’s direction.

Ranboo shrieked, teleporting behind Niki in an instant. Techno blinked in surprise, watching as Tubbo flew through the area Ranboo was sitting in before righting himself midair.

That was actually kind of impressive.

And then he threw himself back at Techno.

Less impressive.

Techno quickly pinned Tommy back down with his hand, snatching Tubbo out of the air and doing the same to him. He huffed, strands of hair escaping his braid and dangling down in front of him.

The kids squirmed.

“You guys do realize I’m not supposed to be roughhousing, right?” Techno drawled, raising an eyebrow at them. “Doctor’s orders and all that.”

They went still. Tommy’s fur stood on end while his ears pinned down, and he got significantly warmer under Techno’s palm. Tubbo squinted his eyes, looking away in embarrassment.

Niki chortled.

Techno glared at her again.

“What?” she asked innocently. “You had it handled.” She nodded to Techno’s injured leg. The same leg that had been hovering slightly in the air the entire time so he wouldn’t hurt it.

Techno huffed.

He released Tommy and Tubbo, turning and flopping on his back between them. Tommy immediately dogpiled on him, making him grunt as the kid landed on his stomach. Tubbo joined in with a grin, laying on his chest over Tommy. Then, of course, Ranboo had to come over, dropping on top of all three of them.

“I hate all of you,” Techno deadpanned. Niki laughed at him. Ranboo giggled too, the movement vibrating all the way down to Techno at the bottom.

Another breeze blew through the ravine, sending a wave of crimson painting over the field of yellow flowers. Techno took in a deep breath of smoky air, the unfamiliar sky staring down at him tauntingly.

But it was strange.

The sky was gray instead of blue, the sun dark instead of bright. The clouds were a wispy yellow, and you could see stars even during the day.

It was just as unfamiliar as before, but Techno no longer felt that gaping void in his chest. That longing for home.

He scratched behind Tommy’s ears, the kid giving a short purr before growling harshly and starting to curse him out, wriggling underneath the other two aliens. Ranboo and Tubbo laughed, pushing down harder and preventing his escape as Techno continued prodding with a smile. Niki chortled, doing nothing to help and watching on in fond amusement.

Maybe home didn’t have to be a familiar sky.

Maybe he was already home.

Chapter Text

Techno poked his head up at the sound of the warehouse doors opening, glancing over from under the pile of aliens to see Phil and Sam exiting the building. Phil looked out over the courtyard, picking through the trees until he eventually spotted their little group.

Techno slowly lifted a hand in a wave, getting a strange feeling of déjà vu.

Phil grinned, Sam waving back with two of his hands. They both walked over to Techno, Phil tilting his head as he approached.

“Comfortable?” he asked, eyes crinkling in amusement.

Techno kept his expression flat.

“The children are using me as furniture Phil,” he replied dryly. His lips twitched as Niki giggled, Phil squawking a surprised laugh.

“Children, you say?” he chuckled, head cocked and eyes twinkling.

Techno frowned. He hadn’t really questioned his assumption that Tommy, Ranboo, and Tubbo were children, but now he was a little self-conscious.

“They… are children, right?” he asked hesitantly. “Tommy said he wasn’t but—you know. It’s Tommy.”

Phil laughed again as Tommy shrieked in offense. Techno earned a hoof thump to the side and he grunted, ruffling the offending alien’s fur in revenge.

“No, no, they are definitely children,” Phil started, completely ignoring the vehement denial that followed, “I was just surprised you knew.”

Techno blinked up at him, slowly looking down at the aliens still lying on top of him. The aliens that were now assaulting each other because Tommy had accidentally hit Tubbo when he was kicking Techno.

He slowly looked back up at Phil, face deadpan.

Phil twittered a laugh.

“That’s fair,” he said with a grin. “Now you three, shoo! Off! I haven’t gotten to hug Techno yet!” He quickly shoved the kids off of Techno, offering him a hand up. Techno accepted, grabbing onto his palm and dragging himself to his feet. He snagged his flower crown as he did so, setting it back on top of his head.

Phil smiled something achingly fond, pulling Techno in for a tight hug. His back wings unfurled, fully surrounding them both.

…

Oh.

Techno had only ever had them around his shoulder before.

The world went dark, and Techno watched, stunned as the black feathers encircled him. They somehow glistened, shifting iridescently with dark greens and blues and small white speckles that looked like stars.

Techno slowly lifted his arms, resting his chin on the shorter man’s shoulder as he returned the hug. He breathed in deep, the smoky air somehow muted under Phil’s wings.

He sighed, deflating just a little bit and trusting Phil to hold him up. The man did so easily, drawing circles on Techno’s back.

“I’m so glad Sam had a translation,” he whispered, a grin audible in his voice. “Though, you were doing pretty well with Common already.”

Techno snorted.

“I, for one, am very glad that I don’t have to learn 5 different languages just to talk to you people.”

Phil snickered, pulling back from the hug. Techno reluctantly let go, stepping away and watching the feathers shift as Phil retracted his wings.

Then he was spun around, Niki wrapping her arms tightly around him and practically lifting him off the floor. Techno grunted, a little shocked that she could even do that. He wasn’t exactly light.

“Phil, help, I’m being squished,” he immediately complained. Niki chortled, her hold loosening just a bit.

Phil laughed at his misery.

Techno huffed, glaring at nothing as he wrapped his arms around Niki.

“All of you suck,” he said emphatically, his words only serving to make Tommy and Tubbo join Phil in laughing.

“You love us,” Ranboo stated confidently.

And…

Techno found that he couldn’t disagree.

…

He flipped the kid off. How dare they make him acknowledge his emotions.

Warbling giggles reached his ears.

Niki released him, letting Techno have his personal space back for the first time in the past twenty minutes. She smiled, pushing a lock of his hair behind his ear and readjusting the flower crown over them.

Techno squirmed, averting his eyes in embarrassment. Niki grinned at him knowingly.

“So?” she eventually called, finally shifting her attention off of Techno and onto Phil and Sam. “What are we doing with the ship?”

Phil perked up, flattening his puffed-out feathers. Techno narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the now smoothed plumage. Phil better not have been cooing at him.

“Sam was going to come check out the ship and see if there was any damage from the attack,” Phil informed. “He’s also going to check our logs to hopefully figure out how Schlatt’s group managed to hack in.” He glanced back at the doors. “We told Wilbur and Ponk we were heading out, but they were a little distracted,” he said, grinning. Sam’s eyes crinkled up fondly.

“Yes, I don’t expect either of us will be getting them back for a while,” he noted. “Ponk can be a pretty intense teacher.” A soft hiss followed the words. Phil rolled his eyes, bumping his wing into Sam lightheartedly.

“I can’t believe you’ve never mentioned Ponk before this. Five years of a partnership, and you didn’t even introduce me to your best friend? Heartless,” Phil sniffled dramatically.

“It never came up,” Sam defended, doing a weird wiggle motion with his tentacles that might be a shrug. Phil narrowed his eyes at him.

Techno blinked.

“Wait, you guys didn’t know Ponk was a human before you brought me here?” he asked, baffled. Maybe he did have some luck left after all.

Phil glanced at him, trilling sheepishly.

“Well, we knew Sam had a human to Common translation, but—uh, we didn’t really question how. He’s talented in all things technology, so.” Phil rocked his head.

Techno snorted.

“Anyways!” Phil called, immediately ending the conversation. “I wanted to ask if any of you wanted to come back to the ship with us. Except you Tubbo. You and I need to go shopping for Wil’s stuff.”

Tubbo practically lit up at the idea, vigorously bobbing his head. Techno, on the other hand, grimaced.

The crowd of aliens past the gates was not very appealing.

But he’d have to go back at some point. Might as well be with Phil and Sam.

“I’ll go back!” Tommy said, suddenly vibrating with excitement. “I want to show Techno my music discs!” Ranboo perked up, warbling in agreement. The kids flipped their hoods back on, putting on their veils. Phil bobbed his head, looking at Techno.

Techno blinked a bit dumbly, before realizing Phil was asking him too. Techno could tell them things now. Nice.

“Uh, yeah. I’ll go back,” he replied awkwardly, carefully flipping up his hood over the flower crown and putting on his veil to hopefully prevent any further questions.

It worked. Niki stretched, rising from the ground with a click.

“I’ll escort you guys,” she said, clasping on her veil. “We seem to be quite the conversation topic as of late.” Techno could hear the amusement in her voice.

So that was why the aliens in the marketplace were staring at them earlier.

“Great!” Phil chirped, pulling on his own disguise. “Let’s head over then.” He bobbed his head at Sam.

Sam made a circle with his tentacle, swiping up and opening a hologram. He tapped a few things into it, the gates creaking open.

They exited the grounds of the warehouse, coming out into the branch cavern that they had wandered down earlier. Techno took a deep breath, bracing himself for the throngs of aliens in the market outside.

He never could have been prepared.

His shoulders hiked up to his ears as people stared at him, gossiping with each other. Sam seemed to attract even more attention to them, the man apparently being some kind of leader for this place. Which made sense considering he had his own castle thing.

The aliens whispered, words like ‘the Syndicate’ and ‘human’ being passed around. From what Techno could tell, apparently there was a rumor going around that a human had joined the Syndicate.

He knew he shouldn’t have let that blaze go.

Eyes drilled into his back, somehow worse now that he could tell what the people were saying.

Then, something bumped his shoulder, and Techno glanced down to see Tommy knocking into him. The kid stared forward unwaveringly, but he bumped shoulders with Techno again.

Techno took another deep breath.

Yeah. It would be fine.

- - - -

Techno was getting worried.

It had only been two days since he was able to get a biochip and finally have a full conversation with his alien friends, and they were already acting weird.

Tommy and Ranboo had been normal the day before, excitedly showing him around the ship again and telling him the names of things. Techno had promptly found out that the plants Tubbo was obsessed with on his last tour were actually his and Ranboo’s children. And that they were platonically married to support the kids. Which was… interesting. Tommy had even forced Techno to sit in his room for an hour listening to the songs playing from his discs. They sounded kind of strange to his ears, but who knows. Maybe he just had terrible taste in alien music.

The point was, things had been normal. Great, even. Everyone seemed very excited to be able to understand him, Tommy and Ranboo lingering by his side constantly and the other aliens dragging him in for random hugs or small talk.

But then something changed.

They were hiding something.

Breakfast had been unusually tense, the crew glancing at each other with complicated expressions and avoiding Techno’s questioning gaze.

To put it simply, it sucked. Even after being able to understand them, he was still somehow left out of the loop.

It was nerve wracking.

Techno didn’t… think they were going to kick him off the ship. He would realistically be fine even if they did—they had already helped him get a method of communication. He technically couldn’t complain if they dropped him off on some random planet with nothing but a cloak to his name and left. Hell, if they really wanted him gone, they could just leave him with Ponk and Sam. He already had Ponk’s blanket permission to stay in the warehouse whenever he wanted.

His heart twisted at the line of thought.

Techno didn’t think they were going to do that to him. It didn’t fit with their actions—didn’t make sense with the kids’ clinginess and the random affectionate shoulder taps and hair ruffles he got from Niki, Wilbur, and Phil.

So that begged the question.

What the hell was going on?

Techno slammed his forehead onto the table, eliciting shocked noises from the rest of the crew. They had, once again, been avoiding addressing him—conversation coming stiltedly throughout the entirety of dinner.

Techno took a deep breath to prepare himself.

Confrontation was so much easier when he could just stab first and ask questions never.

Ugh.

He lifted his head off the table, the attention in the room now solidly on him.

“Alright, this has gone on long enough,” he declared, narrowing his eyes at the aliens that began to shift uncomfortably. “We are talking about this. What’s going on with all of you?”

Tommy and Ranboo pointedly averted their gazes.

Niki and Wilbur cringed.

Phil shrunk back.

Then he sighed.

“Yeah, okay,” he mumbled, “we have to tell you at some point.”

Techno felt his stomach sink. He swallowed the lump in his throat. Maybe he was wrong about the whole ‘not kicking him off’ thing.

Phil put his elbows on the table, steepling his hands in front of him. He took a deep breath, making Techno shift anxiously in his chair.

“Techno, I know you probably want to go back to Earth, but it’s impossible.” Wait what? “It is incredibly difficult to get a ship even to the borders of your galaxy—not to mention to the heart of it—without getting shot down in the process. Our government strictly controls access to your galaxy and very few people actually manage to get past them on a round trip—and even if we did, there’s no telling how your government would react. So—” Phil sucked in a breath, giving him a sympathetic and strained smile, “—you can’t go back home.”

Techno was frozen.

He stared, dumbfounded.

Oh.

Oh.

He erupted into relieved laughter, clutching his stomach as he doubled over.

“You—” he wheezed, “you guys thought—oh thank god.” He laughed harder at the looks of bewilderment on the crew’s faces. “I thought you were going to kick me out or something! Don’t scare me like that,” he breathed, leaning back against his chair.

It was quiet.

“Uh,” Tommy said intelligently. “What the fuck?”

Techno snorted.

“I don’t want to go back to Earth,” he stated simply, watching the crew’s eyes go wide.

“You don’t?” Wilbur asked, something hopeful in his voice.

Techno’s lips twitched into a smile.

“Wilbur, I joined the military when I was sixteen and stayed there for three years. It sucked, so I proceeded to aid the revolutionary army by committing high treason, grand larceny, and desertion,” he replied dully. The crew’s mouths fell open. “I might as well be public enemy number one. If I ever show my face anywhere near Earth again, I’d be arrested and probably executed. I’m perfectly fine with staying here.”

Silence. Techno had officially left them dumbfounded, everyone’s expressions frozen as they processed.

He shifted minutely, glancing away.

“That is, if you want me to stay,” he added hesitantly.

Phil lurched out of his seat.

“Of course we want you to stay!” he shrieked, as if he was offended that Techno could have thought otherwise. “You’re part of the family—” Techno went rigid, “—fuck, you’ve saved half of our lives twice over! We were just worried about how you’d take the news that you couldn’t go home.”

Techno was frozen stiff, staring at Phil with wide eyes.

Family?

He looked at the others, all of them bobbing their heads with resolute faces.

“Family,” he echoed, barely even registering that he was speaking.

“Family,” Phil affirmed confidently with a bob of the head.

Techno’s eyes felt suspiciously warm. He gave a light, hoarse laugh, rapidly blinking up at the ceiling.

Family.

That was a huge relief.

“Yay!” Tubbo cheered, making Techno look back down. “Techno’s staying, went better than we expected, great!—” the kid bleated offhandedly, “—now what was that about treason, larceny, and desertion?!”

Ah.

Techno leaned away from the hyperactive alien, fiddling with the edge of his recently repaired cape. Sam could really make a tool for anything.

“Uh, well,” he hesitated, eyes darting around the room. “Basically, protests were starting up on Mars against government oppression, and there was talk of revolt, so Earth sent the military to suppress them and it was… not pretty,” he said with a grimace. He shook his head, chasing away the images of public executions that flashed through his mind. “I found that I didn’t really vibe with the abuse of power, so I started leaking information to the revolutionaries and helping them escape raids. I also may or may not have given them access to the supreme general…” he trailed off, mouth shifting into a grimace.

He didn’t exactly regret getting the supreme general killed, the guy was a major douche, but he does wish he had chosen more professional people to leak info to. If they had managed it properly, he might not have had to run.

“Anyways, I found out that I was going to get outed, so I panicked and stole my squadron commander’s ship and just—left.” He picked at a loose thread. “Ended up floating around at the edge of the galaxy for a few weeks before aliens abducted me, like, a year and a half ago. Been stuck out here ever since.” 

He glanced up at the crew, holding his breath.

Phil looked like he was three seconds away from crying. Techno winced. Niki and Wilbur were in a similar state with unreadable faces. Tubbo had stopped fluttering, wings unsettlingly still as he gaped.

Ranboo and Tommy were the worst off. They looked downright horrified, their tails both twitching towards him like they wanted to latch onto his arms.

“Holy shit,” Tommy muttered, breaking the silence.

“Uh, yeah,” Techno said awkwardly.

The quiet persisted. Techno wasn’t even sure what had set them off. He didn’t think he had said anything particularly damning. He shifted in his seat.

“So what’s the Syndicate?” he asked.

He barely managed to stop himself from slamming a hand over his mouth.

He didn’t mean to blurt it out like that.

Whoops.

Phil jolted, feathers fluffing up. He hiccupped a chirp into his hand, seemingly choking on it.

“Uh,” he started, making another weird hiccup noise. “If you are going to be staying with us, you should probably know that we… aren’t exactly law-abiding citizens.”

Techno snorted.

“Yeah, I worked that one out,” he drawled, rolling his eyes. Phil blinked at him in surprise.

Then he seemed to realize something.

“Ah. Did Sam tell you?”

Techno resisted the urge to facepalm. It was a very close thing.

“Phil. You literally tore someone’s throat out in front of me,” he stated blankly. Phil’s mouth made a little ‘o’ shape. “I don’t know much about alien morals, but somethin’ tells me that’s not exactly ‘normal civilian’ behavior.”

Wilbur failed to muffle his amused chortles. Phil’s wings puffed up, the man clearly embarrassed as he whacked the other alien upside the head.

“Well that makes things easier,” he said, ignoring Wilbur’s pout. “We are, to put it simply, space pirates.”

… Huh.

“We go around robbing people and causing mayhem!” Tommy added enthusiastically, his hooves thumping against the ground and his tails wagging behind him. Niki hummed consideringly.

“There’s a bit more to it than that. We’re basically anarchistic police. We tend to target government owned facilities, organized crime, corrupt officials, things like that,” she explained helpfully. “Especially so if they’re rumored to be involved with trafficking.” A dark look passed over her face. “We all have issues with trafficking,” she finished, clicking a distinctly sinister sound.

Techno… did not think he wanted to open up that box yet.

He nodded carefully.

“Sounds fine to me, the government can afford to lose a few priceless art pieces,” he said, lips twitching into a smile.

Ranboo perked up.

“Does that mean you’ll join us?” he asked hopefully, eyes practically sparkling. Techno snorted, reaching up to ruffle his hair.

“I don’t see why not. Someone’s gotta save your skins.”

Tommy shrieked in offense.

“We are perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves!”

Techno slowly turned to him, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

“Would Wilbur agree with that statement?”

Wilbur burst into cackles, Tommy spluttering and cursing at both of them. Techno just grinned, laughing when the kid predictably resorted to violence and tackled him. He poked and prodded, dinner forgotten as he was forced to wrestle with the aliens yet again.

He wouldn’t have it any other way.

- - - -

“Wait, you had a nickname for everyone?”

Techno looked up from his book at Tommy’s question. He thought back on the conversation before bobbing his head in response.

“I couldn’t exactly refer to all of you as ‘the alien’ in my head,” he deadpanned, hearing Phil snicker from behind him. The elytrian carded his talons through Techno’s hair again, making sure it was straight before starting his braiding practice again.

Techno was currently leaning back against Niki in the nest, practicing reading Common while the rest of the crew half-paid attention to the movie quietly playing in the background. Ranboo, Tommy, and Tubbo were all using Wilbur as a jungle gym—flopped over his tail in varyingly uncomfortable looking positions and watching Phil work.

“What was my name?” Tommy asked excitedly, not even pretending to pay attention to the movie anymore.

Techno’s lips twitched into a smile. He bookmarked his page on the holopad, swiping it closed and leaning back so Phil could reach his hair easier.

“Raccoon,” he said, Tommy’s ears flicking.

“Rocka-what now?” the kid questioned, butchering the pronunciation completely. Techno snorted.

“Raccoon. It’s a small fluffy animal from Earth. Your fur pattern, ears, and face kinda remind me of them,” he explained with a vague wave of his hand, humming when Phil scratched at his scalp just right.

“Huh,” Tommy replied, clearly not knowing what to think of that. If he knew they were also called trash pandas, he’d probably be a shrieking monster out for blood right about now. Techno’s lips twitched into a smirk. “What about Ranboo?”

His smirk faded away.

He could sense the incoming bullying.

“… Tall.”

Phil’s hands stilled. Techno pointedly stared up at the ceiling, avoiding the gazes boring into him.

Tubbo broke out into bleating cackles. Techno’s cheeks warmed, and he could feel Niki repressing her laughter below him. Wilbur and Tommy did no such thing, doubling over themselves and wheezing. Ranboo was pouting, Wilbur tapping his shoulder consolingly even while being anything but.

“Creative,” Phil interjected, mirth dripping from his voice.

“Shut it Birdman,” Techno grunted in response.

Phil squawked. Techno may have already explained what birds were when he last threatened to turn Phil into KFC.

“Birdman?” Wilbur wheezed, still giggling even as his gills flared. “What was I? Please tell me it was Blue or something.”

Techno rolled his eyes, wishing he could swat at the merphant. Luckily for Wilbur, he was too far away, so the alien would get to live another day.

“You were Eel, thank you very much,” Techno grumbled. Tubbo opened his mouth—probably to ask what an eel was—so Techno beat him to it. “Eels are ocean animals that have no limbs or anything. They’re just long with one or two fins that go down their back or front.”

…

“Did you just name all of us after animals except Ranboo?” Wilbur asked judgmentally.

And there were Techno’s cheeks getting warm again.

“Not all of you,” he defended, crossing his arms. “Tubbo was an insect, and Niki was a character from ancient mythology, so—”

“Wait, you named Niki after a mythology character and the rest of us after animals?!” Tommy interrupted.

“Bees aren’t animals—”

“What the fuck Techno?!” The kid ignored Techno’s defense completely, sending him an accusing look.

“To be fair,” Techno started, “Lamia was a really interesting character that’s almost always described as looking like Niki. Except without the gills and more green than pink.”

“A-mia?!” Tommy shrieked. “Why did Niki get the coolest fucking name!?”

Techno blinked, looking up at the merphant in question. She peered down at him with curious white eyes.

He shrugged.

“Niki is cooler than all of you.”

Techno would never hear the end of Tommy’s complaining.

- - - -

Techno held the button down on the machine, purple light pouring out the front. The plate he was holding in his hands lit up with blue specks as he ran the cleaner over it, removing the grime from dinner. Once he was satisfied, he passed the plate over to Wilbur, the merphant slithering away and putting it in one of the kitchen cupboards.

Wilbur was humming a soft tune, the sound soothing Techno into a kind of trance. Apparently, merphant singing was hypnotic, but apparently humans had more resistance to it than other races. Wilbur had been ecstatic when he found that out, immediately dragging Techno to his room and forcing him to listen to his many many songs.

Techno didn’t have the heart to tell him that he knew nothing about music.

“Last one,” he called, running the machine over another plate. Wilbur interrupted his siren song, clicking an affirmative as Techno passed him the last dish.

Techno stretched as the merphant put it away, accidentally locking eyes with the massive alien.

Wilbur hummed a curious note.

“Why did your eyes change color?” he asked out of nowhere, and Techno blinked.

“Heh?”

“Your eyes. Why did they change color?”

Techno blinked again.

“My eyes changed color?!” he screeched, suddenly panicked. He immediately looked away, glancing at his reflection in the shiny metal counter. They didn’t seem to be a different color, but maybe that was just because the gray metal was tinting them. He needed a mirror.

Wilbur looked alarmed at his response, fins flared out.

“Uh, yes? When you first got here, they were kind of gray, but now they’re almost as blue as Tommy’s,” he elaborated, tail curling in on itself in an anxious tic.

Techno froze.

Oh.

He deflated, dragging a hand down his face.

“Techno?! Should I call Ponk?” Wilbur asked worriedly, hands hovering around Techno’s shoulders.

“No, no! It’s fine, the color changing is normal,” Techno said a touch too quickly, his cheeks starting to burn.

Wilbur looked cautiously relieved.

Then he narrowed his eyes, most likely spotting Techno’s blush.

The merphant grinned.

Oh no.

“Now flushing red is something I do know about,” he clicked smugly. “What’s got you all embarrassed, little brother?” Techno’s face burned even more at the title. “Could it have something to do with the reason your eyes changed colors? Hmm?”

Techno immediately spun on his heel, all but running out of the kitchen. Wilbur followed after him with clicking laughter, turning into a cloud before flying straight through Techno and rematerializing in his path.

“Why did your eyes change?” he prodded, clearly amused. Techno didn’t think he could get any redder. He crossed his arms, awkwardly fiddling with his sleeves.

“No reason,” he said unconvincingly. The conversation had attracted the rest of the crew’s attention by now, all five of them having finished setting up a movie in the nest. They turned to watch, no small amount of curiosity in their gazes.

“I don’t believe that for a second!” Wilbur clicked out, lowering himself to look up at Techno’s face.

Techno grumbled.

“What was that?” the merphant pushed, grinning mischievously.

“It means I’m happier, okay?!” Techno shouted, wanting nothing more than to sink into the floor. Wilbur’s smile froze. “Human eye color seems duller when we’re sad and it gets brighter when that changes, alright? Now let’s just watch a movie.” He sped past the alien.

He didn’t get very far before he was yanked into a tight hug.

“AWWWWWW—”

“Wilbur! Let me go-”

“MY CUTE LITTLE BROTHER LOVES US!”

“Wilbur, I will stab you!”

“Classic human behavior, threatening with violence when you can’t deal with emotions—OW!”

“I WARNED YOU!”

“STOP JABBING ME IN THE STOMACH!”

“LET ME GO!”

“NEVER!”

“You’ve chosen POOR LAST WORDS—”

“BOYS! Stop trying to tear each other’s heads off and come watch the fucking movie!”

- - - -

Techno’s eyes idly drifted over the ballroom, landing on a pair of shulks whispering to each other from the ground. They were clearly trying to be quiet, but considering the forty or so other aliens present were all dead silent from fear, they were easy to pick out.

He frowned, moving his hand away from fiddling with his hoglin skull mask and pressing it to his lightsaber. Technically, it was more of a broadsword with a laser blade, but it was basically a lightsaber and Techno refused to call it anything else.

One of the shulks moved their hand suspiciously.

That was enough of that.

“Are you sure we can’t just kill them?” he drawled out in Common. All heads in the room snapped to him, including those of the two shulks.

They made eye contact. Techno gave them a predatory grin.

The shulks squeal-meowed, hunching into a ball and shoving themselves to the ground.

Phil shot Techno a flat look.

“Yes Techno, I’m sure. Stop terrorizing the hostages.”

Techno sighed dramatically.

“Fine, fine,” he said, switching back to English right after. “A couple of these guys are trying to do something. Keep an eye out.” He nodded his head at the two cowering shulks, being careful not to dislodge his golden crown. He didn’t want to lose Ranboo’s gift.

Phil followed his gaze, bobbing his head in understanding. He scanned the room with a sharp eye before going to check on the drugged roghcos tied up off to the side. Roghcos tended to fall into a haze whenever they saw Techno and became a pain to deal non-lethally, so Wilbur had whipped up a drug that could actually knock them out.

The Syndicate was currently crashing a mob boss’ party and robbing all of the corrupt officials there blind while they were at it. After they took down Schlatt a few months ago, a massive power vacuum opened up. The Syndicate was quite busy now, flying all over the place cleaning up criminals and traffickers that flocked to fill his position.

Thankfully, the council was actually helping them out on that front. It turns out all that was needed to crack down on people trying to abduct and sell humans was one human joining an infamous band of space pirates.

Who knew.

“Alright, we got it all,” Niki clicked, her voice coming through Techno’s earpiece with Tubbo’s bleating cheers in the background. Techno locked eyes with Phil across the room, both of them giving each other a short nod.

“Well, you all have been a great crowd,” Phil said, his voice ringing out. A sly smile plastered onto his face as he played up the act. Techno grabbed his bag of stolen goods and jumped off the table he was sitting on, landing with a harsh thud. He stalked through the hostages, his boots thumping heavily as he made his way towards the doors. The aliens he passed by tensed, flinching away from his wandering gaze. “But I believe it’s time we made our exit.” Techno came to stand next to Phil at the doors, shoving one open with a quiet grunt and holding it there with his foot. He looked back at Phil, watching the elytrian rattle his wings at the crowd. “I don’t recommend trying to stop us.”

The hostages didn’t seem to be breathing. The air was deathly still.

Phil turned around with a flourish, talons clacking as he exited the room. Techno let the heavy doors slam closed behind them.

They shared a glance.

And then they booked it.

“How long do you think before they call security?” Techno asked, leading the way as they sprinted full speed down the halls.

“Three minutes, tops,” Phil responded, checking the branch hallways as they passed them. “Though it might take another few for security to actually come after us, since they might be too busy trying to free the hostages because somebody sliced open the panel for the doors,” he guessed, shooting Techno a look.

Techno scoffed.

“What? It was effective, and I’m strong enough to push them open.” Just barely. Rich people and their dumb, fancy electronic doors.

Phil sighed in resignation.

This particular mob boss had built her base on an asteroid, so it was incredibly difficult to break into even with Ranboo and Tubbo hacking the security. Hopefully the council would do their jobs for once and get here to arrest everyone before they all fled.

They rounded a corner, alarms starting to go off overhead. They kept running, the doorway to the hangar coming into view.

“Ranboo, we’re gonna need the entrance to the hangar open,” Techno called, the metal doors looming in front of him as they approached.

“On it!” Ranboo warbled in Techno’s ear, tapping sounding out over the comm. The door opened with a whoosh, revealing Niki and Tubbo standing on the other side. Niki smiled when she saw them, adjusting the straps of her two bags while Tubbo let out a whoop.

Techno gave them a wave as he and Phil crossed through the doors, both of them bending over to catch their breaths.

Footsteps started pounding behind them.

“Ranboo, close all the doors! Tommy, start the engine!” Phil shouted, starting to run again in the direction of their shuttle. Tubbo darted after him, and Techno chucked his bag over to Niki. The merphant clicked, pulling the bag over her shoulder and quickly following the other two, Techno taking up the rear.

“Roger!” Tommy responded, the large black and green shuttle coming to life. He let down the ramp as they approached, Phil quickly jumping into the co-pilot seat. Niki tossed the shoulder bags into the trunk compartment, letting Tubbo fly into the shuttle before slithering up after him. Techno waited for them both to enter before climbing in himself, glancing back.

People were pounding on the hangar doors, the metal starting to give way to a battering ram.

Techno slammed down on the button to seal the shuttle.

“All good!” he called, throwing himself into his seat and pulling a harness over his chest. Tommy chittered an affirmative.

“Ranboo, we’re taking off!” Phil called, bobbing his head at Tommy. Ranboo warbled in acknowledgment, a loud mechanical sound screeching through the hangar as one of the walls split. A glossy thin membrane covered the opening, one that let shuttles pass through while still keeping most of the breathable air inside.

Tommy grinned, flicking a few switches and making the shuttle rise into the air. He vibrated with excitement, slamming down on the metaphorical gas pedal and hightailing it out of there.

Ships would probably be following them soon, but if Techno had learned anything from the last few jobs, it was that Tommy was a monster behind the wheel. He highly doubted anyone would catch up to them.

He let himself wind down, taking slow, deep breaths to calm his heart.

“Damn it, no one’s following us,” Tommy grumbled, a pout obvious in his voice.

Techno snorted.

“That’s supposed to be a good thing you know,” he drawled, stretching his arms above his head. They were probably going to be sore tomorrow.

“If I could glare at you from up here, I would,” Tommy spat back. Techno laughed again, Phil snickering with him.

“It’s nice to have a calm heist every once in a while. Don’t complain or you’ll jinx it,” Phil said, feathers rustling.

“This heist was too easy, this heist was too easy, this heist was too easy—” Tubbo chanted, cutting off with a bleat when Niki whacked him with her tail.

“Hush you,” she chastised. A grumpy warble sounded over the comms.

“Well I, for one, am glad that we can have a movie night instead of sending half of you to the infirmary,” Ranboo stated, Wilbur humming in fervid agreement.

“Seriously! I swear, the second Techno came aboard all of you people lost any sense of self-preservation!” the merphant loudly complained.

“Hey, don’t drag me into this!” Techno defended. “I have nothing to do with their sudden reckless impulses.”

“Bullshit. You’ve infected Niki and Phil by sparring with them.”

“Lies and slander.”

Tommy and Tubbo laughed, making Techno grin. He looked out the porthole, seeing the vague outline of the SBI spaceship come into view.

There was nowhere he’d rather be.