Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The half rundown truck rumbled down the road. A noise that was far too loud and far too rough for anyone inside, but that didn’t matter to them men. Scraggly, as roughed up as their truck. One gripped the barely covered steering wheel, eyebrow furrowed in annoyance and frustration while the other grumbled over a half opened map.

“Damn it John.” The one holding the map growled out. “Why’d ya have to miss that turn?”

“Your the fuckin’ navigator! It’s your fault that you didn’t tell me which road to turn down.”

“Oh don’t put this on me!”

The truck hit a pothole, sending them into a flurry of curses.

“This truck is gonna break down on the wrong side of the border and we’ll be up shit creek without a paddle!” The man fumbled with the map, crinkling the edges as he tried to peer at any signs he could see. None of them told him anything. “Nothing’s matching up with the map.”

He glanced up just in time to see a sign that announced a checkpoint.

“Fuck.”

“Stay calm-“

“Don’t tell me to stay fucking calm! Do you know what the penalty for smuggling hybrids over this side of the border is?! Death penalty, John! And I’m not about to die over some hybrid!”

“Relax. As long as we don’t look suspicious and cooperate, they’ll just give the truck a cursory glance. Besides, the thing is a hidden well. Muzzled too. We’ll be fine.”

The man grumbled, not feeling his panic any more assuaged than before. They hit another pothole. Bigger than the last. All the supplies in the truck lifted for a brief moment before slamming back down. There was a pained warble in the back as a box slammed back into the floor. The man holding the map whirled around, growling. His hand slammed into the crate.

“Shuddup would ya?”

There was quiet.

“Daniel.”

Lights flashed up ahead. They were at the checkpoint.

“Just stay calm.” The driver pulled off to the side as he was directed. With a side-long view at his passenger, he parked. There was a struggle to keep his face from sneering as a blaze hybrid, dressed in a sheriff’s uniform, strolled up to the window. He rolled it down, plastering a smile on his face. “Mornin’ fellas! What can I do for you?”

“Howdy. Where y’all headed?”

“Back home. Just got done deer hunting.”

“Bag anything?”

“Nah. Kinda a wasted trip.”

“Sorry to hear that.” The blaze hybrid shifted on his feet. “I’m gonna need y’all to step out for a moment.”

The driver minutely tensed for a moment before relaxing. His smile never fell. “We’ve got to be back by lunchtime. Can’t I just show you my license and registration?”

“‘Fraid not. Please step out of the vehicle.”

The driver sighed, trying to come off as only slightly annoyed. But he unclicked his seatbelt, motioning for his friend to do the same thing. There was fear in his eyes. But the driver remained calm as he opened the door and stepped out. The two were ushered off to the side by a tall demon hybrid. The Blaze hybrid rummaged around the truck with no apparent rush. Both traffickers watched, answering the demon’s question with as much ease as they could manage. Their attention, however, was stuck on the blaze hybrid pretending to be sheriff. He was getting ever closer to where the cage was hidden.

Time seemed to slow down when the blaze hybrid froze. It leaned over to speak something in the radio that was resting on its shoulder. The demon beside them also saw the change in demeanor, stopping all ‘friendly’ questions. With the air shifting, the two traffickers realized that it was time to leave. But before they could whip their hidden pistols, the demon hybrid had had both of them on the ground. Their weapons were quickly removed from their person, tossed away from their reach.

“By order of the government of LManberg, you are under arrest for hybrid trafficking.” The demon hybrid was saying as he latched handcuffs onto the two men’s wrists while they squirmed around on the ground. “Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law-“

“GET OFF ME YOU FILTHY CREATURE! YOU ABOMINATION!”

“Jack? A little help?”

“Hang on.”

“You’ll burn in hell! You’re government is gonna burn!”

“Ah shut up.”

x

BadBoyHalo watched as all the hybrid hunters were taken away with anger in his eyes. A crime scene had popped up around a simple traffic stop with a hive of activity thrumming about the area. He watched with growing fury as each illegal tool and device were pulled out of the truck.

Chains.

Whips.

Muzzles.

A prod-

“Bad?”

The demon whipped around. His eyes landed on Jack, his partner’s face twisted in concern. He shook it off. “I’m fine. How’s the kid?”

“He could be in worse condition. But-“

“That doesn’t make it better.” Bad finished with a sigh.

Jack nodded. “Yeah.”

“Has he said anything yet?”

“I got his name. That’s about it.” The two were silent as the crime scene investigators snapped photos and bagged evidence. It would be another open and shut case. Even though the men belonged to an address across the border, they committed a crime in LManberg. One of the few that ended with the death penalty.

“Manifold! Halo!” The two hybrids turned towards their chief as he strolled up to them. They were quick to snap onto a salute. “Have you gotten a statement from the victim?”

“Not yet Chief Majors. He’s pretty shaken up,”

“Not surprised. These guys don’t look like chumps. They knew what they were doing for sure.” The man stroked his chin. “We definitely won’t get a confession out of those two fucks you hauled in…”

The three stood in silence as they contemplated their next move. Bad licked his lips, flicking his tail as he tried to fight his rising anger. It was never going to end.

“Well. Nothing’s gonna get done by just standing around.” The chief said with finality. “Take the kid to the Center after you get done at the station. I’ll call Sam, give him a heads up so he’s not blindsided by this.”

Jack and Bad snapped to a salute as their chief strolled off to direct the CSI crew further. The Blaze and Demon hybrid walked over to their cruiser. And Bad’s ears pinned to his skull as he beheld the poor child, hunched in on himself with his eyes glued to the floor. He was shivering even with the shock blanket pulled tightly over his shoulders. There was a void to his mismatched eyes as the boy reeled back when Jack opened the door. Bad, out of habit, knelt so he wasn’t looming over the lad.

“Hey kid….we’re gonna take care of you okay?” Jack tried to get them to look him in the eye but the boy just tilted his eyes away. He didn’t push beyond that, smiling sadly as he and his partner loaded up and started back towards the station.

Chapter Text

Seventeen year old Philza woke to the sound of the center entering into chaos. He stirred at the sound of commotion outside his closed door. Workers, he figured, moving about, trying to be quiet in their rushed state, but failing to do so. Must be big. He groaned, pushing his face into his stuffed crow.

“Chaaaaatttt. I don’t want to wake up.” Chat of course, didn’t answer. But Philza could just imagine a little voice saying that the Center was awake, then he needed to be awake. He needed to know what was happening. The Piglin stretched. Rubbing his eyes with his fist as he turned off the bed. Right as his hooved feet hit the ground, his alarm started to blare. Philza gave it an unimpressed stare. “You’re certainly not helping matters.”

With quick, expert movements, Philza got to work with his morning routine. He made his bed, tucking Chat right next to the pillows so that he could get some more sleep and quickly pulled on his day clothes. Philza mussed his hair in a way that looked like he put effort into it, but didn’t take too much time to do. It was something that Quackity had taught him to do, and it looked nice on him. He straightened his black and green long sleeved tee, hiked up his jeans and left the room.

And stepped into chaos.

Most of the leaders in the center were moving around the place frantically. Philza caught the pink hair of Techno, moving through the hallway without nary a glance. His ears pinned back against his scalp, stepping back as all the group of senior members moved on.

Oh. So it was that type of situation.

Philza chewed his bottom lip, wondering what he should do now. Maybe he should go and make sure the younger kids are doing okay. Since it looked like most of the adults were going to deal with….whatever they were doing. He hesitated for a moment before starting down the hallway where the younger kids were normally kept. The boy caught the scent of breakfast being cooked, meaning that it was up to him to keep the schedule moving.

He moved quickly through the hallway, expertly and nimbly moving in and out of the flow. He didn’t stop until he reached the children’s sector where the younger children were kept. Philza craned his neck upward, ducking downward as he caught the eye of Schlatt.

Maybe he could sneak away before he was spott-

“Philza.”

The boy froze. He turned around, flashing his eyes, and blinking upward innocently. “Good morning Schlatt! How are you…..this fine morning?”

“What are you doing here, Philza?”

“Oh….I’m just going to get the little ones so I can take them to breakfast.”

Schlatt raised his eyebrows. “You’re not on breakfast duty.”

“I’m just trying to help out! Techno and Mister Sam looked a little swamped this morning. So I'm just here to lend an extra hand!”

The goat hybrid didn’t look all that convinced but when Philza gave him another bat of his eyes, he melted. “Alright kid. But if Techno hears you didn’t get to your appointment with Puffy on time, then you’re on your own.”

“You’re such a good guardian Sclatt. Truly, one of the most caring.” Philza chuckled at the deadpanned look Schlatt gave him at his sarcastic wit. The man quickly ruffled his hair, causing a whine from Philza. “You’re messing up my hairdo, dude!”

“And how long did your hairdo take you this morning? A minute?” Schlatt chuckled as he quickly started to corral the younger kids.

“More than that!” Philza shouted back. The snipping was over quickly, business quickly overtaking them. The kids were easy to move about since Philza had watched most of them when the workers were too busy. They listened to him. Except-

“Talullah! Stop trying to eat Chayanne!”

The dragonlet hybrid looked up at him with those big brown eyes unlatching her mouth from Chayanne’s arm from where she had tried to eat it, lips pouting outward. “But I hunnngggreeeeeee.”

“We’ll get you some food in a moment. But Chayanne is not meaty enough to be hearty.”

“Hey!”

“Sorry buddy.” His eyes scanned the crowd before him. But he didn’t spot the red and yellow flowered head. “Has anyone seen Tommy and Tubbo?”

“PPPPHIIIILLLLZZZZAAAA!” A moment later, Philza was bodied from behind. He fell to the ground with an oomph, the crowd of kids bursting into a fit of laughter.

“Oh hahahaha.” Philza chuffed out. He tried to pull himself out from the pile he had found himself underneath. But the two bodies had him pinned. “Tommy and Tubbo. What are you doing?”

“We’re trying to see if we can keep you there forever!” He heard Tommy say.

“We can do it.” Tubbo added softly. “You can’t do it, I’m sorry to say.”

Philza grunted. He went limp for a moment before throwing his weight over. He grabbed the two boys by their waist, twisting until he had them pinned underneath him. “Ha! Gotcha! As punishment: you’re gonna have to eat your vegetables at lunch!”

“NOOOOO! HOW HORRIBLE THIS PUNISHMENT!” Tommy cried out. They had drawn a crowd of children. Like a little play. Tommy’s blue eyes twinkled with laughter as he reached out for Schlatt who had come closer to see what was going on. “Schlatt! Schlatt my friend! Won’t you help a poor dee-fense-lice boy?”

“I think you mean ‘defenseless’. And no. This is payback for putting mud in my nice dress shoes.”

“Dress shoes are for skanks!”

Phil froze. The boy beneath him beamed brighter than he had ever smiled. “Tommy…”

“Yes, my beloved father figure who I wouldn’t trade anything in the world for?”

“.....where did you learn that word?”

“Schlatt taught it to me!” Philza glanced up to the goat hybrid, who looked rather uncomfortable all of the sudden. He glanced down at his empty wrist.

“Woah, would you look at the time! We’ve gotta get to the dining room!”

Philza could hardly get a chiding word out as Schlatt quickly rounded up all the little kids. They fell in line easily, and Philza had to admit it was rather interesting to see them march down the hallways. Like little soldiers off to war. Some of them did dramatically, pulling their knees up to their chest as they walked. The piglin walked by Schlatt’s side, the adult asking about how his schooling was going.

“OH it’s going fantastic! I’m gonna be skipping a grade next year!”

“I knew you were the ones with the brains.” Schlatt joked. “What subject are you going to gravitate towards, do you think?”

“Hmmm, probably architecture. It’s very fascinating. But I don’t have the eye for math.”

“Ah sure you do. You’ll get the hang of it in no time.”

“Thanks, Mr. Schlatt.”

“No problem kid.”

They walked for a few more minutes until arriving in the dining room.

Which was in the same sort of chaos that the rest of the big house was in. Philza directed the kids to the wall as some of the main heads of the center flew by, carrying tupperware that was filled with soup. At least….that’s what Philza suspected was in the tupperware, seeing how it was far too liquidy to actually be the biscuits and gravy they were serving that morning. His breath was stolen away by the panicked look on some of their faces. He shifted uncomfortably as he watched some of them whisper quickly and harshly to each other, as though they were trying to keep the atmosphere calm.

But Philza was too observant. Too aware of the shifting air to not notice how many of them were far too frantic to be normal.

“Dadza?”

Some of them were actually looking too panicked for normal. Something curled in his gut-

“Dadzaaaa!”

He glanced down at Tommy with a tight smile. “Oh. Sorry Tommy. What is it?”

“Tubbo wants some plum jelly.” The red-flowered moobloom shyly nodded. Tommy continued, “But he’s a little bit-”

“Scared.” Tubbo muttered as his honey-brown eyes flittered to the barely disguised chaos going on around them.

“Okay. I’ll get you some plum jelly.” Philza took his son’s plate from his hands. “Tommy? Would you want anything?”

“ORANGE JUICE!” Philza chuckled as he placed a kiss on the boy’s head. “Orange juice it is. I’ll be right back.”

“YAY! ORANGE JUUUUUIIIICEEEE!” Tommy shouted. He drew some eyes but most of the residents were used to the boy’s morning time antics. Philza smiled brightly but it dimmed a bit when he got closer to the huddled group of workers.

“...they don’t know what type of hybrid he is….”

“....do you think Sam might hand him off?.....”

“.....no….he wouldn’t do that….”

Philza’s ears perked up at that, the conversation shutting down quickly when they noticed Phil was getting closer. He quietly excused himself as he filled up a plate with Tubbo’s plum jam and Tommy’s orange juice. When he had grabbed his things as well as some other treats, he retreated back to his table. The conversation started back up when the adults thought he was out of ear shot. But Philza heard a few snippets before he got back to the table.

Enough to piece together that there was someone coming to the Center.

Someone they didn’t know how to handle. Who could this mysterious person be?

Philza placed the plate on the table next to his boys, his mind wandering to the conversation. HIs boys entered their own conversation with a few of the other boys at the table. But his focus was on the adults. Their worry, their anxiety, was written clear on their faces as they hurriedly left the room.

He was pulled in two directions.

One was to follow the adults to see what was going on. But the other was tugging at him to stay with Tommy and Tubbo.

If there was a threat to the Center he needed to be where he could keep an eye on his boys-

The Center is safe, Philza, He told himself. There hadn’t been an attack on the Center. It was well guarded. Well patrolled. No one’s getting passed Technoblade.

Speaking of which-

“Tommy, Tubbo, be good today okay?” Philza gathered his things up before he turned to his kids.

“Where are you going, Dadza?”

“I’ve gotta go talk to a few people.” He gathered them up in his arms, plunging his snout into their flowers for a second, sighing as he took in the summer-kissed scent. Then he separated, giving them a gentle command to be good before he was off.

He moved through the corridors of the hallways, until he found Technoblade and Mr. Sam standing outside Mr. Sam’s office. Talking. Philza tucked himself away from sight, eyeing the two men who had helped him through so much.

“-Bad and Jack said they’ll be here around one with the boy.” Mr. Sam was saying.

“Do we know anything about him?” Technoblade asked softly.

“Not a thing. He won’t say anything other than his name.”

Philza’s guardian hummed, brows furrowed. “And the hunters?”

“Not saying anything either. Though we know that they live right across the border and are the most wanted traffickers in L’Manberg. High profile.”

“Well, glad we’re finally able to get them off the streets. Though heaven knows it’s a continuous fight.”

“Yeah.” Philza frowned. They both sounded so sad. Defeated and tired. “But they’re bringing him here. Since we don’t know where to return him. They sent us some things on his care that they’ve noticed, but we’ll have to figure everything out on our own."

“Going in blind?”

“Yep. Going in blind.”

“We’ve done this before with the twins.”

“True but Chayenne and Talullah at least could tell us a little bit about their care. This won't be us going in blind. This’ll be going in blind and deaf.”

“We’ll figure it o-” Technoblade paused, leaving Philza to tense in his hiding spot. There was an exasperated sigh. “Alright now ... .you can come out Philza.”

Philza felt himself blush under his fur as he shamelessly removed himself from the wall. His tail swayed behind him as his ears were tucked against his skull, a nervous laughter pulling itself from his throat.

“Morning….Technoblade. Mister Sam….”

The green haired human gave a chuckle, a fond look in his eyes. “Hey Philza. Whatcha doin’ sneaking around?”

“Uhhh….I was worried….something was wrong.” Philza’’s eyes darted to the eyes of the two adults that made him a bit skittish. Not in a bad way, not like how it was when he first arrived here just a year ago. But he was still a little nervous about the men that physically towered over them.

Mister Sam smiled softly. “Can you keep a secret, Philza?”

With wide eyes Philza nodded.

“We’re having a very special person being brought in. He was rescued, like you and your boys were, by Jack and Bad. We won’t have much information on him until we figure out what he is. He’s gonna need a friend.” Sam leveled a very serious look at him. “Can you help him feel welcomed?”

Philza nodded, a smile on his face. “I…can help him.”

“Good lad.” Mister Sam turned to Technoblade. “Call Bad and let him know we’re ready for when he gets here.”

The piglin teen fiddled with his hooves when Technoblade nodded and left. Philza glanced down, nibbling his lips before he snapped to attention when Mister Sam looked down.

“Alright, Philza. We’ll call you when he gets here. It’ll be a while before he arrives. Why don’t you go to your class now?”

“Yes sir.” Philza gave the man a quick hug before darting down the hallway towards the school area. He was finding himself barreling past the many lingerers and older teens as he ran towards his favorite time of the day.

He entered the school right before the teacher did, smiling apologetically as he barreled into the teacher. But he took his seat and dove head first into listening to the teacher start the lesson. The Piglin listened intently, trying to take notes as best he could. His handwriting still wasn’t the best and there were some words that just couldn’t come out properly. But Philza could always ask Technoblade when he was studying in his room that evening. This lesson today was on…..huh…it was on domes.

Domes. Dome-y, dum-dome. Hehehe. Philza smirked at his thoughts, latching onto them before tossing them out of his mind. He had to focus. There was probably going to be a test on this at some point. And while Philza had a perfect record, with nary a grade under a B+, he still had to work hard. Philza scrawled out the last bit of notes before the lesson changed.

Philza moved through the day with practice ease. A routine was what he had latched onto and the Center gave him that. There was talk about letting him go with some of the sounders that came through here, but that was quickly shut down after they witnessed him throw himself into a closet and locking himself in. Techno, Tommy and Tubbo…they were his sounder. They were the reason he woke up every morning. They were familiar. Without them-

He wouldn’t know what he would do with himself honestly.

Noon arrived quickly and the school kids were dismissed for lunch. Philza received a message from Mister Sam right at that moment that Jack and Bad were on their way. His breath caught in his throat as he searched for Tommy and Tubbo. Something in the center air had his instincts roaring, whispering about a newcomer, dangerous interloper and for him to check the lads, protect the runts.

BadBoyHalo and Jack Manifold were more than likely two and a half hours from the Center. They had time before they got there. Philza went all over the center for the third time that day, scouring all the little nooks and crannies for two moobloom boys. He found them in the backyard, squealing with enjoyment as they hopped around a mud pile, splashing water all over themselves.

“You’re gonna get your clothes dirty!” He called. Two boys turned his way, eyes wide.

“PHILZA!” Tommy shouted. The golden moobloom boy zoomed his way towards him, allowing Philza to brace himself for the impact. It didn’t really work as he went down with an oomph.

“Tommy!” PHilza shouted as he landed on the grass. “You’re gonna break a rib one of these days!”

“Awww! Are you getting old?”

“No. You’re just getting to be a bit big.”

“Yeaaaahhh! I’M A BIG MAN! THE BIGGEST AROUND!”

While Tommy proclaimed that to the Center’s backyard, Tubbo trotted up behind him. Kneeling down so that their eyes could meet.

“Hello, Tubbo.” Philza greeted softly.

“Hello Philza.” The boy greeted just as softly.

The piglin could see the boy’s tail sway back and forth gently, showing his contentment. It surely did feel like such heaven. Tubbo tilted his head as he got close, the flowers hidden neatly in his brunette hair poking out from his curls. “How is your day going?”

“Good. And I see that your day is going quite well.”

“Tommy tried to make me eat a mud cake.”

Philza’s smile dropped. “Tommy…..”

“They had worms in it! Good source of protein!”

“Tommy…..we’ve talked about eating the dirt around the Center.”

“But Dadza!” Tommy leaned forward even more, eye contact never breaking. “Woooorrrrmmmssss.”

“That’s not helping your case.”

“They were so good.”

“Okay, you little gremlin.” Philza quickly got the boy off him, grabbing and bringing them into a hug. “You two be on your best behavior for the next few days okay? I’m gonna be a busy bee for a while.”

“Why?” Tommy gasped dramatically. “Are you going on a secret mission? Are you a spy? A sab-er-to?”

Philza blinked. “A what?”

“What Mister Schlatt used to be.” Tubbo added quietly, pressed tightly against his chest.

“Oh. You mean a saboteur.” The golden piglin chuckled heavily. “No, I'm not a saboteur. There’s gonna be a new arrival to the Center and Mister Sam asked me to keep an eye on him.”

“You’re not gonna have time for us? Ooh, you wound me!” Tommy fell back., dramatically. Philza couldn’t help but fall out laughing himself. Though he gathered the boy up once more.

“I’ll always have time for you. But this kid….from what Mister Sam tells me, it’s gonna be a bit of work. He’s going to need a lot of help.”

“Can I help? Please, please, please!”

“....Sure. But!” Tommy stilled at that. “You have to wait until Mister Sam says it’s okay. Alright?”

“Yes sir, Mister Dadza, sir!”

“Oh. Secret mission.” Tubbo whispered to himself. Philza kissed the both of them before gently laying them off and getting to his hooves. He bid them goodbye, promising he’d see them at dinner before running off to the front of the Center. There were some older teens on the steps, loitering about because they didn’t have anything better to do during the day. He joined them, smiling at their greetings and calls to join him. Philza sat down with them. Basking himself in the warm spring sun. As he stared down the dirt path that led up to the World Outside, Philza couldn't help but think back to the time when he was a scared, traumatized child, brought to the Center almost a year ago to the day. He smiled as he recalled the feelings of fear about this place, with all these different beings.

Now he was here, charged with an important task of helping another hybrid. Like Tommy and Tubbo.

Another smile graced his lips, this one brighter than the last. Some of the older teens noticed, gently teasing him and asking if he was thinking of someone special. But the teasing and joy died down when the crunch of tires on the dirt. All eyes went upward to the police cruiser cresting over the hill.

Everyone felt the tension quickly skyward. Someone said something about going to get Technoblade and Sam.

Philza suddenly felt apprehension at this task he was given. The closer the cruiser got the more he felt the anxiety rise. He started to regret not asking about more details as the cruiser parked next to his guardian's pickup truck. He subconsciously pulled his boys in tighter, ears pinning back as BadBoyHalo and Jack Manifold stepped out of the car. His heart started to beat quickly. The door behind opened and Mister Sam and Technoblade left the house to meet the two police.

“Tommy? You and Tubbo stay here okay?” The boys nodded as Philza stood on slightly shakingly knees. He hesitated for a moment. His instincts were shifting at his panic, yelling at him to take his babies, and barricade them in his den. He shook his head, trying to dispel those thoughts. Technoblade was looking to him to help get this person settled.

He could do it. He’d done it before with the other little ones. He can do it again.

Phil started to nibble on his lip as he watched the four adults talk. He hesitated getting any closer, eyeing the way that Techno was gesturing around energetically. Though, the boy could see that the man was more angry than anything. If not angry, then frustrated. The hesitation and apprehension seemed to morph into sadness. He knew that the Center was struggling quite a bit, both in the finances and in their standing in the local governments. It wasn’t like they were looking to be disbanded but the shortness of funding and staff was really starting to be felt.

Philza knew that Technoblade didn’t know that he knew the desperation they were facing. All the pink haired man knew that Philza was doing the best he could to fill in the gaps left behind by seasoned members.

This right here was his sacrifice.

“Stay here,” he gently told his boys as he meekly moved forward, closer to the adults. He made sure his steps were loud enough to draw their attention, the men stopping their voices to look down at him. He waved shyly as he moved closer to Technoblade.

“Hey there, Phil!” Jack greeted with a smile as he knelt. "My goodness, look at you! All grown up!”

“Hi Mister Jack.”

“Techno says you’re gonna help us with the new guy.” Phil nodded shyly, which caused the smile on Jack’s face to deepen. “Now,…you’re gonna have to go slow with him. He’s a bit shy.”

Phil turned his attention back to the car, where he could see the head of the new arrival. His gaze lingered before nodding at Mister Jack. The adults chatted for a few more minutes until Sam got them moving. Phil backed up, tucking himself right behind Technoblade as Jack opened the door.p. Revealing the strange new person.

And the Piglin teen couldn’t believe his eyes.

His heart wrenched at the sight of the frightened and emancipated boy that quickly scooted away from the open door. Whimpering caught his ears as Mister Jack knelt down.

“Hey kid.” The kid’s shoulders relaxed a bit as Jack’s gentle words but his eyes were still lowered. “We’re here. This is the special place I’ve been telling you about. Do you remember?”

There was the slightest nod from the kid. Suddenly, the instincts that were telling him to run switched to protection at the trembling shoulders. Above him, Bad took a deep breath, unable to catch the small growl that rumbled out of his throat. The kid pushed himself back at that. Jack was quick to smooth everything over.

“Hey it’s okay. It’s okay. This is my friend, Sam.” The green haired man gave wave. “And this is Technoblade.”

“Howdy….”

“They’re gonna help you get your feet back underneath you. And this little guy is Philza. He’s gonna watch over you.” Philza dipped his head, but the kid didn’t even look his way. Odd. “Don’t you want to introduce yourself?”

There was a softly whispered name. Too soft for Philza’s high ranged hearing to pick up. He cocked his head innocently, looking up at Mister Jack. At his prodding, Philza stepped forward and said softly, “I-I’m sorry but…..I didn’t quite catch that.”

The boy licked his lips before saying, just a little bit louder, “Ranboo. M-my na-name is R-Ranboo.”

Chapter Text

Philza watched uncomfortably from where he was standing. Watching as the doctor checked over the new kid. His eyes were still downturned, his shoulders still hunched forward. Even as the doctor tried to get him to look up so that his eyes could be examined, the lad only turned away. Philza found it strange. He was told by other Piglins that eye contact was so important. A sign of respect. But he honestly couldn’t hold it to the young boy in the examination room. He remembered when he couldn’t look anyone in the eye, let alone the doctor.

The piglin shifted on his hooves, torn between wanting to comfort the boy and keeping his distance. Technoblade and Mister Sam were talking in hushed whispers with the doctor after the boy’s examination. He moved closer.

“Well?”

“Outside the normal physical trauma, I think he’ll be fine.” The doctor shifted.

“Do you know what he is?” Technoblade leaned in closer.

“Eehh….I recognize one half being Enderman. Makes sense with the obsidian collar around his neck. But the other is a complete mystery.”

Mister Sam glanced down. “That’ll make it difficult to know if he’s got any allergies or anything.”

Phil shifted away from the adults and moved over to the boy. He had moved a little bit further away from the group of conversing adults, scooting until he was up against the wall. Curled inward as much as he could for being so…..tall. Phil didn’t know why he felt a little put off with the boy- with Ranboo- keeping his eyes down but he figured it was simply a fear response.

“Hey…it’s me again.” Philza announced. Ranboo flinched away. “You don’t have to fear me. I’m not gonna hurt you. I’m actually here to help you! Mister Technoblade….the big scary man with the pink hair?- he’s not gonna hurt you either. They’re just trying to help!”

Ranboo remained hunched inward, head tucked into his knees. Though his ears did flick as Philza spoke.

“We were wondering….do you eat anything special? Is there anything you can’t eat because it’ll upset your tummy?” Ranboo was still for a second, before gently shaking his head. Phliza felt his ears perk up in happiness. “Is there anything you’d like to eat now? It’s past lunch time, but I’m sure Mister Technoblade and Mister Sam will help you get something!”

The boy in front of him slowly picked his head up, but still didn’t look him in his eyes. That was okay, Phil reasoned. He’ll get more confident in time. But for now, the piglin shot Ranboo a bit smile, his ears perking up and his tail swishing in contentment. Ranboo’s own ears pulled back just a bit, but they relaxed a little.

That was good.

That was good.

“Are you hungry?” Ranboo nodded, pulling himself inward just a bit. “Okay! We can go and get you something to eat!”

“Phil?” The Piglin turned around, blinking up at Mister Technoblade staring down at him with a concerned look on his face. Philza whirled around back to Ranboo, finding the boy had once again turned into a ball.

“Ranboo is hungry, Technobalde! Can we get him something to eat?”

“Sure….what would Ranboo like?”

“I….” Phil cocked his head, looking up at the mysterious boy before shrugging. “I don’t know….but he said that nothing hurts his tummy.”

“He said that?”

“Well. Not….said exactly. But he shook his head when I asked! So it’s basically like he said something.”

“Alright well I’ll take it.” Technoblade turned to Ranboo. “Are you up for finding something to eat?”

Ranboo trembled. Philza felt his smile falter.

“Maybe…maybe I can stay with him? While you go and get us something? I think he’s scared of grown-ups.”

“I think you’re right kiddo. I’ll be right back.” Techno ruffled his hair as he stood and left. Ranboo relaxed a little when the door closed, carefully picking his head upward but keeping his eyes down. Slowly, shockingly slowly, the boy became uncoiled. He slowly moved down from the examination table, like a panther that was moving closer towards his prey. But unlike the harsh predator moving, he scurried to the counter in the corner, hiding underneath it like a fearful rabbit.

Eyes. Still downcast.

Philza moved closer to the boy, stopping only a few feet away from him. He cocked his head to the side, examining him with an interested gaze. Ranboo certainly wasn’t the weirdest looking hybrid Philza had seen but he certainly was bizarre. Split down the middle, he was duel colored. One side was pitch black with what looked like little glittery purple on his cheeks, almost like stardust. The other was pale white, with dark grey freckles spreading out across the bridge of his nose. Little stubby horns poked up through the split color hair while his ears swivled this way an that.

In a way, Ranboo almost reminded Philza of Tommy and Tubbo. When they were younger. Philza felt his heart tighten at that thought. He scooted a little closer.

“You’re just like my boys. Well not exactly like my boys. You don’t have flowers growing out of your hair, do you?” Philza laughed. Ranboo looked confused. Philza’s laughter died out. “Where are you from? Must be from somewhere cool! I’m originally from the Nether, or at least that’s what I’ve been told. But I live here now! If you don’t have a home, this can be your new one!”

Still no answer from the boy. Phil was running out of things to talk about.

“What’s…..uh what’s your favorite color? Mine is green!”

Silence. Hm. This was harder than last time.

“Soooooo.” Philza sniffed. His mind struggled to grasp at topics that normally wouldn’t have been touched. “Been….fishing…lately?”

Ranboo went even more rigid, pushing himself back away from the Piglin. Instantly, the teen was on alert.

“Hey….hey, I’m not gonna hurt you, I promise! Please, don’t go away from me-“

There was a high pitched warble that had Philza scrambling back. His instincts assaulted him with feelings of danger, danger, unsafe, predator. There wasn’t much that would ever send him into feelings of harsh danger. Philza snarled without meaning to, unable to stop the growling that only made the terrified warble worse. After what seemed like an eternity, Philza managed to push through the dangerous thoughts of running away enough to lurch forward and grab ahold of Ranboo. That apparently was not what he was supposed to do.

Where previously the boy had been rigid and frightened, now he snarled ferociously. Twisting and bucking this way and that, trying to fight his way out of Philza’s grip. A cry rose up out of the half enderman as he bared his teeth. Philza let go, throwing himself backwards. The hackles were raised along Philza’s neck as Ranboo slowly calmed down.

“Ranboo?” Philza whispered. The silence had returned, along with Ranboo shaking like a leaf. “Ranboo…..Ranboo I’m not mad. Are you okay?”

Whatever progress they had been making went out the window in an instant. Ranboo pushed himself into the corner, trying to merge himself with the wall. Phil felt his heart shatter a bit as he was forced to move back, scooting away from the boy beofre him. There was a long stretch where no one said a thing. It was only punctuated by the occasional sad warble or trill that came from Ranboo. But other than that, not a word was spoken. It was rather tense, but thankfully it didn’t last too long as the door opened with Technoblade returning with two plates of food in hand.

“I’m back!” The man announced. Philza stood up, smiling gratefully at the man as he took the plate. It was only a small pile of spaghetti, but he was happy with it. Technoblade sat down Ranboo’s plate a little bit away from him, noting the tense atmosphere in the room. Ranboo stared at the plate for a long time. “Do you not like it? I can get you some thing else if you’d like.”

Ranboo just silently slid forward, hands trembling as he snatched a roll from off the tray and slowly nibbled on it. Technoblade looked down at Philza, and the Piglin looked at him. A silent understanding passed between the two of them. Technoblade sighed silently.

“Alrighty, then.” Technoblade turned back towards the enderman. “Ranboo? I’ll be right back okay? I’ve gotta talk to Philza about something. If you need anything, I’ll be right outside the door. Okay?”

The boy under the counter stilled for half a second. There was no acknowledgement that he had heard the pink haired man, other than that moment of freezing. Then he went back to slowly nibbling on his bread. Technoblade hummed to himself as he stood, gesturing for Philza to follow him. The Piglin gave Ranboo a wav before standing and leaving to move next to Technoblade.

Mister Sam was waiting for them outside the room, looking a bit conflicted and very troubled. It increased when his eyes jumped to Philza. “Hey kiddo. So, how’d it go?”

Phil glanced down a little, his hooves finding the hem of his shirt. “Well….he’s….he’s a bit shy.”

“Of course he is.”

“And…and he…he doesn’t like the mention of water.”

Techno hummed, “maybe a trauma thing?”

“Possibly. We’ll keep an eye on that for now. Did he tell you anything else?” Philza couldn’t help the shame that rose up when he shook his head no. Technoblade smiled anyway, in that ensuring way that needed no words. The Piglin teen felt his shoulders relax a little but the anxiety still remained as Mister Sam rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“Sam?” The man opened his eyes at the concerned question.

“I’m fine.” Philza and Technoblade both gave him a disbelieving look. The man’s face crumbled. “No….I’m not. The politicians are at it again. They’re trying to get a committee together so they tour the property.”

Philza suddenly felt like he shouldn’t be hearing this conversation, but there was no move to dismiss him so he quietly listened to the adults. Especially when Technoblade sputtered.

“Why would they do that?”

“Something about making sure their funding isn’t going to waste. We need more of it with the increased residents and few volunteers and workers. And apparently, they think that with the sufficient funds,” The words were more or less spat out with barely restrained anger, “they’ve already given us, they’re wondering why we need more.”

“Well if they’d open up more shelters and equipped them with the training then we wouldn’t need more funding.” Technoblade huffed. “Or better yet just deal with the trafficking situation and actually punish the traffickers instead of just putting them in jail and passing laws, there wouldn’t be any need for this conversation.”

“I know. And I know you hate groveling to government bureaucrats-“

“-it’s going to be my punishment in hell. Calling it now-“

“-it’s needed. Unless you have a way of supplying us with money. Outside of growing potatoes.” Sam added with a mirthful smirk. Technoblade clicked his mouth shut with a chuckle. “We’ll have to get everything ready and then schedule a date for them to come by. Hopefully, Ranboo will be able to adjust to the shelter before then. If not…..well. I guess we’ll figure it out.”

“Hey, I’ll have you know that my potatoes won the top spot at the county fair!”

“And we were eating mashed potatoes for a year and a half after that.”

Philza scrunched up his face. He did not like mashed potatoes. Technoblade chuckled and mused up his hair goodnaturedly. “No potatoes, please.”

“You’ll be okay, kid. We’ll think of something. You just help out Ranboo and get him settled okay?”

“Okay.”

“Good lad.” Technoblade’s gaze went upward to the clock on the wall. “Oh, you need to get going. You’ve got Miss Puffy waiting for you.”

Philza froze for a second before darting out of the office with a brief goodbye. He bolted through the doors and headed straight for the office of his favorite worker. It was a quick session, with the ewe hybrid making a comment about how he was coming along swiftly in his healing. He beamed brightly at that, feeling a swell of pride in his chest and heart.

He was coming along nicely. He was helping out. Taking off some of the burden from Technoblade and Mister Sam. For as long as the center was running, Philza had a place for his boys to stay and grow and food in their bellies. He did everything for them.

When he was dismissed from Puffy, he made his way back to the doctor’s. The boy was still there. Still hunched in the corner of the room and looking really tired. His heart squeezed.

“You’re still over there?” Philza knelt down next to the lad, quirking his eyebrow. “Are you….that…you can’t be comfortable.” Not a word was uttered by Ranboo. Instead he just curled tighter.

“Why don’t we take a tour of the center? I’m sure you’d like that! You’ll get to meet all sorts of people!” Ranboo shook his head. Philza bit his lips. This was going to be harder than he thought. 

“Phil?” The boy blinked up at the sound of his name, up at Quackity who looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Are you alright? You spaced out there for a moment.”

“Oh…yeah…” Phil sighed as he placed his pencil down. “No. Not really. You heard about the new kid?”

“Sorta. He’s half Enderman, brought in a few days ago. What’s this got to do with him?”

“Technoblade and Mister Sam asked me to watch out for him and help him get settled. But he’s not left the doctor’s office since. He stays huddled in the corner.” Philza sighed as he rubbed his face with both of his hands. “How am I supposed to help him get acquainted with the place if I can’t show him around?”

“Is he that scared?”

“Yeah.” Philza shifted in his seat, trying to get the hunched over boy out of his mind. It wasn’t successful. At all. “Ugh, I wanna help but-”

Quackity gave him a look. “You’ve just gotta be patient. You weren’t all that easy either.”

“Yeah, I know.” Philza pushed around a piece of eraser absently. Homework forgotten for the day, Philza pushed it away from him. Eyes were downcasted as he stood and started to pace. His tail was swishing and swaying in anxiety. Quackity was watching him with a bored look on his face.

“Maybe lure him out with food?”

“He won’t eat anything. The closest he’ll get is nibbling on some veggies.” Philza collapsed. “Uggggghhh, how do adults do this?”

“Years of practice and patience.”

“Not funny.”

“Wasn’t meant to be.” Quackity forced his face into Phil’s line of vision. “Look. We just gotta take it slow with this guy. I mean, no offense to you or anything, but he’s worse than when you were first here. Don’t you remember?”

“I remember you almost put me through the wall because I was scared of a thunderstorm.”

“Eh, you deserve it.”

“Says the boy with the phobia of chewing gum!”

“It was that one time! A kid put it in my wings and it was a pain to get out!”

“Sure.”

“At least I don’t scream my head off whenever it’s bath time!”

“It’s connected to my trauma! You wouldn’t make fun of someone’s trauma would you?”

“I would if it was you.” Quackity dissolved into a fit of giggles with Philza following soon after. It dissolved into a fit of full on laughter, the two boys clutching their middles as they fought to regain their composure. When they caught their breath, Philza sighed in half hearted defeat. “You could always go through the center library.”

“I did, but they don’t have much on Enderman. All I know is that they like dirt and live in the End.” Philza sighed again before perking up. Quackity saw the way Philza’s ears went up, and the way his nose crinkled.

“What? What did you think of?”

“I….I think I’ve figured out….how to get him out of the office!” Philza gathered up his books before stuffing them into his bag. He left the room with a brief thank you following him as he ran towards the Center’s garden.

Philza could only hope this plan worked.

Chapter Text

Ranboo poked his head out from where he hid under the counter. The lights were still on, far too bright for him to get some sort of sleep, but he was too worried about going out and doing something about them. Besides, he wondered if he could even reach the light switch. Or if anyone would get mad.

This place was too unknown for him to fully leave his little hiding spot. Of course, all he had to do was wait for that other kid to come back and then he would be safe. He wouldn’t have to deal with all these unknown people in this unknown place and their unknown motives-

He started to tremble. A little warble left his lips without him being able to stop it.

He didn’t want to be here. He wanted to be in a place where things were familiar. Where he didn’t hurt and everything made sense. But whenever he tried to think back on those familiar things-

His head gave a pounding ache. Ranboo whimpered as he curled in on himself. Why couldn’t he remember where he was before those men? Why couldn’t he seem to remember the parents who raised him? Did he even have parents? Did they miss him? Were they looking for him?

Ranboo sniffled as he tried to stop the tears from flowing down his face. They sizzled, streaking down his cheeks and leaving behind a painful sting. That caused more tears to flow.

More tears, more pain.

He pushed himself back against the wall when he heard the door open.

“Ranboo?”

The boy glanced up. “Philza?”

The golden Piglin moved forward, sliding down next to him. He took in his burned cheeks with a pinched brow, cupping his cheek with a loving tenderness that made him want to balk away. But at the same time, his mind whispered that Philza was safe. If he just stayed with Philza, he would be safe and sound. He hesitantly pushed into the caress.

“What happened? Where did these burn marks come from?” Ranboo shook his head at the question, shaking his head. He didn’t know why water hurt him, it just did. His lip quivered as he leaned further into the touch. “Oh we need to get those looked at. I’ll go and get the docto-’

“Mmmnoo!” Ranboo was quick to grab the piglin’s hand before he could wander off. He shook his head when those big eyes almost met his own. But he ducked down before the Voices could take over his mind, the tingling that could turn into an itch that could ruin everything. He pulled the piglin back underneath the counter. “Please….stay with me.”

“I will, I promise. But we need to take care of those burns. They look like they hurt.”

They did, but it was all Ranboo’s fault. He shook his head, pulling himself backward, pushing himself into the wall as though he could melt away and merge with it. “No doctors.”

“Oh.” Philza shifted on his knees. He looked down and then away before they bounced back. Ranboo kept his eyes downward, looking up through his lashes as much as he could. “Okay. No doctors. Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. We can take care of this ourselves! Uh…stay here.” Philza motioned for him to sit still, which caused Ranboo to flinch a bit. Philza gave an apologetic smile before scuttling out from underneath the counter and to the opposite side of the room. The older boy was quick to bring down a white box with a red cross on it. Ranboo couldn’t stop himself from slowly moving out from underneath the counter, watching curiously as the piglin pulled out some wipes and some sort of tube.

“What’s….what’s that?” Ranboo whispered. He pointed to the tube. Philza glanced up, smiling at the question.

“It’s burn cream. It’ll help with the pain.” The piglin squeezed a dab of cream onto his hooved fingers, and raised his hands. Though he hesitated. “Is…is it okay for me to touch you?”

Ranboo backed up a little bit, letting a little unsure chirp leave his lips. On habit he back but nothing happened. He cooed a little louder before nodding. Philza smiled, sending a warmth through the enderman’s chest as he leaned forward and gently- oh so gently it made him tear up again- dotted the cream along his cheek. His touches, gentle and sure and oh so tender, had Ranboo feeling a little overwhelmed. He felt his chest tighten as he fought back another wave of tears.

He couldn’t cry here. Couldn’t cause more pain to himself, and couldn’t cause more work for Philza-

“Ranboo?”

His will crumbled. Fresh tears fell down his face, releasing a new wave of pain and agony as they burned a path through the cream that had just applied. He pulled back, throwing himself into the corner of the room. He hid his head in his arms, throwing himself into a tight ball.

“Ranboo….Ranboo, please breath!”

He couldn’t!

“Yes, you can! I-I’m gonna touch you okay? I’m gonna just put my hand on your shoulders…” The boy flinched when two small, but firm hands encircled his bony shoulders. Ranboo felt the ants under his skin erupt in excitement, crawling under his skin as those hands carefully encircled him. Almost like he was made of glass that would shatter at the wrong movement. He came close to shattering but melted as arms gently squeezed around him. The tears petered out as Philza hugged him.

“It’s going to be okay, Ranboo. You’re going to be okay. You’re safe. You’re safe here. Breath in, okay? In, hold for four, and out. Can you follow me? Breath in-”

Ranboo inhaled, finding his chest stuttering as it fought to take in air. But he pulled a breath, slowly at Philza’s insistence, but continued. He pulled in that breath, held it for a count of four before releasing it. He stuttered that breath too, caught as it was on a sob, but he continued it, until he felt more grounded. At some point, Philza had turned him around and placed his head on his chest where he could hear the piglin’s beating heart.

“That’s why you didn’t want water.” Philza muttered. “Because it hurts you. Doesn’t it.”

He didn’t ask the question properly, but Ranboo nodded all the same.

“Is there anything else we need to know about?” Ranboo shook his head. “Okay. If you think of anything else, please…please tell us. Okay? We only want to help you here.”

“....why?”

“Why?”

Ranboo glanced up, locking his gaze onto the older boy’s cheeks. He felt that ever present tingle in the back of his skull as he barely caught sight of Philza’s concerned gaze in the corner of his eyes. “Why are you helping me?”

“Because you deserve it.” Philza tried to scoot down, trying to get eye level with him. But he kept lowering his own gaze. “You didn’t deserve to be in that cage. Or to have that muzzle on your face. You’re a person, Ranboo. You have rights and freedoms and a life to live. We’re here to help you achieve that.”

“I….” Ranboo was about to say something about that, about how he didn’t deserve to be free. He was a monster, ready to snap at a moment’s notice. That’s what the men would say, laughing as they held water bottles over his head in a taunting way-

“Hey. You’re going to be okay.” Philza shifted a bit. Ranboo glanced upward, watching as the older teen’s eyes darted out to the rest of the room. He shifted again. “How about…how about we go outside?”

“Outside?”

“Yeah! It’s a beautiful day, and I think you can do with a bit of fresh air! Besides, we can get you some things to take to your new room!”

“New room?” Ranboo shifted a bit, unfolding his legs a bit and stretching them. “Well….”

“My boys really want to meet you.” Philza tucked his ears back quickly. “That is….that is if you’re feeling up to it.”

“I….I don’t ….” Ranboo wanted to go outside. Wanted to see the sky and the sun and the green grass. And he wanted to sleep somewhere soft. It was getting kind of cramped in this little area underneath the counter in the medical ward. He took a deep breath. “Okay….”

“Really?!” Oh Philza sounded so excited. “Oh! That’s so great! Come on then!”

Ranboo was gently pulled to his feet (he laughed a bit awkwardly when he realized he towered over Philza by a few feet) and was directed towards the door. While Philza plowed right through the threshold, Ranboo lingered. He poked his head out, warbling softly in uncertainty as he turned his head left and right. There was no one around, but his twitching nose picked up a a couple of scents nearby. He scooted back just a bit shyly.

“Ranboo?”

The boy hunched in on his shoulders, clawed at the ground a bit before moving over the threshold. He jumped a bit when feet hit the cold floor, but moved forward a little bit when he realized that it was just the cool tile floor. It wasn’t unpleasant. Far from it. It felt good to stand after being curled up for so long. Though Ranbooo was still far too anxious about being in the open. His shoulders hunched, tail twitching back and forth and his ears were standing straight upward. Philza was watching him from where he stood, at the end of the hallway. His own tail was swishing, though he was doing it in excitement. Ranboo shuffled forward, eyes darting all over the place. There was no one around, even though he could hear all sorts of commotion going on somewhere down the hallways.

“It’s okay, Ranboo.” Philza whispered. “Come on, follow me!”

He did. Dutifully, the enderman trailed after the golden piglin. They traversed the hallway, going through a doorway. He stopped in his tracks at the people that he saw in the room just on the other side of the threshold. A cry struggled to make his way up his throat but his eyes locked on the window.

Sunlight.

Sunlight and green.

Something fluttered in his chest. A longing that burned more harshly than liquid on his skin. But there were people, standing in the way of him and the outside world.

Philza took his hand, and guided him through the throng. Ranboo kept his eyes locked on his feet as they moved through the room instead of the eyes he could feel watching him. They prickled the back of his neck, making his skin crawl in a way that he couldn’t shake off.

Don’t look, don’t look, don’t look-

“Here we are!”

Ranboo looked up, and felt his pupils increase in size. HIs breath left his chest as he beheld the pure scene of paradise. He slowly followed Philza, blinking harshly in the sunlight as it hit his face. But oh did it feel so good! He turned his face upward with a sigh, stepping further into the warm sunlight. It felt like a warm bath, removing himself from the cold, unfeeling light of his ‘room’, and into the bright natural light. It felt like he was being reborn. Fresh air whooshed through his lungs, forcing out the stale, sterilized air from his lungs. His feet touched something soft and pokey, and he laughed when he glanced down to see grass.

Grass. Oh how great it felt on his hurt paws! Instincts clouded over his mind before he knew it. Ranboo warbled and chirped excitedly as he threw himself into the green blades, rolling around like a cat who had found the catnip. He stretched out fully, inhaling the rich scent of the dirt as he rolled over onto his stomach. He felt his chest start to vibrate.

Everything felt far too perfect. His ears twitched at the sound of deep laughter.

Suddenly, he stopped. He sat up, catching sight of a tall man with pink hair standing next to Philza, watching him with a twinkle in his eyes.

Things….weren’t as perfect as he thought.

Ranboo wilted backward, a warning warble building up in his chest. Who was this stranger? What did he want-

“Easy, kid. It’s just me. Remember? I’m Technoblade.”

He didn’t remember. Not right at that moment anyway. He was too content soaking up the warm sun to think clearly. Still he rolled forward, hunching himself on all fours. His spine was arched, ears pinned back as he stared at this new threat. He was large, muscled and very clearly someone to watch carefully. Philza stood next to him with no fear. No tension in his body. Ranboo crooned nervously.

“Ranboo, Mister Techno’s a friend.” Philza said. Ranboo wanted to trust him. Really, he did. But-

“It’s okay, Philza. I’m not offended.” Technoblade stepped back a bit, kneeling down so that they were on relatively the same level. The space had Ranboo relaxing a bit, the tenseness in his muscle draining away. His eyes still followed him warily, waiting for him to lurch towards him, to grab him by his hair and haul him away, just like those other men.

He gave another fearful warble. Tail lashing behind him in quick swishes.

“How are you feeling?”

“He didn’t want the doctor to look at him, so we’re just on our way to get him set up in a room.”

“Philza…”

Uh oh….there was a warning tone in that voice. He pushed back, head lowering even more as two pairs of eyes darted towards him. Ears were pushed back farther, disappearing behind his matted locks.

“It’s okay, Ranboo.” Philza assured him. “Technoblade isn’t mad. Right?”

“Right. It’s just….it’s just we don’t want you walking around with something that could get worse. Like-” Technoblade cut himself off. “Are those burns on your cheek? They…they weren’t there before.”

“Apparently water hurts him.” Philza whispered. Thankfully, he didn’t say anything else. Though it was implied. “I put some cream on it though.”

“Okay. But you still should’ve had a doctor look at him.”

“We can’t make anybody do anything here, Technoblade.”

Ranboo whimpered at the backtalk. Pushing himself away from the duo as quickly as he could. He heard Technoblade sigh.

“I guess you’re right.” He felt eyes on him, before they left. “Do you have any plan on who he’s going to room up with?”

“Probably Tommy and Tubbo. They’re roughly the same age as Ranboo. And, I think that they would be more than willing to show Ranboo the ropes while I help you and Mister Sam for the visitation!”

“Phil, that’s for adults to worry about.”

“But I am an adult!”

There was a pause before a hushed, “We'll discuss this later.”

Ranboo’s ears flicked at the huff, glancing upward in concern. Philza was pouting, his lips puckered out and his arms were crossed. Oh, he was very comfortable here, if he was making such a display of himself so publicly.

Or making it at all.

“Fine.” Philza huffed. “I’m gonna go and take Ranboo to the Storage Store, and then I’m going to take him to his new room.”

“Philza-”

“It’s fine. I can handle it.” Philza marched towards him, the air around him softening a little bit as he looked down on him. Ranboo kept his gaze off to the right of those startling blue eyes, but he could still feel the itch in the back of his mind-

Don’t look…don’t look… He’s looking…insulting us….make him pay-

“-boo?”

He blinked, shaking his head to dispel the brutal voices. He blinked some more and felt the rest of the instincts disappear. And with them disappearing, he felt shame and embarrassment crawl up his spine, turning his cheeks a dark red.

It took some working of his mouth, but eventually he managed to choke out, “s-sorr-y.”

“It’s fine. Really.” He said that, the words sounding so sincere. But they didn’t mean anything to Ranboo. “You’re going to feel those instincts more and more here. But don’t feel embarrassed. You can indulge here as much as you want to in them. As long as they don’t hurt anyone, you’re allowed to do what's natural.”

Again, Ranboo could hear the sincerity in his words, but-

He nodded. “Okay.”

“Good. Come on! We’re gonna go and get some food and new clothes and you’re going to meet your new roommates!”

Ranboo nodded. He carefully stood, his legs shaking a bit as he did so. Raising to his full height but keeping his gaze lowered to the ground, he followed Philza away from the hospital and Mister Technoblade. The further they got from the towering pink haired man the more Ranboo felt his shoulders relax, the more confident he grew. His eyes glanced upward, watching the life of the center around him with interest in his gaze. It was….fascinating wasn’t a strong enough word but it worked for the moment.

There were hybrids all over the place. Some rare, some common. But they all walked around, either in groups as large as ten or as small as two. They all walked around with their heads held high, smiles on their faces-

None looked abused or afraid. There were children running around, their laughter filling the air and Ranboo’s heart.

This…this didn’t look like a place where horrible things happen. But looks could be deceiving.

He shuddered as a feeling of fear, misplaced trust and curiosity filled him. Where did those come from?

He shook them off as a little merling hybrid bumped into him with an omph. Ranboo twittered a little nervously as he pulled away from the child.

“Sorry!” She chirped before darting off. Ranboo blinked. Philza giggled.

“You’ve gotta watch yourself in the green. The kids can be a bit-” Philza caught a little dragon hybrid easily before they rammed into him, turned him around and let him loose without blinking. He turned back and shrugged, “Rambunctious.”

Ranboo blinked again. Well then…

“Come on! The storage area is gonna be shutting down for the day!” He was rushed through ‘the Green’, towards a little barn-looking area. Ranboo pushed down his fear, following behind Philza as close as he dared. He didn’t miss the way the small Piglin put himself at his side, almost in a comforting way.

A fatherly way.

He felt his tail wrap around Philza’s, interlinking them. Philza didn’t say a word, instead he pushed open the door. The building may have looked like a barn on the outside, but the inside looked more like a store. There were shelves that lined the walls, cubbies that were stuffed with all sorts of things. He could see among them little toys and books. Knick Knacks and the like. Some had shoes, hats, scarves and clothes of all sorts. His eyes went wide, staring up at a large amount of shelves. This place was….kinda cool.

“Philza!” An elderly woman called. She hobbled over to them, throwing her arms around the boy’s in a gentle hug. Philza returned it, and Ranboo could see the large smile on his face. “Oh, it’s so good to see you here! It’s been so long!”

“Good to see you too, Gran! I know, I’ve been busy taking care of the new wave of residences here!”

“Oh I know! Talluhalla and Chayenne talk about nothing but school and you.” ‘Gran’ pinched his cheeks gently. “You’re so good with children.”

“Thanks.”

Ranboo returned his gaze up to the shelves lining the walls, noting with some heartache that a good chunk of them were empty. Curious until he felt eyes on him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood straight up. “And who is this young man?”

“Gran, this is Ranboo! He’s new! Mister Bad and Mister Jack brought him in a few days ago!”

Philza pulled Ranboo over closer to the older woman. “Ranboo, this is Gran! She volunteers here at the Storage area. It’s like our own little store that people can donate stuff to! Things like toys and games and clothes! We can come by and pick what we want!”

“Yes, young Philza’s right.” The woman ruffled his hair. Her face turned a bit sour. “Though we have had a bit of a lull in the charity by the folks in town. We haven’t received a large donation in a few months.”

“Oh? That ….that’s not good.” Philza muttered.

“Of course not, but no need to worry your little head about it. Let the adults worry about it.”

Philza puckered his lips at that, the same way he did when this was brought up by Technoblade a few minutes ago. Though the look was shaken off quicker with the old lady, a smile on his face. “Ranboo needs better clothes, Gran! Something long and tall.”

“Alrighty! Let’s see what we can find!”

They moved throughout the shelves, going one by one searching for the right type of clothing for him. There were some shirts that drew his interest. But they didn’t feel right. His hands ran over the cloth, his face scrunching up in disgust as the fabric roughed against his palm. Philza and Gran noticed this, and gently nudged him over to the sleeping section. There was a twinkle in the older woman’s eyes when he chirped curiously at the soft looking shirts.

“Normally, I’m not one to recommend sleeping shirts for regular day time stuff, but if this place has taught me anything, it’s that everyone has their comfort level. And who am I to push against that?” Gran gave him a conspiratorial wink, a smile pulling at the corners of her lips. The way she smiled at him and the way those pale blue eyes twinkled, it had Ranboo smiling back. Together they went through the little place, and pretty soon, Ranboo had his own little wardrobe. He held his clothes tight against his chest. As they left, he noticed that the sun was starting to set and the sky was a brilliant type of orange. It caught his breath as he stared upward at the sight, trying to take it all in.

Philza gave him a moment, the piglin also taking in the early evening air with his eyes closed and head tilted upwards towards the sky. It was….

Peaceful.

He was going to like it here.

Philza nudged him after too long, pushing him gently towards the big house. He offered to take him to the dining room for some food, but Ranboo was tired. Exhaustion weighed on him like an anvil after a long, weary day. Ranboo asked softly to be taken to his new room. There was this worry in him that whispered that Philza would be mad, and he was trying to help and he would yell at Ranboo for not being social enough.

But, as always, the piglin just smiled and guided him past where a lot of people were mingling about. Shouting and throwing food, being rowdy. Ranboo quickly hurried past the doorway that apparently led to the dining room, ears and tail tucked. Philza was right behind him, leading him through a hallway with a series of doors. He stopped at one with the words ‘Tommy and Tubbo’ scrawled across the wood.

“Here we are!” The piglin knocked on the door three times before poking his head inside. There was a loud squeal and then the Piglin was knocked down by a blur of red and gold. Ranboo backed up in shock as two cow hybrids…maybe that’s not what they were as they had flowers poking through their hair ... .giggled as Philza embraced them.

“We missed you dadza! Where were you?” The blond haired not cow asked loudly.

“I was…hahahaha Tommy stops that tickles!” Philza rolled over, gently placing the boys on the ground. “I was showing my new friend around.”

It was then the piglin gestured to Ranboo, who shyly backed up when both boys whirled around. There was a moment when he felt those eyes on him, the tingling sensation on his neck growing the longer they stared. And then-

“OH WOW HI!” It was the blond one, Tommy. Boy was he loud.

“Tommy, remember what we said about volume?”

“Oh sorry.”

“It’s okay! Ranboo here is going to be your new roommate. I want you to treat him with respect and give him his boundaries okay?”

“Yes dadza!” The other one whispered.

“Sir yes sir!”

“Ranboo?”

The enderman turned his eyes upward, but not meeting the piglin’s eyes fully. There was a subtle shift in Philza’s expression but it was there and gone before he could realize what it was. A smile pulled at the older teen’s lips.

“Let me know if you need anything okay? My room is just down the hallway. Or you can always notify a hall monitor if there’s an issue with anything.”

“Okay.”

All their ears perked up at the sound of a bell tolling somewhere in the distance. “Alright boys, curfew is about to start. I’ve gotta get a shower. Love you boys.”

Tommy laughed as Philza nuzzled his curls. “Goodnight Dadza! Love you too!”

Tubbo apparently was softer spoken than his brother as Ranboo barely caught what he said as Philza nuzzled him. Ranboo tried not to feel jealous at the affection. Philza bid him a good night as well before he left. Ranboo was then left alone with the two mooblooms.

“So.” Tommy started, so serious it had the enderman tensing. “Seen any good movies lately?”

Ehh….oh boy. 

“WE GOT A DATE!”

Philza glanced up from where he was nodding off over a stack of papers he was filling out. He scrubbed his eyes clear of sleep, blinking down in confusion at what he had written. Philza yawned again, shoving the stacks away before glancing up at Sam. The human was bouncing around in the doorway, a smile clear on his face. Technoblade gave a hum from where he was sitting next to him.

“Sorry but I think my calendar's a bit full, and to be honest, you’re not my type.”

Philza chortled as Sam gave him a blank, deadpanned face. But it disappeared a moment later.

“The investors! They’ve decided when they’re going to come and visit!”

“Oh really?” Philza perked up in excitement, his ears standing straight up and his tail was wagging.

“It’s in a few days,” Sam caught the worried look on Technoblade’s face and was quick to continue, “But, if we work around the clock, we should be able to get this place looking spick and span!”

“Right. We’ll get on that.”

“Philza,” the boy perked up even more, “I’ll need you to make sure all the kids are on their best behavior!”

“Why can’t I meet the investors?”

Sam looked at Techno, his lips pulling in a bit of uncomfortable uncertainty. “It’s not…”

“It’s because you think that I’m a kid!”

“It’s not that-”

“Philza-”

“No! You won’t let me go out into the field, you won’t let me do anything! Aside from babysitting.” Philza pouted, crossing his arms with a huff. “Why won’t you let me help with this?”

There was quiet before Techno said, “Sam…can you give me a minute with Philza?”

“Uh, yeah, sure.”

The green haired human left, leaving a heavy silence over Techno and Philza.

“Phil? What’s wrong? Why are you acting like this?”

“I…I just…” Phil sighed. “I want to be treated like an adult. I….I talked to Cyberknife and he said that I’m technically an adult in Piglin years. And with the fact that I’m taking care of the kids, I’m practically a Brute! A Brute takes care of his sounder and I can’t do that when everyone here treats me like a kid!”

“You are a kid, kid.” Technoblade gently pulled him closer, in a partial hug that Philza wanted to shrug off. But he melted into the touch, purring a little bit in contentment. “I know you’re frustrated, but I’m just overprotective.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“I know you can. And you took care of Tommy and Tubbo, and you’re doing a fantastic job with Ranboo.”

“So far.”

“You’ll do great with him. He likes you already!” Techno was quiet before he said, “How about we make a trade?”

“Trade?”

“Yeah a trade.” Techno chuckled. “You help keep everything calm and organized, and I’ll let you help out with the investors. And if that goes well….I’ll let you….I’ll let you do field work.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” Philza squirmed around until he was facing Technoblade. “You promise? You’re not going to take it back?”

“I would never take back anything.” Technoblade crossed his finger over his chest. “Cross my heart, and hope to die.”

Philza blinked, his eyes searching the face of his guardian and caretaker who rescued him and saved his life. He saw no lie. A smile reached his eyes. “Okay, you’ve got a deal.”

“Perfect! Now, let’s all go to bed before you drool all over the paperwork.”

“I’m not that ti-” He cut himself off with a yawn, suddenly feeling exhausted. He blinked up at the pink haired man with a sheepish smile.

“Alright, my big adult, time for you to head to bed.”

Philza nodded, giving the man a big hug before heading off to his room. The world felt almost right.

But something could be felt on the horizon.

Chapter Text

Tommy didn’t know what to think of this new kid. He was very quiet, much like Tubbo, but he didn’t seem to like hanging out anywhere other than their room. He was shy, didn’t look anyone straight on (which is something Dadza taught them was wrong, but if Ranboo wasn’t comfortable then the blond was going to push him), and didn't talk very loudly. Tommy thought he was cool looking though!

Certainly something different.

If only he wanted to do fun things though!

“Come on, Ranboob! Don’t you wanna see the rest of the center?” The boy, from where he was sheltered underneath his bed, shook his head, warbling in fright. Tommy’s frown deepened. “But Tubbo and I wanna show you all the fun things to do around here! I’m sure Dadza showed some boring aspects but there’s so much other stuff to do!”

The scared warble came again, this time accompanied with a whimper. Tommy vaguely remembered what Philza told him a couple days before.

Get Ranboo situated, but don’t push his boundaries.

But Tommy still didn’t want to be stuck in his bedroom. He directed his pout to Tubbo, who had hunched himself over by the door. The brunette shrugged helplessly. Tommy sighed again. He shimmied under the bed even further, lip sticking out even more at the way that Ranboo shied away even more.

“Ranboo…..please come out.” He tried to keep the whine out of his voice, but it didn’t really work. Oh well. “Please? We just wanna be good friends and show you around.”

The impossibly tall lad shifted a little bit, turning his face halfway towards Tommy. His heart soared as he could see the debate raging in Ranboo’s face. The enderman sighed heavily before nodding.

“Okay.” He whispered softly.

Tommy beamed largely as he scooted out from under the bed, allowing Ranboo to follow behind. The split colored boy rose to his full height but still stayed hunched over, timidly keeping his eyes lowered. Tommy’s breath caught when he realized for the hundredth time that Ranboo was taller than anyone their age.

“Do all endyman grow as tall as you?”

“I…I uhm….I don’t know. Honestly.”

“That’s okay! That’ll just make you the biggest man at the center! Well….after Technoblade. He’s got the crown on that title….but maybe you’ll be the one to wear it later!”

“If the crown fits….” Tubbo whispered as he rose to his feet. Tommy. Odder in agreement but the saying went totally over his head. But he did beam brighter at an idea.

“OH! We can see if someone donated a crown or something! Then we can off-fish-alley declare you King Tall Boi!”

That got a small smile and a chuckle from Ranboo. Tommy puffed himself up a little bit.

Alright….it’s a little progress but it’s progress nonetheless! He’s got this!

Tommy gently grabbed Ranboo’s and Tubbo’s wrist and tugged them both towards the door, letting his mouth run as fast as his legs wanted to. There were all sorts of things he could show Ranboo! The stables introduce him to Henry, the new dairy cow! Show him Tubbo’s little bee farm a teacher was helping him make, or his tinkering lab where he could blow something up-

Maybe they would get in trouble with the last one, but Tommy was sure they could get away with it.

Maybe.

“Tommy, slow down!”

Tommy shot his brother a look as he pulled the two of them along. “Get longer legs, Tubbo!”

“Where are we going?”

“I don’t know!” Tommy thought for a second before lighting up. “Oh! Let’s go and visit Henry!”

“Henry?”

“My cow. She’s a sweetie. Loves me and only me because I’m the biggest man of them all!”

“You’re a little…short to be the….biggest one of them all.”

Tommy stopped short, his eyes going back to Ranboo. There was a moment where the two stared at each other. Not in the eyes because Ranboo kept his own two colored eyes moving, darting here and there. The blond moobloom cocked his head, his floppy ears twitching.

“You know it’s a little rude not to look people in the eye you know.”

Ranboo backed up suddenly, pulling away from Tommy and Tubbo. A warble went through the air, and Tommy got the feeling he did something he wasn’t supposed to.

“I’m….I’m…sorry…” Ranboo stuttered. “I- I can’t-”

“It’s okay, Ranboo.” Tubbo carefully trotted up to the boy, placing his hands on his shoulder comfortingly. The warbles and clicks died down, but the boy still looked a little ashamed. “Our dadza always has us make eye contact because it’s something you do as a piglin. We’ll try to be more respectful of you.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry Ranboo. I didn’t mean anything by it.” Tommy felt his ears droop. The enderman shifted a bit, looking up and then down before biting his lip. It was a thing his Dadza did when he was nervous, Tommy thought. He quirked his eyebrow but kept his mouth shut. “I’m sorry Ranboo. If you don’t want to see anything, then you can go back to your room.”

“No!” Ranboo jolted forward before backing up and clamping his mouth shut. “I mean…no, I wanna go and see the center. Specifically…specifically Henry. Please. I wanna see Henry.”

“Okay.” Tommy held out his hand this time, waiting until Ranboo placed his larger one in his. Even more gently, the three traveled through the surprisingly bustling Center. Tommy hadn’t seen the Center this busy since they brought in the dragonlings. Adults bustled here and there, with cleaning crews moving around, attacking any and all dust bunnies that they saw. Older teens with brooms and mops moved in tandem with each other, moving around like they were doing a dance. Tommy put himself in front of Ranboo, as if to protect him from the vacuums that were whirring about. His ears were perked up, trying to sort through the noise.

“What’s going on Tommy?” Tubbo whispered.

“I don’t know, Tubs.”

“Oh, there’s dadza!” Tubbo pointed to where the golden piglin was carrying a few too many plates right behind Quackity. “DADZA!”

The piglin paused, almost tipping over with his load. Thankfully, he was able to regain his balance and hand his stack of plates off to someone else as he glanced around until he spotted Tommy waving his hands. Philza smiled as he approached the trio, though Tommy noticed the quirked eyebrow when his eyes went to Ranboo behind him. He’d have to tell his dadza not to look at Ranboo in the eyes. But the poor older teen was looking very haggard.

“Hey, Ranboo!” Philza greeted. “What are you three doing?”

“We’re galavanting!” Tubbo declared happily.

“Galavanting huh? And where are you galavanting to?”

“All over!” Tommy answered. “We’re gonna go see Henry, and visit Tubbo’s bees!”

“Sounds fun! Just….just don’t get into any trouble okay? We’re gonna be busy cleaning for a few hours, so if you need anything, just….just try to find me okay?”

“Why are you cleaning so intently?”

“There’s gonna be some very important visitors coming here in a few days and we’ve gotta make sure we make enough of a good impression so that they’ll give us money.”

“Oh! Could we buy Henry a friend? She gets so lonely!”

“I’ll ask Mister Sam if the presentation goes well.” Philza nuzzled his nose into Tommy’s flowers, which led to a purr that erupted out of his chest. Philza chuckled as he nuzzled Tubbo’s flowers and gave Ranboo a pat on his back. He noticed how his dadza shifted awkwardly before leaving the trio, disappearing into the bustling crew.

Tommy beamed up at Tubbo and Ranboo. “Let’s go and meet Henry!” 

The fields outside the center were very pretty. There were several people that would come around mid spring time to take photos. Philza told him that those people were people from town, taking senior portraits. Whatever that was. Those people didn’t look old enough to be seniors. But it was probably a human thing. Regardless, Tommy loved going outside and spending time in the barn. He didn’t like it at first. It reminded him of that dark and smelly place that Mister Technoblade and Mister WIlbur rescued them from. He had panic attacks when he first went in, the smell of hay bringing back horribly, horrible memories of whips and chains and unwashed bodies. It set in his mind images of a sickly Philza, his fur matted and ears pierced with a price tag, and unfamiliar words coming from his mouth. But they were no less loving.

It had taken three months for him to get enough courage to return to the barn, and another five to be comfortable inside of it to start taking care of some of the duties they assigned him.

Phiza had managed to convince Mister Sam to get him a dairy cow after he took such good care of a couple of sheep that had wandered onto the center. He named the cow Henry because it was such a good name. If even she was a girl cow.

Henry loved Tommy as much as Tommy loved Henry. She mooed protectively whenever he approached her, like she did now. Ranboo stood stock still as the cow approached them, nuzzling Tommy much like how Philza did.

“Henry!”

“What…wh-what is th-that?” Ranboo stuttered in fear.

“That’s Henry!” Tommy held the cow’s face in between his hands scratching at the fine, coarse fur. The cow made a couple of low moos, ,which had Tommy’s own ears perking up happily and his tail swishing back and forth happily. He glanced back to see Ranboo cowering behind Tubbo, eyes wide and worried as he hunched in on himself in that defensive posture.

“Henry’s big….”

Tommy beamed proudly. “That’s why she’s so good! Henry won first prize at the state fair last year! Got a blue ribbon and everything! She’s the best!”

“Mooooo!”

“Yes you are!” Tommy agreed.

“I ….I don’t kn-know.”

“Come on, Ranboo.” Tommy stood to the side, one of his hands still on Henry’s cheek. He gestured for Ranboo to come closer. The boy hesitated. Tommy glanced over, keeping his eyes lowered so they weren’t looking directly into his eyes. “It’s okay. She’s not gonna hurt you. She’s gentle.”

“Ho-how d-do yo-ou kn-know that she’s n-not gon-gonna bite?” Ranboo asked worriedly but approached all the same. Scooting forward until he was just a bit behind Tommy. The blond boy beamed. He carefully took Ranboo’s long clawed hand and raised it, placing it down on Henry’s snout. The tall lad tensed under his grip, and there was a brief moment where Tommy feared Ranboo would yank his hand away, but when Henry didn’t do anything but press herself further into the touch with a gentle huff, Ranboo relaxed. Tommy smiled even further as he gently released his hand from Ranboo’s wrist and stepped back.

Where once Ranboo was tense, and looking ready to bolt, now he was relaxed. Calm. Tommy’s ears perked up at the sound of a gentle rumble sound coming from Ranboo. It took him a few minutes to realize-

“Ranboo!” Tubbo said with a soft chuckle, “you’re purring!”

The black and white kid blinked, as if coming back to himself. “Oh….uh…so-sorry-“

“You’re okay, Ranboo! It’s perfectly normal!”

“Yeah!” Tommy agreed. “Miss Puffy says that we should end-dolge our instincts!”

“Miss Puffy?”

“She’s the center’s there-a-piss!”

“Therapist, Tommy.” Tubbo corrected. Tommy gave him a scowl.

“We talk to her when we’re feeling sad or scared.” Tommy gasped dramatically. “WE SHOULD GO AND SEE HER!”

“What?”

“Yeah! I think you’d like her!” Already, Tommy was hauling the two boys after him, heading back towards the center’s main building. “We’ll go by Tubbo's bee farm afterwards!”

There was little protest from the two as they allowed themselves to be pulled by Tommy. It seemed the hustling activity wasn’t just confined to the dining room, but all over the center. Regardless the three preteens were left alone as soon as all eyes noticed the new, not yet fully introduced figure being pulled. Tommy had to admit the air around his home wasn’t a nice one. While he was all bright smiles and energy that day, he felt inside his chest a great hollowness that left him anxious and worried.

What was happening that had everything sent out of order? So much so that Philza wasn’t attending his lessons and instead cleaning on his hands and knees? What had Technoblade and Mister Sam so worried that their faces were set in a permanent scowl?

Tommy figured that they would be told about it later if it was important enough but that didn’t stop the little coil of fear from growing larger and larger.

He shook his head, dispelling all thoughts and making sure that his smile was brighter than the sun.

This was going to be a good day. They pushed through the throngs of people, slowly making their way towards the end of the hallway. Tommy came to a halt, and gently rapped his knuckles on the wooden door.

He waited for the gentle “come in” before pushing it open softly. He peered inside to see Puffy darting around the room with papers stacked in her arms. His lips pulled tighter. She looked as frazzled as the rest of them. Though she tried to hide it by the smile she gave them when she turned around.

“Tommy! And Tubbo! Oh it’s good to see you!” Then her eyes turned soft, curious. She crouched a little, cocking her head to the side curiously. “And who’s this?”

The moobloom felt the boy scoot behind him just a little. So naturally, he moved out of the way and pushed him in front of him. “This is Ranboo! He’s new!”

“Well hi there, Ranboo. It’s nice to meet you! I’m Puffy.”

“H-hi.”

“Have you gotten settled in okay?”

“Uh-“ Ranboo scrambled back again, hunching in on himself as he fought to hide his large form by using Tommy as his shield. Puffy gave a gentle, kind laugh.

“It’s okay if you haven’t. It takes a bit to get used to. But don’t worry, you’ll find your place here.” That light died a bit as she stood. “I’m sorry to cut the visit short, but I have a few things I need to take care of.”

“Miss Puffy?”

But Tommy got no response for his unspoken question, aside from the gentle smile that promised she’d explain everything later and the three were shooed out. But in a nice way.

“Tommy?” Tubbo’s voice was soft. Scared. “What’s going on?”

Tommy found himself struggling with his answers. Struggling to keep his happy persona up. If Miss Puffy was so busy she couldn’t entertain guests-

“Something’s happening.” Was all he managed to say. He’d have to find a way to get answers, but for now-

“Who wants to blow stuff up?”

About an hour before curfew found Tommy and Tubbo relaxing with their Dadza in his room. Tubbo was on the floor, tinkering with a part of a paint bomb that Tommy nearly set off that afternoon. Tried to at least, seeing how a mechanism or other didn’t trigger like it should. Which apparently led to Tubbo taking the whole thing apart. Tommy was more content to just stare up at the ceiling, sighing loudly that he was bored every five minutes.

Philza chuckled. “Want a book to read?”

Tommy pouted, slightly offended at his caretaker’s offer. “I’m not that bored Dadza.”

Not yet anyway, was left unsaid.

“Well….they’re here when you want them.”

A few more minutes passed by in relative quiet, aside from the soft rustling of paper and Tubbo’s mutterings. It left Tommy feeling rather restless. He bit his lip, turning his head away from the ceiling and towards his papa. He stared, taking in every little bit of the Piglin he could and compared it to when they first met, what felt like a lifetime ago. It was really hard to believe that the scraggly, matted Piglin they were thrown to was sitting right in front of them, sorting through papers with a straight back and air of authority.

Tommy turned on his stomach, watching the Piglin work until those blue eyes that were always soft with love and admiration turned to him. His eyebrows scrunched up.

“Tommy?”

“What’s gonna happen to us if the center gets shut down?”

That gentle light in Philza’s eyes died down, turning into a fire of worry that had Tommy wincing. He caught snatches of those horrible types of rumors during the day while they were out causing trouble. He knew that his Dadza would take care of everything, just like he always did but something about this particular form of gossip had the very edge of his teeth set in edge. And the way Philza was hesitating made him think that there was certainly something amiss.

“Dadza?” A smile pulled on Philza’s lips, just visible from beneath his adult tusks. “Nothing is gonna happen to us, Tommy, or the center. We’ve got a big inspection coming, is all. And everyone’s just a bit nervous.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. But….since you know what’s going on, can I ask a favor from you and Tubbo?”

“You can ask us anything Dadza!”

“Can you two keep an eye on the littles and Ranboo for me? I’m gonna be a busy helping Technoblade, Cyberknife and Sam when the visitors come, do I’ll count on the two of you to make sure everyone is on their best behavior.”

“You can count on us, dadza!”

“Yes sir!” Tubbo chimed at the same time. Philza smiled, that knot of concern disappearing as he opened his arms in silent invitation. The two boys rushed forward, all but tackling their dad in a hug. They stayed cuddled until curfew when Tommy and Tubbo begrudgingly went back to their room. Ranboo was still there, curled up in his own undecorated side of the room on top of his nest. The black and white enderman looked half asleep, if the little stuttered purrs were anything to go by. Tommy and Tubbo climbed into their own bed, only to have Tubbo scuttle over to Tommy not an hour later.

Much sooner than expected, both moobloom boys found themselves cuddling with Ranboo who sounded very grateful for the company in his restless sleep.

It had Tommy smiling. And naively he thought that everything was going to be just fine.

Chapter Text

Philza sighed as he stared at himself in the mirror. He grimaced as he took in his reflection.

It certainly was….an outfit. He tried for semi casual but also traditional Piglin style, and it certainly. A style choice. Cyberknife had suggested a gi with a tunic that marked him as a Brute and sounder protector. There wasn’t a whole lot of synergy going on with his outfit but hopefully they weren’t going to base the amount of money they were going to give off of how stylish he was.

He flapped his hooves anxiously, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart. Today was the day of the investors and the entire center was on edge. Specifically the adults as they quickly moved about trying to get everything in order. He didn’t know where Tommy and Tubbo were, though Philza could only pray they were staying out of trouble.

If everything went well, the center would get more money, more resources. And Philza would be seen as an adult and would be allowed to do field missions.

There was a knock on his door. His ear twitched as it opened. Cyberknife entered his room, wearing his own traditional clothing. But he was decked out in far more weapons than Philza, though most of it, by the looks of it, was solely ceremonial. The elder piglin gave him a smile. “You look good, Friend Philza.”

“Really?” Philza gave the mirror another look, his snout wrinkling up in discomfort. “Mmm…maybe I should change.”

“No.” When Philza turned to glance up at the slight growl, Cyberknife knelt down and lifted his chin upward. “You have duty. Re-pre-sent sounder with pride. You Brute. You Protector. You fear nothing.”

Philza turned towards the mirror, looking over himself once more. He noted the little trinkets that would mark him as a warrior if he had lived amongst the Piglins in the Nether. THe gi draped over him loosely, his still-scrawny body not quite filling out the garment. He was assured he would, if he continued to grow like he was. He held his chin up when Cyberknife took his place next to him, standing shoulder to shoulder. .

“Not exactly the warrior type huh?”

“No worry. You grow still. Soon, grow will spurt.”

“You mean I’m going to have a growth spurt?”

“That is what I said.”

“How can you tell? How can you be so sure?”

“I know. Most runts become great Protectors.” Cyberknife ruffled his hair, eliciting a laugh from the boy. “You will shoot soon. Like a little sprout.”

Philza smiled brightly as he took in his form in the mirror with apprehension. He took a deep breath, about to ask Cyberknife something else, when he heard the school bell going off in the distance. He turned towards the window, then back to the older Piglin. His face was set in a scowl, his brow furrowed and his eyes darkened.

“Come. Time.”

Philza nodded as the two left his room. He tried to keep his ears perked as they traveled through the hallways. Everyone was instructed to keep on their normal schedule, and encouraged to make sure everything ran smoothly. Philza hoped they all understood the importance of that day.

Everything rested on how smoothly things went.

He shuddered. No pressure.

They traveled through the Center with Cyberknife continually giving him tips as they moved. He made sure to tuck them away best he could, especially remembering to keep his head up high, back straight and his ears perked.

Make sure to look them in the eye. The advice bounced around his mind like a little ball. Strength recognizes strength. And when you make eye contact, you show that you’re not about to back down. That you are ready for anything they want to throw your way. You are a wall. Immovable. Powerful.

Philza pulled his shoulders back further as they got closer to Mister Sam’s office, feeling Cyberknife’s advice flow through him like a river. He was Philza, the Little Protector. He had gone through a lifetime of forced servitude, had protected two little boys, helping one currently, and done his best to achieve his dreams of being great. He was stronger than he looked, powerful that he seemed. Philza was always underestimated by everyone. The investors would probably do the same thing as well, look down their noses at him because he was small and unassuming. But with Cyberknife by his side, and Technoblade and Mister Sam behind him, there was hope that no one would ever look at him in a demeaning way.

He was a warrior. He was always a warrior.

And he was going to prove it.

They stopped at the door of Mister Sam’s office. They both paused, Cyberknife looking down and giving him a smile. Philza tried to return it, but his stomach had suddenly twisted itself in knots. He figured his smile looked more like a grimace. Cyberknife straightened and Philza subconsciously followed his example, watching as the older Piglin knocked on the door. It swung open slowly, the strained smiling face of Mister Sam.

“Cyberknife! And Philza! Excellent timing, come on in.”

Philza gulped nervously as he moved in behind Cyberknife. His ears perked while his tail swished anxiously underneath his outfit as he looked up at the group that was situated in the office. On one side of the desk, Technoblade stood, looking more groomed than Philza had ever seen him. He eyed the man’s button up shirt and spotless khaki pants, feeling very out of touch with the other sleek black jackets and pristine white button up shirts and pencil skirts that the investors were wearing.

“Apologies for wait.” Cyberknife said, a very clear and enunciated voice. Philza continued to nibble on his lips. The older Piglin placed a closed fist over his heart, bowing his head solemnly. “I am. Cyberknife of Nether. Leader of the NetherHills Bastions. This is my fellow Brute, Philza of the Center.”

Philza awkwardly tried to follow Cyberknife’s bow, feeling like succeeded. Until he straightened up and caught the scrunched faces of the investors.

“I didn’t know brutes were so …..small.” One lady with the tightest bun Philza had ever seen sneered. The room was awkwardly quiet as all eyes remained on him. His checks burned profusely when he realized that he was expected to work.

“I…” He cleared his voice when it came out scratchy. “I haven’t had my g-growth spurt yet.”

There was a beat of silence before a few of the investors burst out laughing. He didn’t know how much of the laughs were mocking or just amusement so he just ... .awkwardly chuckled along with them. He gave Cyberknife a look and saw the Piglin nodding in approval. He felt his confidence grow just a bit. The other tight bun lady walked closer to him, gently ruffling his hair affectionately. Or at least…he hoped it was from affection.

“So….Philza was it?” The boy nodded as he watched the woman sit down in one of the chairs. She pulled out a clipboard and clicked a pen. He swallowed nervously. “How did you come to live here at the Center?”

“Uhm….uhm, Mister Technoblade and Mister Wilbur saved me and my…my boys.”

“Your boys?”

“Tommy and Tubbo, ma’am.” Philza slowly felt the nervousness drain out of him, being replaced by a bit of pride. “They….they were…g-given to me to look after. To…to teach how to behave properly. On the Old Farm. They were sold with me.”

The room went quiet. Until the woman asked, “And…if I may ask….how old were you when this was happening?”

“They were….they were only seven.”

“And you?”

“Sixteen.”

There was a flash of disgust on the woman’s face, though one of the men made a laughing sound. Philza dipped his head, tucking his ears back.

“You think laughing at this child’s pain is funny?” Technoblade growled. Cyberknife shifted as well, a low rumbling sounding from his deep chest. The man who laughed straightened.

“No. I think that this is quite the part you’ve taught this….little fellow.”

“Consider next words…..” Cyberknife growled deeply. “You insult a Brute. Leader of Bastion. Fighting words.”

“Oh and what are you going to do about it?”

Cyberknife’s growl deepened further.

The woman stood. “Enough! You’ll have to excuse Senator McNallen. He's not as diplomatic as he thinks he is.”

“Then why did he come?” Techno snarked.

“I represent the people who have certain doubts about having such a facility in this area.”

“This plot of land was given to us willingly by your constituents.” Mister Sam spoke up.

“Actually, it was given to you by my predecessor who was more open to this…novel idea than I am.”

Philza watched as Senator McNallen stood and all but stared down Mister Sam. Which certainly was a feat, because Mister Sam almost towered over the Senator by a good few feet. “There have been doubts in the local government that this Center is eating up too much of taxpayer money. And I’m here to see if that’s true or not.”

Philza pulled his shoulder upward, until he was almost an imitation of a turtle. He wanted to scoot back and disappear into the towering figures of the adults-

You are an adult. His words echoed in his mind, and he bit his lip.

He forcefully straightened his back, though his ears remained tucked against his skull as he turned back to a conversation he couldn’t exactly follow all that well.

“-haven’t taken any public funds that we didn’t earn through events that we host.” Sam was saying.

“We’ve hosted garage sales, and craft markets and raffles. All of which to raise money but we cannot do more without proper funding.”

“We’re not asking for too much from the taxpayers. We’ll do what we can to keep good faith with the locals so it’s not seen as a handout. So as to not seem like a burden.”

“We’ll do what we can to help you, Mister Technoblade.” The woman said. She shifted so she was no longer sitting, but instead looking at Technoblade. Philza smiled softly. He liked her. “But we are restricted in our actions. We are only here to make an assessment of your facility to make sure that it is safe and successful enough to continue funding and to possibly gain more from a separate pool of resources. Not from the taxpayer’s money.”

“We hope that your evaluation is good enough to report back to your superiors.” Mister Sam stated with such inflection that Philza couldn’t help but wince a little. He stood, which was followed by everyone. “Now if you’ll all follow me, I would like to give you a tour of the Center and show you our success in rehabilitating those pulled from slavery.”

They moved as one out of the office and into the hallway. The Center was alive with activity, as it always is this time of day. But there was an air of muted excitement. A sense of subdued energy as if the entire place knew what was going on. The children walked around with their groups, watching with wide eyes as the group moved through the hallways. Philza politely excused himself before he ran to the line with the younger kids. He embraced Chayenne and Tahullah, snuffling their hair the way he did with Tommy and Tubbo when they were younger. Although there was a bit of a defensive fear when he took in their sudden shy expressions. He turned to see the woman looming over him. He snorted gently.

“Ma’am, this is Chayenne and Tahullah.” Philza pushed them a little bit out from underneath him. Tahullah wasn’t all that keen on letting go of his outfit. “They were recently rescued from a farm on the north side of the border. They were a part of a… ehm. They were going to be sold as parts when they were older.”

Chayenne growled a little, lowering his head and showing his little horns in a show of strength. Philza panicked for a moment as he tried to quickly lift the boy’s head. But when he looked up, the woman was just smiling brightly down at him.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Chayenne and Tahullah.” she said. “I’m Mrs. Sara, secretary of funds.”

“Are you here to keep us open?” Tahullah whispered. Her claws clutched Philza’s shirt so hard that there were holes. “I don’t wanna go back to the other place.”

“You’re not going to go back there.” Philza assured her. He glanced up at the chaperone leading them away. “Why don’t you go with your class? I’ll take you to Miss Puffy later okay?”

Tahullah nodded and Chayenne gently led her away.

“You’re really good with kids.” Philza blushed underneath his fur.

“I….it’s a piglin thing. I guess.”

Mrs. Sara smiled brightly. “Why don’t we go and catch up with our own group, eh?”

Philza nodded. He gave the two dragonlets a soft smile and goodbye before turning with Mrs. Sara. She tried to make conversation with him, but he was still feeling the rush of anxiety. He saw the group up ahead, Technoblade, Cyberknife and Mister Sam all looking tense as Senator McNallen said something. Oh boy.

“-work as volunteers.” Mister Sam was saying.

“Very few people get paid and if they do, it’s not much.”

“So where do you get your volunteers from?”

“From the surrounding towns. Some of them live here while others commute.” Technoblade answered. He was looking very angry. Philza saddled up next to Cyberknife. “We have all sorts of medical staff, therapists, retired teachers here who help out. We also have the people who operate the storage area.”

“The storage area?”

“It’s a little barn where we have all the donated items kept. Whenever we get new arrivals, after they get checked out at the medical facility, they’re brought there for necessities.”

Mrs. Sara scribbled something on her clipboard, humming softly to herself as she did. Philza smiled, likening how things were going. Then he turned to Senator McNellan, who was almost openly looking bored. His ears pinned right back to their skull.

Mrs. Sara looked up. “Have you put any of these donations on your taxes?”

Mister Sam nodded. “Yes we do. And the tax cuts we get go into the upkeep.”

“What about your field workers?”

Philza tensed, hearing a tone of voice that was commonly used with Masters. A tone of voice that said they knew what you did and were waiting for you to incriminate yourself. Subconsciously, he pulled back and situated himself right next to Cyberknife, who was also looking furious beyond words. Technoblade narrowed his eyes.

“What about our field workers?”

“How many do you have? What do they do?”

“There are about ten to twelve field workers who go into areas of heavy hybrid slavery and liberate them.” Techno added with a growl, “by any means necessary.”

“We’ve been petitioning the government for the past two decades to end slavery throughout the country.” Mister Sam spat, and oh boy, he was slowly losing his cool. “We have interviews with some rescued slaves and what we’ve found is pretty distrubing.”

“You haven’t sent these reviews in with your petition?” Mrs. Sara asked.

“We were scared to, even with copies. Don’t know what will end up at the bottom of a trash bin.” Those words were spoken with a pointed look to Senator McNellan. The group continued with an air of tension growing ever so slightly with each round of questions. Most of the questions asked by Mrs. Sara was straight to the point, concise, and with a bit of layered empathy. Philza found himself walking between her and Cyberknife as the day went on. But he was far from a fan of Senator McNellan who, when he even bothered to acknowledge Cyberknife or Philza, would curl his lips and narrow his eyes. Cyberknife always met the challenge with a low snarl, but Phil’s would wilt away.

They slowly made their way through the Green, passing by the kids just getting out of class for recess. Philza’s ears perked up at the sounds of giggling he could hear from across the green lawn. He smiled hugely. He gently touched Cyberknife’s arm, before running off, separating himself from the group and following the sounds of his sons’ laughter.

Philza spotted them from his vantage point, huddled in a semi circle. He could see Tommy and Tubbo on either side of Ranboo, their eyes fixated on a blade of grass. Or possibly a bug of some kind. Whatever it was, it had their undivided attention.

He should’ve just let them be and returned to the group. After all, adults don’t wander off when they are with a very important group. But he just wanted to see his kids, to get some reassurances that they were doing alright and to see if Ranboo was settling in okay. He looked like he was but…but maybe Mrs. Sara wanted to talk to him.

“Tommy! Tubbo!” He called. The two boys glanced up but Ranboo didn’t. Philza furrowed his brow in confusion. “Ranboo!”

The boy glanced up.

The one thing that had subconsciously bothered Philza when it came to the new resident was that he never looked anyone in the eye. Cyberknife told him that eye contact was the most important thing you could do as a Piglin. Looking someone in the eye said you were confident and strong. Piglins always made eye contact and it made Philza a little nervous when Ranboo didn’t.

But now….now he realized why.

As soon as their eyes met, everything fell away. Philza was hit with the biggest sense of danger, an instinctual need to turn around and run, run, run! But he just stood there, hit with the need to be submissive as a high pitched screech echoed throughout the green. He blinked, and suddenly Ranboo was in front of him.

Only…it wans’t Ranboo anymore.

Those mismatched eyes were wide, his pupils turned into nothing but slivers of black. His jaw was unhinged and Philza squealed in terror at the horrid sound that escaped those lips. He turned to run back to Technoblade and Cyberknife, back to protection, but a hand grabbed his shoulder. He was picked up and thrown to the ground. Hands balled into fists started to land on him harshly.

And Philza screamed. Screamed in pain as he was beaten harshly.

He could feel his bones bend, cracking with each hit. Ranboo, or the monster wearing his face, screamed viciously and landed an equally vicious hit.

Philza heard, rather than felt, one of his ribs break.

One more scream escaped him before all went black.

It took half the Center to pry Ranboo off the unconscious Philza. Tommy and Tubbo were screaming their heads off, worried and frightened for their caretaker. Once Ranboo was detained and taken away, still thrashing and snarling, Techno knelt down next to Philza. Cyberknife was right next to him, rumbling something about an obsidian devil. Techno held his breath, praying with all he had that Philza was still alive.

“How is he?” Sam asked.

Techno couldn’t find a pulse. Philza was still beneath him-

“Friend Technoblade.” Cyberknife rumbled.

Techno couldn’t pull his eyes away from the broken form of his charge in front of him, still and broken and bleeding.

His own worst nightmare come to life.

“Technoblade.”

He blinked and turned to the Piglin. He took a breath at the soft look in the Nether being’s eyes. Techno took a breath before feeling around Philza’s neck, sighing in the greatest relief when he felt a pulse.

“He’s okay.” He cleared his throat before shouting. “He’s okay!”

The woman with the clipboard, Sara if he remembered correctly, rushed forward before kneeling next to him. Her eyes scanned the boy , gently touching around Philza’s arms, legs and chest. Techno was about to snap at her to stop touching him, before she looked up and stating with a cool professionalism, “Looks like he’s got a few fractures and a couple of broken ribs. None of them have pierced the lung as far as I can tell but we need to get him somewhere he can be looked at.”

“The med-center is right down the hill.” Techno nodded to Sam as he gently scooped up Philza, acutely aware of the pain the boy could be in. Especially when he whimpered against his chest.

“Dadza?”

Techno glanced down at Tommy and Tubbo. His breath caught in his lungs. Shit.

“Cyberknife, can you watch Tommy and Tubbo? Just for a little while?”

“Would be honor.” Cyberknife gently stood behind the two moobloom calves and, with a hand on their shoulder, directed them away from their caretaker.

Techno turned to Sam, his eyes furrowing. Sam and Senator McNellan were arguing, the senator having a smug look on his face. He took a deep breath, and with his son in his arms, he turned away and made his way towards the medi-center.

Chapter Text

The gavel echoed through the chamber. Sam held his breath as he waited for the verdict.

“This committee has found that the Rehabilitation Center for Endangered and Formerly Enslaved Hybrids does not need funding from the local taxpayers.”

And just like that, the breath in his body left him in a rush. He had to lean forward on the railing to keep himself upright as his legs seemed to want to give out underneath him.

“It has also been concluded by this committee that the Rehabilitation Center for Endangered and Formerly Enslaved Hybrids does not keep to its promise of ‘making hybrids ready to reenter society as free peoples’. We will meet in seven months time to decide whether or not the Center should be shut down permanently.”

Sam couldn’t keep his composure. He had this horrible urge to scream and rall against these horrible people that used Ranboo’s…incident to get his precious center no more funding. And it wouldn’t be all that shocking if they used it to get the center shut down permanently.

His legs wobbled. Slowly, using the backboard of the chair in front of him, Sam slowly sat down. His chest felt cold.

Where would everyone go if the Center got shut down? What would they all do if there was nowhere for them to go? All those poor souls, with no one in the world to turn to? All those volunteers who sacrificed their time and energy, all those who risked their lives out in the field-

What were they going to do when the center closed?

He stood up, ignoring the way he was glared at, mocked and laughed at. He headed towards the door, stopping when he heard his name being called. He turned, and had to bite the inside of his cheek at Senator McNellan striding up to him.

“I’m so sorry that your….little center isn’t going to have any more funding.”

Sam curled his face into a scowl. “Oh don’t get all sanctimonious, McNellan. It’s no secret that you’re not fond of hybrids.”

“Oh no, I love hybrids.” The senator’s face mirrored his own scowl. “It’s just that they have no place in…civilized society.”

“And my center isn't a civilized society?”

“Your center is causing us quite the issue politically with our neighbors, seeing how you have those….Moseses as you call them out about freeing slaves wherever they encounter them.”

“Hybrids aren’t farm tools! Nor are they decorations!” Sam whirled around and before he knew it, he was in the face of the Senator, who was looking far too smug for having him in his face snarling. “Hybrids are people like anyone else! They have thought, they can create art and sing and dance and aren’t made to suffer as children. They are civilized as you are, although they have far better manners than you.”

“Really? ‘Better manners’ you say? Because from what I saw earlier was certainly not the case.”

His eyes twitched. “That was an accident-”

“An accident doesn’t leave a teenager with a concussion and possible broken ribs.”

Sam growled underneath his breath. He could feel his blood pressure rise with each word tumbling out of the man’s mouth. “If you’ll excuse me.”

“Running away? Back to that hodge-podge of a pigsty? Back to your piggy boy?” Every word that was coming out of McNellan’s mouth caused his anger to rise. It wouldn’t do him any favors to deck the senator right there. He bid the man a tight good morning and left the senate chamber. He pushed his way through the fancy government building, keeping his head down as he stuffed his hands into his pocket. The place was already bustling with activity, as secretaries and interns and aides and senators moved around, carrying paperwork or coffee for whoever they worked for.

He was almost through the front door when he heard his name being called once again. Sam growled as he whirled, only to blink in shock at the sight of Representative Sara. He gave her a tight smile. She offered him a sad one in return.

“I…I heard about the committee.” She said awkwardly. “I’m sorry.”

“There was nothing you could do about it. Senator McNellan already made his decision about us and those under my care before he even arrived. He just had to convince his lackeys to follow suit and they are all….” He sighed. “I hope they burn in hell.”

Sara chuckled a bit. “Well I wouldn’t put it that way, but the sentiment is still the same.”

Sam sighed. “If there’s nothing else you need from me, you’ll have to excuse me. I promised Techno I’d be back to tell them the news. And I’d rather they heard it from me and not the evening paper.”

“I’ll keep my ears out for anything that might help your center. And I’ll get in contact with you if I hear anything.”

“I would appreciate that. There’s a lot of kids at the center who are counting on you.”

“No pressure right?”

Sam gave her a tight smile before leaving the capitol building. The drive back to the center was quiet, as the thoughts in his head whirled around too quickly for him to think straight. He did a quick count in his head, tallying up all those permanent residents, volunteers and new arrivals and figured the number was somewhere around one-thousand persons. GIve or take a few.

He’d have to find a place for all of them.

All those who looked up to him, all those who looked to him for protection and aid. All those still left in bonds-

Sam pulled over to the shoulder, and couldn’t get the door open fast enough before he hurled his breakfast on the side of the road. He sobbed, heart wrenching sobs that he would’ve been ashamed of if anyone else was around to hear them. How could it all have fallen down so badly? How did good deeds get tangled with political machinations and scheming!?

He was starting to see where Techno got his sentiments about government from. Sam took a moment to catch his breath, trying to pull himself together. He couldn’t show how rattled, how strained he was becoming. When thirty minutes passed, he returned to his truck, pulled back on the road and finished the rest of the way back to center. It seemed the entire center was out on the Green, playing or just enjoying the nice afternoon sun. Sam parked his truck in the usual spot, and after slowly getting out, found himself watching the young kids run around with a small smile on his lips. He moved to the porch and sat heavily on the bottom steps.

“Mister Sam!”

The man blinked as he realized that a small voice had called him. He looked around, landing on the small form of Chayenne. The dragonlet ran towards him as fast as his little legs could go, his pale wings giving a few random flaps here or there. It was surely a miracle they still worked after all the little dragon went through. Of course his wings didn’t have anything to do with the force of his body slamming into his. Sam forced a laugh, though his heart wasn’t in it. And it seems that Chayenne could tell.

“What’s wrong Mister Sam? You look sad.”

“Oh hehe, I’m fine, Chayenne. Just….just a little tired.” He sighed, forcing his eyes to brighten a little. “How’s Philza doing?”

The little dragon pulled back, his leathery wings draping over his shoulders. “Papa Philza isn’t doing too good. Mister Techno says that he’s not too badly hurt but he'll be scared.”

Sam was worried about that. He sighed again. “What about Ranboo?”

Chayenne looked a bit pale. “I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“Okay. Hey, why don’t you go back and play? I’ve gotta go and talk with Mister Schlatt.”

Almost instantly the little boy perked up, and darted off to play with whoever he was playing with. He sat there for a second, watching the kids play before he stood and headed back into the house. There were many waves and greetings directed towards him as he passed through the hallway. He gave a few of them a nod and a smile, but otherwise, he felt his mood slowly plummet. Slowly turning sour.

He would have to tell these good people that they would have to leave.

He would have to be the one to tell all these people to pack up their belongings and leave the only home they ever knew-

What would they do with all the residents? The hybrids they had helped and housed? Where would they go? S

am slammed on his fist on the wooden door. It creaked open, and a face twisted in annoyance met his own.

“What do you want?”

“I need a drink.”

“Go to the canteen then.”

“No, I need ... .I need a drink drink.”

The door opened a little wider, and Schlatt faced him with a scrutinizing gaze.

Sam found himself shifting on his feet awkwardly as he tried to hold the older man’s gaze.

“Now why would the ever so great Sam Dude want to drink? When he knows it’s against the rules?”

“My day has been…..” He searched for the word. “It’s been shit, for lack of a better word, and I need to drown out my thoughts before I try to come up with a solution.”

Schaltt was quiet for a second, examining him with a close suspicion before his gaze turned towards down the hallway. Once to the left, and then once to the right. When there was no one around, as they appeared to be down in the green, Schlatt beckoned him in. Sam followed dutifully, closing the door behind him while Schlatt headed towards the closet. His eyebrows quirked.

“And here I thought you got rid of all your whiskey when you went sober?”

Schlatt gave Sam a crooked smile. “Never go cold turkey. But these bad boys, I was saving for a rainy day or a celebratory dinner, whichever came fi-”

Sam took a bottle without ceremony, popped it open and dragged it down without a word. When he felt a good bit of whiskey sliding down his throat and landing warmly in his stomach, he sighed, plopping down to the ground. Schlatt eyed the man.

“Rainy day, I guess.” Schlatt pulled out a couple of whiskey glasses, though after eyeing Sam once more, he shrugged and placed one of them back into its hiding place. He sat next to Sam, and the man tried to keep his head down to hide how ashamed he felt. “I take it things didn’t go well at the hearing.”

Sam was quiet. He pulled another draw from the bottle, swallowing the amber liquid thickly.

The brunette volunteer sighed again. “How bad?”

“Bad.” Sam whispered. The green haired leader of the center tried to blink away the tears that tried to fall when he said, “They’re shutting us down.”

He winced at the sound of the bottle falling from Schlatt’s grip and landing on the ground, shattering in a thousand pieces. “What do you mean they’re shutting us down?!”

“I mean, they’ve stopped our funding! It’s only a matter of time before we’re forced to close. For good.” He took a longer drag this time, the pleasant haze settling over him nicely. His thoughts were starting to jumble ever so slightly, but they were still too coherent. “All because of that stupid Senator McNellan.”

“Yeah. What an absolute jackass.” Schlatt scoffed. Sam glanced over to see something he actually never actually thought he’d see: Schlatt putting down a bottle of whiskey, untouched. He chuckled to himself, the lip of the bottle pressed against his lips but he didn’t drink. The laughter turned hysterical. “What’s so funny?”

“This.” Sam said in between giggles. “All this. All that I’ve worked for. All that we’ve worked for. All that we’ve built, its’ about to come crashing down around our ears!”

He threw his bottle in anger, the glass shattering against the wall. Distantly, he heard Schaltt curse but all he could clearly hear was his shouts of absolute rage.

“EVERYTHING I’VE WORKED FOR IS GOING DOWN THE FUCKING DRAIN!” He slammed his fist into the wall as hard as he could, feeling some sort of sick satisfaction when he heard some bones break. He growled harshly at the wall, ready to slam his head into it without another though, only to feel hands grab him around his shoulders and haul him away. He fought and screamed and shouted, but eventually he felt his legs give out beneath him. He sobbed, ashamedly in Schlatt’s arms, sobbing brokenly at the fact that all the hard work he had was going to waste.

“What am I going to do?!” He cried. “What am I going to tell everyone- they-they all look up to me! All look at me and-and I’m about to tell them, they no longer have home!”

Schlatt gently shushed him as he was held. “It’s not your fault-”

“I didn’t fight hard enough! I should’ve done more at that hearing!”

“You did what you had to do-”

“NO! I was SILENT! LIKE AN IDIOT! I didn’t say a word as they spoke about Ranboo like he was nothing more than a feral animal that needed to be put down! And how,....and how they talked about Philza like he was nothing more than- than a pet!”

They deserved better, those two boys. Everyone here deserved better. No one deserved nightmares or heartache or worry about what they were going to do, where they were going or what happened to their parents.

“We’ll find a way to fix this.” Schlatt was saying. “There has to be.”

“No.” Sam sniffled. All the tears had drained out of him by this point, but he still felt drunk. He swallowed. “There will be another hearing. And they’ll decide again, whether or not we’re worth keeping around.”

Schlatt was silent. Again. Sam didn’t like the quiet. He loved the laughter of the younger children, the bustling of the men about, the volunteer instructors moving their classes from one activity to another. The Center was his heartbeat, his life blood. He cracked a smile.

“Do you remember ... .when Techno, Wil and I came to you about this Center?”

Schlatt chuckled. “Yeah, yeah I do. I thought you three were batshit crazy.”

“We all….the three of us…lived near the border. Between the parts of the country where hybrids are citizens and where they’re property. We saw all sorts of hybrids escaping over the line. Some of them fell dead when they crossed, breathing free air before passing on. Techno helped one of them, who gave him her baby before she died. The baby didn’t make it long after her.” Sam shifted a moment. “He and Wilbur were out camping, and they helped a dying escaped slave find comfort in his final hours. We decided to start the center. We gathered every piece of coin we had, pooled all our collective resources, got in contact with every person, and representative. This was my grandfather’s land, left to me after his passing.”

“He’d be proud of what you’ve done.”

Sam chuckled heavily. “Yeah, that’s what my mother said. . We opened this place up, and…it was a dream come true. A dream where we could make the world right, help all those who were strung out by life. Dealt a bad deal.”

There was a silence that stretched between them, hanging in the air heavily. Sam took a breath, held it before letting it slowly out.

“You had to know you couldn’t save them all.”

“I did. I do.” Sam stretched out his legs. “But with each life saved is a life that will in turn save another life. I mean, look at Philza. Philza wants to head out there when he’s old enough and he wants to save others like he was saved. He wants to give back what he was given.”

“But you and Techno don’t want him doing it.”

“Oh, he’ll do it. He’ll find a way, come hell or high water. But….he’s like everyone who lives and works here. They’re here for something better, to do something better.” He let his head fall back. “And now they’re about to take it all.”

“There’s gotta be a plan. There’s gotta be a way to be able to keep this place open.”

“Without funding….we’re screwed.”

“But maybe…..maybe we can appeal to the people.”

“Mmm. Maybe. But I’m too drunk to think of a plan right now.” It was true. His vision blurred to the point where it was hard to stay focused. He was definitely going to regret this in the morning but now-

“Okay, okay, let’s get you to your rooms.”

“NAAAAAAHH.” His sense was dulled by the alcohol finally taking hold of his system. He pulled himself into the nearest bed, despite the annoyed groans he heard. Sam shot the source with a lazy middle finger before he drifted off into that daze. 

Techno sighed as he placed down the evening paper, trying to keep himself from bunching it up and tossing it across the room. Things were just getting worse, weren’t they?

First Ranboo goes feral, hurting Philza. The local government had shut down the funding to the Center- And now Sam was flat out drunk.

Sam never got drunk.

Techno really wished that Wilbur was here.

He glanced up, eyes watching the sleeping form of Philza. He had been given some really heavy duty painkillers for his broken ribs. Techno sighed heavily again. He reached forward and gently picked up Philza’s hoof. Never again did he want to see his son in a hospital bed. He had feared repeating the incident with the Taxidermist and it indeed happened. Under his watch.

His mind went to Ranboo, the poor kid restrained just a few rooms down. What they were going to do with him was something that wasn’t quite decided. He would have to wait until Sam returned from the hearing.

A knock at the door pulled his attention. He turned to see Talullah lingering at the door, eyes locked on to Philza. He smiled tightly, opening his arms in a silent invitation. She rushed into hsi arms and he closed them around her comfortingly.

“Is papa Philza gonna be okay?” She asked into his shirt.

“He’s going to be just fine.”

“Tommy and Tubbo are scared.”

“Yeah I know.” Techno’s mind went, once again, back to the incident with the Taxidermist. To when Tommy and Tubbo were scared for their guardian, sick as dogs with the flu and exhausted. “Did Mister Sam get back yet?”

He felt the dragonlet nod against his chest.

“Did you see where he went to?”

“He went to see Mister Schlatt.”

Ah, it must’ve gone bad then. Techno sighed.

“Mister Blade?”

“Hmm?”

“Are we gonna be okay?”

Techno looked at Philza. “I sure hope so.”

Chapter Text

Sam jerked awake with a sputter as cold water hit his face. His eyes opened up, but he just shut them again when that caused the massive, splitting headache he had was made worse. He groaned as he tried to roll over but a boot to his middle stopped him.

“What. The. Fuck. Sam?!”

“No so loud….”

“You got drunk. With Schlatt. While we’re trying to make sure the Center stays open.”

“Mmmm, ‘m no’so drun’.” He shouted indignantly when hands grabbed the front of his shirt and hauled him upward. The world turned and it didn’t help his turbulent stomach. “Oh shit-”

“You throw up on me, I’ll pummel you.”

“You wouldn’t hurt an old friend.”

“I would because we’ve got a bad situation.” Techno growled, throwing him to the ground. “We’re this close to losing the Center and everything we’ve worked so hard for and you’ve already thrown in the towel!?”

“Nah….jus’ came here to clear my head.”

“Drinking Schlatt’s Secret Whiskey isn’t exactly gonna clear your head all that well.”

Sam chuckled but there was no real joy in it. He laid on the ground, until Techno’s boot on his side got a little too annoying. He groaned as he rolled over, his head pounding heavily. He put his head in his hands. “Oh….that was a mistake….”

Technoblade chuckled above him. “Yeah. That’s what you get for drinking Schlatt’s special whiskey. Especially since you’re such a lightweight.”

“Oh. har, har. You’re so clever.”

“I am because I’ve been trying to find a solution to the problem we have!”

“I know, I know.”

“So….how long do we have?”

Sam was quiet. He didn’t want to remember this problem. Didn’t want to have this on his mind. But if they had to find a way to save the Center and everything they worked for, they would have to put their heads together. “I don’t know. They’ve cut our funding, but they’re going to meet again to see if we need to be shut down. That’s gonna happen seven months from now.”

Techno growled. “Without funding, we’re going to be shut down long before that.”

“I know.”

“We’re gonna have to pull our belts in a little tighter.” Sam picked his head up, watching as Techno paced. He could see the pink haired man’s mind moving, thinking through all possibilities. And Sam knew exactly what he was going to say before he said it. “We’ll need to end field work for a bit.”

“No, Sam-”

“That eats up most of our funds and you know that.” Sam leaned back. He wished he had some tylenol. “I know you don’t like it. But. We’re going to have to make what little money we have saved up last as long as we can. We’re going to have to pull out all of our fieldworkers and do some shaving down here.”

“....we’re going to have to relocate some people.”

“Not forever.”

Hopefully.

Sam sighed. “We’re going to have to make a statement.”

“Fuck.”

“...I know.” He sighed, letting the silence grow just a bit. His head throbbed. “I know this will end eventually, and I know this whole thing was worth it….”

“But?”

“But…is it worth the headache of dealing with politics?”

Techno sighed. “Well we knew that it would be an issue. But it is worth it, Sam. We’ve rescued so many and we can rescue many more if only we remove this one roadblock. That doubt is just the worry, the stress and the alcohol talking.”

“Mmmm.” Sam blinked up at Techno, squinting as the light hit him harshly. “What happened to Ranboo? And how’s Philza?”

“We put Ranboo in a separate room.” Techno looked away, his brow creasing. “Philza’s….he’s doing okay. He’s having nightmares again, and shying away from adults. Also he’s skittish and flighty. Quackity is keeping an eye on him for now, but he's busy at the moment.”

“I’m sorry this happened, Techno.”

“Eh don’t worry about it. We both knew that some hybrids, especially the lesser known ones, were going to have some….conflicting instincts compared to others.” Techno muttered something under his breath, something that Sam completely missed. “I’ll have to visit him before we get started.”

Sam rubbed his forehead. “But first I’ve gotta rid myself of this hangover.”

Techno gave a chuckle. “Go get yourself some breakfast. I’ll go and see if there’s a way to get funding before we have to shut down.”

“M’kay.” Sam was left with a parting pat on his shoulder and an assurance that everything was going to be alright.

There was a sense of panic that filled the center that was never before felt. Techno tried to assure everyone he could that no they were not shutting down permanently, and yes, there was enough emergency funds to keep them going for a bit if they were careful with their spending. Many were very upset with the fact that they would have to pull back their field workers. It damn near caused a riot, until Technoblade shouted over the crowd that it was only until they could find a way to keep the place running. He urged all of them to write to as many friends, acquaintances and strangers they could to plead their case or beg them to find them places to house some of the residences temporarily.

When he met with the head board, combined with those who were instrumental in establishing the center adn those who were leaders, it came to a vote that those who were old enough had to find a place outside the Center to live. And, if it had to come to it, they all decided that the youngins would be the last to leave. They would try to keep everything as routine as possible so as to not upset anyone who had issues with instability. Which unfortunately meant a tight grip on information about the trial. There was a shiver of fear when it was brought up that the chaos may lead to hybrid hunters trying to make a move. The place would be unprotected, the field workers withdrawing could make the hunters be a little more bold, and with the Center still filled with hybrid children, it was a place right for the plucking. Techno decided to use the field workers that would return as sort of a personal guard around the center. There would be enough field workers to keep the place protected and the discourage the hybrid hunters lurking the area.

The only thing they could do was pray that it would be enough.

The meeting ended rather quickly after that, everyone being warned to keep the children close and not to let anyone out of sight. A list would be issued and whenever the children and young teens were called back in for recess, there had to be a roll call.

“We’re going to keep the sorrow and tragedy to a minimum.” Techno added. “We can’t afford to make it look like we’re weak. There will be an id card issued for the adults. Anyone who doesn’t show this id card needs to either be shooed off property or shot.”

“Won’t that make our case harder to win?” Nikki asked timidly.

“As much as I’m concerned about that, keeping our residents safe is our first priority.” Techno sighed as he shuffled through the papers in front of him. “Does anyone happen to know anyone in government that is willing to help us with making sure that we can stay open?”

“I know a few people,” Schlatt whispered. His eyes turned downward. “But they’re not high enough to make a difference.”

“What about that woman who was here with the envoy? What was her name?”

“Sara….Rosales, I think.” Sam muttered. “If I had to put money on it, I think she would be the best person to get us some support inside.”

“Okay….I’ll contact her, see if she’s down for a small campaign on our behalf.” Techno sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Is there anything else we need to discuss at the moment?”

There was silence before Puffy asked, “What are we going to do about Ranboo?”

“We’re not sending him away-”

“I didn’t think that was the plan, Nikki.”

“Well, I’m just saying!”

“It was an accident. Nothing more, nothing less.” Techno said firmly, cutting off the argument before it began. He glanced over to Ponk, the doctor’s assistant. “What was it Ponk? In your professional opinion?”

“More than likely it was an instinctual response to danger. Endermen have an intense aversion to eye contact and whatever Ranboo is half of, it doesn’t diminish the Enderman’s response. Phil….probably made eye contact because it’s important in Piglin culture to do so.”

“So it’s a bit of a culture clash?”

“To put it bluntly, yes.”

“Okay.” Techno nodded to himself. “We can use that. Those not involved with anything regarding security, I’ll need your help putting a case together. We might be able to get some of our funding back. I’m going to visit Philza and make some calls. Dismissed.”

They left without a word to each other. There didn’t need to be any words said to anyone, as they all had their work cut out for them. Techno, as he had said, went straight from the meeting room to the infirmary wing. He grabbed a little treat from the kitchen as he went, knowing Philza would like something, snagging something for Ranboo too.

He could feel the anxiety in the center as he made his way through, that sense of uncertainty over what was going to happen. Techno spotted some of the Piglins and Piglin hybrids speaking in their own groups, shocked to see some of the….less kind tribes speaking. His eyebrow quirked but he didn’t say anything as he passed by. His goal was on to head to the infirmary.

Techno walked through and found the area in a bit of chaos. The doctors were running around, rushing through the hallway followed by a gaggle of nurses. He made to step over to a nurse to ask what was happening, when his ears caught the familiar cry of panic. His heart dropped and he pushed through the crowd of nurses as they congregated outside Philza’s room.

A few of them tried to stop him, but he growled and entered the room.

Philza was hissing in the corner, hunched over himself as he bared his teeth. The doctor loomed over him, holding up his hands in surrender. There was a nurse that was being attended to by a crew, one of them cleaning up a bit of a nasty bite.

Oh boy.

“Philza?” The piglin boy perked up, his eyes scanning the crowd until they landed on him. He gave a cry for sounder, crawling underneath the legs of the doctor until he reached Techno.

“Philza….hey, hey, it’s okay. It’s okay.” Techno knelt, pulling the boy into a hug. But he wanted to push further, all but climbing into his lap. “Whoa, easy there, kid. You’re still hurt-”

Philza gave a couple of snorts and grunts that Techno immediately translated into being grouchy. He chuckled though his heart tightened a bit.

“I know you’re not a kid, but you’ve gotta get back into bed. Kid or not, you’ve got a broken rib and fractured wrist. You’ve got to get back into bed.”

Philza grunted again in Piglin. Techno frowned.

“Come on, kiddo.” He scooped the boy up easily and placed him on the bed. Philza flopped around like a fish, grabbing hold of his wrist and pulling. Techno noticed that he was refusing eye contact like he did when he was younger. Freshly saved from the farms and enslavement. “Philza? Can you…..Can I see you’re eyes please?”

Oh that did it. Philza trembled harshly, removing his grip from his sleeve and hiding under the covers. He threw a look at the doctor. The man just shook his head.

“I got you a gift. He placed the gift, a snicker’s bar, on the side table. Silence permeated the room. Philza snuffled a bit, grunting out a small question. Technobalde smiled. "I'm glad to know that you don't blame Ranboo. You're going to be okay, and so is he."

Philza gave another question. 

"He didn't hurt our chances, I promise. It was just....it was just a momentary string of bad luck, s'all. We'll find a way to keep the center open." Techno was going to say more but Philza yawning had him smiling. "I’m going go check on Ranboo. I'll be right back okay?”

 He left with the doctor, the commotion dying down once they were in the hallway. Technoblade sighed.

“What the hell-”

“Calm down, Technoblade.”

“‘Calm down’? ‘Calm down’?!” Technoblade growled. “My son is in there, and is acting like he was just saved from slavery!”

“It’s just a trauma response, Technoblade. He went through a traumatic experience and it’s not going to be a simple fix!”

Technoblade knew the doctor was right, but-

He was angry.

He was beyond pissed.

Technoblade wished that he could go down to the courthouse, and set it on fire. He wanted to rig it up with enough explosives to destroy the entire town and watch it get wiped off the map. He slammed his fists against the wall, grunting at the pain that flared up.

“Mister Blade, please….calm down. There’s no need in destroying the infirmary before the construction crews can.”

Technoblade froze, then lowered his head in shame. “I’m…..sorry.”

“No need to be.” The doctor put a hand on his shoulder with all the love of a grandfather. “I’m sure you guys are doing all you can to help out and get the decision reversed. I can certainly try to help. I’ve got some friends hwo can organize rallies on our behalf if that would help?”

“We can only try.” Technobalde sighed. He didn’t want to talk about this anymore. He cleared his throat. “So. How’s Ranboo doing?”

The doctor shifted, looking a little ashamed. “Much like Philza, it seems the Ender boy has reverted to a sort of trauma state. We tried to treat his burns from his tears but he won’t let us touch him. We’ve left him in his room for now but we’re continuing to monitor him.”

“Do you think he’ll see me?”

“It’s possible.” Technoblade swallowed, sighing as he made his way back into Philza’s room.

The young boy was huddled under the covers, his eyes the only thing visible. When he walked into the room, Philza immediately cowered even more, tucking his head all the way until only the tuft of his hair was poked out. Gently, and slowly, Techno gently gave the hair a gentle scratch.

“You’ve gotta get better, okay Philza? Your boys miss you.” He heard some sniffling, and his heart broke all the same. “I know you’re scared but I’m sure Ranboo didn’t mean it.”

“I …I know.” Philza’s voice was shaky with tears and muffled under the covers but it was clear enough. “Just….Just t-tired.”

“Okay….I’ll go and let you get some sleep okay? I love you.”

“Love you too.” He kissed the top of the head before leaving. There was a bit of loosening of his heart when he noticed the snicker’s bar had been eaten..

Techno turned down the hallway, and headed towards Ranboo’s room.

He knocked, only getting a whimper in response. Gently he opened the door, and his heart broke again. Ranboo sat huddled in the corner of his room, huddled up against the wall and away from the door. There were tear tracks running down his face, clear thanks to the red burn marks that accentuated them.

“Ranboo?” The boy pulled his ever long limbs inward. “It’s okay, Ranboo. I’m not gonna hurt you.”

“B-but I h-hurt Philza…”

Techno sighed softly as he lowered himself to a sitting position. The boy lurched away even more, but at this point he might as well try and merge with the wall. He still wouldn't look at him but now Technoblade knew why. “He’s going to be okay.” Ranboo sniffed, his lip wobbling. “I…I don’t want to….I didn’t mean to-”

“Ranboo, we all know it’s an accident. You don’t have to apologize for anything.”

Ranboo turned to him, flashing those big fearful eyes towards him, but still lowered to where he was looking at his cheek. “What’s gonna happen to me now?”

“Nothing. Nothing bad is going to happen to you. I’ve spoken to Philza and he’s not mad or upset. Neither are Tommy and Tubbo. In fact, they’re really worried about you.” Ranboo returned to that little ball while he spoke. Hiding away. “Look, Ranboo. You’re going to be okay. I’ve got a little treat for you.”

The boy’s ears perked up just a bit as Techno pulled out the candy bar. He looked like he wanted to grab it right out of Techno’s hands but held himself back. Techno smiled softly and gave it to the boy, who held it like a baby.

“You can eat that.” Techno reminded him gently. “If you want anymore you can always ask for me and I’ll bring you another one okay?”

“I’ll….I’ll try to reme-ember that.” Ranboo returned to his original curled up spot. Techno sighed. He spent another four minutes there before a text from Sam. He bid the boy goodbye before leaving the room. He called Sam, suddenly feeling a rush of excitement when he was told the news. He hung up and left the infirmary, feeling a bit lighter than when he came in. He stopped outside and quickly dialed the number he had been given.

“You’ve reached the office of Representative Rosales. Please leave a message and we will return your call as soon as possible.”

BEEP!

“Mrs. Rosales, this is Technoblade. Sam told me you had a plan to turn around the decision. Please call me back as soon as you can.”

He hung up. His face upturned to the sky, silently praying that there was finally some good news waiting for him.

Chapter Text

Techno sighed as he tapped his fingers against his knee anxiously. He shifted in his seat, unused to being in a fancy suit for so long. He glanced over at Sam, who was leaned over with his arms resting on his knees. The man looked so shattered but Techno really couldn’t blame him. There was a general feeling of helplessness in him. They were staring down the barrel of something that could change the course of many lives. True they could remake the Center somewhere else without funding, but it would probably end up a failure. At best, it would be a part of a much larger operation.

At worst, an illegal act that could get them all arrested.

“Man….” Sam groaned. Techno glanced over at him, cocking his eyebrow. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so stressed before.”

“Not even in high school?”

“Eh, that was child’s play.” A couple of aides passed by them. The two men eyed them, Techno with no small part of suspicion. He sighed when they disappeared around the corner. Sam continued, “This though. A whole bunch of lives are at stake. Their safety. Their security.”

“I know.” Techno chuckled. “I hope you realized you made my blood pressure spike.”

“Ah what are friends for?”

They laughed, although it didn’t last long. They returned to an uncomfortable silence, waiting until they were remembered. A door opened and slammed at the end of the hallway, and footsteps clopped their way closer to them.

“Oh! I am so sorry to keep you waiting gentleman!”

They both glanced up to see Senator Rosales striding down the hallway, looking a little flustered. Techno stood up, and noticed a girl, maybe about sixteen years old, lingering right behind the very well-dressed woman.

Senator Rosales smiled brightly, taking Techno’s hand and giving it a shake. She did the same thing with Sam. “I hope you weren’t waiting too long! I’m sorry for being late, but I had a committee meeting that ran over.”

“You have nothing to apologize for, Senator. The fact that you decided to meet with us at all is nothing short of charitble.” Techno said. HIs eyes turned to the girl, who was looking at him with wide eyes. Thankfully, Sam asked the question he was a little awkward to ask.

“Who’s that? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Senator Rosales turned around, smiling even more brightly. “Mister Dude, and Mister Blade, this is my daughter Kristin. She’s doing her summer internship with me. Kristin?”

The young woman, a spitting image of her mother it seemed, broke out into a big smile. She took Techno’s hand and shook it. “Pleasure to meet you, Mister Blade. Mister Dude.”

“Please, just Techno. And it’s an honor to meet you.” Techno sighed. “I hope you and your mother can be of help with this situation of ours.”

“Mom, er, Senator Rosales,” Kristin’s cheek turned a tad pink as she glanced at her mother, “has briefed me on the situation. And I’ve written a few….uh, solutions-”

“Let’s move this into the office, shall we?” Senator Rosales suggested. Her eyes darted around, uncertain and suddenly very guarded. “Less ears to conveniently overhear our conversation.”

“Oh right.” Sam shifted awkwardly before gesturing to the door. “After you, ladies.”

They shuffled into the office quickly and once the door was locked, and Senator Rosales did a sweep of the space, they sat down. Senator Rosales pulled a piece of stationary and a pen out and started to scribble something. She smiled up at the men.

“Alright, Kristin. Go ahead and tell the gentlemen about your plans.”

“Right! Uh….” the girl pulled out a notepad and quickly flipped through. Techno couldn’t help but smile fondly as Kristin stuttered for a few seconds as she tried to gain her bearings. “So I had two proposals. Which one you choose is entirely up to you….of course, but uhm. Let’s see. Uhhh first one is you appeal to the people directly. Gather support, using a….one of the Center’s success stories. Maybe start a fund where the people could donate whatever funds they want to give.”

“We’ve actually started a fund but we’ve only managed to raise about ten thousand dollars.” Sam said sadly. “Enough to pay some of the bills but….”

“Uh…” Kristin glanced down at her notes, muttering something before asking, “What has been your strategy so far?”

Sam and Techno glanced at each other. Techno cleared his throat. “Well. Uhm. We’ve just been….asking people.”

“What.”

“We’ve had some of our volunteers ask around for some donations and that’s….what…we…” Techno cut himself off when he noticed that both Senator Rosales and Kristin were looking at him with horror.

“That’s all you’ve been doing?!”

“No offense, ma’am, but we’re not about to use our residents as tools. They’ve had enough of that in their old life.” Sam shifted.

“It’s not that we’re going to take advantage of them, Mister Dude.” Senator Rosales stated. She leaned forward, her brow furrowed. “This, what we’re doing here, is not for the benefit of one person, or a small group of people. But it’s for the benefit of them all. The Center is their home, and I’m pretty damn sure that they’ll do anything to keep it.”

Techno did have to admit she had a point and he grunted his acknowledgement of her words. “What do you suggest?”

“I’d say choose about a handful of hybrids that have the most compelling stories and get some testimonies together. We can present it to a handful of donors.” Kristin muttered something as she snatched a pen from her mother's desk. She scratched something on her notepad before smiling up at him again. “Okay. That’s taken care of. Now….oh. Oh wait. Wait just a second….I have an idea! Oh mom it’s-Holy cow, how did I not think of this before!”

Techno sat up, his eyes going wide. “What?”

Kristin was bouncing on her feet, a big ole smile on her face. “We can take care of the donors and the committee at the same time!”

Techno glanced over at Sam and was thankful that his look of confusion was mirrored on his face.

“What do you mean?”

“How can we do that?” Sam asked at the same time.

“I need a white board. Uhm.” Kristin glanced around, before landing on the beaming senator. “May I borrow the board?”

“Have at thee!” If it was possible the girl beamed even further. She rushed off somewhere in the other room.

Sam cleared his throat. “Well. She certainly has the energy.”

“Indeed she does.” And it gave Techno such warmth to hear the pride in the senator’s voice. The same pride he felt for his own boys. “She’s got the tenacity for politics and the energy for the debate stage, but…not the ruthless cut throat viciousness, I’m afraid.”

Techno hummed. Sam coughed lightly. “Why are you helping us? I mean, far be it from me to be ungrateful ... .but…from what we’ve seen of the local government, they’re not all too keen about helping us.”

“Well, you have my daughter to thank.” Senator Rosales shifted in her seat, smiling sadly. “Truthfully, gentlemen, I had lost all hope in the good of humanity. And your Center was just another casualty. Another pure and altruistic cause that was stonewalled by greed, mistrust and just a plain lack of understanding. I thought that you were going to be like every other charity that comes through here. Once the verdict was handed down, I thought you’d give up. But you didn’t. I kept seeing you here, trying everything you could to garner support. I told my daughter, and she decided this was what she was going to do.”

“Wow. That’s….very kind of her.” Sam muttered. Techno nodded.

“She has a good heart.” Senator Rosales smiled even wider. “She’ll help you with your situation.”

“If this works, then we’ll have to get your daughter a gift basket or something.” Right at that moment, Kristin returned, hauling a white board and a stand. But she was looking like she was the cat who made it to the cream.

“I found one!” There was a round of cheers from the adults as she quickly set up the board. “Okay, here’s what we should do. We do one committee proposal and bring in the donor at the same time. That way we can make a powerful case, show the government that the people’s support is on your side. Invite the media. Invite the press. Anyone and everyone who's supposed to have some sort of power. Union leaders…uh-”

“Forgive me, but what benefit will that have for us? Inviting union leaders to a meeting about a hybrid rehabilitation center?” Sam shrugged.

“Well, the union leaders can get you protection, so you don’t have to use any of your own men.”

“I assume we’ll have to pay them?”

“We can always figure that out after we get the Center right back to working.” Kristin scribbled something down, biting her lip. “We’ll need all the sympathy from the public that we can get on this.”

“I’m sorry but the public isn’t gonna want to hear about this.” Techno shifted. “We haven’t been able to garner support aside from the words who are already there.”

“No offense, but that’s where you’re hurting yourself.” Kristin turned back to the board, circling a few things and then turning back. “I also think you should have a tour of the center. Maybe not to the entire public, but to the few trusted press and the union leaders. Show them the personal side of the Center.”

“I don’t know…..” Techno glanced over at Sam, his brows furrowing in thought. He sighed. “I think this might be worth the risk.”

“Techno, you’re seriously gonna do consider this?”

“We have no other way. And I think this’ll be a good plan.” Sam sighed, rubbing his forehead with his hands. “I….I don’t know.”

“We can lock down parts of the Center you don’t want the public going through.” Kristin proposed. “We can do a walk through and you can decide before we let the public in.”

“I…”

“Sam?” The man was quiet, his head down before turning towards Techno. His eyes were washed with stress and conflict. “I don’t want to put our residence on display.”

“They’re not gonna be on display.” Kristin’s voice was soft. “We’re gonna help you and get your Center back.”

“We’re going to be okay.” Techno assured him. And for the first time he actually believed it. He cleared his throat. Turning back to Kristin with a smile.

“So. Where do we go from here?”

Chapter Text

Phil sighed as he stood before the three boys. He glanced up at Technoblade, the man giving a small, encouraging smile. He shifted on his feet awkwardly as he moved forward. He felt a tingling down his neck as Ranboo looked up. Philza immediately directed his eyes away from the mismatched eyes, making sure to keep his gaze to the right side of the boy’s face.

“Ranboo?”

“DADZA!” Tommy shouted as he leapt into the piglin’s arms. He caught the boy with ease, nuzzling the flowers that were in full bloom. A smile grew on his face as he placed Tommy on the ground, hugging Tubbo as the shy moobloom gave his own hug to him. Then he turned back to Ranboo, his ears tucked and tail swishing nervously behind him. Philza knelt down in front of him.

“Ranboo….li-listen I know you’ve g-got a family out the-there somewhere and I was thinking…that ma-abye you’d want to find them. But…but you’ve said you wanted to b-be apart of our sounder….” Philza swallowed as he stared down at the envelope in his hands. He swallowed again harder as he turned his eyes upward, just below the boy’s chin. “You can ch-choose what you want to d-do….but….I’ve got so-ome thing to-to give you.”

He held out the envelope. Shyly.

“Here. A gift.” He shifted awkwardly. “To remember us by.”

He saw a white stubby hand gingerly take the envelope from his hands. Philza tried to keep his ears from being pulled backward in nerves, holding his head up as high as he could without seeming overconfident. It didn’t work, as his tail swished behind him back. He bit his bottom lip as he heard Ranboo open the envelope. He knew that the boy had opened it because he heard the boy gasp.

Philza glanced up through his eyelashes, watching as Ranboo took out a piece of gold that Techno had managed to get a hold of. The boy’s eyes were large as he examined it, watching as it shone and glittered.

“Oooooh.”

“Oh that’s pretty, Philza!” Tommy exclaimed. The golden moobloom tried to grab ahold of the little ingot by Ranboo held it away from the grabby hooves. “Ranboob!”

“Tommy!”

“What? It’s shiny!”

“Tommy, first of all, you have your own little stash.” Philza pulled the squirming lad into his lap. He snuffled the flowers, scratching the scalp and cooing when the boy relaxed. “And second of all, I’m sure that Ranboo would like to be called by his own name.”

“I…I don’t mind the name.” the Enderman muttered. He bit his own lip before glancing up at Technoblade. “I was…was going to come and find you…I don’t remember my family, or if they’re out there. Frankly. I don’t want to find them.”

“But, Ranboo-”

“No. I…I don’t think….I don’t think I want to find them. I don’t want to find them. There’s a feeling deep down that makes me wonder if they really do care about me.” Ranboo lowered his eyes, swirling his nails into the dirt to make little patterns absently. “I was found in the woods….alone. But here, I’ve been loved and cared for and fed and looked after. Even after what I did. I…I don’t want to ever leave.”

Philza felt his heart sore at that declaration. He felt lighter than ever at the enderman’s words. “So you’ll….you’ll be staying?”

This was almost too good to be true. Oh gods above don’t tease him like this-

“You gave me a gold ingot.” Ranboo moved the gift around in the sunlight, entranced in the way that it sparkled. The boy’s tail started to swish faster. “I’m a part of your sounder right?”

“If…if you want?”

Ranboo smiled softly. Adverting his eyes shyly. “I’d liked that.”

Philza smiled brightly, feeling his eyes go misty. “Really?”

The enderman nodded. Tommy gasped dramatically. “DOES THAT MEAN THAT RANBOO IS MY BROTHER?”

“Yeah it does.”

“LET’S GOOOOO!” Tommy launched himself into the air, throwing himself onto Ranboo. The taller boy went down under the weight of the energetic moobloom. It took a moment for the news to sink in for Tubbo but when he did, he started to hop on his feet with an excited look on his eyes.

“New brother! New brother! New brotheeeerrrrr!” Tubbo leapt onto the pile of boys with his own cheer. Philza and Techno chuckled as the boys started to wrestle playfully. Philza snorted commandingly after a few minutes, letting his sons- his kids, his sounder, his joy, happiness-calm down before he pulled them all into a hug.

He heard a snap, and he peered up at Technoblade as he quickly snapped some more pictures. He didn’t care.

Philza could never be more content with his life. Now, he had to fight to keep it.