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It was a sunny afternoon when he got caught. A boy in Wilburs class had stepped too far one too many times.
He wasn't allowed in that school having been deemed too dangerous just because he came from the nether. They sent tutors to the house and gave their father the materials instead of letting him mix with the other kids.
Maybe that's how he missed the bullying at first.
Wilbur coming home from school hungrier than usual, him having scrapes on his hands and legs even though he didn't play chase with the other kids usually.
He could even be called shy as of late. Less likely to jump in on teasing and far less mischievous than any fox kit should be at his age.
It worried him. It worried their father. It even worried Tommy, the fragile baby seeming more restless than usual.
That's why he was allowed to follow Wilbur yesterday. With his dads blessing he was able to spend the whole day lurking in the woods around the school so he could catch glimpses into his twin's school life.
None of it seemed too far out of the ordinary. He had his little group of friends he always complained about and he even joked around just like he usually did. That was until lunch period where, once everyone else had gone inside to be early to class, this boy approached his brother and hurt him.
He couldn’t see much from the angle but he saw enough .
Enough to run home and try to make a potion on his dads brewing stand for revenge. At least, that’s what he was doing before he got interrupted.
“What are you doing?”
He jumped at the sound of his dads voice, head swivelling around to stare wide eyes at the elytrian.
His dad was leaning down, a curious glint in his eyes as he tried to peer around at the potion he was struggling with.
“Nothing!”
“Nothing?” His head tilted to the side “it certainly looks like something.”
“Nothing you need to worry about” he amended “I’m just working on something.”
Phil eyed him suspiciously.
“And why do you need to be by my brewing stands to do it? They’re dangerous and I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“I won’t get hurt, I'm just looking!”
“You look with your eyes, darling, not your hands. How about you get away from that and I fix you a nice snack plate, yeah? You must be hungry after being out all day.”
“Really I’m fine! You can go-“
“Technoblade I’m not asking you, I’m telling you. The brewing stands aren’t safe and you can easily lose a finger if you’re not careful.”
“But I’m not done!”
“Done with wha- oh do not tell me you’ve been brewing while I wasn’t looking!”
Firm hands shifted him to the side and promptly tightened when they saw the potion bubbling from the heat of the blazerods.
“Techno you could’ve hurt yourself! Badly! Prime knows how many kids have lost their fingers getting a bit too curious about these fucking things.”
“I was being careful though! I did everything you do!”
“I know you think you were being careful darling but you have to understand that these things just aren't safe! You’re a smart boy, one of the smartest kids I’ve met but you’re still a child!” Phil pinched the space between his eyes, hands fretting over his face and hands before taking a scolding tone he rarely ever used.
“That was stupid of you to do, Techno. So, so stupid. You could’ve hurt yourself badly, I know you think you’re mature but you are still a child. A child capable of making stupid decisions that can lead to irreversible mistakes.”
Phil sighed before glancing to the side.
“I really thought you were smart enough not to make silly mistakes like this but clearly, I was wrong. Just because you’re bright doesn’t mean that I can skip out on important safety lessons and I see that now. I’m sorry I failed you.”
His instincts shied away the tone being used, wailing at his den-father being unhappy with him.
Tears welled up in his eyes at the scolding. He was too old to cry but the soft, disappointed tone in his fathers voice stung deeper than anything else he could’ve done. He sniffled and looked to the side, unable to look at his Phils face anymore.
“Oh baby it's alright, here” his dad leaned over and turned off the burner for the stands “it's off, no one got hurt and I’m not mad. I’m just- worried. I don’t know what I’d do if you got hurt because I just assumed things of you, my darling.”
He pulled Techno into his chest and gently rubbed his back as he continued.
“It was silly of you to do this, especially without asking me beforehand, but I think you know that, don't you? You understand that it was wrong and that you could’ve gotten hurt.” He nodded shakily as he held tightly to Phils robes.“How about you tell me what you were trying to do, sweetheart. You said you were brewing something, right? What were you trying to make?”
He shook his head as he cried more.
“No? You don’t want to tell me?”
He shook his head again.
“I can’t help you if I don’t know what's going on in that little head of yours, Tech. First your brother worries me and now you’re acting odd after following him and that worries me. What's happened to my smart, well behaved boy? Hm? You know better than to play with potions.”
“I- I do” he sniffed.
“Then tell me what's made you do this. Tell me what's wrong so I can make it disappear. That's what I always do, don't I? I get rid of whatever is worrying my babies no matter what. You’ve acted out dangerously because of something and I want to protect you from it.”
Taloned hands combed through his hair, gently scratching behind his ears.
“Tell me what I need to get rid of. It’ll be nice and easy. Just give me a name or a description and I’ll make it all go away.”
He whined, the sound high, overwhelmed and piglin as he buried himself further into his dads hold. Phil cooed and held him tighter, letting him cry himself out. The scent of herbs and tea was thick on his robes and it slowly worked to calm him down.
The smell was comforting, something far from the scent of the nether that always sent his heart racing. He couldn't remember much of it before his dad found him but he knew that it was scary. Scary and dangerous and somewhere he soundly didn’t belong.
Herbs and tea were the first foreign smells to tickle his nose as he was carried to his new life with his dad and, just like before, they calmed his panic substantially. Paired with the talons combing gently through his hair he felt himself start to relax.
Eventually, when he could finally breathe without hiccuping on a new sob, he shakinly began to explain himself, thankful for his dads patience. “There's a boy in Wils class” he sniffed, trying to slow the tears leaving him “he- he hurt Wil a-and I wanted to hurt him back.”
The hand stilled in his hair, fingers tightening to almost painful for a moment before he was pulled back so his face wasn’t hidden in his chest anymore. His dads eyes were intense, the warm blue that reminded him of the sky quickly turned frosty and severe.
“He hurt Wilbur?” Angry chirps painted each word “my baby was hurt?
A rattling hiss echoed through the room.
“Who?”
“I- I don’t know his name” he sniffed “but he hurt Wil and that’s why I think he’s been so quiet.”
He was pulled tightly to his fathers chest again, huge black wings working as a shroud to hide him from the rest of the world. It was distinctly possessive in a way his dad rarely showed, low croons filling the space before he finally got a hold of his instincts again.
The light of his eyes almost glowed in contrast to the dark surrounding them.
“And why did that make you play with the brewing stand?” The words were a little garbled from the chirps tainting each word but he took a deep breath and answered anyway.
“I- I wanted him to pay for hurting Wil” he started, unable to stop himself from shrinking smaller and looking away as he continued “you don’t like me getting in fights because I get hurt so I figured a potion would be better.”
A low, angry caw filled the space, distinctly scolding in a way that was familiar for his father. He didn’t speak the bird language that Phil did but he’d been around him long enough to recognise what each sound meant.
Clawed hands moved from his shoulders in favour of cupping his cheeks, tilting his head further back before his dads forehead pressed against his own. He couldn't help the happy squeal that left him at the action, his tail wagging and brushing against the feathers caging him.
“What were you brewing?” The words were slow and careful “which potion?”
“I-I’m not sure” he admitted “I added stuff you mentioned is bad for us…”
“Do you know the ingredients you added?” his thumb smoothed over the tender skin below Technos eye, wiping away the tear tracks “can you tell me the order you put them in?”
“I think so, yeah” he sniffed, raising a hand to wipe at his eyes.
“Perfect. You’ve done great, Techno, you were very brave and I’m proud of you.”
“You are?”
“You want to protect your brother and you did what you thought would be helpful. Your heart was in the right place. So let me teach you a lesson, okay? One about asking for help.”
He made a confused hum.
“First I’m going to get you a nice warm towel so your eyes don’t get sore and then you’ll drink a cold glass of water for me. After that I’ll help you with your potion and we can get rid of that boy together.”
“You’re not angry at me? Even though I touched the potion stand?”
“No, sweetheart. I’m disappointed that you didn’t feel as though you couldn’t come tell me about the problem first but that's a failing on my end. Not yours. Communication is important in families and as your father I want you to feel safe telling me anything. Me helping you with this can be a trust exercise to show that you can trust me.”
“B-but I do trust you.”
“I know you do, I don’t think you’d stick around if you didn't” Phil chuckled “but you don't trust me with this side of your instincts yet and that's alright. I’ll show you that you can and we can bond while doing it. Doesn't that sound nice?”
That did sound nice. He didn’t know the last time he got to spend one on one time with his dad ever since he brought his new baby brother home. “... You have been spending lots of time with Tommy lately.”
“He needs extra time with me because of how little he is, sweetheart. I had to do the same with you when you were his age” he leaned down and pressed a kiss to his head “but I have been neglecting you a little, haven't I? That's why my babies gone a little rogue on me. Not to worry, it's nothing some father-son time can't fix.”
With that he took his hand and gently led him to the kitchen, rinsing a towel under warm water while he got comfy leaning on the kitchen counter. A pleasant, if a little tense, quiet washed over the kitchen as his dad approached again.
Gently, Phil swiped the towel under his eyes and over his cheeks, wiping away the tears and soothing an ache he wasn’t even aware of. He was careful, as if Techno was as delicate as Tommy and he couldn’t help but melt into it.
He liked being independent. Being strong and big . But he also loved the small moment he got to share with his dad whenever he was doted on. He wasn’t clingy like Wilbur or needy like Tommy, he was steady and insistent with his love and affection.
Always waiting for the right moment to swoop in and press possessive kisses into his hairline or hoard him away under his huge wings.
It was nice. Consistent. Something he could rely on whenever he found himself in a mess a bit too big to deal with on his own. No matter how far he roamed or what he did, his dad would always be there and ready to take him to safety.
He hummed as a cold glass of water was pressed into his hands, smiling when he saw it was his favourite mug. He took steady sips as Phil continued to dote on him, allowing his head to be tilted as his dad chased away the red streaks that stained his cheeks.
The water was blessedly soothing as he drank it down, his tail thumping gently against the counter while it wagged contentedly. Phil cooed before drying off his cheeks and pressing a gentle kiss to his hairline again.
“There we go… all you needed was a bit of fuss, huh?” A calloused thumb gently swiped under his eyes “I love it when you let me take care of you like this, you’re far too independent.”
“I like being independant.”
“But don’t you like me? I miss you whenever you go out roaming with your brother, y’know.”
“You have Tommy.”
“I do” his chin was tilted up to look at his dads face “but I want you, too. No matter how big or old you get you’ll always be my baby, just like Wil and Tommy. My old heart can’t help but worry whenever my babies aren’t around me.”.
Guilt gnawed in his stomach at the thought of worrying his dad, making him feel a little sick before he glanced away. “... I’ll try to stay home more” he conceded, earning a warm hug in response “I’m sorry for worrying you” he added.
“I’m your dad, sweetheart, it's my job to worry about you” Phil pressed a gentle kiss to his head before looking down at him with warm eyes “now, how about we get started on that potion? Hm? Can you tell me what you put inside yours?”
“I added water just like you always do…” he played with his fingers “and then I added some of those green potatoes we grew that you threw away.”
“I threw those away because they’re bad for you, Tech”
“ Exactly! So they should be bad for him too, right?”
“It would but I doubt it’d have the effect you wanted in a potion, darling” a hand between his shoulders guided him back to the brewing stand before his dad dumped the one he was brewing before, instead pulling out a fresh glass and hooking it up.
“Now, tell me, what is the base of every potion?”
“Water” he paused to think again for a moment before nodding to himself “yeah- its water.”
“Correct!” Phil smiled “and then what?”
“You add the ingredients, don’t you? The stuff that makes it magic.”
His dad tilted his head with a knowing smile “that’s where you’re wrong, darling. You can’t skip straight to ingredients! We have to add something else first to work as a conduit for the effects.”
“Doesn’t the water do that?”
“No, sweetheart. The water just holds everything together like a pot, the magic binds to it and takes liquid form because that’s the easiest.”
“Then what do you add?”
He smiled before opening one of the pots Techno couldn’t reach, pulling out a squishy red mushroom that made him wrinkle his nose. His dad laughed at his reaction before booping him on his scrunched up nose.
“I know, it doesn't smell very nice does it?” He shook his head “this is called nether wart, darling, piglin tend to grow them in bastions but your dear old dad was able to sneak a couple to grow at home.”
“Why would you wanna grow something so gross smelling?” He frowned “I don’t like it. It's yucky.”
“It probably smells worse for you because of that sensitive little nose” Phil tutted “but this is what activates the magic in the potion. Boiling this in the water gives the particles something to attach to and it eats away any remains of the rest of the stuff we add. If you don’t add this then you’re just making a really horrible drink.”
”That’s what all potions are.”
“In a way I guess, yeah” his dad laughed before taking some tweezers and stuffing the mushroom into the neck of the bottle.
He watched with wide eyes as his dad plopped the mushroom into the water, watching the red colouring bleed off of it and fizz from within the confines of the bottle. It almost seemed to dissolve in the water, losing mass as it continued to carbonate the liquid from within.
“This is what some people call an awkward potion, darling. Piglin in the nether use something similar to this for water.”
“What do we use it for?”
“Not much if I’m honest. Some people like to add different juices to make fizzy fruit drinks in summer but apart from that its really only used for brewing.”
“But how does this become poison?” he huffed “this just looks like something you’d make me drink for my health.”
“Nether wart would probably be good for you, actually-”
“No! Teach me about the poison” he whined as he pulled his dads robe, making sure to give him puppy dog eyes when the man looked down at him “you said you would…”
“ Fine” he huffed, gently petting his hair before returning to his wall of ingredients and pulling out a glass jar full of small red clumps “ these are fermented spider eyes. I’ve added sugar to them and let them stew for a bit so all the nasty ichor is nice and potent.”
“And the ichor helps our potion?”
“Mhm” his dad twisted open the jar, filling the room with the sickly sweet smell of rot. He scrunched his nose as careful talons plucked one out and plopped the saggy specimen into the water.”
It changed to a horrible green almost instantly, the eye seeming to fizzle away just like the nether wart did.
“That was quick” his dad mused to himself “I guess letting them sit for longer made it more potent.”
“And now?”
“ Now it's a poison potion.”
“Great! So we can add it to his food now?”
“Not with this dose, my dear” a talon booped his nose “this will only make him very sick. He can recover if given something like regen.”
“That's not fair! He shouldn’t get to recover for what he did!”
“No, no he shouldn't” his dads smile was as sharp as his eyes “that’s why we’re going to mix in another nasty little concoction to make sure he can’t recover.”
His fathers hands reached over to grab yet another fermented eye from the disgusting jar, ichor dripping from it as he crouched back down to eye level.
“Do you know what will happen if we add another eye, darling?”
He shook his head and watched as Phil leaned over and dropped the eye into the green potion, the ichor staining it a muddy dark colour from the juices blending once again.
“If we add another eye” his dad grinned “it becomes a harming potion.”
“Oooo” he leaned closer, watching the colours swirl within as a steady hand kept him back from getting too close to the blaze rods “and this’ll kill him?”
“If mixed properly with poison, definitely. Diluting it will make it slower acting so if he’s left alone for long enough-”
“It can be blamed on the poison” he finished, getting a praising scratch behind the ears for his answer. “ Exactly. Very good, my darling.”
“But now we don’t have the poison anymore” he pouted “we just have harming.”
His dads smile became warm as he cupped his cheek before responding. “Luckily for us, you’ve been paying very good attention, haven't you?”
“Of course!”
“So you’ll know how to make it then” his head tilted to the side “won’t you?”
“You'll let me make one?” he felt a grin stretch across his face in an instant, showing off tusks he usually tried to hide “really? You’ll let me?”
Phil cooed before pressing a kiss to his hairline, hugging him close laughing at the sheer speeds of his tail wagging. “I’ll watch over you while you do it” he hummed “but you’ve proven to be a great assistant so far, why not?”
An excited squeal left him as he darted over to grab another potion bottle before holding it up for his dad to fill, eagerly accepting it back when it was full with enough water. He watched as his dad spun the brewing stand at the top, moving the potion of harming away from the fire as it hung on the stand.
Carefully (and accompanied by a taloned hand resting on his back) he placed the bottle on the hook and waited impatiently for it to start boiling.
He looked over at his dad, finding pride blooming in his chest when he got an approving nod and chirp from the elytrian, the hybrid having now shifted to the side so he could give him enough space around the small workstation.
He felt his tail pause in its excited wagging when he had to pull out the nether wart, his nose scrunching again at the horrid smell of nether and bitterness swirling around the fungus. He diligently ignored the snort coming from his father when the man noticed this momentary lapse in his excitement.
When it started fizzing in the water properly, he felt his tail start back up again, it only wagging harder when his dad gave it an approving chirp when he stepped out of the way to show it off.
He tried to keep the timing spent brewing similar to when Phil walked him through it, waiting for the same visual changes as before to tell him when he needed to add the eyes. Once deemed sufficiently fizzy he carefully picked up one of the slimy, rotten eyes and dropped it into the potion, quickly going to wash off the remaining ichor sticking to his fingers.
“Awww look at you” he heard his dad coo as he “my little apprentice brewer already practising proper safety measures. You’re a natural at this, darling.”
“I am?” He felt a little unsure of himself as he spoke “really?”
“If you weren’t then I would’ve probably had to step in by now. Don’t take this as an invite to just start brewing either, you’re a natural but you’re not infallible. Only brew when I’m here to watch over you, alright?”
“Does that mean we can do this more regularly?” He tried to sound nonchalant as he focused on drying his hands “like- can it be our thing?”
“Our thing?”
“The thing we do together. To bond. Our thing.”
“I don’t see why not” his dad chirped as he swirled the potion around a bit to force the eye to release more of its poisonous ichor “brewing is an important skill to have, I might as well start early.”
“Oh” his tail was wagging faster than ever before, slapping against his trousers from the sheer joy bubbling in his chest “cool. That's… that's cool.”
His dad laughed before swooping down to hug him to his chest, peppering kisses to his face when he squirmed before putting him down again.
“What was that for?” He sputtered, looking up at Phil with wide eyes.
“I’m sorry my darling” he laughed “you were just too cute trying to act like you didn’t care- I couldn’t help myself.”
Blush took over his cheeks instantly. “I’m not trying to act like I don’t care! It’s just- not that big of a deal is all.”
“Oh of course” his dad was still giggling “you’re much too grown to get excited over some time with me. Let’s just ignore you saying you missed me earlier.”
“You’re delusional” he scoffed “going crazy in your old age.”
“Mhm, I’m sure I am. Since I’m so crazy I’m sure you don’t want me telling you that the potion is already done and cooled.”
“Of course not- heh?! When did you have time to do that?”
“You’ve been drying your hands for a while my darling” he snickered “how about I show you the proper ratio for our nasty little surprise? Hm?”
He followed his dad eagerly back to the workstation as he pulled out what had to be the final potion bottle and a pipette. “Now this is a precise art, darling” his dad hummed, eyes focused on the bottles. “We want to have the perfect balance or else our plan could go wrong.”
“How do we keep it perfect?”
“The minimum amount for a potion to work are three pipettes full. We want a roughly two to three ratio of poison to harming for this to have our desired effect.”
“Oh no” he whispered “we have to do maths.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll do the maths for us today. Proper ratios can be a lesson for another day.”
He nodded and watched eagerly as his dad carefully took measured amounts of each potion until a dark green potion is all that remained. If he didn’t know what went into it, he’d almost call it an emerald green and assume it was healthy.
Maybe that was the angle he could go with the bully.
If they were dumb enough to hurt Wilbur then they were probably dumb enough to believe him.
His thoughts were quickly interrupted by his dad put the pipette down and declaring “all done! Our potion is complete.”
“Really?” He eyed it more “we’re done? Already?”
“Well since I had such a wonderful little helper, things went very smoothly” his dad grinned, causing him to blush and look away, embarrassment at the praise flooding his system and making his ears horribly red.
At least, he tried to look away but taloned hands gently cupped his cheeks and tilted his head up so his father could keep fawning over him. “I’m very proud of you, baby” his dad peppered kisses to his head “and I can’t wait to share more recipes with you. Maybe I’ll even let you help me in the kitchen later too.”
“I’d like that” he mumbled, still embarrassed by his tail wagging and hitting his dads knee “I’d really like that.”
“I’m happy you would, now why don’t you go poison that bully, yeah?”
His dad stood up and turned away, corking the potion before handing it to him and starting to put all the other pots away.
He felt his tail continue to wag as he started leaving the room before he paused and turned back to the elytrian.
“Oh- dad” He called, trotting up to him as his father gave him a confused tilt of the head “I do feel more comfortable now- about coming to you.”
His face immediately melted, a warm and soft look taking over his dads face as he let out a rattling coo, cupping his cheek in one hand.
“I'm glad you do, sweetheart” his thumb stroked soothingly under his eye “now run along. You have a bully to poison and I have snacks to prepare for when you and your brother get home.”
“Can I have some apple slices? Or orange ones?”
“Of course you can. Now shoo, go make me proud.”
“Okay!” He turned and started jogging to the door “bye! Love you!”
“Love you too!” Phil called back “see you soon!”
He ran out the door, eagerly passing through the front garden as he started heading to the direction of Wilbur’s school, where his target still resides.
He’d make his dad proud.
He’d make him proud and protect his big brother.
All with the help of one little potion.