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Sometimes it’s really hard to be alone. Human beings need some level of human interaction, but then again, Ranboo wasn’t really all that human. The wind was gale force against his thin shoulders, shoving him sideways. He had been walking for what felt like weeks, the still, warm air of the plains quickly giving way to blizzards as he made his way north. Ranboo didn’t really know where he was going, but he knew he couldn’t stay in L’Manberg. He had been reckless and it had gotten Tommy exiled, and now all the young boy knew was he wasn’t welcome. Though he was surrounded by trees, they provided little cover, and would make Ranboo a walking target for the many forest monsters that came out after dusk. The dark blew in on a particularly strong gust of wind, startling Ranboo, and making him viscerally aware of how little progress away from his old home he had made since entering the mountains.
There were no lucky little caves where he could seek shelter, or abandoned camps, just the biting wind, dark forest and the too-close-for-comfort sounds of monsters raising from their daytime hides. The moon reflected off the snow in a blinding display that outlined his dark figure, practically advertising his existence to whoever got him first. Ranboo’s legs had frozen to his thin uniform pants, a horrible cracking noise coming from the stiffened fabric with every step. He was so very tired, and colder than he thought possible. He was going to die in this forest, and he might as well let it be on his own terms. With a determined huff, he pushed his overtired body to the base of a tree, exhaustion overwhelming any anxiety he had about the prospect of dying. It was probably for the best anyway, because what life was there beyond L’Manberg? He was a traitor. The last of Ranboo’s strength was used to curl stiffly in the snow at the base of the tree before letting his eyes fall shut. He was dying on his own terms, and besides, who would miss him? His brain was too tired to think of an answer as the thick fog of sleep crept in.
Of course Phil needed fucking lichen in a blizard. Why wouldn’t he? Technoblade shoved his hands further into the pockets of his cloak and braced himself against the headwind. Dusk had fallen quickly, as had the temperature, and his horse’s breath hung heavy in the air, condensation freezing to its nose. Techno knew where to find the specific lichen Phil needed, and on an average day, the trip would only take 30 minutes, but because of the damn blizzard, things were taking far too long. A low roar sounded from the forest and Carl whinied nervously, ears pricking. Techno patted the horse and urged him forward, whatever the monsters had found wasn’t his problem, especially not tonight, it was too cold to become a charity. A hiss fizzed behind them, and Techno spun around in the saddle, drawing his bow and shooting the creeper, knocking it back before it detonated and urging Carl forwards out of it’s eyesight. Techno finally spotted the fuzzy green thallophytic and gathered it into a pouch, trying to simultaneously shake some feeling into his freezing fingers. Another growl emanated from the forest to his left, followed by a distressed whimper and curiosity sparked in Techno’s stomach. It wouldn’t hurt to look, and he wasn’t heartless.
He pushed through the undergrowth, leaving Carl in the clearing with strict instructions to ‘don’t you dare move’. Technoblade’s eyes scanned the shadows, looking for the source of the noise, pushing forward further before stopping dead. It was a child. There was a goddamn child in the forest, curled in the snow, being kicked at by a bored zombie. A thin layer of snow covering the kid’s body indicated that he had been there for at least an hour. How did he even… Techno stopped himself, he had to help this kid, lest it haunt him for the rest of his miserable life. He pulled out his sword and slashed the staggering monster down, slightly satisfied with the lifeless gurgle as it fell, before kneeling next to the base of the tree. It was a young boy, probably not older than 12, with pitch black skin and small horns budding at the base of his skull. So not human, did he really want to try and harbour a hybrid? Did he have a choice? The kid would die if Techno left him out here, and as much as murdering orphans was his ‘thing’ he didn’t feel like scrubbing the blood of an innocent child off his consciousness for the next few months.
Technoblade heaved the boy off the forest floor, grimacing at just how light the gangly kid was. Carl looked at him with a look that, if horses could talk, said ‘really? I thought you weren’t a charity’ Techno just sighed and set the hybrid on the front of his saddle before mounting and guiding Carl out of the forest. The blizzard had calmed down enough for the night to feel almost pleasant, the stillness of the freshly fallen snow and the moonlight catching on the crystalized surface creating a surreal landscape. Techno’s house stood out against the bare cliffside, spruce and stone a stain on the snow, and the smoke billowing from the chimney hanging in the still air like a cloud. He laid the kid over his shoulder, trying to put Carl away properly with one hand before giving up and closing him in with the cows, still partially tacked up. He ignored the horse's snort of protest and made his way up the stairs, hoping that Phil would be able to help the boy before it was too late.
“Phil, ‘m home! I need your help though, uh” Phil appeared in the doorway and gasped.
“That’s a bloody child!”
Techno snorted softly, setting the still unconscious kid down on his kitchen table “I do have eyes, Philza, now, I think he needs to be thawed or somethin’.”
Ranboo drifted slowly back into consciousness surrounded by warmth. Had he somehow actually made it to heaven? Were there even afterlives? His whole body was on pins and needles, and he shifted uncomfortably, trying to press himself further into the warmth at his back. If he was in heaven he probably wouldn’t be in pain right now, Ranboo decided and then stiffened. He hadn’t died. If he hadn’t died, where the hell was he? He shot up, ignoring the shooting pain it caused and forced his eyes to open. He was in front of a fireplace, wrapped in something red and ridiculously soft. The early rays of morning light were weakly peering their way through the windows framing the fireplace and from what Ranboo could tell, the blizzard had died at around the same time that he hadn’t. Whatever was beneath him let out a lightly annoyed huff, and Ranboo jumped, trying to back away, and failing, instead tipping forward weakly.
“Hey kid, take it easy… here, I’ll give ya a sec, um, I’m gonna get Phil…”
Large scarred hands easily lifted Ranboo’s shaking body up and positioned him on the couch. The man he had been sitting on was tall, and terrifying. He obviously wasn’t fully human, his shoulders too broad, ears too… piglike? And he had tusks, which were very scary. Ranboo watched him walk away, waiting until he was out of the room to let out a deep breath. Everything hurt, but he was curious, and the pig man wouldn’t mind if he just took a little look around, surely. He was too busy trying to open barrels as quietly as he could to notice when two men walked into the room behind him.
“Whatcha doin’ little man?” the gruff voice of the pig man sounded amused, but Ranboo jumped anyway, startled and rather ashamed he had been caught snooping. He dropped his hands to his sides and his eyes to the floor and took a quick step away from the offending barrel, which had been filled with raw potatoes.
The other man, who Ranboo hadn’t noticed, took a small step forwards, as if Ranboo was going to bolt the second anyone made a sudden movement, which wasn’t far from the truth.
“Hey mate, my name is Philza, and my friend here” he gestured to the pig man, who was looking a little awkward “is Technoblade. He found ya all alone in the forest last night nearly freezing to death. Now that you’re awake though, do you think we can get you patched up?” he sounded kindly, and Ranboo didn’t like how much his body hurt.
He nodded, keeping his lips sealed and stepped towards Phil, who smiled comfortingly and stood up, holding his hand out for Ranboo to take. Ranboo surprised himself when he actually took it, and even more when he let Phil lead him into a sunny coloured kitchen. Technoblade, Pig man was a better name, Ranboo decided, followed them silently and sat down in one of the roughly hewn chairs.
“Why don’t you hop up on the counter for me kiddo? I’ll be right back, I just have to get some potions.” Phil left the room, his robes swaying frenzied around his ankles.
Ranboo clambered onto the counter, wincing at how badly it hurt his arms to pull himself up, and despite how tall he was for his age, the counters were way taller than normal ones. Pig man looked at him, his gaze steady, and Ranboo looked away. Nothing made sense. He had been ready to die! And now he was here? Where was here?
Techno sighed gently, the kid was dazed, that much was clear, and there was no point in asking questions that probably wouldn’t get answered. Instead, he watched as the scrawny boy swung his legs back and forth, wincing slightly when he bumped his feet against the cupboard doors or each other. He was tall for how young he looked, but Techno knew more than anyone that looks could be deceiving in terms of age, because somehow he looked older than Phil, and Philza was literally millennium old, while Techno had just turned 24. The kid had long fluffy hair that partially covered his eyes, and red green heterochromia, his face divided like night and day. Unlike the night before, Technoblade could see the glint of fangs peeking out from the boy’s pursed lips, and the deep burn marks that marred his face and arms. Phil came back into the room after what felt like an eternity, and the awkward tension in the room dispersed a little.
He stood from his chair and busied himself helping Phil lay out his potions and salves he would need to get the kid started on recovering while exchanging silent conversation with the older man.
“Alrighty kid, I’m going to give you this potion, and I need you to drink every drop, it’ll make the hurt go away, I promise.”
He nodded minutely and took the vial in shaking hands, polishing it off. Techno was surprised that he was listening so well, but then again, if he had been freezing to death in a forest, he would probably listen when a strange man told him that some grey liquid could make the pain go away. Scratch probably, he had listened when Phil had handed him the same potion after finding him cowering in a hole thousands of blocks away from his home in the nether, slowly starving to death in the sweltering heat.
Phil patted Ranboo’s hand as he lowered the potion from his lips “You did good mate! Now we are gonna do the not so fun part, okay? But it’ll be okay, because you’re strong right?”
Ranboo paused, considering his words, and nodded. He had to be pretty strong to have made it in the snow right? The salve that Pig man handed Phil to rub on his burned skin hurt, and Ranboo had to bite his cheek to hold back his tears, they wouldn’t help anyways. The water burned him, and laying in the snow, thinking back on it, was one of the most harmful things Ranboo could’ve done to himself beside jumping in a pond or something.
“I’m gonna need you to take your shirt off for me buddy, Techno said that the zombie was kicking at you pretty hard and I don’t want you to be dealin’ with a broken rib or something and have nobody know.” Phil looked apologetic, like he wasn’t showing Ranboo more care than he had known his entire life, and instead was inconveniencing him.
Ranboo gave him a smile, trying to let Phil know that he wasn’t annoyed and that he appreciated everything that he was doing before stripping his thin shirt off. His ribs were showing more than he remembered, but that was probably okay, it wasn’t like he felt hungry.
The kid was skinny. Painfully skinny. His collarbones and ribs jutted from his bruised skin. Techno exchanged a worried look with Phil before stepping away, knowing that he probably looked horrified, and he didn’t want to scare the boy. Whatever had happened previous to Techno finding him, this kid wasn’t being cared for. He didn’t even know where he came from, and as far as Techno knew, the kid was fully alone. He also couldn’t keep calling him the kid. Technoblade composed himself and walked back to the counter, where Phil had finished patching the scrawny hybrid up and was explaining to him what all of the things he had used on him were, and what they did. The little boy looked enraptured by the knowledge Phil was sharing and Techno couldn’t help but smile.
“Hey little man, do you know how to write?” Techno didn’t want to push talking just yet, but writing was something that helped him get comfortable talking to Phil when he had first come home with him, and he had some questions.
The kid regarded him with a tilted head and then nodded hesitantly.
“I’m going to get you something to write in, and then you’ll be able to tell us if you need anything, does that sound doable?”
Another nod and Techno left the room, descending the ladder to his storage room to grab a spare book, quill and ink.
Ranboo slid off the counter quietly and walked over to one of the large windows in the kitchen after Pig man left the room, standing on his tiptoes to press his face up against the glass. It was bright outside, the sunlight reflecting off the snow and onto the needles of the trees, making them look shiny. There were cows in a pasture a little ways away from the house and Ranboo was painfully reminded of Tommy’s cow, Henry. He sighed and plopped down on the floor, what was he supposed to do if thinking made him sad? The Pig man came back into the kitchen with a book and a little pouch and Ranboo scrambled back to his feet. He had a lot of questions for them. Phil chuckled, making Ranboo jump, he had forgotten that he was there, and helped him get into a chair at the table, even though Ranboo was definitely old enough to do it himself and the chairs weren’t nearly as high up as the countertop. Pig man set the book down in front of him and opened the pouch, handing Ranboo a quill and a small bottle of ink. Ranboo looked up at him and smiled, he wanted him to know how grateful he was. He could write though now! The ink smelled kinda funny but it was smooth and shiny black and Ranboo loved the way it felt on the paper.
Thank you for rescuing me he wrote, Can you tell me how far away we are from L’Manburg?
The kid was definitely not writing in English, or any human language, for that matter. Little squiggles and shapes that seemingly made sense to the little boy were absolutely meaningless to Techno. He huffed quietly in frustration and looked at Phil, who looked utterly thrilled. Of course he would be excited to translate a new fucking language, nerd.
“Hold on kiddo, we can’t read that language!” Phil was smiling widely, “Do you know how to write in English?”
Furrowed eyebrows indicated that he probably didn’t know, and Phil patted the kid on the back.
“No worries mate, I just have to get a book really quick and then we will be able to understand you.” Phil raced out of the room, way too excited to have adopted another orphan with a language barrier.
“You’re ok buddy, I couldn’t write at all when I was your age so you’re ahead of me.”
The kid cracked a smile at that and wrote something else down in the book. Phil came back into the room in a frenzy, arms laden with books. After going through several of the books, he let out a joyful cry.
“YES! This is it, I don’t know why I didn’t just, connect the dots, but we got there! Okay, here, kiddo, can you hand me the journal?”
The kid nodded happily and passed the leatherbound book across the table, fidgeting slightly as Phil wrote the English translation down in small chicken scratch beneath the foreign script.
“Okay, so, Techno, here!” he slid the journal over to Techno.
Thank you for rescuing me
Can you tell me how far away we are from L’Manburg?
What were you? Dumb? Oh, sorry thats kinda mean
Techno chuckled despite the slight panic he felt at the mention of L’Manburg and smiled up at the kid.
“Yer welcome kiddo. I don’t know if you’re from L’Manburg or whatever,” he paused, waiting for confirmation, which he got “okay, well we are pretty far away from L’Manburg, and we don’t go there.”
Ranboo felt a rush of relief, they were far away from L’Manburg. Even though they probably weren’t looking for him, he wouldn’t ever have to see them again. It felt good.
“And no! I wasn’t dumb, meanie, I grew up in the Nether, paper doesn’t survive there, ya know?” He was smiling, which Ranboo took as a good sign, and he smiled back sheepishly. “So, can I ask you sum questions? You don’t have to answer any of them if ya don’t want to.”
Ranboo nodded, he didn’t care. He was away from his old life, and Pig man and Phil seemed nice.
“Can you tell us your name? And why you know about L’Manburg?”
Ranboo nodded good naturedly. He was glad that Pig man wasn’t upset with him for being slightly rude.
My name is Ranboo
I used to live in L’Manburg, but I had to run away because
He scribbled out the last bit, they didn’t necessarily need to know he was a traitor. Besides, now that he was gone, none of it mattered. Ranboo slid the book back to Phil, who wrote down the translation and smiled.
“Ranboo’s a solid name mate.”
Pig man read the book, scrunching his nose up like he smelled something funny, but just as he opened his mouth, Ranboo’s stomach growled loudly. He hid his face, and Pig man snorted, rather characteristically, Ranboo thought.
“C’mon Ranboo, let's get you something to eat. You definitely deserve it.”
Ranboo nodded, his stomach ached, he hadn’t been hungry earlier, but now that his body didn’t hurt, he realized how desperately hungry he actually was. After a meal of baked potatoes and warm bread, Ranboo found himself yawning. He was warm and sleepy and for the first time in a very long time, he actually felt sort of safe. Phil must have noticed him yawn because he stood up and held out his hand for Ranboo to take.
“C’mon mate, let's get you off to bed.”
Ranboo shook his head. He didn’t want to be alone, because a little part of him thought that just maybe this was all a dream, and if he went to bed, he would wake up back in the forest.
Grabbing the book he wrote out
I’m not tired
Phil translated and laughed good naturedly.
“Ranboo, we all know that’s a falsity right there” Pig man chuckled, his point proved when Ranboo yawned widely again.
I don’t wanna be alone
I’m scared
Phil’s face fell a little and he gave Pig man a look.
“Kiddo, I can promise you that we will be here when you wake up, okay? You don’t need to worry about being alone anymore.”
“Here, kid, how about you stay in my room for the night? That way if you need anything I’ll be right there.”
Techno was surprised he offered that, and judging by the look on Phil’s face, the older man was as well. Ranboo however, looked comforted at the idea, and nodded, reaching out slightly to grab Techno’s hand. It was hard to not think about how similar the young boy was to him when Phil first took him in, the light hesitance, a sense of underlying fear and desire to give them his trust. Techno was going to do everything in his power to make sure that no one ever hurt this kid again. Techno led the sleepy hybrid upstairs and tucked him into his bed, promising that he wouldn’t leave his side. He pulled a chair up alongside the bed and settled into it, this was going to be a long night. Phil knocked softly on the wooden door, pushing it open with a soft smile on his face.
“Who would’ve thought that the only thing it would take to soften The Blade would be a kid” Phil teased lightly.
“Oh shut up. You were just as soft when you brought me home like this.”
Phil smiled wistfully “You were a timid little thing. Didn’t know kindness from anything.”
“I’m glad you found him, ya know?”
“Yeah, me too Phil, me too.” Techno gazed fondly at the sleeping child.
Maybe he had gone a little soft, but just a little. Ranboo was curled tightly around the blanket that Techno had draped on him, his face relaxed.
Techno couldn’t help but wonder what had happened before the kid had ended up in the forest. L’Manburg was a cruel place, it wasn’t unreasonable to think that they had exiled him. They exiled Tommy, Phil had told him, so he knew that they weren’t against throwing kids away like broken pottery. Whatever had happened, it hadn’t left Ranboo in a good place. A loud howl from somewhere beyond the property’s border broke his train of thought, and he closed the shutters to buffer any further noise.
He was running. Somewhere behind him people were yelling, but he was too far away to understand. He had to leave. Dream appeared in front of him, axe twirling idly in his gloved hands.
“You really think we’d let a traitor like you just, get away?”
Ranboo shook his head fearfully “No, no I’m sorry! I’m sorry I didn’t-”
“Shut the fuck up, pathetic child. Why is it always me who has to deal with the damned kids?” The smile mask stared at Ranboo, menacingly cheerful. “I should just fucking kill you. One less problem…”
“Please don’t! I can change I’ll do whatever you want me to I promise please, please don’t…”
“ENOUGH! God, you’re pitiful. I own you, have you forgotten that Ranboo? And I think you’ve outlived your purpose.”
The axe stopped its spinning, pausing before swinging directly for Ranboo’s head.
“NOOOOOO!”
He shot up, Dream’s axe fading away into the shadows of his mind.
“Ranboo? Hey, kid…”
He shoved himself backwards as a voice sounded from somewhere in the darkened room.
“no, please… please i can… i can change, i promise Dream…” Ranboo whispered, scrunching his eyes closed and hugging his knees to his chest with shaking arms.
“Oh, oh my god, um, uh, I’m going to get Phil, Ranboo, kid… I-” somewhere someone was moving, and Ranboo curled in on himself, feeling a stray tear break free and burn its way down his face.
A door opened and closed,and then opened again, and then it was bright on the other side of his eyelids.
“Ranboo? Mate, hey… its Phil. You had a nightmare bud, but you’re safe. I promise.” the bed shifted as presumably, Phil, sat down “nobody is here but me ‘n Techno, okay? And we aren’t gonna hurt you.”
Ranboo opened his eyes, greeted with warm lamplight.
“There ya go big man, do you want to come over here?” Phil patted to a section of bed next to him “I brought your book if you want to tell us what happened.” he held the leather bound journal out to the shaking boy.
Ranboo shook his head, tucking his head back down.
Techno watched Phil sigh and set the journal down. Neither of them had really expected Ranboo to spill all his secrets to them, but it hurt to see how genuinely broken this literal child was. Phil shifted his position on the bed so he was sitting closer to Ranboo and put a hand softly on the boy’s back, rubbing it comfortingly. Slowly, Ranboo stopped crying and leaned into Phils hand. Techno quietly climbed onto the bed and wrapped a blanket around the boy’s shoulders before leaning on Phil’s side and letting himself relax. Ranboo’s breath slowed, becoming punctuated with light snores, and within minutes, Techno found himself drifting as well.
Techno woke up to a light shaking of his shoulder. With a groan he opened his eyes, only to be met by wide red and green ones inches away from his face. Ranboo startled back slightly and held his hand out for Techno to take. Phil was already gone, most likely making breakfast or out tending to the cows. He took the small offered hand and let himself be led through the narrow corridors of his house and into the kitchen. Ranboo’s journal was open on the table, page considerably more full. Phil was humming at the stove, eggs sizzling in a cast iron pan. He could get used to this, especially if Phil was going to be cooking all the time. Memories bludgeoned their way into Technos head of a younger Phil, humming the same tune as he made breakfast for him, sunlight streaming in through the windows. He had been so hesitant to trust in anything, not trusting Phil to touch him or clean his wounds for weeks. That morning, however, he had been so drunk on comfort that when Phil brushed against him setting his plate down, he hadn’t flinched away.
A small cough brought him out of his memory, and Phil set a plate of steaming eggs on the table in front of him. Ranboo was scribbling in his journal, and when Phil set his food down, he flinched slightly away from the noise but recovered quickly, looking up and smiling. He handed Phil the journal and with a quick glance to Techno, who was very vigorously, and rather sloppily, shoving eggs into his mouth, he began eating as well. Techno smiled to himself. Ranboo was a good kid.
The eggs were probably the best thing Ranboo had ever had. Without exaggeration. No wonder the Pig man was eating so fast.
“What do you think about the eggs mate?” Phil smiled at him and started translating his most recent message in the journal.
How come Pig man’s hair is pink?
Ranboo gave him a thumbs up, using his fork like a shovel.
“Why don’t you ask him yourself kiddo? I’m sure he’d tell you.”
He went red as Techno looked up from his eggs at Phil, and then at Ranboo.
“Can I let him read it?” Phil asked, handing the journal to Techno as Ranboo sighed and nodded.
Pig man let out a hearty chuckle and set the journal down next to Ranboo’s plate “I dye it pink, I think it looks pretty cool.”
I do too
Techno smiled at him and the rest of breakfast went by in a comfortable silence. Phil let Ranboo follow him into his study, giving him some easy to read books in English so he could work on writing in English as well. The dusty smell of books made him feel at peace, and when Techno knocked on the door with cold sandwiches for lunch, Ranboo was confidently writing the alphabet over and over in his journal.
Phil gave him a distracted smile and grabbed the plate, obviously lost in whatever work he was doing. Ranboo was hunched over his journal, and when Techno knelt down beside him, he excitedly shoved the book at him, taking the other plate and picking the cheese off his sandwich before taking a large bite. The kid had, messy handwriting, to say the least, his letters cramped together, but they were in English, and he had obviously been practicing. Each row of the alphabet got a little more coherent and evenly spaced out.
“Good job kiddo.” Techno reached out to ruffle his hair before drawing his hand back “are you okay with me ruffling your hair?”
Ranboo considered his offer whilst chewing and nodded. Techno ruffled his hair, and was surprised to find budding horns hidden beneath his mop of ridiculously fluffy hair. Endermen didn’t have horns… whatever, he could ask Phil about it later. Techno handed the journal back and began to stand up, but Ranboo caught his hand. His face seemed to say, wait, so Techno sat back on his heels and watched Ranboo write slowly in his journal
Do you can dye my halr?
Holy shit this kid…
“You know, I think we may just be able to do that.”
Ranboo beamed at him, obviously quite proud of his english, but beneath his pride, Technoblade recognized how utterly terrifying that must have been for him to ask.
“I’m proud of you, Ranboo.”
Ranboo froze and hid his face and Techno chuckled, ruffling his hair again before standing. The door closed softly to the study, and Technoblade couldn’t help but smile. The smile stayed on his face long into the afternoon, only slipping during a particularly irritating bit of gardening, when a creeper decided to drop in from the roof and detonate half a row of freshly planted wheat. He had just finished replanting the slightly marred landscape when a small sound interrupted him. Techno spun around to see a tightly bundled Ranboo clutching a note.
“Hey Ranboo, is that for me?” Ranboo nodded and held the note out for Techno to take
It’s dinner
I found something out about the kid, I’ll tell you after he goes to bed.
Please bring in more butter, we’re out.
Techno tucked the note into his trousers pocket and brushed some of the dirt off of his hands.
“What’d you say we eat some dinner then?”
Ranboo knew what the note said, roughly, though he knew he shouldn’t have been snooping.
I found something out about the kid, I’ll tell you after he goes to bed
Phil had found out that he was a traitor… That was the only logical explanation to Ranboo. The talk that was happening later tonight was going to be about sending him back to Dream. Ranboo shook his head to rid himself of the negative thoughts, focusing instead on the nipping chill of brisk dusk air on his cheeks. He may as well enjoy dinner with Pig man and Phil if it was going to be his last, he’d be kinda stupid not to. He led Pig man inside, greeted with the warm smell of steak and potatoes. He would miss this, having warm meals. Nothing seemed different from earlier, but why would adults give themselves away to a kid?
Phil’s voice interrupted his once more creeping thoughts “Hey Ranboo, I just realized, we never asked you how old you are… do you wanna tell us?”
Ranboo shrugged. He might as well, plus, part of him thought, maybe if they know how young you are they wont return you.
I’ll be turning 11 in a few months
He slid the journal to Phil watched as he translated it, the man’s eyes widening. Phil slid the journal to Pig man, who let out a surprised exhale.
“You’re just a little kid then, aren’t you?” Pig man asked jokingly and Ranboo bristled.
He shook his head and pouted at Pig man. He was a big man and definitely not a little kid, because little kids were helpless. Phil laughed and served Ranboo more potatoes.
“Eat up, Mr. Growing Boy.”
Ranboo scrunched his nose in protest but dug into the potatoes. Dinner was over far too fast for his liking, and anxiety began to bubble back in his stomach. He tucked himself into the couch and pulled his out his journal. If he had to go back to L’Manburg or back out into the wilderness, he wouldn’t have much time to work on writing. He had made himself a decoding chart of sorts, each of his letters matched up to the English ones in what Phil had called alphabetical order. It didn’t make much sense, but it was still important for him to learn. The warmth of the fireplace wrapped him like a thick blanket, and far too quickly than he would ever admit, Ranboo felt his eyelids drooping. His lettering became sloppy, and he set the journal down, too tired to focus on writing.
“There you are mate! Oh, let’s get you to bed shall we?” Phil’s voice made his eyes snap open, and he was suddenly reminded of the fact that Phil and Pig man were going to be having that adult talk, and he needed to be there.
Ranboo let Phil carry him to Pig man’s bedroom, but as soon as the door closed, he was out of bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and pressing himself up against the door. Phil’s footsteps had retreated to the end of the hallway, and when the stairs creaked, Ranboo quietly pushed the door open and snuck down after him. The two men had settled on the couch, and Ranboo could hear Pig man’s foot tapping the floor rhythmically as Phil settled down next to him.
“Techno… he was with Tommy.” Phil’s voice was slightly muffled.
“What’d you mean, with Tommy?”
“He helped him, with George’s house… I sent a letter out after he got here. Puffy said that he ran in the middle of the night after Tommy’s exile.”
“Why would he run though? He wasn’t getting charged or anything, right?” Pig man sounded confused and Ranboo sighed.
“Something to do with Dream, I think. Puffy didn’t know details, just that Dream was on a power trip and somehow Ranboo got on the wrong side of it…” Phil’s voice went quieter “She seemed to think that he’d been mind controlled or something.”
“Dream can’t do that though…” Pig man sounded shaken
The couch groaned and footsteps began towards the stairs “I’m going to make sure he’s sleeping okay.”
Ranboo shot up from his position at the top of the stairs and as quietly as he could, made his way back down the hall and into Pig man’s bed. The door opened and Pig man sighed.
“You’re a strong kid Ranboo.”
Techno walked quietly across the room and closed the shutters, casting the room into darkness. They were going to have to do more than show him comfort if they wanted to gain Ranboo’s full trust. Instead of returning to Phil, he grabbed paper, a quill and a pot of ink and sat on the wooden floor outside of Ranboo’s door.
Puffy,
I need your help…
Puffy was the only one on the server who could be considered a therapist, and there was nothing Ranboo needed more than a therapist. Even if it was only for a couple sessions, he had seen things that no one else had, and there was no way it was healthy to let him bottle that up. Techno sealed the letter and let himself slump against the wall. Maybe it was for his own sound of mind, or maybe it was in case Ranboo had another nightmare, but Techno found himself slumped against the wall every night after that, battling sleep in lieu of guarding his door. During the day, he had been working on rearranging his room so he would be able to actually sleep in his bed again whilst also allowing Ranboo to sleep within proximity to him.
“Phil, you got anything for a sore back?” He laughed at Phil’s exasperated sigh
“You know I do, but you know what would be better for a sore back? Sleeping in a bed.”
“You know I can’t do that, not until I get everything else figured out…” Techno trailed off. Phil knew.
Techno was almost certain that Phil had done the same thing, even months after he had brought Techno home, always ready to soothe the sudden nightmare or walk him to the kitchen for a late night drink of water. He wasn’t going to let Ranboo down.
The days grew warmer and the snow melted, and Ranboo was slowly learning that he was allowed to do as he pleased. Pig man had rearranged their room, and he had his own bed now, which he, embarrassingly, had cried about when Phil and Pig man had left the room. Captain Puffy, who insisted that he call her Puffy, had started writing to him. She was what she called a ‘therapist’, and Pig man said that meant she could help his nightmares go away. He started a new journal that he sent pages from to Captain Puffy that told her about his nightmares.
“Ranboo! Mail’s here, come get your letter! Oh! And bring in some chives please, I need them for dinner!” Phil called from the kitchen window, snapping Ranboo out of his thoughts.
He shot a quick thumbs up in the direction of the window and bounded from his place in the grass, stopping in the garden before bursting into the house.
Ranboo dropped the chives on the kitchen table, shucking his shoes off and grabbing his letter from the counter.
Is Pigman in the room?
Phil yelled up the stairs and was met with a muffled response.
“Yeah, I’m just doing some work, feel free to c’mon up!”
Ranboo plopped himself down on his bed, and a comfortable silence settled over the room. Pig man rarely did work in their room, but when he did, Ranboo loved to hover over his shoulder and watch the way his handwriting bloomed, neat and swooping cursive that contrasted his rough demeanor and made Ranboo envyus. He had, in his opinion, mastered writing in English in the short month he had been with Pig man and Phi, but his handwriting looked like an animal had tried to eat the quill with the ink side facing down.
He carefully removed the wax seal from the envelope and slid the paper open, Puffy’s handwriting was also neat and she always included little sketches from L’manburg, which at first had sent Ranboo into a panic, each scene bringing back harsh memories, but now brought him joy, able to watch his old home regrow itself.
Ranboo,
Hello dearest! I hope you are well!
Your last letter sounded hopeful that it would continue to grow warmer where you are, has it?
It also sounds as if your dreams are getting less intense, would you say that’s true?
I think it’s a wonderful idea for you to share your journal with Technoblade and Philza, they are there for you to talk to, and I know they are going to be supportive.
Have you followed up with Technoblade about dying your hair? It sounds like you still are wanting to, and I think that it would be such great fun.
I enclosed some sketches of the new towers being built in L’manburg. They’re kind of ugly right now, but I think when they’re done they’re going to be very pretty.
I look forward to hearing from you,
Your friend,
Puffy
Ranboo smiled to himself, he liked Puffy. He grabbed a sheet of paper from his bedside chest and flattened it across a book. He knew that he wasn’t really supposed to write on the books, but he didn’t want to wait or go down to the kitchen. These letters felt too personal, and leaving them exposed on the table made him cringe internally. With minimal drippage of ink, Ranboo began his letter.
Puffy!
It’s gotten super warm, which means there’s a whole ton of mud for me to play in. Pig man says he doesn’t like the mud, but I think he does, because pigs like mud right? I kinda don’t want to share my journal alone. Last night I had a super scary dream and I don’t want them to worry about me more. Phil already thinks that he needs to babysit me all the time after I almost got blown up by a creeper, again. I don’t wanna be babysitted! I’m 11 after all. My dream was about Dream, again. He had his sword and I think he was going to kill me. I don’t really know, but all I remember is I woke up crying and Pig man looked as worried as he always does at night. I feel bad that he doesn’t get a lot of sleep because I’m in his room. He seems really sleepy and I think I found him asleep in the garden yesterday. Phil says that I'm not bothering them whenever I ask but I think I might be. I know they want me to talk to them, but I don’t actually know if my voice works anymore. It didn’t work when I left L’Manburg, because Dream… well, Dream made my voice really hurt and then it didn’t make noise anymore. I don’t know. I want to prove that they made the right decision helping me but I don’t really know how to. Your drawing was really pretty! I can’t wait to see the towers done, I bet they’re going to be really shiny!
Bye Puffy!
Ranboo
At the soft clink of Ranboo’s quill being set down, Techno turned around.
“Hey kiddo, new letter to Captain Puffy?”
Ranboo looked up and nodded at him with a small smile. He had been smiling a lot more since he and Puffy had started therapy, and Techno couldn’t thank Puffy enough, often sending her packages attached to Ranboo’s letter with whatever she might need.
“Techno! Where are the extra mushrooms?” Phil’s voice muffled through the closed door, startling both Techno and Ranboo.
“I think he’s getting blind with his old age, what do you think?” Techno said quietly to Ranboo, earning a mirth filled grin and a vigorous nod. “Well I better go help the grandpa out then…”
Techno groaned as he stood from his desk chair, his back popping. Phil had gone back to rummaging through the various cabinets in the kitchen, and didn’t jump when Techno took his place next to him, helping him look. Their search left them empty handed and he groaned.
“How did you use that many damn mushrooms?”
Phil only laughed “We eat a lot of soup mate, what else am I supposed to put in there? It’s not like there’s a lot of soup ingredients”
Techno elbowed him softly “I guess this means you want me to go get more?” Phil nodded and he groaned dramatically. “I always have to do all the hard work, Technoblade, worked to the bone!”
“What bone, all I see is,” Phil poked Techno in the stomach “this,,, I don’t think you’re too bad off there.”
Both men stared at each other, and then burst out laughing.
“I’ll go get the mushrooms, is there anything else you need?”
At the shake of Phil’s head he was out the door. The sky was bright and a warm breeze blew across the spring landscape.
Ranboo made his way down the stairs and hovered outside the kitchen, waiting for the loud laugher to die down and Techno to leave before entering, knocking on the wall so Phil wasn’t startled by him.
“Hey mate! How are you doing?” Phil looked happy, no sign of tension in his face, and Ranboo let his mind toy with the idea Puffy had brought up. Maybe he could show Phil his journal? No, that would ruin his good mood. Instead he gave him a thumbs up and held out his now addressed and sealed envelope for Puffy.
“That was quick! You want to go out with me to put this in the post box?”
Ranboo nodded, grateful that Phil hadn’t noticed his pause, and slid his still muddy shoes on. The warm air felt nice on his skin, and he closed his eyes. This was nice.
“Ranboo, it’s way too nice to be inside that stuffy house, what do you say we sit out here for a little? Get some sun.” Phil’s voice came from his left and Ranboo nodded.
The grass was warm and still damp from the morning dew, but he didn’t mind, instead letting his hands dig slightly into the dirt and leaning back. The sun felt like a heavy blanket, weighting his tired body down, the earlier turmoil about showing Phil his book evaporating in the heat. He felt at peace.
Ranboo… do you deserve the peace? Think about it. Why would a traitor like you deserve the peace?
His eyes snapped open, body stiffening. The voice felt like lava, making his head throb. Not now. Phil… his world went black.
Techno set about collecting mushrooms, a torch in one hand and a basket draped over his arm. Something about gathering for Phil made him feel young again, like a little kid doing household chores for a chance at earning cake. He filled his basket quickly, and as he reached down to grab the last mushroom in his range of sight, a feeling of dread crept over him. Something was wrong, and his gut was telling him he needed to go home. Techno relayed as much to Carl, who for a horse, understood him more than he probably should have. The breeze had died down from his journey to the caves, leaving the air stiff and the landscape too quiet. Something was definitely off, and it seemed like the world could tell, and was waiting with baited breath for Techno to find out what exactly it was.
He crested the final hill, looking down the mountainside and onto his property. There was no movement from below, despite the warmth, and he got the feeling that if he waited any longer, he may be too late… but for what, he didn’t know. Putting Carl in with the cows again, much to the horses obvious displeasure, he ran towards the entrance to the house.
“Phil? Phil, what’s goin on?” He burst through his front doors to find his house empty. No sign of struggle, not even the dust disturbed from where it had settled after the earlier breeze. “PHIL?” Techno was starting to feel worried.
Phil’s voice sounded from outside, muffled through the walls, but obviously frantic “TECHNO? I- HELP!”
He rushed back outside, trying to pinpoint the source before spotting Phil leaning over a lump on the opposite side of the house from where he had tied Carl. The lump, as he drew closer, revealed itself to be Ranboo, and something was definitely not right. Despite being unmoving, his eyes were wide open and glossy purple. Techno kneeled down beside Phil and reached his hand out towards Ranboo’s shoulder, to try and nudge him awake, or something, anything. Instead, the kid jerked up into a sitting position, a slight staticky growling emanating from his chest and turned to stare unseeingly directly at Technoblade.
“Ranboo? I don’t know what you think you’re playin at right now but I need you to knock it off, okay kid?”
The purple eyes stared back at him unblinking and void of any recognizable emotion. Techno sighed deeply and looked at Phil, whose face was scrunched in concern and confusion.
“What happened to him?” Judging by said confusion, Techno figured Phil didn’t have the slightest clue, but he needed the details.
“I have, I have, I. No clue Techno. He, he, his body just, froze. I’ve never seen anything, anything quite like it before.” Phil’s voice was rough and shaken, as if he had been trying in vain to wake the kid up before Techno had gotten there, shouting himself hoarse in an attempt to snap Ranboo out of, whatever this was. After a brief internal debate, Techno wrapped his arms around the stiff child and lifted him awkwardly into the air. Despite the now very close contact, Ranboo stayed statue-like, and Phil seemed to only get more distressed by this, his wings shuddering as he sighed, and both men made their way into the house. Techno set Ranboo down on his bed and wrapped a blanket around the slightly trembling kid before leaving the room and shutting the door, sitting down against the wall. Phil joined him, and sighed heavily.
“What the fuck is happeing?” His voice seemed small compared to the voice Techno remembered from his childhood.
“I don’t know, Phil, I just hope he snaps out of it.”
Techno patted the floor next to him and Phil slumped into the hardwood. Everything was going to be okay, because it had to. The sun started to drop down the horizon, and Techno yawned.
“I’m gonna check on him.” Phil nodded tiredly and Techno stood, stretching his arms above his head.
He opened the door leading into the shared bedroom quietly, hoping for, well. What was he hoping for? Techno wasn’t sure. The room was shadowy, the weak light of dusk not enough to chase the dark away. Techno stepped into the room with bated breath and his stomach dropped. The blankets that he had wrapped around Ranboo’s statue-like form were strewn across the floor and the window on the opposite of the room was flung wide open. Ranboo was gone.
The world had come back to him a sense at a time, first the feeling of his soft blanket draped over his stiff body, then the smell of books and dust, then the slightly blurred image of the room he shared with Pig man. His muscles ached and his eyes burned. He had, he had been with Phil. And the voice. No. He didn’t want to think about it. The door was closed, and he could hear muffled shuffling outside the door. What had he done that they had needed to lock him up? Had he hurt them? Had, had he… No there was no time for overthinking. Ranboo grabbed his journal and one of Pig man’s small satchels that was hanging on the back of his desk chair. The window wasn’t ever locked, and he pushed it open easily. With one last look back into the room, Ranboo slipped out the second story window and dropped, landing in a fetal position. Slightly stunned, he let his breath return and scrambled to his feet, taking off running in the direction of the cliffs. Wide caves had formed there, and Ranboo knew that if anything, he could set up a temporary camp until he figured out a more solid plan.
The spring nights were still cold, and he wrapped his thin arms around his knees, attempting to generate any kind of warmth inside the cave he had found. The house was out of eyesight now, and Ranboo could feel tendrils of guilt and longing begin to weave their way around his shivering limbs. His stomach turned slightly, and he whimpered, tucking his head between his knees. Phil and Techno were probably sitting down to dinner right now, and the smell of warm buttered bread, mushrooms and potatoes ghosted by his nose, a sharp reminder of what he had just given up. Ranboo couldn’t have stayed though, not when the voice was in control. After everything, he had, foolishly albeit, hoped that it was satisfied with the destruction that it had made him cause, and that it would leave him alone. He sighed and leaned against the cold stone wall. There was no point thinking himself in circles, especially when he didn’t have any way to express his thoughts. Curling into a tighter ball, he clutched Pig man’s satchel to his chest and plunged into unconsciousness.
Phil was trembling under him, face bloodied. There was a knife clutched in Ranboo’s bony hand, and Pig man had just walked into the room. His face contorted into a look of rage that made Ranboo’s blood freeze. He had been killing Phil. The man who had accepted him into his house, his family, with absolutely no hesitation. And he couldn’t remember why. Pig man grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and flung him to the floor.
“WE CARED ABOUT YOU, WE TOOK YOU IN, WE SAVED YOUR LIFE, AND YOU BETRAYED US!” His face shifted to Dreams cruel smiling mask “YOU’RE A TRAITOR, AND YOU DESERVE TO DIE LIKE ONE!” an axe swung down, burying itself square in his chest.
Ranboo sat up with a scream. His face was sizzling with tears and his voice was hoarse. What if he had killed Phil? Was this his brain’s way of telling him? Had he betrayed them like he betrayed everyone else? His nails dug into his arms, and he drug them up his bony shoulders, allowing the slight sting to ground him. He was too far away to hurt them now. He couldn’t hurt anyone but himself, and he was okay with that.
Techno threw on his cloak and grabbed a lantern from the shelf next to his desk.
“Phil… Phil, hes, hes…” his voice wasn’t working.
Phil’s eyes widened “no.”
There was a frantic gathering of supplies and then the pair was off. The ground was still soft, which allowed some leeway in following Ranboo’s small footprints until they got into the rocky terrain of the mountains. The light was all but gone now, the sun having completely dipped under the horizon.
“We need to set up a camp for the night. Especially up here, we aren’t gonna find him in the dark.”
Phil nodded despondently “You’re right mate, I just, what if he didn’t make it to a cave? What if he got snatched up? What-” his voice broke “what if he’s gone?”
Techno dismounted Carl and pulled his dad in for a hug. “He’s not gone. Trust me, we are going to find him.”
They stood like that for a moment, father and son wrapped up in their own thoughts before Phil broke them apart.
“Right, camp, then we can find him in the morning.” His voice was still shaky, but Techno smiled anyway and patted him on the back firmly.
The night was restless, cries of monsters and night birds interrupting the silence and jolting him awake. Dawn came slowly, as if it knew how desperately its arrival was needed, choosing instead to make an entrance. Techno tore down the small tent that they had put up and was shoving it into a saddle bag when a faint scream echoed down the mountainside. Phil whipped his head towards Techno, shook his wings off sleep and took off into the air. Techno dropped the tent and mounted Carl, urging the half asleep horse awake and up the mountain. Scaling the mountain was painfully slow, and when Carl pitched forwards, losing his footing for the third time, Techno patted the horse and slid off.
“Go back down and wait. It’s okay.”
Techno began clambering up the steep hillside on his own, faintly in the back of his mind, a voice was asking how Ranboo had even gotten up here, but he pushed it away in favor of focusing on not sliding back down the particularly steep loose rock patch. Somewhere from above him, he heard a yell, and without warning, a black and white blur began sliding down the rocks.
“-ait! RANBOO!” Phil’s shadow appeared on the ground higher up the mountainside “CATCH HIM TECHNO!”
Ranboo was sliding directly towards him, his eyes pinched shut, and in a shower of rocks, Techno grabbed onto him, getting pitched backwards. He slid, hardly recognizing the feeling of jagged rocks under his shirt as he clutched the violently thrashing boy.
“Hey, hey Ranboo, kiddo, I’m not going to hurt you, it’s okay. Hey I promise it’s okay. Please calm down so I can get us down safely. It’s okay bud.” Techno kept repeating (hopefully) comforting phrases until Ranboo stopped thrashing enough for him to struggle to his feet and begin his way down the mountain. With Phil’s help, he managed to make it back to where Carl had returned to. Ranboo was letting out heaving sobs into Techno’s shirt, tears mixing with blood on the white fabric.
“You’re okay, okay? I promise, I’ve got you. We’ve got you.” Techno whispered, leaning down to press a kiss into the kid’s dusty hair.
Everything hurt. His head was pounding, and he could feel his pulse in every single bruise that had formed when he had flung himself down the mountain. None of it mattered though. Nothing mattered. He couldn’t even run away right.
What’s wrong with you? You’re going to hurt them, ya know? Why couldn’t you keep them away?
The voice let out a harsh high laugh
“N-no!” his voice surprised him, scratchy and quiet from disuse.
“Hey, Ranboo, buddy, you’re okay.” Pig man’s large arms hugged him tighter to his chest.
Ranboo tried to push away, rallying what strength he had left, but he couldn’t move. He was stuck, and they were going to get hurt by him. He was going to hurt them. He couldn’t hurt them.
“L-” he coughed harshly “LET ME, Let me GO!” It felt like his throat was splitting open, his damaged vocal chords protesting violently to being strained so quickly.
If Pig man or Phil had any reaction to him talking, they didn’t show it, instead Pig man readjusted his grip on Ranboo, and leaned his head down to cradle his head under his chin.
“I can’t do that buddy, I’m sorry. We need to get you home now so we can make sure you aren’t hurt, okay? It’s all okay.”
Pig man stood up with him, and Ranboo let his eyes fall shut. He was too tired to protest anymore, and his head had started to throb. Ignoring the small part of him warning him against going back with them, he let his body fall limp. Pig man sighed in relief beneath him and shifted him. Ranboo was hoisted into the air and found himself settling limply against Carl’s neck. When the horse started moving, he leaned backwards against Pig man, letting the rocking of the horse lull him to sleep.
He woke up leaned against Pig man’s chest, his face pressed into the still-damp shirt. They were still riding, and Ranboo felt a pang of guilt shoot through him at the fact they had to travel so far to find him. He didn’t deserve to be looked for.
“Hey Ranboo, you up?” the rough voice made his chest vibrate, and Ranboo shifted so he could see where they were.
He let out a small hum, hoping Pig man had heard it. They weren’t far from the border fence, and Ranboo could faintly see the chimney poking up from amongst the bushes scattering the field they were in. Without permission, his mind started to race. What if they punished him for running away? What if they had already gotten Dream so they could return him? What if they were going to patch him up and then kick him out?
Techno sighed deeply, Ranboo, thankfully awake, was overthinking so hard he could almost hear it, the kid’s face scrunched in distress and his hands working the hem of his shirt over as if trying to rub a hole straight through the fabric.
“I can hear you overthinking from here kid, calm down. Seriously, you’re okay. We’re almost home.”
There was no reaction from where the kid was sat pressed against his chest, so he didn’t continue. There wasn’t a point in offering comfort to someone who didn’t want it. The house slowly came into view as the exhausted group crested the last hill, and Techno felt Carl.
He reached down to pat his horse “Drama queen”
Ranboo ignored him, which wasn’t surprising. They got to the stable, where he transferred Ranboo to Phil’s arms and put Carl away, making sure to give him extra food before returning to the house.
Phil had propped Ranboo up with pillows on the couch, and was in the kitchen, gathering medical supplies. Techno sat softly down on the couch next to the small boy.
“Hey.” Start off soft, he reminded himself.
Ranboo looked up at him tiredly, cheeks inflamed from their exposure to water.
“Can I ask you about what happened?” Maybe that was too fast. Too fucking late now though.
The tired eyes widened, the exhaustion melting and being replaced by panic. Ranboo opened his mouth to try and respond, but changed his mind, miming writing instead. Techno grabbed a sheet of paper and a quill from the table in front of them and held both out for the 11 year old to take.
Theres a voice. It takes me away and when i come back i cant remember anything.
Techno felt his stomach flip. Voices were something that he was viscerally familiar with, a constant hum in his head begging for blood, reminding him of mistakes, or just, screaming. This wasn’t Techno’s conversation though, so instead he set the paper back on Ranboo’s lap.
“What does the voice tell you to do?”
Something in the shock blooming on Ranboo’s face told him he didn’t expect to have that be so quickly accepted and moved on from. After a pause, the boy began writing again.
It tells me what I can’t remember doing. Says he's a guide. My friend.
“He?” Techno pried further, hoping he was going slow enough to keep the scrawny kid in front of him from shutting down.
I don’t want to talk about this anymore please
Ranboo looked exhausted, a shell of the feral kid that had fought for his life earlier that day. Before Techno had a chance to do anything else, Phil walked into the room with an armful of salves and potions.
Ranboo had never been so grateful for the bitter taste of potions as Pig man sighed and leaned back into the couch, ending his interrogation. Phil sat down on the other side of him on the couch, seemingly unsure of what to do before reaching a wing out to hover over his shoulder. Ranboo nodded, suddenly aware of how desperate he was for comfort after everything that had happened in the last day. Phil’s wing was soft and warm, and Ranboo let his eyes drift shut, snuggling closer into the warmth and sighing. Maybe he could stick around. Phil let out a soft hum and hugged him tighter, seeming to know what he had just decided.
Ranboo didn’t remember falling asleep, but he must have, because when he came to, he was in his bed, tucked into the soft red fabric of Pig man’s cloak. He paused, listening intently, Pig man’s low snores and the sound of the wind from outside the shutters creating an alternative universe. He didn’t think he could go back to sleep, and instead pulled out his journal to document everything that had happened. He was still writing when the sun began to peek through the windows, waking Pig man.
“Good morning, Pig man.”
He jumped, the tall man’s tired eyes sweeping the room panicked before landing on Ranboo, who just smiled and returned to writing.
“Good- good morning Ranboo… Prime you scared me” Pig man rubbed his eyes and blinked, dazed “How long have you been up?”
Ranboo shrugged and set his quill down. “Did you know you snore?” his voice was still raspy, but it didn’t hurt as much as yesterday. He figured the least Pig man deserved if Ranboo wasn’t going to give him the information he wanted was to hear Ranboo’s voice. He had saved his life yesterday, afterall.
Techno snorted, once again on brand for his piglin hybrid status, and held his hands up as if to say, ‘what can you do’.
“What’re you writing?” Pig man had gotten out of bed and was shuffling through his chests.
“I’m writing down what I remember-” Ranboo coughed “About what happened. You can read it if you want.” Wait, why had he said that.
Pig man paused elbow deep in an open chest of almost identical shirts “Are you comfortable with me reading it?” he sounded cautious, they were approaching uncharted territory.
Ranboo paused, relieved that he had been given the chance to do so. Before yesterday, he had been almost comfortable with letting Phil and Pig man read his journal, but now things were different. On the other hand, though, he might not have this opportunity again, a quiet moment alone to test just how much Pig man actually wants him there.
“Yeah, I mean, I think so.” he held the journal out to Pig man, his thumb resting on the slightly shaky early morning ink.
Pig man took the journal, and Ranboo sat back down, things were about to go really well, or really bad.
Techno had been surprised to hear Ranboo’s voice the day before, but he had been struggling, fighting for his life to get away, and so it made sense. However, being woken up by a hoarse prepubescent ‘Good morning, Pig man’ had absolutely shocked him to his core. Nothing prepared him for having a conversation with the child who had been mute the three months he had lived with them. He was now holding an open journal with the documented events of what had happened yesterday, and Ranboo was staring at him anxiously.
I had been in the field with Phil. Dream’s voice came back and when I woke up, I was in my room. I ran.
There was a surprising lack of emotion in this, and Techno was left wondering if Ranboo wasn’t writing them down because he didn’t think he needed to, or if he didn’t want to remember them later on.
I fell asleep in a cave and had another nightmare- this time it was Pig man calling me a traitor. I had tried to kill Phil. I was holding the knife. There was blood everywhere. Pig man turned into Dream, and he tried to kill me with his axe. I can still feel the way it felt in my chest. I woke up and screamed. I think that’s how Phil found me. I wish they hadn’t found me. I am afraid I am going to hurt them. I’m afraid that I’ll do something under his control again.
REMEMBER: Phil had soft wings. They give good hugs. You owe Pig man. He saved your life. NOTHING IS EVER PERMANENT.
There were small water stains on the last bit, Techno could only assume they came from tears.
“Ranboo?”
The kid snapped his head up from where he had been focused on his thin fingers, eyes showing hesitance and fear.
“You don’t owe me anything. I care about you, and I save the people I care about.” He tried to pour emotion into his usual monotone.
Ranboo looked down at his hands again “Can-” he sniffed “Can I, can I have a hug?”
The hesitance and pain in his voice made Techno’s heart break, and he opened his arms wide.
“Of course little man, c’mere.”
He wound his arms around his thin frame and leaned his head down so it was resting in Ranboo’s mussed hair. He would hold this child until the end of the world if he had to. Ranboo was his kid, and that was that. He was part of the family now, and nothing would be able to change it.