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1.
Phil stalked the long halls of the fortress, sweeping down the long colonnades, his steps reverberating and bouncing off the extravagantly decorated walls.
Anyone would look at him and see the emperor he was. The way he carried himself, the determination in his step and his eyes, focused and sharp all pointed to him being a good leader.
If one were to look closer, they would see the toll it took on him. Heavy bags beneath his eyes, a slight stoop in his shoulders as the long days wore on, and, most of all, the lack of Technoblade at his side.
All those who knew the emperors from the beginning of their reign knew that they were inseparable, best friends embarking on an epic quest of world domination.
Now, the two found themselves so busy with the logistics of their conquest that they were spending more and more time apart. Neither of them liked it much, but knew it was a sacrifice they had to make to ensure things in the empire were running as smoothly as possible.
Phil often found himself sacrificing sleep and even meals to work for hours through the cold winter nights without pause. He knew Techno was much the same and had decided that enough was enough.
He hadn't seen his best friend for what felt like days, and whenever they talked now it was always about business. So, he made it his mission to escape the advisors he was supposed to be meeting and go surprise Techno.
It couldn't hurt for them to spend one night together, enjoying themselves again away from the stress of the empire.
He rounded the corner and nodded as the guards stood to attention outside Techno's study. They parted and let him through, he carefully pushed the heavy door open, wings ruffling softly behind him. As the door shut slowly after him, he stood at the edge of the room that was bathed in the light of a single candle, watching.
Testament to how hard he was working, Techno didn't look up at the interruption, didn't even acknowledge Phil.
If it was possible, he looked even more haggard than Phil himself. His pink hair was mussed around his ears, his eyes were clouded with bags larger than Phil's own and his gold rimmed glasses barely perched on the end of his nose.
The desk was littered with papers and half drunk mugs of tea that Techno had not gotten around to finishing. The bookshelves behind his desk displayed an array of novels, pictures and trinkets that Techno had collected.
The darkness that swamped the room engulfed Techno’s figure, emphasising the worry that painted Techno’s features.
Phil watched the scene for a moment, taking comfort in the familiarity before he spoke,
"Hey mate."
The words permeated the silence of the room, but Techno did not look up. His ear twitched but he continued to scribble on the map, muttering vague things to himself.
Phil frowned but knew this wasn't unusual, Techno could easily absorb himself in his work for hours without needing a break. Walking over to the desk Phil was about to interrupt when he heard what Techno was saying. His frown deepened and he paused to listen further.
"Stupid, stupid stupid. Of course no one likes you, you're so stupid you can't do this easy math..."
Techno growled in frustration and Phil watched as he broke the pencil lead, stabbing it down on the map, sighing in annoyance.
He looked up, bloodshot eyes meeting Phil's own ripe with worry.
He startled, registering Phil’s presence in his study for the first time.
Techno raised an eyebrow at Phil questioningly, to which the man pushed down his worry, shook his head and smiled.
“Come on mate.”
He said simply, offering a hand to the piglin hybrid who reluctantly took it. He led his friend out of the room and back down the long corridors which seemed brighter now that he had company.
They stopped at the entrance to Phil’s room where Techno silently let the avian pull him in and sit him down in the nest.
As Phil sat behind him and started running his fingers through his tangled hair, he let out a sigh.
Phil began to hum under his breath, he knew neither of them were ready to talk yet. He also knew he’d have to talk to Techno about overworking himself, he knew that he himself wasn’t perfect but even he seemed to be faring better than Techno was.
“You’re not stupid mate, you just needed a break.”
Phil broke the silence as he began to partition Techno’s hair into three sections.
Techno shrugged non-committedly before speaking, his voice raspy,
“I know, I just get stuck in my own head sometimes, y’know.”
Phil hummed in agreement, he knew it wasn’t easy. As he finished tying off the braid he patted Techno on the shoulder,
“Just come find me next time, you know that I’m never too busy for you mate.”
“Now, come sleep, we can start again in the morning,” he continued,
“World domination waits for no man, but for tonight, we’ve done enough.”
With smiles on both their faces, they settled down to sleep away the rest of the night, taking solace in each other’s company.
2.
Wilbur smirked as he took in the chaos around him.
The community never ceased to amaze him as he gazed upon the swirling mass of players, spectators and colours that made up this MCC. He was lucky enough to be paired with his pseudo-family, each having their own strengths that made them a formidable team.
They were a favourite to win.
If only this game wasn’t going quite so badly.
“You’re a child, an absolute child!”
He screamed good-naturedly over Tommy’s shouts and curses, relishing Phil’s howls of laughter coming from behind him.
He didn’t miss the way Techno’s scowl seemed to deepen slightly, hands clenched tightly around the stone sword in his hands.
He frowned lightly before continuing to berate Tommy about how his performance had let them down. He knew they were just bickering, neither of them were taking this very seriously at all.
But this didn’t help Wilbur from worrying about Technoblade.
The man always seemed to put too much pressure on himself, it was as if he allowed for other people to make mistakes and reassured them that it was all within his calculations, but when it came to himself he rarely expected nothing less than perfection, his demeanor never faltering.
This time was no exception.
Wilbur could see how their recent failure in one of the minigames had put Techno on edge.
He stood to the side, barely listening to Tommy’s rambling about being the biggest man ever, or Phil’s wheezing encouragement. No, Technoblade didn’t seem to be enjoying himself at all.
Wilbur could practically see the cogs turning in the other’s mind, working out their points with the higher multiplier, what point difference they’d have to gain to climb back up to second place, to even reach dodgebolt and have a chance of winning.
He knew whatever game they voted for next would be one perfectly calculated.
The group stumbled back into the lobby, slightly disoriented from the teleportation. Tommy and Phil went ahead to the Decision Dome, too caught up in the excitement of the moment to sense something being off with Technoblade. Wilbur hung back, keeping him company as he stalked over to the leaderboards, double checking his math and his predictions.
“It’s so stupid man.”
His voice pierced Wilbur’s thoughts with a jolt.
“If only I’d got that last kill, survived for ten seconds longer, done something we’d still be in second.”
Techno paused for a moment, taking a breath,
“I should’ve done better, I should be better.”
“What do you mean?”
Wilbur asked quizically.
In his eyes, Techno was doing the most work out of all the team, coming top five in nearly every minigame, clearly carrying them. If anything, the rest of them needed to do better.
“It’s just,” Techno sighed, “We really need this to be hole in the wall or rocket spleef, if we end on hunger games well, anything could happen. I’m not quite sure I want to leave this up to chance.”
A pause,
“Not with the way I’ve been playing.”
The last part was muttered, under his breath, not meant for Wilbur’s ears. He heard it anyway.
“You’ve been doing great man.”
Wilbur said genuinely, wrapping an arm around the other’s shoulder.
“That block clutch in to get to the other side, amazing, you’re playing really well. Besides, none of us really mind that much about winning, Tommy’s only so hung up about it because he wants a crown like you.”
Wilbur led them away from the leaderboards, forcing Techno to tear his eyes away, and towards the Decision Dome to meet up with the others.
“Those two losers would be lost without you, so would I. Let’s hurry back so they don’t get banned or something ridiculous, then we really would be screwed.”
Techno seemed slightly lighter for the rest of the tournament, like a weight was off his shoulders.
They ended up winning, regardless of Techno’s worries. They ended the evening with beaming smiles, jokes and laughter, especially at the way Techno’s crown slipped down over his eyes impairing his vision but not his smile.
3.
Squidkid was mad. Very mad.
He had sent one of his spies to go spy on Technoblade’s farm and that bozo had come away with very little useful information. He didn't want to know about the pets Techno had, they both knew that they had maxxed each one out to give them the best chance at a good yield.
What he was really after was Techno’s estimation for numbers of potatoes. Now they had a goal in mind, a limit, he was under a lot more pressure.
Especially at the involvement of Simon Hypixel himself.
So Squid did what any reasonable person in this situation would do, he put on a disguise.
He knew that Techno would have banned him from visiting the island, putting up security to stop a squid hybrid from entering. But, he reasoned, if he put on a wig, changed his clothes and masked his voice, who would know?
He made his way to the visitor’s entrance, thronging with people as usual. Both he and Techno had maximised their potential to keep the potatoes growing at all times, even now by being here he was wasting precious farming time.
This was a quick in and out operation.
Slipping away from the crowd he walked over the vast expanses of farmland, so similar to his own. He considered stamping on them, pulling up the crop, sabotaging in some way, but that would be no fun. This was a clean game.
Just on the horizon he saw a figure crouched in the soil, moving up the row methodically planting and replanting. He stopped and watched for a while. The repetitive task was quite mesmerizing really, it certainly helped that he wasn’t having to put in the effort at this moment.
He quietly stepped closer, listening intently to the numbers that Techno was muttering, seeing if he could use any of them to further his own strategy.
Then he paused.
Techno wasn’t muttering numbers, or anything potato related.
No, he seemed instead to be berating himself.
Squid frowned and scratched at his head, pulling the wig askew. He knew that Techno was the best potato farmer, but did Techno know that?
He slipped away into the empty expanse of fields before Techno could look up and notice him.
He was worried now.
When he teleported off the island, instead of returning back to his own he made an unexpected journey. Squid found himself in Simon Hypixel’s office.
It was a place only recently opened up to him, after his sudden rise to fame because of the potato war. The owner of the server had been very nice, offering his office to both him and Techno as a private place to just hang out and chill if the crowds outside ever became too much.
He also told them that if there were any problems he could help as he was unbiased. But Squid wasn’t here to chill, or to complain.
He sat at the chair in front of Simon’s desk preparing himself to speak. Simon, for his part, waited patiently until Squid could find the words.
“We need to do something about Techno…” He started off,
“No. That came out wrong. I’m worried about Techno.”
Simon perked up a bit, worry creasing his brow already. Perhaps he knew something Squid didn’t.
“I was just at his island,” Squid continued, nervously tapping his seat,
“He was talking to himself, saying stuff like he believed it. The sort of stuff that the crowd out there-”
he gestured vaguely out of the window at the bustling street below them,
“-would say if you lost a fight badly, or I don't know, lost an important match.”
He didn’t need to say anymore. They were both aware of how needlessly cruel the Hypixel crowds could be, all the prominent figures were. Even the strongest could have days where they were affected by the many voices calling out their every failure, every slip up.
Simon put his head in his hands,
“I was afraid of this.” he said, voice muffled.
“Thanks for telling me.” He lifted his eyes up to meet Squid’s full of sincerity.
“It happened before, in the Bedwars Winstreak. One day he just seemed to take every word they said to heart, started repeating it to himself, as if affirming they were true.”
Simon paused, taking a breath before admitting quietly,
“I don’t know how to help him.”
They sat and brainstormed for a while until Squid had an idea.
Simon teleported both of them to Techno’s island and the man jumped as they materialised in front of him.
He looked up, saw Squid was there and stopped harvesting potatoes.
He looked confused.
“Technoblade!” Simon called out in a jovial tone,
“I have come to inform you there has to be a pause in your competition.”
Techno looked like he was about to interrupt, to object before Simon hurriedly continued,
“As you can see I have already told your adversary here so this isn’t some kind of trick. The servers need maintenance which can’t happen if the both are here farming all the time.”
Techno stood up, wiping a hand across his brow, leaving a streak of dirt in its wake.
“Alright,” he said, easily accepting the excuse,
“I could use a break, as long as Squid here doesn’t sneak away to catch up.”
Simon clapped his hands together, winking at Squid,
“Perfect! Why don’t you two go play some party games or something to keep an eye on each other whilst I get this work done.”
Techno got a wicked gleam in his eye as he eyed up his competition,
“You’re on.” he cackled.
Together they went and played games for the rest of the day, to no one’s surprise Techno bested Squid in nearly all of them, but aside from some friendly teasing he was very gracious about it.
He seemed to gain some confidence as the day wore on, and, though he had perhaps wasted his time and lost the war, Squid was content.
He knew it was the right thing to do, and was glad to be able to help out his friend.
4.
Tommy shivered, wrapping the blanket tighter around himself. He was sat in Techno’s house, huddled by the fire away from the biting, Arctic wind outside.
He was trying to stay out of the way.
Techno had sacrificed a lot to take him in, once he had found Tommy hiding in his basement, desperately eating golden apples in an attempt to ward off the fever he was coming down with.
But Techno let him stay, nursing Tommy back to health even as he himself seemed to get paler by the day. Tommy noticed the bags under his eyes never seemed to disappear, despite the amount of time Techno spent in his bedroom.
Techno didn’t talk about the new streaks of gold in his hair, his shaking hands or constant headaches, and Tommy didn’t ask.
It was the same way Techno never asked Tommy about the way he gulped down his food quickly before it could be taken away from him, the way he flinched whenever Techno came up behind him or the way he spent his nights trying not to fall asleep so he didn’t have to see his face in his nightmares.
It was a good arrangement, it meant they could both get on with their days, Tommy trailing behind Techno, helping with the daily chores like feeding the dogs and turtles or checking on the bees and potatoes.
As he sat there, huddling into himself, staring at the the bright full moon shining in through window, he couldn’t help but hear the shuffling noises coming from the floor above.
He wasn’t trying to listen in on Techno, he just couldn’t help it.
He heard muffled cries and harsh breathing, and cringed away.
He knew what it was like to deal with nightmares.
Tommy considered climbing the ladder and checking on Techno, but then he’d have to admit why he was awake at this time, and he was not ready for that conversation. So instead he sat there, wincing in sympathy at the ragged, panicked breaths.
This went on for a few minutes, Tommy’s guilt growing stronger by the second. Just as he was about to get up and offer the man some comfort, no matter how uncomfortable it made him, he heard Techno’s voice.
This made him pause, tilting his head as he listened.
“Stupid… Come on you know Tommy had it worse, you had a totem for god's sake it doesn’t even count. You’re so pathetic that you have nightmares about this insignificant thing. Tommy has had it way worse, he needs you to be there for him which you can’t do if you’re still hung up over this stupid thing.”
Tommy trembled where he stood, he didn’t like what he heard. He felt so ungrateful, he knew how much whatever had happened had affected Techno, yet here he was trying to downplay his trauma for Tommy’s sake.
He didn’t deserve that.
Tommy slowly sunk to the floor, mind racing. He was determined to show Techno how grateful he really was for all the help that he’d been given.
After that night they went about their routine as usual, Tommy not giving any hint that he had heard Techno’s suffering. They continued to warily dance around each other, each playing the part of what they thought the other wanted.
Tommy continued to think about what he could do to show Techno his gratitude.
And one day, an idea struck him.
Every day looked the same in the Arctic, white snow surrounding them, blizzards every so often that kept it fresh and pure. The days seemed endless, all rolling together in a haze of white.
But soon, it was the day Tommy had been waiting for, counting down to it on Techno’s small calendar.
December 25th, Christmas.
He never knew if the piglin hybrid celebrated, but regardless, he thought it was a perfect excuse for him to finally show his thanks.
The morning was a quiet one, Techno sat in his armchair reading, Tommy was playing with one of the hounds on the floor. Just after lunch he stood up and rummaged around in his enderchest.
“Technoblade, Big T, Big Man,” he started saying, strangely nervous now the moment was upon him.
“What is it, child?” Techno replied, not even glancing up from the pages of the book.
“Do you know what day it is, Techno?” Tommy continued, bravado shining through.
Techno sighed, put down his book and said flatly,
“It’s Thursday, Tommy, anything else?”
Tommy took a deep breath,
“Yes Big Man, it is Thursday, Thursday the 25th of December to be precise. Do you know what that means?”
He continued before he gave Techno a chance to answer,
“It means it is Christmas. What do people do at Christmas? They give presents of course!”
Here he pulled out the gift, messily wrapped in brown paper that he had doodled snowflakes on one boring afternoon.
“So here, I got you a gift,” he paused, “As a token of my appreciation for everything you have done for me.” He added softly at the end, letting his persona fall away.
Techno looked surprised, “Tommy you shouldn’t ha–”.
“Well open it Big Man,” Tommy interrupted, thrusting the gift in Techno’s face.
Gingerly he took the package and began unwrapping it, eyes misting over slightly.
In the package was a disc, one of Tommy’s favourites. It wasn’t something that he gave up lightly.
“Thanks Tommy,” Techno murmured softly. “Really, thank you.”
He understood the significance.
He carefully extracted the disc from the paper it was wrapped in and placed it as an ornament on his bookshelf. Tommy knew that all of Techno’s prized books were on that shelf, and felt something well up inside of him at the thought that Techno would hold his gift in such high regard.
“In fact,” Techno continued, “I have a gift for you too.”
Tommy brightened up at this,
“Really?”
he asked, joy spreading across his face.
Techno reached into a chest and pulled out a turtle shell helmet which he plonked on Tommy’s head.
“You’re gonna need that later.” Techno said simply.
Tommy’s eyes widened slightly,
“But why?”
He asked, twisting the helmet around so it was on properly.
Techno laughed, a deep chuckle that reverberated throughout the room.
“Because,” he said menacingly, “I am going to destroy you in a snowball fight.”
Tommy giggled, smile as wide as Techno’s own.
And for one chilly afternoon, they chased each other around, laughing and squealing.
Attacking, not with words or weapons, but with snow, laughing off every failed attempt.
As the sun set, they returned back inside, ready to make some hot chocolate, comfortable in each other’s company at last.
5.
Ranboo stared into the flames, relishing the heat that poured off them in waves. He thought it was quite cathartic to sit on top of the tree and watch the destruction. He hummed abesnt-mindedly as he watched the smoke spiral up ahead.
It wasn’t quite as warm as the journey through the Nether had been, but he knew his companion liked it here for a similar warmth. It was a much more suitable temperature for them both than the arctic after all.
He glanced over at Techno, the piglin hybrid was lazily throwing the god apple, that he had snatched from under Ranboo’s nose, up in the air.
He was toying with him.
Ranboo groaned in mock frustration, throwing his head back.
“After all the mansions we’ve been to, I can’t believe you’d steal that from me.”
Techno laughed, a deep throaty chuckle.
“If you wish to defeat me, train for another one hundred years!” he called into the clear night sky, lit up by the flaming remnants of the mansion.
“Seriously though man,” he continued, snorting briefly, “You can have it, I’m retired now and have no need for these kinds of things.”
He threw the apple over to Ranboo who deftly caught it and stored it safely in his enderchest.
“If we’d found two then we’d both have one.” Ranboo commented.
But Techno only laughed again.
“Nah kid, I would’ve given mine to Phil. He’s an old man you know, only one life. I should be better at protecting him.”
Ranboo stared at the piglin hybrid, “What do you mean? You’re good at protecting everyone.” He asked incredulously.
“No,” Techno hung his head, “I’m not.”
Ranboo frowned. He didn’t like what Techno was saying and decided to probe further.
Techno looked at his questioning gaze, sighed heavily and continued,
“I’m a failure, that’s all I am. I failed to keep Tommy safe from Dream, I failed to keep Wilbur safe from himself, hell I even failed to properly act on Dream’s favour.”
Ranboo jolted at that, alarmed, he didn't like the thought of his mentor being indebted to Dream of all people.
He looked off into the distance, flames flickering in his red eyes and added, almost as an afterthought,
“You and Niki should stay away, I will only end up failing you guys too.”
Ranboo didn’t quite know what to say, he knew this wasn’t true but he also knew that Techno probably wouldn’t believe him if he protested. Before he could even try Techno suddenly stood up, voice seemingly lighter saying,
“Come on kid, we’ve got a long way home, I don’t think Phil would appreciate if we woke him up again.”
Ranboo sat still for a second, contemplating as an idea came to him. Then he stood up grinning, he couldn’t fix Technoblade’s problem, but he could help to show how loved he was. He just needed a little bit of help.
A few days later Ranboo tentatively entered the nether portal that led to Niki’s underground city. He loved it here, the flowers and decorations were so beautiful, it was one of his favourite places on the server.
In his hands he held a large mixing bowl filled with eggs that Niki had asked him to bring. When he had messaged her with his concerns and his idea she had been all too happy to help.
So, here he was, ready to learn how to bake cookies.
“Hey Ranboo!” Niki called from the kitchen, prompting him to go over and find her.
She talked him through the recipe and together they measured out the ingredients mixing them into one bowl as instructed.
There was a surprisingly small amount of mess to clear up afterwards, only a little bit of flour that escaped the bowl. Somehow Ranboo managed to get a large streak through his hair that Niki laughed at before gently wiping off.
They put the cookies in the oven, set a timer and sat, exhausted, on the couch.
“Thanks for all your help,” Ranboo said, turning his head to look at Niki.
“That’s alright Ranboo, hopefully he’ll understand the message.” She replied sincerely.
He nodded his head in agreement before jumping slightly as the timer went off. They both laughed and went to take the cookies out of the oven.
They were a perfect golden brown, crispy on top but gooey in the middle. Niki quickly packaged them up before they got too cold and they both got ready to make the journey back to the Arctic.
Ambushing Technoblade was easier than expected. They found him covered in dog fur having just fed the hound army.
When they handed over the box of cookies he looked alarmed, like he didn’t really know how to react.
“My heart isn’t warmed at all,” he stuttered out, making Ranboo and Niki laugh.
He thanked them profusely and left to take them inside, not so subtly wiping a tear from his eye.
When he turned his back, clutching the box of warm fresh cookies close to his chest, Ranboo and Niki turned to each other and highfived, smiling at a job well done.
+1
Technoblade sighed and rolled over in his bed. He tried not to look at the clock again, clearly displaying 8:30 with its hands. He sat up, running a hand through his dishevelled hair.
It was later than he would normally get up, he just figured that today of all days he deserved a lie in.
Normally if he slept in for this long someone would have interrupted him: Phil coming in with a cup of tea asking whether he was feeling well, Ranboo timidly knocking on his door, a question on the tip of his tongue, even Tommy, stood outside his window throwing snow until he got up and came outside, wasn’t an uncommon occurrence if he slept in.
But today it was quiet, peaceful.
Usually he’d relish the chance to soak in the silence, taking his time with his chores before settling down and dozing in front of the fire. He’d been doing too much of that recently.
It was too quiet for his liking, in the past few weeks he had found himself alone more and more often, sometimes at a loss to know what to do with himself. It’s not like he could complain, not really, he was an introvert afterall.
But even so, he’d gotten used to the company, the constant hubbub of his arctic home. Even Phil had grown more distant, slipping away from Techno just as he was about to ask the man a question, having a conversation with Niki only to painfully change the topic when Techno came into view.
He understood that the man had his secrets, of course he did, but it didn’t stop it grating that Techno didn’t know.
Come to think of it, all of his friends had been acting off lately. Perhaps it was something he’d done. Or perhaps it was something he’d not done.
He buried his face in his hands and groaned.
He tried so hard to do right by his friends, his family. He thought he was getting better at protecting them, at keeping them safe, at expressing how he felt. He realised he must be more of a failure than he initially thought if all his friends were ignoring him like this.
“Honestly,” he tried to rationalise,
“I should just take the L, it’s what I deserve. Why would they love me anyway?”
Chat screamed in his head, some of the voices agreeing with him, others hinting at something more. He didn’t have the energy to try and decipher what they meant.
Groaning, he swung his legs around the bed and stood up, getting himself ready for the day. He tried not to think about what the silence meant, tried not to care that clearly none of them remembered.
Perhaps they were just busy, perhaps they were waiting downstairs for him to join them before they would celebrate together.
Realistically he wouldn’t know until he went down to see.
He wasn’t expecting much, but a few words of recognition wouldn’t go amiss. It had been a whole year since his last birthday afterall.
Finally facing his fear, trying to quash the small voice inside him that said they’d be doing something to celebrate lest it be wrong and he be disappointed, he swung himself down the ladder.
Nothing.
Not even a fresh cup of tea waited for him on the table. He sighed, keeping his disappointment locked away inside.
Clearly he’d done something wrong, why did he think he even deserved a birthday celebration anyway?
As he busied himself with brewing a mug he spotted a note on the table in Phil’s chicken scratch cursive.
‘Hey mate, thought I’d let you sleep in.
Just popped out with Niki and the boys to get some more wood, I noticed we were running low.
Be back later.
- Phil’
Techno balled the note up angrily in his fist. That meant everyone would be busy, he would once again be left with no one.
They didn’t even need more wood.
It was a pathetic excuse, Techno had added to the stockpile only last week, there was no way it could have depleted that quickly.
It annoyed him that they were all clearly avoiding him and couldn’t even come up with any good reason why.
Sighing heavily he checked his communicator, perhaps Squidkid had answered his message.
But no, even he, usually so quick to reply, had left him feeling unloved. He didn’t have a single message, not one ‘happy birthday’ or ‘I hope you’re doing well’ or even just a simple ‘hey’.
Techno decided he needed to distract himself, he could feel a headache building at the base of his skull, a deep thrumming that usually indicated that the voices were about to start yelling at him, a chorus of E’s echoing around his head.
He stood up, grabbed his cloak and stepped outside, gazing wistfully at the stacks of logs piled neatly at the side of the house.
He strode to the barn, and saddled Carl ready to take him out for a long ride. He didn’t bother leaving a note in return for Phil. He fed Carl a gapple and led him to the pond beneath the bridge connecting the two houses to drink, before mounting him.
Then he set off, cloak and hair whipping out behind him, the snow flying out from Carl’s hooves as he galloped into the trees. Despite everything, a smile grew on Techno’s face.
Hours later he returned, the house was still dark and unlit, no smoke came out of the chimney, meaning Phil still wasn’t back.
The good mood that Techno was in soured, but still he dutifully brushed Carl down and took his time in feeding the hound army. If there was one thing he was certain of, it was that his beloved pets still loved him.
Wearily, he climbed the steps leading up to his house, nodding at Baba who was sat gnawing at a bone. As he entered his home, something shifted and instantly he was alert.
Someone was hiding inside.
He thought back to the time when Tommy was living in his basement and shook his head to clear his mind.
No, Tommy had left him.
As he raised his sword he wondered whether it was Niki or Ranboo coming to drop off cookies or some other baked treat like they did one time after raiding a woodland mansion, but no, they wouldn’t hide from him.
He ruled out anyone from Hypixel, none of them would have made such a long journey to see him, especially as Simon was so busy all of the time.
He flicked his ear, thankful that chat was quiet, allowing him to be alert to pinpoint the next shuffling noise.
It couldn’t be Wilbur, Techno knew the man must not really care about him, even more so after his death and subsequent revival. His words at the fourth Championship were just that, words of encouragement to get him performing at his best throughout the tournament.
Whoever this was had to be a foe.
Phil wouldn’t sneak around, always one for being direct with things. This was true even in their Empire days.
Suddenly the room was lit up with bright lights,
“SURPRISE!”
a loud cry came from the group of people that popped up from behind the furniture.
Techno stepped back in shock, he could hardly believe his eyes.
In front of him with balloons and streamers, beaming smiles on their faces were his friends.
Niki was holding a magnificent two tiered cake, Tommy looked like he was about to burst with excitement.
Techno was speechless.
Ranboo was there, towering over Phil with Wilbur just behind them, they all looked pleased with themselves.
And, to the right, stood two people he didn’t expect to see.
Simon and Squid stood side by side, holding a banner between them that read,
‘We love you Techno’.
His mouth opened in astonishment, this must have been prepared for weeks.
He didn’t dare to hope that this was the reason his friends all seemed distant, that they just didn’t want to spoil the surprise.
And a surprise it was, he had no idea.
Yet here they all were, smiling and laughing and ready to celebrate him.
“Happy birthday Techno!”
Tommy shouted running over to hug him.
As he wrapped his arms around him, Techno started to laugh. He couldn’t contain his joy.
“I had no idea,” he choked out through his chuckles,
“I thought you had all forgotten.”
Wilbur looked mildly offended and Phil slightly disappointed as Ranboo said,
“Even I couldn’t forget your birthday Techno. We were waiting for the perfect day to show how much we love you.”
Before Techno could answer, Squid butted in,
“You’re a real bozo if you thought we’d ever forget.”
and Simon nodded his agreement.
“Mate, we care about you, you deserve to be celebrated” Phil said simply.
Techno swallowed back the tears that had suddenly welled up as Niki added,
“We’ve been planning this for weeks, trying to make it perfect for you. I hope we didn’t let anything slip.”
He shook his head mutely and Wilbur smirked proudly,
“Keeping it a surprise was my idea, the old man over there was worried you’d take it the wrong way but I knew it would work out in the end.”
Techno didn’t mention how he had taken it the wrong way, he didn’t mention the feelings of loneliness and abandonment he’d been dealing with alone for the past few weeks. That didn’t matter now. Because he knew all his worries were wrong.
His friends cared about him.
They cared about him enough to organise a surprise party for him, to travel for miles from a different server for him, to bring him gifts, spend time with him and give him words of encouragement. All the little things they did, it was all because they cared.
“Aren’t you going to open your presents big man?” Tommy asked, breaking the tension and allowing the group to laugh.
Techno couldn’t keep the smile off his face.
The evening passed in a blur of cake and wrapping paper, and fireworks. A mirage of colours and jokes, of friends being together.
The evening ended with a dim light glowing in a homely cabin in the Arctic.
Inside was a soft scene. The guests lay sprawled on top of each other, some sleeping, some just enjoying the presence of the others, all feeling safe in their surroundings.
Niki lay her head on Techno’s shoulder, letting her eyes slip closed. He let out a hum as Phil started to run his fingers through his hair, ready to rebraid it.
Wilbur sat on the sofa, guitar in arms, quietly strumming as Tommy snored away on the other side.
Squid sat on the other side of Techno, struggling to keep his own eyes open.
Ranboo sat closer to the fire, gazing deeply into it, side by side with Simon who somehow, inexplicably, wore Tommy’s turtle-shell helmet.
They were all content.
Techno was the last to fall asleep that night, basking in the comforting warmth of his home, safe in the knowledge that he was loved by many.
He savoured the feeling, allowing his own love for his friends, and even for Chat to fill the room.
He was happy, that’s all he could ask for.