Anyway yall ever hear about the process of diaphonization? Its where you turn a (usually small) specimen's flesh and tissues clear, and then dye the bones (usually a blue-to-violet color). People use this process to better understand anatomy and whatnot. Side note, i found a tiny diaphonized dragon on esty. It will be here monday : D
Anyway... I got super inspired, and have thusly created a whole au around the concept. This drawing occurs later in the story, which i will hopefully have the bullet points done for soon : D
Lemme know if yall wanna see the process video of this one! Im very proud of it, it gave me hell <3
It's been a while since the whole incident with Technoblade and Tommy's been keeping to himself to give the Crafts some space. Seems he's been away a bit too long as his fears begin to creep back in.
Chapter 14 : Progression
Ch 1, ch 2, ch 3, ch 4, ch 5, ch 6, ch 7 , ch 8, ch 9, ch 10, ch 11, ch 12, ch 13, cw: fear of abandonment, general fear, panic and anxiety, awkwardness, it's bonding time and fluff!!!!
wc: 4326
Disclaimer! This story is based on the characters of the Dream SMP and not the real life content creators. Anything that occurs in this story is purely fiction and should be treated as such. Thank you.
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Tommy sighed contently as he relaxed further into the couch cushions behind him. Phil was sitting across from him in the green recliner reading a book on crows, whilst Wilbur sat on the floor in front of him, using the couch as back rest, whilst the TV softly played a movie about a woman pretending to be a man in a Chinese army in front of them.
“This is the part where she buries the army in snow. It’s okay though, there’s no gore or anything.” Wilbur whispered to Tommy, his voice full of warmth as he looked out for the younger, knowing he didn’t like bloody scenes.
The Borrower had seen bits of this movie from atop the book shelf before, but it was kind of Wilbur to look out for him just in case. He was enjoying watching the whole screen, as the movie played out. The mood was calm and the only thing that would make the night perfect, would be if Technoblade would join them.
“May I join you?”
As if Tommy’s thoughts had willed it, Technoblade stood in the hallway, arms in his red hoodie pockets, with his pink hair in loose braid, resting on his shoulder. The teen quietly waited for permission to enter the living room.
“Of course!” Tommy smiled brightly, as he nodded and waved Technoblade into the room. The teen rounded the couch to take a seat beside the blond as Tommy shifted over to make space.
After some soft shuffling, the room settled back into a calm quiet, as the movie continued to play. Tommy looked around the room, his family; finally all together in the same space, happy and comfortable together. Tommy closed his eyes, settling back into the pillow.
‘Now this was the perfect eve-’
“What’s that on your jeans?” Technoblade asked, cutting Tommy's thought off short, as he felt the Bean’s hand on his leg. Tommy peaked an eye open to see Technoblade looking at something on his jeans.
“It’s blue paint.” Wilbur stated blankly, the warmth suddenly gone, the teen having turned around now staring at the massive blue splotch of dried paint on his leg.
Instinctively, Tommy pulled his leg away from the Technoblade to his chest, the gaze of all three Craft family members following his leg unnervingly as he did so. The atmosphere of the room darkened, and suddenly Tommy wasn’t so content to see the rest of the movie.
“You know what, it’s getting late and I’ve already seen this movie before,” Tommy explained in an uneasy, upbeat tone, as he hastily pushed himself up and off the couch. “I think I might just head home early.”
“What’s the rush Tommy?” Phil asked, slowly standing from the recliner, his gaze never leaving the boy as he crept forward. “Do you have something to hide?”
“Whaaat?” Tommy feigned confusion, sweat forming on his brow as he walked backwards towards the front door. All three Crafts had now stood and were slowly following him, synchronised in step, as he inched backwards. “You know me, big man. What could I possibly have to hide?”
“Curious question Tommy,” Wilbur replied tonelessly as the Beans advanced, pushing Tommy down the corridor as the three Beans came together, side by side. “You wouldn’t be the one responsible for things going missing, would you?”
Tommy swallowed hard as his heart rate spiked.
Something was wrong.
“You said it was mice, but somehow I doubt that is true.” Phil taunted darkly, Tommy tensing as his back made contact with the cold front door.
“Quit it guys, you’re freaking me out.” Tommy laughed nervously, his hand searching for the door handle behind him, his gaze never leaving the three Beans as they continued to approach.
“Oh Tommy,” Wilbur spoke in a sickly sweet tone, “Did you really think we wouldn’t figure it out?”
‘What?’ Tommy’s thoughts short circuited, as he processed what Wilbur had just said. ‘He couldn’t mean? He’d been so careful, how would he know?’
“That you weren’t really like us.” Technoblade spat the dreaded words coldly, a sick smile of delight crept up his face.
Tommy was fully panicking now. Whatever was going on, this wasn’t the Craft Family that he knew and loved. They were possessed, or clones or evil twins- just not his Crafts! He turned to grab the door handle, to yank it open, but was alarmed to find the handle missing all together.
“Oh come now Tommy, you can’t get away that easily.” Phil remarked as he stalked closer, Tommy whipping back around as he realised how close they were now. “Faking it all to get our love and affection? Honestly I thought you were smarter than that.”
“STOP!” Tommy yelled, squeezing his eyes shut, wishing everything would just go back to normal. “I DIDN’T FAKE ANYTHING! I LOVE YOU GUYS!”
“Love us?” Technoblade asked incredulously. “How can a pest love anything?”
Tommy snapped his eyes open and had to crane his head up to look at the three looming shadows of the Human Beans towering above him. He had shrunk.
All traces of love and kindness were gone from their faces, replaced by a malicious grins and ill intent in their eyes. That was all Tommy needed to see to know he was no longer an equal, but a prize to be fought over.
“I think it’d be best we keep you somewhere you can’t cause any more trouble, don’t you think?”
Tommy didn’t even know who was speaking to him now, all he could focus on was the jar that had appeared in Phil’s grasp.
“Grab him.”
Tommy screamed, and began banging and clawing at the door, the walls around him fading to black as he desperately tried to get away.
“PLEASE NO! YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO THIS!” He screamed as the Beans knelt down, trapping him against the door. “I’LL LEAVE! YOU’LL NEVER HAVE TO SEE ME AGAIN, JUST LET ME GO!!! I’M SORRY!”
The Borrower’s world grew darker, the Beans’ figures blocking out all sources of light as Tommy’s hand grew bloodied from how hard he was punching and scratching at the door.
It couldn’t end like this. Not with them. Not his family…
Tommy had just enough time to turn his head as a hand filled his vision, the last of the light snuffed out as he was completely engulfed in the Human Bean’s hand.
“No one will ever love you Tommy.”
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“NO!” Tommy yelled breathlessly, as he snapped up in bed, his heart pounding as a cold sweat dripped down his back.
His head whipped around, searching for any signs of the Crafts, hands, or jars, but all that met him was silence and the soft glow of his fairy lights, gently lighting up the space of his shoe box home.
“Oh.” Tommy shakily sighed, his shoulders sagging as his gaze landed on Henry who was head down on the floor. “I-It was only a d-dream. Just a dream.”
The Borrower reached over, snagging the cow plush from the floor and hugging it tightly as he slowly laid back down on his nest of blankets. He’d had a nightmare. None of it was real. He hadn’t been found out. Just a cruel trick created by his deepest fears and anxiety.
Tommy laid in bed for a while just to let his nerves subside, as he took slow, deliberate deep breaths. That had all felt far too real for the Shifter. The events of last week must have been getting to him worse than he thought.
After the incident with Techoblade, Tommy had kept to himself for the last two weeks. He’d made a couple of borrowing trips for snacks, but he didn’t waste time staying for longer than a few minutes, before getting back to the walls. He’d texted Wilbur and Phil a few times from the garage just to check in, but his mind had been occupied with Technoblade and how he could get to know the Bean without getting murdered in the process.
He’d come up with a few ideas, like trying lunch again with Phil, or playing a game with him and Wilbur, but the moment of being caught in the kitchen; the pure rage on Technoblade’s face, had snuffed out any further planning. Seemed those scary memories of almost being caught were plaguing him far worse than he had realised.
It was Saturday morning, and based on the light seeping in under the guitar pic door, he had more than justly overslept. Tommy ran his fingers down the back of the cow plush, squeezing it comfortingly in a hug. Perhaps he’d been away long enough now a visit would be okay? He could really do with a proper hug from Phil or Wilbur right about now.
When he felt ready, Tommy pushed himself out of bed and got changed- purposely checking that the jeans he wore had no paint stains on them, before heading out of the walls, shifting, and making his way around to the Crafts’ front door. He quickly raced up to the path and knocked a few times on the door, waiting for someone to come answer it. After a minute or so, soft footfalls approached from inside and Tommy relaxed, prepared to greet Phil as the door swung open.
“Hey Phil! Nice to see you…” The words died in Tommy’s throat when he was met with Technoblade.
The tall pink haired teen had his reading glasses perched on his nose, and faced the blond with an equally surprised look on his face at seeing Tommy at the door. A flicker of annoyance flashed over the teens face, and instinct to react took Tommy over, as he rushed out an apology having disturbed Technoblades apparent peace.
“S-Sorry! Sorry! I thought it was Phil coming to the door.” Tommy stammered quickly, keeping his head down as he shuffled awkwardly on the spot. “Is he or Wil around? If not, I can go.”
Tommy wasn’t sure how Technoblade would react at seeing him, but when he looked up, he didn’t look angry, more so he looked to be feeling equally as awkward as the boy felt. But he thought he was-
“Um, no they’re not.” Technoblade explained as he scratched at the back of his neck awkwardly. “He’s taken Wilbur to a Doctor’s appointment this morning and they won’t be back until later this afternoon.”
Tommy nodded in understanding, as the two just stood awkwardly by the door, unsure of what to do next. Tommy still wasn’t sure if he was even okay to even be in Technoblade’s presence at the moment. He was just about to turn and leave when Technoblade spoke up.
“You can come in and wait if you like. I’m just about to have some lunch, but you’re welcome to join me or watch a movie until they get back.”
Tommy stood slightly dumbfounded by the statement.
That was the last thing he had expected the pinket to offer. If anything, he was ready for another interrogation session- not lunch! Tommy studied the elder’s face, unsure if he was reading the situation right, but unlike the fury he felt last time, Technoblade really did seem genuine with his offer.
“Only if that’s okay.” Tommy asked tentatively, biting his lip as he scuffed the toe of his sneaker against the front porch in a restless rhythm. “I don’t want to be a bother.”
“It’s fine.” Technoblade assured him, turning to walk inside and leaving Tommy at the door. “I kind of owe you a do-over for lunch anyway.”
Tommy stood a little longer, waiting for Technoblade to turn back and snap at him, or slam the door in his face, but when the teen rounded the corner to the kitchen, leaving the door wide open, Tommy took a step closer to the door.
“If you’re not coming in, could you at least shut the door?” Technoblade called from the kitchen, making Tommy flinch at the request. “You’ll let the bugs in.”
Tommy stared at the door, noting the handle was where it had always been, and walked over to test its mobility. He held the handle and pulled down on it, noting the locking mechanism in the door moved in and out like normal, and sighed in relief. It was real, the door still worked and Technoblade had invited him in. While he still felt a little on edge, if Technoblade had invited him in then maybe this was the opportunity he had been hoping for? The Bean did say he owed him a do-over.
Walking inside, Tommy pulled the door in behind him, closing it with a soft click before making his way down the hall into the living room. Technoblade was in the kitchen, a loaf of bread with what looked like ham and cheese on the counter, and was putting together a sandwich.
“So there’s not a lot on offer in the fridge at the moment, as Dad hasn’t gone grocery shopping in awhile, but you ate a lot of ham and cheese sandwiches last time and lucky for you, that’s all we’ve got.” Technoblade said as he pulled out a knife to cut the sandwich in half. “How many would you like?”
“Um, just one is okay, thanks. I’m not super hungry at the moment.” Tommy replied, slightly surprised by the teens' hospitality, as he moved further into the living room and over to the dining table. There were a few books scattered across the table's surface, with covers of Fencers and fancy looking swords/knives which caught the blond’s attention.
“If you want to sit where Phil normally sits at the end, then I don’t have to move any of my stuff.” Technoblade called to him and pulled out another slice of bread. “Unless you want to sit on the couch.”
Tommy shook his head as he quickly moved over and took a seat in Phil's chair, but once sitting he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the book of swords. Tommy knew Technoblade had an impressive collection of knives, but it had been awhile since he dared to go into the Bean’s room to steal a glance at them. The book to his right was enticing; the cover showing a silver knife with a red decorated hilt, and the Borrower side of him was beckoning him to get a closer look.
What he would give to have a blade like that.
“Here’s lunch.” Technoblade stated, as he placed a plate down in front of Tommy.
“T-Thank you.” He stuttered as the teen sat in his normal seat to Tommy’s right.
They ate mostly in silence, the two just eating their sandwiches as time ticked on, neither individual really knowing what to say to the other. Technoblade hadn’t been expecting the kid to show up, and at first he was ready to slam the door in the kid's face and pretend he hadn’t even come by, but the image of Phil popped into his head and his words echoed in his mind. Give him a chance, he said. While Tommy looked just about ready to keel over, he supposed if he was to make amends with the kid, he’d have to try- and he’d much rather do it when his family was away then have them ‘help’.
Of course now he didn’t really know what to do beyond lunch. It’s not like he knew them like his Dad and brother did, so now it just felt really awkward. Tommy seemed quite content to keep his eyes averted from his direction in general, but that didn’t seem to stop the kid from continuously glancing at the books he’d been reading.
Technoblade was studying up on fencing techniques for an upcoming competition, and so he’d been making notes of the forms and stances to practice in the garden later, but the book that seemed to have the kid’s attention was his monthly copy of swords magazine. He had a feeling the kid couldn’t actually read- given the overheard conversations of Phil explaining stuff to him that was literally on the items label, but the magazine was more so made up of pictures rather than words, and it seemed to have the blond's attention. When they had finished lunch, he grabbed the magazine and slid it in front of Tommy.
“Here, I’ve got some studying to do for a while, but you can look at this if you want.”
As soon as he walked away with the plates, Tommy’s hand was on the pages, the kid audibly gushing over the pictures with little ‘oos’ and ‘ahs’. Once the dishes were dealt with, Techno settled back down at the table, and couldn’t help a little smile as he watched the kid become enthralled by the pages. He soon returned to his study, but kept stealing glances at Tommy to catch his reaction to each new blade as he turned the page.
“Oh come on, now that sword’s just silly.” Tommy stated aloud, as he turned to a page where the handle was in the shape of a fish, with the sword's blade coming out of its mouth like a tongue. “How could you ever cut down your enemies with a blade like that? The handle would reduce your movement!”
“You’re not wrong.” Technoblade agreed looking at the page, as Tommy froze, seemingly forgetting the Bean had been there at all. “They always have one comedic blade in every issue, but honestly I don’t know why someone even makes them. They’re not practical.”
“Right?!” Tommy replied, grabbing the magazine to hold it up right and pointing to the tail part. “I mean if i used this over my head, the tail would literally stab into my hand!”
“Only if you were inexperienced.” Technoblade replied, “But for a novice like you, it would probably.”
“Hey, I’m no nov-ISS or whatever you called me! I’ve been using swords for years!” Tommy exclaimed proudly, setting the magazine down and turning the page. “But nothing as cool as these. I could only dream of a blade like this!”
“I’m pretty sure you’d poke your eye out first if you had that sword. It’s literally taller than you.”
“Would not!” Tommy whined and Technoblade smirked.
“Would too.”
“Would NOT!”
“Would too.”
“Me me me. My name’s Technoblade and I ruin fun.” Tommy mocked, making hands and faces at Technoblade, who simply rolled his eyes.
“Sure, and you’re a child who can’t use a sword.”
“HEY! If I had my pin sword on me, I could so stab you!” Tommy threatened jokingly, as he scrunched his face up, glaring at Technobalde.
“Pin sword? What, so you could prick my finger?” Technoblade teased, but the comment seemed to have the opposite effect as Tommy lost his smile and stiffened up.
“Pft? Me use a pin for a sword?!” Tommy laughed nervously. “That’s ridiculous! What kind of idiot would use a pin for a sword?”
Technoblade wasn’t sure why the sudden comment, but Tommy was fidgeting with his hands in his lap and failing to look like he was fine. This was the weird behaviour he was worried about, but he hadn’t even done anything wrong this time, and this made Technoblade confused. What significance did a pin have that changed the kid’s whole demeanor?
How a pin got the kid all worked up Technoblade wasn’t sure, but he felt bad for causing it- even if he didn’t understand the significance. He hadn’t even threatened Tommy this time! Technoblade stood, frowning slightly as Tommy flinched when he did so.
“Wait here a moment.” Technoblade asked softly, as he stepped away from the table, turning and disappearing to his bedroom.
Tommy didn’t dare move from the table as he waited for Technoblade to come back. He’d slipped up with the pin! They were actually making progress, and then he had to go ruin it with his pin sword talk. Normal Beans don’t use pins for swords! Now Technoblade was probably going to get his throwing knives and use him for target practice!
Soon the teen re-entered the living room, setting a thin medium sized black box down in front of Tommy before taking his seat back at the table. Tommy stared at the box skeptically, as the older teen watched him intently. Surely this wasn’t some kind of trap contained in a small box? Human Beans were clever, but this was Technoblade. Anything could be in the box.
“Open it.” Technoblade urged gently, as he nudged the box closer to the blond. “I promise it’s nothing bad.”
Swallowing slowly, Tommy opened the box lid and set it to the side, as he lifted a piece of thin tissue paper to reveal a pen knife.
Tommy’s jaw dropped open, his eyes going wide as he reached into the box and delicately took the pen knife into his hands. Whilst small compared to the other knives Technoblade had in his collection, this one was the longest knife Tommy had ever held. Sure his pin sword was longer, but this was intricately made, and made his pin pale in comparison.
The handle was a light brown wood with intricately carved swirls and patterns on the hilt, whilst the blade was made from a light silvery metal. Though the blade was completely dull to the touch, it reminded the boy of his failed Stanley knife borrowing trip. Perhaps if he spent enough time on it, he could sharpen the blade, Tommy thought as he ran his fingers along the slick surface.
Technoblade smiled as he watched the boy marvel at the trinket. He couldn’t help the fond look form as he watched the way Tommy's eyes lit up at finding the Ruby gem on the bottom of the handle.
“Is this real?” Tommy asked, as he held up the Ruby embedded end.
“Sure is.” He smiled as Tommy's jaw dropped in disbelief. “It’s one of my favourites for that reason.”
“It’s beautiful.” The boy whispered as he ran a finger over the gem.
Phil and Wilbur had told him before how soft Tommy became when he was truly in awe of something. The way he settled into a comfortable silence as he handled what felt like the most precious item in the world. But to see the frightened boy from before so calm and in awe of something he loved so much, made him feel like it was Tommy who was truly the most precious thing in the world.
After a little bit of staring, Tommy seemed to realise he was being watched, and smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.
“I uh- guess you probably want this back huh?” He said sheepishly, quietly holding out the pen knife.
Kid really liked this knife a lot huh? Well, it’s just one knife…
“I think you should keep it.” Technoblade proposes. “You’ll probably get more use out of it then I will.”
Tommy recoiled at the notion as he tried to push the knife back into the pinket’s hands.
“No no- I, I couldn’t! You said it’s one of your favourites and- and it’s a real Ruby! I’ll just end up wrecking it.” He stammered, desperately trying to get Technoblade to take the knife back.
“Tommy, I have plenty of swords and knives in my collection. This one has just been in a box collecting dust in a drawer.”
Technoblade smiled before gently taking and opening Tommy's palms up, placing the pen knife in them, before curling the boy's fingers back around it.
“Besides, it suits you a lot more than me. I’m more of an emerald guy to be honest.” Techno smiled with a wink.
The boy didn’t say anything at first, instead simply staring at the gift in their hands. Something about it just felt so right in his grasp. The weight, the colour, the details. Despite the part of his brain that said he was breaking the Borrower rules by having it, he didn’t want to give it back. This wasn’t a necessity for the Borrower to have, but the part of Tommy that wanted to be selfish and say yes was winning him over.
“Only if you’re sure you won’t miss it.” Tommy asked carefully. “I don’t want it if you think you’ll need it later and call me a wrongin for keeping it.”
Techno chuckled as Tommy eyed him off warily, but nodded as he reassured him that it was okay. He wanted the boy to have it and that if he didn’t, he certainly wouldn’t have offered it in the first place. He truly admired how considerate the kid was despite having so little.
Tommy turned the knife over, and gazed into the beauty of the ruby. It truly was striking in colour and everything about the blade just felt like it was made for him. He grabbed it by the handle and gave it an experimental slash in the air.
“Woah! Watch out.” Techno said as Tommy moved without warning. It was light and easy to handle and he just knew once he sharpened it up, it would be the perfect borrowing weapon.
“How about we move to the garden before you go breaking something yeah?”
Tommy smiled sheepishly, nodding in agreement, as Techno went and grabbed two of his sparring swords from his room. It had been a while since he’d taught anyone to fence that wasn’t his own brother, and he had a feeling it would be better to teach the kid some proper skills now, rather than let them be a hazard to himself.
“Come on, I’ll teach you some real skills before you go poking someone’s eye out.”
“Oh come on! I’d never do that. Well, except maybe to Wilbur if he annoyed me enough, but that’s an exception.”
Technoblade laughed as he patted Tommy on the back before leading them out to the garden.
Yeah. Kid’s alright.
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Genuinely loved writing the nightmare scene! Was so much fun and all I could imagine was that scene in Toy Story 2 of Woody's nightmare when writing it and ugggh it was good! And yay! Bedrock bros bonding!!! It's been so long since we had nice fluff between these two <3 Now to make them brothers >:3
Thank you to @dingbatnix for beta reading. Bestie is working hard writing their Space Orcs fic at the same time which fyi, you should ALL get super excited for because I am in DEEP with the story and it's not even finished yet so get hyped!
Life update: As predicted, this ended up a little late 😅 Kind of got hit for 6 on the normal post date emotionally and just couldn't get myself motivated to format and post this so thanks for your patience!
As of right now, I officially have 7 days left of work before I leave my job which I'm so excited for! That work booklet ended up being 67 pages long which I'm so proud of, but my gosh I can't wait to get out of this job.
It's actually kind of sad for me as I get ready to leave, to think this will be the last chapter I post while working here. I even wrote some chapters of Jornos here on my break so it's nice to think that my fic has basically journeyed with me from when I moved to the city to this job and onto another chapter of life. I'll miss being here probably, but also won't lol. Gosh I'm not going to be ready when I finish the final chapter 😅
Fingers crossed I get the next chapter posted on time since I'll have officially started my course this time next month so guess we'll see what happens. Till then, thanks for reading! <3✨✨
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I just got something for Christmas that has caused my g/t infected brain to go haywire for Story Mode- [I had gotten it in my Christmas Stocking but I hadn't gotten to it until today]
It's a Tiny Dragon!!!!!!!!
[My Brain desperately wants to write a g/t story about a borrower that receives this guy as a little gift from their giant friends- or maybe a Borrower hides inside the egg when they are about to get Caught- So many possibilities for Stories, So little motivation to actually make them-]
(A/N: Kind of a sequel to my other fic, ROLL ME A 6 ! :> You don't need to read that though to understand this!)
Borrower Tommy accidentally shifts into a universe where his homebrew DND world is real. He still sucks at being a giant.
WORD COUNT: 1,341 words
WARNINGS: None.
"Tommy opened his eyes and what he saw was unlike anything he's seen before…"
Tommy listened in anticipation. What could it be? A new friend, a new foe? He looked at his dad, a smug little smile barely hidden by his serious storytelling.
"And we'll find that out in the next session."
Halfway through his sentence, he and his brothers already knew it was the end of their game for the day. All groaning and complaining about Phil leaving it in such a dumb cliffhanger, Phil only laughed.
It couldn't have been hours already, had it? They barely started! He still had to redeem himself and his character into great glory! "No, come on, let's do one more hour— please, please?" He begged, holding onto one of Phil's fingers like he had all the power to hold him down and force him into another round.
With his other hand, Phil picked up the die and tossed it into the container— folding up the map before putting it back in the box. Tommy knew it was over, they'd start another session again sooner or later.
But he wanted to do another hour, or maybe two more, now. "Pleasee, I rolled so low every turn, I need to redeem myself!"
"I wish we could continue, mate." Phil smiled, "But I got work tomorrow and it's already…" He stared at the clock, making a surprised sound at the 11:48 PM on the wall. Phil cursed under his breath, gently, slowly pulling his hand away from Tommy’s hold. "Alright, get to bed you three."
The blond borrower knew there was no convincing Dad anymore. He crossed his arms with a humph, upset with his bad luck during the game. "Cheer up, Toms! I'm sure luck will make you do justice next time." Wilbur consoled, pushing his chair into the table and picking up the box with their fantasy map and die.
“You are horrible at throwing the die for me,” Tommy grumbled, narrowing his eyes at his older brother who had offered to throw the dice for him earlier. Wilbur’s luck when it came to the game was pretty good, yet whenever he tossed the die for Tommy, the luck seemed to plummet- doing worse than when the borrower himself threw the die.
In the corner of his eyes, he could see Wilbur’s lips press into a thin line. He was stopping himself from being amused at Tommy’s anger. “It really wasn’t on purpose.”
“Yeah, I know,” Tommy replied. Not upset at Wilbur, nor was he upset at the game. He swears he would be able to throw the dice better if he was just… more human-sized.
“You’ll do better next game, I’ll make sure of it,” Wilbur promises.
Tommy looks at him incredulously, slightly laughing. “What, are we gonna cheat or something?”
In response, Wilbur shrugged, a playful smile tugging at his lips. “Dunno, maybe.”
Holding the game board, he placed his other hand on the desk. A trust exercise that slowly grew into a habit none of them thought was strange anymore, Tommy hopped on the hand and held onto the fingers for support. He used to have to walk from place to place, no matter how far it was because the big man was too stubborn to accept and ask for help. In response, they all worked together to install little stairs everywhere so Tommy would at least be able to reach things without having to heave himself up with a rope and a hook. He almost cried in front of them because of how much he appreciated the gesture.
That night, Tommy lay in his bed, uncharacteristically quiet as he stared at the ceiling. His room looked so much like a human's room- constructed by his family after nearly a year of accidentally revealing himself to them. It wasn’t exactly like him to be upset for the dice throws during the game, it really wasn’t Wilbur’s fault. On a good day, he throws exceptionally well for Tommy’s character too.
But Tommy isn’t upset about the dice, is he?
It was never the dice, never Wilbur, never his family, but him.
If he was truly meant to be their family, then couldn’t the universe make him human? Did he seriously have to be something that was never allowed to mingle with larger beings? It was a written code since the beginning of time that borrowers were never allowed to be with humans. Never share anything, what you are, what your name was. Most importantly, never be seen.
Were they never supposed to be a family then? Did he have to break the borrower’s code just to be a part of something he’s not supposed to? He’s not a borrower anymore, he knows that. He barely even follows the code anymore, but he’s not human either. Too exposed to be a borrower, too small to be a human.
Then what was he?
Tommy released a loud, exasperated sigh. His calloused hands rubbed over his face. He knows he shouldn’t think about such things, but lately, he’s been more aware than ever. He notices how Techno looms over him when they do woodwork together, Wilbur’s singing voice goes from soothing to too loud, and Phil barely gives him any chores (Maybe he shouldn’t complain about that one, actually).
They don’t mean it, of course, they didn’t. They probably don’t even notice it as well. Something so small and insignificant to them could be so overwhelming for him. He just wants to be bigger, to fit in…
He should go to sleep. He'll forget about it tomorrow and everything will continue on like it usually does (until the nagging feeling returns and he feels like he's rotting in bed).
Goodnight, me. Tommy closed his eyes, unable to rid of the heavy weight in his chest.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
If Tommy could recall this correctly— and while he may not have the best memory, he can certainly tell when something is just plain wrong… He fell asleep on his bed, right?
His eyes blurred as he gained consciousness and though he wasn't aware of where he was— he could sense danger even from a mile away. His shoulders ached, raised high above him. Something was holding his arms upwards. Cold, tight metal gripping his wrists, uncomfortably pressing into his skin. He tried tugging it downwards, but it barely moved.
Instead of lying on a soft, warm bed, it felt like he'd been kneeling for Prime knows how long. His legs felt numb, ringing uncomfortably no matter how much he tried to move. It didn't matter because he was stuck in place.
It was hot. Sweat was dripping from his forehead to his nose and down to either his clothes or the floor (he made a mental note that he wasn’t wearing his pajamas).
He sucked in a deep breath, humid air filling his lungs in a way that didn't calm him down, but just made him panic more.
Tommy's vision began clearing up and despite the little ache in his neck, he decided to look around. The room was dimly lit, weak artificial lighting barely reflecting the big, metal room he resided in.
There were mini stairs and platforms built around him. The platforms in front of him connected through the middle and had a door on each side of the wall. Above the platform in the wall in front of him was glass, he couldn't make out anything inside, it was darker than the room he was in.
The metal room he sat in was quite spacey. The ceiling was quite high but he couldn't stand up even if he attempted to— his ankles were chained as well, shorter in length compared to the ones around his wrist. Tommy struggled against the chains, everything looked so.. small yet so oddly detailed.
Where was he? Who were these stairs for? Were there more beings smaller than a borrower? Prime, how would they even look next to a human?
Does his family know where he is right now..?
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
yayaya thank you sm for reading! & holy shit guppy writing fics comeback??? no way!!!
I have fallen (but have faith, for I shall rise once more)
. . .
Borrower Techno with rest of sbi as god's? More likely than you think :D
2.2k words for part one, definitely going to make a part two because I'm not about to LEAVE y'all on a cliffhanger like that.
(Cw: Blood, injuries, mention of death (non happens) swearing, angst, accidental fearplay and Techno passes out due to blood loss.)
Hope you enjoy my (technically) first addition to the mcyt g/t community from my user!
. . .
Technoblade wasn’t like other borrowers.
Other borrowers didn’t have voices in their heads, who screamed at him for blood, grew emotionally attached to the most random things, or know things that helped him evade capture multiple times.
Other borrowers didn’t have memories that never existed, searing into his brain at moments when he loses themselves, of friendships with beings of power, of him being a being of power, of falling from the clouds for a crime he did not do.
When his sword is stained red from those who wronged him, then in his head it rings. When the voices, or as he called them, Chat, started chanting. It never made sense, what they chanted.
Blood for the blood god
And it scared him, not knowing what it meant. But he couldn’t dwell on it now, just like he couldn’t dwell on it yesterday. He was a borrower, and that meant he needed to borrow.
Techno stepped outside of the comfort that was the shelter that he had been using for the past week. Being a wandering borrower, he didn’t have a home, exactly. He wandered from place to place, travelling lightly and swiftly, being able to escape at a moment's notice.
He had bases in some places, so he could restock and rest for a bit, but he was exploring a new area and that came with the consequence of not knowing where safety lay, so if a bean were to see him, he might not be able to get out of there fast enough.
But it wouldn’t come to that. Techno was an amazing borrower, and his motto was literally ‘Technoblade never dies’. He started walking through the long grass, humming to himself. He wouldn’t get caught, he was certain of it.
So why did he feel so uneasy?
. . .
“Hey- Hey! Stop it!” He whispered, whipping his sword out as an act of defence. The crow squawked defiantly but didn’t stop trying to pick him up with its beak.
Techno groaned. Crows were always nice to him, and they were one of the few things that gave him those memories other than blood.
Memories of black wings surrounding him, feeling safety and warmth, and when he looked into those eyes-
Other things that did this were music, especially guitars or discs, the colour red, and that one statue. It had been in some rich fucker’s garden, and from what he had overheard the people in it were gods, whatever that was.
Their names, according to the beans he had been eavesdropping on, were Philza, Angel of Death, a golden blonde man with large black crow wings, a fatherly expression on his face as he stared at Soot, the god of music and chaos, a brunette who was laughing and ruffling the hair of Innit, god of discs and the wilderness.
And, standing a little bit away from the others, was a statue with its head gone. According to one of the beans, it was because they had been banished from the kingdom above, for a crime so terrible, and therefore been erased from history.
He also heard them say that it turned out to be an accident, that DreamXD, had framed him. But by that time it was discovered, it was too late, and he had been cast down, though it is said those three gods still search for him, in the hopes that they could bring him back.
They said his name was Blade, the god of war and blood. And that’s how he got his name.
Technoblade.
And, another funny thing is, no matter how hard he sees those gods as Philza, Soot, and Innit, like the man described, some hidden part of his mind changes that to Phil, Wilbur, and Tommy. But that was beside the point.
The point was, that no matter how nice the crows were to him, they kept trying to take him somewhere.
Usually, they’d stop if he complained or shouted, or drew his sword (never intending to kill, just to scare them off) and they’d stop. But this one was even more persistent, and Techno realised now that he’d either have to fight it (something he would like to avoid if possible, he liked crows and they sometimes brought him gifts) or run.
He chose the latter, dashing to the side the moment the crow grabbed him. It squawked in outrage and Techno realised that it couldn’t chase after him on foot, with its legs like sticks. Birds were meant to fly, not walk.
‘Looks like I win this time, eh?’
He thinks, grinning to himself. The crow that he escaped from cawed loudly, and he only had a split second to wonder what that could mean before another crow SWOOPS down out of nowhere and yoinks (he’s not even sure what that word means but it seems about right for this situation) him up in its claws.
He had jinxed it. Techno didn’t believe in superstition, but he was certain that was what had happened.
The pinkette struggled in the crow's grasp, desperate to get free before it took him to… Well, wherever it was taking him. But it was no use. He wondered why it was so determined to bring him wherever it was going. Techno supposed he’d find out, soon enough.
Eventually, after a few minutes of flying, the borrower noticed something very, very strange. The crow was taking him up. And by that, he meant really, really high up. The world below was barely visible, as they went higher and higher, through the clouds.
And once they came out of the clouds, Techno couldn’t believe his eyes.
“The kingdom above… Fucking hell it’s real…”
He muttered to himself in awe. It was made out of pristine white shining material that might’ve been made out of the clouds themselves, with magical glowing lanterns floating in the air.
Techno’s first thought was that it belonged to the ruler of this kingdom, or at least some kind of person in power, I mean it was so fine and well-kept that it had to be, right? Wrong.
On closer inspection, he realised that the people walking down below were… Normal. This was a normal town here, and these were normal civilians.
The crow flew past it though, taking Techno with it. Its wingbeats never slowed, and it showed no sign of tiredness. This was no ordinary crow, he was sure of it.
And this was no ordinary place. Chat had stopped talking altogether, and his mind felt as if it was his own, at last. It was as if someone wanted him to be peaceful, but that was silly since he was literally getting kidnapped by a bird.
What a great day Techno was having, right?
Aaaaand now the crow was flying down, towards three people that looked awfully familiar, but he just couldn’t put his finger on it and then-
Oh fuck that’s Philza, Soot and Innit. He’d recognize them anywhere, after the incident with the statue. Oh, he’s fucked. He’s going to die, oh stars he needs to get out of this mess-
‘But aren’t the gods his family?’
He brushed that thought off with a shudder. Why on earth did he keep thinking stuff like that!? It didn’t make any sense, and you better believe that he was gonna get to the bottom of this.
Not today though. He was about to get caught by some of the most powerful beings in the entire universe, and he’d actually rather not. He valued his life, after all. So he did what any self-respecting borrower would do and fucking stab the bird.
Techno hadn’t particularly wanted to stab the crow. As he might’ve mentioned before, he liked crows. There just hadn’t been another choice.
And it had worked.
The crow dropped him with a screech, alerting the three gods immediately. Their gazes fell on the bleeding crow who flew over to them with a lot of effort and landed on Philza’s outstretched arm. It healed almost instantly.
But the pinkette didn’t know any of this, because he happened to be falling when that situation had played out. And when Techno hit the ground, he felt his body scream out in pain and his head ring in agony.
The world around him felt loud and blurry. His head seemed to be sticky with what he could only assume was blood. He forced himself to stand, he needed to get out of here, needed to be safe-
Chat was back now, just as incoherent and jumbled as his thoughts, and from what he managed to make out, delusional. They kept saying something about… Dadza? Who the hell was- Oh. Wait what!?
So Chat was no help.
Techno winced. He couldn’t think, everything was just so loud and it hurt so damn much and he couldn’t understand and oh fuck did one of the Gods? beans just spot him and oh no they’re all walking towards him now.
The borrower’s eyes widen, and he couldn’t help but shrink back as the three gods towered over him, eyeing him over with such a strange expression of hope and longing that made Techno wonder if he actually was delusional.
The silence was broken when one of the gods, Innit, spoke up, voice breaking slightly and eyes glazed, as if holding back tears.
“Holy shit… Is it him? Like, really him?”
Philza responded, managing to sound calm and yet so desperate that it made Techno’s cold heart shatter, though he was not sure why.
“I don’t know Tommy (wait WHAT-), why don’t we ask him instead of talking over his head?” The angel of death suggested, and now they were all staring at him again, possibly even more intensely than before.
“So,” Philza said curiously. “Who are you, why did you stab my crow and why did it try to bring you here?”
There was no malice in his voice, it was just confusion and subtle amusement, but that just made Techno’s nerves worse. The only reason he could think of that would involve the god being amused about his half-dead state was-
Oh fuck, were they going to torture him?
“I’m Technoblade,” He said, after a few moments of hesitation. The pinkette ignored the sharp gasp of air from above, acting like he didn’t hear it, because he did not want to think of why the god might be shocked, and instead continued.
“I stabbed your crow because I was about to get seen (and look how that ended up) and I have no clue why it brought me here.” Techno knew it was not a smart idea to lie to a god, and he was anything but stupid. His injuries throbbed painfully, but the gods either didn’t notice or didn’t care.
Techno wasn’t about to guess which one…
After a very long while (in which Techno was trying his absolute hardest not to die on the spot) Soot spoke up. “So that’s a- a yes, then? It’s him?” He asked, voice cracking slightly. “Yes, Wilbur, (WHAT THE FUCK) It’s really him.”
The borrower didn’t have time to question what in the world he meant by that, because at that moment Philza reached down, and Techno realised what was about to happen a second too late.
He scrambled backwards as the hand came towards him, absolutely terrified out of his wits, but the god paid no mind to that, plucking him off the ground by his waist easily.
Techno struggled in his grasp but fell limp almost immediately. There was no way he was escaping from Philza, even though he wanted to, and besides, it just made his injuries worse. The tight grip the god had him in didn’t help either.
“What do you want from me!?”
He shouted, glaring at the gods, though it quickly fell as he remembered how easily they could crush him. Soot made a small noise (pity?) but he ignored it. “You- you really don’t remember us?” Asked Innit, with a look of despair on his face.
‘Remember you? I’ve never seen you before in my life!’
Not in this one you haven’t.
Responded one of the voices, before it faded back into the clutter of noise. “Chat?” Philza asked, and Techno almost responded with ‘Yeah, it’s making no sense…’ when he remembered that he never told them about Chat.
Something clicked behind Soot’s eyes, and he spoke up. “So you really don’t know who we are… Right?” Techno nodded. Where exactly was (Wilbur) Soot going with this? “So that means…” “Means what? I’m not about to sit around all day waiting while you give me half-formed answers,” the borrower responded, with more challenge in his tone than was wise.
It’s not like you could stop them from doing that…
Said another one of those loud voices unhelpfully. ‘Thanks a lot…’ He thought to himself irritatedly and stared at Soot expectantly, which was harder than it seemed because his eyes kept unfocusing, and the corners of his vision were blurry and stained red. ‘Blood?’
“Listen, Technoblade, I don’t know what species you think you are, but…” He hesitated again, before continuing.
“You're a god, and our brother, at that.” Soot paused, and then started saying something more. “I’m so glad we finally found you, we’ve-”
But Techno didn’t get to hear what they’d done, the blood loss had finally caught up to him, and he passed out, darkness now surrounding him as he finally drifted into a dreamless sleep.
. . .
Aaaaaand that's it, folks! Great ending we got there, right? Hope you liked it :] Big thanks to Beckyu for helping me choose how to end it, and start next chapter.
That reminds me...
@i-am-beckyu and @brick-a-doodle-do, thank you for wanting to be tagged! If you want to be tagged, comment, ask or dm me and I'll add you! :D
any wips / art you didn't post for the tiny friend au?? i actually live for that au it's precious ...
im glad you enjoyed that au, it was very fun to make stuff for :]
i tend to post all the finished art i do, buuuuuuuut i did manage to dig up this comic i never finished! i went back and slapped down some colour and also added a couple pages but it is still unfinished and VERY VERY messy ;P i hope you like it anyway <3!!!
