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Chapter Text

Dark brown eyes widened at the sight as he landed the dark blue dragon down on the ground, throwing himself off as the heartbroken sobs of his little brother figure rang out from around them. Wilbur had to make himself run closer to the sight as the fire around them burned brighter, stopping as he looked at the sight in front of him. Tommys head was buried into the side of the dead dragons corpse, the familiar flag tied to its saddle soaked in blood. It made him want to throw up just at the sight of the blood, but then the blonde boy let out a softer sob. 

The boy had some blood on him as well, only on his left arm and side. His armor was damaged badly, with the chest plate about to shatter at any touch. "Tommy?" Wilbur called out hesitantly, the boy snapping his head up and looking back at the man. "Tommy what happened to L'man?" 

Tears started to swell up in his eyes again as the boy stared at his adoptive older brother, bringing up his right arm to cover his eyes as he tried to keep himself from sobbing even more. Wilburs heart broke at seeing the sight, but he was also reminded of something from years ago. When Tommy first came into their lives, when he had sobbed for his 'papa' in Technos arms while they flew away from the destroyed Dragon Hunters hideout. "Toms?" 

"Someone...someone fucking shot him, Wilby." Tommy let out, Wilburs eyes widening at the knowledge as he got closer to the corpse and his brother. "They were aiming for me and they fucking shot L'man." 

"Oh...oh bubba." Wilbur said softly, heartbroken at hearing the fate of L'man. He gently pried Tommy off the dragon, placing his head in his blonde hair. "I'm so sorry that had to happen to you. Do you want me to get Burg?" 

Tommy shook his head, wrapping his arms to clutch at Wilburs white blouse. "I don't want another dragon to get hurt, Wilby. Please I don't think I can go back to flying." 

"No one's gonna force you to fly if you don't want to, Toms." 

"Promise?" 

"Of course."

Bright blue eyes watched as the black dragon landed in the new area as the small argument between two lovers went on behind him, Tommy staring as the large snout of the creature directed itself at him. He smiled softly as he gently opened his hand, the smile growing as the dragon leaned into his hand with a deep purr coming from the creature in front of him. He and the dragon knew each other, but it was common knowledge that it was how to greet a dragon besides bowing to them. "Hey there Wither, did ya enjoy your flight?" Tommy asked as Wither huffed out softly, still keeping his middle head in his hand as the other two scanned the area. 

"You shouldn't do that with Wither, Tommy." A female voice echoed out from behind him, the boy turning around to look at his 'caretaker' Ness. "Or do, it's really up to you." 

"Well I was gonna do it anyway." Tommy said, sticking his tongue out at her as she did the same back. Ness was the latest caretaker for the boy, with the last one dying to their arrogance over taking care of a hot tempered dragon. It was usually just her, him, and the countless dragons the Craft Family has taken in over the years. "Where did lover boy go off to?" 

"Oh, Fireball went for a dip with the other lava dragons." Ness said, the woman standing besides him before looking at the boy. "So remind me why you need a caretaker again, besides just being a child?" 

"Oi fuck you." Tommy bristled softly at the child comment, one of Wilburs dragons children climbing on his sleeve. "But basically it's just to make sure everything goes alright, no attacks mostly and no dragons going crazy like last time." 

Ness hummed softly at that as she readjusted the corset once again, looking back as Withers left head stared at her with blank white eyes. "Isn't this Technos dragon?" 

"Yep." Tommy confirmed while dragons right head scanning the area for any potential threats, not moving his hand while the centered head of the dragon rested in it. "Tech and the others are out to check out a rumor."

"Why didn't you go with them?" 

The boy froze softly at the question, Wither seeing his action and letting out a warning growl from his middle head. Tommy placed his other hand on the snout, gently running his hand up and down on the black scales. He didn't expect to be asked that so soon by the new caretaker, but he knew it had to come out sooner or later. "It's a long story and not a fucking pretty one but maybe I'll tell you later." 

Ness nodded silently, snapping her attention to where her dragon went and where a low growl was emitting. "That fucking dragon is at it again." She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck before looking towards the blonde boy. "Wither will keep you safe while I handle them, right?" 

"Yeah of course." Tommy said, leaning his head on Withers' centered head while the dragons' other two layed down on both sides of him. "Wither wouldn't hurt me, we're close like that." 

"Good, good." Ness said, ruffling the boys hair softly before turning and running off. 

The boy sighed as the girl left the dragon and him alone, looking at the creature with a sense of sadness behind his blue eyes. Tommy retracted himself from the dragon, a small whine coming from the centered head of Wither as the dragon stared down at him. "C'mon big man, lets get you washed up and fed." 

~•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•~

Dark red eyes watched from the branch he sat on top of, his long pink haired in a loose braid that hung over his shoulder. He placed a hand on the dark brown dragon that peered over him, the creatures dark blue eyes seemingly glaring down at the hunter camp. Technoblade tilted his head as he kept a tight grip on the dragon hilted sword in its sheath, a hint of anger growing. He knew this could just be some sick joke to mess with their dragon business, especially since it feels too familiar to how his little brother recalled seeing before his dragon had got shot down. 

The man glanced to the side as a blonde man joined him by his side, the small shine of his iron scythe seemingly shining through the small sunlight coming through the hiding spot. "Philza." Techno addressed softly, looking directly at the man to see his face dark with rage and anger. "So, it's true?" 

"Those fuckers have the other half of his flag." Philza let out, his own light green dragon blending in with the meadow a bit farther from the tree. "They have Tommys flag he made specifically for his dragon." 

Techno felt his own thoughts turned dark at hearing about the flag, the slight flash of memory from the past. When Tommy had barged into the meeting room with the well sewn flag in his hands, a bright smile on his face as he held it up for his family to see. 

"It looks fucking pog, right?!" 

Techno smiled softly at seeing the bright smile on his little brothers face, ruffling his hair slightly but not enough to ruin it too much. Wilbur took the flag from him, looking at the red, blue, and white flag with one black x in the middle of it along with two white ones in the colored sections. "I say it looks more than pog, Toms. Did ya do it yourself?" 

"Yeah! L'man watched me do it too!" 

"What are we waiting for?" Techno growled out, his dragon staring down at the camp with smoke coming from the side of his face. "They have something that belongs to Tommy, they killed his dragon." 

"We wait for Wilbur to destroy any of their ships, and then we move in." Philza said, looking at his son before the two looked at the hunter camp. "We destroy the camp and then we get the flag, and get back home to Tommy." 

"We can be a little late, Withers with him and the new caretaker." Techno commented, a small smirk as he watched two of the hunters ships sunk into the water as the camp started to panic. "Wilburs having all the fun." 

"Don't start complaining, get on your Raveger and join him. I'll be there soon to get the flag." Philza said before he jumped down from the tree, Technos dark red eyes darkened with a grin growing on his face. The man turned to his dragon as the large creature lowered one of his wings, watching as his rider used it to get on the back. 

"Lets get Tommys fucking flag back." He said, tightening his reins as the dragon let out a low growl. 

•

Wilbur pressed down on the shot callers chest as he held his sword at the womans throat, a glare behind his chocolate brown eyes while his dragon stood behind him proudly. Philza was already rolling up the bloodied flag with a small sense of anger towards the condition of the fabric. It was made by Tommy, it shouldn't be covered with dry blood and poorly taken care of. Techno walked towards his twin, wiping off some of the blood from his cheek as he stared down at the woman underneath Wilburs foot. "You're not the real boss, aren't you?" Technoblade growled out as the woman glared up at the two twins. "Who called the attack on my little brothers dragon?" 

"Why should I tell you?" The woman spat out, Techno staring down at her with little emotion behind his eyes. "It was just some dragon and their trainer." 

"Some Dragon?" Wilbur repeated as he drew the sword close to her neck, his brown eyes seemingly bleeding into a dark red. "That wasn't some fucking dragon and trainer, those were my little brother and his best friend. We'll ask again, who the fuck called the attack on them?" 

"We don't know." The woman said with a glare up at them, trying to push the foot off of her chest while the two stared down at her. "They payed a shit ton just to get that dragon out of the way, it isn't our business to question the client." 

"How much?" 

The woman smirked, tilting her head at Techno as the mans glare darkened on her. "A thousand rubies for that dragon and his trainer to die. They settled on just the dragon though."

Wilbur was about to answer when he felt a hand on his shoulder, glancing back to see their father standing there with Zephyr landing a bit behind the man. "They were paid to kill L'man, dad." 

"Is that so?" Philza hummed, glaring down at the woman as Zephyr lowered his head to stare at the woman in front of them. "Then leave her to die here, we got the answer we wanted." 

"Dad-" 

"Not now, Wilbur." Philza stopped, Wilbur withdrawing his sword as Technoblade still stared down at her. "The now freed dragons would want their revenge for what they've done, let fate have judged what to do with this piece of shit of a person." 

The brunette man sighed but nodded, placing himself on his dragons saddle while Techno groaned. Philza watched the twins take flight before turning to look at the woman, her gaze staying on him before turning to look away. His blue eyes darkened slightly on her before boarding his own dragon, holding onto his reins. "Lets hope that if you survive, you change your career path and stay the hell away from my family and our dragons." 

~•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•~

Tommy stirred slightly from his cuddled position beside the large black dragon, one of his three heads sitting itself in his lap while another rested itself beside him. He rubbed one of his eyes, yawning slightly before looking around to see if anything had changed. The boy wasn't exactly expecting to fall asleep against the warm dragon, but here they are. The boy pushed back some of his blonde bangs to see a pair of three familiar dragons landing in the newly established area, a bright smile growing in his face as he stood up to meet them. The light green xiaolong dragon bent down slightly to meet with the boy, Tommy watching him with his hands in front. "Hey there Zephyr, did ya have a nice flight with Dadza?" He asked as the dragon huffed softly, rubbing against the boys side of his body. "It was that boring?"

"He wasn't bored." Philza interrupted, coming down from the dragon as he took off his black cape. Tommy smiled a bit at the father figure as the man ruffled his hair softly, the man having his own smile on his face. "Did Wither keep everyone safe just fine? And where's Ness?" 

"Wither did amazing and Ness and her dragon had to go back to their island, something about one of their friends visiting." Tommy answered as he gently patted the black dragons central head, a low purr coming from the dragon in contentment. "Did you figure out if those rumors were true?" 

"That's not all we found out." Techno spoke up, coming from beside Philza as Wither stood up at the sight of their rider standing in front of them. The man opened up Philzas satchel, Tommy freezing on the spot as he saw the poor flag he made by hand for his now long gone dragon. "Tommy, they were the ones who killed L'man." 

The boy felt his eyes start to water at the words coming from his older brother figure, stumbling closer to the pinkette man to gently hold the flag in his hands. It was dirty, with both dried and new blood coating it. The sight almost made him sick to see it again, and in that sort of condition too. Techno wrapped an arm around the boy as if to comfort him, hiding his face in his blonde hair as small hiccups started to form into cries. "It'll be alright, Theseus." Techno said in a soft whisper for the boy, Tommy leaning into his warmth. "We won't stop till we figure out the whole truth." 

"None of us will." Wilburs voice spoke up, his warmth coming from the side of Tommy as he wrapped his arms around his twin and younger brother. "I promise you Toms, whoever's doing this will pay the price for killing your dragon." 

Tommy sniffled softly at that, leaning a bit into their combined warmth as Philza smiled softly at the sight. He knew that it'll be a long time till the truth finally comes out, but he knew it'll be worth it. Someone out there took away his sons dragon, the very creature that he cared for and bonded with for years until his death. For that death, Philza will take up the role as an Angel of Death and see to it that they are punished for it. "Boys." The man interrupted, Wilbur looking towards him. "It's time for us to prepare for dinner and I can already tell the dragons are tired after today."

"Right." Tommy said softly, Philza placing a hand on his cheek. "I can take Sirens kids to their nest and start to feed the other dragons." 

"You go ahead and do that, Techno can start ok dinner." Philza said, gently kissing the top of his sons head before letting the youngest go off to finish his tasks. 

"You know that none of us will be able to have a peaceful week until we can avenge L'man, right dad?" Wilbur asked Philza after Techno left to their main house, the man turning to his son. "Especially Tommy, he still gets nightmares from that night." 

"I know, son. I know." Philza said, his eyes darkening at the mere mention of the dragons death. "We'll take things slow for now, wait for anything to come up from Puffys and Bads side of things. Don't you have a Moobloom meadow to show Tommy soon?" 

"Yeah, for a small break for him." Wilbur confirmed, Sirens head lowering to her trainers side. "I can't take Burg out for it though, y'know how that dragon took his brothers death." 

"I know. Burg and Tommy both took it the hardest." Philza placed a hand on his sons shoulder as he started to move past him, looking back at him slightly. "C'mon, I need to stop Techno from using just potatoes for dinners main course and you should help Tommy with the dragons." 

"Right." 

~•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•~

Bright blue eyes of the six year old boy watched as the young dragon stared back at him, the creatures wings tucked in neatly as its white scales seemed to shimmer in the sunlight. The young boys eyes started to light up as the dragon tilted their head at the boy, gently bowing their head down to meet him closer to the floor. Despite the dragon being quite young compared to others, they still towered over the small human easily. The boy giggled softly as he placed a gentle hand on their snout, a warm feeling growing in the creature as they let out a content purr at the touch. "I don't think I've ever seen you before!" The boy said happily, the brightest smile on his face as he stared up at the dragon. "My name's Tommy, do you have one?" 

The dragon huffed, feeling themself nuzzle a bit into the dragon as Tommy let out a surprised gasp. "Can I give you a name? I'm thinking… L'man! It'll match Wilbys dragon, his name is Burg and he's really powerful!" 

The dragon simply purred at the childs words, not fully minding what he said as long as he kept talking. It was soothing, oddly enough, for such a high pitched voice to be so...soothing. "I think we'll be best friends, L'man! The bestest and nothing can separate us!" Tommy exclaimed happily as the dragon purred louder at the boys happiness. "We'll be just as powerful as Dadza and Big Sib even though they're not really my big sib, their name is Bun and their really strong too." 

L'man huffed softly in response, but didn't do anything to move their head away as the boy continued to talk about this Bun person. Things was peaceful, finally peaceful enough for a connection to form. A bond. 

And both boy and dragon can only hope it'll stay that way. 

Chapter Text

Technoblade stared at the stone grave in front of him as his red eyes looked down at the newly cleaned flag in his hand, tightening the grip around it before letting it unravel to the soft breeze. L'mans flag was a sort of pride for the Craft Family, it represented Tommy in a disguised way for them while also representing freedom for the dragons. He sighed softly, kneeling down in front of the grave as he gently draped it around it while the gold crown still sat on top of it with the dark. "Hello L'man, it's been a while." He said, not expecting an answer in return. "Your rider, Tommy, hasn't been well these past few days since we had gotten your flag back." 

The silence weighed on the pinkette mans back as he took a deep breath, staring at the grave with a sense of sadness behind his eyes. "He misses you a lot, y'know. Never spend a day where he isn't staring off to your grave." He said with a small chuckle, his eyes softening at the memory. 

"Tommy?" Techno calls out as he hoists a saddle to rest on his arm, the blonde boy snapping out of his thought process as he turns to look at him. "Whatcha doing there?" 

"Just thinking." Tommy muttered, a conflicted look in his eyes as he lifted up the basket of apples for the more plant loving dragons. "About L'man and if he'd still be alive if he was your dragon or someone else's dragon." 

"Do you think he'd be happier? I mean you treated that dragon as if he was ruling the entire world." Techno asked, tilting his head slightly as Tommy hummed softly. 

"Maybe, maybe not. I'd never know now." 

"You made him happier than I ever could, but now I'm just having to pick up the pieces from it." Techno confessed, staring at the grave as he sighed. The man stood up, looking back at the area reserved for the dragons. He could see the small figure of Tommy placing his hands on the side of the large dragons face, resting his face on the snout of the creature. "I know you're watching over him, you'll probably always will." He chuckled sadly as he watched his younger brother smile at the dragon. "So please...just give him a sign so he can sleep well tonight." 

~°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Ness stood in her spot as Philzas dragon stared at her, the large creature laying down with his fluffy tail stilled next to it. She felt small underneath his gaze, the huge dragon tilting his head slightly at the sight of her small form. The girl stayed there until she felt a figure drape themselves over herself, turning to see Katsuki leaning over her. "What are you doing now, you overgrown puppy?" She asks, a bit of a tease in her tone as Katsuki frowned at her words. "What? Were you missing a little me time?" 

"Shut the fuck up." Katsuki grumbled, but didn't move as Ness chuckled at it. "Is that the old mans dragon?" 

"He has a name, y'know." Philza said as he came from behind his dragon, Katsuki moved back instantly with him here. The winged man chuckled at the response from him, crossing his arms as Zephyr let out a small huff. "It's Zephyr, but you already know that."

"Yeaah." Katsuki grumbled, getting off of Ness as the girl laughed at the interaction. "Oh shut the fuck up, you would've done the same if you couldn't sense him." 

"That's because Zephyr had hidden me from your dragon sense." Philza informed Katsuki, the man suppressing a growl at the man. He knew better, especially when to go against Philza Minecraft. He was practically famous in the Dragon Shifters, with what he did for the royal families of each region. "So then, what are you two doing with Zephyr?" 

"Oh shit right uh." Ness said, breaking her eye contact. "I was just looking at the dragons, I had never seen a dragon like that before." 

"Oh well you see." Philza started, Zephyr lowering his head to his hand as he gave a side eye to the two lovers. "He's one of the last of his kind, only five more dragons remain of them." 

"What happened to them?" 

"Hunters." Philza answered, a bit grim as Zephyr let out a low growl at the mere mention of the dragons. "It's a tragedy, truly, but we're lucky that they managed to survive even with those small numbers." 

"It is." Ness said, staring at the two as Katsuki lowered his head on his shoulder. "Is Tommy still asleep?" 

"No, he's working on his duties with the dragons. You already know of his Caretaker status with others, but this also requires him to sort of bond with the new dragons that were dropped off here." Philza informed with a fond and proud smile on his face, Zephyr pulling his head from the man. "Admittedly, we don't know much of the process but if you want, you can stay while Tubbo and Ranboo come in case the dragons go into a panic." 

"Why do they have to come?" 

"Simply put, those two are rather protective over Tommy. It's in case of the dragons lashing out, they have to stand by and bring blankets for the baby dragons here." Philza said with a smile, tilting his head to the side. "Now then, if you'll be staying around, please go ahead and get Geo and Technoblade from the training grounds. 

"Right of course." 

~°•°~

Technoblade planted his sword into the training ground, a victorious grin on his face as the small amount of blood stayed on his cheek. He wiped it away before looking at his sparring friend while she stayed on the ground, the girl rolling her eyes at the man. Geo brushed off the blood from her own cheek before getting to her feet, staring at him before grinning slightly. "So now I'm seeing why you're called the 'Blood God', Blade." She said as she brushed off the dust from herself. Techno chuckled as he picked up the sword, putting it in its gold sheath. 

"Just now? I thought Wilbur and I kicking your ass during your hunters days showed you as much." Technoblade said with a joking tone to his voice, the girl rolling her eyes as the door opened. The two looked over, Geo groaning slightly to herself as Ness came bounding over. "Did Philza ask you to come get us?" 

"Yeep!" Ness said a grin on her face as she tucked herself besides Geo, the slightly taller of the two turning to the side to hide the small smile on her face. "He also said that Ranboo and Tubbo are coming here to help with Tommys bonding with the dragons." 

Technoblade sighed a bit as he dusted off his shoulders, giving the two a small nod before he went up the stairs. Geo looked towards the girl besides her as Ness looked up, a small grin growing on her face. "So, care for some sparring?" Ness asked, the taller of the two scoffing slightly. 

"Yeah sure, if you think you're up to it." 

"Challenge accepted!" 

~°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°~

Wilbur watched the younger boy from the side as he stood besides his dragon, Siren watching intently as their webbed wings stretched slightly. He knew the dragon was more protective over the boy than what was called for, especially after L'mans death. The creature always was that way, it had gotten worse over time to the point where Siren would whine whenever they had to leave for anything. "Y'know you can chill, right Siren?" He asked, his dragon huffing slightly in response as the two watched Tommy rest his head on the newer dragons snout. "God you're worse than Philza sometimes." 

"I dunno about that." Technoblade said as he walked up besides his twin, his red cape in his arms as he watched his little brother with the dragons. "You barely wanted to leave the general area in case someone attacked Tommy after he asked to stay here from now on." 

"So were you!" Wilbur huffed, pouring slightly as the new dragons wings stretched out in slight agitation. "Have you seen the bonding process?" 

"Not really. I dunno what to expect, Caretakers are still relatively unknown." Techno responded, watching as his dragon stared them down from his perch. "I guess it was kind of a good idea for our dragons to match our feelings about Tommy, makes them more willing to get home faster."

"I guess." Wilbur said with a shrug as Siren stared at the boy and the new dragon, her wings stretching before relaxing on her back. "So much shit is happening, but the goal is still there." 

"Avenge L'man." 

Wilbur smirked softly at those words as their little brother turned to look at them, a bright smile on his face as the dragon stared at them. "What's their name?" Wilbur asked, walking towards them as Ranboo and Tubbo were already bounding towards them. 

"She." Tommy said first, placing his hand on the dragons snout with a small grin. "Her name is Clementine, I asked to be nice." 

"Clementine, huh?" Wilbur hummed, tilting his head as he looked at the dragon while Tommy grinned in response. "Well then, welcome to the family, Clementine."

The dragon huffed softly before nuzzling her snout to the side of the boy, a sort of purr coming from them. "She says thanks." 

Techno stared at the dragon as he tilted his head for a second, his red eyes staring into her own bright green ones. "Guessing she's gonna be staying here, right?" 

"Yeah. Newly bonded dragons need to stay with the Caretakers for around a week." Tommy informed, a bright grin on his face. "So for a while they'll have to stay here until someone else bonds with them." 

Tubbo chuckled softly as he seemingly tucked himself under Tommys arm, the dragon shifters golden eyes seemingly gleaming before his attention was shifted to the side. Philza stood there with a fond smile on his face, his wings slightly slouching before he walked towards them. "Boys, it's time for us to head out. Eret and Bun have sent a new report just now." 

"About what?" Techno asked, Tommy tilting his head slightly as Tubbos face lit up at the mention of the two. Ranboo shifted slightly, watching the older man as Philza looked at the boys. 

"A man named Sir Billiam. Apparently a new dragon shifter had found one of his servants paying off a grip of hunters, and when confronted they gave us a name." Philza informed, Sirens wings stretching out slightly with a bit of anger behind the action. "I think it's time we get some more information and go on the lookout for them." 

"Can I come too?" Tommy asked, a bit hesitant as his family looked at him for a second. Tubbo had to cough to cover his own growl, tucking himself more into Tommys side. "I need to help out somehow, not just stay here." 

"Fine. But only if Tubbo and Ranboo will be there too, and if you promise not to run off." Philza said with a sigh, crossing his arms as Tommy grinned in response. 

"Promise."