Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A scream ripped techno back to reality, his hands fumbling to grasp what the hell was going on. He found smooth stone below him, slightly warm from a nearby wall of lava. Right. The prison. The voices were screaming, an endless roar that made his already aching head throb. Shaky arms pushed himself up, and he took in his blurry surroundings. A few huddled shapes silhouetted by the lava wall, and a boot coming straight towards his face. 

Stars filled his vision as his head smacked against the wall of the prison room and he gritted his teeth. His muscles had become soft after so many weeks of just sitting around doing nothing, he realized, as he failed to block a punch aimed at his nose. “Quackity you piece of-” someone said, the hands punching him being pulled away as his abuser was tackled.

Warm blood trickled down his face as techno tried to breathe, figuring out what to do. His legs felt numb. His arms were weak. Through the pain, anger, and flares of stress, shame bubbled up. The voices would be laughing at him right now if they weren’t currently screaming their asses off.

He pushed himself to his feet, his clothes sticky with blood. He was vaguely able to make out the shapes of Quackity punching dream a couple times before throwing him off, the duck turning to march towards him again. 

Techno relished in his own stupidity for just a second, realizing he had no way to defend himself. “Quackity, listen to me-” he raised his hands up. Shit. Maybe the power of friendship will work. Quackity’s knee hit techno in the ribs, his boot slamming down on techno’s neck. Well. so much for the power of friendship.

“You’re pathetic.” Quackity spat, slamming techno’s head into the wall before sending him sprawling across the room, his back colliding with dream’s knee. Techno reached out for Dream, and for just a moment, he was in Dream’s arms, looking blurrily up at Dream’s face. Safe.

Quackity’s hand hooked into the back of his shirt, Techno yanked unceremoniously away from Dream’s warmth. The pinkette heard the sound of a pickaxe unsheathing, and his muscles strained as he tried to punch Quackity. Quackity simply twisted his arm behind his back, Techno’s head slamming into the wall once again.

“Well now. Isn’t THIS familiar?” Quackity cackled, grabbing techno’s neck and forcing him to the ground. “Well. As you said, Techno, I have a pickaxe, and I'll put it through your teeth.” through the snarkiness, techno could hear the pure rage boiled down in quackity’s voice. “Quackity, no!” Dream said, so far off.

 “Goodnight little piggy.” Quackity spat, and then the pickaxe lowered, not towards techno’s chest, but towards his eyes.

Pain splintered through techno’s body, and everything went numb. He knew a scream had ripped from his throat, but he never heard it. Everything was dark and bright,the voices becoming white noise, and then he was falling. 

—

Techno woke up in darkness. He could hear the chirping of birds and feel his bedsheets against his skin, but he couldn’t see. His claustrophobia spiked, and he calmed himself. He was alive. Or was he? Maybe he was just hallucinating. He tried to sit up, and a hand gently forced him back down. “Sorry mate, you’re still really beaten up.” 

The piglin forced himself not to scream, his hands reaching down to grab the hand of his friend, before following it up to his shoulders, and his coarse stubble. He could also feel his mouth, tightly pressed in a line. “…Phil? Why can’t I see?” He mumbled through a sore throat, and Phil’s sigh blew against his hands. “Quackity blinded you. I’m sorry, mate.”

Techno’s hands dropped to his sides, and then lifted up to feel the bandages covering his face. After a few moments of repressing his grieving emotions, he settled, hoping that he was expressing a neutral face. “So. How did I get here? You know. After Quackity said he destroyed my pearl chamber.”

“Dream brought you back.” Phil said, making a sound that techno was pretty sure meant the avian was scratching his chin. “Dream?” Techno sat up once again, his heart fluttering. Dream had rescued him? His knight in shining- this is not the time for simping. “Down, Tech.” Phil’s hand pushed him back once again. “But how did he get out of the prison himself?”

“No idea mate. But you could ask him yourself?” Techno had to force himself to not sit up. “He’s here?” “Yep. Was in a right state too, begging me to save you and all that. It was like he had no idea I am a couple thousand years old.” “Can I see him?” Techno fiddled with his hands, and Phil got up. “Sure. Just relax, okay? I’ll be back in a min.” Techno nodded, the one brief second of safety in Dream’s arms still replaying in his head. 

–

“Tech?” Techno sat up at the noise, reaching his arms out. Rough hands slipped into his own, and he pulled them to his lips. He felt the bed shift as the blonde sat down nearby him. “I missed you.” Dream carded his hand through techno’s hair, the piglin’s ear flicking at the touch. “Was I gone long?” he mumbled, keening as Dream pulled him close. “About a month. It’s been horrible without you.” “good.” Techno chuckled. 

There was a moment of silence, before techno reached out and felt dream’s face, feeling his scars, his eyelashes, and at last his lips. His heart panged, and he sighed softly. “I want to see your face.” “I know.” Dream replied. He could feel Dream moving closer, and his hands moved to dream’s jaw, feeling him move forward. He could feel Dream’s breath against his skin, closer, closer. 

He was jolted out of the sightless trance he was in from a loud bump that could only be Phil's wings banging into the doorframe out of surprise. Dream immediately left his grasp. There was a silence that made techno want to scrape his skin off, before Phil rustled and said in what techno assumed he thought was a dignified voice, “Am- am I missing something here?” 

Techno could almost hear the giddiness in the avian’s voice, and he opened his mouth, his brain trying to spawn something that would get Phil to move on. “Well, I hope not.” Dream spoke, the bed shifting as he stood up. “I was just trying to check his bandages, okay? Nothing weird.” “Sure, mate.” Phil's wings rustled, and techno once again longed for his eyes. He felt useless. 

“Well, once you’re done with him, can you come join me downstairs? I need help feeding the dogs.” “alright, alright.” silence fell as Phil left, and then dream’s lips pressed against his forehead. “Try to rest, I'll be back in a bit with some soup.” Techno nodded as Dream walked towards the door. “Bye.” he said after a few moments, not realizing that Dream was already gone.

Chapter Text

Dream’s head snapped up as a yell of pain echoed through the tundra, and he ran outside, throwing on his cape. Techno was kneeling by the fence surrounding his property, clutching his knee. “XD’s sake… Techno, you can’t keep running around like this.” Dream examined the bleeding gash that ran down Techno’s knee and then looked over at the rock that had caused the cut. “It’s too dangerous for you.” 

Techno didn’t say a thing, his hands reaching up to slide into Dream’s own. The blonde’s eyes drifted over the clean white bandages he had put over the holes in techno’s face, and he found himself missing the pig’s scarlet eyes. They were always so expressive. Emotional. “Come on.” he hoisted techno up, the pinkette sinking into Dream’s arms. Dream didn’t mind; one hand on Techno’s hip as he helped the man inside.

Techno remained quiet as Dream wiped the blood off of Techno’s knee and disinfected it. He had stopped talking a few weeks ago, Phil mentioning how techno felt inadequate and thus quieted up. Dream missed his voice. After cleaning Techno’s knee, Dream reached for the bandages but found none. “Shit. I'll be right back, okay?” he pecked Techno on the forehead before walking downstairs to the supply chests.

Phil was there, sorting inventory. Dream began to rummage through chests, poking at random cloths. “He went outside again, didn’t he?” Dream nodded. “He’s restless, Phil. You can’t just keep him inside for the rest of his life.” “I know, mate,” the avian replied, “But it’s still too dangerous. I overheard Quackity and his friends in the market today- he thinks we’ve managed to bring techno’s sight back already. If he knew that Techno was still weak-” He fell silent.

“Why haven’t we brought back his sight yet, though?” Dream frowned, finally finding some bandages. “It’s not as easy as a regen potion, mate.” Phil’s wings ruffled. “His mind has sort of- forgotten that his eyes exist. They don’t want to heal them anymore.” He held out some bandages, and Dream took them, nodding at his fellow blonde and returning to techno.

Bandaging Techno up was pretty easy, and once Dream was done, he squeezed Techno’s hand. Techno tilted his head just slightly, a sigh escaping his lips. “I know.” Dream whispered. “I’d take you to see the world if I could.” Techno shifted and bumped his forehead against Dream’s, and the warrior could just barely hear him reply, “I know.” under his lips.

-

Dream had been focused on how his boots crunched in the snow when he had been hit by what felt like a cross between a stick and a rock. He saw a short, blonde boy standing right on the tree line and sighed. “Ah, Tommy.” “Don’t fockin’ ‘ah tommy’ me. What the fuck are you doin’ here?” Tommy stepped out into the light, and Dream could see the scars that snaked across his face and arms. 

Interesting how the warrior’s increased relationship with Techno heightened the guilt he felt when he remembered the harm he caused the boy. “Oh nothing. Just makin’ out with your brother, the usual.” Dream dodged the snowball launched at him this time. “Nuh- First of all, Big T would never fuckin’ kiss you. Second of all, he’s in pris-” Tommy trailed off as he realized exactly what he was looking at. Dream was out of prison. And that meant…

“Hey- hold on.” Dream grabbed the blond by the back of his shirt, stopping him from continuing the dash towards the house. “You can’t see him.” “whaat? Why?” Tommy’s voice heightened in pitch just slightly. “He’s my brother more than he’s your- whatever you think of him.” Dream let go, the younger hopping away a few paces to steady himself.

“He’s not okay right now.” Dream crossed his arms. “If news got out, shit would go bad. They’d be after his head again, and-” “You think I’d fuckin’ snitch?” Tommy interrupted, and Dream sighed. “No, but I think you run your mouth. The moment you and your little gang know what’s up, the whole SMP knows.” “If it puts Techno in danger, I won’t tell anyone.” Dream opened his mouth to argue and then rubbed his eyes. 

“Prime- not that any of this will stop you, anyway. I love techno more than I hate you.” “Gross.” Tommy wrinkled his nose and then turned back towards the cabin, sprinting up the stairs and inside the house.

God, Dream hated that kid.