barbarism (dreamnoblade)

chapter eight

"Daddy who is this?"

Philza looks toward his older son, Wilbur, who sits on the opposite side of the couch staring at the kid he caught last night. The little piglin hybrid fidgets uncomfortably and continues to watch the carpet, too nervous to make eye contact with the family in front of him. His hooves dangle just short of the floor, digging into the soft fabric.

"He doesn't seem to have a family or home," he casts a meaningful glance at the child, "so for now he will be staying here with us."

To be completely honest when he had spotted the child peeking into the kitchen he thought a mob had gotten into their house. The child was not a pretty sight. His clothes were torn and covered in blood and mud. His long, pink hair -that was surprisingly silky- was so mattered Philza had thought the kid was a brunette.

Especially with that sword, which was just as nauseatingly doused in blood as his body. But once Philza had disarmed and caught him, the child had begun sobbing. It was so heart wrenching, even when he eventually passed out.

Philza wasn't sure about a lot of things besides that, he wasn't sure who the kid was talking to, why he was covered in blood, or why such a young child even had a used sword in the first place.

He sighs and ruffles the kids pink hair, being mindful of the flickering ear poking out. He'd given the pinkette a bath to help wash away the muck- he didn't want to have a sick child in his hands. But the thing that stood out to him the most was the lack of injuries, there were plenty of scars, yes. Some scars looked so horrifying and mutilated that he wanted to throw up, but no recent injuries.

So where did that blood come from? He would have to keep a close eye on the kid.

"He's going to be our guest here until we figure things out, so I need you guys to be responsible and don't pester him." He sighs and looks back down at the pinkette, he hadn't even got a name from the kid yet. Though he obviously understood english Philza doubted he knew how to speak it, or maybe the piglin hybrid was just nervous.

"We promise we won't be mean to him!" His younger son, Tommy, jumps up and skips over to the kid, crouching down and poking him on the cheek. "Hello! My name is Tommy, what's your name?"

The pinkette was so quiet that Philza was about to conclude his lack of speaking, when suddenly he peers up from underneath his long bangs.

"M-my name... T-technoblade."

Tommy gapes at him for a moment before his face morphs in a grin. "What a cool name! I want it, can I have that name Dad?" He leaps up to face Philza, who smiles back in amusement.

"I think Tommy sounds cool too, you should probably stick with it." He airily chuckles at his son's cuteness.

"We can be the two big T's!" He grabs Technoblade's hand, who suddenly recoils and yanks his arm away with a panicked cry.

Philza immediately shoots up and crouches to meet eye level with the kid, who had begun to breath heavily and cover his face with his hands. "Are you okay?"

"D-did I do something wrong?" Tommy is starting to cry when Wilbur puts his hand on his younger brother's shoulder, whispering softly into his ear and leading him away from the two.

Philza focuses back on the kid and gently peels his hands away, trying to make eye contact. His little shoulders tremble with every sob, his fingers digging into his head.

"I need you to breathe and tell me what's wrong." He tries to stay calm but stern, not wanting to freak out the child even more when Technoblade suddenly peers up, tears tumbling down his flushed cheeks.

"I-I- the voice wants me to hurt you! But you're nice and gentle and- and!" The rest jumbles together and becomes hard to understand. Philza pulls him into a hug, curling his wings around the boy to try and calm him down, beginning to hum until the crying ceases.


|||Technoblade POV|||

Technoblade ruffles Tommy's hair, feeling a burst of pride blossom in his chest.

Tommy had burst through the entrance of their base yelling about managing to catch a deer, so Technoblade left with him to help bring it back. It turned out that Tommy was able to sneak up on an adult deer and shoot it successfully.

"Those lessons are sticking with you, aren't they?" He hopes he sounds as proud as he feels.

Tommy's grin widens and he fist pumps the air, "hell yeah! Soon I'll be just as strong in battles as you are!"

Technoblade wants to remind him that he wasn't a good role model but he also doesn't want to ruin the moment. Besides at this point who can the kid even look up too? His friends are at a home he can't return too, his dad is... and Wilbur was... what was Wilbur like? He couldn't pinpoint what was different in his older brother, maybe Technoblade was the one who changed instead.

No he hadn't changed, had he? Was the Blood God always this vocal or had his control been deteriorating under the wraps? He shakes his head and hoists the deer's body up as it starts slipping from his back. Tommy is jogging to catch up with him, still fist pumping the air and waving to bow around like a sword.

"Be careful with that."