A tale of Humans and Hybrids

Chapter 17

The news of Wilbur accepting Techno and how he had protected Phil quickly made their rounds to the other hybrids, especially after a 'friendly' talk with Tommy about snitching. It ended in two days of no flying lessons for the avian, which made him basically cling to Phil and beg him for forgiveness all day. The bird wanted to do a whole week without lessons and maybe just ground him too, since he technically is his kid and not of age yet, but his soft spot for the teen got the better out of him and made it only two days of no lessons, nothing more.

It was hilarious to watch Tommy sulk in a corner, mumbling things about 'favorites' and 'unfair', even if it made no sense. Who exactly was he favoring over Tommy, when he was the one who snitched to Scott and Wilbur? Not that it mattered now. What happened happened. And he has to live with his rather mild punishment.

After that confrontation, almost all the other hybrids were a lot friendlier to Techno, if they weren't already. Even Ranboo, who had been just as aggressive as Wilbur, stopped glaring at him every time he saw him. Why, no one knew. Techno had protected him before, so why was now such a big difference? Not that it mattered much. They were nice to him, that's all that mattered.

A few days had passed and Phil finally had enough bamboo to start his little project with the pub. Techno helped carry all the bamboo up to where he wanted it and just made a big pile on the floor. Apparently he wanted to cover the wall with a pattern of it to make it look less empty. While the bird was positioned on one of the support beams so he could work, Techno remained on the ground and handed a new bamboo stick up whenever his friend needed one.

They worked in comfortable silence, the only noises being crows happily hopping around and chatting with Phil, who occasionally chirped back. It was nice...

Then he heard the soft noise of an Enderman teleporting behind him. "Hello Ranboo." Techno looked over at the tall creature and smiled, receiving a nod in return. He looked somewhat nervous, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "Do you need something?"

"Yes. Well, no, I just wanted to talk to you." "Alright?" "Bamboo please." Techno handed another stick up to Phil before turning back to Ranboo. The Enderman took a deep breath before speaking again. "Look... I... I'm sorry. I know I haven't exactly been the nicest to you. And I wanted to let you know that, despite still not really liking you, you're part of our family now..."

Techno smiled, slightly amused with how nervous the hybrid looked. It really takes a lot for him to admit he did something wrong. "Thank you... that means a lot, coming from you." The Enderman nodded before he started to look for something in his bag. "I... was sorting through my chests and threw stuff out I didn't need anymore..." He pulled out a golden crown and held it out for Techno. "It's my old crown... I don't need it anymore, since Tubbo gave me a new one, but I don't want to just throw it away... So I thought, maybe you want it?"

"Wait... really?" "Don't make me take it with me again. Do you want it or not?" The human carefully took the crown and held it in his hands, watching the gems glitter in the light. "Thank you... I like it." Ranboo just turned away, walking to the exit. "Whatever... don't break it." And with that, he teleported away. Techno looked after him for a moment before putting the crown on. It wasn't as heavy as he expected.

"How do I look?" Phil chuckled and reached for another bamboo. "It's suites you suprisingly well." The human grinned and held up the bamboo for his friend. "I'm suprised he actually gave it to me..." "He's not as mean as you think, he just needs time to warm up to people. But... I do agree that it was a little odd for him."

Suddenly a hand grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Wilbur appeared in front of him, grinning. This is the friendliest he has ever looked in front of the human. "Hello Techno!" "Um... Hi?" "I've got something for you!" The human raised an eyebrow. Is this some sort of organized thing they are doing? First Ranboo, now Wilbur? "Alright...?" Wilbur grinned and held a bundle of cloth out for him. Now Techno was even more confused, but he took it anyways.

"I thought that this could help you fit in better? Found it on a trip in the Nether." Techno unwrapped the cloth and his eyes widen when seeing what exactly Wilbur had meant with fitting in. Wrapped in the cloth was some sort of skull with tusks. A leather strip was attached to it, revealing the intention behind the gift. "A mask?" "Yup! I... I can understand if you don't want it, wearing a skull is a bit weird. But I thought it would make you look a little bit more like one of us."

Techno carefully placed it on his face, adjusting the strap so it won't fall off his face immediately. It was a little weird... but not as bad as he thought. He could still see just fine, only the corners of his vision are a little blurry. "It's fine... I can still see, so that's good. It's not that heavy too." The phantom grinned, wings twitching happily. "Honestly. You just look scary now." "Good! Maybe it will scare off humans!" "I mean... he's got a point. If we ever get into another fight, it will be a little more obvious that I'm on your side."

The phantom nodded in agreement, while Phil just laughed and went back to his work. "Do whatever you want. You're old enough to decide how you want to dress up." "Why did you have to say it like that..." "Why not?"

Before Techno could reply, Tommy bursts through the door. When he saw the skull mask on Techno's face, he grabbed Wilbur and started shaking him. "I thought we wanted to give him the gifts together?!" "You were to slow." Tommy whined and crossed his arms. "But Wilbur, it would have been so cool!" "Not my fault you have to use ladders 'Mr above-average'." "Wilbur. I told you to stop calling him that."

Tommy just grumbled and swatted at the older with his wing before walking over to Techno. "Here!" The human took the folded cloth from the teen. The fabric was soft and a deep red. When he unfolded it, he noticed a thin layer of fur on the  top and golden pins holding it together. "Is this..." "It's a cape! Do you like it?! I made it with Tubbo and Niki!" Tommy was bouncing with energy, wings twitching.

Techno looked over at Phil, who just watched the whole interaction with a grin. Of course he would find this funny. "It's nice. Thank you." He wrapped the cape around his shoulders, using the pins to make sure it stays in place. "Now I just look like a king... or royalty in general." "I mean... Ranboo is wearing a crown and he isn't royalty. It's just a stylish outfit, that's all."

"Right..." He has to admit, the cape does feel nice. Keeps him warm. Not that it wasn't warm already, but it was a nice kind of warmth. "So... why exactly did you all decide to just suddenly give me gifts? Did I miss something?" "It's your one month anniversary of moving here!"

Now that caught him off guard. "It is?" "Yup! We only remember because Wilbur kept complaining about how long we allowed a human to stay in here." One month... it really has been that long? "I can't believe so much time has passed..." "Crazy, yeah..." Phil came down from his spot and patted his shoulder. "But it's been fun so far. Teaching you how to talk Enderspeak was pretty fun." "For you... I suffered during the all-nighters." "That was your own fault. I told you to go sleep."

Techno just huffed and smiled. As much as he enjoyed his past life, with being a high ranked warrior and hunter, he had to admit, this life was much nicer. It was warmer and brighter, with people genuinely caring about him. Even if it would only be Phil, it would be one more person than back then.

He had a place he can call home... and he wouldn't change it for the world. He will fight an army to protect his new family.