||Where Two Halves Meet|| REUPLOAD ||NOT MINE ||

Technoblade

Technoblade didn't hide the fact that he hibernated so much as it was just something that rarely popped up in everyday conversation.

What would he even say? 'Hey, if you happen to not see me for weeks at a time that's probably because my body decided to slow down my metabolism to a crawl and plunge me into an unconscious state of deep sleep for a while. Maybe try coming back next month?'

No, that wasn't the kind of thing you shared with strangers or acquaintances. Friends, maybe, but Technoblade didn't have a lot of those.

Phil knew, because Phil knew everything about him – at times probably better than Techno knew himself. And that was where the list started and ended. It hadn't even been on purpose that Phil had found out, Techno hadn't told Phil. Phil had the lovely experience of walking in on Techno already sleeping, with his body temperature reduced to a slimmer of its usual heat and his breathing gone all shallow, and then Phil had spent a good ten minutes panicking thinking he had died before being able to wake Techno up.

(Which obviously wasn't fun for him either. He felt groggy and had a persistent headache for days after)

But since Phil did know, it made some things easier. Techno could indulge in his instinctual desire to hibernate a bit more often when he knew Phil would watch their base and keep the pets fed and healthy while he slept. And if anything seriously bad were to happen, Phil could wake him up. Techno probably wouldn't admit it that candidly, but he knew how much of a difference it made to have the assurance of knowing somebody was looking out for him while he was conked out, making sure he was comfortable and safe.

It was almost as great as having Phil hibernate with him.

Because piglins were inherently a pack species. Many of their habits and culture revolved around their sounder and its inner relations. Hunting was a pack activity, eating was a pack activity, and hibernation was very much a pack activity too. Techno could do it by himself - he used to just postpone hibernating until he felt ill with it and too tired to function, crawl into bed, and try not to mourn how wrong it felt without a proper nest or the feeling of other warm bodies snugly pressed against his own - but it just wasn't the same.

When Phil found out he had offered to join Techno. Avians weren't able to hibernate, but they could go into torpor if they wanted to. And when they did, it was similar enough to work for their intended purpose. Techno had enjoyed the few times Phil joined him, remembering the cozy warmth of their bodies pressed together. Techno nudging into Phil's chest to hear him chirp softly in his ears, Phil's hands sleepily playing with his hair as they fell into slumber pressed close together. It was nice in a way he couldn't really describe.

But it was also clear that Phil got a bit too jumpy afterward, his body needing to catch up with the sudden changes in his circadian rhythm. He would fidget a lot, go on long flights that stretched from sunrise to sunset just to center himself again and which would mess up his wings. Phil might say he didn't mind, that it was a small sacrifice to make compared to how much it meant to Techno, and how much Phil enjoyed the physically affectionate aspect himself. That didn't mean Techno had to accept it, hating the thought of doing anything that left Phil that antsy.

Phil insisted on it anyway, reminding Techno how bad it was to ignore his instincts like that. It certainly couldn't be healthy to cast your inborn compulsions aside all the time. The avian knew from experience, he had his own set of hybrid-related behavior to deal with after all. In the end, they settled on Phil joining him only on rare occasions, and Steve was more than happy to pick up the slack.

The polar bear came sniffing as soon as he started laying out the blanket on the floor, growling softly as he pawed at the fabric. "Don't be impatient," Techno told him simply. The exhaustion had been sneaking up on him for days, he had only just decided to give in.