The Childrens Rebellion

oh no...my hand...it's broken...

Tommy poked his head out of the blanket, unable to keep the obvious glee off his face.

"Did you see the look on his face?" he hissed gleefully. "He was furious! It was so poggers!"

"I saw, Theseus," Techno said, wry amusement in his tone. "And right when you woke up and when Phil and Sir Stingy came in." Tommy snickered at the Inspector's nickname. "What was that?"

"Huh?"

"The...feelings," Techno said. "They weren't my own—they weren't overpowering, either. Just comforting." He looked slightly uncomfortable, his pink hair—once again braided; when had he done that?—shifting slightly with his shoulders. "What was that?"

"That was an Avian bond," Tommy said. "We can feed emotions to each other. Phil 'n Kristin are different, 'course. They can, like, transmit thoughts and shit."

"Can I do it back?"

Tommy blinked. "I—I don't know," he said honestly. "I've never heard of anyone bonding with a non-Avian before."

"Ah," Techno said. "Well, I'll set the precedent. Not like I haven't done that before." He grinned wryly, and Tommy knew he was talking about his position in the Galactic Rebellion and aboard the L'manburg.

Tommy opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off sharply when the door banged open again. He squeaked and grabbed the blanket, scooching into the corner and wrapping it around his head and body, and praying that a really-angry-surprised-looking Philza Minecraft didn't see him. Techno glanced at him, an eyebrow raised, but didn't question it.

"Techno," Phil breathed out.

"Phil."

"You're...talking."

"What am I supposed to be, gruntin'?" Techno snorted. "Maybe accordin' to Sir Stingy."

"This isn't a joke," Phil said calmly, the dark feathers on his wings ruffling.

"I wasn't makin' one," Techno said, just as calmly.

"What happened, mate?" the captain asked, sounding exhausted.

"Chroma did," Techno said, and Tommy frowned. "His doctors did something that awoke voices in my head that yearned for the spill of blood. It's...a Piglin thing." He sounded too tired to explain more.

"So what stopped that?"

Techno paused, giving Tommy another sidelong look. "He did."

"Who is 'he'?"

"Um, I suppose that would be me, Big Man," Tommy said, and Phil did a double-triple take as Tommy removed the blanket that was covering his head, a sheepish grin plastered on his face.

"TOMMY?"

"Uh, no, it's Shroud," he said. "Obviously."

"Who is Shroud?" Techno stage-whispered.

"No clue."

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN THERE?" Phil yelled, and Tommy wilted slightly.

Wilbur Soot came stumbling in through the wall, phasing back to his normal self and brushing dust molecules off his uniform. "I heard shouting, what's—oh."

"Yes, oh," Phil said.

Wilbur stared at Tommy. Tommy waved at him with a blanket-covered hand. "Well, Tech doesn't seem to be killing him, so we're all in the clear."

"Are you not worried in the slightest—"

"Phil," Techno said patiently, patting Tommy on the shoulder. "I'm not going to turn into a bloodthirsty murderer. Not anymore." He winced. "Which reminds me, I gotta apologize to Dream."