I'm a Healer, But...

26

When Tommy wakes, throat dry and stomach aching from hunger, it's to a knock at his door. He's disoriented from sleeping so long, but not so disoriented he doesn't know something's weird about that-He doesn't have a door. Wait, no, he's not at Dream's. He's long out of Dream's- but he doesn't have a door, he's on the couch- no, he has a room, he has a-He's in his nest. Tommy's cozy and safe in his nest and does a knock on the door even matter anymore? He's still tired, he could just close his eyes again and sink right back into sleep, keep catching up on his multiple-day sleep deficit. The only thing that could keep him awake is his hunger, which is easily fixed. Flowers grow and drop from his open palm as the ache recedes, and he settles back in-Another knock, louder this time. Can't they just come in? Why does he have to answer? He grumbles quietly, but sits up, easing his way off the bed. His legs are almost numb- he must have been sleeping weirdly- but he braces himself on the edge of the bed until he can take a few fumbling steps over to the door.It's... locked?Oh. He locked it, didn't he? They gave him a lock. He doesn't have to open the door, he thinks. He can just leave it locked, Phil said so. But then again, if he abuses it, they could just take it away, and he doesn't have a reason to keep it locked right now, other than he wants to be left alone. That's probably not good enough."Theseus," Techno says from the other side of the door. "I can hear you standin' there."It's not good enough. He twists the lock and opens it.Techno is standing there, holding a tray of food. Despite healing his hunger pains, his empty stomach still growls at even the thought of eating, let alone the smell . He could eat a fucking horse if it wouldn't hurt his stomach.Techno steps forward, and Tommy steps back, out of the way, for him to come in. He doesn't want Techno to come in, he doesn't want him in the room, near his nest, but Techno won't leave until he watches Tommy eat, probably.He's been weird since Tommy tried to run. Phil's been overprotective, yeah, and Wilbur and Fundy have both been kept away, but Techno just.... shows up and stares at him. Like he'll disappear if Techno looks away. Like Techno would give a shit if he disappeared.He's also barely said a word any time he's been by. Even now, he just grunts as he shoves the tray towards Tommy. Tommy takes it, immediately dropping it on his desk- too hard, as it rattles and something falls off of it, onto the floor. Tommy flinches at the clatter, Dream would be so angry if he was here-He's dead. Get over it, Tommy.Tommy squats down to scoop up whatever he dropped, but stops. "Blade."".....hm." It's some sort of acknowledgement, which is good enough for Tommy."Why did you bring me a necklace."Tommy hasn't taken off the bracelet Techno gave him. He should, he knows- he doesn't know what the fuck Wilbur was talking about when he brought it up, when he said something about a 'sounder gift' and that it wasn't something Techno just gave out- but he hasn't. Because he likes it. Because it's his, Techno gave it to him, Tommy basically paid for it with the crown he gave him. He doesn't want to take it off.But now Techno- because it's definitely Techno, he's the one with the gold hoard rather than the few random pieces the others have- is giving him a necklace. It's gold, of fucking course, the chain thin and delicate, with a small, pink gem as the centerpiece. He doesn't know what kind of gem it is, but it's the exact same shade as-"Why did you bring me a necklace that's the same color as your hair?"Techno stares him down for a long moment, but Tommy doesn't look away, even when Techno answers. "It's for you.""...what, you want to bribe me? For what?""It's not a bribe. It's a gift." His sentences are short, cut off sharply, like he's not saying what he wants to. It annoys Tommy, and he glares down at the necklace like it's the jewelry's fault. "You don't like it." It doesn't quite sound like a question, but Tommy's pretty sure it's supposed to be one."It's fucking sus, Blade-""Techno," he interrupts, and Tommy glares up at him. "...don't just... go back to callin' me Blade."Tommy huffs, but he's trying not to be in danger, he's trying- he's-He needs a real goal at some point. Something concrete. Right now it's just to not piss off Techno too much. "Fine," he hisses. "Why are you giving me a gift, Techno? I already kept the bracelet-""You need more," Techno says, a little too fast, and he steps closer. "You-" he stops himself, almost frozen in place, and then moves backwards again. What is wrong with him?"....are you on drugs?""What?""You on drugs, big man? I won't tell Phil, promise, but if you're losing it I kinda want to know before you fucking... hallucinate that I'm a hero or something and snap me in half.""...no, I'm not on drugs," Techno says, almost a growl. It makes Tommy tense up, and Techno makes a weird huffing noise Tommy's heard before. When was that...?"Then what the fuck is your deal?""My deal, Theseus, is-" He huffs again. "My deal is that I've been successfully controllin' my instincts for decades and you've managed to screw that up in a matter of weeks."Tommy freezes in place. Oh, he's fucked up.He doesn't know much about piglin instincts. His book is incredibly lacking on anything but the physical traits of the hybrids it goes over, but... this has to be bad. Tommy didn't mean to screw anything up, but he did, and Techno's pissed about it.No wonder he went along with everyone's lying."I... didn't mean to," he says, knowing it's a poor apology, one that Dream would never accept. "I mean, I didn't know-""I know you didn't know. I'm-" Techno lets out a deep breath. "I'm not mad. I'm just... strugglin' with it right now."...well, he's definitely mad, but maybe not too much? So... can he ask about it? He'll try, he decides after a moment. "What... does that have to do with the necklace?"Techno groans, and Tommy stumbles back a little, towards the nest. Techno immediately lets out those weird huffs again- fuck, when did he hear them before? It means something, the same way Phil's chirps do, he thinks, but Tommy doesn't know that the same way he knows avian stuff. Is it angry, maybe? He doesn't like that Tommy is pulling away from him?He stays still as Techno approaches, wanting him to stay away but also wanting those noises to stop. They don't, but they sound less... aggressive, up close. Quieter, calmer. Or maybe he's making shit up. Pretending it's what he wants it to be.Techno reaches out, carefully taking Tommy's hand and opening it up. Tommy lets him, wanting him to get whatever he's doing over with so he'll walk away again. Techno takes the necklace- part of Tommy is so angry, that's his shiny, Techno gave it to him he can't have it back- and then takes Tommy by the shoulder and turns him around.Tommy's obedient, letting himself be pushed around. Techno took the necklace. He doesn't want to have to give up the bracelet, too, so he'll just... be good. And maybe he'll get it back-Techno is putting it on him.Oh. That makes... zero sense.But Techno gently rests the stone over his chest, and then closes the clasp at the back. Careful hands pull Tommy back to face him, and he looks so... satisfied. Like he just won a fight- or no, not something so violent, but like... like he just got something he wanted.But all he did was put a necklace on Tommy. So what the fuck is that about?"What the fuck is going on?" Tommy whispers, and Techno huffs-Wilbur suggested using him as bait and Techno pulled him close, protective, like he'd fight Wilbur for even suggesting it. Just the thought of seeing Dream up close terrified him- that was his brother, his best friend, he'd do anything for Dream, he'd go right back to him if Dream just said he wanted him instead of his powers- but he agreed and Techno let out those little huffs, trying to comfort him, letting him know he didn't have to. That he had a choice."Sorry," Techno says now, between the huffs- he's trying to soothe Tommy, stop him from being so freaked out, the same way Phil chirps. "It's more instinct stuff.""You can't just fucking- brush shit off like that, what is it, why are you fucking-"There's more huffs, and Tommy falls quiet, but he still wants answers, still stares Techno down to demand them. Techno looks back at him before sighing. "Fine. Fine. But eat somethin' first."Tommy doesn't break eye contact as he reaches towards the desk, grabbing a piece of toast and shoving it in his mouth."Yeah. Yep, that works." Techno fidgets, an unfamiliar but not entirely new sight. He twists one of the golden rings on his fingers around and around, until he just tugs it off and holds it out. Tommy, confused, reaches out and accepts it. "Do you know... literally anythin' about piglins?""Nope.""Yeah. I figured." Techno glances at the door, as if he'll get an excuse to escape. "...piglins are a pack species. With hybrids, your mileage may vary on how intense instincts are, but... generally, we need a sounder.""Sounder," he repeats, and Techno's eyes dart back towards him. "What's a sounder?""Piglin pack. Kind of like a family, but... not."... not a family. Tommy squints at him. "What's a 'sounder gift'?"Techno lets out another groan. " That's... more complicated." Tommy just waits. "So... piglins pick up strays. Not always, it's not like we have to, but, uh... if the sounder gets along well enough with someone who doesn't have a sounder, they can just kinda... adopt them. But there's a whole ritual to it.""That includes... sounder gifts.""Yeah. The sounder... offers a gift. Jewelry is traditional. It's gotta be somethin' to, uh... it's supposed to remind the stray of them. So they know they're wanted, that they'll be part of the group."Tommy glances down at his bracelet. Gold and emeralds. The symbol of the Syndicate. "So- but you- why the fuck did you-?""Hey, you did it first!" Techno says defensively."No the fuck I didn't? What?""The- the crown! Diamonds, blue like your eyes- it was a perfect sounder gift, alright, I wasn't tryin' to- I was actually tryin' to not get attached to you, and then you handed over the thing that overwhelmed my instincts for the first time in decades-"What.What?Okay, okay, first of all- what? In what fucking world would diamonds remind anyone of Tommy? Literally ever? His eyes are blue, yeah, but not in the way the crown's diamonds are. They're so shiny, so perfect, and he's just... not that. Not even when his eyes glow. Secondly, the fuck does he mean he was trying not to get attached to Tommy? It's not like it's hard. No one fucking wants Tommy, it'd be hard to try to get attached to him, so what the fuck is he talking about?"-and then it was too late, so-""What do you mean, too late? It's not like we got fucking married, Blade, if you fucking- accidentally asked me to join your- your sounder or whatever-" Tommy reaches for the bracelet, about to tug it off even though he doesn't want to, even though it's his-Techno's hand covers his wrist. It's not grasping, not hurting, but it's present, stopping him from tossing it away. "Don't." It's a whisper, like it's physically hurting Techno. "Don't. Please." Tommy stays very, very still, and after a moment, Techno lets his hand drop. "If you- takin' it off like that is like... like tellin' me I'm a bad Protector. My instincts would be, uh. Bad.""...protector," Tommy repeats. Techno lent some weird intent to it, like it meant something way more than the word itself.Techno takes a breath, almost shaky. "It's, uh. A sounder protects each other. It's my role in Phil's flock, too. I'm the best at fightin', I'm the best at protectin', I'll- I'll be good at protectin' you, don't take it off."Oh. Shit. He's freaking out Techno's instincts right now. "I... I won't, big man. It's... fine. It's fine, you're, uh, a good protector. Fucking- you stopped Dream from grabbing me, you- you helped me when George was- you're... you're good."It's the truth. Techno's been the one taking care of him the whole time, really- uh, as much as Tommy has been taken care of. Which is not much, because he's a big man who takes care of himself. But Techno kept helping him- when Wilbur scared him, when Phil was getting too grabby, when Dream reached out and was going to kill him- Techno protected him.Maybe... he wasn't lying. Not like the rest of them. He's just... fucked by his instincts. He can't help it, because Tommy screwed up and gave him that crown. He forced Techno to get attached to him....Techno cares about him. Techno wants to protect him. A fucked up part of Tommy preens at that, at him tricking Techno into wanting him. If it's the only way he'll ever get someone, then it has to be good enough."...shit," Techno curses softly. "I'll- I'll get this under control. Somehow. It's just, uh- hard to stifle now that I've... it's kind of like an addiction. Cavin' to it once makes it harder to ignore.""Sorry," he murmurs, not sorry in the slightest. He plays with the bracelet, twisting it around his wrist, and Techno's eyes catch on it."...the, uh. The ring. Did you-?" Tommy blinks at the unfinished question, and then looks around- oh, he put it in his pocket on instinct. He takes it out, and when Techno doesn't reach back for it, he slips it onto his thumb, the only finger big enough for it to fit on. Techno huffs again, this time with a small smile."Why the ring? And... the necklace?""You're just a shoat," Techno answers without hesitation, eyes still on the ring. "And you're- you need gold. A lot of it, you need- I shouldn't have let you go so long without, even before you were sounder I should have-" He blinks, realizing what bullshit he's spouting, and takes a deep breath. "More... piglin stuff."Tommy frowns- some of that sounded weird. Instinct shit is total bullshit-Oh, fuck, he's going to go through hell when Phil 'unstunts his instincts' or what the fuck ever. Which he cannot think about right now or he'll lose it. "Is it really that easy to join a sounder? Just... give someone a piece of jewelry and you're in?"Techno snorts, amused at the thought. "No. No, not even a little. I was- I should have given you the bracelet first. We, uh, did it backwards- traditionally, anyway. Sometimes it happens the other way around, like this, but that's usually, uh... a shoat askin' for help."...he's gonna ignore that last part. "Then why did it set off... everything?"Techno hesitates at that question, but Tommy just twists the ring around to keep his attention and he caves quickly. "I have a couple guesses. Most likely, uh... you were already settin' off some of my other instincts.""What other instincts?""...I've been workin' with Phil's flock dynamics for centuries. It's close, but it's not the same. In a sounder, there's a Protector, but everyone provides. In flocks, there's one provider, and in ours, it's him. I, uh... I make breakfast sometimes, but that's all I get to do to provide." Techno seems almost sheepish. "I didn't think it bothered me, but... makin' sure you eat, givin' you a knife, teachin' you things, it's... I'm pretty sure that it got to me. Made me a little more open to seein' you as sounder. Then, with Phil bein' pushy about you bein' flock- ""Shut up," Tommy says sharply. He doesn't want to hear any more about that. Techno being forced to see him as something... something almost family, that's one thing, that's- that's Tommy forcing his way into being cared for, that's something he understands. But Phil fucking- acting like he cares about Tommy legitimately, like Tommy would actually be his family-It's bullshit. He doesn't want to hear it from Techno.Techno just looks at him for a long moment, like he's looking for an explanation in his expression, but there's nothing there because it should be obvious, he's made it pretty fucking clear he doesn't want to be lied to. "...alright. You got the point, anyway.""Yeah, yeah, you have more mama bird instincts than the fucking actual bird, I get it-""Oh, no. Not even a little. You've seen how overbearin' Phil is first hand, and that's with him holdin' back so he won't scare you-""It gets worse?"Techno's mouth twitches, almost a smile. "Let's just say it's a good thing you can heal illnesses. It'll stop him from hoverin' over you for weeks at a time. 'Oh, Techno, mate, you had a cough a month ago you need to stay in the nest, you can't leave the nest Techno you're basically dyin'-'"The horrible attempt to impersonate Phil makes him laugh- actually laugh, holy shit, when did he last laugh? ...when he grew back a guy's leg? God. His life needs to get less depressing immediately.Which... maybe it will. Because Techno cares about him. Whether he wants to or not, because Tommy is his... not-quite-family now. And if Techno can't even handle the idea of Tommy taking the bracelet off, then he definitely couldn't betray him, right? So it's... it's fine. It's safe, maybe. And if he sticks with Techno, maybe Phil will back off a little, and- he'll be okay. He'll be okay. He'll be Techno's sounder. And... he guesses... Techno is his flock?He's brought out of his thoughts by a sudden strange noise, and the first thing he notices is Techno's wide eyes. What the fuck was that? He's about to look around the room to see if he can spot where it came from, but it happens again and it's-It's from him. He chirped.Which, okay, yeah, that's- he doesn't want to be chirping, because it's like an embarrassing habit from when he was a kid basically, but also it isn't because it's an avian thing that's apparently super normal and how the fuck did none of the adults around him ever get him checked for hybrid ancestry when he was running around chirping and jumping off high places like he could fly- Whatever. He doesn't want to be chirping, but he is, and he doesn't know why, and it's weird but he keeps letting out those little chirps and peeps and-"Don't freak out, Theseus," Techno says, his voice quiet. "It's, uh- this is fine. Those are good chirps, I think- I should, uh, get Phil-"Tommy shoots a hand out to grab Techno's arm. He doesn't want Phil, even if he's supposed to be the bird expert or whatever. He wants Techno, and Techno's here so why would he be going anywhere?"Okay. This is... normal. Yup. Just-" Techno pulls his arm free and Tommy's about to complain, but he just- holds his arms open. Like he's asking for a hug. Which... he is, actually, because when Tommy doesn't do it Techno raises an eyebrow at him and-Oh, alright, Tommy's hugging him now. And still letting out those weird fucking chirps. He tries to suppress them, but it's not working, he's too... happy, maybe? Or confused. Or both. But something about Techno being his flock set them off and he- he doesn't know why, but he's-Techno is warm and safe. A protector, a flock member, someone to take care of him. Someone to hug him, to make him food, who gives him shiny things .Hugging Techno feels like being in the nest. What the fuck does that mean?And why is this familiar? Why does he feel like he's done this before? It couldn't have been with Dream- he mostly stifled chirping by the time he was adopted, and it was completely stamped out within the first year. He never- he never hugged him and chirped like this, not ever. When the fuck did he-?Rough fingers run through his hair. The hug shakes with those comforting huffs. "It's alright, shoat. I'm here."Tommy chirps again, and then deliberately coughs, trying to disguise it. It definitely didn't work at all, but Techno doesn't call him out on it, thank prime. He wants to drag Techno back into the nest, he wants-He needs to stop. Just because Techno is his flock doesn't mean he can act so clingy. He needs to let go. He needs to speak instead of just chirping."...what's a shoat, anyway?" he croaks out as he tears himself away from Techno, his throat strangling the words, making them sound inhuman with how close they are to more chirps."Baby piglin," Techno murmurs, his voice far too fond-Wait."....I'm fucking sixteen, dickhead!"