Chapter Text
To say the Empire fall in love with Tommy would be an understatement. Phil announces the news, showing Tommy off to their community as he stands in Empire attire, golden hair ruffled as a braid sits against his neck and a friendship emerald hangs from a necklace of gold.
He’s quickly accepted and the castle is forever aloud with noise.
Tubbo and Ranboo have steadily become regulars at the castle. They have sleepovers and the guards are familiar with their type of chaos. Ranboo’s entrances and exits are always shown by the purple particles, Tubbo’s by the sounds of distance yells.
They end up spending so much time at the castle that Phil offers them rooms, only to discover that they’d rather sleep in the same room than separately.
Wilbur isn’t found cooing at the doorway multiple times a week, Technoblade can one hundred percent vouch for him on that. Mostly because he may also be right next to him and cooing.
Tommy adopts a cow. After a field trip with Wilbur around the Empire, so that the populace can be made away of his status, Tommy ends up finding a malnourished calf, discarded by its mother.
Barely a pout later, Henry the cow is officially part of the royal family and has somehow been accepted by all of the horses in the stable. So when Techno heads out to groom Carl or maybe go for a ride, he’s joined by his shadow.
The days when Tommy wishes to be alone are normally found with him in a field, Henry close by. Henry is probably the most loved cow in the entire Empire.
Not that any of the others mind. For Tommy, the world.
If Henry is his family, or Tubbo and Ranboo, then they’re family.
Techno doesn’t realise this until he’s watching the knights spar. Wilbur is there, guiding Tommy’s hand as Dream corrects Ranboo’s style while Sapnap and Tubbo charge at one another.
Schlatt’s calling encouragement from the stand which is pretty much just yelling, “fuck him up, Tubbo! Stab with your horns and go for the gut! Atta boy!”
Niki and Eret sit beside Techno, grinning as Ranboo quickly disarms Dream. The man looks shocked and while Eret reclines in a regal manner, smug smirk to their lips, Niki just laughs.
“You think we wouldn’t teach our brother how to fight?” Niki grins down and Dream rolls his eyes.
“Niki, I don’t know how you can sit next to the Blood God and somehow be the scariest person here.”
Niki laughs again and Wilbur’s grinning, adding flames to the fire, egging them all on.
There, Techno realises that they are a disjointed and mismatched family. All odd puzzle pieces that fit to form a messy picture but an abstract one depicting their certain kind of love.
They’re made up of humans and Piglins and whatever the hell Dream is. They’re all from startling different backgrounds and yet they work.
He looks up from the stands when he hears crows cawing. Phil walks forward, looking humble in his regal attire and he sits beside Techno, wing wrapping around his shoulders.
“No more meetings?” Techno asks as he leans into his father’s hold and Phil hums, hand raising to his hair.
“The slavers are being rounded up in other kingdoms as we speak but Gods, is it tiring talking to other kings.”
Wilbur looks up and shouts, “just say you think they’re stuck up and move on, dadza!”
“Wil,” Phil sighs. “They’re kings. I can’t-“
“You’re a king, too, though!” Tommy adds. “Fight back, dad!”
They all pause at that, even as the knights resolutely keep sparring, trying to ease the tense atmosphere. Tommy doesn’t notice until Phil’s standing and hastily marching towards him.
He pales. “Uh, Phil, man, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean- we can-“
Phil pulls the boy into a hug and all of them ignore the tears in Phil’s eyes. “I know we may not be related but you’re my son now, Tommy. It’s an honour to be called your dad.”
Tommy sniffles, eyes wide and then buries his face in Phil’s chest. From where he sits, Techno can see the braid in Phil’s hair, of pink and brown and Tommy’s golden mixed with his own. They all have Tommy’s hair in their braids now.
“We love you,” Phil whispers into his hair and they all hear Tommy choke back, “I love you all, too.”
Techno swallows as Wilbur looks up to the sky, clearly trying to blink back tears. “Aw, Toms, I love you, too.”
When Tommy peaks over Phil’s wings, Techno smiles and says, “I love you, too, Theseus.”
Wilbur glares over at him. “I love him more.”
“Heh?” Techno raises his eyebrows. “Wil, are you seriously-“
“Boys.” Phil sighs, tiredly, even as there is a visible smile on his face.
Their family is complete.
“Does that mean we get royal benefits?” Tubbo asks, sweet smile to his lips. When Ranboo remains quiet, he gives him a sharp elbow to the ribs. Ranboo immediately starts nodding as he grips his side.
“Y-yes, royal benefits. That we want- I mean need. Royal benefits, please?”
Techno snorts and cracks his neck. Standing up, he stretches out his hand and a sword is thrown towards him courtesy of Dream. He plucks it from the air and grins at Ranboo, swinging the sword at his side.
“Well, a royal benefit is getting to fight me,” he says and Ranboo quickly steps behind Tubbo.
“He suggested these benefits!”
Tubbo glares up at the enderman. “Did you seriously just sell me out that quickly? ‘Boo, what the fuck?”
“He’s a pussy, I’ve told you this,” Tommy jumps in as he pulls away from Phil’s arms, Wilbur quickly leaning over to ruffle his hair.
Tommy’s comment immediately starts a shouting match and Techno rolls his eyes, turns to Wilbur after headbutting Phil softly. They spar while the boys squabble between themselves, and Techno feels light.
For his entire life, he’s felt a weight on his shoulders. He’s the older brother, the defender, the protector. He saved Wilbur, was saved by Phil and subsequently saved Tommy. He’s always felt out of place, needing to keep his precious people as close as possible.
Yet here they are, their friends and family. Knights and bakers and businessmen and jewellers and royals. With the closest to Techno easily picked from the rest as they wear their friendship emeralds and their braids with pride.
Blood may not connect them but they’re family. One built on love and trust and respect. It seems Phil isn’t the only one with a bleeding heart.
Techno slashes at Wilbur, who dances away with a laugh and smiles so wide his mouth hurts.
He’s home and his father is trying to hug his little brother and his twin is laughing with unrestrained joy.
Chat coo in his ears as he dodges Wilbur’s quick blow. He finds that for once, he doesn’t mind their incessant chatter. It makes him smile a little bit wider.
His eyes meet Tommy’s blue gaze and Tommy mirrors his grin, sunlight turning his hair gold.
Technoblade is warm.
Later, a prince will sit opposite his twin and will laugh as their youngest brother explains loudly about how soft the mattress is and that he wants to have an entire room filled with mattresses. Their father will laugh but inevitably give in to his youngest’s demands.
They will eat and they will laugh and the prince will feel lighter than he ever has.
He will spend years at their sides. He will win wars and write novels and watch as his twin produces music and his brother goes onto be a loveable menace to society, creating a chain of hotels to rival the local businessman, who schemes with the baker but never does any harm.
He will spend nights soothing nightmares and keeping his family warm. He will spend days fighting and reading and laughing.
He will feel finally complete.
Much, much later, when the only one that looks somewhat older is the youngest, who’s by all means in his early twenties despite centuries passing, their father will talk about the love of his life and the reason he wears a heart pendant around his neck, pulsing red.
He will discuss her name with a holy tone and he will speak about how their love defies all laws of the universe.
He will tell them that they’re always free to make their own choices about their mortality but they will all come to the same decision.
They are a family and it is not their time. It will not be their time for a long, long time.
After all, their adoptive mother doesn’t mind the wait to meet her children and her husband. They’re a family, will be for forever, will be even when they fall into her open arms.
They’re a family and they’re safe, secure and happy.