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Ranboo woke slowly. Surrounded in warmth and softness, he wanted nothing more to simply roll over and let himself fall back into sleep. But deep in his mind, something felt wrong. This wasn't right.
Slaves weren't often allowed such luxury. His fingers curled in the soft blanket that was covering him, shaking as he opened his eyes to look around. He was in an unfamiliar room, walls wooden instead of stone, filled with chests and weapons.
He didn't know where he was!
The fear of the unknown had Ranboo scrambling out of the bed, his bare toes sinking into the soft fur of the rug that lined the floor beside the bed as he tried to remember where he was or what had happened that might have brought him here. None of this was familiar. He didn't like not knowing where he was or why. As bad as his memory was, he'd never lost all the context for a situation as he had this time. The last thing he remembered... the last thing he remembered... Master's rage, cold and terror... the burn of water against his skin...
“Ah, you're awake.”
Thoughts interrupted, Ranboo's gaze flew to the doorway, his breath catching at the sight of the man standing there. The man was BIG. Filling the doorway with his height and broad shoulders. He was a pig hybrid, or maybe hoglin given his sheer size, complete with the menacing tusks jutting out of his snout and the twitching ears peeking up out of his long pink hair, his dark eyes sharp as he watched Ranboo with a slight tilt of his head. His clothes were simple linen, but clean and well-taken care of, but on his head, he wore a gold crown, slim with scalloped points and polished gems lining it.
Without hesitation, Ranboo dropped to his knees at the sight, arms behind his back, head ducked down into his chest, his tail twitching and curling around his legs.
“Hey, hey,” The man sounded slightly panicked, stepping toward Ranboo in a way that had Ranboo curling tighter into himself. The man froze, his steps stopping, but his voice continued. “It's alright. You don't have to be scared. I'm not going to hurt you.”
Ranboo didn't believe the words, but he did his best to relax without changing position. The man wanted him to not be scared. It wasn't something he could manage, but he knew better than to let the man think Ranboo was disobeying.
“Do- do you remember what happened?”
Ranboo swallowed hard, giving a quick shake of his head. He didn't remember anything that might have included this man. He didn't remember much of anything before waking up in the soft bed.
“I found you outside in the snow. Figured you didn't want to be there – shut up, Chat!” The hissed interjection startled Ranboo, but peeking up, he didn't see any anger in the man's stance. “Anyway, I grabbed you, brought you home, fixed you up. I think the potions got everything, but if you're still hurting, you let me know.”
Potions?
Ranboo's eyes widened, staring down at the soft white fur beneath his knees. Being out in the snow explained the faint impressions he remembered, the fear and pain and cold. He must have displeased his old master enough to be thrown out to die, a useless slave, not even worth trying to sell for a few coins. But as useless as he was, why would anyone bother to save his life, much less waste potions on him? What did this man want?
“Thank you, sir- Master?” Ranboo whispered, hoping that whatever the man wanted in return wasn't too difficult. He knew he was a poor slave, the faintest impressions of being scolded over and over again rising to the surface. Shattered glass and spilled wine, never fast enough, orders slipping from his mind all too soon. Hopefully his new Master wouldn't come to regret saving him.
“Heh?” The strange outburst had Ranboo flinching, sounding all too much like displeasure. “Don't- I'm not anyone's master, kid. Call me, Techno.”
Techno. Ranboo mouthed the name with a slight shiver. To call any free man by name felt wrong, but this man who had saved him and wasted precious potions on him, it felt like the ultimate disrespect. But the man had asked it of him. The man – Techno - had given him a command, and Ranboo didn't dare disobey.
“Yes, Ma- T-Techno.”
Techno sighed, but seemed pleased with Ranboo's obedience. “You hungry?”
After a moment of consideration, Ranboo nodded. His stomach was aching with hunger, though not as much as he'd have expected. He tried to stifle the warmth of hope in his gut, not daring to think that perhaps his new Master would be kind enough to feed him before the hunger weighed him down and made it harder to move or think. His old master had considered food a privilege, and Ranboo had rarely been good enough to earn it.
“Great!” Techno stepped closer, and when Ranboo dared to peek up, the man was holding a hand out to him. There was nothing in his stance that felt aggressive, though his ears were twitching with what seemed like agitation, but nothing changed even when Ranboo hesitated. Techno waited patiently, fingers curling a little, but otherwise, he didn't seem to mind Ranboo's fear.
It felt like an order, or maybe a request, but slaves didn't get to say no, even if masters liked to pretend they did. But reaching up to touch a master without a direct command wasn't something Ranboo could do.
So Ranboo reached out his own hand, long fingers trembling, resting just above Techno's hand. Obedient, but not breaking the rules. It was enough. Techno lifted his hand, so gently grasping Ranboo's hand and helping Ranboo stand. The warmth of his hand was strange, but it wasn't bad, and Ranboo felt a strange disappointment once Techno released him.
Techno gestured for Ranboo to follow him out of the bedroom. “I hope you like potato soup.”
Ranboo followed on aching legs, gasping at the sight of the giant white bear curled up in front of the fireplace of the outer room. The bear didn't move, but he still made sure to keep a wide distance.
“That's just Steve,” Techno spoke up. “He's harmless, as long as you don't go attacking him.” At the sound of his name, the bear's eyes opened, but it just blinked tiredly at them before rolling over to go back to sleep.
He'd been saved by a giant pig man with a pet bear.
Just thinking it had Ranboo questioning whether he was just dreaming this all. It was so strange. But he followed Techno into the kitchen, letting himself be nudged into a seat at the table where he watched as Techno dished up a bowl of steaming soup.
Ranboo lifted the bowl to his lips and drank it down, savoring every sip. It was warm and creamy and full of flavor. Like nothing Ranboo had ever had before. When the soup was gone, his stomach was full and he felt his eyes growing heavy.
“Back to bed, kid.”
Ranboo made a noise, knowing he didn't deserve such a warm bed – likely Techno's bed, given that he hadn't seen another bedroom. But he didn't protest outright, and when Techno repeated the order, he stood up, swaying slightly in exhaustion.
Techno sighed, walking with Ranboo back to the bedroom and helping him into the bed. He even pulled up the covers and tucked them in around Ranboo, so soft and warm.
Ranboo was asleep before he'd finished.
The next week passed in a haze. Soup and sleep and listening to Techno's stories and learning more and more about his savior.
Techno was kind, never once raising his voice or his fists. He liked to ask Ranboo's opinion when there were options, and he never once got upset when Ranboo couldn't bring himself to make a decision. It was easier to believe that he really did want Ranboo to be a person rather than a slave.
And then Techno lead Ranboo into the bathroom to clean up and offered to help Ranboo take a bath.
A bath.
The very word chilled Ranboo to the bone, his skin prickling with the memory of the water burning his skin. Baths were a punishment, a method of torture, and hearing it from Techno's mouth felt like a betrayal.
“Please... please. I'm sorry. I didn't- I thought I was being good.” Ranboo couldn't help but plead with Techno, eyes burning as he fought tears. “You don't- I don't need a bath. Just- just tell me what I did wrong. I'll do better! I promise!”
“What?”
Looking up at Techno, Ranboo struggled to breath. Techno looked shocked and horrified, his eyes so wide. Maybe... maybe he hadn't meant it.
And then Techno held up a glowing blue bottle he'd pulled form his inventory. “Water resistance,” he explained, his voice soft and gentle. “I know water burns you, but I thought- you know, it might be nice to be clean. I brewed them myself. You can test them if you want. Each bottle is eight minutes of resistance, so you'll have at least twenty minutes.”
Ranboo stared at the bottle. Potions weren't easy to brew, nor were the ingredients cheap or easy to come by. And yet Techno had gone to so much trouble just to help him be clean.
“Do you want to try? You don't have to if it's too much.”
Ranboo swallowed hard, still staring at the bottle in awe. He could bathe? Enjoy the water without burning? Usually he cleaned himself off with a damp rag, enduring the faint rash it left for as long as it took to heal. The thought of being able to properly soak the dirt off, to soap up and scrub himself off... it was tempting.
“The- the potions are for me?”
Techno wrinkled his nose a little, ears twitching in a way that Ranboo had learned meant Chat was being annoying. “I mean, yeah? The ingredients needed to be used before they spoiled. Not much point in letting them go to waste when you're smelling the place up. Hey, it's called being practical, Chat!”
Ranboo found himself smiling a little at Techno's rambling. As kind as Techno was, it hadn't taken Ranboo long to learn that he had a hard time admitting that he cared about anything.
“I- I want to try a b-” He couldn't say the word. “I want to try them. Please.” No sense in being rude about it.
Techno grinned, holding out the first bottle for Ranboo to take. It seemed to be warm and vibrating ever so slightly as Ranboo wrapped his fingers around it, but maybe that was his imagination. He'd never held a potion before.
His fingers shook as he pulled at the cork, easing it out and then bringing the bottle up to his nose to sniff. It smelled like lightning and sea breeze, and the few drops he dripped on his tongue didn't taste of much at all.
“Drink the whole thing or it might not work properly,” Techno warned. “It's made to be taken in full doses.”
With a guilty grimace, Ranboo tilted the bottle further, draining it empty. He felt the magic filling him, feeling a little giddy at the sight of the effect bubbles rising around him for the first time ever. Techno had used potions to heal him, health and regen, but he'd not been conscious to remember it.
Techno turned on the water into the tub, adjusting the knobs until the water was heated to his satisfaction. Then he reached out for Ranboo, his eyes soft and warm. The sound of water filling the tub cooled Ranboo's excitement, pulling up painful memories, but he forced the fear down.
Techno wasn't his master. Techno wouldn't hurt him. Not like this.
Ranboo stepped closer, kneeling down beside the tub and slowly reaching his hand out to the running water. Only the bubbles rising from his hand kept him from freezing. The magic would protect him. Techno's magic would protect him.
The water was so warm and soothing, like a strange, smooth blanket wrapping around his hand. The magic fizzed in Ranboo's chest, but it didn't fade.
“You want me to leave?”
Ranboo shook his head, reluctantly pulling his hand back to strip away his clothes. Then he stepped into the tub, laughing softly to himself with giddy relief at the way the water felt pooling around his feet. He couldn't sprawl out completely but he leaned against the back wall of the tub, knees tucked to his chest, tail twitching happily back and forth as the tub filled with water.
A strange clicking drew his attention to Techno, who was holding up a small white object and spinning a dial in the center. “It'll ring in seven minutes, then you take another potion.”
Ranboo nodded, leaning his head back against the tub wall and closing his eyes as he relaxed in the water for the first time. There would be plenty of time to wash up, but right now, he just wanted to bask in the warmth that filled him inside and out.
For the first time ever, he felt safe. A master wouldn't go to so much trouble, even for some strange ruse or to gain Ranboo's trust. But Techno would.
Techno had gone to all this trouble just to make Ranboo happy. A single potion would have been enough for Ranboo to wash himself off with a rag without causing a rash. But Techno had gone above and beyond that.
Techno cared for Ranboo in a way no one ever had before. Because it wasn't Ranboo the slave or Ranboo the rare hybrid he cared for, but Ranboo, the awkward, fearful, memory-challenged person.
“Thank you, Techno.”
“It's nothing.”
“No,” Ranboo contradicted Techno, looking up to meet Techno's eyes, both for the very first time. It still made something deep inside of him quiver with fear, but he hoped that would fade with time. There was nothing to fear here, not with Techno. “It's everything.”