Work Text:
The jokes and laughter echoed across the Tundra. All things considered, Techno would count their trip as a success. The small hunting trip they went on was more out of entertainment than need, although the added meat will greatly help them as the harshest part of winter approaches.
Ranboo, despite the longer legs, followed behind Techno so they could not so subtly use Techno’s footprints. The image was a little comedic, the pinkette wouldn’t lie. Thankfully the enderman hybrid was carefully clothed and armored, runes protecting them from the immense amount of water they were trekking through.
As they neared the commune, smoke slowly rising in the distance, Techno stopped to check his communicator. A message from Phil distracts him just long enough for Ranboo to hurl a snowball directly into the side of Techno’s face.
The cold shock was short-lived before Ranboo let out a childlike squeal, giggling as they ran from Techno’s glare. The two quickly jumped back from each other to lay frosty warfare on the other. Techno, unsurprisingly got quite a few good hits in, Ranboo as well. Both of them giggled and laughed at each other, the bags full of their kill left sitting in the snow not far away as they messed around.
At some point Phil must have either seen or heard them, his figure standing on a snow-covered mound of rocks. His wings fluffed up to allow the wind to blow through his feathers as he watched Techno tackle Ranboo into the white fluff.
They rolled around before Ranboo shot up, escaping Techno’s grips, and taking the chance to tactically retreat.
Techno playfully chased after, shouting taunts at the boy.
The sound of a bone-chilling crack echoed through the air. Both Ranboo and Techno immediately froze as they looked at one another with wide eyes. Phil, who presumably also heard it was suddenly standing alert.
“Techno.”
“You’re alright Boo, keep looking at me.” With a quick shuffle of feet, Techno glanced down, the snow shifting to reveal cloudy white glass. Neither of them were safe if they remained on the ice. While Ranboo did have a weight advantage, lighter and more lithe than Techno his allergy to water was such an obvious disadvantage.
If Ranboo went through it would be more like dropping the kid into a vat of acid, the water not caring as it seeped past the protection the enchanted armor gave him.
Phil could be seen approaching the pair slowly, clearing snow away as he went, trying to find the edge of the frozen lake they had ended up on. “Ranboo, I need you to follow my instructions carefully. Do you understand?”
The boy’s eyes dashed around, panic undoubtedly coiling thickly around his entire body. An instinctual fear of water not helping one bit. Despite that Ranboo subtly nodded, glancing back at Techno for reassurance. “You’re doing great Boo. I need you to lie down though. Move as slow as possible.”
Taking a deep breath Ranboo tried to follow Techno’s instructions. The enderian slowly lowered themself to the ground. However, they only made it to a slight crouch before the ice let out another horrific crack. They were running out of time. The ice was thin enough any of Ranboo’s slightest movements was enough to crack it further.
The cracks were now visible under Techno’s feet. “Okay, you’re okay. Look at me Boo.” The kid didn’t even seem to hear him, their ears pressed flat and their breathing erratic. “Phil, get the kid.”
“I can’t get both of you.”
“Phil, get the damn kid.”
Sensing the urgency Phil gave up on his previous task, wings flicking out as he took off towards them. The cracking again sent goosebumps up Techno’s body, his eyes never leaving Ranboo’s steadily increasing panic.
It all came to a head when Ranboo, out of fear shifted their weight, going to lift their foot from the steadily cracking ice. Despite Techno’s yells not to and Phil’s cries of panic. Phil was still so far away, Ranboo just needed to hold out a little longer.
“Ranboo, Boo. I need you to hold still.” Ranboo didn’t even seem to hear Techno’s desperate pleas. Their weight shifted again, a sickening crack erupting in response. “Ranboo!”
Techno saw Phil’s fingers grazing Ranboo’s torso before another thunderclap could be heard under his feet. The ice gave way under Techno as the frigid water engulfed him. Before he could even register what was happening Techno’s body involuntarily let in a chest heaving gasp.
The icy water turned fiery hot as it entered Techno’s mouth, descending into his lungs and leaving a fiery trail through his chest. It was a flurry of movement, an instinctual need to get air leaving Techno kicking valiantly towards what he assumed was the surface.
The water broke above his head, the icy air not fully accessing his aching lungs thanks to the boiling water settling in them. Trying to keep his head above the surface Techno clawed desperately at the ice around the hole, the fragile edge breaking under his weight. The unexpected shifting sent Techno back under the water.
After reemerging Techno tried to remember what to do, but the ice was thin and unstable.
He needed to distribute his weight, and fast. His legs and arms started to stiffen and numb. It took an embarrassingly long time for Techno to remember to attempt to lie down, rolling out of the icy death that pulled at every cell of his being.
Phil stood on what Techno assumed was the shore of this icy hell, he was shouting something but Techno couldn’t hear it over his own body coughing and puking up the water he had inhaled. Phil couldn’t risk coming back onto the ice, the unstable surface making it too dangerous to risk. The sight of Ranboo hunched over at Phil’s feet was unsettlingly calming, the kid had made it. Phil got to them in time.
Now all he needed to do was get over to them. Techno was too tired to care that he pulled himself through his watery vomit in an attempt to roll and squirm away.
The bone-deep freeze made Techno’s limbs stiff and achy. The feeling of thousands of needles stabbing into his toes and fingers reminded him of the urgency he was in.
It felt like years before Phil could be seen slowly and carefully edging onto the ice. The feeling of the man's warm hands almost made Techno squeal in fiery pain. The man was a furnace, the touch feeling cold for a millisecond before erupting into a flood of lava. “I know bud, I'm sorry.” Techno’s body ached more with every shiver, the intensity of the trembling making Techno dizzy.
Techno let Phil drag him to the shore. The change in position left him hacking and choking up more watery vomit down the front of himself.
Everything was so fuzzy and disorienting, a constant feeling of being lightheaded lingering at the base of Techno’s skull. Techno didn’t even notice the hands on him until Phil cut the fabric of his undershirt. His cape was long gone and the fabric of the many overlayers lay shredded near him. His wet gloves are being pulled off by Ranboo’s thin shaking fingers.
Phil’s haori wrapped around Techno’s shoulders distracting him from the growing discomfort.
Phil heaved Techno to his feet, draping the man between Phil and Ranboo as they practically dragged his dead weight through the tundra toward the cabin. Even as Phil tried to get Techno to respond to a series of questions trying to keep the piglin hybrid awake. The answers were slurred and nonsensical. Most of the responses were not consistent, the answers wrong as Techno grew more and more confused and disoriented. The shivering had stopped at some point, all dangerous signs of hypothermia setting in at an alarming rate.
As they crossed through the fence, Ranboo let go of the pinkette to open and close the gate, Techno took the chance. In a valiant effort to get rid of his discomfort Techno tried to strip the clothing he still had off of him, the chill shifting at some point from frigid to burning hot. The need to cool himself became increasingly important to him as his body felt like it was melting.
“No! No Techno, you need the layers.”
“Hot, too hot Ph’l”
“Your body is confused, I promise you’re not hot.”
Techno couldn’t help but whine as Ranboo returned, stopping him from having a free arm to attempt to strip.
The wolves milled around, many trying to greet their owner only for Phil to shoo them away, the urgency of getting Techno inside and warmed up was more important than greeting the dogs.
The warm air that escaped the cabin upon opening the door soothed some of Phil’s worries. The heat would hopefully start the process of warming Techno up even as they started preparing the emergency items needed to warm the man. Ranboo was instantly tasked with warming water over the fire and on the stove as soon as Techno was placed on the couch. Phil continued his earlier mission, taking back the haori he had wrapped around Techno. The three layers of pants are the next to come off. The base layer still held icy water as it was peeled off the man’s flesh.
Phil knew Techno liked his privacy, but that was something they couldn’t afford at this moment. With the pants cut from Techno's body, the need to remove the still-soaked boots and socks was next. A gut-curdling anxiety about frostbite settling, leaving Phil hesitate to peel off the socks to reveal the skin of his feet.
Thankfully it appeared his toes and fingers were still saveable at the very least. Frostbite did cling to his toes more than his hands, which made sense due to the prolonged exposure to the cold water that was still in his boots. His skin was pale and waxy, frigid to the touch, the tips of his toes stiff and hard.
Quickly leaving the living room Phil all but ran to Techno’s room. His nest contained most of the spare blankets in the house, many of which were thick and woolen. There was a little guilt as Phil grabbed an armful, destroying the nest Techno had spent hours building, and more time perfecting. But there were more urgent matters than a few blankets.
By the time Phil returned to the living room Ranboo had placed a pot of water over the fire, they had crouched down in front of it, stoking the flames while stuffing the fireplace as full as possible with logs. Techno was still not shivering as he stared ahead, his eyes heavy and his gaze disoriented.
Layer after layer of blankets were wrapped around his body, Ranboo and Phil working together to push the couch closer to the fire while Techno remained lying on it in his burrito of blankets.
It unsurprisingly didn’t take long for the water to be warmed to a simmering boil, the one in the kitchen following suit. Risking leaving Techno alone Phil urgently instructed ranboo what to do from here. Together Phil and Ranboo poured the water into water bottles, the liquid steaming as it was sealed in.
Phil made quick work of carrying the bottles into the living room, the sight of Techno’s body shivering violently being more soothing than he would like to admit. Phil placed the water bottles, each wrapped in a towel around Techno’s body. The very disoriented man trying to get away from the warmth as it undoubtedly was a bit of a shock to his system. With warm water bottles wedged in his armpits and groin, two leaning against his neck while one was balanced on his chest before being rewrapped in the blankets.
Ranboo slid his way behind Techno, his knees sandwiching in Techno’s torso in an attempt to share some body heat while holding him still, Techno’s shivers still intense enough to rock both of their bodies. Phil, taking the chance rubbed Techno’s cheek, the man’s eyes fluttering open. “You need to drink some of this water bud, can you try that for me?”
The pinkette tried to give a nod and hum, really only coming out as more shivers and a half-hearted grumble. It was enough for Phil though as he raised the glass of warm water to the man's lips.
There was nothing more than a soft trickle, enough to get the water into Techno but not risk his choking on the liquid.
There wasn’t much more they could do at the moment, instead, Phil sat on the armchair, keeping a close eye on both Techno and the fire. “Do you think he will be mad at me?”
Phil couldn’t help his eyebrows tugging together, confusion evident. “Why would he be mad?”
“I kind of caused him to fall in, I didn’t listen to him and he ended up paying for it.”
“No Boo, he won't be angry.” Phil tried to give him a reassuring grin. “He was more worried about keeping you safe than himself. Besides, he probably ran through all the risks of staying out there with you.”
They lapsed into silence, Ranboo working through Phil’s words. “Will he be okay?”
“I don’t know boo. He runs warm thanks to the nether blood, so he should warm up pretty quickly. We will have to wait and see though.”
Both of them let the steady crackling of the fire fill the room, Techno’s breathing steady most of the time, every once in a while one of them sounding slightly garbled, as if it was filled with water. No doubt the man would have a horrendous case of pneumonia after this.
Phil would without a doubt have to make Techno rest, the man was always sure he was able to work, even when ill or injured. Something in Ranboo’s gut told them this one Techno wouldn’t be able to escape so easily.