Chapter Text
Some days after the ear-piercing fiasco, Tommy woke up rather suddenly.
He knows Techno feels bad about putting him through that. And it’s not like Tommy wasn’t happy about having earrings…no, not at all. If anything he rather likes the glittering gems in his ears and the pride of knowing how much Technoblade actually cares about him.
…
It’s just…the needle brought back unpleasant memories.
But that’s not the point here.
The point is that Tommy did not wake up naturally. He woke up to the whole ship shaking. He immediately remembers all the times the ship he’d been on was attacked and he’d been passed on to a new owner.
No –
Nonononono–
He was just getting used to it here! He actually liked Technoblade! Don’t take that away so soon!
Tommy jumped up and sprinted through the halls, looking for Techno. Piglins were possessive of their runts, as long as Tommy was with him he wouldn’t be passed on to a new, probably horrible, owner. At least it wouldn’t happen without a good fight.
He aimed for the cockpit, where he was sure Techno would be manning the weapons system to chase off their attackers. He burst through doors and saw the familiar long pink braid of Techno’s hair. He was leaning over the control panel typing in directions with a frown tugging at his face.
Tommy ran up to him and inserted himself into Techno’s side. Techno let out an oof as Tommy slammed into him but wrapped his arms around Tommy after a minute and a chuckle.
“What’s wrong, treasure? Did the turbulence wake you up?” Techno asked him in Common.
Tommy responded in English even though he knew Techno couldn’t understand him.
“Techno–Techno what’s happening? I woke up and the ship was shaking– are we being attacked? Please don’t let them take me again! I’m finally kinda happy and I don’t want it to end!”
Techno just ruffled his hair and smiled at the incomprehensible nonsense Tommy was spouting.
“Oh, are you scared, Theseus? Don’t worry it’s just the atmosphere, we’ll be landing at home soon.”
Tommy took a minute to register the words, he hadn’t heard atmosphere in common before so he was a bit confused until he looked out the window and saw the planet’s surface much closer than he had before. The planet looked quite cold, snow covered much of the land Tommy could see and there was ice in the waters.
They were pulling up to a massive platform on the edge of a cliff. It was part of a much larger building that stood tall above the land. If Tommy didn’t know any better he’d say it was a palace.
Considering all the riches Techno displayed on just this ship alone, Tommy wouldn’t be surprised if he was right.
Techno turned and started for the door, taking Tommy with him.
“C’mon runt, we’ve got to get you ready for the cold outside, and to meet my family.”
And they went to do just that.
🜋🜋🜋
The doors hissed as they opened, letting a freezing blast of air wash over Techno and Tommy.
Tommy gasped as he breathed fresh, cold air for the first time in ages. The wind whipped his hair around, but the enchanted coat and pants he wore protected him from the biting cold.
They strode across the platform, escorted by guards. Tommy stuck close to Techno’s side which he could tell pleased the piglin immensely.
Another hiss of doors opening and closing and they were inside the palace.
Someone approached them with open arms. He had wings that were more like the bones of a bat wing with tealish cold flames dancing along them. Ghost flames. Along with those he had a bone tail with a ghost flame on the end and bone fins all over him. The alien himself was not made of bones but the way some parts of him seemed translucent and tealish at times told Tommy what he was.
A phantom.
They were a ghastly species known for being sensitive to uv rays and their peculiar form of killing. Their voice could lure you into a trace and leave you completely defenseless to their whim. Fortunately, they were mostly just tricksters but every now and then they could use their abilities in violent ways. They could also go invisible and intangible.
And this one was coming right up to them. Oh, and he was talking. Should probably pay attention to that.
“Techno! You’re finally back! Where is he? I want to meet him, pleaseeeee–”
“Wow,” Techno said dryly, “not even a hug for your brother before demanding where his kid is? Rude.”
“C’mon Tech, please? I can see him hiding behind you now! You’ve told me so much about him and now you’re denying me?”
“Yes, in a minute. Now where’s Dad?”
“Oh, I forgot, he was summoned by the council.”
“What for?” Techno seemed worried now, holding Tommy a little tighter.
“Dunno, apparently it’s top secret. But… There have been rumors going around that a new planet with sentient life has been discovered. Wouldn’t that be exciting, a new race joining the universe! I wonder what kind of technology they have so far, and what kind of government systems have they come up with! Speaking of, you said Theseus is some sort of new species… maybe I could–”
“Absolutely not.” Techno denied before the phantom, who was probably Wilbur, could finish, “I get the feeling he’s had enough trauma from labs without you adding to it.”
“But Techno,” Wilbur whined, “You know I wouldn’t hurt him, not even a blood test?”
Techno sighed and rubbed his face. “Wil…he had a panic attack from me just trying to pierce his ears. I have no idea what his previous owners have put him through but I’d like to not repeat it. Look, I’m sure there’s no problems with noting behavior and collecting like, hairs if you find them but let's just let him be in that area okay?”
“Okay, Tech…but I still want to meet him, can you please pull him out from behind your back already!”
“Fine, fine, but don’t blame me if he bites you cause he doesn't like you.”
And then Tommy was being gently tugged out into full view. At first, he yelped and tucked himself as close as he could into Techno’s side but when Wilbur cooed and frown found itself onto his face.
“Aww, Techno, Techno look at him!” Wilbur practically squealed, “how did you single handedly pick the cutest creature in all existence!? Look at his little face scrunch up–awww!”
Alright bitch, you wanna call him cute? Oh, Tommy’ll show him cute .
“What the fuck you say to me, shithead?! You think I’m fucking cute?! Just wait till I get my hands on a knife bitch, you’ll be regretting this!”
“Oh my gosh Techno, look at him, he’s so mad! Angry little man!” LITTLE MAN?! TOMMY IS NOT A FUCKING LITTLE MAN !!
Wilbur reached to ruffle his hair and Tommy had had just about enough of him.
“Uhhh, Wil–Wilbur, I wouldn’t do that if I were you–”
Tommy struck fast, fast as fuck boi. His teeth closed around the hand that got too close to his face and Wilbur shrieked.
“I tried to warn you Wil…”
🜋🜋🜋
Wilbur and Theseus eventually got along. If Techno got a picture of them all cuddled up together in the nest as blackmail…shhhhhh, it’s blackmail .
Dad eventually contacted them over a very secure channel and confirmed that yes, there was a new race discovered on a planet they called Earth. They had been making tentative contact with the governments there but needed someone trusted to make a translator for them.
Apparently, some others were working on some, Sam, a member of the council, being one of them. He’d actually already made one but it’s big and clunky and there are a multitude of languages on Eorth. Phil wanted Wilbur to make a more compact translator for them.
Wilbur was of course thrilled and got to work right away.
Theseus was getting more and more comfortable hanging around Wilbur, he’d even followed him around when Techno went out to train and wouldn’t let Theseus come. Wilbur was ecstatic when Theseus dared to slink into his lab after him one time.
Although while in there he was super jumpy and Wilbur had to be careful not to scare him. Funnily enough, Theseus seemed quite interested in what Wilbur was working on and even grabbed some tools that Wilbur would need before even being asked.
Life was pretty great.
As Techno mulled over the past few months he made his way to Wilbur’s lab where his runt and brother were sure to be. He walked in right as Wilbur was lifting his masterpiece into the air and shrieking with joy, startling Theseus in the process.
He turned and noticed Techno straight away. He rushed up and shoved the wire choker and earpiece in Techno’s face.
“Techno! I’ve done it! Look at this, it’s finally completed! It even works both ways! If I talk Galactic Common into it, Eenglysh will come out! And if someone talks Eenglysh into it I’ll hear it as Galactic Common and vice versa!”
“Wow Wil, that’s awesome. I hope it’ll be useful to Dad. Say, did you learn any of the…Eenglysh words while working on it?” Responded Techno.
“Yeah actually, I figured out how to say ‘Hello, my name is Wilbur’ wanna hear it?”
“Sure Wil, though I bet your pronunciation sucks.” Techno laughed and Theseus, who had come to join them, laughed along with him. Techno threaded a hand through his golden hair as Wilbur ‘prepared himself.’
“Oh fuck you, you don’t even know what the language sounds like properly anyways!” Wilbur exclaimed.
“Just get on with it Wil.”
“Hilloo, mei namee is Wilburrrr. ” Wilbur said in a strange language Techno couldn’t understand. “Well, what do you think?” the phantom asked in Common after.
Just as Techno was about to respond ‘I don’t think anything because I don’t understand,’ Theseus burst out laughing. He laughed so hard that water pooled in his eyes and he had to wipe them.
“Your pronunciation really is horrible!” Theseus chattered to himself. His little ‘Theseus gibberish’, as Wilbur called it, sounded awfully like Eenglysh. And then he mimicked what Wilbur had said in a mocking voice but then said it again but slower and differently. Like he was trying to explain something.
“Aww are you trying to speak Eenglysh too sunshine? No, it's hilloo, mei namee is Wilburrrr, say it with me slowly okay? Hi-lloo mei nam-e is Wil-burrrrrr.” Wilbur cooed.
“ No, it’s: Hell-o, my name is Wil-bur. You’re saying it wrong. You’re saying the name of the language wrong too, it’s: Eng-lish.” Wilbur seemed amused by Theseus’ chattering but Techno had a sinking feeling in his gut.
“No, no, treasure, try again…”
Theseus was getting annoyed, his face scrunching up in the way it does when he is. He stomped his foot and chattered something angry. The more Techno listened the more he worried his suspicion was correct, but he couldn’t bring himself to move on it–or move at all.
“C’mon Theseus, you can do it!” Wilbur encouraged.
Then Theseus did something that made Techno’s blood freeze.
“No,” he said in perfect Galactic Common.
Wilbur seemed to think he was still just mimicking but Techno knew his runt better than that. If he could have mimicked words he would have started much earlier and he wouldn’t be so purposeful.
“Aww you want to mimic Common now too? Here try this one–”
“Wilbur.” Techno finally found his voice, but it was only a whisper and Wilbur just talked over him. “Shut up.”
He was staring at Theseus, he could feel his own face fall into that emotionless state that most would think was anger. Anyone close to him knows that it’s fear. Wilbur couldn’t see his face though, he was focused on Theseus, who was slowly getting more and more frustrated.
“You’d think I’d know how to pronounce my own fucking language, Wilbur. I don’t need to try anything, I’ve been able to speak and understand Galactic Common for two years.” That was Theseus who said that, in Common… but he wasn’t sentient…was he?
It all fit into place then in Techno’s mind. A new species, never heard of before. The interest he’d shown in the translator. The intelligent spark in his eyes. The quicker than expected bonding, as if he knew that Techno wasn’t going to hurt him without the experience most animals would need. The understanding of what was expected of him. The insistence on self-care.
Theseus was completely sentient– the very thing Techno often wished he was. Yet now all he could feel was the growing horror. Because…how had Theseus ended up in a pet shop, miles away from his home planet, at his obviously young age.
And Techno hadn’t even considered that Theseus could’ve been aware. All the things that happened over the past half a year suddenly hit Techno with a new meaning and the force of it drove him to his knees. The world around him held no meaning as Techno was lost in his own thoughts.
Then he felt small, soft hands touching his arm. They wrapped around his chest and a familiar warmth settled at his side. He could hear the voice those arms belonged to saying something– in what language didn’t matter because he couldn’t understand either way.
When Techno finally gathered himself to look down, he saw Theseus– that probably wasn’t even his name– looking up at him with those gem-like eyes as he always did.
“You good big man?” Theseus– he should probably stop calling him that– asked concernedly.
Techno shook his head and returned the hug, all four of his arms wrapping around the small boy. Wilbur stood off to the side somewhere slowly processing what was happening.
“I–I– you…you’re–” wow, Techno is really not doing too good.
Now, Techno is not one to waste his words. If he doesn’t know what to say then he doesn’t say anything. He’s the general of an intergalactic empire; there's no room for stutterings or carelessness of vocabulary. Yet here he is, unable to form even a phrase all because of a little boy.
Thankfully Theseus understood– he understood so much for so long and Techno never noticed–
“It’s okay big man,” Theseus said, surprisingly soft for the rambunctious attitude he normally had, “There’s not really a way you could have known. I’ll be honest, I was trying to keep it a secret. Besides, you found me at a pet shop and I pretty much acted like a wild animal when you brought me back. Humans aren’t even a known race to the general population yet. There’s no way you could have found out.”
“But I still treated you like–”
“If you’re about to say ‘like a pet,’ no you didn’t. I’ve been treated like a pet before by many others and none of them were like you. I’m sounder to you aren’t I? At least, I’d like to be sounder…I didn’t have much of a family back on Earth– yes, Earth, not Eorth you heathen.”
Something crashed in another part of the room. Probably Wilbur.
“Then…why were you hiding the fact you’re sentient?” Techno questioned, utterly confused.
“Well… at first it was because the last time I tried to communicate…it didn’t go well. But eventually it was because I didn’t want this little balance of family to change…I didn’t want you to stop caring about me because I wasn't what you wanted. It won’t change right? I’m still yours?” Theseus looked down as red flushed his face.
Even then it was still adorable. Yeah, Theseus was definitely still his runt.
“Of course Theseus–wait you must have a name of your own don’t you. Oh my– I can’t believe I just named you Theseus like you didn’t already–”
“Tommy, the name’s Tommy Innit. But Theseus if a fine nickname, if at least pretentious as fuck.”
“Yeah Tommy, you’re still mine, but I’m just as much yours as you are mine.” Techno smiled at Tommy.
A cough echoed through the room and, in unison, Techno and Tommy rolled their eyes. They looked and saw Wilbur standing both awkwardly and hopefully in the background watching.
“Yes, you too Wilby,” Tommy muttered, “get in here.”
Wilbur didn’t hesitate to join the hug pile on the floor. However it did take him a solid five seconds of sitting there with them to register Tommy’s words.
“Did you just call me fucking Wilby ?!”
🜋🜋🜋
When Phil heard the news he was a couple things, confused and happy being two of them. Never had he imagined that his son would not only find a human that had been taken by poachers, let alone bond with that human. And yet that’s how he got his third son.
It was suggested that, since Tommy’s first language was English and he was fluent in Galactic Common, he could become a translator for them. It would help speed up the process of integrating Earth with the rest of the universe significantly.
After some thinking, Tommy agreed and set off with Techno and Wilbur to join the council in orbit around Earth.
The world leaders of Earth and the Galactic Council met with ample translators, Tommy being the crucial one, and began discussions. Soon enough treaties were made and some of Earth’s leaders joined the Galactic Council with the translator Wilbur made to help them until Galactic Common became more prolific in humans.
As the new species spread and with them awareness of their existence, reports of others who were held in similar situations to Tommy started popping up. Phil resolved to send out his forces and rescue these humans and bring them back to the Antarctic Empire to recover before they were given the option to return home or find a new home in the stars.
Tommy was given that option as well but said he wanted time to think about it. However, whilst in orbit around Earth, Tommy insisted on going down and landing on the surface. Techno misunderstood, but with a heavy heart, accepted.
🜋🜋🜋
As soon as the ship touched down, Tommy was bursting out of the doors. They had landed on a clear hill surrounded by forest. A city could be seen in the distance but far enough that the residents wouldn’t freak out about them.
For a while, Tommy just breathed in the fresh smell of his home planet. Then he saw a squirrel and practically squealed.
“Techno look! That’s a squirrel, they like to eat nuts. Oooh they really like acorns that come from oak trees, look that’s one right there. Oh and look in the branches, that’s a bluejay, they like acorns too but they're really loud and mean to other birds and the squirrels.”
Tommy rambled about earth creatures and plants while Techno smiled sadly. Eventually Tommy stopped and just breathed again. He looked towards the city and scrunched up his nose before refocusing on the wildlife.
“Thanks for takin’ me out here Tech, it’s nice to see this place again, even if it’s not that great. But, you know how it goes, a hero’s gotta leave home to gain glory right? I’d like to think I’m a hero like how you named me after one. Y’know, since I’m part of the family I’m technically a prince now right? And if I’m a prince I should have a princely name. Prince Theseus…has a nice ring to it doesn’t it? Could I be Prince Theseus for you?”
Techno looked taken aback. Tommy had a feeling he knew why.
“What?” Tommy asked, “you didn’t think I wanted to come here to leave you did you? No, this planet is nothing but nostalgia to me, we made a promise after all. Now C’mon, Phil said he’d let me help save some of the humans stuck out there like I was.”
Techno grinned and ruffled Tommy’s hair. They boarded their ship together and took off.
Left behind, on a lonely hill in a forest, were the doubts and fears and memories of pain that plagued them for so long.
Ahead of them, in the stars, were countless adventures and a warm family to return to.