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The cell is a familiar sight by now.
It is miniscule with cracked stone walls and iron bars that Techno had tried (and failed) to break through on multiple occasions. The floor is stone too, cold and unforgiving rock that Techno is forced to sleep on. He doesn’t even have room to stand and stretch out his perpetually aching joints, but if he did it wouldn’t matter because of the chains wrapped around his wrists and ankles.
He can just reach the other end of the cell if he strains against the iron, but he doesn’t have the energy for that anymore. He doesn’t have the energy for anything anymore. Maybe it’s because of how little he is fed. Maybe it’s the burning pain in his body all the time. Maybe it’s because he can barely move a foot. Maybe it's because he hasn't seen the sun for as long as he's been in here.
He doesn’t care to think about that anymore. He doesn' care about much anymore, honestly.
He doesn’t know how long he’s been here; the only thing that separates his days are the small portions of food that he is given a few times a day and the occasional other prisoner who is thrown into another cell. He could have been here for days, weeks or even years but he doesn’t know. It's impossible to tell what the time is with no sight of the sun.
He was taken here as a war prisoner – he was fighting on L’manburg's side for independence as a war general and, in the midst of a battle, been injured and taken to the Esempian base.
Initially, they had tortured him, getting every bit of information out of him as they possibly could. Eventually though, they realised that he had given them all he could and he was forced into this cell. He could do so little to fight it, weak and injured as he was, but he didn’t think he’d ever regret anything more than not escaping in time. That is a thought he regularly wallows in and it doesn't get more enjoyable to think about as time progresses.
He is sitting in the cell now, staring into the abyss of the cavernous room outside and trying to find any new crack in the rock of the walls. That is what he spends most of his time doing now.
He doesn’t even jump when the main door swings open and two guards march in holding a young boy in their arms. The boy isn’t fighting them, his head hanging down as if his neck can’t support it and his body limp in their arms as they half-lead, half-carry him through the rows of cells. The boy can’t be any more than sixteen and has blood slowly dripping from a wound in his head.
Techno looks properly at them, then. They’re getting closer to his cell now, marching in time.
Then, they stop in between his and an empty cell.
“What do we do with it?” One grunted to the other, looking down at the boy in their arms. “We’re not allowed to kill it, are we?” Their voice is gruff and animalistic, as if they are not fully human.
The other guard shook their head, “Nah. We could throw it in the Blood God’s cell, though? We’re not allowed to directly kill him either, but if it gets hungry enough it should do the job for us.” Their voice is higher and more nasally than the other guard's, dripping with spite and anger.
Techno stares up at them through the fuzzy half-light. It has been a long time since anyone had called him by that name, and he can’t exactly say that he's missed it.
Then, the door to his cell is swinging open with a metallic crash, though he doesn’t try to escape like he would have a few weeks ago. He knows perfectly well that he cannot reach it and will be punished if he tries.
The guards toss the boy carelessly into the cell, and Techno watches while he falls unceremoniously to the ground, rolling over and looking like he hit his head. Techno does not feel much sympathy for him - everyone in here had been in that position, including himself. He will admit, though, that it is a shame that someone so young is being forced to suffer so much.
The shorter of the guards also steps in, holding a set of chains in their hand, and wastes no time in shackling the boy to the opposite wall.
The boy does not fight like Techno did, though that is no surprise considering that his eyes are barely open and he seems to be sustaining several pretty severe injuries.
The guard steps out again, carelessly swinging the metal door shut with another clang that reverberates around the room, echoing off more stone and iron. The noise still hurts Techno’s ears, but it no longer carries the same stench of fear with it, no longer holding the terror of yet another unfortunate person being forced into this abhorrent situation.
It does for some people, but Techno is so numb that it does very little to affect him.
But being so close to the person being brought in makes it seem more… real. It makes it appear less like a dream and connects him slightly more with the person in question. The boy is- well, just that. He’s a child. Techno can’t even begin to fathom why they chose to throw him in here of all people. There are any number of empty cells surrounding him so why they decided to put him with Techno is a mystery. He remembers the guards saying something about killing, but that does little to give much insight into their decision.
The child looks so hurt, though. So damaged at such a young age. He can’t even have done anything to deserve this in the guards’ eyes, unlike Techno.
He watches the boy for a long time, finding it marginally more interesting than counting the bars of the cell repeatedly. The boy seems to be fully asleep now, shifting around as much as the chains would let him and occasionally making a small noise. The noises sound strange, to say the least. They sound like odd chirps and whines, not sounding human, but Techno has no way of proving if that is correct. He supposes that he’d just overthinking. Overthinking has been proven to be an easy feat when you have nothing to keep yourself entertained for months on end.
A few guards enter after a few hours of sitting with the boy, and toss a few pieces of bread and some water on the floor. They always do that, spilling half of the water over the stone and forcing Techno to lick it up. He used to refuse to do that, but had quickly decided to prioritise his survival over his reputation. Now he doesn’t even really care about that now either.
He frowns, realising that they have only brought him only one portion of food, but the guards have already gone. He wonders if he should save some for the boy when he wakes. He eventually decides that he can live without an extra piece of bread but doesn’t think the boy can, judging by the looks of him. So, he puts both pieces to one side: one to save for himself when he feels more like he’s about to die of hunger and the other for the boy when he wakes up.
If he wakes up, that is. He looks so pale and skinny that Techno is beginning to doubt that he’ll survive. Techno has watched a lot of people die – many at his hands – but it never became a fun experience. He is somewhat dreading having to sit with a rotting corpse for days on end – the guards never remove dead bodies before they begin decomposing and that is a bad enough experience when they aren’t in the same cell as him.
He has eaten both slices of bread by the time that the boy wakes up – not because he wanted to but because he thought he would pass out if he didn’t and he doesn’t particularly want to fall asleep with a stranger locked in the same cell as him.
The boy’s eyes flicker open slightly and he makes a small noise in the back of his throat. He tips his head up slightly, blonde hair falling into his eyes.
He doesn’t say anything to Techno, nor does he really seem to see anything, looking around the cell with a confused look in his eyes and-
Shit.
His eyes are red.
Only one species has red eyes, and they are the creatures that are the most feared, blood thirsty monsters with no remorse, no empathy, no feelings. They are the only creatures known to feel no love; parasites that live only because of the rage they feed off of humans with.
The boy’s a vampire.
Techno bets that if he looks in the child’s mouth, he will find needle sharp fangs that are ready to sink into his neck without a moment’s notice.
The boy slowly looks up at him, though his eyes are unfocused, as if he cannot truly see anything. And… god, when he makes eye contact with Techno he looks so young. Techno knows he isn’t really, knows that he could be centuries old, but that doesn’t stop the pity from running through his veins and his instincts singing out for him to help the kid.
He looks so small, curled up on himself, scars marring his body and drawing out patterns over his paper white skin. He looks so distant, a million miles away from the cell his body is trapped in, keeping completely still.
Techno… wants to do something.
Sure, vampires are cruel and heartless parasites, but this one looks so small and helpless and human that he can’t just sit there and do nothing while he starves. Plus, the guards clearly want the vampire to die, so any small act that spits on them is good enough for Techno.
So, grunting with the effort, he shuffles around and runs his arm along one of the chains that had a particularly sharp piece on it, repeatedly trying to hack away at the skin until it breaks and blood starts seeping out of the wound.
Carefully, he crawls forwards, ignoring how strenuous of a task it is, and hold his arm in front of the vampire’s face. He knows this is risky, knows that he could easily die doing this, but he is just as likely to die sitting there and doing nothing. The idea of him dying no longer terrifies him like it used to. After all, death is probably a kinder fate than staying here for much longer.
The vampire is unresponsive for a while, his eyes flickering shut again and his head lolling backwards against the wall, but Techno keeps his hand there. He waves it slightly closer to the vampire until his is practically touching the boy’s mouth.
That seems to shake him out of his daze, his eyes opening again slightly and fixing on the dripping wound in front of him.
“Come on,” Techno grunts, scowling at the boy, “get this over with already.”
Finally, with those words, the vampire leans forward slightly and sinks his teeth into Techno’s arm, eyes widening and Techno’s blood dripping down his chin.
Techno has to stifle a cry at the pain that courses up his arm and into his shoulder as if it is running through his very veins (though he supposes it is).
The boy continues to drink from him as if he has tasted nothing before in his life, swallowing mouthful after mouthful of Techno’s blood until Techno’s arm is entirely numb and the world becomes fuzzy around the edges. He isn’t in pain anymore, but he is starting to think that maybe the spinning world is worse than the pain. At least he is used to his body feeling like it’s tearing itself apart.
Dully, he watches as the vampire eventually draws his head back, the blood staining his lips the same colour as his eyes. He looks back at Techno for just a moment before the world starts fading from his vision and the boy disappears.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Techno wakes up with the familiar ache infesting his bones, though there is something new as well.
A sharp pain is stabbing his left arm, the pain spreading out to the rest of his body in a way that seems more intense than the usual ache of staying in one position for too long. It feels like someone has stabbed him and twisted the knife repeatedly – Techno is no stranger to pain, but this seems worse than usual.
He opens his eyes to look at the injury, but his eyes settle on the vampire who is sat at the other end of the cell, sat perfectly still and eyes fixed intently on Techno.
Techno looks away to glace at the injury on his arm to find that it was healing surprisingly well. He had heard about healing properties of vampire saliva, but they didn’t use that on humans.
Then, the vampire speaks with a soft voice, “You saved me.”
Techno looks back, narrowing his eyes and throwing as much contempt into his expression as possible.
“Don’t get used to it, bloodsucker.”
The vampire doesn’t react to the insult, instead just shuffling slightly and stretching his back as much as the cell would allow him to, “I wasn’t going to. I simply wished to thank you. Very few humans would have done so.”
Techno snorted, still glaring at him, “For good reason.”
The vampire shrugged, “Maybe.”
Neither of them say anything for a few minutes, Techno glaring at the vampire who sits silently with the unnatural stillness that no human could possess.
Finally, the vampire breaks the silence, “Since we’re going to be stuck here for a while, can I have your name please?”
Techno doesn’t dignify that with a response – he doesn’t want to know the vampire’s name and nor does he wish to share his own.
The vampire shrugs, “Well you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I’m Tommy, though.”
Again, Techno doesn’t bother responding. The vampire - Tommy - doesn’t seem to mind too much, just settling back against the wall and continuing to silently observe him. Techno would be lying if he said that constantly being watched wasn’t annoying.
“So… uh,” The vampire seems to be determined to annoy Techno even more than he already had and Techno feels disdain curling into his expression, “how’s the family?”
This time Techno does glare at him, about to burst out into an outrage but he manages to stop himself before he does so. “Can you please shut up?” He grunts.
The vampire shrugs, looking slightly taken aback, “Hey dude, I’m sorry. Just tryna make conversation, y’know? We might as well find something to talk about if we’re gonna be stuck in here for the next few years.”
Techno glowers again, leaning forwards slightly. “I do not converse with bloodsuckers. I just saved your life, so if you could show me some kindness and shut up I may not entirely regret my decision”
The vampire curls in on himself, all previous bravado forgotten in the face of an angry war general, “Sorry. I didn’t realise that you hate me so much.”
Techno growls in the back of his throat, an oddly animalistic sound, “Of course I hate you, parasite.”
The vampire doesn’t respond to that.
Techno pretends not to notice the hurt look on his face.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Techno guesses that it’s the next day when another lot of food is thrown into the cell. He doesn’t notice the look of surprise on the guard’s face when they see both occupants still alive. Well… not technically alive in Tommy’s case, but at least conscious.
The hunger pangs are still bearable, so he sets the food to one side for later, making sure it was out of reach of the vampire. It’s not like the vampire needs the food, but Techno doesn’t trust him anyway.
Techno may not need to eat, but that doesn’t change the fact that he can feel his body gradually shutting down from exhaustion. He’s getting more and more worried by the minute that he’s going to pass out, but he doesn’t trust the vampire enough to fall asleep near him.
Speaking of the vampire, he’s been staring at the ground ever since Techno snapped at him, not moving at all and his eyes remaining wide open. Techno doesn’t think he’s seen him blink even once. Still, he supposes that the vampire staring at the ground for almost ten hours straight is better than being watched the entire time.
Still, he forces himself to keep his eyes open, looking around the room only to find nothing new. The boy doesn’t look back even when Techno starts watching him.
He doesn’t know how much longer he spends there, looking around doing nothing, before he begins to have to stifle several yawns and feels his eyes drooping shut.
The vampire doesn’t even look up as he says, “You know, if I was gonna kill you, I would have done it already. You can sleep, I’m not going to do anything.”
Techno stays staring at him, unwilling to trust him but the lead that seemed to be weighing down his eyelids growing heavier by the second. He supposes that the vampire’s right – he’d already passed out in front of him once and he had done nothing. If the vampire truly wished him dead, he would have drained Techno while he was drinking.
The vampire is… strange, that was for certain. Techno had heard stories about vampires all throughout his life, that they were bloodthirst killers with no empathy or emotions. This one seems different though. He doesn’t seem angry or bloodthirsty, he doesn’t seem like he’s praying upon his downfall or even as if he’s going to do anything bad to Techno.
But this vampire seems intelligent; he must be able to trick and deceive easily, masterfully convincing people to trust them before he drains them of their blood. Techno doesn’t want to be his next victim, but that doesn’t seem avoidable.
Plus… is it even worth clinging onto life? He’s not going to escape anyway so he doubts that it really matters. He just hopes that he won’t have a painful death.
There is so much he wishes to learn about the vampire before he dies.
“Tommy?” He spits, listening to the vampire hum in response, “You asked about my family. Why? What could you possibly know about family?” He makes sure to get as much venom in the words as possible, reminding the creature that he knew nothing about humanity.
Tommy looks up at him, his eyes wide as if he wasn’t expecting Techno to speak to him. That was a fair assumption, honestly.
“Well,” Tommy replies with a confused frown, “I have one, don’t I? I did just tell you that all I wanted to do was make conversation.”
That wasn’t what Techno was expecting. He thought Tommy was going to tell him about how he had killed families, tearing them apart with no remorse - not begin talking about his own. Does he mean a human family or a vampire one? Techno isn’t sure – can vampires even have families? Techno didn’t think so, but he seems as if he’s about to be proven wrong.
“What do you mean, you have a family?” The question tumbles from his lips before he can stop it, hanging in the stale air between the two.
Tommy seems to ponder this question for a moment with an absent expression on his face, “Well, I have a father. Not biological, of course – actually, I was the one who turned him, but he acts more like my father than anything else.”
Huh. That’s interesting. “Is that… normal for vampires.”
Tommy shrugs, shuffling around as if he’s in great pain, “Sort of. Most of us have what we call a ‘coven’, which is a tight-knit group of vampires with special bonds to each other. Normally they’re a lot bigger than the one that Phil and I have, though.” He pauses, “What about you? Do you have a family of your own?”
Techno breathes deeply, not even smelling the rot that infested the air anymore, “No. I don’t.”
He doesn’t say anything else; he doesn’t mention how his parents threw him out or the family he thought he had in his army who did the same.
He doesn’t mention that he’d been living alone since he was seven.
And, with those thoughts playing over in his mind, sleep claims him into its gentle embrace, taking him away from the suffering of the conscious world.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After that night, some of the tension seems to have cleared up between the two and they begin to converse more freely, talking for hours on end until Techno has to eat or sleep. Tommy says that he doesn’t have to do either – apparently vampires can sleep but they don’t need to in the same way that humans do. For them, it just offers them an escape from life rather than the necessity it is for Technoblade.
Techno even offers to let Tommy drink from him again several times, though each is refused. Tommy says that he’s a slightly older vampire, so he only needs to eat about once a month to be healthy and, even then, he can live while eating even less.
Tommy talks a lot, most sentences including numerous swear words and insults that are often impossible to tell who they’re directed at. Techno would be lying if he said that the vampire wasn’t hilarious. He found himself laughing hysterically at some of the things Tommy says, so much so that the prisoners in other cells occasionally yell at him to shut up.
Tommy tells him about Phil – his sort of father – and his life at home; apparently, he lives in a mansion that Phil owns in the outskirts of L’manburg right next to Pogtopia. His father was turned at almost forty and is a little over a hundred now. Techno doesn’t ask how old Tommy is – he doesn’t think he wants to know. He much prefers to think of Tommy as a dumb teenager than a potentially thousand-year-old being.
Techno also tells Tommy some things about himself – though not as much. He tells Tommy about how he became the head general for the largest army in L’manburg and how he earned his fortune through his victory against the ‘best fighter in the world’, General Dream. That event had gone down in history as such a huge triumph that he gained the title ‘The Blood God’. He was surprised that Tommy hadn’t heard of it, but he was all too happy to describe the battle in great detail.
Tommy doesn’t ask about his family again and Techno, gratefully, doesn’t bring the topic up again. Most of the time he simply listened to Tommy ramble about the most obscure topics he could think of – like where the folklore attached to different plants comes from and a banquet he was forced to go to years ago that he's still mad about.
Every passing day, Techno finds himself getting more attached to the boy on the other side of the cell. In the dark of the cavern outside, it’s nice to know that he has one single ray of sunshine beside him, even if he is still slightly afraid that Tommy’s going to kill him.
Techno is eating now, sitting still and slowly eating an apple he had been given, making sure to not waste any of it.Tommy’s silent for some reason instead of rambling like he usually does.
“Are you okay?” Techno asks once he’s finished, looking up to see the boy with his gaze fixed on the floor again.
Tommy looked up with a surprised expression, like he didn’t expect Techno to care. Honestly, that’s fair; Techno’s surprised that he cares as well.
Tommy shrugs, looking down again and curling his legs up into his body, “I don’t know. I’ve been captured before, but it wasn’t like this. I wasn’t with Phil then. I miss him and I have no way to contact him since our bond is temporarily closed off.” He doesn’t say anything else and Techno doesn’t know if he should respond, the veil of uncertainty obscuring everything in his vision.
Finally the silence gets too much and Techno has to ask, “Why… why were you captured?”
Tommy scoffs, “Vampire hatred, innit? I never did anything to hurt anyone but people despise me anyway.” He narrows his eyes as he looks back at Techno. Before he can say anything, Tommy speaks again “I mean, look at yourself. You hate me, don’t you?” Techno has a feeling that, if he physically could, Tommy would be crying.
Techno blinks at Tommy, mouth hanging slightly open. Out of everything he expected, it definitely wasn’t that.
But- he supposes that Tommy has a point. Even just his thoughts that Tommy was put in here for murder or for turning someone when Tommy doesn’t look like he could hurt a bug (given how much he talks about loving insects, he definitely can’t) was wrong of him.
Doesn’t he still think that Tommy is going to kill him when he’d had many chances to do and hadn’t taken any? Doesn’t he still flinch when Tommy moves suddenly or looks up at him? Tommy may be hundreds of years old, but right now he looks like nothing more than a scared and upset teenager, cast away from society for no reason. He doesn’t even know why Tommy’s a vampire but judging by the scars across his body it wasn’t pretty.
He doesn’t quite know why he does it, but he finds himself leaning over against the chains until he is directly in front of the boy and he wraps his arms around Tommy.
Tommy freezes up, not moving and Techno is about to pull away, realising that the hug wasn’t wanted, but Tommy then hugs back, pulling himself up so he is sitting in Techno’s arms.
Tommy’s cold in his arms, still and unmoving – not even breathing, but that doesn’t matter. All that matters is that he’s here and extremely hurt with no one else to comfort him.
“I’m sorry. I don't hate you.” Techno murmurs, leaning his chin against Tommy’s head. A single tear trickles down his cheek for the first time in years and he’s not entirely sure why. Maybe it’s because this is the first hug he’s had since he was a child. Maybe it was because Tommy reminds him so much of himself. Maybe it’s just the realisation that the horror here is no longer just his reality but that he has to share it with someone who has no reason to be here. “I’m so sorry.”
Neither of them let go for a very long time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After Techno wakes up, Tommy seems to be in a much better mood, his eyes back to shining brightly and a beam fixed on his face.
“Dude!” He almost yells as he vibrates on the spot, “Great news!”
Techno sits up slowly, grimacing at the pain in his joints that seems to have gotten worse. “Prime, kid, do you have to be so loud?”
“Yes! Do you want to hear the great news or not?”
Techno rolls his eyes, “Sure. But please be slightly quieter.”
“Sorry.” Tommy barely lowered the pitch of his voice and immediately raises it back again on the next sentence, “But basically, I have a bond with Phil, right? Because I’m his sire and part of his coven we can feel each other’s emotions and sometimes thoughts. I told you that it's been blocked off for a while because he’s been on a mission for the council that he wasn’t allowed to tell anyone about – even me. But it’s back now! That’s so cool!”
Techno continues to look at him, trying to process the dump of information that had been thrown on him. “Right.” He says, “And what does this mean?”
Tommy continues grinning, “It means, dumbass, that I can communicate with him and tell him where we are!”
Techno pauses, thinking that over. “Okay?”
Tommy rolls his eyes, “You don’t get it, do you? He can come and save us!”
Techno shakes his head and leans back against the wall again with his eyes shut. “Oh, Tommy.” His voice is dull and empty, hopelessness almost palpable in his words, “No he can’t. You think that people haven’t tried rescue attempts before? They never work.” He sounds sympathetic, pitying how naïve Tommy is; some of him wishes that he has the childish hope back but the rest of him knows that it is soon to be crushed.
That doesn’t seem to deter Tommy though, who sits up more and leans forwards, “You’re underestimating the great Philza! He's the greates and only man ever - he can do anything – he’ll get us out of here in no time, just you wait!”
“Alright Tommy,” Techno mutters, curling up to go to sleep again, hoping that Tommy isn’t too disappointed when it turns out that they cannot be saved.
“Hey!” Tommy calls to him, “I’m serious, you know? He’s got the entire Council on his side now! They’ll be able to take down this entire operation trust me!”
“No they won’t… hang on, what do you mean by ‘The Council’?” Tommy had mentioned it a few times before, but Techno had never asked what it means until now.
He can practically feel Tommy’s smile widening, “The vampire council! They make sure that everyone’s staying in line and ensure good relations with the human monarchy. It’s a very new organisation and can’t do much at the moment – obviously, because we have a shit relationship with humans, but all vampires are involved with it. They’ll be able to gather a whole army!”
Techno sits up again in a flash, a bubble of hope beginning to form in his chest. He looks intently at Tommy, not sure if he should allow it to grow or not, “You’re being serious? They can do that!”
Tommy nods, his head bobbing up and down, “Of course! I’m quite an old and respected vampire there, so they’re even more likely to help me than they are to other vampires.” He sits back, a smile brimming with confidence plastered on his face, “Trust me, Blood God, we’ll all be out of here before you can even argue!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It has been at least a week, judging by the food deliveries, and no one has come to rescue them.
Even Tommy was beginning to become concerned, shuffling around more and picking at his nails while he keeps glancing out the bars impatiently.
“It’s okay,” Tommy says, “Phil just says that they’re preparing. They’ll be here in a few days.”
That was a few days ago and there was no sign of them. Both people in the cell were beginning to get increasingly impatient and Techno – who hadn’t fully believed Tommy in the first place – was now sure that whatever ‘rescue’ Tommy was thinking of was either made up or a mental trick caused from being in the cell for so long.
But he seems so sure when he says that they’re going to be rescued that Techno doesn’t have the heart to argue with him.
It doesn’t help that Techno is getting weaker, either. The little food provided and inability to move is affecting him even more than it had been already, and he barely even has the energy to sit up. Tommy has to help him drink – something that the vampire likely would have made fun of him for if the situation wasn’t literally life threatening. The ache in his bones has turned into a constant fire burning in his joints, stopping him from moving and meaning that he can’t feel many of his limbs.
His matted and grimy pink hair – something that he used to take such pride in – is falling out and whenever he moves his head the world begins to spin around him in great swoops and curves. He can’t even focus on Tommy’s face for long enough to see the look of concern etched into the frown that now always remains on his brow.
More time passes and the guards seem to realise that Tommy has no plans to kill Techno. So, they grab him and drag him – literally kicking and screaming – from the cell while Techno is forced to sit and watch in a daze, helpless to do anything about it.
Every time Techno sleeps, he is less sure that he is going to wake up, the world getting gradually darker every time he opens his eyes. Tommy has been moved to the cell opposite his and calls out to him every time he wakes up and whispers to him when he’s about to sleep.
“Don’t worry. Phil will be here in a few days. Just hang on until then, okay?”
“I think I’m going to sleep.” Techno murmurs to him, ignoring his comment and barely even able to turn his head.
Tommy nods, “Okay. Just promise that you’ll wake up.”
“I promise.” Techno whispers before the world fades from sight.
That was a few days ago now. The guards have stopped giving him food entirely now, not wasting resources on a dead man.
Now, when Techno falls asleep after barely an hour of being awake, he cannot make that promise.
Tommy talks to him the entire time, each word building with desperation; he repeatedly promises that they’ll get out, he begs for Techno to stay alive, he dry sobs for hours on end when Techno is asleep. Techno doesn’t hear any of it.
The last thing Techno thinks before he falls asleep for maybe the last time is that he never told Tommy his name.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He doesn’t remember waking up, but all he’s aware of is the noise.
People are yelling – screaming, even – and there is the loud crash of metal surrounding him, clangs echoing through the room while he stays lying down, unable to turn and ask them to let him die in peace.
There are heavy thuds heading towards him – he doesn’t know what it is and, quite frankly, he doesn’t care. He just wants the noise to stop.
There’s a loud creak from beside him and hushed voices. Techno still doesn’t open his eyes.
“Oh, thank fuck you’re here, Phil.” Someone calls. Their voice sounds familiar, but Techno can’t quite work out why.
“No problem mate.” The next voice is far less familiar, sounding older and with a thicker northern accent than the other. “Where is he?”
“There. Hurry up. I don’t know if he’ll survive.” They sound desperate, as if something dire is happening that they need to fix. Techno doesn’t give a fuck about what it is, he just knows that it can’t be worth disturbing him.
Another metal clang comes from right beside his ear and the footsteps come closer. Techno is slightly more awake now, but he still can’t open his eyes or move.
“Oh god, he doesn’t look to good.”
“He’s not. Go on, we need to get him out of here.”
A quiet click comes from something on Techno's wrist and another few on his ankles, but he doesn't know what it's from.
Then- fuck, someone is lifting him up with inhuman strength. Techno makes a small noise of protest, the only thing he can get out being a tiny squeak from the back of his throat, but is hushed anyway.
“It’s alright mate, we’re gonna get you out of here.” The person holding him says, as the other takes what sounds like a breath of relief.
“At least he’s still alive.”
Then Techno is moving, the person holding him moving quickly away from where he was lying – seriously, why can’t these people just leave him alone? He didn’t do anything to deserve this.
It’s an odd experience, moving so much while almost unconscious, and an entirely unpleasant one. The person running doesn’t move him around in their arms too much and their movements are smooth and practised, but that doesn’t make it much more enjoyable. Techno wants to be back where he was resting. He wants be back where his soul can part from his body in peace. He wants to be in the place where he cannot be annoyed or disturbed by anyone but Tommy.
Shit.
Tommy’s still back there.
For only the second time, Techno whines in complaint, wishing to go back and check that the funny, annoying child is still okay. He doesn’t want to leave Tommy, he doesn’t want to leave him there, he doesn’t want to leave-
But then the person shushes him again, pulling him closer to their chest as they keep running. They don’t stop to rest, don’t slow down, don’t let go of him. They just keep going, taking him away from his little brother.
Brother? When had he started considering Tommy his brother?
He’s not sure, but at least he knows that if he dies now, he will go with a comforting thought in the back of his mind.
Still, though, he keeps moving, phasing in and out of consciousness as they continue to run.
He stays, unable to move and wishing more than anything for his life to just end, for him to need to cling on to life for no longer.
After what feels like millennia, the person stops running and Techno is finally put down on something soft, something that he can lie on comfortably to die.
Before he can do so, though, the voice is back, “Dad, we need to give him food! We need to give him something to help!”
The other voice replies, “I’m so sorry, mate. I don’t think we can. Any food we give him now won’t be enough to save him, and if it is it’ll be too much for his body to process which will kill him instead. There’s nothing we can do.”
“No!” the first cries, sounding as if someone was ripping their heart out of their chest, “There has to be something! I can’t just sit here and watch him die!”
If Techno were able he’d ask them to shut up and stop complaining – after all, they weren’t the one dying.
“Please, dad. Help.” They sound if they’re crying now, gasping through the words and sobbing. If Techno could see them, he’d see Tommy doubled over, clutching his stomach, and trying to cry while unable to produce tears. Techno had heard him cry before, but that was nothing compared to this.
“We…” they seemed to faulter, “we could turn him if you want to.”
“But- but he wouldn’t want that. He doesn’t like vampires.”
“Well, it’s that or he dies.” They sound sorrowful, though it didn’t hold the pain that the first person’s speech wrung with.
Silence.
Then, “Okay. I’ll do it.”
“Alright. Good luck.”
Someone is approaching him – they have lighter footsteps than the person who was carrying him, as if they are unsure.
The footsteps stop and a cold wind blows over Techno’s neck, almost feeling like someone is breathing on him.
His body tenses as blistering pain erupts from his neck, both freezing and boiling as it stabs into his artery. The laceration spreads pain through the rest of his body to an unbearably degree so that he can't even twitch or cry out when it spreads.
His limbs go numb and he can't feel anything but the pain, nothing else in the world is real - nothing but freezing agony.
Literally freezin; it felt like it was slowing the blood in his arteries like it’s becoming ice and his body is becoming increasingly frigid as the objects are removed from his neck.
Then, the pain begins to fade as he begins to go entrirely numb and all he is left with is a frosty body and fading consciousness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Techno flickers in and out of reality for what feels like years – never opening his eyes and feeling disconnected from his body. The longing to stop fighting was gone now – replaced by desire to live, the want to cling on for as long as he possibly could.
Finally, one day he manages to open his eyes slightly and looks around wherever he is.
He is lying on a bed in a small room that is darkly lit – curtains drawn across the window and the only light coming from a few candles on the walls. Techno slowly tips his head up to see properly and spots a person beside him with fluffy blonde hair and crimson eyes.
“Tommy,” he whispers, his voice hoarse from such little use and his parched throat.
“Hey,” Tommy says back with a smile that holds more warmth than the sun itself, “you have no idea how glad I am to see you awake.” One of his hands extends and he runs it through Techno’s hair with a soothing gesture that Techno can’t help but melt into.
“We got out.” He croaks at Tommy – sire, something in the back of his mind provides.
Tommy’s smile grew, “We did. I told you Phil would get us.”
Techno slowly tries to sit up but slips, catching himself on his elbows, blinking as the world starts spinning again. Something in his body feels off - he feels too heavy and stagnant, as if nothing is moving unless he makes it. He also feel extremely cold despite the blankets and fire burning on the candles.
“Careful,” Tommy says, placing his hand on Techno’s upper back to support him.
Techno hummed a confirmation before looking around again, “Where- where are we?”
“This is my friend’s home. We couldn’t manage to get you back to our home, but Puffy let us stay here for a while.”
Then, Techno decides to finally ask the question that he has been longing to ask but dreading the answer ever since he woke up, “Tommy, how am I still alive?”
Tommy’s hand freezes in his hair and he takes a deep inhale – a funny habit he has considering that he doesn’t need to breathe, “I- I’m so sorry,” his voice shakes as he speaks.
“What happened?” Techno sounds more insistent now, panic rising in his throat. He can guess what Tommy did, but he doesn’t want to acknowledge it until he has to.
“We… had to turn you. I’m so, so sorry. I wouldn’t have done it if I had any other choice but I couldn’t just sit and watch you die-”
Tommy keeps rambling in the background, but Techno doesn’t really hear any of it. He lies back down again, staring at the plain white ceiling.
So, that’s it then. He can’t deny it any longer.
He’s a vampire.
He had already guessed, with the way his skin felt cold and the lack of movement inside his body and the way that breathing didn’t seem to really do much, but hearing it made it seem far more real. He shut his eyes, noticing that Tommy had stopped talking.
He doesn’t know how he should react – whether he should forgive Tommy or not. He supposes that Tommy did it to save his life, but that doesn’t change the fact that Tommy didn’t know if he’d prefer that.
Of course, he’d rather be a vampire than be dead, but that doesn’t mean that it was the right thing to do or that it made his turning okay. He doesn’t want to be stuck dead for all of eternity, walking around with an heart that lies still in his chest and blood that remains stagnant in his veins. But, then again, he doesn’t want to stop existing altogether. He doesn’t seem to have a good option here.
“I’m sorry.” Tommy whispers again, a wave of deja-vu flooding Techno’s mind.
He’s forgetting that one thing – it isn’t just anyone who turned him, it’s Tommy. Kind, sweet Tommy who laughs and jokes around constantly. This is Tommy, who would never do anything bad to him unless he had to. This is Tommy, who would go to the end of the earth to Techno. Tommy, who Techno is now bound to for the rest of his undead life.
So, he sits up again and takes one of Tommy’s hands in his own and places his forehead against Tommy’s.
“Technoblade.” Is all he says, shutting his eyes.
“What?” Tommy asks.
“My name. It’s Technoblade. I forgive you.”
Tommy slumps forward, pressing his body into Techno’s and wrapping his arms around his neck. This time, Techno is the one to return the hug.
“I love you.” Tommy muttered.
Techno doesn’t hesitate to respond to his little brother.
“I love you too.”