Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Mornings in the Antarctic Empire were almost always a quiet sort of bustling. The citizens were polite as could be, getting to their jobs to start their days with a smile that none of them ever dreamed of being able to wear. Bakeries would open their doors and let out the smell of fresh baked goods, merchants would set up their stands and offer fair prices for neat little things and trinkets, schools opened and students flocked to fill their brains.

Phil was thankful that he’d been able to do this. Thankful that he still had Techno by his side to help him. Hybrids were often sought after or simply killed in their world, Phil knew first hand all too well. He was lucky in the fact that he’d managed to escape at such a young age. His wings had barely gotten him off the ground back then, it felt strange to think about. Especially since each wing could wrap around his body twice and still have space since he’s grown.

When he amassed enough coins to begin his own life, hiding his wings underneath a cloak, he’d already known that the world was a sick place. And he vowed to make it better for those like him. Phil hit 25 before he felt confident enough to attempt a rescue mission. He’d built up quite the fortune of coin by selling his potions or taking on building projects, and now the time had come to dip into that supply.

There were always posters nailed in various alley ways that he would often see. Posters advertising the sale of hybrids or their parts. It always made Phil uneasy, but now it made him determined. So he found a poster and searched around until he managed to find the location in time for an auction. Wings wrapped tightly underneath his cloak, he whispered the secret phrase and was let into the building.

It wasn’t what he expected at all. The customers ranged from business men dressed in suits to rough looking criminals. Some had exotic hybrids on leashes. Phil made eye contact with an owl hybrid who had her wings clipped and pushed down the guilt in his throat. She looked at him without any form of emotion in her eyes. Phil quickly moved on. He’d seen his fair share of horrors, this just felt too close for comfort.

The stage where the hybrids would be sold off was shoddily put together, the tables everyone sat at were even worse off. It made Phil feel sick in ways he didn’t prepare for when he saw dried blood splatters soaked into the wood. But there was a man on the stage that Phil could only assume was the seller, dressed in a sharp suit with his hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail. He took a seat at an empty table and waited for the night to begin.

“Welcome everybody, looks like we’ve got some new faces tonight.” The seller looked around with a well practiced cocky grin. “Always nice to see some fellow collectors. We’ve got a great selection tonight, folks, make sure you’ve got your wallets on hand!” He chuckled along with half of the audience. “Tonight’s products range from good quality maids and servants to the toughest of fighters, all different species and all very difficult to acquire.” He looked around the room, soaking up the fact that he was in the spotlight. “With that being said, let’s begin.” There was a sick look on his face that made Phil’s stomach do flips.

The curtains in the back that Phil didn’t even notice at first opened up, two handlers led a flighty looking woman to the stage. She was dressed in the bare minimum of undergarments, Phil nearly looked away to save her the feeling of yet another pair of eyes on her. But he knew he couldn’t, it would’ve been too suspicious. “Up first we have a stunning changeling. Perfect for breeding or just for show! She’s only ever had two previous owners, and I’ve been told by both that she’s a very submissive and subservient little thing. The price is going to start at 15,000 coins,” and Phil watched in horror as hands went up to raise the price. He almost put one in to try and save her near the end, but there was something telling him not to.

After the changeling came a merfolk on a rolling tank looking rather sickly. 37,500, simply because they were ‘damaged’. A young male bull hybrid with a blindfold and septum ring big enough to pull went for 192,000. He was supposedly a good farm worker, but Phil could see the scars from whip lashes that made him that way. A handful of cats ranged from 64,000 to 72,900. Avians with clipped or damaged wings sold for well over 200,000 and Phil only curled in on himself.

Just when he was thinking that it was a mistake to even think about going to an auction, the seller quieted down. “This next one is a real find. Only for the most experienced of owners and handlers. He’s not for show, not for personal use, not even for servitude.” The curtains opened again and five different men held poles to the throat of a massive figure. “A piglin, straight from the nether. Intelligent enough to understand commands and strong enough to bend steel with his bare hands.” The room felt cold all of a sudden. The hybrid made eye contact with Phil, deep red eyes and matted fur. This was what he was holding out for.

“This one is currently under a heavy sedative for everyone’s safety, whoever the lucky buyer is will receive their product in a netherite cage with a reinforced obsidian padlock.” The hybrid looked right at Phil the entire time it took for them to get him on the stage. “Let’s start the bidding at-“ “300,000 coins.” Phil kept his eyes locked on the piglin. It was like he knew of Phil’s wings, cinched down underneath a heavy green cloak. Hands went up around him and Phil only set his jaw. “353,000, does anyone have 355,000?” Phil clutched his coin sack tighter. “500,000.” The seller looked surprised. Phil was a slightly smaller than average man, a little on the skinnier side of things too. He supposed it didn’t look like he could hold his own with the piglin.

The silence in the room was enough to make his ears ring. “I’ve got 500,000, does anyone have a higher bid?” The crowd stayed quiet, almost everyone’s eyes on Phil. “Going once, twice,” the seller looked around. “three times! Sold to the man in the green cloak.” Phil let his shoulders relax a bit. He stayed for the remaining portion of the auction before going to claim his purchase. Amid the suits and ties, he looked severely out of place.

As promised, the hybrid was locked in a netherite cage with a heavy lock resting on the front latch. Phil wordlessly handed over his bag of coins to the seller and received the key. He leaned down low to speak with the piglin. “I think you already know, but I’m like you.” He glanced around to the bustle of the other buyers. “I’m going to take you somewhere safe, but you have to promise me that you won’t hurt me or anyone else when I unlock this.” Phil waited a moment for the hybrid to nod. With a hard swallow, he turned the key and opened the door.

When he’d gotten the key he’d also been handed a collar with a metal chair for a leash. It felt sick to do it, but he locked the collar in place around the piglin’s neck and nodded. As they made their way out of the building, the other patrons watched in either fear or awe. The only ones who seemed comfortable with the situation were the other hybrids. Like they knew. And maybe Phil let a feather or two poke out from his cloak when they looked, not like he’d ever tell.

That was just the start of it all. Phil brought the Piglin to his little home and cooked a nice meal before pestering him with questions. Upon finding out his name and some small facts about him, Phil set to work gathering various decorations or things for him to use. He watched Techno grow to be happier. How he filled out and ended up broad with muscles that rivaled those of the marble statues Phil had seen around.

It still felt like yesterday when he brought Techno home and gave him his first proper meal in who knows how long. And now they were running an empire together, taking in hybrids and lost souls.

After Techno, Phil had waited a few months and purchased a siren boy, barely 16, for 34,200. He had raspy breaths and his singing was shot for the longest time. But Wilbur pulled through, blending in with the regular humans and causing mischief.

After Wilbur was a longhorn cow boy. 14 years old and too rowdy for his own good. Phil bought him for 22,500 due to the broken ribs and fractured arm. And just like Wilbur, Tommy made it just fine. Causing quite a few grey hairs at the same time as deepening the smile lines.

Right after Tommy was a goat boy, 15 years old and trembling from head to hoof. He was discounted heavily due to his tendency to faint and supposed lack of usefulness. Phil hated that Tubbo was only 17,000. He hated even more that Tubbo turned out to have a knack for gardening and gadget building, along with quickly becoming Tommy’s best friend. He’d never been given a chance before.

That was when Phil and Techno started the empire. Building walls high enough to ward off raiders, homes large enough to house families, roads wide enough to have a carriage coming both ways. Wilbur helped with the glass work and gathering any material in the ocean since he could hold his breath longer. Tommy pushed bricks of stone three times his weight with ease now that his body had healed. Tubbo started the cultivation of plant life and somehow managed to get electrical work done. Phil and Techno mostly built. Techno being able to carry things that none of them could even dream of lifting and Phil flying up to work on the roofs and final touches.

It took a few months, but the beginning of their empire was built and furnished. All they needed were citizens. So Phil took Techno and Wilbur with him to various auctions with a fortune he’d built himself. Buying hybrids that looked one step away from death or those who were better off dead. Children with malformed faces from hybrid inbreeding, women who were solely meant for breeding, men only meant for fighting.

He hated doing it, absolutely despised it, but he had to keep Techno on a leash. Wilbur could pass as human easily, so long as he didn’t sing. Phil could hide under the cloak. But Techno was a full blown piglin, he couldn’t hide anything. He was a good sport, all things considered, even picking out the chain for Phil to hold.

“I’m letting you do this because you need me there. They know who I am and what I am, they know what I’m able to do.” Techno shed the wintertime cape he always wore in favor of just a dress shirt and brown cotton pants. “They remember you, you know they do. I’ll get you respect, I always do.” he pressed the chain into Phil’s hands and chose to ignore the look of concerned ignorance. “I know how these things work Phil. You're not the first person to bring me out on a leash.” Phil tried to open his mouth to defend whatever idea he had but Wilbur shut him up. “He’s letting you do this. He’s not saying no, he’s not saying that you can’t. Phil, he's doing this for his safety and yours.”

So Phil bit the bullet and clipped the collar on Techno’s neck. It was for the best, and they had more people they needed to rescue. Wilbur went under the ruse of being Phil’s second in command for a fighting ring with Techno as their champ. The door was all too familiar when Phil walked to it. The same place he’d bought all of his people already. The only auction he knew of within their area.

He let Techno and Wilbur choose people they thought were the best fit for their growing nation. Some of them were beyond saving, and perhaps that was what hurt the most. Phil watched as Wilbur’s heart dropped at the sight of some of the children. Sirens, just like him. He turned to Phil, reaching for their auction card, but Phil stopped him. “We can’t, Wil. They’re too young.” He chose to avoid Wilbur’s eyes, entirely aware of the burning glare he was given. “That’s all the more reason!” His voice was a harsh whisper, barely holding back on his vocal power. “Wil. They won’t have a safe home. They won’t be able to work, they can’t help us, we can’t help them.” Wilbur bit his tongue and set his jaw.

Phil put a bid on a female ram hybrid before he could stop himself. She was a first time sale and obviously had the spirit for it. He ignored the jab from Wilbur and the shifting on Techno’s chain. The price went up and Phil’s card went up with it. She was yanking at the restraints they had her in, growling at whoever looked at her, Phil included. But he never faulted. Someone else would bid and he’d throw his card up immediately.

Phil spent a total of 63,500 coins on her, taking the little slip of paper from the seller to claim her later. “Why the fuck would you do that, Phil.” Wilbur looked angry, far angrier than when the siren children were there earlier. “She would’ve gotten killed by anyone else. They caught her on her own,” he turned to look at Wilbur with a fire in his eyes. “If she could make it that long out there, before they caught her, she could do wonders with us.” Techno just remained silent, keeping watch on the curtains for the next hybrid.

They passed up the opportunity on various others before they bought a few hybrids. A woman who held herself like she would fall apart at any moment, ears pulled back and tail tucked as low as possible. Teenagers who looked a little worse for wear with missing feathers or clipped ears. They tried for as many able bodied hybrids as possible, ending up with a small handful of paper slips that totaled over a few hundred thousand coins.

Techno was right, to Phil’s dismay. People were avoiding the trio and giving Phil respectful nods while whispering stories of Techno’s fighting history to others. He’d been able to ‘control’ the beast, as many put it. Phil would’ve scoffed any other day, he spent more time sewing small tears in shirts and slaving over garden crops. Techno had tamed him more than anything.

With a wide berth around them, Phil and Wilbur got the keys to unlock the various cages. It wasn’t too unheard of to dress hybrids in a similar fashion to their owners, especially if they were well known. No one blinked an eye when Wilbur tugged out a cluster of shirts and sandals from a bag. The two handed out the clothes to the soon to be townsfolk, whether they knew it or not.

Techno stood still all the while, eyes tracking everyone around them. Even after all the time that had passed, some habits never died. Phil had even handed back the leash without thinking, leaving people to gasp and search for an exit. But he just held the chain and stood still, watching everyone move around him while hovering over Phil.

Once they’d gotten all of their hybrids, they began their trip back. Wilbur and Tubbo fashioned a carriage drawn by their farm horses with enough space to comfortably shelter ten people with two riding horseback. They were long out of town and just over half way when Phil decided he was tired of roasting under his cloak.

The breeze that ruffled his feathers was welcomed, Phil even fanning his wings out more to catch as much as he could. “I always forget that you’ve got those spots.” Wilbur said with a small laugh while nodding to the white blocks of color on Phil’s secondary feathers. “Sometimes I do too. I barely have the time to fully take care of them, I’m lucky if one of you lot reminds me to preen. Lord knows where I’d be without you guys.” Phil kept the same warm smile he always wore. There was a special fondness when it came to his boys, all having mutually agreed on calling him momma bird as often as possible.

“Phil, how far do you think we are? Some of these guys need food. Now.” Techno poked his head out from under the carriage’s cover. Wilbur handed Techno the bag slung across his saddle before Phil could answer. “We’ve got a little ways to go. I can fly ahead and see if I can grab something if you’d like.” Techno rummaged through the bag, pulling out different sacks of food. Bread, dried meats, fruits that were just a tad bruised, and some veggies he’d picked that morning. “This should be fine for now, thanks.” He tossed the bag back at Wilbur and ducked into the carriage again. Quiet mumbling from the newly purchased hybrids giving their thanks and small sniffles was all that was heard.

Chapter Text

Their kingdom had grown so much from what it started as. Houses were being built regularly, the streets were growing busy, more and more civilians were healing and living a life they never thought they’d have. Farms had sprouted with the help of Tubbo, barns rose up with Tommy, flocks of livestock were tended to and well loved by all of the citizens.

Wilbur had left the kingdom’s walls months ago to search for a life of his own. He had the ability to mask as human since he was only half siren, the only telling feature of his true heritage was some webbing between his toes. He’d been sending Phil letters from every town he came across, telling stories of kind bar keeps and gushing about how sweet the domesticated dogs could be. He also sent various locations of auction sites, each growing more and more professional and higher class the closer Wilbur got to capital kingdoms.

His latest letter made Phil stop in his tracks the moment he read the first few lines.

‘Phil,

I’ve found it. It’s the biggest ring I’ve seen so far. The people in town are saying it’s a monthly thing. The hybrids are so exotic or rare I’ve never heard of them, it’s crazy. The next one will be February 10th, send your letter back with the same crow with your response. I will only attend if you do as well. If you are to bring anyone with you, bring Techno. The boys couldn’t handle it. Bring weapons to hide under your cloak and be prepared to fight if it comes down to it. The sellers are ruthless.

Everyone I’ve spoken to has told me that the hybrids they sell go for a lot of money. More than what you’ve ever paid. There’s a merfolk lady in a tank at the bar I’m writing this in. She’s got a koi fish tail and what I can only describe as the perfect complexion. The bar owner says she cost him half a million gold, but even at that price she was still discounted due to a slice in her fin. I’ve been hearing whispers of demons being sold, Phil. Elementals and dragons, even phantoms. This is the mother of all rings.

The doors are open to the public so long as you have a hybrid with you. Status doesn’t matter, type doesn’t matter, just so long as you have one.

I eagerly await your response,
Much love, Wilbur’

Phil knew Wilbur better than anyone else, meaning he knew that Wilbur would go to the damn auction with or without him. The kingdom had the gold reserves set aside for just this reason, but with how Wilbur described it, they’d need more work on the houses first. Demon hybrids were incredibly hard to care for, and if they were selling those, who knew what else would be for sale.

Phil left Puffy in charge of the boys knowing the kingdom could run well on it’s own for a few weeks. He grabbed Techno and filled their wagon with enough supplies to care for a small army before departing to the location Wilbur had given him. If they played their cards right, they could make it to the other kingdom in three days.

The travel to the first of the few villages left the horses drained. Phil rented a stall for the day and decided to walk the streets to browse around. He reluctantly clicked a collar around Techno’s throat and stashed a leash in his bag in case he were to be stopped by any law enforcement. People moved out of their way more often than not, too scared to even look at what was clearly a full blooded piglin.

Phil managed to buy some nice little trinkets to bring back home in time for their stall rental time to be used up. Once nightfall hit again, they were back on the move. It was always easier for Phil to travel during the night, no need for a cloak when he was under the cover of darkness on abandoned roads.

Each day went about the same. Find a new village to let the horses sleep, sit down for a bite of food and then wander around for a bit to stretch their legs. The nights were mostly spent chatting between the two about whatever crossed their minds. They slept in cycles to make it all easier.

By the first showing of dawn on their third day, they could see the kingdom’s walls in the distance. With a solid two days to spare until the actual auction, they would be able to catch up with Wilbur and set in stone a game plan. Phil clasped his cloak around his shoulders tighter and made sure to secure it. Techno clicked the collar into place on his own and handed Phil the other end of his chain lead. If they wanted respect in this new kingdom they would have to look the part.

Phil kept his hat brim low enough to hide his eyes but made sure the lower half of his face was visible. He wore dragon skin gloves, ones with gold accents, just to make a point. His boots were polished to a shine and silver bangles lined his forearms. Techno had plain clothes on, the only accents of status he showed belonged in the ornate rubies that lined his collar and how well cared for his clothing was.

They set their horses and waggon in a stall and wandered the roads until they found the place Wilbur was staying. It was a nice little inn, the cobbles were worn and the wood had seen better days, but it was a homely little place. They found him sitting at a table in the lobby chatting it up with a short and kind looking young lady.

Wilbur practically lit up when he saw Phil and Techno, waving them over with a wide smile. “Glad you could make it!” He stood and wrapped his arms around Phil. The stark difference between the two of them was a bit shocking. Wilbur wore a patchy looking sweater and had worn spots on his jeans, but Phil and Techno were dressed as the spitting image of royalty. The lady Wilbur was talking to looked like she wanted to pull him away and beg for forgiveness until Phil squeezed Wilbur back and laughed.

“Good to see you, mate. Been awhile.” Phil made sure that the inner clasp in his cloak was secure. “Too long, Phil. Maybe I should come home sometime soon.” Wilbur’s smile was just as warm and soft as the last time Phil saw it. “Oh! I almost forgot! This is Niki, she’s traveling around too. We met by chance when I was a little too drunk.” The young lady looked between Phil, Techno, and WIlbur with wide eyes. “It’s nice to meet you, Niki. I’m Phil, and this is Techno.” Phil tried to keep his tone as welcoming as possible. Techno bowed his head in respect. Wilbur nudged him with his elbow. “Nah, don’t be shy. She’s on the same page as me.” Phil shot him a sideways glance.

Wilbur paused for a moment before feeling the sudden rise in tension. “I mean she’s like me. Half and half.” He quickly clarified. Phil cocked his head to the side before looking around the room they were in. There were no others in sight so he felt at ease enough to smile at Niki and shift so a few feathers showed just under his cloak. Techno furrowed his brows at the interaction, sniffing at the air for a moment. “How are you able to breathe right now?” His voice was low enough to barely be heard. Niki looked surprised before smiling. “Wilbur bought me an enchanted necklace.” “The man selling it assumed I needed it for, uh, well he assumed I was in the market to breed hybrids.” His cheeks were red and Phil couldn’t stifle the laugh.

They caught up for a few more minutes before Phil rented a room and called it a night. The next two days were spent getting a better feel for the city and making all necessary preparations to take home a handful of hybrids that could potentially need medical assistance.

Chapter Text

When the time came for the group to head to the auction hall, Niki joined them under the guise of belonging to Wilbur. She showed off her necklace as proof and even lifted her hair to show a small patch of shimmering scales. Phil was allowed in with Techno after barely a look. They all entered the hall and took their seats at an empty table.

Once everyone had taken their seats and settled in, a man stood on the stage and spoke to the crowd. “Welcome, ladies and gentlemen! So nice to see you all tonight, and I see we have some new faces as well!” He droned on for a few minutes before finally telling the crowd about the first ‘item’ for sale.

“We have a real beauty, right here.” A slim fox hybrid walked across the stage and stood by the announcer. Two men who could be assumed as her handlers stood on either side of her. “She is a full blooded red fox hybrid, unbroken but ready for any possible breeding. She is guaranteed to produce healthy and stunning offspring, and with looks like hers, who can pass this up? Let’s start the bidding at 100,000 gold.”

Hybrids were selling for high prices and Phil could feel Wilbur shifting uncomfortably beside him. He made no movement, just waiting for the right moment. It came after they watched a genuine dragon hatchling sell for 2.3 million gold.

The next hybrid was rolled out in a cage, the bars were tinted blue and covered in frost. The hybrid inside was shivering and huddled in on themselves as much as possible. “This right here folks, is a real fire demon. We have him in this cage for your sake, since he can control fire and all.” The announcer chuckled. “He was, unfortunately, damaged during his capture. He has broken ribs and quite a bit of bruising, but he’ll heal up nicely.”

Phil’s hand was on their auction card in an instant. As soon as someone else’s card came up, Phil’s joined it. The price grew rapidly but Phil’s face remained stone cold.

For a total of 482,000 gold, Phil was now the owner of a fire demon.

Several more hybrids and exotic creatures sold before Phil saw another that he absolutely needed to rescue. He was semi see through and tinted green. The poor guy was shaking from head to toe and looked like he was trying to curl in on himself. His glasses were cracked and his nose looked like it had recently bled.

“Up next we have a first time sale! This is a slime hybrid. His original owner has informed us that he is, and I quote, ‘incredibly sweet and funny’.” The man laughed and Phil felt sick to his stomach. “I don’t think he quite understood what we were doing here. This hybrid is unbroken, very submissive, and would be an excellent addition to anyone running an adult service of sorts.” Several people in the crowd whooped and cheered and the hybrid on the stage cowered back looking terrified. “Let’s start the bidding at 75,000.” Phil’s card was one of many to rise.

Over and over again, Phil’s card rose along with the price. The poor hybrid on the stage had begun to cry, as if he knew what his fate would inevitably be. Once the price hit 200,000, the other bidders began to back down. Phil was the last one standing at a solid 255,000. With nearly a quarter of his gold down, Phil wasn’t content with how few hybrids he’d gotten.

The next one to walk onto the stage was some sort of dog. He had a muzzle strapped on his face and was shoved forward with a long pole connected to his collar. He yanked hard against the resistance and snarled at the announcer. “Quite a feisty one here! I reckon he’d be a good player in a ring. Muzzled and kept on this sort of leash due to how wild he is, this hybrid has been passed around quite a bit. He’d unbroken but would be an excellent breeder, his fight does prove to be an issue. I would recommend that you hold off on bidding if you aren’t experienced with fighters.”

Phil paid a hearty 134,000 gold for him. Several more came out before Phil made his final purchase of the night. Yet another cage was wheeled on, four men were standing guard around the hybrid kept inside.

“This one’s a real treat, folks. Half ender and half unknown, a real find. Standing at a solid 7 feet tall, he’s a sight to see. His body is split down the middle with two different tones as you can see, as well as the eyes.” One of the men beside the cage jabbed in a taser and Techno nearly rose from his seat before Phil could stop him. The hybrid in the cage yelped out a warbled cry but exposed his face regardless. “Don’t worry folks, just because he’s half ender doesn’t mean he can teleport. He’s been raised specifically to isolate that part away. The only traits he keeps, aside from physical appearance, is the fact that water does cause pain and looking him directly in the eyes will agitate him to the point that he will do absolutely anything to make the feeling stop.”

The hybrid in the cage vwopped softly and kept his head angled so that no one would look him in the eye. “This hybrid has proven himself to be a good fighter, breeder, and a nice addition to any adult friendly clubs. He’s been passed around quite a bit so he is absolutely filled with experience.” The starting bid was 150,000 and it grew fast. Phil threw his card up after every raised bid, setting his jaw.

With the heavy price of 1.2 million gold, Phil managed to win the auction.

Once the auction had ended, Phil turned in his slips and brought Techno, Wilbur, and Niki with him into the back. The first cage he unlocked was for the slime hybrid, tossing him a fresh shirt and a pair of sandals to cover his bare feet. “Wilbur, can you help him?” Phil asked, waiting for a nod before moving to the next cage. The dog hybrid growled at him from behind the muzzle and pulled his ears back. Phil only offered a small smile and reached to unclasp the strap from around his head. The man immediately stopped his growling and furrowed his brows. “I trust you enough to not hurt Niki, don’t make me regret it.” He handed him a new shirt and a pair of sandals as well.

The next cage was for the fire demon, the man who gave him the key nearly threw a fit when Phil moved to unlock it. “You’re gonna burn down this whole place if you let that thing out!” Phil crossed his arms and jerked his head to gesture to Techno standing tall behind him. “I know how to handle creatures from the Nether. I’m not about to let the demon that I just bought freeze to death because you don’t know your ass from your elbow when it comes to cooling spells.” He snatched the key from the man's hand and unlocked the cage. Despite the blubbering from behind him, Phil did his best to ease the demon out. “Jesus Christ, you really wanted him to die, didn’t you? If he stays in this thing any longer he’s never going to be of any use!” Phil hated playing the part of a hardass collector, but he had to.

Techno scooped the demon up into his arms, not bothering to slip on a new shirt of shoes due to his injuries. Phil was grateful for Techno being a Piglin most of the time, but now he was thanking whatever god existed because only Techno could handle a fire demon without protective gear. He also had an intimidating stature, and when he turned blood red eyes to the seller, Phil felt his heart swell at the fear in the man’s face.

The last cage to unlock belonged to the half ender hybrid. Phil would be lying if he said he wasn’t worried about the possible outcome. He kept his eyes averted from the hybrid’s face, instead making careful and obvious movements and offering the new clothing once he opened the door. “Can you walk on your own?” Phil kept his voice low and steady. The response he got caught him off guard. “Yeah, I, I can walk.” This wasn’t an adult. This hybrid was just a teenager. He didn’t let the anger at the situation show on his face. “Right, just come with me, we’ll get you situated.”

Now with double the number of people in their group, Phil led the way out of the building and to the rental stall with their horses and waggon. “Wil, are you coming with us or are you going to stay here?” He held the fabric of the back open for the hybrids to climb inside. “I’ll come with, just so you have extra help for a bit.” Wilbur helped the slime hybrid up before climbing in himself. “Niki, are you coming?” Phil asked. “If you have the space I’d love to.” Her voice was sweet, “Of course, there’s always room for more.”

Techno instructed Wilbur to lay down a thermal blanket on the floor of the waggon and set the fire demon down. With everyone situated as comfortably as possible, Phil hopped up and settled on his horse, offering a hand to tug Wilbur onto his.

Chapter Text

The return home wasn’t nearly as taxing as the trip to the kingdom. Wilbur chatted his heart out while riding beside Phil, clearly excited at being able to see him again. “Oh! Phil, there was this terrifying lady at the first bar I stopped at. She was really tall and dressed in all black, I thought I was seeing the Grim Reaper sipping on a margarita.” He laughed, turning to Phil with an ear to ear grin. “Good god, was she taller than you?” Phil reached into the saddlebag to his left and pulled out a water canteen. “I don’t know, but she was so scary, I really thought she was going to snap her fingers and kill me.” He took the canteen offered to him.

“There were also a lot of really nice people who let me pet their dogs. You wouldn’t believe how fancy they get!” He turned towards Phil with exaggerated expressions. “Little yapping ones that can’t do any sort of work, they just get carried around and brushed. There was this one, god Phil it looked like an alien, it had really weird hair. Like long enough to brush out and tie up.”

Wilbur took a swig and passed it back to Phil. “The closer you get to any wealthy place the more you’re gonna see those little shits, it’s so bad.” Phil laughed at Wilbur’s scrunched up face. “I’m glad we don’t have any, I don’t think I could stand it.” Wilbur shifted in his seat to get more comfortable. “I’d hate to see what Tommy and Tubbo would train it to do.”

They talked for hours, coming up to a small kingdom and pulling up to a stable to rest for the time being. Phil handed the owner a nice chunk of change, smiling and giving thanks for letting them stay. “I’m going to try and find something for everyone to eat, keep watch and make sure Techno doesn’t scare anyone too bad.” He placed a hand on Wilbur’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Behave, Wil.” Wilbur smacked his hand away and pulled a face. “You behave, old man.”

Phil kept his coin satchel securely on his hip, his hand never leaving it. He browsed around the little food stands, buying a few loaves of bread and some cured beef and chicken. He racked his brain for what foods the different hybrids would need.

Slimes were usually vegetarian, and the poor guy was already traumatized enough that Phil didn’t want to make him talk more than he was ready to. If he’d only ever had one owner, the odds of him having a very specific diet were high. Phil stood dumbfounded at a stand full of veggies and fruits that he’d never seen before.

The lady must’ve seen how confused he was. “What are you looking for?” Her voice was polite as could be. “I, uh, I bought my son a pet slime. He was raving on and on about how he wanted one, but the little guy is too scared to eat anything we’ve tried to give him.” The lie came easy, even if it wasn’t entirely a lie. The lady nodded in understanding. “I had the same problem with my husband’s slime. Generally, anything they eat is going to sit for a bit before they digest, especially if they’re stressed.”

She explained the proper diet that he would need to start in order to make sure his ‘pet slime’ bounced back to full health and stayed comfortable. She set him up with a nice little sack of veggies and gourds, the latter apparently being a nice transition food since the tendency to rot was much lower. He also made sure to grab a few chorus fruit too, surely the enderman teen would appreciate it.

He knew the general diet for dog hybrids, but still he bought a few options. Most of which had added healing properties or ingredients to boost energy. Techno was always a fan of golden apples and the fancy little cakes with strawberries on top, so Phil grabbed a few to tide him over.

Wilbur’s diet was mostly fish and bread, but with Niki being a merfolk, Phil wasn’t entirely sure if she would be upset at it. He compromised by making sure to grab extra bread rolls and some fish jerky that could easily be hidden. The real challenge was the fire demon, Phil hadn’t even begun to think about how complicated his diet had to be. Straight from the nether and injured? He was surely going to be difficult to nurse back to health.

The produce stands for nether grown goods were spread out, nearly nonexistent or very well hidden. It was easy to guess that there was some sort of law loophole they were exploiting. He did manage to find one with a variety of shrooms and strider meat. The man selling it eyed Phil up and down. “How much for the warped fungus?” Phil kept the brim of his hat low, just enough to obscure his eyes. “Fifty.” He set his jaw and leaned back. Phil frowned. “I’d give you fifty for your whole stock.” The man scoffed.

They went back and forth for a few minutes before Phil convinced him to give a reasonable price. “I’ll give you forty for three of each shroom and a pound of strider meat.” He watched the man reluctantly agree and handed over the coins. His next, and last, stop was for medicine.

The potion shop wasn’t hard to find at all, the little sign was cute as could be. Phil walked in and immediately loved the place. Colorful bubbles floated up and gathered at the ceiling, different potions and spells sitting on shelves with good prices listed, and a lovely atmosphere. He grabbed a few bottles of healing potions, a handful of vials with enchanted seeds for Tubbo, and a rather pricey warming spell.

The walk back wasn’t boring in the slightest. Children were chasing each other with sticks, dogs barking at small critters, and more and more street vendors trying to get him to buy their wares. His coin sack was significantly lighter but the bag slung over his shoulder was bursting with the goods he’d just purchased. It wasn’t often that he got to explore the far away villages and towns of nearby kingdoms, but it was always nice to see just how different things could be.

When the stables were within sight, Phil hoisted the bag further up his shoulder and sped up. He could see the horses dozing off, the fabric of the waggon shifting from the people inside. He felt himself smile, despite the horrible world they lived in and the treatment that led them all together, it felt nice to be able to help.

The fuzzy feeling was gone the instant Wilbur’s head poked out of the back of the waggon, looking frantically at Phil. “Phil! Tell me you got something to heal, he’s not doing too good!” Phil nearly dropped his bag when he sprinted to the stables. He jumped through the opening that Wilbur made and was at a loss for the situation at hand. The fire demon was writhing on the thermal blanket, loosely held within the confines by a very stressed out Techno.

He froze for a moment, unsure of what exactly he was supposed to do before he dropped the bag and dumped the contents in a corner. The thick glass bottles rolled for a brief moment before Phil snatched one and yanked the cork out. “Lift his head, I don’t want him to choke.” He shifted around the different pairs of legs, weaving between Techno’s bulky frame to ease the demon’s mouth open. “Shh, shh. Drink it, I promise it’ll help. Just a little bit,” The demon wriggled in Techno’s hold, whining in obvious discomfort.

“There you go. Come on, just a bit more.” Phil tipped some of the potion into his mouth, easing up when he coughed and spluttered. As the demon stilled, Phil encouraged him to drink more. The other hybrids in the wagon watched with bated breath. Wilbur looked like he was itching to help but holding himself back, Phil could barely stand the burning heat of the demon against his bare skin, Wilbur would surely burn in an instant.

After everything settled down, Phil didn’t notice that his cloak had somehow slipped off. It was only when Techno reached out to push one of his wings out of the way that he realized. “You’re shedding.” The intensity of the situation wore off and was quickly replaced with tension. “Ah. Figured.” He sat back on his haunches, huffing out a sigh and motioning for Wilbur to grab the spell from the pile of things on the floor.

He folded his wings against his back and pressed the spell to the demon’s chest. Despite the fact that he was burning hot to the touch, he wasn’t hot enough to be stable. The spell also made it possible for him to sit at a steady internal temperature while being cool enough to the touch to feel like a regular human. The demon mumbled incoherently, too blissed out of his mind to comprehend.

Phil could feel the eyes on him. “Yeah, I’ve got wings. There’s a reason I’m not a prick.” He smiled and moved over to the pile of food that dropped from his bag and hung his cloak at the flaps for another layer of protection. “I’ll tell you all the story when we’re home safe, don’t wanna bore you right now.”

Phil snatched a few items off of the ground. “I had no idea what you guys eat, but I think I got it right.” He turned to the dog hybrid with bread and meat in hand, “What’s your name?” The man looked confused. “Sneeg.” Phil nodded. “Right, do you have a preference for food?” Sneeg shook his head and gladly accepted his food.

He passed Techno a golden apple and a mini cake, patting him on the shoulder as a thanks for helping with the demon. “Niki, are you against eating fish?” He asked cautiously. The air around them was still tense, but when Niki laughed, every little bit of anxiety that built up washed away. “No, I just don’t eat fish myself.” Phil breathed out a sigh of relief and tossed Wilbur a pack of fish jerky and gave both him and Niki a basket of bread.

With an armful of chorus fruit, he turned to the enderman. “What’s your name?” He carefully avoided the boy’s eyes. “Ranboo.” Phil smiled and handed him the fruit. “Are these all for me?” The kid seemed shocked. “Well, yeah. I doubt anyone else here would eat them, they’re an acquired taste unless you’ve got ender blood.” He risked a glance up, Ranboo was marveling at the purple fruits in his hands. “I’ve never been allowed to have more than one before.” Phil bit back the heartbreak and thanked the gods above that he snagged some seeds for Tubbo to plant.

When he turned to the slime, Phil noticed that he looked just as terrified as when he was on the stage. “What’s your name, mate?” The slime opened his mouth but quickly closed it. “It’s alright if you don’t want to say just yet, I didn’t know what you’d eat so I got a bunch of vegetarian options.” Phil watched as he cautiously reached out and grabbed a carrot and a small bag of round pumpkin slices. “Interesting combination, you’ll have to tell me how it is.” Phil gave him a soft smile before turning his attention to the demon.

He was finally waking up without the pain of his injuries. He caught sight of Phil and then his wings, almost instantly shooting to sit up before Techno pushed him back down rather unceremoniously. “Glad to see you’re awake.” Phil smiled at him. “Wha- who’re you? Where am I? Where’s my dad?” Phil’s smile dropped. “You were sold at an auction, I bought you to save you. They beat you up pretty bad.”

The demon stopped trying to fight being held down and seemed to accept it. “How about you tell me your name, we can find your dad together.” Phil tucked his legs under himself and began to sift through the food again. “My name is Sapnap. Who are you? Wait, who are they?!” At the sight of more hybrids around him, Sapnap started to panic. “New friends, now relax.”

Phil knew he was in for a rough time taking care of the new members of his growing kingdom. He could only hope that the journey back home wouldn’t have him pulling out feathers. Again.

Chapter Text

The quiet munching of everyone in the wagon wasn’t how Phil planned his evening to go, but he didn’t really have a choice. He wanted joyous conversation, animated movement, wide smiles as they all started the very beginning process of moving past their trauma. He supposed that it was to be expected, the kingdom they’d all come from gave very detailed histories on each, and they didn't look amazing.

Sneeg was captured in a forest far past the mountain ranges that loomed in the distance. He was just a teenager and somehow managed to survive for the majority of his life within the woods with another hybrid. Most of the information on the other hybrid was either scratched off or extremely vague, but Phil concluded that he was some sort of imp or demon. Perhaps he could find him one day.

Aside from the notes of his capture, Phil read that Sneeg fought nearly every owner he’d ever had. His list of wins in fighting rings was soaked in blood, it looked like he could even hold his own with Techno. It listed that he’d gone through over ten different handlers, each selling him off to pay for the damages he’d done to them.

As Phil read Sneeg’s story, he could see him tearing chunks of bread off and rolling them between his fingers. He looked a little lost in thought, absentmindedly squishing the bread balls before popping them in his mouth. He would only snap out of his own head when the ender hybrid offered a chunk of his fruit. Phil had to stop himself from laughing at the twisted face of disgust that Sneeg made, he had warned them that it was an acquired taste after all.

After Sneeg’s came the fire demon. He had been hunted for weeks before his capture, and it didn't look like it was an easy one. There were pages and pages about the tracking and traps they used, how they led another demon away with a ruse long enough to throw a weighted net and nearly cast Sapnap into the lava. They’d written that excessive force was needed, even providing pictures of the burns that the hunters endured.

Their pain was well deserved, in Phil’s mind. The more he thought about it, however, the more likely it seemed that the other demon was Sapnap’s dad. It was a true hunting tactic, like they were livestock. Draw the young from the parents and shoot your shot. He felt sick, finding Sapnap’s dad would prove to be more difficult than planned.

As he was stuffing the papers back into their envelope, he watched Sapnap bite into a raw warped shroom. His smile was a sight to see, with pointy teeth and a forked tongue. Phil could only smile when he watched Sapnap hand a crimson shroom to Techno who accepted cautiously. “I don’t bite.” Phil nearly snorted, of course a fire demon would be cocky, even when he was struggling to sit up on his own.

Wilbur watched his dad sift through the papers, handing him the next envelope after he panicked silently for a moment. Phil smiled at him, passing one of the many little cakes he’d bought for Techno. The frosting had smashed against the side of the box a bit, but it was still a cake at the end of the day.

The envelope Wilbur handed him ended up being for the ender hybrid. It was half medical documentation and half ownership history. From what Phil could understand, Ranboo was a mystery to anyone who’d ever had him. A vast majority of his medical documents were written in Ender Speak, something Phil had never been able to pick up. From what he could gather with the pictures, Ranboo was the product of man-made hybrids.

When the man selling him off mentioned that he’d been trained to become agitated by eye contact and water but that he wasn’t able to teleport, he wasn’t lying. Ranboo had been genetically engineered from a regular ender hybrid and a mess of undisclosed genes.

The isolated instincts from his ender side made him an excellent fighter, he had even more wins under his belt than Sneeg. There were warnings in his history that claimed he could grow to be well over eight feet tall when under severe stress and looking at him when under such duress would freeze you to the spot and seal your fate.

Phil could hardly believe it when he looked at Ranboo, he kept his head bowed and his voice soft. Looking at him in this state, he didn’t look like a killer. Especially when he happily accepted a bread roll from Niki and made a warbled noise of appreciation without noticing and hid his face when she cooed at him.

Cramming all of the papers back into the envelope, Phil snagged the last one off of the floor. The slime’s history was the shortest, which was to be expected. Instead of all of the nitty gritty history, he was greeted with a sharp contrast. It seemed like the poor guy was given up as a last resort, the man who owned him sold every last thing before even considering selling who he claimed was his best friend.

There was a letter, tucked in between it all. When Phil read, ‘Dear Charlie,’ he decided to hold off. That wasn’t for him to see. He instead read over the kind words written about him. They said that the slime, Charlie, he supposed, had an excellent source of humor. He could light up any room he walked into, make friends in the strangest of places, and he was an absolute wonder to be around.

It went on to list his eating habits. Charlie struggled to function if he didn’t eat something every three to four hours, and he strictly ate raw fruits and veggies. Phil glanced over to the bag of goods he’d bought. After everything settled down, he’d carefully placed everything back inside, including a variety of new plants for Tubbo to cultivate. There had to be plenty of options for Charlie to eat.

Phil was especially gentle when he replaced all of the information into the envelope, taking extra care to make sure the letter was tucked in the center to avoid the risk of any damage. He stuck all of the envelopes into one of the leather pouches on his belt and stood. “Right, I’m gonna ready the horses. If any of you want to ride the first shift with me you’re more than welcome.” Phil paused to stretch, reaching his arms tall above his head and groaning when his shoulders popped.

“If none of you want to, I don’t blame you. It’s been a long day.” He grabbed his cloak and secured it around his shoulder. “Try and get some sleep, we’ll probably have another two to three days before we’re back home.” With that, he hopped out of the canvas flaps and weaved his way towards the horses. They’d awoken from their slumber at some point and were munching on some hay that had been left by the kind stable owner.

Phil bumped his head with the horse closest to him, stroking down her neck. She was Phil’s oldest horse, lovingly named Astral. “Up and at em, come on.” He ducked under her head and stepped to the second horse. He belonged to Tommy, unfortunately named Bitchboy after he’d bucked Tubbo straight off. “Come on, bud.”

He was saddled up, adjusting his cloak and saddlebag when the flap opened behind him. “Phil, Niki wants to know if she can ride with you. She’s too scared to ask.” Phil laughed, “Sure, I don’t mind.” He watched as a hand smacked the back of Wilbur’s head. “Ow! He said it’s okay!” The flap closed but Niki appeared at Phil’s side before too long.

“I’ll let you ride Astral, she’s good with most people.” He kept his smile as he slid off of her saddle. “Do you need a boost up?” Niki looked between him and the horse for a moment before sheepishly nodding. “I’ve never been on a horse before.” Phil nodded. “Just trust her to lead you the right way, she’s an easy ride.” He gestured for her to jump, helping her get more air by boosting her hips.

Niki settled in the saddle and smiled down at Phil. “This is amazing!” Phil couldn't help but laugh. “I’ve only been out of the water for a week but it’s been the best week of my life.” Phil nearly fell out of the footholds on the saddle. “A week?” He looked at her in disbelief. “How did you even manage to meet Wil then?” He got a steady footing and hopped up onto the saddle. “Oh! He was singing on the pier, he has the most beautiful voice. I just couldn’t help but follow it.” She startled for a second when Astral huffed.

“You mean to tell me Wilbur has been using his voice?” Phil pulled a stern face and turned to look at the wagon, waiting for Wilbur to poke his head out and defend himself. “It was dark, don’t worry.” Niki laughed and mimicked Phil’s hold on the reins. “I don’t think he was even using his voice, he’s just really good.” Phil heaved a sigh and shook his head. “I’m never letting him leave home again.”

They meandered the horses out of the stall with the wagon in tow. The lanterns that were strewn about the streets had finally been lit. They faded into little pinpricks of light the further they got, some part of Phil wished he could’ve walked the cobbles for just a few minutes. He always loved being able to see different cities and towns around other kingdoms.

Chapter Text

Niki made for nice company. She was soft spoken, not nearly as loud as Wil but not as silent as Techno tended to be. It was interesting to her her perspective on life, especially since she’d lived under water for most of it. “So, you just up and left?” Phil questioned. “I didn’t really have anyone down there that I cared about. Most of the other merfolk avoided me because I was too curious about the land.” Phil snorted.

He let go of the reins and shed his cloak once more. They’d journeyed far enough away from any population and the darkness had him comfortable enough to stretch his wings out. “They really thought you were too curious? What, are you, an old wives tale?” Niki puffed out a laugh. “Pretty much. I doubt they’ll be surprised if they found out I went on land.” She yawned. “I already like it better than the water, though. I just don’t know how long this necklace will last.”

Phil pondered her words for a moment before getting an idea. “I can find a magick shop at the next place we stop, they’ll probably have something there.” Niki shook her head. “Oh, gods no. Wil told me how much he paid for this and I still feel horrible about it.” She held the pendent gently in one hand, running her thumb up and down the smooth surface. It was Phil’s turn to laugh. “Niki, I run a kingdom. It might be small, but it’s growing. You saw how much I just spent at an auction, I can afford to get you as many of those as you need.”

Niki tried to interject and plead her case of not needing it but Phil was quick to shush her. “You’re a friend of Wilbur, that makes you a citizen of the Antarctic Empire.” He turned to look at her. “And that means that it’s my responsibility to make sure you’re happy and cared for.” For a moment, Phil thought Niki was going to cry. He feared he’d said something wrong, even if he didn’t mean to.

She laughed, the kind of laugh that was bubbling on the surface of tears. “You know, that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.” Understanding dawned on Phil and he reached out to pat her shoulder despite the difficulty from the horses. “You’ve got an opportunity for a new life with us, Niki. We’ll always be there with open arms if you choose to stay.”

It wasn’t long after that Phil made her go back into the wagon to call it a night so she could be well rested in the morning. He continued to ride alone, finding a slight peace in the quiet under the stars. He thought back to the times before he’d first had the idea of rescuing other hybrids, when there was a heavy bounty on his head simply because of how wide his wings were.

Sitting on the back of a horse he’d purchased for Tommy, with all of the memories of his achievements, Phil let himself feel the gravity of his own life. It wasn’t often that he got the chance to think anymore. Between raising a kingdom, ensuring the happiness of his people, and making sure he kept himself alive, Phil barely got a break. He’d been coasting on the promise that it would eventually be able to run mostly by itself, but that had been stuck on the back burner for years.

Phil had always been aware of the risks he put himself through, but for the first time in years, he thought about his little family. If something were to happen, no, when something happens and his wings are revealed, it’s no longer just him at risk. His family, the people he rescued, his home. They would all be targeted.

The boys he nursed back to health, the ones who made him press kisses onto scrapes and scratches claiming it to be good luck, the ones who melted under his affection, they would have to fight sooner or later. A war that Phil had drafted for long before they even met him. They would be forced to fight, to shed blood, to risk everything they had for the chance that their home would be safe.

He hated knowing it, but Tommy would follow him without question. Tubbo would always follow Tommy, even if it meant they’d get hurt. Wilbur never looked out for his own safety, throwing all caution to the wind when he felt threatened. And Techno?

‘For you, Phil. The world.’

It’d come up the night Tommy had been bought and transferred back. Techno had taken a seat on a tree stump, watching the stars like his life depended on it. He’d spoken to Phil before he could even see him. It was a simple phrase, but it had weight to it. The kind of weight that made Phil’s heart stop for a split second. When he pressed Techno further, he’d just stayed quiet.

Techno would move mountains if the sun was in Phil’s eyes. He would drain the oceans if Phil asked. There was no question if he would fight, only when he’d stop.

He’d have to stop bringing any of them out with him and start writing down instructions on how to run things in the event that he got captured. He felt dirty for even thinking about sending his citizens, his family, to fight a battle none of them signed up for, disgusting for having the smallest hesitation. Life had not been kind to any of them, that had been known, but life didn’t have to continue to be cruel.

Phil knew that he needed sleep, that thinking under the stars for too long was sure to have it’s lasting damage soon enough. The thought of waking anyone up to take his place was far out of his mind. Phil would sacrifice his sleep for their comfort any day of the week.

Any feeling of unease that had wormed its way into his gut disappeared when he heard Techno’s low, rumbly snoring followed by Wilbur’s quiet sleep talking.

Chapter Text

The night always gave a physical view for the phrase ‘it gets worse before it gets better’ in the sense that his head would be cleared by the time dawn crept towards the skyline. Phil wasn’t a fan of the night, too many bad memories and too many chances of being attacked. It was better to just sleep it off and face the day well rested.

Of course he wasn’t, but the people riding in the wagon behind him mattered more than he felt he ever could. The first signs of them waking up was Wilbur poking his head out of the flaps and making small ‘wah’ noises until Phil finally turned to look at him. “What do you need?” Wilbur glared at him, complete with bleary eyes and two day old stubble. “‘M hungry.” Phil chuckled and fought back a yawn. “My bag is back there, I’m sure there’s enough left over for you all to have some breakfast.”

Wilbur disappeared back into the wagon, only to return a few seconds later. “Phil,” He whined, drawing out the name as long as possible. “Yeah?” “Me me hungry.” Phil didn’t even have to turn around to know that Wilbur was pouting. “There’s food back there, yeah?” He was met with a grunt. “You’ll have to survive off of that for a few hours. Tragic, I know.” He could hear more people stirring. “You’re so mean to me. I thought I was your favorite son! Phil is so mean.” Before he could get a word in to politely scold Wilbur, Techno piped in. “Wilbur, I’ll turn you into breakfast if you don’t keep it down.”

Phil borderline cackled. Wilbur did retreat back into the depths of the wagon without too much complaining in the end. Phil continued to lead the horses towards the next stop, buttoning his cloak back on and making sure he had it extra secured. The seasons were beginning to change, he’d have to switch his current one out soon enough. He’d just have to power through the inevitable sweating that was bound to get worse the higher the sun rose.

Just when the very beginnings of houses started to peak out above the steadily rising hills, Techno poked his head out. “Phil.” His voice was still thick with sleep. “Yeah, mate?” Phil turned to look at him, hoping that his hat casted a strong enough shadow to hide his eye bags. “We need water.” Phil nodded, snagging the canteens of water that had been left in the saddle bags.

He leaned back as far as he could without slipping out of his foot holds, stretching his arm just enough to pass them to his friend. “Think that’ll hold you all off for a bit? We’re close to the next stop.” Techno grunted in response. “Bathroom break as soon as we get there!” Wilbur poked his head out alongside Techno. “I have to pee.” Phil snorted at his antics. “Alright, bathroom break at the next stop.”

When he heard the shuffling of the canvas flaps, Phil sighed. He would have to take a nap at some point, he wouldn’t be able to defend any of them if he was too tired to function. “Phil?” He nearly jumped out of his skin. “Jesus!” He turned to look back at Techno. “When was the last time you slept?” He couldn’t defend himself by lying, Techno would have his head for it. “You never jump that much when you actually sleep, ya know.”

“You’ve got a point.” He tugged the reins to slow the horses down to a stop. “Come on then.” He hopped down from Tommy’s horse and situated himself on Astral again. “You sleepin’ on a horse? What are you, senile?” Techno made his way through the wagon, stepping out into the grass of the field they’d stopped in. He stretched before adjusting Bitchboy’s saddle and settling himself into the holds.

“You know, every time I see you on that horse I’m glad Tommy begged me to keep him.” Phil finally let himself yawn. “You’d break Astral, she’s too old now.” Techno snorted, pulling a rare, full smile. “Yeah, that’s what happens when you buy a pregnant horse Phil. Half the time the foal is part clydesdale back home.” Phil laughed. “Right you are, mate.” He yawned again, the lack of sleep making itself known.

Techno nudged his foot into the horse’s side, making him move forward. “If you were tired you could’ve gotten me. I don’t mind riding at night.” Phil knew he’d signed himself up for the talk the moment he convinced himself to push on through the night. “Well-” He couldn’t introject an excuse before Techno interrupted him. “No. You’re only fully of use when you’re at your best. That means sleep, food, and water.” It sounded harsh and it did dig a little hole into his chest, but Phil knew it was Techno’s way of expressing concern. And it was true, he couldn’t defend his people if he could barely function.

He sucked in a breath and sat in the silence for a moment. “I hate that you’re right.” He laughed, looking over to Techno with a worn down expression. “Wake me up when we get to the next place, alright? Before anyone sees that it’s just you leading the horses.” Phil shifted where he sat, feeling the building ache in his joints from sitting still for so long. “I will. Now go to sleep, old man. We’ll be fine.”

He did just that, pushing himself down on Astral’s saddle until he could comfortably lean forward enough to wrap his arms loosely around her neck. He’d only done it a handful of times, but Astral seemed to understand every single one of them. She kept her head at a steadier level, almost like she was trying to be careful not to wake him.

Techno led the wagon straight towards the buildings in the distance, looking over to Phil every so often. He smiled at the sight of Phil’s hair sticking out in wild directions after he had to snatch his hat to stop it from falling. His mouth was parted just enough to drool onto his sleeve, something he’d be upset about when he woke up.

Behind them, the ender hybrid, Ranboo, had decided he’d had enough of the cramped confines of the wagon and elected to sit just above the hitch that connected to the horses’ harnesses. He held the canvas flaps open to bring in sunlight that the others craved too, all of them basking in the warm rays. It was clear that they’d never really gotten the opportunity to enjoy it, if they’d seen it at all.

Sapnap was still recovering and thus forced to sit still for the most part, but he’d inched himself towards the opening, staring in awe at the wide expanse of land. He held onto the wood with careful hands, almost like he was scared of burning it just by touch. Sneeg settled down on the bench he’d been sitting on, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. Freedom had been a promise that never was kept for him, just breathing in the fresh air and having the slightest hope of a normal life was enough for him.

Wilbur resigned himself to sleeping under one of the benches, too bored to do much else and too fidgety to just stay still. Niki sat on the floor in front of him, blocking the sun from his face. She was beginning to make small talk with the slime hybrid, even if she was doing most of the talking herself.

When he cracked the smallest of jokes, it caught her by surprise and she couldn’t help but laugh loud enough to wake up Wilbur and alert everyone else. She was quick to apologize through her giggling but didn’t miss the small smile that slipped onto the guy’s face. “My name is Charlie, by the way.” Niki’s smile widened, pulling the bag of food towards them to find a snack. “My name is Niki.” She handed him a bag of small veggies that he gladly took.

Chapter Text

The others in the wagon all knew that Phil was sleeping, each taking a peak at him slumped over his horse. They all knew he was beyond exhausted, just like they were. The next stop was still far enough away that they didn’t bother feeling dread in seeing any regular humans.

Ranboo was still sitting on the connection joint between the horses and wagon, admiring the way the sun felt on his skin, letting the tips of his toes brush the tall grass. His tail curled comfortably around his waist, flicking every so often when he saw an interesting flower or when a bug got a little too close. “Where’d you come from?” The question made him jump, knocking his head against the lip of the wagon cover. He turned to look at the person who asked and immediately flinched away.

“Please don’t look at my face.” His whole body was tense until the guy got the hint. When the tension dropped, he turned to look in his general direction. “Sorry, it’s just, I freak out when people look at my eyes.” He couldn’t force a smile to save his life. “Oh, you’re good man. My fault for not putting two and two together.” The casual tone of Sapnap’s words put him at ease.

He shifted until his arms were hanging out of the wagon’s opening, dragging his fingers through the grass. “You’re part ender, right?” He asked. Ranboo nodded before realizing that Sapnap hadn’t seen it. “Yeah. At least that’s what my paper says.” He huffed out a small laugh and Sapnap smiled, never taking his eyes off of the plant life around them. “Do you ever miss the End Realm?”

Ranboo swallowed a lump in his throat. “I’ve uh, never been. They told me I was made in a lab.” He picked at his nails, subconsciously flicking his tail. “Oh. Shit man, I’m sorry.” Sapnap winced and pulled one arm up to rest his chin on it. “I just, I miss my home. It hasn’t even been a week, and I don’t even remember most of it. But I miss the Nether.” They both sat in silence for a moment, clearly trying to find the right words to say. “It gets easier.” Both of them jumped, Ranboo hitting his head again and Sapnap nearly pinching his back.

Techno stayed facing forward. “How do you think I ended up here? They don’t exactly breed piglins up on the surface.” Sapnap cocked his head to the side. “Wait, you’re from the Nether too?” “Yup. Got caught, fought for a while, got sold to Phil.” He paused for a moment before adding, “He’ll let you go back, if you want. If you want to find your dad he’ll help you and let you decide what you want to do next.” Ranboo made a warbled noise to himself for a moment. “Do you think he could help me?” He watched Techno sigh, broad shoulders rising and falling.

“That’ll be more of a challenge. He’s never been to the End Realm before and we don’t have any translation books for End Speak.” Ranboo’s disappointment must’ve been palpable. “If you asked, he’d do his best. There’s not a lot of people like him, not everyone tries to help.” He turned to look at Phil with a frown. “And not everyone works themselves to the bone trying to run the world only to end up sleeping on a horse.” Sapnap muffled a snicker.

While they were having their conversation in the front, Niki was making steady progress with Charlie. Sneeg even joined in after a while. “So, you’re actually a mermaid? Like tail and gills?” Sneeg asked Niki, curious as could be. “Yeah, Wil bought me this necklace that lets me have legs.” She lifted the pendent and let the two of them lean in closer to look.

“Did you fall when you tried to walk for the first time?” Charlie smiled. Truthfully the smile hadn’t left his face from before, it just grew the more they talked. Niki’s cheeks flushed in slight embarrassment. “Yeah, he had to catch me a lot. Stairs were the hardest part.” Sneeg grinned, the sharp points of his canines poking out.

His tail thumped lightly against the floor for a moment before he caught himself. Niki’s jaw dropped and she cooed over him. “That’s so cute!” She leaned back to get a better look. Sneeg tried to stop it, the mindset of wagging his tail showing weakness would never leave his brain. With Niki fussing over how adorable it was, he couldn’t stop it from thumping harder, even as he tried to pin it down he couldn’t stop the flutter in his stomach. He felt genuinely happy.

Charlie was laughing at their antics, knowing that he would be next if Niki ever saw him shrink down from lack of moisture. “I think you’re embarrassing him, Niki.” Wilbur mumbled from under the bench, cracking one eye open to watch them. “Oh, and if you think this is bad, wait until Phil starts mother henning you. He’ll scratch behind your ears if you let him.” Sneeg looked utterly bewildered. “He’ll what?” Wilbur laughed and rolled over. “I’m joking. But he’ll dote on you all of the time.”

Niki shifted to block the sun from hitting the back of Wilbur’s neck. “Does your tail wag when you’re really happy or just on its own?” Her smile was still there, just smaller and softer. “I honestly can’t remember the last time it did that. Usually I can keep movement under control but I guess not anymore.” He huffed and put on a fake exasperated expression. “Well, maybe it means you’ll be able to be freely happy.” Niki pulled the bag of food towards him and gestured for him to go through it.

“How many others do you think there are?” Charlie asked, picking the leaves off of a carrot. “Wil told me that it’s all hybrids, apparently Phil’s been doing this for years.” Niki tore a piece of bread off of a roll and popped it in her mouth. “So we’re really getting a new start?” Sneeg moved to sit with his legs tucked under him. “I’m pretty sure. I think they would’ve killed us by now.” Charlie finally took a bite of his carrot. “Holy shit, does food just float in your body?” Sneeg looked at him with wide eyes.

Charlie cocked his head to the side and swallowed his food. “What do you mean?” He looked between the carrot and Sneeg. “Oh my god! That’s so cool!” Sneeg's mouth was hung open in amazement, staring at Charlie’s slightly see through skin. “Stop staring, it’s rude.” Niki scolded him and bumped his arm gently. “Shit, sorry.” Sneeg looked away and Charlie smiled. “It’s okay, I just haven’t gotten asked that before.” He laughed lightly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“If you want, I can show you a really weird way I can eat.” His smile turned to a mischievous grin. Niki’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “What?” Sneeg looked at him suspiciously. “Watch this. It’s my party trick.” Without hesitating, Charlie lifted the hem of his shirt and grabbed the carrot. “Holy shit dude, don’t-!” Sneeg almost reached to stop him but Charlie just stabbed the carrot through his stomach.

Sneeg and Niki looked at him in horror as the carrot just passed through his skin and settled to float in his stomach, the skin stretching over the hole. “Oh my god.” Niki’s voice was flat. Charlie nearly doubled over in laughter, clearly enjoying himself. “How can you just do that?” Sneeg blinked hard and continued to stare at the spot even after Charlie pulled his shirt back down. “It’s the fun part of being goop, man.”

Chapter Text

Everyone in the wagon stopped conversing when Techno woke Phil up. “We’re getting pretty close to the next stop. Get ready to hop out and stretch.” Phil said as he sat up and groaned, reaching his arms above his head and stretching as much as he could from where he was. “Christ, I forgot how uncomfortable this was.”

He twisted his torso and cracked his back, wincing at the sound. “God, you’re practically falling apart.” Techno snorted, dropping the reins and cracking his neck. “Bout time we got here, I’m getting antsy.” He rolled his shoulders back and sat taller.

Ranboo shifted on the wagon hitch, “Do we need to sit under the cover?” Phil snatched his hat back from Techno. “If you want to, I’m gonna lead us straight to some stables. I’ll have to get a look at how they treat hybrids before I let you guys wander around.” Despite the casual tone, it was clear Phil hated having to deal with the constant discrimination of hybrids.

“Worst case scenario, buy a bunch of cheap collars and walk with us all in a group.” Wilbur had emerged from under his bench and sat beside Ranboo, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his palm. “You know I hate doing that, Wil.” Phil’s voice left little room for any rebuttal. “Mhm. But you’d hate for something to happen even more.” He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, eyeing Phil with a knowing look.

Phil heaved a sigh, Wilbur was more stubborn than a mule having a rough day. “No matter what we do, you lot are all staying close to me. We’re too far from home to risk anything.” He yawned and stretched his arms above his head again before double checking that his cloak was secure. “At least I can blend in too.” Wilbur rubbed at his eyes and ran a hand through his hair.

The houses were starting to come within earshot, the quiet conversations of the townspeople filled the air around them. Various women tending to the laundry or running the children off with brooms, men milling about at the little shops. None of them paid the wagon any mind, too focused on their own things to care.

They stuck on the outskirts, following the dirt roads and well worn cobbled stone paths until they found a large stable. Phil once again handed over a fair amount of coins in exchange for the day. He was rather nonchalant in asking the stable keeper about how hybrids were kept, if he’d need leashes or if they could just walk with him since they were so well behaved.

The others all watched from the wagon, doing their best to get a read on Phil’s body language. He bent in on himself from laughter at something the man said and waved his hand like he’d said something outrageous. The man he was talking to had a smile on his face and was gesturing with his hands, clearly very friendly with Phil.

As he walked back, his smile brightened and he gave them all a thumbs up. “You all just have to stay close to me, they’re pretty loose with a lot of regulations here.” Phil straightened the brim of his hat and secured his coin pouch tightly to his hip again. “Bathroom break and then food. I’m sure I can find somewhere to buy something nice for you guys.” With that, Phil waved for them to follow him. Wilbur walked beside him, clearly desperate to use the restroom after hours of holding it in the wagon. Techno, as always, walked behind everyone else. His presence looming over anyone who dared to look at them twice.

Finding food wasn’t nearly as hard as he thought it would be. There were lots of stands full of morning sweets and different produce supplies, plenty of different options on what to eat. Phil let them all look for what they wanted, watching with a fond smile as they all stared wide eyed when given so many choices.

Techno and Wilbur chose their usual food. Apples, bread, fish jerky, and a delightful strawberry pastry to split between themselves. Niki was very apologetic when she asked for a small breakfast sandwich on fresh bread, even trying to refuse when he handed her two along with a juicy plum. Sapnap eyed all of the food, clearly unsure of what he could eat and what would even taste good. In the end, Phil bought him a spiced sausage and a thick slice of sweet bread.

Ranboo, Charlie, and Sneeg were harder to shop for. There were obvious choices, chorus fruit for Ranboo, cured meats for Sneeg, vegetables for Charlie. But Phil wanted them to pick out their own food, it was the first stepping stone in adjusting to their new lives as free creatures who could think for themselves.

In the end, Ranboo cautiously asked if he could have a jar of honey for some bread, apparently he’d seen a lot of ‘handlers’ eat it and he’d always wanted to know what it tasted like. Sneeg had to be encouraged by Niki to actually get the little blackberry tarts he’d been looking at longingly. Charlie was harder to convince.

He’d shut down around Phil again, almost like he was half convinced that Phil was actually a regular human who wanted to do the awful things the auctioneer had said. Still, Phil didn’t let it get under his skin. “How about this, you hold up one finger for yes,” Phil looked at Charlie as if he was a wounded animal. “and two for no. Is that okay?” He waited for the moment of truth, and Charlie put one finger up ever so carefully.

Phil practically beamed at him, Niki giving him a thumbs up. “Yellow squash?” Phil pointed at the produce table, the man working it even being polite enough to lift it off the surface like he was showing off a prized possession. Charlie hesitated and put two fingers up, Phil just nodded. “Bell peppers?” One finger. “How many?” Three fingers. Phil smiled. “Let’s get you some cheese too, I’ve heard that it’s a good combo.”

The walk back to the wagon had all of them bouncing on their feet, waddling like happy little penguins satisfied with their haul. Wilbur helped Sneeg with unwrapping his pastries, showing him how to avoid crumbling the crust. Niki patiently sat with Charlie and ate with him, doing her best to get him to loosen up like he was before. Techno was doing his best not to laugh at Sapnap’s warriness to try the smoked sausage, choosing to watch him melt at the taste and devour it like he hadn’t eaten in weeks. Phil helped Ranboo spread the honey on his bread, trusting him with the little knife without any hesitation, ignoring the bewilderment from the ender hybrid.

Chapter Text

They spent meal time sitting on the ground, enjoying their choice in food. Ranboo, as it turned out, also ended up wagging his tail. When it was pointed out, he nearly spilled his jar of honey trying to stop his tail from smacking someone in the face. Sneeg had given up trying to stop himself, barking out a laugh and dodging the fluffy end like it was some game from his childhood.

Charlie opened up again, more so when Phil offered to slice open his peppers and cube his cheese. Wilbur leaned in to stage whisper behind him and Niki, “I told you, mother hen.” He didn’t bother hiding his grin when Phil gave him a disapproving glare. “He was the same way with me, practically spoon fed me honey tea for ages.” Wilbur patted Charlie on the shoulder. “No, I did spoon feed you. You were too weak to walk more than five steps on your own and you were terrified of Techno.” It was Phil’s turn to grin while Wilbur spluttered out gibberish about how he was a liar.

They bickered back and forth while Phil did as promised, carefully cubing up the cheese and stowing away his little pocket knife. “Thank you.” The hint of a smile from the wagon ride returned. “No worries, mate.” Phil turned back to help Ranboo put more honey on his bread without getting it all over his shirt.

Techno was content just watching the scene in front of him. It was always one of his favorite things to watch the new members stumble over what to do like newborn deer, so unsure of their footing but filled with the desire to finally move. Sapnap was a prime example, clearly itching to explore, to touch the stone from a world he’d never been in, to taste more new foods and learn all he could. Yet he was grounded, forced to take breaks from doing anything because his ribs were still healing and his body was still adjusting.

It was amusing, but far too familiar. He watched Sapnap puff out a small cloud of smoke and pout, his spindly tail wrapping around his thigh without him noticing. “You’ll be able to move soon enough.” Techno’s voice came out of nowhere, making Sapnap jump. “God, why do you keep doing that?” Techno just raised his brows, entirely unimpressed. “I- sorry.” He sank into himself and huffed. “Everything is so quiet here, I’m just not used to it I guess.” Sapnap picked at his fingers. “It gets easier. Trust me. Phil will let you do pretty much whatever you want when you’re healed up.”

Sapnap was running the thoughts over in his head. “Is it bad that I don’t know what I want?” Techno faltered. Of all the times Phil was just out of reach, it had to be when someone needed good advice. He could barely comfort Wilbur in his prime, Sapnap was just some stranger. “Well,” He tried to think of what Phil would say. “no. It’s a lot to process right now, so you’re bound to be confused and scared and whatever other emotion you feel. You got taken from your home and your dad. But up here, we can help you and give you a fresh start. There’s new things to do and a lot to learn, but you don’t need to decide now.” It felt cheesy and over done, but Phil had said something similar when Techno first spoke.

It must’ve worked, because Sapnap nodded. “Okay.” His voice was quiet, Techno was reminded of Tubbo’s arrival and how he made himself seem so small. “Do you want half of my apple?” He held the golden fruit in one cloven hand, ignoring the wide eyes from Wilbur. Sapnap gave him a soft smile. “Yeah, I’ve only ever seen those in books.” He wordlessly split the apple down the middle and pushed away the memory of sharing one with Tommy.

Every once in a blue moon, Techno would meet a new arrival that struck some sort of cord in him. Something that kicked the provider instinct into overdrive and made Phil question who was the real mother hen. It just so happened that seeing someone else from the Nether, someone who went through what he did, someone so confused and scared, was plucking at his heart. Wilbur watched with a smile, stretching his foot to tap Phil’s.

They both understood. Wilbur made it clear that he would blow the world to shreds for both Tommy and Niki, Phil spent countless nights soothing little cuts for Tubbo when he came out of the garden with teary eyes. The four other hybrids remained clueless, content to enjoy the peace of the world around them while they could.

Ranboo loved the feeling of the sunlight on his skin. When Sneeg pointed out that the black half of his body would be warmer to the touch, he practically lit up and held his palms to both cheeks. Everyone in their little group turned to look when they heard a noise that sounded like a mix between a cat’s purr and a bird’s caw, the other hybrids smiling as he hid his face in his hands. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard a happy noise like that.” Charlie laughed, clutching his stomach to stop himself from doubling over.

“Please tell me I’m not gonna be the only person who makes noises.” Ranboo still had his face in his hands, groaning in obvious embarrassment. “Nah, mate. Techno snorts pretty often if he’s relaxed.” The betrayed look from his friend sent Phil into his own laughing fit. “Yeah? At least I don’t screech when I’m scared.” It turned into another bickering session, calling out the other’s vocalizations or outting their own. “Man, I wish I did something like that,” Charlie’s smile was back to its full glory. “I can just bounce and that’s it.”

Sneeg tried to stop his tail from whipping Niki, apologizing through his laughter and trying to keep himself composed. “God, I’m sorry.” He was bordering on hyperventilating from laughing. “This doesn’t usually, shit, god-” He only fell to his side when he couldn’t stop the near full force bark that crept up his throat. “Holy shit!” Wilbur joined with his own cackle. “Good god, you’re all a bunch of little nightmares.” Phil shook his head and wiped away a tear, trying to control his breathing.

He was thankful no one else was around, the laws might be lax but he wasn’t trying to get caught. It took a few minutes for everyone to calm down and collect themselves, rising to their feet rather shakily and clutching their sides from laughing too hard. They were all smiles as they hopped back into the wagon or onto a horse, ready to hit the road again with more happiness than they’d ever felt before.

Chapter Text

Phil led them back to the road home, letting himself smile at the sounds of happy chittering behind him. It usually took about a week after growing comfortable around Phil for the healing process to really start. The thought of them having their panic attacks and traumatic episodes with their responses was sitting uncomfortably close to the part of him that remained content in the moment. Phil knew what he signed up for, and he knew he would go to the end of the world to make sure they were all healthy.

The sun had begun setting by the time they were three quarters of the way back. Phil always loved that the ride back felt shorter, no matter where he went. Perhaps it was because the horses were eager to get back home, they were getting antsy after all. He could tell Techno was getting tired of being so far from home too, and Wilbur was anxious to show it all off.

The promise of safety and freedom would come at day break, all that mattered was getting the new wagon load of people there. Phil couldn't keep the smile off of his face at the image of everyone’s awe at the streets filled with people like them. Sometimes it was still a bit to handle even for him, and he was the man who started it all.

There would have to be special housing arrangements made. Sapnap would no doubt want something familiar. They had the facilities for heated and humid homes, but something in Phil’s gut told him that Sapnap would want a lava pool of his own. That would prove to be a problem, but they could work something out.

Sneeg would be fine with a regular house, as would Charlie. Special accommodation would be needed along with personal touches, but their housing would be situated relatively quickly. Ranboo would need special pipes hooked up to a tank of something that he could use to clean himself that wasn’t water and black out curtains to avoid any chance of eye contact. Maybe even some sort of head piece to keep his face obscured.

Niki was a whole different story. She’d need a house that was half underwater. Everything inside would have to be waterproof, there would have to be some types of fish living in the water to keep it clean, it would be a whole mess to deal with.

At least they had homes meant for temporary stay. They would all no doubt be led around by Tubbo and Tommy, given a grand tour while the two boys figured out which one of the new arrivals to pester. The more Phil thought about it, the more he wondered if they would actually pick one to hang around and absorb to turn the duo into a trio. Ranboo was likely the closest in their age bracket, he would do nicely with some friends like them.

Phil didn’t even notice when the sun dipped below the horizon, too caught up in his own thoughts to do much more than rely on muscle memory. Techno was the one who was truly leading the horses, easing them between different dirt roads and memorizing the signs. He didn’t seem to mind Phil’s drifting brain, perfectly content with the quiet.

The wagon had gone quiet for the most part, everyone else settling down to sleep. Light snores and barely audible shifting made for a nice break between the never ending bug chirps, a constant reminder of why he started doing it in the first place. Fireflies blipped in and out of sight, dotting the path in front of them with little specks of light. Phil sucked in a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

“How much longer do you think it’ll take?” Techno’s voice wasn’t even a disturbance to the small slice of serenity. “I’d say we hit the walls midday. It’s not even worth it to make the horses stop.” Techno hummed, the vibration low in his chest. “I can’t wait until I can sleep in my own bed again. Never thought I’d miss Tommy’s screaming this much.” Techno’s snort made Phil smile. “Yeah, he works his way into your heart. Chaotic little bastard.”

They drifted back to silence, both admiring the way the stars seemed impossibly bright. The moon provided more than enough light to comfortably illuminate the path. It felt like a scene from a book Phil read once upon a time. Maybe this was his fairytale, to be the kindest ruler he could, do as much possible good.

Even as the hours stretched on, Phil didn’t feel tired. He was used to running on low sleep, but he still felt well rested from earlier. For the first time in a long while, he felt confident in staying up for a few more hours. The crickets and fireflies were certainly a plus, a welcome sensory combination that was hard to find back home.

Part of him wanted to stay where he was forever, to live in the moment of hard to find bliss. He knew that he couldn’t, though. He had lives to save and people to care for. A whole kingdom to run. He’d never felt so tied down but so free before, truly a caged bird singing for freedom with the door wide open. The thought made him smile.

A rather loud snore from the wagon caught his attention. When he turned as best as he could to look behind him, he saw Wilbur laid out like a starfish. In the dark, he saw all three tails either twitch or fully flick up. It made his wings suddenly feel heavy under his cloak, like he’d forgotten they were there until that moment.

Phil was glad that they were comfortable enough to sleep after meeting him only two days prior. He’d thought about how he wouldn’t be able to take it if he had been born into their shoes instead of his own. He would be beyond broken, closed off with walls higher than the clouds. But they were fighters, stronger than he could ever be. That was why he loved his kingdom and his people. They were built from ashes but stronger than steel.

Chapter Text

Phil zoned in and out as more and more time passed. He couldn’t recall when the sun peaked above the sky line again, but he knew they were nearly home. The tops of houses were starting to poke out just above the horizon, barely visible. “Do you mind if I fly ahead and get everyone back home ready? I’ve got a feeling that Puffy wants a break.” Phil stretched his arms above his head. Regardless of Techno’s answer he would still strip the cloak off, the sun was a little too overbearing. “Go for it, everyone’s sleeping anyways.” Techno was more than capable of leading the horses back home on his own.

Shedding the extra layer felt like a breath of fresh air. Phil didn’t realize how hot the weather had gotten until the sun hit his feathers and basked him in a different kind of warmth. He carefully slipped his feet out of the foot holds on Astral’s saddle and positioned himself for an easy take off while sitting down. He’d done it before, but usually no one was beside him or they were still. Regardless, Astral took it in stride and kept herself steady enough for Phil to give a solid flap of his wings and lift off of her back.

He stuck just above the wagon for a few moments, letting his wings stretch out enough so he wouldn’t be too sore when he landed. Everyone else was still asleep inside, half of them cuddled to someone else’s leg or arm. The sight made Phil smile, they were sure to fit in nicely. With a content sigh, Phil looked away from them and flared his wings out as wide as possible to glide better.

The wind was always comfortable and familiar when it rushed over him, whipping his hair around and billowing out his clothes. He caught the breeze and flapped his wings, cutting through the air and picking up speed. Phil closed his eyes, letting the sounds around him block out anything else.

He splayed his fingers by his side, feeling the resistance that wanted them pulled back together. He couldn’t help but smile, drying his mouth almost instantly. He didn’t care though, too caught up in the relief of finally being able to fly after so long.

When Phil opened his eyes, he dropped his speed and stuck to gliding for the most part. Techno and the wagon were far behind him, slowly turning into shapeless but colorful blobs. He liked that Techno was pink, it made him easier to find, especially since most of the citizens had human bodies with animal additions and instincts. He stuck out like a sore thumb in a field of green grass, Phil wanted to laugh at him, but with the risk of catching a bug in his throat -not for the first time- he held it in.

The houses were coming more into view, the outer walls becoming more detailed the closer he got. The familiar stone brick and log design was a welcome change from the pristine cities in the rich kingdoms. He’d built the walls himself, chipping away at the rock and getting Techno’s help to push them all into place. He worked hard for his home, he was proud of it.

When the wagon had turned into a speck in the distance and the people milling about his land came into focus, Phil let himself slow down to the point where he was barely drifting. He let his legs lead the momentum down, bringing him towards the earth again.

The people didn’t seem disturbed by Phil’s landing in the slightest, barely giving him a second glance. The feeling of the worn down cobbles under his boots brought a content smile to his face and a sense of calm over him. He was home. After only a handful of days away, Phil was ready to never leave it again.

The moment of peacefulness was rudely interrupted by a loud, “PHIL!” in the near distance. He didn’t have to turn around to know that Tommy was rushing at him from the side, all he could do was brace himself for the impact of a growing bull hybrid who still didn’t know his strength. Right before Tommy slammed into him, he skidded to a halt and wrapped his arms around Phil’s waist.

“I’ve missed you!” Tommy buried his face into the crook of Phil’s neck, blissfully unaware that his horns nearly jabbed into tender meat. “I missed you too,” Phil wrapped his arms around Tommy in return, locking his fingers into the fabric of his shirt. “You stink, though. Big time.” He pulled away and smiled at Tommy’s scoff. “Yeah? Well you stink.”

Just when Phil was going to drag Tommy along to the housing section, the fast paced ‘clip clop’ of hooves distracted him. “Tubbo don’t you dare headbutt me!” Phil pushed himself off of the ground, taking hold of Tommy’s forearms and dragging him up as well. “Hey! That’s not fair!” Tubbo was below them right after Tommy brought his knees to his chest. “Mhm, well it’s not fair to the new arrivals to have me trying to show them around with more broken ribs, is it?”

Tubbo stomped a hoof and jumped to grab whatever part of Tommy he could reach. “Well, I wanna hug you too! So get down here.” He pulled on Tommy’s leg and Phil was forced to bring them back to the ground again. “Just watch your horns, please.” Despite the grumbly tone of voice Phil used, his smile betrayed the words. He was happy to see Tubbo, happy to see Tommy. They were his boys, just like Wilbur and just like Techno.

“You said we have new people?” Tubbo finally let Phil go to hop from hoof to hoof, full of nervous energy. “Yeah, we’ve got five new people. I think one of them is around your age, I forgot to ask him.” Tommy’s eyes widened, clearly excited. “Any girls?” Phil snorted. “Yes, but she’s not interested in you. She might not even be a permanent resident.” Tommy pouted.

He dragged both boys towards the housing section, wanting to get most of the hassle out of the way before the wagon arrived. “We need five houses, three are going to be temporary.” Phil walked at a brisk pace, letting the very tips of his primary feathers touch the ground and pick up dust. “We need a plot close to a lake, one as far away from any wood as possible, and one that’s on a secluded block. Two regular lots that are already made will do fine for two of them.” Tubbo nodded and pulled a small notebook out of his pocket and passed it to Tommy, along with a pen.

“We have until about midday, maybe less. Wilbur will probably want to see you guys before we get everyone settled.” At the mention of the siren, both boys lit up. “Wilbur’s back?!” Phil ruffled both heads of hair with a fond smile.

Chapter Text

Phil got straight to work. “Tubbo, I need you to find something that’s not water but can still be used to clean someone.” The shortest of their trio nodded, pulling another notebook out of a different pocket. “Do you know if we have any material that can handle holding lava constantly?” Tubbo stopped short. “What? No. We’d need Nether material for that.” He frowned and cocked his head to the side. “Are we gonna need Nether material?”

The few seconds of hesitation was enough to get both boys hyped up. “Is someone else from the Nether? Is Techno going to have a new friend?” Tubbo’s ears were pulled back and his tail was wagging. “Well, yes-” “Is it the girl? Is she some kind of fire lady?” Tommy was borderline vibrating with his own excitement. “No, Tommy. It’s-” Tubbo hopped between both hooves, far too invested already. “Boys, calm down.” Phil gave them both a gentle but strained smile. He was tired after being away from home for so long.

“I’ll let him tell you what he wants, but you know the rules. We can’t rush these guys, they’re from the big cities, they’ve been through a lot.” They both calmed down a considerable amount, remembering their own arrivals. “But you’re sure we need to have Nether material?” Phil prided himself in his ability to steer conversation back and keep everything on track. Tubbo nodded. “There’s nothing we have that can handle the heat.” Phil huffed a sigh.

They meandered their way towards the plots of open land again. “Do you think this is far enough away from wood? This is the best we’re gonna get unless we plow down a whole different field.” Tommy scratched his jaw and looked towards Phil with raised brows. “This should be far enough, I’m only worried because I’ve never met someone like him and I don’t know what he can do.” Tommy hummed. “Well, I can probably get a building team to start soon. Just depends on how big he wants the house.”

Tubbo led them to another area of the housing section. “This is the most secluded bit.” Phil grimaced. The street still had too many houses for comfort. “Can we make something somewhere else? Like a stand alone house or something that’s blacked out?” Tubbo tapped his hoof on the ground absentmindedly, a habit he developed after watching the livestock rabbits for too long. “I guess. Is it like, total isolation? Cause I don’t know for sure if we could do that.” Phil shook his head. “No, gods no. I’ll just find an open space in our district, we can make some blackout curtains.” Tubbo jotted down the notes and Phil continued.

“The one that’s gonna be the most difficult is going to be half underwater.” Tommy and Tubbo both stopped in their tracks and looked at him like he’d grown a second head. “Fuckin’ what?” Tommy looked bewildered. “Half underwater? Phil, that'll rot the foundation.” Tubbo put his hands on his hips. “You can’t make a house that’s half above water and half below, we don’t have the materials for that. You’d have to send Wilbur under water all by himself to gather everything.” Phil sighed. “You’re thinking of something like prismarine?” Tubbo nodded. “What about stone?” Phil was shot down instantly, Tommy pitched in after pulling a face. “Phil, the water’ll wear it down too fast, it’ll sink in the mud.”

They bounced ideas back and forth for a few more minutes until a commotion turned their attention to the outer walls. “Oh! Looks like Techno made it back.” Phil’s casual tone was overthrown by Tommy and Tubbo’s cheering. He had to grab the backs of their shirts to stop them from rushing forward. “Remember, there’s new people who are gonna be freaked out.” Part of Phil wished he had invested in some sort of teenager leash to clip to each boy to stop them from running like their lives depended on it.

He stuck close to the boys as they made their way to the wagon. “How many did you say it was?” Tommy’s eyes were bright as ever. “There’s five, but one is just a friend that Wilbur made along the way.” Tubbo hopped from hoof to hoof, excitement bubbling forth and catchin Phil up in its path. “How old are they? Are any of them goats? Do you think they’ll like gardening?” Tubbo’s questions never seemed to stop, Phil learned that it was best to just let him ask away a long, long time ago.

Once the familiar wooden structure of the stables was in view, Phil let himself get excited too. The townsfolk were back to minding their own business, following the routines they’d built for themselves. Phil could remember bringing each and every single one of them home.

Techno was waiting just outside the wagon, the horses had already been sent to their stalls. He was clearly exhausted, the bags under his eyes showing despite the carefully managed fur. He brightened up at the sight of Phil, moving to stand away from the pillar he was leaning on. Phil finally gave the boys the all clear to run forward to ambush Techno.

“Techno!” Tommy jumped to try and tackle him, failing miserably. Tubbo managed to headbutt him straight in the gut while Tommy distracted him. “We missed you!” Techno needed a moment to catch his breath before letting both boys hug him. By the time he’d recovered, Phil was by his side again. “Did everyone sleep okay?” Techno huffed and nodded, still just out of breath enough to be unable to speak confidently.

Phil patted the boys on the back and gave Techno a kind smile before moving to the canvas flaps of the wagon. “I’m coming in.” He gave them a few seconds before moving the flaps just enough to crawl in. Wilbur was clearly awaiting the inevitable tackle from Tommy and Tubbo as soon as he stepped out, but the others just looked nervous. “We have houses for all of you, they’re temporary of course, but they’re still somewhere to stay.” He sat beside Wilbur, nudging him with his shoulder.

“If you guys are ready, we can head out now. The people around aren’t gonna pay you much mind, they’ve all been in your position before.” Phil looked between all of them, carefully avoiding Ranboo’s eyes. “Tommy and Tubbo are gonna ambush Wil, so be prepared. I’ll make sure they leave you lot alone.” Wilbur sunk in on himself, pouting. “You’re really gonna let them beat me up?” Phil laughed, standing up. “Well, Tubbo nailed Techno in the stomach. It’s only fair.”

Phil was the first to pop out of the wagon, shooing Tommy and Tubbo a few feet away. “Don’t look Ranboo in the eye, he’s the one with the two different skin tones. If you freak him out I’ll tell Puffy to take your deserts away for ten days.” Before they could protest, Niki joined Phil’s side with a small smile. Sneeg came out next, followed by Charlie, Ranboo, and Sapnap with help from Wilbur.

Phil turned to them with a fond smile. “Welcome home, this is the Antarctic Empire.”

Chapter Text

Tommy immediately rushed to tackle Wilbur, barely giving him enough time to get Sapnap situated leaning against Techno. “Wilby! You’ve been gone for so long!” Dodging Tommy’s horns was a skill, Wilbur learned it the hard way. “I missed you too, Tommy. Now let go, I can’t breathe.” As soon as Tommy let go, Tubbo latched on. “Wilbur! It’s been too long! You’re never leaving again.” Wilbur tried to shake him off but to no avail. He resigned to having Tubbo stuck to him for the foreseeable future.

Phil shook his head at the scene before gesturing for the rest to follow him. “It’s a bit of a walk, but it’ll be nice to stretch your legs.” He led the way. They all crowded together in a group, following Phil closely. Techno helped Sapnap hobble beside him.

“You each get your own house to stay in for now while we get you permanently settled.” Tubbo was still clung to Wilbur’s side, clearly content with the situation. “Some of you guys are gonna get specially built homes, just for comfort or practicality.” They followed the road to the housing section.

“Ranboo, your house is going to be on the same street as Tommy and Tubbo, it’s more isolated than most of the other ones.” The ender hybrid perked up at the mention of his name, his tail flicking in excitement. “Sneeg, Charlie, you two are getting regular homes, but you do get to pick out which one and decorate how you please.” Sneeg and Charlie looked at each other with wide smiles, clearly already planning out how they wanted things to look in their minds. Sneeg’s tail wagged back and forth, he’d given up trying to stop it. “Niki, yours is going to be the hardest to make but we can figure something out. The only thing that’s gonna prove to be a problem is gathering the materials.” She was visibly excited. “Oh, and Sapnap, we’re going to find some way to get Nether material so you can have a house that feels like home.” He gave a small ‘whoop’ from his place beside Techno.

Phil led the little parade down various cobbled streets, taking turns and shortcuts to avoid the bigger crowds. Niki left his side to walk with Wilbur, helping to ease Tubbo off. “We’re almost there. After you guys get settled in, I’m sure Tommy and Tubbo wouldn’t mind giving you a tour.” He turned to look back at the group, Techno having resorted to lifting Sapnap up to carry him entirely. “Only if you want, I know you’ve had a long few days.” Phil cracked a gentle smile.

They made it to the main temporary housing street before too long. The first building was an offwhite little cottage with window sills that held up small herb gardens. “All of the houses are gonna be about this size. The biggest difference is just how they all look.” Phil opened the door and led them all inside, politely hiding a snicker at the fact that Techno had to duck.

There were only three rooms, each decorated and furnished in a comforting but chaotic clutter. Sneeg ran his hand down the wall, each imperfection in the paint catching. “Do you want this one, mate?” Phil’s voice pulled him out of whatever headspace he’d gone to. Sneeg nodded. “All yours then, do you wanna stay or come along while everyone else gets theirs?” Sneeg paused for a moment and took a final look around at the walls. “I’ll come with you guys.”

Phil led them down the street, each house neighboring another newcomer. Sneeg picked the first one on the corner, the rest were divided between little walls of bushes or stone. Niki wanted one with plain brick walls and white windows, the interior was filled with potted plants enchanted to thrive no matter how neglectful the owner was. Ranboo got the one next to her, another little brick home with ceilings just high enough that he didn’t bump his head. Charlie picked the cabin styled one, mumbling under his breath about how it looked like home.

Sapnap threw a fit when he didn’t get to pick one. “You’re gonna be in the medical bay for a few days, then you can have one.” Phil smiled at him, the sight was familiar. Tommy had been like that at first. “Can I at least pick which one I want?” He pouted, leaning heavily into Techno. Phil sighed. “No. I’m sorry. You’ve gotta be fully healed up and able to walk on your own.” When Sapnap opened his mouth to speak again, Phil was quick to cut his rebuttal off. “And besides, you might make the wrong decision, there’s more than one street.” He winked and Sapnap glared.

Phil left them to all get settled in, trusting Techno to safely get Sapnap to the medical ward. Wilbur, Tommy, and Tubbo all followed after Phil as he made his way towards the gardens. “Tubbo, do we have any fruits that are ready for harvesting? I want to make gift baskets for the new people.” Tubbo visibly perked up. “Oh! Yeah! The peaches are ready and the apples are always growing.” He moved from Tommy’s side and trotted happily up to Phil’s side.

“I also got you some new seeds to plant. A whole bunch of different things that we’ve never had before.” One thing Phil loved to see was the happy quirks his citizens had, Tubbo’s especially. He grabbed his horns and hopped between both hooves, completely unaware that he was doing it. “Really?! What did you get? Is it gonna be hard to grow? Do I need to set up new farm land? Is there-” Phil set a hand on his shoulder with a soft smile. “Hold your horses, we’ll figure that out soon. First we gotta get everything else situated.”

While Phil and Tubbo chattered on about the prospect of new produce being introduced, Wilbur and Tommy just followed behind them. “I missed you, ya know.” Tommy avoided Wilbur’s eyes, staring dead ahead. “It gets too quiet without your shitty music.” Wilbur couldn’t help but smile. “I missed you too, Toms.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet bag. “I was gonna wait until we all sat down to eat, but I think I’d forget. I got you something in the biggest kingdom I went to.” He handed the bag to Tommy and watched as he opened it gently.

Wilbur didn’t bother to push away the swell of affection in his chest when Tommy’s breath hitched in his throat. Inside the bag, wrapped ever so carefully, was a tiny stone carving of a cow. “I hope you like it. It’s real aquamarine, just like your eyes.” With Phil and Tubbo none the wiser to what was going on behind them, Tommy didn’t feel ashamed or embarrassed to stop and hug Wilbur. “You’re a bitch.” Tommy’s voice was muffled in Wilbur's sweater. “Thanks. Love you too Toms.” He rolled his eyes. “Don’t leave again, please.” “I won’t, not for a long time.”

Chapter Text

They reached the gardens in no time. Tubbo bounced along the road, hooves clicking on the cobbles. Phil made a stop along the way at the stables to grab his bag full of new seeds to plant. Tommy and Wilbur stuck mostly to the back, with Tommy thumbing the little carved stone cow and Wilbur sneaking sideways glances every now and again.

They reached the garden gate and Tubbo opened it eagerly, rushing inside. “Here, take a basket! There’s a bunch against the fence. The peaches are this way.” The group wasted no time in snagging a basket for themselves and following Tubbo’s lead into the trees. “The pears are almost ready but I still can’t figure out how to keep the sour cherries producing for more than a few days.” Phil nodded, silently admiring the trees as they passed. Tubbo had worked hard to make the garden after they'd discovered his affinity for plants. “Oh! And the grape vines should be able to survive the frost next year.” Tubbo turned his head to nod at the vines as they passed.

Once the peach trees were in sight, their pace sped up. Tubbo hopped off the ground a few inches to grab one, cradling the fruit in his palm with an excited smile. “They’re so much better than last year. I think everyone will like them, they’re Puffy’s favorite.” He set the peach down ever so gently in his basket and turned to the others with bright eyes. “Well, come on! They aren’t gonna pick themselves!”

Wilbur had the advantage of height when snagging the ripest of fruits that were above their heads. His victory was short lived when Tubbo looked at him with a frown and forcefully bucked the base of the tree with one hoof. Tommy was right beside him catching the peaches as they fell, glancing over to Wilbur with a smug look.

Phil’s retaliation to the younger boys was to lift Wilbur up under his arms so he could reach the highest fruit hidden in the leaves. “That’s not fair! You can fly!” Tommy chucked an unripened peach and nailed Wilbur in the stomach. Phil nearly dropped him when he flailed in response. “You gremlin! Phil, put me down!” Phil dropped him unceremoniously to the ground and watched from his safe place among the branches as Wilbur picked up a stick from the ground and took off after Tommy.

Watching from above, Phil let himself smile and commit the moment to memory. Tubbo seemed entirely unbothered by the behavior and continued to pluck whatever ripe peaches he could. “How long do you think it’ll be until they feel okay?” Tubbo’s voice broke Phil’s stream of thought. “What do you mean?” He eased himself down from the branch, carefully avoiding breaking the limbs.

Tubbo avoided looking anywhere but the peach he held in his hand. “How long until they can sleep without being scared? How long do you think it’ll take?” Phil paused, eyeing Tubbo with concern. “I dunno. It just depends on how they feel here.” Tubbo rotated the peach in his hand and Phil caught a glimpse at the other half, a rotting chunk of mush. Tubbo looked lost in thought, his brows furrowed and grip tightening on the fruit.

“Tubbo?” Phil reached a cautious hand out, keeping himself entirely visible to do his best to avoid making Tubbo panic. “You alright, mate?” Tubbo kept his gaze on the peach, nails digging into the mush and letting the rancid juice trail a path down his fingers. “I’m fine. I just, I don’t know. I wish they would all get here and be happy and start working. I wish it wasn’t just me and Tommy hanging out all of the time,” He sniffled and wiped at his nose with his free hand. “You’re gone all of the time, Techno is wherever you are, and Wilbur left. It’s just me and him most of the time.”

Phil felt guilt fester in his gut. “I know I’m gone too much, and I’m sorry.” He closed the distance between them and pulled Tubbo in to tuck his head under his chin, careful to avoid his horns. He heard the fruit drop to the ground with a soft ‘thud’ and did his best not to cringe at the juice that soaked through the fabric of his shirt when Tubbo clung onto him. “I’ll try to stick around more, maybe I can take you boys with me every once in a while.”

Phil swayed Tubbo back and forth for a few moments, letting the boy fully rest his weight into his chest. “Maybe you can ask Wilbur to stay for a bit. I’m sure he’d love to spend some time with you again, Techno too.” He rubbed small circles on the back of Tubbo’s shirt. “It’s just lonely without you guys. Puffy doesn’t make breakfast as good as you.” Phil cracked a smile, giving Tubbo a squeeze before pulling away.

“How about we finish picking the peaches and find Wilbur and Tommy, and I’ll make you guys dinner.” He swiped a thumb under Tubbo’s eye and caught a tear before it even fell. “Can you pick me up?” Any trace of sadness had completely vanished, Tubbo’s neverending desire to be off of the ground pushing it away. “Yeah, just don’t squirm.” Phil let out a laugh when Tubbo grabbed his basket and stood with his arms out on both sides.

Phil lifted him up, pushing off of the ground with one swift pump of his wings. He held Tubbo close to his chest, both for stability and to keep his arms from straining too much. “A little to the left,” Phil leaned the both of them to the side, watching with a smile as Tubbo wiped at his cheek with his palm and reached out to grab a peach from the higher branches. “Do you think the new people will like it here?” Tubbo set the fruit in his basket and went for another one. “I hope they do, but if they don’t then we can always figure something else out.” Tubbo hummed.

They stayed in a comfortable silence until Tubbo filled his basket. “I think I’ve got enough.” His voice was quiet, just loud enough for Phil to hear. “Do you wanna go make some jam?” Phil lowered the pair of them to the ground, gently setting Tubbo’s feet onto the earth. “Oh! Should we get some black berries too? Do you think Wilbur would want some?” Phil cracked his back and rolled his shoulders with a groan. “We can do whatever you want, Tubbo. We’ve got all of the time in the world.”

Chapter Text

While Phil, Wilbur, Tommy, and Tubbo were away and the others were settling in, Techno kept his place beside Sapnap’s bed. The medical wing of their kingdom wasn’t big, but it was enough. Sapnap had long since fallen asleep, his body too tired to bother fighting the droop of his eyelids. Techno didn’t mind watching over him, he’d done it with almost every new arrival at some point. They were always a flight risk until they settled in.

He idly traced one finger along the side of the bed, letting the fabric catch on his nail and snag it along. Sapnap’s tail thumped against the mattress, the pointed tip digging into the covers with the force. Techno just watched for a moment longer as the fire demon’s nails clenched the sheets and he scrunched his face. He was having a nightmare.

Dealing with emotions was Phil’s specialty, not Techno’s. Phil was the one to dry tears or wrap bandages around skinned knees and elbows, Techno was the one who fought the things that made those he cared for hurt. Watching Sapnap as he twisted in the bed, squirming like he was trying to get away from something that was only in his head, Techno felt useless. Carefully, he lifted a hand to reach forward in an attempt to rake fingers through his hair.

As soon as he made contact, Sapnap whimpered. Mumbling out a near silent, “Bad?” Techno clenched his jaw, gods above did he wish Phil was there. That there was some sort of physical being for him to fight, something to take away the fear.

He hated having to look after the new arrivals. He constantly felt useless when he couldn’t do much for them.

But Sapnap seemed to find some sort of comfort in the hand that just rested in his hair, fingernails scraping along his scalp. Whispering about someone named Bad, how he missed them, how he was sorry for yelling. There was almost a sense of guilt for tricking the fire demon’s brain into a false sense of relaxation, but what more could he do? Wake the poor guy up and let him face the reality that he wasn’t in his home anymore? He couldn’t, he wasn’t a monster.

Techno just kept threading his fingers through Sapnap’s hair, watching intently for any sort of change. It reminded him of when Tommy first came, how he was all fire and fury until Phil wrapped his bad arm and sang a lullaby. All bark but no bite, he’d been terrified of being hurt further. That night, high off of some rather expensive pain killing potions, Tommy had reached out and held Techno’s massive hand in his own small one. His eyes were unfocused and his words slurred a bit, but Techno listened.

He talked about how he was scared. How tall and strong and absolutely terrifying Techno was, how he hoped he wasn’t going to have to fight him, admitting his defeat with misty eyes. Techno never interrupted. He learned that night that pain and fear often times don’t make a good fighter, that he was lucky to be born of hellfire and molded into a beast built for hard labor. Watching Sapnap’s chest rise and fall with labored breaths and wheezy gasps pulled at his heart strings. Truly, every new arrival was the same.

Like when Wilbur stowed away in a corner and hissed out raspy song to try and keep everyone away only for Phil to stuff cotton in his ears and deliver food regardless. Or when Tubbo fainted every time he saw Techno until he woke up with the piglin sitting beside his bed and reading a book and learned that he wasn’t to be feared. Even with Phil, having to listen to him toss and turn in the night, whispering pleas to some unknown being for his own survival.

Techno tucked a stray hair behind one of Sapnap’s pointed ears. They were all damaged when they arrived. Some more than others, but damaged all the same. Sapnap leaned as far as he could into Techno’s touch, his body craving any sort of emotional connection it could get.

With some sort of physical contact, Sapnap seemed to rest easier. Techno was left to be lost in thought. He felt dingy and grimy from the travel, his mouth tasted unpleasant and sour, and he was rather hungry and thirsty. He thought about how Phil had found him all those years ago. About how he could’ve been anywhere else, in any other life, but he’d been right there, just in time to save Techno from certain doom.

It was almost funny, the way things turned out for the two of them. Running a growing kingdom, saving lives, living a dream that was so unheard of for creatures like them. Techno let himself sigh. The weight of the previous few days settled on his bones in a way that made them ache, the hand resting against Sapnaps scalp felt heavier and heavier as the time passed. His eyelids pulled down, begging his body for a moment of rest. With a deep sigh, Techno gave in, slouching over the bed and resting his forehead on the arm that wasn’t directly touching the sleeping fire demon.

Chapter Text

Settling everyone in their homes went by like a breeze. Ranboo had quickly been absorbed into the duo, turning it into a lovely trio of teenage boys causing mischief. Phil was the first victim of their pranking. He’d woken up one morning to get started on the day, pulling the curtains back to let the sunlight in. Upon opening them, however, he was greeted by a void of black. Confusion washed over him, surely he hadn’t rested too little or too long, why was it still dark out?

He looked closer, it was so dark he couldn’t even see out of the window at all. There were no little houses with blowing smokestacks, no shimmering water from the moonlight. None of it made sense, but yet it hadn’t clicked in Phil’s mind. He stopped his pondering when he heard a chortle just outside his window. It sounded like Tommy, but why would Tommy be at his house so late? Better yet, how on god’s green earth did he manage to climb high enough to reach Phil’s home?

In a moment, the blackness was whisked away, revealing the sun just past having risen. Phil hissed at the intrusion, squinting and blocking the light with his hands. At his movements, he heard Tubbo break into laughter, the sound bouncing off of the walls in Phil’s bedroom. He turned, ready to scold the boys for causing a headache and question how on earth they’d managed to trick him, but when his eyes finally adjusted properly, he opened them to see Ranboo perched like a cat on the windowsill. He stood dumbfounded for a moment, caught off guard by the trickery before bursting into his own fit of laughter.

“You got me boys, all of you lot come out now.” Phil didn’t bother hiding his smile, too focused on the pride swelling in his chest at the fact that Tommy and Tubbo had managed to convince arguably the meekest arrival to pull a prank on him. He was the ruler of the kingdom for Christ’s sake, and they’d tricked him.

Ranboo smiled, nervous, sure, but a smile regardless. Tommy and Tubbo peered from behind the rack Phil used for his coat, grinning wide themselves. “We got you good! Did you really think it was night time?” Tommy grabbed his horns, bouncing from one leg to the other, clearly proud of himself. “I thought for a moment that I’d overslept, but then I couldn’t see the light from the moon,” Phil stretched, spreading his wings out. “You lot had me thinking I was in the void for a moment.” He smiled at the two standing in his room before opening the window and allowing Ranboo to climb back inside.

Ranboo looked relieved. “They convinced me, I didn’t want to. I thought you’d be mad.” He looked to the ground and fiddled with his hands before Phil reached up to place his own on the teen’s shoulder. “Nah mate, you should see half the shit they pull on the regular. Though,” He turned to look back at the two boys now standing in front of him. “I do wonder what they told you to make you try and get me of all people.”

Tommy shuffled his feet, suddenly looking more sheepish than Ranboo. “He wouldn’t agree to Techno, and-” “Techno? Tommy, you know that's an awful idea!” Phil burst into a fit of laughter once again.

Phil shooed the boys out of his home after they’d managed to talk until the sun had fully risen, claiming he needed to do work. In all actuality, he’d been waiting for quite awhile to receive letters from neighboring kingdoms. The stack on his bedside table had grown massively. Every crow that had brought one hadn’t been the one he’d been waiting for.

Ever since Sapnap had opened up to Techno about his dad, Phil had been on the hunt to track him down. None of the neighboring kingdoms had seen or heard of the demon, and without a proper description, Phil’s luck was dwindling.

Immediately after shooing the boys out, Phil had been given another letter, the crow landing softly on his shoulder. The signature green band on it’s leg marking it as one of his own. He opened it carefully, knowing that the sender was known for trapping his letters in the event that something was top secret. It was a simple note, one that Phil had been waiting for.

‘I believe I’ve found him. Expect another letter tomorrow with the location, he’s in the Nether.’ Signed with a scribbled signature, a trapper Phil had known back in his youth.

He wasn’t proud about it in the slightest, but he’d taken desperate measures. Part of him felt at ease, if Sapnap’s father hadn’t been captured yet, surely he would be looking for his son. But at the same time, what if he was aggressive in his efforts? What if this was a trip Phil didn’t return from? He’d always hated the Nether.

Chapter Text

Phil found Techno in the orchards, basket of apples in hand. Techno seemed to realize Phil was there before Phil himself realized. He was turned around, fully facing the ruler of the kingdom. “What’s on your mind?” Techno grabbed another apple from the tree to his side and inspected it closely before taking a bite.
“How do you feel about a trip back home?” Phil cautiously asked. Techno paused mid bite, raising a brow. “Phil,” He let his arm fall back to his side. “I am home. If you’re implying the Nether, you and I both know that’s not safe. We’ve already harvested what we need to keep farms running and homes built.” Phil clenched his jaw for a moment, looking to the ground. “I received a letter, Tech.”

His comrade paused once more. “And?” He brought the apple back to his mouth to sink his teeth in. Phil clenched his teeth before speaking. “I managed to contact a hunter,” Techno’s eyes narrowed. “It’s not what you think, he doesn’t know we exist, he thinks we’re a different kingdom. But he’s found Sapnap’s dad I think.” Techno mulled the fruit in his mouth over before swallowing, leaving Phil in an uncomfortable moment of silence.

“I’m asking if you’d prefer to stay here and run the kingdom in the event that I don’t come back, or if you’d like to come with me.” Phil shuffled his wings nervously. Bringing Techno back to the Nether always proved somewhat dangerous, something about the environment made something in his dearest friend shift slightly every time. “I’m the only one you can bring, I mean, do you even trust the guy?” Techno took another bite, watching Phil carefully.

Phil wrung his hands together for a moment before speaking. “All he sent me was a set of coordinates, I’ve already sent him the money for just finding the man.” Techno hummed. “Did you tell the kid yet?” Techno finished the apple in one last bite. “No, because I’m not even sure it’s who we’re looking for. I don’t want to get his hopes up.” Techno clenched his jaw and nodded. “I’ll go with you, but the second things get rough, we leave.” Phil let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. “Thank you, Tech. Bags are already packed by the portal.”

Techno and Phil made it to the portal in less than an hour, gearing up with golden accented armour and bags with respective supplies, Phil’s wings cinched tightly under his normal cloak. Opening a portal was something frowned upon by most modern kingdoms and Phil was grateful for it, it was one of the few laws of the land that most dared not to break.

The ladder down into the depths was made of enchanted wood, something that had taken Phil a rather long time to do, but something that had been necessary from the start. He’d enchanted it to be fire proof, as well as binding to just those who were a part of his kingdom. It’d been a pricey spell, but one well worth the strain of casting.

The second Phil’s feet met the hot stone of the Nather floor, he held his breath. Between the incoming slight shift in his friend and the pressure change, he’d already begun to miss the air from the Overlands. Beside him stood Techno, eyes redder than normal and with a low growl in his voice. “Lead the way, you know my rules for down here.” Phil just nodded, rolling his sleeves up already.

The trip wasn’t too far, for better or worse. They’d made it to the spot before Phil could even blink twice. The sound of rushing magma was quiet at the entrance of the cave, and Phil hated that it had to be a cave. “Can uh,” He coughed, mentally curing the fume inhalation they’d both been doing since they crossed the border. “Can you watch the mouth? I’m gonna head in, just a quick peak.” Techno grumbled something under his breath but posted himself tal and broad, shield covering his chest and axe drawn.

Phil stepped cautiously into the cave, holding his torch high above his head. A distant wail cough his ears before it echoed off the walls. He swallowed, stealing a breath and praying to a god who wasn’t in this world that he wouldn’t prove himself a fool. With one last look back at his friend, he started walking.

The wails grew louder the closer Phil got, harsh and painful, seeming to claw into his head. He reached a door in about five minutes, carefully carved from stone and illuminated by glowing mushrooms. He paused to look at it curiously for a moment. Nether creatures weren’t typically fond of using such modern measures.

With one more step forward, Phil readied himself to knock. He’d barely put his foot down when he’d heard a ‘click’. In one sudden motion, Phil was dragged from standing to be upside down, dangling from the ceiling.

A booming voice filled the cave as Phil’s vision darkened around the edges. A spell? A potion? He couldn’t tell. “YOU STEAL MY SON FROM ME AND RETURN FOR MORE?” The flame from his torch, somehow still in his hand, was extinguished. “No! You don’t understand! I’m-” Phil tried to speak but the lights of the mushrooms dimmed and the door slammed open. “YOU HUMANS STEAL AND STEAL. HAVE YOU NO MORALS?”

A pair of bright white eyes glowed from the doorway, Phil felt his heart skip a beat. He’d messed this up. “I’m not human!” He cried out just as the figure stepped out of the door, impossibly large hands reaching for his throat. “THEN WHAT ARE YOU? YOU DO NOT SMELL OF THIS REALM.” The hands retreated for a moment, giving Phil a moment to breathe. “I’m a hybrid! Avian! My wings are just under the cloak I promise! Let me go and I can show you, I know where your son is,”

Phil held his breath in the silence. “Say his name.” He blinked in confusion, where had the loud booming voice gone? “Your son? His name is Sapnap, it’s the name he gave us.” Phil heard a gasp before he was dropped to the floor. He let out a wheeze when he rolled onto the heavy metal plates of his armour.

His vision returned to full, the light of his torch, now laying a foot away by his feet, was reignited. “My son, where is he?” Phil looked up from his position to see the bright white eyes hidden under a black and red cloak, not too unlike his own, just impossibly larger. “In my kingdom. He’s healing, I rescued him.” Phil coughed again, clearing his throat. “He was auctioned off, injured. He almost died, but he’s alive, and he’s safe.”

The figure gently helped Phil to his feet, and only then could he see the sheer size of the demon. He was taller than Ranboo, thin as a rail, and made of what only looked like a void. “You speak of him like you know him. Who are you?” The demon handed Phil his torch. “My name is Phil, I run an empire for hybrids. I rescue them, heal them up, and they live their lives freely with me. I can take you to him, I promise.”

The demon was hunched over in the cave for the walk back out, with Techno still standing guard. Even he was caught momentarily off guard by the size of what he could only guess to be their newest resident.