Prompted by a Tumblr follower. Just an excuse to write Michael and Techno interacting really

(also if u haven't seen the ghast clip, look it up pls. It's so cute I still cry)

"You have to promise not to freak out."

"Ranboo," Technoblade said, amused patience in his chest. "You do realize people usually say that before they're about to do something that absolutely warrants a freakout."

Ranboo straightened his back, one corner of his mouth pulling up while the other went down. "Yes, that's why I'm telling you not to."

"Fair enough. Though unless you're about to admit to plans of world domination I'm sure it can't be that bad."

With a nervous warble, Ranboo opened the door, shifting his weight back and forth on his feet. "Right, right. Nothing bad just- you know. Uh, unusual."

Techno drew up his eyebrow as he stepped inside. "Right, unusual."

The sight that met him was not actually in any way unusual. It was really just a room, nicely decorated and rather cozy. The child to which the room presumably belonged was sitting on the carpet toiling away at a coloring book with extreme concentration, tackling it like it was the most important matter in the world that their crayon not slip past the lines. Technoblade could see the way their tiny face scrunched up with the effort.

Oh, and they were a piglin. Patches of discoloration showed that they were suffering from the rot that was so common for their species in the Overworld. They didn't seem too negatively affected by it though, jumping up once they noticed who had entered the room. The child bounded over and into Ranboo's arms without hesitation, burying their snout in his neck.

"So..." Techno wasn't even trying to hide his confusion at this point. "What am I looking at exactly?"

Ranboo shifted his arms, smile a little more sincere at his reaction. "This is my son, Michael. I uh, wanted to introduce you two."

"Your son," Techno repeated. "I have only two questions. One: do I want to know how this happened? Like, biologically speaking it doesn't seem- Wait, no I definitely don't want to know."

Relaxing further, Ranboo actually laughed. "No, that's not- Ew, gross. We found him and took him in, adopted him."

"Okay, Good. Second question: why did you think this would freak me out? Is it the zombie thing, because I see zombified piglins all the time."

Ranboo's face fell, a mixture of guilt and hesitance wiping away his smile. "No, I just, uh. The whole orphan killing thing-"

Before he could finish his sentence Technoblade was snorting with barely concealed laughter. "Wait you actually took that bit seriously? Bruh, that's horrible."

"Well, I-"

"Besides," Techno added quickly, "if he's adopted I don't think he qualifies as an orphan anymore. He has parents and that's like, literally the one thing orphans aren't supposed to have."

"Oh," Ranboo said, then let that sink in for a second as if he had to mull it over. "True, true," he agreed. "I guess I was worried about nothing then. I... kinda do that a lot, huh?"

Techno shrugged. Michael was done hugging his father to death and was now staring at him contemplatively. His eyes were already too big to be considered anything but adorable - as was the gift of most children - but as they fell on Technoblade and recognition dawned in them they grew impossibly wider.

It was in that exact moment too that Technoblade understood why.

The piglin child let out a happy oink and held out his arms, fingers motioning in the unmistakable gesture of a toddler begging to be picked up. Technoblade tried to take a step back but Ranboo was quicker and hoisted Michael into his arms, seemingly taking this as a good sign.

"I think he likes you," Ranboo said, entirely too pleased with himself at this development.

Michael clung to Techno like a vice, kind of cutting off his airway. "Yeah? I think he just remembers me." He hissed as Michael tugged at his hair playfully. "We kind of met before."

"What, how?"

"It's a bit of a long story, I'll tell you later." His hand came up to steady the child's back automatically so he wouldn't fall when Michael started messing with the clasp on his cloak.

He looked up at Techno, admiring the gold on his attire with a satisfied grunt as he poked at Techno's cheek. Michael nuzzled into him then, which Techno couldn't help but remember as a piglin sign of gratitude and affection. He looked so happy, a far cry from the small, huddled form trembling in fear as Technoblade protected them from a stray ghast.

And if some distant part of him was glad at knowing the kid had turned out fine, well, that didn't need to be part of the story, did it?