So that thing with the TNT in the tunnel on Tommy's stream the other day? Yeah, I made it into whump :D
Phil should not have given Tommy that TNT.
He's watching the sequence of explosives be placed all through the underpass, a perfect setup for disaster. Techno's pig would not go up the stairs – of course it wouldn't. There weren't enough carrots in the world to convince it of that neck-breaking maneuver. So he'd gone into the tunnel after Tommy, Philza and Puffy trailing far behind.
Then a small flicker of light catches his eye, barely much of anything. And Phil squints into the half-dim of the entrance, a disbelieving laugh building in his throat.
Surely not? Surely Tommy had heard their warning?
(Tommy had not)
Technoblade's too far away for Phil to tell, but he knows the other man must have noticed the approaching danger. There's a sudden jerk of Techno throwing up his arms and Phil thinks – hopes – that means he has broken the chain of explosives.
A blaze of fire starts filling the tunnel.
It erupts on the other end. Distantly Phil can hear Tommy cry out in both surprise and horror, before the noise is drowned out by the explosion itself. It sounds like thunder, except it doesn't stop – just keeps going until echoes off the tunnel's wall mimic some great storm.
Phil moves, a disgusting amalgamation of instinct and memory that forces his muscles into action before his brain has the time to catch up. Gunpowder coats the air, thick sulfur and coal in its scent. His wings flare out, not able to fly anymore but at least allowing a little extra momentum with swift bursts as Phil propels himself forward into the underpass, heat rushing up to meet him.
(a memory rushes up to meet him too. burnt feathers twitch, prepared to once again carry the brunt of the detonation for a person Phil would sacrifice the world to)
Unlike with Wilbur, he knows he won't make it in time. The trident hums, magic forcing motion but Phil already can tell it's not quick enough. His wings beat again, one of them scraping painfully against the curved stone of the tunnel's wall.
The other sparks against the TNT blocks Tommy put there earlier. Puffy's shouts rising in alarm come too late.
(in that harrowing moment, Phil remembers how Wilbur trembled tucked into his arms. While the flames licked across Phil's back and frayed his wings to ash, Wil trembled as if he were too cold to breathe)
He manages to stay ahead of the blast for all of three seconds before it catches up to him, the entire tunnel rumbling with it. Both ends start to cave in at the same time, locking them into a tomb of molting rock and debris. Phil ignores the first burning stones that come down on him in favor of getting closer to Technoblade, thrown back onto the ground and unmoving.
Just as he thinks he will make it, the rest of the tunnel caves and all Phil knows is darkness.
Techno blinks his eyes open to a terrible ringing in his ears and not many other sensations.
Smoke obscures his vision, a heavy cloud of it hanging low in the half-collapsed tunnel unable to escape. Every breath is tinged with that acrid burn, the smolder settling into his lungs. A cough builds in his throat and Techno can't quite stop it, but when his ribcage shakes with it the no sensations turn into way too many sensations all too quickly.
His entire chest feels raw and open, his arms too. His nostrils flare when they pick up on the smell of charred bacon, and Techno can only hope it's his short-lived steed that's causing the smell and not his own flesh. Heaviness has settled on his leg, crushing into the kneecap, and it takes him a moment to realize that a chunk of the ceiling is pinning him down.
Oh... Techno gets a chance to think dully. That's not good.
'Not good' being one of those fun understatements he uses sometimes because conceptualizing the full scope of the mess he's in sounds like a bit too much work.
For a moment longer, Technoblade is content lying there. Not because he's not aware of how dire the situation is, but because his whole body hurts and he can't move his leg, and if the explosion hasn't killed him he's sure the few minutes of blood loss won't do him in.
Then he hears Phil screaming.
Techno lurches, being rewarded for the sudden movement by the bearable flickers of pain sparking into a wildfire. His skin is hot, blistered, cold, cracked, oozing. His leg protests when he pulls on the muscle, shattered bone digging into his tissue. Blood pools out around it, squeezed from the limb when it was flattened.
Some small shred of self-preservation stops him, his every nerve crying out in agony. He cranes his neck to the side instead, trying to pinpoint Phil's location.
It's hard at first in the smoke-filled wreck, barely any light coming in through either end of the collapsed tunnel. But Techno fidgets – ignoring the few courtesy jolts of pain in his leg protesting the attempts – until he can squint through and look at Phil.
Phil, who is also pinned down on his knees. The stone has landed on his right wing, feathers unfurled and painted red. With every breath, it twitches. Phil doesn't pay it any mind, curled up and facing the other way. Techno can't see his expression, but he can see his shoulders shaking.
And the screams continue.
Panicked little chirps, high in pitch and terrible. And mingled beneath it something almost too close to words.
"No, please, please Wil- Don't-"
There's ice running through Techno's veins when the hears what Phil is saying.
For a moment, it makes him try to get up without thinking the action through, arms pushed beneath himself. A vicious stab of pain that travels all the way up his thigh and into his spine makes him flinch and fall to the ground again. It's useless.
"Phil!" Another cough shakes his ribcage, the smoke stuck in his lungs making it difficult to talk. Techno's mouth tastes like ash, all gritty. "Phil, are you hurt?"
There's no answer, not even a lull in the panicked sentences being muttered under Phil's breath.
They're hard to decipher because Techno's ears are still ringing and he connects the dots a moment later. Ruptured eardrums have the power to rob a person of all ability to hear, temporarily if they're lucky - though it could also be worse.
Phil can't hear him.
"Phil!" He tries again despite knowing it won't be any use. Phil shudders, hands clasped over his head and fingers digging into his hair. He tries to get up before falling back with a wince, wing pulled taut under the pressure.
Then there's a fluttering inhale, broken off into a horrific sob. "Wilbur, please don't leave me."
Wherever Phil thinks he is, it's not the present.
Phil tries to get up again and Techno can hear the sound of the muscles along his coracoid and ulna ripping. Either Phil doesn't care or he doesn't notice in his current state of mind, but if he keeps it up he's going to damage his wings worse. He's going to hurt himself worse.
And Techno will move heaven and earth to reach him before he'll allow that to happen.
Despite the pain, he forces his body up into a half-seated position. It's not perfect, but it's a start. Then there's the debris to deal with. Techno pushes at it stupidly, knowing full well the can't get the leverage he needs to lift it. If he wants to be freed he'll have to wait for help. Puffy and Tommy should be here soon.
Another choked whimper. Phil's voice is getting quieter, exhausted or losing blood. Techno isn't sure, but he doesn't like either odds.
He doesn't have the time to wait.
Using his other leg, he pushes it against the stone keeping him pinned. There's no lifting it. He braces himself and tries to drag his hip back.
Five seconds later sees him panting, needing to stop because he can't afford to pass out from the pain. He's essentially grating his own leg open, dragging it along sharp edges and fractured bone. It works though, and Techno proceeds with pulling the limb free inch by excruciating inch.
A few breaths to let the pain fade away as much as it can, then he continues.
When it finally gives way he falls back with the momentum, curling onto his side instinctively with a yelp. There's no more pressure on the wound, and with it nothing to keep the bleeding in check. Techno can feel it leaking from him rapidly.
Ignoring this, Techno drags himself closer to Phil's shaking form.
"Phil, Phil listen to me." He knows the avian can't hear him. Techno tries anyway, reaching out to grab Phil's shoulder and landing a hand on his knee instead. Phil's head snaps down, eyes wide and unseeing. Caught in a memory equal parts real and exaggerated.
He tries to draw back, away. Techno won't let him, digging his claws in. He yanks Phil towards him, feeling immeasurable guilt when it rips another pained chirp from his throat. But it stops him from trying to get up again now locked in Techno's arms.
"I didn't mean to- I- I didn't know, Wilbur please I didn't know-" Phil tells the ghost that isn't there.
Techno exhales. "It's okay, it's okay... Phil, I'm here."
Phil can't hear him, his one wing not pinned down flapping uselessly. There's blood on his face, under his eyes. Techno uses a gentle thumb to wipe it away.
He pulls Phil closer, and despite some slight struggling gets Phil to put his cheek against his chest, right over Techno's heart. Phil whimpers, Techno shushes him in response. The deep vibrations rumble in his chest.
And a few blinks later, Phil sags into the embrace. "T'chno?" His speech is slurred, close to unconsciousness.
"I'm here," he repeats. There's not a lot of strength in him either, so he leans against the wall, keeping Phil pressed close against him.
And together, they wait to hear the sound of the others digging through the debris to get to them.