Prompt: protective


As much as Phil was peeved that the mermaid - Technoblade, as he'd shared his name - didn't talk earlier when it would have actually been very helpful, at least he seemed to be warming up to them a little now.

One morning, Phil caught Techno swimming circles at the break of dawn. Phil was an early riser, he always had been. He wasn't used to anybody else being up though, with Tommy usually getting up a few hours after him and Wilbur not showing his face until noon unless he was going out to perform.

When Techno saw him he ducked into his plant cover but peeked his face out to watch Phil's approach.

"Good morning," Phil said brightly. "I didn't expect you to be awake already. I was planning to pop into town and get you some shrimp, but we still have chicken jerky if you're hungry."

Techno watched him for a moment, uncertain. Then he swam to the surface so he could answer. "I can wait," he said. Phil had expected as much, Techno clearly preferred seafood over meat. "And I didn't sleep much, really."

"Why not?"

Startled, Techno sunk down a bit, long strands of pink hair floating on the water around him. Maybe he hadn't really intended to speak those last words out loud. "Nevermind."

"Is it your stomach? It's not the water being too cold again right?" Phil inquired. "Because clearly, you can't communicate about either of those things when they're an issue."

"Bruh, I'm never going to live that down, huh?"

Phil smirked slightly. "Not for a while at least. You made it clear you'd rather die than have a conversation."

"Not my fault that past experiences with your kind have set up this expectation that my complaints will be ignored," Techno said off-handedly, with no real heat behind it.

That didn't keep Phil from feeling a little guilty. "If something is wrong I'd really like to know, though."

Techno squinted at him, trying to determine the truth of his statement. Whatever he found there, it satisfied him enough to give in. "Sleeping will probably be a lot easier if I'd have a place to sleep."

Phil stood there for a moment, comically at a loss for words. His mouth opened and closed a few times, unsure where to start. It probably made him look somewhat like a fish on dry land (oh, the irony) and he swore he could hear Techno let out a short, barking laugh.

"Where do mermaids normally sleep?" Phil asked eventually. Techno had slept under the leaf in the bowl and then between the plants since moving to the bigger aquarium, Phil just assumed that was fine.

"Underwater caves, mostly." Techno dipped under before quickly popping back up again, doing a little somersault underwater. Phil had noticed this was somewhat of a nervous tic for him. "If there are no natural ones, we make one by moving rocks around. Then we fill the bottom with moss or some other soft material."

"That's fascinating," Phil said. "We could probably make something like that?"

"Why?"

Phil blinked, mind halfway into the logistics of getting a bunch of stones and building an artificial grotto for the aquarium. "What do you mean, 'why'?"

"Why bother doing that if you're not keeping me around," Techno said sharply. His eyes narrowed venomously. "That's what you told Tommy."

The sudden hostility caught Phil off guard. "It'll probably be a while before you're fully recovered," he answered plainly.

Despite Technoblade definitely being much more lively than he was when he arrived almost a week ago, Phil knew looks could be deceiving. Techno was concerningly thin despite the regular feedings, ribs standing out along his chest. His scales were too pale to be considered healthy, showing he hadn't recovered fully. He was still weak and got tired quickly. Phil continued treating him with lavender oil daily.

"Better make me comfortable while it lasts, then?" Techno sounded so bitter when he said that.

Phil wanted to ask him what the fuck his deal was, but Techno swam back under before he could, hiding in his algae again. And the mermaid had made it abundantly clear that was a sign that he wasn't going to be talkative anymore. Phil would have to get to the bottom of that later.

He put on his cloak, readying himself to head out. Getting to town early was the best way to get good deals. After all the money he spent on purchasing Techno, Phil had to be smart about where he put his coin - not that he regretted the decision for a second. As soon as he opened the door though, he was met with an unwelcome face.

"Quackity," he greeted calmly. "Do you mind, I'm kind of in the middle of something?"

"Not at all," the other man said before promptly slipping by him to get through the doorway. Prick. "It's been a while, Phil. How have you been, how is your family doing?"

"They're great." Phil closed the door with a sigh. "I thought we'd agreed I'd let you know if something popped up. I don't like unannounced house calls."

"We did, we did." Quackity looked around the room, doing his best to play it off as innocent. Like he was just looking around. But Phil noticed how his eyes scanned the shelves, taking in any recent purchases he'd made.

The annoying thing about Quackity was that he was clever. More clever than the conmen on the black market. Phil did excellent business through him as a reseller, with Quackity often having connections Phil lacked and direly needed when trying to pawn stuff. For his own part, Quackity wasn't as fond of the fieldwork as Phil was and preferred to do business from the safety of his office while letting others do the actual dirty jobs involved in finding and gathering relics.

Their relationship was not friendly, but professional and mutually beneficial.

The fact that Quackity had shown up unannounced could only spell trouble though.

"A little birdie told me you haven't been entirely honest with me, Phil." When Quackity grinned, the light caught on his golden tooth, a gift from a brush with an angry piglin he tried to scam. He'd lost an eye too, the gleaming blue glass iris that stared out at Phil couldn't be more unsettling.

"I wonder what they told you," Phil said, failing to even pretend enthusiasm.

Quackity didn't mind playing along. "They told me you got something really rare and potentially valuable the other day. And guess what?"

"What?" Phil asked.

"I didn't get a call from you. Did you lose my number, Phil? You could have just come by and seen me, you know."

Phil sighed. "Cut the crap and tell me what you want."

"Nothing." Quackity raised his hands to show he wasn't there for trouble. Phil didn't buy into that bullshit for a second. "I just came by for a visit. And to see what you had managed to get your hands on."

"That's none of your concern."

"I'm merely curious," Quackity said. Phil knew there was nothing he could do as he continued looking around the room, eyes finally landing on the aquarium. It was a bit too big to hide, after all. "Did you get a pet fish?" he asked, sounding legitimately confused for a moment.

"It's Tommy's," Phil lied.

But Quackity was already coming over. "So the rumors were true then. A mermaid? I didn't take you for the stupid kind, Phil, but it looks like I overestimated you."

Phil's lip twitched in annoyance, but honestly, this was good. If Quackity was going to assume that Phil bought into a swindle, he wasn't going to search any further for an answer. Except it was just his luck that Technoblade chose to come out and press his hands to the glass, alerted by the commotion in the room. Phil couldn't blame him since he'd have no way of knowing what was going on otherwise, but the timing really couldn't be worse.

"What the-" Quackity already was stepping forward. Phil squeezed himself between the other man and the desk, seeing Techno dart back into his plant cover because of the jumpscare.

"He's not for sale."

"Fuck, Phil did you- How?!" Quackity laughed, disbelief written all over his face. "Do you have any idea of what you got on your hands here?"

"He's not for sale," Phil repeated a little firmer. He might as well be talking to a brick wall.

"This could be nationwide news? This could, this could break the bank big. I don't- Phil, I will cut you a deal. Even if we split the profit between the two of us, this could make us both the richest men in the country if we play our cards right."

Tired of not being listened to, Phil caught him by the front of his shirt. "Listen here, you little shit," he said, venom and impatience. "He. Is. Not. For. Sale. Can you get that through your thick skull now?"

Quackity pushed him off, scowling. "What the fuck, Phil?!" But as he took a few steps back, he quickly regained his balance and his demeanor took a complete turn. Straightening his collar, the smile that shifted over Quackity's face was unsettling. Like a cloud had slid in front of the sun, the change was instant. "I heard you loud and clear, there's no need to get all upset with me for making my dear friend a good offer."

"I don't want your offer," Phil told him. "You're not getting your hands on him, understand me?"

"Loud and clear." Quackity shrugged. "Please contact me next time you find something worthwhile though. I love doing business with you." He inclined his head, the fake politeness a thin veneer over something truly unpleasant.

Phil did not take his eyes off him as the man left his house again. Somehow he was sure they hadn't seen the last of him.