-Chapter Nine: The price of this so called perfection is everything (I've spent my whole life searching desperately)-
Bad looked up, around and around. Techno was near, most definitely. Nothing proved he wasn't. He shivered, the cold finally starting to reach him after more than a week in the snow.
"Techno?" he called, voice a lot more fragile than he originally thought.
No answer.
"Techno?" he repeated, a little louder. He began coughing, the one singular word enough to make his throat burn like fire.
Still no answer.
Bad continued moving. Perhaps he was at his cabin. He could thankfully remember the trees around him, and this only meant another couple of minutes. He was retired, as far as Bad knew, so it would make sense for him to be lounging around in warmth.
Then a sharp pressure pressed against his back, and he stumbled. The satchel was kicked off of his shoulder, skidding away. Bad's ears swung back as he regained his footing, whirling around to see his attacker. He may be too tired to fight back, but he was still willing to protect his belongings.
No one will take him. Ever.
"What are you doing here?" a voice demanded, and Bad blinked, starting to register who was talking.
"Techno?"
The pig in question paused, his axe high above his head. He lowered it slowly but surely, looking a bit wary but nonetheless more friendly. "Bad," he huffed. "What are you doing here?"
Bad backed away, a hand still up and still eye to eye with the warrior. "I have come bearing… news."
Techno tipped his head to the side, eyes sparkling in slight curiosity. "This isn't something about the Dreamons, is it?" he snorted.
"No."
Technoblade stared at him for a moment more as Bad picked up his satchel again, before beckoning vaguely. "Follow me. You must be cold."
~--~
Skeppy woke up with snow in his boots.
He growled in annoyance, sitting up to pull them off and dump the icy white out. Sadly, beyond popular belief in many stories, demons were NOT hot like fireplaces, and they were NOT warm at all. In fact, Bad was freezing cold when he was laying on the snow. And that meant laying on snow.
Bad murmured something under his breath, before turning over and completely covering Skeppy with a wing. When he slept, those things always came back to bless the presence, and they were always the one thing warm about Bad.
So naturally they used them like blankets.
It hasn't been as bad since they left the mountains, but they still needed something relatively warmer than whatever was around them, so Bad's wings were a welcome entity.
Skeppy pushed the top of the wing down so it wasn't covering his face, then turned to look at Bad still sleeping peacefully. Bad had a small smile on his face, and his bandana was riding up his chin so he looked a million times squishier. Skeppy grinned teasingly and poked the demon's nose softly, sending the other snuffling.
Skeppy giggled and layed back down, poking Bad's eyelid now. Bad stirred slightly but didn't move. Soft snores now emitted from him, and Skeppy tried to hold back an "aww".
He poked Bad's ear, then his nose again. At this point Bad seemed a bit disgruntled, like this transferred to his dream world. Skeppy stopped, just letting his finger float teasingly over the other's cheek.
Bad slowly opened his eyes, blinking at Skeppy tiredly. "Were you poking me…?" he yawned, but did not make any effort to move Skeppy's hand away.
Skeppy nodded, letting his hand move down to feel the fur on Bad's cheek. It felt coarser than he thought, given how soft it looked from afar. Skeppy tilted his head a bit.
Bad closed his eyes, looking just about ready to go back to sleep. His wing withdrew a bit, and with that it brought the cold. Skeppy squeaked in protest, grabbing it to move it back. "Stop, it's warm." he complained.
"Bad - I mean Skeppy." Bad tripped up, and Skeppy giggled softly at it. "We need to get ready."
"You don't look like you want to get up right now." Skeppy reasoned, moving his hand down to push down the bandana. Bad shivered and tensed, so Skeppy moved away quickly as soon as the job was done. Whatever set Bad on edge, he didn't want to hurt him at all, physically or emotionally.
"Because it's warm." the demon answered.
"That's exactly what I'm saying!"
"But we need to get ready, Skeppy."
"Dude. You are so loopy right now." Skeppy laughed, burrowing closer to the other. Man, he had gotten warmer. That was a relief.
Bad gave a stubborn little mumble, blinking sleepily. "Okay, okay. We need to get ready." Skeppy tapped his nose to Bad's chin before sitting up again. "Okay! Great! Let's go, sleepy pants." He smirked at Bad's red face.
"Mrrrgn," Bad mumbled, sitting up as well. "Fine." He got up and grabbed his satchel, opening it up to pick out one singular blueberry. "We need more food." he hissed, looking slightly annoyed. Skeppy tilted his head, looking at it. "You eat it. You need the energy for when you will be carrying me."
"Skeppy!" Bad contradicted, which sent the smaller on a laughing fit. "I'm not carrying you, do not expect that will happen."
"It might!"
"No it won't. Now eat the blueberry."
"You need to eat!"
"Skeppy," Bad said, slowly like he was trying to explain something to a small kid. "I can keep up longer without food than you."
"Sure, sure. I don't care, you're probably going to starve."
"I'm FINE. Now EAT IT."
Skeppy glared at the small sphere, before taking it and popping it in his mouth. "Don't blame me when you collapse and can't move anymore." he grumbled.
Bad didn't answer, just closing his satchel again and putting it on his shoulder as usual. Skeppy stood up and nearly tripped. He could feel a bit of tugging at his back, and he saw his cape was stuck in a thorn bush. He scowled at it, now grumpy because all the warmth was gone.
Bad walked over. "A sign," he said. "I told you to get rid of that piece of grimy fabric a long time ago."
Skeppy stared at it. He didn't really want it, did he? And no way was he going through it to untangle it at its source. He looked up at Bad, who was watching him curiously. "I…"
"I understand it means a lot to you, Skeppy, but it does nothing but cause strife." Bad said, putting a hand on his shoulder. Skeppy looked back at the bush, before sighing and unclipping the fabric from his shoulders.
The cape fell to his feet, then billowed like a flag with the bush like a pole. He smiled a bit. "That looks pretty pog," he commented.
"Pog?" Bad asked.
"Um, you know. Awesome? Cool."
"Oh." Bad murmured. "It does look… pog."
They then set out again, the mountain at this point far behind them and just travelling over flat snow banks. Bad looked around every couple of moments, like he was searching for food. As far as Skeppy could tell, it was just a big long wet wasteland, no oasis in sight.
Then smoke appeared.
Skeppy immediately started running as soon as he saw it, shaking with excitement and exhaustion. Believe it or not, just a blueberry to last you the day doesn't get you very far.
Bad yelled at him to stop but Skeppy just ignored him. Doesn't he know what this means? Food! Shelter! Warmth! People!
He smacked into a hard surface, reeling back and falling on his face. He rubbed his head. "Hey -" he barked, then stopped, looking up.
A stocky person stood over him, staring down with an awfully real - looking pig mask. The pig mask was scowling down at him, and blinked with fury. Wait - blinked?!
Skeppy scrambled back, smacking into Bad's legs. "Bad! Bad! What is that?" Skeppy whispered frantically, grabbing his cloak and using it to pull him up. Bad tilted his head, eyes slightly more green than before.
The humanoid… whatever it was… just stared at them, tusks gleaming in the sun. Its eyes were a glistening black, and a red cape spilled down majestically from his shoulders. This creature seemed so much more regal than even Skeppy's father was. And that was something.
Bad drew his lips back enough to show sharp canines, but otherwise seemed friendly. "Hello, stranger." he greeted, holding out a pitch - black claw. "My name is BadBoyHalo, and this is Skeppy. We're just passing through."
"Passing through, eh?" the creature replied, taking Bad's hand firmly and shaking it. "Not many creatures do, not even foxes. What brings you here?"
Bad took his hand back, and before he could shove it back into his pockets Skeppy took it and clenched it, looking like a large child gripping onto his mom. But Bad didn't contradict.
"We just explore. Nothing much, and we don't stay for long." Bad promised. The pig watched them for a moment more before beckoning past him. "Come with me. You must be cold and hungry."
Skeppy perked up, trotting over to the side of the pig. "Oh my gosh, you have no idea! What type of food do you have? Blueberries? Oo, rabbit? Pig? Oh wait, I - I'm sorry you're a pig, I really hope I didn't offend you -"
The creature raised a hoof to stop the prince from rambling. "Just follow me." He sounded gruff, but Skeppy could hear a slight hint of amusement.
They tagged along closely as the creature led them through the snow. Bad's tail swung side to side as if impatient or nervous, but Skeppy just bounced right up next to their leader, grinning. "So… what's YOUR name?"
The pig thing looked down at him briefly before turning his attention back in front of them. "Technoblade. But you can just call me Techno." he grunted.
"I'm Prince Skeppy!" Skeppy said, still hyper. "But you can call ME Skeppy."
"I heard." Techno said, looking back over his shoulder warily at Bad, then dropped his voice so only Skeppy could hear. "Why do you have a demon with you? Did he kidnap you? You know I can fight him off easily, right?"
Skeppy shook his head fervently, sticking his hands in his pockets. "No, no no. He's my best friend. I went with him."
"But why would you leave your life for some hardship like this?" Techno asked, beckoning to the air around them.
"I was trapped." Skeppy answered, not wanting to delve into it. The pig man stayed quiet, respecting that. "Well, I'm glad you got out." he murmured.
Skeppy nodded, then stopped as he saw a small cabin in the distance. "Is that where we're heading to?" he asked, slightly in awe.
Technoblade nodded, still walking as Bad's ears perked. The cabin had dark wooden walls and a stone foundation. It had cracked wooden doors and a stone chimney, heralding warmth thanks to the smoke billowing out, and a small stall jutted out from the side. Skeppy grinned as Techno stepped forward to unlock the door, then beckoned them in. "There's a fire right now, go warm up by it."
Skeppy hopped in excitedly, quite ready to feel warmth, but Bad was a bit more hesitant, clenching his satchel tightly and glancing around. Techno closed the door behind him, locking it and then trotting into a different room, which Skeppy assumed was the kitchen.
"Are you sure this place is safe?" Bad asked, sitting down and putting his hands near the fire. Skeppy plopped down next to him, leaning against his shoulder reassuringly. "I'm sure it is. What's the worst he can do?"
Bad hummed slightly, but didn't answer. Skeppy poked him softly before turning back to the flickering flames. It was so much warmer than outside, and it just made him realise how cold he was. Bad unfurled his wings and wrapped them around Skeppy, pulling him into a side hug. Skeppy leaned into it, smiling.
Techno walked back at some point, and was now staring at them while sipping what smelled like tea. He raised a brow when Skeppy looked over at him, and Bad quickly moved away when he noticed as well. Skeppy gasped in annoyance and glared at the demon, who was hiding his face behind his bandana.
Techno looked like he was holding back a laugh. "Something going on that I'm unaware of?" he teased. Skeppy stuck his tongue out at Bad before turning back to the pig. "No. Bad's just choosing to be a tomato instead of warming his best friend."
Bad glared at him.
Techno shrugged before moving back to grab two small porcelain mugs and handing them to the two. Bad took his hesitantly, claws shaking as he looked into it and frowned. He opened his mouth to say something, but Techno beat him to it. "No, it is not poisoned. It might taste a bit funky because I don't have tea leaves at the moment, but it is completely safe."
He tipped his own mug towards them to show that it was the complete same liquid. Bad's brow furrowed, but he sipped either way. He perked up, downing the rest and smiling softly. "Thank you."
Techno shrugged, looking slightly uncomfortable as he stepped back. "I'll leave you guys to warm up. I need to head back out to get what I need."
"You seriously trust us enough to just leave us?" Skeppy asked. "As complete strangers."
Techno shrugged again. "It's not like you can do much. And plus, you guys seem trustworthy enough." He did shoot a suspicious glare at Bad, but Bad either didn't notice, or ignored it as he looked back to the fire soundlessly.
Skeppy answered for him, burrowing closer to the demon. "We'll try not to trash the place. Too much." he added teasingly, and Techno smiled a bit. "Alright. I'll be back." And he left the house, closing the door behind him.
(A/N: Sorry for not posting yesterday! Voting day made me forget believe it or not.
It's a bit weird looking back on writing I've finished quite a while ago and seeing Techno... I don't know how I'll do it from now on.
But I'll try, I can guarantee it.
Anyways, thanks for reading! We're are close to the end - sort of. Close enough. So stay tuned!)