And my last piece for the charity event, just a fluffy little oneshot about warden!Techno on osmp

Phil was absolutely not going to admit to anybody that he fell down a ravine.

Fell wouldn't even be the right word for it. Elytrians weren't naturally predisposed to falling off stuff, but the landslide and crumbling rocks at the edge of the cavern had caught Phil by surprise so he'd only really had a chance to flick out his wings and ease his landing, not properly evade tumbling down. He didn't get seriously hurt like some others would have in the same situation, but there was a tiny dent in his pride now which told him he was very glad nobody witnessed that.

Brushing off his clothes that got covered in dust and debris, Phil looked around. The ravine was rather deep, but narrow. Kind of strange, really. As if a thin knife had been shoved into the earth to cut it open. It wasn't a canyon formed over time, when water chips away at the landscape. Maybe an earthquake split it open and uncovered the insides? There were visible channels of old mines that snuck away into the ground. Phil could probably fly back up and get back on his journey home. But curiosity never hurt anybody, did it?

He could do a little exploring and see if there was anything interesting around.

Phil picked the nearest passage and started to follow it down. The walls were rough, but gave the impression of being made by hand. This only drew Phil further inside, trying to make sense of the odd texture. Whoever made these tunnels had to do so for a reason… but why? And where were they? Phil couldn't think of any species that would live this far underground in hard rock terrain. Even bunny hybrids - widely considered the most versatile when it came to digging - preferred grassland or forests for their burrows.

Then he stepped out into a giant cavern and the sight before him stole Phil's breath away.

It was a city. That was the only word he could think of to describe what sprawled before him. While some were half-collapsed or overgrown with strange bioluminescent plants, the structures couldn't strike Phil as anything except buildings. Long abandoned, maybe. Yet an enduring reminder that somebody lived there once.

They stretched almost further than the eye could see. As an elytrian, the darkness did not form an obstacle for Phil the same way it did for some others, but even he had a hard time seeing where the city ended. The walls and ceiling of the cave domed around it, cradling it gently. At several points, Phil could see tunnels much like the one he came through that would have been used for the people living there to get to the surface.

Intrigued, Phil carefully jumped down from the passage and onto the stone below. He swore he could feel it thrum in response to his presence. As if the inside was vibrating very, very lightly. Phil wondered if this meant there was an active volcano below, or if something else was the cause. He'd never seen anything like this before.

He'd never heard anything like this either.

A shriek sharp enough to cut through metal pierced the air. Phil flinched, covering his ears with his hands. The sound was high-pitched enough to make his head hurt. What the fuck was going on?!

Since the noise seemed to be coming from a building to his left, Phil booked it in the opposite direction. Anything to put some distance between himself and that horrible shrieking, so he could at least think again and not feel as if his brain was being stabbed by a million needles. He only got so far as a few steps before something snapped tight around his ankle. Phil barely had time to let out his own little squeak of surprise when the rope pulled taut and upward, easily lifting him up by his leg until he was dangling upside down. All the blood rushing to his head wasn't really doing the ache there any favors.

At least the shriek abruptly cut out, replaced by an eerie silence.

He twitched helplessly, trying to reach up to undo the rope but finding it a lot harder than expected. Something was moving in the dark. Phil could hear it coming towards him.

Closer and closer. The beating of a heart.

With a sigh, Phil used his wing to cut through the rope instead. He fell onto his shoulder, hissing in pain a little. Still better than waiting helplessly for whoever set up that alarm system and trap to come and gut him like a fish. He stood up and grabbed his sword, preparing for whatever horror might be lurking in this cursed place. Phil was definitely regretting coming down there.

He saw the light before anything else.

A dull blue glow that faded in and out of existence. With every passing second it became a little more visible, and it only took a moment for Phil to realize it was pulsing in tune with the heartbeat.

And then the person it belonged to rounded the corner. It was just a guy.

Granted, a pretty intimidating guy. Phil had to crane his neck up to properly look at their face. From the top of their head, an impressive set of antlers extended further upward. Their skin was incredibly pale, pulled almost sickeningly gaunt over their bones and giving them a malnourished look. Across their cheeks and neck, patches had discolored into a teal color that crept along their veins. The skin looked harder there, as if it was made out of stone. Their hands, which ended in sharp claws, seemed the same.

But what really made Phil inhale sharply was the giant cavity of open ribs in the center of the man's chest. Phil could see their heart move rhythmically, their insides glowing brighter with each short contraction.

"Who's there?" the man asked.

Phil had gone completely motionless at the sight before him. The man tilted their head a little. Long pink hair draped across their shoulders and face, so Phil hadn't noticed before that there were bandages wrapped around their eyes, obscuring their vision. Or maybe they were blind?

His foot slid across the stone slightly as he altered his stance, trying to decide how to play this. Phil wasn't the sort of guy to be hostile towards any stranger he just met, but this situation was so unusual even he was out of his debt. The slightest amount of movement made the man turn their face towards him.

Definitely blind, though their ears more than made up for it.

"Bruh, I can hear you," the man complained. "How did you get down here, the entrances should all be collapsed?"

After another beat of hesitation, Phil answered. "They weren't anymore. I was able to follow a cave tunnel down here."

The man's face had an almost concerning impassiveness to it as they deliberated this answer.

Then they nodded. "I see. You should be able to follow it to get back out then." They promptly turned around to walk away.

"Wha- Mate, you can't just say that all casual," Phil sputtered, laughing a bit. The anti-climactic end to what felt like a tense encounter threw him off. He followed them as they went deeper into the city, clearly navigating purely based on echolocation and perhaps muscle memory. It was impressive. "What is this place?"

"Some people called it the deep dark," the man said simply.

"Can't imagine why," Phil huffed. Aside from the glowing plants around, there wasn't a single proper light source in sight. "People used to live here then?"

"Long ago. They all left. Or died."

The apathetic way they told this really did give the impression that it had been a while. Either that or this guy was completely deranged. And somehow Phil didn't think that was the case.

"Why didn't you leave too?" he asked.

They came to a sort of potato field. Or not potatoes, since those would never be able to grow in the hard rock ground, nor would they glow a matching teal color to all those other plants Phil had seen so far. This similar vegetable could be unique to the biome. Phil picked one up and put it in his bag for further examination. The stranger either didn't care or maybe they didn't notice.

"My duty was to protect this city. As long as there were people here, I had to stay. I should have been the last to leave," they told Phil. They sighed deeply. "A cave-in happened before I could. Kind of cringe, honestly."

Phil laughed. "Fair enough. You seem to be doing pretty well for yourself down here."

"I guess. There was an earthquake a little while ago, I didn't realize it opened the tunnels back up."

Ah, that explained the weird ravine, Phil supposed. The man knelt down to tend to their plants. Phil stepped a little closer, noticing they tensed up when he did that.

"I'm Phil. What's your name?" he asked.

For a brief moment, they went still. Their heartbeat was the only sound that disturbed the silence.

Phil had no clue how long they had been alone, but it was a little harrowing to think about. Not many hybrid species Phil knew lived in complete isolation. Phil wasn't even the most social guy in town and he couldn't imagine how lonely he'd be if he got stuck in a deserted underground city for what could be years or might very well be several decades.

He'd be a terrible person if he didn't try to help.

"Technoblade," they said eventually.

"Well, Technoblade, now that you heard the passages are open again, do you want to leave? It can't be easy alone, but I could help you."

"And go where?" Technoblade asked. "Not sure if you've noticed, Phil, but I'm not exactly the sightseeing type."

Phil laughed, shaking his head. "Don't worry about that. I know exactly where we could go."

Traveling back to the commune by foot was a lot slower than if Phil could traverse the distance in flight. He was the only member of their little town who frequently went far away, either to pick up supplies or simply to explore unseen territory. That second one particularly Phil might have to thank his elytrian nature for.

But hey, every hybrid had its quirks.

Techno was no different. Phil had gotten very used to the other man's strangeness.

Technoblade was a warden hybrid. Phil had never heard of those before, wardens must be unique to the deep dark biome. From what Techno told him, they were pretty rare. Techno had never met another like him. They often served as protectors for the cities they lived in. The trap Phil had stepped on was one of Techno's.

"We don't need any of that stuff where we live," Phil said. "Traps, I mean. Scott keeps up a magical barrier around the commune. Only hybrids can pass through, so we're safe from humans."

"What about other hybrids?" Techno asked.

"Can't say that has ever been an issue," Phil answered in honesty.

Techno nodded. "Is the food done?"

"Ah, yes." Phil picked up the skewer of fish he'd been preparing over the fire. "When the meat goes white, that's how you know it's cooked all the way through."

"That's a great tip," Techno said, breathing out a laugh. "For other people, I mean. Not so much for me."

Phil's wings twitched, cheeks heating up a little in embarrassment. He held the skewer out for Techno to take. "Sorry. I keep forgetting."

"The literal lack of eyes didn't tip you off?" Techno took the food from him. The bandages around his face shifted when he grinned.

When they had only been traveling together a day or two, Phil had allowed curiosity to get the better of him, so he inquired as to what was hidden beneath them. Techno showed no shame about it, lifting the edge so Phil could see the empty sockets, all hollowed out into dark pits.

"I only wear them because the sight can be off-putting to others," Techno had said.

Phil didn't find it to be too gnarly, but he could imagine it being hard to look at for some. Techno had no issue getting around, the constant beating of his heart apparently was all the echolocation he needed to map out the basic idea of his surroundings. He just couldn't tell fine details, or colors.

Phil watched Techno bite into the food, chewing on it for a while, then swallowing. "It's fine. Not as good as the sculk root."

"Seriously?" Phil groaned. Maybe wardens had no ability to taste things. Why else would Techno insist the weird potatoes known as sculk root were the only good food? Phil tried them, they tasted like ash! "Wait until you try Jack's cooking, it's really good."

"He's the one that owns the pub?" Techno asked. Phil had been telling him all about the commune.

"That's the one. He'll probably be able to give you a room until we find a more permanent spot to build your home. There are a lot of caves and mountains around the commune. Ranboo built her house into a cliff, I think." Phil threw the wooden skewer onto the ground when he was done eating. Techno probably wouldn't like staying with Phil, the nest wasn't great for echolocation.

"You're very confident he'll like me."

Phil's eyebrows drew together. "Why wouldn't he?"

"I'm not saying he won't," Techno said. "Just… that you already seem to have decided he will."

He reached forward to put his own skewer down. As he did, Techno's fingers passed through the flame. With a pained hiss, he pulled back again.

"Ah shit, did you burn yourself?" Phil shot upright.

"I couldn't see the fire-"

Techno cut himself off abruptly when Phil took his wrist, pulling his hand a little closer to inspect it. The teal was slightly blackened but there was no visible burn mark. Techno had just touched the flame very briefly.

"Looks fine to me," Phil said. Techno didn't pull away again. He allowed the touch to linger. And when Phil reached up to semi-awkwardly pat his shoulder, Techno actually leaned into it. "I think you'll survive."

"Sure hope so," Techno chuckled.

After a few seconds more, Phil had to break contact so he could sit back down again. Techno blinked, curling his fingers into a loose fist and covering the wrist Phil had touched with his other hand.

They didn't mention it as they settled down to sleep.

"Don't crowd him," Phil chided. "What part of 'he has been living underground completely by himself for years' do you lot not fucking understand."

"Did you really expect to bring some random weirdo home and for us to not have questions?" Tubbo asked. "No offense, big man."

"None taken," Techno said, sitting back a bit. Maybe because Tommy was waving a hand a few inches in front of his face.

"Are you really blind?"

"No, I just think the blindfold makes me look good," Techno deadpanned. He caught Tommy's elbow to stop his waving.

Tommy squeaked a noise of fright at the sudden move, feathers fluffing up in surprise. "Wha- How did you-"

"Echolocation," Techno said. "Also the fact you were basically smacking me in the face."

"Was not." Tommy wrenched loose and stuck out his tongue instead.

"Don't stick out your tongue," Techno told him.

"How?!"

"I like your hair," Niki commented from her tank, hands pressing against the glass. "Mine's the same color! Oh, I'm sure you couldn't tell."

Techno shook his head. "That's cool." He seemed a little ill at ease. Probably because he had only been in the commune for an hour and spent the entire time being subjected to some serious cross-examination from these guys. Phil sighed, they really didn't know how to keep things subtle.

"Techno, let me show you the room you can stay in." He stepped forward to gently shoo Tommy away. "We've been on the road a while, I'm sure you're tired."

"Aw, I have more questions," Ranboo pouted.

"They can wait till tomorrow, I'm sure." Phil put a hand on Techno's back to lead him into the hallway, noticing the man tensed up a little when he did.

The room was small, but cozy. It would only need to serve for a few days anyway. Tubbo had already offered his help in making some sort of cave abode, something that would really suit Techno's tastes. They might even dig deep enough to find sculk, so Techno could plant his potatoes again. Tubbo always liked a challenge.

"They're…" Techno started when they were alone, tapering off into nothing.

"Overwhelming?" Phil finished for him.

"Enthusiastic."

"I did say they'd like you," Phil said smugly. The commune was very friendly to outsiders, especially those who were strange or different. It was what had brought them all together.

"You did." Techno stood in the middle of the room, head bent. His antlers almost brushed the ceiling. He hesitated. "Uh, thank you, by the way. For bringing me here and all."

Techno's nervousness around other people was in its own way pretty amusing, especially with how it contradicted his appearance. Phil just had to do his best not to think about the reasons why.

"Don't mention it. Not like I could have left you stuck underground by yourself for the rest of eternity," he said with a laugh. He walked over to Techno with the intention of helping him unpack. Techno waited, arms at his sides, twitching outward.

Oh.

"I'm sure you'll feel at home here in no time, mate." And as he said it, he threw out his own arms to envelop Techno into a hug, careful not to put any pressure on that exposed ribcage. Phil's wings more or less made up for the height difference. The way Techno almost sagged into his hold took care of the rest.

A few decades without any other people, huh?

Phil didn't know how long they stood there like that. A solid three minutes, at least. Phil could feel the other man's heartbeat, a slow and rhythmic pounding. Techno squeezed him a little tighter.

"Thank you," he said again. And this time Phil only nodded.

For the first and last time in his life, he was very glad he fell down a ravine.