More sicktember!


Steve was looking at him with an above-average amount of judgment.

Technoblade knew this was probably due to his own anthropomorphizing of the polar bear. Steve couldn't really look at anything with judgment because that was most likely an emotion an animal like Steve was incapable of. But then again, Techno definitely had seen Steve open a door or two, so clearly he was smarter than he seemed. He stared back at the bear. Those beady black eyes observed him from where Steve was lying on the rug.

Self-conscious, Techno turned away.

"It's fine, Chat," he said. The voices were restless for the same reason Steve probably was. "Everything will be fine. Technoblade never misses a deadline."

That statement was met with a high amount of doubt. Techno took it in stride. Chat wouldn't be Chat if they weren't questioning everything he did, changing their fickle minds just to be contrary sometimes. He concentrated on his brewing stand.

Ten potions down, only ninety or so more to go.

The Syndicate currently had four active members, so Techno figured having about twenty-five potions per person would be a decent start for their stockpile. They each had their own custom sets of armor, enchanted weaponry, and the cloaks that Niki made. They also had more wither skulls than he really knew what to do with. Potions seemed like the logical next thing to work on.

With how the server currently was, Techno didn't expect them to need those potions anytime soon. Snowchester was definitely half-baked as a government and Las Nevadas didn't concern Techno with a clown like Quackity at the helm. But he'd rather have them and never need them, than end up in a tight spot because they didn't have them. That was pretty sensical.

If only his hands didn't hurt so badly.

Steve walked over to the brewing stand, growling at Techno with a soft, deep hum of annoyance. He always seemed to know when Techno was in pain. Granted, Steve had been trained for it as a service animal, together with some other basic tasks. So he probably picked up on Techno's more subtle tells. Techno reached out his left hand absently, giving the bear a few short pets on his snout. Steve nudged into it.

"Just a little more and I'll go to bed, promise."

Then Steve sat down and started to force his upper body into Techno's lap.

"No, no, Steve, stop that." Steve ignored him and kept going. Techno closed the four remaining fingers on that hand around Steve's maw. "Bruh, stop."

Steve just snorted, going still but continuing to stare at him judgmentally. Again. Since Techno now had one hand occupied, he couldn't exactly continue brewing. Clever bear.

"Ugh, fine." Techno let go, and allowed Steve to settle against him more properly. Chat was making fun of him for how easily he gave in, but Techno distracted himself by stroking the soft white fur beneath him. Maybe he could just start with ten potions each and-

His thoughts were interrupted by the door opening. The cold breeze coming in from outside made the furnace beneath the brewing stand flare to live briefly, sending a fresh plume of smoke into the room. This was pretty typical - flames being stoked by fresh oxygen and all - but since Techno was inhaling at exactly the wrong time, he ended up gulping down a big mouthful of smoke.

Phil didn't immediately notice since he was busy shoving the door closed again, needing to press his back against it because the wind outside was picking up. The weather was terrible today.

When Phil turned around, Techno was already stifling a fresh series of coughs into his fist. He hunched over, surprisingly glad that Steve was on his lap so he could use the polar bear's huge body as a support.

"Oops, sorry," Phil said sheepishly. He was aware of how brewing stands worked, obviously. And he'd usually be a little bit more careful about allowing a large rush of air into the cabin if he knew Technoblade was working on potions. "You okay, mate?"

Techno waved a hand at him, not trusting his voice to properly work when his entire throat felt cracked open. Steve rumbled softly. Techno's lungs steadily got worse over the years from being exposed to too much witherdust, a natural consequence of working with soul sand and withers too. But they never quite recovered after Doomsday.

"You know they don't need to be finished by the meeting tomorrow, right?" Phil asked, beelining for Techno's kitchen. They were so used to being in each other's space that Techno didn't question this.

He swallowed thickly. "It's my self-imposed deadline," he said.

Techno was the type of person to work better under pressure, since procrastination was a constant trap for him otherwise. Maybe a hundred potions in two days had been a bit ambitious though, even for him.

Predictably, that's why Phil chuckled. "Nobody will die if they aren't done."

"You never know," Techno said. "Something might happen tomorrow. What are you going to do if we run out of health pots then, hm? Waste a totem?"

"If I have to, sure." Phil moved some pots and pans around, frowning at the mess Techno left behind. His hands hurt too badly to do the dishes today.

"Cringe," Techno accused playfully. Phil laughed again.

"Seriously though, you shouldn't push yourself for something we don't really need," Phil continued. "Especially if you're already feeling like shit." The last words were spoken with a certain sharpness, Phil casually letting it be known that Techno wasn't half as subtle as he hoped he was and that Phil had caught on to his pain acting up. Like Steve, Phil was very familiar with Techno's body language.

"It's not too bad," he lied.

Techno couldn't help but flex his fingers as he spoke. He was missing the pinkie on his left hand because of the red festival, though the pain was more related to the burn wounds from that same event, on top of the regular pain of strain injuries not taken care of.

"Yeah, just leave the potions for another day though." Phil turned around and approached him, some stuff bundled up under his arm that he stole from Techno's kitchen. Well, stole might be a loose term. It's not like Techno minded.

"Maybe," Techno said. Phil didn't press him further. It would be useless with somebody as stubborn as Technoblade and they both knew it. The piglin smiled slightly at Chat throwing accusations of Phil's mother henning around. He'd never escape the allegations, clearly.

"Who's a good bear?" Phil asked Steve, dropping his voice into a pantomime of baby talk that made Techno snort. "Are you going to stop the grumpy Technoblade from being a dick to himself? Yes, you are. Yes, you are." Phil squished Steve's cheeks.

The polar bear let out another grumble, close to a purr.

"No, he's not," Techno said.

"Yes, he is," Phil disagreed easily, smirking.

"Don't you have a village to burn down somewhere?" Techno asked, voice flat.

Phil cackled, pulling away so he could head for the door. "Joke's on you, I already did that today. So if you need any coal, let me know."

After Phil left and Techno managed to get Steve down from his lap, he made three more potions before his hand cramped up so bad he couldn't work anymore and he called it a night.


The next day Techno woke up with a headache so terrible he almost rolled over and went straight back to sleep.

His migraines were another thing he could thank this server for. Getting hit in the head with an anvil would do that to you. Totems were great for the 'not dying' part of the equation, not always for any other damage inflicted, and permanent effects were pretty common. Techno learned to live with it, just like he learned to live with any other crappy hand life dealt him.

Speaking of his hands, those weren't exactly better. From the moment he opened his eyes, he was aware of the little spasms of pain that ran through them. And thus he wasn't very surprised that when he finally managed to peel off his blankets and shamble his way downstairs, and he picked up a glass he left on his table, the first thing he did was drop it.

The glass didn't shatter, rolling onto its side and then across the tabletop before Techno managed to catch it with his other hand, making him wince when that also hurt.

Ah, it was going to be one of those days.

Trying to make breakfast this way would be kind of difficult. Techno doubted he'd even be able to hold a gapple long enough to eat it without his grip failing him. He could down a health potion and hope that would numb the pain somewhat, but that felt like a waste considering how hard he'd worked on them.

It wouldn't be the first day Techno was completely fine with skipping a meal.

He changed his clothes - already a pretty tough job when he couldn't properly work the buttons. Good thing Techno owned a lot of clothes that had simple straps or elastic, since they tended to be the preferred option for combat - and went outside. The weather had calmed down, and their little corner of arctic peace had been heavily snowed over. Techno supposed he'd have to clear some of it if he could handle a shovel.

Dogs first, though.

They barked when he approached the pen, jumping up against the wooden fences. Techno paused so he could cough slightly, the chilly air burning his lungs. He honestly felt like crap all around. If he didn't have the Syndicate meeting today, he'd probably stay in and not do much of anything. That was a luxury Techno had only recently gained after years of constant competition and warfare, and he kind of hated how he had already started to take it for granted.

Cleaning the bedding was easy enough. Techno kicked the soiled hay and stuff into a corner with his foot, confident that it wouldn't matter if it piled up for another day or two as long as the dogs also had fresh hay to do their business in. Techno could collect bundles in his arms, despite how much his hands were acting up, and drop them where needed.

When it came to feeding them, that was a bit more tricky. Techno struggled to get the bag open, much to Chat's delight and the hound army's eventual impatience. One of them jumped up and tore its teeth through the bottom of the bag, scattering kibble all around. Techno sighed. Eh, good enough.

"Techno?" Ranboo asked from over at the fence.

Technoblade turned towards the enderman hybrid, who was holding a shovel. "Hullo."

"Do you want me to shovel your yard too? I kinda already did Phil's. I didn't notice. Was going through the motions, I guess," Ranboo said. Techno looked over, seeing that Ranboo was right and most of the snow in front of Phil's cabin was cleared. Or at least proper pathways had been made.

"As long as you don't expect a tip," he said. "If Skyblock taught me anything it's not to pay for menial work."

Ranboo grinned at his joke, tail flicking behind him. "No, no, of course not. I just think better when my hands are busy."

"In that case, I guess I'm fine with you doing it."

Ranboo nodded happily, getting to work. Techno didn't know if Ranboo was truthful about not minding the job, or if maybe he had spotted Techno was feeling a little off today and offered to help in a roundabout way not to bruise Techno's pride. The small glances he kept being sent by the enderman hybrid as he finished his chores definitely would make the second option more likely.

The small courtesy was pretty nice though.

Techno knew it was a testament to how close he'd allowed other people to get to him, that they'd be able to tell he wasn't doing well without him outright saying it. That he didn't feel the need to suppress every small wince when his body was acting up again, for fear of his weakness being taken advantage of.

Techno wasn't entirely sure if that was a good change.

But he certainly appreciated it when he walked back to his cabin and didn't have to struggle through several feet of snow so he could warm up his aching hands at the fire.


As usual, the Syndicate meeting ended within ten minutes and instead turned into a sort of tea-time discussion.

Techno couldn't say he minded. The less they had to talk about, the better things were for the server probably. He just wished his hands would stop hurting so he could actually enjoy it.

The cabin was warm, which was nice at least. Techno's head stopped pounding and the migraine settled into a vague throb that wasn't great but also wasn't something he had trouble with. He couldn't remember the last time he had been completely without pain. He could breathe a little better when he wasn't in that stuffy Syndicate room.

Seriously, the aesthetic was peak but why did they have to build it underground? Techno didn't really think that one through.

So all that was left was the cramping.

Techno couldn't drink his tea, not if he wanted to do it without spilling it all over himself. Steve had draped himself over his lap again. Techno was using the polar bear immobilizing him as an excuse as to why he wasn't trying Niki's newest test run. She always loved to experiment with baking and bring some with her to the meetings, to see if it was fit to go to her bakery. The answer was always yes.

Man, he would kill for a pastry right now though.

"Are you okay, Techno?"

Niki leaned closer to him, arm brushing against his side a bit. Steve growled slightly. He still hadn't entirely forgiven Niki for the whole birthday bash thing. Techno ignored him.

"Yeah," he said. "Tired. Been a long week."

An amused smile came to her lips. "It's Tuesday."

"Longest week of my life," Techno insisted.

"Sometimes it does feel that way," Niki said. She picked up one of the cookies she had made. Then she kind of shoved it at his face. "Here you go."

"Wha-" Techno tried, only to get a mouthful of cookie for his troubles. He had to chew to prevent choking, and Niki giggled.

"Since Steve might get in the way of you eating, I thought I'd help."

"Thanks," Techno deadpanned. But he actually was very happy.

Life had a curious way of working out sometimes. If Chat had asked him a few months back what exactly he was looking for as he made his way across this server, Techno wasn't so sure of what he would have answered. The usual things maybe. Glory. Bloodshed. Money. Eh, weren't those all things others thought Techno was after?

That didn't really answer the question of what he wanted.

"Bad day?" Niki asked as they walked towards the Netherportal. It wasn't needed since their little commune was so safe, but old habits died hard. And Techno always walked Phil there too. Just to make sure they could set out on their travels safely.

"My entire body feels like one big ache," Techno admitted.

He had a sneaking suspicion they knew, all three of them. This just confirmed it.

"Try chamomile tea," Niki said. "Phil can help you. I know I gave him some the other day to help with his wings."

"Smart," Techno said.

She stood on her tiptoes, to properly button up the front of his cloak that he couldn't be bothered to struggle with earlier. "See you next week?"

"Unless I get thrown into prison again, I'll be around."

Niki laughed, and Techno waited for her to enter the portal and disappear in a small swoosh of smoke before turning around to head home.

He would ask Phil to make him chamomile tea tonight.