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The sudden sound of a door slamming shut with enough force to rattle the worn-down hut was enough to startle Tommy out of the comfortable haze he’d settled in. He jumped, the old book he’d been studiously flipping through slipping out of his grasp and tumbling to the dusty floor with a slam before he had the mind to catch it.
He swore, immediately bending down to pick up the priceless tome he’d promised to be careful with, only to hesitate as a large figure suddenly burst into the small kitchen.
Tommy sighed frustratedly, his brow furrowed into an angry frown and mouth already open in preparation to snidely remark about the lack of “subtlety and carefulness”, just like the never ending comments his Brothers never seemed to tire of pinning him with, only to pause.
Technoblade, the Blade , stood in the doorway. His chest heaving as if he’d ran the entire way here as he stared at Tommy with uncharacteristically wild eyes. A startling contrast to the normal calm that Tommy was far more used to from the man that was more legend than human.
Tommy felt his mouth go dry, fear clenching around his heart as he stumbled to stand up, the old tome already forgotten as it lay abandoned on the dusty floorboards.
“Blade?” He questioned hesitantly, as he took a step forward, already reaching out towards the older Assassin with his trembling hands. “Holy shit, man… Are you alright?”
Tommy suddenly realized that no, no he couldn’t possibly be alright.
There was a dark spot climbing up the white shirt, a jagged cut brutally carved into the thick leather band that was wrapped around the Master Assassin’s midriff. A piece of leather that Tommy knew from experience was practically impenetrable.
The wound must be deep. Deep enough for the horrifying dark spot to seemingly grow larger for every second Tommy stared at it, and yet it wasn’t the most alarming part of the horrifying scene in front of him.
The Blade was notorious for his prowess. His strength and stealth, unmatched, and yet here he stood. Dirty and bloody from what must’ve been a hell of a fight, the long, usually clean pink tresses of hair, messy and damp as they hung free from the normally impeccable braid, parts of it plastered to the Master Assassin’s pale face.
It was the most roughed-up state Tommy had ever seen Techno in, the sight frightening alien compared to what the Fledgling Assassin was used to.
“Theseus,” The man rasped out, voice cold and harsh with only the barest of trembles to it. “Come here.”
“Where to?” Tommy asked distractedly as he quickly hurried over, most of his attention glued to the wound as his hands reached out to lightly brush against the leather, careful to keep from touching the bleeding directly.
Whatever had pierced the almost impenetrable leather had probably not struck any vital organs, judging by the jagged cut’s position, but that thought offered little comfort.
Organs intact or not, blood loss could just as easily lead to death if not properly tended to, and Techno was notorious for being an absolutely horrid patient.
“To another safe house? Tubbo and Ranboo and the rest of our Brothers are still out, we should wait-”.
A tight grip settled around his right wrist, wrenching it away from the wound, the scarred hand almost large enough to completely dwarf Tommy’s arm.
“We’re leaving.” Technoblade ordered as he spun on his heel, mercilessly dragging Tommy after him. The Fledgling Assassin spluttered, stumbling over the kitchen’s elevated threshold as he tugged at his captured wrist. Technoblade didn’t spare Tommy’s surprised protests any mind, he only powered through, the door to the streets opening with a bang as he pulled the stumbling child along.
“Wait-!” Tommy protested as he was dragged out on the worn cobblestone streets, still wet and shiny from the earlier downpour that had at some point tapered out into a light drizzle. Tommy shuddered as the cold seeped in through his gray robes, the fine hair on the back of his neck rising in alarm.
He felt exposed, like a fawn left in the middle of an open field and suddenly, he was hyper-aware of the fact that a group of Templars could round one of the corners at any second and see them. See them and know.
“Techno,” Tommy said silently with a hiss, his voice barely louder than a whisper. Blue eyes darted nervously between every conceivable corner that lined the street as he stumbled over his slightly too-large boots, struggling to keep up with the man’s brutal march. “Techno, we shouldn’t be here-.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Technoblade only responded shortly, voice clipped and devoid of any emotion.
‘Don’t worry about it.’ Yeah, right.
Tommy insistently tugged at his captured arm.
“Techno, I’m not kidding!” Tommy hissed, “We could be spotted! Let’s just go back, I’m sure our Brothers will be back any second now!” Never in his life did Tommy think that he of all people would end up trying to talk down the Blade from acting rashly. Him! The only Fledgling to be left behind because he was too unruly, too much of a risk to his brethren, to their calling.
But he wasn’t an idiot, despite what some of his older Brothers would frustratedly hiss as he messed up yet another stealth practice. Tommy might not be the most observant in his batch, but even he could sense that something was wrong, horribly, horribly wrong.
The Blade was legendary for a reason, and yet here he was, injured.
Something must have happened, something bad. Possibly bad enough to have them all go into hiding for a month or two, hell, maybe even longer depending on how bad shit had gotten.
Tommy nervously chewed on his lower lip, blue eyes glued to the broad back of his Brother as he was dragged further and further into the heart of the city. Away from the small cluster of safe houses they’d spent the better part of the year hiding in.
Technoblade was acting strange, and Tommy had a horrifying inkling that maybe the wound was worse than he originally thought.
The older assassin had never been this disheveled, never this reckless. He had always been patient, eyes always dark and collected as his steady hands helped guide the Fledgling Assassins into the proper positions. Scarred hands warm as they patiently adjusted the small hands tightly wound around the sharp blade's cold handle.
He could be harsh, maybe even a tad cruel if he saw it fit, but he had always been secure. Unflappable. Even if he’d been more tired as of late, the dark bags under his eyes seemingly growing darker for every night. Broad shoulders stiff as the man kept all conversations with their Brothers short and clipped.
It had worried Tommy, enough for him to shyly ask Dream, the Faceless Master Assassin, for advice.
The man hadn’t outright dismissed his concerns, but had also made it clear that Tommy was better off not interfering. Better off staying away until Techno shook himself out of the almost depressive state he’d fallen into.
Tommy had listened, even as he struggled with his decision, cautiously watching from the sidelines as Techno’s expression grew colder and colder. Each mission, ending up bloodier, messier , than the one before, to the point where the man had been held back almost entirely.
The situation had grown steadily worse, the entire Brotherhood walking on eggshells as they tried their darndest to keep from irritating the man that seemed all the more close to snapping for each passing day. It had continued like that, until Tommy had accidentally overheard the two shining stars of the Brotherhood angrily arguing with each other deep in the night.
Technoblade had left for a little while after that, before returning. Calmer, more put together, the dark bruises under his eyes finally clearing up.
Everyone had let out a sigh of relief after that, and slowly, surely, things had started to go back to how it’d been before.
Two months. Two whole months of peace and calm, what the actual fuck had gone to shit since then?
Tommy jerked, tugging at his captured wrist with more force than before, and finally, it was enough to make the Assassin turn towards him, eyes cold and expression frigid.
“Brother,” Tommy said uneasily, the irritation flagging in the face of what a primitive part of him insisted was danger. “It’s not safe here, we should go back.” Tommy tried, faltering as the man only shook his head, loosening even more pink locks from the barely-there braid, the hair framing Techno’s face lightly curling in the humidity.
“We’re never going back.” The man spoke, his voice calm and collected, as if there was nothing wrong with what he just said. Tommy faltered, face slackening in surprise.
Not going back? Not going back where? To the safe house? Well, yeah, probably if the situation was as dire as he suspected it to be, but there was something… Something else that made the entire situation settle strangely in his stomach.
“To the safe house?” Tommy questioned haltingly as dread slowly crawled up his spine. He found himself unable to look away from the dark red eyes drilling into him. Unable to as much as glance down at the stab wound, to look closer at the jagged cut, to look for any of the signs that he should look for but dreaded to find, because-
Impossible. It was impossible.
“To the Brotherhood.”
The words were sharp, delivered with the same kind of inevitability as death.
Tommy froze, mind slowing into a staggering halt as the words fully registered on his mind.
Technoblade didn’t wait for the Fledgling Assassin to respond, he only continued deeper into the city. Walking as if he had a destination in mind despite blatantly approaching enemy territory in broad daylight. The light drizzle that cast the city in a gray light, offered close to no cover if anyone were to give the pair a second glance.
One good look, and their cover would be blown, their robes too much of a giveaway, the visible blood that stained most of Techno’s shirt like a shining beacon against the white, and… And surely Techno knew that?
Tommy realized with a startling clarity, that Techno did seem to have a destination in mind, a destination that Tommy only dreamt of in his deepest nightmares.
“Stop-!” Tommy stuttered, panic welling up inside of his chest as he fruitlessly tugged at the grip, squirming and thrashing as his feet desperately sought for purchase against the cobbled street while his nails clawed at the fingers that were practically welded around his flesh. “Technoblade, please-!”
Technoblade didn’t answer, didn’t even acknowledge the struggling Fledgling, he only continued on forwards, undisturbed by Tommy’s trashing.
Tommy fought. He kicked and squirmed in the tight hold, desperate to escape, but it was no use.
The hold around his arm was too tight and offered no give that Tommy could use to slip out of the grip. Nothing about the man revealed any weaknesses. There were no openings, no reasoning, nothing Tommy could do except let the man pull him closer and closer to his death.
“Techno, Techno please!” Tommy tried, voice trembling with fear as he realized that they’d left the rougher districts, the old and uneven cobblestone replaced with a smoother underlay that the poorer districts could only ever hope to offer. They were approaching the execution block one step at a time.
“Techno, we’re gonna get caught!” Tommy hissed desperately as he uselessly tugged at the tight grip around his wrist. “The Templars- they’ll catch us, we need to hide-!”
“They won’t interfere.” Technoblade answered shortly, and any relief Tommy felt at the response died the second the words registered on his mind. Interfere? Interfere in what?
“What?” Tommy asked softly. “Why wouldn’t they..? They’re Templars, we’re… You’re the Blade, remember?”
Maybe… Maybe Techno had just gotten a hard hit to his head.
Tommy paused, the despair suddenly replaced by an almost soul crushing hope.
Yeah… Yeah! Head wounds were notorious for their fickle nature, even the shortest of falls capable of dealing irreversible damage if the head managed to hit something strangely. Surely it was all a misunderstanding, which meant… Which meant that it was up to Tommy to take control over the quickly derailing situation and get his Brother back to safety!
“Techno,” he tried carefully as he unsurely stopped struggling. “You’re not thinking straight, you must’ve hit your head or something, big man, let’s just go to another safe house. Our brothers will know what to do, they can help! Dream! Dream will know what to do!”
Technoblade laughed.
It was a cold, unfeeling laugh, nothing like the almost comically breathy laugh Tommy was used to. This one was darker, crueler, belonging to a man that was nothing like the almost kind at times, Brother Tommy had come to know. He found himself speechless as he stared at Techno’s back, fear pulsating in his chest as he realized, realized that this… This might not be his Techno.
“Dream won’t help, Theseus,” Technoblade chortled darkly, strides somehow speeding up even further at the mere name of his once greatest rival and reluctant friend. “Dream was the one who did this to me after all.”
Tommy openly gaped.
Dream? Dream hurt Techno?
“It must’ve been a mistake,” Tommy heard himself say weakly, but it sounded like he was underwater, the words not registering on his mind even as they left his mouth. He was too busy trying to recover from the verbal bombshell Techno had just dropped on him.
“It’s a misunderstanding.” He repeated, forcing himself to sound more confident than he was. “I’m sure there’s a logical explanation, let’s just go back and-.”
“There’s no misunderstanding, Theseus.” Technoblade’s calm voice responded, horrifically devoid of any emotion, as if he didn’t even fucking care that Dream supposedly almost gutted him. “Nothing is wrong, you’ll see.”
Tommy couldn’t believe his ears. Nothing was wrong? If anything it was the opposite, everything seemed to be wrong.
“Where are you taking me?” Tommy asked softly, his breath hitching in his chest as everything stilled. The Earth might as well have stopped revolving around the Sun for all Tommy cared, nothing existed but the broad back of the man he’d looked up to, the man who he had happily proclaimed to be his Brother, the word being so much more than the title all Fledglings used when referring to the Brotherhood’s members.
“Technoblade, where are you taking me?”
“Somewhere safe.”
“A safe house?” Tommy tried, grasping at straws as he desperately fought against the creeping realization. “Say something, big man.”
“Of a sort.”
“Then why are we going towards the Templars Headquarters?” Tommy asked breathlessly.
Silence.
“No,” Tommy whispered, voice cracking with a pain, “No, Techno, you didn’t.”
Technoblade didn’t answer.
“You’re betraying us?!” Tommy burst out almost hysterically, his voice an octave too high, too loud. He didn’t care, hurt and fury replacing the swiftly dying denial as he angrily kicked at the man’s legs. “How fucking could you!? We’re supposed to be your fucking Brothers -!”
“They’re not my brothers.”
The words are cold, merciless as they cut Tommy to the fucking bone. Tommy faltered, voice dying in his throat as the sentence played on repeat in his head.
Not his brothers.
He stared at Technoblade with teary eyes, his chest burning with agony as something small deep within curled up and died. Red eyes were suddenly watching him, no less wild, no less cold than they were when Techno first appeared at the safe house’s threshold.
“And neither are they yours.”
Tommy found himself speechless for a second, mouth opening and closing as he tried to formulate an answer. By the time his jaw felt like working again, Techno had already turned around and continued on. Undisturbed. Uncaring.
Indignation burned hot under Tommy’s skin, humiliation and fury trickling down his stinging cheeks.
“Let go,” Tommy spat angrily, ignoring the almost wet quality to his voice and the thickness in his throat that made it difficult to speak. “Let me go, you sick freak.”
The grip only tightened, and if Tommy wasn’t already bruised to hell and back, no doubt the new grasp would leave an angry handprint behind.
“No.”
“And why the fuck not!?” Tommy spat as he desperately tried to maintain his faltering glare, ignoring the unshed tears burning in his eyes. “If you care so fucking little for us, why the fuck would you drag me along then, you fucking asshole!”
“I said that they’re not my brothers,” Technoblade said darkly, throwing Tommy another glance over his shoulder. “I never said anything about you .”
Tommy faltered.
“What?”
But apparently, Technoblade had grown tired of the delay, refusing to say anything else as he continued to pull Tommy along, ignoring the Fledgling Assassin’s furious questions and panicked demands.
Tommy was powerless to do anything but follow. Nothing he did seemed capable of affecting the other’s quick strides even in the slightest. And before he knew it, they stood in front of an intimidating building. Grander, and cleaner than anything Tommy had ever seen, despite them being so close up.
In an abstract kind of way, Tommy had always known that the richer districts were cleaner, boasting luxuries that the common folk could only dream of, each building, each window, far more expensive than anything else. But seeing it up close was another story completely. No lessons, no hushed stories told late at night, could’ve prepared him for the sight that might as well have been from another world entirely.
Tommy had barely gotten the chance to gawk at the surrounding buildings with their clean exterior and lush plants lining the detailed lamp posts, before he was once again pulled away. This time towards a building that boasted a horrifyingly familiar mark.
Pure terror welled up in his chest as he caught sight of the guards, the armed guards that were eyeing them closely, hands resting against the hilt of their sheathed weapons.
“Techno,” Tommy whispered harshly, pulling at the unyielding grip. “Techno, please-.”
Techno didn’t respond, didn’t even acknowledge Tommy’s hushed, but nevertheless fearful cries. He only continued on forward, straight towards the guards who were definitely seeing the Botherhood’s Assassins approaching.
They were going to die, Tommy realized hysterically. All because Tommy couldn’t stop Techno, all because Tommy hadn’t been able to figure it out before it was too late.
He expected one of the guards to at least call out, or just straight on pull out a weapon, but instead, they remained firmly in place. Making no move to intervene as Techno pulled Tommy up the stairs. There were no alarmed voices calling out, no weapons being drawn or blades swinging towards their exposed throats, only… Silence. Horrifying silence.
Technoblade didn’t even acknowledge the Templars. He only grunted as he pushed the heavy-looking door open before stepping in, dragging Tommy into the darkness with him.
Tommy blinked, eyes squinted as he tried to get used to the dim lighting. Technoblade on the other hand seemed to have no problem when it came to adjusting to the darkness. Steps unhesitant as he walked down the decorated hallways, as if he knew the path like the back of his hand. .
Tommy had stopped struggling, frozen in terror as he was brought into the heart of the enemies’ territory. He’d never been on the field, had never been this far outside the ever-watchful gaze of his older Brothers. This was a new and horrifying experience, and he couldn’t help but weakly reach for Technoblade’s robes with his free hand, wanting the comfort that came with being under the protection of one of the most powerful men alive.
Technoblade didn’t shake off his weak grip, nor did he acknowledge it other than to silently pull Tommy a bit closer as he came to a sudden stop in front of a dark colored door.
Tommy looked around inside the dim hallway that they stood in, flinching as the sound of knocking echoed loudly in the silence. His eyes darted towards the sound, a part of him horrified to find that the source of the noise was Technoblade who had harshly rapped his knuckles against the door.
“Come in.” An unfamiliar voice spoke up from behind the door. The voice sounded almost soft, kind even.
Tommy didn’t trust it for a second.
Technoblade opened the door the second the words rang out, booted feet stepping into the room that Tommy quickly realized was a stupidly fancy office. Behind a desk at the end of the room sat a man, with chin-long straight blonde hair that just barely touched his jaw. The man was clad in dark green robes, blue eyes, just a tad darker than Tommy’s, calm as they rested on the two Assassins warmly, seemingly unsurprised by their presence.
The blue eyes flickered to Tommy for a beat before returning over to Techno who silently shut the door behind them, his grip around Tommy’s arm unyieldingly tight.
“Hello, mate.” The man sat behind the desk greeted with a smile. “I was just beginning to wonder when you’d show up.”
Technoblade grunted noncommittally as he walked further into the room, Tommy unable to protest as he was dragged along.
Blue eyes flickered to Tommy again, this time resting on the Fledgling who immediately shied away, instinctually covering behind the large figure of the older Assassin.
“So this is that Fledgling of yours then. I must say, he’s a bit smaller than I expected. Does the Brotherhood not feed its younglings?”
“Fuck off!” Tommy snapped before he could stop himself, anger instinctually rearing its head on the behalf of his Brothers.
The man only laughed, seemingly unbothered as he calmly rested his chin on top of his clasped hands, bands of gold decorating each finger, glimmering in the light. But that wasn’t what caught Tommy’s attention.
The Fledgling could practically feel his eyes widen as he caught sight of the sturdy wristbands, the very familiar wristbands that had no business being worn by a fucking Templar.
“He’s mouthy,” The man acknowledged with a dark glint in his eyes. “Make sure to hide him from Will if you wish to keep him, he’s got a soft spot for cute little shits.”
Tommy bristled at the tone, but any thought of snarling at the man was discarded as a deep, guttural growl shattered the hesitant ease. Tommy froze, almost giving himself a whiplash as he spun around to warily eye Technoblade. The Assassin didn’t speak, but Tommy didn’t think he’d ever seen his Brother as visibly furious as he was now.
The man eyed Techno carefully but seemed otherwise unbothered. As if earning the Blade’s wrath was nothing more than an inconvenience.
“Easy,” The man soothed, voice calm and steady. “Wilbur won’t fuck with you for the sake of it, he likes you far too much for that.” The eyes flickered over to Tommy again, before looking down at the wrist Techno was still holding. “Although I’m surprised that you brought him in so early. I thought you intended to wait?” Technoblade huffed frustratedly, tense posture relaxing much to Tommy’s horror.
“My cover was blown.”
The man only laughed again as he shifted in his seat, the fancy leather chair creaking.
“I heard,” the man only responded, sounding more amused than irritated. “You dealt quite the blow to the Master Assassin, apparently. One of my men said that he needed to be fished up out of the sea. Although,” the man eyed Techno’s wounded side, face unreadable. “I can see that you didn’t come out of it unscatched, my friend.”
Tommy couldn’t breathe as he listened, ears ringing as he struggled to comprehend the simple words.
Techno had fought Dream?
“You… You hurt Dream?” Tommy questioned disbelievingly as he tugged at his captured arm, eyes begging for it to be a lie as Techno glanced down at him. “Techno, tell me you didn’t.”
He desperately searched the other’s expression, looking for reassurance, for something , but there was nothing. Just the hard set of lines and cold, unrepentant eyes.
Technoblade stayed silent.
Tommy let out a strangled, anguished cry, his free hand instinctively reaching for one of the few knives he’d been allowed to carry. The smooth handle, sliding into the palm of his hand with practiced ease as he pulled it out in preparation to jam it deep into the hand holding him captured.
Technoblade’s response was quicker than a striking snake, a hand snatching the knife while the other hand shifted its hold around Tommy’s wrist and squeezed hard.
Before Tommy knew it, he was pinned to the floor. Each limb stuck in an uncompromising position that didn’t allow for any wiggle-room.
Tommy struggled against the hold, thrashing and screaming til he could taste metal in his throat, only to slump weakly against the cold stone floor as the situation fully dawned on him.
He was stuck, in the heart of the Templar’s territory, betrayed by the man he had whole-heartedly trusted.
The hold around him shifted, and a big warm palm came to rest on top of his head. Calloused fingers gently tousling his hair as sharp nails lightly scratched along his scalp, all the while the pad of a large thumb gently smothered out Tommy’s furrowed brow. Tommy sniffled.
“Easy,” Technoblade murmured comfortingly, “you’re okay, Theseus, you’re alright.”
Tommy only sniffled pathetically, refusing to acknowledge the empty comfort.
“You didn’t disarm him?” The man questioned curiously, out of sight now that Tommy was being pressed against the floor.
“I wanted to see how long it’d take for him to pull a knife on me.” Technoblade responded drily, prompting a laugh from the other fucker.
Tommy snarled, desperately ignoring the twinge of hurt at the words. He was outmatched, he knew it, had always known it, but hearing it so casually fucking stung.
“No other weapons other than one measly knife?” The man asked, the screeching sound of a chair being dragging against the floor making Tommy flinch. “You’d think they’d let their Fledglings carry something sharper than a kitchen utensil considering everything.”
“Easier to justify in case they get caught.” Technoblade answered simply, uncaring for whatever carefully guarded secrets he was revealing in the process, as if the secrecy, the creed, and oaths didn’t matter .
The man hummed thoughtfully, the sound of shoes clicking against the floor picking up as the man rounded the dark desk.
Tommy glared up through teary eyes at the man who was calmly looking down at them, hyper-aware of the hand still gently petting his hair as if he was nothing but a disobedient dog. The man smiled, crouching down in an unfairly smooth motion without once breaking eye contact. Tommy silently snarled, baring his teeth in a way that he knew wasn’t as scary as he wished it was. The man only smiled, completely unbothered by the juvenile attempt to intimidate him.
“Hiya, mate,” The man crooned deeply. “Not having the best of days, huh.”
“Piss off.” Tommy only spat in response, prompting another laugh from the grinning bastard.
“Aren’t you just a charmer? I can see why you got Techno all wrapped around your finger.”
Technoblade only hummed as he effortlessly lifted the unresisting Fledgling off the floor, cradling him against his unyielding chest. Tommy spluttered, a reluctant part of him finding comfort in the embrace, despite it all turning out to be nothing but a fucking lie. Like this, despite being held close against the muscular chest, Tommy could still see the man who was calmly watching them with an unreadable expression.
Tommy shivered, wanting nothing more than for it all to be a nightmare.
The man smiled.
“That’s a good big brother you got there.” The man said gently to which Tommy only responded with a furious snarl. “Should I tell Wilbur to prepare a guest room?” The man asked, eyes flickering up to meet Techno’s. Tommy froze.
“No. He’ll stay with me.” Technoblade responded shortly. The man hummed.
“He’ll just run away, mate.”
“He can try.” Technoblade answered completely unbothered.
“I’m not fucking staying,” Tommy spat with a trembling voice. “Let me go, you fucking bastards!” The chest underneath him rumbled softly, and Tommy realized with a shudder that the blood, Techno’s blood, had seeped through the clothes and left a sticky patch against his own side. A mirror image of the wound.
“I’m not asking, Theseus,” Techno murmured, the warm exhale brushing over his nape. “You made your own bed when you demanded I’d be your mentor, back then. You can’t take it back.”
“Like hell I can’t!” Tommy snarled.
“Want us to baby-proof your room then?” The man suddenly spoke, putting a stop to the argument before it could even pick off properly. “If you want to keep the Fledgling with you.”
Technoblade hummed thoughtfully in response, ignoring the slew of angry words Tommy was spitting out non-stop, barely even pausing to breathe.
“We’ll have a war on our hands in a couple of weeks,” Techno reminded casually. “It might be better to put him in the dungeons until everything has settled down.”
Tommy froze, panic welling up within him at the words.
“Ah, you’re probably right. I’ll have Wilbur prepare something that suits him in that case.”
“No-!” Tommy exclaimed fearfully, only to be harshly hushed by Technoblade who warningly tightened his grip around the wildly flailing Fledgling.
“Aww, don’t worry,.” The man soothed. “It won’t be for long, and we’ll make sure it’s all comfortable and cozy for you.”
“Fuck you, bitch!” Tommy screeched, not at all comforted by the empty platitudes. “Let me go, let me go now!”
“I forgot to introduce myself, didn’t I?” The man only laughed as Tommy struggled and thrashed in Techno’s effortless hold. “Sorry about that, force of habit and all.”
A hand lightly brushed against Tommy’s furiously furrowed forehead cheeks, a thumb gently tracing one of the eyebrows, as the man’s expression softened into a gentle smile that felt entirely out of place in the terrifying situation Tommy was stuck in.
“My name’s Philza.” The man, the Grandmaster said, voice practically dripping with amusement. “I look forward to getting to know you, Theseus.”