Chapter Text
Sometimes, in the silence of his cell, with only the quiet hum of engines to keep him company, Techno wonders if he would’ve been better off sticking with high command. Sure, the government was way more corrupt than the academy had led him to believe; and sure, the things he was ordered to do during the Mars-Earth dispute still made him sick to his stomach; and sure commandeering the squadron leader’s spaceship and hightailing it out of airspace was like taking candy from a baby but-
But maybe, if he hadn’t deserted, he wouldn’t be stuck in some random alien spaceship lightyears away from the Milky Way; poked and prodded and treated like some kind of animal-
No. He is calm. He is fine. And he is definitely not planning on shattering the flat-faced aliens keeping him here the next time he sees them. That doesn’t sound like something he would do. Not at all. Because he is calm.
…
So being this far from Earth passed around from ship to ship for who knows how long might be messing with his head a bit.
Whatever.
At least this ship was better than the last. It might be inhabited by annoying pure white four-armed aliens with unnaturally long limbs and no facial features, but at least they were breakable. It was kind of like smashing plates against a wall.
Just as satisfying too.
…
Hm.
He might need to curb his violent impulses at some point. But in his defense, it was hard to treat the aliens like the sapient creatures they clearly were when they tried to put a leash on him.
They wouldn’t be trying that again any time soon.
Besides, it was probably self-defense to snap off a few limbs. The aliens did kidnap him. Or buy him. That was what he’d tell the space cops if he ever figured out how to speak their stupid language.
You would think that after at least a year of being out here he would start to pick it up, but no! Because half of the aliens he sees speak something different and somehow still manage to understand each other! The most he ever learned was body language and tone before he ended up on a completely new ship with a completely new common language.
It was, frankly, extremely frustrating. Especially whenever he ended up with malicious aliens.
He shuddered.
Techno had to have spent at least three months on this ship, and while it certainly wasn’t as bad as the one he was experimented on in, it still wasn’t good. He didn’t want the bare minimum, he wanted freedom.
Unfortunately, the last time he managed to get free and gain control of a ship, he crashed it on some random planet and was recaptured less than a week later.
He’s just lucky he wasn’t killed on the spot.
Techno wanted out, but getting out wasn’t the problem. He had spent a long few days throwing up foods until the aliens gave him something protein-dense enough to let him maintain his strength. He had already adapted to the stun-charge of the staff-like weapons, had memorized the layout of the ship from the aftermath of the leash incident. He even knew how to open the cell door, it clearly being some type of DNA or facial recognition system.
No, getting out of his cell wasn’t the problem. Staying out was.
Even if Techno escaped and managed to survive the hordes of aliens long enough to take the ship or ditch, he wouldn’t last very long. If he miraculously managed not to crash and die, he would be arrested the second he was discovered.
Humans were, apparently, an oddity outside of his galaxy. And very feared, if the screams of terror he heard every time an alien saw him were anything to go by. One of the five or so ships he was held on clearly used him to intimidate people into compliance, and he had no issues with slaughtering the ones in charge until they sold him off.
Maybe he’d have a moral dilemma about all the aliens he’d killed someday, but that day was not today.
Techno sighed, staring at the hallway outside of his cell, a transparent barrier being the only thing keeping him from leaving the white furry rug he called a bed and waltzing out of here. The room he was in was long and narrow, the invisible door being the only entrance. Everything on this ship was pure white—which made him think this particular alien race had some kind of hatred for any spot of color—and it was cold. Evidently not enough to freeze him, but still a very uncomfortable experience all around.
Techno wrapped his dirty red cape tighter around himself, burying his nose into the faux fur collar. He was infinitely grateful that he was able to hold onto his clothes for as long as he had. The aliens probably thought they were part of him, and the scientists didn’t live long enough to learn otherwise.
Techno was just glad he could keep his dignity.
He looked over at the chute embedded in the wall of his cell, absently tugging at long strands of pink hair. Unless his impeccable internal clock was wrong, and a brief glance at the brightness of the overhead lights told him it wasn’t, the aliens should have already dropped down his first meal of the cycle ages ago.
He wonders if the ominous shuddering the ship experienced earlier had anything to do with the delay.
…
Who was he kidding, of course it did. Maybe Techno would wake up on ship number six soon.
That would be annoying. He was already used to this one.
He was pulled out of his internal grumblings by the far-off sound of screeching and clacking footsteps. He looked back at the transparent wall, reluctantly getting up from his huddled position on the rug. It wasn’t guaranteed that whatever was going on would involve him, but he would like to terrorize the aliens walking by anyways.
It was the only form of entertainment he got around here.
Techno got closer to the entrance, making sure to stay far enough away that the aliens wouldn’t see him waiting. From here, he could make out the noises better, and he tilted his head in confusion. There were the familiar clacking footsteps of the ceramic aliens’ long feet, but there were also sounds of struggling, snarling, and shrieking as heavy objects were dragged across the floor.
Scraping that grated on Techno’s ears rang out, and he could imagine claws gouging into pristine white floors. Chatter that sounded kind of like words echoed out, desperate and accompanied by the high-pitched wheezes of amusement the aliens holding him captive often made.
Just what was going on out there?
He stepped a little closer, trying to see out into the hallway. Unfortunately, he couldn’t see much because of the narrowness of the entrance. He huffed in frustration, backing up as the racket got closer. Finally, two figures came into view, looking exactly the same as all of the other aliens he had seen on this ship. He was about to charge the invisible door, but his eyes caught on what the two figures were dragging along behind them.
There were two different aliens.
One was a freakishly tall demon thing while the other had a more beastlike build. They were struggling, metallic white cuffs wrapped around their wrists and ankles designating them as prisoners. Techno did a double take at the hooves on the shorter one. It had been a while since he’d seen a hooved race.
There were only bad memories of the last one.
The two white aliens gave him a passing glance and paused, which seemed to draw the attention of the new ones. Predictably, they both shrieked, launching themselves away from the door in what was easily recognizable as fear.
The two white aliens chattered for a second, seeming to take note of how Techno stared at the new aliens. They must have said something bad, because the two captives froze in terror, their next words coming out stilted and begging. Techno winced in sympathy, still too lost to do much more than flinch when one of the white aliens slammed their hand into the wall next to his cell entrance. They quickly pressed their blank face to it, and suddenly the two prisoners were chucked his way.
Techno released a growl, something he learned freaked out aliens the most, and stepped aside, letting the two new aliens crash behind him. He darted forward at the opening, the white alien frantically replacing the transparent barrier.
He slammed into it with a heavy thud, pounding his fists and giving a deep snarl as he tried his best to break the wall down. The two aliens backed up, whistling in anxious relief at the close call they suffered. They chattered something in their language back at the aliens behind him, and Techno gave the barrier another loud crack, delightedly watching as the aliens scrambled away.
Nodding in satisfaction at the terror he had induced in his captors, he turned around, his dull blue eyes meeting a brighter, terrified blue. Techno tensed.
Right.
There were now aliens in his cell.
And he probably just scared the hell out of them.
Techno took wary a step back, scanning over the aliens huddled against the far wall of his cell.
The first one, the one he locked eyes with, looked like a strange mix between a raccoon and a bipedal cow. He—well, Techno thought the alien was a he—was that rude to assume? Did aliens even have genders that could be conveyed in human terms? A train of thought for later.
The first alien had blue eyes with strange ring-shaped pupils and fluffy raccoon-like ears pressed down against his head. He had two stubby white horns on his forehead and was covered in short blonde fur that peeked out from the simple black one-piece outfit he wore. The fur was longer on his head, similar to hair, and faded into white around his eyes like a mask. His black nose and mouth were poked out from the rest of his face, sharp teeth on full display in a clear threat.
His hands were white-furred paws, the short fingers tipped with black claws that currently dug into the other alien’s arm tensely. Techno glanced down at the raccoon alien’s legs, finding them digitigrade in form and ending with black cloven hooves. Two tails wrapped around his middle defensively, ringed like a raccoon’s with large shocks of white fur at the ends.
Ultimately, he didn’t seem like much of a threat. He could definitely do some damage if he charged Techno, but there wasn’t enough space for that.
The second alien was much more intimidating, although he seemed to be hiding behind his friend. He was tall, easily reaching eight feet, although the way he was folded in on himself made it hard to tell. He looked like the left half of him was covered in splotchy white paint, and he wore the same plain outfit as the raccoon alien. His right side was all black and held a green cat-like eye, while the eye on his white side was a bloody red.
Other than the seemingly glowing irises, there was a small bump where his nose might be, and a distinct lack of mouth. He had long, pinned back ears on the sides of his head and two demon horns, one black and one white to match his short hair and skin. The white horn was cracked in half, and that side of his body seemed to have light purple lines running down it like veins. His hands and feet were long and clawed, and he had a thin, whiplike tail ending with a white tuft that wrapped around his friend’s arm.
His vibe was… unsettling. He didn’t look like he could put up much of a fight, but there was a quiet buzzing in the air that made Techno’s hair stand on end.
He stared at the two aliens, a long silence of held breath settling between them. They seemed frozen in fear, wide-eyed and shaky. Techno glanced at their bound limbs and cleared his throat awkwardly.
“Uh. I come in peace?” he croaked, voice rough from disuse.
There was a pause, and then all hell broke loose. Techno slammed his hands over his ears as a shrill, ear-piercing wail came from the taller alien, their face cracking and splitting in half with a grotesque squelch as they screamed. Now that was a horrifying visual that would show up in his nightmares at some point.
Apparently, the raccoon alien and him were on the same page, as the former quickly barked something in the taller one’s direction, paws clasped over his ears. The tall alien shut their face—mouth? There were no teeth—and shrunk back, an apologetic sounding warble coming from their throat.
Techno slowly lowered his hands from his ears, the raccoon alien taking notice and hissing in threat even as he trembled. Now this was an issue. Techno really didn’t feel like being on the wrong end of those claws.
He sighed, holding up his hands in what was hopefully a universal sign for surrender. Judging by the flinches it elicited, he wasn’t lucky in that regard.
“I’m not gonna hurt you, just moving away from the door. Those shatter-prone losers might come back, y’know?” Techno spoke softly, moving slowly towards the rug-bed he had set up against a side wall. He winced at the defensive growls and pitiful warbles coming from the two aliens as he carefully sat down, wrapping up in his cape once again.
“See? All good. I won’t get closer, just stayin’ right here,” he muttered, leaning back against the cold plaster wall. He was glad he decided to change things up a bit and move his bed from the back of the cell to opposite the food chute. Now, he could give his new panicking roommates their space.
…
Why did he now have roommates.
Did the- No. No, they wouldn’t have. The strangely breakable aliens were horrible monsters who treated him like an animal, but they couldn’t possibly be forcing him to socialize… Right? Techno quickly looked over at the entrance, straining to hear if there were any footsteps returning to take the raccoon and tall alien away.
Silence.
Oh no.
Techno hasn’t talked to anyone in months! He doesn’t have the social capacity for this!! It was just cruel! Survivability be damned, the next time one of those ceramic losers came into his cell, he was going to shatter their legs and use their face to open all the doors on this monochrome ship. How dare they.
Techno must have let his annoyance show somehow, as a heartbreaking whine came from where the two aliens were huddled in the corner. Techno glanced over at the raccoon alien with a wince, smoothing over his features.
They all sat in strained silence for a few minutes. That was, until a rumble came from Techno’s stomach. He jolts at the noises of fear from the aliens and grimaces, looking at the chute. He could always eat from the stash hidden under his rug, but he would rather not. When were they going to send the food down?
As if summoned by his thoughts, a quiet rattling echoed from the chute. Techno perked up. He stood, ignoring the aliens cowering in the corner and pacing the small distance over to the gap in the wall. He held out his hands as a plastic canister of water rolled down and landed in his palms, waiting for the usual bag of dried meat.
…
Nothing.
Techno frowned, crouching down and looking back up the chute. He waited another moment longer before deciding that they just weren’t going to send food down.
That… wasn’t routine. The aliens seemed to want him alive for something, so they always sent food. Why wouldn’t they-
… Oh.
He went rigid, abruptly standing up and stiffly walking back to his bed. He buried his face in his hands and tried to reign in his disgust, carefully watching the now dubbed Raccoon and Tall from his peripherals.
The aliens wanted him to eat them.
He was going to be sick.
He dry swallowed, cracking open the canister of water and taking slow, calming sips. This was bad. They really thought he was some kind of animal, huh? A feral wolf on a chain, attacking anything in sight indiscriminately. Yeah, he was aggressive, but that was because these aliens literally kidnapped or bought him. His hostility was justified! He’s not going to attack two random people that are clearly also prisoners!
Well, maybe not prisoners. Raccoon and Tall were probably going to be executed if the aliens tossed them in here for Techno to eat. He shivered, and for once it wasn’t from the cold.
Quiet, hastily spoken words attract his attention. He turns to look fully at Raccoon and Tall, seeing the former trembling uncontrollably. All his fur is standing on end, his eyes drooping as shudders wracked his body. Tall was getting increasingly more worried, nudging and shaking Raccoon, muttering the same sounds over and over again.
Well, Techno was now reasonably sure he either knew Raccoon’s name, or the alien equivalent of ‘stay awake.’ Mostly because Raccoon looked like he was going to pass out at any moment.
Techno furrowed his brow at the scene. Was Raccoon sick? Or having some kind of panic attack? Techno thinks it would be warranted, given the situation and all, but that didn’t seem quite right. The alien wasn’t breathing fast, he barely looked lucid, Tall getting more and more desperate with his nudging.
Then, Techno saw it. Tiny puffs of condensation coming from Raccoon’s nose in slow breaths. He was cold.
Apparently, whatever alien race Raccoon was, they ran much warmer than humans.
Techno frowned, not too keen on possibly watching Raccoon freeze to death in front of him. Now that he was really looking, the alien seemed young, curled in on himself and shivering miserably. Techno’s heart ached, and he looked down at the rug he sat on.
…
It wasn’t like he needed it. He just didn’t want to see a possible child die. This was for the sake of his own mental health and no other reason.
Techno stood, pulling the rug up with him and flapping it out in the air. He walked over to the two aliens, disregarding the weak whimpers and terrified pleas. If Raccoon was scared, he wouldn’t be falling asleep. Techno was willing to accept that trade-off.
He stopped in front of Raccoon, seeing the alien shivering with panicked eyes. Techno quickly crouched down, letting the rug flare around the alien before tucking it close around Raccoon’s shoulders.
The noises the aliens were making cut out.
Techno locked eyes with Raccoon, giving a small but hopefully reassuring smile as he leaned back, sitting down a few feet from them. He was now stuck in a cell with two aliens. He might as well show them he means no harm lest they slit his throat in his sleep. Maybe they can all break out together. It would be nice to not be alone.
Techno aggressively squashed down that thought as soon as it popped up, resolutely ignoring it.
Without his hands holding the rug in place, it starts to slip off of Raccoon’s shoulders. The alien quickly latches onto it, burrowing deeper. Raccoon and Tall watch him now, thankfully with less fear and more confused suspicion. Progress.
Alright, time for phase two of making friends. Techno brought a hand up, pointing at Raccoon and trying to remember the sounds Tall was muttering earlier. The two aliens tensed at the gesture.
“T’mm-y,” Techno slurs, frowning as the word came out differently than he was expecting. Raccoon jolts, narrowed eyes going wide as Tall makes a surprised little vwoop sound. Techno grins victoriously, careful not to show too many teeth.
“Tomm-y,” he says more confidently, nodding when the word comes easier. Raccoon shrieks, a more awed than terrified sound. He leans forward, almost subconsciously, sticking chained paws out from under the rug and pressing them to his chest.
“Tommy,” he says, and Techno repeats.
“Tommy,” Tommy says again, growing excited as Techno repeats it once more, slightly accented but mostly correct. Tall leans forward too, ears perked up. They stop fidgeting with their hands and press them to their chest instead. They open their face to speak, and Techno can’t help but startle at the sharp teeth popping from their gums with a dry scrape.
Retractable. Okay then.
“Ranboo,” Tall says, and alright, how the hell is Techno supposed to pronounce that. It had a throaty sound right at the beginning and wobbles in the middle and end. His brow furrows as he turns the syllables over in his head.
“An-bo,” he tries, wincing when he gets it very wrong. Tall doesn’t look discouraged, warbling cheerfully.
“Ranboo,” he says, and Techno hums, frowning.
“Ran-bo.” That felt closer. He gets a squeal from Tall, who turns to Tommy and starts chattering and gesturing towards Techno. Techno coughs, flustered at the mystified tone.
“Ranboo,” he says again, earning another squeal of delight, a soft smile emerging on his face in response. Ranboo acts kind of young too. His heart aches again, but Techno doesn’t acknowledge it as he brings a hand up to his chest.
“Techno Blade,” he speaks, watching the happy expressions on the two aliens turn absolutely baffled. He can see Ranboo mouthing along in confusion while Tommy says something rude, judging by the whack Ranboo gives him right after. Techno snorts.
“Don’t look at me like that, I know it’s weird. What d’ya expect when you let a 14-year-old choose his own name?” Techno mutters, earning an even more horrified expression from the two. He almost thought they somehow understood him when he realizes.
Oh no. Did they think all of that was his name? He quickly taps his chest again.
“Techno,” he simplifies, repeating it once more for emphasis. “Techno.”
It takes a few tries, but eventually Tommy has it down. Ranboo struggles much more, but to be fair, they spoke by cracking open their face and didn’t seem to have much in the way of lips to form sounds with. Ranboo soon gets close enough, and Techno nods.
A rattling echo comes from behind him, and Techno looks back in surprise. A water canister rolls out of the chute and lands with a soft thud. He stands up slowly, not wanting to startle his cellmates, and walks over to grab the water, trying not to grimace at the lack of food with it. He didn’t even notice it was time for his second meal. The lights would go out soon.
Techno looked over to his stash of food and water, previously hidden underneath his rug. He had started it in case the aliens holding him decided to starve him into submission.
He was glad he hoarded now.
Phase three of making friends, eating together. He walks over and grabs three packages of dried meat and two extra water canisters, bringing all six items over to Tommy and Ranboo. He places one of each in front of them, breaking open his own jerky package and starting to eat. From what he saw, the two aliens had sharp teeth. That meant they could eat meat, right?
Tommy and Ranboo watch on in confusion, looking down at the meal placed in front of them and back up at him, almost in sync. Techno nods towards the items, cracking open his canister of water. He notices Ranboo inch away from him and raises an eyebrow in silent question.
Predictably, it goes unanswered.
Tommy seems to take the hint, slowly reaching out for the food. Techno notes that his paws are still shivering, eyes drooping further with the lack of excitement. The rug seemed to shield him from the chilled air, but Techno wasn’t sure how long that would last when the lights went out. It always got colder in the dark. Tommy carefully tears open the package with chattering teeth, chewing on the flavorless mystery meat inside. Ranboo gives both of them a wide berth after Tommy pokes a hole in his water canister, taking their food package with them and rolling the water as far away as possible.
Techno glances at the rolling object in confusion, looking back at Ranboo as the alien struggles to open their food with bound hands. Maybe Ranboo just didn’t need water. Noted. Techno stares at the bindings around Ranboo’s ankles as he drinks, wondering how durable they were. The ceramic aliens never bothered to bind him, always shocking him with electric staves to immobilize him. Maybe that meant he could break the restraints if he tried.
The three finished eating in silence, Techno collecting the trash and tossing it down the waste chute. He looked out the transparent door, seeing no activity. The aliens would come to check on him eventually, and Techno doubted they would be too happy seeing him making friends with Tommy and Ranboo instead of killing them. That meant it was time to say goodbye to this ship and break out of here. Hopefully Tommy and Ranboo would be grateful enough to let him stick around without being locked in cage. He’d rather not do that whole song and dance again.
Techno turned around, going back to the two aliens and sitting slightly closer than before. He subtly looked them both over, glad that they were much more relaxed and no longer fearfully whimpering every time he moved.
“Ranboo,” he called, waving his hand to get their attention. Their head snapped towards him, a questioning warble coming from their throat.
Techno leaned forwards, slowly reaching out towards Ranboo’s feet. Then he paused, glancing up at them for a reaction. They tensed, bringing their limbs closer and shifting to not meet his eyes, but otherwise didn’t react. Techno stretched his arm out further and tapped on the ankle cuffs, his long nails making a soft clinking sound against the metal. He withdrew slightly, looking up at Ranboo as they said something he couldn’t understand.
Well, it wasn’t shrieks of horror, so he shuffled closer, tugging Ranboo’s legs slightly towards him as he stared at the cuffs. He ran his fingers along the chain-like structure that bound them, huffing as he scraped white paint off. That confirmed that the unending whiteness this ship suffered from was intentional.
He gave the chain an experimental tug, nodding and gripping one of the ankle cuffs tightly. He leaned, just to get a better angle, and pulled. Creaking metal sounded throughout the room, Tommy jumping with a surprised chitter.
Techno’s muscles strained and he stopped pulling, taking a deep breath. Then, he pressed his boot down on the cuff, contorting to grab the chain with both hands and yanking. The metal came free with a loud snap, small pieces clinking to the floor. Techno stumbled back with the force of his pull, quickly letting go of the chain so he didn’t drag Ranboo with him.
Tommy gave an awed and possibly scared squeak, diving forward and staring at the break in the chain. Techno hummed, flipping his wrist upwards and tapping it while looking pointedly at Ranboo.
Ranboo seemed almost concerned, watching him with wide eyes and a slightly parted mouth. Techno simply tapped at his own wrist again, holding his hands out for Ranboo’s. Ranboo seemed to get the message, pulling the chain taut and stretching one hand on the ground in front of him. Techno places his foot on the cuff once again, grabbing the chain and yanking it free with another snap.
Ranboo marvels at his newly freed limbs, standing up and stretching to his full height. Which was tall. Definitely closer to nine feet than eight. Huh. Tommy chittered excitedly, removing his legs from where they were bundled under the rug and stretching out the chain.
Techno made equally quick work of these restraints, huffing and taking deep breaths from the exertion. The chains were much tougher than he thought they would be. Tommy headbutted him in the shoulder, making him jump and pull his arms up defensively. Tommy leaned away, ears pressed down as he tugged his limbs under the rug again with a chitter.
Well. The headbutt didn’t seem to be a hostile gesture. Techno slowly let himself relax, scanning over the raccoon-like alien.
He was still shivering.
That rug should have warmed up enough from his body heat to prevent that, but if Techno looked closely enough, he could tell that Tommy was still moving sluggishly.
Techno frowned. Maybe whatever Tommy was didn’t produce heat like most mammals?
Tommy gave an anxious chitter, clearly realizing that Techno was staring. Techno coughed awkwardly, looking away as he reached out to lightly squeeze the alien’s wrist.
Admittedly, there were probably less weird ways to go about confirming his suspicions, but at least it was effective. Tommy’s skin was hot, incredibly so, but the warmth seemed trapped under a thin layer of cold fur. Techno cupped Tommy’s paw in his palms, rubbing it slightly. He ignored the way his skin tingled at the contact, focusing instead on warming the fur as much as possible.
After a few moments, Tommy jerked his paw away, and Techno let it go. He looked up to meet hesitant blue eyes, the alien pulling his arm back and tugging the rug over his head, hiding completely under it.
Techno stared at the lump for a moment, looking back up to meet Ranboo’s red and green eyes, wondering if he had just crossed some kind of alien social boundary. Ranboo once again avoided his gaze, looking just over his head and waving with their tail.
Well. That wasn’t helpful. Techno turned back to the rug and sighed.
“Tommy,” he calls, watching both the lump and Ranboo jolt at the name, “it’s going to get colder when the lights turn off. You’re gonna freeze.” He fought back a smile as Tommy poked his head out from under the rug with a sleepy expression. Techno would feel bad, but the lights were gradually getting dimmer, and he really did not want to see the kid freeze.
If these two were going to attack him, now was as good a time as any to find out. He would definitely be crossing some kind of alien social boundary with this stunt.
Techno stood, circling behind where Tommy was still trapped under the rug. Ranboo gave a nervous warble as Techno bent down, effortlessly tugging the rug off of Tommy. The raccoon kid shrieked with indignance and maybe betrayal, his shivering instantly getting worse. Techno sat down beside him, pulling the kid into his side before draping the rug over both of them.
Tommy thrashed tiredly, growls and probably insults spilling past his lips. Techno ignored the warbles and tugs coming from Ranboo, pressing Tommy closer and humming an idle tune while he waited for them to calm down.
Tommy instantly stilled, ears poking up from where they had been pinned against his head, swiveling as they traced the sound. Ranboo stopped prodding at Techno, his concerned noises silencing.
Techno felt the moment Tommy realized just how warm he was in comparison to the rest of the cell, the kid pressing further into his side with a huff. Techno continued humming, pulling Tommy closer until the alien was tucked into his lap, head resting against his chest. Techno wrapped the rug around them, completely covering Tommy and only leaving his own head sticking out. He looked up to see Ranboo next to him, claws sunk into the rug and looking incredibly conflicted.
Techno wasn’t having a very good time himself, nerves alight and skin buzzing as the alien in his arms clung to him. A lump was forming in his throat, heat building behind his eyes. He quickly shoved the bitter, almost desperate feelings down.
Look, he couldn’t remember the last time he was hugged. Came with the orphan military recruit territory. It was a little overwhelming. Sue him.
On second thought, don’t. He was too broke for a lawsuit.
“Tommy is fine, Ranboo.” Techno rasped, trying to pull himself together. “He’s just cold. This is warmer.” He was not going to have a breakdown over some random alien kid snuffling into his shirt. He was not.
Ranboo said something with Tommy’s name in it and slowly unhooked his claws from the rug. He opened his mouth again, probably to say something else, when the lights suddenly flicked off.
Techno tensed at the panicked shriek Ranboo gave, Tommy’s hooves kicking against his legs at the sound. Techno pulled Tommy closer with a wince, blindly flinging a hand in Ranboo’s direction to shush him.
“Ranboo, quiet! It’s just the lights! You’re gonna freak Tommy out,” Techno whisper-hissed, feeling the air chill with the mimicry of nighttime. Ranboo’s shriek abruptly cut off, leaving his mismatched eyes to glow eerily in the darkness. Techno found himself looking away first this time. He blinked rapidly, trying to adjust his eyes to the low light from the hall while lifting the rug to check on the alien in his lap.
He choked on a strangled sound. Tommy was pressing his face into Techno’s chest, short horns digging in awkwardly and paws curled in the fabric of Techno’s cape as he pulled it around himself. His eyes were closed, and his ears flicked occasionally as he breathed steadily, no longer shivering. It was a shockingly endearing sight.
Now, no matter what anyone told you, Techno wasn’t getting attached. He wasn’t. He’s not going soft, this was just basic human decency. It was for survival reasons and nothing more.
They’d help each other get off this ship alive and that was that.
Then Tommy’s ear gave another flick, and Techno couldn’t help but scratch behind it experimentally.
He felt it before he heard it, going rigid as a soft rumble vibrated against his chest.
Tommy was purring.
Techno felt something inside him shatter.
He was definitely getting attached. This wasn’t fair. Techno melted around the kid with a shuddering breath, something wet trailing down his cheeks. He removed his hand from Tommy’s ear, shoving his face into the soft fur on the kid’s head. The purring seemed to increase further, sealing Techno’s fate.
He would kill for this kid. And judging by where they were, he was going to make good on that promise. No one was touching a single hair on Tommy’s head without giving up their right to functioning limbs.
Techno was startled from his daze by a quiet crooning sound. Ranboo. He had nearly forgotten the alien was there. He felt his face flush, pulling his head up and giving them a small glare.
“Not a word. I mean it, Ranboo. Not. A. Word.” he said pointedly, wiping the wetness from his eyes with a corner of the rug. He clutched Tommy closer, shuffling them to the back corner of the cell, Ranboo and the entrance both clearly in his sights. Usually, he would never fall asleep before an unfamiliar person, but the purring weight in his arms and tingling of his skin seemed to drag his eyelids down.
Techno yawned and gave one last cautious glance to Ranboo before leaning against the wall, succumbing to exhaustion.
Curse his lack of social battery.