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Oh, blood gods. Techno thinks to himself as he rides home, Dream clutched to his chest on the saddle right in front of him. I have to get home.
He's trying not to think about it too much, about the way Dream looked when Techno stepped into the cell, about the uncomfortably light body in his arms and the fact Dream is barely breathing right now. Techno is pushing Carl as fast as he can gallop but there's still a clawing sense of panic in the back of Techno's brain insisting that if he doesn't get home now then Dream is going to die.
As if he can hear Techno's thoughts, Dream stirs slightly, mumbling in his hazy half-unconscious state, and Techno feels sharp, brittle little claws poke through the cloak Dream is swaddled in and weakly scratch at him. He sighs, reaching down to pat Dream on the back a few times.
"Hang on," Techno whispers, knowing Dream probably can't hear him over the roar of the wind but wanting to say something. "We're almost home, Dream, please hold on."
Dream sighs like he's shoving all the air out of his lungs at once and leans into Techno again, falling limp. Techno pulls him closer again, wishing he could give Dream his piglin warmth and temperature-regulating fat layer, wishing he could keep Dream warm for real, at least until they get back.
He wishes Phil were here - his elytrian friend's wings would be warmer than Techno's cloak and chest, but Phil is busy keeping the rest of the server distracted so Techno can escape and get Dream to the arctic. There wasn't time to do anything else, to make any kind of plan after they got Dream out of the prison - it fell apart so quickly and now-
And now the most important thing is getting Dream home.
Distantly, warm orange light flickers on the horizon, and Carl somehow gallops faster at the sight of it, his ears angled forward and his entire massive body spreading out in great thundering leaps as he races toward home. Techno nearly slips from his back, having to grab onto Carl's mane and lean low, yanking Dream beneath him, who mumbles weakly at being jostled.
Techno doesn't bother with the gate, letting Carl leap the fence into the yard and bringing him up to the porch so he can climb off closer to the house, Dream still clutched in his arms. He'll worry about Carl later, after he gets inside and gets both some food and a few potions in Dream, as soon as they get out of the danger zone of hypothermia and starvation and blood loss and-
Steve looks up from his napping spot by the fire as Techno stumbles inside the cabin, grunting softly, and Techno chuffs back at him, stepping around the sleepy polar bear and toward the nest in the corner of the room. He'd set it up last night, on a whim after Phil suggested they make one, and while it's probably not a perfect nest - seeing as piglins and elytrians nest much differently than avians, after all - it's hopefully a reliable substitute.
"T- Techno?" Dream mumbles, weakly opening his eyes as Techno gently places him in the nest of blankets and furs. A too-thin yet achingly strong hand pops out from the swaddle of Techno's cloak wrapped around him to grasp weakly at him. "Wh- where-"
"I'm just going to get you some potions and food," Techno responds gently, taking Dream's delicate hand in his hoof. "I'll be right back."
Dream's eyes are filled with a sort of longing mistrust that makes Techno's heart twist violently at the sight of him. "Promise?" He whispers, in a voice so small it could shatter.
"Promise," Techno assures, gingerly, placing Dream's hand back down, before reaching for the nearest blanket, a thick quilt patterned with wings, and pulling it over Dream's shivering body, trying to get him to warm up.
He turns after that, scrambling to the small icebox in his kitchen to get something for Dream to eat, filling a pot with water so he can dilute and warm some of the bone broth concentrate he keeps on hoof, as well as gathering a small box of soda crackers, light and gentle on Dream's starved stomach, enough to give him energy to help the magic of the potions.
It takes him a minute to get everything warmed up, long enough for him to gather the splash potions of health and regen, the ones he's been saving since he escaped Pandora's Vault a few months back, he'd made them instantly after getting home and refused to touch them since, he knows that Dream needs them now, to breathe in the vapors and heal.
They won't fix… everything about Dream, but they'll certainly help.
Dream is asleep again when Techno gets back, dozing so quietly he's even snoring a bit, nestled deep and warm into the nest, and he looks so peaceful that Techno almost feels bad waking him up. He rationalizes it, though, knowing that Dream needs food and needs it now.
"Hey, nerd, wake up," Techno whispers softly, gently reaching forward to run his hoof over Dream's scar across his nose, the one Techno put there himself. It's one of the few scars Dream has from before his time in Pandora, and it was the only way Techno could wake him up back then without scaring him half to death. "I brought you somethin' to eat."
Dream's eyes weakly blink open, and he meets Techno's with confusion, then, as though he's just registered the word 'eat', he perks up a little, eyes shining with eagerness for food.
Techno can't help but smile at that, seeing a flash of the old Dream in those bright green eyes, and gently passes him the plate of soda crackers and the broth. "Go slowly with these, alright? You gotta eat somethin' before I can get some potions in ya."
Dream nods. "Okay," He breathes, drawing the food close to him with wide, eager eyes, then gently brings the broth, which Techno's placed in a thick mug, to his lips to sip on it. Techno watches him eat for a minute, content in the sight of his friend finally getting some food in him, after a year of having so little.
As Techno relaxes, though, he can see Dream getting more and more nervous, bringing the plate closer to him and watching Techno with a wary expression, as though he'll snatch it back before he's done. Techno's heart blossoms with hurt at that, at the sight of Dream's mistrust, but he reminds himself that Dream has endured awfulness this past almost-year and it'd be best for him to back off and stop stressing him out too much.
"I'm gonna head outside and make sure Carl's alright," He says, standing. "Are you gonna be okay in here by yourself?"
Dream nods weakly, relief in his gaze. "Yeah. I'll… I'll be fine."
Techno smiles back at him, before turning to step back out in the chilly air, grabbing one of his spare cloaks to wear while Dream has his. The night is frosty and the sky glimmers with a billion tiny stars, but other than that it's safe and quiet here. Carl is waiting patiently beside the stable for Techno to come and take off his saddle and bridle, rub him down, and get him to bed, and Techno can't help but be swamped with relief at the sight of him.
Phil messages him halfway through putting Carl to bed, explaining that he and Ranboo are on their way back to the arctic, and, for the first time since Techno got out of that horrible mess of the prison, he thinks that maybe things can finally, finally be alright again.
— — —
Dream hasn't felt this good in ages. He's warm here, curled up in a soft nest with a full belly, finally feeling safe for the first time in months, wrapped in softness and treated with a gentleness he can't begin to believe is even real.
Techno is here, and Techno is so gentle with him, enough that Dream can feel his friend's warm softness even through his sleep, when Techno sits beside him, close enough to touch, driving away the nightmares clinging to Dream like aching cobwebs. This is a safe place. This is a safe place and Dream is not going to be forced out of it, no matter what.
It's perfect here.
Well. It's mostly perfect here, because there is currently one extremely pressing issue that neither Techno nor Dream have addressed so far.
That issue being Dream's destroyed wings.
He hasn't seen them since the escape a few days ago, bundled into the warm softness of this nest, and, if Dream could get his way, he'd never want to see them ever again, never want to see what's been done to them, what he did to them.
Quackity and Sam never touched Dream's wings, even through all the torment, because they didn't have to. Dream is an avian, and avians pluck their feathers when they're stressed out. Dream's destroyed wings are a product of his own claws and his own pain, enough that he can barely bear to think of them, much less look at or even touch them.
But they're also starting to hurt. And the health potions aren't going to have any effect on them until they're cleaned, the dead and damaged feathers are removed, and the two or three open sores are disinfected. Which means Dream has to do something about them, even though he really, really doesn't want to.
He sighs, shivering into his nest a little, and is just wondering how he should ask Techno about taking care of his wings, when Techno himself pads into the room, his fur still chilled from the outside air. He examines Dream curiously, eyes alert to any infected injuries or broken skin, and smiles at Dream gently, meeting his eyes. "Hi. You feelin' alright?"
"Mostly," Dream nods, wondering how to bring this up. He worries his lip in his teeth, before he sighs and shifts a little. "Do you have any plans for this afternoon?"
"Nah," Techno shrugs dismissively, looking Dream over with a curious expression. "You want me to stay here while you rest?" He asks, and Dream thinks on that for a moment, wondering if he should lie and agree and try to ignore the pounding ache in his feathers, before he decides that it's not worth it and he really should get his wings cleaned up.
But he also doesn't want to admit that they're hurt to Techno, because admitting they're hurt means remembering what he did and why his wings are hurt, saying it out loud feels impossible and terrifying.
Dream, however, has not lost his cleverness, even with all those months in prison, so he pauses to come up with a plan first, before leaning forward and nodding to Techno. In the same moment, Dream lets the cloak he's wrapped in, the one covering his injured wings, slide off, revealing the pure state of them to the piglin in front of him, the damaged and broken feathers, the open wounds, the pain and hurt of it all. What he's done to himself.
Techno sucks in a sharp gasp at the sight of his wings, and Dream looks away shame flooding him at that reaction. He knows Techno's seen his wings before, when they escaped, so he'd been hoping to avoid this reaction, but it's going to happen anyway, it seems.
"Dream," Techno huffs softly, tilting his head. "Did they-"
"No," Dream admits, shivering slightly. "I- I did this."
"Oh," Techno breathes, and Dream is about to reach for the cloak to cover them back up, to hide his injuries again, but before he can so much as touch the cloak Techno sighs and shakes his head, holding out a hoof. "Alright, come on. We gotta clean those up, Dream, they could get infected."
"I know that," Dream responds weakly, shivering slightly, and tries to tuck them around himself, wincing at the feeling. "Can- can you do it?"
"Yeah," Techno nods, eyes warm and gentle, despite the horror previously, and Dream sighs, looking at Techno's hoof, before finally, gently, accepting it and letting Techno pull him to his feet.
They end up in the basement, the floor down here is stone, easy to clean up, and Techno can fetch a bucket of nice, clean soapy water, as well as a soft brush and several clean washcloths. He has Dream carefully sit down on a stool in the center of the room, and brings two more for Dream to rest his wings on, so they don't get tired while Techno preens them.
"'s been a while since I preened avian wings," Techno says, as he washes his hooves. "Mostly I just do elytrian ones. Anythin' I should know?"
"I'm sturdier," Dream explains, with a soft sigh, and twitches his wings slightly, first one, then the other. "My feathers aren't as brittle, I mean."
"Mm," Techno hums, finishing washing his hands and padding back to Dream, his hooves clicking on the floor as he does so. "You want me to start from the bottom or the top."
"Top," Dream nods, then shiver slightly. "And. um. Be- be careful, some of them are broken and the shafts are pretty sharp."
"Alright," Techno responds, voice warm, and a moment later, Dream feels gentle hooves meet his feathers and shivers, hard.
It's a good kind of shiver, though, feeling someone stroke his wings again, gently pet his flight feathers and his down, with an expert, perfect sort of gentleness. A moment later, Dream feels him pull a broken shaft loose, and he sighs happily at Techno's perfect technique, the way he gently, gently holds the feather in his hoof, gives it a sharp twist one way, then a sharp twist the other way, before he finally tugs it out, leaving an empty and slightly tingling feather follicle in it's place.
Techno chuckles softly, then continues running his hooves through Dream's feathers, fluffing them gently to jostle loose any stuck down, before Dream hears the sloshing of nice warm water, the gentle sound of a washcloth being dipped in it, and then a ginger warmth against a particularly blood-clumped group of feathers.
Feeling Techno gently work the stuck feathers free and pulling out loose feathers here and there makes Dream melt, instantly going boneless as Techno's hooves expertly navigate his damaged wings, content to lean into his friend's touch and relax.
"That feel good?" Techno murmurs with a soft chuckle, then rinses the washcloth and soaks it again in warm, soapy water, to clean another clump of bloody feathers.
"Mm," Dream sighs, unable to form concrete sentences at the relief of having his wings preened and cleaned, somehow going even more limp at the touch. Techno is gentle with him, even though Dream destroyed his own wings, Techno is still gentle, his hooves are soft and his movements even softer as he reassures Dream through every single brush of a washcloth or fluff of his down.
Every movement says the same thing. You're safe here. I've got you. You're going to be okay.
Dream dozes off halfway through Techno preening him, only to wake with a startled and pained gasp as he feels Techno's gentle hooves finally find one of the oozing sores on his skin, hidden beneath his feathers. He chirps slightly, pained and nervous, and Techno instantly pulls back, reaching out to stroke an intact portion of Dream's wing as reassurance.
"'s okay, Dream," He soothes, voice gentle. "I gotta clean this out, though, it's… bordering on infected."
Dream chirps again, his mind still full of too many nerves and pain to form real sentences, and he feels Techno step away to prepare something (saline solution, something in Dream's brain supplies), shuddering when Techno reappears.
"Here," Techno holds out a stick in front of Dream's face, pressing it against his lips. "Hold this in your teeth, bite down if it hurts too bad."
Dream chirps at him again, nervous, but at Techno's gentle hoof in his hair he obediently reaches forward and takes the stick in his jaws, bracing himself as Techno walks back to the open wound, dipping a clean cloth into the saline solution before gently, gingerly, pressing it against the wound.
A strangled squawk escapes Dream's throat at that, and he squirms, restless, before remembering the stick in his mouth and biting down, hard.
"I know, I know," Techno soothes, continuing to brush the pus out of Dream's injury, moving quickly but assuredly. "It'll be over soon, just hang on."
Tears form in Dream's eyes, but he fights to stay calm, finally feeling Techno's cloth lift for the last time, then feeling his feathers brushed aside so Techno can place some gauze over the wound, to keep it clean while he keeps preening Dream's wings.
"There," He hums softly, patting Dream's back. "Not so bad now?"
"Mm," Dream hums in response, sighing and leaning forward a little, bracing himself for the pain of cleaning the other two sores. He chirps weakly, and Techno pats his back again, then continues preening.
"Just hang in there," He hums gently, carefully brushing the washcloth over Dream's feathers. "I've got you."
The other sores are smaller, and less infected, so they don't hurt nearly as much, and Dream is able to endure them with some comfort from Techno, able to lean into his touch even when they hurt, and able to feel his wings being preened even though they hurt.
But after hours and hours of sinking into the safe, warm feeling of being taken care of, Dream is able to let himself relax.
"Alright," Techno finally says, once he's finished with Dream's wings. "We're done."
Dream chirps sleepily at him, and Techno chuckles softly, brushing a hand over Dream's feathers. "I know, I know. I'm gonna bring you back upstairs, alright? I gotta get some health potions on those cuts, help 'em heal and all."
He gently shifts Dream into his arms, scooping him up to carry him back upstairs and settle him into the warm, soft nest where he can rest. Dream is already exhausted from it all, and ready to sleep, wanting Techno by his side so he can relax.
Dream is tired, yes, his brain still feels like a gooey puddle of instincts, but Techno is right beside him, bringing him safety and softness and comfort, and, in this moment, there's nothing Dream could want more than that.