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“Technoooooo, come onnnnn, just one beer! Please!” Phil huffs as Techno continues to ignore him. “I’m still of age! It’s not even illegal!!!”
“You know what?” Now Techno is facing him and oh, Phil’s fucked up- “I’ll think about it.”
That throws Phil for a loop. The Technoblade, Vibe-Killer Extraordinaire, letting him drink? It was almost too good to be true. Phil can’t help the excited grin that forms on his face. “Wait, really?” He feels almost giddy, the idea of being able to convince Techno to let him do anything giving him a rush of power.
“Yep. Let me think.” Techno leans back and taps his chin thoughtfully, Phil still practically bouncing in excitement. “Hmmmmmm. . . I’ve thought about it.”
“Yeah?” This is it, Phil’s finally going to win a dispute-
“No.” There’s a smug grin on Techno’s face as Phil realizes he’s been played. A trick , something so simple, and Phil had fallen right into it. Adding insult to injury, Techno starts laughing at Phil’s misery. “Awww, did I hurt someone’s feelings?”
“Shut up, that was mean!!!” It’s not whining, but Phil elects to ignore how close it is. He’s a responsible adult! He should be allowed to do this! “I’m twenty-one, this shouldn’t be an issue!”
That only makes Techno laugh harder. “Phil, I’m not letting you drink, it would be irresponsible of me.”
“‘Irresponsible’,” Phil scoffs. “Techno, I’m an
adult
." And he
is
. Phil
knows
he’s still an adult. Even if Techno seems dead-set on treating him like he’s
Little.
Which he’s
not
.
“Oh, you’re sure about that?” Techno stands up and it does absolutely nothing to help Phil’s case that the man is at least a head taller than him now. “Because last I remember, someone decided they needed my permission to drink, even though an ‘adult’ would simply do it themselves without asking.” He looks pointedly at Phil, taking note of his ruffled feathers and upset expression.
“ Techno, you hid it from me.”
“And?”
“I can’t fucking find it!”
“Well, that sounds like a you problem Mr. ‘I’m an adult who can do things myself'.” Techno takes a second and taps Phil on the nose, saying, “Also language, you can use your big boy words.”
Phil squawks and shakes his head. He can feel his face heating up at the mild accusation. “Wh- No, that’s not fair! I’m still an adult, Techno!” He crosses his arms, glaring at Techno, who still seems unfazed.
“Then act like it.” Stepping around Phil, Techno continues, “We can have this conversation like reasonable adults, or you can keep throwing a fit about it and I end up putting you in time-out.”
“TECHNO."
“Phil.” Techno still sounds entirely calm and Phil kind of wants to cry. Why was Techno being so mean? He just wanted something he was still legally allowed to have, but nooooo, Techno had to go and hide all of their stuff and proceed to tease Phil about it.
“Techno, I don’t need a time out , ‘M not five!!!"
“Mhmm.”
“I’m not!!!"
“Sure, buddy.” Phil decides then and there that he hates this.
“STOP IT!!!”
He doesn’t mean to yell, but Phil is frustrated and even though he feels guilty, he looks at Techno’s shocked face and thinks ‘Good.' Techno is being so mean to him, and he hates it so much, hates how he can’t do anything, hates that Techno isn’t listening, hates how Techno is still so calm, and Phil hates hates hates it-
Phil’s supposed to be an adult, he’s supposed to be the responsible one, he has been responsible all day! He did all of the things he needed to do, tended to the bees, fed the dogs, even built a new farm today! And he made sure to tell Techno that he was sitting at around twenty-two this morning! All very good responsible adult things!
But here Techno was, telling Phil that he wasn’t an adult right now, and Phil hates it.
It wasn’t fair that Techno could just act like Phil was a child, and Phil couldn’t even do anything about it. Phil was tired, upset, and he wanted a drink goddamnit, but no, his supposed best friend was ruining that for him.
Phil can feel the tears welling up, face red and clenched fists trembling at his sides, and even though he doesn’t want to cry now, because he’s arguing , all he can do is huff at Techno again, desperately trying to not let them fall. It’s stupid, childish, and Phil hates that he can’t get through a tiny argument without breaking down. He can feel his grip on his headspace slipping, threatening to send him straight down to where Techno was acting like he was, and Phil violently tries to shove it back, not willing to succumb to the desire to be small.
Not when Phil was supposed to be acting like an adult. Not when Techno was actively pushing him to be small. Phil may have been many things over the years, but never had he been one to back down from a fight. No matter how much he wanted to give in.
Distantly, Phil registers Techno saying something else, but Phil is upset now. He doesn’t want to listen to Techno, because Techno is mean, and all Phil wants to do is go curl up in his nest of blankets and sulk, thinking about how much he hates Techno. He’s not sure if he has the strength to leave quite yet, but he doesn’t want to listen to Technoblade.
Technoblade, who is standing in front of Phil.
Technoblade, who’s finally looking at Phil, noticing his emotional state, realizing he’s pushed Phil too far.
Phil, still trying to control his own emotions, watches as Techno takes a deep breath, looks at him with far more concern than there had been a minute ago, and softly says, “Birdie?”
The caring nickname seems to be the final straw, as Phil cries out “N- o!!" and the tears begin to fall. Phil plummets into his headspace, immediately beginning to sob at the feelings of hurt and betrayal that he was experiencing.
Looking back on it, there were multiple things that had gotten Phil to this point given that he had a full day of Adulting, but what pushed him over the edge was being teased without mercy by the man he trusted the most. Normally, Phil would have distanced himself. He would have gone off to another build only to come back later and talk things out with Techno.
Now, it was all Phil could do to make sure his legs didn’t give out while he was crying.
Techno looks lost in front of Phil as the cries begin to increase in volume, Phil completely letting go of any restraint he had left. There are a few more moments where Techno hesitates, conflicted on how to handle the situation. “Phi-”
“
NO!!!"
Phil cries again, sobbing harder. “
MEAN!!!"
If he were still Big, Phil might’ve felt some kind of satisfaction at the regret that crossed Techno’s face.
“I know birdie.” Moving on shaky legs, Phil stumbles away from Techno. His back hits the counter and Phil sinks down to the floor, unable to keep himself up anymore. The sobs keep coming, Phil letting out his sadness for the whole tundra to hear.
"Ba- AD!!!" Phil cries, wrapping his arms around himself. In front of him, Techno sits down on the floor as well, not saying anything or getting closer for fear of Phil becoming more upset, and it almost seems like he was just going to wait out Phil’s crying fit, which Phil shows no signs of stopping any time soon. If anything, the wails keep getting louder, Phil now crying for the awful sense of wrong that overtakes him when he yells at his caregiver. It wasn’t often that Phil misbehaved while Little, instances few and far between, but it never felt good when it happened, intentional or not.
After another minute or so of crying, Techno starts talking again. “I’m sorry, Phil,” he begins softly, just loud enough that Phil can hear him but not too intrusive. “You can keep crying if you want, I’m not gonna stop you.” His voice is level, remaining the calm monotone that Phil is oh-so fond of, but there’s a shaky undertone like Techno might also start crying. “It’s okay birdie, just get it all out.”
Now that the two are at eye level (roughly, Techno is still taller than Phil even when sitting, something that does not help his rapidly falling headspace), Phil looks up and sees the guilt on Techno’s face as he talks, briefly quieting as his brain processes the information. He’s still crying, but the sobs lessen in volume, and Phil just feels bad now. The hurt is still there from the teasing, and Phil hasn’t quite forgiven Techno, not yet. He was mean, that fact remains clear in Phil’s mind.
But crying feels icky and now Phil really wants a hug.
And Techno is right there.
Shakily, Phil raises his arms from where he had curled around himself and makes a small grabby hands motion at Techno. When Techno doesn’t immediately swoop in to give Phil the hug he so desperately wants, Phil’s crying starts to pick up in volume again, a whine tearing itself from the back of his throat. The grabby hands towards Techno become more frantic. Can’t Techie see that Phil needs him right now? Why isn’t he coming over? Didn’t he know Phil wanted a hug? Wanted to cuddle with his Techie?
Just as Phil starts to work back up to his previous volume, Techno blessedly begins to move forward, but he slows before he gets too close to Phil. “You’re okay with this lovely?” he asks.
Phil lets out a particularly loud sob, nodding. “Techie,” he whimpers, and Techno is rushing in. He takes Phil into his arms, careful of his wings, and Phil immediately starts crying again, relieved that he’s finally, finally where he wants to be, safe and comforted by his Techie.
Techno starts moving them back and forth, gently rocking Phil as they sit on the floor. He starts giving Phil gentle reassurances again, the quiet rumble of his chest further soothing Phil. It’s warm, soft, and perfect, perfect in the way Techno’s hugs always are for Phil, and Phil begins to quiet again, taking all the comfort he can get.
Once Phil’s cries have been reduced to small sniffs and the occasional hiccup, Techno pulls back to look at Phil and quietly asks, “Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?”
Phil sniffles a bit, instantly knowing what he wants. “‘Pologize.” Techno may be being nicer now, but Phil still remembers how mean he was earlier and wants to make sure Techno knows it too.
To his credit, Techno doesn’t hesitate to comply. “Oh, sweetheart, of course.” Techno comes back and hugs him impossibly closer, and Phil feels the apology more than he hears it. “I’m so sorry birdie, I shouldn’t’ve kept teasing you when you were upset. Should’ve just explained myself better instead of pushing you.” The two of them start swaying again, another layer of reassurance added from the motion. “‘S that good, baby? Feel better now?”
“Uh-huh.” Phil feels warm and fuzzy now, held close by his caregiver, the only remnants of his breakdown being a few sniffles and the tear tracks left on his face. He smushes himself further into Techno, seeking both comfort and a reprieve from the itchiness leftover from his previous crying.
“Aw, angel,” Techno coos. “Glad I could make it up to you.” He stands up with Phil still in his arms, bouncing him slightly. “Do you still want something to drink baby? You thirsty?”
Phil blinks up at Techno. Oh yeah, they had been arguing about Phil getting a drink. Well, Phil certainly wanted something different now. “Sippy?” he asks, lisp more prominent now that he's fully in headspace.
“Mhmm! You want Techie to get you a sippy?” Techno bounces Phil again, making him giggle and flap his wings.
“Sippy!”
“Okay sweetheart, we’ll go get you a sippy.” Setting Phil on his hip, Techno starts walking back towards the fridge.”Do you know what you want to drink?” Phil just shakes his head, happy with finally getting something he wanted. “Let’s see, we have water, apple juice. . . Or!” He looks back at Phil, who was now transfixed by Techno’s shiny earrings, carefully trying to grab one. “Is someone tiny? Does someone want a baba instead of sippy?”
“Sippy!” Phil says again, sounding more excited with the word than anything else. He starts absently saying “sippy” over and over, flapping the hand that wasn’t trying to hold one of Techno’s earrings.
The whole display makes Techno pause, taking a second to think before asking “Hey, birdie, do you know how old you are?”
Phil just beams up at Techno, loudly proclaiming “Sippy!” again, trying to shove part of his sleeve in his mouth only for Techno to lightly grab it instead.
“Oh, so we’ve got a teeny tiny little Phil on our hands, do we now?” Techno says, fondness making its way into his tone. “Do we have an itty bitty Phil? Is someone baby?” he coos, brushing his fingers over Phil’s sides and making him almost shriek with laughter. Phil gives no verbal response, too far down in littlespace for proper words anymore, but he preens under the extra attention, letting out a few coos of his own once he settles back down. Techno just smiles, happy to see his baby in a good mood again.
Looking back at the cabinet, Techno decides that Phil doesn’t quite need to nap yet, so he grabs a yellow sippy cup and some apple juice. He pours it into the cup, still balancing Phil on his hip with practiced skill. Phil watches with wide eyes, his sleeve firmly planted in his mouth now that Techno is distracted.
"There we go," Techno says as he screws on the lid. Noticing the sleeve in Phil's mouth, he gently tugs it out, giving Phil the sippy cup in place of it. He coos again when Phil immediately accepts the juice. "Happy birdie?"
Phil hums around the sippy cup, still focused on his juice. The cool liquid going down his throat soothes the last of the itchiness from crying, and Phil is grateful to finally be rid of it.
When Phil finishes, Techno takes the cup and sets it aside, intending to wash it when his arms aren't full of baby. Phil's sleeve has once again found its way into Phil's mouth, and Techno sighs as he removes it. "Baby, we can't chew on sleeves," he says in response to Phil's whine of protest. "Don't you wanna go upstairs so we can get you all cozy? You have your paci up there too."
"Bwankie," Phil mumbles instead, shoving his head into Techno's neck.
Techno smiles, heart melting at the action. "That's right, we can grab your blankie." He receives another muffled response and takes it as a sign to head upstairs.
Once the two get to Phil's Little room, Phil immediately perks up, reaching out towards the bed, or more accurately, the pastel yellow blanket resting on top of it. "B'ankie!!!"
"Yeah baby, it's your blankie!" Techno replies, setting Phil on the bed while he goes to grab a few more supplies. Phil doesn't hesitate before picking up the soft blanket and rubbing his fingers along the silk edges of it, quietly babbling in happiness. He was spoiled by Techno of course, but the sweet yellow baby blanket was Phil's favorite item he owned. Any time he slipped under the age of six, Phil dragged the blanket everywhere and would refuse to be separated from it. Once, he had forgotten it was in the laundry, leading to a borderline inconsolable Phil while Techno searched for it.
Safe to say, Phil was delighted to have it again.
While Phil is distracted by reuniting with his treasured blanket, Techno walks over to the closet and selects an outfit to replace Phil's current clothing. It's easy enough, and Techno swings by the dresser in the corner of the room and slips a yellow pacifier into his pocket to give Phil later.
In a few short minutes, Techno dresses Phil in a soft, pale green long-sleeve onesie with an embroidered hardcore heart resting on the chest and a matching pair of fuzzy socks. It was Phil’s favorite outfit any time he was younger than three, specially made to snap closed in the back to accommodate his wings. Phil happily babbles at Techno as the last snap is put in place and his caregiver picks him up again, the outfit change giving him a reprieve from his less comfortable Big clothes.
Just before the two leave to go back to the kitchen, Phil whines suddenly, and Techno has to quickly adjust as he reaches for something near his dresser with his free hand. Looking down at Phil, Techno’s brow furrows as he asks, “What’s up baby? Want something else?” Phil just whines again, making intense grabby hands at where they came from. Walking back over, Techno carefully lets Phil guide him to the corner of the room, still trying to figure out what Phil is reaching for. Techno glances at Phil, then at the direction he was grasping for, only to see a familiar green bucket hat resting innocently on the top of the dresser.
“F’oggy!” Phil exclaims, and it finally clicks for Techno as he extends an arm to retrieve the frog-themed bucket hat that Little Phil adores.
Gently setting it on Phil’s head so that the frog’s face was looking out, Techno smiles, saying, “Is that what you were asking for?” The only response he gets is giggling from Phil as the regressor reaches up and tugs on the sides of the bucket hat, pulling it further down on his head. It looks rather ridiculous, especially as Phil still has a firm hold on his yellow blanket on one hand, but Techno doesn’t think he would change it for the world, not when Phil looks at him like he hung the stars. “Silly boy,” Techno coos, tapping Phil’s nose and sending him into another round of giggles. “Ready to go back downstairs?”
Phil chirps happily, cuddling back into Techno again and clutching his blanket. Taking that as an agreement, Techno turns and heads out of Phil’s room. Instead of going back to the kitchen, Techno decides that some quiet time is in order after all of the day’s prior events. Only if Phil wants to of course. The leftover guilt from causing the earlier breakdown ensured that Techno would be willing to do anything to keep his baby happy.
By the time they reach the living room and sit down on the couch, Phil had already taken a corner of his yellow blanket and stuffed it into his mouth. Seeing this, Techno pulls out the pacifier he grabbed earlier and holds it up in front of Phil’s face, easily capturing the Little’s attention.
“Hey baby, wouldn’t you rather have this instead of chewing on your blankie?”
“Mmm!” Phil brightens at the sight of his yellow paci, readily letting the blanket fall out of his mouth as he leans forward to accept it. He hums in delight as Techno gives it to him and begins to suck on it immediately, eyes drooping slightly. Now that his mouth is occupied, Phil’s focus drifts to his hands as he starts slowly fisting his blanket, enjoying the soft texture. He ends up leaning more and more on his caregiver as he slips even further. Techno’s heart melts again at the sight of Phil, so obviously content now under his care.
A few mumbled babbles slip from Phil, and Techno smiles. “Having fun birdie?” he asks softly. Phil just nods, mouth still fully occupied by the pacifier. “Anything else you wanna do?”
Phil’s face scrunches up adorably in thought until he eventually brightens up again. “Boo?” he slurs, looking up at Techno with wide blue eyes. Techno has to repress another coo at both the question and Phil himself.
Of course, Phil would ask about Ranboo. The kid was a fantastic playmate for Phil, especially when Phil was slightly older. Phil loved when Ranboo was able to hang out, even more so when both of them were in headspace and Phil got to be the older brother. It was unreasonably adorable every time, and Techno never minded taking care of both of them. Unfortunately, Ranboo had left that morning, saying he had some business on the server to attend to. He had told Techno that he would be back sometime in the evening, and glancing out the window revealed it to be late afternoon at best, meaning the kid wouldn’t be back for a few more hours.
Techno takes a breath, knowing he had to tell the hopeful baby in his lap. “Birdie, Boo isn’t here right now.” As expected, Phil’s face immediately drops, with the beginnings of tears forming in his eyes. Quickly, Techno adds, “I’m sure he’d love to hang out with you later though! Won’t that be nice? Boo can play with you after dinner!”
It’s a few seconds before Phil’s tiny mind processes what Techno said, but it becomes clear he understood somewhat when he brightens up again, smiling around his paci. “Kay!”
Relief washes over Techno. Thank God that he didn’t have to worry about Phil crying for the second time in one hour.
As Phil once again distracts himself with his blanket, Techno looks around the room to see if there was anything else he could do to stimulate the baby. Before he can find anything, Phil yawns in his lap, almost dropping the pacifier. His blinks start getting longer, and Phil looks completely out of it, which is almost to be expected after such a hectic day.
"Hey love," Techno starts quietly, rubbing a hand up and down Phil's back. "Do you wanna take a nap while we cuddle?" It wasn't too far off from dinner time, but Techno reasons to himself that a short nap wouldn't hurt. Besides, it'd give him plenty of time to tell Ranboo about the situation and maybe start preparing some food later.
Phil just blinks slowly up at Techno, eyes hazy, and Techno figures that this is as much of an answer as he's going to get. "Is it nap time, baby?" A sleepy nod this time as Phil presses himself further into Techno. "Does my sweet boy want to stay here with Techie or go up to his room?" This time, Phil wraps his arms around Techno, firmly attaching himself to the man. He whines, a small babble of "T'chie," coming from behind the pacifier. Techno hugs Phil in return, and Phil chirps happily. "Okay, we can stay here, Birdie," Techno says, carefully reaching up to remove Phil's frog hat and set it to the side before settling completely on the couch.
Happy in the knowledge that Techno wasn't moving, Phil moves his arms and adjusts so that he is entirely leaning into the warmth of his caregiver. He feels completely safe and content, somehow drifting even further into headspace. All Phil can focus on is the grip he maintains on his blanket, the soothing rhythm of sucking on the pacifier, and the gentle breathing of Techno beneath him. Slowly, his eyes shut, and Phil settles into sleep, safe and happy in Techno's arms.