Chapter Text
he re-reads the instructions, mouthing it silently. he doesn’t think he’s made a mistake. he’s gotten all of it right.
he takes a deep breath, then looks over the summoning circle hes made, in the depths of an abandoned house he found.
candles give off a dim light, shining on the dark red liquid that’s sloshing around in the bowl tubbo is holding.
he tosses the bowl into the circle, watching the contents spill, and starts chanting, chanting until his voice is raw and scratchy.
just when he thinks it won’t work, that he’s done something wrong, something echoes through the house. he falters in his words, seeing the circle he messily drew out of cheap chalk start to glow.
then, someone- no, something comes out of it.
I AM THE DEMON OF WAR, OF DEATHS, OF PARENTS WHO CRY FOR THEIR CHILDREN IN THE MIDST OF BATTLE, OF THE BLOOD THAT IS SHED WHEN HEROES FIGHT. SPEAK, MORTAL. WHAT DO YOU REQUIRE FRO-
“a friend.” tubbo interrupts, watching it.
it pauses.
WHAT?
“I just want a friend. or friends, if you can manage it.”
IF I CAN MANAGE IT.
“yeah. I’m not sure if you can do that sort of thing, but I want friends. like, someone who’ll protect me.” he messes with his over large shirt, hoping it won’t just kill him.
YOU WANT ME TO BE YOUR FRIEND?
tubbo nods. “yeah. what’s your name? since, yknow, we’ll be friends now.”
it gives him a long, hard stare. at least, tubbo thinks it does. it doesn’t have any eyes.
I LITERALLY SAID IT IN THE BEGINNING. I AM THE BLOOD DEMON, THE-
“no, but like- your name.” tubbo interrupts again. “that’s just what you are.”
MY NAME CANNOT BE HEARD BY MORTALS.
tubbo shrugs. “then translate it.”
it stays quiet for a moment, thinking. then, it speaks again.
TECHNOBLADE. THAT IS MY NAME.
tubbo smiles. “great! I’m tubbo. so, do I need to sign a contract or what?”
it lets out a long sigh. that’s what it sounds like, anyway.
GIVE ME A SEC.
it sinks back into the circle. tubbo wonders what goes on in there.
he’s relieved. it actually worked. dream would be proud.
it rises again, this time a stack of papers clutched in its talons.
HERE.
tubbo takes it. “got a pen?”
YEAH.
it hands him a pen. the side reads the daemonium- for all your contract filling needs!
huh. that’s neat.
he barely reads the contract, signing it with a flourish. then he hands it back. “there you go.”
it stares at him. YOU DIDN’T READ IT.
tubbo shrugs. “gonna die anyway.”
it stays quiet.
tubbo twiddles his fingers. “so, can you uh- look human? it’s kind of awkward.”
OH. YEAH, SURE.
it bubbles and morphs, turning into a tall guy with long pink hair, long demon horns, and a devil tail. an odd choice, but tubbo doesn’t mind.
“okay, so, since you asked for multiple friends, I’m supposed to hand you this.” techno passes over another packet. his voice is american, which is surprising. he speaks in a deep monotone, and tubbo finds it quite calming.
tubbo takes it, his eyes scanning the cover. it’s a survey. “thanks. I like your voice.”
technoblade blinks. “oh- thanks.”
tubbo starts filling it out, humming to himself.
needs to be fun, check.
can be calm, check.
his age? that can happen? he checks the box nonetheless, wondering about the probability of a sixteen year old demon.
he finishes and hands it back to techno, who skims it over. he tosses it into the circle, and in a matter of seconds another person is rising from it. except, this time, they already look like a human.
he’s got a baggy yellow sweater, a guitar slung over his back, a beanie, the same horns and tail that techno has, and brown curls falling over his face that almost cover his grin.
techno sighs, covering half his face. “this is wilbur, my-“
“brother!” wilbur chimes in happily, wrapping an arm around the others shoulder. “I’m techs brother.”
for technos brother, he sounds very british. at least tubbo and him have something in common.
“not.”
“I am.” wilburs grin widens. “so, you’re the kid who wants a friend?”
tubbo nods, smiling a little. “yeah. you don’t look sixteen.” his hopes drop. he’ll never get a best friend, it seems.
wilbur frowns. “I’m twenty four in human years. techno, did he ask for someone his age?”
technoblade swallows, then nods slowly. “he did, but-“
“why didn’t you-“
“I didn’t want to-“
“you didn’t want to bring our little brother-?”
“he rarely gets to partake in a contract! he gets too excited!”
tubbo blinked. “wait, you have someone who’s sixteen?”
wilbur nods, shooting techno a glare. “yeah. and techno, it’s part of the contract. you need to follow it.”
“you favor him too much, you’re too soft on him-“
“I’m getting him.” wilbur decides, descending back into the circle and leaving behind a very confused tubbo.
“you have a little brother? and he’s sixteen?” he asks techno, who nods with a groan.
“unfortunately. wilburs gone to get him.”
tubbos hopes rise again. it would be awkward to have wilbur and techno as his only friends. he’s glad there’s someone his age, even if they are a demon.
“what’s up, bitches?” a gleeful voice cackles, this one also british and sounding loud and childish. someone pops out of the circle, with the biggest grin tubbos ever seen. he has smaller horns than his brothers do, only a few centimeters above his curly blond hair. he has a red and white t shirt, the same demon tail, small devil wings coming out of his back, and tubbos first thought is that he’s perfect.
wilbur rises, chuckling softly. he ruffles the kids hair, and he lets out a squawk. “back off, bitch!”
techno flicks him, then turns to tubbo. “this is tommy, the child.”
“a gremlin.” wilbur adds, beaming with pride.
tommy flips both of them off, then steps over to tubbo. “what’s your name, my friend?”
tubbo stumbles over his words. “uh- I’m tubbo.”
tommy, if it’s even possible, grins even wider. “big t! we’re gonna be best friends, eh?”
tubbo grins back, his chest warming. “yeah.”
tommy laughs, and it’s such a nice laugh, tubbo thinks. it’s loud and bright and lights up the room. even techno gets a little smile on his face.
techno steps out of the circle, fixing his sleeves. “well, it looks like we’re going to be out here a while.”
tommy slings an arm around tubbos shoulders, beaming. “great! I haven’t been out since the americans started a war with themselves, the idiots.”
tubbo blinks, twisting his head around to stare at tommy. “that- you mean the civil war? that- that happened in 1861.”
tommy tilts his head. “yeah? I died in before that, and techno let me visit in 1863. keep up, tubster.”
ignoring the giddiness that comes at being given a nickname, he continues to stare at him, baffled. “I- I thought you were sixteen.”
“he is. he was sixteen when he died.” techno explains. “like- I’m twenty one, and I died a long time ago.”
“I’ve been dead for decades.” wilbur put in helpfully.
tubbo realizes something.
no way.
“were you- were you two were around for hamilton?” he breaths, excited. he loves the musical, and to have friends who actually were around when hamilton was alive? that might just explode his fanboy heart.
tommy frowns. “hamilton? who’s that?”
techno shoots tommy a glare. “you didn’t pay attention?”
“it was boring!” tommy protests. “just tell me who he is.”
techno huffs, annoyed. “he was one of americas founding fathers. kind of irritating. always trying to be better than everyone else. burr did us all a favor, if you ask me.”
tubbo ignores that injustice, grinning. “they made a musical about him! tommy, I’ll show it to you later, you’ll love it!”
tommy smiled a little. “I think i like musicals.”
“it’s even better than the ones from your time, I’ll take you to it!” tubbo says, excited and not thinking about the fact that he doesn’t have that much money.
tommys smile widens. “really?”
“yeah!”
“pogchamp!” tommy crows, giving tubbo a high five.
wilbur smiles fondly. “well, we should head out, right? it’s not the greatest in here.”
he glances around at the dusty room, the wood creaking and looking like it’s about to come crumbling down, and tubbo nods in agreement. “good idea. I’ve got a place not too far from here."
“let’s go!” tommy shouts, taking tubbos hand and pulling him outside. “off to tubbos house!”
tubbo laughs, and his chest swells with happiness. he glances back to see techno and wilbur following them, smiles on both of their faces.
dream would be so proud of him.