Vengeance

5- Black boots

The boy sat up. He ran his hand through his hair and felt a chill draft stroke his palm. Did Tnret have a hole in it? He looked up to check for damage. Wooden boards. Tommy wasn't in Tnret.

He opened his eyes and saw white walls with logs running through them at intervals. A few brewing stands bubbled in the corner and faint villager noises could be heard.

"Good morning." A monotone voice broke him from his confusion.

Tommy looked down. He knew the owner of that voice. The bloodthirsty beast he had once called an ally.

"Technoblade." Tommy said bluntly in recognition of the man.

He had yet to look at the beast, having last seen him covered in the blood of his friends, boar skull mask staring blankly with its shadowy orifices. That was months ago. The man presumably hadn't heard what had happened to the boy since then.

"How have you been, Tommy?"

The question took him by surprise. It had been so long since anyone had asked him that, and now it seemed like the only person that cared was this beastly traitor who had murdered those he used to care about.

"Fine." He answered blankly, not wanting to give the traitor any attention. He averted his gaze further, focusing on the blue sheets his lower half lay beneath.

Having finally regained sense and awareness, Tommy felt a soreness overcome his body. His legs ached, tiny lacerations spattered his limbs like poppies on a battlefield, his hands felt partially numb and his feet were barely moveable. He lifted the blue sheet to look at himself and noticed his feet and lower legs were a shade of purplish scarlet, as well as his hands. He rubbed them together, hoping to usher the numbness from them.

"Frostbite." The beast said monotonously.

Tommy felt a chill on his lower legs and immediately buried them under the blanket he had awoken beneath.

He looked towards the man for the first time since awakening. Not expecting much of a difference, Tommy was taken aback by Technoblade's appearance. His hair was by his side in a long braid, a smaller one dangled by his face which he quickly brushed back behind his pointed ear adorned with scars, rings and cuffs. The mans face bore no discernible expression, his eyes looked tired behind his gold rimmed glasses, and he seemed to have gained a few new scars over his existing many. Technoblade wore a blue and white outfit with red leather showing between the blue and white amour, presumably for warmth. The armour was rimmed in gold, a favourite of his, and had a gold chain running from one shoulder of a white hide cape to the other. His feet were housed in black boots with white fur emerging from the top, Tommy recognised those.

"Were you the one who found me out there?" Tommy asked, initiating conversation for once as he looked towards the shuttered windows of what he presumed was Technoblade's house.

"Yup," The man responded, "You were half frozen to death."

Tommy sighed, if Techno had left him out there then maybe he wouldn't have to continue being a nuisance to those around him. Surely, once Technoblade had kept the boy around for a while and realised how useless Tommy was, he would dispose of him himself. Tommy resigned himself to the fate he saw before him, what else could he do?

Tommy looked down at his lap again, gripping the sheets.

"Care to tell me why you were out there, alone, in rags and barely conscious?" Techno pushed.

Tommy felt numb. Techno was his brother yet they had never been close. They barely felt like brothers. He didn't want to tell the man, yet his lips moved faster than his thoughts.