Home Sweet Home || A Ranboo Adoption Story

Chapter 13: Practice

**Third Person POV**

Philza couldn't stop thinking about his visit with Dream. Sam's gonna kill him. Sam's after Ranboo now too. He held his head tightly having no clue what to do.

Phil took a deep breath and headed towards their training centre. Practicing was the only way that Phil knew how to relax. It was the only time he felt completely in control.

He put his door on the handle and was about to open the door before he heard a loud grunt. Phil listened as a blade struck a surface. He opened the door quietly just in time to see his eldest son throw a knife straight into his target's heart.

CLAP CLAP CLAP

Technoblade turned towards his father who was smiling slightly while applauding him. Techno gave him a slight smirk. He picked up a sword and tossed it to his father.

Phil caught it and Techno swung. Phil ducked under his swing and Phil swung at Techno's legs. Techno jumped and rolled to the other side of the room nearly striking his father with the back of his sword. Phil noticed his son's movements and kicked the sword out of his hand. Just as Phil was about to reach for the sword he felt a knife near his neck. Once Techno knew his father realized his loss he put the knife away. Phil handed him his sword breathing heavy. "You've become more skilled than I realized Techno." Phil beamed. "I'm proud of you."

Techno would never admit how impactful his father's words were. He cared about his opinion more than anyone. "Well, I had a good teacher." Techno responded while smiling. He handed his father a water bottle. "So are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

Phil looked at Techno, surprised. "What makes you think something's wrong?"

Techno chuckled. "You may be able to hide from everyone, even mumza. But I know that you only practice at very specific times during the week, that is, unless there's something wrong."

Phil half smiled before sighing, "can't get anything past you I suppose." He took his bottle and sat down on the stairs of the training centre, looking at the sunset. Techno sat beside him. "I went to visit Dream with Ranboo today."

Techno's eyes went slightly wide. Dream helped him in many ways when he was younger. Especially with learning about his voices and helping him through the trauma he faced before he came here. His dad never took him to visit. He doesn't even know where Dream is. His father always told him that it was dangerous, that the warden didn't like people who were different. Ranboo is different though, so Techno couldn't say that it didn't hurt slightly that he got to see him.  "And how is Uncle Dream?"

Phil clenched his teeth together, trying to hold back sobs. "Terrible." He choked out. "He's terrible...." Phil held his head in his hands.

Techno was never great at comforting people, but for all of the times that his father helped him he was going to be here. Techno put a comforting hand on his father's back.

"And now he's after Ranboo too." Phil continued.

This shocked Techno. "What? What did Ranboo do?! Is he okay?" Techno asked too loudly.

"He's fine.... For now. Sam learned about what we thought was just Ranboo having memory problems. Apparently it's another state of being called the enderwalk.  It's basically a built in defense mechanism. He attacked Sam to protect Dream. And now Sam is after all of us.

This is the last straw Philza! Your son and your family are DEAD! DO YOU HEAR ME!? They're DEAD!

The words rang in his ears. And Phil couldn't hold back the tears any longer. He cried into his hands, once again feeling a hand on his back. "I can't save him on my own Techno. I've wanted to save him for years. I want his suffering to end... But if I do and I die... Then Dream will die as well, my family will be left unprotected and your mother will bring me back from the afterlife to kill me again. I can't put her through losing me again..... I just don't know what to do!"

Technoblade understood his father's hesitation. He did. But he isn't alone. "Dad. You're forgetting something in all of this." His father looked up, tears still in his eyes. Techno has never seen his father cry. He wouldn't admit it, but seeing the hopelessness in his father's eyes scared him. "You're not alone in this. I know you see us as kids. And even if you and I, arguably two of the best fighters in the world, went to save him, maybe we wouldn't win. But it's NOT just the two of us. It's all of us! You have trained all of us, bringing out the potential we couldn't even see in ourselves. You may not be able to defeat him. But there's no way he can go against all of us and win. He can't stop all of us!"

He can't stop all of us

Those words again. Phil hasn't been able to stop thinking about them since Ranboo said them. But can he really bring his family straight to the direct threat against them? He's been keeping all of them from danger for so long. How can he justify bringing them straight to it?

"I know you're scared, dad." Phil looked up to meet his son's eyes. "But if we don't save him, he'll die. And all his suffering will be for nothing."

Phil nodded his head. Techno was right. He knew he was right. "You really have become a better, braver man than I."

Techno smiled. "You taught me that whenever you know what is right, you must also know the courage that demands it."

Phil smiled with pride. He stood up and took a deep breath. He had to make sure that it was okay with everyone first. "Okay. Let's go and explain this to your mother."

_

The family sat around the living room, listening. The boys felt a fire in their hearts. Ready to save someone who was not only a friend, but family.

"Darling, I know that I told you I would always protect them. But I can't protect them forever. They have outgrown my protection and... I can't do it without their help. Please understand that-" Phil was cut off with a hug. Kristen wrapped her arms around him tightly, scared that if she let go, she'd never get him back.

"Please.." she choked, voice cracking, she looked at everyone, "please come back safely." She looked at her boys. "You have all grown so much. But I know you have the skills to succeed. You were all taught by the best." She looked at her husband's eyes. "The absolute best...."

Phil hugged her again. He knew she was scared. He was scared too, terrified, actually, but Techno's right. He can't do it alone. And there's no one else he trusted more than his own family.

They were going to save Dream. And they were finally going to...

Take. Sam. Down.