What They Don't Know, Won't Hurt Them

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Quackity snarled but retreated back into the forest. Tubbo and Tommy ran over to Philza to check on the kid.

When Philza stood and moved his wing back to its resting place, the other four could see the teary scarred face of the kid. Philza whispered words of safety and comfort into the kid's ear, who had buried his face into Phil's chest. Halfway back to the house, the kid was slumbering against Phil. As the other three went to sit in the living room, Philza and Ranboo went to Phil's bedroom. Philza tucked the kid into bed after they changed his clothes. They didn't need the kid getting sick. Ranboo sat by the bedroom window as Philza made his way to the living room.

"Techno, we need to speak in private," Philza said gesturing the two teens out of the room.

Tommy and Tubbo quickly made their way to Phil's bedroom.

"He was tortured. Which explains the scars. He is branded on his back." Phil explained seriously.

"He was branded with Quackity's signature leather brand. That's why he was afraid of Quackity. He was tortured by him." Philza snarled in anger.

"Dadza, calm down. You are going to burn my house down. Smoke is coming from your ears and nose." Technoblade said trying to calm him down.

Philza took a deep breath. If he didn't calm down, he would just make Techno's voice rage again.

"We need to expect him to have PTSD, and be slow and caring with him," Technoblade told him solemnly.

"That won't be the last of Quackity. He believes this kid somehow managed to break Dream free." Phil informed Techno, who nodded in response before a crashing thud came from Phil's bedroom.

The two rushed in to check it out. When they entered the room they saw the kid curled and trembling in the corner. Tommy and Ranboo looked startled as Tubbo was somehow sleeping in the chair by the window. Ranboo was laying on the floor and the two of them had their hands up. Phil carefully stepped over Ranboo while making sure to not make any sudden movements. He passed Tommy and knelt down a few feet in front of the kid. He slowly spread his wings out so the kid only had to focus on him.

"Hey, buddy. You're scared I bet. Waking up in an unusual place but you're okay. You're still with us. Quackity can't hurt you anymore, mate. No one can. Technoblade alone will make sure of it." Philza told the kid with a soft smile.

Philza sat on the floor at arm's length from the kid making him tense slightly. That was an improvement. The kid looked into Phil's eyes and Phil took the time to fully look at the kid's face for the first time. He realized that the kid was blind in one eye. His other eye was a dull emerald that was filled with fear. Phil gently reached forward and the child whimpered and tried pushing away. Philza softly wrapped his arms around the child hugging him.

"We'll protect you, kiddo. No matter the situation or cost." Philza whispered in his ear.

- Dream tried to push Phil away. Phil was going to hurt him! He misbehaved and now he had to be punished!

"You're okay...Safe." Philza's soft voice came in and out of Dream's hearing

Dream's body filled with an unfamiliar warmth. He felt plenty of heat, burning heat at that, from the lava that surrounded his cell. Dream's body was slowly rocked back and forth as Phil at some point pulled him into his lap.

"You are safe. Quackity can't get you here. You did well running to me." Phil whispered to Dream and Dream broke down in the man's arms.

The man's hug deepened as the child hugged him. Bursting into tears and sobs as he was comforted. Dream missed hugs. He missed human touch that wasn't painful.

When Dream calmed down, Philza gently lifted him up. He turned towards the bed, where Ranboo now sat. Phil placed him down on the bed and Dream reached his arms out toward Ranboo. Ranboo froze at first before he gently hugged Dream, accepting his silent apology for making him fall to the floor. Phil started to look Dream over to make sure he didn't hurt himself when he panicked earlier. When he got to Dream's hair, he gently ran his hands through it untangling the small knots.

- The kid pushed his head into Philza's soft touch. They all could see that this child was heavily touch-starved but he was scared of human touch as well. As the kid was enjoying the touch, his face twisted into one of pain.

"Hey, what's wrong? Where does it hurt?" Phil asked and the kid reached for his back.

"I'll take a look kiddo," Phil told him as he turned the kid to face Ranboo and lifted his shirt.

Two painful lumps were on the child's back. One was right through the branding that Tommy, Techno, and Tubbo could now clearly see. These were the beginnings of the winging process. Phil glanced at Techno in concern. 

"Techno, I need a sword," Phil said. 

The kid tensed and grabbed Ranboo's suit. 

"It's okay! You are going through a winging process. It relieves the pressure and winging process time." Philza explained and the kid softly nodded. 

Techno handed Phil the unenchanted sword and the kid gripped Ranboo's suit tighter. 

"It'll help with the winging. Once your wings are through, it'll hurt a lot less." Phil told him again as Ranboo was pushed to lie down with the kid. 

          When Phil began to cut the skin, the kid buried his face into Ranboo's chest crying. The wings burst through, white fluff covered in blood. Phil quickly began cleaning the appendages like the Dadza he was. The kid was slowly beginning to relax into Ranboo's when Technoblade began to run a hand through his hair. When the kid fully relaxed into Ranboo, the two stayed laying on the bed. (I just realized how bad this would be if this paragraph was taken out of context) Phil knew the importance of establishing a flock right away and had Tubbo and Tommy join around the two laying down and having them begin to clean his wings as well. Starting to establish the connection as soon as they can makes the fledgling feel safer. It gives them a boost in the connection as well. Now it should only take a week or two for the five to fully become the kid's flock.

             Once they had finally finished cleaning the kid's fluff, they backed away from the two just to see them sleeping. Philza forced everyone out of his room, leaving the two to sleep. 

"He should establish a connection for the flock in a week or two," Phil said looking at Tommy who seemed to be practically vibrating in excitement at the thought of having a younger brother.

"At the rate it is going, the kid is going to see Ranboo as his dad." Technoblade joked leaning on his counter.

"Whoever he sees as his dad is who he sees. We can't force it. That would make us almost as bad as Quackity in the eyes of avian law." Phil told them.

"I get to have a younger brother!! I won't be the youngest anymore!" Tommy almost yelled.

"You still will be one of the younger brothers, pipsqueak," Techno said as he straightened himself from leaning on his counter making him taller than Tommy again. 

"That isn't far! You are a brute hybrid! You are unnaturally tall like bitch boy in the other room." Tommy pouted.

"Alright you two, we need..." Phil was interrupted by a crash in the bedroom, the crash of breaking glass.