Chapter Text
Dream cursed as he whirled around the corner, the steady breezes of the kid's magic whistling through his hair. Generally, when they were playing manhunt, it was far more fun and had fewer consequences. The most they ever bet was bragging rights, or maybe Dream wearing weird socks to the next meeting with the Antarctic Empire. This had consequences and if they didn't catch the brat soon, he'd be facing them.
His conscience, damn it all to hell, wouldn't let him allow the kid to escape his grasp again, especially now that they knew he was in the capital.
Dream was calling him Floaty because the kid hadn't actually told them his name. Blonde hair, unnaturally bright blue eyes, he was far too skinny, often covered in dirt, usually wearing a red and white tee. They were also sure he had some kind of visual impairment- Bad and George were convinced that he just had poor eyesight, but Dream and Sapnap were more of the opinion that the kid was blind blind. Nobody's eyes were that colour unless something was wrong with them. Probably around twelve, thirteen? Dream wasn't sure.
Floaty also had some strong natural magic, and clearly he'd learned his craft the same way Sapnap had; by using it as an extension of himself, and not as a tool separate from his body. Floaty could control the air. Dream wasn't sure where the limits of his powers were, but for now, he knew that Floaty could blast air around and use the air pressure to tell where things were (how he got around), he could launch himself into the sky (Dream wasn't sure how long Floaty could keep himself up there, if he could move oxygen around so he could go higher. Further observation required), and that he could just blast shit.
Dream, unfortunately, was on the receiving end of one of those blasts. He brought his arms up to protect his mask as he was thrown backwards and into a wall. He blinked his eyes open, cursing under his breath as the tail end of Floaty's footsteps dove deeper into the city's alley grid. Sapnap rounded the corner and groaned as Dream picked himself up.
"We lost him? Again?" Sapnap laid a hand on Dream's shoulder, casting an annoyed glare to where Floaty had vanished. "Jesus- how long is it going to take before this kid realizes we're not gonna hurt him?"
"Judging by how frail and jumpy he is, he's been out here and on his own for a while now. He clearly doesn't trust us, and I don't blame him," Dream brushed a few stray pebbles off his cape, checking that his crown was still on properly. "But we have to bring him in before winter sets in or he'll freeze to death."
"You could always send the guard after him," Sapnap started jogging from where they had last seen Floaty, following Bad's yells as their demon friend spotted the kid. "We could use the help."
"We tried that last time he was in town," Dream picked up the pace, letting his feet slap a rhythm across the stone pathways. A hiss, an explosion, and Floaty was clearing the tallest building, shouting jeers at Bad as the wind rocketed him into the sky. He was facing the opposite direction from Bad, but Dream'd give him points for the cursing anyway. "All it made him do was run out of the country entirely, and I can't do shit without going to war. Can't exactly ask the Empire, 'hey I know we only just made a trade agreement, but mind if my royal guard and I chase a stray orphan down in your streets? Yeah, he's a pain in the ass'. How well would that go, Sapnap. How well would that-"
Sapnap suddenly stopped and Dream followed suit. Had he spotted Floaty? Had the kid come down-
"Wait wait wait," Sapnap waved his hands around, his bandana catching fire at the ends as his magic took over. Dream quirked an eyebrow at his friend. "The Empire. Bro, don't you remember? Last time you had a meeting with them, the tall bloke- uhh Prince Wilbur? He mentioned something about wanting a little brother. And I mean, Crown Prince Technoblade didn't argue , which means he also has to be on board."
"Sapnap are you nuts ?" Dream shook his head. Yeah, he remembered that conversation. He'd thought it odd, but given his permission for the twins to comb through the various orphanages in the SMP. They hadn't found a kid they'd liked enough, but it wasn't Dream's problem. "They-they're probably looking for an actual, civilized child, not this traumatized, orphaned-"
Dream cut himself off at George's shriek, head snapping up as his second in command got absolutely yeeted off the roof of a building. Dream pinched the bridge of his nose as George landed in an open dumpster.
"We won't know unless we ask. You never know, maybe they'll like him. He's certainly grown on you," Sapnap was grinning, a gross toothy smile. Dream sighed. Once Sapnap got like this, there really wasn't any dissuading him. "Let's just regroup and call them, let them see the brat in action. Maybe they can come back and help us catch the kid. I've heard Crown Prince Technoblade's quite the tracker."
"Fine. But when this goes poorly, I'm blaming you."
---
"...let me get this straight ," Techno drawled, tapping his fingers on the edge of his chair. He and Wilbur had been chilling, just having a relaxing time in their gardens, when King Dream's icon appeared on their communicators. After a short debate, Techno had answered the call, and they had stared down at the King, who was missing nearly all of his royal attire and who looked quite frazzled as he tore through the underbelly of his own city's alleyways. "You want us to adopt this random orphan you've been chasing around for the better part of a year?"
Wilbur pretended to cough into his elbow to hide his laughter, and Techno subtly angled the communicator away from his twin's far too obvious shaking. Techno was similarly amused- of all the things they'd expected Dream to want, this was not one of them.
"Look," Dream looked very, very tired. If Techno was a lesser man, his poker face might've broken at how damn funny this was. "He's a little shit but he's grown on me and-"
Dream was cut off as a strong gust of wind tore the communicator away from the King. Wilbur leaned back into frame as they watched Dream get blown backwards. Not strong enough apparently, because his hand grabbed at a red-white-yellow blur as it tried to dart past him. The communicator buzzed, audio cutting out, as Dream forced the kid down and sat on him.
"This-" Dream growled as the kid twisted, throwing him off.
"He's heading back towards the mid point! Sapnap, go around the West line, George the East, Dream keep going! We can pincer him!" Bad's voice was faint in the background. Dream picked himself up and dusted his shoulders off, a hard line in his visible jaw.
"That was Floaty. Or at least, that's what I'm calling him. Fucking kid won't tell us his name," Dream carried on like nothing had happened, and from beside Techno, Wilbur started wheezing like he was dying . "I think he's twelve or thirteen. Wind magic, he's quick and real snarky, very malnourished, blind-"
"Wait, blind?" Techno peered harder at the communicator. Wilbur stopped laughing. "How the hell is he able to slip by you then?"
"Uses the air currents like feelers, I think," Dream's breath was coming heavier as he carried on running. "Gets an idea of where things are in relation to him. He doesn't always get it right, sometimes there are cracks in things big enough to feel like an escape route and he slams into a wall. Or he doesn't angle close enough to the ground and trips on things. He's uh-" Dream flipped the communicator around, and Techno blinked as Bad flew through the air, screeching the whole way. "He's slippery."
"I can tell." Techno looked over at Wilbur and- oh god, his brother looked intrigued . Fucking-
"It's fine if you guys don't want to keep him, I know he's clearly a handful. No matter how many times we tell him we aren't going to hurt him, he just keeps running. Sometimes he'll take food or medical supplies if we leave them out for him, but he'll never let us do anything for him, either," Dream's com moved, shaking as the king backtracked and bolted down a side street. "If nothing else, we'd appreciate the help in catching him."
"What would we get out of it?" Wilbur asked. Techno rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help his own curiosity either. The kid seemed lively, full of energy. Scared, yeah, but they could work with that. He and Wilbur had been touring the orphanages and foster systems across multiple different countries trying to find a kid they clicked with. But all the kids they'd been presented with were either too pliant - they didn't want a doll - or just cruel . They didn't want an asshole, either.
"Well," Dream huffed out a laugh as his second-in-command, the highest royal advisor, Ser NotFound himself, ran at Dream's side and picked a stray banana peel out of his hair. "You'd get a little brother, or we'd owe you a favour. If you won't take him, then I will. Spent way too long chasing this shit down to not make sure he goes to a good home-" Dream ducked as George flicked the banana peel at him.
Techno exchanged a look with Wilbur.
"We'll leave tonight." Techno stood, nodding to a servant, who bowed and hurried out of the room. They'd have to get a move on. Techno had a feeling that the sooner they got there, the better.
"Yeah? I'd call the guard and have them help us, but last time we did, he just ran out of the country entirely. He thinks- he thinks it's like a game , so he stays because it's fun. We need to keep him thinking that until we can finally cart him off." Dream grinned at them from the edges of his mask, nodding as he and George whirled around a corner to see the kid leaping up a fire escape. "Come heeeere Floaty!" Dream yelled and Techno held the communicator away from him, frowning at the king's volume. Wilbur giggled quietly beside him.
The softest " FUCK YOU " followed Dream's shout, and Wilbur grinned at the sound of the kid's voice. It was dimmed from the distance, but Techno could hear the laughter in his voice. He disconnected from the call, standing and letting his cape flow behind him.
Techno was in charge of the armies. He'd led their Empire to victory again and again, earning his title as Phil's heir. Wilbur was their diplomat, meeting with other countries and always - always - getting more than he gave. Their responsibilities sometimes felt like a prison, and even if Phil tried to be warm and comforting, they all struggled.
They all heard voices. Phil had the most practice with them, but even he buckled under them sometimes. They knew the voices got worse with stress, with pressure- and while Phil had his midnight flights, Techno his swords, and Wilbur his guitar, they needed something else.
A little light to remind them of all the good yet to come.
They'd seen Floaty for all of thirty seconds, and Techno had watched Wilbur laugh more than he had in months . Techno had been more amused than he'd felt in years . Phil hadn't ever said anything about it, but Techno knew how lonely Phil's flights got. Phil's magic had him grow wings- Phil needed a flock to fly with, but they hadn't ever seen another person quite like him. Floaty might even be able to fill that void for Phil, too.
"Dad's gonna love him," Wilbur's voice was hushed as they stepped out of the gardens, leaving behind comfortable cushions and the meadows of flowers. The servants rushed about, gathering their things in bags, and Techno heard the quiet purr of the car's engine as it rolled up to the edge of the castle. "Did you see how high he got? He might be able to fly with Dad!"
"That's what I was thinking, too." Techno spared a glance at his twin before the two of them stepped out of the castle gates and were ushered into the car. The barrier was still up between them and their chauffeur and Techno really didn't have the patience to take it down. They'd just have to drive to the family's private airport - from there, they'd take the jet to Dream's kingdom.
"He's interesting." Techno murmured. He stared down at the black screen, watching his own reflection come back at him. The car pulled away from the castle, driving down the roads and merging onto the line that would bring them straight to the jet.
"I let Dad know where we're going. He says he wants to see the kid as soon as possible," Wilbur tapped on his own communicator, glancing up at Techno. "What approach should we take, do you think? Do we join the hunt?" Techno paused, considering the options.
"I don't think I should."
"You're the best tracker we have."
"Dream's right though, Wilbur. If he gets the feeling that he's in danger, he'll just bolt across a border where we can't follow. I'm intimidating, he sees the chase as a game and he needs to keep thinking that," Techno argued. His mind whirled. "I think I'll stay behind for now. Try to lure him in."
"With what ?"
"Food, medicine, a safe place to sleep. If I can get him to trust me, then he might come willingly. It's worth a try. We can't follow him if he shoots off into the stratosphere- we have to move carefully."
"Yeah, okay," Wilbur nodded. "You're right, it's worth trying. I let Dream know our ETA and he said Floaty got away again and they haven't found him. They're regrouping- oh. George is pretty sure he saw Floaty twist his ankle, so they'll be leaving food and bandages out in an easy spot for him to take." Wilbur frowned, gripping the edges of his communicator. "He shouldn't have to steal to take care of himself."
"I know, Wilbur, I know," Techno shook his head, staring out the window as they pulled into the airport. "But he's scared- probably on his own for most of his life. Hasn't ever had a home, or a good one. We have to be patient, like with that raccoon we found in the floorboards."
Wilbur snorted at the memory. They filed out of the car, into the plane. Techno gave a quick greeting to their pilot Quackity and his co-pilot Karl, and then they were buckled in as it took off, heading Southwest to Dream.
To the kid.