APRICITY // technoblade x reader DISCONTINUED

10 - Dinner and Deliberation

Phil lets out a long-suffering sigh as he slumps forward onto the table. You can hear Techno's stomach growl as he puts down his book next to Phil's long-abandoned hat.

Techno looks down at his stomach, then back up sheepishly. "I suppose that means we should break for dinner."

You laugh as you glance towards the windows, noticing the last hues of gold and crimson fading into lavender and cobalt. The lateness of the hour surprises you; you'd been scouring books for so long that you'd actually forgotten to check the time.

"Yes, please," comes the muffled groan from where Phil's face is squished into the table. You snatch up a scrap of parchment and tuck it into your book before flipping it shut.

"Alright, then!" you say, standing from your chair. You stretch your stiff back and watch as Phil does the same, flaring out his wings before he tucks them against his back again. Techno is the last one to stand, rolling out his shoulders as the three of you head back down the stairs. At the bottom, you turn in the opposite direction of the house entrance, following another hallway through a few twists and turns until you reach a warmly lit dining area, a table in the center piled with food. Tommy, Tubbo, and Ranboo are already seated at the table.

Phil passes Tommy and Tubbo on one side, ruffling Tommy's hair as he does. He seats himself at the head of the table, between Tommy and Ranboo, leaving you to settle at the opposite head of the table, Techno on your right and Tubbo on your left.

Tommy pauses in waving his bread at Ranboo emphatically. "-and 'at's why- Oh, 'ey, Y/n, Tech'o," he says around the food in his mouth. "We star'ed ea'ing wifout 'ou, cause I wab hungwy."

Techno takes this opportunity to toss a soft roll diagonally across the table at Tommy. "Please have some class."

Tommy scrunches his nose as the roll smacks him in the face. "No."

Tubbo cackles, his soft ears flicking as he does. "Rude, Tommy."

Ranboo rolls his eyes but smiles as he continues eating.

Techno begins to fill his plate from the dishes between you and gestures for you to do the same, but you notice that he doesn't remove the mask. His mouth is uncovered, but he's been wearing it all day and it has to be getting uncomfortable by now.. You frown at this, but push the thought aside and join him in piling homey food onto your plate and digging in. It's good, the best food you've eaten since you got thrown in a cell, and you scarf down everything you can fit in your stomach. Once everyone's cleared their plates, silence reigns for a moment as you all relax with full stomachs.

"Who made dinner?" you ask absentmindedly. "It was delicious."

Ranboo leans back in his chair, head tipping backwards. "Me. They helped, though, he says waving at Tommy and Tubbo. "It was my turn tonight.:

"That's impressive. It was good."

Techno nods his agreement. "Yeah, that was good. We'll clean up, then continue our research."

"Actually," Phil says, standing and picking up his empty plate, "I'm going to go summon Kristin and explain the situation to her."

You see Techno move to speak, but you beat him to it. "That's fine. Techno and I can clean up, since the other three made dinner." You look to Techno for confirmation, and he glances back at you with a small smile.

Phil smiles. "Ah, thanks, mate. Maybe Kristin'll be able to help us with some of our research." With a final wave, he disappears through a doorway, and you can hear the clink of dishes being placed into a sink. The three teens follow suit, chorusing their thanks and then wandering off as well.

"Thanks for that," Techno says as the two of you begin to gather up dishes and silverware. "You didn't have to volunteer."

You shrug. "You guys are housing me and letting me intrude for a bit, so I figured helping out a bit is the least I can do."

You walk to the same doorway that Phil had disappeared through earlier, finding a brightly-lit kitchen area. You beeline to the large sink, pacing your pile of empty dishes of one side and rolling up your sleeves to start washing. Techno joins you, setting up camp on the other side, and mimics your motions. For a moment, the only sound is the rushing water of the sink as you fill it, then the gentle clinking of plates as you begin to scrub.

"About that, Techno says, his attention not leaving the plate in his hands. "I want to say this: I don't want to have power over you. I want to know more about what happened at the library, and the best way to do that is by working together. You are not a captive here in any way, shape, or form."

You watch as he rinses off the plate, cleaning it thoroughly before setting it aside to dry. "I know. If I were really being held here against my will, do you think I would have helped with this?" You gesture at your soapy hands, and you crack a small smile before turning your attention back to the dishes. "I know that I'm here for trial, but this is....different than the cell back at the Library. Not just, I don't know, because of the obvious reasons, but because..." you purse your lips, trying to find the words. "I trust you. I don't know why, but I do. So this is going to have to be mutual."

"I feel the same."

there's a brief pause, and Techno's hands still as he pauses. "I don't know the chancellor well, but I can call in a couple of favors. I've never done it before, so I don't know if it would work, but I know his son. I could get you out of the trial, or at the very least extend the time until the actual thing."

You nearly drop the dish you're holding. "What?"

He dries off another plate. "Yeah, I have to talk to him though. He owes me a favor, and a pretty big one, so it just might pan out. I'll talk to him tomorrow if you want to come with me."

"Absolutely."

"It's a deal, then. You'll stay here, or somewhere else if you'd like, until we figure this all out, then we'll get you back to the library. "

"Deal. I'll stay here."

You place the last dish aside on the drying mat and towel off your hands. Beside you, Techno does the same and leads you out of another doorway and back into the main hall. Before you can continue up the stairs, though, you catch him by his shirt sleeve.

"One more thing."

He turns to face you, locking eyes with you. You take a deep breath and step closer to him, tilting your head back. You reach up and place your hands on his mask. "May I?"

He nods hesitantly, almost seeming scared to push your hands off. "Yes."

You slide the mask up and off of his face gently, the ties coming undone as it slides off. His eyes are closed, brows furrowed.

His face is distinctly piglin, with his nose sweeping up into a snout. His tusks are small, poking out from his bottom lip, and his jawline is even more visibly chiseled now that you can see his face. Quite simply, he's attractive.

You can see the blush forming on his cheeks now that the mask is off, and you clap a hand over your mouth. "I said that out loud, didn't I."

His smile is even nicer now that you can see his full face, and you can see him holding back laughter.

"Yes, but I don't mind. Good to know I haven't scared you off."

Your face is still hot with embarrassment, but you pretend you can't feel it. "Oh, shut up. We have research to do."

He laughs as you spin away and march back towards the library, and follows you up the stairs.