APRICITY // technoblade x reader DISCONTINUED

14 - Aquaintances and Apprehension

Techno tightens the leather strap buckling his longsword to his back, shrugging it into place as he steps out of the front door behind you and Wilbur. Once it's settled, he turns around and places his hand on the door. Endspeak echoes for a moment, his eyes glow purple, and his handprint on the door glows. When he pulls away, he looks at you for a moment, clearly thinking.

"Y/n. I can add you to the wards, but I need you to trust me." He reaches his hand out, and after less than a moment's hesitation, you take it. He smiles. "Perfect."

He presses your palm to the heavy, polished oak door, the grain beneath your fingertips uneven to the touch. Your cheeks heat at the contact, and you can feel his presence behind you. A new incantation fills your ears, feeling loud and soft at the same time. Purple glows around Techno's hand, and his left hand brushes against your waist.

You lean into the touch as you watch the End Dust particles dance, and Techno's right hand lifts off of yours. Your handprint is smaller than his, the outline of his fingers still traced in a glowing purple as the outline of your palm begins to glow as well. The particles seem to fizz against your fingers, leaving a tingling sensation.

"Now lift your hand," he instructs gently in your ear.

You tentatively lift your palm off of the wood and watch as both outlines pulse bright and fade. "Oh, wow."

Techno laughs quietly. "Yeah, wow."

You spin around, planning to give him a friendly jostle for that, but he's closer than you'd expected. You flush an even brighter red as you almost bump into his chest, looking up at him. He smiles down at you, a single eyebrow quirked up, and you grin despite your blush.

Wilbur coughs.

Right, you're not alone. You clear your throat too, glancing down as you step away, but the smile never leaves your face.

"Let's go, then." You march confidently to the end of the path that winds away from the house before you hesitate. "I... don't know where we're going."

Wilbur laughs good-naturedly and pats you on the shoulder. "I forgot that you're new to L'manburg. Fear not, m'lady, Techno and I will be your guides around this beautiful city." He sketches a dramatic bow, then starts down the road heading to the left, further into the quiet residential city center. As he walks, he gestures grandly, waving his arms around. "The people are like the instruments, the chancellor the conductor. L'manburg is but one great symphony-"

Techno elbows him in the side, eliciting a yelp. "Thank you for that flowery bit of prose, Wilbur."

"Hey, that was going to be a fantastic quote, until you interrupted me!"

"Heh. More like a pretentious poem."

"Shut it, you literally said 'If you want to be a hero, then die like one,' to Tommy while smacking him with a pillow two weeks ago. 'Pretentious' my ass, Tech."

Techno scoffs and rolls his eyes. "And?"

"And- And? What do you mean? I fucking swear, I'm older than you..."

Techno and Wilbur banter on, jostling each other as the three of you weave through the quiet streets. It takes less than half an hour of teasing and light bickering before you stand at the gate to a grandiose mansion.

"Now this is pretentious," you say, folding your arms as you stare up at the climbing chimneys and rooftops. A towering wrought-iron gate stands between you and the mansion, containing sprawling gardens and the entrance to what you think might be a hedge maze.

"That I'd have to agree with," Wilbur muses, halting beside you to gaze at it as well.

Techno brushes past you, moving up to the gate and placing a hand on the ornate ram's head decoration at the center. It flashes with the same signature purple, and Techno glances up at where a path leads to the sweeping, grand front entrance. "Hey, Dream, can you let me in?"

Not a moment passes before the massive gate swings open, and Techno waves you inside. The three of you trek up the wide gravel driveway, grit crunching under your boots until you step onto the smooth stone stairs leading to the front facade. The door is taller than you'd thought from the gate, but Techno pushes it open with ease, stepping aside to let you and Wilbur pass.

"He said he's in the library, and just to come in," Techno explains as he shuts the door behind you once more. He's been here before if the casual ease with which he navigates the labyrinthine hallways is any indicator. The house is even more sprawling than the mansion Techno and Wilbur live in, making it a veritable palace to you. The ceilings arch far above you, and your wide eyes jump from chandelier to chandelier as Techno guides you through the halls.

You're so entranced by the beautiful design of the mansion that you almost don't notice when Technoblade halts at the entrance to the library. He pulls open the door, ushering you in before him, and your breath leaves you in a swift gasp.

if you had thought that Techno's personal library was something to gawk at, you were truly speechless now. High, vaulted ceilings tower above you, arching together at the apex to swirl into a wide skylight. As you step further into the library, you notice railings- a full second story, another layer to the Daedalian labyrinth of bookshelves surrounding you. Three tables are arranged under the skylight, and the honey-golden sunlight spills onto six figures spread throughout the tables.

Vibrant green eyes glance over at you and widen with recognition as they note Technoblade behind you. A lithe young man pushes back his chair, standing to energetically stride over to you. His movements are swift but graceful, and he carries himself with a sort of precision.

"Techno!" he greets cheerily, clapping Techno on the shoulder. "Hey, Wilbur. And you, I haven't met you. I'm Clay, but you can call me Dream."

You take his enthusiastically offered hand, his grip firm and his light skin clearly sun-kissed. "I'm Y/n, and I'm staying with Techno and Wilbur's family for a bit."

"So I've heard. I haven't heard much about you, though. Nice to meet you." He glances back over his shoulder, then beckons you towards the tables. Alright, Introductions, go."

"I'm George," calls a clear, accented voice, coming from a man dressed in blue lounging at the table where Dream had been sitting. White goggles rest on his head, straps tucked behind pointed ears. Not a man, a demon, you note as you meet his mismatched blue and brown eyes and smile.

"I'm Karl," announces a fluffy-haired young man from another table. His sleepy smile is charming, and you see a ring on his finger when he waves at you.

"Alex," adds the man next to him, dark hair covered snugly with a hat and a matching ring on his finger. His teeth are anything but human, though, sharp fangs clearly visible as he grins.

"Sapnap," says the final figure at the table, a scruffy, dark-haired young man with glowing red eyes and a matching ring on his finger as well. A golden charm dangles from a ribbon tied around his forehead, and his fingertips darken to a deep ash color like they've been dipped in soot.

The last figure stands from where she'd been seated at the third table, stepping towards you. A cloud of thick, curly white hair floats behind her, curling to an end just past her waist.

"Mornin' Techno, Wilbur! And I'm afraid we haven't been introduced yet. My name is Puffy Haveneaux, and I'm the Chancellor of the Magisterium."

"My name is Y/n, wonderful to meet you." You extend your hand, expecting a handshake, but Puffy pulls you into a warm hug. Her grip is comforting and motherly, despite her young face, and her fluffy hair smells ever so faintly of coconuts and sweet cream.

The sweet smell of her hair lingers as you pull back, and you notice the corners of her eyes crinkling as she smiles.

"Lovely as it is to meet you," she says, gently dropping your hands and giving Wilbur and Techno their own hugs, "I'd like to know more about the situation that brought you here."