APRICITY // technoblade x reader DISCONTINUED

18 - Calm and Continuation

You don't know how long you stand there, enveloped in Techno's arms, but eventually, you pull away, hoping your blush isn't as obvious as you think it is.

"You're... not wearing your mask, even though Niki's here," you note happily.

"Well, someone once told me that I look better without it, and I figured I'd trust her advice." The tips of his ears are turning red, belying his casual air.

Good, you're not the only one blushing. "I like seeing your face. All of it. "

"Thank you." He clears his throat. "Anyways. Dinner?"

"You don't even have to ask. I'm starving."

He guides you to the dining room, holding the door open for you with an exaggerated bow. "My lady."

You grin. "Thank you, fair knight." He snorts, shaking his head as he follows you into the room.

"Y/n!" Niki waves at you cheerfully from her seat beside Wilbur. A chair has been added for Niki, and you slide into the last beside her on the side of the table with Kristin, Wilbur, and you two. Techno settles in beside you at the head of the table, with Philza at the other end. Ranboo sits across from you, next to Techno, and Tubbo is to his left, sandwiched between him and Tommy.

The seats are a bit more squished this time around, but bumping elbows only seems to make people laugh. Wilbur seems to have taken a shine to Niki— they're already deep in a conversation about something oddly specific, well on their way to becoming fast friends. The three boys, Tommy, Tubbo, and Ranboo, are bickering lightheartedly, and every so often you hear bouts of laughter that leave one of them nearly choking on food.

The warmth you feel isn't just the physical warmth of the fireplace at the end of the room, it's a familial acceptance. The family may look cobbled together, but their love is tangible and as real as you've ever seen.

You don't stop smiling even as you wash dishes with Niki and Wilbur, flicking soap in each others' faces like you're thirteen again. Cleaning goes much faster with nine people, and before long your production line of wash-rinse-dry-repeat comes to an end. It's fully dark by now, and everyone has drifted slowly into a warmly lit den with a fireplace and plush couches.

Philza and Kristin share a soft brown loveseat, and Wilbur is sprawled out on the floor. Tubbo is leaned against Ranboo on one of the sofas, sleepy-eyed in the flickering firelight, and has his feet propped up on Tommy's lap. Techno sits closest to the fire, a book in hand and gold-rimmed glasses perched on the edge of his nose.

You lean against Techno, playing with Niki's hair as she lays her head in your lap. She yawns like a cat, and you pause, holding the tiny braid you'd woven in her hair.

"'M sleepy," she murmurs, and your fingers continue dipping. Over, under, swap. Over, under, swap. Techno turns a page in his book. A log crackles and pops softly in the fireplace.

You tie off the tiny braid with a bit of thread. "Bedtime, then. I'm guessing you've been traveling a lot the past few days?"

She nods, hair scrunching in your lap. "Mhm."

You comb your fingers through her hair one last time. "Alright, bedtime then. What room are you in?"

"The room just to the right of yours," answers Techno absentmindedly. "Want me to walk you up there?"

"I think we're fine, but thank you. I'm going to head to bed too, so I'll see you all in the morning. Good night."

A chorus of good nights echoes back at you, and you see the three boys get up and stretch as well. They take the other direction at the top of the stairs, though, and disappear into three doorways with another round of quiet good nights.

You and Niki pause in between your doorways, hugging one final time before she sleepily wanders into her room and you duck into yours. The quiet click of your door drops you into solitude, and you change into pajamas quickly.

Your bed is comfortable and warm, and you quickly fall asleep, despite having slept for so long earlier the same day.

Something brushes against your unconscious mind. A thought, a sound, something. You're not sure what, but you definitely know that you're awake now.

Moonlight spills in like liquid silver from your window, and the night sky is a beautiful inky black dotted with pinpricks of light. You slip out from beneath your sheets, bare feet silent as you step across the rug and towards the window. Your scan of the courtyard below reveals nothing, only the sprawling, lush gardens that form the manor's property illuminated in stark black and silvery-white. You're ready to turn away, but something at the corner of the garden catches your eye. A swirl of purple, like an ethereal breath in, and a tall, slender figure blips into existence.

Your breath catches in your throat. Ranboo.

Something seems off. He steps forward, towards that labyrinthine hedge maze, but his steps are jerky and mechanical. He seems like a puppet, almost.

You step backward slowly, silently, moving to where your boots are beside your bed. You shove on socks and stuff your feet into the boots, not bothering to lace them as you take a last fleeting glance toward the window and slipping out of your bedroom door.