ᴇᴛʜᴇʀᴇᴀʟ-technoblade x reader

just a market trip...

The cloak was heavy against your head, the hood fastened tightly so it wouldn't fall off, trailing down to your feet. You adjusted it, fiddling with the ribbons a little. Phil gave you an apologetic smile, glancing around to make sure no one was around before making the ribbons a little looser. "Sorry for this. But we've got to make you unrecognisable...Dream's already spread rumours about you here."

Nodding, you spotted the entrance to the village, large wrought-iron gates wide open, people and horses streaming in and out of them, voices mixing together, all talking and yelling about different things. You started to fidget nervously, bowing your head down so that no one would see you.

White boots appeared in your vision, tapping on the ground. You looked up, seeing Techno smiling down at you. "Don't worry, I'm-we're here to protect you."

Ignoring the looks that the rest were sharing, you smiled back, nodding happily.

This trip was something you'd been looking forward to. When you mentioned that you had never really experienced what a village market was like (you had only gone in the winter before to buy emergency supplies maybe once a year, and by that time people were hiding inside to stay away from the cold, only one stall open), Phil had insisted you go, and according to Tommy, the market was "the coolest thing to ever exist".

It seemed to live up to his word.

Sticking close to Techno, you walked through the gates, eyes widening at the sheer amount of stuff that greeted you. Stalls packed to the brim with flowers were the first thing you saw, bright blues and purples sticking out to you, large bouquets wrapped carefully on display, bees buzzing through and being swatted away by the owners. Tommy handed Techno a poppy, who immediately handed it to you-if you were going to be honest, you were pretty sure Tommy didn't pay for it, but you were glad to get a poppy anyway. You tucked it behind your ear, smiling.

Your hands still fidgeted anxiously, feeling empty without your staff in it, but you ignored the feeling (Wilbur would probably launch into his speech about keeping you protected and anonymous again), following Techno to a different stall.

This one had gemstones lined up on the wooden stall, gleaming and shining in the sun. They all looked beautiful, but one, in particular, called out to you-a pure golden nugget, not melted or formed into an ingot, seeming to glow from the inside. You reached out to touch it without thinking, jumping when you touched Techno's hand instead of the gold. Both of you, for some reason, had reached out for the same golden nugget without realising.

Snatching your hand back, you made awkward eye contact with the stall owner, who was nodding and grinning at you, before turning away.

You couldn't afford the gold anyway.

Stepping away and back into the bustling crowd, you looked around for Phil, or Wilbur, or Tommy, head turning from side to side, people barging past you, starting to knock you off your feet. You panicked a little, shoving through the crowd, tripping over your cloak.

A particularly hard stomp onto the edge of your cloak pulled it down, causing the hood to fall, revealing your face.

Eyes widening, you pulled it back over your head, shaking hands tying the ribbons again, the knot messy and crooked. You hoped no one had seen that.

Where was everyone?

Your eyes scanned the crowd, desperately searching for a green hat, a yellow sweater, a red and white shirt or pink hair, your breathing becoming strained when you found nothing. This wasn't fun anymore. At this point, you just wanted to go home.

A hand clasped around yours, but you couldn't see who it was, the crowd too busy for them to be visible, their grip tight. Unable to escape, you stumbled behind them, the crowd starting to become thinner and thinner until-

"Wait, you're from-"

Before you could finish your sentence, you were thrown to the ground, the person's weird glasses glinting at you, arms crossed against their blue shirt. "Shut up."

"Good job George!"

You recognised that voice. Freezing, you slowly turned to look at where the voice was coming from, the mask blankly staring back at you, the smile still as eerie as ever. "D-Dream?"

He removed his mask, revealing his face underneath, which had a smirk plastered onto it. Scars littered his face, some clearly still healing, one eye completely shut-you assumed he was probably missing that eye. Holding a hand up to your mouth, your whole body trembled, not even sure at this point if you were more scared of the mask or his actual face. He laughed, a harsh, cold laugh, throwing his mask onto the floor and moving closer, leaning in. "Cat got your tongue?"

Gritting your teeth, you kicked your foot out, slamming against the floor when he dodged, clenching your fists. He shrugged his shoulders, grabbing the ribbons on your cloak, pulling you up so you were basically touching noses. "I wouldn't recommend doing that."

You didn't have your staff, sure, but you still had magic.

Summoning a flame in your hand, you slammed it against the part closest to your hand, sighing when he let go, holding the place you had burned. You jumped to your feet, wanting nothing more than to go back to everyone else and be safe at home with them, away from Dream. Dream cried out in pain, falling to the ground, yelling out something to his lackeys.

Without looking, you started to run, stumbling over rocks, your brain screaming at you to run faster, get out of there quicker, run faster or you're going to die-

Something whacked against your head with a loud thud, making you crumple to the ground. Three people came to glare at you from above, Dream still cradling his burnt arm, his mask in George's hands. "Nice try. But you're on our side now."

You remembered screaming, before a hand hit your neck, everything turning black.

~~~

Techno held the chain in his hands, the golden nugget clasped onto it as a charm, carefully putting it away in his pocket to give to you. Joining his family, he frowned when he saw that you were missing. "Wasn't Y/N with you?"

"No, I thought-" Phil paused, a realisation dawning on him. "Wait, that means..."

Techno scanned the area frantically, fists clenching when he couldn't see you. This was bad. Really bad. "We need to find Y/N. Now."

Before he could move, a scream rang out, loud and clear, before being quietened immediately. He recognised that voice.

Dream was going to die when he got his hands on him.

(A/N-the plot thickens...)