𝐖𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐘𝐎𝐔, dreamnoblade

𝟎𝟏 | chapter one

LIBRARIES are a gift from the gods, and not enough people recognize this.

Technoblade does, and he abuses his access to free literature as often as possible.

He walks through the front door with a goal in mind. He's been to this library dozens of times, and he can picture the entire layout with ease.

They reorganized their bookshelves for the first time in a decade last year, and Techno almost flipped his shit. The shelving system was fine; why the fuck would you do that?

He spent two weeks visiting the library every day and refamiliarizing himself with it.

And during those two weeks, he'd met Dream.

He walks past the front desk, and Dream's there. The librarian grins. "The Art of War, huh?"

Techno pauses. "What?" How did he know?

"Oh, is that creepy?" Dream flushes, immediately switching to fiddling with the free bookmarks. "I just— You have this, like, special walk when you're planning on checking out that book."

"I do?" Techno glances at his feet instinctively, as if they'd answer his question. He supposes it isn't entirely impossible; the human subconscious is an incredible thing. After all, his gait is intentionally different when he's playing the role of Protesilaus.

Dream nods. "Yeah! You're just, I don't know, more confident? It's hard to explain."

"Huh," Techno muses. "I might have to get something else, just to prove you wrong."

Dream scoffs, a smile playing along his lips as he rolls his eyes.

"Any suggestions?" Techno continues.

Thank heavens Niki isn't here, or she wouldn't shut up about it. They all know that Techno doesn't ask for book recommendations because it's harder to find a book he hasn't read than one he enjoys.

And yet, here he is, asking a random librarian.

Dream, of course, knows none of this. His face brightens. "I have a few," he admits. He glances outside, then grabs a sign that says, "BE BACK SOON!"

"Oh, so I'm finally gettin' that guided tour?" Techno asks.

"Yep." Dream easily vaults over the counter, placing the sign firmly in front of the desk where no one could miss it.

Techno notes that silently. It could be written off—Dream probably does that all the time, judging by the lack of hesitation—but it could hint at something more. He's not going to test any theories, though.

Dream links an arm through Techno's, startling him. "C'mon," the blond insists, and begins to drag him towards the back of the library.

Techno follows.

The library isn't the largest one Techno's been in, but it's not the smallest, either. This one has two stories, though most of the second floor is occupied by computers, tables, and armchairs.

The worst part about the reshelving was moving the juvenile fiction downstairs. Whenever Techno walks inside, he's bombarded with the sound of screaming children.

It's a library, for fuck's sake. He doesn't care if your toddler is hungry; if you're not going to shut them up, Techno will.

They stop, and Techno watches as Dream rifles through the shelf before procuring the book he wants with a triumphant, "Aha!"

He turns around, and he's holding a copy of Edith Hamilton's Mythology.

Techno bites back a smile.