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Technoblade was not in love.
That just wasn't something that could happen to him.
It didn't start when he had come across a homeless winged man in a desert, shirtless and attempting to sell him some kind of powdered substance. The man had been persistent on how good the substance was, and had apparently just decided to keep following the piglin hybrid across the desert, continuing his wild sales pitch that was only half in English.
Techno wasn't sure why he hadn't just killed him then. But as he had listened to the ramblings of this crazy man, the voices in his head didn't scream for blood and skulls. They... might've actually been amused.
And then, amazingly, Techno found that he had just casually led this complete stranger to one of his many secret bases. Not much of a concern just yet, but he had no idea why he had just let his guard down like that. Hell, he didn't even know the guy's name.
Quackity. A duck hybrid from the middle of nowhere. Bilingual, plays guitar, extremely attractive(his own words). As Techno had organized his resources and scribbled down important things to do in his notebook, the smaller man had apparently decided to make himself at home and start talking about various random things. It would've been impossible for Techno to not learn at least a few things about him. He didn't touch any of Techno's things, but he looked thoroughly impressed with everything in the base.
Despite the nicknames of violence and death Techno was known for, he really was a good person at heart. So he thought, for a single night, he could offer the man some food, and a safe place to sleep. Just for one night. Quackity had looked absolutely astounded at the offer, but then his face had molded into a goofy smile of gratefulness, voice filled with such raw sincerity as he thanked Techno. The piglin hybrid remembered how the other's smile had made his heart do flips, how it still does everyday, but that first night he was able to reason that it was only because he enjoyed helping others, and that it had nothing to do with this man specifically.
.
Techno stayed at that base for about two months. Quackity did as well. Techno was learning that with the duck hybrid, things just kind of happened. Sometimes Techno went out for days without a word, sometimes he sat inside and read books with a glass of wine like he was already in retirement. Sometimes Quackity was there with him, sometimes he wasn't. He didn't want to think about the way his heart ached when he came back after an unspoken trip to see Quackity angry and pouting, his worry showing through his eyes. He didn't want to think about the way his heart pounded rapidly when Quackity dozed off next to him as he read, leaning on his shoulder.
A more familiar task that had made its way into Techno's routine was the tending to of the duck hybrid's wings. He had done it many times before with his father, but this was completely different. Phil's wings were massive, sturdy and sharp that effortlessly supplied him with plenty of power and speed when he flew. Quackity's wings were definitely smaller, fluffy yellow feathers not really showing the best aerodynamic qualities. He had only seen Quackity fly once, and it seemed like it had taken him an unfair amount of effort to make himself hover just five feet off the ground.
"I never learned how to fly," Quackity had confessed the first time Techno had tended to his wings. Techno had asked why, trying not to read into the way the smaller man shivered when he ran his hands through the soft feathers as he pruned them. The duck hybrid said it was because of his parents. Both of them had appeared human, but clearly one of them was lying when their son had come out with webbed toes and winglets in his back. They had fought about him so many times, zipped up Quackity in jackets and coats to hide his 'abnormalities'. It made him feel claustrophobic and it hurt when his feathers bent but he learned to accept it, learned that his wings should only be thought of as an embarrassment. His parents had later proceeded to leave him in some run down motel when he was six, but he kept on hiding himself, now regretting the way he had confined his growth out of habit.
After Quackity had finished his story, he had seemed scared, ashamed, for opening up, and tried to brush it off. Meanwhile, Techno had absorbed every word, already done tending to the other but still gently gliding his fingers through the feathers, hoping it was comforting him. His voices had growled for blood, to hurt the cruel people who had confined the duck hybrid, who had made him ashamed of who he was and then just left, like terrible cowards who Techno could slaughter easily.
And without thinking Techno had given him an offer. "My dad can fly, he could teach you if you want."
.
So when Techno left his base, Quackity followed him. It was unnerving to Techno, how easily things happened between them. He had his father, his brothers, and a few others he could at the very least call acquaintances, but he had never formed such a solid relationship with another person in this short amount of time. Maybe it was the duck hybrid’s honesty, his poor combat skills, or his charm, but Techno found it easy to put trust into him, and his life had already become something that was very valuable to the piglin hybrid.
As they traveled together, they only grew closer, and Techno grew more desperate when finding excuses for the blush that dared to creep across his face whenever Quackity shot his usual flirtatious jokes at the hybrid warrior.
Though their skill sets were vastly different, Techno thought the amount of weight they each pulled was fair. Quackity was, for lack of a better term, quite bad when it came to strategy and composure in combat, but Techno was more than willing to teach him. Being social had always been a problem for him, but teaching was one of the only social circumstances that he actually enjoyed.
He taught Quackity how to properly hold a sword, how to utilize a shield, how to stay focused in a fight. He didn’t always get things right, but Techno already felt rewarded when the other man placed all his attention onto him. He tried his best to ignore how small Quackity’s hands were when he placed his larger ones on top of them on the handle of a sword, tried not to blush when Quackity’s eyes roamed his entire figure as he showed him the most effective stances in combat.
Techno took the lead on other basic things like navigation and cooking, but Quackity always made sure he was never dragging the pair down. Of course, Techno appreciated when he helped with food and gathered resources, but the thing he enjoyed the most was how easy it was for the winged man to make him smile. He was having fun during what normally would’ve been silent, boring travel by himself, and he couldn’t help the appreciation he felt for the other man simply being present.
.
When they finally reached Techno’s hometown, he was so grateful to be around other people again. Not because he didn’t want to be alone with Quackity anymore, but because he didn’t know if he could be alone with Quackity for much longer without doing something completely stupid like, he wasn’t sure, dramatically pulling him into his arms and kissing him?
No, only a senseless idiot in love would do something like that. Techno was not in love with Quackity.
He wasn’t.
“Congrats on the boyfriend.”
Techno gaped at the sly smile on Wilbur’s face, and turned to look out the window to hide the blush he couldn’t prevent. Techno had brought Quackity back to his family’s house, eager to both be home again and have them meet his new friend. The duck hybrid and Tommy had hit it off instantly, bonding over their similar comedic personalities and instincts to scream when it was definitely not necessary. Wilbur had found him funny as well, and seemed content after chatting with him. Sadly, Phil was apparently out of town, but Wilbur said he would likely be back the next day. Tommy had called Tubbo over and the two offered to show Quackity around town, so for the first time in a while the pair split up, Techno staying back at home to catch up with Wilbur.
And now they were up in Techno’s room, and Wilbur was ready to tease his brother about the new companion he had picked up.
“I made a friend, I know that’s unnatural for me, but we're not like that.”
“Really?” Wilbur’s tone had gone serious, and Techno looked back at him to be met with his doubtful expression. He looked back out the window again, wishing it wasn’t so easy for his brother to read him.
“I don’t even know why you’d think it was like that,” he tried, hoping to move Wilbur onto a different route of conversation, but it wasn’t good enough to get him to drop it even momentarily.
“Oh, I could already give a few pieces of evidence for the case of you two being a thing,” Wilbur sighed, the deviousness returning to his voice. Techno felt like opening his mouth again would only dig a deeper hole, so he shot his brother a sideways glare that he allowed Wilbur to interpret as whatever he liked. He was probably going to take it as a prompt to give his explanation. They weren’t actually 'a thing', of course, but maybe Techno did want to know what was making his affections toward the other hybrid so obvious.
“Well, I’ll put it bluntly: you smile at literally anything he says, you look like you’re ready to kill anyone that steps too close to him, and when you stare at him, for too long may I add, it’s pretty much like there’s big hearts in your eyes.” Techno couldn’t help but look at his brother in horrified embarrassment, and he could see the guilt flash in Wilbur’s eyes.
“Okay, maybe that’s a little exaggerated, I’m just saying you were acting more friendly than usual. It’s kind of sweet, you know?” he added quickly. But Techno was already starting to feel a bit panicky, the thought of Quackity finding out about his feelings- no, he didn’t have feelings for him, he wasn’t-
“It’s okay, you know. If you do feel that way about him.”
"No, it's not," Techno replied without thinking. He didn't want to be in love, it made him feel so small, so afraid, so vulnerable. But he couldn't say that, couldn't show his weakness, so the fantastic line he came up with next was: "Love is for nerds."
Wilbur choked out a laugh and slapped his hand over his mouth to muffle the rest. Techno buried his face in his hands and groaned. Once his brother had contained his laughter, he spoke again.
“Fine, we’ll move on, tell me how you’ve been, nerd.”
.
Phil did indeed arrive the next day, much to Techno’s relief. In fact, he was the one person in Techno’s life that he could easily admit to loving, so he hoped that he of all people could help shine some wisdom on Techno’s non-love dilemma. But first, he had to meet the guy, of course.
“Wow, it’s an honor to finally meet you Mr.Philza Minecraft,” Quackity greeted enthusiastically, shaking hands with the older man and already earning a chuckle from him. “I have heard some incredible, and frankly terrifying stories about you.” Phil laughed again, shifting his eyes over to Techno and giving him a curious look.
“This is my friend, Quackity,” Techno informed, trying not to seem overprotective or look at the duck hybrid with heart eyes like Wilbur alleged he did.
“Well, a friend of Techno’s is a friend of mine. It’s good to meet you.” Phil beamed, just being the same kind hearted man he always was. Then, Quackity had made a comment about the older man’s wings, and the two sprung into a conversation that reminded Techno that he had offered Quackity flight lessons from his father. Eventually, they went back inside and Quackity agreed to let Phil examine his wings. He had been able to assess the damage that years of being stuffed away inside his clothes had done to Quackity’s wings, but on a more hopeful note, he said it was still completely possible for the duck hybrid to become skilled in flight.
After the brief medical assessment, Phil had brought out what Techno knew was one of the more expensive brands of feather oil and offered to tend to Quackity’s wings. Techno watched as the small man's eyes quickly darted over to him and back before awkwardly answering, “Well, uh, Techno usually does it for me…”
If Techno wasn’t already turning red, the surprised yet somehow knowing look his father gave him only made it worse.
Phil handed Techno the oil and murmured that they could talk more later before he left the house. The pair then headed up to Techno's room to go through with the ritual.
"You're family's pretty cool," Quackity commented as Techno worked his hands through the familiar yellow fluff. Even though he had done this time and time again, he still relished every second of it, being allowed to touch Quackity in such an intimate way.
"They are. Phil is always there for us, and even though my brothers are idiots, I probably care about them a little too much… you can't tell them I said that, thought." Quackity laughed, a sound that never failed to make Techno smile, and even after he was done with Quackity's wings the two stayed in Techno's room, content with each other's presences. The room was more barren than his brothers', as he usually didn't stay for too long, but there were a few trinkets and weapons on the shelves that Quackity's curiosity couldn't ignore.
After a small lunch that gathered the family back in the house, Phil announced that like most times Techno returned home, they would have a nice feast and invite their other friends from around town. They had a surprisingly fun time in the kitchen that afternoon, Wilbur trying his best to supervise the mess that Tommy and Tubbo were making while Phil allowed Quackity to share some of his own recipes and add a bit more diversity to their dinner.
The house was filled with plenty of laughter and warmth that night, Techno getting to see some other familiar faces like Fundy, Niki, and Schlatt. Thankfully, everyone took a liking to Quackity, who was simply doing what he did best and entertaining anyone he spoke to. Techno didn’t mind these celebrations, as they were always filled with people that understood that he wasn’t the most sociable guy in the world, so no one pestered him when he stepped outside to the front porch to get some fresh air and alone time.
But Phil was already there, sitting in one of the worn chairs, and when Techno appeared he smiled and waved his hand towards the other chair as an offer. As he sat with his father, he knew what conversation he probably needed to have, even if he didn’t want to.
“Quackity’s… not usually the type of person I would expect you to get along with,” Phil murmured after a few minutes, continuing to look out over their front yard. “Mind telling me a bit more about him?”
So Techno gave a very brief summary of their fateful meeting in the desert, and attempted to explain the phenomena of how they had become so close. He tried to speak about it very mechanically, keeping the emotional side of what had happened out of the picture. Phil was quiet as he listened to his son’s explanation, expression thoughtful.
“Well, I’m just happy for you,” Phil said with that same proud smile Techno always worked hard for. His father just leaned back and relaxed in his chair, and the pig hybrid felt a twinge of disappointment that he hadn’t asked about anything else. He was still so confused about his feelings; wasn’t that the point of not talking about the emotional side of it, to avoid questions or teasing? If he was the one that didn’t want to talk about it, why was he wishing for the other to ask? Then, Phil shifted and looked like he was about to get up, and Techno couldn’t bear to keep his racing thoughts to himself. He snatched Phil’s wrist before he was able to stand, and the older man just looked at him in curiosity.
“Phil, I-I need help,” Techno stammered, already feeling the beats of his heart beginning to pick up speed. Phil sat in waiting, letting Techno collect his thoughts first, and allowing his son to speak on his own time.
“Quackity… is really special. I’ve never been this way with anyone before and I don’t know what I’m doing, I’m just… just…” Techno was curling in on himself, clutching his sleeves, and he was barely able to finish his sentence as shame crept through him. “...scared.”
“That’s the point of life, Techno. Being scared. Taking risks. I know this is something out of your comfort zone, so being afraid is completely understandable.” Phil reached over and patted Techno’s arm. “But if it’s something you want, something that means this much to you, then you just gotta go for it. That’s the only advice I can give, because what you decide is up to you.”
Leave it to Phil and his honest wisdom, he somehow always knew exactly what to say. Techno did still feel the fear digging into him, but some of it was starting to turn into courage. It was a risk, a terrifying risk, but god, he really did want Quackity.
So maybe it was true after all.
Maybe he was in love.
.
“And then, she just downed all their drinks! Like, oh my fucking god, it was so good, the looks on their faces.” Quackity and Techno were walking through the woods near town, the duck hybrid laughing and recalling the events of the previous night. Techno had taken his father’s words to heart, and he knew he couldn’t wait, he would lose his courage if he took too long. So he told Quackity he was going to take him somewhere, a secret place he used to frequent as a child.
When they started getting close, Techno told Quackity to cover his eyes, but when he saw the smaller man peeking through his fingers, he placed his own hands over his face instead, trying to match the duck hybrid’s playfulness and praying that his hands weren’t shaking.
“Are you ready?” The piglin hybrid hummed, and Quackity nodded. Techno moved his hands out of Quackity’s vision to reveal the surprise location.
They were deep in the forest, so much so that there was practically no light from the sun, but it wasn’t needed here. In the middle of the scenery was a small pond, water brilliantly clear and covered in lily pads. The pool was surrounded by a grand meadow of flowers, so many different types of colors and shapes blooming in the green grass. At first, one might think that the glow the place gave off was simply because of its incredible beauty, but upon stepping closer to the water, the real source of light could be discovered. At the bottom of the pond, large crystal shards were stuck in the ground, various shades of blue and purple, and they all emitted a magical glow that shone past the water’s surface, lighting up the entire area.
“Holy shit,” were the first words that left Quackity’s mouth, and Techno chuckled at the shock on his face. “This is crazy, wh- how’d you find this place?”
“When I was a kid, I used to run around the forest all the time, and one day I just came across it. I called it the fairy forest, even though I’m not sure that’s what it actually is. It’s nice, right?”
“Nice? It’s goddamn beautiful, I-I’ve seen anything like this before!” Quackity was treading lightly around the tiny body of water, gasping at the luminous crystals under the surface.
“I’ve never brought anyone else here, and to my knowledge no one else has ever found this place.” Techno revealed, following his winged friend as he got the entire view of the enchanting environment. Quackity turned back to look at him, eyes sparkling with amazement and a blue glow highlighting his face. He was so beautiful, like an angel who belonged far from this world.
“Just me?” Quackity breathed, and Techno suddenly realized how close their faces were. There was a decent height difference between the two hybrids, but the distance was still short enough to electrify the air that separated them..
“What did you think of me when we first met?” Quackity looked surprised at the question, but he didn’t move away, and his lips quirked into an awkward smile as he answered.
“To be frank, I was terrified of you,” He said with a laugh, staring at Techno fondly. “I really thought you were gonna kill me.”
“I didn’t.”
“Yeah, obviously. I’m grateful though. I probably would’ve died from dehydration and a drug overdose if I had stayed out there. It was pretty lucky,” He paused, then added one more thought. “Even luckier that the guy who decided to not kill me was some hot weirdo.”
Techno couldn’t tell how serious he was being, but the tension in the air suggested that he meant every word. The pint haired man leaned closer, and he blocked out all the anxious thoughts still crammed in his head. He was taking the risk.
“And what if… what if this hot weirdo wanted to kiss you, right now?”
This time, Quackity’s reply didn’t come in the form of a comedic sentence. He answered by grabbing Techno by the shoulders and pulling him down to press their lips together. The piglin hybrid’s brain went completely blank, there was no plan, he had no idea how to do this, but oh god it was happening. He was mesmerized by the other man’s touch, the softness of his lips and the hands that started running through his pink hair. Techno’s own hands had drifted down to Quackity’s waist, pulling him closer and pressing their bodies together, and all he could think of was how badly he wanted this, wanted him, to touch him, to be with him-
Quackity pulled his head back first, both of them gasping in air and unable to break eye contact. Techno couldn’t let go, he was afraid that if he did, the smaller man might disappear, or suddenly he would jolt up in bed and find out that this moment wasn’t real.
“I love you so much I don’t even know what to do with myself.”
There. He said it. He had to say it, there was no going back now. Even if it ruined everything, he just couldn’t go another day without telling Quackity the truth, about how much he cared for him.
“Techno, mi rey…” And then Quackity’s lips were on his again, and his mind was consumed by the presence of the duck hybrid, a fuzzy warmth that blurred away all his anxieties. Techno felt Quackity nibble on his bottom lip, so he opened his mouth, slightly at first but wider when he felt the heat of a tongue slide in. He was learning as they went, and Techno felt shivers down his spine when he pressed his own tongue against Quackity’s. The taste was amazing, he didn’t know how words could describe it but he wished for more, wished that he’d never have to part from the one he loved for all of eternity.
But alas, they were mortals that had lungs in need of oxygen, so they broke the kiss once more. They were both panting, and Techno still refused to loosen his grip on the smaller man. As he stared down at Quackity, he didn’t feel embarrassed as he let his thoughts loose, gushing to himself about how he loved this man with his heart and soul. He hadn’t even realized, but he was being hugged by soft yellow wings, and he felt pride at the fact that he was the only one allowed to touch them with intimacy.
“Te amo, cariño,” Quackity whispered as he leaned over and tucked his face into the crook of Techno’s neck, holding his arms around the piglin hybrid’s shoulders.
“I… You know I don’t understand what you’re saying,” Techno blurted out, just trying to hold himself together in the moment. Quackity made a sound of amusement and pulled his head back to look Techno in the eyes.
“It means I love you too, dumbass,”
.
As Techno and Quackity arrived back at the house, hand in hand, they met Phil and Wilbur in the kitchen, who both turned and smiled knowingly as they saw the pair. Wilbur looked Techno right in the eyes with that sly grin he always knew could get under his brother’s skin.
“Nerds.”