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Techno knew there was a sharp divide between Technoblade the warrior and Techno the person. Technoblade was cold and ruthless and savage, worked completely alone, and wasn't afraid of anything. Techno loved farming potatoes, dropped everything to help if one of his family members needed him, and absolutely despised interacting with strangers. The persona of Technoblade was very, very useful, and he kept it both for privacy and for safety, in case someone tried to gather intel on him.
This meant that there were some things he told no one outside a trusted few. What he chose to do in his rare moments of spare time were jealously guarded secrets.
He had one of those spare moments now, and he smiled as he entered a clearing in the middle of the woods that he had found last week. It was out in the middle of nowhere, where no one would interrupt him. Plenty of privacy. Techno set down an Ender chest and carefully took out a black case.
He had only ever told Wilbur about this. Phil knew, because he had walked in on it once, but he had been sworn to secrecy. Techno trusted Tommy (of course he trusted Tommy, he would tear the world apart for Tommy), but he didn't plan to tell him about this until he was older and could keep his mouth shut.
Techno opened the case and took out a beautiful violin.
He tuned it quickly - he always kept it in tune; it was his pride and joy, he took excellent care of it - then began to play. The first song that came to mind, as always, was the song Phil always sang to him or his brothers when they needed some comfort. The one he had hummed for Dream.
Then, because it was just him out in the middle of nowhere with no one to judge him, he closed his eyes and started singing along softly.
"Let your mind become unburdened, let your heart be light and full, let the cares of now and then be washed away." He could almost hear the rustle of Phil's wings wrapped around him, could almost feel fingers carding through his hair. "I know it's hard to rest when you feel that restless weight, but set it down, my friend, and let me keep it safe until your strength returns."
He began to hum, still playing, feeling a bone-deep peace start to settle in. This was why he played, and why he kept it secret; the violin was entirely his, something he did not to impress anyone, or to win anything, but because he enjoyed doing it. Because it made him happy.
A twig snapped.
Techno's eyes flew open and his ears perked up in alarm as he stashed the violin in his inventory on instinct.
For a moment, everything was quiet. But that just put Techno more on edge; if it was a monster or an animal, there would have been shuffling sounds, but it was deadly quiet, which meant it had to have been a person.
"I know you're there," Techno said with a light growl, unsheathing his sword, letting the alarm melt into aggression.
There was another beat of silence, and then a very familiar figure in a green hoodie stepped hesitantly into view.
"... Dream?" Techno asked, lowering his sword. "What're you doin' all the way out here?"
"I could ask you the same question."
Techno's ear flicked as he scrutinized his friend. Dream was shifting uneasily (not much, but enough), and his answer was a little too flippant to be a genuine question. He was hiding something. Fine, then, Techno could be cagey too. "I was enjoyin' some solitude."
Dream put a hand to his chest in mock offense. "You're not happy to see me?"
Techno put his sword in his inventory with a soft huff. "At the moment? No. You're a great friend and all, but sometimes I just need to be by myself."
"Okay. I can respect that." Dream turned to go, then glanced back at him. "By the way, Techno, I heard something interesting coming from this direction. It sounded like someone singing. Did you hear it?"
"No, can't say I did."
Dream hummed and tilted his head to one side. He wasn't buying it. "Are you sure?"
He could say yes. He could say yes, and Dream wouldn't like it all that much (he never liked not knowing things), but he would leave. Techno was sure of that. If he told Dream he wanted to be alone, Dream would leave.
The violin case was still on the ground.
"... It. Might have, um. Been me," he admitted quietly, staring at the ground and fiddling with the hem of his cloak.
Dream looked a bit taken aback that he had actually admitted to it, but he recovered quickly. "I thought it might have been, I recognized the tune."
Techno was going to regret this. "... If I tell you a secret, do you promise not to tell anyone?"
"What sort of secret?"
"Dream."
He nodded slowly at the warning in Techno's tone. "Alright, if it won't hurt anyone, then I promise."
Techno sat down and patted the grass next to him. "Come sit."
Dream did, a little warily. He took off his mask so Techno could see the concern in his eyes. "Dude, are you okay? You're kind of weirding me out."
"It's... No, I'm fine, I just. I've only ever told like. Two people about this." Techno took a steadying breath, then took the violin back out of his inventory.
Dream's eyes widened, and he sat up a little straighter. "Oh."
"I've been playin' for a long time," Techno admitted, playing a random snippet of melody. "It's somethin' just for me, you know? If I sound awful, no one will care, and if I sound good, I can be proud of it without worryin' about what other people think."
"I get that," Dream said quietly, like he was afraid talking too loudly would make this little pocket of trust disappear. "I speedrun on my own, sometimes. To keep in practice, obviously, but also just because I really enjoy it, and it's nice to be able to stop a run whenever I want and not feel judged for it."
Techno smirked and played the four-note riff that had become associated with Dream's speedrunning.
Dream burst out laughing. "Oh, shut up."
"I didn't say anythin'!" Techno protested with a grin, playing the riff again.
"Oh my God -"
Techno started laughing, which set Dream off again, and they both sat there laughing for a minute until they caught their breaths again.
"Do you have a favorite song to play?" Dream asked.
"Phil's song is one of my favorites," Techno admitted, and it was easier to talk about now. "I've picked up a couple of others, too, but usually I just sort of... play."
Dream propped his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands and grinned expectantly at him.
Techno let out a soft huff of laughter, closed his eyes, and started to play.
He started slowly, at first, unused to an audience. Long, wavering notes. Then, as he found the feeling of the music, he started to speed up, adding little riffs and trills and pulling in snippets of songs that he knew. It was like speaking without words, pouring emotion into music in a way he would never be able to say out loud. The world around him melted away, and he forgot about Dream, about the woods, about the war, and just played.
The violin spoke of how much he missed Phil, how much he loved being near his brothers, how much he wanted to use the gear he'd been storing up. It remembered the adrenaline of his entry to the server, the cautious way he and Dream had built a solid friendship, what it felt like to fly. Everything that had been bouncing around in his head was translated through the bow and strings.
Finally, when it felt like he had said all he needed to say, he slowed down again, finishing quietly with the last notes of Phil's song.
When Techno opened his eyes again and glanced over at Dream, the speedrunner was looking at him like he had brought the stars down to earth. "... Dream?"
"That was amazing," Dream breathed, and Techno knew that you couldn't fake sincerity like that. "You're really talented, oh my God."
"Thanks," he muttered, glancing away. He could never handle genuine compliments.
"And you've only told like two other people about this?"
Techno nodded. "I told Wilbur because I wanted some tips, and Phil walked in on the two of us playin' once. You're the third, at least that I know of."
Dream sat back, leaning back on one hand. "Wow. You haven't told Tommy?"
"Nah." Techno played a little riff that reminded him of Tommy, bright and quick. "I love the kid, but he brags too much. He'd let somethin' slip on accident. I'll tell him when he's a little older."
"I guess that makes sense."
Techno played a few more snippets of songs and feelings, not really committing to anything. He kept coming back to the Tommy riff and Phil's song, and he started trying to weave them together with a mellow sound that reminded him of Wilbur.
Dream hugged his knees to his chest. "You need something else."
"Hm?"
"You need..." Dream waved his hand vaguely toward Techno. "I don't know. Something lower. Or more stable or something."
Techno thought for a moment, then played an experimental series of notes. Deep and steady.
Dream shrugged. "Sure, try it."
He had been right; the lower notes fit nicely into the other three motifs and brought them into a more cohesive whole. Techno shot Dream a quick smile as he experimented with the different melodies. "Thank you."
"No problem."
Techno paused, filing that combination away for later, then tried something lighter and more upbeat.
Exactly how long they sat there, Techno playing his violin and Dream just listening and making an occasional suggestion, Techno had no idea. Probably several hours, judging by the sun, but he wasn't really paying close attention to that for once. There was something special about playing the violin alone, but there was also something special about playing for someone else.
"Thanks for letting me stay," Dream said quietly after they both agreed they needed to leave.
Techno nodded, packing up his violin and putting it back in his Ender chest. "Thank you for bein' chill about it."
"Dude, of course! It's awesome that you can do that. Could you -" Dream hesitated, obviously rethinking what he had been about to say.
"Could I what?" Techno prompted gently.
Dream hesitated for a few more seconds, then said slowly, hopefully, "Do you think you could maybe teach me one of these days?"
And for some reason, maybe due to the calming effect of playing for so long or the hope on Dream's face, Techno gave him a small smile and said "I think I could do that."
Dream's excitement as they left the clearing made it hard to regret that answer.