Chapter Text
Growing up in the Nether, learning to read and write wasn't exactly high on Technoblades list of things to do. Living to see the next day always took precedence above all else. Despite that though, Techno knew there was something different about the writing on his left wrist.
Techno had been born with the fancy and unfamiliar script on his wrist and vaguely remembered hearing stories about soulmates from his ma before she died.
Someone destined to love him no matter his flaws or hardships, who would care for him not matter what. Someone who would love him.
He traced the words he couldn't read every night before going to sleep, it was practically muscle memory and it was a habit that stuck with him even after Phil adopted him.
Phil taught Techno to read and write when he took him in, but still he couldn't make sense of the name on his wrist and the piglin discovered a love for stories and books, driven by a desire to find the language his soulmate's name was written in because it decidedly wasn't common, nor were the elegant letters anywhere close to the blocky and messy way piglins wrote.
His search took him on adventures all over, travelling to many different servers and exploring all he could find. Eventually he came across stories of The End and learned about it's inhabitants and their flowy elegant script. It was the first thing of substance Techno had managed to find since he'd begun his search for anything pertaining to his soulmate. Unfortunately for him, however, there was no translation for things written in Ender.
Not one to be easily dissuaded from something once had put him mind to it though, Techno still held out hope. But when he got the message from his younger brothers that they needed help, he didn't feel so bad putting his search on hold to help them.
---
Growing up in the End, there hadn't been much to do apart from read. Apart from stare into the endless void and slowly go mad, of course.
Luckily for Dream, The End had an extensive library of limitless knowledge - to help him find a way to escape and also to help him translate the mess of blocky and unrefined "letters" on his wrist.
Dream didn't have anyone to explain the concept of soulmates to him, having to learn himself from another book that somewhere out there was someone the universe decided was perfect for him.
Given the universe hadn't been exactly kind to him up until that point, Dream decided soulmates were bullshit and constantly hid his mess of chicken scratch under a leather cuff.
Dream held onto the belief even after he escaped the End, the cries of his matriarch haunting him as he went through the portal to the Overworld but he didn't mourn for the only mother figure he had, dead at his hands. No, Dream broke down on the grass after escaping for completely unrelated reasons.
It wasn't long after that he got kicked up by Puffy and her adopted son Foolish and while travelling with his new mother figure and brother, eventually he met Sapnap and George and they started their own server together.
---
The first time Techno met Dream, it was after spending countless days underneath the ground in mines, grinding for materials for the rebellion then having to walk miles to reach the designated meeting spot.
Why the admin chose somewhere so far away, Techno would never understand.
Conversation was short and clipped, neither of them trusting the other and Techno spotted the leather cuff the masked man wore on his left wrist. The piglin didn't understand why Dream would hide his soulmate away - Techno had always worn his with pride and couldn't comprehend why some people seemed ashamed of theirs.
Techno took all the equipment Dream offered their rebellion, confused as to why he was helping them when he seemed to have a personal vendetta against his brothers. He didn't trust Dream, to put it politely, but anything he offered them helped and who was he to look a gift horse in the mouth?
The only other time Techno saw Dream around Pogtopia was when Tommy had his little battle over a fish or something. If Techno's being entirely honest, he has no clue what was going on but the excuse to see Dream fight was welcome.
Of course, Techno told himself he only wanted to observe a potential enemy but the way Dream moved left him almost breathless and allowed Sapnap to get a small blow to his armour while he was distracted.
Time for that later, he decided and threw himself into the battle.
After his brother's betrayal, Wilbur's death and Phil's arrival, Techno didn't see much of Dream anymore. You didn't get a lot of visitors up in the arctic, unless they were your adoptive father or the ghost of your dead brother.
Then suddenly Dream was at his doorstep, Tommy shivering and cowering behind him and Techno hadn't been more confused in his life.
---
Dream had known Techno was his soulmate since their letting stop the mountain in the earliest days of Pogtopia's rebellion. The piglin flaunted Dream's name like it was a source of pride for him.
He had to know. Dream decided. Techno was taunting him with it.
The admin hadn't given much thought to the name on his own wrist, but has known what it said for years now.
Technoblade
He'd heard the name before while adventuring with Sapnap and George. A skilled and legendary warrior. A monster who killed for fun.
It seems the tales had been twisted however as the socially awkward piglin he met didn't exactly look like a killing machine from the darkest depths of hell.
Dream tried his best to ignore Techno but when Tommys exile happened, he couldn't exactly leave the kid stranded on some beach all by himself. He might be the villain in Tommy's story but he wasn't a monster.
So Dream took Tommy to Techno's cabin.
Dream only knew where it was because he had to keep an eye on what could be a potential threat. No other reason. None at all.
With Tommy staying with Techno, Dream was over alot to keep an eye on the teen and make sure he wasn't doing anything to violate the terms of his exile.
Techno found himself growing closer to Dream during this time, though the admin seemed to purposefully be keeping himself at a distance, like he knew something Techno didn't.
Of course Techno confronted Dream about it, the admin with his mask off, revealed bright green eyes that flicked between Techno's face and his left wrist. Techno's eyes followed his, landing on the name he was still to translate.
"Can you read it?" Techno asked softly and Dream seemed to go through all five stages of grief.
"You can't?" He asked hesitantly.
Techno just shook his head.
Dream said nothing and instead started to remove the cuff hiding his own soulmark. Techno couldn't say he wasn't curious, he'd grown to like Dream a lot in their time together but had always assumed his soulmate was either George or Sapnap.
Techno nearly choked as Dream completely removed the cuff, revealing an alphabet he'd not seen in years in handwriting so painfully familiar.
It was his name on Dream wrist, which meant the name of Techno's wrist was Dream.
It certainly wasn't the reveal Techno had been hoping for but nevertheless he felt an overwhelming joy that he had finally found his soulmate. The person he was destined to be with and love and cherish.
"I never really liked the idea of soulmates," Dream admitted to Techno as the pinkette wrapped him up in a nearly bone crushing hug. "But I'm happy it's you."
---
"I'm gonna miss you Techie," Tommy, now eighteen years old said to his older brother. The years in exile had changed him, no longer a skinny and malnourished teenager, now a muscled and happy young man. The Antarctic Empire uniform fit him well and his shoulder length blonde hair had a singular braid, decorated with beads corresponding to the three people who had looked after him in his years away from L'manburg. Pink for Techno, lime green for Dream and a darker green for Phil.
"I'll miss you too, Theseus," Techno said. The brothers shared just a simple nod, neither of them good at goodbyes before Tommy was off to return to his home.
"It'll feel weird without him here," Dream lamented, hugging Techno closely as they both watched Tommy disappear over the horizon, trident and ender pearls in hand.
"He'll be back soon my love, don't you fret," Techno promised, pressing a kiss to the crown of Dreams golden hair.
"He better," Dream mumbled, "else we're going to have to take in another stray to fix up."
Techno barked a laugh at that. "Kids aren't projects, Dream."
"I know," he sighed. "I'm just not sure how I can keep myself occupied here now that he's gone. Miss his screaming already."
"You say that now, but when he comes to visit on the holidays you'll wish he never came home."
The two of them moved to lay down on the couch, basking in the new found peaceful silence of their house. Dream lay on his back while Techno was face down, cuddled on top of Dream who was gently carding his fingers through Techno's long pink hair, pulling an almost purr from the piglin as he did so.
Domestic bliss was all the scene could be described as. No wars to worry about, no one trying to kill them. Despite the sadness they felt about Tommy leaving, both of them had never been happier, wrapped up in each other's arms with no care in the world.
"I love you," Techno mumbled sleepily.
"I love you too babe," Dream said, one hand rubbing soothing circles on Techno's back while the other continued playing with his hair. "Now go to sleep."
And Techno did just that, Dream following shortly after him.