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Techno never considered himself a romantic, even if the romance genre was his favorite to indulge in. There was something almost comedic about the books he’d read, where the main character and obvious love interest would come together at the end, even if the chemistry was wrong. Maybe now he could call that a foreshadow for his own life, because he was the main character, in his own mind, falling for the obvious love interest.
Well, maybe not quite so obvious. Quackity wasn’t a cliche, he was far from it. He was unexpected and different and that’s exactly why it was so fucking obvious . Though, maybe that’s just how the piglin was trying to justify it.
See, he wasn’t the romantic type, he would swear it to hell and back; and he has . He has literally gone to hell and swore it. It was on a trip with Wilbur where the man had gotten a bit too pushy in questions about his personal life. Decidedly, Techno declared it none of his business after stating the prior repetitive. He wasn’t romantic, not ever.
But, still he couldn’t quite help himself from noticing that the summer festival was days away and he had never stayed for it before. Every year he took a trip out of town to avoid the noise and crows; he didn’t like a busy street . But, this year Quackity had specifically hand invited him to go with him. As a date? No. Rather, he invited him to a challenge. A duel, which was honestly a cute way of saying he wanted to play rigged fair games with him.
Still, even knowing that, Techno accepted the invite. It was a chance, a golden opportunity. It could easily help confirm his feelings at least, because he had been having doubts. There were just some things that didn’t make sense. Sure he has fallen in love before, not that he would tell a soul about it, but with Quackity it just felt different. Nothing could prepare him for the way he feels now, and that’s what confused him most and what made him need reassurance.
The festival was a few days away. It was a begrudgingly slow wait, and every clock tick felt like it took three years. Techno was impatient so he decided to waste his time preparing because he was always prepared. Every possibility needed a plan, everything needed to work out in some way, even if it ended in heartbreak he needed a plan for it. Maybe running away suited a few of the possibilities more so than facing a confrontation head on. Not that he hated being confronted, he just disliked it when it was the emotional kind.
He read romances, he talked to Wilbur and eased his way into advice without saying directly that it was advice. The man seemed none the wiser, but he probably figured it out during the talk and spared Techno’s feelings. He wasn’t dumb, far from that infact, he just occasionally had a heart.
The days passed slowly, the nights went too quick.
By the time it was two days away, Techno was more of a mess than he had been and he felt oddly cornered. He was conflicting with himself, fighting his routine of leaving town and becoming a bit anxious as a result. That’s when he heard a knock on his door. Everything stopped. He was fine.
He walked to the door and opened it, feeling a sudden twist of emotions ranging from startled to happy and scared of being happy. He looked at Quackity, who held a bouquet of flowers towards him with a wide grin. They were all yellow. Techno bit his tongue. “What’s this?” he asked, taking the bundle gently and examining the color. Yellow was his favorite color, not many knew that. He doubted Quackity was even aware of that, most just assumed it was red.
“I haven’t seen ya in a few days, so I decided to stop by,” Quackity said. “I brought a present, I didn’t know what kind of flowers you like so I got you all yellow,” he smiled a little bit. Then, he fumbled with his hands as his reserve broke in an instant. “Yellow bouquets have an association with death. I figured since you have such a fascination with the topic, you’d enjoy the gesture,” he mumbled, looking away nervously and fiddling with his hands. “Though it might be considered rude, I’m pretty sure they’re also used as a threat…”
Techno knew that. Techno didn’t know Quackity would reach that far into it. Yellow was already his favorite color, but knowing that the duck associated it to him because he was aware of his interest flattered him. He smiled a small bit and stepped aside from the door. “Thank you Ducky,” he told him, “I just made some coffee. Want a cup?”
So they hung out for a few hours, chatting and laughing. If anyone else was there, they might have mistaken the two for childhood friends.
And, by the end, Techno walked Quackity to the door.
“Thanks for hanging with me,” Quackity said. He stood just outside the door with a large smile on his face. Impulsively then, he hugged Techno tightly.
Techno assumed it was an impulse, there were a thousand other reasons but that’s the only one that suited the duck. He felt the air around him heat up. Maybe it was just his face, he didn’t know. His breath hitched, his heart stammered. But, he slowly brought a hand up and placed it on his back carefully. “It was fun. You don’t have to thank me,” he clarified, looking forward instead of down. “I’m sure it’ll be a lot more fun during the festival,” he added.
Quackity laughed softly and pulled back, bringing a hand up to pat Techno’s cheek before he turned around. “I can’t wait!” he exclaimed, wings fluttering excitedly. “It’s going to be great! Just you wait, Techno, I’ll show you a time you’ll never forget!” he was running off by the end of his claim.
All Techno could do was smile and watch him go before gently touching his cheek.
He spent the next day looking at the flowers, letting them plague his mind as he gently brushed the petals. Yellow was associated with joy on it’s own, a lovely color that made him happy. He smiled fondly before the door was kicked open.
“Techno!” Wilbur called. “I’ve come to braid your hair and talk shit!”
Techno’s eyes rolled but he knew this was coming. Wilbur did his hair on Fridays. The festival was tomorrow. He needed his hair to be out of the way. That was, he needed it to be out of his way so he could kick Quackity’s ass in the games.
He sat on the floor with Wilbur, listening to him talk about the drama in the family lately. Phil went on a trip with the kids, Niki was planning on visiting once she could. It was the usual and it was boring, but familiar enough that Techno could fill in the blanks as he zoned out.
He glanced at the flowers, he was vaguely listening to the important bits, but his mind was just somewhere else.
“Quackity told me he was planning a Nether trip.”
And, suddenly all of his focus was back on Wilbur. He surely knew that, if the muffled chuckle was any indicator. “What for?” he asked, his voice bland but he was interested. Just why would he be going? It’s a dangerous trip.
Wilbur clicked his tongue. “Telling you would ruin the surprise,” he stated, tugging a small bit on his hair afterwards to make sure no more questions would follow. He knew him pretty well. “Everyone knows you hate surprises. I’m just not the one who should tell you; he is.”
A silence filled the space for a small moment.
“Do… Do you know what my favorite color is?” Techno asked softly.
Wilbur raised a brow. “Yellow, I’ve known since we were young. You liked it because it reminded you of gold- you wouldn’t stop following me every time I wore my sweater,” he answered. “Why? Did you finally change it to red?” he asked teasingly.
Techno huffed. “No. It’s just… Quackity guessed it first try without even knowing it,” he told him and felt a fondness return to his eyes. “He got me a bouquet of yellow flowers,” he told him, gesturing to the bundle he had put into a vase.
“Ah. Death and joy. A lovely mix, it suits you,” he said. “Does it bother you that he figured it out?”
That was a good question. Techno didn’t know how to answer so he fell quiet for a few minutes. There was an answer at the tip of his tongue, but he didn’t know quite how to phrase it. He took in a small breath before sighing. “It’s beginning to remind me of him… A lot of colors are beginning to remind me of him,” he told him, “I don’t know how to feel about it.”
A chuckle left Wilbur. “You’re still such a child,” he teased. “This sounds like a teen romance, something I’d expect from one of the kids.”
Techno laughed softly. “Yeah? I thought so too.”
Wilbur finished soon enough, standing and shaking as his legs came back to life. “I might just fly home if my legs decide to stay fucked up,” he mumbled, beginning to carefully walk towards the door. “Have a goodnight Techno,” he said softly. “Try not to fret too much about Quackity.”
Of course, techno was terrible at taking advice.
The day of the festival. Techno took steady breaths, he could already hear the music and crowds. A busy street, a busy day. A hot day but he was leaving prepared with a water bottle. For Quackity’s sake, he knew how forgetful he got when he was excited. He mentally checked he had everything on him, not that he was bringing much other than his wallet and his water. He checked his hair, he checked his clothes, he made sure his house was clean so he wouldn’t come home to it dirty.
And then there was a knock at his door and he was leaving.
He met Quackity on the porch, offering a small smile before shutting the door. “Hey,” he greeted.
Quackity grinned wide, grabbing Techno’s arm eagerly. “Are you ready to get your ass kicked?” he asked, but he was already dragging him away without waiting for an answer. “Your hair looks killer today, Techno Blade, like really good . Did Wilbur or Phil do it cause I might just have to thank them for this.”
Techno playfully rolled his eyes. “Flattery won’t make me go easier on you, Ducky.”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” Quackity defended himself quickly, gently elbowing him. “I meant it genuinely. It kind of makes you look hot.”
Techno’s face tinted red and he looked away. “O-oh. Thanks,” he responded. “Uhm… Wilbur did it.”
They chatted from that point to the entrance of the festival. Techno covered admission with the promise that Quackity would buy game tickets. Which, he did. He bought plenty for them to have fun with for the day.
“I wanna start off with something easy,” Quackity said, pointing towards one of those water gun games, the one where you shoot a moving target and knock it down. “I’m really good at shooting stuff,” he began to brag as they walked over. “I call myself a master hunter, you know?”
Techno sent him an amused glance. “I’m pretty sure you’d cry if you actually shot something,” he said. “I watched you shoot an arrow and you nearly cried when you thought it hit Skeppy. You don’t like Skeppy.”
Quackity huffed. “Bad would have killed me! Do you know how scary he is?” he said, handling the carny two tickets. Each was handed a water gun connected to a hose and stood in their designated spots. “Good luck.”
Techno grinned. “I won’t need it.”
The game began with the ring of a bell and they went to work, shooting down targets. Some were still, some moved. Either way Techno was winning, but he had a quick finger. He spared a pity glance to Quackity but he froze a small bit at the intense look the duck held as he shot. The concentration in his eyes was amazing and it shook Techno up a bit. He didn’t realize how quickly the game really went until the bell rang again and he was declared the winner by two points.
“Pick out a prize!” Quackity encouraged him as they handed their water guns back over.
Techno looked over the selection and noticed Quackity eying a particularly cute looking stuffed pig. So, he pointed at it. “That one please.” When he was handed it, he immediately forked it over to Quackity, turning to head to another game. “You can have it. I’m not a stuffed animal type of guy,” he justified, but really, he was just hoping to see him smile. And, he did.
Quackity took the pig happily, his smile soft and warm.
The air was warm. Techno squeezed his water bottle a bit, focusing on the cooling of that rather than the warmth of the smile.
It was a trend after that. Everytime Techno won, which was just about as many times Quackity had, he just gave him his prize. Except the one time Quackity gave him a prize because he chose a plastic tiara. Techno rocked the tiara.
Mid-day they got in line at a food stand. Quackity had gone through the water bottle, he was the only one who actually drank any of it. Now they were hungry and thirsty and talking over their plans for the rest of the day.
“We could watch the fireworks tonight,” Quackity suggested.
Techno furrowed his brows. “What are those?”
And, then it was nearly immediately decided that Techno would be watching the fireworks, judging by the look in Quackity’s eyes. “How do you not know what they are? You’re not- they’re not a new thing, Techno. How do you not know?”
“I go on a trip every year during this time,” he reminded him, “I’ve just… never seen any. What are they?”
Quackity shook his head. “No- no. I’m going to show you them. You’ll learn what they are tonight,” he stepped towards the stand once it was their turn, ordering their food and ending any arguments before they could start.
They found a picnic table after that, sitting next to each other and chatting as they ate oddly good fried food. Techno wasn’t… too sure what it was, but it was good and he figured that’s what mattered. “Wilbur told me you’re planning a trip,” he brought up, glancing at him. “What’re you going to the nether for?”
A pause came and Quackity nodded. He held up a finger, swallowing his food and taking a long sip of water before sighing out. “I wanted to go with you,” he said. “I figured you haven’t been there in a while, so it’d probably be nice to go back for a day, maybe collect some blocks, and come back to decorate your place a small bit to make it more… home feeling.”
How could someone this sweet exist? “You’d do that for me?” he asked softly. He honestly hadn’t been homesick in a long time. If he absolutely had to guess when it happened, with risk of sounding cliche, it was when Quackity really started to talk to him.
God, he really was a romantic, wasn’t he?
“Of course I would,” the duck replied, shrugging a small bit. “I care about you, Techno. I want you to be happy, and if that means dying of heat then I guess I’ll die,” he joked.
They ate, they had fun playing games, and they talked like there was no one else in the world but them. And, soon the sun began to dip and they headed towards a crowded field. It wasn’t too cramped up, there was elbow room and Techno followed the example of sitting in the grass like everyone else.
Quackity sat by him, his eyes looking up at the sky as the stars began to appear. “Have you ever heard the story of Ursa major and minor?” he asked curiously. Not that he could see them, but he loved talking about the stars to Techno.
“I believe you have, but I wouldn’t mind hearing it again,” he answered, smiling at him.
For a moment it was just them. They were looking at each other like they were the world. They were the main characters of the story. Then, a voice came over a speaker and the illusion fell. Eyes turned up to the sky and Techno stared for just what he was meant to see.
And, what he saw was color.
It was loud, it was sudden, but it was glorious and beautiful.
Fireworks lit up the night sky and the air was hot. The Festival was distantly forgotten somewhere within the show as Techno stared up at the sky, his eyes full of colors that were on display. It was single handedly one of the prettiest things he had ever seen. He had no clue such beauty could come from explosives. He had know idea something he felt was inherently violent could be conformed into an art piece that matched the stars themselves. It was a little intimidating.
The air was hot though, and it was familiar. It reminded him of home, somewhere deep in the nether. Long before he arrived in the overworld as a young boy with the guidance of a teacher and later father, and before he had even thought of touching a weapon. It gave him a comfort he never knew he needed and relaxed him completely.
The bright colors, the hot air, and the feeling of home. All of that could be found within the smaller male.
And, when he felt Quackity lock pinkies with him, he knew for certain in that moment that he was absolutely and unforgivably in love with him.
He looked over hesitantly. It took him a moment to register that Quackity was already looking at him and his face turned red. He was already looking at him . He looked so fond, like Techno was the stars he admired, and he gently brought a hand up to hold Techno’s cheek.
“I can’t believe you didn’t know what fireworks were,” he said over the noise.
And then, he leaned up and kissed him gently in the light show.