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Captain Technoblade has found himself in a predicament. A life or death scenario, one might say.
His journey had started out easy enough. He just had to grab a map for Niki from his room! The challenge, however, came in who, or rather what, is standing right outside his door.
The goddamn cat.
Techno is okay with cats. He really is. They are clear about their boundaries, which he respects. If they don’t want you touching them, they let you know. And they’re pretty cute. Sometimes, he would even leave food outside his house for the strays when he was young.
That’s the thing, though. They’re okay, as long as they stay far away from him.
Techno is not scared of many things. Being a Navy captain is its own form of exposure therapy, and he swiftly learned that you either face your fears, or you die. And while that tactic has been pretty successful (he quickly got over his fear of heights when his first captain made him climb the yard to stow the sails), there are some things that living on the high seas just can’t prepare you for. One of those being, how to deal with furry four-legged creatures with insanely sharp claws and teeth. Listen, he’s tried being friends with them before, okay? All that led to were scars, both mental and physical. It was not a good time for anyone involved.
Back to the issue at hand, Techno evaluates his options. He could wait here for the cat to move, but who knows how long that could take. He’s already been below deck for a while and Niki’s going to wonder where he’s gone. Or, he could go back and tell her he couldn’t find the map. A little white lie never hurt anyone, right? There was an issue there too, though. Techno is impeccably organized, almost to a fault. It was a habit developed after having to manage his own crew, and now, it seems it is going to be his downfall. His final option, and from the looks of it the one he’s going to have to resort to, is shooing the cat away. The thing is, that requires going near the damn creature, and even the thought of doing so-
“Captain? All good?” Techno whirls around to find Niki looking at him, brows furrowed in concern. “You’ve been gone for a bit so I thought I’d look for you.”
“Yeah! Yeah. It’s just…” Techno trails off, waving his hands around him as if that explained anything. He has a reputation to keep; he’s Captain Technoblade, after all. He can’t just admit to being scared of something that doesn’t even come up to his knee.
The cat chooses this moment to meow, and Techno hopes Niki can’t see the way his shoulders tense. She seems to make the connection, though, and Techno resists the urge to groan at the grin growing on her face.
“Are you scared of the cat, Captain?”
Techno will be damned if he tells the truth. His reputation is on the line here. “Of course not. I’m a Navy captain, I'm not scared of a ball of fur.”
Niki looks him in the eye, silently challenging him. “Then why won’t you go near her?”
“Uhhh…” Techno wracks his brain for an excuse. “I’m allergic?”
Niki looks like she’s holding back a laugh, and really, how dare she. Techno’s her captain. He could have her thrown overboard for mutiny. He could make her walk the plank for the sheer disrespect she’s showing. He would do it right now, even, if this stupid cat wasn’t blocking his way.
“It’s okay, Captain. We all have irrational fears. Nothing to be ashamed of.” Niki’s still smiling, but she actually looks quite sincere now, so Techno tentatively decides to trust her.
“…I might possibly be a bit scared of cats?”
Niki nods at him. “It’s alright. You just have to see the good side of cats, then you won’t be as scared anymore.” Niki walks past him and the cat rubs against her ankles. She picks it up softly. Sensing Techno’s hesitation, she adds on, “I won’t come close to you, just look.”
She holds the animal close to her, kissing the top of its head. Techno hears the quiet purrs that emanate as Niki gently hugs the cat. After a moment, the cat starts to squirm, and Niki immediately puts it back down. It stares at the two for a moment before scampering away.
“Just like that! If you show them love and respect their feelings, they’ll do the same for you. Next time, you can try and pet her.” Techno considers this. On one hand, the irrational part of his brain is in fight or flight mode. Being close to a cat for that long was not something he was used to. On the other hand, the logical side of his brain tells him that there’s no other way to get used to the cat than this. It’s not like the little gremlin was going anywhere, especially with it and Ranboo being as inseparable as they are and the rest of the crew quickly falling in love as well.
He settles on a compromise. “I’ll consider it.” Dealing with the cat was now a problem for future Techno.
Niki smiles widely nonetheless, even with Techno’s noncommittal response. “I’ll hold you to that, Captain. At least now you can get the map, though. I’ll go back up on deck.”
Techno lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding as Niki walks past him. That could’ve gone a whole lot worse. Techno could now get in his room without having to touch the cat, and despite his current unease around them, he was looking forward to finally getting over his fear of the animal. Plus, it didn’t even seem like Niki was going to use this as blackmail against him! All around, a successful encounter in Techno’s books.
“Some coffee when we port would be great, Captain. You wouldn’t want anyone else finding out, no?” Niki mutters to him as she goes, the grin never leaving her face.
Well, almost successful.