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“Get away from me, Wilbur!”
“Come back here, you little gremlin!”
Techno looks up from his butterblasts as Tommy comes racing down the stairs and into the dining room. A moment later, Wilbur phases through the ceiling and lands directly on top of the teen. Tommy lets out a muffled scream as he crashes to the ground. “F*CK!”
“Got you!” Wilbur declares triumphantly from his position atop Tommy’s back.
“Let me up, Wilbur!” Tommy demands, trying to wiggle free. “Your ass STINKS!”
“Not as much as yours!”
“Boys,” Phil says amusedly. “I don’t suppose you’ve noticed that Kristen made butterblasts?”
Just like that, Wilbur leaps to his feet. “Butterblasts? Where?”
Techno picks up one of the sweet golden pastries and chucks it at his brother. It bounces off Wilbur’s face, leaving crumbs in his curly brown hair.
“Ow,” Wilbur says belatedly. He wanders over to the table and snatches up a butterblast from the platter. “That was uncalled for, Techno.”
“Yeah, Techno.” Tommy, who has picked himself off the floor, grabs two butterblasts and shoves both into his mouth. “Only I can throw butterblasts at Wil.”
“If you try to do that, I will simply just-” Wilbur takes a step back and vanishes into the wall. As a Phaser, the brunette has the ability to, well, phase through solid objects, such as walls. It’s very strange to watch, although Techno is used to it.
Phil sighs fondly and shakes his head. “You boys are ridiculous. Wilbur, come out of that wall and eat. We’re going somewhere today.”
“Where?” Techno asks, frowning. As far as he knows, the only place his father would need to go on weekends- especially during midterm break- is Eternalia for an Emissary assignment.
“Havenfield,” Phil replies as Wilbur reappears. “The Council ordered me to go check on how the animals are doing, and I thought you boys would like to come. Plus, I haven’t seen Puffy and Niki in a while, so I wanted to pay a visit anyway.”
“Isn’t Havenfield where they rehabilitate animals to go to the Sanctuary?” Tommy asks through a mouthful of butterblasts.
Phil nods. “Yep. I heard they got an alicorn recently.”
“An alicorn?” Wilbur’s eyebrows shoot up. “Those things are rare.”
“Congratulations, Wilbur, you’ve realized the obvious,” Techno deadpans.
“Shut up, Techno. You’re not a cool Phaser like me.”
“Yeah, but I’m a Vanisher. I can disappear, and all you can do is get stuck in walls.”
“Why do you guys get cool abilities?” Tommy grumbles, crossing his arms. “I want a cool ability.”
“You’ll manifest soon, Tommy,” Phil assures the 14 year old. “And then you’ll be a Phaser or a Vanisher like your brothers.” Since Phil is a Phaser and Kristen, their mom, is a Vanisher, Techno and his brothers each inherited one of those abilities. Being 17, Techno and Wilbur have had their abilities for more than 2 years now, while Tommy has yet to manifest.
The family eats in silence for a bit longer. Once breakfast is done, Techno heads back up to his bedroom to put on some better clothes. He throws on a white tunic, black pants, and brown boots. He also puts on his favorite red cape and fastens it with family crest pin. Then, he heads back downstairs, where his brothers and father are already waiting.
As Techno is walking over to them, Kristen suddenly appears out of thin air at Phil’s side. “You boys look so good!” she coos. “Have fun at Havenfield!”
“We will,” Phil promises, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. “Come on, boys. Tommy, you’re leaping with me.”
Techno pulls out his Pathfinder. He turns it according to Phil’s instructions and holds it up to the light. He closes his eyes, concentrates, and a moment later, he feels himself getting whisked away.
When he opens his eyes again, he’s standing in an expansive green field. In the distance, he can see a gigantic house made of clear glass and shimmering gold. Surrounding him on all sides are pens containing animals of all kinds. From his spot, he can see several large dinosaurs, including a stegosauras and a tyrannosaurus rex.
Wilbur materializes at his side. “Woah,” the brunette breathes. “This is cool!”
“Isn’t it amazing?” Phil asks as he and Tommy walk up to them. “Puffy and Niki do a fantastic job at taking care of all these creatures.”
Just then, a female elf hurries up to them. Her hair spills in long white curls down her back, and her eyes are a brilliant sapphire blue. She’s dressed in a white tunic and stained brown pants. Techno knows instantly that she must be Lady Puffy Nihachu, one of the many elves who are Empaths. She and her wife, Lady Niki Nihachu, are well known throughout the Lost Cities for their nobility status, rehabilitation work, and tendency to adopt young orphaned elves.
“Phil! So good to see you again!” Lady Puffy greets warmly, reaching out and giving Phil a hug. “How have you been?”
“I’ve been great, Puffy,” Phil replies with a smile. “How about you?”
“Oh, I’ve been wonderful. Things are running as smoothly as can be.” She smiles at Techno and his brothers. “I see you’ve brought your sons.”
“Yes.” Phil steps back and lays one hand on Techno’s shoulder and the other on Wilbur’s. “Boys, this is Lady Puffy.”
“Please, just call me Puffy,” Lady Puffy insists.
“Where’s Niki, Puffy?” Phil asks.
“She’s giving the stegosaurus a bath right now, but she should come over soon.”
“Do you have an alicorn?” Tommy interrupts.
Puffy smiles even more widely. “I do! Dream’s exercising her right now, but he’ll be back soon.”
“Dream?” Techno questions. Even among the elves, Dream is an unusual name. “Who’s Dream?”
“My son,” Puffy explains. “He’s actually your age, Techno. I have 5 other sons as well.”
Wilbur sidles up to Techno and whispers, “That’s a lot of sons.”
Techno hums in agreement. His 2 brothers are already annoying enough; he can’t imagine juggling 5 siblings.
Just then, there’s the sound of flapping wings. Techno looks up, and his mouth drops open in shock. Flying towards them is a majestic winged horse with a horn like a unicorn. Its silver fur gleams in the light, and its wingtips are tinted gray. The most surprising part is that there’s an elf riding on its back.
The alicorn lands on the ground not too far away from Techno. Its wings flare out, and he quickly leaps back. There’s no way he’s going to embarrass himself by getting knocked out by an alicorn wing. He watches from a safe distance as the young male elf on the alicorn’s back slides off.
Then the elf turns around, and Techno’s heart promptly stops in his chest. His breath catches as gorgeous blue-green eyes meet his own. The elf’s face, which is all soft, delicate lines, is framed by fluffy golden hair. Freckles dot his cheeks, and his lips are extremely soft-looking. To top it all off, he’s dressed in a green tunic that looks way too good on him.
“Oh, Dream! Good, you’re back.” Puffy lays a hand on the blonde elf’s arm and turns back towards Techno. “This is my 3rd youngest son, Dream.”
“Hello!” Dream says cheerfully, waving. “I’m Dream! It’s nice to meet you.”
“Hello,” Wilbur replies with a charming smile. “I’m Wilbur.”
“I’m Tommy!” Tommy introduces himself. “I’m a big man.”
Everyone turns to look at Techno, and it takes him a moment to realize that he’s yet to introduce himself. “Uh…” he says dumbly, trying to restart his brain, which had short-circuited upon seeing Dream. “Hallo. I’m… Techno.”
“Did you forget your own name?” Wilbur teases.
“Shut up, Wilbur.” Techno reaches out and gently smacks his brother on the arm.
Tommy bounces forward. “Can I pet the alicorn?” he asks.
Dream shrugs. “Sure. Her name’s Spirit. She’s pretty friendly; just don’t touch her on the neck or head. Body only.”
“Okay!” Tommy reaches out and begins to stroke the alicorn’s silvery fur. She nickers softly and swings her head around to stare at the 14-year-old.
Phil shakes his head in wonder. “Wow. I can’t believe you’ve already gotten her to let you ride her. It’s been, what, 2 weeks?”
“Oh, no, she only lets Dream ride her,” Puffy explains. “I’m not sure why. She’ll let other elves touch her, but only Dream gets to ride her.”
“I’m just special,” Dream says in a proud tone that sounds way too cute.
“Anyways, Dream, why don’t you find your brothers and show Techno, Wilbur, and Tommy around? I think Phil’s got some stuff he wants to talk to me about,” Puffy suggests.
“That I do,” Phil agrees. “I hope you don’t mind showing my boys around, Dream.”
“Not at all!” Dream assures, smiling brightly. He gestures to Techno and his brothers. “Follow me!”
“Oh, and take Spirit back to her pen too!” Puffy calls.
“Okay.” Dream wraps his fingers through Spirit’s mane and begins walking away. “Come on,” he calls over his shoulder.
Techno blinks a few times to get himself out of his Dream-induced haze and quickly hurries to follow. He finds himself falling into step behind Dream, while his brothers trail a bit further behind.
“So, Techno, what’s your ability?” Dream asks conversationally.
“Oh, uh, I’m a Vanisher. What- what about you?” Techno replies extremely awkwardly. He’s never one for conversations normally, and Dream’s mesmerizing eyes are making his social awkwardness ten times worse.
“I’m a Conjurer and an Empath,” Dream says. He giggles softly- again, way too cute of a sound- upon seeing the startled expression on Techno’s face. “I know, two abilities. Pretty crazy, right?”
“I’ll say,” Wilbur says as he appears at Techno’s other side. “I’m a Phaser.”
“Ooh, that’s cool.”
“I don’t have any abilities yet,” Tommy says. “I’m hoping for Vanisher, though, so I can be like Big T.”
“Big T?”
“He means me,” Techno interrupts. “It’s a stupid nickname.”
“Oi, what the hell! Not cool, Techno.”
Dream giggles again. “You remind so much of my younger brothers, Tubbo and Ranboo. I think you’d like to meet them.” As he speaks, his other hand accidentally bumps into Techno’s. The brief touch sends electric shocks up Techno’s spine, and he almost trips over his own feet. Great, he thinks as he steadies himself, cheeks flushed from embarrassment. 5 minutes in and I’m already making a fool of myself because Dream is cute.
Wait, what?
Techno blinks. Did he just call Dream cute in his head? It’s not like it’s not true- far from that, in fact- but Techno has never ever before thought of anyone as cute. So what’s changed? Sure, he’s at the age where he can start getting his Match lists, but what difference does that even make?
He shakes himself out of his thoughts as they reach a large, domelike structure, made of twisting vines. He stops and watches as Dream opens the door, leads Spirit inside, then comes back out. “Okay, that’s done,” the blonde announces. “If you guys are hungry, we can go inside and eat mallowmelt, or I could show you the rest of the property.”
“Mallowmelt,” Tommy instantly says. “I want mallowmelt.”
“Tommy, you just ate,” Techno points out, rolling his eyes.
“Don’t care.”
“You can have mallowmelt,” Dream says, looking amused. “Follow me.” He jogs off in the direction of the house, and Techno and his brothers follow. It only takes a quick 5 minute walk to arrive, and they head through the open front door, down a grand entrance hallway, and into a kitchen space.
There, 2 elves that look to be around Tommy’s age are sitting at a table. One of them is extremely tall with black hair, while the other is a much shorter brunette. Both have light teal eyes.
The 2 elves look up from their mallowmelt as Techno, Dream, Wilbur, and Tommy walk in. “Drem!” the shorter one exclaims.
“Hey Tubs. Hey, Boo.” Dream gestures to them and says, “These are my younger brothers, Tubbo and Ranboo. Tubbo’s the short one. Guys, this is Techno, Wilbur, and Tommy Minecraft. They’re visiting for a bit.”
“‘Sup,” Ranboo greets casually. “Want some mallowmelt? Our mom made it.”
“I do!” Tommy bounces over and snatches up a large piece.
“I’ll have a piece too, I guess,” Wilbur says. “Techno, how about you?”
“Nah, I’m good,” Techno replies. He’s still full from breakfast, and besides, he’d much rather explore and spend more time with Dream than eat. He glances at the blonde. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to go lookin’ around.”
“Sure,” Dream agrees. He looks at his brothers. “You two treat Wilbur and Tommy nicely, okay? Mom will be back soon.”
“I’m here,” a soft voice says. A moment later, a female elf with pink hair and azure eyes hurries in. Her small and graceful body is wrapped in a pale green dress, and said dress is covered with small orange feathers. She smiles at Techno and his brothers. “Hello, I’m Niki, Puffy’s wife. Welcome to Havenfield.”
“Your mallowmelt is really good,” Wilbur says through a mouthful of the stuff.
“Thank you!” Niki replies. “I’ll make some more if you boys want.”
“That’d be cool,” Tommy says. Techno elbows him, and the teen quickly continues with, “Thank you, by the way.”
“No problem. Tubbo and Ranboo, why don’t you two take Tommy and Wilbur up to your room. I’ll bring the mallowmelt up when it’s done.”
Dream gently grabs Techno’s arm. “C’mon, let’s go. I’ll show you all the animals.”
“Uh, okay.” Techno can’t come up with a better response than that, too occupied with freaking out over the fact that Dream is touching him. He allows himself to be pulled out the door and through the fields.
Dream leads him to a small pasture, which contains a herd of jackalopes. “These are the jackalopes,” the blonde says. “They’re cute, but their horns are really sharp, so Mama won’t let Tubs and Boo near them.”
“What about you?” Techno asks, both relieved at the distraction and upset that Dream has let go of his arm.
“I can go near all the animals,” Dream says. “I’m my parents’ main helper, actually. My older brothers are all mostly busy with school or work, and all the animals seem to like me a lot, so I’m always helping my moms bathe them and stuff like that.”
Techno lets out a hum of understanding. “Which ones are your favorite?”
“Spirit’s obviously my favorite. After her would probably be the dire wolves. Oh, and I also have a murcat. She’s just a pet, though, not an animal for rehabilitation. Her name’s Patches.”
“Tell me about your brothers.” Techno’s actually not that curious about Dream’s family. He just wants the blonde to keep talking in that beautiful voice.
A fond, happy smile crosses Dream’s face. “Well, my oldest brother is Foolish. He’s a Hydrokinetic like my mom. After that is Sam. Sam’s a Technopath, which is pretty cool. Then there’s Punz, who’s a Froster. And you just met Tubbo and Ranboo. They’re about the same age. Tubbo’s a Flasher and Ranboo’s a Vanisher like you.”
“Wow. You’ve got a lot of brothers.”
“Yeah, I do. I also consider my best friends brothers.”
“Who are your best friends? Am I one of them?” That last part is obviously a joke, but it comes out before Techno can stop it. Immediately after the words leave his mouth, he blushes. Frick, that’s not what he meant to say.
Dream giggles cutely. “I mean, if you want to be. I already have 2 pretty best friends, though, so I’m not sure I could handle another one.”
It takes a moment for Techno to realize that Dream just called him pretty and another moment for it to set in. Holy cow, Dream just called me pretty.
He realizes that Dream is looking at him strangely and quickly snaps back to attention. “Sorry, I zoned out for a bit. Who, uh are your best friends?”
Dream smiles. “It’s okay. And my best friends are Sapnap and George.”
Techno recognizes the name Sapnap right away. “Sapnap as in the Pyrokinetic?”
“Yep, that’s the one.”
“Didn’t he set Sir Schlatt’s cape on fire?”
“Mhmm. He got a whole month of detention for that.”
“Did he do it on purpose?”
“No, actually. It was an accident, so I can see why the Council used to ban Pyrokinesis. It can be useful, though. Sap comes over a lot to help us with our flaredon.”
Just then, Phil comes jogging up to them. “Hey, boys. I see you’re having some fun.”
Techno nods. “Yeah. The animals are pretty cool.”
“You only saw two of them,” Dream laughs.
“Irrelvant.” Techno’s heart skips a beat as Dream begins to full on wheeze, like a tea kettle. It’s the strangest sound he’s ever heard come from an elf, but it’s also weirdly endearing.
“Well, I’m glad you two enjoyed yourselves,” Phil says, smiling. “Unfortunately, it’s time for us to go. Come on, Techno.”
“Awww.” Dream pouts slightly. “Too bad. I had a lot of fun.”
“Me too,” Techno agrees. Then, before he can stop himself, he blurts out, “Maybe I could come over another time?”
Immediately, he braces himself for denial. Instead, though, Dream’s pout flips into a brilliant smile. “Sure!” the blonde happily agrees. “I’d love that, Techno.”
Phil nods in approval. “I think that’s a good idea. It is midterm break, so I’m totally fine with it. Plus, Techno does need more friends.”
“Hey!” Techno protests. “I have friends.”
“You have one friend, son, and that’s Skeppy.”
“So? There’s nothin’ wrong with Skeppy.”
“Isn’t he the one who tried to evacuate Foxfire by setting off stinkbombs?” Dream questions.
“Point taken,” Techno grumbles. “Fine, Dad, you win.”
“And you know it, son,” Phil says smugly. “Now, I expect you to go over to Havenfield again sometime this week. As long as that’s okay with you, Dream, of course.”
Dream nods cheerfully. “That works.” He smiles at Techno, a smile that makes his breath catch. “See you soon, Techno.”
---
The 6-week long break after midterms are always a busy time for Dream because he spends almost all his time helping out with the animals. Not that he minds- he loves taking care of the various creatures at Havenfield. Plus, midterms are when Sam and Punz, who are in the Elite levels at Foxfire, and Foolish, who works as a Regent, get to come home for a while. So yeah, midterms are a busy but great time for Dream.
Right now, Dream is feeding the dire wolves. There are 6 of them (not including Fran, a friendly dire wolf who was kicked out of the pack and is now Sam’s pet), and they’re kept in a large pen near the T-rex. Because all animals bound for the Sanctuary must be 100% vegetarian, part of Dream’s daily routine has been to train the dire wolves to eat a vegetarian diet. That task is made easier by the fact that there are plenty of gnomish vegetables that taste like meat, but the wolves have still been pretty stubborn so far.
Dream picks up another handful of umber leaves from his bucket and tosses it into the pen. The wolves eagerly snap it up and race back to the edge of the pen, howling for more. Chuckling, Dream continues to toss food inside until there’s none left in his bucket. With a snap of his fingers, he conjures the bucket away. He’s been testing the extent of his ability lately to see how accurately he can conjure over long distances, so he’ll have to see later if he’d gotten the bucket to exactly where he wanted to get it.
With the dire wolves done, Dream heads towards the alicorn enclosure to check up on Spirit. She’s been at Havenfield for 2 weeks now, but it’ll be a lot longer until she’s ready to be transported to the Sanctuary. A lot still needs to be done, namely getting her used to strangers and other animals. Dream doesn’t mind the work, though. He loves Spirit, and he wants to keep her around for as long as possible.
On the way to the enclosure, he passes by Punz. The older elf is holding a large, squirming ball of purple fur in his arms. Dream quickly hurries over to his brother. “Is that the verminion?” he asks.
“Yeah,” Punz grunts. “I found it by the T-rex. I guess it tunneled out again.” He lets out a sigh. “I need to bring it back and fix the fence.”
“Do you want me to help?”
“Nah, it’s fine, I got it. Just get me some rope, will you?”
Dream snaps his fingers and conjures some rope from the storage shed. He loops it around Punz’s waist and ties a knot. “There, now you have a belt,” he teases.
“An ugly belt, but okay.” Punz hefts the wiggling verminion in his arms. “I gotta go. See you, bro.” With that, the Froster jogs away.
Giggling softly, Dream continues on until he reaches the alicorn enclosure. He opens the door and steps inside the dome. Spirit is near the back wall, munching on some leftover swizzlespice from yesterday. She looks up as he enters and immediately trots over.
“Hi, girl,” Dream coos, reaching up to stroke Spirit’s mane. She nickers and affectionately nudges her nose into his neck.
“Wanna go for a fly?” Dream asks. He chuckles when Spirit nickers again. “Okay, let’s go.” He leads the alicorn out of her domed habitat and mounts her. He grips her mane tightly, then presses his heels into her side.
Instantly, Spirit takes off. She soars into the sky, climbing higher and higher with each powerful wingbeat. Dream whoops as the wind rushes through his hair and adrenaline courses through him. It’s the thrill of flying, and he loves it.
They glide through the air, and Dream takes the opportunity to gaze out at Havenfield. Even though the property is huge, the height advantage allows him to see all of it, each individual pasture and enclosure. To his left, he can see the faint blue glimmer of the ocean, and to his right, the crystal and gold of his house. It’s a beautiful view, and for the thousanth time since he was adopted, he feels incredibly lucky to live here.
Spirit does a few lazy circles in the air before tucking her wings in and diving towards the ground. At the last second, she pulls out of the dive, and her hooves land softly in the grass. Dream slips off her back and throws his arms around her neck. “That was awesome, Spirit,” he says happily.
“Agreed,” a deep voice says from his right. Dream jumps and whirls around, only to see nothing. He frowns in confusion. Did he imagine that?”
“Oh, sorry,” the voice says again, and Techno blinks into view. “I forgot I was invisible.”
“Techno!” Startled but happy to see the pinkette, Dream reaches out and gives Techno a hug. “What are you doing here?”
“Can’t I just come visit?” Techno jokes.
“No, of course you can. I was just surprised, that’s all.” Dream pulls away and takes in the taller elf, standing in all his glory with the back to the sunlight. Techno’s long hair spills freely down his back in long, pale pink sheets. His deep azure eyes twinkle with a teasing light. Today, he’s wearing a baby blue jerkin over a white tunic and, of course, his red cape. He’s extremely handsome- definitely one of the most good-looking elves Dream has had the fortune to meet.
“Yeah, that was my bad. I should’ve told you.” Techno reaches up and rubs the back of his neck.
“It’s okay.” Dream hadn’t been all too startled because Techno has already come over at least 5 times since the initial meeting. “So, what have you been up to today?”
Techno shrugs. “I was kinda bored, so I decided to come over.” He steps towards Spirit and gives her a few gentle pats on the side. “Spirit’s lookin’ good today.”
“We brushed her yesterday,” Dream explains, watching the alicorn’s silvery tail flick. “She just went on a fly as well.”
“Ah, that explains it. By the way, do you have anythin’ to eat? I’m starvin’.”
Dream winks. “I always have something to eat.” He snaps his fingers and conjures a plate of custard bursts. “Niki made this a few hours ago and no one touched it. It’s ours now.”
“I like the way you think.” Chuckling, Techno picks up a custard burst and pops it into his mouth. “Mmmm, tasty.”
Dream giggles. “I know.” He takes a custard burst for himself and nibbles slowly on it. “So, other than eating, what do you want to do?”
Techno shrugs again. “I dunno. Just hang out, I guess.”
“We could go to my room?”
“That works.”
“Okay.” Just then, Dream spots Puffy jogging over. “Oh, Mama! Hi!”
“Hi, duckling,” Puffy greets. She smiles at Techno. “And hello to you too, Techno. You two go ahead and go into the house. I’ll take care of Spirit.”
“Thanks, Mama,” Dream says gratefully. He reaches out and instinctively takes Techno’s hand. Instantly, he senses that the pinkette is feeling happy, content, and… flustered? Dream’s not quite sure since his Empathy isn’t as strong as his Conjuring. Perhaps the flusterdness is his own- he is holding Techno’s hand, after all.
Remembering what he’s supposed to be doing, Dream snaps out of his thoughts. He leads Techno back to the house and up the stairs into his bedroom. It’s not super big, but it’s definitely very cozy, with a soft carpet covering the floor and an even softer bed tucked away in the corner.
Dream flops down on his bed and pats the spot next to him. “Welcome to my room! I just realized you’ve never been in here before.”
Techno sits down as well. “It’s very nice, although I must question why there’s fur all over the carpet.”
“Oh, that’s probably from Fran. She’s my brother Sam’s dire wolf. She must’ve been in my room earlier.”
“Your brother has a dire wolf? How is he not dead?”
Dream giggles. “Fran’s super sweet. She was kicked out of her pack, so we decided to take her in. She’s a family pet, not a wild animal.”
“Interestin’.” Techno takes another custard burst from the plate they’d brought with them. “Gosh, these are really good.”
“I know. My mom’s a really good baker.”
“And I’m not. I’m better than Wilbur, at least.”
Dream giggles again. “I believe you. Phasers are always terrible in the kitchen. So are Frosters, Pyrokinetics, and Hydrokinetics. Did you know that Punz once tried to use the oven and ended up breaking it with ice? And Foolish once flooded the whole kitchen while trying to bake mallowmelt.”
“Wilbur once forgot he was in his phase-y state and tried to grab a knife. He fell flat on his face. It was beautiful.”
“I see you feel lots of affection for your brothers.”
“No, I actually do sometimes. Just not usually.”
Dream lets out a wheeze. He always forgets how funny Techno is and ends up laughing his head off every time the pinkette comes over. “Oh my gosh, you’re an idiot.”
“But I’m your idiot.” The words make both of them blush, and Dream’s heart skips a beat in his chest. He forces it to calm down and tries to ignore the fact that that’s what couples say to each other. Don’t think about that, Dream. No matter how much you like Techno, there’s a very low chance you’ll actually get Matched with him.
As if the pinkette could read Dream’s thoughts, Techno says, “Have you gotten your Match lists yet?”
Dream shakes his head. “No. I turned my questionnaire in about a year ago, though, so I should be able to get them soon.”
“Me too,” Techno says. “Are you plannin’ on holdin’ a Winnowin’ Gala?”
“I think so. It sounds fun. How about you?”
“Meh. I would, but my social anxiety would probably ruin in.”
“Aww, it’s okay,” Dream says. “I think you should hold one. It’ll be fun! Your parents will be there to support you as well.”
“True,” Techno muses. “Okay, I’ll hold one if you do.”
“Deal,” Dream agrees. “I’m going to ask my parents if we can get my list this weekend.”
“Alright, I will too.” A faint smile crosses Techno’s face. “Watch me get, like, Sapnap as my number 1 match.”
“Ew, no,” Dream giggles. “No offense, but you and Sapnap would make a terrible couple.”
“I agree,” Techno says. “I would never date Sapnap.”
“I don’t think he’d date you either, to be honest.”
They spend the next couple of hours talking about various different topics. Around lunchtime, Techno leaps home, and Dream heads back outside to work with the animals. He does that for the rest of the day, and all throughout his tasks, a faint sense of excitement bubbles inside him.
When the weekend arrives, Dream goes with his moms to the Matchmaker’s office to pick up his first list. Even though he’s bursting with nerves and excitement to open it, he forces himself to wait until he’s alone in his room. Then, after taking a deep breath, he slowly unrolls the scroll. He decides to start from the bottom, just to mix it up, and begins to read.
Most of the names are ones that he doesn’t recognize, or ones that belong to people he barely knows. Number 56 is actually Sapnap, but Dream ignores it. He loves Sapnap, but not in that way. Number 50 is George- again, only a friend- and number 43 is Alyssa. None of them are people he’d ever date.
Slowly, he begins to approach the top of the list, where names start to get a lot more familiar. 20 is Hannah, a Psionipath from school who he’s friendly with. 18 is a guy named Fundy who actually used to have a crush on Dream. 15 is Wilbur, Techno’s brother. 10 is Illumina, a Flasher who Dream thinks is cute but not really partner material. His heart begins to beat faster and faster as he reaches number 5, 4, 3, 2-
1.
As Dream reads the name that’s in the number 1 spot, he feels like all the breath has been sucked out of him. The name is achingly familiar and, although he has never admitted it, one that he’d been hoping to see on his list.
Technoblade Minecraft.
Dream’s thoughts race frantically around in his head like a panicked jackalope. Techno’s my number 1 match. My crush is my number 1 match.
… but what if I’m not on his list?
The idea that he might not be on Techno’s list makes Dream’s heart pang. He wants the match to be mutual, even if Techno doesn’t like him back (although both of those would be ideal). He desperately wants to leap to Everglen right now and find Techno’s list to see for himself. Please, let me be on there.
Dream forces himself to take a deep breath. Calm down, he thinks. You can visit tomorrow and ask. Just relax.
Even though it’s basically killing him to wait, Dream puts his list away and gets into bed. He closes his eyes, hoping to fall asleep quickly so that morning will come sooner. His wish is granted when only mere moments later, he drifts off to sleep.
---
The morning after the day he picked up his list, Techno wakes to Phil bursting through his door. “Techno!” the blonde calls. “Dream’s here!”
Techno grunts and rolls over on his side. “Can’t he wait?” he grumbles. “I’m literally in my pajamas.”
“Yeah, I’ll tell him to wait. Get dressed quickly, though.” Phil disappears, leaving Techno to drag himself out of bed. He lazily throws on some clothes- a tunic and a pair of pants- and walks to the door. That’s when Phil’s words catch up to him, and he freezes.
Dream.
Techno still remembers last night all too vividly. He’d come home and immediately hid in his bedroom to read his list. Most of the names had been ones he didn’t recognize, but at the very top of the list, in the number 1 spot, was one that he did- Dream Nihachu.
When he’d read that name, Techno had felt an extremely complicated mix of emotions. Shock, for one. Happiness, for another, because he’s noticed for a while now that his feelings for Dream aren’t exactly platonic. But above all those feelings was anticipation. That night, only one question had been in Techno’s head: Am I on Dream’s list?
It’s likely. They’re both nobles, after all, and they both have special abilities. But the chance that Dream actually likes him back is slim, and Techno knows that all too painfully well. He wants Dream to like him- who wouldn’t want their crush to return their affections?- but will it happen? As much as it hurts to admit it, probably not.
Techno snaps back to attention as Dream steps into his room, clutching a scroll in his hand. “Hi, Techno,” the blonde greets softly.
“Hallo,” Techno replies. And that’s when he realizes that his list is still lying open on his bedside drawer. By now, though, it’s too late. He watches helplessly as Dream walks over to the drawer and begins to read his list.
That’s it, I’m doomed for, Techno thinks, closing his eyes. He’s going to see his name on my list and be weirded out. He’ll end our friendship, and I’ll never get to see him again.
A soft hand lands on his cheek. He opens his eyes. Dream is standing in front of him, cheeks pink and lashes fluttering. When the blonde speaks, his voice is soft.
“I’m your number 1?”
Techno licks his lips anxiously. “Y-yeah.”
Slowly, Dream pulls something out of his ankle pocket and hands it to Techno. It’s a scroll with the seal of the Matchmakers. With shaking hands, Techno opens it and reads the title: Top Tier Matches for Dream Nihachu. His eyes widen upon seeing his own name at the number 1 spot.
“I- I’m yours too?”
“Yeah,” Dream murmurs. “We’re a match.”
Silence. Techno’s heart is pounding from Dream’s proximity. He can see every single freckle dotting the blonde’s cheeks, creating a miniature map of stars. Dream’s lips are parted slightly, and not for the first time, Techno wonders how they’d feel on his own.
Dream releases a small, shaky exhale. “Well, I don’t think I’m going to hold a Winnowing Gala anymore.”
“Why not?”
“Because I already know who I want.” Dream’s eyes lock with Techno’s, blue-green irises shimmering in the light streaming through the window.
Techno swallows. “Really? Who is it?” His heart is beating faster than ever.
“Someone very handsome and funny,” Dream murmurs, stepping even closer. Their faces are inches away now. If Techno were to lean slightly forward, their lips would be touching. “Someone I love a lot.”
“I know who I want too,” Techno whispers.
“Show me, then.”
Slowly, very slowly, Techno leans down and connects his lips with Dream’s. Instantly, he feels a rush of giddiness. Dream’s lips are soft and warm and taste slightly like butterblasts, and they they feel so unbelievably good on his own. He greedily drinks it in like lushberry juice, relishing in the feel and the taste and everything.
Eventually, though, he has to pull away for air. He inhales deeply and takes in the sight in front of him. Dream is panting softly, cheeks red and lips slightly swollen. He looks even more beautiful than usual, and Techno desperately wants to swoop back down and get another taste of those pretty pink lips.
“Wow,” Dream murmurs, reaching up to touch a finger to his lips. “You’re a really good kisser.”
Techno lets out a surprised laugh. “That’s a shock. Never done it before.”
“You’d better not,” Dream giggles. He smiles shyly. “So, no Gala?”
“No Gala,” Techno agrees. He reaches down and takes Dream’s hand. “I don’t need a fancy ball when I have you.”
Dream lets out a little happy sigh and leans into Techno’s chest. “When should we tell our parents?” he mumbles.
“I’m 90% sure that my mom might be spyin’ on us right now, but we can tell them,” Techno says, rubbing Dream’s back. “I’m just dreadin’ what Tommy and Wilbur’ll say. They’ll tease me for weeks.”
“Am I not worth that?” Dream asks jokingly, leaning back to look Techno in the eyes.
Techno shakes his head. “Of course not. You’re worth more than any amount of teasin’.”
“Simp,” Dream giggles quietly. Techno merely smiles and returns to rubbing the blonde’s back. If he strains his ears, he can hear the faint sound of Kristen laughing from outside his room. He’s not surprised that his mom is listening in, and he also won’t be surprised if he never hears the end of this from his brothers once he tells them.
That can wait until later, though. For now, he’s content to enjoy Dream’s company in the sunlit warmth of his room.