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Techno cringed as he passed by a stained glass window depicting…an extremely suggestive scene. “Why must we be here?” Techno muttered as he averted his eyes away from a stature. “Because you're a new champion of the Blood God,” Phil repeated for the 6th time, sighing and shaking his head, “I’ve told you, we’ve gotta go visit the god’s shrines to…?”
Phil probed his intern. Techno rolled his eyes, “To pay respect for them and gain their recognition, best case scenario their favour, some stupid politics or something. Weird since my god is literally Anarchy…”
“More like Warfare,” Phil corrected, “But what else?”
“To know how other devotees are supposed to act and get inspiration for what “my traditions ” can be blah blah blah,” Techno waved a hooved hand, “I geeeeet it Phil, we’ve met the sea domains, I’ve met your wife, there’s other gods to meet, people to talk to, pleeeeeeenty of inspiration. So why do we need to be here? Here specifically.”
Techno hissed the last part, trying not to let his voice echo through the quartz halls. Two men, entangled in the silk curtains glared at him and Techno tried not to recoil in disgust.
“You might not like lust, but gods like Eros and Carlyn are just as connected and important to your domain. Just like my Lady’s.” Phil spoke evenly, measured footsteps and unbothered expression as he lead the way to the main praying area. Technoblade, crowned Champion of the Blood God of only 30 years, on the other hand…
The young piglin pulled his cloak closer together as the pair passed a trio where every surface area of skin was in contact with another.
“I know that…but it’s just that all these,” Techno averted his eyes to the ceiling, “public displays make me feel a little…you know.”
“I know.” Phil echoed. Yeah suuuuureeeee, he “knew”. The avian turned his head and raised an eyebrow, silently asking Techno to explain.
“You know.” Techno parroted back.
“I actually don’t really know.” Phil shrugged, “Most people don’t mind these “public displays” and actually enjoy them.”
“HEH! People enjoy being so close to people?!” Techno barely managed to restrain his panic into a whisper. Maybe it was mean, but Phil let out a chuckle.
At Phil’s nod, a full-body shudder shook Techno’s body, “That just looks disgusting.”
That day, if Phil let them spend less time then he originally planned at those prayer halls, Techno never found out. Phil filed that day’s observation away.
—
A couple centuries later, as the Antarctic Empire was thriving and exploding with fortune, Phil and Techno had a conversation. The two shared a room to save fuel, but because of Phil’s wings and the fact that Techno was a kicker in his sleep, for a good night’s sleep they got their separate beds.
Quiet nights, with a fire in the hearth for prayers and warmth, with the two existing easily with each other, were fond memories. This night, Techno was picking up his woodcarving hobby again while Phil read a book Kristin recommended to him. The cheesy words of love that the Goddess of Death wrote to her husband on the first page had made Techno fake gag.
Techno was absently shaving the wood, mind thinking about other matters. Today they had met up with the other rulers of various kingdoms, in a sort of peace meeting. There, two pairs had caught Techno’s eyes. In this year, there had been news of two separate marriages between some kingdom’s prince and princesses, no doubt arranged for political advantage.
The first pair, from a kingdom near to the sea and their plains neighbour, treated each other coldly. Arranged marriage at its finest, where it let bitterness fester with the restriction of not being able to love anyone.
The second pair was more…interesting. The royal family of the Fudji kingdom had many heirs to marry off like pawns, and that was the exact scenario that had happened when a young but promising nation went searching for allies. Allies that they were willing to trade their barely of age son for.
It worked, the Fudji sent off a princess that they could easily spare. But it was what happened after, and how the pair acted to each other, that intrigued Techno. Through news and gossip, even the far-away Antarctic Empire heard about the many occasions where the two celebrated their “marriage” and “love”. One story told tales about how the prince begged citizens for tutoring on how to dance so that he could be the partner to his wife in her favourite activity. Another story spoke of a day where the princess was seen with a carriage full of flowers as she fretted over which one her prince would like. Photos were provided.
If this was all just an act, the actors were exceptionally skilled. Phil and Techno thought otherwise, that the newly weds had truly fallen in love with each other after their marriage. In this world, that was rare. In this world, that was a vulnerability.
In this world, that was precious.
That day’s meeting confirmed that the two, unlike the other pair, were madly and deeply in love, even though they were forced to “love”.
Techno was very confused. So he spoke up, asking his truest friend, “How in the world do people know they love someone.”
Phil didn’t even look up, “Discounting physical attraction. Love is when being near them brings someone joy, when they decide that this is the person they want to be close with, someone they trust.”
“Yeah yeah, poetic stuff,” Techno waved a hand in a dismissing motion, “But how is that different from family and friendship? You bring me joy in your silly and clumsy antics, as much as I hate to admit it. I know I want to stay with you for the rest of our maybe immortal lives, if not I would have left centuries ago. And I obviously trust you.”
Phil put down his book, actually listening.
“But I don’t love you in all those romantic ways where “butterflies flutter in my heart” or “I blush when you look at me”. That’s you and Kristin, and don’t you dare try to deny that. The thought of you and me holding hands romantically is just- feels strange to me, and kissing scares me.” Techno looked down at the wood blob in his hands, “I just can’t imagine me loving someone romantically.”
Phil let the silence settled before he spoke up again, expression soft, “...and maybe that’s okay. I mean, you’re never going to get into an arranged marriage, you’re literally a God’s Champion. But you don’t have to love love someone. If you’re happy and comfortable without romance, that’s perfectly you and perfectly alright.”
“Yeah, but everyone has that,” Techno gesture at the wall, presumably at their kingdom and its citizens, “Or at least everybody wants that. Don’t all teens want to go on dates and find the best person to mate with-”
Techno grunted as Phil broke down cackling at his word choice, waiting for his friend to compose himself before continuing.
“-Point is, everyone thinks that love is so important, but I don’t.” Techno locked eyes with Phil.
“...Techno.” Phil started seriously, “Do you care for me as a friend.”
“Of course.”
“Do you wish for my happiness and safety.”
“Duh.”
“And you know that we trust each other.”
“Yep.”
“Then you don’t have to be in love,” Phil leaned back, “We can be as close as couples without being in love with each other romantically, our friendship can be just as strong as “love”. If you want that.”
Techno felt something ease in his chest. He started carving the wood again, this time with a purpose and idea, “That sounds…nice.”
—
Techno came out as asexual in the least dramatic way. Niki fell over laughing when the two told her the story. Quite literally, it happened one day, and Phil just accepted it.
It was around 70 years before Wilbur, the two had settled down for a bit after their latest… “adventures”, gotten a nice little apartment with their legally acquired emeralds which the means they had gotten them was classified for security reasons. They were acting like normal mortals, just ordinary citizens. Nothing to see here, just move off, we’re totally not ex-rulers of a kingdom, not blessed by gods of war and death, totally haven’t been mistaken as those gods before and got worshipped and fell into a cult which they prompt destroyed because the cultist had tangled up children with them nuh uh, totally never done anything like that. Perfectly normal and law-abiding citizens(ignore the corpse in the corner and the legally acquired emeralds).
Techno had, in order to blend in, had to get a job. Unfortunately that meant
Human interaction
His way too energetic co-worker, a young teen, was happy to talk to a silent Techno while the other brainstormed ways to escape. Rinse and Repeat everyday. Techno hated that he had just chosen the first job he saw, a barista position.
But that day had an interesting conversation. About how, somehow, during the time when he and Phil had run off into the wilderness, the world had gone to hell.
The pair had fought in the right for equal rights and respect for all hybrids a couple centuries ago, partially because the Blood God demanded chaos and fighting, also because of course they wanted to. Sometimes hate against hybrids still flared, even many centuries later, but Phil liked to be optimistic sometimes and think that because there were less “pureblood” human lines. But Techno still saw the harsher side, hybrids against the more “violent in nature” hybrids, like nether mobs. But he digressed.
A little while earlier, he and Phil had attempted a sort of survival world, but in a hub world. Surviving in the wilderness, fending off wild panthers and building tree-houses. Exhausting, and never again.
So they were completely cut-off from the world. And another stupid fight started, this time about who people could love. Apparently now assholes tried to limit same-gender love. Techno didn’t understand that at all, it had been common in the Antarctic Empire. He had learned new knowledge about “LGBTQIA+”, like people who didn’t like their original gender, or tried to break free from just two choices, and everything else.
People didn’t make sense.
“And A stands for asexuals and aromantics and those on the spectrum,” The co-worker(who Techno definitely knew the name of)(not that he had forgot it) (and didn’t want to), “Aces don’t feel sexual attraction, Aro’s don’t feel romantic attraction, Aroace is a combination of them, and you can feel uncomfortable, neutral, and other types on the spectrum.”
“...You don’t feel romantic attraction?” Techno asked, curious.
“I mean, not me, but yeah, some people just don’t feel romance. And they are perfectly valid.”
Aroace…
Techno thought about it for a while that night, Phil sleeping easily in the next room.
The next day, warm sunlight streaming through the windows, Phil was drinking his tea in a mug, fiddling with some string in his latest hobby. Techno walked into the living room, hair already perfectly brushed. “I think I’m asexual.” He mentioned as he passed to the kitchen, making his breakfast.
Phil stared at Techno’s back, silently asking the other to explain. The bastard ignored him, so Phil’s only option was to ask his crows.
Caw Caw Caw CAAAAAAAAAAAWWW caw caw
Oh.
…
Phil shrugged. “Hey Techno!” Phil yelled over the sizzling grease, “Are you also aromantic?”
“Maybe?” Techno shouted back, “But being an Ace sounds cooler.”
Fair. Phil drank another sip of his tea.