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It had been almost three years now since Reina left the cabin, disappearing into the taiga just as swiftly as the first day she burst into his life. Technoblade hadn't even noticed the first month, so deeply focused on taking down another new government on the rise that he hadn't even realized that one of the few people he trusts had left, rendering the home he'd built cold and quiet.
Where he normally would've been able to find someone on the run within a week or two, it took him nearly six months to pick up on her trail. The Scarlet Queen knew how to hide well, especially from those who know her.
And after the first two and a half years of fruitless searching had passed one of her only true friends had finally gave Technoblade a hint as to where Reina was currently hiding out. Perhaps Kaeli did it out of pity but mostly from exasperation with them both. A terrible idea perhaps, considering Reina would likely try to strangle the tiefling if she learned the bladedancer was the one who gave up her location but one thing the childhood friends had always had in common was their inability to not get involved with each other.
It took him two months to get to the mountain range, and another four to get to the village nestled in a valley surrounded by the white capped peaks. It was a wonderful little town, hidden away from the rest of the cruel world. Perfect for someone who needed to stay off the map.
The people stared at him when he entered the village, though their eyes are filled with curiosity rather than the fear he's used to. Many eyes linger on his piglin mask and brutish physique, yet no one says anything about it. A few children even run by him, giggling as the reach tiny hands out to feel the fabric of his cloak as they pass. An older lady offers him an apple with a kind smile when he walks by.
It's nothing like the strife he's used to. It's idealistic, in a way only fairytale stories tend to be. When he asks about a woman with frizzy red manes and gleeful emerald eyes a young hunter eagerly answers and tells him that she's out foraging today and that she lives at the edge of town – even going so far as to lead Technoblade to the cottage she resides in.
And that's where he waits. He takes a seat beneath a tree, eyes trained on the path. The voices are a dull hum in the back of his mind, sensing that they should remain silent spectators of the moment to come. A small mercy that he's gotten little of since the emptiness that the lack of Reina's presence had caused.
An hour passes. Then two. Technoblade remains still as if he were a lifelike sculpture rooted to the spot beneath the canopy. He only even twitched when the sound of boots against gravel hits his ears. A few minutes pass, and there she is. Much the same as the last time he'd seen her, though with far less prominent dark circles under her eyes and a few more smile lines.
A filled satchel on her hip, a thick cloak over her shoulders layered over a tunic and pants. Her outfit is made of simple cloth, a far cry from the elaborate armor or elegant gowns she'd once worn when assassinating. It suits her, in a strange domestic way.
Technoblade pushes himself to stand, braid shifting to drape down his back rather than his shoulder as his bones pop and crack from the shift from stillness to moving. It catches Reina's eyes immediately, reflexes still as sharp as ever. She halts her pace, staring at The Blade in a mix of confusion and shock. It'd been three years and this village isn't even on any maps, how could he possibly have found her? And more importantly, why had he bothered to go through the insane effort to chase her down?
Silence engulfs the area. He had half expected her to walk straight past him without a word. Instead, Reina remains unnervingly quiet, staring at him as the initial shock wears off and her mind starts to work out how he's here. "…Kaeli told you, didn't she." It's not a question, it's a statement. There's no other way he could've found her.
Technoblade nods. "Yeah, she did." Of course. Reina runs a hand through her hair, sunlight catching on the rose red coloration as she considers her options. No point in running, he's already come this far so he'll likely just chase after her. Which only leaves confronting him. Before she can anything more however, Techno beats her to it.
"Why did you leave?"
…Scratch that, there's another option. Punch him in the face. He'll probably just dodge but it's still a tempting thought. Reina takes a deep breath, fighting back the anger threatening to slip out.
"I left because I was tired of being ignored." The admission is coated with the exhausted irritation of someone who had played out this exact meeting in her mind hundreds of times and none of them fit the current situation. Turning away from him Reina struts towards the front door. "I was sick of being brushed off every time I tried to reach out. I missed our little chats about any random thing, but after a while all you wanted to talk about was anarchist ideals."
Reina is right, and Techno already knew it. He's had plenty of time to figure out exactly how he screwed things up in his desperate journey to see her again. But hearing her say it out loud still made him grimace with shame.
"…I know." He concedes, and it stops Reina in her tracks once more; hand reaching out to open the door to the cottage, presumably ready to go in and shut him out once again. That urge to punch him comes back twice-fold.
"Oh you know?" Reina hisses, not quite able to keep all the venom out of her voice. "You know, and you're just now regretting it?" Her head snaps around, hands clenching as she stalks toward him. She doesn't expect an apology from the infamous Blood God but damnit all she's going to get some kind of catharsis by giving him a piece of her mind.
"I spent weeks wondering if I had done something wrong, if I had slipped back into a habit that would cause you to push me away!" She's only a few feet away now, eyes narrowed as she devises what kind of hit combo would successfully land. "But after a year of being alone I realized that no, I didn't do anything wrong. You just can't be bothered to reach for anything that isn't a useful weapon or tool."
Coming from anyone else, he would've laughed it off. But coming from Reina? The woman who's tough as netherite and sharp as dripstone, who's been fighting by his side for years? It hurts more than the he'd ever want to willingly admit out loud. So he doesn't. Instead he just remains silent, accepting the brunt of her rage. Because for all his sarcasm and displays of devil may care attitude, he'd much rather suffer a bit of yelling than say something stupid and accidentally push her away again for good this time.
Still. Reina is good at knowing just how to hurt people with words and actions, so the next fifteen or so minutes of being savagely told off certainly aren't painless. At least she doesn't yet give into the urge to go for a strike. A pissed off assassin who knows you well is not one you want to scuffle with.
By the time she's done the tremble of rage has stilled and Reina is breathing hard, something that for her usually only happens during a hard battle, not in emotional situations. Neither was really the type to show their true feelings when tensions are high, courtesy of the harsh lifestyle they've both lived. But when a breaking point is hit, everything will pour out until the reservoir is drained.
Techno makes the smart choice not to ask if she's done yet. Rather, he says something that no one would ever believe Reina if she told them about this. "…You're as beautiful as the day I lost you."
The anger fades immediately, any thought of continuing her tirade fading from mind. She's so shell shocked Reina can't even reply with a simple, questioning 'what?'. Green eyes widen as they focus on his red ones, staring into them with a mix of emotions swirling in their gleaming depths.
By now the evening sky has begun to darken significantly, the air growing even colder. Reina barely reacts when Technoblade starts to herd her into the cottage like a protective sheepdog, hands hovering near her arms for guidance but not quite touching just yet. Once she's been settled in a chair, he carefully removes her cloak and satchel, setting them on the table before moving to start a fire.
It takes Reina a good few minutes to stop reeling from the very sudden and scarily sentimental confession from Technoblade. She shakes her head, neck loudly popping from how quickly she whips around to give a bewildered look to the warrior currently looking around her house with an appraising eye before kneeling at the hearth to coax the embers in it back to life with a few dry fresh logs.
"I have questions."
"I'm sure you do."
Techno doesn't even glance over his shoulder, mostly so that Reina can't see the silent panic in his body. He hadn't actually meant to say it out loud but he also can't fully bring himself to regret it. Unfortunately he did still say it out loud so now he'll have to find a way deal with the consequences of letting his mouth run without resorting to violence or lying. Easy as baking a cake, right?
"What was that earlier. And don't try to play it off blade, I know what I heard." Though that nickname in particular has always meant that he's in trouble, it's nice to hear Reina call him something that isn't an insult, even if only for a short time until her anger returns.
Technoblade releases a breath, calming himself as best he can before turning around to face Reina's questioning eyes. There's a unified screaming in the back of his mind, and he's not sure if it's just chat or his internal voice too. It's now or never, whatever he says next will make or break any chance at healing their relationship.
"That, was similar to something I'd been wanting to say for a while." Techno truthfully reveals, his voice coming out far more steady than he feels.
Reina, smart woman she is, picks up on the subtext behind Techno's words as easily as telling which direction a stream is flowing. Her hands grip the tables edge as she processes his words with a clinical precision, but her anger has yet to return.
"…And just how long is 'a while'?" She finally asks.
"About five years."
Two years before she left. Putting two and two together, Reina realizes with a start that this idiot, the mighty Blood God who's name is feared world wide, was in denial of his feelings and that's why he was ignoring her.
...
A minute of quiet passes, neither one speaking. Then Reina's palm cracks against Technoblade's cheek, the rough calluses on her hands from a life of hard labor and wielding weapons making the already hard smack hurt even more. Techno accepts it without so much as a grunt, even as the strike knocks his mask off, allowing red eyes filled with silent apologies and deep longing to meet the emerald gaze currently burning with justified frustration and anguish.
"I deserved that."
He doesn't apologize. No amount of them would make up for it. He reaches up a similarly rough hand, not to gingerly touch the rapidly reddening skin of his cheek to asses the damage like she expected, but to carefully take the hand that struck him. He simply holds it, not squeezing or intertwining their fingers. Giving Reina the choice to pull away if she wants to.
But she doesn't. Because surprise, surprise, she too had developed feelings that run deeper than camaraderie for him. Difference is she wasn't in denial for even half as long as him. Not only that, but as much as she hates it, Reina has missed Technoblade.
When Reina doesn't pull away after a few minutes, Techno gently tugs her to sit down beside him, wrapping the body of his cloak around her. Just like those late nights at the cabin when neither of them could sleep, so they'd bundle up in blankets and sit in in front of a roaring hearth, rambling until the next day or when they fell asleep.
And just like back then, Technoblade starts telling Reina a story from Greek mythology. This time it's of Achilles and Patroclus. About their meaningful relationship and how Achilles, who was considered the greatest warrior of his time, was often said to be tender towards Patroclus, who was also a warrior. And how Patroclus was kind in return, even sacrificing himself to protect Achilles. Though it eventually lead to his lovers death nonetheless.
"… What a bittersweet story." Reina says once Technoblade has finished telling them story. She has once again calmed down, staring into the flames flickering in the fireplace. They're closer now, knees pressing together.
"Greek mythology isn't known for it's happy stories." Isn't that the truth. Techno's eyes haven't left Reina's face, nor has he attempted to fetch his mask to cover up his own. "So I suppose it's a good thing we're not Greek."
"That doesn't mean our own story will end well." Who is she trying to fool? She hasn't pushed him away even one time. Maybe she should've. But Reina was never good at dealing with things related to the heart. Neither of them ever were. Perhaps that's why they've always gotten along like a house on fire.
The room falls silent save for the crackling of fire. The sky has long turned to the black of night, dotted with the small pinpricks of stars and a waxing crescent moon barely visible through the lazy swirl of snow outside. Nothing else needs to be said. Maybe tomorrow Reina will kick him out, or maybe they'll sit down and have a proper conversation. Or maybe they'll just exist in each other's presence a little while longer. Who knows really.
But that's for tomorrow. Tonight, they'll just sit in front of the hearth like old times and reminisce, enjoying a peaceful moment that's rare in a world like there's.