Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” the blond looked at him with shock in his eyes, as if the thought hadn’t occurred to him before.

Dream shuffled a bit closer to him and took his hands in his: “If you have even a grain of doubt about this whole thing, then the whole thing is off. I promise,” he looked Techno in his eyes intently, “It’s you who matters to me, I’ll follow you ‘till the end of the world if that’s what it takes.”

The thought being voiced so open made Techno feel warm inside, he leaned over and kissed Dream on his cheek: “I love you too, Dreamy.”

Dream squeezed his hand.

--

Even though they’d discussed and planned this entire thing, Dream couldn’t help but feel a string of doubt tightening around his heart.

He felt a hand on his shoulder: Sapnap.

“You okay, Dream. You’re just staring at the wall like it personally hurt you or something.” Dream chuckled.

Sapnap sat down next to him and leaned closer: “By the way, have you seen Gogy around?”

Dream felt his chest constrict in fear, but tried not to show it: “No, why?”

“I haven’t seen him since this morning. I sent him a text to ask if he’d gone home but,” he shook his head, “he answered he hadn’t gone home, that he simply didn’t want to see to want to see you.”

“So now I’m wondering, Dream, what you did to George that he didn’t even show for our big game.”

Dream lowered his head to his hands: “I fucked up Sap. I- I said some stuff that I shouldn’t have, I- I don’t.” His breathing began to speed up.

Sapnap put an arm around his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down: “Dream, I’m sure he’ll be fine. I’m sorry, I wouldn’t have confronted you with this if I knew how bad it was.”

Dream leaned into his best friend: “You think he’ll forgive me?”

Sapnap laughed: “Well, I don’t know what you did.”

“It’s more about what I’ll do, not about what I have or haven’t done.”

“Now that’s cryptic.”

Dream gave Sapnap a soft shove, but seeing the precarious position in which Sapnap had been sitting on the bench resulted in him falling of the bench with comical force.

Dream began wheezing as Sapnap laid on the floor with his breath knocked from his lungs.

Sapnap lunged for Dream’s legs and pulled him to the floor.

That’s how the coach found them: two of his star players lying on the ground in absolute stitches.

The Captain simply sighed ‘teenagers these days…’, before getting his clipboard from his office.

--

To say Technoblade was nervous was an understatement. He felt like walking a thousand miles simply to get the jitters out of his legs. He felt as if his head was about to explode into a thousand pieces.

Wilbur looked at him oddly as Techno kept pacing the room.

“Sit down you pink-haired idiot!” Techno’s head grew red, and he sat down beside Wilbur.

Wilbur sighed at the way his brother’s leg was still bouncing up and down. He put a hand on the young man’s thigh, forcing him to stop bouncing up and down.

Techno sighed and leaned back in his chair, after sending an annoyed look at his brother.

“Dude, you’ll do fine. You’ll be valedictorian, I’m sure. Who else could it be?”

Niki piped up from behind them: “It could also be Dream…”

Wilbur turned around to face his friend: “Niki, you are not helping my case of convincing my darling brother.”

He turned back towards Techno: “Tech, you’ll be fine: you studied like crazy, didn’t you?”

Techno nodded.

The director’s voice sounded from somewhere in the large auditorium: “We need to be on the field in ten minutes!”

A chorus of ‘Yes Ma’ams’ sounded from all around the room.

Techno and Wilbur began putting their equipment on. Techno helped Wilbur put his guitar around his neck, his shoulder still hurt when he had to lift it.

Techno himself didn’t need much helping: he grabbed his violin, made sure it was tuned (it always was) and then moved on to helping others put on their gear.

“Two minutes guys, we’re heading out!”

Miss Puffy lead the line of musicians out the auditorium’s impressive doors.

Wilbur, Niki and Techno closed the line. Their presence elicited the most reaction from the student body.

People were yelling all around the stadium in the hopes that Wilbur or Niki would react.

Techno was sure some people were yelling for him as well, but his mind was elsewhere.

It was fully occupied with Dream standing on the field with his helmet off, grinning. The bright sunlight reflected in his green eyes and his blond hair and freckles shone.

He was reminded of his purpose there when the percussionists began setting the beat for their opening.

Techno squared his shoulders, violin on his shoulder and his full focus on the music.

Next to him, Niki and Wilbur did the same for their instruments.

The beat began swelling under the percussionists and the clapping of the people in the stands. Even some people on the team were clapping along to the rhythm.

The flutes picked up seamlessly. Techno marvelled at the way it was all coming together.

More and more instruments joined the music.

Wilbur cleared his throat next to Techno, and sang the first note.

Sounds of recognition came from the stands and people began to sing along to the music. Wilbur’s voice, helped by his mic, carried over the field like nothing Techno had ever seen before.

Don’t look over at the field, Techno. You know who’s waiting there for you and you want to be able to play.

It was time for the violin to begin. Techno breathed in deep before setting down his bow in the way he’d practiced for hours at the time.

The music, which was coming sounding from every speaker around the field blared back into Techno’s ear, it sounded different that what he was used to. But the familiar feeling of his violin and his bow between his fingers allowed him to forget that.

Techno allowed himself to get lost in the music:  his bow being steered by his fingers without much thought, it glided over the strings with clarity and beauty.

One by one, the instruments began dying down. When the flutes went quiet, it was time for the real fun to begin.

Techno raised his eyes to the sky as his bow darted over the violin in a way that felt so utterly organic, that felt so natural.

He didn’t notice when Wilbur and Niki stopped their music, he couldn’t hear the way the crowd gasped as Techno closed his eyes, but the music didn’t stop. If anything, it grew stronger and more confident.

He felt the last few notes reverberate through his fingers, up to his shoulders.

He opened his eyes as he was showered in applause from both the audience and his fellow musicians. Techno was panting from the experience.

Wilbur hugged him from the side and screamed into his microphone:

“That’s my brother you bunch of motherfuckers!”

The microphone was quickly pulled from Wilbur by Niki, who apologized for her friends language. She pulled Wilbur, and consequently Techno, who was still hanging onto his brother, into the stands.

They sat in the first row in seats that Jack had kept free for them.

Wilbur kept his shit-eating grin on his face the entire time.

--

Techno was a bit embarrassed to say that he wasn’t really paying attention to the whole game, unless a certain blond captain got the ball. Then his eyes were suddenly glued to the man.

He had to keep himself from sending a kiss Dream’s way when the captain suddenly winked at him.

--

They won the match, of course they did. Under Dream’s expertise, and the Captain’s coaching: it was a match made in heaven.

Dream scored the last points and he was carried from the field on the team’s collective shoulders.

--

Techno was seriously doubting knocking on the door of the men’s locker room. Inside, he could hear the team chanting Dream’s name over and over.

But this is what they’d decided on.

He knocked before he could quite realise what he’d done.

It was a freshman that opened the door, Techno vaguely recognised him as one of the children Dream’s friends had adopted (or tried to).

“What do you want?”

Techno disliked this kid’s voice, it was still squeaky and higher than you would expect from a guy that almost reached the top of the doorframe.

“Who is it?” A voice sounded from somewhere in the room.

“Techoblade!” the boy called back.

“What the fuck is he doing here?”

Suddenly Sapnap was standing in front of him. The shorter man was only dressed in baseball shorts and long white socks. It was an odd sight, but a fitting one for the man in front of him.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Techno?” Sapnap sounded angry, for some reason Techno couldn’t understand.

“I’m here to see Dream.” Techno tried looking into the room, but he couldn’t make out the familiar blond hair.

The kid spoke up: “Why? What the fuck could you want with our Captain?”

“Does he seriously make you guys call him “Captain”?”

The boy’s face grew red: “No. Of course not. But it’s cooler than Dream, innit? What does the band call you, then?”

“They call me Technoblade, or just Techno. Y’know, my name.”

“It’s a bitch name, I’ll have you know.”

“I’ll remember that. Who the fuck are you even?”

The boy’s eyes grew wide, as did Sapnap’s: “You, Technoblade the Third, swear? Like cuss words?”

A familiar voice piped up from behind the duo: “Oh, he cussed like a fucking sailor once you get him started. Also, this is Tommy, but that’s not important."

“Look, Dream. I just wanted to congratulate you on the game.”

“Thank you, Techno. Congrats on your performance as well, I think your fanbase has grown exponentionally just from that solo.”

“Nah, it’s Wil that had got the insane fans.”

Tommy, apparently, spoke up: “Okay, you’ve both said congrats. I want to party and I don’t think Technoblade knows how to dance like I do,” he looked at Techno, “so leave. Please.”

Dream flashed Techno a questioning look, Techno responded with a subtle nod in his direction.

“Say, Tommy. Would you consider me your father? At least at school.”

“Odd question, big man. But you did adopt me…” he swivelled his head at Dream, “Why the fuck do you ask?”

Dream pulled Techno forward in a smooth movement. He grabbed his boyfriend’s head and pressed their lips together.

Both the men came from the kiss slightly out of breath, while Tommy and Sapnap just stood there, also breathless but for a completely different reason.

Dream smiled at Tommy: “Meet mom.”

--

Wilbur was right in the end: Techno was valedictorian.

His name was the first to be called to the podium to give the annular senior speech.

Techno felt odd standing in front of the entire student body without his trusty violin on his shoulder.

But a certain blond sitting in the front row beaming at him made him feel completely at ease.

“Hello everyone!” the crowd greeting him back by shouting back his name and praise, it felt odd, but nice.

“I guess I should welcome you all to the graduation of the class of ’25. So, by this. Welcome!

Like everyone sitting here in front of me, also wearing this horribly itchy robe. I started here five years ago.

I was plunged into a world I didn’t know, didn’t understand. I was scared, and without my twin brother, that’s Wilbur Soot sitting in the front row for the few of you he hasn’t tried talking to- ”

Wilbur stood up, turned around and bowed at the student body, then at Techno and the principal. Earning him a good amount of laughs and applause.

“We see, Wilbur: dramatic as ever. But as I said, I was scared starting here. And without my brother, I would’ve been terrified. It might not seem like it but I used to be terrified talking to strangers or large groups.

And well, look at me now; I’m giving a speech to over threehundred people, most of you I don’t know. In my time here, I’ve made friends and I’ve made some foes.” A lot of people looked at Dream.

“I met this so-called foe in my first year. We were both smart, and both extremely competitive. We were first-years, who were desperate to keep our average to an A. I think most of you can figure out who I’m referring to here.”

He fell silent for a second.

“You might not assume this, but the only reason my brother and me were able to come here was because we got a scholarship. We grew up with a single mother who was always out, spending the little money that our dead-beat father sent her on things that would end up killing her.

We didn’t even have money we needed to send our application to schools like this one. We borrowed it from our English Professor from High School.

I was on a full scholarship with very strict requirements: I was allowed to have one average below eighty percent, the rest above that eighty.

Many of you call me hardworking, but in those days I was desperate: I studied every free second I had, simply because I was scared I’d lose this one-time opportunity.

I’ve got a story to tell you all: In my second year, I was pared with someone that people had began calling my rival. He was the rising star of our football team, I was a soloist in our orchestra as the youngest ever.

We had a group project, just the two of us. Some professor thought it was a good idea to put us together, they thought it might improve our “rivalry”.

Neither of us wanted to work with the other, whatever work we did, the other would also get the grade for. We were competing in grades and didn’t want to help the other.

One night, I had a breakdown during one of the session we had dedicated to our project. I told Dream about my scholarship, and how scared I was to lose it all from our simple little rivalry.

He suddenly disappeared, only to come back with a box of tissues and a beat up energy bar.

We worked until the end of the night, until the early birds began streaming into the library.

Working together, we got an A, enough for me to pass the class with an eighty-one percent. Allowing me to keep my scholarship and stay here.”

Technoblade turned towards the principal: “May I make a request, Professor?”

The principal nodded.

“Could Dream WasTaken please join me on the stage?”

A couple of gasps sounded from the crowd. But Dream stood up from his place with a smile that rivalled the brightness of the sun.

He stopped next to Technoblade.

Techno addressed the crowd once more:

“For all of you who think I don’t hear your request to fuck you that you yell at me whilst I’m playing. No offense, but I’ve kind of been taken since the end of my second year.”

This time Techno initiated the kiss, but Dream received it well.

Safe to say the crowd went absolutely batshit crazy at this revelation.

People were screaming, taking pictures and staring at the couple on stage: the two people no-one would’ve expected to be together.

Dream broke free of Techno and grabbed the mic:

“That’s my boyfriend, you fuckers!”