Apples of the Earth: A Technoblade x Reader (ON HIATUS)

Chapter 41: The One

"So you finally need my help, huh?", Phil asked, arms crossed over his chest. Techno rushed back and forth across his room. His hair was tossed and messy from how many times he had ran his fingers through it. His glasses hung from a chain around his neck, tapping against his chest with each step. His hooves were silent on the tiles floor. Thick woollen socks muffled the collisions. He came to a stop in front of his dad.

"Phil, I want tonight to be perfect. I need it to be perfect. A few months ago, I believed this night would end with me staying solo and you being disappointed, I'll admit that. I know you wouldn't really be disappointed, Phil.", Techno added before Phil could intervene. "But now, I feel like everything needs to be perfect and at the same time that perfection can only be found in fiction. It feels like tonight will affect the rest of my life, and it could go one of two very different ways: a life with (Y/n) smiling by my side, or a slow, torturous death without her there."

Phil held back a laugh. "That's a bit exaggerated, mate, but I get what you mean."
"So you'll help?"
"Yes I'll help you find something to wear. It's crazy how much (Y/n)'s impacted you. Before her, you'd just toss your cloak over anything and call it a day."
"Phil I'm past a point of no return. I can hardly remember what my routine was like before she became a part of my life."

The father and son looked through different items of clothing, but their search proved fruitless. Techno just couldn't find something he considered perfect. The two of them had almost given up and went to find Wilbur for advice, but then Phil got an idea. "Techno, I have an idea. Come with me."
Techno followed his father to his room, where he began looking through a wardrobe.

"I remember being given this by my own father to wear on my wedding day. It wasn't the most traditional, but I wore it. I really liked it, but it's safe to say Kristen liked it a lot more." Phil giggled as Techno 'eww'ed behind him. "I knew I wanted to give it to one of you when you were getting married, to make it a kind of tradition. I originally thought it would end up in Wilbur's hands first, seeing as he's the oldest. But I want you to be the first to wear it. It was made with an open kind of back, since I have wings, but I think it'll still work ok."

Phil pulled out several items of clothing, all preserved in good condition. Techno accepted the clothing from his father, and the two returned to Techno's room so he could change. Phil sat on Techno's bed as he changed in the bathroom. When Techno stepped out, Phil smiled. The nostalgia was clear to see on his face, but there was pride alongside it.

The outfit consisted of a shirt, a corset, trousers, and a cloak Techno had draped over his shoulder. The shirt was a pearly soft pink, with a heart-shaped opening on the back seemed with white thread. The shirt had long sleeves that went down to the wrist, a slit going completely down the top of them. Small silver rings connected the sundered parts of the sleeves so it stayed loosely on the arm. The neck of the shirt down to the collarbone was white lace, and the top was baggy above the corset.

The corset was a pale green with a darker, rosebush green decorating it with heart-shaped leaves. The heart opening of the shirt was on the upper back, and so was left uncovered by the corset. The trousers were creamy beige slacks, secured over the bottom of the corset with a brown belt and silver buckle. The cloak was white, and the bottom was decorated with embroidery similarly coloured as the shirt, depicting petals dancing in a fictional wind.

"You like it?", Phil asked his son, blinking away unshed tears. Techno looked to him silently before marching over to him and pulling his dad into a tight hug. "This is the one. This is the one I wanna wear tonight, Phil.", Techno whispered. Phil hugged his son back just as tightly.
"You wear it, and you go be happy tonight, ok? I love you, and we'll all be there for you no matter what. I promise."
"I love you too, dad."

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Kristen sat on a bench in the courtyard, an empty birdcage on the bench next to her. In her hands, Karl preened his feathers. The night was quiet. Clouds drifted in the sky lazily, and the moon glowed a pale grey. Lamps lit up the garden at regular intervals, leaving shadows lurking in far corners. Kristen's eyes were closed as she embraced the cold wind caressing her face, its fingers running through her black curls. Karl chirped and hopped out of Kristen's hands, taking a seat next to her on the stone bench. Kristen's eyes opened when she felt the breeze fall still. She swore she heard something tick, but thought nothing of it.

"It's nice to see you've been well, goddess."
"I was wondering when you'd show yourself. What a coincidence you were named Karl."
Karl sat next to Kristen, bronze goggles hanging from his neck. He kept his hands in the pockets of his multicoloured hoodie, a nasty bruise visible where his sleeve rode up his left arm. He swung his feet casually, keeping them just high enough to keep the pebbles underfoot undisturbed.
"I originally worried (Y/n) somehow knew who I was.", Karl giggled. The two gods enjoyed the quiet of the night as long as they could, but they had business to discuss.

"I had a premonition. A bad one. Have you been called by anyone?"
"I have: (Y/n)'s mother. Her fate is intertwined with my son's, and both of them in danger."
"Wilbur?"
"No, Technoblade."
"Ah, I can't say I'm surprised. His creation started the divine domino effect destined to end this world-"
"Destiny has been changed before.", Kristen immediately intervened.
"It has, but what kind of change could possibly stop world-destroying devastation?"
The two were quiet.
"All we can do is delay it, give time for something, someone, to arise and prevent it. Until that happens, we just need to . . . mitigate damage."
"Yeah, you're right.", Kristen sighed.

Karl saw how disheartened Kristen looked, and he placed his right hand on her shoulder. "You know I wish I could do something just as much as you do, you aren't the only god hopelessly in love with mortals."
Kristen laughed. "How are your partners, by the way?"
"They got very little warning that I was about to switch places with my finch, so are currently trying to kiss a bird thinking I was cursed by a fairy tale witch. Safe to say they're gonna be covered in scratches when I go back." The two laughed.

They weren't optimistic, but hope was there.

Hope was all they had.