𝐖𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐘𝐎𝐔, dreamnoblade

𝟎𝟐 | chapter two

FORTUNATELY for Manifold, Dream enters a few minutes later, the chimes announcing his arrival. Techno looks up, watching the librarian shake his head, scattering water droplets. His eyes flit to the window; rain is coming down heavily. He wouldn't want to be out there.

"Sorry," Dream begins, "I lost track of time—"

"Don't worry about it, mate," Phil says warmly. "We're still waiting on Niki and Puffy." He frowns at the downpour.

The librarian glances over his shoulder. "Yeah, that storm came out of nowhere," he muses, then turns to Manifold. "I don't think we've met. I'm Dream Smith."

"Jack Manifold," the detective replies, shaking the offered hand. At this point, he's completely unfazed by the odd names. Honestly, compared to Technoblade and Ranboo Beloved, Dream Smith is ordinary.

What must it be like, having a name that no one thinks twice of?

(Techno faintly recalls his first—and only, for that matter—interaction with Ranboo's friend Tubbo.

"Tuberculosis Underscore," the boy introduced himself.

Techno looked at Ranboo.

Ranboo looked at him.

What the fuck, he thought, hypocrite that he is.)

"He's Niki's detective friend," Techno adds. "He's takin' down the Syndicate." Trying to take them down, anyway. Manifold will inevitably fail, and the Syndicate will live to see a new day.

Dream's eyes widen, and he looks between Technoblade and the detective. "Really?" he asks.

Manifold nods hesitantly, a sheepish look on his face. "Yeah, not that I've accomplished much," he admits. Techno can appreciate his humility. "I'm the only one working on the case."

The blond frowns. "Isn't the Syndicate a big threat, though?"

"People are afraid," Techno offers, and both the librarian and the detective turn to him. "They think that tryin' to stop the Syndicate will get them killed. Everyone else has something to lose."

Manifold stiffens slightly at the implication. It's not wrong, though; they've done an in-depth sweep of the detective's history. His family is dead, his friends are few and far between, and he cares for nothing. There's nothing they can hold over his head.

Techno used to be like that—rootless, wandering from place to place, never settling for long. He had no one to look out for other than himself, and no place to call home.

He prefers this.

"The Syndicate hasn't gone after civilians, though," Dream says, "right?" He turns to Manifold for affirmation.

The detective nods. "Not that we're aware of. They generally tend to keep casualties to a minimum."

They do, per Niki's request. It never really applied to her or Ranboo, and Phil would never hurt a civilian. All four of them know that that rule is for Techno, to keep him in check.

He's not offended by it; he was the one who warned them. It's been years since the last time he lost control, but that'll never be enough. If he loses himself again, everyone is in danger, including his allies.

Techno avoids conflict to the best of his ability, and if he has to, he takes the route that requires the least amount of bloodshed.

It's nice to see that someone else noticed.

"That's kind of interesting," Dream muses. "They're the most feared villains in the city, but they don't hurt innocents."

"Guess they have standards," Techno says.