𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖘 - (Technoblade)

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟑

She had her back to the door, it was by the windowsill where her key and candles lay. Her door creaked open and she heard the clicking of Cecilla's heels retreat back to the hall. Wilbur approached Venus's laying figure and tutted.

"Don't leave lit candles so close to where you sleep. It's not safe." He scolded and blew out the candles, flooding the room in darkness. "I think I'll stay. I have a few things I want to say." He sat at the foot of the bed, not checking if she would wake from his movement. "Your sister's a bit annoying, Venus. I like you a little more than her. You aren't who I like the most but you're on that list." He chuckled, Venus smiled to herself from his peculiar confession. "I heard your dad hit you, sorry... it doesn't feel right not doing anything so I just came to see if you were okay. You did a great job with Tommy's waistcoat! I love the heart stitched onto the pocket." He was talking with low whispers, as he mentioned Damien, he rested a hand at the back of her head and massaged it. "I wonder if you could see, if you could move, if you had a nosebleed? I heard that could happen. But Techno told us you could barely talk and you looked lost. So it must have been pretty hard. Technoblade was pretty angry... you were holding a baby and the guy hit you. Does he usually do that?" Wilbur wondered to himself but still whispered to the "sleeping" girl. "Yeah... He was crazy angry actually. He could barely hold it together. But I don't really know why. He did complain that you weren't eating and your dad wasn't letting you eat any more. Something about you being gracious and giving us food. Is that true? I didn't know." He yawned. Venus wondered why he was talking to himself. "Anyway, I'm tired. I shouldn't be saying any of this. But, you're a good person Venus. Thanks, if you really were avoiding food for us, all of us." He nodded and finally pulled his hand away.

"Tired? And go thank your mum. She didn't eat for a while either." Venus turned around, beginning to pity the boy who was talking to himself in a dark room.

"That scared me." He deadpanned and laughed as she sat up. "You've been awake the whole time?"

"Not really... I was zoning out when you were talking to my sister so I only heard you talking..." she trailed away, before sitting up and putting a hand on his shoulder, smiling sweetly, "I didn't hear a thing, could you repeat that, Wilbur?" She asked, trailing her hand up against his neck. His eyes widened and slapped away the hand.

"Enough teasing! God!" He semi-yelled while holding her wrist, with his free hand, he scratched the part of his neck she held. "Don't just do that!" He added.

"What? You caressed my head!" Venus argued back with a small, gentle laugh. "Why can't I?"

"It's barely decent! Well, that's firstly. I'm only two years younger than you and a boy with a girl alone in a dark room could lead to a scandal! Don't make it worse with your flattery, your... you're..." he groaned and covered his face, "you're making me blush!" He complained and she couldn't help but laugh more.

"Keep your head out of the gutter! I get you're a growing boy..." she sang as he punched her shoulder.

"I'm 19!" He exclaimed and pulled his face down in frustration.

"Sorry! Sorry! My bad!" She sang again and turned her legs out of the bed. Wilbur glared at her meanly. "Hey, don't look so mean! It hurts my feelings." She joked and he scoffed.

"You don't have feelings." He watched her stand up and look around. "Why are you awake anyway?" He asked, trying to change the subject.

"Can't sleep, well, I was about to but then you started talking with my sister." She explained and sat at her study. "Go to sleep in my bed, you're tired. You deserve it. I'm not tired anyway." Venus slowly began transitioning back to her usually cooler self. The playfulness from before had come from both slight fatigue and flattery.

"I can't! You're a girl!" He exclaimed, but it was too late, she was already at her study writing in a book. "Don't ignore me!"

"Wow you sleep talk weird." She chimed and continued her writing, he sighed, but knowing she wasn't going to budge, climbed into her covers as she minded herself.

The room was filled with light snoring as Venus concentrated on the paper under her quill. It wasn't anything important, just mindless sketches of dresses. Moonlight lingered in her room, fractured by her lamplight, which lay dim and warm. It honeyed her room greatly with a tint of orange, and the occasional creaking of her lamp kept the room from being strangely quiet. She was only interrupted some time later when Hertha rushed into the room and sighed dreamily, shutting the door as she did.

"What's happened to you, Hertha?" Venus asked the girl.

"I'm in love!" She squealed. Venus rolled her eyes with slight exasperation.

"Right. Care to describe him? Or shall I just leave it as that I'm too uninterested and unrelated to the topic?" It was hard for Venus, she wanted love but she didn't want close connections to people. She wanted the emotional reward but also couldn't bring herself to put in strain for it. Sometimes, she would think of love and have a foul taste left in her mouth.

"He's tall, insanely tall. Taller than anyone I've ever seen! He's also very kind and gentle, for someone like himself. People were scared of him, and avoided him. But I approached him with a drink, politely asking if he'd like one. He declined - he can't touch nor drink water! But goodness his eyes... green and red... so charming, I'm in love!" Hertha continued to ramble about the boy while Venus listened and continued to sketch dresses she'd never make. It was like that for some time, an unruly amount of description and fawning thrown at Venus to endure.

It stopped when the door creaked open and Technoblade stuck his head inside. Birds had already started chirping and the cold light of the moon was tinting purple from the horizon. Hertha shook at the sight of the ruthless leader, stepping and falling back onto Venus's bed. It was almost comical for Venus to watch Hertha jump up from feeling a leg, finally noticing Wilbur snoozing on the block of comfy, cushioned wool.

"V-Venus... how long... How long has that boy been in your bed? And... why... Why is Emperor Technoblade... in... in your room?" Hertha could barely push out, terrified and having nowhere to go. Venus stood up and sat Hertha down on the chair before turning to Technoblade and bowing.

"I'm sorry, Technoblade, for how I treated you. It was unacceptable for a princess to talk like that to someone of such a high standing. My father gives you every right to punish me as you wish, and from here on, be it we meet again, I will watch my tone." Venus looked down to the floor with graceful shame, her hair, still in the ponytail, fell to her left, and covered that side of her vision.

"Don't apologise, I was trying to get that reaction out of you. It's my fault, Venus." He lifted her up and rested his hand on her right shoulder, going onto one knee to get on her level. The name rolling out of his speech confused Venus. She didn't want him saying it, yet a part of her knew she shouldn't (and didn't) care all too much. "I came to make amends. We leave today past noon. Shall we write, lest we cut off contact and forget each other?" He asked her kindly, pushing her hair over her shoulder and against her back. "Bring Hertha sometime... one of my friends has grown fond of her." As he turned to the petrified maid sitting by Venus's study.

"Only if you write first." Venus pushed his hand off of her shoulder and watched him stand up, he looked tired, slightly dishevelled. "Get some rest, I'm your host for the day." She ushered him out and to a room three doors away, an empty bedroom. "Sleep, when you wake up, I'll bring some clothes, there's nightwear in that cupboard."

"I don't think it'll fit..." Technoblade chuckled.