The Winter Months (An MCYT Fanfic)

DECEMBER - Part 2

 Ranboo fell to the ground after trying his best at fighting. The sword that was in his hand had flown to god-knows-where and his palms started to sting from the impact. Some other people from the city were watching them. They'd finished their jobs and were in need of good entertainment. Watching somebody get publicly humiliated was exactly what they needed.

George was among these people, but not because he was looking for fun. Technoblade was teaching him too, but today he seemed to favour Ranboo. To be honest, it was because Techno got bored of George. No matter what, he never seemed to improve or give Techno a challenge. He'd tried everything he could for 3 weeks, but no amount of punishment could better shape George. "Just watch what Ranboo does," Techno had told him that morning. "Maybe you'll learn something." All he had learned so far was that Ranboo was becoming what George could never; stronger.

Ranboo had noticed 2 things about fighting since Technoblade started teaching him; First, while in the heat of battle, perception of time no longer works the way it normally does. One second, everything is moving too fast for you to comprehend, and the next you find yourself having more time to move than you know what to do with. Second, even though Ranboo preferred peace over violence, he often found himself surprised with how capable he could be if he put in the effort. He lost sleep thinking about it from time to time.

Ranboo looked up to see Techno with the dulled wooden sword to his throat.

"You're dead," Techno said in his iconic monotone voice. He moved the sword and offered Ranboo his hand. He took it. "We're gonna keep doing this until you get it right,"

"I know," Ranboo replied. He hoisted himself up with Techno's help and retrieved the replica wooden sword that had fallen from his hands.

"You need to grip it tighter," Technoblade said.

"But you said I needed to be more loose last time!" Ranboo pointed out.

"There's a middle," He said plainly. "You just gotta find it."

Find the middle, Ranboo thought as he readied his feet to spar again. Can't be too hard, right?

And just like that, they danced once more. Techno struck first with an offensive swing but Ranboo parried effortlessly. He was getting better at predicting the first attack. Techno had a pattern in how he fought.

Techno stepped back slightly from the parry and Ranboo advanced, closing the space between them. Like a royal ball, they twirled and moved in a choreographed dance that they had been practicing all day. Their feet moved swiftly, their swords cut through the air, and the heartbeat they made every time they clashed created the music of their beautifully violent waltz. Should their swords have been iron instead of wood, a show of lights and fireworks would've accompanied their graceful march, along with a sharper sound from their symphony.

Techno swung for the head, and Ranboo ducked. He looked just in time to see the sword coming back, but this time aimed for his legs. He had no choice. Ranboo shut his eyes and felt his surroundings change. In the blink of an eye, Ranboo was behind Techno, his sword aimed and prepared to strike an unsuspecting warrior. Ranboo kicked Techno in the back and he stumbled. Ranboo had expected him to fall, but it was better than nothing. Techno began to turn to Ranboo, but once again, Ranboo was behind Techno in the blink of an eye.

Suddenly time was moving in slow motion.

Ranboo clutched his shoulder, grabbed a hold of the fabric from his red cloak, and raised the sword to Technoblade's throat.

He's gonna parry. Ranboo thought. Get ready for it.

Ranboo waited.

And waited.

And waited.

But nothing came.

Ranboo realized he'd been pressing the wooden sword against Techno's throat, far harder than what would be comfortable. But Ranboo knew what it meant; he won. Everything went silent and Ranboo realized how heavily he was breathing. Techno kept his calm. Time was still moving in slow motion.

After what felt like an eternity, Techno slowly lifted his hand to Ranboo's sword and lightly lowered it, not applying a lot of pressure to the blade and letting Ranboo do the rest. Ranboo relaxed.

"Hey..." Techno began, turning to look at Ranboo. One could say Techno's eyes were full of something like pride, but not for himself. Techno patted Ranboo on the shoulder and walked past. "Good work."

As Techno left Ranboo's peripheral vision, he couldn't help but smile. He was pretty certain that was the first and only time Technoblade has given a compliment. The other city members who were watching caught his eye. They were all agape, shocked by the fact that somebody actually beat Technoblade. George was among those people, but even after watching all that, he learned nothing. He never would.

"Ranboo!" Techno called. Ranboo turned to see him holding 2 iron swords.

"Let's try it for real this time."

The horned man watched intently.