Rivalry or? [dreamnoblade]

Chapter 7: Swapping Workouts

     Techno still hadn't showed up. Dream had seen first hand how slow he was to wake up, but at this point, he probably wasn't coming. He had been looking forward to this all night, but he was being blown off. It's to be expected though, Technoblade was actually famous, who knows what could've happened that needed his attention. Dream sighed as he put on his shoes, leaving the half eaten breakfast on the table. When he opened the door to leave, he saw a fist. "Techno, I was afraid you wouldn't show up."
     "Yeah, um. What a coincidence." Techno said, shifting awkwardly.
     "I made some extra breakfast if you want some." Dream said, inviting him in.
     "Thanks."
     Dream took the lead when they started on their run. He led Techno through the winding trees and scattered bushes. He made sure to take him to all the most jaw dropping locations, showing off the woods he knew by heart. It wasn't the same route as the one from last time, but it never was. That was one of the things he liked about running without a path. Eventually, they stopped at a small clearing where the forest roof opened to the sky and the grass was trampled from years of use. It was practically his second home.
     "Um, are we stopping here?" Techno asked, slowing down.
     Dream smiled. "Welcome to my little training ground." He said, opening his arms to the sky and walking around. "This is where I go every day to do my workout."
     "Oh sweet."
Dream grinned where Techno couldn't see it as he thought about the idea he had come up with last night. "And now that you're here, we can train together."
     Techno backed up slightly. "Uh, I didn't bring any swords."
     Dream chuckled. "Last time you challenged me, now I'm challenging you." He turned around so they were face to face. "When was the last time you wrestled?"
     Techno smiled, getting into a practiced stance in response.

     It really had been a long time since Techno wrestled someone. The coliseum wasn't exactly a formal battleground, but they emphasized sword use, probably to distance themselves from street fights. Still, he wouldn't say he was rusty. You wouldn't last long in the coliseum if sword fighting was all you knew after all.
     The wrestling match was very close. Dream was quick and darted around easily. He wouldn't let himself be caught. But when he was, that was Techno's time to shine. He had a firm grip and he knew how to use his weight to his advantage, not letting even the slipperiest snake escape. But Dream somehow managed it. They went back and forth until they were both exhausted and dripping with sweat.
     Techno was holding down his opponent when Dream suddenly used the last of his strength to roll them both over, reversing the positions with a sloppy technique that left their faces only inches apart. A few minutes ago and Techno would've easily been able to escape. But they had been wrestling for hours, and he barely had enough strength to keep his eyes open. He looked at Dream on top of him, breathing just as hard as he was. Dirt was threatening to erase his freckles and sweat was running down his face and neck. Still, sunlight was streaming around him and his green eyes still shone even in the lush environment. There was a weak smile on his lips that teased his victorious attitude.
     Techno's eyes focused on those lips as one thought emerged. He wanted to kiss him.
     If the moment had prolonged, maybe he would've actually done it, but Dream's strength was just as exhausted as his was, and soon, Dream's muscles failed him and they were just two men flopped on top of each other like pancakes. Techno used some of his remaining strength to bring Dream into a hug, his arms naturally resting around the slender frame. "Gotcha." He said. Dream laughed as well as he could under the circumstances.
     For a while they stayed there, feeling the breeze and listening to the birds singing and hopping around trees. Even after they had both regained their strength, neither wanted to move. Eventually their stomachs growled, almost in sync. They laughed with gusto as Dream rolled off onto the grass. Dream stood up, offering a hand to the other. "Want to eat out somewhere?"
     Techno smiled at the kind gesture before gladly taking it. "Sure."
     They walked back, just chatting and joking, enjoying each other's company.
     "How do you know Skeppy by the way?" Dream asked. "I had no idea you were friends before Bad told me."
     "You must not have know him very long then, he was a big shot in the coliseum a few years ago."
     "Seriously?"
     Dream didn't believe him, and he knew why. "Haha yeah, he wasn't very good. Better than most of the nerds that come, but not by much." Dream laughed that cute laugh he had, making Techno laugh as well. "You should've seen it, he challenged me to so many private 1v1s and got destroyed every single time."
     Dream's laugh turned into a wheeze, making Techno blush. "I can only imagine, he must've been so mad!"
     "Yeah, well then he left us for some posh company that performs for the rich, haven't seen too much of him since."
     "Aw, that's too bad, you seem to be good friends."
     Techno smiled, remembering when Skeppy was still in the coliseum. "Yeah."

     Dream already had a place in mind for them to eat. There was really only one restaurant this side of town that offered anything decent. After dropping off the towels they brought, he led Techno straight to it. "This is Aunt Martha's. As long as you don't order anything with chicken, it's pretty good."
     Waiting for their food, they started talking again. "The day I challenged you, my manager was furious. I was already late so Wilbur, you know him, right?"
     "We've met." He said. It'd only been a handful of times.
     "Yeah, so now Wilbur wasn't just yelling about being late, he was also yelling about how I gave you free promotion! It was a mess."
     Dream laughed. "Being a professional must be tough. But you were late? You seemed right on time to me."
     "Ah, Wilbur had planned for me to practice with my new sword before the match. Things can get ugly quick if you don't." Techno mentioned. "But wait, you were there?"
     Dream shifted his eyes, it was a bit embarrassing to think that Techno would find out he was a fan. "Ah, I was. Oh! Our food's here." He said, thankful for the distraction.
     "No no no, you're not getting out of this." Techno grinned. "Why were you at my coliseum fight? Even I didn't know I would call you out."
Dream could feel himself turning red, he could feel Techno's eyes staring deep into his soul, trying to figure this out. As soon as the waitress left, he managed to overcome his embarrassment and mutter, "I, may be a bit of a fan. Of yours." He peeked his eye at Techno, trying to judge his reaction.
Techno was surprised, and his cheeks seemed, a little flushed? He quickly smiled though, replying, "Oh well I'm flattered."
     They continued chatting about meaningless stories all the way through dinner and on the walk back to Dream's house. "Here's your towel back." He said.
     Techno took it back and flung it around his shoulders. "Thanks."
Dream's face turned crimson. He had suddenly remembered something from when they were drunk, he had asked Techno to kiss him, right in this spot. Embarrassing memories quickly flooded his brain, every slight motion or piece of scenery seemed to point to that short series of moments, not helped by the man himself standing in front of him, back to the street lamp and that same messy hair. "So it was nice seeing you!"
     "Yeah, I had fun. I'll have to stop by again." Techno said, somewhat sheepishly.
     Dream smiled. The man before him had the familiar awkward mannerisms, the tough, confident stance, and a small but noticeable smile behind his stubble. This was the Techno he liked, not some drunken memory. "Feel free!"