characters: technoblade, carl (yes, the horse)
type: domestic slice of life thingy
au: dream smp, at a not specified point of time during the retirement arc
warnings: none
I've been writing exclusively nsfw for the past few weeks but I dont have the guts to finish any of it, so have this short piece I wrote in a fit of inspiration after today's riding lesson. Because I'm a useless Techoblade simp and an even more useless horse person.
Not proofread, yell at me if you find mistakes.
X-x-X-x-X
- techno's pov -
Techno checked the tightness of Carl's girth for the last time before he put a foot in the stirrup and hoisted himself up, swinging the other leg up and over and gently placing his weight in the saddle. Carl started walking before he even adjusted his seat or picked up the reins, ears pricked excitedly in direction of the forest.
Techno smiled and patted his neck, letting his horse decide the way. They weren't on any quest or looking to go somewhere specific, they were just going for a nice, relaxed ride - because it had been way too long since Techno had had time for Carl. Considering he was supposed to be retired, he was pretty busy.
Today, though, he decided to take the day off. He'd left Tommy with Ghostbur (they were building a house or something, Techno'd deal with that later), promising to take his younger brother with him on a ride another time. He wanted to be alone today, and Carl was good company for that type of days.
The crunch of snow beneath Carl's hooves gave way to the almost soundless rustling of spruce needles covering the ground as they entered the forest, Carl following their usual path through the trees. Techno shortened his reins a bit and tensed a little. The dense spruce forest never truly lightened up and mobs were able to hide the entire day. Carl responded to him immediately, picking up his pace and throwing his head a little, snorting nervously.
"Good boy, Carl, calm down, it's alright."
Muttering soft words to calm down the horse, Techno stroked over the warm, fluffy fur on his neck and forced himself to relax.
They made their way through the forest, avoiding frozen lakes and the occasional berry bushes. The further they got, the more unfamiliar the terrain was and Techno took over finding the path instead of letting Carl go where he wanted. The horse had calmed down a little but his ears were still flickering from side to side and Techno could feel his eagerness to get forward, he had to actively hold him back to keep him from bolting off. He tried to remember the last time he took Carl for a ride outside so he could stretch his legs and cringed guiltily when he couldn't. Sure, Carl had a nice patch of land fenced in for him to run around, but that wasn't the same. He should really pay more attention to his horse.
Eventually, the forest became lighter, the trees were further apart and the weak northern sun actually made it all the way to the bottom. The crunch of snow had returned to the sound of their steps, layers of old needles mixing with formerly white, now dirty snow.
Techno nudged Carl's sides with his heels and clicked his tongue, asking for a trot. He half expected the leap forward Carl made, excited to go faster and ready to run, but Techno stopped him before anything could even happen. Carl snorted once, upset, but refrained from throwing a tantrum and instead slowed down to a nice trot, carrying his rider through the forest effortlessly. Techno carefully let go of his tight hold on the reins, but still kept them short, just to be safe, even though Carl was well trained and didn't spook easily. (Techno made sure all his horses were potentially able to be ridden in battle and therefore bomb-proof - almost literally, he could shoot firework rockets from Carl's back and the horse wouldn't move a muscle.)
After a while, the forest thinned out, tall spruce trees turning into the usual flora of the northern tundra, low-growing bushes and hard, more brown than green grass, visible only in some spots. Most of the ground was covered by snow, thrown over the plain like a sparkling blanket.
It was a beautiful sight. It reminded him of old times, of other endless fields of snow, but with ice and deep, dark water beneath the white instead of grass and dirt. The cold air was burning in his lungs when he took a deep breath and shook off the memories. He wasn't in the mood.
Techno slowed Carl down to a walk and turned him left, up a not very tall but rather steep hill-side, making himself lighter in the saddle and letting Carl find his own way through the slippery snow. At least, when the ground was as deeply frozen as it was here, it couldn't turn into mud when the snow melted.
On the other side, the hill slowly descended into another wide, seemingly endless plain. Techno could feel Carl tense underneath him, vibrating with energy like a barely contained explosive, and he smiled. Turning towards the descent, he gave Carl the reins. "Run, boy."
And Carl did. With an excited little buck he bolted off, breaking into a gallop. Techno leant forward, standing in the stirrups and let him stretch his legs. The cold wind was biting into his skin and eyes, tears blurring his vision, but a wide, genuine grin was spreading on his face at the rush of speed and pure joy. God, he had missed this. There was nothing that compared to this, the freezing air in his lungs and the rhythmic, powerful movements of his horse beneath him, feeling every stride and every muscle working but still feeling as weightless as a feather - it was like flying.
Techno spoke from experience, but even the elytras he had used in other worlds couldn't quite compare to the joy of a full-speed gallop over an open field. Because, as antisocial as he was, as many trust issues he had with people, he blindly trusted his horse to not drop him, not slip, not buck him off and leave him behind. In return he knew Carl trusted him, knew it every time he looked into those big, dark eyes, every time Carl came to the fence gate to greet him, every sleepless night he spent in the stable and Carl comforted him with small huffs and pokes. And it was moments like this, ducked down to Carl's neck, feeling the warm fur under his gloved fingers, and watching as the ground flew away beneath them, when he was reminded of their bond.
The hill and forest had fallen away behind them, reduced to a dark shadow, when Carl slowed down. Techno straightened up, falling into rhythm with the slowing gallop strides easily, and shortened the reins. Carl fell into a trot obediently, panting and snorting, but Techno knew he was just as satisfied as he was. The tension was gone from his movements, Techno didn't have to hold him back anymore and they eventually came down to a relaxed walk.
Techno turned Carl left in a wide arch back towards the forest. Now that he got the urge to move out of his system, Carl was way more relaxed, trudging through the snow happily at an even pace while his breathing evened out.
Techno let Carl decide on the pace, only objecting when he stopped and tried to eat a bush. For the first time in weeks his mind was empty, all the worries about Tommy, Dream's plans, Phil's house arrest and the million and a half other little things were gone for the moment, whisked away from the icy wind and left behind in the snow. They would catch up, but for now he simply enjoyed not thinking and instead focusing on the beautiful scenery and the warm body of his horse.
By the time they got close enough to the forest that Techno could recognize individual trees, Carl had completely calmed down. The trotted around the hill instead of going over it, Techno didn't want to deal with getting down the steep slope on the forest-facing side. They returned to the dim twilight under the spruce trees.
The walk back through the forest was peaceful. Carl was happily zigzagging through the trees, trying to eat a patch of grass here and a berry bush there, ears constantly moving in his curiosity about his surroundings.
Techno kept an eye open for mobs but he wasn't too concerned. They hadn't encountered any when they passed through here earlier and it wasn't dark enough for new ones to spawn. Besides, Carl would probably notice and tell him.
It took them nearly twice as long to get through the forest this time - which was fine with Techno, they weren't in a hurry. When the cabin finally came into view Carl sped up again, the prospect of his stable and the food there urging him on. Techno let him with a smile, only interjecting when he nearly started to trot, and brought him to a stop by the house to dismount.
"Good boy, Carl. There's a reason you're my favorite.", he mumbled quietly to the horse, a smile tugging on his lips as he patted Carl's neck.
He grabbed the reins, leading Carl into his stable and quickly taking off his bridle and saddle, storing everything away. He threw a blanket over Carl, the vibrant blue (courtesy of Ghostbur) nicely complementing his dark brown fur.
Carl excitedly bumped his nose into him the entire time, nibbling on his sleeves and sniffing over his pockets, looking for treats. Techno pushed him away gently every time but with a fond eye roll and a smile.
After finishing fastening the straps of the blanket, Techno collected a bucket and some pellets from the horse-proof chest in the corner that Tubbo made and gave him, back in the day. He gave the bucket to Carl who immediately dug into it, snorting and puffing with excitement.
Techno watched him, content and at peace. The thoughts hadn't caught up yet, they'd left them in the snowy dust outside.
He cleaned the bucket after Carl had finished his dinner, laughing at the horse that was still demanding the treats he could smell in Techno's pockets. He eventually gave in, feeding him a few of the horse-friendly cookies Niki made for him before petting him a final time.
"Good night, Carl."
He left his horse to his hay and left the stable. The sun was setting quite quickly, here in the north, and although it wasn't that late it'd be dark soon. He climbed the stairs to the main floor, dumping his warm clothes by the door and lighting up the fireplace. He'd spend the evening by the fire, reading a book and hopefully getting enough sleep. He could worry about everything else tomorrow.
1,762 words