After Skeppy and Bad had the layout and settled into the treehouse, it was time for dinner.
While everyone talked their thoughts on the dining table, you eyed Techno who sat opposite of you. His gaze seemed blank and unblinking as he focused on the space between your and his plates. Occupied by his thoughts, his food barely touched in his place in between his hands on the table.
The two new players, unfortunately, have to sleep on the couches in the living room because there was no free space in the living quarters.
All those weeks and days you've survived under Techno's protection and hearing gossip from the villagers, you have the faint idea of what he's thinking about and it includes staying up all night and building.
And you're not on board with it.
The man was the one who mostly did the mining, and because of it, you guys obtained half a stack of diamonds and sixteen iron blocks. Since the beginning, he was the one who carried it all, and now he's gonna sacrifice his sleep just to build a room.
You get it why though, but he needs to rest, he provided most of you with almost everything already.
He wasn't wearing a mask, he always removes them as soon as he enters the house. His eyebrows were pushed closer than usual as his nose occasionally crunches like a pig snorting, but the most notable action he was doing was the mindless nibbling of his bottom lips.
He's probably getting a little freaked out by the volume the guests have accumulated from their cheerful reunions.
Then comes a gentle tap on your shoulder and so you twist to your side where you meet with a pair of grey.
Karl shyly smiled and waved gingerly as if he wanted to shrink from the attention, you waved back and returned your attention to your friend.
They were all laughing but you have no idea of what made them react like that. Absorbed in trying to pry Techno's head open, not literally.
Sensing your stare, his gaze lifts up and you quickly avert your attention to the boisterous ram sat by the end of the table, his laughter full of mirth as he cradles a pale of wine in one hand and a forked chicken piece in the other.
Techno's questioning look burns a hole through your head but after a silent debate, he shrugged and picked up his fork to begin feasting.
You didn't bother looking back at him, but while you were watching Schlatt you were quick to notice Karl's almost longing stare directed at the untouched garlic bread on Skeppy's plate.
But with the diamond boy's attention diverted, Karl could've snuck it off his plate but he's probably scared of being caught, however, upon seeing his hand by the battlefield, he seems like he's about to snatch it.
Interested by his stealth mission, your eyes darted from his creeping hands and to Skeppy, who's still immersed by Quackity and Bad's quarrel.
When Skeppy's head started to turn to his plate, you kicked into action.
"Bad, OH MY GOD THERE'S A SPIDER ON YOUR CLOAK!"
Skeppy, being the closest to him, then shot up, banging his knee on the table in the process. But with that, came Karl's chance to swipe the garlic bread and eat it before the diamond boy could even notice it.
Bad, who was told to have a spider in his cloak, barely reacted and calmly searched the fabric with his hands. It was impressive how he wasn't even fazed by it.
"There's nothing, must've been dust or something..."
Schlatt, who was able to catch Karl snatching the garlic bread, snickered.
"False alarm, but still look around, I heard spider-man got some patch update because he was stealing shit."
You widen your eyes threateningly at the playful ram hybrid who cackled almost maniacally, leaving everyone on the table confused.
In the end, Skeppy didn't even notice his missing bread and everyone left the kitchen for the living room following Schlatt who brought two bottles of wine with him, definitely with the intention of blacking out with the others.
You're sure it's not possible but then again, being sucked into a game is also far from what you can classify as possible.
Techno was left washing the dishes, the flood of people barely gave you both some time to fix the chores. But tomorrow, you can handle it so he can rest.
The sound of the ceramics colliding with each other filled the room while you stared at his back. You're certain that he senses it but when the silence became stifling and suffocating for him, he spoke up.
"What is it?" He asked as he placed the ceramic in the dish hanger.
"I think you should do it tomorrow."
Techno looked at you over his shoulder, stopping his task for a moment before continuing. He already knew what you were referring to, it doesn't take a genius to guess what it was.
"I think you should go to bed."
He replied as his hand reached for the towel hanging on the nail by the window. You let out a sigh as Techno gently dries out his hands with the fabric. You heard a loud, corrupting laughter from Quackity behind you.
His mirthful sounds urging you to follow his melody, but you're in a serious discussion right now, it's not proper to laugh.
"Don't you think you need to rest?"
"Rest is non-existent in this world, danger surrounds us." He responded, blankly.
"You did most of the mining, provided us a lot, why don't you–"
"Why don't you mind your own business?" He snapped back, making you close your mouth.
The silence that followed the clearing of his throat was awkward and tense, he hung the piece of clothing before quickly leaving and heading straight for the bathroom. You pushed yourself off the kitchen arch and spun to your heels only to stumble back as a hooded figure stood behind you. The person let out a yelp while you squeaked out a squeal.
"Bad?!"
Shit, did he hear you both?
"Sorry for creeping on you, I was wondering if there's still apple pie left." He explained and you nodded, heading towards the chest to check, kneeling in front of the inventory as you searched.
He definitely heard it, why isn't he discussing it with you?
"I'm glad you met Techno before everyone did," He said, confirming your suspicions of his eavesdropping, you looked over your shoulder to look at him with a raised eyebrow and he shot you back with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to listen..."
"Nah, it's fine." You turn back to the chest and pull out the dish he was searching for. You rose from the floor and walked towards him with the item in hand.
"He's just tense, don't worry your pretty head about it." He said sweetly, his white eyes forming into an upward 'v' as he smiled at you before taking the apple pie from your hands.
"I know, I'm just concerned"
"He probably appreciates the concern, he'll apologise sooner or later."
When you arrived in the living room Quackity was sprawled on the floor, clutching his stomach as he laughed. Karl was kneeling next to him, giggling and face beetroot red. Skeppy was already passed out on the couch with one leg hanging on the edge and the other propped up on the cushion while Schlatt sat on the seat opposite of Skeppy's, taking a swig from the wine bottle after telling a story about how glass and sand smell good, you caught him saying how it tasted good when you entered.
"Hey, cult leader! Where did you go?" Schlatt said as soon as his eyes landed on Bad.
The man beside you crunched his face at the term used but let it pass.
"I took some apple pie from the kitchen."
"Sweet!"
Schlatt took a piece as Bad settled on the other side of Skeppy, gently carrying his spiky diamond head to place on his lap. With that, you bid them goodbye and retreat to your room.
As soon as you closed the door of your room, you immediately took off your armour and hung your equipment on the wall. You stretched your arms out before you approached the bed, falling face-first as you let out a sigh.
The ache of your muscles weighing you down, but with the worry in your head, the thought of sleeping was kept hanging away from your reach.
As Bad has told you, Techno will surely apologise soon. Maybe in the morning with a gift left in front of your door, you actually have no idea but you did wish it'll be done by tomorrow.
You screwed your eyes close, trying to force yourself into dreamland but all you could hear was Techno snapping at you.
Pathetic
You heaved a sigh before you left your bed and approached the shelf near the entrance. Your fingers touched the spine of the hardcovers with the ancient words carved in gold, the rough texture giving you some solace.
You've read most of them except for the last book, which you took out. Walking back to your bed with the book in hand, you pulled out a flint and steel from the barrel to light the candle inside the lantern.
As the warm light spread into the room, you sat on the cushion and leaned on the headrest. With your thumb, you parted the cover from the first page. Huge, bold letters welcoming you in another language.
You need a distraction and without your electronic devices, you are left with books. You flipped the page and tried to zone your focus on the content, translating the words as you go.
But even with the waterfalls of information flooding in, a wall of anxiety forbids it from being processed, there's a faint voice in the background that forces itself in front, a creeping concern you're trying to forget.
You should've minded your own business...
He probably hates you now...
He doesn't, you know that deep inside of you. It's impossible for someone to hate you for caring, right?
We're talking about Techno here...
You let out a groan as you slam the item close and place it on the bedside table, blowing the fire out of the candle before opening the covers. Reading isn't enough, maybe sleeping will do.
As soon as you were covered by the blanket, you forced your eyes to close. Still trying to mute the protruding thoughts at the back of your mind. And after what seems like millennia, you drifted to sleep.
Or so you thought.
Childishly, you started kicking the warm blankets off of your body before standing up, stumbling a little at the sudden action but as soon as the dark spots crawling in your vision stopped, you left your room.
The moonlight the full moon was sending down and the chilly breeze that blew past you. It was bright and almost full, meaning that your friend is nearing what he described as the most embarrassing and painful moments of his life.
Oh yeah, Techno.
You feel yourself shiver at the thought of angering your very first acquaintance. He was the first person who took you in, you owe your life for that man and it pains you to think that you were annoying him. You were simply worried that's all.
The jungle was calm tonight except for the occasional chirps of praying mantis', not even a single groan of a zombie in the area. It must be Schlatt's work, removing them and placing torches while they were mining, of course with the promise of wine and rest in the day.
You never felt more thankful to meet the people that reside in this house. The real-life experience of Minecraft was a curse and a blessing at the same time. Mostly a negative one, but you were slightly glad you were here, your gamer dream got fulfilled just a little too much and then, you met your dearest friend Techno, someone you did not expect to interact with, at all.
(BGM: Sweet Night - BTS V)
You heard muffled footsteps behind you, it was a little heavy and is probably someone from the new people who arrived this past week. Techno's would've been a little heavy, even if he sneaks, he's bound to create a couple of soft thuds but this footsteps have them every single time. You didn't have to weigh out the odds of who's the stranger approaching you when he spoke up.
"Can't sleep?" A shy voice asked behind you, it was Karl's
"Yeah."
You spotted his figure lean towards the wooden rail, the memory of him catching your stare and the sweet smile that followed after causing the rise of your heartbeat and the reddening of your cheeks.
"Have you guys made up yet?" You shook your head. "It's ok."
"I know."
Karl chewed on his bottom lip as he mulled over an idea. After a few moments, he spoke up. "You— Do you want a hug?"
The way he offered it shyly while wearing the multi-colored hoodie that almost mauled his whole figure almost made you pass out at how cute he appeared. Nonetheless, a huge smile immediately grew on your lips before you nodded.
Slowly, he approached you with wide arms and you took the initiative to step into his trap, his arms immediately wrapping around your figure.
The scent of fresh apples and a hint of chocolate greets you as soon as you find yourself in his embrace, you feel like an ass for thinking about how it felt normal for you to hug him.
You and him are not as close as Techno nor with Quackity who naturally became the light of the house, but all that he emits is comfort and warmth, a huge contrast to Schlatt's brashness, Techno's indifference and Quackity's loudness.
"Thank you, Karl." You mumbled into his shoulder as he gently swayed you both, the warmth of his skin penetrating through the thick cloth of his hoodie, all of a sudden the brisk wind of the night became non-existent with him by your side.
"Always welcome."
Karl felt weird, he never minded it when his lady friends would hug him when he offered comfort but somehow, you, a person he just met in this twisted reality, made him want to run around the forest in the dead of night because of how much joy that filled up inside him, he felt like a battery that's overflowing with energy, almost worse than a kid on a sugar rush that's nearing the point of explosion.
And he doesn't even mind it, not even a single bit.
"He'll come around soon, you're his platonic sister."
"Thank you Karl, I really mean it."
The both of you were too comforted by each other to even hear the descending footsteps nor the approaching presence of someone who's awake with them.
"I thought," At the sudden voice, you and Karl immediately parted from each other to turn to the owner of voice. "That I made sure that there won't be any funny business under my roof."
Karl laughed lightly. "Aww, do you want a hug?"
Techno pulled out his sword and pointed it at the curly headed male. "I dare you take a step forward."
Karl's sweet laughter echoed in the night, although the man meant it in a joking way, you gingerly pushed the thin blade of his rapier away from the tip of Karl's nose.
Quickly reminded of the conflict you and Techno had, Karl decided that it was time for him to pardon himself from the conversation.
But before Karl could even excuse himself, he noticed the visible shiver that shook your body. Without another thought spared, he took off his hoodie before handing it to you, who looked at him with a dumbfounded expression.
He was quick to notice that you were cold, it was a simple action but it warmed your heart nonetheless.
"You're cold." He reasoned, looking away, avoiding Techno's suspecting stare and your eyes full of awe.
Why is he flustered all of a sudden? Karl asked himself.
"Thank you!" You exclaimed as you shyly took the clothing from his hands and with a wave, Karl left.
Left with a tense silence between you and Techno, you put on thick clothing to try and ignore the impending conversation about the argument earlier. But it seems you don't have to suffer in the quiet since the man himself spoke up after letting out an exhale.
"I'm sorry for getting mad at you." When you didn't respond, he continued. "I-I know you're worried but I'm really fine with it, think of it as my stress relieving thing."
"I know that but there's nothing wrong with resting."
"What a hypocrite"
"HEH?!"
"That's my trademark, I gotta copyright that thing." Your laughter that followed made the man chuckle.
Silence settles between you both, but unlike the previous one that only made you nervous and desire to leave the area, this one was comfortable, something akin between mature siblings who just made up after a huge fight.
After a few moments of nothingness, Techno spoke up with a slight nervous tone. "So we're friends again right?"
"Of course."
You watch as the man nods before peering up at the full moon. The moment he laid his eyes on the glowing ball of light, an irritated groan left his lips which made you laugh. You were right, the man was nearing THAT period of his temporary life in the modded minecraft reality everyone is trapped in.
You thought that this month's transformation would be funnier now that he doesn't have you to watch over him but also the others who would most likely make fun of the pink-headed man, and to be honest, you're quite excited to see how it goes down.
"What's the plan for this month's wolfing day?"
"Hide in my room of course."
You laughed and Techno couldn't help but roll his eyes at your reaction before pushing himself from the rails he leaned on earlier.
"I'll head on first, you should sleep soon as well."
Oh yeah sleep, you almost forgot to do so. Too occupied at the thought of your discord earlier that's now fixed.
The man stood there, waiting for a response, and at the bob of your head, he departed from the open area with a small "Good night" before he ascended the stairs to his room.
You stayed in the cold for a moment, letting the brisk air of night send small tremors down your spine before retreating to your room. You fell asleep almost instantly as the comforting scent of Karl's hoodie soothes you into unconsciousness.