AN ODE TO VICES — EPILOGUE ONE
FAMILY MATTERS
July 16th, 2023
NEW NOTIFICATIONS!
roarsgold has gone live! "so I have a boyfriend . . ."
WAS THERE ANYTHING MORE NERVE WRACKING THAN TELLING THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE — your fans — that you've had a secret boyfriend for the better part of nearly three years, or that that secret boyfriend was another popular YouTuber than people had been shipping you with for nearly three years, and for the entirety of your relationship?
Rory didn't think so.
Why was this so difficult?
"Breath," Techno warned, handing Rory a glass of water. "They are literally going to be freaking out in a good way. No one is going to hate you."
"I hate—"
"Don't finish that sentence."
Rory grinned, taking a sip of the water. He glanced at his stream on screen, which had the Starting Soon card displayed. In a few minutes, he would put his face on screen for thousands of people — holy shit, 43K viewers already? — to see. He would tell them about his boyfriend, and another little surprise.
"Sit," Rory said, nodding to the office chair Techno had dragged in from his office, just out of sight of the camera.
A three bedroom house had become their home. Neither of them wanted kids just yet (and if they did, they could always move), so they each had their own streaming room, and then their bedroom. It was a recent move — two weeks, in fact, and neither of them had streamed during that time period, making a lot of people suspicious. It was time to confirm those theories as true.
Techno sat down, spinning in the chair for a moment before facing the screen. He looked at Rory in concern. "You sure you're good? I can always end the stream if you're going to panic," he said.
Rory took a deep breath, nodding. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm good. Are you?"
Techno shrugged. "Ready as I'll ever be." Rory nodded. He moved the mouse to take away the Starting Soon screen, then hesitated. The chat was going wild, and the viewers kept climbing. "Rowan?"
Rowan breathed in deeply, getting rid of the screen.
He smiled at the camera, sitting back. "Hello everyone! How are we doing today? There's a lot of you here, wow." He chuckled nervously. "I didn't think me having a boyfriend was gonna be this big of a deal. I wonder if you guys will be as dramatic as Will was." He shifted, moving his chair from side to side. "So . . . I have a boyfriend. And, uh, I have a lot of things to explain."
Techno grabbed his hand, gently rubbing Rory's knuckles with his thumb to calm him down. Rory breathed out. "So. I've been dating this guy for nearly three years. We got together in December of 2020, which . . . wow, that was so long ago." He chuckled. "This guy is American — shocker, I know. Tommy won't let me live it down." Techno nearly laughed at that, catching himself quickly. "He sort of moved across the world to be closer to me. And now he's here."
Rory glanced at him, squeezing Techno's hand for reassurance. Techno slid his chair into frame, waving at the camera. "Hello," he greeted.
The chat went wild, nearly crashing Rory's stream with how fast it was going. Rory covered his mouth to hide his grin, sharing a look with Techno. Techno's name was spammed in the chat over and over, taking up every inch of the space. Rory chuckled. "Yes, yes, my boyfriend is Techno. I know a lot of you have questions about it, and we're here to answer all— hmm, no. We'll answer most of them. Don't be weird," he said.
Techno snorted. "Now they're gonna be weird."
"You're weird," Rory muttered.
"You literally named your dog after a fictional character who died—"
"We don't talk about page 250!"
Techno sighed, trying and failing to hide his adoring smile. "God, I'm dating a nerd. All my clout is gone."
"You never had any clout," Rory teased. Techno gasped, looking at him with an offended expression that quickly melted away when he saw the cheeky grin on Rory's face.
"Bullied by my own boyfriend," Techno sighed. He sat forward, reading the chat. "Techno, Techno?, Techno!, cute, what is happening— guys, please, can we get any questions?" Techno pleaded. "Use a hashtag or something. Or donate! Yeah, donate money, that sounds good—"
"Techno," Rory groaned. "Ignore him, we can use a hashtag—"
VINAVENDINA donated $5!
IS FLOOF WITH YOU OR NO
Rory sighed. "Thank you for the five, Vina. Yes, Floof is with us, we just have the dogs outside the door right now because they'd make too much of a rukus," he explained. "He and Newt get along very well, which we're both thankful for, they're like brothers."
"And they're the closest thing we'll ever have to kids," Techno joked. Rory snorted, nodding in agreement. Techno leaned forward to read the chat.
"Poor Phil, unable to be a granddad." Rory covered his mouth, trying not to laugh. "Phil is perfectly fine with Floof and Newt an—" Techno cleared his throat. "Anyway. Who else wants to give us vast sums of money to learn about our relationship?" Rory gave him a look. ". . . Or I'll just read chat."
acousticwall05 donated $5!
Do you guys ever think that you two
would start a Minecraft hardcore world
together, and would you make a series on it?
Rory hummed, thinking the question over. "That's an interesting idea, I'd be down for that," he admitted. "Probably wouldn't last five years, but we'd learn from the best."
Techno shrugged. "Would it earn us vast sums of money?"
"Techno," Rory said, exhasperated. He smiled shyly when Techno laughed, enjoying the high-pitched sound that was so different from his regular voice. "I'd say put that on the drawing board and revisit it soon, that sounds like a good idea and I'd love to do it." Techno nodded in agreement.
FAQQOTRY donated $5!
do you think you'd ever adopt children
together? or would you get a surrogate?
Techno chuckled, sheepishly scratching the back of his neck. "I assume this donation is a bit late," he muttered. Rory smiled.
"We've both agreed that we aren't ready for kids yet, but we haven't completely shut down the idea," he admitted. "But I've always wanted to adopt if I were to ever have a kid in the future."
Techno shrugged. "I don't really care either way, adopting or surrogate, it's still my kid, right? So either's fine with me, if we even have kids in the future," he clarified. Rory smiled at that answer, nodding in agreement.
"I'd be willing to foster as well, like an emergancy foster," he added. Techno nodded in agreement.
-shakestinyfist donated $5!
would you two ever make a cottagecore
mansion together if you did a survival world?
Rory perked up. "Ooo, can we?" he pleaded, poking Techno's arm. "We can go in The Golds server and make a mansion! Or should we save that idea for the hardcore world?" he questioned, thinking over the pros and cons. Techno smiled at him, getting distracted by the bright look in Rory's eyes before remembering they were streaming and that he definately couldn't just kiss Rory out of nowhere.
"We can do whatever you want," he said, knowing that the chat was most likely spamming Technosimp. He didn't mind, though. Why would he care about the truth?
"Yes!" Rory cheered, placing a quick kiss on his cheek. Techno's face flushed red as Rory turned back to the computer.
aannagill donated $5!
do you guys plan on doing anything more
in the future? like possibly a podcast or a
show together, something bigger than minecraft?
Rory hummed. "Will and I have been talking about doing our own podcast since the Sleepy Bois one is fun to work on and it would allow us to approch other ideas for content. I'd like to do one with Techno if we could," he admitted. "Though that'll probably be a while since my own podcast is coming out soon," he added.
"Stream Rowan's podcast, Ringer, in literally one month, it's a true crime podcast where he talks about murder cases and stuff," Techno blurted. Rory covered his face, ears burning.
"You don't need to promote my stuff," he muttered.
Techno smiled. "How else will chat know I'm the most supportive boyfriend ever?" he teased. Rory sighed, smiling at him as he lowered his hands from his face.
"Answer the question, dork."
"Okay, nerd." Techno leaned back. "I'd love to do a podcast with Rowan, but I think it's best to wait for other projects to be done or be in motion before we start talking about it so it doesn't stress us out. It's a strong possibility, though."
aanphoenixfyre374 donated $5!
who wears the pants?
Techno looked brieftly irritated by the question before sighing. "Well Rowan has taken to wearing skirts now, so I guess that would be me," he revealed.
Rory grinned. "Don't act like you don't like it," he teased. Techno looked away, face burning. Rory smiled. "But yes, I'm wearing skirts far more often now thanks to Eret sending me, like, twenty pairs of them to go with the boots she sent me two months ago, which Techno hates."
"I don't hate them," Techno protested, "you just use me as an armrest when you wear them!"
"You do the same to me when I don't wear them!" Rory argued. Techno rolled his eyes, leaning over to give Rory a quick kiss. Rory squeaked, going bright red as Techno looked back at the camera.
"Anyway, the answer is me, I wear the pants," he said.
JULLIAWASTAKEN donated $5!
are you moving in together lol
Rory grinned, nudging Techno. Techno smiled.
"Way to spoil the surprise, JulliaWasTaken," the American mocked. "Does no one come up with original usernames anymore?"
"Oi, be nice," Rory warned before standing up and leaving the frame.
"Wha— Rowan, don't leave me!" Techno complained. Rory chuckled, disappearing out of the room. Techno sighed, glancing at the camera. "Uh, hi chat. I bet this feels like a fever dream to most of you." He chuckled awkwardly, not used to being on camera. Even though he had sometimes dropped into Will's or Rory's streams ever since he moved, he hadn't fully sat down and had a camera in his face in a long time. He shifted nervously, wishing Rowan would hurry up.
Rory soon came back into the room. Newt and Floof bolted in ahead of him and Rory did his best not to step on either dog, taking exagerated steps back to the bed. "Here, hold him," Rowan said, holding out his arms. Techno immediately took the small pet from Rory, smiling slightly down at the sleeping animal.
"We aren't just moving in together, either," Rory revealed, sitting back down next to Techno. Techno shifted so he could show the camera what — or who — Rory had handed him.
A small black cat sat in his arms, sleeping peacefully.
"Everyone welcome Castiel to the family," Rory cooed softly, not wanting to wake the newest addition to the household. "And before anyone freaks out, Floof and Newt love him but all the time the pets spend together is monitored just in case, and we don't have them all sleeping in the same room as of now just as a precausion," he added.
"I had no say in the name," Techno stated dryly.
"Castiel is a perfectly fine name," Rory protested. "And you get to name the next cat, so I don't want to hear it."
Techno raised his eyebrows. "Is that how we'll name our kids? Well, you named the last one Lloyd after your favorite Ninjago character, so now I'm naming this one. We'll call him Peter, after my favorite super hero," Techno mocked.
"That's exactly how it's going to go, though I'd never let you name out kid Peter of all things, Jesus," Rory muttered.
annieisaway donated $5!
who said 'I love you' first?
Rory grinned. Techno sighed, tilting his head down. "Why, that would be Mr. Blood God himself," Rory teased. Techno groaned. "I won't tell you how, but it was very sweet."
"Now you're just making it sound weirder than it was."
"Would you rather I told them we were cud—"
"No! No, I have a reputation," Techno complained. Rory snorted. Techno made a motion of handing Castiel to him, which Rowan accepted, gently petting the black cat with a smile.
JupitersMoon donated $5!
who is the big spoon?
Rory sighed. "Once again, Mr. Blade here," he muttered. Techno smiled.
"Oh, now you're embarassed? You were so confident two seconds ago!" he exclaimed.
"Fine! Sometimes I'm—"
"No, no, I'm always the big spoon," Techno protested. Rory raised his eyebrows but decided not to comment.
KIRA donated $5!
who confessed first?
Rory frowned. "Was there . . . was there ever a confession?" he asked, brows furrowed. Techno shrugged. "I mean, you— you asked me to kiss you, but I don't think . . . I said I'd love to be your boyfriend . . . I don't think we ever, like, confessed," Rory admitted.
Techno frowned. "I think you're right." After a moment, he smiled. "Rowan, I love you very much, please date me."
Rory put a hand over his heart, careful not to drop Castiel. "Why, Techno, this is such a surprise! Of course I'll date you!"
"Pog!"
Rory sighed, glancing at the camera. "Annnnnnnd moment ruined." Techno huffed. Rory shot him a smile, and Techno insinctivly smiled back. "Simp."
"Our whole relationship started with you being a simp!" Techno protested.
"You said you loved me after, like, two days," Rory said bluntly. Techno sunk down in his seat, face burning.
Anaeth-Holt donated $5!
what was your first thought about each
other? did Techno got threaten by Wilbur?
Rory chuckled. "Now that's a question. You wanna start, Love?"
Techno shrugged. "Well . . . I mean, I knew of your existence because Will was one of my best friends, you know? But I never really thought about you beyond Will. And then he exposed your crush on me and I found it funny, I thought it would be a great idea to tease you about it, we'd both get clout and such. But I very quickly might've started liking your company a lot more than i expected, and I started talking to you a lot more because I thought I just liked having more friends . . . turns out I was hopelessly in love and in the closet."
Rory smiled at him softly, eyes looking at him with adoration. "That's almost sweet," he teased. Techno sighed. "Honestly, I watched your content before you and Will met, you know? You helped me through some bad times." The word breakup went unsaid between them. "And I'd mentioned you to Will sometimes, so when I found out you two were friends I was kinda shocked. I guess Will picked up on me being a simp pretty easily because he started talking about you more and telling me when you two were streaming together. But I don't think it was a crush until we played in MCC together, because I got ot spend more time with you and I realized I wanted to do that all the time."
"Aww," Techno cooed, "that's almost adorable." Rory rolled his eyes.
"Oh, and Techno was definitely threatened by Will, but I think Tubbo did most of the scaring," Rory mused. Techno hurriedly nodded in agreement.
"Damn, that kid was scary. I think he's only gotten worse now that he's, what? Nineteen?" Rory nodded in agreement.
"He's able to keep Tommy in check, that kid is scary," he agreed.
-shakestinyfist donated $5!
if you had to pick between tommy and
tubbo, who would you pick and why
Rory gasped. "That's— that's like asking me to pick a favorite kid! They're both wonderful, I can't just choose one," he protested.
"Tommy," Techno said immdiately. "He isn't as scary."
Rory poked his arm. "Stop it."
"I mean, we went to both of their graduations so who cares—"
Rory poked him again.
acousticwall05 donated $5!
would Phil be willing to adopt more
people into the family or is he tired?
Rory chuckled. "Let's give him a ring!" he suggested. Techno pulled up Discord on another mointor. Phil picked up after the second ring.
"We already have Techno, Will, Tommy, Rory, Niki, Kristin, me, and Ranboo!" Phil immediately said. "Please, I can only feed so many people."
Rory snorted. "Speaking of, can Techno and I come over for dinner tomorrow?" he asked. Phil hummed in agreement.
"Pizza sound good?"
"I'm fine with it," Techno agreed.
"Alright, I'll get the others as well, we can have a movie night. I'll make sure we burn every copy of Up."
"That literally won't stop Tommy from making us watch it but okay," Techno deadpanned. Phil laughed. After a few more minutes of banter, Phil bid them a goodbye to go eat dinner with Kristin.
Techno yawned, stretching his arm out around Rory's shoulders. Rory leaned against him as the questions continued.
CARDI donated $5!
on a scale of one to ten, how likely will
it be that someone will use rory against
you for the smp war
Techno sighed. "They did that every war after we moved into the snow cottage," he muttered. "There haven't been wars in a while, but I bet the next one will involve the same thing! Oh, Techno will do anything to protect Rowan, let's use that against him! And then I win everytime!"
Rory grinned. "Yeah! When are they gonna use Techno against me? Maybe I'm the most powerful person on the server!"
Techno snorted. Rory flicked his arm.
CARDI donated $5!
who is more likely to steal the others cereal
"Rowan will literally steal any food you leave out," Techno complained.
"And Techno will steal your heart if you're not careful," Rory said, smiling.
Techno scoffed. "Don't think complimentin' me is going to get you out of this."
"Love you?"
Techno sighed. "Love you, too," he muttered.
acousticwall05 donated $5!
what are your thoughts on chili cheese fries?
Techno shook his head. "Your fans are so weird," he announced.
"Says the guy whose chat is canonly the voices in his head," Rory pointed out. Techno shrugged. "I like cheese crisps, but I don't like chili," Rory added to answer the question.
"Oh, my God, you're so British," Techno muttered.
Rory elbowed him. "You're an American, I don't wanna hear it," he teased.
Techno sighed. "I like regular fries, I don't mind them with toppings, but I'd rather they just be regular," he admitted.
"See, that's weirder than the question!"
"You're weirder than the question."
"This is cyber bullying," Rory huffed.
"I'm sitting right next to you, what do you mean?"
-shakestinyfist donated $5!
who steals whose clothes?
Techno immediately pointed at Rory. "He's literally wearing my sweater right now."
"It's— it's comfortable," Rory said softly. Techno pressed a kiss to his forehead.
"I didn't say it was a bad thing, Row, I'm just answerin' the question," he assured. Rory smiled at him, nodding.
potted_lilacs donated $5!
who is the best at cooking in familytwt?
"That would be Kristin and Rory," Techno confirmed. Rory yawned, nodding in agreement. He very much envied Castiel right now, being asleep. "Movie nights are the best thing to happen when those two cook, I swear. Phil's really good as well. Tubbo and Tommy . . . we don't talk about it. Niki's decent, Will is hopeless. I think I'm okay, I can at least cook good enough to survive on my own."
Rory nodded in agreement. "Definately. I've been cooking on my own since I was twelve and I picked up a lot of skills, plus I took, like, four years of cooking classes weekly. It's been a while since I actually went to a cooking class, but I like to think those skills have rubbed off."
"I don't think we order fast food all that much since your cooking is so good," Techno mused. Rory nodded in agreement.
Many more questions came through until Rory decided it was time to shut the stream down, nearly an hour and a half later. Techno waved at the camera as Rory did his outro, and then Rory ended the stream. Rory got up to get the two bottles of water from the kitchen as Techno moved to the sofa in the back of the room, stretching out across it.
He smiled as Rowan came back in.
"I think that was a good stream!" Rowan exclaimed, smiling brightly. Techno smiled at him adoringly, feeling warm all over. "God, we probably broke Twitter— Newt, don't run in front of me when I'm walking," Rowan laughed, leaning down to pet the teddy-bear like dog. Techno's heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest.
Rowan stood again, turning to look at Techno, who still hadn't said a word. He gave him a funny look. "What's up? You okay?"
Was he okay?
They'd been together for nearly three years. Techno had moved across the world to be with him. They were moving in together. They had a cat together. They had two dogs together. Their lives were intertwined in a way Techno never thought they would be. Three years ago, he thought he was never going to find a romantic sort of love, that he was destined to be alone forever.
Rowan changed that.
Rowan changed everything.
And Techno didn't want to let that go.
Techno took a breath, not sure what he was saying until it was already out in the open.
"Marry me."
Rowan stopped short, staring at him with wide eyes. ". . . What?" he asked softly.
Techno's eyes went wide, the weight of what he'd just said hitting him like a train. He stood, face red, stumbling over an apology as he tried to head out of the room. "Sorry, that— sorry, sorry, I shouldn't of— heat of the moment, I'm sorry, let me—"
"Techno, Techno, Techno, Tech, calm down," Rowan assured, grabbing Techno's sleeve and gently pulling on it, stopping Techno in place. "Did you mean it?" His voice was soft, light, hopeful.
Techno swallowed, turning to face him. He nodded.
Rowan's expression broke into a grin, his hand reaching up to quickly wiping at his eyes. "I— yes, of course I'll marry you, Christ, Techno," he breathed, pulling Techno into a hug. Techno buried his face into Rowan's shoulder, relaxing.
"You mean it?"
"I do."
Techno grinned. "I can't wait to hear you say that when we get married." Rowan giggled. Techno pulled himself from the hug, one hand on Rowan's waist. "I want— I want to redo that proposel, that was awful and you deserve somethin' better—"
"I don't need want 'somthing better,' Techno, I have you and that's the best thing in the world," Rowan said softly.
Techno stared at him, eyes a little teary. He smiled softly, running a hand through Rowan's hair before pulling him back, resting his chin on top of Rowan's head.
". . . Simp."
Rowan groaned, attempting to pull himself out of Techno's arms, turning away from him, only for Techno to pull him back, wrapping his arms around his waist. Rowan sighed, leaning against him. "You literally just proposed to me."
Techno chuckled. "You didn't have to accept."
Rowan scoffed. "As if." He smiled. "Imagine if you had done it while we were live? Will wouldn't have ever let you live it down."
Techno smiled, closing his eyes for a moment before his grin melted away. "Oh, God, your brother is going to kill me."
Rowan laughed, pulling himself away from Techno to check his phone.
Techno wanted to be surrounded by that laugh forever.
• • • • •
"Why did you come all the way out here to visit us?" Phil asked lightly, smiling at Rory.
"It's literally less than a two minute walk," Rory protested. Techno and Rory were the last to move out of Brighton — Will had gone first, chasing happiness, and had settled about a twenty minute drive from Phil and Kristin, Niki becoming his roommate less than three months later; Tommy and Tubbo followed after college, managing to snag a decent flat only two blocks away. Techno and Rory were next, and it was a genuine coincidence that they'd gotten a house on the same street.
Phil ruffled his hair. "So what brings you by?" he asked.
Rory motioned for the man to sit beside him on the couch. Kristin was at work and would be home soon — Rory wanted to do this privately.
"Well . . . I have a really important favor," Rory admitted.
Phil frowned at how quiet Rory had become. "Is everything alright?" he asked worriedly.
Rory nodded. "Yeah. Yeah! Just . . ." He swallowed. "You know Will and I's parents died last year," he said softly. Phil nodded, giving him a sympathetic look. Their deaths were the main reason Will dropped off the face of the earth for a month before moving closer to Phil and Kristin. "Well, I would ask Will this, but I have another spot planned for him." He chuckled, holding up his hand, palm facing himself.
Phil glanced at Rory's hand for a moment, looking confused, before his eyes widened in realization when he saw the engagment ring.
"Mate!" Phil exclaimed, pulling Rory into a hug. Rory laughed. "That's incredible! When did he ask? How did he ask?" Phil asked excitedly, pulling out of the hug, eager for answers.
"He just kind of blurted it out after the livestream last week," Rory revealed. Phil laughed, clapping his hands. "We were going to announce it at movie night, but then we wanted to wait because we have different plans on how to tell everyone. But that's not— I need a favor, and you're the only one I can ask because, well— Phil, you're the only one I want to fill that position," Rory rambled.
"Rory," Phil chided, putting his hands on Rory's shoulders to calm him down.
"Will you walk me down the asile?" Rory blurted.
Phil's eyes widened, his grip loosening. Rory stared at him, waiting for something, anything — a rejection, tears, happiness. Instead, Phil just stared at him blankly, not processing his request. Rory frowned, waving his hands in front of Phil's face. "Da— Phil?" he asked softly.
Phil blinked. "I— really?" He sounded hopeful.
Rory smiled and nodded. "Of course. There isn't anyone else in the world who I would want," he said honestly. Phil chuckled warmly, then quickly wiped at his eyes, sniffling. "Aw, Phil," Rory said.
"What do you expect, mate? You can't just ask a man that and not expect him to get emotional!" Phil exclaimed. He hugged Rory tightly. Rory chuckled softly, hugging him back as he felt his own emotions bubbling up. ". . . I can't believe Techno isn't walking down the asile," he teased.
Rory beamed, pulling out of the hug. "We talked about it a few days ago and decided on that. Either way you were going to be asked to walk one of us down the asile."
Phil smiled at him brightly. "I— the answer is yes, by the way, I'll do that." He put a hand on Rory's shoulder. "I am so proud of you two. This is literally what I've been rooting for since the beginning." Rory laughed.
The two looked at the door as it opened, Kristin coming in with a bag of shopping. She spotted Rory and Phil sitting on the couch as she closed the door behind her.
"Oh, hey, Rory!" Kristin greeted, smiling at the two of them. "What brings you by?"
Rory and Phil shared a look. Rory grinned, holding up his hand to show her the ring.
"Well, how do you feel about a son-in-law?"
• • • • •
Tubbo and Tommy's flat was chaotic, to put it simply, but it was also very nice. The two were loud and impulsive and had more than their fair share of noise complaints from neighbors, but they were responsible. They picked up after themselves, they apologized to their neighbors and explained what their jobs entailed, and they budegted their money accordingly even though they could afford to splurge on overly-expensive items.
They were also very into jumping on Rory to hug him everytime he showed up, and since Tommy was taller than him, it always led to Rory nearly falling everytime.
"Okay, okay," he laughed, giving the two a quick hug back. "Come on, I made you guys cookies."
"Yes!" Tommy cheered, rushing to the dining room table. "Chocolate chip?"
"Ofcourse chocolate chip, who do you think I am?" Rory asked, setting a foil-covered paper plate on the table.
"I like the candy-cane ones," Tubbo commented.
"Those are Christmas only," Rory remined him, ruffling his hair. He sat down at the table, Tubbo taking a seat across from him next to Tommy. Rory shifted nervously, which didn't go unnoticed by Tommy, who sent him a weird look."So how have you two been? Anything interesting in the last week?"
Tommy snorted. "Other than Tubbo managing to burn cereal? No."
"Again?" Rory asked as Tubbo began to protest.
"I didn't burn it, Tommy's tastebuds are just bad!" he exclaimed.
"No, because when I made the cereal it was perfectly fine!" Tommy argued.
"Your tastebuds are biased!"
"Your tastebuds can't be biased!"
Rory watched the argument with an amused expression, waiting for the boys to calm down before he began speaking again. "So . . . things are going good, then?" he asked, shifting again, his expression flickering between calm and nervous. Tommy frowned at him.
"Why are you acting weird?" Tommy asked bluntly.
"Tommy," Tubbo hissed.
Rory chuckled. "No, no, he's right. I have a secret."
"Well tell us then!" Tommy exclaimed.
Rory smiled, holding up his hand, the same way he'd done with Phil. The two frowned at him, looking at his hand, before Tubbo suddenly slapped a hand over his mouth.
"Surely not!" he shouted, standing. "Really? Did he actually?"
Rory giggled, nodding. Tommy frowned. "I don't get it," he complained.
Tubbo rolled his eyes. "Techno proposed to him!" he explained. Tommy's eyes went wide as he whipped his head to the side to face Rory, who nodded in confirmation.
"Pogchamp!" Tommy exclaimed, jumping out of his seat and running around the table to give Rory a hug. Tubbo quickly joined on Rory's other side. Rory chuckled, hugging them both back.
"Does Will know?" Tommy asked, sitting down again, this time on Rory's direct right. Tubbo joined him in the other free chair.
Rory shook his head. "So far only Phil and Kristin, and now you two! Will's streaming later today and that's how I'm annoucing it, I'm going to ask him to be my best man in front of his stream."
"You're going to kill him," Tubbo said, smiling. "How long ago did Techno ask?"
"Last week, after the stream," Rory revealed.
"Did he get down on one knee?" Tommy questioned.
Rory shook his head. "He just kind of blurted it out," he admitted. Both boys groaned in disappointment. "Hey, be nice. I think he's planning on redoing the proposal even though I'm already wearing the ring!"
"Tell him to come to us for advice," Tubbo said bluntly. Rory chuckled.
• • • • •
Niki was in the sitting room when Rory showed up, letting him in after he knocked a few times. She smiled at him in greeting, clearly tired. "Will's streaming," she informed him. Rory grinned.
"I know, that's why I'm here," he told her. "I have a surprise for him."
She raised her eyebrows. "On stream?"
Rory smiled at her. "Can you keep a secret for the next five minutes?" Her brows furrowed as she nodded. "Great." He held out his hand, showing her the ring.
It took Niki a moment to process what that meant.
"You're joking!" she gasped, pulling his hand closer so she could study the ring. "Are you serious, you're engaged?" she asked happily, looking up at him. Rory nodded. "Rory, that's amazing!" she whisper-yelled, not wanting Will to overhear from his room. Rory chuckled.
"Thank you! Now time to make Will pass out on stream," he said, making her giggle. She shooed him in the direction of Will's room. Rory hesitated at the door, taking a deep breath. He knocked on the door.
"Streaming!" Will called out. Rory grinned, stepping inside. Will brightened when he saw him, then frowned. "Rory, I'm streaming," he said again.
"I know. I have a question," Rory said. He spotted a regular, dining-room-type chair beside the desk and moved that beside Will's chair. Will eyed him curiously. "It's a very important question."
"I'm literally streaming," Will protested.
Rory rolled his eyes. "And I'm literally trying to ask you to be my best man, bitch."
Will stared at him, eyes wide. "What?"
Rory grinned, glancing at the camera. He held out his hand, showing off the ring. "Looks nice, right, chat? I had to convince Techno to get a small one, he said I deserved all the diamonds in the world, and yet he refuses to share diamonds with me in Minecraft. Scam." He looked at Will again, who was still staring at him in shock. "Anyway. I'm getting married. Will you be my best man?"
"I— you— what?" Will stammered.
Rory frowned. "I think I broke him, chat." He stood, ruffling Will's hair. "I'll go talk with Niki until you're done!" He stood. Will immediately pulled him back down to the chair.
"What?" he insisted. Rory grinned.
"Techno proposed. Phil is walking me down the asile. We're working out roles for Tommy, Tubbo, Kristin, and Niki. Will you please be my best man?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
Will gaped at him, stumbling over his words. "I— you— you're— yes, of course, but holy shit, Rory, what?" He grinned excitedly, pulling Rory's hand close to him to study the ring. "That's— tell Techno to talk to me later, I have a thing to give him, I've been waiting for this moment since you started dating—" He laughed nervously.
Rory smiled. "I'll let him know."
Will suddenly frowned, looking at his computer. He leaned forward and asnwered an incoming Discord call, then winced. Rory could hear someone yelling through the headphones. Will took out his headphones, handing them to Rory. "It's for you," he said.
Rory frowned, putting them in. "Hello?"
"RORY!" Dream and Sapnap both shouted. Rory burst out laughing, his ears ringing slightly from their volume.
"What the hell!" Dream exclaimed. "What? I hope I'm getting an invitation!"
"Yeah, Rory, what the fuck!" Sapnap added. Rory chuckled.
"Yes, yes, you're both invited, Jesus. I was going to call you after I left!"
"I can't believe Techno didn't ask my permission!" Sapnap huffed. Rory smiled.
"I'm literally older than you."
"Still!"
Another person joined the call. "HA! I found out before you did, Dream and Sapnap!" Tommy boasted, sending the call into an arguement. Rory took out the headphones, smiling at Will sheepishly.
"Have a good stream!" he yelped, rushing out of the room as Will groaned behind him.
• • • • •
"Hey, Love. How was your day?" Rowan asked from the couch as Techno entered the house, careful not ot trip on the two dogs that rushed to meet him at the door. Rowan was sprawled out on the sofa, Castiel sleeping on his chest, and it was clear that he hadnt moved for at least an hour. Techno smiled at him.
"Good. I was expecting to get lectured about proper proposals from two nineteen-year-olds, but it was good," Techno told him. Rowan chuckled. Techno made his way to the couch; Rowan sat up enough for Techno to sit down, then laid his head on Techno's lap, looking up at him. He looked exhausted.
"We should go to bed soon, it's pretty late," Techno noted. They'd worked hard to get Rowan's sleep schedule down over the past few years, and even though it was an exciting day and they had a lot to talk about, Techno didn't want to ruin that progress.
Rowan hummed. "Yeah." He smiled up at Techno. "So what did Will want to talk about?" he asked.
Techno smiled down at him. "He gave me a wedding ring for you." Techno reached into his coat pocket as Rowan sat up, careful not to disturb Castiel. Rowan looked at him curiously, brows furrowed. Techno pulled out the black box. "It's for when we're actually married, not engaged, but I don't mind if you wear it sooner. Whatever you want to do," he said, opening the box.
Rowan stared at the ring for a moment. Techno couldn't see his eyes, but he panicked when he heard Rowan sniffle.
"Hey," he said softly, setting the box on the coffee table. "What's up?" he asked, scooting closer to Rowan. He cupped Rowan's face with one hand, making Rowan look at him.
"That—" Rowan chuckled softly, eyes flickering away. "That's my dad's wedding ring."
Techno made a noise of realization. He pressed a kiss against Rowan's forehead. "Is it too much?"
Rowan shook his head. "N— no, it's good. It's perfect, I just— I didn't even know Will had it." He chuckled. "I have our mom's. I was going to give it to Will when he got married. Bastard stole my idea." Techno smiled, gently running his thumb under Rowan's eye. Rowan smiled at him. "I'll— I'll wear it when we're married, I'd like that."
Techno nodded. "Whatever you want," he promised. He let his hand drop to pick up the ring box, putting it back in his pocket. "Come on, let's get to bed, it's late and you're clearly tired."
"What do you mean, I could stay up for another five hours," Rowan complained, getting up to follow Techno to their bedroom despite himself.
"That's not a good thing," Techno reminded him. "Here, I'll take Castiel, get changed."
They began their nightly routine with ease, the familiarity setting in quickly. And yet, despite Rowan having a headstart, Techno found himself in bed alone for a moment, waiting for Rowan to get back to the room. Rowan quickly returned, settling into bed next to him.
"Hi." Rowan smiled at him, barely visible through the moodlight coming in from the window.
"Hello." Techno smiled back, reaching out to push Rory's hair out of his face. "I never asked how your day was."
". . . Emotional," Rowan decided. Techno nodded. "And I missed you. So that sucked."
"I missed you, too." Techno sighed. "I think I'm too attatched to you."
"Oh, no, the Blood God's one weakness. His boyfriend," Rowan mocked.
"Fiancé," Techno corrected, his hand coming to rest on Rory's side. Rowan grinned. ". . . You know, when I first heard you had a crush on me, I never expected that one day I'd ask you to marry me," Techno commented.
Rory hummed sleepily, not even commenting on the word crush, which is how Techno knew he was more tired than he was letting on.
Techno smiled, gently tracing shapes on the exposed skin of Rory's hip. "Go to sleep, Rowan. I'll be here when you wake up."
"Promise?"
Techno closed his eyes, the smile never leaving his face. "I love you."
"Love you, too," Rowan mumbled tiredly.
And for the briefest moment, before he fell asleep, Techno realized that he was worthy of that love.