When Techno awoke to dim light shining in through the end of the blanket fort, his first thought was that Dream turned off the tv. Dream, for his part, was dead asleep on the floor next to him. The pinkette laughed softly at him and crawled out of the fort, glancing around. As he stood up, he noticed that the reason the tv was off was that there was no power.
"Fuck," he muttered, walking towards the window, shocked to see that the snow outside was so high it almost covered half the window. "Well, we aren't going anywhere."
It was hard to tell, but it was indeed still snowing, even if it almost looked like the snow was simply being blown around. He let out a deep breath, going to use the bathroom quickly. When he came back out, he checked the front door, finding a similar situation as the backyard had. Technoblade knew that digging out was going to be hell, especially since the snow and wind wasn't due to let up for at least another day.
Hearing shuffling coming from the blanket fort, he turned to see a very tired Dream crawling out. He look up at Techno with the widest green eyes he had ever seen. He gave the blonde a fond smile, before walking over to offer him a hand up.
"Power's out and there are at least two feet of snow out there. A bit hard to be sure due to the wind tossing it around," he gestured out the kitchen window.
"Damn… Looks really cold. I guess the blanket fort was a good idea for multiple reasons than," the blonde stole one of the extra blankets off the couch, wrapping it around his shoulders as he shivered.
Technoblade nodded, noticing how cold Dream was. "You okay? You don't look the best."
Dream went to answer but was interrupted by a cough. "I don't feel the best either. Head is stuffy and I'm really, really cold."
Frowning, Techno placed a hand to Dream's forehead. "You are burning up. I'm guessing you have a cold," he said.
"Of fucking course I do. They always appear just overnight huh. Well, that sucks. Can't even enjoy the snowstorm. I think I'm just going to go back to bed."
Techno caught the sad tone, knowing Dream liked snow to an odd amount. And like any normal person, he hated being sick, so this was most certainly one of the worst combos for him. He placed a hand on the man's shoulder, taking a short breath.
"Hey, wait up one moment," he said. "I can start a fire and make you something if you'd like."
Dream shook his head. "You don't have to make me anything. However, with the power being out, having a fire going would probably be best. I'll take down the blanket fort to prevent the risk of a fire we don't want."
"Are you sure Dream? It would be hard at all."
"I'm sure," he muttered, starting to break down the fort.
It was a simple task, but it hurt for him to move causing him to be slow at the task. Finding the remains of last night's snacks and drinks, he took those to the kitchen, yawning deeply as he did so. The blonde felt sluggish as if he had drunk several beers. It was a bit unsettling since he was normally not one to easily get sick. Cursing silently, Dream threw blankets and pillows onto their beds, stopping to stare out of the window, watching the blowing snow.
In his mind, this was the perfect setting to have a romantic day or two, drinking hot cocoa, reading books and cuddling, but even if he disregarded the fact that he was sick, Techno wasn't his. Another exhausted sigh escaped his lips, wanting nothing more than to just be with him. Dream knew that at this point it was a pipe dream that following would not lead him anywhere good. If he wanted Technoblade at all, he was going to just have to accept that they were friends and only friends.
Technoblade knocked at his door suddenly, placing down the final pillows. "Hey, the fire is started. I'm going to make us some breakfast over it. Anything you want in particular?"
"You really don't have to Techno. I'll be okay," he muttered.
"Well suck it up lover boy, because I'm making you breakfast and you can't stop me."
Before either acknowledged what Technoblade had just called him, Techno was gone. He had disappeared into the living room, leaving behind a flustered Dream. Technoblade could feel his face grow hot with embarrassment, fully aware of what he had just said. He had defiantly not meant it like that, but how he said it did not show that fact. With a sigh, he pulled out the cast iron skillet he owned, opening the fridge warily. It was still plenty cold for now, but they should open it sparingly.
Dream, for his part, sunk into his bed, flustered and confused. He felt terrible and with what Techno had said, it felt like he was mocking him and that was something he did not appreciate at all. Letting out a deep yawn, he felt himself drifting back off to sleep, mainly because of how sick he was. Colds were quite literally his kryptonite and he was well aware of how useless he became when he was sick.
—
When Techno came in with a plate of food and a cup of water, he laughed softly to see Dream deep asleep, swaddled in so many pillows and blankets. He set the items down, shaking Dream awake gently, the blonde waking with a start. He glared bleary-eyed at Techno for a moment, before yawning and opening his eyes fully.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep."
"You clearly need it Dream. I made you food. I'm also boiling a kettle of water for tea," he said, handing the water to Dream to help end the coughing fit he was starting to go into.
Dream accepted it gratefully and let out yet another yawn. "Do we have peppermint or a citrus tea?" he muttered.
"We have both, but let's start with the peppermint, I think it would be the best for you," Techno said softly.
"Thanks, Techno. I'm sorry about everything. I should have never let my emotions get in the way of our friendship."
"Don't apologize for that Dream. You know where I stand. You and I are still best friends and I don't ever see that changing. "
Dream nodded, not saying anything more. The conversation seemed strained and forced and he knew to stop whilst he was ahead. Instead, he ate the breakfast Technoblade had been so kind to make for him and curled into bed, ready for another nap.
—
Technoblade sighed, opening the book that he had been putting off. Now, in the middle of a snowstorm, with quite literally nothing else to do, reading seemed like the best option. It had been assigned a week ago, but with the millions of other papers due, it had been his least important job. A book report was easy compared to ten-page long papers on how the human mind deciphered gender. Besides, he did not quite enjoy Thomas Wolfe's writing, but that was a very minor factor.
In an hour and a half, he was about a hundred pages in, out of four hundred and fifty-eight. He had tried to take notes in an effort to not have to go back and review the entire book when he was actually writing the book report, but the story was a very, slow-paced one and eventually, he turned from reading and taking notes, to not doing either and just doodling. He was hyper-aware of how easily the pen he was using slid over the paper, it acting purely on his command and will somehow.
The doodling turned back to writing, this one turning from just some venting to a poem. Poems were one of his weaknesses, having always loved both reading and writing them. Without much thought, a poem was formed, and Technoblade felt more relief from writing it than he ever had before. Poetry was a way to express himself without being direct and with Dream being the topic of the vent, he couldn't just go to his best friend as he would normally.
It didn't take long for him to get into a rut. Having only written essays for a few months presented him with the problem of forgetting almost every poem format he knew. He stared at the third line, feeling down about this too. Techno began to chew on his bottom lip, causing a previous crack to reopen and start to bleed. It stung slightly but gave him the inspiration to keep writing. The fire crackled in the fireplace, emitting a heat that made him feel safe, despite the blowing wind and snow outside. He finished the poem fairly quickly after that, finally coming to terms with some of his feelings and giving a tiny smile.
Maybe things would work out.
Hello and thank you for reading, yet another chapter. I'm not very happy with this chapter, but the next two I am very excited to share with you all! I will also be updating on Thanksgiving for you this week. I understand that holidays can be hard depending on your family situation. When I was younger, I never had a good holiday, relying on fanfiction to help me escape the noise, chaos, and arguments that would come with it. If the least I can do is provide a few words to help you have a better day and escape, then I will. Thank you again for reading, and I will see you Thursday!
Best Regards,
PFT3000