(AN: one of the characters starts thinking really negative things about themselves, so people with anxiety or depression; discretion is advised) (stay safe guys, love you all <3)

[a brief summary of this chapter is available on the next chapter for the people who do not want to read this for their own safety. reader discretion is advised.]

(tw: blood, choking, biting, graphic blood-drinking)

"Jeez, nerd. I thought Phil said you were good at fencing." Technoblade snickered, offering you his hand. 

You rejected his offer, and huffed angrily, standing up and brushing dirt off of yourself.

"I am good, you're just better than me." You wanted to kick yourself as the truth slipped out. Normally you would have never admitted it. Technoblade laughed, the sound of it threatening to make you smile. His laugh was so contagious, and you were still trying to be angry.

"Aw, you flatter me." He chuckled, and smiled broadly, showing off his sharp teeth and tusks. 

It was true, he was a much better fencer than you were, by far. He said that Phil had taught him, but his skill surpassed Phil's by a long shot. How had he gotten so good? You hadn't managed to even get a hit on him. 

"Let's go again." You demanded, determined to beat him.

He looked thoughtful for a second. Some emotion crossed his face for a second, but you couldn't deter what it was, as it had happened so fast you weren't sure if it had happened at all. 

"Nah, I'm tired. Let's do something else." He said, looking away. How could he be tired? You had barely started fencing. He had been acting like this all morning, never sticking to one thing, always saying he was bored or tired of it, and moving on to something else. 

"Oh, okay." You said, not really minding, as you were quite exhausted from your sparring with Techno. "What do you want to do now?" You asked, hoping he would suggest something. You were cool with doing whatever he wanted to do. 

He didn't answer. 

"How about we go see the waterfalls?" You offered, thinking of the great time you had there last time you and Techno went. 

He had found it while out one day, and had taken you to see it. It had been amazing, the falls poured off of a river on top of a mountain, frothing and churning it's way down the side, and ended in a large pond that was filled with lily pads and stepping stones. The whole area was lined with sugarcane and flowers, and the both of you had gone back a few times to just have a relaxing day. 

"Nah." Technoblade said. You felt a twinge of disappointment, you had really enjoyed going. However, that was fine, you could always come up with something else to do.

"How about we go to the Nether?" You suggested. You would never have gone for fun, but Technoblade had gone there frequently, saying he was 'working on a project'. Maybe you could go with him this time and see what his project was. 

He shook his head, not even glancing at you.

Your face fell a little. He was acting very strange. He seemed distant.

No matter, you would find something he wanted to do. "What if we ride Lily and Carl?" Technoblade shook his head. "We could... go hunting?" Again, no. "How about we...go...explore some caves?" Nope. "What if we-"

"How about we do something separate. You can do any one of those things by yourself, and I have some things I need to do." Technoblade cut you off, still without glancing in your direction. He stalked off without waiting for a response, leaving you standing by yourself.

How had he gone from laughing and joking to cold and distant in a matter of seconds? It had happened a few times this morning, but you had thought nothing of it.

You wondered if this was about the necklace thing. You felt a guilty twinge in your gut. It had been a little awkward, and you were afraid you had made Technoblade uncomfortable. Maybe he just didn't want to be around you anymore.

No, probably not. He probably just needs some time to himself. You reasoned, trying to think positively. You couldn't think of anything you had done that would upset him. Maybe you should ask him. Yeah! You would just go ask him what was wrong and fix it as soon as possibly so he would go back to normal! Brilliant.

You sauntered off in the direction he had left in, stowing your diamond sword in the sheath at your hip. 

You found Technoblade pressing his face against Steve's and whispering. He suddenly stood up and whipped around upon hearing you approach. 

"Sorry... was I interrupting something?" You joked. Your heart soared as you saw Technoblade's face brighten.

"No, no. Nothing like that. Steve is just my emotional support bear." He smiled.

"Do you need emotional support right now or something?" You tilted your head, smiling back at him.

His face fell and his smile faded into a frown, his eyes flashing with the same emotion as before. You suddenly felt really bad, had you touched on a nerve? You hadn't meant to make him feel bad. 

"No. I'm fine." He said sharply, and started to walk away. You reached out and grabbed his wrist

"Wait! Techno tell me what's wr-"

You were cut off by Technoblade whipping around and grabbing your wrist with his free hand. The strong grip on your wrist scared you, and in your surprise you released his wrist. He stared at you for a second, still crushing your wrist in his hand. 

He then dropped your wrist and turned, walking away without saying anything. You rubbed your wrist, clutching it to your chest. There was definitely something wrong. 

You decided to just let him tell you what was bothering him on his own time. You didn't want to make him feel pressured or uncomfortable. You were all for respecting boundaries, especially when a few people hadn't done the same for you.

You glanced over at Steve. He grunted and lumbered forward to push his huge furry head against your stomach. You laughed, petting him. "Are you hungry, Steve? I can go get you some food." Steve's eyes sparkled as you said this, and he let out an affirmative growl. You chuckled and went to go get Steve's food. It was on normally on one of the shelves in the kitchen, although Techno sometimes forgot to put it back in the same spot.

Entering the kitchen you quickly spotted the food on the highest shelf. You reached up towards it, standing on your tippy toes and stretching your arm to it's full length. To no avail, the food was pushed towards the back, and you couldn't reach it. 

Suddenly a white-sleeved arm reached past you, grabbing the kibble and bringing it down off the shelf. You turned. 

Technoblade held out the food so you could take it, but when you reached to take it from him he moved the kibble just out of reach. You stretched your arm and made a grab for it, but Techno lifted it so you couldn't reach it at all anymore.

"What's the magic word...?" He cooed, smiling smugly at you. 

"C'mon Techno, I don't have time for this. Steve is hungry!" You wined, secretly pleased he was back to his usual self. 

"Fine then, your majesty." Technoblade said mockingly, bowing as he handed you Steve's food. You took it and shot him a look as he stood back up. "Oh, still upset? Sorry, your glorious, wonderful majesty of utmost important, ruler of everything in these lands and beyond. Bringer of light to everyone's life." Technoblade smirked, and you giggled. 

"Hey hey... I'm not the one wearing the crown here." You waved your hand at the golden crown atop Technoblade's head. He looked up, a little confused, bringing his hand up to where you gestured to, as if he had forgotten he was wearing it. 

"Oh! Right. So sorry your absolute excellency, please forgive my mistake." He took off the crown on his head, "Here is your crown, my liege." He placed the crown on your head and kneeled in front of you. The crown was a little too big for you, and it slipped down over your eyes, causing Technoblade to snort.  You laughed as well, partly at his antics but also at the adorable way he snorts when he laughs. You pushed the crown up just far enough so that you could peer out with one eye, seeing Technoblade still kneeling, his eyes closed and laughing. 

He stood up again, still chuckling. "It looks good on you." He smiled, and you laughed again. 

"Yeah right, please just take it back. I feel too fancy. I might start turning into you, if I keep ending up in all your outfits." You looked down at yourself, still wearing the white shirt and black pants, with a few extra accessories, like your sword and necklace. Now you were wearing the crown as well.

Suddenly, a cloak was wrapped around you shoulders, falling down to pool around your ankles. Technoblade chuckled. "Now you really look like me." He smiled at you.

You looked down at yourself, and then back up at him. "Yeah, I could totally be you." You smiled, "Oh, look at me, I'm Technoblade." You said in a deeper voice, trying to impersonate Techno. "I love potatoes and also Philza Minecraft." Technoblade was holding back laughter. "These orphans are getting destroyed." Technoblade laughed, smiling broadly. "I'm really good at hitting people with swords." Techno's face fell a little, but flashed back to smiling in an instant. You decided you weren't going to push it. "Look ladies, I know I'm handsome, and I would love to stick around and sign your swords, but I got a polar bear to feed." You said stoically, taking a bow.

Technoblade clapped. 

"Look though, really, I would love to stay and play dress up, but Steve did look really hungry." You took off the crown and cloak, and handed them back to Technoblade. He was still chuckling as you left the room to feed Steve.

A few hours later, the sun was already setting. You found Techno inside going through his chests again. "Wow, the sun sets fast here, huh?" You commented, and Technoblade nodded. "Yeah, it gets dark here pretty quick." 

You looked out the window, settling down on your couch. Technoblade had offered making you your own room, but you had respectfully declined. You were okay sleeping on the couch, and you didn't feel like Techno needed to go through all the effort of making you a room. 

Technoblade had gone upstairs to his room already, leaving you to stare out at the sunset. 

It was so nice here. You loved living with Technoblade. You could remember when you first met him, and had no idea who he was. You had never expected him to be like he really was, he looked a lot more intimidating at first. 

You never wanted to leave.

You closed your eyes and lay down, letting yourself fall asleep.

bang

bang

You opened your eyes and sat up. 

bang

There it was again...

A strange banging and crashing noise were coming from upstairs. Suddenly a loud roar echoed through the house, and a wave of panic shot through you. What was happening? The roar sounded like Technoblade. Was he okay? Was he being attacked?

You swung your legs off the side of the couch and stood up, racing up the ladder to the upper level of the cabin. Growls and the sound of something falling and breaking echoed down the hallway.

"Techno?" You called out, feeling suddenly hesitant.

No response.

You swallowed your fear and crept quietly down the hallway towards the origin of the noises, Techno's bedroom.

You reached your hand towards the brass doorknob, pausing for a second before slowly turning it and pushing open the door.

The sight that met your eyes filled you with confusion and fear. 

The normally fairly tidy room was abnormally messy, books had been knocked off the bookshelf, the bed was a mess, his desk (which was normally the most organized) had been tipped to the side, all of its contents spilled across the room. A clay pot of flowers had fallen and shattered all over the floor.

The most worrying part in the whole room was the hulking figure of Technoblade, heaving in the darkness. His eyes snapped towards you as you came in, his usually black pupils were tinted a milky white, sending shivers down your spine. 

Something was very wrong. You reached towards him, trying to offer your help.

He growled menacingly, deep and animalistic.

"You shouldn't be here."

(Technoblade's POV)

Y/N looked confused at his words, but her outstretched hand didn't lower. 

Technoblade couldn't believe his bad luck.

blood...blood...blood...blood for the blood god...

He shook his head, his breathing rasping out of his chest with immense difficulty. The voices hissed and growled, leaping like flames in a bonfire, consuming everything around them.

"You shouldn't be here." Technoblade repeated, trying to control himself. He so desperately wanted to taste her, the sweet metallic tang of her blood. He was horrified at himself for it.

The voices had been so out of control. The whole day he had been struggling against them, which was more difficult then usual.

"What do you mean?" She asked, her voice filled with concern.

It's fake concern. She doesn't care about me. She's just using me.

Technoblade growled again, the voices still begging for blood. He felt himself slip a little, and he lunged towards her with a snarl. 

kill...kill...blood...kill...blood for the blood god

NO! He desperately tried to stop himself and managed to make himself miss her and instead slam into the wall beside her, his nails digging into the wall. Every muscle in his body was tensed, trying to attack and also not attack Y/N at the same time, fighting against themselves.

"You need to leave." He didn't really want her to leave, he just didn't want to accidentally hurt her.

The voices swirled and raged, dancing flames in the wind, rearing, and twisting. Technoblade felt dizzy, his vision tilting. 

"Please." He managed to let out a choked whisper. However Y/N didn't leave, she just looked at him with eyes full of concern, she wanted to help him more than she wanted to live, apparently.

BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD...KILL...BLOOD

Technoblade felt his control slipping again, and he rose from where he had been bent over. He slowly turned towards Y/N, every fiber of his being trying to stop himself, but the voices moved him onwards. 

He advanced towards Y/N, reaching towards her. 

Stop! Please! Technoblade cried out from amid the flames of the voices, who now filled his conscious mind with a smoky haze. He was unable to stop himself as he reached towards Y/N. 

Suddenly, instead of grabbing her, he continued reaching past her and grabbed the door instead. 

The quick flash of relief was soon replaced with fear again, as Techno watched, helpless, as he slowly closed the door.

click

(Y/N's POV)

The foreboding noise of a lock clicking into place rang in your ears, filling you with a sense of dread. 

Technoblade's pupils had gone completely white, and he had stopped talking. He hand dropped from the door, quickly flashing up towards you. His other hand also darted forward, grabbing the first hand by his wrist and holding it down.

You shuddered. Normally being alone with Technoblade in his room would be okay with you, but this time you were just afraid. Something was very wrong with Techno. The memory of what Dream had done to you flashed through your mind, sending a fresh wave of fear to echo through you. You felt sick. 

However, you trusted Technoblade. Just like I had trusted Dream... You thought, your stomach twisting at the thought. You carefully tried to sidle away from Techno, attempting to put some distance between you and him. No matter how much you trusted him, you needed to feel safe. Technoblade stepped forward, pressing you against the wall, boxing you in with his wide shoulders. 

He chuckled darkly. "I don't think so." He muttered, and you felt cold fear run through you. His voice sounded like many different voices overlapping. Like many people were saying the same thing at once. However, the only voice you could hear was his. It was like multiple Technoblade's were talking. It was very unnerving. 

"Wh-what's wrong?" You said, your voice wavering with fear. Technoblade chuckled again, still sounding strange.

"Don't think I'm stupid. Tommy tried the same thing." He said, tilting his head to study you. You were confused. Tommy? What was Technoblade talking about? "Don't look so confused, you aren't fooling anyone. You know exactly what I mean." Techno's lips dropped to form a frown. "You don't really care about me." His lips parted as he said this, forming a snarl, his pointed teeth glinting in the warm lighting of the room. 

"What? Why would you-" You were suddenly cut off as Technoblade's hand closed around your neck, choking you.

"Shut up." He growled, his voice still strange and multiplied. You brought your hands up to grasp frantically at his, trying to pry them off of your neck. Your chest felt tight and you were making strange garbled noises, desperately trying to take in a breath. Technoblade looked at you with a sick interest, watching you struggle in vain. "Don't even try. I know what you're doing." You felt your body go numb, your hands threatening to relax, as a black tunnel began to slowly close in on your vision. Your chest heaved, trying to take in a breath, but to no avail. It felt like someone had clamped a steel fist around your ribcage and was slowly closing in, crushing you. 

Techno's grip on you suddenly relaxed, enough so that you could breathe. You took in loud, gasping breaths, gulping down oxygen while staring up in fear at Techno. He was staring at you, smiling slightly in a sadistic sort of way. You shuddered, trying to calm yourself.

"What... do... you... mean...?" You panted, still very confused. His face darkened again, and you braced yourself. His hand twitched against your neck, before dropping to rest at his side. 

"Still playing dumb? Fine then, let me explain it for you." His voice, still strange, was hollow and dark. His eyes bored into you, the eerie white pupils held yours, unblinking. "I know what your plan was. It was obvious." He growled, lips curling up again to reveal his sharp teeth, tusks gleaming menacingly. "You wormed your way into my life, made me care about you. You pretended to care about me back, made me think we were friends. I know what your game is. You're just using me just as Tommy did, all I am to you is 'The Blade.' Our friendship means nothing. I should have killed you in the snow where you lay." He paused, looking past you, his hands twitching slightly. His tail lashed behind him, whipping through the air in an angry fashion. "I've denied them for so long, you know. The voices." He looked back at you, his white-pupiled red eyes staring into your very being. "Ever since I retired, became a pacifist, I've denied them what they want." He tilted his head, leaning closer to you. "Do you know what they want, dearest Y/N?" He asked, his head now hovering above your shoulder, his hot breath on the crook of your neck. Fear ran through you, tears pricking the edges of your eyes. You stifled back a sob, you knew what was going to happen. 

Was Technoblade going to finish what Dream had started?

"Well? Do you know what they want?" He asked, seemingly waiting for an answer. You were afraid. So afraid. Afraid of Dream, afraid of what