[SUMMARY OF PREVIOUS CHAPTER:

Techno (obviously) does not die from the anvil, and escapes. Dream has taken Y/N, and so Techno follows him. He is attacked by Quackity, but beats Quackity with just a pickaxe and iron armor (exactly like the actual stream but Carl is replaced by Y/N). Meanwhile, Dream has taken Y/N into the underground river passage and is doing not very nice things to them. Y/N fights back and cracks Dream's mask. Dream threatens them with unalive and continues to do not very nice things (forced kissing and threat of r*pe. no actual r*pe). Then someone pulls Dream off Y/N and throws him in the river. It's Technoblade!!]

Anyway, onto the next chapter!

(tw: blood)

Technoblade was alive!

You felt relief flood over you as he stood in front of you, brandishing a netherite pickaxe. Here he stood in all his glory, clad in dented iron armor, his shoulder dripping blood.

Dream hissed and pulled himself out of the river. Technoblade stepped back, closer to you. Dream stayed kneeling by the river as Techno held up the bloody pickaxe as a warning.

"What are you doing, Technoblade?" Dream glared at Techno from behind his cracked white mask. His cloak was dripping with water, clinging to his form, making him look much smaller.

Technoblade lashed his tail, "Protecting Y/N from you." He growled.

It looked as though Dream had dropped his dagger in the river. He also seemed to be missing his trademark netherite axe that was usually slung across his back.

"You owe me, Technoblade. I payed Punz to save you, and I helped you get away, as well as supplied you armor and a weapon to protect yourself with." Dream gestured to the pickaxe Techno was holding. He seemed to think that Technoblade owed him for this.

"Then consider my mercy as returning the favour." Technoblade snarled.

Dream looked up at him, not saying anything.

"Dream, even though you deserve to be killed, I'm letting you go. It's true that you saved me and Y/N, but you've overstayed your welcome." Technoblade nodded his head in the direction Dream had appeared from earlier, as if telling him to leave.

"You can't possibly be serious." Dream stood up, scoffing in disbelief.

"Can't I?" Technoblade asked, "I could kill you right now. You know I could. You know that I'm the only person who can beat you in a fight. I have before, surely you remember?" 

Technoblade had beaten Dream in a fight before? How was that possible? Dream was known as the best fighter in the land.

Dream didn't answer.

"Get out of here Dream. Before I change my mind." Technoblade said sharply, taking a step towards Dream.

The green-clad man stared at Technoblade, and you noticed his face flickered down in your direction.

"HEY!" Technoblade roared, stepping in front of you to block Dream's vision. "Get your eyes off of her." He growled, "Listen, Dream... if you ever, and I mean EVER come near Y/N again, I will not hesitate to kill you. You stay away from her." 

Technoblade stood, shoulder dripping in blood, tail lashing, prepared to fight Dream (the best fighter in the lands) who was clad entirely in netherite, for you. You couldn't believe how lucky you were to have him.

"Next time I see you, Dream, I will kill you. The things you have done to the people I care about are unforgivable. You're lucky I'm letting you go. You do not deserve my mercy, but I am a man of honour, Dream, something you cannot imagine being. It's true you've done me a favour, now do me another and get out of my sight." Technoblade took another threatening step towards Dream.

Dream nodded, and turned and strode down the passageway, disappearing behind a wall. 

It was silent for a second, both you and Technoblade staring at the place Dream had disappeared, bracing yourselves for if he suddenly came back. It seemed as though he were gone for good. However, knowing Dream, you could only hope.

Suddenly Technoblade's arms were around you.

"Oh my goodness, Y/N. I'm so glad you're okay." Technoblade mumbled into your shoulder. "I was so worried about you. I'm so sorry about Dream, I would have come sooner but Quackity attacked me."

"Are you okay?" You asked, wishing you could embrace Technoblade in return.

"Yeah. Quackity should have known better than to attack me. Now he'll have a scar as a reminder." You could feel Technoblade's smile against your shirt. 

Technoblade then pulled back, looking into your eyes.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his red eyes filled with concern.

"Yeah, I mean I wish I could be better but... my hands are tied." You smiled sheepishly, and Technoblade chuckled at your joke.

"Here, I can help with that." Techno offered. He then helped maneuver you so he could get at your bonds better.

"Okay, watch your hands." He instructed, hoisting the pickaxe above his head.

You braced yourself. A sharp clang was heard and a shockwave passed though your body as the pickaxe connected with the chain. You brought your hands up to look at them, your arms aching in protest, having not moved from that position for a while. The shackles were still around your wrists, but the chain had been broken, essentially freeing you.

"We can get those off once we go back home." Technoblade held out his hand to help you to your feet, and you took it.

As he hoisted you up, your legs buckled underneath you, pitching you forward.

Technoblade quickly caught you, wrapping one of his arms around your waist, the other still holding your hand.

"Are you okay?" Technoblade asked.

"Yeah." You struggled a little but soon managed to stay on your feet, glancing up to meet Techno's eyes.

You realized how close you were to him. His arm was still around your waist, your hand in his. It looked like you two had been dancing.

You stared into his eyes, neither of you moving. You noticed you could feel his heartbeat, which was slowing down to match yours. As you stood, your hearts beating in sync, you felt something stir inside of you.  You cared about him so much. Technoblade looked at you, his eyes full of longing. He dropped your hand, but his arm stayed around your waist.

"I'm sorry I got you dragged into all of this." Technoblade said softly.

"It's okay. It's my fault. I should have attacked Quackity instead of just obeying him." You murmured guiltily. 

"Hey, hey... no. It's not your fault." Technoblade whispered, "Everything worked out in the end, didn't it?"

"Yeah, but you've gotten hurt. I should have stayed hidden like you told me to." You didn't want Technoblade to feel like it was his fault.

"I would fight them all again in a heartbeat for you." Technoblade smiled, dipping his head so it was closer to yours. He brought his hand up to hold your face, his thumb rubbing softly against your cheek.

You felt your face flush.

"R-really?" Your voice cracked a little, and you wished you could kick yourself.

"Of course. I care about you so much." Technoblade smiled. "Too much." He whispered.

You looked at each in silence for a second, the tension almost unbearable. Neither one was sure if they should make the first move or not. You saw his eyes flick down to your lips.

"Y/N..." Technoblade said, his voice barely a whisper.

You felt something flutter up inside your stomach, you could tell what was going to happen. 

"Could I..." Technoblade dropped his gaze. 

"May I..." He repeated, unable to meet your eye. You knew what he was about to ask.

"May I kiss you?"

He looked back at you, his eyes meeting yours. You could see longing in those half-lidded red depths.

Yes. Your mind whispered, but you were unable to find the words. He leaned forward slightly, but stopped, still waiting for your permission. 

You could feel his hot breath on your face, his heartbeat, his love for you. You loved him too. You realized that now. He was so unlike Dream, who had forced you to- no, you wouldn't think about him right now, that would just ruin the moment. 

You heart fluttered in your chest, unsure if this was real.

"Yes." You whispered.

His lips met yours. Fireworks went off inside you as you leaned into the kiss, pressing even closer to Techno. This was so much better than you had imagined. You could fell Technoblade pulling you closer still. You reached up and wove your fingers into Techno's soft hair. You felt his thumb rub across your check again.

Then you both pulled back, still looking into each other's eyes. It had been so different from when Dream had kissed you. Even when you were dating, he would kiss you roughly, usually forced, and you really didn't enjoy it. This was so much better. It had felt like liquid gold against your lips.

Technoblade leaned in again and gave you another kiss, much quicker than the first. 

"I hope it was okay I kissed you a second time..." Technoblade tilted his head nervously.

You nodded.

"Okay." Technoblade smiled at you for a second longer, before letting you go and turning down to look around the passageway.

"Well we better get going. Once we get back home we can stock up and then come back and rescue Phil."

That was right! Phil was still trapped in L'Manberg! 

You needed to rescue him as soon as possible, but was it safe to return to L'Manberg this close after your and Technoblade's escape?

You and Techno hurried down the tunnel.

Eventually you both slowed to a walk, tired from running for what seemed like hours. 

"I think we can walk now." Technoblade glanced behind you. You nodded, panting. You both walked on in silence. You snuck glances at Technoblade, but he didn't seem to notice.

Suddenly you felt something near your hand. You looked down to see Technoblade lightly brushing his hand against yours. You looked up at him. He was blushing.

"Is it okay if I hold your hand?" He asked. You smiled and grabbed hold of his hand, a light blush covering your cheeks.

You both resumed walking, hand in hand.

You smiled. It was nice to walk with Technoblade like this. Secretly, you had longed for this for a while. Although you never would have guessed that Technoblade, big strong stoic Technoblade, was a touchy-feely kinda guy. It was cute.

You continued walking, somehow a conversation started up, and continued for what felt like 15 minutes (though it was closer to a few hours) until you came upon the end of the tunnel. It led out near the dock you and Techno had arrived at along with the Butcher Army. How lucky was that? You and Techno headed onto one of the boats tied up at the dock. You both got in, and Technoblade began to row out to sea. 

You leaned back against his chest, feeling his muscles rippling with strength. You stayed like this for a while, your eyes drifting closed every once in a while as sleep pulled at the edges of your mind.

Technoblade was murmuring something to you. Something along the lines of "The only thing that works in this world is to treat others as they treat you." It all sounded very important, but you were quite tired.

"I can take a turn if you want?" You didn't want to fall asleep and leave Technoblade to do all the work, that wouldn't be fair to him. 

"No, you can just stay where you are." Techno said, his voice surprisingly soft. 

So you did.

Soon you felt Technoblade shaking you awake. Looks like you had fallen asleep after all. You opened your eyes and looked around. You didn't recognize anything. Maybe you two were lost?

"C'mon. We've still got a ways to go." Technoblade helped you out of the boat.

The two of you began to walk again. It seemed like Techno knew where you were going, even if you didn't. You were glad he was here with you. There was no one else in the world you would rather have by your side.

As you walked, you found yourself growing more and more tired, despite having had a nap in the boat. Your legs were sore and you wanted to curl up and rest. However, you were determined not to slow Techno down. That plan, evidently failed as you tripped on a rock.

"Are you okay?" You heard Technoblade's deep monotone voice. How many times had you fallen today? A lot, that was for sure. You stayed laying on the ground for a minute before getting back on your feet. You and Technoblade continued on.

He seemed to notice you falling behind, and suddenly you felt your legs being swept out from under you. You gave a squeak of surprise as pink-haired hybrid easily picked you up.

"It's okay, you've had a long day. I can carry you the rest of the way." Technoblade smiled down at you. You thought about arguing that you could walk on your own, but you decided against it. You rested your head on Technoblade's shoulder and allowed him to carry you the rest of the way back to the cabin.

Being home at last, you made sure to pet Steve and say hi to Edward. You took a much needed bath and changed into some comfortable clothes. You then flopped down on the couch beside Technoblade, who was going over supplies needed to rescue Phil (as well as get yours and Techno's armor and weapons back.)

Technoblade already had a few extra sets of full enchanted netherite armor (because why wouldn't he??), as well as many of the items needed. 

"So the plan is simple: we sneak back into L'Manberg and rescue Phil, then, once we've regrouped, we head back into the L'Manberg for a second time to get our stuff back." Technoblade nodded thoughtfully.

"How are we supposed to do that, though?" You asked, "That sounds more like a wish list than a plan..." 

Technoblade pointed to a brewing stand. "Invisibility."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Technoblade's POV) 

"Are you sure about this?" An invisible Y/N whispered from somewhere to Techno's left.

"Yes." He whispered back, also covered in a mist of invisibility. 

They had rested and come back fresh, returning to L'Manberg in a few short days. Techno would have gone sooner, but Y/N had pointed out that Phil didn't even know that they were coming to get him. So once the letter had sent and the final preparations were made, Technoblade and Y/N had set off for L'Manberg, on the most epic rescue mission of all time. (At least Techno liked to think of it like that.)

dadza...dadza our beloved...philza minecraft is so brave...phil...crow father...E...E...e...e...

The voices faded away into whispers. Technoblade had missed their joyful teasing. The past while they had grown quite, and then loud again at the execution. However, now they were back to normal, if what they were doing could be considered normal. 

Techno spotted Phil and someone else, and he quickly ducked behind a stone outcropping, despite being invisible. He hoped Y/N was hiding as well. 

"Phil didn't mention a certain president. He shouldn't be too happy to see us." Technoblade heard Y/N's voice coming from the other side of the path. It was true that Tubbo was standing and talking to Phil, waving his arms excitedly. Phil still had the ankle monitor around his leg.

Crows flittered around Phil, and suddenly Phil turned and made direct eye contact with Technoblade. Techno felt a shiver go down his spine. How had Phil noticed him? Would Tubbo also be able to see him?

Phil then turned and in the opposite direction of Technoblade. He paused for a second, but then continued, Tubbo trailing along behind him. A crow fluttered down beside Techno once Phil and Tubbo were out of sight. It handed Techno a note. Somehow the crow could also see Technoblade. Was Techno not invisible or something??

The note read 'he won't stop following me.'

Techno pulled out a piece of charcoal he had just found in his pocket two seconds ago and scribbled out a note on the back of Phil's note. It read 'meet me in your house and tell him to leave.' The crow took the note and flew off. 

Y/N and Techno headed over to Phil's house. Suddenly, Techno felt an arm on his chest as Y/N stopped him.

"Don't move." She whispered, "Ranboo's right there." She was right. The insanely tall enderman hybrid was dragging his feet through the snow. His pointed ear twitched and he glanced around in the general area where Techno and Y/N were standing. Panic flashed through Technoblade as the multi-coloured gaze passed over him.

Suddenly Tubbo came up behind Ranboo and hugged him. A noticeable blush covered Ranboo's face, and he smiled. Tubbo said something and the two of them laughed, before they both headed away from Phil's house. Taking this opportunity, Techno and Y/N snuck into Phil's house, luckily the door had been left open.

"Hacker voice: We're in." Techno whispered, and smiled when he heard Y/N's adorable giggle. The pair headed down into the basement, where Phil was chipping away at the stone floor.

"Phil, stay calm. It's us." Techno stood beside Phil, who looked around upon hearing the voice. 

"Who's us? Techno? Is there someone else with us, mate?" Phil looked around suspiciously.

"Yeah, Y/N's here." Technoblade informed him, feeling Y/N brush against his shoulder.

"Ohoho..." Phil wagged his finger at open air, "You both know you shouldn't be here." He scolded nobody. 

"How are we supposed to get out of here without being spotted?" Y/N's voice piped up.

"This!" Phil took one last swing at the ground, opening a hole leading down into a tunnel. It seemed Phil had been planning for this escape for a while.

"What about the ankle monitor?" Technoblade gestured to the steel loop around Phil's ankle, despite the fact that Phil couldn't even see him.

Phil chuckled and pulled out a few sizzling stones from a leather bag around his waist. "I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Techno, I would have expected you of all people would have known that?" He pressed the stones against the an impression on the ankle monitor. It seemed as though Phil had been chipping away at it unnoticed for a while. With a clunk, the ankle monitor fell off Phil's ankle and onto the ground, smoking from where the stone had touched it. Phil pocketed the broken ankle monitor and headed into the tunnel.

 After a few minutes of walking around in the dark, the trio came out behind Phil's house. They then proceeded to run around L'Manberg under the cover of the night (and invisibility) looking for where the Butcher Army put Technoblade and Y/N's things. No such luck. They only ran into Tubbo and Ranboo a few times. Technoblade was beginning to get antsy, he was running out of potions and staying around in L'Manberg was dangerous for all of them. He had hoped to show Phil and Y/N the dog army he had been working on, but it seemed as though he would have to wait until another time. 

The trio headed back to Technoblade's cabin, all joking and laughing and celebrating Phil's freedom. They returned happy and well, glad to be reunited. 

That night, the three friends ate and drank and shared in each other's good company, laughing and smiling late into the night.

Phil fell asleep on the couch, and Techno was getting dressed into his pajamas while Y/N was brushing her teeth in the bathroom.

Technoblade was making his bed when he felt arms wrap around his waist.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" He heard Y/N's tired voice from behind him.

"Of course." He shuffled into bed, Y/N following him.

He wrapped his arms around her and she snuggled into his chest. He smiled, closing his eyes. He was so glad that Y/N had felt the same way about him. He remembered their