✓ Updated

Song: Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy

Artist: Queen

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• CHAPTER TWELVE•

| Not Yet |

It was the gentle squeak of the door opening that stirred him. Techno peeled his lids open just enough to see who had opened said door. For a moment, it felt like his breath had been stolen all over again.

It came back to him just what had transpired in the last twenty-four hours.

Pushing himself up and running a hand through his hair, he's shot an apologetic look.

"Sorry," Y/N whispers, "I didn't mean to wake you up."

"It's alright," his voice is sleep riddled and a yawn cracks his jaw wide open, "I'm a light sleeper, remember?"

A soft snort escaped her with an amused curl of her lips and Techno can't help the tug of his own mouth that wants to smirk.

"I didn't get to say it before," he continues, voice soft and affectionate, "But it's really good to see you again."

Turning away from the cupboard to face him, Y/N returns the smile. That was one of the things Techno liked about Y/N, despite her harsher side, the one that knew reality well, she was still so soft and loving.

She moved closer, abandoning whatever task that had brought her into the room in the first place to sit on the edge of the bed.

"It's great to see you too," a soft grin tugs at her lips and before he could even react, her arms are around his shoulders. Techno doesn't hesitate to return it, soaking in the warmth and love she's practically seeping from her pores.

He buries his face into her neck and breaths deeply, his nose tingling with the nature-y smell that adored Y/N's scent. She smelt like the wind, like the bark of a tree, like wet morning grass; like petrichor.

Techno wrapped his arms around her torso, fingers brushing against the skin of her back. He could only do so because she had hidden her wings, her outfit's design working around her extra appendages.

(It would never not be strange to see Philza or Y/N without their wings. It felt almost unnatural when they hid them.)

Pulling back just enough to tug Y/N into the bed and under the covers, they snuggled up against one another.

Techno's not going to deny to himself that he has feelings for Y/N (what exactly and to what extend he's not completely sure) but long before he had felt anything for her, they had always come to one another for cuddles. It had been their thing, one where they sort the other out in quiet moments. Moments between themselves. Moments where the world around them seemed too much. Moments where they needed to speak their mind without judgement.

Of course, much of that had happened when Y/N had been much younger; before she had left to find herself but even after seeing each other again seven years ago, they had fallen into that routine as easily as if they had never stopped.

(Techno could vividly remember the wolf hybrid's piercing gaze at his and Y/N's closeness. At how the guy had made it obvious he hadn't trusted Techno and didn't want him around Y/N alone. It hadn't taken Techno long to realise just why that was, despite his initial bafflement at the behaviour. Ironic, he thinks.)

"I've missed this," Y/N admits quietly after they spent several minutes catching up on their lives.

"Me too," he pressed a kiss to her forehead and Y/N sighs softly.

"...I didn't expect to find you here again," he speaks, breaking the silence that had fallen between them after a few relaxing minutes. He hates to break the silence but, it was true; he hadn't expected to see her come back here.

Y/N tensed tighter than a bowstring before immediately loosening.

Something was wrong, Techno noted numbly before confusion and worry began to eat away at his heart, "Y/N?"

She swallowed, "Tech," she whispers before lifting her head enough to meet his eyes.

Haunted.

Something had happened.

His arms around her tightened, "What's wrong, what happened?"

Y/N bit her lip and broke eye contact, her fear visible. Her eyes welling up, "Techno," she choked on his name before squeezing her eyes closed, "I can't. I can't. Please don't make me. I'm not ready."

"Of course," he soothed, "I'm not going to force you to tell me, N/N. Whatever happened, it can wait until you're ready."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise," he impulsively wants to throttle her but vehemently reminds himself that that was a stupid idea. He bit his lip awkwardly, he was not good at this comfort thing. Never had been. Phil was the best person for this sort of thing. Techno was just a semi-socially awkward anarchist.

So, instead, Techno just holds her. Tucking Y/N's head beneath his chin as he held her close, brushing his finger through her hair because that was the only thing he really knew to do.