Cracking your eyes open after an exhausting sleep, you found yourself peering up at a stone ceiling.

A few days had passed since the cliff incident and everything had smoothed itself over. Relatively. Tommy gave you a little more... respect? Kind of. In like a- 'we both saw some shit' type of way.

He seems to understand that you don't judge him for feeling sad- so he seems to try to do the same back?

He was a good kid.

And no nightmares tonight either- so that was a score.

Nightmares can screw off-

Heck- every bad vibe can screw off to someone who wants them- like Dream or Schlatt. Good vibes for everyone at Pogtopia.

Shuffling around a little more, you finally sat up, all but hugging the quilts to your body with the chill that swept through the cavern.

It needed more sunlight.

Everyone else appeared to be up already, if the empty beds were anything to go by, so you shuffled out of bed, slipping on your boots and yawning as you left the bedroom to start making a drink for yourself.

Lo and behold the whole gang was gathered around the original furnace and chest, Tommy perched on a chest, Techno staring into the hot furnace at what looked to be iron, and Wilbur across from both talking about something you didn't bother to tune into.

"Morning Will, morning Tech..." you called, wiping at your eyes, Techno grunted, still intently staring into the furnace, while Wilbur briefly acknowledged you with a 'morning' of his own.

As you passed Tommy you ruffled his hair and muttered a, "Mornin' kid-"

"I'm not a child!" He groaned- smacking your hands off his head, but you just laughed and went right to your little nook.

Whatever conversation that was being had was dropped by Wilbur in favor of following after you as you started setting out your kettle.

The one word out of his mouth was, "Coffee?"

It was small and hopeful, and immediately shot down by you saying, "Promised Tommy hot chocolate again, Try again tomorrow bud."

Again. Because Tommy kept jokingly blackmailing you to make him hot chocolate after the mountain incident.

Wilbur sighed in a disappointed way, relenting and trudging back to where he left Tommy and Techno at the chests.

It was hard for you to get a read on Wilbur. He seemed like a good dude- he did- but something in you had trouble letting down your walls for him. He was just-

Off-putting.

Sometimes he was his jolly self, and other times you'd catch him later at night, half muttering to himself, on the verge of hyperventilating-

You never approached him when he was like that.

Too afraid.

Too afraid that he would snap and lash out at you.

Instead of focusing on that though, you went back to filling your kettle with water, and stoking the coals, and laying out cups and ingredients.

With a stark realization, you noticed you were out of cocoa powder.

That's- not the best.

You hadn't started a garden here, but you supposed you should. Now would be a good enough time to do so.

Rustling around through your cabinets you looked for raw cocoa beans, finding none in the first one, so immediately switching to the second one.

Everything you shuffled through was just more ingredients, and while you had some raw sugar cane for growing more- the apparent lack of cocoa beans made you sigh.

Maybe you had some in your backpack that you'd forgotten to take out?

Speed walking your way back into the bedroom, you started sorting through your bag, tossing junk on your bed before sighing when again. No cocoa beans.

You needed those things. Dang it.

Maybe you could double check the nook? Maybe there were some hiding from you?

Speed walking back out, passed the boys and to your little nook, you searched the cabinets again before huffing.

Nothing.

"You looking for something?"

Wilbur.

Glancing up, you found the whole group with their eyes on you.

Even Techno, who had been so intent to stare at his cooking iron.

Was pacing like you just were really that alarming?

"Uh- just looking for raw cocoa beans."

"For my hot chocolate?" Tommy piped up, to which you nodded.

"Yeah- and I don't seem to have any. I might have to make a trip back to my house to look for some."

Tommy sighed this disappointed sigh and started whining about not being able to have hot chocolate, but for the most part everyone ignored the whining.

Wilbur tilted his head at you, "Your cabin?"

"Yeup." Standing across from all of them you scratched the back of your head, a question burning heavily in your mind.

You didn't want to go out there alone.

Not at all.

And while you felt bad asking time from one of them, you refused to go out there by yourself.

"Could I ask one of you to come with me?"

"NOT IT." Tommy yelled, "I'Ve gOt BUSINESS pLanS-" Immediately, the gremlin child scurried up the steps, vanishing from sight while still yelling about bureaucracy and 'wracking in all the money.'

Wilbur sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, glancing where Tommy ran off to, "What he means is, me and him are going on a small stealth mission, just to poke around at everything that's been happening. And definitely not steal. From anyone."

"Oh." You gave a dejected look. It wasn't a big deal- you could just ask a different day. If they were doing this, you didn't mind waiting to make hot chocolate.

"Techno's free though." Wilbur grinned, hands on his hips as he looked between the two of you.

Techo's head shot up from his position crouched on the floor with a, "Heh..?!"

"Yeah- Techno's free." Tommy's voice was heard from the top of the steps, to which another, this time longer, 'Heeeh..?!' sound came from said man.

Techno stood up, waving his hands in Wilbur's direction with a half disgruntled half confused tone of voice, "Wait wait wait- slow down- I have a lot of grinding to do-"

"See ya!" Wilbur saluted, walking up the steps as any and all of Techno's raspy pleading fell on deaf ears.

"Ta ta!" Tommy called out, as the sound of them exiting the ravine signaled the end of the conversation.

"Think of the levels! The LEvels!!" Was the last thing Techno pleaded before the room was drenched in silence.

Just you, and him, and your lack of cocoa beans.

With a slow, very slow, tilt of his head, you made eye contact with the bone mask, both of you taking a moment to look each other in the face.

Any of the tension the pink haired man had from begging quickly dropped with a sigh of acceptance.

You doubted he accepted his fate that easily.

"Alright, alright- let's get this over with." With a wave of his hand and a gesture to follow, he took a few paces towards the steps.

He paused when you didn't follow.

"You don't... have- to go out of your way to come with me... If your already planning something else I can wait." You scratched at the back of your head.

He gave you another blank look- and you considered if maybe you should've just kept your mouth shut about the whole cocoa beans deal.

"Come on. Wilbur and Tommy won't do it-" He turned around, braid swinging as he started up the steps, "We can swing by real quick- grab your stuff- and swing right back around."

You stared at the man in front of you.

The path to your house and the way back was about a days trip- and he was over here about to sacrifice his whole day just because you were paranoid.

"Thank you." You spoke to him, genuine with your words as you walked towards him.

"...Your welcome.." The both of you started up the steps, this time together, and this time no complaints from you.

Out of the ravine- and on your way to your lonely little cabin on the far edges of a different woods.

Thankfully, that day was nice- morning sun gentle, and breeze soft yet consistent.

It blew just hard enough to make the baby hairs on anyone's face fly.

Even Techno's, despite the mask on to conceal his face, the wisp of pink softly pushed around was an interesting sight.

Someone as intimidating as Technoblade- calmly strolling on a nice summer day.

Almost by instinct you could tell this wasn't his setting.

His setting was among battle and blood- strong body trained for it, and calm exterior built for it.

Walking next to you didn't seem to fit.

His hair fit him though.

Even if it was pink, and pink supposedly wasn't intimidating.

On him, it fit perfectly.

It was iconic, and eyecatching, and all the more intimidating for someone on the opposing end of his blade.

It was also unbrushed looking. Braid messy as it swung behind his back on your walk over-

Did he ever take the time to brush it? How long was his hair if it wasn't in that braid?

"Ya know- you've been staring at me in silence for the past twenty minutes."

An undignified noise came from you- mouth trying to spit out an excuse faster then your brain could follow, heat lit your cheeks up and you settled for looking the complete opposite direction of him.

"Sorry- sorry- didn't mean to stare."

He said nothing, but you could tell he was looking at you

"Your hair is just pretty- and soft looking-" You shut your mouth as soon as it started talking, groaning outloud at  your inability to keep your mouth shut.

"Pfft-" your head snapped back over at the noise that came from him, only to see his fist pressed to his mouth in a poor attempt to hide his laughter.

"Has- has anyone every told you that you think too much?"

"Every day to myself in the mirror. If we had a mirror." You rolled your eyes.

"Its not that bad of a thing- but it's amusing to see you get locked in your mind thinking about things." Techno glanced at you.

Your face dropped into a glare, "Okay mister psychoanalyse the defenseless- I can't hide my expression behind a mask like you-"

"You say that- you say that (Y/N), but I'm almost ninety percent," you squinted your eyes at him, making him pause beforecontinuing, "Ninety-five percent certain you psychoanalyse everyone else because of how much you think."

Opening your mouth, you found you had no words. You do psychoanalyse. Theorizing what people are thinking helps you interact with them. Which is why it's difficult to interact with Techno sometimes because of how... closed off he is- even if yours and his humor are shockingly similar.

"I'll take your silence as acceptance." He hummed, happy with himself while the both of you continued trekking through the woods. Already past 'Manberg by now.

"It takes one to know one- you wouldn't have spotted me, if you weren't psycoanalyzing me yourself."

At that, you finally seemed to struck a cord. Beat him in his own game of mind chess. His head bowed slightly as his gaze was set to the ground instead of your figure.

Should you push?

Yes.

Yes you should.

"I'll take it a step farther and ask you why you... have problems trusting...?"

It was a long shot, but his distance towards others- his own staring, how much he relies solely on himself to do everything. Even though he acts relaxed there always feels like there's bit of space between him and people.

His lips were pursed under his mask, the tips of his tusks poking just out of his lips.

"People-..." his gaze turned back in your direction, "Me and people don't mix well- I have a very valid reason to be distrustful." A finger extended in your direction, "Which makes me wonder what your reason is."

The terrible silence that followed was telling.

He picked up on your issues, you picked up on his, and neither of you wanted to go deeper then the surface level.

You didn't have problems expressing how you felt, but you had so many reasons not to trust.

You missed the sarcastic humor right about then.

The rest of the walk to your house was incredibly awkward.

And silent.

And just about everything you'd expect out of two people who are unwilling to show the other what lies beneath.

The both of you kept walking though, and sooner or later you stepped onto the dirt pathway that led up into your house.

The door was wide open-

You always shut your door.

Alarm bells were flashing red in your mind, as you walked up, past the open fence gate, and directly in front of the door.

From beside you, Techno picked up exactly how uneasy you were, placing a hand on your shoulder. When you glanced back, his finger was to his lips-

Quiet.

The gesture told you.

In case people were still there.

He took it a step farther and walked in front of you, being the first one to set foot into the house- hand firmly grabbing onto the hilt of his sword.

He has got to trust you just a little bit if he let's you freely walk behind him- even if he doesn't recognize that as trust.

Peeking around the edge of his figure, you were horrified to find your house completely wrecked.

Chairs broken, table flipped, cabinet doors pulled clean off.

It looked like someone was looking for something.

You glanced to the floor, littered with footprints.

Several people perhaps.

Brushing past Techno, you went straight to the kitchen window.

Your garden was comprised of ash, burned and destroyed beyond recognition.

Your eyebrows furrowed harshly against your head, your hand coming up to press against your mouth.

If you had been here when it happened, what would have happened to you?

Would you been as brutalized as the house?

A large hand placed itself onto your shoulder, and you turned to look behind you with wide eyes.

Techno's mask greeted you, pink hair and all.

"Let's keep looking."

You could only find it in yourself to nod, letting his hand drop off of you as you worked as a pair to scower the house.

Everything had been rifled through, and it disappointed you to no end.

Once the both of you scavenged through the bottom floor, you headed for the top floor, the atic- where you slept and felt safest.

Ruined.

Blankets ripped, end tables broken and drawers gone.

The small window in the center side wall looked smashed in.

Technoblade started around the room, searching for clues, and your 'important' cocoa beans, but you?

You stood in the doorway- trying your best to remember what it used to look like before it was ruined.

Your bed was always a mess, pillows lining every corner of it, several blankets thrown in just to keep you warm. The end table only held your pocket watch when you went to sleep.

Absentmindedly you thumbed over your watch, which was in your pocket, safe and sound.

Frowning, you took a step forward, which turned into several, until you were standing at the side of your old bed. Everything was messed up, except for the pillow.

One singular pillow that was laying at just about where you would've rested your head had you been sleeping there.

Atop the pillow was a note.

Paper clean, and unused looking aside from the single fold that turned it into a letter.

Gently plucking it off your pillow, you pursed your lips.

You were standing there staring at the letter long enough for Technoblade to finish scavenging. His hulking form lumbered over to you, hovering beside you for a few second before his hand reached out and gently pulled the letter from your finger tips.

You watched him lift the skull mask, red eyes peering out, letter held close to his face as he glanced over it.

His eyelashes were long.

And his scars were numerous.

Immediately afted he glanced over it his fist crumpled the letter in his hand, mask pulled right back over his eyes.

"Come on. There's nothing left here."

He tossed the paper onto the bed and started for the stairs down, but you stayed a moment longer to take the paper back into your hands.

Unfurling it from its crumpled position, you started reading over it.

'Think of this as funding for a good cause.

Courtesy of 'Manberg,

-Jschlatt'

You were so sick of people thinking they had the right to walk over others.