lay here for years or for hours // bedrock bros oneshot
Read on AO3 Warnings: none Words: 2.7k Summary:
Techno raised an eyebrow. “The library is closed. Time to go, kid.”
The boy furiously rubbed his eyes before sluggishly packing up his books. Techno had the strange desire to pat his head. Instead, he walked back through the shelves to the front counter to finish.
“Um.” The kid’s tentative voice broke the spell of silence. He fidgeted when Techno’s eyes landed on him. “Is it okay if I check out one last book before I go?”
or
Techno works at the college library and finds a boy asleep at the back when it's closing. He become more attached than he'd anticipated.
Technoblade stared at the blond boy sleeping in the back of the college library.
Should he wake the kid? Normally he wouldn’t hesitate, after all, the library was closing for the day and obviously no one could stay the night.
Techno frowned. He didn’t want to wake him. But then what was he to do? With a sigh, he reached over to jostle the kid’s shoulder.
Nothing.
Then the kid slowly lifted his head, which had been tucked into his arms on the desk. “Wh- huh?”
Techno raised an eyebrow. “The library is closed. Time to go, kid.”
The boy furiously rubbed his eyes before sluggishly packing up his books. Techno had the strange desire to pat his head. Instead, he walked back through the shelves to the front counter to finish.
“Um.” The kid’s tentative voice broke the spell of silence. He fidgeted when Techno’s eyes landed on him. “Is it okay if I check out one last book before I go?”
“Yeah, sure, kid.” Techno wasn’t sure why he said yes. The library was closed. But he figured it would only take an extra thirty seconds, and the kid seemed like he needed it. It wasn’t like the boy was being rude, he was just tired.
The blond-haired boy brought forward a book. Embossed across the cover was A History of Veterinary Science.
It made sense. The kid seemed like an animal lover somehow.
Techno scanned the book under the boy’s account, the beep the only sound in the library. Tommy, read the name on the account. Techno slid the book over and the kid- Tommy- looked up at him gratefully.
“Thanks, big man,” he said through a yawn, with half closed eyes.
Techno nodded and Tommy shuffled his way out of the library. He looked back once, and Techno caught his blue eyes. Tommy blinked and hurried away.
⋆༺𓆩⚔𓆪༻⋆
Techno placed the last of the returns from the morning back onto the shelves.
A lot of the students were on lunch break, and the library had that low hum of soft conversations. Sunlight flowed into the high-ceilinged room from the windows on the far side where he’d found the sleeping boy last night.
As Techno returned to the counter, he heard the doors push open. He looked up from the computer to see- Tommy?
The boy looked incredibly more energized than the night before, grinning brightly. “Ayy, big man!”
“Hello,” Techno said gruffly, wary of his energy but also interested.
“Do you just hang out in the library all day or something?” Tommy asked.
“I work here. Different shifts, yesterday was the closing one.”
“Don’t you go to this school? Do you not have classes?” He emphasized the word with a distaste. “What major are you anyway?”
“English.”
“Nerd,” Tommy snickered. “No wonder you work at the library. Books and shit.” He shook his head.
“Coming from the kid that asked me to sign him out another book after the library was closed and he was asleep for who knows how long,” Techno responded. A frown flitted over Tommy’s features, as if he was worried Techno was angry, but then it was gone.
“Respect the grind, library man!”
“Don’t call me library man.”
“What should I call you then? What’s your name?”
“Technoblade. My friends call me Techno, though.” Techno both disliked how energetic the kid was and envied it.
“My name’s Tommy,” the boy told him.
“I know,” Techno replied easily. Tommy raised an eyebrow and Techno nodded at the computer. “Signed you out a book, saw your account, didn’t I?”
“Do you remember all the names of the people who sign out books?” Tommy tried to hide his sheepishness.
“Only if I find them drooling all over their notes after the library’s closed.”
“Wha- hey! I was not drooling.”
“Do you remember all the things that happen while you’re asleep?” Techno shot his own words back at him. “And don’t you have something to do here?”
The kid rolled his eyes. “Yeah, off to study!” He stared at Techno with wide, unblinking eyes while he hoisted his bag over his shoulder and backed into the shelves.
Techno half sighed half laughed, shaking his head and going back to typing on the clicky keyboard. Around an hour later, Tommy walked out the door with a furious wave.
⋆༺𓆩⚔𓆪༻⋆
The day after that, Tommy made another appearance, teased Techno, and settled down to study. And the day after that, and the one after that as well. It became a little routine, and Techno found himself looking forward to the bright laughter and break from books and shit, as Tommy had said.
“Hey, mate, made a friend?” Phil, his boss and the library director, spoke from behind him as Techno shelved returns. He startled internally.
“No hello?” Techno asked sarcastically.
“I’m glad, you two seem to have fun. The kid looks bright. It can be nice to have a study buddy.” Phil gave him an awkward fatherly wink before leaving Techno to continue shelving books.
When the library was nearly empty and Niki was around to help, Techno studied with Tommy. The first time, he pulled up a chair to the desk at the back and opened his laptop.
Tommy glanced over at him with surprise.
Techno shrugged. “I got an essay to write.” He thought he heard a soft “nerd” as Tommy went back to his work.
The next day, Tommy showed up in the morning, popping out of nowhere while Techno was shelving returns in the empty library. He always seemed to be shelving returns when people wanted to talk to him.
Somehow Tommy always managed to catch Techno’s shift; it was unusually early today.
“Ayy, Techno, my friend!” he greeted. As usual, Techno had to take a mental step back at the kid’s energy, eyeing him through his pink hair, which was loose for once. Nonetheless, he found himself enjoying his time with Tommy.
“Don’t you have classes soon?”
“Shut up, I thought I’d drop by to help you with your books and shit,” Tommy replied aggressively. “How do I know where these go?” He picked up a book.
Techno leaned over his shoulder. “Look at these numbers, see? Main number for main classes, decimals for more specific categorization. Just match them to the numbers on the shelves. This pile here though,” he patted the books, “is all to go on the shelf in the aisle over there. I sorted them beforehand.”
“Okay!” Tommy nodded enthusiastically and grabbed the pile. He disappeared to where Techno had shown, and there were a few shuffling noises. Techno smiled to himself and shook his head fondly in the privacy of the aisle.
Tommy helped shelve the rest of the returns. Once Techno taught him the system, he figured it out easily. Phil was right, the kid was bright.
Tommy picked up another book and broke into raucous laughter and wheezing. “Look! Look at his face!” He thrust the book in Techno’s face.
Techno had to snicker at the overly-serious man’s face displayed on the cover.
“He looks so fucking pretentious!” Tommy said through laughter. “Suppose you’d understand, being an English major and all- hey!” he shrieked when Techno took the book and hit him gently over the head with it.
“Shh, you’re in a library, Tommy, children must be quiet-”
“I am not a child! And there’s no one here!”
⋆༺𓆩⚔𓆪༻⋆
Techno had just finished checking out a group’s stack of books on the slow computer, watching the clock tick towards the end of his shift.
Tommy hadn’t shown up.
He’d come by every single shift Techno had had ever since Techno discovered him asleep that night, even the unusually timed ones.
He tried not to think about it, to busy himself with answering questions and putting things on hold and checking on overdue books- but worry began to creep in more every minute closer to ending. His eyes darted to the door expectantly more and more frequently as the time passed.
What if Tommy was hurt? What if he was sick?
He could handle himself, Techno was sure. Logically. Nothing had happened, maybe Tommy was just busy, or forgot or something.
Techno felt a hand on his shoulder.
“You alright, mate?” Phil asked. “Shift ended a couple of minutes ago, and you got a lecture to run to.”
“Yeah, I better go.” Techno started to leave. “Uh- will you keep an eye out for Tommy?”
“Of course,” Phil said. “I’ll let you know if he comes by.”
“Thanks.” Techno swallowed. He hadn’t realized how much he’d come to care for the kid until he was gone.
The next day, Techno anxiously returned for his shift. There’d been a quick change by Phil, but he hoped Tommy would appear magically at his shift as usual. He’d decided if Tommy didn’t show up today, he would ask for his dorm to check on him.
He settled down in the chair behind the desk. The computer sat in front of him, still on from when Niki had left it only a minute prior. Niki was calming as well, more like a sister than the parental way Phil was. She had a fire in her, something Techno could relate to, though she wasn’t outwardly intimidating like he tended to be.
His shift passed smoothly, except for the low thrum of worry in Techno’s body. Tommy didn’t appear. The only mildly interesting thing that had happened was some guy wandering in, staring in confusion at the books, then loudly scoffing in offense and running out the door, slapping the top of the frame as he went.
Oh, and some kid asked him if he had any books on nukes. Nuclear engineers.
No Tommy.
Techno picked himself up, hearing Phil’s footsteps coming from the little office behind the desk.
“Didn’t show today either?” Phil asked.
“Nope. Think I’ll ask the front office if they know his dorm or something.”
“Good luck, mate, I’ll keep an eye out,” Phil told him. “My guess is that he got a cold. He’ll be fine.”
“Thanks, Phil.”
Techno grabbed his bag and pushed through the doors of the library. The foyer the entrance was in was nearly empty. He turned the corner into the corridor and nearly bumped into someone. On instinct, his hands shot out to steady the smaller frame.
Tommy looked up at him.
Relief washed over Techno; Tommy was unhurt and safe-looking, energetic as always.
“Techno! You’re done?” he asked in surprise.
“Yup, shift just ended. Where’ve you been?” Techno asked, trying to keep the concern out of his voice. He wasn’t concerned, when had he been concerned?
“I overslept yesterday, and then there was a shift change at the café, and then-”
“Whoa, whoa- slow down, it’s alright,” Techno said.
“Worried about me?” Tommy asked with a grin, his slightly worried air disappearing.
“Oh hush, child, who knows what trouble you could get into,” Techno quipped.
Tommy squawked. “I’m very responsible, I’ll have you know! Actually, I have something for you,” he added. Techno noticed that Tommy’s hand was behind his back.
Tommy pulled it out with a flourish, presenting a chocolate chip muffin. “Ta-da! From Puffy’s café, I just grabbed it at the end of my shift!” he said happily.
“Thanks,” Techno muttered, a little taken aback at Tommy’s outward sweetness. Who knew gremlin children had a kind streak.
He took it from Tommy’s hand, who was still smiling cheerfully, and took a bit.
Amazing.
“Is it good?” Tommy asked. Then he shook his head. “Of course it’s good. It’s one of BadBoyHalo’s, makes the best muffins, honestly they’re a staple at Puffy’s, I hope you like it-”
“It’s great, thank you Tommy,” Techno responded after chewing and swallowing, giving him a pat on the head.
“I was gonna study with you, but I missed your shift…” Tommy mumbled.
Techno frowned. “We can still study together, c’mon,” he said, leading Tommy down the hallway.
When they reached Techno’s dorm all the way in residence, Tommy gasped as the door was pushed open.
He eyed the bookshelves and bedspread and messy desk as Techno spread out his papers. “Is that The Art of War? You really are a nerd.”
⋆༺𓆩⚔𓆪༻⋆
Techno was utterly immersed in Wikipedia, every hyperlink bringing him deeper. Ancient civilizations were a little too interesting. And this library computer was horribly slow.
The sun was setting, visible through the large windows at the back of the library. Techno always loved those windows, nearly floor to ceiling. They let the library be illuminated entirely by natural light on most days. He could stare at the clouds or the sun or the stars while in a room full of knowledge. He understood why Tommy liked the desks back there.
“Whatcha up to?” he heard Tommy’s voice ask. He looked up to see the boy leaning over the desk.
“Library stuff,” Techno replied wisely. “Don’t you have studyin’ to do?”
“Yeah, yeah, remind me about fucking schoolwork,” Tommy said with distaste, wrinkling his nose. He gave a dramatic sigh, placing a hand over his heart. “I suppose I must. Have fun working.”
Tommy backed into the shelves, never breaking eye contact with Techno. Then he was gone.
Techno snorted. The kid definitely made things less bland.
“I’m so glad I started giving him the schedules,” Phil said a while later, stepping out of the office.
“Oh,” Techno said simply. “That makes sense.”
“What can I say, the kid was dedicated enough to ask for them and come to nearly every single one of your shifts.”
“I should probably tell him we don’t have to hang out where he knows I can’t get away from him,” Techno muttered. “Though it’s nice to have the helping hand.”
Phil smiled and lifted his hand to ruffle Techno’s hair. Then he thought better of it, seeing the perfect neat plait it was in.
“Don’t push it,” Techno grunted. They both knew it was fond.
When the stars were visible and the library empty, Techno locked the office door and shut down the computer. He enjoyed the closing shift; the night sky was beautiful through the windows, the library had a soft warm glow from the lights, and there was pretty much no one he ever had to tell to leave, except for the occasional harried students trying to finish an assignment due that night.
Or who’d fallen asleep, Techno thought.
He’d walked through the library to check for anyone left, and spotted a familiar figure at a familiar corner at the back.
Tommy had his head in his arms, on his notes and textbooks, his laptop also long asleep.
Technoblade stared at the blond boy sleeping in the back of the college library.
Tommy’s chest rose and fell slowly, his eyelashes fluttering slightly.
Should he wake him? No, he couldn’t bring himself to pull him out of his resting, peaceful state.
Techno quietly pulled Tommy’s notes out from under him, closing his books and putting them in his bag, which he hoisted onto his shoulders.
Then he carefully lifted the sleeping boy, holding him close to his chest.
Tommy exhaled a puff of air, and Techno froze.
He was still asleep.
As smoothly as possible, Techno made his way to his dorm. It was far, but Tommy was easy to carry. It was mostly their bags that caused him some trouble.
Finally, Techno dropped the bags outside his door, unlocked it, and kicked it open. He slid the bags in with his foot and closed it behind him.
Techno pulled back the covers on his neatly made bed, delicately depositing Tommy on his mattress.
Techno tucked him in.
He studied his work for a moment, pride and protectiveness washing over him. Then he sat himself at his desk to study, an ear out of his headphones to listen to Tommy’s slow breaths.
Tommy was so energetic and loud that Techno had nearly forgotten his sleep-induced vulnerability and peace. He’d seen it once before, but he had a new appreciation for it now that he knew Tommy. He had seen Tommy’s sleepy state before his active one, and he was glad he got to experience both.
Tommy could get the rest he needed. He could lay here for years or for hours, and Techno would always make sure he was safe.
