Busyhead | Technoblade

Twenty | New Beginnings

[a/n : ANOTHER.]

[ also cw !!! alcohol (for the of-age clan)
Brief mention of underaged drinking but no depiction bc Mikey is a good boy. ]

⤫

WINTER CAME STARTLINGLY QUICKLY. On November 30th, Edie and Teagan sent the manuscript out to a multitude of publishers. Teagan knew what came next would be a long game of waiting. She was well-aware, and she didn't mind. She was happy just to know that she had gotten to this point. Whether it was picked up or not, she could never say she didn't try.

The beginning of December brought rain showers to California, and though they were few and far between, they made Teagan's walk to work somewhat complicated. She was growing more and more reliant on Connor and Mikey to help her out. As the weather cooled, the flow of business to the restaurant slowed dangerously. There were days where only three chefs, Mikey, and Teagan were the ones in the building. The days were long and slow -- so slow that Teagan had become known to sit at the bar and study for her finals while Mikey walked circles around the server's station.

They both felt it in the air. With the semester coming to an end, Teagan would pick up streaming even more regularly. Her subscriber count had skyrocketed since she began playing with Techno and Tommy more often. She was being offered brand deals on her YouTube clips videos. By the new year, she wouldn't need to be a waitress any longer. And despite her love for Connor and Mikey, nothing would keep her in that godforsaken apron.

Teagan had thought on it regularly, wondering just when would be the right time to put in her two week's notice, but had never outright said anything. It didn't come up until Mikey seated himself at the bar beside her. "I want to be a moderator on your Twitch," he declared with finality.

Clearly surprised, the girl quirked an eyebrow at him. "You told me you know absolutely nothing about Twitch." She had offered him the position before, and he had declined for that very reason.

His cheeks reddened. "I've been studying up, alright? I want to be a mod."

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Teagan asked mildly, her gaze focused on the book that was opened in front of her. She scowled to herself as she tried to find a certain quote to analyze. She had neglected to write down the page number.

Mikey let out a sigh that startled her from her studies. He looked at her with his puppy dog eyes, which alone were enough to break her heart. "You're leaving soon. I know you are. And I give you a lot of crap for it, but it's what you need. I want to support you in the things you actually love. Like moderating your streams, and buying your book when it comes out."

His sudden gush of serious emotions took Teagan by surprise. Mikey had always been a goofball -- lovable in every way, but never one to seriously get attached to anything. She had always thought they were casual friends. She had never once realized that she had had such good companions by her side all along.

As if sensing her curiosity, Mikey gave a lopsided smile. "I know I goof around a lot, but I don't have a lot of friends, Teags. And none of them are like you and Connor. This place has always been temporary to all of us, but I don't want us to be temporary too."

At a loss for words, Teagan wrapped her arms around the boy's torso. He was closer to her size than he was to Connor's or Techno's, but that didn't diminish the value of his hugs. He squeezed her tightly, his nose buried in her hair. Teagan made up her mind then -- she would quit next week, right after her finals ended. And then, before Kalea came to town, she would have both Connor and Mikey over for their own Christmas celebration. With wine. And candy.