Busyhead | Technoblade

Twenty-Four | Semicolons, Among Other Things

[ a/n : i'm gonna stop doing author's notes after this chapter probably. i've run out of things to say and all it does is interrupt the story.]

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CHRISTMAS EVE, AS EXPECTED, WAS GREAT. Teagan slept in a bit longer than expected, but she couldn't exactly be blamed for that. She and Kalea walked down to the post office, where she nervously left her letter for delivery. There was no going back after that. 

Kalea, who was heartbroken to hear that Teagan had already sealed the letter and had no intention of giving her any sort of hint as to what its contents entailed, demanded that her best friend buy her breakfast. The morning air was too cold for either of them to comfortably sit on the patio anywhere, so they ordered takeout from Teagan's favorite diner, and ate on the comfort of Kalea's makeshift bed while "A Charlie Brown Christmas" played on the tv. 

That was how the majority of the day was spent. They FaceTimed Nico for a long while, watching as he opened the gifts they had both sent him. Teagan had dropped a pretty penny to order him his favorite cologne, one that even he didn't want to splurge on. Kalea bought him a new ring light, as his old one was absolute garbage, and she was tired of hearing him complain about how it "washed out his beautiful complexion."

He had sent them each a gift, as well, but Kalea hadn't thought to pack hers. Teagan went to fetch hers. It was a narrow box, and she was entirely clueless as to what it could be. From the grin on Nico's face, she certainly had high expectations.

She opened it cautiously -- the way she did most things -- and gently. Kalea, who was waiting in just as much anticipation as she was, almost reached over and tore the box open for her. But Teagan got through it before Kalea lost all of her patience, and when she pulled aside the tissue paper, she gasped.

"Please say you don't already have it!" Nico blurted in a single breath, his eyes hopeful. When Teagan slowly shook her head, relief brushed over him. "Thank god. I saw it on TikTok, of all places, and knew that you needed it."

It was a collectors edition of Pride and Prejudice, typical in all aspects except for one. It included, in handwriting and on parchment, all of the letters mentioned in the books. Including the one from Darcy to Elizabeth that Teagan loved so much. 

She stared up at the FaceTime, her eyes wide and filled with tears. Nico shook his head frantically. "Don't cry, you nerd! It's just a book!"

Teagan couldn't help it. A tear slipped down her cheek despite her best friend's objections. "But it's the book, Nico. This is my favorite thing." 

Nico offered a soft smile. "I didn't think it would make you cry, but I'm glad you love it. I shouldn't fuel your obsession, but I think it's meant a little bit more to you recently, so I thought it would be perfect."

Kalea perked an eyebrow, a smile of her own on her lips. "Neeks, you have no idea how exactly appropriate it is."

That, of course, led to Teagan telling her tale of Technoblade in its entirety, from the first time they practiced for MCC to their lunch adventure to her late-night letter-writing session. Nico followed the story closely, staying as quiet as Teagan had ever heard him, completely invested in hearing about how his friend had fallen in love for the first time.