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“I hate drunk people,” Technoblade muttered, drying his hands on the handing towel. Niki snorted from where she was washing up at the sink.
“Funny, coming from a bartender,” she teased. She nudged his shoulder and he threw her the towel.
“I’m only here for the profit,” Techno argued. “And I hate drunk people.”
Niki shrugged, slinging the towel onto the counter. They had just closed the pub for the night—morning?—and washed glasses, and Techno was very much looking forward to sweet, sweet alone time in his own apartment. “No offense, Tech, but I think they hate you too.”
Techno scowled. He knew they were both thinking of the loud group that had come in around eleven, and hadn’t left until two. For their entire stay they had looked at Techno like he was some sort of anti-social heathen, which, um, yes, next question. He’d refused to make small talk, but honestly, who could blame him? They had looked like wax figurines, for fuck’s sake.
“God, I hope so,” Techno grumbled. “I never want them to come back.” Niki laughed. Then her phone chimed, and she pulled it out, frowning.
“Ah, shit. I gotta run. Can you take out the garbage?” Niki gestured to the can in the corner of the storeroom, and Techno nodded. It would only take an extra five minutes, and then he could go home. A minor sacrifice for the greater good. “You’re a lifesaver. See you tomorrow!”
“See ya, Niki.”
She dashed out of the room, heaving her bag over her shoulder, and Techno was left with only his thoughts and the smell of trash.
“It’s just you and me now,” he told the garbage can as he lifted it up. He walked over to the back door and kicked it open with his foot. “We’re of the same kind, you and—what the fuck?”
The animal—the kid, actually—scrambled away from the dumpster, eyes wild. Techno stared at him, trash still in his arms. The kid was absolutely minuscule, with knotted, messy blonde hair and thin clothes that hung off his tiny frame. He crouched low to the ground like the animal Techno had thought he was at first, hissing.
“Woah, woah,” Techno said quickly, placing the trash off to the side. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you.”
The kid eyed him with the kind of suspicion that’s a given among the street kids. “I didn’t take anything.”
Techno shrugged. “Don’t care.”
“Liar,” the kid spat. “Get the fuck away from me.”
“I’m standin’ ten feet away,” Techno pointed out dryly. “This is also, y’know, my alley. In case you didn’t notice.”
The kid growled. He really did act like a wild animal. “Bitch.”
“Child.”
“I’m not a child!” the kid protested, scooching a little closer to the wall. “You’re just stupid.”
“Wow, okay,” Techno deadpanned. “Tell me how you really feel.”
“You’re a bitch,” the kid repeated. He was clutching a small bag, a sack really, in his hands. Must have been incredibly important, if he was willing to give up a hand—a weapon—to hold onto it.
“Okay,” Techno said easily. Then he looked at the kid a little closer. He was really fucking skinny. “Do you… want me to bring you somethin’? Food?”
The kid stopped scuttling back for a second and stared at him. “What?”
“I mean, we have a lot of extra stuff. Nobody ever really comes for the cuisine, because it’s shit—not that I’m offerin’ you shit—I meant, you’ve probably got a lot of choices in our pantries.” Fuck. He was rambling. Maybe the wax dudes were right. “Some soup, maybe, I bet there’s still bread somewhere as well—“
“If this is a trap, I’ll fucking bite you,” the kid interrupted sharply, but Techno could see the restrained hope glinting in his eyes.
“Nope,” Techno said, popping the ‘p.’ “I can bring it out for you?”
The kid was still eyeing him shrewdly, but eventually he nodded. Techno darted back into the storeroom.
“I’m probably breakin’ so many employment rules,” he muttered to himself as he gathered anything edible he could find from today’s shelf. He didn’t particularly care, though. He knew what it was like to live on the streets, to be willing to take anything the universe decided to give you out of pity. Hell, the kid needed it more than the dumpster did, and that was where the mildly stale foot was bound to end up.
He made sure his footsteps were heavier and louder as he walked back outside so the kid wasn’t startled. To Techno’s surprise, the little fucker was still there. Admittedly, he was glaring and shifting restlessly, but he was there.
“I brought you bread,” Techno said hesitantly, holding out the paper bag. “I couldn’t find any stew, but there was jerky in the—“
In the blink of an eye, the kid ran up and snatched the bag, quickly scuttling off to the other side of the alley. He didn’t turn his back to Techno, but he rifled through the bag and pulled out a small loaf of bread. He tore into it with his teeth, glaring harshly at Techno, who cautiously slid down the wall to sit on the ground. How to offer help to a deeply suspicious street kid? Alright. Techno was good at strategy, bargaining. He could figure this out.
“Haven’t seen you around here before,” he said conversationally. The kid only ate his bread more fiercely. “You got a name, kid?”
Said kid just scowled at him. Okay.
“Alright. I’m gonna call you… Theseus.” Techno decided. The kid did have that look of certain impending doom to him. And the kid—Theseus, now—didn’t even look too upset about it. If Techno was being entirely delusional, he kind of looked like he approved. “How’s L’manberg treatin’ you?”
Theseus sent him a glare that clearly said, look at me.
“Yeah, guess you’re not havin’ the greatest time,” Techno amended. “But you’ve got bread now.” Then he hesitated, messing absentmindedly with his hair. “We have shipments every, uh, Thursday. If you wanted to come Wednesdays…” he trailed off, and Theseus considered him for a moment.
Then he shrugged. And Techno exhaled. Victory . “Good. Great.” He slowly got to his feet. “I’m gonna, uh, go close up shop.”
As he walked to the back door, he heard, so quiet he assumed he wasn’t supposed to, “Thank you.” Theseus’ voice was softer than Techno expected, and it was lucky he was turned around, because he grinned slightly. Yeah , he thought as he cleaned up the last messes around the pub before closing up, I’ll see him again.