Till Death Do Us Part

People

hey sisters. thank you for bearing with me in these trying times <3.

just some softness with Niki and Tommy

~~~

When Tommy finished, Niki was pale, shook and upset.

"Tommy, honestly, what the fuck." She hissed. "That was- what happened to you in exile that wasn't okay. I hope you know that wasn't okay."

Tommy nodded, resigned. Niki continued

"And Isaac? Do you even know where came from?"

"No." Tommy said. He looked to where Isaac had fallen asleep, bored from listening to Tommy drone on about events he'd half lived through. "He just showed up and didn't want to leave. I guess I knew what that felt like."

Niki just nodded, eyes calculating. "We've got to move you." She said. "God, that was fucked up of Tubbo. What on earth was he thinking?"

Tommy shrugged. "There's nowhere to go."

He was feeling strangely numb to the fact that at any moment his past could burst through the hotel room doors. That he couldn't leave because if he did his son would die. That he probably wasn't going to survive this visit without dredging up some kind of trauma that he'd buried long ago. That none of this had any possibility of ending well.

Niki watched his face, a mixture of determination and pity in her gaze. "Tommy, I don't think staying will be the solution to your problems."

"I know." Tommy's shoulders drooped with exhaustion. He just wanted to curl around his son and sleep. Had he really done anything so wrong as to bring this upon himself?

Thinking back on his life, probably.

"It's just, everything I ran away from stands outside those doors, like it expects me to join back into the absolute chaos outside. And I'm not like that anymore Niki. I spent a long time hopping from place to place, and I finally settled down, created some semblance of a family-" He huffed in dry amusement. "I was always going to end up back here in the end, wasn't I?"

"Then come to my place," Niki stood, holding her hands out. "You don't need to feel like you're being pulled back into the mess that this place became. We can lay low, no one will even know you're here, Isaac will get all healed up and you'll leave like none of this will ever happened."

"But Tubbo-" Tommy started.

"Let me be honest with you Tommy," Niki sighs. "Tubbo's been a little unhinged ever since you left your exile. He rarely goes out anymore and most of his interaction with people ends in disaster. I don't think many people will bother listening to what he has to say."

"You came."

Niki smiled, a little sadly. "That's cause I never gave up on you Tommy. I know we weren't close in Pogtopia, but you were still my comrade and I still looked out for you. I knew you wouldn't give up so easily." She zoned out, looking over his shoulder. "I hoped you wouldn't give up so easily."

Tommy's eyes were wide. His hands were shaking as he gripped the bedsheets, twisting them. "You- You cared?"

"Of course I cared!" Niki's eyes went just as wide. "We all did. Phil went crazy after you left, and when Revivedbur came back to find you weren't here..." She shuddered. "Dream's not exactly around anymore for a reason, you know."

This Tommy did know. Not about Revivedbur, but when one of the worlds most nefarious fighters goes missing, people talk, and it travels fast. Alex and Raelyn had been confused by how overjoyed he was by the news, but had gone out with him for celebratory drinks anyway.

Reminded of the home he had to go back to, Tommy reconsidered. Niki was nice, she was strong, and she'd stood up for him so many times in the past. Plus, he could really use a more accommodating place to stay, refusing to speak to Jack and Jack refusing to speak to him, creating an awkward situation whenever he needed something.

"Okay." He said.

"What?"

"I'll come with you. Lay low at your house. " He glanced up at Niki. "Um, if that's still an option of course."

She blinked in surprise, shaking herself quickly and beaming "Yes! I mean, of course. Sure. Let's go then."

Tommy nodded, picking up Isaac from the bed and throwing his belongings over his shoulder. He'd never really unpacked, and Niki had already gathered anything he missed in her arms enthusiastically, waiting for him just outside the doorway.

He hesitated just before he left.

He really hoped he was making the right choice here.

~~~

IM SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO WRITE LITERALLY LIKE 700 UNEDITED WORDS <3

pls be aware this is barely canon compliant and I am very unaware of the timeline I have created here i have noticed some confusion with things and look i don't know either things are happening and time is passing. 

next chapter out soon <3 (this could be a complete lie I'm sorry)