A Splash Of Paint (MCYT Oneshots)

[R] Child Soldiers (Tommy, Niki & Tubbo)

(A/N: BlueJayz: BAMF Niki with child tubbo and tommy in zombie apocalypse dream smp
uhhh i think this kinda went in a different direction, but I guess it still fits? also for this specific chapter, niki is 23, tommy n tubbo are 9, and the military is recruiting to fight off zombies n they're going after tommy & tubbo here)

Tommy woke up to the sound of Niki yelling.

Niki raising her voice any higher than her normal voice was already weird in itself. From all the times Tommy had known the older woman, she rarely raised her voice, preferring to speak softer and calmer. Besides, Tommy and Tubbo often made up for her soft voice with their own loud voices, anyways.

But Niki yelling was a weird thing, and it was even weirder when Tommy decided to peer from the stairway, and saw Niki yelling at a man dressed like a soldier.

"Wha's happen'd?" Tubbo asked in a murmur behind him, and Tommy quickly slapped his arm, hissing at him to shut up.

"Niki's yelling," Tommy whispered. "She's yelling at the soldier guy."

"I don't care!" Niki snapped at the soldier, making Tubbo jump and reach out for Tommy's hand that was on the stairway railing. "I don't give a shit about your mandatory program or whatever, you will not take them!"

Tommy shivered. He had never seen Niki this angry before, not even when the mean old man who was the mayor of the town they used to live in tried to toss them out to fend for themselves against the zombies because they were 'taking up too much space'.

"Ma'am, we get that you are worried, but-" the soldier tried to say soothingly, but he was cut off by Niki.

"I repeat, I don't care," she snapped. "You have tens and thousands of other people to choose from, people much older and much more experienced than my nine year old brothers."

"We need to take those children in early so that they can learn to fight the zombies earlier," the soldier explained. "Training them early will only increase their chances of survival in the future."

"Right," Niki growled. "And by 'training', you mean 'sending them out with a gun too big for them and some shoddy armour out to face a zombie hoard, and leaving them to pray on luck to make it out alive'."

"That's not-"

"Don't think of me as a fool, recruiter. I've seen the videos uploaded online that you quickly took down. I've heard about what you actually do. I may be working a different job now, but do not forget what I used to work as."

"What about your brothers?" the soldier tried to step into the house, but Niki stepped into his way. "I bet they would respond differently. You're clearly blinded by emotion here, woman; your brothers will surely fight for the freedom and safety of our nation, even if they have to sacrifice themselves-"

There was a loud noise of a hand hitting against skin. The soldier reeled back, and Tommy had to hold back a gasp when he realised that it was Niki who slapped the soldier on his face.

"I will not," Niki's voice was deadly quiet, and that scared Tommy more than her using her shouty voice, even though it wasn't directed at him. "Let you make child soldiers out of my brothers."

"Child soldiers?" Tubbo whispered from behind him. "They're planning on sending us out to war?"

"Niki's not allowing that," Tommy stated, as if it was a fact. And to him, it was. "She'll protect us."

"But the soldier has a gun and stuff!"

"Yeah, but Niki's more badass than a soldier, isn't she?"

With that matter settled, Tommy turned his attention back to Niki and the soldier, the latter of which who was holding up a gun, and was aiming it at her. His heart jumped up in fear.

"Ma'am, this is governmental orders," the soldier at the front door stated firmly. "And we're running out of time. This is for the protection of the civilians of this nation. If you aren't going to comply with the law, I'm afraid I'll have to take you in."

For a moment, there was silence. Then, Niki's eyes flickered up, and Tommy's breath caught when he realised Niki had spotted them.

"Tommy, Tubbo," she called out. "Go into your bedroom for a while. Your big sister has some things to settle first. I'll come up and call you when I'm done."

Tommy didn't waste any time before he was rushing up the stairs, pulling Tubbo with him to make sure he didn't trip. As the door to their bedroom was locked shut by Tubbo, there was a loud thump heard from downstairs, followed by gunshots and yelling. Tubbo looked scared, so Tommy dragged him onto his bed, and snuggled up with him.

They burrowed under his blankets, shutting out the noises coming from downstairs. Tommy let Tubbo cling onto him and his bee plushie, while he held onto his own raccoon plushie. Then, it grew quiet.

Just as Tommy was about to come out of the blankets, there was a knock on the door, making him and Tubbo freeze up, looking at each other in fear.

Then, a familiar, relieving noise rang out. "Tommy, Tubbo, can I come in? The mean man is gone now, don't worry."

Tommy quickly threw off the blankets and hopped out of the bed, in relief at hearing his sister's voice. When he opened the door, he found Niki smiling down at him, and without wasting anymore time, ran forwards to hug her, Tubbo following close behind.

He ignored the blood stains that covered her clothes, or the new bruise on her arm. All that mattered was that his sister was safe, and the soldier was gone.

"We were so worried!" Tubbo exclaimed. "The soldier looked so scary and mean!"

Niki chuckled and ruffled their hairs with her thankfully clean hands. Her smile faded.

"We'll have to move places now, boys," she told them gently. "It's for our safety, and you'll get your nice bedrooms and good food soon, okay?"

"Where are we going?" Tommy asked her with a frown. Niki smiled, and took out her phone to show them a picture of a younger her, standing next to a man with curly brown hair and glasses.

"Well, have you heard of my good friend Wilbur Soot?"