Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The world bathes in a never ending darkness in most cases. Crime rings prefer to stay in the safety of the darkness, the cold palms keeping their sins hidden from the rest of the world. Some would offer the explanation that it would give them the upper hand, the home field advantage, if you will.

Although the Ether Foundation seemed to have a different idea in mind. The laboratory glistened in a pristine white. Blinding. If she didn’t know better, she would have assumed that this was a mark to insist on purity. The Ether Foundation, located on a remote island, was known for providing sanctuary for animals and endangered species. And that was a good thing! It really was. However the leader of the foundation was consistently in negotiations with the local government to reallocate support fundings to research. Research that, arguably, would be illegal. It interfered with the DWMA. The blonde haired CEO was trying to turn herself into a kishin, or a witch. Whichever came first. And the guise of helping animals was a cash grab, there were hardly any animals in their sanctuary, and most of them were stolen. After all, while they could convince the world they were doing good, they were untouchable by authorities.

Bias was a powerful thing. And governments were cowards.

“...We’re going for the execs. The interns don’t know about this,” a voice reminded her. Fingers wrapped around a cord and she adjusted her perch.

“I’ll be careful,” she assured him. “It’s only kishin eggs in the room.”

He might have laughed at that, “I trust you, Niki. I’m just thinking about what Lady Death said.”

“Killing an intern will confiscate our soul count, I know,” Niki smiled back. “I won’t let it happen. I know what to do.”

“Right,” her partner grinned, adjusting his posture. “Reckon we should kill the lights, then?”

Niki took a long deep breath and held her free hand out for her weapon to take. “Kill the lights.”

The weapon, that she knew as Jack, grabbed her hand, immediately glowing a blue light. It was a routine for the both of them, it came easy that immediately a bow would be in her gloved hand. They wouldn’t have to even say a word.

She yanked the cord and the blinding light was washed with a sea of black. She reveled in the startled shouts of confusion as the scientists tried to locate any sort of light source. Or rather, why the emergency lights weren’t working. It wouldn’t matter long though, a glimmering star shown through the darkness. A glimmering star, guiding careful eyes to meet arrow tip, meeting piercing blue and pink.

And the first scientist crashed with a loud thud, a single kishin egg pinned to the ground by a sharp burning arrow. 

Chaos might have erupted then. But she was quite used to it. The glowing colors of her clothes arguably made her an easy target for otherwise blinded targets. 

But they’d have to catch her first.

An array of charged bolts clattered her way, missing her in favor of hitting the wall. She yanked the cord off the wall and launched a lever into the group, delighting at the way they had to stop shooting to scatter. Just to add more chaos to the mix, she shot a frosty arrow towards the area that they ran. The ground beneath the stampede of feet froze over and they crashed into the wall. Niki took the chance to descend into the laboratory and fire for the executive.

Of course the CEO dodged, although the relief would be short lived, as the arrow struck a gas tank and burst with a loud BANG. The startled shouts were more than enough to distract them, as they tried to aid their leader in her escape. A man swung his arm to point a pistol at her, and with a practiced swipe with her bow she knocked the trajectory to shoot someone just behind her. Her foot shot out to swipe her opponent’s feet out from under him, and before he even hit the ground, a burning arrow was shot through his skull.

Perhaps there was a group trying to run. In some ways, some frightened souls began to claw at elevator doors to escape the slaughter. Multi Shot through the hearts pinned souls to the wall as she jammed the point of her bow into an unsuspecting attacker’s stomach, taking the chance to twist and knock them to the ground. Another, she had grabbed and thrown into yet another, taking them out with one blazing arrow through two hearts. One that had tried to grab her had the pleasure of meeting a frosted arrow to the stomach and slowly freezing from the inside out.

And sure, the colors made her an easy target to spot, but it also meant that she could anticipate the onslaught of enemies. It worked well for her, and that’s all she needed.

Surrounded by floating red in pitch black, Niki caught sight of a lone steel cage elevator ascending out of the room. She raised her bow towards the tether and shot a frozen arrow, narrowly passing through the gaps and freezing it over. The cage crashed to the ground with a shriek. A plume of dust burst from the impact.

When the CEO came to, her bodyguards were pinned to the cage, one burning, the other freezing over. The woman was left untouched. It was then that the heat in the room began to rise, a burning overtaking the trees and ruptured gas tanks. The room, once pristinely white, now drenched in darkness bled red from the floating souls. She tried to look around for any sign of life, and flinched upon hearing the clicking of boots approaching the cage. A shaky gasp left the CEO as she met eyes with a stone cold meister, the glow making her all the more intimidating. All the more threatening. Like someone who wasn’t even a part of this world.

The power of a glare did nothing to stop the drawback of a bow. The CEO may have flinched under such a powerful gaze.

One could swear there were the beginnings of a sweet smile painted in a venomous red.

Chapter Text

The journey back to DWMA had been an easy one. The amount of funding the school had made plane rides a lot more bearable, especially for higher ranked EAT students such as Niki and Jack. 

Although, it was still early morning when they left, and they would be missing class for the day. Certainly good that the last thing for them to do was just gather souls and take the final. They’ve performed the song and dance before and they don’t need to worry about anything in class. Or at least, Niki doesn’t, because she has been doing all of the readings and assignments. She would like to assume that Jack was being as diligent as she was, but she wouldn’t be upset with him if he wasn’t. They were different people, after all. Some people just have different ways of doing things. And if cramming everything to the last minute was Jack’s mode of operations, as long as he got it done, who was she to judge?

Jack let out a loud yawn beside her, resting his head in his arms. “That was a late one, that.”

“It was,” Niki agreed. She took a sip of coffee from the mug in front of her, pulling the sleeves of her sweater over the bottom of her palms. 

“Right shame none of the restaurants were open when we left. We could have taken advantage of the school trip reimbursements a bit more,” Jack sighed.

“Maybe we can go back there if we find another mission for it?” she suggested with a small smile. “It would be nice if we could find a witch there. We could try the acai bowls..!”

“Yeah? That would be cool,” Jack grinned back, perking up when the waitress delivered their food. They each thanked her and took the opportunity to eat for the first time in several hours.

“You did a great job finding the power generator last night,” Niki said. “It was very clever of you to look there.”

“Ah! Thank you, Niki..!” the lad gave a big toothy grin. “And as always, you killed it. You were a fuckin’ badass.”

“I am a badass bitch,” Niki said more firmly, even with the sweet smile on her face. It was enough to earn a lighthearted laugh from Jack, never as a way to mock her, but rather at the way she said it. She knew that well enough. She was comfortable enough to giggle a bit as well at the absurdity of her delivery.

The door to the cafe swung open with a little ring of a bell. Niki glanced past Jack to try to get a glimpse of who it was.

“You’ll like it, I promise..! The food’s pretty consistent here..!” a chipper voice said, leading two taller boys behind him. The tallest one was pulled by the wrist by the short one, a sheepis-

Oh! She knew him!! She knew all three of them!

Yes, she remembered them. Niki met Tommy and Tubbo through Wilbur when Wilbur had confided in her that he was scouting them. Very soon after that, when the three became partners, she had the chance to talk to both Tommy and Tubbo more often. As annoying as Tommy was, it was very clear that he, along with Tubbo, had a lot of heart, and a lot of talent. She didn’t doubt that they would become legendary one day.

It’s terrible what happened to Wilbur .

The tall kid, if she remembered correctly, was named Ranboo. He was the one who had asked her and Phil questions after her demonstration to the NOT class, definitely a surprise. Of course, she and Phil were happy to answer every question he had, and she could see potential in a meister that was so… diligent. It was a shame she couldn’t see his soul, though.

It’s good that Tommy and Tubbo were making friends with people closer to their age if nothing else. Especially in the NOT class.

In the chaos of conversation, Tommy spotted the two of them at the table and was quick to diverge from his group to meet Jack.

“Jack Manifold!!!!” Tommy grinned, laughing at the sight of his tired face. “What’s up with you? You look like shit.”

Jack was quick to his feet, immediately becoming more animated, “Why do you always go after me????”

Tommy burst into laughter, scrunching up his face into a big grin. Even if it was at the expense of her partner, Niki couldn’t help but smile a little too. It seemed like Tommy was a lot happier now. Tubbo and Ranboo were quick to join Tommy’s side. 

“Hi Jack! Niki!” Tubbo greeted with a delighted little grin. 

“Tubbo..!!!” Jack sat back down with a relieved smile. “Ayup mate.”

“Ayup, ayup.” 

Ranboo met eyes with Niki, although they were quick to dart away to her cheek. She didn’t take offense to it. She knew from their first meeting that Ranboo had issues holding eye contact. And that was okay.

“...Niki, right??” Ranboo asked.

“Yeah..!” Niki gave Ranboo a sweet smile. “How are you? It’s been forever since I’ve seen you..!”

Tommy had a confused look.

“Wait, you know each other??” Tommy asked, pointing a finger back and forth between Niki and Ranboo.

“Mhm, mhm..!” Ranboo nodded eagerly. “Niki came to our class on the first day of school..! She also… answered a lot of my questions.”

A quiet mumble from Jack asserted grumpily that he was also there too. Niki laced her fingers together, “They were good questions. Even Phil thought so..!”

“Really??” Ranboo’s eyes lit up, his jaw dropping a little bit.

“Oh, please, it’s just Phil,” Tommy rolled his eyes. “His kindness will be his downfall.”

“Really? Isn’t he only friends with Technoblade though?” Tubbo asked.

“Doesn’t Phil have a wife?” Jack chipped in.

“ Well wives aren’t friends, they’re wives, it’s not the same,” Tommy crossed his arms. “I should know, I have many wives.”

“Do you now?” Ranboo raised an eyebrow.

“YES, I am the WIFE HAVER . People lose their wives to me!” Tommy boasted loudly, without a care for the other customers.

“Yeah? Name one,” Ranboo replied.

Tommy stood there in silence for a moment, four pairs of eyes watching him to observe what he would say next. It began to get to the point it was uncomfortable.

“You don’t have a wife, do you, Tommy?” Jack said in a deadpan.

“Of course I do!” Tommy snarked. “My wives don’t have names. I just go, ‘You’re my wife’ and she goes ‘Okay!’ And then that’s it.”

The group burst into laughter. “Tommy!! You can’t get a woman like that! That’s awful!” Jack scolded through his laughter.

“Well then, how did you get a woman, Jack?” Tommy raised an eyebrow.

“What do you mean , ‘how did I get a woman?’ What woman????”

“Oh fuck off,” Tommy snarled. “Oh Nihachu!!! Nihachu!! Go on a coffee date with me, Nihachu!!”

Niki was admittedly a little bit stunned. “Jack and I are just friends. We just came back from Hawaii on a mission, that’s all.”

“We’re a duo!” Jack enthusiastically chipped in, reaching across the table to slap hands with Niki in a practiced special handshake, one that Niki didn’t even have to look at to get right. She knew it was impressive, and she couldn’t help but smile at Ranboo’s hyped expression.

Tommy opened his mouth to speak, but Niki beat him to the chase. She admittedly didn’t even want to have to debate her relationship with Jack with a child who had nothing better to do. “So, Ranboo, how is the NOT class treating you?”

“Actually!!!” Tubbo started. “Ranboo’s in the EAT class now!”

“He fuckin’ what ???” Jack’s jaw dropped.

Niki’s eyes lit up, a spark of pride igniting in her. “Ranboo!! That’s so cool!!” She laced her fingers together and grinned. “Did you find a partner then??”

“Oh, yeah..! Um.. You could say that,” Ranboo made a sheepish laugh.

“Fuckin’ Technoblade of all people,” Tommy growled.

“Oh..!” She supposed it was great that Techno was branching out to make more friends, especially since Phil can’t wield Techno anymore. “That’s great. Techno’s really sweet..!”

“ Aye?!” Tommy scrunched up his face in confusion. “Technoblade’s sweet ???”

“Yeah..! He’s always very polite at the bakery,” Niki reflected, tilting her head. “He bought me some new pans when he noticed mine were breaking.”

“I saw Techno feed someone’s dog a steak once..!” Ranboo piped in. “And when we were out, I saw him buy some crow themed things for Phil. It was kind of funny.”

“Oh, yeah, he does that too..!” Niki nodded. “He’s very nice.”

Tommy huffed and rolled his eyes. “He’s a fuckin’ asshole.”

Ranboo and Niki chose to ignore Tommy. “Oh..! Niki, uh.. Techno said something about bluebirds..?? He said you’d know what that means?”

Niki’s expression shifted, her smile faltering slightly. Right, that signal… She knew what it meant, but she honestly didn’t want to think about the consequences. It was her fault, she was the one who asked for the information, but she still was worried to act on it.

It would be better not to wait around.

“Oh, um.. Thank you, Ranboo. I’ll go talk to him,” Niki stood up from her seat, picking up her belongings and her coffee to take. Jack craned his neck to watch her, his face twisting in confusion.

“I thought you didn’t have anything today?” Jack asked. He wasn’t judgmental, of course, just slightly concerned.

“I don’t,” Niki affirmed. “I’m just going to check on something really quick. I’ll meet up with you after, okay?”

Her face must have said it all, because Jack had a flicker of understanding in his eye and made a curt nod. “Right then. Give me a shout when you’re done, yeah?”

“I will,” she reassured him with a smile. Niki waved goodbye to the rest of the group and left the cafe as quickly as she could, their farewells falling on deaf ears. She had business to take care of and a dwindling amount of time to take care of it.

Chapter Text

A man sits alone in a nearly empty room, aged hands cradling a younger one as if it was the most precious thing in the world. As if the life beating would fall flat the second he let go. He had sat for hours, telling stories, whispering admittances that would fall on deaf ears. His little boy may never wake up again. Yet, the man held hope. In the silence of soft breathing and a steady heart monitor, he had to have hope.

The silence was broken when a lad, a friend even, entered the white abyss. His pink hair and red cape were a sight for sore eyes, a relief that the silence could never grant him. No words had to be said, his friend pulled over a chair to sit next to him.

“...How is he?” came the first question in a soft voice.

“His breathing’s a bit deeper,” the man said, the beginnings of a tired smile gracing his face. It looked forced, weathered even. As if the look on his face made him look much older than the man beside him. 

“Looks like he’s sleepin’,” his friend commented.

“Yeah…”

A companionable silence overtook them, the smile falling from the older man’s face as his gaze met the weathered face of the boy. He was getting so pale now… He almost looked like a corpse. The thought would have maybe hurt him more if he allowed himself the chance to process it. 

“How long have you been here, Phil..?” 

“...Not too long,” Phil answered. Although the shake of his hands proved that to be a lie, the nurse observing them felt skeptical of this answer. 

His friend, Techno, must have been skeptical too, because he surfaced a bag of food and held it out for the old man to take. “...You need to eat. It’s been 10 hours.”

“I’m fine, Techno,” Phil reassured him. His hands didn’t budge from their hold on his son’s. Techno seemed to sigh and turned his attention to the nurse.

“Dream. How long has Phil been here?”

“Mmm…” Dream let out a thoughtful hum. “At least since before I got here at 7.” A laugh left him, “He wouldn’t let me kick him out.”

Techno turned back to Phil, “Phiilllll…”

“I’m fine, Techno,” Phil insisted with a laugh. Often a giggle box he was, very smiley for someone that may lose his only son. It almost looked sewn on if the observer had anything to say about it. “You worry too much.”

“My worry’s always been justified,” Techno countered, shoving the bag in Phil’s face and earning a surprised squawk. “Come on. Eat something. For me, Phil.”

Phil grumbled something to himself and took the bag from Techno, opting not to open it just yet. However, one glance at Techno’s expectant look caused him to cave, and Phil finally took his hand away from his son to open the bag that Techno had delivered to him. Techno made a small smile in victory and leaned over to gently headbutt his friend. It was a strange action, but Philza didn’t seem to mind it. In fact, by the way he returned the action, it must have been a normal thing for them.

A strange duo those two were.

Well, the atmosphere in the room was starting to lighten up a little now that Phil was actively taking care of himself. Techno seemed a little bit more at ease, although one could catch a flicker of guilt in his eyes. Guilt that he couldn’t save the sleeping boy? Guilt that he couldn’t do more for his fragile friend? Why should he feel guilty if he couldn’t do anything about it?

Red eyes scanned the face of the boy, watching his chest rise and fall. At least there was that reassurance, the kid was still alive. “..Looks like the scars are fadin’.”

“Yeah,” Phil smiled softly. “...It’ll be less painful when he wakes up.”

If he wakes up.

“Yep.” Techno popped the p and sighed softly. There wouldn’t be anything that he could do for the old man. They had to put their trust in Dream for now. “Can’t imagine he’d feel all that great after taking an explosion like that.”

Phil made a pitiful laugh, “He’s a fighter, isn’t he?” An aged hand moved from the bag of food to gently brush the mop of messy brown curls out of his son’s face. He’s been doing that quite a bit, as if that would help the sleeping boy even in the slightest. Or maybe it was a reassurance to Phil that the boy was still there. Either answer was perfectly reasonable. This wasn’t the first person Phil’s met in the infirmary. This wouldn’t be the first person he’s lost or recovered. This was the first person that Phil has spent hours waiting for, other than Techno himself. “...You know, Tommy said he won that fight.”

“He did?” Techno quirked up an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” Phil smiled softly and leaned back in his chair, the age showing on his face now that something dire could happen at any point. “...Wilbur.. went down with a smile. When I first came here, he was still-”

A calloused hand gripped Phil’s shoulder and sky blue met blood red. Despite the smile on Phil’s face, anyone with half a brain could see that the world was on his shoulders, and Techno seemed to want to lift that weight, even if for a moment. It was sweet of him, for sure, but ultimately pointless in the grand scheme of things. No matter how much devotion and loyalty was in the gaze of that friend, it would do nothing to quell the worries of a worried father. That was the truth of that. It wouldn’t mean that Techno would stop trying.

And perhaps it did work for a moment. The Angel of Death leaned into the touch of his old partner. A million words were left unspoken between the two, but by the way they shifted to give the smaller of the two a warm hug, a head of blonde hair being pressed against Techno’s chest, it seemed like they didn’t need to speak. They already knew. There was an understanding between the Angel and the Blood God that nobody else would ever get close to, not in a million years. 

They likely forgot that there were other people in the room. But not that the observer cared. It just made it so he didn’t have to listen to all of the stories that were going to depress him if he didn’t save this man’s son. 

After a few moments, Techno said something to break the silence. “...I told ya about the duel right…?”

“..Yeah?” Phil raised his head to look up at his friend. 

“...They’re talented. All of them are,” Techno told Phil. “We won, but it felt a little too easy.. Have ya talked to Tommy at all?”

Phil hummed in thought, “Not too much. He doesn’t want to talk to me.”

“I think he needs to,” Techno said. “He was distracted in our fight by somethin’. He might be hallucinatin’ or somethin’.”

“Oh, like..?” Phil made a vague gesture. Techno shook his head.

“No. Just… Never seen it happen before. Ranboo had enough time to elbow him in the chest. Ranboo’s quick, but Tommy’s usually a lot quicker.”

Phil sighed softly and gave a small nod. “I’ll try to talk to him.”

“Good.”

Phil shifted away from Techno and leaned back in his chair briefly. “...So, you’re serious about Ranboo?”

“He’s got potential,” Techno shrugged. “Won’t be anything like us, but I gotta help the kid out, ya know? I gotta slide in my mentor arc somewhere, Phil, I can’t just let ya take that from me when yer bein’ all teacherly.”

Phil laughed at that. “Okay, okay. Well. That’s good then.”

Techno tilted his head at Phil. “You okay with that?”

“He’s a good kid,” Phil answered with a lazy smile. “Besides, I trust you. If you think he’s a good meister for you, then go for it. Just, promise me you’ll tell him about—“

“I will, I will,” Techno waved his hand dismissively. “Hasn’t caused any problems yet. I think it’ll be fine.”

“Alright.” Phil nodded. Then, with a teasing smirk, he gently nudged Techno. “Proud of you, mate. I’m glad you’re starting to make some friends.”

Techno’s face burned bright red and he furrowed his brows. “Ranboo’s not my friend. We’re just.. associates. Acquaintances at best.”

“Uh huh,” Phil rolled his eyes and raised an eyebrow. “So am I just your associate then?”

“No.” Techno said without a beat of hesitation. “You’re my friend. I would do anything for you, Phil.”

“Awww maate!” Phil put a hand on his heart, a goofy grin spreading across his face. “Would you watch Bleach with me?”

“I would do almost anything for you, Phil.”

Phil huffed and punched Techno in the arm, feigning annoyance as Techno broke into loud cackles. The annoyance quickly faded into amusement and he shook his head.

It was at this time the door to the infirmary opened. All three people turned their heads to see who the newcomer was. A head poked in, blue eyes scanning the room to gauge what was going on. 

“...Is this a bad time…?” She asked, looking between the three.

Techno was first to speak, “No. Phil and I are about to head out.” 

“Oh, you don’t have to-“

“Nah, Phil’s been holed up in here all day. He’s gonna forget sunlight at this rate,” Techno stood up and pulled up Phil easily, effectively making the old death scythe look more like a kitten being pulled up by the scruff when Phil squawked and pouted. “Besides, I told ya we’d clear out so you can do yer thing. I wanna keep my word on that.”

Niki laughed at Phil’s expression and feeble protests as Techno practically dragged his friend out of the room. But just before he was out the door, Techno gave another look to Niki.

“Ah.. I’m not great with all the mushy stuff, but if ya need to talk or somethin’, you know where to find me,” Techno said.

“Right… Thank you, Techno,” Niki nodded. With a curt nod from her friend, Phil and Techno were out of the room, leaving Niki alone with Dream and Wilbur. Niki watched Dream place a small puppet on his desk and then head back towards the storage unit, digging through for medicines for a while. And so she walked over to the sleeping man’s side.

He was pale. Almost frighteningly so. If he wasn’t breathing, he may as well be dead by the way his body was beginning to look, more bony than it used to be. The scars were healing though, in fact, it was impressive how his hair grew back, even with a sliver of white peaking through his roots towards his fringe. 

“...Hey.. Wilbur,” she started awkwardly, not knowing what words needed to be said. “...I’m sorry I didn’t visit last week, Jack and I were on a mission.”

Wilbur wouldn’t be able to reply to her. She wasn’t sure if he could even hear her. There was no point dawdling when it came to this.

“...I know you can’t answer me, but… Why did you do it?” Niki asked him. “...You said that you were going to stay with us until you graduated. And you loved Death City.. We went to the festival together, remember..?”

And it was horrible that she couldn’t get a response. He probably wouldn’t have answered her anyways, not with the strange look in his eyes. But in a way, it made it easier to get the words out to someone who wouldn’t hear them.

“...This is our home, Wilbur. You.. You made this our home. You reached out to us, you told us when we started our team that we would graduate together. That we’d keep this place safe together .”

And she could remember that promise like it was only yesterday. An invite, a handshake, a bright smile and a promise. Sorting through the haze in her mind would be more difficult than confronting the source of it, especially when she could clearly remember the news.

“So… Why did you do it?” Niki’s hand gripped harshly onto the side of the sleeping man’s bed frame, her knuckles turning white under the pressure. “Do you even know what you did?? Did you see…? Did you care so much about winning that you didn’t even think about what you were doing??”

A frantic call from a new friend, and she had never known the terror of a new student like that. She had never known a terror that could spread just like that. She doesn’t even remember who called her, both voices were on the line, all except Wilbur’s. She did remember pulling Jack out of bed and rushing to the scene as soon as she got the call.

“Did you know what that was going to do to us? To Tommy and Tubbo?? To Phil?? Techno?? When you promised us you’d be more careful, was this what you wanted??” Niki hissed, angry tears pricking her eyes.

And yes. She remembered running through the fire, Jack running beside her as they rushed to the scene. Firefighters tried to stop them from going through, but a quick threat was enough to pass to the other side and reach a gruesome sight. 

Tubbo frantically grabbing at Wilbur’s shoulders, trying to shake the bleeding meister awake, yelling at him and crying as he tried to find any sign of life other than the breathing. The little smile on Wilbur’s face as his body awkwardly healed the major wounds and stitched himself back together, in a way that was so wrong but it was the best it could do, and there was still so much blood. 

But worst of all, Tommy was… His expression haunted her the most. Blue eyes blown wide with shock, staring at Wilbur with his mouth agape. He was shaking, he was pale, he looked at his own hands as if he was the one who did it, as if he killed his friend. Never had she seen someone so loud be so quiet .

She decided she never wanted to see Tommy that quiet again, even if it was mildly annoying.

“...Were you that unhappy?” Niki asked in a mumble. “...You destroyed part of the city, Wilbur. You won. And now you’re here. Did you… did you want to leave it all behind? Are you happier where you are now…?”

Feeling her anger fizzle out, she slumped into the chair that Phil had been seated in before. It was pointless taking her anger out on a dying man. “...I.. I’m sorry, Will. I should have come with you. If I knew this was going to happen, I wouldn’t have—“ Niki shook her head. She couldn’t blame herself for what happened. It wasn’t her fault. Even if a guilt clawed at her a bit, she reminded herself that it wasn’t her fault.

Instead, with a sigh, she looked over her friend again. “...I wish I could do more for you..” She gently brought his hand back to rest on the bed. “..I’m going to keep working hard to make Jack into a Death Scythe. So, please, keep working hard to wake up.”

Niki stood up from the chair and stepped away from Wilbur, making her way back towards the door with small steps.

“ If you can do that… Maybe I’ll forgive you then.”

And she was gone.

Chapter Text

That walk home was a bit of a blur for her afterwards. Not that it was eventful, quite the contrary. She just was halfway home before she even recognized the fact that she was, and that Jack had been beside her for most of it. Not for any other reason than companionship and going to the same place. And that was fine. It didn’t have to be anything more than that.

That is, until she was gently prodded on the side. Niki turned to face her partner, wh- Oh. He had been talking to her.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Jack asked her, his expression contorted with worry. “You’ve been a bit spacey since you came back.”

And it was true. There wasn’t a point denying it, he simply would say that it’s a lie if she tried. He knew her well enough to do that.

“It’s fine,” Niki assured with a smile. “Just some stuff with Wilbur.”

“Ah.” Jack nodded. He fell into silence for a moment, contemplating the next thing to say. He settled on, “I hope he’ll be alright. Quite a shame what happened, innit?”

“Yeah,” Niki nodded in agreement. Although, I guess it could be a lot worse than it was.

Jack gently patted her on the shoulder and grinned, “Ey, that man’s tough as hell. He’s like a bloody cockroach, he just can’t die. I bet Wilbur will even give Technoblade a run for his money on that front.” He made an easy laugh. “Besides, I doubt his mum would let him go like that.”

“I doubt Phil would let him go like that,” Niki added on. “But that doesn’t mean he’ll wake up.”

“He’ll wake up. As much as I hate the guy, Dream seems to know what he’s doing. It’ll be fine.”

I don’t know if he’s someone I want to put my faith in . 

Regardless, she smiled and nodded, “You’re right. Wilbur will probably be fine.”

Jack narrowed his eyes at her and raised an eyebrow. He pointed at her expression with a deadpan. “You’re making that face again.”

“What face??”

“ That face. The one where you’re just saying something to go along with something,” Jack mimicked the awkward smile on her face. He frowned. “If you don’t believe it, you don’t have to pretend like you do. I won’t be offended.”

“But I do..! Wilbur will be fine,” Niki insisted, her expression shifting a bit more to be even more awkward.

“You’re still doing it..!” Jack gestured to her.

“Doing what??”

“You need to relax, you’ll be stuck with that face forever if you don’t-“

“Jack-“

There was a rustle in the bin nearby, too large to have conceivably been a bug or rat of some kind. Both of them froze and whipped their heads toward the source. It stopped. They shared a look.

Niki signaled Jack to keep on talking. He nodded.

“Listen, Niki, you’re allowed to have your own thoughts on these things. You’re fine to voice your opinion here, I won’t ridicule you for it. That would be quite cruel,” Jack said sincerely.

Niki moved silently towards the bin as he spoke, the two sharing glances every so often. “I know, and I appreciate you for that. But, I don’t know what that has to do with my face.”

“I’m just saying…!” Jack said, making his voice quieter over time as he spoke. “You never know, it might smudge your makeup.”

Even quieter. “That’s not how makeup works, Jack..”

“It could be.. You saw the clown makeup I did for…” Jack trailed off as Niki’s fingers curled around the handle of the trash bin lid. They waited in silence, holding their breaths as they awaited for a sign of something.

And a sign they got.

There was a breath of relief from the bin and more rummaging noises, before the lid was ripped off and thrown to the side. Niki surfaced a pocket knife and pointed it towards the culprit, hardly flinching when she heard a startled yelp from…

Huh?

A blur of orange shot from the bin, jumping at her and then up into the air with a loud squeak. Niki stumbled backwards in surprise, but caught her balance easily, watching as the thing barely missed its target and crashed into a pile of garbage bags. 

“Fuck!”

Jack moved quickly to Niki’s side, waiting for any sign she wanted him to transform. But that sign never came. She stared wide eyed at the creature on top of the bags, mumbling curses and the like. Orange and white fur, accented with blacks… a bushy tail, tiny paws, big curious eyes and a white streak on the floof where hair might have been on a human. If the bandana was anything to go by, then…

The fox turned his head to the partners and began to back up, “H-Hey… Uh. I wasn’t stealing anything..! I was just… Berries..!”

To make a point of it, the fox opened his mouth to show a bunch of slimy, yet uneaten, berries. Niki scrunched up her face at the sight. Although, Jack was more focused on the other detail.

“You can talk ?!?!” Jack exclaimed, pointing a finger at the fox in question. The fox blinked and then awkwardly laughed.

“Uhhh… Squeak… Squeak??” 

Jack stammered a bit, looking between Niki and the fox as if to ask if she was hearing it too. Niki tilted her head to the side. “Why hide in the bin then..? You stopped moving around when you heard us. Were you listening in?”

“No!” the fox blurted. “Well… Yes, but you know, I wasn’t trying to. But you said something that I knew and I had to hear about it..!”

Jack scrunched up his face. “What are you on about?”

“You were talking about Wilbur..??” 

Niki froze up.

Oh . She knew who this was. Or at least, she had an idea of who it could be. She technically had seen him before, but never without Wilbur. And usually not with him talking, just tiny adorable squeaks in response to pets and ear scratches. Wilbur was quite protective of his little fox friend for whatever reason.

I’m starting to see why.

Niki knelt down to be closer to the fox’s level, speaking in a gentle voice. “You’re Fundy, right…?”

“Yeah, yeah...!” Fundy nodded quickly, quick to jump to his paws now that he was recognized by someone. “You know Wilbur??”

“Uh.. Yeah, we’re friends of his,” Niki nodded.

Jack crossed his arms, still dumbfounded, “We’re really just talking to a fox right now.”

Fundy ignored Jack. “Do you know where he is?? He said he would meet me here..!”

Niki flinched, raising an eyebrow, “Y-Yeah.. uh… Wait, how long have you been here?”

Fundy stopped and looked around as if his surroundings would give him any sort of clue. “Uhh… I’ve been coming every day. He’s been late before, but he always comes eventually..!! And he brings me to go get some berries..!”

A hand moved over her mouth as she took in the information, a blanket of dread laying over her when it sank in. Jack must have felt it too, because he mumbled in disbelief, “He’s been here for months..”

So that leaves the question of what to do. What does she even say to that?? She was still getting over her own weird one way talk with Wilbur, and then she got proven right again. And it wasn’t even fair to blame Wilbur for this, but that dread weighed all the same. Someone had to tell Fundy what happened.

Jack spoke first, “I’m afraid Wilbur’s not coming, mate. Not anytime soon, anyways.”

“Huh..??” Fundy’s ears flattened against his head. “W-Wh.. Why?? Why wouldn’t he?”

“You see, Wilbur’s been in the hospital for a few months now. He’s… He’s been in a coma,” Jack tried to explain as gently as he could. “He’s getting better, but he still hasn’t woken up yet, at least, not that we know of..”

And that made Fundy quiet. Niki felt her heart ache for the fox who had grown fond of their shared friend, the defeated expression on his face was devastating. The knife twisted in an open wound when a small warble left him.

“..Oh,” was all Fundy said, tail and ears drooped. “...That’s… oh.”

“Yeah,” Jack mumbled awkwardly. “Sorry, man.”

The silence that followed felt excruciating. Niki couldn’t remember the last time that she felt so awkward talking to someone— not even the conversation she had with Techno about meeting Wilbur was this bad. But it made sense. Between the lines of awkward fighting and banter, Wilbur had always made a point to be there for his friends, and he was a shoulder to lean on when he was needed. She remembered, however vaguely, that Wilbur had proudly declared Fundy to be his son, much to the fox’s disapproval, and had been overly affectionate with him.

Her hair may have been different then. She and Jack may have looked different then.

Niki leaned forward and smiled patiently at the fox, “Wilbur will be fine… He always ends up being okay. We just have to give him a little bit to recover.” Shifting on her feet, she held out her hand for him. “If you want, you can come with us..! We’re heading in the same direction as the market anyways, so we can pick up some berries if you’d want them.”

Fundy’s ears perked up at the idea, a sparkle entering his eyes, “Really..???”

“Yeah..! I was meaning to bake something today,” Niki shrugged.

That got Jack’s attention. “You were??”

“Mhm,” Niki nodded. “Why did you think I was taking this route..?”

“I thought you were spacing out..!!” Jack let out an excited laugh. “This makes so much more sense.”

The fox was quick to scramble up Niki’s arm, sitting carefully on her shoulders. “Yay! Let’s go!!”

Jack snickered quietly at the fox, “Look at that..! You might as well have a Pokémon, Niki..!”

Niki made a little laugh and began to walk to the store. “He’s not a Pokémon, Jack, he’s a fox… I think..?”

“I’m just a fox..!” Fundy declared with a happy grin. “I don’t know any magic..!”

“That’s not suspicious at all,” Jack mumbled. Niki smacked him lightly on the arm, earning a laugh from the fox.

“He seems fine to me. Talking isn’t suspicious,” Niki raised her hand to pet the fox on the head and earned a delighted squeak. His soul was too animal-like to even be considered suspicious… And if Fundy was a witch, he likely would not have stayed to interact with them as long as he did. “He just wants some berries..!”

“Yeah..! The berries are the best thing that’s happened to me!” Fundy chirped.

“That’s quite sad, frankly…”

“You just don’t understand..!” The fox was quick to stick his tongue out. “It’s better than the garbage..!”

Niki cringed slightly, “We should get you something better then.”

And probably a bath too. Who knows how filthy the paws of this fox are.. Especially if he was sitting here waiting for Wilbur… Maybe she can borrow a hose from Phil… or Techno.

So with a pep in their step, the trio of heroes continued their journey to the local supermarket to pick up some berries. 

Chapter Text

These days were always kind of tough.

For someone like Philza, who has found himself to be dependent on routine to function properly. Without routine as an anchor, he can easily be lost to the throes of whatever project he decided to involve himself in. For hours, days, weeks, without even seeing the son.

That was the bright side of having Techno as a partner, who always had a grip on time. While he could get lost as well, he always had an exact grasp of time that Phil never really had. They anchored each other. When one strayed too far, the other would pull back and vice versa. When they were roommates, they ensured that they took care of each other, that they ate, slept, had enough water, didn’t get too lost.

When they graduated and Philza was married, that changed. For one, Lady Death, as lovely as She is, wasn’t sensitive to time either, and often existed in Her own domain on the balcony of the school. They spent plenty of time together, but it was easy to get lost when he was with Her. Her laugh and smile were far too enchanting and their talks had him wrapped around Her finger. Not that there was an issue with that. Philza adored Her with every fiber of his being.

The routine was rebuilt when She had Her son. A little boy with a unique circumstance. One day, he will take charge of the academy and be the leader they need. He will be something great.

But Phil didn’t want that. He wanted his son to be the person he wanted to be. Whether that meant his son never attended the DWMA and just went on to play music until the end of time, or wrote poetry out of scars, he loved his son.

His son, of course, still took interest in the Academy. He insisted on becoming a meister like his Uncle and his Mother. And his reasoning was sound, how can you run something you never took part in? 

But Phil didn’t want that.

He wanted to protect his son from the dangers of the world. He wanted to keep him safe and protected. He wanted him to take on his actual interests and live a happy life. He didn’t want Wilbur to take part in the same life that he and Techno were forced into.

He didn’t want Wilbur to be sent home in a body bag.

And he got the next best thing. A phone call that his son was in the hospital and wasn’t waking up.

Wilbur was a part of that routine too. Phil would make breakfast for the both of them before Wilbur went off to school. Sometimes they’d walk together to the Academy, having an easy chat about various policies or news. Then Phil would part ways and work with his Lady until Techno pulled him away to take him to lunch. Techno would drop him back off, and then Wilbur would inevitably come back to pick him up and take him back home.

When Tommy and Tubbo entered the picture, Phil made breakfast for all of them and the three would leave without Phil. Techno would come by sometimes to make sure Phil made it to work, and they’d always have lunch together. Wilbur still had his chats with Phil in the evening, whenever he decided that Phil was working too much and it was annoying him. The tinkering of a clock being too loud to let him sleep. Wilbur always would come home with a new cut. Phil would always ask, Wilbur would never tell. And Phil always begged him to stay safe. And Wilbur would always promise that he would be.

And then he wasn’t.

The routine was ruined by glass shards and gasoline. Buildings torn in the havoc, the morbid restitching and resealing and bedside pleas. These days meant being lost for hours until a pink haired man grabbed his hands and brought him back home, because Phil was willing to wait. He needed to know that his only son would live. He would leave at various times just to be certain his boy was still breathing, only interrupted by work or someone ushering him away.

His morning was filled with the smell of freshly cut fruits and frying eggs. The boys were still sleeping from a late night mission. He didn’t bother waking them, Brian would get to them first if it started getting too late. The crow would sneak bits of food off of the plate for himself, but Phil had no energy to fight it. He found it endearing regardless. It was easy to sink into the routine of stirring beans and falling into his thoughts…

That was, until he heard footsteps.

He glanced over to the reflection of a nearby jar, catching the image of a tired child sauntering over. Phil allowed his shoulders to relax and pulled the eggs off the burner, turning to the boy. 

“Morning, mate…” Phil greeted with the laziest of smiles. Tommy raised his gaze from the floor to meet Phil’s, letting out a whine.

“‘S too fucking early, Phil..” Tommy complained. “Do we have to go in today? Can’t you teach us later?”

‘I don’t know if I’ll be around later’ was what he almost said.

“You never like when I teach you,” Phil pointed out. “Besides, the Captain is in charge today. You like the Captain, don’t you?”

Tommy groaned. “But we just got back from a mission, Phil..!! We’re exhausted .”

“Yeah, it’s like that,” Phil shrugged dismissively. “It only makes you stronger. What are you going to do if duty calls at 4 in the morning?”

Tommy huffed, “Well then I’ll ask the bastard to wait for a more respectful time..!”

Phil sputtered. “Tommy, you can’t-” Phil shook his head. “They’re corrupted souls , Tommy. They don’t give a shit..!”

“Well they don’t give a shit about you , Phil,” Tommy waved his hand. “You know, the worst thing about you is the fact you’re so appealing and kind. You shouldn’t let those bastards decide when your fight is, Phil!”

“We can’t just let them be free..!”

“They’d never say no to Tommy Innit,” he boasted. “I’ll just say, ‘Oi, can you fuck off for a few hours’ and they go ‘okay’ and then just, mmmmmmmeeeerp . Go right back where they came from.”

Phil snickered. “Tommy, no-”

“MMMMMMMMM They’ll all listen to me..!!! They’ll know I’m greater than them and back off like a bunch of pussies..! They’ll lick my shoes..!”

“What????”

The both of them burst into laughter, as Tommy began to laugh at his own joke. It was refreshing in its own way, to have this interaction with Tommy again after everything that’s happened.

And that’s when he noticed something.

Phil may have been slow to notice, but he did. While the outfit was mostly the same as before the incident, there was a glaring edition to Tommy’s get up that he should have noticed. A beige and tan jacket that fit just a bit too large on him, embellished with a DWMA skull patch on the left arm. And he saw by the way that Tommy turned away from him that the jacket had a distinct fixed stick on the shoulder… 

His heart broke a little more.

That was his son’s jacket.

Not the one that Wilbur wore more recently, but it was his first DWMA jacket. Modified from something he found at the shops, something that Wilbur wore with pride when he was with his first two partners before they parted ways.

And now Tommy had it.

Fuck.

Tommy shifted uncomfortably under the staring, “Philll… You’re being creepy-”

Phil blinked and tore his eyes away, “Sorry, uh… That’s… Your jacket, it’s-”

“Mm..” Tommy glanced away. His voice became uncharacteristically frantic. “I can take it off-”

“No, no,” Phil put his hands up. “It’s fine. I just- I didn’t realize you had it.”

“Yeah, well..” Tommy shifted in his place, weathered hands pulling at sleeves that were too big to be his. “It was just… It was getting cold, so..”

Phil nodded slowly. He didn’t need to be a genius to know that the rationale was only a half truth. Anyone with half a brain would know that Tommy missed Wilbur, perhaps even as much as Phil did.

And that did remind him of something.

“...You feeling alright, mate?” Phil asked him. Tommy glanced over and raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah.”

That wasn’t too convincing.

Phil sighed softly and brushed his hair back, turning the stove off. “Alright. You know you can talk to me about anything, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

The silence there was suffocating. Because there were a million words that could be said, but it wasn’t right. None of this was right.

“You know… you can visit him if you wanted to,” Phil said. “Just to say what’s on your mind and get it off your chest.”

Tommy made a noncommittal noise, picking up a piece of fruit and taking a bite. Phil was quick to make a plate for the boy, handing it over with a small smile.

“You can take that day off… But make sure you take care of yourself. You and Tubbo both,” Phil laughed and turned to the crow, making a small whistle to send the bird on its way. “Think about it, but don’t do anything you aren’t comfortable with. You don’t have to be alone.”

Tommy glanced up at him dully, nodding slowly at the information. Seeing as there wasn’t anything else he could offer, Phil said, “I’ll make tea for us. ‘S that alright..?”

A filled kettle was placed on the stovetop and Phil began to prepare the tea. Tommy took a seat at the table and lifted a fork, smiling to himself.

“Yeah. Go on then.”