Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

It’s one of the rare days when Niki and Jack aren’t around. Jack had asked- or rather told- Tommy he was taking time off. He claimed something about a family emergency? It’s a little weird, given that Jack never ever talks about a family. Tommy doesn’t even think he has one, although he’s not about to ask. He isn’t about to complain about Jack requesting the time off though, no matter how strange the reason is. Everyone deserves a break, even if they don’t want to share the reason why.

Niki isn’t around either, though. It’s a rare day when Tommy sees neither Niki or Jack, but it does happen. Niki’s probably working on her Underground City or something. Tommy does know where it is now, so he could go join her, as Nook is more than capable of manning the front desk, but he doesn’t want to intrude. It’s her space, and he never invites himself over there.

So he sighs, his fingers tracing the seams of the planks of the front desk. He wonders what they’re up to. If they’re hanging out together. He wouldn’t put it past Jack to lie to him, although it’s not like they need his permission to hang out. They’re friends too, they were friends long before Tommy joined the equation. They don’t need him.

The thought makes his heart twinge in pain. He tries to ignore the thought. He thinks instead of the fondness he’s seen in Niki’s gaze- maybe possibly directed at him, although he hates to get his hopes up- and the smiles he’s able to pull from Jack- involuntary, he’s sure.

They like him. They at least tolerate him, and that’s more than Tommy could ask for.

(Niki and Jack have indeed met up. Jack sits on the counter of Niki’s kitchen while Niki bustles around, making loaf upon loaf of bread, and tension hangs in the air.

“So. Are we going to talk about it?” Jack finally asks.

Niki’s hands pound into fresh dough.

“We’re… are we both thinking the same thing?” he tries again.

Niki grits her teeth, and then finally she bursts out, “I can’t! I just… I can’t do it anymore.”

Jack sags, a sigh of relief escaping him. “Oh thank Prime. I thought I was the only one.”

“I just- he keeps smiling like that-”

“He doesn’t seem to notice our murder attempts-”

“-he keeps seeking us out-”

“-he laughs at jokes we make? Like since when?-”

“-and he didn’t care that my hugs were painful-”

“-and he never runs away no matter how mean we be.”

“I just. How does he not notice?” Niki punches the dough hard, and flour is sent puffing up into the air, settling all over her and Jack’s clothing.

Jack doesn’t notice. “He’s gotta be the most oblivious player here.”

Niki nods. Silence settles again, and she puts the loaf into a pan, and then, hesitantly, she asks, “So… we’re going to stop trying to, uh, to hurt him?”

Jack looks uncertain, but he still nods. “Yeah.”

The move on to talk about other things, and the tension that was in the air is gone. Honestly, the decision wasn’t that big of a decision. The guilt that bubbles inside them whenever he smiles at them is sometimes near crippling, and they wonder how they would have felt if they actually succeeded in killing Tommy.

Niki still carries her attempt with the nuke in her heart. She still remembers the disbelief mingling with confusion and guilt, her horror at seeing the blood dripping down his back. Jack still remembers the crazed look Tommy had in his eyes at the white streak in his hair, the terror that consumed him.

They were ashamed of faltering like they had. They avoided each other, somewhat, or at least avoided bringing up the topic of Tommy when neither of them really had the heart to try and murder him. Neither have wanted to for a while now. But they didn’t want to bring it, for fear of the judgement they might get from each other, for fear that the other might leave, disappointed with their lack of conviction.

But it’s okay now. They’re in agreement. No more attempts. There’s still guilt- that might never leave. But now, they can just be Tommy’s friends.)

“Is anything wrong, Tommyinnit?” Nook asks as he comes down the ladder, having heard a particularly heavy sigh from Tommy.

Tommy shrugs. “I’m bored,” he says, opting for a half truth. “Niki and Jack are gone, and I don’t think they’ll be back today.”

“You miss them?” Nook asks.

Tommy, after a moment, nods. Nook has become a lot more tolerant of having Jack and Niki hang around. He doesn’t kick them out, he doesn’t hiss at them, and he doesn’t even stare them down. He still doesn’t greet them, but he’s actually okay with them hanging out around Tommy. Still, Tommy doesn’t want to push him too far.

“We can still have fun,” Nook says after a moment of processing. “I am sure the hotel will not suffer a single day of our absence.”

Tommy brightens. “Really?!”

“Yes.” Nook sounds satisfied. “We can do anything you want, Tommyinnit.”

Tommy bounces out from behind the desk, running over to grab Nook’s arm. “Awesome! I have no idea what to do, but I’m sure we’ll find something!”

Nook lets himself be dragged outside, and Tommy talks to him, telling him about all the different things they could see on the SMP. Nook almost never goes outside. Tommy could show him so much!

But they’ve only just left the property of the Hotel when a siren starts to wail.

Tommy freezes. The sound is loud, echoing as though it were coming from the very air itself, and Tommy knows what it means. The sound echoes in his ears, loud and persistent, impossible to ignore.

His communicator buzzes. His hands are shaking, and it takes him a couple of tries to pull it from his pocket.

WARNING. THE PRISON HAS BEEN BREACHED. DREAM HAS ESCAPED, AND IS AT LARGE. HE WAS LAST SEEN WITH TECHNOBLADE, AND CAN BE CONSIDERED ARMED AND DANGEROUS.

Tommy can’t breathe.

His limbs tingle, and his grip on Nook’s arm hurts all of a sudden. He releases Nook before he even realizes how much he’s leaning onto him, stumbling back.

“Tommyinnit?” Nook doesn’t grab Tommy, but he reaches out. Tommy flinches back, but Nook doesn’t move any further, just hovering right beside Tommy. “Are you alright.”

Tommy takes a deep, gasping breath. He needs to breathe. In, and out. One breath at a time.

“I- I don’t know,” he says, panic gradually rising. “I don’t think so.”

“What can I do for you, Tommyinnit.”

“Just… just don’t leave me.” Tommy immediately cringes back as he says those words. He can't show vulnerability. Not to anyone.

But Nook just nods. “Understood. I will not leave your side”

Nook doesn’t try to grab Tommy’s arm. He doesn’t try to push Tommy towards the hotel, or back to his old house. He just stands there by Tommy, waiting, patient, as Tommy struggles to collect himself.

The silence is too much. “Can you say something?” Tommy asks, desperation leaking into his voice.

“What do you wish me to say?” Nook asks.

“Anything.”

Nook lets out a noise similar to a hum. There’s a moment, and in the silence Tommy can hear his heartbeat pick up, but then Nook says, “I can tell you about flowers. I can tell about how to take care of each one, what soil they need, where they are often found, interesting fun facts-”

“Yes,” Tommy gasps out, “Anything.”

So Nook starts to talk, and It helps to settle the panic roiling within Tommy. He listens intently as Nook starts talking about lily-of-the-valley flowers, how they’re the only flowers that can be made into white dye, about what they need to thrive, and his breathing settles. It isn’t long before he stands- and since when did he collapse on the ground?- and starts making his way back to the hotel on unsteady legs. Nook follows close behind, never ceasing speaking.

Unfortunately, as the night nears, Tommy realizes that Nook can’t stay by his side. He’s got limited charge, so he needs to shut down for the night so he can charge up and be able to make it through the next day.

“We can move my charging station up to your room,” Nook reassures him. “Unfortunately, there is not enough time to do so tonight, but I can do it first thing in the morning.”

“Can I sleep down here with you?” Tommy asks meekly.

There’s a pause, and Tommy starts to shrink back, but Nook replies, “Yes. It will not be comfortable, but yes.”

“I can grab some blankets.”

Tommy scrambles upstairs as quickly as he can, snatching his bedding off his bed and almost tripping on it as he makes his way back down the ladder. His eyes dart to the shadows, wondering if Dream is going to step from them, wondering how long it’ll take before he appears. It’s only when he can see Nook again, waiting for him at the bottom of the ladder, that his heartbeat stops pounding in his ears.

They move Nook’s charging station to Tommy’s room the next day, and even though Nook is powered down, it makes Tommy feel better. If Dream appears, he can go wake Nook up. It’ll be okay. 

It will.

It has to be.

.

.

.

It’s not enough. 

Tommy starts to dig tunnels under the hotel, tunnels like the sewers he created so long ago, tunnels like the ones that run beneath his house. He needs a way out if Dream comes. They’re small, barely big enough for a single person, but they’re there. That’s all that matters. He stays up late into the night digging, even as Nook is powered down, jumping at every shadow. 

It’s not like he’s been getting much sleep anyways. He gets nightmares about prison, about exile, about Dream towering over him as he sleeps. He wakes up with fear choking him, his eyes darting wildly about as he searches for that porcelain mask. So, he doesn’t sleep. If he can’t sleep, then why try. At least this way, he’s actually doing something with his time.

He prepares his escape routes, making branches and emergency kits and secret exits. He prepares contingency plans, tucking a water bucket into his hot bar and keeping his eyes peeled for even a flash of Dream. He sticks close to Nook whenever the robot is powered on and creeps through the shadows he both loves and fears, as while they are cover for himself, they are also cover for Dream.

He knows it’s only a matter of time before Dream finds him.

He doesn’t know how long it’s been when he hears footsteps in the front lobby. They’re loud, and the sound of clanking armor fills the air. Nook is upstairs. He disappeared for just a moment to go and grab something, but he’s not there and someone else is.

Tommy bolts. He dives for his hatch in the back of the backroom, flinging it open and dropping himself down without a second thought. He slides down the ladder, darting for the tunnels, when he hears not one but two voices calling for him.

He glances behind him. Niki drops from the last few rungs of the ladder, her expression full of worry, and he can hear Jack calling down from above.

“Niki?” he asks, hesitant. 

She hurries over, doing her best not to bump the walls of the passage. She reaches out, and Tommy flinches back. She pulls back, her hand hanging awkwardly in the air.

“Tommy,” she says, and she sounds so worried. “Are you okay?”

Tommy stares at her, taken aback by the concern she’s showing. “I… are you real?” he asks.

He’s not been hallucinating! There’s no way the great Tommyinnit would hallucinate! But… he’s jumpy. He sees things in shadows that aren’t really there, and the exhaustion from a lack of sleep makes his vision all blurry. He can’t exactly trust everything he sees.

“What? Tommy, of course-” she reaches out again, palm up this time, and Tommy flinches again.

Niki stops, and, after a moment, tells him, “Take my hand. I’m real. I promise.”

Slowly, Tommy reaches out. He hesitates when his hand is just over Niki’s, and then lets it rest on hers. He can feel her hand. It’s warm. He gives it a gentle squeeze, and Niki squeezes back, just as gentle.

“It’s okay,” she says. “You’re okay.”

She doesn’t let go of his hand, instead moving backwards down the tunnel, tugging him along. He doesn’t resist and lets her lead the way. They head back to the ladder, and Niki lets his hand go so they can climb it. He’s a little sad about the loss, but to his surprise she grabs his hand again when they reach the top.

Tommy swings the trapdoor back down over the hole, and Jack smiles at him. “That’s really well hid,” he compliments. “You were gone before I could even say anything?”

Tommy doesn’t reply. He stares back at Jack, confused, and he doesn’t notice as his grip on Niki’s hand grows tighter.

(Tommy looks… scared.

Niki and Jack exchange a glance. They both notice the bags under his eyes, the dirt covering his clothes. Niki can feel the way his hand trembles in hers, and it’s almost as though he were trying to hide behind her.

It feels wrong.

They haven’t seen Tommy for over a week. Sam Nook was more protective than usual- which is honestly somewhat understandable, given that they were trying to hurt his ward- refusing to give out any detail about Tommy, no matter how small. It didn’t matter when they dropped in- whether the hotel was open or not, whether it was day, evening, or night- they couldn't find him.

It was like he just disappeared, and though they have no idea why, Jack has an inkling of an idea nibbling at the back of his brain.)

There’s the clank of metal on wood, and Nook rounds the corner. There are items in his hands that disappear into his inventory in a flash upon seeing Niki and Jack there. A trident takes its place. “Tommyinnit, are you alright?” he asks, steam escaping the flaps in his neck with a hiss.

“Yeah,” Tommy says, doing his best to reassure Nook. He doesn’t think Niki and Jack are here to hurt him. “We’re all good.”

“Are you sure?” Nook’s grip tightens on his trident, and he stares both Niki and Jack down.

“Yes, Nook, I’m sure.” Tommy looks over at his friends. “They’re here for… for what, exactly?”

“We haven’t seen you for, like, a week,” Jack replies with a shrug. “We were wondering if you were around.”

“What happened?” Niki asks. “You don’t look like you’ve slept in days.”

She sounds worried. She’s sounded worried ever since she chased him down his tunnel, and Tommy doesn’t understand why. He wants to believe it. He wants to take her worry at face value, but he just can’t.

So he shrugs and mutters, “Dream’s out.”

He doesn’t want to elaborate, but they don’t push. Jack squints at Niki, who squints back, and then they start gesturing as subtly as they can with their free hands. Tommy doesn’t laugh at their silent communication as he normally would, but the corner of his mouth tugs up into the smallest of smiles.

Niki turns to him and says, “How about you live in my Underground city?”

(Tommy doesn’t respond again. Niki and Jack exchange a glance, worried. This is the quietest they’ve ever seen him. It’s unlike him.

He looks at them with confusion and doubt in his eyes, as though he can’t quite understand them.)

“Why?” Tommy finally asks.

“Because it’s safe,” Niki replies with a shrug, as though she weren’t offering up her home for Tommy to live in. “I know it like the back of my hand, you’re familiar with it, and only the three of us know where it is, seeing as I built it in secret.”

A place that Dream doesn’t know? That’s certainly an enticing offer. But… “I don’t want to leave Nook behind.” As the words leave Tommy’s mouth, he flinches back. He braces himself for harsh, mocking words, but to his surprise, none come.

“Fine with me,” Niki says with a shrug. “Sam Nook?”

“My charging station can be moved again,” Nook replies.

So it’s settled. They bring him to the Underground City, and Tommy is still in awe of the fact that Niki offered such a thing. Jack has to help him move, as Tommy is unsteady from a lack of sleep and erratic meals. Niki helps Nook move the charging station, but instead of just placing it down when they enter her city, she walks over to the rooms that Tommy and Jack had dug out. She goes to the furthest one back and places Nook’s charging station down.

“You can live here,” she tells him, gesturing to the room. It’s somewhat small, but Tommy prefers that. It means there’s few places for a nasty surprise. There’s a bed, single chest by said bed, and ender chest in the corner, and lanterns hanging from the ceiling. It’s a minimal amount of stuff, but to Tommy, it’s perfect.

He doesn’t know how long he’ll be allowed to stay here. He doesn’t think that Niki would appreciate him moving in- it’s a temporary thing, nothing more, nothing less. He doesn’t know why Niki is doing this for him, but he won’t question it. Not when he’s scared of the answer.

(Niki sees Tommy look around the room, and watches as the tension in his shoulders ease. It doesn’t disappear- it just eases. But still, that’s enough. This room is his, she decides. Until this city crumbles, it is his.)

“Thanks,” Tommy says, forcing pep into his voice. He turns back to Niki and Jack, plastering a smile onto his face- he’s already shown them enough weakness. “I’m all good, I just need to get Nook’s charger all set up. I’ll see you two later.”

It’s as firm a dismissal as he can make it, but Niki and Jack don’t jump at the chance to leave. They exchange another glance- and Tommy’s getting a little sick of all the glances they’re exchanging, he can’t read them- and then Jack places an ender chest down in one of the corners. He reaches in and pulls out the god apple they got back when they went desert temple hunting in the desert.

And then he holds it out to Tommy.

“Here,” Jack says. “Take it.”

Tommy snatches it before Jack can take back his offer, tucking it into his inventory. He takes a step towards Nook, ready to hide behind him if need be, and eyes Jack warily. “Why…”

Jack shrugs. “Do I need a reason?”

Yes, Tommy wants to scream, Because I want to know when you’ll demand it back.

Instead, he smiles. “Poggers. Thanks big man. Now shoo, both of you. I need to get Nook all set up.”

Niki and Jack exchange yet another glance, and then Niki says, “We’ll leave you be down here. If we’re coming and going all the time, it’ll be easier for someone to follow us back, so we’ll drop by in about- a week, maybe?”

“Yeah, yeah, sounds good,” Tommy replies, doing his best to sound like he doesn’t care.

“Message us if you need anything,” she says, and she sounds concerned. Tommy can’t take it.

“I got it,” he snaps. He flinches back, expecting retaliation, and when none comes he takes a deep breath and adds, “I’ll be fine.”

And they leave. Just like that. No questions, no more things that Tommy needs to respond to, they just leave. Tommy has the whole of the Underground City to himself.

The first day, he spends setting up Nook’s charger. There’s not a power source nearby, so through some messed up redstone wiring, he manages to hook Nook’s charging station up with power. The second day, Tommy is restless. He couldn't sleep- nightmares still keep him up at night- and food tastes like ash in his mouth. He tries his best to push through it regardless, but he finds himself clutching the god apple tight throughout various points in the day.

The third day, he has to keep himself from digging tunnels. Niki wouldn’t be happy with him for ruining her walls or her floors, but he feels trapped. There’s only one way in, and one way out. If Dream finds him, he won’t be able to escape.

But he shouldn’t. Only Tommy, Niki, Jack, and now Nook know where the Underground City. Just them. 

Tommy is safe here. 

He’s safe.

He does his best to sleep, with Nook powered down in his charging station immediately to his right, but it’s difficult. He tosses and turns, his mind racing, peering into every shadow in his room as though Dream could be hiding there. The god apple is placed safely in his ender chest while he sleeps- paranoia, because if someone kill him in his sleep, it’ll be stolen- but he longs to feel it in his hands. To stare at the shimmering enchantments that cover it.

He eventually manages to drift off to sleep. It’s an uneasy sleep, but he manages, in part because he’s so exhausted from the past few days.

He wakes to the sound of an axe sharpening.

He stiffens. The sound disappears, and he wonders if he imagined it before he hears Dream croon, “Hello, Tommy.”

Tommy freezes.

“Come now,” Dream says. Tommy can almost hear the pout on his face. “You’re not going to greet your old friend?”

Tommy sits up, his heart pounding in his ears, and finds Dream sitting at the edge of his bed. He has his porcelain mask back- Technoblade must have gotten it back for him after breaking him out of prison.

Tommy looks over to Nook, and his breath catches in his throat. His chest is thrown open, and his wires are mangled.

“I couldn’t have him interrupting us,” Dream tells him. “We need time to catch up, just you and me.”

“What-” Tommy’s voice breaks, and he takes a shuddering breath. “What are you doing here.”

“Why, I’m here for you!” Dream stands, swinging the axe in a few deadly loops before tucking it into his inventory. His mask is blank, sending chills down Tommy’s back. He doesn’t know if it’s better than being able to see the gleam in Dream’s eyes. “Niki and Jack told me where you were. They were so kind and helpful, letting me know where my long lost friend is.”

“What- no-” Tommy presses himself back against the headboard of his bed, his mind racing. “They wouldn’t-”

“Oh, but they did.” Dream sounds smug. “Did you really think they wouldn’t grow tired of you? They were the ones to help me escape alongside Technoblade, you know. They wanted me to take you off their hands.”

Tommy wants to protest, he wants to scream at Dream that they wouldn’t do that, that Dream’s lying because that’s all he ever does, but the words rest in his throat.

It’s… it’s pretty damning. They don’t like him, he knows this, he just thought- he thought they were changing. But they were gone the day Dream broke out of prison. They would definitely go this far if they hated him this much, and… how else would Dream know where he was? Where the Underground City was? Niki herself had said that no one else knew where it was.

But still- why would Jack give him his god apple? Why would Niki bake with him? Why were they being so nice? They were nice and they didn’t- it didn’t feel like they were expecting anything from him. Loyalty. Friendship. Stuff. Not like Dream did. Dream was nice, but there was always a price to pay. He didn’t feel like he had to give anything to Jack or Niki.

His mind whirls, trying to reconcile what Dream said with how they’ve been acting lately, and things just don’t click into place. On the surface, it sounds logical, but deep in Tommy’s gut something doesn’t make sense. But Dream is still there, still right in front of him, so he spits, “Fuck off.”

“Now now,” Dream says, and his voice is low. Tommy shudders, his mind flashing to lava and pain. “That isn’t nice, Tommy.”

He walks over to Tommy, grabbing his arm. His grip is tight and painful as he yanks Tommy out of bed, dragging him out the doorway. Tommy tries to resist, but Dream only snarls and yanks harder. “Do not make this more difficult than it has to be,” he snaps.

Tommy freezes at his tone, and Dream makes a pleased sound. He drags Tommy outside and through the forest until they reach the ocean. His hand remains on Tommy’s arm, keeping him in place.

“You left me,” Dream begins, his voice low. “Who gave you permission to? I certainly didn’t.”

“I’m sorry,” Tommy manages to choke out, and Dream sweeps his feet out from underneath him, sending him tumbling to the ground. “I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I didn’t- I didn’t mean-”

“Oh, you certainly meant to,” Dream hums. “You were disobedient. And I think you need a little reminder of who’s in charge.”

Tommy scrambles backwards as Dream steps towards him, the water lapping at his arms and back. But Dream is faster, and his hands grip Tommy’s neck. 

“You’ll learn,” Dream murmurs, his mask cold and unforgiving, and Tommy is shoved into the water.

It doesn’t take Tommy long to figure out that Dream is intent on drowning him. He claws at Dream’s hands, but Dream doesn’t let up, and then the water starts to fill Tommy’s lungs. He thrashes, but Dream pins him there beneath the surface, and Tommy’s vision starts to fade at the edges.

Then he’s yanked from the water, and he starts coughing. Dream just holds him there though, barely above the surface, barely able to breath. He pushes his mask on top of his head, and there’s a grin on his face. His eyes gleam.

“I am a god,” Dream whispers, “And you are nothing more than an ant under my boot. Do not defy me. I will find you no matter how far you run, I will snatch you back from whoever you run to. You are mine. Mine to control, mine to kill, mine to keep. No one else wants you. No one else can stand you. Only me.”

She shoves Tommy back under the water, and Tommy is terrified. Not of Dream, though. Well, somewhat. Dream is going to kill him here. He knows that. He has a feeling deep in his bones that he’s not getting out of this alive, but it’s not Dream that he’s afraid of. It’s the Afterlife.

He’s already lost all his lives. He was brought back through unnatural means, by the words of a mortal rather than the blessing of a god, and he has no idea what that means for him. How many lives he has now.

This might be it. He might be going back to the Afterlife. To nothingness. To loneliness. To lost time.

He thrashes harder, and Dream’s grip tightens around his neck. He claws at Dream’s hands, and can taste the tang of blood in the water.

Dream yanks him out of the water again, only to murmur in his ear, “And besides, we’re not done with our experiment. There’s still so much more I need to know about the Afterlife.”

And then he’s shoved back under again, and this time, there’s no stop. He claws, he thrashes, he gurgles, but in the end, he dies.

He respawns in the Underground City, his heart pounding in his chest, and he cries.

He can feel the touch of the Afterlife again. He’s not there, but he can feel the sheets of his bed rubbing against his skin. The sound of the water three rooms over is way too loud, and he can’t wipe his tears away because it hurts. His hair falls in front of his face, and the dye has vanished with his respawn, revealing that the white streak has only grown.

He doesn’t know what to do. Where to go. Who to trust. Jack and Niki supposedly handed him over to Dream, but things just don’t quite line up correctly. Dream’s words ring in his head- no one wants him, Niki and Jack grew tired of him- but they don’t ring true. They seem off, even though Tommy doesn’t even know why. It makes sense, and yet it doesn’t.

It’s not like he can really leave though. He doesn't have anywhere else to go. The location of his house is common knowledge, his hotel is easy to find, and Jack, Niki, and Dream know where the Underground City is.

Here… here is probably the safest place. Dream knows he’s here, but he would know no matter where Tommy went. At least only a few people know where this place is.

He grabs the god apple from his ender chest, tucking it into his hot bar. Below it is the cape Niki gifted him, and Tommy hesitates, his hand hovering just above the fabric. He doesn’t know what to think of Niki anymore, but the memories that came along with the cape- the awe that Niki made it, that she gave it to him, it’s warmth, the comfort it gave him after nightmares- trickle in, so he grabs it and settles it on his shoulders.

He heads to the entryway to set up redstone contraptions that will notify him when someone comes in. He’s not going to be caught off guard again. His hands are shaking so badly that he messes up the redstone multiple times, but he gets it done. He has to. 

He shoves his bed to the side, avoiding looking at Nook’s lifeless form, and digs a tunnel. At least if it’s here, Niki might not see it, but he needs some way out. Some way to escape if Dream breaks in again. He digs all the way to the surface, and covers the exit with leaves and a trapdoor. He leaves a trap at the far end just in case anyone discovers it, in case they try to sneak up on him, and hooks the trapdoor up to his alarm system. He depletes Niki’s supply of redstone, and he hopes she doesn’t find out.

He looks at Nook, at the mess of wires in his chest, and wonders if he’ll be able to fix him. It doesn’t look too bad.  It looks as though Dream took a blade to the wires, so Tommy doesn’t have to do any complicated rewiring like earlier. He just has to put the wires back together.

He moves Nook so he’s lying on the bed, and sits with his back to the wall, facing the entrance to his room. He starts picking at Nook’s wires, looking up at the slightest of sounds he doesn’t recognize, wincing whenever the exposed wires poke too hard at his skin. If he puts Nook back together, then he has a protector. If he puts Nook back together, then he’ll have someone who he knows is for sure on his side.

Tommy doesn’t know how long it will be before Niki and Jack show up. He sleeps only when he’s unable to keep his eyes open anymore, and eats only when his head starts to hurt from the lack of food. Time where there is no sun becomes meaningless, so he has no idea of when it’s day or when it’s night, and it’s only a question of when someone will show up.

The alarm he set up rings just before he’s able to fix the last of Nook’s wires. Tommy freezes, his heartbeat spiking, and then he shoves Nook off the side of the bed so he can get to the tunnel he dug if need be. He stands, his fingers hovering over the hot bar slot he placed the god apple, his eyes fixed on the door. 

“Hi Tommy!” Niki appears in the doorway, her voice bright and a smile on her face. “How-”

She pauses, taking him in.

(She sees Nook off to the side, crumpled carelessly to the ground with his chest thrown open. There are a couple of wires sticking out, and she frowns. Tommy wouldn’t be one to damage him, which means that someone else did. Someone else was here.

Her cape is draped over his shoulders, and he clutches it tight. Tommy looks scared. Terrified. The bags under his eyes have only grown, and Niki wonders, if he were to take off his shirt, if she could see his ribs. He stands as though he were ready to bolt at any moment, his gaze fixed on her. He doesn’t relax upon seeing her, and in fact, he seems as though he’s tensed.

“The white streak in his hair,” Jack murmurs behind her. “It’s bigger.”

Jack had shown Niki his own hair, explained what it meant long ago, back when they were trying to kill Tommy. She knows what it means. 

Tommy died.)

Niki frowns, and Tommy stumbles back a step. Jack whispers something in her ear, and Niki looks at him, her eyes big and supposedly concerned, and asks, “Tommy? Are you okay?”

“You- you need to leave,” Tommy says in a shaking voice, and he’s surprised that he’s at all able to get the words out. “Leave.”

They don’t. They exchange a glance, Jack frowning alongside Niki now, and Jack steps forward. “Tommy,” he says, his hand reaching out, “Your hair-”

“DON’T!” Tommy screams, slapping his hand away.

It doesn’t do much, seeing as Jack is wearing netherite armor, but it makes them both freeze. Tommy shrinks back, babbling apologies, hoping that Jack won’t hit him. That Jack won’t pull out a weapon and draw his blood.

(Tommy is so… so afraid. It’s surreal, seeing him like this. Jack doesn’t think he’s ever seen Tommy this terrified.

It’s different from what happened at the Ocean Monument. There, Tommy’s eyes had looked empty. There was desperation in his movements, but he hadn’t looked terrified. Not like this. 

Apologies spill from his lips as he cowers away, almost tripping over his cape as he moves, and his arms are held between himself and Jack as though he might protect himself that way. But there’s also a rigidness to his movements, an acceptance of what he thinks is inevitable.

“.-sorry- didn’t mean to- please, Dre-”

Jack pauses. There’s only one person here whose name starts with those letters. Dream. Did… did Dream somehow get in here?

He looks at Niki, who wears a troubled look on her face. So she heard it too.

They’ve found that they don’t know much about Tommy. That he’s loud and brash and that he smiles a lot, but he clams up whenever someone talks about his exile or Dream or the two weeks he disappeared. They don’t know much about what he’s been through, only that Tommy seems to hold a burning hatred and an immense fear of Dream, one that will never die.

And, looking at him now, maybe there’s a reason for that. The streak in his hair is bigger, meaning he died- or that someone killed him.

Tommy no longer looks as though he’s aware of who’s before him. Apologies keep tumbling from his lips, and Jack wonders what exactly happened that made him like this.

He looks to Niki again, and her troubled looks has morphed into one of anger and determination. She looks over to Jack, jerking her chin, and he complies, moving to stand outside the doorway. Niki steps forward.)

“It’s okay,” Tommy hears a voice- a female voice- murmur. “Tommy. Toms. We understand.”

Apologies still fall from his lips as whispers, but Tommy looks up to see that Niki is standing before him. Slowly, he falls silent. Jack is on the other side of the doorway- when did he move there?- and he wears a smile. It looks strained, but he doesn’t look mad.

“I- sorry,” Tommy mumbles again, his shoulders hunched.

“It’s okay,” Niki repeats. “Would you feel better if we left?”

Tommy hesitates.

He can’t- he’s not allowed to tell them to leave. He doesn’t get to make decisions, it’s always Dream-

“Tommy?” Niki asks.

…they’re not Dream. 

He looks over at them, his gaze flickering between the two, and wonders if they’d listen. 

He wants them gone. He still doesn’t know if they helped Dream. They don’t- they don’t seem like they’re mad at him right now. Like they want to hand him over to the man who single handedly ruined his life. He would honestly think that Jack looks more concerned than angry, and Niki’s wearing a gentle smile that he’s only seen directed at Jack or Puffy before, and he doesn’t understand.

“Yes,” he finally replies.

Niki and Jack share a glance, and then Niki steps back to go rustle through the ender chest in the corner while Jack steps forward, gapples gleaming in his hand. “Here,” Jack says, shoving them into Tommy’s grip.

Tommy flinches back at the sudden movement towards him, but manages to catch the gapples. Before he can say anything, Niki is there with a stack of obsidian in her hands. 

“If you want to build a bunker, you can,” she tells him. “Just… don’t destroy more than two blocks of wall for the pathway.” 

Tommy stares at her. “What?”

Niki shrugs. “If it’ll make you feel safer, then do it. We’re going to head out for the day, we’ve got something to prepare for for tomorrow, but then we’ll be back. We’ll text you when we're on our way down.”

And then they leave without another word. Just like that, just like before, they leave.

Tommy stares down at the obsidian and gapples he now carries, and wonders if this is a trap. If they’re lulling him into a false sense of security, and then running for Dream. He warily places the items in his ender chest, but as time passes and nothing happens, he wonders if they were genuine in their concern. If Niki truly just wanted him to feel safe.

He fixes up the last few wires on Nook, and powers him on. He holds his breath for a second, praying that it actually worked, that Nook wasn’t damaged too badly, and then there’s a hiss of steam and Nook says, “Hello, Tommyinnit. I appear to have been damaged. Is everything okay?”

Tommy cries again as he throws himself at Nook for a hug.

(Technoblade has called a Syndicate meeting.

He’s the one who rescued Dream from the prison. Everyone knows that. The message that was sent to the chat declared it so, and neither Niki nor Jack doubt it. They’ve seen what he can do first hand, they’ve been on the opposing side when they’ve fought him and wars. 

So, Niki and Jack hatch a plan. Tommy is their friend, Tommy is terrified, and maybe, maybe if they do this they can make up for all their murder attempts. Niki can alleviate the feeling of shame burning in her chest, and Jack can finally ignore the guilt he feels whenever Tommy smiles at him.

They stick together as they gather ingredients, making their way across hundreds of blocks to a Jungle for coca beans, coming back to harvest the fields for wheat and fill buckets of milk. Jack helps rustle up some eggs as Niki pulls blaze rods from her chest, grinding them into powder.

From there, they split up. Jack and Niki exchange the eggs and the blaze powder, and then Jack heads off for his house, which has uniquely modified brewing equipment set up. Jack never stopped brewing potions when he left L’Manberg. He got the basics down, and decided to do more. The results are a little… unpredictable. They’re different batch to batch, but they’re always amplified in one way or another, and Jack starts brewing with glee.

As Jack sets to work on brewing, Niki rolls up her sleeves and starts baking in the hotel kitchen, as with Tommy taking up residence in her City this is the only other place she can go that has a kitchen. She’s got all the ingredients she needs for cookies, and when Jack comes back, she can fill them with potions. She’s going to stuff every possible flavor she can into the cookie to hide the taste of potions.

She finishes mixing everything together, and Jack comes back with potions. She pours them into the dough, and then the two of them roll the dough into balls, plopping them on trays that they then shove into the oven.

As they wait, they both send messages. Niki sends a message to Ranboo, warning him not to eat the cookies. Technoblade and Philza are left to fend for themselves. If they eat the cookies, then so be it. She’s not sure how they would affect the half-piglin and the Angel of Death, but she’s loaded them with more than enough potions to take out a man freshly out of prison with one foot in the grave.

Jack, on the other hand, messages Sam Nook. There were only a few stray wires poking from his chest, and it’s been long enough that Jack is hoping Tommy’s brough the robot back online. 

Sure enough, he gets a reply. Tommy didn’t tell Nook what happened, but Nook was able to guess from the snatches of words Tommy babbled, so when Jack tells him they plan to put Dream back into prison, Nook is all in. He’ll be needed to haul Dream back to prison once they kill him. 

Nook is the only other person on this server that Jack trusts enough to do this. Or rather, more the only other person who Jack believes to care about Tommy enough to do this.

The timer dings, and they take the cookies out of the oven. They exchange glances, and then pack them into a basket. They’re ready.

The next day, Niki sets off for the Arctic. She was the only one with an invitation to the Syndicate, so Niki has to go alone. She clutches the basket of cookies tight in her hands, praying that Technoblade won’t be able to smell anything off, that they taste normal enough that Dream will eat them.

Jack, on the other hand, heads for spawn. Niki will break the beds in Technoblade’s house before heading down into the Stronghold, so when Dream respawns he’ll be forced to spawn. Nook is going to meet him there. How he’s going to convince Tommy to let him leave, Jack doesn’t know, but he knows that Nook will be there no matter what. If it means that Tommy is no longer afraid, Nook will be there.

Niki sits down at the Syndicate table, and sure enough, there is Dream. She smiles. “Thanks for inviting me!” she cheers. “Since it’s our first meeting together, I figured I ought to bring some cookies to share.”

“Thanks, Niki,” Ranboo says, his tail flicking timidly. He glances from the cookies to Niki, and Niki stares him down, silently urging him to act natural.

“That’s thoughtful of ya’,” Technoblade says.

Niki shrugs. “It’s the least I could do.” Dream hasn’t taken any of the cookies yet, so she adds, “I baked them myself. I figured Dream might want something that’s been handmade, rather than put together on a crafting table.”

She can’t tell if Dream seems touched, not with the mask firmly in place on his face, but he reaches for one.

“Awwww,” Philza coos. “That’s awfully kind of you, mate. I’m sure they’re delicious.”

He reaches out to take a cookie as well, and Technoblade, seeing that Philza is having one, follows suit. Ranboo takes a cookie too, but he just breaks pieces of it off when no one’s looking to make it seem like he’s eating it.

Niki watches, satisfied, as Dream downs three whole cookies. That’s more than enough to kill him. All of them compliment her on the taste, and Niki only smiles and gives her thanks.

It takes a few minutes for the potions to kick in, given that they’re mixed into the food, but sure enough Dream starts to take damage. He bolts to his feet, hissing, “What did you do,” to Niki, who just raises her chin and stares cooly back.

“Well,” she muses thoughtfully, “I got some coca beans over from the Jungle- that’s quite a trip, you know. And then I had to throw together enough ingredients that it would hide the taste of potions, and it seems I succeeded. You’re currently dying from some bastardized form of poison Jack cooked up in his lab. I’m curious to see if it’ll take all of your hearts, instead of leaving you at one.”

She doesn’t mention that if it doesn’t, she’ll just take his last heart. She stares him down, daring him to do something.

Technoblade snarls, bolting to his feet, but it seems that the two cookies he ate are enough to make him unsteady. He almost trips on his cape, and he’s forced to grab the chair to steady himself. “How dare you,” Technoblade snarls. “I invited you here to bring peace, not to tear apart my Syndicate.”

Niki shrugs. “You can keep your Syndicate. I just want Dream. Although, I suppose he is a good…” she holds her fingers out in front of her, making a show of counting them. “Fourth of your group, given that I’m probably banned now.”

“I’ll come back for you,” Dream snarls.

Niki only smiles. “No you won’t. You'll be headed straight back to prison.”

Dream looks as though he wants to lunge for her, but the poison is too much. He collapses in his chair, shudders as the poison eats up even more of his health, and then he dies.

Niki stands. Thankfully, neither Philza nor Technoblade look as though they were healthy enough to chase her. “This has been lovely,” she says. “But I really do have to be going. If you drink some milk, I’m sure the cookies will taste fine!”

She walks out, and the moment she ascends the stairs and moves out of sight of the Syndicate, she stumbles into the wall. She takes a moment to steady herself, her legs shaking and her breathing unsteady. It was terrifying having the Blood God snarl at her. She thought he might kill her for a moment, but thankfully, the potions were effective.

When she recovers enough to move again, she starts making her way towards the Hotel. It’s where she and Jack agreed to meet up once they’ve accomplished their respective tasks.

Jack, as Niki watches with pleasure as Dream chokes, is sitting at spawn on a fallen tree trunk. Nook is beside him, and both of them scan for any movement within the trees. Then cursing fills the air, and they set off towards the sound.

“Hello, Dream,” Nook says, hissing.

Dream whirls around, his eyes narrowing as he takes in Nook and Jack. “You,” he hisses.

Jack looks around as though searching for someone, before putting a surprised expression on his face. He points to himself and asks, “Me?”

“I will strangle you!” Dream roars, lunging for him.

Jack dodges to the side. Dream turns and lunges again, but Jack snacks his hands away with the hilt of his sword. Dream tries to grab his weapon but Jack dances out of reach, twisting to avoid Dream’s grabbing hands.

Nook steps in and grabs Dream’s outstretched hands by the wrists, and he twists Dream around so his arms are locked behind his back, leaving Nook free to march Dream towards the prison. Dream thrashes and curses, trying to break free, but he can do nothing against Nook’s robotic strength. He’s trapped.

“Let me go,” Dream hisses, “The moment I break free I am going to slaughter you, and then I’ll collapse Niki’s city- and Tommy, oh Tommy, he shouldn’t have gotten anyone else involved, he should have known better-”

Jack skips ahead a few steps so he can turn and stare Dream down as they walk towards the prison. “No,” he says. “See, here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to go to the prison, and you’re going to stay there. Sam has increased security around there, and even if you do somehow, miraculously, escape, we’ll know where to find you. ‘Cause last I checked, Technoblade is your only ally on the SMP now.”

“You-” Dream splutters.

“Me,” Jack agrees pleasantly. “Niki was your downfall this time. I will be your downfall next time, if need be.”

He stops, letting Nook march Dream by him, and turns to head towards the Hotel. Niki is already there, waiting, and a grin spreads across his face.

“We did it!” he calls, jogging up to join her.

“Hell yeah!” Niki cheers, holding her hand up for Jack to high-five.

“Everything go okay on your end?” he asks.

Niki laughs, and it’s a bit strained. “Yep! Technoblade and Phil ate the cookies, so they weren't exactly ready to chase me.”

“Think they’ll come for revenge?”

Niki shrugs. “Who knows. Given that we’re not a kingdom or a government I should hope not, but I don’t exactly think I can get away with damaging the duo unscathed.”

“Well,” Jack says after a moment, “If they come after you, we’ll face them together.”

“Together,” Niki echoes with a warm smile. “Now… let's go break the news to Tommy.”)

Tommy perches on the edge of his bed, his hands moving non-stop as they flex over the inventory slot where the god apple sits. His cape is draped over his shoulders, but it trails behind him so it won’t get in his way if he has to spring to his feet and run.

Nook has been gone for- a few hours? He thinks? At least one, if not more. Nook said he would be back soon, but he isn’t yet, and Tommy’s getting nervous.

Once he had realized that Niki and Jack were holding true to their word, and once he fixed Nook’s wires, he had relaxed. He and Nook had modified Nook’s protocols so that he would wake up periodically throughout the night, and even though Dream could still sneak in and catch them off guard, at least this way Nook isn’t out for hours at a time. It made Tommy feel safer, knowing that Nook wasn’t completely out of commission at night, and knowing that only the two of them were down here.

Then Nook left, claiming he had an errand to run. And Nook never lies to him, so Tommy believes him when he says he’ll be back soon, but… it’s been hours now.

His communicator pings, and Tommy flinches.  He grabs for it, and finds a message from Nikki waiting for him.

Hey Tommy! Jack and I are on our way down, Nook is with us.

Why… why would Nook be with them? But before Tommy can ruminate over the thought for too long, the alarm set at the door goes off, and he rushes to the doorway of his room. He peeks around the corner, and he sees three figures making their way toward him. Just like Niki said.

“Hello, Tommyinnit,” Nook calls once they get close enough. “Has everything been okay here?”

“Yeah,” Tommy replies, still not quite moving from his spot behind the doorway. “Where were you?”

He doesn’t add that Nook’s been gone for ages. Too long, in Tommy’s opinion. Jack and Niki are standing right there, and he doesn’t want to appear weak.

“JackManifoldTV requested my assistance. I deemed it beneficial for you to assist him.”

Tommy frowns, confused. He looks to Jack, then to Nook. “You… why?”

He doesn’t really know who he’s asking the question. On one hand, Nook doesn’t like Jack. He doesn’t like Niki either, on account of the both of them trying to kill Tommy. He didn’t think that Nook would ever willingly work with either of them. And on the other hand, Jack? Doing something that might be beneficial for Tommy?

Jack decides the question is for him, so he holds out his hand- hesitating briefly when Tommy flinches- and says, “It might be better to show you.”

Tommy immediately shakes his head. “I’m not going with you. No way. No.”

Where Tommy would expect Jack to huff and roll his eyes, he doesn’t. Instead he urges, “It’s nothing bad. Nook can escort us the entire way. I think… it would just be better for you to see this with your own eyes. So you actually believe it.”

Tommy stares at Jack suspiciously, his gaze darting to each of the three people standing before him. “So I believe what?” he asks.

Niki and Jack exchange a glance. Tommy wishes that he might be able to read those glances someday. Then Niki says, “Dream is back in prison,” and everything freezes.

“What?” he manages to croak out.

“Dream is back in prison,” Niki repeats patiently. “All it took was a bit of modified poison, a broken bed, and Nook. Simple, really.”

Tommy stares at them, uncomprehending.

(He looks simultaneously as though the ground had fallen from beneath his feet and like he had access to creative mode. He looked floored, to say the least, and it hits Jack and Niki how big of a deal this is for him.

They wonder what it was that Dream did to him to make him react like this, but ultimately, they decide it does not matter. They don’t need to know to be Tommy’s friend.

He still doesn’t move, frozen in place, and Niki reaches for his arm. When her hand reaches him, he flinches at the touch, breaking out of whatever trance he was in. He looks between the two of them, eyes wide, before his gaze rests on Nook.)

“Indeed they have,” Nook confirms. “I escorted Dream back into his cell myself.”

“Come,” Niki murmurs, tugging gently on his arm. Tommy follows.

He’s in a similar state to when he first was released from prison. The walk there is whirlwind, his mind barely processing the colors and sounds around them, only responding to the gentle tug from Niki’s hand on his arm. The clank of Nook’s metal feet against wood echo in his ears, and he wonders if this is a dream. Jack and Niki being nice to him, teaming up with Nook, sending Dream to prison- it all seems too good to be true.

And then he’s standing in front of the lava, Niki still holding his arm, Jack to his right and Nook behind him. He flinches back as the lava pops, and runs into Nook’s sturdy chest. Nook settles a reassuring hand on his shoulder, and he relaxes.

He can do this. Whether Dream is actually there or not, the three people he likes the most are right beside him.

The lava falls.

There, mask gone, acidic green eyes glaring at him from across the chasm, is Dream.

Dream starts shouting, but Tommy doesn’t hear him. It’s in part due to disbelief, but also in part due to Niki covering his ears. Jack starts shouting back, and again, Tommy can’t pick up the words, but none of it matters.

Dream is actually here. He’s in prison again.

He breaks his gaze away from Dream, turning instead to look at Jack who stands by his side. He can feel the warmth of Niki’s hands where they still cover his ears.

His friends… they did this for him. They put Dream back in prison.

Before he knows it, they’re outside of the prison again. Tommy barely manages to take a step off the path before he sinks to the ground, hands trembling, still caught in a state of disbelief. He’s unsure about what to do. What to think.

“Tommy?”

It’s Niki. She crouches down, her gaze full of concern- and it’s genuine, Tommy realizes. For the first time, he knows it’s genuine. He chokes on a hysterical laugh, and it only makes Niki frown harder.

“Are you okay?” she asks.

Tommy blinks at her, unsure of what to say. What to do in the face of what he knows now to be genuine affection. Hundreds of questions fill his mind, but they all end up muffled by the knowledge that she actually cares. They both do.

 Niki only looks more concerned now, asking again, “Are you okay? Oh, I knew this wasn’t a good idea, Jack, why did I let you talk me into this- look, clearly all the words Dream was screaming got to him-”

“You…” Niki stops talking, and Jack’s mouth snaps shut, cutting off whatever retort he was about to give. “You did that?”

Jack and Niki nod.

“Why?” Tommy asks.

“Because you’re our friend,” Jack replies with feigned ease. His shoulders are tense, and his eyes dart over to Tommy as though trying to assess his reaction.

“Why?” Tommy asks again, dumbfounded. It’s really the only question that matters.

Niki tilts her head. “Do we need a reason? We, uh-” she pauses, realizing that there’s no good way to start the conversation. Because they were trying to kill him, Tommy notes distantly, but somewhere along the line they changed their minds. “Well, you never seemed to like Dream, and when he got out you were a wreck and- well, we’ve never seen you like that before. We didn’t like it, we didn’t want you to feel that way, so we just… put him back in prison.”

Jack nods in agreement. There’s not outright fondness in his gaze like there is in Niki’s, but there’s warmth there. He likes Tommy.

(Tommy looks floored again. He seemed to get over the Dream-back-in-prison thing, but he’s back to looking floored again. Neither Niki or Jack quite know why.)

“But.. you hate me?” It comes out more a question than a statement, and Tommy’s voice wavers. “You want to kill me.”

(Oh.

OH.

.

.

.

Oh shit.)

“What?!” they shriek in unison. There’s a pause, and Niki asks, “You knew?!” 

Tommy, to his horror, sniffles. He grits his teeth, tilting his chin up, and looks away. “It was obvious, wasn’t it? Leading me into dangerous situations an’ giving me poison and faulty potions and stuff.”

“Since when did you know?” Jack asks. Tommy can’t tell what he’s thinking by his voice, and he still refuses to look up.

“...since the beginning?” he responds quietly, tentatively.

“Tommy,” Niki breathes. He winces. “That’s- that’s months-”

“Look,” he says, cutting her off. “I don’t- you’re not supposed to care. You hate me. You’re just- I don’t know, tricking me or something because you have no reason to like me and now that you know that I know you’re going to openly hate me and leave me alone-”

He’s speaking his fears into existence, still unwilling to look up at them. He doesn’t- the affection on Niki’s face was clear. The warmth in Jack’s eyes. And he believes it, he does, he really does- he really wants to- but they hated him. They hate him and Tommy doesn’t know why they stopped and it doesn’t make sense, they can be friends now because they don’t hate him anymore but- but-

Niki sweeps him into a hug, her chestplate gone, her grip soft and her body warm. Tommy freezes, his mouth snapping shut, and then he melts into Niki’s embrace. Tears trickle down his cheeks, and he buries his face into Niki’s shoulder as he sobs.

(Niki and Jack exchange glances and wide eyes and eyebrow wiggles. There’s a lot of panic being tossed around, and the guilt they feel is compounded by worry. There’s a hint of sorrow there as well, and Jack gestures to Tommy, his hands flapping wildly about. Niki shoots back a glare, her arms squeezing tighter around Tommy, and she jerks her head in a motion for Jack to come over.

And then Jack’s eyes grow wide as he’s struck by a sudden realization.)

“Tommy?” Jack’s voice is hesitant. “Does that mean… does that mean you were willingly walking into traps?”

“No,” Tommy denies automatically. And then, after a moment, ‘Well you were the only ones who wanted to spend time with me.”

“To kill you,” Niki snaps harshly, causing Tommy to recoil from her embrace. But when he looks up, there’s no anger on her face. There’s only worry and fear, fear not for herself but for Tommy. It makes him happy. “Prime, Tommy, I gave you poisoned cookies. Did you know?!”

“They were tasty?” Tommy offers quietly. 

They really were good with a bit of milk, but Niki makes a strangled noise. Now they’re both staring at him with wide eyes, and Jack makes a noise quite similar to Niki’s. Their expressions are honestly hilarious, and Tommy huffs out a laugh.

“Wait- the anvils?” Jack asks.

“Who else would set them up? Not Sam Nook.” Free anvils for days though.

“The nuke?” Niki asks worriedly. Tommy nods.

“Which was insanely dangerous by the way!” Jack shrieks. “What in the world possessed you to do such a thing-” 

“I’m sure you weren’t any better!” Niki shouts back, panicked.

Tommy’s exhausted. The panic and terror he had been carrying around has vanished, and he leans into Niki with a yawn. He still manages a snicker though, adding, “Yeah. Left me in an ocean monument without invis.”

The resulting shriek from Niki is hilarious. They start arguing with each other, and their hands are all over the place and their faces are so expressive that Tommy laughs. His entire body shakes, and he can hear an exasperated hiss from Nook, who stands silently to the side, watching for even a hint of trouble.

“Tommy, we were trying to kill you,” Jack hisses.

“Don’t laugh about it!” Niki snaps.

It only makes Tommy laugh harder, and Niki and Jack eventually, hesitantly, join in.

When their laughter trails off, Tommy quietly asks, “So… you aren’t going to leave me?”

“Of course not, Tommy,” Niki tells him, a gentle smile settling on her face. It takes Tommy’s breath away for a moment. It’s full of love and affection and warmth, and it’s been so long since Tommy’s seen that smile from her. “We’re friends.”

“Without the murder attempts this time,” Jack adds dryly from beside them. He looks over, and Jack is looking at him with an affection equal to Niki’s in his eyes. “You’re stuck with us whether you like it or not though.”

“Perfect,” Tommy mumbles.

He yawns, and Nook steps forward, kneeling down in front of Tommy and Niki. “It is getting late,” he says. “Let us proceed back to your room.”

“Mm.” Tommy closes his eyes for a moment to gather his strength. “I can get up in just a-”

“No need.” Suddenly, Nook’s arms are cradling his legs and his back and Tommy is lifted into the air. “I can carry you. Get some rest, Tommyinnit.”

Tommy struggles half-heartedly, more for the principle of not giving in than anything, but eventually he settles down. “‘s not fair that you can do that,” he mumbles. “No one should be able to pick me up like I’m- like I’m a chicken or s’mthing.”

“Just for this evening,” Nook soothes. “It’s been a long week.”

Tommy nods off as Nook carries him away, barely able to keep his eyes open. He feels the cape Niki gifted him settle over his body, followed by a swift kiss pressed to his forehead. The cape starts to slip off him, but someone snatches it before it can fall too far and tucks it in around him. They ruffle his hair, and that’s the last thing Tommy remembers before drifting off to sleep.