If you remember this fic, no you don't /j

Anyway, I'm rewritting AND continuing it now, so there's that. Again, no knowledge of fallout is really needed to read this fic, though it might help with some words. This first chapter is just chapter 1 and 2 of the original fic with minimal editing, fyi

Technoblade had told himself he wouldn't feed any more stray animals.

It was a difficult rule for him to follow, he was aware of his own shortcomings and a soft spot towards animals was definitely one. But food was too hard to come by for him to justify wasting it on whatever sad creature was making puppy eyes at him from the side of the road next. Too often animals would grow aggressive once they had that first taste, awakening their instincts reminding them they could fight for more. Or they bolted off once their stomachs were full and then Techno had to go hungry for the night because he was an idiot who had fed an animal over himself.

The sole exception to this rule - a mutt with patched fur and eyes that had not a single thought behind them - was Apollo. Apollo had swallowed down the meat scraps Techno threw his way with starved keenness. Then he had promptly rubbed up against Techno's leg and fallen asleep next to his fire. When Technoblade set out in the morning, Apollo had followed him - and hadn't stopped following him since.

Not that Techno minded having him around. While not the smartest dog in the world, Apollo was pretty good at alerting him of approaching raiders or other trouble sneaking up on him. He sniffed out ruins for Technoblade to salvage, and even knew how to lead them both away from nests of wildclaw.

Overall, Techno was happy that Apollo tagged along on his nomadic lifestyle. What happened that day would be the exception. Because Apollo had led him towards a kid. Or maybe a teenager? Techno wasn't too good at ages. Apollo had led him towards another person, anyway.

And this was a concern because people usually were dangerous.

Laying low so he could observe for a moment, Techno decided to keep his distance. He watched the boy clumsily attempt to wrap bandages around a cut in their leg, sitting on an overturned fridge amidst the rubble of what once could have been a family home. As their fingers fumbled, they cursed. And then Apollo decided to make the boy aware of their presence by barking joyfully.

Yeah, definitely not the smartest dog.

The kid swung back, almost falling off their makeshift seat. Techno raised an eyebrow when they pulled a knife out of their pocket, the sharp metal blade much too shiny to be threatening. It didn't look used, if he were to guess this was the first time the boy had wielded it at another person.

"Who's there?" They scanned the barren land around them, eyes settling on Techno almost immediately. It wasn't like he made an effort to hide after Apollo gave him away. "Stay the fuck away from me!"

Techno wasn't exactly impressed. "With pleasure." He whistled at Apollo, urging the dog to follow him so they could leave.

But they didn't make it more than three steps before the kid called after them. "No, wait! Shit- Antibiotics, do you have any?"

Techno looked at the boy, half-turned. "What do you have to trade?"

"I got cans," the kid said and at least they knew how to get straight to the point. Shelf-stable food was one of the most important currencies of the Wastelands. "I'll do you one can if you give me something to fix up my leg because it's fucked."

"Two cans," Techno bartered.

"Man, why do you gotta be an ass about this?"

Assuming it to be a rhetorical question Technoblade didn't answer, just waited. He took his time inspecting them, taking in the blond hair and undamaged clothing. After a few seconds, the kid sighed.

"Yeah, fine, whatever." They stuck out their hand. "Give me the medicine first though, I don't trust you."

Finding that to be a fair enough statement, Techno reached into his bag. He had a half-empty tube of antibiotic cream left which looked perfect for the type of shallow injury the boy was dealing with, so he threw it for them to catch. They immediately started applying it.

"My cans?" Techno reminded them.

"Geez, can't you see I'm busy? You can get them yourself." The kid nodded their head to the backpack on the ground next to them. Techno approached slowly, but they were too busy wrapping up the wound properly this time to pay him much mind. Adjusting the respirator mask covering the bottom half of his face first, he dug through their supplies, picking up a can of pickled meat and one with what seemed to be soup. Techno hadn't tasted soup in forever.

"You're a vault dweller," he said as he pulled back.

The kid had just finished wrapping up their leg, whipping up their head to stare at Techno dumbfounded. "Wha- How the hell did you know that?"

Techno snorted. "You mean aside from your way too clean clothes, the fact that you're trying to defend yourself with a pocket knife, and you apparently managed to cut yourself by tripping over some rubble?" He counted them off on his fingers for the boy to see. "Your cans are too new. Can't find ones like these up here anymore, so you must have brought them from a vault."

Their mouth opened and closed a few times, seemingly on the verge of either protesting or delivering some witty retort. They decided on neither. The boy looked down and sighed. "Yeah, first day out on the surface."

"Good for you," Techno said flatly, then promptly turned around. He had his cans, there wasn't any reason for him to stick around.

Except the kid got up, testing their leg but finding it perfectly capable of carrying their weight - if probably still a little sore - before picking up their stuff and following him, running to catch up. "I'm Tommy, by the way."

Oh god, Techno thought. Not again.

"So do you have a name?" they prodded after bearing his silence for all of five seconds.

"It's Technoblade. This is Apollo."

Apollo barked, pleased to be included in the conversation.

"Cool!" Tommy seemed genuinely excited, reaching out to stroke Apollo down his back. "I've never seen a real dog before, only pictures. No animals allowed in the vaults, you know."

"I wouldn't," Technoblade said, then clarified when Tommy threw him a confused look. "I wouldn't know, I've never been in a vault. Not one that was still in use anyway."

"Wait, do you mean you were like... Born on the surface?" Tommy asked, clearly surprised.

Techno stopped to use his binoculars, scanning the horizon for any signs of movement, smoke, whatever might mean danger. Things were pretty quiet today though.

"Uh... Yes? Is that hard to believe?" he said.

"I mean, we were always told most surface walkers have lost their marbles and are all feral and shit. And also way too busy surviving to even think about getting a wife, what with the mutants and the radiation and everything."

Technoblade decided to ignore Tommy's strange choice of words, resuming his brisk pace. "Then why are you up here?"

Tommy had to skip every few steps to keep up with him, especially with the injured leg. Techno was a fast walker. Force of habit after surviving so long. "Hm?"

"If they taught you that the surface is a dangerous and terrible place, why did you leave your vault?"

Techno saw vault dwellers sometimes. With which he meant he saw their corpses, on the side of the road or in amateurish camps destroyed by raiders. They didn't often fare well up top. They all wore the distinct vault uniform with the number on the chest and everything. Tommy was wearing normal clothes though.

"Oh..." Tommy's face fell for a moment as if reminded of something painful, before breaking out in a wide grin again. "I'm up here searching for my brother! We don't look anything alike though, we're not like, related by blood. My parents died when I was a kid and-"

Technoblade stopped walking. "You're an orphan?"

Tommy stopped too. "Is that a problem?"

"Nope. Probably a lot more common than having your folks still around, at least for people living on the surface," Techno said. "But vaults are supposed to be different."

Vaults were supposed to be safe havens. Technoblade had seen too many derelict ones to believe that, too many where people starved like rats caught in a trap, unable to get out or get in or breathe while the free space closed in around them. Overpopulation would lead to terrible circumstances. He would pick the danger of the surface any day.

But still, the common belief was that a vault was less deadly than the surface. So he'd assumed less orphans too.

"Yeah, well... They got sick." Clearly not wanting to talk about it, Tommy changed the subject. "Wilbur took care of me, we were raised together. So he's my brother! And he…" Tommy tugged at his sleeve. "He left the vault, came up here. He had to go find something, but now I have to find him."

"Great," Techno started walking again, the shadow of Novac a small spot in the distance. "Good luck with that."

Of course, Tommy still followed him.

"What are you doing?" Techno asked.

"What the fuck kind of question is that, I'm coming with you."

Techno laughed. "No, you're not."

"You're going to abandon me in the middle of nowhere?" The way Tommy said it, all scandalized, was almost hilarious.

Slowing down to redo the bun he had his long hair in, Techno shrugged. "You got here by yourself, pretty sure you can make your way back. It's not my problem."

"You're a jerk!" Tommy said, still trailing behind him. "You can't tell me what to do! Besides, you wouldn't let me die out here, would you?"

And Techno realized he had fed the animal. He had broken his own rule again.

"Fine, I'll get you to the nearest town," he said with a sigh. "From there, you're on your own in finding your brother or whatever."

"Wh-"

"And take this. Your knife isn't going to do much good against a night stalker." Detaching the spiked baseball bat he kept on his belt, he gave it to Tommy. The kid turned it over in his hands while Techno tugged down the rifle strapped to his shoulder and which was previously hidden from sight by his cape to the front. Tommy's eyes grew wide at seeing it.

"Hey, no fair! I want a gun too!"

"You're not getting a gun because anything that is too far away for your bat to reach, I will shoot," Techno said. "And anything that does get close enough for your bat to reach I don't want you wasting my bullets on."

Tommy pouted but didn't ask again.

"Novac is only a couple hours away from here," Techno told him. He pointed at the city's barely visible outline, wavering in the heat. "I'll bring you within half a mile of the city, it should be easy for you to find your way inside."

"You won't come in with me?"

"Too dangerous," Techno said.

"What, you got a bad rep there or something?"

"I got a bad rep everywhere. Trust me, you don't wanna stick around me, Tommy. It's not good for you."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

Losing his patience with the inane questions, Techno turned towards him. "You really wanna know? Cause I can show you." Tommy just stared at him. Reaching back, he undid the buckle on his mask. Techno pulled the dark burgundy plastic away, revealing the lower half of his face - or what was left of it. The skin had long fallen from his lower jaw, some small patches still attached to the off-white bone visible beneath. The rest was just an open wound. His teeth, muscles, flesh. The radiation had affected all of it.

Tommy froze, unable to completely conceal the horror he felt at the gnarly sight. "You're a ghoul!"

"Part ghoul," Techno said. "And ghoul enough to be treated as one by most people. You don't wanna stick around me." He repeated the words with more vehemence. "I'm sure there's somebody in Novac who can help you look for your brother, but it won't be me."

But instead of agreeing, or continuing to be appalled by his appearance, or doing any sort of logical thing Techno would expect Tommy to do at having his condition revealed, Tommy's eyes lit up.

"No, that's perfect, you're perfect!"

Techno was so stunned at the reaction, for the first time in his life he momentarily forgot about putting his mask back in place. "Heh?"

"Ghouls are immune to radiation. Wilbur, he... It's a long story to explain, but where he's going there might be a lot of it. So if you're not bothered by it, that's great! I really need your help."

"No, Tommy, that's not-"

"Please."

Don't feed the strays. Don't fall for their puppy eyes.

Techno was so bad at following his own rules.

"We'll talk about it once we get to Novac. I don't wanna stay out in the Wasteland when night comes. If we hurry we'll make it there before it gets too dark."

Tommy grinned. "Can do, big man!" Annoyingly, it was as if he already knew he'd won.

Techno supposed at least they'd be sharing all those cans now.

—

By the time they arrived at Novac, it was already close to dusk.

Tommy had kept up a continuous stream of conversation for the entire walk, and Technoblade had come close to shutting him up more than once. The constant questions were overwhelming, but at least it seemed Tommy must have realized that too because when Techno's answers started to become even more snappy than they already had been, the kid quickly switched to monologuing about whatever was on his mind.

Which turned out to be a lot. Technoblade probably couldn't have known more about Wilbur if he'd met the guy himself for how often Tommy mentioned him.

When finally the settlement came within sight, the sun had almost completely disappeared below the horizon. The neon sign from which the town borrowed its name flickered sporadically in the half-dark. Novac had been a simple roadside motel before the Great War. Not much of its infrastructure had survived the end times, most of the town had been constructed by the wastelanders that lived there now. But the sign that was supposed to tell passersby that there were no rooms available (or 'no vacancy') had miraculously kept standing, even if half the letters were missing.

Techno never got why they would waste part of what little power their generators could produce on keeping the sign lit up. Perhaps it was an odd sense of nostalgia that compelled people to keep the old world alive.

"We're going 'round back." He hopped over the road's barrier and into the thicket beyond, not wanting to approach Novac by the highway that ran through it and which they'd been walking on up until then. Tommy scurried after him.

"Why?"

"I told you, it's dangerous."

Apollo went ahead, leading the way through the forest. The dog knew where the safe paths were better than Techno himself did.

"Why is it dangerous?" Tommy asked behind him. His leg had been holding up pretty well, but after an entire day of walking, he was starting to limp. Come to think of it, seeing as Tommy used to be a vault dweller before, this was probably the longest stretch of time he'd ever spent being on his feet. Techno almost felt guilty.

"Do you ever stop asking questions?" He huffed when Tommy's only response was blowing a raspberry at him. "It's an army-controlled settlement. They don't take kindly to nomads."

"That doesn't make sense. The army's supposed to help people, Vault-Tec told us-"

"Before the war maybe," Techno cut in. "These days they only help themselves." He looked over his shoulder. "Whatever they taught you in your vault, I suggest you unlearn all of it as soon as possible and start dealing with reality. The war did not bring the best out in people, or made them into heroes, or whatever they tried to convince you of down there. It just made us survivors, doing whatever it takes not to die."

Tommy fell into silence after that, deep in thought. If Techno had known delivering harsh truths was all it took to get the kid to stop talking he'd have done so ages ago.

They got to Novac's outer perimeter, sheet metal crudely patched together to form a protective wall. It probably did its job of keeping out mutant rats and other nasty creatures, but Techno knew how to circumvent its protection. All you needed was a pair of thumbs. He waited for Apollo to give the go-ahead first, knowing he would alert them if there was anybody idling on the other side of the wall. But Apollo only whined and scratched at the metal, eager to get inside after realizing where they were headed. Techno bent down to curl up the bottom, opening a small gap for them to crawl through.

He folded it back in place afterward, quickly checking both sides of the alley they found themselves in. It was filthy, squeezed between the houses and the metal coverings. Nobody would willingly spend any more time in it than was needed to dump their waste buckets, which was exactly why it made for the perfect entry point when trying to get into the settlement undetected.

"Smells like shit," Tommy scoffed.

Techno grinned. "It does for a reason. Watch your step, and welcome to Novac."

Appalled, Tommy lifted his brown-streaked sneaker from the ground. "Jesus, fuck!"

Ignoring the parade of curses that followed, Techno headed straight to a trapdoor set into the back of a nearby building. He opened it, letting Apollo head into the basement first. "Down here, don't forget to close the hatch behind you."

The room was pitch-black, and when Tommy did as told and closed the trapdoor, seeing anything became near impossible. Reaching out, Techno blindly shuffled towards the door that he knew would lead into the rest of the house, trying to do so without bumping into any of the tightly packed shelves. Tommy wasn't as lucky, missing one of the steps and tripping the rest of the way down. He managed to knock over a stack of wood in the process. "Shit!"

"Maybe try not to die," Techno deadpanned at him. His fingers finally found the handle, pulling the door open and flooding the basement with light from the living room.

Then he ducked beneath a wrench aimed for his temple, letting it bounce off the wall harmlessly. "It's great to see you too, Niki."

The woman who had nearly bashed his head in pulled back, apologetically fumbling over her words. "Techno, oh- Oh god, I'm sorry, I didn't know it was you. I thought somebody was breaking in."

He shrugged, letting her know he didn't take it to heart. "Not the first time I showed up in your basement."

"No, but you don't usually make such a racket and fall down my staircase. Speaking of which..." She leaned to the side, peeking behind him curiously. "You brought a friend?"

Techno hated how smug she sounded about that, like this meant she'd won their ongoing argument about him needing more of those. Only for a moment though, then she noticed this 'friend' was really just a teenager.

"Uh, hi?" Niki said.

"Hey," Tommy answered. "I'm sorry about getting shit on your floor."

She glanced at his shoes. "That's. That's okay."

"Niki, meet Tommy. He's stalking me." Techno didn't allow Tommy's indignant noises to interrupt him. "Tommy, Niki. She's the only reason I still come to Novac sometimes."

"Aw, Techno." Niki glowed as if it had been a compliment. Maybe it had been, Techno wasn't sure anymore. It was true though, if it wasn't for Niki's kindness – and the warm meal and soft couch she offered him whenever he came by – he'd be avoiding this particular settlement like the plague.

Niki moved away so they could get out of the basement and into her house. Apollo jumped up to try and lick her face, she pushed him off with a laugh and some petting. "Well, you guys came just in time. I closed the bakery for the day, so there's plenty of leftover bread if you're hungry. I could try to see what I have in storage too?"

"Don't bother, I brought soup." Techno pulled out the can he'd traded from Tommy earlier.

Niki's eyes lit up like a child who had just been told Christmas came early this year. She took the can from him with reverence, handling it as if it were a precious treat. "Great, I can heat it up on the stove."

Techno ushered Tommy into the kitchen so he could close the door behind them. He didn't want the entire house to smell like the basement did. "You got electric now?"

"Barely enough juice for a few hours a day if I want to keep the lights working." She stepped up to start clearing stuff from the table. "Oh, sorry about the mess, I'm uh-" A few plastic cups and spoons fell onto the floor in her haste. "Working on a personal project. It's nothing interesting really."

"These?" Tommy asked, picking up a bottle. Something about his expression read as intrigued, but Techno was too tired to decipher why. "What are they?"

"Chems."

"Chems? you mean drugs?" Tommy allowed Niki to pluck the bottle from his hand.

"And other things. This is hair-dye, made it myself." She picked up a container and held the pink cream up next to her own hair, similar in shading if slightly lighter. "Let me know if you need a jar." She nodded at Techno. He reached up for his hair automatically. The pink had faded and only remained on the lower half of the strands.

"I might. How much are you charging for them these days?" he asked.

"Twenty caps."

Tommy – tired of standing – had sat down on one of the chairs. Techno followed his example, while Niki opened the can of soup to pour it into a tin pot. "You sell chems, I thought you had a bakery?" Tommy asked.

"She does," Techno said. "But what is baking if not a type of chemistry when you think about it."

"That's not really accurate." Niki shook her head. "It's just something I do on the side. Pays well, but it's hard to get the raw materials."

"Which is why we're such good friends," Techno supplied. Though the army delegated whatever foodstuff was allowed up for trade, they weren't too eager to let others get their hands on chemicals. Through Techno, Niki had an alternative means of buying anything not sold within Novac's borders, things he could scavenge for while on his travels.

And she wouldn't have to risk life and limb setting foot out of Novac herself.

He watched Niki stir the soup to heat it up for them, getting some bread from her pantry to eat with it. The new electric stove top glowed in blue hues, adding its light to the dimmed bulbs hanging from the ceiling. All the windows had been boarded up for safety, the only doors not barricaded were packed tight with towels between the cracks to keep the cold out. The one that led to the basement, the one that led to the front where Niki had her bakery, and one that led to a bedroom. The staircase had been blocked off by several pieces of furniture, but Techno had been up there and knew the walls were too ruined for the upstairs to be used as living space. Niki's house was small but cozy.

She put a bowl of water on the floor for Apollo - also dropping some leftover beef jerky beside it for him to munch on – before turning around to start serving the soup. "Now who's gonna fill me in on the situation here?"

Techno didn't even need to open his mouth before Tommy sprung into a whole narration, starting to recount not only their meeting but his quest to find his brother and his original departure from the vault. Having heard it all on the walk over, Techno was relieved to just zone out for a bit while he ate. Social interactions made him tired and Tommy made him exhausted. When he reached back to take off his mask, Niki glanced at him, then at Tommy, then back at him meaningfully. But when he unclasped it and put it on the table, Tommy didn't even look his way, still busy telling his story.

Eating was a bit tricky for Techno and it wasn't the nicest thing for any onlookers to witness. He usually avoided doing it when people were around. Niki was kind of the exception though, and he guessed Tommy was too since he already saw.

By the time he tuned back into the conversation, their bowls were empty and Tommy was pulling his bag into his lap. "I do kinda know where he's going, yeah!" he said, digging into the mess of his belongings.

Oh, Niki must have asked him how he was planning to find Wilbur in the first place. Techno realized he had neglected to inquire about that.

Tommy grumbled when he couldn't immediately find what he was looking for, starting to unload several things onto the table. Niki picked up two square pieces of cardboard that Tommy had dumped out in his haste – Techno didn't realize what they were until she spoke up.

"Are these music discs?" She held one sideways, and Techno saw the slip in the carton that revealed there was indeed a music plate in there.

"Yeah, gifts from Wilbur. We had a gramophone in our room, I used to play these all the time." Tommy proceeded to throw several more cans, a few comic books, a small first aid kit that already looked half-empty, some spare clothes, an empty water canister, and his knife onto the table as well.

Techno was impressed by how much crap Tommy had managed to lug around all day. "You're not going to find anything to play them on up here," he said about the discs "Unless you go all the way to Las Nevadas."

Tommy bit his lip as if he hadn't expected that revelation and it saddened him. But then he shrugged. "That's fine, I don't need to listen to them, I've done that a million times before."

"Then why did you bring them?" Techno asked, frowning.

"Because they're important."

They're useless, Techno wanted to say. Don't carry around anything that doesn't directly contribute to your survival, idiot.

For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to say those words out loud. Not when he saw the way Tommy carefully took the discs from Niki to put them back in his bag, wrapping the clothes around them protectively. Techno honestly shouldn't even care. This entire situation was Tommy's problem, not his.

"Here we go!" Tommy was holding a letter, or a crumpled piece of paper with lines of writing on it at least. When he unfolded it, a guitar pick fell out. He quickly swiped it from the table to shove it into his pocket. "Wilbur left me this note, this is how I know where he's going."

Techno took it from him, scanning the contents. Then he looked up. "Tommy, can you read?"

It was almost worth it for how red Tommy's face got, the boy nearly choking on the piece of bread he was shoving down his throat. "What- Yes, I know how to fucking read!"

"It's just that this note says at least four times that Wilbur doesn't want you to follow him." Techno held up the piece of paper. "Or did you conveniently skip over those lines?"

"No, I read them." Tommy snatched the letter from his hand again. "I'm just electing to ignore them."

Niki took the letter from him next, face scrunched up in increasing worry as she read it. "Vault-Tec headquarters? I don't think they're operational anymore, why would he be headed there?"

Techno pulled out his map, spreading it out over the table. "Closest headquarters is south of here." He traced the highway down to Las Nevadas, scowling at the memory. Then he turned the map over so Tommy could see. "You can take the road but the chances of running into raiders are too high. Crossing through the wastelands isn't that much better but it's a different kind of dangerous. A better kind."

"So I'd go... down?" Tommy asked uncertainly.

"That's what I said, south."

Tommy fell back into his chair. "I don't know what that word means, man."

"Oh yeah, he's never been outside a vault, he doesn't even know basic directions," Techno said, barely concealed sarcasm. "I'm sure this will end well. He's gonna walk straight into a deathclaw nest."

"I know directions!" Picking at his fingers, Tommy suppressed a yawn to scowl at him instead. "And it'll be fine, since you're taking me, right?"

"I never said that."

"You never said you wouldn't either."

"Pretty sure I did actually."

"Guys!" Niki jumped when they both turned to look at her, shrinking back a bit under their gazes. "I mean, both of you. Shut up for a minute." She pulled the map towards her, then nodded. "Techno, you were going to salvage in zone 87, weren't you? That's southwest."

Oh.

He ignored Tommy fist-pumping the air, already convinced of his victory. "Well, I mean, I guess I was planning to scout in that general area but-"

"Bring him with you. If nothing else he'll be over half the way to Vault-Tec. You split up and go your separate ways here." Her finger hovered over a junction town Techno hadn't been to before. Its pre-war name had been struck through with black marker, but scribbled beneath it was the word 'Snowchester', indicating a settlement had been built there since.

"But-" Techno started.

"Give me one good reason why you couldn't," Niki said then.

And Techno knew he'd walked right into that one.

"Fine," he relented. "I'm leaving at dawn."

He picked up his mask again, getting up to head to the couch while Niki and Tommy continued talking. Kicking off his shoes, he fell face first into the pillows. Grumbling because they deserved to be aware of his discontent. After pulling one of Niki's blankets over himself, Apollo jumped up onto the couch after him, settling his solid weight on Techno's chest. Techno stroked his fingers through long fur, knowing it was a self-soothing gesture he often denied himself the comfort of.

Maybe if he believed in any kind of higher being, he'd ask it if he was truly such a terrible person, or if this was merely bad karma from a previous life he was still signing off on.

Deciding instead that he was too tired to continue dealing with it today, Techno turned over and went to sleep.

—

An hour before the sun was set to rise, Techno was putting his shoes on.

He checked his bag, but most of his stuff was still in it from yesterday. Food, bullets, spare mechanical parts. If he could grab some bread for breakfast he'd be good to go.

Pulling out his IV bag and a syringe, he rolled up his sleeve to uncover his inner elbow, mildly concerned at how little of his medicine was left. A half dose would probably be fine since he was running low and didn't know when he'd be able to find more. Headaches and fatigues were the least of his worries lately.

The liquid burnt a little when it was injected into his bloodstream. Techno flexed his fingers, exhaling until it had passed then put away his things. He got up to find Apollo so they could leave.

Good news: the dog never went far, currently lying curled up sleeping in the kitchen.

Bad news: so was Tommy for some reason?

It didn't even look like a comfortable position, Tommy's back was pressed against the basement door and he had his knees pulled up to his chest, arms curled around them all hunched up. A mark from where his cheek had been pressed into his jeans was clearly visible, and once every few seconds the kid would shiver since he didn't bring a blanket. No wonder Apollo had joined him, trying to ward off the cold with his own furry body heat by scooting as close to Tommy as he could.

Techno always knew dogs were too good for this world. And also that Apollo was a traitor.

"He was scared you would leave without him," Niki said, walking into the kitchen behind him.

Not pointing out that was exactly what he'd been attempting to do, Techno turned towards her. "This is your fault. I hate you."

Niki smiled. "I'm sure you do."

"Why are you so insistent that I take him with me in the first place? I can't take care of him, Niki."

"I know." She grinned. "You can't even take care of yourself."

He wanted to argue but couldn't. Niki had spent one too many evenings patching him up, keeping him from bleeding out, fishing bullets out of his flesh, for him to pretend he had his shit together. Truth was he barely had a clue what he was doing out there half the time. But it was still better than the alternative. This world had no place where Techno could ever be safe at. Other people maybe, but not him. "Then why?" he asked.

She stepped closer, putting a hand on his elbow. He went motionless, but didn't flinch away like he used to. Niki was the only person allowed this close to him, the only person allowed to touch him. It still felt like molten iron on his skin.

"Stick together, look out for each other." When she smiled, it was more akin to sadness than anything. "You'll both have a better chance of making it when you're not alone."

Another statement he couldn't really argue with.

And when dawn came, Technoblade woke Tommy up so they could have breakfast together while sitting at Niki's kitchen table, before setting out headed south.