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Technoblade asks out loud when he and Nia approach his cottage — which really is only a few miles away from the Trix base — and see a tall blonde messing around the house.

Tommy carries a backpack that is filled to the brim with random things, though Nia can't tell what items those are. The shape of his backpack is too ambiguous and filled with miscellaneous items to be able to make out what he has. Or what he's taken, for Nia wouldn't put it past the boy.

Technoblade and Nia make their way toward the house, Techno leaving Carl in a pen just outside the cottage.

Tommy walks past them nonchalantly, not even noticing them. They blankly stare at him, wondering what he's doing.

He must've come across Techno's cabin very recently.

"He stole from me, didn't he?" asks Technoblade.

"The proportional probability of that happening is currently skyrocketing to the sky, yes," Nia responds with a nod, though a concerned scowl appears on her lips the longer she stares at the mess that Tommy is right now.

He passes by them again, talking to himself about how sweet the cottage he found is, and how it's his new home now. He notices Nia and Technoblade gaping at him from the corner of his eye, finally turning his attention toward them.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," he comments, facing them. He doesn't question how they got there.

Nia examines the boy with an arched brow. Not much has changed about the boy, considering his attitude. But taking in his whole appearance, now that he's facing her, she can see that whatever the boy has gone through — it took a lot out of him. The physical impact is the most visible.

His shoulders are slumped more than usual, making him shorter than he actually is. Under normal circumstances, he'd be almost as tall as Technoblade, not closer in height to Nia. Tommy's blonde curls are a mess, dirt caught in some of them, complementing the purple-ish dark circles under his eyes, indicating a severe lack of sleep. His clothes aren't any better either, the significant red and white shirt torn in places as well as his pants.

The only reason the boy hasn't frozen to death is because he stole Technoblade's warmest cloak and shoes to keep warm in the merciless freezing northern climate.

"Tommy, what the hell happened to you?" Technoblade raises his eyebrow at the boy.

Tommy shakes his head at them, proceeding to walk inside Techno's cottage again. The anarchists follow after him as he leads them down a ladder underneath Techno's cottage to a cellar. It's got a bed and a bunch of chests in it, the look of the room completed with a bell standing on an oak log in a corner. How long has Tommy been here?

"Why are you in my house?" Tommy asks, avoiding the answer to Techno's question.

"Tommy, this is my house." Technoblade's voice is stern, but he's also taken note of Tommy's state, and he doesn't want to forcibly kick him out. Not yet, at least.

"What are you doing here, Tommy? Why are you here?" Nia inquires softly, taking one step forward, toward Tommy, who startles and takes three steps back. The princess glances at Technoblade, both of them realizing the blonde must've gone through something traumatic.

Nia purses her lips, giving Tommy a look. She decides to unfasten her sword from her back, taking off her armor as well. It's a sign of trust. "It's alright, Tommy," she coos. "You're safe here, Tommy."

The boy eyes Nia and Technoblade cautiously, the wounds of the Manburg war still fresh in Tommy's eyes. Like he's been reliving that moment time and time again. She would almost regret being on Techno's side, had she not known better.

"What happened to you?" Techno drops the pickaxe he's been carrying since L'Manburg. The same pickaxe that would've brought about Quackity's death, had Nia not found them in time.

"I ran away from exile," says Tommy nonchalantly, though his trembling lip and shivering hands tell a story much different to his nonchalant and light-hearted tone.

"Exile?" Nia tilts her head to the side in confusion.

Tommy nods. "Yeah, Tubbo exiled me from L'Manburg months ago," the boy says. "I thought he's my friend . . . but apparently my only friend is Dream. Or is he my friend? He's not? I'm actually not sure anymore. He was my friend, but I ran away—"

"Wait, wait, wait, go back." Nia shakes her head. "What do you mean Tubbo exiled you? Aren't you two best friends? Why is Dream—"

"Why did Tubbo exile you, Tommy?" Techno questions.

"Well, I kinda burned down George's house—"

"What?" Nia and Techno chorus.

"To be fair, I thought it would be funny. And it was, for a while. But then Dream came to L'Manburg looking all 'I'm so powerful, nobody can touch me, baah baah' and started building walls around the country," Tommy mocks Dream, "and then he told Tubbo that he either has to exile me or he'll never take the walls down."

Nia and Technoblade exchange glances.

"Did you expect no consequences when you burned down George's house, Tommy?" Nia asks, noticing this seems to be a pattern with the boy. He does impulsive things that will inevitably come back to bite him in the ass, sometimes worse than the initial offense.

"I dunno—" the boy says honestly, shrugging.

An exasperated sigh leaves Nia's lips. "What happened, Tommy?"

"Uhh," says Tommy, nodding. "Well, you see, I— I wasn't alone in exile, you know? Dream was the only person who came to regularly visit me. He's the only friend I've got left. Tubbo never came to visit me, but he promised. And he's my best friend, so it kinda hurt. And then I had a birthday party on the beach, you know? I gave the invites to Ghostbur to bring to all of my friends . . . but then nobody showed up. So now I don't know if Ghostbur forgot to give out the invites or if all of my friends hate me." Tommy runs a hand through his hair, while Nia gazes at him, a sympathetic smile on her lips.

"Tommy, you have to leave my house," says Technoblade, and Nia spins to face the piglin with a disapproving look. She shakes her head.

"Techno, you can't do that to him," Nia objects, putting a hand in front of his face when he opens his lips to argue. She turns back to the teenage boy. "So, you think Dream is your friend?"

"Yes," Tommy nods. "Or no? No, no, no, Dream hurt me. Yeah, he made me throw my stuff in a hole every day and then kept blowing it up. He's not my friend," Tommy contradicts himself. "Or he is? He's the only one who stuck with me all these months in exile."

Nia watches the boy struggle with a frown upon her lips. She hasn't expected him to tell her the full story, which he probably hasn't anyway, but she's surprised he talks of his experiences so freely. Then again, it sounds more like he's talking to himself, processing all of the information by speaking it into existence rather than simply telling his trauma to the two anarchists before him, especially because he has very little reasons to trust them. She does get something out of Tommy's mindless tangent about his exile, however.

"Tommy," Nia addresses the boy, taking a step forward. He doesn't flinch or back away from her this time. "Dream isn't your friend, okay?" she says, a reassuring smile on her lips. She proceeds with caution, making sure that Tommy doesn't start to panic in case he'd think he's in danger.

"But he's your friend. Why can't he be mine?"

"Because friends don't treat you the way Dream does," she says at once, stepping toward Tommy again. "You know what friends do, Tommy?"

The boy shakes his head.

"Friends don't manipulate you. Friends don't take your things. Friends don't exile you. And they definitely don't abuse you. Friends don't hurt you. Your friends should love you, and they should care for you, and they should prioritize you. Over items and over countries." Nia sneaks in a jab at Tubbo.

"I— I agreed to exile," says Tommy, subconsciously defending his best friend. "It was what's best for L'Manburg."

"Tommy," Nia sighs, shaking her head. "A country isn't worth your safety. Or your life. Did you not see what it did to Wilbur? Do you have any idea of what it's doing to Tubbo?"

The boy wanted to execute a man who had done nothing as far as she knew. If they were really coming after Techno for the crimes of the Manburg war, they'd be coming after her, too, as well as many others. Or maybe they were coming after her, but couldn't find her. It crosses her mind after she remembers the look Quackity gave her when she'd swooped down to help Punz distract the butcher army.

"But it's L'Manburg," Tommy mutters under his breath. "I helped Wilbur build it with Tubbo. It's like— it's like the discs! I need to get back my discs!"

"Tommy," another exasperated sigh leaves Nia's lips.

Techno puts a hand on Nia's shoulder and shakes his head. There is no way of getting to Tommy right now. He's in his own world, his own bubble, his own trail of thought. He's not actually listening to much of what Nia's saying.

"Alright, Tommy. You can stay here," Technoblade says, not very pleased about it. Though Nia can see through his tough front. She's certain he feels bad for the boy, too, which is why he agrees to let him stay in his home. A place where he'll be safe.

"Really?" Tommy grins, finally dropping his backpack to the ground, its contents spilling on the ground.

Techno and Nia are exposed to the amount of items Tommy stole from the piglin's chests. It's large amounts of gold, emeralds and a bunch of golden apples. Tommy picks up one as if he just remembered he'd taken those, and carelessly bites into it. Almost like golden apples grow on trees. Though with Nia present, one could say that.

Techno clenches his jaw and fists. Now it's Nia who reaches out to him, her hand on his bicep, shaking her head. Getting angry at Tommy would lead to nothing. The boy is too stubborn to get anything through his head. And anger won't affect him, if not make him go on another tangent about a topic of his choosing.

"I think I should leave," says Nia, smiling thinly at Technoblade. "I— I'll come back if you need me, but I've gotta get back to Sara and Stela. You two just don't get into any trouble."

"Oh, you're leaving already. Okay," says Tommy, nodding. "Here, take an apple, Nia." He offers her a golden apple that is not his. But Nia smiles softly at him and accepts it.

"Thank you, Tommy," she says.

The boy brings her into a hug abruptly, and Nia's eyes widen as she didn't anticipate the gesture. She does hug him back once the initial shock fades away.

"I know you were on Technoblade's side, Nia, and I'm not really ready to forgive you for that, but you're my friend, right?" the boy mutters quietly, almost desperately, and Nia's grip around the boy tightens.

She doesn't know what it is about him that makes her want to protect him, because so far, she's only seen him as a hindrance. But perhaps that's the boy's charm. She's seen people wanting to fight for Tommy without question; she just never paid attention to him. Or perhaps it's the guilt, because Dream is the one who's been abusing the boy, while she cares about the man. Maybe it's a bit of both.

"That's okay. I am your friend, Tommy," Nia smiles, stroking the boy's back comfortingly.

When she pulls away, she spares a last glance to Techno before climbing up the ladder and exiting the anarchist's cottage through the front door.

Unbeknownst to her, Techno follows after Nia, not ready to say goodbye yet. He has one last thing to share with the princess before she leaves him alone with Tommy.

"Nia, wait," Techno calls after her.

Grabbing onto her hand, Nia spins around to face Techno with a look of confusion, her eyebrows furrowed. Their faces are merely a few inches away, and she can feel the piglin's warm breath on her skin.

"Techno, what—"

She doesn't get to finish her sentence as Techno plants his lips on hers, closing the small gap between them. Scared that if he doesn't confess his feelings now, he might never get the courage to do so. Nia is once again baffled and confused, only to kiss Techno back once her brain resets and kickstarts the nerves in her body.

She wraps her arms around Techno's neck, enjoying the warmth of his body and the roughness of his dry lips due to the journey through the cold biome. Nia's lips are soft in contrast, everything about her being perfect to Technoblade. Even if there wasn't an actual goddess within Nia, he'd still consider her a deity.

When they pull apart, Nia is grinning brightly, her cheeks flushed pink from the cold and the kiss. Technoblade dons a soft smile, his gaze fixated on the princess. Neither says anything about the kiss, the silence saying everything for them.

"I love you, too, Nia," Technoblade whispers after a while, earning another delighted grin from the woman.

"What the fuck? That was disgusting!" Tommy appears from his cellar, his eyes darting between the two anarchists, repulsion gleaming in his eyes.

Nia laughs, not letting the embarrassment of the situation get to her.

"Nobody asked you to be here, Tommy." Technoblade rolls his eyes at the boy.

anyways, this is the only technia kiss y'all are getting