Predator (DWT x OC)

33

I roll my sleeves up to my elbow, pulling my hair up into a pile on my head. Niki ties up the apron behind my back, slapping down a lump of dough on the floured bench in front of me. I get to work, pushing and pulling the smooth dough, tossing it underneath expert fingers as me and Niki work in concentrated, easy silence. 

It takes me back to our old house, just me and her, making bread in our big kitchen, it's stone bench and wooden dining table, a tiny Fungi curled up in the sun.

"We should move back home." I say suddenly, slamming the dough onto the bench, ignoring the powdery wafts of flour swirling in the air. 

Niki's hands freeze on the dough she was working on. "Fundy's still out there." She says quietly. 

"He hasn't shown his face in months, Niki come on, we can't live our lives in fear." I implore, turning to face her. 

"He still- he could take you again, we have to stay here Rose." She whispers, eyes planted on the bread dough in front of her, hands still frozen in place. 

"He's gone Niki, he failed, he's not coming back." I try. "Don't you want to go home?"

"Dream said we had to stay here until it was safe."

"Fuck Dream. Him and I are done, Fundy can't use me to manipulate him anymore, and he can't have any more control over my life. He doesn't get that right anymore, and he never should have."

"What about Wilbur?"

"Fuck him too." I grab her hands, eyes searching over her face, silently begging her to look at me. She does eventually, wide, uncertain eyes locking with mine. 

"There's nothing stopping us going back home." I tell her. 

"I just- I don't know Rose, not with Fundy still out there." She says, looking directly at me.

I give her hands a squeeze, and send her a sad smile. "Hey, if you don't feel safe, we don't have to go ok? Whenever you're ready." 

She nods slightly, squeezing my hands back. "When we know he's gone."

My grin grows wider. "When he's gone." I repeat. 

We both turn our attention back onto the dough, shaping them into round, oval loaves and sitting them on the side of the bench. Tubbo comes and joins us, happily taking over my place as Niki shows him how to knead the dough, and I perch on a stool with a very content Fungi purring on my lap. 

"Are you guys going tomorrow?" Tubbo asks, wiping his sniffly nose. I've never seen someone inhale and sneeze out so much flour in my life, but I guess he just prefers an extremely aggressive method of kneading bread. 

I look at Niki, who just shrugs half heartedly. "Yeah, I think we'll go, show our support and all that."  I answer. 

Tubbo grins happily at me. "Schlatt's going to do his endorsement then, because everybody is going to be there." 

"The election isn't far off from there, is it?" I ponder, scratching between Fungi's cute pointy ears. 

"Nope." Tubbo answers. "It's a couple weeks from the pep rally."

Niki hesitates. "I don't know if I'll go, I have a lot to do for the bakery."

I look at her curiously. "Your bakery will be fine for a day, you should come with all of us."

"Schlatt said it's really important for everyone in L'manburg to go and support Tommy and Wilbur, it shows that the country is behind them." Tubbo says confidently, and Niki sends me a look of disbelief. 

"Schlatt will cope without me." She says, opening up her chests and rummaging through them, sighing. 

"Rose, I think I'm out of sugar again." She looks at me exasperatedly. 

I hop off my stool, setting Fungi down on the floor and snatch up a cloth bag. "I'll be back soon!" I call.

"Thank you!" She calls back after me. 

I stroll out of the cave's entrance, to the sandy little bay outside. Luckily for me, I have some sugar stored back at my old bed in the medical bay, at the centre of L'manburg, so I don't have to cut down sugar cane. It only takes me a minute to get there, clambering up the tiny hill and venturing out onto the previously open space, that is now a fully constructed podium, where I'm greeting by a focused Schlatt and Wilbur, and a manically excited Tommy. 

"Hey guys!" I wave, approaching them. 

Tommy and Wilbur both hug me, Tommy excitedly babbling about something about a speech, before fluttering off to talk someone else's ear off, Wilbur drearily following behind him.

"Hey Rose! Schlatt says, hands casually in his suit pockets. "I trust that you'll be coming tomorrow?"

"Of course, gotta support you guys." 

"Perfect." He grins. What are you doing here?"

I hold up the bag. "Niki needs some more sugar, and all my supplies are back in med." 

"Well don't let me stop you." He says, opening out his arm for me to pass, then falling in step beside me as I cross through the walls. 

"Did you, uh... think about what I said yesterday?" He asks quietly, as we head through the doors. 

"I did." I answer, snatching up a full bag of sugar and throwing it over my shoulder, filling my empty one with smaller, half-filled bags. 

"And?" He prompts. 

"And? I'm coming to the rally, aren't I?" I stop to look at him. "I'm not going to completely trust you overnight, I don't even know you. But, doing what you did takes courage and I appreciate it, which is why I trust enough to believe you'll do what you say you will."

"That's a...really nice way of putting it. I can't thank you enough Rosie, I won't let you down." He says, in what sounds like a genuine tone. 

"I hope not Schlatt." I respond, walking across the lawns of L'manburg, and towards the exit. "My name's Rosemary, just by the way." 

He laughs almost nervously, turning it into an awkward cough. "Oh right Rosemary, sorry about that." 

I wave it off, heading back beyond the podium and to the bakery, heavy bag of sugar weighing me down. I dump it behind the counter, stretching out my aching shoulders and back. Niki comes to sit down at the bench, flour still powdered on her nose. 

"Tubbo went home." She informs me. "He had to prepare for the rally." 

"Which you should come to." I say, raising my eyebrow expectantly.

"Schlatt makes me uncomfortable." She says again. "I know you say he's not so bad, but my gut says something's wrong."

"I know, but when you actually talk to the guy, he's decent. He sounds like he's telling the truth. We should at least go just to support them." 

"We want to run against them Rose, we don't need to support them." She says pointedly.

I roll my eyes. "They're still our friends, and I'd rather them over Quackity and George." 

She gives me a long look, clearly torn between going and not going. "Come on, just come!" I whine. She gives in. 

"Ok, fine."

---------

A/N Filler today for you guys unfortunately, but next chapter will be the pep rally, and oh boy do I have some things planned. I just had to throw in an extra chapter for pace, and too solidify a few things so they'd be more realistic and not rushed. Next chapter is going to be a big one, so get ready.

I also just got my nose pierced and I am literally so in love with it, I just had to tell you guys because I cannot stress how obsessed I am with this piercing omg. 

Thank you for all your support, and I hope you enjoyed!

Oopsies x