Chapter Text
Quackity can feel the disappointment, even if he can't see her. He distracts himself from it by looking at his bloodied knuckles.
He hears the door opens and glances back apologetically. Niki is here. And of course, she has Tubbo in her arms and Fundy by her side.
He can feel the shame bubbling through him even if the headmaster hasn't said anything yet.
Speaking of, Mr. Minecraft looks up, confusion written on his face.
"I thought I had asked for Mr. Schlatt." He says, glancing towards his phone accusingly as if it was the phone's idea to call Niki . She laughs, though Quackity knows Niki well enough to know it's a fake one.
"No, no, only me. I'm Quackity's older sister." She informs him, sitting down onto the chair next to Quackity, opposite the headmaster, and puts Tubbo down on the floor to hopefully not break anything.
The headmaster sighs in resignation, seemingly already tired even though the meeting's only just begun.
"Well, Alex here-"
"Quackity." Quackity says before he can stop himself. Niki gives him a warning glance, one that tells him not to interrupt. He looks down at his bandaged hands again, fidgeting uncomfortably under Mr. Minecraft's questioning gaze.
"Well, Quackity then, he got into a fight earlier today unwarranted." Quackity clenches his fists. He knows that he shouldn't interrupt, not when he's just interrupted, but he can feel his mouth move without his consent.
"It wasn't unwarranted." Quackity mutters, now staring down at his shoes, which are tapping on the floor.
Niki gives him an exasperated look, and then sighs and looks over at the principal.
"Look, Mr. Minecraft, Quackity swears it won't happen again, I swear it won't happen again. How about you let us off the hook, please?" Niki says, doing puppy-dog eyes that used to work with dad.
Mr. Minecraft looks over her and sighs. "I've already turned a blind eye once. I'm sorry, but I can't do it again. Quackity, you are suspended for two weeks."
Quackity's mouth feels dry, and the shame multiplies by tenfold as he hears that statement. There's a sinking feeling in his gut.
"I-" Niki starts, "Surely, not that long, right?"
"I am taking in the offence of his last fight." Mr. Minecraft says sadly. "I'm sorry, Miss Schlatt, but that's the way it is."
Niki cringes at their dad's name being used for her, but sighs, gets up and picks Tubbo up.
"Come on, Quackity." She says, and Quackity recognizes the cue to leave. He sends a glare to the headmaster as he leaves, but it's half-hearted at this point.
As they walk across the sidewalk, there's a definite tension in the air.
Just as they're about to go across the zebra crossing, Niki sighs. Quackity keeps his eyes on the white stripes across the road, watching the cars going across them with ease.
"I'm not mad, I'm just... dissapointed." Niki tells him, which, thanks, makes him feel a lot better. "You got into a fight only last month... and you didn't tell me you were missing homework, I would've helped you, Quackity."
"They insulted you." Quackity says, wanting to finally justify himself.
He can sense her confusion, even when he isn't looking at her, glancing up, he sees the red light turn red and starts walking across it, Niki right on his heels.
"What do you-" She starts, confused.
"They called you a... well, what Dad called Mom before she left." Niki takes in a sharp intake of breath, but when she doesn't say anything, he takes it as a gesture for him to continue.
Taking a deep breath, he continues. "I froze and turned around, and he started making fun of me for having Fundy and Tubbo there."
Quackity glances over at the boys in question. Tubbo has moved onto Niki's shoulders, but he's silent for the first time in a while. Fundy shifts, clearly uncomfortable for being mentioned in conversation.
"That I was used to. I was about to leave when they made another comment about you." Quackity sighs and makes frustrated motions with his hands. "I didn't even want to pummel him, I just did!"
Niki doesn't say anything for a few seconds. "Next time, just tell me, okay? But.. I'm not mad at you. I'm glad you don't just take the insults like it's nothing."
Quackity looks over at her, surprised, and Niki ruffles his hair with a fond smile on her face. He would never have expected her to be.. proud of him.
Then Niki's expression hardened as they reached their house. Quackity cringed at the sight of it. It was old and Niki tried her best to clean it every week, but it's already stinky again.
"I think Dad's home." Fundy says gravely. Niki nods and sighs. She swiftly passes Tubbo to Quackity, and Quackity, expecting it, places the young boy on his back, giving him a supreme piggy-back ride.
Niki looks over at the three seriously, and tells them, as she always does, "Stay behind me and stay quiet. We don't know how drunk he is this time. Big Q," She looks at Quackity directly in the eyes, and Quackity sees fear there, "please don't try and protect me again, okay?"
Quackity's throat close s up involuntary, and he feels himself nod. Niki sighs for the umpteenth time that day and straightens Quackity's hoodie so that it covers up the still-lingering bruise.
Tentatively, Niki opens the door, looking around, before she beckons Quackity and the rest in. Quackity does so, just as tentative as she is.
Niki almost seems to cry in relief and apprehension when she doesn't see their dad in the living room. Quackity tightens his grip on Tubbo, who knows to be quiet here despite only being six years old.
Fundy trails behind Niki, holding her hand as to not lose them.
"Okay, okay, we're gonna need to hurry to my room, come on." She tells them, putting a hand on Quackity's back and gently guiding him forward.
The house is big, and it usually takes 20 seconds to get to Niki's cozy room, which, for them, is far too long.
Niki's muscles are tensed, prepared to fight back if any asshole father figures come towards them. He doesn't appear, which only serves to make Quackity and Niki more paranoid.
They're so, so close to Niki's room when a door slams.
Quackity flinches involuntary and turns round (almost slamming Tubbo's head into a wall in the process) to see their dad.
Niki takes in the sight of their seemingly sober dad. It's both a relief and not, because if he was drunk, he was violent, but if he's sober, that means it might hurt more.
After a moment of careful consideration, Niki tells them, keeping her eyes on their dad the whole time, "Quackity, Fundy, Tubbo, go to my room."
Quackity hastens to obey, placing Tubbo on the ground and herding them into Niki's room, but their dad's voice is sharp as he says, "Hold it."
Quackity freezes, as do Tubbo and Fundy. Dad looks over at the two younger kids, on Fundy's shock of red hair and Tubbo's blue eyes, and shooes them away.
Panic settles in Quackity as they hasten to scatter, because as good as it is that Fundy and Tubbo are out of danger's way, it means that Quackity was singled out. That wasn't good.
"Yes, sir?" Quackity says, trying to sound braver than he actually is, trying to keep the shakiness out of his voice. He's noticed how Niki stepped in front of him defensively, glaring defiantly up at their dad.
Schlatt sighs and leans on the doorframe. "You would tell me, if something was wrong, right?"
I would, if you weren't always fucking drunk, Quackity wants to yell, but instead, he says, "Yes, sir."
Schlatt looks pleased at the word, sir, and Quackity can tell because his mouth twitches upwards. "Then why, do tell, did I get a message saying that you've been suspended?"
Quackity's mouth is dry. He wants to respond, to tell him defiantly that he got in a fight, he wants their dad to be as proud of him as his sister is, like any good dad should.
Instead, his eyes get fixed to the ground, and he doesn't say anything.
"Look at me!" Schlatt yells, taking a step forwards. Niki puts her arm over Quackity defensively. Her lip is starting to wobble, he notices. He does as he's told and looks Schlatt in the eyes.
"Tell me,
Alex, why you were suspended." Schlatt says calmly, but Quackity can sense the repressed rage. "And it won't hurt as much."
Niki clenches her fists, and before Quackity can say anything, Niki is yelling, "I told him to!"
Everyone stares in shock at Niki, even Fundy and Tubbo, who have their heads peeking out the doorway of Niki's room, staring with morbid fascination.
"I should've said it before, but I'm saying it to you. I told him to fight for me, because he's stronger, okay?!" Anyone who knows Niki would know it was complete it and utter bull, because Niki could easily benchpress with Fundy, a ten-year-old, and Tubbo, a six-year-old. So of course, Schlatt didn't know. "So if you want to blame anyone, Dad, b-blame me."
Schlatt stares in cold amusement at Niki, "Well, well, well, look's like the truth's come out from the little bitch. Alex, get to your room."
Quackity is rooted to the spot, but Niki sends him a glare that quickly makes him scamper and he hates himself for doing so, hates himself for letting her take the brunt of the force.
He shuts the door, and locks it with the key that Niki keeps by her bedside table and hastens to lock it behind him.
Fundy and Tubbo are looking up at him with curiosity, though Fundy's is more understanding. Quackity walks up to Niki's bed and searches under it, eventually finding it. He smiles weakly over at the younger ones. "Hey, guys. Wanna play board games?"