From The Depths (a nihachu fallen angel au)

Ignorance is bliss

She was drowning. The fragments of shattered memory choking her, flames of desperation to hold onto life gripping her- restraining her. Then it clicked. Well not so much clicked as snapped. It really was restraining her! She was in this insane world where she had wings and her closest friend had antlers and there were open shops but she was letting a statue stop her? All she needed to do was forget. Because Niki knew she was stronger on her own, she'd survived before.

She didn't need anyone to help her stay conscious.

So when Wilbur's hazy yell became less hazy she fought for it and although she was shaky and of course it wasn't easy she was alive. Breathe. Breathe.
Sight was coming back to her now, finally the crisp grass and rocky terrain came back into focus and she recognised the grip on her arm as Phil's. Whatever she had seen was already slipping away; ignorance is bliss I suppose. She thought.
"-iki? What happened there?" Phil asked, sounding genuinely concerned for her.
"Oh it's fine! Niki grinned, teeth chattering and breath still shaky but stable at least, "not really sure what happened there myself!" 
"Niki..." Wilbur began before she shot him a look that clearly said 'leave it'.
"If you sure." He finished, "do you want to go visit some shops then?"

They had a wonderful time going around the market, visiting stalls that never would have considered interesting to Niki otherwise but Will made each one an experience. From 'Big Q's plant shop' to Karl's bookstore where he sold all sorts of interesting novels that he seemed to have written himself
"Karl's a bit weird about those book, never lets us borrow some certain ones," Wilbur whispered on passing.

"Where to now?" Niki asked, still beaming that Wilbur had agreed to buy her some food from 'mcpuffys' (since she had no money)
"I'm not sure, maybe over here? It seems- oh."
There was yelling, a huge commotion it seemed, coming from around the corner of mcpuffys. They turned the corner cautiously only to see another shop with one person running it and one 'person' arguing with them. It sold mob drops, according to Wilbur, all sorts of stuff! Like bones, rotten flesh, spider eyes and specialising in-
"Enderpearls!" The person yelled. They were tall, incredibly so, and wearing a fancy 3-piece suit. There was a little silver crown perched atop their head and the flicking, long ears that poreuses from the side of  his head were the same shades of black and white at his menacingly waving tail. "How do you have enderpearls!?"
"Look, mr-"
"Ranboo."
"Ok, look mr Boo, I've had these here pearls for weeks now!"
"Alright, but how did you get them?" He seemed to grow taller at that, and Niki noticed purple particles emitting from him.
"I- I swear I-" the vendor croaked. He seemed paralysed by the gaze of the tall man.
"Ranboo!" Wilbur yelled, "calm down."
He stopped. Looked away. Rubbed his eyes with similarly monochromatic hands. Hunched over and appeared to shrink at it. 
"I... I'm so sorry." He mumbled and ran off.
"R-ranboo? Yeah, Ranboo come back here!" Niki shouted, ignoring her mind screaming at her to ignore him: he was dangerous, deranged, scary.

Turns out, he was not.

They found him crouched into a ball, head in his hands, next to a nearby tree. Maybe Ranboo had thought they wouldn't be able to see him there; they approached him with caution (although Wilbur less so, he had clearly met him at least once before) only to notice something odd. Not only was his whole skin split in that dual tones way, but his face was etched with painful looking scars that just kept being added to as he- cried? It looked that way but surely, surely not.
"Ranboo dude? You alright?" Will asked in a soft, barely audible voice.
A strange inhuman, static released from his mouth.
Voice still tinged with the static, Ranboo whispered
"sorry... about that. That you had to see that I mean... and this as well."
"No no- it's fine! You were totally in the right, he shouldn't be selling enderpearls! I can't imagine what that's like for you,"
"It's like selling a persons heart..." ranboo mumbled.
Wilbur looked horrified at this, but Niki was still confused what (and who) he was.
Wilbur whispered something to him, he (ranboo) nodded and then Wilbur lent in and gave Ranboo a hug. He smiled.

5 or so minutes of talking later, they were off and heading back to meet with Phil. Niki was still confused on... everything that had just happened. So, swallowing her fear, she asked
"Will, what kind of... Hybrid? Is that the word? Is he- Ranboo I mean."
"Enderman, that's why he was so angry that they were selling pearls. Wait you don't know what an enderman is? Basically, a tall mob that had purple eyes and gets angry if you look at them. They also hate water and can teleport. Ranboo only has a few of these features it seems, water hurting him and being hella tall." Wilbur laughed.

Ohhhhhhh that made sense.

That why his tears hurt.

Phil was standing with Techno, both of them scanning the area for them and
"-TOMMY! WHERE ARE YOU!" Phil yelled at the top of his lungs. His wings were raised in agitation, and Techno was shuffling from side to side.
"Guys? Have you lost Tommy?" Wilbur stated, which shocked Phil because not only had he been not expecting him but Wilbur's tone was cold and unsympathetic.
"Uhh... yeah. Techno left him somewhere while he borrowed the art of war from Karl and the little bugger ran off."
"Why could t he come with you techno?" Niki asked.
"Because I don't trust him with shit, let alone precious books." Techno muttered.

"Well luckily for you all, I know where he is. But I don't think you'd approve of his company, dadza." Wilbur solemnly spoke.

The family (+Niki) walked straight past the large shops towards the sound of screaming- no, laughter. Tommy's laughter.
"Ohhh no. Oh no oh no. Don't tell me he's with..."
"Yep."

Tommy was with big Q at his 'plant' stall. 'Plant.'
"TOMMY!"
tommy jumped almost a foot into the air at the sound of his dadza, sounding angry.

Ok the walk home, tommy was lectured for pretty much the whole time about why he shouldn't be hanging out with quackity without someone a bit older there as well, apparently he was a 'bad influence' and wanted to 'sell him dru-'
Niki and Wilbur laughed bout it later on. Tommy had been grounded, Techno was in his room, sharpening his sword and axe, and Phil had already gone to bed. So that meant it was just them in the cool sitting room once again. The fire was again, dying.
"You're the best friend I could ever ask for..." Wilbur mumbled, half asleep.
"You too..." Niki replied- also barely awake. She didn't know what she had expected, but that felt right.

He really was the best friend she could ask for, and hopes she could live up to the title he had bestowed onto her.

Thanks for reading!!!!
Sorry this has kinda been on hiatus for a while but I've been sorta lacking motivation lol :| but I'm back now and hoping to stay this way!! :D
Stay pog yall <3