Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Maybe being loud as fuck is your ability.” 

There was a beat of silence as if it was being considered, the only noise for a moment the rumble of cars as they breezed past the abandoned building on the road a few stories below. The sentence seemed to finally make sense and the boy sputtered before he threw his hands up and he yelled, “What?! Hey!” 

Warm laughter echoed around the empty area, bouncing between the pair on the floor as light arguing ensued. The sun was an hour or so away from setting and the temperature began to drop but neither of the boys noticed as the taller of the two shot to his feet and proceeded to tackle the other.

“Take that back you bitch!” Tommy yelled, grunting as the older of the two, Tubbo, kneed his stomach, forcing an oof from the boy on top and sending him onto his side, dragging Tubbo with him, fingers latched onto his shoulder and forearm. 

“It’s true!” Tubbo laughed, his eyes sparkling as he tried to catch his breath, clearly enjoying tormenting his roommate. Even though Tommy was much taller, Tubbo almost always won their wrestling matches. Tommy blamed it on his hard as hell skin; he wouldn’t lose if Tubbo didn’t have an ability hanging over him! He was always at a disadvantage! 

Neither of them brought up thatーdespite the ability that clearly helped Tubbo during these playful scufflesーTommy was almost always the one to start them and he always lost. 

“You had me thinkin’ about it, too, dickhead!” Tommy grunted, pushing out with his arms to put some distance between them before he kicked out with his legs, forcing Tubbo to release one of Tommy’s hands to block it. This was a mistake as Tubbo then proceeded to grab said foot, a mischievous glint in his eye that froze Tommy’s movements as he growled out a dangerous, “Don’t you dare.” 

He dared. 

Howling laughter and yells of protest bounced around the room, Tommy’s arms suddenly flailing as he tried to get Tubbo to stop tickling him. Tears pricked his eyes and he wheezed out, pushing against Tubbo, the gesture returned with little to no effort, much to the younger's annoyance. What annoyed Tommy even more was the fact that biting was banned! Even more unfair! But Tommy supposed he could understand why; he didn't want to have to listen to Tubbo complain dramatically to Ranboo again as the latter was stitched up.

It wasn’t Tommy’s fault that Ranboo pinned his arms to his sides. He did what he had to! He vaguely wondered if the scar was still on his bicep. 

Speaking of Ranboo…the flimsy, wooden door swung open and revealed the tall boy. His red and green eyes were heavy with exhaustion and he was slouched over, partially so he could enter the apartment and partially because he was sleep deprived. His black and white hair was an unkempt mess and his uniform was scrunched up. That was normal, though. What wasn't normal was the bandage on his cheek. 

The pair stopped wrestling as Ranboo closed the door behind him, heaving a sigh before casting a smile to Tommy and Tubbo, the former on his stomach now, wheezing as he tried to catch his breath, interrupted with a dry cough that sent a bolt of uncomfortable pain through his chest. 

"Talking about your ability again?" Ranboo inquired with a tilt of his head. "Or, well, your lack of one." 

Tommy was only able to send him a withering glare from under his arm, his position on the floor one he would not be leaving for a few more moments. Tubbo was on his feet, though, and hurried over to the boy that just walked in, worry shining in his eyes. 

"Ranboo! What happened?" Tommy could see a black eye forming as well and he winced. He shoved down the sudden urge to demand names and just let Tubbo fawn over him. "Did you get into a fight?" 

The lanky boy was only able to offer a weak chuckle as he brought a hand up to the back of his neck, the tips of his pointy ears dropping a little. "Ah! U-Uh…no, not really. It was more of a-a light mugging."

Tommy pushed himself to a sitting position at that, blue eyes flaring with anger. Ranboo didn't even have anything worth stealing! They were all poor as shit, hence why they were living (quite illegally ) in an abandoned building! Also…what the hell was up with that?! Why Ranboo of all people? Maybe his face was slightly punchable but the fucker was tall! Who in their right mind would approach him? 

"You got mugged?! " Tubbo yelled, making Ranboo wince as he dropped his hand back at his side. "Did they take anything? Are you hurt?" 

"They had nothing to take," Ranboo reminded with a shrug, casting a glance at Tommy and wincing at the intensity of his gaze. "But no. Not hurt too badly. Just got punched."

" Fucker," Tommy angrily whispered, a frown twisting his face. If he was there with Ranboo like Tommy had initially planned then he could have beat that bitch up before any damage could be done! But no! Tommy had to stay home because the villains had been getting a little too close for comfort! 

Now look what happened! Ranboo was all ugly and shit! 

"I'll get you some ice," Tubbo said instead, allowing Ranboo to take his spot on the cushion next to Tommy who, with some whining, scooted over a little more. 

"You shoulda beaten the shit outta them," Tommy grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest in a form of pout. "Or scared the fucker with your freaky teleportin' shit."

There was a pause before Ranboo gasped and said, "Tommy Innit cares about me? Me, of all people? His destined rival? That's it! The world is ending!" He threw his arms up and flopped back when Tommy shoved him, ears burning red as he avoided the look Tubbo gave him once he reentered the room. 

“Work good, at least?” Tubbo inquired, tossing the ice over (it was just a couple of ice cubes in a ziplock bag) before settling down between the pair on the cushion, flopping his head onto Ranboo’s lap and kicking up his feet to rest them on Tommy’s, who grumbled something about how it was really uncomfortable but it fell to deaf ears as the other pair conversed.

“It was as good as it could be,” Ranboo sighed, pushing himself back to a sitting position as he held the ice to his eye, giving a slow shrug. “Manager spoke to me about some things….” 

The pair gave Ranboo a wary look, the muttering from Tommy dying down as the sudden weight of the situation bore down on him. He gripped the cushion under him for a moment before cocking a brow, asking, “You gettin’ laid off?” 

“O-Oh! N-Not yet, no,” Ranboo said hurriedly, waving his free hand while he gave them an uneasy chuckle, eyes flicking nervously around the area. “B-But… maybe. He talked to me about the simple stuff; apparently he didn’t believe me when I tried to tell him I couldn’t afford the bus this morning. So I was five minutes late to my shift. Five minutes where I could have been ‘boosting the economy.’ His words, not mine.” 

Tubbo jolted. “You couldn’t afford the bus this morning?! Why didn’t you say anything? I could have pulled together some extra change!” Tommy nodded vigorously, patting Tubbo’s knee in agreement, suddenly not having the strength to speak. Ranboo could get fired over something so trivial? What were they going to do then? Where were they going to get money? 

“It’s fine! It’s only a thirty minute walk,” Ranboo murmured back, running one of his hands through Tubbo’s hair to calm the boy down despite the way his shoulders tensed up and his eyes grew cloudy. “I should have expected something like this would happen soon; I don’t want you spending food money on a bus fare.” 

Tommy crossed his arms over his chest and huffed, “ You bring in our food money, big man. It’s worthless if you can’t even make that money to begin with.” 

Ranboo didn’t have anything to respond with, falling silent as his pointed ears drooped along with his shoulders, brows furrowing as he fiddled with the hem of his work shirt. Tommy almost regretted bringing anything up but at least he knew the dark feeling in the pit of his stomach was shared amongst the three of them. It was like a knot that kept growing as days passed and as their money slowly faded. It was like it represented their impending doom. 

Tubbo and Tommy were both on the search for jobs as well, they just had little to no luck. Tubbo had been hired at a fast food joint but apparently they were already overstaffed so the boy didn’t even make it to his first day there. 

Tommy was…well… Tommy. He was just old enough to legally get a job but no one wanted to hire him because of his lack of experience in anything. And he was not about to spill his home situation to those pompous, suited fools and get hired out of pity. He would rather starve than have to kiss the ass of a manager just to secure an unsteady job.

Leaning back, Tommy let his back hit the cold wall and he suppressed a shudder as it seeped through his thin shirt, letting his blue gaze settle on the ceiling of the large, mostly empty room. They used to have belongingsーmostly comfort items like a telly and a bedーbut they eventually had to sell what they could to scrape up as much money as possible to make it through the week. 

To this day, Tommy would stand by the fact that he could have gotten a couple hundred more for the telly, but the buyer was an absolute bitch and wouldn’t do anything to meet the boy halfway. Out of sheer frustration and desperation, Tommy agreed with the lower amount and trudged back home. At least they had a few comfortable meals that week.

“I could give less of two shits that these villains are closer to us,” Tommy said, voice low as he tried not to startle the other two at his sudden words. “I’m goin’ out tomorrow.”

Tubbo’s blue-green eyes widened at that and he struggled to a sitting position, floundering a moment but settling comfortably when Ranboo steadied him. “What?! You can’t! It’s too dangerous! Especially for you.” 

“He gets to go out every day!” Tommy argued now, pointing an accusing finger at Ranboo, who only gave him a tight smile. “I can try to find a job or somethin’! I feel absolutely useless just sittin’ here! I’m not gettin’ shit done; It ain’t fair to put everything on Ranboo.” 

Tubbo opened his mouth as if he was going to object again but all of the fight seemed to leave his body, unable to find an argument, and he slumped back with a heavy sigh, closing his eyes once more before he licked his lips and offered, “You know they are looking for you.” It was a weak argument. Tubbo knew that Tommy had a point. They were both guilty that all of the responsibility was left on Ranboo.

Huffing through his nose, Tommy puffed out his chest and let a cheeky smile grow on his face as he said, “And? What about it? They ‘aven’t caught me yet! I’m too elusive for them! They call themselves villains but they are all just pussies!” 

Ranboo gave him a deadpan look and said, “Literally…that is so incorrect. Dream is looking for you. He has a body count higher than your age.” 

Tommy didn’t let this falter his cool moment so he snorted, tipping up his chin and letting loose a hearty laugh. “He might be all high an’ mighty with those murderous tendencies that he has but…! I’ve got something that he doesn’t!” 

“Friendship!” Tubbo suddenly shouted, punching a fist into the air, the solemn mood suddenly whisked away.

“A death wish?” Ranboo asked at the same time, his voice being drowned out by Tubbo’s confident shout. He sighed and shook his head as Tommy chuckled, clearly lowering his voice to make it sound much more manly. Not like he had to lower it that far. He was already huge! 

“No, dear friends! I’ve got my good looks and my charming personality! Once he sees me he won’t be able to hurt me! I’ll charm my way outta it, easy!” Tommy explained  peeking open an eye to see the reactions. One look he was given was a deadpan stare. It reminded Tommy of a brick wall. The other look he received was one of utter glee; Tubbo’s cheeks puffed out as if he was trying to suppress laughter. His floppy ears (Tommy still found it not fair that Tubbo got to look like a goat and have nearly indestructible skin) flicked in amusement, making the taller boy huff and cross his arms over his chest once more, forcefully turning his torso away from them.

“You just don’t appreciate me!” Tommy declared, eyes closed so he didn’t need to dwell on the looks he was given. This was a betrayal! They didn’t believe that he could do it! Which, in fact, was complete and utter bullshit! He could and he would if the situation called for it! “I’m the biggest out of all of you! If anyone could do it, It’ll be me!” 

Tubbo wiped a tear from his eye as his laughter died down, pushing himself up to pat Tommy on the shoulder, who shrugged off the gesture in petty resentment. “I believe it, I swear! If you are going to go out, though, I’m going with you. Might as well see what I can get my hands on from the people we pass.” 

It was a win-win. Tubbo could pick the pockets of unsuspecting people and Tommy was allowed to leave the complex! Ranboo, of course, had work so Tommy declared that he wouldーsince he was such a kindhearted soulーescort the boy to his destination and hang around for a little bit. And it was not just to put some distance between the town that Dream had apparently been sighted in at all. Nope. 

“Now that we have tomorrow planned out,” Ranboo mumbled into the silence that settled over the trio, “what are we going to do for dinner tonight? ” 

A groan was shared between Tommy and Tubbo. After all, the future was always easier to plan for, in their eyes. A future where they had money. 

“...I don’t want plain rice again,” Tommy whined as Tubbo struggled to stand up, stretching his arms over his head and stifling a yawn into his shoulder.

As the boy disappeared into their sad little kitchen, Tommy heard a jovial, “Too bad.”

Chapter Text

The apartment was practically an ice box when the trio woke up the next morning, a soft alarm playing through the empty room and bouncing off of the peeling walls as the tallest form began to stir. 

A soft groan was heard from the youngest, who was bundled up in one of Ranboo's oversized hoodies, already regretting the choice he had made the prior night. He did not want to get up and he did not want to leave the warmth of the bed he was laying on.

It wasn't much of a bed, really. It was just two mattresses pushed together and sometimes stacked if they felt particularly fancy. There were a lot of blankets, though, each of them ranging in age as some had fraying ends while others were still as soft as when it was first acquired. They liked to make a nest out of them when winter came around.

"Work today, Toms," the groggy voice of Tubbo said, the blankets and mattress shifting as the shortest pushed himself to a sitting position, his brown (the front dyed blond because he had lost a bet with Tommy) hair pointed in all different directions. He had always struggled with bedhead and, since his horns had begun to grow in, his thick hair would only tangle worse around them. Tommy and Ranboo found it very amusing how much Tubbo struggled to brush out his hair right after he woke up. 

Tommy didn't respond with any coherent words, opting to shove his face into the pillow under him and pull the blankets over his head. If he left his warmth bubble then he would start to shiver. And he hated shivering. Plus, the world was cold and hard, his blankets warm and safe.

"If I have to go to work, you have to at least wake up," an amused, deeper voice said. Footsteps grew closer and Tommy felt the warmth that the blanket brought disappear, a whine of protest escaping him as he pushed himself off of his stomach and onto his forearms, a tired glare fixed on his face. The other two only laughed. 

"You gotta change," Tubbo murmured, scrubbing at his own face to try and remove the sleep that was clinging to him like a virus. He could always take a nap later. "That's the sleepin' hoodie."

Tommy looked down at the black sweatshirt and gave a grunt of acknowledgement before he sat up, easily pulling the large thing over his head before bunching it up and tossing it to Ranboo's side of the mattress. Under it, he just had a thin, white shirt, the chill forcing him to his feet to rifle through his pile of clothes, trying to find one of his jackets. He had lost one of his warmer jackets the previous week due to a very untimely villain attack at the store he was loitering outside of. The man had explosives and, short story even shorter, Tommy ended up on fire. 

His hands eventually found a brownish tan trench coat that had clearly been cut and torn in many places along the hem, a dark hood resting over the shoulders and inlaying the fabric. Tommy shrugged it on in one swift motion and brushed off his worn jeans before he uncoiled to his feet, arms straight in front of him as he stretched, a satisfied groan released from his lips before he trudged into the main room. He fiddled with the cuffs of the jacket, the thing just a tad bit too big for him, so he rolled them up so he could see his hands.

Tubbo was pulling on his boots by the time Tommy was in the living room, a worn and purple winter jacket wrapping around his hunched over form. The jacket had lost its puff a while ago and it was more of a windbreaker now than anything, but it was one of the only jackets Tubbo had. He was very persistent in saying that the cold didn't get to him if he layered up anyways. That was clear in the way that he was currently wearing a yellow shirt, a light blue shirt, and a green shirt at the same time, each of the colors poking out from his collar. 

Tommy silently cursed himself as he glanced down at his dirty and worn white shirt. He could have done that too! He would never give Tubbo the satisfaction of knowing that the Unbothered by Anything Tommy Innit had to wear an extra shirt because he was cold, though. The teasing that would ensue would be worse than being on literal fire.

“We can stop and get something quick to eat on the way,” Ranboo told them, a toothbrush in his mouth as he peered out of the bathroom. Their water was scarce but they knew how to salvage what they had. “I pass a bakery when I walk and I get free muffins.” 

“Muffins…,” Tubbo echoed, eyes glazed over as if he was in a daze at just the thought of freshly cooked muffins. 

Tommy had to admit that his stomach gave a growl of anticipation at the thought of it. He couldn’t remember when he had something fresh. They had been surviving off of old rice, potatoes, and a loaf of bread they had snagged for the past week and a half. And, as frustrated that it made Tommy, they had to result in basically begging for handouts a few nights ago. 

He wasn’t sure how long it would take to rebuild his pride after that.

“Sounds good, big man,” Tommy mumbled, pressing the heels of his palms against his eyes in an attempt to remove the fatigue. It did not work. “I’m ready whenever you are.” 

He had wandered to the window, giving a hum of contempt as he brushed the frost off of the glass. It melted at the contact and, with time to spare, Tommy began doodling. Since it was cold inside and outside, he didn’t have to worry about it fogging over and freezing once more. He did greatly dislike how it was a clear as day reminder about how fucking cold it was, winter coming in a little too fast this year.

There was shuffling behind him and he barely spared his friends a glance as he drew a few simple things. There was a blocky cow with one too many legs and a unicorn horn, a lopsided flower, and a frowny face since Tommy was upset that he had to wake up. 

He decided to ignore that, for the umpteenth time, this was, in fact, his own idea. 

Hearing Ranboo yawn loudly, Tommy finally glanced at him and saw the boy knotting his tie, concentration shining in his heterochromatic eyes. Tubbo giggled off to the side as Ranboo fumbled, gently pushing the taller’s hands away before swiftly tying it for him. Tubbo's stubby tail flicked happy as he stepped back and admired his work, Ranboo murmuring his thanks and something about how he shouldn't have untied it the night before. 

"All right, gang," Ranboo clapped, shrugging on his work jacket that was all new and fluffed up. "We should probably head out. I don’t want to be two minutes late today. Don’t wanna know what my manager will threaten me with if I was." He made a sweeping motion with his hands, saying, "After you two." 

Tubbo hopped out the door and Tommy trudged after him, shoving his hands in his pockets as he ducked to avoid a loose board hanging from the floor above them. There was a reason this place had been abandoned and, when the trio first made refuge here, Tommy had bonked his head into that board more times than he could count. He actually had a scar from one of the incidents, having been trying to escape Tubbo and his maniacal laughter. The minute details of that chase were still a little fuzzy. 

The concrete steps were crumbling and fragile, the safest spots to step clearly marked by tape that Tubbo had placed one night after nearly falling three stories down when half of the step collapsed under him. He thankfully caught himself but it made Tommy wonder just how strong the boy's skin really was if he was afraid of a little fall. He supposed, though, that it was just his skin and that his bones were still very breakable. Pity.

Hopping past the last two steps, Tommy landed on solid ground, the vacant lobby coming into view. There were boards on the windows and door, but the latter had been forcefully removed to allow easier access. There was a glass chandelier that hung from the tall ceiling and swung dangerously whenever a breeze swept in, the chord holding it together on its last life. 

Tommy saw Tubbo pause at the door, ears flicking as he leaned forwards and peered out and onto the street. The younger quickly followed suit, eyes narrowed as he peered through the fog of the early morning, thankfully seeing no patrolling heroes and no supervillains. They did not want to be caught in a place where they really shouldn’t be; three teenagers leaving an abandoned building at the crack of dawn did not look good for them.

"There hasn't been much hero activity in this area for almost a month now," Ranboo murmured, brushing past them when they ushered that it was clear. He had to clearly stop himself from raising his hand and touching his black eye. It seemed a lot worse last night, so Tommy let himself feel a little bit relieved at the fact that he healed quickly. It must have just been the lighting. "They have all been near Central. Especially with the annual ranks coming out in a day or so, I think they are doing what they can to gain any last reputation points."

Figures, Tommy’s mind rang and he tried to shake the thought out of his head. Why would they want to handle a part of town that barely has any coverage? They are all about the dramatics! A bunch of assholes is what they are. 

Tubbo gasped and clapped his hands together, a sudden bounce in his step as his eyes sparkled. "That's in a few days?! We have to find somewhere to watch it! Do you know the exact day, Boo?" 

The taller of the three shook his head but didn't get a word in before Tommy said, "Why're you so worked up 'bout it? I thought you hated the system."

Tubbo's smile didn't falter as he said, "Well, duh. The system is a load of bull crap! But, to be fair, it is still a very fun event to watch."

"The rankings probably wouldn't have changed much from last year," Ranboo mused. "With the Syndicate Agency still holding most of the power, it's not like any of the other heroes get a chance."

"The media is shit, too," Tommy grumbled, sliding to the left as a few people passed by, each of them bundled up like the worst blizzard was on its way. "They don't ever cover the important fuckin’ stories."

An anxious silence settled over them as their minds clicked to what Tommy was talking about. He had been saved by a pro around a year ago from the clutches of Dream. Despite being hunted down by news anchors and story seekers, barely any of it got published. As far as the public knew, the Dream never even had a hostage. 

Hostage? I don't think it was that bad, Tommy thought, a light frown tipping the corners of his lips downwards. He was nice to me before. There might be a gap an' shit but someone can't go from righteous vigilante to massive supervillain as fast as he did. 

There were a few years that Tommy didn't remember mingled in there, leaving him dazed and confused and begging for answers no one had. 

"Hey, Niki!" 

Ranboo's voice severed the train of thought that almost had Tommy spiraling. They were still on the same street but a block or two further down the road, a few doors opening with a jingle a few meters away. 

Tommy could barely focus on anything but the intoxicating aroma that wafted out of the bakery door, this "Niki" standing there with a bright smile on her face as she ushered the trio inside without any hesitation. He really liked her hair with the pink an’ shit. 

There was barely anyone in the building but Tommy was able to make out a few figures shuffling in the back. They were probably prepping things for the rest of the day. It must still be the time before they officially opened, too, since Niki didn’t appear to be completely in uniform.

"Good morning to you, Ranboo," Niki smiled, an accent lacing her words together in a way that was unfamiliar to Tommy. "I see you brought your flatmates!" 

"Ah, yeah," the boy chuckled, rocking on his feet for a moment as his eyes trailed after the girl who hurried to stand behind the counter at the right of the cozy shop, a bag suddenly in her grasp as she reached for tongs and slid open the display case that Tubbo's face was pressed against. "This is Tommy and Tubbo. They have some errands to run today so they are walking with me to work."

There were three tables set up against the wall to their left, each of them being accompanied by three dark chairs, a contrast to the pastel accents that were spread around the quaint shop. There was a lot of blue, pink, and white.

Tommy only nodded along with Ranboo’s words, unable to muster any form of conversation with the way his stomach painfully twisted with hunger. He watched Niki load a few muffins and a doughnut or two into the bag with an intense glint, satisfied when she folded the bag closed and handed it to Tubbo, who was trying to reach up and over the counter to reach it. The spark of hunger was much more clear in Tubbo's eyes, especially with how he carried the bag back to the trio, fingers fidgeting as he resisted the urge to rip it open and stuff everything into his mouth. 

"That sounds like it will be a fun adventure," Niki grinned, bracing her forearms on the counter as she waved off the way Ranboo fumbled with his pockets, searching for his wallet. "Don't worry, Ranboo. I have more in the oven. It is no problem at all. You just have a good day at work, yeah?" 

The tallest of the three nodded, a goofy grin on his face as he waved, turning and opening the door, calling, “Thanks so much, Niki! You’re a lifesaver!” Tommy shivered as he stepped out of the safety of the warmth, eagerly awaiting Tubbo and the bag of baked goods they had just received. 

He had to admit, though, that he was a little skeptical. No one was ever that kind just because they wanted to be. There always seemed to be a catch. Maybe Ranboo had promised to do some chores or something after his shift. That wasn't important now as they turned away from the building. 

The way they ripped into the bag was almost feral, Tommy laughing as he grabbed the first muffin while Ranboo latched onto a chocolate doughnut. Neither of them even saw what Tubbo had because it had already disappeared into his mouth, cheeks puffed out as he chewed, trying his best to not laugh too hard and choke.

“Calm down!” Ranboo scolded, nudging Tubbo, the pair dissolving into a fit of giggles not two seconds later, causing Tommy to give an exasperated groan. His eyes nearly rolled back into his head as he tilted his face to the overcast sky. 

“You’re gonna choke an’ I’mma let ya!” Tommy grumbled around a mouthful of his own baked good. He shouldn’t be talking as he, in fact, nearly did choke, inhaling at the wrong moment before he dissolved into a fit of coughs, steps faltering as he bent forwards. There were a few hard pats on his back along with not well concealed snickers and he flipped the pair off, finally catching his breath and allowing himself to finish what was in his mouth before he decided to speak again. 

“Shove off, dickheads,” he grumbled, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of the tan jacket. It smelled faintly of campfire smoke, which Tommy didn’t mind, but he did find it quite peculiar. He didn’t remember exactly where he got the jacket. In the few year gap that he had in his memories, apparently it just appeared. “I’m not goin’ out with you lot anymore. Embarrassin’ is what you are.” 

Ranboo only shook his head as he reached for another pastry, Niki kind enough to give them six in total. Tommy would have to stop by there more often if she was into all of that giving for free shit, his previous skepticism forgotten.

“I had a really weird dream last night!” Tubbo suddenly blurted, walking between the two taller boys, a bounce in his step as his tail flicked behind him in the form of a wag. Tommy only grunted in acknowledgement, Ranboo quietly asking what it was about, which made Tubbo jump right into it. “Well, Boo, I’m glad you asked! You were in it, in fact! Tommy was only a background character, though, despite how loud he isー” Tommy bristled a little “ーbut we were in a factory! Guess what kind of factory it was, Ranboo!” 

Ranboo flicked his ears in contemplation before he turned his gaze back towards Tubbo, taking them off of the red light before them. Tommy fidgeted as he watched cards drive by, keeping track of the color of the light so he knew exactly when he could start walking again. 

It was a little muffled over the sound of the vehicles rumbling by, but Tommy heard Ranboo inquire, “What kind of factory was it?” 

“Probably somethin’ stupid,” Tommy interjected before Tubbo could answer the question. “Like toys or books.” That comment earned him a harsh elbow in the ribs, making him wince and whine out. Tubbo was wholly unbothered as he continued on like nothing had happened.

“It was a weapons factory!” The confidence in his words made Ranboo stutter for a moment, casting an anxious glance behind him at the strangers that were also waiting at the light, which was finally turning yellow. Tommy pushed the button a few more times for good measure, a chuckle shaking his shoulders. “And it was huge! I didn’t get to the end of it by the time I woke up, but there were so many guns and lasers and swords and all that shit! I bet at the end there was probably something really cool likeー”

“I’d say nukes or other kinds of WMD’s,” Tommy interrupted once more and, this time, Tubbo stopped his wild hand motions to nod vigorously at him. The younger ignored the warmth that blossomed in his chest at the interaction. He wasn’t sure if he was glad he wasn’t elbowed again or if he felt like interrupting a second time would have some repercussions…weird.

“Yeah! I’m disappointed that I wasn’t able to see it since we had to wake up, but!” Tubbo latched onto Ranboo’s arm and shook it as they began walking. Tubbo looked almost like he was prancing. “But, tonight we can have a movie night and maybe I’ll finish the dream! It’ll get my creative mind juices flowing!” 

The other two were silent for a moment, feet leaving the asphalt of the street and landing back on the concrete of the sidewalk before they turned right. Ranboo’s work was just around the corner, the parking lot to the store in view, a stray, dark car pulling in as Tommy looked ahead.

“Movie night?” Ranboo echoed, tilting his head to the side, his tufted tail flicking behind him in a confused manner. “We don’t have a t.v.” 

“We don’t need one!” Tubbo explained, hopping forwards only to turn around, a mischievous grin on his face as he began bouncing backwards. “Tommy an’ I’ll pull together enough money to buy one ticket into the theater! Once I’m in, I’ll sneak to the back and open the utility door! And bam! Two free tickets!” 

“Brilliant!” Tommy said, a smile on his face as his eyes sparkled. He hadn’t been to the theater in forever! 

“That could go so, horribly wrong,” Ranboo mumbled, running a nervous hand through his black and white hair before letting out a breath, shaking his head. “It’s fine. As long as you are confident with it.” 

Tommy and Tubbo were enthusiastically nodding now. By the look in their eyes, they were already fabricating a better, more in depth plan for later that day. Ranboo decided not to comment on the look, learning from experience that, if asked, he would be roped into helping them with something that definitely was not legal. Who was he kidding? He would be roped in no matter what happened.

Crumbling up the paper bag that they had gotten from the bakery, Tommy tossed it into a bin and clapped Ranboo on the back as the latter stopped before the parking lot. 

“Have fun, worker boy!” Tommy grinned, all previous fatigue gone from his eyes as his mind began to work at hyperspeed. They had so much to do today! He was able to go outside despite it being cold as fuck! He got some food in his system in a way that wouldn’t shatter his ego and there was some distance between him and the villain Tubbo and Ranboo wanted to keep him away from.

How he hated that gap in his memory. 

Ranboo playfully ruffled Tommy’s hair and the boy cursed at him, batting the hand away as he watched Tubbo bonk his forehead into the boy’s chest in a form of affection. A soft laugh followed and then it was just the two of them standing on the sidewalk. They waited for Ranboo’s tail to disappear through the sliding doors before they locked eyes.

A moment later, they were tearing their way down the street, laughing echoing after them as they sought out their first unsuspecting victim. It was getting close to the morning rush so the sidewalks would be crowded in no time! They just had to stick to the main roads.

Savoring the feeling of the wind whipping through his blond hair and tearing at his jacket as if it wanted him to stay back and take his time, Tommy pushed his legs harder and cast a competitive grin over his shoulder to the shorter, who returned the gesture by passing him in mere seconds. Damn his deer traits! 

“Unfair! You cheater! Not fair!” Tommy howled, blurred doors opening as more and more people flooded the sidewalks, the pair having to try a little harder to weave between the sudden congestion. “When I catch you, I’m gonnaー”

He nearly toppled over Tubbo as the boy dug his heels into the concrete, holding out his arms to catch Tommy as he almost barreled past him. The people around them continued on like nothing had happened, their faces stoic as ever to hide the fact that their souls had been sucked out, thanks to the system. Heh, sucks for them. 

Tommy was barely able to open his mouth before his eyes landed on what stopped Tubbo in his tracks.

He saw the glint of a flickering fire in the window of a building that was all too near before the world exploded around them.

Chapter Text

It felt like he was running. There wasn’t any panic behind his movements, though. His feet carried him forwards and he was barely able to register the two dark shadows on either side of him. One of them radiated immense amounts of heat and the other had a green glow, almost like a star. It was welcoming.

Laughter ripped through the forms next to him a moment before they were all dragged to the ground, a loud boom rattling their very core. The laughter didn’t stop, though. It was such a happy laugh, too. There was no anger or malice behind it; they were just friends causing problems. 

He felt safe. When did he stop feeling safe? What had happened? Why did the green light suddenly turn hard to look at? Why was the heat so unbearable to be around? 

Why did it feel like he was suffocating? 

“ーommy?! Tommy!” 

The blond jolted as a familiar hand gripped his bicep and began to drag him away. It felt like his mind had become a rubberband, straining as it reached into a past that he couldn’t remember, only to be snapped back into place in the present. 

The blood on Tubbo’s hands sent a shockwave of protective fear through Tommy and the taller surged to his feet. There were shrill screams and shouts around him and the pair were almost swept away as the crowd became an overwhelming stampede. The ground shook with the pounding of their feet and Tommy could barely hear what Tubbo was shouting to him over the deafening noise. His ears were still ringing and his chest screamed at the effort it took to take a breath in. He must have gotten the wind knocked out of him.

“We have to go!” 

Now that was something that Tommy could hear. He could only nod, though, his throat closing as his blue eyes landed on the burning building that was only a few meters ahead before he turned on his heel as the pair took off in the opposite direction, their hands tightly clasped together as to not lose one another in the cacophony and chaos. 

The warmth that the fire caused was uncomfortable. It made Tommy want to squirm away and reach out for something. What was he reaching out for? Who was he trying to reach out for? 

Tubbo is right here, his mind rang and Tommy blinked once more, grounded at the feeling of the painfully tight hold. What was I just thinking about? 

In the explosion, the windows from the buildings around it had shattered and sent glass raining down on the pedestrians walking. Tommy was able to use his free hand to ruffle his own hair as Tubbo took a sharp left, the smaller shards loosening from their grip on his curls before they fell to the ground behind him. That must be why Tubbo’s hands were bleeding; the amount of glass on the ground was insane! Weren’t windows supposed to break in little balls so they didn’t cause harm? Or was that only for cars? 

“Are you here with me, Tommy?” Tommy heard, the pace slowing substantially and the bright lights around them dimming. It felt a little more chilly in this area as well, if not for the shade than the dense moisture in the air that clung to them. “Toms?”

Tommy sucked in a breath and shook his head, hand still in Tubbo’s grip before he slowly pulled away, blue eyes snaking around the area to try and ground himself. His head was suddenly in the clouds. That was not what was needed right now.

“Yeah…yeah,” Tommy murmured, able to detect the multi toned bricks on either side of them. There were three dumpsters leaned against the wall opposite to Tommy and one of them had its lid propped open by a thick stick. It was nearly overflowing and, only when Tommy noticed this, did he finally focus on the smell that followed.

It was the smell of an alley, for sure. It was a mix of rust, mold, and probably some form of bodily fluid that Tommy didn’t want to figure out. The smell of old food that was once warm clung to the bricks and it would have made him gag if he hadn’t spent nights in a place like this before.

Over the shouts that echoed into the narrow area (they were much further away now since the initial crowd had already passed), a faint plip plip plip was heard from the shadows further in, indicating that there was a leaky pipe. There was the quiet scuttling of rodents and he caught the sight of a pale pink tail disappearing into a hole in the wall before his gaze landed back on Tubbo.

He jolted at the expression he was receiving from the boy.

“What?” he asked, unease rolling off of Tommy in the way that his shoulders bunched and eyes flicked around him as if he was looking for an escape. “You good, big man?” 

“Are you good?” Tubbo now accused, brows furrowing under his thick, shaggy brown hair. “You seem to be off in wonderland. I’ve been tryna’ talk to you.” 

Tommy grabbed at his bicep and snickered a little despite the weight of the situation, prodding a pebble with a worn out shoe. It had holes in the side and the soles were hanging on for dear life. Any wrong step and the rubber would be torn clean off. “Seems like I’ve been ‘allucinating, Tubster. Seeing shit and all of that.” 

He waved off the distress that began to seep its way into Tubbo’s eyes, forcing out a laugh before his head snapped towards the exit of the alley, a straggler from the initial explosion finally finding their way down the street and away from the havoc. Tommy dimly wondered how long it would take for the pros to arrive if they hadn’t already. They were just outside of Central, after all. The heroes actually seemed to care here.

“That’s not good, Tommy,” Tubbo tried. “What did you see? Are you okay?” 

Frustration began to rise in his chest and Tommy huffed, rolling his eyes as he said, “I’m fine! I swear! Your hand is all fucked up and shit. Let’s deal with thatー”

“Was it about Dream?” 

Tommy felt his hands freeze as he went to reach into his pocket to pull out a very small roll of bandages. His eyes appeared to gloss over for a moment as his mind was pulled back once more, but the rubberband held tight and he reeled when he was snapped back into place.

He wasn’t even able to open his mouth to defend himself when another explosion sounded out. It was harsh and sharp, most likely caused by a stick of dynamite or a claymore. But then there was another. And another. 

“Wha…?” Tubbo breathed out, the bandages forgotten as the pair rushed to the opening of the darkened alley, sunlight flooding their gaze. It couldn’t be any normal explosion; these weren’t leaving behind any form of shockwave. Or smoke, for that matter. 

Tommy did not scream when a blur of black and white shot past them, sending a wave of scorching heat over the pair and making it suddenly very difficult for Tommy to breathe. The black and white blur was followed by a light blue and Tommy expected one more…where was the last one? There were supposed to be three. Why were there supposed to be three, again? Something about the heat and colors must have struck something in him. Maybe that was why it was suddenly hard to breathe.

Dark green hopped past and the blond yelped, staggering away from the exit of the alley and pressing his back flat against the wall. Green. There it was. There was the last one. It only made sense…those three were inseparable. 

“Awesam!” Tubbo’s voice suddenly called out, turning large and sparkling eyes towards Tommy as he bounced where he stood, his uninjured hand gripping the brick wall next to him as if it was an anchor. “Tommy! It’s Awesam! It’s really him! Number Four!” 

Awesam? But that would only make it two. There were three of them. Why were there only two? 

Two more explosions sounded, much closer this time, and Tommy was dragged out of his daze once more, only to rush to Tubbo’s side and peer out into the street to see just what was going on for himself. 

“Holy shit!” Tommy breathed, eyes widening as he saw the scene unfolding. The street was void of any pedestrians, the only individuals spotted caught in a scuffle only a few meters away. 

“Is that…Sapnap and 404?” Tubbo now asked, grabbing onto Tommy’s arm and looking past the boy. Tommy tried his best not to snort at the way the shorter appeared to take cover behind him. Great. Use him as a shield. First, he was teased for being a “sword” and now he was being used as a shield? Pick a damn side! “Tommy?”

“It is,” Tommy murmured, brows furrowed. What was happening? He was afraid, sure, but there was something else bubbling inside of him. It started in a deep part of his stomach before it began rising up his diaphragm. It weaseled its way past his ribs and settled uncomfortably in his chest, surrounding his lungs, almost prohibiting the boy from taking a breath in. “What the fuck?”

Boom! Boom! Boom! 

With every step that Awesam took, Tommy could see that it was intentional. The soles of his feet were explosive, releasing a foot-shaped claymore as the pro lifted his foot to continue on. Sometimes, they detonated on their own and others they were controlled. It just depended on how much time the pro had to develop the explosive before planting it. The more he rushed it, the harder it was to control. The smaller explosives were the hardest to take control over, Tommy had learned from watching various videos on the man. The bigger ones could rival the thickness of a tire. Every time they detonated, not a single puff of smoke could be seen. The craters that were left behind should be important, since it had to be repaired, but the media didn’t care about that. 

And he also had four arms, but that didn’t matter! What mattered was the fact that there were a fuck ton of explosions happening right before his very eyes and Tommy might go deaf because of it! He was having a tough enough time wrangling with whatever weird ass thing he had started to feel in his chest, the desire to run suddenly overwhelming. 

“He’s surrounding them!” Tubbo gasped, leaning so far forward that he almost stumbled out of their cover, the taller of the two having to fumble with his hands before he grabbed the collar of Tubbo’s shirt, gritting his teeth as he yanked him back into the shadows. “Wait! I’m going to miss it!” 

“We have to go,” Tommy suddenly said, a sudden weight pushing his shoulders down and making his mouth go dry. Mixed with the weird one in his chest, he would not recommend it. “Now! Come on!” 

Tommy didn’t hesitate to grab Tubbo’s hand (the uninjured one, since he didn’t want the other to get infected) before they left the cover of the shadows. If they could make it back towards the scene of the explosion, then they would be able to weave around it and take the next street over to put some distance between them and the chaos. 

“It’s going to be closed off!” Tubbo then warned, flipping his hand around in Tommy’s grip, overtaking the boy in seconds to lead the way. “We have to go through Third Street! The fire department probably set up a perimeter a block or so wide.” 

The explosion happened on First Street, one of the busiest roads in the entirety of Central. Or, well, since they were on the outskirts of Central, it was one of the busiest roads that lead directly through the city. 

Tommy didn’t have it in him to respond, the roaring wind in his ears drowning out any thoughts that he had and any other voices that tried to reach out to him.

“Tommy?”

Except that one.

Fuck. 

Tommy was quick to tear his hand free from Tubbo’s grip and shove the boy further forwards, telling him to continue on. Tubbo had clear and bright protest in his eye, but, as Tommy’s steps slowed, Tubbo couldn’t do much about it. His brown hair disappeared around the corner and onto Third Street not two seconds later. 

“404!” Tommy now said, whirling around, arms spread out as if he was greeting an old friend. A huge smile was plastered on his face, but it didn’t come close to reaching his clouded and conflicted eyes. “Big man! It’s been a while, ‘asn’t it? How have you been?” 

The explosions were still heard but there was now distance between them. Tommy would like to think of it as a comfortable distance but, with a familiar villain facing him, he wasn’t too sure if that was even his main concern anymore. Sapnap must be keeping Awesam pretty preoccupied if 404 was able to slip away.

“Where the heck have you been? We've been looking all over for you!" With his yelling, his accent seemed to get slightly thicker and Tommy couldn't help the step he took backwards, holding his hands up to try and keep the villain in place. "What happened?" 

Tommy opened and closed his mouth a few times before he said, "I don't remember." 

404, or George, was nice. At least, that was the George from when Tommy was twelve, nearly thirteen…when he first met Dream. He looked the same and still sported those stupid fucking glasses with the wide, white brim that he always did, but his outfit was different. 

The George he knew before the void in his memory wore a simple blue shirt with black jeans. He almost always had a bag on him and a goofy smile was always twisting his face. His hair was much shorter, too. 

The Geroge now, or 404 as the media liked to call him, was wearing a black mask with his glasses (goggles?). He had a thin, light blue jacket that was worse for wear, holes in too many places to count, a dark, long sleeved shirt peeking out from under it for extra protection. He had moved on from jeans and now wore fitted cargo pants, clearly not bothering to deal with bags anymore. Tommy could see how they would get in the way if he were in a chase. His hair was also much longer, the brown strands at the nape of his neck resting on his shoulders now. Not to mention the new arsenal of scars he was sporting on just his face alone.

It was jarring to see. This was not the person Tommy remembered just having a conversation with. The person before him didn't look as soft as before, the bounce in his step forcefully removed by a weight that rested on his shoulders and caused him to slouch. This man was much more intimidating and it sent chills up Tommy's spine. All he wanted to do was get out. 

"You don't remember?" 404 asked, surging forwards to grab a fistful of the fabric of Tommy's white shirt. It was funny in reality, though, because Tommy was much taller than him. "What do you mean, you don't remember? "

Tommy winced at the venomous sneer, fully aware that this man could wave his fingers and kill him with some poisonous powder or some shit. He didn't want to piss him off even more, but he had nothing else to say but the truth. What was he supposed to do? Lie? 

Yes! Lie! When do you ever tell the truth?! 

He blinked, brows raising a fraction of an inch before he gave a nervous chuckle, a very unbelievable smirk growing on his face. "Heh, you got me, man. Though I coulda' gotten outta that with the ol' amnesia trick. Doesn't work on you, then? Got it. Sorry, sorry." 

He was pulled closer, Tommy pretty sure that 404's knuckles were white with how strong his grip was. His voice was a low growl as he said, "You are testing my patience, kid. Dream has been an ass ever since you left. I'm bringing you back so he can finally get out of his tantrum."

This was nothing like the George he knew before. 

"W-What?" Tommy yelped, blue eyes widening as he saw 404 raise his hand, teeth biting down on the fabric of his black glove to expose his skin. He would be able to knock Tommy out in seconds with his spores. "No! No, don't! Come on, big man! I-I know you don't wanna do this! This is kinda fucked up, right? I don't even know why you want meー"

"None of us want you," 404 spat before pausing, murmuring a quick, "Well, maybe Sapnap does, but that's besides the point. Dream needs you. You have something of his."

This had Tommy even more confused. What the fuck did he have that belonged to Dream? Even before his memory went to complete shit, Dream never physically gave him anything! 

"I don't think I do," he tried reasoning, brows furrowing, all previous fear gone, much to the annoyance of the villain before him, who released his shirt and pushed him away. "I would know if I 'ad somethin' of Dream's."

"You have his axe."

Tommy's brows shot up and he offered a quick amendment to his words: "I would know if I 'ad Dream's bloody axe, now, wouldn't I? This makes no sense! The fuck are you even talkin' 'bout?"

404 took a step forward once more, Tommy matching it with one back, and opened his mouth to respond. Maybe he was going to answer the question, maybe not. Tommy wouldn't be able to find out, though, because a head of brown hair rammed right into 404's side. A yell of pain ripped from the villain and he was sent careening away before tripping and landing awkwardly on his arm. A mewl of pain escaped the downed villain and Tommy snickered at the pathetic noise, fingers wrapping around his forearm to catch his attention, 

Tubbo's blue-green eyes met his a millisecond later and the pair only shared a wicked grin of achievement before they were off once more, feet pounding against the asphalt of the road as they made their way to Third Street as quickly as they could. 

"Ya know…I bet you're regretting wearing more than one layer now, ay?" Tommy wheezed, the jab broken up between his pained gasps for air as he bent forwards, hands braced on his knees. Tubbo was completely on the ground, forehead slick with sweat that his dark hair clung to. 

"Buzz off," Tubbo grumbled lightly, shoving the boy, causing him to squawk out as he fell onto his back. "It'll feel better when we cool down. Our clothes are wet now, though, so that's a problem."

"One for future us to deal with!" Tommy called from his spot on the ground. The noise around them had finally started to calm down (there were still loud sirens in the distance and the faint rumbling of explosions from Awesam) and the world seemed to allow the pair a moment of rest. The day had only just started and it felt like Tommy could crawl back into bed and sleep until tomorrow. 

"How about we go steal some shit?" Tubbo suddenly asked, holding out a hand for Tommy to grab. An evil grin spread across his face as he grabbed onto Tubbo, hoisted to his feet. 

While brushing himself off, Tommy said, "I thought you'd never ask."

Chapter Text

A light hum filled the empty store as Ranboo prepared for opening. He had shed his jacket and stored it in his locker in the back room before he checked in with his manager, whom he let know that he was very much on time today. All he had to do now was do some last minute stocking and he could head to the register. 

For a convenience store, it felt very non- conventional. Ranboo thought so, at least. It was a huge market with isles that twisted around instead of sticking to a simple grid. The only labels he had to go off of to make sure he was in the right aisle were hanging from the ceiling and, even then he wasn't sure if the bold words applied to the row to his right or to his left. Sometimes he would have to ask the other workers about just where this very specific brand of toilet paper was supposed to go because the labyrinth already had fifty other brands displayed except for the one he was looking for. 

All on all, Ranboo was having a rough start as he held two boxes of noodles, each a different brand but the noodles the exact same. He was in the right aisle, at least! That part was hard to mess up. But now he had to read each individual label on the shelves just to make sure these boxes were placed correctly. 

I'm forgetting something, Ranboo's mind chimed, making his eyes widen as he straightened. The boxes of noodles were forgotten as he stood there, brows suddenly furrowed and gaze distant as he rummaged through the files of his mind. 

Of course, he came back with nothing. That was the thing about forgetting something: you don't remember it so you can't figure it out. And it only bothered him more as the front door chimed with the first customer.

He was about to give up on the memory and the noodles when his eyes watched a large cloud of dust appear to fly past the window. What he wasn't prepared for, though, was the massive boom that followed, causing his tail to shoot out behind him, stick straight as he yelled, the boxes he had been holding clattering to the tile floor.

Ranboo's mind was a cluster of thoughts on just what might have happened. A car accident? No, it wouldn't be that loud. Maybe an engine blew? Maybe it was a demonstrationー

After the first five people sprinted past the store, each of them looking stricken with fear, Ranboo knew it was no accident. The only thing plaything through his head now, though, was the fact that Tommy and Tubbo had headed in that direction to reach Central. 

Oh no. I leave you guys alone for thirty minutes! 

"Duck!"

On pure instinct, Tommy dropped to a crouch. He heard something whistle past his head and he winced at the fact that it could have made a very strong impact with his skull.

What Tommy was not expecting was the way a ceramic duck shattered against the brick wall just to the left of him, pulling a yelp out of the kid as he scrambled further ahead, trying to put distance between him and his duck assaulter. 

"C'mon, big man!" Tommy yelled, shoving through a large crowd of people waiting at the intersection, not hesitating to follow Tubbo right into moving traffic. "It was only a couple of bucks! No need to throw shit!"

In reality, they were being chased because they stole a purse from a man who was stealing a purse from a woman. In their defense, Tubbo said it would be fun and Tommy loved a bit of chaos. 

He howled with laughter as he slid over the hood of a taxi, one of the ceramic ducks crashing through the window and sending glass flying. The driver yelled out and yanked the wheel in his panic, sending it straight into a streetlamp. Luckily Tommy was already on the sidewalk. 

"Tubbo! Car!" Tommy shouted, pointing to the crashed car on the side of the road, the crowd waiting at the intersection suddenly peeling into different directions and dissolving into a flurry of panicked shouts and screams because oh my gosh they almost got hit by a fucking car! 

Tommy was a big man. He would stop for no car. They would simply stop for him!

Now, that fact was immediately proven void as he turned around sharply on his heel and sprinted back into the traffic, Tubbo pulling up right behind him. Tommy didn't even see the car coming as that was not his main focus so, when his feet had lifted off of the ground and he was sent rolling against the asphalt after the vehicle rammed into him, he was a little surprised.

"What the fuck?!" Tommy yelled, but it came out as more of a screech as he jumped back to his feet in seconds, flipping off the driver of the car that just ran into himーhe refused to admit that he had been hit by a Sedan ーbefore sprinting up to Tubbo's side, the boy having the opportunity to overtake him as Tommy was assaulted by a moving machine. He didn’t even see what the driver did in response, but he wasn’t sure if that honking was directed at him or not.

The duck villain was MIA. Maybe he had gotten swept away in the crowd. 

"I can't get the door open!" Tubbo gritted out, one foot against it car while the other viciously pulled on the handle. The man inside was unconscious as smoke began to billow out from under the hood. "Tommy! That's not good!"

"No shit!" The younger yelled back, hopping onto the top of the car to reach the left side faster. Tubbo was trying to enter through the passenger side since it was away from oncoming traffic and had the shattered window. Tommy tried the door and, with the same result of it being jammed, he gritted his teeth and wound back his elbow before smashing it once, twice into the glass and watched as it shattered. Ah! Those were the dull glass shards he was thinking about before! 

Fuck that hurt, his mind rang as he clawed at the new opening in the glass, pulling it away to get a decent hole to pull the man through. That's gonna bruise really fuckin' bad. 

"Tubbo! Over 'ere!" Tommy called and the shorter was at his side in an instant. The smell of gas and smoke was suddenly becoming suffocating as it became thicker and thicker, the sudden warmth radiating from the front of the car a clear sign to say that a fire had started. "Help me pull 'em out! I'll take his belt off."

Reaching into his pocket, Tommy pulled out his switchblade and sliced through the webbing of the seat belt. Tubbo, with a determined look in his eyes, reached in first and began to hoist the unconscious man out of the car, Tommy scrambling to help. 

Another ceramic duck embedded itself into the silver aluminum of the car and Tubbo let out a strand of loud curses. "Deal with him! I got this!"

Tommy didn't have to be told twice. He was getting quite sick of these ducks, too. Did the guy just have an endless supply of them, or was his ability to create them and fire 'em out? Either way, it sounded dumb as fuck. 

Through the crowd of people gawking at the scene, Tommy spotted the Duck Thrower and charged, his tan jacket billowing out behind him as he rapidly approached the villain, who had smartly covered up his face to avoid being recognized. Not like anyone would care; the man threw ducks for a living! 

Now, when you are going up against someone with projectiles, you normally think it best to run in a zig-zag motion so it is harder to predict your movements. In the heat of the moment, Tommy seemed to forget all about common sense as he stayed in a stick straight path. 

Crack! 

Tommy's knees buckled under him and he collapsed with a cry, shattered pieces of duck all around him. Pain blossomed on his forehead and he could feel a warm trickle of blood begin to make its way down to his chin as he tried to peer at the villain through a suddenly blurred gaze.

That fucker just threw a duck straight into his head! 

"Ay, fuck you, bitch!" Tommy called out, watching the Duck Thrower take a few steps back before turning tail and running. "That's what I thought! Run, you pussy! I'm the biggest manー"

A deafening boom of an explosion sounded behind him and, from his position on his knees, he dropped to the concrete and covered his head from any debris that might fly in his direction. The car must have exploded. The fire must have reached the gas tank, as the smell of burning gasoline singed the inside of his nostrils as he rubbed at his ringing ears. 

Again? His mind cried out. How many explosions would he have to deal with today?! He wore his nice jacket, too! He didn't want that catching on fire. 

His blue gaze shifted back to the car that was now completely engulfed in flames. Through the blindingly bright burn, Tommy could see the figures of people running away once more, but he had yet to hear a single scream. 

"Tubbo?" Tommy asked out, his own voice muffled as he staggered to his feet. His roommate and the unconscious driver were nowhere to be seen. " Tubbo! "

Panic began to rise in his chest and he stumbled forward a step, raising the back of his hand up to his nose to try and stop from inhaling too much smoke. He coughed anyway, doubling over and using his own knees as a support as he shouted his best friend's name out once more. 

The feeling of a hand on his shoulder sent a jolt of surprise through him and Tommy whirled, relief washing over him as he took in every detail of the Tubbo that was standing before him. His blond-brown hair was an unkempt mess (he had just been through an explosion) and part of his windbreaker jacket was burned through. It didn't seem to reach skin, though, and for that Tommy was grateful. Well…he supposed it wouldn't even matter if it did reach his skin with it being super fuckin' strong, and all. 

"Aw," Tommy whined, masking his relief, the ringing in his ears finally beginning to subside, "I can't have a depression arc where I mourn my best friend's death, now!"

Tubbo only gave him a weird look before gripping his bicep and leading him away from the scene. Thankfully, traffic had fully stopped in the chaos and all of the pedestrians had scattered, allowing them easy access to the road and sidewalk. 

"Where did that driver go?" Tommy asked, stumbling as he tried to keep up with the harsh tugging despite his legs being longer. 

"He's fine! I plopped him in a nearby ally with a nice puddle!" Tubbo grinned, a hop in his step as they fled. They almost seemed confident in the way they retreated. Almost as if something like this had happened to them before. 

"A puddle?" Tommy echoed, tilting his head to the side. He dimly registered Tubbo nodding over the sudden whining in his head. Now they would have to go even further to find a crowd that wasn't freaked out! They had to get away from the building explosion but now a car?! What was up with today? They just wanted to steal some money! 

"I didn't want him catching on fire," Tubbo filled in, earning him a snort from Tommy, who was now freed from the iron hold as the chaos began to die down once again. "And, to be fair, it was between a puddle and a dumpster. The paramedics would have had a hard time finding him if I just dumped him in the trash."

"Ah, sure," Tommy snickered. It would have been hilarious if he did throw away the man like trash, though. Poor lad. Not really. Not any more poor than Tommy, that was for sure! "Couldn't you have just left him on the side of the road?"

"Yep!" Tubbo smiled, shrugging easily. He offered nothing else to that part of the conversation. He went on to say, "Your forehead is split. Might wanna get that checked out, big guy."

On instinct, Tommy reached up to touch the part of his forehead that throbbed and hissed at the contact, pulling his fingers away to reveal blood. He wiped it away on his pants and, for once, was grateful for the silence around them. After living through two explosions in one day, his head was starting to hurt. 

All things must come to an end, though. 

A blur of white and black shattered on the ground just before the two boys, Tubbo reacting with a yelp while Tommy cursed, hiding the fact that he almost fell over by how violently he jolted. 

"Who the fuck wants to fight, eh?!" Tubbo yelled out, whirling around and bringing his fists up into a battle position before his eyes flashed with recognition. Kind of like the recognition you would give someone if you hadn't seen them in years. "Oh! It’s the Masked Mallard again!"

"Masked what?" Tommy asked, tone on the verge of incredulous as he turned his gaze to the Duck Thrower. "Man! I thought you ran out of there like a pussy! Why are you bothering us?" His mind backpedaled and he let out a sudden wheeze. "Wait, wait! Masked Mallard? That's so…That's so fuckin' stupid! Duck Thrower is better than that!"

"The alliteration makes it easier to say," Tubbo informed over his friend's pained laughs, said friend now hacking, forcing him to bend over to avoid collapsing. "But yeah! There wasn't anythin' good in the purse! Five bucks, at most. You can have the bag back."

Tubbo pulled the small handbag (or purse, Tommy was honestly clueless in that subject) and twirled it around by the strap before releasing it and letting it fly towards the Masked Mallard. 

The ravenette only sidestepped, letting the blush pink purse bounce against the concrete of the sidewalk. He apparently had no interest in the contents then. Just them now. Huh. 

"Woah, woah, calm down there, Masked whatever-the-fuck," Tommy called out when the villain took a threatening step closer to them. After getting a mallard to the head, he did not want to go through that again. He could complain later, though, when they weren't in duck danger. "No need to get hasty. We got that money fair and squareー"

"Yeah, bitch!" Tubbo chimed in. "We ain't giving you back shit! "

The next duck slammed right into Tommy's stomach and he was sent right onto his ass, the wind knocked out of him as he laid there. He wasn't even the one that said it! 

"Sure, sure," Tommy grumbled, hearing Tubbo yell out "vengeance!" as the smaller took off towards the villain. He rolled onto his side and coughed for good measure, making sure he could actually breathe before getting to his feet. "Go after the one with no ability! I see how it is, dickhead."

"What'cha got there?" 

Tommy Innit did not scream. He also did not throw the ceramic duck in his hands behind him in an effort to throw off the new attacker. Even though he didn't throw it, he was sure that it would have missed. He even winced as the sound of it shattering echoed through the empty street, but it didn't happen. That would have been embarrassing. 

"What theー" Tommy whirled around, ready to pummel whoever was peering over his shoulder, but his eyes widened to the side of saucers and his knees threatened to give out. 

Enchant was standing right in front of him. The Enchant. The one who was a master of illusions and hypnosis. The one who had the most normal hero outfit someone could have, wearing glasses and a dark mask that changed the sound of his voice when he wanted. He also had a plain beanie on to cover his brown, curly hair, but it looked worn and tattered as if it had been worn for years and never taken off.

Well, Tommy supposed his outfit wasn’t too normal as it had many layers to it, headphones around his neck, an earpiece in his ear and an all too flashy jacket draped over his shoulders. The outside of it was a dark gray while the inside appeared soft, a blue, tie dye-like pattern splattering the fabric. The rest of his clothes were normal if the toolbelt, spiked boots, and high-tech gloves were overlooked. Tommy was sure that his round glasses had some tech integrated into the lenses, too. 

Tubbo would faint if he got to study them. Ranboo would love the jacket. 

Holy shit. 

He would have been more excited if he didn’t despite the system the heroes fought to protect.

"Ah!" Tommy now said, shoving his hands into the pockets of the jacket that brown eyes were suddenly studying. "You mean the duck I just 'ad! You can thank the Duck Dickhead over there for it! Pretty high quality, very painfulー"

The hero narrowed his eyes and took a step closer. There was that recognition again, and Tommy couldn't help the frown that was tugging at his façade. Why was Enchant looking at him like that? Why did Tommy have the feeling that he knew this hero? 

There was one beat, and then two. Silence. Even the sounds of Tubbo's war cries were drowned out by how thick the tension just became. 

"So…," Tommy gritted out, shrugging away the strange feeling of warmth settling around him as if a jacket had just been placed over his shoulders. Neither of them moved from their places. "What brings you around here, big man?" 

Enchant only cocked a brow before his eyes were cast to something behind Tommy and the boy sighed at the silent question, knowing exactly what was going to come next.

He didn't even get to respond before Tubbo shouted, "Tommy! Tommy, I got him! He might be dead! Can you check it out?"

Despite facing off with Number Two himself, Tommy gave an exasperated sigh and turned on his heel, away from the hero and towards Tubbo.

"Sure, Tubbo."

"Thanks, dude!"

"No problem, Tubbo."

On top of the bleeding man on the ground, Tommy heard Enchant say, "Hey! That's my old jacket!" He, in fact, was pointing to the jacket that Tommy was wearing. Huh?

Tommy suddenly felt the overwhelming need to take a nap. 

It was barely noon.

Chapter Text

“I’ve got no idea what you’re talkin’ about, man,” Tommy said, putting his hands on his hips as he looked over the unconscious man on the ground. Tubbo was practically vibrating where he sat, his pupils blown and his hands gripping his overshirt, bunching it up as he seemed to fight back a smile, proud of what he did. Tommy nudged the man on the ground with his foot and shrugged when he got no response. “He’s still breathin’, so I’m pretty sure he’s alive. Where did you hit ‘em?” 

Tubbo pointed to the man’s side and then said, “I headbutted him! Just like I did with 404!”

Despite the weight of the situation settling over Tommy, he smiled at his best friend and said, “Nice! This guy got knocked out by a headbutt? What a pussy!” 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Enchant sweeping towards them and he heard, “Wait, take a step back. You guys engaged with 404?” 

The boys shared a glance, acting like they were on the same page when, in reality, they were not. Tubbo shook his head rapidly but Tommy gave a firm nod, going as far to say, “Yeah. And what of it? You gonna lock us up for self defense?” 

“Dude!” Tubbo reprimanded then, standing up and smacking the younger’s arm, making him snicker. What was the big deal? They had to do what they had to do to get out of there alive! 

“What?” Tommy laughed, holding up his hands in surrender as Tubbo took a threatening step towards him. 

“I thought we shared a moment!” The boy whined. “We were supposed to be on the same page! Now look, we look like fucking vigilantes!” 

Tommy puffed out his chest a little as he said, “So? We’d be pretty badass if that were the case! Look what we did! We took out 404 and this idiot! All in one day!” 

“ I took out both of them,” Tubbo corrected, stepping over the limp body beneath them to give the taller a light shove. “You didn’t do shit!” 

Tommy bristled as he said, “Hey! If I wasn’t there then you wouldn’t have had the opportunity to! My mere presences allowed you to take ‘em down!” 

“Uh…,” a third voice suddenly said. The boys’ attention was then on Enchant, who shuffled awkwardly where he stood. He looked about ten seconds from a mental breakdown, brown eyes flicking between the pair before him and the unconscious man on the ground. “Take…Take a step back, will you? You engaged 404? Who are you guys?” 

“Students!” Tubbo chirped, clearly going the safest route when talking to a pro hero that might arrest them for vigilantism which was very illegal. 

Tommy had a different idea, though, because he spewed out, “Drug dealers!” in time with Tubbo’s answer. 

“What?!” Enchant and Tubbo squawked at the same time. Tubbo’s eyes were narrowed after the initial surprise wore off but Enchant looked like a deer in headlights. Tommy would have laughed if it weren’t for the painful glare that his roommate was giving him. 

“You idiot!” Tubbo scolded again, smacking him upside the head. Tommy sputtered out a weak apology as the shorter said, “You can’t just say that, dumbass! He could believe you!” 

It wasn’t really a lie, if Tommy was being honest. They did what they had to to get money. Ranboo had the steady job that would give them a steady income while Tubbo and Tommy stole, swindled, or begged for a few extra bucks. And yes, they did turn to drug dealing at one point. It was around half a year ago and Tommy would be lying if he said he wanted to do it again. He was absolutely terrified. 

“Stop talking, both of you,” Enchant said, voice edged with authority as he began towards them, Tommy taking a few steps back to keep some distance. “Give me a story that I can believe. Now. Or you’re both coming with me.” 

“Are we just gonna brush past the fact that I’m wearin’ your jacket?” Tommy questioned, head cocked to the side, blond curls tumbling to settle over his eyes. “Ah, nevermind! This guy seems more important!” He nudged the Masked Duck Fuck with his toe again, earning him a pained groan. His eyes brightened at the response.

“We can talk about that later, ” Enchant grumbled out, jacket billowing out behind him as he crouched down to lightly smack the side of the Masked Mallard’s face, hoping to find him somewhat responsive. “Why were you engaging with 404? He’s high on the list of the most dangerous villains in the city.” 

Tubbo opened his mouth to speak but Tommy jumped in with, “That doesn’t bother me! He’s a proper wrongun so I wanted to take care of it! I have connectionsーsomething you probably wouldn’t understand.” 

It was quite weird to see Enchant out during the day. He normally took night patrols, spending the majority of his day in the Syndicate headquarters, the agency bordering Central. Number Two was almost always alone but there were rare occasions where he teamed up with the first and third: The Blade and Philza. They claimed that they were doing it to be “more efficient,” but Tommy knew that it was just a ploy to keep the media happy and interested. They didn’t take down any more villains than they normally would if they patrolled alone. It was bullshit. 

“‘Connections?’” Enchant echoed, brows furrowing as he looked up at Tommy, still kneeling as the unconscious man stirred. “What does that even mean? You look like you’re twelve. How do you have connections?” 

“Hey! I’m much older than that!” Tommy shouted, face reddening as Tubbo laughed. “ You look twelve! Or you’re just stupid, thinkin’ I have your jacket and shit.” 

Enchant gave him a strange look but didn’t say anything else, properly not feeding into the bait that Tommy was laying out so he didn’t have to argue. Something was clearly on his mind, though, and the glint in his eyes and the long glances Tommy got from the man were beginning to annoy him.

“Oi, what’s fuckin’ wrong, big man?” Tommy said quite abruptly, causing the hero to jolt a little. Tubbo was wandering around, the pair not allowed to leave per Enchant’s request. Shouldn’t he be dealing with the fire a few blocks over? Did Awesam really deal with 404 and Sapnap all by himself? Was that really Sapnap? Tommy didn’t get a good look. 

“Nothing,” Enchant grumbled. “That is my jacket, though. It’s got the patches and everythin’. Where did you pick it up?” 

Tommy grabbed the hem of the sleeves that fell past his hands and gave an unhelpful shrug as he said, “It got given to me. Don’t really remember it. ‘M not givin’ it back, if that’s what you’re askin’.” 

Enchant looked even more troubled at that. Did he have memory problems too? That would be unfortunate. It made Tommy think, though, that if they allowed Number Two to keep his place in the pro ranks with memory problems, just who were they letting in? 

To be honest, Tommy didn’t think that the top three should be able to keep their spots. The ranking system originated in the Syndicate agency which just so happened to be run by Philza. What a coincidence that he and the two people he teamed up with the most were top three, hmm? 

Corrupt. All of it. 

“I’m not asking for it back, you gremlin,” Enchant grumbled, sitting back, balancing on the flats of his feet now as he hummed in consideration for a moment. “I remember giving it toーhey, wait. Shouldn’t you guys be in school? You said you were students and it’s barely noon. What are you doing out here?” 

The boys tensed up at that and Tommy cast a glance over to Tubbo, silently pleading for some form of help. The boy in question only shrugged helplessly, causing an irritated groan to rip its way out of Tommy’s throat as he threw his head back.

“None of your business,” Tommy shot back, taking another step away from the hero that was carefully studying him. If it was barely noon, then they only had a few more hours to go until Ranboo was finished with work. They had only gained five dollars so far! It was certainly not worth waking up early for. “But, uh, I gotta…I’ve got some other things to attend to…Tubbo?” 

Tubbo titled his head to the side as he bounded over to them. “Where are we going?”

“You aren’t going anywhere until you get that forehead checked out and you give me a believable story,” Enchant suddenly cut in, pointing towards Tommy’s forehead. The bleeding had thankfully stopped but it throbbed. No shit it throbbed! A ceramic duck rammed right into him! “Tommy and Tubbo, was it? The police are on the way to take care of this guy. Someone should be able to treat you after that.” 

Police. Oh, fuck no. 

“Ah!” Tubbo squeaked out now, the situation becoming a lot more serious now that the police were mentioned. “We have things at home to treat him. There is no need to stick around…we can take care of ourselves!” Tommy nodded hurriedly, violently agreeing with his friend.

Enchant flicked a confused gaze between the pair before he deadpanned, “The police are looking for you guys, aren’t they?” 

Shit. 

“Ah-ha, you see…it’s a funny storyー” Tommy began, but yelped when Enchant stood up fully. He was only a few inches taller than Tommy, but holy shit was he intimidating. “Woah, man! We didn’t do anything illegal! ” 

"You just said you were drug dealers!" Enchant said, hands spread in exasperation. "Not to mention the fact that you not only engaged with 404, but this guy as well!"

"Hey! There's no need to raise our voices," Tommy chided as if he was talking to a small child. 

"I'm staring at two children criminals," the hero groaned, tilting his head back as he scrubbed his face with his hands. "This is the worst! The one day I decided to patrol in the morning and everything goes to shit!"

Tommy and Tubbo shared a look of bewilderment. Was Enchant talking to them or talking to himself? Tommy wasn't sure if he was supposed to respond or not, causing him to shuffle a bit and take yet another step away. He reached for Tubbo's hand and the boy met him halfway, a glint of mischief already shining in his blue-green eyes. 

Ready? Tommy silently prodded, cocking a brow as he tuned out the babbling hero, now complaining about the Blade switching schedules with him or something like that. The sirens in the distance gave them yet another reason to bolt. 

Always, Tubbo answered and Tommy matched his smile. 

"Well!" Tommy interrupted, voice loud and full as he began to tug Tubbo along. The unconscious man on the ground was easily forgotten, along with the wound on his forehead. "It's been a pleasure, boss man, but I don't think we'll stick around for the feds. You also might want to get that talkin' to yourself figured out; there's a good therapy office near our house! I'd love to give ya a referral!"

Enchant's mouth snapped closed and he removed his hands from his face to object, but the boys were already running. 

"Oi! Get back here, you idiots!" Tommy heard Enchant yell, but his voice was quickly drowned out by their whopping laughter and the roar of the wind in their ears. "Shit!" 

They were running in the direction that they just came fromーTommy hoped that the crash was cleaned up when they got thereーand they rounded the corner just as the first police car pulled up to where they left Enchant. Except…there was no Enchant. 

"Tommy! On our right!" Tubbo suddenly yelled, Tommy's blue gaze ripping from the road before him to glance over his shoulder. Sure enough, the pro was in pursuit. 

"Fuck!" Tommy cried, but a smile was plastered on his face as he pushed his legs faster. "Tubbo! Alley! Smoke bomb!" 

The fragmented words clicked instantly in Tubbo's head and Tommy could feel the boy begin to rummage through his own pockets with his free hand, the other one still firmly in the younger’s grasp. It wasn't even two seconds later when Tubbo shouted his signal before he released Tommy's hand to light the round, blue bomb. 

"Get back here you bastards!” Enchant yelled. He was quickly gaining on them, his brown hair whipping out of his face as the air tugged at his tall form, jacket whipping behind him as it tried to keep up with the pro's momentum. Tommy dimly wondered how the man's beanie stayed on his head. "You can't run forever!"

"You're right!" Tommy called back, the street becoming more and more populated as they rushed towards Central. People were leaving buildings for lunch or entering them for the start of a new shift. Tommy's hands itched when he imagined how much money they might have on them, but they sly thievery wouldn't work now since they weren't being very sly. "We can't! Fuck you, bitch!" 

As if on cue, Tubbo leapt into the air and chucked the smoke bomb into the ground after lighting the fuse. The boys let out a howl of victory when thick blue smoke exploded around them. Tommy might not be able to see Enchant anymore, but he sure could hear the string of curses the man let out. 

"This way!" Tubbo said, grabbing Tommy's hand once more as they veered to the left, a sudden chill washing over him and a newfound dampness settling on his exposed skin. The lights around them dimmed as the darkness of the alley engulfed them, two business buildings looming over them the further in they went. 

The blue smoke only expanded so far, allowing the boys a safe enough exit. The smoke covered the alley halfway before it thinned out, both boys sighing in relief when they could see clearly again. 

"Is he gone?" Tommy murmured, pressing his back against the cold, stone wall as he tried to listen for the pro. 

Tubbo fell silent as he, too, was intently focused, but he shook his head after a long moment of silence. Their eyes locked as they let their shoulders fall and within seconds they were cackling, Tommy clutching his stomach as Tubbo braced his hand on the wall, tears in his eyes. 

"There's…There's no way that worked! " Tommy wheezed, casting a glance at the smoke they were beginning to separate and thin out. If Enchant really passed them they would have to move in case he circled around. "He's a dumbass!"

Tubbo coughed as he leaned heavily against the wall in an attempt to compose himself so he could breathe. When his laughter died down, he looked at Tommy to say something but he would freeze up, face scrunched up in an effort to not laugh again before giving in. 

"Let's go up," Tommy said, pointing up towards the roof. He took a few deep breaths and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Don't want that creep findin' us."

"Y-Yeah," Tubbo rasped, pushing himself up before he began to climb, fingers finding easy holds as his feet pushed him higher. "We gotta tell Ranboo about that."

"Of course," Tommy snorted, following the boy up the edge of the building, sarcasm lacing his tone. "Why not just go see him, then?" 

Tommy thought he said something wrong when Tubbo paused but that doubt was quickly washed away when he looked down with shining eyes. 

"Good idea! Let's go do that! I know a fast route from the roofs!" 

Fifteen minutes later, the boys were approaching the store they had left Ranboo at. Tommy took the lead, prepared to kick open the door and make a dramatic entrance but he didn’t get the chance because, right as he kicked, the doors automatically slid open and he was sent stumbling forward, Tubbo the only thing keeping him from face planting into the concrete. 

“Oh Ranboo!” Tommy called, striding into the store with Tubbo at his heels after he had regained his footing. “I, the great Tommy Innit, have come to grace your presence for the rest of the day!”

“Oh, great,” he heard someone drone, the teen snapping his gaze over to a head that was peeking out over one of the aisles not too far from them. Ranboo’s red and green gaze were fixated on the boys that walked in and he sighed as he began to approach them. “Why are you guys here? I thought you had…erm…I thought you had things to do.” 

“We did!” Tubbo chirped, hopping ahead of Tommy to embrace Ranboo, who gave a breathy chuckle and patted the goat boy on the head. “Funny enough, we didn’t do any of what we said we were going to do.”

“Huh?” Ranboo’s head tilted to the side and he glanced at Tommy, but he was no help at all, gaze trained on something across the street, his face squished against the window. “Did the explosion make you guys change plans?” 

“That was just the beginning of it! You see, there was thisー” 

Tommy tuned Tubbo out as he squinted through the tinted glass, the alley across the street housing a perfectly good box. It looked fresh, too, the corners still firm and dry as if it had just been placed out there. That was weird. There weren't any trash cans nearby so it couldn’t be garbage. 

“I’m going to go exploring!” Tommy interjected, making the pair jump as he turned on his heel and rushed out of the store, promptly ignoring any calls from his friends as he hurried across the street. He weaved between a few people and allowed his hand to slip into the pocket of a man he purposely bumped into.

“Sorry, sorry!” Tommy yelped, feigning surprise with wide eyes as the man snarled at him, pushing him to the side before he continued walking, black trench coat swaying behind him, one of his pockets flipped open.

The wallet was heavy in Tommy’s hand and he snickered as he skipped into the alley, humming as he absentmindedly flipped it open, fiddling with the latch that was embedded in the leather before the box caught his attention once more. It was way too clean to be thrown in an alley like this! It was closed, too, but not taped shut, the cardboard flaps tucked in just right so it wouldn’t jostle open. 

“Don’t mind if I do,” Tommy grinned, dropping to a squat as he tucked the wallet into his own pocket for later, fingers fiddling with the cardboard for a moment before he pulled a flap free, tilting his head to the side when it came open. At first, he was confused, the shade of the alley making it difficult to see what its contents were, but then he saw glistening eyes looking up at him and his breath was taken away.

A light hiss jolted him from his daze and his face broke into a bright smile as he watched the creature scurry around the box, much too small to be considered healthy but oh so cute. 

“Hello there!” Tommy piped up, scooting closer to the box and sticking his hand in, barely flinching as the creature’s hiss became much more full and angry. It even went as far as swiping at him but when Tommy didn’t give a reaction, it calmed down ever so slightly. “What are ya doin’ in this box? I don’t think this is any place for a kitten like you!” 

It, in fact, was not a kitten. It was a racoon. A very feral raccoon.

The raccoon turned its dark, uncertain gaze up to Tommy’s face and the boy cooed, “Hey. Do you want to leave? I got some cool friends back there! I think they would love you! Not any more than I already do, but you get the point.” The boy didn’t even wait for a response (not like one was going to come, anyway) before he scooped up the adolescent raccoon, cradling it gently in his hands and giggling when it hissed and thrashed. All he did was run a finger down its head and to its back and it went limp, a sound almost like a purr escaping it.

“Yeah! I’m gonna keep you!” Tommy decided. “I think we have a lot in common! No parentsーwell, I had parents, but they were bitches so here I am! I don’t have much of a home, either, but I think you will like it! It’s much better than that shitty box.” 

Tommy wasted no time walking back across the street, a wary raccoon in his hands as he babbled nonsense to it, deciding on a name as he walked back into the store, happy to see Ranboo and Tubbo still there. It was nearing Ranboo’s break, so this was the perfect time for introductions! 

“Ahem!” Tommy began, clearing his throat as he dramatically stepped toward the pair idly talking, nose pointed in the air in an almost pompous manner. “I have someone to introduce you to!” 

Ranboo tilted his head to the side, glancing around Tommy, fully expecting to see another human being. His eyes landed on the hand that was being shielded by his jacket and a wary look entered his gaze. 

“Okay…?” Ranboo drawled, reaching for Tubbo’s hand, the boy looking equally as wary.

The smile on Tommy’s face didn’t falter as he brought out the raccoon, proudly saying, “Meet Clementine !” 

The raccoon hissed and screams followed. 

Wilbur sat at his desk as the sun dipped past the horizon, drenching the city in darkness, the only light coming from his small lamp that he used to illuminate his work. 

His back was beginning to ache from the hunched over position but, as he switched from his laptop to his old notebooks, the nagging at the back of his head kept getting louder , telling him to keep going . The kid from earlier seemed so… familiar. He looked through his old notes and scoured the internet for files on a kid named Tommy with blond hair and blue eyes, confused when his searches came back with nothing. Did this kid not exist? How was that possible? If they lived in SMP they would have a file. Unless he came from overseas…that would make him illegal if he wasn’t already. 

Drug dealers, Wilbur snorted, shaking his head as he racked a hand through his hair, tapping his pen to the wood on his desk, his leg bouncing in time with the tap tap tap. Those kids were clearly nothing too serious, but Wilbur just couldn’t shake the feeling that he knew the kid. He had his old jacket, for fucks sake! It made no sense because Wilbur gave it toー

Eyes suddenly widening, Wilbur rifled through his stacks of old notebooks and pulled out a red one, the edges torn and the pages wrinkled with water damage and years of manhandling. It didn’t cause him to falter, though, as he flipped through page after page, a smile slowly growing on his face as excitement began to bubble up in his gut. 

“Yes!” Wil cheered, pumping his fists in the air as he found the journal log. “I found him! He was right there!” The kid was okay! 

With a triumphant hum, Wil whirled back towards his laptop and began typing once more, fingers moving with a newfound purpose as he finally knew just what he was looking for. 

He had someplace to start! Finally! After a year, he could finally tell Phil and Techno that the kid was okay.

Thank fucking goodness. He just needed a little more time and, soon enough, he would hopefully get answers and maybe a lead on the most infamous villain out there.

“Ah, the sweet feeling of success,” Wil grinned as the light from his laptop reflected against his glasses as he pulled up an old article.

Breaking: SMP’s Enchant Takes on Dream; A Child is Saved From the Villain’s Clutches

It was time to turn the tides of war.

Chapter Text

“No! That thing is not sleeping in the bed with us!” 

“This thing is my precious Clementine, Tubbo! She should be referred to as such!” Tommy argued, sticking his nose up as he gave an indignant sniff, the small raccoon in his arms doing the same. “And why not? She won’t take up that much space!” His voice gave way to a whine, blue eyes pleading as he stared at his best friend. Oh, and Ranboo was there, too, but he was too quiet so he was easily forgotten. 

“Itー” Tubbo gritted his teeth in annoyance as Tommy shot him a glare, “ she is going to bite one of us! She’s feral, Tommy! You got her out of a cardboard box on the side of the road! We don’t even know if she has rabies or not!” 

Tommy opened and closed his mouth a few times, attempting to form an argument against the very valid point that Tubbo just threw onto the table. His face twisted as he frowned, brows knit together as his mind tried to remember the symptoms of rabies. He knew it was bad if you got it, but he wasn’t sure to what extent. How could he tell if she had rabies, anyways? 

Lifting the raccoon up to his face, he stared into her beady eyes and asked, “Do you have rabies, Clementine? If you can prove that you don’t, then you get to sleep in the bed with us!” 

The only response that came was a heavy, dramatic sigh from Tubbo as he said, “Tommy, no. We can barely fit the three of us on the mattress as it is. I don’t want to run the risk of crushing a small animal in my sleep.” 

Ranboo nodded in agreement and piped up with, “That’s true; we already have to worry about not falling off the mattress. You also flop around too much when you sleep; it’s a chore trying to keep you in one place but now trying to keep you from rolling on top of a raccoon?” 

“But Ranboo,” Tommy whined, lowering Clementine as a pout grew on his face. He shuffled on his feet and kicked a loose board on the floor, grumbling under his breath about how unfair it was, but he had nothing else to back up his pleas. That didn’t mean he was going to stop trying, though. “She’s going to get cold! I don’t want her gettin’ sick.” 

A sick raccoon that also might have rabies would not be a fun raccoon to deal with, the trio decided unanimously.

Tubbo sighed again and moved towards their room. Tommy was able to make out a few curses as the boy rummaged around and, when he popped back out into the living room, he had an old blanket in his hands that he shoved towards Tommy. 

The blanket was tie dyed blue and yellow and the fabric had begun to run thin due to years of excessive use, corners fraying and some parts of the blanket completely missing. There were quite a few holesーno doubt caused by the ratsーbut that didn’t matter too much because Clementine leaned forwards in Tommy’s hands to sniff it and Tommy took that as a good sign. 

The boy beamed as he snatched up the blanket, quickly swaddling the rodent, eyes bright as he cooed, “Look at that! Now she’s all warm and comfy! Thanks, Tubbo!” 

“No problem, big man,” he waved off, clearly done with the topic as he shuffled towards his bag on the ground, pulling out his old laptop before settling against the wall. “I get your dessert for the next few days, though.” 

Ranboo stifled a laugh with his hand as Tommy cried, “What?! You can’t do that!” 

Tubbo met Tommy’s gaze and the boy bristled at the challenge when he asked, “Why not? I have just supplied your pet with something that will keep her warm. If you don’t want to lose your deserts, I can always just take the blanket back.” 

Tommy looked conflicted, a protest rising in his throat before he caught the gaze of Clementine . Well…it kind of looked like she was glaring at him. Yikes. That was a look that meant he shouldn’t even have to consider it. 

Defeated, Tommy shot a quick, “Fuck you,” to Tubbo before settling on the ground next to the boy, patting the cushion next to him for Ranboo, who shuffled over and collapsed, all lanky limbs and jagged edges. Tommy nudged him a little and he tucked in his arms, settling to lean against Tommy’s shoulder to see what Tubbo was doing.

“How’s your head?” Ranboo asked, attention torn between the bright computer screen and the conversation he was trying to have. 

“It fuckin’ hurts,” Tommy grumbled, lifting a hand from his bundled up raccoon to rub the bandage that was on his forehead. “That asshole really deserved a Tubbo headbutt for that. I hope he stays in jail.” 

“Not likely,” Tubbo hummed, fingers flying over the keys as he pulled up an old website they used around a year ago to scout out where heroes would be patrolling. It was a handy tool when they planned to go swindling and, since there was little to none of that today they decided to push it to tomorrow and plan a little more in advance. “He’s escaped from the city jail twice now.” 

“Really?” Ranboo asked, surprise clear in his gaze as he laid his cheek on Tommy’s head, who squawked in protest but didn’t do much to push him off. “From what you told me, he’s just a plain ‘ol guy that throws ceramic ducks.” 

“With force, ” Tommy added harshly. “I don’t even know where he gets them! If it’s his ability, it’s a really stupid one.” 

“Like you’re one to talk,” Tubbo teased, nudging the younger with his elbow. Tommy bristled and his ears grew red in irritation.

“Hey! Having no abilityーwe still don’t know if I really don’t have one yetーis better than having one that is designed just to throw ducks! That fucker is practically a normal man!”

It was quiet for a second before Ranboo asked, “How do you think he managed to escape? Did he just…chuck pottery at the police until he was out?” 

Tubbo snorted, “Probably. There isn’t much on those breaches, though. That department must be too embarrassed to release an official document to the public saying they were bested by the Masked Mallard twice. ”

“Very true,” Ranboo laughed and Tommy let his eyes close as he listened to the idle talking of his two roommates, Clementine sound asleep in his arms. He should get some form of collar for her…maybe a little ribbon for her tail? He wanted something with her name on it, though, so if he lost her (which was highly unlikely since he was already fiercely protective of her) then whoever found her knew she wasn’t just any raccoon. She was Tommy Innit’s raccoon! He should put his name on a tag, too! 

“Do you want to talk about what happened today, Tommy?” Tubbo asked, leading the boy out of his thoughts as he blinked open his eyes, offering a shrug in response. “Did it make you remember anything?” 

“Not really,” Tommy grumbled, suddenly frustrated as his gaze shifted towards his lap, fingers twisting a loose string on the blanket. He felt Ranboo shift a little closer and the warmth allowed some of the tension to leak out of his shoulders. “George did say I had Dream’s axe, though, which I thought was fuckin’ ridiculous. Where the fuck would I keep an axe? ” 

“Wait… Nightmare? ” Tubbo inquired and Tommy gave an unhelpful shrug.

Ranboo, thankfully, supplied an answer by saying, “Yeah. He has a crossbow too, I think. Or just a normal bow. I can’t remember.” 

“You guys know more about current Dream than I do,” Tommy sighed. “Last thing I remember was when he still called himself a vigilante.”

“You would have been twelve…,” Ranboo mumbled, more to himself as he lifted his head off of Tommy’s, the loss of the weight causing a whine to almost rise in his throat if he didn’t swallow it back down. “I still…What is Dream’s ability again?” 

“I dunno,” Tubbo mumbled, using the trackpad to draw a red line through the city, turning at some intersections where more than one green line converged. There were a lot of green lines near First and Second and a few stragglers made their way to Third and Fourth Street. Those must be the hero patrol routes. Good thing they lived right off of Ninth Street. No green lines were seen this far out. They completely stopped after Fifth. “Something to do with strings, clearly.” He used his hand to gesture to Tommy’s wrists and reached over to pull up the tan fabric of the jacket to get a better look at them in the fading light.

They weren’t too noticeable but there were very thin and very light scars that wrapped around his wrists and stopped halfway up his forearm. Some of them were deeper than others and some still looked a little pink, as if they were fresher. The same scars were seen on his neck, too, but those were very faint, the wounds that caused those much older. 

“Yeah,” Tommy muttered, a crease in his brow as he tried to recall what the ability did. “I remember him carrying around a lot of dolls. He used to show me how he wrapped this weird, green string around them and the string would disappear and shit when connected. He just had to move his hand and the doll would do whatever the fuck he wanted.” 

“Creepy,” Ranboo shuddered. 

“No shit,” Tommy agreed. “I guess his ability affects memory, too, because the last memory I have of him was when I was fuckin’ twelve. It’s weird.” 

“I don’t doubt it,” Ranboo murmured. “It must have been weird to not be under his control anymore.” 

“Yeah,” Tommy nodded. “It was like I just woke up from a long nap or somethin’ except I didn’t know where I was and apparently three years went by.” 

The weight of Ranboo’s head returned and Tommy acted like he didn’t melt at the contact, absentmindedly running a hand over Clementine’s wiry fur and deciding that she needed a bath soon. Did they have raccoon safe shampoo? 

“Where is Philza going to be tomorrow, big man?” Tommy spewed, focusing back on the screen once more. This was his clear way of saying I do not like this conversation. 

“I’m not putting our route through his, Tommy,” Tubbo laughed. “You know how he would react to two kids practically in rags on the side of the street!”

“Oh, but we could try and swindle him!” Tommy objected. “He would be too captivated with my charm and whatever the fuck keeps his attention and you can search for something expensive on him!”

“You could also just beg for money. He would hand some over in a heartbeat,” Ranboo offered.

“I do not beg, ” Tommy spat, the word tasting bitter on his tongue as he made a sour face. “I am too big for that.” 

“True. People beg to you so you leave them alone,” Tubbo teased and Tommy yelped out a surprised curse before playfully shoving the smaller teen. The trio nearly got into a wrestling match right then and there if it weren’t for Tubbo interrupting them by loudly clapping his hands together, Clementine jolting awake in her cocoon. “All right! The plan is simple!” 

“You say that every time and Tommy always seems to mess something up,” Ranboo joked, smiling into Tommy’s hair as he felt the younger take a breath as if he was going to start yelling.

Thankfully, Tubbo cut him off by saying, “We only have to stay on Fourth and Fifth Street. We drop Ranboo off at his work just off of Third and we loop back around and take what we can during the morning rush. Hopefully the heroes stick to their normal patrol routes.” 

“Like they would ever leave them,” Tommy grumbled, eyes narrowing at the screen. “Why would they switch it up and risk their publicity? They care too much about their shitty reputations to want to do anythin’ different.” 

“Sad, but true,” Ranboo chirped. 

“Thank you for your input, big man,” Tommy grinned, reaching up and patting Ranboo’s forehead. “Helps a lot.” 

“No problem.” 

“Oh! Wait! I actually did get a wallet today!” Tommy suddenly gasped, shifting his right leg up so he could reach into his back pocket, pulling out the leather casing and flipping it around in his hands for a moment before he offered it to Tubbo, whose eyes were sparkling.

“When did you get this?!” Tubbo asked, nearly vibrating as he flipped the metal latch that held the leather together, opening it as he began to rummage through its contents.

“When I found Clemetine! ” Tommy supplied, the raccoon in question making a small chitter noise before curling back up in the bundle of blankets. “This asshole looked too fancy in his trenchcoat and shit so I decided he could share!” 

“Tommy!” Tubbo gasped, eyes widening as he reached into the slot where the paper money was held. “There’s over three hundred dollars in here!” 

“What?!” Ranboo and Tommy exclaimed at the same time, purple particles nearly drowning Tommy as Ranboo teleported to Tubbo’s right side, eagerly peering at the money in the boy’s hands. 

“No fucking way,” Tommy breathed, a smile breaking through the shock on his face. “I knew he looked too fancy! Was plenty rude, too, shovin’ me to the side and shit!” 

“We might not need to go out tomorrow after all!” Tubbo explained, gently placing the money back in the wallet as if it was made of glass, ready to shatter at any moment. He handed it to Ranboo who tore through the other slots, coming away with three gift cards to various food joints in the area and one card for the pet store that was off of First Street. 

“We probably should, just in case,” Tommy offered, the idea of waking up early once more doing nothing to hinder the blinding smile on his face. “Stock up and all of that, right? Just to be safe.” 

“Right, right,” Tubbo agreed, running a hand through his hair as he began to type once more. It looked like he was making a grocery list. “But! We should be able to use this to get food for an entire week! And, if we get anything else during our outing tomorrow, we can combine it with Ranboo’s check and get a heated blanket orー”

“Or a microwave!” Tommy interrupted, fighting the urge to lunge to his feet since he had a sleeping raccoon in his lap. 

“Or a microwave,” Tubbo agreed, laughing. “That sounds like a plan.” 

“This is great,” Ranboo breathed, tail wagging behind him as he blinded the pair before him with his smile, causing Tommy to groan in protest and hold up his hand to stop the onslaught of light that was suddenly radiating from the boy. Too cute! Too bright! 

“We’d better head to bed, then, huh?” Tubbo said, closing his laptop and pulling the cord from the wall before he stuffed it back into his ripped up backpack once more. He shuffled to his feet and offered a hand to the other two, who both took it, and led them to the mattress they called a bed.

Flopping down, Tommy gently placed Clementine on the ground next to the mattress, making sure she was all covered up before he began to wrestle with the other two for the thickest blanket, the chill of the night beginning to settle over the apartment. Thankfully, it was an exhausting day so the fight only lasted a few minutes and they all decided to throw it over Ranboo and mooch off of his heat. He would probably get too hot in the middle of the night and toss it over one of the other two, anyway. His body was weird with regulating temperature. 

 The next morning the trio found themselves bouncing out of bed with newfound vigor, excited for the day to begin and rejoicing at the fact that they wouldn't have to fight off their hunger pains another night. 

They walked through the chilly morning air, Ranboo splitting off and leaving the duo to stir up their own chaos.

Sharing a smile, the two left bounded back towards Fourth Street, blissfully unaware of the eyes trained on their every move.

The man smiled, a thing much more sinister than the one plastered on his porcelain mask. This was going to be easy.

Chapter Text

“Tommy! Wait, you can’tーno! Get back here, you moron!” 

Tubbo’s exasperated yell carried down the street after the boy that had taken off a few moments prior, following what both boys assumed was the sound of someone screaming. Not just yelling for help or calling out because they stubbed their toe…no, they were screaming bloody murder and Tommy, being the cool and big man he was, decided he needed to step in because he couldn’t have any of that on his watch! 

He contemplated pushing Clementine into Tubbo’s hands before he took off, jacket flapping behind him as the wind howled in his ears. Crime fighting was no place for a baby Clementine and, despite the strangely intelligent eyes his baby had, he didn’t trust her to not get into any trouble. Not yet, at least.

“Leave it to the pros, you idiot!” Tubbo shouted, making haste after Tommy, weaving between the afternoon crowds that had begun to gather. A few people edged away from the direction the scream came from and, since they were on Fifth Street, the chance of a pro hero being there was quite low despite what Tubbo insisted. 

Tommy didn’t even bother to call back as his face broke out into a huge grin and he pulled up the cloth mask that had been resting on his chin, his warm breath immediately making the fabric damp and stuffy but that didn’t matter because he was doing cool hero shit and he couldn’t be recognized or he would be thrown into jail. And jail was no place for a sixteen-year-old, even if he could handle it. 

“Excuse me!” Tommy chirped as he whirled around a couple that were walking hand-in-hand down the street at a painfully slow rate, the rest of the world lost to them as they gazed into each other's eyes. “Stop being gross and move! ” 

He did not shove the couple out of the way but, if he did, he would firmly state that it was necessary because, even if the taller man ended up on his ass, someone was in danger and Tommy would be there to help them! 

He didn’t really help people because he felt like he had to, no. He hated the pro hero system and everything they stood for with a burning passion. Hell, the system was what made most of the villains, villains! It’s what villainized the simple act of helping another human out by calling them vigilanties. It’s what forced the heroes to stick to First, Second, and Third Street despite the fact that crime out toward the other six routes in the city was going haywire! 

All of that was besides the point, though! He helped people because there was usually a promise of a reward at the end. Even if it was just a few coins, that was a few cents they didn’t have before and they could spend it on a candy bar or something. 

Apparently, if you save someone from peril, they tend to be thankful. It should be a lot less surprising, though, when an unlicensed individual swoops in to help. The had to put more faith in what humanity had to offer, despite how fucking awful the heroes treated everyone else.

Well, despite Philza and King Eret and The Blade. They were cool. 

Enchant used to be on that list but, after pursuing them when he suspected them of running from the police, Tommy was quick to scratch his name off. 

Clementine was half in his hood and half clinging to his shoulder as he ran. Her dark eyes scanned the world as they rushed by and she seemed to be quite uninterested in this whole ordeal, opting to yawn and curl back up in Tommy’s hood to fall back asleep, despite the violent jostling that came from the running. 

The shrill scream echoed out of the alleyーonly a block away nowーonce more. Tommy ignored the frantic yelling from his friend behind him to dig the heels of his ratty sneakers into the ground and practically skid around the corner, putting on the most intimidating face that he could muster and, to be honest, it wasn’t much. His blue eyes shone brightly in the sudden shadows and his mouth twisted with a scowl from under the mask he had pulled up while he ran. 

If he was going to partake in illegal activities, he wasn’t too keen on bystanders knowing what he looked like. Even though the mask only covered his nose and mouth. The two things that people usually don’t look at when pulling together an idea of what someone looks like. 

It was a spur of the moment kinda thing.

“Oi! Let them go right…now…?” Tommy’s words died in his throat as his eyes finally adjusted to the drastic lighting change. There were two children huddled against the wall, tear streaks glistening on their round and dirty faces while they stared at the unconscious body on the ground before them. Tommy almost thought the kids took the man on themselves but there was a fourth figure. One that appeared to be sidling away, as if he didn’t want to get caught. “Who the fuck are you?” 

They are just children, Tommy’s mind grumbled as he ushered the pair out of the alley and into the sunshine, barely casting them another glance as Tubbo came barreling up to him. He, in fact, appeared to be more interested in the kids. That was just because he got distracted by everything. Not like Tommy did the exact same thing, but that didn’t matter now.

Children couldn't pay him for saving them. Even though he wasn't the one to do it, it was still a very large disappointment. 

“Hello,” the man before them said. There were many emotional layers to his voice but the uneasiness that dripped from his words was the thing Tommy was able to catch onto first. “Who are you?” 

“I asked you first, bitch,” Tommy huffed, haughtily crossing his arms over his chest as the scowl on his face turned into a confused frown. 

The man before them shuffled awkwardly on his feet, brown, fluffy bangs efficiently covering his eyes and tinted, purple goggled were fastened over his forehead. He had a black satchel secured over his chest, the bag itself nearly hidden under a cape that fluttered out behind the man in the breeze. The cape itself was painfully plain, much to Tommy’s disappointment, and consisted of a gray swirl on white fabric. The hoodie the guy was wearing was much more fun to look at, the green and purple sleeves ending just above his elbows and showing off at least five different watches on his right wrist. It also looked like he was wearing some form of black under armour, the fabric pulled up over his mouth and nose so his identity was completely concealed. 

“And I, uh, decided not to answer that question,” the stranger said, but he sounded unsure. Tommy’s eyes narrowed as he watched the man glance down at the arm that doned the watches before reaching a hand up to fiddle with the miniature clock hanging around his neck. That, too, was horribly plain on the outside, but there were quite a few pins within it as if it acted as a clock that told the time down to the milliseconds and a compass simultaneously. Why did a clock need five hands? It was a lot to look at. Tommy didn’t like it.

“I don’t think that’s how these things work,” Tubbo murmured from his spot a step behind Tommy, causing the younger to snicker and turn his head so he could meet the boy’s gaze. 

Tommy had actually opened his mouth to say something (Tubbo would argue that it was probably stupid) but his words died in his throat as Tubbo grabbed at his jacket and said, “We should really get going. Don’t wanna disturb your…erm…hero work?” 

The man before them did not look like a hero. He was too concealed to be one. Maybe Tommy should invest in a hat to hide his hair when he runs into situations like this but he just knew he would get teased for it. He tended to have very horrible hat-hair. 

A small chitter from Clementine in his ear pulled him back to reality as the hero before them took yet another step away, just a foot away from the brick wall that blocked his path to escape. It wasn’t like the boys were going to catch this guy and turn him in for saving the life of a few little kids. But the stranger didn’t know that, much to Tommy’s dismay and he showed such emotion but throwing his head back and groaning.

“I am notーthere isn’t anythingー” the man stumbled over his words and his hands twitched like they needed to fidget with something or he needed to run. “No! I’m not…I’m not a hero. I justーno, there were these kids and…and….” 

“So you’re a vigilante?” Tubbo inquired, tugging the worn sleeve of Tommy’s jacked once more, allowing the boy to take another step away. It wasn’t like the situation was dangerous! The guy had watches. Just what was he going to do with them? Tell the time? Take ‘em off and smack people with them? That didn’t seem too practical.

“Yes! I meanーno! Uh…kinda?” the guy sputtered and Tommy watched as the man fiddled with the hem of his sleeve. “It’s complicated.”

“Clearly,” Tommy and Tubbo deadpanned. They stifled their giggles at the jinx that passed in their words before falling silent once more. They wanted him to elaborate. They were blocking the way out of the alley, too, and the stranger seemed to notice this when he heaved a dramatic sigh.

“I’m in training,” he admitted, shuffling on his feet as he shifted his weight. He looked down at his hands and looked a little too interested in the way his fingers interlocked. “I don’t have my license yet.”

"Oh-ho! So you're really illegal!" Tubbo grinned, a knowing mischief passing through his eyes. "You're breaking the law right under their noses! How clever!"

"I don't mean to!" The man objected, smooth voice gently echoing through the dank alley. "I mean…I'm just doing what I can to help when I'm not legally allowed to yet."

"Sounds like you mean it, then," Tommy pointed out, cocking a brow as he watched the man sputter once more, frantically searching for another excuse to throw at them. "Ah well! I don't actually care who you are or what you do. I just thought I could get a few bucks off ofー"

"Time Twister!" 

The trio in the alley all flinched as a deep voice sliced through Tommy's rambling. It had an edge of authority to it, but there was a playful undertone and a smile in the voice. It was smooth and Tommy found himself turning to face the newcomer with a glare. 

"Who do you think you…holy shit," Tommy breathed, eyes widening to saucers as he looked at the number nine hero, King Eret. When the ranking ceremony happened in the next day or so, Eret was supposed to jump up because of their involvement with spreading the patrol routes further out and away from Central. They seemed like the only one that cared about anything past Third Street, even though that was where most of the crime was. 

"Hello, King Eret," Time Twister said and Tommy shook himself free of his awestruck daze to turn towards the man from before and double over wheezing. "What's so funny?"

"'Time Twister?'" Tommy laughed, Clementine chittering in his ear to show her own amusement. "Really? That's fuckin' stupid!"

"To be fair, he's got the watches." Tubbo pointed out, harshly nudging him to get him to shut up. "I reckon he uses them to warp the timelines around! Wouldn't that be cool?!"

"Who are your new…friends?" King Eret inquired from behind the two boys, causing them both to tense up and silently curse themselves. They had totally forgotten the hero was standing there. Screw their short attention spans. 

"They aren't my friends," Time Twister sighed, shaking his head. Tommy wondered what color the vigilante's eyes were. Oh! Wait! Vigilante! Tommy could so bust him and get a reward out of it! "They practically cornered me in hereー"

"He's doing illegal activities!" Tommy blurted before Time Twister could finish his sentence. 

Silence descended over them and Clementine nipped at Tommy's earlobe as if she was scolding him. Even she could feel the weight of it then, huh? Yikes. 

King Eret broke the tense silence by saying, "They aren't technically illegal. He might not have his hero license yet, but he has a permit to use until then." There was a soft smile on their face as they looked down at Tommy. That was something Tommy was not used to. But, he supposed wearing freakishly tall, leather platform boots would put you above anyone. They were really cool boots and had a rainbow hugging the zipper and painting the soles. They were insanely flexible, too, and had retractable heels if they wanted to be even taller. 

Tommy ignored the fact that the heel had a sleeping agent embedded into it so they could take down bad guys a lot easier. 

Not able to stop the whine that rose in his throat, Tommy said, "That's so boring! So we aren't going to get a reward for turning this guy in?"

Eret laughed, a wonderfully smooth and joyful thing, and adjusted the blue and pink cape draped over their shoulders as they said, "No, you aren't. Sorry about that. It looks like you guys might be partaking in some illegal activities yourselves, though, with the masks and all."

Tubbo puffed out his cheeks and huffed as Tommy gathered Clementine into his arms. He listened absently as Tubbo said, "What? We can't wear masks outside now? Does that make us vigilantes? That's a load of bullcrap!"

Tommy nudged his best friend and murmured, "Careful. They're one of the good ones."

And they were! Eret did what they could to give back to the community on top of their hero work and was unapologetically themselves. They pushed for basic human rights for those who weren't fortunate enough to be born into privilege and were constantly seen doing the part of the work that the other heroes would like to stay hidden: the paperwork. They were so mundane and relatable. That was what the others were missing.

"Thank you for that," King Eret chuckled, reaching out and ruffling Tommy's hair before they scratched Clemetine on the head, not even questioning why a kid with a mask was carrying a raccoon. Maybe they just wanted to match! "But no, I was just teasing. I honestly really like vigilantes. With the main pros sticking to First, Second, and Third Street, it's nice to know that there is someone looking out for the people everywhere else."

If Tommy wasn't already dazed from the soft touch, he sure as hell was now because holy shit. King Eret actually had a working brain and could see the huge flaws in the hero system! And they voiced their opinion so casually! 

Now that Tommy thought about it, it made a lot more sense as to why they were only ranked ninth. Clairvoyance was their ability, too, so it wasn't anything flashy either; King Eret was everything the hero agency strived not to be. 

"That's why I'm here, actually," Time Twister chimed in, sliding around the pair and settling next to the pro. Despite the cloth covering his face, Tommy could see the grin. "I was actually on my way to Sixth Street to patrol. It's Friday so there should be some activity, even if it's just someone getting too loud."

"Trust me, there will be plenty of activity," Tubbo grumbled, looking less than pleased with the situation as the pro and trainee stepped away. 

"I hope you two have a good rest of your day, yeah?" King Eret said, waving to them before pulling down the sunglasses on their face slightly to send Tommg a playful wink with their completely white eyes. Apparently they glowed when they activated the clairvoyance. "Gotta get back to work! Bye, now!" 

And, just as fast as they came, they were gone. Time Twister gave his own goofy wave before sprinting in the opposite direction, away from Central and towards the low income part of the city. So he was telling the truth. Huh. 

"I don't like 'em," Tubbo spat, a glare on his face as he stared at the ground where the two had just been standing. 

"What?!" Tommy cried out, catching the attention of a few people passing. "How can you say that?! King Eret is literally the only one fighting for us! Plus, they look really fuckin' cool and they pet Clementine!" He proudly held out the chattery raccoon and Tommy grinned as she began to play with the rainbow ribbon he had tied around her tail, latching onto the tag with both of their names on it before nearly wriggling out of his grasp. 

"They pet you, " Tubbo snickered, shoving Tommy's hands away as he pulled off his mask and shoved it into his pocket. "Come on. We gotta go shopping. And you'd better behave yourself because I am not getting kicked out of another store!"

"Yes, Tubbo."

The man from before was still unconscious in the alley. He was easily forgotten. 

The doors of the bunker slammed open and the silence was filled with an unnecessary amount of shouting. 

“He was right there! You could have grabbed him!” 

“That wasn’t what we were supposed to do! You know this!”

“But it would be so much easier if we just nabbed him! ” 

“I agree! But Dream would be pissed with us!” 

“I’m guessing you encountered him?” Dream asked, voice cool and steady as he lifted his head to fix the bickering pair with an emotionless look through his porcelain mask. George insisted that Dream didn’t have to wear his mask in the bunker, but he could care less. “How did that go? Has he shown any signs?” 

Sapnap harshly elbowed Geroge in the side and the man took a step forwards, crossing his arms over his chest as he met Dream’s even gaze through his own glasses. “Yes. Awesam stepped in before I could even think of taking him back, though. From what I could tell, he isn’t showing any signs.” 

“Good, good,” Dream hummed, turning back to the counter as he twisted a thin, green string around his index finger, a frown suddenly on his face. “I’ll have to trail him myself just to make sure. I don’t want him to catch us off guard.” 

“Yeah,” Sapnap grumbled, rolling his eyes as he fiddled with the ties of his headband. “I think George freaked him out, though. The little shit had a tiny friend, too.” 

“I think I have a bruise,” George grumbled, rubbing the side that the small, horned kid rammed into. “It’s like… pulsing. ” 

“Gross,” Sapnap snickered, moving to poke at the area that George was rubbing, only to get his hand slapped away, turning his attention to the man sitting at the counter, still messing with the string that seemed to fade away as it trailed off of the table. He didn’t want to know where that one led. “What now, Dreamie? Any new plans? I can stir up some chaos on the other side of Central so the pros will be more drawn to that area!”

“That’ll be fine,” Dream nodded, George grumbling something about needing an ice pack as he walked away. “I’ll be out tomorrow to follow them. It’ll be easy enough to track him down. You are sure that he wasn’t showing any signs?” 

At the accusing tone, Sapnap tilted his head back and groaned, rolling his eyes as he grumbled, “Yes! No signs! At all! Well, you’ll have to ask George since I was busy dealing with Sammy, but I didn’t see him pulling your axe out of thin air so I think that’s good!” 

“That makes my job a lot easier,” Dream smiled, standing up from the stool and reveling in the way Sapnap took two steps away. He let the string fade but he kept the presence at the front of his mind as he brushed past the man at the door still. Dream grinned as he flinched away. “I probably won’t be back until tomorrow night. Keep your communication lines open unless I need you, understood?” 

“Yes, Dream,” Sapnap murmured, voice subdued as his orange gaze trailed to the ground. He felt the fire in his chest dim to mere embers. He hated feeling like he was being smothered and snuffed out. He hated feeling so afraid. 

The iron door screamed on its hinges before it slammed shut behind Dream, leaving Sapnap in the corridor leading to the living quarters. He attempted to still his trembling hands and keep the scowl off of his face as he walked further into the bunker and settled on the couch next to George, who didn’t hesitate to let the man lean against his arm.

He just wanted things to go back to normal.

Chapter Text

The weekend had crawled up on the trio faster than they would like to admit. Monday and Tuesday were filled with activity and excitement while the other three days were spent inside, organizing the groceries they had bought at the store (Tommy had thankfully not gotten them kicked out and kept Clementine hidden in his hood to avoid any unwanted attention) and making a plan for how they were going to watch the Annual Pro Ranking Ceremony (the APRC). 

Despite not liking the system that the pros served under, the ceremony was still quite fun to watch. They had music and demonstrations and a lot of sciency shit that Tubbo drooled at. Tommy was mostly excited to see the new hero costume prototypes for Philza and Totem. 

“Captain Puffy has been inactive in the field for a few months now,” Tubbo said on Thursday evening through a mouthful of powdered doughnuts. “I don’t doubt that she will lose her spot at number seven. Maybe even drop out of the top ten ranking all together!” 

“That would be interesting,” Ranboo agreed, nodding. “I like her, though. She helped me when I got lost that one time.” 

“Don’t you think that it’s weird that the ceremony happens in the middle of November?” Tommy blurted, brows furrowing. “Don’t award shows usually happen at the beginning of the year? I mean, it would make more sense if they put it at the end of December, right? It’s fuckin’ stupid.” 

“You have a point,” Tubbo shrugged, pushing Clementine away from his keyboard as she tried to nip at his fingers. They had yet to go to the pet store to buy any toys for the animal, doing a bit of research beforehand so they didn’t accidentally fuck it up.

Not like they could fuck up anything for Clementine; she was an angel and would appreciate any gift they got her! But they didn’t want to give her something she would mistake for food and choke on or give her some form of toy that could break her teeth or something. She was still a growing baby, after all; she likes to bite things. 

Tommy’s bandaid-covered fingers were the perfect example of that. 

“Niki has a T.V. in her bakery,” Ranboo pointed out as Tubbo tried to find a place where they could find shelter inside, hidden away from the late autumn chill and not have to pay for service. “Since she knows us, I doubt she would have a problem if we dropped by.” 

“Sounds like a plan, then,” Tubbo hummed, smiling as he flopped back against the mattress, expertly ignoring the way a spring painfully jutted into his lower back. “We can probably get some muffins when we are there, too!”

“Warm food,” Tommy said, voice droning as if he was daydreaming about it, laying down on Tubbo’s left side while Ranboo took his right. Clementine was placed on the ground in her blanket nest next to Tommy and he cooed his goodnights to her. She chittered back, licking his thumb before burying herself in the blanket. “I can’t wait.” 

“I get my paycheck on Friday, too,” Ranboo smiled, pulling up the only four blankets that they had before throwing them over all three of them. “It seems like we are in a lucky streak!” 

“You’ll jinx it, you idiot!” Tommy protested. 

“You seriously believe in that stuff?” 

“Oi! Say that again when we are stuck withー”

“GOODNIGHT!” Tubbo shouted, shoving the faces of the two boys laid out next to him to get them to shut up. And it worked because five minutes of silence allowed all of them to fall into an easy sleep.

Saturday morning rolled around after another day of their usual routineーTommy and Tubbo would walk Ranboo to work and then go off to do what they could to get a few extra bucksーand the trio found it just as difficult to wake up. 

“The heroes aren’t worth it,” Ranboo whined, shoving his head into the pillow that Tubbo was currently hogging as Tommy trudged over to the drapes and pulled them open, hissing at the morning sun like it burned him. “I need more sleep.” 

“Me too,” Tubbo complained, shivering as he rolled himself up in the blanket that Tommy had left behind. It was absolutely freezing. “I don’t care about the heroes!” 

“You should care,” Tommy grumbled, glaring at the two still in bed and kicking the edge of the mattress to shake the thing, hopefully jostling them awake. If he tackled them, they would only pull him back under the covers and he would fall asleep again in mere seconds. “We gotta keep track of this shit.”

“Not like they care about us,” Tubbo mumbled, eyes squinting open as his floppy ears flicked in discomfort at the sudden light. 

“But what about the tech you like to see?” Tommy inquired, rounding to the other side of the mattress to grab Clementine, who had been wrestling with a bug on the floor. It looked like some form of cockroach. They would have to put the food up higher, then, to keep the insects at bay. Or just let the mice deal with them.  

“I don’t understand why you are the only one up,” Ranboo slurred, heterochromatic eyes slipping closed again. “You never want to get up in the morning.” 

“We get Niki’s muffins today, though,” Tommy whined, stomach growling loudly. They had food for the past couple of days but they, in no means, got a lot. They only had enough for four actual dinners, three whole lunches, and a shit ton of snack food that Tubbo had to hide from Tommy and Ranboo because they were notorious for getting the munchies at three in the morning and burning through their chip stash in under an hour. 

The two on the bed were silent before Tubbo grumbled out a few swears and violently kicked the blanket off of him, shoving Ranboo to the side and onto the cold floor, pulling a yelp from the taller. 

“Hey! What did I do?” he cried, tail flicking as he pushed himself up and rubbed his bare arms. Tommy was quick to throw him his usual half-cut hoodie while Ranboo slipped on his sweater. 

“You were too warm,” Tubbo said, pulling on his own jacket and winter hat (there were little holes for his slightly curved horns to stick out of). “You would have impared my ability to get up.” 

“I don’t know why you would want to stay cuddled up to him, ” Tommy jabbed, frowning towards Ranboo but only able to keep the façade up for a second before he was sent into a fit of giggles at the taller’s high protest. 

“Okay, mister ‘I’m going to shove Tubbo off the bed in the middle of the night to get the pillow, blankets, and Ranboo,’” Tubbo mocked, punching Tommy’s shoulder and earning a shout from him. “You’re so hard to wake up, too!”

“And you snore,” Ranboo added.

“I do not! ” Tommy defended, face reddening as he pulled up the dark hood of his tan jacket as if to hide his sudden embarrassment. 

“You do too!” Tubbo cackled, throwing Tommy’s ratty shoes at him before grabbing his own boots. Ranboo was already dressed, having plenty of experience getting ready plenty fast when he accidentally slept in. “I get worried sometimes by how loud you can get.” 

“Dick’ead!” Tommy shot back, not having any form of defense as his mind sputtered and reeled for any form of response. “I’ll kill ya!” 

“Have fun with that felony on your head along with all of your other illegal activities,” Tubbo responded in a sing-song voice as he strode out of the room and then out the front door of the shoddy apartment, hopping into the stairwell as the other two scrambled after him. 

They once again made sure there were no heroes or any form of police that could question them for coming out of an abandoned building this early in the morning (it wasn’t early. It was eleven, but they were not morning people) before they began on towards Third Street. The ceremony started at noon so they had an hour to spare. Tubbo made sure to grab their masks and Tommy grabbed his pocket knife just in case.

After hearing about Ranboo getting mugged at the beginning of the week, they were not too keen to leave his side. They were not too keen to let him leave at all, even if they went with him. The amount of times they had been jumped while just throwing out the trash was insane. 

Tommy would always be proud of that one time he defended himself against a shady woman that approached him when he was heading home. She reached out for him and he was quick to send his knife through her outstretched hand. He ignored her pained cries of “You looked too young to be out here alone!” and “I just wanted to help!” as he fled the scene. Not only was he a big man and could take care of himself just fine, but it was dark and she came out of an alley. What the fuck was he supposed to think?! 

“Do you think Niki will let your raccoon into the building?” Ranboo asked as they rounded the corner, the intersection that led to Eighth Street in view. There shouldn’t even be a stoplight here, to be honest. No one this far out ever dreamed of owning a car. They all traveled by foot or by bike.

Tommy had a bike once, but it got wrecked when Ranboo hopped on and they rammed right into a fire hydrant because of how unbalanced it became. 

They had matching scars on their knees from where the concrete scraped them up.

“I don’t see why not!” Tommy said, crading Clementine close as she chittered in interest when they approached the intersection, stopping next to the pole that held the stoplights. She seemed interested in the shiny metal so Tommy held her up to the button they were supposed to press to allow them to walk across and grinned when she used both of her hands to press it. “Good job, Clementine! You’re so fuckin’ smart! I’m raising you right!” 

She looked just as clueless as ever as Tommy praised her. Tubbo rolled his eyes and shifted his weight from foot to foot before saying, “I think she was just interested in her own reflection in the button. I don’t think your parenting had anything to do with it.” 

“I’m a great parent,” Tommy huffed, holding the raccoon close once more and protecting her from the slight burst of cold wind that ruffled his hair. “She knows when her bedtime is and she knows not to eat any of our food.” 

“She constantly bites us, wakes us up in the middle of the night because she is climbing into our cabinets, gets into fights with the mice, tries to jump out the window when she sees something shinyー” Tubbo began, holding up his fingers to list off every wrongdoing she had ever done.

“Okay, okay!” Tommy exclaimed, pursing his lips at the idea that his baby wasn’t perfect. “I get it! But she’s just a baby! She still has so much learning to do.” 

He held the raccoon up to his face, their noses almost touching as they began to walk across the street. Her beady eyes stared directly at him and her dark nose twitched before, as fast as lightning, she bit his nose. 

“Ow!” Tommy screeched, nearly dropping Clementine in surprise, detaching her from his nose with an embarrassing amount of effort. “That fuckin’ hurt, you bitch! Bad Clementine! You don’t get any treats today.” 

“You got a bit of blood on your nose, there, Tommy,” Ranboo sighed, handing over a spare napkin that they had begun to carry with them in case something like this happened. The younger begrudgingly took it, grumbling profanities and scolding his pet like she could understand what he was saying.

There was not a single thought behind her eyes.

“Oh, look!” Tubbo gasped, his tone a little too cheerful as he grabbed Ranboo’s sleeve and began leading him towards the next intersection. “We are one street closer! Let’s keep going!” 

“You’re so rude, Tubbo,” Tommy grumbled, stalking after them, hating the distance that was suddenly between them. Despite not being in physical contact with them, they had a warmth that kept him grounded. Now he was just cold as he held the napkin up to his nose and wiped off the little puncture wounds from her freakishly sharp teeth. “You’ve really got to learn how to play bite.” 

Clementine thrashed in his grasp and freed herself by gripping onto his sleeve and vaulting up his arm, settling on his shoulder, half in his hood. Mind you, the hood was still up. It would have been an endearing sight if his nose wasn’t slightly bleeding from the wound the wild animal put there.

“I’m really hoping you don’t have rabies now,” Tommy sighed, shaking his head as he felt the creature lay down, resting against his neck. “That wouldn’t be poggers at all. I heard that shit can kill you.” 

A faint chitter came in response and Tommy finally pulled up to his friends, arms crossed and a pout on his face as they waited at the intersection to Fourth now. There were a lot more cars in this area and there was a remarkable amount of congestion on the roads that were leading into Central. The APRC was held in the Central Player Stadium, the place where most concerts, ceremonies, and sports were held. It was huge, and the base could shift depending on what event was being held there; there would be a large stage and a lot more stands for the ceremony today where a football game would flatten the center and replace the concrete with astroturf, keeping the stands to the perimeter. 

Apparently Awesam helped build it. Tommy faintly remembered Tubbo going on and on about how amazing it was with Ranboo one night, but he had gotten bored and ended up heading out for the night. 

“Let’s hope the authorities can be trusted to guide this massive amount of traffic in the right direction,” Ranboo murmured and Tubbo scoffed.

“The police? Doing their job? Unlikely.” 

“They haven’t caught us yet!” Tommy added, mood shooting up at the thought of their expert evading skills when it came to pros and police alike. 

“Why do they want you, again?” Ranboo inquired, keeping his voice low as more people began to gather around them the closer to Central they got. There wouldn’t be any pros out until after the ceremony, so they had to fend for themselves. Not like it would be much different than normal, but still. 

“We got caught shoplifting,” Tommy said with a shrug.

“You got caught shoplifting,” Tubbo corrected with a deadpan stare. “And you assaulted the man that worked there.” 

Tommy pursed his lips again and looked away.

“So why are you wanted, Tubbo?” Ranboo asked, an amused look in his eyes. “It seems like it should only be Tommy.” 

“It is, but this fucker decided to say my name very loudly when running,” he sighed. “Now I’m an accomplice, despite them not knowing what I look like. All they know is my amazing first name.” 

“Your first name is weird,” Tommy interjected . “I doubt it would be too hard to connect the dots. Who else has the name Tubbo? ” 

“Okay, Theseus Innit, ” Tubbo teased, causing Tommy’s face to redden as he sputtered. 

“Look at Ranboo! Who the fuck has that name?” he tried in a vain attempt to shift the focus off of him.

“Wait, wait,” Ranboo laughed, putting a hand on Tommy’s shoulder to keep him by their side as the crowd began to cross the street. Despite Tommy’s height, he tended to get lost because he would wander. “Your name is actually Theseus? I never knew that! It’s so lame!” 

“Hey!” Tommy protested, trying to shrug his hand off but to no avail, face burning with embarrassment. “Your name is lame, bitch! You’ve known me for years, too! What the fuck, big man?!” 

“I don’t even remember my real name,” Ranboo admitted, a grin plastered on his face.

“Then where the fuck did you get Ranboo? ” Tubbo asked, face twisted in contemplation. “Isn’t that a kind of ice cream?” 

“Mhm!” the boy nodded, grinning. “First thing I remember seeing before Tommy found me!” 

“So that’s why you panicked when I asked for your name,” Tommy drawled, remembering the way Ranboo was cowering in the alley that night (Tommy had just run away from home and Ranboo forgot how he even ended up there in the first place), shaking from head to toe, numerous bruises on his skin and dressed in clothes that were clearly outgrown years ago. They had known one another since they were young children. Tommy knew him before he even knew Tubbo. “Wait! You named yourself after an ice cream? What the fuck?!” 

“It was the first thing I saw!” he defended. “It's no stranger than Theseus! ” 

“Yes it is! My name isn’t edible!” 

“Wouldn’t that make a name better?!” 

“It would make more people question it and say ‘what the fuck?’” 

“Where did you get Tommy then? How is that even a derivative of Theseus? ” 

“Because Tommy is a badass name and Theseus isn’t, bitch!” 

“Tommy sounds like the name of a kid that was bullied in school.” 

“Fuck you!” 

“We’re here!” Tubbo interjected loudly, grabbing the both of them by the collars of their jackets and yanking them out of the way of the crowd that was bustling past. He had much more difficulty grabbing at Ranboo, but the boy slouched so much when he walked it was easy enough. “You’d better shut the fuck up and behave, okay?” 

“Yes, Tubbo,” the pair droned, looking at the ground as if they were ashamed of their actions.

They were not. 

“Good. Now let’s go. We have twenty minutes to warm up before the ceremony starts,” Tubbo explained, shoving them towards the door. The smell of baked goods filled their senses as the glass door was pulled open and Tommy hopped in first, mouth watering with the promise of a tasty treat. The place was already quite filled with people who had stopped by for a quick breakfast before heading to Central and Tommy had to hop out of the way to avoid being stepped on when a man even taller than Ranboo made his way out. 

How was there someone taller than Ranboo? That was impossible! It was a crime against Ranboo himself! No one could be taller than Ranboo! 

“Welcome inーoh! Hello Ranboo! Hi Tubbo and Tommy!” Niki smiled, wiping her hands off on her apron, stood behind the counter as she finished serving a woman who was holding two children. 

Niki looked a little frazzled, her pink hair tied in a bun that appeared to be loosening as the seconds ticked by. Her bangs were swept to the side and tucked behind her ear but she had to keep adjusting it whenever she looked down and was quick to just pin it back. 

“What are you three doing here this morning? Ranboo, you don’t work on the weekends, right?” Niki asked as the trio approached the counter, thankful that there wasn’t a line behind them.

“Ah, we are actually here to watch the APRC, if that is okay,” Ranboo said, rubbing the back of his neck with long claws as he looked away from the warm gaze that landed on him. He always hated eye contact; Tommy had learned that the hard way.

A long, thin scar on his arm itched at the thought. He had gotten into an argument with the boy a week or so after he had met him and tried to stare him down but Ranboo ended up completely flipping his shit. He swiped at Tommy and everything. He was a lot more wary around Ranboo after that, but boundaries were set and everything fell into place within the month. They met Tubbo shortly after and Tommy was quick to let him know about what not to do. 

No matter how much Tommy complained, he could never actually hate Ranboo. He was kind and selfless and Tommy looked up to him in more ways than just physically. 

He was everything everyone wanted Tommy to be. 

“Oh, of course!” Niki chirped and Tommy just now noticed how tired she looked when she began packing up a few of the baked goods into a paper bag for them.

“You look super fuckin’ tired,” Tommy said and Tubbo harshly elbowed him, making him wince and grab at his arm. “Hey!” 

“That’s rudeー”

“It’s quite all right,” Niki laughed, waving them off. “I stayed up late last night doing…ermー” she cut herself off, glancing behind her as if she was expecting someone to be listening in, “I was up late because I was busy preparing for today. I wanted to get a head start on the morning rush.” 

“Makes sense,” Ranboo agreed. “With it being a weekend and having all of these people travel past here to get to Central; I’m not surprised at how busy it is.” 

“Yeah,” she said, heaving a breath. It was light, though, and the smile stayed on her face and glittered in her eyes as she handed them two bags filled with muffins and a few biscuits. “The T.V. is in the back portion just through that door there.” 

She gestured to the door just past the counter that led into a much larger dining area, not many people seated. Ranboo was actually able to pay this time (there was much protest from Niki, but he wasn’t having any of it) and they bounded into the back, finding the seat closest to the television before they practically tore open the bags and inhaled the pastries. 

“Do you think The Blade is going to keep first place?” Ranboo was quick to ask, tilting his head as the screen mounted on the wall flashed with a large LIVE sign before the scene changed to the massive amount of people flooding into the stadium. 

“I wouldn’t doubt it! He hasn’t been knocked down yet!” Tommy exclaimed, swinging his legs in the chair and smiling through a mouthful of blueberry muffin. “Maybe Philza will finally take the number one spot, though! That would be exciting!” 

“For someone who constantly complains about these heroes and everything they stand for,” Tubbo began, “you sure are invested in them.” 

“W-Well, they look cool!” Tommy argued, a flush rising up the back of his neck and turning the tips of his ears red. He sniffed, thankful that he could feel his fingers again as they began to thaw from the cold outside, a fire raging in the pit just below the large television and enveloping them all with a welcoming warmth. “Even though it is corrupt and overall shitty, the…the way they publ-publicize?” 

“Publicize,” Ranboo confirmed.

“Yeah! The way they publicize everything makes them look cool!” 

“Sure,” Tubbo drawled. “It has nothing to do with the fact that you secretly wanted to be a pro when you were a kid or anything.” 

“I did not!” Tommy objected, thankfully not having any food in his mouth as it all would have spewed out. Tubbo smirked and shot another jab at the boy well into the beginning of the ceremony. At this point, the stadium was filled to the brim and a well known band was playing while the people got settled in their seats. 

An hour in and a bunch of filler performances later, the trio watched a man with slicked back hair take the stage with a large envelope in his hands. They watched with rapt attention, Tommy nearly vibrating in his seat.

“I am honored to be the one to announce the lineup for the Top Ten! These heroes have done so much for this city; they are the reason we can exit our homes and not have to question whether or not we will be safe ー” Tommy frowned; that man looked familiar, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He must have been on a billboard or something. There was a strange nagging at the back of his head, though…. “They do what they can to help the community and, with the new Recovery Fund being put in place, The Syndicate Agency has donated over three million to aid front-line workers and repair damages that merciless villains have inflicted on the city! They are the people we can turn toーwith the help of you all, they are bringing us to a brighter future! Without further adieu, let’s get right into the rankings! ” 

“They say all of that stuff like they care about anything past Fifth Street,” Tubbo growled, rolling his eyes at the man poised on stage. He had dirty blond hair and what appeared to be blue eyes; he was wearing a casual suit with a black cloak draped over his shoulders, a golden chain with a large pendant clasped to keep it together. Tommy was quite frustrated that he couldn’t put a name to the face, nose scrunching up in thought as Clementine nibbled at the muffin he gave her. 

“The Recovery Fund was only put into action after that massive fight that tore down two buildings, remember?” Tubbo then and Ranboo nodded. 

“The buildings didn’t fall because of the villains; the heroes were the ones doing all that they could to subdue the threat,” Ranboo mumbled, chin resting in the palm of his hand as he gazed up at the T.V. “The Fund feels like an attempt to admit their own wrongdoings but ultimately shifting the blame because they do nothing wrong.” 

“You were there, right?” Tubbo asked, tilting his head at Tommy, who squirmed in his seat at the sudden attention on him. “That was when Dream fought with Enchant and the others, yeah?” 

“I don’t remember,” he grumbled, frowning as he looked at the muffin in his hands. A heavy weight dragged his shoulders down at the fact that he couldn’t remember. “I only remember stuff starting at like…a month after you picked me up.” 

“Oh,” Tubbo said, lighty headbutting his arm in a form of apology for upsetting the boy. “Right! That’s my bad.” 

“No worries,” Tommy shrugged, swallowing down the lump in his throat. “I think the Fund only applies to Fifth Street and in, right? It’s not something that they fuckin’…they didn’t write it down, but it’s likeーlike hidden in it.” 

“I’ve heard about that, yeah,” Ranboo confirmed. “It hasn’t been brought up because the people who have noticed it haven’t been high enough in power to draw enough attention to it.” 

“That’s bullshitー” 

“Number Ten! ” the announcer said, voice cutting through their conversation and bringing their eyes back to the screen. “Number Ten belongs to…Captain Puffy! ”

Captain Puffy. Ability: Sheep. She has the characteristics of a sheep; Captain Puffy mainly focuses on recovery, opting to stay off of the front lines. She has been inactive for the past four months for undisclosed reasons.

“I knew it!” Tubbo exclaimed, a bright smile on his face as he rapidly pointed to the screen. “See?! I called it!” 

“You sure did,” Ranboo chuckled. 

“Number nine goes to…Skeppy! ” The hero in question steps out from behind the large curtain with a huge smile on his face and waves. He dropped down one rank, but he didn’t seem too bothered by it.

Skeppy. Ability: Cryokinesis. He can manipulate ice; his own body can freeze over if overused. He focuses on defense and capture; usually teams up with Pro Hero BBH.

“Number eight…Fundy! ” The Fox Hero bounds out from behind the curtain and takes place neatly beside Skeppy, who shakes his clawed hand. His orange tail is wagging behind him.

Fundy. Ability: Fox. He has the characteristics of a fox and his senses are incredibly enhanced. He used to be close with Dream (read: Fundy fails to capture Vigilante Dream yet again) before turning his focus to support and capture; was the apprentice of Enchant before teaming with Pro Hero Totem to form The Mutants Agency. 

“Number seven goes to…Totem! ” Totem bounces out and into view before nearly tackling Fundy in a hug, picking them up and spinning them around before placing him back down and doing a bouncy dance.

Totem. Ability: Golden Shark. He has the physical attributes of a shark. He holds a cursed amulet that allows him to evade death once. Is related to Pro Hero Captain Puffy. He focuses on retaliation and capture. 

“Number six…Number six belongs to BBH! ” The pro slides into place and smiles wide when the spotlight is placed on him, clawed hand waving and pure white eyes scanning the crowd. His tail also wags behind him, pointed ears flicking and horns protruding from his hood.

BBH. Ability: Demon. He looks like a demon and has the ability to compress his size along with enhanced senses and extreme agility. He focuses on attack and pursuit. Almost always duos with Skeppy. 

“Number five…King Eret!” In a flourish of brilliant color, King Eret is standing next to BBH with a casual smile on their face. They saluted the audience and swept their arms out in a bow before righting themselves and forming a heart with their hands.

King Eret. Ability: Clairvoyance. They can see up to two weeks into the future when they come in physical contact with the focus. They focus on planning and attack; almost never teams up with anyone but has taken Time Twister as a pseudo-apprentice. 

Tommy couldn't help the way he grabbed onto Tubbo in excitement, a blinding grin on his face as he said, “Hey! Awesam is in the Top Four again! Do you think he stayed fourth? King Eret went up a lot! Did you seeー” Tommy was shushed by his two roommates. 

“Number four…breaking the Top Four is…Philza!” The winged hero swept out into view with the softest smile imaginable on his face as he raised a clawed hand to wave. He spread out his wingsーthe feathers acting as a form of elytra for the insect-like wings underーbefore tucking them back in, tipping his hat to the crowd. 

Philza. Ability: Wings. He has four wings, two of which are feathered while the other two are smooth and see-through. Has senses like a hawk. Normally teams up with Enchant and The Blade but has different patrol times; founder of The Syndicate. Focuses on pursuit and capture. 

"Fourth?!" Tommy cried out, eyes blown as his mouth hung open. Tubbo snickered from his spot to Tommy's right but Ranboo looked just as shocked as Tommy was. "I thoughtーwhat?! I thought he would have gone up! Not down!"

"He hasn't been as involved recently," Tubbo tried to explain, patting Tommy’s hand which was still tangled in his jacket. "Maybe that is why he went a rank lower. He is getting quite old, too."

A seething glare was sent to Tubbo and the boy couldn't hold back his laughter anymore, clutching onto Ranboo so he didn't fall out of the chair. 

"Number three is…Enchant!" Enchant swaggers out from behind the curtain, an easy smile on his face with his multipurpose mask hung around his neck. His hands were in his pockets but he removed one to wave before resting it on Philza’s shoulder. 

Enchant. Ability: Illusionist. He has a siren-like voice than can impact what individuals see and how they perceive reality. He is also very persuasive, but it is not known whether or not that is connected to his ability. Teams with The Blade and Philza. Was the second person to join The Syndicate. His focus is planning and defense. 

"Wait…so that means that Awesam is Number Two!" Tommy gasped, promptly ignoring the hero on screen. He did try to apprehend both him and Tubbo. "Tubbo, we saw him! We saw him a few days ago!"

"We did," Tubbo nodded, laughter calmed down as he smiled. "He probably shot up because of what he did this past week, too."

"Part of me wishes I could have seen it but I know I would not have enjoyed it in the moment," Ranboo said, a smile playing at his own face at the excitement of his friend. 

"It was so cool!" Tommy exclaimed, eyes trained on the television as he waited to see the hero pop up. Tubbo was even interested, the inventions the pro hero made ingenious and extraordinary. The latter took copious amounts of inspiration from him. 

"Number two…your number two hero is…, " the silence was tense as everyone held their breath, "The Blade! " He was swift with his appearance, sweeping out from behind the curtain and pulling up next to Enchant, who clapped him on the back. There was a small smile on his face as he nodded to the crowd, though, top half of his face concealed with a mask. 

The Blade. Ability: Boar and Weapon Materialization. He has the physical attributes of a boar including: tusks, floppy ears, enhanced strength, et cetera. He is also able to form weapons out of "space matter" and grab them in the middle of battle. He prefers to work alone. Was the fourth to join The Syndicate. He focuses on attack and pursuit. 

The trio sat in stunned silence. It was almost as if the city couldn't believe it, the silence lasting a moment too long before the stadium erupted with cheers. The Blade had never fallen from first. Enchant and him were in a constant tussle for the top spot, but The Blade always got it in the end. 

"What the fuck?" Tommy breathed, mind attempting to process this new information. There was no way ー

"Numbed one is taken by Awesam! " The crowd roars as the hero appears. He was waving all four of his hands but his smile was concealed behind an enhanced gas mask. His skin has blotches of dark green and, as Tommy glanced further down, he saw the hero wasn't wearing shoes. 

Awesam. Ability: Claymore Steps. The soles of his feet can detach and rapidly form an explosive, the size controlled by how long the intentional step is. He tends to work alone, but has been known to team with The Mutant Agency. He is known for using his ingenious inventions out on the field. He mainly focuses on pursuit and attack.

"We saw the number one hero," Tommy breathed. "Holy shit. I can't believe it."

"That is pretty fucking cool," Tubbo laughed, running a hand through his hair, his hat discarded on the table. 

"That's probably why he shot up to first," Ranboo said. "He engaged with 404 and Sapnap, right? He might not have caught them, but the fact that he was able to hold his own proved a lot to the public."

"And there you have it! Your Top Ten! " Tommy squirmed in his seat as the camera focused back on the announcer. That uncomfortable feeling was back. He…He remembered those eyes! "They are here to bring you another safe year, no matter their rank! Give them all a big round of applause and hold on tight! The show isn't over yet! "

Normally the ceremony ended after they announced the ranks. What else could they have planned…? Wait.

"Tubbo!" Tommy suddenly shouted, shooting out of his seat as recognition dawned on his face, images of the man on the screen flying through his mind as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. Pain shot through his temples light lighting and the scars on his wrists flared with the phantom pains the memories brought. His vision swam as he heard his chair clatter to the ground behind him. "P-Punz! That's Punz! HeーThere isn'tー" He couldn't breathe. 

"Woah, woah!" Tubbo said gently, standing up as he carefully put his hands on Tommy's shoulders. "Calm down, big man. It's Punz, yeah. He jumps between the agencies a lot. What's up with him?"

A hand was on his back and Tommy could cry, whirling around and grabbing Ranboo's claws to try and ground himself, eyes glued to the screen as he waited. There was a smile on Punz's face. 

Conversations of a time he couldn't remember flashed behind his eyes. He could feel the burning on his wrists and he loathed the way his mind seemed to fill with a heavy fog, thoughts that didn't belong to him shoving their way in and telling him what to do. He wasn’t in control! He couldn’t stop it!

He couldn't find the right words to explain it all, mouth opening and closing in a futile attempt to. He might not be able to explain how he knew who Punz was, but he knew what to say to get them to understand. 

"Dream!" He shouted. 

A chorus of screams rang out through the television before the feed glitched and cut to black.

Chapter Text

“Should we…I dunno, do something about that?” Ranboo asked, staring at the blank screen before his eyes trailed over to the shorter two. Tubbo had his hand placed firmly on Tommy’s shoulder as Tommy tried to get a grip on his rapid breathing. His hand was clenched onto his shirt in an iron hold, fingers tangled in the fabric as he tried to ground himself. He wanted the flashes behind his eyes to stop! He didn’t want to see any of this! 

Along with the tsunami of memories that slammed into the boy, so did an overwhelming feeling of panic. If he closed his eyes, the images would only become more vivid…if he kept them open, then he could hear them crystal clear. 

All in all: Tommy Innit was not having a good time. And neither was Tubbo or Ranboo, who had never dealt with him this panicked before. Plus, the street outside of the dinner was suddenly filled with screams.

A good thing, Tommy decided. At least it wasn’t happening inside of the bakery. 

“What the fuck do you think we should do, Ranboo?!” Tubbo exclaimed, throwing his hands out as he helped steady Tommy against the table. “We are three teenagers! What the fuck are we supposed to do against a thing that attacked the Top Ten ceremony?!” 

“That’s notーno! I mean…there isn’t anyー look! ” He pointed a clawed finger to the absolute chaos that was erupting outside of the building. Somehow, a fire had already started on a car parked just across the street.

Tommy wasn’t sure if the people were rioting or panicking. They were practically the same thing, right? Yeah? Yeah. 

“We should help who we can!” Ranboo tried to explain and Tommy felt the claws of panic begin to lessen at the sound of his voice. “I mean…we can’t do much of anything against the bigger threat, but we can try to help those who need it right now around here. If that makes sense.” 

“It does, it does,” Tubbo sighed, dragging a hand down his face as he looked up at the television screen, a Please Stand By image flickering across the previously blacked-out surface. “I just…Tommy? Are you okay? Back with us?” 

“Fine,” the teen in question grumbled, bringing a hand up to rub at his brow, where a sharp pain was beginning to blossom. Annoying. "I'm fine. I just fuckin'...I know Punz. We've talked and shit, I guess."

"What do you mean 'you guess?'" Tubbo asked, hiding his unease behind a mask of irritation as he tried to get a grip on the situation around him. "Did you remember stuff?"

"Yeah, yeah," Tommy groaned, lifting his hand from the table to rub at his wrists, a phantom pain that resembled burning causing the scars to flare up. "Something like that. It's all fuckin' fuzzy and shit. Dream hires Punz to do work for him, I think? That doesn't…Dream looks weird. He’s got longer hair."

"You have to remember that years have passed," Ranboo gently reminded as Tubbo tried not to bristle next to them. They were moving too slow. They had to go. "He's not going to look like how he looked when you were twelve."

"Fuck thisー" Tubbo began, whirling towards the door only to be face to face with Niki. Who had frozen in the doorway leading to the back room the trio resided in. Who was wearing a mask and holding a large staff like it was an everyday occurrence. 

The trio just stared at her, wide-eyed and at a loss for words. Her faded pink hair was gathered up and tucked under a hat that had what looked like spiked fins embroidered on the side and her black mask had a sharp-toothed smile. Her outfit mainly consisted of blues and pinks, but she did have an iridescent frilly scarf that appeared to shimmer like the surface of water would. 

"Holy shit!" Tommy exclaimed, all previous panic thrown out the window as he pointed a finger towards the statue-still figure of Ranboo's friend. "Niki is a hero!"

"No, you moron!" Tubbo cut in, smacking Tommy upside the head and causing the boy to whine, wincing away as he grumbled something about a growing headache. "You see that mask? She's clearly a vigilante!"

"Niki…?" Ranboo asked now, voice low and confused but there was a heavy undertone of amusement, a smile beginning to grow on his face. "Do you partake in illegal activities? "

"N-No!" Niki began, seemingly gathering her bearings as she rushed past the trio to check that the storage room was locked before pausing before the back door. There was another wave of fearful screams outside and Tommy wondered just how in depth this plan was for the villains. Why attack the ceremony? The Top Ten were literally there! It would be too hard to do anything, not to mention the increased security around the compound…oh shit. "I'm…well, I am but you're not supposed to know that I am! Please don't tell anyone!"

"We won't!" Tubbo chirped. He was much less irritated now, knowing that someone they knew was going to have their back when they left to help the crowd. "But Tommyー"

"First Street!" The blond suddenly blurted, hurriedly grabbing Ranboo's shoulders as his wide, blue eyes flicked between the other two. The shop had cleared out not too long before the attack began. "That's where the ceremony was being broadcasted through! They didn'tーThey didn't attack the ceremony itself!"

"They attacked the station!" Niki cried out. "That's why there are so many people panicking here! Oh, shit." 

Clementine had poked her head out of the burrow she had made in Tommy’s hood to bring her paws up to his cheek, turning him away from the door as her ears laid flat against her head. The boy was about to ask what she was doing before a deafening explosion shook the ground beneath them and shattered all of the glass within a mile. 

Tommy screamed out a string of curses as Ranboo moved to cover both him and Tubbo with his tall and lanky form. Not like it would do much and Tommy didn’t really want him to get hurt, but it was the thought that counted, he supposed. Niki dove behind an overturned table and Tommy saw shards of glass sliding across the tile and into the back room, stopping just before the table they were huddled under…wait. 

"Where the fuck did the table go?" Tubbo cried out, shooting to his feet as he whirled around, paying no mind to the destruction that was happening just outside in favor of searching for a goddamn table. "It was just here?! Did it get blown away?" 

"It's not a big deal!" Niki called, rushing over to them as Tommy only just started to regain some of his hearing, the ringing rattling his brain and making his vision go fuzzy. It made his growing headache ten times worse. "I have insurance! We have to go! Come on!" 

The teens didn't even bother putting on their own masks as they charged out the back door, making a sharp left and sprinting through the alley to reach the main road that was directly connected to Second. 

Tommy kind of wished he stayed inside of the bakery now after seeing the chaos that awaited them. 

First and Second Street were practically engulfed in fire and destruction. Skyscrapers threatened to topple over, black smoke billowed out from hundreds of broken floors, and cars were overturned or destroyed. Thick, concrete dust swept down the open streets, engulfing anyone that got caught up in its rampage, and Tommy was quick to cover his mouth with his shirt, Clementine burrowing deeper into his hood to protect her own tiny lungs. Such a smart creature. He should get her her own mask. 

The street was in shambles, large craters strewn over the gray surface, causing sharp bits of concrete to stick straight up, charred dirt revealed under. 

Clearly the explosion was detonated under the streets, seeing as it seemed to blow up. The spiderweb cracks in the concrete that attached the four that Tommy could see gave the information that the explosions began further down the street and closer to First. 

"I'm going to check the cars for any survivors!" Tubbo yelled, shooting off into the street and leaving Niki, Tommy, and Ranboo to flounder. 

"Fucking idiot!" Tommy screeched, Niki already sprinting in the direction that Tubbo disappeared. She couldn't be seen anywhere near the big fight that was probably happening on First lest she wanted to get arrested. Despite the fact that the heroes would let her fight with them in the moment, they wouldn't hesitate to throw her behind bars the second they had everything under control. She could just slip away as the fight ended, but her outfit didn't really scream incognito. She didn’t want to risk it.

"Tommy! Look!" Ranboo shouted, forcing the blond to whirl around and glare at whatever the taller was pointing to. He did not expect that Ranboo would be pointing up. 

Stray glass rained down on them from above and Tommy's eyes widened as he heard the steel supports of the skyscraper before them creak and moan under the off thrown weight. A raging fire roared near the middle of the building, where it appeared to have been smashed in. 

What person had the power to force an entire building down like this? 

"Shit, shit, shit!" Tommy yelled, eyes falling on the people that were still flooding out of the front doors. They weren't going to make it! "Boo, you know what to do! Go! Now!"

Tommy saw him frantically nod before he disappeared, leaving behind purple and black particles that Tommy paid no mind to as he shot towards the entrance. 

The screams and cries and prayers of the people he began to assist out of the building and away from the crumbling structure flooded his brain and threatened to drown him. He had a wailing baby in his arms as the mother gripped his right hand, three more people holding on tight to the mother he dragged along. 

The explosions had stopped halfway down the street, but he didn't doubt that there were more explosives placed under the asphalt.. They must have just failed to detonate, so the teen did what he could to put the victims somewhere safe away from the collapsing building and away from the street. Just because it was a dud in the moment didn’t mean that it would never go off. That’s what the bomb squads were for, knowing how to approach the tender situation and take care of it swiftly with no more casualties.

He brought them closer to Fourth and ordered them to run before he sprinted back. His lungs were already screaming in protest with every breath he took, the dust and smoke flowing into his lungs and threatening to suffocate him. He couldn’t stop now though! There were more people coming out of the building! 

"How are things looking inside?!" Tommy asked a man that was dressed in a three piece suit, the article now covered in soot and ash. He must have been closer to the middle of the tower. "What floor did you come from?"

He had to scream to be heard over the cacophony of noise that thrummed against his eardrums and replanted the annoying tinnitus.

The man responded after a moment of coughing and wheezing, "I came from the thirtieth floor! C-Constriction was happening on the fortieth up, so it should already be vacated! The explosion was on the thirty-eighth, I think!"

"Shit, okay!" Tommy swore, beginning to gesture for the next wave of people to cross the street and just keep running. They would be safer the further away they got, hopefully. 

Hopefully the villains weren't smart enough to surround them and corral the innocents back to ground zero. 

" Ranboo! " Tommy roared over the sound. There were a terrifying three beats of absolutely nothing from the boy Tommy called for, but his vision was suddenly obstructed by particles and a dark hoodie. He practically threw himself at the taller, giving him a suffocating and very short embrace before pulling away and saying, "The floors aboveー"

"Above forty are abandoned, yeah!" Ranboo wheezed, doubling over in an attempt to catch his breath. Tommy didn't even want to think about how much the boy had used his ability. "All floors until eight have been completely evacuated!"

"I'll go back in with you! Come on!" Tommy grabbed onto Ranboo's outstretched hand, thankful that there were over a dozen more people helping them get the people pouring out the doors to safety. 

The building's exterior was made almost entirely of glass, which meant that the front windows and doors had been completely shattered. That was thankfully used as an escape tactic, the people with thick shoes carrying the injured over the sea of glass and out the windows to the others waiting to guide them towards safety. 

Tommy felt the concrete disappear under him and his gut twisted with the feeling of falling, his mind perceiving the teleportation as if he was careening through space, body rapidly spinning as he tried desperately to right himself. 

The feeling didn't last long, though. It never did. Ranboo always told them to blink twice and it would be over. They would blink once before they were flung through the void and they would blink again when the destination appeared around them. Or, rather, they appeared in the destination. It would never last longer than those two blinks. 

And, as Tommy finished his second blink, he was nearly brought to his knees as black smoke filled his lungs with his first breath in the area. 

"Shallow breaths!" Ranboo instructed, keeping their hands together as they rushed through the floor. It looked like it was an apartment building or a hotel by the way the rooms were set up. All of the doors were left ajar and Tommy ignored the twist in his chest as he glanced at the numerous items these families had left behind. No doubt they would all be destroyed when the building came down. 

Their life is what is important, Tommy scolded, eyes narrowing as they neared the rear of the crowd making their way into the stairwell. The sprinkler system had finally been triggered and the two boys found themselves soaked within seconds. Those items can always be replaced. They have the money to do so. 

Shouting through the loud discordance in the stairwell, Tommy said, "Keep going down! Grab any that are injured! People outside will guide you away!" He turned to Ranboo, who looked seconds away from either a mental breakdown or a homicide. Tommy felt the same, anger boiling in his blood and thrumming through his veins at the face that other people had caused all of this. "Go back outside and make sure everything is still fuckin’ alive! I'm gonna do a sweep of the last few floors in case something was missed."

Ranboo hurriedly nodded, clapping his friend on the shoulder before disappearing once more. 

Okay, Tommy, the boy began, sprinting down the stairs as the fire alarms screeched in his ears, bouncing off of the concrete that encased the hoard as they made their way down. Just a few more floors to go. All of these doors are open ー he shot through the door leading to the seventh floor and swept his gaze from side to side to check that no one had been left behindー so everyone here has probably evacuated. The stairs are practically empty here, too. Everyone is much further down. The elevator doors are open…someone must have gotten stuck in them and had other people pry them out when the emergency protocol got activated.

Despite the void of anyone else, Tommy still swept through the rest of the floors. He got interrupted on his trip through the fourth floor, a high pitched whining catching his attention as Clementine guided him towards it through the sound of the numerous alarms. Her little raccoon ears were much more sensitive than his human ones and he found himself worrying if this might cause lasting damage. He hoped not.

A dog's leash was caught on the door and, no matter how hard the dog pulled, it was not coming free.

"Okay, fuck," Tommy wheezed, expertly ignoring the scream of protest in his legs and the way his lungs nearly refused to gulp down more of the contaminated, smoke-filled air. "You shouldn't be left up here, big man. Let's get you out, yeah?" 

It was an easy and fast enough fix. Clementine corralled the dog a few steps back, on the ground now after she jumped off of Tommy's shoulder, and the teen unhooked the leash from the door. Clementine scrambled back up his arm and he held the leash tightly as he ran. 

He was not comfortable with staying in the building much longer. Especially as the foundation groaned once more as the building tried to accommodate the weight shift. There was no accommodations to be made…the entire fucking building was going to collapse! 

"Almost there, guys," Tommy weezed out, glad that he kept Ranboo out of the building. After teleporting that much and then inhaling all of that smoke, it was not good for the boy. Tommy would have to give him an award if he was still standing and conscious after this.

Inhaling any amount of smoke wasn't really good for anyone, now that Tommy thought about it. It sure as hell didn't feel good. 

He chose to ignore the black splotches that began to cloud his vision as he burst through the stairwell. The last few stragglers were just leaving through the window, thank fuck. 

Leaning down to scoop up the furry canine so his paws didn't get damaged on the glass, Tommy was quick to rush out of the building. Tubbo had begun helping Ranboo direct the people coming out and he visibly brightened when he spotted Tommy, who gave him a strained smile as he set the dog down. Despite there being a leash, it didn't have a name tag. He would ask around later, part of him hoping the brown canine hadn’t been left behind on purpose. 

After all, they already had a raccoon to take care of. It would be even harder to take care of a dog on top of that. Didn’t mean that Tommy didn’t want to, though.

"You need oxygen," a kind voice said from behind Tommy and he deflated when he realized it was just Niki. "Come with me. An ambulance is set up down the street."

"They gotta…make sure…are they safe?" Tommy wheezed out, reaching out for Ranboo and Tubbo as he was whisked away. The duo he thought he was leaving behind was at his side in a split second, though, and his hand was grasped by one of them. He wasn't sure which one it was, but it didn't matter. Their presence settled the rising anxiety in him for now. 

"Tubbo got pretty burned," Niki explained, half carrying Tommy and half hobbling along to try and evenly distribute his weight. He was practically draped over her, his legs protesting every time he went to take a step. Niki didn’t look too injured, but she had a slight limp in her step and her pant leg was torn. "A car exploded before we got to it. It's not too bad, but it's enough cause for concern."

Tommy only hummed in acknowledgement before jutting a finger towards Ranboo and saying, "Bitch…you hurt?" 

The others let out a surprised laugh as the group of ambulances came into view as they rounded the corner. The noise from the crowds had died down as they dispersed to the outskirts of the city and all that was left was a terrible ringing in Tommy’s ears and the wailing of the ambulances. 

"I'm fine," Ranboo called over the grating noise, flashing lights illuminating the area around them and showing just how much dust was hanging in the air. "I'm definitely exhausted and my lungs are no doubt upset at me, but I'm okay." 

With a leash in one hand and Clementine in the other, Tommy was seated on a stretcher next to Tubbo, an oxygen bag practically thrown at him as they went to treat Tubbo's burned arm. 

Niki was right; it wasn't bad at all! It covered the top half of his bicep but, with his thick skin it barely left more than an irritated, red splotch. Tubbo was just pissed that his nice and warm jacket got ruined because he had decided to be selfless and check the cars for anyone stuck in them. And he found three people! Each in separate cars! But then that last one…oh boy, that last one had a personal vendetta against him. Blew up when he was only within a few meters and everything! Bastard! Now his sleeve was all torn up!

"You don’t have to stay with us, uh…," Ranboo began, but his voice trailed off when they found that none of them knew what to call Niki, not wanting to expose her real name in front of a bunch of paramedics. 

"Nihachu," Niki filled in, eyes smiling warmly as she tried to resist the urge to fidget. "And yes, I suppose you're right. I don't have to hoverー"

A piercing shriek sliced through the air and Tommy could barely register the fact that the noise was getting closer before the ambulance in front of them nearly flipped over as a body made impact with the hood. The windshield shattered and the sirens stuttered, giving a few more pitiful whoops before the noise died down completely, abandoning the chorus they had set up with the four separate vehicles.

"What the fuck was that?" Tubbo breathed, watching with growing horror as the person that slammed into the vehicle moved. 

A loud groan cut through the sirens as fucking Enchant rolled off the dented as hell hood, brushing glass off of his jacket and unclasping his mask from his face, letting it fall to hang around his neck and settle over his collarbone. His glasses were cracked and sat crooked on his face and the pro didn't try to fix his disheveled appearance much, opting to curse loudly before leaping away from the ambulance, another form smashing right into it. 

If it wasn't totaled before, it sure as hell was now. 

"How the fuck did you get flung?!" Tommy heard Enchant yell over the sirens. 

"Shut up," a deep and monotone voice responded, the new figure rolling off of the hood of the car as well and brushing off his pants and crimson cape. "I was simply putting distance between me and my opponentーaaand here comes Phil."

Phil was, in fact, flying through the sky at his own accord. He landed next to the other two pros and Tommy watched with growing exhaustion, not sure if the adrenaline was wearing off or if it was from the lack of oxygen. 

No matter, he just leaned heavily against Ranboo while the paramedic was still shakily treating Tubbo. Nikki was still there, eyes trained on the scene before flicking out around them, clearly searching for possible escape routes. 

"Maybe it would have been a better idea to evacuate to Fifth Street with the others," Tubbo began, voice nonchalant as if he was discussing the weather. It must be the shock setting in.

"Why is that?" Niki asked, patting Ranboo on the shoulder as he was handed his own oxygen bag. 

"Because now we have them coming towards us."

Tubbo pointed a finger up towards the roofs of the buildings that weren't on fire or collapsing and, sure enough, three forms were heading straight for them. Well, straight for the heroes, but the trio was in the vicinity and it would just be an overall bad time for them. 

"Fuck this," Tommy whispered, spotting the smiling porcelain mask through the smoke. 

Clementine chittered in his ear and he reached a weak hand up to stroke her fur before his eyes rolled back into his head and he allowed unconsciousness to sweep him away. 

No one mentioned that the table from the bakery was now sitting just outside of the collapsing building, 

Good thing Niki had insurance because she would not be getting that back. 

Chapter Text

"You're a lot lighter than you look, Blade!" Wilbur heard Sapnap call, a grin clear in his voice from beneath his mask. For being one of the most well-known villains in SMP, there was little to no information in the database about him. They had pictures of his actual face and yet it was like he didn't exist. No real name, no address…nothing.

It thoroughly pissed Wilbur off, having tussled with the man more than a dozen times now. Their scuffles usually ended in Sapnap being taken inーhe would amazingly disappear from custody not ten hours laterーor Wilbur being seriously burned. 

All in all: fuck Sapnap.

"That's because you had Dream's help, bastard!" Wilbur yelled back, wrists stinging from the way Dream's string latched on moments prior. He didn't like the buzz of power the strings gave off, either. Once they made contact with his skin, it was as if his mind had been cleared of everything. He had forgotten what was going on around him, only to blink back into reality as he was soaring through the air. 

He could confidently say that being thrown onto an ambulance did not feel good. He was going to offer his insurance card and everything to the paramedics on stand-by, but then Techno landed in this same place he had and…yikes. There was no fixing that. 

"Not the time, Enchant!" Philza snapped from the air, wings flapping and buzzing as he dodged fireballs (or were they petrol bombs? Either way, they exploded in the air) from the pyromaniac and Techno dealt with whatever Dream was throwing at him. 

Wilbur got the mushroom guy. He hated being stuck with the mushroom guy. The last time he fought 404, he ended up asleep for three days! 

“Oh, I’m sorry for defending the honor of my fellow comrade!” Wilbur yelled up to Phil, who had his bird-like wings fully extended to put his two, chitin-covered, bug-like wings to work. The thin, iridescent film that covered the veins on his second set of wings allowed him more mobility than what his feathered wings could offer, the larger appendages acting as more of an elytra in intense situations like the one they were currently stuck in.

“My honor is not for you to defend, Enchant!” Techno grumbled, voice chipped and strained as he ducked under a quick swing from the masked villain. “I am perfectly capable of doing so on my own!” 

“Is that so, Number Two ?” Dream cackled, backpedaling away as Techno arced his swing downwards, the glimmering blade mere inches from sicing the mask off of Dream’s face. “It must feel bad to drop down from the number one spot, huh? First time in… ever, right?” The villain tutted. “So embarrassing.” 

“The only thing embarrassing about this is the fact that you have destroyed the city but hardly managed to lay a single scratch on any of us yet,” Techno shot back. “I could care less about my rank; you areー”

A loud, booming noise sliced through Techno’s words and brought them all to a halt. Wilbur had his hand around the amplifier of his mask as he reached towards 404, the man’s blue shirt within’ reach if he would just lean forwards…! 

“The building is coming down!” 

That voice did not come from any of the heroes and all three of the villains had stayed silent, eyes turned to find the source of the sudden noise. In fact, the voice was female. 

“And why didn’t we evacuate to Seventh Street like I said we should?!” That voice was different, taking on a more masculine tone but it was lilted with young age. Or maybe he was just scared. A building was apparently coming down, after all. 

“Because Tommy fucking passed out!” This voice was also male but the words were coated in an accent similar to Wilbur’s own. “Aren’t we supposed to let the healing people check him out before we make a run for it?!” 

“He’s got an oxygen bag! He’s fine!” 

“No! Look! Even his fuckin’ raccoon is coughing! That’s not normal, Ranboo!” 

“It’s not normal to have a raccoon or run into collapsing buildings and come back with a dog yet here we are!” 

“Both of you! Enough! Now is not the time! Grab Tommy and let’s go! ” The woman stepped in, halting the childish bickering that Wilbur didn’t even try to decipher. He had put distance between the paramedics and the fight, too, so the thick veil of smoke that settled over the area wasn’t doing him any favors in figuring out who the hell was talking. 

“Oh no you don’t!” Techno yelled and Wilbur was able to make out the form of his brother lurching forwards to grab at the back of the villain’s hoodie, clawed fingers tearing into the polyester and effectively keeping the villain in place. 

“Wait!” Wilbur cried out, eyes widening as he caught up with Dream’s thought process, the names being thrown around finally registering in his mind as he whirled towards where the ambulances were posted. “ Tommy? ” 

“Who now?” Phil now asked, talon-like hands clasped over Sapnap’s chest as he hovered in the air with the villain. The arsonist didn’t even attempt to struggle, arms free and everything, a bright smile clear in his eyes. He didn’t look phazed by the situation at all. 

“Tommy!” Dream suddenly yelled, hoisted up by the back of his hoodie and held there by the hero. “Tommy, come here!” 

“If you didn’t hear before, the kid is unconscious,” Techno deadpanned, brow raised as he studied the villain in his grasp. “What’s with the sudden desperation? Hey! Stop kickin’ me!” 

Wilbur watched as Dream twisted and thrashed and fought Techno’s grip, energy matching that of a cornered animal. He couldn’t do anything as he heard the sound of the green fabric ripping away, giving Dream enough time to push off of Techno’s broad chest and free himself. The masked man landed on his back with a thump, but he was up in a second, only to disappear into the wall of smoke that had only begun to thicken.

“Shit!” Techno cried out, tossing the green scrap to the ground as he took off after the villain. This was the closest they had been in over a year to catching Dream and apprehending him. He was in Techno’s hands. 

"Get 404, Enchant!" Techno yelled over his shoulder. "Watch out for the sleeping spores this time, as well, nerd!"

"That's rude, you bastard!" Wilbur yelled after his brother, but the man had already disappeared into the wall of smoke, Wil's words falling to deaf ears as the voices in Techno’s head threatened to run rampant if he didn't reign them in. They wanted Dream's head on a spike and, frankly, so did Techno. But that wasn't very hero-like since murder was illegal and all of that. 

Bummer, Chat began, the voices flooding through his head as the mental dam he set up threatened to break. Boo! Kill him! Why not kill him anyways? Do it, bet you won't! I'll gift Chat ten if you do it. Dream is evil! Evil pog! Save the child! Building is still coming down!

That last voice was, in fact, correct that the building was coming down. Techno just wished he had to run a little further to reach the group they had heard from the smoke before. Was it all smoke? Probably not…some buildings further in Central had already collapsed, the broadcasting station being the first to go as it was the beginning of the chain reaction in the streets. 

Awesam was probably still held up there, tending to the wounded and helping evacuate the innocents. 

Techno nearly faltered at the scene that unfolded before him as he used his cape to wave away a heavy bout of dust brought upon them from the shifting foundations of the building that was beginning to lean a little too far over them. 

There were three boys standing there, one of them with blond bangs that covered his eyes and small horns protruding from his head while the taller had a whole black and white scheme going on, tufted tail wrapped around the leg of the boy he was currently propping up, the blond wearing what appeared to be Wilbur’s old jacket. He seemed like he was struggling to hold on to his consciousness, eyes heavily lidded and hands balled into weak fists. 

The hero decided to ignore the raccoon wildly hissing from the boy's hood and the dog that growled, it's leash firmly grasped in the hand of the one with dyed hair. 

"What do you want?" The female voice asked and Techno flicked his red gaze to the woman, surprised to see an almost siren-esque aesthetic going on with her outfit. The scarf around her neck shimmered like the surface of water and the pro could give a confident guess to what her ability might be. She was most likely a vigilante seeing as how she covered her face, and it's the simple fact that Techno had never seen her before.

"Tommy has something that belongs to me," Dream said, voice steely and calm despite the chaos around them. Techno was struggling to keep up with everything because his mind was a little preoccupied worrying about the building that was going to fall on them what the hell why are they just standing there??

"You're not getting it back," Tommy slurred, head rolling to the side as if it was a struggle to even keep his head up. The raccoon tucked into his hood circled to the shoulder his head was resting on and attempted to prop it up for him. "Bitch."

"Do you even know how to reach it?" Dream inquired, tilting his head to the side. Techno hated that head tilt. He understood wearing a mask and all (he thankfully didn't have to since his ability allowed him to shift between a pig-like form and a human one) but why make it with a creepy smiley face? It felt like a taunt, almost. 

"Of course I do!" Tommy fired back, but he doubled over and dissolved into a coughing fit a moment later, leaving the two boys by his side scrambling to keep him upright. The tallest of them held the oxygen mask to his face once more and he gulped down air as if he had been deprived of it for hours. 

"Then give it back and I'll let you and your little group go," the villain said, now crossing his arms over his chest. Techno was reminded of a parent scolding their child. 

In his opinion, Dream would make a horrible parent. 

"You aren't going to leave us alone, no matter what we do!" The one with dyed hair shouted, enraged. He took a threatening step forwards and kicked at the ground, reminding Techno of his own habit when he got upset. "Why would you have taken Tommy in the first place if he wasn't of use to you?!"

"Tubboー" Ranboo tried, placing a large, clawed hand on his friend's small shoulder. 

Tubbo merely shrugged it off as he continued, throwing his hands out to either side. "You had him for nearly three years! Why let go of him now, huh? What's so different? I don't trust a single word that comes out of your fucking mouth so you'd better stay there and don't take another step closer to my family!"

"Your family, huh?" Dream mused. Techno could hear the grin in his voice. "What about your pops? Isn't he your family, too?" 

Without hesitation, Tubbo said, "Yes, he is. He is a man I can respect and we have worked through our past gripes. If you are trying to get under my skin, it's not working."

Techno saw the mermaid vigilante shuffle on her feet as if she didn't know how to step in, so he did it for her. 

"All right, all right," Techno drawled, waving one of his hands to dismiss the current conversation, surprised that it hadn't resulted in more violence. "I hate to break up…whatever heart-to-heart you've got goin' on here, but I think it's time to move if you don't want to be flattened by that building." He pointed up and, sure enough, the tower was shaking with the effort whatever supports had left to keep it upright. "Except for you, Dream. I doubt anyone would care if you got buried under ten tons of debris."

"Ha ha," Dream sneered. He didn't have time to shoot back an insult before the tallest of them leapt into the conversation. 

"We've got it covered," Ranboo said, reaching out a hand to the vigilante who grabbed it with mild confusion lacing her movements. He led her hand over to rest on Tubbo's shoulder before a mischievous glint entered his eyes and he clapped. "Welp! See ya!" 

The hero and the villain were left standing there as the group of four (the dog and racoon made it six) disappeared with a flurry of purple particles. 

"Well, guess that's that," Techno shrugged, reaching over and grabbing the back of Dream's hoodie once more and hoisting him off of the ground. He was quick to clear the area, checking to make sure no one had gotten caught on anything (the large craters in the middle of the street were quite the hazard) as he retreated to safety with the struggling villain in his hand. 

"Can you bite me with that mask on?" Techno asked, striding through the deserted streets as he heard glass shattering behind him. The ground began to rumble and a horrible, thunderous nose filled the air and covered the sounds of distant explosions and sirens of all different kinds as the building finally came down. "Because you seem like a person that would bite. And I don't really want whatever sickness you have."

"What is wrong with you?!" Dream exclaimed, exasperated as he flung his hands out, the tips of his fingers glowing a bright green. 

Having enough experience to realize that that wasn't a good thing, he promptly dropped Dream and backpedabled, reaching his clawed hand out before he found the hilt of a cold sword, the weapon materializing out of thin air. 

Not much happened after that. Techno expected an epic battle that would rage on for hours with no pause but, instead, the pair were promptly engulfed in a wave of dust and smoke. 

Snout twisting into a grimace as he held back a cough, the hero grabbed the hem of his crimson cape and brought it up to his face, creating a makeshift mask until everything settled. 

Apparently, a huge dust cloud followed an equally huge building coming down. It would only make sense, but the hero and villain seemed to be caught effectively off guard. 

"I'm not here to fight you!" Dream shouted, the glow from his hands fading from Techno's obscured view as he seemed to back away. 

"Really?" Techno drawled, cocking a brow as he continued to scan the desolate cloud that had yet to completely pass. It ripped at his clothes and he bit back a sigh at the fact that he would probably have to get a new cape, seeing as the solid debris that flew by was ripping his current one to shreds. 

He had finally gotten Phil to make him one, too. Oh, the man was going to be pissed. After all his hard work, too! Maybe he could make the tattered edges part of his branding…. 

"Tearin' down Central kind of paints a different picture, don't you think?" Techno asked now, the question completely rhetorical but he silently hoped for a response. His flopped ears flicked with every shift around him, his snout was covered by his own cape, and he could barely see a foot in front of him. All of his primary senses were useless at this moment in time and he needed a little nudge in the right direction. "Heroes are supposed to protect the city, an' all. Wouldn't you think that immensely damaging it would be like an indirect attack? Declaration of war?" 

"I'm just one guy, Blade," Dream announced, voice directly behind the hero, who had quick enough reflexes to whirl around and strike. His purple blade made contact with a twin pair of daggers, sparks sent flying as a loud clang echoed through the vacant street. "It would hardly be much of a war. "

Techno grunted as he released his cape to wrap his other hand around the hilt, applying more pressure and allowing himself a moment of victory when he felt Dream begin to falter. The slightest shift in his stance…Techno had to take advantage of whatever he could. They had been chasing Dream for years. He wasn't about to let him get away again. 

Plus, Wilbur was attached to a kid he had saved from Dream. Said kid was apparently the one they came across with the raccoon earlier. Wilbur wouldn't let him hear the end of it if he let Dream get the kid again. 

Also, who carries around a raccoon?

"You forgot about your own buddies?" Techno inquired with a slight tilt of his head, a grimace painting his face then as Dream pushed outwards with his knives, metal scraping against metal nearly making the hero's ears ring. The sound abruptly cut away and Techno was left swinging at empty air once more. "Harsh, man. I bet they'd do anythin' for you and yet, here you are, denying their existence."

"I'm not denying that they exist!" Dream objected, the green glow back. Techno had just enough time to evade to the right before thick, green tendrils pierced the spot he was in a moment prior. This man wasn't even going for his usual string tactic! This man was trying to kill him!

Techno decided to ignore the fact that, with forcing three, heavily populated buildings into nothing but rubble, there were going to be even more casualties. His own life should be the last thing on his list to be worrying about…but, then again, he couldn't save anyone if he was dead, so. 

"They've probably already been apprehended," Dream growled. "It won't take long for me to get them back."

"Most likely," Techno shrugged, irritation growing at the fact that he was stuck on the defensive. "That is if Enchant was even able to catch 404 to begin with. Sapnap is just…a mystery."

"That he is," Dream chuckled. He kept ducking in and out of Techno’s view, using the dust around them to his advantage. While Techno's other senses were down for the count until his surroundings cleared up, he had to focus more on the analytical side of things; keeping track of Dream's movements were his best option but getting him to keep talking would be even better. 

“What do you even want with a toddler like him? Isn’t that kinda…weird?” Techno said with a tilt of his head. He wanted this to be over. This fight wasn’t even cool and he was bored. “How is a child important enough to burn down half the city for?” 

“I didn’t burn down the city for the kid!” Dream exclaimed. “That isn’tー”

Techno interrupted him. “You’re really trying to prove yourself to me, huh? Correcting me on everythin’. How important is that kid if you would burn an entire city for?” 

“Oh my god,” Dream groaned, pausing as he dragged a hand down the side of his face, scrubbing under his mask as if to rub away the annoyance. “Would you believe that we did this because we wanted to?” 

Techno studied the man before him, scrutinizing every part of him. “Yeah, no. You’re too dramatic for that.” 

“Hey!” he shouted. “This isn’t about the kid or about our stupid rivalry or whateverー”

“When the heck did we become rivals?” 

“ーif anything, the kid hates the system you fight for even more than me! But no. There’s nothing more fun than stirring up a bit of chaos.” He put his hands on his hips and had a smug aura surrounding him. Through the smoke and the porcelain mask on his face, Techno was sure he could see a smirk.

Looking the villain up and down once more, Techno deadpanned, “Nah.”

Dream jolted. “What do you mean ‘nah?’ I’m telling the truth!” 

“You just wanted to prove a point,” Techno continued with a shrug, twirling his sword between clawed fingers. He contemplated dematerializing it since Dream had sheathed one of his blades but didn’t want to give him the advantage. 

“And what would that point be?” Dream asked, clearly confused. Techno began to question whether or not his theory was correct. Maybe the villain really was just doing this because he wanted to.

“To prove that you have the power to tear down Central?” Techno said, but it came out as more of a question as he gestured to the destruction around them. The amount of casualties…he didn’t want to think about it. It made his stomach roll as anger began to bubble up into his chest. “You’re tellin’ me that you literally did all of this because you wanted to? This is more than just a little bit of chaos!” 

“Oh,” Dream hummed, stance relaxing as he contemplated Techno’s words. “I guess that’s a good point to make.” Techno was going to throttle him. “It was only…five-ish buildings, anyways!” 

“And eight streets!” Techno exclaimed, gesturing to the road around them that had more than one crater in it. 

“ And some minor property damage,” Dream amended, seeming pleased with himself as he rocked on his feet. “Things were quiet around here anyways. I was getting bored. ” 

“So stalking a child wasn’t satisfying your need for action?” Techno mocked, a frown twisting his face as he crossed his arms, sword dangling from his fingers. Dream’s hands were behind his back, his upper body tilted forwards as if he was leaning in to tell him a joke. “What the heck is even up with that child? Is there some weird family tree stuff going on? Mom died and dad separated you two or something? Because if it’s that personal I’m not sure I want to get involved.” 

“Oh my gosh,” Dream groaned, but his shoulders shook with barely concealed laughter. “You’re unbearable. And not getting anything out of me. Actually…,” his mask tilted down to his left wrist, which he held before him as if to check the time (the man didn’t even have a watch on), “I think that’s my cue to go gather my people. Have fun with the clean up! Only let them publish the shit with my good side on it, too!” 

“What?” Techno asked, voice raising as he watched Dream turn on his heel and sprint into the gathering dust. “Hey! Noー” 

“Blade! Get 404!” 

Wilbur’s voice sliced through the air and alerted the pro right as 404 was past him. He did try reaching out to grab the goggled villain, though, his claws brushing up against the tattered blue jacket a moment too late. 

“Dammit, Enchant! Tell me sooner and I might’ve been able to catch him! Do we still have Sapnap at least?” Techno could barely see his brother through the dust and smoke but, as the wind began to pick up as an early winter storm blew in, the dust around him was thinning. 

“Right here!” Sapnap called and, as their father descended on them in all of his heroic glory, the pyromaniac was still secure in Phil’s arms. 

A loud buzzing filled the air as Phil’s secondary wings kicked in as he tucked in his feathered appendages, landing softly on the ground before handing Sapnap off to Techno, who regarded the villain with a huff.

“Dream got away again?” Phil asked, blue eyes shifting to scan the area around them, opening back up his wings to displace more of the debris that hung in the air. 

“Yep,” Techno sighed, shaking his head and he felt Sapnap huff a laugh.

“He’s fuckin’ slippery,” the pyromanic murmured, seemingly content to be slung over Techno’s shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “Manhunt never ended well for us.”

“That freaky game where you try to kill him?” Wilbur asked and Sapnap nodded.

“It started off as normal tag but then we began to develop into our powers,” the villain shrugged. It was honestly pretty normal for him to be captured; keeping him in custody was another story completely. “Dream decided it would be a good idea to throw knives into the mix, anyways. Almost lost two fingers because of that idiot.” 

“And you still work with him, why?” Phil asked, regarding Sapnap with baffled amusement.

Sapnap shrugged. “He’sー”

“Ranboo! I said away! Not back to ground zero! AWAY! ” 

“I’m sorry! I can’t see anything! Plus, Tommy is heavy!” 

“Let me carry him then, Boo Bitch! Hand ‘em over!”

A female voice jumped into the mix with, “He’s not even unconscious anymore….” 

“I only have one jump left before I’m done,” Ranboo groaned. “Where do we go? And don’t just say ‘away’ because that is not helpful.” 

There was a long beat of silence and the heroes regarded the group of teens a little bit ways away with confusion. Well, everyone except for Sapnap, who seemed to brighten at their new company.

“Tommy!” he called out, a blinding smile on his face as a small puff of fire burst out of his mouth. One of the taller silhouettes seemed to stiffen at the call but their shoulders relaxed a moment later.

“Sap? That you, big man?” 

“Yeah! I’m being apprehended!” The villain sounded way too joyful for being in such a position.

A startled laugh followed and the two taller figures moved towards the congregation of heroes. Tommy was leaning heavily against Ranboo’s side and Tubbo was tightly clinging onto the blond’s hand, a terrifying glare darkening his face as he pulled into their clearing. A woman paddled behind them, outfit clearly rivaling that of a pro, a dog’s leash loosely wrapped around her hand. 

“Oh, shit,” Tommy then cursed, straightening as he saw just who Sapnap was being interrogated by. “Ranboo…what the fuck? ” 

“I can’t see!” The tallest complained once more, throwing his arms up in the air. A raccoon tucked into Tommy’s dark hood chittered in agitation at the sudden movement, matching Tommy’s flinch, fur standing on end. “I’ve only been this close to Central like… twice! ” 

“Look at a map, then,” Tubbo deadpanned and, before anyone could get another word in, Wilbur spoke up.

“Wait, wait,” he said, hands out before him as he took a step closer. With a few more flaps of Phil’s wings, it was slightly easier to see one another. “ You’re Tommy? Like…Dream kidnapped you, Tommy?” 

“I’m not a fuckin’ kid,” the blond hissed, eyes narrowing. 

“You don’t have to be a kid to be kidnapped.” 

“Then why put ‘kid’ in it, huh, dick’ead?” 

“I’ve always wondered that, too,” Sapnap hummed from Techno’s shoulder. “Maybe it’s because kids are always the ones being stolen.” 

“Whatever!” Wilbur exclaimed and Techno didn’t even bother stepping in, too exhausted to even consider arguing with his brother and a barely conscious teen. “Just answer the question!” 

“You nearly arrested me just the other day!” Tommy defended, crossing his arms with a huff. “Why the fuck should I answer anything from you?” 

“Okay, okay,” Phil jumped in, holding his hands out not unlike what Wilbur had been doing a few moments prior. That was before he rose his hands to his head and nearly began tugging at his hair out of pure frustration. “Let’s all calm down, yeah? Tommy, mate, it’s all right. You’re not in trouble. None of you are.” 

“Not even Nihachu?” Tubbo asked, jerking his thumb towards the woman flanking them. She jumped as she was acknowledged before her eyes narrowed to slits under her mask, smacking Tubbo upside the head as he continued, “She’s a vigilante! I think that’s pretty illegal!” 

“Tubs, we would all be considered vigilantes after today,” Tommy grumbled. 

“That’s…a lot of illegal activity,” Wilbur blinked.

“A building was collapsing!” Tommy immediately argued before his breath caught in his throat with a sharp wheeze, forcing him to double over coughing. Tubbo was by his side in an instant and Ranboo shuffled on his feet, pulling out the oxygen mask they had nabbed and offering it to the blond, who waved it away with a glare.

“You okay, mate?” Phil asked gently, taking a few steps closer. Tommy nodded, still in the midst of coughing, tears gathering in his eyes as he tried heaving a breath, only to be stopped by the dust surrounding them. “The oxygen mask will help. You’ll pass out if you continue like this.” 

Techno got the feeling that Tommy would be swearing at them if he could, the fire in his eyes saying it all as he snatched the mask from Ranboo and held it to his face. Steadily, the reservoir bag deflated as the boy took a deep breath and the tension in the group seemed to lessen.

“Why don’t we move somewhere safer to talk?” Phil then offered and Techno huffed as he shifted Sapnap on his shoulder. His arm was beginning to fall asleep. “We can detain Sapnap and talk to you guys at the station. How about that?” 

“No…No police,” Tommy gasped out and the other two teens nodded immediately. It made Techno wonder just what these kids were up to. Especially if they had been chased by Wilbur just the other day, avoiding arrest. 

“With all due respect,” Tubbo began, eyes hardening into a fiercer glare; Techno began to feel a little uneasy under the intensity of it, “Fuck you. Now, Ranboo! To the Super Secret Undisclosed Location!” 

“Wait!” Phil and Wilbur yelled out, the latter lurching forwards to try and grab one of them, but, just like before, the teens were swept away, disappearing into millions of purple particles and leaving nothing but open air where they once stood.

“Fuckin’ hell,” Wilbur breathed, dragging a hand down his face as he groaned. “This is going to be impossible.” 

“Well,” Sapnap said, a smile on his face as he blew some of his dark hair out of his face, “the kid’s evaded us for a little over a year now. Why would it be any easier for you?” 

Wilbur sent a seething glare to Sapnap. “Shut up.” 

“‘Super Secret Undisclosed Location?’” Niki echoed after their feet were on solid ground once more. Tommy had lurched forwards after the second teleport of the day and caught himself on his hands before he hit the ground. Clementine was perched on the blond’s back and was chittering angrily at Ranboo, who braced his hands on his knees in an attempt to catch his breath. “Where even are we?” 

A dangerously mischievous glint sparkled in Tubbo’s eyes as the teenーeveryone was covered in dust and, with every step they took, it was as if a dust cloud rolled off of themーmarched over to the alleyway to their left. They appeared to be near Sixth Street, the crowds thin here as bystanders climbed up on the smaller buildings to get a look at the destruction of Central. 

Niki followed Tubbo across the street, head tilted in confusion as Ranboo carefully grabbed Clementine as Tommy straightened up again. The raccoon clung onto his long claws like her life depended on it before she was scooped back up into Tommy’s hold. The dog seemed to be content in following Niki for the time being.

“Niki, my dear friendー” Tubbo began.

“ーYou’ve literally only had like…two conversations with her before,” Ranboo pointed out.

“Niki, my dear friend, ” Tubbo said again, but this time with more force as he glared at the masked woman, “I think it’s time for you to meet someone really important to me!” 

Not even bothering to turn the handle of the side door they had pulled up to, Tubbo kicked it open and they were met with a long staircase down. But, as the door opened, the thumping of bass wafted towards them, mixing in with the sound of ringing slot machines and cheering patrons.

“Let’s go meet my dad!” Tubbo exclaimed with a bright smile.

Chapter Text

It was a given that all four of them were out of their element when they descended the staircase. It was like they had crossed the threshold between the waking world and…and a crippling gambling addiction. 

"I didn't know your dad worked in the casino," Tommy mumbled, hobbling along with Ranboo's help as they reached the last few stairs. The music was remarkably louder here and the teens all winced as a particularly loud crowd shouted their excitement. 

"Nah, he works upstairs! Quackity works in the casino," Tubbo waved off, nudging the final door open when they reached the final step. If it weren't for the dim light flickering above their heads, it would be pitch dark. 

Clementine didn't seem to enjoy this area which was weird, according to Tommy. She was a raccoon and they liked small, dark spaces, right? So why was she curled up in a small ball in his hood and hissing at everything that came near? Maybe it was the noise. He could agree with her there; he was beginning to feel the slightest bit overwhelmed as the door was fully pushed open. 

"I haven't seen Big Q in forever!" Tommy explained, patting Ranboo's arm as a silent thanks for the help down the stairs. The enderboy hovered by the open door, Niki firmly at his side, as they watched Tommy and Tubbo stride in. 

"Isn't this…illegal?" Ranboo inquired, shooting Niki an apprehensive look before scrambling after the duo. 

"Boo, we did so many illegal things today," Tubbo deadpanned. "I doubt walking into a casino will be the one that gets us thrown behind bars."

"Jail won't be able to hold us, anyway!" Tommy declared. "It's full of pussiesー"

"What's a 'pussy?'" 

Tommy did not scream as a new, strange voice popped up to the right of them. What he did do, though, was throw a very manly punch in the attackers direction. 

He did not expect the sensation that followed. 

"Ahh, what the fuck, man?!" Tommy cried, anguish painting his features as he yanked his hand free from the slime he had just embedded it in. "What the fuck?!"

"Hello!" The slimy man said as Tommy cradled his goopy hand to his chest as if it had gotten injured. "Tubbo from Las Nevadas! It's so good to see you again! I see you have brought more humans with you!"

Tubbo scowled at the formal title before shuffling around on the plush carpet to pat the gloopy man on the shoulder. Did he even have shoulders? Tommy supposed…he was wearing clothes and looked human enough despite his translucent skin and the fact that he was made of slime. 

"Just Tubbo, boss man," the boy hummed, jerking his head to the side so he could clear his eyes of his blond bangs. "Is Dad in today?"

"Dad is in every day!" The slime said and Tommy gave him a mildly disturbed look, shuffling closer to Ranboo and Niki. "Quackity from Las Nevadas just finished meeting with him."

"What the fuck is 'Las Nevadas?'" Tommy blurted, brows furrowed in confusion as he tried racking his brain for any information. He hadn't been to school in…yikes. Too long. He never even got to take a proper geometry class. 

"It's the territory that's directly south of SMP," Niki explained gently, lightly tugging the dog into the underground casino a little further. And wow this place was huge. The carpet beneath them was a plush crimson with granite tiles forming walkways; Tommy could count at least five chandeliers and that was after he had just entered; machines of all different kinds lined the granite paths, each lighting up and making their own unique noises as a way to drag people in…. 

If Tommy had money to spend he sure as hell knows where and how he would spend it.

"I don't know geometry," Tommy deadpanned, frowning at Niki as he tried to wrap his head around the fact that other places even existed outside of SMP. 

"Geography," Ranboo said, tone distracted as his dual tone eyes shifted around the magnificence surrounding them. 

"What?" Tommy asked, face scrunching up. "Isn't that what I said?" 

"No, you said 'geometry,'" Ranboo corrected, turning his head to give Tommy a side-eye witch, okay, rude. "Geometry is math. Geography is land-based."

"It's the same thing."

"It's actually not. They are both a completely different field of studyー"

"Can we go see him, then?" Tubbo's words cut through Ranboo's explanation and Tommy's adamant denial, earning a snicker from Niki that was barely heard as a group of patrons crowded around a poker table wailed in dismay when the final card was flipped. Better luck next time. "It's kind of urgent, Slime."

"Of course!" Slime grinned and Tommy tried to make out any bones in him but he could not. He did not like slime-shaped teeth. "I hope your fleshy brains know how to get back there because I've got to stand here on Quackity from Las Nevadas’ orders!"

"That's nice," Tubbo hummed, clearly not listening as he pat Slime on the shoulder once more before passing. "Thanks! Stay out of trouble, yeah?" 

"I cannot physically be harmed!"

"Mhm."

"Unless you're talking about injuring the bones I clearly have. Then I'll take your advice and keep them in good shape."

"Good, good," Tubbo sighed, shaking his head as he hopped onto the tile pathway that led to a circular, glass elevator. 

True to his word, Slime stayed put by the door, a dopey smile settled on his face that caused the glasses resting over his "eyes" to shift further into his head. 

Tommy shuddered as Tubbo pressed the button to call the elevator back down from one of the higher floors. "I do not like Slime."

"Oh?" Tubbo hummed. "He's pretty nice if you look past how…strange he can be. We don't think he had a very good childhood, especially since Big Q found him trying to slide his way into an ATM for the money."

"He's been arrested twenty-three times," Niki stated and Ranboo gaped at her.

"What?! How is he not in the state prison?" The enderboy was baffled. How could someone get arrested that much and not end up in something a little more secure than a street jail? 

"Well, the first few times he was detained he just kinda…," Tubbo made a weird squishing motion with his hands and matched it with a horrible squelching sound from his mouth. "Gooped past the bars, ya know?" 

"No! I really don't know!" Ranboo argued. "What does 'gooped past' even mean?!"

"He's a goopy guy," Tommy shrugged, finally coming to terms with that man's existence. "That's just how he is."

A resounding ding halted any further argument and the glass doors to the elevator slid open, inviting them in. Tubbo was the first in, dragging Ranboo along, and Tommy only entered when Niki gently prodded him forward. He had never been in an elevator before and he had only heard horror stories about them. So no, he wasn't too keen on entering a glass death trap. But he did anyway and, as Tubbo pressed the button with a large seven on it, his mind began to wander. 

"Why did we come down the stairs only to have to go up again?" Tommy asked into the silence. The glass must be pretty thick because all outside noise was drowned out, leaving only the gentle lull of boring elevator tunes and the panting of the dog that sat politely at Niki's side.

"Yeah," Ranboo jumped in, brows furrowing as he looked down to Tubbo. There was plenty of room for them all plus a few more in the elevator but, now that they were in close vicinity to one another, it was even more apparent how much Ranboo really towered over them. "What's up with that? Couldn't we have just came in through the front door from the street?" 

Tubbo shook his head, much to the surprise of everyone in the elevator. "Nope! Since this is an underground facility that means it's off the radar completely; there isn't an easy way in or out to try and deter heroes or police from swarming the area."

"So it's illegal?" Niki asked, voice laced with skepticism as her eyes narrowed. Tommy was very interested in her strange, flowy scarf. He wondered how it was made. Surely it wasn't just her constantly using her powers to keep it floating like thatー "And why did you say it was a good idea to come here?" 

Tubbo grinned before he reiterated, "My dad only works upstairs. And please, a little illegal activity never hurt anyone!"

They all fixed him with a bewildered stare before Niki said, "It has. The city is on fire right now, Tubbo."

"Yeah!" Tommy jumped in, looking around as they passed the third and final floor of the casino before they were met with metal walls encasing them. "Why was no one in there shitting themselves because of what’s going on outside?"

"It's underground," Tubbo shrugged as if that explained everything. In a way, it did. "Plus, the tv’s at the bars don't ever broadcast the news. That shit is too depressing to be playing in a casino."

"I'm more worried about the fact that these people are gambling away their life savings and its only noon," Ranboo murmured, causing Tubbo to cackle. 

"Oh, Boo, you gotta see this place on a weekend night! It's crazy!" 

"Yeah, no. I'm good. I'd rather stay far away from here at night, thanks."

"But the best music plays then!" Tubbo whined, latching into Ranboo's arm as the elevator began to slow. "The people are more funny, too! You gotta see it, man! You gotta!"

"Nope. No thanks. Nuh-uh," Ranboo vigorously declined, shaking his head as the elevator dinged once more, the doors sliding open and allowing them an exit, which Tommy was the first to take. 

They group entered a wide hallway but it lacked any form of distance; a large set of double doors sat firmly closed just a few feet away from the elevator’s exit and Tommy realized that there weren’t any windows. Another extravagant chandelier hung from the tall ceiling and intricate, golden patterns seemed to be woven into the polished granite beneath them. There was a large bookshelf resting against the wall to the right of them, mahogany wood carved with patterns of leaves and flowers, and hundreds of books from all different genres. 

Directly across from the bookshelf, two twin console tables sat. The right table had a large vase with bright peony flowers and two iron candle holders, neither of the candles lit but the edges melted as if it had been recently. The table to the left had a bare surface but what appeared to be textbooks were stacked on the shelf under it. What the hell did Tubbo’s dad need textbooks for? One of them appeared to be about biology, too. Was his dad a botanist or something? 

Ranboo was the first to reach the large doors and he raised a fist to knock before Tubbo rushed by and shoved his way in without a word of warning.

“Dad! The city is on fire!” Tubbo shouted as the doors flung open. Tommy barked a startled laugh, causing Ranboo to flounder in the doorway before the blond pushed him into the large office. 

“Tubbo! No, no, not the suit!” Schlatt cried out, but his pleas fell to deaf ears as Tubbo launched himself at the ram hybrid sitting behind the large desk. A cloud of concrete dust billowed into the air with a puff as Tubbo headbutted his father’s chest, a shit-eating grin stretching his face as Schlatt leaned back in his plush swivel chair, a loud groan rumbling through him. Tommy could have sworn he heard a faint goat noise mixed in there somewhere. “I just cleaned in here, too.” 

“Too bad!” Tubbo laughed, but his laughter turned into a playful yell as Schlatt put both of his hands on the boy’s head before viciously scrubbing, tangling up already unkempt hair and doing nothing but kick more dirt into the air.

“You need a haircut, kiddo,” Schlatt observed, leaning back a little further to inspect his son’s face with narrowed eyes. “You look like you just came out of a fucking war zone.” 

“Have you seen anything outside?” Tommy groaned, flopping into a soft, brown couch off to the right side of the room. “Man, you’ve got windows! Just look! Central has been fuckin’ leveled.” 

“It’s not that bad,” Tubbo explained, hopping off of Schlatt once he was done being a pest. The former cringed at the state of his suit now, the black fabric mostly gray now. Tubbo looked around the large office and said, “Where’s Big Q, anyways?” 

“You just missed ‘em,” Schlatt sighed, grabbing the remote from his desk to wave it at the television mounted on the wall to his left, hanging above Tommy, who leaned his head back to peer at the screen. Live footage from ground zero flickered across and captured Tommy’s attention. “He’s got some paperwork to do but he should be back within the hour. He’s gotta brief Charlie on some shit, too.” 

“Charlie?” Tommy echoed, face twisting as if he had heard something vile. “Who the fuck is Charlie?” 

“Oh! That’s Slime!” Tubbo chirped, hopping over to the window that covered the entire wall behind Schlatt’s desk. “He doesn’t mind what we call him, really. Slime is just more fun to say.” 

“Who the fuck are these guys?” Schlatt interjected, gesturing to Niki, Ranboo, and the canine that hung back by the slightly open door. They seemed very out of place in this office. Well, they all seemed very out of place since they were filthy and every surface was pristine and clean but…whatever. Not like cleaning would be Tommy’s problem later.

Oh wait. It might. They might stick around for a bit until things calm down which means he would have to pull his weight around the building which then meant he had to clean. 

“This is Ranboo and Nihachu!” Tubbo introduced, trotting over to Ranboo as the taller gave a meek wave. “Ranboo is my other roommate! Nihachu works at a bakery on Third Street.” 

“Tubbo!” Niki scolded, a groan in her voice as she reached up to take the mask off of her face, defeated. “Might as well just call me Niki since Tubbo basically gave me away.” 

Schlatt hummed in contemplation, horizontal pupils scrutinizing the new pair before he gave an easy shrug. He ran a hand through his fluffy, brown hair and fiddled with the ring around his curled horn. “Yeah, well, welcome to my office, I guess. Why the fuck do you look like you just climbed out of a dumpster, Tommy?” 

“Oi!” the teen shouted, shooting up and tearing his gaze away from the live television feed to glare at the man. “What’s with the sudden topic change, hm? I’ll have you know my clothes are great! You just have no tasteー”

“He never got a job,” Tubbo interrupted, sending Tommy into a sputtering mess as he tried to recover. “We live in an abandoned building off of Ninth. Ranboo’s got a job but he thinks he’s gonna get laid off within the month.” 

Schlatt heaved a sigh and let his forehead fall onto his desk with a loud thud. His hands, which had been used to prop his head up, cupped the back of his head as he groaned once more, exasperated beyond belief. 

“You really couldn’t find something more affordable off of Seventh or something?” Schlatt asked and, to Tommy, it kind of sounded like he was whining. “Do you even have food? ”

“Usually,” Ranboo shrugged, shoulders still tense as he was faced with a new, strange person. Tommy knew the teen had more spine than that; Ranboo had literally ditched the few top heroes twice! “If we don’t have anything to eat then I usually just nab something from my store for the night.” 

“What?!” Niki suddenly exclaimed, eyes wide in mild horror. “You guys live in an abandoned building?! Why?” 

Tubbo had made his way back over to his father’s desk and hopped up, absently kicking his legs as he leaned against his hands, snickering at the state his father was in. If he looked disheveled before, he sure as hell was now. 

“We didn’t want to deal with landlords,” Tubbo stated as if it was the most obvious thing. In the distance, the group could hear another faint explosion and Tommy was able to make out a new cloud of black smoke rising into the sky. “Plus I wasn’t on speaking terms with my pops, so he wasn’t an option.” 

“He is now though,” Niki argued. “Why not get him to give you someplace to live?” 

“Oh, believe me, I’ve tried offering,” Schlatt sighed, lifting his head off of the table only to snort as one of his papers had been speared with his horn. He pulled it off as he said, “I even forced the little fucker into a room upstairs but I came back to an empty room and an open window.” 

“You’re lucky you’ve got indestructible skin, Tubs,” Tommy murmured. “That’s a high as fuck fall.” 

“There was a crater in the street,” Schlatt deadpanned and Tubbo laughed.

“Hey! I already had a place with my friends here! I couldn’t just abandon them,” the teen argued.

“No, but you could have brought them here and I could have given you something hygienic, ” Schlatt shot back, brows raised in challenge as a smirk quirked his lips upwards. His facial hair had grown a lot more since the last time Tommy had seen the man, thick mutton chops fading out just around his chin only to thicken around his mouth once more. Must be his goat genes; Tubbo’s hair grew fast, too .  

“Noted,” Tubbo mumbled, but it clearly wasn’t, his green blue eyes focused on the television as the news chopper showed another building collapsing. “Fuck, Tommy. You spent two years with those people?” 

“Hell if I know,” Tommy grumbled, flopping back on the couch as Niki made her way over and sat next to him. Clementine scrambled out of his hood and began to play with the dog, who seemed pretty confused but happy to comply. “Not like I remember shit. Except for Punz. That was new.” 

“Punz?” Schlatt echoed, tilting his head to the side, flopped ears flicking as recognition flashed in his eyes. “What about ‘em?” 

“The dude works for Dream, I’m pretty sure,” Tommy shrugged. “I remember bits and pieces of seeing the guy throughout my time with Dream and shit, but it’s all still pretty fuzzy. He was the announcer at the APRC, lookin’ all smug ‘n shit before everything blew up.” 

“Punz is a mercenary of sorts,” Schlatt explained with a shrug. “I’m not surprised he has ties to Dream.”

“Does he have a power?” Ranboo asked, brows furrowed as he sank into a chair across the room from Tommy. “Or is he just…violent?” 

“Not all mercenaries are violent,” Tubbo said, but Schlatt opened his hands to show his indifference.

“No idea. There’s rumors that he’s got something similar to my own power, allowing him to sway anyone efficiently to his side if engaged in a debate or battle or whatever, but no one is too sure. Not like he’s got any government issued files, either. The man is practically a ghost.” 

“He’s actually worked with quite a few licensed heroes in the past, too,” Niki hummed, scratching the dog behind the ears as Clementine tried wrangling the canine to the ground. “Most noticeably BBH and Skeppy.” 

“That’s not worrying at all,” Ranboo droned, earning a nod from the others in the room before it descended into a comfortable silence while they all began to process just what had happened.

Tommy was the first to break the silence. “This is kinda fucked up, innit?”

“What’s fucked up?” Tubbo asked, cocking a brow as he tilted his head to the side, blowing some of his hair out of his face to actually see the blond. “Because I agree.” 

“You don’t know what he’s even talking about,” Ranboo tried, confusion written all over his face before Tommy snorted.

“Central is, quite literally, a war zone right now,” the blond said, sinking further into the couch. The movement jostled Clementine and the dog from their intense play session, but they resumed once he had settled down again. “Also, it’s kinda weird that I’ve got a famous villain and a famous hero lookin’ for me.” 

“I’d have to agree with you thereー”

The large doors were slammed open once more and Quackity made sure to be as dramatic as possible as he strode in. Schlatt just looked on with baffled amusement as the owner of the underground casino flexed his golden wings before scanning the room and its new inhabitants. 

“Thomas!” Big Q exclaimed, arms stretched out as if to welcome the boy into a hug. Tommy gave the man a bright smile as he stood up, grabbing Quackity’s outstretched hand and allowing himself to be tugged towards the man. “Long time no see! You look like shit!” 

“Oh, fuck you, chicken shit!” Tommy exclaimed, whining as the man wrapped strong arms around him in a suffocating hug. “Let go, dick’ead! I didn’t sign up for hugs! I’ll fuckinーI’ll fuckin’ pull on your wings!” 

“How did the briefing go, Flatty Patty?” Schlatt asked and Quackity’s grip around Tommy tightened, causing the boy to squeak out a startled laugh.

“Fuck you, don’t you dare call me Flatty Patty again you asshole you know I hate itー” Quackity began, forcefully pulling away from Tommy before violently hugging Tubbo. “I’ve given you an office here for your stupid dark net and cryptic currency shit but I can easily take it awayー”

Schlatt cackled, raising his hands up in surrender as he listened to the man ramble on threats. “I hear you loud and clear, Boss! I was just wondering how the briefing went.” 

Quackity pulled away from Tubbo but the glare on his face didn’t lessen. Only when he gestured to the door did his burning gaze disappear from Schlatt. “See for yourself. We really have to get better clothes for him; something waterproof maybe.” 

“I’m absorbing the fabric, Quackity from Las Nevadas!” Slime said, appearing in the door. He somehow appeared more… goopy than before. He was wearing (could it even be considered wearing? He was, in fact, absorbing half of it as they spoke) a suit that consisted of a red tie not unlike Schlatt’s own but, instead of a sport jacket, he just had suspenders clipping his dress pants up. “I don’t think I’m supposed to.” 

“No, no, Slime, you’re supposed to wear it,” Quackity sighed, striding towards Charlie before trying to pull some of the whiteーnow a goopy greenーfabric out of the man’s slime. “Don’t fuckin’ absorb it, you idiot. Just…solidify under it or something.” 

“He’s dripping on my carpet!” Schlatt cried out and Tommy cackled. 

“Watch! I can bring it back into my body,” Slime said and, as Quackity was still trying to fix his outfit, he bent down and stuck his hand in the gunk on the floor. It almost looked like a cartoon, the way his hand seemed to pulse as the slime from the ground became one with Charlie again.

There was still a large moist spot on the carpet, though. 

Schlatt groaned once more and Tommy clutched at his stomach as he tried to catch his breath. “Let’s just get you guys some place to crash and this day can be over with.” 

“What did you have to brief him on, anyways, Big Q?” Tubbo inquired with a tilt of his head. The television was nothing more than a faint murmur in the background, none of them caring too much about the destruction right now. That was a problem for later. Probably. 

Quackity took a breath to respond but Slime beat him to it.

“I’m going to go absorb the life force of some of Quackity’s enemies!” 

Silence settled over the room once more but this time it was much more awkward.

“Oh,” Ranboo breathed.

“Can…Can he do that?” Tubbo asked quietly, giving an uneasy look to Slime.

Quackity looked just as disturbed as everyone else, face twisted in a frown and eyes glimmering with discomfort.

“I…I fuckin’ hope not.” 

“I have also been handed a gun!” 

“Ah, that makes more sense.” 

Chapter Text

"What a day to be the official number one, huh?" Wilbur teased, nudging Sam as they strode down First Street. There were at least four fire trucks posted here alone and triple that through Central as a whole. Only five buildings had gotten knocked down, the broadcasting tower being the first to go, but the damage to the neighboring buildings was extensive. It was like a game of dominoes: the first one to go would soon bring all the others with it as it fell. 

Plus, there were dozens of craters in the streets from where hidden explosives detonated. The worst thing those caused was some minor property damage in the form of shattered glass. Destroying the roads was nothing more than them being a nuisance. 

"It hasn't even officially been a day," Sam groaned, stretching his four arms over his head as the pair pulled up to their checkpoint, ambulances strewn around and plenty of tents set up to take care of the injured. "I didn't realize that the announcer was Punz until everything was blowing up. I should have been able to catch it."

"Punz was only acting to keep our attention," Eret mused, a surprisingly steady hand dragging through their hair as they flicked their gaze over the total destruction of Third Street and onward. Wilbur wanted to believe that it looked worse than it really was but that was ignorant. It was going to take months to fix the streets alone and over a year or so until the debris from the buildings were completely cleaned up. "I doubt he played any part in the actual attack."

"He still got paid by Dream, though. It would only make sense," Fundy groaned, scrubbing his face as his tail flicked behind him in poorly concealed agitation. 

"It won't be difficult to get Punz to talk," Phil explained with a shrug. Techno had deposited Sapnap into the nearest police vehicle and was escorting said villain to the station. They planned on sending him straight to the city prison but they would only be delaying his inevitable escape anyways so… "We ask what Dream paid him and then double it."

"Let's hope it's not in potions or pure gold. I'd rather not sit for hours in a dark room over a brewing stand," Wilbur sighed, shoulders dropping as he brought a hand up to rest on his own shoulder. "And god knows that we don't have enough gold right now."

"Techno probably does," Fundy hummed, ears perking up. "I think I do, too, but not a lot. Enough, maybe."

"Can't Foolish like… make gold?" Wilbur asked, gesturing in the direction that the pro was currently aiding paramedics. "He's a golden shark…thing, right?"

Eret laughed, loud and full, and Wilbur’s face heated up. "He's golden, yeah, but he can't just make gold. That would be so OP! It would probably wreck the economy."

"It would be useful, though," Wil mumbled, eyes downcast as he kicked at the rubble beneath his boots. 

Philza began to talk once more and Wil dimly registered Eret's intern, Twisty Turny or whatever the fuck his name was, jogging up to them. "Well, whatever his price is, I'm sure we can match it. That's a concern for later, anyways. Sam? You have anything to add?"

"Oh, no," Number One chuckled, "you seem to have covered every base."

"Sorry, mate," Phil smiled, a little sheepish. 

"No, no, you're fine," Sam hummed, turning to look at the city. A frown darkened his eyes and tugged his brows down. "You've been a pro for much longer than I have. You would have to be an idiot to not listen."

The winged man only snorted before turning away as Foolish began to approach. The shifts were beginning to change which meant Wilbur had plenty of time to fill in his journal with new information. 

Tilting his head up, his brows lowered at the sight of gathering clouds. 

A storm seemed to be brewing and Wil was suspecting it was in many more ways than just one. 

Tommy couldn't fall asleep and it was thoroughly pissing him off. Clementine didn't seem to have much of a problem, passed out on the pillow next to him.

After everything that had happened earlier in the day, he should have been knocked out the second he hit the plush bed he was offered. His adrenaline was nearly bursting through his veins all day long and now when he got some time to actually rest he couldn't even fall asleep?

Passing out earlier must have really fucked with his internal clock, huh? Or it was the factーthe much more reasonable factーthat the bed under him wasn't familiar and he didn't have Tubbo or Ranboo fighting over the covers in their sleep? No, he was stuck in a queen sized bed with too many incredibly soft pillows and not enough worn springs digging into his back. 

He wasn't used to sleeping comfortably, especially when he was alone. He wasn't used to being alone. He had met Ranboo at the ripe age of seven and Tubbo when he was nine! He hadn't been alone for a while. 

It had been a really bad night for Tommy when he decided to run away from his original home. There had been a terrible storm raging outside, but he remembered thinking that he would rather brave through it than have to deal with the hurricane inside of his home. So he packed what little belongings he had into his pack and left. He didn't bother to leave a note (it's not like his parents would have read it anyways) and, if it weren't for the fact that there was an extra room in the house, it was as if the kid never lived there to begin with. 

If leaving meant he didn't have to be around his parents anymore then, even now, he would take that opportunity without a second thought.

He remembered watching the townhouses pull closer to the sidewalk as he continued his journey through a city that was basically foreign to him, in awe of the way the buildings began to stretch up and up into the sky. With each flash of lightning, the building's reflective surface would catch the light and brighten an area the kid hadn't explored yet, allowing his tiny legs to carry him further and further away from a home that would never love him. 

Maybe Tommy couldn't fall asleep now because of the storm flinging large droplets of rain against the window only to shake the building with deafening thunder a few seconds later. After he had left home in those conditions he found that he wasn't the most fond of thunderstorms. And he never quite got over that fear; the fact that their dingy apartment felt moments away from collapsing every time thunder shook its foundations only amplifying his fear. 

Tommy rolled over, back facing the window, the thick curtains drawn. He pulled the blankets to his chin and curled up, keeping his eyes firmly closed and a hand over his exposed ear to lessen the volume of the booming thunder. 

It was going to be a long night. 

When Tommy was seven he met Ranboo. 

He had been on his own for a year and a half now and he'd like to think he was doing okay. He was still alive, so he counted that as a win. Plus, he had evaded CPS for this long so he was pretty sure he had everything under control. He was just the best, after all. 

"Who the fuck are you and what are you doing in my alley?!" Tommy had shouted upon reaching his "home." He had a pretty nice alley, all things considered, and he was not going to share it with a strange, weird looking kid. 

"W-What?" The boy stuttered, hands clasped in his lap as he curled into himself, spine pressed against the damp bricks. It looked like he had gotten into a fight with a bear and lost as bad as you could lose when in a fight with a bear. His clothes were ratty (Tommy’s were in no better condition), his dual tone hair was matted and fell past his shoulders and effectively covered his eyes (Tommy’s hair grew fast and, even after slicing a lot of it off, it was back to shoulder length. Not taking care of curly hair properly made it look ten times worse, too), and he was super tall! "I-I didn't know anyone lived here…sorry."

Tommy scoffed, putting his hands on his hips and puffing out his chest to appear bigger than what he really was. Normally he just looked like an angry pomeranian but he had the boy before him trembling. 

"I will spare your life this one time," the blond declared. "You are to never tres…tressp…tー"

"Trespass?"

"Yes! That! You are to never do that unless you have my permission!" Tommy strode further into the alley and past the boy cowering by the entrance. He gave the stranger a side-eye as he slung his pack off his shoulders before placing it in the corner under the canopy he had made out of plenty of wire, cardboard, and discarded plastic bags  "What's your name? Why are you bothering me?"

"I-I didn't know anyone lived here," the kid stuttered again, wringing his hands together as his eyes rapidly flicked around the alley as if searching for something. Tommy dimly registered the fact that his gaze settled on a few trash bins against the wall before saying, "Ran…Boo. Ranboo."

Tommy’s face twisted as he processed that, the gears turning in his head as he was trying to remember just where he had heard that name from before. He was sure he would be able to remember if he met someone with a name like that. Wasn't that a type of food? His parent must have really liked that food to name him after it.

"Well, Ranboob, I'm Tommy Innit!" The blond plopped down in his nest of thin blankets, many of them only holding on by a thread, but they were all he had. "Tell me, big man, do you like crime? "

Ranboo tensed and his pointed ears flicked in apprehension before he said, "Uhh…What…What kind of crime?" 

"The kind that the wrongun's do! Where the heroes come after them and throw them in jail!" 

"Wrong…un?" Ranboo echoed, confusion laced in his tone. It was just now that Tommy had realized his accent was weird. It sounded flat and boring. "I-I mean, I guess it's okay? I think heroes are pretty cool."

Tommy fixed him with a scrutinizing stare for a few moments before his face broke out into a huge smile and he said, "That's it, then! You're going to be my sidekick!" 

Tommy was nine when he met Tubbo. 

He would have liked their first meeting more if he hadn't ended up in tears but that was just tough love.

"What the fuck are you?" Tommy murmured, blue eyes squinted as he leaned in closer to the flower. The striped bug buzzed under the attention and seemed to be wiggling its butt at him. "Why are you dancin' like that, little man?" 

Crouched by one of the dense flowerbeds that were planted around the park, Tommy saw a lot of these insects flying around. This was the first time he had ever been in the park in the summer so all of these bugs were quite foreign to him. 

Wanting to know if the creature was as fluffy as it looked, Tommy raised a finger to poke it. What he didn't expect was a sharp pain to blossom in his finger and shoot all the way up his arm like a bolt of lightning. 

"FUCK!" Tommy screamed, shrill voice easily carried to the other side of the park. He stumbled back, eyes wide and glistening with unshed tears as he cradled his hand like he had been burned. In a way, it kinda felt like it. 

"No! Johnson!" Another voice shouted, this one full of anguish as a small figure sprinted towards the bush Tommy was sat before. "Hang in their, little guy! I've got you!" The new boy let the striped creature fall into his open hands before an angry, turquoise gaze settled on Tommy. "You! You killed Johnson!" 

"Who the fuck is Johnson?!" Tommy cried out, not allowing the tears to fall because he was just too big of a man for that no matter how much it hurt. "That thing just bit me!"

"The bee!" The boy before him declared, firm and convincing. "And he didn't bite you, dumbass! You got stung because you pissed him off! And now look! He's dying!"

"Good!" Tommy spat, trying to gather all of his hatred for the small creatures into one word. It came out very strangled and pained, though, and he brought his hand closer to his chest. "He deserved it for biting me!"

"Bees can't bite you!" The boy argued. "He only stung you because you were bothering him! If you left him alone this wouldn't have happened!"

"How was I supposed to know what a bee was?!"

"Do you live under a rock or something? How do you not know what bees are?" 

"Fuck you, you prick! Don't talk about where I live! I'm going though trauma right now." Tommy had a thing for dramatics, especially when he was younger. He felt as if the whole world was against him. He had to be loud to be noticed. 

"Okay, okay," the boy sighed, anger gone as fast as it came. He gently put the dying bee down on the soil before turning to give his full attention to a sniffling Tommy. "Let me see your hand. Are you allergic?" 

Tommy gave the boy an apprehensive look before slowly offering his hand, trying to still his shaking. He was not scared! 

"All-ergic?" Tommy echoed, butchering the pronunciation, which earned him a snort from the boy who was now carefully inspecting his hand. "That sounds like a disease."

"Kinda," the boy murmured with a shrug. Without warning, he reached for the wound. Tommy didn't have enough time to pull away before another bolt of pain shot through his finger, causing him to swear loudly. 

"What the fuck was that for?!" Tommy cried out, betrayal in his eyes as fat tears rolled down his cheeks. He quickly yanked his hand back.

"I got the stinger out for you!" The boy chirped, quick to brush off his hands before he offered it to Tommy. "I'm Tubbo! What's your name?"

He was much more wary to give up his hand again, but he did. He was pleasantly surprised and only slightly baffled at the formal handshake he received. 

"Tommy," he murmured, brows furrowed. 

"Well, Tommy, you're not the brightest but that's okay! I'll be your friend," Tubbo smiled and Tommy felt the tears beginning to slow. 

"Okay," the blond responded. A small grin tugged the corners of his lips up. "Friends."

Tommy was ten when he officially introduced Ranboo to Tubbo to one another. 

Ranboo had come out of his shell the more time he spent around Tommy, but he was still shy around new people while Tubbo seemed happy to talk to anyone. 

He didn't think they would get along at first but Tubbo cracked a joke about Tommy while he was standing right there and Ranboo laughed. 

They had been inseparable since. 

It had only been a few months later when Tubbo's parents began the custody battle. It was largely favoring his mother, who Tubbo despised, so the boy made his way through the park and crossed the street to find his other two friends. 

"I think we should go on our own adventure!" The boy had declared, a sparkle in his eye that made Tommy squirm. It looked wrong. Too carefree for his current situation. 

"What do you mean?" Ranboo asked, head tilted in inquiry. 

"What it sounds like!" Tubbo smiled. "I'm bored sitting around while I wait for my parents to figure shit out so I want to do something fun! Each of us can go on our own little adventures for a month and meet back here to tell each other all about it!"

"We won't be going together?" Tommy asked. He was not clingy. 

"Only if you want to! But I think it could be fun if we go separately. Almost like those cool origin stories the heroes have when they first discover their powers! We could get famous! You guys wouldn't have to live on the street anymore! Doesn't that sound nice?" 

Ranboo, surprisingly, agreed almost instantly. "The chances of getting famous when we split up are better than if we stick together. Tommy? What do you think?" 

He had been apprehensive about the idea the moment it left Tubbo's mouth, but he didn't have a word to describe how he was feeling. It almost felt like…negative anticipation of sorts, but he chalked it up to being nervous and forced himself to shrug. 

"If that's what you wanna do, big man, I'll do it," he grinned. 

They spent the next day gathering supplies (it was mostly Tubbo since Ranboo and Tommy barely had anything) before they each set off in different directions. Ranboo went further into Central and Tubbo continued towards the park while Tommy made his way to First Street. 

Night fell and he found himself wandering without a destination in mind. He thought about going back to his old house but he didn't remember where it was. He wasn't allowed out of the house much anyways so he wouldn't even be able to recognize it. 

Not like there was anything waiting for him. He noticed the lack of missing posters with his face on it. That was the final nail in the coffin for him; his parents really didn't care. Leaving was the best decision he could have made. That's what he told himself, at least.

"What's a kid like you doing out here at midnight?" 

Tommy jumped and whirled around, nearly tripping over his own feet and faceplanting onto the concrete if it weren't for bright, neon green strings catching him. He was pulled back to his feet as quickly as he had fallen.

The kid leveled a stare at the wooden, smiling mask settled over the vigilante's face before he grinned.

Oh, he was so going to have the coolest story! 

"Hey, I think we should invest our money in spy gear," Tubbo hummed as he typed away on his computer at the other end of Schlatt's desk. 

The early morning sun filled the room with a warm glow, the ground outside still damp from the downpour the night before, and Tommy tried to stop himself from completely falling asleep, comfortable against Ranboo on the couch. 

"What do you need spy gear for?" Niki asked as she scratched their dog behind his ears. His tail thumped against the ground and his tongue flopped out of his mouth and he appeared as pleased as he possibly could. She had decided to not only keep the dog but also stay with Tommy and his little group until things settled. Her vigilante outfit was tucked away for now and rrplaced with a plain hoodie and some new jeans all thanks to Schlatt and Quackity.

Tubbo barely looked up from his computer, clean and changed as well, wearing some of his own old clothes. He did live with Schlatt, after all. "I mean, if we are gonna continue going the illegal route we might want some more tech to make sure we don't get caught."

"Good idea," Schlatt murmured from his large seat where he scribbled furiously on a few papers before turning to his dual monitors and clicking a few times with his mouse. "Don't end up in prison."

"Eh, it won't be that hard," Tubbo waved off and Tommy watched Clementine roll out of his hood and paddle back over to the dog, who was more than welcome to play with the raccoon. "We would just have to stick to Seventh Street and back. Not like the heroes patrol there ever."

"That sounds like a lot of work, though," Tommy whined, curling up against Ranboo, annoyed at his lack of sleep the night before. "I don't wanna do work."

"Clearly," Ranboo snorted. "You're unemployed."

"Not like many places with good paying positions would hire a minor, anyways," Tubbo snarked and Tommy glared at him. "Ranboo being the only exception because he's likeable."

"Fuck off," Tommy grumbled as he shoved his face into Ranboo's shoulder to avoid Tubbo's infuriating gaze. 

"Aww, I'm likeable?" Ranboo cooed. 

"I'd say so," Niki smiled, sitting back in the plush seat. Her lips pursed a moment later, though, and she hummed, "If I had more open positions I would offer each of you a job at my bakery. I'm not short-staffed, though, so I would probably only be able to take one of you."

"Mmm, muffins," Tommy mumbled, voice muffled by the fabric of Ranboo's Schlatt Co. hoodie. Tommy was wearing one very similar, the owner of the clothes uncomfortable with them making the trip back to their dingy apartment just to change. He deemed it unsafe or whatever and sent Quackity to go get them all something to wear.

"You burn everything you touch when you bake," Tubbo deadpanned. 

"I've only done that once," Tommy weakly defended with a huff. "That oven was dysfunctional."

"You preheated the thing to three hundred and seventy degrees," Schlatt deadpanned. "I think a few of the cookies caught on fire."

"Three hundred?" Ranboo echoed, brow furrowed. "Isn't that low?"

"Oh," Tubbo drawled, rolling his eyes. "No. If it's that high in Celsius then it would be around…seven hundred in Fahrenheit I think?"

"Why the fuck do you have a different way of telling the temperature? Is it because of your accent?" Tommy whined, thrashing around a bit before he was basically laying on top of Ranboo. Not like the boy was too phazed. This happened quite a lot. "Schlatt has the same accent as you and he uses the correct way of saying it!"

"I'm not from SMP," Schlatt shrugged. "I only knew Fahrenheit; I had to teach myself how to convert until it stuck."

"Does that mean you're not from SMP, Ranboo?" Niki asked and the boy helplessly shrugged, making a noncommittal noise. 

"No idea. I've got a bad memory," he explained. "Ended up in SMP one day without a clue as to why I was there. That's what my journal says, at least."

"Tubbo, you're from Las Nevadas?" Niki now asked and the boy nodded, jerking a thumb in Schlatt's direction. 

"Yup. Born there," he said. "We ended up moving here when I was five-ish. Took Quackity with us because him and my dad are inseparable."

"It was a business decision," the man defended, but it was weak. 

"Sure, dad. Not like you two are best friends or anything."

"Nope. I don't have friends." His tone was light and a smile played at his face. 

"That picture on your desk says otherwise," Tubbo shot back, pointing an accusatory finger at the framed photo of himself, Schlatt, and Quackity all beaming at the camera as they stood at the entrance of the building they current resided in. "I'm surprised you two haven't gotten married at this rate."

"There is no way, " Schlatt objected, but he was laughing. "If the benefits were good enough, then it's a hard maybe. But it's not like SMP has anything fucking good when it comes to marrying someone. It's just a mess."

"Aren't there good tax benefits?" Ranboo asked with a tilt of his head. "Tubbo said he would marry me if that was the case."

Niki laughed as she said, "God, no. Marriage probably makes your taxes worse here. Do you even know anything about taxes?" 

"Money pog," Tommy mumbled, half asleep as Ranboo patted his head. 

"Nope!" Tubbo grinned. "SMP seems like a pretty abysmal place to live now."

"We are borderline homeless, Tubbo," Ranboo sighed. "I thought you realized it was awful here."

"Meh. You guys make it better, I think."

"The underground networks here are great," Schlatt added, gesturing to the nice office they were sitting in. "Quackity was able to start his own thing in gambling and I programmed a darknet and crypto to match it."

"With my help, of course!" Tubbo chirped and Schlatt hummed, reaching over and ruffling his kid's hair, a gentle smile on his face that was bordering fond. 

"Yeah, yeah. Keep tellin' yourself that," he chuckled. "SMP is, by no means, a good place but, compared to Las Nevadas, it seems like a paradise." 

"True," Niki hummed, but her gaze flicked back over to Ranboo. "Ranboo, would you like to work with me? I know you're already employed but hearing you might get laid off soon…I can comfortably add one more person to my staff."

"Aw!" Tubbo whined as he sat back in the smaller swivel chair with a huff. "Why not me?!"

"You…Well," Niki fumbled, attempting to find an excuse for not allowing the chaotic boy into her bakery. "Erm…you'reーyou aren't really qualified ー"

"I think I'll accept your offer," Ranboo grinned, smug as ever, cutting her off and practically forcing Tubbo into a state of jealous dismay. "I'm guessing this is when everything settles down? I can't imagine going back to work right away."

"Oh, yeah! I have to fix the windows and replace a few tables but it shouldn't take too long," she hummed. "You don't have to worry about an application or anything, eitherー"

The large doors creaked open as a new presence made themselves known. Tommy's eyes fluttered open and he gave a tired glare to the new person, only to be pleasantly surprised by the person he saw. 

"Aw, shit, sorry," Connor apologized, a laugh in his voice as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his blue hoodie. Tommy always thought it was cool; the hood had spiked bits that made him look like a strange hedgehog when pulled up. "I didn't know you had a meeting. I can come back laterー"

"Not a meeting," Schlatt waved off, dropping his pen and sitting back in his chair. "What can I do for you, Connor?" 

The man gave an awkward chuckle as he shuffled on his feet, seemingly sheepish. "Ah, you see…I may have gotten myself into a bit of a sticky situation. You got any rooms I can crash in for a bit?" 

Schlatt narrowed his gold eyes at the man before he heaved a sigh. "How sticky?" 

"Uhh…," Connor drawled, raising a hand to scratch the back of his neck, blue eyes sparkling with hidden laughter, "Dream discovered my power and is currently hunting me down?" 

"Hey! Me too!" Tommy chimed in. 

Schlatt groaned once more before his forehead slammed down onto his desk. 

Chapter Text

Laughter filled the air as the gathered group listened to Connor’s predicament. Tommy, who was much more awake now, bit down on his cheek to avoid embarrassing the man more than he already clearly was. Tubbo wasn’t so courteous, doubled over in his chair and collapsed against Schlatt’s desk as he wheezed.

“What’s so funny?” Connor asked, brows creased. “I don’t get it. Did I say something?” 

Schlatt’s head was still on his desk and he let out another groan that sounded very much like a bleat, his ears flicking in a way that Tommy was sure meant feigned annoyance. 

"Hello??" Connor said, brows furrowed as a confused smile grew on his face, the tips of his ears bright red. "What did I miss? Tommy? Did you just say Dream was after you, too?" 

"Yep," Tommy drawled, arms stretched over his head as he sat up. Ranboo made a small warble noise at the loss of contact, which Tommy responded with an eye roll. "I've got something of his or whatever. Say, Connor, have you seen a netherite axe lying around anywhere?" 

The man turned to fully face Tommy but faltered. His eyes flicked to Schlatt, who was finally lifting his head from his desk (Tubbo had managed to spear more paper on his horns), and then to the raccoon and dog playing on the carpet. The poor man looked so overwhelmed. 

"Uhh…I can't say I have, no," Connor apologized. "What are you guys doing here, anyways? Who even are you?" He gestured to Ranboo and Niki, looking helplessly lost.

"I'm Ranboo," the enderboy drawled, long arms outstretched before they captured Tommy once more, earning a surprised yelp. 

"Niki," the baker nodded, her kind smile never leaving her face. She was an absolute angel. She could do no wrong; Niki, the only woman ever. 

Clementine paused from where she had wrangled the dog to the ground to chitter, effectively introducing herself before she forced the dog to do the same. The canine yipped quietly from his place on the ground. 

"That's Clementine and…," Tommy began before a frown graced his features. "He's got a collar on. His name is on that, innit?" 

"I vote to name him Michael!" Tubbo shouted as he attempted to roll away from his father who was trying to grab at the swivel chair. 

"How about Nicholas?" Ranboo asked. "Nick for short or something."

"That's too complicated," Tubbo whined. He cackled a moment later as Schlatt pulled off a piece of paper Tubbo had speared on his curved horn before crumbling it up and chucking it at the boy. 

"That answers none of my questions," Connor complained and Tommy nearly forgot the man was still there. Despite his bright hoodie, the guy was quiet enough to blend in quite well. "Schlatt, c'mon man, you gotta give me something here."

"Why the fuck is Dream after you of all people?" The businessman shot back, disbelief clear in his voice. It was easy to overlook, though, because he currently had his son in a headlock as the boy screamed for mercy. "You're not special at all."

"Thanks," Connor drawled as she shook his head. "Here I thought you were gonna be a good friend. I see that was just a one time thing then, huhー"

"Oh my god," Schlatt moaned, knocking his head against Tubbo's, their horns clacking together. "Fuck! Fine! I've got plenty of rooms. Why the fuck is Dream after a sixteen-year-old kid and you? "

"Hell if I know!" Connor defended, hands thrown out to the side as he gave a helpless shrug. "Man, I was just at the store, too! Then the whole city begins to turn into a fucking apocalypse area and Dream's trying to wrangle me to the ground!"

"What's your ability?" Niki asked, not unkind despite her blunt tone. "If we knew, we might be able to figure out why he wants you."

Connor shuffled on his feet and leveled them all with a careful, calculating stare. "I don't know if I wanna tell you. After that reaction I'm a little scared you’re gonna make fun of me."

"To be fair, it doesn't seem like you have anywhere else to go," Tubbo hummed, squirming out of Schlatt's grip only to kick his desk, the swivel chair rolling a safe distance away. 

"I reckon that you don't even have a power," Tommy said, trying to stir up an argument. 

"That would make no sense," Tubbo immediately argued. "What would Dream need with a powerless guy?" 

"He's after Tommy and, as far as we know, he has nothing," Ranboo helpfully pointed out. Tommy resisted the urge to bury his elbow in the boy's stomach. "Maybe he just has a thing against powerless people."

"I'm not powerless," Connor and Tommy said, voices overlapping. The teen jumped and Connor chuckled before shaking his head. 

"No, I have a power," the man elaborated. "It's…It's nothing special; I can…shape-shift. Only into other people I've seen before, though. No idea why Dream would have any use for that."

"I can see plenty of reasons," Schlatt shrugged, removing the remaining paper from his horns. 

"Oh! Dream could have you turn into him so the heroes would catch you instead! That way the real one would get out unscathed," Niki mused, index finger tapping against her chin as she thought aloud. 

"He could also use you for public appearances 'n shit like that," Tommy shrugged. "He's mental over his public image."

"You could be his spy!" Tubbo added. 

"Or he could use you as a training dummy," Ranboo said, a thoughtful look in his eyes. 

Schlatt opened his hands as the talk died down, brows raised as he fixed Connor with an apologetic look. It was almost as if he was saying "what can you do?” 

Like a fish out of water, Connor's mouth opened and closed as he struggled to find a response. "That…I wasn't too worried before but now I'm thinking this is more of a problem."

"Dream is involved," Schlatt said. "I don't know why you wouldn't think it was a problem."

"Well, I got away just fine," he shrugged. "You owe me a favor, anyways. I'm gonna cash that in now."

"I was gonna offer you a room anyways," Schlatt snarked as he pushed his chair back from the desk. "I'll ask Q about a possibly permanent residence for these three, tooー"

"What?!" Tommy whined. He pushed off of Ranboo again, much to the other boy's displeasure, and fixed Schlatt with a pleading stare. "But I like our house! I don't want to live in a casino!"

"What's so bad about my casino?" 

Tommy screamed. 

"Woah, woah, calm down!" Quackity laughed, moving to pat the blond on the head, who was now a beat red. He attempted to bury his face back into Ranboo's chest. The boy welcomed the contact by lifting up his sweater and covering Tommy with it, causing the boy to scream again as his world was engulfed in darkness. Ranboo only laughed. 

"What's up, Quackity?" Tubbo chirped. "Is Slime back?" 

"He should be within the hour," Quackity laughed. "Connor! My man! How have you been?!" He clapped the man on the shoulder. 

"I've been pretty all right," Connor laughed. "Thinkin' about forming a Dream fanclub with Tommy."

"Fuck Dream!" Tommy shouted from under Ranboo's hoodie prison, voice effectively muffled. 

"Ah, so we have another victim, huh?" Quackity sighed. He shook his head, a solemn look planted on his face as if he was recalling something depressing. In Tommy's opinion, Dream was very depressing. "Need me to hook you up with a room, man? There are plenty open upstairs!"

"Yeah, that would be great," Connor said and the tension appeared to leak out of his shoulders once he was given a solid answer. "Do I need to pay you orー"

"Hey! He was doin' business with me!" Schlatt objected. His palms slammed on the surface of his desk as he shot out of his seat. "Don't steal my customers, Flatty Patty!" 

"Fuck you, asshole!" Quackity shot back, dark eyes suddenly ablaze as he stalked towards Schlatt's desk. He pointed a finger at the man and the tension in the room skyrocketed. "This is my building! You're lucky I'm good pals with Tubs and Tomas hereー"

"I pay all the bills! Your name is just on the leaseー"

"ーI would have you kicked out in a second! One second, Schlatt! Don't fucking test meー"

"ーConnor was cashing in a favor! I owed him oneー"

"ーYou're an absolute bitch, Schlatt! Do you know that? Fuck you! Don’t you dare call me that again! And don't roll your eyes at me! I'm not lying, Schlatt!"

"Fine, fine," the ram groaned, pulling his chair back towards him with his foot before he collapsed back into it. "He's all yours."

Quackity lowered his hand and took a deep breath. His eyes closed and he smoothed out the hair that was seen poking out from under his beanie as he composed himself. A smile was on his face not a minute later and Tubbo fixed him with a wary look, eyes narrowed. 

"Are you good?" Tubbo asked, caution clear in his voice as he flicked his gaze from his father to Quackity, who both nodded. 

"Yep!" 

"Believe it or not," Schlatt mumbled, picking up his pen and twirling it between his fingers. "Hey, Q, what about that…that foreign food place off of Second for dinner later?"

"I think…it got destroyed by one of the buildings comin' down," Quackiy hummed, all anger gone as the two conversed like they weren't just in a shouting match. 

"What?!" Schatt looked devastated, ears lowered and eyes wide. A wail-like bleat tore from his throat and he threw himself against the back of his chair. "Fuck! Fuck this! Fuck Dream, god dammit! "

"There's a really good pizza place at the corner of Fourth," Connor hummed, flopping into a seat opposite from Ranboo and the trapped Tommy. "I usually stop by there when my shift runs long."

Niki tilted her head to the side and asked, "Where do you work, Connor?"

The brunette just leveled Niki with a blank stare as if he wasn't able to comprehend the question. The girl shifted under the attention and looked towards Tubbo for help but he was only able to offer her a helpless shrug. 

"They make their own cheese and everything," Connor continued as if he hadn't been asked an easy question. "Shit pops off."

"Pizza sounds good," Quackity beamed.

" Fuck pizza," Schlatt hissed, still clearly upset with the fact that his favorite food establishment had been destroyed. "That shit's nasty!"

"What's wrong with it?" Tubbo questioned, head tilted to the side to shift his bangs out of his face. 

"It's so unhealthy!" The ram hybrid protested. "Not to mention I feel like I'm having a heart attack just looking at the grease on it." He shivered as if it was the most horrible thing he had the displeasure to speak about. 

"I'm ordering pizza," Quackity declared, quickly fishing his phone out of his pocket before he glanced around the room. "Everyone else good with that?" 

"Yup," Ranboo confirmed, the others only nodding. It was surprisingly quiet. 

"Is Tommy fucking asleep? " Tubbo wheezed, pointing at the lump under Ranboo's borrowed hoodie. 

The boy gave a solemn nod. He wouldn't be able to move for another hour unless he wanted to deal with a cranky, half asleep Tommy. No one wanted to deal with that. 

"Yeah, he is."

Tubbo's wheezes nearly knocked him off of his chair. 

"I'm quitting my job!" Wilbur shouted as he kicked open the front door to their house, unclasping his voice modulator and toeing off his boots as he waited for a reply. 

"You can't do that, Wil," a kind, yet exasperated, voice responded. As Wilbur shrugged off his jacket he caught a glimpse of Phil eyeing him from the hallway that led to the kitchen. "It would be bad for publicity. Plus, the city is burning down."

"Oh, so the media comes first, aye?" Wilbur chuckled, pulling off his dark beanie and ruffling his hair as he let out a long sigh. "This was the worst time for something like this to happen." 

Sure, he sounded whiney, and sure he was one of the most privileged people in SMP, but he was tired. He had to take on two double shifts back to back and, instead of helping find survivors, he had to help clear the street of rubble. Rubble! He spent eight hours moving blocks of concrete and asphalt! It was bullshit!

"And why is that, mate?" Phil sighed, knowing to indulge his youngest lest he wants the man to throw an attention-seeking temper tantrum. It was quite a sight to behold. 

"I had vacation time set aside for the next two weeks," he grumbled, removing his toolbelt now and hanging it up with the rest of his hero uniform. "I planned to work on some new music! And now I can't because Dream and his buddies just had to make a public statementー"

The door Wilbur had walked through moments prior had swung open again only to reveal a disheveled Techno, red eyes gleaming with exhaustion. "Dream didn't have an ulterior motive besides the fact that he just wanted to."

Wilbur, who had lifted his shirt to allow his tail to unwrap from his waist, fixed his brother with a deadpan stare. "What?" 

"Yeah," Techno sighed, pushing his way into the foyer. He kicked off his own boots and unclasped his cape, hanging his golden crown above them a moment later. "I had a whole conversation with him an' everythin'. He's just as annoying as ever, if you were curious."

"Not surprising," Phil murmured, ushering his boys further into the house. It was just then that Wilbur noticed a wonderful smell that hung in the air. 

"Are you cooking?" Wilbur dared ask. He shared a worried look with Techno before paddling after the winged man.

"Yeah," Phil hummed, unbothered and ignorant to his fretting children. "It's just something easy; I snagged some steak and potatoes from the market the other day and didn't want them to go to waste."

Techno took a careful step into the smoke-free kitchen. "And the house isn't burning down?"

Phil scoffed, the sound sharp and shrill as if he had chirped instead. He didn't get to defend himself, though, because Wilbur had lifted something from the counter and grinned. 

"Dad invested in a cookbook!"

"Oh, wow. I thought you were too proud for that."

" Shut! "

Chapter Text

Tommy was facing yet another sleepless night. Clementine was curled up against his stomach and the room was pitch dark (save for a nightlight in the corner) so he wasn't sure why he couldn't sleep. He closed his eyes, rolled over, and tried every position possible, but nothing was working. 

He could almost hear Tubbo’s voice ringing in his head. "I told you not to take a nap, boss man. You never sleep well at night when you do."

Tommy stifled a groan with his hands, angrily scrubbing at his face. He accidentally jostled Clementine out of her peaceful slumber and she shot him a dirty look, a low growl rumbling in her throat as she stood up and began to reform her nest in his blankets. 

"Don't give me that look," Tommy hissed. "I can't sleep! You're supposed to stay up with me. Those are the rules."

What rules? The raccoon practically asked with a tilt of her head and narrowed eyes.

"Family rules," Tommy declared, very sure of himself. "The rules of a family. You don't let them suffer alone."

Clementine scoffed and plopped back down, her back to Tommy and eyes firmly closed. 

"Hey!" The teen whined. "You're being very mean, Clem. You're not acting like a good family member at all."

The raccoon's ears didn't even swivel around to acknowledge that Tommy was speaking. That was mean! 

"Fine," Tommy huffed, pushing himself up and off the bed. "I'll go explore by myself if you're going to be like that."

And he did. Clementine stayed on the bed, sound asleep within seconds, and left Tommy alone once more. He heaved a sigh and shoved on his ratty sneakers, grabbing a dark hoodie he had borrowed from Quackity (stole. He stole it from Quackity. The man wasn't getting it back.) and shrugging on his tan jacket before he pulled open the door. Unlike the door back home, this one didn't scream as the hinges rubbed together. The only noise it made was a soft click when he closed it behind him. 

The blond walked down the hallway, grateful for the lanterns strung above every door, and let his mind wander. The beds here were so soft. It was almost too soft. That might be the reason why he was struggling to fall asleep; he always had problems passing out if he was in a new environment. Ranboo and Tubbo both had their own rooms, too, so the trio was separated. It wasn't that Tommy missed them, no, it just felt wrong not having them by his side all of the time. 

Tommy never thought he would see the day where he missed Tubbo kneeing him in the stomach in the middle of the night. 

The elevator at the end of the hall arrived shortly after he called it and he hopped in. The doors drifted closed behind him as he looked at the array of buttons on the panel before him. He shrugged and pressed the button that would take him to the casino, knowing it was the only easy way out unless he wanted to climb out his window. 

He was sure the window in his room was sealed shut, anyways. He wondered if the others had the same thing (they didn't. They had to take extra precautions for Tommy). 

The elevator's descent slowed to a stop and, with another ding, the doors rolled open. Tommy was immediately blinded by flashing lights and deafened by the sounds of middle aged men losing all of their money. The place didn't close until five in the morning and, as it was the tail end of the weekend, the casino was still pretty packed. The nearest clock read two a.m. though, so it still had a while before the patrons began to leave. 

Weaving between blaring games and buzzing machines, Tommy made it onto the main path and high-tailed it out of there. Despite the place being amazing in every aspect, it was Overstimulation Central and Tommy did not want to deal with that right now. Especially since he had nothing to help him through it; he could always go back up and take a bath but he probably wouldn't make it five feet before he collapsed in a blind panic. 

The noises from the casino became muddled as the iron door shut behind him. He was left alone in the dimly lit stairwell and took this moment to take a deep breath before he headed out. He didn't want to have another incident after what had happened on Eighth Street after leaving while anxious. 

Long story short, Ranboo had to rapidly teleport them through a series of deadly traps after Tommy had bad-mouthed an old man hanging out at the side of the road. 

"Telling an old man to go dig his own grave and die in it isn't right, Tommy!” Ranboo scolded as they made it out of the maze and sprinted down the street. Both of them were struggling to catch their breath.

"He looked at me weird! Plus he was practically deteriorating! He would be doing himself a favor; what good can he do in this society?"

The door that led to the dingy alley was pushed open and Tommy slid outside. He let the heavy door close behind him and took a moment to savor in the silence. Well…it wasn't silent, but it was much more calm than the casino was. 

Striding out of the alley, the boy kicked a stray piece of asphaltーmost likely from one of the streets that had been blown upーand turned right. After living on the streets for the majority of his life, he knew SMP like the back of his hand. He didn't have to read a sign to know he was approaching Fifth Street; the way the buildings were positioned alone gave it away. They were bordering on towers but they still had quite a few feet to go to reach that goal and, instead of a complete glass exterior, they were mostly concrete and brick-based. 

It was cold. Tommy was grateful for his two jackets but, man, with the storm just yesterday and autumn ending soon…it was lining up for some unpleasant nights in their dingy apartment. It was a miracle they had survived this long without getting frostbite, too. 

There had been one too many close calls, that was for sure. 

He wanted Clementine right about now. Or Tubbo or Boo or anyone because the city at night was lonely. It wasn't particularly appealing, either; it wasn't like Hypixel with all of their fancy buildings and bright lights and it didn't come close to the stylized Las Nevadas. It was just…sad compared to them. There wasn't anything spectacular about it except for the fact that it was a huge circle, all of the streets surrounding Central. It made getting lost a bit more difficult. 

Speaking of getting lost, Tommy was sure he should be on Fourth by now. He would be walking towards the destruction, after all! It wouldn't be hard to miss. 

He knew this city like the back of his hand, he said. He never gets lost, he said. 

Stopping just before another intersection, he looked up to try and find a street sign attached to the stop light pole but was met with nothing. It was just a pole. Why was it just a pole?! 

Tommy huffed, brows furrowed and gaze burning. He sniffed, hating the way his nose was beginning to go numb, and contemplated just turning around. He did just walk in a straight line; it shouldn't be hard to find his way back, right? …Right?

The teen stomped over to the building next to him and promptly sat down. His hands were deep in his pockets and his knees were brought to his chest as he glared at the street like it had personally wronged him. Maybe if he looked at it hard enough it would give him a hint in the direction he needed to goー

"T- Tommy? " 

His head shot up and his eyes found a tall man standing before him. Brown eyes glimmered with worry under circular glasses and Tommy suddenly found it very difficult to breathe.

" Enchant, " Tommy whispered. His mouth opened to continue but nothing followed as he just gaped at the pro hero in front of him. He took a moment to compose himself before he said, "What…What the fuck do you want?" 

Maybe talking to a pro hero like that wasn't the best idea, especially since the hero was ranked number three and could probably snap Tommy's spine in a millisecond, but he was tired and cold.

"Okay, okay," Enchant chuckled, kneeling down to be at eye level with the blond. Tommy was relieved to see the smile had never left his face. Talking back never had good consequences. He wasn't sure where he knew that, but he had learned to be extra cautious. Especially when talking to people in power. "Are you lost, kid? What are you doing out here this late?" 

If Tommy didn't know better it almost looked like the hero was excited. He looked practically overjoyed but he masked it well, keeping his eyes level and forcing the corners of his lips to not twitch further up than necessary. It looked like he was really struggling, though.

"No! I'm not lost!" Tommy exclaimed, puffing out his chest a little. "And I'm not a kid! I was just out on a walk and wanted a break. I'm practically a human GPS!"

Enchant fixed him with a disbelieving and slightly amused stare, one brow cocked as his smile fell into more of a smirk. "You wouldn't believe how many times I've heard that one. What street are you on, then?" He sat back on his feet, no longer balanced on his toes, and snorted. "And I hardly believe that you're any older than fourteen at tops. "

"Oi!" Tommy shouted. He wanted to uncoil to his feet and take this moment to look down at the man personally offending him, but he couldn't find the energy to. Plus, he was warm in his little ball. "I'm nineteen, you prick! What are you, fifty? You're ancient! "

The brunette laughed, head tilted back as he brought a gloved hand to rest on his face. "I'm not fifty! I'm twenty four! There is no way you're only five years younger than me. You're a fetus!" 

"Are you sure those glasses are working, bitch?" Tommy snarled, his previous fatigue washed away as irritation flooded in. "I'm the manliest man you'll ever see! I don't need nobody! Big Man Tommy Innit! I'll survive whatever jail you throw me into and escape. Then you'll be all like 'oh how I was wrong! Tommy really is the biggest man out there! Now I'll grovel at his feet and beg for his forgiveness!'" He pitched his voice higher to make sure his taunt was effectively received.

Enchant sputtered, trying to catch his breath but his attempt was futile as the laughter kept coming. Someone walking across the street gave them a weird look. "N-No! There's…ーokay, first of all, I'm not here to arrest youー" Tommy gave a disbelieving scoff "ーand second…you're basically a toddler. You are no man."

"You're being mean to me," Tommy spat, crossing his arms over his chest with a huff as he turned his face away from the hero before him. "For being Number Three, you're not too good at talking to people. Bitch."

"Fine," Enchant breathed, holding out his hands in a placating gesture. "How about this: you let me see your ID and I'll stop teasing you. Sound good?" 

"I'm not being teased, " Tommy hissed. "That implies that I'm being bullied and I'm too big of a man for that."

"Sure," the pro sighed, but it wasn't like the usual sigh Tommy was used to hearing. Those sighs were exasperated and tired. Enchant's seemed to be bordering on fond. "So? You got an ID I can look at, Big Man Tommy Innit?" 

Tommy froze, lips pursed. He didn't move. 

"Tommy?" Enchant questioned, a playful lilt to his voice. "You didn't lie to me, did you?"

"No! I never lie!" The teen objected. "I just…I don't have it on me right now. I must have left it at my house. Yeah." He gave a firm nod. "I left it at home."

"And where is that home?" Enchant pressed, sitting fully on the ground now. He crossed his legs and let his shoulders fall so he appeared less intimidating…as if sitting in the middle of the sidewalk like this was normal. "I can walk you there, if you want. My shift ends in…" he looked down at the brace-like tech wrapped around his forearm "ーthree hours. My shift ends in three hours, so I've got plenty of time to kill."

"Don't you have wronguns to be stopping?" Tommy asked, eyes narrowed as a spike of newfound irritation rose. He was a pro hero and he stopped everything to talk to a teen sitting in the street? What if someone was in trouble? 

"It's been a quiet night so far," Enchant sighed. "With the holidays steadily approaching, I think everyone is inside. Planning bigger heists for later in the year."

"They do that?" Tommy blinked, tilting his head to the side. "That sounds like a lot of work for some crime."

"It's also probably the fact that half of the city is in shambles right now so the crime-doers don't have much to work off of," Enchant shrugged. 

"Okay, that's just wrong," Tommy declared with an eye roll. "This is the perfect time for them to do some shady shit. While all of you pussies are focused on Central, they're goin' fucking crazy at a convenient store on Seventh."

"Is that so?" Enchant hummed. "Why is it that you know so much about these illegal individuals, hm?" 

"I live on Ninth Street," Tommy hissed. "We don't have the luxury of ignorance. Not like you guys do. Plus, the amount of times I've been punched for grabbing an apple that someone else wanted is one too many."

Enchant didn't laugh like Tommy expected him to. His eyes were wide beneath his glasses and the teen's mind flipped into overdrive. He shouldn't have told a pro hero where they lived! They lived in the building illegally! And he called Enchant, Number Three, an idiot to his face! Fuck! He was so, so screwedー

"Well, then," Enchant whistled. His expression had been schooled into something calmer and Tommy found the tension in his own shoulders steadily disappearing. "Why don't we take a walk down there and check things out, yeah?” 

"What?" Tommy deadpanned as he watched the brunette uncoil to his feet before brushing some dirt off of his muted pants. He offered a hand to Tommy a moment later. 

"Not enough heroes expand their routes through that part of SMP. It wouldn't hurt to check out," he explained, his smile growing as Tommy grabbed his hand. "Plus, I've wanted to check in on you for a while now."

"Oh yeah," the boy murmured as he was hoisted to his feet, remembering how the pro had called out his name when he first approached. "That's kinda weird, man. How the fuck do you know my name?"

"I was actually part of the team that… freed you from Dream," the pro shrugged and Tommy felt his breath catch. He didn't remember that. Did…Did he hurt any of them? Was Enchant just making sure he wasn’t a problem? He might not know what his power was but Dream sure did, so who's to say that it wasn't something dangerous? That it wasn't something deadly when in the hands of someone dangerous? Dream said Tommy had his axe. Was Tommy the one using it?! Oh god, did he kill people?! 

"Hey, hey," a calming voice reassured. "You're okay. Can you take a deep breath for me?"

Tommy didn't even realize he had been panicking until Enchant's blurry figure was in front of him, his hands hovering over his shoulders as if he was unsure whether or not contact was okay. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe! 

"I'm going to touch your shoulders, okay?" Enchant said, but his voice sounded miles away. It sounded as if he was underwater. He couldn't breathe because if he did then he would drown. His chest screamed for air and black spots began to dance across his vision but he couldn't. "I know it hurts but you have to count with me. Take a deep breath in for four seconds, okay?" Tommy dimly registered a calloused hand guiding his own to a strong chest. "I'll do it with you; breathe in for one, two, three, four…now hold it for four more seconds." Tommy managed to hold it for two before he was gasping again. 

"S-Sorry," Tommy wheezed, eyes welling up with tears. "I can't. I'm sorryー"

"Hey, it's okay, it's okay," Enchant soothed. "You can try again. Follow my lead. Take a deep breath inー" Tommy felt Enchant's chest rise and he did his best to mimic the movement with his own. It hurt. "Good, good. Hold for four." Tommy's cheeks puffed out in an attempt to not release any air yet. "Perfect. Now release for four more seconds." 

When the four seconds were up, Tommy found it much easier to breathe but Enchant guided him through the process two more times. He only stopped when Tommy let out a pained whine and rubbed at his chest, his next breath rattling with pain. 

"You back with me, Tommy?" Enchant murmured, rubbing the space between Tommy's neck and shoulder with his thumb. It felt nice, the repetitive motion grounding him even more. He was glad to notice that his vision was no longer swimming. 

"Y-Yeah," the teen croaked. "Sorry." 

"You don't have to apologize," the hero hummed. "I'm sorry for bringing up something that triggered it. How are you feeling?"

Wasn't that the question of the hour? To put it simply, Tommy felt like a giant pile of shit. His chest ached with every breath he took and his limbs felt heavier than ever. A terrible headache was suddenly on a rampage through his head and whatever exhaustion failed to lull him to sleep before crashed down on him all at once. If he didn't have an image to uphold in front of a pro hero, he was sure his knees would have buckled. 

So, instead of embarrassing himself further, he managed a strained, "Fine. I'm fine."

Enchant didn't press further. Instead, he looked down at the hand he had been holding to his chest and hummed, "This is a nice ring you have. Is there any hidden meaning behind it?"

You seem like the kind of guy that would put a meaning to jewelry, Tommy's mind chimed, but he didn't have the strength to begin more banter. 

"My best friend's have the same ring," Tommy murmured, glad he didn't sound like he was being strangled anymore. "I'm the only one that wears it on my hand, though."

"Oh, yeah?" 

"Mhm," Tommy nodded. He was so tired. "Boo has his on his tail and Tubs wears it on his horn. They're so cool."

"They sound like it," Enchant smiled. He was silent for a moment. "How are you feeling? Do you need help getting home? It's pretty late; I don't want you getting hurt on your way back. It's a far walk."

"Not stayin' there now," Tommy yawned, rubbing his eyes. He was literally talking to Enchant. He couldn't be this tired! He couldn't fall asleep here, either! He didn't know where he was. 

Despite the voice of reason nagging at the back of his head, Tommy let himself lean up against the pro hero, who gave a breathy chuckle. 

"Where are you staying now, then?" Enchant probably wouldn't know where it was. Tommy didn't know where it was! 

"EL…EL Rapids," the blond slurred, trying to figure out just where he had been staying. He wasn't even sure that was correct. 

Enchant made a noise of surprise. "In Las Nevadas or the casino?" So he was right. 

"Casino," he confirmed. "Tubbo's dad's offerin' us a place to stay. I gotta get back. Clem is waiting for me." She probably wasn't waiting. With how annoyed she seemed when he had initially left, he wouldn't be surprised if she was still dead asleep. 

"Schlatt, then, huh," Enchant mused. It sounded more like a statement than a question, but Tommy nodded nonetheless. "That's pretty far from here, though. How about I bring you to HQ and you can crash there for the night? I'll bring you back tomorrow morning, though, I promise."

"But Boo and Tubs," Tommy whined, face buried in Enchant's shoulder as the man gently swayed them. When he wasn't talking, he was humming a soft tune. 

"I know, I know. But it would take much longer to head back there than to reach HQ," the pro explained. "You'll see them first thing tomorrow. You don't even have to stay the whole night; I just want to make sure you get some rest."

Tommy was practically asleep as he murmured a quiet, "Okay."

Oh, everyone was going to panic when they woke up and found him missing the next morning. That was a problem for future him to deal with, though. 

Good thing there was a gloopy guy watching the whole exchange. He would break the news to them in a way that wouldn't make them panic more. Just like Quackity had taught him!

"Tommy has been captured by Pro Hero Enchant and was brought back to the Syndicate Agency HQ!"

The uproar that followed was expected.

"Wilbur…?" Phil's voice called, low and confused. "Why is there a kid passed out in your office?"

"That's Tommy!" Wil chirped as he strode towards his father, who was half in Wil's office and half out. His wings were puffed and a quiet buzz filled the air, giving away his worry. "I brought him back last night!"

Phil looked back into the room, brows furrowed as his eyes flicked over the sleeping form of Tommy. The kid was curled up on the huge couch and had three blankets thrown over him, each of them as soft as soft can be. Wil's instincts must have been loud for him to go that far. 

"So…you kidnapped him?" Phil drawled, hoping his suspicion was incorrect because if his son kidnapped a teenager oh my godー

"Not really ," Wilbur responded, voice trailing high as he tried to put into words just what had happened. "He came willingly! I was going to bring him back when he woke up, anyway. He was just…sitting on the sidewalk, Phil. I couldn't just leave him there."

"So you decided to bring a civilian into our base of operations, hm?" Phil deadpanned, a brow raised as he fixed his son with a steely look. "Why couldn't you bring him back to his house last night?"

Wilbur shuffled in place, gaze downturned as he studied his boots like they were more interesting than the conversation he was currently having. "Because…Because he is staying at EL Rapids and it was…far away…."

"Your route went through Third last night," Phil sighed. "EL Rapids is off of Sixth. It wouldn't have taken more than fifteen minutes to return him."

Wilbur didn't have anything to say to that. Guilt began to pool in his stomach and he opened his mouth to apologize but was interrupted but a soft "Oh."

Both men at the door turned to look at the teenager, who had propped himself up on his forearm. He sleepily rubbed his eyes and stifled a yawn with the back of his hand, his piercing blue gaze clouded with fatigue and confusion. 

"Philza?" Tommy murmured. His blond curls were a mess and he looked like he was still locked in a fierce battle with sleep, trying his best to stay awake. "What…?"

Wilbur allowed a smug smirk to grow on his face as he watched his father's eyes grow fond. He might not like the fact that Wilbur brought the kid back to the tower, but the man was just as worried about Tommy as Wilbur had been. That might have been partially because the brunette wouldn't shut up about the kid and nearly worked himself into a dangerous burnout trying to find him. 

"Hey, mate," Phil murmured. He shuffled into the room and kneeled down before the kid, who gave the pro hero a skeptical look. "How did you sleep?"

"Mmm," Tommy hummed, flopping back down against one of the many pillows Wilbur had piled around him. "Warm."

Phil chuckled. "That's good. I'm glad. Do you have somewhere to be today? I can drop you off, if you need."

Tommy seemed to think for a long moment before he gave a tired shrug. "They'll come get me soon."

Oh god. Did Wilbur actually steal this child?! Were his parents looking for him? 

He sent a sharp look to his youngest, who gave a sheepish smile. Phil pointed to the hall and Wilbur's smile fell, the man trudging out of the room to wait for whatever scolding was to come. 

Right as Phil turned back to Tommy to excuse himself for a moment, the intercom on their floor clicked on. " Uhh…Enchant? Philza? You seem to have some…guests. They're very persistent ー hey! Wait! " There was a loud shuffling on the other end of the line and Phil sent a quizzical look up to the speakers. What he didn't expect was the voice of a young boy to come through, " Theseus Innit, you'd better get your ass down here right now or I'll come up there and drag you back myself! "

Tommy whined, shoving his face further into the pillow. Wilbur appeared to be stuck between a mix of concerned and amused. 

" If you're not down here in ten minutes I'm revoking your freedom and you'll never see the outside world ever again! " The intercom clicked off and the three of them sat in silence before Tommy pushed himself up, disheveled and annoyed. 

Phil raised a brow. "So? Want us to accompany you downstairs?"

"Sure," Tommy grumbled. "I'll need the help."

Chapter Text

Tommy trudged down the small staircase that led to the elevator, blanket still wrapped tightly around his shoulders per Wilbur’s insistence. 

"You might have to start planning my funeral now," Tommy mumbled, distracted as he let his eyes trail over the intricate designs in the elevator. Phil had followed them in and tried his best not to smother the boy in his wings. 

"Why?" Wilbur snorted. He was leaning against the wall of the elevator, legs crossed, and only dressed in casual clothes. He still kept his tail tucked away, though. The media would lose their minds if they found out who Wil was related to…. "You gonna get punished for running away? Sounds pretty reasonable to me."

"You're the one who stole me, dick'ead," Tommy glowered and Wilbur attempted to hide a coo that rose on his throat. Tommy, despite his best efforts, was nowhere near intimidating. "But no. Tubbo's gonna take me down and he'll jump you without a second thought. No mercy from that man, I tell you."

"Tubbo?" Phil echoed. "Who's that?"

"My roommate!" Tommy chirped, eyes lighting up. For being stuck in an elevator with two of the most popular pro heroes, the kid was holding himself together pretty well. Maybe it was just because he was still half asleep. "Well, one of my roommates. He's fuckin' awesome."

"And about to commit a felony," Wilbur joked, which received a somber nod from the blond. 

"Two felonies," he sighed. "You're included."

"Should I be worried?" Phil snorted. "You know, for my own safety?"

"You're only here by association," Wilbur waved off. 

"Tubs would never lay a finger on you, Philza," Tommy declared. That had both heroes laughing. 

"What now?" Phil asked, a confused smile on his face as he brushed some of his unbraided hair out of his eyes. 

"Yeah. I forced him to accept you and all of your grand power. The price to pay, though…I can't say anything bad about Captain, now." Tommy explained as the elevator slowed. 

"Puffy?" Wil inquired, confused. Puffy had been inactive for a few months now. 

"Sparklez," Tommy corrected and oh, that made more sense. "The OG! Even before you, Philza!" 

"Yep," the winged hero chuckled, clearly resisting the urge to reach out and ruffle the boy's hair. "He really kicked off the whole 'hero' thing."

Tommy took a sharp breath as the elevator doors opened and he said, "I shall not speak ill of Captain Sparklez but holy shit, if I have to hear his name one more time I'm going to snap."

Before either of the pros could question what Tommy had meant by that, the same voice from over the intercom shouted, "Innit! Get over here now!"

Wilbur was shocked to see the voice belonged to a boy that had to be Tommy's age, shaggy, dyed hair covering his eyes. He was much shorter than Wilbur…well, than all of them, but he had such a powerful aura…that was Schlatt’s kid, all right. Even if it wasn't clear from the horns protruding from his head or the ram-like features, he gave off a vibe that commanded respect. 

"Hey, Tubs," Tommy drawled, deliberately making his walk over as slow and dramatic as possible. "How are you doing?" 

Wilbur didn't get to hear a response before a raccoon was hurtling towards the blond. The animal latched onto his pant leg before proceeding to scale him like a tree. It chittered and growled all the way up to his shoulder and nipped at his ear, which earned them a half-hearted swat. None of them gave the animal a second glance, which made the two pros believe that this was normal. 

The group that had come to gather Tommy wasn't that big but it did have two familiar faces. 

“Wilbur Soot!” Quackity yelled, pointing towards the hero, who was suddenly regretting following the teen downstairs. The casino owner pulled away from Slime, who had a merry smile on his face. “What the fuck is wrong with you?!” 

“Quackity,” Wilbur chuckled, taking a step away from the man that had begun advancing towards him, sweat beads forming on his brow. “How have you been? The business been good?” 

“Oh, fuck off! You stole Tommy!” the man exclaimed. “What the fuck, man? I know you used to joke about shit like this but I never thought you would actually do it!” 

“He joked about kidnapping people?” Tommy asked, looking remarkably more awake, but he had pulled the blanket further around him when Tubbo began scolding him.

“Can’t you stay still for one night, Tommy? One night? C’mon, big man! Slime had to come tell us and he told us in the worst way possibleー”

“There were a plethora of worse ways that I could have worded it, Tubbo!” Slime chimed in from where he was positioned next to Ranboo, who looked just as disheveled as Tommy. He kept a wary eye on the heroes behind the blond. “I did what Quackity taught me to do! I was fast and efficient! Did it not instill a sense of urgency in you?” 

“Yes, you did wonderful, Slime,” Quackity smiled, mood doing a complete one-eighty as he began talking to the strange slime man. “I think we need to talk about your lurking, though. That’s getting…a little concerning.” 

“Allow him to lurk around Tommy,” Tubbo sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Either that or we’ll put a collar on him.” 

A jolt of unfamiliar panic shot through Tommy and his breath hitched. Searing phantom pain ignited around his throat and his vision was clouded with green ; it burned ー “I-I’m not a dog. ” 

“You keep running away!” Tubbo explained. “This is why your window is sealed! You’re going to get hurt if you keep doing this! Or arrested! You're a wanted criminal, Tommy!” 

“ Don’t put a fucking collar on me,” Tommy growled, tightening his grip on the blanket still draped over his shoulders to hide the way they shook. His blue eyes shone with anger that rivaled that of a cornered animal. “I don’t care! I've gotten this far and I've been fine! Enchant even helped me out!"

“You can’t sit still, can you?” A saccharine voice sang. “You brought this upon yourself, Tommy. It’s for your own safety; I don't want you wandering off on your own again. It'll only burn for a second ー"

“Okay, no collar,” Tubbo sighed, no less exasperated. “But this…just come get us if you want to go out! The city is in shambles and Dream is still after you…it wasn't the most comforting thought that you were with a pro that just tried to arrest us. It's not safe."

"The last time I woke one of you up in the middle of the night to do something you told me to piss off!" Tommy argued. "I don't fucking care if Dream is after me becauseー"

"Because you're a 'big man' and 'can handle yourself.' Yes, Tommy, I know," Tubbo drawled and a flash of hurt shone on Tommy’s face, the ugly feeling twisting in his stomach as his mind became a hurricane of how he could turn around the argument he had been caught in. He knew Tubbo was just worried but…something about the situation struck a little too close to home and he didn't want to use the energy to unpack that just yet.

"I was going to say 'because I have you guys,'" Tommy growled and Tubbo's breath hitched, eyes glimmering with regret from under his veil of hair. "Guess not, since you want to lock me in my room and collar me. Fuck you." 

"It wasn't all Tommy's faultー" Enchant tried, but it was futile because he fell silent the second Quackity sent him a scathing glare. 

“You don’t get a say in this, Soot,” Quackity hissed and Wilbur winced. “You made this so much worse! ” 

“He doesn’t have a criminal record,” Slime pointed out, humming in contemplation. “I don’t understand why the situation is as bad as you are making it out to be. If anything, Tommy is much safer with the heroes than anywhere else! Dream from SMP has been zoning in on our location, too. I see him watching the city at night.” 

“What?!” Quackity cried, whirling around to face Charlie. Instead of seeing an expression that would match the worrying implications, he was met with a firm smile and an expectant look, a glimmer in Slime’s green eyes as if he was looking for validation. He didn’t get to give it to him, though, because Ranboo opened his mouth and let out a strand of enderman-like whoops and warbles.

"Where are you going?!" Ranboo asked, panic clear in his voice as he turned to watch Tommy stalk away, nearing the exit. The blond decided to take his leave when they were distracted.

" Away. If I'm so much of a problem that you need to seal my windows then I think I'll go." Tommy snarled. “Not like the casino is much safer if Dream knows that I’m there, anyways.” The teen had shoved open the glass doors so hard Wilbur worried they might shatter. Tubbo flinched away when the doors banged closed.

The silence was suddenly stiff and unbearable. 

"Can you…?" Quackity murmured, turning to Slime as his voice sliced through the tension that had increased tenfold as Tommy left. The gloopy lad flashed a bright smile and a thumbs up, not needing to question any of his assignments because he just knew. Quackity had no doubt that Slime would be able to effectively trail after Tommy. 

"I'll follow him! He won't even know I'm there!" The slime-covered man was out the door moments later and Quackity heaved a sigh, running a hand down his face before fixing Wilbur with another glare. 

The pro felt very out of place now.

"Thank you for giving Tomas a safe place to sleep," Quackity gritted out, face twisted in a scowl as if it physically pained him to say it. "I don't care about the details right nowー" Tubbo opened his mouth to object but Quackity silenced him by holding up his hand. "ー which means it's time to leave." Tubbo took a defiant step towards the door before Quackity held out his hand to stop him. "Tubbo, enough. You can cool down when we get back. We all just need some space."

"If you…erm, if you need anything, Quackity…don't hesitate to reach out," Wilbur murmured. "You have a direct link to our comms for a reason."

"Yeah, mate, you're always welcome here," Phil smiled. Despite the dramatic scene that just unfolded, he still had a kind look in his eyes. "All of you. Let us know what we can do to help."

Quackity's shoulders sagged as if an enormous weight had been taken off of them. "Thanks guys. Now, though, we should head back. Let's go."

And, just like that, the rest of them filed out of the lobby and back outside, leaving Phil, Wilbur, and their very confused receptionist alone. 

"I don't think that was supposed to happen," Wil hummed, rocking on his feet as the anxiety he thought would dissipate after the confrontation only increased. 

"The fight?" Phil confirmed only to give a thoughtful hum when his son nodded. "Well, the best we can do right now is keep an eye out for the kid. You're not free to go, though, Wilbur. Look at the mess you caused!"

"I know, I know," the brunette groaned into his hands, head tilted back. "But I've been looking for the kid for so long and he was alone out there. I couldn't just…leave him. I wanted to get to know him. I just…I had to make sure he was okay. "

"And is he?" Phil inquired, arms loosely crossed as the pair turned back to the elevator. "Okay, that is?" 

"I don't…I don't know," Wilbur sighed, slumping against the smooth wall of the elevator when they entered. "I said somethingーan offhand comment I made forced the kid into a panic attack. I wanted to help! Christ, I just wanted to help but now I think I've made things worse!"

"Maybe," Phil shrugged. "It's only morning, though. Tommy has plenty of time to clear his head before he goes back to the casino. That Slime fellow is trailing him as well and I don't doubt that he has direct contact with Quackity. He'll be safe."

"I gotta apologize later," Wilbur murmured, trudging after Phil as the doors slid open, releasing them onto their floor. 

"You do," Phil agreed. "Give it time. Now get started on your work before PR comes to breathe down my neck about it."

Wilbur gave a weak chuckle as he slid into his office, gently closing the door after him. He heaved a sigh and slid down to the floor, arms hugging his knees as he tucked them to his chest. 

He would only make it through half of the papers on his desk before he headed out for an early patrol. Not because he wanted to track down the kid again, no . He just wanted to go pick up more rubble from the street and throw it somewhere less inconvenient. That’s what the city wanted him to do and he thought it would complete bullshit! If Tommy was right, then, while the heroes’ focus were elsewhere, it allowed the other people to get away with whatever crime they wanted!

At least cleaning up gave him plenty of time to think, despite how his hands itched to leap for Seventh Street and see just what was going on back there. He had been handed the puzzle that was Tommy Innit, though, and was finally able to start piecing it together. It would take a while and piss him off to no end, but he didn't care. 

That kid had Wilbur wrapped around his finger. The hero barely had one conversation with him, too. 

Oh, he was so screwed.

Tubbo had been pacing for the last thirty minutes. The expressions that flashed on his face ranged from angry to guilty to downright depressed. It was tiring Ranboo out and he was just watching him. 

"Bo, why don't you come sitー" Ranboo began, but he was immediately silenced when Tubbo sent a sharp look in his direction. 

"No, Ranboo, I will not sit because our best friend ran away and it's all my fault!" Tubbo shouted, hands flying up to his head as he wrapped them around his horns with a loud bleat. "God, I threatened to put a collar on him, Ranboo! Fuck!"

"It was in the heat of the moment," Ranboo tried. "It's not all your fault, either. If he hadn't left in the first place none of this would be happening."

"But I acted like it's never happened before!" Tubbo objected almost immediately. "It has! He wanders! It's happened too many times to count!"

"But he's always ended up fine."

"He didn't have a supervillain after him then, though," Tubbo groaned, legs giving out under him as he fell into a heap on the ground. "I'm worried and scared because he's Tommy. That idiot gets himself into fucked up situations by just existing! And now the city is on fire and Dream is only growing stronger and it was too close of a call the other day when we ran into himー"

"You need to breathe," Ranboo interrupted, nudging Tubbo's foot with his toe. "I mean, unless you want to pass out and just forget all of this for now. If so, then carry on."

A half-hearted snort came as a response and Ranboo gave a small smile to celebrate the tiny victory. 

"Dad was gonna make pancakes today, too," Tubbo whined into the carpet, tail lowered as he rolled onto his stomach, still effectively sprawled out. "But nooo he has a business call and puts Quackity in charge!"

"What's wrong with Quackity?" Ranboo asked with a tilt of his head. 

There was a long beat of silence before Tubbo huffed out, "Nothing. There's nothing wrong with him. I'm gonna blame him for something, though, because I'm pissed off. "

"Wanna go to the sparring room to blow off some steam? We can make a plan to catch up to Tommy when we're in a better headspace. He will be fine for a little while longer."

"...Yeah, sure. Lead the way, boss man."

Tommy was, in fact, not fine. No, he was currently caught in the middle of a shoot-out between two separate groups that wanted to rob the same store. 

He was wedged between the aisle with chips and the one with the biscuits as bullets soared overhead and whistled by a little too close for comfort. Clementine had attempted to hide herself in his hood again and he didn't blame her. It was really loud. It sounded like the robbers were arguing, too. Just how annoying could they get?!

"Get yer own store, arsehole!" The man from the group to Tommy's left shouted. He had a pretty thick accent but the boy couldn't picture where it was from. "We were here first!"

"This isn't elementary school!" The woman to his left yelled back, firing three shots from her handgun in a quick succession before ducking behind an overturned table. "Only the strong survive here, idiot!" The woman's accent was much closer to Ranboo's own. 

"Cut it out with yer stupid sayin's! You sound like an idiot!" The man yelled, voice much closer to Tommy than he was just a moment ago. The teen didn't have time to react before his hood was being yanked on and he was hoisted to his feet and held to a strong chest. The very hot barrel of the gun was held to his head a moment later. He didn’t hear the footsteps of the man approaching, but he noticed two others flanking his current captor, smirks on their faces. "I know yer not a murderer! Drop yer weapon and walk away! This is our turf!"

The woman, who had bright blue hair and even brighter clothes, narrowed her eyes. Tommy's heart was practically beating out of his chest and he hoped that the woman would just do what he said because he really didn't want to die right now. Especially with Clementine tucked in the hood of the jacket he stole from Quackity. She didn’t need to go through that loss at such a young age.

The woman lowered her weapon and Tommy let out a shaky exhale, eyes glimmering. He watched as the woman stepped away, hands raised to keep whatever shaky peace they had formed. She didn’t dare drop her weapon, but her index finger was off of the trigger, proving that she wasn’t a threat. That seemed to be enough for the giant man holding him and Tommy nearly cried in relief as the gun was lowered from its spot against his temple. 

The massive arm that wrapped around him slightly lowered, which allowed Tommy to put some space between the chest he was just trapped against. Gods, that man was warm. It felt like he was being held against a heater, jesus ー 

A vicious snarl filled the silence as Clementine suddenly jumped out of Tommy's hood. The raccoon latched onto the gunman's arm, scrambling for balance on his leather jacket, and sank her needle-sharp teeth into his hand. There was a cry of anguish, a loud bang, and Tommy collapsed. 

" Fuck! " Tommy screamed, agony shooting up his leg. It felt like he had just gotten struck by lightning.

He was barely able to open his mouth to spew more curses when three more gunshots rang out and a thud sounded behind him, a heavy clatter not too far behind. 

Eyes glimmering with unshed tears, Tommy dared to look behind him and…and he wished he didn't. The man who had grabbed him was lying on the floor motionless. His once green eyes were now glazed over and his mouth hung open as if he was surprised. Right between his eyes, though, lay a bullet hole. Blood was pooling on the ground as it gushed out of the exit wound, the trickle of blood coming out of his forehead thickening with every dying pulse from his heart. His gun lay discarded on the ground beside him, fingers opened as if he had flinched in the midst of dying.

Behind the man Clementine had just bitーthe man that had just been killed ーlay two more motionless bodies, each having met the same fate. Their weapons were untouched on the ground as well, but Tommy would rather they hold their weapons than be dead. 

They were dead. He was staring at three dead bodies. Three dead bodies what the fuck ー

Clementine had scrambled back to Tommy after the man had collapsed and she hovered around the leg he was cradling. Blood seeped through fingers and dripped onto the tile; he could barely focus on the pain over the deafening roar in his ears. 

He didn't know how long he sat there. He wasn't sure what was happening around him. It was all just a blur of movement, colors mixing together before fading away completely. It looked like an oil painting that hadn’t been finished, the base layer down but none of the defining lines drawn. It made his head spin.

His pulse sounded like claps of thunder in his head and his blood roared in his ears, but everything around him was silent. It was as if he was underwater; the only noise he could hear was a shrill ringing and his own labored breaths. 

Pink and red began to swirl before him before it came to a halt in front of him. He found that he didn’t care just what had stopped before him but there was a tiny voice that told him he might be in danger. He didn’t care.

This…This isn't real, Tommy's thoughts rang, slicing through the cacophony of silence. This can't be real. It's not. Something like this…I'm not anything special. This would never happen to me! It's just a dream…just a ー

A foreign weight attempted to drag his shoulder down and he screamed. With a violent flinch away from the hand, Tommy promptly released his injured thigh (knee?) in an attempt to stifle his terrified sobs. His head knocked into the shelf behind him and his back pressed painfully into the metal, unable to put distance between him and the person before him.

"I'm gonna put pressure on the wound," a gruff voice said but Tommy could barely comprehend what was going on. It was as if he was swaying in and out of his own head and he could do nothing to stop it. "I've got a tourniquet here to slow the bleeding until we get you to the hospital."

Tommy detested hospitals. So, instead of going willingly like anyone else would, he tried to rush away and shoot to his feet. He was barely able to put any pressure on his right leg before he crumpled to the ground with a cry.

"Nope, no, we're not doin' that," Tommy heard before strong hands were pulling him up, careful of his wound. "C'mon. It's not that far. You're safe now. You shouldn't have had to see that." The rough drawl was replaced by soft reassurances as he was cradled. Any other time he would be kicking and screaming because he wasn't some child that had to be carried around! He was injured, though, so he figured he would allow it this once. 

"Are ya with me, kid?" The voice asked, words now overtaken by a far gentler one. "It's okay if you pass out, but I'd prefer if you try not to; I don't know if you have any more injuries. Do you?"

Tommy managed to shake his head no. A silky smooth texture rubbed up against his cheek as he shifted and the person holding him grunted.

"Do you have somewhere to be, Tommy?" 

That was…a good question. Tommy did have somewhere to be, but he wasn't sure he wanted to be there right now. Well, he wanted nothing more than to run into Tubbo and Ranboo's arms but it didn't seem like he was going to be doing much running. Plus, the argument they had had come out of nowhere and he wasn't in the mood to have a heart-to-heart with anyone. 

So he shook his head again, oblivious to the fact that the person holding him had called him by his name. 

"That's worrying," they huffed. 

"No…No hospitals," Tommy mumbled, resisting the urge to squirm. Hospitals meant that there was a greater chance that he could get caught and, since he was still a minor, he would be sent away to one of those group homes until he could get emancipated. 

The kid had no faith in himself or in the system. He didn't trust that he could be put somewhere safe and possibly get adopted into a loving family. No one in the fostering system was loving. The amount of foster parents that got sent to jail or had to testify in court was a lot higher than it probably should be. So, no thanks, Tommy would take his chances with their ratty old apartment. 

Plus, he was still a wanted individual and ending up in the hospital was a very bad idea. It basically put a large, red target on his forehead and gave every cop and hero in the area free reign to lock him up. 

There was a heavy sigh and Tommy was being placed on a gurney, the pink and red disappearing from his view. He whined at the loss of contact and flinched as a new set of cold hands got to work on his leg. 

"I'll call Wil, then," the man who had brought him over huffed. 

Tommy shook his head again. No one else. He didn't want anyone else around him. He wasn't safe with more people he didn't know. 

"I'm gonna have to get you to someone who can help," the hero said softly, kneeling down next to the gurney Tommy had been placed on. "The paramedics here can only do so much for you."

"I've had…I've had worse," Tommy mumbled, his brain finally beginning to put the pieces together and allowed him to register the fact that Blade was helping him out. "Lemme go."

"I don't want to be responsible for you gettin' an infection when you go off to wherever unsanitary place you'll go to," Blade deadpanned and Tommy whined again, head rolled back and arms raised to block out the suddenly blinding light. "You're lucky it went clean through and they didn't have the dig the bullet out."

Tommy, ever the articulate individual, said, "Fuck you." 

"I have to do my job, kid," Blade sighed, pink hair tumbling free from his braid with the movement. "Why don't you let the paramedics help you out here and we can figure someone else out?"

"I'm fine," Tommy grumbled. Clementine chirped immediately after, arguing with him. "I am! I don't feel a thing!" That was a complete lie.

"That's because the adrenaline is still kickin' in you," Blade snorted, a smirk tugging the corner of his lips up. "When that wears off you'll for sure want some pain meds."

"I don't need pain meds! I'm fine! " Tommy objected. "I want…I want to go home. "

Blade sighed, but it wasn't filled with irritation or anger or exasperation. It was like the sigh he got from Enchant last night. "I know. I know this whole situation sucks but you gotta work with me here, Tommy. Can youー"

"Hey, Blade! I'm just finishing up here," a much higher voice chimed in, seemingly distracted. Tommy didn't have the energy to look over and see who it was. "The perpetrators have been sent to the nearest station to get apprehended. The shop…well, it still needs to be cleaned up but we can handle that."

"All right, BBH," Blade murmured and Tommy heard the fabric of his hero outfit shift, giving him the impression that Blade was nodding. "Other than this kid and the three others, were there any more casualties?"

"The cashier got knocked in the head pretty hard so they might have a concussion, but no, no one else got caught up in it," BBH hummed, tone as merry as ever despite the heavy conversation. All Tommy saw when he closed his eyes was the blood dripping down that lifeless face and he couldn't help but think that could have been me. 

The nauseating feeling of guilt rolled in his stomach when he was glad it hadn't been him. Did that make him a bad person? Was he glad the person holding him at gunpoint was killed? 

"Better them than you, Toms," he muttered, mask directly next to Tommy’s ear. "What good could they have done? You're the one with potential, after all." 

"Yeah, okay," Blade said. "Thanks, Bad." The demon hero gave a cheery response before his footsteps faded away, leaving only Tommy and Blade. 

Tommy didn't say anything else. The adrenaline was beginning to wear off and tremors shook his entire body as his senses began to come back to him. With his senses came the pain and fuck it hurt. 

"I'm fine," Tommy reiterated, voice less firm and much more shaky. "I'm not lying," he warbled.

"I never said you were," Blade hummed. He shifted his hand so his clawed fingers were gently detangling the knots in his hair. The action nearly brought Tommy to tears once more. "Guess you're in my hands now, huh? C'mon. Let's get you cleaned up."

Chapter Text

Tommy…wasn’t really sure where he was. He remembered being picked up again but everything else seemed to fade after that. Did he pass out? Or was he just really out of it? He would put money on both options if he could because he felt like absolute shit. He was disoriented and nauseous and in a lot of pain. 

So, like any normal person, he began to whine. He wasn't even sure there was anyone around him to listen to his childish complaints, but he supposed that was fine. Someone would hear him eventually. 

If he was being honest, he wasn't sure how much time had passed. He got bored of whining a minute or so after receiving no response so he had chosen to doze once more. The problem here, though, was he felt like shit and he didn't know why. Yeah, he had gotten shot and apparently taken somewhere "safe" according to Blade, but a simple wound like that wouldn't explain why he felt so horrible. His heartbeat was a thunderous roar on his head and pounded against his skull with every beat and his body felt achy and too sensitive. He was nearly shivering, body telling him he was cold as sweat beads trickled down his temple. 

Hell fucking no. He was not doing this today. 

He wasn't sure just what he had meant to say when he opened his mouth, but that didn't matter because all that came out was an even more pitiful whine, syllables jumbled together as he kept his eyes closed as tight as possible. Even seeing the light from beyond his closed eyelids sent shots of pain through his head, increasing his nausea tenfold because why wouldn't it?

"Jesus, kid," a familiar, gruff voice said as a set of footsteps sounded through the room Tommy was in. A cool hand was placed on his forehead and he nearly cried in relief when the pain subsided for a moment. Even if it was only a few seconds, he enjoyed what he had gotten. "If it weren't for the fact that that wound is new, I would have thought it was infected."

"...Why?" Tommy asked, mouth seemingly filled with cotton at how mumbled it was. His throat had gotten sore when he was sleeping, too. Dammit. Was there anything that didn't hurt? 

"You've got a really high fever," Blade sighed, and the hand was removed from his forehead. Tommy whined again and the hand was replaced only after a minute of hesitation. "I was going to give you an IV in case you couldn't take pills but I thought I would wait and see how you felt when you woke up. How's the leg?" 

Tommy barely managed to shift said leg before he had to bite back a pained groan. "Hurts."

"Mhm," the hero hummed, hand thankfully keeping its place on Tommy's forehead as Blade turned and rummaged around with something in the plastic bin next to the bed. There was a lot of rattling going on. "You did get shot so that's to be expected."

"Ah," Tommy groaned, fingers tangled in the fabric of the sheets under him. Where was he again? 

"I've got some pain meds here if you want them," Blade sighed, gently shaking a bottle as he pulled his hand away from Tommy's forehead. "If you can't stomach pills now, though, I can give you an IV. That might be the easiest way for now since you have a few different problems going on."

"I don't feel good," Tommy whined, moving to roll onto his stomach. He was stopped by a firm hand, but he didn't have the energy to complain about it. 

"You can't put too much weight on your injured leg. I was able to stop the bleeding; it wouldn't be good if the wound opened again," the hero explained. "Plus, it would be a pain to deal with after I've already fixed it up once."

"I'm the easiest to deal with," Tommy grumbled, but his argument was weak as his words slurred together. A rasp grew near the tail end of his words, too, and he did his best to fight back a cough that threatened to tear his throat apart. "Fuck you."

"I literally took you to my house because you were stubborn," Blade sighed. Tommy heard him rummaging around again and he heard wheels squeaking as they were rolled over. "You are near the top of my list for the most difficult so far."

"I just woke up," Tommy said, brows furrowed. How could he have been difficult when he was unconscious? 

"You were delirious on the way here," Blade hummed, twisting the cap off of a needle before attaching it to the drip bag. "Called me a plethora of awful nicknames. Wouldn't stop moving, too. For an injured kid, you sure do move a lot."

"Techno," Tommy murmured, the name ringing through his head like a bell as he had reminded himself. He opened his eyes a crack so he could squint at the hero sitting before him, the man preparing the IV. "Blade…Technoblade."

"Techno," Blade corrected gently, grabbing a spray bottle from the shelf next to them. "Blade is only used when I'm working."

"Why don't you look like a pig?" Tommy questioned, spotting his signature pink hair and monotone voice but missing basically every attribute that made him Blade. He had large tusks poking out of his mouth and strangely pointed ears, but he seemed pretty normal now. Maybe this was a weird dream. The room was kind of spinning, after all. "You…You're not pink."

Techno huffed, a noise Tommy tried to figure out the meaning behind (maybe it was a laugh; he wasn't too sure), and nodded. "Yup. That's part of my power; I can transform. Since I only have one other form, it's not quite shape-shifting, but close enough I suppose."

"I want sharp teeth," Tommy pouted, reaching up to grab at Techno's face only for his hands to be swatted away. 

"I'm going to spray your arm with some disinfectant," Techno hummed, completely ignoring Tommy's declaration a moment earlier. "It should also numb up the area so you won't feel the needle."

"Needle?" Tommy jolted, eyes widening. "No. No thanks. No needles." 

"You won't feel it," Techno assured, guiding the boy back against the pillows. He gently grabbed Tommy's arm and moment later and stretched it out, earning a premature wince from the blond. "It'll make you feel better. If you don't want an IV, do you think you can stomach some pills?"

The thought of anything going into his stomach made it churn uncomfortably. That hadn't stopped him in the past, though. Yet he found himself shaking his aching head before he could process what was really happening and his forearm suddenly felt numb. 

"It's okay," Techno said when Tommy flicked his gaze down to his arm, confusion written all over his face. "I'm just cleaning the area to avoid an infection. I'll tell you when the needle goes in, all right? You have to make sure not to pull it out, too."

"That…wouldn't be good," Tommy agreed, remembering hearing a story on the news as he was passing a pub. The doors were wide open and it was quite crowded for two in the afternoon, but he was more focused on the story that played on the screen. It was something about a girl dying in the middle of the night in the hospital because of complications with the medical equipment they put her on; Tommy didn't understand what they were saying but it didn't sound good. 

He wasn’t sure why he remembered that specifically. All it did was effectively heighten his anxiety.

"Nope, not at all," Techno nodded. "Okay, the needle is going in in three, two, one…" there was a slight pressure in Tommy's arm and he was quick to close his eyes, but it was gone as fast as it came, "there. I'm going to put you on a low dose of pain meds as well as a fever reducer. You'll feel better within the hour."

"Okay," Tommy nodded, resisting the urge to fiddle with the IV stuck in his arm now. He decided to not look at it at all. "Why are…Why are you helping me?" 

Surely the hero could have just taken him to the hospital despite his initial protests; it had most likely happened before with other people he’s come across. Tommy was just wondering why he was getting special treatment. He was a random teen that lived on Ninth and stole for a living. Maybe this was just some elaborate plan to capture him and throw him behind bars. Maybe they were trying to gain his trust so he would give up his friends, too. That was three less problems to deal with, easy. 

Sucks for them, then, because Tommy wasn't saying shit! 

"My brother has a soft spot for you," Techno sighed, shoulders sagging as he sat back in the plush chair. "I wanted to know what all of the fuss was about."

"So was the shooting staged or…?" Tommy asked, voice strained as he remembered soulless eyes staring back at him. He never wanted to see that again. He wished he could forget it; to forget the way the stranger's blood soaked into the soles of his sneakers and how it made him shiver. "Or were you just right place wrong time?" 

"No, it wasn't staged just so I could meet you," Techno supplied and Tommy found himself really wishing that it was. If it was fake it would be easier to deal with. "That would be kinda messed up, wouldn't it?" 

"That's what I was thinking but I didn't want to jump to any conclusions," Tommy bit back. "Who the fuck is your brother anyways and why have I spent the past two days surrounded by pro heroes?" 

"I'd rather not disclose that information to a child," Techno hummed, turning to mess with something on the counter and put it in a bin, where a bunch of plastic clattered together. "I also don't have an answer to that. What the heck have you been doing to gain the attention of the pros?" 

"Hell if I know," Tommy grumbled, suddenly Not Happy with this whole situation, blue eyes set in a glare as he fought tooth and nail to keep the brain fuzz away. He wasn't winning the fight. The room was beginning to sway. "The city is destroyed. You would think they would be doing important shit besides talkin' to me."

"Well…," Techno began, hands stilling as his head cocked to the side, a look of consideration fluttering through his gaze before the stoic indifference was back. "You have direct ties to Dream, right?" Tommy shrugged. "That might be why they've been lookin' for you, then. You might have some good information stored in that little head of yours."

"Hey! My head isn't little!" Tommy shouted, pushing himself upright and immediately regretting every decision he had made that led up to this moment because the room was now spinning and he wasn't sure if he was upright or not. "I've got plenty of good information!" 

Apparently he was not upright because strong hands caught him with a huff right before he toppled over the side of the bed he had adopted. 

"You're about to keel over and die. I doubt you have anything worthwhile in there," Blade joked dryly. "Seriously, though, it's not like they tell me anything at HQ." The pro sounded a little more unhappy as he declared this. "Not like an explanation is needed because hunting down a toddler is completely normal, yep."

"What weirdo would hunt down a toddler?" Tommy asked, oblivious as he was pushed back against the pillows, thankful that the room was no longer a Jackson Pollock painting. "That's fuckin' creepy."

He was met with a long beat of silence and, as he opened his mouth to question it, he locked eyes with Techno, whose lips were curled up slightly as amusement danced in his eyes like hidden laughter. 

The realization dawned on him and his face grew hot with embarrassment. 

"Oh, you can fuck right off with that, dick'ead!" Tommy shouted. 

"I'm just sayin'!" Techno chuckled, holding up his hands in surrender. "It's kinda weird that two grown men are huntin' you down. I mean…what's so special about you?" 

Irritation spiked in Tommy's chest but he didn't have the energy to shout. Instead, he turned a weak glare onto the pro hero and forced as much ire into it as he could. He ignored the way Techno appeared to hold back a laugh. He was trying to be intimidating and The Blade was trying not to laugh at him! 

This was the worst.

"I'm very amazing and cool, thank you very much," Tommy declared, sniffing. "Maybe they're coming for tips on how to get a girlfriend since I have so many of them."

"You? You have a girlfriend?" Techno snorted. "I can barely imagine you having one, let alone somehow acquiring more." 

"You're just too lame!" Tommy argued. "I'm just so handsome and charismatic and ohhh don't even get me started on my guns! "

"Figuratively or literally?" 

"I figure that you're a dick, literally."

"What are you even saying? Do you actually own guns?"

"So many of them! Dozens! I carry them around with me all of the time and the women think it's so cool they can't help but crowd around meー"

"It's illegal to own a gun if you are under the age of eighteen," Techno interrupted, brow raised as he leaned up against the counter next to him, forearm flat on its surface. "It's even more illegal to own one if you aren't in a position that requires it. And being in possession of many without the correct paperwork…man, you're looking at five years in prison at least. "

Tommy sputtered. "I'm eighteen, prick!"

"Uh-huh," Techno drawled, rolling his eyes as he pushed himself away from the counter. "Got any form of identification, then?" 

"What is with you heroes and your identification bullshit?" Tommy glowered with a huff. 

"It's part of the job, kid. We can't help if we don't know who you are."

"That's a lie!" Tommy argued. "You can help anyone you want! You just need their information so you can tell their insurance people that they got into trouble! Then boom! Their taxes are raised!"

There was another elongated beat of silence before a heavy sigh sliced through it. Techno ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes as he tilted his head back. Tommy thought he was being quite dramatic. 

"We ask for the information so we can keep it on record," he began. "If it's bad, then yes, we get in contact with their insurance providers, but that is very rare. Do you even know how taxes work?" 

"Do you know how to stop being a bitch?" 

"Oh my god go to sleep."

"No! You'll kidnap me or something!"

"Kid, you're already in my house. I've already kidnapped you." 

"I refuse."

Techno brought a hand up to his face and stifled a loud groan before promptly turning on his heel and walking out of the room. He heard snickering behind him and resisted the urge to grab a pillow and hurtle it at the injured child.

He was quick to fish his phone out of his pocket and click on Wilbur's stupid face as fast as possible, though.

Soon enough, a " Hello? " crackled through the speakers. It only took two and a half rings…Wilbur must be bored. 

"Wilbur, come get your feral child. I'm losing my goddamn mind here," he groaned, bumping his forehead against the wall and effectively tuning out the muttering from said child in the other room.

" Who? What the fuck are you on, Techno? You have a child? "

" Your child," Techno corrected, voice chipped. "That Tommy kid you and Dream are fighting for custody over." 

" You have Tommy?! What the hell, Techno?! Since when? Is he okay? "

"Bruh he's about to not be okay if I have to listen to him any longerー"

" Okay, okay! I'm on my way now! I'll be there in like…five minutes. Make sure he still ー"

"Nope. Not taking any special requests for a kid I'm about to punt out the window," Techno interrupted before pulling the phone away from his ear and disconnecting the call with a sigh. He stood there for a few moments and just…listened. 

It was strangely silent. That wasn’t good.

A stab of worry worked its way into his chest as he quickly turned and looked back into the room, only to deflate when he saw the kid sound asleep. A raccoon was even curled up by his feet and Techno would have found it strange if his dad didn't talk to crows every day like it was normal. He could faintly remember there being a raccoon during the whole Dream is blowing up the city fiasco, anyways.

He slid into the chair nearest to him and internally groaned. 

The kid was much more bearable when completely delirious, and even that was toeing the line.

He thankfully didn't have to wait too long for his brother, though, because Wilbur burst into the room not ten minutes later. 

Through the window. In full hero gear.

Techno nearly forgot that he also had patrol today and, since his hours had gotten fucked up thanks to the attack on Central. Wilbur couldn't spend all day sleeping now before he got up for his evening patrol. 

"You're lucky I didn't put the screen back," Techno drawled, watching his brother gather his bearings before his eyes landed on Tommy. Cue the protective instincts flowing in, his pupils dilated to the point of no return. "You would have had to pay for a replacement."

"Doesn't matter," Wilbur murmured as he shuffled over to the sleeping kid, eyes glued on the blond and the way his leg was bandaged. "What happened? Hurt…How did he get hurt?" 

"Some turf war slash robbery," Techno shrugged, deflating now that a familiar presence was in the room with him. "He saw a bunch of people dead. Not by my hands in case you were worried, but he was pretty freaked out. Still is; keeps deflecting the conversation."

"Damn…he's already had a rough morning," Wilbur moaned, sinking into the chair that was pulled next to the bed, allowing him easier access to the kid. He took advantage of this and began playing with Tommy’s hair. "Got into an argument with his roommate."

Techno rose a brow. "And you know this why…?" 

The brunette looked slightly sheepish but an answer didn't have to be offered. Techno knew and he stifled an obnoxious groan with his hands.

" Wilburrrr …you can't just kidnap people!" He scolded, like he, himself, didn't just kidnap a child. He was the proud owner of the Orphan Obliterator, and the child was still alive, so it evened out. "That's illegal!"

"He was just sitting on the sidewalk in the middle of the night!" Wilbur protested with a flourish, his tail coming loose from where it had been wrapped up under his shirt to flick behind him. "I couldn't just leave him there!" 

"No, you definitely could have," Techno argued, crossing his arms with a huff. "You've done it before to plenty of homeless people, but this is Tommy so it's different."

"It is different! I spent a year thinking the kid was dead!" His brother hissed, throwing a protective arm over Tommy's shoulders. The kid curled into the warmth, oblivious to the fact that there was an argument happening right over his head. The raccoon opened their eyes, though, and was watching intently. "My apologies for caring about a victim after saving them from a traumatizing situation."

"Oh, right," Techno hummed as the realization dawned on him, irritation simmering down almost immediately. "Dream had him? " He asked as if he didn't just have this conversation with the blond fifteen minutes prior. "Why?"

"I dunno," Wilbur sighed, also calming down remarkably fast now that the youngest wasn't under Techno's scrutiny anymore. Techno liked to think he had a better handle on his own instincts when it came to things like this. 

You don't, Chat whispered in his ear and he bit back a sigh. 

He didn't. But he was going to expertly ignore how protective he got by just looking at Tommy when he first arrived on the scene. Not only did Techno have an indirect attachment to this kid because of Wilbur, but now that he had seen Tommy when he was most vulnerable…when he was nothing more than the child he tried denying that he was? 

Techno was weak. 

And he did everything in his power to blame it on his instincts. Because Techno (Blade) Craft does not have weaknesses. 

"Well, let's hope he wakes up coherent next time so we can ask him a few things," Techno hummed, sitting back in his own seat and kicking his feet up to rest on the bed, almost laying over Tommy's own legs. "Don't overwhelm him." 

"I won't," Wilbur huffed but they both knew that was a lie. 

Let's hope the kid can keep it together for a little bit longer so I don't have to deal with a crying child, Techno thought before he closed his eyes in order to block out the world around him. 

He could really use a nap right about now. Not like that was going to happen, though, because Wilbur jumped into a long winded story about his day.

Yeah…Techno should have called Phil instead.

Chapter Text

When Tommy began to wake up, he really wasn’t sure what to think when he heard, “That’s it! I’m entering my villain arc! Don’t try to stop me, Techno!” 

“Bruh, you’re the one that signed up for the extra hours!”

“I didn’t expect the city to be leveled a week before my vacation!”

“Why did you sign up for more time before you went on vacation? That makes no sense.” 

“Maybe I just wanted to keep busy!” 

“...You wanted to keep an eye out for Dream before you left, didn’t you?” 

There was a belated pause. “...No.” 

“You’re insufferable. Not like you would have been able to do anything against him since 404 took you down without any problem last timeー”

“Oh, you can fuck right off with that oneー”  

Tommy’s head was pounding. His body aches were back and he was suffering yet again. He just wished unconsciousness would drag him back to the depths of his mind because even death would be better than having to listen to whatever the fuck he was caught in the middle of. 

Not to mention everything was sensitive as chills racked through his body. The soft blanket draped over him felt like pins and needles against his skin and his leg… oh fuck his leg hurt like a bitch. 

“It’s over for me,” Tommy croaked out. His voice was hoarse from the building congestion and fatigue but that was the least of his concerns right now. “Jus’...Jus’ cut it off.” 

The voices around him immediately died down and a concerned whine sounded right above him, a calloused hand resting on his forehead. Before, he might have found the touch bearable (nice, even, but it’s not like he would ever admit to that) but when it felt like fire ants were crawling all over him? Yeah, no thanks.

He did his best to shimmy away from the palm as the person above him attempted to get a feel for his temperature. Tommy heard the man say, “Cut what off? How are you feeling? You're pretty warm still…your fever has barely gone down.” 

“Cut off my leg, ” Tommy moaned, resisting the urge to kick it out from under the blanket, knowing fully well that it would do more harm than good, despite his urge for dramatics. “I’m dying! ” 

“You just need more medicine,” a deeper voice huffed and the sound of a wooden chair being pushed back sent bolts of agony through Tommy’s head. The migraine that had been building since before he had fallen asleep had settled down behind his right brow and he could feel it pulsing. In fact, he could feel his entire body pulsing. “I can’t give you any more meds from the IV, but I can give you a weaker potion. Do you think you could stomach it?” 

“No pills?” Tommy squeaked out, able to crack one of his eyes open a sliver to see a pink and red blob heading out of the room. A blur of brown and blue was settled right next to him and he figured that it was Enchant. Why the fuck was Enchant here? Tommy thought he ditched him this morning! Yesterday morning…? How long had he been asleep? The sun still seemed to be up since he could make out light filtering into the room from a crack in the drawn curtains, but that didn’t really give him any more useful information. 

“Nope. Just that crappy cough syrup stuff,” Techno, Tommy recognized, said from the other room. There was a lot of shuffling and a few grunts before two cabinets were closed and a glass bottle clinked against the counter.

“Ew,” Tommy whined. “I don’t want that!” 

"It'll make you feel better, Toms," Enchant murmured, hands fidgeting in his lap as he resisted the urge to swaddle the boy in his arms.

There was a pause before there was the sound of another cabinet opening. “I’ve…uhhhーI’ve got some hot chocolate for after? It’s getting cold out, right? Do you like hot chocolate?” 

“Never…Never had it before,” Tommy mumbled, managing to open both of his eyes and cast a weak glare at Enchant, who was trying his best to appear as if he wasn’t hovering.

He was. 

“You’ve never had hot chocolate before?” Enchant asked, voice sounding much more melodic than before now that his voice modulator had been removed completely. He also sounded quite sad, as if the prospect of Tommy never having the weird drink Techno mentioned was strange. “Aren’t kids supposed to love that stuff?” 

“Careful, Wil,” Techno called, a much more solid clink echoing through the apartment. Something ceramic, then. “He’s not a kid. Made that fact very clear.” 

“I’m a big man,” Tommy said, putting on a strong front to try and intimidate the pro sitting before him. He regretted his choices immediately as achy discomfort shot through his entire being. “I’ll clart you.” 

“I don’t doubt that you would,” Enchant huffed, sound resembling that of a breathy laugh. “You’re just a tiny man, though. There’s no way you’re an adult.”

“I never gave any ID, prick! You don’t know!” Tommy argued. Really, he should just stop. His body could not handle this. It felt like he was being dunked in a bucket filled with ice water and then shoved into a hot sauna before he had time to adjust to either of the temperatures.

He was in the midst of suffering and these pro heroes were still concerned about his age.

“Okay, okay,” Techno interjected like the wonderful man he was, striding back into the room with a glass bottle, pink potion swirling within it. Tommy ignored the way his stomach churned at the familiarity of the shimmer…he had never had a potion before in his life…right? So why was this one making him so uneasy?  “Leave it be. Here. It’s a watered down health pot so you can take it in one go and not melt your insides in the process."

Tommy tensed remarkably and Enchant laughed, though it sounded almost forced. Almost fake with the way his voice lilted up. “Ah-ha! Techno! You can’t say that! A potion wouldn’t…that wouldn’t happen! You’ll be fine, Tommy. It won’t hurt you at all!” 

The teen gingerly took the bottle when it was offered to him, narrowing his eyes in the process as he gave a highly skeptical look to the pair before him. Techno seemed painstakingly honest and blunt at all times, but maybe this was just his humor? He did just meet the guy, after all.

Dream…Dream had a weird sense of humor, from what Tommy could remember, though it wasn't much. It probably wasn’t good that he related that kind of humor with flinches…Tommy preferred the honesty Techno offered. It was easier to take something at the face value than beating around the bush with humor.

Hypocrite, Tommy’s mind rang, but he paid it no mind, eyes carefully watching Techno make his way back out of the room and into what he presumed was the kitchen once more. There were a few clicks and a snap before a gentle hum filled the air. Must be a coffee machine of sorts.

“It really is safe to take,” Enchant tried again, tone careful as if he was trying not to spook him. “Techno was… half truthful in what he said, but those are only in rare cases! You’ll be fine! You don’t have to worry about a thing.” 

“Telling me that I don’t have to worry is somehow making me worry even more,” Tommy drawled, but the desire to make the pain go away drowned out any form of common sense because he lifted the glass bottle up to his lips and only took a short breath in preparation. He didn’t even try smelling it, knowing fully well that it would make it that much worse.

The potion slid into his mouth in a wave of sour and bitter. It clung to the back of his throat like syrup and his face scrunched up in a grimace when his next breath made it somehow worse. It felt cold, only amplifying the awful taste that much more. 

“The aftertaste is better, I promise,” Enchant hummed, slipping the bottle from Tommy’s fingers and replacing it with one filled with water. Sure enough, as Tommy gulped down water to get the strange metallic taste out of his mouth, sweetness blossomed over his tongue. He hummed, a way to appreciate the sudden development, and pulled the bottle away from his lips. “Thankfully, the melon taste sticks around even after being gilded with gold.” 

“ Gold? ” Tommy squeaked, eyes widening as he struggled to sit up further, gaining a strange amount of energy as the potion settled in his stomach. “I just drank gold?! ” 

“It’s only a small amount,” Enchant chuckled, hands raised to keep the boy from moving around too much. He didn’t listen, unsurprisingly, and began scooting back, kicking the covers off with a frustrated growl. Now that the potion was in his system, the warmth that spread through his stomach and seeped into his limbs made the stabbing pain in his head and leg dissipate for a few, savory moments. “It’s not bad for you, I swear! The magic in itー”

Tommy’s eyes bugged out. “ Magic? ” he screeched. “I just drank…what the fuck ーmagic?! Are you a fuckin’ wizard?! ” 

Enchant was laughing now, the sound full despite the fact that he was slowly dissolving into wheezes, doubled over in the chair next to the bed as he clutched at his side. His mouth opened and closed like he wanted to say something, but he was constantly interrupted with his cackles. Tommy’s face flushed with an embarrassed blush, eyes lost and confused because what the fuck?! Magic didn’t exist! Sure, people had superpowers but that didn’t make it magic! It made it science! There were studies done with the cells and shit! It was a reasonable explanation and now Enchant was telling him he just drank magic?

“I think you just killed Wilbur,” Techno snickered as he pushed his way back into the room, three mugs balanced in his arms, each of them giving off a thick vapor. 

“ Wilbur? ” Tommy grimaced as if he had taken another sip of the potion, face twisted in poorly hidden disgust. “What kind of a name is that? ” 

“What do you mean? ” Wilbur cried out, a bright smile still plastered on his face as he caught his breath. One of his hands was extended towards Techno and a mug was passed to him a moment later. “I’ve got a perfectly fine name!” 

“It’s shit,” Tommy deadpanned, making grabby hands at Blade, who hesitated for a moment, debating whether or not to hand over the mug. If the kid was that hyped after having a watered down potion, how insufferable was he going to get when he had sugar in his system? He relented when the kid looked at him with those huge, blue eyes of his, pressing the hot mug into his hands, glad that the kid wasn’t nearly as delirious as before. There were still signs of discomfort, though, in the way he would wince when he shifted on the bed and how his brows would twitch down when his headache flared up, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it was. “Such a boring name. I can’t believe you became a pro hero with a name like that.” 

“That’s why we have code names when we get our licenses,” Techno played along, tail flicking out from behind him as he settled into the plush chair near the door, crossing his legs and sinking back, relaxed. His ears flicked every once in a while, especially when some foreign sound came in through the slightly open window. The fresh air was nice. “It’s another way to hide horrible birth names.” 

“Don’t take his side!” Wilbur shrieked, hands thrown out wildly. Tommy instinctively flinched away and the brunette softened his movements, but he kept playing up his outrage. Neither of them wanted to make the boy feel like he was fragile, so neither of them brought it up. “My name is normal compared to Techno! ” 

“Don’t you dare slander Blade’s name, William ,” Tommy deadpanned and Wilbur sputtered, clearly not sure whether or not to laugh or yell again. He looked so hopelessly lost. “Techno and I have the Cool Names!” 

“Tommy is so normal, though!” Wilbur objected and sent a glare to Techno as the man took a long and loud slurp of his hot chocolate. Tommy was still wary of his, the mug a little too hot for him to want to put it anywhere near his mouth. “Why can’t we be in the Normal Name Club, then?” He was whining now and Tommy grinned.

“Tommy isn’t my full name, bitch!” he cackled, shifting his left leg so it was resting under his injured one, the position much more comfortable now that he sat up. “It’sー"

"Thomas, right?" Wilbur cut in and Tommy sent him a glare. 

" No, " Tommy snapped. Wilbur frowned, confusion written all over his face. "Did anyone teach you that interrupting is rude? Damn."

"So?" Techno asked, brow raised as he smirked when Wilbur sat back in his seat, pouting. "What is it, then?"

"Theseus!" Tommy chirped. 

Techno, who was in the midst of taking another sip of his drink, choked, eyes wide. Wilbur had also paused before his eyes filled with despair. He threw his head back and borderline wailed, hands scrubbing at his face. He managed to knock off his glasses and it landed on the ground by his feet. Tommy wouldn't have paid it any mind if he didn't catch sight of a tail flicking next to them. 

"W-What the fuck?!" He exclaimed, pulling one of his hands away from his mug to point at Wilbur’s tail. Techno was still coughing, mug left on the table next to him as he tried catching his breath, and Wilbur was whining about something Tommy couldn't process right now. "You have a tail?! "

"That's not important right now!" Wilbur snapped, glaring through his fingers. "Techno's gonna give you special treatment and then he will be the favorite all because of a fuckin' name ー"

"Oh my god it's pink! Holy fuck, Enchant! You have a tail! Lemme touch it! Gimme!" 

"No! I'm not giving you my fuckin' tail! Leave me alone! I'm grieving!" 

Tommy played a dangerous game with gravity as he balanced his mug with one hand and leaned down to grab the tail with his other. He expertly ignored the way the room spun and let out a childish squeal as the tuft of fur at the end smacked into him as Wilbur attempted to pull it away. It appeared to be dyed brown, like his hair, but there were thick strands of pink twisting through the curly fur. 

"Hey! Don't grab my fuckin' tail!" 

"Don't spill you drink all over my carpet, I swearー"

"This is so cool! Why do you have a tail?! Do you have two powers like Blade does? How does it work?" Tommy rapid fired questions at Wilbur, the latter quick to yank his tail out of Tommy's hands but not before smacking him a few times with it in the process as it twitched around in annoyance. 

Wilbur was in the process of opening his mouth to deny any answer to any of the questions asked but Tommy beat him to it by yelling, "WAIT!" 

All previous excitement had seemed to drain out of the kid and he was left with a calculating look. His eyes flicked between the two pros and the pair could see the gears in Tommy's head turning clear as day. 

" You're Blade's brother!" Tommy gasped suddenly, pointing an accusing finger at Wilbur, who squirmed under the intense attention, ears lowering. "You were the one he was talking about before! You bitch! You thought you could hide it from me!"

"To be fair, I wasn't hiding anything," Wilbur tried. He pointed to Techno. "You can blame him! He didn't want anyone to know. Unlike Techno, I'm not ashamed of who I'm related to!"

"I'm not ashamed, you nerd," Techno huffed, rolling his eyes. "I just don't want even more attention on me. Number Two is directly related to Number Three? I'm just tryna do my job, man, not be pestered by the media."

"You're pretty shit at it," Tommy snickered. 

"It wouldn’t be that big of a deal! It would blow over after a few months…wait. HA Tommy, what did you just say?" Wilbur cackled. 

"Heroes suck!" Tommy enunciated, chin held high. Just to prove his point even further, he brought the warm mug up to his lips and took a long sip, the liquid cooled down enough to drink comfortably. His eyes widened at how smooth and sweet it was. It was rich and thick and frothy at all the same time. "Holy shit, this is amazing," he whispered, instead of elaborating his previous point. 

"Tommy, you can't just say that we suck at our jobs and then move on like it isn't a personal attack," Techno huffed, but Wilbur could see the fond glint in his eyes. 

Softie. 

"Okay, but have you had this ?" Tommy gasped, gesturing wildly to the mug in his hands, causing the liquid inside to swirl up dangerously close to the rim. "It's so good! Probably the best thing I've ever had! I would die for one of these. Tech-Techno, I'm not lying. You're my prisoner now. You have to make me this until the day I die. It's the rules."

"You're not changing the subject, kid," Techno said, head tilted to the side. "I'd like to see you spend a day being a hero."

"He apparently already has," Wilbur huffed, then froze, eyes widening as Techno whipped his head towards him. 

Tommy sat there, slurping up more of the warm drink, pretending like he wasn't listening. Pretending like he hadn't broken the law countless times in the near past.

"Wilbur…don't tell meー" Techno began, but his brother cut him off before he could finish. 

"Apparently it doesn't happen all of the time! I swear you're not harboring a vigilante!" 

“It doesn’t matter how often it happens!” Techno groaned, looking ready to bash his head into the wall. “If it happens only once… ! It’s a federal offense!” 

“I don’t see why helping people for free is a federal offense,” Tommy deadpanned, slurping his drink as he sat back against the pillows Wilbur had been aggressively fluffing a moment prior. "You would be even more a bitch to arrest someone who does that."

"Vigilantes are just so… messy, " Wilbur whined. "Some of them follow the law completely and others are like…well, others are like Dream."

"Him and his stupid wooden mask and that stupid face painted on it," Tommy grumbled. 

"I just do my job," Techno sighed, slumping back. "I don't try to seek out any vigilantes, but I know Eret does quite a lot. That's how they got…Twisted Time, right?" 

"I think he sent in another slip for a new name before he becomes official…," Wilbur mused. 

"That weirdo with the goggles?" Tommy asked. "He used to be a vigilante?" 

"Yup," Techno said. "Eret has a soft spot for kids, especially those who live in the outer rings of SMP, so they were fast friends." 

"You knew what Dream’s outfit looked like before he went AWOL?" Wilbur suddenly backtracked, fiddling with his jacket and reaching for an inner pocket, where he pulled a busted notebook from. Tommy scrunched up his nose at the sight. What the hell was that for? 

"Is this an interrogation?" Tommy dared asked, sitting up once more and clutching the mug just a little tighter in his grip. Alarms were suddenly blaring in his head. "With the fuckin' torture and shit? Oh, fuck, did you poison my chocolate?! "

Wilbur didn't seem to know whether to look concerned or amused, face stuck scrunched up as he froze mid-movement. Techno, though, snorted and shuffled around for a book that was placed under the end table. 

"There would be a lot more restraints if we were going to actually kidnap you," Techno answered smoothly, flipping the book open to somewhere in the middle, red eyes scanning over the words as he gave an absent response. "It had crossed my mind since you move so much, but I'd rather not be thrown in jail for child abuse."

"I'm not aー" Tommy began, rearing up, lips peeled back in a snarl, but his words abruptly cut off when a gentle hand found its way to his head and kind fingers began brushing through his curls. 

He did not melt into it. That would imply that he was enjoying the contact and he wasn't. Especially not from Enchant, the biggest bastard to live. 

"I'm not interrogating you," Wilbur grinned, finally deciding to look more amused than worried. There was still that glimmer in his eyes, though, that reminded Tommy of the look he would get from Tubbo and Ranboo when he had been out for a bit too long, or even from Big Q when he showed up with a few extra plasters. "I was just curious."

Tommy sniffed, trying to regain some of his previous composure, before he snapped out, "Yeah? I knew him before he went big and bad. What of it?" 

"Nothing, nothing!" Wilbur chuckled. "I just haven't met many younger people who knew him before, is all!" 

Tommy remained silent for a long moment. Techno, who had been engrossed in his novel, even looked up at the sudden quiet that filled the room. The kid looked like he was struggling with something, mouth opening and closing before a scowl darkened his face, which would be overtaken by an expression of apprehension. 

It was quite valid, in Techno’s opinion. Communication was difficult. 

"He was…," the blond began, closing his mouth with an audible click and swallowing thickly, averting his gaze. "He was nice. "

Wilbur was baffled. Why did it look like it physically pained him to say? It was quite strange to give Dream a compliment like that after all he had done, but Tommy apparently had a huge gap in his memory from what Wilbur could tell. 

It made his reaction all the more concerning. 

"He was pretty cool when he first started getting his name out there," Techno said, thankfully stepping in when his twin floundered for a response, too caught up in his own thoughts to realize time had been passing. "He actually grew up near Wil and I. His house was just a street down."

Tommy finally lifted his gaze from where he had been intently watching his fingers get tangled in the thick fabric of the comforter he was sitting on. They shone with child-like wonder and Wilbur resisted the urge to curse the villain out for everything he had done because no one knew that answer besides Dream himself. Not even Tommy remembered. 

"Really?" He breathed. For someone who hated heroes so adamantly, he had a strange relationship with the thought of then. He idolized them a lot more than he probably even realized. "That's so weird. Was he a dick when he was younger?" 

"He's always been one, kid," Techno chuckled, indulging in Tommy’s weak attempt at a joke to lessen the tension in the room. Wilbur would have teased him for getting soft if it were any other time, but he held his tongue just this once. "Used to push Wilbur around and steal our fruit from our lunches."

"He used to tell us to go sleep in the barn because of the way we looked," Wilbur moped, ears drooping at the thought, but Tommy only looked confused. 

"That's weird," the boy murmured, brows furrowing much more furiously than they had been before. "Dream…he's got ears, right?" 

The twins paused. 

"Yeah??" Wilbur said, voice lilting with confusion as his head cocked to the side. Techno seemed to be struggling to focus on his book. That was a first. "I'd hope so, at least. It would be weird if he didn'tー"

"No, no," Tommy interjected, pointing to Wilbur’s own ears, which had folded in a little when he let his illusion fully fall, "he's got weird ears. Like…fuck, what the hell were they like? They folded weird and matched the color of his hair…kinda reminded me of a sheep." 

"That is weird," Wilbur mused. 

"Him bullying you is so not pog, though," Tommy grumbled. "I'll clart him for that." 

Wilbur snickered as he flipped open his notebook, landing on one of the further back pages, before he flipped it around for the teen to look at. "You already have. The day I fought him you got a really good hit in there with your elbow. Shattered half of his mask." 

Sure enough, there was a low resolution photo of a hunched over Dream, clutching at half of his exposed face while looming over a much smaller figure which they assumed was Tommy. It was dark and the pavement was sleek with rain, but shiny bits of white porcelain lay scattered at their feet. It was hard to make out if there was any blood or not. 

Tommy blinked, and suddenly he could smell the rain. 

His wrists and neck burned something fierce and the comforting glow of the room he was in fell away only to be replaced by a dark street. 

The streetlamps were doing nothing against the fierce downpour, but maybe that was because the street seemed to be warping around him. Buildings would flicker in and out of existence in different places and the weather would clear for a split second, reveling a clear, starry sky only for it to be replaced by heavy clouds once more like nothing had happened. 

His cheeks were warm. His nose was bleeding. He was crying. 

Despite all that changed around him, Dream stayed the same. The wild look in his swirling green eye never faltered. The vicious burning from the strings that had dug into his skin moments prior didn't fade. 

There was shouting around him. The glowing threads that had tethered him to Dream for so long lay on the ground a few meters away, severed and useless. 

He didn't know where he was. His body had been moving on its own when he had been freed from the web, elbow jerking away from the bruising grip only to meet its mark against Dream's mask. The sound of shattering ceramic reverberated through his head and echoed down the street as if it had been abandoned. 

His feet slipped out from under him. His legs felt like they were made of lead, refusing to move no matter how hard he tried. But he had to get up. He had to go! 

The gloved hand of Dream began reaching for him once more, fingertips burning with a brilliant green light, and Tommy ran. 

He blinked. The storm disappeared with a blink and he was staring at the blurry photo of him and Dream that had been published to the city newspaper. The drink in his hands was still warm and a dull ache was beginning to form in his leg once more. 

"Oh," Tommy breathed, not sure what else to say. How long had it been? Neither of the pro's seemed concerned in any way…it was just as if he blinked. 

What the fuck was that? 

"Yeah," Wilbur laughed, pulling the notebook back towards him, ignorant to the hurricane rampaging through Tommy's mind. "He always had good intentions, though, I think. Something must have happened to finally set him off, though. Makes me wonder what it is."

"Is that what that notebook is for?" Tommy murmured. 

"Kinda," Wil shrugged, tossing it on top of a small stack of books next to the chair he was settled in. "I used it mostly to keep track of his movements when I got assigned your case, but then I got a bit too curious."

"He forced us to break into Dream's old house," Techno deadpanned, and Tommy barked a startled laugh, whipping his gaze between the two. 

" What?! " He cackled. "You're heroes! "

"And we've both technically kidnapped you," Techno deadpanned, which had Tommy laughing even harder. 

Wilbur gave a solemn nod. "It's a miracle that we even still have our jobs."

"Oh my god I hate you guys so muchー"

Chapter Text

By all means, it was supposed to be a quiet day. They weren't expecting any shocking news but everyone was still on edge. 

Niki had been out for the better half of the day so far searching for Tommy. She decided to check up on the state of her bakery as well, but it would be foolish for anyone to mess with it. It had been endorsed by two pro heroes and a villain (Sapnap really liked her donuts). If anyone messed with her they would be messing with three powerful people. 

Niki was perfectly capable of handling herself, anyways. If someone did mess with the bakery…waterboarding might need to become illegal real quick. 

So there the rest of the group resided, down two of their original members but chilling with Connor, who was playing with Michael on the floor of Schlatt's office. They all decided to congregate there during the day since the casino wasn't quite their speed. 

Quackity didn't trust Tubbo to not break into the machines, either, so that was another large factor playing into their isolation. 

It must have been a slow day for the casino as well, because Quackity was sitting with Schlatt at the latter's desk, chairs basically interjoined. 

They were too engrossed by whatever work they were doing that they didn't notice the door opening. Tubbo barely lifted his head from where he was doodling in his sketchbook but Ranboo greeted the newcomer with a friendly wave. 

"Hello there!" Slime chirped, shutting the doors behind him before he plopped right down onto the floor next to Connor and Michael with a squelch. "You look terrible, Connor Eats Pants!"

The brunette bit back a heavy sigh at the title. He wished he could say it didn't make sense, but it did in some strange way. 

A few years ago, there had been a few holes in Connor's jeans that he had wanted to take care of sooner rather than later. He stopped by Schlatt's old house for some patches and sewing materials and settled down at their kitchen table. 

His hands had been completely full and he would have fucked it all up if he put the pant leg down, so he just held it in his mouth for a second while he grabbed the patch he needed and untangled the thread. It was one second! 

Apparently that was enough for Slime because that was the very moment the guy decided to enter the building unannounced. By sliding in from under the door. The very locked door. 

Connor jumped so badly when the man had pulled up behind him that he stabbed himself with the needle and accidentally shape-shifted into three different people. 

That was when they all learned Slime had a very strange fascination with blood. 

"Thanks," the man drawled now, forcing a thin smile. Slime wasn't lying, thoughーhe quite literally didn't know how. Connor had only gotten an hour or so of sleep the night prior because of all of the bustling in the room next to his; when he finally did get to sleep, it was only to be awakened once more by Quackity knocking on his door. He didn’t bother shaving, resigned to his fate of exhaustion. So, not only was his hair a mess and his eyes dark, but there was uneven stubble all over his face and he couldn’t be bothered to trim it. "You look as shiny as ever."

The translucent man (thing?) smiled, this time one much brighter. The naivety behind his eyes flared. 

"The dew from the morning air clings to the surface of my gloop," Slime explained happily, chattering away while Connor half-assed a game of tug with Michael. "It will be completely absorbed by the end of the morning." 

"That's…uh, that's cool, Slime," Connor coughed, not too sure how to respond to that. But he's been in more trying situations before. Surely talking to an ignorant slime-man shouldn't be too difficult. "Do you…Do you sleep at all? I was gonna ask you if you slept well but…."

"I can pretend," Slime smiled, patting Michael on the head. "I do not need sleep, though, because my fleshy brain doesn't require it!"

"If you have a fleshy brain, it should require sleep," Tubbo piped up from where he had his nose in his sketchbook. It looked like he was making missing posters. They were very informal.

Slime paused and Connor could see him mentally backtrack as he corrected himself. "Yes, then. I do, in fact, sleep, and I slept wonderfully! You do not look like you slept at all, Connor Eats Pants."

"I didn't," he deadpanned, casting a dark glare over to Quackity, who returned a sheepish smile. "I kept waking up."

"You aren't supposed to do that when you sleep," Slime muttered, translucent brows furrowed. "You're supposed to do the opposite, actually."

"It's difficult sometimes, though," Connor shrugged, before he waved his hand in the air as if to remove the thought from their very real brains. "Anyways, what brings you here, Slime? I thought you worked downstairs during the day."

"I've been on a special mission recently!" The man smiled, looking quite proud. 

Uneasiness immediately blossomed in Connor's chest and he cast a sideways glance over to Quackity while scanning Slime for anything…unnatural buried within. After the last special mission he got assigned…well, they had to learn how to dispose of half of a body real quick, that was for sure. 

"Quackity?" Connor asked carefully and the man behind the desk snorted, pushing his chair away from Schlatt's to round the corner of it. 

"Ah, he wasn't tasked with taking anyone out," Quackity laughed, all too energetic for the time of morning it was. "He was just supposed to keep an eye on a few people, Tommy included."

"Did you follow him?" Ranboo immediately asked, perking up at the mention of his friend. "Do you know where he is?" 

“Yep! I know where he is!” Slime nodded. “I have been told not to tell anyone, though, so I must keep quiet.” 

“What?!” Tubbo asked, eyes widening as he jolted up. “Why not?!” 

Quackity dropped a hand onto his shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Tubso, my man, I don’t think he would react well to us showing up where he is and forcefully taking him back.” 

“He’s a danger to himself!” Tubbo objected, a fierce fire burning in his eyes as he resisted the urge to shoot out of his seat. “He could be dying!” 

“Is he dying, Charlie?” Quackity asked, shooting a look to the man who had plopped onto the floor with Connor, the two conversing over how to pet a dog correctly. Connor was more of a cat person, anyways. 

“Nope! He’s still quite alive,” the man confirmed. “It appears as if he is sick, though, but that is being handled.” 

“See?” Tubbo huffed. “We let him go for two seconds and he gets sick!” 

“And shot!” 

“WHAT?!” This time Quackity was the one to send Charlie an incredulous look, nearly vaulting over the desk in his surprise, jostling Schlatt. “What do you mean he was shot?!” 

“There was what you would call a scuffle at a market building a mile or so away,” Slime informed, detaching his hand and watching it turn to a pile of goop before it dropped onto the floor and began slimin’ around, thoroughly amusing Michael. “It was not life threatening. One of his hero friends saved him.” 

“ And he’s back with the heroes?” Tubbo groaned, head slamming down onto the surface of the desk. Schlatt idly reached over and tousled his hair in a vain attempt to comfort his son. “This is why we can’t leave him alone.” 

“I did not say that he was still with the heroes,” Charlie now amended, shifting a bit on the ground to reach for the gloop that was once his hand. It met him halfway and Michael didn’t hesitate to chomp down, ears pinned back when his teeth didn’t meet anything solid. It had Connor wondering just what the slime tasted like. 

He wasn’t sure he wanted to know, now that he had that thought. 

“Right, because you can’t tell us where he is,” Ranboo reinstated. “Honestly, though, as long as he’s with the heroes, I don’t see that much of a problem.” 

“He could get arrested, ” Tubbo objected, lifting his head and sending the teen a sharp glare which had him squirming. 

“Slime said ‘hero friends,’” Connor threw out with a nonchalant shrug. “He didn’t see any form of mistreatment within their interactions. I doubt they would arrest a sixteen-year-old, anyways.” 

“And if it’s Wilbur, the poor man’s probably already attached,” Schlatt added, which had Connor agreeing with a firm nod. “Even though Big T has a tendency to get into trouble, he is also irritatingly endearing.” 

“He’s just irritating,” Tubbo growled.

“You were the one that chose to run away with him like you were eloping,” Schlatt pointed out, poking Tubbo’s cheek. 

“Because he’s too stubborn to accept help when he needs it,” his son argued.

“And my ability would have been quite useful in that sense then, hm?” 

“You weren’t going to brainwash my friend.” 

“It’s not brainwashing,” Schlatt huffed, placing his pen down and sitting back in his seat, shoving Quackity’s chair away from him so he had more room. “It’s making a deal. He would be perfectly aware of what would be happening.” 

“You would have been keeping him captive.” 

“Like you’re trying to do now?” Connor piped up, immune to the harsh glare sent his way as Tubbo turned his attention away from his father. “Kinda sounds like you’re keepin’ him locked up.” 

“I’m trying to protect him,” Tubbo growled. 

“And I told you he doesn’t need that,” Ranboo now butted in, the mediator sick of the arguing. “He’s said so himself. He might get into trouble a lot, but I don’t think you’re seeing the fact that he has the frightening ability to get out of it.” 

“He’s a slippery son of a bitch, that’s for sure,” Schlatt nodded. “The lot of you are. You were the bane of my existence when you moved around all those times before you settled out of my range.” 

“You kept an eye on us?” Tubbo squeaked, cheeks suddenly ablaze as his father gave him a smug smile.

“You think I’d let my son and his two friends live on their own in this city without keepin’ track of you? Damn, Tub, I thought you thought higher of me.” 

“IーI did! I do! I just…you never seemed like you were…,” Tubbo floundered, attention ripped away from Tommy for a moment as he was fighting with the warmth he was feeling because his dad cared. Even after all of this…after all of the trouble they’ve put him through…. Yeah, he was glad his mom didn’t get custody in the end.

Okay, well, his mother did end up with custody of him, but he had run away before the official papers had been signed and they tabled the discussion until after he was found. The fact that his father found him made the court favor him (and it didn’t help that Tubbo was crying at the mere sight of his mom) and they changed the verdict. 

Tubbo cleared his throat and before he said, "Okay! So, are we just…leaving Tommy alone for now?"

"Until he cools down and gets better, I think that's the best course of action," Quackity agreed, pulling his chair back and pushing it impossibly closer to Schlatt's just to piss him off. "Let's give him two to three days, all right?" 

Ranboo and Tubbo both nodded and Connor deflated with a sigh. 

Michael meandered over to the shape-shifter and proceeded to lay down right on him, jabbing his elbows into Connor's stomach. Why couldn’t they have picked up a cat? 

Phil looked up when he heard a knock on his door. He was expecting maybe an intern or even Techno back from his night shift, the morning still quite early. What he wasn't expecting was to see a mermaid-clad vigilante at his door, scarf held together with a delicate form of hydrokinesis.

He stood, careful and calculated but more confused than anything, brow cocked as he said, "Hello. To what do I owe this pleasure?" 

"It would be wonderful if you didn't arrest me," the woman blurted and Phil blinked before a confused smile grew on his face. 

"Why would I do that? Because you're trespassing or because you're a vigilante?" Phil lightly joked, but the woman didn't seem to take it that way. She tensed remarkably and the pro found himself scrambling for something reassuring. "ThatーThat was a joke. I don'tー"

"I'm sorry!" She squeaked out, backing away from the door. "I know how this looks but I'm not here with any ulterior motive!" She interrupted, panicked and flustered, waving her hands in the air. 

Despite himself, Phil laughed. It wasn't unkind; bewildered by the situation presented to him, he said, "I can assure you that I will not arrest you. What's your name?" 

The woman paused. "My…My vigilante name or my real name?" 

"Either one you are comfortable with giving me."

"A-All right," she said, nodding a bit. She took a deep breath and a moment to recollect her thoughts and gathered her bearings. "My name is Nihachu and I'm here to ask for your assistance in finding one of my friends." 

Phil frowned, concern rising. How desperate was she to find this friend to break into his office? "Well, nice to meet you, Nihachu. When did your friend go missing?" 

"A little over twenty-four hours ago," she informed, shuffling closer to his desk as he began sorting through his paperwork to reach his keyboard. "He got into an argument with his roommates and stormed out."

He hummed. "Did you submit a police report?" 

The deadpan look Nihachu gave him made him think he had said the stupidest thing in the world. 

"I do not trust the police to do a job I can do more efficiently," she said. "I do not trust the police."

Phil smirked a little. "Clearly you don't trust the heroes either, since you're doing the work illegally." 

What was meant to be a light jab, nothing more than mere teasing, set this girl on edge and she bristled. "I wouldn't have to do your job if you could effectively do it yourself."

"Fair enough," he hummed. "Eret is doing a good job of expanding our horizons, though, aren't they?" 

Nihachu's shoulders fell and the crease between her brow lessened as she gave a tentative nod. "Yeah…them and their apprentice for sure." 

"Kronos?" Phil asked and Nihachu perked up. 

"He got a new name?" 

"That he did," Phil smiled. "Said one of his partners picked it out for him."

"That's nice," she hummed, before her hands lifted and she began fiddling with her water scarf. "Uh…do you need his name?" 

"Oh! Oh, gods, sorry!" Phil floundered, wings puffed as his face reddened. "I got distracted! Sorry, sorry; his name would be helpful, yes," he chuckled, idly tapping on his keyboard while he waited. 

"His name is Tommy Innit," she informed. "His birth name is Theseus, since that'll probably be on his reports."

"Tommy, huh?" Phil sighed, nothing less of fond as he cocked a brow. "Yeah, I was there when he stormed out. He left this very building, actually. You haven't heard anything from him since?" 

"Oh! I didn't know…he was here? " She readjusted the hat on her head, letting some of her hair free. "No, none of us have heard anything. I've checked his house and around that area; he doesn't have a phone so he doesn't have a way to easily contact us, either."

"All right, I'll flag his file and send it to all of the heroes scheduled for patrol outside of Central and see if they have anything," Phil informed. "If you don't mind, either, I'd like to join you if you are going to keep searching."

"R-Really?" She squeaked. "Thank you! That would be wonderfulー"

She was interrupted by a loud ring tone, the song playing some throwaway idea Wil had that he never followed through with. Phil still loved the small bit of content he was able to get though, and enjoyed teasing his son about it whenever the small snippet would play in his vicinity. 

A spike of anxiety shot through him, though, because this wasn't normal. His sons should be asleep, or at least Wilbur should since he started taking the night shifts again. Unless it was an emergency…

"Sorry," Phil said, sending Nihachu a strained, apologetic smile, "it's my boy. Do you mind if I take this?" 

"By all means go ahead!" She said, taking a few steps back before turning and excusing herself to wait in the hall until the call was finished. 

Swiping the screen, Phil held the phone up to his ear and said, "Wilbur? What's going on? You never call meー"

"How many health potions can I safely take without causing permanent damage to my internal organs? " His son suddenly blurted and oh, that only aided Phil's growing panic. 

"What?! What do you mean??" He cried out. "Are you hurt? Where are you? I can be there inー"

"No, no, Dad, I'm fine! It's just…you see…, " there was a pregnant pause before a loud scuffle was heard, as if the phone was being shuffled around. "Hey! Techno! No! I called! Sit down ー" 

"Uh…," Phil tried, only to be interrupted by his other son. 

"Hey, Dad, we're both fine and dandy over here. Not a scratch on us, " Techno informed and Phil physically deflated, flopping down into his chair as he brought his hand up to his face in an attempt to scrub away the worry lines. "Yeah, we may have an injured child at my place and he has a fever that isn't going down. How many health pots can he safely take? I already gave him a watered down one, which was maybe ten percent potion? "

Phil wasn't expecting that. How Wilbur wrangled Techno into this situation was beyond him. His eyes landed on the girl standing just outside the door to his office, though, and he turned his attention back to his monitor, where Tommy's file had been pulled up. 

The pieces clicked into place quite swiftly after that. 

"Wilbur, I thought I told you to leave him alone, " Phil groaned, head thrown back in exasperation. 

"It wasn't me this time, I swear! Tech was the one who picked him up! " Which was followed by a quiet, "Bruhh. "

"Okay, just calm down and don't give him anything else for now. I've got one of his friends here at the office that's looking for him," Phil informed, pushing himself up as he made his way over to grab his jacket. "I'll be there in ten minutes with company."

"You're bringing someone to my place?! " Techno cried out, voice crackling through the speakers and cutting out a few times. 

Phil scoffed, walking out the door and gesturing to a surprised Nihachu to follow him. "Your flat is nothing more than a glorified motel room that I pay for. You can deal with one extra visitor. See you soon." He didn't wait for another response before he hung up and shoved his phone back into his pocket. 

Once the pair were settled in the elevator, Nihachu asked, "So…where are we going? Did someone find him?"

"My boys have him, actually," Phil hummed, looking like he was nothing more than an overworked father. "Tommy's got a fever so I've got some medicine to help bring it down. I hope this surprise adventure is okay with you."

"Oh! Yes, it's not a problem at all!" She grinned, rocking on her feet as the doors slid open, revealing a bustling lobby. "Thank you so much for letting me come with you!"

"No worries," Phil grinned. "Let's go, shall we?" 

Despite all of Techno’s grumbling, the flat was big enough for them all. Tommy was awake, though, just dozing on the bed, and Wilbur refused to leave his side. 

Niki was having none of it, though. 

"Nope, no, get up," Niki ordered as she stood to Wilbur’s right, hands on her hips, staring down at him. "That's my seat."

"I was here first!" Wilbur argued, brows suddenly drawn together. His tail flicked at the idea of leaving Tommy with a stranger. 

She is only a stranger to you, his subconscious whispered to him. The voice sounded suspiciously like Phil's. 

"So? Ever since you've met him you've caused nothing but trouble," Niki argued, eyes filled with fiery defiance as her scarf began to shimmer a tad bit faster. "I'm the closest thing to a caretaker for him. Get up."

Wilbur did not. "Why not let me be his new caretaker?" 

"Wil," Phil groaned from his seat on the couch, to the left of the chair Techno was sitting in. His eldest was doing his best to appear uninterested, scrolling idly through his phone, but Phil could see the way his ears perked. 

His son's were quite particular in where and when they let their mutant traits show. Techno had no problem with his, his entire brand based around his fully shifted form. He would constantly show Phil deranged looking plushies of himself and beg the man to buy them because he had to make an army. It was a special occasion if he was seen in his more human form. 

Wilbur, on the other hand, wanted to separate himself from Techno as fast as possible. They both decided to become pros when they were younger, having been raised by Phil, a sidekick at that point. Ever since the day their future career was decided they couldn't have been more different despite the fact that they were twins. Their dual powers manifested into complete opposites and, even though they were basically attached at the hip, they were adamant on being their own people and making their own mark on the city. 

It was a very special occasion for Wilbur to be seen outside of his humanoid form. For the both of them, though, it was an easy way to go into public without being recognized. The most Phil could do was put on a jacket, a scarf that covered his wings, and a hat and hope for the best. 

The worst part about being one of the first pro heroes is the media never left him alone. He did get some cool merch out of it, though. He made sure to buy the good ones for his boys. 

"You met him a week ago," Niki deadpanned, having since removed her hat and mask and given them her actual name when the fear of her arrest was shoved to the side and disregarded. 

"I saved him from Dream," Wilbur snarked back. 

"You kidnapped him in the middle of the night."

"I was making sure he didn't get hurt when wandering the city." 

"You have shown no interest in any other civilians," Niki suddenly snapped, eyes narrowing. "What makes him so special? Why does he get different treatment than the rest?" 

At that, Wilbur fell silent. 

"That's what I thought," Niki said, kicking Wilbur’s foot to get him to move, which he slowly obliged to. "Now get up."

"I could arrest you," Wil threatened as he got out of the chair and stepped away, his own eyes sharp and upset. There wasn't any weight to his words, though, and they all knew it. "Send you off to jail right now."

"But you won't," Niki stated, replacing Wilbur at Tommy's side. She was gentle when she brushed some of his untamed curls out of his face and gave a soft smile to the boy when his eyes fluttered open. "Because I'm the only thing standing between you and Big Q's wrath." 

"Ah, shit," Wilbur sneered, grumpy as he collapsed next to his father, who stifled a laugh at his disgruntled aura. 

"Hey, Tommy," Niki murmured, keeping her hand on his forehead, thankful that the fever reducers have started to kick in. "How are you feeling?" 

"Niki?" Tommy drawled, squinting through the haze to try and see her clearly. "I got…mmm, I got shot."

"So I've heard," she said, amusement in her tone as she gave a breathy chuckle. "You're in good hands, though. You've got some good medicine and should be feeling better soon."

"Okay," the teen nodded, reaching out when Niki pulled her hand away from his face. "Stay?"

No one could stop the shit eating grin that she shot Wilbur as she grabbed Tommy’s hand and rested it on the silky sheets. Tommy wanted her to stay, not Wilbur. He hadn't even asked for him. 

She leaned forwards and pressed their foreheads together as she whispered, "Of course, sweet prince."

Chapter Text

By the beginning of the next hour the apartment was filled with life once more. Tommy had sat up after getting his temperature taken, which was a whole ordeal now that Niki was here since he wouldn't let any of the others touch him. 

That further proved Niki's point, though. The kid did what he had to to survive but now that he was with someone he trusted he put his cate in her hands. He should have never been separated from them. 

"Do you have anything here that can make an actual meal, Techno?" Phil asked from the kitchen. Cabinets were clicking open and closed and cutlery was being rearranged as the man searched for something . "Or do you just have old carrots and expired meat?" 

"Ew," Tommy said, nose shriveled up at Phil's words, who had effectively outed the other pro hero about his incompetence to go shopping for himself. "You eat old meat? Gross." 

"No, I don't eat it," Techno sighed. "I just don't have the time to go get fresh food."

Wilbur said with a grin, "Which means he prefers your cooking over his own for some reason, Dad. No idea why he would do that since you somehow managed to fuck it all up."

"I'm going to throttle you, Wilbur," Phil sighed, reappearing in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest and eyes narrowed at his youngest. "Why don't you try cooking? Hm? When's the last time that ended successfully?" 

Before Wil was able to get a word in, Tommy piped up and said, "Niki is the best cook ever! You guys don't stand a chance against her skills! Plus, Wilbur is stupid and probably breaks everything he touches."

"Hey!" 

"Aw, thanks Tommy," Niki chuckled, nudging his shoulder with her own from her spot on the bed next to him. Since his wound had settled and his fever had gone down he had dragged Niki onto the bed with him and they leaned against the wall as he looked over her shoulder, the woman idly scrolling through her phone. "I do own a bakery for a reason."

"Then why don't you make dinner?" Wilbur challenged, earning an amused snort from Techno. 

"Wilbur—" Phil warned, but Niki was already frowning and Wil knew he shouldn't have provoked her if the dread pooling in his stomach was anything to go by. 

"Who is the guest here?" Niki asked, sickly sweet with a tilt of her head as if she wasn't silently threatening the pro. "I think you forget that, even though your place in society is 'above' me, you really don't have any control here." 

Tommy gave a little, " Ooo ," of encouragement as he looked between the pair. 

"You're actively breaking the law," Wilbur gritted out. "Of course I'm above you." 

"Are you?" Niki questioned, tapping on the back of her phone as she looked at him like a cat would a mouse. "I'm basically doing your job for you; since I'm already breaking the law, too, I don't see what would be so bad about kicking your ass right here and right now, either." 

Tommy hummed before he turned to look at Techno and Phil, who were once again immersed in whatever they were doing before. This little squabble had been ongoing since Niki got there. 

"Do you have any noodles or something?" Tommy asked Techno, resisting the urge to kick his legs from where they dangled over to the side of the bed. The other conversation happening next to him faded into the background. "I know how to make some good meat sauce if you do! Not with the old meat, though. You do not want to eat that."

"How about we just order something for now and we can deal with getting fresh ingredients later," Phil hummed. "Also, you're sick. You shouldn't be making anything."

"I've had worse!" Tommy defended, but it was light, not in an attempt to stir up an argument. "Have you ever gotten a bad stomach flu?"

"You're comparing getting the stomach flu to getting shot?" Techno asked, brows furrowed in what appeared to be concern. 

Tommy huffed. "I was stuck over the toilet throwing up my guts for like three days!"

"Okay, okay, calm down," Phil chuckled, talking over Niki and Wilbur’s arguing as he moved over and put his hand on Tommy's forehead. The teen scrunched up his nose and tried to look up at the hand, but it was gone as fast as it came. "Your fever has thankfully stayed down. Are you hungry at all?" 

"Not really," Tommy shrugged, slumping back. 

"Yeah, getting sick will do that to you," Phil said. "How about we just get some sandwiches? Something cold should settle in your stomach a little better than anything too, too warm. Unless you want soup."

"I don't want soup," Tommy huffed. 

"Okay, that settles it," Phil said with a sudden clap, effectively shutting Niki and Wilbur up. "I'm going to go get us sandwiches."

"Oh! From that deli just down the road?" Wilbur asked, suddenly excited. 

"I don't know how to say this, Wilbur," Techno began, not careful at all with his words despite what he was saying. "That shop got leveled."

"What?!" Wilbur exclaimed. "No! That was literally the best deli in Central!"

"Hm," Niki hummed, nudging Tommy. "Seems like Schlatt wasn't the only one suffering from the destruction of food joints."

Tommy giggled before he grabbed a spare pillow and chucked it at Wilbur, who shrieked as it smacked him right in the face. The hero grabbed the thing and shoved it into his lap, face twisted like he was about to start shouting, but Tommy said, "There's way better restaurants outside of Central. Central is filled with rich assholes and mediocre food."

"We live in Central, Tommy," Techno said. 

"Very observant," Niki quipped, a smirk on her face as Tommy snorted. 

"Point proven," he continued, as if he hadn't just insulted three of the top five pro heroes in the city. "Anyways, boys, you need something genuine! Can't say I've ever found a single genuine thing in Central; not too mad the lot blew up now that I think about it."

"There have been over a hundred fatalities," Techno once again added, as if his input mattered at all. Maybe it should since Tommy was healing up because of him and quite literally in his house, but Niki was here now and these fucks kidnapped him so he had a right to ignore reason. 

" Anyways! " Tommy stressed, sending a pointed glare to Techno, who huffed out an amused snort. "There's a real good deli and sushi place just off of Sixth! Tubbo, Ranboo, and I get free shit from there all of the time."

He jumped when a fist gently connected with his head and he cast a bewildered look to Niki, whose eyes shone with concern and care. She was worried. About them. They were nothing but street rats living in an abandoned building! And yet here she was, offering Ranboo a job and watching over Tommy while stuck on a house full of strange heroes. 

"You could have just come to me, dummy," Niki scolded. "I'll never turn someone away just because they don't have money. Plus, you're practically family since you visit with Ranboo so much."

"Noted," Tommy breathed, eyes wide and shining like stars. 

Ever the empath, a master of reading the room, Wilbur jumped in with a whine. "But Sixth is so far! "

"Aw, your little legs can't carry you that far?" Niki mocked, eyes narrowed as she challenged the man for the umpteenth time since her arrival. "I'd have thought that all of the difficult hero work you do during the day would have built up your endurance, but guess not." 

That one got a snort out of Techno and Phil sighed as Wilbur went rigid in his seat, knuckles white against the armrest, tail lashing mile per minute behind him. This gave Phil enough time to shuffle around and gather what he needed, passing each of them and fondly ruffling their hair before he left to get the food. 

"Try not to burn down the place and kill our guests," Phil called as he swept out of the apartment, leaving the four behind. 

An unexpected turn of events was how silent it got after that. Tommy expected shouting and swearing but nope, Wilbur and Niki were stuck in a fierce staring competition and Tommy was forced to endure their silent wrath. 

And he thought they would get along. 

"Techno…?" Tommy dared ask, feeling as if it was some form of sin to break the silence. "Does this happen often with him?" 

Techno looked up from his phone and looked towards his brother before kicking out a foot and jabbing it into Wilbur’s shin. "Hey. Stop trying to intimidate her. It's clearly not working."

"Ow!" Wilbur yelped as Techno kicked him again, allowing him to tear his gaze away from Niki long enough for her to give a victorious smile. "What the hell? I'm not doing anything!"

"Sure, sure," Techno grumbled. "She knew Tommy first so she gets custody." 

"That's not what this is about," Wilbur huffed. 

"Right," Techno drawled, eyeing his brother. "It's not like you started acting pissy the moment Niki got here. Not at all."

Tommy hummed absentmindedly and tapped his fingers against his thigh to the beat playing in his head. He let his surroundings fade away as he traveled further back into his mind; he could hear everything but nothing was clear anymore. It was out of focus. 

He didn't know how Wilbur’s journal ended up in his lap but he had a sneaking suspicion that Niki grabbed it for him. After all, everything in it was about him. 

"When's Dad gonna be back?" Wilbur whined, sinking into his chair far enough so his chin rested against his chest. With his arms crossed, too, he looking like he was throwing a temper tantrum. "I'm hungry."

"It's like a half an hour trip, Wil," Techno snorted. "He left five minutes ago."

"But he's probably flying."

"Then make it fifteen minutes here and back." 

"That's literally the same thing."

"Shhh. You're being loud."

Tommy let their bantering fall into the background as he flipped through the notebook. He squinted through the cursive scrawl on the pages and resisted the urge to ask Niki what everything said. He could barely read, forever stuck at the level of a primary schooler, who the hell thought he could read cursive? 

He was slowly making his way through the pages, though, meticulously picking apart every picture and every letter he could understand. There were clippings of newspaper articles, printed photos, and drawings pasted to the pages of the beaten up notebook. Each photo contained some form of information on Dream, keeping track of recent sightings which were recorded on a map of SMP on the next two pages. Hell, Wilbur even kept track of Dream’s costume changes! In his opinion, that wasn’t too important, but it was cool to see the progression, he supposed.

“You were obsessed, man,” Tommy quipped, shooting Wilbur a teasing smirk to ignore the insistent tugging that had begun in his head. It felt like someone was trying to open a door but it was jammed…he didn’t enjoy the feeling. He didn’t like that he couldn’t remember and he hated that, no matter how hard he tried, he always came back empty handed. 

Wilbur tore his gaze away from his brother to figure out what Tommy was talking about. His cocked brow dropped when he saw the notebook in Tommy’s hands and he shrugged. “You needed help and the others couldn’t do anything to help you, so I did all that I could.” 

“How noble of you,” Niki said, voice genuine for the first time since she started talking to Wilbur. “Thank you for doing that. You didn’t have to and yet you did.” 

“I did have to, that’s the problem,” Wilbur stressed. “I’m a hero! Our goal is to protect people and yet…it seems like so few pros these days still understand that.” 

“That’s why there are vigilantes, you know,” Niki smirked. “When the pros get sloppy, we step up and do what they can’t. You shouldn’t have as much attention as you do, in my opinion. It distracts you…shifts your priorities.” 

“I agree,” Techno grunted. “I hate the media.” 

Wilbur opened his mouth but Tommy didn’t hear what he said, eyes suddenly fixated on a picture of Dream, Sapnap, and George. It was blurry, zoomed in way too far, and the trio was in the process of running, two blurry figures hot on their tail. What pro heroes were those? It was a dark picture, but Tommy could see something firmly in Dream's hands. His arms were wrapped around it like he was giving it a hug…Tommy's stomach twisted as he felt those same arms snaking around his waist because he couldn't run fast enough. He was a liability…he didn't know why they kept bringing him with. No one enjoyed him being there apart from Sapnap, who would always joke with him and make sure he wasn't hurt when the burning got particularly badー

Tommy could hear the handle of the door twisting a second before everything went silent. He held his breath, suspended in the open void of his own mind, before he began to plummet. 

The lights around him dimmed and flickered and blurred together. His lungs were burning from the exertion and a stitch sliced through his side. He was going to be cornered. His feet carried him closer and closer to the locked window. He couldn't hear anything over the blaring alarms around him. 

"Dream?!" Tommy suddenly exclaimed. Dream told him to not stray from the path. It just so happened that there was a very locked window at the end of it. 

" Keep going, " his mentor responded, cold voice barely heard over the cacophony around him. It was a miracle that his earpiece hadn't fallen out by now. 

" Dream ー" Tommy heard Sapnap try, but he was silenced with a snap. 

The man pursuing him readied the gun and took aim. 

Tommy was running out of time. 

He was going to die hereー

" Jump. " 

Glass exploded around him. He did as he was told. He jumped. 

He wasn't sure if the blinding pain in his side was from the glass or from the bullet that was just fired at him. All he knew was that he completed his job. He got the axe. Maybe Dream would actually heal him this timeー

"Welcome back!" 

Tommy's eyes flew open as he was jerked back to reality. Light flooded his vision and the notebook that was previously in his lap fell to the floor with the sudden movement. 

It hit the ground with a strangely metallic clatter. 

Everyone had frozen, tense as if to jump into action if needed. Phil was standing in the doorway, two bags held on his arm and a hand on the handle. Wilbur looked like he was reaching for something that wasn't there and Niki went as stiff as a rock. Techno was completely on his feet, but his eyes were fixed on the notebook that hit the ground. 

"That's one heavy ass notebook," Tommy muttered, confused as to what caused the foreign noise. He sat up a little straighter and went to peer over the edge of the bed, but Techno beat him to it. 

The hero bent down and picked the thing off of the ground. 

The sunlight filtering in from the crack in the drapes glimmered off of the object now firmly in Techno’s grip. Tommy couldn't breathe. 

"That's…," he tried, mouth opening and closing as he stared at the axe in Techno’s hands like it was some kind of alien. "That's his axe."

"Huh," Techno said, twisting it around before hoisting it up. Something familiar struck Tommy and he found himself flinching away from the weapon. Techno lowered it. "I didn't know you had this in your diary, Wilbur." 

There was a tense beat of silence before a sharp intake of breath sliced through the room. At least the incoming arguing would drown out the hurricane that was suddenly rampaging through Tommy's head. 

"Are you okay?" Niki whispered, leaning towards Tommy and putting a hand over his. Their shoulders bumped and Tommy's breath hitched. 

"Was that me?" He asked instead, matching the level of her voice, incredulous and scared. "I have an ability?" 

"It appears so," Niki said, glancing up when the background banter died down as Phil tiredly handed out their lunch. 

"This just adds a whole new level of fucked up to whatever the hell was going on before," Phil grumbled. 

"How is that?" Wil asked with a tilt of his head, unwrapping his sandwich. "Because Tommy can materialize weapons?" 

"No, he can store them," Phil corrected. "And if only it were that simple; Dream knew about Tommy’s ability and actively used him for it. When Tommy got free, he somehow wiped any trace of knowledge about it."

"Not only does he kidnap kids, but also brainwashes them! Great, " Wilbur complained before taking a huge bite out of the sandwich in his hands. 

Tommy had been blankly staring at his own food, unable to make up his mind on what to say or what to do. The only thing he could really understand was how little he knew about any of this. 

"Tell me about him," Tommy spoke up, snapping his head up to fix the others in the room with his intense stare. "Tell me about Dream."

Chapter Text

Niki wasn't one to leave calls unanswered, so Tubbo was growing more and more frustrated each time he was sent to voice-mail. He knew she had a lead on Tommy and he wanted to see his best friend now, so he dialed the number again and listened to it ring with fierce determination. 

Tubbo wasn't exaggerating when he said Niki always picked up her phone; she could be walking through the middle of a typhoon and still somehow find a place that was quiet enough to have a conversation comfortably. Now, though? Tubbo's best guess was that she was preoccupied with whatever mess Tommy brought with him and hadn't had time to check her phone.

"Are you serious?" Tubbo whined, throwing his head back with a frustrated bleat as Niki's pleasant voice-mail played in his ear. "She's not picking up."

"That's unlike her," Ranboo mumbled, brows furrowed. "She never has calls to go voice-mail. The longest I've ever waited for her was two rings."

"Well, it's doing the full cycle of rings and I'm getting a whole lot of nothing," Tubbo complained. "If only Charlie wasn't so fiercely loyal to Quackity! We might've had a chance to crack him open and take whatever information he knows!" 

"I can assure you that I do not know much!" Charlie said, taking that very moment to announce his presence by sliding under the door. Ranboo let out a high pitched, startled warble and disappeared from the room in a flurry of purple particles. Tubbo jolted, nearly chucking his phone at the intruder, but settled when Ranboo teleported back into the room, more dischevled than when he left. 

“Try knocking next time, big man,” Tubbo breathed, flopping back onto the bed with a huff. “You nearly gave me a heart attack.” 

“Sorry!” Charlie chirped. “It’s just easier for me to slide around than to solidify myself for such a short action.” 

“I guess that’s fair,” Ranboo muttered, rubbing at his face to try and force away the extra buzz of anxiety that was thrumming just under his skin from the scare. His tail was still flicking back and forth and his ears were lowered. “What are you doing up here, anyways? Shouldn’t you be in the casino?” 

“Quackity from Las Nevadas has given me a new assignment,” Slime beamed, plopping onto the ground and sitting criss-crossed, though his form kind of just…melted together. “I get to track down the whereabouts of one of his previous business partners.” 

“That sounds like fun,” Tubbo drawled, but he was hardly interested. “Now that you have a different assignment, can’t you tell us where Tommy is?” 

“I do not know his exact coordinates,” Slime answered. “I know that he is with Blade and Enchant, but I am not sure if they have changed locations or not. When I was watching them, it appeared as if they were in Blade’s personal apartment.” 

“What street is it off of?” Tubbo asked, hopeful as he raised his head to stare down the man on the ground before him. “We don’t need an exact address; I can find him well enough without one.” 

“I could just take you to him,” Slime now compromised. “It might be extremely dangerous for the two of you to show up, though, since you are technically classified as vigilantes and the home is filled with pro heroes.”

“If Tommy can last this long in that house then we shouldn’t have a problem,” Tubbo smiled.

“They are partial to Tommy, though,” Slime reminded. “They do not know you. They might react poorly if you show up unannounced.” 

“Like you did a moment ago?” Ranboo teased and Slime nodded.

“Exactly! If my prediction is correct, too, Niki should be on her way back to update you guys on the situation!" He grinned and oh did that settle some anxiety in Tubbo. It meant Niki was with him and not surrounded by a bunch of hero strangers. 

Because that was what they were. Enchant might have spent a little over a year trying to save Tommy from Dream's clutches, but the hero knew next to nothing about Tommy. The same went for the other two, Blade and Philza, because they, too, have caused nothing but problems for Ranboo and Tubbo and yet, once everything falls before them in a neat and tidy pile, they are more than happy to get involved. 

When they were much younger and decided to go on their life changing adventures, it had been a few weeks after their scheduled return when Tubbo began to get very worried. The first few days were fine; none of them expected to come together all neat and tidy after their adventures, so they gave a week and a half grace period. Whoever made it back would chill at the rendezvous point until they were all together again. 

Tubbo was the first to arrive. Ranboo popped up three days later and he cracked a joke about how he knew Tommy was going to be late. They went to sleep that night expecting to see their friend the next morning. 

Tommy never came back. 

They were getting desperate. Every waking hour was spent searching for their lost friend, hoping and praying to gods they didn't believe in that he wasn't dead. Tubbo worked himself to physical burnout and Ranboo overused his ability to the point where he was bedridden for two weeks. They were falling apart at the seams and it wasn't until a month later that he decided to bite the bullet and approach the heroes about it. 

Philza was kind. He said he would do all he could to find their missing friend. He took down what information he could and sent out the missing report to every station they knew about. He promised to keep them updated on what they found. He promised. And yet the boys never heard from him again. 

The next experience Tubbo had with Philza was what turned the small fire burning in his chest into a raging inferno. His determination swirled around his sick anger and he slipped up. 

Tubbo was caught taking the matter into his own hands. He was geared up, identity hidden from outside eyes, but this only brought even more attention. So much to the point where Tubbo was being labeled as a vigilante, a word his friends throw around now because of how utterly ridiculous the thought was, and they sent no other than Philza himself to track him down and apprehend him. 

Ranboo was having his own struggles too, since he caught the attention of Enchant. What started out as a straightforward mission to find and save their friend became a whole lot more complicated after that. 

So Tubbo was a little overprotective of the younger boy, sue him! He spent over a year trying to track him down and, when Tommy appeared one night in the pouring rain, his own blood staining his clothes and not able to perceive where he was, he was only left with even more questions. 

He knew he was pushing too hard, but it was almost unbearable to have Tommy out of his sight for more than a day. Because, just like how Tommy would wake up in the morning thinking he was in a completely different place with Dream, Tubbo would wake to find his friend gone once again and immediately fear for the worst. 

Niki better be bringing Tommy back with her. If not, Tubbo would do all he could to force Tommy’s location out of her. Especially since he was with pro heroes! The very people that could give less of a shit about them unless their public image was on the line! Tubbo thought Philza picked up Tommy’s case out of the goodness of his heart but no. He was almost overwhelmed by the amount of articles published the next day about how benevolent and selfless Philza was. The man could go nowhere without preaching to the journalists how he "just thought it was the right thing to do" and how "there is someone out there that needs help and I'll be the one to do it." 

Why help them now when the heroes have done nothing but spit on the less fortunate? Their routes stick so close to Central it's laughable how oblivious they are to the rest of SMP. All of the funding goes towards trainee programs and making the hero fund bigger, which promotes activity only in the richer parts of town where their patrons resided.

Gods forbid they try to help themselves when the heroes all but ignore them, too! Suddenly vigilantes are illegal and anyone who had ever fought to protect themselves or people they loved were now stamped with that title, big red and bold letters right across their forehead; a great big flashing sign for every hero to see. It was a miracle Tubbo and Ranboo weren't caught and carted away in their time searching for Tommy! 

Tubbo, at one point during that long year, feared that Tommy might have been scooped up by CPS and put into the system. He was quick to check every database he could and, when he came back empty handed, he was still wary. 

The system that cared for the orphans in SMP was renowned for being… bad. There were numerous cases every six months or so of kids escaping the orphanage, only to never be seen again. If they were found, though, they would kick and scream if they had to go back there, which kind of painted the situation in a different light, right? If it was one kid every year or so, it could be brushed off. But dozens of kids every year? 

Tommy spoke so adamantly about it, too, while claiming that he, himself, was never in the system. Which was a complete lie, since Tubbo dug around a bit and pulled up his file from when he was sent to live with a family off of First Street. He stayed there for a year before he was reported missing. 

So, not only were the orphanages bad but the foster families were too! So Tubbo feared for the absolute worst when Tommy never came back. And Tubbo was pretty clear with covering every single base out there. The only thing that calmed him down on the idea that Tommy wasn't back in CPS' clutches was that his file hadn't been touched. 

Tubbo kept a real close eye on it just in case, though. 

Ranboo was the one to lead them towards Dream, actually. It was during one of his squabbles with Enchant that the older made a snarky comment about Ranboo getting picked up by a villain as their sidekick, too, since he was already a vigilante. This only confused Ranboo, though, because what villain had a sidekick? 

The boy rushed home after losing Enchant and voiced his confusion to Tubbo, who matched his baffled expression. Surely they would have known about this by now? The media was all over romanticizing villains, so why was this kept from the public's eye? Unless it was just a bit of information that only Enchant knew and accidentally let it slip in his growing frustration….

Within the next two days almost every media outlet posted an article about this "supposed" sidekick to Dream, who had just recently chosen his side with the villains. None of them had any form of picture or graphic to go along with these claims, though, and it wasn't until Tubbo did some digging through numerous blogs that he found a picture. 

He had covered every base and prepared for every outcome there was. He prepared for everything but this. Because, in a blurry picture of Dream, there was a figure clad in red with a head of curly blond hair standing behind him.

"It's Tommy!" 

Tubbo was yanked from his thoughts at Ranboo's voice, but he didn't quite register what he said until a minute later. When he did, though, he shot to his feet and barreled towards the window where Ranboo was standing, his tail wagging so fast it seemed to disappear. 

Sure enough, as he looked out the window and down to the street below, he caught sight of him; Niki was walking next to him as Tommy hobbled along with a crutch, not used to using one yet, and the small form of a raccoon scurried after them. 

"Holy shit! Holy shit!" Tubbo shouted, pounding on the window a few times before it swung open. He didn't hesitate to throw himself out of it, earning a startled yell from Ranboo and a surprised laugh from Slime. The feeling of being weightless wrapped around his stomach as he shouted a heads up to his friends below, the wind nearly carrying his voice away. 

It wasn't a surprise that he hit the ground hard. It was a ten story fall, after all. His landing kicked up dust and concrete as the sidewalk cracked and caved in on his landing, his body unable to be physically damaged so the momentum transferred to the ground below him. 

He gave no one time to recover before he was throwing himself at Tommy, both of them now covered in a fresh coat of dust, spewing words the younger could barely begin to comprehend after watching Tubbo fall from the sky. 

"Holy fucking shit, Tommy, I'm so sorry! " Tommy registered Tubbo saying from his position wrapped around him. It was a crushing hug, but not unwanted, and he did his best to return it with the arm that wasn't occupied. "It was in the moment and I didn't mean it, I swear! I was so worried about you." 

There was a soft vwoop sound and suddenly Ranboo was standing beside Niki, a blinding smile on his face as he waved to them. Tommy grinned back, mind torn in two directions as he tried deciphering Tubbo's quick words and the action around him. 

"It's okay, Tubso," Tommy snorted, patting his friend on the back. "It wasn't really fair of me to leave without a note. I'm sorry I didn't let you guys know." 

"It's okay," Ranboo said, moving to nestle into Tommy’s hair, wrapping his tail around the boy's leg. "When we couldn't find you…it's just…we just got you back. We feared the worst." 

"I know, I'm so sorry," Tommy breathed, pushing his face into Ranboo's chest before a loud splat jolted him out of the heartwarming moment. 

"Hello, Tommy Innit! Your arrival was unexpected!" Slime said from his place splattered on the sidewalk. Tommy choked back a laugh as he watched the man rematerialize into something resembling a human. 

It seemed that Charlie took a page out of Tubbo’s book and jumped from the window, too.

"See! I told you they wouldn't be mad," Niki grinned, ruffling Tommy’s hair as his face went bright red. 

"Aww, were you worried? " Tubbo teased, pulling his face from Tommy’s shoulder to give him a playful grin. Tommy ducked his face back into Ranboo's shirt and uttered a strand of profanities  aimed at no one with no real heat behind them. "Tommy was worried! The Big Man himself!"

"Shut up!" Tommy said, but it came out as more of a whine as he pulled away from a laughing Ranboo to find comfort in Niki. 

Niki patted his head in response before jerking a thumb behind them. "Before any of us forget, we brought someone along for the long trip."

"It wasn't too long," The Blade drawled with a shrug, causing Ranboo to jolt in surprise. Tubbo glared at the hero, gathering Tommy up in a hug that was meant to shield the boy from any outsiders prying eyes. 

"Well, you brought him back. You can go now," Tubbo snapped and Tommy sputtered. Niki merely shook her head. 

"Sorry about him," she sighed with a grin. "Thank you for walking us. And thank you again for taking care of Tommy. It really means a lot that you have done that."

"It was no problem at all," Techno said, lips turned up faintly in a smirk. "Besides, I doubt this is the last you'll be seeing of me. After all, you can't forget this." He held his hand out to the side of him and, just like he would any of his own weapons, the netherite axe Tommy had shot back into existence appeared in his hand. 

Niki took the axe with an exasperated look. "Right. How could I forget the maniacal undertones of this whole situation?"

"C'mon, Tommy! They're pulling out weapons! Let's get you inside," Tubbo announced, practically dragging the taller one with him around the side of the building to the door that would lead to the casino.

Right as Tubbo reached for the handle, though, it burst open, revealing a disheveled Quackity. 

"TUBBO!" He nearly shrieked, but faltered when he saw Tommy gathered in his arms. "O-Oh shit! You found him!"

"Actually, Techno brought us back," Niki smiled as she peered around the corner, Slime sticking close to her side since Clem had perched on her shoulder. 

"Techno?" Quackity squeaked. 

"Hullo," Blade drawled, waving a bit. "Oh. Hi Quackity. Long time no see."

"No!" Quackity suddenly shouted, pointing to the hero, who grinned. "You don't see shit! If you take one more step closerー"

"Relax, I'm off duty," Techno snorted, appearing like any other civilian would. "I'm not going to bust down the door to your illegal gambling operation. Nope. Not at all."

Quackity still seemed on edge, his wings fluttering behind him as he tried to put on the scariest glare he could manage. "Fuck you. You're not welcome here."

"All right, all right," the hero surrendered, raising his hands and backing away. "I was just dropping off Niki and the child. I'll be going now."

"Oi! I'm not a fuckin' child!" Tommy shouted as Techno disappeared around the corner once more, heading back to his flat. "Bitch!" 

"Yeah, yeah," Techno chuckled, voice fading the further away he got. 

"You two have history or something?" Tommy huffed, barely protesting when Tubbo continued to drag him into the building. They had to slow down remarkably once on the stairs, though, because Tommy was in crutches and Tubbo didn't want to worsen the injury. 

"Quackity doesn't like talking about it," Tubbo piped up from the door leading into the casino, watching carefully as Tommy hobbled down, Ranboo hot on his heels to make sure nothing bad happened. 

That fucker (aka Tommy ) had disappeared again; he'd better not complain about the two of them constantly fawning over him for a few days. It didn't help that he was injured, either, since that gave both Ranboo and Tubbo an excuse to stick so close to him. 

"Did he treat you poorly?" Niki asked from her spot at the back of the line, scratching her head in thought. "He didn't seem that bad when we were with him."

"Oh-ho, you've never seen the side of him that I have," Quackity grumbled, eyes narrowing at nothing in particular, face scrunching up as if he tasted something sour. "He's terrifying! He says he's a hero but I have no doubt in my mind that he would hunt people for sport!" 

"I'd believe it," Tommy mumbled, sticking close to Ranboo as Tubbo shouldered the door to the casino open. 

"Oh! I also have some cold medicine for Tommy once he eats dinner!" Niki interrupted, fishing the box out of her pocket before she tossed it to Quackity, who nodded his thanks as he caught it. "It should make him a bit drowsy, too."

"You're going to be knocked out, " Tubbo laughed, grabbing Tommy’s hand and gently pulling him along the hard floor, avoiding the edges of the path so his crutch didn't get caught on the plush carpet around it. "On top of healing an injury? You're going to sleep through tomorrow."

"Good," Tommy snorted. He had a lot to process  anyways. With the fresh knowledge that he had an ability that Dream actively tried hiding from him but everything the heroes told him about the villain on top of that? He felt his headache coming back, a tragic symptom of his fever. 

He wasn't even sure why he got sick. The wound wasn't infected! 

No, according to Techno, his body gave in under the massive amount of stress he had been going through recently. The shoot-out he witnessed must have pushed him over the edge. 

On top of the memory fresh in Tommy’s head of Dream practically forcing him to break through a window, he couldn't close his eyes without seeing those dead men in the store. 

He shuddered. Ranboo saw that and wrapped himself around the teen as if to warm him up. Normally the contact would have embarrassed him but, as he felt the potion wearing off and the weight of the situation finally bearing down on him, he was grateful for the affection. 

Central was leveled. There were over a hundred casualties and the number kept growing as the days crawled along and the first responders continued digging through debris. Tommy had personally been faced with three top pro heroes and three top villains within the past few days. He had gotten into an argument with Tubbo and patched it up a day or so later. He got shot and witnessed three people die. He learned (or relearned) about his ability and had a not-so-nice flashback that had been playing in his head on repeat like a terrible, scratched dvd. 

Tommy was nearly brought to tears as the elevator doors opened for them, stifling his sniffling in Ranboo's shirt as the boy hugged him closer and muttered sweet nothings into his hair. 

He wanted to go to bed. He wanted to feel better. He didn't want to be so fucking overwhelmed and cry every time he tried to process what the fuck was happening because it was all too much. 

Tubbo pressed against his side and Quackity laid a comforting hand on his back. He was nearly heaving with how harsh his sobs were, and Niki grabbed his hand and pressed her forehead against his temple. 

There, in the cramped elevator, Tommy didn't feel boxed in. 

His family had his back. He wasn't doing this alone. 

He was going to be just fine. 

If his sobs grew louder when they opened the door and Schlatt nearly gave him a bruise from how hard he headbutted the kid, no one mentioned it.