Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Even at night, the city was as lively as ever. 

The air was fresh in a way no other place was for Tommy as he sat on a rooftop, dangling his legs. His mask was pulled down from his face as he grinned, eyes closed and just feeling the gentle wind caress his face. 

He opened his eyes to watch cars rush by, everyone in a hurry despite the late hour. The streets were covered in small dots that he could barely tell were people, gathering at certain intersections and waiting to cross the road. 

He pulled his mask back up, smiling underneath it as he stood up and pushed off the roof of the building, landing on another easily with a roll. He sprinted along the rooftops, jumping from one to another and occasionally grabbing onto a wall with his gloves, claws poking through and latching onto the otherwise smooth surface as he scrambled up the wall. 

It wasn’t long before he found something to worry about, the round ears on his head perking up as he heard the sound of multiple pairs of footsteps and heaving breaths. He didn’t hesitate to leap onto the ground, silently landing and following his targets.

Unfortunately, whoever these dudes were chasing ended up backed into a corner, by the sudden stop from all of them. They were all panting heavily, but Tommy had barely broken a sweat, staying far behind them and hiding behind a dumpster.

At the sound of a switchblade, Tommy walked out from behind the bunker, hearing the dark chuckles from the group. Their victim’s eyes widened at seeing the knife before their vision darted over to Tommy and their face went pale, backing up against the wall.

“Why so scared?” One of the men said with a grin sharp on his face, and Tommy just rolled his eyes before clearing his throat, standing in a confident pose.

The group swirled around, staring at him with incredulous faces.

“Not very poggers of you to go around stabbin’ shit, y’know?” Tommy said with a bright and far too innocent smile for a vigilante. 

“Move on, kid. You aren’t involved in this.” One of them growled.

“He looks like he’s twelve!” Another snickered, covering their mouth with a hand in a half-hearted attempt to stop their laughter.

“I am NOT twelve! I am older than all of you!” Tommy yelled, standing up straight. “You are all little babies compared to me!”

“Sure, kid.” The one who insulted him said. “Run along to your parents.”

“I am NOT a kid!” Tommy yelled, pulling out a small baton that fit in his pocket and clicking it, making it extend further. “I’ll beat all of your asses!”

At this, the group went from amused to angry, and maybe just a little scared. The one with the switchblade approached him, while the others pulled out similar weapons.

“What do you think you’re going to achieve here, kid?” One of them said, and Tommy huffed, getting into a defensive stance.

“Beating all your asses without breaking a sweat, that’s what.”

One of them swiped at Tommy and he leaped over the blade, extending a leg to kick them in the face. He only managed to hit their shoulder, but they were knocked back, so he considered it a win.

Two others got Tommy on both sides, and while he dodged one of the blades the other nicked him on the side. He swore under his breath before he hit one of them with his baton, knocking them backwards. They hit their head hard on the ground and didn’t get back up.

Tommy yelped as another caught him off guard, but managed to dodge just in time, avoiding their sharp blade. Unfortunately, his dodging brought him right in the path of another, and he felt something sharp pierce his side. In the adrenaline rush, it almost felt like pushing a pin into a pincushion.

The vigilante kicked them away and they fell onto the ground before they ran off, leaving their other gang members behind. 

“Coward!” Tommy yelled at them, watching them run and then flicking his vision to the three that were left. He quickly swiped the feet out from one of them and then hit another with his baton in quick succession, both of them falling to the ground. 

The last one hesitated for only a moment before he took off, and Tommy glanced over at the person these people had all been so eager to steal from before. They were still frozen in place, but their look of fear had been replaced with awe and worry. Tommy ignored the fact that it was clearly for him.

“I suggest you call the ambulance.” He said to the two men on the ground, nodding towards their unconscious partner in crime. “Or if you just want to take off like the other two, at least tell me so I can do it for you.”

The men shook their heads, one of them pulling out a phone with shaking fingers as Tommy went over to their victim.

“Hey, are you okay?” He asked quietly, kneeling down.

“You should be more worried about yourself!” They muttered, looking at Tommy’s side. He shrugged it off.

“I’ve had worse.” He held out a hand, helping them up. “Do you want me to walk you home?”

They quickly shook their head. “You need to take care of your injury.” They said.

Tommy just shrugged again. “Well, if you ever need help, just call for Theseus.” He said with a grin before he hopped onto a building, taking off.

∭

The vigilante crawled through the window, falling to the ground of the bedroom with a grunt. He had managed to bandage his side, but it was poorly done. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, Tommy felt the full effect of the injury. It hurt.

He was used to it though, and so he stood up, half-hunched over in pain, and walked over to the door and locked it, setting down on the floor and unwrapping his wound. 

The worst part of this was that he had to sew his vigilante outfit again, and he let out a huff of frustration. Tommy took off the clothes, rewrapping his injury with much more care and getting redressed in his regular clothes.

He peeked out of his room, glancing around and glad that the rest of the house seemed to be empty. It never was, of course, but he shuffled out of his room all the same, dumping his vigilante outfit into a washer by the front of the apartment. 

The teenager walked over to the living room, grabbing the TV’s small remote and dropping himself onto the couch, turning on the television and switching the channel to some sort of nature documentary.

Tommy didn’t even realize he had fallen asleep until he woke up to the sound of sizzling and the smell of bacon. He sat up, smiling as he noticed the pillow under his head and blanket over him that definitely hadn’t been there when he first fell asleep.

Tommy glanced over the top of the couch and into the kitchen, watching a hybrid make him breakfast.

“Good morning, Sam.” Tommy smiled, and Sam turned around, offering him a wave.

“Good morning, Tommy. How was last night?” The hybrid said as he turned back around to tend to the meal.

“It was very poggers. I beat people up, and I was super dramatic too. Like Siren!” Tommy said with a smile, thinking of one of his favorite heroes, The Siren. He had the power of making anyone do anything they wanted with just his voice, and he had a penchant for being as dramatic as possible.

Of course, Tommy’s favorite hero was always going to be Nook, but he’d never tell Sam that. He probably already knew.

“I noticed you got stabbed.” Sam said with just a hint of worry in his voice, and Tommy shrunk down. “But I’m glad you took care of it. You bandaged it well, too.” The pride in Sam’s voice far outweighed the worry for Tommy, so the vigilante grinned as he stood up, stretching his back and ignoring the twinge of pain from his side. 

“Learned from the best.” Tommy said with a smile, joining Sam in the kitchen. 

“Of course you did.” Sam said, half-joking as he rolled his eyes. “Can you wash the table off and set it for breakfast?”

“Of course, big man!” Tommy said, eagerly doing as he said and only slightly slowing down because of his injury. 

Just as Tommy finished putting out the forks and napkins, Sam put a plate of bacon on the table, and filled the two plates with a healthy serving of eggs. Tommy grabbed two rolls from the counter, placing one on each plate.

The two of them sat down, eating in silence for a few minutes. Tommy wolfed down his breakfast, licking as lips as he finished with the bacon. 

“Hey, Sam, are you heading to work today?” Tommy asked, looking at the hybrid with a hopeful smile despite knowing the answer.

“Yes, Tommy, I have to go to work every weekday. I’m sorry, I wish I could spend more time with you.” Sam said with a guilty smile, rubbing the top of Tommy’s head. The teenager squawked in annoyance but barely meant it, really only acting like that because it was familiar.

“Stupid work.” Tommy huffed, playing with his fork. 

“I’m doing good things, Tommy, just like you. And unlike you, I get paid for it.” Sam said with a cocky smile, and the teenager stuck out his tongue in response.

“If you just let me steal shit you would never have to work again, you know.” Tommy said, but he didn’t really mean it. “We could be super rich and stuff.”

“Tommy.” Sam’s voice went stern, just as it always did when they had this conversation. “We both agreed you couldn’t steal anything. You are meant to helping people, and-”

“And stealing is not helping people, yeah I know.” Tommy huffed. “Just don’t like being cooped up all day.”

“Bad is hiring, y’know.” Sam said. “You could offer to work mornings. I bet he’d appreciate it.”

“Maybe.” Tommy looked down at his plate. “I’ll go talk to him. Can I get something from his bakery too?”

“Of course, Tommy.” Sam said with a smile. “Do you need cash or do you have it covered?” 

“I’ve got it.” Tommy said, waving him away as he stood up, taking his plate with him and then grabbing Sam’s. 

He washed the dishes off as Sam got ready for work, putting on his gas mask and outfit. Tommy walked him down to the parking lot and hugged him goodbye, watching as his car drove away before walking down the street, heading over to Bad’s bakery. Plenty of people knew the demon was a retired hero, only adding to the popularity of the bakery, and it helped that the food was probably the best thing anyone had ever tasted.

Even better, Tommy had an in with the ex-hero, Sam having worked with him in the past. Bad and Tommy were somewhat familiar, though it usually ended with Tommy cussing out Bad as the demon screamed about language. Tommy never meant the insults, though, and Bad always knew that.

When they weren’t messing around with each other, Tommy and Bad actually got on well, with the demon being sickeningly sweet to the teenager. 

The bell above the door tinkled as Tommy walked in. The early hour meant not many people were at the bakery, and the vigilante walked over to Bad, waving hello.

“What’s up, big man!” Tommy said with a bright smile, and the demon returned in kind. Despite his scary appearance, he only looked like he meant the smile wholeheartedly. Tommy often wondered how anyone found Bad scary.

“Good morning Tommy!” Bad said. “How can I help you today? Do you want the usual?”

“Actually, I’m finally taking Sam up on that offer to get a job. He’s been practically begging me forever.” Tommy chuckled, shrugging. “Is it alright if I work here?”

“Of course, Tommy!” The demon smiled. “I was the one who suggested it to him, after all.”

“Wait, you were?” Tommy blinked in surprise.

“I don’t ever see you doing anything during the day except hanging out here. Might as well get paid for it.” Bad shrugged. “What’s your size so I can get you an outfit from the back?”

“Uhh, I’m a medium.” Tommy said.

“Alright, come with me!” Bad said, and Tommy jumped over the counter and followed the demon, glancing at the other people working there. There was Skeppy, who Tommy also got along well with, and a few others that Tommy didn’t know very well.

Bad quickly gave Tommy a uniform for the restaurant, and introduced him to the others. Along with Skeppy, there was also Antfrost, a cat hybrid, and Punz and Purpled, two siblings. Purpled was almost as young as Tommy, and despite their differences Tommy found himself clicking with the older teenager immediately.

Bad put him to work, waiting tables with Bad following him and ensuring he did everything right. Tommy learned quickly, and it wasn’t long before Bad brought him to Skeppy to show him how to work the register in the front. It took a bit longer with Skeppy as the two of them frequently had to be broken apart by Bad, scolding them both, but he didn’t really mean it. 

After that, Bad showed him the back, with sweets constantly in ovens and Antfrost showed him how to frost cupcakes, leading to many jokes about Antfrost’s name from both Tommy and the cat hybrid. 

After a few hours, Bad sent Tommy back home with a couple extra uniforms and well wishes for both him and Sam, and the teenager walked home with an extra pep in his step. Everything seemed to be going perfectly for the vigilante, and he was practically skipping down the road.

He ignored the weird looks from others walking down the street, which there were plenty of, and instead walked down the path he had memorized after visiting Bad’s bakery so often. 

His period of bliss ended as somebody shoved him away, and Tommy yelped in surprise, turning around to see someone glaring him down. They were a complete stranger, but just as Tommy was about to yell at them in annoyance, they shoved him down.

Tommy grunted, as his hands and knees met asphalt, and looked back at the person who shoved him with an angry glare. They just had a smug look on their face, and just before the teenager stood up, he glanced in front of him to see a car right in front of his face.

Everything went black.

Chapter Text

Sam was in the middle of something boring, zoned out as he typed simple code into a computer. He hadn’t been called out into the field in a while, preferring to stay in the background as support instead of going on the offensive. 

He jumped back to attention when his phone buzzed on the desk next to him, ringing out an annoying sound. He quickly picked it up, bringing it to his ear as he answered with a hello.

“Is this Sam Nook?”

“Yes, that’s me.” Sam responded, eyebrows furrowed. He didn’t recognize this voice, and he wasn’t used to the use of his full name.

“Your son is Tommy, right?”

“Yes.” Sam said, already packing up his things. He had received a similar phone call before, even if it wasn’t about Tommy that time. The nearest hospital wasn’t far, but Tommy had been down by their apartment, and so it was more likely for him to be there.

“The vigilante Theseus?”

This made Sam pause. Who knew about Tommy’s night adventures? More importantly, who knew about Tommy’s night adventures and Sam didn’t know about? He had met Tommy’s friends Tubbo and Ranboo before, and had high suspicions that they were vigilantes as well, but he had met them so many times that he surely would have recognized their voices, even over the static of the phone.

Purpled wasn’t a possibility, he and Tommy had barely talked. He wasn’t even sure Tommy knew his name despite frequently going to Bad’s bakery, where the teenager worked. 

Sam couldn’t think of anyone else, and for a second Sam frowned at the stark lack of friends that Tommy had, but his thought process was interrupted by the voice over the phone.

“Mister Nook, please answer the question. Truthfully.”

“Yes, he is Theseus. How did you get that information?”

“That doesn’t matter, Mr. Nook. What matters is that I currently have Theseus in my care.”

Sam’s heart stopped, and he continued packing up his things, rushing out of the room and into the elevator. He was just glad the elevator was empty.

“Where is he?” Sam asked, knuckles white with how tight he gripped his phone.

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you that, sir. But I seriously suggest you turn on a television.”

Sam rushed into the lobby, glancing around until he saw the expensive TV and turned it on, grabbing the remote and ignoring the confusion from the secretaries. He flicked through the channels until he finally saw a familiar face.

Tommy was there, his Tommy, his son was live on national television and everyone could see. He was wearing his vigilante mask and outfit, fully dressed up, but underneath the clean outfit Sam could see injuries, and his arm was twisted wrong. Near his shoulder the blood seeped through the outfit, and Sam almost dropped his phone.

“What do you want.” Sam growled, and he flinched when he heard an echo of his voice over the TV. 

“Even heroes want this stupid boy dead.” The voice over the phone and, now the TV, growled in return. “He’s been causing more trouble than he’s worth, even for people like me, who typically enjoy the company of vigilantes.”

“What, do you want—do you want money? Is this a hostage situation? Just let the boy go! He’s just a child!” Sam said, ignoring the few heroes and secretaries gathering behind him in horror.

“No, I don’t want money. I’m doing this for my own good.” The dark voice chuckled. “I just have a special vendetta against you.”

Sam couldn’t respond, his mouth a desert as he watched a silhouette walk over to Theseus, holding his head up. To Sam’s horror, Tommy wasn’t unconscious, and he groaned in pain. “S’m...?” He muttered, and Sam, for the first time in his life, found himself completely helpless.

“Sam Nook is a worse villain than I am.” The dark voice muttered. Sam had dropped his phone on the ground, the static coming through. “He’s been harboring a vigilante for too long, despite knowing exactly what happens to vigilantes!”

The dark silhouette finally came into view, and Sam paled even further at the vision of an old friend, smiling mask covering his face. “Despite knowing what happened to me. Isn’t that right, Sam?” Dream growled.

Everything else didn’t seem real as Dream tore Tommy's mask off of him, and tears began to flow freely down the teen’s face.

“You know, I’d say you deserve a break, Tommy is your son after all.” Dream chuckled darkly. “But I was your best friend, Sam, and you didn’t hesitate. Since you won’t take care of Tommy, I’ll take care of him for you.”

Dream shoved Tommy on to the ground, and the teen groaned. “One hundred thousand dollars, in cash, for anyone who brings me Thomas Nook’s head.” Dream leaned down, giving the teenager a healing potion. “Have a head start.” Dream said with a smile in his voice, turning towards the camera. “Let the manhunt begin.”

The television went black.

Sam’s heavy breathing was the only sound in the lobby for a few seconds, and he didn’t even realize tears were dripping down his face until a hand put itself on his shoulder.

The hero turned his head to face the people behind him, and made eye contact with Philza. Behind him, Sam could see Phil’s sons, Wilbur and Techno. Even Techno, who was often told he was emotionless, looked grievous for Sam.

“We’ll get him back, mate. Safe and sound.” Phil said, and Sam just nodded, his body shaking. 

Techno stood up straight. “Phil, take care of Sam. We’ll get Tommy back for him.”

“I need to help.” Sam muttered, but Phil just pushed him onto a chair.

“You can barely stand, mate.”

“I need to help.” 

Phil sighed, before looking at Wilbur. “You’re taking care of him. With my wings, I’ll be faster, anyways.”

Wilbur huffed in annoyance but it was half-hearted, and he nodded. "Stay down." He said to Sam, and the hero immediately sat back down from where he was half standing, sending a tired glare in Wilbur's direction.

"Tech, gather every hero you can find. I'll start scouting." Phil ordered, and Techno nodded in response as Phil left the building. Techno gathered the heroes that were down in the lobby and then used his radio to call before, leaving soon after.

It was only Wilbur left with Sam, and it only took a few minutes for him to try to get up again.

"Sit down, Sam." Wilbur said, and Sam immediately sat back down. 

After Sam's fourth attempt to help Tommy, Wilbur just sighed to himself as the hero sat down at Wilbur's order. "This is gonna be a while."

Chapter Text

Tommy groaned as he woke up, sitting in a chair. Despite the lack of restraints, he found himself unable to move. It took him a while to realize that there was a camera blinking red in front of him, his eyes squinting. His vision was blurry, and only then did he notice that tears were making their way down his face.

“-m afraid I can’t tell you that, sir. But I seriously suggest you turn on a television.” 

Tommy heard the voice speak, and he struggled with whatever was keeping him still. There was someone hidden by shadows behind the camera, and they were the one talking. At least, that’s what Tommy assumed, since there was nobody else in the room.

“Even heroes want this stupid boy dead.” The man growled out, and Tommy flinched. “He’s been causing more trouble than he’s worth, even for people like me, who typically enjoy the company of vigilantes.”

‘Is that what everyone thinks of me?’ Tommy thought to himself, ignoring the sound of someone talking over the phone. He couldn’t understand what they were saying anyways.

“No, I don’t want money. I’m doing this for my own good.” The chuckle made a shiver run through the back of Tommy’s spine. “I just have a special vendetta against you.”

Everything felt fuzzy, and Tommy just wanted to go home. He missed his dad. He wanted Sam to hug him and bring him home and tell him he was safe. He barely noticed that he mumbled out Sam’s name, he just wanted to go home.

“Sam Nook is a worse villain than I am.” The person behind Tommy muttered. Tommy clenched his teeth, trying not to listen to what he said. “He’s been harboring a vigilante for too long, despite knowing exactly what happens to vigilantes!”

The person behind Tommy finally came into the light, and Tommy could see the smiling mask on his face. Another shiver ran through his spine. He hasn’t ever seen them in person, but everybody knows about Dream. “Despite knowing what happened to me. Isn’t that right, Sam?” Dream growled.

Tommy flinched as the mask was suddenly torn off his face, and the tears that had been building up in his eyes flowed down, his entire body shaking.

“You know, I’d say you deserve a break, Tommy is your son after all.” Dream chuckled darkly. “But I was your best friend, Sam, and you didn’t hesitate. Since you won’t take care of Tommy, I’ll take care of him for you.”

Dream shoved Tommy down, and he marveled at the fact that he was suddenly free from his restraints. Unfortunately, that small victory was undermined by the pain that was making Tommy’s entire body ache. He let out a groan in complaint. “One hundred thousand dollars, in cash, for anyone who brings me Thomas Nook’s head.” Dream leaned down, and Tommy flinched backwards until he saw what he had in his hands. “Have a head start.” Tommy didn’t hesitate to take the healing potion. Potions were so rare, not to mention expensive , he must have done something special in order to garner enough attention for one. “Let the manhunt begin.”

Tommy had barely heard those words, instead downing the potion as Dream turned off the camera. His injuries miraculously healed, his arm twisted into the right place, and all of his pain faded away with the sweet taste of the potion.

“What happened?” Tommy asked, his head still fuzzy as Dream kneeled down beside him.

“I’m afraid there was just a bounty put on your head.” Dream said simply. Tommy’s breath caught in his throat, trying to stand up, but his legs still felt weak.

“Wh- how much?” Tommy asked, though he wasn’t sure if he wanted the answer or not.

“One hundred thousand.” Dream replied, standing up and letting Tommy lean on him. The teenager’s breath stopped before he began hyperventilating, grabbing onto the closest thing he had, which happened to be Dream’s sleeve. He gripped it tight, feeling the tears that had finally started to dry come back full force.

“You might want to get going. This isn’t a very hidden place.” Dream said, and Tommy nodded, stumbling around the room until he found a door.

The door opened, and Tommy found himself in the middle of a room that was covered on all sides with windows. The dark room he had been in seemed to have been placed right in the middle of the room, and Tommy rushed over to a window, about to jump out, when his entire face paled.

He was thousands of feet away from the ground, clearly in a skyscraper. Tommy could see a commotion down below, and his heart stuttered as he watched people gathering.

A hand was placed on his shoulder, and Tommy had to force himself not to flinch. Instead, he looked up at Dream, who was standing behind him.

“A good word of advice? Don’t trust anyone. Not even Sam. Everybody knows what you could do with that much money. He sold me out, what’s stopping him from doing the same to you?” Dream said, and Tommy nodded. It was good advice. It was going to be hard, knowing Sam could be chasing after him, but he couldn’t die now. Not when he’s gotten this far.

“Up on the roof, just a few stories up, there’s a wire you can use to get down there. You should leave the city while you can.” Dream said, and Tommy nodded again.

“Thank you,” Tommy muttered, his mouth dry.

“Here.” Dream handed Tommy a burner phone, with only one number on it. “If you ever want to contact me.”

Tommy looked at the phone before taking it. There was no doubt in his mind that he was going to use it as much as he could. He was used to heroes being after him, yes, but not the entire city. He was just glad Dream could be there to help.

He went up the stairs, taking his mask from Dream’s hand that was offered to him on the way. On the roof, he stuck in back on his face, though he felt like the wind was about to blow him right off the building. 

Just as Dream had said, there was a thick wire Tommy could use to get down from the building without having to worry about someone catching him on the way.

Dream had joined him on the roof, handing him a bandana with red patterns on it. He nodded to the wire, signaling what he wanted the vigilante to do, and Tommy didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the bandana and jumped up the pole, using the bandana to hang off the wire before he pushed himself off.

Tommy couldn’t help the laughter as he slid down the wire, feeling invincible with the wind rushing around him. He could feel eyes on him as he travelled thousands of feet in seconds, but he just grinned. The weakness from earlier was gone, replaced with pure adrenaline as the last portion of the wire came up.

Tommy dropped his hands from the wire, rolling on the ground to keep from hurting himself. He could hear sirens on the ground below, but he didn’t care to stay and see what was happening. He knew everyone was going to be on the hunt for him.

The vigilante ran towards the setting sun, hopping from rooftop to rooftop, not even stopping to take a breath. He could feel the burner phone in his pocket, and he knew that was everything he needed to get out of the city safely.

The fact that Dream had given him his baton certainly wasn’t a bad thing, either.

It wasn’t long before the rooftops were too scattered for Tommy to use them reliably, so he hopped down from a particularly short one and kept running, using alleyways and avoiding the main roads. He could hear other people, and he wasn’t willing to find out if they were going to help him or not.

When the alleyway ended, Tommy hopped over the wall with zero hesitation, landing on the dirt ground and continuing to run without a moment’s rest. 

The main part of the city was far behind him now, and the sidewalks were absent as he finally turned onto the main road, a few people glancing at him but not paying much attention. He looked around the place, finding a discarded car, and broke the glass of the window with his baton, opening the door and closing it behind him. 

He hesitated only a second before he started hotwiring the car. He had stopped using this skill after Sam took him in, letting him live in his apartment and giving him food. Guilt made its way through Tommy, but he just started up the car and pulled himself out of the place it had been haphazardly parked.

Tommy immediately felt a lot safer as he sped down the road, skirting around other cars that he was not going to be waiting for. Heroes were on his trail, and they definitely had cars legally . Not to mention that he had taken far too long on his way out of town, avoiding getting a car because he was worried about getting spotted.

Once he was out of the boundaries of the city, he noticed a motorcycle that seemed to be tailing him. His fingers twitched, about to stop suddenly and risk a crash but hopefully get them off his tail, when he noticed the mask of the rider behind him.

Dream.

He let out a sigh of relief, speeding up and leaving the city.

Chapter Text

Phil was fast, but his wings could only do so much.

He had caught up with Tommy, using height to his advantage as he soared over the teenager’s car and the motorcycle that was following him. It wasn’t hard to figure out who it was behind the vigilante, with the obvious green hoodie and smiling mask.

But with a simple signal, Dream and Tommy both pulled over down a side road before stopping, Phil following with zero hesitation. He had a tracker on him so that Techno would be able to follow him, and he doubted Dream or Tommy would find it.

He landed next to the two, hands held out in a signal of peace, though he found it hard to keep himself from glaring down Dream.

Tommy was practically shielding himself behind the villain, while Dream stood tall and proud.

“See what I’m saying Tommy? The heroes are hunting you down. It won’t be long before Sam follows.” Dream said, glancing behind him to the cowering teenager.

“Sam’s not coming.” Phil said, struggling to keep a calm expression and tone. “He just wants to make sure you’re safe, Tommy.”

“Sure, he does.” Dream snickered. “When Sam learned I was a vigilante, he didn’t hesitate to imprison me. Why wouldn’t he do the same with Tommy?”

“Why are you subjecting Tommy to this, Dream?” Phil said. 

“I’m not doing anything. I’m helping him, after all.” Dream replied, putting a hand on Tommy’s shoulder. None of them missed the flinch. “It’s hard to be on your own.”

Phil opened his mouth to reply, but was silenced when Dream pulled out a pistol. The hero went silent as the gun was pointed to his head, eyes wide. Tommy glanced between Phil and Dream rapidly, clearly horrified.

“Wait, wait, Dream we-we don’t have to kill him.” Tommy begged, tugging on Dream’s hoodie. The villain turned his head towards Tommy, staring him down before looking at Phil again.

“I assume you have a tracker on you.” Dream said, and Phil didn’t respond. “Well, tell the others that I have a message for them.”

A gunshot rang out, echoing in the empty field. 

Phil fell to the ground, clutching his side.

“Tommy is under my protection.” Dream narrowed his eyes at Phil before he tucked the gun away, dragging Tommy away from the car and onto his motorcycle. Tommy barely had time to mouth a ‘sorry’ before the two turned back around and onto the road, racing away from Phil.

Phil grimaced in pain, struggling to get up from where he had collapsed. He should have expected Dream to shoot him, really, he was just so focused on making sure Tommy was okay he was reckless.

He huffed in annoyance at himself. How many times had he scolded Wilbur and Techno for being reckless? The thought of Techno made his heart ache. Techno would be here soon, no doubt, but Phil could barely move. Every single movement made Phil want to scream with pain, and he didn’t have any bandages or medical equipment to stop himself from bleeding out.

He placed his hand against the gunshot wound, blood quickly covering his skin. Maybe he could do something with the things around him. Phil glanced around the road, but it was barren, just grass and a few bushes. 

His eyes felt so heavy, but Phil refused to let them close. Everything burned, not just in pain, but now in exhaustion too, begging for him to just relax, fall asleep, give in. Phil knew he couldn’t go on like this for long, but he willed himself to stay awake, for Techno, Wilbur, and Sam.

And maybe Tommy too.

∭

“PHIL!” Techno’s usually monotone voice went raggedy as he rushed over to the hero, collapsed on the side of the road. He could hear the voices in his head, yelling at him to protect protect dadza protect wings tommy phil protect dadza and he couldn’t hear anything over them and the rushing of blood in his ears as he kneeled down by Phil, struggling to keep his hands from shaking.

The call of BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD from the voices made his entire body shake with rage, and he turned around, looking at the heroes he had gathered.

“Hannah!” He called out, and she ran over to him, face frozen in horror. “You can heal him, right?” Techno said, his voice wavering for the first time in decades. He ignored the blood spilled on the side of the road.

“Yes, sir.” Hannah responded, kneeling by Phil and hovering her hands over him. Techno stood up, fists clenched. 

“Find Dream.” Techno snarled. “Find him and kill him.”

∭

At the headquarters, Wilbur and Sam had fallen asleep where they were sitting, unaware of the chaos miles away.

A gentle ringing woke up Wilbur and he stood up, stretching his back and hearing it crack before he picked up his phone, lazily asking who it was.

“Wilbur.” Techno’s voice over the voice immediately made the hero straighten up, blinking all tiredness from his eyes. He could hear his brother’s emotion even through the phone, and he immediately knew something was wrong. He was already preparing to go. “Phil’s hurt.”

“I’m on my way.”

Chapter Text

In the main square, Tommy’s face was broadcasted on the huge screens like some sort of movie scene. It was impossible to get through the city without seeing the teenager’s face.

Tubbo was uncomfortably aware of that fact as he ran towards the hero headquarters. In a different time, Tubbo would be terrified with even a glance at the building, but right now it held their only ray of hope.

The automatic door opened and Tubbo glanced around, the secretary absent, but he quickly found the person he was looking for. Sam was asleep on one of the couches, and for a split second Tubbo was angry at the hero’s lack of movement before seeing the tear tracks that had stained his face and the cracks in the television screen.

Behind Tubbo, Ranboo followed, occasionally letting out small vwoops in distress as Tubbo jogged over to Sam.

Tubbo shook the hero awake, and Sam groaned as he woke up, eyelids opening slowly before he quickly blinked away all of the sleep in his eyes. 

“Tubbo?” Sam said, narrowing his eyes at the teenager before his memories all rushed back into his head and he stood up straight. “Tommy!” Sam gasped, standing up quickly. At the sudden rush of movement his head swam, and the hero sat back down, holding his head in his hands.

Tubbo only gave Sam a moment of rest before tapping the hero. “Sam, we need to go find Tommy. He’s already out of town, based on the tracker I placed on him, but I have no idea how long it’ll be before he gets rid of it.” 

Sam nodded, unused to the stoic expression and tone, but he stood up again, this time without the accompanying wave of dizziness. 

Ranboo let out another noise of distress as he and Tubbo followed Sam silently, keeping his eyes on the floor as they walked. 

“Tubbo,” Ranboo was quiet as he spoke, eyes flicking upwards. Tubbo didn’t stop, but turned his head to the hybrid. “Sam,” the hero stopped, Tubbo following suit. Sam didn’t turn to meet Ranboo’s eyes, though, and it wasn’t hard to guess why. His shoulders were tensed and fists clenched and shaking.

“What are we going to do if—if—”

“It’s not going to come to that. Let’s not jump to the worst conclusion.” Sam said, but his voice was shaking. “I don’t know where Wilbur went, he was here with me, but it—it doesn’t matter. We just need to find Tommy.”

“He still has the tracker on him, I think. It’s still moving.” Tubbo said, and Sam nodded. 

In the back of the headquarters, the trio entered the parking garage, and wordlessly got into Sam’s car. It was much more than a car, of course, the hero tinkering on it whenever he had nothing to do and as a result his car could practically be a hero by itself. Ranboo just made sure not to touch anything.

The car sped off, and Ranboo just watched as Sam and Tubbo exchanged quiet conversation over screens that had things he couldn’t hope to be able to read. 

Ranboo hugged his legs as they drove, watching the window. They were going far too fast for it to be safe, even with the lack of cars, and he felt uneasy in a way he usually didn’t with Tubbo and Sam. The tension clearly had an effect on all of them, Sam’s voice barely keeping from cracking and Tubbo’s normally expressive outside completely gone, replaced with emotionless words and stoic face.

The car slowed to a stop at a gathering of people, Ranboo jumping out before it was even all the way stopped. Tubbo yelped in surprise, following the normally cautious hybrid through the crowd, Sam following soon after.

“What are you doing here?” Wilbur said as he noticed Sam. “You’re supposed to stay at headquarters.”

“And you were supposed to watch him.” Techno huffed. “Dream got away, and Tommy’s still with him.” He directed towards Sam. “I assume those two-” Techno nodded towards Ranboo and Tubbo, “came with you?”

Sam nodded his head. “Why’d you stop chasing him?”

“A casualty.” Techno said with a grimace. Wilbur’s face dropped, and Sam nodded in realization.

“Take care of him, and yourselves. I’ll be able to handle Dream.”

“By yourself?” Another voice said, and Sam turned his head to see a sheep hybrid heading his way with a smile on her face, trying to conceal her worry.

“Puffy—”

“No way am I letting my boys get revenge without me.” Puffy said, cutting off Sam and ending all arguments otherwise. “Plus I brought a few friends. Dream’s a lot to handle.”

Behind Puffy, Sam could see the firm faces of Bad and Antfrost. They were still a little mussed from working at the bakery, but their frightening aura more than made up for it. If Sam wasn’t familiar with the ex-heroes, he wouldn’t be surprised if he was terrified of them.

“You guys are retired.” Sam said with a frown. “Why are you helping me?” He said, though internally he was grateful for their help.

“We care about Tommy too.” Bad said, rolling his eyes as if it was the most obvious thing in the world (it was certainly close to it). “We’ve been around him for so long, it’s impossible for him not to grow on you.”

“Like some sort of fungus.” Antfrost added, though his tone was light. 

“Besides, Dream has had this coming for a long time.” Bad continued. “I couldn’t catch him the first time. I won’t let him get away again.”

“I’m coming with you too.” Techno said. “Wil can take care of Phil, and we need to make sure that Dream is taken care of.” He hesitated for a few seconds before adding, “and the little rat is important too.”

Sam chuckled wetly, thanking them. 

It wasn’t long before the group were heading off, following Sam’s car as Tubbo led the way with his tracker.

∭

Miles away, Tommy paced in a desert, far away from the road and any possible cars. Dream was standing near him, silent as the teenager walked back and forth.

“Sam is a hero, and—and I am a vigilante, and I’m teaming up with—with, well, a supervillain —” Tommy laughed at the insanity of it all, “and there’s no way Sam is gonna want me back. Tubbo and Ranboo might, but if I get caught they get caught, I can’t risk that. I don’t wanna take down all three of us.”

Dream stayed silent as Tommy continued to pace.

“And Bad—man, Bad is gonna be out for my head. He’s probably furious, you know.” Tommy said, talking more to himself than Dream. “I mean, he’s never been anything other than nice to me, but he was a hero for a reason y’know? He cared a lot about justice.”

“And you hurt a lot of people.” Dream added, tilting his head. Tommy just nodded.

“And I hurt a lot of people.”

Chapter Text

“Tommy.” 

Sam’s smooth voice came through the darkness, and Tommy couldn’t resist his smile. 

“Tommy.” Sam said again, and Tommy reached out, eager to be able to hug his father.

The illusion broke when his hands were slapped away. Tommy’s eyes snapped open, and Dream was crouching next to him, somehow managing to convey disgust despite the lack of facial expressions.

“Tommy, what are you doing?” Dream sneered.

“Sorry, was havin’ a dream.” Tommy mumbled, getting up. He was in a small campsite, a few minutes walk away from the road, with no tents and only a few mats and sleeping bags for comfort. Every bone in Tommy’s body seemed to ache, and he stretched his arms upward, yawning.

“We need to get moving. The sun’s up, and I really would have preferred to start before sunrise. We’re already late.”

“Sorry, Dream.” Tommy said, standing up. He sleepily helped Dream pack up the campsite, the only trace being the half-buried remains of a campfire that Tommy had begged Dream to make last night.

Dream hesitated as he was about to leave, before an idea popped into his mind. He glanced over to Tommy, where the teen was impatiently waiting. 

At Dream’s refusal to move, Tommy huffed in annoyance. “What’s up, Big D?”

“I told you not to call me that.” 

“Okay, what’s up, Dream ?” Tommy snapped, and Dream’s gaze flicked over to Tommy. For a second the teenager hesitated, wanting to take a step back, but Dream glanced back at the campfire before Tommy acted on those.

“We should lay a trap. Keep them from finding us for a bit longer.” Dream said, nodding to himself. 

“Oh, yeah that’s brilliant!” Tommy said with a grin. “What kind of trap?”

Dream glanced over at Tommy, sizing him up before he shook his head. “I’ll take care of the trap. You go hunt for food, since we’re gonna be running out soon.”

Tommy hesitated for a second before he nodded, turning around and grabbing the hunting knife that Dream had given him.

Of course, out in a desert, there really wasn’t that much to catch. But luckily Tommy had long legs and plenty of experience being sneaky, managing to catch a jackrabbit (barely) and bringing it back to Dream.

When Tommy finally succeeded in his hunting and got back to Dream, the sun was high in the sky and the vigilante was sweating profusely, and Dream was just burying something over their campsite.

“Caught a rabbit.” Tommy said proudly. “I couldn’t find its den, though. If I had we probably would have gotten more.”

“That’s a hare. They don’t have dens.” Dream said, not even glancing up. “If there was a rabbit in this desert they would be dead in minutes.”

“Oh.” Tommy said, looking down at the rabbit (hare) and frowning. He suddenly felt bad for the animal, but he shoved away that feeling as Dream stepped up to him.

“Either way, good job catching it.” Dream said with a nod, patting the top of Tommy’s head. The teenager perked up with a grin, and Dream quickly skinned the animal before storing away the meat in his pack.

“Let’s get going. We’ll have this for lunch in a few hours, but we’ve spent enough time going nowhere.”

Tommy nodded, following Dream as they started to walk.

In just a few minutes, Tommy found himself uncomfortable with the silence that they had, not to mention he really needed a distraction from the sweat and heat. He couldn’t stop drinking from the water bottle Dream had provided him with, hoping it would somehow be able to keep away the heat.

“Dream,” Tommy moaned after what felt like hours. “Can we please take a break? Stop somewhere in the shade?”

Dream turned back, raising an eyebrow. “Do you see any shade nearby?”

Tommy groaned in response, following the masked man begrudgingly. His entire body seemed like it was coated in sweat, vision swimming in front of him. 

“Dreeeeaaaam I feel like I’m going to throw uuuup.” Tommy complained after a few more minutes passed in silence, and Dream just groaned in annoyance. 

“Then throw up, Tommy! I’m trying to help you here!” The masked man responded, and Tommy went into silence once again.

...

“Dreeeeaaamm my legs hurt.”

“Will you shut up? I do! Not! Care!” Dream snarled, turning around. 

Tommy paused, eyes widening in surprise before he sighed, continuing to follow Dream, this time in reluctant silence.

The tension in the air stayed with the two as they walked through the desert, broken only when Tommy drank the last of his water.

“Dream?” Tommy said quietly, and Dream snapped around.

“What?” Dream barked out, and Tommy flinched backwards.

“My water bottle’s empty.”

Dream sighed, holding out his own. “Here.”

Tommy took it without complaint, following the masked man.

After hours of walking and terrible (in Tommy’s opinion) silence, Dream finally stumbled onto a road with a sigh of relief. “Alright, Theseus. Follow the road, it shouldn’t be long before we find my bunker. We can gather stuff there, and there are vehicles we can get out on the road too.”

Tommy bounced up in excitement. “Oi, do you have a motorcycle? I wanna ride one!”

“If I do, you’re not riding it.” 

“Well that’s just rude.”

Chapter Text

“Can we get some o7s in the chat.” Tommy said, proudly saluting to the rabbit that he and Dream were eating. 

“What does that mean?” Dream asked, half-wheezing in confusion.

“This rabbit has taken the L.”

“ What? ”

“Pogchamp, I caught a rabbit.”

Dream didn’t even bother to correct him, continuing to wheeze as Tommy spoke nonsense. 

“Dream I am very pog for killing this rabbit, am I not? I am very pog, yes? Dream tell me I am pog.”

The masked man couldn’t stop his wheezing laughter to reply, rolling on the ground as he struggled to catch his breath.

“Dream! I am a big man! Tell me I am a big man!”

“ What are you talking about-” Dream cut himself off with another wheeze of laughter, covering his mouth where it poked out from under his mask.

“Stop your tea-kettle wheeze and compliment me, as I am the biggest man ever!” 

After a few seconds Dream finally managed to spit a “yeah, Tommy, you’re a big man,” and Tommy cheered joyfully, sticking his hands up in the air with a wide grin.

Dream couldn’t stop his laughter, though eventually it did die down from a wheeze into a chuckling that Tommy beamed at proudly. 

After that, the two found themselves in a relatively comfortable silence, eating the meal that Dream had cooked. Tommy was wondering what Dream looked like under the mask, curious to see if he was a hybrid of some sort. Sam was a hybrid, and so were Tubbo and Ranboo, so he wouldn’t be surprised.

“Ay Big D?”

“Don’t call me that.” Dream responded immediately, though it was lighthearted.

“Big D, are you a hybrid? Is that why you wear a mask? Cause one of my bestest friends, his name is Ranboob, he’s an enderman hybrid, an’ he wears a mask all th’ time, and sunglasses too. Not like your mask, like a medical mask. But cloth. Makes him feel more comfortable and shit.”

Dream paused, staring at Tommy for a few seconds in what Tommy hoped was surprise before Dream shrugged.

“Actually, yeah, I am a hybrid. That’s not why I wear the mask, though.”

Tommy just nodded understandingly. “I think Ranboob wears it cause of his enderman side, y’know? Doesn’t like bein’ looked at, which I get. Besides, makes him look very cool.”

Dream stared at Tommy with an indiscernible emotion underneath the mask, body language giving away nothing. Tommy shuffled where he was sitting awkwardly, trying to maintain eye contact with the mask but eventually looking away, down at the ground.

“Sorry, was just thinking.” Dream said as he noticed his intense staring. “You’re a nice kid. Did Sam raise you?”

“Ehhh, basically.” Tommy said, waving his hand. “Found me just before I hit double digits, has been taking care of me since. Certainly doing better than the people before him.” Tommy wrinkled his nose in annoyance at the thought.

Dream hummed in response, and Tommy thought he caught a bit of... guilt, in his tone? 

Before Tommy could ask further, Dream’s head shot up, glancing around wildly. Tommy instinctively got ready to fight, crouching so that he was hidden but still ready to bolt if necessary.

“Shit, we’ve got to go.” Dream said, grabbing the bags and throwing one at Tommy. The vigilante caught it easily, standing up and kicking dirt over their fire, trying to bury it and cover their tracks. 

“No time,” was all Dream said as he grabbed Tommy’s wrist, sprinting away. Tommy didn’t let Dream drag his feet for long, sprinting after him and managing to stay with him as Dream let go of his wrist. Tommy glanced behind him, seeing...

Sam.

Sam was staring at him, eyes wide, just looking sad.

He was standing perfectly still, but much more importantly, running after Tommy and Dream was Puffy and Bad and- oh god, is that the Blade ?

Technoblade, one of the best fighters the world had ever seen, was chasing after the two of them. Or, more accurately, chasing after Tommy . 

“We gotta go faster big man.” Tommy said, glancing over to Dream, who just nodded, unable to talk as he was completely focused on sprinting. 

Tommy wracked his brain for a plan, trying to find a way to factor his power into everything because it had to be able to be used for something , and then God himself said that Tommy deserved a second chance and blessed him with something.

In front of Tommy and Dream, Tubbo and Ranboo were standing, looking at him with wide eyes.

Dream started turning, but Tommy latched onto his wrist, pulling the masked man with him as he sprinted even faster.

“Tommy, what are you doing?” Dream yelled, but Tommy just shook his head.

“No time to explain!” Tommy said in response, running as fast as he could towards Ranboo. Technoblade was catching up.

“Tommy!” Tubbo and Ranboo both shouted, and god Tommy just wanted to hug them both.

So he did. The second he was close enough Tommy wrapped his arms around them in a hug, squeezing them tight.

“Sorry big man.” Tommy whispered as he stepped back, grabbing Ranboo’s wrist and feeling the hybrid’s power fill him.

“Tommy, what!?”Ranboo yelled, feeling the sudden lack of his power, but Tommy just stepped back and took Dream’s hand.

In a flash of purple particles, the pair was gone.

“No,” Tubbo whimpered. “We were so close. He was right there, we were so close.”

Ranboo hugged him, internally blaming himself (he should have known what Tommy was planning, he was always too smart but also too dumb for his own good, god Ranboo wished he had just thought ahead) but not voicing his thoughts.

“It’s okay.” Bad said, holding them both close where they sat on the desert ground. “It wasn’t your fault, either of you.” Ranboo’s guilt was only lifted slightly.

“He’s right.” Technoblade said, stepping forward. “It was my fault. I should have been faster.” Techno’s chat only backed him up (well, some of it. Not most), not that anyone could hear it, and Bad shot a rare glare to Techno.

“It wasn’t your fault either, Techno.” Sam said. Bad opened his mouth, knowing the creeper hybrid was about to blame himself (really, all of these super intelligent individuals and not one of them could see the truth), but Sam continued before he could. 

“It’s Dream’s fault. Only Dream’s. He’s the one who chose to be this way, and he’s the one who’s manipulating Tommy into trusting him.”

Bad nodded approvingly. Puffy walked up to them from where she had been talking to Antfrost, a grimace on her face.

“Do you have any idea where they might have gone?” Puffy asked. “Ant says there’s a bunker of Dream’s nearby, but he has no idea if it’s still in use. It’s been a long time since... y’know.”

“Yeah.” Sam said. “I doubt it, but if there’s no other place then we should check there. As far as I know, Tommy doesn’t have anywhere to go that’s close, certainly not within teleporting range.” The hero glanced over at Ranboo and Tubbo. “Do you two have any idea if there’s anywhere he would go around here?”

The two both shook their heads, before Tubbo perked up. 

“Wait! Quackity’s casino is around here?”

“Casino?” Sam’s eyes widened.

“Oh, yeah! Quackity helps us fund our-” Ranboo glanced over to the other heroes, eyes narrowing. “Our school projects, stuff like that. He’s really nice.”

“The name is familiar.” Sam hummed. “Maybe Tommy brought him up once and I just didn’t remember.”

Tubbo shrugged. “I wouldn’t be surprised, Quackity is like some kind of wine aunt, but an uncle.” The teenager chuckled. 

“Let’s check there, then.” Sam said, glancing over at Antfrost. “Or should we check the bunker first?”

“Probably the bunker.” Antfrost responded. “They’ll stay there for a while, at least, if they went there. We should have time to catch them before they head off again.”

“Alright.” Sam said with a huff. “Bunker it is, then.”

Chapter Text

Dream followed Tommy as he barreled into his friends, the teenager finally letting him go and he stepped backwards awkwardly, glancing at the two that were busy hugging Tommy but apparently not too busy to send matching glares of death right at him. It didn’t help that he could still hear the other heroes chasing after them, and he glanced behind him, seeing Technoblade getting dangerously close.

However, Tommy suddenly grabbed Dream and then the entire world twisted and melded into something else.

For a second, Dream hovered midair, completely alone. Everywhere he looked, there was only black void, but he couldn’t help but feel the eyes on him.

Then the world came back and Dream stumbled down onto his knees, panting. When he recovered he glanced back, seeing Tommy breathing heavily with his hands on his knees.

“Holy shi-shit, Tommy,” Dream said, though he couldn’t help the stutters from adrenaline. “What the hell was that?”

“I-I took Ranboo’s ability.” Tommy said, but not without some guilt. He glanced around, smiling at the lack of a blue sky and burning sun. “I can’t believe we made it to the bunker.”

Dream glanced around, eyes wide when he realized that they were, in fact, in the bunker. “Good job.” He said, his voice awestruck. Tommy grinned despite the obvious exhaustion.

“I can still teleport for a bit, and I’ve got someone who’ll definitely back me up. He’s a big crime boy like us.” Tommy said. “I-I might pass out, but it’ll be fine. Let’s just grab what we need and go.”

Dream furrowed his brows, but they really couldn’t afford to spend much time here. They had already gotten far too close for comfort, and maybe if this ‘friend’ of Tommy was as good as he said he was, then they should be able to get protection for at least a little bit there.

The two filled a duffel bag with everything they could find, food, water bottles, tools, weapons. Dream didn’t miss Tommy’s longing glance at the motorcycles that were in the garage, but he pushed him away, knowing they wouldn’t be able to take them with them.

Within minutes they were ready and Tommy grabbed Dream, taking a deep breath in preparation.

“Are you sure you wanna do this Tommy?” Dream asked, and the teenager just replied with a resolute nod.

“You’ve been helping me Dream.” Tommy said. “It’s not just about me now.”

Dream couldn’t help the surge of guilt at that sentence.

Fortunately (unfortunately) that guilt was suddenly replaced with nausea as he felt the world turn inside out.

The void returned, swirling around and reaching out for Dream. “You aren’t supposed to be here,” it snarled, sounding like static and fury.

And then the world returned, welcoming Dream back with a wave of nausea as he stumbled forward and spewed his insides onto the soft carpet he had landed on, coughing out the rest. His ears were ringing, and he felt instead of heard Tommy’s body collapsing onto the ground next to him. 

Slowly his senses came back to him, and Dream looked up to see a scarred face, staring him down with nothing but utter contempt.

“Dream,” the stranger snarled, and it suddenly occurred to the masked man that the bounty placed on Tommy’s head had been televised across the country.

“Shit.” Dream said, panting as he tried to stand up. The stranger only kicked him back down.

“Wait, look, before you kill me in the most violent way you can think of,” Dream scrambled backwards, his head swimming. “Can we wait for Tommy to wake up? He can- he can explain everything. And also maybe convince you not to kill me?”

“I’ve got no time for jokes, pendejo .” They snarled, taking a step closer. 

Tommy twitched, and the scarred man stopped, glancing down at Tommy before swearing under their breath. They glanced over at Dream with ferocious protectiveness in their gaze. “Stay where you are.” He said, and Dream nodded without hesitation.

With a gentleness that seemed to rival the rage they had displayed just seconds ago, they picked up Tommy, gently bringing the teenager over to a couch that was against the wall, setting him down there. The scarred man ruffled his own hair, reaching under the beanie that Dream hadn’t noticed until now.

Dream had to stifle a snort, confused as to how this intimidating man, dressed in a suit, was wearing a beanie . Not to mention how he still managed to look terrifying. Though Dream didn’t have much room to complain, with the neon green hoodie and smiling mask he constantly wore.

“Tómas,” the stranger whispered into his ear, a small smile gracing his misshapen features as Tommy mumbled something in response. The teenager’s eyes snapped open before he immediately closed them again, groaning.

“S’ bright...”

“I know, I know, come on, you’ve gotta get up,” they said, gently pulling Tommy up so he could sit. 

“Someth’n’ smells l’ke shit.” Tommy grumbled, holding onto the stranger’s arms like a lifeline.

“Yeah, your friend here threw up. Why’d you teleport here anyways? Ranboo could’ve done it for you.” 

Tommy didn’t respond, rubbing his forehead as he closed his eyes tighter, groaning. “I’ve got a bounty on my head, Big Q, whaddya think?”

“Ranboo wouldn’t have cashed you in for a trillion dollars, Tómas.” ‘Big Q’ snorted. 

“Well yeah, but he was with a buncha heroes. Couldn’t risk it. Besides, didn’t wanna get him in danger.”

‘Big Q’ just shook his head with fond laughter. “Tommy, you’re a bit stupid sometimes.”

“No ‘m not.” Tommy grumbled. “I’m the biggest man ever.”

Dream interrupted whatever they were going to say next by clearing his throat. “So, uh, Tommy, could you... uh, introduce us?” He said, glancing over at Quackity with nervousness that was barely concealed.

“Oh, uh, Quackity, this is Dream,” Tommy mumbled.

“I’m aware.” Quackity growled.

“Dream, this is Quackity. He’s chill.”

Dream gulped as Quackity’s glare only intensified. 

“What are you doing with him?” Quackity growled out.

“He’s helpin’ me, Big Q.”

“What, helping you get killed?” Standing up, Quackity suddenly gained a few feet of height from where he was crouching by Tommy. “Tómas, did you suddenly forget this is the man who put a bounty on your head?”

“A what?” Tommy blinked, now looking wide awake.

Dream winced.

“A bounty.” Quackity repeated. “He broadcasted, on live television, you getting unmasked, and then put a bounty of one hundred thousand dollars on your head.”

“Right,” Dream chuckled, “forgot about that.”

He did not.

Chapter Text

“Well. That was easy.” Antfrost huffed, watching as the heavy metal door swung open mechanically. “You’d think some evil mastermind would have better security.”

“Easier for us.” Technoblade deadpanned, walking in without hesitation.

“Doesn’t it seem too easy—” Puffy cut herself off with a small “oh” as Technoblade vanished into the darkness that the bunker held, before lights started flickering on.

Sam followed inside, seeing Technoblade inspect a panel of lightswitches and other several complicated things. At least the lightswitches were easy to understand. 

The rest of the group eventually made their way in, every one but Technoblade warily searching for any traps that were laid. The bunker was eerily bare, long hallways that seemed to stretch on into nothingness, making it seem like a void just waiting to be filled. 

There were a few rooms that had clearly been full before, but had now been ransacked, items scattered all over the place and non-necessities left behind. 

“Dream was clearly in a hurry.” Bad said, tail swinging behind him as he walked around a badly decorated dining room, table flipped over and checkered table cloth crumpled on the floor. Chairs had been overturned, and the fridge had been left open, food still fresh.

“He hasn’t been gone long.” Technoblade said, nodding towards the food. “An hour or so, at most.”

“His taste is atrocious.” Tubbo wrinkled his nose. “The decorations are awful.”

“That’s what you’re focused on?” Ranboo responded.

“I’m just saying!”

“I mean, I don’t disagree—” Ranboo rolled his eyes, “but c’mon.”

“Come along, you two.” Sam said, though not without a bit of fondness in his tone.

Bad, Puffy, and Antfrost all smiled at the interaction, while Technoblade just rolled his eyes, though the corner of his mouth twitched upwards in a subdued smile.

The group continued on, Sam grimacing as he entered a dark room, full of screens. He watched as his friends wandered around, peeking into things and investigating anything suspicious.

Cameras, Sam thought to himself, searching through the room for any sort of recording device that would have stored the data. 

A red blinking button underneath the screens caught Sam’s attention, and he leaned down to get a closer look at it. Sure enough, it was one of those old fashioned recording devices. Sam’s nose wrinkled. A big villain like Dream could have at least have the most up-to-date equipment, but clearly he didn’t bother.

With a bit of fiddling, Sam rewound the recording until he saw Tommy, pausing it for a moment with a somber smile on his face before he went back further. He stopped as he saw purple particles appear, followed by Tommy and Dream suddenly flashing into existence.

The masked man stumbled to the ground, Tommy almost following but catching himself with heavy breaths. The two were clearly exhausted, but managed to stand after exchanging a few words, going around the bunker and filling a duffel bag.

Sam couldn’t help the small chuckle as he watched Tommy pause in the kitchen, glancing at the table before flipping it over with a chuckle. Dream entered afterwards, confused at the loud noise, but just rolled his eyes (at least Sam assumed) and pulled Tommy along.

There wasn’t any kind of clue to where the two of them were going, and after only fifteen minutes Tommy grabbed Dream, only hesitating for a few seconds as Dream asked Tommy a question, though what he was asking, Sam had no idea, the audio far too low quality.

Then the two of them disappeared in a rush of purple particles, and Sam sighed, standing up from the cameras and leaving the room. Puffy approached him not long after, mouth a thin white line.

“They’re not here.” Puffy said simply, and Sam nodded.

“I checked on the cameras. They left about an hour ago.” He said, huffing. 

“Tubbo and Ranboo both think we should go see if Quackity has them.” Puffy said, the mentioned teenagers jogging up to the pair as she spoke.

Sam nodded again. “They’re right. Although,” Sam looked over at the two, “I will be wanting to know how exactly the three of you met Quackity.”

Tubbo and Ranboo at least had the mind to look sheepish, glancing down at their feet as they shuffled.

“It’s a story for another time.” Tubbo said. “Let’s go get Tommy.”

“I’ll grab Antfrost and Bad.” Puffy said, heading off as Tubbo, Ranboo, and Sam left the bunker. It looked huge on the inside, but the entrance was tiny, the rest underground. 

Soon enough, she came outside with Antfrost and Bad, all of them huffing as they entered the heat.

“Can we just get in the car,” Antfrost huffed, slouching over. “I need AC.”

Puffy and Bad both chuckled, leading him towards the cars that they had left and entering, quickly turning on the air conditioning. Antfrost (and everyone else) let out a sigh of relief, basking in the cool air, though they couldn’t focus for long, taking off after Tommy.

Chapter Text

“Wait, wait,” Tommy forced a nervous chuckle, glancing between Quackity and Dream rapidly. “Dream- you’re the one who’s paying to have me killed? What the—I don’t—Dream? What the fuck, man—” Tommy was clearly struggling to fight off a panic attack, chest heaving as he looked at the masked man.

“I didn’t mean for it to go this far,” Dream said, only risking a glance at Tommy before turning back to Quackity. “I don’t want—I didn’t—I don’t want Tommy to get hurt.”

“Shut up.” Quackity snarled, glancing at Tommy every few seconds, wanting to calm him down from his panic attack but more concerned about the supervillain that was pleading innocent. “I don’t want your excuses.”

Dream’s mouth went into a thin white line, though neither of them could see. Quackity huffed before turning to Tommy, eyes switching from furious to concerned in seconds.

“Tommy, it’s gonna be okay. I won’t let Dream hurt you.”

“He lied to me,” Tommy whimpered, hugging his knees, and Dream reached out with a hand that was kicked away by Quackity. “I thought you were my friend, Dream.”

Dream desperately wanted to say something, but just scooted backwards, keeping an eye on Quackity. The scarred man hugged Tommy, and the teenager gladly reciprocated, eyes squeezed tight as he shoved his head into Quackity’s chest and just let himself cry for the first time in days.

“Que va a estar bien, Tómas.” Quackity said, rubbing the back of Tommy’s neck, apparently having decided Dream wasn’t a threat. “No dejaré que te lastime,”

As Tommy slowly recovered from the panic attack, Dream sat up straight, not wanting to gain Quackity’s attention again but wanting to be prepared in case something happened.

As it turned out, something did happen, that something being the banging on the door of the room they were in. Quackity’s head snapped up, sending a quick glare towards Dream before walking over to the door, Tommy whining in annoyance at the lack of contact.

The door burst open before Quackity got there, splintering into pieces as an axe was shoved into before roughly being pulled out with a guttural snarl. 

“Shit,” Quackity huffs, grabbing Tommy and going to a different door.

“What the— how the hell? How’d they find us?” Dream says, standing up and following him.

“You probably told them,” Quackity snapped back, but didn’t argue as Dream followed him through the door. 

“Oh Tommy!~” One of the attackers called, and Dream felt a shiver down his spine as he followed Quackity leave the building through a back entrance. Outside, Dream got a good look at the place Tommy had teleported them to, seeing a neon sign by a road advertising the Las Nevadas Casino.

His attention is dragged away from the neon lights by the sound of footprints approaching him, and he can see a goat hybrid chasing after them, long legs helping them catch up. 

“Quackity!” Dream calls out in warning, but the hybrid zooms past Dream and tackles Tommy, his hand slipping from Quackity’s grip. Dream snarls and sprints forward, tackling the goat without hesitation, ripping them away from Tommy and slamming the hybrid’s head into the rough ground below with zero mercy.

“Holy shit,” Quackity says as he watches Dream, frozen in place before he snaps himself out of it and grabs Tommy, continuing to run with Dream following again. 

Tommy’s vision is blurry as he follows the tug of someone’s hand holding his, unsure where he was and who this person helping him was, only aware of the fact that he was in danger and needed to get out. 

His entire head was swimming but he heard the crack of something behind him and his entire body shuddered as his eyes took in the scene of someone’s head bleeding out underneath Dream, though his brain refused to process it.

Suddenly he was being dragged again, not even realizing that they had stopped for a brief second, and he let himself get tugged along, entire body shaking with adrenaline. 

He heard the fuzzy noise of someone talking, though he couldn’t understand a thing, and suddenly there was a loud bang and someone behind him yelped in surprise and god Tommy just wants to sleep.

There’s another loud bang, much much closer, and then in the distance the tumble of a body falling to the ground, limp. 

He hears someone muttering swear words under their breath, and then there’s more noises and Tommy’s legs are numb from exertion and adrenaline, and his brain can’t process a thing.

Tommy is shoved into something that his brain numbly registers as a car and his hands go through the motions of getting buckled without really realizing it, but he jumps every time there’s another noise, and the sound of a car door slamming makes him jolt in his seat and suppress an instinct to run.

Tommy hears two car doors other than his open and close and then suddenly they’re moving, and Tommy’s brain is still trying to catch up. When they suddenly feel the motion Tommy gags, leaning over and holding a hand over his mouth to try and suppress the urge to vomit.

“Shit, Tommy are you okay?” Someone asks with an accent, and Tommy’s brain numbly registers as Quackity. He can’t come up with a response.

“Keep driving, I can take care of it.” Someone else says, and then Quackity snaps something in retort and the two devolve into an argument and Tommy is still unsure of what’s happening, feeling dizzy.

He glances down, sees a hand, and dimly registers that it’s his hand, but his brain is still struggling to keep up and he feels the motion sickness again.

The loud noise stops and it takes a solid three seconds for Tommy to realize it’s because the arguing has stopped, and suddenly there’s a hand on his shoulder and he turns his head to see Quackity, looking at him with something in his eyes.

“Are you okay, amigo?” 

Tommy just shakes his head, holding it between his hands as his vision starts to go blurry again. Someone swears again and suddenly there’s hands on his shoulders slowly rubbing into his back, and someone’s speaking to him.

“It’s okay Tommy, deep breath in,” Tommy takes a shaky breath, “hold it, and then out. Good job, Tommy,” a voice praises as Tommy lets out an exhale, and the person behind him (his brain eventually registers it as Dream) continues guiding Tommy through the exercise, and Tommy misses the tense expression on Quackity’s face.

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Quackity felt awfully out of place, filling up his rather expensive car with gas in the middle of a ramshackle town as a kid worth most people’s yearly salary and a supervillain sat in his car. He also felt like he was way out of his depth, and yet wasn’t quite sure what else he expected from Tommy, considering he managed to get himself adopted by a hero and yet somehow still become a vigilante.

With a huff of annoyance, Quackity stepped inside of the gas station in order to pay, glancing at the tired employee who was tapping on their phone, leaning against the wall next to the register. He stepped up, paying for the gas as quickly as possible and then walked back outside, only to sigh as he saw what was certainly the beginning of another scene.

Tommy slammed the car door behind him as Dream followed suit, though he was much kinder to the expensive car. 

“Tommy, don’t leave!” Quackity could hear Dream saying, and he just rolled his eyes.

“Oh, yeah, he’s definitely gonna stay with you, smartass.” Quackity laughed, going over to Tommy, but stopped when the vigilante flinched backwards. “Tommy?”

“Just- just a second.” Tommy said, pulling at his hair hard enough that it looked painful. “I just-” Tommy cut himself off with a strangled cry, scrunching his face in frustration. 

“Tommy,” Dream took a step forward, but stopped in his tracks as Tommy leaped away from him.

“Don’t!” The vigilante yelped, and Dream immediately stopped, standing straight and somehow managing to look concerned despite the mask.

“I don’t know what’s happening, and I don’t know who I can trust,” Tommy huffed out, covering his face. “I can’t- what am I supposed to do? I don’t know what to do.”

“I can help you, Tommy.” Dream said, feet shuffling.

“No you can’t! You’re the one who got me into this mess!” Tommy snarled, fists clenched as he took a step back. “And- and I want to trust Quackity, but I made the mistake of trusting you, so who’s to say he doesn’t have his own plot for this?”

“Tommy, I would never—”

“That’s what everybody says!” Tommy cut Quackity off before he could finish his sentence, and then flinched backwards when he realized what he said. “Shit, I— sorry, I don’t—”

“It’s alright, Tommy.” Quackity said. “This is confusing, I get it.”

Tommy nodded, letting out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.” The teenager rubbed his face, and Quackity noticed the dark circles under his eyes that were far too dark to have been made after Dream’s little escapade. 

“Tommy, let’s get you somewhere you can rest.” Quackity said, mouth a thin line. “You look exhausted, in more ways than one.”

“I can sleep in the car.” Tommy huffed, but made no move towards it.

“No, I mean actual, real sleep. And not in some shitty motel mattress either.” Quackity said, taking careful steps towards Tommy, watching for any movement. 

Tommy let out a long sigh before he nodded, walking the rest of the way towards Quackity and collapsing into his arms, making him just chuckle as the teen was practically already asleep.

After getting him in the car, Quackity and Dream took the front seats, Quackity driving them towards a much better town that was still hopefully off-road enough for it to take a bit for the heroes to find them.

Entering the city of Pogtopia , Quackity found the best hotel he could find and checked them in for the night, getting only two beds and glaring down Dream and telling him he was sleeping on the floor.

It was made slightly less satisfying by Dream’s shrug and acceptance.

Either way, Quackity got them in the room and by hiding Tommy and Dream’s faces, none of them were recognized. The elevator ride up to the second floor (Tommy complained about how higher rooms were always better) was silent except for the awkward elevator music that did not help in the slightest, and then the dinging that came just before the doors opened up. 

The three of them collapsed almost as soon as they entered their room, Tommy stretching in his bed before burrowing into it and immediately falling asleep. Dream luckily had a couch, falling onto it and spreading like a starfish on the limited surface area.

Quackity was hesitant to fall asleep, sitting up in the bed he was supposed to be using even as he slowly started to give in, eyes slowly shutting before he forced them open in an attempt to stay awake.

Eventually, he did have to fall asleep, and he figured he might as well get comfortable, shoving himself under the blankets and letting out a content sigh as sleep finally overtook him.

Nobody woke up, far too deep in sleep, as the mechanisms of the door lock clattered before slipping into place, nearly silent as it unlocked and it creaked open, letting in only a sliver of light before it was closed.

Soft footsteps pattered against the carpet, slow and quiet enough that not even the lightest sleeper would have noticed, until they reached Tommy’s bedside.

A small clutter of tools in a bag before they pulled out what they had been looking for. A needle, quietly being pushed into Tommy’s neck and then injected, being pulled out swiftly after the injection. Tommy didn’t wake as his body was lifted from the bed and gently held as one would a child, brought to the door as it opened again and they slipped out.

"Oh god," Tubbo swallowed the bile in his throat as he entered the casino via the door that had been ripped from its hinges, wincing as he saw another door that had splintered in half, more than enough for Tubbo to walk through.

He didn't want to think about the bloodstain that was outside of the casino, splattered across the stone of the desert, miniscule pieces of white bone in the half-dried puddle.

He couldn't avoid the stench of vomit that made his nose wrinkle, the chunky liquid splashed across the fancy carpet of Quackity's casino. 

While he desperately wanted to know whose blood it was outside, and who had thrown up ( please don't be Tommy please don't be Tommy ), they didn't have enough time to study a DNA sample, so they just had to use context clues to figure out what happened.

From what Tubbo could tell, someone attacked, and Tommy (hopefully) fled, most likely led by Quackity. Then someone got hurt, bleeding a bit, and hurt enough to fracture a bone. Then, Quackity and Tommy took off, and considering the absence of it, they probably took Quackity's car.

"Tubbo," Ranboo had entered the room, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. "It's gonna be okay, we can find him. We still have the tracker."

Tubbo could only nod, trying to hide the doubts that plagued his mind as he followed Ranboo out of the room.

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I am very tired and also have like five different ideas for something to write, so I'm gonna be taking a break from writing for a few days. Next week I'll come back with a fresh perspective and decide what to do with this story. Hopefully it's still salvageable, but I am getting my monthly "I hate everything I have ever made, ever" phase, so who knows. Either way, I won't be deleting the story, probably just discontinuing it at worst.

I do really like this story, so it probably won't come to that, but I figured you guys might as well know what's gonna happen.

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hey, are you still subscribed to this fic and wanting more? look no further than right here! i'm currently working on a rewrite of this fic, though how loyal i stay to the main story, i'm not sure. definitely still lots of awesamdad content though! go check it out here.