Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Thomas Careful Danger Kraken Innit was a big man.

A very big man indeed.

Of course he didn't go by Thomas cause big men didn't go by their full first name. Tommy was a better name for a big man such as himself.

Did he mention he was a big man? 

It was another night on the town just having a stroll enjoying the fresh air-

"T, are you there, hello? I need your attention Big Man,"  The voice of his best friend interrupted his train of thought.

"Yeah Bo, sorry just enjoying the night. You know it's not often the sky is this clear. I can actually see the moon for once, and i haven't been able to see that since like.. forever." 

It was true that more often then not the sky's of the Slums were covered by thick, dark clouds. Tommy didn't know if they were from the factory's in the Outer Ring or if they were naturally occurring, but either way they added an oppressive atmosphere to the whole part of the city.

It felt like the sky was pressing down on you, ready to collapse at any point. It was one of Tommy's least favorite parts of the Slums. He wished he could see the stars at night and feel the open sky and its endlessness. The sky wasn't clear but there were patches in the usually clumped together balls of sky cotton. Ha, balls. He could see the half moon peaking through one of the wispy patches. Its white light shining down on Tommy, making him feel a peace he rarely felt. 

The earphone in his ear crackled back to life, "I know Big Man it is very nice out but i think it's time to come home. It's getting late and Boo has soup on the stove for you." 

"That's great and all, but-"

"There's no buts,  you have no excuse to be out any later. We can climb on the roof and look at the sky together if you want but we need you back." Tubbo made a good argument and going on the roof with him sounded great but he would never let him know that.

Not to mention you can't see the stars at all and really just a bit of the moon, but Tommy knew better then to argue with him. Besides things had been quiet for the better hour and Tommy could feel exhaustion creeping into his bones. But he couldn't let him win that fast. 

"I guess we can go on the roof if you want Tubster but first you have to say please," had to make the man work for it a bit.

"Please Tommy can you come home and go on the roof with me and look at the sky."

Tubbo's tone didn't sound mildly annoyed yet, Tommy wasn't doing his job well enough.

"Pretty please?" Tommy asked.

"Pretty pleeeeaassseee," there it was. The tone in Tubbo's voice that says 'I'm about to throw Tommy Innit out a window.' 

"On my way right now Bo," Tommy turned himself around and started walking back home. 

Now he was walking home like he told Tubbo, but he was going to take the longest route possible. He just wanted to make sure he had helped everyone he could for the night. What kind of vigilante would he be if he just left without checking all four corners?

Also Tommy hated being indoors, too many walls and not enough sky. Not to mention the amount of exits in a building is limited which is far too few for his liking. Being inside was never Tommy's thing for as long as he could remember and it would stay that way. 

However, he wouldn't say being outside in the Slums is his favorite place either. Everywhere he looked he saw poverty and poorness and it hurt him to see. In Tommy Innit's perfect pog world, everyone had enough and no one suffered.

But this was not his pog world, because the Slums was chock full of suffering people and crime ridden streets.

This was a place you were born into and worked your whole life to get out of. Not Tommy though; he chose to come here and if he could go back he would make the same decision every time. 

He wanted to be able to help people though. The people that didn't choose to come here. The people that had a chance to make it out one day and get the better life they deserved. So Tommy did the most drastic thing he could do to help. He became a vigilante. 

Starting out, he was not the best vigilante in the world, at least that's what everyone else thought. To himself, he was the greatest, the best vigilante to ever walk these streets.

In reality, he was messy and he hadn't quite known what to do at first but he always got the job done. Now over the 2 months of walking these streets he's gotten better. He was fighting crime and shit, yeah! 

At the time he didn't have a name or a costume he was just throwing a mask on and beating criminals up. Couldn't let the wronguns get away now could he.

And so with the help from his best friends he got some gear and a costume.

Tubbo had always been good with tech no matter what type. He loved to put together little gadgets and toys from scraps he found laying around streets and parks. So Tommy would grab broken laptops and computer parts whenever he spotted them on patrol. Tubbo then miraculously used those parts to create the communicators they both wore at all times while Tommy was out. He also built Tommy a taser, boots that helped absorb impact/make him jump higher, and a cool utility belt thingy majig. 

His other roommate Ranboo had helped make his costume. From the local thrift store and some clothes they found in the dumpster, they managed to make Tommy a disguise. A mostly black hoodie with a red pocket and hood, with a faint coffee stain they just couldn't get out on the top right of the pocket, and some comfy black athletic pants that were slightly too big for him.

His mask was sewn into his hood so it hid his face and hair at the same time, It was black around the eyes with a red trim, because boob man wanted to stick with the color scheme. But Tommy had to admit it did look cool. 

Yeah, Tommy was doing alright with this vigilante thing.

Of course there were cons, like being exhausted, still having a job he had to go to  4 to 5 days a week to pay rent, and the bruises. But he helped people and that was all that mattered.He would keep doing this if it meant he could help someone or make their day better. Cause that was the pog type of man he was. 

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice he had walked to the border of the Slums and the Middle District. Not only that but he had walked right up to an active crime scene. A bank robbery was happening right in front of him.

To the normal eye you might not have noticed that the bank was being robbed.

But he could see a shady looking van peeking from the side of the building, and a faint red light could be seen flashing from the side of the wall. Right beside the tv they kept to keep kids entertained while parents took care of what they needed. Someone could have mistaken it with a tv malfunction or something. But Tommy knew better.

The red light meant they had tripped the alarm system and help was on the way. Which meant there was a chance a hero would get here before the criminals made their getaway, but there was also the chance they'd already be gone by the time the hero got here.

Who would Tommy be if he just stood by as a bank got robbed, he was a big man he could never do that. So he prayed to Prime that nothing bad would happen and opened the bank door. 

From the back he could hear hushed hurried voices. They sounded like they almost had everything they came here for. Unfortunately for them, Tommy was about to ruin their night and send them packing to jail.

He crept along the front of the counters towards the hall on the right, checking to see if the coast was clear he quietly slipped into the hallway and moved to get a better grip on the situation. The voices grew louder as he got closer. He could make out words like "almost done" and "look at all this dough."

Right as he was about to spring the trap his comm came to life. "Tommy where the fuck are you?!"

Shit he had forgotten about Tubbo expecting him home. He backed up down the hall to make sure the bad guys couldn't hear him.

"Sorry Big Man i stumbled across a bank robbery," he said in as quiet a whisper he could. "But i'll be home right after i swear. Got to go now"

"Tommy don't you d-" he was cut off by Tommy muting his comm. One of his favorite features he wasn't supposed to use. He was in the middle of stopping crime though, he didn't have time to listen to one of Tubbo's lectures. 

Sneaking back to the end of the hall he peeked his head around. There in front of him were four men dressed in head to toe in all black, ski masks included. He checked them over for possible powers.

One had deer antlers sticking out of his ski mask, so he was just a hybrid but those antlers could be a possible weapon. Another dude had some pretty big muscles so a possible strength power of varying degree. And the other two looked normal. He could deal with that.

He watched as three of the guys walked out with huge black trash bags, probably containing cash. Now would be his best chance. He walked around the corner quick as he could, startling the man who had stayed behind. 

He went to shout but before he could Tommy punched him in the head, aiming for the temple. He comboed that with a left upper cut and watched the man's eyes close and his body crumple. He pulled a zip tye out of his utility belt had cuffed the man behind his back. One down three more to go. 

Of course the strong dude and the other normal looking dude decided now was a good time to come back in. 

"What the fuck?!" the dude with meaty biceps questioned, seeing the scene in front of him.

"Hey guys, how's your night? Great? Well mine isn't. I was supposed to be home by now eating soup and enjoying my night, but instead i'm beating up you dumb fucks." Tommy spoke while getting up from behind the unconscious robber. 

He launched himself forward towards the strong one, thinking it would be best to get him down first. Tommy was holding his own pretty well if he did say so himself. He got a couple punches in and had managed to doge the swings thrown at him. The other man had take a step back to watch the fight, thinking the strong guy had it covered. 

Tommy had just gotten another punch in when he heard a yell from outside. Whipping his head in the direction of the side door, he felt a fist hit his abdomen, pain blooming in his stomach. He fell to the floor but was quick to get up and wipe some spit that had flown out of his mouth onto his chin.

Putting his fist up, not ready to back down from the fight. Right as he was about to launch himself back into the fight someone walked into the side door and it wasn't antler dude. It was the pro hero Siren.

Tommy was fucked. 

"Sleep," he commanded with a voice that could only be described as heavenly. It was a powerful weapon, one that Siren wielded well. But for some reason Tommy didn't feel compelled by it.

As the other two fell to the ground, Tommy stayed standing, still in his fight stance ready to throw a punch or flee if needed. 

Siren had watched the other two fall but his gaze now returned to Tommy. Shock and confusion were present in the eyes behind his mask. But Tommy wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth and he wasn't about to now.

He took all the adrenaline he had left and made a dash for the side door. Police sirens could be heard coming closer from the Middle District as he ran for the Slums. Behind him he could hear Sirens footsteps as he ran after him. 

"Hey! Stop." But once again the command had no power over Tommy and he ran for dear life. He ran and ran, down streets, through alleys, and over a building or two. Until he was in front of his shabby, run down apartment building.

He couldn't stop yet though, he took a deep breath and ran up the stair two at a time until he got to floor 4, and into apartment 47. With a sigh of relief he collapsed onto the ratty couch that was covered in a threadbare blanket that looked like it could have once been a soft lavender, but was now a beige brown with age.

He was safe. 

"Tommy Careful Danger Kraken Innit you are in so much fucking trouble." He heard Tubbo say from down the hall and footsteps following after it. He's sure Tubbo would have yelled if it weren't for the possibility of noise complaints and eviction. 

"Hey Tubs, I'm home," he opened his eyes to Tubbo standing next to the couch staring at him, hands on his hips, his foot tapping rapidly. 

"Do you know how worried we've been Tommy? The last thing i hear from you is you're stopping a bank robbery and then radio silence? We didn't know if you were dead or alive. It is 1 fucking A.M." As Tubbo speaks Ranboo walks in from their kitchen/small dining room. 

"Hey Tommy, what Tubbo is trying to say is you scared us and we care about you and to please not do that again. See how easy that was Tubbo?" The Tubster in question looked like he wanted to gut us both with the horns on his head and watch us bleed out to death. 

"Thank you, Ranboo," Tubbo said curtly. He walks back down the hall to the second bedroom he uses as an office with a matress stuffed in the corner.

"You're welcome. Now Big Man here's your dinner," he hands Tommy a bowl of soup and a mall spoon. "Eat up, then change and head to bed I'll take the couch tonight, and please don't argue. You have work tomorrow so you need good sleep."

"Thanks Boo, you're the best man. Also is this spaghetti noodles in my soup?" He swirls the noodles around with his spoon. Then takes a sip of the broth. 

"You know spaghetti is my specialty," Ranboo looks rather proud of himself so Tommy decides to just ignore it as he gulps down the soup. Not even bothering to taste it, he just savors the warmth it brings to his stomach. His stomach. 

Shit.

He sets aside his finished soup and looks town at his covered torso. His adrenaline now worn off he can feel a dull throb from where the built asshole had punched him.

Fuck.

The guys didn't know about that and they didn't need to know. Tubbo would be even more upset and Ranboo would baby him.

He was a big man and he didn't need to be babied. Maybe it would be better to just go to bed.

Putting his bowl in the sink he looked around for Ranboo who must have gone to Tubbo's office to cool him down. He walked down the short hall and went into the room on the left, softly shutting the door behind him. Pulling a worn through shirt and a comfy pair of pajama pants on and taking a moment to breath. He tosses the disguise into the back of the closet. Laid down on the mattress and pulled the warm comforter onto himself. Exhaustion swept over him suddenly as the nights events hit him. 

Suddenly the dark room was too dark, too quiet, too loud all at once. He felt like he was suffocating at the thought of being chased by Siren, the thought of being caught. He took a deep breath. He was to tired to deal with this right now and he just wanted to sleep. He focused on breathing and closed his eyes. He was safe, and his friends were safe. And if he needed to he would protect them with his life.

With that thought Tommy drifted off to sleep. 

Chapter Text

Back in the Middle District, Wilbur was in shock as he watched the dark figure run off into the Slums.

A small battle raged inside his head on whether he should run after him or not. The side that won told him there was nothing he could do now. That part of the city was like a maze with the amount of back alleys and dead ends it had. If you didn't know your way around you were more likely to get lost, and that was the last thing he needed. 

If the figure had run in there then they knew their way around, Wilbur was sure of that. There was no point in trying to follow. The sound of sirens reached his ears as the backup turned around the corner. Which reminded Wilbur he had a crime scene he needed to attend to anyways.

With that thought, he turned around and looked at the bank as patrol cars pulled up. Their tops flashing red and blue. Lighting up the dark street with their colorful flashing lights.

Wilbur trudged his way towards them, not looking forward to the interaction, as two officers pulled themselves out of each car. Preparing his statement in his mind so it would be over with as soon as possible.

The officer looked at him with disdain in his eyes as he spoke to the hero. "Siren, didn't expect to see you this far away from the Upper District. Did a cat drag you down here?"

Wilbur ignored the obvious jab that was most officers go to insult. It was common knowledge that the Hero Agency and the Police Department did not get along well. They liked to rub it in hero's faces that they were just seen as public figures. Most hero's thought they were to high and mighty to be doing 'dirty officer work' like arresting street rat scum. They always had their eyes on bigger prizes, like big villains.

"You might say that; i was wandering and ended up near the Middle District so i thought i would take a look around you know? Then look at that a bank robbery." Wilbur's words dripped in sarcasm and loathing. He hated being looked down upon because of his hero status, and this officer looked like he knew that. Even if the officer was correct in the fact that he had strayed from his normal patrol route. 

"Anyways," He continued before the officer could insult him again. "My witness statement so i can get out of your hair."

"There are four criminals for you to put away behind bars. I knocked out one with a punch to the face when he was left alone. I raced inside to find one man zip tied on the ground and another figure fighting the other two. He ran off into the Slums before i could catch him though. Then i forced the other two to sleep and by the time i was done with them the person had run off." Throwing in the slight white lie as a ditch effort.

The last thing Wilbur wanted to do was reveal his power had been ineffective on the strange person. 

"Dressed in red and black?" The officer inquired. Looking up from his notebook; the look in his eyes had softened a bit. Maybe he didn't hate Siren as much as he led on? That could just be wishful thinking on his part though.

"Yeah, and a mask over the top half of their face?" 

"That's the one," he closed the notebook and pocketed it. "You don't have to worry too much about him. Just some vigilante that popped up a couple months ago. Protects the Slums mostly, stops a lot of petty criminals, leaves them on our front step. Kind of reminds me of a cat bringing a dead mouse to its owner. Occasionally however, he wanders into the Middle District like tonight. Pretty harmless though." The officer spoke of this figure with slight admiration to his voice. 

Oh that was towards this vigilante figure; the bitter thought passed through his mind.

"Anyways, I've got to get these guys to the station. Thanks for the help Siren." The harshness in his voice was back as he addressed the hero. Without another word turning around and walking back to the scene.

Wilbur's head was full of new thoughts. 

A new vigilante protecting the Slums. Not even that new, apparently they've been active for the past couple of months. So why hadn't the agency notified anyone.  

They had a specific database for this. Vigilantes were considered dangerous and illegal since the Hero Agency had began. If they wanted to be hero's they could join the Agency instead of doing it on the streets. All vigilantes were kept track of and usually were arrested within a month and a half.

He considered for a second if it was because they were protecting the Slums.

Wilbur himself had never patrolled the Slums, but he thought that was because he was a higher ranked hero. But that didn't mean other hero's don't patrol it right? Maybe they just missed this vigilante somehow. He seemed slippery and resourceful and who knew what type of gift he might have. 

It was safe to say no one here had all the answers. It was pretty much wrapped up here anyway and the street was returning to its original peacefulness. The only thing left to do was go find someone who had some type of answer.  

Walking in to the Hero Complex the sounds of greetings met Wilbur. He turned and waved at the Awesamdude and Stopwatch who had noticed his arrival as he dashed for the open elevator. There wasn't time for him to stop and have a conversation with either of them unfortunately, but he would make up for it later. They were both good heros and he enjoyed their company from time to time. '

Thankfully, no one was in the elevator today as it rocketed up to his destination. The thought of having a conversation about anything other then what was on his mind sounded awful. He was too focused

Actually, he was always focused. When Wilbur had something on his mind, whatever it may be, he does not let it go till he deems it completed. Some might call it obsessiveness but he liked to think of it as goal orientated. It was especially helpful for getting things done at work. 

Right now was the perfect example. 

The elevator doors opened to an eerily quiet floor. Wasn't out of the norm however and it was more likely then not that the two people Wilbur was looking for were both in their respective offices. He would have to drag one to the others office and talk to them both at the same time because he did not have the energy to go over it twice, They would just have to suck it up. 

He gave a curt knock on Techno's door to get his attention. Simple and effective. 

"Yes?" His equally curt response met Wilbur's ears.

"I need to talk to you and Phil in his office please. It won't be too long. 

"Fine," was the only word he got and it was the only one he needed. 

Without bothering to wait for him, Wilbur walked down the hall to Phil's office. There wasn't a point in knocking on his normally opened door. Techno walked in behind him and sat down in the only other chair.

"We need to talk real quick," quick and to the point.

"What's up mate? Something happen on patrol," Phil asked looking up from his work. 

"I came across a vigilante tonight that has supposedly been active for a couple months. But i don't remember there being any current data on new vigilantes. Do you know anything?" 

Again he was quick and to the point, there was no reason to beat around the bush.

"I don't know about new vigilantes. There haven't been any new reports till now. Where was this?" Phil's hands hovered over the keyboard waiting to make a report so it would be dealt with and he could get back to his work. 

Wilbur noticed this, "It was in the Middle District near the Slums border but don't make a report yet. I want to handle this without interference." He had found it and he wanted the credit for dealing with it. Plus some big hero would deal with it awfully and then spin it into something good for publicity. Vigilantes were humans too, at least Wilbur recognized that.

"Alright if that's true then why am i here? You could have easily told Phil and not included me. I have better things to do then hear about a possible vigilant that you don't want to report," Techno irritably asked. 

"Because we're still a team Techno, whether you like it or not. I'm so sorry for trying to keep you informed." The sarcastic tone in Wilbur's voice said it all. He did not have the patience for his attitude right now. 

"How about next time you shoot me a business email instead so i don't have to speak to you at fucking 1 in the morning." Techno stood up and left without another word. 

Putting his hands over his face Will resisted the urge to scream in frustration. It wasn't that fucking hard to sit and listen to what he had to say for five fucking minutes.

"Well," Phil's voice drew him back to reality. "If that's all mate i need to finish these papers before i go to bed and you need to write your patrol report and file it. So it's probably best if you go." 

"Yeah, whatever thanks. I'll just go now." There was no point in a goodbye Wilbur was so done with both of them. If they didn't want to help that was fine 

He would solve this all on his own.