Chapter Text
"They went this way!"
Tommy, ignoring the voices, kept running, only turning around to check on his friends. This wasn't exactly a pleasant situation. He was exhausted, and so was Ranboo. Tubbo had it the worst - he wasn't only tired, but also hurt.
Those fuckers used a bomb to collapse a building to block their path or some shit. They ended up right next to it, Tubbo being the closest. The way he screamed in agony was going to hunt Tommy forever. That explosion scarred Tubbo’s side badly, burns covering his neck and half of his face. He could barely see anything with his right eye. They managed to get away thanks to Ranboo, bringing Tubbo to a shady doctor who helped his side heal. And took most of their saved money, but their friend survived, so it was a fair price to pay. According to Tubbo, the scars still hurt like a bitch. It was... two weeks ago.
And now they had to run again.
Tommy had no idea what those people wanted. Not money, because fourteen year old orphans didn't have any. Especially now. They weren't really trying to kill, either. The explosion was supposed to help corner them, covering any possible exit with debris, Tuboo just happened to be too close. And their pursuers probably didn't expect three kids to just disappear in a swirl of purple particles after that. Ranboo couldn't get them far, but it worked.
Sadly, it didn't really help them now. Ranboo used his teleportation to get them to safety, but those people found them way quicker this time. And now he was too tired to use his powers again.
Come to think of it...
It all started after Tommy unlocked his powers. When a cut on his finger didn't bleed, but curled into flame-like energy instead. After that, the cut disappeared. Like it was never there. It didn't hurt either, the only thing Tommy felt was slight dizziness.
Ranboo and Tubbo's powers manifested shortly after. Ranboo accidentally dropped a pen, and it just... Blinked out of existence and back into his hand when he tried to catch it. And Tuboo randomly switched the channel on the TV because he was mad about the remote not working.
Oh, good old times.
They, as any sane group of teens would to, spent sleepless nights figuring out what else those powers had in stock. Shortly after Tommy's finger healed, his body slowly transformed into something that seemed to be an intertwined web of energy, like his cells changed their structure completely. Any injury healed without a trace in a swirl of red, and Tommy learned to transform his body into this... Smoke or whatever it was. It was tiring, and he usually felt weird after using it too much, but it was manageable.
Tubbo held control over technology, the only thing he needed was getting his mind to figure out how specific mechanisms worked. Blueprints, observation, or somebody else's explanation - anything was fine as long as Tubbo actually understood what it was.
Ranboo had, as they decided to call it, space manipulation. He created rifts and used them to transfer stuff between two different places. They could only teleport small objects at first, but it got easier with time. Small branches, then boxes, then chairs, and eventually - himself and even other people. A lot of enderman hybrids held similar abilities, but his were versatile, working on anything and anyone as long as Ranboo was strong enough.
Exploring their powers was exhausting, but they kept pushing the limits nonetheless.
The three of them were so excited! They had incredible abilities, they could do so much to help others, to help themselves!
Trio's training routine changed when a weird man came into the orphanage trying to "adopt" all three of them. He didn't look like a regular wannabe-parent, though. More like a government official, but that wasn't quite it, either. Everyone knew how the Hero tower in L'manburg sometimes recruited kids they thought had potential, but... They weren't sixteen yet, and that was the minimum age Tower could even try to take them in. And that man... Tubbo hated his face, Ranboo didn't like his voice, and Tommy... Tommy felt that something was off. They all did. And so they made the only decision they thought was right and didn't look back.
They ran.
And that's how the trio ended up where they were now, sprinting through the labyrinth that were L'manburg docks. It was an amazing place, honestly, filled with different buildings and crates with stuff and remains of ships no longer in use. It would be nice to actually spend some time here and explore it... if it wasn't for the fact that they were getting chased by a bunch of weird people that apparently wanted to capture them. No matter how many times the trio turned, no matter which way they went, it felt like their persecutors got closer and closer with each passing second.
"We have to get away NOW!" Tubbo screamed, his breathing getting heavier with each step and head darting from side to side, looking for anything he could use to their advantage.
Ranboo's face twitched when he almost fell, hitting his foot on some rocks. "I don't think I can use my powers again so soon!" they answered, nothing but guilt in their voice. Tommy hated it, they wouldn't even get this far if it wasn't for their friend's teleports, yet Ranboo still felt like he didn't do enough.
"It's fine, we will find some other way-" Tommy suddenly stopped as he looked at the alley they just ran into. There was no open windows, no ladders, no fences. Just plane walls and some containers, none of them tall enough to actually climb anywhere. It was a dead end.
"Shit!" They all screamed at the same time, immediately turning around to try and go back. But there was already someone waiting for them, others slowly appearing behind the tall figure.
"Finally." the person said, the same man that tried to take them in back at the orphanage. He tried to sound kind and calm, a fake smile on his lips, but he couldn't trick them. He was no friend, his intentions clearly malicious. This wasn't good.
With no other options, Tommy started backing away, Tubbo and Ranboo doing the same behind him. He tried to think of anything... He could probably take three or four people out with the help of his powers, maybe Tubbo could hack something, a drone, anything, and use it too... Just waste some time, distract them, gain an opportunity to bypass the goons and leave. Tommy was so focused on his thoughts that he didn't see the man pull something out until it was too late.
"Oh, but we wouldn't want you to get away again, would we?"
There was a deafening sound of a gunshot.
Tommy reacted immediately, already on the move, red dancing on his fingertips and tickling his wings, until he realized - the shot wasn't aimed at him. Or Tubbo.
Ranboo tried to dodge it, dashing sideways and attempting to use his powers at the same time. But it wasn't enough. The bullet hit the enderman hybrid just as he was about to teleport, purple particles scattering in a way they never did before. Ranboo's eyes went wide as they let out a devastated shriek and fell to their knees, desperately trying to stop the bleeding.
"RANBOO!" Tubbo and Tommy screamed at the same time, rushing to their friend's side. It all felt like a nightmare. It was a nightmare. Ranboo's breathing was getting worse with each second as shock, panic and pain settled in. He was gasping for air, not being able to hold it because the bullet went though his lung. The fact that he was hit mid teleport didn't help - his powers started glitching out, particles surrounding him, a chaotic mess of purple and white -why were they white- his body trying to teleport but not able to, making the situation worse.
"Boo, hey, it’s okay, Boo, can you hear me?-" Tubbo was holding Ranboo's hands, tears streaming down his face, "We are going to get some help, it's okay, it's okay-"
It wasn't okay.
Tommy just sat there in shock, his emotions slowly starting to boil over. The energy was circulating under his skin, in his veins, urging him to action. To do something to the person that hurt his friends.
"You bitch." Tommy looked the man dead in the eye.
And dashed forward.
His powers responded instantly, vortex of red and orange being where he sat just a second ago. Tommy quickly closed the distance between him and the attackers. He materialized to grab somebody's hand, spinning on his heels and using his wings to get some extra momentum and throw them into a wall. And then Tommy was gone again, a flash of red energy once more, pushing somebody, desperately trying to get to the man with the gun, as he was probably their leader. Tommy didn't care how quickly his head started pounding, a thick layer of exhaustion cluttering his mind and vision.
He kept fighting, kicking and dashing and turning into smoke and back into himself to land another hit, his wings now red with a hint of orange from power usage instead of their usual light yellow. But the man was always one step ahead, more and more goons coming in to stop Tommy. They didn't have powers, and he did.
But they were trained and there were a lot of them, and Tommy was just a kid, fighting alone, running on pure adrenaline and anger. He soon got pushed back and punched into the corner where Tubbo was trying to keep barely unconscious Ranboo awake. Tommy tried to get up once more but couldn't, his vision blurry and body too exhausted to use his powers.
The man stepped forward again, and Tommy couldn't get to him once, same fake smile and dumb face untouched. He looked... Satisfied, somehow. He didn't even care that half his men were now on the ground. Instead, he locked eyes with Tommy, then looked at Tubbo and Ranboo with a sick grin.
"You three are coming with me."
But then, there was another voice.
"I'm afraid we cannot allow that." Tommy heard somewhere above.
The man instantly turned around, his smile no longer there as he saw three people that stood at the top of the building. The same voice spoke again.
"Warden, you handle the kids, make sure they're okay. Puffy, you and me take care of the rest." the man in the front said, a spear in his hand and long red jacket burning bright against the night sky.
"Got it!" the other two responded, the man with a trident jumping down and stepping in between the attackers and the wall where Tommy, Tubbo and Ranboo were. The woman, white ponytail fluttering in the wind and dark horns very noticeable against her hair, put a glowing hand on the first man's shoulder.
And well, Tommy was not in his best state of mind right now, the adrenaline finally running out and energy inside him calming down, but he wasn't an idiot.
Those people were the top three heroes: The Captain duo, Sparklez and Puffy, the former holding the number one title for the last few years and the latter being in second. Sparklez had telekinesis and Puffy could boost anyone physically as well as amplify their power, which made them a great team.
And number three Hero, Warden, the main engineer of the Tower. Who was also Tubbo's favorite because of his fascination with tech. And the one who was now kneeling besides said Tubbo and a very hurt Ranboo trying to calm them down.
"Shh, shh, tell me what happened, we're here to help you-" he paused when he saw the gunshot wound. Something in his voice shifted, his hand rushing up to his ear, probably to call somebody, "Revoker- Shit, Ponk, we need you here, those people shot one of the kids, it’s their lung-". There were muffled sounds of fighting and screaming of retreat in the background, but Tommy tuned them out, standing up on his shaky legs and stumbling to try and sit down closer to his friends.
Warden turned his head to look at him, and Tommy saw a pair of horrified eyes behind the tinted visor, hero's voice full of care and concern.
"Kid, are you hurt? We came as soon as we could, we only heard one shot but those bastards could've done more-"
"I'm okay, those bitches wouldn't be able to hit me even if they tried." Well, that was a lie, they did hit him, but it wasn't like those bruises were going to stay for long, his powers would make sure of that.
Warden's gaze softened for a second, a short laugh coming from under the mask, but then he was back to his serious and caring mode again, "Our healer is already on their way, gonna be here any minute, but I need to make sure all three of you are good".
"We... We're fine, they only hurt Ranboo because of their powers." Tubbo spoke up, his voice still shaky from crying, and Hero's gaze hardened, quick glance thrown to where the flight was at, his eyes on the trio again just a moment later.
"Powers?"
"Ye, Tommy got his turn-into-energy thing, I have my tech, and Boo has his tele... Teleportation. They didn't want us to get away again..." Tubbo was trying not to look at Ranboo, who was awfully quiet, barely awake because of how much blood he lost. His powers were still freaking out, more and more white particles swarming among the purple ones.
Tommy could hear footsteps approaching, his head getting dizzier with each second. Warden said something to the person, the one now kneeling besides Ranboo, a blur of red, yellow and black, but Tommy didn't really want to know anymore. He wanted to lay down and just...
"Kid?"
I'm... 'm tired" the boy said, his voice quiet, eyes barely open. He did overuse his powers, huh.
"Okay, it's Tommy, right?" Tommy nodded, his thoughts getting all weird and blurry, "I'm Sam, you did good, bud, you can rest now. You're safe, we got you."
And Tommy felt safe, his head somehow already resting on Warden's, no, Sam's shoulder. He could hear Ranboo's breathing stabilizing and Tubbo's muffled voice full of relief, which meant that whatever the healer did worked. They were okay. Safe. Tommy could finally relax.
"I need a nap."