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"What are you doing up here, Red."
Tommy doesn't turn towards the intruder. He knows who was there. He was kinda expecting them to show up. But that doesn't mean the roughness of the man's voice didn't cause Tommy's weakened body to flinch.
The blade was a villian, a good one at that. Tommy was meant to be Red. The hero who The blade, the blood god, chases after and fights. Tommy always expected his life to be taken by the villian, he didn't expect to be stabbed in the back by his own mentor. The man who raised Tommy, and made him into something. Part of him expected it.
Dream was very clear on the sort of student he was after, the sort of prodigy he wanted. Every aspect, every skill, every characteristic he listed, was never Tommy. Tommy wasn't obedient, unless it was being beat into him, Tommy wasn't quiet unless he was unconscious, Tommy wasn't full of energy unless Dream snuck those pills into his food.
He didn't have what it took to Dreams progity. Which is probably why he had been looking at the calendar wondering what 'The last Fight' was.
Slip poison into someone's food and send them to the starved wolves. They might put up a fight at first, but the quicker their heart pumps, the faster the poison acts.
Tommy knew he was poisoned after his nose started bleeding. The cinnamon bun, was odd, but Tommy was so desperate for his mentors affection he'd take whatever they offered.
He guesses not fighting his 'nemesis' was Tommy's first and last 'fuck you' to Dream. He's dying anyway, why not piss of the one person he spent his whole life trying to please. What would Dream do? Kill him?
"Cmon Red, it's cold up here, why don't you have a jacket on?"
At the mention of the cold, Tommy forced his curled up fingers to wrap around his arms and rub. Hoping to warm up the chill that he only now has started to feel.
"Go away." He hisses, even though it's weak and sounds more like a plea than a threat.
Gravel crunches under the weight of The blades leather boots stepping onto it, as he slowly approaches Tommy. Tommy idle kicks his legs, bouncing them off of the brick of the building he's on as he waits for the blade to come closer.
It'll be the closest he's ever been to the man without engaging in a fight, the closest any hero has been without walking away dead or unconscious. But he guesses in a way Tommy will be leaving dead, the poison won't take long to kill him now.
He doesn't have long. The realisation almost stops Tommy’s heart on the spot.
He waits for the blade to stand behind him, to look over the hero and intimidate them. Tommy doesn't expect the villian to sit down next to him, throwing his legs over the building edge like Tommy has done. He hunches over, resting his unarmed hands in his lap. The blade grunts, huffing, before leaning back and sitting upright.
"Quite high up," he states, and when Tommy looks over, he's staring at the building across the road. Random windows lit up as late night workers finish off overdue work.
"Yeah," Tommy agrees, but he's not looking at the building, he's looking at the people below him. There's so many of them, just walking in what seems like meaningless directions. He wonders what they're thinking. Are they worried about work? Are they in a hurry to get home, maybe someone's tested positive for chlamydia.
"Blade?" Tommy asks, hoping the man won't kill him on the spot for the nickname. He's just curious.
The man grunts neutrally, "yeah red?"
"What are you thinking right now?"
There's silence for a moment, and Tommy wants to repeat himself, hoping the man won't just leave him hanging. Tommy looks over at the Blade, and finds the man staring back at him. He notices the scrunched up eyes through the holes in the mask that show he's confused; and he can see the man's frown that shows he's upset.
He didn't think the blade had emotions. Tommy was always told that he didn't. That he somehow sold them to lady death in return for powers, for strength. That's how he doesn't feel remorse when he kills.
Another lie Dream fed Tommy.
"Please don't leave me hanging," Tommy begs quietly, staring at blade. And he almost clears his throat to repeat himself, he sounds so young. So weak. Blade starts talking before he gets the chance.
"Well... I guess i'm confused, and I'm trying to put together the puzzle pieces in my head,"
Tommy whines, "That's what you’re feeling," he states, slightly annoyed. Tommy didn’t have all day. "What are you thinking,"
Blade huffs and looks at the building again in silence, before he turns his attention back to Tommy after a minute of thinking.
"I'm thinking about what your doing up here, and why your so pale, most importantly I'm thinking about why Dream would lead me here if his student was so vulnerable," he says, stretching out some words as he thinks about what he should say next. “Any of those you can answer for me?"
What can Tommy say.
He's up here because he didn't want to die in his room, Dream poisoned him and he wanted to lead Blade here because he can't have the poison leading back towards himself.
After a minute, Tommy just shrugged.
"Oh don't do that," blade mutters, moving closer.
Tommy knows he should move away, and build a distance, but what good would it do. Blades close enough that Tommy can feel the heat radiating off of him. And Tommy's so cold. Even if Blade is just getting close to kill him, Tommy can't really care, he'll be dead before dusk anyway.
He kinda wishes he ran to a field, not a building in the middle of the city. Somewhere far from the light pollution, where he can see the stars.
"Why don't you tell me what you’re doing up here?" Blade asks, and Tommy likes the conversation. Just for now he can picture that it isn't a supervillain next to him. He can pretend it's someone he knows, that he's sitting next to a friend, in those deep conversations that people say happen after midnight at sleepovers.
"Just getting air," Tommy answers, looking mindlessly at the building in front of him. "Blade, can I know your name?" He asks, knowing already the answer will be no.
He waits for the blade to laugh and slit his throat, but he doesn't get any sort of response. He thinks it's because of the raspiness off his voice and the tears that have swelled up in his eyes at the realisation that he's going to die before he ever has a sleepover. Or a friend.
"What's going on with you." Blade asks, hastier this time, like he's annoyed Tommy isn't answering his questions.
Dream got annoyed at that a lot too, so Tommy isn't surprised if blade is as well. Another silence starts to build, but this time Tommy doesn't want it to stretch.
"Tommy."
"What?"
"My name." Tommy says, a singular tear slipping down his face, he forces his shaking hand to wipe it away. "My name is Tommy."
Tommy makes sure he doesn't look at the Blade, even as he feels the man's eyes drilling into him. He's positive if he turns he's going to see a confused and just as shocked expression on the man's face. Silence once again fills the space between them; this time Tommy doesn't try and get rid of it.
"Techno."
Tommy finally looks at the super villian. He searches for some kind of lie in the small amounts of facial expressions he can see, but there's not much there. "It matches you," he says, deciding that it didn't really matter if blade- or techno was lying to him anyway.
"So Tommy," Techno says after a long minute of awkward silence. "Want to tell me why your giving out your identity?"
"Want to tell me why your giving out yours?" Tommy snarked back, no real heat behind his words.
Dream would've smacked him over the head for his back talk, Techno just huffs. Not quite a laugh, but an amused exhale at best.
"You answer my question first, and I'll answer yours,"
Tommy smirks, but he doesn't answer Techno's question. He doesn't really get a chance to before a security alarm starts blaring from the street below them.
Tech- The blade flinches, his hand flying to his cape where he pulls out a dagger. Tommy watches him, more importantly his eyes. He watches the blades eyes scan the street rapidly, his ears twitching for movement behind them, before Tommy makes eye contact with the villain.
Slowly, he puts away the knife, staring Tommy in the eye as he does so.
Tommy looks away, just in time to watch a trio of men run from the store.
"Red, they're getting away," Blade points out, as if Tommy couldn't already see them run down the alleyways, a medium sized bag of cash tucked under one of their arms.
Tommy sighs, "Yeah,"
Techno is silent, but Tommy can feel his eyes. "Why don't you do something then? Isn't that your entire purpose as a hero."
"Nah," Tommy says quickly, still blankly staring at the situation. He could do something, but this day isn't about them, it's about him. His death day. "This is my day,"
"Do you normally spend your days in uniform?" Techno raises a brow so loudly Tommy can hear it. "I'm sure if a security camera were to catch you you'd be in trouble for not helping." He points out, "It's not like your mask blends in,"
Tommy smiles, "Your right, it doesn't blend in," he huffs.
When Tommy reaches up to grab at the band that holds his mask on his face, a hand tightly grabs his wrist. "What are you doing." Te-Blade doesn't sound very happy.
Tommy brushes him off, twisting his wrist out of his hand and removing the band before the villain could stop him again. The mask was held against his face only by himself, all it took was for him to drop his very tired arms and he'd be exposed.
A part of Tommy liked the idea. It felt like he was tying loose ends.
"It doesn't matter anyway, Techno," Tommy says, dropping his arms and relishing in the way the cold air attacked his face. "Dream marked my death." He admits, the realisation now hitting him like a ton of bricks.
He was dying. He was dying at 15.
Tears welled up in his eyes again and Tommy brought his knees to his chest, almost falling back at the lack of balance, but a warm-strong- arm wrapped around his back and pressed him to their side.
"I'm dying," he chokes through a sob, letting his tears fall freely as he's held. "I'm dying and the one person I have ever had did it to me," he admits for the first time.
Dream never let Tommy have friends. He never let Tommy talk to any other hero's, he hated it even more when Tommy would mouth off to villains or reassure civilians. He didn't have anyone.
A hand cupped his chin and Tommy sobbed harder as his face was tilted up. Techno, the blade, the blood god, was holding Tommy so gently. Holding him gentler than Dream ever had.
"Your not gonna die, it's ok, I won't let him kill you." Techno promises, brushing away some of his hair from his face.
"No-no, you don't get it," Tommy struggles, sobbing more at the attempt to reassure him. "He's already killed me, he's poisoned me!" The arms around him still. "I'll be dead before I see the sunrise."
"What." The villain pulls back, and Tommy almost sobs at the loss of contact. "Why didn't you say anything?" He hisses, Techno's hand wrapping around Tommy's throat.
He freezes, waiting for the villain to squeeze, to cut off his airway, to kill him.
Nothing.
The blade just holds his throat for a few moments.
"Your pulse is strong, but it's slow," He states, taking his hand away from tommy's throat with a sigh.
"I've been trying not to freak out, that way I'll see the sunrise,"
Techno's hand returns, running fingers through Tommy's hair. "You're gonna be just fine kid, trust," He says, "I'll make sure you see more than the sunrise,"