Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“On the left, the alley leads down to the streets again. You doing ok?”

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine. Just need to patch it up a little.”

Breathing hurt, walking was agony but I’ve got this. Course I got this. Hearing a light beep as I leaned on the wall beside me, stopping for a moment to pull the small screen out of my pants, hooking itself on the frayed fabric, a light cut across the top of my thigh caught my attention. I didn’t even see that until now but the pulsing under my skin began to become more and more deafening. 

“T?”

“Tracker pinged. Flare should be here soon. Just need to breathe and stay still.”

“Sitting still is dangerous right now.”

“I understand that mate, but I found more cuts.”

“How deep?”

“Well I didn’t notice it till now, not sure if I’m just tired or maybe I need to take a break for a few days.”

“Can you heal it?”

“Probably, I have to wait for Flare though.”

The silence spoke volumes. I needed to though, I hated to go against orders, and this was a big violation of that. I’m here to support the heroes, not myself. I let out a deep sigh that crawled its way up my throat. Feeling my stomach lurch slightly as I tried to push myself away from the wall and stand on my own. If I get caught then I don’t know what’s going to happen this time. 

“Flare, ETA?”

“I’m here.”

I looked up to see the figure drop towards me, landing a few feet in front of me as the white, fireproof strip of cloth kept his jet black hair out of his face. The contrast of black and white in his uniform, a beacon and light in the darkness. The mask on his face barely covered the fear and pain he held. Maybe I was just used to seeing his emotions so easily on his face. 

“Fuck how bad is it?”

“Bad enough, I found some I didn’t know I had. Where’s…”

“He went back to the institution. Dream was called back when Nightingale was spotted in the area.”

“Repose? He safe?”

“He’s fine Red. Shit we need to get you back now. What happened?”

“Muggers got a clean hit, couple guns were fired. Like what the fuck right? Who brings a gun to a robbery, that’s just poor form on their part. Absolutely unnecessary.”

I knew Flare had a smile on his face. It’s so hard for him to hide those emotions that have been the cause of arguments day in and day out back home. Listening to Dream yell at him for getting attached to people he saves, getting close with the interns.

“Smart ass. Can you turn yourself for me? Or do you want to just go?”

“I refuse to go back looking like an overcooked piece of meat.”

“Red… You know I can’t let you.”

“I know, I don’t need to. I haven’t even noticed most of the injuries. Camera top corner of the flower shop across the road so we can’t even make this easy.”

“Right, Just. Come on, hold onto me and I’ll take you back as quickly as I can.”

“Phoenix?”

“Nah, not with another person.”

Flare walked over towards me, his hands lightly wrapping around my shoulders as he pulled me down to lean on him instead. One foot in front of the other as he pulls me closer towards the lane behind the residential building that sat along the main road out of District 9 of L’manburg. The brick walls surrounding us felt like they were falling on top of me as the world began to spin.

“Red?”

“I’m fine. Fucking peachy.”

“No need for that. Just a little more.”

Finally making it behind the building, I felt the world spinning before I fell forwards, failing to lift my arms up to cushion my fall. My head connected with the concrete as I felt like a hammer taking a swing at my skull. It was really fucking painful. Though it did slightly dull the pain I felt everywhere else. Dizzy can be good sometimes, hm. 

“No cameras anymore.”

“Got it, Thanks Flare. I’m going to uh, take a nap right here.”

“Sleeping pills?”

Oh yeah I forgot about that, I think I took one just before I landed and collapsed to the wall earlier as T called to see if I was ok. Little shit probably hacked into my earpiece again. Obviously he would, how else would I be able to… talk to him.

“I’m tired now.”

“You get some sleep, I’ll call for help and get you back to the Institute alright?”

“Promise S…”

“I promise, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Ok. Goodnight. Sleepy time for me. Nighty night.”

I closed my eyes as I pulled my knees to my chest, breathing a little heavy as I let the encroaching darkness take me. This isn’t the weirdest spot I’ve slept. I’ve fallen asleep in the back of a car and woken up at the institute, fallen asleep during a fight and woken up back there. They think it’s an exhaustion effect of my powers, Sam thought it was a second power albeit small. Teleportation or like a home button that takes me back to the medbay but only when I’m sleeping. I dunno, I like it. It means I can just go to sleep and wake up back there and get any help I need. Usually waking up with less scratches and cuts, a bullet wound was missing last time that was interesting. I swear Punz does such a great job healing me and everyone else. I’m glad they let me work with him for a little while. Joining up with the foundation when I turned 15 with a special little push from Dream and George. Good ol Goggy always looking out for me. And Sap and… Sleepy time.

Waking up, opening my eyes a little to adjust to what would probably be the bright lights of the recovery wing. I knew Sapnap had my back, he always does, he's so poggers I swear.

“Hey Red, Awake already?”

“Already?”

“Yeah, you were only out for a couple hours this time. Not sure if your pills are starting to have less effect on you cos you take them so much or maybe my powers are just getting better.”

Punz gave me a small wink as he held his hand out. The man in his regular doctor’s outfit. The coat with the light blue gloves over his hands and dark blue pants to match. I felt slightly exhausted and my body reacted accordingly. Punz needed to lean forward and catch me slightly, just for a moment before the feeling in my feet came back. I looked up at him and nodded quickly as he let go. Letting me stand on my own. I lifted up my arms and stretched, a full body yawn as I felt something crack in my back, likely from falling asleep on the concrete of District 9 and then being carried or brought back by Flare last night. Only a few hours wow, he must have found a car or someone might have been nearby. 

“Maybe we are just compatible big man. Two healers must supercharge something right?”

“A possibility, Now you know we have to ask you this everytime you teleport back here. But do you remember what happened?”

“Yeah, I’ll write up my report of last night in a sec, but for you, I was sent to patrol District 9 with Fade, I came across a robbery in action and made sure to take cover. I grabbed my… Fuck I’ve lost it again.”

“Take your time.”

“Uh, when I grabbed my… I can’t remember, Anyway. I stopped it, the police came and took over. I stumbled back and found a small alleyway a block down and walked in, collapsed on the wall. I remember my tracker pinged my location as you installed that little modification when my vitals got too low for blood loss or something and Flare was the closest so he picked it up. I took the pill before I got there and he took me around away from the cameras, I fell asleep and woke up here.”

“Amazing, I’m so proud of you Red for remembering so much. Even though yes your body lost a lot of blood we were able to not just stabilize you but of course, pushed and did a quick transfusion to get your levels back up quickly. Maybe it is your healing, It always takes whatever blood we have so we don’t need to worry about who you get. Light headed at all? Dizzy spells or loss of feeling anywhere?”

“My feet at first but that would just be from teleporting right? They always have issues there so it makes sense. But no, not right now. Thanks for healing me, bitch. I’m off, bye.”

Listening to my mentors laugh as I headed off and back into the main hallway a few workers scurrying around with papers or laptops in hand. Some were holding their head up to likely see any friends or family that have been injured recently. Rushing to see their loved ones sitting in the same white bed as any other hospital, with the same beige and bland coloured walls with a faded pink flooring looking more like granite. The institute needed an upgrade in a few departments, the medbay, training rooms, offices. Every floor kept that light grey carpeting with off white walls and cream coloured roof with lights to break up the colours and light up the boring decor. I moved the rather annoyingly long distance back to the main elevators that stood in the middle of the tall building. 80 floors in total with the bigwigs taking the very top, then the levels being broken up for other reasons. The medbay sat on the second floor. Making sure they kept their doctors and medical staff as close to the ground as they could was a smart move. If anything happened they weren’t in the lobby or ground floor, and it was quick to get them where they needed to go. Fucking genius really. I didn’t notice someone was in the lift as it opened, almost running into them but they held back.

“Red you’re awake. Are you feeling ok?”

“Fade, you dick, you fucking left me behind.”

“I know, I’m sorry, I got called back out of the blue for a high priority target. You know I’d have been there with you if there wasn’t a really good reason.”

“What happened?”

“I can’t tell you this time. Normally I would just talk about it but I can’t now. Had to sign an NDA about it.”

“Ooft, L.”

“Have you written up for Dream yet?”

“Not yet, I just got here to go up to my office. Any word since I was asleep?”

“Hm, I don’t think so. Dream was pretty angry about something but it’s likely just about you again. Flare was pretty distraught too. Have you noticed that? Everyone seems really upset when you teleport. Maybe it’s not pretty?”

“I don’t care, I can’t see that shit otherwise I’d be a shitty sleeper. Ah well they seem fine when I talk to them so I’ll stop by and say hi. Wanna come?”

“Sure.”

Fade hit the number for the 52nd floor, The heroes offices for the higher ups. I was the youngest at eighteen, or so they thought. I told them I was seventeen when I applied to help people here. The only reason they took me was because I had healing abilities and a rough knowledge of what to do and how to help. Granted I would prefer to not know how to patch up a bullet wound or any injury for that matter. But when you grow up in an abusive home, you learn a bunch of stuff you don’t want to know. Or as I told Tubbo. You become fine with a lot of shit real quick. The bullet wound I didn’t even know I could do till the night I was sent to live with a family friend, Kristen. 

I enjoyed the memories I had, even the bad ones would drive me to stay on my path and not move, doing the best I can to help everyone I can so no one has to be in a shitty position I’ve come from. I’ll be fine. Fade put their hand on my shoulder as I shrugged it off.

“Clingy bitch.”

“You just woke up.”

“Still a clingy bitch aren’t you?”

“Why are you so mean to me?”

“I’m not mean, you’re just fucking weird. Teleporting while you're awake and shit must be nice getting to know where you're going and getting to go to other places instead of always back to the same bed. Bullshit it is. Absolute fucking bullshit.”

The red mask hanging over his face, covering his forehead and leading down with a long drooping point over his nose, a white and black mask over his mouth to complete the look. Though the hood covered his hair I knew it was like a lion's mane under there. So poofy and unruly. This is why you have short hair. So much easier to keep out of my eyes. The doors opened to the same colours as every other floor, It’s a bit pathetic honestly. We save the entire city day in and day out, and they can’t even afford to add in a splash of colour out here? A poster, a meme, something. The robes Fade wore went down to the floor, something he took pride in everytime that he could keep himself completely covered. No one knew what he wore underneath, maybe even nothing which would be fucking cringe, but he liked the idea that very few people knew what he looked like. Fade walked with me back to my office. I leaned forward to grab the door handle with one hand and my key with the other as I turned, realising it was already unlocked. I pushed it open with a small amount of force, quiet enough to not make a sound but quick enough to be a sudden change. 

“DREAM!”

I watched the green, masked figure jump nearly ten feet as he flinched backwards. Almost tripping over something on the ground that wouldn’t have been there before if I was back last night. I always kept my office clean. Gotta leave a good impression.

“T.. Red, I’m so glad to see you back and safe. Flare told me about when he found you and it was a bit scary.”

“I’m fine now, green man. Thanks Fade I’ll see you later ok?”

“Uh, you don't want me to stay?”

“Nope, I’m good, bye.”

I stepped in and closed the door behind me. Fade letting out a small sound as the door shut with a click. I turned to look at Dream before I stood silently for a few seconds, listening for the footsteps on the soft carpet before I couldn’t hear anything. I made sure to be safe and waited a few more seconds before moving quickly, jumping at Dream as he caught me and held me close.

“Fuck Tommy you scare me sometimes you know.”

“I was fine I promise, I was, I had it sorted. I thought Fade was behind me but he vanished. Told me he got called back and had to sign an NDA on a high priority target or something. I don’t know it was fucking scary.”

“I bet, I’m so glad Flare found you and brought you here. I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”

“It’s fine, you are like, the head honcho right? You have to do what you're told but still. I want you to kick Fade’s ass for me. I would have been fine and not needed to waste another pill just to sleep and come back. It’s such an inconvenience.”

“I know, but remember Punz already went through tests with you to see if there was a difference when you were awake.”

“It’s always terrifying just falling asleep and waking up back at the same fucking bed.”

“I know T. How are you feeling? Honestly please?”

“I’m fine, I need to see Sap and let him know that I’m here and I’m fine. Fade said he noticed people would look so upset if they see me teleport. Is it really that scary?”

“I… honestly Tommy. I don’t think I’m scared of you no matter what you look like when you do it. It can be daunting the first time because it’s not like Fade. Fade leaves behind little particles of darkened light right? Yours is so different. It’s like a burst of light and fire as your body dissolves into a glitched state and then just disappears. It’s so unnaturally different to every other person who can teleport that it’s a bit of a shock. Though Sapnap should be used to it by now surely. He’s seen you a few times now. He should be used to it.”

“Yeah…”

I never took notice that so many people looked like shit after I vanished and reappeared. Punz is used to it by now, He’s always been there for me. Trained and looked after me even though I never moved into the dorms here at the Institute. Opting instead to move in with Dream. The older brother I wish I had more growing up. Dream was a few years older than me, he was old let’s be real. But he was still my older brother. I was sent to live with Kristin for a few years until I turned fifteen. Dream had applied to help me get out but for some reason it had been blocked. He couldn’t get permission to take me even though we had kept in contact, even though he was slowly growing in the workplace and making his way up the corporate ladder, he couldn’t get the right stuff together to get custody of me. Then everything fell apart. Kristin moved away suddenly, and I heard my parents were killed in a bust gone wrong. Dream was the only living relative left in the city. They tried to take me away but he fought so hard for me. He was older, at the time nineteen, with a well paying sustainable job, power. He had finally got the attention of the higher ups with not just his strength but strategic thinking. His abilities helped him but he had help from Sam when he tried a last ditch attempt to get help. Telling Sam that I was a healer. I think it took a week for the Institute to help him get the custody he needed. We both lied and said I was seventeen on my documents to get me working here. No one else knows how old I really am. If they knew I was younger than I was then I don’t know what would happen.

“You ok Tommy?”

“Yeah just, thinking about the past and everything that led me here.”

“Hey, no need to do that. You are safe here, and I’ll keep telling you that no matter what, ok.”

“Yeah I know. Anyway you better get back. Knowing you, you’ve probably been here for hours after Punz told you I would be fine. Going back to work, I need to write up this report of what happened.”

“Ok, I’ll leave you alone. Next time be careful yeah? I don’t know what would happen if you didn’t teleport because something happened.”

“I’m a strong, independent big man. I don’t die, I just temporarily beat up death and then I come back cos he can’t contain me. Little bitch he is.”

“Death is a little bitch hm?” 

I nodded with a vocal yup, Causing my brother to let out a short laugh as he held me tight for a moment before letting go. Opening my door to see Sapnap standing there with a look of almost fear on his face. 

“Flare, I’m fine, see, all my limbs intact and I’m fine. I’ll come see you once I’m done here ok so you can give me the once over I know you need cos you're just as clingy as Fade.”

“I’m not clingy, I just worry about you.”

“Don’t care, doing work, fuck off.” 

Dream closed the door behind him, separating me from the outside world as I loaded up my computer and opened up to the database provided to us. Opening up the correct document and typing up all the details I needed to give. Detailing what happened, what time if I could remember, when the police got there. Everything. I always felt annoyed having to do this because it took me away from the bay downstairs. I should be healing and helping people but no, I was stuck here filling out some dumb form that I could have just told someone to type it up for me. Once I was done, I let out a deep breath as I looked around, the shelves I installed with Dream and George last year when they gave me my office. Filled with books, though some were hollow and empty, just there to make me look better. The dark oak table beneath me as I leaned on it, letting the exhaustion take over a little more. It had to be a side effect of the teleportation. I was always so tired after I woke up. The first couple of times I was fine, jumping out of bed and getting ready for the day like nothing happened. But lately I just felt so tired, Like I had run a marathon in my sleep. Maybe that’s what I did? Instead of disappearing like they let me believe. Maybe I actually just got up and ran. It felt like it. 

My body was so tired, and I felt like I could barely move now that I had stopped. I felt so heavy, letting my head rest on the table and my arms to flop beside me. Exhaustion so deep it felt like the bones themselves were tired. I could take a nap but I wouldn’t want to teleport again. It only happens when I’m outside, I noticed. After a fight, or if I was in a really bad position I’d just fall asleep and wake up back here, but if I was at home, or even here in the office, I don’t teleport. Maybe it’s an adrenaline thing? Like my body notices I’ve been in a fight, and then when I lay down or go to sleep it’s like an instinct that kicks in and teleports me back to my bed in Punz’s office. That would make sense, cos if I’m not stressed or fighting, then I just wake up like normal. It’s weird but that’s what I’ve been going with for the last few months since I’ve been sent out as a field medic. I might talk to someone about it later, but right now I need a nap, a proper one this time. I picked up my phone, sent off a quick text to Sapnap that I would see him later. I moved over to my little mattress on the floor off to the side. An addition Dream was very proud after they all noticed I started to get exhausted. He told me it was like he knew I would need a proper sleep afterwards and had my office expanded, just enough to fit in the double mattress, a pillow and blanket on the floor. I moved in and pulled the blanket up to my chin, resting my head on the pillow as my head hit the pillow and allowed sleep to take me into its warm embrace.

I DON'T KNOW HOW TO MAKE THIS JUST A NOTE BUT LOOK LOOK LOOK!!! LYNX424 My incredible beta reader did an artwork of Tommy as Red Cross and I love this so much :D

Chapter Text

It was reassuring beyond belief not waking up in the bed downstairs. A fear ever present in the back of my mind. No matter where I go, where I drop or what happens I always have this feeling I’ll wake up down in that uncomfortable, pristine bed. It wasn’t always empty, but I always woke up there. It became annoying sometimes but I suppose it’s a great way to go back if I get too ahead of myself. Opening my eyes, I pushed the duvet down and off me, lifting my legs up and out from under it and stretching. Hearing another pop in my back was never something good but I couldn’t feel pain or anything, so clearly big man Tommy was fine as I should be. I can heal something minor and they would never know. I looked around for my phone and noticed it on the floor beside my head charging, the blue blinking light indicating I had some messages. Dream must have moved it after I passed out.

“Fucking hell can’t a man enjoy some sleep? Three god damn messages?”

One from Dream to send him a text when I woke up, One from Sapnap also to text him, and one from Sam to send off the report… Wait what I sent it before didn’t I? Picking myself up and looking at the screen to see it had gone into sleep mode. Moving the mouse slightly, the screen lit up on my report with the mouse on the right side of the screen, the send button still red. I cursed before clicking on it and seeing the sending bar pop up before it finished and closed out of the reports program. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I shot off a message to Sam saying I fell asleep but it’s been sent. 

“You’re awake?”

“No I butt dialed while asleep and rolled off the mattress…”

“Smart ass. Have you sent off the report now?”

“Yeah, you could have just hit send when you moved my phone, you know.”

“I didn’t know if there was anything left you wanted to add.”

“Poor excuse Dream, where are you? Fuck I haven’t even looked at the time.”

“It’s morning, I crashed next to you. Sap isn’t in yet and George is off somewhere.”

“Don’t need to know, anyway if it’s morning why didn’t anyone wake me? It’s… 10:30 am fuck.”

“We have a meeting at 11. So make sure you are ready for that.”

“See you soon bitch.”

“Bitch? That’s mean.”

“You could have woken me up. Exhaustion aside, I have a job to do.”

There was an uncomfortable silence on the other end of the line, before Dream said a quiet sorry and hung up. I noticed I was still in my uniform though my mask was sitting on my desk. Similar to Punz’s downstairs the white chrome eye cover, a small bridge over the nose. I adorned the rim of it with little diamantes when I got it to give myself a bit more of an edge. And I just like how it sparkles under the light. Little things right? I sniffed my uniform but it smelled clean, likely cleaned as I was getting healed downstairs, so I got up slowly and grabbed my mask, putting it on as I stepped out of my office.

“Tommy, you’re up. How are you feeling?”

I turned at the sound to see Sam walking towards me, the man obviously would have gotten my message and would have come to check in on me. It’s one thing I loved about him, he was always so good to everyone. Keeping an eye on us, making sure we were all safe, happy, doing ok. Granted he couldn’t figure out a way just yet to help with the teleporting, or figure out a way to do it while I was awake, but he always did his best since Dream took me in. Felt like a father to me even if he and I didn’t get the chance to talk as much. 

“Hi Sam, Uh still tired. But I sent off that report.”

“I got your message thanks. I had a feeling you may have fallen asleep. Dream said you looked like, and I quote, "absolute shit.”

“I’m gonna punch him.”

“I’d rather you didn’t punch him but behind closed doors remember what I taught you.”

“I remember. Chest, shoulders or thighs. Softer to hit but bruises easier.”

“You know it’s hard to think you can heal when you're so bloodthirsty.”

“Fuck off I am not bloodthirsty. I just like to think I can stand my ground.”

“With violence?”

“Healers aren’t exactly saints. Punz has killed before you know that. It’s why you hired him.”

“True. Are you heading to the meeting room upstairs? I’ll come with. I want to catch up a little. I did a quick skim of the report, do you not remember the fight at the robbery?”

I joined his side as we headed towards the elevator, pressing the call button to move it while I recounted what I could remember from last night. Fade wasn’t there, The robbery, then I just remember limping away. Like an entire chunk of the night was missing. 

“Do you remember the time differences?”

“It wasn’t exactly something I can think about. When did I teleport back here?”

“I think Punz said you arrived in your bed at about midnight. Woke up at 3 am. Then Dream said he found you asleep barely 15 minutes later in your room. Again looking horrible. Maybe it’s an injury sustained while fighting? Like a blow to the head?”

“I don’t know. I never took notice of the times but if I teleported back at midnight, then that’s when it stopped. And I’m pretty sure it was already dark when I got the notification that it was in process. So could be anything from a minute to two hours. Any reports or sightings last night?”

As the elevator finally arrived, opening up to let us in, I watched as Sam looked around a little, focusing on the camera in the corner. Put there after a couple of old interns before me were caught as a couple here. That’s what Dream said anyway but I reckon they just didn’t like having a dead zone so they set it up. Sam looked down at me before winking. His hand raised slightly as I watched him draw a small barrier up to cover the lens of the camera, blocking sight and likely messing with the audio.

“Don’t have long. So we had a sighting that Nightingale was in District 7, two over from yours. We know how fast that thing can move, so we kept an eye out, it’s why I called Dream back. The thing that made it difficult was that Damocles was actually seen closer to the National Bank. We thought it was going to be an attack so I called back Fade to appear and start keeping an eye out, but neither were seen again last night. Or if they were, then we didn’t spot them. The only reason we didn’t panic too much about you was because while he’s quick, Nightingale wasn’t seen heading in your direction.”

The thought didn’t even cross my mind about them showing up. I was too busy now trying to remember what happened and then going from there. I don’t remember seeing anyone else, then again if Nightingale had found me then maybe that made sense. Considering the villain could coerce you into anything, make you forget things, make you unable to talk about things. His voice was like a mental compulsion on you. And the worst part is, unless he lets you remember what he said. You wouldn’t even know it was there. A thought that now leapt to the forefront of my mind. Sam removed the small barrier over the camera as the elevator dinged, coming to a stop and opened its doors. Following behind Sam, I kept an eye out to see if anyone was around but for some reason the halls were empty up here. If there’s one thing I remember is that they had people running backwards and forwards up here on floor 70. Not just a meeting room but also so close to the bigwigs just a few levels above us. Accountants, Desk workers, Office members, usually without any powers aside from Sam and Dream are the only ones up here unless there is a meeting being taken place. Otherwise we are kept downstairs and away from the top floors unless called upon. Luckily for me this has only happened once not long after I started, and that was just so they could meet me and see what my powers were.

Sam opened the door towards meeting room four, a few heroes already seated in their assigned places, Bloom and Dream looked up to see us both walk in, I checked my phone to see we still had 20 minutes left until 11. 

“How are you feeling Red?”

“Hey Bloom, Tired, as always. Not quite sure how I feel honestly.”

“If you need some help let me know.”

“I’m fine Dream thanks.”

I think it’s a good thing that no one knows of my relation to Dream. Even Sapnap and George aren’t sure how close we are. They just think Dream’s a family friend who heard what happened and took custody. No one asks questions they don’t need the answers to, and no one cares enough to go through my records. Some were falsified of course but it would be disastrous if they found out I’m only 16 years old. Well I’m not, Technically I’m 17 year old Tommy Innit who has their birthday coming up in 5 days. Dream said he wasn’t planning anything but I know that’s a lie. Sapnap can’t keep his mouth shut and the guys loud as fuck. Kind of a bitch too I could probably just ask him what was happening and he’d cave. 

It took everyone else the full 20 minutes to get here. Flare sitting next to Chrono, with Fira on the other side of him, Blooms apprentice Bud nearby her, Repose sitting at the end of the table and Sam at the head of the table, back towards the large glass floor to ceiling windows. Decked out in his full uniform and armour with his Trident magnetically connected to the man's back. Sam was the only one everyone knew the identity of. Everyone else either had some mystery or were only known by their close friends. The Dream team as we call them, usually hung out together so I knew Flare and Repose’s name months ago. I wasn’t sure about anyone else except for Punz who was excused from this meeting due to a casualty with an intern breaking their leg falling down the stairs. I’m glad I wasn’t there, I’d have laughed at them. 20 years on this planet can’t even fucking walk.

“Now that everyone is here let’s get started.”

Pressing a button on his side of the table, the lights dimmed as a projector turned on from the roof, showing a still image of a figure on the wall. 

“Last night, while some of our own were on patrol. A sighting of Nightingale was seen in District Seven at around 9 pm. The cameras picked up on his silhouette and sent a distress signal to Manifold downstairs. He confirmed it was indeed the syndicate villain and mobilized three heroes immediately. Dream, Bloom and Repose. Deciding they were the best to take the man down. However, by the time the three units arrived on scene, or followed the projected path through the city, Nightingale had disappeared. Due to his powers, we had worried that he moved on to District Nine and attacked Red. He was tired, beaten and cut up after a robbery attempt succeeded but not without its issues. Flare was there to attend to him and as we all know, made sure he was alright before he teleported back here. The idea crossed our minds as he doesn’t remember two hours of the night from 10pm to midnight. But from what we know about weaponry from the older Syndicate member, it doesn’t line up with what happened so we crossed it out.”

“Do you remember anything Red?”

I was paying as much attention as I could, listening to Sam explain what happened but had only just heard Fira ask me the question. Turning to face the young man who held a similar but opposite style to his mentor Flare. With a black bandana and loose fitting fireproof jacket, The red fire looking design on his arms brought attention to his abilities and loyalty. While Flare was rather hot headed sure, Fira just simply did not care. Everything was a means to an end, if it meant killing then he would do it. If it meant seriously injuring an innocent bystander for the greater good, then he’d do it. But here in front of the core group of heroes and their apprentices. He knew not to act a fool just yet.

“I remember the robbery. I remember talking to Police but I don’t remember any injuries. I don’t remember how I got to where I was. But I remember Flare came to me, took me behind a building and then I passed out using a sleeping tablet. Which I will need to restock on soon.”

“Hm, I’ll get Punz to fill up your sleeve. Another thing we noticed was a ping in the system, not from cameras or audio devices, but from our own tracking system that Damocles also appeared near the National bank. Witnesses in the area after questioning said he didn’t react, or move, simply looked around and then slowly walked off. Yet again, after we sent another hero to intercept him, he too came back with nothing. No sign that he had ever even been near the building or on the street.”

“Do we have anything to go off of? These two are way too fast, and we know their abilities don’t allow for speed.” Repose spoke up, using the temporary dead air to voice their thoughts on the situation. 

“Exactly, we know their powers which means we can’t just assume it’s only them now. There has to be more. The reason I called this meeting to order now, and in conjunction with the boss upstairs, Is because we need to start looking not just into those two, but into everyone now. Knowing there are people all around the city who could be working with them behind the scenes makes everyone a suspect. Our own higher ups believe that anyone could be compromised as well. Which means we are going to have to run our tests again. On everyone this time.”

Dream and I immediately locked eyes next to each other. Worry and sorrow in his eyes while I felt the fear reach mine. 

“We are starting with Medbay and working our way up. Healers are always a hot commodity in this world, and we need to make sure that they are neutral. Yes, as you all know, Punz has killed and worked as a vigilante before. But agreed to work with us in exchange for neutrality. A doctor can’t just turn away anyone. You will also remember that we agreed with him on these terms, but he must let us know if he helps a villain or vigilante roaming the streets. This was the terms we came to when signing him on as not just our resident healer, but the top Doctor in the field of medicine. Punz is one of only 4 people exempt from the tests due to his already well known loyalty and allegiances to the people, not just heroes. This pissed off the bigwigs but at the end of the day, I don’t care.”

“Who are the other three?”

“Dream you are obvious. Your records and years of loyalty to the purity of the Heroes sanctions and morals have seen you pull in some of the biggest criminals and corrupt political leaders we have ever seen. You were the one who found out about the world destroyer from Doc, You found out about the plot from Myth to infect the undergrounds and stopped him before they could destroy the city from below. Not only have you shown loyalty again to the Institution, but also the tenacity and innovation it takes to get the job done, no matter how long it takes. The next person to be exempt is Chronos. A lot easier to explain this time, how would you catch someone who’s genetic makeup is so different to ours. Not only that but with you being able to jump in time, smooth things out and then come back with none of us the wiser makes it incredibly difficult to keep an eye on you. Though you also live here in the building and very rarely go outside unless you are with Flare. Not only that but with your abilities, we wouldn’t know until it’s already done whether you changed something, and even then it wouldn’t be a question because it would be a different timeline and a new reality. To be frank, your powers are bullshit. But it also makes it impossible to get any information from you. All we can do is trust that you are on our side. Though your impartial nature towards Vigilantes is well documented, Not once have you ever sided with, or shown sympathy towards the Villains of the world.”

“I mean it also helps that I’m literally married to a hero right? I would be a shit villain if I decided to get this close and not act on something. If I wanted to I could have taken it all down years ago and none of this would be standing, but then I’d also have changed Flare and I’m quite happy right now.”

Watching between the two of them, it wasn’t hard to see the love they had for each other, the respect, adoration, It was disgusting. 

“And the last one exempted Bar?”

“The last one exempt is myself, I run the heroes institution. Yes we have the bosses upstairs who still like to dictate what they think is right, but I make the decisions, I make the choices. Could you imagine if I was the one working with the enemy? I’d have been caught years ago. Not only that but my powers are extremely rare. Who else do you guys know can throw up a barrier and change its molecular structure depending on the situation. As far as I know, there is only one other person like me, and they live on another continent. My powers would be spotted immediately. Our apprentices will also have to undergo this testing procedure.”

“Most of us are 17 Bar.”

“I don’t care. Young and impressionable minds are what can turn the tide of battle in an instant. If you were still 16, then there would be an issue. 16 falls under the legal age of jurisdiction here in L’Manburg which we all know is 17. The age it states as old enough to apply for a license, to get a job, to get anything. You have to be 17. Otherwise it would be different.”

I barely left Dreams’ eyes as Sam explained it all. I could see a small flinch on his face before he relaxed calmly, he glanced down for a second and I followed, seeing his hand flat on his thigh, his fingers outstretched. I can do the tests, my healing ability helped to let them think I was older, as, same with Punz, it messed with our bodies just slightly enough to where our age could be anywhere within a year or two up or down. So Dream and I, at 15, told them I was 17 and didn’t have to use my abilities too often so I looked slightly younger. It worked but now I’m stuck in between those two numbers. And I don’t know what to do. I slowly and carefully reached over to his hand, and tapped his thumb twice, our silent signal to say I was ok with something. The middle finger saying I wasn’t ok, basically saying fuck off. I looked back up at him and he nodded ever so slightly. The screen still showed the image of Nightingale, his long black trench coat and red gloves, The black and golden adorned mask across his face. His hair was light but unruly, a constant reminder that he was well off. Likely from all the theft he had committed in the past to get to where he was today. 

“If there are any further questions, I will give you all a time today to meet with Medic to get yourself sorted. Red I’ll get you down there straight away, that way you can also get checked for anything after yesterday and waking up. It’s best to get you down there as soon as possible, so Fade is going to take you now.”

Without warning, We all flinched a little to the sound of footsteps behind us, barely getting out a word before Fade touched my shoulder, held on slightly, and then instantly teleported to the Medbay, sitting in an empty office with a small whooshing sound. I’ve only teleported with Fade a couple of times, and it barely left any evidence aside from the sound. Fade never took off his robes or mask, barely letting anything be shown.

“Red your first, smart move by Sam. Alright let’s get this out of the way, I know you don’t want to be here or doing this so let’s get started. Now, sit there and read this out loud for me.”

Punz handed me three pages of writing. On it was a patient's details, their name, alias, and anything relating to their abilities and profession. I looked up at Punz to see him already facing back to the computer in front of him.

“This is confidential.”

“Tommy, if you think for a second that a doctor doesn’t talk shit about patients, or that we don’t share information with other doctors then you are a bit naive. Let me tell you a story, yeah, about before I joined up with the Institute. I was a traveling Doctor. Moving from city to city healing anyone I could for money or information.”

“I didn’t ask for that, I’m just saying patient doctor confidentiality.”

“Are you going to tell anyone?”

“I mean…”

“Are you not also training to be a Medic?”

“Well yeah but…”

“And you want to try and tell me you have not told Dream about any procedure or patient you have ever worked on, not once?”

I was silent for a second as he gave me a knowing smile, pointing to the files and asked me to read them. It was weird being in this position. I wanted to make sure my patients are safe and secure, not falsely telling them it was all between myself and them. Sure it gets hard sometimes but still.

“Back to my story. The reason I learnt to be so impartial, was due to the treatment I received from the people I worked on. I healed vigilantes, villains, heroes, anything you could name, I have probably directly or indirectly helped them.”

“Cherub?”

“Broken wing.”

“Uh, Cerberus?”

“That was an interesting one, do you know how hard it is to work when two heads are talking to you while one is unconscious because each head is its own system. Almost knocked them two out just to keep working on the guy.”

“Gem? Pearl? Oo oh Grian.”

“Gem was fun, Very proficient in potions, those elves. Pearl was nice, very intelligent but also very blunt. Was a bit of a culture barrier there, very different to us up here. Grian, Yeah. I’ve helped him.”

“No further details?”

“I also nearly killed him.”

“You nearly killed… what?”

“Long story short, he was in a really bad shape, some interdimensional entity started to tear at his very being. Moving his body around and taking it apart on a smaller level than we were used to. The only reason he survived was because Chronos went back and led him down a better path. It was interesting when he came back and told me about that one. It’s hard not to believe the man. Luckily he can only jump a couple of times a year, but because we are in the here and now, it’s like we never moved before he comes running back again. He can go once there and once back. But everytime he does so it messes with his system.”

“Right anyway. Alright fine I’ll bite. Jasmine Orello, Aged 34 living in District 4. Profession: Life saver at the local pool and a firefighter for the Downtown fire department. Brought in with deep bruising and cracked ribs as well as a twisted ankle and possibly fractured femur.”

“So what would you do at that moment?”

“Well first things first, I’d check her over, see if there is anything missed by the response team. It’s easy to get the obvious stuff but it’s the invisible illnesses that get you in the end. Her body would likely go into shock at three separate hits, evident by the bruising and cracked ribs, twisted ankle and possible broken femur. Actually two, Twisted ankle could have been her running away.”

“Very good, Now how would you go about healing her?”

“I uh, Well I’d make sure she was consenting to me touching her to heal, then I’d start with her ribs first. While a broken bone in the leg is painful and rough, There could be more damage to her lungs and heart as they are the main organs protected by the rib cage, So I’d look there first for any fractures or broken pieces of bone that may penetrate them. Once I’ve seen all that and fixed her up, depending on how I feel I’d look into setting her leg back into place, Moving it along just enough to make sure it will heal correctly on it’s own before letting go and wrapping up her ankle, strapping it to give it as much support as I could and keep an eye on her.”

“Very good, Why not heal her entirely?”

“You taught me that one, best to heal to the point they can do the rest themselves unless absolutely necessary due to the strain on our own bodies. A Medic is useless if they aren’t conscious.”

“Right, Now I want you to flip to page 2 and read from line 4.”

“Patient talked about being caught in the middle of a robbery on the edge of District 9… Punz.”

“Mhm?”

“Is this one of my victims?”

“Keep reading.”

“Robbery was going to plan until a tall and slender boy wearing a White mask jumped in and started to take them out with their two sticks. Knocking out one member before they could turn to start firing at the man. Missing each shot before a team member stabbed them in the upper thigh with their knife.”

I was starting to remember the fight reading it now, While I remembered the course of action from my point of view sure, It was different reading it being told from someone else's perspective. Like reading a book intended for a friend.

“Skipping ahead a little and just brisk reading, this is one of my victims from the robbery. You’re an asshole.”

“Done, good now read the last page for me, specifically the bottom in red pen.”

I flipped the page and looked where instructed. At the bottom in red pen, were the words possible suspect of the Syndicate. Which tore me away from it to look at Punz, The older man meeting my gaze before looking back at the paper and reading further. Injuries sustained do not match up with reports given from our own Red Cross, The only correlation being the light cut across the thigh but no deep stab wound. No mention of head trauma or cuts along the sides which means someone else attacked our own hero and left them with nothing.

“So who wrote the report?”

“I did.”

“Have you shown this to Sam or anyone else yet?”

“No, because they wouldn’t believe you had a run in with Nightingale. They trust me to get to the bottom of things in the medical field. And with them being so pro hero and anti everyone else. It’s left to me and very few other members here to actually take pity on those seen as beneath them. I believe you had an encounter with Nightingale, Memory loss, Added injuries that weren’t sustained in the middle of the battle. And then he was spotted two districts over from you while Dream, Bloom and Repose couldn’t find him. Void was called in so you would have been alone. Lines up to me.”

“So what, am I supposed to just not say anything?”

“Oh you can tell whoever you like, but this is another lesson for you Tommy. In our line of work, we are going to be trusted to help anyone we can. Not just those who need it, The higher ups get pissed off if any other healers are seen aiding a non hero, even a civilian without a license to be healed quickly. So what I’m teaching you Tommy, is that you need to understand what matters more in life? Sure if we didn’t heal a villain or a vigilante, That’s one less person off the streets at night. One less person heroes need to worry about. But that’s not our job. We don’t get to be told who to heal and who not to heal. We can follow the rules and be praised for doing the work we should, or go against them and get shit on for helping “the enemy.” The reason I asked you to read it out loud was because of who it was. Would you still have healed them knowing they were your own victim?”

I thought about it for a second, not needing any more time before nodding my head. I would heal them, they didn’t deserve to be in agony for a long time just because they were desperate for something. Even criminals have their own needs and demands to be met. Some do it because they have literally nothing else, some do it for fun sure, but a lot do it out of necessity. I’ve seen women stealing food from the grocer in District Six right in front of me. Giving me a feared look before walking off. That’s not our job though, our job is to capture the worst of the worst. The patrols are just to keep the city safe and put the citizens at ease. It’s the villains and Vigilantes that give us as enchanted beings a bad name, but even then not all vigilantes are bad. Some do good and I’ve seen it with my own eyes. 

“I’d still heal them. I’d be angry and frustrated, but no one deserves to be in that much pain for so long. If I found out they did it for fun, then they’d be handed over immediately, they would be handed over regardless. People always have a reason to do anything.”

“And what about Villains?”

“Villains are different, they only act selfishly for their own needs. They have never once shown a shred of decency or cared for the people they hurt or kill. Anything to get what they want.”

“So then I ask you, Would you still heal Mrs Jasmine Orello, the robber who attacked and stole from a general goods store for whatever reason. If I told you they had bigger motives? To lure you out, knowing you personally would be in the area? Knowing out of any hero, that our youngest medic would be around? You stopped a robbery that much is certain and then can’t remember anything else. But Nightingale was seen in District Nine correct? So my question for you Tommy. Would you still heal Jasmine, If I told you they were a part of a small division of the Syndicate to create a distraction, for the more known players to attack something bigger? How else would Nightingale get to you so fast, why else would your memory be so blank for a period of two hours between 10 pm and midnight. With no recollection of what happened, more injuries than you sustained at the scene of the crime, and exhausted beyond your limits… If not to be used to heal one of the most dangerous villains in the city?”

Chapter Text

Sitting in my chair, Punz sat opposite me, typing up a few more notes. He hadn’t spoken for 20 minutes, just letting me think.

“Hey Fade, can you come grab Red for me please? Thank you.”

“What?”

“I got the information I needed. I’m clearing you.”

“I haven’t? Wait, I haven't even done anything.”

“You don’t need to. Red do you really think I’d put you through the tests when you are so young? Granted all of you are younger than me except maybe Repose. All you need to know is I have my own ways of testing my coworkers that get the same results.”

Fade appeared and looked ahead towards Punz.

“So I’m done?”

“Yeah, we all have our secrets Red. I know most of them in this place. It’s hard not to be told confidential information when a patient is delirious and I’m bringing them back from the brink of death. You would be surprised at the things someone says when they aren’t in the right state of mind. I don’t ever intend to put you in that position though. You have a hard time keeping your mouth shut.”

“Fuck off I do not.”

“You also speak bluntly. A lot of people don’t like that.”

“Well then they don’t get healed if they don’t like me.”

I saw a slight smirk on the man's face before he composed himself in an instant. Nodding to Fade behind me as I felt his hand on my shoulder again, Taking me back up to the meeting room. I felt like I was in shock as I was placed back in my seat. Dream, Sam, and Chrono were still in the room. Dream stayed in his seat beside me, though Sam and Chrono were now in the two seats perfectly opposite to us. I let out the sigh I held onto as I leaned back in my chair.

“You ok Red?”

“Um. Fine.”

“That’s a lie.”

Dream didn’t believe me, of course he didn’t, he has seen me in worse situations before. It would be hard to hide anything from him. I heard a small click before the room got darker, the sound of Dreams chair moving before feeling his arms pull me closer to him, Pulling my head to his chest to just lay there.

“You can see why I made you go first?”

“I beat up syndicate members and now they think Nightingale used me. I feel violated.”

“Yeah, he has that effect on people. Sam says it’s like being drunk. Karl says it doesn’t affect him as much due to his physiology and powers. Just going back to not get caught.”

“Karl?”

“Hey buddy.”

“Chrono, right. Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, Sap made sure I was completely unknown, his own feelings clouding the idea that I might have to get my hands dirty eventually.”

I listened to them talk a little more, light conversation while Dream ran his fingers through my hair. A relaxing motion he had been doing for years before he left. Sometimes I’d crawl into his bed while he was still awake and just put his hand on my head. He knew what I wanted, it was calming. Helped if I had a nightmare, if I was sick or injured and couldn’t heal myself. 

“So how do we approach the subject now?”

“Give him a break for a little bit or change the rules.”

“You know I can’t do that Dream.”

“At the least, Turn off the camera in his room for a small amount of time. Let him have some privacy to tend to himself.”

“I can’t do that either. Jack would know about it straight away.”

“I hate how oppressive this place is.”

“I can’t let it be soundproof for much longer.”

“I know. Tommy, I need you to look at me please.”

I closed my eyes and let out a little sob, something just crushing down on me from nowhere. I just felt like shit, something in my heart kept pulling at nothing. Reaching for something that felt invisible. 

“Tommy please.”

I opened them back and looked up to the man above me, the saving grace of my life. If I didn’t have Dream, I don’t know where I’d be. Maybe I’d be living with Tubbo, or maybe I’d be a vigilante rogue healer getting in trouble. Maybe I’d be dead…

“Tommy, I am trying so hard still. To this point I promise you that I won’t let you get caught, I won’t let you get hurt. I will figure something out ok?”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

“Tommy…”

I looked over towards Sam, his voice catching my attention finally.

“I know a lot more about what’s going on. Chrono told me some things. Dream filled me in with the rest. I need to get a few things off my chest now. I am so incredibly frustrated and angry that you two lied to us. But I can’t deny the impact you have had with us here. You are such a fundamental part of the Hero Institution. Without you being in the field we would have lost a few good people to the many dangers out there. You know that right?”

I nodded my head in response.

“Then you need to understand how hard it is for me, as a human being, to let you go out there every night you have, the possibility of sending not only our youngest medic into the field because we couldn’t spare anyone else. But also knowing now the truth. You are 16 years old Tommy. You are a child. You shouldn’t be anywhere near the battlegrounds of the streets below us. You should be in school learning about chopin in music class, or learning about Sun Tzu in history. You should be laughing with your friends, asking to borrow money from Dream to go out to get food with your friends, the movies, anywhere except the harsh reality that is the coldness and fear-inducing streets.”

“I won’t stop.”

“That’s not your decision to make Tommy. You should be living your life stealing from your brother, getting caught doing stupid shit because kids are irrational and think they know better. Not a fucking battlehardened medic who is put with the most morally gray person in this god forsaken place. At such a young age, to learn and train with someone who holds such a neutral stance on the world is dangerous. So young and impressionable…”

“Stop fucking talking to me like a child!”

I was getting frustrated now, listening to him constantly go on about what he thinks I should be doing, what he thinks I need to focus on or change or what could have been.

“You have spoken to me the same as everyone else when you thought I was a single year older than I am. You have sent me out to heal and help so many people in the field. I’ve mended Repose as his foot faced away from him. I’ve extracted bullets from Flare and Dream after a firefight was finished. I’ve pulled out the poison of Blooms Nightshade out of civilians who got too close to her plants. I’ve seen the worst that could happen short of straight up death. So don’t fucking talk to me like I’m a baby, especially now that you have literally only just now found out how old I am. I could be dead if I was out there instead of here. Who knows who would try to take me. I’m a target, Dream is my older brother, I’m a healer. Do you have any idea how much potential there would be in kidnapping me? If I wasn’t here working, There is a chance I’d be dead, there’s a chance Dream would have nothing to do with the Institute if something happened to me constantly. You can say all you want, but you know fucking damn well that this is the best place I could be. So no one else needs to know how old I am, because I don’t want everything to change. Not after I’ve worked so hard to build myself to the point I’m at.”

The lights came back on after my outburst, the cameras likely coming back online as well. I wonder how it would look, the room going dark as I appear back in the office and then now standing up, hands on the desk with a pointed finger, boring into the man's eyes across from me. If anyone was paying attention to the scene on the camera. 

“You are being moved from patrols to response. You will be moved down to train with Punz until he decides you have trained enough to handle your own patients.”

“I’m literally already doing all of that, you know I am. The only difference is that now you are keeping me from actively going out there under your orders. You can’t stop me and you know you can’t.”

“I know I can’t. But what I can do, Is take action against you if you do.”

“And you haven’t already?”

“I’ve made it very clear that we worry about you being our only field medic. Now I need to take better care of my own judgments based on last night.”

“So if I go out now, you would treat me like every other vigilante if I’m not immediately dispatched on your command. How would I get anywhere fast enough? What if Flare is out at District 2? That’s at least a 40 minute drive. Dream being sent to District 7? The most dangerous part of the city? Anyone could nab me just getting there.”

“Fade is now also permanently being taken away from patrols to focus purely on recon and extraction.”

“You’re changing so much because of one sighting. Why not after everything else that’s happened? What about when Ranboo was killed by Damocles 6 months ago? What about when Fundy was forced to leave the country because of the Syndicate finding where he lived and attacking him? You didn’t change anything when these things happened. You kept everything the same, what makes me so different.”

“Red…”

“No fuck you Dream in particular. You’re just going to go along with this?”

“I don’t have a choice, under my protection after what happened with your parents, I have to accept anything that can take you out of harm's way. I can’t let you get taken away, especially now. Where would you go?”

“Anywhere away from you.”

I felt the venom, I felt the hatred and anger in my words. And even Karl let out an audible breath as I barely heard the “holy fuck” under his breath. 

“And don’t get me started on you too. You could have saved Ranboo but you haven’t done anything about it. You could have gone back and moved Fundy away from where he was found and you haven’t. So don’t think you are a good person because you are just as fucked up as the rest of them. I don’t want to be taken off patrols. I’d rather be out there and be able to move, to get to where I need to without some puppet just appearing and disappearing with me. That’s not the first response, that’s cheating. Why not at that stage just send that mysterious fuck out there and bring them to Punz?”

“Enough Red.”

“No, it’s not enough. I have so much more I want to say to you. I had so much respect for you, for all of you but now you decide now of all times that things need to change. Not after death, not after witness relocation, but after your healer has a run-in they can’t even remember? That’s not fair and a mockery of them before me.”

“I’m revoking your hero license effective immediately.”

Dream screamed out, even Karl stood up straighter in his chair letting out a sound of shock. I stopped to actually look at the man in front of me. He hadn’t moved or said anything until he said that. The words felt like a grip on my heart, a stasis placed on me stopping me from moving. Fear and cold run down my arms, goosebumps appearing everywhere along my body as my brain stopped for a second.

“Sam, this is completely unreasonable. We need him.”

“Dream’s right. This is a huge mistake.”

“Then change it if you think so.”

I turned to see Karl back away, walking out of the room. The sound of Electricity crackling, a bright blue light appearing under the door before it turned Orange. The sound still happened for a short second before Karl slowly walked back into the room. Collapsing to the ground, I couldn’t even move for a second as I looked around at the scene around me. I still remember his words, I still felt nothing but fear.

“Karl…”

“I…”

The man's sobs broke me from my trance, pushing the chair away from me and quickly moving over to the man on the ground. I knelt down beside him and opened him up, running the shroud of white around him. Not noticing any injuries or exhaustion from him. 

“Dream.”

“Yeah I got him.”

As soon as contact was made, I watched as Karl’s body glowed for half a second as the man moved to sit up on his own. Dream’s power of energy manipulation worked great with me. If I couldn’t help, then he could give them a little jolt of energy. But just as quickly as he could give it out, he could take it away in an instant. Too much and it can kill someone, not enough and it can make them drowsy and give them a headache.

“Nothing happened.”

“What do you mean nothing happened?”

“You. Red. You wouldn’t have made it to 17. I talked to Sam, told him what happened and convinced him to let you keep going. You were taken by the Syndicate three months before your 17th birthday and tortured. Dream didn’t make in time and they killed you. Nightingales blade running just a little too deep, from the weeks of abuse and torture you were too tired and you died. Tommy if you keep going out you are going to die. This is the best thing for you please, I'm sorry.”

“It’s settled then, If you are caught acting as Red Cross again without direct orders you will be taken away and treated as a vigilante.”

“Where the fuck did this come from Sam? This is stupid, I can keep him safe. I am not losing him again.”

The first vocal telling of our relationship, Now I was really hoping no one was watching the cameras right now, listening into the conversation.

“I don’t care Dream. It’s not safe for him. Especially if he’s going to get taken and killed. This is the best thing we can do for him. Why can’t you see that?”

“Because you aren’t thinking clearly obviously.”

“I’m releasing a statement that Red Cross will be temporarily taken out of public appearances and will focus on his studies.”

“You are killing everything he has grown to be.”

“That’s not my concern, my concern is that all of my people are as safe as they can be. And right now, Tommy is in an unprecedented amount of danger, he said it himself. If people found out who he was, traced him back to you, imagine what could happen? We could never protect him from the Syndicate if they target him. And Karl said himself they found him, took him, tortured him and killed him. Whether by accident or not. And I know damn well that if something happened to him then you would go ape shit and destroy everything to take them down. You would do anything to keep your brother safe. I understand that. So this is saving you as well. If something happened, I want you to stand there, right now, and tell me you wouldn’t go to any extent to get revenge.”

Sam knew he wouldn’t react, I knew he wouldn’t move, and Dream knew for a fact that he wouldn’t disagree. He’s already shown the lengths he would go to in order to help me get some semblance of a normal life. And the worst part always comes down to the fact that I don’t matter to anyone else but him. If I’m sick, he tells the Institute to fuck off. If I get hurt, he’s the first person to see me. Whenever I teleport back to my bed, Punz has told me he is always there. The reassurance is a comfort I don’t deserve when all I do is pass out, but I know the lengths he would go to. I’m just lucky we haven’t ever been in that position yet.

“Head down to your office, take Dream with you. And grab your things. I’ll get Fade to help you out.”

I wanted to speak up again, I wanted to scream, shout, yell, argue anything I could to get this bitch to realise what he’s doing. But Dream picked me up, led me out of the meeting room, leaving Karl and Sam inside as he pressed the elevator button. Now we wait.

“I don’t… Dream I don’t know what I can do.”

“He can’t force you off the premises, you are still more than deserving to be here even if you can’t be Red Cross.”

“No you don’t understand this was everything to me. I needed this, it helped me in so many ways. I was busy, I was always doing something.”

I kept thinking back to when I was little, being told constantly that kids were seen not heard. Never speak up, never talk back, never say anything other than please, thank you and sorry. The worst feeling kept crawling back as I felt now, as powerless as I did 8 years ago. Watching my parents get hurt again and again. Whether now I know a drug deal gone wrong or just angry clients I don’t know. But I felt powerless then until my dad dragged me out into the living room, anger in his eyes and his hand held tight. I felt like he was ripping the hair from my head as he threw me to the ground and yelled at me to heal my mother. The woman was alive but in a horrible place. Laying on the ground breathing quickly as blood pooled under her top. Dad lifted it up and Mum cried. She screamed and wailed, dad yelling at me to fix it. I didn’t know what to do and I was scared so I just did what I was told and fixed it. I didn’t know I was supposed to take the bullet out. How was I supposed to know something like that at eight years old? I remember my dad screaming at me, telling me I was useless, that I wasn’t even doing it right. He picked me up and threw me at the wall hard.

As I don’t remember falling asleep until I was woken up later by aunty Kristin. She wasn’t allowed to see me very often, for the reason that my parents hated that she taught me how to look after myself. That I was allowed to say no and stand up for myself. They wanted a kid who would serve them and them only. Kristin took me in that day and looked after me for 7 years until she left. I didn’t get to say goodbye or ask where she was going. But she left, it was the same day Dream came back to find me. Sitting alone in her apartment, nothing on the tv, no music, no sound. Just me and the voices in my head telling me it was my fault. That I was useless and I lost again. Now I’m standing, waiting for an elevator to take me back to my office. To pick up my things and then go… I don’t know where.

“Dream…”

“Yeah Tommy?”

“I don’t think I can stay with you now.”

“What do you mean? Of Course you are staying with me. I'm not letting that dickhead think he can take you away from me.”

“The media are going to look into it. They will ask why I was taken off patrols, hackers are always getting into the network and stealing information. They are going to find out who I am, They are going to find me. Dream don’t let them find me please I don’t want to go. I don’t want to leave not again please Dream I’m sorry don’t let me go please. I’m sorry.”

Sobs racked my body as I begged him, pleaded and cried not to let me go. All he did was hold me, literally grab me and pull me close to him as I cried into his shoulder. No matter what I did in my life, I was always being taken away, or abandoned or leaving something I thought was safe. Something keeping me here for some sick sense of justice? To keep me safe was to take me away from everything. He could have just fought me and forced me to stay. But he took away my hero's license. I can’t help people, I can’t even do anything to the general public if someone falls over in the shops down the road.

“I’m not letting him take you away.”

“Does he want to stay with you or do you want to keep him safe?”

I screamed a little as Fade appeared next to us. Asking his genuine question while he stared at me. His masks covering his face showed no emotion. His body covered in his robe showing nothing to the outside world.

“I don’t want to go.”

“Then you won’t go, I can bring you back.”

“Huh?”

“I have been assigned to your taxi service as we should. Probably above my paygrade, If I’m even bothered to take money from this place. It’s basically thievery at this stage. You know I charge them for travel purposes.”

“For what? Fade you teleport.”

“Eh, they don’t check their accounts, you know. And they owe me. A lot.”

“Fade, I’m going to take Tommy to his office to pack up. Can you let Sapnap know I’ll see him at home later.”

The taller figure vanished before appearing again as the doors opened. Barely a few seconds in between passing.

“I said…”

“That you would take him down. But you used the name Tommy, not Red. Which means this is more serious than just a go back to work. I’m here to make sure nothing happens.”

“Alright, fine.”

As the three of us stepped into the lift, the doors closed but wouldn’t move. Even with Dream pressing the button again. And a second time… A third.

“Sam you let us get his things right now or I swear to god he will be the least of your problems.”

The elevator still wouldn’t move, likely that Sam knew Dream's threat wasn’t true. Tommy knew it was real. He was the only thing Dream wouldn’t lie about. 

“Fade, you’ve been to my apartment, correct?”

“Which one sir?”

“Don’t fuck with me I’m not in the mood. Two bedrooms on Tyran street.”

“Ah that one. Let’s go Tommy.”

“What?”

In an instant I was taken to Dream’s home. Standing in the living room as Sapnap screamed, flinching hard enough to fall off the couch. Fucking idiot I swear.

“Tommy, Fade what? Hey T…”

I felt the welling in my chest, you’d think I’d done enough crying to be honest. But fresh tears still stung at my eyes. Emotions still built up to a sickly feeling in my chest. And I hated every second of it as I moved quickly into Sap’s waiting arms. He was trying his best, whispering things like “hey, it’s ok” or “You’ll be fine Tommy I gotcha” but it was different to Dream. There was no allegiance solely to the Institute, Sapnap’s job wasn’t at stake. The dark haired man was just that, a hero in the system used to fight crime and help people. He didn’t have relations tying him down, he didn’t have anyone aside from his apprentice to look after. He wasn’t torn between his job and his only known living family member. And his hugs felt different. It felt like true safety, like I wasn’t being judged or taken away from anything. I didn’t hear Fade vanish and reappear a moment later with a box of things, Dream holding on with another bag, placing them down before taking a moment to look at us. I looked up to see Sapnap staring to the side, locking eyes with my brother as the man held onto Fade’s gloved hand and vanished one last time. It took a few seconds before we heard a crash in one of the side rooms.

“Fucking, fuck I liked that vase.”

I tried to let go of the man but the shorter guy just kept a hold of my arm, walking slowly with me to the room in question. As we stepped in, I first noticed the light neon green walls with a single stripe of white and black running through it. Looking around to see a rather spacious room, though empty aside from the essentials of a bed, drawers, and a bedside table with a now smashed vase on the floor with some flowers laying on the ground. It worried me how empty this place was, and how the walls were such a similar colour to my brother's signature that I didn’t think for a moment until I realised this was a room for him. I noticed a picture frame that survived the mattress that Dream had grabbed from my office, Fade going back and forth one more time with a charger hanging between his fingers, My blanket and a pillow I’d been using. Dream made sure there was more than enough room for my mattress as he placed it down, Grabbing a fresh sheet from a cupboard somewhere else in the apartment before coming back in, stopping for a moment to likely watch me, Sapnap still holding on carefully, staring at the picture frame.

“You remember that day Tommy?”

“Yeah, It's uh, First day I came to you. You took me out of the house so we could talk.”

In the frame was young 15 year old Tommy, shorter than Dream by a much larger amount than he is now, with plenty more growing to do. Dream held the camera away but above as he caught the moment perfectly as I went to take a bite of my ice cream and getting it on and a little in my nose. A photo I begged him to delete but he refused. 

“You said I didn’t have to worry anymore. That you would always help me now. I’m not alone anymore.”

“And I meant it. No matter what, I’ll always be there for you ok? I won’t let anything happen to you. I’ll figure out what’s going on.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

“This is sweet as fuck and I think I might throw up if I hadn’t just left my husband on read but what the fuck happened?”

Chapter Text

It’s been three days since I was basically expelled from the Institute. And I was getting antsy. My power felt like it was stagnating. Like an added force behind my fingers. Becoming restless in its unused state. 

“Tommy, you know they are still letting Punz teach you.”

“Oven fucking discord, How much am I supposed to learn how to use my abilities without actually using them. Imagine if you had to learn how to do shit but you couldn’t actually touch anyone. Imagine trying to learn how to fight but there’s no dummy’s around. I just…”

“Please, I know it must be hard but I’m begging you to please just keep trying. At the very least to keep up with your theoretical knowledge so you can act on it when you get to actually practice what you do.”

“Dream I’m struggling here. They won’t let me leave. There are fucking guards outside the downstairs front door. Unless I’m with you they won’t let me leave.”

“For Christ sake Tommy just ask for Fade to jump in and take you somewhere if you need to so badly. The guards are there because Sam put them there for your own safety. But Fade bypasses that completely. And he can fucking teleport you little shit. Did you forget that? Literally the best defensive ability in the world if you do it instead of running or fighting. Someone looks at you wrong? Whoosh. Bitch tries to fight you? Vwoop. You see where I’m going with this right?”

“I don’t want to bother him.”

“It’s literally his job to be your taxi.”

“Why does that sentence feel wrong?”

“Because Fade is just as human as everyone else and it feels wrong to reduce someone to that of a service they are offering to you. But he’s being paid to take you around. If you want to leave so badly. Then just ask him to take you somewhere. Guards aren’t going to be mad if you just, you know, don’t leave through the front door.”

“And he won’t mind?”

“This actually didn’t cross your mind did it? Geez dude I’m sorry I thought you were being smart. Tommy Fade’s whole job is to take us places. And right now, he is on standby all the time waiting for you. He was reassigned completely to only work for you. We can only use him in an emergency, which requires us to press the panic button as you know. It sends him a signal of our exact location and then he dips in, grabs us, dips out. Literally less than a second if we are quick enough.”

“Alright, I’m sorry, I didn’t realise. I’ll uh, send him a message.”

“Then do that. I need to get back to this meeting, I was starting to get annoyed thinking this wasn’t important but really I think you just weren’t explicitly told this, So I’ll let you go this time ok. I’ll text you when I’m heading to a meeting so you know when you can’t message me back. Then I’ll make sure to message you when I’m done. I’ll see you this afternoon before patrols. Why don’t you just go out somewhere? I don’t know, what do kids even do?”

“You start calling me kid and I’m going to start calling you Dad.”

“Do that and you’re grounded?”

“You just told me I can teleport whenever I want bitch. Fuck your grounding dad I’m going out.”

“You still have your credit card?”

“Yeah, I got paid yesterday.”

“Yeah you would have, would have been the last one too but don’t worry. I’ll keep putting a bit of money into your bank for you so you can still do things and get what you need. I’ll talk to you later Tommy. Stay safe please.”

“Whatever Big man I’m going to break the law.”

“The fuck you will child.”

“Sorry dad, gonna go commit Grand Arsony.”

“Not a real thing. Goodbye Tommy.”

“Uh… yeah, bye Dream.”

I put my phone down on the ground next to my makeshift bed, laying flat along it with my feet hanging off the edge. It wasn’t the most comfortable but I was used to it already. Thinking on what Dream said, that Fade was now basically my own to call on whenever I needed anything or wanted to go anywhere. It was like he was telling it to me as if it was obvious. Well excuse me you green fuck but I’ve done nothing but follow the rules for the last 9 months and before that wasn’t allowed to ask for or do anything. Kristin was nice though, we love Kristin, poggers even… If the bitch didn’t fucking leave me either. 

“I’m sensing a bit of a theme here.”

I opened up my banking app, checking that I did indeed get paid for the last week of patrols and paperwork I did. Leaving me with a fair bit to keep myself going, It didn’t help that Dream would drill it into me as soon as I started working to save most that I got and hold onto that, it helped a lot for a situation if I was sick or well, now I guess. But something just didn’t sit right in my chest, my stomach growled at me so I thought that might be it. Dream hasn’t gone shopping yet so there wasn’t much left aside from soups, spices, basics. Don’t feel like making chicken or another sandwich though. I grunted slightly, leaning over to grab my phone and sending a text off to Fade. I didn’t even get a response, or that he had read the message before a knock appeared on the door.

“Did you even read the message?”

“No, I saw a text from you and just popped over for a little visit. So what do we do now? Bake cookies and gossip?”

“Fuck off. I’m hungry and I thought with it being closer to 1pm, I wasn’t sure if you had eaten or done anything yet.”

“I haven’t eaten, where would you like to go?”

“Uh, actually give me one minute.”

I looked at the bag I had with some more stuff of mine, unzipping and reached into it, hidden in a part of the bag that I cut into just enough to create a small pocket on the inside. I pulled out a piece of paper with a phone number on it. Fade looked, unphased as they always did. I need to stop looking at them for confirmation on things. I put the phone number into my contacts, a promise I made to only save it if it became an emergency. 

“Tommy?”

“This might get loud.”

“Ok?”

I waited all of three seconds before they picked up.

“THOMAS FUCKING INNIT!”

“H…Hey Tubbo, Big man, my best friend in the whole world.”

“You left me, for four days, with no message, no warning, nothing. Then I come to find out you’ve had your license revoked so Red Cross no longer exists as a hero. You've been confined to your brother's house on what is essentially house arrest because the guards outside your home only change every 6 hours, they get paid more than you do. Did you know that? People who stand around and do nothing get paid more than the one saving their fucking lives. But that’s beside the point. The true thing we need to remember is that you didn’t tell me anything.”

“I can bring you the schematics I stole from Jack?”

“Ok cool see you soon.”

I’m glad I had the call on loudspeaker, I turned over to look at Fade as I hung up the phone, a look of what was probably a bit of fear on my own face. Again, no reaction from the other.

“He’s a fucking psychopath.”

“Yeah, but he’s my psychopath. Honestly though, Tubbo is one of the best people I’ve ever met. I love him as if he was my brother as well. We’ve only met a few times, but I’ve known him for years.”

“Right, so where are we going?”

I sent Tubbo a quick text asking him to take a photo of his bedroom. Getting a response quickly as I showed Fade where we were going. They put their hand on my shoulder as we disappeared and reappeared behind the shortest 17 year old I’ve ever met.

“You have so much explaining to do. Also empty hands Tommy where are my schematics. I want to look at them while you try to talk your way out of a hole you dug yourself into. In fact I don’t really care because you left me, alone, by myself for half a week. With no messages, I tell you where to go, keep an eye out for everything and you just up and leave like I’m nothing to you.”

“Fade meet Tubbo.”

“Hello little psychopath.”

“I’ll shank your ankles myself.”

“Oh I have just the thing.”

Watching Fade teleport away and back, holding onto a small toy, handing it to Tubbo who took it rather angrily as his features softened on his face. His eyes widening a little before a smile appeared as he started to run his fingers along the yellow and black stripes on the bee. 

“I’m still mad.”

“No you aren’t. I’m calling you Tubbee now.”

“I’m less mad than I was beforehand.”

“How the fuck did you manage to get him like that straight away?”

“Well, he’s clearly alone most of the time…”

“Fuck you Fade.”

“And when he was yelling at you your first reaction was to give him a gift of something. So I put two and two together and his love language is clearly receiving gifts or something like that so Tubbee.”

“Bee go buzz.”

“Bee do indeed go buzz.”

I stood there bewildered as Tubbo and Fade began talking about something I wasn’t quite ready to listen too, not that I wasn’t interested. But more so I just didn’t understand it. Something relating to some blueprint of some sort.

“Tommy…”

“Huh? What yes hi.”

“Come here I missed you.”

I walked over to the rather short man, little horns growing out of his head that barely scraped past his hairline, which he enjoyed keeping a little long to hide the two growths. His oversized blue jumper swallowed his body with the pants almost over his shoes. I put my arms out and he pulled me down to him, wrapping his arms around me and tightly squeezing. I remembered one time he told me about getting hurt by something, so I quickly opened up my powers as a white light trickled down as falling stars over his body, letting me see and point out any injuries he may have. The light reflected off of him almost everywhere except for the tip of his head, where the two horns grew, but he had also said that it hurt a little naturally like growing pains. 

“Want me to help with that?”

“It’s fine, I’m used to it. I’m just glad you’re ok. Tommy, you really worried me ok. And you need to talk to me. I didn’t know what happened to you. I couldn’t get a hold of anyone or anything. I had to hack into the Institute's camera feed just to see you arguing with Barrier of all people. I don’t know why he didn’t call himself Ward, or like Warden or shield or something like Barrier is so boring.”

“I told him that, he said it makes sense and is more versatile than a shield.”

“I don’t care. He’s such a bitch. Why did he take away your license? He could have just stayed with the idea of not letting you patrol. Why would he do something like that?”

“I don’t know, I’m just as mad and upset as you are, mate. But Tubbo meet Fade again. Fade is practically my transportation now. Anywhere I need or want to go and I ask them to take me.”

“That feels wrong.”

“I know, I had a talk with Dream about that earlier.”

“I don’t mind.”

“They are just using you for your abilities. You know that right?”

“Yeah, I don’t get tired so it’s fine.”

“That’s convenient.”

“I wanted to say sorry for not messaging you. In the middle of everything I just kind of forgot. After I got back to the Medbay, everything just all kind of happened in really quick succession. Woke up, went up to my office and saw Dream. Ended up falling asleep and woke up…”

I went on to explain everything else that happened, Including the meeting before and after Punz told me about one of the victims he got me to read through. Tubbo barely acted surprised about that one, he cut in to say it made sense how quickly I was hit afterwards and how the time lined up a little too much. I started talking about when I got back but Tubbo said he was watching the whole thing.

“They were talking about you while you were with Punz. Sam told Dream that he couldn’t keep it a secret that he knew who you were. Your age, relation, etc. He said that he would either take you off patrols and keep you inside where you were safe, or he would force you to take a holiday for two years. Making you come back when you were 18. Dream had a screaming match with him then and he had another one when you got back. Sam had practically already made up his mind before he spoke to you. The only reason he didn’t throw you out straight away was because Karl said you would end up going out, licensed or not.”

“So what am I supposed to do then? If I don’t go out then it disproves Karl as a hero. If I do go out, I get arrested. If I sit around I get bored out of my mind. I can’t go out the front door so I have to use Fade just to get somewhere.”

“I have a few ideas you could do to get yourself busy. But I’m not too sure on a lot of things just yet. I could do some more research into a couple avenues but I’m tired now.”

“Want us to head out then? I’m glad I got to see you properly again, I’ll make sure to show up more, I promise.”

“I hope so, I like talking to you, and you have my number now so text me more often yeah? I need to know what my best friend is getting up to. I might not be your brother like Dream is, but you're the closest thing to family I have. And I want to make sure you are doing ok.”

I didn’t answer straight away, knowing me I might forget but I told him I would try. Basically forcing myself to message Tubbo was going to have to be the way to go. Whether it was just due to the fact that I might forget with everything going on, or if it was that I’d just get nervous. I can’t go out anymore, If I do I’d get arrested or turned around. And if I’m caught using my powers I’d be told I’m a vigilante or a criminal. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I feel trapped and I can’t really get out of it this time.

“Fade, we can go back now.”

“Alright, Tubbee, we will see you soon ok?”

I watched a small smile appear on the boy's face as we teleported out. Tubbo hadn’t really smiled once in the times I’ve met him. Sure I’ve heard him laugh so he is obviously smiling then, but I’ve never seen him actually smile until Fade gave him the bee, or until Fade talked to him again. I’m not jealous fuck off. Course he can smile at anyone he wants to. He's a grown ass little shit.

“You seem to be thinking.”

“Fuck you Fade.”

“What the hell did I do?”

“Making my friend smile like that you nice person how fucking dare you bitch.”

“Tommy, are you jealous?”

“Fuck off.”

Fade laughed, actually laughed and it was the strangest sound in the world. Actually light hearted like he meant to do it, not a forceful sound. I hate it here. My best friend is now friends with my own transportation, they got along straight away and I’m still stuck here on house arrest. Bullshit is what it is.

Chapter Text

“What do kids even do nowadays?”

“I don’t know.”

“Why are you asking him?”

“Because Sapnap might actually know since he acts the most like a kid don’t you agree George?”

The oldest chuckled a little under his breath, Sapnap looked offended but George didn’t disagree. What made it better was Karl joining in. Dream wasn’t happy that I went to visit a friend already. I was lucky that Tubbo was more a homebody than a social butterfly. I asked him if he wanted to meet Dream but he said no. He wasn’t his favourite hero but that didn’t bother him. He said not to mention anything. If they knew someone was getting into their networks, they would probably have him arrested. Even though I think they would just train him and offer the guy a job. He’s 17 at least.

“I’m not a child right Karl?”

“Of course not… Sometimes.”

“Sometimes?”

“You can still be a kid sometimes but I love you. No matter what.”

“I’m not a kid, I’m a fucking hero thank you.”

“A hero who can’t help his best friend's brother find something to do.”

“George, leave me alone. I’m trying at least.”

The two had an unfiltered back and forth and it was nice to actually have some company for once. They didn’t treat me any differently even though I was what? 10 years younger than George at the least. Might have something to do with I’ve helped them not die so many times that it would be hard to talk down to or on another level with someone like that. I know I’d probably treat someone differently if they were the reason I could still walk.

“Tommy, have you gone out much yet?”

“Yeah, Karl I went out yesterday to meet a friend of mine. I took Fade with me obviously cos fuck trying to walk out the front door.”

“Have you been out before that?”

“No, that was the first time. I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing. I’m a medic, not a kid. I’ve patched up the city's best heroes that have ever existed. I’ve been sent out on missions that have saved lives and not only that, been put into a position where I could train from one of the best people ever and learn more. To be honest with you Karl, I’m finding more and more reasons to hate everything about that place for taking it all away from me.”

“Tommy…”

“No, I’m sick of being spoken too like I’m a piece of glass. Sapnap wouldn’t even be alive if it wasn’t for me being out in the field and that was two months ago. George would have fucking disabled legs if it wasn’t for me getting to him when I did and setting his bones back before he got sent to Punz. I didn’t get to be a kid because I was treated like shit when I was younger, and then with Kristin I.”

Always a sore topic for me. Kristin didn’t treat me badly, I barely got the help I needed, but once my powers were figured out by people, I became a toy to be used and thrown away whenever anything happened. I’d be called to the office in the middle of class just to heal someone and then told to go back or I’d be marked as late or skipping. Kristin didn’t do anything about it though, she couldn’t. She worked all the time just to provide me with a home. And then left. 

“It was my fault she left, I know it was. So I must have done something wrong then as well. Then when she did and I got told I could live with Dream I thought I might actually be ok. A safe space away from the prying eyes of people because I was already too far behind in school work to actually complete the classes, even though it’s all just a memory game for tests and exams so I dodged a bullet not being used as a walking Triage unit. I just. I finally felt like I had a purpose there, like I was a genuine human being and not just another pawn in someone else's game. Instead I’m stuck here now, because Sam’s a paranoid fuck who can’t get it through his head that he has no idea what he is doing. Taking me away is just going to make things harder, a hero has already been murdered because Punz couldn’t get there in time. Fade couldn’t go anywhere because he’s on strict orders not to do anything unless it’s an emergency. I’d say a hero getting killed is a bit of an emergency because I know for a fact that if I can listen to Punz talk about bringing people back from the brink of death, I could have started to save Declan’s life.”

Silence, something I’m used to now. I get it all the time with Dream out working, with nothing else happening here. 4 days and I feel like I’m going crazy.

“You’ve had a lot of time to yourself haven’t you?”

“All I have is time George. All I do is sit in this house and do nothing. I feel like my fingers are going to catch fire if I don’t heal something. Like a well in my body is overflowing with whatever bullshit power I have and I feel like shit. I can’t sleep because it keeps me up at night, I get so shaky from inactive use. It’s like a drug and I didn’t realise I was getting addicted to helping people.”

“Right, new plan.”

I watched as George stood up, looking around at everyone before heading to the kitchen. Coming back with a knife.

“George… what are you doing?”

“You need something to heal right?”

There was fear in everyone’s eyes as he held the knife tight in one hand and dove it down into the palm of his hand, wincing and letting out a little grunt as it started to shake. Sapnap and Karl screaming at him while i couldn’t help but yell, asking what the fuck was wrong with him. He pulled the knife out and I was almost in shock watching the light, clean cut through the palm of his hand as blood began to drip onto the wooden floors. Acting on instinct, I moved over to him and grabbed his hand in both of mine. Watching the white lights begin to dance feverishly around the wound, I held one hand out lightly, close enough to his own to guide the twinkling bright light, running it gently over the fresh wound as I felt the cells beneath become invigorated. I felt the pull of muscle repairing itself before a literal tug on the skin, watching it close over, leaving a light, white scar barely two inches across his hand. Normally that would have taken me a few minutes and a bit of power, but it took seconds and I still felt like I used nothing. However that sickly feeling in my chest was gone, the overflowing water inside me stopped reaching the top, even if only temporarily. 

“How do you feel now?”

“Better, but don’t you ever fucking do that to me again.”

“George you absolute dickhead, what the fuck is wrong with you? Not even Dream would be that stupid. And Sapnap could have just given someone a light burn, instead of potentially harming you for longer than a couple hours. You need to be careful with your hand now.”

“I’ll stay here then, we better clean up before Dream gets back.”

“Clean up what before I get back?”

Dream walking in the front door at that time was comedy gold. If it wasn’t also extremely terrifying. Stepping in with his bag on his back, to see George standing in front of me, a bloodied knife in his hands, Karl standing up to get something while Sapnap cleaned the obvious blood on the floor while I froze, hand over George’s and a white line across his hand.

“You know what? I don’t want to fucking know.”

“Tommy is getting withdrawals from not using his powers.”

“Yeah Punz told me that was a possibility. Not much we can do about it other than either not let him heal, or slowly wean him off it. His words exactly.”

“I’m not going to stop. Just, I dunno, can we take people here sometimes instead of the Medbay?”

“Tommy as much as I would love to indulge you in that. I don’t think I need to tell you how much of a fucking terrible idea that would be.”

“Stealing from the Institute while on house arrest is probably not the best idea you’ve had mate.”

“Then what the fuck am I supposed to do. I can’t go to school, that would be way too obvious.”

“Does anyone actually know who you are? Like does anyone know your Tommy Innit, Brother to Clay Baron?”

“You’re last name is Baron that’s so fucking cool.”

“Legally changed it when I left. Took ages though.”

“I want to be a Baron, Get rid of this stupid Innit name and lose that hold my parents have on me for good.”

“Alright, I’ll start the process, for now I have an idea.”

I heard my phone go off in my pocket, so I pulled it out and checked it to see a text from Tubbo, with a photo attached showing Fade reading in his room. A thumbs up obviously directed towards me as I felt a small betrayal. Fade was my friend wasn’t he? Wait, are we friends? I don’t even know at the moment.

“Stupid Tubbo.”

“Your friend?”

“Yeah Karl, the one I saw yesterday, stole Fade from me the prick.”

“Not nice to refer to your friends as that.”

“George literally stabbed himself to help me as a friend. I think I get to call another one a prick for stealing Fade.”

“So you like Fade?”

“Fade’s cool I guess.”

“You’d like him even more if you knew who he was.”

“Karl, babe, that’s so fucking unfair to do to the kid. Just because you know everything that could happen like 70% of the time.”

“Shush, Dream what’s your idea?”

“Well uh, anyway. No one knows who you really are? Aside from just a kid who lives with his brother right? Trauma, PTSD from the past yada yada your mental health is likely shit but who cares. Have you thought about getting a job?”

“I fucking had a job bitch.”

“A regular job. Like retail or McDonalds.”

Sapnap was the first to burst into laughter, George not far behind him while Karl held his hand over his mouth. Even I let out a little chuckle in trying to hide how I felt about the situation while Dream just looked at us.

“What?”

“This kid has saved lives, worked with the most powerful heroes in the city… And you want him to flip burgers?”

“It was just a suggestion geez.”

“Dream, I’m not going to get a regular job. I don’t have any qualifications.”

“That, actually I might be able to help with that.”

He finally moved from the doorway and placed his bag on the ground next to the grey couch Sap and Karl were sitting in. Pulling his phone out and making a call. But not getting anywhere in the process.

“Damn it, pick up.”

“Who are you calling?”

“A friend of mine who runs their own business. I invested some money into her when she had the idea and I liked what she wanted to do so I put money into it. Was it a Tax write off, sure I’ll put it down for tax reasons. But she gets her little business, and it’s grown enough to where she has paid me back a few months ago finally so she’s debt free, and it’s thriving.”

“What business is it?”

“Oh wait, George you know what it is. Sap went there to get coffee one time when I was sick.”

“The library?”

“Yeah, it has its own little café inside now. I didn’t know Eret was hiring. I thought she was fine?”

“She has a few staff, but most are in school or can’t do nights most days due to studies and extracurricular activities.Tommy however, has had experience with paperwork and typing. Knows how to categorize items and knows about inventory from working with Punz, and has no problems talking to people.”

“Dream most of the people I had to talk to weren’t awake to respond.”

“Then it’s perfect, you get to be a kid and have a regular job.”

“That’s not just a regular thing, a lot of people tend to make their kids finish school first you know.”

“You get to be out of the house and it gives you something to do.”

“I hate that you are using this against me. You’re my brother, I thought you loved me.”

“I do, I also love when you aren’t being a whiny bitch at home because you aren’t allowed to go out and be a fucking soldier at 16.”

“I should punch you.”

“You and I both know that wouldn’t get you anywhere… Hold on. Hey Eret, glad to see you finally picked up the phone.”

Dream went off to have a conversation with their friend. George went to wash the knife and Sapnap put the paper towel into the bin. A little stain formed after the blood had pooled for a few minutes but that’s not a me problem. Just a bunch of safety bleach will do. Sapnap isn’t that smart though so I feel like he’s hoping he got to it quick enough.

“Cool I’ll bring him in now, see you in like… 30 minutes?”

“What?”

“Alrighty Tommy you and I are going to see Eret who is still in today. The rest of you can go do whatever you want to do.”

“I’m going to lay down in bed.”

“You do that big man, I'm going to get a job.”

False bravado never really hurt anyone, but it did feel a little painful when I heard Karl whisper to Sapnap where the change came to getting a job so quickly? Sapnap just pat his partner on the shoulder as he lifted him up and followed us to the front door. Dream asking if I had my phone, wallet and anything else I needed. I looked down at myself wearing a white shirt with red arms and a pair of black jeans. Pockets bulged a little from my wallet but that’s fine. I gave him the thumbs up as we stepped downstairs. Moving past the guards who went to stop me before seeing Dream with me. Sapnap and Karl wouldn’t have been enough but he was. Finally useful for something Dream we love that for you. 

“So they will let me go if I’m with you?”

“Yep.”

“And would they let me go if I got a job?”

“I’d make them.”

“You are a scary son of a bitch sometimes you know that Dream.”

“Tommy we have the same parents, we are both sons of bitches.”

“Ah, true.”

“And besides, if Sam wants you to not work with us, then he can’t stop you from working somewhere else. I suppose all I can really say is don’t let people know you can heal yeah? I mean it’s not a secret to keep to yourself, I don’t care what you do. Just be careful. Eret only knows that you are my brother. You can tell her whatever you want.”

“Ok, I have time to think of a plan.”

On the drive to wherever the library was. I kept tossing up the idea of mentioning I had powers vs not telling people. I was so used to being used for my abilities as I grew up, at one stage it was scary to use them. Now I was getting weird feelings if I didn’t use them which hurt a bit more than it should have. It was something I didn’t really want to think about but, maybe I could figure something out. I’d just need to find a way to heal people and get used to it again right? Punz always said our powers get stronger with constant use. He can heal dozens of people with minor injuries without getting tired, or he said he could probably help five people with major injuries before exhaustion sets in. One more person and he’d pass out. So I ran that idea in my head as well. I mean there is a lot of crime on the streets, people would get hurt but I can’t run out in my Hero’s uniform, I’m pretty sure Sam already made the decision to retire Red Cross due to personal reasons. After a 20 minute drive. Dream pulled into the lot of a rather large Library situated only three blocks down from the National Bank. The lack of walls was a worry as there were no real supports around the outside of the building, simply glass windows floor to ceiling the full way. But a clear addition on the left side of the building, as the windows were broken up with what looked like concrete walls supporting the cafe side of the business. Pillars spread out around the building, likely to support the roof as the floor is surrounded with a cascading rhythm of random colours. 

“The floors can be a bit to look at sometimes but Eret knows what she’s doing. Something about Colour blocking theory, I don’t get it.”

“It looks really nice.”

“I’m telling her you said that.”

Stepping inside the building, leading me up to the receptionist desk. I watched as an older lady looked at us both giving us a strange look before her mouth turned up a little. Her eyes only looked down.

“How can I help you?”

Ah yes, the fake customer service voice we all know and love. Thanks Gladys, you old bitch. 

“We have an appointment to see Eret.”

“And how would she know you?”

“My name’s Dream Baron.”

“Yeah I don’t think you are in our system, try again tomorrow.”

“The hell crawled up your ass and died.”

“We don’t serve people like you or your brother here.”

“It’s a public library, Ma’am. Technically, you serve everyone here. Just because you are in District 1 does not mean you get to act snooty when you work a front of house job. You work with the public, not the government. If you aren’t a people person, why take a job here.”

“That’s enough from you, security.”

As she called for security, I wondered why the fuck, would a public library here need security. For the cafe sure but they looked fine over there. Dream pulled his phone out again.

“Yeah Eret we are out front. Cool see you soon.”

“You aren't a smart boy.”

“Dream, so glad to see you.”

I turned to see a tall person walking out, shoulder length curled hair wearing a light white blouse and corset combination with a, rather pretty royal purple skirt from the waist down. 

“Hi, glad to see you, you must be Tommy right?”

“Yeah hi.”

“So, tell me, since you live with your brother here I have a couple things I want to ask out here in the public eye so as to not overwhelm you with anything just a few quick things. You know who your brother is right?”

“Dream, a hero, yeah.”

“Right, have you worked a job before?”

“Uh technically I guess I could answer and say yes but like, if you went to look for it you would probably not find proof.”

“Ominous but I know how heroes work. Do you know how to handle the input of data into a system and categorization of multiple different levels of tomes and books.”

“I think it’s just going to be easier if I say I worked with Punz in the Medbay doing their filing and data entry.”

The glint in her eyes shone quite nicely as she stood up straight and I could hear a slight pop in her back.

“Are you ok?”

“Hm? Oh yeah I’m fine, just hunched over all day doing paperwork. Tommy, do you know how to make coffee or have any interest in learning?”

“I thought we were talking about the library side?”

“Most of my younger staff know how to do both. Our older staff have expressed that they wish to do one or the other based on how they feel at the time so I make sure my younger staff can handle the café in case someone needs something. They have their own manager and opening hours so I mainly just drop by to see how things are going and talk to everyone. Are you fine working with people?”

“Working with, I was on my own in the office a fair bit but I talked to coworkers regularly.”

Not a complete lie, if I was in my office typing up reports or sending off any files that were needed then I’d be in contact with some of the other heroes in the building whenever I needed them. Mainly I’d deal with Jack or Connor down in the Tech department but sometimes I’d go see Bloom if I needed more specific details about a bust she did.

“Cool welcome aboard we can get you started tonight if you want?”

“I what?”

“Eret are you hiring them now?”

“Oh yeah Miriam you’re fired, thank you for your services to my business. You can leave at any time, though preferably now. I’ve been meaning to do that for a couple of weeks but you are so hard working in getting the work done that using you to stay ahead has been absolutely critical in keeping the doors open. But I’m afraid your services are no longer required. Thank you for your continued work in allowing this public space to be accessed by anyone and everyone and I hope you have a lovely time. And don’t worry about your pay, it will still be added for the rest of today and I will be in contact with your retirement agency tomorrow. Now, Dream could you please come with me, Tommy I’ll get you to tag along as well.”

The three of us stood in shock as the lady walked away. Dream raised an eyebrow at her before tapping my shoulder twice. Causing me to move while the Miriam lady froze in shock. I didn’t want to be around in case she had an outburst because she already made me think she was the type of person to do so.

“So you are hiring him like that?”

“Oh yeah, Dream I owe you so much more than just financially. You invested in a dream I had…”

“Ugh.”

“Shut you love me. But you invested in an idea I had years ago, you helped me get to where I am today and have done more than you could ever imagine for me. This little favour is literally the least I can do. And there is always something here for Tommy to do. If he has trouble in the reception, I can get him stacking and itemizing. If he can’t handle that, I can put him in the office inputting data all day. If he needs to be more hands on, I can put him in the Cafe early morning with Chu.”

“Chu?”

“Ah, Niki, but I like little nicknames, her friends used to call her Nihachu online so we shortened it to Chu. You can blame our friend Demi for that one. Oh, before I move on. She has some burn marks on her legs from a while ago. Don’t question it and she is fine. Just something I think I should point out for you. But yeah Demi and nicknames… He explained how the Aussies do nicknames and honestly it was fun, he calls me Queen.”

“How did you get that nickname?”

“Well, he started with my name, Eret. When he worked for a little while, he found out I was trans and preferred female pronouns. Oh right yours what are your pronouns?”

“Uh? Tommy?”

“No, That’s funny but no. I mean he/him? She/her? They/Them?”

“Oh right, He/him.”

“Thanks, Anyway, so he found I was trans, and started acting careful around me cos he was scared of messing up. I told him not to worry so he started saying I was more than a boss, like a really good friend but powerful. He thought about someone powerful and started to call me P for power. Then when that wasn’t working in his head he started calling me Queen.”

“So he? I don’t get it.”

“He took my name, found out something about me, called me something associated with it, then took the position I held and worked in a separate nickname for that. Then he combined the two, so P and my position as the boss and called me Queen.”

“Nope, still don’t get it.”

“He will probably find something for you at some stage. And it’s going to be strange but he means well. Now I’m going to ask you this in private. How old are you Tommy?”

“16.”

“No school?”

“I don’t want to get into that but no.”

“Absolutely understandable, you would be the first one I’ve hired full time then. Due to labour laws, I normally wouldn’t be able to make you work any earlier than 8am or any later than 8pm. But you are full time, your brother is a hero and no one knows who you are so if anyone asks, you are 18 working a fulltime job. This gets you out of the house more and earlier and we can teach you some things while you are here too.”

“Last question. Tommy do you have any powers that we should be aware of or things we should know. Obviously I know who your brother is and I know what he can do. But I want to ask if you can do anything so we can be aware.”

I was still having that war in my head. If I told her, then who knows what could happen. I might be used again but Eret seems really nice. She doesn’t seem like the type of person who would do that. But I didn’t know anyone else here. If someone gets hurt in the café, burning themselves on something then that could be a red flag for me but I can handle myself. If I did say something, well I’m already a target being Dream’s brother, but if people found out I could heal as well then it could be a disaster. What if I got kidnapped or something serious happened? What if I say what I can do and it changes the way she looks at me. There was something about Eret that just made me feel so relaxed. Like I could trust her to keep me safe.

“No. Completely powerless and let me tell you, I’m fucking pissed.”

Chapter Text

It took Dream all of ten seconds to make the decision to leave me at the library at 1 in the afternoon. Eret showed me around the back office rooms as well as the computer systems up the front. Explaining that it was actually super easy to understand and get through, it shouldn’t give me a hard time at all. Though knowing me I’d be fine if it was more complicated. 

“So essentially, each book has the barcode on the back. You scan that and it registers the book either into our system if it’s been checked out and returned, or it will bring up the ID on the screen where you just need to click that it’s being checked out. The machine then does the rest and after a few seconds the book will be digitally taken out of the archive, you then ask if they have their library card. If they don’t then an email will do. Scan the card or input their email and it sends them a digital receipt with the book or media they are borrowing and a week limit to bring it back. You will learn quickly who are the good ones and who aren’t but considering we have their details, they can’t get far.”

“Do you have a fucking debt collection person go out and get the books back or something?”

“I have other ways to make people nervous.”

“Why does that sound really ominous?”

“It sounds however you want to take it.”

“You are slightly more on the dark side than the light side of this whole greyscale shit aren’t you?”

“It’s only a scale if you make it one. Now once a person has checked out, if there’s no one at the reception then we move to our trolley here.”

She moved us over towards the stacked trolley of books. A haphazard concoction of books barely standing up. It was on the verge of falling over and it gave me way more anxiety than it should.

“Firstly, I’m glad I fired Miriam. She makes my life hell because these were perfectly stacked before. If you see a single scuff on any book tell me. But essentially we would place the books neatly into the trolley, and you would take the time to go around and put them in their correct spots. Before you get annoyed or think it will take too long, The books here are placed in alphabetical order from the author. So if there are multiple books by one author, You will find them all together. And then the books are placed in series order. So let’s take for example this author here. The Non fictional author Mephi Stopholes. Pronounced f instead of stop holes. They have a few books but none in a single series. So they are easy to find and place back. You can usually tell just by the cover and title what section they should be in so you go from there. It’s best to group them into genres first, then go from there. Saves time. But you would put their book in where the Author is, then the series. If there’s no series, it doesn’t matter where it goes as they are all standalone stories.”

“Sounds simple enough. Why are you going over the top with the explanation? It’s just putting books away.”

“Tommy, did you actually look around before you walked in here?”

“I mean I saw the windows, that was cool, and the café looked nice.”

“Do you drink coffee?”

“I shouldn’t.”

“I’ll teach you how to make your own then. Anyway, actually look around you Tommy, this library is the public center for literature in District 3. We house the most books in the city, very nearly reaching 40 thousand books. And that doesn’t include DVD’s, Computers for businesses only, don’t let anyone rent them out without a company credit card because we charge them per day per unit. This doesn’t include video games and many other pieces of media. There's a lot here. So I’m making sure to over explain, in case you get lost. If you do, don’t panic. Just come back here and ask for some help. Or if you are really in a pickle, give me a call by pressing this button here. It just sets off a very light ding in my office. If I don’t respond then hold it down for 5 seconds and it sends me a ping to my phone.”

“This is really fancy… for a library.”

“I pay for the best now that I can. That’s the first one I got done by a tech company when I could afford them. I think the CEO’s kid still comes in every now and again and grabs a coffee. I’ll introduce you to him later. We don’t charge him.”

“Sounds like a profit loss.”

“Think of it like we owe them for helping us out. They cut the price a little in exchange for coffee. Sure after a few years that will start to become a loss but that’s so far down the line, They saved me a few thousand dollars. I’m fine giving them $3 coffee every day.”

“Right. Next?”

Over the next hour, Eret led me around to meet the other staff, mostly adults at this time with one college kid who was studying a bachelors in Marine Biology which seemed cool. She was nice but busy. She led me along as I put some of the books back. Until it was an hour later. At the chime of the light cuckoo clock hanging from the front of the library, she lit up as she told me to bring the trolley back, I had to meet someone important. I put the trolley back behind the receptionist's desk, walked over to the café as she asked me to before I left and watched her set up the coffee machine and get herself ready. 

“Tommy, hey, So this is how we run everything here. Honestly it looks difficult with all the knobs, buttons etc. But really you aren’t doing much. You are more so prepping each station first, the machines do the rest.”

“Ok.”

“Just don’t tell Techno I said that, he thinks I actually do the work here.”

“Don’t tell me what?”

I turned at the much deeper and gruff voice and almost flinched. Standing in front of me was a rather tall and stout young gentlemen, Slightly pink skin with Corse, faded lines across his face, the man stood casually wearing a suit and pants combo, a red and yellow tie spiraling down from the top to bottom as thin strands of pink hair, as if to match the tone of his skin, spilled roughly at the top of his neck before getting much thicker by the bottom of a long ponytail.

“About how much work I actually do here.”

“You do plenty of work Eret and we love that you keep yourself and your business open for everyone. You know we respect the hard workers of L’manburg.”

“Well I’ll be sure to let you think I do more than I do… Speaking of doing even less work though technically the same. I’d like to introduce you to Tommy here. He’s our newest hire just turned 18 so he will be opening the café in the mornings so we can start earlier.”

“Ok a lot to process in that. First, less work but technically the same?”

“I fired Miriam.”

“God damn I’ve been waiting for that old  hag to kick the bucket, I’ll take this instead. Second, newest hire at 18. Kid don’t you have actual dreams?”

I should have realised how annoying it would be to hear that word thrown around considering my close proximity with the hero. But It’s better to let it go now.

“Of course, everyone does in this world but let’s be honest, I can’t just walk into a hospital and demand a job there can I? So while I take a small break from school now that I’ve graduated, I thought I’d apply here and was lucky enough to get the job.”

“You’re a strange child aren’t you?”

“Not a child.”

“No… course not. Thirdly, you said he will open in the mornings?”

“Well give it a week so I can get either myself or Niki to train him. But yes, he will be here to do mornings. Or if we can convince him, might even be able to have the cafe open at night time instead. I’ll sort it all out and let you know. What we decide on. Now regular coffee today Techno?”

“Yeah, and the board as well.”

“Got it, so Tommy…”

Walking through the process step by step. Eret showed me not just how to work the machine, but also how to clean everything as I go. Where the cups all were and their different sizes. Making sure I knew how much milk was required for one board members tea but the complete lack of milk in the black coffee that a psychopath likes to drink. 

“Any questions so far?”

“Yeah one big one actually. Since Techno is here he is the one that gets the coffee for free right?”

“Mhm.”

“And the rest of the board?”

“Oh heavens no, they all pay like everyone else.”

“So what makes Mr Blobby over there so special?”

I didn’t mean to say it out loud, Techno reacted instantly with a roaring laugh. I panicked and seized up a little but Eret simply smiled and chuckled to herself as well.

“Mr Blobby over there, is the one who implemented the system, well he did the handiwork and I have a lot more respect for him than his brother.”

“Wilbur is harmless.”

“Wilbur is a pretentious prick.”

“You are absolutely not wrong.”

“Am I gonna meet that one too?”

“Maybe one day, now that I know there’s a new worker, depending on how you do mate. I might talk to some people to go get a coffee from the new barista.”

“That doesn’t fill me with much confidence.”

“Well you know how Eret mentioned either opening earlier or having an overnight shift to test the waters?”

“Yeah?”

“I know for a fact there are a lot of bigwigs who work really late into the night. And there’s nothing better than a coffee at 11 pm, when you know you're going to still be in the office for a couple more hours. And let me tell you, these people are corporate people.”

“Which means money.”

“Which means money, you catch on quick Tommy. Sure you don’t want to get a business degree when you go back to school?”

“I’d rather save lives than destroy them.”

“Admirable way of thinking.”

“Not admirable, simply realistic.”

I watched as Techno raised one eyebrow to look at me. A little grunt coming from the older man as Eret let him know, ten minutes later that every drink was there.

“Remember if any of them get cold on the trip just nuke it for 20 seconds. These cups are incredible.”

“Always will, thank you Eret. And Tommy…”

He paid using the company card before reaching down to his pocket before picking up the drinks. Pulling out a $20 note and putting it on the table in front of me.

“Think of it like an investment. I know a hard worker when I see one. Eret look after him yeah? He’s going to give you absolute hell.”

“I’m already well and truly prepared for that. So Tommy, you remember how I said…”

I looked at the bill on the bench, looking back up to the man as he walked off, waving goodbye with his hands full, balancing the thirteen drinks in two hands. Eret pulled my attention back and gave me a soft smile with a light sigh. 

“He’s a good man. His brother like I said is a bit of a prick but he is in fact harmless I promise.”

“In my last line of work, there is no such thing as good people.”

“I’m aware you have some trauma to get through, just letting you know we do have a councilors service in house free for staff if you ever need someone to talk to.”

“I don’t need to talk to someone but thank you. Eret you mentioned the idea of either mornings or nights right?”

“Oh yeah. I was going to work out the logistics of it all first but then bring up the topic with you in a few days once I figured out all the pros and cons of it all.”

“I’ll do the night shifts. I’ll be here and keep it all open and I’ll serve coffee and other items overnight.”

“I… Hm, that was unexpected. Why did you decide that so quickly?”

“Think about it, I don’t want to be in the public eye. No one knows about me being related to Dream. If it’s the graveyard shift, even fewer people are going to be coming in, and if they are, they aren’t going to look at me for too long. Just come in, get coffee then go home. Plus it will also let the heroes who are patrolling come through and grab a drink as well. I know from Punz that there have been a few moments where heroes would come back exhausted and almost zombie-like due to not having kept up their energy. A coffee can give them that little pick me up. And I think it will help Dream be able to keep an eye on me, as obviously if he’s out patrolling then he can drop by and check in. Some of the other heroes I’ve met can do that as well. I think it would ultimately make sense. And I’d still get to have the day beforehand to do things as well.”

“One argument to your case Tommy.”

“Yes?”

“Heroes aren’t the only ones out at night. Regular criminals can get out and do things as well, You could be held up for whatever money you have in store, Vigilantes run around too. Which I’m not exactly opposed to, some of them do good work in other districts I’ve heard and I’m yet to meet a cruel one. And then the biggest part that worries me. The Villains can be spotted around as well. They mainly pop up at night under the cloak of darkness. They do their shifty work and then head out. I wouldn’t want to put you in any unnecessary danger if it meant that you could get hurt. The last thing I’d need is to come in and find you injured, or worse, dead.”

“You don’t have to worry about me, Eret. I can get Dream to nab one of the Institutes panic buttons and connect it up to his phone. That will help him relax too. Plus I have a way out incase anything happens.”

“Friends in high places?”

“I guess you could say that. How long will it take you to get yourself ready to open up the night shift?”

“Well I’ll need to go through all the security checks with you, I’ll need Dream there as well for some of it, even though you are 18 I’d still want him there so he knows what it is you are actually going to be doing. But then aside from that it’s more so teaching you a bunch of things that are needed. Shit I might need to talk to Techno about creating a door there too so we can separate the library from the cafe at night time. I don’t really feel comfortable leaving all of my security stuff on. Would you let me hire a night guard?”

“I would let you do anything you want if you run this joint.”

“Yes but you said you have friends in high places. You clearly are on good standing with the heroes institution through your brother. Let me talk to Dream and I’ll figure it out. It will probably take a little bit of time. But I’ll sort it out ok?”

“Sweet. In the meantime, teach me everything else.”

Chapter Text

It took Eret two weeks on the dot, which was rather impressive as I'd have needed to qualify for a lot of different certificates and pass other checks. I’d also have needed a security check done, not for myself but just a basic self defence course and other quick things I apparently didn’t need to do.

“Hey Tommy, welcome to your first night shift. Did you get enough sleep today?”

“Evening Eret, I tried to take a nap but I have a feeling I might crash and burn later. It wasn’t the best nap.”

“I’ll be with you tonight so don’t worry about it ok?”

That was Dreams’ first stipulation. At the very least he wanted Eret to run the night with me at least the first time, that way there wouldn’t be any interruptions and she could help me out if I needed anything straight away. I had taken home a workbook of all the different types of coffee on offer so I’d been cramming that into my head. Fade and Tubbo would help me out as well. Randomly calling at god knows what time to “order” a cup of coffee, or at least ask what was in something and I’d rattle it off. Even they seemed pretty happy with me. Fade said he would pop in every now and again as well. And Tubbo said he couldn’t leave home but that was more understandable. I’d heard his Dad was an asshole and he’s still trying to unlearn a lot of the habits he had picked up over time. Some city official who landed the role of mayor a few years back before being imprisoned for shady deals with criminals. Driving up crime in the city as a way to make himself look better when he would go out and save people at night time. Carefully creating a persona until he “got caught”. Honestly as horrible a person as he was according to Dream and Sapnap. You can’t knock his genius for what he did.

“Yeah that’s what Dream wanted.”

“And hey, if you bring a laptop or something with you, You are welcome to play some games or read a book if you ever get slow. Just make sure you set alarms then to keep the machines running and clean."

I'd already run through the idea of reading some books at night. I mean I'm going to be working overnight in a café attached to the public library. And I don't need to check it out because it's not leaving the premises.

"Yeah I had that thought."

"I don't mind if you take a book from here to read, just obviously make sure you put it back or at least on the trolley."

"I'll put it back. Putting a book on the trolley for your day staff to put away when I've been here all night is just a dick move."

"Eh, Miriam used to do it during the day in front of people."

"Miriam is a monster. It sounds like you should have let her go a few times?"

"Yeah well, she's my grandfather's partner and needed a job."

"What's the opposite of a nepotism baby? Nepotism geriatric?"

"I see what Dream said about you being a smart ass."

"I take Pride in myself."

"Speaking of, have you noticed anything about everyone who works here?"

"I don't think I've met absolutely everyone just yet but no? Am I supposed to notice anything?"

Eret wore a wide grin as she walked over and gave me such a deep hug. Something I'd learned early on that Eret liked to show affection through hugs. Something I'd psychoanalyze as what was missing from their childhood. That's usually how it goes for people, they find their love language is the thing they lacked growing up.

"Nothing for you to have to worry about."

It was now 11 pm and the city was quiet, a weird feeling considering I knew what the night time was actually like. And it wasn't usually good. 

"Hey Eret, how do you feel towards the institution?"

"Heroes? Well I'd be a bit of a hypocrite if I didn't at the very least support Dream. But he knows I'd rather stay away from it all."

"What do you mean?"

"Well if a vigilante or a villain came through in their day clothes and wanted a coffee or to borrow a book and I knew who they were. I wouldn't turn them in. I'm a businesswoman first, a citizen second. Plus as I've already told Dream, if I can make friends with people and not realise, then they might look out for me. It's already happened once."

"Do you uh… mind if I ask what happened?"

She tilted her head towards me before smiling again. She's a very bright person.

"It was about two years ago. I'd finished closing up the business and started heading home. Car was in for repairs so I couldn't get home quick enough. I'd ended up being attacked by a few low life criminals for what I thought was a random attack. Turns out they knew I'd been serving everyone, asking where my beloved heroes were now and threatened me to tell them their names. Thing is, like I said, I have no idea who people are during the day. It wasn't heroes that saved me though. Damocles was the one who jumped in and handled them. Protecting me and escorting me back home. It was sweet, I invited them in for a coffee but he said he'd be in tomorrow for a drink anyway."

"Do you know who he is?"

“I caught him out when he thought no one was around. There are hundreds if not thousands of unlicensed Powers running around the city. Some turn into criminals, others hide themselves away due to the institute. I caught him cutting off a person's abilities when they got rowdy one day. Tried to hurt one of my cashiers until he walked up to them and placed his hand on their shoulder. It was a gradual thing too, his powers were not negated immediately like Damocles can do in the field. But slow enough to where it just looked like he was talking to them. I caught him because I was the only one who kept watching even though I had Charlie call the police. Once he let go, his powers flared up a tiny bit but he eventually stopped when he looked at him again. It's hard not to take notice of people using their powers. It's really easy to take notice of them and put two and two together. Like for example if I didn't know Dream and he came in here and gave me a light jolt to get me moving again, I'd probably be able to figure out who he was. Or if Flare lit a fire somewhere accidentally. Though fire isn't as obvious you get the picture."

I got it, and it scared me just a little more. It really was easy to see if people had powers and who they were. Now that I think about it, some people were unique like Karl, George. If they used their powers it would be obvious because we don't know anyone else like that. Most heroes tried not to have a defining feature to their abilities but some can't help it. 

"Good point."

"So, I'll ask again, do you have any powers?"

"No."

"Very well. Now I need to ask you the same question you asked me. What are your thoughts on heroes, villains, vigilantes?"

I realized she wasn't asking me as Eret to Tommy, but more so Eret to the hero Dreams little brother. I could be honest, or I could play the neutral card even if it didn't sit right with me.

"I mean, I'm a little biased towards the heroes, sure. And I've seen what the villains and vigilantes can do to people. But I've also been exposed to what heroes can do to others as well. I think while I myself might understand heroes a bit more due to having worked with Punz and helped wrap up way too many injuries. I think I'm a bit of a blank slate right now. I want to work as a doctor one day. I'd need to be neutral because I wouldn't know who they are. I've had some personal run-ins with some people. I think I have had a run in with one villain in particular, Nightingale, But I don't know for sure cos two hours of my memory of that night is just gone. So I think he would scare me more than anything."

"I don't attack kids."

I looked forward towards the voice to see the tall man in question. His black trench coat and red mask made him an extremely foreboding sight to see. I felt a panic rise in my chest but Eret broke it off quickly.

"Nice to see you Night, I'd be safe to assume you want a coffee?"

"So casually?"

"Tommy let me give you some advice you will take with you to your grave. When you work in a regular business, you don't get the luxury of turning people away for whatever reason. No one has the right to say yes or no to anyone. If I have a customer, I serve them. Remember what I said earlier?"

That it could be beneficial in the long run. Right, I don't think I'll be forgetting that anytime soon. Punz heals everyone regardless of loyalty because as a doctor everyone is entitled to life. 

"Little bird told me you are going to be open overnight now?"

"Yeah, Tommy here is going to be staying open late."

"He's a bit young isn't he?"

"I'm 18."

"Sure you are."

"I'll punch you."

"Tommy, you can't go around punching your customers."

Though Nightingale simply laughed.

"It's fine, Eret. He's an interesting one. Well if you are working overnight, then I'm sure we will meet again."

A chill ran up my spine as I felt nothing but fear. Why was that concept so scary to me? Eret handed them their coffee and paid using their card. 

"Enjoy, and tell Damocles he owes me dinner."

"Will do Eret. And Tommy, Even if you yourself don't like me or anyone else. I don't mind, you're still young and now working at a time of night when you will be seeing a lot of different people. But I promise you, on my honour as a villain. We do not, ever, go after kids. That's simply fucked up beyond all belief."

He waved at us as he stepped outside with his coffee and took a sip, flinching a little as Eret laughed. Walking back in with a playful grin.

"Eret you fuck."

"Oh my I seem to have swapped the sugar with the salt. My mistake."

"I'm not telling Damo about dinner now."

"He owes me."

"I don't care you put fucking salt in my coffee what fucking criminal does that?"

"A smart one. Gotta keep you on your toes. Here, a proper one I had on the side at the same time."

"You're a smart ass."

He binned the first drink before lightly sipping the second cup. Lifting an eyebrow at the lady before walking off again.

"You just mess with villains like that all the time?"

"Only the ones I know won't do anything to me. See here's the thing, through you. I now currently run a monopoly on District 3. No one else is open at this time, no proper shops anyway. And I've heard from Damocles how shit other places are with their coffee. You will be getting a fair amount of business."

"And if I don't?"

"Then villains are about to be very scared of a librarian."

"You are terrifying."

"Not terrifying. Simply realistic."

It was another hour before Dream came in at Midnight. Checking in on me in full Hero gear and staying for a little while. Keeping up to date on how I was going from Eret and laughing as Eret explained our earlier visitor.

"Dream you're ok with it?"

"No, Tommy, I'm not. And the fact that the most dangerous villain in the city knows who my little brother is scares the fuck out of me. But I trust Eret a lot more than I will admit. And I trust that she knows what she's doing and will keep you safe."

"So you aren't doing anything about it?"

"Oh I have every intention of getting as much information as possible. Do you know what happens to people who withhold information about villains if asked by a hero? Fines are the least of their problems."

"Right, sorry."

"I want you to be a normal kid with a normal job. If that means you have to interact with villains or anyone and play nice to stay safe. Then I want you to make them feel like your on their side. I've already said to you the last thing I want is to hear you got hurt. So please if someone walks in, just play nice ok? Do what they say and just play along."

"That hurts to hear coming from you."

"I'm not stupid Tommy. I know you could get hurt simply because you know me. If word got out who knows what would happen."

It makes me wonder about any other family a hero might have in a normal job could be snatched up at any time. I suppose we are lucky that a lot of people tend to keep their identities secret. Dream is lucky that before he didn't have anyone here. Then I came along and probably made his life hell. He had to be more careful, a kid to look after now. I shouldn't have pushed to join the institute.

"Hey, no, Tommy I know that look, head up yeah? Nothing is your fault. Whatever is going on in that head of yours, nothing is your fault."

"Yeah, you tell me all the time I just get scared."

"Don't be ok. Eret will keep you safe."

"And if something happens?"

I watched him reach into his pocket and pull out a small, inconspicuous button. Lightly placing it on the bench.

"The panic button I half stole. Well I didn't steal it, Punz did."

"Punz stole it?"

"Well when he heard Sam took away his favourite little transcript, he wasn't too happy. Told him you were working an overnight job and he damn near shit bricks. Telling me how incredibly dangerous that was before I told him you were with Eret. He was… Unnaturally calm immediately after that."

"He likes me."

"He trusts you. Tommy you know I'd never put you somewhere or get you an interview with anyone I didn't trust, you know that. This is just a safety net for you from us to stay safe. If shit goes safe, hit that button and someone will be there in minutes. I promise."

"And if no one comes?"

"Then I give you full permission to do anything it takes to defend yourself."

"That's a scary thing to say as a hero Dream. I have a gun out back I could give him."

"You give my brother a gun, Eret and I swear to god."

"I wouldn't actually do that, come on, give me some credit geez."

"Right, Tommy I need to head out. I got a text from Sam saying I'm apparently not allowed to have coffee at 12:30 at night."

"I'll see you later then yeah?"

"Yeah, See you later Tommy."

The rest of the night was pretty quiet. We only had one more person come in after 1 am, and it was just as simple as Techno said it would be. As the sun rose at 6 am, a small number of people in suits started to come in, hearing word of the café opening earlier in the morning. 

"So how was your first night?"

I looked up from the machine, a drink half made to see the man in question standing in front of me. Loose shirt and pants today.

"It was good, a villain came in, a hero came in, was interesting."

"Hope the villain wasn't too scary. You are only young."

"Yeah but he was a bit of a bitch to be honest. You hear about these villains being such terrible people. Horrible and sick individuals who murder for fun and do all sorts of other shit. And here's Nightingale coming in for a coffee and getting pissy because Eret gave him salt instead of sugar."

There were quite a few people who heard the conversation and laughed, Techno having a smile on his face and chuckling to himself as well.

"You got fight, kid, I'll give you that."

"Hm, still not a kid."

"To people older than you, you will always be a kid. Anyway."

Placing his order and waiting patiently. Just for him today so I remembered not to charge him.

"I'll probably be in the morning every day now. So I'll see you tomorrow Tommy."

"Yeah, See you tomorrow Tech."

"Mocha for Luka."

I went about the rest of my shift as I could, handing out orders and making drinks alongside Eret before Niki came in, bringing with her a bunch of pastries for display and purchase.

"Hi Tommy, how did you go?"

"I'm so tired."

"I don't doubt it. Here, I made you something this morning. Should give you a little bit of a sugar kick to get you home. Do you have a lift?"

"Yeah I do. Thanks Niki, I appreciate it but you didn't have to do that."

"Nonsense, you just stayed up all night making drinks for people stupid enough to be awake. You deserve a little something."

I gave her a smile as she handed me the powdered apple strudel. I know I was trying to look nice, but in all honesty I probably looked like a rabid dog. Thanking her again as she put on her apron and tied her hair back, she let me know she was ready as she took over for me. I waved to Eret as she made herself a drink and walked out the back. Checking a few last minute things before heading home. I waited for a little bit before Karl pulled up, hopping out in his dark green and white striped jumper and Jeans. He looked comfortable.

"Hey Tommy…"

"I did fine, yes I'm tired, yes I had fun, yes I met some interesting people. Great talk, let's do it again next time."

Karl giggled to himself a little before getting back into the car and starting it up. Driving me home in relative silence before dropping me off. Grabbing his uniform from Sapnaps room and heading off. He poured me a glass of juice before leaving and making sure I was indeed going to bed.

"I'm tired, not injured. I can heal myself now."

"Want me to get Dream to give you just enough to get to bed?"

"No, I'm fine. I'll talk to you later. Night Karl."

"Good morning Tommy."

Chapter Text

The next few days and nights were normal as could be. Eret stayed for one more night and then moved back to opening in the early morning, checking in to see how I was doing or asking if I needed anything. Dream and Flare came in last night which was nice and stayed for a little before heading out. I’d been reading a book on bees, something Tubbo would probably enjoy so I checked it out that day when Eret came in then got Fade to take it over to him. He enjoyed it, which was nice. 

“That will be $4.25 thank you.”

“Here, thanks for the drink, you are saving businesses just being open.”

“I wouldn’t go that far, I’m just doing my job.”

Bitch, trying to talk me up like some piece of shit. Nothing interesting about these people that come in at night time. Techno said there would be plenty of business and around midnight there was a small influx of people. Getting some late night drinks as they stayed at work, but it meant more for me. I’d started to already get a little bit in tips, only a few dollars here and there but it was nice to be given a little reward just for being open. I’d moved back to my book after the guy left, another medical book Eret had found for me to read through. It was interesting, seeing the human body and going from pictures rather than training from Punz. I won’t lie and say I didn’t miss him, It’s been three weeks. The least he could have done was text me.

“I heard you make good coffee.”

“I make the only coffee at this… hm.”

Nightingale stepped up again, in his full uniform and mask on his face.

“Hello to you too Nightingale. I’ve heard pleasant introductions are the norm when entering a place of business.”

“I’d give it to you if you weren’t such a little gremlin. I told Damocles about dinner with Eret by the way. He said he’s organizing it with her tomorrow.”

“And why are you telling me this?”

“Well I thought you would want to know. I thought you would enjoy your boss being happy.”

“I do enjoy her being happy.”

“Then you will be glad to know. Anyway I’ll take my usual tonight.”

I made the movements to make his drink like clockwork now. A regular occurrence every night so far that I had his order at least memorized, which was nice because I was still learning everyone else's.

“Are you liking working here?”

“To be honest, It’s quiet enough where I can sit and read or do something on my phone. But it still gives me something to do so I can feel like I’m helping people. I suppose it’s a start for now. Something to use and save for when I want to go back to school next year.”

“Smart kid?”

“Top of my classes. It’s one reason why I wanted to go into medicine. I see what happens out there all the time. The fighting, the violence, someone needs to look after the victims and those that get hurt.”

“Would you heal someone like me?”

The question held a lot of weight, I knew it did. It’s not something to lightly think about.

“Heal, no…”

“You literally just said…”

“I know what I said you didn’t let me finish. I said no, because I don’t have the power to heal. I have the power to help in my hands, what I do to ask what pills are needed, to use a thread and needle to stitch someone back up. I can do that much. And if I had to heal a villain. I wouldn’t like it, but no matter how much carnage you cause, how many people get hurt or killed. Everyone deserves to live. Whether you chose the right or wrong path. Everyone deserves the chance to survive.”

“Words of wisdom from a 16 year old.”

“I’m 18.”

“No you aren’t. Anyway, I’m going to give you a little present.”

“A what?”

As he stepped forward, pulling a small toy out of his pocket, it only fit in the palm of my hand but it’s cute I won’t lie.

“A little gift from me to you.”

“I don’t like the way you say that.”

“It’s a toy, I thought you would like it.”

“It’s cute.”

“Good, if you rip its head off there’s a panic button in it.”

“The fuck Nightingale?”

“I’m kidding, It’s one of those squeeze ones. You know where you press its foot and it makes a sound. Anyway, if you squeeze it’s whole body. It will send me a little ping. I know for a fact you would have a hero’s call button. You work for Eret, Eret has good standing with everyone and I know she would have asked someone to give you something. But, Eret also has a good relation with the Syndicate. Or at least a working relationship don’t look into it. It's nothing bad I promise. Just keep it in mind if something happens.”

“Why me?”

“You are by yourself, in a very dangerous part of the city. You are also very young so I’m more worried about you getting hurt and then having to incur the wrath of a woman scorned than I would ever be about you getting hurt. I’m a villain, I kill people if I need to but mostly out of defense.”

“You kill people because you can.”

“I kill people because sometimes people need to die. Let’s actually talk about this. I genuinely want to hear your opinion. You have a lot of medical knowledge, which means you worked in an industry that either had healers, or trained healers. You talk like someone who has seen a lot of shit, whether that means you have seen some shit in your life, or you have been subjected to horrible things just for being alive. Your parents probably have nothing to do with you or are dead, likely killed or injured in a battle with a villain or something just as bad. You would have fought for yourself, done anything you needed to survive and now landed a job with Eret, who conveniently has ties to a lot of people. Which to me means this wasn’t your first idea for a job, but something you can use to get ahead in your life. I don’t believe for a second you are 18 years old, because someone who is 18. Hasn’t usually stared death in the face and won. A person your age, even if they have gone through something traumatic, doesn’t talk like someone who has a backup plan. You are a smart child, but you are still just that, a child. I want to make sure someone as smart as you, with as noble a cause as you, stays safe and protected. Because whether you turn out to be a hero or a villain in this world. You would be worth putting the time into. I wish my staff and my workers at my company were as strong headed and intelligent as you were. Who had dreams they knew and wanted by the time they were your age.”

I let him ramble on, more and more until I got to a point where I stopped listening to his motivational speaker shit. He must have noticed I got bored and smirked.

“How much did I say?”

“Oh you said a lot, and I was listening until I stopped being interested in what you were talking about. Look Nightingale, I get it, you want me on your side because I know villains don’t get healers, they don’t get doctors. So you need to rely on finding someone who is either impartial, or someone who doesn’t mind getting exiled from their friends and community for helping or sympathizing with you guys. But here’s the thing, I don’t care. I don’t care about who you are, or what you do. I’m content working here, I enjoy the peace and quiet and I’m enjoying talking to new people. Listening to their stories late at night. I’ve had one person come in just to talk. It’s rather nice instead of getting some existential bullshit from some half brained bitch who can’t accept that they are wrong.”

“Wrong in what?”

“For one, my age. I’m 18 years old, don’t talk to me like I’m a child. And two, just because I want to be a doctor, does not mean I wouldn’t save your ass from dying. Just to likely end up dead in some hospital explosion you people want to send as a statement against some other people or the government. I don’t care Nightingale. You can go ahead and do whatever you want. People like me will still be around to see you at your worst. And to treat you like the shit people you are. You don’t see what happens to people everyday. Everyone deserves to live. That doesn’t mean you get to choose that for yourself.”

“You talk too much.”

“And you talk like a rich bitch who should fuck off and get out of my shop.”

“It’s not your shop.”

“When there is no one else here, yes it is. I already have eyes on me all the time because I don’t get to have privacy. How do you think they would feel if they saw me talking to one of the most dangerous people in the city?”

“I’d say you can realise there are worse people than myself.”

“No one is worse than a villain.”

“Yes, there are. Just not directly.”

“Sure.”

“I’ll see you another night Tommy.”

“I hope not fucker.”

Watching him walk away was one of the best feelings I could have. He was terrifying and I hated every second he was in my shop. I barely got to rest though before I watched someone else walk in, a tight business suit and a cocky grin on his face.

“You know, people would kill to talk to Nightingale, let alone have a full conversation with them without being told what to do or think.”

“I don’t care what those people think he’s a little bitch.”

I watched the man stiffen and flinch slightly as I looked down and wiped my hands on my apron.

“How can I help you sir?”

“You can first start by apologizing for talking shit about him.”

“No. It’s not something he cares about so I’m going to proceed to not stop.”

“You’re going to learn your place in this city boy."

I could see where this was going to go. Probably some underling from the Syndicate trying to make himself feel better. As soon as he flinched I was deciding on whether to fight or call for help, so I did the next best thing and pulled out my little toy and squeezed the entire thing until I felt something solid, a light sound emitting like a dog toy or something. As he looked at me weird for a second before taking a step forward.

“I’ll just have to beat some respect into you.”

I let out a sigh as he went to reach over the counter. Trying to grab my apron to pull me forwards, so I let him. He grabbed a hold of my apron and pulled me forward as I jumped towards him. Placing my hands on the bench, and swinging my legs quickly to the side, knocking over one of my jars to the ground but that’s negligible. I watched his eyes go wide for a single second as he kept hold of the fabric. Landing my feet in front of my hands, keeping crouched before launching myself at him, my hands reaching out to grab his shoulders, knocking him backwards and onto his ass as I pulled my legs into a crouching position now on his chest. Kicking off with my feet, pushing him further into the ground and likely cracking something as I leaped off and landed a few feet ahead of him. I suppose you can take me out of the Institute but you could never untrain me. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you. You fucking shit, I’ll kill you.”

I watched his hand reach slowly into his jacket, likely from pain moving his arms which put pressure on his chest. I reacted quickly and without thought as I kicked his hand that pulled something silver out of his jacket pocket. The weapon flying into the counter as the force of its impact left the smallest dent in the bench and I was not looking forward to explaining that to Eret. Luckily for me, just as quickly as Nightingale left, he quickly returned, running inside to see the man on the ground, the handgun resting on the floor and myself standing over him.

“The fuck Tommy?”

“I needed a witness.”

“What did you do to him?”

“I’ll shoot that fucking grin off your face.”

“Likely a cracked floating rib but aside from that he’ll be fine. He came at me first anyway.”

“Why the fuck would he do that?”

“I called you a little bitch. He walked in all macho and shit saying how people would kill to just talk to you, I said I don’t care Nightingale is a bitch, then he got angry and went to have a go at me. Saying I’m going to learn my place in this city. I said Lmao no. He grabbed me by the apron so I jumped on the counter, launched at him, knocked him down then kicked off him. Basic stuff really. He went to grab a gun so I kicked his hand and he probably has a broken finger at least.”

Nightingale stood in awe for a second before looking up at the cameras. Pulling his phone out of his pocket and dialing someone. Putting it on speaker when they picked it up.

“What?”

“Damocles, watch the video footage of the café from like, five minutes ago.”

We waited for a few seconds as the man tried to get up and move forwards to grab the gun.

“ You aren't going anywhere. You stay there and don’t think about killing Tommy.”

I had never seen Nightingale use their powers in person. It was a little terrifying watching the man's whole body freeze before he stopped leaning towards the gun and lay back down. 

“Unnecessary Night.”

“He deserves it. Are you watching?”

For a few moments there wasn’t a sound before Damocles started laughing, leaning back down to the phone after a couple of seconds.

“L.”

“Really?”

“+ Ratio.”

“You hang around the younger kids too much at work.”

“They are way more interesting than the meetings you go to everyday. I’d rather work out of office and teach our interns how to do their job. Someone has to fix the electronics in this city. Who else would you get to do it. I’ll send Eret a text now.”

“Aren’t you having dinner?”

“Tomorrow dickhead.”

“I’m not a dickhead, you can’t talk to me like that, I'm your brother.”

“L. Self burn.”

“Fuck you. Just send the video to Eret, I’m dealing with this.”

“Yo Tommy, hit him again?”

“The fuck? No. I’m not going to hit him again, he's already down.”

“Would you help him?” 

“I don’t have many resources and I’m partially inclined to tell him to fuck off considering he tried to shoot me.”

“I’ll deal with him.”

I watched as Nightingale leant down and whispered something to the man, the man started freaking out and screaming but his body reacted on its own. Getting off the floor and walking outside.

“I’ll see him in a minute. Want another panic button?”

“I more so did it to prove to you I don’t need help. And a witness is good, even if you’re a villain.”

“Warming up to me, are you Tommy?”

“No, I still think you’re a little bitch.”

“Alright Gremlin I’ll kick your ass next.”

“I don’t have any powers so no thanks, That’s unfair.”

“No powers but trained anyway, I don’t believe a single thing you tell me. But I don’t compel kids to talk. I also don’t fight children.”

“I’m not a kid.”

“Bullshit to the highest degree. I’ll take another coffee now, you ruined my last one calling for help you didn’t need.”

“I’m still charging you.”

“You’re an asshole.”

I made Nightingale his new coffee, charged him the same price anyway, and also told him about the glass jar. 

“That’s not my fault.”

“One of your men tried to hurt me, any damage caused in the middle of a fight with a Syndicate member is then legally liable to the Syndicate.”

“It’s like what? $10 dollars from down the street.”

“Still charging it to you.”

“You are pure evil.”

“Capitalism is evil.”

“True.”

“Also, literally a villain so fuck off.”

“Also true. Alright goodbye Tommy.”

As he left, I looked back up at the camera and gave Damocles a light wave before moving to grab the broom and dustpan to sweep up the glass that shattered. The night continued uneventfully thankfully until Eret came in at 6 am, an hour earlier than normal around people coming in to get their early morning drinks.

“Tommy, do you want to answer me to what the hell happened last night?”

“I know you saw the footage.”

“Yeah look, I’m proud of you. And you proved your point to them but still. That was so stupid you could have gotten hurt.”

I gave her a dead look as I stared at her down. 

“Don’t give me that look you are a menace I swear.”

“I am fine, Eret. Nothing I couldn’t handle, otherwise I wouldn’t have asked for help just to prove my point that I’m not some kid who needs to be looked after. Also you saw what happened.”

I handed out another drink as the last few customers came up and ordered, Eret still looked at me for answers but I pointed over to the customers standing and waiting.

“I still can’t believe you did what you did.”

“I told the guy who was in here, not yours, that I’m charging the damage of the Jar to the company, and the damage to the bench down there.”

Eret moved forward and looked at the small dent in the counter at the bottom. As well as we were now missing a Jar and that I had replaced it with a little glass plate to place the sugar cubes onto. 

“Are you charging them to fix it?”

“Mhm.”

“What time is it?”

“Uh, six in the morning.”

Eret turned to see the tall, slightly pink skinned man that has come in every day so far since we opened the night and had popped in daily since I had started working here. 

“Always on time Tech.”

“Never miss a day right..? Uh Tommy might get worried about me.”

“I wouldn’t worry for a second about you mate.”

“Wounded I am.”

Eret smiled slightly before picking up their phone, showing me a message from Nightingale.

“He’s going to actually fix it. As he should.”

“Fix what?”

“Guy tried to mug or shoot me last night.”

“And you don’t have a problem with that?”

“Course not, I kicked his ass, I’m a big man and I don't get mugged. Unmuggable I am. Absolute legend, right.”

“Sure Tommy.”

Eret made Techno’s drink before handing it to him. It was rather funny seeing the taller guy look a little flushed, his skin around the cheeks going a darker shade of pink before taking it and coughing to himself. As Techno walked off without saying goodbye, I could see Eret looking ahead with a funny look in her eyes. I walked over to her and whispered lightly.

“I thought you were dating Damocles?”

“What?”

“Dinner?”

“Oh, Damocles owes me dinner because he interrupted mine a few times, so I told him he owes me dinner and I want it to be good. I know he can afford it.”

“So you aren’t dating him?”

“No Tommy. I’m not dating him, and besides. I like someone else.”

“Real fucking smooth you are there Eret. Anyway I still have two hours to go before Niki gets here with something to eat so If you don’t mind, while you think about your not boyfriend. I’m going over here to sweet and clean up.”

Not boyfriend, honestly I’m a genius.

Chapter Text

I’d been working the night shift for a week now, still learning about the different drinks available. We weren’t a proper cafe with all the bells and whistles, but we have a couple of flavourings available. One lady started to get some caramel in their drink so all power to her. I’ve enjoyed it so far but one thing I noticed was there weren’t any vigilante’s that had come in yet. I had heard from Nightingale that there were a few that had been spotted running around. However they tended to stay away from open businesses due to them focusing more on their patrols. Which made sense, the man more than made up for the lack of neutral parties I suppose. He had turned up a lot lately and sat for an hour one night just chatting. I still hate who he is as a person, but he’s a really normal person which bugs me. I want to hate him because I’ve seen the destruction, I’ve seen the torment he has caused on people, on my friends and I hated that I was just casually striking up a conversation with him because I couldn’t let him know who I was. And it pains me.

“Oh, and then, Damocles fucking chased after her and ended up getting trapped in the vines. It was rather funny to see him struggle when I could have just cut him down but where’s the fun in that right?”

“So you left him there? For how long?”

“Eh, an hour I think. He was really pissed when I let him down. I didn’t even try to correct him, I just cut them and watched him fall. He was fine, he’s a hard headed prick.”

“And you’re a bitch, it seems to run in the family.”

“Oh piss off you little Gremlin. Has anyone given you any trouble since the first time?”

“No, Just you.”

“Me?”

“Yes you, are annoying.”

“You love me.”

“No I don’t, you are a horrible person.”

“Shush you. Anyway.”

He began talking more about something else, Damocles most likely, not looking behind him as I watched Sapnap in full uniform walk towards the library and he looked pissed. I looked at Nightingale and back. While the man still had his head down, I shook my head, hoping he got the hint. He must have because I watched him throw his hands up in the air, pull his phone out. Text someone, Fade appeared behind him, took him and then another minute later. Sapnap appeared again in civilian clothes. He still looked towards me with an exhausted look before taking a deep breath and walking inside our new doors that Techno finished up yesterday. The man worked quickly but probably could have been done a little sooner if Eret wasn’t always feeding him and getting him a drink. 

“Tommy, you have no idea the bullshit I’ve had to put up with… Oh. uh…”

“Hm? Oh shit you have a customer. That’s cool I’m just drinking, feel free to order. I'm good.”

“You… but.”

“Hm? Oh right, hang on. Don’t call the police. I have no intention of hurting him. I’m literally just here having a chat cos tonight is boring.”

“Ok fuck you, I wasn’t going to call the Police cos we know how corrupt those fucks are. They would probably take Tommy in for talking to you so casually and think it’s some fucking Syndicate shit.”

“Calm down or I’ll tell your husband.”

“You leave him out of it, are you ok? He actually hasn’t touched you has he?”

As he spoke, getting frustrated as he stepped closer to the counter before actually standing behind it and grabbing me by the arms, quickly checking them before he moved up to check my face and neck. I started pushing his face away from mine but he wouldn’t get off so I punched him in the stomach, not hard enough to cause damage but enough to get him off me.

“Ah, you fuck.”

“I’m fine. He hasn’t touched me, hurt me, or anything.”

“Did you know Tommy could fight? He took out one of our Syndicate officers that tried to mug him. Just because he called me a little bitch.”

“You called Nightingale a little bitch Tommy what the fuck is wrong with you.”

“What? He is.”

“We don’t hurt kids.”

“You don’t hurt kids? I don’t care if you don't hurt… Well actually I do care don’t do that. But you're a villain, your whole thing is attacking people and hurting others. You blew up a fucking building’s basement.”

“In our defence it was a drug den.”

“You blew it up, there were people down there.”

“And now there is no drug den, no smugglers and the drug rate has dropped.”

“How are you defending yourself here, they could have been saved.”

“Probably but why spend our money to help people who clearly don’t want it.”

“Please stop fighting, I don't care enough to deal with your bullshit. And Nightingale, you have been here for an hour, stop arguing with my friend.”

“Ah you like this one, ok I’ll keep an eye out for you.”

“What the fuck does he mean by that Tommy?”

Sap froze at Night’s voice. There was no compulsion, it was something you could tell when he used it. But he didn’t say anything like that. Instead Sap was just scared. It was, as far as he could tell. Only us, and no one else would ever know if something happened. 

“The cryptic motherfucker here, means that he would keep you safe on the streets if he ever sees you getting attacked because you are friends with me.”

“Hang on, wait how often has Nightingale been coming in here?”

“Uhh every night I’ve been open so far. He came in when Eret was here too.”

“And she didn’t do anything?”

“Oh Dream came in like an hour after and we told him.”

Sapnap continued talking as I noticed Nightingale take their turn to freeze. 

“Dream came in not long after me?”

“Yeah, he said that he heard there was a new shop that was open all night and wanted to stop in and see if I was going to be ok. He gave me a panic button just in case cos I’m the only shop open that sells decent coffee and tea, and that I was so young. He said he would hate it if something happened to me.”

“Tommy, do you hear yourself? Am I the only one who thinks this whole situation is absolutely fucked? Tommy, you have Nightingale in front of you and you are not scared. And you had Dream come in already on your first night to check you were ok. You don’t think that should set off any alarm bells?”

“Oh it does, I know it does. But you need to understand Nick… Sorry. That I’m as safe as humanly possible. Nightingale has come in every night and has even stayed around to watch just in case. Damocles came in one night too but he just grabbed a drink and left.”

“TOMMY! This is fucking ridiculous. I can’t with you right now.”

“I’m safe, and I’m fine. Ok? Trust me. You trust me don’t you?”

The silence kind of spoke volumes as he slowly stepped back around to the other side of the counter, eyeing the villain closely as he ordered a cup of tea. He didn’t move from his spot, eyes focused entirely on Nightingale, the absolute dickhead of a human being playing fucking candy crush on his phone as he leaned down on the counter. After I handed Sap his drink, he looked at me.

“I’m telling your brother.”

“He already knows.”

“WHY IS EVERYONE OK WITH THIS! You know what? Fuck it, Fuck this. I’m going the fuck home to my normal house and my normal life. This is too much of a mindfuck right now.”

As soon as Sapnap left, We both watched him leave and turn the street to walk away. I knew he would walk for maybe five seconds before getting Fade to pick him up. Nightingale turned to me and asked what his deal was. I just said Paranoia.

“Normal life, normal home, what was all that about?”

“Well he’s married so I don’t know. Maybe he’s going to go cry to his husband about what’s going on and then talk to my brother about it all.”

“Why was he so pressed though, did he not trust you to look after yourself?”

No time like the present at this stage.

“No, he trusts me, I know he does. But my brother is a hero, and they have been friends for a really long time so it’s hard for him to understand that there is a separate life to the Institute sometimes.”

“Wait, that was a hero?”

“No, just a really good friend to my brother who is one. I don’t really agree with a lot of their policies. Or at least I don’t anymore, but still.”

“Strange fucking child.”

“Not a child.”

“Still don’t believe you. Alright, I’ll leave you alone. I do actually have some work to do.”

“Nightingale before you leave.”

“What?”

“If I find out you lay a finger on one of my best friends just because you know that information. I’ll use the full extent of the power of Eret to absolutely destroy you.”

“She wouldn’t be able to hurt me.”

“Damocles could.”

The man in front of me stiffened before relaxing for a half second.

“If he’s in his cute little hero outfit trying to be good and gets in my way. I hold no responsibility because I don’t know who he is.”

“That’s different. You hurt him out of action and I’ll kick your ass myself.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

“Fuck off.”

He was pissing me off now, One job Night, you have one fucking job. Don’t touch my friends. The night was relatively calm until my phone started ringing, pulling it out of my pocket to see a call from Dream.

“Yes?”

“I know I said play nice but a full conversation Tommy the fuck?”

“I literally can not stop someone from walking in here just because I don’t want to talk to him. Do you know how long he’s been in here since that guy tried to hurt me? He’s spent hours here over the last few days. He’s been in here more than you have so don’t give me that bullshit.”

“I don’t like the idea of you making friends with Syndicate members.”

“You didn’t seem to have a problem with them sending me out to beat them up at 15?”

“You know for a fucking fact that I tried to make sure you were stuck in an office instead. You’re the one who let slip about the healing. You’re the one who started joining us for training everyday.”

“So you don’t want me to be friends with the enemy so I’m safe at any point in time? So you want me to be fucked if someone can’t get to me in time?”

“Tommy you’re fucking gaslighting me right now I don’t care. But you need to understand the severity of this situation. I need you to be safe, I got that job for you because I thought it would be good for you to have a normal life for once. Clearly that was never going to work.”

“I’m essentially a child fucking soldier bitch. The only good thing is I don’t have to heal anyone every second of the day. It’s not my fault one of you is already dead because of Sam’s decisions. Which I hope he feels absolutely horrible for.”

“He hasn’t even mentioned it to us.”

“He’s an idiot.”

“You're telling me.”

“Is there an actual reason you wanted to talk to me? Or is it because Sapnap’s being a little bitch?”

“I’m not a bitch Tommy, this isn’t normal.”

“I’m sorry that they have taken a liking to me, It’s not my fault I’m fucking perfect. And besides you aren’t even patrolling tonight Dream. You could have come by and seen me, but no I had to signal to Sapnap not to fuck it up. I’m making friends with him for my own selfish reasons. I’ve already had one person try to attack me, if you want me to have a normal life, then let me make friends with the Syndicate as well, because you may not always be there for me and I’m going to have to rely on someone else. Might as well be friends with both sides of the powerful spectrum that holds this city in place.”

Dream had not responded yet but Sapnap tried to curse me out, telling me it was such an irrational thing to do. Even Karl had said it wasn’t the smartest thing to do but he wouldn’t change anything. With in turn got Sap to shut up. 

“Sap if I genuinely thought he was in danger, I would have gone to see what happened right? Blue in, Orange out and you would have seen that. You would have been the first person I’d have told. But I actually think Tommy is the smartest one here.”

“I mean I am but tell them why specifically.”

“Smart ass, think about it, Dream, Tommy is right. You aren’t always going to be able to help him. But if he has the Syndicate in his good graces, and we know Eret already does, That’s so good for him. He’s 16 years old Dream, I would want him to be the safest he could ever be. And having both the Hero’s institution and The fucking Syndicate to call on for help. I’d put my differences aside for one night if it means working with them to get Tommy back, god forbid something happened to him. And it seems like Nightingale is quite nice.”

“Karl, babe you did not just call him nice?”

“Ok nice may be too strong of a word, But I genuinely feel like Tommy is safe alright?”

“I’m not disagreeing with you, I just hate that I’m trying so hard to keep him safe.”

“Have you looked at the camera footage?”

I looked up at the camera in the corner of the room, a perfect visual for the entire cafe space. Something I didn’t think would scare me this badly. What if he saw exactly how many times someone came in? What if he saw what happened with that guy?

“I’ve tried already, Footage gets deleted for a stretch of time before coming back to Tommy just being alone.”

“Wait what?”

“Yeah Dream wanna run that by me again big man?”

“The camera footage looks like it’s been deleted. Which gives me more concern that you aren’t actually safe anymore. Why would someone delete the footage, and only for a certain period of time. And I went back and looked, It’s always you by yourself one moment, and then after a while when the camera cuts back in, you are by yourself again. If what you said about Nightingale coming in every night has been true. Then someone is deleting the footage as it’s happening.”

“Strangely enough, that’s terrifying me.”

“That’s scaring me, Tommy. You might be making friends with Nightingale, but if they can’t see anything or are deleting footage as it’s happening, that’s not something to be proud of. It means they have plausible deniability. They might be wiping their tracks.”

“That’s so stupid though, why would he come back after giving me a panic button, especially after I kicked the other bitch’s ass, and then start deleting footage? That’s so counter… uh?”

“Counterintuitive.”

“Thanks Karl. Look I still have a shift to do, I’ll talk to you later.”

It wasn’t until 2am that I started getting tired. My phone had been vibrating in my pocket from messages but I chose to ignore it. I really didn’t want to have to worry about Dream anymore than I had to right now. I mean since the first night he has come in once. And that’s the only time I’ve seen him thanks to working all day and well into the afternoon after I leave. I feel like shit, I just want to see him sometimes. It’s nice to have someone else there and not just be alone. My hands have been starting to get that buzz again and it feels like red hot needles digging into my skin. The feeling is awful and I hate everything about it. I looked over towards the coffee machine, a thought running through my mind for all of one second before immediately getting rid of it. Shaking my head and instead making myself a cup of tea. The fact that the idea got in my head, I blame George that fucker.

“Do you have a first aid kit?”

“A what?”

I turned to the front of the store to see Damocles, standing 8 feet off the ground looking like the most bulked up fucking tank I’ve ever seen. There’s big men, then there's this bitch. His blood red cloak wrapped around his body, the golden crown on his head and fingers adorned with Jewellery. Even the axe he held in his hand was studded with crystals of all sorts. In actually looking at them now, they were green. But I don’t know shit about crystals so fuck what it actually is. He pulled his hand out and I noticed his finger had been sliced, not clean off but it was definitely dangling. I felt an immediate pull from my body towards it. And the war in my head of trying to not get caught, vs that buzz from earlier scraping into my brain was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. With George it was easy, he stabbed himself in the hand and I knew him. I knew he was a hero and I used to be. But Damocles was the scariest bitch in the city. No one who went against him usually came out unharmed. And he never had a scratch on him. So to see him now, standing in front of… Wait, his powers negate other people's abilities. I don't have to worry.

“Uh yeah, shit sorry just. Freaked out. Uh, place it under some napkins because I have to clean up the blood later and just, Stay there.”

I looked under the counter to find the kit, but it was very basic. A few gauze, some burn cream, nothing for any big cuts aside from a light bandage in a small spool. Which would do nothing for me right now. 

"Give me one minute, just keep the napkins under it for now I'll be back in a second, we have a better kit out back."

I grabbed my phone from my pocket as I ran around into the back rooms. Taking a picture and sending it to Fade. After I sent it, Fade appeared and looked around the room.

"Tommy?"

"You aren't going to like this but we need to go to my room. I need my big med kit."

"Oh, I know where it is."

He disappeared before reappearing again with my kit.

"It wasn't in your room. I kind of took it because Tubbo fell down the stairs the other day."

"You could have told me or I hope you replaced what was in there?"

"I did. You're fine so what's the emergency that you need a hero's kit? Damocles is out there but he's fine."

"How do you know that?"

"Uhh see ya."

Leaving me standing there, I shot him a text saying I'm going to kick his ass later before I ran back out to the foreboding man. I quickly moved over to him and placed my large kit down.

"That's a hero's kit."

"Shut up."

"Only heroes get those."

"I said shut up."

"What hero works here?"

"Do you want me to save that fucking finger or not?"

He shut up for a second as I expertly pulled apart the compartments, finding the alcohol and swabs, some way better quality gauze and a thick, yet short bandage roll. 

"Eret specifically doesn't hire anyone with a strong allegiance either way."

"Eret is also about to find out that the boy who owes her dinner is being a little bitch to me and won't let me help him."

"Eret would laugh at you."

"No, she would kick my ass because that means dinner will come later and the bitch is hungry. Now sit the fuck still."

I remember hearing from George that Damocles abilities never turned off. No matter when they find him, they are always left to use their fighting skills instead of powers. One reason why he would always win and our heroes ended up fucking injured. I ripped open the small pair of tweezers and poured the antiseptic into a small container from my kit. Dabbing the gauze and begging to wipe away at the base of the finger where the blood looked to dry slightly before light running it oven the cut. Once it had soaked up enough, I pulled another gauze out and dipped that one. Repeating the process so I could see the damage. It was a clean cut that went deep. Nothing he wouldn't be able to handle, but I was proud of whoever got him.

"Who were you fighting?"

"Dream, fucker got me through my hand guard."

"I'm impressed someone managed to get you."

"I'm not, it hurts."

"Yeah that's what happens when you get stabbed or cut. Not that you would know anything about that."

Damocles looked up at me as I grabbed the very thin line of thread along with a very small hooked needle, one we used to use on small cuts or on hard to reach places. It worked well but I told him this was going to hurt. I watched him bunch up his Cape and put it in his mouth, nodding to me as I wiped the needle with the alcohol wipe I had. Tied the thread around the end, and began working on his cut. As carefully and as calmly as I could, weaving the small stitches through and and around the cut before pulling it tightly and cutting off the end, tying it with two sets of thin tweezers before it fell back to keep the wound closed.

"Quick work kid."

"Not a kid. But if I want to do this for a living I might as well be good at it."

I started cleaning up my mess, putting the blood soaked items into a large piece of blue plastic that we wrapped up contaminated or biofluid soaked items up, wrapping it all up and placing it into a plastic biohazard bag that I pulled out. I put the plastic tweezers into it as well before pulling out a small sandwich bag, placing the metal items like my needle into it, separating it and reminding myself to chuck that into a small cup of disinfectant later. Damocles had lifted his hand gently, looking at his finger before letting out a little grunt.

“I never asked Damo. But would you mind if I asked about all the Jewellery?”

“Hybrid. Not many of us left nowadays actually. Most often than not the Hybrid part of a human manifests itself into magic abilities we can do. And since Hybrids had been around for thousands upon thousands of years, It eventually reached a point where bloodlines mixed and created their own sets of abilities. There are very few people who actually hold onto the physical traits of their hybrid ancestors. I was unlucky enough to get that of the Piglins. I’m rather obvious with that but when you're in a fight, people don’t tend to take much notice. Normally it’s just a light shade of pink to the skin. But in the middle of battle, the thirst for blood runs through my veins and I’ve learnt to tap into not just my powers, but the anger of my ancestors. Thank you for helping me Tommy. I’ll tell Nightingale he owes you.”

“Oh yeah, you two know each other.”

“Partner in crime.”

“Don’t say that to me ever again. I already hate that I am so used to him that my first instinct was to heal you.”

“You like him don’t you?”

“He’s a bitch.”

“That he is.”

While Tommy kept cleaning up, He handed Damocles a mop and a bucket with some water in it.

“The bucket has bleach and you have another hand. You can wipe up your own blood.”

“Is that not going to be part of your job later?”

“You are a villain, I just sewed your finger closed. The least you can do is clean up your own fucking mess. I’m going to put this back. I want that clean before you leave.”

Techno

As Tommy walked off, I couldn’t help but keep a closer eye on the young blonde as he turned the corner. I lifted my finger up to my eyes again, seeing the stitch work he did was impressive. But what shocked me the most, was the stitches were dissolving rapidly and my finger closed on its own accord. The intel was correct, and we found ourselves a healer… Haxor is getting paid tonight for that one.

Chapter Text

Nightingale hadn’t come in for a few nights, which actually went fine for me. Eret would still come in and see how I was doing, albeit slightly more anxious after I helped Damocles. Dream actually came one night to see how I was doing but he looked fine, and Niki had been bringing me extra pastries to take home for later. It was weird but I wasn’t complaining. I had my first paycheck from Eret finally after it cleared so that was nice, though i was starting to feel the strain of having an overnight job when the world is awake when you are asleep. Fade had been keeping distance from me, and even Tubbo had stopped texting me back after I told him what happened with Fade. Sapnap still wasn’t happy but I don’t care. George couldn’t have cared less but he didn’t care about a lot of things. It was 11 pm a week later after helping Damocles and I just felt wrong. I almost called in to Eret to let him know that I just wasn’t feeling good. Likely an effect on me working long hours daily. She always said if I ever needed a day off to just take it and today felt like one of those days. 

“Still here?”

I was expecting to see either a villain or hero but instead, Techno walked in with another tall guy, brown tuft hair and thin as a stick.

“Yeah, still here Tech. It’s like 11 at night, and you will be here at six tomorrow for coffee before work. Or are you guys having a late night so you won’t be in later?”

“Something like that, This is my brother Wilbur. Not blood related just like an older brother to me. Good friend."

“Hey.”

“I already don’t like you.”

The taller man sputtered slightly as Techno grinned. 

“I have said one word to you.”

“And you’re a bitch, anyway why is it bring your little brother to your favourite cafe day?”

“He wanted to see who was making my drinks, that’s literally about it.”

“Sus.”

“How is that sus? Tech won’t shut up about Eret and Eret said to meet the new guy.”

“Oh you two are the ones who Eret got to do all the tech shit hey?”

“Yeah, I handle dad’s accounting while Techno does all the…”

“Naw you here because daddy wants a coffee?”

Tech was still trying not to grin but failed as Wilbur was getting frustrated.

“Do you always talk to your customers like this?”

“Just the ones who deserve it.”

“And what made me deserve this shit?”

“Well, you are Techno’s brother, which means you would be used to his antics already. You both work for the company that Eret hired to do the work, and you both know her pretty well. I’d say I have a safe bet that you likely wouldn’t do anything because if you did, Techno looks like he would kick your ass and I don’t really like the idea of insulting Techno cos he’s so cool. Have you seen him? Big man Techno.”

“Thank you Tommy. And Wilbur…”

“What?”

“L.”

“Plus Ratio.”

“You both fucking suck.”

I had a laugh with them as they ordered. I started making their drinks as they sat down at a table just in front of the counter over the steel divider that Eret had put in to be a safeguard for the register. I didn’t see that one get installed but I’d probably take a safe bet to guess who put it in. I was about to call out their orders when I noticed something cross the road ahead of the library. 

“Uh, Boys we might want to get behind the counter.”

A few more figures started to appear as they walked into the light, all wearing black as the two boys looked at each other before Wilbur went to run outside but I stopped him, told them to get back from the window as I pulled out Dream’s Panic button and pressed it. Within seconds, Fade appeared with Repose and Chronos. Fade looking ahead before vanishing and appearing with Fira and Flare too.

“Can never have too much help.”

Wilbur and Techno both had fear in their eyes as the four boys ran outside and began dealing with whatever the fuck was happening. Techno grabbed Will and pulled him closer towards the counter talking amongst themselves as they both turned to me.

“Dream gave me a panic button just in case.”

“So where is he now?”

“Uh… I don’t know. But his friends are here so that’s a start.”

“Tommy are you alright?”

Fade asked, completely ignoring the two boys right there.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“How do you know Dream? Isn’t he the best hero this city has? I mean I’m impressed you managed to get numbers 2-4 and Flare’s sidekick in as well but still. There’s a lot of them.”

We heard a gunshot ring out, the glass of the front door shattering as the coffee machine next to Fade burst from the pressure. That would need to be replaced as Fade pushed me down and grabbed Wilbur and Techno, Ripping the two of them over the counter and slammed them back onto their backs.

“You three stay there and don’t move.”

“Fade you better be careful.”

“No promises.”

The man got back up and teleported away. Wilbur moved slowly over to his stomach while Techno just leaned back on the drawer behind him.

“What the fuck is going on?”

“There was a lot of people. Are they going to be ok? Isn’t this basically Syndicate territory?”

“Don’t say that Wilbur you’ll scare Tommy.”

“I’m not scared, he has a point. Where the fuck are they? That bitch Nightingale has annoyed the shit out of me every night for the past week and a half two weeks. And then the last couple of days he fucking disappears? Rather convenient for a prick if you ask me.”

“It’s weird. But I don’t know what’s going on.”

Fade jumped up and grabbed the two boys. Teleporting them somewhere before coming back to me.

“Wait before you go where did you take them?”

“Their office building. Wilbur and Techno Watson both work for the Watson Tech giant. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been there.”

“Do I even want to know?”

“Probably not legal so no.”

He put his hand on my shoulder before we disappeared. I expected to be put back in my room but instead, found myself in an unfamiliar bed as furious typing was heard in the background. I leaned up and moved and looked around, noticing I was in Tubbo’s room.

“Best place for you Tommy. You think Dream would let you stay at home if you were being targeted?”

“What do you mean targeted?”

“It was a coordinated attack on you. Probably something conducted by the head honchos of Syndicate. You did take out and injure one of their men. The footage from the Camera feed gets deleted every time for a little while and then there’s at least 13 people coming towards the store, with guns? Yeah no I doubt that’s going to look good for you. I’d say you’ve already been found out or they know who you are. It was a bit scary but Dream told Fade to take you somewhere safe if anything ever happened.”

“Which means anywhere not associated with them right?”

“Got it in one king. On the other hand, Fade you could have taken him to the Medbay couldn’t you?”

“Well no, Sam restricted his access as soon as he revoked his license. They couldn’t even take the elevator to his office when they left the meeting room because he had done it before. I found out he had actually cut off access to your license as soon as we got into that meeting. He had no intention of just putting you in the office. He knew what he was doing before it all went down.”

“So… wait?”

“Yeah Tommy look I’m sorry but you are probably never going to work for the Institution ever in your life. Chronos wouldn’t do anything about it and Dream knows about it all too.”

“So you’re telling me, Everyone was in on it. The two people in the room at the time knew what Sam was going to do and what? Put up a fight to make it look like they were on my side?”

“That’s what Tubbo thinks. Could all be a ploy just to get you out of there because you were 16 years old. Which wouldn’t make sense if they didn’t also completely disable access.”

“My thoughts are that Sam never wanted you there in the first place. Dream was also just trying to get you out of it all and Karl just so happened to not do anything because it’s convenient. Which pisses me off the most because if you think about it. He’s used his Timey Wimey bullshit only a few times to actually make a difference.”

“He didn’t do it for Ranboo, he didn’t do it when another hero got taken. He also didn’t do it to save the last one that died not long ago.”

Tubbo looked at me with sadness before turning to Fade, shaking his head. 

“Look I don’t know what the fuck is going on Tommy, but I really don’t think I like the idea of you staying with Dream for a little while.”

“What do you mean?”

“Dream was patrolling District 3 and got called back in a few moments before I started to notice multiple figures coming together on the edges of the CCTV cameras. From different places but all culminating to one point. Not only that, Flare, Repose, Chronos, and Fira all were taken aback when they saw what happened. You were standing behind them so you didn’t see their faces. Repose nearly shit his pants when he saw where he was and the people out front. Which means he didn’t know anything that was going on. Chronos didn’t even react before running out so he knows something. And Flare damn near ran backwards if it wasn’t for his apprentice beside him. His work comes first when he wears the uniform. Do you want to see the fight?”

I nodded a little as I moved over to behind Tubbo’s chair, Leaning in to see flames bursting around Flare as he took down another two members quickly, catching the last moment. Repose with his dulled mace, a blunt weapon he preferred due to his ability to cause sleep a lot easier if they were already dazed. Chronos was just fighting but fell through one blue portal. I saw the effects immediately this time as the glass window fixed itself as the men’s guns disappeared. Popping out again of an orange circle above the man who for a second beforehand was aiming to kill. This is the first time I’ve ever seen the effects of his ability, So unless there is a proximity based thing going on I don’t know how I’d never seen it before. Fira was having a little bit of trouble but he was a more hands on fighter, Igniting his fists as he moved quickly, Punching one man hard enough in the sternum to cause damage and push him backwards, collapsing forward to the ground. 

“So many people think of getting punched or kicked multiple times and you can still stand. Doesn’t work that way. One good punch in a central area of the body and you can cripple someone if they have no armour.”

“Adding fire to the punch sure wouldn’t help. I’ve played enough fighting games.”

“What is that over there?”

On Tubbo’s second monitor, I noticed three figures heading towards the café, jumping across the buildings as they leaped over the short, open spaces, landing gently on the next roof. I barely caught the flash of Damocles golden crown before I looked back at Tubbo.

“Can you turn on Audio?”

“Yeah.”

He hit the unmute button which didn’t look like it should be that easy.

“Who the fuck ordered this?”

“Don’t look at me dad.”

“Night you are attached to the little shit don’t lie.”

“He’s a gremlin and I hate him.”

“You love him. Why are Syndicate members ordering an attack on Tommy. He runs a cafe for fuck sake.”

“You’re in charge, Nemesis. What happened?”

“I haven’t even been around to mobilize anyone. Which means we have our own people trying to get revenge of some sort. This isn’t what we do. We don’t organise a large group, to handle 1 fucking kid.”

“Did you look into him like I said?”

“Yes Damo I looked into him. Nemesis asked me to look into him as well. Tommy Innit, Brother is the hero Dream, But all his records are wiped after he was taken into his brother's custody.”

“Why are you attached to Dream’s brother? Nightingale, you're not the smartest person you know.”

“I’ve kept our business afloat for years, old man, don’t talk to me like that.”

“I’ll get Haxor to keep digging then, he hasn’t let us down yet.”

“What about the kid?”

“He does good work.”

Watching the three as they finally made it to the building opposite the library, Tubbo having jumped between cameras to track their movements they stopped running and just stood, watching over the battle below. With their men all but stopped.

“This is not good.”

“This wasn’t even us, how the fuck are we supposed to explain that now. This goes against literally everything we have been trying to do.”

“I don’t know, But isn’t that Sapnap? The one you told Tommy you wouldn’t hurt?”

“I also said that in uniform I can’t make any promises. I’d rather not fight them at all if I’m honest.”

“You said he’s a healer right?”

“Yeah and he’s inside with Fade.”

I turned to see the figure above me, hoping for something.

“He would have left by now. He might come back when the fighting is done.”

The man who ran in the middle of Damocles and Nightingale stood up straight. Watching the carnage slowly coming to an end below him. The four heroes turned backwards to look at the store entrance, seeing the glass window shattered from something else.

“Nightingale, I want you and Damocles to head back. I know what to do here.”

The two other members immediately burst off running, I was about to ask another question before Fade took hold of my shoulder and brought me back behind the counter. Some glass to the left of me on the floor, likely from whatever was thrown through and broke it. Techno was not going to be happy. But I think Eret was going to be even more unhappy. 

“You are safe now and forever. No matter what I promise.”

As ominous as it sounds, Fade vanished immediately, leaving me on the floor in a panic.

“TOMMY!”

Listening to George scream felt weird to me. He never showed a whole lot of emotion or raised his voice. So it added to the fear a little that he sounded so pressed.

“I uh, I’m here.”

“Did Fade take you out?”

“Yeah, he took me on top of a building. He said they were all on the ground in the cars so if I got off the ground… No one looks up.”

“Are you hurt?”

Sapnap did it again, grabbing hold of my arms and face, lightly touching and moving my body to check on me.

“I’m fine, I would just heal myself anyway. What would Sam do? He can't hurt or touch me. I'm a kid. Fuck him.”

“Tommy breathe for me yeah. Are you sure you are ok?” 

“No, Eryn I’m not. That was a fucking armed squad, specifically coming to me, I had two fucking customers here and lord knows where the fuck they are now. Fade said he took them to work and they are like big men. Like Watson Tech big. I’m fucking terrified.”

“I’m texting Eret and telling him what happened. Police will be here soon to go over the footage. You said that two of the bigger people from that Tech company was here right?”

“Yeah, Karl.”

“Maybe they were targeting them then? How often do they come into this place?”

“Uh, I only met Wilbur tonight, but Techno comes in usually every morning to grab a drink before going to work. They said they were staying late and he brought Wilbur with him this time.”

“Where’s Fade now?”

“He went back, probably to check on the two of them I don’t fucking know, that’s not my problem. My problem is that I was basically in an active shooting and you want to deduce what’s going on.”

“What do you mean by shooting? They didn’t have guns.”

“Chronos here did his Timey Wimey shit and the guns vanished. Never seen it happen in real time before that’s scary shit cos nothing happened and everyone just continued on as if they never had them in the first place.”

“There were guns which means you were watching and far enough away to not get caught by the Time loop fixing itself and evening out.”

“I don’t care about that stuff.”

I was about to say more as I stood up off the ground and walked carefully towards the door, I looked out towards the bodies to see them all barely moving. I know for a fact they aren’t dead. We were never trained to kill, we were trained to incapacitate. Syndicate members however I don’t know. 

“Get the fuck off me what the hell was that?”

I turned to see Wilbur and Techno back behind the counter as well. Fade standing up as he walked towards me.

“Are you ok?”

“I’m fine.”

“Trust me ok?”

The two boys were making a loud enough scene that there was no way the heroes could hear us.

“Fade what’s going on?”

“I can’t tell you but trust me. I’m always going to be here for you.”

“I just, I’m scared. Genuinely scared.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I’ll make you a deal.”

“He fucking did shit no one else can do. I was here about to get shot and then this fucking tall dark and ominous bastard just appears.”

“Wilbur the heroes are right here at least say thankyou.”

“No I want fucking answers as to what’s going on. How did they just appear once Tommy saw everything, how the fuck did they know what was going on. Why did they just react so fast. It was a fucking set up Techno I’m telling you.”

“Wilbur it wasn’t a set up you know Eret wouldn’t let that happen. Especially not with the kid here.”

“I don’t know shit Techno.”

Fade slightly turned me back to face him. Standing much taller than myself.

“I’ll make you a deal. You give me a little bit of time yeah? Let me see what I can and can’t do. And I promise you, I’ll give you a little bit of information and answer whatever you need to ask alright?”

“Fine, but you owe me.”

I turned back out to see everything one last time. I looked up slowly and saw Nemesis still standing on top of the building, kneeling down and pulling his phone out doing something before lifting it to his ear. The only reason I could make out his silhouette was due to the lighting from the streets. No one ever looks up.

Phil

“Yeah, 13 of them. Rather strange number if you ask me Hax.”

“I don’t know what was going on sir. I know Fade took him to safety and then it all goes from there. Have you looked into Eret again? She plays everyone.”

“Eret would have been compromised way earlier. And besides she’s got a little crush on Techno, I don’t think anything would happen to hurt my son at least. Tommy is getting too close to my boys. In and out of day clothes. And Wilbur needs to start coming back. You know what’s going to happen tomorrow right? Police will arrive, start asking questions, and everything. They are going to go through security and see my sons. You need to spin the story that it’s an attack on them. Not Tommy.”

“I’ve already begun sending Fade messages Nem. I have to ask you though. Tommy is a really important person. I know that, you know that. But why are you not letting Wilbur actually bring him to you? He’s incredibly intelligent and could work any job he puts his mind to.”

“I do want him to work for us eventually. Do you think I could spin this to get him to trust Techno?”

“He already does sir. I could probably talk to Tech and see about him inviting Tommy for a day with him or even just get him to sit nearby in the office. Barrier wants nothing to do with him. His license was revoked as soon as they started talking about us.”

“And he has no idea?”

“He doesn’t even realise who Fade is. And those two were friends for years.”

“You don’t see what you don’t want to mate.”

“Is there anything else?”

“One thing, What can you find out for me about Dream’s involvement in the decision to get his brother sacked?”

“That’s a tall order.”

“I want to know why someone who wants the best for his family, would let him get thrown to the wolves and stripped of everything that gave him purpose. Doesn’t sound very family focused to me does it?”

“It is strange, and I’ve already started to look into it. I could also probably ask why a certain someone didn’t help anywhere as much as they did.”

“I’ll speak to the rat myself. He’s been a thorn in my side for too long.”

“I’ll do what you want for a price.”

“What’s that?”

“You know what I want.”

“Do you want death, or do you want relocation?”

“You get the three of us to our own home, away from all of this, and you will likely find Tommy will come to you more than before.”

“Alright Tubbo, you have a deal.”

“And I’m telling him about Ranboo.”

The phone goes dead as I unhinged my jaw, looking down at the supposedly dead man speaking to his best friend like he had never met him before. Tommy was smart, way too smart for his own good. And that’s the scariest part. He will figure things out on his own eventually. But that medical knowledge, the training. I need him working for me so I can keep a closer eye on him. Time to pay a certain time traveler a visit and why he told Tommy my son would kill the kid we have been watching for years.

Chapter Text

“Wilbur, please calm down.”

“Why? Tommy? Why would I calm down, did you see how many fucking people were out there?”

“And we dealt with it.”

“Fuck you Flare that was way too fast.”

“Tech please.”

“I’m on your side Tommy, I know for a fact The Syndicate wouldn’t send a group of armed men just after you. You’re a child, working the night shift. Did  you give someone salt instead of sugar or something?”

“Only Eret did that. I don’t think I’m game enough to do that to a villain. He’s a bitch but that’s it.”

“Techno stop talking to him, it was clearly a set up.”

“Wilbur.”

“What?”

“For god sake shut up.”

“Boys?”

“You don’t get to pull rank Repose shush you. I’m calling dad.”

“God he’s such a pretentious prick.”

“Yeah, Fira, he is.”

Wilbur walked outside with the phone to his ear. Leaving the rest of us inside.

“Eret has insurance right? Tech?”

“I’m sure she would, considering we live in a society that has villains running around destroying shit, Or whole organizations destroying shit or targeting one person. Surely Eret would have some security or insurance to cover damages.”

“The Institute won’t offer to pay anything because we weren’t the ones who actually damaged anything. It’s shit, just because we didn’t cause the damage, there’s likely times where we will or at least be in a fight around something. And the Institute will go through footage frame by frame if they have to so they don’t have to pay. It’s sad.”

“Don’t worry about it. We have a good relationship with Eret here. Watson will sort it out and honestly, probably get it done sooner. Actually I’m pretty sure Dad has insurance set up specifically if we are caught in the middle of an attack. And because we were both brought back behind the counter so we were out of shot of the camera, As far as they are concerned we were there the whole time. So…”

“So insurance pays out?”

“Well, we embellish it a little but yes. I’ll get it sorted Flare don’t worry about it.”

“Tommy?”

“I just… I kind of want to go home.”

“I’m pretty sure Eret won’t mind. I’ll send her a text to let her know what happened. You head home Tommy, if she gives you any shit tomorrow you let me know ok?”

The man walked over and handed me a card with his name on it.

“A business card, to go through the hoops of admin?”

“No. We have cards we give out for that, but no one has my specific number. If you need anything or have any questions just let me know. I don’t care what time it is, yeah? And if anyone comes back just for giving us coffee then do your panic button shit again. That was really cool.”

“I hope it won’t happen again.”

“So do I. I’m going to take this crybaby home. I’ll be in tomorrow to help clean up and fix things. You might get called in to talk to some people so get some sleep early.”

The man walked off, waving everyone off as he grabbed Wilbur by the back of the head and pulled on his hair for a second before letting go. Leaving the heroes in shock.

“So S…”

“No names, the cameras have audio as well.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“It’s ok. Let’s get you home.”

“Sure, I’ll take him home. Repose come here.”

George and I both walked over to Fade, Teleporting home before he went back for the others.

“How are you really feeling Tommy?”

“I feel… I don’t know, I’m scared. I’m terrified even but I need a job and that’s.”

“It’s different isn’t it?”

“It’s really different. I might have been sent on patrol sure but no one ever actually tried to shoot me. It was more little shit, or I’d already be in the middle of it and taking care of the situation.”

“How have you been feeling with your healing?”

“Uh, I’m ok I guess. I got the pins and needles again the other day but that went away soon after. Now though, I think it’s adrenaline.”

“If you need me to break something or you need help let me know yeah?”

“Yeah, thanks George… I think I might. Go to sleep.”

“Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow Tommy. I reckon you might end up with some time off.”

I did, I woke up the next day to a text from Eret at 1 pm. Letting me know that I would have to head down to the police station and answer a few questions. I let them know I’d get myself dressed and ready and do it soon. She also sent a text in response letting me know that she is going to be closing down the Cafe for a few days until she can get a replacement for the coffee machine so she won’t put me on during the day and will also pay me for the few days off at the very least. So that was pretty pog. 

“You awake Tommy?”

“Hm?”

Dream walked in, opening it just enough to see through the door.

“I heard about what happened, I’m sorry I didn’t come. Sam called me back before it went down. George filled me in this morning at the meeting about it. They didn’t even say what it was related too. Only that Sam wants to give an escort to the Watson kids.”

“Unnecessary considering who they are. Wilbur might actually need an escort, he’s a bitch. Techno’s cool though. I like him.”

“I’m glad you are making friends.”

“Ah yes, big man Tommy. Making friends with the rich kids. I’m gonna rob them later.”

“Don’t actually rob them please.”

“We’ll see. Shouldn’t you be at work?”

“Yeah, I asked Fade to bring me here really quick to check on you. I need to head back but I was really worried. I wasn’t sure what you were going to do. George said you went straight to bed so I thought it might be better to let you sleep off the shock.”

“Yeah that’s good. Helps the body to relax instead of tacking on something extra to send the mind into overdrive. Anyway I need to go down to the Police station later. But uh. I don’t know where it is.”

“Can I be honest with you Tommy. I don’t know where it is either. Normally I just get teleported in or out of there. And you can’t really use Fade to do that in the middle of the day.”

He brought up a good point. 

“Alright, I’ll figure it out and get down there on my own. Dream thank you. For coming to check on me.”

He let out a sigh as he moved over towards me. Wrapping me up in his arms as he squeezed and held me tight. It was a nice feeling though something I could live without. I think my body just needed something from someone. And Dream is the closest thing I have to a family that still loves me… I think. After talking to Fade and Tubbo last night, I was a bit more weary but still needed to take what I could get. After Dream left, I felt like I was just alone again. I’m always alone now. I finally felt like I belonged in a place, I was working, I was earning my own money, I felt good about myself and what I was doing. Then Sam didn’t like it apparently and just got rid of me. I don’t know what was going on. But now I need to talk about what happened. Eret was working, the boys were also at the Institute, only a few patrolled during the day. I can’t talk to Fade, I could ask Tubbo. I pulled my phone out and sent Tubbo a text message but didn’t get a response straight away. It took a few minutes before he let me know he was a bit busy and could chat later sorry. 

“Bitch.”

I put my phone back into my pocket and felt something poke at my fingers when I did. I pulled out whatever it was and remembered the card Techno gave me. Well I haven’t got many more options. I put his phone number in and saved it.

Big T: Techno… Where’s the police station?

Tech: You didn’t think to google it?

Big T: I did. I tried but like, I’ve never had to go there before. Which is a good thing cos that would be weird.

Tech: So you have no idea where you are going?

Big T: You say that like it’s a bad thing.

Tech: I’ll finish up here and swing by to grab you. What’s your address?

Big T: I live with my brother. I’ll send you where I’ll wait… Actually I just remembered I can’t leave the house… Techno how do you leave the house when there are armed guards outside your door that won’t let you out?

Tech: L.

I sent him the address and got a text saying he was on his way. It took 20 minutes before there was a knock on the door. 

“Sir you can’t go in there.”

“I don’t think you quite understand I can go wherever the fuck I want.”

“There is a dangerous man in that house, we are here to protect the people.”

“YOU HAVE A CHILD IN THERE! Fuck you. Tommy, get out here we need to go see the police.”

I opened the door and groaned, seeing Wilbur with his stupid brown hair, and his really stupid beige sweater and ripped jeans.

“If you leave Red I have to report it to Barrier.”

“I don’t care. You would think being targeted by 13 syndicate men would give me some grace when I need to see the police.”

Wilbur pulled his phone out and started dialing, putting his phone on speaker.

“What?”

“You want to tell me why you have a fucking child locked up in a house with guards that threaten to arrest him if he leaves? No fucking wonder he’s so miserable. He’s been locked in a single place for how long? How long have you been harbouring kids for Barrier? You absolute piece of shit. Who the fuck do you think you are? Who does that?”

“Mr Watson.”

“Don’t fucking Mr Watson me you prick. Tommy is a child. I’d expect you of all people to understand what happens if you lock something away from the world…”

“Shut up Wilbur. I’m adding you to the list of cleared individuals he can leave with.”

“Oh no, your adding Techno and Dad to that list as well. At the very least. Tommy are you ok?”

“I need to see the police, I was attacked by a large group of Syndicate members, and these bitch’s threaten to arrest me when I need to go to the Police station anyway.”

“Red this is for your own good.”

“If I was standing in front of you I’d punch you in the face Sam. You are one of the worst people I’ve met. And I’ve met the fucking Syndicate leaders. You kept me locked up here, for weeks, with no chance to go anywhere or do anything. How the fuck do I use Fade if I have no friends, I have no money.”

“I know you are working.”

“Then you know that at least one of the boys leaves with me purely for this reason. You are the reason the Institute has already had two heroes killed. I refuse to be another number to you. If these guards ever stop me I’ll kill them myself.”

“You wouldn’t have it in you.”

“You know who my brother is and Wilbur is on my doorstep. You don’t know what I’m capable of.”

Sam hung up as Wilbur let out a smirk, the two guards receiving a notification before letting us pass. I followed him downstairs with my head hung low as he took me over to a car out the front. A man got out and opened the door for him and I as we hopped in.

“Tommy.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you want to talk about what you said in there?”

“Honestly, Wilbur. I just don’t… I’m tired.”

“Did you not sleep?”

“I’m tired of fighting to be taken seriously.”

“Can I ask you something? And look I know, I’m a big corporate rich boy and you probably hate me considering you keep calling me a bitch and whatever but like…”

“What do you want to ask Wilbur?”

“Uh, Sam said Red. Your name is Tommy. I know for a fact that Demi hasn’t given you an Aussie nickname.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot about him. Do you have one?”

“He calls me Lamb.”

“Lamb?”

“Yeah. It’s funny, Essentially he took my name, shortened it to Bur, then it changed to Wilbuh cos that’s just how he says my name. Then he started vibrating his throat and made a sheep sound. Then he found out my job and I was related to Techno and started calling me Lamb.”

“What does he call Techno?”

“Wolf. Incredibly loyal, Cares for his friends and will do anything to protect me and our family. Also really nice and helpful. But when he’s mad, He’s scary.”

“Lamb and Wolf? Two brothers.”

“Kindred spirits he called us.”

“Nerd. But yeah look. I don’t even know if I could say something. I’m Red. Sam’s an idiot. Or he trusts you or is scared of you I don’t fucking care to be honest. Red Cross, ex hero healer. But I can’t heal anymore.”

“What why? That’s so stupid why aren’t you allowed to use your powers?”

“He will have me arrested and treated like a villain if I try to do anything heroic or patrol or anything.”

“Sam’s such an asshole. I knew he was a dickhead but this is just stupid.”

“Yeah.”

I didn’t want to be here. In the back of a car with Wilbur. Cream coloured leather seats accentuating a pitch black fabric over the roof with little lights simulating stars as the floor itself was clean but not carpeted. A plastic layer over it. The front two seats were a little further ahead as a very small minibar sat facing us.

“There’s canned coffee and water if you want a drink.”

“I'll uh. I’m fine actually.”

“Tommy?”

“What bitch?”

“This is going to sound cliché, and I want you to understand that’s now how I’m trying to come off.”

“Go on.”

“I’m going to talk to Red then. But I know how it feels when you start getting into your head. When you think you can’t do something and the world starts to fuck you over. There’s a lot going on in there and it makes it hard to actually want to move forward right? Don’t let them stop you from doing what you are meant to do. You are a healer, you should be out there saving people not listening to some washed up Hero who barely even goes out anymore. 0All he does is sit in the office and push everyone else around.”

“Someone has too.”

“Yeah someone has to, but he doesn’t. He gets comfortable. Someone died a couple weeks ago, and people have died before while he sits there and does nothing.”

“We will be there soon sir.”

“Thank you. You know how to talk to the Police. Tommy if you ever get any cravings to heal or do something. Send Tech a message, or better yet. Give me your phone.”

“Why?”

“I’m giving you my number.”

“Fine.”

I handed it over and he saved his details into my phone. Handing it back gently.

"You ever need someone to talk to, don't be afraid to message me ok? Aside from the fact you make our drinks, you are a really intelligent kid who doesn't deserve to be squandered away just because someone doesn't know how to utilise your abilities. Or if you just want someone to talk to, that's cool too."

I couldn't help but look over at him, he wasn't being annoying, or even trying to. He sounded like he genuinely cared, but that was more so because he's Techno's brother. And we like big man Techno. Biggest man ever. Only man, I wish I had someone like him around growing up. I wonder if I'd have been different? I'd probably not even be a hero yet. He would probably give me the chance to have a normal life. But nothing is normal, what even is normal.

"Actually…"

Wilbur speaking brought me back to myself, I must have flinched a little as he very lightly rested his hand on my shoulder, the same way Fade does which feels nice. Familiar, I like familiarity.

"I remembered that I told them to leave me alone this morning. Techno spoke to them earlier saying I was busy. But I don't like the idea of you trying to get back home. And those dickhead guards waiting for you actually makes me feel sick. I'll come with you."

"Wilbur, you don't have to do that."

"It's ok I should have done it earlier anyway."

"I'll be fine I'm grateful you came but it's not necessary I'll be fine."

"Tommy."

That time, I did flinch. I don't even know why? He was just trying to make me stop talking, that's not inherently bad if I'm rambling on. Fuck was I rambling? Is he annoyed? Maybe that's why he wants to come in, just keep an eye on me. That would make sense. He did nearly get shot while waiting to get a drink…

Wilbur

Looking down at the kid below me. When I saw Tommy flinch, something broke my heart. I never would have guessed he was Red Cross but then again Sam has never been as careful as he thinks. And with my family's high status as businessmen we are priority targets. So I know a few of them. It has helped while running around as Nightingale who are heroes and who aren't. Knowing which ones can do what abilities and how to stop them from actually hurting us or getting in my way. But he lives with Dream, one of if not the best hero short for Sam himself. Does Dream not treat him right? No that couldn't be it the gremlin doesn't even see him if the times lined up. Was he treated badly by the institute? I mean healers are renowned to be used and abused for their ability, and being rare enough to where we didn't even have one made me start to get paranoid, now I feel like if he ever found out who we were he might just think we were using him for his ability.

"Tommy, hey, can you look at me mate, please? Tom's?"

He kept looking down with his eyes closed, but he slowly opened them and looked up at me, tears in his eyes that threatened to fall.

"Hey, I'm sorry if I scared you ok? Or I'm sorry if something happened. We are just going to head into the station and tell them what happened ok? You don't need to worry."

I felt him grab me as the sobs began, wracking his body while his fingers curled around whatever fabric he could grab onto. 

"Promise."

"I promise. Come on let's…"

"Promise they won't take me. I don't want to leave again. I don't want to do it again. It hurts, all the time it hurts and he said he'd arrest me and I don't want to be taken away. I can't. I'm only 16 I don't, I can't, Wilbur please don't let them take me."

What the fuck is going on? Sam what did you do to this kid?

Chapter Text

Wilbur wouldn't let them separate us. But he stayed silent as I talked. I told them everything from when I noticed them, Tech and Wilbur being yanked over the counter and pulled down. I didn't mention how I called for help as I remembered one time Fade telling me no one knew he existed outside of the institute. If people found out it would be disastrous for them all, not that I'd mind at this stage. I told them I hid behind the counter and just stayed still. I panicked which is why I didn't hit the silent alarm that Eret apparently had. But we were told to stand up by the heroes when they were done. It made me realise just how invisible I was in civilian clothes. Wilbur said the same thing albeit from his point of view which helped with the reports from the Institute that they requested.

"You feeling ok Toms?"

"Um, yeah. Thank you."

"It's fine."

"We can go home. I'm sure you are busy and all."

"Nope, I am hungry, do you want to go get something to eat?"

"I, huh?"

"Food Tommy, are you hungry?"

"I mean I'm ok, I'm not feeling hungry at the moment."

"Do you want to go home?"

I didn't know how to answer his question, part of me wants to just stay home and not move. Be a good boy and not get into trouble. But aside from work, this is the first time I've really been able to get outside and go places. Do things. And I am enjoying the sun, but my fingers are hurting. Those needles were back and I felt like someone was just constantly jabbing into me over and over again. I tried to hide my hands by wrapping them around my body but I don't think I hid it very well.

"Come on hop in. I know a good place we can go to."

He walked back towards the car where the man opened the door for him again. I slipped in next to him just like the first time, buckling up before we started driving. 

"Can you take us to the restaurant on Terry Street please Lukas?"

"Literally my job sir."

I looked at the minibar in front of us, back to Wilbur who was looking out the window as we drove past. I thought about grabbing a drink of something just to take my mind off of this pain but we are about to go get food. That would just be a dick move.

"He seems nice."

"Lukas?

"Yeah."

"They are nice. Been with us for two years now and has gotten very comfortable. No matter how much some officials have tried to have him fired. I've always made sure to shoot them down."

"You need me just as much as I need a job sir."

"They can be a bit of a smartass. Sarcastic prick sometimes."

"I'd say you wound me sir but you look like you would struggle to get a fuck in a brothel."

I immediately laughed at his joke. Wilbur did look like he would struggle with women. Not me though, big man Tommy gets so many women, like all of them. Can't get them off me.

"I could get whatever I wanted."

"And yet here you are sitting in the backseat of a car you aren't driving with a 16 year old kid. Bit sus."

"Lukas you are so mean to me."

"L."

"It's nice to meet you Lukas."

"And you master Tommy."

"Wait, why is he master Tommy but I'm only sir?"

"He hasn't made me want to crash before."

"Is Wilbur that bad of a passenger sometimes?"

"No… Wilbur is a fine passenger, a great person to work for and I have loved the many opportunities he has given me."

"Now for the real answer?"

"He signs the checks so I am legally obligated to be nice to him."

"You don't have to if he's being a bitch."

"Oh he is, regularly. But again, he pays me. I have to be somewhat nice to him."

"See Tommy, at least someone likes me."

"Oh I don't like you. I put up with you."

Lukas was a much needed distraction to talk to. It helped that I didn't have to listen to Wilbur. Lukas felt normal as well. No money, no powers, just normal.

"Almost there sir."

"Thank you."

What does Lukas do when you aren't in the car? Are you his private driver?"

"Yep, hired as a regular driver for the company, drove Mr Watson once. Absolutely hated it. Drove his brother the next day and he was a lot better…"

"Oi."

"Talked to Mr Techno about how much of a shitty passenger Wilbur was. Didn't realise or care who it was. A job is a job and I needed money. Word got back to this prick…"

"Lukas."

"And they wanted to fire me. Wilbur said no, we needed more young people at the company."

"More old people?"

"About 80 percent due to the work they do. It's hard to get a job here unless your doing janitor work or security. And even then it's mostly older men and women who just want something to do, and these guys are pretty strict guards."

"So how did you land a job as his personal driver?"

"Punishment for being a dick. Now I have to drive him around. Anywhere he wants to go, I have to drive him."

"I'm so sorry for your loss brave soul."

"Remember me at my funeral."

As we pulled into an underground parking center. Lukas found a spot rather quickly, pulling to a stop.

"Thank you Lukas, we are just grabbing lunch."

"I literally don't get paid unless we are moving."

As Lukas hopped out and opened the door for Wilbur, I followed him out as I heard the door close behind me. Lukas getting back into the driver's seat and pulling out a Nintendo Switch.

"Does Lukas not come with you?"

"No, just a driver."

"That seems exploitative?"

"I mean, it's their job. It's what they are paid to do. Don't think of it like taking advantage of someone. Think of it as I have too much money and power and I'm creating jobs. And besides, they complain and make comments but I really like having them around."

"I notice you use them…"

"Pronouns? He/They. Sometimes I swap between them if I'm flustered but I try to just keep it consistent with them."

"Oh. I'll be right back."

I ran back down to the car and knocked on the window. Lukas screamed a little as he looked back up towards me and rolled the window down.

"You fucking eat quick you little shit."

"Sorry, Wilbur said you use He/They, and I kind of only really learnt about that recently so sorry if me using him a lot made you uncomfortable."

Lukas laughed a little before saying it was fine and thank you. Before telling me to fuck off otherwise Wilbur will start whinging like a bitch. I ran back and caught up as he smiled at me.

It wasn't for a few hours that Dream sent me a message. 

Green: I saw you out with Wilbur today. Did you go to the station?

Big T: Yeah been there, done that, mental breakdown the whole shebang.

Green: Mental breakdown WTF you ok?

Big T: Yeah I'm fine now. Just got scared from what Sam said about arresting me. Wilbur stayed so I had someone with me. It was kind of nice actually.

Green: As long as you are ok that's all that matters to me. What are you doing at the moment?

Big T: At the moment I'm laughing at Wilbur getting shat on by his driver. They are really funny. Very sarcastic. Fucking, Wilbur was like. "Oh Lukas my incredible driver I will need you to make a stop for me please." And Lukas was like "You pay me, I'll do whatever the fuck you want." And he shit himself.

Green: Sounds like fun. Alright I'm just checking in, I have not long finished here but they want me to stick around for a bit so I will be home later. I'll actually get to see you tonight.

Big T: Yeah, I'm looking forward to it.

"Who are you talking to?"

"No one… wait, Dream. Sorry I forgot you know."

"Tommy, I don't care who you were before. Granted I can't deny that your powers make you an incredibly powerful person. But you are a kid, you shouldn't be a hero for that fact alone but it's a bit late to be grasping at straws."

"Is it wrong for me to say I miss it?"

"Miss what?"

"Being a hero?"

"I think after a while it wouldn't matter what anyone says. You know and trust yourself to do what's best for you. There are always pros and cons to everything. I think it would be difficult for you to break out from the mentality of being a hero if you hadn't had anything to rely on beforehand right?"

"I suppose. I just feel like shit."

"Do you know why you feel like shit?"

"I feel useless. I finally found something that made me feel good. I was helping people. Even the ones I would beat up and stop committing crimes I'd still heal them just enough so they could at least walk. I left one person the first time I went patrolling and I hated every single second of the guilt I felt."

"It's rare to meet someone with such pure intentions. Sounds rough."

"Do you ever feel bad doing business?"

"All the time. The thing is you have to be rough, you have to be evil to an extent to get ahead in the world. Even the nicest people have some of the worst history. Punz is a good example. The institute's best healer and doctor. Do you know he's committed more murder in the past than Damocles?"

"What? I mean I knew he had killed before."

"Dug into his files. Found out he was arrested after he chose the wrong person. He got away with oven 30 kills "all in the name of science" he would say. He'd push the human body to its limits and then heal them back up. Eventually they would die so he'd get rid of it and then find someone else to snatch up. He did it for 6 years starting at 17 until he got caught and sentenced. Did you never take notice of the fact that he would never leave the institute?"

"I just thought he lived in his office."

"He's literally bound there. Apparently the Institute hired a demon to make sure he could never leave. If he leaves then he dies."

"But he still gets to heal so it sounds more like a reward than a punishment?"

"There are punishments worse than death Tommy."

Wilbur turned to look out the window and let out a happy little cry as he pointed out a butterfly he saw that was really cute. It felt like the more I learnt after leaving, the less I wanted to go back. But I needed to heal something. None of us got a scratch last night and today hasn't been that much better. 

"Still getting withdrawals? Imagine having powers and not getting to use them."

"Fuck you Wilbur, it's like my fingers feel on fire. Or someone is just poking me with tiny needles all the time."

"You need to heal something?"

"It's not exactly something I can just do. I can't walk up to someone and be like "hey i need you to hurt yourself real quick."

"I mean if we go back to the office I could order someone to do just that."

"Who the fuck are you? What the hell Wilbur?"

Wilbur and I both lurched forward, the car coming to a very abrupt stop, faster than they should be able to. Lukas took off their seat belt and ran from the car, I started to panic slightly before Wilbur's side door opened up. Lukas leaning down and forward and punching Wilbur clean in the nose. Causing the man to let out a scream as blood immediately began to fall from his nose. Wilbur grabbed his nose while Lukas closed the door and got back into the front and started driving again.

"Lukas WHAT THE FUCK!"

"That's for threatening to order someone to hurt themselves you sick fuck."

"I could have you fucking arrested."

"But you won't because then you will have to have another driver and we know for a fact everyone else is terrified to do anything or say anything to you. All you would get is yes sir, no sir, please don't hurt me sir. Fuck that your a cunt. Tommy has something to heal now."

As if breaking me out of my stupor, I turned my body to face Wilbur and put my hand over his nose, assessing damage but it was just dislocated, though Lukas had a mean punch pushing the bone to hit a vein which caused the blood. Almost like he knew what he was doing. I let the white light flicker down, like soft rain on his face as his eyes went slightly big. I could see the look on his face that it was working as he moved his hand away, letting me work on my own, repairing the small tear in the vein before his note reset itself gradually.

"I didn't even feel anything."

"Yeah, think of it like a built-in anesthetic. So when I'm healing someone they won't feel the pain of bones being fixed or wounds closing. Instead it becomes numb, and like a small drum might feel like a vibration, but aside from that, it's just there and gone."

"That's incredible."

"Uh, thank you. I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?"

I shrugged my shoulders as I sat back in my seat. Wilbur was still in a bit of shock before he too leaned back.

"You know, I've always wanted a reason to punch him."

"Oh I'm absolutely kicking your ass later."

"No you aren't Wilbur. You leave them alone."

"Oh no, I'm doing something."

"He can try Tommy, I'll be fine."

"Yeah Tech what's up?"

I didn't even see him take his phone out. But after a few seconds he hung up and let out a groan.

"Hey Tommy I want to let you know that I won't tell anyone about who you are. No one gets a message saying they were clear to take you out of the house so your secret is safe with me if you want me to keep it a secret."

"Uh, yeah please. What did Techno want?"

"He asked us to meet him at the office real quick. Apparently someone came in asking for me."

"So we need to go there first right?"

"Yeah, if you like you can wait in the parking lot with Lukas?"

"I want to say hi to Tech."

"Why is he everyone's favourite?"

"Because you're a little bitch Wilbur. And weak as fuck, you can't even handle a punch."

"Fuck you Gremlin child I will have you know I handled it with Grace and elegance."

"You literally screamed sir."

"You fucking punched me in the nose."

I let out a little snort and laugh. Enjoying myself for the first time in a long time. I could see Wilbur grinning which I liked. I like him, or I trust him at least. He hasn't treated me any differently.

I hadn't noticed the time pass before Lukas was driving into a driveway, leading up to a bend before stopping in front of a set of tall glass doors. Another person opening the door for Wilbur, I didn't have the chance to react after taking my seatbelt off as my door opened as well. 

"Oh, uh, thank you."

"Not a problem sir."

That felt weird. I didn't like that I don't work here. Is it an association? Do they have to say that because I arrived with Wilbur? I felt a hand lightly tap my shoulder again. Looking up to see Wilbur standing beside me.

"I'm not going to say don't worry about it because I know you will. Just let it happen this time. Come on, I'll show you inside."

Walking towards the large doors, a lady opening them for us, we stepped inside to a rather lavish building. Stained quartz flooring leaving a very satisfying tap as we walked, even in my sneakers it was a nice sound. A large, very open lobby with many incredible art pieces aligning the walls as people of all sorts were running or moving back and forwards. The walls are pristine under the paintings while what I'd assume was the company logo is a large structure in the middle of it all, standing tall as what looks like the figure of a woman holding up a ball of electricity with small sparks around it. The woman had a thinner figure but the electricity looked wild.

"Controlled chaos."

"Sorry?"

"Is what Dad wanted to call the company, or something like that. Tech thought it was stupid and wanted something simpler. Easier. I thought he should name it after one of us. Legacy the kids would be proud of."

Stepping into the elevator as a guard joined us, it took me a second before it clicked in my head. Almost doubling over in laughter while Wilbur lightly smacked me across the back of the head.

"Shut up Gremlin."

"You suggested to name it after the kids and he chose Watson Tech."

"Don't remind me."

"That's so fucking funny."

We rode the elevator up, while not as big as the Institute, it definitely had it beat for its colour scheme. The walls were a nice black stone colour with little lines of blue scattered through it. The floor was a beautiful red carpet while the roof littered with small round lights to keep everything lit. Walking forward I noticed that no one else was around.

"It's so Baron up here."

"Oh yeah this is purely for the CEO and us. My office is off to the side here but still an incredible view of the city. Tech is downstairs in the workshop, since he oversees a lot of the practical side of the business. And we learnt quickly how racist a lot of people are when he started attending meetings when he turned 18. Dad brought him in to learn the business side of things but people wouldn't talk and eventually some of his higher ups just stopped coming in without telling him. So he threatened them before one of our workshop girls told him about Techno crying once. We found out why and Phil fired them and barred them from working in our company and hired a whole new board."

"Your dad is scary."

"He's a good man. He looks after his kids as a dad first, businessmen last. But with us being older now, he can focus more on work."

"Hey Tommy."

I looked up as Wilbur opened a door, showing Techno sitting in a chair waving towards me. A blonde haired man sitting behind the desk with a dark haired lady beside him leaning over and close to the man.

"Hey dad. What's going on?"

"Wilbur, finally. Quackity is in your office. Probably something to do with the blackout of Las Nevadas last night."

"Do I have to? He can fucking do it himself literally."

"Wilbur, it's your job. Go to work."

The taller man turned and left the room. Leaving me standing in the large office. Techno got up and walked over to me.

"Hope he wasn't too annoying."

"Well I'm still alive, so is he. So is Lukas."

"We like Lukas. It was my idea to stick them with Wilbur too."

"Pure evil Techno."

"I am not."

"Tech, who's your friend?"

I turned away from him to see the lady looking up at us, her dark hair past her shoulders in a loose fitted suit and pants. She clearly ran something here but she looked familiar.

As we stepped forward getting closer, the lady’s smile dropped and she was looking a little worried, she turned back to the man, I’d assume their dad, and said something to him. The man didn’t even react as he spoke back. The lady fixed herself up and smiled again. She looked a little familiar but where, I would have no idea.

“Tommy, this is my dad Phil and his partner Kristin.”

“It’s nice to meet you both.”

“And you Tommy, Apparently you’ve been giving Wilbur a tough time. Good, he needs someone to bring him down a peg. He’s been a bit more snooty than I’d like and I can’t exactly smack him.”

“I mean you could, it’s rather easy you just…”

I motioned smacking someone over the back of the head as the man chuckled to himself, Kristin hadn’t stopped looking at me.

“Ah, this is Kristin, she is basically our assistant. She’s really good at what she does but is likely just analyzing you. Force of habit from work.”

“Oh, sorry. Yeah my name’s Kristin, it’s lovely to meet you Tommy.”

I shook her hand that she reached out with as I smiled towards her. 

“I knew a Kristin once but she had blonde short hair. No idea where she ended up though. Anyway considering I just had to put up with Wilbur for a few hours, I could not imagine doing it day in and day out. You are a saint Miss Watson.”

“Once you know what they are like it’s rather easy to get them to do what you want. Or what they are required to do. Techno why don’t you take him down to the Workshop. I think he might have more fun down there.”

“You sure? This won’t take long right?”

“It won’t but I won’t be needing you for now. It was lovely to meet you.”

“Yeah you too.”

A brief introduction and a brief meeting. I’d expect nothing less from someone in such a high position. I had never interacted with the guys upstairs in the office so I wouldn’t know what was going on personally but I do know how busy they are so I’m surprised they let me in. 

Phil

Watching the two of them walk out of my office, I couldn’t help but lean back and prepare for the onslaught I was about to witness.

“I hate you.”

“No you don’t.”

“I have absolutely no love in my heart for what you just did.”

“You wanted to see him, you wanted to make sure he was ok but had to do it in a subtle way.”

“A fucking assistant, really Phil? I’m so much better than that and you reduce me to an assistant for you boys.”

“Would you want me to give him your full title?”

“No, absolutely not. But you know for a fact that is not how I would want to see him again. You already know how hard it was for me to leave, it was your fucking idea.”

“I told you, the two of you would see each other again. I promised that, didn't I?”

“Yeah you did. I’m not mad that I got to see him. I’m not mad that he doesn’t remember me, I’ve changed a lot in just a year.”

“But?”

“Phil, He’s grown so much. I can see what has happened to him and I hate it. You promised me you would keep him safe no matter what.”

“And I intend to keep that promise love. Just give me a little bit more time. And I can get him away from Dream and even further away from the Institute.”

“I hate that man.”

“Dream?”

“And Sam for what they did to him. I hate my sister for what she did to him and I hate everyday that you wouldn’t let me kill her myself.”

“You wouldn’t have been able to handle it.”

“I’d have found a way. The three hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make revolve around Thomas. Leaving him a year ago for my own safety, Standing by and not getting to do more when I could see the hurt, abuse and pain that woman put him through. And giving him up when he was born. You promised me you would take him and you couldn’t do that. You promised to keep him safe and you couldn’t do that either. You have one last chance, Phil Watson, to keep my son safe.”

“I have no intention of failing this time you know that. I’m a busy man but your son comes first. Always has and always will for the last 16 years. Now.”

I pushed a small button under my desk, watching as the cloaked figure appeared in front of me.

“Really Ranboo?”

“I just left the Institute. I would say I had a meeting but that’s a lie I don’t get invited to those.”

“For good reason mate. I need you to go pick up Nami for me please. And while you're at it. Can you go send a text to Techno and tell him I think it’s time you tell Tommy who you are. I’m proud of Will for slowly gaining his trust, and Techno seems to be in good standing with him. But you are still just Fade, just a faceless figure in his life. I think he deserves to know who you are.”

“Are you sure Phil? I was his friend for so long, he thinks I’m dead by your son's hand.”

“He doesn’t know about anyone from the Syndicate yet. You will be fine ok? Just don’t say anything else.

Chapter Text

I got to go back to work 4 days later, which would be fine if Tuesdays weren’t so boring. It was always going to be a slow night, but I had plenty of people to talk to now which was nice.

“So yeah, I think Sam’s starting to lose the plot back at the institute.”

“If he heard you talking about that Flare then you would be screwed.”

“Yeah but, they know what I’m like. Have you had any visitors tonight?”

“Nope, just you and Eret stayed a little later. Techno finished the doors yesterday and cleaned up so I’m back.”

“Bored?”

“Honestly, you have no idea.”

“I’m sure I can agree with a few things. It’s not the same feeling obviously. But at least you gotta get out of the house the other day.”

“Ah yeah, Dream told you?”

“Dude there were cameras everywhere. They all thought Wilbur Soot was doing either a Make-A-Wish, which we both know he would never be able to do. But the other side was that he was preying on the idea of you being shocked or pushed you into staying with him after the attack.”

“The fuck?”

“His PR team has already started to look into fixing things but you know what people are like online. Also the city's civilians are starting to miss Red Cross.”

“I can’t do anything about it.”

“No I suppose you can’t. Sucks, you can’t just go out as a vigilante instead, wearing a different outfit, a different name, and just run around training and healing.”

I didn’t say anything straight away. I looked up at Sapnap slowly as he laughed to himself. Looking over to me with a smile before seeing the look on my face…

“Absolutely fucking not.”

“The idea didn’t even get into my mind.”

“And it shouldn’t. No, I fucking forbid it.”

“You aren’t Dream.”

“I don’t care. Absolutely fucking not.”

“Sapnap you don’t understand, do you know, how fucking good it would be if I could go out and not just heal people but I could help so much more than just being a hero. We were forced to patrol where we were told. If I did that, I could go anywhere. I could be anyone.”

“Tommy do you realise how much Dream would kick my fucking ass. And not just that you know how they see vigilante’s. If I found out you did this I’d get absolutely reamed for helping or giving you the idea. And if I found you, I would have to fight you. I really don’t want to hurt you.”

“Well then we could just keep it as a friends only thing.”

“How many heroes and villains do you know that you would have to talk to in order to stay safe?”

“Well there's… I see your point.”

Thinking about it. Dream, Karl, Sapnap and George… Honestly I don’t even think I’d tell Dream and Karl. But I’d have to tell Sapnap. He’d keep me safe. I know he would. But with all the tracking devices they wouldn’t be able to get far without getting pinged back to the tower to find out why they left their patrols. Nightingale and Damocles are part of the Syndicate. Well they were the Syndicate as well as the third guy I saw on the cameras that night of the attack. Nemesis I think his name was.

“Hey, Flare?”

“I’m not letting you do that.”

“Fuck off different question. Do you know who Nemesis is?”

“Nemesis? Like the Resident Evil monster?”

“I have no idea who that is? No, the one that works with the Syndicate.”

“Who told you that name? He’s the last person you should ever be thinking about. Nemesis is the leader, or not even just the leader he IS the Syndicate. We don’t even really know what his powers are, he has wings and is an extremely terrifying fighter. Even Dream refuses to go up against him and he’s our best.”

“Oh, so he is like, the best of the best then?”

“Yeah you could say that. When it comes to villains, no one is as scary as Nemesis. I know I’d rather stay the fuck away from him. And if he’s ever seen with Nightingale and Damocles, Even if they are your new friends. Just fucking run ok? Don’t ask questions, don’t ever try anything. If you see him. Just run. Hit the panic button and get Fade to take you literally anywhere else. There’s a reason we can’t catch him and I don’t want to hear that you got caught up in this bullshit just because you heard his name.”

“Heard who’s name Flare.”

The two of us turned to see George standing and waiting patiently.

“This is going to be weird, Look sir you should be either at home or away from this district. It hasn’t been safe the last few weeks.”

“I’ll be fine, I’m just here for a cappuccino. You, do those right Tommy?”

“Uh, Yeah of course sorry. We don’t really have much, just the basics, Cappuccino, regular coffee, Mocha, we have a few sauces and flavourings we can add. Uh Teas we have a lot of different teas but they are mainly packet based and we just sell them for a little higher.”

“Bit of a scam.”

“Every business is George, You think you don’t get upsold out your ass when it comes to just Milk, or Bread? Think of it more as you are paying for the convenience that you can just walk in and get a drink.”

“Fair enough. I’ll still have that cuppa.”

“Sure George is coming right up. Flare you should go back to your patrol. You will probably be back in a few days anyway.”

“Yeah, after the attack, if I’m in the area I’ll stop by ok?”

“Right, See you later.”

As the man left finally, I turned to the machine to start on George’s drink. He pulled his phone out and started reading something.

“So you and Wilbur Soot huh?”

“Don’t you start please?”

“I mean Dream’s ok with it right? I heard they got added to your clearance.”

“Did they actually? Wilbur called Sam directly the other day and got himself added, I didn't think he got anyone else as well.”

“Just checked the list, Karl got taken off and Sam added Wilbur and Techno. Though Techno is above Will so I suppose he takes priority.”

“I don’t think it matters. I liked talking to him. He helped a lot.”

“Do you want to talk about it while I’m here? It’s probably one of very few times we actually get to sit and talk to each other.”

It was true that George and I didn’t really ever get to communicate much. But he was really busy and also kind of lazy. He got his job done then just stopped. I wish I had that kind of love-hate relationship with everything so I could stop caring as well. But I did miss him. Just like I miss everyone I worked with that I got to know.

“Flare and I got to talking about everything that’s been happening.”

“And?”

“I have an idea for how to keep my powers in check without getting caught. But if I did get caught, I’d probably end up even worse off than before.”

I could see him thinking when I looked over his way. The man pondered deeply before looking back at me and tilting his head to the side as if still thinking.

“I mean, I could also think of something that would be risky, but with that camera up there, and if I know Dream. He would be looking at it every now and again with the audio up listening to this conversation because I know he’s at home and not in the office.”

I watched him stand and put his phone on the counter, it lit up a few moments later with a text message.

“Dream says he’s not going to listen now.”

“That’s scary how well you know him.”

“You get used to him. But I did have an idea and I also think it’s incredibly risky and silly. I don’t doubt you, far from that of course. But I worry about you Tommy. This is really stupid and I want you to make sure you know what you are doing before you try anything this crazy. Take some more time to think of an alternative and then come back with another idea later, yeah?”

"I'm starting to hate having these powers."

"I'd probably hate them as well if I was in your position. The worst part is you have already experienced everything. And if you did that you know you wouldn't be able to call on Fade to help. They could be traced back to you and then it's literally that easy to figure out who you are and have you arrested."

"You make it more and more appealing to just run away, you know that right?"

"And go where? Tubbo?"

"How the fuck do you know about him?"

"Tommy I listen way more than I let out. Dream might be useless but I'm not. I know where you go and what goes on. What do you know about him?"

"I know he and I have been friends for a little bit. Back when Ranboo was still alive, the three of us were really close. When they died, Tubbo was really crushed and wouldn't talk to me for months. Then he found out about the hero thing and he hated it even more. Especially after what happened to them."

"You two are good now though yeah?"

"Yeah, yeah we are fine now. Tubbo actually spoke to me first. He…"

I almost told him, a thought made me stop, that if Dream was listening in then anyone could have.

"He contacted me first."

"Tubbo's a good kid."

"How do you know him?"

"I used to work for his father before I got out. Now the Mayor just kind of does whatever he wants. Though the man did go missing yesterday."

"You sound really relaxed after saying that."

"What, Schlatt going missing? Well yeah the guy is an idiot. But his son is a good kid. Incredibly smart."

"Wait, Tubbo is Schlatt's kid? Fucking bitch never told me that."

"Would you want to be associated with that man?"

"I mean yeah good point but still."

I pulled my phone out and sent him a text, getting a response back really quickly asking how I heard about that. I took a photo of George and sent that as proof.

"Tubbo says you now owe him."

"I don't owe him shit. Tommy there is a lot in this world you aren't going to know. Even from your closest friends ok? Don't think too far into it."

George left a few minutes later after I handed him his drink. Leaving me alone for the rest of the night, even when morning came and Niki arrived with a morning pastry for me. It was still pretty quiet and Eret was going to send me home a bit early as Techno came in a little late.

"Hi Techno."

The two having light conversation as I helped prepare for the day. Putting the book back on the shelf where I got it from and sitting down with my own cup of tea. Sending a message to see who could pick me up since no one had let me come here by myself yet. It was usually Sapnap or George that dropped me off. And then in the mornings it was usually a guard that would take me home so I wouldn't leave. But no one had turned up yet. I was about to get worried before seeing Lukas walk in and find me.

"Uh, hey?"

"Would you believe me if I told you our favourite little bitch Is sitting in his car and asked me to come pick you up and take you to him?"

"I'd absolutely believe you, that sounds like something a little bitch would do."

"Well he is here. But I thought I'd make him wait a little. Hey Techno."

Lukas gave the man a wave as he continued to talk to, or listen to Eret I suppose is the better wording to use. Eret could talk and it was nice to see someone so happy about the world, even if they were pure evil.

"So how did he convince you to come in and see me?"

"I charge him $50 to make me do something that I'm not already paid for."

"And he agreed?"

"Well he's that rich he hasn't noticed I just took it from his wallet."

"I feel like I should tell him about that."

"Are you going to?"

"Pft, no that's fucking hilarious."

I got up and made Lukas a plain coffee before we both walked back to the car. Wilbur sat on his side as I opened the car door and hopped in.

"You know it's Lukas job to open the car door."

"And you're a little bitch for not coming in and seeing me yourself."

"Absolutely fucking not my fault. PTSD from the attack."

"Fuck off, Fade took you two away from the battle. I know you two were only brought back because of cameras."

"Well yes but only because we told them to. And besides when aren't we having photos taken? If these windows weren't so tinted I'd have people trying to get my photo everyday."

"Like a celebrity?"

"Exactly. So you finished work? How was your first day back?"

I debated telling him everything that happened but decided to just keep a few things to myself for now. I told him about Flare popping in and my friend George. Someone Wilbut correctly guessed was another hero.

"And then I found out one of my best friends is the kid to a scary man and I'm worried about him."

"How scary?"

"Like, I want to take him out of that home and give him a new home with me and just give him all the tech he could ever ask for so he could get himself busy without having to actually worry."

"You mean Tubbo?"

I turned to stare at him next but after thinking about it for a second it would probably make sense. Wilbur would be one of the most powerful people in the city outside of Tech and Phil right? It made sense if their company was used to build and fix a tonne of different things that eventually they would be contracted by Schlatt while he was still in office to get something done. In doing that had likely met Tubbo. I know he liked to wear a hat or something to cover his head but still.

"You look like you just had an internal debate in your head."

"I did Will."

"Did you win at least?"

"I don't know."

"I agree with you though. It would be nice to get Tubbo into his own place. However he's 17, you are 16. It would be extremely difficult to get you two to move anywhere. Sure he would be easier, his dad absolutely hates that he exists, only really did when his horns started growing in. Those he could hide, and then his feet began to change and it was over for the poor kid."

"What about his feet?"

"Well hooves but ah well. Goat Hybrid, remember?"

"Wilbur with all due respect I haven't exactly had much interaction with many hybrids in the first place. Techno was the first I'd met I think."

"What do you mean? You healed with the Institute, they take in so many patients there's no way you didn't heal someone."

I shook my head, causing him to curse someone under his breath.

"I mean I knew the Institute was racist but I didn't think it was a pure human only?"

"I'm sure there are many hybrids there?"

"No, you don't say that. Rule number one if someone says something is bad, or fundamentally wrong. You can't really justify it. The fact that the Institute is supposed to be looking after the people, but can't because for whatever reason they are just not taking in everyone. That's a problem."

"Right."

"Let's change the subject. You know how you were asking about whether I'd be able to get Tubbo into a different place?"

"I mean, I wasn't asking you but sure go ahead?"

"I reckon I might be able to, you know? A decent place too, not some crapshoot like the ones in district 11."

"Ok Wilbur. Tommy, take notes to never be like Wilbur. Will act all high and mighty telling you not to be racist and then the next minute, completely classist towards the impoverished community."

Wilbur told Lukas to fuck off but I couldn't help but laugh.

"I know a friend who already has their own apartment, and I reckon I could get everything sorted to move Tubbo in. It wouldn't take long to be honest. A few phone calls and a bit of time."

"Oh, ok."

"Tommy, you are doing the depression thing again. Do you want to talk about it?"

"Hm? Oh. Uh I don't know what I'm just thinking about. Maybe moving as well."

"Was not expecting that. Is Dream treating you alright?"

"Dream is fine, I just. I don't get to see him. And for the past year or close to it. I've been stuck living with him or being at the tower, before then I wasn't even really treated normally because of my powers. I know Tubbo won't be mean to me. And your friend, how old are they?"

"17."

"Is it weird that I'd kind of want to move in with two people my own age? Make a new friend?"

"I don't think that's weird at all. I'd say it's rather normal honestly. You have a job so you would be able to get anything you needed. And I can handle all the paperwork so all you guys would have to do is move in."

"Why are you so nice to me? You could have or do anything in the world Will."

"Maybe I like to talk to someone who isn't treating me like some genius kid who's dad could buy their whole lives. Everyone treats me like Royalty in this world. The only reason they don't do it to Techno is because he works everywhere and in the field. They see him a lot more. People don't see me very often. So I like you Tommy. You don't treat me any less or any more than I should be. Just human."

"Uh, you're welcome."

As Lukas pulled up to my current home. I took a moment to just look out the window. 

"Hey Wilbur, were you serious when you said you would help Tubbo and me move?"

"Very."

"One condition? I want freedom."

"I'd never dream of locking you in that one house. You would be free to come and go as you like and do whatever you want. Obviously you are 16 and have a job so make sure you keep up with that and I don't mind. You have to keep your life normal."

"Thanks, I might talk to Dream about it soon."

It took until Saturday morning for Dream to finally see me. And after a few days of just thinking, I was pretty set on my decision.

"Did I do something wrong? Are you ok? I haven't said or done something to hurt you have i?"

"No Dream, you are fine. There's just been a lot on my mind and I think it might be best for my mental health right now. Sure I leave and have work, but if I'm not at work I'm surrounded by the Institute. Heroes turn up at work to talk to me and see how I'm going and I know that's gotta be getting some of them in trouble. I don't know anyone except for Tubbo who is my own age. And to top it all off. I don't even get to see you. I miss you and I miss being able to talk to you. I just think for me to try and look after myself and learn to be self sufficient. Well, away from hero shit. I think it might be a smart idea. And it's not like I'm just running off with some untrustworthy, seedy piece of shit. Wilbur said he would take care of a lot of stuff. He already has got Tubbo out and that was the easy part. Did you know he was Schlatt's kid? I didn't until George told me. And everyone knows Tubbo. It seems like everyone knows more about him than I do and he's one of my best friends that I have left. I also. Was kind of promised something that I don't think I can say no to."

"Freedom? Yeah, look Tommy. I can sit here and talk about how depressing it must be living here and not getting to do anything. Or I can talk about how I want to be here more or see you more. But I know how frustrating it must be. Wilbur is a clean slate, away from all this hero's bullshit. Is he making you sign anything or do anything?"

"No, not that I know of but if he did want me to do something then it would be fair. He's giving me something you can't. And I hate that I just said that. But you are still with the Institute, so you can't help me as much. Wilbur can."

"He could take away the guards here and give you his own guards. They would let you come and go but he might give you a personal guard. Especially if word gets out that you two are close."

"I'll take that oven house arrest. Dream, I love you, you are my brother and I will never forget what you have done for me. But I feel like I'm metaphorically dying here. I know Sam has no intention of letting me back. Why would he? He was so quick to get rid of me that he'd never rehire me. To be honest, I don't think at this point it really matters, I think I want to move out."

"Tommy, be honest with me. If I had been home more, or done more, would it have changed anything?"

I didn't want to say anything out loud because I knew it would hurt his feelings. But if I didn't say anything in general then that was still an answer in itself. I was in a lose-lose situation here. And no matter what, it was going to hurt. So I did the only thing I could think of. And walked over to him and tucked my head into his shoulder, put my arms around him and just held on for dear life. I knew he was upset and probably blaming himself but I needed this. And I hated myself for being in this position. Every time I do or say something I just feel turmoil and disgust. But what was I supposed to do?

"I'm sorry Tommy. That I've basically just done the one thing I promised I'd never do and left you, abandoned you. I'm so sorry."

"You did not abandon me. Even if you haven't been around you still answer my calls, or you still text back. Don't say that. I'm not leaving for good. You aren't letting me go. We just won't get to see each other as often. But I think this is the right choice for me to make. I need a normal life right? Which means I need more people my age. Or at least I need Wilbur. He has no ties to the Institute and that's what I need the most."

Chapter Text

It took a week for me to move out of Dreams apartment and into my new home with Tubbo and Wilbur's friend. I was nervous for sure. And after convincing Sapnap that I was fine and sure of myself. And telling George I'd still be working at the cafe, they came around eventually. The hardest part was yesterday. I felt miserable all day and when it came time to go I had a panic attack and cried. Twenty minutes of calming me down. Dream holding me and promising he wouldn't leave me, promising he would come see me sometimes when he could. And with Wilbur by my side this time. I was sitting in his car as Lukas was getting paid extra, their words, to carry my things into the back of his car. 

"You ok?"

Tubbo was sitting in the chair at my desk, Wilbur made sure we had everything we needed. He bought me a new phone, new laptop and a switch like what Lukas had. We played a round of Mario Kart but I put it down on the desk for now. I hadn't touched it since yesterday.

"Is it normal to feel guilty for leaving Dream?"

"I think that's a question you should ask a therapist T. Not that you know I'm not a worse option. Just, I think with what you have talked to me about in the past. You might have some underlying PTSD from when you had been abandoned or left alone. So now you think that while you know it's different and you know Dream is just a phone call away. It still feels like the same situation as before right?"

"Yeah, pretty much sums it up."

"Have you thought about a therapist?"

"We had one at the Institute but…"

I let out a light ooft as something was thrown at my face. Tubbo, still sitting at my desk, threw the toy bee Fade gave him at me. 

"What did I say about Rule number 1."

"Don't talk about the Institute, but I was answering your question."

"I don't care. No talking about those assholes. This is a clean slate Tommy. No more Red Cross, no more Institute. Brand new start for you ok? This is just as new a start for me too. I want to make sure we are both good."

"Have you met our roommate yet?"

"Don't change the subject."

I looked over his way to see him getting ready to jump out of the chair. My desk sat along the left side of my room when you opened the door. The dual colours of Black along the bottom half of the walls and Red on the top. Carpeted floors with what Wilbur described as a rug that would make sense later. A large pure white circle in the middle of my room. It was so big he said they had to put the rug down first and everything else on top of it. A wardrobe which he promised we would fill at a later time as well as a bedside table both a dark colour made of wood. It was actually a really nice room and he made sure I had an input on everything from start to finish. Wilbur said he wanted to make it as mine as he possibly could. Tubbo's room was decorated similarly but in his own ways. Bee's being his current obsession so Wilbur hired a home designer team to kit it out to look like the inside of a beehive. There was a lot of yellows and oranges in Tubbo's room but it looked incredible. I think my favourite part was his Wardrobe was actually several hexagonal shelves stacked together to look like Honeycomb. 

"I just think I would rather take some time for myself. Just to get used to everything."

"Yeah, it took me less time to get used to being alone but I suppose I'm used to it from dad. I'm sorry I never told you about that, I thought it would have been awkward considering your job and everything. You had to be nice to him and I didn't want you to treat me any differently."

"Like how I said the same to you when you hacked into my comms for the first time and scared the shit out of me."

"I thought you were in trouble or kidnapped. It's not my fault their security is shit. I'd been able to get into their fucking cameras around the office in a couple of days. They never caught me so it's not my fault."

"They never caught you because there was never anything to catch. You created a system that wouldn't change anything  but instead added on another layer to it all which deleted itself when you left. That's incredible."

"It took a long time to work on. Tommy you shit you're still changing the subject."

"Wait, I need to ask you something."

"What?"

"How do you manage to write code and do all this tech shit when you can't read?"

"Fuck you Innit I can read. It just takes a little longer."

"What was it, Dyslexia?"

"I created a program that would copy everything on the screen and read it back to me so I didn't have to read it myself."

"Tubbo that's so fucking cool do you know how many people could benefit from that?"

"Tommy, I'm not exactly the most legal person in the world. I hack into things I'm not supposed to and am an adopted kid to a dad who used me to garner respect before he got taken in. And he went missing a week ago. I'm technically in witness protection."

"Is that the story Wilbur spun?"

"It worked."

I was about to say something else when I heard the front door close. The apartment Wilbur moved us into was big. Three bedrooms all with an ensuite so we had our own space. A large enough kitchen and dining area combined and a lounge room with a large tv and couch, a few other seats sprinkled around so we weren't all forced onto one seat. 

"Tubbo? Is Tommy here yet?"

"Yeah, he arrived yesterday when you were out."

"Ok… give me a minute."

"Is he ok Tubbo?"

Tubbo looked at me nervously, like really nervously. I could see the Anxiety building in his eyes.

"Tommy, you are about to be told a huge secret you can't tell anyone about. Especially not Dream."

"What's going on? Is our roommate a serial killer? Or is he Syndicate cos I'm kind of ok with that considering I've you know, Met and spoken to two of them before."

"It has something to do with Fade."

"Is Fade our roommate?"

"Something like that."

I turned to see my door open and I think I let out the manliest scream I could possibly scream. Totally not big pitched at all as I leapt from my bed and jumped into Ranboo's arms. Catching me in an instant I couldn't help the cry that came out of me as tears fell.

"YOU FUCKER! PRICK! C- I cant say that one But FUCK YOU!"

I wanted to punch them, I wanted to smack them, do anything I could to just… Ranboo's alive.

"You died. I heard you died, you were shot and they didn't even let me see your body. They didn't let me say goodbye and you left me. Ranboo you left me and I hate you."

"Tommy, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I couldn't say anything."

"And you tricked me, you told me you were Fade, that we never met and this whole fucking time you acted like a stranger. I'd have kept it a secret, I'd have not told anyone if it meant I could have you back why didn't you tell me."

Emotions took over my body as I just beat their chest with my closed fist, I couldn't hurt them, never in my life would I ever be able to hurt Ranboo. But… They didn't say anything. My knees buckled under as Ran caught me. Even Tubbo came over to try and help me but I turned on him too.

"YOU KNEW, that's the worst part Tubbo. You knew and didn't say anything. I thought you two had never met before that third day I was at home. I thought you two had just become fast friends but you knew didn't you? You had to have known, otherwise you wouldn't have said to be careful. Do not worry Tommy it will be fine Tommy. Why doesn't anyone trust me anymore? What did I do to deserve this? I don't want to do this anymore. I can't. It hurts and I can't even be happy I thought you were dead."

Ranboo stayed with me for a while, Tubbo left and I could hear plates being placed down while Ranboo moved us over to my bed. Laying down with me as I cried into their chest. Tubbo walked in ten minutes later with a couple of sandwiches for us both. Ranboo kept an arm around me as they leaned against the wall, I couldn't even unlatch myself from around them. I didn't want to let them go. I couldn’t. Like if i did then they would leave again.

“You know what the worst part is?”

“There have been many Tommy.”

“You didn’t even correct me, at all whenever I referred to you as him. Or Fade as him. You could have at least said something then it wouldn’t have made me think it was you.”

“It hurt a little but I could handle it to stay safe. Tommy no one at the Institute knows it’s me. Sam has his suspicions but no one has any proof it’s me, considering you know, Ranboo died like what? 8 months ago now? 10? I don’t remember when I died how sad.”

“Don’t do that, don’t normalize it. Please. I don’t want to think about that ever again.”

“I saw you go through every process of grief that you did. It was hard, don’t think that it wasn’t but I needed to stay safe.”

“So now what? I can’t keep using you from the institute. And if you just came back or disappeared people would know. Why couldn’t you just not tell people you were dead.”

“There’s a good reason for that. The Syndicate saved me and brought me back. They didn’t have a healer obviously but they do have power, and power means money. Nemesis didn’t leave my side and Damocles was the one that found me. There’s a reason the Institute doesn’t know who I am. And I’ll tell you that reason later. But just know that I have been waiting for the day that you left them completely so I could tell you who I am.”

“You hate them don’t you?”

“They left me to die Tommy. Chronos and Repose left me for dead. I have to give credit to Bloom and Deadlock, Those two actually wanted to save me had Repose not sent them both to sleep and pretended we were all attacked. Chronos called it in and took Bloom back to the tower. Repose stole Deadlock and went back and left me there. I cried, I screamed and I tried to teleport back to the institute but I couldn’t. I was in too much pain.”

“So how did Damocles find you?”

“He said he heard screaming and went to see what it was, found me and laughed. Thought he would finish the job, took off my mask and saw my face. Made a phone call and in two minutes I was swooped up in Nemesis arms and taken to some private hospital I don’t remember the name of. I was there for two months before they let me out. And then a third before they let me work undercover for the institute. I thought it was stupid and I wanted nothing to do with it. But they made a deal with me that if anything happened they would get me out in any way. They said they were villains and got what they needed or wanted to by force if need be but they never hurt kids.”

Thinking back, Nightingale said the same thing when I tried to tell him I was 18 and I was nervous when he first came to the café that night. And every time after he still didn’t believe me that I was just a kid.

“Did you tell them about me?”

“Would you hate me if I said yes?”

“A little.”

“Tommy, you are still a child.”

“I’m not a child. Big man Tommy.”

“Big man Tommy is 16 years old. Forgive me for being terrified that something would happen to you when I found out you were working there. At 15 first of all. I wanted to do anything to keep you safe. So you wouldn’t end up being sent out to die before you could legally drink, before you could legally do anything. Even at 16 you can’t do shit but they are still fine to send you out there and never question your documentation? I died at 17 years old Tommy. They sent me out with a group, sure, but they left me there. No one went to check for me, no one went looking for me. I was alone and they helped me. I know you don’t like them or at least have a weird fucking relationship with Nightingale and Damocles after the attack. But please I was trying to help you as much as I possibly could. I’m sorry I told Nightingale and Damocles about you. I’m sorry that it now looks like it was all a set up.”

“Ranboo just shut up please. Stop talking. I don’t want to hear it anymore.”

Ran finished eating and I started but I just felt sick. I didn’t feel like eating was going to work so I took a few bites otherwise Tubbo would have kicked my ass and then stopped. Ranboo picked up my plate and placed it on top of theirs on the bedside table before laying down again, letting me curl up into them as Tubbo got back on my computer. The smart ass remote accessed his own so he could stay here.

“Do you have anything you want to ask me?”

“I have a lot that I want to ask you.”

“Start with the easiest questions.”

“Do you know the identities of The Syndicate?”

“Only one of them and that’s Nemesis. But I could take an estimated guess on who the others are from there.”

“Do you trust them?”

“More than the Institute.”

“Did you hate me?”

While they didn’t respond straight away, I still desperately wanted to keep my hopes up.

“I thought you were dead, I kept on living and even though I never did anything to still show how much I missed you, I still had to go on living and do my day to day shit.”

“And I’d never expect you to do anything else. Tommy, you still had a life to live. I’m alive, I’m not dead and I have never been. Please let’s just not think about it like this ok? I’m here now.”

“Fine… I fucking hate you Ranboob.”

“ONE TIME INNIT!”

“Fuck off. I have to get ready to go to work. Does this mean you still can’t do anything?”

“I mean, I probably could but I can only really go out as Fade. And no one knows what Fade looks like so I just kind of kept to myself. Actually, There is one place I can go on my own but it’s literally just one place. And that’s Nemesis office. But I can’t take you with me because you don’t know who he is and honestly, It’s probably for the better.”

“I don’t know who anyone is.”

“You will learn in time. You need to get ready.”

“I don’t really want to anymore.”

“You don’t have a choice Tommy. That was your one stipulation with Wilbur. Ranboo will be here when you finish. I mean they know your schedule more than anyone else. And you still have the panic button right?”

“Yeah, still have it all.”

“Then you will be fine. You might not be living with Dream anymore but that shouldn’t stop you from keeping safe. Heroes are starting to patrol around there anyway. I’ve seen Flare and Fira more often and Chronos is around too.”

“Fine.”

While it took me half an hour to pull myself out from Ranboo’s hold, I got dressed, got organised and made my way to the library early. Getting there at 8 pm. An hour before my shift started properly, Niki was standing behind the counter as I walked up behind her, putting on my apron and getting to work.

“Hey, Tommy, you don’t start for another hour.”

“I'll just do it for free. Please let me work, Niki. I've had a really exhausting day.”

“Are you ok? Eret is still here, we can close for the night if you need to sleep.”

“I’ve already had a little nap, I just need to be doing something.”

“Tommy I am more worried about you not being in the right space than I am about this place.”

I turned my head to see Eret standing off to the side, Coffee in hand as she leant down towards me.

“Look, Wilbur told me that you moved in with your friends. While I’m extremely proud of you for being able to make that type of decision for yourself, I also know that it would be a huge jump going from living with Dream to living essentially on your own. Even if you aren’t by yourself, that’s still a big leap to make. And if what you just said to Niki is true that you have had a really big day. Then I’d really prefer you to stay safe and take the night off. I can close for the night. I don’t care. My staff come first.”

“Eret, Please.” 

I couldn’t even really talk as my voice broke, emotions starting to build as I took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds.

“I’m really trying, and since I moved in, the one thing Wilbur asked is that I keep working. And after today, I really need something to get my mind off of some things. So can I please just do my job and start now? I need this more than I want to admit right now.”

Eret looked worried, her eyes crossed over to Niki before landing back at me.

“Let me make a phone call, and I’ll get back to you ok? I really don’t like the idea of you working when you are like this.”

“Like what? People have shit days all the time, I just need something to do Eret. I’m 18. I’m fine, Shit happens. Fuck off and let me work.”

“Tommy.”

I did jump a little, I know I screwed up and you weren’t supposed to talk to your boss like that. Not on the job anyway.

“I understand. Alright I do, I’ve been running this place since I was your age alright? I get it. Just let me make a call and it will help me feel better alright?”

I nodded as Niki handed me one of our napkins. Wiping my eyes before getting back into the swing of things. While there weren’t many people here at the moment, Niki covering the afternoon shift made it easier. I remember seeing a roster showing that she would start at 8 am and finish at 1, then come back at 3 to finish at 9. Eret would walk in at 6 am to open up every day and stay around. Sometimes helping me out with the morning workers rush but kept it running while Niki took her break. Then would stay until Niki left, Then it was just me. I know Dream thought it was weird that I’d have essentially a 12 hour shift but in reality, Once Eret came in at 6 am, She would either take over or push me to do light activities or cleaning. Then Niki would come in and I’d just finish. It gives me something to do so I don’t mind.

“Are you sure you are ok Tommy?”

“I’m fine, just been doing a lot of thinking and need to breathe. Black coffee for Lee.”

Working with Niki was nice, She knew what she was doing and hadn’t shown signs of being tired so she must have been doing it for a while now. Half an hour later, Eret came back and said they had a chat with someone and she felt better now. But if I ever had those same feelings again to just call in. Just because I was the only one open doesn’t mean I didn’t have benefits that Dream should have told me about. I’d essentially been working every day since I got the job. Apparently Eret told Dream to let me know that I could take a day off whenever I needed so long as it wasn’t 3 in a row and she would just close up for the night. But Dream didn’t tell me that and just let me think that it was normal to work 7 days a week. I mean I did with the Institute but being a hero meant you didn’t get a day off. Especially as a healer. Even if Punz was there and literally could not leave. I was the one sent out, so I had to do everything a hero did and more. 

At 9, Niki and Eret both left and closed down everything on the library side of the premises and let me go about my night. Once they had left, I made myself a tea and pulled over a seat to the counter, Sitting behind it as I pulled out a notepad. Writing down on one side of the paper, a list of all the people I knew as a hero or villain. And then on the other side a yes or no if I knew them or not. They say never leave a paper trail and I wasn’t that fucking stupid. Ok maybe I was if I didn’t realise who Ranboo was but still. I just felt like shit. A couple of people came in oven the next hour until 10:30. A loud crunching sound could be heard as I looked up to see what was going on. One person falling over as they ran from someone else further down the street as whoever was chasing them picked up speed, What looked like a giant figure made of stone running quickly and surprisingly gracefully down after the man. One part of me thought to help and see what was going on. But I don’t know if it’s the fact I haven’t done anything in a while or what was happening but I just looked back down. Sure I’d seen other weird moments happening around the city at night. A few figures thought they were clever and out of sight only to be lit up as a car drove past or the street light flickered. Or one person getting as close to the glass as possible in some purple get up, only to be spooked as I looked up, causing the person to run.

“You don’t have to worry bout them.”

I registered Damocles walking in and taking a seat, pulling out a laptop as they opened it up. 

“Are you my guard for tonight?”

I think he said yes, I wasn’t paying attention as the Rocky figure started to break apart as a rather short man landed on the ground. Like the rock was a transformer or something. 

“That looked cool.”

“Hm? Oh Gaia. Yeah he’s alright. Bit of a dick but what Vigilante isn’t really?”

“You know I’ve been thinking about that and how risky it would be.”

“Go for it.”

My attention immediately caught onto the man sitting down, typing away casually on the device below him. 

“What?”

“Why not? You’d get to help people and it would solve your healing problem.”

“What healing problem? I don’t have any powers.”

“Tommy, you remember when you stitched up my finger like a week and a half ago? You kind of outed yourself to me without realising.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“You have a hero’s Medkit. The only people who are given those are top heroes or first responders. And I know for a fact you aren’t already a first responder. Unless you were a field medic. Considering the Institute as about 3 healers that we know of, and Red Cross. One of them can’t legally leave the building, one died not long after you were expelled and the last one is just plain too afraid to go outside now thinking you guys were being targeted. I’d say the process of elimination lines up well that we don’t spot Red out anymore, then a couple days later a person who matches their description starts working at Eret’s Library. We know Red was close with Dream and everything else lined up from there. You healed my finger while you were working on it. I didn’t really feel anything but let you think I did by biting onto my cape. I didn’t feel the needle, I didn’t feel the thread closing the wound. I’m not going to say anything though.”

“Hang on fucking. Slow down, I have so many questions.”

“If you became a vigilante it would be pretty obvious.”

“What do you mean?”

“Tommy, What other people do you know in this city can heal? Say if someone got hurt or needed help would you be able to not give in and heal. I know you wouldn’t be able to since your so gung ho about becoming a doctor.”

“I still need to ask questions.”

“I won’t say anything, A healer is so hard to come by nowadays that the Institute tends to find out before anyone else does and snatch them up. Don’t you think it’s a bit weird that no doctors can heal?”

“I’m sure some can?”

“Tommy, not a single doctor in the country can heal. They all had to do it the hard way. You would think they would beg for a healer for the really serious shit. So many less people would die. But instead the Institute tries to limit everyone’s abilities and make you guys work for them. Which would be fine if 4 out of 5 healers that were found in the last decade didn’t work for those bastards.”

“4 of 5?”

“You, Medic, Aid and Nurse. Funny as well how all of your names had something to do with healing. Did you know the Red Cross is a humanitarian company in Australia? Who works solely to provide help, aid, and relief to those who need it. Normally it would be considered against the Geneva convention to use the name of a humanitarian group while doing something else. But considering you are a healer and are doing that type of work. I’m sure Sam managed to get a freebie with that.”

“You’re a villain, why are you being nice to me?”

“Because Eret was worried about you. And besides, that’s exactly my point. I’m a villain, which means I get what I want when I want it. Geneva Convention more like Geneva Suggestion.”

“That’s fucked.”

“L.”

“Fuck off. Are you just going to sit there or do you want a drink?”

“I’ll have a drink.”

Silence, except for the light tapping from Damocles. I wanted to ask so many questions but what could I ask? How did he figure out who I was, that seemed obvious. Was there a reason he wouldn’t tell anyone? That was another thing in itself… Did he tell Eret? Cos I’m pretty sure she knows who I am because of Dream. 

“Damo can I ask you something?”

“Nicknames now are we? Sure go ahead, I have all night.”

“How did you..?”

I looked up towards the camera and let out a quiet fuck. Some things you can’t say out loud. 

“Here, If you face the computer away from the camera you can type whatever you want to say.”

I hesitated a little as he turned it to face the opposite direction and out of sight. I walked over and started typing a few things out. 

Big T: How did you know about Ranboo? I’m thankful you saved them but, that’s why I was in a horrible place today. They told me like an hour before I came in.

Damocles: That sucks for you. Found him after the heroes abandoned him, laughed, thought how easy a kill it would be to take them down. But I have my own little honour that I like to see who I’m killing. Pulled the mask off and saw they were a child. So I called for help and got them to the hospital owned by us.

Big T: Thank you. Would it really be that obvious who I was if I was a vigilante?

Damocles: Tommy I’ll let you in on a secret, every villain knows the identity of every superhero. You don’t think we don’t go looking into who these people are? When someone uses their powers and then all of a sudden it’s never recorded again until a new hero pops up. Or perhaps when we are in a fight, we don’t notice who talks the same way. Uses the same repetitive words or phrases. The only reason we didn’t know who you were was because you literally appeared out of nowhere as a healer in the Institute. As soon as we saw you could heal, I won’t lie. Nemesis wanted to kidnap you. He almost succeeded until Nightingale stopped him. Compelled him actually, and that command still stays until he takes it off. He’s been having that over him for a year now and it’s tiring at night time.”

Big T: So if you know who everyone is? Why not just go for them during the day?

Damocles: We have a few times. I know who Flare and Chronos are. I attended their wedding. I know who Repose is, He applied for an internship at the company I work for.”

Big T: Is that why it was easy for Nemesis to tell Ranboo who they were? Cos they know who you and Nightingale are.

Damocles: I mean if you really looked into it Tommy, It’s not difficult to figure out. Think of it like hiding in plain sight. I get to do what I want to help the people I love and look after others. I also get to make friends and help the city in ways the heroes never could. Sure we go about things in a different way but the end result is the same.”

Big T: So… I don’t get it.

Damocles: Tommy, who else do you know in this world who has pink skin and long pink French braided hair? Someone who is really close with Eret that she can message at any time and ask me to come check on you.

I was confused by what they said until it felt like something hit me. And it hit me hard as I fell to the ground. Damocles' feet moved quickly as my head started to throb and my leg was in pain. It started gradually before it felt like my senses came back and I started screaming. I painfully rolled myself over and lifted my head up, my vision dizzying as I saw my leg trickling with blood. A small hole in my pants leg as the pain flared up again. 

“Tommy, you call for help.”

I reached down to my pants leg and flinched, pain radiating throughout my whole body as I grit through the pain, letting my hands react on instinct and a white light appeared over me for a change. Just giving me enough strength to ignore the shooting fire and reach into my leg. Reading for the panic button and pressing it. Hoping it was enough for Fade to come find me.

“Tommy?”

“It hurts a lot.”

“GET AWAY FROM HIM!”

I couldn’t look up in time before someone tried to walk over towards me. A pair of boots standing over me. Kicking me in the stomach as I let out another scream and almost upended the contents of my stomach. I was in so much pain, Any fighter knows it only takes one hit to completely incapacitate someone.

“I said get the fuck off him.”

The light hit my eyes again as the figure was tackled away from me, the sound of glass shattering yet again as haunting memories came back of the fight from before. Fade hadn’t arrived, Ranboo wasn’t here. Where are they?

“What makes you think you can kidnap a child?”

“He fucking works here, I think I’m entitled to a drink.”

“You would have been poisoning his mind.”

“I’m showing him how easy it is to pick out people when you know the similarities between them, Karl.”

“Two can play that game, Damocles.”

I don’t know what was going on, but I saw a Blue circle appear before it cut off and dissipated. Karl let out a groan of frustration as more sounds of crashing happened.

“And you called for help? You can’t fight me on your own Karl?”

“How the fuck does he know who you are?”

“It’s not hard, Sapnap. You have fire powers, Flare has fire powers. Are you people really that brainwashed by the Institute that you can’t put two and two together?”

Ranboo where are you? You said you would protect me.

“Why did you shoot him in the leg?”

“When the fuck have you ever seen Damocles with a gun Karl. Go home, you are making it worse.”

“So you’re on their side?”

“Tommy has worked here for almost a month, villains have been coming in to get a drink since he stayed open. He knows who we are, we are compromised. Go home and we will talk about this later.”

“No, No Fuck you Flare. I’m not going to be a pawn in this game you are playing.”

I heard another gunshot fire as I let out another scream, this time pain spread from my chest. A shot through the middle as I let out strangled sobs and weak cries.

“Where is that coming from?”

“Chronos I wouldn’t know. What do you know that I don’t? He was fine, they were talking.”

“They were hiding something. Why would they turn the laptop around?”

“So you were spying on us Karl. That doesn’t seem very heroic of you?”

“I’m watching him to make sure he’s safe.”

“He’s safer with me than he ever would be with you. Weren’t you the one that didn’t even attempt to help him when Sam revoked his license? Weren’t you the one who barely lifted a finger everytime this kid was nearly killed?”

“You need to keep your mouth shut.”

“Damocles if you know who I am, and you know who Karl is. You have kept him safe a lot more than we could and Nightingale is no where to be found. The only pers…”

????

I fired my final shot. Flare talks way too much. Watching him try and hold back his husband was cute but that’s not my mission. I mean this was perfect really. Chronos can’t even go back in time to figure out what was happening with Damocles standing within range. The final shot poised for Tommy’s head, as I watched his body lightly skid up along the ground, the blood pooling around his body as Flare screamed, really fucking loud as I watched him push Chronos to the side. Knocking over Damocles as well. I pulled my phone out as I watched the man trying desperately to shake the young man awake, knowing he was gone.

“Jobs done.”

“Good, I'll send you the contact for the money now. Three shots just like I asked?”

“Mhm, Flare turned up as well. You said he’s witnessed this before?”

“He’s the one that’s pulled the trigger before. Funny how they never told Tommy about that special little quirk.”

I looked back towards the scene in front of me, knowing it was all caught on camera as his body began to morph and shift, becoming transparent before disappearing, the bullets falling through his incorporeal self as the blood stopped dripping. After a moment, Tommy’s body vanished, like it was never there in the first place.

“Where is he now?”

“If I paid enough attention, which of course I do. He can be in one of two places. If Ranboo fucked up, then he is at the Institutions Medbay which is less than ideal but would force them to explain his immortality to them. Otherwise, if all went to plan, he should be appearing in his bed at home.”

“When did you find out about his Immortality?”

“I have eyes everywhere, I have informants in every business in this city. Of course I have ties to the institute. In saying that, I’ve known about it since his first “death” so to speak. When Dream himself held him close and waited for him to fall asleep and snapped his neck. I was there the second time, watching from above when Repose sent him to sleep and then shot him point blank. And you bet I was there, I even took Damocles with me the third time after Nightingale caught him about a month ago. Putting himself to sleep using pills the Institute provided him before Sapnap gave him probably the most fitting end. Cremating his body to literally rise from the ashes. That one made me actually talk to the man.”

“I didn’t need the full story, old man.”

“But you would be curious regardless. No one has ever been shot by Deadlock and survived right? Technically he didn’t survive, but you didn’t get your target. Wouldn’t want Sam to find out one of his own was a Vigilante.”

“I did what you asked me to do, Nemesis. I held up my end of the bargain.”

“And I already sent you the contact for your payment. Now get down from there, You are way too obvious in your outfit. And don’t let Damocles see you, because if he does, then he will know I sent you.”

“Whatever. Not my fault you have no trust in your kids Phil.”

Chapter Text

Waking up with a scream, thrashing my hands around and lashing out. I felt someone grabbing me as I screamed as loud as I could. Someone was talking to me as well which was hard because everything sounded so muffled. I was freaking out for a few seconds before my body got hit with a stupid level of exhaustion. My whole body fell limp as my eyes opened, looking up to see a beige colour on the roof, a blanket pulled up to my neck as someone still held me down.

“Tommy!”

I could see their faces come into view, with Tubbo sitting over me and Ranboo behind him. I wanted to scream again but even as I opened my mouth no sound came out. My body hurt and tears fell. I felt the impact of the bullets in my leg, I felt it in my chest… 

“Tommy please can you hear me?”

I wanted to say something but no words came out. I just blinked a couple of times as my eyes focused on him.

“Ok Tubs he can hear you. He’ll be fine soon. Just let him rest.”

“You just told me he was here, you heard something and then he was here. He’s supposed to be at work.”

“Just let him rest, he will be fine. I promise.”

“What happened?”

“He was clearly killed. It used to happen all the time at the Institute. He would be killed in the field and then pop up back here. Like he can die but he comes back.”

“What like a respawn like in games? Minecraft, Call of duty?”

“Essentially yeah.”

“What…”

“Tommy, relax, try and sleep please. It’s going to feel painful but the more you rest the easier it will be. You are just in shock. Punz told me all about it, relax you will be fine ok?”

I didn’t want to but my body felt so heavy, I let my eyes close and slip into sleep before waking up later. My body felt better but I was still tired. My throat was dry and I just felt tired. I didn’t panic this time which was nice but I still just felt horrible.

“Tommy?”

I groaned slightly before Tubbo’s face came into view again, looking me over as he let go and lay back down beside me.

“You scared me Tommy.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t… know what’s happening.”

“You are safe, you are fine. I promise.”

“What happened?”

“You died apparently. But you were working, and then Ranboo said something and then panicked and then they disappeared and then came back and I don’t know what’s going on but Boo said you died and then I just… Are you ok?”

“I don’t know Tubbo.”

“I was so scared.”

“What happened?”

“I don’t know. I was talking to Damocles, and they were talking about how they knew who the heroes were. Knew who I was and all that. And then when he said that I would be able to figure out who they were just by putting two and two together I got shot in the leg… And then Karl turned up and said something, and then they were arguing and then something else happened and then I remember getting shot in the chest… and then it just went dark.”

“Is there anything else you remember?”

“Damocles is Techno I think.”

I would have reacted appropriately if I could but all I heard was the door open and then slam into the wall. Ranboo probably came back to see me.

“At least you figured that one out before you died on me.”

I don’t know why I stiffened at Tech’s voice. Everything was on a new level now? Why am I still here if I remember vividly being shot? Why was Techno pretending everything was fine when I know his villain and civilian identity. Everything feels so wrong. 

“I’m scared now.”

“Tommy it’s ok I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

“You said that before and I just got shot. Multiple fucking times Tubbo. Where was Ranboo, I called for him.”

“You did?”

“I have my emergency button in my pocket.”

Hopefully everything comes with me when I die otherwise all of my stuff is now just sitting on the floor covered in blood at the cafe. Fuck the cafe I didn’t even think that far ahead.

“Eret’s gonna kill me.”

I heard Tubbo and Techno both snicker to themselves and a smile appears on Tubbo’s face.

“Well if she does then she won’t be able to do a good job of it.”

“Shut the fuck up. It still hurts.”

“I’ve been told you will still feel some pain from what happened. Though at the moment it’s just crippling. Have you really never woken up or died before? You’re a hero. And I know for a fact I’ve gotten you a few times.”

“I mean I could teleport but that was always back to the Medbay at the Institute. I’d get a little injured, I’d take a sleeping pill they gave me then wake up back there. Punz would give me a once over and see how I was feeling but I was always ready to just get up and go. I’ve never felt like this before.”

“Can you move your arms or something for me?”

I lifted up my hand and then my arm to try and put them onto Tubbo’s shoulder but it was a lot of effort. It sucked, I felt useless right now but I was just so tired.

“Just rest as much as you can, ok? I’ll have Wilbur come over later and check on you. Tubbo, can you do me a favour really quick?”

“He's a villain Tubbo, did you know that?”

“I don’t really know how to answer that aside from just saying yes.”

“How long?”

“Since they helped Ranboo. So almost a year.”

Fresh tears stung my face as I felt my world crashing down around me. Everything felt so fake, so fabricated like it was all a lie. Was there anything that actually was just my fault? Or was it all just some bullshit that happened around me and I was just always left out of the loop. I hated this, I hated everything, and the worst part was I can’t even be suicidal over this? Where the fuck would I end up? Would I even come back if I did it myself?

“Hey, Tommy, breathe please. Tommy you are alive and here, this isn’t some dream I got you.”

“Tubbo it hurts.”

“Can you tell me where it hurts?”

“Everywhere hurts. My body feels exhausted and I can barely move without straining everything. My head hurts because I don't know what’s real anymore. What of my life hasn’t been commanded by everyone else around me. Everyone lies to me all the time. I don’t know what to do anymore.”

Wilbur

“Yeah Tech I know, I’ll be there later. I have to deal with Quackity again.”

“Just get over here as soon as you can.”

As he hung up on me, I let out a sigh before looking back at the smug looking fuck across from me. 

“You are the only person I know of that can pull off a beanie, you know that.”

“Because you never see me without it mi amor.”

“Don’t call me that. I’ve organised the contractors to get to work on your signs for tomorrow. I’ll get Barry to get in contact with Charlie regarding designs for your light show and if you are really nice to me. I’ll even look into the current situation you have found yourself in.”

“Wouldn't your daddy be able to do it for you even quicker?”

“I wouldn’t get too cocky. I can take everything away faster than it takes to get started.”

“Lighten up Wilbur, you know I bring in enough work for you that it’s always worth it. And besides, don't you miss me?”

“I’d rather not speak about that time in my life. Getting drunk and making out with you was the worst decision of my life.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because I was drunk, you were drunk, neither of us knew what we were doing. I’d rather forget about that. I have more important things to worry about than some random guy I thought looked like a girl in Las Nevadas.”

“I get that sometimes. Have you heard anything about Tommy?”

“How the fuck do you know about… Right, powers.”

Quackity grinned his shit eating grin he always wore when he knew something. One young person doesn’t just acquire an entire Island without some help. He was scary to anyone who knew him. But really he was just a prick who could talk his way into and out of anything. His powers helped him a lot but I was more curious how he used them. I looked ahead towards him, his grin still there as he raised one eye towards me. No one had told him about Tommy. I’m pretty sure he’s single so he doesn’t know anyone around the mainland, and he only comes here to see me. So how does he manage to keep an eye on everything?

“You scare me Wilbur.”

“What?”

“I said you scare me, when you start thinking you can see the cogs turning and it’s terrifying. I know what you are capable of. I know what your family is capable of. Even your dads assistant is terrifying in her own right. You guys are extremely powerful in and out of the office. But my question to you is, If you work all day, and then go out all night. How do you sleep? Do you even sleep or is that another power of yours?”

“I get enough.”

“Yet you are always so pissy when I come around. Is it me? Is it my fault you can’t concentrate?”

He gave me a wink as I shook my head and pointed towards the door.

“Alright I’m leaving fine. But you might want to check in on Tommy. No one ever told him he can’t technically die for good. He’s probably freaking out right now if he’s awake. And Techno needs to learn how to be a better person to them. Panicking and calling you isn’t always going to get him out of trouble.”

“My brother isn’t in trouble, but you will be if you don’t shut up.”

“Oh Wilbur… you wouldn’t do anything to me would you?”

In an instant reaction, I grabbed a knife and threw it towards him, the blade whizzing towards his eyes as it fazed through, no damage to him before it landed cleanly into the door at the other end of my office.

“Impressive strength and speed there, you’ve been practicing.”

“I wish you were really here just once so I could get you.”

“And that’s why I will always send someone else to do it for me. I’m not stupid Wilbur. I know who you are and what you do. You think I’d risk myself and come in person? Absolutely fucking not.”

Watching him laugh and then slowly dematerialize was annoying, seeing the body of one of our interns wake up on the flood was even scarier. 

“Where the fuck am I?”

“Don’t panic…”

He let out a small yelp as he turned around and saw me sitting down, getting up to his feet quickly.

“Mr Watson I’m so sorry I don’t know what happened I don’t know what’s…”

“It’s fine, Quackity used you to get in here. It’s incredibly intrusive and I hate it when he does it to my people. He chose you because you looked the closest to him, Kieran. You are probably feeling a bit off or sick but in the head sick. That’s just a lingering effect of a ghost's abilities. Head home mate. Drink plenty of water and just relax for today ok? Let Genny know how you feel tomorrow and I’ll let her know to give you the day off if you still feel like shit.”

Keiran just nodded and slowly backed out of the room, Flinching at the knife in the door before looking back at me.

“You know I would never intentionally do anything to hurt my staff if I didn’t have complete faith in their safety.”

“Of course sir.”

As he ran out the door, slamming it on the way out, I let my head hit the desk. I hated that fucking man with a burning passion. Jumping into people’s bodies and taking command, but because he isn’t technically there he can’t get hurt. Hence why people started calling him Ghost. You could never find Alex, or Quackity in Las Nevadas, you were looking for Ghost. No one was game enough to try him and at this stage, no one knew where he actually was, whenever he was seen, there was always a body left behind when he left. Hence the name Ghost. Some people are convinced he doesn’t even exist but anyone with powers knows there is always a source. Someone can’t act from beyond the grave, even if he made it look like he could.

I checked the time on my computer, seeing it was only 2 in the afternoon and sat back in my chair. I had so much work I needed to catch up on, but I was also so worried about Tommy. If I was completely honest, I’m kind of panicking. He figured out who Damocles was, though if I was to be honest with myself Techno probably just told him. I watched back the footage from last night maybe 4 times. Tech’s chat log came up in our shared drive so I could see what he was typing, he did it on purpose too. Telling Tommy how easy it was to know who people were. I’ve never understood that in books and stories, When a hero and a villain keep their identities a secret. It’s so obvious if anyone paid even a sliver of attention to it all. And why the fuck did Karl try and pin it on Techno? When has anyone ever seen Damocles use a gun, When has anyone seen any Syndicate leader use a gun? We don’t need to. I pulled my phone out to send Tech a text letting him know I’ll leave here now, standing up to hear my door open again.

“What do you want, old man?”

“I want to check in on my kid. Is that too much to ask for?”

“It is when you ordered a hitman on Tommy.”

“In my defence I didn’t pull the trigger, that was Deadlock.”

“You hired a hero, to kill an ex hero, in front of two heroes and a villain?”

“Deadlock isn’t a hero at night.”

“Not the point, Dad I’ve been trying so hard to help him feel like a normal kid why the fuck did you kill him.”

“A few reasons really, To further increase the hatred he has for the Institute, And to make his relationship with his brother even more strained than it already is. Karl did a good job last night proving that heroes don’t do shit. Though I worry for Sapnap. That man is too good for the work he does.”

“Why last night though? Why in front of Techno?”

“Well they would need to pin the blame on someone right? If an ex hero was found on camera murdered, and the only person in frame of said camera or any for that matter is the villain, who mind you the villain was there for a little bit before the attack talking casually with Tommy. Then all you hear is 2 heroes off camera yelling at him. With Karl conveniently yelling at Techno why he would shoot Tommy, even though again, Tommy and Techno are still in frame. And Damocles never uses a gun. Seems like gaslighting to me don’t you think? I’ve already started a campaign to have Chronos held fully accountable. Flare just got there too late and tried to diffuse the situation, so he could have seen Chrono take a gun to the young man right?”

“You are the most terrifying fucking person on the planet.”

“As long as this plan works, I’m making sure he can get away from this city and not have to worry about anything in his life ever again.”

“So you killed him?”

“I organised a situation to frame the Institute and shake Tommy’s view of the world to its core so he can start fresh. And you are going to be late. Just keep being nice to him and doing what you need to do.”

“You are evil Phil.”

“I do what needs to be done to protect people. I’m just not afraid to get my hands dirty and have people hate me if it means keeping kids like Tommy safe.”

“This isn’t exactly the best way to go about it.”

“Will, you know what’s going on behind closed doors. You know the corruption and hatred the institute has for the people. They don’t even patrol the outer districts because they don’t get any funding for doing so, even though it would probably give people more faith in them. They know what they're doing. If it means pissing off a bunch of people to keep some safe, Then that’s what I will do. Even if it’s as convoluted as this. Tommy needs to break away from whatever holds him to the Institute so he can really be free and start looking at the world again. Instead of seeing it like a child soldier. They killed him over and over again and let him think it was him falling asleep and teleporting? That’s not how it works and you know that. So I’m doing it the hard way to get the point across.”

“By breaking him?”

“By rebuilding him into a stronger and more independent self. I want to keep that boy safe more than you know.”

“I know he’s Kristin’s kid so you don’t need to pretend in what you are doing.”

“I promised her I would keep him safe when she left. It’s wrong and I understand that but you know damn well she had to run otherwise Sam would have killed her himself. They were already watching the building every night, so I needed to get her out of there. And that meant leaving him behind, which I’m not proud of.”

“If you weren’t proud of that then why would you do it?”

“Because I worry for him, just like I worry for Kristin. Now get yourself ready, he will still be tired for a couple of days according to Purpled.”

“A couple of days?”

“He won’t have Punz to heal him. That’s why he could always come back so quickly. Tommy was a high priority for the heroes. He was just like Dream, only he could heal instead. So when they got him, they knew he was underage at the time and still learning to use his abilities. What better way than to be sent into the field?”

“You speak like you know everything that’s been happening for years.”

“Just trust me. Tommy is going to be out for a few days. Just go rest with him, take some time off and relax yourself. He knows about Techno which means he will probably figure out the rest soon. When he does I need you there.”

“Why?”

“Wilbur you idiot, because he will have just learnt that his whole life has essentially been a lie, that Dream has in fact left him thanks to Sam and that all of his friends either work with or for The Syndicate. So go do your job and be his friend.”

“I’m Tommy’s friend because I want to be. Not because you asked me to. He’s a good kid, and I refuse to lie to him anymore.”

“Then don’t. Just make sure he is safe.”

Chapter Text

Ranboo

Teleporting into Phil’s office last night was a mistake. Breaking into the hero’s Institute without my disguise was a mistake. But I’d do it all again to keep Tommy safe. He didn’t deserve anything that place did to him. 

“So now what Boo?”

“We do all we can do. Just look after him and if he asks for a painkiller or something don’t give him anything.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s not a pain that can be fixed by that. All he can do is rest and we need to keep an eye on him.”

“You mean I can keep an eye on him. I know that look, your planning on going somewhere to do something. Right?”

“I have some things of my own I need to deal with.”

“And Tommy isn’t a priority?”

“Tommy is absolutely a priority. But right now I have some important things to do. I gave you my earpiece to fuck with so if you need to listen in then do it. Just please stay here Tubs. I don’t want to hear you getting hurt as well.”

“I don’t go anywhere, I’m fine.”

“And that’s what worries me, if you do go somewhere then I know it won’t be by choice. Wilbur should be over soon. I’ll be back tonight.”

“Promise?”

“You know I can’t do that anymore.”

I gave him a hug before taking a few steps back.

“You aren’t going in disguise?”

“I don’t really think that’s necessary now is it? People are going to know about it eventually. And the more people that see me, the less people trust the Institute.”

“You really hate them don’t you?”

“I have every reason too.”

Feeling the brief moment of time that my body began to pull apart, I teleported from our kitchen into a dark office. The lights weren’t always off but considering it was only 3 in the afternoon. It was odd to say the least.

“Ah, not wearing your little disguise today Ranboo. I’m touched.”

“I got things to do Charlie, And you are the last person I can count on to not say anything. It’s part of who you are. I’m looking for Quackity.”

“That’s true. I’m not sure what is part of me anymore. I think I ate some bad food the other day.”

“You don’t need food. What did you eat?”

“Screwdriver. Ghost said they were good drinks but I tried drinking one and it was not very good. Tasted very metallic.”

“Did you eat an actual screwdriver? Charlie, it's a drink. Vodka and Orange juice.”

“How do you know that you are 17… Are you committing crimes?”

Letting out a gasp before asking me such a stupid question made me actually laugh. The lights came on as Quackity sat at his desk leaning forward with a smile on his face.

“Oh hey, Ranboo I found him.”

“Very observant Charlie. Hello Boo I haven’t seen you in so long.”

“It’s been 4 months. And one Ghost to another, at least I have faith that I won’t get murdered by everyone I meet.”

“You do know how hard it is to keep up with an entire Casino strip right? I own everything on this island. Do you think I got it by being nice?”

“I mean you’ve tried to kill me so I can’t really answer that.”

“True, then I learnt how useful you can be. Speaking of useful things, do you have anything to report?”

“Aside from The Syndicate basically taking in Tommy and treating him like a human being, not really? Last I heard they were going to keep him for themselves and actually help him. Rather than sending him out to his death like they did to me and Purpled.”

“Oh right, what does he go by now? Deadlock? Kind of interesting but I won’t lie, it’s a bit on the nose to that comic character.”

“I think that’s why he chose the name. He’s been working as a vigilante since before I died. Not much longer but still. He said he stuck with the heroes because they paid him. Which is smart until he gets caught.”

“Has he yet?”

“No.”

“Has Barrier tried to place blame on anyone else for the attack yet?”

“He kind of can’t. Not only is a video of it going around online, not showing Tommy obviously as he’s just out of frame after being shot the first time. But there is a Twitter thing going around about Chronos going rogue and trying to kill Tommy. So I’d say whatever happened had its desired effect.”

“Good information, Hm, Ranboo have you met my accountant?”

As he spoke, the door behind me opened to see a tall gentleman walk in with golden lines covering their arms and snaking across his face. His eyes were a pure yellow which was a little unnerving but…

“Damn he’s hot. Like, really fucking hot.”

“Technically not a person but thank you. Reports.”

“Did you fix up any issues?”

“Yeah, a couple of things stood out. Saw some cracks at the Lotus, so I patched that up. Envy and Pride took a hit last night as they usually do during this time but that got run through. And then I think the last big issue was at the Grande Pata… Stupid name. A riot broke out under the lights at the entrance but it was handled by a few golems I had installed a while back.”

“I… I’m sorry, what?”

“Oh, Ranboo, meet Foolish. As in, it's Foolish to think they are human or that you could take them in a fight.”

“That’s not why I chose the name. It’s more reminiscent of Fool’s gold. You know the fake stuff. Can still be very tough but not as precious. I’m made of it. Literally running through my veins.”

“I mean, I can’t really say much that’s so cool.”

“Thank you. Now, There have been a few suspect individuals coming onto the strip. Namely a few heroes that have started causing some trouble.”

“Heroes? They don’t come here because of the lawlessness. And the allegiance against them.”

“So who was here?”

“Flare and Repose.”

I tried to look casually over towards the man in charge, but I think he noticed the hesitation. I would expect him to actually run his whole empire on noticing the little things.

“When were they last seen?”

“Yesterday about 28 hours ago. The last known transaction was made at the Grande Pata. Getting themselves a room.”

“They are staying together, interesting.”

“Not really, they are good friends outside of hero shit.”

“Makes it easier.”

“Got a picture of the room?”

“There’s cameras in every room. I can just show you where they are.”

“Oh, that's easy?”

“I have eyes everywhere Ranboo. Whether that’s cameras or people. Foolish, send a group over and get them to come here.”

“Or, show me where they are, and I’ll have them here in a second.”

“It would be funny, you aren’t in your disguise.”

“Exactly.”

I turned back to Foolish who pulled out a remote and pointed at the windows behind Quackity, why rich business people have these large rooms I don’t know or understand. As the windows tinted to a black colour from its clear glass. I watched as hundreds of little screens showed up and some would come up bigger. The screens widened a bit as Foolish kept pointing at certain feeds that showed up.

“This is really cool, but how can you see all of those screens?”

“Oh I can’t, I’m just showing them up in groups to find what I’m looking for. Narrowing it down by what I know and then splitting it up from there. I know they are at Grande Pata so I am looking at those hotels… Is there something on my face Ranboo?”

“No, sorry.”

“Foolish they think your hot.”

“Shut the fuck up Quackity.”

“Ah, well thank you anyway.”

Watching Foolish go through for a few minutes before he found them. George was sitting down on the bed while Sapnap wasn’t in the room. 

“Where’s Flare?”

“Probably in the bathroom. I have some privacy for my patrons you know. But there are other measures in place in the bathrooms to keep people safe. I.E. Drug detection, Needles wastebins etc. I know people are going to do things regardless, might as well give them a safe space to do so.”

“So you know people do drugs in your hotels and you don’t do anything about it?”

“Oh no, We send security up to talk to them, see if they want to get help. If they say no then they can stay the night and we throw them out later. Sure, drugs are really dangerous and I hope you never do anything. But I’d rather these people be safe in a comfortable place while doing what they do, and ask if they want to get help or need anything. People are going to do shit regardless of whether it’s legal or not. At least if I’m aware of it and something happens, I know where to send paramedics.”

“I still think that’s weird.”

“You are still young, of course you wouldn’t understand it. Anyway, go see where Flare is. I want them two in my office.”

“Right.”

Knowing they would be watching, I took in a deep breath before disappearing and teleporting in front of George. The guy was crying, quiet sobs heard as his chest heaved at a quicker pace. His head in his hands and his fingers running through his hair. I didn’t even think about what I was doing, reaching out to lightly grab his hands and pull them away while he tried to rip his hair out.

“You’re ok George.”

He looked up in a panic, his eyes were almost red from crying and rubbing them. His teeth bared a little as he tried to talk but couldn’t.

“I’m here now.”

“Y-you’re dead.”

“I’m not dead George.”

“Boo.”

I felt the weight of him as he reached up and grabbed me, his arms around my waist as he pulled me down onto the bed and let out a cry, a proper wail of I don’t know, anguish? I know he’s sad and feeling a certain type of way but that was something else. A door unlocked from behind us and I heard Sapnap.

“George… Ranboo?”

I couldn’t even say hi as George held me tighter, Sapnap joined us on the bed but this time he was sitting over the both of us.

“You’re alive, you’re here. What the fuck, you aren’t a ghost are you? You’re real. Oh my god you are real.”

“Hello Sapnap… Uh this reunion has to be cut a little short though.”

“Why?”

“No, Ranboo please just. No."

"Quackity wants you two in his office. Two heroes coming over here when we all know how lawless this place is."

"We aren't even in uniform."

"If you think that genuinely hides your identity you're stupid. Everyone knows who you people are. Well, anyone with eyes."

"Why didn't we just come in uniform then George?"

"I don't know."

Normally, George had such a commanding tone in his voice. Something he says he's learnt from having to forcefully command someone to sleep and just never stopped. But now, seeing him so weak, crying and holding onto me like his life depended on it. I felt bad knowing I had to take them back. I looked up to where I saw the camera and just sighed.

"George I'm really sorry about this."

"Please don't."

I held George close to me as I pulled Sapnap down, grabbing his arm and teleporting us back into the office. Sapnap and George both freaking out a little and pulling away from me. George now crawling onto his ass while Sapnap stood up and looked around.

"Oh damn, Flare's kinda hot."

"Fuck off what do you want?"

George looked towards me as tears kept falling down his face. I was hoping it wouldn't take long for him to react to the process of teleporting, I know he hasn't done it in a long time. He would get himself to and from the heroes building. He picked himself up, wiping away the tears streaking down his face.

"I would like to know why two heroes have stumbled into my home without any priority warning. You two could have been very seriously injured if the people here weren't so stupid."

"What do you mean?"

"Quackity, my favour?"

"Hm? Oh right. I suppose since you brought these boys to me it's only fair. Foolish, can you give him his death certificate?"

"What? Wait so Ranboo is legally dead?"

"I legally died when the institute left me for dead on the streets. Damocles found me after you abandoned me…"

"Ranboo I'm sorry. Please don't leave me again."

"I'm not leaving you George. I know what happened. Damocles took off my mask, saw I was a 16 year old kid at the time. He called Nemesis for help, they took me in for months and looked after me. Helped me get better and in the meantime I had to sit and watch as everything mourned the death they didn't look into. The Syndicate told me everything that happened during and after. I know more than you do about what happened. And I don't care anymore. The heroes can die for all I care."

"Wait, before you go. You said The Syndicate helped you. Tommy didn't show up at the Institute last night when he died. Do you know where he is?"

"He's at home."

At that, taking the documents from Foolish. I teleported back home into Tommy's room knowing that's where everyone would be. 

"Ranboo's home."

I turned to see Tommy looking like shit. His eyes were open but he looked so distant, Tubbo was seated at his desk typing away at something while Techno sat in a chair he must have brought in. 

"Wilbur arrived about 5 minutes ago. He's just on the toilet. How did you go?"

"Got what I wanted from Quackity. And a few other things I asked for."

"He just gave you your death certificate, what else did you get?"

"All the reports the institute released surrounding my death, incriminating and blaming The Syndicate for everything."

"So why go through all that effort? Actually I'm more curious what you gave the man that has everything."

"I gave him two heroes."

"Boo, please tell me you're joking?"

"Nope. Handed over two heroes. But don't worry, it just so happen to be the two I know he wouldn't shoot."

"Sapnap and Karl?"

"Sapnap and George."

"I don't want to know what he wants with those two. So why did you want the reports?"

"To help break them down even further. We are in a modern age of the world. Sam holds onto the principles of those above him. And, being the only one who can teleport and not have to worry. I've been up there a few times to do some things they want personally handled. All of them are old, just like the government, just like the world. So I know Sam would have been trained by someone who would have also been taught by the older generations. I'm going to post a video online. Want to help me Techno?"

"Is that necessary?"

"Actually Tech it's pretty smart. Knowing them they would have no idea that the video went up for a few days at least. And for something as big as Ranboo not being dead, and showing their civilian clothes. It's a lot better than just announcing themselves."

"Hm."

"I'll do it with you."

Wilbur came out of Tommy's ensuite, drying his hands as he took a look at the large envelope I put on the desk. Opening it up and pulling out the fresh documentation that indeed stated that I had passed in the field at the hands of The Syndicate.

"Ah, it wasn't even Damocles that found you. Nami did and tore you apart. Would love to know how she did that considering her command over water isn't good enough to do that. Even says here unrecognizable. Can only safely assume who it was as everyone else came back after being told to stand down."

"Of course that's what they released. Though Nami hasn't been a part of the Syndicate for 3 years. She left and lives a normal life in a little bakery in the morning and Eret's library during the day."

"Niki…"

The four of us turned to see Tommy crying again, his voice barely a whisper as Wilbur leaned over him and wiped his face with a tissue.

"She hasn't worked with us for a long time, Tommy. She would also never dream of hurting another person again. I promise."

I turned to rest my chin on the top of Tubbo's head, Techno smiling a little before going back to read my documents more.

"Well, this will be fun then. It will be easier for the public to shun the Heroes with information like this coming out."

Before anyone could say anything else, there was a loud banging on the front door. Tubbo got up to see who it was but I put my hand out.

"I'll get it."

I walked through the hallway to the living room. Opening the front door as another round of bashing started ringing in my ears. 

"Where's Tommy?"

"And why should I tell you Dream?"

Dream looked up and further, being one of very few people already taller than him had advantages.

"Holy fuck… Not the point, I know he's here. Please let me in."

"Tommy has enough visitors already and right now, after what happened last night. I doubt you are someone he would want to see."

"I don't fucking care, let me see him."

He went to hit me but I stepped backwards.

"DREAM!"

He went to swing again as Techno walked around the corner.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Looking after your brother after he was shot and killed."

"Is this just the death party is it?"

The only one who hasn't technically been killed or considered dead is Wilbur. So yeah. There's 4 of us that can relate to Tommy's situation."

"I don't trust you Damocles."

"Then trust Techno. Dream I know this is rough. He moves out and then gets attacked again. I know you watched the cameras because Eret told me that she messaged you. Letting you know to trust her and she wouldn't let Tommy work alone. So she called me. I don't trust you either Dream because you haven't been the best person for him. You have let him down a few times. I'd have thought you would be keeping an eye on the couple."

"Don't blame me because Karl's an idiot. Why was he shot?"

"I genuinely don't know, but have you ever heard of a high level syndicate member using a gun. We have powers, we don't need a gun."

"I don't trust anything you have to say. Tommy hasn't ever mentioned you lot either."

Wilbur came racing down the hallway.

"Dream you fucking stubborn prick. You have seen, multiple times on the cameras that we have been there. That Tommy has always come back unharmed and unscathed. And the times he has been in danger, Ranboo or one of us have kept him safe. You believe what you want but I am making sure he doesn't get hurt again."

"And what makes you think you could do a better job than I ever did?"

"You left him alone with an abusive and drug addicted family, you never visited him when he was living with Kristin and you were perfectly ok with sending him off to the Institute, knowing full well they had no need for another in house Healer after they stole the other two and condemned Punz. You knew he would go out onto the field so don't pretend like you're high and mighty. You are worse than any villain ever could be in regards to that boy."

Chapter Text

Dream

Fuck that tall stick figure looking piece of shit. Fuck him if he thinks he could ever do a better job looking after Tommy. Fuck all of this. 

“I wasn’t even told about what happened. I had to hear it from fucking Karl that he got shot. And you bet your ass he said you were the ones that did it.”

“Dream, look at me.”

“Fuck you Techno.”

“Dream… I need you to look at me. Right now.”

“If I hear any of you…”

“ Dream, look at him and do not look away until he’s finished talking.”

I felt my body freeze for a split second, trying as hard as I could to muster up the power within me to fight against Wilbur’s power. But even I was no use against something that could command a person’s soul. I felt my eyes forced towards Techno, watching him stand there.

“Wilbur, that was unnecessary but now you have also given me a time limit, because as soon as I stop talking your power ends so this time, I’m kicking your ass later. Look, Dream. I have been at that cafe a lot over the past month. And I’d been going there every morning to see Eret before going to work. I’m telling you, with every fibre of my being as Techno Watson, legal name don’t ask, that I would never hurt a hair on that kid's head. He is 16 years old. Something the heroes seem to have forgotten. Or maybe you didn’t want them to know, I don’t know, and I don’t care. I watched him open up more over time, Wilbur watched him grow as an individual. Sure it was hard for him at first, having to unlearn so many things that was drilled into his head. But even you could have seen how much happier he was after just a week. He learnt to enjoy his life and be normal, even if the pains he experienced by the lack of healing. Which let me tell you is something that only happens when you use your powers too much too quickly. 

Again Dream, I’m looking at you and the Institute. You turned him into a field medic before he can legally do the things he does. He can’t even be a kid and you guys had thrown him to the wolves. The only reason I hadn’t killed him out there, the only reason Nightingale had never killed him was because Ranboo told us he was being sent out soon. Ranboo was the one who told us he was just a kid. Ranboo was the one who spilled every single secret about the Institute that they knew about. That included Fira being only 17 themselves. That included Sapnap and Karl getting married, that included you taking Tommy in and raising him. I’m sorry to you and to the system that you genuinely believe that what you did was the right thing to do. But I don’t blame you because I’ve been fighting you on the streets since you turned 18 and this is all you know. 

That’s over 4 years that you have been messing with our ideals, or we have been screwing over you guys. Why do you think after 4 years that we are still fighting? I can tell you that it’s not because of who we are as people, but because of what society has pinned us as. You help people by keeping them safe and helping to stop a robbery, or a murder. And you guys are praised for it. We help people by getting rid of the major drug dealers. Stopping child trafficking in and out of the city. We have taken and rehabilitated a lot of kids who develop their powers because they are scared of what you people will do to them. There are hundreds of people out there with powers. Why do you think we only hear about the ones like us who use them regularly? Because someone isn’t telling you the truth about what we do. 

And that, Dream, Is why I’m so desperate for you to listen to me. To look me in the eyes and let me tell you that we would not ever hurt Tommy. Not because of who he is or what his powers are. But because I have seen so many kids like him, and he deserves to have that life. You people didn’t tell him about his reincarnation every death. We may have been the one to push him to the limits, but we never pulled the trigger. We may have been the ones that beat him senseless, but we never put a bullet into him. I’m not leaving him, until he is good enough to be up and about. Wilbur isn’t leaving him until he can move on his own, and I know for a fact that my father, Nemesis. Would never let anything happen to him. With or Without Kristin.”

I was getting frustrated with him. He made damn sure to say every single word that came to his mind, like he had planned every word. But something pulled at my heart, something tugged in my mind and it scared me. Not because he was a scary guy, he’s a bitch. I’ve kicked his ass enough times. And not because I needed to agree with him to see Tommy… But because I knew deep down, what he said was right. Even if I never wanted to admit it. I knew every word he said was the truth. I felt the compulsion fall off me, but I still couldn’t move. I didn’t dare to take a step wrong while in the company of two of the most feared villains of the city. Ranboo, one of the only teleporting users left, and as it now quiets down, with furious loud typing somewhere else, there’s another person, probably Tubbo, who Tommy didn’t actually stop talking about. I closed my eyes and tried to calm myself down. Tried to fix myself and my emotions. Breathing deeply while letting the anxiety was away.

“Please, let me see him.”

I don’t know what did it at the moment, whether it was the quietness of my voice. Or the crack in my throat. I don’t even know if I really had it in me to move closer to his room wherever it was in this place. All I know is George told me where he was, and that was all I needed.

“Dream.”

“Techno. Please. I just need to see him."

"Alright but Tubbo probably won't leave. And you will want us there to answer any questions you might have."

"Fine. I just, I don't know. I need this."

"Tech you sure?"

"Wilbur, Ranboo. If either of you lay a finger on Dream. I'm on his side."

"He swung at me first. Fuck this guy."

"Ranboo language. You can see the pain in his eyes. That same look you had when you thought you were going to die. That same look you had when you thought you lost everything. You touch him, and I'll recreate that moment."

"Like hell you aren't coming anywhere near me."

Techno chuckled to himself as Ranboo let me walk past. My feet moving on autopilot chasing the sound of the keyboard through the house. I don't understand why it was so loud, but I'll take it. He said Tubbo probably won't leave. So this means I'm meeting him for the first time as well. Moving through the hallway, standing just to the side of the open door. I could see Tommy's blonde hair messily unkempt on his head, the blankets riding up to his neck. He looked sick, he looked like it was more than just exhaustion and anguish.

"Tommy?"

I watched his eyes open and close a few times, adjusting to the light of the room.

"Dream… it hurts."

I moved before I could really comprehend what I was doing. Cupping his cheeks so lightly in an instant. Leaning carefully on the bed to not squash him.

"Tommy… I'm sorry."

"You left me. It hurts."

"I didn't know. I promise you."

"I can't believe you anymore."

It broke my heart. How could it not, I didn't even attempt to hide myself away this time. Not anymore, not for Tommy. I've tried for so long to keep him safe and to keep him away from the bad in the world. And here he was, laying in bed in so much pain. Physically, Mentally. 

"I'm sorry I didn't know. I didn't-know anything. I thought I was doing a good job, but I failed like everyone else."

My fingers curled on his face, still holding him gently as I rested my forehead on his chest. I could feel my body shaking, could feel everything reaching a point.

"Dream… you promised."

Louder, calling out, wailing how sorry I was. Everything felt like a daze. I just wanted it to end. No more torture, no more pain, just no more. Tommy didn't deserve this and I've been a fucking idiot to not see what was happening to him. I couldn't even see him during the day because of this job. And that's all it is, a job. I don't remember the last time I actually helped someone that didn't involve me getting stabbed or attacked. Between the rising crime rates getting closer to the city centre, and Syndicate gangs rising. I didn't know what else to do but fight. The more fighting I did, the more useless it felt like it all became.

"Toms…"

"If you say sorry one more time I'm kicking your ass."

I huffed out a single laugh through the crying. 

"Got it."

"What have you got Tubbo?"

"Oh sorry didn't realise I said that out loud. Well I have a couple of things going on but right now I've found my dad, who isn't in Jail but has been living in Las Nevadas for the past year. So that's a scary thought. I'm still tapped into the Institute's cameras so I've been spying on them for the past few weeks."

"That's, so illegal."

"Boohoo hero man don't fucking care anyway. Lots of stuff to go through. Also had a look into Quackity and he's not actually been like, seen in over a year."

"I can answer that one, I think he said his boyfriend broke up with him a while back and he kind of took it hard."

"He seems close to Charlie."

"Charlie also isn't an actual person, Will."

"Anyway, thank you Dream. You can go back to crying over your brother now."

"Geez Tubbo, calm down."

I did deserve it. It sucked but I deserve all the shit I get. I've been horrible to Tommy so I know where he's coming from. I looked around the room. Tubbo looked away from me with messy hair, Techno wasn't wearing his hair in a ponytail this time. Even Ranboo looked like he'd been tossed around, but that was probably my fault. 

“I’m not leaving him anymore.”

“So you admit to doing it in the past?”

“Alright, the child gets put in timeout.”

Tubbo screamed NO! like a kid, arms flailing while Techno picked him up easily and held him out while he thrashed around. It was funny to see the kid get incapacitated so quickly just by being picked up like a child. Techno took him out of the room and we heard the front door slam shut. 

“Ah yes, the worst punishment for someone chronically online, the outside.”

“He deserves it. You all do.”

I went back to resting my head on Tommy’s chest, feeling it rise and fall as he kept breathing was nice. 

“Why am I like this?”

“Because Punz isn’t here to help you. And Aid hasn’t been spotted since Doc got killed. Which coincidentally you two didn’t have anything to do with did you?”

“Nope, Surprisingly not us. Someone else got to her before we could intervene. You know what we are like in regards to healers. If we can’t convince them to come to us instead and work a normal life, then we start keeping an eye on them instead. You would be surprised how often we have managed to talk people out of doing stupid things just by talking to them.”

Wilbur took over Techno’s chair. Sitting down and staring at the screens Tubbo was on. One open with the camera feed in Quackity’s office. Showing him still talking to what looked like Sapnap and George. 

“Why are they at Las Nevadas?”

“Ranboo?”

“I don’t know, I went to see him about my documents, got there and they said they were searching for them too… well he said to keep them safe but in all actuality who knows why. Anyway we saw them on his cameras, George was crying, Sap was in the toilet, then I teleported in and George broke and wouldn’t let me go and begged not to take them to see Quackity. I didn’t really have a choice, while not part of the original agreement, something changed in the man to get me to do that for him instead. So I took them back, got what I needed and left.”

“You left them there. Do you know what that man has done to those two?”

“No, and to be honest Dream. While they are still heroes, I don’t care.”

“You’re a hypocrite Ranboo, you were a hero before you were attacked, and continued to work as one under the name Fade. I think it’s a bit rich saying you don’t care now.”

“After they left me to die I stopped caring. I was getting as much information for Nemesis as I could to hopefully dismantle you people and put the power back into the people. I’m not proud of what I did or the things I’d said. I’m also not proud that I never told Tommy and the people I liked. It might not even work, but considering the alternative is to keep working for an oppressive piece of shit like Sam and the board members. I’d rather actually be dead.”

“He’s not perfect, but at least he keeps everyone in line.”

“He got rid of your brother after only a few months of heavy training and power usage. He knew what he was doing.”

“He’s still one person. One man can make mistakes, I know that too well.”

“One person can also work towards fixing their mistakes, or fighting that innate urge to correct people. You are here because we let you be, don’t let us realise that’s a mistake that needs fixing.”

Everyone is so hostile towards me, the Institute. I deserve it. I really do. I deserve all of this pain and hysteria towards my little brother. I deserve to be called out even though I knew it was right. I stood back and let everything happen, I stood there and let them destroy him over time and even when I did speak up. It was too little too late. Karl even tried to fix things but it would end up with Tommy’s death… Hang on a second.

“Wait Ranboo I just realised something.”

“What?”

“You said you had been working with the Syndicate since you died… that was almost a year ago right? You had been telling the Syndicate about everything and everyone that happened at that building. The ages of people who were there, who to watch out for and protect no matter what.”

“Your point?”

“Almost a month ago now, when Tommy was told they were being revoked, Karl and I did fight against that, or we tried to. Sam said that if Karl was so pressed about it, to go back in time and fix it. But when he left the room and came back in tears. He said that he couldn’t change the decision, because if he did then The Syndicate would have caught up to him and tortured him, that Nightingale would have kept him in a room for 2 weeks, forcing him to heal himself until he became exhausted and then cut his throat when he knew my brother wouldn’t be able to heal him back up. Killing him.”

“There are so many things wrong with that.”

“Wilbur shush I’m realising things. I know there are things wrong with that. I'm only just now seeing it. Ranboo had been feeding information back to you guys. You would never touch or hurt Tommy knowing he was only a kid. You also would have done everything you could to convince him to leave, which we all know he wouldn’t have because I was still there. Also, Tommy can’t “die” per say. But would have just resurrected back at the Institute.”

“Respawn, Poggers.”

“That’s funny.”

“He’s tired, let him be Will.”

“Anyway, back to what I was saying. With everything that I know now. Karl would have been lying through his teeth. But I also know Karl, everything he does, he does for a reason. Everything is calculated and he’s usually never wrong literally due to his ability to go back in time and fix anything. So my question then is. If he lied to us about what he saw, was he actually lying for a good reason? Or did he see something else and had to cover it up? What could he have seen that scared him that much?”

“Or maybe he wasn’t entirely lying about everything and only told some truths. I wouldn’t have killed him, at the time we knew about the respawn thing he’s got going on, And it’s more funny to me that he thought I’d torture him. I don’t get blood on me, I don’t fight. I can but I don’t need to. I’m thinking Dream, that you might need to go talk to Karl and find out what’s going on. A lot of things don’t add up, and if that’s what he said to get out of it all. Then something else is there. People aren’t stupid Dream, Even before Ranboo we knew who you all were, the only reason Techno went to kill them before was we didn’t know who they were. A fresh new hero with no background to look up? It’s a bit strange to say the least but not something we haven’t encountered before.”

“So you think he knows something?”

“I think Karl’s hiding something big. Because he would know we wouldn’t kill him. And seeing as he tried to pin the blame of last night on Techno, and I know he won’t have anything to do with me. You are kind of all we have left.”

“Fine, but I’m not doing it for…”

“Yeah yeah whatever doing it for Tommy whatever sappy bullshit you want to believe. Prove it to us and come back with results. Then we can talk.”

Chapter Text

Dream

“Hey Dream.”

“Hey Karl, I was wondering if you wanted to chill sometime?”

“I thought you were looking for Tommy?”

“Honestly, I found him. I left and just got home, he didn’t want to see me. I deserve it really. I failed him like everyone else did in his life.”

“Aww don’t say that. You have always done the best you could.”

“My best should have been enough but. Now he’s been murdered in cold blood, in a public place and now he knows about him coming back. I can’t even get him to Punz to help him because of Sam… I just, Karl, I really need someone to talk to.”

“Yeah of course. Uh I can be free in like 20 minutes. Where do you wanna meet?”

“Can I meet you at home? Or like. At your place? Or something? I don’t know Karl, I’m in a really shitty spot right now. I don’t know what to do.”

“We can talk about it here if you like, I’m at home but I can come to you? Or you can come here? Are you at home?”

“Yeah I’m at home.”

“So no one is around?”

“No. I said I just got home. George is, I don’t even fucking know where he is.”

“I think he went out with Sapnap. Dream, do you want to talk about it now and get it fresh out of your mind, and then we can meet up for dinner later?”

“Yeah, actually Karl, I'd love to go to dinner later. I just. There’s a lot going on right now, finding out what happened with Tommy, knowing Damocles was there and he did nothing. I fucking hate everything about the Syndicate. They have been fucking us over every single time. I’m sick of having to play nice. I can’t keep doing this now. Tommy is only 16 and has so much going on. I don’t… I’m scared Karl. I don’t know what to do. I’m trying so hard but I keep screwing it up.”

“Had you tried to talk to him before last night?”

I looked up at Ranboo and Wilbur sitting on the end of Tommy’s bed not making a sound, even though Wilbur had put his hand lightly over Tommy’s mouth to stifle any sounds.

“Yeah, I did a few days ago. I was more worried about myself and getting back to the Institute on time that I cut it short. I told him he would be fine, and then one night I’m nowhere near District 9 I hear he gets shot and killed? Karl it’s like the world is playing some sick fucking joke on me and I hate it. I don’t know what I can do anymore. What do I just walk away as well, leave him like everyone else does? I can't do that to him, he has it hard enough already. He moved in with fucking with those fucking kids Wilbur looks after."

"Look, Dream I know it must be really hard for you right now. And being affronted by what you are being told and shown, being two different ideas, it would be so difficult and I'm sorry. Did you see the footage?"

I looked up for confirmation again from Wilbur before he did a cutting off motion with his hand.

"No, I didn't even know Tommy got hurt till the next day. No one told me anything and when I finally convinced Jack to let me see it. It has been deleted, again like someone specifically hates me."

"I know what I saw, trust me. You know I would never lie to you."

A month ago I'd believe him if he told me my hair was blue and I now had chicken feet. Chronos was the most trusted person at the Institute. Being able to fix events in time to make sure everyone was either better or out of harm's way. But now, with everything going on I don't think I could keep going like this anymore. Everything felt like it was piling on top of me and I just wanted to scream."

"Dream?"

"I'm scared, Karl. Tommy isn't safe. I have been screwed over at every chance I had to see him. Do you know how many times Sam denied me the chance to get home before Tommy went to work? Every single time. I missed him every day and I couldn't do shit about it. I couldn't even break away from patrols to see him because of the trackers we all have to carry."

"It's hard isn't it?"

"I just can't do it anymore. Karl I don't know what to believe anymore. I'm tired, and I'm lonely. And I'm just scared."

"Ok, what I think is you should get some rest. Have a nap and I can come over tonight. Just you and me, without Sapnap, without George, and we can order some food and just chill yeah? I'll be there at 7 ok? I'll text you when I'm leaving. Bye Dream."

"Yeah, ok, 7 is good. Sorry."

"Don't ever be sorry Dream. I totally understand that your head would be all over the place. I'll be there tonight, and we can just relax. Chill, and breathe ok?"

"Yeah, yeah Karl, sorry. Just needed someone to talk to. I'll see you tonight at 7."

"See you later Dream."

As he hung up the phone, the three of us waited until my phone's lock screen showed up, Everyone letting out a sigh of relief. 

"Meeting up at 7. Ok we can do that. That's still 6 hours from now. How did you all end up getting the day off admin work?"

"Honestly Ranboo, I forced Sam to let me take the day off because of what happened. I don't think I'll be going in tomorrow either. I need a break anyway."

"So what do you want to do? You can't really blow him off considering he can go back in time and figure out why you did."

"Cheater…"

Tommy let out a dry cough. Wilbur slowly picking up the drink bottle of water, easier for him to sip and drink rather than tipping a glass of water. 

"Thanks."

"I wish we could get someone here to help you."

"I'm ok, just tired, sore, hungry."

"Can you open and close your mouth please Tom's?"

Watching how delicately Will was with him made me feel a sense of fear that I didn't think was there. I mean sure Wilbur was a villain, I was a hero. Tommy was caught in between it all. But yet we were the ones that hurt and failed him, and the Syndicate was the one begging to help him. It's a sick, twisted sense of justice. And I felt like shit.

"I'm going to go, get ready for tonight. Tommy… I love you. And I promise I didn't…"

"Fuck off. I don't care. Just go be good now."

"Yeah, I'll be the best. You come first now, above anything. I don't care about the Institute anymore."

"I come first? Yeah I'm pretty amazing."

Seeing the smile on his face was nice, good to see he still had his sense of humour even in his current situation.

"I promise."

"I trust you big D."

"Don't ever call me that, that's so weird."

Karl

Hanging up the phone and throwing it onto the bench in front of me. Staring at the blonde haired man as he took another chip into his mouth. It bugged me just how little faith everyone had in me. 

"That sounded stressful."

"What's stressful Phil, is that I can't tell them anything that I saw, because then the countdown starts for real."

"I understand that, which is why I'm trying so hard to get my boys out of this city. Tell me, what do you think about leaving? About just getting in the car and driving away? Leave everything behind and start a new life in another city?"

"I couldn't, I wouldn't be able to leave Sapnap behind at the least."

"And what about everything else?"

"What do you want Phil?"

"You know what I want, and the one guy who's going to give it to me is currently missing. You know what we do, You have known about everything for years. I tell you everything because you advise me on how to get it done."

"I hate that I've managed to find myself in this position."

"It's the best thing for you. And the institute doesn't know anything."

"They know some things. They know that the heroes haven't been bringing in any villains lately. And that the Vigilante groups are running amok. Crime has been going up since Tommy left and they can see the correlation because we haven't got a healer in the field. They are slowly starting to achieve damage control, but I don't like where it's going."

"What have you heard?"

"Schlatt's managed to get himself into a powerful position in the Institute. And right now there isn't a whole lot that can be done about it. He went missing a year ago after he escaped from the guards convoy and has been appearing every now and again. Vanished for a while and presumed dead but he was working under the name Cameron Vilop. Stupid name but it worked, said he was a close relative to Mr Gimball, the goat hybrid board member."

"Sounds convenient and coincidental."

"It is, that's why I'm telling you. I went back in time a few days ago, to see if I could find something. Found out where Schlatt was hiding, I come back to this time and he was nowhere near it. Went back to try again and found he had not only changed his name but where he was hiding. Pop back here to the present and he's not in that place either."

"Like he knows someone is watching him?"

"Like someone has been giving him the information, yes. Or he knows what I can do and at the single sighting of me by anyone, his whole story changes. I'm telling you Phil, we could be something really good if we can convince the boys  and girls there to just stop being heroes."

"And let the city turn to shit?"

"Yes, then we rise again as something better. Phil I'm talking about a whole new agency, or even just policing everyone properly. The way we were supposed to be used. Which meant going anywhere, doing what needs to be done and not just patrolling where we are told. So long as someone is out there we can lower the rates and help more people."

I could see him thinking about it, I've pitched this idea to him plenty of times before and yet he had always said no. I've brought enough evidence to the table that something was wrong and he never listened. Always wanting to play dumb or like he wasn't expecting it.

"Do you think any heroes would agree to it?"

"I know for a fact Dream, George, Bloom, they all would. Even Barrier would come around eventually because I know he hates how this city has become. But I need you on my side so we can start doing it properly. And if we dismantle what's left by taking away their heroes, Schlatt will have power sure, but power in a dead company. There would be no one to command, no one to control."

"Karl, I'm listening to you, but you need to see this from everyone else's perspective as well. What if we did take it all apart. Would that not kickstart your visions of the future? Or are you currently from the future trying to convince me now?"

"No, I'm here. This is my present, this is my timeline. I can only go backwards, never forwards."

"But how do we trust that our perception of time is the same? This may be your present, but only because you are back here. Saying what needs to be said."

"You're pissing me off old man."

Leaning back in my chair at the elaborate restaurant he insisted we attend. Sectioned off in our VIP booth away from the rest of the patrons. I looked around at the velvet booth with the thin, black veil that was pulled closed for us. A button on the table to call a waiter over for when we were finished or wanted more to eat or drink. I grabbed the glass of wine in front of me and took a light sip. Savoring the richness of the red wine coupling nicely with the meat I was served for lunch.

"And if I believed you? Or at the very least trusted your judgment. How long do you think it would reasonably take for us to get everything sorted. It could take months, if not years, to get to the point the Institute has. It could take us a long time just to mobilize everyone. What do you think we should do about time?"

"I know what I'm doing. Please Phil, We need to do this. It's going to save and help so many people. Eventually spread to cover the country, not just L'manberg. I promise you, I know what I'm doing."

I could see him thinking, looking me over before something crossed his mind. I could see the subtle ways his eyes would shift, the vein pulse on the side of his head as his heart rate quickened.

"Karl. I'm going to give you one condition."

"Anything."

"All of my kids, and Kristin, make it out safely. I don't care what happens to me, I don't care what happens to anyone else. I don't care if you have to kill me yourself later. But promise me that all of my children are kept safe."

"I promise you Phil."

"No, Karl… All of them."

Fuck. Fucking of course, that's his condition. How the fuck am I supposed to help everyone? That's not even just Wilbur and Techno. That's Ranboo, that's George, that's Tommy and Dream. At this stage I'm pretty sure I fall under that. 

"I will do my best, but I need you to understand that I might not be able to save everyone."

"There will be no casualties."

"Casualties I can do, but sometimes there are casualties of war, Phil. If I need to make a necessary sacrifice for the betterment of everyone else. Then i will."

I noticed the shift in his eyes, going from Phil Watson to Nemesis. I've seen that subtle change a lot in my his time, and it was terrifying no matter how many times I witnessed it.

"At the very least then, you get my kids out of there. And Kristin's kids, both of them. Save their friends and yourselves. Everyone else is expendable."

"Everyone else?"

"I don't care who is left on the ground. Every single person is expendable to me. If I know something happened, I know it's your fault and I will kill you myself."

"You already tried, multiple times, and succeeded twice."

"Which means you have one last chance Karl. Don't fuck it up."

Feeling the tug at my body, my time must be running out. The Orange portal symbolising my exit appeared underneath me. Watching Phil’s knowing smile was the worst part as I felt myself get sent through the tunnels. Floating along through waves of Black and purple, Travelling along the lines of gold as they connected and wove their story throughout time. For every past moment, a new branch would appear. And yet it would always stay along the one path. Like it would wipe itself and branch off. Here I was truly alone, Looking back as the path behind me would keep growing, Longer until one day when I died, It would cut itself off and stay on the singular track it belonged to. I could only do so much before I succumb to Inevitability. I turned my body over, floating through space as more and more tiny fairy lights would appear above me. Getting closer to the end of the tunnel and back to my current reality. A terrifying thought since this one, was years in the making. I knew it would be harsh, I knew it would be different. But after seeing what really happened ahead of us. I needed this one last attempt to change it all.

Seeing the small fire in front of me open wider before it encapsulated me, pushing me out and landing on my feet, I immediately took notice of my surroundings. I chose this spot high on the hills just outside of L’manberg specifically because it gave me such an incredible view point. Fear washed over me as I saw the Institutes tower standing tall in the city still. I was hoping they would get rid of it but now I’m just worried. I just hope everything plays out. The Karl of the past everyone knows is now just on autopilot. Years of hard work and now it’s just my memories that play out now. 

“Karl, you are here. I thought you had run off but Sapnap told me you had something important to do.”

I flinched as I faced the voice of the woman coming towards me. 

“Hi Kristin.”

“So we did meet in the past. You’re a strange one you know. I had no memories of you and then all of a sudden it was like I got a headache and you started appearing in everything. You need to learn how to increase the range of your powers. The entire city just stopped for a few minutes as we all simultaneously got bombarded with a new memory, even though we already had them before.”

“So you have both?”

“Yeah, Well, memories of a past that now doesn’t exist don’t count. You weren’t there before and now you are, so this is the new future right?”

“Anything significant change?”

“To be honest with you, I wouldn’t know.”

“What? What do you mean you have two different lives to remember? You don’t know what’s different?”

“Nope because things here are as they always were when you fix it right? So technically I don’t know what’s changed, I just remember you changed something.”

“Convenient.”

“No, what’s convenient is you go missing for a few minutes and then come back to the same old city. Same people in charge, same people causing chaos. The only difference is the people who could have helped, are no longer anywhere near here. Whatever you did fucked it up, so I’m going to give you one chance to fix it again.”

“I can’t go back so soon, I need a break.”

“You have been doing this for so long, that you are technically ageless Karl. Someone who plays in and out of time has no life of their own. They live to serve others. So what’s going to happen is this. I’m going to give you one chance, to fix everything.”

“I don’t know what went wrong? I tried to fix it.”

“Well you failed. So this is what’s going to happen.”

“If I go back now, I don’t know if I’d ever be able to come forward again.”

“Well you’ve gone back further while in the past anyway haven’t you? This is your true reality and you can fuck around along the timeline and do whatever you want but you will always come back to this exact moment.”

“So what are you saying?”

“I’m saying, that you come with me and meet someone, And then we can sort this issue out permanently.”

“I’m not going with someone who will end up killing me.”

“They can’t kill you, but they can help you.”

“Help me how?”

“You did something, to fuck up everything, worse than it has ever likely been. Clearly you have if I was told to wait here for your arrival.”

“And who told you to wait for me?”

“Do you know a Demon hybrid called Bad?”

“Actual name?”

“Course not. No one knows their real name. You are coming with me, we are going to meet him, and then you are going back to fix this. You understand right?"

"I feel like I don't have a choice."

"Oh, you don't."

One more chance, I know I've done this a few times, always going back, always fixing mistakes and cleaning up the shit that got left behind. I thought I'd done it this time, everything had been trial and error until I thought I had it. Always backwards, never forwards, never further past the furthest I've been. And this was always my home. I always tried to keep a few things the same. I will never forget meeting sapnap at that little arcade on Demo street. I always make friends with Dream by bumping into him and knocking his water bottle down his shirt at Saps birthday. Tommy I'd meet later and he was always the key that put it all together. Every time I go back, he was always the key factor, at least I always thought he was.

This last time I made up the fact Nightingale would kill him so Sam would take away his licence. And everytime he would last a little longer until something killed him for good, or kidnapped him and never let him come back. It was always Tommy… this is the first time he made friends with Syndicate, the first time he wasn't a vigilante straight away. Maybe I did fuck it up. Maybe I have it all wrong. The only thing I did differently this time, was tell Phil to take over the Institute and combine it with the Syndicate. To merge the two industries together. But everywhere I looked as I followed Kristin into a nondescript car, driving down the streets. The city looked fine. People were walking around, people were laughing and smiling. 

"Everything looks fine."

"Shush. Don't talk. Just wait."

I rode in the car for 40 minutes until Kristin started driving away from L'manburg, oven the bridge that connected to the neighbouring city. Another hour before Kristin finally spoke again.

"Alright, now you can talk."

"Why did we leave the city? Where are we going?"

"I told you, I'm taking you to see Bad. He said he would be at Serendipity at this time."

A few more hours before we finally turned off the road, driving into a tunnel in the side of the mountain, the walls carved out cleanly while bright lights lit the road before us. As we got closer Kristin stopped the car in the middle of the road. Looking around before picking up her phone and calling it. A few moments later, the car turned around on it's own, facing the wall before we started going straight down.

"This is some evil villain shit."

"This was the best idea Wilbur had ever had."

"He's alive? Thank god."

"Never said he was alive."

"Fuck, I had one job. Phil gave me one fucking job and I still clearly couldn't do that."

"You were left on autopilot. Every point in your past is a construct to time itself. You never have any memories after you travel right? Because it's not you. You just take the memories you yourself made, even though your personal self acts like they might remember a birthday, or a favourite song. Once it reaches this point, you forget. Right?"

"How do you know so much about my powers?"

"I don't but your husband does."

"Please tell me Sapnap is alive."

"Sapnap… was supposed to be the one to meet you. Bad said you would trust him more."

"He isn't please tell me he isn't dead."

"Dead, no, comatose after we were last attacked and forced to move here. Yeah. I'll give you a short rundown while we go down and move around. It's all giant conveyor belts and machinery courtesy of Tobias."

"I'm not asking."

"Good. About one and a half years ago. The laws of the city changed. They banned magic, powers, anything that made someone non-human. At first it was fine, some of them stayed on. But then there was a giant civil war for the city. Thousands of people died and we lost some of the most powerful superpowered fighters we had. And it started when they killed Phil. Wilbur and Techno lasted a little longer but even they died a month later. The heroes from the Institute immediately took over the Syndicate and rallied all the ability users they could and ran. At first they ran to Kinoko but L'manburg ordered them to hand them over or face the consequences…"

"So what happened?"

"Nukes happened. Courtesy of Tubbo. He didn't launch them but they were his designs that were stolen and used against us. When Kinoko fell, there were a lot of casualties. That's when we met the heroes of the city, who had been ready long before we were with the help of their seer. They saw what was coming and they built these underground bunkers to hide when the inevitable happened."

"Ok… why are you telling me this? I'm probably going to forget when I go back won't I?"

"Maybe, but it's better to keep you updated."

"Don't tell me anymore."

"Anyone in particular you want to know about?"

"The people I promised Phil I'd keep safe are dead, along with their father. Sapnap isn't alright you said that yourself. And we are running from the city."

"We aren't even running anymore. We have been here for 2 years and it's worked so far for us. But everyone I love, all of our friends are either dead, asleep or missing. I'm only here because I was told to find you and bring you to Bad. That you have one shot left. I don't know what's going on but they do."

After some more time, the car finally stopped moving as Kristin opened her door and hopped out. Waiting for me to join her. After walking behind for ten minutes, we came towards an open door, as if waiting for us to walk through. 

"He's here?"

"Yeah… I got him."

"Good."

A cloaked figure walked out, even as their hood was up, they're face was completely cloaked in darkness. Little white lines I'd assume for eyes poked through that void.

"This will have to be quick, we don't have long. Seer said we have a few minutes before it all comes crashing down so talk about timing."

He grabbed me by the hand, leading me along quickly before stopping. Telling me to sit down.

"You aren't going to like the process but I promise it's for the best. You've been going back on your own so far. I'm helping you now. Two things you will need to know. You will keep the memories you have now. So I hope Kristin hasn't given you too much information. Anyway, put your hand out for me."

I reached out carefully, watching the hybrids hand retract before a smaller dark tendril appeared, wrapping carefully around my hand as it glowed with a black light as a small mist appeared around my hand. Watching it sleep into me as he pulled his… hand? Back.

"What was that?"

"That, was a nullifier, something I'm proud of. They let people use their abilities once, and then never again. No more powers after you go back."

"But I can always use it two ways."

"Have you ever noticed your little time travel thing has two different colours? Because technically you have 2 powers. Going back and going forward. This let's you go back, but stops you from using your powers ever again. This is the last time because if you stay you will die in a matter of minutes."

As he finished his sentence, a rumble started to hit us, the ground shaking as he looked at me.

"I don't know where you just were, but I want you to go back to that exact moment. And continue like normal, knowing what you know. This will all cease to exist."

"Like a dream?"

"Sure, never got to meet him. Was told he was a good guy. Anyway, I need you to focus back on the point you were just at and go home."

"This was my home."

"Exactly, was. Don't worry about the future. You're going to pave a new one."

Rocks began to fall from the roof, Kristin running out of the room as more crashing fell. Yelling to get people out before it was cut off abruptly.

"Ok, I'll see you soon."

"If you ever panic, or need help, come to us at Kinoko. A new city can bring fresh ideas."

I turned around at the sound of ringing, seeing a small blue circle behind me signaling me going backwards.

"And Karl…"

I looked back towards the figure in front of me as they took a step back.

"Yeah…"

"Trust your friends."

At the end of his sentence, the ground stopped for a single moment as he lifted his foot to the edge of the chair I was sitting on. Kicking out with all their strength as I was sent flying backwards off my chair through the blue portal. Flying back into that maze of timelines, I had flipped twice in the zero gravity as I let myself float backwards. Everything was different now. I'd have memories going forwards, but I'd lose them going back, as if I was going back to a previous point in my life. and therefore the future hadn't happened yet, so I didn't technically know what would happen. As I turned myself to face the direction I was going. I watched as a bright flash blinded my vision before it dimmed for a few seconds before flashing again. It wasn't for a minute I realised the flashing was from the timeline of the past. As if it was moving forward to meet me. Each flash shortened the web, each blinding light signalled the end of a divergence of time. Each branch that I had created, wiped from existence. After two more flashes, it came back to one point. The last spherical ball grew until it encompassed me, taking me into pure darkness before I was thrown out. Forcefully as I heard crashing and a small shriek. My vision was fuzzy as all I could hear was ringing in my ears.

"...rl"

I grunted a little before rolling my body to look up, seeing short blonde hair and Phil sitting above me.

"Karl… mate you alright?"

"What?"

"At a restaurant having lunch. You appeared from your blue portal again, so clearly coming back right?"

I tried to lift myself up to see him properly but I felt tired.

"Hang on, I got you. Charge the meal like normal Ben."

"Is he alright?"

"I'll make sure of it. Sorry about the damage, just charge everything to me and I'll send out some of my guys to fix anything you need alright? Lola, can you help me get him to the car?"

"I got him don't worry boss."

Feeling a pair of arms lift me up and reposition themselves. Taking me slowly out of the room while Phil was close by.

"Phil, I…"

"Save it, something big clearly happened. Who do you usually tell when you come back?"

"Sam."

"Oh absolutely the fuck not. I'm taking you back home with me. I'll get Dream to meet you there so you two can talk. In the meantime, relax, rest, I don't know how you usually feel after doing whatever it is you do. But you were also thrown out of that portal and crashed through a strong wooden table and smashed through some glasses onto the floor. Just rest. I promise to keep you hidden."

Chapter Text

Phil

With Karl currently asleep in the guest bedroom, Lola placing him down gently, I couldn’t help but wonder what the fuck happened. We were sitting down eating lunch… well I was anyway, and he disappeared like he normally does. I’ve seen it a number of times throughout his run with the Institute, appearing and disappearing while the scene changes slightly. I noticed it when Tommy was working that night from above. Watching the guns the Syndicate gang were using vanish and they continued fighting with bats and knives that turned up in their hands. It was an impressive ability to be able to change the past like that but, I had heard from Ranboo that when they use it, people in close proximity should forget things. That I would have forgotten what he asked me since he used it from the other side of the table. 

“So what do you think is happening sir?”

“Honestly Lola I have absolutely no fucking idea.”

“Chronos mentioned meeting someone tonight did he not?”

“So you were listening? I thought so. But yes he was going to meet up with Dream and talk to him about some things. Or that’s what he told me. Wilbur already let me know what’s really going on. I think Dream is having a change of heart.”

“It would do a lot of damage to the Institute inside and out if Dream was to leave.”

“He wouldn’t go without a fight, sorry Sam wouldn’t let him go without a fight. They’ve already lost Tommy, Another healer died, and the last one won’t go out which is smart. Syndicate goons would kill them without realising it goes against what we are trying to do. These people get a hint of power and then go nuts. And I’m thinking it’s about time we shake things up here and let them know their place.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“Send out a message to everyone, Threaten them. This isn’t some excuse to go on a power trip. We almost lost Tommy and my boys simply because some guy had a grudge after the kid protected himself from being mugged. He deserved what happened to him.”

“His family?”

“Nope, Threatened a kid, If the family said anything I’d have them all removed. Kids can be rehabilitated or trained. Adults are a lost cause.”

“Very well sir, I will ask Miss Watson to send out an announcement. Will there be anything else?”

“No, You can go about your day. Thank you.”

“It’s my job sir.”

She was too loyal, which was nice as you can’t buy that nowadays. Looking down at the kid laying on the bed as his chest steadily rose and sunk with relaxed breathing. After a few minutes I walked out and moved to my office. Turning on my computer and pulling my phone out to place on the desk in front of me as I waited for the text message to hit everyone. I sent off a message to Techno to keep me updated on Tubbo, Wilbur was still with Ranboo and Tommy and I left Lola and Kristin in charge of sending a fucking text message. Rather domestic aren’t I? The computer booting up, opening up Discord that Wilbur made me install for quick communication even though I’m his dad, and his boss. I noticed I had a message.

Wil: Hey dad, what happened with Karl?

Phil: Uh done the portal thing and disappeared then a few seconds later actually reappeared and got thrown out. Smashing through the table and breaking some glasses, took out the black shades they held over the VIP table for us. Did you get the bill?

Wil: Oh hey, Yeah just saw the invoice come up wanted to make sure. Is Karl ok? Dream left about an hour ago and Tommy fell asleep again. Techno and Tubbo aren’t here so uh, I don’t really know how to look after him. He hasn’t eaten but he’s at least had a drink.

Phil: Will you are useless, you need to try and get him to eat something when he wakes up. He’s probably really hungry if he hasn't eaten since. Get something simple and soft, and don’t just give him ice cream, get him something else with it like peaches or mango. Something soft that he can press using his tongue that won’t hurt if he swallows.

Wil: I’m cancelling you.

Phil: You are going to look after him because I have to deal with Karl and Dream later. You owe me, unless you want to sit here and pretend like you don’t know anything and look after the two?

Wil: Uh? On second thought I think I’m fine here. God why can’t I just get someone to come help him?

Phil: Do you know anyone who could look after him properly on such short notice?

Wil: I mean…

Phil: You message Kristin and I’m kicking your ass. I have some things I need to look into. You stay there and do what needs to be done. Let Gary know you won’t be in tomorrow.

Wil: Fine I’ll stay. Tech and Tubbo should be back soon anyway. 

Half way during our chat, the message was sent out.

To all Syndicate members this is a direct message from Nemesis. 

“I don’t care what petty squabbles you people have with the general public, I don’t care if these issues spill over into official Syndicate business. But we have a job to do and I’m making sure we achieve this goal. Anyone caught organising gangs in our name and attacking innocent civilians will be permanently dealt with. I have no time for your shit and I’ll personally kill you myself. I gave you all three rules, and I’ve already dealt with 13 of you. And I’ll remove the rest of you without anyone knowing you existed. 

Rule 1: You do not hurt, injure, or harm any kids. Any that are found to have done anything to someone under 18 will be killed on sight.

Rule 2: If I have given an order of protection for anyone, child or adult, and someone violates this order whether through torture, kidnapping, or injuries/murder. You will be killed onsight

Rule 3: You all have jobs to do, I have a team dedicated to keeping things rolling. If anyone abandons their post or ignores direct orders. You will be dealt with. 

I no longer fucking care what you people think. As lately none of you seem to understand what you are doing. So let me get this perfectly clear. I will break every bone in your body. If you don’t fucking listen anymore.”

“Bit fucking brutal Jesus. That’s a Lola message if I’ve ever seen one."

After a few hours, I heard knocking at my door, Liam opening.

"Dream has arrived sir."

"Thank you, I'll be out in a second."

"I'll let him know."

"No, fuck that, Phil we need to chat."

Dream, moving around and past him as he took the seat opposite me. Normally I'd have him or anyone removed if they didn't listen but, I suppose now is a special occasion.

"Always nice to see you Dream."

"Cut the shit Watson, what happened with Karl?"

I looked over towards Liam, seeing him glance at me before gesturing for him to leave.

"Everything I remember is Karl appearing out of a blue portal and being thrown out of our little room, smashing through a table and a few glasses. Landing a bit awkwardly on the floor. Some damage caused has already been handled."

"So he just appeared out of nowhere and that's what you remember?"

 "No, I remember him leaving as well. Within the span of a few seconds which is odd for me. I watched him get pulled down into an orange portal and then get thrown out of a blue one. We were talking about the Institute and how he believed Watson could either take over or invest enough to have an impact on what's going on."

"Now tell the truth."

"The truth?"

"I want it all. I've just had to accept the fact the Syndicate has already done and have been doing a better job than I ever had looking after my brother. Wilbur told me he did in fact find Tommy after a robbery over a month ago and made him heal himself and then wipe his memory so he couldn't get in trouble. Apparently he had been shot three times and stabbed twice. Did you know he can't die?"

"I've had suspicions for a while. If not due to our own hand, but also due to the actions of lower goons that are swiftly dealt with."

"Define dealt with."

"They won't be doing it again."

"Define it."

I continued to face the man in front of me. Watching him steadily breathing, trying to act as calm as he possibly could. It was funny to me, knowing he had gone through the ringer of emotions in the last few hours, I had respect for the man to be as collected as he is considering the situation.

"If you want every truth Dream, you are going to need to be cool with a lot of shit real quick."

"Try me, I've had a lot of reasons to have a shaky relationship with a lot of people right now. I only just found out Sapnap and George left for Las Nevadas out of nowhere. Karl, who is also one of my best friends, just got spat out of his time portal shit in front of Syndicates leader. The two most dangerous villains in the city outside of yourself have been looking after my brother who has been assaulted, attempted mugged and now killed at his workplace. Which Eret will be out for blood figuratively speaking."

"We have already talked to her."

"What?"

"Eret? Yeah I've already spoken to her."

"When you said I had to be fine with a lot of shit?"

"Eret has only been part of the Syndicate for about 7 months. No particular reason why other than she was looking for investors and knew who to talk to."

"So her and Techno aren't dating?"

I couldn't help but laugh at the comment. Those two had been fighting those allegations for about a year or two now? 

"Those two have been getting that for over a year. I think it's cute. Techno likes someone. And Eret’s a lovely girl."

"She is. So Eret has been with the Syndicate?"

"Mhm, I provided her with some staff on my payroll so she didn't have to worry, and invested money so she could expand and stock up on books and media. Makes it easier for her to run the place. The café was a nice addition until… well."

"Yeah, until Tommy. But that doesn't explain much."

"The real reason why Karl was sitting down having lunch with me. He proposed the idea of the Syndicate either buying out or merging with the Heroes Institution under the guise of a public endorsement from Watson Corp. With no one really knowing the intricacies of the lives we lead, none are the wiser if the biggest power company in the country began endorsing and investing in the Institute. Most people will think it's either PR or a ploy from the Institute to get a reduction on their power bill."

"And what is it really?"

"Karl wants to put the power back into the heroes. Patrol wherever they can or need to, start up a program to decriminalise vigilantes like Gaia and Nami, and hopefully reintroduce villains as a subdivision of heroes who handle the dirty work, since we don't run by the same moral code you do."

"I'd kill if need be."

"No you wouldn't, not without a damn good reason."

"Tommy is a good enough reason."

"That he is. Have you ever told anyone about his…Respawn thing I think Tubbo or someone calls it?"

"No one knows about it aside from the Institute. I never wanted them to find out, we were just lucky that the first time he was killed, he had been injured really bad a few days beforehand by some people. He'd slept in the Medbay for two days with Ponk healing him up. The same day he woke up he was killed that night, I told him he was just falling asleep and teleported. Sam wanted to tell him straight away but I convinced him not too. We had Punz develop a placebo pill for him, telling him it was a sleeping tablet so he would think he could only teleport in his sleep."

"And if you knew he wouldn't actually die?"

"We had orders to kill him."

I'm sure Dream could see the shock on my face. Hell the world could have seen it clear as day. 

"Hang on, run that by me again?"

"If the situation would have ended up with him either seriously injured or would take longer than a day to heal. They found out when he dies that his body just becomes exhausted. With some help from Punz and a saline and morphine concoction. His body reacts weirdly and it doubles the healing."

"That sounds like some bullshit."

"It is, Punz handles Tommy by himself so I know there is something else that he does. I would have gone to see him after Karl cos he can't leave. If there was a way we could work around that I'd be happy."

"That we will figure out at another time. Karl has been here the past few hours. I'll take you to him now. I still have some things to discuss anyway."

"I have another idea… You remembered what you two talked about before he came back right?"

"Yeah? I've heard that's not normal?"

"Its completely unnatural. Within a certain distance, it will wipe the memories of people around him as if rewriting their past. Which means they only remember the new world. But you said you remembered. I think, I might go see Punz. And talk to him about what he did for Tommy. I can get Ranboo to take me in and out. It will help them get reacquainted with them and announce he is still alive. I know Punz wasn't happy but he couldn't see the body Sam told him."

"That was a lot of names in very quick succession."

"Trust me, I am going to the institute to talk to a few people. You handle Karl and find out everything you know first."

“So you don’t want to talk to him?”

“I do, but not right now. He and I have a lot to talk about, but I told Tommy he was the priority now. So I’m getting help because I’m still in good standing with them. I don’t know about whatever George and Sapnap are doing.”

“I think they were seeing Quackity about something.”

“Why the fuck… Anyway, that's not my problem. I’m getting Tommy help, so I want you to deal with Karl for now.”

“I can do that. And I think he has some things he needs to go through and sort out on his own.”

“Right, If you hear anything that should involve us then let me know yeah?”

“He should be awake soon if you want to stay. It’s only 5 in the afternoon. Punz can’t leave, and I’d like some backup when I figure out what’s going on with him.”

“You, the most dangerous villain in the city, the richest man in… Arguably the world. Want backup?”

“I don’t handle heroes or time travelers' Dream. I handle my job, my kids, and the people I love. I do what’s best for the city even if it’s through devious means. And you know that. You can’t deny the good I’ve done for the city in the long run even if it meant bringing some other people down. Greater good and all that shit.”

“Sounds like a god complex.”

“You can call it whatever you want. Heroes don’t do and never have done shit around here. So I’ve been seriously considering Karl’s idea.”

“And?”

“I think it might be a fun idea, merging the heroes and villains together. Having one big group to actually help people rather than just leaving it to random super powered humans who are fighting on the sides because they are either too scared to join either side, or would rather die than do so. Makes sense don’t you think? There’s a lot of people you don’t know about that help in the city at night time. Nami and Gaia are two examples. Purpled is one of yours that works at night doing actual good. A few fled to neighbouring cities after Sam began recruiting. Not wanting to be a part of an organisation. A few underground groups fled as well.”

“Do you know where they went?”

“Until you prove to me you aren’t going to rat them out or take them to the Institute, I’m not telling you shit. Wilbur is naïve, Ranboo is a kid and Techno is too stubborn. He would probably go with you and then stop you then and there. I don’t think I have to tell you how much of a bad idea it would be if you left Tommy again.”

Watching him the whole time, the slight flinches, the false bravado, the confidence he forced. He’s trained well but his emotions get the best of him. He can’t keep still, eyes constantly glancing at things on my desk, clicking the pen a few times at a time while he speaks. Not breaking concentration. His ability to control a person's energy levels was something that the Institute never knew how to utilize to its fullest. But now I wonder if it’s an actual ability he has and has never trained or perfected. Or if he has ADHD and can’t figure out what to do with himself when he’s not hyper fixated on something or panicking over Tommy. I’ve watched him in the field and even with a patrol, he couldn’t sit still or would focus so heavily on one fight that he’s been attacked from other sides, people have gotten away from him. His suit was made differently to others, I got Ranboo to grab it for me one day to see if we could find a way to stop him and while the outside was lined with the mesh, tightskin cloth that everyone else had. He was using a different material, like a wetsuit surfers would use in the ocean, hugging so tight and close to his body that it never moved in the wind as he fought. But now sitting here talking to him, I think it was more than just a design choice. He also flipped over the past couple of hours if Wilbur was to go off of. Dream seemed pretty hellbent on talking to Karl, so I wonder what happened for him to change course so quickly?

“You alright there Phil?”

“Hm? Yeah just watching you.”

“Why?”

“No reason for you to worry about. You go talk to Punz and see if he won’t help out Tommy. I’ll get to work on Karl.”

Chapter Text

Tommy

I felt, different. Waking up and tilting my head over to see the time, reading 09:34pm. I felt less tired than I did earlier today when Dream was here. Twitching my fingers, curling them a little to test myself as I turned to face the roof again. Sliding my legs lightly against the sheets as I pulled them closer towards my body before stretching and extending them out. Lifting my arms to release a full body stretch before resting my hands back on top of my blankets. I was glad for the air conditioner, if I didn't have that I'd be sweltering, considering Wilbur tried to smother me in blankets and pillows to keep me still and protected. Listening carefully, the sound of clicking was starting to get annoying. I leaned back a little further and tried to lift myself up into a seated position, looking across from me towards Tubbo, furiously typing away on my fucking computer.

"You have your own computer, get off mine."

With a light snort, Tubbo turned to see me as his eyes went wide.

"Wait, you're sitting up? It worked?"

"What worked?"

"Dream got some help from someone at the Institute, came back with some vial and had Wilbur inject it into you. Wilbur was really nervous and almost punched Dream for suggesting they stick a needle in you but he said it was Punz so I told Will to calm down because you would be fine cos you know, he's the healer who can't leave so there isn't anything to worry about…"

I just chuckled to myself in letting Tubbo ramble on. He was probably really excited for whatever he was doing. Using this as a light distraction. I let him talk until there was movement by the door.

"Tubbo, have you ever shut up?"

"No can do boss man, Tommy's awake."

"Really?"

Stepping through the door, both Techno and Wilbur came in, immediately wanting to ask questions or talk about something but instead just letting the atmosphere feel awkward.

"I'm still not feeling 100%, but I'm really hungry."

"What do you want? Name it, I'll make it, or I'll get it delivered. Or I'll go get it I don't care, name what you want."

"Tech I'm fine… but like can I have McDonalds?"

I wasn't expecting him to agree or say yes, but it was nice when he brought in his laptop and letting me order.

"So no one really wants to go anywhere right now?"

"We were going to go to the office because Phil called us in. But right now I think we might stay home and rest, do you realise how much stress you have put us through you little shit?"

"I could probably take a guess. I am a bit more tired though. Don't feel like sleeping for another day."

"Tommy, you've only been in and out of consciousness since last night when you were shot. It was only because Dream thought to go back to the institute to get some help that you are as awake as you are."

"Tubbo said he got Punz to help."

"More like threatened Punz, it was funny to listen to on the camera feeds. You know Dream could be a theater major if he ever wanted to study? He was so dramatic like "I need to save my brother and your going to help me hurdurbur."

I laughed at Tubbo trying to deepen his voice slightly to mimic Dream, but I didn't think it would be so bad as to call on him for help. 

"Dream knows I'd have been fine after a while surely. Why did he try something so drastic?"

"Toms, so much has gone on today. Like a lot has happened. George and Sapnap are missing. Dream is like a bee's dick away from joining Syndicate, Sam is in meltdown mode with everyone leaving. Karl is apparently at home unconcious…"

"He's awake, your dad's security is not very secure. Ranboo is talking to him now."

"Is that what you have been doing this whole time? Just watching all the cameras? Better question: how do you know so much about technology Tubbo?"

"Dad's a genius but a horrible person. I learnt a lot from him and then was eventually put to work when he learned about my power. Which by the way no one knows about because I, unlike the rest of you, like to keep my life private."

"And now you are going to tell us because..?"

"I'm not. All you need to know is I know everything and you don't know shit bitch."

"Rude."

"You love me Techno. I've been keeping tabs on your girlfriend for you."

Techno let out a groan and a quiet "she's not my girlfriend" but it didn't seem like Wilbur or Tubbo were listening.

"That's alright Techno, I don't think you and Eret would make a good couple."

"Thank you Tommy… but like also why out of curiosity and totally not because. Anyway."

"Eret's way too good for you. And you're a villain. I don't think Eret would have the time for you. Between you both running your own business and then you prancing around at night."

"I am offended on so many different levels."

"Well suck it up princess we have a child to worry about now."

"Not a child."

"Not a child."

Tubbo and I both reacted, Even though I'm pretty sure Will was talking about me. 20 minutes later and food arrived for us all. Ranboo had come back and left Karl with Phil. While Dream was heading back here after he got a message from Tubbo saying I was awake. He got here after food, and was just happy to see me eating something.

"I never thought I would be so happy just to see you sitting up in bed with food in your mouth."

I flipped him off but he just laughed. After eating and talking for a little. Dream helped me go to the toilet but fuck if I was letting him in. I realised while there that I said I wasn't a child but I guess I still technically was right now. I'm only 16 still, and I've been through a lot. But it felt reassuring that I couldn't die… or not that I knew of?

"Dream?"

"You all finished in there?"

"Yeah."

He came in, helped me wash my hands which I didn't even know I needed help with until I just felt so exhausted again, he helped me back to my room and took a seat beside me. It was getting closer to midnight, while Dream and I were just talking. Tubbo had gone back to his room but left my computer on. Telling me he was doing something important but full screened a black image so it made the screen dark.

"Are you doing ok?"

"I mean, I'm not because I feel fucking useless. But is it weird that I feel reassurance knowing I can't die? Be honest."

"I think I should be more sorry that I never told you."

"Oh… right you fucker didn't tell me shit."

"I wanted to, I wanted to tell you a few times but I kept being told to stay quiet."

"Why though?"

"Sam thought you would become reckless and start throwing yourself into unwinnable situations."

"I wouldn't do that, I can still feel pain considering I just got shot, a lot."

"But you would if someone you knew was hurt, or if something was happening right?"

"I… that's not fucking fair."

"But I'm right aren't I?"

"I'm not saying shit."

He smiled at me as I rested my head on his shoulder.

"I should probably get going."

"No. You've gone out a lot today and done a lot. You left me a few times please, just stay here tonight."

"Tommy, I don't want to make you uncomfortable while you're still getting better. Punz said that stuff would help but…"

"No, sleep, now. I'm making the decision for you."

"Never thought I'd be forced to sleep with my brother in the house of the Syndicate."

"Shush, sleep Dream."

"Look I really am just worried about you."

"I know, but for fuck sake I just want my brother tonight. Please Clay."

I know it was a low blow using his name, something we both agreed on early that I'd only use it if it was absolutely necessary or something serious was happening. So I hope he got the idea to just lay down and fucking rest.

"I'll be fine tomorrow right? Punz used to heal me all the time before yeah? So just sleep. Rest, relax. Sleep. We can talk about shit tomorrow. I want to know what's been going on. They haven't really told me anything."

"You know it's just to protect you."

"I fucking know that. I just worry about my friends."

"I know. Alright fine, sleep time."

"Yay."

Waking up the next morning, I felt so much better. I awoke before Dream which was nice. He didn't fuck off part way through the night like he used to if he got called in, or just decided to go see one of his friends. It reminded me of when I first moved in with him last year. I didn't want to be apart from him, and it took me a few weeks before I slept in my own bed. I tried to move my arms and legs and found very little pain, barely any numbness as I grabbed the blanket and pulled it off of me. It landed on Dream which meant he would probably wake up in a half hour or so, complaining he was too hot.

I slowly moved my legs over the edge of the bed and placed them on the ground, I knew it was going to be a bit rough at first, but I tried applying a little pressure and didn't seem to have any issues. Standing up normally, I held my weight and tried moving. It was different now to when I had Punz with me, this time I felt like I was on my own. Making my way to the door, opening up and walking down the long narrow hallway to our open plan kitchen and living room. Phil sitting at the table.

"Morning Big man."

Watching Phil flinch a little was funny, he looked over towards me and smiled. 

"You are probably going to hear this a lot but I'm so happy to see you mobile again. Do you want anything to eat or drink?"

"Uh, I'm gonna try and get it myself. How come you're here? Where's everyone else?"

"Asleep, Tommy, it's only 6 am. I'm here because Wilbur told me you woke up yesterday. I took a guess that you wouldn't want to sleep after that's all you've pretty much done and got here not long ago. How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling weird to be honest, like I feel fine now but I know it won't last. Like I might get tired later. But, something strange is what I'm feeling."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Do I want to talk about it? With Phil, or should I say Nemesis? I suppose now that I'm up I'm going to have to get used to who everyone is. I'd not have guessed the Syndicate would comprise of two good friends now. Or at least not of their dad and the CEO of Watson tech. I looked towards him, and saw the look in his eyes. A level of patience that you wouldn't find anywhere else.

"I uh, actually. Phil, instead of talking to you like this. I've been thinking a lot about still wanting to help people. Still going out and healing or protecting because it's something I'm so used to. It's almost weird now to not be doing something."

I heard a knock at the door, Phil standing up to open it as Techno stood in the apartment building's hall. Looking at me and Phil.

"Damn it, I had a feeling you would already be here."

"Tommy just woke up."

"Yeah, I brought some juice over for you Tommy."

"Oh, thanks. Uh, actually this might be better now. Only thing would be if everyone was awake. But, I kind of want to do some off the record work."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I still want to go out and help people. But I can't work under my last name as I don't want to be associated with Heroes anymore. But I also can't go out as Tommy because everyone knows me."

"So like a vigilante? Or mercenary or something?"

"Kind of. I've already thought about vigilante work but that's mainly because I had this… well, the water well, inside me. And when I hadn't used my powers for a while it felt like it would overflow and I'd get jittery, pains in my hands and chest. I sometimes don't even realise I'm healing when I do use my powers because it overflows so much that it just happens."

"Yeah, that's how we found out who you were as a civilian. You healed my hand after Dream got a nick on me at the library."

"And you didn't say anything?"

"I did, you must have forgotten."

Phil had been silent the whole time which was terrifying.

"Phil?"

"Hm? Yeah Tommy?"

"This is going to sound weird saying out loud. But would the Syndicate be sent after me if I was working as a vigilante?"

That stunned them both, though only briefly and likely due to the idea that they hadn't thought about it all till now. 

"I mean there aren't any more secrets, you know? If not due to the fact you guys have been looking after me for so long, but also because I'm just nervous around you. I've seen you more often in your villain clothes than your normal clothes. But you have helped and looked after me as civilians more than as villains. Which, There's supposed to be that difference, that separation between good and evil right?"

"I'm going to stop you because you are rambling."

Phil put his hand up, causing me to genuinely stop talking. I did have a point you prick but I guess I can't really say anything.

"One. No, I wouldn't send anyone after you. Not just for the fact that I know what you would be doing, but because you are only 16 years old. And no one deserves to be put in life or death situations just because they used to be a hero or whatever. I can't talk about the Institute. We all know they don't like vigilantes because they actually get things done. Some districts have already lost a lot of respect for heroes because they don't patrol or help them. That's where we came in, though our people weren't the best, they did keep the streets safe. 

Secondly there is no such thing as good and evil. And I can tell you that because the only reason there are heroes and villains, is because the Institute tried to recruit anyone with powers to fight with them, to be their little lap dogs. Those who refused or didn't have anything to do with them, were branded as evil or villains. Treated like shit. Anyone who joined them, were praised and held on a pedestal for everyone to love because they were actively choosing to fight for the city."

"If you were going to go out as a vigilante though, you would need a lot of gear and stuff to keep you unidentifiable. I'm thinking of some tech we can supply and a voice changer. We all know who Tommy is so even if you were completely decked out, I'd still pick you out in a room of 100 people because of your voice alone. And the hardest part would be a new name."

"I can't think of something for a name."

"Have you thought about something that has nothing to do with your powers at all? Just a cool name you like?"

"What like Nightingale, Damocles, Nemesis even?"

"There's a naming convention you know. Well for a lot of us there is a thing I like to do when we come up with our names. Well, I like to think there's a system behind it."

"Techno's a nerd and named us basically himself, except Wilbur really wanted to go with Nightingale because of his voice."

"So what did you go with?"

"Mythology. The main one that made me think of it was Nemesis for Phil. Nemesis was the name of the, originally Greek, Goddess of Revenge. Obviously Dad isn't female but I liked the idea of Nemesis being the name of the one to take out the Hero Institute, since they were the ones that tossed him aside all those years ago. So the idea being someone they branded a villain, someone who they stopped giving help to or wanted to help the one they cast from fame. So Phil built his own empire using his abilities. Ethically as well. Gained respect from the people and now has their own industry to help people in need."

"Help people?"

"So while we might do shady shit as villains sure. We set people up for the better. For example, do you remember that flower shop on Everol Road in district 5?"

"Uh, kind of?"

"Right, well before that it was a small used furniture shop. They were robbed a few too many times and it got to the point that they couldn't keep up with their rent. So we started to scope it out, Wilbur went in and talked to the guy, got any information he needed, and then we bought him out. Sure he didn't have his business but we paid him a generous amount for the property, fixed it up and advertised the space as a new building. 

A few weeks later there was someone with interest in opening a florist but needed help to start it up. So we gave them the space and took a percentage of the sales. It has given people jobs and helps brighten up the community a little by having a fresh store there so it helps a lot more people. The old owner doesn't have to worry about being robbed and he can relax."

"How many times have you done that?"

"Let's just say between Tech and Wilbur working for me, and everything else going on at Watson Tech, There is no single person or business that could buy us out. We make too much money and benefit too many people. No one can compete with us."

"Except for the Institute."

The three of us turned to the voice, my brother deciding to join us. I looked at the clock on the wall to see it was just shy of 7 am, which means I was right, as always, about Dream lasting half an hour.

"The only reason the Institute is a threat to us is because we can't fight with our powers. We have to do everything legally which is a massive pain in the ass."

"You are villains."

"No, Syndicate are villains. Watson Tech are humanitarians. We have to do everything legally by day, but we can fuck around and find out by night."

"Since when did it become so easy to talk to the enemy Dream?"

"Don't call us the enemy Tommy please. I'm literally doing my best to keep you and your friends safe."

"Why me in particular though? Surely you can see the weird situation I'm in. My brother is Dream, the number one hero of L'manburg. I'm friends with pretty much everyone there… or I was. But nevertheless I get thrown aside and then make friends with the most dangerous villains in the city. And then get help from them in day clothes to get out and be more independent and my friends get to come along. I also find out all of the people I know either work for the Syndicate or know who you guys are. And I'm just stuck in the middle trying to not go crazy by not healing anyone."

I could feel the boys watching me, having my outburst and just listening. Dream put his hands on my shoulders and rested his head on top of mine.

"You are still thinking about being a vigilante aren't you?"

"Yeah, Dream. I need to do something. I could be helping so many people, and I can't do shit."

"You would have to work so hard to not get caught."

"We can handle that. You aren't going to be alone. We can set you up with a suit and some gear. Something to help you out so you don't need to worry about being identified. And some things to make people think your powers are not healing."

"Why though, that's what I want to do though."

"Yes, but you can't let people know who you are. Which means your new self needs to be somewhat different to your regular life. So I'm going to set you up with some technology we have been working on. Make them think you have strength based powers, or speed based. Something we can work on your physical body to give off the impression you aren't Tommy."

"Ok, now I just need to think of a name?"

"Oh, I've already got that sorted. Nemesis and Damocles are both from Mythology. Chronos we can change to Kronos with a K instead of C H so it comes in line with us since he is pretty certain against the Institute. If I was going to call you anything. I'd call you Theseus, the fallen angel of legend who was famously kicked off a cliff and fell. But it's more metaphorical with you."

"I'm sure Tommy can think of something for himself."

"No, I really like that. And it can give us another fuck you to the Institute."

"Alright then, welcome aboard Theseus."

Chapter Text

Welcome aboard Theseus, I will bet any money that Techno had already come up with that name and has been waiting for so long to call me that. But here I am, three hours later at Watson Tech with the boys looking around in their workshop while Tubbo has been going absolutely ape shit.

“Tommy do you know how fucking cool all this is? Oh my god I could make so much stuff, I could even build a nuke.”

“Let’s cool off on the nuke thing you’ve said that four times in the past 20 minutes.”

“I could do it, just blow things up.”

“I’d rather you didn’t big man. Besides, where did Techno go?”

“Something about called up to the office, Wilbur is coming back now.”

“How do you know that?”

“Uh, nothing.”

“Tubbo do you have powers?”

“Maybe, I’d rather not talk about it if I’m honest. Look Tommy, this cube has buttons on it.”

Changing the topic so quickly was just something he does, it’s quite endearing but we let him go. He gets really excited about the smallest of things, like the fidget cube Wilbur gave him in the car that he’s been clicking and playing with in his left hand absentmindedly while he runs around and talks to anyone he sees. Which has been Jared the poor guy.

“Tubbo, you know you were brought in for a reason?”

“Hm? Oh yeah right, a suit. I Gotcha.”

He moved along the long, reinforced work bench, pulling down tools at random while grabbing some other things like metal and different types of wires. Wilbur came in a few minutes later.

“He’s been enjoying himself hasn’t he?”

“Yeah, it’s nice to see him having so much fun to be honest.”

“Won’t he be wondering why we talk about him?”

“Nah, once Tubbo gets in his little zone thing, he wouldn’t be able to hear fucking anything unless you say certain words. I’ll show you.”

“Ok?”

“Tubbo?” - Nothing

“Hey Tubs?” - Still nothing

“You haven’t eaten yet…?” - Again nothing.

“Ready Will?”

“Ok.”

“Bomb.” 

“Yo fuck I could build so many bombs, I could hide them everywhere and no one would know it was me because it would all be tied to Watson Tech which makes sense because they supplied all the parts, but then they would find out about who Syndicate is and the connection between the two which in turn would mean they would find out the identities of my friends, hey Tommy do you like Hammocks? I want a hammock. I think they’re cool. You can rest and swing in them but then we wouldn’t have room to put one up…”

“And he’s gone again.”

“That’s… Actually really impressive. How many times have you done that to him?”

“Uh in the last two months, I haven’t. But I used to do it to him all the time. He doesn’t really pay attention to whether someone else is listening, he kind of just goes on about things and as I said. Once he gets into his little Tubzone, no one can pull him out unless you know a few keywords.”

I looked over towards Wilbur and noticed him watching the young boy, I watched his eyes widen a little as I followed his gaze. Watching Tubbo put all the wires, metal, and a few other things on the table and immediately start getting to work on something.

“Alright we have cameras down here yeah?”

“Of course we do. But no one could come down here anyway.”

Why did you decide to build a basement at the bottom of the tower?”

Wilbur shrugged, leading me towards the elevator as he explained how no one would come down here and only the people we contracted to build it know that it’s here. Well people know there is a floor below us but they didn’t know what it’s for. Leaving my friend in the workshop, Wilbur took me back up to his office floor. A place I’ve been twice now. It was more relaxing this time, though it may have something to do with joining in the illegal activities this time. Following along, Will opened up a door to a large room with mats all over the ground, foam to the touch.

“What’s this?”

“Training room really? What, you didn’t think we never trained since we are, you know, villains?”

“Can I be honest with you Wilbitch. I don’t really think you can call yourself villains anymore.”

“To the general public Toms we still are. Even though we have never started fights, the heroes always did. The media does a great job at showing them in the best light. Had you never realised we don’t really fight Vigilante’s. That’s just the Institute, and right now is the safest time for you to do this since they have so few members that none of them are even patrolling anywhere outside of District 1 and 2. Even 3rd has seen a slight increase in crime but Gaia has that covered.”

“Can I meet them?”

“Well we can’t just invite them to the office, I’m sure you will meet them on your new patrols. All I’m saying is, don’t go to First or Second ok? Stick to Three through to 5 for now and I promise the rest of us will take the further ones ok?”

“Uh, yeah ok that sounds fair. How long will it take for me to get out there?”

“How long does Tubbo usually take to build shit?”

“I don’t know, normally he would hack into our systems and guide me around. This is different, you guys are faking powers.”

“Good point, I could ask Techno, I think he has his team working on something and pretending it’s for me. We are similar builds, albeit you’re a little skinnier than me. But anything made for me is likely going to fit you after some alterations. Did you know Kristin can sew?”

“No, Who was she again?”

“I’d say Phil’s assistant but she is his wife. She looks after the three of us specifically. Hopefully with you being around here more often, you two can get to know each other and make a new friend.”

“I don’t need an adult friend that’s cringe.”

“You do need a parent figure. And Kristin has been like a mum to us for about 4 years now.”

“I don’t need parents, every parent I’ve had so far has left me, beat me or tried to kill me. I think I’m fine not having parents.”

“You could argue Dream is like a dad.”

“Would explain him abandoning me as well.”

“Fucking hell Tommy he would cry if you told him that.”

“He would, cos he’s a bitch.”

Over the next month, waiting for my suit to be ready with a couple of additions made over time that added to the length of time it took. I went back to work with Eret and Nikki. There was something different about going back this time, like I didn’t have to be so nervous or jittery. I mean I was nervous to go back to the place where I was murdered, but now knowing what I do. I was a lot more prepared than I thought I would be. Eret was really happy to see me even though Techno told her I was fine. 

“Tommy, holy shit I heard you were dead, but then you were fine. Tech showed me the cameras and I cried cos you are such a good kid but then he said you were fine and just… Don’t ever fucking scare me like that again you hear me or I’ll kill you myself.”

“If you want to, can you let Dream know so I’m not in bed for two days.”

“Two days, damn.”

“Eret leave him alone, Tommy I’m glad to see you again. Would you like something to eat or drink? I can make you something.”

“It’s fine Nikki thank you, I want to work again but I don’t really want to do overnights anymore.”

“Totally understandable. Nikki and I have been finding someone to take over but we aren’t having much luck, so I’ve gone back to no longer being open at night. I think it’s better if we don’t consider the reputation we were getting with all the heroes and villains coming in all the time.”

It only took me a few days to get back into the swing of things, and eventually two weeks later into the month waiting period. I got a text from Tubbo letting me know it was ready. A month seemed really quick considering we were faking superpowers but I trust them. He and Techno together were scary, you never would have thought the older guy was good with kids but according to Phil, Techno barely left Tubbo alone. The two got along really well.

“So when do you want me to come in because I’m working right now.”

“Come in whenever you want, Karl has been coming around too, did you know that?”

“Wait really?”

“Yeah, I saw him around with Phil and Dream. I think people are wondering if those two are getting a job here since they are sticking really close to Phil. A few things have been going down in the time since we have been building your suit for you. Oh which, by the way, is so fucking cool. We can change your fucking physiology so you even look taller, sound deeper like you finally went through puberty.”

“Fuck you Tubbo I did that shit already, Do you know all the women I get? Like all of them, so many women.”

“Sure boss man. Come in after work if you want and we can get you fitted and see if anything needs to be fixed.”

“I’ll be there then.”

Letting Eret know that Wilbur wanted me at Watson Tech after work, seeing the little smile on her face as she told me to head out when needed. She knew this was just temporary for now but was happy to see me back on my feet. After I finished my shift, I started walking straight over there. A short walk considering how close Watson was to the Library, it made more sense when I thought about how often the boys would come for coffee. 

“Ooft, sorry.”

I wasn’t watching where I was going and bumped into another person, I got sent backwards onto the ground while they stood still. I looked up to see brown skin with short, spiked up hair, a very soft face as he widened his eyes and reached down to extend his hand.

“Are you ok mate? Sorry.”

“Ah, thanks, no I wasn’t paying attention. Sorry, I've had a lot on my mind lately.”

“That’s ok, you don’t look old enough to have a lot going on but I won’t question it. Everyone hides secrets. Sure you are ok? I get told it’s like running into a brick wall.”

“Don’t look old enough to have problems fuck you, you look like a bitch.”

“I take it back, you have to be like what? 15? Maybe 16 if you think insults mean humour.”

“I could kick your ass.”

At that he laughed, as if what I said was hilarious, I watched the hand he pulled me up with start to shift before it became encased in a hard rock, tile like plating started to slide down his arm to his fingers. He moved his fingers as if it wasn’t now made of pure stone, meaning he had not just full dexterity but tapped me lightly on the forehead, sending my head backwards as I snapped it back to face him.

“Gaia right? That vigilante that has been around.”

“Gaia wasn’t my idea, Originally it was Quartz but I got bullied by Damocles for having the name of a crystal that was very common and functionally worthless.”

“Rocks? Hm, also did you just say Damocles? Oh wait, I saw you chasing some guy a month or so ago outside the Library?”

“Eret’s? Oh yeah he had someone on the night shift, anyway, loved the chat. I have shit to do. Try not to run into any more people on your way to wherever you are going.”

“Yeah try not to cause any property damage on the way rock man.”

“I can change the Armour I have, and control the ground I walk on, I never cause property damage I can’t fix.”

He waved me off as he started to walk away with a smile on his face. What a fucking weirdo. It took me another 10 minutes to get back and then the ride down to Tubbo.

“I ran into Gaia on the way, he’s a dick.”

“He’s a good kid, leave him alone.”

“He’s a kid as well, fuck sake Wilbur you wanna talk about how many kids you have to watch over?”

“You might end up working with him so be nice.”

“He’s a bitch.”

“Tommy, shut up and come here. I want to see you wearing this.”

Wilbur led me over to Tubbo’s workbench, a clean looking black bodysuit lay out flat on the bench.

“Black?”

“Considering Vigilante’s mostly work at night, the black colour will make it easier for you to fall into the shadows and run.”

“Hair cut or are we keeping it?”

“You touch my hair and I’ll kick your ass, sure it’s a little long but it’s curly, it doesn’t get in my eyes and that’s all that matters.”

“Dye it another colour?”

“No, I like my hair, don't touch it.”

“Great, he’s going to look like a ninja.”

“That’s sick though.”

I let my fingers run over the suit, feeling how light and tightly stitched the material was but pulling at a certain part with both hands showed that the outfit stretched.

“This is cool. I finally get to do some good again.”

“You are more excited than you should be. Dream is gonna kill us.”

“Leave him to me. You go get suited up.”

It took me a few minutes, but I got in everything and fixed myself up, everything in place and it was so light. It felt like it was barely there which was great for me, very light, very comfortable, I looked down at my body and I looked normal.

“Uh, one problem.”

“Hm?”

Wilbur turned to face me, looked down and noticed the issue, big issue, massive… yep. Wilbur coughed and turned back to Tubbo.

“Uh, problem.”

“Hm? Oh haha, yeah this is why a lot of guys don't wear skin tight outfits because of that issue, no one ever thinks about the dick area. Hang on. I Learned this from watching some videos online.”

I looked up confused to see Tubbo grabbing a roll of Duct tape, walking towards me and pushing me behind the screen that separated me from Wilbur that I had changed behind. Wilbur probably was having a heart attack hearing me scream and curse at the boy duct taping my dick between my legs. I was uncomfortable on way too many levels before Tubbo stepped back out like nothing happened. The weirdest part was that I felt so uncomfortable with what happened. But damn if it didn’t fix the problem. 

“I’ve told a few vigilante’s about that. The heroes wear baggy clothes, you villains wear baggy clothes. Vigilante’s can’t afford to get professional suits, and with it being so tight it will help with movement.”

“How the fuck did you learn about that, you said you watched some videos online.”

“Eh, Drag Queens.”

“Tubbo?”

“If you are gonna ask if I’m gay I don’t know or care. I have more important shit to worry about than whether I like someone or not.”

“Techno used to say the same thing.”

“I have no interest in that shit.”

“This feels weird.”

“Oh yeah it will. Lucky you are only doing this at night. Honestly, give yourself some time to get used to it. Watch this and I’ll show you what I mean.”

I walked over to Tubbo who sat at a computer, trying to not make it like I was walking really awkwardly, but honestly it was just weird. I could walk with my legs together… This is weird.

Tubbo made me watch videos of Drag Queens for about an hour and seeing them doing all that shit while in the same position Tubbo just put me in did fill me with a lot of confidence. They had some funny names though.

“If they can do all that for hours and still be fine, I think I’ll be good.”

“See, I always have good ideas.”

“No, you have ideas and then you don’t tell us if things are going to be for the better or not.”

“It’s fine, come on Theseus, Phil wants you in his office so get changed out of that and into normal clothes, but leave everything the way it is. Be good practice.”

I hated that he was right, when I walked to the elevator and headed back up to the top of the building once I was done changing. I was feeling more confident, something I’d just have to get used to.

“You wanted to see me Phil?”

“Yeah come in for a second, how well do you know Sapnap and George?”

“I’d say rather well. I mean they are Dream’s best friends so I know them pretty well."

"Right, well about a month ago while you were still recovering, Ranboo saw them in Las Nevadas and left them talking to Quackity. Do you know who he is?"

"Nope, Wilbur's talked about him though. He likes the colour blue and wears a beanie right?"

"Sure, close enough. Well, we got word finally from Quackity what they wanted. Karl has already run off and Dream has left as well."

“So Dream is already gone as well.”

“Apparently, George and Sapnap went to Kinoko, The next city over. It’s still a good four hour drive so how they got out without anyone realising I don’t know. In saying that however, Karl headed there about two weeks ago for something personal, Dream only found out today and already headed out. He said it would take him a few days to get there."

“So why are you telling me this then?”

“I thought I would let you know what Dream and your friends were up to. It’s the least we can do to make sure you don’t feel like they left you again.”

“Oh… I mean I’m fine. I’m back at work, I get to go out again soon and the Heroes won’t know who I am. Will they think I’m with Syndicate?”

“They treat everyone like they are with us. Vigilante’s work by themselves, so you will be on your own. Your suit will help you get around though, I organised a few things to get you going. Your boots are built to help you run faster, up to 100 Kilometers an hour. It will also allow you to jump 5 stories high. We did a quick survey of the buildings around Districts 3 to 5 and found most of them are at a max, 4 stories high so you should be fine. And don’t worry about hurting yourself, there are sensors in the shoes that immediately soften the blow by making it feel like you're landing on a soft mattress every time you land. They kick in when it senses both feet are off the ground at the same time.”

“How did you manage this?”

“The boys and I use the technology ourselves, how do you think they get around as quickly as we do?”

“Uh, good point? Anything else?”

“Yes, the suit also has a cloaking device built into it. If you need to run, just say vanish. And it will kick in the voice recognition, we have it patented to your new voice changer as well. It recognizes the distorted sound and locks onto the infrequent vibrations to piece together your voice, it will take a second but it will shift and you will become completely invisible. The more we have going on for you, the less people are going to know who you are.”

“It’s a bit much don’t you think?”

“Tommy, you are already trained in martial arts and how to protect yourself. I doubt for a second that Dream wasn’t teaching you how to protect yourself before you actually joined up with them. We also saw how quick you are, nimble and agile. Parkour is something you should pick up as well to make it even easier again to move around. While invisible you will be able to move around, think of it like people thinking you can teleport, while not similar to Ranboo, it will make people think you have something similar to heroes before. So then it confuses them. The Heroes take people and train them as soon as they exhibit any exceptional abilities. Healers, Teleporters, Energy manipulation, Time Travel. It’s odd that people don’t seem to realise who exactly has powers in the Institute.”

“But there are some who aren’t though. George sends people to sleep?”

“George has complete control over a person's neurological system. Not just putting them to sleep, He can completely shut down someone's entire body. Can put them in a comatose state permanently with no chance of coming back. He has complete control over the subconscious as well so when someone is asleep as you put it. He can control their images, their dreams. He’s dangerous.”

“Sapnap? Eryn? They have command over fire.”

“Sapnap can create a flame so hot it becomes Plasma, a liquid that burns to the point it can cut through anything after a very short time. He can also control and create fire. He can take it in as well, He can’t be burned and is completely fireproof. Eryn is his apprentice, which means Eryn can very likely do something similar to if not exactly the same. But we have never seen them create a flame anywhere near as hot as what Flare can do. So we took Fira out of the running as a threat, He’s also a kid according to Ranboo. Which means we never went after Sapnap, he knows what he can do, he hates himself for it and doesn’t realise the good he can actually do in the world. So we have left him alone until he figures out his purpose. The Institute only ever uses him for destruction or damage control with fires. He can be so much more.”

“So why not help him?”

“Before this month, we didn’t go near him due to how close he was with what we called the Dream Team. But now they are all in Kinoko. We need to keep up appearances here so we can’t go.”

“And me?”

“You are also not going anywhere. After two months now, people know Red Cross no longer exists and anyone who knows you thinks it’s just Tommy. Eret told me you said you didn’t want to do night shifts anymore which works well as Vigilantes run at night. The reason I called you up here is because you will be on your own. You might see us running around, and while we don’t have a bad relationship with vigilante’s, we do try to stay separate. You are going to meet a bunch of new people now, some powerful people. Just be safe and careful, yeah?”

“Yeah, Phil thanks for the pep talk but I think I’ll be fine.”

“One last thing.”

I turned back towards him as he called out, just before I had my hand on the door to leave his office.

“You can not heal anyone. That’s one power we can’t mimic.”

Chapter Text

It took a few days for me to be ready. But that Saturday night was my debut as Theseus. I'd been waiting for this moment, a lot of preparations, making sure I knew the commands for my suit, got comfortable with the boots and gloves they made for me. The only thing I didn't like was that the mask I wore looked like a ninja with the full ski mask covering every feature and then goggles that would open up on the inside while looking like I was completely blinded on the outside. I didn't mind it too much once I got used to it, the mask opening up so to me it looked like I wasn't wearing anything, but it did feel funny. 

"Are you ready, Theseus?"

"As ready as I'll ever be. Are you connected to the police frequencies?"

"Yeah, Phil helped me out. Got me hooked onto their system they use."

"Aren't they the ones who cause the crimes?"

"Are you still on that?"

"I have to be suspicious don't I? As far as I'm concerned I need to be an actor. When I'm out as Theseus, I need to be suspicious of everyone I meet. If anyone has powers and I don't know who they are, then I need to either run, or keep an eye on them."

"I can tell you if someone is a hero, but you will need to be careful. Alright  already got something on cameras at Therry street. Looks like a robbery at the jewelry store. I'll send it to your tracker."

In a few seconds I heard the ping from my wrist, pulling it up to see where I was going. From the rooftop I was on, I started running and immediately launched myself forward. Something about running faster than most cars could drive was exhilarating, feeling the wind resist my body but not slow me down felt good. And landing softly on every building was something I would need to get used to. After clearing the last roof, now pacing on the same street. I looked over the side and saw what was happening. Three people armed with handguns, another putting items into a bag. The issue was there was someone laying on the street outside unmoving. They weren't taking prisoners.

"Body outside going in now."

The suit, Techno explained, was completely bulletproof which helped because so far that's been my demise a few times apparently. As I landed, gently on the ground beside our unconscious friend, I sped up to move, not giving them the time to react as I landed a powerful punch on the first gentlemen, listening to the crunch as I heard the rib break on impact. His body get sent across the floor before hitting the ground but i was already attacking the next one, grabbing their arm with one hand and my other around their body as I lifted them with ease and threw them outside. Hard enough to have them crash into the telephone pole outside, but not hard enough to kill them. 

Techno explained to me that the suit reacts to my intent, if I intend to kill, it will kill, if I only mean to injure, then it will hold itself back. I left the one shoveling earrings into the bag as the last one turned to face me, now hearing the commotion as I tried to stay silent. He didn't hesitate, aiming the gun towards me and shooting. I felt the impact of the bullet hitting my chest, but due to the nature of the suit, the bullet fell to the ground. I knew it would still cause a bruise though. Techno said something about Kinetic energy but I wasn't listening.

Moving quickly, and with one hand on the third member's chest, I pushed and slammed him into the cases where the last one had now stopped stealing and went to grab his gun. I reached over to grab his shirt and pull him back when another bullet was fired, hitting me from behind in the thigh. I tried not to lose my concentration as I yanked the last one over the counter and tossed him at the still awake criminal on the ground. Hearing a scream which means something else was broken. I knocked out the three men so they wouldn't keep shooting me, the bastards.

"Cleared up."

"Check the guy outside."

I went to look at the body on the ground but noticed a pool of red beginning to form, he hadn't moved his position at all. I walked towards him and held my finger to his neck checking for a pulse, hearing nothing in response. A feeling I was used to back at the Institute if someone was close to death with nothing that could be done.

"Dead, they shot me straight away as well and I'd be in the same boat, it's lucky no one else was here."

"No, you are just extremely fast."

I flinched slightly at the words being spoken, turning to see someone standing next to me. A rather ornate gold rimmed mask with a light blue across the eyes and bridge of the nose, their hair completely slicked back and wet as they held a trident in their hands. A really nice rainbow assortment of scales across their body.

"The criminals shot first and asked questions later."

"In this city, the safest thing to do without having to hold hostages."

I watched the assuming female person kneel down towards the soon to be deceased civilian. Placing her hands over their unconscious body and washing it with a gentle cascade of water.

"I'm Nami."

"Theseus."

"High tech you got there. Wanna tell me why my first thought is a rogue hero?"

I panicked for a second but thanked Tubbo for creating a voice changer.

"Heroes don't do their job, I was sick of losing friends and family to those fuckers. Don't ever lump me in with them."

Probably came off a bit strong but I could see her smile, clearly the correct thing to say. As she stood up, I heard Tubbo call in my ear that heroes had been called to investigate.

"Heroes are coming, get out now."

"Already ahead of you. Good luck out there Theseus, you're going to need it. The new heroes are good."

New heroes? I'll have to talk to Tubbo about that when I get a moment. I started running down the street and leaped, jumping high and using the momentum to send me further like an arch, Landing gently on a building before jumping to the next. Now a little further away I kept running towards 4th.

"New heroes?"

"I didn't even know that."

"Tubbo, this is literally your job."

"Maybe they aren't keeping logs. It's coming up blank in their registry."

"What do you mean? Tubbo we don't have anyone at the institute right now that can help us."

"I mean we have Punz?"

"I'm not visiting Punz just to find out what's going on."

"Another crime happening at Lorient road, Carjacking."

"I can't outrun a car."

"But you can get there close enough to stop it."

Making it just in time as I heard screaming coming very quickly towards me, I jumped one last time, landing in front of the car in question, picking it up off the ground as the guy started driving. I could feel the metal underneath beginning to heat up but it wasn't going anywhere.

After a few minutes, the car was starting to get hot and it was beginning to burn my fingers. I began to heal them as it was happening to counteract the pain I was feeling. It was helping a little but it would start to exhaust me after a while. Luckily though, I heard the car stop running, the wheels weren't turning and after another few seconds. I put the car down, and opened the door, pulling the woman out and putting her to the ground.

"Why steal a car from someone?"

"Fuck off."

"You know you can't do shit right? That's bad, bad stuff isn't good."

"You people have no idea what it's like."

She started screaming but the other lady had already called the police. I wrestled the keys from her grip before tossing them towards the victim. I reached behind me…

"Rope."

As a small thread began to come out of the belt. Being made and tightened inside as it was pushed out when finished. 

"Stop."

In pulling out the finished product, I tied the lady's hands together. Staying for a few moments before I heard sirens as I started running. Getting away yet again.

The night continued like that for a while, cleaning up a few small crimes but not running into anyone else which was a nice surprise. Made me feel like I could spread my wings and not feel like I'm intruding on someone else's turf. It was closer to 2 am before hearing Ranboo's voice come over the comms.

"It's all paper trails."

"What do you mean Fade?"

"The new heroes? There are like 8 of them all very powerful. Some more than others but it's a good combination. There's no reports because they haven't written them into the computer. I don't think they want to after what's happening with Dream team."

"So we won't know anything about these heroes until we meet them. That's a bit scary."

"Yeah, what do you want to do boss man, it's 2 am."

"Call it tonight. I'll head back and see you guys soon."

"Alright."

"Vanish."

After a few seconds the suit vanished, evident by looking down at myself and not seeing a body. After about 20 minutes, I snuck my way back into my apartment, using the invisibility to my advantage, pulling my suit off, hanging it up on the coat hanger while still vanishing so no one could tell something was up. Even though everyone in this house, and anyone who regularly visits, already knows about Theseus. I was feeling tired, and the three of us agreed we would only talk if necessary about what happened. I was already noticing a bunch of bruises on my body from gunshots which hurt but I was fine.

After sleeping for a number of hours, I woke up to my alarm, letting me know I needed to go to work. Getting ready and heading out, forgetting to eat but I told Ranboo I'd grab something when I get there.

"There's a new one now, and I'm worried it's a spy…"

Walking in to hear Nikki and Eret at the front counter freeze as I entered, turning to see me and stopping their conversation.

"Well fuck don't stop talking on my account."

"Hey Tommy, you look a little tired."

"Nightmare if I'm honest."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Is it about what happened here? Tommy, you know you didn't have to come back."

Yes, Eret I know. However I didn't want to tell them both that. I felt like I needed it now. I know I wasn't a big fan at first but sitting around doing nothing was boring. 

"I'm fine, Eret just tired."

"Let me get you a drink and something to eat. Take a few minutes to finish then I'll get you to work."

"Sure sounds good."

Eret made me a light toasted sandwich and grabbed me a glass of juice to try and give me a sugar rush but for now I just felt odd.

"Hey Tommy, since no one is around can I ask you something really quick?"

"Hey Nikki, yeah sure what's on your mind?"

"So, Dream is your brother right?"

"Yeah?"

Turning my head slightly and dragging out my words.

"And, there's a lot of stuff going on at the institute. Some of them haven't been seen in a while. I was wondering if, maybe you knew if they were ok?"

I snapped my attention to her, I think it's the first time in a while I've actually spoken to her that hasn't been work related. Granted I haven't been around in a while but why would she be worried about Dream and his friends? Not only that, I knew Nikki was with Syndicate, which were villains. Was she asking for information?

"Uh, to be completely honest with you Nikki, I haven't spoken to Dream in a little while. And it's been longer since I'd seen his friends after I started working here. Then with everything that happened I uh, have spent more time recovering and moving into a new house with my friends. I really don't mean to sound rude, but I haven't spoken to or interacted with a hero in a while."

"Oh, right sorry I forgot so much has been going on for you. Uh, with your brother being a hero and of course growing up around him…"

Growing up around… oh no one knows about me except Eret. The boys really didn't say anything.

"I was wondering. How do you feel towards Vigilantes?"

That's a loaded question and a half, I had to think about it but I'm glad the way Nikki asked me let me have more time to make it out like I was thinking. As if trying to find words that wouldn't make me hate them because of Dream, not because I'm now one and need to work with more people. If anyone has potential or any supernatural ability, they could very well be one. Since you don't see anyone using their powers. Wilbur taught me that two weeks ago, saying how the institute scares people into using abilities. But now there are new heroes around.

"Well, fuck that's a loaded question. I mean, hearing from Dream what they could and couldn't do. I can see it from both sides right but I think I lean more towards the idea that they aren't really bad people. On the one hand, they cover areas heroes don't, they genuinely care for this city and do what they can to save people and stop crimes that either the police can't get to, or maybe heroes are too slow. But on the other hand, I see it more like, yes they are doing good things but if someone has a magical ability that can be used to officially help the city in more ways than one. It seems a bit redundant to go down the path of willingly putting yourself on the fucking firing range just because you don't want to be a hero."

I was hoping my wording got my message across. It was hard for me to really sit down and give a genuine response when anything could be happening. So I thought, instead of trying to please her with words that I think she wanted to hear, I'd give her a different approach.

"In saying that, this last two months. Wilbur and Techno have come in here a lot, and I feel like I've been quite close with them. They helped me move, they helped my friends feel safe. So I owe it to them to keep my eyes open so they don't get hurt."

I was watching her face intensely, she looked a little confused for a second and I realised that I might have been too subtle this time.

"What would those boys have to do with it?"

"Nikki I've been working day for this last month, the month before it was overnights. Wilbur and Techno came in all the time."

I lowered my voice a little and learnt in further, hushing myself when I finished, looking towards her as she still looked at me a little confused. That was until her eyes went a little wide, her mouth opened up and she let out a long oh.

"Right. I understand what you mean, it would be weird to hate them when you have seen the good they do. And you've seen both sides."

"Yeah, that would be a bit weird."

The day went about as normal as it could. Customers trickled in throughout the day, Nikki and I working like a well oiled machine while Eret would pop over sometimes and either have a chat or help out. 

"Hey, what can I get for you?"

"Can I get a Latte please?"

I was halfway through making a cappuccino before looking up towards the counter, seeing Nikki taking an order from a young looking man with light chestnut hair and thin stature, wearing a brown faux leather jacket over a dark blue faded shirt. Jean's without tears. Something stuck out about him but I don't know what it was.

"Name?"

"Freddie, thank you."

I couldn't keep my eyes off him for some reason, and it showed when I ended up with a small burn from overheating the milk, letting out a little gasp and light sound of pain as I dropped the jug on the counter, boiling milk pouring onto the ground.

"Shit."

"Tommy, you ok?"

"Yeah, I just burned my head, and wasn't paying attention. Off in my head again."

"You ok?"

I looked up to see him standing at the corner watching over towards us. Seeing the spill and for some reason I felt a little embarrassed.

"Yeah just a small burn, everyone fucks up at work sometimes just had a lot on my mind."

"Would you want to talk about it?"

"Uh, thanks mate but I'm a bit busy with work."

"Tommy, don't do that. I'll clean it up in a minute, you go run your hand under the water. I'll call Eret."

It didn't take her long to come over and quickly take the counter while Nikki cleaned up. I ran my hand under the water in the sink we had off to the side, evidently closer to the new guy and his stupid face. Bastard made me nervous, was fucking looking at me weird.

"I'm fine. Just a burn it's all good "

"I have some burn cream in my med kit if you need it?"

"What? You just carry a med kit with you casually? Bit strange new guy."

"I'm training alright. I need to get better. Can I help please?"

I looked at him like he was weird, which he was. Very strange, weird man. A dickhead even. Stud earrings in his ears, and his hair moved to one side. Stupid if you ask me… but I didn't say no, and I mean I know how it felt to be training to be a medic or a doctor and never coming across someone outside of the Institute to heal or practice on. Yeah, that's totally why I slowly moved myself closer to him. He needs practice, I'm such a great fucking person. I'm so good and nice, this is why I get all the women and dickheads like this guy probably can't get one. Asking to help a stranger is weird. 

He pulled his bag off of his shoulder and placed it on the ground, opening up the main part and pulling out his med kit. Unzipping it to slide out a little pouch and a small gauze. He very gently turned over my hand and saw the red tinged skin, looking at it for a moment before he let go. And I won't lie, I didn't like that he let go of my hand. His touch was soft, different to how everyone else manhandled me. He tore off one side of the little satchel of cream and squeezed a little bit out and onto his fingers, holding my hand with his other one, again, noticeably gently as he applied it. Running it slowly over the red skin. I could feel the soothing of it as it acted quickly to take the sting out. Taking a moment to wipe his fingers on his shirt before pulling a small pair of scissors out of his kit. Unrolling a little bit of light bandage and wrapping it carefully. Taking his time… was he enjoying it like I was, maybe he just liked the feeling of getting some practice in. Fuck I'm such a good person this is why everyone loves me cos I'm so good and nice and shit. He should be honored by letting him practice like this.

"Not too long now."

"Oh."

I didn't even mean to let out a sound, I could hear the bustling behind me as the girls worked, the sound of customers coming in and out of the library, the tv playing in the corner. I felt his hands stop for a second as he looked up at me, smiling a little before looking back down. I tried to not act like I wasn't supposed to do that. Not supposed to make that sound. But maybe he heard, I could just say cos the cream felt good on the burn. Yeah that's it, nothing else not at all, I'm so fucking good at this I'm a master. Everyone loves me because I'm so good.

"There, all wrapped up and good. Just let me clip this little tag on so the bandage won't come off."

"Sure."

"Man of few words huh? That's ok, I know a few people like that when they start thinking. It's a good indicator that you're a good person. You only need to speak when you need to. Smart really."

"Yeah, it makes sense."

He smiled at me again and Hm, yep still weird, still odd and strange… I still like it.

“Thank you.”

“It’s ok.”

“Hey Freddie right? Here you go.”

“Thanks.”

Nikki handing him his drink and walking away, leaving the two of us there.

“Hey sorry if…

“Can I ask you…

“Sorry, you go first Mr barista.”

“Uh, can I ask how old you are?”

“Oh, um. Don’t laugh, I'm 16.”

“Same.”

Shit, wasn’t supposed to say that straight away. Why did everything feel so weird? My head was all scattered and shit. He just wanted to help and practice, that’s it. And I’m just so good at helping people I would be an asshole if I said no right? 

“I’m sorry if I overstepped. I got excited.”

“Yeah, it’s fine. It’s all good. Right we all need to practice and work towards our goals and shit right? You needed help so I’m helping, that’s all right.”

“Right.”

A little quick sigh and his smile dropped slightly, why did that make me feel bad.

“Wait no, sorry that’s not what I meant. I mean I’m trying to help you help yourself and learn and stuff. And like… thanks. I think.”

“You think?”

“I don’t know, sorry scattered.”

That stupid smile is back, stupid grin on his stupid face and his stupid eyes looking at me stupid and shit. Bitch. 

“It’s ok. I should head off, I need to go and see my mentor to train.”

“Mentor? Not like a teacher or something?”

“No, I moved here recently with my friends. There’s a big group of us that moved down to L’manburg which, it’s a nice city. But I’m learning a lot already from Barrier. He’s nice, been teaching me a lot.”

And that’s when everything came crashing down, and I hated everything I felt and his stupid face. I closed my eyes and just felt like shit now. I hated everything. When I opened my eyes again I just saw his face fall.

“You one of those who don’t like heroes? Been through shit right?”

“You have no idea how much fucking bullshit I’ve had to deal with when it comes to those bastards. The way they treated my friends, my family, my brother and how they tossed me aside like I was nothing to them. I kept them alive, and they got rid of me with no indication. I hate them all. There is nothing redeemable in that place.”

“That’s… right of course.”

“And you are so cute I hate it.”

Chapter Text

"And then the fucking bastard says he's training with Barrier and I swear I could have punched him then and there."

"No you wouldn't have."

"I would, punch him right in his stupid face."

"No, Tommy, you wouldn't have."

"No, I probably wouldn't."

Laying down in my bed after my shift let me finally divulge everything to Tubbo and Ranboo. I was too busy looking at the roof to look at them. It was stupid, why would such a nice person who I hadn't ever spoken to want to help with a burn. Probably just a genuinely good person, and yet now with him working with Sam I hated it. No one should work for Sam, as soon as he thinks Freddie is useless or not good enough he'll probably get tossed aside like I did. And I'm a fucking healer, I'm literally the best they had that could leave the building.

"Sounds like work is going to be a bit more interesting then."

"It's so dumb. I hate it."

"Well, if it makes you feel better. You can use this to your advantage, at least with your new friend telling us they were training with Barrier, we can use that to find the others. There may not be any evidence online about this new group of people but if we know one I can track them specifically. We can even call Wilbur or someone to look as well."

I kind of didn't want them too though. I'll probably end up seeing them around if they are the new heroes.

"Yeah, I'm going to have a shower and get ready for tonight."

"Want some help?"

"You stay away from me Tubbo, that fucking hurts taking that tape off."

"From what I've heard you will get used to it."

It took an hour to get ready and have something to eat. Ranboo wouldn't let me leave till I did. Once I was suited up, Tubbo let me know that there had been a couple of things happening around District 4. So might be smart to stay there in between the three I was told to stick to. Without having to worry about traffic and obstacles like buildings and shit. Running so fast and jumping so high got me where I needed to be very quickly.

"How you doing Theseus?"

"I'm fine T, just stressed about that guy."

"Technically I suppose you two are enemies, in fact anyone new would be an enemy now. What else are you supposed to do?"

"I mean, he didn't know I'm a vigilante, or living under the roof of the Syndicate."

"You did tell him the Institute fucked you over and tossed you aside, that they screwed your brother… it won't take long for him to realise who you are."

"I don't want to think about it."

"Well you're in luck. Break in at Grinho road."

In stopping that one, and another domestic violence call Tubbo intercepted, I was starting to feel better. In being able to do all this, I felt so accomplished, like I was doing what I was supposed to be doing, what i was born to do. Which was help people. I loved every second I had running around the city and stopping crimes from happening, not just waiting for something big or a villain to show up. I understood more and more over these last two nights what went through peoples minds, why they had more faith in vigilantes, why some people would ignore or turn a blind eye to villains. They were the ones actually doing the right thing. But if someone spoke against the heroes then they were arrested. At least that's what Phil had said but I haven't seen that actually happen.

"Who are you?"

I flinched a little as I sat on the edge of a rooftop looking over the city. Turning around to see a new face standing in front of me. They looked relatively short with long black hair, a red beanie on their head with what looks like a comfortable jumper and tracksuit pants. They were also really short as I stood up in front of them.

"I've not met you before."

"You one of the new heroes I assume?"

"Depends on what your story is."

"I already know you're a hero, and to be honest, I don't care. Rule number one out here, is don't get in the way of people who are actually helping this city. You will learn."

"Is that a threat then villain?"

Watching her put her hand out towards me, my body felt like it was seizing up, feeling my limbs lock into place and my head freeze, I just stayed calm.

"It's funny don't you think."

"I'm taking you in."

"To who? Sam? Your higher ups that no one meets. Tell me is Sandra still at reception or did they fire her too? Cos I know George, Sapnap and Karl left the institute due to the corruption. I know Punz can't leave due to his condition. Oh is Jack still working in I.T?"

"I don't know who you are talking about."

Now that… that made me genuinely stop.

"You don't know who Dream is?"

"Should I?"

"Repose, Flare, Chronos? No one?"

The person stared me down, confirming that they indeed had no idea who I was talking about and I felt another pile of weight hit me. 

"Hey T, is Fade listening in?"

"Fade has already gone to get help from Nemesis."

"Fade? I mean I've heard of that name."

"Oh good you've at least heard of them that's good."

"But that doesn't mean anything."

"Nuero, who is this?"

Nuero… Neurological system that makes sense. Really on the nose but still.

"Caught a vigilante, Need to take them in."

"First night out and you've already…"

I stopped paying attention cos they sounded so familiar.

"Look Aegis if you want to help me just look out behind me to see if anyone shows up. Hes talking to someone."

"Not my fault you don't think before you speak bitch."

"Fuck you villain."

"I'm not even a villain I'm a vigilante. Big difference."

"Not to the Institute."

"Nuero cool it."

"Just walk with me and put a shield behind us or something."

"If I could I would but I cant do two people, can barely do one at the moment."

They must have heard me let out a moan, as they both stopped talking and faced me.

"What."

"Aegis I know you. Well, I know your civilian name anyway."

"I haven't told anyone anything."

"No, I definitely know who you are. And I'll give you some advice. You can't trust anyone in this city unless you are on their side. As a hero, anyone else you meet out here, that isn't also a hero, is essentially your enemy. Sam would have taught you that in training. The reason being that he explains the situation as we are people who turned our backs on the Institute. Though no one ever thinks about whether or not the Institute fucked us over to begin with. How they treated family and friends and tossed some of us aside."

I was hoping the subtlety gave it away. At this stage, with everything going on. I don't care anymore. I may as well run around without a mask.

"Theseus you are an idiot."

"I know I'm an idiot big man."

I watched "Aegis" as intensely as I could. See their face soften after scrunching it up. I could tell when it clicked though.

"Nuero, did you just get a ping about a gunfight with Nightingale in District 2?"

"What? Fuck, Shit… Fuck fine Aegis you take this little shit in."

"Yeah I got it. I won't let this one get away. They know too much if it's true."

Nuero looked at us both before letting go of me, their hold on my system fell as they ran off and jumped. As soon as they left, I let my head drop and fall to the ground. I wasn't hurt or tired, just stiff now. It didn't take long for Freddie to walk over towards me. Fuck, I need to think of something quick. 

"Uh… Tommy?"

Fuck.

"Freddie right?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry."

"No, I should be sorry. I'm not Tommy, I can't tell you my real name."

I looked up to see his face look a bit upset.

"I'll give you some advice yeah. When someone is talking to you, you can't react alright? No matter what, you can't show any weakness or show any fear. You have to be careful. If something happened to you while I was out Tommy would kill me."

"He what?"

"Theseus tell him that Tommy likes him, it's your best chance to get out."

"Uh, don't tell Tommy, but when he got home he called me and wouldn't shut up about this short, brunette haired boy. Took me ages to get a name out of him. I think he likes you but he might be in denial. He's been through a lot so go easy on him."

"Oh, I only helped him with a burn."

"Sometimes the simplest things cause the biggest reactions."

"But he hates heroes, he said it himself."

"He said he's been through a lot of shit because of heroes. Look, mate I have to go. I'm actually stopping crimes, you guys are just sent out to follow us. I know how your system works. Trust me."

Freddie took a light step backwards as I got up and stood tall next to him. Due to the boots and everything i was slightly taller which was funny. But i just felt, gross. Yuck and weird. Not in a bad way, I just felt weird, strange I dont know. I could see his face as he looked down a little as if he was really thinking about something.

"Theseus there's a robbery on Maine street."

"Look Freddie, I need to go. There is a robbery on Maine street i need to sort out."

"What? How do you know that, I don't even know that."

"Like I said, you guys are sent out specifically to hunt us down, while we are out here actually stopping bad things from happening. I don't and never will call you people heroes. You don't do anything to actually help, you are just lap dogs to capture and torture or kill us if we get caught."

At that, I ran, as fast as I physically could. Using the guys confusion to my advantage as i called out Vanish, waiting a second to disappear and then run. I felt bad leaving him there, and I knew he would get in trouble. But he seemed smart, he looked like he could figure something out. I was worried about him.

"Was there actually a robbery?"

"Yeah but not on Maine, I thought he might go after you."

"I don't think he would. I think he's more disappointed or upset."

"Why did you tell him you liked him?"

"I didn't tell him I liked him, I told him Tommy liked him. And besides don't fucking gaslight me, you're the one that told me to say it."

"Theseus you're an idiot. You are Tommy dickhead."

"Don't call me a dickhead, i have way more important things to worry about."

"Like?"

"Like why it seems Sam hasn't told any of them about Dream, Karl, George or Sapnap. Why they only barely know about Fade, and how they have brought in a whole group from another city."

"That's not very Poggers."

"Tubbo I swear to god. Theseus we know two of them by name now. And their powers, I have more information to go off of and can try to find something."

"Be careful Boo, Tommy you and I are just going to keep doing our thing alright?"

"Yeah, Sure."

Ranboo

Donning the oversized cloak and full white mask to get back into character as Fade, something I've been doing for the last few months even with everything going on. Someone needed to be on the inside with them, and what better way than to be the teleporting tall ass bitch who gets shit done.

"Theseus you need to breathe. Boo will be fine."

I took out my ear piece so I couldn't hear a response, finishing off my disguise and then clasping my hands together as the outfit lit up from underneath. Now to everyone on the outside, it should look like a white void hiding my features when really it was just a light projection covering my arms and face. 

"I'm heading in. I'll be careful."

In an instant, I teleported into the Institute, arriving at Punz's office. The man in white looked very interested in what was on his screen.

"You called?"

"Did I? I don't remember calling for you. But I have found something interesting."

"Which is?"

"You truly are a man of few words. Apparently there has been a new vigilante on the scene, probably one of the rarest types of heroes one could ever ask for. Speed, strength, invisibility and vocal manipulation. Rather fascinating for a newly popped up vigilante."

"You've been keeping an eye on them?"

"I would like to. Nuero caught them tonight not long ago, had them and was about to bring them in till Aegis showed up. Something must have happened for Nuero to run off. Seems like Aegis knows them."

"Friends without knowledge?"

"See the thing is, they only popped up a few days ago, and it was only a few weeks before that Sam hired the Misfits crew to protect the city since Dream Team have up and left."

"Any idea where those ones ended up?"

"I have a couple of suspicions but no. No one knows. Sam panicked hard, became pressured from above to either find something or he would be… sent away."

"Killed."

"Yep. So what brings you here, Fade?"

I stayed silent for a little bit, letting Punz talk a little more before he got what I was doing. He walked over towards the light switch in the room, sliding the panel aside and pressing a different button, watching the cameras go down. It was a safety precaution for me after Sam told everyone I was dead. Fade needed help sometimes too, and only Sam and Punz knew my identity. 

"Want me to call Sam?"

"You know what, sure why not."

He sent off a message and we waited ten minutes for Sam to come down. While I hadn't seen him in over two months. The time had not been kind. With a deep purple under his eyes, lids drooping as he walked in, even keeping his head down. He looked like shit… good.

"Fade, Punz, something you want to tell me about why you brought me down here."

"Cameras are down."

"They are… oh, they are."

Sam looked up to the corner and saw the cameras offline. He hadn't changed his demeanor but it did look like he became visibly more sickly.

"Ranboo I fucked up."

"Yeah, you fucked up big. Punz do you genuinely not know where the boys went?"

"Like I said, I have my suspicions but no. I have no idea."

"Good, then that's one thing I have up on you two. I know where they are and how they got there. The Syndicate also know where they are and how they got there. Tommy is still alive, Tubbo is still alive…"

"Schlatt is visiting Watson Tech tomorrow."

"What?"

"Schlatt is alive and visiting Phil Watson tomorrow. And it's not going to be pretty."

"I'll let him know."

"You know him?"

"I know a lot of people, Sam. I teleport and don’t just work for you. I'm here for information. A proposal from the Syndicate. We've already looked through your systems and can't find anything on your new recruits."

"We did that specifically so you couldn't know who they are."

"We already know two of them by their hero name, and one by their civilian name. You can either tell us how many you hired, or you can tell us who they are so they don't end up dead. Not that they would kill any of them anyway seeing your need to hire children."

"Most of them aren't."

"Yes but Freddie is 16, and we are pretty sure Nuero is 16 as well."

I heard a ping in my pocket, pulling out and lifting up my phone to see a text message from Techno with a photo attached, in it clearly was a young man on the ground with a bullet wound through his head.

"Deadlock aimed and killed one of the new heroes already. White bandana similar to Sapnap with a red Japan flag like circle in the middle, shoulder length dark hair and dark aesthetic."

"Do you have a hero with dark hair, white Japan inspired band around their forehead wearing dark clothes?"

"Void, he told us he is 17."

"Interesting, he's dead already. Deadlock fired and got them, the same way you hired him to kill Tommy every time. Only difference is this one isn't coming back."

"Dead already, these people are dangerous."

"Have you ever thought about the other side? Of course not, no thoughts go through that brain of yours. You send kids out to be killed in an attempt to appease the people upstairs right? You know the ones who have nothing to do with actually saving this city and instead collect a paycheck from the government? You can make a choice right now, and decide on whether or not you want to be seen as a true hero or the corrupt villain that you are. One of your new "heroes" is already dead. And unless we can find the information to send to the vigilantes and villains. Most of your team are going to end up dying. Luckily for you we already have the identity of one so they are safe. But the rest aren't."

Sam looked distraught, there wasn't much he could do. Punz was rather exhausted as well, as much as he could be anyway. Sam hadn't reacted the way he should if he was intelligent. He pulled his phone out and dialed a few buttons.

"What do we do?"

What do we… someone was listening in? I quickly tried to remember everything I had just said but I'm pretty sure all I mentioned was the Syndicate had control of both villains and vigilantes. That I worked with them and they knew who I was. I quickly shot off a text saying Sam knew who I was to Damocles, that he won't say anything and someone has been listening in. Schlatt was heading to Phil tomorrow and to be prepared for anything. I then used my power to send my phone to Tubbo's desk. 

"Right. Will do Schlatt."

"What?"

I couldn't see what happened, but I felt my body lock up, jolt and shake before falling to the ground. I tried to teleport out but I couldn't focus or concentrate on anything. Like I was scattered.

"I had a feeling you were the one stealing our files so we stopped uploading them. They would have to send someone eventually. No hard feelings Ranboo but sometimes the villains are right. We are too nice. We don't do enough. So let's start by cleaning up."

Still shaking from the electricity running through my body, all I could see was Sam level the gun to my head.

"You should have stayed dead."

Chapter Text

Tommy

Arriving home at 3 am, I barely wanted to do anything. I was so tired. But it was odd seeing Wilbur and Techno at our dining table with Tubbo.

"You know normally people come over during the day."

"Normally people don't have to inform their friends someone died."

I felt my blood run cold, freezing me in place as I got scared.

"Who? Wait. Start from the start first."

"The start, alright well, a lot happened while you were out."

"Starting at the start, a couple of us ran into some of the newbies. There was no reason to believe they knew where we were but they certainly don't care for the system that's always been in place. You had a run in with Nuero and Aegis, Techno met Void, I met Ponk. We all saw someone different. However while Techno was fighting Void, Deadlock was around, shot and killed him. Techno was furious because we don't kill heroes, absolutely chewed the fuck out of Deadlock, and I am pretty sure he won't be welcome back to the Institute if they find out."

"Purpled is a really good kid, just takes his job really seriously."

"He shot and killed one of their new heroes, and a really powerful one too. So on one hand, we don't need to worry about that. But what we do need to worry about is this."

As Techno reached into his pocket. Pulling something out and placing a phone on the table in front of us. Tubbo and I both looked at each other before Tech pressed a button, the lock screen flashing up with a picture of us two and Ranboo. 

"Why do you have boo's phone?"

"I sent them a message last night, a photo of Void dead. Saying Deadlock got him. Ranboo sent me a text saying someone was listening in to the conversation between them, Punz and Sam. The worst part is that I haven't heard from Boo since. I was hoping, Tubbo, you might be able to do some of your magic shit with their phone."

"What do you mean you haven't heard from them?"

"I got the message from them that someone was listening in, and a couple of other things. I'm hoping Tubbo can figure out what happened."

"I hate my abilities."

"Big man Tubbo I didn't even know you had abilities."

"I prefer to keep it that way."

"Tubbo, I understand not wanting to use your powers. I have to struggle with it all the time. Tech and Tommy are simple, but mine can actively force people to do what I want and it makes me feel like shit unless absolutely necessary. So I understand how you feel."

"You don't know anything about how I feel or what I've been made to do."

Tubbo snatched at the phone and moved to his bedroom, slamming his door shut.

"You have suspicions on what happened don't you?"

"Yeah, I think Ranboo's dead. No cameras were up for a good 20 minutes, Ranboo was there before and then afterwards it's just Punz on his computer working. As if they were never there."

"A worry. But I'd like to think my best friend isn't dead. I've already been through that once, I'm not doing it again."

"If they are. I assure you Phil will destroy that place or force them into submission."

"He better, cos I'm ready to do it now myself."

Heading to my own room and bed, I tried to sleep but my mind wouldn't shut up. I've already had to deal with so much going on, the last thing I needed to worry about was Ranboo not coming home. The next morning after getting barely 3 hours of sleep. I pulled myself out of bed and got myself dressed and organised for work. While I didn't really think it was appropriate to go in when something could have happened, I'd rather not have this on my mind.

"Tommy."

Looking up, I saw Tubbo standing in my doorway. Eyes bloodshot red from crying.

"I think I know what happened, and if I'm right. I want to blow up the building, with everyone inside."

"Wow ok that's a big jump, but let's not try to focus on terrorism."

"I think they're dead. And I think Sam killed him."

"Ok, how sure are you?"

"100%"

He started crying again, moving quickly and wrapping his arms around me. Sobbing into my chest again. I wanted to trust him, I wanted to believe he wouldn't lie about something like this. But I've been through it before, it doesn't have as much of an impact the second time but at the same time, I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

"Tubs, mate, I don't know what it is you do. But I think you should tell the boys what you got or what you did. And make Phil promise to do something about it. Threaten him if you have to.?

"Why aren't you crying?"

"Tubbo I am so upset, and angry, and distraught and I feel sick. But I've gone through this before, I trust you, but I still want to hold out hope. I'm hurting as well, but it's different for me now."

"Right, sorry, I just… I didn't get to cry last time."

"Aww Tubbo."

I held him closer in my arms, pulling him tight to me as he kept crying. We stayed like this for a good 10 minutes before he pulled away.

"Tonight, after work…"

"No patrols, not for now."

"You have to though, we need to keep up appearances, isn't that what they said?"

"Tubbo, if I see a hero I'm going to kill them, I don't care who they are. They have hurt more people than they have saved, they have murdered and tossed aside more people than villains or vigilantes ever have. I don't care anymore."

"Please be careful."

"I will Tubs, I promise."

"Promise promise?"

"I promise promise. You go see Phil and the boys. I'm going to go to work."

I was a little bit late but I know Eret wouldn't mind considering I've been early every other day. I was enjoying the work, shelving books, running the system and then eventually taking over from Nikki at the cafe. Just a regular day until the heroes arrived. Well I could only assume it was more heroes. I looked around and saw Freddie walking with a really short person. They looked female presenting but I'd know better than to assume considering Eret is my boss. I knew I'd be stuck with serving them so I just, kind of hoped that he didn't come to the counter. He's so cute, but that doesn't excuse what I know, and I know too much.

"Hi."

Standing in front of me was another guy about my height, fuller figure with short fluffy hair. He looked like the kind of guy who would give really good hugs… if he wasn't with Freddie I'd probably ask for one.

"Hey, welcome, what can I get for you?"

"Uh a few drinks if that's alright?"

"Literally my job mate, what do you want?"

I wrote all of their orders down, noting it all without an issue as well as name. He gave me Sneeg, maybe some inside joke who the fuck knows but who calls their child that? Its gotta be a nickname or something surely. Going to work making everyone's drinks, I was relieved that there wasn't anyone else on this side. Or if they did come by they grabbed something basic and simple. I methodically worked through their order, looking over at the group and seeing them trying to look normal but I could see those looks. That pain behind the eyes of losing someone close to you in the field or anywhere. It's heart wrenching, and even worse when you know if you were there you could have stopped it.

I hated catching eyes with Freddie, I could see him smile forcefully at me whenever we did, but he didn't last long before turning back to his friends and his smile dropped. I felt like shit, he saved my life not knowing it was me, and now I know who Nuero is from the height alone and they looked so animated and carefree. I hated every second. I lost my focus for a second, dropping the cup of hot coffee onto my hand, letting out a gasp just like last time… and just like last time, he was already there like he'd been waiting for it.

"You ok? I can fix that?"

"It's fine, I'm fine."

"It's red raw, Tommy please I need something."

"I know, I can see that look. I know that look just, go sit down, I'll bring your drink to you in a minute."

“Tommy, I lost a good friend last night, I didn’t realise how real it all was.”

Listening to him talk sent me to a realm of Deja vu. I’ve heard it all before, seen it all even, and yet I’m still stuck here having to be the shoulder he leans on because he just happened to tell me too much. I let out a deep sigh and had to weigh my options. He looked so sad, so broken, and I know how that felt. I slowly moved my hand so that it was closer to him as he took it ever so gently, lightly touching my skin, which caused more than just the burn to flare up and I hated every single second of it. Feeling him work, I couldn’t even bring myself to watch, I just wanted it to be over, I felt so uncomfortable.

“Tommy?”

“Yeah mate?”

“You ok?”

“I uh. I don’t know. I feel like I shouldn’t have come in today.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. I just have a lot going on in my life and I’m starting to worry about whether or not a job is what I am supposed to be doing. I feel like there’s something big coming and I just don’t want to feel like I’m useless because I’m here and not out there.”

“Yeah, I get it. It’s hard when you feel like you can do something but you're stuck? Right?”

“It sucks. I hate it. I feel stupid.”

“You aren’t stupid.”

“You don’t even know me. And I know too much about you. Heroes aren’t treated with respect or loved or cared for. They are a means to an end for the wrong bad guys. They go around thinking they are so good when all they do is lock up the people actually helping. No hero has ever stopped and saved someone who genuinely needed it. People have died during a mugging gone wrong because the hero’s job is to take down the vigilante that showed up instead. It’s pathetic and I hate it.”

“I’m not going to be like that.”

“Yes you are, that’s all you people are good for. Being told what to do and sticking on a leash to hold onto you and not let you do anything. You can’t go anywhere without needing approval, you can’t talk to certain people unless they are a hero or civilian, you lose friends, you lose family, you lose everything you have built for yourself just because you think you’re doing the right thing but you aren’t. There’s nothing you can do but sit down and take all the abuse, and harassment, and shit that gets thrown at you behind your back and you won’t ever know what it’s like till it’s over and I don’t want that anymore. I can’t even pretend to have any sympathy for your friend because I already know they will brush it under the rug and do nothing. They won’t release an announcement no one even knew you people were here. It would be easy for them to make it look like it was nothing, or a civilian casualty from a villain fight is more likely what’s going to happen. I don't want anyone else getting hurt I don’t want you getting hurt that…”

I didn’t even realise how heavily I was crying. Every single memory from the few months I worked at the Institute, being a young hero, I realise now they killed me, over and over again to send me back to the Medbay, and Punz would just keep me going like nothing happened. They all lied to me, treated me like a glorified toy they could throw into impossible situations that they knew I wouldn’t survive if I wasn’t gifted like this. I may not have felt the tears stinging the edges of my eyes, but I could feel the weight on my chest, realizing that Freddie was holding me, and my body felt like it was getting a hug from Dream, or Sapnap, or fuck even Wilbur at this stage. I just wanted someone to tell me I was doing ok now. I just needed something to let me see I was doing the right thing. Lifting my arms up, resting my face on his shoulder, I just cried. I have had a lot to cry over but right now. Talking to him, seeing that light in his eyes die because of him realising the danger he was truly in, it finally hit home exactly how badly I, and everyone at the Institute was treated, losing Ranboo. I wanted to keep hope but I couldn’t. Tubbo wouldn’t lie to me, not over something like this.

“It’s ok Tommy, I’m here for you.”

“That’s the… problem. I don’t want you here for me, I want my brother or my friend, I want my friend alive, I don't want you, I don’t need you but you touch my hand and it feels so hot and I hate it. Your stupid face makes me smile, your brown eyes are always searching for me. I hate what you do to me. But you are a hero, and they kicked me out. They tossed me aside. I know what you are all like and I can’t go through that again. I don’t want to anymore. We are kids, Freddie. Fucking children being treated like soldiers to hunt down villains and vigilante’s who don’t play by the rules you have to follow, that I had to follow. I don’t want you around because I know it’s going to hurt if something happens to you. But I feel like an idiot because I’ve met you once, You helped with a burn I could have just healed myself.”

Still crying my eyes out, I made sure to keep my voice soft and quiet, desperately hoping only he could hear me. I couldn’t even look at him.

“Toms?”

I flinched back from Freddie at the sound of Wilbur running over towards us. If it was a night time shift, he would have vaulted the counter but instead just looked towards me from the other side of the counter.

“Hey, Tommy, focus on me yeah. Eyes on me mate, It’s ok.”

“Wilby I’m scared.”

To hell with rules apparently, Wilbur moved around the counter and put his arms around me, Probably watching Freddie I couldn’t tell. Wilbur was just a little taller than me, but he was at least more mature, knew what to say or what to do. I was stuck in this headspace of trying so hard to be seen as and treated like an adult. But still having the thought process of a kid.

“Eret called me, It’s ok I wasn’t just in the area. She’s going to take over. Kristin is outside, she drove me here. Sorry mate, Eret’s going to close the cafe for today.”

“Oh it’s uh, It’s fine. Are you like his brother?”

“Yeah, Sorry I’m going to take him out to mum.”

“Yeah of course, Sorry. Uh Freddie nice to meet you. Tommy, if you ever need anything or anyone to talk to please message me ok? I don’t care when or how. I want to make sure you are ok.”

I finally lifted my head off Wilbur’s shoulder to look at the boy through hazy eyes. I followed his gaze down to the piece of paper in his hand. I didn’t realise what was happening until Wilbur grabbed it and put it in his pocket. 

“I’ll give it to him later, don't worry. You go back to your friends, Tommy we can go, you ready mate?”

I just nodded in response, slowly and almost fearful of what’s happening. Will led me out from around the counter, waving off to Eret and letting him take me outside. I felt so embarrassed. All I did was burn my hand and now everyone in that place who saw it is probably thinking I’m some weak bastard who can’t even handle a little steam burn. And then seeing me crying into the shoulder of a customer of all people. I hated everything today, this whole day is fucked. True to what Wilbur said, as we stepped outside, I saw Kristin standing next to the car with her phone in her hand. Always working whenever I saw her… But something inside me broke. I could feel more tears breaking, I couldn’t stop myself from running away from Wilbur and crashing into Kristin. Just holding her and letting the tears flow freely. There was just something I couldn’t quite put my finger on but. I needed a mum hug. And Kristin was the closest thing I’d have to getting one.

Chapter Text

Tommy's POV

It took three days for us to get any sort of announcement. Three days before everything really hit home how horrible this place was.

“ It is with a heavy heart that we announce the death of Fade, The beloved hero keeping everyone safe. Murdered by Damocles, the leader of the Syndicate, Fade’s ability to teleport had been absolutely critical in keeping not just the civilians of L’manburg safe, but also keeping safe the lives of our intrepid heroes. Fade’s legacy will be forever remembered here at the Institute, a soul so brave and hard working that we will never forget the work they did for us and for this city. There may be a few less heroes about tonight and tomorrow as we remember and mourn the loss of our colleague and friend. Thank you.”

Watching on the tv screen as Sam took a step down from the little podium that was placed, provided by the current mayor to announce it made me feel sick. After everything, I started to notice the little moments, the symbolism of him standing on a podium looking down at everyone else. Never mentioning gender to make it harder to identify Ranboo as missing. Only using their hero name as the last time Ranboo was “killed” they not only announced it via their Hero name, Ender, but also their full name to be mourned. This time it was like they were just announcing another death to be added to the list.

“Who the fuck does he think he is.”

“Tubbo you know for a fact this wasn’t an announcement to let people know Fade died, no one really knew who Ranboo was. And to add onto that, Civilians didn’t really know who they were either. They were just the one to rescue heroes or Tommy right? So while he may have been genuine about doing so much and keeping heroes safe. Why tell everyone about a death when no one knows who they are. This was a message to us, they knew Ranboo was Fade, and if that text message was anything to go by, they had someone listening in when they killed them. This wasn’t an announcement to the people, this was an announcement to us.”

Listening to Phil talk made me nervous, Tubbo and Techno joined us in Phil’s office to watch it after the fact. None of us caught the live moment due to either being busy today or crying again. It was stressful, but I didn’t really know what else to do. I hadn’t left Eret but I told them I’d take a couple of days off. She was fine with it after Techno spoke to her about what’s going on. I want to go back and do something. It keeps my mind off everything going on but I really don’t want to see Freddie again either. That guy just makes me feel like shit, but like not in a bad way.

“I hate this.”

“Hate what Toms?”

“Everything, In the span of 4 months, so much shit has gone down and I’ve had no real impact on anything. If they had never kicked me out, could I have been the one to be killed? Would you guys have found me and done something to me? I would have never met Eret, or you guys as villains and all of this shit could have been somewhat avoided right?”

“Tommy, I know you are dealing with a lot of grief right now, but remember sweetheart this isn’t and hasn’t ever really been about you. Ranboo would have still been working with us, they still would have needed to spy on them. As heartless as it is to say, they knew the risk playing both sides. It wasn’t an inevitability something would happen, But it was a high chance and they knew it. After they were left for dead they made it their mission to steal as much information about the Institute as they could to help us bring them down. It likely would have been Syndicate would have tried to recruit you instead of all the bullshit at the Library.”

Kristin had become like a mother to me, probably to everyone now, but even though I knew she was right, she could have worded it differently. She had even been the one coming over to the apartment everyday to make sure we had eaten and had a drink, making sure we were showering or that Tubbo had even left his room.

“You didn’t have to be so mean about it.”

“If I was vague, Toms, you would have rejected anything I’d say.”

“Still.”

“Phil, what do you want to do?”

Wilbur speaking up took my attention, glancing towards the two seeing Will and Tech eyeing their father intensely. He hadn’t been quiet which was nice, a word of reason above all the shit. But still, he’s a businessman first.

“I think it’s time I speed up a few processes in acquiring the building. Even if it means tearing it down from the inside out. I can make the safe assumption that Dream and his friends don’t know anything about Ranboo but if they’ve seen the announcement then it’s a matter of time before someone comes back surely. But right now it’s just us and the friends we have around the city. I’m starting to think it might be a good idea to send you two over to Dream.”

“What why? You need us here, if not for the fact that I still have a job, and running around at night. Clearly you guys know about Tubbo’s powers and won’t tell me, And besides what else are we supposed to do?”

“Look, Tommy, I have a meeting with the head honchos of the Institute tomorrow at 10, I can’t afford to mess this up if it’s something I am going to acquire. Not only that, but I can’t have you around or come with me due to the fact you would never be allowed in. We don’t have any other real way to get in or out, we can only see things from the cameras when Tubbo is here. And I don’t want to use him anymore than we already have been. It’s not fair on you so don’t argue.”

“I’m not arguing, I don’t want to keep doing it. Tomorrow is the last thing I’m doing.”

“Very well, I’ll make sure you are looked after for a long time.”

“Don’t need to, I’ll be fine.”

“Tubs I really don’t like the idea of you just stealing money from people.”

“Wilbur they would never even know it was me. It’s not the first time I’ve stolen from people.”

I looked between everyone and saw Techno’s face scrunch up before walking towards Tubbo and lightly smacking him across the back of the head.

“What was that for?”

“You know well what that was for you little shit. Kid stole four thousand dollars from my account the other week. What did you even spend it on?”

“Got a new computer and a few monitors. My last one was good but it could be better.”

“You could have literally just made it out to Watson as a business expense, you know that right?”

“I do now.”

“Boys, I need to concentrate and get ready for tomorrow. You guys all figure out what you want to do, I don’t want any interruptions until after tomorrow. Tubbo I will expect you to be listening in, not sure what the cameras are like but hopefully there will be something.”

“I’ll be there.”

“And the rest of us?”

“I literally don’t care Will, find something to do. Actually there is something you can do. Find out more about Tommy's new friend.”

“You mean his boy…”

I didn’t let Wilbur finish his sentence before punching him in the face, the older boy letting out a cry as he fell off his chair.

“You deserved that.”

“Fucking right he did.”

“I have been nothing but nice to you Toms.”

“I’ll hit you again.”

“You would have to heal me.”

“I wouldn’t do shit, I’d let you suffer because I know you don’t have one of your own.”

"He's got you there Wilbur."

With nothing else to do, I decided to just go home. It would still be a few hours before I was going to go out again tonight. Hopefully I don't run into anyone. Just a clean, simple night where I don't have to run into any heroes and just do some good.

Of course the world had other plans.

"So you want to tell me what you're doing harassing this poor woman?"

"Excuse you, he saved me."

"According to heroes, anyone caught helping people in the night that aren't registered heroes are seen as traitors or kicked out and assigned as dangerous. Villains or vigilantes who run around causing chaos."

"So I'll ask you again, what were you doing with your hands on this lady?"

Looking towards the gentlemen, his outfit was a bit more fitting than some of the others though that may just be because he looks like a bigger guy. The mask covering his face was a light green with a red inlay, and that pissed me off to no end because they knew exactly what they were doing.

"Better question Mr hero, Why the fuck does some random vigilante have to do your job? Huh? Are you people so incompetent, even with all your bullshit powers, to stop me getting harassed. How did someone who doesn't have your resources manage to beat you here, save me and still ask if I'm ok. All you have done is stand there and accuse him of doing something to hurt me. You weren't here, you didn't see him take that guy down. Who the fuck do you think you are?"

I'm not going to lie, it was pretty fucking validating to hear this woman defending me from this guy. It made me feel good, though I was just standing there awkwardly as the guy gets chewed out by this woman.

"I don't even know your name, how am I supposed to believe you're a hero when no one knows who you are? You could be anyone, you could be a new villain trying to hurt me even more by leaving me alone with you… Theseus I don't feel comfortable with this predator. Can you walk me home?"

"Oh, of course ma'am."

That was a surprise to both of us. 

"The name is Sneeg."

"Who the fuck calls themselves Sneeg?"

"Right? That's what I thought."

"Fuck it, I'm taking you back to the Institute."

As Sneeg went to grab me, the woman screamed, and I mean fucking hell it was loud. Neither of us were expecting it as I put my hands to my ears, covering them while Sneeg simply winced. She didn't stop screaming until she came towards me and threw her arms around me. It took only a few seconds before another pair of feet landed on the ground behind Sneeg. The three of us looked up to see Nightingale in all his glory. Honestly I'd almost forgotten how Wilbur looked in his Villain outfit but right now, I couldn't focus very hard as she screamed a little louder if that was even possible.

"Get behind me, I'll keep you safe."

The lady got behind me quickly, she stopped making sounds as she whimpered a little. I think she said something about not wanting to die but I have faith.

"Two for one, let's go."

"You don't get to talk or move."

Within a second, Sneeg was completely frozen, even his eyes weren't moving.

"He can still hear everything, Theseus what happened?"

I recounted the event, stopping the man from hurting her, asking if she was ok, and then when Sneeg arrived. Nightingale looked towards Sneeg with a raised eyebrow.

"A hero is someone who's whole purpose is to abandon the civilians in order to catch the vigilante right? Or the villain if you pick your poison. You can run back to the Institute and forget what happened here, all you remember is Nightingale leaving a message, saying if we catch any heroes before they are announced, we will either kill them or recruit them and you won't have a choice in the matter."

With his new command stated, Sneegs body began to move again as if he was just stopped in time. His legs moving on his own as he heads back towards the institute.

"Theseus help me."

"It's ok I have you ma'am. Nightingale that was uncalled for and unnecessary. Just because you are a villain does not mean you get to threaten people."

"Oh please you know what the heroes are like. They won't stop until we are dead or locked up. Yet they have no idea how to actually stop the crime in this city."

"That's no excuse, you leave me and everyone else alone, I want no part in whatever game you're playing. If you ask me… I couldn't care less what the Syndicate thinks, especially Nemesis."

A little code Wilbur came up with if we ever needed to talk privately at night.

"Fine, I'll stop following you around."

As he left, using a grapple to reach the nearest rooftop before jumping off. I turned to the lady behind me and calmed her down, reassuring her that they were gone.

"I think it's time we get you home yeah?"

"Mhm."

As she cried a little, I walked her home the last couple of blocks as she went into her apartment building. I took a quick look around after waiting a few moments to make sure she was inside and safe, before jumping up onto the roof of the opposite building.

"How are you doing Tommy?"

"Had the weirdest encounter with the new hero Sneeg. Lady defended me and was about to square up and punch him if Nightingale didn't show up."

"Sounds like you were lucky."

"Yeah, I'm going to go see him now."

"Want me to keep a lookout for anything happening? Or anyone?"

"Tubs I really don't want to have to deal with it from you as well."

"I'm not saying anything Tommy, I just know you like someone and are going through a lot of emotions trying to figure out what to do and how to handle it. I trust you, I need you to trust me. We are young, you are gonna feel things for people."

"I am not having a talk about puberty with you right now."

"We all go through it."

"Shut up and leave me alone tonight. I have more important shit to worry about."

"About Phil tomorrow and Dream. I found where they are by the way. The four of them escaped to Kinoko."

"The city over the bridge?"

"Yeah, Sapnap and George have been there for a little while, Karl met up with them and Dream followed… Apparently it was not a pleasant meeting. I'll tell you more tomorrow after Phil's meeting. I think everyone should be there."

"How do you know?"

"I've been talking to George. He's not exactly doing ok right now."

"Fine, I'm going to see Nightingale."

Running across the rooftops was always exhilarating, something I wish I could do during the day but I'd probably get shot. Heading towards the Watson tech building, I used the neighbouring Complex to leap up and onto the roof of the factory, sliding down the triangular roof before leaping further and onto the main building.

"Took your time."

"I had to lead that lady home and then get over here. You don't get to talk."

"Sorry, I was worried about you when I heard screaming, I wasn't even following you. I just took dad's advice and went out tonight."

"We all need a distraction."

"So what do you need to talk about?"

"I know what Sneeg looks like, and considering he was with Freddie a couple days ago at the cafe, I think I know their friends. And only two of them are over 18."

"Are you serious?"

"He put Sneeg on his order for him and his friends, he said his name was Sneeg in his hero get up. Can't deny the coincidence."

"True. If that's the case then I need to tell Phil."

"Who's Phil?"

The two of us flinched and turned around, seeing a young man I knew all too well.

"Aegis you shouldn't be here."

"A vigilante and a villain together is hard not too pass up if I wasn't told you two would be here… are you ok Theseus?"

I let the groan escape my lips, Wilbur was conveniently quiet right now which I hated.

"You in on this you slenderman looking fuck?"

"I have no idea about anything you know that."

"Freddie, why are you really here?"

"Some guy intercepted my comms, told me I needed to be here."

"I'm going to kill him."

"I hope not, he sounded nice."

"Yeah Theseus you better not kill me."

"I'm not going to do it, I just. Freddie, do you know why he told you to come here?"

"He said it was for safety. I needed to tell you guys about my friends. Are you going to kill them too?"

He looked nervous before, but now he was scared. You could tell in his voice.

"Look…"

"Actually I'll take over from here. Aegis right? Though I might as well just call you Freddie since I now know your name. Void wasn't killed by Syndicate members. He was killed by Deadshot after he threatened to kill Damocles. We can send you the voice files for verification. It seems the new heroes aren't being told to apprehend anymore but instead just straight murder. Correct?"

"Kill villains on sight. Apprehend vigilantes, they tell us they can rehabilitate them to work with us not against us but…"

Looking at me, his mask was tight around his face but I could see something weird was going on. If he liked Theseus while I liked Freddie this is about to be a really awkward moment at least I knew who he was so it made it easier I suppose in the long run.

"But you like Theseus and don't know if you could take him in after seeing what he does."

"Sneeg arrived back at the institute not long ago with a message from you saying you would kill us all… was that true"

"I wouldn't let Wilbur hurt you."

I really need to think before I speak. Will looked at me and I could tell he was smiling.

"I like someone else sorry."

"You are not that smart are you Freddie?"

"Wilbur leave him alone."

"I'm just saying it's Miraculous that he doesn't know but you do."

"The safer I can keep him the better. I'm a kid, I don't know what I'm feeling or what's going on. It’s stupid and I hate it because I have to stop every now and again and wonder if you’re doing alright and it’s one of the worst feelings, especially when I’m in the middle of something big, or I’m trying to save someone else. I get this flash in my head of what if it were you in trouble, what if you were the one getting hurt. And then I realise how stupid it sounds, you are a hero. We don’t know what’s going on around us, we are always being followed and always being hurt. I know how it feels to be constantly scrutinised, I mean, T has probably disabled your tracker and your audio comms so you can’t be followed here, he used to do it for me all the time when I was really badly injured and had to heal myself. Because if I ever did and they found out I’d get crucified and berated for hours and then banned for a few days to go out and do anything, even though they knew people were getting hurt and I was needed. They don’t care about you, they never will and the hardest part is I know what they are like, and I’m stuck wondering if you are ok, if you are getting hurt, are you alright when I met you fucking once and you helped me. To hell with this disguise bullshit, you begged to help the burn on my hand, and I started feeling weird shit because of you, so either you need to leave me alone, or you need to let me know if you're ok. You are driving me nuts Freddie and I have shit to do.”

I think even Wilbur was holding his breath after my outburst, which is probably a good idea right now. I didn’t really want to look at either of them but this kid had been doing my head in for days almost a week. A fucking week and this shit hits harder than any superhero ever could. 

“I mean, I know when I was your age and I met a girl I liked for the first time my emotions were completely out of whack and I had no idea what was going on. But I also wasn’t a villain at the time so I suppose I can’t really offer any kind words or helpful anecdotes but you guys need to really just sit down and talk. You both will probably find that it’s just a physical attraction that will likely go away when you figure out what’s going on. Tommy you aren’t even sure who you are yet, and Freddie you are kind of walking a dangerous line because you wouldn’t have come unless you had a suspicion. So right now I think Freddie, you should go back to the Institute, I’ll give you a command so they believe the reason you went off is because you were found by me, not because of this, and Theseus… Go home.”

“What? No, I want to make sure you don’t hurt him.”

“Tommy… “go home.””

My eyes went wide as I looked at him, I don’t even think it’s the fact that it’s Wilbur that hurt, but he used his powers on me. It’s harmless, sure but you would think he wouldn’t ever do that.

Wilbur

Watching Tommy turn around and jump off the building, I felt so much hatred in myself for making him do it. He'll probably get home and then absolutely berate the shit out of me, the little gremlin child but I deserve it.

“You used your powers on him. I should punch you just for that.”

“Then do it, if you can hit me hard enough to break skin on your knuckles I’ll make the command even more believable. You use shields right? Can you create your own?”

“Uh, I can only create one but it’s indestructible which is nice.”

“That is very helpful. Look Freddie, I need to talk to you about a few things and I need you to be ok with a lot very quickly ok?”

“Does it involve Tommy?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I’m all ears.”

“You really like him don’t you?”

“It’s, as you said probably. Not felt like this for anyone and It will probably go away which would be for the best. But until then I don’t want to just let him get hurt.”

“Right, I’m going to give you his number, because I know he’s too stubborn to do it himself. You two need to sit down and talk, because he has a lot of resentment for what the Institute did to him and how he ended up playing on our side. And it has not and will not be pretty. You lost a friend the other night through no one's fault but Deadshot, Tommy lost a brother a few days later when Ranboo was killed. Fade was helping us as well, they killed him by orders of someone else and it’s rough. But the heroes aren’t all good. There is no such thing as good or evil in this world. I mean it’s the villains and the vigilantes that run this city from the shadows, and all the heroes do is try to apprehend us because they know they are losing the respect of the people. I’m not expecting you to remember all this, but I’m trying to help you Freddie. The Institute is not the right place for someone like you, or any of your friends under the age of fucking 18 years old. You should be in school, learning about love and sex and shit.”

Freddie went a little red before making a comment.

“I’m not fucking stupid mate do you know how young people are now a days learning about this stuff it’s fucking predatory of teachers to give sex education at that age but your kids. Kids are dicks and learn they have one it’s fucking gross but no one can stop it. Look, I’m offering you an out if you ever need it alright? If you ever feel like you are in danger, if you ever feel like you need help or even if you just want to see Tommy. Go to Watson Tech and ask for Wilbur. He can help you out, he helped me.”

“You’re going to command me so I never tell that part to anyone aren’t you?”

“Yeah, If I can keep my contacts safe then I will do it. You aren’t going to tell anyone about what I’ve told you tonight, everything is to be kept a secret and between only you and me. No one else. But if you ever feel threatened or in danger or trouble. You will immediately go to Watson and ask for Wilbur, tell them it’s about the holy shield.”

I could see his eyes glaze over ever so slightly before they went back to normal. The kid shuddered a little.

“I hate that feeling.”

“It’s horrible and I’m sorry.”

“It’s necessary. Well, If I’m ever in danger or anything I suppose I’ll go see Wilbur.”

“Before I go, give me your phone.”

“What? No.”

“I’m giving you Tommy’s phone number you idiot.”

“I don’t trust you, you just gave me a command I know you can’t give me another one.”

“Actually I can give as many as I want to someone so long as they don’t clash with each other. For example, "Give me your phone.”

Freddie walked over, pulled his phone out and gave it to me. I put in Tommy’s number, memorised by heart and then gave it back.

“I really hate that.”

“I know, Tommy’s going to kick my ass later. Just promise me that you will follow your instincts when that kicks in. If something happens to you, I swear to god I will never hear the end of it from that kid, and he’s fucking terrifying. I don’t care if you two never talk or if something happens between you. But you are both young and going through puberty. Just take it easy with each other, ok?”

Chapter Text

Tommy's POV

“He did what?”

Looking at Techno, I swear he could have murdered Wilbur right then and there but alas he wasn’t home yet. I know he sent him a text message but aside from that, all I got to do was tell him what happened.

“Don’t get me wrong Tommy, I’m upset you and Wilbur haven’t just kidnapped this guy yet but he didn’t have to do that unless he talked to him.”

“I don’t exactly trust him yet, I mean yeah the bitch has done a lot for me but there’s a lot I need to unlearn about when I was a hero or you know, my life.”

“Do you want to talk about that?”

“Fuck no, long story short. Parents learnt I could heal but were drug addicts, they died at some point after I was sent to live with a family friend Kristin who I think was my aunty but I never really got confirmation on that. That was normal then she abandoned me at 15, moved in with Dream and started working as a hero a couple months after.”

Tech stiffened and froze, his face was hard to read as he always kept his emotions in check and barely showed anything. But I could see it clear as day that he was not fucking happy.

“Please Tommy, tell me you weren’t working as a hero at 15 years old?”

“Uh, I might have been running around with people healing them.”

Techno let out a rather gruff cry of anger, getting up and marching over to the front door and leaving quickly. Footsteps were heard running down the hallway but stopping as Tubbo reached the Kitchen.

“What happened?”

“Told Tech I’d been a hero at 15 years old.”

“Oh is that all? Ok cool I’m going back to bed that scared the shit out of me.”

“Hey Tubs, before you go.”

He looked up towards me and I couldn’t help but walk to him and wrap my arms around the shorter man. Bowing my head on top of his as it took him a second before doing the same to me.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“Not believing you, not wanting to believe you I think.”

“I mean I can understand why you didn’t want to. It’s a scary thing to think about your best friend dying, again.”

“I just hoped that they would come home or just appear and be like surprise I’m not actually dead. I just didn’t want to believe it again.”

“Phil is talking to the head honchos of the Institute today right? Maybe you should just try and get some sleep and then we can talk to everyone later.”

“Yeah you’re right. I’m tired. I feel like shit.”

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, and that was nerve wracking. Pulling it out and opening to see a text from an unknown number but saying it’s Freddie. Anxiety still peaked but that just meant Will must have given him my number. Just another thing for me to punch the prick for later.

“I feel sorry for Wilbur, he’s going to get his ass handed to him today.”

“You reckon Tommy?”

“Yeah, Techno is probably going to kick his ass for compelling me to come home, and then beat himself up for hunting me down at 15. He wouldn’t have ever known about it all but still.”

“Surely he would have known from Ranboo right?”

“You would think but he seemed pretty distraught. Maybe they actually upped my age more than I thought?”

“Who knows, go get some sleep Toms, today is going to be a fucking big day.”

Waking up the next day, at some point after 8 which is incredible on its own. But feeling refreshed, awake and ready for a day of nothing but disappointment was probably going to make me feel like shit. I grabbed my phone and looked at it, checking to see a few messages having banked up, but one stood out. I must have forgotten to swipe it off my screen last night, but the one from Freddie was glaring at me. As if mocking me with its existence. I hated it, but all it did was remind me of last night. I rolled out of my bed and started calling Wilbur, the man picking up quickly.

"You called?"

"Yes Wilbur you fuck, Why? You said back when I was working the nights at the café that you would never use your compulsion on kids. And you did it a few times in quick succession on Freddie, and you compelled me to go home. You’re a hypocrite and I hate you."

I hung up straight away without giving him the chance to say anything, letting out a sigh as I scrolled through my messages again.

Big T: You know you could have messaged me at any time to let me know you left.

Big D: I know, it was kind of a snap decision.

Big T: I get it Dream, you're impulsive. But you still should have let me know. And you haven't messaged me this whole time. What's going on?

Dream

Looking down at Tommy's message, thinking about how to answer without giving too much away. George resting his head on my shoulder while Karl and Sapnap argued again since we got here earlier today.

Dream: Look I can't tell you everything. But Karl hasn't got his powers anymore, like he can't go back and forth in time so he ran off to Kinoko  chasing after Sapnap and George who left, I think the day after or the night of you dying. A lot has happened and to be honest, I don't know a lot of what's going on. I kind of ran because I was worried but also because Sapnap scared George.

Tommy: I see, so you left cos your best friend scared your boyfriend and now you're stuck third wheeling literally everyone. Sounds like you need some lessons on women instead, much easier than men and they throw themselves at me, all of them. I could teach you.

Dream: So how's Freddie?

Tommy: IHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOUIHATEYOU

Sure Tom's, totally believe you. With the boys arguing still, I couldn't help but keep George close to me. I've been here for a couple of days now. And I'm pretty sure we were effectively joining Tommy in the outcasted heroes squad. Phil had been keeping me updated so long as I told him what's been happening with Karl.

"You don't get to decide that for us Karl. You have to be safe, I am not losing you permanently this time. You think you're still some powerful hero but you're not. You are powerless now and I am trying to figure this shit out. Do you know how fucking hard it is for me, to now have to worry about you as well? You should have just quit, told Sam you didn't have your powers anymore or just ran somewhere else. Why the fuck, did you ever believe that coming here would be a good idea?"

"I can't tell you Sap that's the thing. Why can't you trust me?"

"YOU DON'T HAVE POWERS! You've spent years in the Hero system as a fucking Time traveler. You have next to no martial abilities, you are hopeless with weapons. You are a liability now. People aren't going to stop trying to kill you if they find out you have no powers anymore. That's just stupid and naïve to think that. They would hunt you down just for the fact you have knowledge and information. It also doesn't help you fucking threatened Damocles so the Syndicate is probably after you in some way."

"Why can't you just honestly trust me?"

"You haven't told me anything, you haven't given me any fucking information about what your even doing here. I know you didn't come here after us. I've been here for over a week. You got here earlier today and you have given me nothing. The only thing you have told me is you didn't come after me and you have no powers anymore. Do you know or even remotely realise how fucking dangerous it is for you now? You want to talk about trust and you want to talk about how you know what you're doing, but all you've done is tell us absolutely nothing and ask for trust. I do trust you Karl, but when you tell me your only real defence mechanism is gone and no one knows you left, does Dream even fucking know why he chased after you? Does anyone aside from Phil even know you're here?"

"I don't know."

"Listen to yourself. You can't just ask for trust when you're telling me how vulnerable a position you are in. People hunt us down daily, villains try to kill us, daily, and you're telling me to trust you will be ok now that you have nothing. I trust my husband to make the right decisions, I don't trust my husband when he's in the worst state he can be in and he won't tell me what's happening or let me help. That is not how this works."

Sapnap had been getting more and more upset as the argument got more and more heated. I hated it because these guys are my best friends and I love them. But Karl hadn't said anything genuinely. So I kind of get why Sap is so scared for him. It's weird. I feel like I sympathize with both sides. As I was thinking, I heard the front door open as a cloaked figure with red, lit up lining along a dark robe, his face completely covered like what Ranboo's was.

"Oh cute we have more friends. Hello, how are you Dream my name is Bad. Or at least that's the name I was given when created. Oh George is asleep, adorable. Are the boys still fighting?"

"Hello Bad, nice to meet you, and yes they are. Sapnaps probably going to explode soon."

"Oh, well we can't have that one second."

I watched him walk over to the wall and press a button. Giving it a second before Karl and Sapnap both let out a totally manly scream before opening the door to their room. Sap stomping out first absolutely drenched.

"What the fuck Bad?"

"Watch your language. And I could hear you before I walked in. Whatever you have going on needs to be talked about calmly. For now, Karl dry your hair and come down to meet me in the lobby. We have some people to talk to. The rest of you can go about your regular business."

As quickly as he arrived, he left again. Karl walked into the hotel bathroom and grabbed a towel to dry his hair before leaving quickly, throwing the towel at his husband. Sapnap didn't need it this time, just the short interaction with bad meant his body had already dried itself and his clothes. Sap sat on the bed while George opened his eyes.

"And then there were three."

"Yeah. Then there were three."

George put his arms around me and cuddled into me further. Sapnap just watched him and then looked down.

"I'm sorry I dragged you along George. I was just not thinking clearly."

"I'm here now. Can't do much about it."

"You could still go back, you know?"

"And do what? I go back, Sam is going to ask a million and one questions. And if what Dream told me is true. He's already replaced us."

"Makes you wonder doesn't it?"

"About?"

"Whether we were even needed in the first place if after only a few days they could replace us just like that. And with people that aren't even from L'manburg. How easy is it for Sam and whoever the fuck are in charge to replace us all like that."

"I mean you did kind of run and take George with you. Bloom thought you two had a secret thing going all along."

"Ah right, the other heroes. I wonder how they all are. Punz, Jack, Hannah?"

"I worry about them too, Sap. Did anyone ask you anything? Before you left?"

"I didn't really see anyone before I left. Honestly I haven't heard from Hannah and Jack in a month. Punz I spoke to before I left to get some help for Tommy. Aside from that, I don't know."

"Stressful. I don't know if I even want to go home."

"We have to go home eventually. I have to. I need to get Tommy and the boys out of the city. That's my end goal."

"And if you can't?"

"Then I go down trying. Tommy, Tubbo and Ranboo are my absolute priority right now. Even if it's just Tommy, I need to help him and his friends or he would never forgive me."

"So what do we do?"

"Right now? I don't know. I don't even know why you're here, why George came with you or what Karl is doing. Phil told me he needed to come here for whatever reason but I just came to look out for my friends."

"And your boyfriend."

Feeling George squirm a little before pushing me away and sitting up right. We had gotten that a fair bit, I think even Tommy made jokes about it. But honestly, George just wanted someone to be close to. Apparently he went through hell with his last relationship. 

"Not my boyfriend, though I wouldn't say no. You know what George went through with Quackity. In fact you know all about that. Why did you think taking him with you was smart?"

"Guys please can we not talk about my past right now. Dream, I want to go home."

"You don't want to stay or learn anything here?"

"I just want to go home. Please."

I looked over towards Sapnap and saw the way he seemed so tired.

"The fact you followed Karl, knowing how it would look to the institute and everyone around you. I love you as my best friend Dream. But you don't need to be here."

"Can you at the very least, tell me what I need to tell Phil when I get home?"

"Just… I hated L'manburg. It's so corrupt, and powerless people are pushed and hurt and abused beyond belief. The vigilantes and the villains are running around doing all the work we should have been doing. If I go back, I'm going to kill Sam and burn the place down."

"Which would leave the city with only one known healer. How do you think that would look?"

"At this stage. I don't care. If I come back, I'm not coming back as Flare."

"So you would come back as a villain?"

"Dream we both know there is no such thing as Heroes and Villains anymore. We've known that for years. We are dogs, sent out to stop people the Institute thought were dangerous when in reality they just didn't want to be taken in. They were the smart ones."

"I sometimes agree with you. George, when do you want to go home?"

"Now, Preferably."

"Sap?"

He looked so distraught. Tired, angry and upset. There was something in his eyes that just screamed pain. 

"I originally came here, because I wanted out of the city. I needed something, I wanted to do more instead of just being crisis control. I hate the way people look at me like I'm dangerous, how people looked at Eryn for having similar albeit weaker fire powers. It hurts a lot. And now I hear Karl doesn't have any powers and he still insists on going out there and fighting, doing what he can with no defenses anymore. It hurts, that he doesn't understand how much danger he's in. I love that man so much, but it's terrifying to me right now. He shouldn't have come here."

"What would you have done?"

"Stayed with Phil and all the boys. If what he said was right about them all being Syndicate, then it's no wonder we never caught them. He should have stayed with him. Been safe. I worry enough as it is now about Tommy being a vigilante as you were telling us when you gave the rundown. He would be the safest person to be with. And who would have thought that would ever happen. The safest man to be with, is the most dangerous."

"Friends close and enemies closer?"

"Not quite George, but Sap is right."

Hearing another knock on the door, the three of us exchanged a glance before George got up and opened it, letting out a little gasp as a rather pretty lady walked in, white curled hair and slits in her eyes, a woolen coat with a dark ombre coloured top. Her pants are a nice black stopping just short of two hooves for feet. Free from any material or shoes.

"Where's Karl?"

"Gone with Bad. How are you, Puffy?"

"Terrified, the future has already been changed. Karl has already done something, and the Seer is terrified. She tried to… uh, do horrible things."

"What do you mean he changed the future already?"

"He hasn't told you anything?"

"What, the fuck had my husband done?"

The lady took a light step back as Sapnap yelled. If George and I were not used to it we would have too. I knew that Sapnap could get heated, though he had spent so much time getting himself under control for years and we were so proud of him. But right now it was like all those years of work were undone. 

"He was supposed to tell you. That's what the Seeress said. That he needed help from powerful people."

"And he went to the Syndicate. Was he supposed to come to us?"

"Sap, no, don't do that to yourself. This isn't something we would have known otherwise. We can't hold him accountable for that."

The man let out a sigh, looking at the ring on his hand.

"Boys, if you would like to come with me, I can take you to the Seeress and you can talk to her?"

"I want to go home."

"Alright George, I'll take you home."

"Dream right? I shall arrange transport for you and your friend to go home. It won't take long to organise. Give me an hour and I'll have a flight ready… I would suggest you have a cover story ready for your institute. The only direct transport we have with L'manburg is the helicopter pad on the roof of the Heroes building. Barrier will likely want to talk to you."

Thanking her as she walked out, Sap hadn't moved from where he stood. An hour later when she arrived back to pick us up, I watched as George and Sapnap left first. I went to the toilet really quickly, coming back out to join the three waiting just outside. Noticing something as I left. I looked over at the three and we walked to the elevators of the tall residential building. I held George close to me as Sapnap looked like he was crying. Hard too, I pulled him into the other side of me and held both of my boys hands. Saps tears wetting my shoulder as he cried onto me, George looked like equal shit. But what made me feel upset the most, was noticing the emptiness on Sapnaps finger… and hoping that leaving behind his ring was the right choice.

Chapter Text

Phil

“For the last time Tommy, I’m not taking you with me to the Institute. You and I both know you would be better off either here or going to work. But you aren’t going to be doing that are you?”

We all knew about his breakdown yesterday, Eret has already messaged Tech asking if Tommy was doing ok. Maybe this was something he needed. I can’t count the amount of times I’ve been saved from emotional distress at the expense of a single person by just going in and looking at spreadsheets and PowerPoints for a few hours. It’s mind-numbingly boring, but fuck if it’s not therapeutic under the right circumstances.

“But Phil, I want to do horrible things to those people for killing Ranboo… Twice.”

“And that’s exactly why I’m not taking you. Tommy this is an extremely important meeting and I need you to breathe and calm down. Tubbo will be watching and I’ll have some of our own planted in there as well. I’m as safe as I can be, and to add onto that, what would they be able to do? Tubbo has been working all night to remotely access the camera's complete functionality. They can still see, but they can’t turn it off. Tubbo can also begin recording when I ask him too. You need to relax and go to work if you need to.”

“I don’t want to go to work right now.”

“Tommy this is the one rule I had for you, that you had to work, yesterday was understandable. Use it as a distraction, don’t pay attention to anyone who walks in. Or even ask Eret if she can stay with you. I need to go now.”

“Fine, but only because you're Philza and we love you.”

“Philza?”

“Go on Philza you can go now. Leave, I don't want you in my home anymore.”

A strange thing to say to someone who paid for it all but I’ll let you have your fun Tommy. Taking a few steps out of their home, making sure I had everything on my laptop and the paperwork in my bag, I walked with Tech down to the ground floor and hopped into the car waiting for us.

“Where too sir?”

“Institute. I have a meeting to attend.”

“Of course sir.”

“So Phil, what are you thinking about?”

“Mainly what Karl said about everything going on. If what he’s told us is all true, then I need to fast track a few… issues with the building and hope I can get everything sorted quicker than I’d like. Tubs will be keeping track and will start recording when I mention it to him. I have a weird feeling that when they killed Ran, they wouldn’t be welcoming me with loving arms.”

I had this weird feeling in my stomach that they knew who I was, and that this meeting wasn’t going to be pretty. Though all I could do was sit back and let it all play out. They wouldn’t be able to do anything to me, not without taking down a few of their own best. It’s going to be interesting.

As our driver took us to the Institute, we noticed a Helicopter flying in to land on the top of the building, probably some High level client they would need to sweet talk, that would make it even better for us. If there was a VIP in the building, they couldn’t worry about causing some big scandal. After finally arriving, Tech and I hopped out and walked through the front doors, my bag securely around my shoulder and hip while Techno stood beside me in his own formal suit, no doubt a few hidden weapons strapped to him. He was scarily good at hiding things. 

“Hello Mr Watson, how are you today?”

“Good, thank you. I have a meeting on floor 80 today. Let them know I have arrived.”

“Of course.”

Give them a little taste of power, let them think they have a small hold over me. I’m going to destroy them soon enough for what they have done to my family. Years in the making, and I can’t even take them down from the inside. I turned to face Tech, watching my boy scour the place before his eyes glinted slightly, meeting my gaze before giving a slight nod. Barely noticeable.

“Everywhere.”

“Of course it is. Will you be ok?”

“Fine.”

As the receptionist let us know they would be meeting us soon, we saw a young man come to meet us, in full hero suit. It was rather cute though I know a child when I see one. I’m not stupid Sam.

“Aegis, a pleasure to make your acquaintance Mr Watson. And to your guest. If you could please follow me, I have been tasked with escorting you to the meeting room on floor 80.”

“Thank you Aegis.”

Tech grunted a little which caused the young man to take a small step back, but their stride never broke as they led us to the elevator and scanned their card, sending us upwards as the floor count moved quickly. So this is the kid Tommy liked, I think it’s cute that he has someone he can talk to and enjoy the company of. Everyone deserves the chance to feel happy about something or someone, and it would be rather hypocritical of us to not like him or support the boy in their friendship when Techno liked Eret, while not his girlfriend, right now Eret is still male presenting at times even wearing female clothing. I should ask her if she would like to transition fully one day. It would be the least I could do for helping us a lot over the years? Or maybe they don’t want to… How do I word this as someone who doesn’t know how to act or think on the topic? I’ll ask her later.

“Will you be staying in on the meeting Aegis?”

“Uh, yes sir, Barrier has asked that I start watching in on every meeting to learn more about the building and how it runs. I think it could be a good experience for me.”

“At your age I’m surprised he has you doing anything.”

“I’m 18 sir.”

“No you aren’t.”

The boy now on edge a little as Techno interrogated him slightly. I kept silent, Tech doing the talking was perfect, both of my boys knew how I felt towards the kids and that I needed to protect them. And Aegis is a perfect example.

“Through here.”

He dropped the act, good boy Aegis, you are learning quickly. 

“I have been informed that they will be joining you shortly, if you are in need of anything please let us know.”

“Thank you, that will be all.”

As Aegis left the room, Tech and I began opening our laptops, pretending to be all business and getting ready as he surveyed the room, noticing four cameras which would be a pain but we only needed one. He pulled his phone out, likely sending a text to our own little bug before placing it face down on the desk. I pulled up the documents I needed as well as made sure the paper set was in the correct order. I needed to make sure this ran perfectly.

“Ten minutes have passed.”

“They don’t run like we do at Watson Tech. They can afford to be a bit more lenient with their time.”

It was another 20 minutes before a group of older men walked in with Sam in the middle. The biggest surprise was Dream, George and Sapnap walking in as well. The three of them move to take their seats, Dream choosing the only spot next to Tech, which meant George and then Sapnap would take the next two. The table now completely filled, with myself at the bottom head of the table with the doors behind me.