Chapter Text
The first coherent thought that Tommy had, was that everything hurt like fucking hell.
He tried to move his arm, but then felt a slight pulling on it, so he stopped his movement. Upon looking to the side, he noticed what could only be an IV (or whatever you call this shit) stabbed into his vein.
A shudder shook him at the sight- he had never been good with needles and all that, so he looked to the side, where a beeping heart monitor was. It was a weird thing for him, seeing what was literally the beating of his heart shown on a screen. A reminder he was alive, that he survived-
Ah. That.
The events of yesterday (he had to be out at least a day, right?) came back to him like a brick hitting him in the face.
Dream and him got called to take down some gang that was tormenting the citizens in the local park, the attackers having been using powers too strong for police to deal with. So it was the two of them- Dream, one of the most powerful heroes in the country, and his trusted sidekick, Red Thunder.
(Tommy was very proud of that name. At the beginning he wanted to name himself Wife Haver, but Dream scolded him for ever coming up with such a stupid name. Heroes need to be respected, so their names need to be serious. Dream wanted him to be named something like ‘Nightmare’, so they could match, but Tommy decided to go with something to do with his powers instead. He’s really glad he did.)
The mission was rather easy. The guys did have some powerful abilities, but Tommy and Dream were professionals, a team. They took them down (Tommy might have gotten stabbed lightly in the side, but Dream said they’ll deal with it later), put on the power suppressing handcuffs, and were ready to leave the rest to the police and then-
A groan slipped past his lips, the sound being slightly distorted and metallic, meaning he still had his masc (and voice changer) on. When he looked down he noticed that he was still in his suit, the red and black standing out against the dull hospital room. He moved his head a little, looked up and- yeah, his hood and short cape were still there as well. Along with the bandages around his middle.
Listen, he didn’t mean to get jumped. He had just gotten so excited for their victory, that he didn’t notice one of the guys had managed to somehow get out of the cuffs and had aimed a strong soundwave towards Tommy, which knocked him off his feet, and as he wasn’t prepared for suddenly being thrown backwards, had landed on the ground very hard. Then- darkness.
Apparently the impact had been so strong he lost consciousness and ended up in a hospital. Which was very bad for a few reasons.
One- it meant that he was unable to properly do his job as a hero. With an injury like that, he was sure to have to rest for at least a day. Which meant he could only lie around and be useless. And two- Dream was gonna be mad he let himself get hurt like an idiot during such an easy mission.
He stared at the ceiling through his mask. He lightly touched the surface of it to find out if it had been damaged in any way, and with a relieved sigh realized it was still in one piece.
It would be bad if he cracked it- it wasn’t your typical mask that one might imagine a hero wearing. It had been made just for him, by the Hero Tower’s best engineer, Mr Samuel Awesamdude (“Red, please just call me Sam”). It was a dark, screen-like mask that covered his whole face, with two big circles as eyes that moved according to his emotion.
(Sam told him he spent a lot of time making sure it was just perfect for him, and the little ‘^^’ face he got in response to that seemed to be enough payment for his services, as he had smiled at Tommy for the next few hours that they worked together. Tommy still considered it one of his favorite memories.)
If it broke, he would cry. (Plus he wouldn’t be able to talk without his voice modulator.)
Just as he thought he had calmed down enough to maybe try to go back to sleep, the doors opened and two people walked into the room. One being the doctor, the second being his mentor and best friend, Dream.
“Oh, you’re awake!” the doctor said when she saw him, smiling gently. “We were just about to check how you’re feeling, mister Red Thunder.”
“He’s fine, obviously,” Dream replied for him, walking towards his bedside and putting a hand on the top of his head (he discretely leaned into the touch) and turning towards the doctor. “He’s a strong guy, he’s not gonna let some random thugs beat him, aren’t you, Thunder?”
He nodded mutely, smiling so that his mask turned into a happy expression. He was strong, Dream was always there to remind him of that.
“Well,” the doctor started as she looked through the notes she had with her. “The stab wound was thankfully very shallow, so that had been dealt with by my powers. The head injury also shouldn’t act up anymore, so other than some good rest and lots of water there’s nothing more we can prescribe you. You’re good to go back home.”
Tommy smiled to himself at that. He really didn’t like being in hospitals, and he was sure Dream disliked being there as well.
Thirty minutes later, they were both back in their apartment at the Hero Tower. It was a decent size apartment, with giant windows and lots of space. The main room was their living room, dining room and the kitchen, with a bathroom and their own rooms down the hall.
The moment Dream closed and locked the doors after them, Tommy took his mask off to finally feel the fresh air on his face. He breathed in what felt like the first time in days and let himself sit heavily on the couch.
“I hope you’re aware that you’re in trouble,” Dream said in a stern voice as he sat next to him, leaning back on the couch with a sigh.
He could feel himself freezing, his body instinctively tensing at the prospect of doing something wrong, but he knew how Dream didn’t like him being like that, so he forced his muscles to relax.
“Yeah,” he quietly replied, looking down at his hands in his lap. “I shouldn’t have let that guy jump me like that, it’s my fault for not keeping my guard up.”
“Good thing you know your mistakes,” Dream sighed, still not looking at him. “You could’ve ruined the whole mission, are you aware of that?”
“I am,” he hissed, moving his head slightly to the side. “But we still caught them, so it shouldn’t be that big of a deal.”
“Not that big of a deal?!” Now the older man turned towards him, shoulders raised and fists clenched. “Tommy, you are supposed to be the best out there, not let some scum drag you through mud in the middle of the city!”
He glared down at his lap, muscles tensed. He knew that, of course he did. Ever since Dream had chosen him, HIM, as his sidekick two years ago when he was fourteen his purpose was clear. He had to be strong, fast, smart- the perfect sidekick, perfect partner for Dream so that they could both succeed together as heroes.
Countless hours of training, months of preparation and learning, just so he could stand proud next to his mentor and say ‘I am the next big thing’.
Dream had sacrificed so much of his time just so Tommy could be his equal. He wasn’t gonna waste it now just because of some stupid thug.
He let his shoulders sag. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I should’ve been better, you’re right.”
In the corner of his eye he saw Dream’s body relax slightly as a sigh left his mentor.
“You know I just want you to be the best,” the man said, placing his hand on Tommy’s head and ruffling his hair. “You’re my charge, my little passion project, I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”
He turned to look at Dream, making eye contact with the beady eyes of his mask. “I know.”
Dream ruffled his hair again before dropping his hand. He tilted his head to the side and laughed quietly. Tommy liked it when Dream laughed like that, it always meant that he was relaxed and/or happy, so he didn’t need to be so on edge when doing anything. Rules didn’t have to be the center of his focus when Dream was happy like that. He smiled back.
“That’s the Tommy I want to see,” the man laughed before getting up from the couch. “Come on.”
That made Tommy frown slightly. “Where?”
“We’re going training.” Dream was already grabbing Tommy’s mask and tossing it to him (he had asked the man countless times to be more gentle with it, but it seemed it never worked). “We can’t have you failing such simple missions, and I’m sure the others would also like to train with us as well.”
And without having the courage or strength to object, Tommy quickly got up and followed his mentor to the training rooms downstairs.
o0o
There were designated rooms in the basements of the tower specifically for training, which was extremely convenient if you didn’t really like leaving your room. There were four big training halls as far as Tommy knew, with padded floors and any equipment anyone might need.
Dream and him were headed to one of those.
When they walked through the doors, Tommy could see Sapnap, George and Sam talking in a corner. The second Sapnap’s eyes fell upon them, the man grinned and rushed to their side, the others at his heels.
“Dream and Thunder, who would have thought!” he laughed, pulling Tommy’s mentor in for a hug. (Tommy doesn’t get hugs from the Dream Team(™), Dream himself made sure he wasn’t getting too spoiled.) “Heard you guys had a bit of a rough few days, you’re up for training so soon?”
“Thunder here needs training,” Dream replied, motioning to Tommy who stood silently to the side. “We wanted to work through some issues.”
“Really, dude?” Sapnap turned to him, his mask covering only the upper part of his face so Tommy could clearly see his bright smile. “You always seem to be training, don’t you want to just chill for one evening?”
Tommy just shook his head, which rewarded him a small nod from Dream. He smiled under his mask. He could proudly call himself the master of following his mentor’s rules, he’s been doing it for years now.
Don’t speak until it’s necessary, don’t be a bother, don’t get into others’ way, obey orders, don’t take off your mask. It had taken him a long time to remember all of them, but Dream had always been here to remind him anytime he slipped. Now he could finally be the perfect sidekick he was supposed to be- quiet and obedient.
“You’re no fun,” Sapnap huffed, turning to look at George over his shoulder. “George, you’ll play video games with me, yeah?”
“Sure,” the man replied, moving his head as if he was rolling his eyes even if none of them could see them behind his dark goggles. “As long as you don’t scream into my ear for the whole night.”
“Can’t promise anything,” the man replied before turning to Dream. “You up for it?”
“Sure,” Dream huffed, shaking his head. “Just let me instruct Thunder what he needs to do and we can go.”
That-
That wasn’t what Tommy had been expecting.
He was sure Dream would stay to train with him, to show him exactly how he could improve or at least stay to mentor him and help him with what he thought he needed Tommy to be better at. How was he supposed to be better if nobody showed him and beat it into his head-
Okay, okay, it was fine. He knew how to train by himself, he didn’t need to be walked through everything like a toddler. He was a big man, almost an adult (not that anyone besides Dream knew), so he could handle himself just fine!
He didn't need any company, he was-
"I think I'm actually gonna stay here and train as well," Sam chimed in, tilting his head in Tommy's direction.
His savior, Sam. Thank the gods for a man like that.
"Suit yourself," George said with a shrug and a smile. "Just don't whine to us later that you're 'too tired to even sleep' later."
The three heroes poked fun at each other a bit longer, some louder than others (cough Sapnap cough), while Dreams turned to Tommy and put his hand on his shoulder.
"I need you to practice your fighting and agility until you can't walk. You know the rules," he whispered, giving his shoulder a warning squeeze.
He knew them very well, so he nodded.
"Good, don't disappoint me," Dream murmured, patting him on the arm. "Sapnap!" He called out to his friend, stopping the man halfway through a joke. "You guys ready to leave?"
"Yessir!" The man replied, throwing his arm in the air in what must have been excitement. "Let's go, bitches, we're getting out of here!"
Tommy watched the three of them go. It felt like a hole was beginning to grow in his chest, as if his body longed for something that he couldn’t quite catch up to with his mind. Which was just stupid- Dream and his friends would go out all the time, it’s nothing new! Tommy had never been invited to those outings, obviously, he couldn’t afford any distractions (even if he wished so desperately to play games with Sapnap, to join in on teasing BadBoyHalo, to be a part of their fun), he was a hero (weren’t they heroes too?) and he needed no distractions.
He was a big man and he was gonna be the greatest hero ever!
And he was gonna train until his legs gave out!
Yeah!
So he turned to Sam, who was currently doing some stretches on the mat, dressed in a plain tank top and leggings fit for training, similar to Tommy’s, except the man wasn’t wearing a mask. Most of the heroes knew each other’s faces and/or names, but Tommy and Dream were known for never revealing theirs.
Sam looked up, and the moment he saw him, a smile grew on his face.
“Mister Red Thunder,” he chirped, putting his hands on his hips. “How have you been, big man?”
There’s one thing Tommy was very proud of (and it wasn’t even making Sam adapt his language).
You see, Dream forbid him from speaking-
“ The usual, getting all the girls,” he signed, sure that his mask was showing his smile.
- But he never said anything about sign language.
Okay, maybe he was abusing the wording the tiniest bit, but the world needed his awesome personality! How was he supposed to do that if he had no way of communication with his fellow heroes?
And Dream didn’t even know he knew how to sign!
It had actually been an idea suggested by one of their fellow heroes. Callahan had approached him one day (with BBH with him to translate) and asked if Tommy maybe wanted to learn to sign, as he never talked and it could be a problem on the field. Tommy felt a bit guilty that the man had thought he had an actual issue with speaking (didn’t he? There were times he couldn’t even utter a word when he was stressed, no matter how hard he tried-), but he couldn’t even explain that to him without Dream’s wrath being aimed towards him.
Either way, he learned sign language (the American kind, but he wasn’t gonna complain about it if Callahan was already wasting so much of his time on Tommy), and he could finally communicate with others.
(Dream didn’t know. He was scared that he would get punished for trying to break the rules, so he decided to only let a few people actually know about his newfound ability. He already knew how bad it was to even try to evade Dream’s anger, and breaking one of the ground rules would bascially be suicide on his part. Dream cared about him and wanted him to be better, he wasn’t gonna destroy all of it.)
But at least he could talk with others. Like Sam, for example.
The green haired man laughed at his words, a pleasant sound without a malicious tone (he didn’t know if the man was even physically able to be mean).
“Glad to hear,” he said, hand coming down to ruffle Tommy’s hair, which was showing since he didn’t wear his cloak during training, and smiling down at him. “You’re up for some sparring?”
Tommy couldn’t nod fast enough.
o0o
Training with Sam had always been fun. The man was strong and strategic, always coming up with new ways to outsmart his opponent. It was the main reason he’d managed to become such a successful hero, that and his crafting abilities as well.
It also meant he was a great person to train with.
Tommy dodged another swing aimed at his chin, leaning back so far he almost got scared he was gonna fall down. Almost.
“Careful, Thunder,” Sam laughed, taking a step back to avoid a kick to the chest. “You might actually scrap at something other than your ego!”
A breathless laugh left him as he got back into position. It was their fifth match already, so he wasn’t in peak form anymore, but he wasn’t backing down one bit.
They exchanged some hits, avoided more than taken, and just honestly had a good time. Tommy loved training sessions like that- they were never boring. Just the right amount of intense without putting Tommy into an actual fight mindset.
He stepped to the side, suppressing the urge to bark out a laugh as Sam almost lost his footing. He instead took the opportunity to quickly grab the man by the upper arm and pull, pull, pull, until Sam actually lost his stance and fell forward onto the floor. Tommy didn’t waste a second before he was on the man’s back and putting his arm between his shoulder blades, only letting go after Sam smacked the mat.
“You’re getting faster and faster,” the man laughed, massaging his wrist slightly. “Next time you’re gonna be knocking everyone out in seconds!”
Tommy hoped his mask wasn’t showing how embarrassed he got from the compliment, as he wasn’t really used to them. Dream was always purely factual with him, only telling him what he did good and what he had to improve on, never really wasting time to give him any unnecessary pleasantries so he didn’t get too caught up in his head.
He always felt weird when people treated him differently than that. (He kinda wished he could spend more time with the other heroes like Sam, Sapnap or George besides training and some joint missions.)
Just as he was about to reply, his hands already raising into the air, the doors to the training room opened.
Tommy looked over Sam’s shoulder to see Dream marching into the room, shoulders straight and chin raised high- the picture of the perfect hero!
“Are you guys done already?” the man asked, tilting his head as his mask turned in Sam’s direction, but Tommy still felt the beady eyes staring into his soul.
Tommy quickly shook his head, making sure to keep his back straight. He might have been a little tired, but he knew that it was far from what Dream wanted.
“I’ve been thinking about going to bed soon,” Sam said, stretching his arms above his head. “This sidekick of yours can throw punches quite well.”
Dream laughed, but Tommy had a feeling it wasn’t fully genuine. It was okay though, he knew Dream loved when his charge was praised.
“Well, then we won’t be stopping you,” the man replied, coming over to stand next to Tommy. “You deserve some rest. Thunder and I are gonna stay here a bit longer, but you go ahead.”
Sam smiled at them both and said his goodbyes. Tommy was a bit sad to see the man go, but he knew not to be selfish and demand he stays with them longer, so he stayed quiet. (Not like he could talk anyways with Dream being there.)
“Okay,” Dream exclaimed, clapping his hands. “Time for some actual sparring.”
Tommy could only get into position and get ready for hell to begin.
o0o
“Get up,” Dream hissed from above him.
His knees have completely given out after another kick had been delivered to the back of them, his body already exhausted beyond belief after what was probably hours of non-stop fighting with his mentor. On top of that, a type of fatigue that had been following him ever since he left the hospital.
Maybe they should have waited before smacking him brutally onto the floor.
“Tommy, I said get up.”
“Can’t,” he wheezed out. “I- legs won’t move.”
He felt weak. He should’ve been able to survive things worse than some training, but here he was- almost lying on the padded floor after he was unable to beat his mentor, his best friend, yet again.
Dream sighed deeply, and Tommy was glad for the mask that hid (more or less) his pained grimace at the sound. He heard some rustling of clothes, and then the man was crouched in front of him.
“We’ve been going for barely three hours,” he scoffed. “I thought you were stronger than that.”
He was. He fucking was, he knew it.
He’s been through so much- always fighting for himself, for others. He almost never got a break, especially when he started his journey as a hero. The beginning had been rough (really fucking rought, he could barely find the will to live some days) , but he was better now- two years of constant training weren’t for nothing.
That was Tommy- strong, angry and always ready to defend, be it himself or someone he cared about. He never gave up, he always got up, he wasn’t fucking weak-
With a barely contained scream he forced himself to get up, his limbs shaking as if he was in the middle of an earthquake. But he wouldn’t give up, he had a point to prove.
With breath held and vision spinning, he stood up straight, raising his fists and ready to fight.
“That’s what I like to see,” Dream cheered, clapping his hands at his display of determination. “One more round, yeah?”
Tommy barely had time to think before a kick was aimed at his sternum. He jumped back, moving one leg back so he had a clean path to deliver a kick from the side to Dream’s torso.
The man stumbled, but regained his footing in a second. Tommy still took the opportunity to swing at the man, which only resulted in Dream grabbing him by the arm and pulling him towards himself with such strength, that Tommy couldn’t even try to catch his fall. As he tried to maybe get up again, a heavy boot settled between his shoulder blades, pushing him so hard into the mat it was sure to bruise.
“I think you’re done,” Dream huffed from above him and then the foot was gone. “Come on, Tommy, we’re going home.”
Dream grabbed him by the shoulders and helped him get up. The man allowed him to lean almost all of his weight on him, which was probably the only reason he was standing upright at the moment.
“You did good,” his mentor praised him when they were in the elevator. “You’re improving.”
Tommy smiled tiredly, still leaning on the man. It was one of the moments that really reminded him why the training was worth it all. A simple sentence, yet giving him so much joy in how the hero didn’t think of him as some useless kid. Dream’s approval was few and rare, so he cherished it every time he had to be at the receiving end of it.
(There were far more times when he had to get used to the harsher side of Dream. When the punishment for breaking a ground rule, one of the rules, would end up with him being locked in the dark and cold room so he could ‘have some time to think over his choices’, or being too much of a failure and having to go a day or two without food-)
It was fine, Dream thought he did good. The man had always done his best to make Tommy into the perfect hero and he would always appreciate that. Life was good.
The moment Dream let go of him after they walked into their apartment, he was taking off his mask and throwing himself to lie down on the couch (not so different from what he did a few hours ago) and let himself finally breathe.
“Don’t go to sleep here,” Dream laughed when he sat down next to him. “At least shower first- Oh! I almost forgot!”
Tommy slowly picked his head up to look at the man, his curiosity stronger than his exhaustion.
“I got a message today,” his mentor continued. “From Technoblade.”
He scrambled up in a second, sitting up straight with a grin already growing on his face.
“The Blade?” he breathed, his body protesting to such sudden movement. “Really? What did he say?”
For a second he got scared that he was being too annoying from Dream’s silence, but then the man chuckled and his heart calmed down. “He actually asked about you.”
“Me?!” He couldn’t believe it- “The Blade actually asked about me?!”
“Tommy, quiet,” Dream said, massaging his temples as if the noise was causing his head to hurt. “He told me that the Sleepy Bois had wanted to discuss some sort of offer with you, and to tell you to contact them tomorrow for more details.”
He was positively shaking.
Not only did one of his favorite heros ask about him (Him!), the whole SBI (one of the most powerful and popular hero teams around) wanted to offer him something? Had he hit his head too hard during training and was now dreaming? Gods, he felt like he was gonna faint-
“Don’t get too excited yet,” Dream huffed, a quiet laugh escaping him. “You don’t know what it’s even about, for all we know they might just need a new secretary.”
“Still!” he exclaimed, a smile still on his face. “I’ve been wanting to talk to them for so long, and now they want to actually have a chat with me!”
“Whoa whoa, who said anything about talking?” his mentor asked, leaning back on the couch.
Tommy’s smile dimmed slightly. “What?”
“You know the rules,” the man continued, “no talking.”
“But-!”
“No, Tommy,” Dream hissed, playful tone now replaced by annoyance. “We don’t want you ruining your chance by irritating them to death. We’ve been wanting to make some sort of alliance with them, we can’t let that mouth of yours ruin that.”
Now he was just staring quietly at his hands, mind somehow both racing and completely blank at the same time.
Anger was building inside of him- How many opportunities did you get to meet your childhood heroes? He’s been working so fucking hard for such a long time only to be told he couldn’t even speak with the people that wanted to make some sort of offer? What kinda bullshit was that?!
But… At the same time he knew Dream was actually right.
He’d spent so many years driving people away with his stupid jokes or overall annoying attitude, he knew it wasn’t a coincidence no one had wanted him before Dream. Dream who made him better, who taught him how to be quiet and become someone thousands loved- the beloved golden sidekick of Dream, Red Thunder.
So even if it hurt, he couldn’t disagree.
“Aw, Tommy,” Dream cooed, pulling him in for a hug. Tommy almost flinched as a hug from the masked man was far more rare than the compliments, and he had to fight the urge to lean into the touch. He didn’t want to be called needy. “I;m sorry, but you know it had to be like that.”
He nodded mutely, closing his eyes for just a moment.
Very soon ( too soon) Dream was pulling away and getting up from the couch, looking down at Tommy with those blank, black eyes.
“Get ready to sleep, Thunder,” he said, already walking away. “Tomorrow’s a big day.”
And even after all the emotions causing a storm inside his head, he only smiled and bid goodbyes to his friend.
He, of course, had no way of knowing that tomorrow was going to turn his world upside-down. Literally.
But right now, all that he could wish for was a warm shower and soft bed sheets, so with a quiet yawn, he headed towards the bathroom to let himself finally relax.
.