Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Tommy was never the quietest child in the class. Somehow along the way between two relatively respectful and quiet older brothers he had inherited the exact opposite traits. That volume led the teen to where he was now, In the middle of a pointless argument with a classmate over something entirely too trivial to be yelling about. 

“She never said making those slides was part of the plan, Tom. You’re just grasping at straws because you want someone to blame for the grade. Just admit you were at fault! We worked so hard on our parts and all you had to do was sit back and just do the citations! You just had to overcomplicate it!”

Now, it wasn’t the words that upset the boy, far from it. What made Tommy upset at that moment was the tone in which his classmate had spoken to him. It was that low tone; That passive glare that made him feel like his anger was unwarranted and that how he felt was somehow wrong. He hated it.

At first, when his father had initially adopted him he had been the exact opposite. Tommy never spoke and never asked for anything. Whether it was the result of past foster parents or simply the system the kid was the softest spoken toddler Phil had ever met.

Slowly, however, growing up with his new forever family he found himself needing to adapt and find his voice. Between the absolute juggernaut of academics that was his older brother Techno, and the incredibly musically inclined middle child Wilbur, he learned that to be able to live up to the family he was placed in he had to become a much bigger person.

Over time his words per minute increased and he slowly grew out of his shell. Phill swore he was a completely different kid than the quiet timid Tommy that he had first met. That pressure to become great slowly molded him into the ball of energy he now was. Sure, it seemed more harm than good at times to have such an outspoken kid, but Phil was so grateful for him. (That didn’t mean he was immune to occasional name-calling here and there.) 

“I was trying to be a good classmate and get the project done in time, or did you forget the deadline was literally today?”

“It was already done, dipshit.”

“How?! How was that done? You mean to tell me that fifteen small slides-” Tommy paused as his classmate’s expression now changed to smugness. 'Why was he..?'

“Add up enough for a final project? You fucking idiot I was trying to help! It wasn’t my part that pulled the grade down it was both of you being so stingy with abso-fucking-lutely everything about the project-”

    “Thomas Watson," Footsteps from behind Tommy told him more than he needed to know, he braced himself quietly for the words that were about to come. "Font office now.” The teacher belted from the door. Tommy physically jumped a bit and immediately glanced back at the teacher. She was gone just a second ago to grab some papers. 'Were we really arguing for that long?' The classroom around him stilled and every eye was now on him. 

He looked back at the kid that started everything and was only met again with that smug look. Begrudgingly he began his way to the door with whispers of swears escaping his mouth. The boy passed the door and continued his way through the halls.

'Why is this always happening? And why is it always my fault? This time it really wasn't though. It wasn’t my fault, he thought to himself, it was his for going after me. I was just being a good partner.'

Very shortly he arrived at the front desk with a huff. The lady at the desk had the loudest keyboard he had ever heard and as soon as her typing slowed to a stop he froze. “Back again so soon Tom?” The secretary spoke. “You were on a roll for a while there. That's such a shame.” He didn't need to be told twice. At his core, he was disappointed as well. He tried so hard to keep his cool for so long and to have it lost over something so small was just a letdown. 

“Your teacher informed me of the… disruption and your father has been called. He should be arriving soon. Please wait here.” She finished, bringing her eyes back to her computer clicking away on her keyboard once more. The boy's eyes widened. Somehow in all his anxieties he never thought they would call his dad. Sure, a stern talking to and a warning but never that far.

“...What? Why would you call him for something as small as this?! Nothing physical happened and I never even yelled. It was just a small argument. Why would that mean calling him?” 

The typing stopped once more and the secretary looked to be increasingly more frustrated with him. “Well, normally you would be right, but seeing as you have prior infractions something more is to be done,” That’s right, he forgot. Phil had told him to be very careful after his last fight but he never really got why. This must be it. The final straw.

The small room was still and the air was heavy with anticipation and fear. The only sound Tommy had to cling to was the annoying clicking of the lady’s keyboard. Minutes felt like hours and with the rising concern in the boy he was convinced of two outcomes;

1. He was going to be expelled
2. He was going to be given one last chance

With both options being terrifying in nature he could only imagine his father’s face. He made no effort not to feed into the anxiety that grew in him. 

Tommy promised his father he would keep his head down. He honestly really tried to. In the past, he has a much shorter fuse in stressful situations and he knew that, and it was everything he could do to try and overcome that impulsive anger. So far, Tommy has had 3 physical fights and a number of instances of insubordination under his belt. If you had asked him a few months ago if he was proud of them he would have talked your ear off about why he was, but now he really wasn't sure.

As the principal meetings became more common he noticed more and more how scared it made Phil. Tommy knew he had risked a lot adopting him. Phil was one of the very few people he genuinely loved and respected and to see him distraught about something he had done was heartbreaking. After the last physical fight he saw his father more upset than he had ever seen him, Sad and fearful yes, but never a glint of anger in his eyes. It was almost scary to the boy. Tommy promised himself if his father could restrain himself in a situation like that he could as well. 

Sadly there was only so much name-calling he could handle evidently. 

Finally, Phil walked through the front door. As soon as he did Tommy made eye contact in a desperate attempt to find some sort of comfort. Phil had a blank expression, usually, he was the fun comforting type of guy so to see him with neither traits being on full display was uncomfortable. He must have taken off work to come and Tommy was sure that he must have been not too happy about that.

'That must be why he isn’t smiling back! He is probably stressed about work. Not me! Dad wouldn’t be upset over a small argument like this… right?'

 He entered the front office and gave his son a slight nod, lending the secretary most of his attention. “Mr.Watson, glad to see you again. I’ll go check if the principal is ready for you both.” She spoke. Phil gave a hum of acknowledgment and took a seat next to Tommy. “Hey, bud. Mind telling me what this is all about?” he sounds exhausted.

“Honestly I swear it wasn’t that bad! I only had a small fight with this kid over a project- it wasn’t even a fight actually I barely even yelled at him- and he started it! I was only trying to help and because of that, he got upset at me. He said that I brought our grade down and that my work was pointless. It really wasn’t my fault was just defending myself.” 

This small ramble caused Phill’s expression to soften a little. “Toms is this an attempt at saving yourself or are you being serious.” 

“Why wouldn’t you believe me? This really happened!” 

“No, I believe you, I just want to make sure this is the case.” Phil pointed at the principal’s door and continued, “When I enter that office defending something I barely understand I want to make sure I’m doing it for the right reasons.” This was usually the part where Phil slightly scolded him but this was a welcome surprise. The boy beamed at the fact that his father believed him, not only that but made a point to show that he was on his side. 

“I’m being 100% honest, dad. I didn’t start the fight. I may have called him a bitch once or twice but I really didn’t try anything.”

Tommy’s words seemed to go through. Phil let out a sigh. 

“I believe you. The trick here is to get them to.” 

Their talk was swiftly interrupted by the secretary exiting the principal’s office and signaling them to enter. As they both got up to do so Phil shot Tommy a smile once more and began forwards. It was clear what he was saying so words were trivial.

'I’ve got you.'

~0~0~0~

 Normally an office meeting never persisted this long. It was a rundown of what happened, then a summary of possible consequences, and finally the actual consequences Tommy faced. On this rare occasion, Phil was adamant about staying on stage one because there was a clear disconnect about the severity of what had happened earlier in the classroom. 

To see his father stick up for him so vocally about this felt reassuring. Tommy knew he was in the right. He was on a good streak for some time and this was just a small bump in the road. He was happy Phil thought the same.

  “...Look. I am not saying he doesn't have a decorated past here, but what I am saying is that he is figuring himself. I'm sure you can see the way he has been trying more with his grades lately and keeping his head down. We aren't perfect, and from what I heard Tommy hadn't even started it.” Phil spoke steadily. Tommy knew for a fact his father was choosing his words very carefully while also making no effort to cut to the chase. 

The principal darted a look at Tommy then back at his father, “With all due respect Mr.Watson there has to be some consequence” He huffed. “Even if the other student had started it Tom was on strict probation with infractions. I have let so much slide because of the legacy of his brothers and the respect I have built for you but an example has to be set. If other students see how much he has gotten away with they may follow suit, anticipating the same outcome. I don't think I have to spell out the damage that can do to our school.” 

 Tommy would have done anything just to raise his voice back at the man, pleading his case, but memories attached to that were sour at best. From the first time he met Mr.Hearth, Tommy knew he hated him.

 Whether it was those uncomfortable leather seats or the permanent frown that sneered across his face, the boy knew that his journey at school was going to be rocky. And so he spoke up to the principal, at the time not only was he given strict detention for a week but he was also grounded for a month. That marked the first time he had ever been grounded. Oh, the mouthful he got from Wilbur about it in the coming months. Phil may have had his disagreements with the elderly man, but in his own words,

“You never raise your voice at someone if you can help it, especially those you dislike.” 

“That's not what I'm saying, sir. I agree consequences are inevitable even if Tommy had not cursed back, but what I'm asking is that this matter shouldn't have been seen as so severe that you had to bring me over. This seems like it could have been worked out with the guidance counselor and with both boys present.”

 The silence grew for a few moments. Tommy kept his head down, focused on the fabric of his sleeves. He was 16 and he knew not to cry, but that's not why he held his head down. He was quite sure that if he looked the principal dead in the eye he would have finally snapped at him. 

“I would appreciate it if you wouldn't tell me how to run my school, Mr. Watson. Anyways it was hardly the other student's fault, you have to see that. I don't know what impression you're under but I was told by an administrator and by the other student that Tommy had started the argument. The other student had only been sticking up for himself and another classmate.”

At that, Tommy balled up his fist and firmly grasped it. Phil was bound to believe the principal now, all he could do was face whatever consequences that lied before him. 'Don't say anything... Don't raise your voice...'

 “I would like to meet with the administrator that said this if that's okay.” Finally, Tommy looked up, but instead of at Mr.Hearth, he looked to his father in disbelief. “I have been watching Tommy recently and I am pretty confident he wouldn't break his streak over something like this. I may be wrong but at least grant me that.” Phil pleaded. 

“That is out of the question. You should know by now why we have you here. This has been coming for quite some time.”

Then it dawned on Tommy. He was right. Of course, he was right. His worst fears were now true and all of his hard work was for nothing. 

“I hope you are not implying suspension. This was a small infraction and…”

His father's voice was now being slowly toned out of his mind. White noise filled his head and the gravity of everything now set in. He was about to get kicked out of school. He would now have that stuck on his record forever. There was no way in hell that Wilbur wasn't going to get pissed off at him. 

The worst trouble either of his brothers had gotten in was when Wilbur was found by his father with an empty bottle of wine in his room. It wasn't even that bad since Phil knew it was an old one that was basically empty, to begin with. A loose grounding was set in place and they continued, however, later that day when Techno got home from college he promptly walked over to Wilbur’s room and slapped him. Tommy remembered that sound so vividly. It was so loud in his ears, it somehow was even now. If Techno slapped Will over something like that the boy could only imagine the storm that awaited him at home.

Tommy mindlessly glanced back at Phil while he spoke but instead of that empty look he always wore in situations such as these, he looked upset. Just sad. 

Seeing the person he respected the most look like that just burned.

 “...mmy? Tommy, are you okay?” His father's voice broke his thoughts and he was finally flung back to reality. He now realized his breathing had become labored and he was sweating a lot more than usual. Everything felt warm. “I'm just tired.” The boy croaked, his throat felt so dry. The secretary must have upped the heat just to get back at him or something because the room was just boiling.

 “You look extremely red, are you sure you're okay?” Phil spoke softly, placing his hand on Tommy's head. It felt so cold. Out of instinct, Tommy put his hand on top of his fathers in an attempt to steal any kind of cold he could. “I should be asking you old man,” Tommy hoarsely laughed, “You're freezing.”

The buzzing in his ears hasn't let up at this point and by god was it giving him the worst headache he had ever experienced.

Phil muttered something soft under his breath and looked to the principal once more. “He is running a fever, I need to get him home. I'm sorry to cut this short but can we resume this talk tomorrow?” 

Just as Mr.Hearth went to answer, Tommy chirped in.

“Please don't… Just rip the bandaid off now. I can handle it, I'm just tired.” 

Phil gave him a look only equated to pity. 'Why is he looking at me like that? I'm making an effort to face the consequences just like he asked. Stop looking at me like that.'  If there was something he hated more than sad looks was looks of pity. 

“It's okay Tom, we can talk more in the morning. I may have to check the heating as well, this room is steaming and I'm sure that isn't helping.” The principal finally said. Tommy finally looked at him for the first time since entering and the old man looked positively uncomfortable. Beads of sweat were dripping their way down his oily face and where his resting scowl once adorned there was now a weak-looking smile.

The blonde now developed a working theory. They had been itching to be rid of him for a while now, so for him to act up because of the heat? That would be convenient. That's what the heat had to be. Right?

 “Tommy!” his father snapped, jerking his hand away from the boy's forehead and shaking it away from himself. What had he done this time? “What? Do I have something sharp in my hair or something?” The boy went to ruffle his head but before he could his father firmly grabbed his arm. Eyes met eyes and Tommy was met with an expression he had never seen his father exhibit, his brows had shot up and his mouth hung open ever so slightly. It wasn't just concern, it was absolute panic.

“I'm so sorry but we have to go. Tommy has the highest fever I have ever seen. I'm taking him to the hospital.” Phil grabbed Tommy's arm and stood up quickly, giving no glances back at the elder in the room. In a moment the boy was standing as well and they were on their way. His father had never been this forceful in his entire life, it just felt so wrong. It was clear something was incredibly wrong, and to Tommy, everything kick-started those previous anxieties into full gear.

“Dad?” Tommy muttered. His heart was absolutely racing. The two finally exited the school and it was only now that Tommy was properly keeping pace with his father. Sure, leaving that stuffy room felt much nicer than he thought but leaving so abruptly was jarring. As soon as he had left Phil was already to the side of his car, opening the passenger seat and rushing Tommy into it. 'Holy shit am I that sick? What the fuck is going on holy shit.'

Luckily they were parked by the front of the school so it wasn't that far to walk, (and Tommy was sure that if he had to walk much farther his father would have had to carry him), and at a moment's notice, they were off. 

“Dad! What's going on? I'm not that sick I swear I--”

“Tommy, you are burning up. Look in the mirror.” 

And Tommy did so, WIth ragged breaths, he quickly took a glance at the rearview mirror and was met with an image even he was freaking out about. 

His skin wasn't the average blushed pink he had expected but rather a dusted red. It looked natural enough at first but with another glance, it was brighter than any feverish look he had ever seen. That wasn't what got him though, the main focus was on his eyes.

Something was just wrong. He knew his reflection well, and just something felt askew. He leaned in closer in his seat, looking further. Where once was a soft simple blue now seemed to hold a small tint of orange near his pupil. Oh come on now I'm even seeing things. He moved his face around in the mirror, I'm just running a fever. I'm hallucinating. That must be it! I'm hallucinating. 

“Put on your seatbelt, Tommy. We're going home” 'Home? ' Tommy quickly snapped his seatbelt in place and quickly looked back up at his father. 

“I thought we were going to the hospital?” 

The answer he hoped his father would provide never came. The engine purred to a start and a very short car ride began. 

Everything in the window passed so quickly. Phil was never the biggest fan of speeding but something was so clearly up. “Dad?” Still nothing, not even a glance in his direction. The boy had never been so drowsy in his life, if he were to guess this was the closest thing to high he had ever been.

   “Dad, you're scaring me... What's going on..? Are...are we going to the hospital-'' A coughing fit broke out within his mouth as if he had swallowed the grittiest sandpaper ever. There it was again, the dryness in his throat came back for round two, this time with twice the punch. 

“We're almost there, just hang in there. I'll fill you in later after this is over but please wait just a little longer for me, okay lad?”

“...Right, yea…” The boy grumbled, slumping into his seat further and further. It all just seemed to slip away in some sort of haze. Tommy closed his eyes.

'This all has to be a dream.'

'What is going on?'

'Did I hit my head..?'

'This is all just too weird…'

“...Just take a nap bud, I'll wake you up when we get home…” Phil spoke ever so softly.

'Right yea… Home…'

'That sounds nice…'

'For now, I'll just take that nap…'

Without another word, Tommy slowly began to drift off.

Chapter Text

The blinding white light of the setting surrounding him was the first thing Tommy noticed as he awoke. His headache had somehow persisted through his nap, if not to a lesser degree. 

“...Ugh... Dad..?”

In order to alleviate some pain, the boy blindly navigated his bed with his hands. He was not opening his eyes with a seemingly blinding light above him. The bed he had woken up on had a familiar layout to it, and within moments he identified it as his own.

Having finally found a pillow, he immediately whipped it around and smacked it over his head. That buzzing light was now replaced by a softer, more manageable glint. Soft whispers sprung up in the background and soon he got an answer to his call, 

“Is that you Tommy? Are you awake?”

Too loud.

His throat let out a small chirp of disapproval towards the loud noise but mustered up the strength to formulate a response. “...I’m awake... have a massive fuckin headache though..”  The door to his room creaked open slowly and with a small click, the glint he once had tried to hide from was gone. Why was his bedroom light on? Tommy wasn’t a skeptic but found it notable that someone left the light on in the room of someone sleeping . Had his father just forgotten to turn it off?

“Hey mate... how’re things?” Phil pulled the boy's desk chair over and now sat by his bedside. His tone was soft and a lot quieter than it normally was. “You mentioned a headache, do you need some medicine?” 

“I’m okay... feelin’ like I’ve been hit by a bus though...” 

A soft chuckle escaped his father, and though it messed with the thudding in Tommy’s head he still relished in the fact he was able to diffuse the situation so quickly, (And get his father to laugh).

“I still think you need at least something. I’m going to go grab you a glass of water, do you need anything else before I do?”

Anything else? Was his father joking? From what the kid remembered the whole situation at school was a shit show. By the end, it was so ominous. Why didn't you take me to the hospital? Why did you look at me like you had back then? How did everything get so hot so quickly? Are you even mad?

“... could I get something cold to eat? My throat kinda hurts...” 

Who was he kidding? Waste some perfectly good tension-less time? Where he wouldn’t have his father talk to him about why he was in trouble? Absolutely not. He wasn’t ready to break that disconnect yet, and his headache agreed with him.

“You got it, mate. Be back in a bit.” Phil got up from the seat and walked to the door. It was now that Tommy finally removed the pillow from his head and glanced around at his surroundings. His room was exactly how he left it in the morning minus two odd things. There was a huge fan in the corner of the room purring ever so slightly as it spun its cycles and on top of that two new stools were added to the corner of his room, facing his bed. 

He could forgive the strange inclusion of the fan, after all, he was running a fever earlier, however, the stools were an odd touch. Those specific stools were usually located on the island of the kitchen and they were the favorite of his two brothers. Tommy could only assume they were checking up on him, but he couldn’t have been out that long. When had they moved these? 

“Are you sure you don’t need anything else?” Phil asked as he leaned on the doorframe. The light of the hallway spilled into his room ever so slightly and it created a more relaxed vibe than the bright overhead lights of his room. 

“All good over here big man... don’t let me stop you.” 

“All right, but I’ll be sending Will your way while I’m grabbing your stuff. He was particularly concerned about you.” Phil gave the door two taps as he walked off towards the kitchen. 

It's Will. Oh crap. He is going to kill me for being sent to the office again. Tommy didn’t need the earful, especially because his ears felt like they were already. The boy prepared himself for the lecture he was about to receive and propped himself up in his bed. 

From what he could tell, he was feeling a lot better than before. In the office, Tommy had developed a scratchy throat, a massive migraine, and some serious overheating issues. It was as if he was on fire. From what he could recall it got so bad he began to see things. Now, he was left with a little bit of a throat issue, A headache, (that was a little better than before) , and had cooled down. It was a relief not to be so loopy he was passing out.

“Tommy.” The boy shifted his attention to the door and with one glance he knew the string bean in the doorway was Wilbur. Scratch the part about being loopy. 

“...hey Wilbur... my main man... my amigo... My friend... What's going on with you?” Tommy hoarsely spoke out. He wanted Phil back. The anxiety and anticipation of his brother just looming over his room so ominously set a real tone for the conversation they were about to have. Somehow Tommy expected it was just going to become fancy scolding

“ Me? I’m fine. You are the one I’m concerned about right now.” Wilbur took the stool closest to Tommy’s bed. “Everything doing okay?” 

“No need for a build-up big man, I know I messed up but just know it genuinely wasn’t me that caused all this. I was in there because a kid decided he was—“

“What? No. I’m not here about the office thing. Dad told me about it.” Tommy let out a sigh of relief. His headache was safe and unmoving, for now at least. “I’m here because I’m genuinely kinda worried about you, man. You don’t often get sick so it was quite alarming to hear you were.”

“Come here to poke fun at my shit immune system now, huh?” 

“As much as I’d like to, I'm more worried than anything. Do you remember what happened in the office? When did you start getting sick?” His brother asked. Naturally, he would be curious, and that’s what Tommy was afraid of. Wilbur can sniff out a lie in any situation so to have him ask about a series of events best described as confusing had placed the boy in an uncomfortable position. How was he to explain the prior day?

“Uhh...” He glanced at Wilbur and got a worried look in response. “I don’t know? Like...look, I know I got sick and all but from what I remember the principal's office kinda set me off. One moment everything seemed fine—“ 

 a lie of course, but it’s not every day you see the great Big T admit he was extremely anxious.

 “—but then someone started turning up the heat in the room. Everything just got amplified by that and I think I just became slowly sicker. It was really weird.” Wilbur's look of concern hadn’t faded. Why is he asking me how I got sick? Isn't this normal? “Sorry to hear that Tommy. That must have been really stressful. Proud of you for sticking it out.” 

“Ugh don’t get all sappy on me...”

Hours passed and from what Tommy discovered he had been asleep for 4 solid hours before coming to. Somehow that wasn’t the most concerning bit of it all. As soon as Tommy would even hint at the events of the office his father changed the subject. 

Phil wasn’t a secret keeper from Tommy’s experience, quite the opposite. When he had first adopted Tommy he was always straightforward about the whole situation instead of sugar coating it all. It was refreshing. So you can imagine the boy's confusion when the pattern became apparent.

Currently, the Watson household was sitting watching a movie before bed, a well-oiled tradition everyone bonded over. Even though every respective member of the house had very different tastes of entertainment, everyone enjoyed those quiet nights sitting around the living room just enjoying the presence of one another.

That’s how it had always been since Tommy first arrived. The schedule of shows went as such, Monday was Techno's pick. This means Tommy always brought his phone along to keep himself entertained because history documentaries weren’t exactly the most compelling things in the world for a 16-year-old. 

Tuesday was Wilbur's day. Filled with a seemingly random assortment; from comedy titles all the way to musicals. Rarely had Wilbur picked a title he specifically wanted to see, it was most often the case that he had picked what he knew his family would most enjoy. Tommy adored Wilbur's taste and if he stayed up way too long on occasion with his older brother chatting about the stories they had watched? 

That was their business. 

Wednesday was the big man's day, and Tommy made the most of it. Finding action oriented superhero movies and some of his favorite comedy shows, (Which were always reruns of shows that Wilbur had shown in prior weeks.) He was like Wilbur in the way he would go looking for fun titles that he knew everyone would love, but instead of respectively watching the movie with everyone he would audibly explain the plot and implications of it all. 

Techno dreaded Wednesday nights and would always bring a book as company. 

Thursday Kristin had the power. Tommy had always appreciated her taste in shows, his mother was respectful with what the group didn’t want to see and what they did. It was a fifty-fifty chance that they would get a show that some family member requested or a show she personally wanted to see. 

It was always fun to hear about the shows they were watching. Before the children were even in the equation Phil and Kristin often bonded over them, and to hear the side notes they left behind always fascinated the boys.

Friday had always been Phil’s classics. Before the set schedule even came to be, Phil had everyone watching his favorite films and shows. Movies and shows spanning from old cult classic game shows all the way around to hit action movies from his early 20s. 

Currently, it was Thursday, and Kristin had let Tommy control the remote out of sympathy. It wasn’t often that he got sick so she had figured it was probably for the best. 

Techno had taken a pass for movie night for some late-night studying. University hadn’t let up in quite some time and everyone had begun to give him more space due to it. Wilbur didn’t have to worry about school, as he had dropped out quickly as his music career took off. He was known well in the area and his streams online kept him afloat. 

Phil liked to joke he was the least famous person he knew. 

“Are we seriously going to watch avengers again? ” Tommy shot a glance in Wilburs direction and gave him a dissatisfied look. 

“Toms has the pick tonight, if you don’t like it you can busy yourself elsewhere.” His mother spoke.  Wilburs silence was interpreted widely as “Fine I’m not going to argue it” and was followed by a hunched posture into the couch. 

“Drama queen...” 

“I heard that!” 

~0~0~0~

One of Tommy's earliest memories had to be when he was officially adopted. Having been in the system for the first five years of his life, Phil and Kristin were a welcome surprise. The fear of a new home just erased, the sense of community the boy had gained had him the happiest he had been in quite some time.

 Phil seemed to always have this welcoming aura around him, laughing at all the boy's jokes even when they weren’t funny, loudly welcoming him home from school every time the bus would drop him off, and always coming to his aid when something was amiss.

  Techno wasn’t the most outwardly affectionate person but whenever Tommy wanted to talk about a show he liked or news from the schoolyard, the teen always made a point to silently listen. Though it took Wilbur a while to adjust to a new kid, they eventually became thicker than thieves.

It was a fall day when the fateful papers had been finally signed. Phil had taken him and Wilbur out on the town for some ice cream to celebrate. It was that one moment at the ice cream shop that made everything real to the boy.

“You are aware of how expensive that was, right?” Wilbur smugly asked, looking down at his brother. “Why does that matter? Mr.Watson said I could get whatever I wanted! You’re just jealous because you only got two scoops, idiot!” The ghost of a lisp trailed his words, extending them ever so slightly. Wilbur hadn’t taken kindly to the insult and didn’t kick the younger under the parlor table.

“Behave yourselves, boys,” Phil said, coming back from the counter and placing their ice cream on the table. “And what did I say about the ‘Mr.Watson’ Treatment?” Phil placed two plastic spoons into the ice cream bowls before him and pulled up a chair. Tommy didn’t need an invitation and instantly took to gorging himself. 

“It’s just Phil, call me whatever you want but don’t add ‘Mr.’ to it. Makes me feel old.” 

“Aren't you old though?” Wilbur smiled back, placing the spoon back in his mouth. There was a small moment before anyone said anything, and when they did it was just incoherent giggles coming from the youngest. “Remind me, who bought your ice cream again?” Phil raised an eyebrow back at the teen. Wilbur gave no response, electing to focus his attention back on the treat he was given. 

Tommy wouldn’t have ever admitted it, but Wilbur was one of the few people the boy genuinely looked up to. He wanted to be exactly like his new brother, cool and calm at times but incredibly quick on the draw with a snarky joke. 

“What father giveth- ” Phil pulled out another plastic spoon from his pocket and quickly reached over the small table towards Wilbur. “-He can taketh away. ” With that Wilburs mint chocolate chip was swiftly confiscated and taste-tested. 

“Oh come on! I just got that!”

“I’ll give it back when you revoke your devastating remarks.” 

“I was right though! You’re an old man!”

Phil furrowed his brows and pointed the small utensil at the teen. “That sounds like someone who doesn’t want ice cream, What do you think Tommy?”

“Well…” Tommy looked over at the two from his bowl. “I think you’re an old man. You’re like a dinosaur” Wilbur brightened up a bit, nodding. “Positively prehistoric if I do say so myself.” Phil gave out a fake gasp of surprise and Swiftly confiscated the two bowls on the table. ( For about 10 seconds before he caved.)

 ~0~0~0~

It was mid-morning in the Watson household and everyone had agreed Tommy was to stay home. Strangely, Tommy wasn’t too excited about that idea. Normally, the boy would jump at the chance to skip, but now to him everything just felt off. Sure, he had been very sick the day before, but he was adamant he felt perfectly fine again. His father had taken that as “Let's rip off this bandaid now!” even though in reality Tommy was doing fine. 

It was frustrating having everyone dismiss it as stoic behavior when in reality he felt no different than he usually did. The guilt of staying home with no excuse seemed to be weighing heavily on him. 

With Phil and Kristin out working and Techno studying in his room, Wilbur was left to watch his younger brother. He wasn’t too sold on the “ Doing fine ” spiel and kept Tommy on a strict soup diet. 

In Wilbur's eyes, he just felt so bad for the boy. He had been trying for months to better his reputation and his behaviors but to have some dick of a classmate to take that all away seemed very bitter to the elder. He was especially proud of Tommy for not having an outburst in the office for the horrible cards he had been dealt. 

On Tommy’s end he still hadn’t gotten answers about the strange behaviors by his father in the previous day, and what had exactly happened in that office and after. It all seemed so overwhelming and frustrating. Phil was always so clear about everything, why was he acting like this now? Was whatever the boy had done so bad? 

“Hey Will?” Tommy called out from his room. It wasn’t long before his brother was by the door.

“What’s up Toms?”

This is the part where Tommy would normally talk about some topic he had found online, or ask to play a video game, but the tone had shifted. Now anxious about the day before Tommy was desperate for answers. 

Anyone would do.

“...do you remember what happened before I woke up yesterday?”

Wilbur seemed a tad confused by this, and had an expression to match. Something about his younger brother's tone was unsettling. “Yea why? What’s wrong?”

“Well... I don’t really remember the past when I passed out in the car and dad refuses to talk about what happened. He won’t even let me talk about the whole office deal. I think he may be trying to hide it all from me to make me feel better about it all but it’s just making me feel... I dunno’ ... uncomfortable I guess.”

“You’re serious? I mean I noticed he was a bit off yesterday but he is usually really candid about things. That doesn’t make sense... why would he just..?” 

Tommy shrugged, “Please specify what you mean by “A bit off” 

“...Well... Putting aside that can of worms... from what I can recall Dad called Techno when you both arrived home and got him to carry you inside. Mom was freaking out that dad didn’t go straight to the doctors but dad just kept insisting you were going to be ok.

“Techno didn’t question anything at the time but later while you were asleep in your room he told me he had never seen Phil that dismissive. At first, we both agreed it was probably something that happened with you but when I went to go ask him how you were and what was going on he explained briefly that the school seemed to be making up reasons to boot you.

“After that, I didn’t press it... looking back dad just seemed panicked about the whole situation. I pushed off my concerns about him because stress can do strange things to people sometimes, but between you saying he kept being dismissive about it all and the fact that this just isn’t normal is making me... anxious.”

There was silence for a second after Wilbur spoke. Tommy was processing what his brother had told him, and it just didn’t add up. Techno has been here longer than we have so for him to think Phil is off is almost scary. Tommy stared back down at his bed. None of this makes sense. Did I do anything or say anything while I was passed out? Did the school say something?

“Hey Tommy,” Wilbur broke the silence and snapped his brother's focus back on him. “Do you remember anything odd happening?” 

“Well, plenty of things were odd. First of all, when Phil and I were in the office and he first stood up to get us out, he said he was taking me to the hospital. When I asked about it in the car he said we were going home . Maybe you were right and he was just stressed, but I think a high fever may warrant a doctor's appointment.” Wilbur nodded and finally took to sitting on the chair nearest to Tommy’s bed. 

“Second of all when he was rushing me to the car... I got the vibe that this wasn’t the first time he had been through something like this. He was sure to say exactly what the principal needed to let us go, and threw in the car exactly when I was about to fall asleep if on cue he immediately told me to. This could just be me overthinking, it was just off-putting.” The elder stiffened. 

“What?” 

Wilbur had no response. Truth be told he had just had an epiphany, and it was one he wasn’t too keen to share with Tommy. 

“ ...It makes sense... ”

“What does?”

“I mean... just the fact that he knew what to do. I went through something a bit similar when I was your age and I’m sure he just remembers that...”

Similar? Tommy shifted his sitting closer to his brother and continued. “Would you mind talking about it?” Wilbur sighed and looked back to his brother, “Truth be told there isn’t much to even be talking about. In my case, I was home and just out of nowhere I started getting a high fever and serious shakes.

“Mom and dad were super worried at the time, and techno refused to leave my room for days after. These little outbursts kept up on and off for the next two months or so just up until I...” Wilbur trailed off in thought. That moment lingered before a very impatient Tommy had enough.

“Until you?”

“Well just until they suddenly stopped. As soon as the fevers and sick days came they went with no trace. I asked my friends and apparently, this isn’t common. At all.” 

Tommy didn’t like that train of thought. He had just spent months upon months just trying to get to normality and quell his loud personality, all for naught before a simple cold. This isn't fair. he thought. I did everything right. Kept my head down for months. I did everything dad asked, so how can things go so south so fast? They are sure to suspend me at this point after all. Is dad just acting this way because he is disappointed? The situation as a whole had him frustrated to no end. 

“Then how do I have it as well? Is it a sickness you gave to me?” Wilbur hesitated for a moment. Somehow, this suggestion made sense. “Perhaps. If anything we should ask Techno. He is the best option in the house. He usually knows a lot more than me about science-type situations.”

That was a lie. Phil was the best option. As he had more life experience than any of the boys he was always the go-to for issues they didn’t quite understand, but as they both knew their father was quite rocky about the whole ordeal. Wilbur knew this all too well and gave out a sigh, wiping his forehead mindlessly. “Fine. If we're doing this asking him, I’m supposed to be recovering, remember?” 

Neither of the two wanted to disturb Techno. He was in the middle of the testing season and they weren't about to add that extra grumpy Techno glares to their roster of things to deal with. “That's not fair and you know it. This is your issue.”

“Recovering!”

“ Suffer .”

And so, the two never asked Techno. 

Tommy started laughing at Wilbur’s proposal and broke all previous tension that had wafted around the room. It was in this moment of clarity that he had a nagging feeling. Someone must have updated the heating. Wilbur’s face was slightly flushed and the surrounding air had lost most of the moisture it once had. The dry feeling surrounded him, and Tommy was sure he had a similar red tint. 

“Hey One second Tommy, I'll be right back.”

Wilbur seemed to take note of this change as well. Truth be told he started noticing it much earlier but brushed it off since he knew Techno was home and had probably upped the temperature, however, he knew that due to the very noticeable change thus was probably an accident. He could change the temperature back without angering his brother if this was the case. The conclusion was made, he got up to change the heating. 

Midway through the hallway Will found the gauge on the wall. Pressing a few buttons he noticed something odd. Taking a leap of faith he wasn't disturbing anything, Wilbur made his way a few steps over to Techno’s door. A silent knock rang out through the hall and anticipation began to seep.

Rustling was heard behind the door and slowly as it came closer towards Wilbur the door creaked its way open ever so slowly to give way to a very visibly tired Technoblade. It was ever so clear he had either just woken up from a well-deserved nap or hadn't taken one in days. Knowing the eldest, the ladder was most likely what happened. 

“Can I help you?” He grumbled.

“Hey, I was just wondering if you upped the heat earlier? The reader shows it hasn't been changed but Tommy and I are practically boiling back in his room.”

Techno raised an eyebrow and straightened his posture a tad. “No… I mean do you have a window open? My room is fine, and it's pretty hot out today.”

This was odd on two accounts. One, Wilbur knew for a fact that no matter how hot the day was, one simple cracked window couldn't change an entire room's temperature that fast. Two, because Tommy only had one window in his room and it was so small it was unable to open. That left one un-proposed answer. They must have been generated that heat themselves. This theory also had wide holes, Tommy's door had been slightly ajar the entire time. Not to mention it had gotten so noticeably hot there was no way they had caused that with simple body heat alone.

This had left one key question,

How had it gotten that hot?

Chapter Text

Time slowed as Tommy finally snapped to attention. Stuck in his thoughts, the room began to still. The heat had never let up, and the boy finally resorted to cracking open the window ever so slightly. Chilled and slow, the air crept into his room. Tommy hadn’t realized until now the exact difference in temperature. The wind slightly let up outside the glass and brushed across his face. His mind had been buzzing with possibilities before and now that something had pulled him out of that state he realized just how silent everything actually was. 

Noises around him began to calm his ever aching nerves. The whispers of a conversation just next door, a leaf scuttling past the road only to be swept up again and again by the slight breeze in the air. Laughter chimed in ever so far away, echoing slightly in the absence of people in the road. 

Living in a townhouse had its downsides but something that could never beat it was the constant presence of people. That’s something the boy always enjoyed while living with everyone, it was never lonely. 

Previously he had never really found solace in others around him. Foster care somehow always sweeping him into the lonely corners of the countryside. A piece was always missing before he found a home. 

Anyone could tell you Tommy was an extrovert. Phil could give you an earful all about the times Tommy had solidified that very fact. That’s something he prided himself in, an ever unchanging reverence for the people he didn’t know. Days longing to be in their shoes and daydreaming of a clear future in someone else’s eyes. A distant fantasy he had respected. It’s the people who would always disrupt that clear future that got in the way. In the boy's eyes, it was always the recipient of his outbursts that was at fault. 

Phil had taught him to respect others that showed him kindness and faith, but when he saw a kid in school either stirring up trouble or throwing away a future he was fighting to procure he couldn’t help but grow frustrated. Never a healthy coping mechanism, he had always known, but one he knew didn’t come from a place of malice.

The door clicked open and gave way for his older brother, harboring a look of confusion. “Everything okay, Will?” Tommy turned his attention fully from the window and over to the brunette. 

“I suppose it is. Sorry, just had an odd conversation with Techno. Did you finally open that window? It’s working wonders.” Tommy nodded and looked back at the street below. “It’s strange, ya know? It cleared up so fast.” 

Wilbur pulled the chair he had been sitting in back over to him, closer to the line of sight the window gave way for. It allowed a nice path for a breeze to cool him off. Tommy stayed standing, too enamored into the sight to stop. He couldn’t tell if it was the fatigue or the heat that had let this small temperature change get to him but he wasn’t in the mood to deduce anything. “Yea... well it is pretty breezy.” Tommy nodded again.

“It feels like every time everything gets worked up around me everything gets all... hot and shit.” Wilbur stiffened. A response wasn’t given on his part so Tommy continued his thought process lazily. “The office got all stuffy... then the car... then just now... It’s like someone’s out to get me when I’m all spooked.” 

Silence. Tommy hypnotized slightly by the view, he never saw Wilbur’s reaction. If he had looked, he would have seen a mixture of concern and knowing. No context is given and no response crafted, the silence grew around the room once more. 

Moments passed and nothing. Tommy was too tired to notice anything amiss so the room stayed that way for a while. Just the two of them looking out that small window as time passed. It was good for Tommy to have a moment like this to clear his thoughts, it also got him to appreciate the effect of a good window. 

It was a revelation for Wilbur. The sickness patterns of everyone in the family. The strange happenings. It wasn't just an odd circumstance, was it? It couldn’t be. He had to test it. 

He really didn’t want to. Honestly? The truth shouldn’t have mattered at that moment. Wilbur knew that his suspicions were born of too many nights stuck watching supernatural theories online, and he tried very hard not to put too much weight on them. 

He knew he should have not done anything. His brother wasn’t a rat to test things on. 

That nagging feeling of promise just wouldn’t let go though. 

“Tommy?”

“Yea?”

“Do you really think they are going to suspend you?” 

This snapped the boy out of his moment, turning back to Will. “I...Uhh...Well, I don’t know.” He forced himself not to think about the outcome before, and truth be told he had been failing pretty badly. “I guess if I were to say they probably will. Won’t they?”

Will shrugged. “I remember that office, they were always understanding to me in the past.” 

“Well that’s just it, you never had the...” TEMPER “attitude I do. They love you there, your rep even got me out of some shit awhile back.” Tommy began to dig himself into a well of anxieties once more.  That’s right, Will always did the opposite of me. That’s why they always loved him. 

I’m wrong, aren’t I?

“Tommy?” He didn’t know he was starting to tear up. “Are you okay?”

“Of course I'm fuckin’ not, Will. I tried. Months spent buying my time for a dumb alternative to what shitty path I was on just to end up back on it for no reason. It’s never fair.”

Will have out a guilt-ridden look and stood up, walking over to Tommy.

He put his hand on the shoulder of the boy and started to pull him into a hug, but a quick jerk stopped those plans. 

“No! I’m not... I don’t... you don’t get it. You never did, did you?! You were always the best with these things. It’s like every room you’re in was made for you. With me, everyone acts like I’m a fuckin’ dog. A feral animal that's only purpose is to bark and bite. They don’t give a shit what I think. They don’t give a shit about what I’m actually like. They never try.

“With you?! With you, they hang on to your every word. You’re able to just... talk to people. No worries. Nothing. Nobody looking at you all funny, no expectations due to some rumor they heard once from someone they barely know.

“ It’s never fair. ”

He started to raise his voice. Wilbur started backing up slightly, leading Tommy to assume how he looked to his bother.

“See?!  Fucking see!  I’m even doing it now! It’s not even my fault it’s yours for ducking bringing this whole thing up. What did you want me to respond with Will?  “Yea I’m going to get kicked out Wilbur, somewhere you were able to just walk right through. ” 

Tommy knew by now he was crying. He couldn’t help it. 

Wilbur had nothing but shame to give, he knew this would happen. All for a dumb theory. He wiped his brow and went to comfort his brother, going for another attempted hug. Before the boy could push him away he wrapped his hands around him and heals tighter than before. 

It was at this moment he realized how boiling the kid actually was. It wasn’t his head either, it was his back, his arms as they sunk reluctantly around him, the fair that had the starts of beaded sweat. It took him a bit to gauge but there was almost a thick layer of heat that wafted off of Tommy.

The boy just hugged his brother, trying to calm himself down in any way he could. 

“Tom?”

He wasn’t ready to give a response to Will, so he just held him closer.

“I’m sorry for bringing that up. I... I just... I wasn’t thinking... that was entirely on me, you’re right.” 

The moment slowly passed by and came to a stop. The cool of the window crept back in, jolting Tommy to a stop. 

“There it is again... the fucking heat shit. ”

This time Tommy noticed his brother’s look. Wilbur flinched at the mention. 

“The heat?” 

“Yea I think I mentioned it before,” Tommy said taking note of his brother’s reaction and moving on. “Every time I get into a situation like this recently everything gets hot.” He laughed it off. “Just odd is all.”

“Odd?”

“Yea. Why?”

Silence. Tommy pulled out of the hug to take a look at Wilbur and finally saw the guilt and shock that painted across him. 

“Wilbur what... it was just a dumb comment. Did I... say something?”

“No! I just figured... well I think...”

Tommy in an attempt to make things a bit lighthearted went to play off the moment. “What? Spit it out, big man.”

“Nothing. Just thinking a bit too hard.”

“Yea that’s going around, I think.”  

~0~0~0~

A week.

It cost Tommy a week to get the results of the office meeting. 

Phil was overly cautious after the whole proceedings and allowed the boy to stay home the entire time. It had been going great, gaming with Will, Pestering Techno, and spending more time with Phil than he had in months. 

Turns out the school decided against expelling him indefinitely but resorting to suspending him until further deliberation. Phil had fought hard to keep Tommy where he was and made a point to stay at the kids' side. He was more than thankful.

The decision came as no surprise to Tommy. The only detail he really found interesting was that they did not automatically throw him out. He knew the administration was just itching to. His father must have pulled out some magic to secure him a simple suspension. So, the boy took it in strides. He wasn't terribly worried but he wasn't overly passive about it. 

Overall it had been a much-needed break, especially with the anxiety build-up. The underlying feeling of guilt of missing school was still very there, but the quiet moments with his family made up for it. Nobody judged him, finally in a safe environment for a while.

School felt like it had lasted forever beforehand. Days went by and he wouldn’t spend more than an hour with anyone in his family at a time. He could blame homework for that.

Strangely enough, a few days after the office meeting the house seemed to develop some sort of heat issue. Kristin’s working theory was a leaky window or something of the sort. That theory seemed likely enough that the majority of the house didn’t question it. Phil claimed it hadn't been an issue for him and that he was doing just fine. Tommy hadn't really realized it as much but upon closer inspection realized his brother was right. 

Wilbur knew that it wasn't a leaky window. 

Over the few days of being home, Will had pointed out the majority of heat spots. Depending on who was in the room the conversation seemed to go in a few ways. If Phil was in the room, he shut Will down instantly. Never even a thought to the conversation just instantly onto something new. Changing topics became the usual. Even Techno asked Tommy about it.

If Kristin was there she would just pass it off as nothing unusual and move along. Techno... Techno would listen. Will would talk about a few scattered theories and remark on the oddity. Techno would chime in a few times but keep to the listening role. 

Tommy was interested.

Maybe not as much as Will but he would agree every time the elder brought up a few passing thoughts in its direction. Techno didn't seem to appreciate the heat either.

After the strange temperature events started to slow Wilbur’s interest faded.  (Much to Phil’s liking)

Tommy tried his hardest not to think about it. Whenever he did it made everything feel weird, like it wasn’t allowed to be thought about. Phil’s reactions were normally to be trusted and Tommy wanted to keep everything normal.

At present, that strange normalcy was being rivaled. 

Today was a journey. Started tame, Phil heading off to work and Will giving him a hard time, Jokes turned to jabs, Passing jabs turned into an argument. Techno separated the two as soon as voices were raised.

 Now he was alone in his room scrambling to find something to get his mind off the fight. Just as he was about to boot up Terraria, a knock cracked his door open. 

“Toms?” It was Kristin. He gave no response. His mother popped her head into the room and shifted to a lean in the doorway. 

“You okay?” Tommy wanted to snap at her for even asking that question, but he knew she didn’t deserve any of that. 

“Will be. Just a bit pissed off is all.” 

“Well, you have a right to be. I spoke to Will about it just a second ago. We’re going to have a talk about this later. He was completely out of line and it wasn’t fair of him to work you up like that, especially because of everything going on.”

Tommy made a nod of agreement in her direction. He never faced her. She was right about Will, but he just didn’t have the energy nor the capacity to respond.

“Why don’t you try writing it out? That’s what I do in situations like this.”

“Writing what out?”

“What are you thinking about this whole situation? Try and explain how you feel. That helps me ration everything in my mind. Up to you.”

Tommy was not going to do that. Not that he wanted to bash on his mother, but it seemed to him it would do more harm than good. He didn’t even want to think about it. His peace was disturbed after a stressful event, and it ticked him off. 

“Anyways, if you need me I’ll be in the office. Give me a shout if you need anything at all.” With that she ducked out of the frame and back into the hallway, slowly closing his door again.

“Will do!” Tommy shouted back after her. 

Back to his game. 

One new file save and twenty minutes later he concluded this wasn’t going anywhere and closed everything out of frustration. Why couldn’t things just go right? He was behaving just like he should have been. 

Will just had to go and fuck it all up. 

His attention went from the screen to his drawers. He opened them and found some paper inside. Tommy wasn’t going to write anything about all this. He didn’t want to. It may have been a good idea but it was going to force him to confront the issue. Never a fun thing to do.

He closed the drawer again and went back to everything. 

~o~o~o~

“Tommy?” It was another knock at the door, this time his brother. Not happening. Tommy was busy now. Busy with useless Minecraft videos? Maybe, but it was a much safer option than talking to Wilbur. With all their recent fights it just wasn’t worth it. He knew he could get away with a few days of silence before Phil finally ordered a meeting so he went for that path. 

“I know you’re there.” Tommy so badly wanted to say  ‘Of course I’m here you dipshit where else would I be? ’ but alas, that would require speech. Tommy used those newfound powers of restraint and kept that silence on the burner. 

“Look,” Wilbur started. “I said some things back there but I didn’t mean…” Will had a sharp intake of breath and stopped for a second to access his thoughts. “I just wanted… I never meant to make things into a fight.” he finally coughed out. “You know I’m usually like this I thought you were able to take the little comments and such . Not that you aren’t able to  but I had never stopped to think how it would affect you.”

Tommy thought that was the case. One thing he didn’t know was why Will had been so instigative with the whole situation. He had just started with nothing but unlike usual he kept the high energy up. Tommy knew he had done it on purpose.

It wasn't abnormal that Wilbur would be the first to apologize in spats such as this but never with a remorseful tone as the one he had just used. Words are always smooth and witticisms always on point, a rare occurrence to see his stature falter. Wilburs whimsical persona cracked as the silence dragged on, sharper than ever

“...Toms?” An invitation to speak, an olive branch. It wasn't as if Tommy was without fault, and the fight could have gone worse. As mad as he was, this was Wilbur. Knowing the man he would just bribe him not to be mad later. 

So Tommy took a path that was unfamiliar to him. He didn't stay mad like he wanted to and he wasn't quick to forgive. Tommy decided to cautiously continue. Forgive now, and find out why later. 

“You don't have to respond but I wanted to--”

“...It's okay,” The boy muttered. A glance was spared at the blank paper he had in his desk before he decided against it one final time.“Just forget it.”

The footsteps leaving were the only response Wilbur gave in return.

Chapter Text

“Welcome back to the land of the living!” Phil called out from behind the kitchen counter.

It had been hours since Tommy left his room, and almost a day since he has interacted with any of his family. He resolved to merely grumble in acknowledgment and dive immediately for the milk in the fridge. Phil had placed a bowl of oatmeal in the microwave and stopped for a moment to look back at him. “Are you doing okay, mate?” A small nod was provided and Tommy shut the fridge behind him. 

“I want to call a family meeting later today, can I count on you to be here?” Phil’s light tone made the statement seem somehow less daunting, however, Tommy still picked up on the subject matter quickly.

The boy stopped his search for cereal for a second and turned to look at the elder. “This is about Will and I, isn't it?” It was Phil’s turn to nod. His father had dawned a passive and non-accusing facial expression. Tommy had clearly had enough of high emotional situations to last the week.

“It's not your fault what happened in the argument, I know that. I just want to hit on what happened and how we can avoid situations like that moving forward.” Tommy looked back at the cabinet and fished for the cheerios in the back. “I can't lie, with all these arguments becoming a pattern I'm worried about you all. None of this seems to be helping you de-stress and I can probably say the same for Will. He cares about you but…” Phil falters and stumbles on his next words, messing with his oatmeal in front of him. He can't seem to find the right ones to articulate quite what he has seen.

“But? But he likes taking his anger out on me? Likes pushing my buttons?” Tommy suggested. 

“While I can say Will has been pretty instigative with fights recently I can say he is just as conflicted as you. I think he sees a lot of himself in you and vice versa. He doesn't know how to handle it and it's becoming hard for him to communicate exactly what he is thinking.” Tommy pried a bowl from the cabinet beside him and spared Phil a glance, “That's not my fault.” 

“It isn't. That isn't on you and it isn't okay for him to be taking that out on you. I just wanted you to know that he loves and cares about you and that he isn't acting the way he is because he hates or dislikes you in any way.” Phil walked over to the boy, offering a spoon.

Tommy gladly took it and began over to the table. Of course, he knew Will didn't hate him, that's something he wasn't going to second guess in the slightest. He just couldn't understand Phil's reasoning. If Will really did see that much of himself in Tommy, why wasn't he clearer about it? That had been proven to be Will's specialty throughout the years, honesty. It's how he and Tommy had gotten so close when they were kids. 

That made the situation as a whole a lot harder because as it was clear Will wasn't being transparent Tommy couldn't figure out his motivation. It made him frustrated. Years of handling and resolving situations, why was this one any different? As if to snap the boy out of his thoughts, the microwave rang out through the kitchen, causing Phil to shuffle back over to it. 

The slight creaking of a door was heard from upstairs. A few moments passed and Tommy noted there were stomping noises from the stairs. Couldn't have been Will, he always raced down the stairs regardless of the situation. “Mornin’.” Techno offered as he trod down the stairs. Phil’s smile widened as he motioned to the kitchen. Tommy noticed the slight hesitancy with Techno’s steps as he entered to see him. He hated it. 

Techno stayed silent as he grabbed something Tommy could assume was a protein bar from the pantry. That was Techno’s approach to conflict, silence. It proved effective over time but likely it was just due to him not understanding what to say. 

“So Techno, how is everything going with school?” Phil offered, moving to the kitchen himself trading places with techno out of the kitchen. “It’s going fine, late night.” his father hummed in acknowledgement as he sat down across from Tommy. “I hope everything went well, worried about your sleep, mate.” 

“Ehh, a little sleep deprivation hasn't killed anybody.” Tommy lightly snickered looking back over at Phil for a response. His father was rolling his eyes and giving a look of faint disappointment. “Maybe not but it certainly has contributed. Wait, why aren't you asleep? If the assignment was so late surely you could sleep in. I'm sure they wouldn't overwork you  quite that much.” 

“My fan broke,” Techno said, retrieving a glass from the shelves. “Don't tell me you were able to sleep fine last night.” Fan? Tommy didn't understand. It was spring and it had rained last night. “Why would you need your fan?” Phil was clearly on the same wavelength Tommy was. The boy looked over to see techno staring back in confusion. 

“The heat?” No response. The two at the table didn't know what to say. Will had stopped complaining and they thought the issue had been resolved. 

“I was probably fast asleep before any heat started acting up I guess.” Phil still didn't quite get what Techno had said. Truth be told he was actually quite cold from the rain. 

“Same?” Tommy looked to his father. Phil shrugged back. 

“That is… concerning. Dad, my room has been really hot these last few days. I think our heat may be broken. I thought Wilbur brought it up to you?” 

“Oh, Will had said something about that when Tommy got sick. I’ll ask your mother to call the housing guy she knows. In the meantime feel free to sleep down here, I can also get a fan for you.” 

“Could you? I'm used to working in my room and I don't want to get distracted down here.” 

“Can I go with you Dad?” The boy looked to his father. Usually, he would have retreated back to his room but this was a chance to get out and not worry about if Wilbur is downstairs. Phil seems taken aback but a smile grows on his face. “Yea, sure. We can head out after breakfast. I don't have work today. Your mom won't be coming though, she is babysitting for the neighbors again.” 

“Sounds good.” Tommy smiled and went back to eating his cereal. Maybe today would be a bit better. Phil had a tendency to do that. 

~0~0~0~

“He really did?!’ Phil nodded with a smug expression. “That's gold, dad. I thought Will had a perfect record there.”

“Your brother may be known for that but truth be told he has a tendency to sweet talk his way out of situations like that. I had to beg Kistan to punish him whenever he did anything bad at all as a kid. Puppy eyes were too strong I suppose.” Tommy laughed once more.

The two had arrived at the mall about an hour ago and had bought everything but the fan they came in for. Electing to not only buy two helpings of soft pretzels, but a few new games to try. Phil swore it was because the appliance store was farther in, and omitted the part where he parked purposefully closer to the game store for a quick peek. 

The ploy was seen right though, and somehow it made Tommy feel a lot more welcome. Who was he to complain? He got a few knick-knacks from the store as well. Knick knacks he couldn't wait to shove in Techno’s face to invoke feelings of jealousy and rage. (Because that's what his brother would do, and not act like he was paying attention and shove his face in a book.)

“I don't remember a lot from when I was younger, but I bet I was like that. Smooth talker, that's what they call me you know. I'm the smoothest talker, dearest father.”

“No you are absolutely not,” Phil stated matter of factly with a bit of a chuckle. “You once tried to argue that you hadn't killed one of your mother's plants, that it ‘simply was too weak to be around you.’ ”

“Was it really a lie though? Jeremy was a weak-minded soul and decided he wasn't up for living. You would think plants were tough for how long they have lasted on the earth. Should have grown legs, dickheads. Years of evolution and not a thought behind ‘em.” Phil burst out laughing at the absurdity. Tommy was back and in full swing apparently. 

Talking about plants and their apparent lack of thought lasted for a little while before the two finally made it to the appliance store, finding fans upon immediately entering.

“Summer is incoming I would guess they expected the traffic.” Phil offered. Tommy nodded and made his way to the table that shelved them, grabbing two without thought. Phil raised an eyebrow and pointed at the two boxes. “ What? ” his son reflected the eyebrows as he looked back at him. 

“Do you need one?” 

“Why would I need one? I'm fine, don't get hot easily. Didn't Wilbur complain about the heat before?”

Phil smiled at his son. Ever the smart one. “I would have completely forgotten if I'm honest. Glad you remembered that. It's nice that you're thinking of your brother after yesterday.” Phil went to the fan display as well and grabbed the third one for himself. 

“What can I say? I'm a kind, kind man father dearest.” Phil chuckled, placing the box into their cart. “One last call for fans by the way.” 

“Father, I have so many fans already.”

“Quite the superstar, huh.”

“You know me! Biggest star. The star one might say.”

Phil gave a passing eye roll and a chuckle, moving on towards the register. Tommy followed closely behind making little comments here and there. His attention quickly hopped from one thing to another until he was stopped quite suddenly. 

Standing across the aisle from him and his father happened to be a kid he knew from school. More specifically a short-tempered kid who he most notably bit in trouble for getting frustrated a few days prior. 

The very reason he was so stressed for the past week was looking at his phone with a bored and unmoving expression. The kid had been clearly dragged along by the elder parent beside him, offering statements Tommy couldn't make out that was clearly being ignored in favor of the screen in front of him. 

Tommy had not known he completely stopped walking until Phil did as well, looking back at him. He looked back to his father cautiously.

 “...everything… going… Tommy?”

The boy offered no response. He was frozen for a moment. He wasn't going to lash out at the kid, but the mere sight of him made Tommy clearly afraid. He hated being afraid, weak. In front of everyone in the store. The strange side glances of a few people around him began to burn and dig at his skin, offering only more pressure. 

Phil looking at him with increasingly more concern didn't help either. The look only served to fan the flames. His father approached slowly, saying something his panic wasn't discerning. The way he moved closer to Tommy made it seem like he was walking up to a caged animal. 

A hand graced his shoulder suddenly, alarming Tommy and snapping him out of whatever trance the sight had put him in. When the boy looked up he met his father's eyes. They painted the picture of a worried and concerned parent. Tommy was confused why his father looked at him like that. It had only been one moment. Phil elected to speak and squeezed his son's shoulder. “You aren't looking too-”

A sharp yelp pierced Tommy's ears, sending him jolting away from his father. He had shut his eyes out of panic and quickly did what he could to recover. That yell had been his fathers, why did he yell like that?! Phil was sent spiraling back, yanking at his right arm and caving into himself,

Tommy opened his eyes suddenly to be met with the sight of his father, who was now gripping his hand in clear pain, his face turning red. Looking further Tommy noticed the small orange glint out of the corner of his eye and sharply turned his attention to it. 

His shoulder was on fire

In a blind panic, Tommy yelled out and began to swat his shoulder quickly. His heart was racing alongside his panic. If he had a clearer mind he would have realized the odd lack of pain he was experiencing. 

After a few swats, the small flame went out. Behind it, the damage it left was only a small scorch mark. The shirt hadn't burned through?

Tommy, deciding he was now safe, put two and two together and realized why his father was now in pain. He looked back and where he once saw his dad alone, was now a small crowd of two workers and a few concerned customers. Some looked at him in confusion but the majority had their focus trained on his father. 

Phil looked about in as much pain, if not worse. His left hand was holding his right with a death grip, his knuckles white as a sheet.

“Dad?! What-Are you-Dad are you okay?! ” Tommy stormed over, the small group parting their way to allow him next to his dad. 

A few voices chimed in, some asking if he was okay instead, some on the phone with a doctor presumably. Tommy didn't have time for them and frankly, he couldn't. The worry he once had over the kid was long forgotten, only replaced by the blind concern and panic that the sight in front of him evoked.

 Phil never got hurt, he was always so careful. Whether it was the stove, knives, gardening, you name it, Tommy’s father was always the most conscious of the family. Terrifyingly instead of the cool expression he always wore, the elder's eyes were squeezed shut and his face was beet red, he was hunched over himself and clearly shaking. To see Phil like this was utterly horrifying.

“Dad?! What… What happened? Should I call someone?”

His father huffed for a second before eliciting a response. “N..no I'm fine -” he began to take a  sharp intake of breath. “Fine?! No- Someone is calling the hospital you are going to be fine-”

“No. N...No doctors. I'll be okay.” Phil made an attempt to get up slightly, helped by a worker beside him. 

“Dad! We need to get you, someone, you're being unreasonable-” 

“Tommy…” Finally, Tommy is faced with his father's eyes. 

Phil is looking at him like he did when they were in the office. That weird look he just couldn't make out. One thing was sure, he wasn't happy.

“We are going home.”

Chapter Text

“Let the records show it wasn't my idea.” 

“I have gathered that, yes.” Kristin looked back down at her significant other, antiseptic in hand. The look of concern she had dawned about 20 minutes ago seemed to have stuck to her face at this point. She had rushed back over to the house as soon as she heard the news about Phil, leaving the neighbors kids with snacks and a notice that she would be back soon. When she arrived the chaos had broken out already and she got sucked up in it all. Phil somehow burned his hand badly and drove home with a makeshift bandage over his burn. 

Not the best thing to come right home to. 

Tommy had been outspoken from the start about his apparent want to see a doctor with his father, explaining he was shot down instantly. Kristin knew this was odd but wasn't surprised. Phil would do strange things like this and give little to no context afterward. The most recent example was Tommy’s sickness. She was keen on rushing him to the hospital and let Phil know that fact. Resolute in his choice, Phil had done his best to explain the situation with a few passing remarks. 

This was just how her husband was sometimes. This rare phenomenon had occurred in the past but only around their children. It happened a few times with Wilbur and more so with Techno. Phil would  “forget”  to take them to the doctors one day or take one of the kids out on a  “sick day”  when they had no symptoms. At first, Kristin was extremely concerned. Phil was as open as anyone could be and had exemplary communication skills. For him to simply stop and refrain from even giving context to a strange citation was unheard of. 

The way Phil explained it to her was that he just had a feeling sometimes. He called it  “Intuition”  and trusted his gut to an odd degree. Kristin had been quick to call him out, as he had never been one to act on gut feelings before, and frankly, gut feelings usually had context. It had been a rocky time for a bit after this. She thought he was acting irrationally and didn't take fostering the children as seriously as she did. 

This changed when on one of the last “ sick days ” Techno ever had, where Phil had almost been accidentally stabbed. He had been making something for the boy to eat in the kitchen, Kristin had an off day so she stayed home. It was nice to finally see what the odd days off from school looked like. 

Everything was unbearably normal up to this point. Techno reading some random novel at the table, Phil talking about some fun interesting story he had heard about, and Kristan listening along. 

Phil’s elbow had slipped. An honest and dangerous mistake to make, especially since the object was a knife now making its way to his foot. Kristin hadn't clocked onto the fact in the slightest but somehow Techno did. 

As soon as the clattering of the metal leaving the table fell into the room, Techno bolted up. The boy bolted into the kitchen so fast that Kristin hadn't even noticed he left the table. The next thing the two parents know, Techno was now crouching down by his father’s feet holding the knife. Phil stumbling back at the sight was the straw that finally had gotten Kristin to notice the commotion. 

As soon as Phil had finally explained what happened, Kristin had thought it was a prank, before she could voice that concern the expression on Techno’s face gave her the confirmation that it wasn't.  (That and the knife that the kid was now clutching onto within an inch of his life.)

Phil explained to her later that this situation was why he had called the boy home. Kristin trusted his weird hunches from then on.

“I have the bandages,” Techno unturned the corner into the living room where everyone was now huddled around Phil. He offered his mother the supplies and she gladly took them with a passing thanks. “I hope they are enough.”

“Dad, I-”

“If you say you're sorry one more time I'm going to get a lighter and burn you out of spite.”

This shut the blonde up for the time being and garnering a laugh from the two others. Techno took his place in the conversation with a huff, “It's not like you did anything, or could do anything, to be frank. Like dad explained, it was a freak accident. Burn isn't even that bad.” 

Tommy knew this was Techno’s way of trying to comfort him, it's what he had always done. The bluntness was the opposite of help sadly. Times like these made him miss Will’s reassurance. With his brother out with friends at the current moment and the lack of communication between them as of recent he knew that signature Wilbur comfort wasn't going to come. 

“Techno is right,” offered Kristin. “I have no idea how it happened to begin with but it was not your fault. Unless you have some crazy conspiracy to prove me wrong I'm afraid as I see it all you're guilty of is not convincing this hardhead to go to the doctors, and even then I'm not sure you even could.” 

“Very true. I am pretty hardheaded. “ Phil shrugged, earning him a swat from Kristin as he moved the bandages. A fake look of pain registered on his face as a response. 

“I just… Don't even know what happened. How did it even happen?”

“Best not think too hard, that'll hurt your kid brain.” Techno laughed.

“I second the not thinking part. I am tired of the situation right now and still recovering from it all. Would I be judged for wanting a nap?”

“Nah it would make sense, you being  old  and all.” With Phil’s left arm he swatted the top of Techno’s head. Kristin offered a laugh, finally finishing up wrapping her husband's hand. Tommy had offered to do it but his mother took over before he could even say anything. 

All he wanted to be was helpful. His father had gone out of his way to be as kind as possible all morning and the stress whatever happened caused ruined it. It was the first time in a few days Tommy had felt like he genuinely wasn't worried. It had become a habit for him to get in his head and it was less than healthy. 

It wasn't as if he didn't recognize it, he was deathly aware. He knew how it had been affecting him. 

He needed to clear his head. 

“Hey, mom?" She made a noise of acknowledgment, not looking up from Phil’s hand. 

“If Dad is okay can I head to my room? Today has been… a lot.”

“That sounds like a good idea.” His father answered instead. Kristin nodded, looking to meet her son.  “Agreed.  Go ahead.”

~0~0~0~

The road below rumbled with motion. Cars passing by without a thought in his direction. Normally things were always this busy, living on the outskirts of the city had added perks of less noise and commotion but somehow the traffic remained the same. The cold rush of air the cars left behind began to chill Tommy ever so slightly. The absence of the sun hadn't helped either. 

Maybe mom was right,  Tommy offered a glance up to the scattered stars.  This would be a lot easier if I was able to write this shot out. 

It never was his issue to let himself be heard, but making sense of that noise was the hard part. Between the events of recent, it made it hard not to pull his hair out. Nothing made sense anymore. He wanted to be grateful that he wasn't getting suspended, that Wilbur was genuinely apologetic, that his father wasn't genuinely hurt by the freak accident. Why should someone so fortunate be ungrateful to have peace? 

“Toms?”

The boy flinched in surprise. Daring to look in the direction of the voice, he noticed his brother hanging his head out of his window and looking at him.  Why is he here? Hasn't he been avoiding me all day?

“What are you doing up there? Dad isn't going to be”

“Well  Dad  isn't going to know, is he?” He bit back. Will grew still for a moment before offering a small whisper of acknowledgment. Tommy didn't make any moves towards or away from Will, only electing to keep to his corner. This was  his  place to think after all. The elder brother looked away from him and to the street. The silence grew between the two effortlessly, Tommy too stubborn to offer anything and Wilbur not knowing what to say. 

Whistling and whizzing passed by as the time ticked on between them. The thick atmosphere began to ease around them slowly. The occasional sigh was audibly heard escaping Wilbur’s lips but nothing substantial was stated, neither of the two felt the need. Tommy’s anger that arrived when the elder arrived began to shift into a small feeling of worry. He didn't understand why he hadn't closed the window. The younger began to count the cars as they passed, deciding to stop when his brother finally decided to go.

One problem, he wasn't.

“Can I  help you ?” 

Wilbur shifted for a second, unable to formulate a plan as to what to respond with. Tommy was surely upset with him, of that there was no doubt. What he wasn't sure about however was how to approach that. Tommy was always forgetful and forgiving with their arguments. For the boy to stick to his story with this meant he knew that there was something wrong. Unintentionally Wilbur had signaled a difference between the by the way he had responded and any way to get out of that difference was clouded. How could he tell his brother what he was thinking and feeling when he knew that the kid wouldn't listen. 

“I… Just wanted to see the stars. I can go back in, don't worry.” As soon as he finally turned to leave,

“Wait…”

Wilbur shifted and hesitantly stuck out his head from the window finally looking at Tommy again. He stayed silent, expecting a follow-up. Tommy’s face was riddled with uncertainty, the reliable smirk he usually wore had melted into a slight frown. He was picking at his nails and avoiding all eye contact. It was an unusual look to find on the kid. He looked smaller than he usually was, the tall stature he confidently exuded was folded into itself. 

Wil gave a sympathetic smile, one that wasn't seen. He didn't feel the need to push a further response. The kid could come to him when he was ready. As he attempted to duck his head back into his room once more, Tommy finally came to the right words.

“If you're looking for a good view of the stars, here is the best place.”

  Both boys froze. Will hesitated for a moment,  was this going to make things better?  For all he knew this would devolve into more fighting. It wasn't as if he had not deserved it with the ways he has been acting. Ultimately he knew that things would only get worse if he didn't leave the window, so with a slow and cautious exit out of the window, he began a short trek over to where his brother was sitting. 

As the elder sat beside his brother the silence returned. It was less anxious than the last. The stars were genuinely beautiful that night, light pollution knocked a great many out of view but the ones that remained shined brighter than they had expected. The moon wasn't quite full, but the light it produced was enough to grant the two slight shadows onto the roof. 

Cars kept up their never-ending stream, weaving through the packed neighborhood just bustling to get home. The nightlife wasn't too extreme in the area but the city workers were out at all hours doing all sorts of odd jobs. Tommy loved the feeling that no matter where he looked, someone would always be awake with him. It made things feel a lot less lonely.

“...I want to accept your apology…” Tommy began. Wilbur shifted his gaze back to him. 

“...But?”

“But I want an explanation.” Here it comes, exactly what Wilbur was afraid of. The moment the kid would confront him. Strangely enough, he hadn't expected it this early so he was taken aback by the words. Upon seeing the said reaction, Tommy rushed to explain. 

“I'm not sure what is going on with you and I'm tired of pretending it isn't new. Things are different when we talk, it's like you're constantly chomping at the bit to rile me up and it isn't funny. At first, I thought you were just mad at me for being expelled but you even said that wasn't the case at the start. Then I thought it was that I was annoying or something odd like that, but that isn't the case because before our last argument I made sure to be as careful as possible. I feel like I'm walking on eggshells and every time I mess up you are there to remind me.” 

Wilbur did not explain, only allowing the younger to continue. “I know you might have something going on and I feel for you… but it's not fair. I am under more stress than ever and you aren't giving me the same curtsies I am giving you. I'm  trying. Really hard. ”

Somehow, the kid known for being eloquent with every word and emotion he felt was rendered speechless at that moment. Tommy didn't know just how right he was with everything and the guilt of that weighed heavier on Wilburs back than it ever had been before. Wilbur hadn't been stressed, worried, or even annoyed at Tommy. The worst part of it all was, he was perfectly fine. 

He was intentionally doing all of this; all of the small lies, all of the nitpicking, all the instigating. It was, in his mind, for a very good and very warranted reason and somehow he couldn't spit out an answer to Tommy as to why. 

So, instead of words, Wilbur enveloped his brother in the biggest hug he ever had given before. Tommy grew still, not leaning into the hug or out of it. He was tired. At this moment, Will noticed the faint shivering coming from Tommy. He hadn't clocked onto the cold of the night due to his jumper, but he now felt like an idiot for not realizing it sooner. He pulled away from the hug suddenly only to see Tommy now flooded with confusion. 

“I'll be right back.” With that Wilbur began down the roof and back into his window haphazardly, quickly ducking into his room and grabbing the light blue hoodie that draped off his chair. Mindlessly, he dipped back out and ran back up to meet his brother once more. Tommy had no idea what the fuss was about, the cold didn't quite hit him properly yet and his brother had interrupted one of the most vulnerable times he had been in. 

“Here,” Wilbur extended the hoodie over to his brother. Tommy looked at it for a second. 

“Uhh… Thanks…” Tommy grabbed it slowly, eyeing Will the whole time. “What? Has it got something on it?” 

“No… the hoodie is fine. It's just that you never let anyone wear this. Isn't this your favorite?” 

It had been years since Wilbur first got the hoodie. Some of Tommy’s first memories in the house involve Wilbur wearing the said hoodie. It had been explained to him that it had been one of if not the first gift Phil had given him when he was first properly introduced to the family. The fabric was worn and well-loved, nothing too complicated about the design either. It looked like nothing special, just something you would find in anyone’s closet. When Will first got it, the size was leagues too large and he had to grow into it. It had been indicated that this hoodie was more important than he had first thought when Tommy had accidentally spilled something on it when he was a kid. Will glared at him for a few weeks straight after that. 

The older looked down at the hoodie Tommy now held worryingly in his hands realizing what he grabbed. Oddly enough, he wasn't mad. 

“I can get a new one if you need, but if you are worried about me then I don't mind.” He offered. Tommy gave a confused look back to him before lifting it above his head and pulling it over. It was riddled with loose threads and small tears by the cuffs. The blonde felt more out of place than he did before. 

Wilbur sat back down next to him slowly, finally looking back to the view in front of them. “Just make sure not to damage it.” He smiled. 

“Don't worry, I won't light it on fire or anything.” Tommy scoffed. 

There it was again. That feeling. Wilbur immediately snapped back to look at Tommy. Did he know something? 

“What?!” 

Tommy simply looked back at his brother, an unchanging expression. “...It's just a joke. You know?  After today ?” 

“Wait... is  that  how Phil got burned? He wouldn't let me ask questions about it when I got home and Techno was sworn to secrecy.” Wilbur shot up to his feet. The peace was finally interrupted like he predicted, but not in a way he ever could have guessed.  He was right. 

He was right.

“Yea, some freak accident. You should have seen it, one second I was distracted by something, and then boom! My entire shoulder lit up like a Christmas tree. Phil was hushed about it with me as well, he drove all the way home in silence. It was about the scariest I've seen him since the office at school last week. Mom said it wasn't terrible though.”

Wilbur was right.

“Techno helped treat his hand and all so I got a scolding from him as well. I didn't mean to do whatever that was and I still have no idea how it happened so if you are looking for a reason to get mad at me please don't. Father has expressed in every way known to man that it wasn't my fault or doing.”

Wilbur darted back down and grabbed his younger brother's shoulders shakily. Tommy flinched back in response but he couldn't escape the crazy grip Will now inflicted on him. In his mind he was repeating, Oh here we go! Another fight! Wonderful!

“ Tommy, ” Will’s tone was strange. He sounded like he usually did when he was talking about conspiracy theories; Strangely serious and weirdly scared. “Are you  100% sure  that's how it happened?” 

“Yea, well I'm pretty sure. I saw it myself and I'm still confused.”

“And Dad is acting weird about it?”

“Yea, that's odd to me too. Like how he is with my suspension. Why?” 

Wilbur broke eye contact with the boy for a second. If Tommy was to liken his expression to anything he would liken it to how his father would look when Tommy would get in trouble again at school. A mix of confusion and solemn seriousness. The cold had decidedly not caused the chill that crawled down Tommy’s back that time. The silence that his brother now caused began to freak him out. What had he done that elicited this response, and the death grip that clenched around his arms didn't help either.

“Okay, You're freaking me out. What is it?”

“Tommy…” Will looked back up again hesitantly and met his eyes. “Tommy, can you get mad at me right now?”

“Well, I'm still mad at you after-”

“No! Mad mad, like I just hurt you or something.”

Tommy jerked away from his brother's grasp and finally escaped it, getting increasingly worried at the tone that was now being used. It was like the calm collected star-gazing Wilbur that once sat across from him was now replaced. The snap change was alarming and did nothing to quell the anxieties he had about that day. “Will, What? You're being nice to me and giving me this, then another you're asking me to get upset over nothing? I'm not your  puppet! ” 

“ Shit! You're right! ” Wilbur lunged at the boy, fishing the hoodie off of him and pulling it towards him. Tommy was now fussing about the action and trying to throw the elder off of him but to no avail. Before he knew it Wilbur had a very messy-looking hoodie in his arms and a disgruntled Tommy laying across the roof tiles. 

“Is that what you were worried about?! The  damn  hoodie? Not, I don't know, your brother who is trying to make sense of a weird situation? The  fuck  is up with you!” Wilbur was pushing his buttons again for the millionth time that week and now he was just being clearer about it. Did he want Tommy mad that badly? It seemed no matter what he was getting his wish. 

“Yes! Like that! Keep that up!” The taller encouraged as he stood back up, never losing eye contact with the boy. It was so weird, almost like he was analyzing him. Like Tommy was a specimen.  It was so uncomfortable. 

“Keep fucking  what  up, Will? I'm so   tired  of this weird act you keep putting on. One moment you're being unnecessarily nice to me and another you're just  itching  to be a complete  ass  to me for no reason. Yesterday it was just a game, the day before it was over cereal. What is it  this time ? That  you want me mad so you can show me up again?  Always get the last word over me!  Always the quicker and smarter thinker! I would like to see you deal with what I have been dealing with for the past-”

“Tommy! Look!”  

“No! Fuck you! You look! I'm sick of you walking over me and toying with me like I'm some sort of puppet. I'm not! I'm a living breathing human being and your brother at that!  I am so done-”

“TOMMY!” 

Wilbur’s expression snapped Tommy out of what he was doing before his words did. The look of strange satisfaction washed into distinct and cold fear. It planted a feeling of the same variety back into the kid's head. Was he making his brother afraid? Was it something he said? Before he could deliberate further he realized that Wilbur wasn't looking at him exactly, he was looking at Tommy’s hands. 

“Look!”  His brother pointed lazily at the younger before pulling his phone out, fumbling with his pockets for a moment. Tommy took the brief moment this allowed him to look at where he was pointing and lifted his hands to meet his face. At first, as they lifted the faint orange light that shone below him had been loosely attributed to a car or a street light in his mind, but further and further up his hands rose he realized this light wasn't made from an outside source. 

He began to shake, the uncertainty led to a step back. Tommy subconsciously began to hold his hands away from himself in fear, the light within them only growing brighter at that. Everything became hushed within his mind and the only thing he felt now was that bloom of fear. Wilbur was right. A snapping noise rang faintly from his brother's direction but it wasn't properly paid attention to.

He was on fire. His hands… 

“WILL!” 

Chapter Text

Whatever had just happened had put Wilbur into overdrive. He had reveled in the truth on the roof and now he proceeded to so even off of it. “I knew it! All this time I was right! I thought for a bit there that I was just paranoid, that Phil was right! You see how he wasn't, right?! How you just-”

“Shut the fuck up for one second and let me into the god damn window or the next thing that will be on fire is you.”

You see, Tommy was standing on a roof he was not allowed to be on, next to a brother he did not want to speak to, covered in freezing water. The wind was picking up on top of it all so every slight uptick in speed was a dip into more frigid temperatures. The cold sensation wasn't appreciated. 

It would be hard to feasibly understand what had just happened between the two that night, so Tommy wasn't going to. He was going to go inside and bundle up in his room and forget everything. The same couldn't be said of his brother, who was messing with the window trying to get it to open wider. Incoherent mumbles were falling out of his mouth with a sense of unmatched urgency. Like he had just come across the impossible. That's where the issue lied, he just had. 

Tommy had let himself be taken in by all the ramblings before when he was on fire. He let himself listen to why Wilbur had been ticking him off all just so he could ignite as he had before. For a brief moment, he let himself believe that, but then came the following moments. Moments filled with the harsh realization that he was actually on fire and that they had to put him out immediately. Will had rushed inside and filled up the first jug he saw with water, running back and promptly pouring it over his brother without a second thought. 

“Thanks,” Tommy spoke from the window. He squeezed himself into the small frame and stumbled into the room. Wilbur half-heartedly threw a towel over to him, moving to the side as he passed. Tommy wrapped himself in a shiver. He managed to maintain ignoring Will's ranting in its entirety. The older hadn't realized this fact until the kid was holding the doorknob to his room. 

“-Wait! Where are you going?”

“My room? Where the fuck do you think I’m going?”

“I don't know? To Dad?”

On second thought, that was not the worst idea. Tommy knew how understanding his father would be in comparison to Wilbur, and that compassion would be ice at a time like this. Kristin would probably be more alarmed but even he would be better than who he was stuck with now.

“And if I was? That's my choice. I value honesty, unlike some people.” The blonde spat back. Wilbur took a second to process the insult but chose to ignore it. “I get and understand that but how do you really think he is going to react? With how silent he was about today he probably already knows! This is his game! He acts like the weird and unusual stuff is just normal and chooses to ignore it. Going to Dad isn't a good idea.”

“How can you be sure? At all? For all we know he could be more than accepting! Dude might not know how to approach it!”

“Tommy, think about this logically, out of nowhere the kid you adopted is now lighting things on fire with nothing but his body! At will! What would that mean for you? For your family? He isn't going to kick you out, he is Phil but he proved today that he refuses to acknowledge that anything is going on. That is really fucking weird.”

Tommy took a pause. What if Phil did want to give him away? Would the man even tell him anymore? With how tight-lipped he was about everything it wouldn't be a far reach. “Will on the roof… We don't even know if that was me!” A scoff was heard across the room. “And also the fact he is being weird isn't evidence. That doesn't automatically mean he knows. He was weird about a total of like two things. We can't be sure everything is related to this. You are blowing things out of proportion.”

“I'm not! You sound just like him about this stuff!”

“...This stuff?”

Will's eyes widened as he realized what he had said. Tommy took a step forward to him awaiting some sort of answer to his question. He wasn't going to be stepped over again, not like he always was. 

“Wilbur, what do you mean? Has this happened before?”

Wilbur instinctively slapped a hand over his mouth, cursing the slip. He couldn't sweet-talk his way out of this, could he?

“Tommy just drop it-”

“No! I have had enough of having no say in these things! You always talk about whatever you want but whenever I want to address something or change the subject you won't let me! Just give me a solid answer- ”

“Woah Woah Woah!” Wilbur shot up out of pure anxiety and took the kid's towel, rubbing it over his head with pressure. Tommy yelled back insults but after a few seconds realized what had probably just happened and shut his mouth. 

In a panic the boy caught himself trying to ask if that's what he thought it was, but he had to remind himself he did not want to know and that whatever it was probably had a logical answer. Dread refused any words from escaping. Despite his apparent disbelief he forced himself to calm down in fear of what would happen. It only helped slightly, but it kept whatever fears he had quiet. The two brothers stopped for a second.

“You have to be more careful about that…'' Will handed the kid his towel back. His expression was unreadable to Tommy, worsening his anxiety. “I have no idea what you mean. Don't fuckin jump at me like that.” 

Wilbur huffed in disappointment, making his way back to his bed and sitting down. Even though he began to pat the spot next to him Tommy didn't take the opportunity. He wouldn't be in the room for much longer, he was going to Phil and/or ignoring every part of what happened. Wilbur took his hesitancy as a cue and stopped. 

“...Tommy, I have a story I want to tell you.”

“Can it wait? I want to go to bed.” 

“Would you like to know how dad reacted when this happened to me?”

Cold and snap silence followed. Tommy figured he had heard his brother wrong, there was no way he had just said what he thought he did. “What happened to you..?” Wilbur raised an eyebrow and motioned to the kid's singed elbow. He had completely forgotten to change due to the craziness of the day and seeing proof of something he was repressing made him nothing if not more anxious. “So let me get this straight, not only are you dead set on the idea that whatever happened today was my fault but you're insisting you can do it as well?” His brother nodded. 

Whether it was the pure absurdity of everything or just the fact that Wilbur was now being dead serious about it, Tommy began to chuckle. “Oh fuck off, I can prove it to you.” The younger one raised a brow in his direction. 

“Of course, no I get it, Will. I 100% believe you! Can't we all burst out into flames at will! I have heard enough of this for today. I need to go to sleep.” Tommy snorted to himself and began to open the door. It was enough craziness for that day. Phil be damned at this point all he wanted to do was sleep everything off. ‘Jesus Will, what happened to you?’

 From behind, his brother audibly got up from his bed but made no steps towards him. This rushed Tommy’s movements, he wasn't going to let Will talk him out of this like he did with everything else. 

“Tommy, you're not leaving this room.”

It was like every muscle in his body decided to stop all at once. A faint feeling of numbness came in droves. The feeling rose from the tips of his fingers and spread through his arm, cutting off control with a slow and methodical approach. Pinpricks replaced the feeling he once had in his limbs. It only took a few seconds before all Tommy could do was move his head. His hand began to tremor slightly, he only finally saw the movement when he looked down. All feeling escaped his fingertips. A frigid horror enveloped Tom. 

In an attempt to break free he tried to move his arm slightly, this only worsened the tremor. He could now only watch as his hand moved without his will, a terror so unfamiliar to him. Tommy was no longer in control. 

‘What the fuck. Holy shit am I dying? What is going on? Is this a dream? Will? ’ He tried to scream or yell, to beg help from anyone and everyone. The only thing that came of it was the biting of his tongue. The only sensation he now had was the faint taste of iron on his tongue as it began to bleed. Slow moments passed. Tommy now struggled to swallow the torrent of blood that grew in his mouth.

His throat wasn’t working with him, and if the increase in pinpricks down his cheek meant anything the blood was escaping the side of his mouth. It crept down his throat, worsening whatever feeling he now had. 

“Tommy- ” Will had been louder than he expected, clearly alarmed. “I didn't mean- that wasn't what I wanted- Tommy please come back. It was an accident.” Will’s words sounded pained like it hurt him to say them. It was the tone he used when apologizing, but any effect it used to have was now replaced with Tommy’s head repeating the words he had uttered. 

His legs moved on their own, it didn't hurt too. The only feeling it had was as if the kid was walking on warm sand. His body turned itself around and followed the orders given. He moved quickly and now stood where he had when he entered the window, beside his brother's desk. The blood rolling down his chin never subsided so he focused on that feeling. He had been robbed of control. 

His body forced him to look at his brother in front of him and what he saw put him in even more of a panic than he was in before. Wilbur looked fucking terrified. His entire posture was collected before but now he looked like he had seen something unsavory. His hands were raised slightly. 

The unnerving addition to his brother was the strange glint in his eyes. The color in them sizzled and cracked, glowing faintly. It was like staring right at two faint headlights. It illuminated the area around him slightly with a faint periwinkle, so light it was almost white. Looking at the lights petrified Tommy, bringing him in a pure instinct of fight or flight. The light dimmed slowly as Wilbur began to forcibly shut his eyes, taking a few steps back. Whatever was happening he wasn't a fan of either. 

Tommy tried to shoot after him but that only made his hands tremble all the more. Nothing was working. ‘ Will please, Will what's going on.’ In an attempt to speak he bit his tongue once more, the pain now stabbing instead of numb. Every try at speaking was passed off in his head. 

“ Damn it! Just shut off! ” Wilbur raised his hands at his face and placed them over his eyes. 

“Wilbur? Tommy? Is that you? I'm trying to get work done.” Both brothers stopped their panic for a moment looking at the ajar door of Wilburs room. That was Techno. Tommy wanted to call out to him more than he ever had before. If Techno came what would he even do? What would he say? Could Tommy even explain what was going on? 

“ Techno! Techno we are in my room! Could you grab some paper towels?” ‘Paper towels? What the fuck does he want those for? Ask him to come right now, you idiot!’ Tommy thought to himself. When his brother spoke his words seemed even more panicked. He attempted to pr his hands from his face, looking down at them. Tommy noticed the light was gone as soon as he saw his brother's face. The purple color was now gone and whatever atmosphere they had caused disappeared. 

“Uhh, yeah sure? Be right there.” Techno called from the hallway. 

“Okay!” Wilbur called back, turning his attention back to his younger brother. “Look, I didn't mean to do that I'm so fucking sorry. I only meant to activate it for a split second. I have tried to never use it and so I don't have any control over it sometimes. I'm going to try and fix this.” 

Tommy now realized what had happened, Wilbur had stopped him. He had promised he would prove that he could show him that he could do something and he did. ‘Holy fucking shit. He was right. Dad really was being dismissive and Will was right to call it out. I was wrong. That means...Jesus this means he was right about me. I burned dad today. I lit myself on fire before…’ His brother must have seen the panic that now lit his face up because he backed up a bit. 

“I'm not going to hurt you, I'm going to fix this but you have to trust me. I know you have no reason to after what I just did, just bear with me here for a second.” Will now closed his eyes again for a moment. ‘What the fuck do you mean fix this? You fucking paralyzed me!’ 

“Tommy… Tommy, please go back to normal... please.” Wilbur asked, keeping his eyes shut tightly. 

It was as if someone had shoved him in an oven as he slowly came to. The heat engulfed his limbs quickly, flushing all numbness out. Any pricking of his senses in all limbs was pulled out of his muscles and vanished sooner than they had appeared. Tommy was finally given autonomy again, which threw him off. He was sent to the floor with a wobble. The crashing was loud enough that when Techno heard it he sped up his walk into the room. 

“What in the world are you both doing? If you two are fighting again, so help me...” Techno swung the door open. “If I thought my room had a heat issue, Wilbur you should have said something-” In front of him heald very panicked Wilbur covering his eyes and Tommy on the floor, pushing himself away from the other. A small stream of blood was coming out of the left side of his lip. The younger looked more scared than Techno had ever seen him, it was so wrong. 

“ Wilbur! ” Techno rushed over and pushed his way past the brunette, placing himself between the two. “What the fuck did you do?”

“What… I didn't mean to- It was an accident I just wanted to-”

“Tommy, did he hurt you?”

“-I didn't mean to! He asked me to!”

“Asked you to what? Punch him? What were you thinking? Dad said to lay off him so you choose to deck him?” 

‘Oh.’ 

Him on the floor in a panic, Wilbur shaking and disoriented. Techno thought they were fighting and that Wilbur was beating him. 

“Wait! No no no this isn't- He wasn't hurting me he just-”

“Tommy, I'm not going to let him do anything more. Let's get out of here.” Techno looked behind him. A shaky nod was given in response so techno began to walk towards the door, facing Wilbur and pushing him out of the way. Tommy ran past the taller and out of the door...

...And right into Phil.

Chapter Text

The house had erupted into pure chaos in a scrambled attempt to explain to Phil what had happened. Wilbur explaining how he accidentally… did something to Tommy? No further context was provided, mostly due to the panic that just radiated out of him. 

Techno’s side had him entering Will’s room with towels after a ruckus, finding Wilbur intimidating Tommy. On top of all the different accounts, another story was being told. Tommy’s story involved him huddled in one of the kitchen chairs with a paper towel in his hand, glued to the side of his face. He was being silent, Tommy was never silent. 

The kid had his fair share of avoiding in the past few days, but when a big fight came to and voices were raised he was always the loudest. The absence of the ringing in his ears told Phil more than he needed to know. 

The real question was what had Wilbur actually done? Tommy was injured, anyone could tell you that much but the how becomes estranged. Techno believed that Wilbur had been punching him, his reasoning was the raised hands he had in the younger kid's face, and the clenched fists. Phil made a sound of acknowledgment but one look to Will’s fists confirmed that he couldn't have done that. Not a single scratch on them, not a bruise, or even a speck of dust. 

Of course, Techno’s explanation did not include why Tommy was now utterly soaked with a towel as his only protection from the cold. Phil forced the kid to change as soon as he was able to get the older two in order. That kid was his main priority in all of this. While he was concerned more than words could speak about Will, the brunette had not gone through what Tommy had this past week. 

Wilbur has always been the fire under Tommy in every fight. It was simply how the two worked. Short fights over reasonable things settled within a day. For what the fights lacked in length they made up for it in decibels. Phil had a small post-it note in his nightstand with a tally mark counter for noise complaints. 

These fights recently were not that though, they were long and unnecessary. Sloppy, personal, guttural. It seemed almost like a contest based on who could hurt the other most. Wilbur always won. Phil knew what Wilbur was doing, he had seen it years ago when Tommy first arrived. Wilbur was trying to poke him for some reason. 

Judging by the new singed hairs on the kid's head and the dripping water Phil began to piece it together quickly.

As of now, the man found himself at the dining room table. Techno to the right of him and Wilbur to the left. Tommy had placed himself the farthest he could from all of them, the last chair to the right. It was ever so slightly far but not enough to miss the conversation. Phil had reminded him he could just go to bed or stay but the kid had dejectedly passed him off with a hand wave. 

Techno was silent and watching his younger brother with fire in his eyes. He too saw the fights that Tommy and the other had been having, and the things Wilbur was doing to push his buttons. That pent-up confusion and anger towards the way he had been treating the blonde happened to bubble to the surface as well. If looks could kill.

Wilbur was mindlessly running through why he was and wasn't at fault in short bursts. Nobody offered him rebuttal or debate. Small silences slipped through to invite anyone to respond to what he was saying. Nothing up to this point was offered. Tommy and Phil were busy figuring out the situation in their own heads and Techno was busy quelling the urge to punch his brother. 

“...And Tommy asked me to! Again, I just wanted to point that out. I helped him out in the end and I…”

“Please don't say you ‘ didn't mean to’  again. You are giving me a headache.” Spoke to his brother from across from him. Techno was never one to sugarcoat when the situation wasn't sweet. 

It worked, Wilbur shutting his mouth instantly. A few moments passed the four by, Phil was the only one who noticed that Tommy was progressively relaxing a bit. Originally he had come in the room to get the full story, but if it was what he thought it could ruin things. On top of that, when they all first sat down the youngest looked and probably felt so out of place. Phil gave him time.

With the boy not looking  (as)  mortified, Phil began.

“Will,” The brunette looked over to his father, Techno, doing the same. “I have a few questions. Could you do me the favor of answering them?” His voice was unwavering and lacked the warmth he usually dawned. The sons all collectively got a slight shiver down their spines. 

“Yea, I… Of course.” 

“Thank you.” Phil looked a bit more at ease, “One, why is Tommy soaked.”  

His father knew whatever he was about to concoct would either be a lie or the dead truth, he didn't know what was worse in this situation. 

Wilbur fell silent for a moment, evaluating the two options. Phil had just played an elaborate question with no easy answer. What was he going to say? The brunette looked over to the younger from across the table. Tommy was still slightly wet but no longer shivering. He wasn’t sure if this meant the kid was less cold or less afraid. What did Tommy want him to say? Would the kid just look up at him?

The answer to those two questions was answered as the blonde fastened a quick look at Will, nodding. Tommy wanted him to tell the truth. Wilbur decided the kid had a pure talent for making things more difficult. 

Both of the older two at the foot of the table noticed this silent exchange. It made Phil especially anxious. 

“Well… Tommy might want-”

“Wilbur, I asked you the question. Tommy would have answered it earlier if he wanted, I want this from you. I will repeat myself, How did Tommy get soaked?”

Techno only had the misfortune of dealing with this tone a few times before with Phil. He was always well behaved, but being the eldest meant he saw it used on his brothers as well. Even as he was the most experienced with hearing it, it never lost the sharp demanding edge it usually did. 

“...Remember how you were burned at the mall today?” 

Complete silence followed, both Wilbur and Tommy were now fixated on Phil’s expression waiting for a change. This was one of the deciding moments. If a pin dropped it would be louder than anyone present. Did Phil actually know what caused it and if he did, what does this mean for his odd behavior?

A room whizzing with questions and concerns but none more poignant than the ones that now faced the father. He tried hard to mask the panic that grew but to no avail, the message was clear when he recoiled momentarily. 

“Yes, Will. I remember.” He gripped the inside of his palm, the throbbing pain growing. The burns weren’t even cold yet in his mind.

“Well, that happened again.” Wilbur tried his best to sound confident in his answer. He knew that Phil was well aware of what he and his brother had been dealing with and this was his chance to prove it. His hunches had been completely right about everything thus far, he was confident he could add another to the roster. 

Phil sent a remorseful look over to Tommy. There was no getting out of the truth now, he was only sorry that he had to now deal with everything this way. The kid met his father's eyes and all the questions, all the anxieties, all the nagging quotes from Will that insisted that he was hiding something, every single thing was answered. 

“...What are you talking about?” Techno interrupted the thick silence, glancing between the two in succession. To him, his father was burned strangely. How in the world could something as unexplainable as that happen again? There was no possible way. 

“What Wilbur means to say...” Phil stilled for a moment in an attempt to muster up a response, someone took that liberty for him after a few seconds. 

“Is that Tommy lit on fire again?” Wilbur grew bolder once more, steading his tone. The blonde cringed from across the room but offered no counter to the claim. Phil joined him.

“Tommy what? Was he on fire? Did he get burned like Dad?” 

Tommy looked over to Techno, both locking eyes. All confidence in his standing within the situation slowly began to chip away with that authentic look. ‘ Why is Tommy acting so serious? Was he really that hurt?’

“Techno he didn't burn, he made the fire.” Will offered as if that helped in the slightest. Tommy and Techno did not lose eye contact, this proved to be worse for the pinkette. Tommy would and should have burst out laughing at this. Why wasn't anyone cracking?

“You can't be serious.” Techno mindlessly snorted, now assuming the look he had with Wilbur before. He saw the same look that was on Tommy’s face. Why did they look so afraid? Nobody thought to respond to him. A lull in the conversation allowed for the truth, and Techno saw nothing to show this was any form of prank or lie.

Technoblade had always been the most knowledgeable of the bunch. Always keen to find the right answer. Having lived in the family he was in for as long as he had, it became a lot easier to get out of his shell. By nature, he was quiet and unmoving. Intelligent to a fault, always plunging himself into whatever information best suited him. This made him incredibly knowledgeable on a wide and strange variety of things.

  Wilbur and Tommy would always make passing jabs at him about these things, but Phil did nothing but cultivate them. In Phil’s eyes, Techno was so smart because instead of learning for the sake of school and for the future he always elected to learn things for himself. Throwing himself into ancient literature alongside the newest video game. 

These small strange subjects were nothing like what he was seeing. Everything was wrong, Phil wasn't communicating, Tommy wasn't yelling, and Wilbur wasn't cool and collected. 

“Wait… You're serious, you're... all serious?” Techno’s face dropped slowly. “So Tommy can… Light himself on fire or something? And not burn?” 

“I think this is fuckin’ dumb. We get it, I am weird as shit. Let’s just move on.”

Techno’s face looked even more shocked at his younger brother's answer. Tommy couldn't act for shit so why was he being so convincing. “This gives me absolutely no context, Dad please come on back me up here.” Phil only looked back at Techno with a reluctant face. “You're serious? Don't tell me you're in with whatever this is?”

“He might as well, he has been lying for years now about all of this. Might as well go for a few more.” Wilbur grumbled. Phil shot another look over to Wilbur.

“I never lied. Not once.” The father argued.

“You may not have said it explicitly but I know for a damn face I told you about what I can do and you refused to talk about it. Now you refuse to talk about Tommy’s office visit and your burn. I'm sensing a pattern here but by all means, stop me if I'm wrong.” Techno sat back for a second trying to make sense of what his brother was saying. Tommy only watched intently, ‘Here we go.’

“I… It isn't a comfortable subject... All I wanted was to make sure...”

All words faded out of Tommy’s mind. That's it. He did know. Phil rushed him home instead of the hospital for a reason, he refused to talk about the heat for long periods of time for a reason. It was all Tommy. 

It all made sense, Wilbur was always right. 

Speaking of Wilbur, he phased out of his father’s explanation as well, focusing on the faint heat of the room. It hadn't been like that before. ‘ Shit.’

He darted up and made his way over to the other side of the table, Phil instantly queuing into the motion and standing up. Techno becoming more confused by the minute.

“Please don't tell me this kid is the reason This house is so hot.”

So nobody told him.

~0~0~0~

Morning arose quicker than anticipated, the house stiller than it ever had been. Between the drama of the week and the revelations of the previous night, everyone was exhausted. Techno was up the earliest, having never slept at all. 

What he had been told last night stuck with him, likely if it was a prank or just something to mess with him they would have said that by now. The fact that everyone remained stone-cold made Techno almost believe it all. On one hand, it explains essentially all of the issues Will had been pointing out as if recent while also explaining the office visit that his younger brother ran from. On the other, to accept the reality they were proposing means that people can just bend the laws of everything known and somehow go under the radar. 

What Wilbur and Tommy missed before they collectively zoned off was Phil’s reasoning, and it was the hardest pill to swallow out of everything. 

“I… It isn't a comfortable subject... All I wanted was to make sure you all had the least stress possible. It's hard for me to talk about all of this you have to understand. If you knew earlier god knows what would have happened…They would have come for you all.”

‘You all’  and 'They' being the main concerns. As far as Techno knew he was completely average, besides the foster system past and the strange name he believed he was functionally no different than anyone else. What would you do if your entire basis in yourself was flipped at a moment's notice?

What Techno has done is shut himself in his room and stay up all night researching and booking into anything and everything that had to do with ‘ enhanced humans.’  He was sure no matter what he was going to try to make sense of everything.  (To his disappointment the only thing the internet provided was a waste of hours.) From what he understood of what Wilbur and Tommy gave up last night, Tommy had some sort of ability to manipulate heat/fire to an unreasonable degree. Will claimed the boy’s arms were basically a torch before he had to get water. 

While this ability was outlandish it also had a capacity for believability. Techno had always noticed Tommy’s apparent unending radiation of heat that he produced, not to mention the heat issue the house had been dealing with. Tied to his emotions, wherever the kid went nowadays things tended to heat up pretty quick. 

It made Techno remember the recent late nights that he was forced to sweat out.

Tommy was impossible, but not improbable in his eyes. Wilbur in comparison just wasn't even a chance. 

Wilbur had confessed that he had an ability that when he put enough emphasis on his words, anyone would obey. He claimed that it only worked within someone's limitations, you couldn't ask someone to run to Paris in an hour for example. As for how he got this information, nobody questioned it.  Best not to know. 

Tommy had clued Techno into what happened in the room with Wilbur, lighting a bright terror in his mind. An ability that powerful was incredibly dangerous and without the proper safeguards could spell disaster. The pinkette almost laughed at the notion of this ability even existing, inches from just playing it off like it was nothing. A miracle that would essentially make him a god among men, such a power in the hands of his brother just wasn't feasible. These doubts were placed on the backburner when Techno looked at his youngest brother. Tommy was always the worst at hiding his emotions.

The eldest now found himself scratching anything he could in a small red journal, scrounging for any logical explanations to the whole situation. It came to him that if this really was a prank after all his time would be wasted, but in that slim chance that everything was as his family said he needed to know anything and everything. 

Phil had explained after the boys calmed Tommy down that Kristin had returned to the neighbors and was watching their kids that night. He seemed relieved at the thought, promising he would tell her everything once she came back home. Techno and Wilbur shared a fleeting look, neither believing their father. Techno would tell his mother as soon as he could when Phil was gone to make sure. If he had been hiding that his brothers were enhanced for as long as he did it proved he was damn good at staying silent. 

Wilbur had tried to pry Phil’s information about them and how he knew what they were going through as soon as he could. He threw out wild theories one after another but Phil paid none any mind, just letting his son speak for a while. Techno ultimately had to step in and ask him properly to explain his side. Their father promised to tell them everything as soon as he could but stayed silent. He swore that if he could he would have told them years ago, but even knowing about their abilities put Will and Tommy in incredible danger. Wilbur wasn't taking this answer, Tommy agreeing. They only stopped when Techno asked them to.

Phil wasn't going anywhere and taking some breathing space was a good idea. From what Techno gathered, Phil was most likely right. There was no way that Will and Tommy were the only enhanced people out there, so the fact that they were not common or even spoke a word about online proved that  (In the event this was not a prank)  someone was silencing this subject, to a terrifying degree. 

A small knock woke Techno from his trace, moving his attention from his journal to his phone. It was now 10:24 in the morning. Wilbur and Tommy always slept in so it likely it was Phil, working on the assumption that they even got sleep at all. Techno didn't know what to say, this playing true for everyone in the house. How was he supposed to talk to his family normally after this? 

“...Tech?” The voice was Phil’s just like he had guessed. This made the situation ultimately worse. How could he speak to the center of the confusion? His choice was made, looking back down to his writings.

“Mate… Just wanted to let you know I made pancakes. You don't have to get up if you don't want to…  I just wanted to … Things are tough and I wanted to do something for you boys.” Even after everything he was still Phil, graveyards worth of skeletons in his closet but a tone sweetness more potent than honey. 

“You don't have to answer either, just know if they start to get cold on the counter I'll put them in the fridge.”

The small shadow from behind his door receded and just like that Phil was gone. 

Chapter Text

Daylight broke into Tommy’s room with slow grace. The light heat of the ray shone onto his head pulling him from the dreamless sleep he was in. Lazily, the clock was checked for a time. It was now 12 in the afternoon and he had slept half of the day away. He hoisted himself up, glancing around at his surroundings. A small piece of paper rested on the floor in front of his door. It looked like it had been passed from below the door. It was curious that anyone would do this, if someone needed him they would wake him up with a shout or let him know through a text. Wondering over and definitely not almost tripping over his blanket, Tommy made his way to the door and picked up the note. 

‘Tommy,

I am off to work today but mom is home if you need anything. I made pancakes this morning if you would like any. They are in the fridge.

Wilbur is off with his friends in town and Techno is in his room studying, if you need them for anything I'm sure they will respond to any calls. 

I have my ringer all the way up if you want or need to talk. I'm here for you if you need me. I love you.

-Dad’

So it hadn't been a dream after all. 

If the events of last night were proof of anything, Tommy realized he needed a break from the craziness. Eventually, he was going to have a long talk with Phil about everything but for now, the kid just wanted space. He folded the paper over and placed it on his desk before picking up his phone. A few missed notifications from Will had popped up, inviting him to go out with his friends. That had been a few hours ago and he almost definitely missed it. 

He let his phone screen shut off and stared at his reflection in the glass. Nothing looked off. Nothing to show the apparent abilities he now had. Truth be told if Will hadn’t possessed any abilities as well he would have thought that he had gone crazy. At least the weird heat issue was explained. 

Tommy pushed himself to get dressed and leave his room. He peaked through his door to make sure nobody was in the hall before continuing and traveling down the stairs. His mother sat at the kitchen table on her computer, where she normally was when she was working. Kristin had some sort of management job that could be done from home, but she occasionally went into the office if an issue arose. Working from home, Tommy usually saw her more than Phil. 

Phil worked at an office company working sales. When the boys were younger he would come home and tell them the funniest stories of the strange people he would encounter. He was transparent about it when asked but never claimed to love the work he performed. Only that it was  ‘necessary.’  Techno explained it away that the job paid well. Once when Phil was out of the room Wilbur asked him to elaborate. Techno had gone into the office with his father when he was a kid but it seemed boring, describing the atmosphere as bland and forgettable. The cubicles and rows that passed made the whole thing seem mundane. Wilbur and Tommy never asked after that, it just wasn't interesting enough. They could tell Techno’s answer was probably right, and with how serious Phil took to attending it the part about pay must have been the truth as well.

The kitchen was strangely clean when Tommy entered. Usually, it displayed a collage of dirty dishes around the sink waiting to be addressed. The family was never the dirtiest but with three boys it would build up. Phil did most of the cleaning when he had time on the weekends, but Kristin would assist when needed. It looked so strangely spotless now that Tommy had to do a double-take.

“Morning! I see you have noticed the recent developments. Your father was stress cleaning this morning before work, he made some-”

“Pancakes. Yea he wrote me a note.” Tommy headed over to the fridge and fished out the subject matter. He walked over to the cabinet and grabbed a plate and a fork, fishing the food out of the bag and onto the plate.

“A note? That's unlike him. Usually, he will text that sort of thing.” His mother responded, now neglecting her work and closing her laptop. Tommy turned and placed his plate in the microwave, shutting it and inputting the time. “Yea I know. Makes sense though.”

“What do you mean? Why?” ‘Of course that bastard hasn't told her yet.’

“We got into a fight last night. That's probably why he was stress cleaning. He probably wrote the note to seem more personal and sincere I guess.” 

“Well he mentioned something about a fight with Will but I didn't know you were involved. I'm sorry to hear that.”

“...It's fine. Just needs a bit of time,” he lied. His mother had a right to know but he was so tired he wasn't going to be the one to tell her. “Did he not explain what it was about?” The microwave dinged and the food was swiftly taken. 

“He is going to explain it later tonight. You can tell me but if it's too much I won't push it.”

So Phil did plan on telling her, or at least giving a convincing lie. Tommy felt it best to wait and see what he did. “I'll let Dad tell you, I'm not really feeling up to it if that's okay.” His mother nodded. “Would you mind if I went to take a walk after breakfast?”

“Go right ahead. I won't stop you, I'm not sure if you're grounded after that fight but I won't tell your father.” Tommy smiled back at his mom. 

~0~0~0~

For a Monday morning, the park was as busy as he had expected. By that, he expected it to be completely barren. Not a peep of anyone for a small while, only the birds keeping the landscape company. Delightful songs filled the air with the small fluttering flight of a few birds overhead. In front of him, a large field sprawled out, marked out by chain-link fences. The field wasn't large and looked like your typical multi-use sports hotspot. Around the fences, a few scattered benches sat watching the empty land. Surrounding the clearing were a few trees, providing half shade for a few benches on the side. 

Tommy took to sitting at the bench with the most shade. He wasn't sure exactly what he was doing there. The park is usually where Wilbur would take him. Back when his brother was still in school he would travel to and back without the bus. 

Tommy went to a school right near Wilbur’s so when he finally got his license he would drive the kid. After school, they would head to the park and eat extra snacks Will would pack and discuss the happenings of their respective schools. Nobody would bother them, it wasn't a popular destination. After Will graduated Tommy never saw much of the park again. 

It was nice to be back even if his brother wasn't there beside him.

Then an idea hit him. 

The type of idea best ignored, shoved deep.

 It was a stupid one that begged for trouble.

The type Phil would yell at him for enacting.

 With the lack of people around and the open area, he cursed himself for not coming up with the idea sooner. Naturally, Tommy followed that stupid idea in its entirety. Having a grasp on his abilities would be amazing. Sure he didn't know how to feel about them at the minute and he was pretty scared, but if he was able to control them…

The bench was quickly forgotten. Tommy scanned the area one more time, eyeing around spots he hadn't looked before. Nobody was around. The green light lit up in his mind as he finally turned his attention to his hands. Yesterday they were the main location that had lit on fire according to Wilbur, so if there was any place to start it would be with them. It had become a pattern up to that point that whenever he got emotional,  (mainly mad)  that whatever it was would activate. So he decided anger would be the way to go. 

The blonde readied himself and extended his hands away. Palms up towards the sky he began to try and make himself mad. First, it was insulting himself, no dice. Next was trying to think of subjects he disliked, which landed him on the topic of school. The kid who he had seen a day before flashed in his mind. How he had burned his father burned guilt into him. Even though he hesitated to trust his father, the fact that someone who helped him so much suffered at his hands still had the sting. He was going to think of this anyway in time, but now it was going to have a purpose. 

“Come on…” The kid encouraged. Nothing noticeable was happening and he was beginning to grow impatient. He wondered if there was an exact method of unleashing it, like a gesture. Though it was cliche it was something he wasn't above trying. Thinking back he couldn't recall anything specific in terms of posture, gesture, or speech. 

He tried out a few, balling his fist, putting one finger up, a peace sign, a thumbs up, a flat downturned hand, and a few gestures made purely out of frustration. 

Nothing was working. Tommy wasn't sure if this was something he should be glad for or sad about. He had figured after a while something would work at least, after all, whatever it was activated so easily in the day previous. Disappointment and irritation turned to fear when the kid realized what was at stake. If he never got a proper grasp on the flames he would be dealing with them in odd times more and more all his life. He pictured himself sitting in class normally only to be interrupted by the sudden addition of fire in his hands. The eyes of his classmates burning all over. An inescapable attraction he would be the star of.

What would happen to him if someone found out? They already had with his family, the thought of how easily he could end up being caught by someone random set in with dread.

Finally grasping at reality, he was met with the unrelenting light of three-inch tall flames hovering silently right above the palms of his hands. The twisting orange and red hues distracted the kid for a moment, but only a moment. Shock flung himself back, flinging him back into the bench he had been in before. The flames immediately went out with the sudden rush of air. 

Sure, the metal bench below him made his back ache with a stabbing pain because of the fall but it was all worth it. “ I did it! ” He celebrated silently to himself.  “I have powers!”  Tommy pulled his hands up to his face, inspecting them curiously. There were no burn marks, no scorching, no ash. He had never even felt the heat. The anxiety before melted into a feeling of anticipation, he just summoned fire and it didn't hurt him.

Whipping himself back up, the kid focused himself again. Was the fire limited to only anger? It couldn't be, when he burned Phil before he wasn't the least bit angry. 

Tommy tried out thinking of happy memories but now sparked intense emotions so he moved on. A range of emotions followed, all failing to spark anything, this was until he finally became tired with himself. Standing alone in an empty park trying to make yourself feel strongly about anything was more difficult than it seemed. 

“Just fuckin’...” He shook his hands, “ Do something! ” As if he was a lighter they turned on instantly. This time the shock only set him back a small step, but for a few moments, something tugged at him that kept the flames going. A pulling feeling focused primarily in the middle of his hand grew forth small dancing flames. Scared that moving would put them out, the blonde stood still just observing. 

A minute passed, Tommy just watching the small fires go in his hands. While watching he hadn't realized that the pulling feeling slowly subsided, fizzling the flames out. The light was gone at a moment's notice disappointing Tommy. Had this meant he needed to command the flames verbally every time he wanted them to come out? The kid repositioned himself and continued. 

On and on, over and over, Tommy would summon up enough feeling in his voice that the flames would listen, all of them not lasting for longer than 60 seconds. It progressed. 

Next, he tried commanding it in his head. Summoning the muster he had once used in his words and demanding the action. The first attempt failed, but he persisted. Repeating over and over until finally, 

Fwoosh

The fire in his hands was larger than it had been before, becoming wider and taller. The flames floated closer to his hand but never burned. They were brighter and clearly more active, every end whipping out and smacking itself. The pulling feeling was at the same level it was before and hardly noticeable. It was slightly larger than his hands in comparison and stayed without growing. In the past Wilbur had described the fire like it wouldn't stop growing, the fact that this time was different made Tommy more excited about it than he had ever been before. Gone was the feeling of displacement with the ability, the feeling like he was a freak. 

The blonde took a risk and raised his hands slightly, the flame moving with them as if they were a part of him. He messed with the position of his fingers, the flame never dying. Tommy took the chance and tried his opening method on this flame. He commanded the fire to stop and without the need for further pushing and more emotion, the flame collapsed onto itself and disappeared without a trace.  ‘So it's much easier to put out than light,’  he thought. 

That was convenient. 

~0~0~0~

When Phil came home, Tommy was still out. A long day left him tired enough, but he had been stressing as to how to explain to his wife that powers and abilities were on the table. It wasn't as if he didn't know about them or how to maintain them, but it was more of how to best explain it in a way that wasn't going to get him institutionalized. 

Kristin told him that Will was on his way back now and that Techno had barely left his room all day. Techno would come out for meals and conversate a bit with Kristin usually but today was nothing. Techno simply took a few snacks in his room and hulled up in there for a while. Phil had not been this worried about his boys in years, maybe even ever. It crushed him to see them taking the news so harshly. 

Truthfully he had known about their abilities, how could he have not. It was no accident that they had powers. To break that news to them would mean explaining who exactly he was and that was the worst of it. As inevitable as the exchange was, it wasn't one sought after. Kristin knew a bit about where he had come from due to small bits and pieces he would leave. Enough to quell her interest.

 She never was invited to meet his parents once they had gotten serious about their relationship, She would have to calm him down when he would have a vivid and violent nightmare/memory, and she always kept his safe locked. Kristin had enough to know that while he was an honest and loving man that was born from the tragedies of his wake. 

Years of his life were a mystery, shrouded in the dull panic of possibility. A veil she never touched out of respect for her husband.

 So when the wedding invites went out she knew to avoid the topic of his parents, when the nightmares became overwhelming she would sit in silence holding him in her arms, and when she saw what was in the safe one day she trusted him and shut it. 

The only times that she did not tolerate the smoke and mirrors was when it pertained to the boys, but as uncomfortable as it was Phil and his odd hunches always managed to steer them away from trouble so it was worth it. 

“Where is Tommy?” Asked Phil, now sitting beside his wife on the couch. She was watching some random show on Tv, just something to pass the time. The chattering in the background was light enough that when she heard what Phil had said she was able to identify the apprehension in his words. 

“Why? Is he grounded?”

Phil raised an eyebrow. “No, he isn't. Did he tell you he was?”

“No, just wondering. Tommy left a few hours back on a walk and I'm guessing he met up with Wilbur seeing as he isn't back yet.”

Phil immediately tensed. “Wait, hours?” 

“Yea. He checked in with me only thirty minutes ago.”

“Did he call you? Did you hear his voice?” 

The concerning tone Phil was now using had reminded her of the morning when he had explained that he and Wilbur had been in a fight. Kristin shrugged it off with ease, Phil was always worried about the boys; this wasn't new. 

“Yes he called me, he is fine. He even went out and got himself lunch from that corner shop nearby. It is sweet of you to worry but he just needs some space is all. According to him, he was connected to the fight you had yesterday with Will.” A sign of relief escaped Phil. Tommy was fine.

“I can get that. Yes, he was part of it. Techno was too.”

“I gathered that.” Kristin snorted. “I just… I wish it had gone better.” Phil confessed, turning to look at her. She offered a sympathetic look, and slowly enveloped him in a hug. “Whatever happened with them before, things will get better. They love you more than you know so just have faith that they will come around. Until then, what happened?”

She began to rub circles in his back making him relax all the more. A heavy and tired sigh was released as she did.

“...If I tell you, will you promise me that you'll hear me out? Even if it's crazy?” A nod followed. “Even if it's crazy,” Kristin confirmed.

Silence bit at him for a few more moments before he finally spoke up "...This is a long story, do you have to do anything more for work?

“For you? I have all the time in the world.”

Chapter Text

In the new strange and topside world, the only thing Tommy now relied on a few new facts.

1. People can possess powers.
2. He and his brother now possessed powers.
3. Phil was going to kill him when he got home.

He had returned after the park from the original day, but as soon as the daylight broke the next morning he snuck out faster than ever before. This pattern continued day in and day out. Phil seemed to scold him a bit more every time, as fruitless as it was he knew the task necessary. The kid never arrived back with so much as a scratch so he just figured he was sneaking out with friends. Even so, the danger remained.

On this new Tuesday morning a week after the start of his training, Tommy did the new diligence of letting Will and Techno know that he had gone, but excluding his father  (and by association his mother)  from the memo as usual. The message read along the lines of

“Out at the park. Saying this so that dad doesn’t get mad that I didn't tell anyone before I left”

With his daring escape he had brought his phone, a bag he had packed full of snacks, and a few bits and bobbles to text out with his powers. His window was on the second floor, so he had to grapple to reach the tree beside it. A few days ago this attempt led him hurtling to the ground due to an error in grip. 

This was amended when he found out the hard way that his hands having fire powers means that his feet can produce the same flames. Flames that get larger when afraid. Turns out, with a bit of blind and uncontrollable fear one could propel themselves around with powers. Once he landed the grass had to be haphazardly put out.

When Techno had received the text his first thought was to smash his god-forsakenly loud phone for keeping his notifications so high so early. The next one was derived from a faint feeling of panic after reading the said message. A small child with rabid and uncontrollable fire abilities let loose in a city was not the best idea. He thought that Tonny was just off with friends or just locked in his room all day. Phil wasn't going to inform him otherwise, he refused to speak to him until he made heads or tails of it all. 

Sadly, he could do nothing of it seeing as the kid hadn't let him in on where he was going. Sure, Techno could drive around and look for him, the question was more of if he had the motivation for it. Surely nothing was going to happen at 6 A.M. in the morning. The phone was ignored with slight hesitation as the man drifted back off to sleep

When Wilbur inevitably woke up much later it was too late to do anything but he tried anyway. He was all for poking the bear of his abilities from time to time but Tommy would flame up at the drop of a hat at this point. Phil had most certainly told him not to leave the house after he returned every night but knowing the blonde it had fallen on deaf ears.

Will was well aware of the kid being absent during the day but never commented. This was no fault of his own as whenever he came home Tommy would lock his door and refuse to talk or answer to him. Knowing now that he out alone did not bode well.

  Will shot up and immediately began to get dressed in a panic. Wilbur rocketed out of his room, stumbling down the hall and stairs all the way to and past the kitchen. A swift ignoring of his mother’s afternoon greeting and a door later he finally pried the keys from his pockets and scrambled into the small car he owned. 

Now to race to the park.

Oblivious, Tommy had become well situated in the park he had set up in before. If a Monday afternoon wasn't busy a Tuesday morning was even less so. Sure, cars would speed by more but that was more just people from the suburbs going into the city for work. He had found a better location in the park deeper into the small forest that surrounded it. A clearing between trees with no roof to catch on fire. The trees around blocked any view between the road and Tommy so he was sure that everything was fine. 

Earlier on he had practiced the small fires, moving quickly onto more focused ones. The tips of his fingers were one of the first places he started. That proved to be much easier than what he had been doing with his palms so he picked up on it quickly and easily. Next on the docket, he had put himself on was the manipulation of the flame. 

Tommy was aiming to become able to manipulate the size of the flames he summoned. Again, this task was picked up quickly as muscle memory. Every new trick proved to be easier than the last the more he practiced.

As the days passed and he became a whiz with his abilities, they became more reliant on his will than emotions. The only one who noticed the change in atmosphere was Phil, though he only saw Tommy at night so he had figured the constant furnace dampening was just Tommy going to bed earlier on. Each passing moment, Techno needed to use his newly acquired fan less and less. 

Tommy was at present working on making one long and consecutive flame, definitely to puppet a big fire snake or use for defense just in case. 100% not to draw obscene things in the air. That would be absurd. 

The practice was rudely interrupted by a car pulling up to the parking lot a little ways away. The kid was on high alert constantly while practicing so he quickly put out the oblong flame that had wrapped around his hand. 

Out of curiosity he took a few steps out of the small nook and looked to the parking lot. After all, who would show up at the park in the middle of a Tuesday? It was rare. Usually, the only people who came at odd times such as these were old ladies looking for exercise or dog owners, occasionally the two categories would overlap. Tommy bet to himself it would be another old lady.

Out from the silver car arose an oddly familiar figure, frantically shutting his door. “Tommy?” He called out looking around.  ‘Might as well be an old lady, yells like one at least.’

The kid shuffled out, leaving his bag hidden in his special spot. 

“Here!” Tommy waved out in Wilbur’s direction. The older man swung himself around and locked eyes. Barreling towards his brother he began a tirade of what seemed like incoherent mumbles that turned into the sounds of angry rating as he drew closer. Tommy walked towards him to meet in the middle. 

“What in the world are you even doing here? Is this where you have been going?”

Tommy hesitated. If Wilbur wanted he could just force him to speak and confess, so a convincing lie or the truth were the options he was left with. “I have been coming here… to clear my head.” A lie it was.

Wilbur sniffed it out instantly. “After years of not coming here, you just happen to waltz over?” The blonde gave a small nod. “ Sure.  Tommy, if this is about escaping the house that is one thing but tells me you haven't been testing…  it … out.”

“Oh, bold thing for you to ask when you know how yours works so specifically well. Wonder how that happened.” Wilbur flung his hands to his face. 

“The difference being that mine is virtually untraceable and yours is a big red arrow.” his hands fell from his face and onto his brother's shoulders. “I am not looking to fight, we have done enough of that already,” 

“Your fault” The kid tacked on.

“What I  have come for is you. Just… please come home. I don't care if you burn the house down, it's dangerous out here. I am not going to stop you from practicing but I will advise against doing it in  public .”

This made Tommy even more upset. Phil always taunted that he was at risk just for having abilities. In his whole speech about how he meant to protect his sons, he repeated that someone would have found them but never said who. It was annoying to continuously have something dangled over your head, he had enough of it from school already.

“Yea? Want to tell me why?” 

“Someone could find you? What do you think I mean?”

“Why is that so bad? The worst they are going to do is tell people who will think they are lying. Maybe take a photo that will be passed off as fake online.  Ooo I'm sooo scared. ”

“Tommy, if you want an answer come with me, if not we are going home.” Wilbur put a stop to the antics immediately. Somehow Wilbur knew something he didn't, something that Phil did. 

The kid knew that Wilbur was against how their father lied to them for ages and had no doubt that he would actually tell him the truth of whatever big bad could happen, so to the car it was. Tommy ran back to the clearing and grabbed his bag and continued back to his older brother's car. Wilbur noticed this and followed suit. 

Shutting the door behind him, Wilbur put the keys in and started the car with a soft whir of the engine acting as confirmation. “So now will you tell me?” Will paused.

“Toms,” Tommy cringed at the told name. “When I first tried out my abilities I used to do it in public as well. More people. Malls mainly. I would tell people who I saw alone to just do meaningless things. Stop and go, raise their hand, lower their foot. That kind of thing.”

Wilbur began pulling out of the park, keeping his story going along the way. Tommy figured they would be on their way home, but when Will passed the exit that led their direction he mindlessly called out the error, ignored by his brother. “One day while I was trying things out there was this weird guy who kept staring at me. At first, I thought it was just something that was behind or near me, young me was so sure that nobody could ever even think that I had the abilities I did.” 

“Even I am not as dumb as that. My man was clearly scoping you out.” Tommy scoffed confidently. Will made no rebuttal and continued.

“After I was done with about two or three people I found that he didn't stop looking. Now came the realization he was probably watching me. Honestly, the panic was worse than anything. Your average joe I knew I could just tell to forget everything but not this man.”

Tommy turned his attention from the window to his brother. “What, he was different somehow? Big? Muscly?”

Wilbur shook his head. “He was like 5’9 and was wearing an odd and dinky exercise jumper. I could have fought that guy and won and I was like 15. The challenge is more on my end.”

“The way my ability works is entirely based on a person’s mind. Any number of things can prevent me from influencing them. The major factor being emotion. If someone is just passive and not very aware it's the easiest. The same thing goes if someone is afraid or anxious. They will get in their head and any new ideas will be passed off as their own. That's why I was able to influence you before. Normally I probably wouldn't be able to get through to you because you would question the ideas.”

“Fuck you I wasn't scared, I was just caught off guard. I don't get scared. ” The kid defended. In his mind, he was just relieved that Wilbur wouldn't try that on him again easily. He really wasn't afraid of his brother after their exchange. He wasn't.

“Uhuh, yea. That works too.” Wilbur offered. “Caught off guard is also better.” Tommy prided the fact that he got the answer right. “Anyway, this guy was so focused on me and nothing else that there was no getting to him.”

“But, wait, how did you know he wasn't able to be  ‘influenced’ ?”

The elder stopped for a second, clearly trying to come up with an answer. He narrowed his eyes but kept his gaze on the road in front of him. “If I were to say it's like a strange feeling. People are very readable by their expressions but… it's like I can read their emotions ever so slightly if I try hard enough. I always have. The sense is always on. When I was a kid and asked Phil if everyone could do it he gave me a stern talking to him that I should never bring that up with anyone. Figured people were sensitive about it and compiled I guess.”

Tommy raised his eyebrows, this changed things. For one lies were much harder to come up with. Arguments now became muddy. The kid did not like this new information. “Fucking scary. Never do that to me.”

Wilbur laughed, “No worries, it is usually a focus thing. Hard to think around you since you are so loud” Tommy puffed himself up a tad to look offended, but the playful jab was just relief in disguise. 

“So about the big head guy?” Tommy asked. 

“Right! So the big head guy was a challenge. I was afraid of him, sure. The thing is, I never considered that he could prove that I was doing anything so nothing was terrifying. Probably should have. When he noticed me looking back at him he started to get closer to me. In my head, I was thinking  ‘Oh this guy is going to confront me and at the moment he is sure he is going to receive an answer I'll plant an idea in his head and make him forget.’  Easy peasy.” Wilbur made a sharp right with the car, making Tommy slide over a tad.

 The motion made the younger turn his attention to his surroundings for the first time in a while. He recognized the route as the one usually taken to the inner city. He didn't question and let his brother continue. 

“When the guy finally did come up to me he asked about my name and age. If I was at the mall alone or with friends. I was surprised at how resilient his mind was but still tried to ask him politely to forget I was around. I will never forget his response,”

“I don't think I will, Wilbur Soot. You and I both know that would be boring, don't we?”

Tommy recoiled. “Boring?” The use of words in the quote lent itself to a tone of absurd confidence. If Tommy wasn't sure his brother was telling the truth at this moment he would have been floored. “I know, right? Never even gave him my name!” Wilbur raised his eyebrows to emphasize the claims. Tommy shuttered at the thought.

“And then?”

“Then I fucking bolted. What else would I have done, put yourself in my shoes! A strange man comes up to you after you go around messing with people using your probably illegal powers and knows your full foster name?  No thanks.” Tommy laughed at the image of his brother booking it.

“You must have been so scared!”

Wilbur sent a glare his way with mock annoyance. “Wouldn't you have been? Or are you too  ‘Big’  for that?”

Tommy only gave a shrug, “Big man, it's in the name. Get with it brother ‘o mine!”

An eye roll marked the continuation of the story. “I was scared out of the area for a while. Only came back a few weeks after. As soon as I did though, the man stood right where I first saw him before. It was like right as I noticed him and he found me as well. A mountain of panic, man. I can't even describe it. The feeling he was giving off was even worse though. It was like he was… looking at a meal? I don't know how best to describe it. Imagine you have been hungry for a while and you're really deprived but someone comes around with a big plate of food. It wouldn't be so chilling if it wasn't directed right at me.”

The kid froze. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was like this was a horror story. “Was he going to eat you?”

“No idea, the vibe was all off though. I'm bad at describing things but that feeling isn't very common with people, it was really intense.” Wilbur was clearly freaked out just thinking about it because his face now sported a look of slight fear. His mouth curled into a frown, his hands jittery with anxiety.

“How did you get away?” Tommy’s words hadn't been meant to come out so soft, but his own mind was betraying him. 

“It was dumb. I ran right to the nearest parking garage and influenced someone into driving me home as fast as possible. I am surprised a cop didn't stop us. I just told mom and dad a friend drove me.” Tommy never remembered this day but he could imagine the look on his father’s face when Wilbur came racing into the driveway in a stranger's car. What a fright that must have been.

“I still see that guy sometimes.” Wilbur broke the momentary silence. Everything froze and the whole mood of the car dropped. “That's why I don't like going to town without Nikki or Jack. I just need someone in case he shows up.”

That made more sense. Their father had always thought it was because Will had anxiety, but with the new information, Tommy was surprised he even went out at all. If he had ever been caught using his powers in public he would have never left his home ever again. The image that he had built of the man in his mind became all the worse. 

The weird and awkward man in the jumper seemed like a cold and collected man in clothes all too perfect and inconspicuous to blend into a crowd with. Someone that would easily go to the park often, someone he would have likely passed off. Tommy now had an idea of what he faced. ‘ I am not sleeping tonight, am I?’

Wilbur cleared his throat as the car now turned into the small parking lot of a restaurant. It was always Tommy’s favorite growing up. They made his favorite foods and their bakery contained no faults. Even the sight of the beloved location didn't do anything to help his racing mind. “What are we doing here?”

Wilbur pulled them into a nearby parking spot and shut the car off. “I figured we may as well get something to eat. Besides, I more than owe it don't I?”

“No, what are we doing in public? What if that guy saw me in the park and followed us?”

Will hesitated and looked to the road. There was truth laced in the boy’s words. “He wouldn't have you on his radar yet I don't think? From what I have seen he is hesitant to approach if people are around you so we have each other. Just don't get separated from me in case. It will be fine!”

His brother highly doubted that. He had been an idiot in the park, hadn't he? If someone like that was out there and knew what Will could do, what's stopping him from understanding what Tommy could do either? “Maybe today isn't the day to get food.” Tommy didn't want whoever that man was to find his favorite restaurant, that would mean no more food. 

“If he comes here and I can't use my ability on him, you sure as hell can. You are more than capable of blasting his ass all the way back to whatever cave he crawled from.” Wilbur joked. “And in any case, I can just get carry out. We are already here. It’s my treat after what I have put you through these past few days.”

“You have been a massive dick, of that you are right. This is also a perfect opportunity to make your bank cry so this is a win-win for me.”

“That's the spirit!”

Chapter Text

A frigid night dawned. Two figures stand at an impasse with silent judgment. Maybe they are old friends, or even enemies, maybe they are complete strangers. The truth isn't what is important now. The past rears its ugly head in many forms. She always will, as is fated. This time she graces the man in the form of a harbinger.

The ground rumbled with new life only spoken to be with the man standing opposite. 

Two figures stay standing at an impasse and one begins to speak.

“Do you remember what you did? Who you killed? Where was the justice you so sought for them? Wayward and askew, eyes forever open. Families torn and blood shed all so you could play house with gods. Do you even remember their faces?”

The air lay thick and chilly. The setting became a blur, colors greying all the more as the silence began to suffocate all those around it. A tar consisting of regret slowly pouring and seeping into every insecurity the recipient held onto.

“Serene and divine intervention for the fortunate few. A home filled with love and joy all built on a tower of bodies. Lies untold. That’s what you do, isn't it? You build a reality to reject your own.” The world around twisted and ached with a stabbing pain as the words threw themselves at their target. A fuzzy static filled the silent one’s ears, everything spinning all the more. 

“I never...Please...I never knew. The weight of a life. It's so heavy. It is always with me. Even now that we stand here, I am reminded of what was. I look at the young ones and all I can see is the look the others gave before them. All this time I have been carrying them higher and higher in my arms. Ever ignoring the toll. Gravity has come for me at last, hasn't it? Is that who you are?” The man stood wavering. No tears fell from his eyes as he confessed his sins. They never did anymore, he cried those years ago. 

“No. I am merely the omen for his arrival. Gravity remembers you fondly, he told me so himself. He will come to you when it is time.”

The remorseful stranger knew exactly who gravity was coming as. He had never seen the man's face, but the image of him ingrained itself deep in his mind. He was the product of everything long forgotten by time. He is and always was a dream long ago.

“God, no. No, I can't… I have made my peace. I am ready to pay my dues. I can face what you give me, but my sons. They can't. They shouldn't have to pay for my sins.”

The harbinger hesitated for a moment at his words. Extending a hand to the remorseful stranger he offered nothing but a downcast glance. “I will give you three weeks. One for each son. Give them your last wishes, and ask for theirs in return. This is my gift to you.”

Finally, the man began to cry. He greeted the hand and placed another on top of it. “Thank you… Thank you…” Words melded together as cries wracked his body. Along the way, he had fallen to his knees. The atmosphere began to grow thicker and thicker every moment he fell into despair. 

The toll bell chimed once as a warning. 

On cue, Phil woke up in a cold sweat.

~0~0~0~

Wilbur and Tommy sat mindlessly on the couch, sinking into it with every waking moment. Trash T.V. buzzed around them. The entire house was still, the only noises coming from the living room and the hallway upstairs. Techno was entertaining himself with impossible videogames and had made no attempt to silence the noise they made. 

Kristin and Phil stayed in their room away from everyone else. They were not in any rush to get to work or go out in any capacity. It was the weekend now,  the  weekend. 

The school had emailed Phil that the board was meeting to discuss Tommy’s fate that very day, all anyone could do now was wait. Wilbur had been amazing at distracting Tommy's attention from everything as he had been all week. After they had made up on Tuesday, Phil noticed a shift in demeanor between them. They would go out every afternoon together and come back a bit late into the night. Laughter finally dawned on the halls for the first time in ages. They hadn't had a peaceful time like this between the boys in quite some time.

 Kristin made an effort to convince him everything was fine with Will there and somehow it worked. Phil laid off and stopped scolding Tommy for going out, and in turn, Tommy slowly stopped racing to his room every time he caught a glimpse of his father. Whatever Will had done that day worked because Tommy was back to normal standards. Even Techno started to crawl out of his room whenever they got home. Progress.

Progress that could arguably be set back significantly depending on the outcome of the next hour.

Tommy pried his phone from his pocket, looking down at his phone. No new messages from the last time he had checked (Five minutes ago). No texts from Phil about the school. No forwarded emails. 

Wilbur had noticed his restlessness but elected to ignore it. Recently he had stopped poking fun at the boy as he usually did. It may be a way he showed affection, but it was the last thing his brother needed. 

“I can't believe she did that!” Wilbur gave an exaggerated sigh, pointing at the flat screen in front of them. Tommy caught off guard, looked around quickly trying to find what Wilbur was referring to. 

“Did she rat him out like I guessed?” He asked, Phone now forgotten. Will smiled a tad,  ‘Mission success!’

“She did! Took Carly down without hesitation! I hate this!” 

Tommy gave a smug look at his brother. “Say it.” He demanded. Wilbur gave narrowed eyes, but Tommy never faltered. “Ugh fine, you were right.”

“Yeah bitch! And don't forget it!” 

Will laughed at the sight unfolding. “Why are we watching this shit anyway? I hate drama shows. I never pegged you to like them either.” Tommy nodded.

“Normally I hate this garbage, but in this show, they physically fight each other and it's hilarious. Besides, I have nothing better to do. Do you?” Wilbur shook his head with a firm no. Neither could keep a solid coherent thought so any of their usual routes were instantly skipped. Takes a solid grip to get into the films Wilbur liked, and Tommy had just exhausted his favorite movies the nights previous. 

Tommy knew exactly what Wilbur had been doing all week and he couldn't have asked for anything better. As soon as he realized Wilbur had been involving him more and more he latched onto his brother at a moment's notice. Things just clicked from there. Hanging with Will’s friends out shopping, At band practice, getting food just the two of them, it had been just like old times. The park visits even made a special appearance. 

This does not mean Will just let him practice out in public anymore. On the contrary, he kept strict guidelines on where he could. Tommy gave no arguments, his brother had been doing this for such a long time anyway so he was happy to take the help. 

Will found that the roof came in handy once more, this time on the back-facing side. Phil’s room had a deck built out. This deck had a small roof of its own overlooking the minuscule backyard they owned. The platform its roof produced stretched from the roof. Safety was certainly an issue with the deck being older than Tommy was. This was solved with a haphazard support system installment across the beams and a few near-death experiences. Techno had to come in and complete the job but all in all, it fixed the concerns.

Phil noticed instantly when he arrived home that day, but never questioned it. He knew better support meant something new was being supported, but the boys were old enough to understand the risks involved and they needed a place all to themselves. Phil informed Kristin and they both kept their mouths shut. To the boys, they were oblivious as ever. 

Techno had tagged along with Will and Tommy’s training on the roof a few times, but in his own words it was,  “Purely for observation.”  and that Tommy should avoid him at all costs when aiming his fire. This statement caused Tommy to instantly threaten him with a small flame the size that a lighter would produce, waving it around him. Techno bolted to his room that day faster than Will had ever seen. Phil happily sat on his deck listening to the laughter that followed, not making a peep. That last fact was knowledge he kept to himself. 

“What are you guys even watching? It sounds like a frat party down here.” Techno made his way down the stairs. Tommy jumped slightly in surprise. He had missed the fact that the videogame soundtrack had stopped in his brother's room a minute prior. 

“Violent Californians beating each other over dumb romances. Want to join?” Tommy chirped up. Techno stopped in his tracks and sent a confused look Wilburs way. The brunette mouthed ‘Help me’ in return. Message received.

“Absolutely not. I'm going back to my room.” Swing and a miss. 

“No! Techno you have to help me! This is torture!” The musician called out in desperation, Flinging himself half off the couch in the direction of the pinkette. “I thought we were brothers! Forged with an irreplaceable bond!”

“I have a few other bonds though. Like the one with my brain. I like that bond. Don't want it to turn to mush.” Techno grumbled.

“We don't have to watch dramas if you don't want to! I can force Tommy to put on those documentaries you like!” Tommy immediately took offense at the notion but was shut up by the swift hand to his mouth. “Ow!” Will cried out. Tommy had learned to use his powers a lot more recently, but those were boring so he bit his brother instead. This solved the hand on his mouth immediately. 

Techno laughed at the sight. “I don't think you can make Tommy do anything. Dude is entirely unhinged.”

“I am very calm, thank you very much. Calm, cool, and collected. I do yoga, you know.”

“No, you don't!” Wilbur shot back. Techno approached the living room area, chuckle slowly dissipating. Will held his hand close to himself, examining the damage the child had done with slight annoyance. 

Tommy’s phone made a slight buzz.

It had been so faint even he almost missed it. Almost being the keyword. His face dropped and with a bit of struggling his phone fell out of his pocket and onto the floor rather than into his hands. He dipped down swiftly and retrieved it, fumbling with the power button for a second before flipping the phone on. One message from Phil.

“Hey. Just got the email from the school. Will be down in a second.” 

Tommy tapped Wilbur’s shoulder quickly and motioned to the phone in his hands. Will took a split second to look and process the message but once he did he flicked the T.V. off at once. Techno looked confused for a second but once Will gave him a knowing look it occurred to him what this meant. The man sat in the rocking chair he usually inhabited and prepared himself for the joy or disaster that was to come. 

Without the show playing in the back, the entire room felt all the more off. Tommy stayed silent, re-reading the words on his phone. Wilbur pulled his arm around the boy and squeezed his shoulder, pulling him into a half hug. Tommy made no attempts at escape.

Thumping from the stairs alerted all three, all looking at their parents who were now descending. Kristin was first, with her normal everyday slight smile. No answers from her expression yet, at least to Tommy and Techno. 

Wilbur stilled in place for a moment. He gave a small sigh, closing his eyes tightly. The emotions of his mom were always readable. Clear as day. For some reason she was apprehensive. The emotion that now wafted was one he had felt only moments ago when he noticed the message from his father. She didn't know, which meant that only Phil did. 

Phil’s emotions were the only ones that Will could barely read. He relied on facial expressions. Every time he tried hard at looking at how he was feeling he would focus a tad bit too hard and Phil would stop in place, knowingly. It terrified him that Phil knew exactly what he did. 

Phil is the only one to know the verdict which was annoying. Will didn't get the liberty to know what happens first. 

Speaking of Phil, as soon as Will re-opened his eyes he saw the man. Sitting at the adjacent loveseat with his wife at his side. He was focused on Tommy as if he was the only one in the room. “So,” he started. “Mr.Hearth got back to me about the school board's decision. I won't sugarcoat it. It isn't  good  news…” In his arms, Will felt the immediate tensing. “However it isn't all bad either.”

“Well? Spit it out.” Techno seemed as invested as the rest of his brothers, leaning into every wired Phil now said. Will never really got to see him this intense about anything very often and it was kind of nice, it really showed how invested he was with Tommy. 

“They aren't taking you back, but they have another school that will. It isn't too far from this one, just more into the city. Will or Techno will have to drive you since the bus doesn't reach this far. I begged them as much as I could and pulled as many strings as I could, this is the best I can offer. The fight won't be on your record like the rest as it was verbal and deemed to be much less severe because you had been behaving so well in months prior... You will have to start new though.”

Tommy felt a tad numb. What had he wanted? Expected? This isn't the outcome he would have guessed would happen but it was better than he had anticipated. 

“It is up to you if you want to go... You don't have to but it is an option. It has a similar curriculum so you won't have missed much. More people though. If this doesn't sound good I can look into-”

“No.” All eyes were now on him, but it felt a lot less burning than the last time. “It sounds good.”

“Are you sure? You can take it back any time but I just want to know before I sign you up.” 

“I'm sure.” Tommy looked to his brother, who never left his side. He was looking down at Tommy. They both knew that likely Techno would be overworked with school in the mornings so Will would 100% be taking most of the responsibility. Tommy gave a silent look as if to ask him if this was okay, met with a warm smile and a nod. New school it is.

Chapter Text

Imagine the definition of  ‘city scum’  for a moment. 

Visualize it.

If you had imagined an old creaky warehouse downtown just begging to be torn down between the failing supports, rust, and plethora of rats you would be correct. 

A building so coated in grime, the old white it once was had been so scuffed with nicks from cargo and age that the walls seemed almost impressionistic in nature. Every window minus a few higher up ones were boarded up long ago, this did nothing to stop mold or water from entering as the boards themselves began to age with the building, somehow perpetually moist.

Welcome to the docks. 

The year is 2006, and it is the center point of a new booming market.

The warehouse was built near the river that led into the city. It was the perfect location a few decades ago. The city we find ourselves in was built reliant on the large body of water running through it. As far as the eyes could see, warehouses lined and occupied the land around the water. Over the years the water itself began to stink with the sheer grime the city produced, and slowly pressing forwards became the dirtiest sight to behold. 

Somehow scum so low as this became a home for a few dozen people. As if to match the building, every one of its illegal residents was as foul as could be in every sense of the word. The worst of attitudes, the worst of morals, not a single character that found themselves in the docks seemed to be of reputable origin. 

The docks used to be a homeless shelter, but when a certain network heard that the place itself had become desolate and hardly livable they stepped up and bought it from the owners. Nobody knows who exactly started it all, but the docks began to creep their way into the mouths of ordinary people.

 One concerned resident here, a curious cop there, a scary story to tell a kid to stay away from the area. Everyone could sense what had grown into the area, but nobody ever made it out to prove it. 

Inside the docks primary building you could find an assortment of halls, mismatched tables outlining a walkway in the middle, diverging only at the end of the building. The tables held small shops in them, though a shop is a very kind way of putting it. 

Here you could buy anything and everything. Not a single legal product to be found. Drugs, organs, stolen treasures, etc. You name the depravity and you can find it here.

What you really need to keep an eye out for is the booth at the very center of the back. The largest, operated by four brokers. The head of this business was, by all means, the leader of the docks. Wealth and power measuring above any others. Nobody knew their name and nobody wanted to. If you knew it you wouldn't be around for very long. What was this booth selling to gain such wealth you ask?

They had a special name for the product. Concocted to make the product seem less personable, less relatable. As if naming the product any different than it was would help. The booth sold  “ENHAs”  also known as Enhanced Humans. The buyers had all sorts of reasons for wanting these individuals. Depending on their use they could fetch a pretty penny for their existence alone. The head of everything worked hard to streamline everything, forming a whole employment system from filing to hunting. 

To everyone who looked from the outside, the docks seemed to be a ragtag building filled to the brim with criminals and/or mob activity. To anyone who knew, it was the primary exporter of ENHAs. People would travel far and wide to just catch a glimpse at the impossible. 

The public had no knowledge as to these humans, for all they knew anyone who tried to warn them was just crazy. Enhanced individuals were so rare that it made no difference anyway. The leader of the ENHA trafficking business had specific people on the job to silence anyone trying to alert the public of their existence. After all, the world's hub for enhanced human trafficking would lose a whole lot of business if the law found out what they had been up to.

One specific role to take note of is the Hunter. In the business, these people came and went by many names, but most would agree on the common title. Some would be normal humans, but some were born and bred ENHA’s made specifically for the role of hunting down more of their kind.

Whispers spoke of the very first hunter very often. He had become a myth to those around him. Someone who had lasted so long in an organization dedicated to kidnapping and enslaving his own kind. Hunters would die on the job more often than not so to have the very first last the longest was impressive. People speculated he had died ages ago but the business drummed up hype and prestige by saying he was alive, some even believed he owned the business. Nothing concrete was known about this hunter beside his name.

“Angel of death, huh?” The broker beside him shrugged. That wasn't the info the traveler was there for so to turn up with only a title was disappointing. “And nobody knows how to reach him other than you all?” 

“Look, kid. The boss has him on a tight leash. Nobody sees him without his say-so. That's how it works. Pay a higher price,  maybe  you get a minute with him.” Now that was something. An offer to see him for a price was something he could work with. 

With all the rumors buzzing around it was hard to discern the truth from the fabrications. The docks had been on the traveler's mind of rages. He had traveled all the way to the UK just to see what everything was about, maybe get a chance to see the elusive first hunter. The fact that the goal was attainable was exactly what he had been looking for. Our traveler had no interest in money, he had his fill.

“What if I asked for a few minutes with him without a job? I’ll pay handsomely. Can you manage that?” The traveler asked. The broker never flinched at the offer and offered a dejected look back at him. This was a common request after all. “Pay for a job,  maybe meet him if you're lucky. That's how this works. We aren't a freak show, so either make a reservation or get the hell out.”

“A reservation it is!”

~0~0~0~

Present-day, Tommy is all packed up and ready for his new school. It took another week of enrollment and shadowing students to get a grip of the new school and become comfortable. Three and a half weeks off of school wasn't too shabby, but with the spring semester creeping on and on, all the kid wanted to do was catch up. 

Will had convinced him to become all the more excited about the idea of transferring. He had no reputation with his brothers and no previous fights under his belt. It all seemed much earlier. More people meant he didn't have to worry about the man Wilbur had been warning about, and with said brother picking him up every day he could spend more time with him.

Tommy would be lying if he said he wasn't hopeful, but he likely would have lied any way you cut it. 

Phil and Kristin had been supportive as well, offering help at every turn. New supplies for school to replace the ones with bad memories, pocket change for lunch, he even took the boy out to get some new clothes. His father loved the idea of a new start, and he was confident his son could pull it off after the streak of good behavior he had shown in the last school for a while, his mother had agreed.

Tommy found it rather odd that despite having had his power become common knowledge in the household nobody treated him differently. Especially Phil. After the fiasco that had been the fight a few weeks back. His father kept his past close to himself and Tommy made no effort to uncover it. He cursed himself for trusting Phil after all this time, but something in him told him that maybe it was better that he found out on his own than from Phil. After everything that had happened, normalcy was now a treasure. 

Will peaked his head into the kid's room with a gleeful expression painted across his face. “All ready?” Tommy gave a short nod and slung his bag over his shoulders. “Dad woke up early and made breakfast before he went off to work. Come on!” The brunette began to push the kid out of his room before being knocked away by an angry Tommy. 

“I can walk, dipshit.” Will disregarded this and followed his brother down the steps. The kitchen counter held an array of breakfast foods. Bacon, eggs, toast. Knowing Phil's work schedule and how early he must have woken up the food might be cold. It was the thought that counted and it was comforting to see his father care so much. 

Kristin wasn't up yet as her job never demanded it, and Tommy had assured her the night before there was no need to. She seemed apprehensive to heed his words but as it seems she took his advice. 

Tommy padded over to the kitchen and scooped up a plate, gravitating towards the food. While loading up his dish his gaze shifted away for a split second over to the table. Will seemed to have a plate already made for himself and was sitting at it now silently eating his food. Other than Wilbur another person sat across from him snacking on some toast watching his phone.

“Wh-Techno?” Tommy stopped in his tracks. Technoblade has always been the biggest night owl and has been known to sleep far into the day, so either he never fell asleep or pigs are flying and he slept a decent amount at proper times.

“That's my name, don't wear it out.” The elder looked up from his phone, pushing his glasses up with the motion. 

“Why are you up this early?” Will looked back over to Techno expecting an answer as well. Techo seemed to stop and think for a second, causing the brunette to scoff.

“Just tell him asshole, I can just hear the excuses bubbling in that brain of yours.” 

“Hey, not my fault you have freaky mind powers. Just let me be elusive in peace.” Techno looked back down to his food. Wilbur reeled back a bit, losing all focus on the food in front of him. “Freaky mind powers? First of all, I don't like how you phrased that. Secondly, this has nothing to do with those, I grew up with you so I know how you operate. I think you forgot that fact.”

Tommy snorted, walking over with his now full plate. “Never got an answer, big man, though my bet is on you never having fallen asleep.” Wilbur laughed at this, silently agreeing. 

“I’ll let you speculate,” Techno spoke. Now taking a bite out of his toast. Wilbur and Tommy shared a glance of annoyance and turned to their own food.

Short and fun conversations passed through the air with slight joy. Will had the kid wake up for this very reason. A nice and slow morning was just what the doctor ordered, especially when it came to calming nerves that could burn down the school. Will was very apprehensive the first time the offer was set on the table, why not homeschool the kid if he has such unpredictable abilities? He sat Phil down the next day and explained his worries. Phil understood him completely but asked him one simple question, 

“When was the last time you woke up from the heat?”

It dawned on him that it had been weeks since that was an issue. Tommy had been gaining control over his emotions as well as his abilities, more than Wilbur knew. A wave of pride swelled in his chest at that. 

“Will, check the time. We should head out soon.” The brunette did just that and nodded. “Sounds good, got everything?” Another nod returned in his direction.

“Good luck Toms, don't burn the school down.” Techno joked, following them to the door and leaning on it. Tommy in return flushed him off and sped faster into the car. As soon as Will put the keys in and turned them the kids' window rolled down. 

“I hope you know I will now be doing that on purpose to spite you.” 

~0~0~0~

The school was larger than anticipated, though it made sense in retrospect. The whole thing was made from a variety of orange and red bricks. The building seemed to be shaped in an oblong L shape. The parking lot was huge, but even the size of it did nothing to quell the crowd that came rushing in.

The school was named Georgetown High. It sat nestled right beside the center of the large and sprawling city. It looked like every other building in the area, it looked both incredibly old and very young at the same time. A well-preserved building he couldn't imagine was built to be a school and not some office building. If the sheer amount of kids in the school itself wasn't daunting, the entire thing seemed to be around four stories. Tommy felt dwarfed by the world that now faced him.

Wilbur had been whispering small words of encouragement the entire ride there but the closer to the city they got, the more drawn back Tommy became. Now they stood in front of it frozen in place. Will had gone through the nightmare of parking and insisted on entering with his brother. Tommy was secretly relieved.  (A feeling his brother picked up as soon as it had initiated.)

Will squeezed his brother's shoulder and shared a fleeting look of understanding. His expression spoke for him,  ‘Ready? ’ Tommy inhaled deeply and nodded to himself. A quick hug with his brother and he was off into the new sea in front of him. Will had said something likely akin to a goodbye but with the volume of everyone around the kid, he never caught wind of what he had said.

If the outside was crowded, the inside was a mob. Students pushed their way through overcrowded halls just rushing to keep up with the relentless flow of other kids. Tommy bumped and rustled against everyone around him. 

He knew where to go thankfully since he had gotten a tour earlier but with the number of people, he could only rely on the room signs that jutted out above their respective doors. Locker be damned if this crowd wasn't letting up, he preferred to carry his bag anyway. 

A few missteps and a few bumps later he shuffled into room A021 as instructed. His homeroom apparently. He had met the teacher in passing while on his tour and seemed nice enough. Tommy walked up to their desk and smiled at them. 

“Nice to see you again Thomas! I have you on my chart right at that seat there.” Tommy looked to where they were pointing and silently celebrated the placement by the window. “Can I help you with anything?”

“No, I'm just confused about where I was sitting is all. Thank you!” The teacher nodded. “Sounds good to me. Class doesn't start for a bit so you may have to wait for a bit. Feel free to socialize! I promise they don't bite. Probably.” Tommy couldn't help the small laugh that escaped his lips. The teacher smiled back at him but shooed him away so they could return to what they were doing before. 

Tommy passed a few rows of desks before finally sitting at the seat he was assigned. The window had a small ledge so he set his bag there. Looking around, there weren't that many people present quite yet.

One kid half asleep at his desk by the front, a few girls all sitting at desks next to each other talking, and two guys a desk apart from him talking. One of the guys was standing and the other was sitting down just looking at him patiently.

 The two especially drew his eyes because the sitting one had very strangely dyed hair. That would have never been allowed at his last school. On top of his hair, he was huge. Even just sitting down Tommy was intimidated. He wasn't muscly, just purely and oddly tall. It made him a bit afraid. 

“Just think about it man, it’s a plan worth trying. They’ll never see it coming!” The kid offered a smirk laced with confidence.“You really think they wouldn't?” The sitting kid ruffled his hair and gave a sigh. Strangely, he sounded American. Sure, Tehno was American but he was adopted. It was strange to hear the foreign accent in someone else’s voice. 

 “Like, how long until they look into us? I just don't think it's a good idea.” The sitting one seemed the most logical, and the most dismissive. What even was the context? Were they playing a prank of sorts?

“Well, that's where you come in! I get in there, watch for a bit, you get me out. You can drive, can't you? It's simple! Aren't you just itching to see what they get up to there? It will be my debut!” The brunette gave jazz hands to the sitting guy, only to be met with an eye roll. Debut?

“Just how exactly will you just watch? Binoculars? Or do you want to just waltz in You hear what people say about that place? I would rather not die young.”

“That's only because you're boring.”

Tommy burst out laughing purely by accident. This caught the attention of the two and they both just looked at him silently with confused faces. At his old school, Tommy would hear conversations about grades, status, and money. It was a private school rat race he disliked strongly. Good and funny people were hard to come by so hearing the exchange he just had was especially funny to him.

“Can I help you?” the brunette asked, sticking by his friend's desk. Tommy slowly began to slow his laughing and tried hard to calm himself down. “Sorry… That was fuckin’ funny.” He wheezed out. This brightened the kid up instantly, shifting his look from one of slight annoyance to pride and a dash of interest.

“It was, wasn't it. See, he appreciates me. I’m funny.” He boasts to his friend sitting down. The friend slightly smiles in response, dawning a much less confidence-riddled smile. “We don't need someone encouraging you. I beg of you man, this guy is nuts. You'll only serve as fuel to his fire.” The weird hair guy seemed less scary than he first did, huh.

The standing kid walked over to Tommy’s desk slowly, waving his hand at his other friend dismissing his lecture. “This is a man of class, he doesn't need advice from someone who makes dad jokes.” 

“Dad jokes?” Tommy coughed out. “Seriously?” The brunette nodded with fake disappointment.

“He is the bane of my existence you see.”

“I am not?”

“He harasses me with his terrible jokes.”

“I really don't?”

“You seem fun, let's ditch this loser.” There was no actual intent in his voice and the joke was clear, but it wasn't appreciated by the guy sitting who only sputtered trying to grasp a proper response. 

Tommy’s laugh resumed for a second. “You poor soul. Mans dealing with a fuckin’ old man every day.” an offended scoff made itself present from behind them. The brunette joined in the laughing. 

“What were you guys even talking about anyway?” Tommy gathered himself a bit. The kid by his desk took the seat next to him. The tall kid’s smile dropped slightly at the question, looking over to his friend. The other kid seemed unbothered.

“Well, I'm so glad you asked!” The taller kid threw his hands up in defeat. “You know the parking garage near 21st street? The abandoned one?” Tommy knew exactly where he was referring to. This is because Phil drilled a few places to steer clear from in his head when he was a kid, the 21st street garage was one. 

“Yep. The haunted one?”

“That's just it! I have a view of it from my apartment and it's not haunted. There are a whole bunch of people that still use it!” This was troubling to hear. Tommy had passed it a few times in the car with Will and every time he did he took note of the big concrete walls barring anyone from entering. Either this was another entrance or this guy was as nuts as his friend claimed.

“Dude, that was supposed to be a secret. We have talked about it, this is dangerous. We just met this guy.” The weird-haired kid leaned slightly, getting the other’s attention. “Well, it's not like he is going to tell anyone. He is new.” The kid turned back to the blonde. “Right?”

“Yea, this is my first day.”

“That doesn't make this better. These guys are involved with the waterfront community, those people make you disappear.” The waterfront community was a name that Tommy hadn't heard of. About every sketchy place in the city had been meticulously pointed out to him but none with that name. Was it even in the city? Tommy’s expression gave him away to the two, so the brunette spared an explanation much to the discomfort of his friend.

“People say they are like the mob. Anyway, I have been seeing them up at the garage recently with all their fancy cars and tinted windows. Ranboo over here says that it’s the guys from the sketchy dock place but even if it is I'm curious.” Tommy completely missed the strange name of this guy's friend on account of the fact that the docks were brought up.  The  place to avoid #1. That's where people went to die.

“And you want to watch them? Can't, you watch them from your window?” The blonde piped up. The taller kid motioned towards him to emphasize the point he had made. His concerns made sense now. 

“I'm too high up, the walls cut everything off. It has been messing with me for ages. I just want a peek. One, I would be out on the public sidewalk and two I would have Ranboo as my getaway driver. Like a spy!” This guy was crazy. “Basically, he wants to pretend to be a spy and risk his life for no good reason.” The Ranboo kid summarizes. 

Tommy looked between them both for a second weighing the implications of what was just said. It was silent for a second, the kid in the middle shifting a bit out of discomfort.

“I'm in.”

The two reacted in exactly the opposite ways. Ranboo looked betrayed by the statement while the kid in the middle between them pumped his fist. He extended his hand over to Tommy across the gap between their desks. 

“I'm Tubbo, Welcome to the spy squad my friend.”

Chapter Text

“So you're who I have been looking for.” 

It wasn't as if the traveler could see the man's face, but the glare he shot could be felt for miles. It had taken some haggling and a whole lot of extra dollars but standing before him was the very first hunter. Heavy slick black wings adorned his back making the nickname he had developed all the more understandable. 

“I get it… If you were in the business of talking you wouldn't be here.” The traveler raised his hands in defeat. “Just wanted to pick your brain for a second but if we can pass over that I have a request… More of a proposition.”

In the beginning, when the traveler entered the room for the first time they thought the man was an assistant, or maybe one of the products they were selling. 

He was an average height with barely any muscle only notable with the giant wings trailing behind him. They looked awful, wrecked feathers, some torn and some not. Absolutely covered in grease and dirt top to bottom. They had to be a part of his costume, fake wings to intimidate others. Maybe bought from another ENHA long passed.

The traveler found this wasn't the case when he finished his sentence and the feathers shuffled slightly, giving away the man's interest immediately. It freaked them out to no end. 

“Are you interested?” A rhetorical question if the wings were any identifier.

“...If this is a waste of my time I will be leaving. Spit it out.” The voice sounded a lot older than he had expected. It was a low grumble that forced every hair on the traveler's arms to stand at attention. A chilling croak of an angel.

“Y-yea sorry… I was wondering if you were taking in any apprentices?” 

The hunter staggered back for a second, weighing leaving. This was not at all what he had expected. The mask he wore obstructed any expression but one could only guess how baffled he looked. Who would even ask something like that?

“You have to be joking. You're clearly a kid, why would you even want that. I overlooked your age when I first got here but you… Why  would you…” The angel seemed floored at the request. He killed and kidnapped every single day, why was it today that he allowed himself to be so careless with letting his emotions slip? 

“Well, I can't really deny the age thing. I can say that I have no shortage of cash. That and the fact that I have been in this business for some time.” The traveler revealed. “America is just now realizing the existence of ENHAs as you call them and that made my job a whole lot harder. There they have more access to tools that can fight back. The last job went south and it showed me that I needed to become stronger if I was going to last out there.”

“You can help me get better, and in turn, I can pay handsomely and maybe even work for you all here. I have no shortage of time. If you don't believe me, call your American branch, I have worked a few jobs with them a few months back. “

The first hunter said nothing, refusing any words that begged to come out. He wanted to yell and scream at the kid that he had a chance at escaping the market if he was able to travel to England. He wanted to ask why he voluntarily stayed in at his age. Nothing came out. He froze.

“ Well? ”

Of course money hadn't been an issue with this kid, he was a hunter. Those able to survive live lavishly with the spoils of the game. It was so easy to stay afloat financially, but the issue was survival. How deadly was the kid to last this long?

The angel’s questions ceased as soon as the creaking of the iron door behind them whirred open. It revealed the worst person he could think to join the conversation.

The figurehead. The boss. The overseer. He went by many names. He owned and grasped the docks with an iron fist. He had revolutionized the trafficking of ENHAs with no mercy. Nobody knew his real name and nobody wanted to. Adorned in gold chains and sharp suits. Even seeing his face was risky. He had all the control here and he very well knew it. The angel brought fear onto anyone who trifled with him, but what those that thought was loyalty bought was actually a deadly grip on his very existence. 

The boss brandished and owned about almost every employee that worked for him, holding every single one of their lives in his hand as if they were mere toys. 

The boss was the type of man to kill without hesitation without needing to so much as lift a finger. He had all the strings in place so all he needed to do was watch gleefully as the spiders danced across it all. 

Boiling fear traveled down the backs of the two in the room. The angel stood stiff, fixing his posture to one at attention sans a solute. A puppet with its strings high strung and wound. 

The decision was no longer up to the angel of death if it ever had been to begin with. Knowing the king of it all, he had been listening attentively to the conversation they had been having and taking note of every little detail being spoken. The angel knew exactly why he entered and he wasn't ready. This was the first task he had hesitated to accept. Alas, orders were orders. 

He had lost all say years ago.

The boss came up beside the angel and leaned on him brandishing a pointed smile. Every move he made was fluid and effortless as if he wasn't even human. The traveler was face to face with power.

And finally the devil spoke thus,

“When can you start?”

~0~0~0~

School had been working out well thus far. Tommy had gained new friends with the addition of Tubbo and Ranboo all the while the classes were a whole heck of a lot easier to understand. Phil and Kristin had been so proud after his first week came to a close. It took every ounce of him not to take their praise at face value, but everything was different now with Phil.

Sure he sat at dinner more often and engaged more with others but after everything, it was hard to trust his father after he knew what Tommy had been going through and never said anything. He had promised to tell his sons his past in time but now they all knew the truth.  ‘Time’  was a lot longer than they had anticipated. 

Tommy was on the second Wednesday of his new school and sat beside his new friends at lunch thinking it all. Tubbo and Ranboo were having a back-and-forth about something to do with which video game was better but Tommy had lost track as soon as he began to think.

Will had kept his end of the bargain, driving him to school and keeping up their daily roof visits to train his powers. His brother was about the only person he really trusted in the house anymore.

 Techno was always locked in his room doing his coursework or trying to figure out the whole abilities situation. His mother was a whole lot quieter and soft-spoken after Phil had presumably told her about the fight and its contents. She had to know more than Tommy at this point and it drove him up the wall.

Phil tried his hardest to resume everything like it was before. He would deflect when abilities were brought up like he always had but not as harshly as before. It was scary how easily he was able to shrug everything off.

Everything was just so-

“Shit!” Tommy had forgotten about his abilities for a moment and let his emotions slip. His hand had lit up for a moment before he caught it. Waving his hand around haphazardly stopped his friend's conversation in its tracks.

“Uhh… Tommy?” Ranboo cocked his head over to look at him.

“Nothing! Just remembered I forgot to do something at home. My dad is going to kill me.” He played up his fright but neither of the two bought it. They kept this to themselves of course. 

“...Sure boss man, whatever you say.” Tubbo dismissed, now picking at the tray of food in front of him. “Ranboo was telling me off about the garage plan again.”

Tommy let the thin relief cover him. Safe for now. 

“We have been over this, the plan is easy. We have every single place mapped out and I’ll be there in case anything goes off.” Tubbo nodded at Tommy’s reassurance. 

Ranboo hated the docks with every fiber of his being. The fact that Tubbo and Tommy were so reckless as to mess with anyone even suspected to have an alliance with that place was just strange beyond belief to him. It wasn't as if he had ever been to the docks to his knowledge, it was the primal fear that place just bled onto the streets that infected his mind. Anyone who couldn't acknowledge it was just crazy. Tubbo was one of the smartest kids he knew so how could he be so dumb? 

“I get that. I do. I just want to make sure you guys are sure because if we go through with this there is no reversing it. Friday gives you two more days to think about this and I just don't want you guys to take that lightly.”

“Tubz knows what he is doing. It isn't like we are breaking in or anything, just watching.”

Ranboo gives a noise of understanding but retreats back to his food. Tommy looked back to tubbo to get some sort of reaction but the boy only shrugged. 

It had been revealed to him earlier that week that Tubbo had a strange fascination with mysteries around the town, specifically with the docks. Ranboo never knew why so Tommy never got the answer but it had been apparently present even when the two met ages ago. Ranboo had to be the one to talk him out of the weird plans he concocted to check these mysteries out but on occasion, if the plan was solid enough and the situation wasn't super dangerous Ranboo would come along. 

The boy knew the threats involved with messing with these people but if Tubbo was in on it so was he.  (Even if he said otherwise.)

“In any case, we need to go shopping for supplies anyway. Are you free after school? It's a while to walk but I know a place we can get good spy stuff. My uncle owns the place!” 

“Uhh…” No, he wasn't free. His father wanted to pick up nightly movies again and today was supposed to be the kick starter. “Yeah, I'm free. My brother usually picks me up so I'll have to text him about it. I'm sure he could drive us if you need.”

“Perfect! Boo, you coming?”

“Do I have much of a choice?” 

“Nope!” Tubbo said, popping the P. Tommy laughed at the exchange all the while pulling his phone out. Will wouldn’t have an issue, right?

~0~0~0~

Will had an issue.

He had been looking forward to movie night and Tommy knew this, driving them and helping Tommy miss it meant putting the nail on the coffin of canceling it. Phil probably only wanted to start them back to give the kid a routine and familiarity so if he bailed the whole night was off. 

It would be a wasted opportunity to pry information from Phil. The father never really stuck out his neck with the boys anymore for fear of their responses so to have a time allotted for all of them to chat was the perfect chance.

 Oblivious of this dilemma, Tommy just liked the idea of buying spy gear. Tubbo’s uncle apparently gave him a bunch of things for free whenever he visited so Tommy wasn't about to miss out on free things. 

When Will ultimately got all of the info he agreed to drive them on the condition he tagged along to wherever they were going. Tommy hadn't been descriptive and with his new abilities, Will wanted to make sure he was behaving and not burning anything and everything down for fun like he expected him to. 

The day had flown by quickly. Ranboo warmed up to the idea of going more and more at the promise of seeing Tubbo’s uncle. Apparently, he was really fun to be around. Tommy was also interested in meeting this guy because he was on Tubbo’s dad’s side of the family and he refused to elaborate on that. Ranboo explained it was because his dad likely left but somehow even he never knew the full details on it. 

The ‘spy squad’ exited the school quickly, filled with anticipation. Tommy ran immediately over to Wilbur’s car as soon as he spotted it, screaming something about shotgun. Tubbo and Ranboo were hot on his trail and filed into the back.

“So you two are the kids Tommy has been talking about, huh?” Will smiled back at them warmly. Tommy crossed his fingers, less for them and more for himself. Wilbur was his brother and he was prone to make fun of him and embarrass him at every turn available.

The car whirred to a start and quickly they were off. Will had gotten the address from Tommy earlier so all he needed to do was input the details and his phone mapped out the route.

“Aww, Tommy talks about us?” Tubbo sent a smirk over to Tommy and received a glare back. 

“Nice to meet you! I'm Ranboo and this is Toby but he goes by Tubbo.” 

“Nice to meet you too. I’m the cooler Watson sibling.”

This caused Tommy to scoff. “You wish, prick.”

“I don't know about that one big T. Man has a car and in comparison to you, who does not own a car. On a scale you would be ranked lower. Objectively.” Tubbo chimed in, getting Will to laugh and Tommy to babble excuses. “Objectively my ass! You suck up!”

Ranboo kept his distance from the conversation but kept a tab on it with a passing interest. His main focus now was on planning. While Tubbo and Tommy were sure they weren't going to screw anything up, Tubbo’s records of these excursions serve as a record and it is far from perfect. 

He had been nearly caught half of the time and the other half had been spent messing up a few key details up just purely by the distraction that was his curiosity. If Ranboo was going to get them out alive he had to devise a plan B without alerting Tubbo...so he doesn't get a mouth full.

What he usually did in emergency situations was to arrive on the scene and make an excuse for Tubbo’s being there for interested parties. Scary parties with expensive suits and heavy weapons not well hidden. Part of him wanted to go with this route again but his heart couldn't take that stress again. Last time he had to make an excuse to someone at the dock he had given himself no time to prepare and the two escaped only with the skin of their teeth. It was with some flimsy lie about Tubbo’s mental being.

“So Mr.Boo, are you okay with me calling you that?” Will asked, snapping the kid out of his head. 

“Sure yea I don't mind.”

“Great! So Mr.Boo I was wondering how you got your name. Is it your birth name or a nickname? My older brother is American and has a nickname so I'm wondering if it's common for the lot of you.”

“I had no idea Tommy had another brother! Also yeah it's a nickname. I don't know about your brother but I don't remember how I got it, I forgot a whole lot of my early years so it's just like… always been with me if that makes sense.”

Will looked pained for a second. Shit, he had pried too much, hadn't he? “Sorry, yea I get it. My bad.”

“No! It’s totally okay. I'm not worried about it at all. What's your brother's nickname?”

“He goes by Technoblade. My dad said he named himself that when he was much younger and got mad at anyone who used his real name. It just became his only name after a while.” That fact alone made Ranboo feel a bit better. He had always preferred his nickname over his real name. “I forgot his real name. We use Techno so much I forgot how strange it sounded.” Tommy tacked on. 

"I think it sounds badass!” 

“I agree with Tubbo, he sounds really cool.”

Will snorted. “Don't let him hear that, he will let it get right to his head. No doubt dad will force you two over so he can make you guys dinner so I have no doubt that you'll get to meet him. Probably briefly, the guy is basically a hermit.” 

“Pff! Yea he totally is! The big man sounds like he could beat you up with the nickname but will stay up all night playing an unnecessarily hard game just to prove he is cool then pass out mid-afternoon.” 

“English majors.” Will sighs. “You have nothing to fear from that guy.”

The car pulled off the road and into the small parking lot of a shopping center. It seemed decent enough, for something this close to the center of the city it was fairly clean looking. Wilbur bulled up to the closest parking spot he could right outside the door of the shop and glanced inside the window.

“So Uhh… What kind of store is this again?” He muttered, sending Tommy a confused glance.

“It is a survival store! That's what my uncle calls it at least. They sell a whole lot of hunting stuff.”

A hunting store? Surely enough knives sat on display by the front counter just shimmering at the sunlight hitting them. Why in the world would Tommy need to go to a hunting shop? 

Tommy didn't need his brother's powers to pick up on how he was thinking. “Tubbo’s uncle is giving out free things and he wanted to visit him, Ranboo and I just wanted to tag along to meet him.” Now that made more sense, but with Tommy being Tommy there was no way that Wilbur was going to let him go into the store alone. The three kids rushed out of the car as soon as it turned off leaving Will to pick up the pace behind them.

“So I take it you've met this guy before Ranboo?” Tommy stayed to the tall kid's side while Tubbo opened the door in front of them. 

“Oh, yea! A few times. Tubbo likes coming here when there is time to spare. His uncle is really fun so I tag along when I can.”

The bell on the shop door chimed as it swung open. The whole store seemed… plain. There were a few rows of supplies that lined the back of the store. It wasn't especially decorated, just plain white walls and uncovered ceilings. Tubbo’s uncle or any employee for that matter was nowhere to be seen, likely in the back. This allowed a larger sight into the view of the extended weapons display. They lined every inch of the large wall behind the desk flowing all the way past the desk and spilling into the rest of the left wall. 

A few antique weapons lined themselves beside the large portion of knives. After a while, the weapons began to get scattered in classification. Muskets all the way to small pistols at the end. It seems that the farther into the store you got the more deadly things got. 

Tommy wandered in quickly. Weapons were not his forte due to Phil swearing off them for some reason so he never got to see stuff like this. It was like looking into a museum for him. Tubbo and Ranboo made it look like walking into a store like this was just an everyday thing. Will was the last to enter, allowing the door to swing to a close behind him. Out of everyone there he felt the most out of place. He understood his father's distaste for guns and weapons more than his brothers ever did. Being here was uncomfortable.

Tubbo had disappeared while they were admiring the sights to go find his uncle. Ranboo took the chance to pull out the list of gear they needed and motioned it towards Tommy. Will had been too struck by the store to notice the buys walk over into the aisle and chatter about something. 

How was a store like this so close to the city anyway? Sure, knives were sold legally all the time but in the UK guns were strictly regulated at every turn. It was unlikely that a shop like this would even be allowed to sell guns this close in to the city anyway. This just… wasn't how the city operated. 

They were far from any forests and they never had the biggest hunting market. It would take you ages to drive to somewhere that called for this kind of armory. Was this place even run legally? How could a well-mannered and normal kid like Tubbo be raised in an environment like this?

“Ey! Ranboo!” A voice called out from the back of the store, footsteps approaching the front of the store. The man was shorter than expected. Tubbo was almost taller standing beside him. He looked a bit on the younger side to be running a store like this but his whole vibe suited it perfectly. He hosted a large sprawling scar across his right eye leaving the iris completely white. The scarring was old and only slightly pink, but the gash itself was wide and jagged. 

“Good to see you, Mr.Alex!” Ranboo walked over to the man and extended his hand. Instead of shaking it, the smaller man took it and pulled the kid into a warm hug. 

“It's been a hot minute! How have you been?” The man broke the hug, now guiding himself and the boys over to the counter. 

“Good. Keeping your nephew out of trouble, the usual.”

“Sounds about right… And new guests with you! More friends of Tubbo’s?”

Wilbur hesitated to approach, this man seemed nice enough but the looming scar and basis of the establishment he ran hung over his head. Tommy had no such hindrance. 

“Yep. I’m Tommy and this is my brother Wilbur.” He bounded over to the man, towering over him. Alex seemed to notice immediately and drop his expression a tad. 

“Kid, it's like you can't make friends with anyone who isn't freakishly tall.” He grumbled sending daggers at Tubbo. The teen only smiled wider. 

“Not my fault you still need time to grow.”

This caused the three onlookers to believe maybe the deadliest thing in the weapons shop wasn't one of the items on the wall. It was the owner's glare.

Chapter Text

Melancholy smoke filled the air. Nobody had come to see the traveler yet. He had signed on to be a hunter here under the angel of death so essentially he had sold his soul. You'd think they would at least be on time for the lessons. 

The boss had apparently had his interest piqued at the mere sight of the traveler, but as soon as they unveiled their offer it was the last nail in the coffin. Even if they wanted out of the operation now there was no way to go about it. America wasn't to this level yet in the market so everything had been new and jarring. 

They had been told to meet in an assigned studio right outside of the docks that doubled as a gym. It wasn't as dirty as the central warehouse if you looked past the mold seeping onto the walls and a few paint cracks. In comparison, this place was heaven. The smog and bile the warehouse reeked of was long forgotten and happily so.

Our traveler looked to the doors of the gym in anticipation. It was confirmed that the angel of death would be the teacher of this new excursion but had that meant every class?

The door swung open with a new customer. Surely this wasn't the guy that the traveler had seen yesterday. There was no way. 

Blonde hair was buzzed into a respectful cut shaping the man's kind-looking face. He wore simple athletic gear that seemed perfectly tailored for him, all down to a large gym bag. Not a scratch on any of it. All these factors could make the traveler guess at the validity of the man's identity but there was a glaringly obvious factor that finalized this thought. The lack of giant wings.

The traveler made no effort to get up from the seat he had found, this just couldn't be the man so why bother. The entire gym was dead besides the two people but this just had to be a civilian, he looked like he had never seen a fight before. 

“... So this is how you treat your superiors?” That voice. It was his voice. There was no way. “That won't do, mate. If you have any hope at all of surviving here you have to work your ass off being polite. God forbid you pull this at the boss.” The traveler shot up and began over to the man. 

“I… What? I just didn't recognize you without your…” A motion was made at the man's back and the message was received. Thankfully the man seemed to not take any offense at the poor warning. The traveler knew if he was to face the angel in a fight there was no competition.

“My bad then. I'm rarely out without the mask nowadays.” His hand was extended over to the traveler's direction. “Welcome to your training.” 

The kid took the man's hand in his own and shook it firmly. “Thank you again. I look forward to working with you.” A grin had been initiated. The angel dropped face at the comment. He looked pained, eyebrows raised and grip loosening. 

“That's your first mistake, kid.”

Mistake? The traveler had been in the industry for ages and had killed more than his fair share of people, kidnapping double that. He was no pushover. He had been born and bred to fight in this industry, likely just like this guy had been. It was almost insulting that he directed pity at the traveler. 

No apology was made and the man simply walked into a studio room. It was covered in mats that were well used. Was this where every hunter trained?

“What's your title around here? Surely you had one in America.” The man walked to the corner of the room and set down his bag. Title, huh? 

“Like a street name? If so, yea I have one.”

The man began to wrap one of his fists, grabbing the wrap from the corner pocket of the bag. “Oh, yea? Mind telling me? Or will we be here all day?”

The traveler had to remind himself constantly of this guy's legacy. The last person who spoke to the traveler with such disrespect had been made into a warning for others. It took every ounce not to simply go after the apparent angel.

“Dream. I go by Dream.”

The man stopped wrapping his hand for a moment before continuing. “ Dream , huh? I think I have heard of you before. You're the one from the Los Angeles cliff incident, aren't you? Don't you have a partner?”

Of course he had a partner. Growing up as a hunter is a death sentence. How did the man think he lasted so long? Nick had gone to train under some hack in texas leaving him in the dust so Dream had decided to do the same. It was just business. “None of your business. I thought I was here to be trained, or have you forgotten?”

At once the entire mood of the room fell. 

Dream had dealt with people who could manipulate emotions before but for how effective this was just… something else. It was like he was looking at a giant or a mountain, the terror of it. The angel locked eyes with him, elevating every anxiety that now lofted in the room. 

“No. You came here to die , but I want to be polite.” 

His eyes left Dream’s and traveled back to wrapping his other hand. “ The boss likes your story so your life has been decided for you. I'm only here to make sure you don't become a bad investment. Now, let's see what your right hook looks like.”

~0~0~0~

Friday came quickly with anticipation. Ranboo had nervously mapped out every single point in their plan simply to rest his nerves about it all. This had to be perfect, after all, they had a whole new player in the game now. Classes had been neglected by the three boys in favor of sketching out maps and writing outcomes. Tommy only got progressively more excited about the whole ordeal. 

He wasn't sure if it was because of the new friends he made or because of the subject matter but it was cooler than anything he had ever participated in. Phil would never know! Will had no idea! The whole family was none the wiser. 

Usually, they were very in tune with his antics and stopped him whenever he planned on doing anything risky, but because of the recent events, everyone seemed huddled in their own minds so he was Scott free. 

The main concern was Techno, the professional bullshit cutter. That concern lifted immediately as Techno spent increasingly more days in his room. The guy seemed so dedicated as to his schoolwork, throwing himself in as a distraction from his paradigm shift. It had been revealed early on that he was attempting to figure everything out about the powers so Tommy bet on him being in his room for a while more. What's there to look into if nothing comes up?

Final period chimed in, causing every teen to rush back to their homerooms for study hall. Tommy buzzed with excitement the whole way. He had never been excited to be at school before, it was kind of nice. 

“Tommy!” Tubbo waved him over as he entered the room. “You hyped?”

“Of-fuckin-course . How about you Boo boy, hyped yourself?”

“Nope!”

Yea that sounds about right. The others shrugged it off with a laugh. Tommy threw his backpack on his desk, sliding his chair over closer to Tubbo’s desk. “Did you bring the stuff?” The blonde rubbed his hands together in anticipation. 

“Just… Why did you phrase it like that?” Ranboo gave a small laugh.

“Yep! Big Q really pulled through. After we left the other day I texted him and asked if we needed any extra supplies if we were going to go spying and shit.” Tubbo plopped his bag onto the desk and rifled through it for a moment. “Ranboo, remember when you said the goggles were too expensive?”

“Don't tell me he bought you-”

“Boys, may I introduce you to the grand-spankin’ new 3200 MXL Infrared goggles.” A large black box found its way on the desk followed by jazz hands. Tommy murmured something along the lines of ‘holy shit’ while Ranboo only sat watching the box like it was about to jump over and bite him. 

“Equipped with zooming features, color settings, and even-” Tubbo clicked the box open revealing a large clunky headset, adorned with red wires and two huge green lenses on the front. Even Ranboo began to get excited.

“ Ta-da! ” The brunette clicked a button on the bottom side of the headset causing the entire thing to light up with a bright green. A few button clicks through the thing shifted colors until it reached the end of its spectrum and off. 

“Holy shit! That's sick!”

“This puppy is coming with me tonight so I can better see everyone. I can zoom in to what they look like and at the same time ditch the need for light. See Ranboo! Things are going to go perfectly fine. As soon as I spot someone I can just bolt!”

The tallest signed in relief. If only he had known about the existence of these sooner, that would have saved a whole lot of anxiety. “I'm so glad to hear it. It isn't perfect but…”

“ ...But? The goggles are pretty cool, right?” Tubbo smiled sweetly at the kid. 

“...The goggles are very cool. Yes. They are a start.” 

Tommy and Tubbo enthusiastically looked at each other. The plan was go!

~0~0~0~

Phil had informed Wilbur to refrain from picking up Tommy that day because apparently, he was sleeping over at Tubbo’s house. When he had gotten the news you couldn't imagine the relief that dawned. It was just nice to see Tommy being accepted and fitting in and the kids he had met seemed genuinely really nice. Sure, the weapons shop thing was a bit strange but after talking with Tubbo’s uncle for a bit he realized how down to earth this guy was. 

Techno never pried but never missed an opportunity to listen in on one of Wilbur’s many conversations with their mother about Tommy and his new friends. He was always used to being perceived as the emotionless monotone block in the family so it wasn't a conversation he was about to initiate. Hearing it only made him dive into looking into the power situation more, his brother was going to live a happy and normal life damn it. He was going to find out how to help him control this. 

So far the search for answers nothing much had come up. His scope was mainly on the city and England as a whole so it had been difficult to find anything concrete on that scale.

A few articles about unexplained events and missing persons were the majority of what he had. As it turns out, strange abilities in people seemed to be a very difficult subject to find things about. 

Any article about strange circumstances would come from a small publication and had been deleted or revised to say the author made it up. The pattern just seemed like people were trying to make up stories at first, how is a small newspaper going to stay afloat if nothing happens?

But things were happening. Article after article showing these strict warnings about fake content. Page links dying a day after Techno reads them. It couldn't be normal. Not a single paper about circumstances like this lacked the same red warning at the top. Someone didn't want people reading about this stuff. 

From the content of the reports, three main incidents had stood out to him to be the most plausible. One involved a small girl that had been found floating in a public park around 6 years ago. She had flown twelve feet into the air before being promptly rescued. Police had been called but by the time they arrived the girl along with the person who rescued her were long gone. Out of the few papers about this event, only one photo surfaced. 

It was covered in motion blur but sure enough there she was. A girl with short blonde hair a few feet in the air. Her expression was covered with the blur but from her posture, she looked either scared or cold. Techno had never been into photo editing so he wasn't completely sure this wasn't faked but it was something.

The next event was a year and a half later, this time in a school. Some teenager had apparently punched a kid right clean through a wall. Photos were all scattered around from every angle taken by terrified students with sub-par phone cameras. 

The hole had not been huge, just large enough for a teen to presumably fit through. News about the victim's recovery was the majority of the coverage and it seemed he had been paralyzed because of it. The more Techno looked into this one the scarier it had gotten

Any photo of the kid who had apparently done this had been deleted manually, and not even two months after the incident the school had been closed permanently. Any info about it came from the scattered questions as to what happened from past alumni. 

The final one he was certain occurred was once again a child, this time much younger than any of the others. The story was all patchwork from different perspectives. Apparently, over 15 years ago there had been an illegal fighting pit that got busted by the docks and when they had found it the whole thing turned out to be a child ring organized by a local gang. The children had all been either kidnapped or bought at a young age and raised to fight. 

Naturally a sob story, but it got worse. Some of the children had been malformed and possessed strange features. Virtually no photos of them were available but with days of digging a few surfaced. 12 Children all designed like monsters. 

One kid had gills and webbed fingers, his skin a sickly white that seemed so pale it was translucent. Another had strange square eyes and short horns protruding from his skull. It had all been terrifying to look at on top of all the injuries they had sustained. 

The issue came when Tecno found the actual report on the police website. It had been passed off as if the kids had been dressed up and marketed because of that but Techno was sure that wasn't the case. Something kept nagging on him about it all. On the record, it had shown that 13 children had been rescued but only 12 photos were actually present. Where was the 13th?

Techno finally found the picture that Friday afternoon. It showed a pretty normal-looking kid carrying some pretty abnormal scars. He had the same height as the others and had a pretty similar hair color to his own. The curiosity stopped immediately when he found another picture. His breathing stopped. The whole world seemed to follow. 

The child in the image had the same scars he did.

Why did the child have the same scars he did?

~0~0~0~

Ranboo pulled the car over slowly, parking it underneath a tree in the middle of a shopping center’s parking lot. Sunset had broken just a few minutes ago and the time had finally come. The two boys beside him in the car were basically bouncing off the walls with excitement. 

“Okay. Before you both go out, give me one more rundown of the plan so I know you guys are ready.”

“Again? ” Ranboo seemed resolute with his nod. “Ugh fine. You stay here while Tommy and I go over to the fence over there and watch the garage. We set a silent alarm for thirty-five minutes and come back to you right after. If anything goes south we call you and you drive closer and pick us up.” Tubbo repeated in a monotone and bored voice.

“And?”

“And have the police on speed dial if anyone comes out to stab us!” Tommy finished. Tubbo nodded beside him. 

“Thank you. Now go you two, don't die.” They didn't need to be told twice. The car doors flung open and the two scrambled out clutching their bags, heavy with equipment.

It only took a minute or two of navigating but the right side of the fence had been found. The whole thing was taller than they had anticipated but it was no matter, it wasn't like they were scaling the thing. Tubbo eagerly set his bag down and grabbed the goggles he had boasted about. Tommy rifled through his own bag, finding an earpiece they had found. Sure, it may have been a low-budget hearing aid but it could be used to listen in. Innovation waits for no man. 

The blonde was on alarm duty so before he forgot he pulled out his phone and set the alarm, tabbing back to the phone app in case of an emergency. Ranboo was one anxious fucker but he sure was smart. He had to deal with the antics of his partner in crime after all. 

Tubbo flipped the lense on and placed himself by the fence, propping himself up so that both eyes were in the middle of the grates. The whirring of the infrared was loud in Tommy’s ear but he elected to ignore it. 

“...Anyone in?” Whispered Tommy, shuffling beside him.

“...Uhh...Looks like… About seven people in total… This thing can't see super far so there are probably more…” He whispered back.

“What are they doing?”

“...Just standing there? They are all by the entrance holding sticks or something by the gate into the garage… Surprised that thing is still standing…”

The stick thing seemed odd but who was Tommy to judge? “Standing there? Are they talking? I can't hear them.”

“No… They aren't talking. There are two on each side of the gate and one in the middle. Two are behind the gate sitting next to each other at what I think is a table. It's on the side of the ramp that leads underground-” 

Murmuring began to get picked up from Tommy’s earpiece and so he immediately cut off his friend with a shushing noise. It was so faint he almost didn't hear it. The voice seemed raspy but somehow young?

“...You have to be joking. The hunters were sent out yesterday. They should be on their rounds, why is that bastard out and about? Gives me the fuckin’ creeps.” Every other word seemed more like static but with his head, Tommy could fill in the blanks. As quietly as he could he began to tap these sentences into his notes app. 

“Really. I mean, he is close to the big guy but so what? He still has to do his damn job. We are out here risking our lives. It's only fair he does too. I don't give a shit if he is one of those weirdos or not.”

“I asked the manager about it a bit ago and apparently he is on a ‘special mission’ whatever the fuck that means. After a specific target that needs more time to watch.”

“What, like a merc job? I thought he was specifically a hunter and nothing more.”

“That's what I figured but it seems not.”

“Man, someone is about to have a terrible week then.” The chuckle following was the loudest noise he had made out thus far. 

Somewhere along the way, Tubbo had begun peeking at Tommy’s phone and watching the words written. He made an effort to be as silent as possible, switching between the goggles and watching Tommy. 

“Will you two shut your traps and get back to work? The whole street can hear you at this rate.” That voice was new.

“Yea? And what are they going to do? The head has everything around here in his pocket so nothing matters anyway. Let them listen for all I care.”

“Right and risk a leak?”

“What the fuck are they going to leak? That a few weirdos shooting the shit said a few words that were too big for them? Yea, sure.”

“He has a point. The people around here are so scared of us they won't even step near the water because that's where the warehouse is. They are so afraid they even make up things just to be more afraid. You're worried over nothing. Come on, you're serious...” 

Tommy toned out purely out of confusion. He typed out the words and tapped Tubbo’s shoulder lightly, pulling his attention to the screen. Tommy typed a few question marks after the sentences he wrote down.

Tubbo read the words slowly and seemed to re-read them to be sure. “Shit-” The kid breathed through his teeth. That had been a bit too loud apparently because any background whispers Tommy heard before instantly halted. He wasn't focused on the conversation but even if he wasn't the murmurs would be there. They were gone. 

Fear stabbed into the boy. He gave an alarmed look at Tubbo, covering his mouth with his free hand. Tubbo did the same. ‘Holy shit’ The thought was collective. They were going to get him. They were going to get Tubbo. Why were they doing this? Why did they think this was a good idea?

The brunette motioned towards Ranboo’s direction, Tommy giving a nod in response. This was it. They had to do this. 

Slowly but surely they silently packed their gear into the bags and tediously zipped them up out of fear the noise would echo. As soon as the two were ready they snuck out from behind the fence and to Ranboo’s direction.

 A sneak turned to a walk, A walk into a sprint, and before they knew it they were running for the hills fueled by their utter terror.

Ranboo noticed the two sprinting and immediately took the clue, flinging the door beside him open and unlocking the car properly. They filed in with no hesitation. Ranboo put his keys back in a shaky panic, basically begging the car to start as fast as possible. The two slammed the doors behind them and threw the seat belts on immediately. 

“What did you two do?!”

Chapter Text

A year went and gone. Training with the angel had been hell. Everyday Dream would come home battered and bruised just to continue the cycle over and over. The docks never spared any healing ENHAs their way so they made do with drug store medkits and sheer will.

Truly it had started to pay off though, the angel’s methods were very basic but somehow rigorous enough to not only enhance his abilities but his overall strength.

The angel never really got too into prioritizing and maximizing the use of his ability, in his words, it was “Dangerous to disclose that information so freely.” So he gave blanket advice and let the kid try it on his own time. Any feedback would be filtered through the next day. It wasn't perfect but if the secret gave him an up in the docks he was going to take it no matter the cost. 

Nick had completed his training in America and had headed back to England to meet up with Dream and continue their work together. Nick never assumed any training roles, only picking up a normal hunter job with regular ease. He had adapted a codename under the angel’s advice, somehow landing on ‘Sapnap’ of all things. The origin was a mystery to Dream but he knew better than to ask. 

Training would be complete in less than a month and the boss was due to see his progress in a ring match. He was to choose another hunter to fight against and see who died first. Bloody and brutal, but somehow normal for the warehouse. 

The boss seemed even more elusive the more time he spent in town. He rarely stepped foot in the actual warehouse, and when he did it was only for high-priced orders or to finalize details on projects. Dream noted that if he didn't have the scattered grey hairs on his head, the guy would look almost his age. For someone seemingly close in age to him to be so ruthless and confident, it was chilling.

 He was smart, dangerously so. The only people he allowed around him seemed to be some lackey and a woman who traveled with him sometimes. The lackey was essentially the mouthpiece of the operation. He would voice demands and dates the boss would be in and when he would be busy. An important cog that almost nobody got close to. Almost.

The angel would sometimes leave the gym they trained at to meet him. Dream would try to pry but oftentimes that would end up giving him more bruises in training so he learned to accept the hint. 

“That partner. Sapnap.” 

“...Ye-a… Wh...What about him?” Dream huffed out from behind the punching bag. 

“He may very well be picked to compete against you. The boss is funny like that. Are you prepared to kill him if need be?” 

No hesitation. “Yes.” Emotions and attachments weren't allowed. Weren't necessary. 

“Hmm… You sure? You two have known each other awfully long.”

“...That is irrelevant.” Dream stopped for a moment, walking over and grabbing his water. “You of all people should know connections only cause issues.”

The angel had that look on his face again. It happened less and less nowadays but it made Dream feel like a kid again. He was pitying him. Damn softie. “Of course. You're right. I just wanted to make sure you were prepared. Now, who said you could take a break?”

~0~0~0~ 

After all the dismissing and passing over of the events that had occurred, the troupe finally came to a consensus to retreat back to Tubbo’s house and go to bed. While the other two retired off to bed Tommy had found himself sitting up just thinking about what would have happened. 

It had been common knowledge as a child that the docks and any personnel attached were to be strictly avoided. Growing up in the system, the kid had gotten the speech a thousand times over from all manner of locations around the city. No guardian had ever been as paranoid as Phil though.

All that fear made sense now in retrospect. For as much as he doubted his father's credibility nowadays this certain point seemed to rein true even now. Sure, it was public knowledge to not fuck with these people but the extreme hesitancy never truly clicked until now.

The mere fact that the men all those hours ago had heard the slightest of noises and laughed at their presence sent a chill down his spine. If these were the people they were now dealing with was it really worth it in the end?

 Tommy tried his hardest not to let the fear and anxieties attached to this get to him. On top of having to worry about some strange man coming to snatch him up because of the powers, he also had to worry about the men they had seen before and if they ever found him.

A sneaking suspicion told him that as much as Tubbo knew the risks and had dealt with them there was no way in hell he was dropping this whole spy act. It made no sense now. For a kid, that smart and perceptive, his interest in the docks was out of left field and misplaced. No true context was given as to why he was so driven.

 When they had all gotten home Tommy has specifically asked Ranboo about it and was given nothing but a shrug. 

Night hung in the windows causing a cascade of dim light to trail over his face. It was nice to have some form of light but it didn't exactly help his plan to sleep. The mattress he was on had been laid out on the floor of the kid's bedroom at the foot of Tubbo’s bed. Ranboo had gotten another extra mattress, this one closer to the door. Lucky for Tommy to be so close to the glare, huh?

“Tommy?” It was so quiet he almost missed it. Tommy arched up slightly and met eyes with Ranboo’s. 

“...Yea?”

Ranboo gave pause to shuffle a bit. He propped himself up on the wall behind the mattress. “Has he told you about the big one?”

Tommy took the moment to sit up as well but made more of an effort to stay silent, moving slowly. “Tubbo?

“Yea. He has another one of these planned. Sure, shocker right?” His whisper broke for a moment causing Tubbo to move in his sleep. The two let the silence sit for a moment before continuing. 

“What about it?”

“...You remember all that before about the docks? I'm sure you know the danger and that.” Tommy nodded. “Well…”

“...No fucking way. You're serious? When?”

“My guess is soon judging by this recent visit and all. He has been planning it for a while. It's just now he has the tools, the knowledge, and more questions than ever… I have really tried to keep him away from all of this but it just hasn't worked. It never works…”

“So… were stopping him, right?”

“...Good luck. He has only been planning this for about… maybe his whole life.”

“I guess if you don’t beat ‘em.”

~0~0~0~

The blaring light of his desktop was the only thing keeping him slightly aware of his surroundings. 

After the initial finding of the 13th photo Techno somehow convinced himself he had been looking too hard into the scar thing. Sure, similarities aside, this kid apparently was more important than the rest to have his photos and existence buried so far down. There was no way that someone like that wouldn’t have ‘disappeared like the rest. 

Now after a terrible night’s rest, he was back just watching the computer screen. Stuck on that low-resolution of pandora’s box. Waiting to find a reason not to look into it. Begging whatever force brought this image to the table just to take it back.

Did he really want to know? Did he have a reason? Was this even really that important?

Sure, he knew nothing about his childhood and never made an attempt to find out. He was sure he had been in the system for as long as he could remember. He had been so in control he renamed himself. 

If this really was the loose end he thought it was, how long would it take the tapestry to unravel? Worse yet, the image it would paint. 

For as unreliable his father had been acting as of late he claimed he was turning over a more truthful leaf so he had that foot in the door. It could take one question. One inquiry. 

Fiddling with his fingers wasn’t helping at all to stop his nervousness. It wasn’t probable in the slightest that he was really this child soldier, he never remembered a lick of it anyway! Sure… the possibility of repression began to hang, but that just… couldn’t be the case. He was sure. 

One inquiry to quell curiosity that was probably wrong. No harm anyway since it's unlikely to be true.

The hurdle of even bringing it up does come to mind now that Techno began to mull over specifics. It’s not every day that you simply walk up to your foster father and drop some bomb that may or may not have happened and see if he has info about it. 

Shoving his keyboard over slightly, Techno made room for some paper and began to concoct a plan as to approach this. He had to know. It was going to bug him until he addressed it anyway. 

Phil would be home from work as it was Saturday. He had all day. Dinner wouldn’t be ideal to bring this up on account of his mother and Will being present. So lunch it was. That gave a limited time window as it was closely approaching.

Possible conversation ins were brainstormed and quickly jotted down. He a few to be sure just in case, and if worst came to worst he could just ignore it for tomorrow. 

1:00 pm was decided upon and as it arrived Techno raved out of his room. He had downloaded the files from everything he had been looking to onto his phone beforehand so in case Phil needed proof he had bucket loads. 

When he landed from the stairs an unaccounted variable wedged its way into his plan. His mother was sitting at the table with his father. How in the world would he traverse this.

“Good afternoon. Did you just get up?” Phil smiled, no ill intent in his words. Kristin looked in his direction and gave a small greeting.

“Afternoon’. I have been up for a bit actually.” He made his way into the kitchen. When in doubt he settled for his usual granola bars. “Uhh… dad.” Without making eye contact he kept his eyes on the bar in front of him.

“What’s up, mate?”

“Just wondering if I can talk to you about something. Nothing major.” Shutting the pantry door he began to shed the bar of its wrapper. 

Kristin shared a fleeting look with her husband and gave a slight nod. “Guess that’s my cue, If either of you needs me I’ll be upstairs.” She began her way out, stopping only to give Techno a brief hug.

Silence hung for a moment only to break when Techno awkwardly trudged over the table and sat beside his father. “How can I help?”

“Uhh… well…” All of the plans he had to approach the topic were promptly thrown out of the window when the opportunity finally presented itself. Now to try and improvise. Techno forced himself to stay cool. “So, I’ve been looking into this whole… The enhanced thing that Will and Tommy have… You said to be careful and I have so don’t worry. I have found a few things that I need your… opinion on?”

Phil’s face scrunched into a concerned look. “You don’t seem too sure of that. I trust your oversight so I’m sure you know what you’re doing. What have you found?”

Well… I’ve been trying to get any news coverage of people experiencing this stuff but it’s been slim to none. Someone or something keeps blocking every publication about it. The reports I have found seem to point in the favor of these abilities pre-dating the first signs of Will’s. The main point of concern I have regarding these is an incident that happened a short while ago.”

“You’re right about the pre-dating thing and censorship. These enhancements have been around for quite some time and as for the censorship that also checks out.” Ignoring the fact that his father seems so calm about this and the fact that he knew so much, Techno continued.

“The event that I’m focused on happened about 12 years ago. There had been a fighting ring bust.” 

Techno kept his watch with every word he spoke. Phil was stone cold. 

“Turns out, it had been a bunch of kids who had been forced to fight by their parents… Their whole marketing relied on the strange variations the kids had. The police reported that the caretakers had dressed them up like animals to sell the image of the ring better… but I got a hold of some pictures of them.”

A small crack in his father’s expression, the slightest widening of his eyes. It spoke volumes.

“...They looked, real dad. They looked like they were some sort of animal hybrids. If Tommy and Will can manipulate things into existence this isn’t far off either, right?”

“...Techno-”

“-And get this! There were about 13 kids in total. It took a bit of sleuthing to find all of them, the last was especially tough.”

“...Tech-”

“-But! When I found it! The kid was one of the only semi-normal-looking ones in the bunch. When I first looked at them the only thing that really stood out was the number of wounds. Apparently, he had been the top competitor.”

“...”

“When I looked at him further…” Techno pulled his phone out of his pocket and fiddled with it for a moment, fishing a few photos out and flipping through them until he found what he had been looking for. “You see that kid’s wrist?” Pointing at the screen, Techno watched as his father looked down at the image cracking all the more in composure. 

“It is probably a coincidence but I figured I would ask if-”

“-Techno...”

It was only now that Technoblade’s attention shifted to the small minute details and onto the major ones, mainly the tears that had been welling in his father’s eyes. The cracking of his voice. The slack of his shoulders. 

God  no.

“But it’s just a strange coincidence, one I figured I would bring up.” Eject. This is farther than he expected to go. “Heh...Weird, right?”

Phil kept his eyes on the picture of the kid, making no effort to conceal the cascading tears that fell down his face. A small shudder wracked through his body.

“Dad, It’s…”

“I had no idea they took pictures… God, you look so small…”

You.

Sobs fell through his father. Techno simply stayed stunned. It was just… it wasn’t… It couldn’t be. Phil pulled the phone screen closer to him letting it rest on the table right in front of him.

“...When I found you I was… Just so lost. I had been caught up with something but seeing you…”

All rational thoughts that had once been trying to rationalize his father’s words into meaning anything but what he was hearing shifted into explaining away what he meant by that. He had been in the system, right? That’s what he had been told at least. Techno would not allow himself to process this. It was just like any other story that he had looked into. 

“You looked like me. Your situation was just so familiar it hurt… Kristin knew I was in over my head already but when I came home with you she forced me out of the hole I had been… This picture was my last day there.”

“...There?” 

His father only broke his gaze with the image now, unveiling objectively the saddest expression Techno had ever seen him with. Phil gave a small inhale before continuing.

“Do you remember how I told you about how dangerous the docks are?”

How could he have forgotten? He gave the speech to all of them when they were teenagers, Techno had it the hardest. All the places to avoid. Days to stay out of the city. He just figured they were common information. “...Yea?” Phil having been involved with the docks had crossed his mind with all the drilling and emphasis that had been given so he didn’t feign surprise. 

“...I was  supposed  to have this talk with all of you here…  fuck it ..”

“Uhh… Dad is it really that big of a deal? If you were part of like… a mob for a bit that really won't change anything.”

“Techno do you know why the docks are so feared?”

“Uhh…  crime?  Just general crime really.”

“It’s a primary exporter…”

Techno had lived in the city for ages and having done so he could say aside from the especially bland architecture and the strange historical significance the area had nothing was exactly special. “Exporter of what?”

Phil’s face shifted back into the stoic one he always used when in conversations like this. When Tommy came home from the office visit. When he and Tommy had that fight a bit ago. When Will had gotten sick all those years ago. 

Out of instinct, Techno feared the worst. That expression was only reserved for that purpose after all. Somehow  the worst  wasn’t quite the depravity of the past.

“We called them ENHAs, some called them mutants, some just never referred to them by any name at all…”

“Dad… You  can’t  be serious.” What that translated to was less of a dismissive comment and more of a plea. 

Please  don’t be serious.

“ENHA stands for Enhanced Human. It was a label used by traffickers.” Used by traffickers. Techno noted that it was the first label that Phil had introduced them with. “The docks are the primary exporting harbor of ENHAs globally.” 

Exporter. Trafficking. Global. 

Wait.

“When you said you found me… that-that kid in that photo… That you left with me…”

Phil slumped down, looking down at the phone in front of him once more. Techno allowed himself to begin to understand. 

When Phil had arrived at that ring he never meant to adopt Techno. He was going to sell him.  Phil  was going to  sell  him.

Techno only stayed completely still. He couldn’t move. It was involuntary, but somehow his anxiety has decided that if he moved even an inch something would happen. All those times Phil lied through his teeth, all those times he knew what was happening but stayed silent all made sense. Techno began to realize what a task it would be to even traffic someone who has enhanced abilities. 

What kind of person you had to be. 

“...When I worked at the docks I had been taken in at a young age. They found me and… It was either get sold or fit a bill for a specific job…”

Sold.

“So you're enhanced..?”

What looked like a nod served as the answer. Everything began to spiral. Techno connected the dots. Him, Wilbur, Tommy, there was no way they all had abilities by chance. Not when a  trafficker  is helping run the home. 

“You have to understand, I never enjoyed it. Never. They needed someone and they forced me. They  owned  me.”

“Dad what did you do?”

“Tech...Please don't make me say it.” His father lost that sure tone again. His wavering served to freak Techno out all the more. 

“Dad. What did you do?”

Phil kept his head down and brought his hands to support his face. Phil rarely ever cried… He rarely showed any faltering… The atmosphere was all the worse for it now. 

“...You have every right to leave. You're an adult now Techno, I can help set you up with a place to keep your studies up. I understand if you aren't okay being here anymore…”

“ Dad. ”

“...I was a capture unit. I brought them in.”

Phil was essentially a human hunter. 

Techno looked down at his own hands and found they had been shaking in tremors. Even if he wanted to take his father up on his offer, could he? Would Phil even let him? 

“When you were sent to pick up the fighting ring, you were supposed to capture all of them.” Phil hesitantly nodded. “... Children? ” A moment passed with nothing before another small nod. “This means I’m enhanced as well?”

Phil moved his hands off of his face and back to the phone on the table, finally locking eyes with his eldest. His eyes lacked light, his face looked a lot older than it usually is. Riddled with cold terror, likely years of it. It was Techno’s guess this was the first time his father was even talking about this series of events in a very…  very  long time. 

“You’re enhanced.”

Two words. Simple words. Gibberish really. Nothing more than a meaningless string to the average discerning person yet somehow the weight of them cost Techno his grip on reality. It was all too much. He knew during the conversation when Phil had first revealed he had found him… He probably even knew when he first saw the 13th image. 

The change in weight was acceptance. His acceptance.

“What is it.”

Phil lay motionless, allowing Techno to maintain eye contact. He had gotten this far. He had to know. “Your enhancement?”

“ What is it. ”

Phil spun the phone back to his son, sliding it across the table right below Techno’s chin. “There was a reason you were at the top. You never had any flashy mutations, never any right spectacular concepts to control. You were arguably the most terrifying of them all. Of us all. While your brother Will can tamper with other’s minds and Tommy can manipulate heat and fire, your enhancement covers much more. Its… complicated.”

“ Simplify it .” 

Hesitation blanketed his father before he reluctantly continued. “You have a bit of everything. Stronger than average, father than average, more agile than average. It's all to contribute to your enhancement’s main use… You were built for combat. Even as a really young child, from what I heard you excelled at every weapon you were given.”

He really was a child soldier. He was a tool. The way he clung to his father's words and believed every word, every letter, frightened him. It was as if he already knew this. As if he had always known this. 

In school, he kept his head down and never fought anyone. His temper was essentially non-existent. Yet somehow this information made more sense than anything his father had said thus far. Once more he looked to the image of that scared small his in the photo. The one holding his scrapes and bruises as if to hide them. The child who looked desolate and lost. That was him. 

“Why don't… I remember?” 

Phil offered a sympathetic look and made a small motion towards him, something to the effect of placing his hand on his son's shoulder, but it was quickly avoided as in no time at all Techno’s own hand came to meet it with an unwavering grip. It was like he always knew.

“Shit!” Phil sucked in the air through his teeth at the motion. His son only loosened his grip a few moments later when he finally realized why his father looked hurt. Techno really needed to gauge how strong he was.“..Sorry.”

“No, it's fine. I should have warned you. Awareness flairs them up and it's on me for not remembering that.” The blonde began to rub his wrist with his other hand. Great, now he had two hurt hands. “Techno, you probably don't remember because you don't want to. When you first came to live with us you were as quiet as a mouse. It was like you were sleepwalking for the first month. To have gone through that kind of scenario where you had to rely on your abilities for so long must have been incredibly traumatizing. Your brain probably felt it best to let you forget.”

“Will and Tommy said I had been in the foster system before, that I had a whole decorated past. Was it all a lie?” Techno hadn't realized he was crying until Phil reached out to comfort him again. Dismissing the touch, he allowed his father to ruffle his hair slowly.

“No. You had been in the system before the ring. You had a long file and any stories you heard from them were likely found there, though I'm not sure how they found that folder. Your final foster parent before me was the one that… built the ring. When I adopted you it just snapped me out of that trance I had been in. I had to bring you home for some reason. Kristin thought nothing of it and invited you in immediately. She was the one that convinced me to leave the docks.”

“Does she know what you did there? She never talks about your past.”

“She didn't know the full story for a very long time up until a few weeks ago.”

“One last question.” Phil was taken aback by the simple one. Surely there had to be more. “Do you actually love us? Do you actually love me?”

“Yes.” No hesitation. 

These were his  ‘meaningless’  connections. He had allowed himself to be weak long ago and he was owning up to it.

 “Techno, I went through hell on earth and you were the only thing that gave me new purpose. You, Your mother, Your brothers, I would do it all again if it meant protecting you.” Every word he uttered seemed powered by conviction. “I would hang each star in the sky one by one if it meant seeing you happy. You're my son.”

Techno broke at those words, all the bottled feelings he had kept behind locked doors and computer screens. He felt like he was drowning. Another hand came to his other shoulder and the sound of a chair slamming against the floor rang out. His father enveloped him in the warmest hug he had ever been in. Squeezing his eyes closed, he finally allowed himself time. 

“...You're my son. I love you Techno… So much.”

When the two finally separated Techno stopped for a moment to adjust to the brightness. Why he was adjusting to the brightness baffled him. It became objectively less baffling when two sprawling jet-black wings left his side. 

Huh. So his dad is a bird…thing. When did that happen?

Chapter Text

Sunny summer days are always rare in the area. England has a reputation to keep after all. The day was one for the record books. Scorching hot with a blaring sun uncovered and unbothered by any clouds. 

It was the type of day perfect for a picnic, perhaps maybe a walk. Unsuspecting in its beauty and inconspicuous in its joy. A day that had been planned months in advance, maybe even a year. 

Today was Dream’s final trial. 

It had been something the boss had planned to be profitable. Betting ran rampant in the ramparts of the small stadium. Cigarette smoke hung in the rafters covering that sun that had been so heralded. 

The angel of death found it a terrible shame that today of all days would end up the day of the fight. Sadly enough he had grown accustomed to this kid. His immeasurable confidence and innate charisma. The angel tried his hardest to shove it down, everyone knew what happened to those with loved ones. They were always a weak spot. An exploit.

So when he showed up at the fighting ring that day he donned a stoic expression and his usual mask. If he had done his job right he had trained the kid well enough to fight on his own, if not this place would be his grave. A tomb filled with nothing but concrete and scum. He didn’t want that for the kid. He never wanted this for the kid. 

Meeting up with the boss was instant. The god of an entire system certainly has its perks, and the angel was certainly one. The hunter was instructed to climb up to the highest row all the way to the announcer's nest to meet him. With the number of onlookers, the boss wanted protection. Death was the best protection around so he obediently followed. 

People had begun filing in already when he took his place at the boss’s side. God only knows the number. The crowd grew louder and hungrier by the minute. 

The fight had been advertised as the first hunter's protégée and who would miss that? With all the whispers being passed about the legend, it’s only natural that people would be curious as to see any glimpse into his life. 

The mic screeched on and began to blare the Boss’s introductions. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, we welcome you to our arena tonight. In-store for you we have an unforgettable match between one of my top-ranked hunters and the very first hunter’s student.”

“Please remember our rules while you watch. Any cameras, listening devices, cell phones, or technology of any kind is strictly forbidden. If we find anyone ballsy enough to actually break this rule... I don’t have to remind you all of what happened last match.”

The crowd roared in approval at the message. Despite a considerable number of people in the audience not being regulars, everyone came from the docks. The warehouse talks.

The last man had become an example.

“Alrighty then! Without further adieu, I would like to welcome to the ring top-ranked hunter and master class pyrotechnic, Sapnap everybody!” 

The angel never flinched. This is exactly what he expected. He knew his boss well and amusement was the priority, always neglecting humanity. 

A child who looked the age of Dream walked onto the platform. Adorned with a bandanna mask tied across his face and forehead. It jutted out of his dark hair and slimmed out as it cascaded down his neck. 

His outfit seemed to be the standard issue for hunters, sporting a black uniform covered in light body armor and holsters for anything you can imagine.

For all the high praise his student had been singing of this kid, he hoped the standard and lackluster appearance he held reflected his inexperience rather than indifference.

“And the newest talk of the town, our very own prodigy forged by the flames of my very own prized hunter. Give it up for Dream!”

The kid walked out with an unfamiliar evergreen hoodie. It displayed his holster straps prominently, laying out various knives and weapons. The rest of his outfit was regulation like his partner, all except the large makeshift smiley face mask that blocked any features. 

That was new. The angel had to do a double-take of him just to even assure himself it was actually the kid. His stance proved it was, but the dinner plate the kid had on his face wasn’t something he had been informed about. 

Somehow the oddity of the mask made him blend into the environment even more.

The two were motionless in the ring. Sapnap spoke a few words and from what the angel surmised Dream responded briefly. Whatever they had said was being actively drowned out by the crazed ravenous crowd around them. 

The angel hoped it was sincere goodbyes. He had been through enough situations such as this to know only one of them was making it out. In case his worst fears came to fruition he risked sacrilege against the boss and prayed to any god that would listen. 

Please let this kid live.

~0~0~0~

Saturday had been filled with nothing but talk about the day in previous. To Tubbo he saw it as a high achievement to even get that close. Tommy had sent him the conversations he had recorded and placed them in a document he had apparently been keeping and began to connect the dots between them and everything else he had. 

For all the protesting Ranboo had leading up to the actual mission he had remained calm the day after. Tommy thought it was because he was relieved nothing serious happened. When someone throws themselves at death over and over without concern you begin to stop reeling them back and just count yourself lucky when they come home. 

2:00 pm came and unfortunately, Ranboo had to drive Tommy home. Tubbo, wanting to continue the conversation and planning for the next incursion, came with them. It hadn't been a far drive so before they knew it they were pulling into his driveway beside Will’s car. 

“That was so fuckin’ fun, thank you guys for bringing me along.” Tommy unbuckled his seatbelt and began to open the door. 

“Yea no problem, you're really fun to be around.” Ranboo smiled from the driver's seat. “Exactly! I’ll talk to you about the date for the next one at school. Want me to walk you to the door?” Tubbo offered.

“Nah it's cool, don't worry. My parents are home so they can unlock the door.”

“Sounds-”

Speak of the devil, someone opened the house door slowly. The man had blonde hair and a gentle expression. Ranboo counted himself surprised that someone so nice looking could produce whatever ball of energy Tommy was. Tubbo wasn't thinking about that at all when he saw the man. 

“Ope, there's my dad. Thanks for driving me home!” Tommy shut the door behind him and slung his bag over his shoulder. Tubbo stayed frozen, not taking his eyes off of Tommy’s dad.

“No problem! See you at school!” Ranboo waved out the window and slowly began to pull out of the driveway. Midway out he was abruptly stopped by the incessant tapping on his shoulder. Slamming on the breaks proved to be a loud endeavor, whipping Tommy’s head to the car. “Tubbo?!” 

“Wait!”

Tubbo clawed at his seat belt buckle and shakily freed himself, scrambling out of the car. Ranboo kept the car stopped and watched with alarm. Tommy kept looking back and forth from either one of them. “Uhh… Big man?”

When out of the car Tubbo had frozen slightly, standing a few feet from his friend. Any words failed his tongue at the sight of the man behind him. His face was oh so familiar for every wrong reason he could think of. The man looked harmless enough by his expression, but the number of times he had seen him in images he had collected and heard about him in strange reports he had intercepted. “.. .You uhh …” Tubbo pointed at his friend's backpack. He had to think on his feet. Tommy probably still had the hearing aids in his backpack from the mission so that could serve as a good excuse. 

Tubbo did not want to seem inconspicuous even more in front of this guy. 

Tommy seemed confused enough but seemed to take the hint and opened his bag, retrieving the tools he had been talking about. “Right, sorry about that! Here you are,” Tommy handed them over. 

“...T-thanks boss man… Sorry about that. See you Monday.” Retreating back to the car, he spared one last glance at the boy’s father. The man seemed confused enough but as soon as the kid locked eyes with him a panic painted his face plainly. He paled and any smile he once had dropped. Fuck.

Tubbo fled to the set opposite Ranboo and shut the door behind him. In the lightest tone he could think of, he began to whisper to the taller. “...Drive.” 

“Hmm? What's up?” Ranboo began to fully pull out of the driveway. 

“Fucking drive.” 

Raising an eyebrow, he looked back at his friend and read his expression. Tubbo looked like he had the previous night and all those missions before that. He had chased death again but now made no sense. “Everything okay?”

“Just fucking drive. Now.” When a playful person gets dead serious out of nowhere you listen. Speeding up a bit, Ranboo quickly got them out of the street and back on the main road. 

Meanwhile, Phil stayed silent and shocked at the door even while Tommy passed him. “Sorry about them, dad. They aren't usually that weird.” The boy threw his bag over at the couch and fished for his phone in it. 

“...What's that kid's name? The one that left the car.” 

“Tubbo-Err well Toby but his nickname is Tubbo. Weird, right? The one driving is Ranboo. They both got strange nicknames like Techno.”

Unfamiliar name but it was definitely him. There was no mistaking that looks in his eyes. Out of everyone, why did Tommy have to become friends with him? Phil had just recovered after what happened with Techno a few minutes ago, to have whiplash like that was disturbing. Turns out he wasn't as emancipated from his past as he had once thought. 

“You said you met him your first day, right?”

“Yea, why?”

Surely the kid hadn't been planted, right? The man was powerful but he would never risk the safety of one of his own. He was always protective. “Nothing… Just curious…” 

Tommy narrowed his eyes at his father and began past him. “He isn't out to get me don't worry.” 

“What do you mean by that?”

“Pff, what do you mean? You look worried. Dad, I’m trying to fit in and get new friends like you asked. Hope they are to your liking” The kid started past him towards the stairs.

“No- that's not… Tommy wait”

“Nah, it's fine, I get it. You're just concerned. You're always like that, it's okay… By the way, do you know where Will is? We were going to hang out later tonight.”

The kid seemed pretty calm so Phil assured himself he hadn't fucked it up yet. His son was right, and he was adjusting. If that bastard really was after them he could deal with it. Tommy could… he could handle himself. 

“Will is in his room, last I heard he was on a call with the band guys- Oh wait before you go.” He stopped his son before he started up the stairs.

“Techno and I… We wanted to have a family meeting tonight. Talk about things like I promised. If it's too much you don't have to be there but Will decided he would be there and your mom said she would show as well.”

“...Oh… Yea sure, I’ll be there.” Tommy began up the stairs properly this time and over to his room. Family talks were never good. 

He wasn't exactly excited. 

~0~0~0~

The conversation had been going pretty well so far! A few hours had passed and everyone finally sat down to discuss what Phil called them for. So far, Kristin had been acting like emotional support for Phil, who had been debating even having the conversation for quite some time. Techno stayed silent and lacked any readable expressions. 

Tommy and Wilbur took the news better than anticipated as well! They both had been hanging out beforehand and had been in a good mood so likely that played a part. Phil had been so worried for the longest time and now that it was happening he was just happy they didn't automatically call him a monster. 

The two simply sat there and mimicked Techno’s response to the best of their ability, Will only asking questions when things became increasingly confusing. Simple to answer questions such as,

“How long had you been with the docks?”

“Did you enjoy your job?”

“How important even were you?”

“Did you ever meet the main boss? Was there even a boss?”

“How did they keep you there?”

Questions only got difficult when Phil finally explained what had happened with Techno. Tommy looked like his father had shot him while Will sharpened a glare. So they were taking it well!

“...After Techno had been properly adopted I had an old acquaintance fake my death. It wasn't difficult and it seemed to have worked seeing as they haven't found me yet… So that's it. That's me. I… I regret not getting this out in the open sooner if I'm honest…”

Phil had his head lowered slightly, eyes locked on his interlocked hands on the table. Kristin sat beside him silently, hand over his shoulder. In the man's mind, he was convincing his anxieties to be silent even if only a minute, wishing to be anywhere but there.

Techno gave a nod in response to the explanation. His brothers stayed stunned at the information. Sitting back, he prepared for his family to respond. 

Will felt a pit in his stomach. Everything was so much worse than he thought. He always wanted answers from Phil but looking back he shouldn't have poked that bear so much. As a child, he thought Phil was the kindest person in the entire world rivaled only by his mother. If he thought that belief was farfetched yesterday he thought it downright wrong today. 

His father killed people. His father sold people. His father was a literal boogeyman that parents would tell their children about at night.

When he initially heard Phil’s code name he thought it a coincidence that it would be attached to the local legend, but now it made sense. He hated that it made sense. How was he supposed to stay here? They weren't safe with this man anymore. He had the capacity to enact your worse fears without so much as a flinch and yet he looked up to him. 

Wilbur felt so stupid. Anger wouldn't even begin to cover it. Tommy was in another ballpark about it all. 

“...So they forced you to...do all of that?” His voice had cracked. The kid sounded defeated. Phil didn't spare a smile as comfort like he usually did.

“Every last thing… I… Sometimes I can't even sleep. I see their faces in everything I do. Every wrong noise every familiar area… It’s always there. They are always there… watching...” He gripped his hands more, beginning to shake slightly. Kristin kept to herself. 

“Boys, Your father and I have discussed this and if any of you want to stay somewhere else for a bit to process this you have full right to. You can stay with your grandparents or a friend's house. Anything you need, we will support.”

Will stayed silent and kept his eyes trained on his father. Techno wiped his brow and faced down to the table.

“For almost 15 years they forced you to kidnap and enslave essentially children.” It wasn't a question, more of a statement on Tommy’s part. His tone is still riddled with voice cracks and unsure tones. Phil anticipated the worst, seeing how Wilbur was glaring and Techno was making no noise at all. 

Kristin and Phil stayed quiet at the confirmation, confirming the statement with their silence. The tension lay thick around everyone. 

“Tommy, It’s not worth it.” From beside his brother, Will began for the first time since his question brigade. “Let's go.”

The kid gave no indication towards his brother and continued. “For years they trapped you. They broke you, didn't they?”

“Tommy that's enough.” Techno interrupted. He had been the first to notice the shift around him. The air had become thick and humid, growing hotter every few seconds. Tommy was fucking pissed. 

“No. It's not. They fucking tortured him. How is that- How are- and they are still fucking there, still employing more of those fuckers probably. This isn't- holy fucking shit.” Phil was the second to notice his son's emotions affecting their surroundings, finally looking up. Was Tommy not pissed at him? 

“Toms, Maybe you should-” Kristin's words were swiftly ignored. 

“Stop telling me off! Someone should have fucking gotten to them already. Why do they have so much power? For all, we know they are the ones keeping everything from coming out to the public!”

Phil gave a sour expression, looking to his eldest son. “That's because they are,” Techno began. “When I initially showed dad the photos and he explained everything it became abundantly clear if not for them everything would be common knowledge.”

“Tommy we can't do anything- Please calm down.” Will was on damage control having now noticed the beads of sweat that now rolled down Techno’s face. Suspicions confirmed when Tommy looked pale like he usually did, no signs of overheating in any form. The kid stood to his feet and continued.

“Calm down? Yea fuckin sure. Of course Will! Why didn't I think of that! Totally didn't just learn that dad was kidnapped and exploited for as long as he could remember to kidnap and kill people like us. Calm subjects and that. Oh! Forgot to mention how Techno is a war machine! Can't leave that out!”

His expression worsened, the breaking point for Phil arriving when Tommy’s pupils began to flush out the familiar blue into a light orange. The other three in the room stopped immediately at the sight. 

“Tommy! Get a hold of yourself! You're going to burn the house down!” 

“Maybe I fucking should! The people in this town wouldn't care anyway, the police are even in their pockets! Maybe it will just act like a flare for them and when they come to scoop me up for being a fucking freak I can kick their sorry asses for the shit they put you through. For the shit, they put all of us through!”

Techno immediately noted the police comment, which was new. They hadn't even brought up the police once in the discussion. Phil finally stood up as well and sent a look to his son. 

“Tommy.”

“Phil. If you are so powerful like you claimed, why haven't you killed them yet? Why are they still out there?”

“Will.” Turning, Phil pleaded to his son. No instructions were given but the message was loud and clear. The brunette stopped for a moment and processed his choices before getting to his feet. “... Shit - I'm sorry in advance... Toms, could you be still for a moment? ”

He enveloped his words with feeling, every syllable falling off his tongue with weight. Each word designed for a specific purpose, stringing the kid up exactly as intended. The numbing sensation rushed through him once more, this time faster than the last time. In a moment the boy stopped everything and turned to look at his brother, the light in his eyes persisting. The orange hues blinded his brother for a moment as they looked at each other. The kid was clearly angrier at the command and the light grew within his eyes.

Techno and Kristin watched closely as the boy’s face slacked. The ration was so instant it scared the room for a moment. Will bit his tongue, waiting for Phil to continue. The hint was received after a few seconds more. 

“...Thank you.” Will nodded hesitantly. “Tommy I’m sorry but if he hadn't stopped you we could have been seriously hurt. Look,” Phil pulled his phone from his pocket and showed it to his son. In the dark screen, Tommy saw his motionless reflection, finding the headlights that were his eyes. 

The alarming picture gave him pause long enough to calm him slightly. He knew not to attempt speaking after last time so instead, he did his best to slow his breathing. His father took his phone back and placed it down.

 One breath after another, Tommy slowed. Minutes passed and Tommy got a better grip on himself. He based his progress on the shine reflecting off his father’s shirt. Slowly but surely the shadows became less drastic and blended in naturally. The light neutralized finally, Techno gave a sigh of relief from his seat. 

“Will- could you get your brother out of that state now?” Kristin asked, walking over to the kid’s side. The brunette needed and whispered something in response. It was too light to hear but his mind somehow knew exactly what was being asked. The numb receded and Tommy gripped the back of the chair beside him for support. Kristin thanked Wilbur quietly.

“You doing a bit better, mate?” 

“...fuckin  peachy .” 

Chapter Text

“When are we going to the docks.”

Tommy had said it like it was any other casual subject. In his usual tone, he had unknowingly been quite loud, causing a few students around the small classroom to dart their heads in his direction. 

The entire day had been filled with avoiding him and ignoring his calls in the hall, but the two finally faced what they had been avoiding all day. Curse advisory.

“Uhh, what do you mean boss man?” Ranboo stayed silent and let Tubbo’s confusion speak for his own. 

“The docks. I know you've been working towards going. When are we going?”

Don't get him wrong, Tubbo was all for going to the docks. He had been excited for quite some time. Tommy really wasn't far off as well, Tubbo was planning to go either on their next mission or the one after. The issue was now that Tommy was the one to bring it up and for some reason seemed dead set. 

Tubbo had lost a whole lot of his trust in the kid after he had dropped him off at the house of the largest mystery of the docks. He had told Ranboo about all the blurry photos and the rumors that spoke of an assassin with wings, He had explained the sheer horror of the man that stood as the longest hunter known in history. 

When the boys finally connected the dots, The father's strange expression from that day made all the more sense. 

Tubbo had never been an idiot. He knew that somehow he had ties to the dock, that's why he had always pursued the docks to the best of his ability. The kid wanted to know everything he could about the invisible world his uncle protected him from, the very world he was sure kidnapped his father. 

Years of studying and looking into the organization covertly only dug the rabbit hole deeper. Originally he had sought after finding his father but now he started doing it for himself. It became his goal to find as much as he could about anyone and anything that left the docks so he could one day use that to take it down. Take all of it down. The atrocities, the death, the anguish. Every last bit of the filth that spilled onto the streets because of them he was dead set on eradicating. 

You can imagine his surprise when one of his newest friends turns out to be in the center of it all. Ranboo had been horrified when Tubbo laid it all out for the first time that night but agreed to watch Tommy for anything suspicious. If his father was truly the  “angel of death”  he would likely know, wouldn't he?

The issue remains, The actual angel of death hasn't been seen active in ages while the 'first hunter' title has likely been taken up by someone else, but neither of the boys know that for sure. The best Tubbo can say is that ages ago the rumor started to spread that the angel had lost his wings, and around that time became ultimately even more active than before. That had been completely unlike the profile he had built for the man. 

“...Uhh?” Ranboo signaled them both to look around the room at the kids watching but only Tubbo listened, Tommy kept his eyes on the brunette with unwavering confidence. “Look, can we talk about this a bit quieter, Tommy?” In return, he nodded and pulled up a chair beside Tubbo and Ranboo’s desks.

“So, what's all this about the docks? Why do you want in that badly? I wasn't even going to start planing for a bit.” Tubbo asked in a hushed tone.

“...Ranboo said you were interested in going and as it happens so am I.”

The kid in question furrowed his brows and shot a look between his friends as if to look accused.  “Yea but-”

“Why do you want in that badly, Tommy? You have a vested interest or something?” Tubbo kept a steady and stern tone. This kid didn't make sense. At first, he seemed harmless, friendly even! Why would the son of the most terrifying man in the city want to go to the docks that badly? 

“You could say that. Someone I care about got really hurt because of them. I want a put a stop to it.” His voice seemed so convinced, Tubbo almost believed him. “Cut the bullshit Tommy, we saw your dad. We know who he is. Why do you think we will trust you?”

That hit hard. Rationally, of course, Tubbo knew about his dad. He had been studying the docks for all his life. It was the fact that his first friends, the first people outside of his family that he had trusted in a long while now no longer trusted him. 

He couldn't blame them to be fair, If he found out one of their fathers was essentially a killing machine he would likely bolt. From what his dad had explained he was the worst person to be associated with. Tommy knew his father wasn't to blame and he knew how terrified what he had been forced to commit haunted him, but Tubbo and Ranboo didn't know that. They thought his dad was probably satan incarnate right now. Fear and sadness began to blend with frustration in his gut. When his face finally reflected that Ranboo scooted closer to Tubbo.

“Don't act like you know him at all. You don't know a single fuckin’ thing that shithole put him through.” The kid spoke through gritted teeth.

“Tommy, I don't need to… Do you have any clue what he has done, what he is doing? The lives he has shattered?” Tubbo began to match the opposite’s energy, stiffening in posture.

A pause erupted between them as the blonde thought for a second. They thought his dad was still active. There was no way in hell.

“Hold up a fuckin’ second. I agree that he carried out the worst shit imaginable, but that was only because they forced him to. He was at gunpoint for his whole life because of those monsters. It wasn't his fault. Besides, you're wrong! He isn't in that place anymore, he got out like a decade ago. I don't know who you got your info from but-”

“Wait! You said he isn't active?”

“Yea of course he isn't, he wouldn't have adopted me if he was.”

Ranboo stiffened, he had no idea the kid was adopted. He had no intention of re-opening old wounds. As sacred he was of Tommy at the moment he was almost more scared that he and Tubbo were wrong about him. Speaking of the brunette, the kid seemed to be in deep thought for a moment before continuing, breaking the gruff expression he had taken to earlier to one of a more serious nature. 

“...That makes sense…”

“What the fuck do you mean?”

“Tommy, did your dad leave the warehouse 11 years ago exactly?”

“The warehouse?”

“Their primary location I think.” Ranboo supplied quietly before Tubbo took over again. “Exactly, did he leave the warehouse 11 years ag0?”

“...I guess yea? What, did something happen?”

“No, but also yes? Basically around that time from what I have gathered the ‘first hunter’ started to change behaviors. Originally he was known for only taking high-paying jobs and completing them quickly and efficiently. The current ‘first hunter’ has a tendency to do almost the opposite. He will take any and all jobs thrown at him and… he draws them out. Makes it like a chase. He enjoys it.”

Tommy shuttered at the description. Sure, he knew his father was brutal but it was out of preservation, whoever took his place is doing it because they can. It made his blood boil. “I can say with confidence this weirdo isn't my dad. Jesus Christ, they just up and replaced him immediately.”

Tubbo’s expression was unwavering but Ranboo began to understand the boy’s thought process. Sure, they hadn't been friends for ages but he knew enough from his tone alone. The kid was worried about his dad. From what Tubbo had said it explained this guy actually was actively being heald against his will and in comparison to whoever took his place he likely made it a point to do as few jobs as possible just to keep his head above water. This angel wasn't a hunter at all, he was a survivor.

“Whether that's the case or not, that doesn't mean we can trust you. It's common knowledge in the docks that the first hunter changed around that time, for all I know you could have latched onto that idea and just kept with it.” Tubbo deadpanned. “Besides, just bringing you with us on one of these is painting a giant bullseye on our backs.”

“To be fair, we have been doing that already, for several months, repeatedly,” Ranboo interjected. Tommy brightened a bit and pointed to the other kid. “Exactly! Look, I’m just going to lay out all my cards here, it’s true my dad is this hunter guy you keep talking about. Of that, I don't think I can unconvinced either of you. However, that means you have all the more reason to trust that I’m not going to do anything against you guys.”

Tubbo thought for a moment, glancing to Ranboo for backup. The taller nodded, he had hope in Tommy and more importantly faith. Tubbo hoped that hope wouldn't come back to bite them. 

“So, what? You hate them as much as we do?”

“More. So, so much more.” Tubbo doubted it.

“... Because they hurt your dad? Revenge is your goal?”

“Of course. They essentially tortured him every minute of every day for his entire life up to a point. I'm not sugar-coating it.”

“So how do we know that need for revenge isn't going to get us into a load of shit as a result? You look like you're about to punch someone when we started talking about the docks in general. Getting there I would imagine you would get worse.”

“... Because I have a sure way to get us out of any trouble?”

Ranboo raised his eyebrows and Tubbo raised one. Wouldnt have this kid mentioned something like this before? Maybe on the last mission?

“What could possibly spare you from an entire crime syndicate?” Ranboo chimed in. He had seen so much in his time with Tubbo, some secret get out of jail free card wasn't going to magically pop out of nowhere. 

“... I would think it was obvious? You guys dealing with the docks routinely. What their main export is?” 

Tubbo snapped his attention immediately and looked at the kid with shock. No, now that he thought about it he should have gathered it before. It makes total sense. Why didn't he think of it before? This was huge for him, after years of dealing with this scene he had never encountered an ENHA of any type or classification and here he was, right under his nose. 

He had only heard about them from the whispered chats of armed guards and small urban legends but he knew more than anyone else. On one of his missions years ago he had seen an ENHA flip a bus during what was presumed as a ring fight. He had become numb to the idea that enhanced humans walked around but never questioned if anyone around him was one of them.

Tommy having abilities was a twist he could actually understand. With the kid's dad being the most notorious ENHA of all time it was only natural he would be one himself. Whether this kid was adopted or not usually people who have abilities are picked up by the docks as soon as they manifest their powers, likely as children. For Tommy to have escaped that terrible system of violence would mean his family would have to protect him from that threat and having his father be able to kill a man in a minute would make the task achievable. 

“...Uhh, no?” Ranboo cleared his throat. “I don't at least.” Tubbo had become so zeroed into his thoughts once he finally spoke, Ranboo’s confusion went out one ear and out the other. “What can you do? Is it elemental or metaphysical?” The taller seemed more clueless than ever as he shot Tubbo a look.

 Tommy thought for a moment. “Probably elemental?... Definitely elemental. Never really thought about it. Its fire.” In his eyes, it was better they know now than have a minor argument and light up like a Christmas tree. Saves any awkward scenarios and possible accidental arson.

“So you know how to control it? How long have you-”

“Can someone fill me in here? Are we speaking the same language?” 

“Does he seriously not know, Tubbo? How long has he been doing this stuff?”

The brunette shrugged and finally looked to his friend to the left. “Remember how I made those jokes about the docks housing superheroes?”

“...no? Maybe? The ones about the bird people? Why is that important?” Tommy burst out laughing. Tubbo smiled proudly at the response. 

On a mission a small while ago Tubbo tried to tell Ranboo about the first hunter and somehow along the way Ranboo was in such disbelief he mistook them for jokes. Tubbo never had the heart to tell him they weren't so he kept them coming. 

“Bird people? You mean my dad?” Tubbo snorted slightly and nodded, causing Tommy to laugh louder. 

“Your… dad? Am I missing something?”

~0~0~0~

The house had never been so tense. Kristin had thought the previous weeks had been difficult, this one was unbearable. TIme drudged on slower than it ever had before.

When Phil had initially told her about his past in detail she had been in utter shock. She was not blind and had known about the difficult circumstance but she had no idea the extremes of everything. It was unnerving. The man had broken down halfway through the explanation and regretfully informed her that the boys will have to be told about it later. 

With the mention of the boys, she was ket in on the big family secret. Belief wasn't the question when suddenly her husband dawned two large black wings huge enough to fill half the room. Despite lacking any abilities of her own and having no combat experience whatsoever she was so ready to make a small car ride with a box of matches and a few selected words for the man who ran the establishment that had put her family through hell. 

She has raised these kids out of the darkest corners of their lives and she felt immense pride over their progress and growth as people, for them to have a fate so made up for them just because of a few extra genes and a few wacky abilities was nothing if not infuriating. Hell will fear this woman scorned, soon they will know why. 

The straw dropped when he saw her youngest son’s expression of shock when Phil had explained everything. Missions, Training, the people he was surrounded with, the things that he had to do. Each new detail hit the kid over and over.

Will currently resided in his room in a state of morbid shock, electing to flip a blanket over his head and drown himself into the internet for a while. He needed to forget about everything, He needed to forget about what his dad said to him, He needed to forget that he had yelled at him for not saying anything weeks ago. He now knew why and he didn't want to. Ignorance was a privilege he had lost and now his image of his father was completely gone.

That terrible and amazing liar contradiction made sense. When Will was a kid his father was always apparently terrible at hiding the truth but now… He was. He had deliberately built up a persona to bury himself in a new world, escaping his past and Will forced him to take those walls down brick by brick. 

Wilbur needed to get it out of his head how agonizing it must have been to deal with children every day just to sell them off, especially for someone as genuinely caring as Phil. It made his hands tremble. 

So the docks were not in his head right now, he decided. In his head, you could find nothing but dumb videos about obscure topics immersive enough to quell a few hundred grievances. 

Techno kept himself busy with half of both of his family’s approaches. Letting himself feel the anger for his father, but allowed himself to drown that in work. Schoolwork was long forgotten so instead of the usual palette of knowledge he was spoon-fed from his university he took it upon himself to learn every possible thing he could on the docks. 

When he had finally found everything he needed, Techno got to work.

~0~0~0~

“... The bird thing makes sense now I guess?”

“You guess?” Tommy asked. “We just explained that superheroes exist and have been around for a while and you… you just guess?” Tommy barked out, simmering down when the teacher shushed him for the millionth time that afternoon. He ushered a silent apology and quieted down. 

“...I uhh… I mean what else am I supposed to say?”

“HE doesn't believe us!” Tubbo accused. Tommy snorted, he wouldn't either. “Uhh… could you…” Tubbo made a strange gesture of incomprehensible meaning leaving Tommy to tilt his head slightly. “Ugh, you know the...” Another motion, this time something mimicking a fire… or perhaps an explosion? It was anyone's guess.

“Ohh… Wh-In front of everyone?”

“Maybe! Can you make a small one?”

Rambo scrunched his face up slightly. “Guys, as much as I appreciate the game you're playing… I don't. Can we go back to talking about what we were and get serious please?”

The blonde and brunette shushed him loudly and took to whispering between themselves. Ranboo pretended to ignore them despite hearing every single word. After a minute 9or so they had landed on a solid plan and Tubbo scooched his chair back slightly. 

“Boo boy, prepare to get your socks properly knocked off,” Tommy said triumphantly, folding in on himself and bringing his right hand up to the table and keeping it relatively close to himself. Ranboo noticed both of their excitement and moved his chair slightly back just as his other friend had, having no clue what in the world they were acting so strange for. 

Right as he took his attention off of the boy’s hand to move back a small light immerged from the sleek desk’s reflection and pulled his attention up with curiosity. His scooting of the chair turned into falling within a moment's notice. 

“Hey! What have I told you boys about keeping it down! Kid, are you okay?” The teacher stood to their feet and began over to the trio, causing the light in Tommy’s finger to go out immediately. Two out of the tree responded with “Nothing!” leaving the third to fish himself off the cold floor. 

Advisory resumed as it had been before, this time Ranboo stayed completely quiet and let Tommy and Tubbo hash out the details of their docks visit. So it resumed as normal. Twenty minutes later the trio along with a myriad of other kids spilled out of the high school and out into the halls. While everyone else was rushing off to go home, Tommy and Tubbo were slowly walking, focusing on continuing their conversation leaving Ranboo to fend off the shock because apparently people can control fire and nobody thought to tell him. 

Chapter Text

The night grew along the odd hours, wooing anyone and everyone to a dull state of sleep.

Two figures arrived in a small clearing. The fog encompassing the surrounding setting made the whole scenario softer. Any features on either of the two blurred together with the surrounding colors and whisked themselves away in the larger picture.

One of the figures spoke.

"I have told you what is to pass, yet you have not taken my warning. Why is this, angel?"

The demanding question seemed less like a suggestion and more like a command. The other figure seemed so lost, the whole surrounding causing him to feel faint and disturbed. Every sense had been numbed and thoughts were hard to process.

"...excuse me?" He spoke. Nobody had treated him like that in a long time, demanding things rather than asking. He doesn't remember why but it feels familiar. It feels wrong.

"I gave you weeks, he gave you mere days. You have wasted a hand full away as if it was nothing." There wasn't a single drop of hesitation to any of the words. It was almost as if a machine had spoken them with the way they had been carried out.

"That's right. You gave me three...I'm making my peace. I have told them what happened I-"

The ground began to rumble below him, crackling and buckling up from any end it could find. Snapping erupted and flooded through the ears of the figure.

" That was not what was asked of you, angel ."

Every joint felt like it began to weigh more and more, finally, the reluctant figure took a knee. The one still standing spoke once more,

"You were supposed to come to terms. I took pity and allowed you to because of the respect he had built for you. You haven't hesitated at all. You're going to die- they are going to die. How dare you."

"...He."

The fog began to thicken further until breathing became too heavy. The air lay thick in his lungs and wheezed its way out of him. Shooting out of bed, Phil sprung to his feet. Kristin stirred slightly and murmured something in a state of confusion. It was all missed in his eyes. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered but the thing that had just occurred. He was coming. The harbinger was from him. Phil had known that the man was before, but with the harbinger growing impatient it was all but an omen. The harbinger was from Dream.

Phil needed to go to the docks.

~0~0~0~

The date was set and the plan was in motion. After a few days of planning, visiting Tubbo's strange uncle, and theorizing the trio seemed to have planned the perfect outing. While Ranboo continuously asked questions about the whole ENHA thing, Tubbo and Tommy were hard at work perfecting using their newfound tools.

Tubbo had made his peace with the fact that Tommy was the angel's son. He never really had it in him to shun the kid but now knowing what his father had to endure made it clear as day he still had a place in the trio. Ranboo had the same opinion but made his known at every turn. The guilt about treating the kid with disrespect weighed on him a tad more so he elected to be nicer than usual for the next few weeks.

Today was now Thursday, three days before the visit. Today Tommy had planned to hang out with Tubbo after school, getting Phil's permission with ease. Funnily enough, hanging out to the group seemed to mean test the shit out of Tommy's strange abilities with all too much enthusiasm.

One short metro ride and the spy squad arrived at Tommy's favorite park, rushing over to his favorite spot.

"This is the place!" Tommy threw his bag to the side, allowing the other two to follow by example.

"Here? Isn't it a bit... in the open?" Ranboo asked.

"...kinda? Never had any issues with it before. The weird tracksuit guy I told you guys about hasn't shown up yet so I am... probably fine?"

"Probably does not comfort me, Tommy"

Tubbo laughed. "That's on you then!" He clapped his hands together and turned to face the blonde. "You ready to set some shit on fire big man?"

"Born ready big T."

Ranboo took a knee by the ground, watching everything unfold. Tommy had talked a big game about his abilities but despite the small flicker he caused on Monday he never had the chance to back it up. The kid was happy to finally have someone be as enthusiastic about it as he was, and while Wilbur still had their weekend rooftop meetings it just wasn't the same. His brother was always so frightened and careful when dealing with Tommy. His goal was always to help him conceal his ability, rather than control it.

That training had helped with school immensely so Tommy never thought to complain. Focusing on his hand, Tommy began to create a small flame in the center. It was about the size of a coin and stayed decently still. It hovered above his palm slightly causing his hand to illuminate with the flow of the spark.

Tubbo backed up a bit and sat by Ranboo, watching. "...Is that all you can do?" Ranboo shot his head over with concern. Tubbo's "All" was a bar higher than Ranboo ever imagined.

"Oh hell no!" The kid started moving again, flipping his palm over to face the ground, causing the flame to grow larger and coil around his fingers like thin strings. Focusing more and more he found himself able to cause the strings to grow and wrap up his forearm. The fire never touched his skin fully but stayed a hairs length from it. He knew how to make the fire not burn himself but somehow this height seemed the easiest to control.

"What the hell..?" Ranboo muttered under his breath. He wasn't even aware he had said it, realizing it was entirely involuntary. Tubbo smiled wider at the display and ushered Tommy to keep going.

Taking the hint, he coiled the fire further in on itself causing the other strings of heat to join the rest. The whole flame grew to a snakes length. It began to slowly retreat back into his hand as he opened it once more, turning into a large ball about as tall as a tennis ball.

"These weirdos aren't going to know what hit them!"

"...you're going to hit them?"

"Ugh- No -I'm going to kick the shit 'outta them with this!" Tommy extended his hand towards his friend and grew the flame ever so slightly.

Flinching back, Ranboo continued. "...Then why did you say you were going to hit them. Say, like, scorch? ... Burn? Maybe even a little toast action?"

Tubbo snapped his fingers into a point. "Blast."

"Not the fuckin' point!" The blonde put out his flame before his emotions could affect it in the slightest, letting his hand down. "Kick, burn, blast, it's all the same."

"Objectively they are very different, really."

"Tubbo, plan. What is our plan."

"Right! This Sunday we drive to the docks covertly, we take my mom's car because it's black and not bright silver like Ranboo's is. We gather everything and take off at 11."

Ranboo nods. "To avoid 12am curfew."

"Once we are about ten minutes away we park and walk from there. Ranboo and I will walk together a bit ahead of you, Tommy, so you can look out for anything suspicious."

"And report any happenings on the earpiece big Q forked over!"

"Exactly. Once we all get towards the entrance we begun to set up the listening equipment. We should be done by the time Tommy catches up behind us. When he gets there he types out everything on his phone. Ranboo, from there it is your responsibility to keep a lookout."

"...Fantastic."

"And Tommy, before anything just... keep your cool. No matter what you hear. I would take this job but I have to work with the goggles. They are probably going to talk in code and about some fucking strange stuff but you have to jot everything down undetected. If you don't catch everything, that's okay because we are recording it."

Tommy curtly nodded.

"Once we get something incriminating or something that could lead to incriminating circumstances we head out and follow formation like before, Ranboo and I first and Tommy in the back."

"Loud and clear, boss man." From Tommy followed by, " Solid ." From Ranboo.

"Anything gets hasty I can barbecue the fuckers!" Summoning a flame, Tommy stuck up his pointer and lit a flame for emphasis. Tubbo smirked and gave a thumbs up. Ranboo yelped, saying something around the lines of, " You have to refrain from doing that, man. " Under his breath.

~0~0~0~

"Techno?"

Wilbur had pulled up mere moments ago into the empty garage. His father's car was missing, odd. Working hours were surely over.

No response through the halls led him into the kitchen and aimlessly looking for something to eat. Band practice had ended and he didn't need to pick up Tommy. It seemed every day that kid was spending more and more time with those other two boys.

"Techno?" Foraging, he found his way to the bowl of apples in the center of the counter and grabbed the first one he saw, cradling it in his hands for a fleeting moment. "Are you home?"

Techno had become essentially a hermit recently with everything that came out with his past. While this usually was surrounding the appearance of his father it made Will even question if he was going to muster an answer at all.

Nothing was normal anymore, at least it didn't feel that way. All the same furniture and schedules were the same, all the foods in the house were the same, yet somehow the entire atmosphere reflected something more inherently bleak. Just the previous night, Phil had looked as if someone had taken all the light from his eyes, they had begun to harbor small bags as well. Insomnia didn't suit him.

Three thumping noises preceded a door opening from upstairs. The hinges creaked open slightly and before his brother even opened his mouth to speak, Wilbur's question had been answered.

"Yea, what's up? Tommy with you?"

"No, he is out with friends again. Dad's car wasn't in the garage, is he still at work?"

"Uhh... no he had off today I think. Mom is out at the neighbor's house so he may be with her right now."

"Oh, okay! Thanks."

Silence before the door creaked to a close once more. Will gripped the apple before throwing it slightly, catching it as soon as it left his hand.

Phil doesn't particularly like the neighbors, apparently something about how scarily perfect they were. A tad strange for him to be helping out, but if his wife was having trouble he would've dropped everything and ran. A smile dawned on Will's face, it was really sweet. It also happened to be more poking fun material so who was he to get in the way of a sappy moment. Hopefully spending time with Kristin would help him cheer up a bit, lord knows he needed it. Will decided to leave them to it and retreated back upstairs.

"...Oh, Techno?" Right outside his door, Wilbur waited for a moment. He hadn't even asked about what his brother had found in the ways of the organization their father had worked for. Techno had let him know about his search online and its warranted results, or lack thereof. "Anything new on your end?"

Jostling with the knob, the door opened once more, giving way for a disheveled exhausted mess. His glasses hung slightly from his nose and seemed to be left to its devices. "About school or the whole situation?"

Will stopped dead in his tracks at the sight. His brother's hair hung loose in a disheveled manner. His skin was sickly and pale, scrunched up into a perpetual squint at his surroundings. Clothes hung ever so slightly larger on his figure, being immediately recognized as the ones he had been wearing just a day ago. Techno's hunched posture gave the brunette the impression that somehow his brother had shrunk, and was no longer the same height as him.

While the eye bags were more than normal the lack of tending to his general appearance was not. Something told him this was because the guy hadn't just woken up, and more on the end of a general disregard. Astonishing, downright concerning.

"-Uhh both I suppose."

"Well, school is going fine. Test results came in and as it turns out I didn't fail so that's good. As for the whole situation thing, I have discovered a few things... Hold on a second." The man turned around walked to his desk, retrieving three notebooks.

Pressed within them were dozens of flags and sticky notes. They littered the pages so much it seemed none of the three could close exactly right anymore. The covers were bent and worn, used clearly over time. Just how much time had been poured into them was up to interpretation, but Will was willing to guess it dipped into the dozens on the hour scale.

"This is a few things?" Wilbur jested, to the lack of amusement from the pink-haired slouch in front of him.

"No, the few things are in this notebook." Techno lifted the yellow one on top of the small stack. "These two were just reports and interpretations. Figured I would bring them over in case you wanted some light-hearted reading before bed. Earlier yesterday a friend of mine who I had mentioned this whole ordeal to had found a few more kidnapping cases, these were the ones I think I was able to guess weren't stretching the truth." He handed the two journals over to his brother with slight hesitation but allowed them to pass over. "Please take care of them."

"Y...yea okay. Sounds good. I'll have these back tomorrow morning." Wilbur brought them to his side. "So give me a rundown of these new details."

Techno let the book slack open in his hands and automatically the weight of the used side alongside the notes versus the unused and unwritten inside weighed out evenly, bringing up the most recent page with only a few manual flips. Once he had found the right pages, The man flipped the book towards his brother.

"I was able to find a photo of the boss."

Wilbur nearly dropped the two notebooks in his hands, dipping over to take a look at the page in front of him. Sure enough, there's was a blurry photo of a man getting into a black car. The majority of the image had been obscured by the closing door in front of him but just barely you could make out faint details here and there. A few select details left Wilbur guessing, but the main idea had gone through.

The man had dark hair, fluffed up only slightly to lay adjacent to his facial hair. Around his chin lay a considerable large scruff of a mutton chop that blended into a slight mustache. It had been tailored specifically and almost accentuated his sharp features.

His eyes were the most blurred thing in the image but somehow they allowed themselves the same amount of singe they normally would. They looked off and disorienting, wrong in all the ways Will just couldn't describe. The man's face allowed no wrinkles or signs of age giving a young-like impression. Short by no regards, the man was ducking into the car and even then he seemed too large to fit.

He had no huge muscles or brewing cigar at the tip of his lips, but somehow that was all worse. Terribly monotone and unremarkable only to be complemented with the slight edge his style granted him, the man left much to be guessed. The only thing to be sure of was that he seemed wealthy and entirely too wealthy for his age.

The features Wilbur couldn't quite decrypt seemed to be at the top of the man's head. What seemed like a hat of sorts or perhaps some tan-dyed hair stuck out the side of his head with a pointed appearance. The strange object jutted out prominently and spiraled back from his head and circled back towards the facial hair. If he didn't know any better, Will would have guessed it was some sort of prop.

"...That's... are you sure this is him?" A small nervous laugh bubbled past Wilbur's lips.

No hint of emotion graced Techno's face or tone. "Well, considering the fact that apparently, two men died to produce this image, and then right after I had gotten it the thing deleted itself I would fashion to say yea, yea that's probably him. It's a good thing I had it printing before it deleted."

Two men. Wilbur was face to face with cannon fodder and lives.

"...H-how did you even get this?"

"Apparently the docks have dipped their feet into the digital world, and not all of the companies listed provide services directly connected to this guy. All I had to do was offer a bit of money and there it was. Don't worry, I checked my computer completely before and after the whole exchange. Did it on my laptop and haven't used it since." His brother shrugged and pulled the page closer to himself.

Wilbur stayed stunned for a few more moments before setting the journals he had onto the ground and reached for the book in Techno's hands once more. "...I'm almost afraid to ask..."

"About what? The horns?"

The what? "Horns? These things?"

"Ya, what else would they be? The dude deals with mutated people all day, you really think he isn't one himself? It would explain the eyes."

"...The eyes? They are just blurred because he is moving."

"No, the guy is a goat."

"A goat?... So these things are horns and he is just walking around willy-nilly with them?"

"Sign of power! He knows he can get away with being visually mutated so he chooses to go out like that. It's like he is screaming that nobody can touch him even if he lets them."

"...that's stupid. You're overthinking it. It's probably a hat or a bug on the camera."

"Keep telling yourself that."

Chapter Text

That had been the last of the needed supplies. The sleepover was going well, so well in fact that they were soon to be setting sail towards the dreaded docks. Ranboo had grown fidgety and restless while his counterpart grew silent and objective. Tommy remembered they were like this on the last mission, but lesser so.

Tubbo's uncle had questioned them briefly on why they wanted the gear they did, Tubbo had said it was a school project. Tommy almost died on the scene. Somehow the excuse worked, either that or Mr.Quackity didn't care to know as much as he seemed to.

Most of the items they had acquired were on the house since the guy was so generous, but when it came to the lesser expensive things Ranboo fitted the bill. He had money handy always for some reason. Tubbo claimed he was his cash cow, and Ranboo claimed that the shorter was just a gold digger.

Tommy had trained a bit in small quantities the day before to get ready for everything and had grown confident in his abilities as if he wasn't already. He had given his family a warning that he was staying over the entire weekend and Will promised to relay that information, apparently their mother said it was alright.

Tubbo's mom on the other hand was a bit suspicious. She asked a few times why they wanted to go out to see a friend so late at night, and in her car of all vehicles. Ranboo managed to convince her that it would be for studying because Tubbo had been doing worse on recent tests and somehow his car had engine troubles. That wasn't the biggest stretch of the imagination, so it was lapped up quite easily.

So now they were headed off to the docks. Every soul in the car was quiet as could be. Whether it was nervousness or preparation, every small bump in the road, car noise, or traffic sound caused all of them to jump in fear. Soon that anxiety elevated as they pulled into the side parking lot.

"Okay. Everyone ready?" Tubbo murmured. With a collective nod, seatbelts were undone and the trunk was opened. Each of them grabbed their designated backpack and locked the car up. Ranboo and Tubbo headed in just like they were ordered, allowing Tommy to wait a few minutes before continuing.

Scouting was the most important job. Tommy knew it was and took that role seriously. As powerful as he was, he was still scared as hell. Every limb and joint felt like they were clattering together in a collective symphony, all to sing a tune begging him to go back home. Warm, safe home. If he wanted to, he could just back out now! He knew that, but Tubbo's glare scared him more than the docks ever did so he kept his pace.

The street lights were a bright yellow, the mood lighting seemed all too perfect. He hated it. Sure, he had convinced himself that he was ready and prepared for the desolate fear of traversing arguably the most dangerous part of town, nay, the most dangerous part in the county. The issue came with allowing himself and keeping himself to believe that lie. The closer he drudged to the actual location they had set to, the harder that pill became to swallow.

One foot in front of the other became the hardest talk to accomplished, so the blonde forced all his energy and thoughts into just keeping his legs moving. Surely Tubbo and Ranboo were there by now. That would make sense. He could no longer see them in the distant sidewalks.

That meant the street just a few yards away from him was the place

Days ago, Tubbo had brought a map and showed the two a location he had found a while back. It was a small abandoned fishing supplies store a bit away from the docks. It seemed like the perfect hideout to watch from. The kid had even gone there himself to scope out the place in order to make sure it wasn't a spy's den or maybe even an extension.

Tommy wasn't sure if that logic hadn't changed in however much time had passed. Sure, the brunette seemed very confident in his logic when he proposed it, but a lot can happen in a short time there. In Tommy's mind, he imagined the Docks to be this den of pure entropy, chaos unbridled. To have such an environment lose on the local stratosphere made this fishing hideout just about the sketchiest place he could ever be going to.

So either his two friends were patiently waiting in this dusty damp old shack or they were as good as dead and he was about to join them. Just wonderful.

Focusing on his steps sped time up faster than anticipated and right before his thoughts got the better of him. Staring down at the floor while walking blinded him of the dilapidated building in front of him. He had caught up to them. Now face to face with a molding and peeling door, he had a choice. Fight or flight don't fail him now-

"... Psst! You coming in or what? " Tubbo's voice called from behind the door. Peering out of the small side window, Tommy caught sight of the familiar faces of his friends waiting for him.

Quickly, he made his way into the room and set his backpack down on the closest surface. The whole interior wasn't as bad as he had expected. While the floor was fucking disgusting and coated in a layer of mud layer so thick that any floor rials that may have been under them were all but forgotten, the inside was essentially empty besides a few crates here and there. Most lacked their top and lay either empty, full of old rope, or filled with something akin to garbage.

" The door was locked but I was able to pick it!”  Whispered Tubbo.

" See anyone behind us? Anything suspicious? " Ranboo helped Tommy unpack quickly, setting everything on top of a flipped-over wooden box.

Shit, had he? Tommy had been so focused on not backing out that he wasn't sure. This could be their undoing. He had been vigilant at the start, but by the end, he hadn't even noticed that he got there.

" Coast is clear. " Tubbo had worked so hard, Ranboo too. To let them down at a simple job would be incredibly disappointing. He had to live up, he had to have done his job. A small lie wouldn't hurt.

" Good. Here ," Ranboo handed over the earpiece and got back to where he had been standing before. Tubbo now began to set up his goggles, clearly messing with them and adjusting them.

The blonde put his earpiece in and opened his phone, putting the brightness at a minimum and opening the notes app. A screeching noise pierced through his head as he started the gadget and allowed his eardrum to ring for a moment before adjusting.

From afar, Ranboo motioned to tune them in farther. They had discussed the range, and with this new fancy equipment, he was able to turn them up. Tubbo had happily coughed up the range they needed, he had noted it in his plan from years ago. Tommy did as instructed, being immediately disoriented by the screeching noise.

This time it was much worse, he could hear so many voices. They hadn't accounted for this, it sounded like a hushed mall. Everyone in the room sounded like they were either whispering or in a few rare cases speaking normally.

"... How many people did you say we're going to be there? I can hear so fuckin many... " Tommy whispered.

" A couple hundred, " Tubbo seemed so hushed he could barely hear him over the crowd. " I don't know, just write down anything you can make out. " Tommy seriously questioned if he could but he certainly tried.

A few minutes passed and all he could make out were a few words and misplaced phrases. Hushed codes spoke in tones foreign to his own. He tried as hard as he could, writing down every word every phrase, and every hushed code. Tubbo had gotten his goggles working and got to watching anything and everything. An odd sight, as he was just staring intensely at a wall. Presumably, he could see past it at the people a block away. Ranboo was scouting as instructed and made no noises as to distract the other two.

All of that became old news when fifteen minutes in a loud voice began to hush all the rest. Tommy began to tap on Tubbo's shoulder and began to type out every word.

"..es...yes I hear you... I can assure you all that he is back and better than ever."

The tone and inflection reflected something strangely American. It stood out amongst the rest of the buzzing crowd as assertive and recognizable. It was authoritative and harsh, a lower octave. Every word that was spoken was a fact, not a single syllable was up to interpretation.

"Well, He has been busy acquiring three assets for me all this time. I have to say, they are an interesting bunch. Powerful to boot. The great and fabled god is with them."

Was Tommy supposed to know what he was talking about? Tubbo had given both his friends a rundown of the dock lingo and rumors, nothing in the sentence sounded familiar. The blonde typed the words out more and more, seemingly confusing Tubbo as much as he had been confusing himself.

"Don't get me started. Apparently, he had the kid all this time! A team is out to get two them now, his student is handling the rest from here."

Tommy got a good picture of the speaker just from how they were speaking. Every small jab and politeness seemed artificial. It sounded like a seasoned announcer had lost all feeling. A gruff accent stuck with it, Tommy guessed it was from somewhere in New York. Jotting that fact down below the quotes gave Tubbo an immediate reaction. The kid stopped dead in his place and set his goggles properly on the floor, holding all his attention on the phone in front of him.

"Yes, Ma'am! He'll be making his appearance soon, all I need to do is weed out one of the stranglers he got. A birdie told me the kid was in the area"

"The kid?!" Tommy blurted without thinking. That had to be one of them, if not all of them.

Oh god, he knew.

Tubbo slapped a hand over Tommy's mouth, causing the boy's attention to move from his phone to his friend. He was... he was crying.

"...don't...say...anything..." His voice was so soft Tommy almost missed it. Everything began to shift into a realm of horror. The three kept perfectly still and didn't move. The worst part was the voice in his ear continuing like nothing.

"You really expect him of all people to not bring up the most potent enhanced individuals on the market? He was the top dog here for longer than I had the office. To think he was so dedicated to livestock for so long. I knew there was a reason I liked this guy."

That voice. Tommy tried as hard as he could to not move, not speak, not scream out. That voice was talking about his dad. That voice was talking about him. "...I think...They are talking about me..." The kid wasn't sure how his voice sounded at that moment, all he could remember was the tough sandpaper throat he had to endure to say it. It had been the quietest sentence he had ever spoken, and the worst he had to endure.

"...one moment. I'm getting a call, I think they've found the other two."

"...They have my brothers..." Tommy was completely frozen. Every single muscle in his body locked up at once and refused to allow him to move. They had Wilbur and Techno, and soon they would have him to. He had to run. He had to run now.

Ranboo was already scraping everything back into the bags and hurrying Them out the door, in Tommy's case forcing him to a stand and on his feet. His body felt like Wilbur had asked him to stop, but this time he had no reason to. As soon as he was standing he was already dead on his tracks. The taller whipped his attention at him and motioned hurriedly at the door and at the bag in his hands. He had to run.

Tubbo took the final step and forcibly grabbed Tommy's arm, dragging him out of the room. Ranboo took the reigns from there and went to pick the kid up. He needed to run. A few feet out of the door, the whole sit finally seeped in and all the feeling began to blur into an immediate dash for the road. He couldn't even look over at Ranboo or Tubbo to check if they were behind him, he just needed to run.

His legs picked up all of his fears and sent him right into the sidewalk he had just walked from, running in the direction of the getaway car. In his complete haze, he failed to register that the footsteps of his friends no longer echoed behind him.

~0~0~0~

The night wore on in the Watson household. Techno had been staying up quite late, with all the new reports and details he had been able to get it took ages to even organize anything. The picture seemed to be coming together with his hard work.

As he heard from his fathers the docks primarily worked with ENHAs. Export/import and that. The strange thing was all the cases with kidnapped children. Not a single article about an enhanced person being sighted or kidnapped was out there, but upon further inspection, he was able to come to a conclusion.

As Techno saw it, children were often targeted as they were the easiest to slip up and use their powers. Phil had let slip about that much when talking about how he found the kid. The docks and associated parties would keep an eye on the towns and any interesting parties and at the slight chance that their suspicions would be confirmed they would take the kid in the fog of confusion around them.

That made all the articles and lack of make sense. Likely the boss of the whole operation made his stance in the public knowing very evident, paying off anyone and everyone to keep shut. That left the question about adults and the fact that the docks were so busy.

 Adult enchanted humans are smarter than children so hiding becomes all the easier, and when you never use your powers it's almost as if you don't have them at all. That's why the docks either don't target them or deal with them often.

The busy question came to him when he was thinking, how in the world would the docks be able to stay in business with a hand full of children coming in from the city? Export. Techno worked it out that since this place was one of the first to realize that ENHAs existed they have found more, created known territories, and spread out over time.

The prospect sounded chilling. The perfect string wound by deranged parties for profit. Looking through everything again with newfound clarity made his stomach churn. He was part of that, he would have been part of that. Three knocks found themselves on his door. The pinkette peered past his desk and to the door, staying silent for a moment.

"Tech?" It was Will. Relief filled him as he got up, he didn't need a conversation with his father right about now. "Yea?" Walking to the door, he cracked it open.

"Hey, have you seen dad? Mom says he wasn't with her last night. I don't know if he is off to pick up Tommy or something, it's pretty late." Wilbur seemed fidgety, Techno wished it had been any other question. Nevertheless, he indulged.

"No, I haven't seen him. You sure he hasn't been back? I heard footsteps earlier."

"Yea, Nikki canceled so I got home early. That was me."

"Oh... he's probably out getting Tommy like you said."

Wilbur raised an eyebrow and looked back into his brother's room. "What time do you think it is?"

"What time? Uhh... Ten? Eleven?"

"Try two . He wouldn't be out to pick him up until tomorrow anyway, kids staying out longer."

The time difference wasn't shocking. Techno often lost track of time. It just sucked that he was now about to get all concerned and worked up over someone he desperately wanted to ignore. The concern rose just like he anticipated, this time bringing with it a frigid sense of guilt. If something happened, would he have even noticed? His dad has been so upset recently, Techno made a mental note to try harder once they've found him.

"Uhh... huh. Has mom heard anything?"

"No. She just said something about him having to do something important, she was under the impression it was for work. I'm over here because she's begun to worry, apparently she thinks it may be crime-related."

Techno paused. "Well?"

"Well, what?"

"Do you think it is?"

"That- I don't know... He said he hadn't spoken to anyone from there in years, you really think he is going to now?"

Would he? Did Techno even know? With Phil keeping everything it was hard to rely on his trust. It was his father though, he had to have faith.

"No. I don't. When was the last time anyone saw him?"

"Yesterday morning. Mom said he got up early saying something about doing important stuff then left in a rush."

"...And nobody thought to follow him? That really isn't like him. Isn't that a really big red flag?"

Wilbur sputtered on his words for a moment before giving up. His eyes left Techno's and onto his doorframe.

"Wilbur, tell me we have any idea where he went."

…

"Will, you gotta give me something here. Do we know where dad is or not?"

....

Holy shit . Techno was freaking out. This couldn't be happening, nobody followed him. His father left early on a Saturday morning having to do something ominous and not a soul went after him. Why hadn't their mother done anything? Was work really that flippant? Did she honestly think work would call something in on his off day?

Techno rushed to his desk and grabbed his journals, shoving them haphazardly into the nearest backpack he could find, and ran out of the room. On the way out Wilbur never budged, causing him to knock his shoulder. "Well? Are you coming?"

Will hesitated. "You... you're still in your pajamas. Get dressed and meet me in the car. I'll get mom to call the neighbors and anyone she thinks might know.

"Good. I'll get ready"

Chapter Text

The breaks had been left essentially unused after Will and Techno had set off. Wherever Phil was, he would have come home by now. The man hated staying out, something about the night just never set right without him at home watching movies or making dinner with everyone. Phil hadn't been home in almost an entire day now, night desperately began to peak into the early hours. 

Techno came willingly, pointing out all the stops the man could be at. He was slightly surprised that his younger brother was able to stay up this late, let alone muster the concern to keep him going. Will had been avoiding Phil almost more than Techno had at one point, he was always doubting his father and second-guessing his secrets. It was clear he didn't trust him before, but the facade came crumbling down as he proceeded to run a red light headed towards Phil’s job with all the speed of a bat out of hell. 

 “This is the second to last place, and the building is probably closed. Mom called his boss and they said he wasn't there but that we could check. The place has a keypad to enter and they gave us the code.” Techno pulled up the text from his mother and silently began to repeat the code in his head. “If we don’t find him here, there is still Tommy's friend's house.” 

 “Good, this right here?”

 “Yep. In that building there.” 

They were in the city now, dead as could be in the early morning hours. The only sign of life seemed to be the street lamps and the oddball bright light from fleeting townhouses. Quickly, the car whipped into a cracked and old parking lot into a business center. Phil worked in the building furthest to the left so they pulled up in the closest parking spot, right in front of the door. The entire lot was empty besides one car in the very corner, broken since god knows when. No lights were on the inside, so as the two left they turned their phone's flashlights on. Locating a small green light, Wilbur walked over to the small keypad. 

     “Code?” 

     “1030”

Shakily, it was entered. Once the man hit the enter key, a confirmation beep shot a small buzzer causing the door to open slowly. The room around them was entirely stereotypical. Fake plants, old waiting room chairs that looked as if they hadn't been replaced since the ’90s, all down to the front desk fully equipped with a calendar at the front marking the wrong day.

No signs of anyone anywhere. Techno flipped the light on and the bulbs began to hum to a start, illuminating the hall behind the entrance. Sure enough, once they did it became clear there was a single computer in one of the cubicles. The blue light shone through the hall, causing relief to wash over the boys instantly. 

     “Dad?” Will straightened his posture and began towards the hall and into the room. Everything stayed silent, eerily so. Something about everything… Something felt wrong to Techno. He couldn't place his finger on it but something didn't sit right. He stayed behind his brother a few steps, eyeing his surroundings as they both passed the eggshell halls. 

 “Dad, we have been looking for you for ages. You scared us half to fucking death. What are you even doing out this late?” Will began the conversation, walking closer to the cubicle. Its walls blocked any view besides the computer light. A faint shadow of someone sitting in the chair eased Wilbur’s comforts even more as he found it on the floor. Techno stopped a few feet away and kept his distance. His anxieties screamed and cried out, all directing their attention at the strange height of the shadow. Phil wasn't a shrimp, but he never had that ability to tower over others as his sons did. 

      Nevertheless, the shadow was halfway up the wall and seemed to motion towards looking back. It was slender and had a strange object on its face. Techo knew at that moment that the man in the chair was not his father. “Will…”He whispered out, pleading with his brother to slow his stride. The brunette hesitated back and shrugged, continuing. The man began to rise and slowly but surely Techno began to realize his theory was correct. 

“Hello boys, I’m an old friend of your father’s.”

The man stood at Techno’s height, he wore an old and damaged hoodie so stained in anything and everything the faint green that tried to show from the corners almost seemed to be more black stains. The hood was draped over his head and pulled over a round mask that painted a small and simplistic smiley face, giving the figure a fog of anonymity that reeked of terror and fear. The pants he wore were pitch black, adorned in what Techno was assuming was holsters and ammunition packs, all climbing up and wrapping over his shoulders, showing a long and sharp knife just inches from his neck. Something told the college student that if the man wanted to, that knife could beat his throat in a matter of seconds. This wasn't the co-worker he had anticipated to see, it was one from a completely different era entirely. 

Wilbur shot himself back and with one good look at the man, yelping and running his way over to Techno’s side and stood shaking slightly. Techno noted instantly the rise and fall of the man’s shoulders, he was laughing but no sound came out. With the damn mask, the shock settled and seeped into a horridness that lent itself to the figure’s image. 

“Look, That's cool and all but we are just leaving now. We don't want any trouble..” Techno was sure this was someone from the docks, only someone like that could give him goosebumps this big. He wasn't sure of the man's motivations just yet, and from what he could assume it was anything but helping them look for their father. Were they here to track Phil down? 

“No, I think you misunderstand.” The voice seemed to contrast the man. Such a terrifying exterior all outfitted in horrors they couldn't even begin to imagine existing all in a kind American accent. It somehow spelled even more fear.

 “No, we don't.”

“Techno…” Will tapped his brother's shoulder and nodded towards the exit door. Stood perfectly still happened to be two guards completely devoid of faces under pitch-black masks. They were outfitted in more weapons than either could count, and large rifles were proudly displayed in their hands. 

“You seem to though, which is odd because you're supposed to be the smart one.” Said the smiley face man, creeping towards them slowly. The computer’s light had been the only thing illuminating him in the main room so as he approached closer the hallway light began to catch more elements not seen before. 

His hands had no gloves, covered from the tips of his fingers presumably all the way up to his arm in a variation of scars. Some deep and pulling at the skin around them and some surface level. His neck was also exposed and housed all of those familiar sights. It was clear that this man’s profession was that of their father’s, but it made no sense to Techno. Sure, they would benefit from capturing two adult ENHAs but why would they...

…

“We won't tell anyone we saw you here we swear, we are just dropping something off for our dad,'' explained Wilbur. Techno remained still. “That's sweet, somehow a part of me doubts that one. Now, how about we all take a car ride. I know you're here to look for him, and honestly, I figured you would be around much sooner anyway. We are off of the schedule by now and I'm sure he had let you know about the boss and his timetables.” 

Sadly, Techno knew exactly what was going on now. They had their father and now they wanted them. These weren’t some children they were picking up on a job, this was a coldly calculated spider web and they had unknowingly just got themselves stuck. “The boss” was the man in the photo and if his reputation preceded him they weren’t heading back home any time soon. Here stood in a casual university hoodie and jeans, Techno felt utterly unprepared. 

“Well? After you.” The man heals his hand out and motioned towards the door causing the two men stationed by it to open them exposing a new car besides their own. It was a sleek black station wagon and if the street light above was to indicate anything the windows were tinted. This was the type of car you get one ride in and are never seen again. 

“Fate awaits, blood god , and I have been known to hate waiting.”

~0~0~0~

Spoiled milk. Something smelled like a tart disgusting mix of spoiled milk. Rotten and left for years just to become more and more poignant throughout time. The repulsive smell was the first thing Tommy realized when waking up. The second thing he noticed was the ground he was laying on. Concrete that was slightly sticky and oddly moist making him terribly cold and slightly soaked. Water was dripping somewhere far away and echoed through the seemingly large room. 

His muscles felt weak, bones brittle. It was as if he had taken the longest nap in his life just to awake weaker than conceivably possible. Attempting to move resulted in his arm twitching slightly before slacking from exhaustion. Nothing felt right. There were no lights around anywhere he could see, just the strange blurry flicker here and there. He wasn’t sure if it was just his eyes trying to open or if the room was actually that blank. 

“...Hello?” His voice seemed to be inadvertently imitating a scared child. “Is anyone out there?” Even talking proved a hard endeavor as he was face down on the floor, so most words came out slurred or wrong. 

The noise of his plea reverberated for a moment breaking the silence and emptiness of sound. A small squeak-like noise barked out from something near to him. “Tommy..?” It was unmistakably Ranboo’s voice, scared and a little less slurred than his voice. The blonde couldn’t see his friend and came to the conclusion he was likely just a few feet away.

“Ranboo? Where...are we.” The younger felt numb, and if it wasn’t feeling as swollen as it was then he would have been terrified of speaking and opening his mouth so close to the disgusting floor. He hardly noticed in this state. “...What happened?” 

A groan came from the kid as he attempted to move. “They got us... They have Tubbo as well...” Guilt, endless and painful guilt. If Tommy had actually done his job and looked out instead of being blinded by fear he would have noticed that someone was watching them when they got to the docks. Now because of him both of his friends were captured alongside him. Not to mention his brothers were likely captured in tow, wherever that may be. 

Scuffling sounds rang out beside him as Ranboo slowly began to get up. The boy seemed to be making his way over to Tommy. As he finally did, he sat down beside him and began to move something on his head. Slowly but surely something began to unwrap, and the complete and utter darkness swelled into a blindingly bright concrete room. Tommy relied on Ranboo to keep him upright, letting the shame get swallowed as he desperately glanced around for any clue as to where he was. Spatters of every manner of liquid painted the walls and floors, causing the water on the floor to have some sort of multicolored sheen. Tommy felt so gross just being in the room, but to have lied down and been covered in the mess was sickening. 

There was a large padlock door on the right side of one of the walls, bent and old. There were small tears and indents in the center and sides as if to show that something or someone had been trying for a very long while to get out. 

“Wh... where is tubb...Tubbo...” 

“I don’t know. When I woke up they were carrying him somewhere else and then he was just... gone. I feel like it’s been hours since that happened.” Ranboo stayed at a whisper level of speaking voice, letting his tone drip concern. What would they want with Tubbo? Is this because he had been looking for them all those years? It had to be. Tommy was sure his friend had dug that hole ages ago and Tommy shoved him right into it with his screw-up. Ranboo probably thought that as well. “...Surely they have him still alive right? They... they wouldn’t have killed him...” Tommy muttered.

Ranboo stiffened beside him. He made no effort to speak, letting his silence do the work for him. Tommy got a small glance at his face, the kid was crying. Ranboo was crying and it was his fault. “I am so sorry... I should have seen them...” Tommy cursed himself for allowing tears to come for him as well. 

“No, no this would have happened some time or another... I knew he shouldn’t have been so invested in this place... it’s my fault for not digging him out of it sooner-“

The door hissed for a moment, causing the boys to look over in fear. Any thoughts were now purely on survival. The padlock turned and sent the door flying open and slamming into the wall so hard the noise almost snapped Tommy out of his haze. Coming calmly out of it was a strange masked man and in toe a man in some sort of gym uniform. The first man stood tall and freaked every single cell in Tommy’s body out. The second was in something of a tracksuit, black with armaments covering everything. His face was covered by a strange bandana.

“Great! You two are awake.” The masked man spoke, a lightness to his time entirely too inappropriate for the horrific environment they were in. He stopped by the door and looked at the two on the ground for a moment. “Ahh, the failure of the docks. Welcome home, I would have called for you sooner but alas orders are orders.” The man who stood beside him stayed deathly silent and expressionless. 

Tommy went to speak but bit his tongue on accident, the numb feeling forcing him to keep his mouth shut. Ranboo took the hint and spoke for him. “...You know Tommy?” The man chuckled slightly. “Yes, I know Tommy. However, he isn’t the one I’m talking to.” Ranboo began to shake slightly. Tommy tried his hardest to even begin to understand how that would make sense, but the masked man read him like a book immediately. 

“Oh come on kid, you don’t think Americans just flock to England, do you? Ranboo over here is here for a reason.” Now Tommy was beginning to shake, there was... there was no way. “Between the torrid of code names and odd accents you have remained blind to it all, haven’t you? That brain of yours gives away the fact that you’re adopted entirely too easily kid, the angel would have figured that out in a heartbeat.” The man laughed casually. 

Anger began to bubble and Tommy began to focus entirely on the man in front of him. Ranboo was a victim, just like Techno and just like Phil. Does that mean Tubbo was as well? And if it did, the implications were entirely too heavy to weigh in Tommy’s state of mind. Ranboo stayed frozen in place and watched the man like a deer in headlights. Silence stood only for a moment before the masked man continued. “It’s just easier to wipe their memory of their time here if they escape, I had someone put on that all too long ago. Your brain just couldn’t let it go through could it?” He began to slowly circle the two boys, his attention entirely on Ranboo. 

“Some little voice in your head begging to regain the memories I spared you from, so you followed his son all the way back here. In all my plans I had never accounted for you. Apparently, I didn’t need to since you took to following the prodigal son all the way back to me.” Stopping for a moment just to lean down and face Ranboo closer with his odd mask. “You’re just itching to prove yourself aren’t you?” 

“No... I really am not... I don’t remember- why do I...” Words choked up and lodged themselves in his throat, failing any form of communication for him. In all his life, all his plans with Tubbo, nothing came to the feeling he had at this moment. Merely seeing the man’s mask made him want to run and hide somewhere far far away, but why?

“But of course, that was the point kid. You’re not supposed to remember. Ahh, I’ll deal with you later when I have time.” The man leaned back up and fixed his posture for a moment. “Phoenix and I have something to discuss, so I’ll be taking him now. Be a good boy and unhand him for me, will you?” His words instantly kicked in and without knowing it Ranboo dropped Tommy from his arms and let the boy slide back down. 

The masked man grumbled something under his breath, watching as the man who had followed him through the door began over and slung Tommy over his shoulders as if he weighed nothing at all. Ranboo could only sit in horror and silence as he watched the second of his friends get taken before his eyes. Tommy didn’t put up much of a fight, not for a lack of trying. He mumbled loudly his discontentment with the situation and tried his hardest to knock or punch the man holding him but all they resulted in was a few taps. 

The door shut behind them. Tommy could do nothing but watch the floor as the man walked through the dim area. The stench got slightly better but kept him on constant edge. The two men navigated themselves through the empty and dingy halls as they likely had done thousands of times before. 

It took a small while but they finally found two large doors and opened them with a large screeching noise. The door was a brick red and had been rotted away by rust. As soon as they swung open an array of sounds filled his ears. It was increasingly hard to differentiate one sound from another as he had barely any energy to keep his eyes open, but as he tried he was able to make out a few sounds. He was in the main warehouse, the one he had been listening in on before, Tommy was sure of it. 

“Boss, here’s the kid. The other two are with George and Connor and on their way.” The masked man spoke curtly. Tommy could only see the shoes of the man holding him but he sure as hell knew who was in front of those shoes. 

A small hum of acknowledgment buzzed forward as the man approached. 

“Is he a fighter?” It had been the voice from the earpiece. This was the man who had announced the capture of his brothers. 

“Too soon to tell, we placed him under some pretty heavy sedatives because of his records.” 

They had access to his records? That’s why he was so loopy. They must have thought he was going to immediately attack them, and while they were probably right it hurts that they knew that about him. He had once again dug himself into a pit that he had no idea even existed. 

“Ahh, get George to snap him out of it once his brothers get here, until then I’ll rile up the crowd back in the pit and we can go from there. Capiche?” Words delivered with about as much enthusiasm as someone bored on a Sunday morning. This couldn’t be the boss, an American? Tommy couldn’t see his face but surely the man couldn’t be that intimidating. 

“Sure thing.”

With that, he was off. 

~0~0~0~

“ Tsk , you sure as hell know you could have avoided this.” 

Phil refused the courtesy of a response. 

“You could have played along and just left them in their cages, better yet told be about the extent of their abilities and I would have probably given you a retirement.” 

Lord knows the man didn’t deserve shit. 

“But you had to play the hero. What was it about the fabled blood kid anyway? Why was he the turning point? Did you see something in him?”

He had ruined more lives than Phil had ever seen, what gave him the right of expecting any decency?

“It doesn’t matter now because while they aren’t kids anymore per se, they are close to adults. Money is money and that, simple business really. You’re a real shame though, you know that?”

Phil should have spit on him when he had the chance.

“Don’t you worry, I’ll cover your tab old-timer. Things will work out soon. Once the boys are ready and waiting we can all head back to the stadium, you do remember that place don’t you?”

How could he forget? 

“ Bah , you’ve caught me ranting again haven’t you? I’m sure you’re excited as much as I am for the main event, just make sure to put on a good show, eh? And bring the wings out, the crowd loves the wings.” 

Chapter Text

“Ladies and gentlemen,” The announcer began to boom. “I welcome you on behalf of my company to the long-awaited return of the dock's greatest champion!” 

If the crowd was to be believed, the “long-awaited” part seemed to be the truth. Thunderous applause and cheer burst through the room. 

It was that very cheer that finally woke Wilbur up to his new reality. At first, when the strange man had brought him into whatever storehouse they were at he figured he was either dreaming or hallucinating. Something so serious and life-altering happening to him wasn’t something to comprehend so easily. Whatever drugs they had him on made that theory an easy reality to get behind. 

Techno was with him every step of the way but instead of being half awake and dazed like himself, whoever drugged them had likely put him on the strongest dose they could conceive of. It probably made sense overall, Techno was the smart one after all. Wilbur just couldn’t understand the absolute need for that kind of severity. While sure, the guy had abilities just like he did, but with them not rearing their head in any capacity over the years Will elected to guess they were on the less potent side of the deadly scale.

But here they were, both fully awake and terrified out of their minds. Standing and gaping at the large auditorium that surrounded them, all booming with noise. Where were they that this kind of huge ordeal wouldn’t be noticed by the police? Were the police really that corrupted? 

Techno had looked into the prospect of the docks owning their own personal fight ring and had concluded it likely existed but this was a scale he couldn’t even imagine. Stacks on stacks of seats all haphazardly and strangely placed all up and along the walls of this odd and metal building. 

Everything was as dirty as the cell they had before, but now had an added layer of chilling cold that wafted from the skylights that had been broken clean through. Techno had no way to even guess where they were or even if they were near the fabled warehouse, the sounds of the audience drowned out any exterior noise. 

They had now found themselves in a small room covered in bars placed on the walls of the ring. All Techno could think about was the coliseums of old, the great gladiators against the large monsters any and everyone would put them against. This caused the question of why they were in the animal cage in the forefront of his mind. 

Will and Techno shared a fleeting look at the mention of that "long-awaited return", and both came to the same and instant conclusion. They had gone looking for their father and one way or another they found him. 

“In mere minutes, you all will witness your champion, your first hunter, your angel of death, return to you with tidings untold. Place your bets now because I’m sure you’ve never seen the betting pool this big!” 

The man at the mic had an odd and familiar voice to Techno. He was the only American in his family let alone his class so accents similar to his were rare, but something about that gritty and deep New York tone inflected a tinge of nostalgia for a time he couldn’t even recall. They hadn’t encountered anyone other than the three men who had captured them thus far so whoever this was, they had no image to go off of. Will realized a moment too late, then the man had originally started the speech he had said his company, hadn’t he? Scouring his mind, the picture Techno had printed out was all he could think of. From what he had seen, the voice for the man. 

Wilbur tapped his brother's shoulder and focused out of the loud announcing and crowd. “...Techno it’s him ,” he cried. “It’s him, it’s the owner.” Undoubtedly, Techno knew his brother was right. 

He had always been the stoic and silent member of the family, shoving feelings aside in favor of rationality. This familiar routine broke at that moment. The man's fear was on full display as he turned back to the cage bars. Something about this whole situation began to tear down his walls with an alarming pace, tearing every brick out from under his feet right in front of his eyes. For the first time, he no longer felt like he could figure his way out of this situation. He was no more useful than a small child separated from their parents. 

“We have a special treat for you all so make sure to stay tuned. This fight has got to be the most creative one I’ve thought up in a very long time.” The man chuckled under his breath and fanned the flames of an ever-growing excitement of the bustling hoard of people. “But you all probably know that by now! Anyway, I would like to give a warm and exciting welcome back to my champion... The angel of death! ”

Screams began to overwhelm the two brothers, causing both to slap their hands over their ears. A few lights varying in brightness found their way on a door opposite to their own across the small battlefield. The lights trailed a small figure that slowly began to walk out. Try as Wilbur could, he couldn’t make out the man across from him, but sadly Techno could. Techno could see his strict and terrified posture, his frightened eyes and shaking breath, the loss of light in his eyes, all framing the huge and looming wings that towered over his head and hung tightly behind his back. His outfit was much like the masked man that had taken them before but instead of the green hoodie, the man had a dark long shirt that blended into his ensemble, giving him all the workings of an actual death angel. 

Wilbur squeezed his eyes shut. Everything was terribly overwhelming and having to stand cold and scared in a cell having to watch whoever had to fight his father was just too much. For the first time since getting sober, Will wished he was back on the drugs they had placed him on. A ringing in his ears began to numb the harsh environment around him, and as his perception began to lift he took his gaze to the back wall away from the arena. The door arched in a strange shape as if the door had been specially made for the room. It curved into a half circle mimicking the curved ceiling above him. A dark metallic sheen had a strange tint to it as it reflected his sweater back to him. Something about it drew his attention as he watched it closely. 

The elder brother was completely and utterly stuck on the sight before him. His father had stopped midway through the arena and stared blankly forward. Techno met his eyes but somehow the man in front of him made no reaction. Phil looked like a machine as his watch was nothing more than for appearances. Techno began noticing the blue tint to his eyelids and lips as if he was freezing. For the man to have no reaction at all to the kid he raised made the world go still in his son's perspective. Maybe he was mistaking him for someone else, this couldn't be the same man. The same Phil that laughed at everyone's dumb jokes to make them feel better, the same Phil that would sneak his sons out of the house before dinner to go get ice cream before their mother got home, the same Phil that would stay up all night just to refresh his math knowledge to help Techno when he had a question. 

This Phil looked tired, cold, and lifeless. He wore all the same features but every single one had been singed with a sense of defeat Techno had never seen in his life.  If not for the wings behind him Techno would guess that his enhancement was reanimation. Puffy lower eyes that had given all the tears they could until they couldn't anymore. The figure before him was actively in hell and his son realized how utterly broken they had made him. 

    “He has been missing for a decade by now only to have trained the most powerful ENHAs conceivable!” 

The ground shook with the enthusiasm from the crowd. Wilbur and Techno completely blanked over his words in their minds as they both sat living in their own worlds, both stuck watching the opposite ends of their cage. The announcer could very well be speaking another language to them, it didn't matter. 

Then a muffled noise began to approach the door. Will kept his attention focused and keen while Techno only spared a passing look back. The noise seemed strained and incoherent but seemed very insistent at pulling their attention from the scene in front of the bars. The door housed no window so they merely watched the metal in small desperation. Somewhere in the background, the announcer was begging the audience to settle down to no avail.

The noise grew to something haphazardly knocking against the door in a struggle right before the door began to open slowly. Wilbur felt himself stop in his tracks and all focus was now stuck in a haze of sheer disbelief. Before him was the man that he had run into all those years ago, the man who kept him up at night and taunted his abilities, this was the man from the mall. His tracksuit had been grown into and he seemed much taller now, the only new addition was the bandanna that obscured his eyes. 

Slung over his shoulder was the worst conceivable outcome the two could think of. Tall and unwavering he approached the room and set down a very groggy and dirty Tommy who had a permanent scowl etched into the man’s direction. Wordlessly, the door was then shut behind him and the brothers were alone again, this time stuck with someone they had been praying in the back of their minds that they would never see here. The kid was clearly out of it and likely drugged out of his mind, failing to keep himself propped up against the wall. 

Wilbur rushed to his side and tore his sweater off just to throw it onto his younger brother shakily. Sure, he was now left with a short sleeve shirt in the middle of a freezing and cold warehouse but this was Tommy. Both of his brothers began over to his side and began their tirade of questions. 

“Holy shit are you alright? How did you get here?” 

“Did they hurt you? Tommy, do they have mom?” 

Overlapping into a frantic jumble of words the younger couldn't even begin to individually comprehend. Techno took the hint and quieted down, but left Will to the fussing. 

Roars of applause finally alerted Techno that something was wrong but too little too late. A rusty churning of gears grabbed his other brother's attention and pulled them back into the reality of the situation. The bars of their cell began to rise and expose them to the arena, where their father stood motionless in the center. 

Will, now seeing this, took initiative and whipped his head back at his younger brother. “If you want to yell at me about doing this later you have full right to. Tommy, snap out of it.” Truth be told he really wasn't sure if his words were going to cause anything in the boy. He had never used his powers on someone inebriated like this, but it was worth trying. 

The two brothers watched as the kid began to squeeze his eyes closed, shaking for a moment and bringing his hands to his face. “What…” The kid choked on his words and gagged out, nearly throwing up then and there. By some miracle Will had gotten him sober, now to keep them alive. Techno took it upon himself to take that responsibility. According to all the information, he knew whatever abilities he had were better triggered under stress like they had when he first confronted Phil, so he had the perfect environment to try. Will was tending to Tommy and anticipating another participant to enter the ring, but nobody came. 

“ No… ” Techno spoke softly to himself. The announcer began to introduce the three boys but over the loud roars, he could hear none of it. They expected him to fight his father. They expected them to fight their father. “... Will …” All the stories that Techno had gotten over the years about the swift and horrifying methods of the angel of death now faced him headfirst. 

The angel watched as his eldest son began to step into the ring. Techno forced himself not to waver, not to show himself as weak. All the faces and cheers of the audience meant nothing now that he was in the ring. What was left of his father was waiting patiently and obediently. No calls to action were done and no fight had been called for, all they could do was watch each other. Technoblade allowed himself to steeply inhale and exhale, calming his nerves and rolling back into that familiar emotionless persona he so desperately clung for.

 It was all he had, it was his only defense. Whatever was about to happen he was going to finish it, and his brothers weren't going to have to face the repercussions. He had seen the hardships they had to endure, the pain and suffering in the recent weeks, the pain. Techno was tired of it, Techno was stopping it. 

The angel watched his every move, not backing up as the man now stood two feet from him. Emotionless, Techno promised himself. His father's eyes tried to convince him otherwise. 

“Hey, Old man.” He began, words lacking any sharpness or enthusiasm. “Are you still in there?”

Undoubtedly the angel could hear him, as loud as the cheers were they could do nothing to drown the heightened sense of hearing the angel had. Despite the response landing, it wasn't received properly. Techno had no expectations seeing how broken the man was, but if he did he would have anticipated the silence that followed. The angel did not give so much as a hint of a response, keeping the straight face he had dawned at the start. 

“Welcome back to the docks, our beloved blood god!” Now that interested Techno, he had been hearing that title thrown around here and there but had no idea it meant him. When had the moniker been coined? 

The worst part was how the audience cheered. They cheered as if they were begging for him to live up to the name. The clear head he had been trying to keep began to chip away as he lost his eyes on the bleachers above. He… He knew this. 

He remembered this feeling. It was as if the memory of why was right in front of him, he could nearly remember it. The scent of metal and blood, the screaming of a crowd filled with monsters, the feeling of velvet in his fingers as the gore ran across his fingertips. Techno knew this feeling, and he remembered why.

Bile gathered deep in his throat and began to try and punch its way out of him. Nothing he could say or do would convey the panic he was faced with. He had forgotten why he always tried to form a bleak and impassive persona. It all made sense, this was why. That pit in his stomach, the drive to do any and everything to distract yourself from remembering it. This is what Phil saw in him and in himself, the deep and hollow gash that constricted any move or decision he made. 

    Someone was calling his name but nothing seemed to work. Techno locked his eyes with Phil’s and finally understood what kind of a state he was in. He was frozen and stuck in the mindset of an era that he had tried to forget all those years ago. Brought on by this discovery the son found himself slipping into that very thought process. There was no escape from it, the taunting crowd solidified with their cries for blood. This was what molded him, this is what he had been made for. 

The angel and the blood god stood two feet from each other in a motionless and cold state, awaiting orders. 

    “ Techno! Techno what are you doing?” Wilbur called out. Behind him, Tommy was beginning to stand up and notice his surroundings. As he walked beside the brunette and found himself watching his brother face his father in a glare. The look in his eyes was cutting and petrifying. “Techno snap out of it!” Even screaming wasn't enough. 

    “Today we have brought you all something truly riveting, people. We have a matchup unlike any other! We have The blood god against the angel of death in a teacher vs student match!”

    “This isn't happening…” Tommy wished. Wilbur turned to him and tried his best not to wince at the noise in his ears. “Tommy, I’m going to try something.” 

    “What the fuck are you going to do now? They have us stuck here until Techno and dad tear each other apart! How in the world are you going to-”

    “ Listen to me! ” He shouted, “I was able to use my ability on you so maybe I could use it on them. I am not sure what they have dad doing but he is still the same father we know and love. I know it, he has to be. What I need you to do is distract the crowd enough that they quiet down, if they can hear me maybe I could yell a command and get us out of here.” Wilbur explained. 

    What choice did the boy have? “... This better fuckin’ work .” 

    Slowly the blonde began over on the same path Techno had taken. How exactly he was going to calm essentially a thousand plus criminals down, he had no idea. Whatever tactic, he needed to think of it now. Confusion swept through the rafters and the audience began to simmer, awaiting an explanation as to Tommy’s presence. The announcer was happy to oblige, 

    “What's this? A phoenix has stepped into the arena!” The man’s tone seemed a bit off this time. The genuine enthusiasm was replaced with a strange hint of anger. Had he not expected Tommy up this early? “One of the few students the angel has ever taken on. Watch out, this kid has quite the spark! Being able to control any flames around him, this kid is a powerhouse!  Anyone in the splash zone be warned though.” A few audience members began cackling, a select few moved up a bench or two. 

    That gave the kid an idea. 

Whatever haze his family members were in now would grant him the entire story. No matter what he said, people would believe it at this moment. Looking back to Wilbur he gave a small nod and turned back to the two in front of him. With a bug huff of air, Tommy decided if this is how he was dying he was at least going to live up to his legacy;

    Shouting and getting angry for no reason. 

    “You!”

 Yelling at the top of his lungs, he was sure that anyone and everyone in the arena heard just enough that they would realize he was talking. Sure enough, he was right. The clamoring of the crowd simmered just a bit to allow him to continue. Summoning all the energy he had, he focused all of it on his eyes and wished with every bone in his body they were glowing as intended. 

“You got us into this, you bitch!” He pointed at the god, who was facing away from him. The call to action did nothing to snap his brother out of the haze he was in but drew the crowd in, hook line and sinker. 

    Now to bullshit his way into a silent crowd. Sneaking a glance at Will he realized he was thinking about exactly what to say. Before his brother had told him about how specific you needed to be if you want good results, so Tommy stuck to giving him time.

    “If you had just kept out of this shit they wouldn't even know where we were! You just had to complicate things by sticking your nose where it doesn't belong!” He had never been one for acting, but with the volume, he was projecting at it hardly mattered. The volume spoke for itself. As straining as it was on his throat, and as draining as the energy to his eyes was becoming, he just needed a bit more time. 

    The blood god moved slightly, turning and looking at him over his shoulder. He was utterly unmoved, and with the expression, he wore Tommy was sure this man would kill him if he continued. The crowd seemed to love it, while they still cheered they weren't at the volume they once had, silencing more and more now paying attention to the kid's ramblings. 

    “For someone who acts so smart to do something like this? You aren't smart, you're just up your own ass!” Sure, it was a surface-level burn Techno would have probably laughed at under normal circumstances, but this time the insult itself hardly mattered. It was about making everyone think he was pissed. His brother across from him raised a hesitant eyebrow and kept it for a moment before his expression slacked. Techno realized what was going on. 

    “...Really?” His voice was deeper than it usually was, it was grainy and cocky. Instead of keeping his attention on his father as he had done before, Techno turned fully around and faced Tommy. “And what are you going to do about it, kid? ” The pink-haired man no longer looked half alive. He was on board.

    “ I’m not a fuckin- Okay, That's it you prick.” Tommy backed up slightly and looked back at Wilbur again just begging he was ready, the man shook his head in response causing Tommy to turn his attention back to his new apparent opponent in front of him. He was going to have to fight his brother, hopefully, the blade could pull his punches. 

    “Hold onto your seats because two of the prized pupils just butted heads! I think this may call for an impromptu match! What do you all say?” The announcer boomed.

 Shit , Tommy cursed at the crackling volume that followed. Wilbur don't fail him now. 

    Techno narrowed his eyes at the kid. Tommy gave him a subtle nod, one that spoke “Keep going, Will has got this.” The gesture was repeated back, and Techno began to back up. The man stiffened his stance, lowering himself slightly. The blonde did his best to imitate his stance. Suddenly, the angel began to move from beside Techno. The man began to walk back to where he had come out of only to be closed back into the small room. 

    “It's been decided then! Alright boys, Play nice!”

    The spotlight that had once been on the angel began to shift and dissipate into a large overhead light that lit up the entire ring around them.

 “Five!”

If Tommy kept up his whole smoke show with his eyes for much longer, this fight wouldn't last more than a minute. Panic began to rapidly envelop him. Wilbur, Hurry the fuck up. 

“...Four!”

Techno had only been in on the plan for nearly a minute but the amount of trust he had in his brothers had him sticking to whatever it was. Tommy had gone out of his way to snap him out of the state he was in before, and if he hadn't Techno probably would have done something to his father he would have regretted. If they were going through with this, Techno had to initiate whatever ability he had and fast. The question was how.

“...Three!”

Wilbur watched the audience closely, he had formulated exactly what to say but with the volume they were at now, it wasn't going to work. It was as if the brothers were trying to tame a flame that just wouldn't go out. This had to work or else all of them were dead. All he could do now was wait for the perfect moment. 

“...Two!”

    Techno recalled the conversation he had with his father about his past for the first time. Then, he had initiated his powers without thinking because he was scared. At this moment, he was scared out of his mind. If this was about channeling emotions into power, he had more than enough to trigger them now. Closing his eyes, Techno took a breath and allowed his emotions back, and with the floodgates now open all he could do now was hope. 

    The blood god opened his eyes, causing Tommy to snap his to a close instantly.

    A bright red light bore holes at the boy and illuminated the surrounding area. It was brighter than anything Tommy had ever seen. The crimson color only grew brighter as the final tick of the announcer grew nearer. 

In anticipation and awe, Wilbur realized everyone around was on the edge of their seats and quieter than ever. Whatever Techno was doing seemed to even have the speaker awestruck. It was now or never. The brunette inhaled for a long moment and began running into the stadium as fast as he could. 

    “Everyone, sleep!”

Chapter Text

Hazy details.

 Ranboo never struggled with sight before, however, today was the opportune time apparently. The only thing clear was the light so blinding above him. When had he started lying down? When had he started looking up? Opening his eyes wasn't something he remembered, but there he was. Face up in that damp flooring all too frighteningly familiar locked in and shut out by the concrete tattered and stained walls of the room.

The lightbulb that had been on before had either died or was in the process of it, as the only light it emitted was in flashing spurts, not enough to gauge if he was alone. 

“...Tommy?” No response. The dead silence of himself echoed up the walls and into the high ceilings.

“...Tubbo?” Nothing.

One sound came as an acknowledgment to his cries, he echoes they left behind. 

Hours. What seemed like them passed. His vision seemed to be better at that time but the only thing that gave him was the new fact that the roof of the room still wasn't visible and the dampness of the floor was just water.

 They took them… They took them both. Ranboo had seen both of his friends taken and presumably killed. He was solidly alone, with no real way to tell that he hadn't died already.

All that time festering in his cell produced one question. Sure, he had a myriad of others but none more important than this. Why was he alone? Sure, it was because his friends were taken but why had they left him? Was the order even important was he even going to last? If he was dead, why was he still so utterly alone?

 They were going to kill him, and they were now clearly the workers and villains of the docks. Tubbo shouldn't have meddled. He told him so many times that he shouldn't. They all shouldn't have meddled. He should have stopped his friends, maybe argued a bit more, but he didn't. Rambo didn't argue that hard because he too was becoming curious. It sucked, knowing that your friends were out there either dead or hurt because of his negligence. Blame was the only thing rotting in that room with him and it was viscus and cold. He believed he deserved whatever fate they spoon-fed him. He believed he had killed his friends and he deserved their fate as well.

Clicking and hissing. Hours had passed and hunger was now grumbling through his stomach. It was sunrise, it had to be sunrise. If he was in a world the sun graced, it surely had to be up. No windows in his cell produced said sun so there was no confirmation but from the hours he had counted, he was sure. 

THat clicking became a hiss and the iron door he had memorized over his time alone now bore its face… and a figure. It was a man dressed in the same outfit as the one who grabbed Tommy and Tubbo. This was it. The aching for the justice he so sought met him face to face, and he was more ready than he ever had been in his life. 

The man had someone behind him. Ranboo remembered seeing Tommy be dragged out with someone but this new person peaking behind the guard wasn't them. Was it? The person behind the figure squirmed and wrestled his way past and into the room, meeting eyes with Ranboo.

 It was Tubbo. Clean and unmarked by the dirt and dampness. No hair on his head displaced and no nicks on his skin. It was deliberate, it had to be. Even the man at the door was slightly wet at the start of his jeans and shoes but looking down Ranboo saw that Tubbo’s shoes were dry and unblemished. Tubbo had to be dead, and he was looking at his friend. Now Ranboo knew he was hallucinating. 

“...Hey.” The boy’s voice sounded real, it sounded concerned. “Are you alright? Did they hurt you?”

What was the merit in responding to a mirage? Surely there was none, and if cameras were watching him from the darkness above it would give them a clear sign the boy was cracking. If they were going to kill him he at least wanted people to believe his sanity intact. 

Yet the figure stayed there, it even seemed to get angry at this. “What have they done to you..?” Strangled and weak. Tubbo was always full of life in his speech but this was so sad. So utterly depressed and miserable Ranboo’s idea of a hallucination was almost broken. He let himself hope momentarily.

“...Are you real? Is this real?” His voice was a weak whimper, somehow surprising him as he listened to himself utter. Ranboo knew these guys, he knew they were better than leaving loose ends, and decidedly dead in the eye of the hurricane there he now sat, frayed. Tubbo flinched momentarily as he processed his friend's words, watching as he shook slightly under the cold damp. 

“Yea, I'm real. God- Here,” Tubbo began crouching in front of him, moving his body and propping it up onto the kid’s knees. 

He was warm. Tubbo's hands that helped him sit up were warm. Hastily the taller snapped his hand out and fetched his friends, grabbing at his wrist and waiting. 

…One,

…Two,

…Three,

…Four.

The thrumming continued, quickening its pace as Ranboo’s shoulders slacked and pushed in further into his friend. 

The boy holding him up seemed to have his attention called back to the man at the door for some reason, whispering something along the lines of a “No” but Ranboo couldn't care less. Tubbo’s heart was beating. Apparently, he still had tears yet to cry. 

“You're alive,” Ranboo assured himself. “You're really alive.” Crying into his friend with all the relief he could feel. Nothing else mattered. Tommy may likely have been dead, but at that moment sat fussing over him was Tubbo alive and kicking.

 He hadn't lost everything yet.

~0~0~0~

Now, we aren't here to argue about the semantics of sleep and the varied definitions of the word. Wilbur seemed perfectly content at his choice of words, no matter the strange context they placed him in.

 Hypothetically, if you were to command hundreds of people to suddenly sleep, what would that entail? What would this  do ?

Will had mulled it over in his head, at the minimum it granted him and his brothers a few moments to get their bearings and run like hell. At most… well he hadn't considered it. What would have been the best outcome? Certainly not what they had now. 

As the words left his speech and dazed the crowd he had not thought for a moment that in saying,  “Everyone sleep, ” that the words might place his brothers in their spell as well. In hindsight, he probably should have considered it on a more literal scale but who's to scold him when at max he only had a minute or two. 

As Techno lunged for his younger brother the action seemed to be futile as soon as it was set in place. The man couldn't remember exactly how but upon making it to Tommy’s side he promptly passed out, falling limp onto the cold arena floor. Tommy dropped in the same second, laying still at his elder brother's side. 

In a huge coliseum filled to the brim with life, Wilbur Soot Watson found himself utterly and entirely alone. 

Loud thuds erupted in the crowd, people falling and slumping down all at once as if their strings had been miraculously cut. Puppets without instruction lay cold and useless in their seats. The sight alone was enough to stun Wilbur. He felt sick to his stomach, whether it was due to the mass action he had just caused or the morality of it all. Seconds ticked by leaving the man to his thoughts. The stiffened silence caused the ringing in his ears to become more apparent than it ever had been. 

“...Tommy?” His voice couldn't be more than a whisper. He dared to speak, cursing the now raspiness his voice seemed to convey. 

Yet no response. Nothing for another minute or two. Wilbur trembled at the sight of it all. “Tommy…  Tommy get up. ” A hesitant command, one that felt like sandpaper in his already failing throat. Immediately the boy opened his lifeless eyes and flung himself to his feet without further action. He stood so tall it seemed that he was almost at attention, awaiting orders. Though his eyes were open, the lights were off. 

“No- that's not what I meant- Tommy snap out of it! Please just…  Please snap out of it .” His brother pleaded. The more he laced his words with whatever weight he had in him the more painful the dryness in his throat became. The order seemed to break the trance the younger was stuck in, this only coming through to Wilbur as the boy fell to his knees with a sharp inhale. 

Will went to shout his brother's name in relief but was cut off by the eruption of coughing that the action caused him. Seering pain blockaded any words he might have once considered. Tommy, having just registered what occurred, shakily brought himself to his feet and to his brother's side. The barking coming from Wilbur echoed across the now empty room around them giving Tommy the opportunity to finally understand in-depth the damage his brother had done. 

The figures in the seats around them almost looked dead. Just bodies stacked and sat in rows upon rows lay still and to the beck and call of their new ring leader. The fear Tommy once had for his brother's abilities seemed weak in comparison to the dread that filled his veins at the sight. Sure, the younger was scolding himself for not being thankful but the human in him seemed to see Wilbur as the biggest threat in the room. Tommy wanted nothing more but to run from him. 

He didn't.

“Will? Are you alright? It worked right?” The questions seemed clearer as Will’s coughing died down. “You don't have to answer… Jesus. Jesus christ…” His brother pulled himself from the hunch he had developed in his fit. Finally drawing his attention to the other brother lay dormant at his feet. 

Techno had looked… Mortifying. Tommy could recall with extreme clarity the look in the elder's eyes as he began towards him. There was no recognition at that moment. Tommy was prey. He was nothing but a target in those blinding eyes. Scarlet red drenching his vision and freezing the boy immediately. Had Techno… always been able to do that? 

Even Will only saw pieces but he knew full well that if he hadn't stepped in at that exact moment Tommy would have been badly hurt or worse. How exactly that would occur was for later thought, the feeling of fight or flight was the best he was going to get then. 

The two brothers looked down at their elder strown across the ground below.

“...If you wake him up will he go back to the way he was?” Tommy hesitantly chirped out. 

Wilbur gave no response but allowed a moment to think on it. That was a good question, one he was terrified to get the answer to. His expression seemed to read his discomfort well enough, giving Tommy the floor once more. 

“We can't carry him… He… I dont have the best arm strength and even if I did you'd have to help me… in the state you are now I doubt you can even carry yourself.” Wilbur would have normally slapped him across the head for that but now he couldn't bring himself to. The kid was right of course, but that gave them no out. They were either waking him up and taking that chance or leaving him there. Ultimately it was Will’s choice and that was obvious to both of them. 

“... Can you speak?”

Will shook his head no, crouching himself by his elder brother. Tommy followed. 

“Can you even wake him up then? If you can't talk?”

He could if he tried hard enough. Ignoring the pain would be a given, but after that would he even be able to wake Phil if they found him? Who knew influencing hundreds to do something would take this much of a toll?

 Wilbur shook his head yes.

“... So… are you going to?”

Clutching his throat, Wilbur slowly nodded yes. 

Tommy stood to his feet and stepped back for a few feet, situating himself at a distance. Once the boy stopped it was clear what his brother had to do now. The elder knew he couldn't afford that liberty at the volume his voice was now. The pain was getting him to do it despite the unknown. 

“...Tech-” Will caught himself before he began coughing once more. Each one that escaped his mouth seemed to be stifled back by necessity. Tommy kept himself from running back to his side. A few minutes were taken just clearing his throat to speak. 

When it finally came he figured fast would be the easy way to go. Speaking slowly would only end badly while he was still pained like this. 

“... Techno snap out of it -” More hacking bubbled out, but the command spun to place anyway. The words plucked from the ones that had woken his other brother. 

Wilbur didn't even bother backing up for his own sake after the fact, so distracted by the fit he was now stuck in. Liquid, one Will theorized to be spit, seemed to trickle from the ends of his lip and down his neck. The pain boiling him alive seemed to be a good enough distraction from the fact that he may have just awoken a killing machine. 

Hazily, said killing machine seemed to stir. Peacefully at first just before flinching back from the whooping beside him. It was Wilbur, collapsing in on himself in pain. The lack of screaming from the audience was immediately noticed after his first observation. The third came as he landed his eyes on Tommy, four feet away and looking into his eyes as if the man was an animal. 

“...Uhh, Will?” Techno moved his attention back to his first observation with extreme discomfort. In all his years of living in the Watson household, he had never seen Wilbur so lowly. He pulled himself to his brother's side and hesitantly wrapped one arm around him, cautiously watching him tremble. He seemed to be slowly calming down. 

For whatever reason, Tommy finally snapped out of his stupor and bolted over to his brothers. Techno shot a questioning look over to the youngest only to be completely ignored in favor of the brunette. Small words of encouragement began humming out of the kid’s mouth. The absurdity of it all hit Techno like a bus. Questions took the place of concerns as he began to realize not one person in the audience was moving. Before his fainting spell, he couldn't recall what had been shouted so for all he knew they were all dead. His own indifference to that fact was the most frightening revelation. 

Will slowed to silence in his coughing and peeled himself away from violently clutching his throat. Wiping away the liquid he was so wrong about, letting the velvet red be long forgotten in his palms. 

“...We have to go.” An objective fact, one Techno was fine with admitting. 

“What about dad? Are you nuts? We can't just leave him here!” Tommy argued. 

“... Do you have any idea where he is?”

 No response on anyone's part.

 “I sure as hell don't. If he is… passed out, how are we going to wake him? Will can't even stop shaking and we both know I'm going to end up carrying him. Dad… he can take care of himself. He's not helpless.” 

“No, No we can't just leave him here. What if they kill him Techno?”

“They won't.” 

“How can you be sure, huh? How can you be so sure that they won't just-”

“Tommy, he is an asset to them. Think about it, they have more to gain if he is alive. I'm willing to hedge my bets that's the case.”

Every word was true but swallowing that pill wasn't something Tommy was going to do willingly. He was going to save his father god damn it and he wasn't ever going to deal with this hell hole ever again. Not after what they did to him. 

“... I'll carry him.”

Techno gave an indignant sigh. “No, you won't.” Wrapping his arms around Will, he pulled his brother onto his back and stood up slowly. Silent as a mouse, Will gave no protest.

“Yes, I fuckin’ will. You get Will out of here, I'll go find dad.” He huffed, turning on his feet he began towards the opposite end of the arena. 

“Tommy… Tommy! Get back here! I Don't want to have to drag you but I will!” But no response came, the kid just kept walking and ignored the protesting. Walking became a run and a run became a complete stop. Before him was the cage he saw his father retreat into, but the iron bars were dead shut. The inside of the cage was dark and lent nothing inside any visibility. 

Shouting kept up behind the blonde but he gave it no mind. 

The bars were rusted. Plain, what you would expect of those used over the course of many years with a lack of health and safety guidelines. The boy was sure a bit of brute force could break them with ease, but force wasn't what he was going to use. 

Summoning up that feeling he had memorized, the tips of his fingers singed and lit up swiftly. Tommy began gripping at the bars and focusing all the attention he had on burning them. He had never melted metal before, would it hurt him? As fire-resistant as he was, the kid wasn't flat out heat immune, right? No, no he couldn't let him fall down that pit. His father was at stake now. No second-guessing, and if he got hurt no stopping. 

Techno was long forgotten in favor of focus. In Tommy's perspective, the man was surely gone and dragging Wilbur with him in a fit of rage. At least, that's what he would normally do. If the boy’s focus had been diverted over to the place behind him he may have seen the huffing and puffing that became Techno’s decision making. Scoffing at the thick-headedness of his younger and yet somehow trying to pull himself from agreeing. The choice was made when Will had weakly pointed in the kid's direction with furrowed brows, giving the pinkette the idea he was soon to follow. 

And so they did. By the time Techno had his brother slung onto his back, Tommy was done with opening the bars. The remains of the molten metal were bubbling and spitting their heat off onto the stone below. It was as impressive as it was terrifying. Finding out your brother could essentially melt that which he touches would send more than a few goosebumps down your arm if you found out. As stone-cold and indifferent as Techno usually appeared he made no effort to hide his slight tinge of fear.

Just realizing they were behind him, Tommy began to formulate responses and arguments only to be interrupted by Techno’s low grumble of a voice, summoned out of his now standing fear. 

“Let's just get him and get out.” Breathy, afraid. Qualities Tommy never saw in his voice before this. Something about this new tone gave him no room to argue further.  

With the bars muddied and on the floor, Tommy hesitantly stepped over the small puddles they left, careful to avoid the drops of boiling iron falling from the remnants of the rest above. Techno did the same but more hurriedly, Wilbur ducked momentarily as he did so.

Moving forward, the kid lit a small flame in his palm and extended it slowly into the unsuspecting darkness. It was their father. Or what remained of him at least. Slumped and left sleeping and motionless. His expressions slack under the small mask they had allowed him. His wings trembling lightly, only viewable in the shadows they cast. It made everyone’s stomach churn. They had only seen this man a day prior but in the state, he was left it made no sense. They had roughed him up. The man's hair was wet and dripping with what seemed like oil… liquid too thick to be water. Feathers too slick to be dry. The stench of it all visceral and unreal, gasoline and rotten milk gave it no justice. 

Limp and lifeless. The only indication he was still alive at all was the aforementioned trembling feathers. 

Coughing caused Techno and Tommy to jump in place before directing their attention to Will. Tommy had shouted something out of surprise but it was unintelligible under the harsh fit the elder now found himself wound in. It was clearly not stopping soon, the two others shared a look. 

“You okay, Will?” Tommy said, louder than he should have. It was just that the coughing was so loud. He swore he never meant it to do anything he just-

“He’s fine. He will be fine. Just grab him and I’ll get dad.” Again, no room to argue. Techno set will down gently and into Tommys extended arms, slinging him around and supporting him on his side. Phil was never terribly heavy, at least that was before. The wings that had found themselves on his back added a large amount of extra weight and Techno now found himself struggling to find a way to pick him up where he wasn't struggling. Electing to hold him under his wings and under his knees, he stumbled over the cooling metal and out into the ring once more.

Tommy was soon to follow, lifting Wilbur over the heat only for a moment before helping him further towards their initial door. 

But before… Whether it had been Will’s coughing or Tommy’s shouting response… It awoke them. It woke quite a few, setting off a chain of reactions as it did. 

Faces slowly finding themselves looking out at the four below began to shout. BEgan to fumble over themselves. Even the speaker seemed to click on, though only to add a few louder hushed waves of panic. 

“SHIT!” 

Tommy hurried his walk under the weight and pain of his brother at his side. Techno was faster, ignoring the searing pain of his muscles unable to keep up supporting the one in his arms so very asleep somehow. A frantic look to the back of their father's cell proved no door as it had in their case, so running across the stadium was their best bet. The further they got towards their cage the louder the crowd was erupting. Person to person waking their neighbors so on and so forth. It was a cacophony of the cries so desperately clinging to curiosity. 

The four now limping and huddling in the cell they came from, banging and shoving at the door entrapping them. 

“Tommy” Techno cried out. The kid was already on it, Setting Wilbur against his other brother's side and placing both hands on the cold door in front of him. 

Heating it would be a terribly inaccurate description. The kid boiled it, seared it in flames that burned brighter than all those before them. Fear was a powerful motivator, fuel to the now melting door. Nails of a foreign metal fell into the sludge that came dripping down. The whole thing was much thicker than the bars. Techno found himself backing up, careful to keep his father and Wilbur up and away from the puddle growing ever larger. 

Tommy was too scared to notice when he was ankle-deep in it all. The panic of everything blinded him to the fact that evidently, he was in fact fireproof, or at least lava proof. Finally finding the hole large enough to step through. It was enough to jump through. Walking back through the remains of the opening he grabbed and propped Wilbur back up at his side, motioning at Techno to move forward. 

Loud and clear. The man got a running start before jumping through the heap, making it through and buckling under the weight of the man in his arms if only for a moment. Tommy simply put Wilbur on his back and walked through the fire and flames, making it through slowly but enough to meet Techno on the other side and start running. 

The other side was as messed up and rancid as the coliseum but saved to a small and low hallway area. Twists and turns became a given. They darted through the hall, Tommy only checking and opening one or two doors on their way. All empty rooms, the first couple were coliseum cells like before but after a while, they became weird ones like the cell he had been trapped in before with the stone walls and light bulb. They were seemingly endless. A few flights of steps had knocked the wind out of the group but they couldn't stop. Stagnancy was death, and for all the hell they put this family through Tommy decided long ago this was not their place to go. 

The new hallway they happened upon was grim, but it was hard to notice fine details when the only thing important was the end. The four were well on their way down, the door at the end of the tunnel in their grasp. No clear lock on it, and by the looks of it the door was fancier than the other caged ones or tattered old mangled ones that they passed by, this had to be it. Surely this was it. 

“Go!” The boy strangled out in between panting. If he wasn't so cold and terrified from the events of before he would be smiling, and with how numb his face now was he might have been. Tommy got a running head start and kicked the door from the center in, toppling it inwards and flying down, losing his footing slightly as Wilbur’s weight toppled from his back and onto the floor. 

They were unfortunately not met with the outside. 

Chapter Text

Stark and screaming laughter. 

The kind you hear in movies, leaving you confused about how exactly the actor mustered up that foreign emotion in your gut that yelled danger right into the pit of your subconscious. It rumbled the setting before them with such a lack of urgency it froze the two standing in place.

Tommy nearly snapped his hands over his ears. The sheer boom and surprise it left him with began to grow the headache that had been festering in the back of his mind before. Techno did no such thing, any thought or instinct to do anything but stand was halted by the barking and bellowing of the monster before him. Sure, two deathly still men stood guarding the entrance, ones holding guns with stances that could convince you of their years of experience, but that wasn't who took the cake.

Standing right at the dimmed window of the announcer’s cabin looking directly into Techno’s eyes was exactly who he had mulled over for so long. Every ounce of joy he had for finding some semblance of an exit drained within seconds. He usually pushed every feeling to the edge and shoved it deep down, to be processed later when others weren't watching, but this time the precipice was watching so intently he knew not to hide.

The monster’s eyes were a shining gold, bleeding themselves into a strange rectangular black hole burrowed into the center of it all. His pupils allowed no room for light. His hair was greased and slick yet still untamed and wavy in nature. The pool of brown flowed down into a gnarly set of sideburns etched and wild on the side of his face. 

The only thing leaving his facial hair still happened to be the two sharp curled horns on either side of his temple, sent down and set adjacent to his jaw. The monster’s features were angular. Sharp and edged leaving his humanity in question as his features lay perfect. He had not even a scratch, not a single detail out of place. 

This nightmare's stature was tall. He couldn't have been shorter than 6’5, leaving Techno to have to tilt his head up slightly. The wardrobe he sported was nothing short of expensive. If you had thought the perfection of his stature and face was something, the crisp and spotless suit he advertised was more. Fitted exactly to a frame so sleek and elegant yet brutal in nature. 

 It was gut-wrenching how Tommy found himself slightly damp and dirty here at all times, smelling like everything rot. Comparing that to the man with not even a drop of anything on his fine black leather loafers scared him even more. To find nothing on them, even a spot, it was nothing short of a well-calculated miracle. His tie was pressed and deep scarlet, reminiscent of the red Techno’s eyes had been in the arena. The kid slowly moved his attention to Techno and watched as the tower he called his brother rip apart its image at the seams. 

The monster set himself forward to collect himself, finally resting in a slight lean. 

“Oh dear, oh lord this is funny.” The boss bellowed, breaking for the slowing laughter. “The fact that you all ran right to me after that whole fiasco!”

 His tone and inflection were American, something out of the streets of New york. That curt and dry resonance that told you everything you needed to know of the person's character. This was someone that did not match the city he had somehow found himself in. This is a man who didn't match anything about any setting he would be placed in. 

Tommy was nothing but frozen in place, watching Techno’s face contort with the realization of who was really in front of him. The kid had no clue, but the fact that he elicited this level of response from someone seemingly unbreakable was nothing to scoff at. It was usually nothing at all. What about this man gave Techno such a sense of deep-seated fear? 

Will laid on the floor still an inch from consciousness, the rim of his mouth pooling with the remnants of blood and mucus, falling slowly like a gelatinous mess was daring to escape his throat. The sight alone was something Tommy knew he couldn't stomach, so there his eyes stayed locked onto Techno's. 

Techno saw it all though. Techno knew this man, he knew him from the image, he knew him from even before that. A nagging feeling bubbled and screamed at him to remember who this was, that it was the most important thing to his survival. How in the world did techno know the tone of his voice? The look in his eyes as they danced around the circus in front of him, the way he just ruminated on those around him as if toys to be played with. By god, where did he know this man from?

“To think you absolute idiots would just up and walk into my office as soon as I woke up from the word kid’s tantrum! Was this an act of bravery? Taking down the big bad after he wronged you all those years ago, all those times with your father. For the subpar service you've received these past few hours? Bravo, I genuinely was not expecting this move from you.”

 The scum in front of him bowed his head in momentary respect before pulling himself together from the laughing, stiffening into a posture that only worsened Techno’s fears. 

It really wasn't though, Neither of the two brothers standing could have agreed that happening upon this figure was intentional at all. The man in front of them should have guessed it by their facial expressions, and as he was daring to smirk at them it was apparent he had. The nightmare knew they did not mean this, but joked all the same. 

“Oh, While we are on the topic of him, Techno would you mind dropping your father? I have a better place for him to rest. It can't be comfortable to be hauling him around like that.”

Wilbur was conched out but somehow this man had the same effect his brother's words would usher in. 

The fabled killer took the petty orders of the web as if they were commands, and dropped the man on his back as if he was dead weight. Not even looking down as the thump he caused did any damage to the man. Something about the guards not immediately snatching up the passed-out man as he fell was disconcerting and showed the boss's hand. 

The figure smiled, a grin overflowing with every bit of satisfaction it could. “Perfect, glad to know we are on the same page.” 

Tommy fought his tears back, watching his brother fall apart. “Techno?” It was all he could muster. He wanted to yell at him for dropping their father so recklessly, he wanted to yell at him for breaking his face, he wanted to holler about how they needed to beat this weirdo, but the boy couldn't. Nothing but a title dripped from his lips.

“...Well? Are you going to answer your brother, Blood god?” 

Red. 

There it was. That violent shade of everything unholy bubbling deep down in Techno. His anger deep-set for the situation was brought unbridled as the man in front of him joked about the two words that had given him a world of grief and pain unending. Seas of remains left of brothers fallen and a title was branded as a reward. He remembered. 

An arm flew out and grabbed at the jaw of the figure before him with all the deliberate control he did not have, he drove himself right at the man. The two armed guards that once stood at attention immediately went to go after the assailant, but the man shot a hand up to stop them. With just a flick of his wrists, Techno was allowed to live for a few more minutes. 

The legend’s arm reached over and slammed the man's head into the console behind him, leaving him inches from the now bloodied face of the boss before him, arm still left crushing the man's mouth and surrounding face with a grip just yelling his intentions.

“You don't get to call me that.” The legend whispered. 

The nightmare wheezed out a strangled cry, something pitiful that wormed its way into becoming another string of laughter. His breathing was difficult under Techno’s wrath but he fared well given the situation. The nightmare darted his left hand up and pointed at Tommy, guards turning their attention and guns at the kid. 

The boss’s attacker dared to look back at the scene of his little brother now fighting back sobs, guns pointed and shoved right at the two sides of his head. The boy had brought his hands up out of instinct, trembling in fear. Techno hesitated back and tore his hand away, taking a step back and mimicking Tommy’s arms. 

The man now pulling himself together and prying his head from what remained of the sound station. “...Jesus man, really struck a nerve there huh?” Though spilling some blood, his lips stayed in that knowing smile. “Well, all is forgiven. Glad you remember some things after Puffy silenced you. Things would be boring if so.”

“Let him go. This is between us, isn't it?” Techno dared.

“What? Pff- No it isn't. This was never about you. Are you so self-aggrandizing that you think everything here is about you and me?” The boss raised an eyebrow and shot a look back and forth between the two brothers. “No, This is about your kid brother poking his head in places he shouldn't and leading me to an asset I lost. You're just a fun cage match I concocted last minute for some profit. Your name really sells tickets, you know?”

Tommy stiffened and locked eyes with Techno. His elder brother got all the confirmation he needed as the kid mirrored his panic. It was true. On the other’s side, nothing but horror. 

“Had he not told you that he was off criminal watching? I wonder why.” Techno was shaking his head at his brother. Wishing this couldn't be the case, praying to some unknown force that this wasn't real. That his brother hadn't just killed everyone in his family just because he was curious. 

“We all make mistakes, Technoblade. I am just sorry you didn't hear about this one until now. How would you feel about continuing that match from before, might help you cope with the news of everything. What do you say?”

Something in him hesitated at that offer but was quelled as he momentarily swallowed the disappointment he had at the news. “No. No, you're going to leave us alone.”

“Why would I do that when you're standing right where I need you to, holding everyone I want?”

“...Because I remember you.”

The room grew still with the admission. No movement from the brothers or the two guards keeping them in place. The tension grew as the silence did, leaving Tommy to only guess at what in the world this meant. Techno clearly knew more than he let on, for some reason having a title when the announcer spoke of their match and once again reacting oddly when it was brought up with this weirdo. The man in front of them had the kid believe that he was probably high up on whatever fucked up totem pole this place had. Tubbo hadn't mentioned anyone with this description and neither had Ranboo. 

Thinking in circles is what he resorted to. What the implications for his brother being involved with this place was a can of worms he just couldn't open. He had to have total trust and faith in his brother now and that would only break as he sat on the new information. 

Tubbo had talked about a guy who wore suits like this, an American like this one, but the difference was his hair. His friend had described him as a dirty blonde man with a sort of round face and glasses. A happy go lucky demeanor that sat rivaling his sheer brutality. His meticulous nature blended well with his profession as a hunter. The man before him was neither dirty blonde nor happy-go-lucky. 

The Americans in their area, Ranboo had explained, were usually a result of the high level of trafficking. Some people who escaped would settle and raise families, some would work for the docks in turn for their freedom and live among the new society in which they were forced in, and some were just cargo on their way to the next millionaire who needed a toy. New and foreign people harboring weird abilities from all around the globe. Tommy always wondered why the city was always different from its surroundings. Ranboo stayed tight-lipped about his family, this made his parent's likelihood of being involved solid in the kid's mind. 

“You remember me, huh? Now, what makes you think you honestly knew me at all?” His smirk was wavering. Techno had caught him clearly off guard with that one. The man was about bravado, knowing things others didn't and shining his track record with that fact. Having an unaccounted loose end seemed impossible, but here Techno stood still scared out of his mind but resolute in the fact he was conveying. 

The boss picked up on this quickly and dropped his face. He acted as if the tone of Techno’s voice was evidence enough for his claim. Tommy feared the fact that the man knew Techno so well, either by knowing human reactions so well or knowing his brother's reactions so well.

“Say my name.” All the playful nature he had was gone. A demand directed at them for the first time they entered. The kid wasn't particularly afraid if this was a bluff, more the fact that if this guy was so important his name wouldn't be the safest thing to know. He was too afraid to put his hands down and into his ears in fear the men beside him would shoot so Tommy stayed still. 

Techno choked on the word for a moment. The memories and tragedies so etched into the man’s name were terrifying. Thinking about it, looking him right in his cold and dead eyes, everything was too much. The man wasn't blind to the fact that his little brother's panic was increasing. He could hear the boy begin to gasp for air ever so quietly, shaking and looking away from the scene at every chance he got while being sure not to move in any real capacity, This was the last place he wanted the kid. 

A den woven in filth, one he was raised in. One he remembered more and more, memories flooding back as he kept trying to spit the boss’s name out. Techno wasn't the same kid he had been. The years away from the arena had made him soft, and with that he had attachments. The horned man would surely capitalize on that. He had made it seem like techno was the most important thing to his profits years ago, so when he woke up in the same place he had been raised in as Wilbur willed him to, it just slowly began to click. 

And with the monster’s name came everything. 

“Fucking say it. Spit it out.” The boss teetered closer to him, eyes looking right into him. The monster had a name, the precipice had a name, the boss had a name, and Techno watched as the man tasted it. 

“...Schlatt.” 

The docks finest kingpin ever to wrangle the docks. Nobody knew where he came from, an enigma that seemingly never aged. While Phil was employed he had seen his face on a regular basis, but through the years the same hair, the same suits, the same look, persisted. The man never aged. Phil hadn't even gauged what his true abilities were, nobody had. He never needed to use it while he had his lackeys guarding his every move.  Techno knew the weight of the name, but he didn't know how it would affect his family around him. Sparing a glance at Phil warranted nothing but the sight of his passed-out father motionless. This wasn't taken well as the boss watched him look. 

It was then that Tommy saw it for the first time. That glint in the pits of his eyes. Hungry and merciless, curious and dazed so lost in his own confusion he wished it all away with violence. Schlatt moved towards and past the two standing family members, causing them to flinch as he did so, only muttering something sharp at the stationed guards and leaving with a prompt slam. This clearly wasn't part of the plan. 

With the door closed behind them, the guards relaxed slightly and moved back to standing instead of pointing their guns at the two. The brothers spared glances at each other as if to confirm the other was still alive. “You alright?” It was nearly a whisper as Tommy spoke, but Techno heard it all the same. Ducking down, his brother picked up their father and propped him up against the wall, not answering the other. 

“Techno?” 

He only checked his father's pulse, which thrummed on regularly. After doing so the elder walked over to Wilbur, doing the same for him. The ability use had taken everything out of him at this point, feeling the effects of what he had done with full clarity. Techno hesitated while looking at his brother now sitting beside his father. The blood he had leaking around his mouth had pooled by his lips as he laid across the floor, splattering his face with the gore of it all. He needed something to wipe him down.

“Techno, who the fuck was that? How do you know them?” 

His hoodie would suffice. Reaching it above his head and over to his brother, he finally wiped him off. Some of the blood had dried and speckled his face, refusing to vacate. Most just smudged until it practically had disappeared. It was good enough, and with his hoodie being black it was hard to differentiate the splattered damp of the arena from the blood. He tied it mindlessly across his waist and took his place next to the other two, sitting on the floor and back on the wall. 

“Are you ever going to fucking answer? This isn't fair we are both-”

“What do you want me to say, Tommy?” 

Silence. 

“What can I possibly say to fix this? Dad is so conched out by Will’s order that we probably need him to force dad awake again, Will is so melted from before he is practically half-dead, and you're probably at the end of your rope by now. We can't get out of here.”

“Don't you say that. Don't tell me shit like that.” Techno couldn't make himself meet the boy’s face. “You're just… Acting like we're going to die. You won't even tell me who that was and... We arent dead yet.”

His brother eyed the two expressionless guards then looked back at him, sending the clear message that; yes they likely were. 

“...Don't fucking give me that. There was… I mean Will was awake just a second ago maybe he could-”

“Maybe nothing, Tommy. He lost every bit of energy had with the stunt, if he was able to do anything don't you think he would have done it already? Schlatt is clearly off to get whatever weapon he finds is best to pick us apart with, and that's the best-case scenario. Worst case we get a job here and end up being cattle. We don't do anything at this point, we wait.”

Sure, he was remorseful he just told his brother they should sit there and take it, but what was he supposed to do? He knew all too well what these people were capable of. He was the last to attest to any positive outcome. The reality was harsh and letting Tommy believe otherwise, Technofigured, was doing him a disservice. 

And so there they sat. Tommy taking his place beside Techno on the floor, back against the wall. He curled slightly in on himself and watched the floor. His brother could only helplessly sling an arm over him, huddling Tommy closer to his chest. The noises outside the announcer's cabin began to grow, uncoordinated and frantic. The crowd was angry and making that fact known. The two stayed perfectly still and listened. No clear voice was heard in the amalgamation of disappointment so it proved to be nothing but something they could focus on to stay away from crying or breaking down. 

The scene was numb. Tommy knew he should have felt some sort of panic as the two at the door so obviously watched him but he just didn't. He had cried so much these past few hours that his eyes stung in recognition. Techno seemed to feel the same as they just watched the same tile on the floor and listened. All that was left was each other, a fading notion clung to so tightly. 

~0~0~0~

“Alright he is on his way–” The guard's words were quickly cut off and disregarded by the two others in the room. 

“You're not serious”

Everything around was painted in that slight tinge of guilt. The rotten guilt buried in and around tying someone loved and trusted into a mess all of your own personal hell. A hell made just for Toby, one he had skimmed the edges for far too long. Seems he had fallen in.

“I… See I didn't tell you–”

“No, No I know that. I just don't know who told you that was a good idea. You dragged me to these places for years on end, we could have died all so that you could just… what? Watch him? Why would you want to even be close to that scumbag.”

The lackey by the door flinched at the tone dripping from the taller, but as to why was more on the subjective end. Was it because he had seen someone lose each individual tooth in their mouth with a simple iron string for badmouthing his boss or was it a case of loyalty? Whatever dangerous wires this kid had had in his future was not his problem. 

“You wouldn't understand. It was everything– It started out as just curiosity. I was just home alone and mom said something vaguely informative about him. I kept pulling that string over and over again, and behind that it was him. It was everything.”

“...And you didn't care to tell me? You were content to watch your chauffeur lose his life in a fight that he was so clearly out of his depth in.”

“No, that's not–no I wasn't…”

“So here we are in a fucked up storehouse chasing a lead that will probably end up in me dying and you safe without so much as a hair on your head touched. Do you see where we are? What do you think this room is?”

To Ranboo’s point, it was a good one. It looked like the cell he had been kept in before if it had been cleaned regularly. Like it had something to hide. It reeked of chemicals, that faint odor of cleanliness you'd find at a hospital if it was left stagnant. The iron table was bent and skewed inwards and outwards at odd angles. Whatever that table had been placed in this room was apparently beyond its capabilities. Worst yet was a presence of a small metal loop in the center, one to which he was chained tightly to. His arms were left out on that uneven surface of the table. Tubbo’s arms were free. 

“You're not going to die here. He may not know me, but from what I have heard he doesn't hate me. If I am in his good books, so are you. He does anything and I have more on him than any police force, if we go down so does he. I have made that clear.”

“If you made that point clear as day, why am I still chained?”

“Assurance. He apparently thinks you're a threat.”

“Well, he is about to make for some pleasant conversation then.”

Tubbo had warned of the man’s presence as soon as he had brought Ranboo out and into the room he was ordered to. They were going to talk to the head of it all and explain what in the world they had been doing. Tubbo had gone over briefly that he had a guard relay a few messages back and forth, but something had the man busy. All that suspense had built and added enormous pressure to the room. 

“You have all the reason in the world to hate me, let's just get through this the best we can and focus on it later.”

As much as he wanted to disagree, throw his friend's proposition out of a very tall window, his brain stopped everything and listened. He was logical, and this was the right move. Resentment would only breed a disconnect they could not afford during this time. The door clicked open with some effort and shimmying, creaking open on old hinges unveiling the sight of a familiar face. There was no doubt anymore. This was him, for better or for worse. 

“So this is Ranboo, taller than I– expected. You do know how to pick them, huh Toby? What is it with you and giants, huh?” 

Tubbo kept his tongue where it was and tried his best to give a performed poker face. 

“In any case, I would say nice to meet you if your other friend and his posse hadn't shot my mood. Is he always that… much?”

Ranboo’s hands shook, that was Tommy. This guy was the boss and he just used the word “Is.” Tommy is alive. He shouldn't be this happy over a blatant insult, but that air of confusion was just that slight bit lighter. Whatever the boss meant by posse he had no clue, but he could only assume it was his father. 

“Yep,” Nothing about his tone played into the cruel and manufactured simulacrum that claimed to be his father. Yet, met with laughter. “You always had that inherent knack for trouble.” Moving slightly forward, the man stayed standing, just hovering over Tubbo in full view of his friend. Hand to shoulder, he started again,

“So what this I hear of spying?”

Chapter Text

“You really expect me to understand that?”

For some odd reason, two teenagers stumbling over their poor choices of words simultaneously illuminated nothing about the predicament they had found themselves in. Bits and pieces of a puzzle they had been trying to paint as an accident just gave the boss more of a headache. Not the good kind he so desperately sought at this moment. Momentary silence wafted across them all, grabbing his new opportunity to speak.

“So… You,” a point to his son. “Decided it would be a good idea to look for me here. Over years and years of my forgiveness, you plan to visit me on my busiest night in decades and you want freedom after that? And you,” a lackadaisical gesture over to the friend beside. “With a name just screaming that you escaped from here, beg to come back. I admire the dedication to my kid, but this is borderline religious.”

Ranboo flinched his eyes to meet the man, before starkly remembering why he had decided not to in the first place. “My… Name?” Tubbo frantically looking back at his father in an attempt to understand as well gave the boy all the proof he needed. 

“What, you fuckin’ deaf? Yes. Your name is weird. Ever wonder why every weirdo in town has the most batshit insane name? One that grabs attention, as if that was the intention? That was me. I deal in those weirdos and any eyes and ears I can garner means business. I sell the idea of who you are before I sell the deal. That's what the titles are for. Those accents as well! We are in England for god’s sake, ever wonder why so many foreigners are in this part of England? Why he is here?"

Ranboo knew nothing of who he was. He knew that his parents were tight-lipped about his odd name, but he had figured it had some odd backstory and that ‘Ranboo’ was a nickname. Legal documents were shuffled away from him, but on the occasion that he had gone for his driver's license, he had been surprised to find that he had his legal name as the exact nickname he had grown so accustomed to. It was no secret he had been adopted, but any early childhood memories had been locked away by those long and complicated terms the doctors would pin on him. It was almost annoying how little he could bring himself to care.

He was happy, sure bleeding out for his friend every other week when he stumbled into each bear trap he had wandered into but he was happy and alive in a home that cared. People around that loved him. While yes, his looks and name got him a second glance here and there, it didn't matter. He was used to all that. 

Tubbo looked so worried every time someone commented about his name. Ranboo always thought it was just because he felt for him. That he cared about those side glances and those odd rumors. Not even a moment had he faltered and thought he was anything more than he was, more than anyone was. He was normal at heart, wasn't he? He lived a normal life looking after those he loved and being content to stand out just slightly. 

Now he wasn't. 

Tubbo caught wind of his tears before he had, and the pointed look at him told the story of realization easier than words could give. That deep-seated anger and resentment boiling to the top layer. That continued annoyance and disappointment in a friend he had to baby and watch just to see him throw himself into death's arms over and over, but death was at his disposal and favor apparently. Ranboo didn't have that liberty, and Tubbo lept anyway. 

“Oh, so this guy didn't know, but you did?” The crackling of his voice was pure misery to Ranboo. All rational thought that this man was the most dangerous person likely in the entire city and his son was the one in full force of a look that could best be described as absolute disgust. “God, If I knew you had been this good at lying I would have kept a better eye on you. Hey, we now have time to amend that. Starting today, you have my full attention. Should have done right by raising you anyway. With you being such a risk I suppose it's only natural a father should amend his mistakes and man up, huh?”

Tubbo took a second to break himself from breaking at Ranboo’s recognition and listen properly. “You what? What does this mean for me? For us?” Pointing over at someone not even present in the room.

“That you're not leaving my side until you understand what you've done, and until I have decided what to do with your future. As for green giant, he goes back in the cubby hole he belongs. If the name fits and all that. Bet I would fetch myself a pretty penny for a full-grown one this time, all the pets have bought themselves by now so the fun is out. What is his schtick? Teenage angst?”

“He doesn't– Just– Let him go and I will go willingly. I have notes, I–I have proof of everything! You can't take shit!” Tubbo bargained for his life and his friends.

“Yea I heard about that, it is really funny how you thought waving that around like it was the holy grail led me to a computer poorly hidden in a kid’s closet containing essentially nothing with about two valid points of evidence. They say files can never truly be deleted off of a computer, but with a skilled asset that's good with technology and a nice and quiet landfill, you have yourself grains of sand in a big lake, Toby. You of all people know I have more than enough time for that. Someone has the computer now, and those following steps aren't too far behind. Took a matter of a few hours.”

Wait, only his laptop? Tubbo kept his look to one of uncertain defeat. One extra sentence and it was all over. A small look to Ranboo in order to convey some sort of hope was quashed within seconds as his friend looked about ready to become a threat himself. 

“Whelp, now that the mess is settled, let's get you two back in your places and back to the show–”

Snap!

Or what could best be described as one.

A silent but building crescendo of noise becomes a cacophony of entropy ripping into the room around it. As if a rope had begun to tear, one strand at a time snapping and unleashing. A decision to get out of that space. His decision to get out of that space.

One he made for himself, and the kid he wanted to hate.

The kid who he did hate. 

Whatever light came into the room wasn't of electricity, and certainly not brought of Schlatt’s doing. It was bright, deep, and purple. His eyes had been seeing it for hours, but it hadn't come to fruition until his future had been claimed in front of him. If he wasn't normal, if he had an ability, he was going to follow those steps Tommy had mentioned and get himself worked up. Let himself rot, then let go. 

Go lead them to here, a security room covered wall to wall in windows and messes of electronics, decorated with cracks and four bodies. All of them seemed to be breathing, and with faces who had seen the hell Ranboo just guided himself out of. Each person seemed even worse for wear than the last one, but especially–

That's Tommy. 

The door flings itself to the side with an opening upon that realization. 

0~0~0

Techno was clearly even more confused by the sight than his brother, who locked eyes with the two new kids in the room. A small memory of meeting them grazed his mind before the door slammed into the wall behind it.

 He had accepted whatever fate was to await them, and being temporarily flash-banged by his youngest brother's best friends on the verge of tears was definitely not part of the big plan, of anyone's plan but theirs, if even was at all. 

Yet that door opened, with the ferocity met with the figure emerging from it. Someone unfamiliar to him, someone obscured. They wore a torn cloak that hung no longer than his shoulders. It lay tattered above an old hoodie stained with the experience of this place, it fit in. It looked to have been forged here, this very arena. It may as well have been. Whatever color it had been was being muddied with that use, only showing itself in the cuffs as a dark evergreen. The person had a chest strap littered with every tool in someone's father’s toolbox, and every haphazard safety precaution befitting its status in this hellhole. 

The mask that adorned his face was cracked and shriveled, peeling up at his lower chin and showing someone littered with scars. His eyes peeked through the blank mask, burning into Techno’s shoulder, or the person that lay unconscious beside it. No surprise from the light that had been there a moment ago was obvious, just those unblinking eyes shot and screaming.

A few very obvious key details formed on first look. 

This person was a hunter,

This person knew at least his father,

This person hated him more than he had ever seen anyone hate another human being before. 

His first action was to bolt into the room and towards Phil, which Techno was not enabling. He had no energy, he was wounded, he was tired, but he was damned if he wasn't protecting the man that had stolen him all those years ago. Standing up was propped up by sheer adrenaline, any surprise he had at himself was to be looked into on a later date. He had accepted his fate, but that last hope for his family stayed with him. Technoblade moved. 

The grip on his shoulder was palpable. An eerie reminder of the brother he had clutched at it before.  Face to face with a mask and an opponent he knew he was outmatched with. 

“Get out of my way.” 

The voice was many things, American, tired, and burning. It was resolved in the absolute factor of its statement. 

“What would you do if I didn't?”

A copy of those three tones the opposition had used but a moment ago. For all it was worth they were the only two real people in that room to each other. Techno was so focused, and the opposition had found himself so clearly focused on him and the prize of an angel that he was aggressively tunneled in and it was clear he had no regard in hiding it. 

The figure seemed to have expected this news. Their stance was slightly wide, enough to tell you they were ready but not enough for it to be hostile. 

“Then you’d find out why exactly it is that I was sent to get him.”

“Would you have it simpler?”

The grip worsened into pain, Techno flinching back and shoving the man away from him and his father. Tommy and whoever had come into the room had been huddled in a corner with Will, a few feet away from the slumped-over man that had just laid against the wall. A small look was sent their way from the pink-haired man, one that screamed an opening. He wasn't a martyr, but with the influx of people Phil and Will could possibly get out along with them. With the guards looking to assist–

“Frankly yes, I know you likely have no recollection of your time here but you have accrued a great deal of respect. Mine included. Just step aside and you can get on with whatever escape plans those kids are going to go on about.” The cloaked figure wasn't agitated by Techno's attempts at a distance but walked back up to the place he had been standing before. 

 “You really think I believe you’d actually turn a blind eye?”

“Me personally, yes. I don't want to start anything unnecessary. Anyone else with the company is under strict orders, but most don't have what we all have so getting out would be a walk in the park if planned correctly. I just need the angel. Hand him over and we all walk.”

It was interesting that they had no care for the lives of anyone else in the room. Whatever importance Tommy and the others had was nothing. Techno knew now that he was a cage match and nothing more so he shouldn't be surprised but yet a human life being dismissed so easily in a game he had been playing for hours was offputting. The choice was impossible and not even worth time considering. He made no move to speak or leave. 

A moment was given in generous consideration, all of which was spent by each member just biding their time to see what was to happen. It began to drag. 

“So?

Techno tested that stance the man had shown a second ago. Slight shuffling was heard from behind him, Tommy taking the moment to move slightly over, ready to grab Phil. 

“I see.”

Wilbur's figure slouched over sparked a flinch. The slightest twitch of life sprang himself into a slow wake. If he had been passed out or purely conched out he couldn't discern. To say he remembered what had brought him here would be to propose memory, and the few sparks his nerves were throwing around were not lending some of their feeble might that way. Will could have if the thought arose. This would imply he was doing thinking at all. 

With the lack of that notion he kept to his place and sat along as the dialogue bounced around the room of voices familiar and unfamiliar shooed themselves back and forth. Phil was around to the side of him, something in him told Will that. God knows it wasn't the eyesight that didn't seem to focus on one point for too long. His less-than-perfect vision wasn't off by any means, but with his whole being on reboot eye sight and control of it wasn't up to bat on the priority list, that honor seemed to belong to the continued wish to simply exist and be awake on a moment to moment basis. 

He was barely cognizant before the dull tinged light that burned ever so bright in his rigging skull was violently interrupted and flickered. It wavered in intensity as figures swam around and around in front of him. 

A numb and fleeting memory that he had a body came in the form of someone trying to scoop him into their arms and failing for a moment before panicking and finding help from another. Two bodies hovered then arose beside him, lumping Will into their arms and hastily through the yellow light into the flickering dim. His feet skipped along the uneven floor with a kicking sensation that seemed to accelerate whatever senses he once had. 

“...Go-”

So he had ears after all.

“Just-just go now-I can take care of my dad. He just needs to get his footing and once he has we will come after you both. Just run.” Tommy? Jesus, so loud. 

A humming beside him interrupted the heavy sway of one of the bodies that were now hoisting him up and away. “Fuck fuck fuck- Take that turn!” A light breathing mantra before a bold statement. With that, they were going exactly where this person said. 

Man, his armpits hurt. These people really aren't strong at all. Who taught them to carry?

~0~0~0~

CRACK!

The stands shattered back with an immediate movement. A figure was thrown back from the announcer's stand and back into the ring. A familiar figure to the setting, His hoodie being the indicator of who exactly he was to these people. The landing was anything but, a try at a roll that just resulted in a sputtered crash into the walls of the ring. He never thought he would know how exactly that would feel.

Whatever audience had stayed after the hellscape that had broken out seemed to emerge from behind the seats and the rafters to see who exactly made that bold-faced move at about the worst possible time. 

“You know who I am don't you? What-”

A wooden pole broken clean from the bleachers shot back from where the man had been shot out of with a man following it. His hair announced his arrival before anyone could squint their vision back into place. The weight of the thing seemed more than expected as the veteran of the ring motioned to the side, missing the shot by a hair and losing some of his signature green hoodie in the process.

The pink streak landed on the floor with a boom, an echo shooting through the half-abandoned arena. Using his weight, he propelled himself forward on his toes and back toward his opponent almost immediately. No reprieve was made before Dream used the wall behind him to pull himself up and over it. With the thing being at hip level, by the time Techno had made it over to him, he was up and over him, leaping into the air and managing himself over and behind the former. 

“Oh, I see…” Dream’s voice bellowed with that anger he felt before. 

Techno was having none of his hypotheticals. Taking the stake he had scorned into the arena walls and plucking it out with a squeeze.  Holding the wood he now turned his attention back and ran forwards once more, flinging the makeshift weapon forward ahead of his arrival, with dream dodging it slightly. With this opportunity, Techno swung into action and faster forwards. Sweeping Dream's ankle with his left leg and throwing him off his balance with a clunk. Techno drew his right fist and slammed it into dreams mask, cracking the left side cleanly and sending a pop.

Dream shot back and to the ground with this move landing on his back. 

Whatever damage this had done clearly left a small hiss of pain in his opponent, but not enough for Dream not to roll himself to the side, missing Techno’s leg and bringing himself out of the line of fire. 

Up on his feet in no time, Whatever that plan seemed to be thrown out of the window as Dream drew weapons of his own, one of two twin axes with chain slack tied hidden in his hoodie. Spinning the clain of one, he threw the left axe out past Techno, hooking into the arena's rim. With a slight tug, Dream tested his weight.

His opposite was right onto the next move, motioning his head over to dream and to the chain that flew past him. The moment he took to abscess the situation seemed to be the wrong move.

Dream stayed for a moment, hands fixed on the chains extended out from him. Techno shot back to look at him but it was too late, his opponent charged forwards, pulling himself to a quick start with the chain. Techno anticipated some sort of attack but instead, Dream whisked past his guarded stance and merely tugged his axe out of the wall, spinning himself and the axe out around him. It barreled out and right to Techno. 

Taking the opportunity, he jutted his head back and grabbed the axes’ handle, and pulled. This move disrupted Dream and caused him to unceremoniously tumble forwards for a moment.

With a huffed voice, he spoke to the man holding his axe with dripping disdain, “He replaced me, that's it isn't it?”

Techno pulled hard on the axe and wrapped the chain he had around his hand and sent Dream forwards, leading the other to step up to bat and run forwards with the flow and swing his remaining axe closely clockwise around his side. “Admit it, you're just the pet project I wasn't anymore.”

Dream sent the axe out and to the stone floor, stabbing in and setting it in place. He pulled on the chain that led to Techno and kept his grasp on the axe solidly in the ground, this leading Techno to run forwards just as he had.

With a few feet finally remaining between the two Techno shot the hand he kept the axe in out and positioned carefully for a clean swing. 

Seeing this, Dream quickly pulled his remaining axe out of the ground and to his defense, blocking with the hilt as the blade of its twin hacked forwards.

Techno was unstable and yet the most stable he had ever been. He wasn't thinking, just relying on instinct he had no recollection he had, unwaveringly keeping the pressure on the axe Dream had hidden behind.

“You're the charity, just like I was,” Dream spat out at Techno. “But the difference here is that I get to walk away from this alive.” His hands shook as he spoke, adrenaline or fear, either way, it was making him weaker than he clearly was. 

Techno couldn't think, all he knew now was whatever urge was next, Whatever move he had to block in order to send the next one right back at the other. His words meant nothing. All but nothing to him, to the kid watching back from the announcer’s pit they meant everything as he scurried to bring his father awake. He could hear every word crystal clear. 

But Techno wasn't him, He was here and a version of himself so hardened by this environment that he wasn't himself anymore. This was the Blood God, the kid champion and war machine, the prized possession with esteem for his ability known far and wide. With pure instinct and no room for thoughts, no room for emotions, no room for anything more than the next move. Strength unfounded in the person he used to be, he pushed forward and knocked the ax's hilt off-kilter, sending Dream back and unprepared for the next blow. 

Sloppy.

Techno pulled the chain that had slowly jutted back with its tethered and with the axe in his control, he broke it free, shattering the iron and giving him his own stake in this fight. 

Dream, who had recovered quickly and who had been preparing to block the swing Techno had just sent his way, guarded once more. Seeing now it was a ploy to give himself the weapon, dream lurched forwards and swung the axe above his head and towards Techno. 

The blow had a failed block from Techno as he finally swung his own axe out and his head down and away from harm's way. This cost him the top half of his ring finger as the former fitted his axe against Techno. 

Ringing pain now broke Techno out of his senses momentarily. He was Techno but just for a moment, that meant the blood god instincts he had weren't able to protect him from dropping the axe out of pain. 

The clatter was all Dream needed to know that he had his weapon back, making a dive for it and cleanly acquiring it from the floor and away from Techno. 

“Charity is all he knows how to give.”

~0~0~0~

Tubbo and Ranboo were in the clear, at least as far as they knew. Sure, people would be after them soon enough, but if they were to get to safety that meant risking exposure and Tubbo knew the boss didn't have it in him to do that. Step after step they hauled Will out of the docks and into the streets, blending into the crowd of hurried audience members who evacuated haphazardly. 

“Just a few more blocks and then we are away from their last patrol route. Keep going.” Tubbo huffed out painstakingly. Ranboo never even questioned how his friend would know such a thing. They just kept moving forward and onward. Will had started helping walk himself as soon as they were under the light of the day instead of the dingy roof. That helped more and more as he came to and lifted more of his own weight off of the two teens and onto himself. 

“Almost there…” Tubbo spoke, mostly to calm his heart. They could see cars moving past the iron fencing. All they needed to do was to keep down this alleyway and right onto the main road. As they hobbled onto it the life of the outer city was buzzing their safety into their ears. Ranboo almost cried with happiness when he saw a lady shoot a confused and disgusted look out at their muddy and dirty appearance. Tubbo almost cried flat out when she walked over to check on them. 

“...Are you boys okay?” No mention that she obviously knew exactly where they came from. 

“No, please… We are not okay…” They limped to her side as her expression of disgust turned to concern “...Do you have somewhere our friend can stay?” The lady looked back behind them and then over to the car she clearly owned parked on the road. 

“I got the door, could you boys unload him into the car? I am keeping the keys.” Fair enough. 

Singing her thanks, the two unloaded Wilbur hastily into the back and lay across the seats, pushing his legs to the side to fit into the scraped space. Once they had closed the door behind themselves Tubbo piped up again. 

“Could you call the police?”

“...On it.” She spoke, flashing her phone out of her pocket, speeding an emergency number into her phone. 

“...Hello? Yes-Uhh… I have two boys that just came up to me on where Sanderson meets third, they look soaked and–”

“We were just kidnapped,” Ranboo breathed out shakily. “ Our friends are still in there-they are still there… Please we need help…”

“Yes… Yes right on the south side… One of them is in my car right now and he looks hurt. My name is Irene -”

~0~0~0~

His dad was finally coming too. Techno was fighting for his life down there and while he felt powerless. All he could do now was cling to his father trying to shake him awake or beg him to wake up as he listened to blow after blow changing hands.

His father's wings trembled slowly as whatever oil they had tried to drown him in latched itself onto his cold and shaking figure. 

“...Tommy?” 

“Yes-Yes it's me. Dad just-Techno is fighting this weird mercenary guy who claims to know you and will is out with Tubbo and- God I mean Toby from my school. They are going to get the cops or at least someone who can stop all of this. Just-will is okay but Techno is not and we have to help. Please please tell me you're okay.” The pace of his heart was only matched by his breathing as both kept steadily fast.

“Techno?” That time he sounded more concerned than inquisitive. 

“Yes, Techno. We are at the docks and I know you told me to stay away but you were gone and then before I knew it-”

His father wiped his eyes, failing and fumbling for something that could. Tommy frantically ran over and pulled a part of his sleeve that was barely messy to wipe his face for him. After doing so his father blinked a few quick times before squinting alive. “Jesus…”

After looking around and assessing for a moment panic seemed to stab itself into him, “Jesus!” 

Standing awake with a sudden motion he ran to the hole in the room they were in as it opened into the arena below, where Phil could now see Techno swinging his leg straight into the back of someone he was sure he would never see again.

“Dream… Dream!”

Without so much as a word Phil took up every bit of energy he had left and ran out and through the hole in the room, extending his wings and taking a quick and deep flap as he soared into the scene below. This left Tommy watching out in horror, which he of course did not want to do. With much less enthusiasm and planning, Tommy anxiously started out of the announcer’s pit and climbed down the rows of seats, finally to the outskirts of the ring. 

Techno shot out and away from Phil who had launched himself into the fight, tackling Dream to the ground and leaving him winded. 

“Dream, stop!”

Thrashing in and out of the hold, Dream kept his axes in his hands and attempted to use his leg to kick himself out of the hold, to no avail. Phil sent a look over back to where he had assumed Tommy was, then actually found Tommy. Seeing he was safe, he looked back to Techno who was grasping one of his hands, shaking like hell and bleeding profusely out of the point of contention. Realization hit that Techno was missing a finger, had deep cuts all over him, and somehow was still standing guard. His eyes were bloodshot and bright. Red and steady. They watched him as if he was some sort of unidentified threat. He didn't want the reminder. 

The very hands used to train had been orchestrated to cut one of his son's fingers off.

Dream had stolen his kids.

Schlatt had stolen his kids.

Phil’s grip tightened warranting a hiss of pain from the man below him. 

“...I should have known you to be a man of your word.” It was barely a whisper, but one that Phil heard loud and clear. 

“Not a fucking word. Not a single fucking word Dream.”

“No, No I get to have this after you fucking left. After you left all of us here. I remember you told me that there was no digging yourself out of here. That I had signed myself away. You forgot that was the plan and projected. You're never getting out of here None of you are.”

Phil heard the distant clicks behind him, knowing the sound all too well he screamed out to his sons, a weak noise of warning. They both ducked down and narrowly avoided the gunshots that cracked and popped all around. Dream heaved out what he could of a laugh under the weight of the angel, producing wheezing instead. 

When the gunfire halted but for a moment to check for anything that moved, Phil was acutely aware that none of the rounds were directed his way. He had made no effort to get out of the way in time and apparently, he had no need, which made it all the worse when he realized who they were aiming at. 

The targets were nowhere in sight. Phil was confident Techno had run, but in the state, he was in he hadn't even thought to take Tommy. Was his youngest just a body in the benches that he couldn't see ducked down on the floor somewhere? The thought was a distraction, one Dream used to its fullest. 

“We always get the target, your words Death Merchant. Even if the machine threw the kid on his back they will be here again soon, they always are aren't they?”

Phil squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and back open to meet Dream. 

“No matter how many times you have that woman wipe ‘em you could really only manage those three.”

“If you don't hold your tongue I will gut it out of you.”

Dream took the threat somewhat seriously and piped down for a moment. They both sat still for a moment just waiting for the tension to give for whatever was thrown their way next. The gunmen stay stationary awaiting further instructions, lining the arena and filling the rafters in sparse quantities. 

While Phil was rusty he had more on Dream than the younger could even think. Whatever luck he was trying before with Techno wasn't going to bode well now. 

~0~0~0~

Gunfire and sparks. Techno was back to instinct, this time on that feeling that he needed to protect something. The moment he heard the shots he focused from Phil to Tommy and booked it out of the arena, cracking the stone below his feet when doing so. The kid was like a deer in headlights, standing motionless as he was being shot at mercilessly. 

Techno jumped up and over the arena wall into the bleachers, grabbing Tommy with his one good hand and booking it into the aisle, tumbling out of the arena and into the wider building of the docks. The few men that followed were being outrun like it was nothing. By the time Techno had his mind again, he was setting Tommy down on the dry pavement of the streets.

Distant cop lights flashed forward in drives. Some stopped and garnered people out and into the street. Techno caught glimpses from the alleyway but seeing as he was bone tired and physically exhausted he left whatever heroism was left to those people now storming forward. Tommy, who had realized the situation, had lifted his hands as an act of surrender as the police walked by. Upon seeing Techno and all of the blood that he had lost, two officers were sent back to escort them both back onto the safe streets.

Tommy had done the very stupid move of breaking free and running back. The exact opposite of what Techno had tried to do for him.

Don't ever say he didn't do anything for that weirdo. With that last lovely thought, Techno was out like a light. 

Chapter Text

So, to get this out of the way, i don't condone most of the youtubers in this fic anymore.

its been years at this point I hate dangling strings and i seem to always go back to this era in my writing fondly. It stuck with me that I enjoyed this fic a lot bet left it hanging. Now here we are, "we" being a strong term for likely nobody. The resolution never finished and here i am without a paddle. I don't want to finish writing this but i want it to end. 

I am going to post what i had planned for this chapter so i can feel done. This was what was left in my draft and it lays out what i had planned for paragraphs and beats with a small bit of flavor text. None of it is super spell/grammar checked. If you read this fic yea i never had a beta reader or a grammar checker i just re-read it a bunch. lots of spelling and grammar misuse. 

If some random person stumbles upon this and enjoyed teen me's fic, i can answer any lingering questions if need be.

---

A dew drop seemed to cloud his vision. It was a soft thing, to see the world in watercolors. It was the countless time he had been knocked unconscious but at this point he hadn't registered that annoying fact, and whatever doubtless concussion he had.

Caught amidst a conversation in a language his brain was screaming he knew, but couldn't understand. The words seemed to arrive from so so far away,

“While gods sneak away to weave your fate, never forget what it took to get there. Moments fray with time, but I hope you continue to remember their faces. What you have done. Tortured fleeting moments dip into any moment you have, tainting those innocent moments in the cracks of your thoughts. You don't deserve any of it, not a moment.”

“You know what, Dream? I don’t. I haven't for quite some time, however, unlike you i'm working to. My role is entirely inconsequential now. All the things I did, you’ve done in excess, so who are you to throw stones? We have become obsolete, my old friend. It’s all over, and I'm moving on. I hope you do, I always hoped you would.”

A chattering laugh barked out of the man, wheezing its way out of his failing throat. The eerie scene it left shocked the sons for a moment, but gave Phil a reason to choke back tears. That lost kid, the brainwashed and tainted child desperately longing for a home. Wishing for something that he could get power from. That kid was in front of him, if he ever left at all. All the lives Phil ruined, this was the one he could have saved. He failed him by leaving.

“A whole universe and all it took was a mere child and willpower to topple it all down, now what can you assume about that?”

The angel turned to those around him and gave a small look. A request, one to leave. This man deserved no mercy and no empathy for what he had done and was willing to do, but this moment wasn't theirs to share. This was between the two. Those who didn't understand were guided out of the room by the hands of his eldest sons. Phil sighed out and walked over and kneeled on the side of the wall beside his old student. “That it was doomed to fail from the start. You and I both know there was no planning from the boss, either of them.”

Dream made no motions towards his elder and kept his eyes on the floor in front of him, a manic smile painted and unmoving. Such a cold exterior for someone so afraid to simply meet his eyes, it was ironic. “The game had been set as soon as he began to play. It has and always will be fates job to dispose of the filth.”

“So you fancy yourself fate now?” Phil huffed amusingly, deliberately creating a lack of sarcasm or disbelief in his words.

The smile once dried on the student's face began to melt slightly, he tried to make it look as if it wasn't but Phil had been around him enough to remember that look of longing anywhere. “...My part has been nothing but from the start. Do you wonder who told Sapnap to stand down when a certain brunette felt the need to toy with others all those years ago? Whispering quiet commands and laughing as his little puppets danced. When the youngest prodigy poked his nose into a world not his own? It has been me from the start. I’ve always been the reckoning, but it’s you who has been blind to it.”

Phil had not been informed of a few of those moments but didn't doubt them. When Will came rushing home all those years ago it was hard not to guess. When Tommy seemed to get strangely fired up about the docks in recent days he noticed. Dream had made it seem as if he was doing all this to protect them, to ensure that they were the reckoning that he had strung up to play their parts but there was no way that was clear all those years ago. Dream hadn't killed them for a reason, but that wasn't why.

“...I really have been blind, haven't I?” Easy words to admit, the man doubted he had ever spoken a truer sentence in his life. Years of pushing his emotions down and hiding himself, shame bubbling over and spilling into any relationship he tried forming. Shame over everything, but also shame because he left the kid.

Dream flinched slightly, he clearly saw how raw the sentence was. Phil was supposed to be the angel, emotionless fighter killing and enslaving anyone in his wake. How was he able to sound like that? The man he strived to be all those years, a machine, a slave to his work. This was never who he was, so why did he have emotions now? His face failed him and dropped. This was wrong.

“...I am so sorry. I should have taken you too.” A threat, a man known for paving the path with blood and victims. He just threatened that he should have taken Dream, but both knew in that moment that wasn't the threat.

It hit, it hurt to hear. The pain was searing and burned into him harshly. Dream felt as if he was crumbling under the weight of gravity.

Hours and hours training with someone he had idolized his entire life just to find he was so much braver, cooler, stronger than he had ever anticipated. He wanted the man to take him, he knew that now all too late. Phil never came back, the man was never coming back for him. There wasn't anything to save him from anymore.

They weren't emotionless fighters, at least not now. They were just sitting, they were just human. Games and myths were only useful with the power they brought back then but now with everything gone and dust, the only power they had was over themselves. It hit, it hurt to hear. Phil knew, after all he had lived this by this now. The odd case was Dream. Who was he now? After all these years fighting for power, the fate he had always fought to be apparently never came for him back then. Is that why he had fought so hard?

There were no words left, they had nothing to exchange anymore. Phil had failed him, he now lived with that. All Dream knew was that he actually cared. The searing pain kept up, burning a hole right through the words he had planned. It was juvenile, but after all this time he had carefully memorized a letter he meant for his teacher, words forgotten and swallowed.

For the first time, Dream let himself drop the mask he had put up all those years ago. Clay began to cry.

---

Tommy finds Ranboo and Tubbo, Ranboo calls the police. The whole gang (Minus wilbur plus Techno who is watching him and dream) teams up and searches the building, finding schlatt in his office drinking in a stupor.

Schlatt tries to win Tubbo over and get him to turn on his friends but Tubbo doesnt, smashing him over the head with the bottle he was clutching at. This doesnt kill him.

Tommy and the gang run downstairs and smuggle Will and techno out of the building and book it home. It had apparently been one full day.

Kristin is found stressing at home without any threats, and is overjoyed to find the boys safe and sound.

Fast forward to Tommy being an active superhero taking down the last remaining bits of the docks that still pose threats, and being coined the hero “BLANK I HAVE NO IDEA PROBABLY PHOENIX ”

----

the lady that was speaking to phill in those weird dreams i think was a former hunter that promised him like 14 years of peace before dragging him back, like an overseer. she was the original stand in for kristen. I had Kristen be like two different people, one in waking form and one in dream form. She was kept in a coma for years during the docks and helped surveil the active hunters and report their progress around. Relay lady. I hated the idea by the end but i was gonna stay with it. 

The person wiping memories was capt puffy, hunter herself but would wipe assets memories. was close to phil likely trained at the same time and pitied him, spared techno of his trauma at the docks before they escaped. smuggled Kristen out some time before. etc, antihero.

i always loved the idea that for some reason people weren't phased by the difference in accents in this one British town and that some people just had weird nicknames because of the docks. i always find it lazy when a fic uses usernames as cannon without changing the world around it as well. Heres Steve, Ryan, Tyler, Gastroenterology, and Tom.  Well, actually, that is pretty funny. Nevermind. 

All my info on the dsmp was from phil/techno with maybe an odd tommy stream, so if i hit any things during 2022 that was not in their character thats why. 

Thanks for reading this fic and sometimes coming back. The past few years i sometimes have gotten notifs that some odd anon has given kudos and it reminds me of this fic. how happy i was when i wrote it and how much i enjoyed hearing the responses. I appreciate it, genuinely.