Archive of Our Own ^beta

Tommy's considering robbing a nearby corner store when he hears it.

The telltale sound of raised voices, followed by a loud bang- whatever the cause is, it's bound to be interesting, and surely Tommy can take a break from his nightly round of villainous deeds to watch it go down.

The great and powerful Redglare always has time for drama, after all.

Gathering his energy, he sends out a telekinetic blast to launch himself from the roof he's perched on, flying towards the noises until he finds himself just above an alleyway. There are two people locked in a confrontation down below the rooftop where Tommy hides, and as he peeks over the ledge he freezes at the sight of a hero’s uniform.

The hero- Tommy doesn’t quite remember his name, Nectar or something- is bent over himself, clutching his side as he blocks the path of a hulking figure. As he stumbles back the figure follows him, a beam of light falling just close enough to reveal their identity. 

“I'd highly advise you to get out of my way, Nexus,” The Blood God rumbles- and, oh yeah, the hero's name is Nexus, duh- as he steps towards the injured hero. 

Before the villain has even finished his sentence Nexus is already shaking his head, turning a glare towards him. “I was ordered to bring you in, and I intend on completing my mission.” Nexus takes in a heaving breath and reaches out, swirling matter forming around his hand and before the Blood God can react he’s holding a newly-formed gun, barrel pointed by a surprisingly steady hand at the villain. “Don’t- don’t take another step, or I’ll shoot.”

Tommy’s shoulders tense at Nexus’ sudden display of powers, and he shifts, positioning himself in such a way that he’ll be able to quickly flee his hiding place- only for his foot to kick out and dislodge a rock from the rooftop that falls with a clatter to the alley below.

Nexus stiffens, eyes darting up at the noise. “You bastard- you brought backup, didn’t you?” 

“Well- no, but I’m beginning to wish I did,” The Blood God says, eyeing the gun still clutched in the hero’s now shaking hands warily. “I wouldn’t do anything rash if I were you-” 

He’s cut off by Nexus stepping forward quickly, brandishing the weapon. “You can’t trick me that easily,” He shouts, finger squeezing the trigger- and before Tommy can even think, he’s in front of the other villain, a blast of energy sending the hero flying back just a moment too late. 

The first thing Tommy notices when he snaps out of it is the horrible burning sensation in his upper arm. He yelps in surprise, clutching at his bicep and stumbling back only to collide with the man he was trying to protect in the first place- the Blood God. It suddenly sinks in that Tommy- a minor villain, if even that- is standing in between one of the top heroes of the city and what is possibly the most feared man in the country. Tommy flinches, falling on his ass and crying out when it jostles his arm (and Oh my Prime, there’s a fucking bullet in there isn’t there, what was he even thinking-) but the Blood God merely gives him a glance before stepping around him and towards the fallen hero.

It’s hard to focus on the fight with his injury distracting him, but when Tommy finally pulls himself together enough to look up, the hero is gone. 

“He fled. Cowards, all of them.”

Tommy startles at the sudden voice, and turns his head to see the Blood God walking back towards him. He stops a few steps away, towering over the blonde who still sits on the ground, before reaching out a hand. “Come on, get up.”

Glancing down at his arm for a second- mildly concerned about the diminished pain, because it’s only a matter of time until the adrenaline wears off and if it hurts now then it’ll be a bitch to fix up later- Tommy reaches out with his good hand and lets the other villain pull him to his feet.

The two stand in silence for a moment before Tommy awkwardly crosses his arms. “What, no thank you?”

The Blood God scoffs, incredulous. “You’ve got some guts, jumping in here like that. You could’ve easily been killed.”

“Nah, I’m too good to get killed. Too big of a man, if you will.”

The larger villain pauses. “I… will not. It was foolish of you to intervene, but I suppose I should thank you, huh?”

Tommy shuffles anxiously. “Yeah, no problem. Just helpin’ out my fellow villain. Listen, I’ve got several wives waiting for me at home, so I’m gonna go-”

“Hold on a second,” The Blood God interrupts, stopping Tommy in his tracks, “I owe you for helping me- even if it wasn’t necessary- so… is there something you need that I can help with?”

“What, seriously?” Shoulders slumped, Tommy turns back around to face the larger villain. “I don’t need a favor, can I just say no and be done with it?”

“No can do. You don't have to decide right now, but the Syndicate believes in absolute reciprocity.”

Tommy glowers at the man- not that he can see it, what with Tommy’s mask and hooded disguise hiding his face- and thinks. He just wants to go home and get the fucking bullet out of his arm, so it needs to be something that can be done quickly. And then genius strikes him- if the Blood God has to pay him back, why not make it something completely irrelevant and stupid? 

“I want your earring.”

The Blood God falters. “Heh? You want an earring?”

“Not an earring, your earring. The green one you’re always wearing.” 

“That’s not-” The Blood God starts, and for a moment Tommy thinks he’s going to refuse until the larger man pauses and shakes his head. “You know what? Sure, have it.” He unhooks the emerald dangling from his ear and drops it into Tommy’s waiting hand. “Don’t lose that.”

“What do you take me for, some kind of idiot? Of course I’m not gonna lose the fucking Blood God’s precious jewelry.”

With an exasperated huff, the older villain goes to pat Tommy on the arm only to pause when he grunts in pain. “Right, you just got shot.” Swearing under his breath, he fumbles with a pouch at his side. “I’ll call one of our medics, just wait a minute.”

“Don’t!” Tommy snaps, stumbling back a few steps. “I can deal with it myself.”  

The Blood God looks doubtful, even with his face obscured by a mask. “Really now?”

“Yes!” He insists, and turns to leave when the man’s expression doesn’t change. “Seeya never, bitch!” 

With that, Tommy summons a blast of telekinesis to propel himself into the air- rushing back to his dingy apartment where he can hopefully muster up the energy to pull the bullet from his arm.

——————

Turns out trying to treat a bullet wound is a hassle when you're too broke to buy medical supplies and both your identities are wanted by the heroes, but Tommy likes to think he dealt with it just fine- that is, if just fine means pulling out the bullet with your telekinetic powers and giving it a week of rest.

Okay, so maybe he could've given it a bit longer, Tommy thinks as his shoulder gives a painful twinge when he reaches up to grip the edge of a rooftop. It's been over a month and it still hurts- he's beginning to suspect that life isn't actually like those action movies where the hero just walks it off after being shot. Either way, he doesn’t have the time to just sit around and wait for it to heal. Everyone in the city needs cash to get by, and unlike most people, Tommy can’t exactly just go and get a regular job.

The heroes are still looking for him, after all.

So he dons a mask and commits a few robberies here and there- and hey, at least it’s fun! So what if he gets no human interaction other than passing conversations with other criminals and lives alone in a health hazard of an apartment that he legally shouldn’t have been able to rent? Tommy’s having the time of his life.  

Yep. Time of his life.

Which is why he’s once again out looking for some quick cash. Stealing when you’re a supervillain isn’t exactly difficult per se, not when you have telekinetic powers up your sleeve, but Tommy’s options are severely limited by the fact that he’s technically still injured- plus his last batch of stolen valuables hadn’t sold well, so he’s in dire need of something to bridge the gap.

Tommy reaches up and fiddles with the emerald dangling from his ear. The hood he wears as part of his villain costume hides it well, so he isn’t worried about it falling out or getting caught on something- he had considered selling the thing, in all honesty, but he already knows nobody will believe that it’s not just a replica. Even though it has the telltale shimmer of an enchantment on it- something Tommy hadn’t noticed from afar and still isn’t quite sure what the spell might actually do- it’s a well-known tactic among scammers to just put a useless, basic enchantment on something to make it seem more authentic.

Also, it’s the fucking Blood God’s earring. Tommy thinks that automatically earns it at least a thousand cool points.

Prime, what Tommy would do to be more like him- there’s nothing he’d like more than directly opposing the corrupt Hero’s Organization, but with the way he is now it’ll be a long while before he’s strong enough to do that.

Tommy’s snapped out of his thoughts by a sudden voice calling out to him. “Ey, Redglare! Long time no see, dude!” He turns to see Jester, another villain, walking up to him from the empty street. “What’ve you been up to?”

A smile creeps up Tommy’s face under his mask. “Y’know, y’know, just the usual big man shit.” 

“Good to hear. I’ve been a little worried, you didn’t show up to the last Las Nevadas gala!” Jester sounds cheerful as ever, spreading his hands out before him. “You should’ve seen it, some of our guests this time had crazy outfits.”

“Oh man, now I wish I could’ve gone,” Tommy groans, “I’ll make sure not to miss the next one.”

“You better not!” Jester says, clapping Tommy on the shoulder and making the blond tense up and hiss through his teeth as the barely-healed wound on his arm is jostled. He immediately pulls his hand away, backing off with an apology. “They really got you good, huh?”

“Oh, yeah but uh-” Tommy laughs, a little strained- “You know me, already jumping right back into the life of crime!”

“That’s what I like about you man, you’re persistent!” Jester laughs, “Too bad you’re already claimed, we could’ve used somebody like you in Las Nevadas.”

“Yeah- wait what?”

Jester shoots him a mischievous grin, turning to leave. “Seeya around, Redglare!”

“Now wait just a second you fuckin’-” Tommy blinks. “And… he’s gone.”

——————

It doesn’t take long after that for Tommy to catch on to a golden opportunity for profit. Just minutes after Jester leaves an alarm begins to blare a few blocks away, and when Tommy arrives he quickly sees the source- a bank, lights flashing and front windows caved in.

It’s a bona fide jackpot- and Tommy didn’t even have to be the one to break in!

There’s only one person inside, though Tommy has to dodge past the sights of police officers beginning to arrive on the scene. The one in the bank must be the person who broke in- and Tommy’s assumption is proven correct when he gets inside to see a flash of the fellow villain’s fox mask as he turns the other way, facing towards the bank vaults instead of the entrance. Canis, a mid-tier villain- rumored to have ties to Las Nevadas, though these claims seem rather unfounded considering that he’s never so much as been seen with a member of the organization. Unlike many of the higher-threat villains, Canis seems generally uninterested in opposing the government and their corrupt dealings, instead wreaking minor havoc and robberies- 

And hey, speaking of robberies, Tommy would really like to make rent this month, so with that he calls out to the masked thief. “Hey man, you wanna share some of that money you got there?”

Canis stiffens in surprise before he snarls, shoulders hunching defensively at the sound of Tommy’s voice. “Back off, this is my-” 

The fox hybrid cuts himself off as he finally turns towards him, and what little Tommy can see of the man's face pales to a stark white. 

“Uh- Redglare, I didn’t realize you were- I'll just be going now!” The other villain yelps, and is gone just as fast as he came.

Tommy frowns.

He didn't think he was that scary.

Oh, well. More loot for himself, he supposes.

——————

Of course, as it typically goes, Tommy’s luck doesn’t last long. In the end, all it takes is a weird noise and a flashing light in a darkened alleyway to spur Tommy into an investigation, only for something heavy to strike him in the face and send him into the pits of unconsciousness.

——————

The first thing Tommy notices when he wakes is the power suppressor cuffs locked around his ankles. 

“What..?”

“Hello, Redglare.”  

The second thing Tommy notices is the fucking bastard of a hero standing in front of the chair his arms and legs are cuffed to.

“What the actual fuck?” Tommy spits, staring in horror as Nexus stands before him with a self-satisfied posture. The hero seems, weirdly enough, almost giddy at the helpless villain before him.

“Nice to see you finally awake.” Nexus places a hand on the cuff and sends a pulse of energy into the material, making Tommy wince at the reminder of the hero's powers when the metal constricts and bites into his skin. Of course this motherfucker would use matter manipulation to make his prisoners uncomfortable. At least the hero hasn’t unmasked him yet, but Tommy can't quite bring himself to be grateful for it when the blood leaking from his nose is soaking into the fabric and suffocating him with the scent of iron. “You’re going to get what you deserve for ruining my chance at apprehending the Blood God. It took me over a month to get the board to approve it, but I’ve finally got you right where I want you.”

“What the fuck are you on about?” Tommy snaps, getting more irritated with Nexus’ shitty monologue by the second. “If you’ve been trying so hard to arrest me, why am I here?”

“Arrest you?” Nexus scoffs. “And what, just have you get broken out the next day?”

The hero unsheathes his blade.

“It’s much easier to just get rid of you.”

“Wait, wait, wait-” Wide-eyed, Tommy kicks out against his restraints, trying to scramble away from the threat. “We can talk about this!”

Nexus pauses, tilting his head to the side contemplatively. “Talk?” He circles around the chair that Tommy’s bound to, examining him. “Maybe not, but you have been a thorn in my side for an awfully long time now… I suppose I could have a little fun before I shut you up for good.”

And, oh- Tommy does not like the sound of that.

“No, you fuckin’ freak, get away from me!” He shouts, thrashing in his chair but there’s a blow to the side of his head and Tommy’s suddenly grateful for the pins holding his hood in place- without them, it surely would have fallen back and revealed the upper half of his face by now.

Nexus steps back, shaking out his hand. “I’ve gotta admit, that was a weak punch. Let me try again-” And this time Tommy’s head snaps back with the force of Nexus’ fist hitting his jaw, blood filling his mouth as his teeth cut into his lips.

“What the f-” Tommy begins, only to be cut off as Nexus strikes him again, his head bashing into the concrete floor when the blow knocks his chair to the ground. A boot buries itself into his stomach and he gags, coughing miserably against the ground as Nexus kicks him again and again, battering against his gut and ribs.

“You know, I work pretty hard to rid this city of scum like you,” Nexus steps back, tone surprisingly conversational for a madman. “But it makes the world a better place, so I’m glad to do it. Gotta protect the kids out there and all.” 

Tommy idly wonders how Nexus will react when he pries the mask from his corpse and realizes the villain he’d been tormenting was seventeen . “You think beating up some random person in a warehouse is making the world a better place?”

“Oh, no. This part is just for me.” The hero laughs, holding out a hand as he lets matter swirl around it, eventually closing his fist around a hammer. “Let me pick that chair back up and we can get to work, okay?”

“Don’t,” Tommy gasps, vision spinning as Nexus roughly sets him upright again.

“Hold still!” Nexus sing-songs as he lifts the hammer, and Tommy can hear the smile in his voice as he-

The world whites out and Tommy screams, chest heaving as he looks down at the mangled fingers of his right hand. “Please- just-” He chokes.

“What, are you crying?” Nexus laughs, looming over Tommy and the blonde’s face burns with humiliation behind the stream of tears. “Just a few hits and you’re already acting like a child.”

Somewhere in his rapidly blurring mind Tommy feels the earring warm against his skin, giving off a pulse, and at the reminder Tommy can't help but childishly wish he hadn't already used the Blood God's favor- a thought he’s quickly snapped out of when Nexus puts a hand over his broken one and begins to press down.

“Nononono, STOP STOP STOPSTOP!” The blonde shrieks in pain and begins to thrash again, trying to squirm away from the unbearable sensation.

“Y’know, none of this would be happening if you had just left the Blood God alone,” Nexus hums, pulling away and talking over Tommy’s sobs as if they’re not even there, “You could’ve gone to Pandora’s Vault, but instead you just had to rack up a favor from the Syndicate.”

Tommy whimpers. “What are you talking about?”

“Technically speaking, you saved his life. The Syndicate never lets a favor go unrepaid- arresting you just isn’t worth it if they’re guaranteed to break you out.”

“But I- I already used a favor, I don’t know why you’re doing this.”

Nexus lets the hammer dissolve, picking up his blade and stepping forward to hold it against Tommy’s throat. “You’re lying, though. You just don’t want me to kill you, is that it?”

“I did , I asked for his earring! He must’ve gotten another one or something, but you can look, I’m wearing it right now, just- just leave me alone!”

Though his mask doesn’t reveal any change of emotion, Nexus’ voice is suddenly apprehensive. “You asked for what?”

“The- the earring he always wears. The emerald one.”

“Fuck!” Nexus swears, stepping towards Tommy and reaching out as if to rip the hood from his head. “Give that-”

Whatever Nexus wants to say next, it’s cut off a cacophony of noise as the warehouse windows shatter inward, flame licking at the glass from explosives, and-

The Syndicate bursts through. Siren and the Angel of Death quickly engage the guards around the edges of the warehouse in battle, swatting them aside like flies.

And the Blood God-

He appears behind Nexus before either he or Tommy can react, grabbing the hero by the back of the neck and throwing him across the room, a wheeze punched out of him by his body slamming against the floor where he lands.

“Please, I was- I was under orders!” Nexus begs, scrambling back from the Blood God as the villain's hulking figure stalks closer and closer. “You have to understand, I was just doing my-” His words are cut off with a scream of agony when the Blood God seizes his arm and twists, a horrific cracking noise sounding across the warehouse as the bone is wrenched out of place.

Not a single word is spared from the masked villain even as he slams Nexus into the concrete, blood pooling from the hero's head as he begs for his life through a broken voice- and as Tommy leans forward in his restraints, eyes fixated on the pair throughout the chaos, he catches a glimpse of a wild, red-eyed glare through the Blood God's mask.

Another crack of breaking bones sounds through Tommy's ears, and under his mask a smirk curls across his face. Good, he thinks, wide blue eyes glued to the carnage, show that fucking hero what he deserves, and even as he watches the Blood God’s sword make cut after cut across Nexus’ body, the only emotion he can feel is a vengeful sort of glee.

“I thought you heroes would have learned by now,” the Blood God snarls, reaching down and yanking Nexus forward before slamming him back to the ground, “Don’t touch what’s mine.” His hand wraps around the man’s throat and he kicks out weakly, movements slowing down by the second. Nexus has long since stopped screaming, but there’s a final gurgle before the cuffs around Tommy’s wrists dissolve away, confirming the hero’s death.

Tommy slowly lifts an arm, holding back a whine when the movement jolts the twisted fingers of his right hand. He sniffles and looks up at the approach of footsteps- it’s the Angel of Death walking over to him as the Blood God continues doing… whatever he’s doing now, Tommy isn’t sure and he can’t be bothered to check now that Nexus is finally gone. 

“You poor thing,” The Angel croons, reaching out and gently pushing his hood back to reveal his upper face. Tommy blinks sluggishly up at him, barely reacting as he pulls down his mask. The Angel’s eyes widen behind the veil covering his face. “Oh, you’re just a baby.”

Normally Tommy would protest the name- he’s almost an adult, after all- but he’s so tired and the Angel is talking to him nicely and he just wants a bit of comfort.

The Angel cups his face (and Tommy leans into the touch, the first gentleness he's been shown in years-) and tugs a sleeve over his hand, dabbing at the blood crusted around the boy's nose and mouth. Tommy’s face screws up and he whines at the uncomfortable feeling.

“I know, you’re tired aren’t you?” The winged villain hums, not looking up from his work when Siren and the Blood God finally approach the two. 

“Really, you couldn’t wait for me to unmask him?” The Blood God sounds disgruntled to say the least and Tommy looks over at him, making his eyes widen behind his mask at the sight of the boy’s face. “Prime, he’s just a kid.”

“I thought you knew that, considering how you said he acted when you met him,” Siren teases, elbowing the larger man. 

“I knew he was young, but I didn’t think he’d be a child.”

Siren makes a noise of acknowledgement and looks back over towards Tommy, the boy fighting the pull of sleep in the hands of the Angel, who’s switched from wiping at Tommy’s face to simply holding it in his palms. “Well, it looks like Dadza’s adopted him already.”

Another pass of the Angel’s thumb over his cheek, and Tommy is out for the count.

——————

Tommy’s bed is… unusually comfortable this morning. Normally he can feel every spring poking his back while he sleeps, but today it’s soft, and… bigger?

A hand strokes the hair away from Tommy’s forehead and he hums, eyebrows furrowing.

This isn’t-

Who-?

His eyes peek open to the unfamiliar sight of a brown-haired man sitting next to the bed he lies in, smiling softly down at him.

Suddenly wide awake, Tommy sits up and scrambles back, ignoring the pain in his ribs. “What the fuck, what the fuck-”

“Woah, hey- calm down, you’re gonna hurt yourself,” The brunet says, backing away with his hands raised in a placating gesture. As Tommy looks around, he notices a blonde man with large, raven-black wings sat slightly further away.

“Who the fuck are you? And who the fuck is that?!” He demands, glancing around frantically. 

“Do you remember what happened before you fell asleep?” The blonde man speaks up, his voice somehow familiar.

“Yeah, I was… with Nexus, and- where am I?” Tommy examines the duo more closely, his eyes widening in realization. “Are you..?”

“I’m Phil, or Philza, but you probably know me as the Angel of Death.” Phil gestures towards the brunet who was sitting at Tommy’s bedside. “This is Siren, or Wilbur.”

Tommy opens his mouth to reply, but is interrupted by a knock at the bedroom’s door. 

“Come in!” Phil calls, and the door opens to a pink-haired man holding a tray with a bowl of food and what looks like a health potion on it.

“Bruh, am I late to the party again?” He says, and by his voice Tommy immediately knows-

“Blood God?”

“You can call me Technoblade,” the Blood G- Technoblade says mildly, “Or Techno for short.”

“I’m Tommy,” Tommy replies, feeling unusually timid. “Or, uh, Redglare.”

“Suitable name for a little gremlin,” Wilbur grins, and Tommy glares at him.

“I am not a fucking gremlin!”

“So you’re not a gremlin, but you admit that you’re little?”

“Why you fucking-”

“Alright, can we not wind up the guy with a bunch of broken fingers and ribs?” Techno cuts in, sidestepping Wilbur to set the tray on Tommy’s lap. “Make sure you take the whole potion.” Tommy nods and goes to pick up the spoon only to be stopped by the splinted fingers of his right hand. Glowering at nothing in particular, he switches to his left hand and begins to eat the soup with a significantly shakier grip.

“Uh… you good?” Wilbur says, and Tommy scowls even harder without looking up.

“I’m fine, just pissed off about my hand.”

“Understandable, between that and all the other injuries that bastard gave you.”

Techno growls under his breath at the brunet’s words. “He should have never even laid a finger on you. I should’ve given him a slower death for that- seven times the pain he gave you.”

Tommy just hums in response- he honestly wouldn’t have been opposed to that. A hand lands gently on his leg and Tommy blinks up at Phil, who gives him a sympathetic look. “I’m- we’re sorry you had to see that, by the way. Techno just got lost in his instincts when he saw what that thing was doing to you, but I promise you’re in safe hands now.”

Technoblade looks away at Phil’s apology, looking only slightly remorseful, but Tommy frowns anyway. There shouldn’t be any regret on his face. “No, I- it didn’t bother me. It was actually pretty nice to see him get what he deserved.”

Phil’s expression goes momentarily slack with surprise before he tilts his head, examining Tommy with a new glint in his eyes. “Oh, you’re more like us than we thought.”

“Oh, that’s… that’s cool.” Tommy’s voice goes a bit quieter with embarrassment, “I kinda wanted to be more like you guys, after all.” His voice becomes louder and he barrels on like he didn’t just admit to idolizing the Syndicate, “How did you find me, anyway? And- why did you bother with saving me?”

“It’s in that emerald of yours,” Techno explains, reaching out and tapping the earring that still rests against Tommy’s jaw. “It’s part of a set owned by the Syndicate. They contain enchantments that track the wearer’s vitals and location, so when it notified us that you were in distress we already knew where you were. And as for the why-” The piglin hybrid looks away, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck, “You somehow managed to peak my interest during our encounter, and when I told Phil and Wilbur about it we decided to keep an eye out for you. It wasn’t hard, given that you wear the earring everywhere.”

“It takes a special kind of person to want to save someone in the Syndicate without having an ulterior motive- and after we started watching over you, we grew a bit fond,” Phil adds.

Tommy shifts, looking down bashfully, and Wilbur clears his throat. “This is nice and all, and I second what those two said but I do have a burning question that I need to ask you, Tommy.”

Apprehension zips through Tommy’s veins, but he answers anyway. “What is it?”

“This may sound a bit out of nowhere, but Niki said she recognized you when we brought you home- did you used to work for the heroes?”

Tommy stiffens, unsure how to answer the question, and refocuses- “Niki?”

“He means Nemesis, mate,” Phil cuts in, “She was in Pandora's Vault before-”

“Before the blueprints were leaked to you and you guys broke her and Thunder out.” Tommy sighs (and he remembers flashing lights, a blaring siren as he runs, runs, runs with papers clutched in sweaty hands-) and turns his head. “Yeah, that was me.”

Technoblade straightens. “You mean to tell me that you- a literal child- were our informant?”

“I resent that statement, but listen. The conditions in there were, and probably still are, incredibly inhumane. I didn’t see much of it when I was first interning with the Hero’s Organization, but that changed after Sam- the Warden- decided he wanted to train me as the next warden of Pandora’s Vault.”

“Why were you working there in the first place?” Wilbur questions, eyebrows furrowed. “I can’t imagine an intern job being very appealing for a kid like you.”

“Money, innit? I was a homeless orphan, the Hero’s Organization was willing to put a roof over my head if I just fudged my age on a few papers. And Sam was good to me, at least until I realized just how shit they were treating their prisoners and decided to pull a runner.”

“Well, I suppose Niki and Jack will want to thank you for that. Later, though- you need to recover first.”

Tommy frowns, making calculations in his head. “And how long is that? Recovery time, I mean?”

Blinking curiously, Wilbur glances over at Phil and Techno before answering. “Normally about six weeks for broken ribs, but the health potions should bring it down to about two- why?” 

“Shit, I need to go back to my apartment- my rent’s due in like a week and my landlord is gonna give it to someone else if I just disappear!” With some difficulty Tommy sets the tray aside and shifts his legs off the bed. “I gotta leave, like now.”

“Why? You don’t need that apartment anymore.” 

“Of course I need the apartment, I don’t want to live on the streets again!”

“I think you misunderstood, little one,” Phil says, voice warm even as his eyes darken with something possessive. “We aren’t letting you leave.”

Tommy freezes. 

What..?

He whips around to face the trio, blinking rapidly in shock. “Wha- why?”

“You’re ours, runt. Have been since the day you took a bullet for me,” Technoblade rumbles.

Ours. Ours. 

(Something in Tommy’s head croons. Mine, they’re mine. )

Tommy has always loved too hard, held on too tight, his claim never returned. But now, with the Syndicate staring down at him, proclaiming him theirs…

“If I'm yours… then you're mine too.”

Eyes dilated, Technoblade leans down to press his forehead against the blonde’s. “Yes. Yours.” He makes a low chuffing sound, echoed by Wilbur’s hum and Phil’s warbling croon. Tommy reaches up with his good hand and curls his fingers into the sleeve of Techno’s shirt, grumbling when the man starts to pull away.

“Patience, runt,” Techno chuckles, “You still need to drink your health potion.” He holds the bottle out and Tommy is quick to take it from him, downing the overly sweet liquid in one go and grimacing. Once empty, he sets the bottle aside and sways slightly as the potion starts to work, leaving a drowsy effect. 

Phil gives an amused huff as watches Tommy blink tiredly and lean into Techno’s side. “I think it’s nest time, huh?” 

“I think it is,” Wilbur agrees, leaning towards the boy. “Aw, he’s so sleepy!”

“It’s the potion,” Techno says, scooping up Tommy and jostling a disgruntled whine from the blonde. “He can sleep it off in Phil’s room.”

“We can all have a nap in my room,” Phil chirps, “Nest time!”

“Ah, Birdza strikes again.” Wilbur laughs, pulling a smile from Tommy- something in the blonde’s fuzzy consciousness likes the sound. And as he’s placed into the nest, firmly bracketed in the arms of villains, Tommy knows one thing-

He belongs here.