You're On Your Own, Kid

by SeeYouSucker

Summary:

“Why’d you become a hero, Tommy?”

The blond frowned, looking back up to the roof. It was an easy answer, but Tommy still took a moment to think over the question. They had told him that he'd need to become a hero to take down the Syndicate, because his power was strong enough. He agreed. Tommy knew it wasn't his choice in the end, but wasn't it?

“It's what I trained for.” There was no follow up question, as Tommy suspected.

OR, Tommy was stolen from his family at a young age. He was taken by the heroes who were meant to protect; instead, Tommy was raised to become a soilder, since his powers were strong enough to defeat the Syndicate. His family.

 

---

 

Tommy doesn’t remember his early childhood very well. He remembers warm hugs that seemed to last hours, a comforting hand that ran through his hair and sweet reassuring whispers after nightmares, sleeves wiping away tears from his red cheeks when he fell over his legs, loud laughter at every joke that was made.

He remembers feeling loved. It was a gentle feeling, knowing that someone would do anything to keep you safe. To keep you protected. Tommy doesn’t know how old he was when they had taken him. He had been left alone at his family’s work, there was a babysitter supposed to be watching him but something had gone wrong and they left him.

He was stolen. Taken from the warm hugs, loving words, and happy laughter. He was taken by heroes. The people who were supposed to protect the city, the world. They stole him from his family, as to the world, they were villains.

The Syndicate. The most feared villains in the city. Powerful people who wanted nothing more than to destroy the government, and rule the city for themselves. His father, The Angel of Death was the leader of the group, followed by Tommy’s two brothers Siren and Blade. With powerful abilities, there was barely anyone who could stop them. Monsters to the world, but they were Tommy’s family; they were his idols. 

When the heroes invaded the Syndicate base and took Tommy, they brought him back to the hero committee. He fought, screamed, kicked, bit, and cried at every turn. He wanted to be strong like his family, to show the heroes that they couldn’t hurt him.

They tried endlessly to calm him down: giving him candy, games, and even showing off their powers, but in the end none of it worked. It had been three hours of screaming and whining when finally a man walked into the room and screamed at him. Tommy went quiet. He wanted to be strong, but in the end, Tommy was still a kid. A terrified kid. 

The child closed his mouth with silent tears running down his cheeks. Tommy missed his brothers and dad. They wouldn’t have screamed at him, they knew how to calm him down. He wanted to go back to them.

They were supposed to find him already. But, when the Syndicate found out what had happened; It was too late. The heroes decided that it was better to be safe than sorry, Tommy was a villain’s kid after all. Who is to say that he wouldn’t end up exactly the same. They needed to make sure his mindset wasn’t the same as theirs, they wanted to fix him. At the age of seven, he was sent to a military camp to train to become a hero. He spent years in that camp: training, crying, growing. They drilled him to the bone on rules, laws, and hero mindsets. 

That much work at such a young age ended up breaking the child that he once was, without any hope of his family coming to save him, there wasn’t much else to wish for anything else. When he first showed up, Tommy was tiny and without any sign of developing a power— his dad said he was a late bloomer. He could barely do any of the drills they forced on him causing them to take away privileges. He had known what it felt like to starve from a young age.

Tommy had known what it felt like to want. He had met a boy named Grayson, a scrawny boy that was a year older than him. He had developed strong powers that the heroes wanted to train, and so they took him from his family. Force fields. As young as he was, Grayson could barely use his power but it was still better than Tommy.

They became quick friends, sticking together through it all and defending each other. After shared meals, punishments, and cleaning duty– they were closer than close. Brothers in a way. That was until Grayson disappeared one day. No one would tell him what happened to the boy, but the others at camp were convinced he was killed. Tommy didn’t get enough time to mourn, being thrown into another drill. 

It wasn't long after, Tommy developed his power at the age of fourteen; Matter manipulation. It was a strong power, being able to take atoms from the objects around him and use them as he wished.

His powers came out as a red wave of his last anger when one of his drill sergeants had screamed at him when he’d almost passed out during a workout. The man had been sent to the hospital with major injuries, the pressure from the boy’s power crushing most of his limbs.

Tommy only had two months of training and homing his ability when the hero committee decided that they finally wanted to make him into the hero that he was made to be. On his first day, the committee had assigned him under the hero name ‘Crimson Matter’ and from that day on, he became a hero that rose through the ranks.

Starting off as a sidekick but soon becoming his own hero, even if he wasn’t allowed to patrol on his own. The committee decided it was for his own and everyone else’s safety. Everyone knew who his family was, except the public, they decided it would be better for publicity to keep it a secret.

Tommy found that they kept a lot of secrets from the public, such as his age, secret projects, and even classified cameras hidden around the city. He was pretty sure that was illegal, but who was he supposed to tell? The heroes? It wasn’t like Tommy’s opinion mattered in the meetings regardless. Whenever he spoke, they’d either give him dirty looks or ignore him.

So, Tommy kept to himself. He’d speak when spoken too, keep his posture straight but head down. Never drawing more attention to himself. Tommy decided that if all they wanted from him was his powers, then that’s all they would get. And so, he’d work until he broke. Fight until he dropped.

Become the best hero that this rotten world had ever seen. Be the best of the best because at the end of the day, all that awaited him in the end was death. Nothing else in life was promised: not love, success, happiness. Only an empty pit of darkness six feet under. So, he worked. 

That was until a new hero arrived. “Everyone, listen up.” A voice rang out, as Tommy waited by the microwave. He had been heating up leftovers in the hero committee’s break room, wanting to have his lunch ready since he’d be on night patrol– they only ever gave him night patrols.

There were many heroes, sidekicks, workers, and interns in the room as well, all turning their attention from where they sat to one of the bosses– that Tommy hadn’t bothered learnings name– as they spoke.

The blond turned slightly toward the voice, but was mostly focused on his food. “We have a new individual joining us; please give a warm welcome to Ranboo, they’ve trained for around a year in the academy, top of their classes.”

The room became louder with cheers and welcoming words as a boy that looked around Tommy’s age stepped up. He had split black and white dyed hair, and stood awkwardly, slightly fidgeting with their hands as more people approached.

Tommy couldn’t help but wonder what parents would name their kid Ranboo, but looking at the boy in front of him, the blond couldn’t help but agree that it was a perfect name. Tommy scanned over their pale face, reaching eyesight. Ranboo’s eyes were two different colors, red and green.

He hummed, trying to think up the name of the term for that condition but mind only coming blank. Unfortunately, Tommy had been looking for too long, soon finding out that the other boy had ended up meeting his eyes. Now stuck in a battle of who will look away first, Tommy tightens his jaw as his shoulder’s tense up.

He could see Ranboo take a step forward, but before they began walking over, a beeping noise began behind Tommy. He turned quickly, taking in a breath– he hadn’t realized he was holding his breath. From the corner of his eye, he could see Ranboo step back; once again fidgeting with his hand.

The blond was quick to get out of the break room once he had his lunch packed, and headed back to his apartment in the tower, where he would take a nap before his patrol started. 

Decidedly, Tommy wanted nothing to do with Ranboo. It was nothing against them, but being a new hero meant that your first impression mattered with everyone else. If anyone had seen them hanging out with the villain’s kid, they’d never trust him.

If anything, it was for Ranboo’s sake that Tommy stayed away from him. Definitely nothing to do with Tommy’s intense trust issues and fear of letting people in.

Naturally, – as things never seemed to go Tommy’s way– Ranboo was on a continuous mission to talk to him. Whenever they were in the same room, or headed in the same direction, Ranboo would attempt to start up a conversation.

Usually it was about his patrols, directions, or anything work related, but the questions soon turned more about Tommy then the job. He’d ask about Tommy’s favorite color, animal, and so on, usually ending in the blond ignoring them. Tommy hoped that eventually Ranboo would get tired of the one sided conversation, but in the end they never gave up. The new hero had stopped asking the blond questions, instead telling him about themselves.

It was a smart move, even if Tommy tried to ignore them, there was always something that would slip in. He learnt about the boy’s pet cat; Michael, whom he adopted with his best friend in their first year of high school. It was a calico cat with one blind eye, apparently it lived in Ranboo’s apartment in the tower. He also learnt that Ranboo never graduated high school before joining the academy.

They were only eighteen, being only one year older than Tommy; Ranboo had told him that he only wanted to talk to the blond in the first place because it seemed as if they were the same age. It was a fair enough reason, everyone else in the tower was at least ten years older than both of them.

Eventually, Tommy began enjoying the one sided conversations; finally gaining enough confidence to input his own bits. 

“I saw this bakery when I was partoling, it’s a little place near the downtown area.” Ranboo said, taking a bit of their food. It was mid day, the time in Tommy’s schedule when he ate his lunch in the cafeteria. The blond was pretty sure Ranboo had figured out his entire schedule based on the fact whenever they had freetime, he’d show up. “I’d never been there before. Honestly, It had been awhile since I’ve gone downtown.” 

Tommy knew what bakery they were talking about, it was a ‘hidden gem’-- That’s what he heard at least, Tommy wasn’t one for leaving the tower for anything else but patrol. He wasn’t allowed to.-- It was a small place near the mall, the front of the shop was bright pink with white accents.

The owner was a woman named Niki. Some of the other heroes had bought desserts from the bakery for birthdays and parties, but he’d only be allowed a few bites before being shooed away. Ranboo hummed in between the silence. “I was thinking about visiting one day.”

“I’d recommend the strawberry cheesecake.” Tommy whispered, his eyes switching between his food and the hero. Ranboo froze, looking at Tommy with shock turned to enthusiasm. “I’ve heard the owner, Niki, makes all the pastries herself, so I’m sure whatever you choose will be good.” 

“Really? I wonder if she ends up eating anything herself, If it was me, there wouldn’t be any food left to sell!” Ranboo shoots back, giving a grin to the blond. “I’d love to own a bakery.” 

Tommy chuckles, giving Ranboo a small smile. “That’s the dream, Big Man, eating cake all day!” The split haired boy breaks out into laughter, earning a few glares from their co-workers. Tommy lowers his head slightly, still smiling at the hero. 

Slowly, Ranboo’s laughter dies down. Turning back to their food, they take a big mouthful of a ham and cheese sandwich. “We should quit our jobs as heroes and become bakers.” This time, Tommy is the one to let out a loud laugh as food threatens to fall from Ranboo’s mouth as they speak.

They get more stares and scoffs but for the first time ever, Tommy could care less what anyone has to say. In the end, the two became closer as time went on; spending all their free time in each other’s rooms, talking about anything they could think of. It became the new normal for Tommy. It was nice. Finally having something he could talk to, someone that didn’t make him feel like anything more than an equal. Ranboo felt like safety, a soft place to land. 

Tommy had basically ran to Ranboo’s apartment after his patrol. It had been an undeniably horrible night; After a villain named Manifold had attacked a building still filled with civilians.

Three explosions at the base of the structure before it began to shake and shatter at a rapid rate. There had been twelve casualties before the heroes could finally get the situation under control, with the villain fleeing before they could catch him.

And like that, the heroes once again did nothing to help the city. Opening and slamming the front door before running into their room. Ranboo quickly turned in his chair from where they sat at their desk, flinching at the harsh noise.

Tommy all but fell face first into Ranboo’s bed, leaving his face printed on the pillow. Michael snuggled against his side– a faint memory from months ago of Ranboo telling him that the cat was an emotional support animal quickly crossed his mind.

Wheels rolled against the hardwood floor as Ranboo moved toward Tommy, a hand slowly being placed on his back.

“I saw the news report, you okay, Toms?” Their voice came out as a whisper, unsure but kind. Tommy’s breathing turned to sharp hiccups at the soft tone, beginning to sob into the pillow.

It was all too much for him. The scene had been filled with blood, and tears. Families screaming and crying as their loved ones were taken from them. Tommy could barely keep his composure, he’s sure if anyone checked, they’d find tear stains and snot all over his mask.

He could feel the atoms of the objects around him churn with anguish as his throat let a pained noise slip. Ranboo rubbed circles into his back, letting him wet the pillow with tears until the cries finally faded into soft hiccups. Michael nuzzled into Tommy’s side as he turned and faced the ceiling. 

His breath was shallow against the air around him, it came out as a harsh wind. Sounding like a ghost’s whisper to the living world.

“Why did you become a hero, Ran?” Tommy finally spoke after a minute, his voice was thick with grief and shaky. It had been a question weighing on him for a while, wondering why someone that was as smart as Ranboo would drop out of high school to join the academy at such a young age. Tommy could never understand their choice as he wasn’t given one. “Who would choose this?” 

They flinched at the question, fidgeting with their hands as they stared directly at the floor. Ranboo bit his lip slightly, most likely thinking over his answer.

Tommy turned his head toward the boy, he was blurry through the leftover tears in Tommy's eyes. His hand came up to brush them away as Ranboo sat up in his chair.

“My best friend, Tubbo,” Ranboo started, pausing as a hitch in his breath racked over his body. He locked his eyes shut, arms wrapping around his chest. Tommy was taken aback, his eyebrows furrowing on his face.

This was really the first time they’d spoken about anything real, brittle. Ranboo almost looked fragile sitting there in a ball, he was like a piece of glass that could be broken by the littlest push.

It took a moment before they let out the breath they’d been holding in, eyes slowly opening while his face stayed scrunched. “He was in an accident two years ago, there was a villain attack at the mall– and, well… he- he didn’t make it.”

“Oh. Oh, I’m- Ranboo, I’m so sorry.” Tommy whispers, a quick response. He remembers Ranboo speaking of Tubbo once or twice. He’d been the co-parent of Michael when they were still in high school.

The blond recalls Ranboo mentioning that they’d joke that they were a married couple, but only for tax reasons. He’d smile fondly at the stories of his platonic soulmate. Tommy’s hand brushed through Michael’s fur, the cat leaning against his hand. “If I knew- really, I’m sorry.”

Ranboo chuckled sadly. “It’s alright,.” He leaned back into his desk chair, head now tilted toward the ceiling. “I wanted to become a hero to avenge him, so he wouldn’t just be a victim of a hopeless attack.”

They sighed, arms untightening from where they held at Ranboo’s sides. Michael stood from where he was at Tommy’s side, jumping over said boy and onto Ranboo’s lap. They smiled at the cat, scratching between its ears. “Why’d you become a hero, Tommy?” 

The blond frowned, looking back up to the roof. It was an easy answer, but Tommy still took a moment to think over the question. He thought of Grayson, the boy who had so many plans of what he wanted to do; never listening to the drill sergeants when they told him his fate. And he thought of the committee.

They had told him that he'd need to become a hero to take down the Syndicate, because his power was strong enough. He agreed. Tommy knew it wasn't his choice in the end, but wasn't it? 

“It's what I trained for.” There was no follow up question, as Tommy suspected. He sighed, peaking his eyes over to Ranboo who was petting the calico cat.

“Did they ever find out who led the attack, in the mall, I mean.”  Ranboo didn’t answer for a long while, causing Tommy to look back at him. His blue was met with red and green as the two boys made eye contact. Tommy's throat clogged, unable to let in air flow as Ranboo’s face stayed blank, Solemn. 

He watched as their mouth moved around the words, their eyes never leaving his own. “The Syndicate.”

 

.  .  .

 

Ranboo never knew what grief was until Tubbo died. The day was clear in his mind as if it was the day before, it was supposed to be a normal trip to the mall. Tubbo had complained about how long Ranboo was taking to choose what they wanted before heading to the foot court.

They’d argue for a good ten minutes before choosing where they’d eat. Afterward, the two of them would head to Ranboo’s house to fight over Michael until Tubbo eventually had to go home. Ranboo still remembers the screaming and crying. A pained noise that escaped Tubbo’s throat as the roof collapsed atop of him, stone cutting through his leg, blood spattered.

Trying to comfort his too quiet friend as they dug through the rubble to get to him. He had tried using his powers, teleporting in and grabbing Tubbo, but his powers couldn’t do anything without focus. He couldn’t focus. Someone was screaming too loud in his ears. Ranboo was screaming too loud.

Having to be carried away by heroes as they evacuated the building. The police report says they never found the body. They threw up later that night, in the sink when the blood dried over his face wouldn’t be scrubbed away.

He’d never known grief. Ranboo had never experienced a loss in his family; All of his grandparents were still alive and his moms had protected him through his entire childhood.

Being as sheltered as they were, their best friend’s death hit him harder than ever. The feeling was new, suffocating. Without knowing how to cope with the loss, Ranboo couldn’t do any more than let themselves drown in it.  They ended up isolating themselves from the world, not allowing anyone to get close.

They closed off their walls, not even their moms could get him to speak about it. Going through high school for another year with their hands in their pockets and head down.

It was harder without Tubbo. Everything was so much harder. It wasn’t until later in the year when it was revealed that the Syndicate was responsible for the attack– the heroes finding almost destroyed footage of Blade at the scene, blurry but his pink hair shined through.

The villain was carrying something in his arms, but it was too bleary to tell what it was. Rage racked his body, watching the footage on repeat of the villain leaving the scene unharmed.

They wanted to make the Syndicate understand what it felt like. The feeling of losing something that they cared about. Ranboo dropped out of school before their senior year started, joining the hero academy to begin training.

He had never wanted to be a hero, in fact he and Tubbo used to joke about the heroes that came to their school looking for recruitments. But, they had to do this. Ranboo would be a hero.

He’d become a hero and avenge Tubbo. And so, his long nights and days of studying began. Learning fighting strategies, and how to battle certain villains. Ranboo memorized the lessons on the Syndicate; Siren would use his powers whenever he had the chance, the villains' combat skills weren’t the best, but Blade would interfere if the hero had the chance to get the upper hand.

As for the Blade, he was skilled in combat– Unlike anything that anyone had ever seen– so, strong powers and strategies were the way to get the upper hand. Ranboo planned his approach for months, they thought of every possibility for mistake and fixed it accordingly. There was only one problem; The Angel of Death. From what he could tell, the man had no weakness.

His avian abilities made his hearing stronger, so there was no possibility for sneak attacks. Plus, the man's combat skills were incredible. There was no way that Ranboo would be able to defeat him. He spent hours reviewing the books and lessons in his room at his moms’ house, trying to find a single weakness.

Ranboo’s two moms didn’t agree with their choice to become a hero– or dropping out of school– but it was the most passionate that he’d been about anything since Tubbo died, so they allowed it. On the condition that Ranboo would start going to therapy.

Begrudgingly, Ranboo agreed. Unsurprisingly to everyone, except Ranboo, therapy was helping him open up to the world again. It helped him heal, even if the thought of revenge sat in the back of his mind. His therapist agreed that training was a healthy mechanism for coping as long as he didn’t push himself to an extreme level.

After having that explained to their moms, eventually, they came to terms with Ranboo’s new lifestyle.

Fortunately, Ranboo didn’t have to spend too much time in the academy, as in the first year, Ranboo was top of their classes and was offered to speed up their studies so they could become a hero quicker. They took the offer, and soon enough, he was moving his things into an apartment in the hero tower; Becoming the newest hero, Ender.

Everyone was very welcoming, they gave him advice and tours on their first day there. Ranboo was slightly nervous when they stepped into a huge room filled with tables, and one of the tower supervisors introduced them. Still, everyone was kind, cheering and acquainting themselves with the younger hero. It was all really nice, until he made eye contact with a blond haired boy.

He felt chills go down his spine as the blue of the boy’s eyes met his. His voice died in his throat as neither of them looked away. It was as if he was glued in place, unable to move. Ranboo watched as he tensed under their view, becoming smaller and smaller as he closed in on himself.

They couldn’t help but take a step forward when their legs finally felt solid enough, but as they did, the boy quickly broke eye contact and grabbed his food from the microwave.

“Who’s that?” Ranboo questioned one of the fellow heroes, the woman’s eyes turning to a blond haired boy that quickly walked out from the break room. The welcoming smile across her face soon turned to a sneer. The younger flinched slightly as she hissed. 

She didn’t turn her eyes back to them, continuing to stare at the door, ready to attack– as if the boy would come walking back in at any moment.

“That’s Crimson,” She scoffed, pure anger across her face. “He’s the Angel’s son.” 

“The Angel of Death’s son?!” Ranboo gaped, looking at the woman with confusion and fear. Question from question raced through his mind; The main one being on why a villain’s son would be in the hero tower. The women looked back at them, giving him a grim expression. “But, how- What is he?-” 

“Calm down, Kid.” The hero says, her voice thick and stern. Ranboo knew her tone wasn’t targeted at him, yet still tensing at the words. She sighs at them, rubbing the space in between her eyebrows. “He can’t hurt you. We took him in when he was around six or seven, his name is Tommy.”

They follow as she sits herself at the table nearest to them. Most of the other heroes and workers had left the break room, going back to their jobs. “Apparently, they trained him to be a hero, but I don’t believe it.”

 Ranboo stared in awe, he had heard of a story when he was younger about the heroes invading the Syndicate’s headquarters, but there hadn’t been anything about them taking Angel’s son. “So, he knows the Syndicate’s identities?” 

“No, we weren’t able to get any information about the Syndicate’s identities from him,” She scoffs at the question, but answers nonetheless. “Plus, he hasn’t seen his father or brothers in years, we’ve made sure of it.”

He stared for a moment more, there had always been rumors in the public of the Syndicate’s family dynamic, but it had never been confirmed. In their head, Ranboo goes back over their plan to beat the villains.

More things connected, such as why Blade was so protective over Siren, or why Blade’s fighting style was identical to Angel’s. “They think that his power will be strong enough to defeat his family, that’s the only reason they’re keeping him around.” 

“Do you think he’ll really turn on his family?” Ranboo speaks in a whisper, not realizing their own question until after it’s in the air.

“We aren’t sure, most of us are still betting on him being a traitor, but we have no say in the matter.” She sneers while speaking, Ranboo winces, gaze dropping to glare at the table. “Still, The Angel went on a rampage for years after Tommy’s disappearance, I’m sure you’ve heard about the mall disaster.” They flinched back at the mention of the incident, it went unnoticed by the woman. “He’s basically the Syndicate’s weakness.”

Ranboo’s head flies up, staring at the woman as she continues to speak; her words not reaching their ears as she begins to pack up, leaving Ranboo on their own. They sit at the table, unmoving.

The gears turned in their head, a final plan coming together. Tommy. He was the Angel’s weakness. A sharp breath left his throat, a laugh. After months of strategizing and studying every public known fact about the villains, they had finally found it. Something that could be held over their heads, like a piece of cheese on a mouse trap.

He’d have to find a way to get close with Tommy, earn his trust. And so, the pestering began. 

They learnt the boy’s weekly schedule, attempting to start a conversation whenever he could. His fellow heroes and co-workers would always warn him of Tommy, his father, but Ranboo ignored them.

Everything was seemingly going fine, except for one problem; Tommy wouldn’t let anyone through the walls he built. They noticed that Tommy never truly answered his questions, so they changed the tactic. If he wouldn’t let Ranboo into his walls, then they’d have to break down their own.

Ranboo began telling Tommy everything there was to know about himself; About his moms and their worries about his career as a hero, the cat that he and Tubbo had adopted in freshman year of high school, and how they had never finished high school. Anything Ranboo could think of, Tommy knew about. Anything to get the blond to open up to him.

They never let on that they knew Tommy’s background, claiming that they only wanted to be friends since they were around the same age. 

Eventually, Tommy opened up more and more. They’d have long conversations after patrols about things they’d be if they weren’t heroes, or places they’d want to visit when they were old enough. There were very few things Tommy let slip about his early childhood; He was sent to an army camp when the committee took him in– most likely to train his unstable powers.

Tommy said nothing of his family, calling himself an orphan on occasions. In time, Ranboo stopped listening for quips about the boy’s family. In fact, they ended up enjoying their conversations with Tommy.

It felt like a breath of fresh air. Soon enough, the two boys were closer than Ranboo had ever been with since Tubbo. He’d never replace his first friend, but this was different. Tommy was the calm and the storm, they could go from quietly listening to music to laughing loudly as heroes glared at them. It was chaotic, but it was pleasant.

They didn't mean to scare Tommy away that day, when disaster struck and the blond ended up crying into a pillow in their room. It just slipped. When they started talking about Tubbo again, a haze of grief came over him.

Their therapist would say it was normal for them to still experience grief, it had only been two years since the accident, but it was more than that. It felt like the years of grief and drowning, all crushing him in that one moment. As if they were waiting for someone to reach and grab him from the tide that pulled him in– Just like Tommy had done, without even realizing.

The urge to avenge his first friend hit him like a truck, and he ruined everything. It was obvious when Tommy left earlier than he would’ve any other night, giving an excuse to get out of there. It was obvious when Tommy stopped showing up to Ranboo’s apartment after his patrols.

 It was obvious that Tommy was avoiding him. So, Ranboo did something to try to fix everything, something so they wouldn’t drown; Ranboo signed up for night patrol. 

 

.  .  .

 

Tommy was avoiding Ranboo. Fucking blame him for it, if you want. It wasn’t really easy to hear that the only reason they became a hero was to avenge their dead best friend, whom his family caused to die. Tommy was confident that Ranboo blamed him, or at least was upset with him for being related to such people– like most of the heroes were.

So, he’d make a fucking run for it whenever they entered the room. Tommy stopped showing up to their daily hangouts, focusing on training instead. Surely, they’d want to avoid him too. You’d think. Instead, Ranboo decided to try at every chance to talk to the blond: finding him after patrols, at mealtimes, and even while he’s training.

Which was fine– Tommy usually came up with an excuse to leave– until the hero signed up for night patrols. And was approved– it was expected, no one likes night patrols so when they get a volunteer to do it, there is no turning it down. Now, if it wasn’t bad enough that he’d be left alone with Ranboo for an entire night; It was even worse since it would be his first patrol without being supervised.

This single patrol would set the president for him going on unmonitored patrols all the time. Nothing ever went Tommy’s way in life, so why would this. Ranboo stands in front of him in full hero costume with a metal black mask– equipped with a voice changer– that covers the bottom of their face. He’d seen Ranboo with the ‘Ender’ outfit on once or twice, but it all felt too real now.

Tommy’s usual supervisor gives them the basic rules of night patrol, or well, patrolling with Tommy. The boy nods along to it, peaking their eyes over to the blond every few minutes; Tommy looks away. He fiddles with one of the straps on his black pants, tightening the cuffs. He wears a dark red– Crimson, almost– hoodie with black stretchy fabric pants.

His mask was in the shape of a cat skull, its eyes covered by black goggles. His voice changer sat heavy in the middle of the mask, the entire disguise being held by a piece of weak black string. 

It’s already ten o’clock before they’re allowed to leave. Ranboo hadn’t spoken since they left the tower, only looking over to Tommy with wordless pleas for him to start the conversation. He stays quiet. There wasn’t much trouble that night, other than a few muggings.

Tommy would go after them on foot while Ranboo teleported to cut them off; the two of them made a great team, even without speaking. Whenever there wasn’t a criminal to stop, Tommy sped up his pace to keep from walking next to Ranboo; yet that only caused the other to walk faster to keep up. The two heroes had walked down the route seven times before Ranboo finally broke, running up next to him.

“Look, Tom-” Ranboo attempts to start, only to be cut off by Tommy. 

“It’s Crimson, what do you need, Ender.” The blond speaks, his tone was stern.

“Okay, Crimson, uh- Look, I’m sorry about the other night.” They sigh, stopping from the pace they are walking at to keep up with Tommy. The blond stops, utterly confused by the other hero’s words. Tommy doesn’t face Ranboo, staring at the empty sidewalk in front of him. “Let’s just forget about it, alright?” 

Forget about it. Tommy thinks he should be happy that Ranboo wants to forget about it. That someone can finally put his family past him. A friend that wants to give him another chance in spite of what the Syndicate has done.

To erase the pain they’ve caused. To erase the blame laid on him because of his genetics. Tommy should be happy.

 “No.” He says, hands shaking at his sides. He says no, because to erase the bad is to erase the good. To forget the warm hugs, comforting hands that ran through his hair and sweet reassuring whispers.

To erase sleeves that wiped away tears, loud laughter. The feeling of being loved. The gentle feeling. He says no, because he’d be lying if he said anything else. He’d be lying if he didn’t say he wanted nothing more than to be protected. Safe in his family's arms. 

“No?” Ranboo says in shock. 

“No, I don’t want to forget!” Tommy shouts, finally turning to face the hero. He doesn’t realize the tears dripping down his face, nor does he notice his irregular breathing. His hands squeeze into fists beside his sides. Ranboo opens his mouth to speak, but they don’t get the chance before Tommy turns and runs into an alleyway.

He can hear Ranboo call after him, but the blond ignores it. Continuing to run, and run, and run, until eventually, Tommy turns into a building. He doesn’t know how far he ran off his patrol route, but being that he was severely out of breath; it was a long way.  He thinks he lost Ranboo along while back, hearing the boy having trouble with his teleporting.

His powers were weaker than most, it only took a few uses to cause them exhaustion. Tommy looks around the lobby of the building, he can only assume it’s some sort of apartment complex with doors going all along the hallways.

Eventually, he finds a staircase, humming as he takes the journey to the roof. The building is only about five or six stories high, but being still tired from running, it takes him much longer to make it up to the top. 

Pushing open the door at the peak of the stairs, he finds himself back in the cold air. Tommy sighs, looking out at the city from the rooftop. Even from miles away, he could still see the hero tower. It was the tallest building in the city, reminding Tommy that wherever he went and whatever he did; he was being watched.

The hero grimaces at the thought, even if it wasn’t a new one. The committee had controlled him his entire life. Everything of him belonged to them; the air he breathed, all of his movements, his powers. They commanded him, Tommy’s entire life was held in the palm of CEOs that have never seen the battlefield.

If they wanted him to sacrifice his life in battle, he would do so without having the chance to say goodbye. 

Someone clears their throat behind him, causing the hero to flinch. Tommy turns to the noise quickly, tensing when in front of him stands a man with curly brown hair and a rustic plague doctor mask that only covers the top of his face. Siren.

Tommy’s older brother. He freezes up, attempting to get into his battle stance, but instead standing defenseless; arms to his side, shoulders risen to his ears. 

“You’re Crimson, right?” Siren says, his tone heavy but amused. The hero bites down a fearful noise, finally taking in his surroundings; Logstedshire, the Syndicates terf.

He must’ve ended up here while getting away from Ranboo, it wasn’t a part of his root. Infact, Tommy was banned from patrolling the area in case he ran into any of his family members.

The blond takes a step back, there’s only a ledge behind him. “Don’t be scared, I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Not scared.” The hero replies, the shakiness in his voice changer betraying the sentiment. His eyes travel around the setting, searching for any sort of an escape.

Behind Siren, the boy’s eyes land on an electrical pole, a small black box sitting atop it. It was a camera; one that the committee had secretly put up without telling anyone of it.

He looks back to Siren, biting the inside of his cheek nervously. “I’m a big man.”

He doesn’t miss the way Siren winces at the words, a frown forming on his lips.

“I’ve never seen you around Logstedshire, Crimson.” The villain utters, taking a step closer to Tommy, causing him to attempt a step back. There’s nowhere else to go. He cusses himself out in his mind. “or without a babysitter.”

“Fuck off.” He huffs, but it’s obvious, he’s scared– not of his brother, though. Siren steps forward. Tommy takes in a breath of air, he can feel material around him; atoms, particles, matter.

He can always sense it. It flows heavily around the air. Tommy wouldn’t say his power is unstable, but it works with emotions. Strong feelings cause intense reactions. He had never been good with emotions. 

Siren steps forward. Tommy reacts. 

Instantly, specks of red begin to rise from the stone roof; a powerful blast causes Siren to fall backwards– causing the camera’s footage to blur. The villain lets out a shocked noise, as he saves himself from falling from the other side of the ledged roof.

Tommy gasps for air, letting go of the breath he didn’t know he was holding. The red particles fuss around the air as Tommy looks behind him once more; nothing had changed, it was still ledge.

Siren hisses, bringing the hero’s attention back to the villain. He looked upset, the amused expression from before wiped completely from his face. Tommy doesn’t wait another moment before turning; Siren seemed to realize his plans. 

“Wait!” He shouts but before the villain has the chance to get another word out, Tommy jumps from the rooftop. 

The red particles follow him, gathering around his legs and softening his landing. He takes a moment to steady himself, eyes searching the alleyway. Before he has the chance to move, another pair of feet hit the floor behind him. Tommy whips around, facing his brother once again.

He is unharmed, which would be impossible if falling from that height. The man seems to notice his confusion, only grabbing his foot off the floor and showing it to Tommy. He was wearing steel boots. “Long fall boots, Nuke made them!” 

Tommy tilts his head to the side. “Nuke?” 

Siren chuckles. “He makes our equipment, we met him about two years ago.” The man explains, shifting his boots slightly. “Enough about that, Don’t Move .”

Abruptly, Tommy freezes, cursing at himself for not moving out of the way before the soundwave of Siren’s power reached him. Mind Control.

Most of the heroes at the tower would talk about their fears of the ability, not being able to find a way to free themselves from the hold. He remembers people talking about staying up at night, lost in their own world where their body wasn’t theirs.

The blond’s legs and arms tense against the power’s hold. He bites down a whine as Siren steps closer, Tommy is shaking.

“Calm down, Crimson, I just want to talk.” Siren sighs, he sounds almost apologetic. Tommy’s eyebrows furrow on his face, a frown found on his lips.

He isn’t too fond that the first time he’ll be talking to his brother in years will be against his will, but again, it wasn’t like he had a choice.

The villain takes another step forward as the blond attempts his way out. “We need your help finding someone.” 

“Who?” Tommy questions, hoping that he already knows the answer to the question. 

“That’s not for you to know,” Siren replies simply, now standing two feet away from Tommy. The villain looks like he’s about to start monologuing, but the blond ignores him, instead testing his powers against the mind control.

He doubts he could do anything. “But, he’s a kid. Around sixteen or seventeen now, bright blond hair and blue eyes.” 

The blond holds back a wince. “Why are you looking for him?”

Siren thinks for a moment, before a heavy exhale leaves his mouth. “He was taken from us a while ago, but we need to get him back.”

Something pulls at Tommy, his powers. It’s as if a loose string sits on his sweater, the boy begins to pull at it. Nothing happens. So, he continues pulling at the loose string until SNAP.

Cold air touches his face. His skin. There's a shattering noise as something hits the floor, and Tommy pauses. His eyes wide, staring at his brother, now without a mask to cover his identity.

Siren hasn’t moved, mouth agape. Tommy’s limbs relax as the siren’s song that held them falls. There's only a moment more before a pained noise leaves Siren’s throat. “The- Theo, I, it's you, Theseus.” 

“Theseus.” Tommy whispers to himself, tasting the name on his tongue. His name. An old memory came back to him, choosing a different name– Tommy– as a cover. At seven years old, his family had already taught him about changing his identity. 

 “You’re alive, you-.” His brother steps closer to him– but, this time Tommy doesn’t move backward. Cupping Tommy’s face in his hands, Siren’s tears fall against his own skin; down his cheeks, falling from his chin, onto his arm. “You’re- , you- Theseus.”

“I- uh, Tommy. I use Tommy.” The boy corrects, his voice small.  

“Tommy.” Siren repeats, the words are fond. He can’t help but lean into his brother’s hand, as his slim fingers graze the skin across his face. A sob escapes his throat as Siren traces over the scars he'd acquired over the years. “What did they do to you, Sunshine.” The younger falls forward, leaning into his brother’s arms as the man holds him tightly. “I’m so sorry- I, this is all my fault.” 

The blond doesn’t reply, only shaking his head as he leans his face closer into Siren’s shoulder. There are footsteps from behind his brother, but Tommy isn’t paying attention.

“Wil, what are you doing?” A monotone voice speaks loudly causing Tommy to flinch back, looking for his mask, but Siren is still holding him; unwilling to let go. They turn toward the voice, Tommy burrowing deeper into his brother’s arms. “Who is that?”

The brunette’s head moves up, looking toward the monotone man. “It’s him, Tech.” His voice is broken and watery, but soft and sweet. It reminds Tommy of lullabies and laughs. He closes his eyes, unbothered by the footsteps walking closer. 

The hands that hold onto him loosen as another pair draw his face into the exposed. His forehead is pressed against another as he opens his eyes.

Tommy is met with a pair of red pupils underneath a hoglin’s skull being used as a mask. Pink hair tickles at his face and neck as Blade stares at him. “Theseus.”

“He- Tommy, he goes by Tommy.” Siren corrects, earning a hum from Blade. They stay like that for a while, three brothers finally reunited after so long apart. Tommy’s eyes were the first to blink, drowsy. He lets a heavy yawn leave him, his brothers chuckle. “You tired, Toms?” The blond nods, leaning closer to Siren with another yawn. 

Blade sways backwards, his hand finding its place in Tommy’s blond curls. The boy hums happily, sleep falling on him quickly. “We should get him back home, Dad will be worried-” 

There’s a familiar noise that interrupts his brother’s words, a sound he couldn’t place in that state. It was like a swoosh , reminding him of the noise that Ranboo made whenever he teleported- Oh shit.

There's heavy breathing from where the noise originated, his brothers turn to it; changing into defensive stances. “Tom- Crimson! Are you okay?” Ranboo shouts, there's a fearful stutter in his voice. Tommy tries to hum something back, but his tiredness only makes it sound distressed. “Let go of him!”

“Never again.” A voice rumbles under his ear.

“I won’t let you hurt him.” The hero sneers, as he begins to teleport to another spot. Tommy opens his eyes, watching as Blade attempts to fight Ranboo off. They are too quick, moving from space to space.

The villains twist and turn, attempting to keep track of them– Siren prepares his power, but it won’t work unless they’re standing still. The hero teleports a little further from them for a moment, but it’s a trick, Tommy knows it.

Except, he’s too tired to say anything. As Blade begins charging toward Ranboo, they teleport right behind Siren, quickly stealing Tommy from his arms. 

“Okay, Crim, I’m going to teleport.” He says, dragging Tommy along with him.

“No,” Tommy whines, drawing out the word. It’s too late, Ranboo teleports all the way back to the hero tower, uptown. Immediately, the heroes drop to the floor; Ranboo passing out from exhaustion and Tommy vomiting from nausea. 

 

.    .    . 

 

Seven years old. Tommy was exactly seven when Wilbur last saw his little brother. The blond had looked like a tinier version of their father with a constant mischievous grin and a delighted laugh. He was a late bloomer with many things; walking, talking, his powers, but they were with him through it all.

Tommy could light up a room by walking in, and the family was happy. Wilbur had cried for months after his brother was taken, because it was his fault that no one was there to watch Tommy. It was one of his first real syndicate missions– sure, he’d made appearances before to get his name out there, but Wilbur hadn’t done anything yet– The brunette and his twin had practically begged their dad to let them go on an operation.

Being a mother hen, Phil only allowed them to do so if they agreed to stay on the side and not interact. The boys were ecstatic. Unfortunately, as neither Wilbur or Techno were able to watch their little brother, Phil needed to hire a babysitter. It was an easy choice; Eret was quickly picked out of all of the other candidates.

She was a trusted friend within the business, but more importantly, she had a power which would make them easy to reach. Astral Projection; they could appear anywhere as a ghost-like figure and interact with anything while their body would disappear from wherever they last were. They’d have no ability to see whatever was happening where they left.

She would be left with an alarm for backup incase of emergency, she’d be able to go back and forth between the fighting. Phil had assured them it would be safe– they’d be one alert away if anything happened– as long as everything went according to plan. If only. 

Wilbur felt tense when they made it to the warehouse– there was supposed to be a delivery of healing potions, it was harder to find a healer while being the enemy– the air felt tight around them, almost choking. He addressed his concerns to Techno, but they were pushed away as the vendors walked through the door.

They had nothing with them– no boxes, bags, potions– and he could see Phil’s wings tense, pushing Techno and Wilbur behind him. 

“Where’s the potions?” Phil sneered out the question– wings spreading into an attack formation, neither Techno or Wilbur moving behind him. One of the merchants took a step forward, he was a man with brown hair and green eyes– nothing too notable about him except for the scars that littered his body. “What happened to our deal!-” 

“Calm down, Angel.” The man spoke, his voice with an amused tint in it. He took a step forward, Wilbur leaned closer toward his father. “Show me the money first.”

Phil huffs, but grabs the black duffle bag from Techno. The two men behind the seller are whispering to each other, hand on their weapons. They’re looking between his family, small smirks across their faces. Wilbur steps closer to his father, just in time to see the man in front of them reach for his weapon.

“Don’t touch him!” Wilbur pushes in front of his dad, blocking him from the man. The man grabs the brunette’s wrist instead, wrapping his own arm around Wilbur’s neck. Techno and Phil yell, but everything in the brunette's head goes silent as cold metal is placed against his skin. A gun.

He tenses, the arm tightening around his neck. Phil and Techno yell, weapons flying into the air. Wilbur can’t move– can’t speak, breath thin with stress. The man jostles him around, gun hitting roughly into his head. Wilbur grunts attempting to kick, thrash, or fight back but he can only twitch his finger. He’s scared.

Wilbur is sixteen, in a life or death situation– and he thinks he should’ve listened to his father when the blond said he was too young. 

Phil clicks on Eret’s alert button, Wilbur barely notices. It’s not a second more before a thud is heard behind him. Wilbur almost relaxes, except for the fact that the gun is still to his head. His powers come back to him– his Siren song. “ Put the gun down, and get on the floor .”  

Like puppets, the man does just that. The gun clashing with the floor as he falls with it. Wilbur rushes back, being caught by his father’s embrace.

Both breathe heavily, as tears begin to roll down their faces. Techno places a hand on Wilbur’s arm, a comfort, before walking toward the men and tying them with rope Eret had found.

Phil holds Wilbur to his side, slightly restricting– The brunette doesn’t care, leaning into the comfort– his wings wrapping around his son.

“What did I say about not interacting, Siren.” Phil sighs, finally letting go of the brunette when Techno and Eret were finished securing the men. His brother walks up slowly, giving Wilbur an amused look. Wilbur scowls back at him. “I’m serious, you could’ve gotten hurt.”

“I’m sorry, Dad.” Wilbur said, his tone apologetic as he turned his eyes back to the men. Eret sat near them, making sure they wouldn’t get out. He briefly noticed the men were quiet, maybe too quiet, but Wilbur ignored them, addressing Eret instead. “How is he?” 

She looks at him, a soft smile across their face. “Fine. Little man was just teaching me about all the swears he knows.” Phil gives Wilbur and Techno a look, but the two of them chuckle to each other. Eret stood from where they sat near the criminals, giving Phil a small nod. “I need to be heading back now, who knows what chaos he’ll be causing.”

Phil chuckles, nodding back. “Thank you for your help, mate.” Like that, Eret disappears. The brunette shakes his head, considering what Tommy could’ve been up to while Eret was gone; he finds himself huffing a laugh. Techno begins walking back over to the men, Wilbur following behind him before Phil grabs his hand lightly.

He turns making eye contact with his dad, who gives him a worried look. Wilbur sighs, letting his father go in front of him as they walk over. “Let’s deal with traitors then.” Phil says, causing the main man to laugh.

“What are you laughing about? You’ve lost, you're done.” Techno says his voice is vicious and cruel, the pink haired man grabs the rope from where it holds his wrist jostling him slightly.

Wilbur only chuckles, he doesn’t truly understand how a man that is soft and kind can go to this without a second thought. Phil and Wilbur step closer to where Techno stands, holding onto the restraints. 

“Lost? Oh no, we did exactly what we wanted.” He challenges, pulling on the ropes slightly. Techno pulls back, causing the man to stop. Phil takes another step forward, but Wilbur stands where he is. 

“That is?” Phil questions, his shoulders tensing slightly. The brunette watches the way his wings twitch on his back, the way his black feathers shake. 

Wilbur fears the answer, he seethes at the man's response. He hears it in his nightmares. He sees it in how his Father and Brother look at him with pity after Tommy was taken. In the pictures that frame the halls of a blue-eyed boy. Wilbur takes a breath of air, the last fresh thing he’ll experience. The man speaks. “Distract.” 

There's a loud alarm that beeps from Phil’s watch; Eret’s side of the alarm. Techno looks up toward them, and time threatens to stop. Beep, Beep, Beep. Phil is the first to move, making a swift turn– he looks as if he is going to fly off, leaving the teens stranded– but instead he begins running toward the car. The boys are quick after him, leaving everything else behind.

They rushed through the streets; passed stop signs and traffic stops. Luckily, the meetup spot wasn’t far from the base. When the family arrived, it looked normal; there was no door ajar or an open fight going on. Wilbur let himself hope that Eret had clicked the button by accident.

Except, when they finally made it inside, the place was a mess, with only Eret pacing the room. “Eret. Eret! Where is Tommy?” 

She turned to them, breath hoarse and loud. “He- Phil, I’m so- I don’t” Wilbur could already feel tears falling from his eyes as he walked closer to her– she flinched backward. “They took him.” 

“Who?” Techno said, there was nothing in his tone– nothing to give away a thought or emotion. He was solemn, quiet. 

“The heroes.” A sob broke through Wilbur’s throat. He blamed himself for his brother’s kidnapping– if he wasn’t dumb enough to get caught. To let them get distracted. Tommy would have still been here, he would have been with them. 

Years went on, the Syndicate mourned the loss of their youngest; never stopping their search even if most told them he was dead. It was much harder to carry on with their plans to take down the hero committee, and so they set aside the plans for a while.

Much longer than they thought they would. It wasn’t until the mall attack that they finally saw the true evil the heroes caused. They arrived at the scene late, the building already up in flames.

One of their informants had warned them of the hero's plans, to put the blame on them. Techno went in to save whoever they could while Phil flew over top to tell him where to go. That was where they met Nuke. 

He was burnt from the explosives and fires, being left blind in one eye and in a coma. The Syndicate provided him safety and healthcare, worried for the young boy.

He didn’t have an ID on him, leaving them with no choice but to keep him. They’d check on him everyday, hoping that the young boy would wake up.

It wouldn’t happen until five months later, a mildly normal day when suddenly a loud bang was heard from Nuke’s room. The three men ran in quickly, finding the kid standing and looking around like a rabid animal. His eyes turned to them, something terrified and deadly.

 “Who are you? Where am I?” He spoke fast, anger growing in his tone. Then, he stopped. Looking back to the men who were just about to go on patrol. “Holy Shit, you’re the Syndicate.”

They don’t speak, staring at the kid with shock. The doctors had been unsure of when he’d wake up, or if he would at all. The brunette continues, stepping closer. “Why am I here? What- Oh god, the fire.” 

“Listen, Kid.” Techno manages to say, taking a slight step forward. The boy is quick to flinch back, Wilbur winces. “We’re not going to hurt you, what do you remember?” 

The boy looked unsure, mouth opening then closing. “I was, uh, at the mall and there was a loud explosion, then I- I was trapped under the rubble but my friend, Ranboo- Oh god, Ranboo! Is he okay?” 

Wilbur looks to his dad, a frown forming on the man’s face. “We aren’t sure, Techno could only grab you when the building collapsed.” The boy takes in a deep breath, before sitting back down on the bed. “You’ve been in a coma since the accident.”

He stands back up. “WHAT. How long has it been?!” 

“About five months…” Wilbur said slowly. The boy stilled, staring at the villains, mouth agape. It was silent for a few moments before Wilbur spoke up again. “Maybe, you should sit back down.” Slowly, the boy nodded and sat back onto the bed.

“So, what now?” The kid questions. Wilbur feels bad for him; being around the scariest villains in the city and all. “Am I legally dead?”

“We aren’t sure.” Techno replies, he seems a bit amused by the question. 

“Okay, well, can I join the Syndicate then?” They are thrown off by the question, looking to each other for help. After waking up from a five month coma, this kid would rather join a villain organization instead of seeing his friends or family. “It’s always been a dream of mine!” 

“Well- I don’t know.” Phil begins.

Wilbur barks a laugh. “C’mon, Dad, let the kid join!”

The blond gives his son a look, before turning his eyes back to the boy. “Is that what you really want?” He nods eagerly.  Phil sighs. “Okay.”

“Welcome to the team- Wait, what’s your name?” Techno questions. 

The boy beams. “Tubbo.”

“Welcome to the Syndicate, Tubbo.” Phil interjected, smiling kindly to the boy.

“Call me Nuke.” He decided. Tubbo was a great addition to the Syndicate, and the family. He became an engineer; creating amazing equipment for the villains. They didn’t allow him to go out into the field because of his age, but he still enjoyed going by his alias.

He was a good kid, though a bit explosive. As in, he had powers of explosions and well… his inventions. One night, before Wilbur had gone on patrol; Tubbo had handed him a new pair of boots. Long falls boots.

They’d protect his legs from breaking if he needed to jump from a long distance. That is where the night had begun. 

Being on patrol with Techno meant two things; one, that he would have backup whenever he needed, and two, that he couldn’t do anything fun with his brother babying him. So, when given the chance; Wilbur took his leave.

It was a calm night, in all honesty, Wilbur wasn’t expecting anything out of the normal. That was when his eyes met Crimson. The Syndicate had never met the hero personally, though they had business partners that had fought against him. The boy seemed spaced out, staring out into the distance. Wilbur jumped down to meet him.

He hadn’t planned to fight the hero, maybe to get some information out of him but that was all. What Wilbur was not expecting was to be immediately attacked, or to chase the hero down an alleyway. 

Wilbur remembers the moment when the mask dropped from his face. Theseus. He was young– they had been keeping track of his birthdays– Sixteen. Wilbur noticed how tiny he was. How his skin was covered with cuts and bruises. The way his hands shook.

Theseus wasn’t a baby anymore. He looked like Wilbur. On his first mission; still too young and weak to be out in the field. It seemed like a blur before he was gone again. The newest hero, Ender, had taken him. His sunshine, taken again.

“It was him,” Wilbur sobbed into his father’s shoulder, voice hoarse and broken. They had gotten home a half an hour ago, Wilbur hadn’t stopped crying since the two boys teleported away. Techno went silent, only helping his brother home.

It took awhile for them to collectively explain what had happened to Phil, but now Wilbur stands in his embrace as Techno stares from afar. “He was- Toms, he- Dad, my little brother.” He chokes on a sob before he can finish his sentence. “My baby brother- He's a hero- Dad, he’s a kid!” 

“I know, Wil.” Phil sighs, rubbing circles into his son’s back. He glances over to Techno, reaching out to Techno. The pink haired man stares at the hand, taking it after a minute of hesitation. The blond pulls him closer, but not into a full hug– Techno has never liked physical affection. 

The brunette leans on his dad’s shoulder, turning to face his twin. The tears in his eyes blur his sight, making his brother look like nothing more than a few pink blobs. “He was right there. We lost him a second time.”

“I- I know.” His father whispers.

 

.   .   .

 

Tommy and Ranboo were in deep shit when they were both finally conscious enough to comprehend the words being screamed at them. It was hours before the screaming from their fellow heroes and bosses were finished. That was when Ranboo decided to tell them about what the Syndicate had seen. They were pissed to say the least.

At a young age, Tommy had been told what would happen to him if they found out his secret identity– hell, if we went near them without direct order. He would be locked away in Pandora's vault for the rest of his life, and charged for treason.

The blond stared at his supervisors as they screamed and began reaching for handcuffs– power damping cuffs. Ranboo was quick to speak up. “It was my fault!” They said, their voice filled with terror. “I told Tommy to go into Logstedshire.” 

The blond gaped at his friend– so did their bosses. No one had ever stood up for the villain’s kid before. Tommy believed that the entire committee decided to place any blame they could on him.  “Are- Are you sure, Ranboo?” One of the supervisors asked. 

Ranboo nodded. Tommy felt himself breathe again, all of the eyes on the newest superhero. There were whispers and scoffs that sounded in the room, but soon they moved onto the next topic.

How to proceed. The boy had already decided that he wanted to put the entire thing behind him, but the committee disagreed. The Syndicate knew his identity, they’d come for him. 

(And, maybe that was everything Tommy had ever wanted. No one had seen the way he had almost let them take him that night. He destroyed one of the committee’s cameras to be allowed to continue talking to his brother. How he fell into Siren’s arms without a second thought. Would he do it again if they ever met? No. He couldn’t. It was his job to defeat them.) 

“Right, we will have to get ahead of this,” One of his supervisors had said, looking over to the blond. “Crimson, how’d you feel about having your first press interview?”  He nodded, no words escaping his mouth.

Tommy would want nothing more than to stay away from the press as long as they would let him. It wasn’t up to him though. Nothing was.  

It was only two days before they got the interview setup. Tommy sat on set waiting for them to start. He had been moving from station to station getting ready. His newly strapped cat mask sat uncomfortably on his face.

At least it could be used as a cover; not wanting people to see his embarrassment. Soon, the news reporter sat down near him. She had brown hair and green eyes that were staring upon her script.

Tommy was also given a script, but with all of the nonsense of the morning, he only had time to read it twice. The news reporter cleared her throat. “So, are you really the Angel’s son?”

“Uh,” Tommy stuttered. She must’ve seen him staring at him. “Yeah, I am.” The reporter stared at him for so long, it felt as if she was evaluating if he was a villain himself– just like everyone else did when they found out. He wasn’t of course.

Tommy doesn’t think he has the heart to be a villain, or to hurt anyone. “I’m not like, well, evil.” He decides to add, regretting the words as they leave his mouth.  

“I know,” She chuckles, turning toward the boy. Her eyes looked soft through his mask. The hero doesn’t know what to say. “I thought it was crazy when the producers first told me! My kids love Crimson– Well, you, I guess.” 

Tommy flustered slightly at this. He didn’t know that he had actual fans. “I could sign something for them– or, I don’t know.” 

“Oh! That would be amazing.” She smiled. It was kind and warm. Tommy had never really spoken to the public as his hero persona, or well his civilian one either. He had always thought them to be stupid.

The committee committed crimes against the public all the time without their knowledge. The cameras, secret projects. Tommy ended up signing a random piece of paper right before the broadcast started. The news reporter gave him a hug. Tommy smiled. 

He thinks that's what it means to be a hero. Helping civilians and making them happy. Not lies or only patrolling the richer neighborhoods. Before he knew it, the cameras were rolling.

The reporter was very professional throughout the interview. He noticed how she tried to comfort him without anyone noticing– slight smiles, looks. It wasn’t easy telling the world who his family was but Tommy tried to stay on script.  

“Alright Crimson, this is the last question,” She smiled, looking down at her question sheet. It was the one he had the hardest time remembering the answer. Tommy took a deep breath as she spoke. “If you could say anything to the Syndicate right now, what would you say?”

He noticed how she didn’t say ‘family’-- how no one ever called them his family. They didn’t have a chance to be a family. Tommy bit his lip, turning to stare at the camera as practiced.

He opened his mouth, then closed it. He didn’t know the line. Looking behind the camera for a moment, he made eye contact with Ranboo, who nearly hissed back before containing themselves and giving a supportive smile. Tommy opened his mouth again. “Well, uh, I’d probably- Uh, I’m sorry.” 

“Hey, it’s alright! Take your time, this is a hard question.” She comforted him. 

Tommy looked toward the floor for a moment before looking up. “I’d ask why, I think.” 

The reporter startled, looking at Tommy with confusion. “Why?”

Ranboo was watching with a pinched expression, as well as his supervisors. He couldn’t remember what they had wanted him to say; something about crime and justice, but that wasn’t true.

He had thought about the question before: when it was first brought up for the interview, late at nights when sleep wouldn’t take him under, or whenever he let his mind drift to them. Why didn’t they come for him? Why did they let the heroes hurt him? Why?

He couldn’t say that on national television though. Tommy looked back to the reporter, “Why do they hurt so many people? Is what I would ask them.” 

She nodded, giving one of the producers a look. It wasn’t a moment later when she began closing the show, sending the program to commercial. Tommy was the first one out of there, basically running to the bathroom before his panic attack truly took over. 

His hands held tightly onto the sink, staring at his masked self in the mirror. His face seemed off in the reflection. Everything seemed off; the air buzzed nervously with energy. Tommy takes a deep breath, attempting to level his breathing. It isn’t a moment longer before his mask is dropped into the sink.

He stares at his full face. The dark circles under his eyes are more prominent and he is pale. He looks young, but not at the same time. As his breathing evens, Tommy thinks of his younger self. 

How would that little kid react to where Tommy ended up? Would he throw a tantrum, shouting about wanting to be like his family? Tommy doesn’t remember. He doesn’t remember a lot of things before the army camp, and Grayson, and his powers.

He doesn’t even remember what his brother’s look like without their masks. He doesn’t remember his family’s faces. Their smiles. Tommy doesn’t have time to fret over the fact before the bathroom door opens. Tommy quickly places his mask back on, turning to find– Purpled. 

“Hey, Crim.” The vigilante smirks. He wore a purple alien Halloween mask with goggles over his face, hiding his identity. Tommy had only ever run into the vigilante once during his patrol.

Purpled hadn’t been causing trouble, and so Tommy decided to let him go. He thinks he might regret that now.

“Purpled.” Tommy spoke, his voice full of shock though he tried to hide it. The vigilante took a step forward, Tommy stepped back– hitting into the sink. He lifted his arms, ready to block attacks. “How did you get here, this building is heavily guarded?! I could have you arrested right now.”  

Purpled scoffs. “Is that anyway to talk to someone who wants to help you?”

“You want to help me?” Tommy questions, eyebrows raising under his mask. 

“Do you want to be with your family, Crim?” Purpled asks. Tommy freezes. He can feel his fingertips twitching with the buzz of his powers.

He doesn’t know what he wants. Tommy was supposed to be a hero; it's what he trained for. How was he supposed to give that all up? After all the pain and suffering. After Grayson. The vigilante sighs. “Do you want to be a hero?”

“No.” Tommy chokes out without realizing. He is quick to take in another deep breath, staring at the vigilante with shock. “I didn’t mean that- I, I want to be a hero.” 

Purpled groans, taking another step forward and grabbing the hero by the collar. “No, no you don’t. You said it yourself.” 

The hero attempts to step back, but the vigilante holds on tightly. “Let- Let go of me!”

“They brainwashed you in that camp- Please, just–” Purpled struggles to keep a hold of Tommy as he thrashes around. “Tommy!” 

He stopped, staring at the vigilante. “What the fuck.”

The vigilante groans, letting go of Tommy’s collar. He takes a step back, letting Tommy take a moment to adjust himself. “Look, I need you to trust me.”

“How am I supposed to trust you?!” Tommy basically yells. Purpled doesn’t hesitate before pulling his mask half off for a moment– and Tommy sees it. The vigilante pulls the mask back down. “Grayson.”

“We don’t have time for greetings, Tommy.” He says, looking around the bathroom slowly. His eyes turn back to the hero. “Do you trust me?” 

“Uh–” Tommy doesn’t need to hesitate, but he does, before nodding. 

“Good. Listen closely, I am going to get you out of the committee.” Purpled says as if it's not a big deal. Tommy gapes. “I’ll contact the Syndicate, we can arrange for a fight or something as a distraction.” 

The hero’s jaw tenses as he attempts to open it and speak. He bites the inside of his mouth before finally finding the confidence to talk. “What about the mall incident? The Syndicate isn't good.”

“The mall incident was the hero committee, Tommy.” Purpled says. There is no hesitation in his voice, he is sure. Tommy blinks slightly, thinking of Ranboo. He doesn’t bother questioning Purpled; Tommy is sure it’s true.

“I don’t know.” Tommy whispers.

“Yes, Tommy, you do.” Purpled assures, placing a hand on his shoulder. “We will take down the committee.” Something in him celebrates the thought. He’d be free. That's what he wants– he thinks. Tommy only has time to nod before someone shouts from outside the bathroom for him to hurry up. Grayson pulls him into a hug before walking into a stall as Tommy leaves the bathroom. 

It wasn’t until two days after when Tommy finally realized what he had agreed to. The Syndicate had caused a scene during a fight, telling the heroes they wanted back what they had stolen.

The city erupted into chaos as they prepared for the fight. The blond could feel his gut churn as the days approached. He noticed how eyes were always on him as he walked down the halls with Ranboo. Tommy thinks they are friends again– he isn’t sure. 

The days seemed to go by quicker, and soon enough, Tommy finds himself in an army car. It reminds him of the early days, except no one is yelling at him and he isn’t starving. The car is silent.

Tommy shivers slightly, looking around; everyone’s eyes are on the ground. They all wear their hero outfits, prepared to fight for the city. This is the first time he’d seen them look so serious since the day they had kidnapped him. Ranboo sits beside him. 

“After this, we should go down to the bakery.” Ranboo speaks through the silence of the car ride. He is staring at the blond with pity. Tommy looks up at them. 

“Huh?” He says.

They give a sad smile. “Niki’s bakery, remember?” 

Tommy does remember. It was the first thing they had ever spoken about; before the fighting, wars, and family. Tommy thinks that in another time, he would have considered Ranboo family. Not now. Not when Ranboo thinks that the Syndicate killed his best friend, or that Tommy wants to take them down. “Yeah, it’s near here.” 

Ranboo nods, but doesn’t speak for the rest of the car ride. The committee knows that Purpled was involved in the plan, though they didn’t know how. There was video of Blade and the vigilante meeting in an alley. Heroes and vigilantes didn’t get along so they couldn’t ask. Tommy found himself still worried about it. 

When they arrived at the battle field, Tommy was basically shoved out of the car; Ranboo followed behind him. They were along the outskirts of the city– not wanting any civilian to get hurt or any damage to the city. Many heroes stood around, waiting for the battle to begin. The Syndicate stood further away. Tommy recognized many of the villains: The Queen, Captain, Ponk. 

Purpled stands to the side. He is staring at Tommy through his mask. The hero looks toward the center of the battlefield; eyes landing on his family. Angel’s wings are extended, most likely preparing for battle. Siren looks straight at Tommy, so does Blade. Someone pushes Tommy forward slightly, and with that; the battle has started. 

Angel is the first to fly into the battlefield. The heroes are next to run in. Tommy follows behind, watching as the blood flies through the air, and people fall. There’s a villain sending explosions through the field; Ranboo is fighting with them.

Tommy doesn’t know what to do. His breathing is sharp and hard. He watches as his family runs toward him, only to be stopped by heroes. Tommy doesn’t know what to do. His powers beg to be let out, but he doesn’t listen. 

Everything is too loud. Too much. He doesn’t know how long he stands there for until Siren grabs his arm. Tommy doesn’t think it was meant to burn as much as it did. “Tommy, we have to go. Now.” 

“Go?” Tommy says, his voice is unsure. “No, no we have to take down the committee.” 

“Wh- what are you talking about, Sunshine?” Siren questions, looking back to Angel and Blade. Tommy looks at Purpled with a knowing look; the vigilante only nods. It isn’t a second more before Tommy breaks out of his brother’s grab and runs toward the vigilante. 

Before he can reach the boy, there is a purple force field around the vigilante. Tommy bangs his hands on the force. “Purpled!” 

“They didn’t listen, Tommy.” The vigilante says, his voice is muffled through the forcefield. “They only wanted to come get you.” The blond curses to himself, turning back toward the battle. Ranboo is distracting Siren and Blade as the other heroes capture them. Angel hadn’t noticed yet, eyes on Tommy. 

There is something flying above them. Tommy looks up, seeing news reporter helicopters. It was just like Tommy had planned in his head. They could tell the world about the secret projects and criminal acts that the committee did. Except, the Syndicate didn’t want to. Ranboo teleported beside him, causing Tommy to jump backwards. “Ender– What the hell!?” 

“Crimson, I need you to trust me, okay?” Ranboo said, not waiting for an answer before teleporting across the battlefield. Tommy is dizzy, legs shaky where he stands. He looks up just in time to see Angel flying toward them, before the villain is tackled down by a net. 

A strangled gasp escapes Tommy’s throat, but his legs don’t move. 

The fight had ended. The three Syndicate leaders in power draining handcuffs, and Purpled nowhere to be found. Tommy leaned against the army car, fiddling with his powers. Ranboo is grinning. They are teleporting around the battlefield with celebration. Tommy leans further into the car. No one seems to notice the buzz in the air. How the thick breeze of matter and crimson sways toward the three villains. Tommy is grateful for it. 

“Crim!” Ranboo shouts, and Tommy almost has a heart attack. The hero is still smiling, and Tommy relaxes. They walk over quickly, most likely tired of teleporting. Ranboo frowns slightly as they see Tommy. “You alright?”

Tommy chuckles cruelly. “No, not really.”

 “Oh, what's wrong?” Ranboo asks, and Tommy stands up straight to meet the hero’s eyes. 

He had tried so hard for everything to go right, but just like everything else it fell apart. Purpled was gone, his family was captured. They’d be thrown into Pandora's vault at the earliest occasion. It was the hero committee. They ruined it. Just like they ruined Tommy. 

The air buzzes something sharp. “It's wrong, it's all wrong.” 

Ranboo’s brows furrow on their face. “What are you talking about?”

“The Syndicate– They thought they were just coming to save me, but Purpled said it would be bigger than that.” Tommy speaks, his breath is fast and shallow. Ranboo takes a step back, the blond’s arms wrap around his own chest. “It was going to be over. We were supposed to take down the committee.”

Tommy doesn’t realize the damage he caused until Ranboo inhales sharply. “You’re a traitor.” 

“It was never meant to be.” Crimson– Tommy– Theseus, speaks. 

“You were planning to join them?!” Ranboo yells, taking another step back. Their panic alerts the other heroes of the scene, all of their eyes on the two boys. “You were working with villains, why!?” 

“Purpled promised me freedom. He promised the power to defeat the committee.” Tommy yells back. There are tears blurring his eyes, and his hands shake with something red. 

“He is using you!” Ranboo’s fists tighten beside him. The heroes are running over to them now. It will only be another moment before Tommy is taken down. 

“Good!” Tommy screams; his throat is raw and burning. His hands shake as red particles travel like a force through the air, hitting into the heroes around him. The army car is further from him, crushed against the grass. Ranboo didn’t move; Tommy meant to avoid him. “I’ve been here since I was seven, I did anything they wanted. I listened to every instruction. For what?! They would have never let me free, it would’ve been like this forever.”

“Tommy.” Ranboo warns.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Ranboo, but I will.” Tommy cries, the heroes begin to rise from where they fell. “I’ll do anything. The heroes were never on our side, they are liars and killers! They were the ones who blew up the mall. They hurt Tubbo.”

“You’re lying! They brainwashed you!” Ranboo yells.

“I’m sorry, Ranboo.” Tommy lets his power work. Tears fall onto his cheeks as red sparks fly through the air. The cuffs fall off of his family’s wrists, no one notices— too busy staring anger at him. 

“What are you doing, Tommy?” Ranboo questions, upset and confused. They take a step forward, but freezes as Tommy instinctively lifts his hand to block them.

The blond huffs an exhale. “I can’t live like this anymore, Ran. I’ve been here my entire life- I, I need- They’re monsters.”

“Monsters? We’re heroes, Tommy.” Ranboo rebuttals, fists tightening at his side. “Please listen to me, I want to help you.” They take another step forward, Tommy’s powers move on impulse. It’s not a moment more when Ranboo is flying backwards.

Tommy gasps, staring down at his hands. He takes a step back, hitting into something- Someone. He turns, blue eyes meeting red. Blade. He throws himself backward, staring at his family warily. His breathing comes out heavy and uneven, they look at him with pity. 

“Hi Sunshine,” Siren whispers. The blond doesn’t respond, only taking a step back. There’s murmuring behind him, Tommy turns his head, watching as the heroes help Ranboo to their feet. His breathing stutters slightly. 

“Hey, kid, you need to breathe.” The Blade says, taking a step closer to Tommy. The blond quickly steps back. He doesn’t know what is wrong with him. This is what he wanted after all; his family. 

Angel’s wings lower on his back as he lands in front of him. “My son. Tommy.” His voice is low and soft, sounding just about ready to cry. He reaches for Tommy, but again the boy quickly falls backward. 

Someone quickly catches his shoulders. He turns to see Purpled, with his stupid mask and goggles. Tommy wants to cry. The vigilante quickly helps him stand up straight, hands pressing into his shoulders. The Syndicate glares as Tommy steps closer to his childhood friend. “I thought you would’ve at least wanted a moment for pleasantries.” 

“Fuck you.” Tommy spat. He looks at the heroes; they look just about ready to attack. Purpled hits their shoulders together. The hero frowns at the act. “We need to go.” 

The vigilante nods; a second later, a green blob rises from the floor. Tommy stalks backward, only calming down when a man appears from the green. It was Quackity’s right hand man, Slimesicle from Las Nevadas. “Hello, Tommy from Nowhere!”

“You work with Las Nevadas?!” Tommy turns to Purpled. 

 “We don’t have time for this.” The vigilante sighs. He grabs onto the hero’s arm, as well as Slimesicle. 

“Tommy, what are you doing? Come with us.” Wilbur stresses. The boy looks at his family. He can’t see their faces through the masks, and he prefers it that way. Tommy thinks that if he could talk to his younger self; the kid would hate him. 

Maybe he’d be able to make the choice between family and revenge. 

Tommy isn’t sure. 

Notes:

I am, so sorry.

EDIT: I go back a lot and think about this fic, wondering why did I do that.