With a hand carefully pressing against the gunshot wound in Tommy's side, the beaten boy limped his way into a small apartment, luckily first floor rather then having to take the stairs. The apartments were shitty and rundown, but the closest thing the boys had to a home.

The lights were off, giving Tommy hope as he headed to the bathroom. Now to stitch himself up before they found out-

"Tommy?" Ranboo peeked his head out of the masters bedroom, and normally it would've resulted in Tommy teasingly biting out some taunt at the mismatched boy, but now he could only try and stumble into the bathroom before his legs had the chance to give out on him.

Tommy didn't even make it a few steps before collapsing to the ground.

"TUBBO!" Ranboo yelled, rushing next to the fallen boy.

Tubbo responded quickly, slamming the door all the way open and glaring at the two.

"Tommy- what'd you do?!"

"It's nothin," Tommy murmured, words slurred from blood loss.

"That is not nothing!" Tubbo hissed, helping Ranboo gently peel the boy from the ground and into the bathroom.

Ranboo helped Tommy get situated on the sink while Tubbo yanked open a cabinet and grabbed a first aid kit. Ranboo studied the winged boy carefully. A dark bruise had swollen his cheek, lip been busted on the same side, and blood dripping onto the ground from Tommy's side.

"What were you thinking?!" Tubbo spat, shining a flashlight into his side wound. "The fuck, Tommy! We were right here! If you needed help you should've said so, you idiot!"

Tommy nodded in agreement though his head was spinning so badly he couldn't focus on the words Tubbo was furiously spewing.

Passing Ranboo the tweezers, Tubbo halted his lecturing long enough to grab Tommy's hand and squeeze it reassuringly.

"Sorry Toms, this is gonna hurt."

Ranboo plunged the tweezers into Tommy's side.

***

Tommy groaned, resisting the urge to sit up from the couch he was currently resting on. Tubbo would kill him for even considering it.

His side was bandaged after Ranboo had dug the bullet out, and it had hurt like a bitch. Even with his advanced healing, Tubbo refused to let Tommy out with them on the next nights patrol, and Ranboo had stayed quiet, too scared to try and convince the explosive bee boy otherwise. Pussy.

Tommy groaned again, this time out of sheer boredom. His injuries had all but healed, but his head still ached from the lecture he'd received on Tubbo's end. That boy had words to say.

Flipping out the computer Tubbo had left with him, Tommy connected to Ranboo and Tubbo's Bluetooth headphones.

"How's it going?" He questioned sourly.

"It's going fine," Ranboo announced, though the way he sounded out of breathe said otherwise.

Tommy frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Tubbo agreed, though his voice shook.

Liar.

"I'm coming to your location-,"

"No your not!" Tubbo interrupted.

Ranboo cursed on his side before the soft buzz of his teleporting could be heard.

"What's going on over there?" Tommy demanded, worry shaking his own voice.

"Nothing for you to worry about!" Tubbo's yell wasn't aimed purposely at him but it still made Tommy flinch nonetheless. "Sorry- bit of a situation here."

More cursing could be heard and muffled shouts from the background.

Tommy sucked in a deep not-so-calming breath. "Please," he begged, "I know I fucked up but I didn't mean to go patrol without you! Let me help!"

Ranboo snorted.

Tubbo rolled his eyes. "You just 'accidentally' went on a patrol by yourself? At two in the morning?"

"It was supposed to be a walk! I didn't mean to get jumped!"

Silence followed.

"Please!" Tommy tried. "I just wanted to clear my head!"

Both boys could practically hear Tubbo gritting his teeth, and when Ranboo teleported again, Tommy knew he'd won.

"Follow the coordinates on the screen, grab a car! We need a quick out!" Ranboo ordered, and Tommy bolted upwards with a mock salute though no one was there.

"Be there in five!"

Flipping his wings out, Tommy dove into the sky and took off, not wasting any time on the pleasantries of flying, per say the wind brushing against his hair or the way the nights moon glowed against his golden wings.

Following the coordinates Tommy had burned into his head led him across town, but flying above the clouds in the nights sky kept him undetected and safe. Well, as safe as an orphan vigilante could be.

Dropping down from the clouds led Tommy to a warehouse, no street lamps but that didn't matter, Tommy's eyes had already adjusted.

No sign of Tubbo or Ranboo.

A few guys in black suits blended into the area a little too easily for Tommy's liking, but no sign of his best friends. Where'd they gone? Worry twisted his stomach, but he forced the panic down. Right now Tommy needed his head clear. He was a big man- he could do this.

Landing behind them, Tommy strained his ears to listen to what they were saying.

"...two kids, wrong place, wrong time," The first man muttered to his friend.

"Yeah, I almost feel bad for them," the second agreed.

"Too bad, they put up a hell of a figh-,"

Tommy had heard enough. Turning, he quickly fluttered over to the giant warehouse, landing easily on a windowpane and quietly sliding it open. Inside, he perched on the sill, eyes widened at the scene before him.

Tubbo and Ranboo had been forced to their knees in front of the best known mafia rulers in Dream Essempe. A man with a smiley face mask that had to be Dream, a man with wings that opposed Tommy's in almost way, Philza, another with white glasses, most likely George, and the sharp eared, crowned Techno.

Tommy almost started spewing curses. Ranboo should've teleported away, but probably wasn't in fear of leaving Tubbo. Not that Tommy would've done any differently, but if he can grab Tubbo, then Ranboo can teleport safely without fear for the boy.

Tommy moved at the first sight of a glinting gun in one of the men in blacks hands. Dropping to the ground, wings out and helping guide him forward, Tommy yanked Tubbo up by the waist before shooting back into the air before anyone could react.

"Take that, bitches!" Tommy crowed, turning and twisting to avoid the shots being fired in his direction as he flew through the window.

Just like that, they were gone.

Phil had a thoughtful expression on his face but turned to look at the third boy, only to burst out into laughter. That boy was gone too- only purple particles remaining behind.

Impressive.

***

Tommy howled in excitement as he dove back above the clouds, laughter filling the air mixing with Tubbo's own.

"Alright, that was pretty cool," Tubbo admitted once the laughter had subsided.

Tommy raised an eyebrow playfully. "Pretty cool? That was fucking awesome! Did you see their faces?! Those bastards don't mess with my family!"

Tubbo couldn't keep his own smile off his face, mirroring Tommy's the rest of the way until they landed in front of their building and scrambled in, basically knocking Ranboo over with a tackle-hug at the exhausted boy. Teleporting always took so much out of him.

"If you'd brought me with you, this wouldn't have happened in the first place!" Tommy finally started.

It surprised Tubbo it'd taken this long.

"I could've helped! I'm a big man!"

"Tommy, you needed rest," Ranboo warily pointed out.

Tommy snorted. "Look who's talking." Tommy had a point, Ranboo looked ready to collapse.

At the reminder, Tubbo took Ranboos arm and started leading him to the master bedroom, where a large bed took up the corner of the room.

"Get some rest, I'll handle Tommy."

"I don't need to be 'handled' you prick!"

"Oh, shush, Tommy!"

"YOU shush, you absolute fucking-,"

"HEY! I'm trying to SLEEP!"

***

Phil sat behind a desk in a book filled office. He tilted his head at the files that had been received upon 'request.'

Tommyinnit.
Ranboo.
Tubbo.

The three orphans who had managed to get in their way. And successfully escape. Quite the accomplishment, but only one of the three truly fascinated the man.

Tommyinnit.

The boy with wings.

Not wings like Phil's, instead of the dark grey, the boys were a glowing golden. Much smaller though he was more agile while Phil favored speed. He'd never seen another being with wings before.

He clicked a button on his desk calling the secretary in the other room.

"Yes sir?"

"Call my sons up."

***

Tommy'd headed out for a... 'run' when he bumped into the strange man. He'd been wearing a black beanie and brown coat, brown curled hair brushed to the side and partly covering one of his eyes.

"What do you want?" Tommy spat.

The man frowned. "Those aren't very good manners."

"So? What are you gonna do about it?"

The man shrugged. "Dunno. What's a kid like you doing alone, anyways? This is a dangerous part of town."

"I'm a big man, I can handle it!" Tommy grinned, flashing the man his teeth daringly.

The man chuckled. "Alright, you little gremlin child. How about I see you around, yeah?"

"How about you don't," Tommy countered, with a 'hmp.'

The man just snorted and sent Tommy a half assed wave as he disappeared into the night.

Tommy waited a moment to ensure he was gone before running off in the direction of his apartment, wings fluttering in excitement.

He'd gotten the mans wallet.

Tubbo, Ranboo and Tommy huddled around the table, staring at the items in the wallet, awe sparking.

Nearly a thousand dollars.
A pocketknife.
And a note.

"What's the note say?" Tubbo muttered, trying to decipher the dancing letters with no luck before passing it to Tommy.

He cleared his throat.
"Gremlin child,
Stealing isn't polite."
Tommy paused to scowl.
"I've left you some gifts but it won't happen again. When we meet again I expect much better behavior from you."

"WHO DOES THIS BITCH THINK HE IS?!" Tommy shouted, and Ranboo elbowed him in the side when Tubbo winced.

"No need to yell."

"Right- sorry." Tommy ducked his head apologetically.

"Continue," Tubbo waved.

"I- ugh, fine." Tommy didn't stop glaring at the paper as he continued.
"Don't be such a pain in the future, my brother won't stand for it like I do.
See you soon."

"That's it?" Tubbo wondered. "What a weird note."

"This is bullshit," Tommy agreed. "I'm never meeting that weirdo again!"

Ranboo nodded thoughtfully. "I think it's better that way."

As it turns out, Tommy didn't have a choice in the matter.

The next time he ran into the man was roughly a week later during a grocery run. It had started raining just as he had been ready to leave, arms full of bags.

"Fucking rain," Tommy groaned, staring at the harsh downpour.

"I can give you a ride," beanie man offered from where he was leaning casually against a railing.

Tommy bit down a flinch. "No. Fuck off."

"Alright, suit yourself."

But when Tommy took a step into the rain, beanie man followed. Tommy swung around to glare.

"Why are you following me?!"

The man tilted his head. "I wanted to talk. Get to know you maybe."

"I don't want to get to know you! Leave me alone, creep!"

"That's not very nice."

"I don't give a fuck!"

"That language will have to be fixed too," beanie man muttered under his breathe, just out of earshot from Tommy.

Tommy huffed. "Quit following me!" Taking long strides, he started to walk, though pointedly in the opposite direction he'd originally started in.

The man followed Tommy curiously. "This isn't the right direction."

"How do you know that? Fucking stalker."

Beanie man shrugged. "You'll find out soon enough."

Tommy didn't like that at all.

He let the rain pelt him and cloud his vision until he had gotten them both completely lost, beanie man rumbling on about random things while Tommy ignored him furiously.

Finally, Tommy spread his wings, and with a stiff, tight hold on his bags, he took off into the air, golden wings shaking from the coldness of the rain.

Tommy was all too aware of beanie mans gaze prickling into him as he flew, but above the clouds he knew it'd be impossible to see him.

Now to get home.