Tubbo burst open the bedroom door, startling Ranboo and Tommy awake. "WAKE UP ASSHOLES, TODAY'S THE DAY!"

Tubbo bounced over to their small window and flew open the blinds, Tommy groaning at the intrusion of light.

"Tubbo, fucken hell it's only four, the celebration doesn't start until eleven." Tubbo rummaged through their closet, focused on finding their suits. Tubbo found Ranboo's tucked away in a box in the corner and pulled it out, throwing it at the two still in bed. It hit Tommy in the arm and he cursed profanities at Tubbo while Ranboo picked up the box and looked inside.

Inside was a sleek white body suit similar to his current but bigger and a different color, a black hooded crop top without sleeves, a pair of black cargo shorts, and new white sneakers. The crop top was decorated with littered swirls of bright purple. Ranboo gingerly picked up the crop top, getting a closer look at it.

"Tubbo, what's this?" Tubbo smiled and pulled out another box, throwing it at Tommy and hitting him square in the chest. After looking at Ranboo's upgrade, Tommy excitedly opened his own box.

Inside was a black cape decorated with a single red feather at the bottom and five gold chains connecting each side, what looked like a wine red felt crop top jacket; a hood only half connected to it by a single button, a black corset, and a belt with two gold buttons and a red ribbon connecting them.

"I figured that top plus your black jeans and jump boosting boots would be a good mixture of old and new." Tommy nodded mindlessly, looking over every detail of his new suit.

"Wait- I never told you about the boots." Tommy looked up at Tubbo, who pulled out his own box and walked over to the bed.

"Come on Toms, I know about everything that enters this apartment. I can figure where they came from, and while it's not ideal, it would be an excellent opportunity we'd be dumb to turn down." Tommy looked between his and Ranboo's outfits, trying to decide whose was better.

"What's with the crop top theme?" Tommy noticed the similarity only after Ranboo pointed it out. He looked towards Tubbo, who was situating his own outfit on the bed.

It was a simple black tee shirt with a big embroidered bee on the front, a black ripped leather jacket, and black ripped jeans.

"That's a lot less color than your current one. You're not turning emo, are you Tubbo?" Tommy's tone was entirely teasing, and Tubbo thwacked Tommy's leg in the same playful manner.

"Course not. It's for stealth, idiot. We were too visible before. Now hurry up and get changed, we need to go help set up." Tubbo scooped up his outfit and walked to the door. "Also, masquerade mask and anything you're missing is still the same." Tubbo left the room, closing the door behind himself. Tommy and Ranboo looked at each other and Ranboo stood.

"If you look, I'll kill you." Ranboo picked up his outfit as Tommy nodded quickly. He didn't doubt Ranboo. Ranboo walked to the other side of the room and got changed, happy that everything fit well compared to his old stretched outfit. He swore he was losing more mobility in that every day.

"You notice he doesn't have a crop top?" Ranboo glanced at Tommy, wary of him making conversation as Tommy preferred to look at who he was talking to. Thankfully, Tommy was still facing the wall.

"I did." Ranboo slipped the crop top on, admiring it one more time before moving on to his shoes.

"I think he has a thing for guys in crop tops. And what's he saying with the corset? I don't need this shit." Ranboo smiled and shook his head endearingly.

"People wear corsets for more reasons than to look slim. I'm pretty sure it's an aesthetic, but it's probably to alter your body shape so heroes can't use that against you as easily." Ranboo took off the cloth around his eyes, instinctively shutting them as he felt around for his masquerade mask.

"But it's visible so won't they know they're not seeing the right figure? I just don't think that's the reason, Ranboob." Ranboo placed his hand where he'd had his masquerade mask, stomach sinking as his hand hit a flat surface.

"Tommy, you're still looking away, right?" Ranboo considered what he'd do, nerves flaring as he considered his options.

"Course. Why? Can I peek?" Ranboo sighed at Tommy's awfully timed joke.

"No. Could you leave? I can't find my mask." Tommy didn’t respond for a minute, but Ranboo heard Tommy shuffling off the bed and soft footsteps making their way towards him. He felt a hand grab his and flinched. Tommy pried his hand open and set his masquerade mask in his hand, patting Ranboo on the shoulder and walking back to the bed. Ranboo put it on and looked at Tommy, seeing him once again facing the wall.

“Thanks.. Tom.” Tommy held up a thumbs up and Ranboo left the room, waiting in the living room with Tubbo. Eret entered their apartment not long after, decked out in every piece of gold jewelry he’d ever bedazzled his outfit with.

“You look like a gold mine Big E. Got enough jewels?” Eret laughed and walked to Tubbo’s desk, ruffling the younger’s hair. Tubbo swatted his hand away and grinned at her.

“I get a new one every year, not nearly enough. What about you? You two look like gay goths.” Tubbo cackled and Ranboo sighed. It felt nice for Eret, to have friends of his own to joke around with. It was a good change he hadn’t previously known he needed.

"It's for stealth dickhead. We're getting unwanted attention recently. I swear, Faux is up my ass every time I'm patrolling the heavy hitters." Ranboo pat Tubbo's shoulder out of sympathy and made a hum of agreement.

"I have noticed him around, actually. I swear I saw Awesamdude near the border of North creeping around here. For 355 sq miles per city I can't imagine he'd be here on accident." Eret had to admit, the sudden attention to West was odd for the heroes. Though given Tommy's relation to them she couldn't be too surprised.

"HOW THE FUCK DO YOU PUT ON A CORSET?" Eret looked towards their bedroom oddly while Tubbo cackled and Ranboo made his way inside.

The four decided to preen and wash Tommy's wings before going. Might as well, since he'd be representing West's persistence and perseverance. Tommy got more nervous when Eret put it like that.

"You'll do fine Tom. Expectations are low this year. Your stunt last week both wowed everyone and showed them exactly how unprepared you are. If you could avoid doing that today it'll go perfectly." Tommy sighed and reached his hand back, scooping a bit of bath water and throwing the remaining drops at Tubbo. Tubbo smirked and Tommy scoffed, disappointed at his failed attack. His wings were cramped in their bath, but they hadn't originally planned to wash them, so they improvised.

"I know I'll be fine. It'll just suck the entire time." Tommy had yet to talk to Themis  in detail about his wings. He used to be a known winged vigilante called The Blackbird, not at all inspired by The Angel, but when he lost his wings he "retired" and completely changed his vigilante persona. People would recognize him as The Blackbird again, there'd already been whispers. Was he prepared for that?

"You're all set. They'll dry on the way, let's get going." Eret helped Tommy stand, his wings heavy and dripping water. Tommy resisted the urge to shake them out and let them drip over the tub as it was emptied.

"Hellbent should have most everything there already, as I learned he's not a man who likes to wait." Eret talked as he dried their hands. Ranboo took it from them and hovered the towel under Tommy's wings as they made their way to the living room window to leave.

They clambered out the window, Ranboo leaving last. Tommy used his wings to get twice as far across rooftops as the others, enjoying the time he had waiting for them to catch up. It was easy to dismiss his growing stress about the occasion Inn with the wind blowing in his ears and adrenaline pumping through him from his excitement. Tommy shook out his wings as he waited for his friends to catch up when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

“To- Hey! … You.” Tommy turned quick to see Awesamdude steadily approaching him. He landed heavy on the same roof as Tommy at the same time the others caught up. Awesamdude smirked at Tommy and Tommy waved awkwardly as Eret came up next to him.

“Need something?” Tommy rolled his eyes at Eret making her voice deeper. They were so overprotective. Tubbo and Ranboo stood behind Tommy. Tubbo grabbed Ranboo’s hand behind Tommy’s back and excitedly tugged it down and held it tight. He was lucky Ranboo was trying to be helpful in hiding his excitement by standing as still as he could.

“Oh, I’ve just come to make sure his boots are working right. And to wish him good luck for the big day.” Tommy appreciated the sentiment, but very clearly Eret did not.

“His boots?” Eret looked down at Tommy’s boots and Tommy chuckled nervously.

“They’re working great, thanks. Will you be at the celebration?” Awesamdude turned his attention from Eret back to Tommy and nodded.

"Yeah, I gotta finish my patrol and then I'll be there. See you there!" Awesamdude waved goodbye and ran off. Tommy waved back and Eret turned to him, seething.

"He made you boots!?" Tommy flinched at Eret's shouting and crossed his arms, turning his head away.

"Yeah. So what?" Tubbo put his hand on Tommy's shoulder and raised an eyebrow at Eret, challenging them to argue.

"So what? Tubbo, he works with the guy. You know how likely it is that Awesamdude knows his identity?" The three of them stared at Eret, watching him work through a mental breakdown at the knowledge Awesamdude has to know.

"He does. Don't worry, Eret. Everything will be ok." Tommy put his hand on Eret's shoulder and Eret glared at him. Tubbo fished in his pockets, pulling out four small black pins and holding them out in between them all. One pin was different from the rest, as the other three had a small button and that one did not. They observed the pins in silence, trying to make something of them while Tubbo gathered his thoughts.

"I've been working on these since Tommy came home with boots made from the hero agency." Tubbo handed the different pin to Eret. "My worry was they were waiting for Tommy to make a mistake, and then they'd come for all of us. So I made these. You put it in as a backwards earring, except Eret puts it in normal. If something happens, we press the button, which will notify Eret and connect the pins, so he can make us forget everything about vigilantism remotely.”

Tubbo waited for Tommy and Ranboo to pick theirs up. When they stared at him like he was crazy, Tubbo picked one up and pushed it through the back of his ear. His ears weren’t pierced, if you were wondering. Ranboo and Tommy looked disturbed, but they both followed his lead. It shouldn’t have upset Tommy as much as it did, Tubbo was just being cautious. He was always the careful one, Tommy knew that. It did make sense too. If they were caught, remembering being a vigilante would be too high of a risk that they couldn’t afford taking. Thanatos would just have to use his coercion to find out everything he needed to know, including everyone’s identity. It’d be worse if Tommy got caught, since he knew Eret’s identity and home address.

“Are you sure about this? Sure, I’m working on memory restoration but should this come to being, I won’t be able to bring your memory back.” Tubbo nodded and Eret looked at Tommy and Ranboo. Tommy nodded sharply. Ranboo… looked very conflicted. Ranboo was the one who had memory issues. Tampering with his memory further sounded like a very bad idea. After a minute of consideration, Ranboo sighed and nodded, giving Eret no more peace of mind than before.

“I was going to give you guys them right before the celebration but I figured this would make Eret relax a bit. We’re ok.” Eret sighed and continued on her way to the town square, the others lagging behind, any excitement about the day distinguished.

They almost finished setting up half an hour before it started, though Themis and Captain Puffy had yet to arrive. People were starting to hover around the town square as they did every year, and Ranboo had to convince Tommy to get moving so he’d have time before his show. Tommy flew onto the roof of a building, making his way to the tallest building in West. His hands shook with anxiety and he shook them out, trying to calm his nerves before they got to be too much. Tommy landed on the tallest building and took a deep breath. Believe it or not, he was never a fan of heights. When he was flying, he felt a bit safe. Though buildings could be destroyed, and with heroes around they often were. Villains didn’t really have a reason to destroy a building, unless they had anger issues, which meant the heroes were typically the ones trashing everything.

“Hey, Redwing!” Tommy jumped and looked up, seeing The Angel drop onto the roof beside him. He shook out his wings and folded them neatly behind him. Tommy turned to the hero in confusion.

“What did you just call me?” The Angel smiled and put his hand on Tommy’s shoulder.

“Redwing! You like it?” Tommy grimaced and shook The Angel’s hand off his shoulder, the touch fueling his anxiety more.

“No, that’s stupid. My wings aren’t red.” The Angel chuckled and patted Tommy’s back.

“I came up with it from the name Faux and Captain Puffy gave you, and from your wings! Redwings, get it?” Tommy glared at The Angel and crouched down, looking down the side of the building.

“It’s dumb. Never use it again. What do you want?” The Angel grabbed Tommy’s cape and yanked him back to a standing position.

“Don’t get too close to the edge until you’re ready to take off, idiot.” The Angel’s tone was stern, not intending to leave room for argument. Tommy glared at him and The Angel sighed, smiling to ease Tommy’s nerves. “Your new outfit’s cool, I wouldn’t have recognized you if I didn’t see your wings. Are you ok?”

“I’m fine, shut the fuck up.” Tommy curled his wings closer, covering his shoulder with his sleek black feathers. The Angel looked at him strangely and pulled Tommy away from the edge, towards the center of the roof.

“Hey kid, listen. If you’re not ready for this, they’ll understand. Trying this almost killed you last week.” Tommy curled his hand into a fist, his anxiety regarding the event overflowing and causing him to start crying. He was fine, he didn’t need The Angel to be nice or considerate to him. He had to do it, he had no choice.

“Focus on your breathing, kid. Just follow after me.” The Angel worked Tommy through some deep breathing exercises. It wasn’t like Tommy needed it, he was fine. “If it feels like too much, just imagine all your anxiety flowing into your hands, and then shake it out.” Tommy’s racing heart soothed quickly, and the thought of how little time he had until he had to perform the act dissipated as he shook his hands out.

“Stop calling me kid. Get down there, it’s almost time.” The Angel chuckled and patted his back gently.

“It’s that or Redwing!” The Angel extended his wings and took off without a second to waste, leaving Tommy on the roof alone. Two minutes left.

Tommy shook his hands out, trying to imagine the anxiety being shaken off like The Angel had said to do. He looked down at the crowd of people in the town square from the tallest building in West and extended his wings, shaking them out too. He couldn't believe he was going to try and go through with it, he still couldn't fly- he'd almost died trying not a week ago. It was a mistake and he knew it, but what choice did he have? He couldn't back out anymore, he had to try. Tommy swallowed thickly, feeling like he was swallowing his heart, and backed up to the edge of the building.

Tommy got a running start and jumped off, flapping his wings immediately to get the boost he needed. He flapped his wings in a rhythm, getting as much distance and air as he could before gliding over the celebration.

Tommy barely heard cheers from below through the wind assaulting his ears, but still he felt a bit of pride knowing he'd managed. Tradition was to fly as high as possible and then go straight down, taking back off into the air at the last second and creating a dust cloud to kick off the celebration, but it wasn't really possible that year and thankfully West understood that.

Tommy was a bit stuck in his prideful mind and didn't realize he'd be having to land soon until it would be too late to land safely. Tommy flapped his wings, trying to boost himself backwards before he flew face first against a concrete rooftop but steady hands grabbed his arms and yanked him up, setting him on his feet on the rooftop across from the one he almost crashed on. Tommy took a second to catch his breath before turning around to see the man who taught him how to fly.

"Eryn!?" The common starling hybrid smirked and held an arm out to his side, bending the other in front of his chest and bowing to Tommy.

"And, you're welcome for the save." Tommy's blood felt warmer as his mind filled with agitation.

"Are you shitting me? 5 fucking years of radio silence and now you just show up and keep me from eating shit out of nowhere? You were missing, Eryn, where the fuck did you go?" Eryn stood up straight and held his open hands in front of his chest, smirk gone.

"Ok yeah so I disappeared. I was following Purpled ok? As you know, he got lost in snow and well, so did I. I made it to a town but I was even further than the one we went to before and it was an Amish community! I rudely invaded their land and had to do some free work to make up for food, shelter, and warmth that they were providing me. I couldn't make it back here during winter so I stayed there, and none of them had tried going far since apparently modern technology is against their religion, so I got lost again after winter trying to get back. I have had a long year man, just let me have the reunion I've been waiting for." Tommy stared at Eryn, unable to process the pain that came with knowing both his missing friends were together and could've died the same way but Eryn was there, right in front of him.

“What about before that?” Eryn held out his arms and Tommy walked into them, hugging his first friend like his life depended on it. Eryn clearly wasn’t going to talk about it, and he didn’t really owe Tommy anything. Eryn hugged back just as tight, thankful to be holding Tommy again. "Oh man, talk about shit years." Eryn moved away from Tommy slightly and gave him a sad look.

"I noticed. The state your wings are in Toms, what ever happened to you?" Tommy smiled sadly and looked towards the celebration.

"We'll talk about it later, we still got a celebration to go to." Tommy hid his wings again and jumped across rooftops while Eryn flew above, occasionally helping Tommy climb onto one that was a bit higher than the last. "Oh, Rose and Boomer are part of the Lost now too, same with Purpled but you knew that already." Eryn stopped moving forward and Tommy looked back at him, noticing the look of despair on Eryn's face as he lowered to the rooftop Tommy was on.

"Them too? How many West-born vigilantes are left?" Tommy held up five fingers and sighed, himself unhappy with the answer. It was him, Tubbo, Ranboo, CEP, and Eryn left. Punz, Skeppy, and Eret were vigilantes for West too but they didn't live there nor were they born there.

"It's ok though, we're celebrating them today, not mourning them. They did so much for us just, cheer up ok?" Eryn took a deep breath and nodded, trying to be ok for Tommy. They joined the celebration, giving a lovely surprise to the citizens of West and their fellow vigilantes. Themis and Captain Puffy looked a bit confused but seemed happy after someone shouted something about a Lost being returned to them.

The day of festivities was a blast, with Tommy talking to Themis in and out of costume. The West vigilantes all changed to their civilian outfits halfway through so they'd be accounted for. Tommy geeked out a little more than he'd like to admit when he found out the band playing was Lovejoy. He should've expected Themis to invite his own brother to play at the festival. Tommy swore Wilbur caught him enjoying his music a tad bit too much but Wilbur didn't bring it up all day, much to his delight. Even Niki was there, with Halo and Antfrost handing out baked goods. The booth games were a delight as well, but of course Tubbo won almost every game they played. Best part was everything was free. It always was, that's why it costed so much to organize.

Tommy returned to his vigilante persona roughly two hours before the celebration was to end, and made a point to return to supporting Lovejoy’s performance. People had begun going home an hour prior, so it was easier to maneuver the crowd. Tommy himself had used the excuse of it getting late to return to his vigilante form, as had a majority of the other vigilantes and villains alike.

“Come onnn, live a little! We’re here already, aren’t we?” A stranger bumped shoulders with Tommy. Tommy turned to give him a dirty glare and saw raging green eyes staring back at him as a blond headed boy passed by dragged along by NotFound’s intern George and a black headed boy roughly George’s height. Tommy grimaced at the boy and turned back to the performance, trying to shake that hate filled glare from his mind.

"Where is it??" Themis shoved past some people, eyes on the ground and panic in his voice. "WHERE IS IT?" Themis shouted into the sea of civilians trying to enjoy themselves. Everyone stopped in their place and watched the hero bump into people recklessly, nerves too shot to care. Tommy stepped closer to him to get a better look and saw the stress in his tense muscles. Tommy continued maneuvering around people, trying to get to the panicked hero before he hurt somebody. He'd never seen Themis act like that before, but when Themis looked at him Tommy believed he understood why. One of the earrings were missing. Tommy looked around at everyone and extended his wings, flying above the crowd to get a better look.

“Has anyone seen a missing earring!? Anyone at all!?” The crowd began mumbling between themselves, few looking around the ground. Tommy kept an eye on Themis as he swept over the crowd. In the corner of his eye he saw that same blond boy from before bend down. Tommy flew over to him and looked down at him, noticing the earring sat in the palm of his hand. The boy was staring at it silently. Tommy landed in front of him and held out his hand. “I’ll be taking that, thank you.”

The boy looked at Tommy and closed his hand around the earring, sighing and walking towards Themis. Tommy watched him the whole way, wary that the boy would try to run with the expensive accessory. The boy tapped Themis’s shoulder and didn’t flinch when Themis put a knife to his throat, temper still raging. He held up the earring and Themis snatched it away from him, putting the earring on and breathing deeply as his body relaxed. Themis looked around at the hundred eyes on him. His body shook from the vulnerability, and Themis took off without a word.

Tommy followed Themis from the sky, unwilling to let him run off in his bad state.

Besides, he had to know what just happened.