Tommy's Ultra-Important Keychain

Chapter 3: Stop bringing knives into restaurants. It's rude.

"You're telling me that you ran six blocks away just to get frozen yogurt," Techno scoffed, sitting on the edge of the rooftop and letting his feet dangle. "You do know we're supposed to patrol together in case anything happens, right?"

Listening to his brother speak, Wilbur mused at the fact that he wasn't scolded for allowing himself to be seen in broad daylight. Phil would've been on his ass the moment he suggested leaving his post. Luckily for the both of them, Midnight had some important business to take care of on the north end of town.

"Don't worry! I was doing some special reconnaissance at the same time," Wilbur said, sitting down next to his brother. His black cloak starkly contrasted Techno's bright pink hair as they both fluttered in the wind. "Do you remember that kid we met yesterday?"

"Of course. He broke the laws of nature," Techno mumbled nonchalantly. Wilbur knew he was still in shock over the incident, but he was terrible at showing his emotions. "Did you get his name or something?"

Wilbur gave a sly shrug, and answered, "Better. I stumbled across him while he was working. I know everything about him now."

Techno stiffened, as if he hadn't expected that. For a pair of brothers, they weren't very alike, and this was one of the instances where it shone through. Wilbur was a man of action, as he liked to call himself. He would go searching for what he wanted, and then he'd seize the first chance he got.

Techno was his polar opposite in that regard. Assuming he had the energy to leave the house, he didn't usually jump to achieve his goals. He would tell you that he preferred to work smarter, not harder, but Wilbur knew it was more of a defense mechanism. Techno despised being wrong. He would rather stalk his prey for a month, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike with no witnesses.

Thinking about it, that was probably why Phil left Techno to deal with most of the more silent matters. If they needed someone to quietly go missing, give his brother a month and there wouldn't be a trace of them left.

The only time there was a switch was on the battlefield. Techno could think quickly, that much was certain, and his fighting skills were hard to match. Speedrunner's fastest pace still couldn't evade Techno's killer instincts. All the hero had to do was make one predictable step and Techno would gain the upper hand.

Wilbur didn't have quite the same abilities as his dear brother, but he liked to think he was still impressive. Usually he fought the Devil, since he was the resident hothead of the heroes. Wil had an obvious advantage since his opponent could never quite place what his powers were. Out of his family's trio of villains, he was the only one who was a mystery.

Techno, or Fortress if they were using their aliases, couldn't hide his power if he wanted. He could mold stone or other tough materials into instant walls. Speedrunner had smacked face-first into those barriers on more than one occasion. While they were working, those few moments were some of the only where Fortress openly smiled.

Charmspeak was what they frequently called Icarus' power, but anyone with half a brain could tell you they were two different things. He found it honestly kind of insulting, especially when he knew how much greater his gift was. Subconsciously, Wilbur's hand drifted to his necklace, which was safely tucked beneath his shirt.

"Don't get agitated, Techno," Wilbur teased. "Just because you're too antisocial to leave your post doesn't mean you have to mope about it."

Without even a flinch from Techno, a thin brick wall shot up between them. The brunette brother made a long, whiny noise, and the wall crumbled. The bricks kicked up dust as they fell and elicited a cough from Wilbur. It was a petty use of Fortress' power, but it wasn't like they were planning to fight a hero that day.