Finding Freedom

Astin: pt. 2

TW: fighting, violence, injuries, blood (lots), burns, death, graphic violence, lots of PTSD, nightmares, death, whips, abuse, human trafficking, unintentional self harm, dehumanization,
Please let me know if I missed any

Stay away from the heros, that's the name of the game. Tommy is the one in full view and Ranboo is shadowed. Jubilee knew there was another vigilante, Astin. But the others always seemed dumbfounded when they caught a glimpse at him.

Surely Jubilee told them. Right?

Ranboo crouched down on a taller roof, his tail flicking left and right as he watched the scene play out. Tommy was running from the heros, over rooftops, and away from street view.

Mugging in the alley off of Sicle.

He watched for a moment longer, and then he was traveling through space, warped by time and dimensions.

He was spat out a little ways away, and crept over, watching the two people corner a little boy, probably around 10.

"Just hand it over, and we'll let you go."

Ranboo whistled low and soft, just a simple notion that he was there.

One of them turned and saw him, moving quickly, they grabbed the boy's wrist, and drew a knife.

Ranboo acted equally quick, grabbing the partner, and flicking his tail, watching it sharpen to a blade.

"If you move." The one holding the boy said, not seeing their teammate was being held hostage. "I will kill him."

Empty threats, empty lies, fear behind the eyes.

'If you bring that hand any closer,' he signed in the dim light, 'I will kill your partner.'

He poised his tail right over the heart.

'Let him go, are you afraid of winning an old fashioned fight? I'll even do a two against one.'

They relented, and threw the boy back, and, true to his word, Ranboo gave his hostage back and waited for them to lunge.

The person stumbled and spun on his heel, drawing a knife and lunging. Ranboo unsheathed two small knives, and combated if blow for blow.

One managed to land a hit from behind, and it sunk in deep, the knife piercing like hot fire, dragging down his side. He bit down a shriek of pain, and forced himself not to teleport away.

He gritted his teeth, and unsheathed his twin blades, making sweeps and quick changes they were barely able to combat.

Eventually he was able to get two clean hits, knocking them out, and leaving them slumped in the alley.

He picked up the knives, all four of them, and made a gleaming turquoise slash in the dirt with his claws.

"You're bleeding." The boy pointed out, and Ranboo was quick to cover it.

'Let's get you home.' He signed, offering a hand the boy took gently.

By the time they found his home, Ranboo was dizzy, and not just the 'spent the night teleporting' dizzy, but the 'I'm losing way too much blood' dizzy, which worried him.

There wasn't much he could use to pressure the wound, and half of his shirt was soaked and cold with dark teal blood.

He hid it well with his cape though.

It was far too dangerous to teleport, he was dizzy from both blood loss and teleporting, and his mind was sluggish, not working like it usually does.

He's pretty sure the comm broke because Tubbo hasn't said anything in a while. Which left him with a long walk home, not risking the rooftop, both because of heros and the strain on his side if he were to lift his arm.