Now Tommy Innit is a big, HUGE, man. The manliest of the mans (except for Philza Minecraft). Who is afraid of nothing.
With a small exception to rain.
Not the thunder. Not the lighting.
Physical rain.
It had gotten so bad that sometimes, when he patrolled the park in the upper part of L'Manburg, the fountain gurgles would trigger it and he would have to race to the nearby alleyway before the hyperventilation got bad.
Regardless, he tried to ignore the park's entire existence.
Maybe, when he was legally an adult, he would visit again and overcome his irrational fear.
However, that day was not today.
His breath came to him in short bursts, either feeling like he was getting too much air or too little. Tommy was being chased. This had become a normal occurrence throughout the month, with heroes coming after him and him just barely escaping their grasp.
And he would continue to do it day in and day out hoping, praying, that he could save someone from an experience that would scar them.
The hero behind him screamed, "HEY GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE!"
Tommy sighed, "WELL MAYBE IF YOU CAME UP WITH SOME BETTER QUIPS I MIGHT ACTUALLY LISTEN!"
"YOU BITCH!"
Tommy sighed, tired of this hero's bullshit, and jumped from one roof to the next. He whipped his head around to catch a small glimpse of the hero. Today's hero was Blaze.
Believe it or not Blaze has fire powers.
Wowwwwww soooooo orginialllllllllll-
Blaze was also a pain in his ass. He would get small burns and his outfit would get holes, which were a pain to try and stitch up again. Tommy had never had to sew up his own clothes, but the longer he was doing vigilante work the better he was getting at it.
The short of the short of it was that Blaze was annoying and not really that big of a deal.
"Oh fuck!" Tommy frantically patted his fiery red hoodie which was now, actually fiery. The flame didn't go out but Tommy's lungs were about to. He heaved in and out breaths. He might be able to make one or two more jumps before he collapses.
Oh and he was on fire. So he had that going for him.
He took a deep breath and pushed off the roof, stumbling to his knees and skinning his hands on the half-assed graveled top. Tommy stood shakily and turned to briefly see a white bandana and fully charged flaming hands.
Well he did say he was fucked last night.
All he had to do was make one more jump.
Blood pumped to his head, he could feel his heart beat from his chest. His ears roared and his legs pulsed with pain, screaming with every step. He was going to make it.
He had to make it.
He stepped up onto the roof end and skidded.
There was not another roof. Instead there was a 20 foot drop. The next roof was 10 feet away and maybe he could've made it with his powers if he ever practiced with them.
He did not stop moving though. His feet may have stopped but his body didn't. His upper body leaned too far off the edge.
"And so Theseus fell."
The toddler pouted his lips and stared at the storyteller, "Why? Why couldn't he just fly home with his dada?"
The storyteller chuckled humorlessly, "Because,
There are no happy endings here Theseus."
Tommy was weightless for all but a second, and he will tell you that that one moment? It was bliss. It was the "calm before the storm".
Tommy was jerked from his thoughts by a hand that was no longer flaming. It was still warm; not enough to burn him.
A white masquerade mask stared down at him with an indecipherable expression across their face. "I'm not gonna drop you, but you need to help me pull you back up."
The ground was below him, his body dangling dangerously above it.
But past the white masquerade mask, past the rooftops. He could see the sky.
And there were stars.
There were stars.
The pollution in the air had made it so difficult to see the stars, so difficult to see even a glimpse of the night sky.
The stars hadn't shown in forever. Or it at least felt like forever.
Blaze began to pull and Tommy grasped the edge of the roof to pull the rest of the way. "Come on almost there." and with one last pull Tommy rolled onto the rocky roof and stared up at the sky heaving in and out.
He hadn't seen the stars since Snowchester.
"Hey Toms look that one's a frog!"
"Tubbo, that's the little dipper."
"Not if you connect the little stars all around it!"
"He's got a point Toms it kinda looks like a frog-"
"Shut up Boob boy."
A couple chunks of gravel shifted and suddenly there was a white mask in the way of Tommy's stars. "Dude are you alright?"
Tommy sucked his tears back into his eyes. "Yep all good here big man," Big men don't cry.
Tommy if you make another sound-
"I kinda have to arrest you now? I think, otherwise people might get the wrong idea."
Internally, Tommy smirked. He could make a very bad joke right now but that would also reveal his age so he simply does not.
"I'd rather you didn't," Tommy stood shakily, part of his mind still lingering on the stars twinkling behind Blaze's back.
Blaze shifted nervously, "I don't really have a choice man," he smiled awkwardly and moved to grab Tommy's hands.
Tommy was not about that. However, Blaze held his ground and grasped his hands firmly. There was a small click of power damping cuffs being put on and an immediate sense of exhaustion.
He was caught.
He didn't go out with a bang. He had barely started, only vigilant-ing for a week, almost two. There were no lights, no flames, no crime. Just a Vigilante and a Hero walking down a sidewalk in the dead of night.
All he ever tried to do was save people.
Why is he being punished?
"Why why why why????"
The man chuckled, "That's just how it goes, little one."
"But he should get a happy ending, with all the women in the worldddd!", the kid pouted.
The elder of the two nodded thoughtfully and closed the book, "but he didn't. Do you know why?"
The kid's frown was soon replaced by a puzzled look, "No?"
"It's because of greedy people. People want everything and will stop at nothing to get it." A scowl settled onto the story teller's face as he spoke, words burned like acid on his tongue.
"But that's stupid! I bet-"
"People do stupid things for selfish reasons, you have to learn this."
"No! I'm gonna be nice forever!" The kid collapsed to the floor with a huff, and crossed his arms.
The storyteller exhaled, speaking with a voice barely a whisper, "I sure hope so kid, I sure hope so."
Click.
Bright white flourecents burned Tommy's eyes as they were flicked on.
He did not sign up for this.
Generally if he was ever thinking about "getting caught" in his line of work, he really just assumed that they would simply throw him in pandora's, no questions asked.
He did not anticipate being interrogated.