"Nobody likes being alone that much. I don't go out of my way to make friends, that's all. It just leads to disappointment. "
― Haruki Murakami

Tommy lands on a metal rooftop, the dulled metal glimmering beneath the lowering sun. Tommy slides across the surface, going so fast that he barely feels the heat radiating from it. When he reaches the end of the rooftop, he twists his body onto his stomach. He stretches his arm around, fingers gripping the edge with enough force to swing him around. He kicks his feet through an open window, landing on a wooden platform. The wooden boards creak beneath his weight as he settles. He takes two steps forward before leaping from the platform. He completely ignores the scaffolding and the ladder, using his superpower on himself at the last moment before he goes splat against the concrete ground. Tommy places his toes on the ground, maintaining balance as he allows gravity to return to him. He lowers his body weight onto the soles of his feet, rocking back and forth in anticipation.

"Jolt! I'm here!" Tommy calls out, bounding forward. He leaps over the back of a couch, landing on the stained cushions. His body bounces as Tommy reaches for the movie cases left precariously on the metal and wood coffee table.

"Hey, Vendetta, how are you?" Jolt asks, sitting at a large desk in the corner of the room. There is a main desk that takes up about as much space as a normal office desk does, but there are added tables and machines attached to the edges that nearly take up an entire wall. This is without mentioning the whiteboards and cork boards that are littered with blueprints and calculations. Jolt sits in the center of it all in a chair on wheels, ready to maneuver himself to any corner he needs to be in to get the job done.

"Ugh, fucking terrible. I went on my mission with Ravager this morning. He isn't a complete asshole... still a fucking wanker, though. We ran into trouble. The Scarlet Demoness and her mangy bitch, Fenrir, attacked us. Worse yet, they scared off Atalanta, a dog I found and Ravager named. I fought the Scarlet Demoness, and we eventually struck a deal to answer each other's questions. I got some pretty good information, and I would have gotten more if Ravager didn't throw her off of me. I mean, who the hell does he think he is? Who does he think I am? I'm more competent than his sorry ass. I bet he doesn't even know my power. I know his. I know all of his powers. We argued for a bit. He dragged me off to the infirmary. You could have told me that Argonaut's healing powers would make my head fuzzy. I told her shit I haven't told anyone. Trauma shit. I can't afford for her to know my weaknesses. I don't have them, by the way, but if I somehow did, she knows them now. It doesn't matter that she gave me a gaming console or showed me how to play the best game ever. She's still... ugh, what would you know?" Tommy rolls his eyes. As much as he likes talking to Jolt, he would much prefer to tell all of this to Crowfather. The bird is on Tommy's side, not the Syndicate's. Tommy can say whatever he wants about the Syndicate to Crowfather without worrying about pissing anyone off. Jolt won't sell Tommy out, but he would try to defend his colleagues. They've had this argument before. It wasn't pretty then, and it won't be now.

"Well, if you're all better, I'm sure it's fine," Jolt shrugs, not even turning away from what he's working on to face Tommy.

The blonde huffs, annoyed but not entirely angry. He knows that Jolt doesn't need to look away from what he's working on to pay attention to Tommy. Most people cannot multitask, but Jolt can when one of the tasks is his machinery. Tommy won't let Jolt get away without it, however, as he reaches for the best movie in the world. "Fine, bitch, we're watching Up."

"Okay," Jolt shrugs again because Tommy rarely watches any movie other than Up. It's one of the few he can tolerate, that doesn't make him feel like he's wasting precious time by the end of it.

Tommy jumps up from the touch to put the movie disc in the DVD player Jolt created using random scraps. The television isn't the largest or thinnest, but it produces good quality images and sound. Tommy settles back on the couch as the DVD player registers what movie it is meant to be producing. Tommy looks over at Jolt's back as the opening trailers play. "What are you working on?"

"This machine will shoot out metal conduits using pressurized air," Jolt explains, waving his hand up for emphasis.

"And why the fuck would you want that?" Tommy asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Vendetta, I'm making an airsoft gun that shoots metal rods. This will let me use my electricity at longer distances with more precision," Jolt explains, turning around in his chair to show Tommy the beginning of his creation. It looks like a gutted gun, but Tommy can see the mechanisms coming to life.

"That's so fucking cool! When do I get to use it?" Tommy asks, leaping over the arm of the couch to get closer to the gun and Jolt.

Jolt spins around in his chair to put the gun back on the table. He brings a tiny screwdriver up to it to start installing a metal cylinder in the base. "Absolutely not. This is dangerous and completely untested."

"I'll be the test subject!" Tommy explains, leaning over the side of Jolt's chair to put his chin on the vigilante's shoulder. He stares at the airsoft gun with wide eyes, imagining himself wielding it. He isn't allowed to have a gun until he reaches the age twenty-one. He probably won't get to that age, so he'll have to convince Jolt to let him use the airsoft gun. Or maybe he can buy a gun from one of the other villains he's becoming acquainted with.

"Vendetta. At least let me finish the gun before we start arguing about it," Jolt complains, rolling his shoulders to knock Tommy off of them. The blonde heaves a loud sigh directly in Jolt's ear before pushing off the back of the chair. He continues walking backwards until his knees hit the arm of the couch. He flips back onto the couch, lying out with his knees hanging over the side. He turns his head to watch the movie, half happy and half disappointed that he missed the saddest opening segment.

Silence descends over the pair, the movie and the metals clanging together enough for them both to partially relax. Tommy is certain that they will spend the rest of their time in this comfortable silence, but he is proven wrong when he hears the chair creaking. The metalworking no longer fills the air as Tommy feels Jolt's steady gaze boring into him. Tommy shuffles, wondering if he should sit up to meet Jolt's eye contact. Before he can mask a decision, Jolt asks, "What do you think of the Syndicate?"

Tommy frowns behind his mask. He was not expecting their conversation to return to this, but frankly, he should have known that it would. Jolt has probably been waiting for the moment when they were alone and relaxed to ask the loaded question. He knew that he would have to do it now because he probably won't get another chance. Tommy closes his eyes, temporarily ignoring the movie as he thinks. "They're all wrong. They're bastards and cheats and wankers and the most despicable people I've ever met in my entire life. But some of them... not all, just some... they aren't as shit as I thought, y'know? Bad cause but not bad people."

"You know that every member of the Syndicate is a villain. You know they've done terrible things," Jolt expresses, stating the obvious for the sake of the conversation.

"You and I don't have clean slates, either," Tommy reminds Jolt. Vendetta is a hero, and Jolt is a vigilante. They are, by definition, supposed to be on the side of good, fighting for the light either within the parameters of the law or outside of it. In practice, neither of them have always made the right choices. Tommy, especially, has done some very villainous things for a goal that most would deem selfish even when Tommy has given up everything in pursuit of it. He's taken lives, stolen, blackmailed, tortured, and done so much more despite the organization he works for. Jolt has blood on his hands, too, though Jolt's was always spilled in self-defense, and Jolt has definitely stolen before. He's broken guild property more times than Tommy has, which is illegal and risks hurting people in the long run since good heroes who do good use that property.

"You're not wrong," Jolt concedes, knowing that it would be pointless to argue about their supposed titles when their actions have spoken much louder. "You know... since you're getting closer with the Syndicate, maybe we can hang out more."

"We hang out plenty," Tommy responds. Is Jolt trying to bring to the surface all their most infamous arguments?

"We meet up on a rooftop maybe once a week for a half hour. You've only come to this warehouse twice a year, at most," Jolt exclaims, gesturing around to the warehouse. It used to produce nukes. Jolt broke in and claimed it for his own after the government abandoned it. Jolt does all of his best work here, and every villain in the area knows that they will be upsetting the Syndicate if they dare break in and steal something. Tommy only reluctantly came one time because Enderwalk got hurt badly in a fight, and this was the only appropriate place Tommy could bring him. Tommy continued to come by every once in a while to see what Jolt and Enderwalk were up to, mainly for movie nights. Jolt huffs from where he's seated. "I want to go somewhere fun with my best friend."

"Enderwalk is your best friend," Tommy points out. Despite their history (or maybe because of it), Enderwalk is much closer to Jolt than Vendetta. Tommy isn't too bothered by this since he already limits his friendship with both of them, but even he can acknowledge that he's often a third-wheel. An awkward one, at that.

"Enderwalk is strictly my platonic partner. You are my best friend," Jolt corrects Tommy. The hero keeps his eyes closed as he imagines what it would be like for him to confidently call Jolt his best friend. Tommy told himself not to have any attachments. Reverie taught him that they were only weaknesses. Tommy can only agree because losing his family brought him to his knees in grief, and he used Reverie's attachment to him against the leader of the Hunters. Tommy knows the shattering power of attachments, and yet... and yet Jolt is his best friend, whatever that means to a hero who has made it his mission to kill the top villains in the city.

"We are good friends," Tommy relinquishes out loud.

"Exactly! We are! And you know what good friends do? They hang out with each other in better locations than dingy rooftops and dangerous warehouses turned into workshops. Look, there's this seafood restaurant that I really like called the Captain's. We could go there together. I love that place, and I've always wanted to take you. I'm sure you'll like it, too," Jolt proposes.

"I'm busy," Tommy states. He doesn't need to know when Jolt wants to go; he already knows that he'll be busy that day. He's busy every day. He hasn't had a day off since he joined the Hunters, nearly ten years ago.

"The next time you're free, then?" Jolt sounds hopeful. His voice changer cannot mask the underlying emotion, and Tommy suddenly feels sick to his stomach.

"I'll message you," Tommy says.

"I'll be holding you to that promise," Jolt threatens, turning back to his metal gun resting on the table. He begins working on it again. Tommy opens his eyes, staring up at the ceiling. He knows that he won't message Jolt. Even if he somehow did have a day away from his repetitive work, he wouldn't use it to spend time with someone he shouldn't have a connection with in the first place. Jolt was just another liability, someone to mourn and avenge when he inevitably perished against a hero or stronger villain who was stupid enough to piss off the Syndicate. For some reason, Tommy believes that Jolt knows that, too, regardless of the supposed promise. He must know because the silence between them as Jolt works and Tommy watches the movie is unbearable.

Tommy is tempted to leave early to avoid the tension. He begins sitting up when he hears a cawing noise. Tommy stills, and Jolt looks up from his work to watch Crowfather descend into the warehouse. The bird lands on the coffee table between Tommy and the movie. Tommy smiles at his avian friend, raising an arm up for Crowfather to settle on his forearm instead of the coffee table. "Well, hello, there."

"What is Crowfather doing here, Vendetta?" Jolt asks, a strange edge to his voice as he stares at the bird.

Tommy begins to pet Crowfather's head as he mulls over his answer. Crowfather and Jolt have met before. Shortly after Tommy and Jolt met, Crowfather came to greet Tommy's new friends. Jolt and Crowfahter got along famously in the beginning, but something must have happened along the way because Jolt is always anxious and secretive around Crowfather. It was for this reason that Crowfather has never come to the warehouse. This is the first time, so there must be a special reason. All Tommy can think of is this: "Aww, Crowfather, were you worried about me? You fucking sap. I'm all better now!"

"Why do I doubt that's his intention?" Jolt mutters with an eye roll.

"What is your fucking problem, Jolt? What did Crowfather do to you to make you this... upset?" Tommy asks, looking at Jolt. Crowfather's talons squeeze tighter in warning, but Tommy doesn't allow this argument to go unfinished. If Jolt gets to prod Tommy about his opinions and time management skills, Tommy gets to know why Jolt is uncomfortable around Crowfather.

"I don't understand why you trust that damned bird so much. You tell him literally everything, and Vendetta-" Crowather caws. Jolt's eyes narrow beneath his goggles, and Tommy is almost certain that he's scowling. Tommy hushes Crowfather, hoping that Jolt will continue despite the interruption. Jolt sighs heavily, tilting his head back. "Look, Vendetta, from one friend to another, I just want you to know that you can't trust what you see. The world is far more complicated than you think it is. You've become so single minded that you don't even realize what's right in front of you."

"Are you seriously lecturing me about trusting a fucking bird?" Tommy demands, standing up with enough force that Crowfather is flung from his arm. The bird flaps his wings as he lands on the coffee table. He caws once more to inform the two that he's still present and would rather they not argue. Neither pays attention to the bird that is the front of their argument but perhaps not the underlying reason.

"A bird with no origin who can always find you and seemingly knows what you're saying. You're not a fucking Disney princess, Vendetta. Crowfather came from somewhere, and you're a fool to be treating him as your fucking diary," Jolt stands up as well, not quite rising as high as Tommy but filling up just as much of the room with his presence.

"I don't give a fuck what Crowfather does with the information I tell him. He could sell it on the black market for all I fucking care. I don't care enough about the Hero's Guild to rat them out or protect their dirty laundry," Tommy explains. Although Tommy does tell Crowfather a lot, he doesn't actually spill any secrets from the guild. Crowfather doesn't even know that much about Tommy himself- not anymore than anyone else. He's only working on the principle, right now.

"Vendetta... Fine, do whatever you want. Trust whoever you like. I won't stop you, just... just promise me that when everything blows up in your face, you'll come to me- to me and Enderwalk. You'll let us pick up the pieces instead of you..." Jolt trails off, but they both know where that train of thought will lead. Tommy doesn't have many reactions or habits, but the ones that he does have are notoriously bad for him.

"Whatever. I'll let you and Enderwalk 'pick of the pieces', whatever the fuck that means," Tommy promises easily, wondering what exactly Jolt expects to blow up in Tommy's face. "Look, king, I have to go. Serenade is expecting me. He'll lose his shit if I'm not there in time."

"Goodbye, Vendetta," Jolt says softly, walking towards Tommy. The blonde expects a physical fight, but Jolt throws his arms around Tommy's shoulders. He hugs Tommy tightly. Tommy doesn't hug him back, but he doesn't push him away, either. Jolt's face shows smiling wrinkles as he leans back to look at Vendetta's face. When they fully separate from each other, Tommy turns to leave. He throws a final look over his shoulder to see Crowfather on Jolt's forearm, the two of them silently arguing, as the door closes behind Tommy.