"You see, you closed your eyes. That was the difference. Sometimes you cannot believe what you see, you have to believe what you feel. And if you are ever going to have other people trust you, you must feel that you can trust them, too--even when you're in the dark. Even when you're falling."
― Mitch Albom

Tommy's eyes flutter open. He breathes in deeply as his eyes scan the ceiling above his head. The mattress underneath his body seems to sink even further as his limbs twitch into action. His head slides off the pillow cushioning it, and he feels something get stuck in his throat as his head becomes even with the rest of his body. The blanket clings to his skin because of a thin layer of sweat. He feels some latent fear swirling in body from a nightmare he cannot remember. He reaches across the bed to find the soothing cold of Serenade, but his fingers only brush against the sheet. Tommy blinks the fuzziness out of his eyes, turning his attention to the empty bedside. He finds himself frowning. He washes that sombering emotion away. He much prefers Serenade to be gone than to wake up with him there. At least he didn't wake up in delusions. He knows his family is dead; he knows that Wilbur will never hold him again.

Tommy groans as he pushes his upper body with his hands. He swings his legs off the side of the bed, and the blanket falls to the ground beneath him. He leans his upper body forward. He places his hands against his knees, bracing his body to keep him from rolling off the bed. He takes another deep breath, trying to push away the fuzzy emotions racing around in his head. The nameless fear, the formless sadness, the thoughtless desperation. Even if his sleep hadn't been restful, he didn't start wandering during the midnight hours. He will take that victory, savoring it, and everything else will eventually fade away.

Tommy sinks onto the floor. He stands up straight when his balance stops wobbling. He stretches his limbs. He reaches down to grab the comforter. Tommy throws it back onto the bed. He has the inclination to make the bed up, but he isn't going to be doing any favors for a supervillain. Serenade was the one who forced Tommy to sleep in the bed, so it wasn't Tommy's responsibility. Tommy turns away from the messy bed, opening the door to walk out of Serenade's room. The hallway's light is off, but the living room light down the hall is turned on. Tommy turns into his room to switch out his mask. He considers wearing his uniform, but he figures it could use a wash. He leaves it on his bed, deciding to bring it to the laundry place he always uses later in the day. Tommy goes back into the hallway. He walks to the light at the end of the tunnel. He squints when he finally reaches it.

Tommy looks around the living room for Serenade. The supervillain isn't anywhere to be seen. Tommy glances at his corkboard, satisfied that all his notes are in order. He continues to the balcony attached to the living room. Tommy presses his face against the glass. Serenade isn't taking a relaxing break on the balcony, either. Tommy turns around, and he finally sees it. Someone is sitting on the island, but it isn't Serenade. Thermoculus is fiddling with something on his communicator, not even paying attention to the superhero who is now in the room with him. Tommy tilts his head at Thermocolus. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Babysitting your ass," Thermoculus explains, rolling his eyes behind his red and blue goggles.

"I am not a fucking baby, nor do I need anyone watching me like a godsdamn stalker," Tommy retorts with a burst of anger lighting in his stomach.

"Well, no shit you aren't a baby, but you are a child. At least, you have the mentality of one. Who in their right mind would go to a known villain location without help? Without even back-up?" Thermoculus prods, looking at Tommy up and down. He returns his attention back to his communicator.

"I don't understand how everyone in the Syndicate can be an idiot. It should be statistically impossible for you all to share one fucking braincell," Tommy retorts, walking around Thermoculus to step into the kitchen. Thermoculus makes some sort of a noise like he's about to argue, but Tommy cuts him off before his noise can become a word. "I got a location from Croupier's Ace of Clubs. The same Croupier who refused to do business with you guys. I went to the location to see if it was worth telling anyone about. It could have been a shitshow for me. I'm not going to be the boy who cried wolf. I'm going to get the information because that's what this fucking partnership is all about. Plus, do you honestly think I would be any fucking safer with one of you as my back-up? I barely tolerate half of you, let alone trust you to save me. I can take care of myself. I don't need back-up. I don't need a babysitter. I don't need a damn thing from the Syndicate."

"It seems Serenade didn't explain the deal well enough. The Syndicate, right now, has a truce with you. Unless you break the deal or until it ends, we aren't allowed to even think about hurting you," Thermoculus pipes up. Tommy takes his turn to roll his eyes. Thermoculus huffs, continuing. "Your distrust is fair but unwarranted. I thought you wanted the Red Army taken care of. That's why you partnered with us in the first place, isn't it? If you can't trust us, trust that our goals align and that we're all willing to help each other to the extent that is necessary."

Tommy finds that explanation a lot more likely than what the others have been telling him. Tommy hums in acknowledgement, a tone too high to be agreement, as he reaches into the cardboard box on the table. He throws a gray packet onto the counter by the cardboard box. He turns around to grab a bowl from one of the cabinets. He fills it with lukewarm water. He sets the bowl on the counter, noticing Thermoculus reading the back of his packet with narrowed eyes. Tommy pulls a bowl from a drawer. He rips the packet from Thermoculus hands. The villain blinks as Tommy tears the paper-like material. He pours the gray powder into the water. He uses the spoon to mix it all together. When it carries the consistency of oatmeal, Tommy sets the spoon down in the sink. He reaches for the bowl, but Thermoculus takes it before Tommy's hands can close around it. Thermoculus lifts to his nose, sniffing it. Tommy glares at the villain as Thermoculus sips a little bit of the protein soup. Thermoculus blanches. He stands up with the bowl in his hands. Before Tommy can stop him, he dumps the soup into the trash.

"What the fuck? That was my breakfast!" Tommy complains. He reaches for another packet. Thermoculus plucks it out of his hands. He drops the packet into the cardboard box before shoving the cardboard box off the counter. Tommy makes a wounded noise as he races around the island. The cardboard box is on its side, some packets fallen across the tiles. Tommy grumbles angrily as he pushes all his packets into the box. When he has them all safely tucked away, he sets the box back on the counter. "That was uncalled for."

Thermoculus sets a pan on the stove, flicking the burner on. He pulls open the fridge. He closes the fridge back with a carton of eggs in his hands. He sets the egg carton down by the stove, plucking out one of the eggs. Thermoculus calls over his shoulder, "Breakfast? That was the most disgusting thing I've ever had, and you call it 'breakfast'. I'm starting to realize why you're stupid. You're brainwashed. There can be no other explanation for why you eat garbage like that every morning."

"I will let you know that these packets are extremely healthy. They have all the necessary proteins, vitamins, nutrients, good shit like that. I eat it for all my meals," Tommy declares. It seems the Syndicate really does share a single brain cell. They all think Tommy is an idiot for going to the abandoned G-train station alone, and the few that know about the food packets hate them for their lack of taste. Tommy thought more people would see the genius innovation of the packets.

"That is sad," Thermoculus proclaims. There is something teasing in his tone, but his lips are pressed together tightly and his eyes are narrowed behind his goggles. "I'm making eggs for us both, and you're going to see what good food actually tastes like. You can get all the right proteins and nutrients from eating a variety of foods. You really don't need to limit yourself to those packets."

"They're easy to make. They're easy to eat and digest. The food packets are the definitive food," Tommy explains. Tommy's diet consists of the food packets and the sandwiches Crowfather would bring him. He doesn't need anything else, and even if he wanted to branch out to try new food, he didn't know how the food would interact with his energy pills. It could have a negative effect, either canceling each other out or combining into something deadly. Tommy didn't like taking chances when the safest option was a completely viable one. "And what if you poison my eggs?"

"Did you not just have an argument about the Syndicate not wishing you harm?" Thermoculus asks. He sighs after a moment, cracking eggs onto the side of the pan. "Why would I poison the eggs I'm going to eat, too?"

"You could only poison the half I eat. Or you could use a poison that you've been digesting since you were young. There's so many fucking ways to poison a person with food," Tommy retorts as Thermoculus turns around to grab a spoon from the drawer on the island. Tommy receives an oddly scrutinizing look as Thermoculus turns back to his pan on the stove.

"I'm not going to poison the eggs. You are watching me cook it, aren't you?" Thermoculus shuffles to the side so Tommy can see him stirring the yolks in the pan. Thermoculus keeps to the side even if it's uncomfortable, and Tommy wonders why Thermoculus would go this far to reassure Tommy. "Plus, I don't have any resistance to poisons."

"Jokes on you, I do. I'm pretty resistant to even the most damning of poisons. You could say I'm just built different," Tommy explains with a smile rising to his face behind his mask. The smile is only tainted by the knowledge of how he got to be this resistant. It was a training program sanctioned by Reverie. Reishi would feed Tommy different poisons until he built up a tolerance. Some of the memories are vivid, others have been blurred by the specific poison he took. It was a rough five years with the Hunters. Tommy was lucky to get out alive, and at least he knows how to continue persevering even when his body is dripping with more acid than sweat.

"It doesn't sound like there's a happy story behind that," Thermoculus mentions offhandedly as he pulls the pan off the hot stove and onto a cooler one. He turns the burner off. He looks through the cabinets for some plates. When he finds them, he sets two of them down. He uses his stirring spoon to scoop some eggs on each of the plates. He puts a fairly even amount on the plates, and he sets one of the plates in front of Tommy. The blonde blinks at the offering, especially when Thermoculus hands him a fork. Tommy takes the fork between his fingers. He looks down at the eggs. Thermoculus has already taken a bite. Tommy unclicks part of his mask, letting it hang off the side of his face. He scoops part of the eggs into his mouth. He feels his body deflate, relaxing as he eats something with genuine flavor. Thermoculus grins at Tommy. "You don't need to tell me it's better than your disgusting sludge, but I wouldn't mind hearing it."

"People like you don't deserve egos," Tommy smiles. Thermoculus rolls his eyes, but he returns Tommy's expression.

"Hey, Vendetta, did your resistance to poisons come from the same place those scars did?" Thermoculus asks, pointing at the hero's jawline with the end of his fork. Tommy lowers his fork onto his plate. During fights, if he was upset, Reverie would press his knife to Tommy's throat. After some lesson was taught about the value of life or being good enough, Reverie would flick the knife up to slash at his jaw instead of slitting his throat. It was a reminder. Tommy's life was in Reverie's hands. Tommy couldn't let anyone as close as he let Reverie. Tommy had to be prepared for anything. Tommy had to learn that betrayal could come from any direction. The scars became bittersweet when Tommy was the one to betray Reverie instead of the other way around. Tommy took Reverie's lessons to heart; it seems that Reverie did not.

"The Hunters are bitches," Tommy explains, bringing his hand up to trial against the largest scar of them all. He lets his hand drop away as he continues eating the eggs.

"If the Hunters did that to you, why haven't you tried taking them down? You're an A-rank hero. You could at least arrest their weaker members," Thermoculus asks. Tommy looks down at his eggs. His excuse is that he's been more focused on the Syndicate than the Hunters. The Syndicate caused his family pain while the Hunters hurt him specifically. It wasn't worth trying to get revenge for himself. It made him feel empty, and while chasing after Azrael and Inchling wasn't fulfilling, it didn't make feel hollow. But probably the biggest reason is the lingering attachment. The Hunters weren't good to him, but they were all he had when his family was gone. They hurt him, but they also held him. He would never return to them no matter how desperate he got. He was stronger than that. But he cared enough about them to leave them alone.

"What the fuck is this? Twenty questions?" Tommy glares at Thermoculus, unwilling to speak either reason out loud. He didn't want to look weak.

"I just want to know the kind of person we're working with. Everyone at the Syndicate has assumptions about you, but... you're nothing like what any of us thought. Well, Jolt, Enderwalk, and Warden don't count because they already knew you. A- Phil was probably the most accurate. I just want to see what he saw in you," Thermoculus explains with a shrug. "You can ask me something if you want."

"Why did you join the Syndicate?" Tommy asks slowly. For all his research, he doesn't know why anyone joined the Syndicate. Azrael and Inchling seem to only care about chaos. Ravager probably went with the villains that let him use his bloodlust. Everyone else was a mystery. Even Warden, Jolt, and Enderwalk haven't explained to Tommy why they went with the Syndicate.

"I lost my family in an accident. Dyscardia saved my life, and she became all I had left. We were vigilantes with each other for a long time until the Syndicate took Dyscardia. I chased after her, and I found out that the Syndicate had been providing her medical attention. They had an eye for us for a while. They offered us resources and help, and we eventually... just officially joined. They have violent means, but they want to make the world a better place. I can only hope that I'm making a word that my br- family would want to live in," Thermoculus explains softly. Tommy knew that Thermoculus and Dyscardia were vigilantes once, but everything else came as a surprise. Tommy smiles ruefully. Despite Thermoculus being the villain and Tommy being the hero, Thermoculus wants to make the world a place his family would have wanted to live in while Tommy constantly wants to murder his family's killers.

Before Tommy can ask about Thermoculus' family, he hears a cawing noise. Thermoculus straightens up. Tommy doesn't pay any attention to the villain as he races towards the balcony. He throws the sliding glass door open. Crowfather flies into the room landing on Tommy's bare arm. Tommy feels some concern, but Crowfather keeps his claws from digging into Tommy's already scarred flesh. Tommy smiles up at Thermoculus. "Come here! You get to meet Crowfather! This is going to be the best five minutes of your life! Crowfather is a busy bird, so come on!"

"Uh... Vendetta, I think you're a little confused. You do know that Crowfather is-"

Crowfather caws disapprovingly. Tommy frowns at their interaction. He decides that Thermoculus is the one in the wrong. "What are you talking about, Thermoculus? Crowfather is Crowfather, the best bird in this whole shitshow we call a city. Quit wasting your time."

Thermoculus shakes his head with wide eyes. He walks over to the bird on Tommy's arm. The blonde smiles as Crowfather fluffs his feathers. Thermoculus raises his fingers, and Crowfather allows the villain to pet his head. Thermoculus wears a smile of disbelief. Tommy feels pride swell in his body at other people noticing how amazing his avian friend is.

Crowfather lifts his wings and flies out of the window. Thermoculus watches him go with a slight frown. Tommy grins to himself, reaching for Thermoculus' wrist. He pushes up the man's boxing robe to touch his wrist. As the two of them reach the balcony, Tommy activates his powers. A red caustic light expands across both of their bodies. Thermoculus makes a surprised noise as Tommy squats and jumps up. The two of them begin floating in the air in front of the Paradise Apartments. Thermoculus grabs Tommy's arm, holding it close as he stares at the parking lot beneath them. Crowfather caws as he flies around them, his fingers barely an inch from Tommy's face. The hero readjusts his mask as he looks down at Thermoculus. "Calm down! Isn't this what we talked about earlier? Trust and all that bullshit? Think of this as a test. Trust me, and I'll trust you. I'm not going to let you fall."

Thermoculus' wide eyes met Tommy's steady gaze. Thermoculus makes a disgruntled noise as he lets go of Tommy's arm. As Thermoculus floats away, Tommy grabs the villain's hand. Thermoculus squeezes it tightly, but Tommy doesn't let go. The blonde looks to the ocean in the distance. He sees the waves lapping against the shore. There are some people already out there, enjoying the day. Crowfather flies in front of his face, drawing his attention all the way back to Thermoculus. The villain is staring at the horizon with the same forlorn look Tommy usually wears when he's sightseeing. Tommy frowns. He kicks his legs up, hanging above Thermoculus' head. Their intertwined hands connect them, and Thermoculus looks up at Tommy. Although his smile is hidden, Tommy hopes Thermoculus will sense his reassuring expression.

Thermoculus does seem to notice it. He pulls Tommy's hand down, and the two of them switch positions. Tommy laughs as he is thrown in circles. He manages to grab Thermoculus' other hand, and they spread out like sky-diver's making a ring. In a flash of black feathers, Crowfather nosedives between the hole the two flyers made. Tommy continues laughing as Crowfather rises back up. Thermoculus watches him with a half-smile on his face. "Your bird is a show-off."

"Crowfather is fucking awesome!" Tommy practically screeches. Part of him is jealous of the bird's abilities, but he's more impressed than anything else.

"What are you two doing?" Someone yells at them. Serenade stands on the balcony with one hand on his hip. He wears his 3-4th mask, staring up at Thermoculus and Tommy with an unreadable expression.

"We're flying!" Thermoculus calls with a bright smile on his face. As Tommy asked, the villain seems to trust him to start enjoying the experience.

"We're not," Tommy points out, knowing more than anyone else that his method of transportation is not actually flying. Tommy accents his point by turning their gravity back on. Thermoculus screams, his voice distorter blaring an ear-shattering static. Tommy turns their gravity back off and on again, creating a near endless cycle that has Thermoculus howling the entire time. When Tommy manages to grab the balcony railing, he turns Thermoculus' gravity back off. Serenade grabs Thermoculus' collar to help Tommy set him down on the ground. Thermoculus grumbles ugly words as he storms back into the apartment. Tommy giggles, pulling himself up to stand on the outside edge of the railing.

"It seems you two had fun," Serenade remarks, standing right in front of Tommy. They are close enough for Serenade to snap his neck or push him off. They are also close enough that Serenade could hug Tommy. Both of those thoughts are equally terrifying.

"Where the fuck were you?" Tommy asks.

"Aw, did you miss me, Vendetta?" Serenade asks, something warm lighting up his eyes and something teasing tugging at his lips.

Tommy glares at the villain. "Of course not. Why the hell would I ever miss you? Now, tell me where you were."

"I was at a meeting, you nosy gremlin. You're going on a mission with Ravager soon," Serenade explains, his gaze softening as he debriefs Tommy about who he's going to be with.

"Fucking great, this will be fun," Tommy grumbles angrily.

"Ravager won't hurt you," Serenade promises with something sickeningly genuine in his eyes.

"Yeah, I fucking know this bullshit by now. We don't have to go through the same damn song and dance. No one will hurt me as long as I'm allies with the Syndicate," Tommy rolls his eyes. He doesn't want to hear this spiel anymore. It doesn't matter if it's true or not, Tommy can't bring himself to believe it. Even if Ravager resolves not to hurt Tommy, the blonde knows he won't resist starting a fight. He's not going to blame Ravager for fighting back, but he will finally know that the Syndicate is not as moral as they want Tommy to believe.

"No, Vendetta, he's not going to hurt you because... Well, he may be a gruff person, but he's actually-"

"What's my mission?" Thermoculus asks, finally over his fear. Serenade sends Tommy a pained expression as he fumbles for his words. Before he can think of any, he turns to Thermoculus to answer his question. Tommy climbs over the railing, sliding down to the ground. Crowfather lands on the railing above his head, looking down at him with eyes filled with too much understanding and concern than a bird should have. Tommy pets Crowfather's head as Serenade speaks to Thermoculus.