Trigger warning: Referenced non-consensual drug use, dissuading someone from suicide.

Up high in the sky, all there was in the world was the wind. It stung his bare skin and ran through his feathers, ruffling them in a way that felt soothing. Exhilarating. Up in the air, the Crow Father could see everything.

He swooped down to land, clawed feet touching the ground lightly and his giant wings folding up behind him. A couple civilians turned to stare, gawking, but no one interrupted him on shift. No one was really brave enough, anyway. 

Phil walked down the streets, a warm smile on his weathered face. He was the longest serving hero in the city of the city, as well as easily toppling the record for longest-reigning #1. His presence was comforting and his smile came simply to him, no matter how he felt on the inside. That was probably a good thing because, today, he was not happy.

He was not happy at all to find out that, last night, both your sons had rushed headfirst into a fight with Enderling and his vigilantes only for them to leave, humiliated and scared. Wilbur had been grabbed and Technoblade had admitted to Phil, behind closed doors, that his twin had tried to hurt Theseus. It was recorded, too. That was the worst part. He had already had the Inbetweener give a couple of strict words to Jubilee Line about his behaviour. If the #1 caught wind of this, it wouldn't go well...

With a little shudder, he pushed out the thoughts of his sons and kept on with his patrol. After all, work was no place for family.

 Enderling and his friends showing up two days in a row together was certainly strange... Both encounters had been by the docks. Phil wondered if there was a correlation. Well, he didn't 'wonder' about it. He knew there had to be.

Two warehouses; similar people inside; similar location; kidnapped children? The likeliness of coincidences seemed to lessen and lessen the more he thought about it. None of the children would say a single bad word about the vigilantes who freed them but would talk long and hard about their abductors - the brave ones did, anyway.

One boy, who looked startlingly like Theseus, talked about needles and pills that the kidnappers forced him to take. A girl talked about how they'd take away other kids if they had enough injections and how they'd never see them again. None of the children knew where they had been taken, just that they weren't coming back.

Parents were asking questions, he knew that. He would be too. He had before. He understood all their worries, all their fears. But he really wanted them to stop with the questions, too. There was only so much they could do when more and more heroes turned to join the armed forces. There was only so much they could do with such little information.

When he spotted something from the corner of his eye, Phil opened up his wings and took off from the ground within two rapid beats. He went above the one-storey buildings and then flew higher than the stocky, squat business buildings. He landed on the top of a shopping mall, folding his large wings behind him steadily.

"Hey, mate," He called out to the figure standing on the top.

She jumped and turned around, wide-eyed. Her hair was short and dirty-blonde. She had brown eyes and a mole by her eyebrow. She wore a long sleeved top and baggy trousers. She seemed terrified by his appearance.

Phil smiled softly at her, taking a small step forwards. "Are you alright?"

"You- Crow Father?!" Her voice was between a whimper and a cry. She was crying. Phil felt his heart break a little bit.

"Yeah, that's me. What's your name?"

She seemed hesitant, her knees quacking and her teeth gnawing at cracked lips. "It's... Kaitlyn. Dempsey. Kaitlyn Dempsey, sir."

"Kaitlyn?" Phil echoed. She nodded and he stepped a little closer, tilting his head to the side sadly. "What're you doing on the roof?"

Kaitlyn paled and looked away, a nervous laugh bubbling at her lips. "I was just... looking. I-I wasn't going to do anything, I'm not planning anything. I'm just-"

"Would you like a hug?"

She stopped her ramblings and turned around, wide-eyed. "What?"

"A hug," Phil repeated, holding out his arms. "Or, if you don't want to feel trapped, I can use my wings. You can push them off anytime."

"...I can hug you?"

Phil smiled. "If it'll make you feel better."

Kaitlyn stared, hesitant, then rushed forwards and threw herself into the hero's arms, clinging to him tightly. She began to uncontrollably sob, chest heaving with weeping pants. Phil hugged her back, slowly moving his wings around them as if they were a shield, blocking out the days' weak sunlight and any prying cameras or eyes. Kaitlyn's tears came fast, like a downpour, soaking the fabric on Phil's shoulder. He didn't attempt to stop her. He simply patted the top of her head gently with a clawed hand.

"I'm sorry," She ended up hiccupping between frantic breaths. "I didn't mean to- I didn't want to ruin anyone's day with this- this stupid thing."

"It's not stupid," Phil promised. "It's how you're feeling."

"I'm sorry. You're- you're on patrol and I'm just... I'm getting in the way, I'm sorry-!"

Phil patted her head softly. "You're not in anyone's way."

"...you're really busy, aren't you? I don't mean to be wasting your time."

"My duty is to the people of L'Manburg before anything else. You are a person and you're in L'Manburg. You can't waste my time." She sniffed a little and gripped tighter, shaking. "Why were you going to jump, Kaitlyn?"

She shrugged, shivering, and sniffed again. "I thought... I'm just- I'm getting in the way," Kaitlyn looked up at Phil tearfully. "I didn't want to bother anyone."

"There's always people you can go to. There will always be someone you can talk to."

Oh, those brown eyes of hers made this so much harder. He had seen almost the exact same pair staring up at him once, with the exact same feelings and the exact same desperation. He remembered clearly how his sons' voice had broken too, and how they had clung to each other throughout the rest of the night. He remembered being unwilling to let go, even after Wilbur had fallen asleep.

He spoke to Kaitlyn a little longer. He took her and flew safely to the ground, remaining slow and steady with his descent. He even walked with her to a clinic nearby that he found, a large black wing wrapped around her to shield her from all the stares. He protected her until she was safely inside. And then he had to leave, for the rest of his duties.

Philza took to the skies again afterwards, trying to clear his head. His shift wouldn't be over for a long time, still. There was no time to get caught up on things. The elytrian-hybrid glided over the city, eyes peeled on the ground for movement. For threats. For victims.

A large family of tourists gawked at him and pulled out cameras. He did a small loop-the-loop to send them screaming.  A brown-haired boy in his late teens or early twenties walked by them with a large backpack and raised a judging eyebrow that went ignored by the tourists. It was quite hilarious. Phil kept flying.

He flew over streets and across alleyways, down roads and around buildings. The timer on his shift kept ticking and he hated the fact he still had three hours left. Maybe he was getting too old for this.

But then he spotted someone. Another figure on the rooftops. His first thought was Kaitlyn but that was ridiculous, as she was in a very different area. His second thought was someone like Kaitlyn. Someone else who needed help. His third, and correct thought, was that it was Theseus.

The vigilante was sitting on the edge of a roof, legs dangling down the wall as he fiddled with the firecan. His grappling hook was strapped firmly to his back and the gasmask hid half his face. His curly blonde hair flew wildly in the wind and his blue eyes were focused on the can. He didn't seem to react when the Crow Father landed behind him.

It was windier than Phil had initially thought, a hand going to his hat quickly, despite the fact it stayed attached thanks to the transparent chinstrap. He crouched low, wings stretching from his sides for balance. He reached out a hand, glancing around for signs of Enderling and Bee. Theseus was often around where Enderling was, and Bee seemed to be the package deal of it.

Philza had only encountered Theseus once before. Two days ago, for a fight of around ten seconds, at L'Manburgs' docks. Although he knew the vigilantes' fighting tactics in theory, he didn't want to push his luck with the firecan near his wings. The best option would be to talk first and punch later.

With that in mind, Phil grabbed the collar of Theseus's shirt, ignoring the yell of shock, and pulled him over.

"Hello, Theseus," He greeted.

The vigilante's eyes widened at him and he tried to squirm to his feet quickly. Phil didn't loosen his grip.

"Are your friends around?" He asked, claws tightly latched onto the shirt fabric. "Are you three on a mission or is this a solo-quest?"

"Get the fuck off me, chicken-feet!"

Phil blinked slowly, then frowned. "Why... why on earth would I let go?"

Theseus sagged a little. "Ugh, that never works on you heroes..."

"We're not going to not arrest you because you asked us to, you know." Phil arched an eyebrow. "And your bounty's increased by two-thousand pounds in this week alone. We need to take you into custody if you don't want the consequences to get worse."

A coldness came over Theseus's eyes. He managed to get to his feet and stand, surprising Phil with how tall he actually was. "You think that we're the ones who killed Rigdley, don't you?" Phil felt his wings freeze on his back and he saw the way the summer-blue sky of Theseus's eyes became a dark sea storm. "We're not murderers, Crow Father. We save people."

"And I understand that," Phil promised, trying to appear more relaxed than he felt. Theseus had hit the nail on the head: the corporation did pin the murder to the vigilante trio, even if it was unofficial. King had been talking about it earlier.

"I didn't even know that woman was there."

"I don't think you killed her," Lied the hybrid. Theseus seemed to relax a little and Phil couldn't help but feel bad about the immediate, gnawing guilt in his head. People trusted him too easily, sometimes.

The pair stood in silence for a while, Phil waiting for Theseus to make a move. He was dangerous and unpredictable. In fact, he still was holding the firecan - a unique and deadly weapon at the worst of times - and he was standing like he was ready to take or deal blows. Theseus was certainly a threatening opponent, someone Phil doubted he'd want to take too many hits from, but maybe, if he found weak spots or a pattern, he could take him down and then-

"You kinda smell really birdlike, by the way."

Phil stared at Theseus, the comment slowly dawning on him.

The vigilante squinted at him disapprovingly, shamelessly turning a dial on his mask that made his breathing softer and probably more filtered.

"I'm sorry?"

"Yeah, you should be. You kinda have that musty chicken-coop smell and I'm afraid that you're gonna make my shirt stink too."

Phil made a face. "Okay, that was really rude. I don't comment on how you smell, do I? Maybe I think you're going to make my hand stink."

"Stink of what? Cleansiness and humans?"

"...You're under arrest."

"Aw, come on!" Theseus tried to pull back with a loud groan. "That's where you draw the line?"

Phil pulled at the vigilante and proceeded to immediately duck the fist that Theseus aimed for his head, not letting go of the blonds' shirt. He yanked at Theseus, dragging him downwards, then used the momentum to crash a wing into his chest, sending Theseus flying back.

The vigilante rolled across the rooftop, stopping just at the edge and wheezing a little. He was obviously winded and Phil used that moment to pounce. With his wings giving him an extra boost of speed, the Crow Father crossed the distance in the blink of an eye and raised an arm, elbowing Theseus in the ribs swiftly and surely. The younger yelled out loudly and sent a well-aimed kick into Phil's stomach.

He felt winded, doubling over only slightly, but even that wasn't enough to stop him from keeping Theseus down. He forced the vigilante down with a taloned foot, reaching for the walky-talky on his belt.

"This is the Crow Father - I've got Theseus temporarily pinned down in eighth sector. Enderling and Bee not spotted. Requesting backup soon."

The voice on the other end answered with a crackling, "Roger that," and Phil put away the walky-talky.

He knelt down over Theseus, stretching his wings wide to block the vigilante from looking for escape routes. "Where's Enderling, Theseus?" He asked lowly.

Theseus upper-half of his face crinkled into a sneer. "You morons really still think that Ender's running this show?"

Phil's heart shuddered in his chest. There was someone else? A bigger player, perhaps? He leaned in closer, narrowing his eyes. "Who is running your show, then?"

A fist swung at him, catching his jaw and staggering the Crow Father a little. Still, he kept a firm clawed foot on Theseus, turning to the vigilante with a glare only to be looking down the nozzle of the firecan. He let go of the vigilante in a panic as the mist began to fly, taking hasty flaps of his wings to avoid the spreading spray.

Theseus took the chance to roll off the edge of the building and let the fire erupt in his wake. Phil recovered quickly, changing his trajectory hurriedly and launching himself down towards Theseus, who was plummeting down side of the wall. He watched how Theseus grabbed at a balcony's' railings, grabbing onto the thin, metal bars and yelling out in pain when he was forced to catch his own weight.

Phil hissed, hurriedly attempting to adjust his speed as he ended up diving past the vigilante, who was hurriedly scurrying onto the balcony he used to catch himself. The Crow Father turned in the air, looking up and seeing Theseus aim with his grappling hook at the roof of a parallel building.

"No!" Phil shouted instinctively and began to climb the air as Theseus fired. He reached out a hand, missing the blond by a hair widths'. He heard the younger cheer in delight but even that narrow escape wasn't enough to shake up Phil.

The Crow Father was a formidable opponent and he was still playing nice.

Theseus jumped onto the roof and Phil was hot in pursuit, diving onto the concrete only a handful of steps before the vigilante. He grabbed at the blonds' forearms, catching him off-guard, and threw him over his shoulder. Theseus yelped as his back crashed into the concrete and then groaned loudly when Philza spun around and stamped on his chest.

"Theseus, you are under arrest!" He cried out loudly, his glaring green eyes meeting the searing blue.

"And you're the goddamn feathery version of Jubilee," Growled the vigilante and he grabbed Phil's ankle.

It seemed to happen in slow motion, to Phil. His eyes widened and Theseus pulled hard and fast at his foot, taking his weight out from under him. His wings flapped ungraciously and wildly, not helping to slow or soften his rapid descent to the concrete floor. Theseus rolled out from underneath him, stumbling to his feet.

"Enderling!" He was shouting, as Philza tried to shake off the pounding pain where he'd hit his head. "Enderling, for fuck's sake-! There you are! What do I- Ender, I need extraction, dammit! What else would I need?!"

Phil got to his feet, briefly letting his fingers brush his forehead. He didn't need to look at them to know that the warm liquid now staining them was his blood. Theseus had his back to him - a rookie mistake. Phil lunged swiftly, using a wing to block the vigilante's view. He grabbed the back of Theseus's shirt and dragged him back.

The vigilante's eyes were wide and flickered up to the bleeding wound on the Crow Father's head. Phil didn't flinch nor care about the blood on his forehead. He had easily suffered worse than some simple bleeding and it wouldn't stop him from doing his duties.

"Theseus, I'm trying to help you," He insisted, pushing the vigilante down. "Come willingly and your sentence will be shortened in acknowledgement."

"I'm Theseus, you fuckhead," the vigilante answered, trying to pull himself out of the hero's unbreakable grip. "I never get arrested."

"The Warden said that exact same thing, y'know," Phil began.

Theseus quickly interrupted him, frowning. "The Warden called you a fuckhead?"

"What? No-?" A pair of hands grabbed at Phil, cutting him off, and, the next thing he knew, a black and white tail curled around his waist and dragged him back. 

Enderling had arrived.

The Crow Father changed priorities instantly, even if he knew it would be in vain. He swung a clawed hand at Enderling, who squeaked a little and teleported several metres back, the end of his tail puffed up like a monochrome pufferfish. The elytrian lunged at the enderman but, as always, Enderling teleported just out of reach, eyes moving too fast to follow across his surroundings.

Phil watched him appear on different buildings, vanish all together and then reappear right in front of him to hit him with his tail. He braced himself, attempting to work out a pattern. Then he grabbed the vigilantes' tail, gripping it tight. This was what the Corporation had been waiting for.

He had their escape route.

He had their escape route.

He had forgotten about Theseus until the attack came from behind.

The human vigilante pushed the hybrid hero with such force that Phil felt himself falling, automatically letting go of Enderling, who vanished instantly.

"Like I said," Theseus glared, Enderling appearing behind him as Phil turned around. "I'm Theseus. I never get arrested."

And the pair vanished just before he could touch them.

Phil stared at the empty space in front of him, breathing heavily as the blood ran down his forehead - he could smell it near his nose. His body ached from Enderling's whips and his wings were exhausted and heavy. But he felt victorious.

He had managed to grab Enderling. He nearly arrested Theseus. He found out they had a fourth player.

Defeated but triumphant, the Crow Father rose to his feet, taking out the walky-talky.

"This is the Crow Father," He said firmly. "Cancel the reinforcements and the rest of my shift. Book me an immediate meeting with the Inbetweener and the vigilante profilers. I have information."