"Oh-ho, that's gotta hurt!" Crowed Sapnap, clapping his hands eagerly.

"Jesus Christ, don't look so happy about it!" Dream replied, slapping his arm. "George's in trouble!"

Sapnap laughed, leaning back with a grin as he watched one of his best friends on the TV screen, adjusting a giant mushroom hat. "C'mon, Dream. We're heroes. It's our occupational hazard."

Dream grumbled, leaning back on the sofa. "I'm still worried. That was a blow to his ribs..."

"He's had worse," Soothed Sapnap, focusing on the TV once more. George stood up and trusted forwards his hand - from the cracks in the pavement sprouted giant blades of grass, thickening as they shot towards the strange creature. Sapnap had never seen something like it before. It must have been seven feet, maybe just over that, and it was built with muscle and bone-like, curved spikes, like tusks bursting from the skin.

"What is that thing?" Dream asked him, suddenly. "Doesn't look like a hybrid."

The hero shrugged. "We've never encountered it before, but it's probably glitched DNA. I'm guessing some kind of piglin. That would explain the tusks and tough hide."

The digital George made the mutant blades of grass wrap around the thing tightly. It squeezed and bound it, trying to limit its movement. However, the creature burst from the restraints and lunged with a shuddering roar. It had pitch-black eyes, where not even a glimmer of light could be seen. It seemed so savage: so primitive. George lunged to the side, expertly rowling and, once again, having to adjust his hat.

"Can't he just take that thing off?" Whined Dream, bouncing his leg anxiously. "It's slowing him down..."

"Ah, calm down," Insisted Sapnap. "George's been fighting with that lil' bonnet on for ages. He's used to it now, there's no way it could be a disadvantage to him." The creature lunged for George again and its claws curled around the hat, digging into it. Then, George was hoisted off the ground and flung almost eight metres away. The blond glared at Sapnap who winced a little, adding, "But I can kinda see where you get your concerns from."

Dream glared harder before turning back to the screen. "He's not doing well, is he?"

"Well, he's not one for close-quarter combat," Sapnap answered, leaning back. "He was fucked the moment that thing got up in his face."

"When will his back-up be arriving?"

The no#3 shrugged. "Well, probably not anytime soon. Jubilee Line's not allowed to go on shift for a bit, from what I've heard, and Blood God's also in trouble with Inbetweener. I'm not on shift right now, hence me being here, and Crow Father's probably... I dunno, eating worms. Because he's a bird."

"Where's Eret, then?"

"Wouldn't help. She's just like George with combat, so he wouldn't really change the tides. If anything, they'd just get beat up too."

Dream grimaced. "Well, someone needs to show up soon."

"George'll adapt. Give him time."

So they watched on for a further ten minutes. George was getting thrown around, only being able to catch his breath when he briefly restrained the creature. Dream grew more worried by the second, responding in a flurry of panic to even the smallest movement or noise. It was quite funny actually. George ducked into an alleyway, fumbling in the pockets and slits of his cloak. He drew out a handful of something and darted back around the corner, throwing whatever he had in his palm. Seeds flew through the air and then erupted. Large, twisting vines that ensnared and trapped the creature flew from the air. They wound themselves around its legs and balled themselves around its arms. They curled around its head, its ankles and its wrists. The creature began screaming and writhing upon being trapped, howling out for the world to hear.

As the beast thrashed, George stood up straight and turned to the van that had been waiting on the side. He beckoned and experts flooded the scene, slowly handling the beast inside the van and George followed. The broadcaster began a commentary and Dream took that as an opportunity to turn off the TV. He turned to Sapnap, grinning in relief. "He lived."

"Oh, please," scoffed Sapnap. "We always do."

"Still," Dream laughed a little. "I get worried."

There was a knock on the door and the blond frowned. "Sorry, let me get that." He stood up and walked towards the door, Sapnap watching him leave. He opened it and his face relaxed, even though Sapnap couldn't see who was there. "Hey," he greeted friendly. "Didn't expect you to call in."

"Yeah, well," The voice was young and male and sounded like there was a shrug within those words. "Just... don't wanna be in my flat right now."

"That's fair," Dream stepped aside. "Fighting with that Tubbo guy again?"

The guy was tall, maybe taller than Dream, and his hair was blond and curly. His eyes were a particular shade of blue, almost familiar, and he seemed to support a strange array of bruising or cuts. One shoulder hung awkwardly from his body and his knuckles were grazed. Despite a worn appearance, he smiled brightly at Dream as he let himself in. "Nice place you've got," he was saying, as he looked around. His eyes fell onto Sapnap and he nodded thoughtfully. "You've even hired a residence whore."

Sapnap's eyes widened and his shock became offended when Dream started laughing loudly. "Excuse you!" He said. "I'm his friend, not his bed-buddy!"

"Mhm, sure," The blond kid walked further in, sitting himself down on the sofa, where Dream had been sitting beforehand. "What's your name, then, Dream's 'friend'?"

"Sapnap Halo," He said, offering out his hand.

The stranger didn't shake it for a moment and then he did, leaning forwards. Sapnap was suddenly hit with familiarity. His eyes glinted with mischief but caution; blue like a summer sky that was ready to turn volatile. His hair seemed knotted, despite how well the curls hid most of it. His grip was strong and almost unbreakable - if Sapnap had been a little weaker, his hand would hurt. The kid was studying him - he had been a hero long enough to know he was assessing him for a fight.

"And what's your name?" Sapnap asked coolly, squeezing back slightly.

"I'm Tommy."

"Tommy what?"

The kid, Tommy, simply shrugged. "It's just Tommy, innit?"

Sapnap hesitated then loosened his grip and they both drew their hands away. Dream leant over the middle of the sofa, being friendly as usual, as if he hadn't noticed the more than strange behaviour. "Sapnap, this is my neighbour. He lives at 5B, just opposite from me. Tommy, can I get you a drink? Coffee? Tea? Water?"

"Do you have any coke?"

"I got coca-cola but not the drugs."

"Coca-cola will do."

Dream nodded turning to Sapnap. "You want anything, Sap?"

"Water'll do."

Their host gave the two a grand thumbs up and a wide smile before leaving the pair alone. Almost immediately, the atmosphere felt suffocating. Tommy kept staring at Sapnap, still seeming to analyze him extensively. It was all kinds of uncomfortable.

"It's rude to stare," Sapnap muttered, shooting the kid a sharp look.

He shrugged as if he had done nothing wrong. "Sorry. You just look familiar."

"Well, I can say the same about you," Answered the hero, turning to Tommy properly. "But I'm pretty sure I've never seen you before."

"Same," Nodded Tommy. "I'd remember some weirdo black-haired guy who's struggling to look like an anime protagonist if I saw them."

"Hey! What the hell?"

Tommy laughed. "Oh, I'm sorry. Genuinely, I am." The judging face faded away slowly. "I can be a bit too sharp when I first meet people. Besides, I'm super tired - late night and all - so my filter's down to the dogs."

For a moment, Sapnap hesitated and then shrugged. "I guess that's fair," He answered. Maybe, just for the sake of Dream's friendship with this kid, he'd let the dickishness slide.

They sat in silence for a while and then Tommy spoke up again. "So, how'd you know Dream?"

"We met at school," Answered Sapnap, "back in primary. We went to separate secondary schools but always stayed in touch. That's a pretty good thing, to be honest. He doesn't leave his house often except for his job and that cafe thing. You?"

"I got off at the wrong bus stop and ran into him," Tommy explained, lounging back on the armrest. "We found out we both lived at Visvang so he made sure I got safely home."

"Wow. Socialising. Never thought he could manage it."

It seemed like there was a question Tommy wanted to ask and, without hesitation, he asked, "So, are you one of Dream's cop friends?"

Sapnap's stomach dropped and he glanced rapidly over to where Dream was emerging from his kitchen. His civilian friend paled a little and winced awkwardly, but Sapnap couldn't glare at him for too long, turning reluctantly back to Tommy. "Yeah. I'm a police officer."

"Nice," nodded Tommy. "What d'ya do?"

"Nothing fun. Administration stuff, mostly."

Tommy blinked and arched an eyebrow. "You work administration?"

"Yep."

"You work in administration when you have biceps the size of tree trunks?"

Sapnap glanced down at his bulging arms awkwardly. "Yep."

The blond sniffed and Dream began to approach again, looking incredibly relieved. "Damn. Waste of those guns. I've got a friend, his name's Toby, and he's absolutely ripped - like, he's built like a short bodybuilder - but do you wanna know what he does for a living?"

"What?" Sapnap politely asked, taking his glass of water from Dream.

"He's a freelance engineer," Answered Tommy, almost incredulously. "Most of his income is from soft old people, whom's Roomba he fixed."

"Tommy, your drink," nudged Dream, holding out the can.

"Ah, thanks, mate. But, yeah," He continued to Sapnap, "It's so stupid! Like, his engineering is brilliant and he tinkers all around with tech in his spare time but he doesn't take it anywhere aside from calling in at places and fixing little things for cheap prices. He could be building rocket ships with that sort of intelligence or- or be a police officer with his strength! Hell, he could easily get through a hero training course, he's built like a wall."

Sapnap hummed, taking a small sip from his water glass. "Is he a hybrid? Or a biomagician?"

Tommy seemed to tense up a little as he opened his can. "No... but his tech can combat that."

"Nope," answered the older, shaking his head. "It's rare for untrained hybrids or biomagicians to get a second glance, let alone just regular people."

Tommy glared, almost defensively. "It's that's stupid."

Sapnap frowned a little. "No, it's not. You can't expect normal civilians to be able to face glitched hybrids on a regular, or stop mad biomagicians. They'd just get hurt."

"Theseus manages it!" Tommy protested angrily.

Ah. That was where all the emotion was coming from. Tommy was a sympathiser. Something irritated and snappy boiled in Sapnap's gut - he knew it. He had warned the others that the sympathisers for Enderling and his crew were growing in number but they hadn't listened. "Theseus is a criminal," replied Sapnap coolly, putting down his water glass with a sharp clink. "He'll be arrested soon enough."

"He won't be," Retorted the kid. "Enderling and Bee will always have his back. Besides, he's not a criminal. He's a good person."

Sapnap arched an eyebrow. "You speak like you know him."

Tommy faltered, flushing a little, and bowed his head. He stared intently at his coke can before quietly muttering, "He saved me once."

From behind the taller blonde, Sapnap saw Dream's face crumple in pity. "Oh, Tommy," he said, kneeling down. "What happened?"

"It was... stupid," said the other, turning away. "Besides, it was a long time ago, too. He stopped me from doing something stupid when I was a kid and saved me from... what might've happened. Theseus isn't a criminal - he saves people." Tommy caught Sapnap's eye briefly and the blue sky had turned into a threatening storm. "I don't like talking about it."

"That's... fair," said Sapnap, gently backing off. "I guess that he hasn't... hurt a civilian yet. I don't think there are records of any civilian harm done by that lot... I still think they ought to be arrested."

"They're helping people!"

"They're breaking the law!"

"So?!"

Sapnap stood up sharply, murmuring a loud, "Bloody hell," to himself. He stormed off into the kitchen, opened Dream's fridge and grabbed himself a cold beer. He had a shift at four in the morning later and this would be the only way he didn't start it in a foul mood. Reaching into his pocket, he dropped George a quick text before swigging the beer. Finishing it soon enough, he discarded it on the side of Dream's sink so it could be rinsed and walked back in.

"Okay," he tried brightly. "Let's not talk about controversial, political topics and continue to have an awkward acquaintanceship with each other rather than become bitter enemies."

"Sounds good," grunted Tommy. His arms were crossed tightly on his chest and Dream was finally sitting down on the sofa, taking up the middle cushion.

"So," began their host, trying not to appear incredibly awkward. "We all good to watch a movie? Maybe 'How To Train Your Dragon' or, uh, some other non-political classic?"

Sapnap shrugged. "Why not? Have you got snacks?"

Dream scoffed. "Have I got snacks, he says. I always have snacks."

Tommy grinned. "Does it make up for the fact you're not a snack, huh?"

"You, sir," Dream rounded on the youngest with an accusing finger, "need a nap today!"

"Wha- it's, like, eleven-pm!"

"Exactly! Time for you to have a nap!"

Tommy began to loudly protest, starting a light-hearted bickering session between him and Dream. Sapnap stayed sitting back, watching in silence. So, Tommy has encountered Theseus, allegedly a long time ago. He had to admit, Theseus didn't seem like a bad person, but integrity didn't change the law. If Tommy really had been saved by Theseus, how long ago was this? How old was he? How old was Theseus?

If Theseus had been operating before causing all the chaos, there might mean there was more evidence to uncover. Maybe he had slipped up once. Maybe the mask had fallen off. Maybe Tommy knew his face. Mind racing with questions and suspicions, Sapnap didn't voice his thoughts. Not to these two, at least. He pulled out his phone and typed out another text for George. It was a simple message, nothing too big. It just said:

'Apartment B5 opposite dreams at visvang. interview occupant tommy on theseus'

He clicked send and put down his phone. George will get round to his hunch soon enough. For now, just play it cool...

"I'm sorry, Wilbur," the deep voice muttered in his ear. The vigilante wasn't sure he had heard it right, over his panic and fast-paced mind, yet he remembered it clearly. The Blood God didn't say it again but he didn't need to. He had apologised to someone and Tubbo had heard it. 'I'm sorry, Wilbur'. Who the hell was 'Wilbur'?

Tubbo watched the Blood God lie with his back on the concrete rooftop, panting. His loose plait was more dishevelled and his cloak was crumpled and unevenly gathered beneath him. The small white rings in his black sclera were staring, unfocused, towards the sky. It was strangely human of him. He didn't seem like the big, intimidating, silent piglin hybrid he usually did. He looked, despite the kingly costume and ungodly muscles, quite normal.

"You saved me," he breathed, sounding like he couldn't believe it. "I thought, for a second, that you wouldn't." He glanced at Tubbo, eyes narrowed not in a rude manner but in a confused way. It was almost hurtful how surprised he was. "I thought that you might've pushed me on purpose."

"We don't kill people," Tubbo reassured, breathing heavily himself.

The Blood God nodded calmly, despite what had just happened. "I didn't think you did... Thank you for proving me right."

There was a moment of silence, Tubbo taking it as a chance to land on his tiptoes, right at the building edge. He had to ask about it. It was now or never. "I need to ask you something," He hurriedly blurted, before there was a chance to take it back.

The hero looked over, still laying still. "Feel free, dude," He answered so casually they may as well be old friends. "I'm not exactly in the best emotional state to arrest you right now, if that's what you're wondering-"

"No, not that," Tubbo interrupted, shaking his head. "You, uh, said something. While we were falling."

The piglin frowned. "Calling Death's mother a whore?"

"No. Not that." He took a deep, hesitant breath. His eyes closed behind his goggles and, when he reopened them, he could see the slow tensing of the Blood God's body. "Who's Wilbur?"

There was silence on the rooftop, the only sound being his mechanical wings, gently preparing to take flight again.

"What?" The Blood God said, voice sharp and cold. There was nothing casual about it anymore. It was professional and strict.

"'I'm sorry, Wilbur'," the vigilante swallowed. "You whispered that, while we were falling. Who is he?"

The Blood God sat up slowly, eyes narrowed sharply. "Forget you heard that," He threatened with a growing sneer. His strange eyes had gone dark and Tubbo couldn't help but notice the netherite gently starting to bubble. "I said nothing of the sort."

He hesitated, hoping that the other would cave or hint at something, but eventually shrugged. "Whatever you say." And then he flew away, taking off from the building and climbing rapidly into the sky. When he glanced back down, the Blood God was making his exit, the netherite making a platform for him to ride down on.

He turned away, quickly. Why did he even leave the flat tonight? Tommy had left before him so there wasn't even the excuse of getting away from him to use. Maybe it was because he couldn't crack the case. After the piglin hero had mentioned the lack of information on possibly both their sides, Tubbo had been reminded once again, with the bitter feeling that always accompanied failure, that no one was getting close to catching the kidnapping organisation, least of all him. There were no leads, despite all the mismatched evidence. No links between evidence, either, despite his essay-long google docs page.

It was almost pointless. He just couldn't find anything, no matter how hard he looked. Everything was guesswork; no theory was compatible with another. He was lost.

Tubbo landed on a rooftop and groaned loudly, sitting down. Being a vigilante was so difficult but he had promised Tommy long ago that he'd help him after he was turned away. A brother will always help a brother, after all. He crossed his legs and slumped over them, beginning to scratch at the concrete with his gloved fingers. His nose was still bleeding but the flow was slowing down. He needed to get it sorted out.

Despite having only just sat down, he stood up again. His night had been awful. If Ranboo wasn't annoyed about his and Tommy's fight, they could be watching The Office together but no, Tommy wanted to defend heroes with no evidence! It was unbelievable. Tubbo's wings whirred once more and the vigilante began to fly through the air. He ducked around the building, trying to carefully avoid being caught by the security cameras. He landed undetected next to a series of foul-smelling bins. He wormed off the wings and pulled off the jumper. As he hurriedly peeled his balaclava and goggles from his mildly sweaty face, he whipped out his phone and opened the camera.

The blood leaking from his nose was a trickle but there was a half-dried, glisteningly scarlet coating of it across most of his face. The Blood God had hit him hard. He turned to the wings, leaning them backwards and carefully opened the tiny compartment in the side. Some wet wipes and a folded carrier bag were inside and he took them both out. Wiping the blood from his nose, he dumped the used wipes in one of the bins. Putting the packet back in the compartment, he proceeded to dump his vigilante costume into it. It was always wise to not walk around with incriminating evidence on you.

Finally, he took off his gloves and placed them cautiously in the bag. He always tried so hard not to get any fingerprints on his actual equipment. That would be bound to have him put away for life.

Tubbo pulled out his phone once more and checked his nose. It looked swollen and sore but it was at least not covered in his own blood and that would have to do. And he began walking. Carefully and routinely, he managed to slip out of the security camera's line of sight until he easily blended in on the main street. No one around him noticed, nobody seemed to care about the young man with the painful-looking nose. He had quietly added himself to their ranks and kept walking. Tommy never bothered to blend in with the crowds because his go-to home was faking a walk late at night into the forest. Ranboo would typically hide his poncho and call a taxi. Neither ever thought to be one of the regular people around them. It spoke so much while saying so little in Tubbo's opinion.

He made it to Visvang, body sore and face sorer. As he fussed with keys to open up the front door, it swung open and someone walked into him. They both fell backwards.

"Bloody hell!" The stranger yelped, attempting to grab Tubbo's shoulder as they both fell past the three steps up to the door. The vigilante panicked, attempting to huddle his carrier bag close to his chest. If the contents spilled, he'd be done for. The both of them collided painfully on the stone paving and groaned.

"Mate," whine Tubbo, feeling winded. "You came out of nowhere..."

The guy sat up, and Tubbo took a moment to look at him properly. A little bit older than the vigilante himself, he had a dark, blueish-grey jumper on, with a white collar appearing from below it. A maroon beanie sat on top of brown curls and he had large circular glasses.

"I'm sorry," He apologised. "I wasn't paying attention. I didn't think anyone would be arriving at nearly midnight."

Tubbo hesitated and then shrugged. "Fair. But I didn't think anyone would be leaving at nearly midnight, either."

"You got me there," He answered, standing up. He offered his hand out to Tubbo. "I was just heading home."

"Home?" Tubbo echoed, accepting the help. "These are the flats, mate."

"No, I was visiting my girlfriend," He replied. "I don't live here."

"Oh. What floor's your girlfriend on?"

"Top floor," answered the stranger. "She's the landlady."

Tubbo gasped dramatically, even taking a long step back. "So you're Sally's secret lover!"

The guy laughed a little, but it sounded a bit awkward. "I'm hardly a secret. I've just never stopped to chat to tenants, is all." Now that he was standing, Tubbo noticed just how tall this guy was. Ranboo's human height, though he may be an inch shorter, and the poofiness of his hair didn't help him seem less gigantic. The shorter only realised he was staring when the guy gave a forced cough and said, "I ought to be on my way, now. It's late and I've got to get some sleep."

"Oh, yeah," Tubbo began to make his way up the stairs. "Have a good night!"

"You too! Sorry about running into ya!"

"Yeah, no worries, mate!"

Tubbo hurriedly ducked into the apartment building, mortified. First, he'd fought with Tommy; second, he'd got Ranboo upset at him; third, he just had to push the Blood God off a building; and now, fourth, he'd just seemed really, really weird to his landlady's secret boyfriend.

He was not having a very good day...