Tubbo and Ranboo woke up early to get Tommy the day he was released from the hospital. It had been about two and a half months since he had been admitted. And as promised, Wilbur really did handle the medical bill. 

Tommy seemed to be doing better finally. Physically and mentally. Or at least, he seemed much happier as he walked back to his, Tubbo, and Ranboo's apartment together. 

Back home, when they sat down on their couch and start catching up, Ranboo turned to face Tommy sadly. He knew he had to tell him what Tubbo and him discovered, but he didn't want to have to ruin the moment.

He glanced at Tubbo, whose happy face fell when he caught Ranboo's anxious expression. Tommy looked between the two, realizing something was up. "What's going on?" Tommy asked cautiously.

Ranboo sighed and started back down at the floor. "The Eggpire's gonna end the SBI hero agency. Tonight." Tommy inhaled suddenly, as if he'd just been punched in the stomach. "Oh."

"We know you just got released from the hospital and everything, but it's just that-" Tommy shook his head. "My family works there. If I didn't help, it'd be my fault they died. I understand, Ranboo." Ranboo got up walked over to Tommy, and wrapped him in a tight hug. "It wouldn't be your fault. It's that stupid Eggpire's for making such a dumb decision."

Tommy couldn't help but have that little voice in his head that told him that wasn't true.

---------

Tommy and Tubbo watched as Tubbo shifted into a coworker of his and walked in. Tommy and Ranboo watched anxiously, ready to jump in the moment they heard commotion. 

And for the longest time, everything was eerily quiet. Too quiet. The kind of quiet where no one was talking, no birds were chirping, and not even the sound of the breeze could be heard. It was the calm before the storm.

A deafening boom was heard in the distance. Tommy and Ranboo's eyes both traveled the tower, both instantly seeing the black smoke coming from the tower. Both feeling that instant unease. 

Tommy and Ranboo ran into the building, each finding their own way to the top floor- from which the explosion came from. Tommy's unease and anxiousness worsened as he noticed Wilbur in his hero suit, lying on the ground and clutching an apparently broken arm. 

Tommy couldn't remember the last time he saw Wilbur crying as a hero.

Tommy's unease turned to fear when spotted Tubbo in the corner in his vigilante form, trying to stop one of the Eggpire's swords from slicing through his head with his bare hands. 

Tommy's eyes turned golden under his mask as he activated his telekinesis and shoved the sword all the way back until it was touching the Eggpire goon's head. Tubbo jumped back, wiped his head around, and spotted Tommy. His face instantly changed from a look of pain and fear to relief.

Tubbo ran over to Tommy as another explosion went off on the side, knocking Tubbo and Tommy to the ground. Tommy looked around and tried to cover his ears as they started ringing, but as he did a foot stepped on his hand, forcing Tommy back down to the ground.

Tommy looked at the man and noticed one of the Eggpire goons was holding a remote in his hand, most likely to set off the explosions. "Not today, hero." 

Tommy watched as the goon set pressed a button, setting off another deafening boom in the distance. Tommy forced his eyes shut to try and activate his powers. The pain from his hand being crushed, the nausea from his headache and the ringing in his ears that was causing his headache all made his attempt feel impossible.

He could hear Tubbo and Ranboo in the distance, yelling something. It felt as if the building was starting to tilt. Tommy forced his eyes open and saw everything begin to drift to the side. 

Tommy managed to get himself together and use his powers to launch back to goon. He stood up and looked around to observe his surroundings.

Wilbur had a broken arm. He's laying against the wall now, trying to stand up. 

Tubbo appeared to of broken his gas mask and was bleeding through his mask. He was across the room from Ranboo. Both were fighting back goons and yelling for help.

The room was tilting. Or more accurately, the building was falling.

The building was falling.

About to crush and kill thousands and thousands of civilians. 

And everyone was going to die.

Something in Tommy changed that moment.

Under his mask, his eyes turned a dark red. Red enough to match the color of blood.

-----------

Tommy was floating around in a white, empty, infinite space. He couldn't feel, see, hear, smell, or taste anything. It was as if someone flipped an off switch to all of his senses.

The infinite space was completely empty. Not a soul in sight. Besides him.

And just like that, he blinked and a strange figure was floating in front of him. The figure had a green mask with the letters XD cut into the mask. Behind it, a face couldn't be seen. The face was blurred from his vision.

The figure was wearing a green cloak with gold in the edges and was double his height. The figure had several white wings and a calming presence. Something about the figure brought him unexplainable inner peace. 

Something about this being made him feel like nothing bad was going to happen. And that all those years of much-needed therapy were no longer needed.

His head was cloudy and unsure of what was happening, but he felt the calmest he'd ever felt. This being felt familiar, but Tommy had no recollection of any previous memories of him.

Tommy smiled at the creature. Though he couldn't see the creature's face, he had a feeling it was smiling back at him.

----------

Tommy woke up outside of the building. He looked up at it and noticed he was in an alleyway. And that a very familiar pink-haired piglin-human hybrid was staring down at him with an expression of fear, grief, and confusion.

"Tommy..."

So he knew of his little lie. 

"Technoblade."

"You're alive" 

"And you"

Tommy... " Techno knelt next to him and wrapped him in a tight, bone-crushing hug. "Tommy you're alive." It took Tommy a moment to realize he was sobbing. And Techno wasn't the only one crying out of relief.

"I thought you killed yourself!" Techno shouted, letting go of Tommy and moving him back to get a better look at him. "I tried to." 

Techno observed Tommy's features. "You look so much older. You've grown up." Tommy wiped his tears from his face, calming down. "I didn't think I'd ever get to see you all grown up." Techno went on.

Techno's expression of grief and relief turned to one of worry. "Where have you been all these years? What happened? Did someone kidnap you?" Tommy shook his head.

"Someone stopped me from ending it. Then we ran away together to here, in Logstedshire." Techno still didn't look reassured. "I've been fine."

"How?"

"Working."

"Everything is so expensive here. And the living conditions are awful. Tommy, there's so much violence here!"

"Techno, I'm okay." Techno re-wrapped Tommy in a bone-crushing hug. 

"I've missed you so much." 

Tommy couldn't bring himself to respond. The two sat, enjoying the reunion.

Until Techno remembered led something from a few months ago.

Techno let Tommy go and moved him back once more to look at him. "You're a vigilante."

"I prefer the term 'unpaid hero in extreme poverty.'"

"You've broken several laws!"

"People don't have to know."

"Everyone knows about you, Mr. 'Theseus!'"

"I'm famous?"

"To the Logstedshire news! You're always on the fucking local news, Tommy!"

Tommy looked at Techno guiltily. He could tell from a mile away that Techno was extremely disappointed in him.

"Are you going to tell everyone?"

Techno stared at Tommy. "Do you want me to?"

Tommy shook his head. "Please don't. I'm doing so much better here."

"Are you happy?"

Tommy stayed silent for a bit before answering. "Most of the time." Techno sighed. "Can you stand?" Tommy nodded. "I think so." Techno stood up and gave Tommy his arm to help pull him up. "Let's go to my apartment and catch up. This alley isn't that comfortable."

"So what happened in the SBI hero agency tower?" Tommy asked Techno. The last thing he could remember of the fight in the tower was realizing the building was falling and thinking about how everyone was going to die. Then after that, he remembered waking up in an alleyway with Techno starting at him. The in-between was a blur.

"Well, me, Phil, and several other heroes were outside trying to make sure all of the civilians had left the area and Wilbur was inside trying to deal with the Eggpire people. From what I've been told, two vigilantes besides yourself also rushed in to help deal with the Eggpire goons and the building began to topple." Techno explained from a mixture of his personal knowledge and what he had been told.

"All of a sudden, the building glows a dark, bloody red color and the building fixes itself. An hour later after searching the area, I found you passed out in that alleyway. It looked as if someone carefully brought you to a safe, hidden area to hide from everyone." Techno finished. 

"Do you remember anything?" Tommy shrugged. "Not much. I remember freaking out once I realized the building was falling, then blacked out... Kinda." 

"Kinda?"

"I still vaguely remember after I 'blacked out' and before I woke up in that alley being in this white void where some figure in a green cloak with several white wings and a mask with the letters XD cut into it starting at me. Then next thing I know after seeing that creature, I was there." Techno stared at Tommy in disbelief.

"Did I say something wrong?" Techno shook his head 'no'. "Nevermind. Just sounded like you were describing something familiar."

Tommy laid back on Techno's couch and glanced over at the tv. "So what's been going on with you recently?" Techno sighed. "Stupid work stuff. Wilbur is upset with me and Philza right now." 

"Why?"

"You haven't heard?" Tommy shook his head no again. "I don't really have any way to access the news." 

"I and Phil are separating from the SBI company and making our own company." Tommy's expression changed to pure confusion and shock at that. "Why? Phil is already the owner, founder, and CEO of that place. What more does he want?"

"He isn't founding this new place. I am. We're calling it the syndicate. And he's joining because he just wants to, I don't know." 

"Who's taking over SBI?"

"Wil. He's not taking it too well though. He's convinced everyone is leaving him." 

"Oh." Techno looked from the muted tv displaying the local news channel's weather report to Tommy. "Since you, 'died'" Techno began, making air quotation marks around 'died,' "Wilbur just hasn't been the same. It broke him. We haven't been much of a family since then. More like coworkers."

Tommy scoffed and gave Techno a weird look. "And it wasn't like that before? We haven't been a family since the day Mumza passed." Techno inhaled sharply and turned to look back at the muted tv. 

"I'm sorry."