Chapter Text
Tommy was not having a good day. First thing he noticed was that both of his roommates were gone. He ignored that. It was four pm, which was the typical time for him to wake up. He worked the night shift at the only cafe in town that stayed open 24 hours a day. He went in at 5 and left at 5, five days a week. It left his sleep schedule pretty fucked.
When he walked into work, Sam was there. This was a good thing, Tommy loved Sam, with his green hair and prominent dad energy. The bad thing was the state Sam was in.
Tommy pointedly ignored the similarities between Sam’s injuries and what had happened downtown the night before between the Warden and the Arsonist. Tommy thought the Arsonist was a bad name for someone who was supposed to be a hero.
Thirdly, after Sam left the cafe in Tommy’s capable hands, he had a knife pointed at him. He was standing in the doorway of the storage room, unimpressed. He just needed more milk.
He moved faster than the person holding the knife was expecting. Tommy was tired today, no fun banter from him. He brought his hand down sharply on a pressure point in the wrist. His attacker’s hand opened without their permission. Tommy swiped the wicked looking knife out of the air. He tossed it gently in the air, catching the bladed end.
Tommy casually offered the blade back to Purpled.
“You’re in a mood today,” Purpled observed, taking his knife from Tommy’s outstretched palm.
“I don’t sleep well these days,” Tommy responded, gently pushing Purpled out of the way of the cooler he needed in.
“I know,” Purpled said, a moment of understanding passing between the two boys, “I don’t either.”
Tommy pulled the gallon of milk out of the cooler. He turned back to face Purpled, who was putting his apron on. The two boys usually worked the night shift together, with Tommy handling the front and Purpled in the back baking.
“Did you see Sam’s face?” Tommy asked.
Purpled scoffed under his breath, “Yeah. And the limp.”
“His concealer job was shitty.”
Purpled laughed, Tommy cracked a smile, “Well, we were trained in that.”
“Fuckin makeup class, man. What bullshit.” Tommy shook his head, sharing a small smile with Purpled before the bell up front rang. Tommy heaved a deep sigh and then pushed open the door to the front.
The first part of Tommy and Purpled shift mostly just consisted of restocking and handling the after work rush. It was when the sun went down that shit started to get interesting.
A few years back, Dream, The Warden, and the Angel had dubbed Sam’s cafe a common ground. Everyone was welcome in, no fighting on the premises unless they wanted the Warden on their ass.
Of all the heroes and villains in L’manberg, The Warden was who most people dreaded. He was neither hero nor villain, but he was respected by both. He was the most famous vigilante in the city. Tommy had met him dozens of times in the full get up. He was, for lack of a better term, fucking terrfying. He had toxic green eyes, which matched his hair. He wore a gas mask to control the smoke from his explosions. Not to even mention the foreboding armor the man wore.
Unfortunately for Tommy’s sanity, there was not a single night shift he worked that he didn’t have a super powered customer. The first of this wonderful Monday night was Thunder and Nemesis.
“Ayup,” Tommy greeted as the vigilantes walked through the door. Purpled gave a wave from where he was in the baking window.
“Ayup, Tom.” Thunder greeted back easily. Tommy couldn’t see his facial expressions because of the metal mask he wore on the bottom part of his face.
All the vigilantes wore masks like that, gifted to them by the Warden upon becoming a ‘sanctioned’ vigilante. Thunder’s gear was pretty basic in terms of the absolute drama queens of the city. He wore the mask and glasses, one lens red and one blue. He wore a lightweight armor on his whole abdomen and back, as well as his arms and legs. Tommy had to wonder how many times that had almost gotten him killed. The armor on his arms had lightning strikes painted on them, a reference to the vigilantes powers.
Nemesis was one of Tommy’s personal favorites. Her pink hair matched the glowing outline her own mask had. She wore enchanted armor, which was nearly skintight, with pink accents on the sides and hands of the suit. Even the shoelaces on her combat boots were pink. Tommy could respect the style choices.
“Your regulars, all mighty vigilantes?” Tommy asked cheerfully. Thunder rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, thank you, Tommy,” Nemesis replied and by the way her eyes crinkled, Tommy guessed she was smiling. He gave her a smile in return.
“Oi!” Tommy screamed, making Thunder jump, “Fucker! I need a bacon egg and cheese and a chocolate croissant!”
“I know what they get, dickhead!” Purpled yelled back, “Give me five minutes.”
Tommy returned his attention to the vigilantes in front of him and smiled sweetly, “Give us about five minutes.”
Nemesis and Thunder sat at the end of the bar counter in front of Tommy’s register. Tommy quietly got to work making their drinks. A marshmallow iced latte and a cold brew with an extra shot with some cream and sugar.
Tommy only looked back up when the bell above the door jingled. Tommy fought back a grimace as Dream and the Arsonist came in. They wouldn’t start anything and neither would the vigilantes at the end of the bar, but it was going to be awkward. Especially with the Arsonists' penchant for riling people up.
“Hey Tommy,” Dream greeted, “Can we get a dozen chocolate chip muffins?”
“Kill yourself!” Purpled shouted from the back.
“Come do it yourself, coward.” Dream returned, his voice deadpan. Tommy had to stop Purpled from crawling out the bakery window to do just that. The pair then engage in a bantering match.
Tommy rang up the muffins and then turned to the Arsonist, “You?”
“My regular, plus two shots if this is how Dream is gonna be all night.”
“Fuck off,” Dream snapped playfully, just barely dodging out of the way of a bottle of food coloring Purpled had launched at him from the kitchen.
Thunder snorted from the end of the bar. Tommy told Dream the total and grabbed the vigilante’s drinks. He handed Nemesis her cold brew and Thunder his latte. Nemesis gave him a 20 in return, which was way too much but Tommy had given up arguing with her about it years ago.
Tommy listened to Purpled mutter curses about Dream and his muffins while he made the Arsonists drink. A caramel macchiato with an ungodly four shots of espresso in it.
Two more shots than usual, but still. Tommy shuddered as he handed the drink over.
“Hey, fuckface!” Purpled shouted from the back. Dream seemed startled as he turned to face the bakery window. Tommy deeply sighed and then casually dropped to the floor. Not half a second later a box of a dozen chocolate chip muffins came barreling out the bakery window, directly at Dream’s face.
The Arsonist caught the box about an inch in front of the hero’s face. Dream stared at the box for a brief moment before turning his stare to Purpled, who was practically daring him to do something about it. Tommy rose from the floor.
“I could arrest you for that.”
“No, you couldn’t. You're not Hero commission sponsored.” Purpled taunted.
“Why?” Tommy asked, staring up at the ceiling.
“I could kick the shit out of you for being annoying.” Dream countered. Tommy saw Purpled grin turn sharp, something feral shining through.
“I dare you.”
In a show of shocking self preservation, the Arsonist and Tommy moved in unison.
“No,” Tommy hissed at Purpled, pointing a finger at him. “Do not.”
“That is a whole child, Dream, so help me god-”
“Just once,” Purpled begged, violet eyes sparkling at the promise of violence.
“Absolutely not.” Tommy said firmly, “If you want to fight a hero, pick the Hero Commission sponsored assholes. Dream actually does good things.”
“No! Not just ‘a little one’ Dream!”
It took Tommy and the Arsonist about five minutes to talk their friends down from absolute violence, while Thunder and Nemesis looked on, amused.
Just before Dream exited the cafe, he turned his intelligent gaze to the vigilantes. It was the first time the two groups had acknowledged each other.
“You guys on the Eastside tonight?” He asked, voice carefully blank.
“Yeah, what’s it to you?” Thunder shot back, taking a sip of his marshmallow latte.
“Schlatt’s out there tonight, according to our reports.” Dream told them, not noticing how stiff Tommy had gone, “Be careful.”
And then the hero ducked out of the cafe. Tommy forced himself to take a few deep breaths. He tapped four times loudly on the counter. He heard two in return from the back. He straightened back up.
Schlatt was a member of the Hero commission, which was to say, he wasn’t a hero at all. He was a power hungry jackass who loved the attention and the money that came along with the Hero Commission.
The true Heroes of the city were the Dream Team. They were actively wanted by the Hero Commission and the Government, but that didn’t stop them from going out pretty much every night. It didn’t stop them from putting their lives at risk to save people.
Tommy couldn’t help the flashback he got thrown into.
The museum was burning. Tommy blinked, wincing at the pain lancing up his back. He forced himself to turn on his side, where most of the smoke was coming from, despite the almost debilitating pain that came along with the action. He made eye contact with the Arsonist.
The man was at the center of the roaring fire, both arms outstretched. It took Tommy a few seconds to comprehend what he was seeing. The Arsonist wasn’t creating the fire, he was trying to contain it. His lips were pressed into a firm line, his eyes intently focused on Tommy. He could tell the Arsonist was sweating and he knew it wasn’t because of the heat, it was because of the exertion it was taking to keep the fire contained.
“Dream!” The vigilante called out, voice strained. “Get the kids out of here. Now.”
The masked man's voice came from behind Tommy. “Sap-”
“Now!” the Arsonist shouted, “I can’t hold this for long and the structure is already compromised.”
Error glitched through the wall behind the Arsonist, right as the vigilante's legs gave out. He caught his friend, his hands glowing a light blue as he used his gift to enhance the Arsonist's own.
“Jesus christ.” Error panted.
The Arsonist chuckled hoarsely, “Yeah.”
There was a hand in Tommy’s face. He followed the arm back to the owner. Dream’s smiley face mask was staring down at him.
“C’mon kid, we gotta go.” Tommy took the hand, allowing Dream to pull him to his feet. He barely managed to bite back a scream at the pain in his back.
“We’ll get you checked out by our healer, your friend is outside with him already.” Dream reassured, rushing Tommy to the door. He almost laughed at the irony.
“The building’s going to collapse.” Tommy muttered, his voice rough.
“Probably.” Dream agreed. He cast a worried look back towards his friends. Error was starting to falter, the exertion of funneling his power into the Arsonist to hold the fire was exhausting him.
“Go,” Tommy nudged Dream’s side. “Go save them.”
Dream stopped, but Tommy kept limping slowly for the front door.
Tommy looked back at the vigilante, “I’ll be fine. They won’t. The fire’s expanding, Arsonist can’t hold it for much longer. When he lets go, that inferno will kill Error. Arsonist will probably die in the subsequent building collapse. Your magic will save them. Go.”
Dream looked at him for only a second longer before turning on his heel and sprinting for his friends. He saw them talking for only a few seconds. He saw the Arsonist’s head rise, from where it had fallen to his chest. He still had that fire in him, even though he was only still upright because Error was holding him. The barest dip of the vigilante’s chin, a nod.
Tommy made it outside. He leaned up against a light pole on the opposite side of the street. Paramedics were rushing to him, but he waved them off, focused on the Dream Team inside. The Arsonist turned his head to make eye contact with Tommy once again. As soon as he had confirmed Tommy was out of the building, his whole body slumped to the floor. Not even Error could stop him from collapsing. The fire burst forward, engulfing the whole building in seconds. It was so hot, Tommy’s skin was burning, even a good fifty feet from the fire.
“Holy shit,” Tommy muttered. The Arsonist had held that much fire magic back for probably thirty minutes. He didn’t know power like that existed.
Dream’s neon green magic branched out as the structure of the museum began to crack and groan. It winded around the key parts of the structure, locking them in place.
A couple of agonizing minutes later, the Dream Team walked through the doors. Dream and Error were supporting a barely conscious Arsonist between them. Error looked like shit.
Error had minor mind magic, illusions, but more importantly he was an amplifier. He could boost the magic of those around him. It seemed helping the Arsonist hold back the fire had taken a lot out of him. Even from a distance, Tommy could tell that Error was pale, ghostlike. His lips were bloodless and his nose was slowly dripping blood.
Dream’s chaos magic was still holding the building up as they slowly limped out of it. If Tommy looked closely, he could see the signs of strain on the vigilante’s body. His knees and elbows were locked, as was his jaw. He was sweating.
The sharp shooting pain in Tommy’s back had soothed to a dull ache. He slipped away from the crowd, discreetly following the Dream Team down a few alley ways. They didn’t go far. Dream and Error sat the Arsonist down as gently as they could manage. As soon as the Arsonist was situated, the vigilante was now unconscious, Error stumbled forward. If Tommy had to guess, he would say that the Arsonist had been using what little remained of his magic to protect Dream and Error from the fire. He himself was immune, but it used the last of his reserve.
Tommy, despite his better judgment, jumped forward from his hiding place to steady Error. He knew how this looked, a fifteen year old kid following the heroes after a fight.
“What the hell, kid?” Dream demanded, voice very strained.
“Fucking hell, man. Are you still holding the building up?” Tommy questioned, helping Error lean against the way to help steady him.
“Let it go, Dream.” Error whispered, exhaustion lining his voice, “There’s no one inside.”
Error and Dream stared at each other for a long beat. The crash of the building coming down was deafening, but Tommy didn’t flinch, he was trained not too. The vigilantes weren't startled either.
“There’s nothing I can do for you,” Tommy started, gesturing vaguely in Error’s direction. “You used all of your reserve, you need a few days of bed rest and you’ll be okay.”
Tommy cautiously approached the unconscious Arsonist, letting the other heroes in the alley see his every move. He had seen first hand how vicious they get when one of their own is hurt.
“The Arsonist, though, not only burned up every ounce of his reserve, he also had a pretty long fight with Schlatt and Lazar before.”
“Jesus, Sap.” Error whispered, letting his head roll against the wall. Tommy pretended to not hear the mention of Arsonist real name just as he pretended to not see the tears in Error’s eyes.
Tommy kneeled down next to where the Arsonist was slumped. He took a deep breath and let his hands hover over the man’s body.
“What are you doing?” Dream questioned sharply.
“Helping.” Tommy answered simply. He closed his eyes and let the warmth pool in his hands. It had been a long time since he was allowed to use this particular gift of his. He repaired all the damage to the Arsonist body from the fight and the exhaustion caused by the burn out.
“If he didn’t burn out, he’s lucky.” Tommy muttered, opening his eyes and rocking back on his heels.
“Self sacrificing bastard,” Error chuckled wetly.
A burn out in the magical community was pretty much the most dangerous thing that could happen to someone.
“He’ll need you guys to do some makeshift rehab for him when he’s awake. The faster you get him on his feet the better. He’ll hate it, using your magic after a burn out hurts like a motherfucker, but if he wants to get back to where he was he needs to use his gift.” Tommy explained, rising from his crouch. He knew that the vigilantes couldn’t take their very hurt friend to the hospital.
“You’re a healer.” Dream stated blankly.
“I’m a lot of things,” Tommy said, flashing the vigilantes a smile and then ducking quickly out of the alley.
That was the moment the Dream Team became the real heroes of the city, and not just to Tommy. Everybody had seen what they had done that day, the length they were willing to go to help people. There were rumors for months that the attack and the fire had killed the Arsonist. People might as well have thrown a fucking rave when he returned to the streets.
No, the Arsonist hadn’t died that night. But Apollo had. Schlatt’s sidekick, back from before the Hero Commission was looked down upon by the citizens. A part of Tommy had died that day.
“Tommy?” Nemesis asked. She sounded concerned, Tommy shook his head to clear the thoughts of that day.
He had completely changed his appearance after that. He had dyed his brown hair bleach blonde. He went to a tailor and got his emerald eyes permanently changed to a piercing blue. He dresses differently than he used to.
Now 18, Apollo had been dead for three years, and Tommy was okay with that.
“You okay there, mate?” Thunder asked, leaning across the bar counter. Tommy vaguely heard Purpled exiting the kitchen behind him.
“I got it guys,” Purpled said, uncharacteristically gentle, “Go on patrol, we’ll be okay.”
Nemesis and Thunder shared a look, clearly debating if they should actually leave. Eventually, Nemesis conceded with a sigh.
“Okay,” She agreed, looking between the two boys, “But you call us if you need us, deal?”
Purpled nodded, keeping his distance from Tommy, “Deal, thanks guys.”
Thunder flipped the sign to closed on his way out the door, Nemesis following closely behind.
“I’m going to touch you now, okay?” Purpled whispered, “Don’t judo flip me like last time, please.”
He placed a gentle hand on Tommy's shoulder. “What day was it?”
Tommy felt like he couldn’t breathe, like there was pressure on his chest. Despite that he managed to gasp out, “The day Apollo and UFO died.”
Purpled cringed.