Chapter Text
Tommy doesn’t really know how he ended up here if he is being honest.
He just kind of got in a line because other people were in the line and next thing he knows he is getting checked into the hero tower by security and being asked about his resume and then being told to fill something out.
The form had a lot of really odd questions too like why he wanted a job or what his morals were and other really weird stuff.
Tommy has no clue what job he wants or what his morals are.
Either way he filled out the form because he has nothing better to do and next thing he knows he has a name tag and is waiting with a bunch of other people who also have name tags as they wait for an interview or something.
Now, Tommy may be lost, but he is a hundred percent sure that he is underdressed for whatever it is that he has signed himself up for accidentally.
Everyone else here seems incredibly stressed and also really well dressed and it looks like most of them have a resume that Tommy definitely does not have.
This is going to go extremely well! That’s what he has decided at least!
He listens as names get called and he kind of stares into the abyss until an elevator opens and out walks his least favorite hero.
Dolos.
God does Tommy hate him. He just thinks he is so cool with his ability to deceive you or whatever it is he does. Tommy doesn’t really care, he just doesn’t like him whatsoever.
The man is just so posh and proper and rich and annoying and oh no he’s walking towards Tommy.
Tommy tries to bury himself in his phone, which isn’t working considering he is staring at the turned off screen as though it is in fact turned on.
“Hello.”
Oh god he’s here.
Tommy looks up slowly just to confirm that it is in fact Dolos standing in front of him.
“Hey there…”
Tommy glances behind him to see if he can snake his way out of this conversation only to find more heroes walking out of the elevator.
Tommy is not having any luck here.
Dolos smiles, or maybe he doesn’t Tommy can’t see behind his mask.
“Are you nervous for the interview?”
Tommy considers lying but then realizes that he has no care in the world for this.
“Uh no. Actually, can I ask you a question?”
Dolos' quirks and eyebrow up, “Go ahead.”
There is a sort of amusement hiding behind his metallic tone and Tommy takes every piece of his willpower to not clock the men with a poor punch.
“What is this interview for?”
Now, the look on Dolos’ face at the question (well Tommy still can’t see his mouth, but he can see his eyes so) is enough for him to laugh a little bit.
“You— you don’t know what you’re interviewing for?”
Tommy shakes his head slowly, “No, I just saw a line and decided to join it and now I’m here!”
“How did you get through security?”
Tommy smiles, “My good looks and charm obviously.”
With that Dolos sighs and Tommy is finding that this might be the best decision he has ever made.
“Well to answer your question, we are interviewing for an intern and also the occasional apprentice.”
Tommy thinks his jaw hits the floor.
“Oh. That’s why there are so many people here…and why that questionnaire was so oddly specific.”
“You mean… the pre-interview?”
“Uh—sure…”
Dolos seems so concerned for his future. Tommy knows this because instead of continuing the conversation he just sighs and leaves.
Tommy calls that a win.
“Tommy Uh… Innit?”
Tommy sighs, it’s close enough to his name.
He stands and walks past all the posh losers and into the interview room and god dang it there sits the top hero.
Shoot, what was his name again.
Something like Aloe or Eloise or—
“Sit down Tommy.”
Tommy sits.
He may be dumb, but he isn’t dumb enough to not listen to a command from the top hero who’s name is like Anemone or Embolus or—.
“I’m Aeolus as you probably already know and I’ll be conducting this interview today.”
Ah yes that was his name. Tommy was close enough.
“Are you interested in the intern position, the apprentice position or are you open to both?”
Tommy nods. Wait, that isn’t an answer.
“Uh…both?”
“That sounded like a question.”
“Probably because it is.”
“Okay then…”
Aeolus seems so disappointed and Tommy honestly cannot blame him for that.
“May I ask why you applied for these positions?”
Tommy nods, “Yep.”
“Okay… why did you apply?”
“Well I didn’t.”
Aeolus looks like Tommy just said he was a convicted criminal or something.
“Can you elaborate…please?”
He seems really tired, probably from all these interviews or whatever.
“Well, there was a really long line outside and I was bored so I stood in the line and then one thing led to another and now I’m here!”
“Okay then…”
Mr. Aeolus glances down at the probably limited information they have on Tommy.
“It says here that you do have a registered power, is that correct?”
Tommy nods, that is in fact correct. Tommy is a lot of things, but undocumented is not one of them.
“Yep!”
Mr. Aeolus reads a bit further down, and Tommy watches his eyes widen significantly when he reads the power.
“You have chaos embodiment?”
Tommy nods happily.
“You betcha!”
“Do you have a good control over it?”
“Do you feel disorderly right now?”
Aeolus pauses for a second.
“No.”
“Then that should answer your question!”
He just nods and Tommy nods and then they move on from nodding.
“Okay, I can see why you’re here then.”
Tommy just kind of shrugs, he doesn’t search for chaos he just searches for a little excitement.
“So how about that interview big man?”
Aeolus sighs and Tommy smiles. He is having so much fun!
“I— I am going to reschedule you for the apprenticeship testing we have going on next week.”
Tommy nods, “Cool!”
Today has been a pretty epic day in his books.
Aeolus just seems really tired and Tommy thinks that is no way to live life.
“Lighten up big man, you seem tired.”
And with that Tommy just stands up and walks out. He knows that he will wind up where he needs to wind up.
He exits the room with the utmost of swagger and runs right back into Dolos. God. Tommy hates him. Has he mentioned that yet?
Tommy decides he doesn’t want to be nice anymore, “Oh. It’s you again.”
Dolos probably guffaws or something else stupid like that.
“Yes. It is me again. I do, in fact, work here.”
“Sadly.”
Dolos laughs again and Tommy finds it annoying that he thinks he is joking, but then again not everyone is self aware.
“How’d your interview go?”
Tommy sighs, beginning to walk again and finding that the man just follows him!
“It went swell! Mr. Anemone or whatever it is scheduled me for that testing or whatever for the apprentices.”
Dolos pauses briefly at that, “Really?”
Tommy nods.
“What’s your power?”
Tommy shrugs with a cheeky smile playing on his face, “I guess you will have to stick around and find out next week.”
And with that he steps into the elevators and waves as the doors shut, leaving a flabbergasted Dolos behind.
Tommy finds himself smiling at his reflection. He is in for a world of fun, that is for sure.
When Tommy gets home, he has an email with a time and day and what Tommy should wear. All the details that he doesn’t care about, but should probably know.
The long story short is that Tommy needs to show uand be prepared to “show his skills.”
Which probably means that he is going to have to use his powers and also probably fight. Tommy figured as much.
He hasn’t toned his fighting abilities in a while, but assuming powers are in play he won’t need much skill to win a fight.
A little bit of chaos in the mix always plays in his favor.
Tommy knows how to fight well enough as well that if his powers aren’t allowed to be in play, as if they could truly prove it, then he would do perfectly fine as well.
He never quite imagined himself as a hero or an apprentice or whatever, but Tommy figures how hard could it possibly be?
His life has been a little boring recently.
A little bit of fun has never harmed anyone.
That’s Tommy’s motto at least.
He figures he could go to the gym or practice his skills sometime this week, but where is the fun in being prepared?
Tommy thrives off of chaotic energy and there’s nothing chaotic about being prepared.
Honestly, people who prepare are boring and Tommy thinks they care far too much about a world that won’t remember them in the end anyways.
So, Tommy doesn’t bother with arbitrary things in life, he focuses on the chaotic elements that make it all worth living in the end.
Therefore, he closes his email and decides that instead of preparing for that next week he is going to go do something with his life.
He exits his house for the second time today, though by now the sun has begun to set and paint the sky with colors that it could never show except for in the fleeting moments of its goodbye.
Tommy pays no attention to the sun in its final moments for the day, simply ignoring it all as he walks down the street in search of something of interest.
He often finds that the downside to chaos is the boredom that plagued him when there is none. Now, he could always create his own chaos, but there is always something better about the universe's natural curiosities that draw him in.
Over time, Tommy has learned that the best way to find chaos is to let it come to you. Tommy is drawn to it naturally, he will find it when he must.
As he walks, Tommy stumbles upon a bar that is holding a karaoke night. Legally he isn’t allowed to drink, but with a touch of chaos he knows he will be let in.
Regardless, he doesn’t plan to drink tonight. He is just aware that a bunch of drunk men tend to make for an interesting night, especially when they are handed a microphone.
He settles into the back, perched at a high wooden table and surrounded by burly men that have had one too many drinks.
Poor singing and lots of drunken voices surround him, blanketing him in the mist of the warm bar.
The body heat surrounds him and causes him to shed a layer of sweat as he listens to the drunken men poorly sing renditions of various super popular songs.
Most of them are so far from the normal song that Tommy has found a bit of fun in trying to guess what they are attempting to serenade everyone else with.
The game goes on for a bit and Tommy becomes quite good at it as the night progresses and the number of drinks drunk skyrockets.
It is maybe eight at night when someone out of the demographic steps onto the stage. They have brown curly hair and the way they wobble shows that they must be quite drunk.
Tommy smiles to himself as he watches the man stumble across the stage, grabbing the mic loosely in his hand with a languid smile across his face.
Once he finds his way to center stage he steadies himself slightly.
Music starts playing softly and Tommy waits patiently for the words to accompany it.
“Coming out of my cage and I’ve been doing just fine.”
The words come out a tad slurred, but it is recognizably Mr. Brightside by the Killers and even Tommy has to say that the man isn’t bad.
You can tell by the way he carries himself and the way he draws out certain words and just from his voice that he obviously has had some kind of musical training and that he would probably be really good if he wasn’t drunk at 8pm on some random Wednesday.
Tommy listens quietly as the man stumbles somewhat gracefully through the song and he can honestly say he is impressed.
It isn’t often that Tommy listens to music and it is even less frequently that he finds himself enjoying it. He often finds that music is something that while interesting, lacks the spark to keep him engaged.
However, this man’s voice is deceiving in a way. It makes him feel connected to a song he barely knows and it makes him ache for more. It makes him believe that he is feeling something due to the song.
It is something Tommy has never felt before, and something that he thinks he wants to understand more.
However, Tommy doesn’t quite have the time to be sitting around a bar so he slips out quietly into the desolate streets.
The air is frigid as he walks, the stars shine above him and the street lamps shine upon him. His hands are in his hoodie pocket as he walks away from the bar and towards his next location.
He glances at his watch briefly, a grimace forming when he realizes he must hurry or he will be late. He pushes his legs to move in a sort of a speed walk as he weaves through the streets.
As he gets closer the sidewalk begins to crowd and that buzz of people fills his ears. He feels his power drum against his skin as more and more people surround him, yet he ignores it.
He doesn’t quite have time for the fun that chaos brings.
His feet pound against the sidewalk, people part for him as he pushes through the sea.
His eyes cast towards his watch again, a small smile forming as he looks at the time again.
8:57 flashes at him and he knows by now he will make it.
He pushes through the crowd once more and after a minute he arrives at the entrance of Las Nevadas.
The place is busy, casinos always are, and Tommy relishes in the chaos of gambling. He walks through the masses, eyes catching on the various tables of poker and the slot machines that rest around the place.
His feet sink into the plush carpet, and the gold that paints the walls flashes as the lights catch on the details.
Tommy walks up to a guard, smiling politely before speaking, “I have a meeting with Jackpot.”
The guard nods and with that Tommy is led down a more secluded hallway. There are doors surrounding him and paintings occasionally hang from the wall, but Tommy pays no attention to them.
He simply continues on until the guard pauses in front of the door that Tommy has come to know as Jackpot’s office.
The guard knocks three times in quick succession and Tommy stands there patiently as they both wait for Jackpot’s permission to enter.
“You may come in.”
The guard opens the door and Tommy saunters in with a relaxed smile grazing his cheeks.
“Hello Jackpot, lovely to see you again!”
Jackpot smiles slightly and nods to the guard, signaling him to leave.
Once the door is closed he turns back to Tommy, “Hello Tommy.”
Tommy slides into one of the two plush seats that sit across from Jackpot’s desk, making himself feel at home.
“How have you been?”
Jackpot sighs, “I’ve been good Tommy. How have you been though?”
Tommy stares at him, he knows Jackpot has always cared about Tommy’s mental and physical health far more than he should and he knows he shouldn’t take it for granted, but he finds that he is a tad annoyed at it.
“I’m doing fine Jackpot, there’s no need to worry about me.”
Jackpot nods, though he doesn’t seem to be sure in the way he carries himself.
Tommy takes that moment to scan around the room, letting his eyes fall onto the various knick knacks and duck paraphernalia that lies around the room before he turns back to Jackpot.
The man sits in front of him in a blue suit with a blue beanie and a sort of masquerade mask that hides the top parts of his face.
“I know, I just can’t help myself. You are still so young to be in this business.”
Tommy rolls his eyes slightly, “Jackpot, I’m 18. I know I’m young, but you also know I am good at what I do.”
And with those words Jackpot nods, a smile forming on his lips as he looks at Tommy.
“I know, I know. Now, this mission isn’t a hard one, you should be able to complete it easily.”
Tommy nods as Jackpot slides a manilla folder over. Tommy picks it up, letting himself read the information as Jackpot continues to speak.
“It’s a simple information gathering one. You shouldn’t need to fight and they should, ideally, never even find out you’re there. If you flip to the second page you’ll find the location.”
Tommy flips to the second page, letting his eyes memorize the address and where he needs to go in order to not get caught.
“There should be a meeting happening in that warehouse tomorrow night between two very important players in the underground. I just need to know what they discuss, but if you find yourself in danger of getting caught, you must leave.”
Tommy nods along, “How much do you plan to pay me?”
He flips back to the first page as he waits for Jackpot’s answer, letting himself absorb everything he should know from who to look out for to how many people he should expect to the various mapped out escape routes.
That is what he always enjoyed about working with Jackpot, he was thorough in his plans and he was careful with his information.
“It won’t be as much as normal, but you can expect about $1500.”
Tommy nods, it should be an easy enough mission and the money seems fairly reasonable for what he is doing.
“Sounds like we have a deal,” there is a cheeky smile playing on his lips as he brings his hand out across the table.
Jackpot smiles back as he reaches to shake Tommy’s hand, “Sounds like we do.”
Tommy stands up and Jackpot stands as well.
“Meet me back here the day after tomorrow at nine.
“Will do, big man.”
And with that Tommy exits and Jackpot just nods as he leaves.
It was a simple affair, but that is how many of them tend to be. Tommy goes in, he gets his money or his mission and he leaves. Jackpot trusts Tommy and Tommy trusts Jackpot, so there is really no need for flowery words that waste time that never needed to be wasted in the first place.
The guard that was stationed at the door follows closely behind Tommy as he walks out of the hallway and back into the bustling bodies of the casino. A casual smile falls onto his face as the facade of peace fades away and the world fades back in.
There are people screaming either from joy or anger and there are the drunkards at the bar and the gambling addicts at the table. It is all so predictable and while Tommy hates predictable things, he finds that while the crowd is predictable, the things that people choose to do will almost always be a surprise.
While he would love to stay and observe the casino goers as the night falls further, he knows he must go to bed.
He does have a normal job as well, because he figures it gives him something to do.
Therefore, he cannot waste his night away messing with random strangers and instead he must actually get rest so he can do his job properly.
He steps out of the casino and, though, majority of the noise dies down, there is always a considerable crowd of people around the casino.
Tommy walks through them once again and he eventually finds himself walking the deadly quiet streets. The moon is high in the sky and he glances at his watch to find it is now closer to ten. He walks with not much purpose to his steps as he makes his way back to his apartment.
He must go to bed, but he isn’t in a rush to get to his home. There is no reason to rush everywhere when the world isn’t going anywhere soon.
However, eventually Tommy finds himself at his apartment. He walks up the stairs, preferring over the elevator. The elevator just feels very restricting, he has fewer options for if things were to go wrong, and that is a thought that Tommy does not enjoy having.
His footsteps clang through the desolate stairwell and as he rounds the second flight he pushes open the door and welcomes himself into the hallway. The carpet on the floor quiets his footsteps as he navigates his way to his apartment.
He listens carefully as he walks, catching wisps of televisions playing and light conversations that happen around him. It is nice in a way that the world often isn’t. There are so many people around him with lives he will never know and while that thought is a little bit crazy, it is true.
That is what makes the world so interesting. There are always people you have never met, and there will always be people you will never know.
Tommy rounds a corner and pulls out his apartment keys as he walks up to the wooden door. There is nothing incredibly identifying outside of his apartment. He doesn’t have a doormat or a plant or anything else one might place outside their apartment.
He doesn’t find a need for stuff on the outside when everything about him is contained on the inside.
He slips the key into the lock and twists it easily to access his apartment. The door slides open and Tommy slips inside quietly. He has no roommates, though he always finds that while he lives in a world meant for chaos, sometimes his apartment feels like a sacred place of order.
It is the one area where Tommy finds that he can just relax and slow down a bit to move with the pace of the rest of the world.
His apartment is surprisingly clean, he keeps it in a constant state of chaotically organized. He knows exactly where everything is despite it not being conventionally organized. At first glance the place doesn’t seem like a mess, it just seems like a lot.
That is something about Tommy that people learn, he isn’t necessarily a mess, he just is a lot.
He often finds that people stray away from him, they think he carries too much, asks for too much, just is generally too much for people.
Tommy won’t lie and say it doesn’t hurt, not as he enters his empty apartment and has to stare at the space more and big enough for two. He aches for just a friend, and he has found that people don’t adore chaos and that with Tommy there will always be chaos.
So, his apartment remains a home for one and Tommy has learned that in this world the only thing he can rely on is the chaos of it all.
He moves into his home, shutting the door quietly behind him. He kicks off his shoes and he moves into his bedroom. He flops onto his bed, a contented smile falling onto his face.
It has been quite an interesting day and he has a feeling that his life is about to get much more interesting. He has a mission tomorrow, he has to figure out if he needs to quit his normal person job, and he could possibly somehow become a hero apprentice.
With that, Tommy sits up and changes into his pajamas, letting himself relish in the brief moment of peace before a very busy week.