Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ranboo was good at pretending.

He pretended he was powerless, when in reality he found out his power when he would suddenly teleport from one room to the next. Or when his cuts and bruises magically disappeared.

He pretended to be sad when his parents died tragically in a car accident. (It wasn’t easy to pretend when he could feel the scars from when his parents got a little too angry.)

He pretended to be good for the many foster families that would accept him. They soon realized within a few days that when his file said “problem child”, it was not lying. The many broken windows and stolen items also made that apparent.

Eventually he gave up on foster families. He actually kind of liked his last one. They didn’t care if he stole or broke things. But alas, he had enough. So one day, he packed up his stuff, crawled through a window, and ran. In the end, he was glad he did that. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have met his best friends, Tommy and Tubbo.

They were fighting over some scraps in an alleyway. They decided to split it instead of fighting, and they all sort of mutually agreed that they were friends now. After a bit of living on the streets, Tubbo came in contact with his cousin, and she found them a place to stay. They still visit her sometimes. Puffy makes very good muffins, said she learned from a friend.

The boys had practically been living under a rock their whole lives, so they were surprised to see heroes patrolling the more fancy parts of town. Of course, they only ever see the heroes on their decades old TV. They never really come around the more poor areas of town, where the boys live. After witnessing someone get mugged, the friends decided to do something about the crime in their dirty little neighborhood. Basically, they learned how to fight people and used it for good. Or at least, THEY thought they were doing good. The heroes thought that vigilantes were “bad” and “dangerous”, so they were banned. Well, the vigilantes thought that the heroes were “stuck-up” and “privileged”, so the ban never really stopped anyone. Besides, this was the most crime-ridden area in Esempy, so the law was the last thing on anyone’s mind.

Eventually, the boys made themselves a reputation. Everyone in the poor areas of Esempy knew of the mysterious vigilantes that kept their neighborhood safe. They decided to make names for themselves. Tommy was Phoenix, Tubbo was Bolt, and Ranboo was Void. Tommy gets his name from his wings and his ability to manipulate fire. Tubbo gets his name from his ability to control electricity. Ranboo’s name is because whenever he teleports, it feels like he’s going through the void. Anyways, these boys now had a job to do. They were tasked with the job of keeping almost half the city safe, just because some dumbasses with capes were too high and mighty to help out the poor. At least that’s what they thought.

——

Ranboo probably should have brought a coat. In hindsight, he didn’t know it would be this cold. He didn’t even know that he was gonna be patrolling today. But of course, Tubbo had to fall asleep before his shift, and Ranboo doesn’t have the heart to wake him up when he’s already getting so little sleep. He shivered. He probably shouldn’t have even gone patrolling today, especially with the fact that the heroes would be in his part of town tonight. He would’ve stayed home, but Ranboo didn’t trust the heroes to actually do their job. Of course, they can’t stop a mugging but they can arrest a guy who’s practically doing their job for them. Suddenly, he heard a sound on his radio. Tubbo had somehow gotten it to hook up to the police radio.

“Robbery on 4th Street. Robbers are armed”

Oh, this would be fun. It’s been a while since there’s been a robbery. Ranboo smiled, although it wasn’t visible underneath his mask and goggles. He swiftly teleported to the street next to 4th Street. He slipped through an alleyway and peeked out to see if any heroes were there. None. He knew they would be here soon, so he hurried and looked through the bank window. There were two robbers, and they both had knives. One of them was holding a bag while the other was dumping money into it. Ranboo silently teleported inside the bank. He blended into the shadows while slowly creeping towards them. The robbers didn’t hear a thing, clearly inexperienced. He suddenly pushed one of the robbers over, briefly immobilizing him. He then grabbed his knife. He pointed it at the other robber and got into a fighting stance. The still-armed robber took one look at Ranboo and decided that he wanted to live another day, so instead of fighting, he ran. His power must have been speed or something because that guy could run. The unarmed robber, noticing he had been abandoned, surrendered. Ranboo took out his bag of zip ties and tied his hands and ankles together. Well, that was uneventful. Ranboo was so ready for a fight and all he got was two cowards. Most people at least put up a fight. He would’ve continued to internally complain, but he was very rudely interrupted by someone talking really loud.

“What are you doing here?” The voice demanded.

Ranboo turned around to find he was staring at a hero, great.

“Uh, I’m just passing through, you know how it is.”
Ranboo was grateful for his deep voice and height. It gave off the illusion that he was a competent adult, and not a literal child.

“Well, it appears you’ve done some hero work. That’s great and all, but I’m gonna need to see some verification. Can’t have any vigilantes running around.”

Ranboo blanked at that one. He didn’t have any verification, but if he didn’t show any, he would be arrested. He let his fight or flight take control.

“Uh, no. I don’t think I will.”

Ranboo decided not to let his fight or flight take control anymore.

“No? Are you aware of who you’re speaking to?”

Now Ranboo was angry. Who was this guy, acting like he was all high and mighty?

“No, I’m not aware. I’m glad I don’t know you. You sound like a snob.”

With that, he crossed his arms, and teleported away, leaving a very dumbfounded hero.

He eventually got home, to which he found a sleeping Tubbo and an exhausted Tommy. Tommy weakly smiled at him, and Ranboo returned it. He took a shower, and Tommy was sleeping by the time he got out. Before he went to bed, he noticed an envelope with a big “PAST DUE” written on it. He really had to get a job soon. He practically sunk into his bed. It only took a few minutes for him to give in to sleep’s call.

___

Technoblade was very confused on his way home. Not only had he just been called a snob, but the one who called him that just, disappeared. He figured the man must have some sort of teleportation power, but that didn’t make his reaction make any more sense. Most people were either scared of heroes, or they adored heroes. There wasn’t really supposed to be an in-between. This guy was different. Technoblade opened the door to his apartment in the Hero’s Headquarters and was greeted by his father.
“Heya mate! I was just making hot chocolate for Wil. Do you want some? By the way, how did the patrol go?”
He plopped on the couch before answering.
“Patrol was weird. And yes, I do want hot chocolate.”

Phil hummed in response.
“How was the patrol weird?”

Techno sighed
“Well, first of all, I’m pretty sure there’s a vigilante in the rougher areas of town. He refused to show me any verification that he was registered, and then he called me a snob. But get this, he teleported away after. I’ve never met a teleporter before. But more importantly, he called me a snob Phil! My reputation is ruined!”

Phil laughed at his fake distressed tone and set down his hot chocolate. Techno immediately began sipping it.

“That is weird. I don’t know how rare teleporters are, but I’ve never heard of any in all of my years.” Phil looked off into space as if trying to remember.

Technoblade was very intrigued now.
“I’ll do a little research tonight and patrol that area a bit more. Maybe I’ll meet that guy again.”

Phil just smiled at him.
“Don’t get too invested. We all know what happens when you get a little too obsessed. Remember the potato incident?”

Techno just grumbled at him. So what if he got obsessed with growing potatoes and he grew so many that everyone in Hero’s Headquarters ate only potatoes for a month? That wasn’t so bad. Techno finished his hot chocolate and said goodnight to Phil. As soon as he was on his bed, he opened up his laptop and started looking up teleporting powers.

Chapter Text

Ranboo was starting to regret patrolling last night. For starters, he had a fever. Then Tommy and Tubbo made a face at him when he stumbled into the living room, telling him to go back to bed. Psh, like anyone tells Ranboo what to do. As a show of defiance, he plopped himself on the couch and started looking at jobs he could apply for. Tommy and Tubbo both had jobs, so it was only fair. He applied at the same places they did, and a few more. Well, that act of defiance didn’t last long. His limbs were starting to feel really heavy now. But hey, he could kind of walk! After a bit of practice, it got easier. He could totally patrol in this condition. He didn't know what his roommates were talking about! They were probably just jealous that he got to have all the fun. Yeah. That was definitely it.

___

Technoblade didn't get very far in his research. Apparently teleporters are like, VERY rare. It was much more likely that the guy had speed equivalent to the Flash. There’s only been a few ever spotted, and they were spotted in a completely different country. Of course, that didn’t mean Techno was about to give up. When he gets interested in something, he doesn’t stop until he knows every little thing there is to know. Which meant, he would have to have more run-ins with the teleporter. It felt weird calling him “the teleporter”, Techno wished he knew the guy’s name. Anyways, he planned on going to the same area he did the night before. If he was lucky, he might be able to spot the guy again. Techno decided to completely ignore the fact that this guy was probably a vigilante. He would worry about that later.

Technoblade figured that if he was dealing with a teleporter, he should get some help. Luckily, he knew just the guy. He knocked on Phil’s door, running his plan through his head. Phil opened the door and smiled as soon as he saw who knocked.
“Hey Techno! What can I do for you?”

Alright. Time to initiate.

“So Phil, I was wondering if you wanted to go patrol with me tonight. It’s been so long since we’ve done something together like this.”

Phil didn’t even think before answering.
“Of course! It would be really nice to stretch my wings. Where did you have in mind?”

Yes, it was all coming together.
“Quadrant 4. We don’t patrol there as often, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt.”

Phil instantly looked suspicious.
“This doesn’t have to do with a certain teleporting vigilante, does it?”

Oh. Uh. He hit the nail on the head. Technoblade sighed in defeat.
“Alright, you got me. I just thought that maybe it would be more efficient for both of us to go, you know?”

Phil looked at him as if he knew something that Techno didn’t.
“Bruh. You could’ve just told me you were looking for the guy. Anyways, what does he look like?”

He had to think back to him and the teleporter’s first meeting.
“Ok, so, he’s really tall. Like, freakishly tall. He has dyed hair, it’s split black and white. He also has a deep voice and an attitude problem.”

Phil chuckled at the last part. He looked as if he was mentally noting this all down.
“Alright then. Meet me at Sylvester Bank at 10:30. We got ourselves a teleporter to catch.”

With that Phil waved at him and closed his office door. Technoblade was contemplating how he would keep up with someone who could teleport. He shrugged and made his way to the Hero’s Headquarters Gym.

___

Before Ranboo knew it, it was 10:00. Patrolling time. He did feel better, even if it was just a little bit. Tommy and Tubbo had late shifts, so they wouldn’t even know he was gone. He slipped on his vigilante outfit and chugged a bottle of water. He figured that would suffice in fluids for a few hours. Using the fire exit, he slowly made his way up to the roof of his apartment. Stairs and sick people do not mix well. He was absolutely exhausted by the time he got up, and he barely even did anything. He shook it off and began listening carefully for any muggings. He heard a woman scream in the distance. Action time! He began jumping on roofs, very thankful that they were close together. He stopped near the source of the yell. He looked down into an alleyway to find a woman and a man both tugging at a purse. He jumped down, landing on his shock-absorbing boots. Both heads turned in his direction, and the woman finally tugged her purse back to her. The robber started running right to Ranboo. Ranboo got into position, planning on leaning more towards defense. As the robber engaged him, he managed to block all of his blows. Until they ended up spinning all the way around, which made Ranboo VERY dizzy. Taking his chance, the robber punched him square in the face. Somehow in his haze, Ranboo had tripped the man, leaving him briefly undefended. Ranboo used up all of his strength to keep the man down and zip tie his arms and legs. Afterwards, the woman thanked him and called the police. Ranboo clumsily went on his way.

Ranboo felt absolutely horrendous. His nose was bleeding and his head hurt and his limbs were heavy again and he was sweating but cold at the same time. He doesn’t know how, but he ended up on the roof of some random building. Must be his teleportation acting up. It happens when he gets too distressed. His vision got blurry and he felt really tired all of a sudden. He collapsed and he heard a gasp. He turned around to find two people running towards him. They had capes and badges and oh god they were heroes. He was only thinking one thing. ‘I swear to god if I pass out in front of these heroes I will-‘ Unfortunately he didn’t get to finish that thought. Because he did, in fact, pass out in front of those heroes.

__

Technoblade and Phil hadn’t made any progress. Mostly because they hadn’t found the teleporter yet. They stopped a few muggings, but nothing substantial. They were taking a break and just scouting out the area. All of a sudden they heard a ‘poof’ and a sound that can only be described as dropping a bag of meat onto some concrete. They turned around and were surprised to find a passed-out person that matched the description of the teleporter. Phil gasped and ran towards the boy. Techno followed close behind. The two began checking the guy’s pulse and breathing. Then Techno felt his forehead. Burning hot. He frowned. This guy shouldn’t be out of his bed, let alone doing vigilante work. Phil looked at him as if expecting him to say something. Technoblade shrugged.
“Well? Are we taking him home or not?” Phil asked, exasperated.

“I don’t know! I don’t usually make those kinds of choices!”
Techno looked at the guy. He had a bloody nose, and he looked exhausted.
“Yeah, I guess we are.”

Phil stretched his back muscles.
“Your teleporter, you carry him.”

Techno was about to protest but he kept his mouth shut. He didn’t really know why. He hoisted the guy up, and carried him bridal-style. This would be a long walk.

They were about halfway home when the guy was semi conscious. He was looking around, dazed and confused. He looked directly at Techno and his eyes widened. Techno raised an eyebrow at this.

“Peppa Pig, is that you?”

Phil, who had chosen to walk beside Technoblade instead of flying, burst out into laughter. Techno simply huffed at him. He decided that if this guy was gonna ask questions, so would he.

“No, I am not Peppa Pig. I am The Blade. Who are you?”

The guy thought for a moment before deciding what to say.
“I am the Beloved Ranboo. You look like cotton candy.”
He pointed at Techno’s nose while saying it. Phil let out a light chuckle at that one.
“Okay, how old are you?”

He started counting on his fingers.
“The one that comes after 15.”

Techno and Phil shared a concerned glance. This guy, Ranboo, was a literal child. They would’ve worried more, but Ranboo suddenly closed his eyes and his breathing became labored. They ran the rest of the way.

Wilbur was about to enjoy a nice warm mug of hot chocolate. Until, the door slammed open, scaring him, causing him to drop his cup. He stared dejectedly at the stained carpet and empty mug. He turned to the doorway, surprised to find Technoblade carrying some dude and Phil giving him a look that says not to ask.

___

In a trashy apartment somewhere, two teenagers panic when they realize that their sick roommate has gone missing.

Chapter Text

Ranboo woke up in a bed that was not his. His head was fuzzy and he was thirsty. He tried to sit up, only to flop back down when he realized, ow, his head hurt. He sat up again, slower this time. Success. Ranboo decided to take in his surroundings. Judging by the fancy furniture and huge bed, he had been kidnapped by a rich person. He had vague memories of a pink-haired guy. Man, he was really thirsty. He slowly moved to where his legs were hanging off the bed. He very carefully started to put weight on his feet. Good news, he didn’t collapse. He shakily took a few steps, and went faster as his legs got used to walking again. He cracked open the door and looked both ways down the hallway. Empty. He stepped out into the open. He picked a direction, and just started walking. He came across a door that had a bathroom sign next to it. Kinda weird to have in your house, but Ranboo doesn’t judge. He then remembered that bathrooms had sinks, and sinks had water, so he stepped in.

Even the bathroom was fancy. They had the thick, soft toilet paper, and the shower was only slightly smaller than Ranboo’s room at home. He turned on the sink and cupped the water in his hands. He drank for a while, until he was no longer too thirsty to think. Only then did he notice that he REALLY liked the look of the sink. It was white and gray marble, and it had a gold faucet and taps. Ranboo checked his hidden pocket. His multi tool was still there. He switched it to the screwdriver. He sat there for about 15 minutes, removing the sink from the wall. It was really heavy, but his passion for this sink kept him going. He carried it out of the bathroom and continued walking. He almost passed out when he came across a kitchen and living room. He was kinda hungry, and he wanted revenge on his kidnapper. So he set the sink on the couch, and started rummaging around in the fridge. There was some chili in a Tupperware container. He got that and the chocolate milk out. He poured himself a large glass of milk and grabbed a fork. He sat on the couch, eating his cold chili.

He was about halfway through his meal when he heard footsteps in his direction. Oh fun, confrontation. The man stepped into view. He had fluffy brown hair, and he looked as if he just woke up. He suddenly noticed Ranboo, and the guy squinted his eyes at him.

“Are you eating cold chili?”

Ranboo took a bite for exaggeration.
“Yeah, what’s it to you?”

The man put up his hands in surrender.
“I’m not judging. Trust me, I’ve seen worse. Phil likes mustard on his mashed potatoes.”

The man walked past Ranboo, looking confused at the sink, but ultimately deciding it was too early for this shit. He got out a toaster and put some bread in. This guy was pretty laid back for a kidnapper. Then he started asking questions.

“So, did Techno explain to you why you’re here?”

Ranboo shrugged.
“I just kinda assumed that I got kidnapped by some rich people.”

Brown-hair-guy looked like he was holding back laughter.
“Kid, no- okay I’m bringing Techno to come explain to you. Stay here, and don’t let my toast burn.”

The guy walked briskly back into the hallway. As soon as he was out of sight, Ranboo scarfed down the rest of the chili. Yeah, he was NOT staying here. That was practically asking to be arrested. He grabbed his sink and ran for the door. There were like, 40 locks. He frantically (and not very efficiently) unlocked them, one by one. He heard the last click, and very carefully opened and closed the door, so as to not make a sound. As soon as he was out, he bolted. Just as he got outside the gate, he looked back and stared in horror. He had been inside the Hero’s Headquarters. He ran even faster. He really dodged a bullet there.

___

Techno was less than pleased for Wilbur to be waking him up before he had to. That immediately changed when Wilbur told him that the kid was awake. He had been wondering how he was doing after he had been sick as a dog. Wilbur was leading him to the living room, when he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
“But he was right here…?” Wilbur said uncertainty.
Technoblade looked past him to find an empty glass and Tupperware container on the coffee table. Techno turned to Wilbur.
“Are you sure he was in here?”

“He was right here Techno! He was eating the cold chili we made the other day!” Wilbur sputtered out.

Technoblade decided to not imagine the worst-case-scenario.
“Maybe he went back to the room.”
He didn’t wait for an answer. He just quickly walked to the room they had kept the Ranboo in. Empty. He checked under the bed, in the wardrobe, and behind the desk. Nothing. He basically ran back to Wilbur.
“He wasn’t in there.” He said, mostly worried but a little frustrated.
“Uh, Techno. Look at the door.”
He looked at the door. All of the locks had been unlocked. He had locked that door.
He turned to Wilbur, furious.
“You let the kid just leave!?”

Wilbur yelled back at him.
“I didn’t let him! He must have left when I went to go get you! And my toast is burnt now too!”

Suddenly, the two were distracted by Phil yelling from the bathroom.

“WHERE THE FUCK IS THE SINK?!”

___

Ranboo was not looking forward to facing the wrath of his roommates. He missed them, but he also knew that he wouldn’t be let out of the apartment for at least a month. It was probably strange to see a teenager staring at a crusty apartment building holding a sink that probably cost more than the building itself. He built up his courage, and stepped inside. He walked up the 7 flights of stairs to his apartment, and he knocked on the door. He held his breath. It was Tubbo who answered. Instead of saying anything, he looked up at Ranboo, and tackled him. He was surprisingly strong for someone so short. At this point Tommy had come out to see what the ruckus was about, and as soon as he saw Ranboo, he started yelling.

“Where the fuck have you been?! Don’t ever do that again, asshole!”

Ranboo tried his hardest to explain while being tackled.
“I’m really sorry guys! I passed out during a shift, and some people kidnapped me.”

Tubbo got off of him.
“You’re grounded for a month. No patrolling, and no going out without telling us.”

Ranboo just stared at him.
“You can’t ground me. I’m older than you.”

“Well I pay the rent.”

“Touché”

Tubbo helped Ranboo up, and the three headed into the apartment. Only then was Ranboo able to show them the amazing and wonderful sink he had stolen. They applauded him on his wonderful steal. Tommy suggested that they have a movie night, to celebrate Ranboo’s return. They made popcorn and squished together on the crappy couch they found on the street. It wasn’t heaven, but it was home, and that’s what mattered to Ranboo.

Chapter Text

When Ranboo woke up, his memories slowly came back to him. He was sick, then he got kidnapped, THEN he escaped the kidnappers. Also, he stole their sink, which he could see on the coffee table. He groggily sat up and checked the time. 11:15 AM. Tommy and Tubbo would be at work for a while. He felt as if there was something he had to do. He ignored the feeling, and opened up his laptop. He was faced with several emails, most of them being rejection letters from different jobs. One however, stood out. It was from SugarCube Bakery. Apparently, he had been accepted. AND he had an interview in 45 minutes. Just his luck that he would get kidnapped before he had time to reschedule it. He scrambled off the couch and jumped into the shower. He had to look presentable. Afterwards, he put on his fanciest clothes, and combed his hair. He looked pretty good, if he was honest. He had 10 minutes to get there. He was practically running down the street.

He ended up getting there in five minutes, which gave him time to catch his breath. Deeming himself ready, he stepped inside the bakery. It was warm, and it smelled like vanilla. There were shelves full of plants and photo frames. The photos were mostly of the same 3 people. A tall woman with long orange hair and dark green eyes, a shorter woman with pink hair and light yellow eyes, and a young boy with the same orange hair as the first woman. Ranboo smiled at all the pictures. It gave the place a more homey feel. He noticed the orange haired woman was at the counter. She was wearing a dirty apron over a light blue sundress. She noticed him and waved.

“Welcome! What can I get for you?”

Ranboo cleared his throat.

“A-actually I’m here for an interview.”

Her eyes lit up in recognition.

“Oh yes! You must be Ranboo. Follow me into the back room.”

She grabbed a clipboard and pushed open a door that said “Employees Only”. Ranboo followed.

The lady gave off a relaxed vibe, and Ranboo found his anxiety lessening. She held a door open for him as he mumbled a “Thank you.”

The two sat on either sides of a large dark oak desk. On the desk, there was a mug that said “1# Mom”
The lady grabbed a pen and began talking.

“So, my name is Sally Salomon. I own this bakery. I wanted to ask you a few questions, just so I know that you’re right for the job.”

Ranboo was not prepared to get interrogated. In his defense, it was his first job, how was he supposed to know what to do?!

“Yes, of course.”

Sally beamed.

“First question. How well do you do in social situations?”

Not that good.

“I do pretty well, I think.”

Sally wrote something on her clipboard and continued.

“How good are you at cooking, baking, and making food in general.”

Ranboo could answer this one honestly.

“I do most of the cooking at home, and I never get any complaints. I guess that means I’m good at it.”

Sally checked something off.

“How good are you at working together with fellow employees?”

If you got scored on interviews, Ranboo was pretty sure he would get an A.

“Working together was a big part of my……past job. So I’m good at that as well.”

Sally was smiling now.

“Last question. What are your preferred pronouns?”

That caught Ranboo off guard, but he kept his composure.

“That would be he/him.”

Sally wrote something down again and smiled even wider (Ranboo wasn’t sure how that was physically possible).

“Well Ranboo, it seems you’ve gotten the job! You’ll start off as a cashier, but soon you’ll be able to make pastries and coffee. Are you able to start tomorrow?”

Ranboo was mentally freaking out. He just got his first job!

“Yes, I can start tomorrow. Thank you very much, Ms. Salomon.”

He was about to leave, when he was stopped by Sally’s voice.

“Please, call me Sally. By the way, my son Fundy likes to hang around here. He’s about your age. Don’t let him bother you too much.”

Ranboo gave her a thumbs up and went back to the main area of the bakery. He noticed the orange haired boy sitting at one of the tables, playing on his phone. That must be Fundy. He left the bakery feeling very at ease.

The door was unlocked, which meant Ranboo’s roommates were home. He burst through the door, nearly giving them both a heart attack.

“Guess who just got a job?!”

Tommy was busy not having a heart attack, while Tubbo let out a very loud “YOOOOOOO”

When Tommy recovered, he said
“Finally, bitch boy will start making us money.”

They ate brunch together, while watching the office. It felt right. Even if Tommy kept making comments about it being “too American” and Tubbo kept telling him to shut the fuck up.

It got to be about patrolling time, but the three decided against it. There were more heroes as of recently, so it was too dangerous. Besides, they could do their job and stop the bad guys.

___

When Ranboo showed up to work the next day, Sally wasn’t at the counter. Instead, it was the pink haired girl from the pictures. Ranboo wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do, so he went up to ask.

“Hello! I’m a new employee here, and I’m not too sure what to do. Do you think you could help me?”

Pink hair smiled at him. Man, the people here smile a lot.

“You’re Ranboo, right? Sally told me about you. My name is Niki. Your job will be taking orders, and handling the cash register. Just go ahead and grab an apron from the coat hanger. You probably won’t need it, but it’s kinda like a dress code.”

Niki handed him a notepad and walked to the kitchen. Ranboo set it on the counter and tied on his apron. He kinda just stood at the cash register. A few people came in, and their orders weren’t complicated. Ranboo was starting to get the hang of it. He really just needed to know how to count money, which he did quite well. Ranboo stood for a few hours, and only 3 people came in at that point. Niki came out of the kitchen, probably because she was bored.

“Slow day?” She asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yep.”

She leaned on the counter.
“Usually it’s much busier than this.” She smiled mischievously.
“Wanna make cookies?”

Ranboo just stared at her.
“Is that like, allowed?”

Niki grabbed his wrist.
“Sally’s not here, and we barely get any slow days! Besides, you need to learn how.”

Ranboo couldn’t argue with that. He let himself be dragged into the big kitchen. Niki started showing him where everything was, and told him to go and get a few ingredients. They were making S’more cookies, which were apparently the most popular. A lot of things happened, most of which Ranboo would have found embarrassing if he were with anyone else. Like not being able to use a mixer, or dropping a bag of flour and somehow getting it on himself AND Niki. The two were laughing until they had tears in their eyes and their sides hurt. Ranboo decided that he liked Niki. Despite the flour fiasco, the cookies turned out amazing. Ranboo even got to take some home. He was really going to like this job.

___

“This child is smarter than we think, Phil.”
Technoblade was complaining to his father about Ranboo’s escape.

“I don’t think it's the child’s intelligence. It may be someone else’s stupidity.”
Phil replied, giving Wilbur a pointed look.

“For the last time, I didn’t know he would try to run! Why do you even want this child, Techno?!” Wilbur shouted, exasperated.

Techno was about to reply, but he realized he didn’t have an answer. He made one up on the spot. He would ask himself that later.

“I think a teleporter would be good for the Hero’s Agency. I just have to get him to listen to me for a second.”

Wilbur stared at his older brother.
“And what are you gonna do when he says no?”

Techno stared back at him.
“I’ll arrest him, because vigilantes are illegal.”

Wilbur looked surprised.
“You didn’t mention he was a vigilante. You know what? I’ll help you, because you’re my brother and I love you.”

Phil chuckled, while Techno made a disgusted face.
“Don’t get all mushy, or I’ll throw out the hot chocolate I bought you.”
Techno smiled at Wilbur’s apologies and pleas to not get rid of the sacred hot chocolate. He decided to take his leave when Wilbur tried to hug him.

Techno went to sleep asking himself the same question over and over again. Why did he want this child?

Chapter Text

Ranboo knew it was a good idea to get a job. He had only been working at SugarCube bakery for a week, and he had already learned so much. It was getting to the point that Niki was starting to let him make drinks and pastries. He wasn’t near perfect, but they were edible, and that’s what matters. Soon, he would be the best, and he would rival Niki for employee of the month.

He and his roommates still didn’t patrol. Almost every night, there was at least one hero out there. Maybe they finally decided to get their heads out of their asses and patrol the place that needed it the most. Maybe he would finally get to be a normal teenager and not have to worry about hundreds of other peoples’ lives. Ha, as if. All was forgotten as he walked through a cloud of sugar and cinnamon. This was all that mattered right now.

Today both Niki and Fundy were here. These kinds of days were his favorite. It was almost never boring when the three combined their chaotic energy. They both waved to him as he tied on his apron.

“You’re early, flour boy.” Fundy let out a big yawn after saying. Ranboo narrowed his eyes at him and then Niki, who was looking away innocently. He refused to forgive her for telling Fundy about the flour incident.

“Don’t make me tell Sally that you’re being a nuisance.”
Ranboo replied playfully.

Fundy put a hand on his chest as if he was hurt.
“My bestest buddy ever would do such a thing? I thought you were a real friend.” He said dramatically.

“I will not hesitate.” Ranboo deadpanned. Niki giggled softly behind him.

Fundy suddenly smiled mischievously.
“Well that won’t work, because I’m living with my dad this week! He’s picking me up soon.”

Ranboo had heard very little about Fundy’s dad, so he was intrigued.
“Well, then I’ll kill you myself.”

Fundy crossed his arms.
“Nope! My dad is the strongest guy ever, he will protect me!”

Ranboo chuckled.
“Is this turning into one of those ‘my dad can beat up your dad’ things?”

Fundy nodded.
“Absolutely.”

Ranboo raised his eyebrows.
“Well, my dad is dead, so I guess your dad wins this round.”

Fundy just stared dumbfounded for a second. Ranboo laughed.

“Don’t worry, he was a shit dad. I don’t miss him.”

Fundy visibly relaxed as Ranboo heard the bell on the door ring. Welp, time to actually do his job, which he was actually getting pretty good at.

Fundy was right in the middle of telling a joke, when he suddenly hopped up.
“Dads here!”

Ranboo was expecting to see some random middle-aged dude. He was not expecting to see familiar curly brown hair and gold rimmed glasses. This is the rich guy that kidnapped him! He watched the guy's eyes light up in recognition. He quickly excused himself to the kitchen. Niki stared at him, confused.
“Can I run the kitchen for a bit? Just for practice, you know?”

Niki nodded and left into the main area. He took a second to breathe. Okay, so Ranboo’s kidnapper was apparently Fundy’s dad, and he recognized him and- oh god he didn’t want to get kidnapped a second time. He was barely aware of what was going on as he took a look at the ticket that had just been stuck to the window. One hazelnut coffee, extra milk, extra sugar. Okay, he would just make the guy coffee, stay in the kitchen until he leaves, and never see him again, yeah. (In Ranboo’s panic, he didn’t realize he was using salt instead of sugar.) Before he could set the coffee on the counter, Niki burst through the door. She had an apologetic look on her face.
“Ranboo, something came up. Can you deliver that for me? Please? I’ll make your favorite cookies later, as payment.”

Ranboo was a simple man. And to a simple man, Niki’s cookies were better than not getting kidnapped. Besides, if it came to that, Ranboo would simply escape again. It was very easy the first time. He took a deep breath, and walked into the main area.

Kidnapper Man, Sally, and Fundy were all sitting at a table together. There was a weird tension between Sally and KM. Everything felt forced. Fundy, however, looked ecstatic.
“Ranboo! Ranboo! Over here!”

Ranboo winced. He didn’t know if Kidnapper Man knew his name. Kidnapper Man is too long, he’s gonna call the guy KM. Ranboo made his way to the table. He could feel KM’s gaze burning into his skull. He set down the coffee and KM grabbed it. He stared at Ranboo, as if analyzing him.
“Thank you, sir.”

Sally looked at him and smiled. This one wasn’t forced.
“You can sit down with us if you’d like, Ranboo.”

Ranboo was about to decline, until KM suddenly spit hot coffee directly onto his arm. Ow.
“Oh my god I am so sorry!” KM was grabbing napkins while Sally and Fundy looked confused.

Ranboo winced, but he could already feel the healing process take place.
“It’s fine, accidents happen.”

KM handed him the napkins and Ranboo gratefully accepted. Now he was scratching the back of his neck.
“Still, sorry about that. The coffee was strangely salty, and it surprised me.”

Ranboo smiled sheepishly. Yeah, that was definitely his fault.
“I’ll go make you a new one.”

While making KM a new coffee, Ranboo thought about how he seemed oddly….nice. Ranboo scowled and shook his head. Sometimes he forgets that he’s not the only one who can pretend.

He took the new coffee to KM. He sniffed it suspiciously before sipping it and sighing contently. Ranboo almost rolled his eyes. He was about to go back into the kitchen when he heard KM speak.
“Woah, wait! Your arm.”

Ranboo looked at his arm. Nothing. He was confused.

“That coffee was pretty hot. I’m surprised it didn’t leave a mark.”

That was what made Ranboo stop. Even if it wasn’t technically illegal for a minor’s powers to not be registered, he couldn’t let a potential kidnapper know his power.
“Yeah, I’ve always had pretty strong skin.”

Okay, that was a pretty bad lie. But it’s better than the truth. KM looked at him in a way that said ‘you sure about that?’ but he merely mumbled something about “kids these days”.

Ranboo looked at the clock, realizing that his shift was basically over. He took off his apron and bid the three goodbye. He couldn’t help looking over his shoulder every now and then just to make sure that guy isn’t following him. Hey, paranoid is just another way to say prepared.

___

As soon as Wilbur had said goodnight to Fundy, he bolted to his brother's room.
“TECHNO!!!”

Wilbur was stopped by the absolute brick wall that was his older brother. He looked tired.

“Wilbur, for the last time, I didn’t eat your blueberry bagels.”

Wilbur was practically shouting.
“It’s not about the bagels! It’s about Ranboo!”

Techno stopped in his tracks, and then promptly dragged Wilbur in his room.

Wilbur made himself at home, and laid all sprawled out on the bed. Technoblade’s monotone voice soon filled the air.

“What did you find out, Wil?”

Wilbur took a deep breath to prepare himself for the amount of tea that was about to be spilled.

“So, first of all, you know that bakery that Sally owns? Ranboo works there! He seemed to have been working there for a while, judging by how Fundy acted around him. Not only that, but I’m pretty sure he has some form of healing powers. Don’t ask how, but I accidentally spilled hot coffee on him. A few minutes later, his arm looked completely fine! And I had tasted it Techno, that was VERY hot coffee.”

Technoblade simply stared, taking it all in. He looked at Wilbur weirdly.
“So, we’re really doing this? We’re really stalking a literal child?”

That caught Wil off guard. Technically, they weren’t. Not yet, at least.
“I wouldn’t consider it stalking. More so, looking out for. What if he gets sick, or gets stabbed or something? We’re helping him.”

Techno sighed.
“I guess we are doing this then. Main goal is to get him to join the Hero’s Agency. If not, we will arrest him for vigilantism.”

Wilbur held up his hand for a high five and Techno reluctantly accepted. This was going to work out.

Chapter Text

There weren’t any heroes out, so Ranboo, Tommy, and Tubbo all decided to go patrol together. This rarely happened, because of their different schedules. But none of them had work the next day, and they were bored. So that’s how they all found themselves fighting some random guy outside a Chick-fil-a. He was clearly drunk, but he threw the first punch and none of the boys’ were about to let themselves get beat up. Before he passed out, the boys heard him mumble something about “Las Nevadas” and a casino. That was weird. They had gone through the entire city, and there wasn’t a single casino. It was probably new. After all, they hadn’t been patrolling for a few weeks. The boys put it off as either that, or just drunk rambling.

It was suspicious the first time, but the second time it was blatantly obvious. Tommy was out patrolling on his own, when he came across some “criminal activity” as he liked to call it. It was really just some guys talking in an alleyway. Tommy had changed some settings on his earpiece, so Ranboo and Tubbo could hear their conversation as well. It went something like:

“If you don’t get me the money you owe me, you’re gonna regret it. You may not be aware, but Las Nevadas has its fair share of hit men.”

“Is that a threat?”

“It’s very obviously a threat, dumbass.”

After that, a loud creaking noise was heard, and Tommy was out of there. The kid could not be quiet to save his life, literally. Besides that, the boys’ assumed that this “Las Nevadas” was a casino, and a dangerous one at that (and based off of the alleyway meeting, probably not very legal). The only problem was that the boys didn’t know where it was. They could always follow someone, but stealth was never Tommy and Tubbo’s strong suits. Which, of course, meant that Ranboo had to do it. He agreed, but not without reminding the other two that he filled in for them on patrol multiple times. They promised that after this one, he wouldn’t have to patrol again for a week. Ranboo doubted the legitimacy of that, but he teleported up to the roof anyways.

It was cold out again. He thankfully remembered to bring his jacket this time. It got him thinking about the time he got kidnapped. There was something oddly cloudy about those memories, like he was forgetting something in between. That is something to think about later. Right now, he has to go follow a creepy guy. He sighed. They probably should have put more thought into this plan. Is he just supposed to just find some dude in an alleyway at 10:43 at night? Leave it to Tommy and Tubbo to make a faulty plan. Ranboo hastily tied a bandana around the bottom half of his face and teleported on top of the building next to him. This would be a long night.

Ranboo wanted to give up. That was the 45th alleyway he had looked in, and nothing. At this point, he was convinced that this “Las Nevadas” place didn’t even exist. He was about to go home, when he saw something move in the corner of his eye. He would’ve normally put it off as nothing, but tonight was so boring, and he needed something to do. He silently followed whatever had intrigued him. As soon as he was close enough to get a good look, he realized something. When Tommy got home the other night, he gave a detailed description of the guys he had seen in the alleyway. This guy right here, was one of them. He had a blue beanie on, and he had an ugly scar on one of his eyes. He kept looking around, as if he was making sure no one was there. That is, suspicious, to say the least. Ranboo simply melted into the shadows. They walked for a bit, until Beanie Boy suddenly ducked into an alleyway. Not wanting to corner himself, Ranboo only peered into it. The guy was opening a hatch in the ground. Once he opened it, lights flashed from inside and voices could be heard. He was quick to get inside and close the hatch back up. Ranboo just stood, dumbfounded. Well then, that answered the question of where it was. He noted the surroundings so he’d be able to find it again, and quickly walked away. He was kind of hungry. He looked around and saw a Taco Bell across the street. Cheap and decent. Score.

___

Ranboo was walking down the street peacefully eating his chalupa when he saw movement in front of him. He was just about to investigate when a figure appeared in front of him. The person was bright teal, and he looked as if he had diamonds embedded into his skin. The guy held a small knife up to Ranboo.

“Give me your fucking money!”

Another figure appeared behind the first one. This figure had a black and red cloak on, and only his white glowing eyes were visible.

“Language, Skeppy!”

The second figure lightly bonked “Skeppy” on the head.

Skeppy quietly giggled out apologies and cleared his throat.

“Give me your fudging money!”

Cloak Guy nodded in approval while Ranboo just stared at him. Mans just wanted to eat his chalupa in peace, but no, Ranboo never gets what HE wants, because the universe has other plans.

“I can barely afford to pay my bills, what makes you think I carry cash on me?”

The two guys awkwardly looked at each other and back at Ranboo before Skeppy shook his head and spoke.

“I don’t give a fudge if you’re broke, give me whatever you have!”

Ranboo was just about to teleport away when a shadow fell over him. He reflexively stepped back. He looked up and noticed three people plummeting down towards him. As soon as he was able to identify them, he mentally began to panic. Ever since Ranboo got kidnapped and taken to the Hero’s Agency, he had done quite a bit of research. He knew about all the most popular heroes. The three people in front of him were the second most famous hero trio. The Dream Team. The Dream Team consisted of Blaze, Drowsy, and of course, Dream. Blaze has the power to create and manipulate fire. Drowsy can produce a chemical that makes enemies slow and sluggish. Dream has some sort of mental ability, although not much is known about it. Well, this is just wonderful. A vigilante surrounded by very powerful heroes. Maybe Ranboo can just sneak away. They won’t even know he was here. He took a few seconds to stop mentally panicking and to actually pay attention to what was going on. Blaze was hand-cuffing Cloak Guy, Dream was dragging Skeppy back to where the others were, and Drowsy was leaning against a wall, complaining.

“It’s 2 AM, why did they have to send ME out?”

Blaze rolled his eyes and made his voice high-pitched.

“Aww, poor Gogy is up past his bedtime!”

Both Dream and Blaze started laughing, while Drowsy stared at them sulkingly.

Ranboo decided that he did not want to be involved, so he slowly started to walk away. Unfortunately, Dream noticed him before he was able to get far enough away.

“Hey! Civilian, what are you doing here?”

Well, shit.

“Just taking a stroll. You know how it is.”

They all just kinda stared at him until Blaze spoke.

“So you’re taking a stroll, at 2 AM?”

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

They all looked at each other. Drowsy was the first to look at him.

“Not to be rude, but I don’t really believe you.”

Wow. Even though he was 100% correct, rude.

“Well you guys are the weird ones for not taking strolls at 2 AM.”

All of them just looked unsure. Jeez, he’s not that confusing. He noticed Dream step toward him and reach for his handcuffs. Out of panic, Ranboo teleported away and left a very very puzzled Dream Team.

___

Technoblade heard that the Dream Team finally caught the Happy Bandits. He was on his way to go and congratulate them, but Dream got to him first.

“Techno, I need to talk to you.”

Well that’s ominous.

“Sure, what about?”

“So you know how we caught the Happy Bandits?”

Where is Dream going with this?

“Yes?”

“Well during that whole ordeal, we saw this guy. He was acting really suspicious, saying that he was on a stroll at 2 AM. But as soon as I got close to him, he just disappeared in a puff of particles!”

Oh.

“This sounds random, but was he really tall?”

Dream stared at him, dumbfounded.

“Yes, he was really tall. Do you know him?”

Techno sighed. He’s only doing this so he can recruit the boy.

“Yeah I know him. He’s a friend of mine. He likes late night walks, and he has super speed.”

“Oh. Well that’s a relief. I thought I would have to deal with another vigilante. There's so many nowadays. I’ll see you around, Techno!”

“See you Dream, and congrats!”

As soon as Dream left the room, Techno sighed again. Ranboo better be appreciative, because he just saved his ass.

Chapter Text

“Guys you won’t believe this, but I just had another fucking run-in with heroes.”

Tommy and Tubbo groaned while Ranboo plopped on the couch. He was pretty tired from hopping buildings all night.

“Bossman, I think you are the main character,” Tubbo snickered after saying.

“I agree with that. Me and Tubs haven’t seen a hero like, ever.” Tommy added after gratefully accepting a half-eaten chalupa from Ranboo.

Ranboo let out a long sigh.

“Why do I have to be the main character? Why can’t I just live life like a normal person?” He complained.

Tommy laughed at him.

“That’s because you’re not normal. You’re built different .”

Tubbo joined in on the laughing.

“Yeah, you’re not like the other girls.”

Ranboo put his head in his hands in mock sadness.

“Why must I be so quirky?”

At that point the trio was collectively having a laughing fit. This went on for a bit before turning to a more serious topic. Tommy brought it up first.

“So, what do you think this “Las Nevadas” place is? That drunk guy said it was a casino, but that’s not really the most reliable source. Also, do you think it’s a danger to the city?”

“Oh my god, I completely forgot to tell you guys! I’m pretty sure I have the location. The guy I was following was the one from the confrontation that Tommy saw. The guy entered through a hatch in the ground of an alleyway. He was trying to be quick about it, which seemed pretty suspicious to me.”

Tommy and Tubbo thought over this. Tubbo spoke his thoughts aloud.

“I’m thinking that we should keep a close eye on this “Las Nevadas”. If nothing is going on during patrol, we stake out there.”

The other two teens agreed to his plan.

“Welp,” Ranboo stood up “I have work in about 5 hours, so I’m going to sleep.”

The three gave each other a good-night hug and passed out.

___ 

The day had barely even started, and it already sucked. Ranboo barely got any sleep, and he was late for work! Even though Sally probably wouldn’t mind, he still hated being late.

He ended up running the entire way there, which didn’t help with his tiredness. He thankfully got there before any customers did. Ranboo was disappointed to find that Fundy wasn’t there. He decided to just suck it up and put on his best customer service face. 

The first people to come in were regulars, so they were easy to deal with. Around the middle of his shift, Ranboo started to feel much more tired. That was around the same time that the strange duo appeared. There was a burly guy with long brown hair and scars, and a much shorter guy with shorter blonde hair in a messy bun. Ranboo didn’t think much about it until scar guy got close and Ranboo could see how much muscle this dude had.

“Holy shit that guy is buff.”

Scar guy snorted while the blonde chuckled.

“Thanks, I guess?”

Why did he kinda sound familiar? Wait. He responded. That can only mean one thing.

“Fuck, did I say that out loud?”

Blonde guy laughed harder while scar guy looked mildly uncomfortable. 

Ranboo put his head in his hands (for real this time) and groaned.

“Fundy better not find out about this, cause if he does, he’ll make fun of me.” he looked at the two seriously, “If you guys tell him, I will make sure that all your chargers only work at a certain angle.”

Blonde guy smiled at him.

“Don’t worry, we won’t say a word.”

Ranboo narrowed his eyes. 

“Good. Now what do y’all want?”

Blonde guy laughed again. He laughed a lot, even when nothing was funny.

“Two s’more cookies please.”

Ranboo nodded and wrote it down on his notepad. He then ripped out the note, stuck it to the kitchen window, and rang the bell. 

“Go sit down wherever you want. I’ll bring the cookies when they are done.”

Ranboo watched as the strange duo sat down. For some reason, he felt as if he had met those two before. He blamed it on being tired, and went to help Niki with the cookies.

____

Phil and Techno had successfully infiltrated the bakery. They were now waiting for their s'more cookies, which were recommended to them by Wilbur. Techno leaned in close, whispering.

“Did you see how tired he looked?”

Phil nodded.

“He looks like he hasn’t slept in days. This just further proves your theory of him being a vigilante.”

Techno rolled his eyes.

“It’s not a theory, Phil. I know for a fact he’s a vigilante. Everything adds up.”

Phil now looked curious.

“Why are you so interested in him? I mean, you’ve never really cared that much about vigilantes before.”

Techno had asked himself the same question before, many times. He still didn’t really know, but he had figured out part of the reason.

“He reminds me of myself. Still a kid, working a job yet trying to keep people safe at the same time. He doesn’t deserve that. No one does. Which is why I want to give him the chance that I wish I had sooner.”

Phil gave Techno an unreadable look, and then a sly smile.

“You want to adopt him, don’t you?”

That caught Techno so off guard, he started to choke on his saliva. It gained him a slightly concerned look.

When he had finally composed himself, Techno gave Phil a serious stare.

“No, I am not currently looking to adopt any children. Why would you even suggest that, Philza Minecraft?”

The full name was a warning. Phil did not heed it.

“I mean, you’re practically stalking this kid, which I’ve never seen you do before. I watched over Wilbur for a while before actually adopting him.”

Techno glared at Phil, and cleared his throat.

“Sleep with one eye open, Philza.”

Phil chuckled loudly, but quieted when he noticed Ranboo walking towards them holding two plates. He set both plates down in front of the two.

“That will be $4.78.”

Phil went to pull out his wallet, but Techno was quicker. He handed the teen a 20 dollar bill.

“Keep the change.”

Ranboo looked slightly surprised but nodded and walked away. As he did, an alarm on his watch went off. He pulled off his apron, clocked out, and shuffled out of the cafe. 

Techno and Phil shared a look. They wrapped up their cookies, and looked around for the teen that had just left.

Being heroes, Phil and Techno were used to blending in with the crowd. It was pretty difficult when there wasn’t really a crowd to blend in with. They followed Ranboo from a distance. Once he was sure the kid couldn’t hear them, Phil whispered to Techno.

“Are you sure we should be following him home? It doesn’t really feel right.”

Techno rolled his eyes at Phil.

“We’ve done plenty of spy work. This is no different, especially if this kid is a vigilante.”

With all the talking, the two didn’t notice the scenery change around them. Buildings became more cracked and aged, the amount of people dwindled, and the air got harder to breathe. They were only made aware of this when Phil nearly tripped over a crack in the sidewalk.

Techno put his fingers over his lips in a signal to be quiet. The two heroes watched Ranboo enter an unstable looking building. They watched for a while, and once they were sure he lived there, they started to make their way back home. Techno felt as if he needed to speak up about something.

“Did you see how….awful everything looked? I can’t believe people are living in those conditions. I didn’t even know this area existed until recently.”

Phil nodded.

“We hardly ever get told to patrol here as well. It’s almost as if the capital forgot about this place. That poor kid. He probably works so he can even afford to live somewhere.”

Techno frowned. This partly explained why there were so many vigilantes. Heroes don’t get sent to this area, so people have to be their own heroes. He thought about that the entire way home. Phil might have had a point with the whole adoption thing. Adoption or not, Techno was going to help that kid.

___

“Hey guys, not trying to alarm you, but some guys followed me home.”

Tommy facepalmed and Tubbo groaned.

“Don’t tell me we have to put you on house arrest.” Tubbo said teasingly.

“Nope, you can’t do that. You know why? I have to spy on Las Nevadas because you guys are too cowardly.”

Tommy gasped in offense while Tubbo just shrugged. Ranboo collapsed on the couch next to the other two.

The trio all decided to take an afternoon nap. They all had a long day at their separate jobs. Ranboo was just about to fall asleep when he heard Tommy whisper.

“Please stay safe, Ranboo.”

Chapter Text

Now that they had the location of Las Nevadas, Ranboo wanted to spy there as soon as possible. Unfortunately, both Tubbo and Tommy had to work late. Which of course, meant that Ranboo would be the one who actually goes to Las Nevadas. Man, he was starting to think that he was the only one who did any actual vigilante work. After they bust Las Nevadas, he’s taking a month-long break.

Tommy and Tubbo would be listening to him on their ear pieces, so if there was an emergency, they would know. Despite this, Ranboo was slightly nervous to go into Las Nevadas. He didn’t have work, so he spent all day researching. He only found one relevant site that wasn’t Las Vegas or Nevada. 

Have you lost everything? Do you feel hopeless? Well come on down to Las Nevadas, the world of second chances! The odds are finally in your favor! 

That was….vague. And Ranboo felt slightly called out. If Las Nevadas was a casino, then the odds were most definitely not in your favor. Oh well, it wasn’t the first time someone’s lied on the internet. He closed the browser and deleted his history. He didn’t need someone thinking he spent his time on the dark web.

Ranboo was bored, so he decided to dye his hair. He needed a disguise anyway. He chose bright pink, because why the fuck not. In the process, he almost dyed his counter, bathtub, floor, and skin. He should really get someone else to do it for him next time. When he looked in the mirror, his pink hair reminded him of someone. That one hero guy! The one that he called a snob because he was being a snob. 

He left the bathroom and began looking around his apartment for other things he could use to disguise himself. He ended up finding a gray face mask and some sunglasses. He also found some mold in one of their cabinets, but he didn’t want to think about that. He put on the face accessories and looked in the mirror. He was completely unrecognizable! Well, except for the fact that he is freakishly tall and noodly. 

The hair-dying took a while. It was about 6 pm. Las Nevadas was on the other side of town, and he was not about to waste his teleportation on that. He needed to save it for emergencies. He instead decided to take the bus, like a normal person. He didn’t feel like wearing the face accessories on the bus, so he didn’t.

After a few minutes of riding around, the bus stopped to pick up more people. One of these people, Ranboo recognized. Curly brown hair and round glasses….it was Kidnapper Man! Also known as Fundy’s dad! Oh god, what if he recognizes Ranboo? I mean, he has pink hair now, but his face is the same. Just, don’t look at him. Maybe he won’t even notice Ranboo.

Because apparently the universe hates him, Kidnapper man sat right next to him. Ranboo just tried to ignore him. They rode in silence for a little while, until Ranboo noticed Kidnapper man staring at him. He stared right back, and KM laughed awkwardly.

“Heh. Sorry for staring, it’s just that you remind me of someone. Have I met you before?”

Ranboo could feel himself starting to panic. He answered without thinking.

“Haha yeah. You kidnapped me.”

Despite his job, Ranboo would be awful in a life or death situation.

KM’s eyes lit up with recognition.

“Wait, you’re-“

“Well, this is my stop! Talk to you later bye!”

Ranboo rushed out of the bus as quickly as his noodle legs could go. He looked behind him, and to his horror, KM was following him! Like a creep! He heard KM saying something but he was too busy running away to listen to what he said.

After running for a bit, Ranboo spotted an alleyway. Without thinking, he ducked into it. He then realized how much of an idiot he was because it was a dead end. He could hear KM not too far behind, so he did the only thing he could do. He felt the familiar pull of the void, and he was suddenly somewhere else. Purple particles floated off of him and dissipated.

Somewhere, a man is standing in an empty alleyway, very confused.

Ranboo scoffed and looked at his surroundings. He would have to walk the rest of the way. He was not looking forward to it.

___

Ranboo spent a bunch of time just wandering around. He also ended up buying a succulent from an especially persuasive woman. He named it Steven. It was now 10 pm. He was almost at the weird hatch thing in the ground. He fastened his mask and glasses tightly on his head. He felt slightly nervous, which was pretty normal for a mission like this. He simply took a deep breath, and reminded himself of the knife in his pocket. Tubbo insisted he took it “in case of an emergency”. He was sure he wouldn’t need it, but the gesture warmed his heart regardless. 

He took a final deep breath as he turned the corner into the alleyway that held the hatch. He walked up to it, wondering how he was going to open it. He grabbed the twisty-turny part and turned it to the left. It was difficult at first, but the door seemed to loosen up the more he turned it. Eventually the hatch opened, light and sound filling the small space. There was a small staircase that he stepped down slowly, closing the door behind him. 

He walked slowly, examining everything he could see. Judging from the sound, there were a lot of people down there. Ranboo stepped out into a large room. It looked fancy, gold accents on all of the walls. There seemed to be slot machines everywhere he looked, rough-looking people at almost all of them. It was slightly intimidating.

He looked around for someone to get information from. It would be easiest to get it from someone who’s drunk, but the information wouldn’t be the most reliable. Then again, he could get someone after him if they find out he’s spying. Welp, drunkard it is!

For some reason, people weren’t really looking at Ranboo, which he wasn’t used to. Typically, he got a lot of stares because of how tall he is. But here, no one cares. It’s kind of nice.

Ranboo began making his way towards the bar in the middle of the large room. The bartender had strangely shiny skin and brilliant emerald eyes. He didn’t pay Ranboo any attention. Ranboo sat next to a lone man. He had multiple cups next to him, and his face was flushed. Yep, definitely drunk. Ranboo turned to face him.

“It sure is nice here, isn’t it?”

The man gave Ranboo a slightly creepy and toothy grin.

“Yup! Helps keep my mind off the ex wife. She tried to stab me, you know.”

Damn this guy had guts. Trauma dumping to a stranger in an illegal casino. 

“That’s…. not good. How exactly do you keep your mind off of her?”

The man pointed to an empty cup.

“Mostly the alcohol, but,”

He leaned in close. 

“The drugs help too. Big Q has only the best.”

Huh. So this was not only an illegal casino, but they were also selling drugs.

“Who’s Big Q?”

The man laughed.

“Everyone knows Big Q! He runs this whole place. Keeps the cops off our tail too.”

Ranboo nodded at the man and turned away. The bartender was giving him a weird look. To not look suspicious, he went over to a slot machine and put a couple dollars in. He ended up with more than he began with. Huh. 

Ranboo considered his work done, so he went back up the stairs and through the hatch. After he secured it, he did a little victory dance. He just got info! Tommy and Tubbo were gonna be so proud of him! He decided to get some ice cream to celebrate.

He found a gas station and was in the process of finding the mint chocolate chip ice cream when he heard glass shattering followed by a terrified screech.

“Everybody drop your wallets and get on the ground!”

There was a guy dressed in all black holding a gun to the head of a very petrified cashier.

“Right now! Or I will shoot!”

He was currently out of sight of the robber, so he carefully set down his ice cream and formed a plan. If he hit the guy hard enough, he would pass out, and everything would be just peachy. But, if he didn’t pass out, Ranboo would be in some deep shit. That was a gamble he was willing to make.

He teleported right behind the guy and hit him as hard as he could. The guy hit the floor and didn’t move. Success! Ranboo quickly pulled out his zip ties and tied the guys arms and legs. He had just finished and was about to go and get his ice cream.

“Ahem.”

Ranboo whipped his head around only to be faced with a familiar sight. It was the pink haired hero snob! And some other guy! Well, that was just great.

“Ugh, you again? You brought a friend too? Wow. I didn’t think you had those.”

New guy started laughing while the pink haired snob somehow looked appalled despite the fact that Ranboo can’t see his face.

“Wow. I come here to help, and I just get insulted.”

Ranboo rolled his eyes.

“Well, you didn’t do much helping. I have this taken care of. You can just take the guy and leave.”

Pink haired snob tried to say something, but Ranboo interrupted him.

“Please don’t fight me on this. I have ice cream to attend to.”

He left the heroes standing at the doorway while he went back to grab his mint chip. He then teleported home, where he proceeded to get verbally assaulted for only buying mint chip.

___

“So are we gonna go after him or what?”

Techno snorted at Phil and shook his head. There was no point. The kid was long gone by now. He grabbed the robber and slung him over his shoulder.

“That damn kid. This will be harder than I thought.”

Chapter Text

Sometimes Ranboo forgot he had a job. It was funny, because he worked there almost every day. But somehow, in the excitement of being a vigilante, he forgot.

And that’s why he was fifteen minutes late, rushing into the cafe and praying that he got there before the morning rush.

He almost walked right back out when he saw Niki at the front counter, giving him a glare that could strike fear into the hearts of the most powerful villains.

He prayed to gods he didn’t believe in that he would be spared from the wrath of an angry Niki.

The look on his face must’ve shown his fear, because the woman’s glare disappeared and was replaced by a small smile.

“I’m just playing around. You better be glad that you got here before the rush though, because then that glare would have been real.”

She nudged him playfully and he shuddered at the thought of the earful he would’ve gotten if he forced her to work the rush alone.

Just as he got his apron on, a large string of customers walked in making him internally groan. Time to deal with some Karens.

___

The rush was awful . There were so many Karens. One of them even insisted that he poisoned her drink, despite the fact that he didn’t even make it . Did they seriously have nothing better to do than make his life hell?

He needed like, an Anti-Karen spray bottle. He would fill it with water, but he would tell them that it was vaccine juice, and he would watch as they screamed and ran away while he spritzed them. It would be awesome. He would propose the idea to Sally when he saw her.

He was still stuck in his thoughts as a customer walked to him, so he didn’t pay attention to who it was.

“Welcome to SugarCube Bakery, what can I get for y-“

He stopped mid-sentence when he realized who he was speaking to.

He stared at the curly brown hair of the one, the only, Kidnapper Man! 

Okay Ranboo, just act natural. Maybe he doesn’t remember you.

“Sorry about that. What can I get for you?”

KM just stared at him.

“So, are we not going to address the elephant in the room?”

God damn it.

Ranboo quickly went through the different courses of action he could take. He could run away, which would concern Niki and KM could just follow him. He could pretend to have amnesia and not remember anything. Yeah, that seemed good.

Before he could say anything, KM sighed.

“Just so you know, I didn’t kidnap you. My brother found you, sick and delirious, on top of a building. He took you to our place so you didn’t die out there.”

Oh. KM- or well, that guy could be lying, but Ranboo didn’t know what else to believe, seeing as he couldn’t remember anything before waking up in a stranger's bed.

He narrowed his eyes.

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

The man just kinda stared for a second, like he wasn’t expecting Ranboo to say that.

“Huh. Well I guess you don’t know. You’ll just have to take my word for it. The name’s Wilbur, by the way. Just in case you didn’t know.”

Something told Ranboo that Wilbur was telling the truth. Mostly because he doubted an actual kidnapper would have allowed him to escape so easily.

“Alright then. Is there anything you want, or are you just going to stare at me?”

“Ah yes, sorry. I’ll just have a rose chai tea latte and a raspberry tart, please.”

Ranboo wrote it down and mumbled something about him getting a fancy ass drink.

The rest of the day was peaceful, apart from the weird looks Wilber kept giving him and the large tip he suspected he got from the man as well.

___

Tubbo would be going to Las Nevadas. The trio had a hard time deciding who would go, considering that Tommy was awful when it came to stealth, Ranboo had already been there, and it would be really difficult for Tubbo to pass as an adult.

They eventually decided on Tubbo, with the only reason being that if it was an illegal casino that also sold drugs, they probably wouldn’t care if a child walked in there.

They got the ear pieces set up so that Tommy and Ranboo would be able to hear everything. They were also on high alert, just in case Ranboo had to teleport him out. Tommy insisted on setting the place on fire if anything happened. It was a nice sentiment, but they kinda needed the place to still exist if they wanted to bust it.

Tubbo went to the location that he was sent, and carefully looked around to make sure no heroes were following him. They had been around more frequently for a while, but then they just stopped all of a sudden. 

Not that they did much anyways.

Tubbo used his power to shut off any security cameras that were near the place. They couldn’t risk getting caught.

Eventually, the coast was clear, so Tubbo opened the hatch and went in.

It was noisy, more so than it was when Ranboo went in. 

Tubbo must’ve sat at the bar, because clinking glasses and slurred words could be heard.

Tubbo audibly snorted, most likely trying to get the attention of a nearby drunk.

“Man, I’m surprised this place hasn’t been shut down yet. A hatch in an alleyway isn’t exactly subtle.”

The voices quieted down, people taking in what Tubbo said.

Then someone piped up.

“You must be new here, pal. Big Q has changed locations at least twenty times by now. It’s annoying as fuck, but it keeps the heroes from sniffin’ us out.”

Another voice could be heard.

“Not to mention he stops all sales. Seriously, you could give him the best deal of his life, and he wouldn’t take it if he thought the heroes were gettin’ suspicious. Very cautious, that man is.”

Huh. That explains why the trio hadn’t heard of Las Nevadas before. If they kept changing their location, they would be almost impossible to track down.

Ranboo made sure to write that down somewhere, not wanting to forget valuable information.

“Is there anything I can get you, sir?” Presumably the bartender said.

Ranboo really hoped that Tubbo wouldn’t say anything, as he didn’t not bring any money with him, but one of the people next to him shouted.

“Shots for everyone, on me!”

Cheering could be heard in the background.

Oh god. Hopefully Tubbo would not be drunk when he came home.

To their relief, Tubbo only had one shot. He must’ve pickpocketed someone, because he played on the slot machines for a little while, so as to not seem suspicious.

Everything was going smoothly, and he left without trouble.

Until they heard a commotion on the ear piece.

“Shit!” Tubbo sounded like he was running. That was definitely bad.

“Is everything good, Big T?” Tommy asked, already preparing to come to his aid. His wings puffed up in anxiety.

“Oh yes, everything is just peachy, except for the fact that fucking Symphony is chasing me!”

Out of the three, Tubbo knew the most about heroes. Whenever the wifi would actually work, he would be looking up different heroes and their weaknesses and such.

Ranboo and Tommy, however, knew close to nothing about them, not really caring enough to learn.

Tubbo could sense their confusion, and mentally facepalmed.

“The number three hero!”

It clicked suddenly and Ranboo was preparing to teleport over there, grabbing the first thing he saw to cover his face. It was a dishrag. Kinda gross, but Tubbo was worth it.

“A little help would be nice! I’m on top of Olive’s Flower Shop!”

Ranboo had seen that place and knew where to go, suddenly materializing right behind Tubbo.

He barely got a glance at Symphony before he was grabbing onto the teen and getting the hell out of there, leaving behind a very confused hero.

As soon as they were back in the apartment, the brunet flopped onto the couch, exhausted from the busy night.

Tommy fussed over the boy until he got called a mother hen, which made him cross his arms and bundle up in his wings. 

And if he let his roommates, his brothers , bundle up in there with him, no one had to know.

___

Wilbur stood in shock at what just happened.

He had been patrolling like normal, when he noticed someone hopping across the rooftops. Their face was covered and they were wearing something that was easy to move around in, clear signs of them being a vigilante.

He started chasing after the vigilante, when something, or someone , just appeared out of nowhere, and disappeared again, taking the vigilante with them.

Wilbur only knew one teleporter.

He took out his phone, and called someone.

“Techno, you’re gonna wanna hear about this.”

Chapter Text

Ranboo was not a morning person. He didn’t understand people who woke up with the sun. Like, what are you gonna do, photosynthesize?  

Sometimes, however, he didn’t mind waking up early. 

It was one of those mornings.

Mornings where they were all snuggled up next to each other, too tired to care. Where Tommy would wrap his wings around them all, creating a blanket of heat. 

It felt safe, comforting, and faintly nostalgic, despite Ranboo never having experienced it before he met his brothers.

Of course, it would fall apart entirely whenever Tommy woke up. He would hop up and yell obscenities at them, his face a very bright shade of red. 

But it would be a little while until he would wake up, so Ranboo would enjoy it while he still could. And when he was forced to get up, he would heat up the leftover muffins that Niki gave him, and they would sit around their little coffee table and eat breakfast together.

They didn’t have a lot, but maybe they didn’t need a lot.

Just as he began to fall back asleep, he was very rudely awoken by a loud screech that sounded somewhat similar to Tommy.

Oh well. Moment over. Now they can go back to talking about heroes and villains and all that shit.

___ 

Techno was asleep when he got a call from his brother. Right after he got into REM sleep, too. He considered using his metal manipulation powers to turn all of the forks into spoons, as revenge for disturbing him. 

He answered the call and was about to complain, but Wilbur spoke first.

“Techno, you’re gonna wanna hear about this.”

He then recounted his encounter with a vigilante, only piquing Techno’s interest at the end of the story.

“And you’ll never believe who swooped in and grabbed him when I was about to apprehend him. It was fuckin’ Ranboo!”

That definitely caught his attention.

“It was who?”

“Ranboo! He poofed in out of nowhere, grabbed the guy, and they both disappeared! The only thing left behind were some purple particles, and those dissipated after a few seconds.” Wilbur began making noises in frustration, which caused Techno to mute him. It may seem like a lousy power, being able to make any kind of noise at any pitch, but it was a lot more useful than one may think. 

Especially when he could use it to deafen people. 

So, not only could Ranboo teleport himself, but he could teleport other people as well. Could he teleport objects, or multiple people at once? It was definitely something that needed to be looked into.

Techno didn’t really want to bring it up with the agency. Sure, he would get to work on the case more often and he would have more resources, but the agency wasn’t exactly known for being merciful towards vigilantes. He would be lucky if he could get them to even consider making Ranboo a hero. 

And, like Wilbur said, what if he just straight up said no ? Techno had said he would arrest him, but he didn’t really want to. He was just a kid, he shouldn’t be punished so severely for just trying to help.

On a different note, why was he teleporting that person? Were they friends? Did they work together?

It was all very confusing, and it was giving Techno a headache. He wrote down what he learned, and tried to relax. He had a patrol with Wilbur the next day, and he would think about it then.

___

Blade and Symphony sat perched on top of a building. It was nearly silent, apart from the distant sounds of the higher districts.

After seeing the horrible conditions that the lower districts were in, Techno made sure to patrol there more often. He even convinced Phil and Wilbur to do the same.

The first few nights, they seemed to take criminals by surprise. They definitely weren’t expecting a hero of all people to be in the neglected districts. 

After a while, they seemed to catch on. They became a lot sneakier, doing business in places that no one could imagine.

Techno once found some people exchanging drugs in a sewer drain. It was a very interesting night.

The night was peaceful. That was uncommon. He suspected that a vigilante was out, keeping the crime rate low.

Techno didn’t hate vigilantes. Yeah, there’s some bad ones, but most of them don’t cause more trouble than minor property damage. 

However, he was barely allowed to even be out in the poor areas. If they found out he wasn’t arresting illegal vigilantes, he would be punished.

He would do it, but he definitely wouldn’t like it. 

“Have you seen anything, Symphony?”

It was kinda weird calling Wilbur by his hero name, but after many years, Techno got used to it.

“Nothing yet, Blade.”

He was keeping an eye out when something hit him in the face.

It was a large raindrop.

He looked up, only to be pelted with two more raindrops.

“Ah, shit.” Wilbur muttered as the rain picked up speed.

It only took a minute for them to be completely soaked.

“Just our luck.” Techno grumbled, not looking forward to the rest of patrol.

“Nothings happening. You think they’d be mad if we took off early?” Wilbur looked hopeful.

“They would definitely be mad. We trained you better than this! A little rain doesn’t hurt anyone. ” Techno imitated the posh accent of the people running the agency.

He managed to pull a chuckle out of Wilbur.

Just as he was about to make another joke, he noticed something bright flash for only a moment.

He squinted, looking closer.

It appeared again, for longer this time. It almost seemed to be glowing.

He gestured for Wilbur to follow him, and he stealthily got closer to whatever he saw.

When he got close enough to hear voices, he ducked behind a chimney.

The bright, glowing thing seemed to be a pair of almost neon orange wings. Wings that were attached to, what was most likely a vigilante. Next to him was a shorter person, who he seemed to be chatting happily with.

Wilbur took a close look at his companion, and his eyes went wide. 

He whispered quietly, his voice almost lost to the rain.

“That’s the vigilante I encountered yesterday!”

Oh. That was interesting. So they must work together then.

They stayed quiet, just listening to the two vigilantes’ conversation.

“Man, why did people pick today to do crime? I’m fucking drenched.” The voice was loud and brash.

“Personally, I think you’re just a pussy.” The second voice was quieter, but somehow had more authority.

It was quiet for a moment until the taller boy groaned and the other boy laughed.

“See? R- Void agrees with me.” The shorter boy stated.

“That’s just because he’s afraid of you!” The winged boy nearly screamed.

“Maybe, maybe. Come on, we have to finish this patrol before we get sick.” 

Techno was standing up before he could stop himself.

“I don’t think I can let you do that.” 

Both boys stared wide-eyed at him before backing up.

Wilbur stood up next to him, the vigilantes’ focus now on him.

“We’re going to have to ask to see some form of verification that you two are allowed to do hero work.” He said, already placing his hand where he kept the handcuffs.

Without missing a beat, the two vigilantes began to run.

The shorter one was talking into what was presumably an earpiece.

“Being chased by Symphony and Blade. Currently at Pine Street, requesting backup!”

Backup? That certainly wouldn’t do.

Wilbur gave him the signal, letting him know that he was about to, “make some noise”, as he simply put it.

Techno firmly covered his ears as Wilbur let out a shrill screech. The vigilantes faltered for only a moment before continuing the chase.

But a moment was all he needed.

By then, Techno had already formed two perfectly sharpened knives, lining them with a mild paralysis agent. He threw them, the blades only grazing the boys.

It looked like he completely missed it. But heroes aim to apprehend, not kill.

After a bit, their movements became much slower and sloppier due to the paralysis agent. The tall one attempted to fly, but it only led to his face planting into the concrete. 

It gave Wilbur an opportunity to handcuff him. The handcuffs were custom made from the agency, and, depending on how powerful someone was, they could make their powers extremely weak or turn them off completely.

The boy had a very… colorful vocabulary, to say the least. One that was being used entirely against Wilbur. It was kinda funny.

Now it was just Techno and the other one.

He must’ve figured out that trying to run was pointless, so he began to use his power.

Techno felt a bunch of small shocks at once, only made worse by his damp clothes. He nearly crumpled.

The boy couldn’t move much anymore, so Techno pushed through the pain and was able to reach him.

He didn’t make it very easy for Techno, sending more and more shocks through his body, but eventually he got the cuffs on, sighing in relief when the pain stopped.

“ Void ! We’ve been apprehended! Send hel-“

Techno carefully grabbed the earpiece and crushed it in his palm. He felt a little bad, but it’s what they were instructed to do.

He looked over at Wilbur to find the man doing the same.

Well. Now they had to carry two people through all the districts. It would not be a fun night.

He hoisted the vigilante over his shoulder, being careful as to not accidentally unmask him. Privacy was a big thing for Techno, and he wanted to respect theirs as well.

He began heading towards the main agency building, where they would most likely be staying for a while.

___

Ranboo was pissed .

The night started out fine. Tubbo and Tommy wanted to go patrolling, so Ranboo agreed to be backup, just in case anything happened.

Patrol was going well. They stopped a few drug deals, and they even got to fight a guy. 

Around the end, things went to shit.

It all started when Ranboo heard a different voice. That wasn’t uncommon. He asked if everything was okay, when suddenly they began breathing heavily, as if they were running.

“Being chased by Symphony and Blade. Currently at Pine Street, requesting backup!” Tubbo frantically gave the bare minimum of details.

Ranboo grabbed something to cover his face and listened intently for the next instructions.

All he heard was air whooshing and a muttered curse word. 

He materialized on top of a building as he heard his roommates’ breaths become ragged.

He looked around, but he could barely see anything in the heavy rain.

Tommy began to swear profusely, leading Ranboo to believe the worst.

He teleported on another building, but the view was the same.

The last thing he heard was a very scared but tired Tubbo

“ Void ! We’ve been apprehended! Send hel-“

Then silence.

The heroes got them.

And Ranboo was livid .

He put a cap on his anger for the time being. He would get to be angry later , now he had to plan.

There was no way he could take out two professionally trained heroes on his own. He would have to go to the hero agency and retrieve his roommates all without getting caught.

It would be quite the feat.

Ranboo teleported home and began putting on his vigilante suit. If he got spotted, he could at least be known as the vigilante who managed to sneak into the agency. 

He would have to be careful with how much he teleported. It would be less than ideal if he passed out. 

The apartment was dreadfully silent while he searched for something to cover his eyes with. In a rush, he grabbed sunglasses. 

A quick teleport put him on top of one of the buildings on Pine Street. He looked around carefully, but the rain washed away any sign that his friends had been there.

Ranboo relaxed his body and teleported once more. He had started out in district ten, and the surroundings told him that he was in district four or five.

One more teleport landed him in the one, the only, distract one. The bright lights and shiny buildings made Ranboo put on his sunglasses.

He was close enough to see the main agency building, but not close enough for the cameras to see him. He crouched behind a ventilation system. Since he could teleport, he most likely got there first, so he needed to wait.

After what felt like hours , he saw them .

Symphony and Blade were carrying his friends on their shoulders, like they were nothing more than sacks of meat. 

Ranboo had to fight the urge to go over there that second and absolutely clobber them.

But he didn’t, because good things come to those who wait.

The four entered the building, and that was when Ranboo realized that he didn’t even have a plan .

Where would Tommy and Tubbo be taken? What would he do if he got caught? He couldn’t just leave them there.

He remembered the panicked breathing of his best friends, the fear in their voices. He realized he didn’t need a plan. 

Throwing caution to the wind, Ranboo teleported inside the building. The lights were bright, even with his sunglasses.

Fortunately, the hallway he was in seemed to be empty. A sign next to a door read “Janitor’s Closet”.

Perfect.

He ducked into the room, holding in a sneeze when he inhaled dust. It just did not make sense that a janitor’s closet was dirty.

Now, he just needed to listen. 

After a few minutes, he began to hear muffled yelling on the floor beneath him. Familiar, muffled yelling.

It was Tommy.

Ranboo had to stop himself from teleporting that instant. No, because if Tommy was yelling, someone was in there with him. He pressed his ear to the floor, the yells becoming more audible.

“You won’t get anything from me!”

It must be an interrogation. It made sense why he couldn’t hear Tubbo, then. He was the most stubborn person ever. After all, you can’t spell stubborn without Tubbo .

Another voice started, too quiet for Ranboo to hear. However, he recognized the monotony of it. It was the hero he encountered twice. It was Blade.

A newfound fury settled within him. 

Tommy’s yells died down after a bit, but Ranboo wasn’t sure if it was safe to go down yet.

He had to. He might’ve not gotten another chance like that.

He stood up, and teleported once more.

The first thing he saw was Tommy’s bright wings. 

He blinked and looked around. He was surprised to see Tubbo. The boy must have been playing it safe and staying silent.

After his roommates noticed he was there, their eyes widened. He quickly made a shushing motion.

They had very limited time. He swiftly grabbed his multitool and began picking the lock on Tubbo’s handcuffs. His power would have been more useful if they were to get caught at that second.

The cuffs came off with a click , and then he was moving on to Tommy.

In a matter of seconds, his cuffs were off as well.

They had just a little bit of time left, so Ranboo could get his revenge. Nobody , messed with his friends and got away with it.

He pulled out a lighter, and nodded at Tommy.

Ranboo couldn’t see his face, but he knew the boy was grinning.

The small flame began to grow, and Ranboo set the closest thing on fire. It happened to be one of those spinning chairs.

The fire spread quickly, thanks to Tommy’s power. The entire room was covered, except for the small patch that the trio was standing on. The smoke alarm went off.

Ranboo turned to the security camera in the room, and flipped it off. He then grabbed on to his friends, and got the hell out of there.

As soon as he was standing outside in district 7, he sat down, exhausted from the excessive teleporting.

Tubbo and Tommy, however, thought it would be a good idea to basically tackle him.

“That was so fuckin’ cool!” Tommy almost screamed.

“How did you even do that?!” Tubbo was shaking Ranboo and it did not feel nice.

“I’m the main character, you know this.” Was all his half-asleep brain could conjure up.

Tommy sighed.

“Well thanks, I guess. It would have kinda sucked if I went to jail. People of the public wouldn’t get to witness my handsome face and amazing charm.”

Tubbo facepalmed at the two idiots he called brothers.

“We can talk more about this after we sleep . I don’t know about you guys, but I’m ready to pass out.”

Ranboo didn’t have another teleport in him, so the trio painstakingly walked home together.

They didn’t even shower as they walked through the door and piled up on the shared mattress.

It was uncomfortable, but it was the best sleep Ranboo had in a while.

___

Techno had left the room for two minutes. He was going to get his brother, who was much better at the interrogation stuff.

Next thing he knew, the room was on fire and the vigilantes were gone .

Most of the heroes were not happy to have been woken up by the fire alarm at one in the morning.

A look at the security camera told him what happened.

Ranboo had come in, removed the vigilantes’ cuffs, set the place on fire , and flipped off the camera.

Techno was surprised, to say the least. He could conclude that the three were definitely working together.

As punishment for “being careless” he got his interrogation privileges revoked. He wasn’t really upset about that though.

That teleporter was definitely a force to reckon with. Somehow, it only made him more eager to recruit the teen.

That is, if the agency would even let him after the whole, Almost-Burning-Down-The-Entire- Building fiasco. </

Chapter Text

Ranboo spent a few days resting. Believe it or not, teleporting 10 times in the span of a few hours completely drained him.

They even called in sick for work, and Sally, the absolute goddess she is, offered to pay him for the time they took off. He had to decline, but they were thankful for the offer nonetheless.

Tommy and Tubbo were at work, so Ranboo was extremely bored. He turned on the T.V to see if anything interesting was happening. They switched to the news.

“Vigilante Trio sets Fire to the Hero Agency!”

He quickly shut off the T.V. Well, that was less than ideal. They never once considered that people just might put that on the news. Well then.

With extreme hesitation, he turned the T.V back on. They were playing what he assumed was the security camera footage. Their suspicions were confirmed when he saw himself flipping off the camera.

“If you see these individuals, report them to your district police or the hero agency immediately.”

That was definitely not good. Yikes.

Being wanted by the police was absolutely the last thing they needed. It would make nightly patrols even more difficult than usual.

Ranboo groaned and buried his face in their hands.

Okay, it’s fine. They would put a pin in it for the time being.

At that moment, he had to focus on the plan.

Tubbo and Tommy had decided that, after saving them, he was ungrounded and would be allowed to do vigilante work.

When night came, they were going to gather evidence. 

After doing some digging around in the garbage, they came across a camera that strapped on to your torso. 

Upon testing it, they found that it blended in perfectly with their bullet resistant vests, (that they definitely didn’t steal from the police force).

If they wore a trench coat over the vest, leaving just a small bit of it exposed, they looked normal while also wearing armor.

The plan was foolproof. At least, it should be.   

Ranboo went over the plan again and again in his mind, until his roommates showed up. They were about as anxious as he was.

Tommy and Tubbo got their earpieces hooked up. They also got geared up in their vests and coats, just in case Ranboo needed backup. 

They didn’t need to be captured again.

The time came to set off for the mission, when Tommy and Tubbo stopped Ranboo right as he was about to leave.

“Yeah?”

“Just, please be safe, okay?” Tommy whispered, wrapping the trio in a hug.

“I will. I promise.”

Tubbo crossed his arms and looked up at Ranboo.

“If you die on this mission I am never going to forgive you.”

Ranboo laughed, adjusting his coat to better hide the camera.

“Y’know what, yeah, that’s fair.”

He waved goodbye to his friends and set out for Las Nevadas.

Ranboo traveled by foot instead of teleporting. They would need to save them in case of an emergency.

It was calm for the most part. The district was surprisingly quiet for how late it was. He wondered why.

Ranboo got their answer when he spotted Crow, the number two hero.

They quickly ducked into an alleyway, hoping that the man didn’t notice him. He held his breath when a shadow of wings went over them.

After a minute of nothing, he allowed himself to breathe.

Until Crow seemingly materialized beside them.

“Hey mate.”

Ranboo shrieked. They were so startled that they accidentally teleported.

“Is everything okay?” Tubbo sounded slightly worried.

As soon as Ranboo was sure he was safe, they responded.

“I just got jumpscared by Crow. Not fun. Two out of ten do not recommend it.”

After being yelled at for his carelessness, Ranboo continued on the journey to Las Nevadas, being a lot more observant for any heroes.

The hatch was in the same place it had always been, but something felt…different. Almost like they were walking into a lion’s den.

“This place is super fuckin’ ominous.” Tommy said, looking through the body camera.

Ranboo laughed nervously.

“Imagine how I feel.”

He twisted the hatch, and it opened just as easily as before. The lights and sounds were a stark contrast in the dark and desolate alleyway. 

They stepped down the stairway, closing the hatch behind him.

Slot machines beeped and chimed while drunkards shouted across the room, gambling away their life savings.

It was not at all Ranboo’s environment, but they would persevere.

He looked around, twisting their body to get as much evidence on camera as possible.

There was a corner with pool tables, so he went over there to look a little less suspicious. The bartender was already giving them dirty looks.

In the middle of a game, someone stepped out of what looked to be an office across the room.

They had a beanie and a scar across one eye. It was the same guy that had led Ranboo right to Las Nevadas.

He walked around for a bit, greeting regulars and making conversation. Then his gaze fell onto Ranboo. A chill went up their spine.

The man strutted right up to Ranboo, an easy smile on his face.

“I haven’t seen you around here before.” The man stated, keeping up his casual demeanor.

“Yeah, I’m new. Heard about this place from an… acquaintance .” Ranboo tried to match the man’s attitude.

“Well, it’s always nice to meet new people. The name’s Quackity.” The man stuck out his hand for a handshake.

“Rhonald.” Ranboo was not about to use his real name. They grabbed the man’s hand and shook it in a firm handshake.

Quackity seemed pleased.

“Actually, I was wondering if you could follow me. I have a few questions, just to see how you’re liking it around here.” He turned around and left no room for argument.

Ranboo made a less-than-smart decision and followed him into his office.

The door slammed shut behind them. That could not be good news.

The office had a large wooden desk with a lot of paperwork on it. There were multiple bookshelves, and a door to the right. It was relatively normal.

Quackity sat down at the desk and made himself comfortable, the smile still on his face.

“Now, for the first question. How stupid do you think I am?”

It caught Ranboo off guard. 

“Excuse me?”

Quackity leaned forward, the smile completely faded.

“I said, how stupid do you think I am?”

Okay, everything is fine, just play dumb.

“Not at all, sir.”

Quackity laughed .

“That’s funny. If you actually thought I wasn’t stupid, you wouldn’t have come in here with a camera strapped to your chest.”

Ranboo felt like his veins were turning into ice. He knew? Their fight-or-flight was about to kick in.

“C’mon man, you're not even the slightest bit subtle.” Quackity spat.

Ranboo had to do something.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He lied.

“Playing dumb isn’t going to help you here. I have some…inside information.” He smiled maliciously and snapped his fingers.

The door to their right opened up, and out came… a human? No, they looked to be made of some kind of… goo?

In the light, the “person” was revealed to actually be a human-shaped blob of green slime.

“What was it that you needed, Quackity from Las Nevadas?” The slime spoke.

“Oh nothing much. Show our friend here what’s been going on.” Quackity ordered.

The slime nodded, and then stared down. He appeared to be looking at… Ranboo’s shoe?

They looked down, and felt his stomach drop.

A small blob of green goo sat innocently on the edge of their shoe, barely large enough to notice.

It rolled off, and went back into the slime man.

It was completely silent for a moment while the situation fully sunk in. Quackity had seen everything.

“You really have no idea what you’ve gotten into.” Quackity started walking towards Ranboo. They backed up instinctively.

“You could have left it to the adults, but no. Three little kids had to go playing pretend, and look where that got them.” He stopped approaching.

“Oh and by the way, your friends say hello.” Quackity smiled again, but he looked insane.

Wait, their friends say hello…?

A horrible, awful realization set in.

He had been so preoccupied, they didn’t even notice when Tommy and Tubbo stopped talking.

They refused to be in that room for a second longer. A quick teleport brought him on top of a building. 

Another teleport put them right next to his apartment building.

And then they were inside.

The apartment looked to be normal, but something felt very wrong.

“Guys! I’m back! Where are you?!” He shouted, panic leaking into their voice.

He checked every single room, every crack and crevice. They even looked through the building’s hallways.

After a second look, Ranboo found two earpieces laying on the ground. Right beside them, was an orange strand of hair.

Tommy and Tubbo were gone. Quackity ordered someone to take them.

A numbness washed over Ranboo.

He teleported up onto the building’s roof. The doors to it were locked, and no one except for the trio would ever go up there. It was like their little safe place.

Ranboo fell to their knees.

All the emotions hit him at once.

The fear and anger, the sadness and anxiousness. The flashbacks to an awful time when they were truly alone, and now he was alone once again.

A loud wailing noise bubbled up from inside them. It was the sound of raw grief, a sound that haunts you til the end of time.

Anger like that of a stormy sea crashed into him. They wanted nothing more than to kill Quackity and whoever else took his brothers away from them.

It came out in the form of punching the concrete floor until his knuckles bled and they could actually feel something.

Everything slowly simmered down, until he was left a sobbing mess.

They hadn’t ever felt that hopeless. 

It began to rain, but Ranboo couldn’t find the willpower to get up. They curled up on the damp concrete.

Some of Quackity’s words stuck out to him.

Three little kids had to go playing pretend.

The worst part was that it was true.

They really were just kids. Barely old enough to drive, but still taking on a responsibility that shouldn’t even belong to them.

The heroes should have been the ones going to Las Nevadas, doing spy work, putting their lives on the line for the greater good.

But, ironically enough, the heroes were selfish. They only cared about money and fame. If they were real heroes, he and Tommy and Tubbo could’ve had a normal life.

The sobbing died down, until it was just sniffles and hiccups every now and then. Ranboo didn’t know what to do anymore. 

They didn’t even know where to start.

He could hear someone land on the building, a few meters away from them.

Ranboo did not care enough to look.

The person cleared their throat. 

Their voice was deep and even, and Ranboo knew exactly who it was.

“Void?” 

Chapter Text

“Void?”

Blade. Fucking Blade.

Quite frankly, Ranboo was not in the mood to be dealing with heroes. Especially one that had the audacity to capture vigilantes that were just trying to keep their home safe.

Ranboo had just enough energy to sit up and turn around. He shot a venomous glare towards the “hero”.

“What do you want, Blade? ” They spat. 

The man was dressed in his casual hero wear (looking like a mix between a pirate and an old fashioned monarch), meaning he didn’t plan on fighting anyone. Further proving that, he put up his hands in a surrendering position.

“Chill, I’m not looking for any trouble.” Blade spoke casually, finding the situation a lot less tense than Ranboo did.

“You’ve already proved that you’re not above attacking someone unprovoked. I have every right to be wary.” Ranboo said harshly. He needed to leave, ASAP.

They seemed to have struck a nerve with the last remark, because Blade stiffened.

“We’re ordered to arrest vigilantes. We have no choice.” He said tersely.

The statement gave Ranboo enough energy to stand up completely.

“Oh you have a choice, alright. You just always pick the one that benefits you the most.” His voice rose to a shout. 

“You don’t know what it means to ‘have no choice’! Someone like you has never had to be so desperate !” 

The last word seemed to echo in the following silence. 

“Someone like me?” Blade sounded genuinely confused. Ranboo scoffed.

“Of course you wouldn’t understand.” Ranboo turned around and sank back down on the ground. 

Exhaustion weighed them down. Crying will do that to you. A nap sounded both amazing and awful.

A wave of guilt crashed over them. How could he be thinking of napping when their brothers were missing?! They could be dying-

A hand on his shoulder flung them out of their thoughts, and they immediately got into a defensive position.

Blade backed up and looked to be saying something, but Ranboo was focused on something else.

Wingbeats.

Shit. He wouldn’t be able to take two of them, but there was nowhere else to go. It would be impossible for him to find anywhere to hide when he was so tired, and it was so late.

They were trapped.

Crow landed right behind Blade, and it almost looked like he winced at the sight of Ranboo.

Rude.

He got a good look at the two people in front of him. Blade had on a pure black masquerade mask with a gold trim. Crow had something similar, except his had feathers around the edge that framed his face.

Ranboo slowly stepped backwards, eyes darting wildly from person to person. They resembled a caged animal.

***

He made it to the edge of the roof, and barely glanced down at the drop. It wasn’t that far. The only thing stopping him from jumping right that second was the fact that he didn’t know if he could teleport in the middle of the air. He considered it for a moment.

Crow saw them look and his eyes widened, immediately starting to run towards the teen.

Well then, it appears Ranboo’s mind was made up for him.

Without hesitation, they practically launched themself off the roof.

The sensation of falling was nauseating. He reached out with his power, trying to feel the cold embrace of the void. Horror flooded his senses. All he could feel was the wind whipping past him.

They couldn’t teleport.

Time seemed to slow down. They tried everything, expelled all their energy, but nothing happened. 

Regret burned deep in his chest. He failed Tommy and Tubbo. He couldn’t save them. He couldn’t even save himself. Quackity would get the last laugh after all.

A sense of acceptance came over him. Tommy and Tubbo were strong. They would escape, and they had each other to lean on. They would survive.

Just as he prepared to be swathed in the familiar chill of the void for the last time, arms wrapped around his torso.

They weren’t falling anymore.

***

They were flying .

“Jesus fuckin’ Christ do you have zero self preservation skills?”

It was Crow. He could see the large, charcoal wings at the edge of his vision. The hero must have swooped down to grab him.

They weren’t completely aware of their emotions. All they knew was an overwhelming sense of relief and a strange bitterness.

They flew up, and glided back down onto the same building they were just on. Upon seeing them, Blade half-collapsed, putting his hands on his thighs to hold himself up.

Crow gently landed, and let go of Ranboo. Well, mostly. He kept one hand firmly around the teen’s wrist, in case he planned to swan dive off the building again.

The adrenaline began to wear off, and Ranboo was just, so exhausted . But they refused to give the heroes the satisfaction of seeing them crumble.

So he stood up straight, and stared them right in the eyes.

“If you would have listened to me instead of throwing yourself off a building , you would have known that I just wanted to talk to you.” Blade said, both exasperated and resigned.

“Well forgive me for not exactly being in the mood to chat. ” Ranboo’s voice dripped of sarcasm, but it didn’t hide the slurring from fatigue.

Crow frowned.

“You sound terrible. We can finish this conversation at the headquarters.” 

Did they really expect them to just waltz right into the hero’s headquarters after being so careful? Yeah, no.

“Do you think I’m stupid? I’m not going to that glorified prison.” He hissed.

“You’re not exactly in a position to decline.” Blade deadpanned.

Crow’s hand was still clamped firmly around Ranboo’s wrist. They attempted to tug their arm out of his hold, but all it did was gain a raised eyebrow from Crow.

Ranboo sighed in frustration.

“Besides, you’re not going to be held captive. Like I said, we just want to talk.” Blade reminded him.

Well, they didn’t have much of a choice, did they? Instead of responding, they stared at Crow’s wings.

They were a lot bigger than Tommy’s. They didn’t glow with warmth and the promise of comfort. It was just, darkness .

He didn’t look at Crow’s wings anymore.

“Alright then, that settles it. Crow, you take ‘em.” Blade dusted out his red cape and broke into a sprint, heading towards the first district.

Crow rolled his eyes before just lifting Ranboo and holding them in a bridal carry. He muttered something about Ranboo being much too light.

He didn’t want to think about it. He didn’t want to think about anything. He just wanted to be at home, with his brothers, laughing at stupid shit and eating cheap ramen and holding each other together when things threatened to fall apart.

The strangers arms didn’t offer the same comfort of Tubbo’s hugs or Tommy’s wings. They felt cold and unfamiliar and dangerous.

As they took off, Ranboo closed their eyes and imagined they were falling again.

It didn’t take long to get to district one. The flight was about fifteen minutes, and Crow was silent the whole time.

To his surprise, they didn’t go to the main headquarters building. They went to a smaller building that looked more like a hotel than an office.

As soon as they touched the ground, Crow set the teen back down, with the same hand back on their wrist.

Blade showed up not a minute later, out of breath with a twig in his hair.

Ranboo stared closely at the building. Somewhere in his sleep deprived brain, he recognized it as the same place he escaped from when he got kidnapped the first time.

“I thought….the headquarters.” Was all they managed to get out.

“This is still technically the headquarters. This is just the apartment area. A lot of heroes live here out of convenience, including us.” Blade explained.

Ranboo said nothing and stared sourly at the door. Blade said they wouldn’t be held captive, but they were feeling pretty captive at the moment. And tired, can’t forget that.

Blade opened the door and turned right, with Crow following while dragging Ranboo along.

They opened another door that led to a familiar kitchen/living room. It was the same one that Ranboo had escaped from. He also remembered stealing the sink, which was currently on display at his apartment.

They looked over at the door they had used to escape, disappointed to find that all the locks had been relocked and there were even a couple more added on.

The most surprising part, however, was the man laying on the couch, eating what looked to be a brown sugar pop tart. 

“Wilbur?” Ranboo spoke, surprised.

Wilbur looked up from the couch and his eyes widened.

“Ranboo? My brother managed to find you?” He stared directly at Blade.

“Blade’s your brother?”

“Okay, that’s enough. Wilbur, I’ll talk to you tomorrow, right now we kinda need the living room.” Crow said with the authority of an underpaid but overworked father.

Wilbur nodded and left the room.

As soon as he did, Blade and Crow took off their masks.

Crow looked a lot older than they had first thought he was, and Blade looked both relieved and wary at the same time.

Ranboo’s muddled brain somehow managed to connect the dots between the people standing in front of him and the weird duo back in the bakery. 

“Would you be comfortable with taking off your mask?” Crow asked with a gentle tone.

Ranboo narrowed their eyes.

“We’ve already seen your face anyway, so there’s really no point in keeping it on.” Blade said bluntly, getting a withering look from Crow.

Oh yeah. That whole thing happened. It wasn’t even that long ago…

Maybe if he wasn’t so tired, he would have made a different decision. But Ranboo didn’t have the energy to care, so he tugged off his mask.

Crow tensed and looked like he just accidentally punched a kitten, while Blade’s face showed a strange mixture of concern and dismay.

Sure, Ranboo didn’t look the best. They had dark circles under their eyes and probably a scar or two on their face. Their hair was messy and a faded pink color, with the original black and white barely showing up. 

He was pretty sure it didn’t warrant that reaction.

“You are…a child. And you’re a vigilante.” Crow spoke after an awkward silence.

“Yeah, what of it?” Ranboo muttered. It had less heat, and a lot more resignation.

“You are aware that vigilantes are illegal?” Blade had a much firmer tone than Crow.

“I know. I just don’t care.” Ranboo sat on the couch, relieved to be giving his legs a break.

Crow was about to say something, but Blade interrupted him.

“If you keep doing what you’re doing, you will be arrested. Which is why I wanted to talk to you. I have an offer for you.” Blade got right to the point.

Ranboo crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

“If you and your buddies become heroes, you can help people legally. I’ll even vouch for you. But if you decline, I’ll have to arrest you.” 

The threat was clear, but Ranboo wasn’t scared. They stopped being scared years ago. 

“Maybe instead of recruiting more heroes, you could get the ones you already have to do their damn job.” Ranboo stood up, the anger radiating off of him.

Crow immediately got defensive.

“The heroes do their jobs. Criminals are arrested every day in the upper districts.” 

The upper districts. Of course. It felt as though fury was coursing through Ranboo’s veins, threatening to tear them apart if they didn’t let it out.

“I have no doubt criminals are getting arrested in the upper districts. But the lower districts? Nothing. If the heroes did their job, the lower districts wouldn’t be such a dump. If the heroes did their job, my brothers wouldn’t have been kidnapped!” Ranboo shouted in the heat of the moment. 

He slapped a hand over his mouth. Shit. He said way too much, and now they were staring at him and god he wanted to sleep and cry and disappear all at the same time.

Purple particles surrounded them, and despite the chaos of everything, they brought a little comfort. A familiar chill washed over them.

Suddenly, he was no longer in the living room. He was laying on a bed, in a completely different room. There was a soft gasp, but he ignored it. The weariness that had been dragging him down could no longer be ignored, and he soon gave in to the solace of sleep.

___

It was going to take a little while for Techno to completely unpack what just happened.

First things first, Ranboo just disappeared. They really needed to find him.

Techno immediately spotted Wilbur sticking his head out of his bedroom. He beckoned them over and further opened his door.

When Phil and Techno fully stepped into Wilbur’s room, the first thing they saw was Ranboo, asleep in Wilbur’s bed.

Techno was about to wake them up, when Phil grabbed his shoulder.

“Maybe he should get some rest. Did you hear him back in district ten? They will be able to explain more when they’re well rested.” He explained.

Phil had a good point, and Wilbur didn’t seem to mind the teen in his bed, so they snuck out of the room and gently closed the door.

Second things second, kidnapped?  

“He said his brothers were kidnapped. Y’think he meant the little zappy guy, and the phoenix?” Techno sat down on the couch, massaging his temples.

Phil sat next to him, wrapping a wing around him.

“I’m not sure who else they would mean. Take a rest, mate. No use worrying about it when we hardly have any information.” The older man’s words were slightly comforting.

Techno let out a sigh. It was silent for a moment.

“They really hate heroes.” He broke the silence.

“I hate to say it, but from what we’ve heard… they have a pretty good reason to.” The avian said softly, closing his eyes.

Neither of them spoke for a bit, too deep in their thoughts.

“…We failed them, Phil…” His voice wavered. Vulnerability from Techno was rare and difficult to cause. Ranboo’s words must have really struck a nerve with him.

Phil gently grabbed Techno’s wrist and gave it a light squeeze. He opened his eyes, his gaze warmer than before.

“Maybe. But all we can do now is try to make sure that never happens again.”

___

For once in Ranboo’s life, his joints didn’t hurt. The material underneath him was soft and cushioned, and warm.

Did they buy a new mattress and forget about it? Not surprising. Tommy and Tubbo always complained about the old one.

With that thought, Ranboo was suddenly hit with the reality of the situation.

They sat up quickly, their breath short and fast. This wasn’t their house, Tommy and Tubbo were gone-

Relax. Deep breaths.

As memories slowly came back to the teen, he relaxed slightly. Okay, cool. Not in imminent danger. For now.

He took a good look around the room. There were several guitars, with sheet music strewn about on any flat surface. Including the floor.

There was a coat hanging up that Ranboo was sure he had seen Wilbur wear before. Wilbur’s room, then. 

That didn’t matter. They needed to leave, and head back home to look for any clues of where their brothers could be, because they were probably scared and alone and most definitely in danger.

Ranboo stood up, opening the window that was next to the bed. He was about to step outside, when he had a sudden thought.

Heroes had access to a lot of information he didn’t have. They had street cameras, insider information, maybe even spies.

The heroes would have an easier time finding his brothers. It would immensely hurt Ranboo’s pride to ask heroes of all people for help, but…

It was for their brothers. Anything for them. Besides, after they were back home safe, everything could go back to normal. Definitely.

With a defeated sigh, Ranboo reached up to close the window. Before they could, they accidentally knocked over a half-full cup of tea, which hit the hardwood floor with a pretty loud bang. Shit.

Barely ten seconds later, someone opened the door. Someone with blood red eyes and pink hair and- oh fuck it’s Blade.

The hero’s eyes widened when he took in the scene. It must have looked pretty suspicious. Ranboo, opening the window, while trying to have been quiet, on his tiptoes like he was sneaking around.

Ranboo was frozen, not quite knowing what to do or say.

Blade blinked, before turning to the hallway.

“Phil, I think he’s trying to escape.”

Phil?

There were some quick steps in the hallway, before Crow showed up, his hands up in a non-threatening gesture like Ranboo was a feral animal or something.

“No need for that! Just, at least talk to us for a minute? Please?” His accent was more prevalent when he was a bit nervous. It reminded them of Tommy, making their heart clench painfully.

Ranboo closed the window, narrowing their eyes at Blade and Crow (who was apparently named Phil).

Anything for his brothers.

“…Sure…”

Phil and Blade seemed somewhat relieved, the former beckoning him forward into the hallway, and then the living room.

Wilbur was sitting at the table, drinking a cup of coffee. Ranboo still didn’t really like the guy, but after seeing him in a more casual setting at the coffee shop, they didn’t feel very threatened by him.

Shit, the coffee shop. He really needed to call Sally.

Blade gestured for Ranboo to sit on the couch, so he did, tensed up while keeping his eyes on the two heroes in front of him. 

“Relax, kid. You look like you’re about to pop a blood vessel. We’re not gonna hurt ya, we just want to talk.”

The teen very pointedly did not relax, instead clenching his fists. Phil set down a plate of toast in front of them, causing their eyes to dart down to it.

“…Did you poison this?” Ranboo narrowed their eyes further at the two.

“No? Why would we- whatever. Anyways, cutting to the chase. You said a lot to us last night. We just want clarification, is all. Now, is there anything you want us to know?” Blade sat across from Ranboo, crossing his arms.

It felt like a trick question. Like when parents say “is there anything you want to tell us?” When it’s very clear they already know you did something.

But Ranboo was desperate, and a chance was a chance. He really didn’t want to do this. But hey; he could pretend. At least until his brothers were safe

“…Have you ever heard of a place called ‘Las Nevadas’?”