Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Tommy clicks the red SEND button on his phone and doesn’t release the air in his chest until the screen tells him that if his application makes it to the next phase, he’ll receive an email. Tommy can’t believe he actually did it. Hopefully, Tubbo doesn’t murder him, even though he is aware of Tommy’s ridiculous plan. But the two of them need money, so Tommy needs to get a job since Tubbo already works full-time at the second-hand store. And an assistant position at the Hero Headquarters would pay much more than his past job and Tubbo’s current one combined.

 Tommy stands up and jumps from the top of the building he’s on to the next and continues hopping from rooftop to rooftop, making the bigger jumps by propelling himself with his enhancement. Yes, Tommy interrupted his nightly patrol to apply to be a hero’s assistant. And Tommy’s a vigilante. There are so many things wrong with Tommy’s plan and he knows that. He doesn’t know why he doesn’t care.

 Using his powers to slow his descent, Tommy drops from one of the buildings he landed on into a dark alley he heard yelling coming from. Fortunately, the moon likes Tommy tonight and sheds enough light on the gang beating up two teenagers. Unfortunately, that gang doesn’t seem to like Tommy and proceeds to charge him. Tommy ducks under a fist aimed at his masked mouth and goggles (in his signature color: red) and dodges a knife that was jabbed towards his leg.

 “Leave us alone, Kraken!” one of the attackers shouts, Tommy can’t tell which one with their face covered by black masks.

 “That wouldn’t be any fun, though!” Tommy says back, the voice modifier in his mask makes his voice deeper and older. Imagine if everyone knew that the popular vigilante Kraken was seventeen. Everyone he’s sent to jail wouldn’t be happy, that’s for sure. Not that they are happy anyway, though.

 Another thug rushes at Tommy and he expertly dodges them before grabbing their arm and head and flipping them over onto the ground. They go completely still except for their rising and sinking chest.

 “Alright, who’s next?” Tommy asks the six remaining thugs. They all look uncertainly at one another before one of them runs at Tommy. “Guess you are,” Tommy mumbles as he catches their fist.

 “You need to shut up,” they growl.

 “Well, that’s just rude,” Tommy punches them in the face then twists their wrist.

 As they curse in pain, two more come forward and attack Tommy from both sides. He lets go of the thug’s wrist and leans away from a pair of brass knuckles. Tommy hisses when he doesn’t fully dodge a knife and it slices through the side of his white hoodie with red sleeves. He feels blood drip down his side and hopes it doesn’t soak through the t-shirt he wears underneath his vigilante outfit. It’s much more work to remove blood from white than it is to sow a rip.

 In retaliation, Tommy kicks the knife wielder’s legs out from underneath them and pushes the person with brass knuckles into them as they fall. Tommy watches amused as the two attackers tumble awkwardly into a pile of limbs and cuss words. Which is why Tommy didn’t notice the four others come closer until he is hit in the back. Hard, Tommy stumbles forward and just as he turns around, is punched in the face by another pair of brass knuckles. Luckily, the blow didn’t damage Tommy’s mask or goggles, but he isn’t so sure about his face.

 “Shit,” Tommy whispers. He’s going to be covered in bruises.

 “What, can’t handle us?” one of the remaining thugs asks. Tommy sadly notes that the two people that crashed into each other now clumsily stand.

 “Nah, just worrying about how the hell I’m going to explain this if I get a job interview,” Tommy stalls.

 “Whatever,” someone else mutters. “Doesn’t matter.”

 “Kind does,” Tommy curls his fingers into a fist. He swings at the person that thought they were being stealthy as they moved towards Tommy. His fist connects with their chest and Tommy uses his enhancement to propel them into one of the alley’s brick walls. They crumple to the ground. Now Tommy’s knocking people. Things are getting real.

 As the thugs attack Tommy, sometimes in pairs or alone, Tommy uses his enhancement to help in his attacks and effectively knock his opponents out. Some people think Tommy has feather falling or super strength but Tommy’s power, or enhancement as they are called, is actually telekinesis. He has a pretty good grip on it but sometimes it can be… unpredictable. Tommy’s luck tonight seems off and on because while he doesn’t lose control of his unruly ability and he manages to render all the people that attacked him unconscious, Tommy received a bat to the back and a blow to the right side of his jaw.

 Tommy sighs and looks around for the teenagers but finds an empty spot where he last saw them. He sighs again. At least they escaped. Quickly, Tommy ties the attacker’s hands together, either with their own shoelaces or some zip ties he carries around.

 Tommy floats himself onto a roof and checks his dollar store clearance watch that works surprisingly well: it’s exactly midnight. Dang, Tommy didn’t mean to stay out here for so long but it appears he did. Tommy blames the gang he just beat up.

 Guess I should get back and stitch up my side, Tommy thinks as he jumps across the roofs once again. His body aches and he knows it’ll be especially bad in the morning. Again, Tommy blames the gang. It’s always fucking gangs.

 A vibration in Tommy’s black cargo pants pocket makes him pause on a rooftop only a few minutes from his apartment. Less if you take rooftops as a shortcut. Tommy pulls his phone out, types in the password, and opens his email. He almost drops his phone when he reads the message he got: “Thank you for applying for the assistant position at Hero Headquarters. We are delighted to inform you that you have been selected to move on to the next stage: an in-person interview. Please join us at the Hero Headquarters tower at ten-thirty on June fourth. If you cannot make the interview, please send an email beforehand, you will not be able to reschedule. If you can come, further instructions will await you at the reception desk in the lobby. Best of luck!”

 June fourth. That’s tomorrow! No, today! In ten hours! Ignoring his injuries, Tommy sprints towards home, boosting most of his leaps with his telekinesis (no, he did not mistime some and almost fall).

 In record time, Tommy arrives back at his decomposing apartment and slides the window of the bedroom he shares with Tubbo open. Thankfully it’s silent and Tommy’s roommate is a deep sleeper so he doesn’t stir as Tommy steps in, closes the window, and removes his vigilante gear, which he hides at the bottom of the backpack he takes everywhere. No blood soaked into the sweater and Tommy is grateful. He honestly doesn’t know why he chose white for beating people up. Tommy tiptoes out of the bedroom and into the bathroom where he removes his bloodied t-shirt. It sticks slightly but Tommy carefully tugs it free of his skin and sticks it in the bathtub, Since it’s a black t-shirt, the blood won’t be noticeable if he doesn’t wash it out so Tommy just rinses it in the tub’s faucet. After the quick rinse, Tommy finally pays attention to the gash on his right side. Most of the blood has dried but it doesn’t stay that way when Tommy runs a tissue with hydrogen peroxide they have stored under the bathroom sink over it. Tommy grits his teeth, sending more pain to his bruised jaw. But Tommy sucks it up and rummages around the first aid kit for gauze. Tubbo has barely been making enough money for the two of them so they don’t have stuff for stitches, not that Tommy knows how to do them anyway. Instead, Tommy folds toilet paper and bandages it against his bleeding side with gauze and some medical tape. It’ll have to do.

 Tommy returns the first aid kit to underneath the sink and washes his hands, purposely leaving his shirt in the bathtub. He’ll patch it up when he isn’t rushing for sleep. Tommy stares at his reflection in the mirror: the right side of his jaw is already bruising, same with his nose and almost entire back when Tommy turns around. This will be shit to explain. 

 But Tommy doesn’t want to think about that right now, he wants to sleep, so he goes back to the bedroom, sets an alarm on his phone for nine, and lays on the small air mattress that lies beside Tubbo’s. Tommy gets all comfy, which isn’t very with the numerous injuries, but it’s as close as he gets. Now Tommy just needs to sleep.

…

Sleep.

…

It takes an hour of staring into his dark surroundings for Tommy to fall asleep. Why? Because Tommy is a bit of an insomniac. Why? Who can explain that? Not Tommy.

- - - ~

 At nine in the morning, the Able Sisters begins to play and Tommy blinks his eyes open. They are heavy with exhaustion even though Tommy got eight hours of sleep. The blonde yawns, turns off his alarms, and slowly gets out of bed but when he stands, he almost topples over. Fuck, everything hurts! Using the wall for support, Tommy walks to the bathroom and gasps at how dark the bruises got overnight. It looks like someone smeared ink all over his nose, jaws, and back. Needless to say, Tommy looks like crap. Absolute fucking garbage. Feels like it, too.

 Silently except for the not-so-occasional curse or cry of pain, Tommy redresses his knife wound, brushes his teeth, and changes into the most proper clothes he owns: a pair of black jeans and a beige collared shirt. Tommy skips on food, the thought of eating makes him want to throw up and he doesn’t need that. Not today. So, instead, Tommy grabs his backpack with his vigilante gear, phone, almost empty wallet, and house key in it and puts on his shoes. Every movement sends a stab of pain through Tommy’s body and he’s glad Tubbo is already at work. It would both hurt and anger Tubbo to see Tommy like this.

 Tommy checks his watch which shows a nine and thirty in digital font. He has an hour before his interview but a train takes about forty minutes to get there and it’s about ten minutes of walking (in total) to and from the stations. So Tommy sets off into the morning sights of Lower L’Manberg. He appreciates the lack of criminal activity and craziness but still passes the common drunk or homeless person and the train carries some shady-looking people. But most people in L’Manberg are shady-looking, especially in the poorer areas of Lower.

 When Tommy exits the train after a predicted forty-minute boring ass ride where Tommy just wanted to fall asleep and steps into Upper L’Manberg, he can barely hold in his awe. The buildings vary from modern to cottagecore architecture but they all seem to sparkle in the sun. Tommy wouldn’t be surprised if they did without the giant mass of space fire.

 In the distance of maybe a couple of blocks, Tommy sees the massive tower that is his destination. And in a few minutes of speed walking with wide eyes, Tommy arrives at the massive front doors of Hero Headquarters. They are much bigger than Tommy anticipated and he can see everything happening in the lobby through the equally large glass windows.

 Tommy takes a deep breath and walks into the tower that holds the very people that want to capture Tommy. There is a huge crystal chandelier hanging from the high ceiling and guards line the sides of the lobby. Tommy walks confidently except for the occasional small grimace or stutter in his step from the continuous pain shooting through his body, Tommy fiddles with the black ordinary face mask that covers his nasty nose bruise and most of the one on his jaw. His slightly messy hair helps cover the latter.

 When Tommy makes it to the receptionist's desk, he is greeted by a smiling blonde that can’t be much older than Tommy. Their name tag says Purpled P., He/him/his.

 “Hi, I’m here for the assistant interview,” Tommy says to Purpled (weird fucking name).

 “Ah, can I have your name?” Purpled still smiles and Tommy wonders how much he hates his job.

 “Tommy Innit.”

 Purpled turns to a computer monitor and types surprisingly fast. He turns back to Tommy. “If you don’t mind, can I please ask some security questions? Just to confirm your identity.”

 “Sure, big man,” Tommy internally curses but thinks he memorized all the information he needed to. He hopes.

 “Thanks. First, what is your birthday?” Purpled looks at the computer screen again.

 “April ninth, two thousand and three. I’m twenty.” Lies.

 Purpled nods. “Who do you live with?”

 “My roommate Tubbo Underscore,” truth.

 “And how old is he?”

 “Twenty-one,” lie.

 “Where do you currently live?”

 “Lower L’Manberg. 1224 Clementine Street,” truth.

 Purpled turns back to Tommy. “Looks good! There’s a door to your right. Just go through that and when you’re called,” Purpled grabs something off his desk and hands it to Tommy, “hand this to your interviewer and you’ll be good to go.”

 “Thanks, Purpled,” Tommy smiles and walks over to the mentioned door, holding the notecard that has only his name on it in his hand.

 Tommy opens the door and finds a fairly large waiting room with four rows of chairs, most of which are occupied. By adults. With suits. Tommy isn’t confident that he’ll get this job. But he’s still going to try because nothing stops Tommy Innit.

 Tommy sits in the closest available seat which is between a masculine person in a red flannel and a feminine person with long brown hair in a nice-looking black dress. The two of them give Tommy a judging look as he sits between them and has to hold in a cry of pain and some aggressive words. Others around the room glance at Tommy as he attempts to sink into the chair without hurting his bruised back. He wants to think that they’re all looking at his mask and wondering why he’s wearing it but it’s not uncommon for someone to be wearing one, either because they’re sick, antisocial (like Ranboo), or their enhancements make physical changes to their appearance. No, Tommy knows it’s not the mask but rather his youth. He might claim and somewhat pass to be twenty but that still means he’s young. The adults are confident they will succeed against someone of his age and scorn him for thinking he has a chance. Tommy doesn’t think he’ll get the job but that doesn’t mean he’ll just give up. He’s a big man. Stubborn, too.

 So he waits, glaring at everyone who looks at him weirdly and fidgeting with his notecard as the room slowly empties. In a matter of an hour, Tommy is the only one left in the waiting room. He wonders why he was supposed to come so early. Maybe it has to do with the order of something.

 An unfamiliar voice interrupts Tommy from his bored and irritated thoughts. “Tommy Innit?”

 Tommy looks up and startles at the sight of a light green hologram version of what looks like the hero Guardian: short somewhat messy hair, medium height (shorter than Tommy), and a gas mask that covers their entire face, but instead of Guardian’s usual green armor and gold crown, the hologram dons a safety vest and construction helmet with little raccoon ears on it.

 Not really knowing what to do, Tommy stands and grimaces from the flare of pain on his back and side.

 “Tommy Innit?” the hologram repeats, looking at Tommy.

 “Yeah, that’s me,” Tommy says and walks closer to the hologram who excitedly responds.

 “Hello! I’m Sam Noo, he/him or it pronouns! I’m Hero Headquarters AI! Since you are the last interviewee, I will lead you to where you will be interviewed. Please follow me!”

 “Okay, thank you,” Tommy says and follows Sam Nook out of the waiting room he’s been sitting in for the past hour,

 Tommy feels kind of awkward following an AI named after the Animal Crossing character but he’s mostly in awe. He’s always been interested in technology, like Tubbo, but never had enough money to buy more than a phone or take any classes for. And now Tommy is walking beside a holographic artificial intelligence.

 “Uhm, did Guardian design you?” Tommy hesitantly asks, he doesn’t know if it’s rude to ask that.

 But Sam Nook doesn’t seem offended. “Yep! He’s very savvy. Many parts of Headquarters are designed by him, as well as Pandora’s Vault.” Tommy shivers at the mention of the high-security prison where the worst criminals and any apprehended vigilantes go.

 “That’s so cool. I’ve always wanted to meet Guardian. Learn tech from him or something.”

 Sam Nook turns around to face Tommy. “Hopefully you’ll get the position and be able to.”

 “Will I get to talk to you more if I get the job, too?”

 “Of course, Tommy Innit!”

 “Pog,” Tommy likes this AI. Truth.

 “I’m not sure what that means.”

 “Really awesome.”

 “I do understand that,” Sam Nook gestures to the door Tommy didn’t realize they stopped in front of. “This is where I’ll leave you to your interview. I hope it all goes well, Tommy Innit!”

 “Me, too,” and Sam Nook vanishes in a blip of light. What an interesting interaction.

 Tommy takes a deep breath before knocking on the door Sam Nook took him to. “Come in,” says a voice that is both familiar and unfamiliar. Like Tommy has heard the voice before but can’t place it.

 Quickly, Tommy makes sure his mask is still on right and that his hair is covering his bruised jaw. Then he opens the door.

 What Tommy expects to see when he opens the door is a Hero Headquarters employee in an ordinary suit or formal outfit with a clipboard and pen at the ready. What he doesn’t expect is the hero Hades in his black and green hero robes at a table reading Tommy’s resume. When Tommy steps into the nondescript office with tall windows that serves as the interview room, Hades looks up and looks at Tommy, although it’s hard to tell with the dark veil and green and white bucket hat covering the hero’s upper face.

 “You can sit if you’d like,” the hero tells Tommy kindly.

 Tommy closes the door and sits in a dark navy blue chair that feels like sitting in a pile of pillows. It takes most of Tommy’s willpower to not sink unprofessionally into the cushions.

 Hades smiles and Tommy’s inner fanboy goes wild. Hades is one of Tommy’s favorite heroes, the others being Zeus, Found, and Guardian. Tommy knows it’s weird for a vigilante to like heroes but they are so goddamn cool and Tommy can’t just stop admiring the people he’s looked up to since he was a kid. Plus, Hades has wings. Literal fucking huge ass wings! That’s so cool!

 “Purpled said I was supposed to give this to you,” Tommy hands Hades the simple card with Tommy’s name on it.

 “Thank you, it’s nice to meet you, Tommy. I’m Hades, he/him pronouns.”

 “It’s nice to meet you, too,” Hades said my name! Tommy’s inner fanboy is screaming. “Oh, I use he/him, too.”

 “So how this will work is I’ll ask you some questions and you’ll answer. Okay?” Hades asks.

 Simple enough. Tommy nods and Hades begins.

 “Your resume and application say you’re twenty. Shouldn’t you be in college?” Hades looks Tommy up and down. “Plus, you look kind of young.”

 “I did community college because I don’t have enough money to go anywhere else. Full scholarships are rare,” Tommy shrugs. “And I’m not young, I’m a big man.” 

 Hades grins but it looks a little sad. “What would you have gone to college for”

 Tommy thinks for a moment. Technically he didn’t even go to community college. Hell, he speedran high school through virtual courses and graduated barely a few months ago. “Hm, I’m not sure. Maybe something with computer technology or media.”

 “You would get along well with Guardian.”

 And now Tommy cannot hold back his fanboy excitement. “Sam Nook is so cool. I’ve never seen an AI before, especially one that has a holographic body.”

 “You met Sam Nook?” Hades questions.

 “Yeah, he said that he was bringing me here since I was the last applicant,” Tommy explains.

 “He probably showed up because you’re the youngest applicant. He likes kids,” Hades chuckles.

 “Oh fuck off, I’m not young or a kid!” Tommy clasps his hands over his masked mouth, flinching slightly at the touch against his bruised nose and jaw.

 Hades doesn’t notice Tommy’s pain, though, and instead bursts out laughing. Tommy smiles even though it hurts and Hades can’t see it under Tommy’s mask. When Hades finally stops wheezing, he continues to ask Tommy questions.

 “On your application and resume, it says that you have past experiences working in a department store, Why don’t you work there anymore?”

 “They were running out of money so they laid off most of the employees.”

 “How recent was this?”

 “About three weeks ago. I’ve been trying to find a job but no one really wants to hire me.”

 “Why?”

 “I’ve been told I’m annoying and loud,” Tommy mumbles.

 “You don’t seem to be,” Hades points out and Tommy almost passes out.

 “Oh trust me, fuck is one of my favorite words,” this earns another laugh from Hades.

 “What makes you qualified for an assistant position?” Hades asks Tommy when he stops laughing. 

 Tommy pauses. Nothing qualifies Tommy for this job, and he’s already lying about many parts of his life. “My amazing people skills. I can get shit done. Honestly, not much but I’ve had experience working with different people.”

 “If you don’t have outstanding qualifications, why did you apply?”

 Tommy decides to continue being honest for once, not because he wants Hades’s pity but because he doesn’t know what else to say. It takes too much effort to make up a story when the truth is the better option. “My roommate and I are struggling for money and ever since I lost my job, we’ve barely been able to afford food. This job would help cover more. Plus, I’ve always thought heroes were cool. Since I can’t be one, why not work with them?”

 Hades’s mouth is set in a firm line as if what Tommy said upsets him. “Why can’t you be a hero?”

 “I don’t have an enhancement,” back to lying, but this one is easy since Tommy’s power is easily hidden, that is if he can keep them under control, “and I definitely don’t have enough money for training programs.”

 “Right, your application says you’re enhance-less. If you did have an enhancement, what would you hope to have?”

 If only he knew, Tommy thinks.

 “Maybe something cool and useful like flight or telekinesis.”

 “Interesting. Last question: what do you think of vigilantes?”

 A moment of silence. Then Tommy responds, “I think they’re badass. They help parts of L’Manberg that don’t get protected by heroes. I know some vigilantes aren’t as good as others but they still help us.”

 “Us?”

 “People in Lower L’Manberg.”

 “Do you see lots of vigilantes in Lower?”

 “That’s more than one question,” Tommy tries to lift the mood but quits when he sees Hades’s serious expression. “Not a lot on a daily basis but more than Upper for sure.”

 “Hm, I’ll have to look into that,” Hades murmurs.

 Oh shit, Tommy just made things a lot more complicated for himself.

 “Well, I have to say, this interview was quite enjoyable,” Hades smiles, although it looks slightly strained. “If you get the job, you’ll be sent an email.” Hades stands so Tommy does as well. “It was nice to talk to you, Tommy,” Hades sticks out his hand.

 “Great to talk to you, too,” Tommy replies and shakes Hades’s outstretched hand.

 As Tommy turns to leave after releasing the hero’s hand, Hades asks, “Oh, if you don’t mind me asking, if you are enhance-less, why are you wearing a mask?”

 Tommy struggles to find an answer. Suddenly, the door Tommy stands in front of bursts open, and in rushes Poseidon in their hero gear: a navy blue beanie and shirt, black trench coat, jeans, and Doc Martens, and a simple blue mask covering their lower face.

 Tommy barely moves out of the way of the door and the hero as they both barrel at him. Poseidon barely notices Tommy is there and instead focuses on Hades.

 “Ph-Hades! Zeus got more info on that power enhancement drug,” Poseidon says.

 Hades sighs. “Poseidon, I’m ending an interview here.”

 Poseidon finally notices that Tommy’s in the room and their eyes widen. “Oh shit, sorry!”

 “Just watch where you’re going prick,” Tommy once again slaps his hands over his covered mouth and flinches at the pain he causes on his face and erupts on his side at the sudden movement.

 Poseidon bursts out laughing but Hades frowns.

 “Hey mate, you okay?” Hades asks, causing Poseidon to stop laughing and look between Hades and Tommy.

 Tommy unclasps his mouth. “Uh, yeah. Why?” Tommy innocently asks. But Tommy feels wetness growing under the gauze on his side. All his movement must have opened the knife wound further. Tommy needs to leave.

 “You winced,” Hades moves forward and Tommy takes a subtle step towards the open door. But it must not be as subtle as Tommy thought since Poseidon’s eyes narrow at Tommy in suspicion. Then suddenly they widen in horror.

 “Is that blood?!” Poseidon practically shouts, their voice changer makes the hero’s voice sound high-pitched.

 Tommy looks down and sees that the side of his shirt is turning dark with what is indeed blood. Silently, not knowing what else to do, Tommy nods. Both Hades and Poseidon rush at Tommy.

 “What happened?” Hades asks.

 Tommy doesn’t answer because either he’s in shock, geeking out over Hades, or struggling to determine what to tell the two heroes.

 The heroes notice Tommy’s silence and instead of questioning him further, Hades grabs a shit ton of tissues off the desk and presses them against Tommy’s side. This sends spots all over Tommy’s vision and his legs buckle but don’t collapse from the pain. Poseidon holds Tommy’s shoulders while Hades keeps applying pressure to Tommy’s wound. 

 “Well, I guess this shirt is ruined,” Tommy finally says.

 “Tommy,” Hades says slowly, “we are going to get you to the medical floor. You’ll have to hold the tissues. Okay?”

 “Sure big man,” Tommy takes the tissues from Hades and holds them to his now-soaked shirt.

 “I’ll guide you,” Poseidon says and places one of his hands on Tommy’s back.

 His back. With a giant bruise on it. Tommy can’t help but yelp and his legs finally give out underneath him. Hades catches him with a grunt.

 “Sorry,” Tommy mumbles. He doesn’t know if anyone heard it.

 Tommy tries to stand but is instead pulled off the ground and into Hades’s arms. The movement hurts a lot but Tommy just winces. Surprisingly, he still has a grip on the tissues and pressure on his side.

 Tommy looks up and meets what he assumes to be Hades’s worried expression. Tommy looks away and meets the obviously concerned gaze of Poseidon.

 “I don’t need to be carried,” Tommy grumbles.

 “Yes you do mate,” Hades bluntly states and carries Tommy out of the interview room, down the hallway they’re in, and to a set of elevators.

 Poseidon presses the up button and in a matter of seconds, an elevator arrives and the two heroes and injured Tommy enter a silver elevator. Poseidon presses the button for floor eight. Soon the elevator arrives at the chosen floor and the doors open with a ding. Tommy is carried out of the elevator and into a white-walled room with large windows on the farthest side, very light grey tiled floors, and lined with hospital beds, sinks, and tables of medical equipment.

 “Gauze!” Poseidon yells as Hades gingerly sets Tommy on a white hospital bed. Crap, he’s going to stain the sheets. Tommy hopes he didn’t get any blood on Hades’s robes.

 Poseidon yells again and a person with darker skin, a red, yellow, and black patterned mask and hoodie, and a doctor’s coat overtop stomps over to them.

 “What Posei--,” the doctor trails off when they see Tommy sitting and bleeding on the hospital bed. He waves and the doctor hesitantly waves back.

 “Tommy just started bleeding. We haven’t checked to see why yet and he hasn’t explained,” Hades summarizes.

 “Okay, uhm, Tommy, I’ll need to remove your shirt,” the doctor, who must be Gauze, says.

 Shit, Tommy has a bunch of scars and the recent bruises all over his body. They’ll question those and he’ll need a good cover story.

 But Gauze doesn’t wait for a response and instead grabs a bunch of medical supplies off a table and plops them on the bed Tommy occupies and lifts Tommy’s shirt. Tommy grimaces, Hades and Poseidon harshly suck in a breath, and Gauze doesn’t react when Tommy’s bloody tissues and gauze fall away to reveal the knife wound. And the giant bruise on his back.

 “What- what happened?” Poseidon stares at Tommy’s injured body and the blonde shrinks.

 “I… got fucking mugged last night on my way home from the store. They stole my groceries, too,” Tommy lies.

 “How did they do this much damage to you?” Hades watches Gauze clean the blood off of Tommy.

 “One had a knife, another a bat. There were a couple others but they only watched,” it’s not a complete lie. “The fuckers,” Tommy mumbles under his breath. That wasn’t a lie.

 “Why didn’t you get stitches or go to the hospital?” Gauze asks. They’ve finished cleaning Tommy’s side and instead of grabbing stuff for stitches, they squeeze the wound close.

 Tommy stifles a shout of pain. “No stitches in the first aid kit and no money or insurance,” he grits through his teeth.

 “Does your roommate know?" Hades turns to face Tommy. Gauze squeezes more and suddenly the wound starts healing on its own. Which fucking hurts.

 “Of course he does!” Tommy lets out a small scream and only doesn’t curl in on himself because Poseidon holds him in place.

 Then the pain disappears and Tommy opens the eyes he didn’t realize he had closed. Gauze is over by a sink washing blood off their hands. Poseidon and Hades stare at Tommy.

 “Gauze will heal your bruise but we need to know if there are any other injuries to heal,” Hades tells Tommy.

 “They healed me? That’s cool but it hurt like hell.”

 “A side effect for my healing enhancement,” Gauze explains from the sink.

 Healers aren’t common and for Hero Headquarters to have one is a great advantage. Tommy examines the long scar that is the only reminder of the knife wound. If Gauze could heal Tommy’s bruises, he wouldn’t struggle to smile or move. So Tommy cautiously reaches up and removes his mask.

 “Holy shit,” Poseidon breathes.

 “You look like absolute crap, mate,” Hades says.

 “Thanks, bitch,” Tommy goes to cover his mouth but Poseidon grabs his arms midway.

 “Every time you did that, it hurt?” Hades sounds sad and Tommy can’t have his favorite hero be sad.

 “Well, I had to stop myself from swearing in every sentence,” Tommy says,

 “You don’t need to do that, mate.”

 “Oh thank fucking god. That was so goddamn tiring,” Tommy sighs but smiles (albeit painfully) when the three other people in the room start laughing.

 After a joyful moment, Gauze heals Tommy’s bruises, which makes the unfortunate blonde emit a couple more (yet softer) screams of pain. Then Tommy is injury free with only a scar to show last night even happened at all. When Gauze gives the go-ahead and a plain white t-shirt, Hades and Poseidon show Tommy to the door. Tommy apologizes for wasting their time and making them worry. The two heroes don’t accept Tommy’s apologies, which they should since he doesn’t do it too often. Tommy then says goodbye and leaves Hero Headquarters, like for the last time. Tommy retraces his earlier path home and almost falls asleep on the train again. It’s weird not having pain shooting through Tommy’s body every time he moves but he’s not missing it.

 About fifty minutes after leaving Hero Headquarters, Tommy finishes making a sandwich for lunch and eats it on the couch since he and Tubbo don’t have a dinner table. 

 A soft bing echoes through the empty apartment and Tommy grabs his phone from his backpack that sits on the floor and sees a notification for email. Tommy unlocks his phone and taps on the notification. His eyes widen. The email is from Hero Headquarters. About the interview.

 Tommy stops breathing.

 He got the job.

Chapter Text

 Tommy manages to remain sightly calm and breathe normally despite the excitement and disbelief running through his veins. Key word being slightly. It's a good thing that Tommy and Tubbo don't own anything super expensive or important because Tommy's power starts going haywire from the intensity of his emotions. The cushions underneath Tommy float about an inch off of the couch, the kitchen cupboards rattle in the next room over, and any small item such as a discarded pencil starts flying across the room. Tommy takes a few deep breathes and everything returns to normal, the only sense of his telekinesis being hyperactive is the thrumming of energy under Tommy's skin. But he deals with that feeling every day, so it's easy enough to ignore.

 Despite how boring Tommy knows it's going to be, he reads through the email. It has all, if not most of, the information Tommy needs to know about his new employment. Which is a lot apparently. According to the email, Tommy was assigned the position of assistant to SBI, which is the name of the trio group of heroes Hades. Zeus, and Poseidon. Some heroes work with others and are given (or choose, Tommy isn't sure) a group name. Another well-known group was the Dream Team, but the name isn't used anymore ever since Dream defected. Hopefully, it's not going to be weird with SBI since Tommy already bled out, hid injuries, secretly lied to, and collapsed into two of the three members' arms. Prime help Tommy.

 Moving on from that, Tommy's first day is... tomorrow. Starting at seven in the morning and ending at seven in the evening. Tommy sighs, his sleep schedule is going to be so much worse. Plus, he's required to work weekends. But he gets a forty-minute lunch break, as if that makes up for all of the fatigue Tommy is going to willingly put himself through.

 Tommy continues reading through the email, noting all of the important stuff: the relaxed dress code (basically not pajamas), listen to your boss (obviously), basic human decency, food is on the sixth floor and is free to all employees (very important), and SBI's floor is the sixteenth floor. Tommy has to reread that part of a couple of times. The fuckers get an entire fucking floor of the Hero Headquarters tower?! That... makes sense considering the absurd number of floors the tower has, but still, that's a bit overkill.

 There's a noticeable lack of information about what exactly Tommy will be doing for SBI, but he assumes that will be explained tomorrow.

 Tommy reaches the end of the email and turns off his phone before dropping it onto the couch and slumping further into the cushions. He is both very excited and nervous. His powers wanting to react doesn't help Tommy calm down, either. Tommy considers going on an impromptu patrol to let out all of his energy, but for once, he decides that's not the best idea. It would be quite suspicious if tommy showed up with more bruises the day after he got healed. Plus, Tubbo would freak out, and that's worse than any mugger, kidnapper, predator, or villain Tommy would fight in the event he did go on a patrol.

 So Tommy snuggles into the apartment's slightly dilapidated couch and within a record forty-five minutes, Tommy passes out.

---~•

 Tommy wakes up to Tubbo unlocking the door to their apartment. He sits up and stretches his arms above his head with a large yawn, relishing in the feeling of no wound stretching open.

 "Hi, Tubso," Tommy greets when Tubbo walks in and locks the door behind him. Tommy rubs his eyes in an attempt to wake them up more.

 Tubbo gives Tommy an amused look. "Did you take a nap?"

 "What's it look like, big man?" Tommy smiles.

 Tommy stands and goes to the kitchen to get a dinner he should have started already cooked up. Tommy looks through their mostly bare cupboards and selects a can of chicken noodle soup. As Tommy follows the instructions on the can and uses his telekinesis to grab all of the necessary materials, Tubbo talks about his day at the second-hand store. Tommy isn't sure when to tell Tubbo about getting the job for the heroes, hell, bee boy doesn't even know Tommy actually applied.

 But apparently, Tommy doesn't have to decide because Tubbo suddenly stops talking.

 A pause. "Tommy," Tubbo says in a serious voice.

 "Yes, Tubbo?"

 "Where did you get that shirt?"

 Oh fucking crap, Tommy forgot he was wearing the shirt the heroes gave him.

 "Well, you know how I joked about applying for the heroes' assistant position?" Tommy grins nervously and awkwardly fidgets with his hands.

 "What does that have to do with your shirt, Tommy?" Tubbo stares evenly at Tommy.

 "Well, last night on patrol, I applied, and got into the interview stage," Tommy ignores Tubbo's surprised "What?!" Tommy continues, "And the interview was this morning. There were a lot of other people there, and I went dead last, which was fine since I met Sam Nook. Turns, out, I was getting interviewed by Hades, which was fucking cool as shit. When I was leaving, though, Poseidon rushed in, and my side started bleeding again."

 "Why were you bleeding?!" Tubbo exclaims.

 "Sh, don't interrupt," Tubbo's scowl is less intimidating when his eyes are leaking concern. "I got a knife to the side last night. But anyways," Tubbo doesn't seem happy at how Tommy's continuing his story, but Tommy doesn't care, "they rushed me to their medical wing. Their healer Gauze patched me up. Now, I have just a scar to show for everything. And a shirt because I bled through my original, so the heroes gave me a new one."

 Tubbo just stares at Tommy like he's crazy, which he isn't! Tubbo sighs and runs a palm down his face. "How did you explain how you got the knife wound?"

 "Mugging after I got groceries."

 Tubbo nods and silence blankets the two of them. Tommy uses his power to continue cooking the soup.

 "I, uh, got the job," Tommy states bluntly.

 Tubbo whirls around and stares wide eyed at Tommy.

 "After I got home, I got an email saying I got the position and start tomorrow," Tommy explain somewhat shyly.

 Tubbo gapes at Tommy or maybe it's at the information Tommy just hit him with. Tommy was surprised, too.

 "You're a vigilante, Tommy. This is dangerous," Tubbo says quietly.

 "I know, but we need the money. Plus, they'll never find out. You know me, Tubbo, I'm great at keeping secrets."

 Tubbo raises an eyebrow at that, and Tommy laughs. Tommy is more stubborn at not saying something that actually hiding it.

 "Come on, let's eat."

Tubbo doesn't argue or say anything else against Tommy's new job that night, and Tommy knows that it's because Tubbo knows they need the money. The weeks of unemployed Tommy has hurt them more than either of them anticipated. But everything will be fine. He is the amazing and pogchamp Tommy Innit after all.

Chapter Text

  Seven in the morning is too fucking early to start work at, in Tommy's not so humble opinion. It means that he has to wake up at five in the morning, the sun barely up with him, after falling asleep super late because his brain just wouldn't shut off. Tommy fucking hates insomnia! What does it exist for? To ruin people's lives? To make them more sleep deprived than they already are? Cause that's what it's doing for Tommy! 

 Now, as Tommy is running slightly late because he slept through his alarm clock, the blonde curses the existence of such a plague. He runs through the city, sprinting off the train towards the towering skyscraper in the distance. His chest heaves as he weaves between people, apologizing every time he clips someone's shoulder because they're walking to damn slow.

 It's a good thing Tommy is basically conditioned to run fast because of his vigilantism, because otherwise, he could probably lose his hopes of keeping this job.

 In record time of decreasing a ten minute walk into a four minute run, Tommy skids to a stop in front of the insanely tall Hero Headquarters. His clock says it's 6:58. Tommy somehow made it with two minutes to spare before he's supposed to be here. Isn't that lucky.

 After giving himself a couple seconds to try and get his breathing and hair under control, Tommy walks through the giant front doors. Even though he was just here yesterday, the lobby still amazes Tommy. The hanging crystal chandelier, the polished tile floors, the tall walls. Tommy doesn't think he'll get used to being inside, let alone working in the most well-known building in the city. Or the guards that line the inside walls. They still make Tommy on edge, even without injuries that he's trying to hide. 

 Putting on a sense of bravado to try and cancel out the anxiety that creeps up Tommy's throat, Tommy walks over to the reception desk, where once again, Purpled sits. Purpled looks up at Tommy as the blonde approaches, and Tommy can see a flash of recognition in his eyes. It reminds Tommy that yesterday he was wearing a mask, so this is really the first time Purpled is seeing Tommy for how he actually looks.

 "Hi," Tommy greets simply with an awkward wave. "I'm Tommy Innit from yesterday."

 Purpled smiles. "Hi, I thought I recognized you. Nice to see you without the mask. I have you marked in the system for getting the job, congrats."

 "Thank you," Tommy says with a grin. "I'm, uh, not really sure what I'm supposed to be doing," Tommy admits. "First day and all."

 Purpled gives him an understanding look. "All good. No one really knows what they're doing on their first day. Lucky for you, it's gonna be pretty chill for today. Unfortunately, it'll probably be busy tomorrow. The perks of working for heroes who never stop working."

 Tommy nods as Purpled opens and rummages around in a drawer on his side of the desk. He hands Tommy a lanyard with keycard. On it is the photo of Tommy that he put on his application. It's the same one on his fake id, courtesy of Tommy's best bud Tubbo. 

 "That's your keycard to get into all the floors and rooms that you'll need to. Access can be updated if needed by HR, myself, or any of the heroes. Since you're an assistant, you have access to floor one to twenty, which includes hero floors, offices, the cafeteria, bathrooms, and break rooms. Twenty-one and up are restricted unless allowed, as they're hero quarters, training rooms, gyms, and labs," Purpled explains.

 Nodding along to the information, Tommy tries to retain as much of it as possible.

 "Since it's your first day, Henry will show you around and answer any questions you have."

 "Henry?" Tommy asks.

 "Hello," says an unfamiliar voice behind Tommy.

 Tommy turns around and comes face to face with who must be Henry. Tommy likes Henry immediately. Henry Vache, He/Him, as his keycard reads, looks absolutely fucking poggers. His short messy hair is dyed grey with brown roots peeking out. His grey eyes are kind and warm. And his style absolutely rocks. While Tommy had come in wearing a pair of his nicer blue jeans and red sweater, Henry wore a black and white flannel, dark graphic tee of some history pun Tommy didn't understand, distressed black jeans, hightops, and wallet chain. And not to be outdone, wrapped around Henry's neck is keycard just like Tommy's with picture, name, and pronouns, but unlike Tommy's plain black lanyard, Henry's is light blue with little cute cows all over it.

 Tommy hopes Henry wants to be his friend as much as Tommy wants to be his. 

 "Sup, big man," Tommy says cooly. "I'm Tommy, he/him," he extends his hand somewhat awkwardly, really showing his amazing social skills.

 Henry smiles and shakes Tommy's hand. "I'm Henry, he/him, as you've heard three times now. Are you ready for a tour of Hero Headquarters?"

 Tommy nods eagerly, and Henry chuckles. Tommy thinks he's succeeding so far in the friend department. 

 As the two of them walk off to begin the tour, Tommy waves goodbye to Purpled. The other blonde looks a little surprised at the farewell, as if no one really spares him a second thought. Tis the curse of being a receptionist, even in the magnificent tower Tommy now works. He bets that as an assistant, he won't get that many spare glances, either. Which, hey, works for him. As a vigilante undercover, he kinda needs to avoid the spotlight. Tubbo would be massively pissed if he didn't. 

 Henry leads Tommy around the lobby of the the tower for a few minutes before going to the elevators. He gives Tommy a quick rundown of how he needs to scan his keycard once inside. When he does, the buttons of the floors he's allowed to go to will light up, and he can choose which one he wants. Tommy thinks that's pretty cool, and says so, which Henry claims that the security team will thank him on. Henry guides Tommy to the first five floor pretty quickly. They're mainly offices for assistants and other employees who don't work for specific heroes.

 The first floor was the lobby.

 Second floor HR.

 Third floor finance and accounting. Tommy didn't realize how many people were needed to manage money.

 Fourth floor advertising and marketing.

 Fifth floor security. Only the lobby of this floor was accessible, but Tommy still told the security there they're doing a great job. They seemed to appreciate it.

 The sixth floor, as Tommy was previously told was the cafeteria, and it was much more than he was expecting. While it had long and circular tables arranged like a typical school cafeteria, it had much higher quality food. Tommy nearly started drooling at the site of the buffet. It has breakfast and lunch on it, as well as a nearby salad bar, dessert table, snack bar, vending machine, and soda fountain of what had to be practically every soda and juice available to mankind. Henry said that it's restocked every week and that they never run out of food. Many people apparently have their own kitchens on their floors or in their quarters, so not every hero comes down to eat here, but that makes it nice to other employees who can enjoy unlimited free food. Tommy should bring a bag or something so he can take some home to Tubbo. He's sure the heroes wouldn't mind.

 The seventh floor was the employee break room and gym. Henry tells that this as a newer area, as it used to be storage (which has now been moved to the basement, and Tommy doesn't have access to). It's for non hero employees only since the heroes have their further up in the tower. This way employees have their own space to chill and workout if needed. Henry recommended the treadmills, apparently he's a running kind of guy like Tommy.

 The eighth floor is the medbay, which Tommy has been to already, but he doesn't feel like he needs to admit that to Henry.

 Starting at the ninth floor are the heroes' floors. Henry doesn't take Tommy to all of them, simply listing off the heroes who work there. Nine is the floor for heroes in training.

 Ten and eleven are for Guardian, the hero who designed Sam Nook. Apparently, according to Henry, it's a jungle of technology. Tommy dearly wants to visit it and chat with the hero. If Tommy had been a bit more fortunate in life, maybe he would have designed his own technology, interned under Guardian. 

 Twelve is for the mother and son duo Captain and Midas. Tommy hasn't seen them a lot when he's active as Kraken, but he's watched footage of them on TV. They're usually involved in evacuation and rescue missions. They sound nice in their interviews, with Midas having a lot of charisma and humor and Captain definitely giving off mom vibes. Or at least what Tommy assumes are mom vibes.

 Thirteen is the floor for Scry, a hero who isn't on the field much. He's been interviewed a couple of times after especially bad villain attacks, but other than that, Tommy would have never known he's a hero.

 Fourteen is apparently a vacant floor. It hasn't been filled just yet after it's last occupant defected. Henry says he doesn't know the specifics since it's kept very under wraps, but that he thinks they turned to vigilantism. That catches Tommy's attention, and he stores that for later to look into. Maybe one of his fellow vigilantes know about this, or even are the ex-hero in question. Which Tommy honestly doubts. None of them really have hero vibes wafting off of them. 

 Fifteen is also vacant. Henry says this one is simply being saved for the hero's in training, like fourteen, when they finally become full-fledged heroes.

 Sixteen is the floor Tommy will work in, dedicated to the three heroes that form SBI: Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus. Tommy once again refrains from telling Henry how just the previous day he had nearly passed out in their arms as he started bleeding and suffering immensely from the bruises that a bunch of dickheads had inflicted him with. 

 Seventeen is for the remaining two members of the Dream Team: Thermo and Found. Henry, ever the gossip king, whispers to Tommy about how they keep trying to rebrand but all their ideas for names suck so bad they're stuck with Dream Team for now even though Dream left. Tommy mourns for their situation.

 Eighteen belongs to the hero known as Ragdoll. Tommy has seen him once or twice while on patrol, but he doesn't get much publicity.

 And lastly, nineteen and twenty who belong to a bunch of other heroes that Tommy's brain stopped working to remember. There was so much information being fed to him, especially after he had to forgo the breakfast that didn't even exist that morning, that his mind was overloaded. Thankfully, that concluded the tour, but not Henry's kindness. Henry took Tommy back down to the sixth floor, and let Tommy eat an early lunch, seeing as though it was only ten. Tommy had to hold himself back from absolutely loading the shit out of a tray and eat then entire goddamn buffet. He settled for an egg and cheese sandwich, an apple, a couple of chocolate chip cookies, and a glass of Coca Cola. It's probably the most he's eaten in the past week. Henry grabs a peanut butter cookie and glass of milk to dunk it in. Tommy approves.

 The two of them sit at one of the smaller tables, chatting about how they both came about working here. Henry, he tells Tommy, has been working at Hero Headquarters, mostly in the HR department and giving tours to new employees or the occasional group of tourists or students, for the past four years. He's twenty-five, his favorite animals are cows, his favorite color is either blue or green, he has the enhancement to talk to animals, and he's a vegetarian. Tommy silently fumes at the last fact, but decides to not hold it over his new friend's head.

 Especially not when Henry says: "You seem pretty cool, Tommy. I'm glad you came to work here." Tommy absolutely doesn't fucking preen, but so what if he did.

 After telling Henry all the fake facts about Tommy sprinkled in with some real ones, the two of them clean up their plates and trash. Then, Henry guides Tommy back to the elevator and presses the button for floor sixteen. Anxiety coils in Tommy's gut. What if the heroes hate Tommy for what happened yesterday? Will they judge him? With Poseidon and Hades tell Zeus about Tommy's injuries? Why did they hire Tommy when he's not qualified for this at all? Do they pity him? They better not fucking pity him.

 Henry places a calming hand on Tommy's shoulder as the blonde begins to spiral. "Hey, take a deep breath. It'll be alright. The heroes are pretty chill. They might be a little intimidating, but that's it. You got this."

 Tommy nods, taking a deep breath to settle his nerves. Henry's right. Tommy can do this. He's a fucking vigilante, he handles heroes on a constant basis. He can handle them when they're not trying to hurt or arrest him.

 The elevator dings as it pulls to a stop, and the steel doors open, revealing not the secret lair Tommy was expecting. He thought there'd be tech everywhere: supercomputers and monitors the size of the entire wall. Instead, what he sees is slightly homely. The floor opens up into an open space with rooms that Tommy assumes to be offices further down. There is a kitchen off to the left, wide and sprawling with enough room for an island in the center. To the right is a living room of sort complete with large plush couches, shag carpet, a huge flatscreen TV, shelf full of books, board games, and knickknacks, and a console table layered with video game systems and the video games themselves.

 Henry pushes a button on the wall beside them that Tommy didn't see before. He looks at it questioningly as a soft doorbell like chime echoes through the floor. "It's just to alert the heroes that someone is here to see them. Visitors will do it as a common courtesy since heroes may be in their offices," Henry explains. Tommy nods in understanding.

 "So it's basically just a doorbell."

 Henry grins. "Yep."

 "Oh," a new yet familiar voice says. "He's here!"

 Tommy looks away from Tommy to see none other than Hades himself walking towards them from the hallway of offices. The hero dons his costume like yesterday, veil and hat covering his face like always. Footsteps sound from behind the hero, and soon, Poseidon rounds a corner and Zeus exits one of the offices. Tommy can't help but tense slightly at Zeus. He was the only member of SBI that Tommy didn't meet yesterday, although Poseidon mentioned him when he nearly slammed a door into Tommy. The man is tall and sturdy, muscled but not in an overwhelming bodybuilder type of way. His costume is intimidating: black combat boots with gold laces, black pants with gold trim, gold utility belt, a bulletproof black turtleneck shirt with matching gold trim, a red cape only attached to his left shoulder, gold fingerless gloves, and sleek gold metallic mask that cover his entire face, no eye holes in site. Tommy can't help but wonder if Zeus had any input in the design of his costume or if he was just given the definition of a superhero uniform minus the skin tight spandex and underwear overtop. 

 The three heroes walk over to Tommy and Henry, and Tommy takes another breath. 

 "Thank you for showing Tommy around, Henry," Hades says to Henry who nods and smiles softly. "You can head back down."

 "Of course. I'll see you around, Tommy," Henry says, patting Tommy on the back as he turns back to the elevator. Tommy watches him get in and the door close in front of him. And then Tommy is alone with the three heroes. His new bosses. Fuck, what is he doing here?

 "Nice to see you again, Tommy, Poseidon says, the kind smile obvious even underneath his mask.

 Tommy smiles back, the edges slightly strained with lingering anxiety. "Yeah. I honestly was kind of surprised I got the job so quickly after the impression I made." Oh fuck, why did he bring that up so soon?!

 Hades chuckles. "Well, you seemed perfect honestly. Everyone else is practically our ages and think they deserve the job just because they have a somewhat cool enhancement or experience."

 Relief fills Tommy that they didn't hire him because of pity. "Wouldn't you want experience, though?" Tommy asks.

 "We wanted something new," Poseidon explains. "Our last assistant was dry and serious all the time," he shudders. "You have humor and personality."

 "Thanks," at least Tommy hopes that was a compliment.

 "That still means you have work to do," Zeus finally speaks up, his voice gruff and deep. "Hades and Poseidon told me about what happened yesterday. That can't happen again, either. Communication and responsibility is important, whether or not you're a hero. As an assistant, we rely on you for things we're too busy to handle. Understand?"

 Tommy nods, confused as to why Zeus seems to dislike Tommy already. Sure, he didn't made a great first impression yesterday, but this is the first time he's meeting the hero.

 Hades sighs. "Don't mind, Zeus. Our previous assistant started slacking and skipping some of their work without telling us because they thought they were overworked. They weren't, but if ever feel that way, please feel free to tell us. We work together, as Zeus said, so we all have to get along. That'll take time, but you seem like a good person, Tommy."

 "Thank you," Tommy says again. He can't tell how he feels. Happy that Zeus and Poseidon seem to have so much faith in him? Guilty that Tommy is already lying to his new employers about who he secretly is? Offput by how Zeus's impression of him is tainted by their deadbeat previous assistant? No wonder the position was available. "Uhm, quick question. What exactly do I do as your assistant? That wasn't really covered in the job description."

 "Oh, right. You'll fill out our patrol and mission reports based on the footage we send you after each day. There are cameras in our suits that record when we go out onto the field, that way we don't miss anything. If there are any other email, forms, contracts, or business arrangements like brand deals or interviews, you'll bring those to our attention and work through them, too. It's not as difficult as it may sound. Mostly filling out the blanks, sending emails, and helping us with out time. Since we'll be out a lot, we're often too tired or busy to do all this ourselves," Hades explains.

 Tommy nods in understanding. "Alright, I can do that."

 Hades smiles, the grin barely evident through the mesh of his veil. "I knew you could. We don't have much work for you right now, but we can show you around the floor."

 Poseidon nods eagerly as Tommy nods his agreement.

 Poseidon leads the way, waving to the two sides of the room that Tommy can see already. "That's the kitchen. Zeus is a pretty good cook, he's mashed potatoes taste like heaven," Zeus grunts at this in what Tommy can only assume is pride, "and that's the den. We chill there when we have some break time. Feel free to borrow a book whenever you want. No one reads them too much anyway." Poseidon walks to the hallway the three of them came down earlier. There are three doors on both sides and then the hallway splits, one path going left and the other right. Pointing at each door on the left in order from closest to farthest, Poseidon lists, "That's Hades's office, then Zeus's, and then mine." He switches to the right side. "That'll be your office, that's our merch room, and that's the bathroom." He stops at the end of the hall, where it branches out. "There's two storage rooms to the left, and to the right we have two bedrooms where we crash if we're too tired to go upstairs, and our own private training room." Poseidon puffs out his chest like he's impressed. Tommy is, too.

 "Wow, I think this floor is bigger than my entire apartment," Tommy says, and it's true. His apartment is probably only the size of half, if not less, of this entire floor. "Wait, I get an office?" Why does that excite Tommy so much?

 "Yeah, you can decorate if you like," Zeus states gruffly, pointing at the first door on the right. Hesitantly, Tommy walks over and opens it, revealing a sizeable space complete with a desk in the center, swivel chair, computer setup and printer, empty set of shelves on both walls, rug, and a window complete with curtains behind the desk.

 "Woah," Tommy breathes. He could never afford this on a normal day.

 "Glad you like it," Hades says. "You'll likely do most of your work in here." Tommy nods. He can work with that (hah, get it, work. Tommy's hilarious.)

 "Do you guys need me to do anything for you now?" Tommy asks.

 Zeus seems surprised by his question. Well, as surprised as Tommy thinks he gets with the faceless mask after all. "No, we're good for now," he answers gruffly, crossing his arms. Tommy can't tell how much of Zeus is just his personality or his unreasonable distrust of Tommy. Tommy is an amazing person who everyone should love at first sight and not question anything else about his life, especially the frequent injuries he acquires from a secret double life he most definitely doesn't have. Definitely.

 "Oh, before I forget, we do have some rules. These apply to both us and other heroes," Hades inputs. "Firstly, don't ask about identities. We choose to keep them secret for now, as you're still a civilian," oh if only they knew, "but if the time comes and we or other heroes wish to reveal that to you, we will. But do not push us, understand?" Tommy nods. "Good. Secondly, this is a communal space, so be courteous. Don't steal, disrupt, or destroy other people's spaces. Respect privacy, too. We ask that you don't go into our offices, spare bedrooms, or training room unless we allow you." Tommy nods again. "Everything else is pretty much just human decency. We're fine with swearing, and we don't have any allergies." Hades looks at his fellow heroes. "Anything I'm forgetting?"

 "You can go into the merch room when you want to," Poseidon supplies, "but please don't touch any of my guitars. Also, don't eat food that is labeled for others. Our last assistant thought she could just eat my salmon whenever she so pleased," Poseidon practically pouts. 

 "I won't," Tommy reassures. "Never really had a taste for fish." Poseidon chuckles.

 Zeus steps forward slightly. "It's not often, but sometimes employees here get targeted by villains," the statement sucks all humor or enjoyment out of the room. "If that happens or you have any information that you think we should know about crime of any sort, including vigilantes, tell is immediately. We'll give you our work numbers later."

 Tommy nods, panic frozen in his veins. Obviously he won't be telling them any of that shit since it happens to him on a daily basis, but they don't need to know that. 

 Poseidon claps Zeus on the back, the other man not even flinching. "Now that the formal stuff is over with, settle in Tommy." He seems to smile.

 "We welcome you to Hero Headquarters."