Tommy's Ultra-Important Keychain

Chapter 4: Bullies or supervillains, which is worse?

The wind howled at the top of the abandoned parking garage. Stars were blotted out by light pollution, but at least there was silence for the time being. Midnight's wings made of shadows thrived in the darkness, stretching without fear of being scared away by the sun. The veil that hung from his hat licked his face with each breeze.

"You've got a lot of explaining to do."

Midnight sighed at his interrupted silence. Swashbuckler's sudden request to meet was inconvenient to say the least. Wilbur had pulled Phil aside the moment he'd returned from evening patrol with Techno. His plans to collapse onto the couch were soiled and his muscles ached something fierce.

Swashbuckler stood next to him, as she had done hundreds of times before. Her mask was in her hands, leaving her anger on full display. Midnight felt a shiver up his spine, and his ruined night was no longer his biggest concern. Puffy was a kind woman, but she could wreak havoc if upset.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about," Phil responded, stepping carefully. If he truly had done something, it was best to navigate their conversation like an active minefield.

Puffy huffed, "Yesterday, a kid I'm rather fond of ran into my laundromat begging me to hide him. Would you like to take a guess as to who he was hiding from?"

Phil winced beneath his veil. Gingerly, he removed his hat, feeling it was better that she see the guilt on his face. Puffy crossed her arms, and he knew it was too late to prevent her from exploding. His sons would not be hearing the end of this when he got home.

"My boys," he admitted sheepishly. She nodded. "I apologize for them. They were just caught off guard by Tommy's powers and didn't think things through."

Puffy held out a hand and Phil shut his mouth. If she had looked pissed before, she was livid now. Phil gripped his hat tighter in an attempt to not show fear. Swashbuckler wasn't known to commit major crimes, and he did not want to be the first life added to her tally.

"First of all," she started through clenched teeth. "How did you know his name was Tommy? Second of all, what the hell do you mean they were caught off guard by his powers?"

Wilbur would be working the night shift for the rest of his life if Phil got murdered today.

"Icarus stepped away from patrol this afternoon to get a snack and ran into Tommy while he was working," the man explained slowly, gauging Puffy's expression with each word. "They had a completely safe conversation over a bit of frozen yogurt."

Swashbuckler pinched the bridge of her nose. "I guess that's alright if Tommy was okay with it," she relented. "But that doesn't explain why they were chasing him the other day. He told me something about keys, but I don't know much."

Phil sucked in a breath and stood up straighter. Puffy wasn't aware of their reasoning yet, which was likely why she'd called him. Her situation was similar to his, and she deserved to know.

"Puffy, Tommy picked up both Techno and Wilbur's keys at the same time," Phil said. "And he was completely fine."

The woman's eyes widened and her mouth fell open in shock. As he'd expected, she would need a bit to process the new information. Tommy's situation was unheard of in their field. Phil slipped his hat back over his face.

"How is that possible," she whispered. He noticed that one of Puffy's hands had slipped to the necklace she wore constantly. She gripped onto the object that dangled from the chain as if it were the only thing grounding her. "No one's been able to possess two magic items at the same time and survive. It's the only thing that's kept the heroes and villains balanced all this time."