A Guide For The Outsiders

Chapter 19: shatter my soul, leave it broken forever

TW: fire, violence, injuries, hospitals
Please let me know if I missed any

Ranboo grinned, spinning his typical fire baton. Watching over the city was their job, and their reprive from everything that is happening. No real stress when all he has to deal with are petty thieves, burglars, and muggers. People with little skill in fighting, or living in general.

The vigilante does understand the strife of trying to survive, however, they do not condone theft for unnecessary things, or the threatening of children. Ranboo will always look away if they see a little kid taking food.

They walk up and down unlit streets, slink through alleys, and travel by rooftop when things are more closely watched. Ending up staring at the hero complex at some point. It looks like a concentration camp, blocky gray buildings, and a barbed fence with electric wiring strung over top, how could some place so good look so oppressive?

Ranboo let his eyes wander over the empty space for too long.

"Ooh, someone is out of place here."

"How are you Theseus?" The enderian asked, not turning to face the young hero.

"I'm fine, good actually, as I get to turn you in tonight."

Ranboo whipped around fast and deftly caught the blond's staff. "Oh yeah? Why? Have you worked for long enough that your wings don't ache after a night of flying? Long enough that you no longer feel the pain of bring slammed against a building?" The enderian smiled dangerously, "or have you been out of practice against a real problem for so long that you've forgotten? Your brain gutted by tedious days under florescent lights and watchful eyes?"

"What?" Theseus had the nerve to look confused, and Ranboo laughed.

"You're cocky now a days, let me give you a reminder as to why you heros haven't pursuited me." The enderian's grin turned sharp, and they swung the metal staff, the hero at the end of it let go like an intelligent human being, and the staff clattered away into an alley off the side of the building.

Ranboo took out his baton and swung at Theseus with it, it connected with his side, and the winged hero yelped, confirming their earlier suspicions.

"Where did all the hero training go?" They asked, saccharine sweet. They struck Theseus twice more, one at his gut, and the other on the small of his back,  his wings retracting, leaving him with only the agility he has on his own two feet.

"Why are you doing this? I thought we were friends?" And Ranboo stopped short, because that voice, that voice and his voice, and those sickly green eyes.

"We are absolutely nothing!" They screeched at the voice. "Don't try and play that card with me, Marionette."

The hero in front of him was Theseus, but he was no longer Tommy. He rose with a grin and a glint in those sickly green eyes. "Error, how nice of you to turn yourself in. Such a shame I can no longer control your will, however now I can control your freedom." Theseus lept towards the vigilante with dizzying speed, but Error was one step ahead, Ranboo was one step ahead. He dematerialized right before Theseus' fingers could close around his arm, the ghosts of bone white hands overlapped Tommy'sskin. They appeared right behind the small hero, and hit him again with their baton. Marionette has more skill and experience, but they are hindered by their vessel, whatever the vessel feels, they also feel, the vessel's weakness becomes their own.

Ranboo was faster than Theseus, and stronger than the young hero, but just to be completely certain, the vigilante unsheathed his double sided axe. Always better to have something sharp, than to not.

They circled around each other, Marionette lunging, and Ranboo teleporting, the continuous cycle that keeps the two connected.

"Oh how sad, the last is yet to arrive," Marionette said with a certain level of sadness, or pity. Ranboo couldn't tell, nor would they ever, he felt.

Ranboo struck Theseus again and again, aiming to gravely injure. They heard the hero's ribs crack and kept going, the vigilante kept going until there were many cracks, until the person lying infront of him, screaming, and writhing in pain, was Tommy. Just Tommy. Tommy who made sex jokes until he died laughing of his own accord, Tommy who played tag with reckless abandon.

Tommy, who was dying.

Ranboo stowed his baton and axe, and quickly retrieved Theseus' staff. The vigilante gently lifted the boy and slung him over their shoulder, the blond had mercifully passed out.

Avians had fragile, hollow bones, they'd be hard to mend. But that also meant Marionette's bones wouldn't be mended easily either.

Error had made it to the hospital, Ponk was always there. He had the night shift, and knew from the night Error had shown up, in a blood soaked tunic, on the verge of collapse, that he'd keep the night shift.

The doctor did a full examination of the hero, writing on a sheet of paper with his bionic arm. "Several fractured bones, broken ribs, a few severed tendons, and torn muscles," Ponk looked up with a smile. "Nothing I can't fix. Nothing as bad as you."

Ranboo smiled painfully. Ponk had healing abilities, but it required the patient to drink lemonade. Ranboo couldn't drink lemonade.

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Tommy blinked awake a few minutes later, and Ponk immediately shoved a glass of lemonade down his throat. The doctor met several insults that he hurled back, with hilarious grace in Ranboo's opinion, and Tommy was walking before sunrise.

Nothing old, nothing new. Everything would change, Ranboo just didn't know how.

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HOME STRETCH!

See you later friends!💙💙💙💙💙💙