Tommys clinic for supervillains

Chapter 20

The first thing Tommy noticed when he woke up was that he was thirsty as fuck.

Oh, also his head was killing him. And his body was pretty sore too. Honestly, he was just kind of having a shit time all around.

His thoughts were fuzzy as he struggled to remember why exactly he felt so shitty. He knew there was a reason. Something had happened. Something big. But he was still half-asleep, and trying to grasp onto blurred memories was like grabbing at wisps of smoke that were blowing just out of his reach.

Tommy tried to focus on figuring out where he was first and foremost, because that seemed like a good place to start getting his bearings. He was laying in a bed, he could tell that much. The mattress was plush, and cradled his sore limbs in all the right places. His head was also on an unbelievably squishy pillow, and he could feel his cheek being smushed into a soft pillowcase. It was... odd. He wasn't used to sleeping in a bed after-

Wait.

All at once, everything came flooding back.

The kidnapping. Talking to Dream. Flame not helping him. The Syndicate showing up to save him.

The memory of hearing his own bones break echoed in his ears, and although the memories were addled by pain, he unfortunately could recall the entire past few minutes he'd been conscious with perfect clarity.

Ender teleporting him out. Siren, crouched down next to him, apologizing over and over and running his hands through Tommy's hair.

Seeing Wilbur's eyes staring out at him from under Siren's mask. Tommy finally giving in and letting the puzzle pieces slot into place in his mind.

Siren was Wilbur. The confirmation felt like someone knocking the wind out of him. Of course a part of him had already known. Hell, looking back, it was painfully obvious in retrospect. Wilbur had even joked about meeting Siren over fried chicken sandwiches, back when Tommy was still unsure if he could even call Wilbur a friend.

So much had happened since then. Wilbur had lied to him, over and over again. Acting like he didn't know Tommy had healing powers when he healed him in the Soot kitchen the first time he came over. Politely not questioning all the times Tommy came back late from a shift at the cafe. Asking Tommy what he thought of Wilbur after healing him as Siren.

Oh fuck, he had just been sitting there basking as Tommy praised Wilbur to high heavens. Anger stirred in Tommy's gut. He took advantage of his secret identity and used it to find out what Tommy thought of him in his civilian form. That was just—it was fucking embarrassing for him!

But... could he really be mad at Wilbur for that? If Tommy was in the same position, given the opportunity to find out what Wilbur thought of him while hidden behind a mask, could he really say he wouldn't do the same?

Tommy wasn't sure. There was so much to think about, and his head was throbbing far too much to make any sense of his conflicted thoughts right now. So instead, he decided to put off that crisis and instead traded it for another.

He opened his eyes.

Despite his conflicted feelings towards the Soot's right now, Tommy couldn't help the wave of relief that washed through him when he realized he was back in his bedroom at the Soot's.

But just as quickly as that relief came, it was replaced with bone chilling fear. Was he really back at the Soot's? Or was this another 404 dream? He'd already been tricked into thinking he was home before because of the hero. What if all of that—Flame wanting to save him, the Syndicate breaking in, Ender teleporting him and Siren out—what if that was a dream?